text: Came across an issue where only the first query (autoload options) was being sent to the read slave(s). Turns out a couple plugins had the syntax 'SHOW TABLES LIKE...' which HyperDB thought was a read query, since it didn't match 'SELECT' as the first word. Made a quick fix for what I think are some common read statements to db.php: function is_write_query( $q ) { $pattern = '/^\s*(SELECT|SHOW|DESCRIBE|EXPLAIN)\s+/i'; return (preg_match($pattern, $q)) ? false : true; } As you can see my regex-fu is weak, I spent a good 40 minutes trying to negatively match those words. Gave up, instead positively match them and then return true if there's *not* a match. Gabriel


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If you've been reading this blog for a while, then you know I love a good accent wall. It can add some contrast to an otherwise flat room. Our master bedroom has a very light wall color. I love how much sunlight it gets during the day but it can make the room feel washed out sometimes. I wanted to give it some depth. I thought a darker wall color behind the bed would do exactly that.
I love the contrast of the darker wall now. I wanted to change the metal wall art that was above the bed. It was dark and thought something lighter would be better. I spotted this mirror at Target. It fits perfectly in this spot. The mirror is an antique gold color so it contrasts against the gray. I like how it reflects the chandelier too.
I can see the end ahead. A few more details to add before I think I can call it done.
Check out the progress in the master bedroom:
Master Bedroom Plan
DIY Fabric Trimmed Curtains
New Plan
New Desk
DIY Acrylic Tray
Bedding Options
White Pintuck Bedding
DIY Placemat Pillow
Another Placemat Pillow
You're reading Gray Accent Wall by Andrea, originally posted on Decorating Cents. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Andrea on Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin, and Hometalk.
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subset: commoncrawl


text: Technical Article s/regex/English/g Updated 01-Aug-2007•Originally posted on 01-Aug-2007 by Lori MacVittie F5 article application delivery dev development devops hardware irules us In a world of 4G languages, regular expressions aren't something with which developers are necessarily familiar. Regular expressions are the thing of scripts, and *nix, and vi. In the fast growing arena of XML, XPath and XQuery have all but supplanted regular expressions by necessity, and yet many XML-focused appliances support regular expressions as a mechanisms for matching and even extracting data in certain circumstances. iRules and its parent scripting language, TCL, rely heavily on regular expressions much like other scripting languages such as PERL. While system administrators likely find this comforting, it can be daunting for developers new to regular expressions to get a handle on this strange, often unintuitive symbolic language. So if you're a developer and find yourself in need of a good tutorial, i.e. one that doesn't tersely indicate you should RTFM(an page), check out this blog post by I'm Mike, appropriately titled "The absolute bare minimum every programmer should know about regular expressions". Mike also has some more detailed posts about regular expressions and all are a great place to start digging into the craziness that is regex. When you've finished reading if you want to play around with some regular expressions - cause practice makes perfect - check out Regex Designer, a nice little app that not only evaluates regular expressions but lets you visually see how the matches are made. It's a great tool for learning regular expressions as well as fleshing out more complex expressions before trying it out in a live application. This one is great for beginners or experts. Imbibing: root beer Technorati tags: F5, MacVittie, development, regular expressions, iRules 0 Ratings Log in to rate this content Print Download Share Comments on this Article Comment made 01-Aug-2007 by Joe Pruitt 6269 I personally use the Microsoft Powertoy "Regex Builder". Alas, it was on gotdotnet and that site is gone so I don't know where one can download it anymore (if anyone wants it, let me know - it's a single executable). I'll have to try Regex Designer - Chris Sells has some great tools.-Joe 0 Comment made 01-Aug-2007 by Jason Rahm F5 I've never searched for a regex checker, that is very handy, thanks for the tip.BTW, is there anything you don't drink? :-) 0 Comment made 22-Jun-2011 by Jason Rahm F5 So Yeah, Regex is Bad 0


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When will the first human walk on the surface of the planet Mars?
What will the folks, who remembered seeing Neil Armstrong taking that first step onto the moon, think?
Many of you, along with me, no doubt vividly recall the July 1969 Apollo 11 moon-landing mission.
We watched the television screen in awe and wonderment; some of us even looked out the window and gazed up at the moon, as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on its surface.
There are a couple reasons I am writing about this.
The first is after re-watching the NASA video of the launch of the Orion EFT-1 (Exploration Flight Test) Dec. 5, 2014; I started thinking about those exciting Apollo missions from the '60s and early '70s.
The second reason is because my brother is having a birthday soon, and I know how he gets a kick out of reading these space-themed columns his kid brother pens.
So, dear brother, here's another Bits & Bytes space column I hope you'll enjoy.
The Orion EFT-1 launch was a full-scale, uncrewed, test flight.
A powerful Delta IV heavy rocket launched the Orion MPCV (Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle) into an Earth orbit roughly 15 times higher than that of the International Space Station.
In fact, this test flight saw Orion (to be used for crewed deep-space missions), reach a maximum distance from the Earth of 3,600 miles.
Orion's successful test flight lasted 4 hours and 23 minutes.
It ended with the Orion crew module entering the Earth's atmosphere, deploying its parachutes, and making a perfect splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Seeing this was nostalgic; it brought back feelings of excitement and drama comparable to an Apollo command module splashdown.
In fact, the Orion spacecraft crew module strongly resembles the familiar 1960s Apollo command module; although Orion is a bit larger.
Orion's crew module will provide a sustainable living environment for its human, space-traveling occupants.
The attached Orion service module (resembling an Apollo-era service module), contains the oxygen, water, and power requirements for the crew module.
In comparison, the old Apollo command module could hold three astronauts, and was 12 feet 8 inches in diameter, whereas the Orion crew module holds four astronauts, and measures 16 feet 4-inches.
The crew and service modules of Orion physically look, and perform (more or less) the same basic functions as did the Apollo command and service module.
We will need to wait until 2021, before Orion sends people into space.
It won't be until the 2030s, when the Orion spacecraft, with its human occupants, travels to Mars.
My message to NASA is: "Be safe, of course; but please hurry up with this Orion Mars-landing mission."
I mention this, because after crunching the numbers, by the time Orion gets into orbit around Mars, say in 2035; yours truly will be 77 years old (and will probably be still writing this column).
This would be 66 years from when I first saw Armstrong walking on the moon, and hearing Walter Cronkite excitedly shout from the television set; "Man on the Moon! Oh, boy!"
Keep up with the latest news on Orion via its social media sites:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NASA_Orion.
Facebook: http://facebook.com/NASAOrion.
Google+: http://plus.google.com/+NASAorion.
NASA Blog: http://blogs.NASA.gov/Orion.
NASA's YouTube channel shows video of the liftoff of the Orion spacecraft (with some beautiful views from its onboard cameras) here: http://tinyurl.com/OrionEFT1.
Do you want your name to be sent to Mars?
NASA will place your name within a silicon microchip installed on the new InSight Mars rover/lander. It is scheduled to be launched to the Red Planet next year.
InSight will be conducting tests, and gathering soil and rock samples to identify what makes up the Martian planet; this includes drilling deep beneath its surface.
"By participating in this opportunity to send your name aboard InSight to the Red Planet, you're showing that you're part of that journey and the future of space exploration," said Jim Green, who is the director of planetary science at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
NASA is accepting name submissions until Sept. 8 at: http://tinyurl.com/insight2016. If you have not "flown" with NASA before, scroll down on this webpage to the "New Flyers" section to add your name.
The Insight Mars lander is slated to launch from Vandenberg AFB in CA, March 4, 2016, and will land at Elysium Planitia or "Plain of Ideal Happiness" on Mars in late 2016.
You can view my Mars Insight boarding pass here: http://tinyurl.com/bytes-bp.
NASA's InSight website is: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/insight.
So, how will yours truly react when watching the first human to walk on the planet Mars?
You'll need to read about it in a future column after Orion gets there.
Have a happy birthday, Mike.


