text: Main Content Committee Bill Records Search printer friendly Click here if you would like to refine these Committee Bill Records by sponsor, meeting, status and more! Selecting from the following options and click "Search Committee Bill Records". Representatives Afendoulis, Lynn Albert, Thomas Alexander, Julie Allor, Sue Anthony, Sarah Bellino, Joseph Berman, Ryan Bolden, Kyra Harris Bollin, Ann Brann, Tommy Brixie, Julie Byrd, Wendell Calley, Julie Cambensy, Sara Camilleri, Darrin Carter, Brenda Carter, Tyrone Chatfield, Lee Cherry, John Chirkun, John Clemente, Cara Cole, Triston Coleman, Kevin Crawford, Kathy Eisen, Gary Elder, Brian Ellison, Jim Farrington, Diana Filler, Graham Frederick, Ben Garrett, LaTanya Garza, Alex Gay-Dagnogo, Sherry Glenn, Annette Green, Phil Greig, Christine Griffin, Beth Guerra, Vanessa Haadsma, Jim Hall, Matt Hammoud, Abdullah Hauck, Roger Hernandez, Shane Hertel, Kevin Hoadley, Jon Hoitenga, Michele Hood, Rachel Hope, Kara Hornberger, Pamela Howell, Gary Huizenga, Mark Iden, Brandt Inman, Larry Johnson, Cynthia Johnson, Steven Jones, Jewell Kahle, Bronna Kennedy, Sheryl Koleszar, Matt Kuppa, Padma LaFave, Beau LaGrand, David Lasinski, Donna Leutheuser, Eric Liberati, Frank Lightner, Sarah Lilly, Jim Love, Leslie Lower, James Maddock, Matt Manoogian, Mari Marino, Steve Markkanen, Gregory Meerman, Luke Miller, Aaron Mueller, Mike Neeley, Sheldon O'Malley, Jack Pagan, Kristy Paquette, Brad Peterson, Ronnie Pohutsky, Laurie Rabhi, Yousef Reilly, John Rendon, Daire Robinson, Isaac Sabo, Terry Schroeder, Andrea Shannon, Nate Sheppard, Jason Slagh, Bradley Sneller, Tim Sowerby, William Stone, Lori Tate, Joseph VanSingel, Scott VanWoerkom, Greg Vaupel, Hank Wakeman, Rodney Warren, Rebekah Webber, Michael Wendzel, Pauline Wentworth, Jason Whiteford, Mary Whitsett, Karen Wittenberg, Robert Witwer, Angela Wozniak, Douglas Yancey, Tenisha Yaroch, Jeff Senators Alexander, Betty Jean Ananich, Jim Barrett, Tom Bayer, Rosemary Bizon, John Brinks, Winnie Bullock, Marshall Bumstead, Jon Chang, Stephanie Daley, Kevin Geiss, Erika Hertel, Curtis Hollier, Adam Horn, Kenneth Irwin, Jeff Johnson, Ruth LaSata, Kimberly Lauwers, Dan Lucido, Peter MacDonald, Michael MacGregor, Peter McBroom, Ed McCann, Sean McMorrow, Mallory Moss, Jeremy Nesbitt, Aric Outman, Rick Polehanki, Dayna Runestad, Jim Santana, Sylvia Schmidt, Wayne Shirkey, Mike Stamas, Jim Theis, Lana VanderWall, Curtis Victory, Roger Wojno, Paul Zorn, Dale House Committees Agriculture Appropriations Commerce and Tourism Communications and Technology Education Elections and Ethics Energy Families, Children, and Seniors Financial Services Government Operations Health Policy Insurance Joint Committee on Administrative Rules Judiciary Local Government and Municipal Finance Military, Veterans and Homeland Security Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Oversight Regulatory Reform Select Committee on Reducing Car Insurance Rates Tax Policy Transportation Ways and Means Only items with status Only items with meetings Sort by BillSort by SponsorSort by Committee COMMERCE AND TOURISMSorted by: SequenceNo Committee Home Page: Commerce and TourismChair: Steve MarinoClerk Phone: 5173738474 Click for list of all bills that have ever been referred to this committee. Bills currently in committee. Bill/ResolutionCommitteeSponsorSubject HB 4048 of 2019Commerce and TourismInman, LarryBusinesses; nonprofit corporations; merger or conversion into nonprofit corporations; authorize for summer resort and park associations. Amends sec. 123 of 1982 PA 162 (MCL 450.2123). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4049'19 HB 4049 of 2019Commerce and TourismInman, LarryBusinesses; associations; merger or conversion of summer resort and park association into nonprofit corporations; authorize. Amends 1897 PA 230 (MCL 455.1 - 455.24) by adding sec. 19. TIE BAR WITH: HB 4048'19 HB 4253 of 2019Commerce and TourismLasinski, DonnaState financing and management; purchasing; requirement for state contract preference to be awarded to Michigan-based companies; modify. Amends secs. 261 of 1984 PA 431 (MCL 18.1261). HB 4272 of 2019Commerce and TourismColeman, KevinState financing and management; funds; participant of Michigan business development program; require recipient to utilize bid process and encourage use of Michigan workforce. Amends sec. 88r of 1984 PA 270 (MCL 125.2088r). HB 4326 of 2019Commerce and TourismJohnson, CynthiaLabor; fair employment practices; employer inquiries regarding criminal history; prohibit before offer of employment is made. Creates new act. HB 4425 of 2019Commerce and TourismElder, BrianLabor; hours and wages; parental leave time provided for participation in school activities; establish. Creates new act. HB 4554 of 2019Commerce and TourismLilly, JimTaxation; hotel-motel; Michigan short-term rental promotion act that provides for registry of short-term rentals; create. Creates new act. HB 4555 of 2019Commerce and TourismEllison, JimEconomic development; other; stadia or convention facilities act to include certain short-term rentals; revise. Amends secs. 1, 2 & 6 of 1991 PA 180 (MCL 207.751 et seq.). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4554'19 HB 4556 of 2019Commerce and TourismMarino, SteveTaxation; convention tourism assessments; state convention facility development act to include certain short-term rentals; modify. Amends secs. 3 & 4 of 1985 PA 106 (MCL 207.623 & 207.624). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4554'19 HB 4557 of 2019Commerce and TourismBrixie, JulieTaxation; excise taxes; excise tax on business of providing accommodations to include certain short-term rentals; modify. Amends secs. 1 & 2 of 1974 PA 263 (MCL 141.861 & 141.862). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4554'19 HB 4558 of 2019Commerce and TourismPaquette, BradTaxation; convention tourism assessments; regional tourism marketing act to include certain short-term rentals; revise. Amends secs. 2 & 5 of 1989 PA 244 (MCL 141.892 & 141.895). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4554'19 HB 4559 of 2019Commerce and TourismSabo, TerryTaxation; convention tourism assessments; community convention or tourism marketing act to include certain short-term rentals; revise. Amends secs. 2 & 4 of 1980 PA 395 (MCL 141.872 & 141.874). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4554'19 HB 4560 of 2019Commerce and TourismWebber, MichaelTaxation; convention tourism assessments; convention and tourism marketing act to include certain short-term rentals; revise. Amends secs. 2 & 4 of 1980 PA 383 (MCL 141.882 & 141.884). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4554'19 HB 4561 of 2019Commerce and TourismO'Malley, JackTaxation; convention tourism assessments; regional convention and tourism promotion act; revise to include certain short-term rentals. Amends secs. 2 & 4 of 2010 PA 254 (MCL 141.1432 & 141.1434). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4554'19 HB 4562 of 2019Commerce and TourismCalley, JulieTaxation; convention tourism assessments; convention and tourism promotion act; revise to include certain short-term rentals. Amends secs. 2 & 4 of 2007 PA 25 (MCL 141.1322 & 141.1324). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4554'19 HB 4563 of 2019Commerce and TourismTate, JosephLand use; zoning and growth management; short-term rentals; permit. Amends secs. 102 & 207 of 2006 PA 110 (MCL 125.3102 & 125.3207) & adds sec. 206b. TIE BAR WITH: HB 4554'19 HB 4578 of 2019Commerce and TourismLove, LeslieLabor; job training; promotion of women participants; require in workforce development services. Amends secs. 5 & 13 of 2006 PA 491 (MCL 408.115 & 408.123). HB 4579 of 2019Commerce and TourismLove, LeslieLabor; job training; peer-to-peer apprenticeship mentoring program; create for individuals with disabilities, minorities, and women. Amends sec. 13 of 2006 PA 491 (MCL 408.123). HB 4623 of 2019Commerce and TourismGarza, AlexLabor; hours and wages; employer violations regarding the payment of wages and fringe benefits; increase sanctions. Amends sec. 18 of 1978 PA 390 (MCL 408.488). HB 4629 of 2019Commerce and TourismLove, LeslieLabor; fair employment practices; commission on pay equity; establish, and specify duties. Amends 1976 PA 453 (MCL 37.2101 - 37.2804) by adding sec. 202b. HB 4630 of 2019Commerce and TourismBrixie, JulieCivil rights; employment discrimination; actions for unequal pay; increase damages, and modify accrual date of claims. Amends sec. 801 of 1976 PA 453 (MCL 37.2801). HB 4631 of 2019Commerce and TourismWarren, RebekahLabor; fair employment practices; disclosure of certain wage information upon request; require of employer. Amends sec. 13a of 1978 PA 390 (MCL 408.483a). HB 4632 of 2019Commerce and TourismKuppa, PadmaLabor; hours and wages; employment discrimination; prohibit employers from engaging in certain discriminatory practices and allow remedies under Elliott-Larsen civil rights act. Amends secs. 9 & 13 of 2018 PA 337 (MCL 408.939 & 408.943). HB 4633 of 2019Commerce and TourismManoogian, MariCrimes; other; provision regarding wage discrimination based on sex; modify, and increase fines. Amends sec. 556 of 1931 PA 328 (MCL 750.556). HB 4634 of 2019Commerce and TourismPagan, KristyLabor; fair employment practices; notice of employment discrimination website and telephone line; require employers to post. Amends sec. 602 of 1976 PA 453 (MCL 37.2602) & adds sec. 202b. HB 4635 of 2019Commerce and TourismPohutsky, LaurieLabor; fair employment practices; written job descriptions; require for companies with more than 5 employees. Amends title of 1978 PA 397 (MCL 423.501 - 423.512) & adds sec. 9a. HB 4636 of 2019Commerce and TourismGreig, ChristineCivil rights; employment discrimination; prohibited employment discrimination practices; expand to include asking a job applicant about past compensation. Amends sec. 202 of 1976 PA 453 (MCL 37.2202). HB 4637 of 2019Commerce and TourismGuerra, VanessaLabor; fair employment practices; pay differentials for men and women; require state report and plan to reduce. Amends sec. 3 of 1978 PA 609 (MCL 408.903). HB 4638 of 2019Commerce and TourismLasinski, DonnaCivil rights; employment discrimination; pay equity in the workplace award program; create. Creates new act. HB 4639 of 2019Commerce and TourismHertel, KevinLabor; hours and wages; pay equity compliance certification; require for private businesses that contract with the state. Amends sec. 209 of 1976 PA 453 (MCL 37.2209) & adds sec. 209a. HB 4640 of 2019Commerce and TourismLove, LeslieLabor; fair employment practices; deductions from wages without written consent of employee; revise notice period for certain deductions related to garnishment. Amends sec. 7 of 1978 PA 390 (MCL 408.477). HB 4650 of 2019Commerce and TourismLilly, JimEconomic development; obsolete property and rehabilitation; definition of core community; modify. Amends sec. 2 of 2000 PA 146 (MCL 125.2782). HB 4658 of 2019Commerce and TourismChirkun, JohnTrade; business practices; collection of personal information by scanning a machine-readable state-issued driver's license or state-issued identification card; regulate. Amends sec. 3 of 1976 PA 331 (MCL 445.903) & adds sec. 3l. HB 4793 of 2019Commerce and TourismLove, LeslieState financing and management; purchasing; expanded business opportunities for geographically disadvantaged business enterprises; codify. Amends secs. 241 & 261 of 1984 PA 431 (MCL 18.1241 & 18.1261). HB 4837 of 2019Commerce and TourismLeutheuser, EricEconomic development; other; small business liaisons; establish. Amends 1984 PA 431 (MCL 18.1101 - 18.1594) by adding sec. 449. HB 4838 of 2019Commerce and TourismLasinski, DonnaEconomic development; other; office of small business director; create. Creates new act. HB 4868 of 2019Commerce and TourismSabo, TerryLabor; fair employment practices; penalty for wage and fringe benefit payment violations with the intent to defraud; increase. Amends sec. 15 of 1978 PA 390 (MCL 408.485). HB 4877 of 2019Commerce and TourismHaadsma, JimLabor; hours and wages; penalties and remedies for misclassification of independent contractors; provide for. Amends secs. 1, 13, 18 & 19 of 1978 PA 390 (MCL 408.471 et seq.) & adds secs. 13c & 13d. HB 4878 of 2019Commerce and TourismHoadley, JonLabor; hours and wages; employee who files a claim under 2018 PA 337; prohibit commissioner from disclosing to employer if requested by employee. Amends sec. 9 of 2018 PA 337 (MCL 408.939). HB 4885 of 2019Commerce and TourismCamilleri, DarrinCrimes; other; certain definitions regarding the requirements for the resale of event tickets at higher or lower prices; provide for. Amends 1931 PA 328 (MCL 750.1 - 750.568) by adding sec. 464b. TIE BAR WITH: HB 4886'19 HB 4886 of 2019Commerce and TourismBerman, RyanCrimes; other; certain requirements regarding the resale of event tickets at higher or lower prices; provide for. Amends sec. 465 of 1931 PA 328 (MCL 750.465). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4885'19 HB 4894 of 2019Commerce and TourismLasinski, DonnaEmployment security; benefits; weekly dependent care amount and benefit period; increase. Amends sec. 27 of 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1 (MCL 421.27). HB 4895 of 2019Commerce and TourismSabo, TerryEmployment security; benefits; maximum benefit amount; increase. Amends sec. 27 of 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1 (MCL 421.27). HB 4896 of 2019Commerce and TourismSowerby, WilliamEmployment security; other; certain causes of action based on accusations of fraud associated with a claim for unemployment benefits; modify accrual of causes of action and statute of limitations. Amends 1961 PA 236 (MCL 600.101 - 600.9947) by adding sec. 5830. HB 4897 of 2019Commerce and TourismLove, LeslieEmployment security; administration; unpaid and delinquent contributions; require annual reporting to the legislature. Amends sec. 15 of 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1 (MCL 421.15). HB 4898 of 2019Commerce and TourismChirkun, JohnTrade; data security; database security breach policy for state agencies; provide for. Amends sec. 287 of 1984 PA 431 (MCL 18.1287). HB 4899 of 2019Commerce and TourismSneller, TimEmployment security; benefits; restitution of improperly collected benefits; decrease percentage of wages permitted to be garnished. Amends sec. 62 of 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1 (MCL 421.62). HB 4900 of 2019Commerce and TourismCamilleri, DarrinEmployment security; funds; payments to claimants affected by erroneous, computer-based fraud determinations; reserve amount in contingent fund for. Amends sec. 10 of 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1 (MCL 421.10). HB 4901 of 2019Commerce and TourismClemente, CaraEmployment security; sanctions; penalty for deficient contributions; increase. Amends sec. 15 of 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1 (MCL 421.15). HB 4902 of 2019Commerce and TourismCherry, JohnEmployment security; hearings; appeal process for recipient of improperly paid unemployment benefits; provide for. Amends sec. 62 of 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1 (MCL 421.62). HB 4903 of 2019Commerce and TourismByrd, WendellIndividual income tax; deductions; deduction for unemployment benefits; provide for. Amends sec. 30 of 1967 PA 281 (MCL 206.30). HB 4954 of 2019Commerce and TourismMarino, SteveState financing and management; purchasing; state contracts; modify unsuccessful bidder protest policy. Amends 1984 PA 431 (MCL 18.1101 - 18.1594) by adding sec. 266. TIE BAR WITH: HB 4956'19, HB 4955'19 HB 4955 of 2019Commerce and TourismMarino, SteveState financing and management; purchasing; state contracts; modify unsuccessful bidder protest policy. Amends 1984 PA 431 (MCL 18.1101 - 18.1594) by adding sec. 262a. TIE BAR WITH: HB 4956'19, HB 4954'19 HB 4956 of 2019Commerce and TourismMarino, SteveState financing and management; purchasing; state contracts; modify unsuccessful bidder protest policy. Amends sec. 264 of 1984 PA 431 (MCL 18.1264). TIE BAR WITH: HB 4954'19, HB 4955'19 HB 4986 of 2019Commerce and TourismAllor, SueLabor; fair employment practices; influenza vaccination as a condition of employment; prohibit. Creates new act. HB 4987 of 2019Commerce and TourismWhitsett, KarenLabor; fair employment practices; Tdap vaccination as a condition of employment; prohibit. Creates new act. HB 5000 of 2019Commerce and TourismHammoud, AbdullahState financing and management; purchasing; state contracts; require certain percentage to be awarded to immigrant-owned or minority-owned firms. Amends title & secs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 of 1980 PA 428 (MCL 450.771 et seq.). HB 5009 of 2019Commerce and TourismCherry, JohnState financing and management; purchasing; certain materials required for state contracted projects; provide for. Amends 1984 PA 431 (MCL 18.1101 - 18.1594) by adding sec. 241d. HB 5022 of 2019Commerce and TourismHope, KaraLabor; fair employment practices; labor service agencies; regulate. Creates new act. HB 5023 of 2019Commerce and TourismHope, KaraLabor; hours and wages; scheduling standards for certain employers; provide for. Creates new act. HB 5033 of 2019Commerce and TourismHertel, KevinEmployment security; other; severance pay; exclude from definition of remuneration. Amends sec. 44 of 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1 (MCL 421.44). HB 5034 of 2019Commerce and TourismRobinson, IsaacLabor; fair employment practices; meal period for certain employees; require under certain circumstances. Creates new act. HB 5035 of 2019Commerce and TourismHammoud, AbdullahLabor; fair employment practices; severance pay for eligible employees; require for a closing or mass layoff. Creates new act. HB 5036 of 2019Commerce and TourismGreig, ChristineLabor; hours and wages; minimum compensation amounts for exemption from overtime pay; specify for certain employees. Amends sec. 4a of 2018 PA 337 (MCL 408.934a). HB 5150 of 2019Commerce and TourismHoadley, JonDisabilities; other; centralized reasonable accommodations program; create. Creates new act. TIE BAR WITH: HB 5151'19 HB 5151 of 2019Commerce and TourismMarino, SteveWorker's compensation; funds; second injury fund; allow to be used for reasonable accommodations requests made under the centralized reasonable accommodations act. Amends 1969 PA 317 (MCL 418.101 - 418.941) by adding sec. 539. HB 5162 of 2019Commerce and TourismMiller, AaronTaxation; excise taxes; excise tax on businesses providing accommodations; modify. Amends sec. 2 of 1974 PA 263 (MCL 141.862). HB 5199 of 2019Commerce and TourismWittenberg, RobertEconomic development; other; center for microenterprise development; create. Amends 1984 PA 270 (MCL 125.2001 - 125.2094) by adding ch. 7A. HB 5201 of 2019Commerce and TourismShannon, NateEconomic development; other; assistance for employee ownership in business; provide for. Amends secs. 2, 3, 4 & 5 of 1985 PA 152 (MCL 450.732 et seq.). HB 5307 of 2019Commerce and TourismAnthony, SarahState financing and management; funds; funding for businesses with lost revenue due to road construction projects; provide for. Amends 1951 PA 51 (MCL 247.651 - 247.675) by adding sec. 10q. HB 5311 of 2020Commerce and TourismJohnson, StevenLabor; fair employment practices; act relating to solicitation of strikebreakers; repeal. Repeals 1962 PA 150 (MCL 423.251 - 423.254). HB 5375 of 2020Commerce and TourismElder, BrianConstruction; contracts; payment practices under construction contracts and subcontracts; regulate. Creates new act. SB 0432 of 2019Commerce and TourismHorn, KennethEconomic development; Michigan strategic fund; tax exemption for entities receiving aid from the Michigan strategic fund; clarify. Amends sec. 74 of 1984 PA 270 (MCL 125.2074). HR 0075 of 2019Commerce and TourismLove, LeslieA resolution to urge state and federal administrators to increase the number of women in skilled trade professions and to encourage industry leaders and labor unions to address existing and future shortages in the skilled trades workforce. HR 0145 of 2019Commerce and TourismGay-Dagnogo, SherryA resolution to urge the Governor to make substantial progress toward eliminating the disparities minority- and women-owned businesses experience in the state contracting process.


