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"What was it like?" I remember my aunt Amelia asking me later in Texas, about walking into the village where her mother was born. Old Calabria, a little village clinging to a hillside like a vine that had wrapped itself around a sycamore tree and hung on through time and the elements.
I can only imagine what they were thinking 100 years ago, when where they were, in Calabria, looked as inviting as that West Texas dust storm raging on the plains. Devastating earthquake, utter breakdown in civilization, a civilization that had been established in the 6th Century B.C. Desperation, hope, a clean slate, away. Just far, far away.
In 1977, the train took us from Brindisi to Cosenza, and we followed Merlin back in time, the pine tree forest through the mountains over the hill. Back to grandmother's house. It was the harvest season, September, in a year that would be remembered, by some, as a better than average harvest.
Cosenza was as it might have been 30 years before. All we had was a name, Bucita. Somewhere in the hills we would find our cousins and uncles and aunts. And the legacy of their love of the land, and the grape.
Walking into the village, an overwhelming balm infused the air. Ripe figs, roasting inside their leaves in stone ovens. Honey, bay leaf, chestnut-like, complex aromas. Unforgettable.
We followed Giuseppe to a small ancient home, belonging to my cousin, Luigi. On the table, with a demijohn of red wine and some fresh cookies and the figs, were pictures of my parents on their wedding day. Connection.
We arrived at the village just in time. Our newly found family needed hands in the fields, as a storm front was threatening the harvest. Grape harvest reports supplanted the soccer games on the local TV. People were more interested in the price of Greco or Gaglioppo than Rossi or Zaccarelli. Time was contracting.
The elements here dominate the environment. Sun, rain, lightning, thunder. Earth, alive and moving. Here comes the sun. Luigi, finding some of his vines have been washed away, clears out a creek bed for water flow. After two nights of Olympian pyrotechnics, the people of the land were given back the hill. Like goats, we swarmed the vineyards, competing with the bees for the nectar. His wine vats awaited the harvest.
Another cousin, Giovanni, had been in his olive groves. They seemed to have survived. That night his wife, Elvira, would be making homemade pasta, casalinga, and eggplant, melanzane I segreti della nonna.
What remains is the offspring of those days, a life devoted to the legacy of the winemakers met in those early autumn days in southern Italy, in Old Calabria. Since then, I have studied wine in books and passed exams certifying me in some realm of wine specialization. But never were those books, even those vaulted chateaux in France, ever as influential and meaningful as spending long evenings in a room lit by a bare bulb with the elders, drinking their wine and talking into the early morning hours.
What was it like? In Bucita, we found our people close to their land, eating the food they grew, drinking the wine they made. Wines made from grapes, without oak, sulfur or contrivance. Fresh air. Clean, pure, sweet water. Their legacy of local. Individuals, charitable people, people whose lives hadn't been too easy, but souls still able to give and keep on giving. Finding my mother's people, for so long a mystery to us, was an amazing gift. To be with them and in their daily lives was an experience I will never forget.
written by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy