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Kevin J. Tinney, 45, died at home in Denville, NJ on September, 26.
Kevin was born in Passaic, NJ and lived in Wayne before moving with his family to Denville.
He had received a Bachelor's Degree in Finance from University of Scranton in PA.
Kevin began his business career in the recycling industry in 1996 at Lobosco Recycling in Clifton. Later, he was employed by Zozzaro Industries before accepting the position as president of Green Sky Industries. Most recently, he became owner and operator of his own business, Full Value Recycling.
He was a member and served as Treasurer for the New Jersey Paper and Recycling Association. His greatest love was spending time with his two sons, Jonathan and Luke. He enjoyed cheering his sons on at their sporting events and being assistant coach for the Denville's Blue Angel football team for three seasons. Kevin passed on a love of fishing to his sons who enjoyed vacations with him at the Jersey shore. Kevin was a pet lover and known for his gentle ways with his family dog, Banjo, and caring for animals in need. He instilled in his children a sense of compassion for others and will be remembered for his generosity with his family and friends.
Kevin leaves behind his wife, Sarah (nee Dorok), and his boys Jonathan and Luke, as well as his parents Raymond and Carol Tinney of Wayne, his sisters Carin Tinney of New York and Jaime (Michael) Morley of Wayne. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews, Caitlin, Abigail, Peter, Michael, Nicholas, Timothy and Jillian.
Family and friends are visiting on Tuesday October 3, 2017 from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM at the funeral home and again Wednesday morning from 9:00 AM until leaving for a Mass of Christian Burial Service at 10:30 AM at St. Mary's RC Church in Denville. Burial will take place in Denville Cemetery following the Mass.
Donations are being accepted for youth programs to the Denville P.B.A. Local # 142 at
P.O. Box 1142 Denville, N.J. 07834.
Please share condolences with the family here on his obituary.


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Score one for the Deep State intelligence community over the military.
Flynn, who served in the job for less than a month, said he had given "incomplete information" regarding a telephone call he had with the ambassador in late December. Flynn previously had denied that he had any substantive conversations with Ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak, and Vice President Pence repeated that claim in television interviews as recently as this month.
In his resignation letter, which the White House emailed to reporters, Flynn said he had held numerous calls with foreign officials during the transition. "Unfortunately, because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the vice president-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador," he wrote. "I have sincerely apologized to the president and the vice president, and they have accepted my apology."
While Flynn was a dangerous pro-war and anti-Muslim, don't expect Flynn's successor to be any less of a war hawk.
Indeed, the White House said in the statement that the Administration was naming retired Lt. Gen. Joseph K. Kellogg Jr. as acting national security adviser.
|Interim NSA Joseph K. Kellogg Jr.
There is no difference between the ideology of ISIS and the Iranian regime, except ISIS is Sunni and Iran is Shiite. They both have goals of establishing an Islamic global caliphate using military force.-RW
Iran is directly responsible for killing at least 500 American troops in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and wounding hundreds more. Iran manufactured and supplied Shiite militias in Iraq with highly lethal bombs known as explosively formed penetrators or EFPs, which were powerful enough to destroy U.S. Humvees and breach tank hulls.
Yet today, the Obama administration is partnering with those very same radical Islamic leaders and militias that took so many American lives.
From The Weekly Standard:
Flynn's misdirection was a problem for some in the administration, but others in Trump world see Flynn as a victim of the vindictive intelligence bureaucracy. According to this view, since his time heading up the Defense Intelligence Agency, Flynn has been a disruptive reformer hated by the politicized intelligence agencies, particularly the CIA.
As one adviser to Trump on national security put it, forcing out Flynn through leaks like those reported on in the Post gives the bureaucracy a model to sink any unwanted reformers—especially if the White House folds so easily. Again, in this way of thinking, Flynn's ouster is the first step in turning the Trump administration toward more conventional national-security and intelligence policy.


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You are hereEvents / Events
Kings Canyon, President's Day weekend. Ski trip (snow shoes acceptable if there are more than one of you.) Another ski tour with a peak. May be done as a two day trip, but we'll reserve 3 to be sure. Contact Tim Hult for more information: timdhult at sbcglobal dot net
Start: 02/13/2010
Come join us for our third of the Tahoe Backcountry Skiing Series. We will ski wherever we can find the best snow, with the target always being fresh deep powder.
Requires advanced skiing skills (resort black diamond+), avalanche training. Randonee or Telemark skins, climbing skis, avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe.
Saturday is likely to be Jake's or Rubicon Peak; Sunday Castle or Donner Peak. The choices depend upon weather, snowpack and avalanche conditions.


