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0.998717 |
How will digital technologies impact the labour market? Below are six propositions that seek to shed light on this important question. The challenge facing policy-makers – in British Columbia, Canada and globally – is how to maximise the productivity gains of technological progress through digitalization, while taking steps to mitigate its intrinsically-skewed distribution of benefits.
Technological capabilities have expanded. The range of human tasks that can technically be performed by computer-based technologies is expanding. Many routine or rules-based tasks and social interactions can now be automated. Tasks that remain hard to automate tend to involve cognitive skills such as creative or social intelligence, or the perception and dexterity to deal with unstructured, awkward and irregular manual tasks.
Technologies are productivity-enhancing though they do not appear to be direct net job creators. Industries that are technology-intensive have made strong contributions to productivity growth. However, most employment growth has taken place in less technology-intensive industries (e.g. health, education, retail services). Across advanced countries, the ICT-producing sector itself is a small employer and has made minor contributions to total employment growth over time.
Technology prices have fallen or been flat over recent decades. Lower capital input price growth relative to wage growth (along with ever-improving technological capabilities) encourages firms to substitute capital for labour. Employment growth and wage growth tend to be muted in skill-sets and occupations that compete with labour-substituting technologies.
Recent technologies are skill-biased and contribute to wage inequality. There are strong complementarities between human capital and technology. New technology-intensive occupations require high skill. New technologies create employment and (when the pace of technological change outruns the growth in high-skill labour supply) raise wages for high-skill workers. Skills‑biased technological change is a principal driver of wage inequality.
Recent technologies are routine-biased and contribute to job polarization. Technological change is a chief contributor to labour market polarization in advanced economies – the “hollowing out” of jobs in the middle portion of the skill distribution. Mid-skill occupations that compete with technology have seen little employment growth or real wage growth in recent decades. Meanwhile, rising employment and incomes among high-skill occupations have boosted the overall demand for services. This has contributed to strong job growth in low-skill, service-based occupations, but not necessarily much real wage growth as low-skill workers compete with labour-substituting technologies and displaced mid-skill workers.
Technological change is contributing to a decreased share of national income received by wage earners. There has been a multi-decade decline in the share of national income earned by labour (known as the “wage share” or “labour share”) relative to the share earned by owners of capital (“profit share”). Technological change is a chief contributor as increasing technological capabilities and declining or flat technology prices incentivize capital deepening and labour-substitution, especially in mid-skill occupations. The shrinking income share for wage earners is a widespread phenomenon. It can be seen across countries (including industrializing economies like India and China), across and within industries, and occurs notwithstanding differences in countries’ industrial structures, collective bargaining arrangements or union densities.
| 2019-04-24T12:44:48 |
https://www.bcbc.com/insights-and-opinions/how-will-digitalization-affect-the-labour-market
|
0.999742 |
I'm looking for classical Greek scenes for females (2 or 3 females). Any suggestions?
Thanks for your help and resources.
THE TROJAN WOMEN has several excellent scenes for two women.
Thank you for the female classical scene suggestions these are so appreciated. Any other suggestions?
Euripides' Helen has a scene between Theonoe (prophetess) and Helen (of Troy). Menelaus is technically standing there, but you can just stop before his speech.
If you ever need an amazing male/female scene, the Gatekeeper in that play tells off two different kings who try to be all, "you're a slave and a woman, let me by" and she shuts them DOWN.
Also, Medea is meant to have a Chorus of Women, so the conversations between Medea and the Chorus Leader would be two women.
| 2019-04-26T09:46:56 |
https://www.schooltheatre.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=133&MessageKey=10e458dd-1174-4be2-9212-07acce2ee544&CommunityKey=35d3756e-031c-447e-a020-14aeb57718f1&tab=digestviewer&ReturnUrl=%2Fcommunities%2Fcommunity-home%2Fdigestviewer%3Ftab%3Ddigestviewer%26CommunityKey%3D35d3756e-031c-447e-a020-14aeb57718f1
|
0.999998 |
Using sqoop import, How to append rows into existing hive table?
From sqlserver I imported and created a hive table using the below query.
Command was successful, imported the data and created a table with 10000 records.
sqoop import --connect 'jdbc:sqlserver://10.1.1.12;database=testdb' --username uname --password paswd --table demotable --where "ID > 10000"
ERROR tool.ImportTool: Error during import: Import job failed!
Is any other alternatives to insert into table using sqoop.
| 2019-04-20T04:23:45 |
https://community.cloudera.com/t5/Data-Ingestion-Integration/Using-sqoop-import-How-to-append-rows-into-existing-hive/td-p/32540
|
0.999894 |
There are so many options when it comes to buying a mattress - where do you even begin? That's where we found ourselves when were moving into our new home. As we were moving overseas and needed the bedroom to be ready from Day One, going to the local mattress store wasn't an option.
Truth be told, we also didn't want to deal with a pushy mattress salesperson like we had to when we were looking to buy our last one. So we did our research and bought all our mattresses online this time. We're really happy with our purchases so far and hope this research will be useful for you as well, even if you're buying them at a physical mattress store.
What is the best month to buy a new mattress?
Price is an important factor to consider when purchasing your new mattress so before we go further into the different types of mattresses as well as other factors to consider, let's look at how you can get more bang for your buck by buying at the right time of the year.
Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Black Friday also see retailers throwing out discounts to entice potential buyers. If you missed the clearance sale in late winter and early spring, wait till a holiday weekend to buy a mattress.
Now that we know when's the best time to buy a new mattress, let's consider a related question - when do we know it's time to change our mattress? One clear reason to change a mattress is when it's affecting your sleep or falling apart. How long should a mattress last anyway?
As with almost everything in life, "it depends". Mattress salespeople might tell you that you should replace your perfectly fine mattress after five years but there's no real reason that you should. They claim that after five years, there'll be so much dead skin and bugs in the mattress that you should replace it even if it provides the necessary comfort and support.
The truth is, depending on the type of mattress as well as how well you take care of it, its lifespan can vary wildly. Typically, the comfort layer is the first area to fail and a poor quality foam comfort layer may become unusable after a year or so. Innerspring cores typically last around ten years while a good latex core can last even up to twenty years or more. Generally, a good foam or latex mattress should last longer than ten years.
Which type of mattress is best?
The two main types of mattresses on the market today are Innerspring mattresses and Memory Foam mattresses. Innerspring mattresses have contiguous metal coils at their core, which are then covered with a layer of foam at the top for comfort. Spring mattresses are good for those who want a firm bed.
A good quality Memory Foam mattress is like having millions of tiny little springs support you and distribute your weight evenly.
Is it better to sleep on a soft mattress or a hard mattress?
If you sleep on a firm mattress, you will find that it is less strenuous on the back. A word of caution though. There is such a thing as a mattress that is too firm. The downsides of a firm mattress that is too firm are that it inhibits blood circulation and also doesn't align with your spine. On the other hand, a mattress that isn't firm doesn't provide enough support for your back and you could find yourself waking up with a backache in the morning.
With so many factors to consider, it helps to make one factor a constraint. The easiest one to do is budget. The price of mattresses vary wildly and while it may be tempting to make a price-quality inference, there are a lot of non-quality factors that go into the price like selling and distribution costs, marketing costs, sales commissions etc. Don't fall for that salespersons' line, "you can't put a price on a good night's sleep."
2. What are your needs?
Now that you've locked down a budget, here are other factors to consider within your budget. Everyone's situation is different and it is impossible to get a recommendation that fits everybody's needs.
- How long do you need the mattress to last?
- What mattress size do you need?
- How firm do you need your mattress to be?
- Do you need a mattress that can ship immediately?
Once you've got a firm idea of what you're looking for and fits your needs, now comes the fun part - the actual shopping! Don't pressure yourself when it comes to choosing the "perfect mattress", there is no such thing. There's only a "right mattress" for your needs.
One of the downsides of buying a mattress online is that you can't go for a "test drive" like you can when you buy from a store. So how do you ensure that you're buying a good mattress that isn't going to give you problems? This is where online reviews come in really handy.
I know that online reviews have been getting a little bit of a bad reputation lately due to all the shenanigans that go on with trying to game them but you can get a pretty accurate picture by looking at reviews from "verified customer purchases", especially the negative ones.
Ultimately, shopping online is a trade off - your time and convenience versus getting to test out the mattress before you purchase. If you're buying a $4,000 mattress, you should definitely test it out at the store first but if you're purchasing single mattress for under $200, is it really worth your time to drive out to the store?
Searching for a memory foam mattress yields over 70,000 results on Amazon - talk about information overload. How's one supposed to narrow it down when there's so much to choose from? Here's how we did it and some of the results.
Since we're looking for twin mattresses that are affordable and of good quality, those are the three criteria we'll narrow down our search results by.
And with just these three filters, 70,000 results have been whittled away to 80. How do you deal with fake reviews? One easy way is to only consider those mattresses which have more than 200 customer reviews. Don't just stop there though - filter by 'verified customer purchase' and read the individual comments, especially the negative ones before making your purchase. Anyway, here are five good and affordable mattresses for your consideration.
These are some of the good twin mattresses we narrowed our choice down to when we made our buy. All of them are under $200 and have good reviews. It would have been good if Amazon would allow you to filter by the number of reviews as well but unfortunately that feature isn't available at the moment. Hope this guide and suggestions help you when you buy your mattress.
In full disclosure, there are a number of affiliate links in the article above. They don't cost you any extra to click but you should always assume i'm making a ton of money from this.
| 2019-04-22T14:36:26 |
http://www.eyeobserver.com/2019/01/best-rated-mattresses-how-to-buy.html
|
0.999776 |
A restaurant satisfaction questionnaire is a set of questions which are asked from the customers of a restaurant to know whether or not they are satisfied with the restaurant, food, services etc. These types of questionnaires are out forward by the restaurant owners for getting responses and then coming to a conclusion about those points which need improvement or changes. Given below is a sample of a restaurant satisfaction questionnaire which can be used by you for reference purpose.
Kindly answer all the given questions in the spaces provided and express your views about your experience at our restaurant.
Q1. Have you visited this restaurant for the first time?
Q2. How would you rate the overall experience at the restaurant?
Q3. How would you rate the level/standard of food and drinks served to you?
Q4. How would you rate the service offered to you at the restaurant?
Q5. How would you rate the ambience at the restaurant?
Q6. Would you visit the restaurant again or suggest it to your friends and family?
| 2019-04-22T11:23:47 |
http://www.samplequestionnaire.com/restaurant-satisfaction-questionnaire.html
|
0.999957 |
During a business visit to Count Dracula's castle in Transylvania, a young English solicitor finds himself at the center of a series of horrifying incidents. Jonathan Harker is attacked by three phantom women, observes the Count's transformation from human to bat form, and discovers puncture wounds on his own neck that seem to have been made by teeth. Harker returns home upon his escape from Dracula's grim fortress, but a friend's strange malady involving sleepwalking, inexplicable blood loss, and mysterious throat wounds initiates a frantic vampire hunt. The popularity of Bram Stoker's 1897 horror romance is as deathless as any vampire. Its supernatural appeal has spawned a host of film and stage adaptations, and more than a century after its initial publication, it continues to hold readers spellbound.
How is this book unique?
"The Judge's House" is a classic ghost story by the Irish author Bram Stoker. The story was first published in the December 5, 1891, special Christmas issue of the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News weekly magazine. It was later republished in Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories (1914). The short story has since appeared in many anthologies. In the story, a student arrives in a small town looking for a quiet place to stay while preparing for his examination. Making light of the local superstitions, he moves into an old mansion where a notorious hanging judge once lived. He is comfortably settled and engrossed in his work when, in the middle of the night, he is visited by an enormous rat with baleful eyes. As soon as the giant rat appears, other rats that infest the old house fall silent. When the great rat returns on the second night, the student begins to feel uneasy. He soon learns why the locals fear the Judge's House. "The Judge's House" was adapted as a radio play for the Hall of Fantasy show in 1947. The dramatization is largely faithful but contains some simplifications. CBS Radio Mystery Theater aired an episode based on the story in 1981. The CBS version presents the story as a recollection by an American scholar of events that took place while he was in England to work with a former schoolmate. A modernized stage adaptation of the story premiered in Dublin in 2013. The story has also been adapted for comic books.
Born in November 1847 in Dublin, Ireland, Abraham Stoker was the third of seven children. Bed ridden with health issues until aged 7 he made a complete recovery on being sent to school. He was an excellent student excelling in maths and with a keen interest in Theatre. He began his career as a theatre critic and after a favourable review was invited to meet the most important actor of the day, Henry Irving. They became great friends. After marriage to Florence Balcombe in 1878 they moved to London where he worked for Irving at his Lyceum theatre. It was here he started to write and then to travel extensively with Irving as he toured. Many of his novels are set from the places he visited though he never did go to Eastern Europe. He wrote many novels during his career but of course Dracula rises above all else. In those last few moments drifting from wake to sleep we sometimes delve into thoughts of a very unpleasant kind. The hint of a shadow moving across the room can give rise to all sorts of troubling, unsettling ideas. Bram Stoker was a master of this effect. Who can forget the masterful creation of Dracula? Its realism built on diary entries, letters, newspapers clippings, ships log’s was very clever and contributes to its lasting and pervading impact. Here, his sinister tales saturate your soul and hit your heart with untold fears that, layer by layer, reveal their true unutterable horror. Here we publish Lady Athlyne another example of his memorable writing.
Bram Stoker's The Lady of the Shroud is a work by Bram Stoker now brought to you in this new edition of the timeless classic.
| 2019-04-23T04:44:59 |
https://bookfrom.net/bram-stoker/
|
0.999354 |
There's a preoccupation, almost an obsession, with e-commerce these days. Amazon is constantly in the news as it continues to set web traffic and sales records and to finally make some money. Resellers are flocking to the platform to join their marketplace in a search for e-commerce after the widespread failure of their own independent efforts. I, along with many others, have written numerous articles on e-commerce and how important it is for the future survival of small independent resellers.
So what's going wrong? We've seen many office products resellers independent e-commerce efforts fail, and we've seen many join Amazon and other online marketplaces. The question I'm exploring here is whether or not joining the Amazon platform is likely to be the salvation resellers have been searching for in their quest to join the digital world and to develop e-commerce?
The problem at Amazon, particularly for the smaller, relatively unsophisticated reseller, is that it's really difficult to make any money. Then, to compound that problem, Amazon owns all the customers, not the resellers.
Unfortunately, resellers may be going to Amazon for the wrong reasons. It's tough not to admire what Amazon has accomplished but, we have to remember they didn't get to their dominant position overnight. Over the course of many years, they built enormous trust with their customers by providing a service with unprecedented levels of quality and reliability. When a customer transacts at Amazon they have absolute trust in them, regardless of whether they're doing business directly with them or a third party marketplace vendor. The reality is that an Amazon customer doesn't care who's actually providing the product purchased in the marketplace. It doesn't matter because the buyer knows there's an implicit guarantee behind the transaction and, if anything does go wrong, they'll be taken care of by Amazon. Bottom line - Amazon shoppers are Amazon customers!
The key factor here is the trust that Amazon has established over their 15+ years in business. This trust is not just because the customer knows he or she will get their money back if they're not satisfied for any reason, it's also the trust from knowing that Amazon will execute flawlessly on the logistics, with the product being delivered when they say it will be and in the condition they said it would be. In order to be able to achieve this, Amazon invested heavily in sophisticated, integrated information technology systems.
Successful e-commerce is not possible first, without the use of technology and second, without having developed a high level of trust through the intelligent use of that technology.
During the opening phases of e-commerce development between 2000-2015 and, as companies such as Amazon, New Egg, DepotMax, and Staples, established increasing levels of trust with their customers, that trust translated into a virtuous cycle of more traffic, more transactions and even more trust. Of course, the development of their e-commerce did not go unnoticed by small businesses around the nation. So, between 2005-2015 we experienced the first phase of the development of small to medium size resellers efforts to conduct online commerce. These efforts were mostly copies of the shopping cart concept established by the pioneering companies mentioned above. After all, if it worked for them, then why wouldn't it work on a smaller scale for the independents?
However, the part of the puzzle that many of the independent resellers missed was the necessity for building trust before they could build a successful e-commerce business. Although they were able to mimic the shopping cart sites that worked so well for the large organizations, they slowly found out that same approach didn't usually work well for them.
There are two main reasons why this is the case. Firstly, as I've said, they didn't establish a foundation for a transaction to take place because no trust had been developed and, secondly, they had no web traffic to conduct a transaction in the first place. Furthermore, consistent, relevant web traffic cannot be developed without compelling reasons to visit and engage with a resellers website. Creating that compelling reason, developing relevant traffic and slowly building trust is the only way to replicate the success of the behemoth online organizations.
We know the first phase (2005-2015) of independent resellers e-commerce efforts broadly focused on only one of these required elements, that is the presentation of an online catalog. There was little thought applied to how traffic was to be developed in order for any transactions to take place. The reality was, and continues to be, that replicating all of the elements listed above, would have been far more likely to result in successful e-commerce than deploying one single element of the overall infrastructure.
Unfortunately, independent resellers didn't look under the hood to understand the necessity of each of these elements and that e-commerce cannot occur without each of them securely in place.
Many independent resellers also made the mistake to think they could attract random traffic and customers from across the nation while they sat in their offices ringing up online sales and, in so doing, neglected the real opportunity in their own backyard. By implementing the technology systems necessary to compete with Amazon and the other major online stores, and then getting feet-on-the-street in local markets and developing real relationships, they've long had an unrealized and potentially powerful advantage over the faceless online giants.
It seems clear that more and more consumers and businesses want to conduct transactions online in some fashion (even if this does not include re-keying an order from their ERP system into a resellers e-commerce platform) and this trend is not likely to be reversed. However, it's also the case that many buyers attach a value to a face, a name and someone they can count on if there's ever a problem that needs to be resolved.
So, what's the path forward for small resellers with failed e-commerce initiatives? The short answers are for them to implement the overall infrastructure that's needed in order to be competitive in today's business environment, to develop an improved understanding of their value proposition and where the competitive weaknesses are that can be exploited and then, to leverage this capability and this knowledge, with their physical presence in their local markets.
This doesn't mean there's no place for Amazon in a resellers business strategy. However, the reseller's mindset and strategy need to change so the marketplace is treated as a means to achieve their end, and not as a means for Amazon to achieve theirs. There are tools made available by Amazon that can allow sophisticated resellers and the behemoth to co-exist but, these tools must be utilized to make the market work for the reseller and for achieving satisfactory long-term goals.
In order to increase the value of an enterprise, there needs to be a full integration with the internet, an integration that the enterprise controls and not a third party. The failed efforts at independent e-commerce need to be revisited but, this time, they need to be approached when they are inclusive of all the elements necessary for successful e-commerce as has been explained here.
For additional reading on the state of the office products and supplies industry, and to help you develop a better understanding as to why there are still great opportunities in the office products and supplies vertical, please click on the button below and download a free copy of our e-book. This contains valuable information on the industry, how to take advantage of the current conditions and to help understand a strategy for achieving profitable sales growth.
| 2019-04-19T15:05:53 |
https://blog.eandssolutions.com/blog/e-commerce-amazon-and-office-products-resellers
|
0.998895 |
There are two goals in treating prostate cancer that has spread: (1) improve the quantity of the man's life, and (2) improve the quality of the man's life. The dilemmas in treatment arise when attempts to improve quantity make the quality worse, not better. Honest assessments of treatment options are crucial to resolving these dilemmas.
The mainstay for treating recurrent prostate cancer is hormone therapy, as described in Chapter 5. Prostate cancers use testosterone to grow, so blocking testosterone slows the growth. Prostate cancers contain cells that are sensitive to testosterone and other cells that are not sensitive. Over time the testosterone-insensitive cells become predominant and hormone therapy becomes ineffective. The cancer is then called androgen independent. The average duration of effectiveness for hormone therapy for a prostate cancer that has already metastasized is approximately two years,10 but during that time men often have comfortable remissions.
Proponents of delayed hormone therapy point to an older study that had results exactly opposite to the two studies cited above. They also argue that giving hormones to men before there is evidence of cancer spread means subjecting them unnecessarily to the multiple side effects of hormones. Patrick Walsh, a staunch opponent of immediate hormone therapy, says that it ''will actually take life out of the years a man has to live, without adding any years to that life.'' Walsh also notes that the pharmaceutical industry has strongly influenced urologists to start hormone therapy early because the industry ''makes at least a billion dollars a year on hormonal agents for the treatment of prostate cancer.''12 Several studies are under way that perhaps will resolve the immediate versus delayed treatment debate.
The other active hormone therapy controversy is whether to give hormones continuously or intermittently (in other words, treat the man for a few months until his PSA falls and then stop treatment for several months until the PSA rises again). The two arguments for intermittent therapy are that it gives the man a better quality of life by giving him a ''vacation'' from the hormone therapy side effects, and that intermittent therapy delays the process of the cancer's becoming androgen independent.
Some but not all studies support these arguments. A European study reported that only 7 percent of men on intermittent hormone therapy had had progression of their cancer at the end of three years compared to 39 percent of the men on continuous hormone therapy. A U.S. study found no difference in progression rates between the two groups. There does appear to be consensus that the quality of life is better for men on intermittent therapy, since they have periods free from the side effects of the therapy;13 therefore, intermittent therapy is being increasingly used. Two large studies comparing continuous and intermittent hormone therapy are in progress.
I was first diagnosed with prostate cancer at the tender age of 36. Subsequently, . . . I went through the conventional treatments of radical prostatectomy and . . . radiation therapy to the prostate bed. . . . Five years later in 1989 I was faced with a new problem: It became apparent that my PSA . . . was rising significantly. . . . The conventional wisdom at the time was for me to undergo immediate castration—a more than terrifying prospect especially for a psychiatrist like myself with some background in studying Freud. . . . [A urologist suggested intermittent hormone therapy.] Instead of my facing a permanent blockade of testosterone, this protocol lasts for only nine months at a time, followed by two years of normal testosterone levels. His recommendation has proved to be objectively correct. Friends and colleagues who underwent permanent castration when facing a similar bind at the same time have all since died.
impotence, rectal bleeding, and other side effects. And since it is not known which cancers are going to recur, many men are unnecessarily irradiated.
Is God Besotted with Irony?
I do get profoundly sad thinking of what has been and is no longer: people, places, things. And in my art I've tried again and again to find ways to hold on to the precious in the present, to memorialize what is essential to me as an observer of my time, to make history come alive so that souls long dead will still have meaning. Indeed, is it not wonderfully ironic that I worked for twenty-six years writing a book which investigates a suicide, while during the past eight and a half years I've been fighting to stay alive because my prostate cells refuse to commit suicide (which is what healthy cells do)? Is God besotted with irony?
The third type of beam radiation for prostate cancer recurrence is palliative therapy. It is used for cancers that have spread locally or metastasized to bones or other organs. The intent is to shrink the tumor and thereby provide relief of pain. Such radiation is commonly used in the late stages of the cancer.
Hormone therapy and beam radiation are the most commonly used treatments for recurrent prostate cancer. Surgery is little used except in a few centers, because removal of the prostate after beam or seed radiation therapy is technically very difficult and carries a high incidence of incontinence and other side effects. Seed radiation therapy has been tried following beam radiation or cryotherapy failure, but the results have not been promising. Cryotherapy is sometimes utilized for recurrent cancer following seed radiation, but its use following beam radiation or surgery has not been encouraging. In assessing all these secondary treatments, we need to carefully weigh possible benefits against the virtually certain serious side effects.
Chemotherapy is often tried in the late stages of recurrent prostate cancer but with limited benefit. It is relatively ineffective for prostate cancer, in contrast to many other human cancers. Chemotherapy works best on cancer cells that are dividing very rapidly, and prostate cancer cells divide slowly compared to other cancers.
The most promising chemotherapeutic regimen for prostate cancer to date has been docetaxel (Taxotere), a drug that has been used to treat breast cancer, in combination with estramustine (Emcyt) or prednisone. In late 2004 these combinations were shown in clinical trials to lengthen the life of men with advanced prostate cancer by approximately two months.16 This was the first time that any chemotherapeutic agents had been demonstrated to have an effect on prostate cancer survival. Many other drugs are being tested, including etoposide (VePesid), mitoxantrone (Novantrone), paclitaxol (Taxol), carboplatin (Paraplatin), and vinblastine (Velban). Generally these drugs are used in combination with each other or with hormone therapy.
Chemotherapeutic agents do have significant side effects: hair loss; fatigue; nausea and vomiting; bone marrow suppression, causing anemia and increased susceptibility to infection; and allergic reactions. Estramustine, one of the most widely used drugs, can also cause blood clots, which can be fatal. Most of these drugs must be given intravenously every three to six weeks.
Some men with advanced prostate cancer decide to enroll in clinical trials of experimental drugs other than chemotherapeutic agents. Such trials are usually carried out at university medical centers in three phases: phase I assesses whether the drug is safe to be given to humans, phase II assesses its efficacy dose in a few men, and phase III tests its efficacy in a large number of men.
Among the most promising ongoing clinical trials are those testing vaccines that tell the body's immune system to attack the cancer. In 2005 the results of a trial of one vaccine, Provenge, appeared to be moderately hopeful. Other drugs being studied are those that inhibit growth factors, cut off the cancer's blood supply (angiogenesis inhib itors), promote the death of cancer cells (apoptosis), and inhibit specific enzymes needed by the cancer cells (for example, cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors such as COX-2).17 The best way for men to stay current on these studies is by perusing the websites recommended in Appendix C, especially those marked with asterisks.
It has proven to be relatively difficult to persuade men with advanced prostate cancer to enroll in clinical trials. It was estimated in 2003 that four times more women (34,757) were enrolled in breast cancer trials than men (8,309) in prostate cancer trials.18 A major reason is that most men with advanced prostate cancer are older than most women with advanced breast cancer, and they are not as willing to try to extend their lives for a few additional months. Such trials, however, are essential to finding new and better treatments. Men who wish to identify ongoing clinical trials for which they may be eligible can do so by going to the website of the National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov) and clicking on ''Clinical Trials.'' They can also access this information directly by going to a website developed by the National Library of Medicine, www.clinicaltrials.gov (type in ''Prostate Cancer'' and your city). Another source of information on clinical trials is a commercial website, www.centerwatch .com, which includes a list of drug trials being sponsored by pharmaceutical companies (click on ''Oncology,'' then on ''Prostate Cancer'').
| 2019-04-21T12:22:51 |
https://www.mitchmedical.us/prostate-cancer/treatment-options-for-recurrent-cancer.html
|
0.999211 |
A flight going from A to C is a "non-stop".
Going from A to B then to C without changing planes is known as "direct".
B is an "intermediate stop".
Actually, a "direct" flight can still have a change of aircraft (often involving a change of gauge), as long as all segments use the same flight number.
I understand the concept of direct/indirect/non-stop, but my original question is if there is actually any special terminology given to a flight that goes A-B-C(-D)?
Your questions are quite simple but there seem to be a lot of confusing answers.
I would just call these flights "multi-stop flights".
Some of these flights are triangles (like TK561), some are just out and back (like NZ1 and NZ2).
Suppose that on TK561, you get a single boarding pass for IST-ABJ and passengers for ABJ stay on board in COO. I don't know if this is true or not.
I flew the maiden IST-BOG-PTY last year to BOG, and the PTY passengers just stayed on board. Of course, I guess that will vary depending on the countries served, and from what I understand, TK has no cabotage rights between BOG-PTY and COO-ABJ.
Well...guess I'll see what happens eventually one day, maybe...thanks all!
I'm aware of the hidden city concept and how to go about it, but if one is on a flight like the ones mentioned above and gets off early, how would the airline realistically know if the boarding pass doesn't get scanned again?
I avoid direct flights like the plague, but I have seen flights where passengers are permitted to temporarily disembark at the intermediate stop. (In the old days, I recall getting a generic pass -- not directly tied to a specific passenger but handed to all thru-passengers who chose to disembark. If you did that and didn't reboard, you could potentially cause a delay for the plane as they try to reconcile their passenger numbers and locate the missing passenger in the airport.
Also, be aware of this when it involves international flights. In the case of countries that require airlines to submit passenger manifests, you could be in for some interesting conversations at Immigration if you arrive and the country isn't expecting you.
Yeah, that could be an interesting one actually...and I can imagine it would be particularly problematic in areas where bribes are fairly commonplace...!
| 2019-04-24T00:35:43 |
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/information-desk/1835895-flights-extra-stops-miles-2.html
|
0.999689 |
¿Can I use a Mining GPU for Gaming?
I have recently acquired a used Nitro Radeon RX 470 8Gb GDDR5 Mining Quad UEFI graphic card. I was wondering if I can use it as a gaming GPU.
It's the 11256-37 and I know it doesn't have any output in the plate, but if remove it, an HDMI port can be seen.
Do I have to buy a different plate for this GPU? Right now I don't have a PSU to test it, and I am willing to buy one but I want to be sure if I can use the GPU first.
If the answer is no, is there a software I can use to check its status? I don't know how long this GPU was used for mining, and if I am going to sell it, I think this can be helpful to stablish a fair price.
Thanks a lot for the responses and sorry for my english.
Not saying you won't get an answer here (unfortunately I don't know), somebody may know. In the interest of expediting an answer I would also ask this question to the company that made your card.
If you want to test the port, just take off the bracket and lie your PC flat(motherboard facing upwards) instead of in tower position so that the unsecured GPU doesn't fall out..... if the port works, you can either buy a new bracket or modify your existing bracket using a dremel or something to cut out the hole..... just make sure to do it far away from your PC, and wash the bracket when done modifying so you don't end up with metal shavings in your PC.
If you don't have a PSU to test it with, possibly borrow one..... I seriously doubt you're going to get a quick and definite answer if the port is active or not, as most gamers probably avoid mining cards that don't appear to have any ports...... you're probably just going to have to test this yourself.
I think I found an answer for you over at Toms Hardware.
| 2019-04-20T00:19:33 |
https://community.amd.com/thread/234116
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0.999221 |
Making Sure Ecstasy Is Ecstasy: Volunteers Test Drugs At U.K. Music Fests : Parallels This summer, the first stop for many U.K. partiers will be a special tent where, without fear of arrest, they can get their illegal drugs tested for potency and makeup to prevent overdoses.
Festivalgoers file through the entrance to Kendal Calling, a four-day outdoor music festival in England's Lake District. For the first time, attendees can have their illegal drugs tested before they take them as part of a new project to prevent overdoses.
In a muddy field in northern England's Lake District, more than 20,000 people are camping out at a four-day outdoor music festival called Kendal Calling. They jam along with their favorite bands. Some people wear outlandish costumes: There are superheroes, Indian chiefs and a naked guy wearing only transparent plastic wrap. There's dancing, drinking and occasionally, some illicit drug use.
It's a typical scene at summertime music festivals across Europe. But in England this summer, for the first time, revelers can have their illegal drugs tested before they take them. It's part of a new project to prevent overdoses.
"I've been doing festivals for three to four years now. I like my Ecstasy pills," says Rio Brown, 29, from Manchester, England. "If I want to chill out, I have my weed. If I want to party, I'll have some cocaine or a pill or whatever."
So he and his friends take their baggie of drugs over to a festival tent labeled The Loop. It's a nonprofit that conducts forensic testing of drugs, and it's set up shop at U.K. music festivals for the first time this summer.
"[It's] just to make sure we're getting the right thing, really, to make sure it's not harmful," Brown explains. "We don't want to kill ourselves, you know what I mean?"
Rio Brown (left) gets advice from drug counselor Gemma Bennet inside a drug testing and information tent at Kendal Calling. A nonprofit, The Loop, set up the tent to test partiers' illegal drugs before they take them.