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The New York Times
By JAMES DAO and ANDREW W. LEHREN
Published: May 15, 2013
By Kassie Bracken Living in Limbo: A former combat videographer, Kathryn Robinson, describes trying to get her life back on track after her return from Iraq
After Specialist Freddy Hook, a medic with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, killed himself in 2010, the trail of possible causes seemed long.
He had used illegal drugs: Was it the demons of addiction? His rocky relationship with his fiancée? A wrenching deployment to earthquake-ravaged Haiti or the prospect of an impending tour in Afghanistan?
As with most of suicides plaguing the military today, no one will know for sure.
"There are so many factors," said his mother, Theresa Taylor, of Lafayette, La. "Everything that was important to him was having problems."
Of the crises facing American troops today, suicide ranks among the most emotionally wrenching — and baffling. Over the course of nearly 12 years and two wars, suicide among active-duty troops has risen steadily, hitting a record of 350 in 2012. That total was twice as many as a decade before and surpassed not only the number of American troops killed in Afghanistan but also the number who died in transportation accidents last year.
Even with the withdrawal from Iraq and the pullback in Afghanistan, the rate of suicide within the military has continued to rise significantly faster than within the general population, where it is also rising. In 2002, the military's suicide rate was 10.3 per 100,000 troops, well below the comparable civilian rate. But today the rates are nearly the same, above 18 per 100,000 people.
And according to some experts, the military may be undercounting the problem because of the way it calculates its suicide rate.
Yet though the Pentagon has commissioned numerous reports and invested tens of millions of dollars in research and prevention programs, experts concede they are little closer to understanding the root causes of why military suicide is rising so fast.
"Any one variable in isolation doesn't explain things," said Craig J. Bryan, associate director of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah. "But the interaction of all of them do. That's what makes it very difficult to solve the problem. And that's why we haven't made advances."
An emerging consensus among researchers is that, just as among civilians, a dauntingly complex web of factors usually underlie military suicide: mental illness, sexual or physical abuse, addictions, failed relationships, financial struggles. Indeed, the most recent Pentagon report of suicides found that half of the troops who killed themselves in 2011 had experienced the failure of an intimate relationship and about a quarter had received diagnoses of substance abuse.
Studies have also found that certain patterns of suicide among civilians seem intensified within the military. Among civilians, young white males are one of the most likely groups to kill themselves. In the military that group, which is disproportionately represented, is even more likely to commit suicide. Among civilians, firearms are the most common means; in the military, as might be expected, guns are used even more often, in 6 of every 10 instances.
Deployment and exposure to combat can act as catalysts that worsen existing problems in a service member's life, like drug abuse, or cause new ones, like post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries, which may contribute to suicidal behavior. Indeed, a study published this week in the medical journal JAMA Psychiatry found that troops with multiple concussions were significantly more likely to report having suicidal thoughts than troops with one or no concussions.
Yet deployment and combat by themselves cannot explain the spiking suicide rates, researchers say. Pentagon data show that in recent years about half of service members who committed suicide never deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. And more than 80 percent had never been in combat.
"This probably is the keenest misconception the public has: that deployment is the factor most related to the increased rates of suicide," said Cynthia Thomsen, a research psychologist at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego.
Another question lingers: Is the current trend unique, or typical of war throughout the ages? Because detailed data on military suicides was not collected until after Vietnam, it is impossible to know, though many experts believe that suicides rose during and after the two World Wars, Korea and Vietnam.
What is known is that since 2001, more than 2,700 service members have killed themselves, and that figure does not include National Guard and reserve troops who were not on active duty when they committed suicide.
Suicide among veterans has also risen somewhat since 2001, to an estimated 22 a day, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Just 12 years ago, when the rate of military suicide was so much lower, many experts believed that military culture insulated young people from self-harm. Not only did it provide steady income and health care, structure and a sense of purpose, the reasoning went, military service also screened personnel for criminal behavior as well as for basic physical and mental fitness.
But a decade of war has changed that perception.
"There is a difference between a military at war and a military at peace," said Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. "There is no doubt that war changes you."
The Loved Ones' Question
The Pentagon's 2011 annual report on suicide, the most recent available, paints this picture: About 9 of 10 suicides involved enlisted personnel, not officers. Three of four victims did not attend college. More than half were married. Eight in 10 died in the United States. Most did not leave notes or communicate their intent to hurt themselves.
Each of those suicides comes with its unique set of circumstances, its own theory as to why. But in the voices of loved ones left behind, themes echo. Surprise. Confusion. A relentless question: Could we have done more?
Cpl. Wade Toothman of the Marine Corps deployed to Iraq, where a good friend was killed, and then to Afghanistan, where a roadside bomb blew out one of his eardrums.
After he left the Marines in 2011, he complained of chronic headaches, a possible symptom of a traumatic brain injury. But he did not seek treatment. His mother also worried that he had post-traumatic stress. But he denied it and refused to see a doctor, saying he feared that the diagnosis would make it impossible to get a job. "People will say I'm crazy," he told her.
Experts say the months just after a service member leaves the military can be a particularly disorienting and even dangerous time. Once cocooned in close-knit units, new veterans must learn to be individuals again, freer yet often more alone, surrounded by a society that knows little about military life.
Once back in his tiny Oklahoma hometown, Prue, Corporal Toothman got bored and moved to Hawaii, where he had been based. But he could not find work, returned to Oklahoma, took a prison-guard job that he hated and talked idly of re-enlisting.
"He was having a hard time being a civilian," said his mother, Louise Toothman.
She did not realize just how hard. One October weekend in 2012, she went with her son to shop for groceries and pick up the tags for his new pickup truck. He seemed content. "He was making plans," she said.
Two days later, he killed himself with a shotgun she had given him as a gift.
After his death, she began to uncover clues. Medical records showed that despite his denials about post-traumatic stress, the Marine Corps had treated him for the disorder, including by prescribing him antidepressants.
He also left behind an anguished note that made his mother believe he could not forget seeing a close friend killed in Iraq. "I've held a lot of guilt and anger and sadness inside for a very long time," he wrote her. "I was too ashamed and proud to say it to you."
"I stopped drinking and tried dealing with it on my own and I failed," he continued. "I'm sorry I let you down. I was really hoping for some crazy, noble, heroic death. I love you and there's nothing you or anyone could do. This is my decision. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough."
Ms. Toothman wept as she read his words. "If I had known these things, I would have acted differently," she said. "I would have been right there."
Don Lipstein knows that feeling.
His son, Petty Officer Second Class Joshua Lipstein, had been a heavy drinker as a teenager growing up in Wilmington, Del. But motivated by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks four years earlier, he enlisted in the Navy and joined a riverboat crew that seemed to give him a sense of fulfillment, his father said. He made plans to make the Navy a career.
But during his second Iraq tour, doctors discovered he had a brain tumor and sent him home. In late 2009, he underwent surgery that caused him to lose hearing in one ear. Assigned to a desk job, he seemed headed for a medical discharge. The prospect of losing a career he loved was wrenching.
In the ensuing months, his father recalls, he became dependent on opioid pain killers. He told his father he was not addicted, just self-medicating. But Mr. Lipstein pushed him to enroll in a drug rehabilitation program. It did not help: months afterward, Petty Officer Lipstein started using heroin.
Even the birth of a daughter did not seem to relieve his inner struggles. In March 2011, while he was awaiting his final discharge, he spoke to his father on the phone. Mr. Lipstein could hear the despondency; alarmed, he asked his son to unload his gun.
"Dad," he replied, "I can't do that." He killed himself soon after.
Mr. Lipstein, who speaks and counsels about suicide for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a non-profit organization, says he does not blame the military for his son's death, noting how much he loved his work.
But he wonders whether commanders missed telltale signs — a problem the Pentagon acknowledges may be widespread. He wonders if he missed them, too.
"I didn't look at him as suicidal," he said. "Looking back, there were all kinds of stressors on his life. If I could have considered he was suicidal, could I have done something to prevent it?"
Looking for What Works
For Kathryn Robinson, seeking treatment for her post-traumatic stress disorder and occasional thoughts about suicide was not an issue. Finding a program that worked was.
A member of the Army National Guard, she deployed to Iraq in 2007 as a combat videographer. There, a sniper shot off one of her fingers during a fierce firefight. After active duty, she isolated herself from friends and family and became dependent on antidepressants.
But unlike some veterans, Ms. Robinson, 45, who lives in Detroit, sought treatment repeatedly: a residential program for post-traumatic stress disorder, a women's trauma recovery program, horse therapy, songwriting therapy, transcendental meditation, running.
Travel seems to work best of all, she said: "I call it trying to outrun the crazy."
Under intense pressure to expand and improve treatment and prevention programs, the armed services have hired additional mental health counselors, conducted advertising campaigns to encourage troops to seek care and instituted resiliency programs to help them control stress through diet, exercise, sleeping habits, meditation or counseling. Commanders are being instructed on how to identify the telltale signs of suicidal behavior as an early-warning system.
Yet the persistently high suicide rates have raised questions about which, if any, programs work. According to a 2010 report, the Department of Defense had nearly 900 suicide prevention activities, with multiple "inconsistencies, redundancies and gaps" in services.
Some experts say the Pentagon should focus on fewer programs that might have quicker impact. Some studies suggest, for instance, that simply improving sleeping habits can improve mental well-being. Others show that strengthening social connections, such as by having commanders or friends send "caring letters" to troubled service members, can prevent suicide.
But the stubborn nature of the problem is prompting more serious consideration of what suicide prevention experts call "means restriction," particularly reducing access to privately owned firearms.
"If we want to limit suicide, we should put means restriction at the front because it works," said Dr. Bryan of the University of Utah.
Indeed, the Pentagon is considering policies to encourage family members to take personal firearms away from suicidal service members. Commanders already have the authority to confiscate military-issue firearms from potentially suicidal service members.
But any such program is sure to be contentious and stir opposition from Second Amendment advocates. Dr. Woodson, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said that the program would be voluntary, but that details were still being developed.
Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the Pentagon is simply getting suicidal service members into treatment. Surveys show that despite campaigns to reduce stigma, many service members continue to believe that treatment will be ineffective or hurt their careers, said Dr. Charles Hoge, a psychiatrist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
"The problem isn't the specific treatments, but the fact that individuals aren't seeking care or are dropping out," Dr. Hoge said. "There's quite a bit of effort put into addressing stigma. But the fact remains that it is still a big problem."
Encouraging Help
For that reason, the Pentagon's first department-wide suicide prevention policy, to be released this year, will require "leaders to foster a command climate that encourages Department of Defense personnel to seek help," Jacqueline Garrick, acting director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, told Congress in March.
Theresa Taylor wonders whether any of that would have saved her son, Specialist Hook, who seemed to fall through one crack after another.
His family had a long history of military service. But his mother, an Air Force veteran, encouraged him to enlist because he was a bright underachiever who used drugs. The military, she hoped, would help him grow up.
For two years, he seemed to thrive as a medic with the 82nd Airborne Division. But in 2010, his life veered wildly off track. He seemed deeply affected by suffering he witnessed during a humanitarian mission to Haiti early that year. Over the following months, there were tensions with his fiancée. An arrest for driving 160 miles an hour. A relapse into drug use.
When he visited his mother in Louisiana in October 2010, he seemed agitated, "not in a good place," she said. He had begun taking antidepressants and seemed worried that his dream of joining the elite Army Rangers was becoming vanishingly distant. Adding to his stress, he was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan the next March.
"He didn't want to go," Ms. Taylor said. "It didn't have to do with the war or the Army. He felt like he needed to get his life straight."
As Christmas approached, Ms. Taylor learned that he had asked his fiancée to enter into a suicide pact. She told his commanders at Fort Bragg, and they promised to put him on suicide watch.
But a mental health professional at the post decided that he was not suicidal and cleared him to go on holiday leave, Ms. Taylor said. Over the next day, he stabbed a drug dealer while trying to reclaim a Rolex watch, a cherished gift that he had traded for drugs, his mother said.
His sergeant, whom he told about the stabbing, took him to turn himself in. But on the way to the police station, Specialist Hook called his fiancée and said, "I'll see you on the flip side." Then he stepped from the car and shot himself using a pistol he had taken from a friend. He died on Christmas Day at the age of 20.
Ms. Taylor acknowledged that many of her son's problems had predated enlistment. But she is haunted by a tape loop of questions about whether she, or her son's friends, or his commanders, could have done more to help him.
"There is enough blame for everyone to go around," she said. "The only reason you can blame anyone at all is that he was so young. If he was 40 and pulling these stunts, you'd say he should have learned. But he wasn't."

subset: commoncrawl


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Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has announced his retirement from international football with Ivory Coast.
Drogba, 36, who last month re-joined Chelsea following a two-season absence with spells in China and Turkey, made his 104th and final appearance for Les Elephants during the World Cup in Brazil.
The Ivory Coast captain was unable to help guide his nation past the group stage, with a late penalty for Greece from Georgios Samaras sealing the African side's fate.
- Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) August 8, 2014
The early exit in Brazil meant Ivory Coast had failed to reach the knockout stages in three consecutive World Cups, also going out in the group stage in 2006 -- the nation's maiden tournament -- and 2010.
Drogba also suffered further disappointment with the national side in the African Nations Cup -- the striker participated in final defeats to Egypt in 2006 and Zambia in 2012. He missed a penalty in normal time of the 2012 final.
The former Marseille man was part of a "Golden Generation," including the likes of Yaya Toure and Salomon Kalou, that had been expected to lift Ivory Coast's first trophy since 1992.
Drogba made his international debut in 2002 and went on to win 104 caps, scoring 65 goals in the process.