text: The Adventures of Adam Raccoon takes place in the Master's Wood. It is a place of natural beauty, with streams, waterfalls, flowering meadows and groves of tall trees. It is also a wild and untamed land where wolves and dangers abound. Fortunately, King Aren watches over and protects Adam and his friends who love to play and explore every corner of Master's Wood.

subset: commoncrawl


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An old kettle sits on the frame of a steam engine at Fort William, ready to lead the Jacobite excursion train to Mallaig in the Scottsh Highlands, 2010.
British Railways
An iconic logo of decades gone by, the old British Railways logo on a very wet #45231 steam locomotive, ready to haul the Jacobite at Fort William, 2010.
Falls of Dochart
There were lots of good opportunities to long exposure shots at the idyllic setting, called the Falls of Dochart, in the picturesque town of Killen in the Scottish Highlands, 2013. In the end, I went for only a very brief hold of the shutter, as some of the turbulent water really did add to the image.
Jacobite at Glenfinnan
A very famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, known to most people as the setting for the Hogwarts Express bridge crossing. This is the view looking back towards the bridge at the Mark II coaching stock. 2015
Crossing Glenfinnan
I bagged this spot by the door as soon as the train left Fort William, determined to get this iconic view of the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland, 2015. If only the steam locomotive still had a head of steam to puff out, the picture would be complete, but we were slowing down for a station stop.
Jacobite near Arisaig
A less well known mass concrete viaduct on the Jacobite excursion route. This shot of the train heading back south was taken near Arisaig, just south of Mallaig. Scottish Highlands, 2015
Glenmore Reindeer
A privilege to get to see these highland reindeer up and close and personal on a reservation in the Scottish mountains near Aviemore, Scotland, 2016
Scottish Reindeer
We go to see these reindeer at very close quarters, even getting the chance to feed them. I would guess that they are very used to human contact on this mountain reservation at Glenmore, near Aviemore, 2016.
Reindeer Landscape
This is another view of the Scottish Highland mountain landscape, complete with a couple of reindeer for good measure. This on a refuge at Glenmore, near Aviemore, 2016.
Glenfinnan Landscape
Most people at this vantage point look the other way, towards the Gelenfinnan Viaduct, but this view is just as stunning. This is a shot of the Scottish highlands, nr the Bonnie Prince Charlie Monument, 2016.
Glenfinnan Viaduct
A view of the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct. No Hogwarts Express steam train in this image, sadly, as it was quite late leaving Fort William. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful part of the Scottish landscape, 2016.
Jacobite at Loch Eil Outward Bound
This is where we caught with the Jacobite, after abandoning Glenfinnan due to its non-appearance. This was shot at a rainy Loch Eil Outward Bound, a place I only knew as the name of a Class 37 locomotive in my youth. Scottish Highlands, 2016.
Loch Ness
This is a view of Loch Ness, near Drumnadrochit, 2016. This is a huge body of water, and with such very large fetch lengths, it's no wonder that it can get so choppy. Scotland, 2016.
Loch Ness at Drumnadrochit
I wish there had been more vantage points for a view of the infamous Loch Ness, and also better weather. This was as good as it got, but it did show just how expansive this body of water is. This is just south of Drumnadrochit, Scottish highlands panorama, 2016.
Glenmore Panorama
This is a panoramic view of the reindeer refuge at Glenmore, near Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands, 2016. It was in the middle of summer, but actually quite cold up here.
Glen Shiel Mist
This is a very picturesque part of Scotland, with some dramatic views on the drive between Loch Ness and the west coast. This particularly view was on a rainy afternoon in the Scottish Highlands, specifically at Glen Shiel, 2016.
Which there had been just a little more snow; but this was a fantastic (short ) walk in the Scottish Highlands towards a remote little cottage in the shadow of the mountains at Achallader. 2017.
Scottish Highlands
This is a view of the mountains just north of Tyndrum in the Scottish Highlands, on the drive up to take photographs of Glencoe. Not many truly great vantage points to get great shots of this landscape, but it was interesting enough to stop and take it all in. 2017.
I simply could not pass this shot up; the winding road, the subtly pink skies and the snowbound mountains made for a fantastic photographic composition. Perhaps i wish that it had been a little darker to capture the traffic head light tails, but i had a car full of passengers that really wanted to get home! 2017.
Rannoch Moor
The name of this loch was a little complicated, in Gaelic i think, so i felt safe just to describe this as a part of Rannoch Moor, just south of Glencoe. The late evening light was so tempting that I actually turned the car around to get this shot. Scotland, 2017.
Loch Tulla
This is Loch Tulla, which some very frozen looking shores. Loch Tulla is about half way between Tyndrum and Glencoe, in the Scottish Highlands. Actually broke my tripod taking this shot. 2017.
Some very icy conditions on a loch in the Scottish Highlands, this one at the edge of Rannoch Moor. I actually stopped at this location on the way north and south during our visit to Glencoe, such was the beauty of the place under a range of lighting conditions. 2017.
Glenfinnian Steam Train
Jacobite Steam Train, Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland. 2019.