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News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup
Calif. Expands Rules On Reporting Charges
A new state law will require the California Highway Patrol to notify a school district any time one of its teachers has been charged with a sex or drug offense.
Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, signed the measure Sept. 26. The law goes into effect Jan. 1.
Currently, only local sheriffs and police departments are required to report teachers' arrests to local school district officials, according to David Heckler, the legislative aide to Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher, a Republican, who sponsored the bill.
The bill also clarifies that the state teacher-credentialing commission must inform a school district whenever it becomes aware of drug or sex charges filed against a teacher. Now, two separate laws give conflicting directions to the commission, Mr. Heckler said.
The bill was enacted without opposition in either the Assembly or the Senate, Mr. Heckler said.
—David J. Hoff
Massachusetts Scraps Math Tests for Teachers
State education officials in Massachusetts will focus on improving teachers' knowledge of mathematics through a series of training initiatives, rather than by requiring teachers in the lowest-performing schools to take a controversial exam.
While David P. Driscoll, the state education commissioner and a former math teacher, had previously supported the use of a competency exam for math teachers, he now says better alternatives exist.
Mr. Driscoll announced the plan at a Boston middle school Sept. 24.
Among other steps, the new state effort will include using money from the federal No Child Left Behind Act to help teachers take math courses, develop a CD-ROM for teachers on the state's math standards, and come up with an optional self-diagnostic exam posted online that would allow teachers to assess their own skills.
—John Gehring
Achievement Gap in Kentucky Demands Action, Report Says
The achievement gap between minority and white students in Kentucky continues to be "alarming" and demands a comprehensive response from state education officials, the state's commission on human rights says.
In analyzing state test scores, the commission found that the proportion of whites who scored at the "proficient" and "advanced" levels exceeded the rates for African- Americans, Hispanics, low-income students, and students with disabilities by more than 20 percentage points.
"Ensuring Education Equality: Understanding the Achievement Gap in Kentucky's Public School System," which was released last month, also faults the state for lacking "a definitive and holistic plan specifically targeting a reduction in the achievement gap."
"We've known [about the gap] for years and have been pretty focused on it for the past four or five years," said Lisa Y. Gross, the press secretary for the state education department. "It drives everything we do."
The department is working with the seven districts with significant minority populations to come up with strategies for closing the disparities in achievement, she said.
—David J. Hoff
N.C. Governor Orders State To Pay Out Teacher Bonuses
North Carolina Gov. Michael F. Easley has directed the state budget office to pay out the maximum amount in bonuses to teachers and staff members under the state's accountability program, despite an unexpected $44 million increase in the cost of the incentives.
Under the state's ABCs for Public Education program, established in 1996, educators in schools that meet or exceed state expectations on tests in a given year can receive up to $1,500 each in additional pay.
The state education department had requested nearly $100 million to pay those bonuses. But test results released last month showed that many more schools met the standard, meaning the state owed some $140 million in bonuses. With a tight state budget, one made even tighter by the costly cleanup from the recent Hurricane Isabel, some educators worried their bonus checks would be smaller.
"[W]hile providing a lower bonus might be technically legally permissible, it does not keep the promise to our teachers," the Democratic governor wrote in a letter to state Budget Director David T. McCoy last week. "The full amount of the bonus can be paid within the appropriation to public schools."
The state will use surplus money from other programs to make up the cost of the bonuses.
—Kathleen Kennedy Manzo
Bay State Sees Big Jump In Student Suspensions
Massachusetts education officials are reporting a record increase in student suspensions in the state.
New figures from the state education department show that in the 2000-01 school year, Bay State schools meted out 1,621 student "exclusions." An exclusion is any time a student is removed from school for disciplinary reasons for more than 10 days in a row.
The new number, the most recent available, represents a 15 percent hike over the 1,412 exclusions reported the previous year and marks the highest figure since the state began collecting such information eight years ago.
Further breakdowns show a 70 percent jump in the number of African-American students excluded since 1998-99, compared with 7 percent for white students.
Education department officials point out that changes in state policy in the mid-1990s shifted the authority to expel students from school boards to principals in cases involving drugs, weapons, or assaults.
—Jeff Archer
Minnesota Auditor Blasts Superintendent-Pay Plans
A top state official has heavily criticized the pay packages for Minnesota schools superintendents. Too many of them, she says, receive hefty severance benefits paid out in the form of unused sick leave and vacation days.
In a report released Sept. 25, State Auditor Patricia Awada says school boards' practice of fattening superintendent employment packages with high-priced benefits has increased since 2000.
The trend is particularly pronounced in metropolitan areas, she said, where severance payments sometimes exceed a superintendent's annual salary.
"The legislature provided that these public employees could only receive six months' worth of salary plus their accrued leave as severance," she said in a statement. "Little did the legislature know that the leave days themselves often add up to an additional 12 months worth of pay."
Charging that school boards may be trying to hide the true cost of their superintendent employment packages from taxpayers, the state auditor recommended the legislature consider placing new limits on superintendent salaries and severance benefits.
In response to the state auditor's report, the Minnesota Association of School Administrators said it would provide school boards and superintendents with guidelines for informing the public about superintendent compensation.
—Darcia Harris Bowman
Vol. 23, Issue 6, Page 19Published in Print: October 8, 2003, as News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup
We encourage lively debate, but please be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks are prohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement.
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Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Straining for Perfection
Author + information
- Published online September 6, 2011.
Author Information
- Nathaniel Reichek, MD⁎ (Nathaniel.Reichek{at}chsli.org)
- ↵⁎Reprint requests and correspondence:
Dr. Nathaniel Reichek, Cardiac Imaging Program and Research Department, St. Francis Hospital, 100 Port Washington Boulevard, Roslyn, New York 11568
- coronary artery disease
- high-dose dobutamine stress testing
- myocardial strain rate reserve
- outcome
- strain-encoded magnetic resonance imaging
The hunt for optimal approaches to assessment of myocardial performance has been longstanding. However, assessment of segmental myocardial function lagged for decades and was largely qualitative and subjective, on the basis of endocardial excursion or wall thickening, not quantitative myocardial deformation. As the era of revascularization began, the need for better assessment of segmental myocardial function stood out. In experimental models, it was simple: implanted sonomicrometry crystal pairs and arrays could depict segmental deformation. In humans, it was more challenging. Ultimately, in the late 1980s, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with saturation band tissue tagging emerged, first at Johns Hopkins, then at the University of Pennsylvania, enabling evaluation of segmental deformation of the myocardium noninvasively in humans (1,2). Research applications emerged rapidly, as did more advanced 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional analytic approaches (3–6). However, limited availability of CMR, the need for both conventional cine and tagged imaging in each patient, limited temporal resolution, and lengthy post-processing made real clinical applications impractical. In the late 1990s, tissue Doppler and then speckle tracking led to rediscovery of strain by echocardiologists, making clinical applications feasible. But despite the wide availability of echocardiography, progress toward wide clinical adoption has been relatively slow. The first obvious target, assessment of asynchrony and biventricular pacing, has proved more challenging and the results more controversial than anticipated. The limited reproducibility, angle dependence, and limited transthoracic sampling that complicate tissue Doppler have been part of the problem. Speckle tracking avoids some of these limitations, but creates additional challenges. Given the limitations of both CMR and echocardiographic strain and strain rate imaging, a skeptic might conclude that, like too many other innovations in cardiac imaging, these are not destined for prime time. However, mastery of technical challenges takes time, and the drive to achieve practical, high-impact clinical tools based on strain and strain rate imaging is far from over.
In this issue of the Journal, Korosoglou et al. (7) from Heidelberg, Germany, using methods developed at Johns Hopkins, report striking data demonstrating that CMR dobutamine stress with strain and strain rate imaging provides improved detection of coronary stenoses, with an increase from 84% to 96% in sensitivity without loss of specificity and improved long-term risk stratification of patients, with an increase in chi-square from 39.3 for combined clinical variables and wall motion abnormalities to 50.7 for segmental strain maps and 52.5 for segmental strain rate reserve (both p < 0.001). This is actually the third paper in a series that previously demonstrated both detection of ischemia at lower dobutamine doses and improved diagnostic performance with CMR strain and strain rate imaging. They conclude appropriately that "Strain-encoded MRI aids the accurate identification of patients at high risk for future cardiac events and revascularization procedures, beyond the assessment of conventional atherogenic risk factors and resting or inducible [wall motion abnormality] on cine images." As important, the imaging technique used, strain-encoded magnetic resonance imaging (SENC), permits rapid, objective, and operator-independent image post-processing methods, and key prognostic information is immediately available as color maps.
Thus, the approach is suitable for widespread clinical use where expert CMR is available. Regrettably, while the impact of this approach will be high in many European centers, slow diffusion of CMR into routine practice in the United States, where it is entrapped in turf battles and economic pressures, is likely to limit access to these very promising methods to a handful of academic centers. Nonetheless, this report dramatically advances CMR strain imaging with stress and clearly demonstrates substantial potential clinical value. The results appear to be more robust than those currently available for echocardiographic strain imaging with stress, whether using tissue Doppler or speckle tracking techniques. While further prospective testing in larger and more diverse multicenter studies is highly desirable, the basic response to this study should certainly be "point proven."
It has been a long time coming. The paucity of real clinical applications for CMR tissue tagging >20 years after its emergence has been due in part to technical challenges, but also to hesitancy by industry to devote substantial resources to the challenges of CMR given the initial modest size of the market for CMR imaging and post-processing software. The contribution of the turf wars between radiology and cardiology in the United States and elsewhere over CMR to the slow development of the field cannot be overestimated. In addition, since the technical development needed to advance the field has often been rooted in the proprietary domains of major technology corporations, National Institutes of Health funding mechanisms may not have contributed as much to advancement of the field as would have been desirable. Nonetheless, even the earliest studies of segmental myocardial deformation during progressive dobutamine infusion in normal humans offered intriguing insights (8), leading almost linearly to the current report (7).
Those early data pointed to the fact that circumferential shortening became maximal at very low doses of dobutamine, even before heart rate acceleration, suggesting that absolute strain would not be the ideal parameter for assessment of contractile state. In contrast, strain rate showed a linear relationship to dobutamine dose and, presumably, inotropic state over a wider range of dobutamine dose and heart rate. Such observations resonated with the wide recognition in the 1990s that imaging stress testing, despite >2 decades of development, was still not performing optimally, particularly in women. These factors set the stage for further efforts to make CMR strain analysis fast enough for use during stress testing. It took the emergence, from the academic world rather than industry, of the next major advance in CMR strain imaging and post-processing: harmonic phase MRI (HARP): HARP shortened data reduction and analysis time by a factor of 10, compared favorably for quantitation of strain with conventional tag analysis, and also demonstrated sensitivity to provocable ischemia in animal models (9). Evidence from animal models of provocable ischemia and myocardial viability then reconfirmed the longstanding expectation that strain analysis was more sensitive than conventional wall motion analysis in detection of impaired myocardial perfusion reserve. The emergence of new variants on tissue tagging such as SENC has also created new opportunities to advance the field.
Where do we go from here? Technical development continues. A promising alternative to tagging, CMR DENSE (displacement encoding with stimulated echos) imaging, may permit more progress. Echo speckle tracking has been adapted to conventional CMR cine images as "feature tracking" and gives results similar to those of HARP while eliminating the need for additional imaging. Ongoing market-driven advances in the echocardiography software will spill over to CMR, offering faster analysis and better visual displays. In addition, competition between echocardiography and CMR will continue. More definitive large-scale multicenter trials using both technologies are needed to evaluate their relative utility and cost effectiveness. Lastly, economic pressures in healthcare threaten to prevent wide clinical application of advanced echocardiography and, especially, CMR strain methods unless large, compelling multicenter trials showing clinical and cost effectiveness can persuade the health policy and Center for Medicare Services constituencies of real value. Perfection of strain imaging will not come easily. But then, to borrow a famous phrase, cardiac imaging ain't for sissies.
Dr. Reichek has reported that he has no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.
↵⁎ Editorials published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of JACC or the American College of Cardiology.
- American College of Cardiology Foundation
- ↵
- ↵
- Clark N.R.,
- Reichek N.,
- Bergey P.,
- et al.
- Palmon L.C.,
- Reichek N.,
- Yeon S.B.,
- et al.
- Young A.A.,
- Kramer C.M.,
- Ferrari V.A.,
- Axel L.,
- Reichek N.
- Lima J.A.,
- Jeremy R.,
- Guier W.,
- et al.
- ↵
- Korosoglou G.,
- Gitsioudis G.,
- Voss A.,
- et al.
- ↵
- ↵
- Garot J.,
- Bluemke D.A.,
- Osman N.F.,
- et al.