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Signal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio (often abbreviated SNR or S/N) is an electrical engineering concept, also used in other fields (such as scientific measurements, biological cell signaling and oral lore), defined as the ratio of a signal power to the noise power corrupting the signal.
In less technical terms, signal-to-noise ratio compares the level of a desired signal (such as music) to the level of background noise. The higher the ratio, the less obtrusive the background noise is.
Technical sense
In engineering, signal-to-noise ratio is a term for the power ratio between a signal (meaningful information) and the background noise:
- <math>
\mathrm{SNR} = {P_\mathrm{signal} \over P_\mathrm{noise}} = \left ( {A_\mathrm{signal} \over A_\mathrm{noise} } \right )^2 </math>
where P is average power and A is RMS amplitude. Both signal and noise power (or amplitude) must be measured at the same or equivalent points in a system, and within the same system bandwidth.
Because many signals have a very wide dynamic range, SNRs are usually expressed in terms of the logarithmic decibel scale. In decibels, the SNR is, by definition, 10 times the logarithm of the power ratio. If the signal and the noise is measured across the same impedance then the SNR can be obtained by calculating 20 times the base-10 logarithm of the amplitude ratio:
- <math>
\mathrm{SNR (dB)} = 10 \log_{10} \left ( {P_\mathrm{signal} \over P_\mathrm{noise}} \right ) = 20 \log_{10} \left ( {A_\mathrm{signal} \over A_\mathrm{noise}} \right ) </math>
Electrical SNR and acoustics
Often the signals being compared are electromagnetic in nature, though it is also possible to apply the term to sound stimuli. Due to the definition of decibel, the SNR gives the same result independent of the type of signal which is evaluated (such as power, current, or voltage).
Signal-to-noise ratio is closely related to the concept of dynamic range, where dynamic range measures the ratio between noise and the greatest un-distorted signal on a channel. SNR measures the ratio between noise and an arbitrary signal on the channel, not necessarily the most powerful signal possible. Because of this, measuring signal-to-noise ratios requires the selection of a representative or reference signal. In audio engineering, this reference signal is usually a sine wave, sounding a tone, at a recognized and standardized nominal level or alignment level, such as 1 kHz at +4 dBu (1.228 VRMS).
SNR is usually taken to indicate an average signal-to-noise ratio, as it is possible that (near) instantaneous signal-to-noise ratios will be considerably different. The concept can be understood as normalizing the noise level to 1 (0 dB) and measuring how far the signal 'stands out'. In general, higher signal to noise is better; the signal is 'cleaner'.
Image processing and interferometry
In image processing, the SNR of an image is usually defined as the ratio of the mean pixel value to the standard deviation of the pixel values. Related measures are the "contrast ratio" and the "contrast-to-noise ratio".
The connection between optical power and voltage in an imaging system is linear. This usually means that the SNR of the electrical signal is calculated by the 10 log rule. With an interferometric system, however, where interest lies in the signal from one arm only, the field of the electromagnetic wave is proportional to the voltage (assuming that the intensity in the second, the reference arm is constant). Therefore the optical power of the measurement arm is directly proportional to the electrical power and electrical signals from optical interferometry are following the 20 log rule.
The Rose criterion (named after Albert Rose) states that an SNR of at least 5 is needed to be able to distinguish image features at 100% certainty. An SNR less than 5 means less than 100% certainty in identifying image details.[1]
For a measurement device generally speaking
Any measurement device is disturbed by parasitic phenomena. This includes the electronic noise as described above, but also any external event that affects the measured phenomenon — wind, vibrations, gravitational attraction of the moon, variations of temperature, variations of humidity etc. depending on what is measured and of the sensitivity of the device.
It is often possible to reduce the noise by controlling the environment. Otherwise, when the characteristics of the noise are known and are different from the signal's, it is possible to filter it or to process the signal.
When the noise is a random perturbation and the signal is a constant value, it is possible to enhance the SNR by increasing the measurement time.
If we process a Fourier transform on the recorded signal, random noise corresponds to high frequencies: there are variations between two neighbouring points. If the signal is made of broad peaks, then these peaks correspond to low frequencies; the "highest frequency" can be estimated by inverse of the width of the peak.
Digital signals
When using digital storage the number of bits of each value determines the maximum signal-to-noise ratio. In this case the noise is the error signal caused by the quantization of the signal, taking place in the analog-to-digital conversion. The noise level is non-linear and signal-dependent; different calculations exist for different signal models. The noise is modeled as an analog error signal being summed with the signal before quantization ("additive noise").
The modulation error ratio (MER) is a measure of the SNR in a digitally modulated signal. Like SNR, MER can be expressed in dB.
Fixed point
For n-bit integers with equal distance between quantization levels (uniform quantization) the dynamic range (DR) is also determined.
Assuming a uniform distribution of input signal values, the quantization noise is a uniformly-distributed random signal with a peak-to-peak amplitude of one quantization level, making the amplitude ratio 2n/1. The formula is then:
- <math>
\mathrm{DR (dB)} = \mathrm{SNR (dB)} = 20 \log_{10}(2^n) \approx 6.02 \cdot n </math>
This relationship is the origin of statements like "16-bit audio has a dynamic range of 96 dB". Each extra quantization bit increases the dynamic range by roughly 6 dB.
Assuming a full-scale sine wave signal (that is, the quantizer is designed such that it has the same minimum and maximum values as the input signal), the quantization noise approximates a sawtooth wave with peak-to-peak amplitude of one quantization level[2] and uniform distribution. In this case, the SNR is approximately
- <math>
\mathrm{SNR (dB)} \approx 20 \log_{10} (2^n \sqrt {3/2}) \approx 6.02 \cdot n + 1.761 </math>
Floating point
Floating-point numbers provide a way to trade off signal-to-noise ratio for an increase in dynamic range. For n bit floating-point numbers, with n-m bits in the mantissa and m bits in the exponent:
- <math>
\mathrm{DR (dB)} = 6.02 \cdot 2^m </math>
- <math>
\mathrm{SNR (dB)} = 6.02 \cdot (n-m) </math>
Note that the dynamic range is much larger than fixed-point, but at a cost of a worse signal-to-noise ratio. This makes floating-point preferable in situations where the dynamic range is large or unpredictable. Fixed-point's simpler implementations can be used with no signal quality disadvantage in systems where dynamic range is less than 6.02m. The very large dynamic range of floating-point can be a disadvantage, since it requires more forethought in designing algorithms.[3]
- Analog-to-digital converters have other sources of noise that decrease the SNR compared to the theoretical maximum from the idealized quantization noise.
- Often special filters are used to weight the noise: DIN-A, DIN-B, DIN-C, DIN-D, CCIR-601, and special filters in video - comb filter.
- Maximum possible full scale signal can be charged as peak-to-peak or as RMS. Audio uses RMS, Video P-P, which gave +9 dB more SNR for video.
- It is more common to express SNR in digital systems using Eb/No - the energy per bit per noise power spectral density.
Informal use
Informally, "signal-to-noise ratio" refers to the ratio of useful information to false or irrelevant data.
In online discussion forums such as Usenet, off-topic posts and spam are regarded as "noise" that interferes with the "signal" of appropriate discussion. Another example is Bugzilla, where "please fix this" comments clutter up the discussion without helping to solve the bug.[1] A system of moderation may improve the SNR by filtering out irrelevant posts.
The wiki collaboration model addresses the same problem in a different way, by permitting users to "moderate" content, ideally adding signal while removing noise.
See also
- Audio system measurements
- Video quality
- Subjective video quality
- Near-far problem
- Peak signal-to-noise ratio
- SINAD (ratio of signal-including-noise-and-distortion to noise-and-distortion only)
- Eb/N0
- Es/N0
- Carrier to Noise Ratio (CNR or C/N)
- Carrier-to-receiver noise density (C/N0)
- Carrier-to-Interference Ratio (CIR or C/I)
- Carrier-to-Noise-and-Interference Ratio (CIR or C/I)
- Contrast to Noise Ratio
- SQNR (Signal-to-Quantization Noise Ratio)
- Total harmonic distortion
- Noise figure
- Noise margin
- ↑ Bushberg, J. T., et al., The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging, (2e). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006, p.280.
- ↑ Defining and Testing Dynamic Parameters in High-Speed ADCs — Maxim Integrated Products Application note 728
- ↑ Fixed-Point vs. Floating-Point DSP for Superior Audio — Rane Corporation technical library
External links
- ADC and DAC Glossary - Maxim Integrated Products
- Understand SINAD, ENOB, SNR, THD, THD + N, and SFDR so you don't get lost in the noise floor - Analog Devices
- The Relationship of dynamic range to data word size in digital audio processing
- Calculation of signal-to-noise ratio, noise voltage, and noise level
- Learning by simulations - a simulation showing the improvement of the SNR by time averaging
- Dynamic Performance Testing of Digital Audio D/A Converters
de:Signal-Rausch-Verhältnis ko:신호 대 잡음비 it:Rapporto segnale/rumore he:יחס אות לרעש hu:Jel-zaj viszony nl:Signaal-ruisverhouding nn:SNR sv:Brusvärde