Brown breaks off a fragment of one of his Ecstasy pills and hands it to Chris Brady, who works full time as a drug counselor and educator for Britain's public National Health Service and volunteers on weekends with The Loop.
"We're very realistic that people do take drugs, and what we want is to keep people safe," Brady says. "We don't want any mothers getting a call at 4 in the morning, saying that their son or daughter is ill, or even worse."
In a tiny trailer behind the tent, volunteers conduct chemistry tests on pink and purple pills that look like children's vitamins. It takes only about 15 minutes. The volunteers are professional chemists, Ph.D. students and pharmaceutical researchers — all here on their own time.
"They give us one pill or a small scoop of powder, and they won't get that back," explains Fiona Measham, co-founder of The Loop. "Normally the substance is destroyed in the testing process. So there isn't really anything left in our possession."
Fiona Measham, a professor of criminology at Durham University, is an adviser to the U.K. government on drug policy and a co-founder of The Loop.
That's how they get around drug possession laws. In the U.S., similar groups give out self-testing drug kits.
But then Measham had an idea: Why wait until after the drugs are taken, to find out what's in them?
Drug counselor Gemma Bennet (left) explains to Rio Brown the results of forensic tests on a fragment of an Ecstasy pill he brought in for evaluation at The Loop.
"One of the key things is to win the trust of people who are giving us illegal drugs. This isn't an undercover police sting. Genuinely, it's a health and welfare issue," Measham says. "The police have been very supportive of that. So they don't stand anywhere near the tent. We don't want them to scare off potential customers."
"We had some Ecstasy tablets that were 20 to 25 mg of MDMA, right up to 250 mg of MDMA. So you've got a 10 times range," she explains. "If people have two of the lowest strength, they probably would barely feel the effects. If they had two of the highest strength, that could potentially kill them."
Behind a curtain, a drug counselor sits down with Rio Brown to explain what his Ecstasy pills are really made of. It turns out he overpaid. His drugs contain traces of MDMA, but also quite a lot of cellulose and chalk — harmless fillers.
Brown decides to go ahead and take his pills. But The Loop says that about a quarter of people who use their service decide to dump their stash in the end.
| 2019-04-19T21:08:15 |
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/08/03/488540144/making-sure-ecstasy-is-ecstasy-volunteers-test-drugs-at-u-k-music-fests?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=illegaldrugs
|
0.998806 |
You know the expression: CONSPICUOUS BY ABSENCE? The element without placements and the objects in the chart without aspects are noticed more than other elements or objects are. They will not be unnoticed? They are ‘calling’ you to pay attention to them.
Welcome! The not aspected planet and the empty element, the element without placements, are just as important as the person who is conspicuous by absence. They are being noticed! Just see this.
Harry Potter was written by J.K. Rowling. In her chart, Mercury – the planet of communications, speaking and writing – doesn’t make any aspect at all! Mercury is very wide conjunct Venus. How could she refuse the call to become a writer? The other side of the calling Mercury is, that she doesn’t like being interviewed.
Oprah Winfrey’s chart has no planets in the element earth (the material element) and when she started life she was very poor. She became one of the richest women in the world! When you don’t have a placement in earth signs, you are seeking for material security (and she found it).
Hillary Clinton also lacks earth signs. Her Sun is only making one aspect: a quintile with Saturn (for being creative in managing). That is what made her a leading figure in the government (and rich, too,though she seems to have spent a bit too much in the 2008 campaign).
Rich Donald Trump has no placements in earth, either. At a certain point in life, he was bankrupt. When an element of planet is ‘calling’, the manifestation of this element of planet can reach any level (top or down; you won’t stuck in the middle).
Evita Perron did not have major aspects with Neptune, planet of myths, and she became a legend.
The sun symbolizes life, vitality, shining and being in the center of it all.
The nasty side of a ‘calling’ Sun could be that you tend to be bossy and like to play the starring role, always.
The moon symbolizes needs and care. The Moon without aspects attracks children. Everything related to children (education, care) will be highlighted. The Moon is of importance when you want to keep memories alive, like with historic facts or when you play a certain role on stage, but the Moon is also important for cooks. This calling Moon will shine on habits and daily needs.
The other side of the calling Moon is that what you need is so important, that sometimes you are overruled by your needs. If this Moon rises before the Sun, the person involved will be lead by needs and emotions.
Mercury is the messenger of the gods. The calling Mercury is always seeking for contacts and ways to communicate as a writer, reporter, or transporter (delivering messages or packages). The messenger doesn’t always want to listen to what others think of it. It is talk, talk, talk or complete silence and sometimes the person with a ‘calling’ is simply not a person to reason with.
Venus is seeking for love, kindness and sympathy. With Venus ‘calling’, style, beauty, charm and diplomacy will be used in the profession, if possible. Venus is important in the charts of diplomats, stylists, beauties,beauticians and those working in the field of entertainment and pleasure.
But, when the ladies ‘call’ you, always, it is hard to resist their call (if you are male). Ladies with ‘Venus calling’ like mirrors… Sometimes it is vanity beyond any level.
Mars without aspects will be strongly dedicated to the job, often in sports, in the military, industry or as an entrepeneur. If Mars is not working, the energy will find a way out in adventures, activism or by showing very high and very low levels of energy and drive.
Hyperactivity disorder CAN (with another indication in this direction) be one of the ways to manifest a ‘calling Mars’. The other side of this Mars is that one day you don’t fight back at all and the next you surprise your enemies with your fire and anger.
Jupiter is seeking for a conviction or religion and wants development. An unaspected Jupiter will be an international, a traveller, someone with a strong conviction, showing the way (sometimes as a coach, sometimes on a trip: a guide).
Saturn is seeking for stability and security and: status. Of course an unaspected Saturn will be found in the charts of those who work in the government, construction, with the elderly or in any hierarchy.
The urge to find material stability might lead to crimininal acitvity, in certain circumstances. And when you climb too high, you might fall.
Uranus is seeking for sensation, new items and news. That is why the unaspected Uranus will likely be driven to gadgets, the latest findings, technology, inventions and …news. Journalists, inventors, engineers, computer freaks and technocrats are among those with an unaspected Uranus. Sometimes it is the signature of the outsider or rebel. You just need to stir things up and cause a scene when Uranus calls you to change atmospheres.
Neptune is seeking mystic, romance, rest, ideals. The non material world belongs to Neptune. Drugs, chemistry, perfume, the movies, religion, spiritiuals and spirituality: they are part of the world of Neptune.
Pluto is seeking challenges and influence by using force and authority or values (money). Strong men (with or without muscles) have unaspected Pluto’s, but Pluto is also ‘calling’ those who do dangerous work or they work where strategy is needed (in politics, for example).
The nasty side of a ‘calling Pluto’ is that you need more and more power and can’t resist the challenge to prove how strong, powerful and rich you are. In certain cases this is too dangerous (for the person or for others).
When your Midheaven or Ascendant don’t make any major aspects, you are subject to circumstances outside yourself (related to position, parents, government or the place you live) more than other people are. This might make you vulnerable but can also bring you into any position at all (even to the top) or anywhere (even in paradise).
MC without aspects: a position or status at any possible level..
And how about ‘missing’ elements (elements without placements of Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune or Pluto)?
No earth:This calls for looking for possibilities to collect material and feel secure.
| 2019-04-18T10:21:06 |
http://www.astromarkt.net/astrology_to_study-html/unaspected-planets-and-missing-elements-html/
|
0.999993 |
Prepare the rice per instructions.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the mushrooms then leave them alone for 3-4 minutes before flipping them with a spatula; add the shallots and cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes. Add the butter and soy sauce to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Once the rice has finished cooking, mix in the mushroom mixture and most of the parsley then gently fluff with a fork to combine the mixture. Sprinkle the top with the last bit of parsley. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
| 2019-04-25T12:54:40 |
https://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/wprm_print/30697
|
0.999507 |
오늘날 사회의 급속한 변화에 따라 사회교육에 대한 관심과 이해가 높아가고 있다. 사회교육 기관으로서의 음악학원이 그 수요와 공급의 원리에 의해서 증가하고 있는데 비해, 교육적 환경은 뒤떨어짐에 따라 문제로 제기되고 있다. 이 연구는 사회음악교육의 중요한 역할을 담당하고 있는 피아노학원의 교육실태를 수요자의 인식을 통해서 조사분석하고자 하는 연구로서 자녀를 음악 학원에 보내고 있는 자녀들의 어머니들에게 질문지를 배포 ·수집한 후 이를 통계분석 하였다. 음악학원에 당면하고 있는 문제점을 문헌연구를 통해 정리한 이상적 모형에 비추어 검토함으로써 한층 발전한 사회 음악교육기관으로 자리매김할 수 있도록 방안을 제시해 보고자 한다. 구체적인 연구문제는 첫째, 자녀에게 피아노 교육을 시키는 목적, 둘째, 여러 사회 음악교육 기관 중 음악학원에서 교육시키는 이유, 셋째, 음악학원의 교육에 대한 만족도, 넷째, 강사의 교육적 자질과 지도 방법에 대한 인식, 다섯째, 학원의 시설과 환경에 대한 교육적인 고찰 및 개선점, 여섯째, 학부모의 거주지역과 연령, 학력, 음악적 경험 등과 자녀의 피아노 교육에 대한 제반사항들(시기, 목적, 관심 등)과의 연관성 분석 등 여섯가지 항목으로 정리하였다. 조사대상지역은 도시화에 따른 차이를 염두에 두고 대도시, 중도시, 소도시로 나누어 표집조사를 하였다. 지역별로 나누어 배포한 740부 가운데 561부가 회수되었다. 그 중에서 유효한 자료 550부를 가지로 통계처리하였다. 그 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 학원 피아노 교육에 대한 만족도는 학부모의 배경변인에 따라 각각 유의미한 차이가 나타났다. 둘째, 학부모의 배경변인에 따라 분석한 결과, 피아노 교육목적에 대해서도 학교수업에 병행하는 이론수업에 상당한 비중을 두고 있었다. 또한 ‘전공자를 위해서’보다 ‘유년시절의 좋은 정서를 위해서’에 훨씬 높은 반응을 보인 것은 조사대상자의 자녀가 거의 초등학생 (80% 이상)들이기 때문에 어린이의 정서 함양을 위해서 피아노를 가르친다고 보여진다. 셋째, ‘학원의 시설과 환경에 대해서’는 학부모의 연령, 거주지역, 월총수입 등에 따라 유의미한 차이가 있었으며, 대체적으로 쾌적하다고 생각하였다. 넷째, 학원에 대한 교육요구도에서 조사대상자의 배경에 따른 차이는 없었으나, 더 많은 교육시간의 할애와 교육시설과 환경의 개선을 바른 S점도 있었다. 다섯째, 학원장과 강사에 대해선 지역특성과 연령, 학력, 음악적 경험에 따라 유의미한 차이를 보였다. 대체적으로 어머니들은 강사들이 친절하고 성실하게 지도하고 있다고 응답하였다. 여섯째, 자녀피아노 교육에 대한 시작 시기는 대체적으로 초등학교 입학전후(만 5-6세)가 가장 높은 응답을 보였다(56.7%). 일곱째, 음악학원에서 피아노 교육을 시키는 이유는 ‘음악전문교육기관으로서의 공신력이 있다는 점 때문’과 ‘음악이론을 단계별로 지도해 준다는 점’에 높은 반응을 보였다. 여덟째, 피아노 학원 선택시에 고려할 점에 대해선 ‘원장과 강사의 열성 정도’에 높은 반응(44.9%)을 보였다. 이러한 결과를 토대로 하여 음악학원을 비롯한 사회음악교육에 대한 개선방안을 다음과 같이 제언하고자 한다. 첫째, 유치부와 초등부 어린이의 흥미와 관심을 반영한 교육프로그램을 개발하여 일찍부터 음악적 재능을 발굴하고, 유년시절의 아름다운 정서를 갖도록 해야 할 것이다. 둘째, 학원 음악교육이 피아노를 비롯하여, 가창, 합창, 합주 등의 기초교육을 병행할 수 있도록 시설을 개선하고 프로그램을 개발한다면 조화롭고 즐거운 음악교육이 될 것이다. 셋째, 음악학원에서 성인들의 특성에 맞는 프로그램 개발과 성인교육이 활성화 된다면, 자녀의 피아노 교육에 대한 관심도와 이해도가 높아질 것이며, 평생교육차원인 성인음악교육은 더 밝고 풍요로운 사회로 이끌 수 있을 것이다. 넷째, 학원 설립자와 학원장은 교육서비스 자세와 프로정신으로 사회 음악전문교육자로서 사회교육에 대한 애정과 끊임없는 노력을 하는 음악학원은 전문사회교육기관으로 부각될 것이다. 다섯째, 사회가 발전하고 음악 수준이 높아짐에 따라 학원장과 강사의 음악적 자질향상을 위한 재교육이 필요하며 단계별 교육프로그램의 재교육을 받는다면 교육수요자에 미치는 영향은 클 것으로 본다. 여섯째, 학원강사 자격 기준은 음대졸업자와 음대졸업과 무관하게 피아노 교육을 받은자로서 국가인정 강사 실기자격 검정을 통한 강사의 수급이 바람직하다고 생각한다. 일곱째, 사회 음악교육의 발전을 위하여 대학교육에서 「사회음악교육과」의 신설이 요구된다. 피아노교육은 전공을 하기 위해서나 정서 생활을 위해서나 어릴때부터 시작함이 필요하고 주요하다는 것이 피아노 교육인구의 증가로도 알 수 있다. 그럼에도 시설과 교육 형태 등 여러 가지 어려운 문제와 여건으로 인하여 공교육(학교)에서 피아노 교육을 하지 못하고 있다. 피아노 교육은 사회음악 교육기관에서 시작하여 그들이 예술중학교와 예술고등학교 및 음악대학에 입학할 때까지 사회교육기관에서 기량을 닦는다. 따라서 더욱 발전되고 체계적인 사회음악지도자 양성이 필요하다고 본다. 사회의 발전 못지않게 악기도 발달하며 교육수요자의 요구도 변화한다. 이러한 변화에 대처하기 위한 교육제도로서 사회교육이 부각되고 있다. 음악학원이 교육수요자의 교육요구를 만족시킬 수 있도록 환경을 개선하고 시설을 확충할 뿐만 아니라 교육프로그램의 개발을 위해 끊임없이 노력한다면 전문성을 인정받고 시민들의 삶의 질을 더 높이는 역할을 충분히 감당할 수 있을 것이다. ;In accordance with the rapid social changes of today, concern for and understanding of social education increase. In contrast to the increase of the number of musical institute by the law of supply and demand, the educational environment is some how lagging behind, creating some problems. The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze the actualities in the Korean musical institute, which plays an important role in social music education, through the demander's perception. A questionnaire was distribute to mothers who had a child going to the musical institute, and their responses were collected and statistically analyzed. Problems musical institute had been confronting with were reviewed by literature reference and research to present plans for making 쇈e institute establish themselves as a more advanced educational institute for social music studies. Subjects to see demanders' perception were itemized into the purpose of sending their children to the musical institutes, the reason they had chosen it among various social, musical education institutes, facilities, environment, and the degree of satisfaction with piano lesson and school itself. To achieve this aim, researching was given more weight than anything. The subject areas were sampled throughout large, middle and small cities. And among 740 questionnaires distributed, 561 ones were returned but only 550 ones were avaliable for statistic processing. Variables by person were also considered. As for the purpose of sending the child to a musial institute, most mothers answered that they wanted their children to cultivate early childhood emotional developments and the study musical theories. And they were generally satisfied with the kind of sincere attitudes of lesson givers, institute facilities, and their relationship with the musical institute. Based on these results, plans for improving social and musical education not to mention of piano lesson can be suggested as follows: 1) the musical institute should develop programs adequate to each class (e.g., kindergarten, elementary school, preparatory, and adult classes and satisfying the student's special concern or interest to enhance children's musical talent and emotional development. 2) reeducation is necessary for lecturers to improve their musical qualifications in accordance with social music developments. 3) if the president of private institute perseveres in his(or her) efforts, affection and professionalism to develop social music education, someday the musical institute will be acknowledged as a specialized institute for social education. Therefore, when efforts are continuously made to improve educational environment, amplify facilities and develop proper programs to satisfy the educational demander's need, the expertism of musical institute will bel acknowledged by the public and, in turn, the public's quality of life will be heightened more.
| 2019-04-18T13:42:04 |
http://dspace.ewha.ac.kr/handle/2015.oak/202030
|
0.999999 |
The task at hand seems straightforward: read all of the system's sensors - thermistors, strain gauges, photodiodes - using a 12-bit ADC. But getting the most from an ADC means scaling the maximum signal from each sensor to match the maximum input of the ADC. How do you achieve this from sensors of vastly different signal strengths? One indispensable circuit is the PGA - Programmable Gain Amplifier. The amplifier's gain can be conveniently changed via a small collection of analog switches, resistors and logic bits. Toggling these logic bits swaps resistors in the op amp's feedback network effectively changing the gain. As you might expect, there's several ways to accomplish this feat. In one configuration, the switch's ON resistance directly effects the gain. In a better version, the analog switches stealthy swap feedback resistors with minimal impact on gain.
Here's a typical PGA. Its operation is straight forward and intuitive.
where Ron is the analog switch's ON resistance, typically 50 to 500 Ω. As you can see, Ron sits right in the middle of the gain equation. Why is this a problem? Unfortunately, Ron varies from device to device, it varies with temperature, and it varies with voltage level. If accuracy is required, Ron is not your ticket to ride.
Consider this approach to PGA design.
Like the previous non-inverting amplifier, it changes gain by individually closing switches. However, a closer look shows that no current flows through the analog switches. Why? Remember that one of the op amp's most desirable features is its negligible input current. This means there's no voltage across Ron! Therefore, if S1 closes, the voltage at node 4 appears at the op amp's negative input. The circuit essentially implements a non-inverting voltage gain of R1 / (R2+R3+R4). The gains for the each switch closure appears below.
You might notice what's missing from the equations - Ron!
Typically, PGAs are designed in two varieties: powers of two (G = 1,2,4,...) and powers of ten (G = 1,10,100,...). Let's piece one together for gains of 1,2,4 and 8. What resistor collection provides these gains? One solution is R1 = 2 kΩ, R2 = 1 kΩ, R3 = 500 Ω and R4 = 500 Ω. This pattern can be extended to any number of gain ranges.
Four resistive switches S0-S3 are controlled by four voltages sources VS0-VS3 where the resistances Ron = 100 Ω and Roff = 100 MΩ are enabled by voltage levels Von = 5 V and Voff = 0V. The sources VS0 - VS3 each generate a 10 μs 5V pulse in four successive time slots. The bottom line? S0 closes during the first 10 us, S1 closes in the next 10 us, and so on. To produce an input test signal, VSIG generates its own 10 μs 1V pulse centered in each of 10 μs time slots.
CIRCUIT INSIGHT Run a SPICE simulation of OP_PGA.CIR. First, plot the control voltages for the four switches V(20), V(21), V(22) and V(23). Next, plot the input test pulses at V(1). Finally, check out the PGA's output by opening a new plot window and adding trace V(3). What do we expect here? The four input pulses at 1V appear amplified at the output as 1, 2, 4 and 8 V pulses according to the PGA's gain ranges.
Here's where this PGA stands tall among its peers. Increase or decrease the RON parameter in the SW1 model statement.
Rerun the simulation and check out V(3). The output levels remain rock solid even though Ron has changed significantly.
Question: what's happening to the rise time of each successive output pulse? The 8 V output pulse has a noticeably slower response than the 1 V output pulse. Why? The classic gain-bandwidth tradeoff comes into play here. If the gain goes up, the bandwidth (or speed) must come down.
Let's give the first PGA discussed above a chance to implement the power of two PGA. Assuming Ron = 100 Ω and R11 = 2 kΩ, we can calculate R12 = 1.9 kΩ, R13 = 566.6 Ω and R14 = 185.7 Ω to give us gains of 1,2 4 and 8 V/V. Set RON = 100 and run a simulation, then plot this PGA's output V(8). Okay, so far so good - the output matches our champion PGA exactly.
However, what happens as we increase RON from 100 Ω to a value like 120 Ω? As you can see, this PGA's output V(8) loses its accuracy, while the better design V(3) remains steadfast at the desired levels. What's one solution to this RON problem? Choose R11 though R14 >> RON. Just be careful of how the op amp's input bias current may create a significant offset voltage in these resistors.
HANDS-ON DESIGN In addition to gains of 1,2,4 and 8, suppose you needed a few more gains, like 16 and 32. How many additional switches are needed? What might resistor string look like?
What about a PGA whose gains are defined by powers of 10 such as 1, 10, 100 and 1000? What collection of resistors will get you there?
Although our blue-ribbon PGA is insensitive to Ron, it is not without its own shortcomings. For one, it requires one more switch than the 2nd place finisher. Also, the gains are not independent of one another! Because each resistor plays a role in all of the gains, coming up with a resistor string for your desired gains can be tricky. The alternative PGA has all of its gains independent of one another. Setting arbitrary gains is a piece of cake.
You can also create an inverting PGA by starting with an inverting op amp configuration. But you might be stuck with Ron in the gain equation.
| 2019-04-19T16:51:58 |
http://ecircuitcenter.com/Circuits/op_PGA/op_pga.htm
|
0.999835 |
When the subject is a singular noun or pronoun, the verb takes the marker –s in the simple present tense.
Parents work hard to raise their children.
My mother works hard for us.
When the subject is the plural noun parents, the verb does not have the –s ending.
When the subject is the singular noun mother, the verb ends in –s.
Fill in the blanks using the words given in the brackets.
1. The Himalayas look majestic.
2. This set of books costs eighty rupees.
4. She works with my brother.
5. Suma lives with her parents.
6. Madhu plays the piano very well.
7. He adores his children.
8. Rahul and Sonia run a business in the city.
9. All children love chocolates.
| 2019-04-19T07:22:45 |
https://www.englishpractice.com/children/simple-present-tense-exercise-5/
|
0.999999 |
Helis, February 21, 2000 - TUPUNGATO, Mendoza, Argentina - Army specialists worked Monday at the site of a 1947 plane crash high in the Andes Mountains, hoping to bring down pieces of the plane and remains of passengers missing for decades.
Investigators were racing to do as much recovery work as possible before an expected onslaught of bad weather at midweek on the 6659 m (21,848 feet) Tupungato volcano, said Maj. Alberto Quinones, an army spokesman.
Mountaineers stumbled upon the wreckage last month. Its disappearance had been one of the longest-running aviation mysteries in the Andes, the mountain range that was a virtual graveyard for planes during the first half of the century. Investigators now hope that a study of the wreckage will help solve the lingering mystery surrounding the cause of the disaster.
``An advance team of 12 men have gone up to mark the area where pieces of the plane were found,'' Quinones told The Associated Press.
Luis Estrella, an air force official on the team, said authorities were studying whether the plane flew into the face of the towering volcano during a snowstorm on Aug. 2, 1947.
Argentine Air force Lama helicopters took advantage of fair weather on Sunday to fly over a rocky field high on the volcano where the wreckage was found, Argentine news reports said. The air force had no immediate comment on the reports that at least one helicopter briefly landed in the wreckage field, about 5029 m (16,500 feet) up the volcano.
On Monday, army soldiers escorting journalists remained at Tres Quebradas, at 2048 m (8,100 feet), hoping to ascend Tuesday by mule to a base camp supplying investigators at the site.
The passengers included three Britons, a German woman, a Palestinian and a Swiss man.
Following the crash, search teams from England, Chile and Argentina searched the area by air and on skis but turned up nothing.
Theories abounded about the plane's disappearance. Some speculated it had been sabotaged to kill a British diplomatic messenger reportedly on board.
But many believed severe weather was the cause. Records indicate heavy snow fell for three days at the time the plane vanished, and aviation experts said the plane - a converted World War II Lancaster bomber - did not have deicing capabilities and was unfit to travel through frigid conditions.
The plane went undetected for more than five decades.
In January, five mountaineers climbing through ice fields atop Tupungato, just east of the Argentine-Chilean border, came across the remains of the four-engine plane.
Quinones said the remains of at least three passengers also had been spotted - their limbs preserved in year-round subfreezing temperatures atop Tupungato.
Authorities quickly arranged the recovery mission before the end of the Southern Hemisphere summer and the onset of harsh weather on Tupungato.
| 2019-04-19T11:23:10 |
https://www.helis.com/database/news/lama_andes/
|
0.999999 |
My question is about embedded questions.
2) Do you know what this is?
3) What do you think this is?
4) Do you think what this is?
Why does "what" in 3) come first unlike 2)?
And is 4) grammatically correct?
Why does "what" in 3) come first unlike 2)? Because the questions are different. The two questions may get the same answer, but strictly speaking they are different questions.
"What" comes first in 3) because the question is What? (do you think...).
In 2) the question is 'Do? (you know...).
In English questions, the question word or words almost always come first in the question sentence. If there are more than one question words, the main question word comes first. Consider the following two questions.
| 2019-04-25T15:53:47 |
https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/61918-do-you-think-vs-do-you-know
|
0.999826 |
I am working on a task. I need remote support to complete my task.
I'm a service professional. I can provide remote or local technical support.
| 2019-04-20T00:50:44 |
https://smartsociates.com/categories/remote-support
|
0.998688 |
Vinyl "LP" DVD | Ryan Popple, Clint Reynolds & Friends from Vinylbmx on Vimeo.
BSD 'Best of the City' from BSD on Vimeo.
Satoski & d/i/s/c/o/s part from "Dying Breed"
Satoski & d/i/s/c/o/s part from "Dying Breed" from satoski on Vimeo.
PERSPECTIVE 003 - JOE RICH from The Diggest on Vimeo.
Glory Hole 2013 with Full Frame Collective from WEREHAUS on Vimeo.
2013 from Riley Blakeway on Vimeo.
‘Left | Right' from Isle Skateboards on Vimeo.
Sundays Ep. 45 Red Bull Daily Grind from peter w. on Vimeo.
Little Devil 1st Warehouse Ramps from Little Devil Brand on Vimeo.
Masahito&Genki November 2013 from Kei Yanagisawa on Vimeo.
adidas Originals - The Return of the adidas Stan Smith 2014 from thegoodwillout.com on Vimeo.
Stowaway - A Day at the Trails from John Young on Vimeo.
KARL POYNTER - A RAINY DAY AT THE PARK FOR DECOBMX from DecoBMX on Vimeo.
BSD - Kriss Kyle - The Passenger from BSD on Vimeo.
Following Kyle from predatory bird on Vimeo.
BSD - David Grant - RAIDER from BSD on Vimeo.
We're On Our Way from PLACE Magazine on Vimeo.
OUT OF BOUNDS Chapter 1 - Daniel Peñafiel “Naran” from Vans Europe on Vimeo.
Bruno Hoffmann X Daniel Tünte X House Park Austin from Parano Garage on Vimeo.
Welcome to DK: Mike Varga from DK Bicycle Company on Vimeo.
Tony Cherry Fall 2013 from THE DAILY GRIND on Vimeo.
BSD 'In the streets of MOSCOW' from BSD on Vimeo.
Proper - Quest One - Mike Miller from IMG TV on Vimeo.
PUSH CONNECTION 2013 AW collection look movie from HIDELAB on Vimeo.
STOKE! ---- Yuma Watanabe Skate Footage, 2011 Part.2 スケボー from STOKE-SHOP.COM on Vimeo.
New Balance "The Second Narrows"
Lino Gonzalez 2013 from Animal Bikes on Vimeo.
Parisii / X from Live skateboard media on Vimeo.
Devon Smillie leftovers. from www.dans360.com on Vimeo.
Flourish BMX WebStore Opening Edit.
NikeSB X Poler: NYC to Iceland with Alex Olson from Poler Outdoor Stuff on Vimeo.
MArieJADE - Chut! - Acte Final, Lyon from MArieJADE on Vimeo.
Vans France Skate Tour Oregon, USA from Vans Europe on Vimeo.
Volume Bikes: Jason Enns Cerberus Frame Promo.
Volume Bikes: Jason Enns Cerberus Frame Promo. from 180 Distribution on Vimeo.
The 2014 Cooker Maxi from Charge Bikes on Vimeo.
MMXIII from Will Reyes on Vimeo.
Koichiro Uehara Mixtape from Magenta Skateboards on Vimeo.
Dan's Comp "ROLL CALL" Trailer from www.dans360.com on Vimeo.
Dev Jam 2013 from The Albion on Vimeo.
NorCal 2011 from WHARF MFG. CO. on Vimeo.
Dead city - Converse NYC from Desillusion Magazine on Vimeo.
Behind The Scenes Of Vans Trails Mission 2013 from Vans Europe on Vimeo.
HOSS'S HOUSE | EMPIRE BMX from Empire Bmx on Vimeo.
Red Bull Flatland BMX - Into the East from hehehe on Vimeo.
Element Wolfeboro Authentech - Spitsbergen, Norway from ELEMENT SKATEBOARDS on Vimeo.
Dan Conway and Joel Barnett at Louisville Skatepark from FITBIKECO. on Vimeo.
Nigel Sylvester feat. Bluetooth 2nd generation from Shock Time on Vimeo.
The Self Portrait Project. Fabiano Rodrigues from Desillusion Magazine on Vimeo.
Yuuma Minami September 2013 from Kei Yanagisawa on Vimeo.
Kevin Kalkoff - Je ne sais quoi from The Albion on Vimeo.
Garrett Reynolds Deadline video 2013 from BmxVidsSK on Vimeo.
"ANTILOOP" WORLD FIRST from ANTIPODES from Soul Bmx Magazine on Vimeo.
No-Brainer #6.5 from MoyacyRiders on Vimeo.
Antipodes - Sam Partaix dans une part' exclusive en Australie from Ride Sessions on Vimeo.
SOULPARKS THE BIRTH from SoulParks on Vimeo.
MARKIT ZERO PROMO from MARKITBMX on Vimeo.
Classics: Mike Vallely "Public Domain"
one day in the end of summer from david ltm on Vimeo.
KRZYSIEK POSKROBKO / Part from "Grey Area" Movie from Grey Area Video on Vimeo.
DANIJEL STANKOVIC / Part from "Grey Area" Movie from Grey Area Video on Vimeo.
Welcome Home from Steffen on Vimeo.
2013 Hokushinetsu Trails Tour from bamboo kyon on Vimeo.
Anthony Perrin welcome to Federal from BMX AVENUE on Vimeo.
BMX Dirt, Street, Park - Red Bull Dirt Conquers 2013 from Zopilot - Aerial Productions on Vimeo.
Kyle Davenport from Mutiny Bikes on Vimeo.
Vans Downtown Showdown 2013 Obstacles from Vans Europe on Vimeo.
The Giant Half Cab Tour edit from Vans Europe on Vimeo.
PARISII / XV from Live skateboard media on Vimeo.
VHSMAG : FEATURES "SHIN OKADA"
VANS - Waves Tour - Part II from Vans Europe on Vimeo.
PRIMO- THE BLAZERS from PRIMO on Vimeo.
VANS Kill the Line 2013 from Vans Europe on Vimeo.
Volume Bikes: Chijioke Okafo Summer Edit from 180 Distribution on Vimeo.
Ennui & Amor Presents: The Big O from Bing Liu on Vimeo.
"NOGEGON" Art&Film / artliveproduction © 2013.
PERSPECTIVE 002 - MIKE AITKEN from The Diggest on Vimeo.
ragojam 2013 from rago jam on Vimeo.
G-SHOCK BMX 2013 KEN MATSUMOTO from TeamZEN on Vimeo.
VANS - Waves Tour - Part I from Vans Europe on Vimeo.
Joe Gavin X Krek - Landscape Skateboards from Landscape Skateboards on Vimeo.