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Monte Carlo method
|Computational physics
Numerical analysis · Simulation
Monte Carlo methods
Godunov · Ulam · von Neumann
Monte Carlo methods (or Monte Carlo experiments) are a broad class of computational algorithms that rely on repeated random sampling to obtain numerical results; typically one runs simulations many times over in order to obtain the distribution of an unknown probabilistic entity. The name comes from the resemblance of the technique to the act of playing and recording your results in a real gambling casino. They are often used in physical and mathematical problems and are most useful when it is difficult or impossible to obtain a closed-form expression, or infeasible to apply a deterministic algorithm. Monte Carlo methods are mainly used in three distinct problems classes: optimization, numerical integration and generation of draws from a probability distribution.
In physics-related problems, Monte Carlo methods are quite useful for simulating systems with many coupled degrees of freedom, such as fluids, disordered materials, strongly coupled solids, and cellular structures (see cellular Potts model). Other examples include modeling phenomena with significant uncertainty in inputs, such as the calculation of risk in business; and, in math, evaluation of multidimensional definite integrals with complicated boundary conditions. In application to space and oil exploration problems, Monte Carlo-based predictions of failures, cost overruns and schedule overruns are routinely better than human intuition or alternative "soft" methods.[1]
The modern version of the Monte Carlo method was invented in the late 1940s by Stanislaw Ulam, while he was working on nuclear weapons projects at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. It was named by Nicholas Metropolis, after the Monte Carlo Casino, where Ulam's uncle often gambled.[2] Immediately after Ulam's breakthrough, John von Neumann understood its importance and programmed the ENIAC computer to carry out Monte Carlo calculations.
- 1 Introduction
- 2 History
- 3 Definitions
- 4 Applications
- 5 Use in mathematics
- 6 See also
- 7 Notes
- 8 References
- 9 External links
Monte Carlo methods vary, but tend to follow a particular pattern:
- Define a domain of possible inputs.
- Generate inputs randomly from a probability distribution over the domain.
- Perform a deterministic computation on the inputs.
- Aggregate the results.
For example, consider a circle inscribed in a unit square. Given that the circle and the square have a ratio of areas that is π/4, the value of π can be approximated using a Monte Carlo method:[3]
- Draw a square on the ground, then inscribe a circle within it.
- Uniformly scatter some objects of uniform size (grains of rice or sand) over the square.
- Count the number of objects inside the circle and the total number of objects.
- The ratio of the two counts is an estimate of the ratio of the two areas, which is π/4. Multiply the result by 4 to estimate π.
In this procedure the domain of inputs is the square that circumscribes our circle. We generate random inputs by scattering grains over the square then perform a computation on each input (test whether it falls within the circle). Finally, we aggregate the results to obtain our final result, the approximation of π.
If the grains are not uniformly distributed, then our approximation will be poor. Secondly, there should be a large number of inputs. The approximation is generally poor if only a few grains are randomly dropped into the whole square. On average, the approximation improves as more grains are dropped.
Before the Monte Carlo method was developed, simulations tested a previously understood deterministic problem and statistical sampling was used to estimate uncertainties in the simulations. Monte Carlo simulations invert this approach, solving deterministic problems using a probabilistic analog (see Simulated annealing).
An early variant of the Monte Carlo method can be seen in the Buffon's needle experiment, in which π can be estimated by dropping needles on a floor made of parallel strips of wood. In the 1930s, Enrico Fermi first experimented with the Monte Carlo method while studying neutron diffusion, but did not publish anything on it.[2]
In 1946, physicists at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory were investigating radiation shielding and the distance that neutrons would likely travel through various materials. Despite having most of the necessary data, such as the average distance a neutron would travel in a substance before it collided with an atomic nucleus, and how much energy the neutron was likely to give off following a collision, the Los Alamos physicists were unable to solve the problem using conventional, deterministic mathematical methods. Stanislaw Ulam had the idea of using random experiments. He recounts his inspiration as follows:
- The first thoughts and attempts I made to practice [the Monte Carlo Method] were suggested by a question which occurred to me in 1946 as I was convalescing from an illness and playing solitaires. The question was what are the chances that a Canfield solitaire laid out with 52 cards will come out successfully? After spending a lot of time trying to estimate them by pure combinatorial calculations, I wondered whether a more practical method than "abstract thinking" might not be to lay it out say one hundred times and simply observe and count the number of successful plays. This was already possible to envisage with the beginning of the new era of fast computers, and I immediately thought of problems of neutron diffusion and other questions of mathematical physics, and more generally how to change processes described by certain differential equations into an equivalent form interpretable as a succession of random operations. Later [in 1946], I described the idea to John von Neumann, and we began to plan actual calculations.
Being secret, the work of von Neumann and Ulam required a code name. Von Neumann chose the name Monte Carlo. The name refers to the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco where Ulam's uncle would borrow money to gamble.[5][6][7] Using lists of "truly random" random numbers was extremely slow, but von Neumann developed a way to calculate pseudorandom numbers, using the middle-square method. Though this method has been criticized as crude, von Neumann was aware of this: he justified it as being faster than any other method at his disposal, and also noted that when it went awry it did so obviously, unlike methods that could be subtly incorrect.
Monte Carlo methods were central to the simulations required for the Manhattan Project, though severely limited by the computational tools at the time. In the 1950s they were used at Los Alamos for early work relating to the development of the hydrogen bomb, and became popularized in the fields of physics, physical chemistry, and operations research. The Rand Corporation and the U.S. Air Force were two of the major organizations responsible for funding and disseminating information on Monte Carlo methods during this time, and they began to find a wide application in many different fields.
Uses of Monte Carlo methods require large amounts of random numbers, and it was their use that spurred the development of pseudorandom number generators, which were far quicker to use than the tables of random numbers that had been previously used for statistical sampling.
There is no consensus on how Monte Carlo should be defined. For example, Ripley[8] defines most probabilistic modeling as stochastic simulation, with Monte Carlo being reserved for Monte Carlo integration and Monte Carlo statistical tests. Sawilowsky[9] distinguishes between a simulation, a Monte Carlo method, and a Monte Carlo simulation: a simulation is a fictitious representation of reality, a Monte Carlo method is a technique that can be used to solve a mathematical or statistical problem, and a Monte Carlo simulation uses repeated sampling to determine the properties of some phenomenon (or behavior). Examples:
- Simulation: Drawing one pseudo-random uniform variable from the interval (0,1] can be used to simulate the tossing of a coin: If the value is less than or equal to 0.50 designate the outcome as heads, but if the value is greater than 0.50 designate the outcome as tails. This is a simulation, but not a Monte Carlo simulation.
- Monte Carlo method: The area of an irregular figure inscribed in a unit square can be determined by throwing darts at the square and computing the ratio of hits within the irregular figure to the total number of darts thrown. This is a Monte Carlo method of determining area, but not a simulation.
- Monte Carlo simulation: Drawing a large number of pseudo-random uniform variables from the interval (0,1], and assigning values less than or equal to 0.50 as heads and greater than 0.50 as tails, is a Monte Carlo simulation of the behavior of repeatedly tossing a coin.
Kalos and Whitlock[3] point out that such distinctions are not always easy to maintain. For example, the emission of radiation from atoms is a natural stochastic process. It can be simulated directly, or its average behavior can be described by stochastic equations that can themselves be solved using Monte Carlo methods. "Indeed, the same computer code can be viewed simultaneously as a 'natural simulation' or as a solution of the equations by natural sampling."
Monte Carlo and random numbers[edit]
Monte Carlo simulation methods do not always require truly random numbers to be useful — while for some applications, such as primality testing, unpredictability is vital.[10] Many of the most useful techniques use deterministic, pseudorandom sequences, making it easy to test and re-run simulations. The only quality usually necessary to make good simulations is for the pseudo-random sequence to appear "random enough" in a certain sense.
What this means depends on the application, but typically they should pass a series of statistical tests. Testing that the numbers are uniformly distributed or follow another desired distribution when a large enough number of elements of the sequence are considered is one of the simplest, and most common ones. Weak correlations between successive samples is also often desirable/necessary.
Sawilowsky lists the characteristics of a high quality Monte Carlo simulation:[9]
- the (pseudo-random) number generator has certain characteristics (e.g., a long "period" before the sequence repeats)
- the (pseudo-random) number generator produces values that pass tests for randomness
- there are enough samples to ensure accurate results
- the proper sampling technique is used
- the algorithm used is valid for what is being modeled
- it simulates the phenomenon in question.
Pseudo-random number sampling algorithms are used to transform uniformly distributed pseudo-random numbers into numbers that are distributed according to a given probability distribution.
Low-discrepancy sequences are often used instead of random sampling from a space as they ensure even coverage and normally have a faster order of convergence than Monte Carlo simulations using random or pseudorandom sequences. Methods based on their use are called quasi-Monte Carlo methods.
Monte Carlo simulation versus "what if" scenarios[edit]
There are ways of using probabilities that are definitely not Monte Carlo simulations — for example, deterministic modeling using single-point estimates. Each uncertain variable within a model is assigned a "best guess" estimate. Scenarios (such as best, worst, or most likely case) for each input variable are chosen and the results recorded.[11]
By contrast, Monte Carlo simulations sample probability distribution for each variable to produce hundreds or thousands of possible outcomes. The results are analyzed to get probabilities of different outcomes occurring.[12] For example, a comparison of a spreadsheet cost construction model run using traditional "what if" scenarios, and then run again with Monte Carlo simulation and Triangular probability distributions shows that the Monte Carlo analysis has a narrower range than the "what if" analysis.[examples needed] This is because the "what if" analysis gives equal weight to all scenarios (see quantifying uncertainty in corporate finance), while Monte Carlo method hardly samples in the very low probability regions. The samples in such regions are called "rare events".
Monte Carlo methods are especially useful for simulating phenomena with significant uncertainty in inputs and systems with a large number of coupled degrees of freedom. Areas of application include:
Physical sciences[edit]
Monte Carlo methods are very important in computational physics, physical chemistry, and related applied fields, and have diverse applications from complicated quantum chromodynamics calculations to designing heat shields and aerodynamic forms. In statistical physics Monte Carlo molecular modeling is an alternative to computational molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo methods are used to compute statistical field theories of simple particle and polymer systems.[13] Quantum Monte Carlo methods solve the many-body problem for quantum systems. In experimental particle physics, Monte Carlo methods are used for designing detectors, understanding their behavior and comparing experimental data to theory. In astrophysics, they are used in such diverse manners as to model both the evolution of galaxies[14] and the transmission of microwave radiation through a rough planetary surface.[15] Monte Carlo methods are also used in the ensemble models that form the basis of modern weather forecasting.
Monte Carlo methods are widely used in engineering for sensitivity analysis and quantitative probabilistic analysis in process design. The need arises from the interactive, co-linear and non-linear behavior of typical process simulations. For example,
- In microelectronics engineering, Monte Carlo methods are applied to analyze correlated and uncorrelated variations in analog and digital integrated circuits.
- In geostatistics and geometallurgy, Monte Carlo methods underpin the design of mineral processing flowsheets and contribute to quantitative risk analysis.
- In wind energy yield analysis, the predicted energy output of a wind farm during its lifetime is calculated giving different levels of uncertainty (P90, P50, etc.)
- impacts of pollution are simulated[16] and diesel compared with petrol.[17]
- In autonomous robotics, Monte Carlo localization can determine the position of a robot. It is often applied to stochastic filters such as the Kalman filter or Particle filter that forms the heart of the SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithm.
- In telecommunications, when planning a wireless network, design must be proved to work for a wide variety of scenarios that depend mainly on the number of users, their locations and the services they want to use. Monte Carlo methods are typically used to generate these users and their states. The network performance is then evaluated and, if results are not satisfactory, the network design goes through an optimization process.
- In reliability engineering, one can use Monte Carlo simulation to generate mean time between failures and mean time to repair for components.
Computational biology[edit]
Monte Carlo methods are used in computational biology, such for as Bayesian inference in phylogeny.
Biological systems such as proteins[18] membranes,[19] images of cancer,[20] are being studied by means of computer simulations.
The systems can be studied in the coarse-grained or ab initio frameworks depending on the desired accuracy. Computer simulations allow us to monitor the local environment of a particular molecule to see if some chemical reaction is happening for instance. We can also conduct thought experiments when the physical experiments are not feasible, for instance breaking bonds, introducing impurities at specific sites, changing the local/global structure, or introducing external fields.
Computer graphics[edit]
Path Tracing, occasionally referred to as Monte Carlo Ray Tracing, renders a 3D scene by randomly tracing samples of possible light paths. Repeated sampling of any given pixel will eventually cause the average of the samples to converge on the correct solution of the rendering equation, making it one of the most physically accurate 3D graphics rendering methods in existence.
Applied statistics[edit]
In applied statistics, Monte Carlo methods are generally used for two purposes:
- To compare competing statistics for small samples under realistic data conditions. Although Type I error and power properties of statistics can be calculated for data drawn from classical theoretical distributions (e.g., normal curve, Cauchy distribution) for asymptotic conditions (i. e, infinite sample size and infinitesimally small treatment effect), real data often do not have such distributions.[21]
- To provide implementations of hypothesis tests that are more efficient than exact tests such as permutation tests (which are often impossible to compute) while being more accurate than critical values for asymptotic distributions.
Monte Carlo methods are also a compromise between approximate randomization and permutation tests. An approximate randomization test is based on a specified subset of all permutations (which entails potentially enormous housekeeping of which permutations have been considered). The Monte Carlo approach is based on a specified number of randomly drawn permutations (exchanging a minor loss in precision if a permutation is drawn twice – or more frequently—for the efficiency of not having to track which permutations have already been selected).