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Ayaz Gul
VOA News
September 11, 2018
ISLAMABAD — A suicide blast Tuesday in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province killed at least 25 people and wounded about 60 others.
A provincial government spokesman, Attaullah Khogyani, told VOA the bombing happened in the remote Mohmand Dara district. He anticipated the casualty toll to rise. Khogyani said the victims were staging a protest in the Daka village to demand the dismissal of a local police commander when the bomber hit them.
The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack.
Hours earlier three schools were hit by bombings in the provincial capital of Jalalabad. At least one child was killed and several people were injured, a spokesman for the provincial education directorate told VOA.
There were no claims of responsibility for the attacks in Jalalabad, where almost all recent bombings and militant raids against civilian and educational facilities have been claimed by Islamic State.
The Afghan affiliate of Islamic State, known as IS Khorasan Province (ISK-P), and the Taliban insurgency both operate bases in Nangarhar next to the border with neighboring Pakistan.
Taliban makes advances, drought worsens
Taliban insurgents have been conducting battlefield attacks since Saturday, focusing on northern Afghan provinces. The raids have reportedly killed about 140 Afghan security forces and brought more territory under insurgent control.
The spike in violence comes amid a severe drought.
The United Nations Office for the Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan said the conflict and the drought have displaced half-a-million Afghans since the beginning of the year.
"The total displacement due to the drought has reached a total of 275,000 people, exceeding the number of people displaced by conflict in 2018 by 52,000 people," the agency said.
Related and other Security News


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Top Story
'There Were Many Keys to This Bomb and We Held One': ULI Chairman Jeremy Newsum on Real Estate's Missteps, Opportunities for Future
October 13, 2010
For more information, contact Trisha Riggs at 202-624-7086 (o) or 202-679- 4557 (m); [email protected]
WASHINGTON (October 13, 2010) — The real estate industry must accept its "proper share of the blame" in the series of missteps leading to the global economic recession and the housing and commercial property decline, according to Urban Land Institute (ULI) Chairman Jeremy Newsum.
"There were many keys to this bomb and we held one," said Newsum, executive trustee of U.K.-based Grosvenor Estate. The role of real estate in the downturn, and the repositioning necessary for companies to survive the remainder of the fallout and be poised for growth were discussed by Newsum today at a media briefing at ULI's 2010 Fall Meeting in Washington.
"The fact is, we (real estate industry professionals) lost control of the agenda. Real estate is about buildings and the people who occupy them, collectively forming an urban community," he said. "Real estate is not primarily about money, and we should not have allowed real estate to become just another playground for financial engineers."
According to Newsum, the "new normal" for the industry is one that is focused on the operators – the creators and owners of real estate who view their businesses as a long-term investment. The "old abnormal" was real estate being the "puppet of finance," he said, with real estate viewed more as an investment opportunity than a building for occupation.
During the boom leading to the bust, it became increasingly common for large financial institutions to hold direct portfolios of real estate – a mistake, Newsum said, because those managing the portfolios are, by the nature of their business, more apt to give far greater priority to "collecting the rent checks" than analyzing real estate fundamentals or ensuring the well-being of building users. "All those involved in restructuring portfolios – holders of equity and debt, plus the managers – must use the real estate business model as the right long-term structure for the industry."
Newsum pointed to closed-ended real estate funds (generally unlisted private real estate funds with a fixed fund size and a limited term, typically 5-10 years) as being "inherently unstable," in that they "blithely ignore" the long-term nature of the underlying assets. For the industry to restabilize, such opportunity funds should "always be a sideshow, rather than the main event," and not become the industry norm for how and when properties are bought and sold, he said. "The era when funds predominated is over. I want to see many more new property companies," Newsum said.
He pointed to the Hong Kong real estate industry – which is now dominated by companies focused on the long term – as an example of what the industry should strive for in the United States and Europe.
A company-specific example: Almacantar in London, an investment and development firm formed by two executives from the Almacantar fund. "They have spotted the future," Newsum said. Another example: New York City-based Vornado Realty Trust, a company Newsum said "saw the light and came over to the operating side," and which now owns and manages more than 100 million square feet of commercial real estate in the United States. "Vornado is not a 'vehicle.' It's a business with a mission," Newsum said.
To attract the best and brightest to the real estate industry, Newsum suggested that seasoned professionals must put more effort into "selling the slow buck" and emphasizing the value of long-term thinking to the next generation of younger practitioners, whose penchant for instant gratification will not serve them well in real estate.
The Grosvenor Estate includes Grosvenor, an international property group of privately owned property development, investment and fund management businesses. From 1989 through June 2008, Newsum served as group chief executive of Grosvenor, which, with property assets under management of $20 billion, has interests in Central London, other areas of the UK, continental Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia and North America. The entire organization was founded more than 330 years ago, a model of longevity that has guided Newsum's approach to real estate throughout his career.
"No matter how badly you want to do something, and you think you have only one chance to do it, that is rarely true. So, being patient and having the ability to stay focused on the long term are very important," he said. "Understanding timing and time scales is absolutely critical (to being successful) in land use. The business of community building is a business that spans decades. Each of us is adding something to what is ultimately a continuous process."
One of the most important real estate lessons from the recession, Newsum said, is the near-certain formula for failure caused by over-extension. "In the future, real estate business leaders and shareholders must take more responsibility for the way their businesses are financed. The bust will come again, and just as before, those fixated by the short term will have too much leverage and will fail."
Newsum's message reinforced the theme of the "era of less" in the 2011 Emerging Trends in Real Estate: The Americas report, released today by ULI and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The report discusses how the industry is now defined by lower real estate returns, limited new development prospects, reduced credit availability and curbed profits. It notes that conditions in the commercial sector are expected to improve moderately over the next year, which will position real estate as offering attractive, but not double-digit investment potential. According to the report, "this reconstituted marketplace should reposition real estate as an attractive yield-producing asset class for those investors who recalibrate investment expectations on a long-term horizon."
About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.