PRMYXFP Ole Kristiansen from Robin Helgesen on Vimeo.
Amandus Mortensen Volcom from Scanaction / Response on Vimeo.
Vans Legends in Paris from Vans Europe on Vimeo.
Sean Ricany in San Diego from Premium Products on Vimeo.
BSD x Nightrider - Lior Moshkovich from BSD on Vimeo.
| 2019-04-19T16:37:29 |
http://dirtnuts.blogspot.com/2013/
|
0.99589 |
A request is transmitted to a computer operated by an approver, to respond with approval or disapproval for an employee to work on a project, before a bid identifying that employee can be accepted. Requests for approval or disapproval are transmitted based on one or more employees identified in a bid, by looking up a database, to identify the approver of each employee. To facilitate the look up, each employee to be identified in a bid is required to have a profile in a set of profiles of employees in an organization. After responses of approval are received for employees identified in bids, those bids are transmitted to a computer operated by a project manager. Obtaining approval(s) before a bid can be accepted increases the likelihood of work being done in a timely manner, thus improving the functioning of a computer system that facilitates distribution of work.
1. A method to improve functioning of a computer system that distributes work, the method comprising: a set of computers preparing and transmitting to a server, a set of bids to perform work on a specific project selected from a set of projects identified in a database; wherein each bid in the set of bids comprises an identifier of an employee having a profile in the database such that a plurality of first skills identified in the specific project match a plurality of second skills identified in the profile; the set of computers or the server identifying by use of the database, an approver of the employee identified in said each bid; the set of computers or the server transmitting to a first computer operated by the approver of the employee identified in said each bid, a request to respond with approval or disapproval for said employee to bid on the specific project; for any bids in the set of bids for which an approval is received by the set of computers or the server, the server transmitting said any bids to a second computer from which the specific project is received; the server receiving from the second computer, a decision accepting a specific bid, based on selection thereof by user input from among said any bids; and the server transmitting to the set of computers, the decision accepting the specific bid.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: the second computer receiving directly or indirectly from a third computer operated by an organizational head identified in a hierarchical chart in the database, a first number of points assignable to one or more projects; and the second computer transmitting to the server, a second number of points assigned to the specific project, the second number of points being selected to be less than or equal to the first number of points; each computer in the set of computers transmitting to the server, a third number of points associated with each bid, the third number of points being selected to be less than or equal to the second number of points; and prior to receipt of the decision accepting the specific bid, the server transmitting to the second computer, one or more third number of points in association with said one or more bids.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising: the server receiving from the second computer, an indication of acceptance of work product of the specific project; the server transmitting a fourth number of points to a computer operated by the employee identified in the specific bid and a fifth number of points to the first computer operated by the approver of the employee; wherein a total of the fourth numbers of points and the fifth numbers of points is equal to the third number of points associated with the specific bid; and wherein each fifth number is a fixed percentage of the fourth number.
4. The method of claim 2 further comprising: the server receiving from computers operated by employees, a plurality of work products, descriptions of the work products, and numbers of points associated thereto; the server transmitting to a plurality of computers, the descriptions and the numbers of points associated thereto; the server transmitting to a specific computer in the plurality of computers, a work product on request thereof and the server transmitting the number of points associated with the work product to a computer operated by the employee from which the work product is received.
5. The method of claim 2 further comprising: prior to receipt of the decision accepting the specific bid, the server transmitting to the second computer, one or more ranks in association with said one or more bids; wherein each rank is obtained by sorting in descending order, total scores of employees having the plurality of second skills matching the plurality of first skills identified in the specific project; wherein the total score of each employee is computed based on a plurality of skill-level scores of said each employee corresponding to the plurality of second skills; wherein each skill-level score of said each employee for a second skill is computed based on a plurality of sub-scores on a plurality of parameters associated with the second skill; and wherein each sub-score on a parameter associated with the second skill is obtained by executing a logic associated with the parameter.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein: each computer in the set of computers is a mobile device.
7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions that when executed cause one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising: a set of computers preparing and transmitting to a server, a set of bids to perform work on a specific project selected from a set of projects identified in a database; wherein each bid in the set of bids comprises an identifier of an employee having a profile in the database such that a plurality of first skills identified in the specific project match a plurality of second skills identified in the profile; the set of computers or the server identifying by use of the database, an approver of the employee identified in said each bid; the set of computers or the server transmitting to a first computer operated by the approver of the employee identified in said each bid, a request to respond with approval or disapproval for said employee to bid on the specific project; for any bids in the set of bids for which an approval is received by the set of computers or the server, the server transmitting said any bids to a second computer from which the specific project is received; and the server receiving from the second computer, a decision accepting a specific bid, based on selection thereof by user input from among said any bids; and the server transmitting to the set of computers, the decision accepting the specific bid.
8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 7 wherein the method further comprises: the second computer receiving directly or indirectly from a third computer operated by an organizational head identified in a hierarchical chart in the database, a first number of points assignable to one or more projects; and the second computer transmitting to the server, a second number of points assigned to the specific project, the second number of points being selected to be less than or equal to the first number of points; each computer in the set of computers transmitting to the server, a third number of points associated with each bid, the third number of points being selected to be less than or equal to the second number of points; and prior to receipt of the decision accepting the specific bid, the server transmitting to the second computer, one or more third number of points in association with said one or more bids.
9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises: the server receiving from the second computer, an indication of acceptance of work product of the specific project; the server transmitting a fourth number of points to a computer operated by the employee identified in the specific bid and a fifth number of points to the first computer operated by the approver of the employee; wherein a total of the fourth numbers of points and the fifth numbers of points is equal to the third number of points associated with the specific bid; and wherein each fifth number is a fixed percentage of the fourth number.
10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises: the server receiving from computers operated by employees, a plurality of work products, descriptions of the work products, and numbers of points associated thereto; the server transmitting to a plurality of computers, the descriptions and the numbers of points associated thereto; the server transmitting to a specific computer in the plurality of computers, a work product on request thereof and the server transmitting the number of points associated with the work product to a computer operated by the employee from which the work product is received.
11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises: prior to receipt of the decision accepting the specific bid, the server transmitting to the second computer, one or more ranks in association with said one or more bids; wherein each rank is obtained by sorting in descending order, total scores of employees having the plurality of second skills matching the plurality of first skills identified in the specific project; wherein the total score of each employee is computed based on a plurality of skill-level scores of said each employee corresponding to the plurality of second skills; wherein each skill-level score of said each employee for a second skill is computed based on a plurality of sub-scores on a plurality of parameters associated with the second skill; and wherein each sub-score on a parameter associated with the second skill is obtained by executing a logic associated with the parameter.
12. A system comprising one or more processors coupled to one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, wherein the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprise a plurality of instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to perform a method, the system being configured to: prepare and transmit a set of bids to perform work on a specific project selected from a set of projects identified in a database; wherein each bid in the set of bids comprises an identifier of an employee having a profile in the database such that a plurality of first skills identified in the specific project match a plurality of second skills identified in the profile; identify by use of the database, an approver of the employee identified in said each bid; transmit to a first computer operated by the approver of the employee identified in said each bid, a request to respond with approval or disapproval for said employee to bid on the specific project; for any bids in the set of bids for which an approval is received, transmit said any bids to a second computer from which the specific project is received; receive from the second computer, a decision accepting a specific bid, based on selection thereof by user input from among said any bids; and transmit the decision accepting the specific bid.
This patent application claims priority under 35 USC §119 from U.S. Provisional Application 62/028,269 entitled "FUNCTIONING OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT FACILITATES DISTRIBUTION OF WORK" filed on Jul. 23, 2014 by Ravi R. Rathod, Akshoy Upadhyay, Victor A. Saberi, Vanita R. Rathod, and Adam L. Heller which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
This patent application relates to improvements in the functioning of a computer system that facilitates distribution of work.
Computer systems that facilitate distribution of work are well known in the art. For example, a website www.elance.com acts as a virtual marketplace where employers post jobs. Freelancers bid on the jobs posted by employers. Employers can review bids as well as each bidder's star rating, which is earned based on delivery of high quality work and buyer satisfaction on past jobs. Thus a computer system which hosts this website facilitates distribution of work, from employers to freelancers.
One issue with such a prior art computer system is that at the time the work is being distributed, an employer does not know the workload of each bidder. Specifically, the inventors of the current patent application note that there appears to be no mechanism in such a prior art computer system, to prevent a bidder from bidding on and accepting too many jobs, become overcommitted, and fail to deliver quality work in a timely manner. In such a situation, the current inventors note that it would have been better for the employer to have picked a bidder with a lower workload even if their bid is higher, but the prior art computer system does not appear to provide visibility to the employer into each bidder's workload.
A webpage on the Internet, at libraryclips.blogsome.com believed to be published on Oct. 3, 2011 mentioned that a freelancer can work in-house within an organization as a contractor, and manage their own benefits plan and taxes. According to this article, freelancing within the organization has a social aspect, which enables people to connect to one another.
Hence, there appears to be a need for improvements in the functioning of a computer system that facilitates distribution of work, as described below.
Several described embodiments improve the functioning of a computer system that facilitates distribution of work, by use of one or more of the following: obtaining approval to bid prior to bidding, use of points to motivate employees, and ranking of employees specifically for a project (based on skills required in the project).
Some embodiments transmit a request for approval or disapproval of an employee to work on a project, before a bid for the project identifying that employee can be accepted. The request is transmitted to a computer operated by a person ("bidding approver") who has authority to provide an approval for the employee to bid. In some embodiments, the bidding approver may be any person to whom the employee directly reports, such as a departmental manager, identified in a hierarchical chart of the organization. Some embodiments enable a bidding approver to delegate approval authority to a colleague of the employee, e.g. a person at a higher position than the employee in the organizational chart (such as a team leader), or to delegate approval authority any other colleague having knowledge of employee's workload. In several embodiments, the bidding approver is expressly identified in a database as having authority to provide approval of a specific employee to bid on projects, while other embodiments default to using each employee's departmental manager in the hierarchical chart in the database as the bidding approver.
Accordingly, one or more requests for approval or disapproval are transmitted for a bid, based on one or more employees identified in the bid, either by a computer from which the bid originates, or alternatively by a server that receives the bid, depending on the embodiment. In several embodiments, a set of computers originating bids or the server look up database (e.g. a hierarchical chart therein), to identify an employee's bidding approver (also called simply "approver"). Some embodiments require that each employee identified in a bid have a position in the hierarchical chart of the organization, so that the employee's approver can be identified by looking up the chart. To ensure bids are acceptable, some embodiments require that skills identified as being required in a specific project match skills identified in one or more profiles as being possessed by one or more employees included in a bid for that specific project.
After responses of approval are received from computers of bidding approvers of one or more employee(s) identified in a specific bid, that specific bid is transmitted to a computer operated by a project manager that created the project (identified in the specific bid). Obtaining approval(s) for employees to participate in a bid, before the bid can be accepted eliminates or minimizes the likelihood of an employee being unable to deliver work in a timely manner, which thereby improves the functioning of a computer system that facilitates distribution of work.
Certain embodiments use points that are convertible into currency and/or redeemable into benefits such as paid time off and/or flex spending, and/or gifts coupons, to motivate employees to work on projects, thereby to improve the functioning of a computer system that facilitates distribution of work. In several embodiments, a computer operated by an organizational head identified in a database (e.g. in a hierarchical chart) as being higher than a project manager transmits to the computer operated by the project manager, a number of points ("first number" or "budget points") that are assignable by the project manager to one or more projects. Then, the computer operated by the project manager transmits to the server, another number of points ("second number", or "project points") as being assigned to the specific project, the second number being less than or equal to the first number. During the bidding process, each computer in the set of computers transmits to the server, in association with each bid, yet another number of points ("third number" or "bid points"), which are selected to be less than or equal to the second number (or project points). The server then transmits to the computer operated by the project manager, one or more third number or bid points in association with one or more bids, prior to receipt of a decision accepting a specific bid.
Subsequently, when the server receives from the computer operated by the project manager, an indication of acceptance of work product of a specific project, the server transmits one or more fourth numbers of points ("earned points") to one or more computers of one or more employees identified in the bid and transmits one or more fifth numbers of points ("management points") to one or more computers of approvers of the bidding employee(s) and/or to one or more computers of departmental managers to whom the bidding employee(s) directly report. Management points are allocated to bidding approvers in some embodiments, or alternatively allocated to departmental managers who may or may not be bidding approvers in other embodiments, or shared as per a fixed ratio or formula between bidding approvers and departmental managers in still other embodiments. A total of the fourth number(s) or earned points, and the fifth number(s) or management points that are being transmitted at this stage, is equal to the third number or bid points associated with the specific bid. Each fifth number or management points is determined by a fixed formula or ratio based on at least a fourth number or earned points (e.g. management points may be a predetermined fraction of earned points being awarded, such as one-third or 1/3).
In several embodiments, a server of the type described above also enables employees to earn points in exchange for work product not specified in any project, as follows. Specifically, the server receives from the computers of employees, work products created by the employees, and points associated thereto. Subsequently, on receiving a request for a specific work product (e.g. from a computer operated by a project manager), the server transmits the requested work product to the computer from which the request is received. Then, the server transmits points associated with the work product, to one or more computer(s) of one or more employee(s) that created the work product, and to computers of one or more manager(s) of the one or more employee(s), e.g. as per the above-described fixed formula. The server subtracts the points associated with the work product from a number of points of the person that received the specific work product. For example, depending on the role of the person that received the work product, the server reduces budget points if the person is a project manager, reduces earned points if the person is an employee, or reduces management points if the person is a manager, by the points associated with the work product.
Several embodiments rank one or more employee(s) identified in a bid for a specific project, based on depth of competence of the one or more employee(s) in one or more skills necessary to perform the specific project, when the bid is transmitted to a computer operated by a project manager that created the specific project (identified in the bid). Ranking employees that bid on a specific project, in descending order based on the depth of their competence, in one or more skills which are required by the specific project, eliminates or minimizes the likelihood of a bid by the employee having superficial competence in the skills necessary to perform a project being accepted, relative to another bid by another employee of deeper competence, thereby improving the functioning of a computer system that facilitates distribution of work. In some embodiments, the depth of competence in a skill is determined by logic based on the level of one or more formal credentials, such as degree of education (e.g. B.S., M.S., or PhD), and additionally based on points earned on projects and/or points earned by exchanging work product unrelated to projects. Specifically, earned points that are allocated to an employee for their work product (e.g. on a specific project or not specified in any project) as described above, are subdivided by a person that receives the work product, across one or more skills of the employee(s), e.g. in a distribution that is transmitted to the server by a computer operated by a project manager with an indication of acceptance of the work product in a project. Therefore, earned points improve the ranking of specific employee(s) in specific skills, which in turn improves the likelihood of acceptance of new bids of the specific employee(s) on new projects requiring those specific skills, in a virtuous circle that results in synergy.
It is to be understood that several other aspects of the described embodiments will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description herein, wherein it is shown and described various aspects by way of illustration. The drawings and detailed description below are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
FIG. 1A shows, in a data flow diagram, a server 200 that facilitates distribution of work, by transmitting a request 132A to a computer 130A operated by an approver (such as a departmental manager or team leader) of an employee identified in a bid, before the bid can be accepted by a project manager, in some illustrative embodiments.
FIGS. 1B and 1C show, in alternative data flow diagrams that are similar to FIG. 1A, computer 120A operated by an employee transmitting request 132A to computer 130A operated by the approver, before server 200 submits a bid identifying the employee to computer 110 of a project manager, in some illustrative embodiments.
FIG. 2 illustrates, in a flow chart, acts performed by an auctionplace component 210A of a work distributor 210 in one or more computers 200 by use of one or more processors programmed with a sequence of instructions of software stored in one or more memories, to implement an improved work distributor, in exemplary embodiments in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates, in another flow chart, acts performed by a marketplace component 210I of work distributor 210 in computer(s) 200 of FIG. 2 to facilitate exchange of work product between employees and product managers, in certain embodiments.
FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate, in flow charts, acts performed by a points component 210N of work distributor 210 in computer(s) 200 of FIG. 2 to facilitate distribution and earning of points by project managers and employees respectively, in certain embodiments.
FIG. 5 illustrates, in a flow chart, acts performed by a project-specific ranking component 210Z of work distributor 210 in the computer(s) 200 of FIG. 2 to facilitate ranking of employees for each specific project, in certain embodiments.
FIGS. 6A-6D illustrate screens generated by one or more computers 200 in performing acts of the type described herein. FIG. 6E illustrates in a screen, receipt of work product by computer 120A, via user input from employee 121A in certain embodiments.
FIG. 7A illustrates, in a block diagram, hardware portions of one or more computers 200 programmed with software portions of the type illustrated in FIG. 7B or 7C to perform one or more acts illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5 in some embodiments.
FIGS. 7B and 7C illustrate, in block diagrams of alternative embodiments, one or more computers 200 of the type shown in FIG. 7A programmed with software to perform one or more acts illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5 with an employee ranking component that is either internal to or external to work distributor 210.
Several embodiments of a computer system 100 use points to compensate employees for working on projects. In several such embodiments, a computer 101 operated by an organizational head 102 (FIG. 1A), who is identified in a hierarchical chart 106 of an organization as being higher than project managers 111A, 111B transmits to a specific computer 110A operated by a specific project manager 111A, a number of points ("first number" or "budget points") that are assignable by that project manager 111A. A specific manner by which organizational head 102 comes up with the number of points that are assignable is different in different embodiments.
In certain embodiments, organizational head 102 reviews a budget 103 and manually determines a dollar amount to be converted into a total number of points, e.g. as a percentage of the budget to pay for projects by project managers 111A and 111B. The points are obtained based from the dollar amount by use of a conversion formula, as illustrated in FIG. 4A. Thereafter, organizational head 102 distributes the total number of points by subdivision among various project managers 111A and 111B, in a distribution 105 that is transmitted by computer 101 to server computer 200. Thus, server computer 200 transmits to computer 110A operated by project manager 111A, the budget points 112A as being assignable by project manager 111A to one or more projects, which the project manager 111A may specify. Thereafter, project manager 111A specifies a project, by providing user input through a screen of a graphical user interface (GUI) (e.g. as shown in FIG. 6A) including one or more of the following: a description of work to be done, points that can be earned on completion of the project, skills required to complete the project, and a due date. Accordingly, computer 110A of project manager 111A transmits a project 113A to server computer 200, including a second number of points ("project points") assigned to the specific project 113A, the project points being less than or equal to the budget points assignable by that project manager 111A.
To earn points of the type described above, employees 121A . . . 121I . . . 121N of an organization need to register with server computer 200, e.g. by submitting individual profiles 122 to server computer 200. For example, a computer 120A transmits to server computer 200, a profile 122A of an employee 121A, which may include skills possessed by employee 121A, availability of employee 121A, formal credentials of employee 121A, identification of previous projects etc. One or more of the just-described profiles 122 may be included in bids 125 to perform projects 113 which are posted by project managers 111A, 111B as described above. For example, computer 120A of employee 121A receives a listing of one or more projects 113 (e.g. as shown in FIG. 6B). Employee 121A may create a bid, e.g. by clicking in any row of the right-most column in FIG. 6B, followed by providing user input on the number of bid points (e.g. as shown in FIG. 6C, including an optional comment to the project manager). Computer 120A of employee 121A submits (e.g. in response to employee 121A clicking on the "Submit Bid" button in FIG. 6C) a bid 125A to server computer 200. Thus, computer 120A transmits to server 200, in association with bid 125A for the specific project 113A, a third number of points ("bid points"), which are selected by employee 121A to be less than or equal to the project points assigned to the specific project 113A. In this manner, server 200 receives one or more bids 125 on a specific project 113A.
After receipt of a bid 125A, several embodiments of a server 200 improves the functioning of a computer system 100 that facilitates distribution of work, by transmitting a request 132A to a computer 130A operated by an approver 131A, to respond with approval or disapproval for an employee 121A (whose approval authority is with approver 131A) to work on the specific project 113A (for which bid 125A has been made). Thus, request 132A is transmitted before the specific bid 125A identifying that employee 121A is transmitted to computer 110A of project manager 111A, i.e. before bid 125A can be accepted. One or more requests 132A for approval or disapproval are transmitted by server computer 200 for a bid 125A, based on one or more employees 121A . . . 121I . . . 121N identified in the bid 125A. Note that although it is server computer 200 that transmits request(s) 132A in some embodiments, in alternative embodiments such requests 132A are transmitted by a computer 120A from which bid 125A originates, as illustrated in FIGS. 1B and 1C.
In several embodiments, either a set of computers 120A . . . 120I that originate bids 125 or alternatively server computer 200 look up a database 104 (e.g. a hierarchical chart 106 of the organization), to identify an approver for each employee 120I identified in bids 125. To facilitate the look up, some embodiments require that an employee 120I identified in a bid 125A have a profile 122I in a set of profiles 122 (see links 129 in FIG. 1A) of employees in an organization. Depending on the embodiment, bid 125I typically identifies employee 120I that submits bid 125I and may optionally identify a team of one or more other employees 120A . . . 120J . . . 120N as providing support to employee 120I. To ensure bids 125 are acceptable, some embodiments require that all skills identified as being required in a specific project 113A (e.g. primary skill English and secondary skill Java) match the skills that are identified in one or more profiles 122I (e.g. English and Java) as being possessed by employees 120I identified in each bid 125I.
Requests for approval or disapproval are received and displayed by computers 130A, 130B of approvers 131A, 131B (any person identified as having approval authority, e.g. departmental managers) of employees 121I . . . 121J identified in a bid 125I, and responses received via user input are then transmitted by computers 130A, 130B either to server computer 200 as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1C or to the computer 120A from which bid 125A originated (and which sent the request). When one or more responses 133 from one or more computers 130A, 130B for participation by one or more employees 121I . . . 121J in a bid 125I is/are approvals, that particular bid 125I is transmitted to computer 110A operated by project manager 111A that created the project 113A identified in bid 1251.
Thus, multiple bids 125 for a project 113A, after receipt of approval to bid of employees identified therein, are transmitted by server computer 200 to computer 110A of project manager 111A. Thus computer 110A displays multiple bids (e.g. two bids as illustrated by two rows shown in FIG. 6D) to project manager 111A. In some embodiments, each bid identifies a rank of the employee submitting the bid ("bidder") for the specific project, as illustrated in FIG. 6D. Obtaining approval(s) 133 from approver(s) 131A, 131B as described above, before a bid 125I can be accepted, eliminates or minimizes the likelihood of an approved employee 121I being unable to deliver work in a timely manner, and in this manner improves the functioning of a computer system 100 that facilitates distribution of work in an organization.
Project manager 111A views bids 125 and ranks of bidding employees for a specific project 113A followed by indicating a decision to accept one specific bid 125A for the specific project 113A, selected from among the multiple bids 125A. Accordingly, computer 110A of project manager 111A transmits to server computer 200 a decision 115A, which is thereafter transmitted by server computer 200 to one or more computers 120A . . . 120I . . . 120N.
Employees 121I . . . 121J who are identified in the specific bid 125A which is accepted then work on project 113A, generating work product 127A which is submitted to computer 110A of project manager 111A either directly or via server 200. Project manager 111A views work product 127A, followed by providing an indication 117A of acceptance of the work product 127A for the specific project 113A. Accordingly, computer 110A of project manager 111A transmits indication 117A of acceptance of work product of a specific project 113A to server computer 200.
When server computer 200 receives from computer 110A operated by project manager 111A, indication 117A, the server computer 200 transmits fourth numbers of points to the computers 120I . . . 120J of the specific employees 121I . . . 121J identified in the accepted bid 125I. In addition, server computer 200 of some embodiments also transmits fifth numbers of points to computers 130A, 130B of the employees' departmental managers 131A, 131B. A total of the fourth numbers of points and the fifth numbers of points is equal to the third number of points associated with the specific bid 125I, and each fifth number is a fixed percentage of a fourth number.
In some embodiments, the fourth numbers of points allocated to one or more employees 121I . . . 121J are subdivided on a skill-by-skill basis, based on a distribution 128A that is optionally transmitted for ranking purposes, with acceptance indication 117A to server computer 200 by computer 110A operated by the project manager 111A. In alternative embodiments, no distribution is transmitted to server computer 200 by computer 110A with the acceptance indication 117A, and instead the distribution is predetermined as a fixed percentage, e.g. 75% of the fourth points are allocated to a skill (e.g. English) identified as being primary, and 25% of the fourth points are allocated to another skill (e.g. Java) identified as being secondary, both skills required in the project (e.g. see FIG. 6A).
In several embodiments, a server 200 of the type described above also enables employees 121A . . . 121I . . . 121N to earn points in exchange for work product not specified in a project, as follows. Specifically, the server 200 receives from the computers 120A . . . 120I . . . 120N of employees 121A . . . 121I . . . 121N, work products created by the employees 121A . . . 121I . . . 121N, and points associated thereto. Subsequently, on receiving a request for a specific work product, e.g. from a computer 110A operated by a project manager 111A, the server 200 transmits the requested work product (to the requesting computer). Then, the server 200 transmits points associated with the work product, to computers 120A . . . 120I . . . 120N of employees 121A . . . 121I . . . 121N that created the work product and to computers 130A, 130B of departmental managers 131A, 131B of the employees 121A . . . 121I . . . 121N. Finally, server 200 reduces the points associated with the work product from the number of points assignable by the project manager 111A ("first number").
The above-described operations of server computer 200 of some embodiments are performed by a work distributor 210 which is programmed to perform acts 211-222 of a method illustrated in FIG. 2 and/or acts 311-315 of another method illustrated in FIG. 3, as follows. Work distributor 210 is programmed as per act 211 (FIG. 2) to receive, store and publish a set of profiles of employees (each profile including employee's name & skills) In act 211, each profile of an employee is stored in database 104, e.g. via a relational database management system (RDBMS), such as Oracle Database 11gR2, and the stored profiles are thereafter published e.g. by creation of a webpage for each profile and transmission of the webpage to a user (e.g. computers 110A, 120A . . . 120N or 130A . . . 130B). Moreover, work distributor 210 is programmed as per act 212, to receive, store and publish a set of projects (each project including description of work, skills, points assigned thereto). After one or more profiles are received in act 211, and after one or more projects are received in act 212, work distributor 210 performs an act 213 to receive, store and publish a set of one or more bids to perform work on a specific project (each project including description of work, skills, points assigned thereto).
After receipt of a bid in act 213, in an act 215, work distributor 210 of server 200 uses a database 104 to identify an approver (e.g. hierarchical chart 106 of the organization to identify a departmental manager) of one or more employee(s) named in one or more profile(s) identified in each bid, and transmits a request for approval or disapproval of the employee(s) to bid on the specific project. Hierarchical chart 106 may be implemented, for example, as a table in database 104, with at least two columns as follows: employee, approver. Then, in an act 216, work distributor 210 receives and stores responses of approvers, indicating approval or disapproval of each employee to bid on the specific project. Subsequently, in an act 217 that is performed periodically (or that may be event driven in alternative embodiments), work distributor 210 checks if there are any bids ("approved bids") whose employees are approved to bid by their approvers, and if the answer is no, returns to act 216 (described above). If the answer is yes in act 217, work distributor 210 performs an act 218, to rank one or more employees having the skills specified in a specific project, and then transmits the approved bids (including the third number of points) and rank(s) of one or more employees identified in the approved bids, to the computer of the project manager. Act 218 is typically performed multiple times for a specific project, e.g. as and when bids are approved, i.e. bidding employees approved by respective approvers. In this manner, multiple bids 125A for a project 113A, after receipt of approvals of employees identified therein, are transmitted by server computer 200 to computer 110A of the project manager 111A that generated project 113A.
Subsequently, in an act 219, work distributor 210 of server 200 receives a decision 115A accepting a specific bid, from computer 110A of the project manager 111A that generated project 113A, and publishes the decision to one or more computers 120A . . . 120I . . . 120N. Thereafter, in an act 219, work distributor 210 receives an indication 117A of completion from computer 110A of the project manager 111A that generated project 113A. In certain embodiments, in an optional act 221, work distributor 210 also receives, for use as a value of a parameter in ranking, a skill-by-skill distribution 128A of earned points, from computer 110A of the project manager 111A that generated project 113A. In response to the indication 117A, in an act 222, work distributor 210 transmit fourth points to computers of one or more employees named in the specific bid and fifth points to computers of approvers and/or departmental managers of the named employees, as described above in reference to FIG. 1A. Thereafter, in an act 223, work distributor 210 reduces the assignable points of the project manager 111A that generated project 113A, by subtracting therefrom the third points which were transmitted in act 221 (as the sum of fourth points and fifth points).
Work distributor 210 of server 200 is programmed as per act 311 (FIG. 3) to receive and store work products of employees and associated thereto a number of points for which the work products are to be exchanged. Additionally, in act 311, work distributor 210 of some embodiments receives and publishes a description of each work product. Thereafter, work distributor 210 receives in act 312, a request for a specific work product followed by act 313 of transmitting the requested work product to the computer that sent the request (e.g. computer 110A of the project manager 111A). In addition, in some embodiments, in an optional act 314, work distributor 210 also receives a skill-by-skill distribution 128A of earned points for use in ranking, from the computer that received the requested work product (e.g. computer 110A of the project manager 111A). Then, in act 315, work distributor 210 transmits points to computers of all employees that created the work product, and optionally to computers of departmental managers of said all employees, e.g. as noted above. Thereafter, in an act 316, work distributor 210 reduces the points of whoever requested the work product (e.g. project manager 111A), by the number of points which were transmitted in act 314.
Work distributor 210 of server 200 is programmed as per act 411 (FIG. 4A) to prepare and transmit a screen in a user interface to a computer, e.g. computer 101 of an organizational head 102, and to receive via the screen (from computer 101) user input on a specific formula to be used to convert dollars into points and vice versa. For example, the formula may be 10×, whereby each dollar is convertible into 10 points and vice versa. Next, in act 412, work distributor 210 stores the formula in a database 104. Thereafter, work distributor 210 receives in act 413 (e.g. from computer 101), a request for a specific amount of dollars to be converted into points. Then, in act 414, work distributor 210 responds by retrieving the formula from the database 104, and then applies the specific amount as input to the formula to obtain points as output thereof. Then, in act 415, work distributor 210 transmits the points to the computer from which the request was received, e.g. computer 101.
In some embodiments, instead of organization head 102 distributing budget points to project managers 111A, 111B, organization head 102 distributes budget points to employees that are his/her direct reports in an hierarchical chart of the organization, e.g. VPs who may then distribute the budget points to their own direct reports, e.g. directors. In such embodiments, project managers 111A, 111B submit requests for budget points to their superiors in the hierarchical chart of the organization, as follows. Specifically, work distributor 210 of server 200 is programmed as illustrated in FIG. 4B to receive a request identifying a number of budget points ("requested budget points") from a computer of a person ("requester") that has work to be done, e.g. computer 110A of the project manager 111A. Then, in act 422, work distributor 210 responds by looking up a database 104 to identify e.g. in the hierarchical chart of the organization (also called "org chart"), a superior of the requester who currently has a number budget points that exceed the requested budget points (identified in the request). Next, in act 423, work distributor 210 transmits a request to a computer operated by the identified superior (e.g. a director or VP). Subsequently, in act 424, work distributor 210 receives budget points from the identified superior's computer. In response to receipt of the budget points, in an act 425, work distributor 210 transmits the budget points to a computer from which the request was received, e.g. computer 110A of the project manager 111A. Then, in an act 426, work distributor 210 reduces the budget points currently assigned to the identified superior, by the budget points transmitted in act 425 e.g. to computer 110A of the project manager 111A.