Artificial intelligence for games[edit]
Monte Carlo methods have been developed into a technique called Monte-Carlo tree search that is useful for searching for the best move in a game. Possible moves are organized in a search tree and a large number of random simulations are used to estimate the long-term potential of each move. A black box simulator represents the opponent's moves.[22]
The Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) method has four steps:[23]
- Starting at root node of the tree, select optimal child nodes until a leaf node is reached.
- Expand the leaf node and choose one of its children.
- Play a simulated game starting with that node.
- Use the results of that simulated game to update the node and its ancestors.
The net effect, over the course of many simulated games, is that the value of a node representing a move will go up or down, hopefully corresponding to whether or not that node represents a good move.
Monte Carlo Tree Search has been used successfully to play games such as Go,[24] Tantrix,[25] Battleship,[26] Havannah,[27] and Arimaa.[28]
Design and visuals[edit]
Monte Carlo methods are also efficient in solving coupled integral differential equations of radiation fields and energy transport, and thus these methods have been used in global illumination computations that produce photo-realistic images of virtual 3D models, with applications in video games, architecture, design, computer generated films, and cinematic special effects.[29]
Finance and business[edit]
Monte Carlo methods in finance are often used to evaluate investments in projects at a business unit or corporate level, or to evaluate financial derivatives. They can be used to model project schedules, where simulations aggregate estimates for worst-case, best-case, and most likely durations for each task to determine outcomes for the overall project.
Use in mathematics[edit]
In general, Monte Carlo methods are used in mathematics to solve various problems by generating suitable random numbers and observing that fraction of the numbers that obeys some property or properties. The method is useful for obtaining numerical solutions to problems too complicated to solve analytically. The most common application of the Monte Carlo method is Monte Carlo integration.
Deterministic numerical integration algorithms work well in a small number of dimensions, but encounter two problems when the functions have many variables. First, the number of function evaluations needed increases rapidly with the number of dimensions. For example, if 10 evaluations provide adequate accuracy in one dimension, then 10100 points are needed for 100 dimensions—far too many to be computed. This is called the curse of dimensionality. Second, the boundary of a multidimensional region may be very complicated, so it may not be feasible to reduce the problem to a series of nested one-dimensional integrals.[30] 100 dimensions is by no means unusual, since in many physical problems, a "dimension" is equivalent to a degree of freedom.
Monte Carlo methods provide a way out of this exponential increase in computation time. As long as the function in question is reasonably well-behaved, it can be estimated by randomly selecting points in 100-dimensional space, and taking some kind of average of the function values at these points. By the central limit theorem, this method displays convergence—i.e., quadrupling the number of sampled points halves the error, regardless of the number of dimensions.[30]
A refinement of this method, known as importance sampling in statistics, involves sampling the points randomly, but more frequently where the integrand is large. To do this precisely one would have to already know the integral, but one can approximate the integral by an integral of a similar function or use adaptive routines such as stratified sampling, recursive stratified sampling, adaptive umbrella sampling[31][32] or the VEGAS algorithm.
A similar approach, the quasi-Monte Carlo method, uses low-discrepancy sequences. These sequences "fill" the area better and sample the most important points more frequently, so quasi-Monte Carlo methods can often converge on the integral more quickly.
Another class of methods for sampling points in a volume is to simulate random walks over it (Markov chain Monte Carlo). Such methods include the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm, Gibbs sampling and the Wang and Landau algorithm.
Simulation and optimization[edit]
Another powerful and very popular application for random numbers in numerical simulation is in numerical optimization. The problem is to minimize (or maximize) functions of some vector that often has a large number of dimensions. Many problems can be phrased in this way: for example, a computer chess program could be seen as trying to find the set of, say, 10 moves that produces the best evaluation function at the end. In the traveling salesman problem the goal is to minimize distance traveled. There are also applications to engineering design, such as multidisciplinary design optimization.
The traveling salesman problem is what is called a conventional optimization problem. That is, all the facts (distances between each destination point) needed to determine the optimal path to follow are known with certainty and the goal is to run through the possible travel choices to come up with the one with the lowest total distance. However, let's assume that instead of wanting to minimize the total distance traveled to visit each desired destination, we wanted to minimize the total time needed to reach each destination. This goes beyond conventional optimization since travel time is inherently uncertain (traffic jams, time of day, etc.). As a result, to determine our optimal path we would want to use simulation - optimization to first understand the range of potential times it could take to go from one point to another (represented by a probability distribution in this case rather than a specific distance) and then optimize our travel decisions to identify the best path to follow taking that uncertainty into account.
Simulating industry problems using spreadsheet software is a powerful application of Monte Carlo simulation. With a basic spreadsheet tool and some formulas built into the sheet, industry can often attain good solutions without having to procure expensive simulation software.
Inverse problems[edit]
Probabilistic formulation of inverse problems leads to the definition of a probability distribution in the model space. This probability distribution combines prior information with new information obtained by measuring some observable parameters (data). As, in the general case, the theory linking data with model parameters is nonlinear, the posterior probability in the model space may not be easy to describe (it may be multimodal, some moments may not be defined, etc.).
When analyzing an inverse problem, obtaining a maximum likelihood model is usually not sufficient, as we normally also wish to have information on the resolution power of the data. In the general case we may have a large number of model parameters, and an inspection of the marginal probability densities of interest may be impractical, or even useless. But it is possible to pseudorandomly generate a large collection of models according to the posterior probability distribution and to analyze and display the models in such a way that information on the relative likelihoods of model properties is conveyed to the spectator. This can be accomplished by means of an efficient Monte Carlo method, even in cases where no explicit formula for the a priori distribution is available.
The best-known importance sampling method, the Metropolis algorithm, can be generalized, and this gives a method that allows analysis of (possibly highly nonlinear) inverse problems with complex a priori information and data with an arbitrary noise distribution.[33][34]
See also[edit]
- Auxiliary field Monte Carlo
- Biology Monte Carlo method
- Comparison of risk analysis Microsoft Excel add-ins
- Direct simulation Monte Carlo
- Dynamic Monte Carlo method
- Kinetic Monte Carlo
- List of software for Monte Carlo molecular modeling
- Monte Carlo method for photon transport
- Monte Carlo methods for electron transport
- Morris method
- Quasi-Monte Carlo method
- Sobol sequence
- ^ Hubbard 2009
- ^ a b Metropolis 1987
- ^ a b Kalos & Whitlock 2008
- ^ Eckhardt 1987
- ^ Hubbart 2007
- ^ Grinstead & Snell 1997
- ^ Anderson 1986
- ^ Ripley 1987
- ^ a b Sawilowsky 2003
- ^ Davenport 1992
- ^ Vose 2000, p. 13
- ^ Vose 2000, p. 16
- ^ Baeurle 2009
- ^ MacGillivray & Dodd 1982
- ^ Golden 1979
- ^ Int Panis et al. 2001
- ^ Int Panis et al. 2002
- ^ Ojeda & et al. 2009,
- ^ Milik & Skolnick 1993
- ^ Forastero et al. 2010
- ^ Sawilowsky & Fahoome 2003
- ^ http://sander.landofsand.com/publications/Monte-Carlo_Tree_Search_-_A_New_Framework_for_Game_AI.pdf
- ^ Monte Carlo Tree Search - About
- ^ Parallel Monte-Carlo Tree Search - Springer
- ^ http://www.tantrix.com:4321/Tantrix/TRobot/MCTS%20Final%20Report.pdf
- ^ http://www0.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/D.Silver/web/Publications_files/pomcp.pdf
- ^ Improving Monte–Carlo Tree Search in Havannah - Springer
- ^ http://www.arimaa.com/arimaa/papers/ThomasJakl/bc-thesis.pdf
- ^ Szirmay-Kalos 2008
- ^ a b Press et al. 1996
- ^ MEZEI, M (31 December 1986). "Adaptive umbrella sampling: Self-consistent determination of the non-Boltzmann bias". Journal of Computational Physics 68 (1): 237–248. Bibcode:1987JCoPh..68..237M. doi:10.1016/0021-9991(87)90054-4.
- ^ Bartels, Christian; Karplus, Martin (31 December 1997). "Probability Distributions for Complex Systems: Adaptive Umbrella Sampling of the Potential Energy". The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 102 (5): 865–880. doi:10.1021/jp972280j.
- ^ Mosegaard & Tarantola 1995
- ^ Tarantola 2005
- Anderson, H.L. (1986). "Metropolis, Monte Carlo and the MANIAC". Los Alamos Science 14: 96–108.
- Baeurle, Stephan A. (2009). "Multiscale modeling of polymer materials using field-theoretic methodologies: A survey about recent developments". Journal of Mathematical Chemistry 46 (2): 363–426. doi:10.1007/s10910-008-9467-3.
- Berg, Bernd A. (2004). Markov Chain Monte Carlo Simulations and Their Statistical Analysis (With Web-Based Fortran Code). Hackensack, NJ: World Scientific. ISBN 981-238-935-0.
- Binder, Kurt (1995). The Monte Carlo Method in Condensed Matter Physics. New York: Springer. ISBN 0-387-54369-4.
- Caflisch, R. E. (1998). Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods. Acta Numerica 7. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–49.
- Davenport, J. H. "Primality testing revisited". Proceeding ISSAC '92 Papers from the international symposium on Symbolic and algebraic computation: 123 129. doi:10.1145/143242.143290. ISBN 0-89791-489-9.
- Doucet, Arnaud; Freitas, Nando de; Gordon, Neil (2001). Sequential Monte Carlo methods in practice. New York: Springer. ISBN 0-387-95146-6.
- Eckhardt, Roger (1987). "Stan Ulam, John von Neumann, and the Monte Carlo method". Los Alamos Science, Special Issue (15): 131–137.
- Fishman, G. S. (1995). Monte Carlo: Concepts, Algorithms, and Applications. New York: Springer. ISBN 0-387-94527-X.
- C. Forastero and L. Zamora and D. Guirado and A. Lallena (2010). "A Monte Carlo tool to simulate breast cancer screening programmes". Phys. In Med. And Biol. 55 (17): 5213. Bibcode:2010PMB....55.5213F. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/55/17/021.
- Golden, Leslie M. (1979). "The Effect of Surface Roughness on the Transmission of Microwave Radiation Through a Planetary Surface". Icarus 38 (3): 451. Bibcode:1979Icar...38..451G. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(79)90199-4.
- Gould, Harvey; Tobochnik, Jan (1988). An Introduction to Computer Simulation Methods, Part 2, Applications to Physical Systems. Reading: Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-16504-X.
- Grinstead, Charles; Snell, J. Laurie (1997). Introduction to Probability. American Mathematical Society. pp. 10–11.
- Hammersley, J. M.; Handscomb, D. C. (1975). Monte Carlo Methods. London: Methuen. ISBN 0-416-52340-4.
- Hartmann, A.K. (2009). Practical Guide to Computer Simulations. World Scientific. ISBN 978-981-283-415-7.
- Hubbard, Douglas (2007). How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of Intangibles in Business. John Wiley & Sons. p. 46.
- Hubbard, Douglas (2009). The Failure of Risk Management: Why It's Broken and How to Fix It. John Wiley & Sons.
- Kahneman, D.; Tversky, A. (1982). Judgement under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases. Cambridge University Press.
- Kalos, Malvin H.; Whitlock, Paula A. (2008). Monte Carlo Methods. Wiley-VCH. ISBN 978-3-527-40760-6.
- Kroese, D. P.; Taimre, T.; Botev, Z.I. (2011). Handbook of Monte Carlo Methods. New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 772. ISBN 0-470-17793-4.
- MacGillivray, H. T.; Dodd, R. J. (1982). "Monte-Carlo simulations of galaxy systems". Astrophysics and Space Science (Springer Netherlands) 86 (2).
- MacKeown, P. Kevin (1997). Stochastic Simulation in Physics. New York: Springer. ISBN 981-3083-26-3.
- Metropolis, N. (1987). "The beginning of the Monte Carlo method". Los Alamos Science (1987 Special Issue dedicated to Stanislaw Ulam): 125–130.
- Metropolis, Nicholas; Rosenbluth, Arianna W.; Rosenbluth, Marshall N.; Teller, Augusta H.; Teller, Edward (1953). "Equation of State Calculations by Fast Computing Machines". Journal of Chemical Physics 21 (6): 1087. Bibcode:1953JChPh..21.1087M. doi:10.1063/1.1699114.
- Metropolis, N.; Ulam, S. (1949). "The Monte Carlo Method". Journal of the American Statistical Association (American Statistical Association) 44 (247): 335–341. doi:10.2307/2280232. JSTOR 2280232. PMID 18139350.
- M. Milik and J. Skolnick (Jan 1993). "Insertion of peptide chains into lipid membranes: an off-lattice Monte Carlo dynamics model". Proteins 15 (1): 10–25. doi:10.1002/prot.340150104. PMID 8451235.
- Mosegaard, Klaus; Tarantola, Albert (1995). "Monte Carlo sampling of solutions to inverse problems". J. Geophys. Res. 100 (B7): 12431–12447. Bibcode:1995JGR...10012431M. doi:10.1029/94JB03097.
- P. Ojeda and M. Garcia and A. Londono and N.Y. Chen (Feb 2009). "Monte Carlo Simulations of Proteins in Cages: Influence of Confinement on the Stability of Intermediate States". Biophys. Jour. (Biophysical Society) 96 (3): 1076–1082. Bibcode:2009BpJ....96.1076O. doi:10.1529/biophysj.107.125369.
- Int Panis L; De Nocker L, De Vlieger I, Torfs R (2001). "Trends and uncertainty in air pollution impacts and external costs of Belgian passenger car traffic International". Journal of Vehicle Design 27 (1–4): 183–194. doi:10.1504/IJVD.2001.001963.
- Int Panis L, Rabl A, De Nocker L, Torfs R (2002). "Diesel or Petrol ? An environmental comparison hampered by uncertainty". In P. Sturm. Mitteilungen Institut für Verbrennungskraftmaschinen und Thermodynamik (Technische Universität Graz Austria). Heft 81 Vol 1: 48–54.
- Press, William H.; Teukolsky, Saul A.; Vetterling, William T.; Flannery, Brian P. (1996) [1986]. Numerical Recipes in Fortran 77: The Art of Scientific Computing. Fortran Numerical Recipes 1 (Second ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-43064-X.
- Ripley, B. D. (1987). Stochastic Simulation. Wiley & Sons.
- Robert, C. P.; Casella, G. (2004). Monte Carlo Statistical Methods (2nd ed.). New York: Springer. ISBN 0-387-21239-6.
- Rubinstein, R. Y.; Kroese, D. P. (2007). Simulation and the Monte Carlo Method (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-17793-8.
- Savvides, Savvakis C. (1994). "Risk Analysis in Investment Appraisal". Project Appraisal Journal 9 (1). doi:10.2139/ssrn.265905.
- Sawilowsky, Shlomo S.; Fahoome, Gail C. (2003). Statistics via Monte Carlo Simulation with Fortran. Rochester Hills, MI: JMASM. ISBN 0-9740236-0-4.
- Sawilowsky, Shlomo S. (2003). "You think you've got trivials?". Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods 2 (1): 218–225.
- Silver, David; Veness, Joel (2010). "Monte-Carlo Planning in Large POMDPs". In Lafferty, J.; Williams, C. K. I.; Shawe-Taylor, J.; Zemel, R. S.; Culotta, A. Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 23. Neural Information Processing Systems Foundation.
- Szirmay-Kalos, László (2008). Monte Carlo Methods in Global Illumination - Photo-realistic Rendering with Randomization. VDM Verlag Dr. Mueller e.K. ISBN 978-3-8364-7919-6.
- Tarantola, Albert (2005). Inverse Problem Theory. Philadelphia: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. ISBN 0-89871-572-5.
- Vose, David (2008). Risk Analysis, A Quantitative Guide (Third ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
External links[edit]
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monte Carlo method.
|This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (October 2013)
- Hazewinkel, Michiel, ed. (2001), "Monte-Carlo method", Encyclopedia of Mathematics, Springer, ISBN 978-1-55608-010-4
- Overview and reference list, Mathworld
- Feynman-Kac models and particle Monte Carlo algorithms
- Introduction to Monte Carlo Methods, Computational Science Education Project
- The Basics of Monte Carlo Simulations, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Introduction to Monte Carlo simulation (for Microsoft Excel), Wayne L. Winston
- Monte Carlo Simulation for MATLAB and Simulink
- Monte Carlo Methods – Overview and Concept, brighton-webs.co.uk
- Monte Carlo techniques applied in physics
- Approximate And Double Check Probability Problems Using Monte Carlo method at Orcik Dot Net