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The Inadequate, Necessary Budget DealIt's a sign of how far to the right House Republicans have dragged governance in our country that the very conservative budget deal reached by Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray will need many liberal and Democratic votes to pass.
It's a sign of how far to the right House Republicans have dragged governance in our country that the very conservative budget deal reached by Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray will need many liberal and Democratic votes to pass.
The agreement leaves the jobless out in the cold, because it doesn't extend unemployment benefits, and provides little room for new initiatives to combat rising inequality and declining upward mobility — the very problems that President Obama and most Democrats believe are the most important facing the country.
Yet this parsimonious spending plan is being subjected to such vitriolic attacks from the right wing that you'd imagine Ryan, a one-time hero to the slash-taxes crowd, had converted from Republicanism to socialism. Heritage Action, whose job is to denounce any concession to moderation at any time, called the agreement "a gimmicky, spend-now-cut-later deal." Erick Erickson of RedState accused Ryan of "outright capitulation" to the forces of big-government darkness.
To say this is a very conservative outcome is not to knock Murray or her negotiating approach. Democrats had two major goals going into the talks, and she made progress on both of them. As a general matter, Murray's side wanted to lighten the burden on the recovery from the automatic budget cuts known as the "sequester." And it sought to protect Head Start and other education programs, scientific and medical research, and some infrastructure spending.
Thus her victories: the $1.012 trillion for discretionary spending is about halfway between the House and Senate numbers. Imagine, politicians who actually split differences, which used to be the rule of compromise. It allows an additional $45 billion in spending for this year and $19 billion for the next fiscal year. And Murray won agreement for a more-or-less 50-50 split between restoring military spending, Ryan's priority, and restoring spending on domestic programs, her priority.
The bad news is not only that the proposal unconscionably lets unemployment insurance lapse for millions, which will cost the economy some 300,000 jobs next year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. It also comes very close to enforcing a spending freeze after this year.
What this suggests is that by enshrining the sequester into law, the 2011 Budget Control Act — enacted under the threat of default — was a miscalculation, perhaps even a colossal one, by the Obama administration.
The White House figured that conservatives would never buy into the sequester's deep defense cuts and that saner budgeting would eventually prevail. The latest pact is, at best, a very modest step toward sanity, which is why many Democrats will have no choice but to vote for it. But it does not come close to creating the sort of budget Congress would pass if it were serious about investing in our future and lifting up Americans being left behind.
In the short run, advocates of the jobless should fight to attach at least a three-month extension of unemployment benefits to a three-month restoration of Medicare payment rates to physicians that will be enacted alongside the budget deal. If Congress can take care of doctors, shouldn't it take care of those looking for work?
But in the longer run, this interlude of fiscal peace (no small achievement, given years of bizarre dysfunction) must be used to rebalance our political discussion. If an incessant focus on deficits continues to dominate the debate, we will not take on what ought to be government's central objectives now: how to move the country toward broadly shared economic growth and how to create opportunity for those lagging in the new economy.
The right wing knows what it is doing. By screaming and yelling, it will paint what is, in fact, a fiscally cautious budget accord as a big spending monstrosity. The conservative ultras will thus push the public conversation (and the media coverage) almost entirely toward calls for more spending cuts and away from the question of what kind of economy and society our public policy shortfalls are promoting.
Those who care about inequality need to be just as vociferous in saying that the real problem is what Murray herself has, in the past, called the "equally significant deficits in education, worker skills, infrastructure and innovation."
By her own standards, this is not a good deal. It is, at best, a necessary deal, given the alternatives available in a political system whose priorities have been twisted away from the needs of the struggling majority. It's this majority that has to make the noise.
E.J. Dionne's e-mail address is ejdionne(at)washpost.com.
© 2013, Washington Post Writers GroupWait, before you go…
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Relaxed Surfgirl 3-02
Click Image for Gallery
Minimalist Surf Collection: exclusive minimalist surf design of a relaxed surfgirl. Draw in one simple, clear and elegant line.
Style: Design on the front and logo at the back on the neck. All the t-shirt have the logo stitched on the left sleeve (see photo with the example).
T-shirt made of 100% cotton in 190gr and hight quality black vinyl stamping. They do not go away with time and endure washing after washing.
Design: @esther_alonso
Do not iron directly on the vinyl neither on the label.