Work distributor 210 of server 200 is programmed in some embodiments to compute a rank of an employee for a specific project, based on depth of competence of the employee in one or more skills necessary to perform the specific project, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Specifically, in an act 511, work distributor 210 receives and stores in a database 104, skills K1 . . . KI . . . KZ that are to be used in profiles of employees, and in projects submitted by project managers. Examples of skills K1-KZ that are received in act 511 are: Java, C++, SQL, Oracle RDBMS, English. Thereafter, in an act 512, for each skill identified in act 511, work distributor 210 receives and stores (a) names of parameters P1 . . . Px . . . Pn, and (b) logic to compute a sub-score to be used in preparing a score for a specific skill For example, some embodiments sum up sub-scores s1 . . . sx . . . sn across all parameters P1-Pn, to obtain a skill-level score SI, wherein SI=s1 . . . +sx . . . +sn. Skill-level scores S1 . . . SI . . . SZ on corresponding skills K1 . . . KI . . . KZ identified in a project are combined (e.g. as a weighted average, using weights W1 . . . WI . . . WZ) to obtain a total score T of the employee for a given project (as T=S1W1 . . . + . . . +SIWI . . . . + . . . +SZWZ). The total score of each employee bidding on the given project is then used to rank employees in descending order, for the given project.
Examples of names of parameters P1-Pn are: (1) Certification, (2) Education, (3) Contest, (4) Projects, (5) Experience, (6) Management Rating, (7) Job Title, (8) Awards, (9) University, (10) Books & Papers, (11) Points earned by exchanging Work Product, as identified in a skill-by-skill distribution 128A, (12) Points earned by completing Projects, also identified in a skill-by-skill distribution 128A, and (13) location of the employee and the project manager close to one another, e.g. in the same city ("geo-location"). One example of logic to compute a sub-score uses if-then conditions, based on the level of a qualification of the employee in the specific skill, as per the named parameter, whereas another example of such logic uses one or more formulas and/or look up tables.
For example, specific to the parameter named "Education", a logic to determine sub-score based on if-then conditions assigns a sub-score of 15 for a PhD degree, a sub-score of 10 for MS degree, and a sub-score of 5 for BS degree, when the just-described degree includes a course identifying the specific skill Thus, when the specific skill is Java, an employee that has taken a Java course leading to an MS degree receives a sub-score of 10 based on the Education parameter. The just-described logic may optionally identify a formula to use in computing the sub-score. In some embodiments of the example, the formula requires an if-then assigned sub-score ("raw sub-score") to be divided by a tier-rating of a university at which the course identifying the specific skill is taken by the employee. Hence, when the Java course is taken at a second tier university, the sub-score is 10/2 wherein 10 is a raw sub-score for the MS degree as described above, and 2 is a tier-rating of the university (e.g. San Jose State University).
In another example, for a parameter named "Contest", a logic to determine a sub-score which is received in act 512 assigns a sub-score of 10 if the employee is a winner in a national contest, and a sub-score of 6 if the employee is a winner in a state contest, and a sub-score of 2 if the employee is a winner in a local contest. In this manner, a different logic is received, via user input, in act 512, for each named parameter. The received logic may use sub-scores that are normalized relative to one another, e.g. a common upper limit score of 10 may be used for each parameter in some embodiments ("normalized embodiments"), whereas other embodiments of such logic do not normalize sub-scores.
Subsequently, in an act 513 which is similar or identical to act 212 described above, work distributor 210 receives a project including skills identified therein, and optionally receives a weight for each skill In some embodiments, no weight is received in act 513 and instead the weight is predetermined as a fixed percentage, e.g. 75% weight allocated to a skill (e.g. English) identified as being primary, and 25% weight allocated to another skill (e.g. Java) identified as being secondary, both skills required in the project (e.g. see FIG. 6A). Next, work distributor 210 repeatedly performs an act 514 for each skill in the project. In act 514, for a given skill in the project, for each employee in the organization that has the given skill, work distributor 210 retrieves and executes the logic to determine the sub-score of the employee on each parameter, and then sums up the sub-scores over all the parameters to obtain a score of the employee for the given skill (also called "skill-level score"). Then, in an act 515, work distributor 210 uses a weight of each skill in a project to compute a weighted average to obtain a total score of each employee for the project, and then sorts employees by descending order of their total scores, to obtain a ranked list of employees for the project. The positions of employees who are bidding on a specific project are identified from this ranked list to obtain ranks, and ranks are transmitted with the bids, in an act 516, to computer 110A for display to the project manager 111A, e.g. as illustrated in FIG. 6D.
In the example of FIG. 6D, the first row shows that an employee named "John Doe" is ranked 5 in the organization, among all employees who are skilled in English and Java. Similarly, the second row shows that an employee named "Tim Wilson" is ranked 9 in the organization. In the just-described example, other employees in the organization who are skilled in English and Java, and have the ranks 1-4 and the ranks 6-8 are not participating in any bids for this project (e.g. because they were not approved to bid, or because they are too busy with normal work or on vacation), and hence not shown in FIG. 6D.
Database 104 of some embodiments is implemented as a relational database which is accessible by executing software of a relational database management system (RDBMS), such as Oracle 11gR2 available from Oracle Corporation of Redwood Shores, California. In some embodiments, computer(s) 101, 110A, 120A . . . 120I . . . 120N, 130A, 130B used by employee(s) in an organization are mobile devices, such as smartphones, and/or other electronic devices that can receive user input and provide a display, such as a watch.
Moreover, the act(s) illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5 may be used to program one or more computer(s) 200 each of which may be implemented as illustrated in FIG. 7A and discussed below. Thus, depending on the embodiment, computer(s) 101, 110A, 120A . . . 120I . . . 120N, 130A, 130B used by employee(s) in an organization and/or computer(s) 200 used as a server may be programmed to perform one or more or all of acts illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5 in whole or in part, and in any combination with one or more hardware components described in reference to computer(s) 200 below.
In some embodiments, computer(s) 200 includes a bus 1102 (FIG. 7A) or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and one or more processor(s) 1105 coupled with bus 1102 for processing information. Computer(s) 200 uses (as the above-described memory) a main memory 1106, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus 1102 for storing information and instructions (e.g. to perform act(s) of FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5) to be executed by processor(s) 1105.
Main memory 1106 (FIG. 7A) also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions (e.g. in components 201A . . . 210I . . . 210N . . . 210Z illustrated in FIGS. 7B and 7C) by processor 1105. Computer(s) 200 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 1104 or other static storage device coupled to bus 1102 for storing static information and instructions for processor 1105, such as software in the form of a browser. A storage device 1110, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus 1102 for storing information and instructions.
Computer(s) 200 (FIG. 7A) may be coupled via bus 1102 to a display device or video monitor 1112 such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD), for displaying information (e.g. via a browser) to a computer user (e.g. user 111) on the display 1112. An input device 1114, including alphanumeric and other keys (e.g. of a keyboard), is coupled to bus 1102 for communicating information (such as user input, e.g. from any user 111) to processor 1105. Another type of user input device is cursor control 1113, such as a mouse (described above), a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating information and command selections to processor 1105 and for controlling cursor movement on display 1112. This input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis (e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane. In addition to display device 1112 on which output (FIGS. 6A-6E) may be displayed, computer(s) 200 may include a speaker (not shown) as another output device for use by processor 1105 in interacting with any user(s) (such as employees 121A . . . 121I . . . 121N).
As described elsewhere herein, execution of work distributor 210 (FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5) in computer(s) 200 (FIG. 7A) may be implemented by one or more processor(s) 1105 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions that are contained in main memory 1106. Such instructions may be read into main memory 1106 from another non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as storage device 1110. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 1106 causes processor 1105 to create, store and update points, project-specific ranking and/or approval to bid as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5 and/or to display screens as illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6E. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to perform act(s) illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5.
The term "non-transitory computer-readable storage media" as used herein refers to any non-transitory storage media that participate in providing instructions to processor 1105 for execution. One or more such non-transitory storage media may take many forms, including but not limited to (1) non-volatile storage media, and (2) volatile storage media. Common forms of non-volatile storage media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, optical disk, magnetic disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge that can be used as storage device 1110, to store program code in the form of instructions and/or data structures and that can be accessed by computer(s) 200. Volatile storage media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 1106 which may be implemented in the form of a random access memory or RAM.
Instructions to processor 1105 can be provided by a transmission link or by a non-transitory storage medium from which a computer can read information, such as data and/or code. Specifically, various forms of transmission link and/or non-transitory storage medium may be involved in providing one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 1105 for execution. For example, the instructions may initially be comprised in a non-transitory storage device, such as a magnetic disk, of a remote computer. The remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory (RAM) and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem.
A modem local to computer(s) 200 (FIG. 7A) can receive information about a change to a collaboration object on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitter to transmit the information in an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector can receive the information carried in the infra-red signal and appropriate circuitry can place the information on bus 1102. Bus 1102 carries the information to main memory 1106, from which processor 1105 retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory 1106 may optionally be stored on storage device 1110 either before or after execution by processor 1105.
Computer(s) 200 (FIG. 7A) also includes a communication interface 1115 coupled to bus 1102. Communication interface 1115 provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link 1120 that is connected to a local network 1122. Local network 1122 may interconnect multiple computers (as described above). For example, communication interface 1115 may be an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example, communication interface 1115 may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation, communication interface 1115 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.
Network link 1120 (FIG. 7A) typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example, network link 1120 may provide a connection through local network 1122 to a host computer 1125 or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 1126. ISP 1126 in turn provides data communication services through the world wide packet data communication network 1124 now commonly referred to as the "Internet". Local network 1122 and network 1124 both use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through the various networks and the signals on network link 1120 and through communication interface 1115, which carry the digital data to and from computer(s) 200, are exemplary forms of carrier waves transporting the information.
Computer(s) 200 (FIG. 7A) can send messages and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), network link 1120 and communication interface 1115. In the Internet example, a server 1100 might transmit information retrieved from RDBMS database through Internet 1124, ISP 1126, local network 1122 and communication interface 1115. The instructions for performing the operations of FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5 may be executed by processor 1105 as they are received, and/or stored in storage device 1110, or other non-volatile storage for later execution. In this manner, computer(s) 200 may additionally or alternatively obtain instructions and any related data.
FIG. 7A is a very low-level representation of many hardware components of one or more of computer(s) 200 described above in reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5. Several embodiments have one or more additional software components 210A . . . 210I . . . 210N . . . 210Z in main memory 1106 as shown in FIG.7B. In addition to main memory 1106, computer(s) 200 may include one or more other types of memory such as flash memory (or SD card) and/or a hard disk and/or an optical disk (also called "secondary memory") to store data and/or software for loading into memory 1106 (also called "main memory") and/or for use by processor(s) 1105. In some embodiments, computer(s) 200 of FIG. 7A implements a relational database management system 1130 (FIG. 7B) to manage data in one or more tables of a relational database 120 of the type illustrated in FIG. 7B. Such a relational database management system may manage a distributed database system that includes multiple databases, each table being stored on different storage mechanisms.
In some embodiments, the multiple databases are made to appear as a single database. In such embodiments, processor 1105 can access and modify the data in a relational database 120 via RDBMS 1130 (FIG. 7B) that accepts queries from various software components 210A . . . 210I . . . 210N . . . 210Z in conformance with a relational database language, the most common of which is the Structured Query Language (SQL). The commands are used by processor 1105 of some embodiments to store, modify and update points, project-specific ranking and/or approval to bid in the form of rows in tables in relational database 120.
Relational database management system 1130 (FIG. 7B) further includes output logic that makes the data in a database table of relational database 120 available to a user via a graphical user interface that generates a screen on a video monitor display 1112, such as the screens illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6E. In one example, the output logic of computer(s) 200 provides output 125, 126A (FIG. 1A) via a web-based user interface that depicts in a browser of another computer 110A, information related to points, project-specific ranking and/or bids that have been approved by approvers of bidding employees. Additionally and/or alternatively, screens responsive to user input via a keyboard as a command in a command-line interface of computer 110A and/or user input via a mouse and a cursor displayed on a video monitor of computer 110A may be generated by computer(s) 200.
In some embodiments of computer(s) 200, functionality in the above-described operations or acts of FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5 is implemented by processor 1105 (FIG. 7A) executing software in memory 1106 of computer(s) 200, although in other embodiments such functionality is implemented in any combination of hardware circuitry and/or firmware and/or software in computer(s) 200. Depending on the embodiment, various functions of the type described herein may be implemented in software (executed by one or more processors or processor cores) or in dedicated hardware circuitry or in firmware, or in any combination thereof. Accordingly, depending on the embodiment, any one or more of the means for performing operations or acts of FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5 can, but need not necessarily include, one or more microprocessors, embedded processors, controllers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), multi-core processors and the like, appropriately programmed with software in the form of instructions to implement one or more steps of the type described herein.
Any non-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying software (also called "computer instructions") may be used in implementing one or more acts or operations described herein and illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5. Such software may include program codes stored in memory 1106 and executed by processor 1105 (FIG. 7A). Memory 1106 may be implemented within or external to processor 1105, depending on the embodiment. When implemented in firmware and/or software, logic to perform one or more acts or operations of FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5 may be stored as one or more computer instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable medium.
In some embodiments, one or more of computer(s) 200 may include multiple processors, each of which is programmed with software in a memory 1106 shared with each other to perform acts of the type described above to implement the individual components illustrated in FIGS. 7B and 7C. For example, a first processor 1105 in computer(s) 200 may be programmed with software in memory 1106 to implement acts 211-223 of FIG. 2 in a component 210A. A second processor 1105 in computer(s) 200 may be programmed with software in memory 1106 (FIG. 7A) to implement acts 311-316 of FIG. 3 in a component 2101. A third processor 1105 in computer(s) 200 may be programmed with software in memory 1106 to implement acts 411-415 of FIG. 4A and acts 421-426 of FIG. 4B in a component 210N. A fourth processor 1105 in computer(s) 200 may be programmed with software in memory 1106 to implement acts 511-516 of FIG. 5 in a component 210Z, which depending on the embodiment is implemented internal to work distributor 210 (as illustrated in FIG. 7B) or external to work distributor 210 (as illustrated in FIG. 7C), or partly internal and partly external as will be apparent to a skilled artisan. The just-described four processors 1105 are programmed to interoperate with one another to form work distributor 210.
Although four processors 1105 (FIG. 7A) have been just described for some embodiments to implement the respective means, in other embodiments a single processor 1105 may be used in a time shared manner to implement the just-described means of the previous paragraph. Furthermore, in still other embodiments, one processor 1105 may be used in a time-shared manner to implement one or more parts of various components. Moreover, one or more processors 1105 may be programmed to implement one or more components of work distributor 210. Furthermore, although processors 1105 have been described above for certain embodiments as being included in a single computer(s) 200, in other embodiments multiple such processors 1105 may be included in multiple computers 200, for example four computers 200 may implement the operations described above in reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, and 5. Additionally, in one or more such embodiments, one or more processor(s) 1105 with a bus 1103 execute enterprise resource planning (ERP) software in computer(s) 200.
Various adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the described embodiments. Numerous modifications and adaptations of the embodiments described herein are encompassed by the attached claims.
| 2019-04-20T00:37:50 |
http://www.patentsencyclopedia.com/app/20160026963
|
0.998607 |
Let me start off by saying that I'm not a fan of labor unions. I've seen too many instances of screw-ups being protected by unions, and too many union members who abused the system and were protected. I firmly believe that union work rules ultimately nearly destroyed the railroad industry in this country. Labor unions take away the ability of management to reward individual workers for doing a superior job.
All that not withstanding, I've long recognized that, at least in some instances, labor unions are necessary to keep management from screwing the workers.
And you have to admit, regardless of where you stand on the issue, every disruptive work rule, every too-high wage rate, every overly-expansive benefit, got through because top level management agreed to it. That's right, top management is as much to blame for whatever problems there are as the union negotatiors.
When I looked at what's happened over the past generation, I found that I had to readdress my long-held belief about the occasional need for labor unions. My conclusion is that unions are more necessary today than at any other time since the 1930s.
It started in the early 1980s. Top management then made a healthy multiple of the wages of the average worker, enough to make them wealthy by any reasonable standard. That year, CEOs made about 42 times as much as their average worker. The disparity had increased to 550 in 2009 (I haven't been able to find figures for 2010). Were CEOs actually doing seven and a half times as much work in 2009 than in 1980? If not, why had their compensation increased so much more than that of their employees?
Median household income, according to the US Census Bureau, increased from about $40,000.00 in 1980 to a bit under $50,000.00 in 2009 (adjusted for inflation). That's household income, not individual income. Does it reflect more income earners per household? I don't know. Whatever, the household increase was 18%, or less than one fifth. Compare that to the 1980-2009 CEO compensation increase of more than 13 times.
Some figures I heard on the news over the years: In the 1980s, the income disparity between the top earners and the rest of us had grown to its greatest level since before the Great Depression. Earlier this century, it had increased to its greatest level since the days of the Robber Barons. Earlier this week I heard that the disparity between the top 1% of earners and everybody else was the highest it's ever before been in American history. I don't know if that includes pay that wasn't made to slaves before the Civil War, or the pittances paid to indentured workers when that was legal.
And now at least some of the top-income people want to strip collective bargaining rights from labor unions. How much do you want to bet that'll result in lower pay for the workers and higher compensation for the fat cats? If you believe that won't happen, I've got a bridge I want to sell you.
Back to my title here, "Governors vs. Unions," Governor Scott Wilson of Wisconsin cut some business taxes. The government employee unions have agreed to wage and benefit give-backs to cover the corporate tax breaks. But that's not good enough for the governor, he wants to essentially disenfranchise the unions. Except for, incidentally, the police, state police, and firefighters unions that supported him in the election. The unions he's going after are the unions that opposed his election. Think that has anything to do with what he's attempting? Did you hear his telephone conversation with a man he thought was David Koch? He made it absolutely clear that he wants to break the unions. Honestly, if I lived in Wisconsin, I'd be agitating for a recall petition, or for impeachment. It seems to me that Governor Wilson is working against the interests of the people of Wisconsin.
| 2019-04-24T20:29:41 |
http://novelier.com/unions.html
|
0.998336 |
How to Choose Fabrics for a Low Volume Quilt - 3 Easy Tips!
I LOVE sewing low volume quilts! To me, they are modern and traditional, using lots of fabrics that don't necessarily match, but look beautiful as a whole. We're not starting something new, just borrowing ideas from early quilters who cut fabric pieces from clothing, sheets, and even flour sacks, piecing them together in beautiful patterns.
The term 'low volume' usually refers to cream or white fabrics with a small or geometric design. Even though the print has a secondary design, it still 'reads' neutral so you can use it as a background.
Dots, grids, and text prints are all staple low volume fabrics. Low volume fabrics are most effective when lots of different prints are mixed together.
You can build up your collection of low volume neutral fabrics by buying fat quarters, yardage, and even bundles that are curated for you by fabric shops and manufacturers.
I use both cream and white low volume fabrics, and I don't mind a just a little color sprinkled in.
But what about the rest of your quilt? You are going to need more than just low volume neutrals.
Think of the colors in your quilt as 'color families.' Don't choose too many color families for your quilt. It's going to be busy enough with all the scrappy-ness. The quilt above has just 3 color families: neutral, navy, and orange.
Look at each fabric carefully and consider this: when you cut it up will all of the pieces still read the same color? Or is the print so large that the different pieces will now read different colors?
Large prints that have lots of different colors are beautiful, but I save them for the backs of my quilts (where I can appreciate them better). Small prints that keep their color personality even after you cut them up make the best low volume quilts.
So let's practice choosing fabrics with my green stack. If I wanted to put together a selection of fabrics that read green (not turquoise), you can see if I would pick them or not in the photo above. Looking at only the edge of the fabrics, I can make a pretty good guess what the pieces will look like cut up.
The large floral on top is beautiful, but it has so many colors and probably none of my cut up pieces would read green. The second fabric is all over more turquoise than green. My best picks were the prints in the middle. That cute zig zag print is an obvious 'no' because even though I remember it's mostly green (that's why I put it on the green shelf) - I can't trust that it will look green when I cut it up - it looks orange on the edge.
Scrappy low volume quilts like this one are a great way to mix in fabrics that you have leftover from other projects or 'ugly' fabrics that don't match with anything else.
When I'm mixing 'pretty' and 'ugly' fabrics, I try to have at least 90% of the fabrics read my 'target color' and then the remaining few can be 'wildcard' fabrics.
See all of my low volume Glitter Quilt patterns so far here.
Psst... I use strip piecing to save time and never cut a single square.
I'm working on a new Glitter Quilt pattern right now. Can't wait to show you!
| 2019-04-21T02:49:09 |
https://www.sewcanshe.com/blog/2018/5/1/how-to-choose-fabrics-for-a-low-volume-quilt
|
0.998957 |
that person is liable to be taken into custody by a person mentioned in subsection (2) and detained in accordance with subsections (3) and (4).
(c)an officer of a local authority.
(4)The period for which the quarantined person may be detained by virtue of subsection (1) is the period or, as the case may be, the remainder of the period for which the quarantine of that person is authorised.
(5)In calculating the period mentioned in subsection (4), the period beginning when the quarantined person absconded and ending when that person is detained in accordance with subsection (1) is to be left out of account.
(6)A person who may take a quarantined person into custody may enter any premises in which the quarantined person is present.
(8)A person who is taken into custody under this section and who absconds remains liable to be taken into custody under and detained in accordance with this section.
(9)Notwithstanding the detention of a quarantined person in accordance with subsections (3) and (4), the health board may apply under section 49(2) for an extension of the quarantine order; and, where such an extension is granted, the quarantined person may be removed by a person mentioned in section 40(4) to the place in which the person is to be quarantined.
is liable to be taken into custody by a person mentioned in subsection (3) and returned to hospital in accordance with subsection (4).
(b)be detained there for the period or, as the case may be, the remainder of the period for which detention of that person is authorised.
(5)In calculating the period mentioned in subsection (4)(b), the period beginning when the person absconded and ending when that person is returned to hospital by virtue of subsection (2) is to be left out of account.
(6)A person who may take an absconding person into custody may enter any premises in which the person is present.
(8)A person who is taken into custody under this section and who absconds remains liable to be taken into custody under and dealt with in accordance with this section.
(c)a person authorised by virtue of section 42(1) to remove a person to hospital.
(1)A person subject to an order mentioned in subsection (2) who, without reasonable excuse, breaches that order commits an offence.
(1)This section applies where an order mentioned in subsection (2) is made in relation to a person who is under 16 (a “child”).
(4)Where there is no such parent, a person mentioned in subsection (5) who fails, without reasonable excuse, to ensure that the child does not breach the order commits an offence.
(ii)as a volunteer for a voluntary organisation.
(6)In proceedings for an offence under subsection (3) or (4), it is a defence for the person to prove that the person exercised all due diligence and took all reasonable steps to avoid committing the offence.
| 2019-04-21T07:23:57 |
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/cy/asp/2008/5/part/4/crossheading/breach-of-orders-and-offences/data.xht?view=snippet&wrap=true
|
0.998751 |
EditRocket provides the following information on traceback functions in the Python source code builder.
extract_stack([f[, limit]]) - Extract the raw traceback from the current stack frame.
extract_tb(traceback[, limit]) - Return a list of up to limit ``pre-processed'' stack trace entries extracted from the traceback object traceback.
format_exc([limit]) - This is like print_exc(limit) but returns a string instead of printing to a file.
format_exception(type, value, tb[, limit]) - Format a stack trace and the exception information.
format_exception_only(type, value) - Format the exception part of a traceback.
format_list(list) - Given a list of tuples as returned by extract_tb() or extract_stack(), return a list of strings ready for printing.
format_stack([f[, limit]]) - A shorthand for format_list(extract_stack(f, limit)).
format_tb(tb[, limit]) - A shorthand for format_list(extract_tb(tb, limit)).
print_exc([limit[, file]]) - This is a shorthand for print_exception(sys.
print_exception(type, value, traceback[, limit[, file]]) - Print exception information and up to limit stack trace entries from traceback to file.
print_last([limit[, file]]) - This is a shorthand for print_exception(sys.
print_stack([f[, limit[, file]]]) - This function prints a stack trace from its invocation point.
print_tb(traceback[, limit[, file]]) - Print up to limit stack trace entries from traceback.
tb_lineno(tb) - This function returns the current line number set in the traceback object.
| 2019-04-21T18:02:19 |
https://editrocket.com/docs/builder_files/python/builder_python_traceback.html
|
0.999999 |
The recipe calls for rolled oats. Is that like Quaker Oatmeal or something different?
Chef's Answer ~ Rolled oats are also called old fashioned oats. They are oats that have been minimally processed and do not contain any flavors, like most instant oatmeal contains.
Quaker is one brand that makes rolled oats, but you can purchase any brand of rolled oats or old fashioned oats.
Can you use quick cooking oats ?
Chef's Answer ~ You can, but rolled or old fashion oats are kept whole and provide a chewier texture and are less processed.
What you do not want to use are any oats that are flavored.
| 2019-04-20T06:55:50 |
http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com/what-kind-of-oats.html
|
0.999999 |
Running Through the Passage: They're all gone. Sorry.
There I sat, for probably the tenth time, scanning the Merrell.com website hoping to find some sign of recognition. All out rush? No, the pattern on the side was similar but not the same. Mix Master Move Glide? No, the tread pattern used diamond shapes, not circles. Grr. I cursed myself half-heartedly again for buying a pair of running shoes at a discount place in the states and promptly tossing the box and forgetting to note the bloody name of these shoes! I think a lot of us have been there. We buy a pair of shoes, forget to remember the name of the model and by the time it comes to replace them the model is either A. Changed. Because it is six months later and that's about as long as the life expectancy of a shoe model these days, or B. Is out there..somewhere..on some website's clearance/discount page..just waiting..and so there I sat on my laptop scanning ebay, outdoor discount retailers and amazon.com to track down MY shoe. It took about a half hour on amazon.com before I hit the jackpot. (Why I hadn't found it in my previous three dozen attempts I. Do. Not. Know.)...but now is not the time to ask questions(!), now was the time to pray that this shoe was in my size and not going to cost regular price PLUS shipping to Canada. Now I am not a huge miracle person. I do believe they can happen, yes, but overall I think we make our own luck. I tend to think many other ultra runners would agree since we are the type of people who spend countless hours training ourselves to accomplish feats most people would rather watch from the couch with a bag of chips. There's no miracle in finishing a 50k, if you've put in the hard training, have some personal resilience and determination, you can get'r done. But yesterday wasn't a day for the pay off of hard work (well, maybe a bit since it was a lot of hard Internet searching!). No, somehow I had found the shoe, in my size, and not for a million dollars. The Mix Master Glide. Yup. I had managed to find a two year old shoe to love. No wonder it took forever to track down on a website. And to top it all off, it was the Last Pair. Period. In my size or any other. It took me a few seconds of debating but in the end they're on their way to me now. Sorry, if you're looking for a pair of Merrell's Mix Master Glides in a size 7, they'll be coming north to ride the trails of Nova Scotia in the next 5-10 business days.
Is it taper time already?!
| 2019-04-24T04:40:46 |
http://runningthepassage.blogspot.com/2014/10/theyre-all-gone-sorry.html
|
0.999999 |
A NEW postage stamp commemorates the ``Railroad'' Mail Cars of the 1920s, and the picture of the mail car is right side up. (There was an airmail stamp years ago on which the picture of the airplane was upside down, a printer's goof, and that stamp became immediately of great price among collectors.) Maybe this new 21-center in the transportation series will achieve similar value, because it, too, has a mistake. 'Twas never ``railroad'' in the lingo of the RMS - Railway Mail Service. The car was a Railway Mail Car. The RMS was the Railway Mail Service. The RPC was a Railway Postal Clerk. The car was an RPO - a Railway Post Office.
I hasten to make this clear, because my dad was one of the 30,000-odd RPCs that sorted mail in some 4,000 Railway Mail Cars back in those 1920s. Dad always made it clear to anybody who needed instruction that while he did ride the trains, he was NOT a railroad man. He was a railway postal clerk, and that meant something. While his train (Boston to Halifax) howled up along the Sebasticook River in the Maine woodlands, he stood at a sorting case handling mail for No Breakfast (NB - New Brunswick), No Supper (NS - Nova Scotia), PI (Prince Edward Island), anything still in Maine, and half the sainted towns in PQ.
On the return trip, he was the ``city clerk'' for Greater Boston - he had memorized the distribution for some 30,000 business firms in the Hub. He retired after 42 years, claiming he'd ridden 7 million miles standing up, and his postal clerk's rubber stamp for personalizing his facing slips is in the Smithsonian Institution.
Dad would hoot in hilarity might he know that his RPO (East Division, Bangor & Boston, Train 8) is now downgraded to a ``railroad'' car. No way, Mr. Postmaster General - it was the Railway Mail Service. I speak as an expert. Not only my dad, but my wife's dad as well, was an RPC. Ben Wells ``ran'' on the Boston & Albany RPO. She and I owe 56 years of wedded bliss to the RMS!
When I was in college, my dad spoke to his chief clerk about a job for me during the Christmas rush. So while my college mates all went home for the holidays, I hied me to the Portland, Maine, terminal of the RPO and sorted mountains of Christmas cards bound for Prince Edward Island.
Dad suggested that particular sorting case, because the island had but three separations - Kings, Prince, and Queens. These were the three counties of the province, and amounted to the three cities of Georgetown, Summerside, and Charlottetown.
Even a college kid could handle that, and it was the secure job in the terminal during the Christmas-card rush. I always surmised Dad had once done the clerk a favor. The admittance card that amounted to my RMS ID expired Christmas morning, 1929, but I have kept it among my souvenirs. For one reason, it proves I'm a natural-born citizen, and is easier to carry than a birth certificate or passport. If the Smithsonian shows an interest, I will be glad to deposit it.
I never rode in a railway mail car as Dad did. When the Christmas rush was over, and my last card had been pouched for PI, I went home and crawled into bed and slept three days.
Three days was standard in the RMS. Dad's job, depending on the train schedule, made him ``six-and-eight.'' In six days he rode distance enough and worked hours enough for two weeks, giving him eight days off for ``rest and study.'' He'd come home after his six days and sleep for three. The whole neighborhood kept a serene silence until Dad had his makeup sleep - nary a dog barked, and children whispered at play.
The four of us RMS youngsters, and Mother, lived with the postal service, and all of us, at one time or another, would help him study his distribution. We knew which RPOs pouched on branch lines as well as he did. We didn't always know where a town was, but we knew how its mail got there.
One time in school the teacher had us working on the ancient ``post road'' Benjamin Franklin laid out through our town, and we learned how stagecoaches carried the mail between Boston and Augusta.
Dad went through only one railroad accident in his time. The locomotive ``split a switch'' and the frog shot up through the floor of the mail car. The clerks jumped for the safety rods overhead and waited for things to calm down.
I have a chewed-off portion of rail iron on my shop bench as an anvil and straighten nails on it. It weighs 35 pounds and Dad always said he found it in his hip pocket after Train Eight split the switch at Andover.
| 2019-04-20T20:46:27 |
https://www.csmonitor.com/1988/0930/urail.html
|
0.999993 |
1) if only conclusion I follows.2) if only conclusion II follows.3) if either conclusion I or II follows.4) if neither conclusion I nor II follows.5) if both conclusions I and II follow.
1. Statements: Some trees are bushes.All flowers are bushes.
Conclusions: I. At least some bushes are trees.II. At least some flowers are trees.
2. Statements: All colours are paints.No paint is a brush.
Conclusions: I. At least some brushes are colours.II. No brush is a colour.
3. Statements: Some chemicals are organics.All organics are fertilisers.
Conclusions: I. At least some fertilizers are chemicals.II. All fertilizers are organics.