text:
A dog's love, when it's least expected
This is a story about love, where none should exist.
It is about the tortured existence of a dog named Tootsie, who didn't stand a chance in life until, one day, she did.
It took place in a simple 10-by-10-foot room with no windows at the small animal shelter in Towaoc, which serves the Ute Mountain Ute reservation in the Four Corners area.
This is a hardscrabble slice of Colorado where many animals roam freely and unwanted pets are shot, their bodies dumped in a pit and blanketed with dirt.
The shelter staff does what it can, but they lack the resources to deal with an animal population that is spinning out of control.
So last year, volunteers from the Denver-based Colorado Animal Welfare League made three trips to Towaoc to help spay, neuter and vaccinate dogs and cats.
In January they made their fourth. Jake Cruz, 20, and a second employee of the Humane Society of the South Platte Valley went with them.
"It is a totally different environment," Cruz said last week. "A lot of dogs are left to roam. Cats, even with homes, are pretty much feral."
As he made his rounds, Cruz came to the 10 by 10 room at the shelter and asked if he could visit the dog inside. Told he could, he cracked the door cautiously, as he had been trained, and peered inside.
"I saw this little dog," he recalled. She was a female, white and brindle. He asked the shelter staff about the dog's story and was told her owner had beaten her with a broomstick to make her mean.
"I opened the door and she started wiggling her butt," he said. "I approached her and got on the floor." Then the dog, who would come to be known as Tootsie, crawled into Jake Cruz's lap, reached her damaged face toward his and licked him.
Cruz learned that Tootsie was never walked or even taken outside that room.
"She had a lot of anxiety. You could tell that she hadn't been loved in a while," he said. "She was soaking up attention."
She repeated her excited greeting with other volunteers.
By her wounds, Cruz surmised that Tootsie had been used as bait for dog-fighting. Bait dogs, he explained, are usually good-natured dogs that become easy prey for the determined fighting canines in the ring. It's like training for the main event.
"To me it's remarkable to see her put through so much by humans and she still treats humans like that," Cruz said. "It's kind of mind-blowing."
He asked if they could take the dog, who they named Tootsie, back to the Humane Society of the South Platte Valley, where there are others like her.
Tootsie is a 1-year-old, 39-pound pit bull.
She is now up for adoption at the shelter in Littleton, which gets a number of her breed because they are banned in Denver, just across Littleton city limits.
"What makes this story so wonderful is Tootsie's capacity for unconditional love despite everything she's been through with human beings," said Nick Fisher, CEO of the humane society.
"The fact that she even wants to be with people says something incredible about the spirit of this breed of dog."
Fisher, a professional trainer, said his experience and belief is that we as humans are ultimately responsible for creating good or bad dog behavior.
"This," he added, "is the other side of the BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) story that people never really want to think or talk about."
Animal tracks – There appears to be a trend toward more Americans who want to share their final resting place with their pets, according to a recent story by The Associated Press. The International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories estimates that a quarter of the nation's pet cemeteries take in deceased humans, and the demand is growing.
"We hear about it all the time in our membership, people asking for it," said Donna Bethune, the group's executive secretary. Pet owners "oftentimes maybe don't have extended family and their pet pretty much was their family, like their child to them. And there's not a family plot where everyone's going to be." . . .
The Humane Society of Boulder Valley has launched a "No-Choke Challenge" to reduce the use of choke collars and similar devices to train dogs. The society doesn't believe it's necessary to use pain, fear or coercion to modify or manage dog behavior, according to its website.
It invites owners to turn in their choke, prong or shock collar for a free SENSE-ation™ Harness. Participants will also receive a coupon for discounted training classes with the Humane Society of Boulder Valley's training staff, . . .
Pet Calendar
MaxFund will hold its 7th Annual Chili Cook-Off on Feb. 20 at the Celtic Tavern, 1801 Blake Street, Denver. Doors open and tasting starts at 1 p.m. and winners will be announced at 3:30. Cost is $10 at the door. To register for the cook-off visit www.maxfund.org.
The Dumb Friends League Furry Valentine adoption special offers
$14 adoption fees for all cats and dogs, 1 year and older, until Feb. 18. Each adoption includes spay/neuter, initial vaccinations, microchip ID implant and more. Contact: (303) 751-5772 or www.ddfl.org
The Rocky Mountain Cluster dog show will be Feb, 18 – 21 at the National Western Stock Show Complex in Denver. Information: www.denverdogshow.com
The Humane Society of the Pike's Peak Region and Pueblo Animal Services are offering spay-neuter surgeries and vaccinations to income-qualified cat owners for a co-pay of $20 in celebration of Spay Day, a nationwide event that is officially on February 22. Appointments are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and space is limited. To schedule a surgery call HSPPR at (719) 473-1741 ext 195 or PAS at (719) 544-3005 extension 3.
Reach John Davidson at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Madam Speaker, I listened with interest to the speech by the hon. member. I find it interesting that the Bloc Quebecois did not choose to talk about the Kyoto protocol today or other issues that have consistently come up during question period recently, or issues of particular interest to Quebec.
How is it that sovereignists have decided that it would be possible to improve the workings of the federation, of Canada, of the House of Commons, of Parliament? Does that not show their confidence in Canada and in our institutions? Apparently yes.