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2008 Ford Shelby GT500 - Black Gold
JD Coon's '08 Shelby GT500 is an evolving symbol of his competitive drive
Related Video
If you've met JD Coon of Jena, Louisiana, you already know he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.
And if you've met him and didn't immediately like him, then we're not talking about the same JD Coon. The racing scene, specifically the NMRA circuit, is a breeding ground for camaraderie, sportsmanship, and all-around kind people. But there are a few who stand out in the crowd, and JD is one of those racers.
But there's another side to JD—his competitive side. Throughout his childhood and teenage years, he was a team roper, the kind you see in rodeos. He did really well, but was burnt out by the time he graduated high school in 1999, just before going pro.
Being near the Gulf Coast, he sought out a better-paying career in the oil industry. He got on an oil rig as a roughneck, and while the money was good, it didn't fuel his competitive nature. Working his way up the ranks by slinging pipes and drillin' in the oil fields gave JD extra spending money. When his buddy bought an SVT Lightning in 2002, JD felt the power and got bit by the racing bug.
"It all started when I rode in my best friend's '02 Lightning. Knowing the Lightning had 380 hp from the factory, I went and bought an '03 Dodge Ram 1500 with a 5.7L Hemi with 345 hp," says JD. He raced it locally and says at one point it was the fastest NA Dodge Ram in the country. But after six years and multiple failed transmissions, he decided to swap brands. And while he loves trucks, he passed on the Lightning and went right for the king Mustang, the Shelby GT500.
"I'd done my research. I knew you could pick up 100 hp pretty easily with simple bolt-ons," he says. JD promptly stopped in his local Ford dealership, saw the new black '08 Shelby on the showroom floor, and fell in love. "I traded in the Dodge. I didn't care how much they were going to give me for it—I had to have [the GT500]."
JD's first big outing was at the Fun Ford Weekend event in Dallas in 2008. "I won my first round of racing there," he says. But he craved more power and quicker e.t.'s. By 2009, he began racing in NMRA Super Stang and his first race was in Atco, New Jersey. "I drove the car there—1,300 miles with my slicks in the trunk—and ran 10.90s," JD stated with a chuckle. He also upgraded the blower, added Kooks 13⁄4-inch headers, an off-road X-style pipe and a 3-inch MagnaFlow cat-back and added a few other performance parts.
Coon rowed his way to a 10.03 at 143 mph, all with the factory six-speed, but it was hard to race with the stick. "I kept breaking parts and I wanted more consistency for racing," he added. So a plan for an auto was in order.
And with that, the GT500 was treated to a Brian's Truck Shop (BTS) 4R100 automatic, installed by JDM in New Jersey. The unit is rock solid and the installation looks as if it came from the factory. "The car drives very well with the 4R100 automatic. The tranny and converter are very street friendly. It's very easy to drive down the track—I simply put it in Drive and press the gas."
But it has taken a slew of mods to help JD's black Snake run 9.58 at 143.8 mph. Now supercharged by a 3.4L Whipple and tuned by Jon Lund of Lund Racing, the GT500 pumps out 733 rwhp and 691 lb-ft of torque on 22 psi and Shell URT Advanced fuel. He credits the impressive 1.36 60-foot times (at 3,830 pounds) to the Santhuff suspension components, his chassis guy Robert Folmer (Houston, Texas), and 275mm Mickey Thompson drag radials.
After three years of racing the NMRA circuit, JD finally snagged a win at the '12 NMRA World Finals in Bowling Green, Kentucky. JD has gone his share of rounds, but for 2014, he's stepping up to the heads-up ranks in NMRA Edelbrock Renegade. Though competition is stiff in pro classes like Renegade, JD isn't fazed. Instead, his bloodthirsty nature has him on the edge of his seat in anticipation of getting his sinister GT500 into the mid-8s, where he can battle in a class full of championship-winning veterans.
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text: If you've been out of work and searching for a job for what feels like forever, it can be easy to fall into a rut. The only way out is to work your way through it.\n\nThose who can adapt and grow will always have a better chance of getting hired. Easy to say, but what does that mean on day-to-day basis? If you're like many job searchers out there, you're getting tired and feel like you've tried everything. You've filled out countless employment applications and written many cover letters while not getting many callbacks. According to BLS stats, the median amount of time people are unemployed is 21.4 weeks or more than five months. And while it's easy to throw your hands in the air and give up, now is the time to regroup, reevaluate and persevere.If you feel like you're at the end of your job search rope, here are some tips from industry professionals that can help you revive and breathe new life into your search.Step Back and ReevaluateStep 1, says Doug Schade, principal consultant with WinterWyman, is to step back and reevaluate. "What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results," quotes Schade. If you aren't getting any call backs maybe you aren't applying for the right positions.When Schade works with clients he asks them how they go about their search and many times he finds that they are too focused on one position. "It's time to reevaluate. Are you applying to the right type of position and how else can you be going about your search?" asks Schade.Related Story: How to Use Facebook's New Job Search AppSimply submitting dozens of online applications won't do when the IT market is so competitive. Identify companies you'd like to work for and go after them. Make an in-person appearance. Connect with people from those companies on social networking sites.You have to be able to step back with some objectivity to truly evaluate your skills and the jobs you are going after. Then build a plan to sharpen the areas in which you are lacking. Take a class, volunteer your time or do contract work that will allow you to grow professionally while also shoring up any talent gaps. Get Out and InteractIt's difficult for people to get a feel for who you are when you are hidden behind a computer. Clubs and professional associations can be indispensable in your job search. Attending events like these get you out and learning. They also put you in a room with people who are interested in the same things you are and could potentially be hiring.Pennell Locey is vice president of Keystone Associates, a career-management and transition services consulting firm. Locey recommends giving yourself a jolt by putting yourself outside your comfort zone. "Buddy up with another job searcher, go to an event from an organization you might not normally attend or call someone whose ideas have interested you and schedule a conversation that might take you in a new direction."Tighten Up Your ResumeIf you've been staying active, chances are you've added some skills to your toolbox. Add those new skills from any side projects or groups to your resume and online profiles. Make sure that your resume reflects the keywords that recruiters and employers are searching for.Develop Your Online BrandTake this opportunity to sharpen your personal brand. Make sure that your brand is geared towards the positions you are applying for. This can include LinkedIn pages, Facebook's BranchOut or personal websites.Get Back In Touch With Your NetworkGood old-fashioned networking is the next step. If it's been a few months since you reached out to your online and offline network, it's time to follow-up.Let them know about any updates to your professional development, newskillsets, or any seminars or classes you've attended. "Let them know how your search is going. We as recruiters yearn for feedback as well. If we have an opportunity to learn something new about a prospective candidate, that's always good," says Schade.Related Story: IT Resume Makeover: Moving Your Job Search to the Senior LevelTake a Disruptive Innovation ApproachIn her recent article, J.T. O'Donnell recommends relaunching your job search using a technique known as disruptive innovation. In order to use this technique you have to know what your strengths are and then market yourself to those strengths. Here are the basic points of the disruptive innovation approach:\n Identify a problem or procedure within your niche that you are proficient at solving. It has to be something that an employer will appreciate and value. \n Next, create a list of companies that deal with this problem and then reach out to people who work for these companies through social media, email or phone. The goal is to learn how the company is currently dealing with this problem. With any luck they are having a tough time. \n Finally, find a way to stay in touch and let them know that you are available if they need a person to fill this need. \nThis technique is simply a change in perspective and, according to O'Donnell, "takes us from acting desperate to acting responsible. Moreover, it not only makes us feel better, it sends a more effective message, too."Consider Contract WorkIf you've have experience in IT, chances are you could be contracting out your skills while you're searching for a full-time job. In fact, more IT workers than ever are going the independent contractor route by choice.Use LinkedIn, Indeed.com or any of the job boards and see if there is any contract work in your area. There are also recruiters like WinterWyman, Randstad Technologies, Modis and a host of others looking for experienced IT workers to fill contracts.Keep Moving ForwardWhen you've been out of work for a while everything feels daunting. You need to change your approach, but changing the way we do things doesn't come naturally to many of us. The U.S. Marine Corps has an unofficial motto that is applicable to your job search and perhaps other areas of life as well: "Improvise, adapt and overcome." If your current job search isn't working, don't be afraid to mix it up and try something different. Rich Hein is a senior writer for CIO.com. He covers IT careers. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline, on Facebook, and on Google +.


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Morris Lapidus
Born: 11/25/1902
Birthplace: Odessa, Russia
flamboyant postmodern architect who designed several gaudy yet glamorous hotels in South Florida. His work, which shunned the straight line and favored curvy, theatrical elements, was initially derided by critics, who considered his designs kitschy. Opinion of him changed, however, when Miami Beach became a trendy refuge of the jet set. His most famous designs include Miami Beach's Fontainebleau Hilton.Died: Miami Beach, 1/18/2001