4. Statements: No air is solid.Some solids are liquids.
Conclusions: I.No liquid is air.II.Some air is definitely not liquid.
5. Statements: All gems are diamonds.All diamonds are rocks.
Conclusions: I.At least some rocks are gems.II.All gems are rocks.
6. Statements: All flowers are red.
Conclusions: I.All flowers being rose is a possibility.II.Some flowers are roses.
7. Statements: No river is a lake.
Conclusions: I.Some rivers are not deep.II.At least some lakes are rivers.
8. Statements: Some grapes are green.Some fruits are grapes.
Conclusions: I.Some fruits being green is a possibility.II.Some grapes are not fruits.
9. Statements: All cats are dogs.
Conclusions: I.At least some dogs are black.II.All dogs being cat is a possibility.
10.Statements: No window is a door.No window is close.
Conclusions: I.Some doors being close is a possibility.II.No door is a window.
| 2019-04-26T03:38:55 |
https://www.aimsuccess.in/2018/08/syllogism-for-ibps-po-niacl-2018-23.html
|
0.999997 |
Why are the leaves on my baby grape vine turning brown?
Last June I bought a 'Chardonnay' grape as a foot long stick with roots. I planted it in a large dust bin, with good drainage and a light application of lime to the potting soil. I put the dust bin in the conservatory (I live on the west coast of Scotland) and for the first summer the vine put out leaves and grew a bit of stem. Over the winter it went sort of dormant, the leaves dried up and mostly fell off and I thought all was well. Come the spring, the vine grew a good 8 inches and there was a great crop of tender green leaves. We had a hot spell of a couple of months this spring and I provided shade for the grape, and kept the soil reasonably moist. Then the newest leaves began to turn brown, then the larger ones. I thought it might be too hot for the grape and moved it to a sheltered corner outside. The leaves continued to turn brown and fall off, and now a few of the leaf stems and tiny twigs are following suit. A few small new leaves are emerging, but they turn brown almost as fast as they grow. The plant is not a vigourous grower. I have never grown a grape before. What am I doing wrong?
It sounds like a fungus is attacking the plant. I would treat it with a fungicide and that should clear it up.
| 2019-04-22T04:03:20 |
https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com/why-are-the-leaves-on-my-baby-grape-vine-turning-brown/
|
0.999857 |
When a person becomes a celebrity, this is to have a personal life because everything they do or say is always out therefore criticism especially from those that love them and those that hate them. For example, upon the death of any celebrity, the news will always spread like fire and you find them on the front page news and also through social media platforms where you find other celebrities and the fans sending your condolences and tribute to their family. On the same case, you find that there are many stories being told some which are true others have not especially on the circumstances that led to their death such as drugs, accident. However, not every story of a dead celebrity heeds the headlines especially those that led because of drugs. Given in this article are some of the celebrity drug deaths that never made the headlines.
One of the celebrities that died because of drugs is Brad Renfro in 2008 at 25 years. However, this story of his passing did not make headlines because it is also overshadowed by the shocking death of another famous actor Heath Ledger. Brad Renfro played an important role in The Client, Ghost World, and Sleepers. It was charged with possession of heroin in 2005 and spent most of his time in heroin rehab where he accidentally died because of the heroin overdose.
Lisa Robin Kelly is also a very famous person especially for her role in “That 70’s Show.” Many people never knew that Lisa Robin Kelly had an issue as she struggled a lot with substance abuse. She tried her best to get help because just before she died, she had checked herself into an inpatient rehabilitation center for drugs and alcohol. It was unfortunate that she died of an overdose from a cocktail of pills while in the facility at the age of 43.
Glenn Quinn is one of the best and you probably know him from his role as Becky’s husband Mark Healy on the show known as Angel. For over 20 years, Glenn Quinn played very important roles in different elevations and movie roles and that led to his success. It was unfortunate that he died at the age of 32 due to a heroin overdose at a friend’s house.
If you don’t know Amanda Peterson, then you should watch the 1987 romantic comedy known as, Can’t Buy Me Love. Amanda Peterson battled heart and lung disease and she was under several medications, but she died of deadly cocktail which caused a spiritual failure.
Skye McCole Bartusiak was a child star with many talented in singing and acting but died at the age of 21 due to overdose, which was accidental.
| 2019-04-24T04:50:27 |
https://tanasijournal.com/if-you-read-one-article-about-read-this-one-6.html
|
0.999999 |
Messages.get( "hello", "World"); // => "Bonjour, World !"
Given a message code, translate it using current locale.
Given a message code, translate it using current locale. If there is no message in the current locale for the given key, the key is returned.
| 2019-04-22T22:00:16 |
https://www.playframework.com/documentation/1.2.3/api/play/i18n/Messages.html
|
0.998979 |
The copy command always replaces the existing file when the file is copied into NVRAM or into a TFTP server. In other words, it acts like the destination file was erased and the new file completely replaced the old one.
When the copy command copies a configuration file into RAM, the configuration file in RAM is not replaced. Effectively, any copy into RAM works just as if you typed the commands in the "from" configuration file in the order listed in the config file. In other words, it works as if the RAM configuration file and the newly copied files were merged.
So, who cares? Well, we do. If you change the running config and then decide that you want to revert to what's in the startup-config file, the only way to guarantee that is to issue the reload command, which reloads, or reboots, the router.
Three key commands can be used to erase the contents of NVRAM. The write erase and erase startup-config commands are older, whereas the erase nvram: command is the more recent, and recommended, command. All three commands simply erase the contents of the NVRAM configuration file. Of course, if the router is reloaded at this point, there is no initial configuration.
Once upon a time, commands that were used to display and move configuration files among RAM, NVRAM, and TFTP did not use easy-to-recall parameters such as startup-config and running-config. In fact, most people could not remember the commands or got the different ones confused. Figure 7-6 shows both the old and the new commands used to view configurations.
Setup mode leads a router administrator to a basic router configuration by using questions that prompt the administrator for basic configuration parameters. Instead of using setup mode, a Cisco router can be configured using the CLI in configuration mode. In fact, most networking personnel do not use setup at all, but new users sometimes like to use setup mode, particularly until they become more familiar with the CLI configuration mode.
Figure 7-7 and Example 7-5 describe the process used by setup mode. Setup mode is used most frequently when the router boots, and it has no configuration in NVRAM. Setup mode also can be entered by using the setup command from privileged mode.
Example 7-5 shows a screen capture of using setup mode after booting a router with no configuration in NVRAM.
Would you like to enter the initial configuration dialog? [yes/no]: yes At any point you may enter a question mark '?' for help. Use ctrl-c to abort configuration dialog at any prompt.
line vty 0 4 password barney no snmp-server !
no bridge 1 no decnet routing no appletalk routing no ipx routing ip routing !
interface Ethernet0 ip address 172.16.1.1 255.255.255.0 no mop enabled !
ip address 172.16.12.1 255.255.255.0 no mop enabled !
ip address 172.16.13.1 255.255.255.0 no mop enabled dialer-list 1 protocol ip permit dialer-list 1 protocol ipx permit !
router igrp 1 redistribute connected network 172.16.0.0 !
[OK]Use the enabled mode 'configure' command to modify this configuration. Press RETURN to get started!
Setup behaves like Example 7-5 illustrates, whether setup was reached by booting with an empty NVRAM or whether the setup privileged exec command was used. First, the router asks whether you want to enter the initial configuration dialog. Answering y or yes puts you in setup mode.
When you are finished with setup, you select one of three options for what to do next. Option 2 tells the router to save the configuration to NVRAM and exit; this option is used in Example 7-5. The router places the config in both NVRAM and RAM. This is the only operation in IOS that changes both configuration files to include the same contents based on a single action by the user. Options 0 and 1 tell the router to ignore the configuration that you just entered and to either exit to the command prompt (option 0) or start over again with setup (option 1). You can also abort the setup process before answering all the questions, and get to a CLI prompt by pressing CNTL-C.
| 2019-04-21T08:13:22 |
https://www.ccexpert.us/data-link-2/nvram.html
|
0.998479 |
The central purpose of this thesis is to reinterpret the crime of genocide. To accomplish this task, I explore genocide by external and immanent critique. An external critique means comparing genocide as a policy to other kinds of contrasting practices which rest upon different standards of value than those which substantiate genocide. An immanent critique entails turning the language, intensions and consequences of genocide in on itself by evaluating this policy from within the governmental authority's own standards of value. To establish a basis for this critique, I first explore the history of genocide in international law and politics, and critically evaluate its current conceptual meanings within genocide studies. I argue for a reading of genocide that is consistent with the work of Rafael Lemkin, while exploring the limits of other approaches. Secondly, I address the theories of genocide and argue for a conceptual distinction between war and genocide. I then establish a central proposition of the thesis: that genocide is a deeply paradoxical policy in two essential respects; one concerning victimology, and the second involving the perpetrators' intentions. I explore these two paradoxes through a comparative examination of the genocides in Rwanda (1994) and in the Ukraine under Stalinism (1930-33). To account for these paradoxes, I then turn to an examination of the form of government empirically most associated with genocide: totalitarianism. Through an examination of Arendt's theory of politics and totalitarianism I show how genocide is fundamentally opposed to authentic politics because of how this policy divergences from positive law. Through this analysis of genocide and law, I argue for a new understanding of genocide in topographical terms, which specifically entails that genocide is a policy that collapses political and social space. I explore how a policy of genocide constrains the purposes of subjective action in perverse and puzzling ways. Finally, I examine this collapsed topography by analyzing the language underpinning genocide—its 'grammar' and 'speech'—and revealing some sociological patterns in which this language functions.
| 2019-04-22T10:29:26 |
https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/29323
|
0.999999 |
Do you need to use Google+?
For those who have some sort of physical presence, such as a shop or an office, which appears on Google Maps, and wish it to appear on Google Maps, because customers, clients, and contacts visit that location, then my answer to the question is an emphatic yes: you do need to use Google+. But otherwise, I think it depends on the individual circumstances.
The reason why a business with a physical presence needs to verify its local Google+ page is because it is highly visible to potential customers, as local Google+ pages themselves or information provided on them appear on Google Maps and in localized search results. In other words, it is not the strength of Google+ as a social media platform as such, but rather its impact on Google search and Maps that matters. If someone is going somewhere unfamiliar, and wants to find a shop or a restaurant for example, searching for it on his or her mobile device would be a quite likely scene. Even if someone is familiar with the area, he or she might wish to look up the opening hours of a business, just to check that the place is open before heading out. Information such as the name of the business, the address of the location, and the contact telephone number (or nap) posted on Google+ should be accurate and consistent with information on other sources.
A few months back, I met up with a friend for dinner: my friend chose the restaurant, and it was in a part of city I have not been before, so I looked up the establishment on my smartphone to guide me there. Typing the name of the restaurant on Google Maps, the pin was dropped at the exact location, so I knew where I needed to jump off the bus, and I arrived there without problem, except according to Google Maps, the restaurant had either closed or relocated. It was a good restaurant and the food was tasty, and I had to wonder how much passing trade this restaurant had been losing because of this mishap, especially when other eateries nearby had claimed their local Google+ pages and specified their opening hours as well as providing more information such links to the restaurant and showcasing their food. Just imagine, if I had wanted to eat a particular cuisine, and typed in a generic query: the restaurant probably would have not appeared as one of the local / Maps results, and even if it had, I would have shied away because the restaurant was said to be closed or relocated. When I pointed out this anomaly to the restaurant owner by showing the Google Maps results, he had no idea: he hadn’t heard of local Google+ pages.
Does this mean local businesses – and in particular small businesses with one location and with a small number of personnel – have to use Google+ actively? I would argue not necessarily. Local businesses can be essentially reactive on Google+, in the sense that they do not need to post every day, follow a bunch of people or be followed by many, and engage with others on Google+ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except it is vitally important to respond appropriately when someone mentions the business or reviews it. Reputation and people’s perceptions of a business can depend a lot on how the business owner responds to issues, especially when something has gone wrong: level-headedness, speed, politeness, and sincerity, among others, would be qualities to show. Local business owners are not running their businesses so that they have something to post on social media, and there are so many places where businesses can be reviewed or contacted, where some sort of presence needs to be maintained: social media should help the business, not consume it. However, it would certainly help to post regularly even if not intensely, especially if something in the business changes, or there are interesting stories that can be told, such as some biographical information about the business owner, how the business started, what milestones it has achieved, etc. Many people still want to do business with other people whom they can trust, and getting to know business owners as genuine people can help in that process.
Whether pursuing a DIY social media strategy or delegating the effort to an outsider such as an agency, it will be possible to achieve a higher profile on Google+ through genuine engagement (and via other underhanded and counter-productive methods such as buying followers). Genuine engagement will cost time, money, and effort, and it must be questioned if the benefits really justify the costs. If a business is locally rooted, and the customer base is limited geographically as a matter of practicality, then having a lot of good social media followers on the other side of the planet is not really going to turn into opportunities, however satisfactory that may be, but having a small but a strong core of social media followers locally is a great sign. Whatever the composition of the followers, social media presence on its own will not be sufficient, therefore social media efforts must be contextualized and work in conjunction with other media. Other methods of connecting with the potential clientele remain extremely important: for a local business, sponsoring the local youth football team, donating to a local charity, providing something to the annual village fete, or the good old-fashioned leafleting might find far more resonance with the potential clients, than a bunch of followers from a far-away country. If the business owner could encourage people to post about the business on their social media platforms, i.e. turning customers into supporters of the business, then engagement will follow naturally, and higher profile in social media and possibly in local media.
For businesses that are not physically bound to a location, or individuals who wish to use social media in a professional capacity, it is again a question of costs versus benefits. Given the number of users on Google+, it is likely that potential contacts and clients are there on Google+, but they are also likely to be found on other social media platforms or specialized communities. If businesses and people have an unlimited amount of time, money, and effort to spend online, then all platforms and all communities should be covered, but the reality is that there are constraints hence the necessity to prioritize, and concentrate on the most effective. It is trite and bland, what works best and what does not perform that well will depend on each individual case. For some, Google+ will prove to be the perfect platform, for others, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Google+ and social media platforms in general are not the panacea for all businesses and professionals. It is easy to be lost in the deep and diverse worlds of social media, caught in the mesmerizing scene where large but entirely vacuous numbers be it followers or posts seem to signify so much, and that makes it all the more important to assess the situation carefully and decide adroitly what course of action is best suited and most meaningful in the individual context.
| 2019-04-19T06:59:51 |
https://www.wasaweb.net/en/articles/art-cat-internet/2014-12-03-do-you-need-to-use-Google-plus.html
|
0.999999 |
I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I began to read Seconds, but I was quick to love the book and its characters. The art is blocky and defined, and the characters feel pretty similar to people. People who are admittedly, not great with problem solving skills. People for whom I legitimately stopped to root for and actually hoped got an alright ending. TL;DR Writing's good, art's nice, a solid read with relatable characters. Or I'm a complete tool.
Great book, a little overpriced.
Awesome book to read after long hard days. Very like it. Highly recommend it.
Amazing. The plot line was great, it always kept me thinking. Great illustration, I always envy people who can draw with that kind of style (I'm working on it). Even though I'm only fourteen, authors like this really inspire me to keep writing. Even though I'm just another random girl who is writing a review for an amazing book, just want to say that this book has taught me a very good lesson in life and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Wow, this was pretty good.
| 2019-04-25T13:05:09 |
https://www.webfactories.biz/book/869325195/seconds
|
0.999999 |
TL;DR most of the security news about IoT are full of FUD. Always put the risks in context - who can exploit this and what can the attacker do with it. Most news only cover the latter.
There is rarely a day without news that another "Internet of Things" got hacked. "Smart" safes, "smart" rifles, "smart" cars, "smart" fridges, "smart" TVs, "smart" alarm systems, "smart" meters, "smart" bulbs, NAS devices, routers. These devices are getting hacked every day. Because most of these devices were never designed with security as a goal, and some of them have been never tested by security professionals, it is no surprise that these things are full of vulnerabilities.
Independent security researchers find these vulnerabilities, write a cool blog post or give a presentation about the vulnerability and the exploit, and the media forgets the constraints just for the sake of more clicks. "We are all doomed" we can read in the news, but sometimes the risks are buried deeply in technical jargon. Please note I blame the news sites here, not the researchers.
Attackers can directly communicate with the router (or camera) from the Internet without authentication and exploit the vulnerability. This is the worst case scenario. For example an automated ransomware attack against your NAS is pretty bad.
Attackers have to position themselves in the same WAN network (e.g. Sprint mobile network in the case of Jeep hacking) to exploit the vulnerability. This is still pretty bad.
The vulnerable code can not be triggered directly from the Internet, but tricks like CSRF can be used to exploit it (details later in this post).
The vulnerable code can not be triggered directly from the Internet, and it uses a protocol/port which prevents Cross Protocol Scripting. Attackers have to access the local network before exploiting this vulnerability.
Most devices are behind an IPv4 NAT device (e.g. home router), thus can not be reached from the Internet side by default. Except when the device configures the firewall via UPNP. Or the device has a persistence cloud connection, and the cloud can send commands to the device. Or the device uses IPv6 tunneling (e.g. Teredo), thus it is reachable from the Internet. But not every vulnerability on your home network is accessible directly from the Internet. As more and more devices and networks will support IPv6, this scenario might change, but I hope most home routers will come with a default deny configuration in their IPv6 firewall module. On the other hand, scanning for IPv6 devices blindly is not feasible due to the large number of IPv6 addresses, but some tricks might work.
If attackers can not access the device directly, there is a way to hack it through the user's browser. Just convince the victim user to visit a website, and via CSRF (Cross Site Request Forgery) and brute-forcing the device IP, it is possible to hack some devices (mostly through HTTP - if the exploit can fit into simple GET or POST commands.
Disable cloud connectivity if it is not necessary. For example I have a NAS device which can be reached through the "cloud", but I have disabled it by not configuring any default gateway for the device. I prefer connecting to my network via VPN and reach all my stuff through that.
Prevent CSRF attacks. I use two tricks. Don't use the 192.168.0.x - 192.168.10.x network at home - use an uncommon IP range instead (e.g. 192.168.156.x is better). The second trick is I configured my Adblock plugin in my primary browser to block access to my internal network. And I use another browser whenever I want to access my internal devices. Update: On Firefox you can use NoScript ABE to block access to internal resources.
check for IPv6 settings, and configure the firewall as default deny for incoming IPv6 TCP/UDP.
Change default passwords, especially for services connected to the Internet. Follow password best practices.
Update your devices - in case you have a lot of free time in your hand.
Don't allow your guests to connect to your home network. Set up a separated AP for them. Imagine your nephew stealing your private photos or videos from your NAS or DNLA server.
With great power, it comes great responsibility. The less device you own in your house, the less time you need to maintain those.
Read the manuals of your devices. Be aware of the different interfaces. Configure it in a secure way.
Stop being amazed by junk hacking.
Update: Prevent against DNS rebind attacks via configuring a DNS server which can block internal IP addresses. OpenDNS can block internal IP, but this is not a default option, you have to configure it.
who can exploit the vulnerability?
what prerequisites do we have about the attack to successfully exploit the vulnerability? Is the attacker already in your home network? If yes, you have probably bigger problems.
what can the attacker do when the exploit is successful?
And last but not least don't forget that in the case of IoT devices sometimes users are the product, not the customer. IoT is about collecting data for marketing purposes.
I would add something to your list of tips of securing routers.
I also moved into a new home recently with a pre-existing broadband connection. Long story short, it turned out the router had an empty admin password and an Internet facing telnet service. Surprise surprise, someone has logged in according to the device logs.
I really liked your post, People can know that how can they secure home. Keep giving updates so that it will be very helpful for everyone.
| 2019-04-20T14:13:33 |
https://jumpespjump.blogspot.com/2015/08/how-to-secure-your-home-against.html
|
0.999913 |
How did we lose Britain's freedoms?
If you think Australia is the be all and end all and can't learn anything from other countries, then stop reading right now - because I'm about to ask a few "why nots".
Worse, I'm about to ask "why not" about a range of things I discovered in the country Aussies love to hate: England.
Traffic lights in England turn amber before they turn green.
As an Australian I found a visit to the UK in May truly eye-opening, not only in the fact that there is so much beautiful countryside (it's not wall-to-wall cities, believe it or not) but in the area of personal freedoms that we in Australia have lost over the years.
Take public rights of way, for instance. In England there are pedestrian pathways everywhere, not just alongside roads or through national parks.
Walkers in England can cross farm boundaries with impunity - as long as they behave themselves.
People are encouraged to "ramble" through established private farmlands, and these pathways are well marked and include stiles to help walkers cross fences and walls.
In this way great tracts of country can be explored - as long as you follow basic rules, such as closing gates, cleaning up after yourself, and leaving the livestock alone.
Compare that to Australia, where as soon as you leave the city you're restricted to road reserves and rest areas and are hemmed in on both sides by the wire fences of private landholders.
If you want to wander across a paddock to inspect an interesting rock outcrop, you're trespassing - and the landholder can take you to task for it.
By contrast, in England these traditional paths, some of which have been used for thousands of years, are sacrosanct, and even if a new estate is being built on farmland, the law dictates that rights of way must be preserved.
As a result, the Brits have much more freedom to explore their own country than we do.
Then there are the unarmed police officers - the "bobbies" - who we saw chatting in a friendly manner with civilians and tourists throughout the major cities.
Without an arsenal of weapons hung about their hips, they are a lot more approachable than our Australian equivalents and seem to actually enjoy conversing with the public. It must do wonders for tourism, as well as information gathering.
As far as I know the crime rate in the UK is not radically worse than ours, so why do Australian authorities feel the need for our police to carry pistols, stun guns, pepper spray and truncheons?
Is it a hangover from colonialism when civilians were seen as ex-convicts who required strict control, or is it simply blindly following the American example?
It's as if England expects that 99 per cent of people will do the right thing, whereas Australia expects 99 per cent of people will become criminals if they're not kept in line by ever more restrictive laws.
This even extends to signage, which in England seems to be deliberately kept to a minimum and usually either begins with "please" or ends with "thank you".
Compare this with the plethora of Australian signs in strict, non-compromising words followed by the inevitable threats of fines.
This liberality includes such things as drink driving. The UK penalties are as strict as in Australia, but there are no such things as booze buses or random breath testing.
Instead, if a police officer sees a car driving erratically the car will be pulled over and the driver breath tested.
This passes some of the responsibility back to drivers - and, once again, as far as I know the UK drink-driving problem is no worse than ours.
And over there an adult can walk into a bar and order a double scotch without being turned down by the bartender on account of it not being "responsible service".
In other words if you're a grown up the amount you drink is up to you - they simply refuse service when they think you've had enough. Seems much fairer than treating you like a drunk as soon as you order more than a half measure of spirits.
Travelling on the roads is also a new experience. Traffic itself is kept moving by such means as traffic lights displaying an amber light before they turn green.
That's right, before they turn green.
This indicates to drivers approaching an intersection that the red light is about to change, so instead of them coming to a halt they can slow and allow for that change, thus maintaining a traffic flow.
They also have roundabouts painted on the roads, and somehow drivers negotiate these without colliding. Amazing!
And guess what? They allow dogs into pubs and there are no horrendous health problems. There are water bowls for dogs outside most shops and public buildings as well as special tethering posts to tie them to while you shop.
In fact the freer access for dogs to almost everywhere seems to have created a breed of more civilised dogs, who follow their owners obediently and sit quietly under tables while passing patrons pat them on the head. They're even allowed onto trains and buses.
Go into a big supermarket and you'll come across the strange sight of checkout chicks sitting down.
Somehow we Aussies seem to think that sitting at such a job is "slacking off", while over there they see it as providing a more comfortable working environment - and such seating means that older people can be employed without having to stand up all day. Very civilised.
Oh and when you watch TV you don't get bombarded with government campaigns about smoking, drinking and healthy eating.
They don't seem to think it's necessary to beat people over the head with guilt trips about their lifestyles. Yet here in Australia we love to call England a "nanny state".
So I have to ask: Why not here?
Why are our police armed to the teeth compared with Britain's bobbies?
Why can't we have more freedom to roam the countryside, and why can't we take our dogs to the pub?
Why can't we have amber lights before the green light comes on, and why are our traffic roundabouts often planted with trees that block our view of oncoming traffic, while England's are simply painted circles on the road?
Why can't our checkout staff be treated like human beings and allowed to sit at their desks?
Why must we tolerate countless threatening signs rather than fewer signs containing polite requests?
| 2019-04-25T06:59:53 |
https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/how-did-we-lose-britains-freedoms-20130704-2pdus.html
|
0.99997 |
C90 - best 1.25" option?
I recently got a C90 (one of the rubber armored spotting scope versions from maybe the late '80s or early '90s) in pretty good condition. First light was a couple of nights ago; I was out walking the dog and saw that the neighbors' kids around the corner had a lemonade stand set up, so after enjoying some lemonade and chatting with the neighbors I grabbed the C90 on a photo tripod and shared a quick peek at Saturn and the full moon with the family and another neighbor family that was hanging out in the driveway.
I'm pretty happy with the C90 and am looking forward to using it as a quick look grab-and-go, but I'm not thrilled with the .965" to 1.25" diagonal that it came with. It's a 45° erect image one, and while I'm sure it'll do nicely for terrestrial use, I think I could do better for astronomical use. Part of the reason I chose Saturn and the moon and not, say, M13 as targets was because they were both low to the sky. (Jupiter was low to the sky as well, but hopelessly lost behind a tree.) I could probably be reasonably happy with a .965" to 1.25" mirror diagonal, but it would be nice to have the versatility of using other 1.25" accessories.
How similar are these to the LAR? Is there a particular reason I'd pick one over the other? Also, a quick test with a 1.25" barrel showed that it wouldn't fit through the bore back of the MCT, so that means that once I put a 1.25" visual back on one of those adapters, an accessory would potentially bottom out against something, as opposed to passing straight through on an SCT with a full 2" bore. Is that going to be problematic?
Are there other options besides a .965" to 1.25" diagonal, or one of the above adapters, that I haven't considered? Does anybody have a favorite .965" to 1.25" diagonal, if I decide to go that route?
You hit it on the head. The LAR gives you an adapter with the thread of the SCT visual back so you can use SCT accessories.
Meade may not manufacture the "LAR".
But I think scopestuff, and others, have an adapter that converts to 2" SCT Threads.
Just make sure you clearance between larger diameter tubes and the focuser knob.
Edited by mvas, 07 September 2017 - 08:02 PM.
The LAR gives you an adapter with the thread of the SCT visual back so you can use SCT accessories.
So it's not substantially different from the more modern thread adapters? I couldn't find a picture, so I wasn't sure if it operated on a different principle from the options I linked above.
This actually focuses more like an SLR lens, by rotating the front of the OTA. It takes getting used to, but it does mean there's no focuser knob to worry about clearances with, and no possibility of mirror flop.
Unfortunately, that explicitly says it *doesn't* fit the C90. So I guess the information I had heard about the ETX and C90 threads being the same was incorrect.
The Meade 07036 ETX Back Cell Adapter fits my Orange C90 just fine. I have it installed right now.
I have also tried an ETX adapter on my orange-tube C90 and it works fine. However, I eventually took it off and just went with a conversion diagonal. This turned out to be a good match for 1.25" eyepieces that I use with this little scope.
which says the ETX and C90 threads have the same pitch, but the C90 thread diameter is 35mm and the ETX thread diameter is 34.6mm. I measured my threads calipers and the OD was 35.2mm. I could definitely see how you might get lucky and get a C90 with a slightly narrow rear cell thread, and an ETX to SCT adapter with a slightly wide inner thread, but I could also see how you could get unlucky, hence the incompatibility disclaimer on the SS ring.
It sounds like the Celestron LAR generally worked on the ETX threads, so I wonder why nobody is copying the LAR dimensions.
I use one of these on my C90.
Bigern, I think that is the winner! Simple and obvious, I feel silly for overlooking an option like that. It wouldn't focus any better or worse than a 1.25" SCT visual back, and had the added benefit of potentially being useful for any other vintage .965" hardware I might run into in the future.
Certainly the eyepiece adapter is one way forward. I'd probably opt for a hybrid .965/1.25 diagonal if I were going that route, though.
If nothing else, it's worth it to see a photo of a 2" diagonal on a C90!
A 0.965" diagonal won't fit in the rear baffle tube of a C90, either. The rear baffle is about 17mm , which is ls about 0.67". In either case, you should use a visual back long enough for the barrel of the diagonal you are using.
>>Are there other options besides a .965" to 1.25" diagonal, or one of the above adapters, that I haven't considered?
So instead of purchasing an ETX LAR-type adapter, you can just use a 1.25" visual back and diagonal. This would be my prefered solution. Note, however, that Telescope Adapters is currently closed due to the approaching hurricane.
And as far as the scopestuff ETX adapter saying that it does not fit the C90, they may be referring to the current C90: the current c90 uses a larger thread that is compatible with the Nexstar 127mm Mak and many other Synta-built small to mid-sized Maks (note that Orion seems to be moving to SCT threads for their larger Maks). So they need a different adapter than older C90s and ETXs.
And since we are on the subject, I believe that the Celestron Nexstar 4, 4i and 4SE versions of a 102mm Mak (scopes that have ETX-esque flip mirrors for a built-in diagonal and rear port) all use the ETX thread standard on their rear port. But the SLT 90, 102, and 127 versions (none of which have a flip mirror) use a larger-size thread.
I just picked up a black C90. The visual back will take 0.965 accessories and has outside threads about 1 3/8" (35mm). I am not sure what the purpose of these threads are but I see that you can use a LAR adapter so that you can use standard SCT visual backs. One question I have is, is it better to use a hybrid diaganol for 1 1/4" EP's or should I hunt down a LAR?
Another question is what parts do I need to adapt this scope as a telephoto lens? Will this T-adapter work?
A little searching found that Baader makes a LAR type adapter.
Maybe this ETX T-mount adapter could work with a C90. Can you lap the threads until it would fit?
Edited by WoodyEnd, 31 October 2017 - 10:09 PM.
Yes I know this was posted a year ago.
| 2019-04-21T00:46:39 |
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/591001-c90-best-125-option/
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0.992553 |
4. Cutrona C, Russell D. (1987). The provision of social relationships and adaptation to stress. Advances in Personal Relationships 1, 37-67.
Background: Students generally regard feedback as essential. Feedback research often focuses on clinical/simulated clinical contexts, but a large proportion of medical assessment is delivered via MCQ exams and students repeatedly request personalised feedback from them. We must develop effective feedback mechanisms for such exams. Summary of work: In a first year cardiovascular module students sat one of two 30 minute formative exams. Group one spent 15 minutes after the exam reviewing their answers and viewing detailed feedback explaining why each option was correct or incorrect. Group two received domain level information on their performance in absolute terms and relative to the class, which they could take away. Three weeks later they sat a second 30 minute formative exam after which all students received domain level information and reviewed their answers. Assignment to the conditions was randomized. Summary of results: Both methods were extremely popular. By comparing performance change across exams we evaluated the efficacy of the techniques. By comparing the results to the previous cohort's performance on the same formative exam - then sat in a single sitting - we could evaluate both against a no-feedback baseline. We are monitoring group performance to see if differences emerge in summative exams.
Conclusions: It is possible to routinely and effectively deliver MCQ exam feedback in a way that is personalized and relevant to students. Take-home messages: Developing robust and cost-effective feedback mechanisms appropriate to MCQ exams is important to improve student satisfaction and increase student performance. The educational impact of such techniques will vary.
Background: Medical schools often demand students to ask frequent for feedback during clerkship. Therefore, supervisors need to fill out a specific form in a feedback note book which belongs to the student. Staff and residents are not always motivated to provide feedback due to time constraints. On the other hand, students do not always ask for feedback. They feel troubled to 'disturb' supervisors. The central question in this study is: given these circumstances how complete are feedback forms filled out, and how specific is the provided feedback?