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|Grant Applications Open for the MENA Partnership for Democracy & Development
The MENA Partnership for Democracy & Development (MPDD)announces today that it has commenced its matchmaking and service mediation activities
and will give out grants to that effect to five sets of service providers and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) based in the MENA region.
The needs-based matchmaking and service mediation will provide assistance to CSOs working in numerous fields, namely: women's empowerment, media, convening of professionals, students' unions, promoting active citizenship, human rights, peace building, conflict resolution transitional justice, rehabilitation, victim empowerment, and coexistence.
MPDD launched its online platform in December 2013.
To date, over 155 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and service providers from the MENA region (mostly Tunisia, Egypt and Libya), Europe, and North America have registered.
MPDD considers the platform to be the core of its service mediation and matchmaking tools.
On identifying their needs, MPDD matches CSOs with suitable service providers from around the world. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other CSOs are listed by country, initiative and area of specialty on the basis of assessed potential and their own descriptions.
By registering, service providers and CSOs are able to join the online network, this will help them raise their online profile and engage with other organizations with similar goals and/or needs and with those that seek their services.
The network of service providers includes for profit and non profit firms, experts and practitioners in the areas of media, communications, entrepreneurship, fundraising, campaigning, constitutional reform, rule of law, human rights and civil liberties, and women's empowerment.
The online platform also serves as the MPDD website with activities held by GMF Tunis with CSO representatives and success stories featured online.
The MENA Partnership for Democracy and Development is an innovative multilateral initiative launched by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), the U.S. Government, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, with support from the Government of Lithuania, in an effort to support reform efforts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Quoi de Neuf ?
WORKSHOP for Civil Society Organisations Strengthening Capacities of CSOs in the Southern Mediterranean; Tunis-Tunisia, 19-21 October 201627.09.16
The Civil Society Facility (CSF) south (ENPI/2012/304-556) hereby announces the launch of a "Call for Application" for Strengthening Organizational Capacities of Partner Civil Society Organizations in the Southern Mediterranean.
Lire la suite...
Near East Foundation (NEF) est en recherche d'un(e) coordinateur (trice) de projet dans la zone du Nord Ouest dans le domaine de l'appui à l'entrepreneuriat féminin et ce, dans le cadre d'un potentiel projet.
Lire la suite...
Le groupement ECO Consult – Dirasset est chargé par la GIZ avec l'assistance technique au projet Initiative au développement régional à Kairouan.
SENSE "Social Entrepreneurship and Social media for youth Employability"
Place and Dates for the TC: Palermo (Italy) from the 6th (arrival day) to the 14th (departure day) of June 2015.
Lire la suite...
The project "Dialogue among people cultures, through the UNESCO World cultural, natural and intangible Heritage" is a cultural proposal that aims to bring together young people from different countries and to unite them in an intercultural collaboration.


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Hematite, Magnetite & Taconite
Iron (Fe) is a metallic element and composes about 5% of the Earth's crust. When pure it is a dark, silvery-gray metal. It is a very reactive element and oxidizes (rusts) very easily. The reds, oranges and yellows seen in some soils and on rocks are probably iron oxides. The inner core of the Earth is believed to be a solid iron-nickel alloy. Iron-nickel meteorites are believed to represent the earliest material formed at the beginning of the universe. Studies show that there is considerable iron in the stars and terrestrial planets: Mars, the "Red Planet," is red due to the iron oxides in its crust.
Iron is one of the three naturally magnetic elements; the others are cobalt and nickel. Iron is the most magnetic of the three. The mineral magnetite (Fe3O4) is a naturally occurring metallic mineral that is occasionally found in sufficient quantities to be an ore of iron.
The principle ores of iron are Hematite, (70% iron) and Magnetite, (72 % iron). Taconite is a low-grade iron ore, containing up to 30% Magnetite and Hematite.
Hematite is iron oxide (Fe2O3). The amount of hematite needed in any deposit to make it profitable to mine must be in the tens of millions of tons. Hematite deposits are mostly sedimentary in origin, such as the banded iron formations (BIFs). BIFs consist of alternating layers of chert (a variety of the mineral quartz), hematite and magnetite. They are found throughout the world and are the most important iron ore in the world today. Their formation is not fully understood, though it is known that they formed by the chemical precipitation of iron from shallow seas about 1.8-1.6 billion years ago, during the Proterozoic Eon.
Taconite is a silica-rich iron ore that is considered to be a low-grade deposit. However, the iron-rich components of such deposits can be processed to produce a concentrate that is about 65% iron, which means that some of the most important iron ore deposits around the world were derived from taconite. Taconite is mined in the United States, Canada, and China.
Iron is essential to animal life and necessary for the health of plants. The human body is 0.006% iron, the majority of which is in the blood. Blood cells rich in iron carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. Lack of iron also lowers a person's resistance to infection.
The name iron is from an Old English word isaern which itself can be traced back to a Celtic word, isarnon. In time, the "s" was dropped from usage.
It is estimated that worldwide there are 800 billion tons of iron ore resources, containing more than 230 billion tons of iron. It is estimated that the United States has 110 billion tons of iron ore representing 27 billion tons of iron. Among the largest iron ore producing nations are Russia, Brazil, China, Australia, India and the USA. In the United States, great deposits are found in the Lake Superior region. Worldwide, 50 countries produce iron ore, but 96% of this ore is produced by only 15 of those countries.
Iron ore is the raw material used to make pig iron, which is one of the main raw materials to make steel. Due to the lower cost of foreign-made steel and steel products, the steel industry in the United States has had difficult economic times in recent years as more and more steel is imported. Canada provides about half of the U.S. imports, Brazil about 30%, and lesser amounts from Venezuela and Australia. 99% of steel exported from the USA was sent to Canada.
In the United States, almost all of the iron ore that is mined is used for making steel. The same is true throughout the world. Raw iron by itself is not as strong and hard as needed for construction and other purposes. So, the raw iron is alloyed with a variety of elements (such as tungsten, manganese, nickel, vanadium, chromium) to strengthen and harden it, making useful steel for construction, automobiles, and other forms of transportation such as trucks, trains and train tracks.
While the other uses for iron ore and iron are only a very small amount of the consumption, they provide excellent examples of the ingenuity and the multitude of uses that man can create from our natural resources.
Powdered iron: used in metallurgy products, magnets, high-frequency cores, auto parts, catalyst. Radioactive iron (iron 59): in medicine, tracer element in biochemical and metallurgical research. Iron blue: in paints, printing inks, plastics, cosmetics (eye shadow), artist colors, laundry blue, paper dyeing, fertilizer ingredient, baked enamel finishes for autos and appliances, industrial finishes. Black iron oxide: as pigment, in polishing compounds, metallurgy, medicine, magnetic inks, in ferrites for electronics industry.
Substitutes and Alternative Sources
Though there is no substitute for iron, iron ores are not the only materials from which iron and steel products are made. Very little scrap iron is recycled, but large quantities of scrap steel are recycled. Steel's overall recycling rate of more than 67% is far higher than that of any other recycled material, capturing more than 1-1/4 times as much tonnage as all other materials combined.
Some steel is produced from the recycling of scrap iron, though the total amount is considered to be insignificant now. If the economy of steel production and consumption changes, it may become more cost-effective to recycle iron than to produce new from raw ore.
Iron and steel face continual competition with lighter materials in the motor vehicle industry; from aluminum, concrete, and wood in construction uses; and from aluminum, glass, paper, and plastics for containers.
Hematite, Magnetite & Taconite