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Hibernation is Over: A Spring Preview for Occupy Wall Street
Last Saturday, a few hundred protesters staged a demonstration in lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park to celebrate the six-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. It was almost like old times: chants, arrests, a notable instance of police brutality against a young woman, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg scoffing at the whole thing the day after. Occupy's back! But the next few weeks will be crucial to see if it's still got it.
You remember Occupy Wall Street, right? Leaderless movement, camping, marches, drum circles, The 99 Percent, etc., etc. Hasn't really been in the news lately. But if you ask a supporter where Occupy Wall Street went this winter, they'll invariably tell you "nowhere," as veteran Occupier Justin Wedes, a member of the OWS media team, told me on Monday.
After protesters were evicted from Zuccotti Park in November, they moved indoors, where they have been meeting in churches, union halls, and public atriums, while staging smaller demonstrations around New York City and other cities throughout the country. And organizing, always organizing.
"I think that there's a convenient narrative which is, 'Occupy went underground,'" Wedes told me, "and that's completely false. All of the structures that existed in the park—in terms of the people structures, not the physical structures—continued to exist in some form, or in a modified form, outside of the park. They continued to meet at 60 Wall Street, or at different spaces around the city. They continued to keep doing what they were doing."
Last Saturday's protest, which ended with 73 arrests, marked the beginning of Occupy's bid for a spring resurgence. We'll know how Occupy weathered the winter by May 1: Occupy organizers have called for an ambitious general strike on May Day, where they hope to convince a critical mass of Americans to stay home from work.
"A lot of the focus right now is planning for the general strike," Wedes told me. "That's the big goal now."
The general strike has some very nice-looking posters, an active Twitter hashtag, #May1 (and who doesn't want an excuse to skip work?), but the prospects for a massive work stoppage are uncertain so far. Buzzfeed reports that unions aren't playing along. And the call for an Occupy general strike in Oakland in November didn't really work out. If the May 1 general strike fizzles out, Occupy might find it hard to rally the kinds of masses that mainstreamed the movement and its ideas last year.
So protesters now are busy building back the buzz that brought out crowds. At a new, small encampment in Union Square Park—informally renamed Solidarity Square—Occupiers tried to recapture the spirit of Zuccotti Park. When I stopped by on a Monday night, about 100 milled around under a big yellow Occupy Wall Street banner; a dozen were bundled up in blankets and said they were planning to spend the night.
"Does anyone need food?" asked a female protester under the banner.
"We always need food," said a man sitting next to a strangely purple (beet?) casserole in a tinfoil container. "We have a lot of dumpstered stuff, but nothing sustainable."
It was definitely a more hardcore crowd than what had become the norm in Zuccotti's heyday; the winter has burned away the fat of the movement. There were bearded socialists, crust punks, anarchists, and veteran Occupiers who had just gotten out of jail after Saturday's protest. Organizers are staging weekly "spring training" marches every Friday, as well as orientation days to rebuild their numbers in advance of the May 1 strike.
Still, a bald Russian guy named Recai Iskander with a live streaming camera strapped to his chest looked around Union Square park and complained to me about all the "warm weather Occupiers" who had come out now that the temperature had broken 60. He said he'd spent every day down at Zuccotti during the winter.
But an encampment like Zuccotti will likely not be the centerpiece of Occupy this time around—at least not in New York. The burgeoning Union Square encampment was dismantled, rather efficiently, by NYPD last night. Allowing protesters to make a home in Zuccotti was a huge tactical error by the NYPD, and I doubt they'll let something like that spring up again. Mayor Bloomberg has made his thoughts on dealing with illegal encampments cartoonishly clear.
"You want to get arrested?" he asked after Saturday's protest, where NYPD officers were described as "out of control" by a New York Daily News reporter. "We'll accommodate you."
Wedes imagines that the police's determination to crack down on encampments this spring might lead to a more dynamic form of protest.
"You're going to see a new flavor of direct actions," he said. "More spontaneous, more targeted at specific things, specific institutions, More mobile and more decentralized."
In the end, the NYPD's zeal might help the movement—it really took off after last fall's pepper spray video, after all. And Wedes says Occupy is shifting focus to entrenching itself in local communities, rather than taking over public spaces.
However they do it, Occupy needs an influx of new energy. The movement never went away, but at points this winter it seemed to disappear into its own internal divisions. The role of the Black Bloc in OWS—a tactic that has protesters don masks and hoodies and sometimes smash stuff—sparked a smackdown between two respected radical thinkers and OWS supporters, journalist Chris Hedges and the anthropologist David Graeber. Indoor meetings of the Spokes Council in New York, one of Occupy's two main coordinating bodies, have repeatedly descended into chaos, and in January a physical fight broke out over some unidentified disagreement.
And over the winter a tinge of paranoia has threatened the transparency that has been Occupy's greatest strength, no doubt propelled by an oppressive surveillance campaign waged by the NYPD. Tim Pool, a live streamer who has tirelessly documented the protests for his TimCast channel, was attacked by a masked protester in January and accused of being a "snitch." One newish Occupy associate complained to me that he had trouble winning the trust of other protesters because they thought he was an undercover cop.
But now it's spring, and Occupy can stretch its legs. We're going to see a few weeks of dramatic actions, as Occupy tries to capitalize on a winter of organizing to reassert itself as the force that brought thousands over the Brooklyn Bridge in October. Whether anyone else will care enough to join them on May 1 is still very much an open question.
Photo: AP.


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Date: May 23, 2013
Event: Coca-Cola 600 (Round 12 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Pole Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (27.604 seconds at 195.624 mph – new track record)
SHR Lineup: Ryan Newman (10th, 27.887 seconds at 193.639 mph)
Danica Patrick (24th, 28.298 seconds at 190.826 mph)
Tony Stewart (25th, 28.303 seconds at 190.792 mph)
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS, led the three-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials Thursday at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway by qualifying 10th for the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday. Newman turned a lap of 27.887 seconds at 193.639 mph around the 1.5-mile oval.
"That was a good pick-up from where we practiced," said Newman, who has four top-five and eight top-10s in 24 Sprint Cup starts at Charlotte. "We were fortunate to get a later draw, because the track gained a ton of grip. We made gains on the Quicken Loans Chevrolet all day. Matt Borland (crew chief) and the guys made a bunch of changes throughout that first practice session, but we focused solely on qualifying trim. We'll have two practice sessions on Saturday to dial it in for the race Sunday night."
Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for SHR, qualified 24th after clocking in at 28.298 seconds at 190.826 mph.
"I feel like that was probably the most comfortable and consistent that the GoDaddy Chevrolet had felt in qualifying all year, really," said Patrick, who will make her 22nd career Sprint Cup start on Sunday and her second at Charlotte. "I feel like we made some gains on the balance of the car through practice and, obviously, being here last weekend helped. We put in a better time than we did last weekend, so all things are going in the right direction."
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, will start 25th after posting a lap of 28.303 seconds at 190.792 mph.
"We're still working on it," said Stewart, who won at Charlotte in October 2003. "We have a full day of practice Saturday and it's a long race on Sunday. We're not where we want to be with our Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, but we have the time and the work ethic to get it where it needs to be."
Denny Hamlin captured his 14th career Sprint Cup pole, his second of the season and his first at Charlotte by turning a record lap of 27.604 seconds at 195.624, breaking the previous Sprint Cup track qualifying record of 27.877 seconds at 193.708 mph set by Greg Biffle on Oct. 11, 2012.
Kurt Busch will start on the outside of row one after clocking in at 27.661 seconds at 195.221 mph. Matt Kenseth was third (27.679 seconds at 195.094 mph), while Mark Martin (27.750 seconds at 194.595 mph) and Clint Bowyer (27.763 seconds at 194.503 mph) rounded out the top-five.
Forty-four drivers attempted to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600. The lone driver failing to make the 43-car field was Mike Bliss.
Toyota took the top spot among manufacturers via Hamlin's pole run. Chevrolet was next-best at the hands of Busch. Ford was the third-fastest make thanks to seventh-quick Biffle (27.801 seconds at 194.238 mph).
The Coca-Cola 600 gets underway at 6 p.m. EDT Sunday with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with a pre-race show at 5:30 p.m.


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Concord Records put out this statement today, 6th August:
GRAMMY® Award-winning keyboardist/composer/arranger/producer George Duke has died in Los Angeles at age 67. He was battling and being treated for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
With almost a half a century career, Duke was one of the world's most prolific jazz legends. From leading a jazz trio with a young Al Jarreau during his formative years to working with Jean-Luc Ponty, which afforded Duke's first recording contract with MPS Records and his first exposure to Europe, to his incredible work with Cannonball Adderley, drummer Billy Cobham, and Frank Zappa, to his cherished stream of jazz-funk records in the '70s, Duke found his mark not only in his eclecticism, but also his signature approach to the synthesizer, which often prized less pyrotechnics in favor of blues elements.
"We are all devastated by the sad news of George's passing," says Mark Wexler, General Manager of the Concord-Telarc Label Group. "He was a great man, a legendary, one-of-a-kind artist; and our hearts go out to his family. George will be missed by all."
"The outpouring of love and support that we have received from my father's friends, fans and the entire music community has been overwhelming," says Rashid Duke, George's son. "Thank you all for your concern, prayers and support."
Duke's final recording, DreamWeaver, was released July 16, 2013 on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group. The making of DreamWeaver occurred after his wife, Corine, passed away. The album debuted at #1 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Chart."
Categories: miscellaneous


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Submitted by: Courtney
2 large onions — chopped
4 cloves garlic — minced
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seed
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 cups lentils — rinsed
5-6 cups boiling water
In a heavy kettle, sauté the onions and garlic in 1/4 cup water until the onion starts to turn golden, then stir in the salt and spices and continue to cook another minute. Add the lentils and boiling water (start with 5 cups), then cover and simmer 1 hour, until the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally while cooking. If the mixture becomes too dry, add additional water.