Summary of work: Feedback note books from 36 students were collected. These students were required to have a total of 292 completed feedback forms. With a mixed method approach the research questions are answered. Instruments were developed a) to determine the completeness of the forms and b) to analyze the specificity of the content of the written feedback. Summary of results: From the required forms 178 (61%) were empty. 74% of the filled out forms were complete. Woman filled out more complete forms. Information about 'good points' was often completely filled out, contrary to information about 'points for improvement' and 'suggestions'. The given feedback points lacked specificity. We found significant differences in specificity among disciplines, gender and seniority (residents -staff) (p <0.05). Female residents gave most specific feedback.
Conclusions: Students could more benefit if they asked more often feedback, and if supervisors put effort in formulating points for improvement and suggestions in a specific manner.
Take-home messages: Completed feedback forms and specific feedback content lead to rich feedback.
conscientiousness) and elements of observation and feedback (frequency, quality of content and consequential impact).
Summary of work: We developed and tested several hypotheses regarding the characteristics and elements in a cross-sectional digital survey among GP trainers and their trainees. We conducted bivariate analysis using Pearson correlations and performed multiple regression analysis.
Summary of results: Sixty-two trainer-trainee couples from three Dutch institutions for postgraduate GP training participated in the study. Trainers' task perception and neurotic personality correlated positively with frequency of feedback and quality of feedback content. Multiple regression analysis supported positive correlations between task perception and frequency of feedback and between neuroticism and quality of feedback content. No other correlations were found.
Conclusions: This study contributes to the literature on feedback giving by revealing factors that influence feedback-giving behaviour, namely neuroticism and task perception. Trainers whose task perception included facilitation of observation and feedback (task perception) and trainers who were concerned about the safety of their patients during consultations with trainees (neuroticism) engaged more frequently in observation and feedback and gave feedback of higher quality.
clerkship under the supervision of rural family medicine doctors in remote regions with access to clinical skills feedback from university-based general internists. Summary of results: Students described four properties of the project that may have supported the ongoing exchange of constructive feedback. These include 1) deliberate practise during dedicated practice time separate from clinical duties 2) the use of videos to exchange feedback 3) a dedicated coach with the sole role of providing formative feedback on clinical skills and 4) exclusively formative feedback. Conclusions: Students willingly engaged in the exchange of constructive feedback when its focus was on developmental improvement as part of a longitudinal relationship with non-supervisory faculty. Future research could explore the conflation of summative and formative assessment in our curricula designs as a contributing factor to the pervasive dissatisfaction with the exchange of constructive feedback by both trainees and faculty.
Take-home messages: Students welcomed constructive clinical skills feedback but opposed combining formative feedback with summative assessment.
Background: Providing feedback to learners after completing Standardized Patient (SP) exercises is a common practice in medical education. Written and verbal feedback have been the traditional methods for providing feedback.
Summary of work: The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) has developed a formative assessment of communication skills using Remote Standardized Patients (RSPs) and a web-based communication interface (Skype). Each encounter includes a 15-minute doctor-patient communication task using Skype, a 5-minute self-assessment exercise, and a 10-minute debriefing and verbal feedback exercise. The program was pilot tested with 59 resident physicians from around the United States, each of whom completed four cases, totaling 236 encounters. After program participation each study participant (RSPs and residents) completed a 53-item web-delivered questionnaire and participated in focus group discussions.
Summary of results: Ninety-nine percent of residents agreed or strongly agreed that receiving feedback via Skype was valuable. During 10 resident focus groups it was consistently viewed as the most valuable aspect of the program. RSPs reported that the web-based format for providing feedback was effective in their focus group, and RSPs revealed some challenges they encountered as well as opportunities. Conclusions: User acceptance for this web-based communication exercise using RSPs was high, and both resident and RSP participants valued the feedback component. Such e-learning initiatives may benefit students, residents and practicing in the future. Take-home messages: As a web-based communication tool, Skype provides a potential tool for providing effective feedback to learners after completing communication exercises.
Medical Education, Facultad de Medicina de la UNAM.
Secretaria de Educacion Medica. Edif. B, 3er Piso, Ave.
Background: Biomedical Informatics (BMI) is an emerging discipline that is starting to be incorporated in medical training programs. There are few published experiences of implementation and assessment of BMI courses in medical schools. UNAM Faculty of Medicine in Mexico is the largest medical school in Latin America, and has included BMI in its undergraduate program. Summary of work: Two one-semester courses (BMI-1 and BMI-2) were designed for the first two years of the curriculum. BMI-1 includes core conceptual notions and practical aspects of informatics applied to medicine (medical databases, electronic health record, telemedicine, among others), and BMI-2 embodies medical decision making and clinical reasoning. This study reports an assessment of the 2012 BMI-2 course with a one-group pretest-posttest knowledge exam and an opinion questionnaire. The test was a 40-item multiple-choice question instrument, which included mostly items targeted to application and problem-solving levels.
Summary of results: This paper focuses on the assessment of the 2012 BMI-2 course, which was one semester long, with 16 two-hour sessions. We used a blended-learning model, with 60 teachers and 1,160 students in 41 groups. Pre-post test assessment of knowledge showed an improvement (Cohen's d effect size=1.6). The program had a positive evaluation by students and teachers.
of BMI concepts is essential for modern healthcare professionals.
Background: While health advocacy is one of the seven core roles Canadian physicians are expected to fulfill, it is to conceptualize, quantify, and teach. A literature review was conducted to trace the emergence of health advocacy in medical practice and to identify ways in which the advocate role is utilized by academics, physicians, and the public.
Summary of work: Utilizing the FACTIVA database and searching for key terms (doctor*/physici* AND adcoca*/activis*) the author identified and collected all newspaper articles referring to or interviewing physician advocates in Canada (1984-2012). Using qualitative analysis software (INVIVO10) to organize the data, the author analyzed the content of the newspaper articles and identified the ways in which the advocate role appears in public discourse and academic debates Summary of results: The emergence of the Advocate Role in the Canadian medical education context can be traced to the early 1980s. The definition and scope of doctors' advocacy work has been heavily debated in medical journals. Health Advocacy work, when woven into medical practice, has the potential to blur the lines between the performance of scientific and professional expertise and the personal political positions of physicians. Yet, it is a source of social legitimacy. Conclusions: Through targeted political action and the active exercise of citizenship, physicians enhance the social legitimacy of their profession. Advocacy work establishes direct links between the profession and society by serving as a source of practical expertise for social ills.
Take-home messages: Physicians' participation in social causes enhances both public discourse and the profile of the profession in society.
Background: Many newly qualified doctors lack confidence in prescribing and a recent GMC investigation found an 8.4% error rate. In 2011-12, a series of simulated prescribing tutorials were delivered to a cohort of final year medical students; there was a reduction in prescribing errors and improved prescribing confidence). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the tutorials now these individuals are prescribing in practice.
Summary of work: Of the 35 students who undertook the tutorials, we contacted those for whom we had a forwarding email address (n=23) with an online questionnaire. There were 13 respondents (57%), all of whom were practicing as junior doctors. Questions comprised semantic differential scales and free text boxes. We also collected confidence scores from 11 FY1 doctors who had not received the tutorials. Descriptive statistics and qualitative analyses were performed. Summary of results: Mean scores for the impact of the tutorials on prescribing confidence and safety were 5.2/7 and 5.8/7 respectively. For anaphylaxis, confidence was higher amongst FY1 doctors who had received the tutorial compared to those who had not (p=0.008). For the other topics, there was a trend in this direction (p=0.068-0.926). Qualitative analysis showed that students were less confident with drug interactions and prescribing in renal failure. Conclusions: Use of simulated prescribing tutorials during the final year of medical school improved prescribing confidence amongst newly qualified doctors. Take-home messages: Low-fidelity simulated prescribing tutorials create a safe and effective environment in which to practice this key skill.
EBM into health promotion block among medical students.
Summary of work: A comparative study was conducted among the 4th-year medical students in 5-week health promotion block at Prince of Songkla University, southern Thailand. All 135 students were divided into two groups: one-week EBM integrated in the first week of block (1st group) and in the last week (2nd group). Self-reported questionnaire including knowledge and skills in terms of questioning health problem, searching evidence and appraising identified evidence and the application of EBM into health promotion and in future practices was rated by medical students before and after EBM. Sixteen faculty members evaluated the student's group presentation of their project on health promotion at the end of block. All evaluation items were rated into from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Data were analyzed using t test or wilcoxon test as appropriate. Summary of results: Baseline self-report by students before EBM between two groups were similar. Knowledge and skills on EBM and application of EBM into health promotion block and future practices were increased significantly (p<0.001). Both groups of students did not rate differently. Faculty members rated higher scores for the 1st group than the 2nd group for topic of interest, searching for evidence-based information, critical appraisal of evidence before using it and their applied knowledge but the significant difference could not be identified. Conclusions: Evidence-based medicine was useful not only in clinical practices but also in health promotion. Future development and evaluation of well-assessed tools for its application is required. Take-home messages: Evidence-based medicine was useful not only in clinical practices but also in health promotion.
applicable evidence. Found evidence was assessed using the Fresno Test guidelines for literature searching. Post training, students re-took the Fresno Test inquiry component and questionnaire.
Summary of results: Sixty-four students completed the preliminary survey, the module and post-test. Following EBM training, all students reported increased skill in formulating clinical questions and 97% felt competent searching for evidence. These self-evaluations were confirmed by empirical measures. Pre and post mean scores, (out of maximum 3) 1.02 (SD.24) and 2.45(SD.74)(P <0.001). Fifty-eight students (90%) completed literature search and 78% achieved competency. Ninety-eight percent of students reported feeling motivated to use EBM presently and in the future.
Conclusions: This EBM training module, focusing on clinical question formulation and literature searching, increased students' confidence in their clinical inquiry and search skills. Development of EBM education should include targeted training in these key domains.
| 2019-04-26T08:17:01 |
http://vuzlib.com.ua/articles/book/17050-Mededworld_and_amee_2013_confe/75.html
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0.999999 |
The original 1830 "as dictated" English text of the Book of Mormon was entirely devoid of punctuation, it seems. That is sort of odd: punctuation is not some optional decoration, it is an essential component of clear written text, establishing the proper relations between various sentences, clauses, phrases, and words that make up the text. If the Urim and Thummim didn't do punctuation, it was a faulty or incomplete translation instrument. So where did the punctuation come from? Meet John H. Gilbert, punctuator and thus unacknowledged "co-translator" of the Book of Mormon.
The first edition of the Book of Mormon was printed in 1830 in Palmyra, New York, by the E. B. Grandin Company. The principal typesetter and compositor was John H. Gilbert, who also provided most of the punctuation and paragraphing. Production was slow and fraught with the possibility of making errors, both of sight and of judgment.
Marquardt and Walters provide more information on Mr. Gilbert, noting that he was 27 years old and working in Grandin's print shop when the Book of Mormon was printed (setting the type, printing and correcting a proof sheet, then printing final sheets). According to Gilbert's own account published years later, he eventually persuaded Hyrum to leave the manuscript sheets with him at night rather than taking them back home at the end of each day; Gilbert then read the manuscript text in the evening and added punctuation in pencil. His recollection: "Names of persons and places were generally capitalized, but sentences had no end."
At first blush, this justifies the wholesale re-punctuating of later Book of Mormon editions — if some guy named Gilbert was the real punctuator, the thinking seems to be, then there is nothing wrong with changing his punctuation choices. The problem with this is that Joseph and his colleagues reviewed the proofs and adopted Gilbert's punctuating. As Gilbert himself explained, "I punctuated it to make it read as I supposed the Author intended, and but very little punctuation was altered in proof-reading."
I suppose one could claim that God worked through Joseph and the Urim and Thummim for the text, then worked through Gilbert for the punctuation. But no no one is making this claim, least of all Gilbert, who had no Urim and Thummim. He just took the sheets home at night and added punctuation, an entirely natural process. He was a printer, not a translator.
The Encyclopedia of Mormonism article "Translation of the Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith," by Welch and Rathbone, contains no references to either punctuation or Gilbert. The article contains this singularly unenlightening statement: "Little is known about the translation process itself. Few details can be gleaned from comments made by Joseph's scribes and close associates. Only Joseph Smith knew the actual process, and he declined to describe it in public." However, the article "Editions (1830-1981)," by Royal Skousen, does state that "Gilbert added punctuation and determined the paragraphing for the first edition."
Finally, to illustrate all this talk about Book of Mormon punctuation with an example, consider the first paragraph of the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon, or what is now versified as 1 Nephi 1:1-3. In verse 1, the dash after "my days" is now changed to a comma, and a period shows at the end of verse 1 where a comma appeared in the 1830 text. The first word of verse 2, "yea," is now capitalized (since a period was added at the end of verse 1). In verse 3, a comma was removed and "to be true" was conjugated to "is true."
Personally, I kind of like the paragraphing in the 1830 edition. I think it's unfortunate the text was chopped up into individual verses in the 1879 edition done by Orson Pratt. More importantly, the present versification invites misreading, since it presents as complete sentences sections of text which were only parts of longer sentences in the 1830 edition, such as we just observed with 1 Nephi 1:2. In 1879, Orson Pratt also reformatted the text into the shorter chapters we now see in the modern edition. In the 1830 edition, First Nephi, for example, was divided into just seven long chapters.
"punctuation is not some optional decoration"
Not in Semitic or Egyptian. Semitic languages mark things of this kind syntactically, but there's no one-to-one correspondance of "this structure= a period, that structure= a paragraph."
There's a good FARMS article by a linguist discussing it and the associated difficulties in English.
The translation of the BoM is a sufficient translation, not a perfect one.
You should take a look at "The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition" by Grant Hardy. It restores the original paragraph formatting, among other things.
Back when the RLDS used to put emphasis on the BoM, their edition (I have one from the 1960s) has the books with fewer chapters. The books are divided into verses, however, in that edition, which evidences the RLDS decision to make similar structural changes. It is interesting to have the very long chapters. It did, however, make it difficult to find a certain spot in the text in discussions with an RLDS faithful while on my mission.
Okay, this is exactly the kind of thinking that helped me come to my senses. I'm outing myself here as a "recovering mormon." I apologize if some of my comments are less thoughtful or considered, but pulling out of the Mormon church is an emotional roller-coaster.
Anyway there's always some pseudo- academic argument manufactured by the [nice folks] down at FARMS to justify every inconsistency and every difficulty that becomes apparent with a rigurous look at the church, its history, and its doctrine. But their approach is never guided by rigor or intellectual honesty--it's about justifying, holding up, and keeping a paycheck.
Okay, I can believe this. But the Book of Mormon was translated into English. And in the English language, minor punctuation and paragraphing changes can significantly alter the meaning of a text. Any high school freshman with a sentence deconstruction exercise under his belt understands this.
I'm not critiquing the process--Gilbert, Smith, Cowdery, Pratt, whoever did the punctuation doesn't matter too much to me. Consistency of meaning does, but that is not my point.
inspired by the church's intellectual [response team], are totally at odds with the church doctrine as imparted through approved lesson manuals, missionary discussions, general conference talks, etc. Remember, the Book of Mormon is THE MOST PERFECT BOOK on the face of the Earth. Joseph's translation of the Book of Mormon was inspired, as opposed to the man-made translation of the Bible which we are not supposed to trust.
Anybody with half an intellect who belongs to the LDS Church has to develop a skill with dialectics that would make your average Soviet kommisar rage with jealousy. And dialectics? There's a great topic for a slow day Dave.
[Nick] wrote Anyway there's always some pseudo- academic argument manufactured by the [nice folks] down at FARMS to justify every inconsistency and every difficulty that becomes apparent with a rigurous look at the church, its history, and its doctrine. But their approach is never guided by rigor or intellectual honesty--it's about justifying, holding up, and keeping a paycheck.
Why do you describe FARMS like this? Isn't it because you can't think up any plausible counter-arguments to what you call their "manufactured," "pseudo-academic" arguments and that frustrates you? The first step toward taking them on, however, would be to actually read their materials and, perhaps, go get a Ph.D. in a topic dealing with linguistics, ancient near-eastern studies, theology, semitic languages, egyptology, anthropology, or some other related research field (you will likely need the training since you will be arguing against the research and conclusions of people with such solid training).
But most of all, have fun with it!
Oops, that was responding to Nick, not Bill.
Nick, it's true that there are [nice folks] among the church's apologists, and that they come up with some doozies sometimes. But this isn't one of them.
If our current version of the BoM read exactly like the manuscript given to Gilbert, would our understanding of the story and doctrine contained therein be substantially different?
Joseph's use of the word "perfect" in the sentence you quoted is unfortunate. We define the word in an absolute sense. Joseph apparently didn't; otherwise, the phrase "most perfect" wouldn't make sense. But then, of course, we're stuck with the absolute nature of the word "most." The fact is that Joseph's words were hyperbolic, as were many things that were said back then. People tended to say things more for their emotional impact than their technical accuracy. This is still the case in many cultures today.
According to Royal Skousen, after Cowdery copied the original manuscript, he began to add a little punctuation beginning on page 106 of the printer's manuscript. But his efforts were sporadic and not systematic. He also did some paragraphing on pages 129 to 145 of the printer's manuscript.
Another scribe was more consistent with his punctuation on the parts of the printer's manuscript he was responsible for (Mosiah 25 to Alma 13 and 3 Nephi through Mormon). But Gilbert seems to have ignored their efforts. Skousen estimates that more than 90% of Gilbert's punctuation marks were implemented in the 1830 edition.
Royal Skousen, "John Gilbert's 1892 Account of the 1830 Printing of the Book of Mormon," in The Disciple as Witness: Essays on Latter-day Saint History and Doctrine in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson, ed. Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry, and Andrew H. Hedges (2000), pp. 390, 392-93.
This discussion reminds me a little of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine gets mad over her boyfriend's use of exclaimation points!!!
For the record, Ben S. is not employed by FARMS (although he may be a recipient of one of their fellowships) and he is not [a man hired to terrorize or eliminate opponents] in any case. Please be civil.
"Any high school fresman ... understands this."
May I just point out that Joseph Smith was not a high school freshman? This was the 1820s! In the 1820s most people were lucky to get a 6th grade education. High school was somewhere you went if your family had money or if you and your family were willing to work yourselves to the bone to afford it. High school just wasn't relevant to everyday life. Most of these people were farmers, laborers and craftsmen. Reading Shakespeare and deconstructing sentences was not a necessity for them.
It's a mistake to try to hold other time periods up to our "lofty" social expectations.
I apologize beforehand for the length and somewhat off-topic nature of my post.
I stand by my characterization of FARMS as a sort of intellectual goon squad, though I'm certain there are individual exceptions to the overall rule. As one apostle put it, FARMS's role is to prevent intellectual opponents from "outflanking" the general authorities.
This is the inherent problem with FARMS as an academic institution. Their primary mission is not to seek out new areas of knowledge, truth, or understanding; rather, it is to support an existing body of ideas. Perhaps my previous use of "pseudo-academic" is faulty. A more accurate term might be pseudo-scientific. What I'm trying to describe is an approach that appears to be based on rigor and methodology (or methodological thinking), but in fact serves an almost propagandistic function.
John Fowles, I hope you can see that I have clearly reasoned thoughts and information behind my opinion of FARMS, and am not merely throwing a tantrum as you implied. I'll disagree with you on the point that the professors at FARMS are men of universally unassailable intellect and rigor, whose conclusions require no independent thought or scrutiny--or that I am unqualified to apply my own thought or scrutiny without a certificate ot that effect hanging on my wall.
What I'm trying to describe is an approach that appears to be based on rigor and methodology (or methodological thinking), but in fact serves an almost propagandistic function.
What scholarship, in your view, does not do this? When academics go about writing a "thesis," it is because they have something they think they can prove.
or defend, as the case may be.
harpingheather, Joseph Smith's lack of education is unrelated to Nick's claim, which is that punctuation is a vital part of the BoM text. I disagree with his claim, but I think you're conflating separate issues.
Nick wrote I did not intend to point a finger Ben S., but he cited a FARMS article in his comment.
Are you implying by this that once someone cites to a FARMS article their argument can be brushed aside? This is a very convenient way for you to avoid having to address the substance of individual FARMS arguments, which are generally well supported arguments, whether you agree with their conclusions or not. The problem is that, if you do not agree with their conclusions, then you need to address the substantive content of the argument to try to refute it. It that is something that you simply do not want to do, then that is one thing. But to dismiss FARMS as somehow invalid just because the scholarship there pursues a certain goal (that of defending LDS truth claims based on sound research in specialized fields) is a short-cut that ill serves you.
Back on topic, I think it's interesting how quickly we get distracted by whether or not grammatical or spelling errors reduce the value of the Book of Mormon. For the record, I don't think it has the least import.
What does matter--and the reason why punctuation and versification are worth a critical look--is how punctuation, versification, and word choice affect the meaning of the book. As a former editor, I know there are times when shifting a comma here or ending a paragraph there can clearly alter the intended meaning. And that's what makes Gilbert's story interesting.
I'll disagree with you on the point that the professors at FARMS are men of universally unassailable intellect and rigor, whose conclusions require no independent thought or scrutiny--or that I am unqualified to apply my own thought or scrutiny without a certificate ot that effect hanging on my wall.
Funny, I don't remember making that point. to the contrary, take on the conclusions of the FARMS contributors. Address them footnote by footnote, and show why they are not plausible or helpful conclusion based on reasonable research and evidence in the historical, cultural, or linguistic record. My point about the helpfulness of a Ph.D. in your endeavor was to express that if you really want to debunk FARMS's work, then the training you get in such a doctoral program (this is not focused on a piece of paper hanging on a wall) will be of much value in refuting the FARMS arguments. Of course any old person can criticize and argue against any conclusion of any kind. And perhaps you are equipped to counter some of the technical and ancient-research-oriented arguments put out by FARMS. I just know that some of the primary source languages are inaccessible to many people without specific training in those fields, and it seems that knowledge of those things could be useful in refuting FARMS defenses.
I don't think it's unrelated at all. Nick seemed to be claiming that the original book should have been translated "perfectly" and by Nick's definiton that seemed to include punctuation. I'm pointing out two things (though the second is a bit after the fact). One: Joseph Smith, like most people of his day, lacked the high school education that Nick was saying was basic to the knowledge of punctuation. Two: Punctuation of the day was very different from punctuation today so likely we'd still find an early edition of the BoM confusing to our modern eyes.
...to dismiss FARMS as somehow invalid just because the scholarship there pursues a certain goal (that of defending LDS truth claims based on sound research in specialized fields) is a short-cut that ill serves you.
In legal and government circles, it's called "conflict of interest."
A friend of mine just suggested another less confrontational way of looking at it: perhaps it's the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning. Do you choose a conclusion based on specific cases and data? Or do you deduce your conclusions from big picture?
Anyway, my friend suggests that this fundamental difference (reverse inductive vs. deductive reasoning) goes beyond FARMS, pervading throughout LDS thought, and that this difference could be the primary reason why I'm on my way out of the church. Any thoughts?
"I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book" (HC 4:461).
harpingheather, Will was right. I never even tangentially mentioned Joseph Smith's education. The man had a phenomenal career considering his lack of "formal education," which he took the initiative to correct through active independent study of a variety of fields throughout his life.
My point was about the way we (the modern readers) talk about issues like Joseph Smith's translation. How on one hand we call it the "most perfect book" and firmly believe that its translation was guided by divine revelation, making it far superior to other books of holy scripture. Yet when somebody points out any sort of inconsistency in that statement (ie if punctuation can have such an impact on meaning, why didn't the Lord tell Joseph where to put the commas? -- not my line of reasoning, but one that I have heard), we ask how dare they judge this book with such high standards?
Again, I'm not saying that the punctuation issues delegitimize the Book of Mormon--I just find it interesting how we in the church can comfortably claim two opposite sides of the field like this.
And regarding my "deliberately inflammatory statements"--why is it that so many folks in the church react this way when somebody brings up ideas or information that does not jibe with their orthodoxy? I've always believed that someone who has a firm grasp on their faith shouldn't be threatened because somebody dares to bring up a different point of view. And no, it was never my intention to be deliberately inflammatory--although granted a bit sarcastic with respect to FARMS (which, last I heard, was not grouped in among the Lord's annointed).
The issue is fundamentally one of starting points (as your friend suggests). The people at FARMS will never come to a conclusion that says that the Book of Mormon is not what it says it is (an ancient document). This is primarily because they have had a confirming revelatory experience regarding this claim (for the record, so have I). Therefore they may not always accept the conclusion most likely to survive Occam's razor because there are constraints on the conclusions they can draw. There is nothing wrong with it; it is what it is.
For that matter, it doesn't make their scholarship inherently suspect. They are quite plain about their biases. You can choose to account for that in their research or not according to your liking.
Do they sometimes come to conclusions that seem strange to the wider academic audience? Sure. This primarily a function of operating from a different starting point. When FARMS engages in apologetics, it is primarily to help people who are operating from the same starting point understand issues raised by people who are coming from somewhere else (academia, anti's, etc.). The people who engage in this sort of behavior are hardly intimidating; they are working to understand LDS belief in light of academic evidence. Regarding their "goonishness", I seriously doubt that any academic is frightened of what FARMS may have to say on a subject unless they too are interested in influencing those people who are interested in what FARMS has to say. The people at FARMS are hardly "Danites" and to describe them this way misses the point. They're not interested in eliminating their opponents, they are interested in providing alternative explanations to their readers.
On another note, I really enjoyed this post Dave and I apologize for the threadjack. You've made me want to go out and examine an 1830 edition now.
Justin, thanks for correcting us. I'm embarrassed that I didn't catch that misquote.
I'll still stand by my assertion that many of the recorded words of prophets and even Christ himself are not technically accurate, but rather chosen for their emotional impact. When church leaders say something like "There is no greater calling than __________," they aren't trying to make a literal truth claim.
Well, I missed a spirited discussion this morning, didn't I? I "cleaned up" a few comments (but left punctuation and paragraphing untouched).
I think it's hard to deny that punctuation is an integral part of the text and that the BoM's punctuation pedigree is a little embarrassing.
Ben, the fact that Semitic languages didn't use punctuation doesn't get you very far. English didn't use punctuation either until around the fifteenth century. The translation was supposed to be for the world of 1830 or the world of our day, and now we use punctuation. Are you saying God can't handle punctuation? Or that He thinks a partial or mixed translation (divinely inspired words, human punctuation) was good enough for a project as important as the Book of Mormon?
Justin, thanks for the link to the Marquardt source.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a Nibley Fellow and have published with FARMS. I've also spent a lot of time dealing with the Semitic languages in my graduate program, so I'm not just tossing out FARMS articles defensively.
"Are you saying God can't handle punctuation? Or that He thinks a partial or mixed translation (divinely inspired words, human punctuation) was good enough for a project as important as the Book of Mormon?"
Yes to the second. If grammatical "errors" (ie. subject/verb disagreement), inconsistant spelling and other things were allowable in the Original Mss, then so is the lack of punctuation. I have yet to see a convincing argument that Joseph thought the 1830 BoM translation was the "perfect" book in terms of spelling, translation, OR theology.
When I say "tallest of the people here" the impact of that statement depends on whether I'm standing in the NBA locker room or in Taiwan. When Joseph says "most correct book..." I don't think that means it was the end-all be-all, just that it brought people closer to God than any other book. He certainly felt like he could emend or correct it. Where's Joseph's respect for his own "infallible" translation? Or did he not hold it to be so? I think the second, and he said as much about his bible treatment, a point that is behind my thinking when I say it was a sufficient translation.
I also don't want to derail this, but the article linked above is a good article by a linguist on why BoM sentance structure seems to ramble on and on and on. Whether one accepts it hinges on whether one accepts a Semitic vorlage for the BoM, which Nick clearly doesn't. Dismissing arguments withot even knowing what they are is certainly not the sign of an academic or critical thought process.
FWIW, I also prefer the non-versed layout. I think breaking it up into such small pieces destroys context and encourages proof-texting.
Also Dave, just as a sidenote, a background to my original apparently controversial first comment.
Ben, I don't think there was anything particularly controversial about your first comment. I liked the article you listed (which I skimmed rather quickly) and plan to look up the shorter EOM entry that summarizes the author's comments when I get home tonight.
"Context" is interesting. In a scholarly or objective discussion of historicity or authorship, it seems like all participants should publicly adopt a middle ground (could be ancient, could be modern, sort of an open question), then argue about evidence and inferences. This should be true regardless of the person's personal convictions. Loudly pre-announcing one's convictions prior to discussing the evidence seems to undercut the idea that presenting and discussing evidence is worthwhile (although conspicuous announcement of one's convictions is required in some forums).
No, they're not among the Lord's annointed so to speak but they are your brothers and sisters in Christ, they are for the most part decent people just doing what they think is right and they deserve the same level of respect that you would wish for your questions and comments.
Wow. How do do you know everthing Dave?
harpingheather, I second your call for respect. Unfortunately, the reviewers at FARMS haven't always afforded that respect to their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. See their attacks on Grant Palmer for an example.
By all means, look up the reviews of Palmer published by FARMS. There are 3 by historians and one by Lou Midgely, who, as is well-known from elsewhere in the bloggernacle, once rudely interupted the Tanners having fondue with, uh, some signature books guy.
There is also a statement from the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute publicly contradicting Palmer's implicit claim that they would agree with him.
All in all, 1 out of 5 FARMS reviews could perhaps be labeled as "an attack."
Thanks to all for comments on this interesting topic (which, in case you forgot, was BoM punctuation or lack thereof).
| 2019-04-19T01:13:18 |
https://mormoninquiry.typepad.com/mormon_inquiry/2005/06/punctuation_mat.html
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How NAEP's achievement-level benchmarks fail U.S. schools.
In 1996, the International Education Assessment (IEA) released one of the earliest examinations of how well 4th grade students all over the world could read. IEA is a highly credible international institution that monitors comparative school performance; it also administers the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), a global assessment of 4th and 8th grade mathematics and science achievement. Its 1996 assessment (The IEA Reading Literacy Study, a predecessor to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, or PIRLS) demonstrated that out of 27 participating nations, U.S. 4th graders ranked number two in reading (National Center for Education Statistics, 1996). Only Finland ranked higher. To the extent these rankings mean very much, this second-place finish for the United States was an impressive accomplishment.
But around the same time, the National Assessment Governing Board of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that just one-third of American 4th graders were "proficient" in reading. To this day, the board of NAEP continues to release similarly bleak findings about American 4th graders' reading performance (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). And IEA continues to release global findings indicating that the performance of U.S. 4th graders in reading remains world class (Mullis et al., 2012).
How could both these findings be accurate? Was it true, as NAEP results indicated, that U.S. 4th graders couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time? Or was IEA's conclusion—that the performance of American 4th graders in an international context was first class—more valid? A broader question arises here, one that has intrigued researchers for years: How would other nations perform if their students were held to the NAEP achievement-level benchmark for "proficient"? How might they perform on Common Core-aligned assess-ments with benchmarks that reflect those of NAEP?
How Would Other Nations Score on NAEP?
In 2015, statistician Emre Gönülates and I set out to explore these questions on behalf of the National Superintendents Roundtable (of which I am executive director) and the Horace Mann League (on whose board I serve). The results of our examination, recently released in a report titled How High the Bar? (Harvey & Gönülates, 2017), are eye-opening. In short, the vast majority of students in the vast majority of nations would not clear the NAEP bar for proficiency in reading, mathematics, or science. And the same is true of the "career and college-readiness" benchmarks in mathematics and English language arts that are used by the major Common Core-aligned assessments.