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PART ONE: In this 4-Part interview series actress Kim Darby talks with Justin Bozung for TV STORE ONLINE about her work in such films as DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK (1973), THE STRAWBERRY STATEMENT (1970), THE ONE AND ONLY (1978), and THE GRISSOM GANG (1971).
DARBY: I was just offered the part. I am so fat in that movie! When I was cast in DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK I had come off of eighteen-years of amphetamines. I had been sober for only two weeks. I could barely hold my head up--but my work is very good.
TV STORE ONLINE: It's an incredible performance. It was also the first time in your career were you had to carry an entire film on your shoulders...
TV STORE ONLINE: What was appealing to you as an actress in DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK? You had done science fiction prior with THE PEOPLE (1972)...
TV STORE ONLINE: Where was DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK filmed?
DARBY: Well, it was shot around a real house. I don't remember quite exactly where the house is now, but it was just one of those old Hollywood houses out there were many movies were shot. And then, the interiors we did all of that stuff on a sound stage.
TV STORE ONLINE: Some time ago I read an interview with DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK screenwriter Nigel McKeand. And in the interview he talked about how he really wasn't too happy with how the movie had turned out because there had been a few re-writes of his original script prior to the shooting...I was curious if you remembered anything to that effect? When you were offered the part was the script any different from what you shot around the house and on the sound stage?
TV STORE ONLINE: I do! Going back, for a moment, to what we talked about regarding how DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK was the first movie you worked on that you had to carry on your shoulders... Was that easy to do for you?
DARBY: I never thought about really. I never realized that I would have to do that. I just thought it was all part of my work.
TV STORE ONLINE: The thing I love about your performance in DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK is how you're in a constant state of fear... How did you get into that state of mind day in and day out? Was there something that helped you channel that?
TV STORE ONLINE: Your character " Sally" is always hiding or running away from those little creatures in the house...
DARBY: Those creatures were real people. They were smaller people. They couldn't have their costumes on for very long because their lung capacity wasn't too good.
TV STORE ONLINE: You worked with two really great actors in DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK. James Hutton and William Demarest...
DARBY: They were both great. William Demarest was a pro and James Hutton was just a dream to work with.
DARBY: They were both great. William Demarest was a pro and James Hutton was just a dream to work with.
movies ever made. Does that surprise you that the film made such an impact on some many?
DARBY: Well, I'm proud to have been apart of it.
TV STORE ONLINE: And DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK went on to play in theaters across Europe following its airing on ABC...
DARBY: I know. I would get letters from fans about it afterward.
Interview Conducted By: Justin Bozung
For more with Kim Darby please visit her official website here.


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Eatin' Lunch.../
I am about to eat my lunch and I am very excited.
Left overs.
Ryan will not eat leftovers. He also has a strange hang up with carrying them out of restaurants (in the off chance he is saving them with the good intentions of trying to eat them later) so he hands his leftovers to me so that I can carry them out of the place. Then, it feels like some sort of secret narcotics exchange, and I feel like I am a criminal. A criminal armed with fried rice.
I don't blame him for not eating leftovers. I shouldn't eat them either. There were two kind of leftover nights in my house growing up. The first one was when mom would come home after a long day of work and look at us like... you again? Suckers, fin for yourselves. Then she would pull out every container, jar, bag, and cool-whip bowl stuffed with leftovers from God knows when out of the fridge, put it on the counter, and say..."dinners ready," with a cruel smile. I don't blame her, we ate an enormous amount of food for three girls. I was always the most hungry, so though this was not an enticing invitation, I still had hope that something in there had to be good. Unfortunately this meant I was the first one to open the containers, and can we all agree that there is nothing more awful than opening a cool whip lid to find an unidentified meat with green fuzz all over it??? GAG ME.
The second kind of leftover night is where mom is glowing. You wonder how she got home, set the table, and cooked up such an amazing casserole so fast?!? When you're younger this means she is superwoman. When you are older and take a few bites, you realize she's not superwoman, but an imposter...she's just found the meat from Sunday and turned it into something new. And dangit, it should be gross, but she is actually pretty good at turning one thing of meat into seven meals. First spaghetti. Then chili. Then sloppy joes. Then meatloaf. Finishing with a cheeseburger casserole that you will only eat because of the excessive amounts of cheese on top. This is truly a mom's gift. And if you are like my mom, it is an art form. How can I creatively turn this turkey into something else? How can I disguise it so that no one knows we've been eating it for a week???
These are the kinds of things you cannot think about when you are going to eat leftovers. It needs to be a mindless meal full of distractions so that you do not have time to wonder and question and imagine...just eat.
Today my leftovers are more fresh. (Sidenote: I hate saying that phrase, "fresh." Somehow when I was little we always ended up driving by this one cemetery in our town. I remember being totally traumatized the first time I saw a huge heap of dirt and realizing that someone was going down in that hole soon. In my mind I began to think of newly dead people as "fresh." I told the guys this on a trip once and ever since then they always point out "fresh ones." I feel awful about it. I wouldn't want someone to call my loved one a "fresh one." But that is what I think every time I pass a cemetery and see a heap of dirt and the green tent. Another fresh one.)
My leftovers? Blazing Noodles from Pei Wei. The first time I had this dish my right ear got swollen. Since then, I have also had such reactions as a swollen lip, profuse sweating, tears, and the chills. This dish is so hot it is absolute torture to eat it. Ryan cannot possibly understand why I eat something at the risk of getting a swollen right ear. I tell him it is for medicinal purposes. To clear out my sinuses and to help me eat less. These are just excuses. Some part of me actually really enjoys the challenge of eating this amazing dish and seeing how long I can make it before my throat starts to bleed or my eyeballs start bulging out of their sockets.
Now that's a leftover I can get excited about. Happy Monday. Bon Apetit!


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OLPC on 60 MinutesSubmitted by Ty on May 23, 2007 - 3:00pm
"The first English word of every child in that village was 'Google'," he says. "The village has no electricity, no telephone, no television. And the children take laptops home that are connected broadband to the Internet."
The first children have received their 100$ laptopsSubmitted by Ty on May 18, 2007 - 8:00am
Children in test schools in Brazil, Thailand, Uruguay and Nigeria have received the first OLPC 100$ laptops. These are some of the first videos of those children using the OLPC on the Internet. Currently they are using Beta-3 laptops, full scale mass production starts in September.
The Top Ten Issues of OLPCSubmitted by Ty on May 11, 2007 - 2:00pm
This article is a compilation of ten key issues facing the OLPC project mentioned by other researchers and through conversation.
OLPC, more than a marketing gymnick?Submitted by Ty on May 3, 2007 - 12:00pm
On paper, the OLPC project is lovely - a true posterchild of the current state of opensource and its overall goals. It would show the triumph of openness, and open standards, and would provide a better world.
OLPC "$100 laptop" to cost $175 and also WindowsSubmitted by Ty on April 27, 2007 - 9:00am
The founder of the ambitious "$100 laptop" project, which plans to give inexpensive computers to schoolchildren in developing countries, revealed Thursday that the machine for now costs $175, and it will be able to run Windows in addition to its homegrown, open-source interface.
OLPC laptop shipments delayed until third quarterSubmitted by Ty on April 20, 2007 - 2:00pm
Shipments of the XO notebook PC for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project will likely be delayed until the third quarter, the manufacturer said Friday.
RealNetworks Rewards Efforts of OSU Student ProgrammersSubmitted by Ty on April 19, 2007 - 3:00pm
Two students' outstanding work with a computer project to help educate children in developing countries has led to a corporate gift of $500,000 to the Open Source Lab at Oregon State University.
OLPC XO Theft: Vandalizing EducationSubmitted by Ty on April 19, 2007 - 9:00am
Why should we be concerned about the XO and crime? Probably because the extent and pervasiveness of crime in the developing world is something not always understood from outside.