text:
ByNick Timiraos
The new qualified mortgage definition could hit borrowers of "jumbo" mortgages that are too large to qualify for government backing.
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a rule designed to clarify for lenders how they can avoid legal liability under a new law that holds them accountable for ensuring a borrower's ability to repay a mortgage. Loans that meet this "qualified mortgage" definition will be presumed to have complied with the new ability-to-repay standard.
Two key criteria could mean that some jumbo mortgages won't be considered qualified mortgages.
Under the first, the CFPB said that interest-only mortgages that don't require borrowers to make principal payments for an initial period (usually five years) won't be considered to be qualified mortgages. Around 14% of jumbo loans issued through October of last year had interest-only features, according to CoreLogic. Around 17% of jumbos in 2011 were interest-only loans, according to Lender Processing Services. (The interest-only provision doesn't have as much relevance to conforming loans because they aren't being made).
The CFPB also said that loans where a borrower's total monthly debt payments exceed 43% of his or her income wouldn't be considered a qualified mortgage. The CFPB estimates that around 15% of jumbo loans last year wouldn't have made this cut. It's not clear how many of those loans were also interest-only loans.
The debt-to-income provision also doesn't have as much relevance for conforming loans because the CFPB provided an alternate way for lenders to comply: loans that are eligible for backing by Fannie Mae Freddie Mac, or the Federal Housing Administration don't have to meet the 43% debt-to-income cutoff. Of course, because jumbo loans by definition aren't eligible for backing from those entities, those loans don't have that extra option.
One big question facing lenders is whether they will make loans that aren't considered "qualified mortgages" and at what cost. Already, lending standards for jumbo loans are stringent, with banks requiring 20% down payments, at a minimum, and requiring borrowers to have significant incomes, assets, and reserves.
"People will really have to think hard about whether they want to offer them. The liability if you get it wrong is very onerous," said Tom Wind, the executive in charge of home loans at EverBank in Jacksonville, Fla. "The access there is certainly going to be reduced."
Because lending standards are already so conservative, Mr. Wind says he doesn't think the rules will be very significant. "But longer term, it limits some options," he said.
Interest-only loans proliferated during the housing boom because they were marketed as "affordability" products that would allow aspiring homeowners, particularly in expensive markets, to afford the monthly payment for properties that they wouldn't otherwise have been able to afford.
But interest-only loans have long been popular among well-to-do borrowers who simply use the loan as a financial planning tool. It allows them to carry a mortgage—and gain a tax deduction—while making a minimum loan payment; they can refinance or pay off the loan before it recasts and begins to require principal payments.
The debt-to-income rules, meanwhile, could trip up borrowers who have lots of cash and other assets, but whose incomes are harder to document. This includes some small business owners or self-employed consultants and professionals that have uneven incomes.