This finding matters because in recent years, communities all over the United States have seen bleak headlines about the performance of their students and schools. Many of these headlines rely on reports about student achievement from NAEP or the Common Core assessments. One particular concern is that only a minority of students in the United States meet the NAEP Proficient benchmark. Frequently, arguments in favor of maintaining this particular benchmark as the desired goal for American students and education institutions are couched in terms of establishing demanding standards so the United States becomes more competitive internationally.
Is it reasonable to believe that 30 percent of U.S. math students who have completed calculus aren't proficient in mathematics, as Pellegrino and colleagues (1999) found?
Should we believe that 69 percent of precalculus students and 92 percent of those who completed trigonometry and Algebra II are similar "failures" who couldn't reach NAEP's benchmark for proficiency (Loveless, 2016)?
The principle international assessments that can be reliably linked to NAEP are those that test reading in grade 4 (PIRLS) and mathematics and science in grade 8 (TIMSS).2 The linking that Emre Gönülates and I did in our research "maps" NAEP scores to comparable scores on TIMSS and PIRLS and to other assessments, such as those de-veloped by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.
When the NAEP benchmark for proficiency is applied to the results of these international assessments in reading (Grade 4) and math and science (Grade 8), it's the rare nation—even among advanced economies—in which 50 percent or more of students would reach this target. Not one of the nations participating in these assessments can demonstrate that a majority of its 4th graders can clear the equivalent of the NAEP proficiency bar in reading in 2011. (The 2016 PIRLS results, released as this article was going to press, do not appear to alter this finding.) Applying the NAEP benchmark to 8th graders in countries that participated in TIMSS, a majority of students in just three nations (Japan, Singapore, and South Korea) can be thought of as proficient in mathematics. That number falls to one (Singapore) in science.
The results for 4th grade reading are especially telling. By our analysis, in no country would a majority of students be considered proficient by NAEP's standard (whether these students speak English or a different language). When we apply the NAEP benchmark for proficient, in fact, the performance of 4th grade students on the 2011 PIRLS confirms the International Education Assessment's findings since 1996: The reading scores of students in most assessed nations fall far short of American students' performance. And data show that, using scores that align with the NAEP Proficient benchmark as a standard, not a single nation among the 40 that participated in PIRLs can demonstrate that even 40 percent of its 4th graders clear the NAEP proficiency bar. The U.S. ranks fifth in this 40-nation comparison, performing comparably with England among English-speaking nations.
What About Common Core Assessments?
When the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium developed their Common Core-based assessments, test developers faced considerable pressure to align the career and college readiness benchmarks with NAEP's Proficient benchmark. The pressure appears to have been successful; as shown in Figure 1, the benchmarks defining college and career readiness in these assessments at Grades 4 and 8 either match the NAEP proficiency benchmark or are very close to it. Several states that abandoned the assess-ments these consortiums created and developed their own assessments also adopted these benchmarks. Because the benchmarks for being "career and college ready" on Common Core assessments align with or approach NAEP's Proficient benchmark, we can expect that students around the world would also be found wanting if they took these assessments.
The fault here lies not in the students. Not in the schools. Not in the Common Core standards or even in the assessments themselves. The fault lies in the flawed benchmarks defining acceptable performance that are attached to NAEP and the Common Core assessments. No matter how well-meaning advocates are, when they push for school improve-ment on the grounds of highly questionable assessment benchmarks, they aren't strengthening schools and building a better America. By painting a false picture of student achievement, they compromise public confidence in the nation's schools, in the process undermining education and weakening the United States.
The history of NAEP's benchmarks partially explains how policymakers and the public have become convinced of the catastrophic failure of American public education. It's a tale of an audacious coup in public policy that combined a determination to demonstrate that large numbers of students were failing, rejection of expert advice about how to set benchmarks, and misuse of the word proficient.
In May 1990, NAEP's governing board voted to approve three achievement levels for NAEP tests: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) Chair Chester E. Finn, Jr., praised the decision, saying, "NAEP will report … how good is good enough. What has been a descriptive process will become a normative process" (Rothman, 1990/1998). In a breathtakingly fast process, an advisory panel appointed by NAGB in June 1990 reached agreement by November on three achievement levels (Basic, Proficient, and Advanced) and the proportion of students at each level who should answer each question correctly. The NAGB adopted the recommendation in May 1991 by a vote of 19–1. In doing so, the board accepted the percentage of correct answers for each level recommended by the panel and decided to use this new methodology in the reading assessment to be mounted later that year (Vinovskis, 1998, p. 45).
Challenged about the speed and quality of this process, Finn responded that he was unwilling to sacrifice the "sense of urgency for national improvement," according one account (Vinovskis, 1998, p. 46). The board subsequently attempted to fire a team of contractors hired to assess the standards-setting process after it issued a critical report (Vinovskis, 1998, p. 47). In a later interview, Finn (2004) dismissed the value of technical expertise: "I get fed up with technical experts [who] take an adversarial stance toward some of the things that are most important in the views of those operating NAEP, such as setting standards" (Finn, 2004, p. 261).
At the time, many independent analysts rejected the process used to develop the NAEP benchmarks. Subsequent to NAGB's rejection of expert advice on the standard-setting, a number of institutions that were asked by Congress or the U.S. Department of Education to review this standard-setting process issued blistering critiques. The criticism from the U.S. General Accounting Office (1993), the National Academy of Sciences (Pellegrino, Jones, & Mitchell, 1999), contractors to the U.S. Department of Education (Scott, Ingels, & Owings, 2007), and analysts at the Brookings Institution (Loveless, 2016) and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (Edley & Koenig, 2016) was withering. The procedures for setting the benchmarks were "flawed," "defied reason and common sense," and produced results of "doubtful validity," concluded the critics. In the face of this fusillade, the NAGB made minor adjustments around the margins—while maintaining that it had to preserve its current benchmarks in the absence of anything better.
The most puzzling aspect of NAEP's standard-setting exercise was the use of the term proficient. Although observers and high-level government officials often misinterpret this term in regard to the assessments, NAEP and the NAGB have been clear over the years that, as they use the term, proficient doesn't mean performance at grade level (Loomis & Bourque, 2001, p. 2). For purposes of NAEP, proficient doesn't even mean proficient in the usual sense of the word. As NAGB officials have explained: "Students who may be proficient in a subject, given the common usage of the term, might not satisfy the requirements for performance at the NAEP achievement level" (Loomis & Bourque, 2001, p. 2).
Little wonder that public officials and citizens are confused. A term commonly understood to mean one thing has been redefined to be accurate only in a narrow technical sense. That term is then used in messaging tied to prominent national and state assessments, messaging delivered to the public and policymakers—who can only be expected to understand the term in its common usage. It's hard to avoid concluding that the word was consciously chosen to confuse policymakers and the public.
It's time to take seriously the possibility that the NAEP bar for proficiency has been set so mistakenly high that it defeats NAEP's stated purpose of providing valuable insights into the performance of American students. So how to fix this situation? How High the Bar? makes no recommendation to lower standards. Instead it suggests a couple of common-sense improvements, starting with redefining NAEP's basic terminology to get rid of normative terms like proficient. How High the Bar? recommends replacing the terminology NAEP currently applies to its performance levels (Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced) with the performance levels employed in international assessments: Low, Intermediate, Advanced, and Superior. This simple change in terminology would go a long way toward reducing the confusion the term proficient has introduced into the national discussion of school performance. And we should educate the public about the flaws embedded in these benchmarks and emphasize to everyone the caution that Congress has always assigned to them. It would also be highly desirable if the views of independent psychometricians and assessment experts guided NAEP's thinking about other technical judgments that could improve NAEP.
I'd also recommend that states revisit their decisions to tie their Common Core assessments to NAEP's benchmarks. To this last point, we should ask ourselves whether it makes sense to align benchmarks on Common Core assessments (potential gatekeepers for high school graduation or college enrollment) with NAEP's Proficient benchmark when fully 50 percent of students judged merely "Basic" by NAEP's metrics go on to obtain a four-year degree (Scott, Ingels, & Owings, 2007).
Going beyond these initial ideas, I believe the NAGB members, public officials, and American citizens need to learn from the wisdom of George Orwell. Orwell (1968) warned about the harm that can be done when words and terms are misused. The careless use of language was a mortal sin in his mind. He wrote: "[The English language] becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts."
I maintain that slovenly use of the term proficient has made it easy for American citizens and policymakers to have foolish beliefs about the failure of schools in the United States. No one denies that we have many problems in our education system. But the problems cannot be addressed if they are defined by trying to meet inappropriate benchmarks that were developed as much to prove a political point as to enlighten public understanding about the nature of our educational challenges.
Binkley, M., & Kelly, D. (2003). A content comparison of the NAEP and PIRLS fourth-grade reading assessments. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Edley, C., Jr., & Koenig, J. A. (Eds). (2016). Evaluation of the achievement levels for mathematics and reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Finn, C. E., Jr. (2004). "An interview with Chester E. Finn, Jr." In L. V. Jones and I. Olkins (Eds.), The Nation's Report Card: Evolution and Perspectives. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.
Harvey, J., & Gönülates, E. (2017). How high the bar: NAEP and Common-Core benchmarks in an international context. Seattle: National Superintendents Roundtable.
Loomis, S. C., & Bourque, M. L. (Eds.). (2001). National Assessment of Educational Progress achievement levels, 1992–1998 for reading. Washington, DC: National Assessment Governing Board.
Mullis, I. V. S., Martin, M. O., Foy, P., & Drucker, K. T. (2012). PIRLS 2011 international results in reading. Chestnut Hill, MA: TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center.
National Center for Education Statistics. (1996). Reading literacy in the United States: Findings from the IEA reading literacy study. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2011). The nation's report card: Reading 2011 (NCES 2012-457). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Orwell, G.(1968). "Politics and the English language." in The collected essays, journalism and letters of George Orwell (vol. 4). Sonia Orwell and Ian Angos (Eds), pp. 127–140. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Javanovich.
Pellegrino, J. W., Jones, L. R., & Mitchell, K. J. (1999). Grading the nation's report card: Evaluating NAEP and transofmring the assessment of educational progress. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Scott, L. A., Ingels, S. J., & Owings, J. A. (2007). Interpreting 12th-graders' NAEP-scaled mathematics performance and postsecondary outcomes from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). U.S. Department of Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, (NCES 2007-328).
U.S. General Accounting Office. (1993). Educational achievement standards: NAGB's approach yields misleading interpretations. GAO/PEMD–993–12. Washington, DC: Author.
Vinovskis, M. A. (1998). Overseeing the nation's report card: The creation and evolution of the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan.
1 Binkley and Kelly of the assessment division of the National Center for Education Statistics applied two separate readability formulas to the 2002 NAEP 4th grade reading assessment. The formulas develop a metric for English texts that provides reading difficulty level by grade, based on sentence length and word complexity. Both analyses concluded that NAEP 4th grade reading passages were written at a level appropriate for 7th grade readers.
2 It is not possible to link results from the Program on International Student Assessment (PISA) reliably to NAEP or Common Core-related assessment benchmarks. PISA assessments are administered to a sample of 15-year-old students who are found, in different nations and to different degrees, in grades ranging between Grade 7 and Grade 12. Given the small sample sizes per nation in international assessments, it's unlikely that a valid comparison could be drawn between the limited number of Grade 8 students assessed per nation in PISA and the nationally representative samples of U.S. Grade 8 students assessed in NAEP and TIMSS.
3 See these reports by Gary Phillips, all published by the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C. Linking NAEP Achievement Levels to TIMSS (2007); Linking the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Reading to the 2011 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) (2014), and National Benchmarks for State Achievement Standards (2016).
James Harvey (www.superintendentsforum.org) is executive director of the National Superintendents Roundtable and a member of the board of the Horace Mann League. Follow him on Twitter.
| 2019-04-23T11:23:06 |
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb18/vol75/num05/The-Problem-with-%C2%A3Proficient%C2%A3.aspx
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Why are the reference numbers different from the national death indexes?
Why can't I find a death in the indexes?
Our aim is to eventually cover all deaths which took place in Wiltshire between 1837 and 1950, and beyond.
The Registration Districts in Wiltshire have changed considerably since 1837, and very few records are now held at the offices where they were initially registered.
For the purposes of registering deaths, Wiltshire was divided into dozens of Registrar's Sub-Districts. A full list of the Sub-Districts included in the database so far can be found on the Coverage of the Death Indexes page, which also shows the years for which the records have been indexed, and the places included within each Sub-District.
(a) The Name of the deceased, as shown in the registers. Bodies which have been found but not identified will be listed as simply 'Unknown male' or 'Unknown female'.
(b) The Year in which the death was registered. Remember that the year relates to when the death was registered, which may be weeks or even months after the death took place, particularly if there were suspicious circumstances.
(c) The Sub-District where the death was registered, which should be the same as where the death took place. There is a list showing the places within each sub-district.
(d) The Register Office in Wiltshire which now holds the records. There have been a large number of boundary changes between districts since the start of registration in 1837, and as a result many records have been moved around.
(e) The Reference Number for the death entry, which can be used to order the death certificate. Please note that this is only applicable at the register office which holds the records, and is of no use anywhere else.
3. How do I order a death certificate?
5. Why are the reference numbers different from the national death indexes?
The national indexes of deaths in England and Wales at Myddleton Place (formerly at St. Catherine's House or Somerset House) list all persons whose death was registered in each quarter year from 1837. They show the name of the deceased, their age (from 1866 only), the name of the registration district (as it existed when the death was registered), and a volume and page number, which is unique to the General Register Office and of no use to local registrars.
Every three months since July 1837, registrars have been required to send copies of their death register entries to the General Register Office. For various reasons, sometimes entries were missed, or details were copied incorrectly from the register; this can usually explain differences between certificates ordered by the GRO and those obtained from local register offices. Generally speaking, registers and indexes held by the local offices are less prone to error, and should therefore be more accurate than those at the GRO.
6. Why can't I find a death in the indexes?
A quick glance through the indexes reveals some unusual spellings of common names, and this often explains why a death can be hard to find. In the early days of registration, and because of the high level of illiteracy, the person registering the death gave their details to the registrar, who would spell them as he heard them. If the person could not read or write, he would not know whether the names were being spelled consistently. Sometimes the informant was a neighbour or friend, who may not have been sure of the deceased's full name or exact age.
As noted above, some people remain unidentified when their deaths are registered, and so they appear simply as 'Unknown Male' or 'Unknown Female', although it was sometimes possible to re-register the entry if their identity was subsequently discovered.
If you are satisfied that a name does not appear in the indexes, then your ancestor may have died outside the area. It was not unusual for people to die while working away from home, or visiting relations in other parts of the country. The GRO indexes may be helpful in locating where the death took place, but please remember that a lot of records have moved around due to boundary changes between districts.
Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of these indexes, it is possible that an occasional mistake or omission can occur. If you think you have found an error then please send an e-mail to: Wiltshire BMD Webmaster, giving as many details as possible.
| 2019-04-21T21:06:40 |
http://wiltshirebmd.org.uk/deathinfo.php
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High schoolers in Portland, Ore., are joining students in other cities who have decided to take a stand against the standardized testing madness. Following a panel discussion about organizing a boycott, Alexia Garcia, Ujea Woods and Emma Christ sat down to talk to Andrea Hektor and Grant Booth about the activism against testing in the Portland Public Schools (PPS). Alexia and Ujea are seniors at Lincoln High School and Emma is a junior at Cleveland High School. Alexia is also the student representative to the PPS Board.
WE HEARD Alexia speak at the panel discussion, and she did a great job of outlining what students are doing here in terms of the boycott and why. Can you go over what the boycott is?
Alexia: It's a campaign by both the Portland Public Schools (PPS) Union and the Portland Student Union. Both of our groups were talking a lot about standardized testing and evaluations based on those test scores, and at one point, a student said, "Why don't we just refuse to take our OAKS [Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills] tests?"
We found that with OAKS, a school needs to test at least 95 percent of students in each demographic, so 95 percent of the whole, 95 percent of African Americans, etc. If that doesn't happen, the school gets "In Need of Improvement" on participation, which would give their whole score on the state report card "In Need of Improvement."
When we found this out, we were a little bit concerned--all of our schools are going to appear like they're failing. We ended up saying: You know what? We're going to twist that message. We know our schools are in need of improvement. Anyone who goes into our schools can know that. Beyond that, it's really the system that's in need of improvement, and we don't need a score to tell us that. So I think that's a general message of the campaign.
We've been encouraging students to opt out of taking the tests. You can do that by submitting a note to your school, and students have been opting out. I think the majority of schools are failing currently.
Ujea: Except it's been a little different at Lincoln, where the administration has really pushed back and made an effort to seek out the kids who said they're going to opt out and make sure that they're taking the test and going to class. I don't think Lincoln is going to fail. We did fail last year, and it was due to the demographics. This year, they've been completely different.
Alexia: The system works for them.
Ujea: Yeah, exactly, the system works for them.
Emily: At Cleveland, it's a little different, even though the system tends to work for a large majority of the people at Cleveland as well. Unlike at Grant High School where the principal sent out a little letter that helped if you were interested in opting out of the test, Cleveland hasn't done that. The administration isn't fully backing it, but they're pushing hard for taking the standardized test.
And so we have another month until we take our test, so we're just sitting back and waiting. We've been going to different high schools and standing for solidarity--like Jefferson just took theirs, and I know five students walked out and we supported them.
YOU MENTIONED that the system works well for some schools and not for others. Could you expand on that?
Ujea: From elementary school, kids in some schools have been taught the things that they need to know how to do well on standardized tests. A lot of the kids at Lincoln grow up in a family where they're expected to do well on these tests and are given the resources that they need.
I came from Beach Elementary School, which is in North Portland, and so I had a different experience in my elementary school. But my parents were like the kids' parents at Lincoln. They gave me everything I needed and made sure that I was on track. My peers at Beach didn't have the same priorities--they had other things that they were worried about.
Standardized testing is biased in that sense anyway, and it just caters toward the kids that are prepared--the majority. There are a lot of kids at Lincoln that fall into the category of not doing well on standardized testing, but the majority of kids at Lincoln do very well.
Alexia: You see a high correlation between standardized test scores and race and class, and you see that neighborhoods are built up around income. So you have these pockets of wealth, these pockets of poverty, and then you have the cultural aspects of different groups. Some students never got read to as kids because their parents are immigrants and they can't speak English.
Every little thing culturally can play into it--like your family's emphasis on education and the knowledge that you need to be reading to your kid. And then there's the fact that if you come to school hungry, you're not going to perform as well. If you didn't sleep the night before, you're not going to perform as well. All of these little things that also generally relate to race and class can have an affect on a student's performance.
And then to turn around and say, "We're going to evaluate your schools and teachers on that" is a pretty absurd expectation in that it's really asking teachers to go beyond these social barriers, beyond the classroom and tackle these bigger social issues.
Emily: At least from my perspective, the school district--or government--doesn't really do very much to improve schools that are given this "In Need of Improvement" title. The ones that are thriving--like Lincoln or Cleveland--just continue to thrive. Both schools have been given the full IB [International Baccalaureate] program, which adds to the success of the school. And then there are other schools that are just continuing to fall underneath.
BOTH THE student unions were discussing testing. Are those the types of issues you were discussing when the idea of the boycott came about?
Alexia: We have a couple of bullet talking points. The first one is that you shouldn't try to quantify my knowledge and reduce what I know into a number. It's a pretty limiting way to ask, "Do your students know how to read?" There are so many other things that go into a student's performance.
It's pretty limiting as far as creativity goes. It's limiting in that they only test in four areas. It's a pretty poor way to say, "This is how we're going to show that students know what they know," instead of a more holistic approach where we collect students' actual work. Some students do better in speeches, some do better with projects--it's pretty ridiculous to just say, "Here's your score, so this is how well you perform."
Alexia: Honestly, music and art and civics seem like pretty important things for people to know.
Beyond that, we've been saying that race and class are an issue--as far as the high correlation in test scores, and then the racial bias that's built into the test. In general, a teacher is so much more than just a test score. If we want to do it holistically, you should have people that are directly in the classroom evaluating, parents and people who work with the teacher, to give that feedback instead of "Here are your student's test scores."
And finally, we talk about the amount of money that it costs. It has cost our state millions of dollars to administer the OAKS test. The Common Core State Standard has come in, and they're saying it's going to be double or even triple the cost of OAKS. And then there's the Achievement Compacts, which are basically data analysis and goal setting for how students perform on tests.
We see all that, and we respond, "Why are we spending our money there?" Teachers don't like it, students don't like it, and it's not necessarily helping our schools. If anything, we should invest that money in teachers, making sure those relationships are being built.
School is, if anything, a standardized system--you've got the same textbooks and a lot of times similar curriculum. What's really going to break down that standardization is the personal relationships students have with teachers. If a student can't read, it's going to have to be the teacher who intervenes and says, "Here's where you're messing up. Here's where we need to work on it and improve."
WERE YOU inspired by the boycott of the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test in Seattle? Or were you already thinking about a boycott?
Alexia: We were planning this in December. It's really exciting. I remember getting a message from someone saying, "Just sharing information. Here's something you could do," with a link to the boycott at Garfield High School. And I responded and said we have a plan in mind, and I'm going to present to the board on Monday! It was just really exciting.
I GREW up in a poorer area outside of Washington, D.C., at the time that they were just starting to implement funding based on testing. Even then, there was a vicious cycle of poorer schools constantly failing and then receiving less funding, and the schools that did well receiving more funding--which made zero sense even when I was in high school. I didn't realize how much that trend had accelerated until recently.
In terms of the larger notion of what's been happening with education reform, do you have any thoughts on the state of the education system today, and what education could or should be like?
Ujea: People say that the education system we have right now is modeled on the industrial revolution, and it honestly feels that way right now. We're just a product. You add on and you add on, and each year it just keeps on going. That true even more so now with other countries that are supposedly going to surpass us in the future. There's the pressure of being some kind of output that is going to be able to do what it's supposed to.
But when it comes down to it, education is a human thing--it's other humans teaching younger humans so that we can be the best that we can. Honestly, right now it doesn't feel like that. What we're doing is trying to figure out how we can do our small thing to change that--but it's a huge problem.
Alexia: And I think it's becoming more of a national problem. We saw the effects of No Child Left Behind. You see the effects of Race to the Top. There's this idea that there are winners and losers in this situation. Race to the Top requires that we always have 50 percent of our schools failing.
Why can't we all succeed, and why is it competitive, and shouldn't we just be educating everyone? I think we would like to see a little more community control, and student and teacher control in the education system. It's for us--it's not for these broader companies or these national scores and all these graphs. If we really want it to be about the students, it should be about those relationships and sharing what you know. Currently that's not how it is.
Alexia: (laughs) We joke with International Baccalaureate that it's someone in Switzerland.
Emily: They're deciding what we should be learning. Every year, you're being crammed on this and this and that, but you're missing so many large chunks of information. Like this: I'm going to learn about Christopher Columbus one year and how he's such a great guy. Then, 10 years later, I'll learn about how he's actually a monster, and I'm going to be furious about the fact that I didn't know that.
There has to be a more real way of teaching something all together instead of layering it on top of each other. And then you'll have forgotten something or you'll have missed out on something.
Ujea: Like Alexia was saying, who decides what's important to learn? There's not very much student input into that.
Alexia: Something else that we're facing is that standardized testing is really expensive. We talk about it on the school board [Alexia is also the student representative to the Portland Public School Board] as far as adopting a new budget. There are state requirements that we have to pay for.
The Common Core State Standards are coming, and if we're asking "What if we cannot find a way to afford it?" and they say, "You have to find a way to afford it." And that means you're going to cut teachers to pay for this stuff that we don't want. With that we say you should be funding from the bottom up; you should be funding the most basic things. If we have extra money and want to fund standardized testing, OK, go for it. But at this point, we literally cannot afford this test.
Emily: I understand in some ways you're going to have to have testing. I'm not opposed to testing in general--I'm opposed to high-stakes testing.
Ujea: And the emphasis put on it.
Emily: I didn't learn until 7th grade that my standardized tests weren't actually reflective of me but reflective of my school. And I said, "Oh, I don't care about this anymore. It doesn't matter to me."
I think it's difficult to evaluate the knowledge of a large group of diverse people. And I understand that and I understand where standardized testing came from--because you have to find something that's equal for everyone so you can evaluate how well they're doing or how well the school's doing. But standardized testing has not done this--the idea was OK, but the way it's been implemented is not good.
WHAT OTHER campaigns are the PPS Student Union and the Portland Student Union taking on?
Alexia: On Monday, Gov. John Kitzhaber spoke, and each school board member was able to ask a question. I requested that the governor, PPS Chief Education Officer Dr. Rudy Crew and representatives from a list of other groups--including the Portland Business Alliance, which have been huge advocates for testing--come take our test.
Come get a feel for what it's like to be a public school student, and come see if you think you should be evaluated on these scores and if it's relevant. You're making the decisions for us, yet you don't actually know what these tests are like and how they're affecting education. They responded fairly well and basically said, "Sure, we'll take it."
Our plan is to set up a date to have them come in, sit down and take the tests under PPS conditions--with our grimy computer labs. We agreed that we don't want to use their scores for anything, because we don't believe in using the scores for anything.
The Providence, R.I., student union just did this, and they found that 60 percent of the adults would have failed high school--and not graduated. It's great because everyone is saying, "Wow, I never realized what I was putting on kids."
| 2019-04-22T20:35:03 |
http://socialistworker.org/2013/04/02/testing-isnt-educating
|
0.999989 |
Australian Shepherd Breeder - CedarPaws - What About Minis?
As an Australian Shepherd breeder I am often asked if I breed 'Mini Australian Shepherds' or 'minis'. My emphatic answer is "No." This is often a controversial topic in the world of Aussie breeding. My goal with this article is to educate and bring awareness to the world of miniatures - both regarding Australian Shepherds and breeds in general. Information found here is my opinion and not meant to offend or discredit any breeders or owners who may be visiting my site.
I breed my Australian Shepherds using the breed standard as stated by ASCA, AKC and CKC as my guide. While not a disqualifying fault, size is one of the characteristics I breed for (20"-23" for males, 18"-21" for females). Anything outside of this standard does not make it into my breeding program.
The world of Miniature Australian Shepherds began when a woman by the name of Doris Cordova from Norco, California began selecting Aussies of small stature for her breeding program back in 1968. Her goal was an Aussie in compact form. Two other kennels soon picked up where she left off - owned by Chas Lasater and Bill and Sally Kennedy. This led to the Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of the USA (MASCUSA) being formed in 1990. It was also the start of discord among mini breeders that still remains to this day.
These smaller Australian Shepherds could be shown in ASCA so long as they were called 'Australian Shepherds' and not 'Miniature Australian Shepherds'. To add 'Miniature' to the name meant that ASCA was dealing with a different breed, and they were therefore ineligible. Minis were limited to showing within the American Rare Breed Association (ARBA). Then in 1993 the AKC officially recognized the Australian Shepherd. This threw a wrench into the world of minis because the ARBA would not permit any dog to compete in conformation shows if it shared a name with a recognized breed of the AKC. The MASCUSA needed to change its name.
MASCUSA decided to rename its breed from the 'Miniature Australian Shepherd' to the 'North American Shepherd'. This also meant a name change for the organizing club. MASCUSA was thus renamed to the North American Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of the USA (NAMASCUSA). But the renaming of the club didn't end there. Again in 1998 due to a policy change at ARBA, the club revised its name to North American Miniature Australian Shepherd. Then again in 2011 the biggest change came courtesy of the AKC which created a permanent divide in the mini community.
In 2011 the AKC accepted a new breed known as the 'Miniature American Shepherd' into its Foundation Stock Services (FSS) program as the AKC no longer accepts any breed varieties (i.e. a smaller Aussie). They designated NAMASCUSA as the parent club for the Miniature American Shepherd. But due to the difference in the accepted breed name and the club name, the club was renamed back to MASCUSA but substituting 'American' for 'Australian' in the name. However, not all mini enthusiasts were happy with this latest development.
Some mini breeders and owners were upset to see the name changed to 'Miniature American Shepherd' and they remained a separate group pursuing the preservation of the Miniature Australian Shepherd. Because they have retained a name associated with another breed in ASCA and AKC, any dog which is registered as a Miniature Australian Shepherd is ineligible to show under ASCA, AKC or the CKC. This breed can still be registered under the National Stock Dog Registry (NSDR).
As for the Miniature American Shepherd enthusiasts, they had been placed into the AKC FSS program in 2011 with the hope to one day be granted full AKC registration - and this came to fruition when the AKC made the Miniature American Shepherd a part of the herding group as of July 1, 2015. However, the breed remains ineligible to be shown in ASCA or CKC.
So, where did this smaller version of the Australian Shepherd come from? That is also the subject of much controversial debate. Depending on whom you ask, answers range from "purely Australian Shepherds" to "Sheltie crosses" to "dwarfism promotion". It's an ugly topic. Add to that mix the emergence of toy and teacup varieties and you'll get an even more heated debate. Needless to say, it's not an area that I even want to venture in as an Australian Shepherd breeder.
So, do I breed minis or North American Shepherds? Not a chance. As a future or present dog-owner you must ask yourself - Why do I love this breed? Is it because of the loyalty, intelligence and companionship of the Australian Shepherd? Or, are you after a dog that is 'cute'? After reading this article I hope you've made the realization that the Australian Shepherd in its full size is perfect, and there is absolutely no reason to mess with perfection. At least, that's my opinion.
| 2019-04-21T18:59:31 |
https://www.cedarpaws.ca/what-about-minis
|
0.996449 |
Constellation Brands (STZ) jumped 0.56% with the finishing price of $191.17 in Thursday Trading Session. The stock price showed -19.21% negative in value from one year high price and revealed 27.13% rise in value from its one year low price. In the recent week Constellation Brands stock price volatility was noted 1.57% while for the last month volatility was seen at 2.14%. Its Average True Range (ATR) shows a number of 3.72. Return on assets (ROA) results to 14.90%. While Return on investment (ROI) reached to 10.00%.
In terms of profitability, The Company has a profit margin of 44.10%, gross margin of 49.90% and an operating of 30.30%. The stock price changed -0.15% in the past week. Shares of the company have performed 19.53% over the last three months and moved -15.21% over the last 12- months.
The 8.23% positive picture painted by the trends generated around 20 SMAs. The established market sentiment toward the stock has created a trading environment which can suitably be described as optimistic.
There has been positive move seen around 50 SMAs. The stock price is showing 10.41% distance above 50 SMA. On the surface, it seems as the higher the 50-day moving average goes, the more bullish the market is (and the lower it goes, the more bearish). In practice, however, the reverse is true. The 50-day moving average is perceived to be the dividing line between a stock that is technically healthy and one that is not. Furthermore, the percentage of stocks above their 50-day moving average helps determine the overall health of the market. Many market traders also use moving averages to determine profitable entry and exit points into specific securities. Constellation Brands (STZ) has demonstrated negative trend based on recent movement of 200 SMA with -1.50% during the course of recent market activity. This trend reveals recent direction. The current direction of 200 SMA is downward. When the price over the last 200 days is moving with increasing trend, look for buy opportunities and when it shows decreasing trend the price is below the last 200 days, look for sell opportunities.
The current value of the RSI is 70.86. The relative strength index (RSI) readings highlights overbought above 70 and oversold below 30. The stock also has a beta of 0.46. When beta is less/more than 1, it can be interpreted that the stock is theoretically less/more volatile than the market – something traders will surely be keeping an eye on.
| 2019-04-20T00:19:53 |
http://www.stockmarketstop.com/2019/04/active-stock-alert-constellation-brands-stz-2/
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0.998381 |
Early in my explorations of electricity, I came across a length of coaxial cable with the label “50 ohms” printed along its outer sheath. (Figure below) Now, coaxial cable is a two-conductor cable made of a single conductor surrounded by a braided wire jacket, with a plastic insulating material separating the two. As such, the outer (braided) conductor completely surrounds the inner (single wire) conductor, the two conductors insulated from each other for the entire length of the cable. This type of cabling is often used to conduct weak (low-amplitude) voltage signals, due to its excellent ability to shield such signals from external interference.