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Due to…err, Gabby being out of town… we are releasing the new trivia tonight (Saturday Jan 8th) One more week and we will be back in full swing!!
Universal + Luke Goss = Nuada!
Universal is pumped on Luke right now for Death Race 2…lets show our love!
Also… nominate @LukeGoss for a Shorty Award
Vote here
• 2516 Confirmed
• 89 waiting to be confirmed
Hidden Realm Entertainment
Luke Goss – a.k.a. Prince Nuada
Doug Jones – a.k.a. Chamberlain/Angel of Death
Brian Steele – a.k.a. Mr. Wink
@madeamonster <–WINK!
See you next week!


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Riddance is the act or fact of clearing away anything undesirable; relief or deliverance from something. Too many times we get caught up in the things of the world, and unnoticeably add on the weight of the world. In adding on that weight, we add back on the old habits that we've been delivered from. The author of Hebrews is reminding us that we should run from our sinful ways. It is so easy to give in to the things that trip us up and result in us falling down. How long will it be before we shed the weight that we add on from our unhealthy habits?
To run in any race, you have to be fit and in shape. With the load of our sorrows and self-inflicted suffering, that race just becomes harder for us to get through without growing tired, wanting to quit or faint. If we let sin go without turning back to it, we will be able to run this spiritual race much easier. For Isaiah 40:31 says...
"but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
God doesn't want to make this walk any harder for us than it already is; and He doesn't. It is ourselves who fall for the tactics of the enemy. At the end of the day, temptation isn't responsible for the act, we are. We commit the sin. But if we let loose of the flesh and walk in the spirit of God, we will get through this race with a new stride. God has only intended for us to have the best. We allow things to stay in our lives that we know hinder us, and in result, we settle for less than the best. Today, eyeinspire you to continue to shed the dead weight that has been keeping you from reaching your full potential. Let go of those temporary fixes that leave you in lack, with burdens, in heartache and pain. We should want relief and deliverance. Today, be inspired to say "Good riddance".
Spread Love. Live life. Be Inspired.


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Conservation Volunteering @ St. Mary Magdalene's
posted in: Conservation | 0
Currently on the 'Buildings at risk' register, St Mary Magdalene is a beautiful Grade 1 listed church widely recognised as George Edmund Street's masterpiece in London. A Heritage Lottery Fund grant will now ensure that it can be enjoyed by future generations. Once this work is … Continued