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Heel measures approximately 100mm/ 4 inches. Part of the 24:7 capsule collection, Jimmy Choo's patent-leather pumps are a classic style no shoe portfolio should be without. Wear this super sleek pair to bring instant polish and sophistication to every look. Timelessly chic, these heels promise to be a treasure-forever staple in your wardrobe.
Shown here with: Just Cavalli jacket, Kain top, Bottega Veneta bracelet and bracelet, Eddie Borgo bracelet, Frame Denim jeans, Victoria Beckham clutch.
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Where to Eat Lunch in the Essex Street Market
The Essex Street Market is one of those New York quintessential types of places—a mix of old Lower East Side and the new, immigrant and hip. There's a premium meat butcher that sells $30/pound sausage but also $5/pound "pork chops for the people," right around the corner from a decades-old fish market, a fancy taco stand, a Latin American grocery, and so on. For groceries, the market is a one-stop-shop, and if you're hungry on the Lower East Side, it's a destination lunch spot. There's no shortage of places to eat in the neighborhood, but Essex Street's offerings are consistently delicious.
Last year Dorie Greenspan, the market's newest resident, gave us a three hour tour of the market through her eyes. Consider this post the Cliff's Notes version, a quick and dirty guide to what you should be eating for lunch right now, whether you're passing through or in for some serious shopping.
Seating is limited in the market, but a few public tables line the northern wall, and several vendors have their own (tiny) eating areas. But most of this food is designed to be eaten on the move—sandwiches, tacos, and the like.
See it all in the slideshow, or jump straight to what looks tasty below.
- Gonzo Diner Food: Shopsin's
- Greek To Go: Boubouki
- Tacos: Brooklyn Taco
- Sandwiches: Formaggio Essex
- Cured Meat Snacks: Heritage Meats
- Japanese Lunch Boxes: Ni Japanese Deli
- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: Saxelby Cheese
- Fish Sandwiches: Rainbo
- Juice: Tra La La Juice Bar
The Essex Street Market is open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Essex Street Market
120 Essex Street, New York, NY 10002 (map)
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Geologic context:
earthquakes, floods and flooding, grain sizes/sedimentology, radioactive decay, population growth, changes in atmospheric CO2, decibel scale, pH scale
Teaching logarithms (logs)
Jump down to: Teaching strategies | Materials & Exercises | Student Resources
by Dr. Eric M. Baer, Geology Program, Highline Community College
Logarithms are the inverse of the exponential function. Originally developed as a way to convert multiplication and division problems to addition and subtraction problems before the invention of calculators, logarithms are now used to solve exponential equations and to deal with numbers that extend from very large to small in a more elegant fashion. For more information on exponential functions, go to the Exponential Growth and Decay page.
The logarithm function (log) is defined by
The function is read and is read "y is the log base b of x"
When no base (b) is noted, the assumed base is 10. Thus,
- y=logb(x) if and only if x=by
The function is read and is read "y is the log base b of x"
When no base (b) is noted, the assumed base is 10. Thus,
- y=log(x) is the same as y=log10(x)
- y=loge(x) is written y=ln(x)
Teaching Strategies: Ideas from Math Education
Put quantitative concepts in context
There are a number of geologic contexts in which logs are used and can be introduced. Some of these include:
- Earthquakes, including magnitude scales and the Gutenberg-Richter relation
- Floods and flooding
- Grain sizes/sedimentology
- Radioactive decay and dating
- Population growth
- Changes in atmospheric CO2
Use multiple representations
Because everyone has different ways of learning, mathematicians have defined a number of ways that quantitative concepts can be represented to individuals. In the geosciences, logarithms are most commonly represented graphically.
- Graphical representation: Earthquake frequency vs. magnitude. Details
One of the most common ways that geoscientists use logarithms is to plot data on a logarithmic scale. This is used when the values on a graph span large values. An example is the number of earthquakes per year of various magnitudes, plotted to the right. The values of the individual data points are unreadable because of the arithmetic scale.
Log of earthquake frequency vs. magnitude. Details
- Log-normal graphical representation: Many graphical representations of logarithms are constructed with only one axis being logarithmic. A exponential function (y=10x) will plot as a line on a log-normal (also called semi-logarithmic) graph.
- Log-log graphical representation:
- Algebraic/numerical representation: The secret to logs is getting the algebraic representation down, so that one can convert between the log function and the exponential function. Students will need assistance in remembering this pattern. As an example, I show students
- 32=9 is the same as 2=log39
Use technology appropriately
Students have any number of technological tools that they can use to better understand quantitative concepts -- from the calculators in their backpacks to the computers in their dorm rooms. Logarithms can make use of these tools to help the students understand this often difficult concept.
- Graphing calculators
- Computers
Graphing calculators are an easy way for all students to enter data and to see what a curve of that data looks like. All graphing calculators are slightly different and students may need help with their particular model. There are some helpful hints for some calculators at Prentice-Hall's Calculator help website (more info) . Note that very few calculators will calculate logs in bases other than 10 or e. In addition, many problems in logarithms are easier to solve in one's head than typing into a calculator correctly.
Logarithms provide an excellent opening for an introduction to the use of spreadsheet programs. Students are likely to encounter spreadsheet programs in many of their classes and they are excellent tools for visualizing the shape of an equation. Excel has an option to switch to logarithmic axes which can be useful for quickly illustrating the usefulness of logarithms in the analysis of data.
Work in groups to do multiple day, in-depth problems
Mathematicians also indicate that students learn quantitative concepts better when they work in groups and revisit a concept on more than one day. Therefore, when discussing quantitative concepts in entry-level geoscience courses, have students discuss or practice the concepts together. Also, make sure that you either include problems that may be extended over more than one class period or revisit the concept on numerous occasions. Logarithms are a concept that comes up over and over in introductory geoscience: radioactive decay, Richter magnitude, pH scale, etc. When each new topic is introduced, make sure to point out that they have seen this type of function before and should recognize it.
Teaching Materials and Exercises
- Determining Earthquake Probability and Recurrence
A homework/classroom activity where students collect historical earthquake information and use it to forecast the probability of larger earthquakes.
- Using functions in an introductory geoscience course
A template and set of exercises designed to help faculty increase the graphical literacy of their students. Two exercises are included - population growth and atmospheric CO2 increase - for help in teaching exponential growth and decay. The template gives general guidelines for teaching students the relationship between functions and their graphical representation.
- Scaling Galileo's Solar System - Size of the Globes
In this module, students determine the sizes of the various planets in the solar system scaled such that the orbit of Saturn fits on campus. The students also compare the planet sizes, given the scale, to the grain sizes of different sediment types. It includes plotting on logarithmic axes in excel.
- Two streams, two stories... How Humans Alter Floods and Streams
Students plot stream flow data on logarithmic axes in order examine flooding.
Student resources
- The University of Guelph Physics Department has [link http://www3.physics.uoguelph.ca/tutorials/LOG/ 'a student tutorial'] about logs.
- Purplemath has a detailed logs page with links to other topics.


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Nutrition & Mental Health / February 3, 2017
Evidence-Based Look at Diets & Nutrition
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Plant-Based Recipes
Veggie & Spice Check out our sister site for a range of plant-based recipes that showcase some of the world's favourite curries and spice-based dishes! Latest addition: Jackfruit Rendang


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It's a done deal. In what seems like record time for an acquisition of this magnitute -- under six weeks, but who's counting -- Sun and MySQL have sealed the deal and MySQL is now part of Sun Microsystems.
"This is the most important acquisition in Sun history, and the most important acquisition in the modern software industry," Schwartz said.
And he may be right.
With a signature on a piece of paper (or two), Sun acquired more than 11 million more users worldwide, and MySQL founder Martin Mikos becamae a senior vice president at Sun, heading up a new Database group at Sun. Mikos and the Database group will report to executive vice president of Sun software Rich Green.
Here's what Green had to say about the Sun/MySQL deal.
Schwartz added we can expect more Sun acquisitions in the open source community, and pointed to last week's acquisition of innotek, an open source desktop PC virtualization tool, as an example.
"MySQL is the crown jewel of the open source marketplace," he said. "There's no higher-value company. Future acquisitions will be smaller, like innotek. Open source is in the DNA of Sun."


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Optometrist Gina receives a patient who claims his job is causing him to go blind. She tries some extra special tests to determine that he's only faking his blindness in order to get workman's compensation. But Gina is willing to help him out with his little scam if he helps her out with a dose of deep dicking! Collapse
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Ten Characteristics of Great Companies
Yesterday I got to do one of my favorite things. Our portfolio company Etsy invited me out to their new offices in Dumbo to talk to the entire team. Since they didn't ask me to talk about anything in specific, I picked a topic and composed some thoughts on the F'd train ride out to Brooklyn.
The topic I picked was "What Makes A Great Company?" I picked that topic because I think Etsy can be a great company and in fact is already well on its way to becoming one. I thought it would be good to share with the team some traits I see in many "great companies."
So here are the ten characteristics that I jotted down on my blackberry on the subway. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. It is the ten traits that came to me on a 15 minute subway ride. And it is also true that great companies don't hit every single one of these traits. But they hit most of them. And some do hit all of them.
So with that caveat, here is my list of ten traits I see in great companies. This is aimed at web/tech companies but I believe it can and should be applicable to all companies.
1) Great companies are constantly innovating and delighting their customers/users with new products and services.
2) Great companies are built to last and be independent and sustainable. Great companies don't sell out.
3) Great companies make lots of money but leave even more money on the table for their users and partners.
4) Great companies don't look elsewhere for ideas. They develop their ideas internally and are copied by others.
5) Great companies infect their users/customers with their brand. They turn their users and customers into marketing/salesforces.
6) Great companies are led by entrepreneurs who own a meaningful piece of the business. As such, they make decisions based on long term business needs and objectives not short term goals.
7) Great companies have a global mindset. They treat every person in the world as a potential customer/user.
8) Great companies are attempting to change the world in addition to making money.
9) Great companies are not reliant on any one person to deliver their value proposition.
10) Great companies put the customer/user first above any other priority.
So there it is. The Q&A session after the talk was quite stimulating and I expect the comment thread here will be equally so.