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Oxford paleobiologist Martin Brasier's new book, Darwin's Lost World, is first of all a recounting of his own research history, beginning with a 1970 trip to study the modern reef environments of Barbuda and continuing with expeditions to far-flung localities in China, Mongolia, Siberia, Oman, Newfoundland, and Scotland. At the same time, it is a documentation of Brasier's role in investigating one of most intensely studied episodes in earth history, the roughly 100-million–year period that culminated in the appearance of recognizable animal life, including such familiar fossils as brachiopods, trilobites, and snails. This culmination is the so-called Cambrian explosion.
At the time of Darwin's writing of the Origin of Species, there was little or no evidence of fossils prior to the earliest Cambrian strata, making it seem as though complex animal fossils had appeared suddenly worldwide. In the first edition of the Origin, while recounting the difficulties in his theory associated with the imperfections of the geological record, Darwin confessed:
if my theory be true, it is indisputable that before the lowest Silurian was deposited, long periods elapsed as long as, or probably longer than the whole interval from the Silurian age to the present day; and that during these vast, yet quite unknown periods of time, the world swarmed with living creatures. To the question why we do not find records of these vast primordial periods, I can give no satisfactory answer.
(At the time, the Silurian encompassed what we now call the Cambrian.)
Readers of RNCSE are aware that this 150-year–old conundrum is still considered state-of-the-art science by many in the creationist community. For example, the acting chair of the Texas state board of education, Don McLeroy, in his failed confirmation hearing before the Texas Senate on May 28, 2009, stated that the sudden appearance of phyla in the Cambrian explosion is evidence from the fossil record against evolution.
But research over the past 50 years has conclusively shown that Darwin's "lost world" did indeed exist and that the explosion was not really so sudden. The history of life on earth has now been documented for about three billion years prior to the Cambrian. Many of the critical discoveries of Precambrian life and their interpretation are entertainingly recounted in Andrew Knoll's Life on a Young Planet (Princeton [NJ]: Princeton University Press, 2003), which I highly recommend. The current book focuses on the last part of the Precambrian, the recently established Ediacaran Period (630–542 million years ago) and the succeeding Early Cambrian Epoch (542–513 million years ago). This is the period during which complex multicellular life, including animal life, became established.
Reading Brasier's book will introduce readers to many of the key localities and discoveries, as well as provide glimpses of many of the major investigators, of Ediacaran and early Cambrian life. The well-known animals of the Burgess Shale — often offered as exemplars of the Cambrian radiation — are about 505 million years old and thus actually postdate the radiation, which was pretty much over by 520 million years ago.
Older still are the Ediacaran fossils, best known from places such as Australia, Newfoundland, Russia, and England, but clearly occurring worldwide. What is not clear is exactly what these forms were; opinions range from the earliest representatives of familiar animal groups to a separate and extinct group of multicellular organisms. Brasier's own opinion is that they were ancestral to sponges, ctenophores, and jellyfish, living mostly by absorbing nutrients from the water.
One of the ongoing disputes in the field of Precambrian–Cambrian research is when major animal groups first appeared. Paleontologists mostly place originations conservatively at or about their first appearances in the fossil record. Others also use "molecular clocks" based on estimates of the rates of genetic change between groups and calibrated with the fossil record. These clocks have almost always placed the origin of animal groups well before their first appearance, with the lack of fossils being explained as a failure of preservation. Brasier dismisses such explanations as based on what he terms "Lyell's hunch" — the hope that we lack the fossil ancestors because they have not been found yet. In contrast, Brasier argues that fossil preservation in the late Precambrian was better than it was later in earth history, so that if these early forms were present, we should have found them by now.
The book is illustrated with the author's own photos and line drawings. It is also enlivened by his sense of humor. I especially liked the "MOFAOTYOF principle", which stands for "my oldest fossils are older than your oldest fossils" and represents the excitement, attendant publicity, and as Brasier stresses, the necessity for concrete evidence when the oldest member of a fossil group is first discovered and published.
Darwin's Lost World often assumes too much prior knowledge by the reader. The geologic time scale, for example, is not introduced until p 42. The "Snowball Earth" glaciations are mentioned without explanation on p 96 and are not really discussed until some 90 pages later. I also found his occasional attempts to illustrate a point by arranging the text to resemble a picture or graph to be more irritating than illuminating. A recurring problem is the use of the phrase "Cambrian explosion" to refer to the Cambrian part of this story. As often pointed out by my Berkeley colleague Jere Lipps, the use of the word "explosion" is both a misnomer and misleading. How can something that takes tens of millions of years be an explosion? As a result, you will see many paleontologists using the phrase "Cambrian revolution," to refer to the profound biological changes occurring during this interval. I prefer the even milder phrase "Cambrian radiation".
These quibbles notwithstanding, I readily recommend this book as an entertaining introduction to a major field in studying the history of life. It will give you invaluable information for the next time you get asked to explain how evolution explains the Cambrian "explosion".
Thanks to Jere Lipps and Stephen Dornbos for their comments on this review.


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For Immediate Release, January 29, 2008
Mark Donham, Heartwood, (618) 564-3367, email@example.com
Leigh Haynie, Center for Biological Diversity, (337) 962-6387, firstname.lastname@example.com
Mysterious Disease Threatens the Survival of North American Bats;
Conservation Groups Ask for Immediate Protections
RUTLAND, Vt.– In response to information about a mysterious illness that has been associated with the deaths of more than 8,000 bats, conservation groups today asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to close all bat hibernation sites and withdraw all federal permits to "take" — that is, harm or kill — imperiled bats until the cause of the deaths is understood. One species of bat that is at risk is the endangered Indiana bat.
While details are limited, scientists have given the name "white-nose syndrome" to describe a Fusarium mold that is exhibited around the dead bats' noses. The syndrome is associated with the discovery of thousands of dead bats in at least two Albany, New York-area caves last winter. The two caves apparently lost over half their populations. This winter the "white-nose syndrome" has been found on a bat in a Vermont cave.
"Throughout the years, we have warned that the Indiana bat was one catastrophe from extinction. The public needs to know what the Fish and Wildlife Service is doing to meet this immediate threat, " said Mark Donham, program director for Heartwood.
The Indiana bat is one of the most endangered terrestrial mammals in the world. It was first listed under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966. At least 700 individuals of this endangered and legally protected species have died in New York in the past 18 months. It is unknown if white-nose syndrome is the cause of the death or a symptom of what causes the death.
"Regardless of why these bats are dying, we must prepare for the worst," said Leigh Haynie, staff attorney for Center for Biological Diversity. "The Missouri and Kentucky populations of Indiana bats have been decimated; if the Vermont and New York populations of this endangered species are also dying, the Fish and Wildlife Service must take immediate emergency action to ensure this species does not go extinct. These are dire circumstances. The agency must act with all due haste."
# # #
The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit conservation organization with more than 40,000 members dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. www.biologicaldiversity.org
Heartwood is a regional, nonprofit organization with a focus on environmental issues, particularly the protection of forests in the eastern United States. Heartwood is active in the protection of forests and native species of the eastern United States.
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Cybercrime and Security Market
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Executive Summary
Table of Contents
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Segmentation By Geography
Cybercrime and Security Market Characteristics
Supply Chain And Key Participants
Cybercrime and Security Market Size And Growth
Historic Market Growth, Value ($ Billion)
Drivers Of The Market
Restraints On The Market
Forecast Market Growth, Value ($ Billion)
Cybercrime and Security Global Market PESTEL Analysis by Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal
Cybercrime and Security Customer Information
Brand Experience And Customer Support Influence Purchasing Decision
Cybercrime and Security Market, Regional And Country Analysis
Global Cybercrime and Security Market, , By Region, Value ($ Billion)
Global Cybercrime and Security Manufacturing Market, Historic And Forecast, Segmentation
Cybercrime and Security Market Overview
Region Information
Market Information
Background Information
Taxes Levied
Government Initiatives
Regulatory Bodies
Competitive Landscape
Global Cybercrime and Security Market Top Opportunities By Segment
Global Cybercrime and Security Market Top Opportunities By Country
Global Cybercrime and Security Market Strategies
Strategies based on market trends
Strategies Adopted By Leading Competitors
Research Methodology
Research Inquiries
Copyright and Disclaimer
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