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sehr geehrter Herr Prorektor,
hohe Festversammlung,
liebe Damen Balinska Junior,
und -- last but eigentlich first -- verehrter Kollege Michel Balinski,
soon to become Doctor rerum naturalium honoris causa Universitatis Augustanae. Soon, in spe, it is my pleasure to emphasize, because Spektabiles Jungnickel will bestow the honorary degree on you only when, or shall I say: if, I have come to an end with my laudatio, which has barely even begun.
In fact, right away we are facing a certain problem. In case that of the many achievements of Professor Balinski there were too many or, mathematically speaking, infinitely many, my laudatio would never ever come to an end, and Professor Balinski would have to wait for the honorary degree infinitely long. Luckily, Michel Balinski distinguished himself in a subfield of mathematics that goes unter the name of discrete mathematics, and that is characterized by dealing with finitely many items and finite sets. Hence, my dear Michel, I am confident that you will tolerate my saying that of your lasting achievements there are finitely many.
Since all good things come in threes, I shall concentrate, firstly, on your contributions to linear and to combinatorial optimization, secondly, on your contributions to discrete model building and, thirdly, on your contributions to the analysis of proportional representation systems. To begin with, however, I would like to introduce you to the audience as a human being, by telling a little bit from your vita, and to introduce us to you, by reviewing parts of the short history of our Institute.
Michel Balinski was born some seventy years ago, in Geneva, into a polyglott family. His father being occupied by his position as a Polish diplomat with the League of Nations, much of Michel's education laid in the hands of his grandparents. In fact, his grandfather was Ludwik Rajchman (1881-1965) who, then, was the Director of the League of Nations' Health Organization and, later, in December 1946, became the founder of Unicef, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund.
The Geneva start was followed by a few years in France which, fleeing from the invading German troops, ended in the exodus, via Lisbon, to the US. In the New World his mother was to continue to speak to him in French, thus helping the child to maintain the French roots.
Michel, having grown up outside New York City, spent most of his formative years and his academic career on the East coast. In 1954 he graduated from Williams College with a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics, followed by a Master's Degree in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and, in 1959, a PhD degree in Mathematics from Princeton University.
The academic affiliations of Michel Balinski include Princeton University, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the City University of New York, Yale University, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. The latter ran in parallel with a position of a Directeur de Recherche with the CNRS and the Laboratoire d'Econométrie of the Ecole Polytechnique. Over time the double appointment across the Atlantic proved too much of a burden. Hence in 1989 Michel Balinski moved permanently to the Ecole Polytechnique, and this is the position from which he retired to the status of emeritus, in 1999.
In the French system -- other than in the German system, I enviously add -- there is also a life after retirement, of which Michel Balinski has made and is still making good use, in his position as a Directeur de Recherche de classe exceptionnelle émérité. Judging from the rate of output of papers, attendance of conferences, and other academic activities I am happy to report that Professor Balinski must be alive and well.
In the forty years of professional career Michel Balinski distinguished himself with an exceptional number of successful activities beyond what a Professor normally is paid for, research and teaching. He founded the journal Mathematical Programming, which became a leading journal of the field. He served as president of professional societies, visited an impressive number of international universities as a guest lecturer, and served as the System and Decision Sciences Chairman of IIASA, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxemburg near Wien. In 1965 Balinski was awarded the prestiguous Lanchester Prize of the Operations Research Society of America, which is a particular pleasure to mention since the Augsburg Mathematics Faculty includes with Karl-Heinz Borgwardt another Lanchester Prize winner.
We therefore have to admit that the University is less of a product of Augsburg's glorious past. Rather, founded in 1970, it is more of a political reaction to the post-68 syndrome. Which, on the other hand, makes the University a young lady, crispy and attractive.
When, in 1981, mathematics was added to the growing University, the challenge was to develop an image which would convey to the general public the idea of how modern, useful, and profitable mathematics is, both in the real world that we live in, as well as the complex world that we think in. The challenge was met by letting the Augsburg Mathematics Institute sail under the heading of anwendungsorientierte Mathematik, and this strategic orientation has proved to be extremely successful since.
It is difficult to properly translate anwendungsorientierte Mathematik into English. Applied mathematics would be too narrow, besides being already confined to the connotation of Angewandte Mathematik and, inappropriately, suggesting a contraposition with Pure Mathematics. I am afraid I cannot do better than translating anwendungsorientierte Mathematik rather literally into application oriented mathematics which, indeed, embraces abstract research such as pure mathematics, while at the same time prominently emphasizes the practical use to which mathematics is put.
Under the label anwendungsorientierte Mathematik a novel degree in Wirtschaftsmathematik was devised and was then, and still is today, the curriculum that most of our students choose to enroll in. In 1981 there was only a handful of mathematics departments at German universities offering such a degree. With the success saga spreading this has changed, and we have lost our unique position. The anwendungsorientierte concept carried not only beyond Augsburg to other campusses. On this campus, it also carried beyond mathematics to other fields. It provided an extremely fruitful starting point for the Augsburg Physics Department and, as of recently, of the Computer Science Department. The current strategic plan of the University provides some renewed visibility for the concept, by presenting it under the timely label of innovative technologies.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have reviewed part of the University history on this occasion, of conferring an honorary PhD degree on Michel Balinski, because he and his scientific œuvre testify in a prime way that the anwendungsorientierte interplay, of real world problems and complex academic solutions, is fascinating, fruitful, and never ending. As mentioned in the beginning, I will exemplify this claim by marking three of the fields where Balinski's scientific achievements stand out.
The type of problems that are exceptionally well suited to be handled by a machine came to be known under the name of linear programs. Balinski's dissertation dealt with particular geometric structures that submit themselves to this approach, convex polyhedral sets (Vielecke), whose shape is determined by flat sides meeting in straight line edges, and edges meeting in vertices, Eckpunkten. Any such set can be described from an internal, primal point of view, or alternatively, from an external, dual view point. Just as we can describe this lecture hall by looking to the walls from the inside where we are now -- which is the primal approach to the problem, or else by walking around on the outside and tell what we see then -- the dual approach. At times the dual approach is quite persuasive, just think of the drinks that may be waiting outside. However, Balinski approached the problem more from an academic point of view and, together with his Doktorvater Al Tucker, published a long article on the Duality Theory of Linear Programs in the 1969 SIAM Review.
Another important subclass of problems are those, where the vertices of the convex bodies (konvexe Körper) have integer coordinates (ganzzahlige Koordinaten). Balinski was one of the first to extend the theory to such models. Nowadays there are many textbooks devoted to this type of problem, but in 1965 there was none. The subject was new, and Balinski's seventy-page 1965 overview article served as a welcome reference and first textbook for the new field. The article enjoyed the fate, rather rare in mathematics, of being reprinted twice, in 1968 and in 1970.
Another subset of combinatorial results comes under the inviting name of stable marriage theorems (stabile Heiratssätze), proving by terminology better than by anything else that mathematics is so utterly anwendungsorientiert. The problem is standard. There is a set of ladies and a set of men. Each lady likes certain of the men and has her preferences among them, but detest the others. Similarly, each men has his preferences among the women he likes, but cares not a whit about the others. The mathematical question is this: Can men and women be happily married given their respective preferences?
Imagine what could go wrong if Monika and Friedrich, say, were married to others, and yet, Monika preferred him to her current mate, while at the same time Friedrich preferred Monika over his current mate. They would be unhappy and, provided the two couples meet too often, they would abandon their current mates for each other. Though I grant that marriage is a very serious business, it is a peculiar trait of mathematicians to go to the simplest possible situation that reveals the essence of a problem, however frivilous it may sound. There are also polyandrous versions of the question, where every lady may have several husbands, and polygamous versions, starring men with many wives.
Are there marriages which would avoid the sad instability of our example? The mathematical theorem answers: Yes, there always are! Of course, the mathematical results are independent of the narrative frame in which they are presented. There are important practical problems submitting themselves to just the same analysis: admitting students to universities, appointing candidates to jobs, or allocating hours of work on different tasks to workers of different qualifications. All these instances come under what now is called »two-sided markets«, for which the mathematical approach provides a vital aid how to match, allocate, or apportion resources. As with other problems, mathematics focusses on two issues: Can it be done at all and, if so, how to do it efficiently. Balinski and co-authors have contributed considerably to the realm of marriage theorems and, in a recent 2003 American Mathematical Monthly note exemplify its usefulness for Admissions and Recruitment.
Discrete mathematics counts items; it rules out continuous transitions from one to the other. Each candidate stands for herself or himself, each institution is recognized as a unit on its own, each seat in parliament is honored as a valuable entity by itself. Such constructs as fractional candidates, or fractional institutions, or fractional seats in parliament are meaningless. The friction between mathematical terms and practical needs becomes particularly apparent in consulting, when the -- mathematical -- consultant wants to persuade the -- non-mathematical -- consultee of the usefulness of the approach. While model building itself may be more of an art than a science, the mathematical problems thereby generated are abundant, and challenging.
Michel Balinski's experience to apply abstract mathematical concepts to concrete problems of economics and decision making is based on an impressive experience as a mathematical consultant, for such companies as de Borden Mills Inc., the RAND Corporation, Mathematica Inc., Mobile Oil Research Laboratories, ORTF, Econ Inc., and others. His pointed opinions on where mathematics can contribute to the solution of practical problems is all too noticeable throughout his technical papers, be it matching problems as covered by the type of marriage theorems mentioned above, or problems of assignment, allocation, or apportionment. As a third group of examples, I would like to finally turn to his work on apportionment methods for proportional representation.
Of course, parliamentary seats are in the first place more of a political than of a mathematical nature. However, when one of the seats was contested in 1992, the United States Supreme Court found it appropriate to include in the decision a six-page review of the Balinski/Young monograph. I would bet that theirs is the only mathematics book that ever got read and reviewed by any supreme court throughout the world. The judges, while not questioning the mathematical correctness of the book, did improve on its political correctness, by turning the untimely Balinski/Young motto of »one man, one vote« into the more equal principle of »one person, one vote«. It may have escaped their attention that, in mathematics and statistics, the data unit »man« refers to what in the old days the great Latin writers would have worded as »homo«, and not as »vir«. As down-to-earth scientists we would never set up a theory that visibly excludes half of mankind, or politically more correct, half of personkind.
The Balinski/Young Fair representation work is actually two books in one. The first half carefully reviews the historical experience that accumulated over more than 200 years of US history. I find these first hundred pages a gem of scientific writing, always lucid, occasionally thrilling, and at times entertaining. The authors aim, and succeed, in extracting from the historical experience general rules which, in mathematical language, may serve as an axiomatic foundation of a theory of apportionment, which then is laid out in the second half of the book.
For instance, one such axiom demands that changes in representation agree with changes in population. If, relative to several competing groups, one is growing larger, then the number of its representatives should increase. But does it? Not in the system that we use for the election of the Deutschen Bundestag where, weird as it may sound, more Zweitstimmen votes for a party may result in fewer Bundestag seats.
Another axiom stipulates that a parliamentary body that grows in size will never see a party shrink in its number of representatives. But does it? Not in Germany. When, in 1989, the steering committee of the Wetteraukreis in Hessen was formed, the two major parties raised the number of seats from nine to ten. Why? Because this made one of the minor parties drop from one representative to none. That is, not only was a new seat created by enlarging the committee size from nine to ten, but, due to the pecularities of the apportionment method used, an old seat was taken away from an unwanted competitor who was thereby pushed out. Not surprisingly, the two seats thus generated benefitted the two major parties.
Laying down general principles, or axioms as we say in mathematics, enables us to classify the many methods that are available to convert population or vote counts into numbers of representatives. These mathematical classifications are carried out in the second half of the Balinski/Young monograph, where the authors scrutinize the apportionment methods that are in use all over the world against the general axioms that appear so compelling and hard to deny.
Michel Balinski pursued the subject into many different directions. One of them includes biproportional representation methods, wherein proportionality is achieved in two directions, one along the regional subdivision of the population, the other, along party lines. I had the privilege of proposing one such biproportional method to the Kantonsrat Zürich who, in fact, adopted it almost unanimously to include it in their new electoral law.
Another line of Balinski's research aims at the districting problem, that is, achieving electoral equality in electoral districts (Wahlkreise, Stimmkreise). We will hear more about this problem in a minute or two from Professor Balinski himself.
I have subsumed Michel Balinski's research work under the Augsburg standard of Anwendungsorientiertheit, and I would like to end by drawing your attention to another point of what Anwendungsorientiertheit includes. Namely, proliferating the mathematical findings, not only as technical papers in academic journals, but also as nontechnical articles in the public science press. Who otherwise would publicize the findings, if not those who generate them? You will not be surprised to hear that Michel Balinski has done so, in Le Monde, Pour la science, Spektrum der Wissenschaft and other press products.
Naturally it always remains a challenge to translate dry academic truths into juicy public stories, and a welcome trick is to embellish the presentation by drawing on quotes from literary and intellectual authorities. If my laudatio were in German I certainly would have taken recourse to Goethe and Schiller. As it is in English, I have to switch to the British G&S-counterpart, Gilbert and Sullivan, and end with a three-liner quoted by Professor Balinski in order to dismiss any doubt that his proposed mechanism for a stable marriage assignment is optimal. As for me, the quote is to imply that the mechanism of the Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät der Universität Augsburg to nominate their PhD laureates is -- doubtlessly -- equally optimal:
(Gilbert and Sullivan, The Gondoliers)
Ich danke für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit.
(Professor Dr. Friedrich Pukelsheim)


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Tokyo Electric Power Co. said rainwater contaminated with radioactive substances flowed Monday into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima No. 1 power plant through a drainage ditch.
Tepco had raised the height of the weir in the ditch's outlet from 70 cm to 85 cm, but it failed to prevent the latest outflow.
It occurred between 2:55 a.m. and 4 a.m., according to Tepco. The amount of outflow and the level of water contamination was unknown as of Monday evening.
Rainwater in the drainage ditch was to be transferred by pumps to a separate ditch leading to the plant's port. Although eight pumps were operating at full capacity from 2:51 a.m., they were unable to catch up with the accumulation of rainwater due to heavy rain, allowing contaminated water to flow over the weir, Tepco said.
The company plans to complete its work by the end of March to close the drainage ditch's outlet and make a new one inside the plant's port.
Source: Japan Times


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Poor Penelope in her plain grey long tee. Having purchased this tee from a thrift store some 3 years ago, Penelope loved to wear it with jeans on a dull winters day.
Acquiring her husband's tie, Penelope knew that she could turn plain into peachy. So she pinned Brad's vintage tie to her plain tee.
Brad is now tie-less and if he asks you.....no you have not seen his tie.
Penelope's tee is no longer plain and winter is dull no more.