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Contributor Barbara Sherf asked Hillers what they thought about the news that U.S. Forces had killed Osama bin Laden. The news of the terrorist leader's death broke late last night. (All Photos by Barbara Sherf)
"I thought it was a great vindication of the US. It shows the USA doesn't forget what he did." Glenside resident Richard Stewart, having coffee at the Fairlane Grill in Erdenheim.
Chestnut Hill resident and Veteran Sam Riddick: "It's good news to know that the mission is finally accomplished for real as opposed to the George Bush 'Mission Accomplished' pronouncement."
Peter Demkovitz of Wyndmoor waiting for R7 train to work: "I was surprised by the news and I have mixed feelings. I'm glad we finally accomplished this, but I have anxiety about what happens next. Personally, I did not find myself cheering this news. It was more sobering."
Longtime Chestnut Hill resident and volunteer Carol Cope, walking away from the Chestnut Hill newsstand with a copy of the newspaper in hand: "It's good news. I'm quite proud of our armed forces in this case. I'm glad he's gone."
Robert Lamb of Germantown heading for work at Prudential, Fox & Roach Realtors in Chestnut Hill: "I heard about it at the Phillies game last night. They didn't announce it but one of my buddies saw it on his phone. Surprisingly I wasn't taken one way or the other. There is so much turmoil in the world. I can't say I was cheering. I guess it's a step in the right direction, but we will continue with larger struggles."
Chestnut Hill resident Carol Franklin, author of Metropolitan Paradise and head of a landscape design firm, upon leaving Wells Fargo bank. She had lived in Pakistan for three months and her husband, Colin Franklin, had lived there for two years while designing low-income housing.
"I was just listening to NPR and the commentary. I think it was a very brave and bold move, but I also feel that in this country we capture and put people on trial and try to get some information out of them. We were told that he may have been hiding in the housing my husband designed for the poorest of the poor."
Marilyn Monaco, Esq., former President of Chestnut Hill Business Association heading to her law firm on the Avenue: "It brought back so many memories of 911. I remember we were holding a business association meeting and I had to leave to get back to the office. I had a funny feeling this morning and turned on the news. At first I thought it was a joke. It's the end of a bad story that started on September 11 and I felt like the President – that justice has been done."


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Quest for pollution-free fusion energy takes major step
- Scientists take step forward toward creating pollution-free fusion energy
- They use 192 lasers to launch a process that yields energy via a fusion reaction
The decades-long quest to develop a pollution-free energy source via nuclear fusion — the power source of the sun and other stars — has taken what scientists say is a major step forward.
For the first time, a study Wednesday reports, a laboratory experiment got more energy out of fusion than was put into the fuel that sparked the reaction. It fell short, though, of what's considered the holy grail of fusion: "ignition" — the point at which more energy is produced than was used throughout the process.
"We're closer than anyone's gotten before," says Omar Hurricane, a physicist at the federally funded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and lead author of the study that appears in the peer-reviewed journal Nature. "It does show there's promise."
Hurricane says he doesn't know how long it will take to make fusion a viable energy source.. "Picture yourself halfway up a mountain, but the mountain is covered in clouds," he told reporters, adding the climber doesn't know what's behind him and the peak.
"This isn't like building a bridge," he says in an interview. "This is an exceedingly hard problem. You're basically trying to produce a star, on a small scale, here on Earth." Nuclear fusion, a process that heats the sun, produces energy when atomic nuclei fuse and form a heavier atom. It's different from nuclear fission, which derives heat used at today's nuclear power plants by splitting atoms.
Scientists have long pursued fusion energy, because it does not emit greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming or leave behind radioactive waste that needs to be stored. Since the late 1940s, researchers have used magnetic fields to contain super-heated hydrogen fuel, and in the 1970s, they began experimenting with powerful lasers.
Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility, which opened in March 2009, has 192 laser beams housed in a 10-story building the size of three football fields. The beams can focus extreme amounts of energy in billionth-of-a-second pulses on a minuscule target.
Hurricane's team used these 192 lasers to heat and compress a small pellet of fuel, contained in a plastic capsule, to a point that fusion reactions occurred. Some of the energy created went back into the remaining fuel in a "bootstrapping" process that can boost output.
Hurricane says the energy produced was twice the amount that was put into the capsule's fuel but only about 1% of that delivered by the lasers to the target to get the process started.
Co-author Debbie Callahan says the capsule had to be compressed 35 times to trigger a reaction — akin to compressing a basketball to the size of a pea. Other study co-authors include 19 additional Livermore physicists (four of whom are women) and John Kline of Los Alamos National Laboratory.
"These results are still a long way from ignition, but they represent a significant step forward in fusion research," says Mark Herrmann of the Sandia National Laboratories' Pulsed Power Sciences Center in an accompanying Nature article. "Achieving pressures this large, even for vanishingly short times, is no easy task."
Steve Cowley, who's working with magnets as director of the United Kingdom's Culham Center for Fusion Energy, said the paper is "truly excellent" for addressing the core problem of instability. "By pushing (the lasers) in a softer manner ... they get a nearly stable compression," he says.
"We have waited 60 years to get close to controlled fusion," he says, adding scientists are "now close" with both magnets and lasers. "We must keep at it."


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Welcome to Kotaku's official forum, known affectionately as Talk Amongst Yourselves. This is the place where we gather on a daily basis to discuss all things video game and existential. Want to talk about new games, old games, games that aren't even out yet? Knock yourselves out!
The well-off gentleman of the 17th century gets turned into Mario's evil doppelganger, thanks to InvadingDuck . Don't know how Wario got all that bread and gold but it must have involved a lot of smooth moves. Get it? (Sorry.)
You can do funny things with pictures, right? Want everyone on this fine web forum to see? Here's what you do. Post your masterpieces in the #TAYpics thread. Don't forget to keep your image in a 16x9 ratio if you want a slice of Talk Amongst Yourselves glory. Grab the base image here. Don't forget to keep your image in a 16x9 ratio if you want a slice of TAY glory. The best ones will be featured in future installments of Talk Amongst Yourselves.


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|EPM Scientific
US-PA, US based Pharmaceutical company with huge growth projection seeks Clinical Data Manager 452431246418-MZ
|US based Pharmaceutical company with huge growth projection seeks Clinical Data Manager
Senior Clinical Data Manager | CNS or Neurology
Salary: $130,000 – $140,000 base salary + excellent bonus + excellent benefits
Location: Philadelphia, PA
One of the fastest growing pharmaceuticals firms in the US is looking for a Clinical Data Manager with exposure to CNS or Neurology to be based in their Philadelphia office. This candidate would be covering phases I through to phase IV. The company is seen as one of the hottest prospects in the pharmaceuticals industry and their stock price is constantly increasing.
The ideal candidate will have a solid background with clinical data management and strong technical skills which include SQL and SAS programming. This candidate should be a natural leader as they will be involved in helping spur the growth of the team as well as help mentor and motivate the current employees.
The ideal candidate will have the following skill set:
Please visit our website at www.epmscientific.com


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123 HP OfficeJet 6600 Printer Setup
123 HP OfficeJet 6600 printer is one of the best printers with portable dimension of 24.3 inches width, 19.9 inches depth& 11.7 inches height. When it comes for OfficeJet printer, it provides one step solutions to all your office needs. This printer can also be accessed through mobile devices and much more comfortable to send and receive faxes. The quality of printing is really great and price of the printer is really affordable.
For Technical Support Call Toll Free 1-844-589-6222
123 HP OfficeJet 6600 Printer Software Installation Steps:
- Visit 123.hp.com/oj6600 to download your printer software.
- Switch ON your 123 HP Officejet 6600 Printer.
- Makesure, that your printer should not get connected while your printer turns ON.
- Go to your driver and check for HP Officejet 6600-Driver and click→Check now.This step will help you in identifying the out dated or missing drivers and software automatically.
- Follow the on screen instruction in case, if you get prompt to follow the steps to download 6600 driver.
- Click Download to get full feature driver software for your printer.
Before start unboxing your 6600 printer packages, it is necessary that you should check for all its components present inside it. If you can view all the items present in the box are fine, then go ahead and unbox it.
- After taking your HP OJ 6600 from the box remove all unwanted tapes and seals from it carefully.
- On lifting your scanner lid, you might see more package materials covered in it.
- Now, open your printer and look for ink cartridge area. Remove other materials.
- Then, close the ink cartridge area of OJ6600 and make sure, colors needs to be positioned carefully.
- Finally, check and pull paper tray and remove all the taps on it.
123 HP Officejet 6600 Setup & Support
Officejet 6600 is the one of the best printer for the person who prints more than 50 pages a month. It is a duplex machine, so it can print only one side of the page at a time. The cost of office 6600 ink is high; henceforth it goes with instant ink scheme through which the cost of ink cost around 1.99 Euro a month. All you have to do is to order an ink from HP official website, which can be delivered at your door step. Through 1 ink one can print around 40 – 45 sheets.
123 HP Officejet 6600 Printer Review
123.hp.com/OJ6600 is the printer of inkjet category.Output quality of this printer is good, but the quality of printing is lower, since the printer resolutions is 1200×1200 dpi (Dots per inch). It is kind of high speed printer that can print 11 pages per minute for black and white and 4 pages a minute for color. This printer uses 3 colors for color printing such as cyan, yellow and magenta. For OJ6600 cost of color printing cost low when comparing with black and white printing. If you print photos frequently, then it is worth buying this printer.
For Technical Support Call Toll Free 1-844-589-6222
You have to follow the below steps once after connecting your printer to the wireless network.Take you USB cable with you and connect only when it ask you to connect during installation.
Offciejet 6600 Setup and driver installation:
- Download your printer driver software from 123.hp.com/OJ6600.
- In search option you need to look for your printer i.e., 6600 and click Begin to download.
- Once, after download get completed, double click on the driver file to start the installation procedure.
- Follow the instruction on your screen carefully to complete the installation process.
- Again visit 123.hp.com/oj6600 on your web browser to complete your printer registration
HP Officejet 6600 Printer setup:
- Choose 'auto wireless connect' and rest of the things will be automated.
- Make sure, that while connecting your printer you should have any connectivity with internet.
Wireless connection will happen automatically which doesn't need any network SSID or password to establish the connection.
Offciejet 6600 Compatibility checklist:
- Windows 10, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8& Mac OS.
- 6600 connect to the PC Computer with dynamic IP address.
The Website is an independent website that provides information about the 123 HP Officejet Printers. We do not have any specific link or associate ourselves with 123 HP Officejet now its services. All the information and the images used in this website are only for information purpose. We are not sellers or service providers of 123 HP Officejet in any form. We do not provide warranty or services for any 123 HP Officejet products that are associated with the manufacturer. You should approach the manufacturer for the same. You can download the latest printer software for your 123 HP Officejet printer at 123hp.ca