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2013 Australian Budget
My really take on the 2013 Australian Budget. I think it was a good tactical budget by the Labor Party and will help them going forward.
The reasons are
- Scrapping Baby Bonus is okay as the current perception is that it will reduced large handouts to ethnic immigrants who have 9 or 10 kids. They will still vote for labor anyway. Because of the family Tax benefit.
- Adding NDIS and Gonski as policies that are labor meme's
- Reducing Foreign Aid always good in attracting votes
- Increase Tax compliance for big corporations. If targeted banks it would go down even better
- Main reason though is not leaving much for the Liberal Party to work with except for adding negative votes in the policies that will reduce the budget i.e reducing government workforce
Huge credibility gap though in the budget forecast figures and actions speak louder then words. Its been really funny trying to work out what is the actual deficit as it kept changing week by week by really significant numbers. You can't believe figures given based on past history.
I don't believe they will get 4 billion from large company tax as they are find smarter ways of reducing their tax burden.
If really interested in reducing budget deficit they would get of negative gearing but those are the people that both labor and liberal need. I am sure that is also what is keeping the Housing Boom from collapsing.
Why are people so afraid of the Liberal party as interview with Joe hocking seemed to make so much sense e.g should compare unemployment with main competition i.e Asia not Europe and deficits do have to be paid back. Maybe afraid of entitlements and Labor Government spending does help a lot of small businesses by giving money to the people.
Labor is still screwed in the September elections and I have a feeling they are playing for the next elections which to me is the best move.


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Diana Ross - Upside Down
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John Lennon - Nobody Told Me
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Jody Watley - Everything
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Steve Winwood - While You See A Chance
Styx - Babe
INXS - The One Thing


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Beginning January 1, 2013
Stop by the new site and take a look around.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Author Interview: Gabrielle Bisset
Whipped Cream is pleased to welcome Gabrielle Bisset whose latest book Shiny Objects has just been released by Passion in Print Press. Gabrielle also has several more books scheduled for release in the next few months.
When Gabrielle was a teenager, she and her friends used to write screenplays.
"They weren't very good, but bless our little hearts, we loved doing it," she admitted. "Then for a long time I didn't write at all. College, grad school, marriage, children, divorce, and career (not necessarily in that order) all took precedence, and writing was put on the back burner. But a few years ago, I secured a position as a faculty member teaching history in college and life settled down a bit. I began reading more and writing followed. Finally, in the past two years, I began forming ideas that I loved and from those came my Destined Ones Series with Stolen Destiny, the first novel in that series, which released on June 29 and my novellas, so far a trio of erotic stories set in Victorian England, with the first one, Vampire Dreams which released on June 10."
Gabrielle told me that when she first got the idea for Stolen Destiny, it was far more mainstream. She began writing it, and by the time the first love scene was finished, she had left mainstream and moved into erotic romance.
"Now, it's just natural for me. In fact, I think it would be quite a bit of work to go back to mainstream. It's not that I won't do it, if a story fits the bill, but I enjoy erotic romance a great deal," she told me.
She's recently written a novella called Love's Master, which came from an idea she got when she was reading something called the Agony Column from the Times of London during the 1800s.
"With one notice from that column, I came up with the idea of a man who was a dominant and was seeking a submissive. However, since I am not involved in the lifestyle, I had to do a little more than read other author's D/s stories. I had developed some good ideas from them, but I needed more. So off to Google I went. It's amazing what one can find with the right search terms," she told me with a wink. "I found a cornucopia of sites about BDSM and devoured the information. From there, I began writing and any time I needed details for a scene, back to the computer I went. At one point in the book, the male character named Kadar feeds the female, Lily, foods he encountered in Afghanistan. The research for that took me to a variety of sites about Afghan food. When I finished writing that day, I made a few of the recipes. Incredible tasting food!"
She does a lot of her research on the computer, but when it comes to actually writing, she handwrites everything before she types it.
"No kidding," she said. "I can't write anything in front of a computer screen. It feels sterile to me, and nothing comes into my mind. I just sit and stare at the screen, cursing it. So instead, I write everything in notebooks with a pen. Wal-Mart loves me at back to school sales each July. I buy cases and cases of notebooks. To me, this isn't a strange habit at all, but I've come to find out that among writers, saying I hand write my stories is like saying I just found out about the printing press and think it's going to be the next big thing."
"How do you judge what makes a good erotic story when writing your own fiction?" I asked.
"I think if a story is making the author hot when she's writing it, then chances are pretty good that others will find it a good erotic story too. Sometimes it's just the right word coming from one of the character's mouths, and at other times it can be the most discreet movement of an arm or leg (or other body part!) that really makes a scene pop. Erotic stories don't have to be all thrusting and pounding to be good. I think the story that surrounds the erotica has to be as important. Without a story, then all there is between the characters is insert tab A into slot B."
Gabrielle's favorite erotic author is Charlotte Featherstone.
"Wow, does she know how to create some heat in her stories!" she said. "I've read all of them, but my absolute favorite is Lust. The sensuality and eroticism she crafts in that story are just incredible. I don't think I made it out of the first scene between Thane and Chastity without feeling exactly what a reader should when reading an erotic story—hot. I can't wait for the rest of her Sins and Virtues series."
"Is there a boundary between porn and erotic romance that you personally would never cross?" I wondered.
"For me, porn is always about sex and nothing else. I won't write anything that's just sex, sex, and sex with no story. As for anything else, I'm open to many things but strictly stay away from things like underage characters, bestiality, and some fetishes."
Some random things you might not know about Gabrielle:
~she thinks liver is the most disgusting thing she's ever tried to eat—her mother used to let it sit out in milk on the counter all day before cooking it, and everytime Gabrielle would walk into the kitchen and see it seeing there, she'd feel like she was going to be sick.
~she can tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi and believes that Pepsi is sweeter—to the point that her teeth feel gritty after she drinks one.
~she has an anti-fetish about feet—she thinks they might be the most utilitarian part of the human body, but they are ugly. She doesn't ever want anyone seeing her toenails unpainted because she believes that only adds to the ugliness of her feet. Color? Deep red or burgundy.
~ if she were going to pierce a body part, she would probably pierce her nose, because she's always admired women with a tiny diamond chip in their noses.
~body piercing is sexy, particularly on men, because it connotes danger. She told me, "A man with a genital piercing has mad, bad, and dangerous to know written all over him, and that's incredibly sexy to me."
"Have you ever known anyone who can tie a cherry stem with their tongue?" I asked.
"Uh, no. Are there men who can do this? And if there are, where do they live and where do I get directions there? Anyone with such a skillful tongue is someone I'd like to meet."
Finally, I asked her what advice she would give a new writer just starting out.
"Have faith in yourself. There are many people who will try very hard to bring you down or shove you into a mold they believe is appropriate for the genre in which you write. Believe in yourself and always know you make the decisions about your writing. Learn all you can about writing and the business, and then don't let others sway you from believing in your stories. Faith in yourself and in your ideas is so important when the rest of the world says what you do isn't what they think is 'right' or what everyone wants."
You can keep up with Gabrielle on her blog, http://gbisset.blogspot.com
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