I was mystified by the “50 ohms” label on this coaxial cable. How could two conductors, insulated from each other by a relatively thick layer of plastic, have 50 ohms of resistance between them? Measuring resistance between the outer and inner conductors with my ohmmeter, I found it to be infinite (open-circuit), just as I would have expected from two insulated conductors. Measuring each of the two conductors' resistances from one end of the cable to the other indicated nearly zero ohms of resistance: again, exactly what I would have expected from continuous, unbroken lengths of wire. Nowhere was I able to measure 50 Ω of resistance on this cable, regardless of which points I connected my ohmmeter between.
What I didn't understand at the time was the cable's response to short-duration voltage “pulses” and high-frequency AC signals. Continuous direct current (DC) -- such as that used by my ohmmeter to check the cable's resistance -- shows the two conductors to be completely insulated from each other, with nearly infinite resistance between the two. However, due to the effects of capacitance and inductance distributed along the length of the cable, the cable's response to rapidly-changing voltages is such that it acts as a finite impedance, drawing current proportional to an applied voltage. What we would normally dismiss as being just a pair of wires becomes an important circuit element in the presence of transient and high-frequency AC signals, with characteristic properties all its own. When expressing such properties, we refer to the wire pair as a transmission line.
This chapter explores transmission line behavior. Many transmission line effects do not appear in significant measure in AC circuits of powerline frequency (50 or 60 Hz), or in continuous DC circuits, and so we haven't had to concern ourselves with them in our study of electric circuits thus far. However, in circuits involving high frequencies and/or extremely long cable lengths, the effects are very significant. Practical applications of transmission line effects abound in radio-frequency (“RF”) communication circuitry, including computer networks, and in low-frequency circuits subject to voltage transients (“surges”) such as lightning strikes on power lines.
Lamp appears to immediately respond to switch.
Actually, an incandescent lamp takes a short time for its filament to warm up and emit light after receiving an electric current of sufficient magnitude to power it, so the effect is not instant. However, what I'd like to focus on is the immediacy of the electric current itself, not the response time of the lamp filament. For all practical purposes, the effect of switch action is instant at the lamp's location. Although electrons move through wires very slowly, the overall effect of electrons pushing against each other happens at the speed of light (approximately 186,000 miles per second!).
At the speed of light, lamp responds after 1 second.
Assuming no warm-up time for the lamp filament, and no resistance along the 372,000 mile length of both wires, the lamp would light up approximately one second after the switch closure. Although the construction and operation of superconducting wires 372,000 miles in length would pose enormous practical problems, it is theoretically possible, and so this “thought experiment” is valid. When the switch is opened again, the lamp will continue to receive power for one second of time after the switch opens, then it will de-energize.
Motion is transmitted sucessively from one car to next.
Likewise, electron motion “coupling” travels approximately at the speed of light, although the electrons themselves don't move that quickly. In a very long circuit, this “coupling” speed would become noticeable to a human observer in the form of a short time delay between switch action and lamp action.
In an electric circuit, the effects of electron motion travel approximately at the speed of light, although electrons within the conductors do not travel anywhere near that velocity.
Driving an infinite transmission line.
Equivalent circuit showing stray capacitance between conductors.
Voltage applied between two conductors creates an electric field between those conductors. Energy is stored in this electric field, and this storage of energy results in an opposition to change in voltage. The reaction of a capacitance against changes in voltage is described by the equation i = C(de/dt), which tells us that current will be drawn proportional to the voltage's rate of change over time. Thus, when the switch is closed, the capacitance between conductors will react against the sudden voltage increase by charging up and drawing current from the source. According to the equation, an instant rise in applied voltage (as produced by perfect switch closure) gives rise to an infinite charging current.
Equivalent circuit showing stray capacitance and inductance.
Voltage charges capacitance, current charges inductance.
Propagate at speed of light.
The end result of these interactions is a constant current of limited magnitude through the battery source. Since the wires are infinitely long, their distributed capacitance will never fully charge to the source voltage, and their distributed inductance will never allow unlimited charging current. In other words, this pair of wires will draw current from the source so long as the switch is closed, behaving as a constant load. No longer are the wires merely conductors of electrical current and carriers of voltage, but now constitute a circuit component in themselves, with unique characteristics. No longer are the two wires merely a pair of conductors, but rather a transmission line.
In both equations, identical units of measurement must be used in both terms of the fraction. If the insulating material is other than air (or a vacuum), both the characteristic impedance and the propagation velocity will be affected. The ratio of a transmission line's true propagation velocity and the speed of light in a vacuum is called the velocity factor of that line.
Characteristic impedance is also known as natural impedance, and it refers to the equivalent resistance of a transmission line if it were infinitely long, owing to distributed capacitance and inductance as the voltage and current “waves” propagate along its length at a propagation velocity equal to some large fraction of light speed.
It can be seen in either of the first two equations that a transmission line's characteristic impedance (Z0) increases as the conductor spacing increases. If the conductors are moved away from each other, the distributed capacitance will decrease (greater spacing between capacitor “plates”), and the distributed inductance will increase (less cancellation of the two opposing magnetic fields). Less parallel capacitance and more series inductance results in a smaller current drawn by the line for any given amount of applied voltage, which by definition is a greater impedance. Conversely, bringing the two conductors closer together increases the parallel capacitance and decreases the series inductance. Both changes result in a larger current drawn for a given applied voltage, equating to a lesser impedance.
A transmission line is a pair of parallel conductors exhibiting certain characteristics due to distributed capacitance and inductance along its length.
When a voltage is suddenly applied to one end of a transmission line, both a voltage “wave” and a current “wave” propagate along the line at nearly light speed.
The characteristic impedance (Z0) of a transmission line is the resistance it would exhibit if it were infinite in length. This is entirely different from leakage resistance of the dielectric separating the two conductors, and the metallic resistance of the wires themselves. Characteristic impedance is purely a function of the capacitance and inductance distributed along the line's length, and would exist even if the dielectric were perfect (infinite parallel resistance) and the wires superconducting (zero series resistance).
Velocity factor is a fractional value relating a transmission line's propagation speed to the speed of light in a vacuum. Values range between 0.66 and 0.80 for typical two-wire lines and coaxial cables. For any cable type, it is equal to the reciprocal (1/x) of the square root of the relative permittivity of the cable's insulation.
A transmission line of infinite length is an interesting abstraction, but physically impossible. All transmission lines have some finite length, and as such do not behave precisely the same as an infinite line. If that piece of 50 Ω “RG-58/U” cable I measured with an ohmmeter years ago had been infinitely long, I actually would have been able to measure 50 Ω worth of resistance between the inner and outer conductors. But it was not infinite in length, and so it measured as “open” (infinite resistance).
Nonetheless, the characteristic impedance rating of a transmission line is important even when dealing with limited lengths. An older term for characteristic impedance, which I like for its descriptive value, is surge impedance. If a transient voltage (a “surge”) is applied to the end of a transmission line, the line will draw a current proportional to the surge voltage magnitude divided by the line's surge impedance (I=E/Z). This simple, Ohm's Law relationship between current and voltage will hold true for a limited period of time, but not indefinitely.
A signal propagating from the source-end of a transmission line to the load-end is called an incident wave. The propagation of a signal from load-end to source-end (such as what happened in this example with current encountering the end of an open-circuited transmission line) is called a reflected wave.
When this electron “pile-up” propagates back to the battery, current at the battery ceases, and the line acts as a simple open circuit. All this happens very quickly for transmission lines of reasonable length, and so an ohmmeter measurement of the line never reveals the brief time period where the line actually behaves as a resistor. For a mile-long cable with a velocity factor of 0.66 (signal propagation velocity is 66% of light speed, or 122,760 miles per second), it takes only 1/122,760 of a second (8.146 microseconds) for a signal to travel from one end to the other. For the current signal to reach the line's end and “reflect” back to the source, the round-trip time is twice this figure, or 16.292 µs.
High-speed measurement instruments are able to detect this transit time from source to line-end and back to source again, and may be used for the purpose of determining a cable's length. This technique may also be used for determining the presence and location of a break in one or both of the cable's conductors, since a current will “reflect” off the wire break just as it will off the end of an open-circuited cable. Instruments designed for such purposes are called time-domain reflectometers (TDRs). The basic principle is identical to that of sonar range-finding: generating a sound pulse and measuring the time it takes for the echo to return.
A similar phenomenon takes place if the end of a transmission line is short-circuited: when the voltage wave-front reaches the end of the line, it is reflected back to the source, because voltage cannot exist between two electrically common points. When this reflected wave reaches the source, the source sees the entire transmission line as a short-circuit. Again, this happens as quickly as the signal can propagate round-trip down and up the transmission line at whatever velocity allowed by the dielectric material between the line's conductors.
Usually, the purpose of a transmission line is to convey electrical energy from one point to another. Even if the signals are intended for information only, and not to power some significant load device, the ideal situation would be for all of the original signal energy to travel from the source to the load, and then be completely absorbed or dissipated by the load for maximum signal-to-noise ratio. Thus, “loss” along the length of a transmission line is undesirable, as are reflected waves, since reflected energy is energy not delivered to the end device.
Reflections may be eliminated from the transmission line if the load's impedance exactly equals the characteristic (“surge”) impedance of the line. For example, a 50 Ω coaxial cable that is either open-circuited or short-circuited will reflect all of the incident energy back to the source. However, if a 50 Ω resistor is connected at the end of the cable, there will be no reflected energy, all signal energy being dissipated by the resistor.
Infinite transmission line looks like resistor.
Line terminated in characteristic impedance.
In essence, a terminating resistor matching the natural impedance of the transmission line makes the line “appear” infinitely long from the perspective of the source, because a resistor has the ability to eternally dissipate energy in the same way a transmission line of infinite length is able to eternally absorb energy.
Reflected waves will also manifest if the terminating resistance isn't precisely equal to the characteristic impedance of the transmission line, not just if the line is left unconnected (open) or jumpered (shorted). Though the energy reflection will not be total with a terminating impedance of slight mismatch, it will be partial. This happens whether or not the terminating resistance is greater or less than the line's characteristic impedance.
Re-reflections of a reflected wave may also occur at the source end of a transmission line, if the source's internal impedance (Thevenin equivalent impedance) is not exactly equal to the line's characteristic impedance. A reflected wave returning back to the source will be dissipated entirely if the source impedance matches the line's, but will be reflected back toward the line end like another incident wave, at least partially, if the source impedance does not match the line. This type of reflection may be particularly troublesome, as it makes it appear that the source has transmitted another pulse.
Characteristic impedance is also known as surge impedance, due to the temporarily resistive behavior of any length transmission line.
A finite-length transmission line will appear to a DC voltage source as a constant resistance for some short time, then as whatever impedance the line is terminated with. Therefore, an open-ended cable simply reads “open” when measured with an ohmmeter, and “shorted” when its end is short-circuited.
A transient (“surge”) signal applied to one end of an open-ended or short-circuited transmission line will “reflect” off the far end of the line as a secondary wave. A signal traveling on a transmission line from source to load is called an incident wave; a signal “bounced” off the end of a transmission line, traveling from load to source, is called a reflected wave.
Reflected waves will also appear in transmission lines terminated by resistors not precisely matching the characteristic impedance.
A finite-length transmission line may be made to appear infinite in length if terminated by a resistor of equal value to the line's characteristic impedance. This eliminates all signal reflections.
A reflected wave may become re-reflected off the source-end of a transmission line if the source's internal impedance does not match the line's characteristic impedance. This re-reflected wave will appear, of course, like another pulse signal transmitted from the source.
In DC and low-frequency AC circuits, the characteristic impedance of parallel wires is usually ignored. This includes the use of coaxial cables in instrument circuits, often employed to protect weak voltage signals from being corrupted by induced “noise” caused by stray electric and magnetic fields. This is due to the relatively short timespans in which reflections take place in the line, as compared to the period of the waveforms or pulses of the significant signals in the circuit. As we saw in the last section, if a transmission line is connected to a DC voltage source, it will behave as a resistor equal in value to the line's characteristic impedance only for as long as it takes the incident pulse to reach the end of the line and return as a reflected pulse, back to the source. After that time (a brief 16.292 µs for the mile-long coaxial cable of the last example), the source “sees” only the terminating impedance, whatever that may be.
If the circuit in question handles low-frequency AC power, such short time delays introduced by a transmission line between when the AC source outputs a voltage peak and when the source “sees” that peak loaded by the terminating impedance (round-trip time for the incident wave to reach the line's end and reflect back to the source) are of little consequence. Even though we know that signal magnitudes along the line's length are not equal at any given time due to signal propagation at (nearly) the speed of light, the actual phase difference between start-of-line and end-of-line signals is negligible, because line-length propagations occur within a very small fraction of the AC waveform's period. For all practical purposes, we can say that voltage along all respective points on a low-frequency, two-conductor line are equal and in-phase with each other at any given point in time.
In these cases, we can say that the transmission lines in question are electrically short, because their propagation effects are much quicker than the periods of the conducted signals. By contrast, an electrically long line is one where the propagation time is a large fraction or even a multiple of the signal period. A “long” line is generally considered to be one where the source's signal waveform completes at least a quarter-cycle (90o of “rotation”) before the incident signal reaches line's end. Up until this chapter in the Lessons In Electric Circuits book series, all connecting lines were assumed to be electrically short.
To put this into perspective, we need to express the distance traveled by a voltage or current signal along a transmission line in relation to its source frequency. An AC waveform with a frequency of 60 Hz completes one cycle in 16.66 ms. At light speed (186,000 m/s), this equates to a distance of 3100 miles that a voltage or current signal will propagate in that time. If the velocity factor of the transmission line is less than 1, the propagation velocity will be less than 186,000 miles per second, and the distance less by the same factor. But even if we used the coaxial cable's velocity factor from the last example (0.66), the distance is still a very long 2046 miles! Whatever distance we calculate for a given frequency is called the wavelength of the signal.
The lower-case Greek letter “lambda” (λ) represents wavelength, in whatever unit of length used in the velocity figure (if miles per second, then wavelength in miles; if meters per second, then wavelength in meters). Velocity of propagation is usually the speed of light when calculating signal wavelength in open air or in a vacuum, but will be less if the transmission line has a velocity factor less than 1.
If a “long” line is considered to be one at least 1/4 wavelength in length, you can see why all connecting lines in the circuits discussed thusfar have been assumed “short.” For a 60 Hz AC power system, power lines would have to exceed 775 miles in length before the effects of propagation time became significant. Cables connecting an audio amplifier to speakers would have to be over 4.65 miles in length before line reflections would significantly impact a 10 kHz audio signal!
When dealing with radio-frequency systems, though, transmission line length is far from trivial. Consider a 100 MHz radio signal: its wavelength is a mere 9.8202 feet, even at the full propagation velocity of light (186,000 m/s). A transmission line carrying this signal would not have to be more than about 2-1/2 feet in length to be considered “long!” With a cable velocity factor of 0.66, this critical length shrinks to 1.62 feet.
When an electrical source is connected to a load via a “short” transmission line, the load's impedance dominates the circuit. This is to say, when the line is short, its own characteristic impedance is of little consequence to the circuit's behavior. We see this when testing a coaxial cable with an ohmmeter: the cable reads “open” from center conductor to outer conductor if the cable end is left unterminated. Though the line acts as a resistor for a very brief period of time after the meter is connected (about 50 Ω for an RG-58/U cable), it immediately thereafter behaves as a simple “open circuit:” the impedance of the line's open end. Since the combined response time of an ohmmeter and the human being using it greatly exceeds the round-trip propagation time up and down the cable, it is “electrically short” for this application, and we only register the terminating (load) impedance. It is the extreme speed of the propagated signal that makes us unable to detect the cable's 50 Ω transient impedance with an ohmmeter.
When a source is connected to a load via a “long” transmission line, the line's own characteristic impedance dominates over load impedance in determining circuit behavior. In other words, an electrically “long” line acts as the principal component in the circuit, its own characteristics overshadowing the load's. With a source connected to one end of the cable and a load to the other, current drawn from the source is a function primarily of the line and not the load. This is increasingly true the longer the transmission line is. Consider our hypothetical 50 Ω cable of infinite length, surely the ultimate example of a “long” transmission line: no matter what kind of load we connect to one end of this line, the source (connected to the other end) will only see 50 Ω of impedance, because the line's infinite length prevents the signal from ever reaching the end where the load is connected. In this scenario, line impedance exclusively defines circuit behavior, rendering the load completely irrelevant.
The most effective way to minimize the impact of transmission line length on circuit behavior is to match the line's characteristic impedance to the load impedance. If the load impedance is equal to the line impedance, then any signal source connected to the other end of the line will “see” the exact same impedance, and will have the exact same amount of current drawn from it, regardless of line length. In this condition of perfect impedance matching, line length only affects the amount of time delay from signal departure at the source to signal arrival at the load. However, perfect matching of line and load impedances is not always practical or possible.
The next section discusses the effects of “long” transmission lines, especially when line length happens to match specific fractions or multiples of signal wavelength.
Coaxial cabling is sometimes used in DC and low-frequency AC circuits as well as in high-frequency circuits, for the excellent immunity to induced “noise” that it provides for signals.
When the period of a transmitted voltage or current signal greatly exceeds the propagation time for a transmission line, the line is considered electrically short. Conversely, when the propagation time is a large fraction or multiple of the signal's period, the line is considered electrically long.
A signal's wavelength is the physical distance it will propagate in the timespan of one period. Wavelength is calculated by the formula λ=v/f, where “λ” is the wavelength, “v” is the propagation velocity, and “f” is the signal frequency.
In a circuit with a “short” line, the terminating (load) impedance dominates circuit behavior. The source effectively sees nothing but the load's impedance, barring any resistive losses in the transmission line.
In a circuit with a “long” line, the line's own characteristic impedance dominates circuit behavior. The ultimate example of this is a transmission line of infinite length: since the signal will never reach the load impedance, the source only “sees” the cable's characteristic impedance.
When a transmission line is terminated by a load precisely matching its impedance, there are no reflected waves and thus no problems with line length.
Whenever there is a mismatch of impedance between transmission line and load, reflections will occur. If the incident signal is a continuous AC waveform, these reflections will mix with more of the oncoming incident waveform to produce stationary waveforms called standing waves.
Incident wave reflects off end of unterminated transmission line.
The sum of the incident and reflected waves is a stationary wave.
The standing wave does not propgate along the transmission line.
Standing waves on a rope.
Standing waves on a plucked string.
Standing sound waves in an open ended tubes.
A closed tube end must be a wave node, while an open tube end must be an antinode. By analogy, the anchored end of a vibrating string must be a node, while the free end (if there is any) must be an antinode.
Note how there is more than one wavelength suitable for producing standing waves of vibrating air within a tube that precisely match the tube's end points. This is true for all standing-wave systems: standing waves will resonate with the system for any frequency (wavelength) correlating to the node/antinode points of the system. Another way of saying this is that there are multiple resonant frequencies for any system supporting standing waves.
The actual frequencies (measured in Hertz) for any of these harmonics or overtones depends on the physical length of the tube and the waves' propagation velocity, which is the speed of sound in air.
Because transmission lines support standing waves, and force these waves to possess nodes and antinodes according to the type of termination impedance at the load end, they also exhibit resonance at frequencies determined by physical length and propagation velocity. Transmission line resonance, though, is a bit more complex than resonance of strings or of air in tubes, because we must consider both voltage waves and current waves.
Using SPICE to simulate the circuit, we'll specify the transmission line (t1) with a 75 Ω characteristic impedance (z0=75) and a propagation delay of 1 microsecond (td=1u). This is a convenient method for expressing the physical length of a transmission line: the amount of time it takes a wave to propagate down its entire length. If this were a real 75 Ω cable -- perhaps a type “RG-59B/U” coaxial cable, the type commonly used for cable television distribution -- with a velocity factor of 0.66, it would be about 648 feet long. Since 1 µs is the period of a 1 MHz signal, I'll choose to sweep the frequency of the AC source from (nearly) zero to that figure, to see how the system reacts when exposed to signals ranging from DC to 1 wavelength.
No resonances on a matched transmission line.
In a system where all impedances are perfectly matched, there can be no standing waves, and therefore no resonant “peaks” or “valleys” in the Bode plot.
Resonances on open transmission line.
Here, both the supply voltage vm(1) and the line's load-end voltage vm(3) remain steady at 1 volt. The other voltages dip and peak at different frequencies along the sweep range of 1 mHz to 1 MHz. There are five points of interest along the horizontal axis of the analysis: 0 Hz, 250 kHz, 500 kHz, 750 kHz, and 1 MHz. We will investigate each one with regard to voltage and current at different points of the circuit.
At f=0: input: V=1, I=0; end: V=1, I=0.
At f=250 KHz: input: V=0, I=13.33 mA; end: V=1 I=0.
Open end of transmission line shows current node, voltage antinode at open end.
Full standing wave on half wave open transmission line.
1 1/2 standing waves on 3/4 wave open transmission line.
Double standing waves on full wave open transmission line.
At f=0 Hz: input: V=0, I=13.33 mA; end: V=0, I=13.33 mA.
Half wave standing wave pattern on 1/4 wave shorted transmission line.
Full wave standing wave pattern on half wave shorted transmission line.
1 1/2 standing wavepattern on 3/4 wave shorted transmission line.
Double standing waves on full wave shorted transmission line.
In both these circuit examples, an open-circuited line and a short-circuited line, the energy reflection is total: 100% of the incident wave reaching the line's end gets reflected back toward the source. If, however, the transmission line is terminated in some impedance other than an open or a short, the reflections will be less intense, as will be the difference between minimum and maximum values of voltage and current along the line.
If we run another SPICE analysis, this time printing numerical results rather than plotting them, we can discover exactly what is happening at all the interesting frequencies: (DC, Figure below; 250 kHz, Figure below;500 kHz, Figure below;750 kHz, Figure below;and 1 MHz, Figure below).
At all frequencies, the source voltage, v(1), remains steady at 1 volt, as it should. The load voltage, v(3), also remains steady, but at a lesser voltage: 0.5714 volts. However, both the line input voltage (v(2)) and the voltage dropped across the source's 75 Ω impedance (v(1,2), indicating current drawn from the source) vary with frequency.
At f=0 Hz: input: V=0.57.14, I=5.715 mA; end: V=0.5714, I=5.715 mA.
At f=250 KHz: input: V=0.4286, I=7.619 mA; end: V=0.5714, I=7.619 mA.
At f=500 KHz: input: V=0.5714, I=5.715 mA; end: V=5.714, I=5.715 mA.
At f=750 KHz: input: V=0.4286, I=7.619 mA; end: V=0.5714, I=7.619 mA.
At f=1 MHz: input: V=0.5714, I=5.715 mA; end: V=0.5714, I=0.5715 mA.
At odd harmonics of the fundamental frequency (250 kHz, Figure 3rd-aboveand 750 kHz, Figure above)we see differing levels of voltage at each end of the transmission line, because at those frequencies the standing waves terminate at one end in a node and at the other end in an antinode. Unlike the open-circuited and short-circuited transmission line examples, the maximum and minimum voltage levels along this transmission line do not reach the same extreme values of 0% and 100% source voltage, but we still have points of “minimum” and “maximum” voltage. (Figure 6th-above) The same holds true for current: if the line's terminating impedance is mismatched to the line's characteristic impedance, we will have points of minimum and maximum current at certain fixed locations on the line, corresponding to the standing current wave's nodes and antinodes, respectively.
One way of expressing the severity of standing waves is as a ratio of maximum amplitude (antinode) to minimum amplitude (node), for voltage or for current. When a line is terminated by an open or a short, this standing wave ratio, or SWR is valued at infinity, since the minimum amplitude will be zero, and any finite value divided by zero results in an infinite (actually, “undefined”) quotient. In this example, with a 75 Ω line terminated by a 100 Ω impedance, the SWR will be finite: 1.333, calculated by taking the maximum line voltage at either 250 kHz or 750 kHz (0.5714 volts) and dividing by the minimum line voltage (0.4286 volts).
Standing wave ratio may also be calculated by taking the line's terminating impedance and the line's characteristic impedance, and dividing the larger of the two values by the smaller. In this example, the terminating impedance of 100 Ω divided by the characteristic impedance of 75 Ω yields a quotient of exactly 1.333, matching the previous calculation very closely.
A perfectly terminated transmission line will have an SWR of 1, since voltage at any location along the line's length will be the same, and likewise for current. Again, this is usually considered ideal, not only because reflected waves constitute energy not delivered to the load, but because the high values of voltage and current created by the antinodes of standing waves may over-stress the transmission line's insulation (high voltage) and conductors (high current), respectively.
Also, a transmission line with a high SWR tends to act as an antenna, radiating electromagnetic energy away from the line, rather than channeling all of it to the load. This is usually undesirable, as the radiated energy may “couple” with nearby conductors, producing signal interference. An interesting footnote to this point is that antenna structures -- which typically resemble open- or short-circuited transmission lines -- are often designed to operate at high standing wave ratios, for the very reason of maximizing signal radiation and reception.
Flexible coaxial cables connected to rigid lines.
Flexible coaxial cable connected to the rigid lines (also of 50 Ω characteristic impedance) conduct the RF power to capacitive and inductive “phasing” networks inside the shelter. The white, plastic tube joining two of the rigid lines together carries “filling” gas from one sealed line to the other. The lines are gas-filled to avoid collecting moisture inside them, which would be a definite problem for a coaxial line. Note the flat, copper “straps” used as jumper wires to connect the conductors of the flexible coaxial cables to the conductors of the rigid lines. Why flat straps of copper and not round wires? Because of the skin effect, which renders most of the cross-sectional area of a round conductor useless at radio frequencies.
Like many transmission lines, these are operated at low SWR conditions. As we will see in the next section, though, the phenomenon of standing waves in transmission lines is not always undesirable, as it may be exploited to perform a useful function: impedance transformation.
Standing waves are waves of voltage and current which do not propagate (i.e. they are stationary), but are the result of interference between incident and reflected waves along a transmission line.
A node is a point on a standing wave of minimum amplitude.
An antinode is a point on a standing wave of maximum amplitude.
Standing waves can only exist in a transmission line when the terminating impedance does not match the line's characteristic impedance. In a perfectly terminated line, there are no reflected waves, and therefore no standing waves at all.
At certain frequencies, the nodes and antinodes of standing waves will correlate with the ends of a transmission line, resulting in resonance.
The lowest-frequency resonant point on a transmission line is where the line is one quarter-wavelength long. Resonant points exist at every harmonic (integer-multiple) frequency of the fundamental (quarter-wavelength).
Standing wave ratio, or SWR, is the ratio of maximum standing wave amplitude to minimum standing wave amplitude. It may also be calculated by dividing termination impedance by characteristic impedance, or vice versa, which ever yields the greatest quotient. A line with no standing waves (perfectly matched: Zload to Z0) has an SWR equal to 1.
Transmission lines may be damaged by the high maximum amplitudes of standing waves. Voltage antinodes may break down insulation between conductors, and current antinodes may overheat conductors.
Waveguide (TE) transverse electric and ™ transverse magnetic modes.
A cavity's resonant frequency may be altered by changing its physical dimensions. To this end, cavities with movable plates, screws, and other mechanical elements for tuning are manufactured to provide coarse resonant frequency adjustment.
| 2019-04-25T04:13:17 |
https://na7kr.us/ac-14.htm
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0.999999 |
Nagaoka's firework display is famous in Japan, and 1 million people will come to see it over a two day period.
What does the も (in bold) add to this sentence? The meanings of 'also'/'even' don't seem appropriate here.
I think by 「日本」 the writer meant "all of Japan" as opposed to just 長岡市 or 新潟県. That is the only justification for using 「も」 I can come up with. But in that case 「全国」 or 「日本中」 would be a more appropriate word. As written it sounds to me as if the fireworks were first and foremost famous outside Japan or 新潟県長岡市 weren't located in the country.
So the 「も」 has its usual meaning of "also/even", but the「日本」 is used with a slightly unexpected meaning. I take that the general drift of the sentence is "Nagaoka's firework display is famous outside it's locale too, and so it draws a million people from across the country over a two-day period."
| 2019-04-24T06:22:10 |
https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/60689/meaning-of-%E3%82%82-in-x%E3%81%AF%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%A7%E3%82%82%E6%9C%89%E5%90%8D%E3%81%A0
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0.999993 |
Please answer: best qualification for school business manager?
Until then it was just something that Asian people practiced in parks in the morning. A mysteriously slow moving set of exercises that looked totally boring! Since its inception into our mainstream culture, compounded with the scientific revelations of its various physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits; Tai Qi has grown to wide popularity here in the U. , and has since influenced many devoted followers and students in its many forms and schools. Now Qigong is the new kid on the energetic block, and although it may be new for many people here in the U. , Qigong has ancient roots that pre-date both Tai Qi and Acupuncture, and is commonly referred to by practitioners as the oldest branch of chinese medicine. Other branches include acupuncture, herbal medicine, tui na (massage), cupping, and dermabrasion (Gua Sha). I like to refer to Qigong as the 'mother of Tai Qi. ' It is an ancient meditative mind/body movement practice that works with subtle energetic vibrations in the universe that help promote health, balance, and longevity. Qigong literally translates as 'work on one's life force', and there are a few different Qigong training schools: martial, spiritual, and medical. Depending on your inclination, your teacher, and your ultimate path - you will most likely find yourself training in one of the three primary Qigong applications. A little from all three is the most attractive for me, and although I am more drawn to the spiritual advancement in Qigong and to my ability to contain larger amounts of 'healing Qi', I don't deny the importance of having a strong defense and the ability to apply Qigong to its martial uses as well. Now as I can only speak from my own experience, I believe there are a few things that the potential student should educate him/herself with, prior to engaging in a devoted Qigong practice. This is because these ancient practices are extremely powerful and if practiced incorrectly will further exacerbate any conditions or 'Qi Deviations' in your body. All of which could ultimately lead to more severe diseases and internal physical breakdown of your vital organs. These patterns can be altered, and this is simply meant to make you more aware of HOW you are practicing. Basically, if Qi is flowing in the wrong direction before you start a practice, and you begin to increase that flow through your daily practice, does this mean you are correcting the Qi Deviation, or merely enhancing your own wrong actions? We may not know we are in fact moving in wrong action, but in the end your body will not lie. This is probably the single most important thing before starting a Qigong practice. You may need theinstruction and guidance of a master. Look for someone who has 20 plus years of experience in the practice. You may also want to find someone who has a strong spiritual life and a teacher who empowers the student in finding their own Identity, and not a teacher who indentures the student into following and serving only themselves. Often I am asked by people who I study with, and people are surprised when I tell them that MY TEACHER is neither Asian or male. It is almost a sort of reverse racism we are experiencing here in the U. with regards to who we bestow respect upon when it comes to mastering and teaching ancient Asian energetic arts. As if a Caucasian, African, or Latina woman could neither master these forms, nor be expected to hold any deep wisdom or knowledge in the Tao. You man be drawn to study or find the teacher that is the most accessible; or, as is often the case in many fields, the one who is best at marketing. Oftentimes you will find the best teachers tucked away in small spaces, with few students, and in unlikely locations. You may ask, 'If they are such great masters - then how come they have so few students? My answer is, 'because the training is usually rigorous, demands high levels of integrity and truth, and requires a fluid Ego in order to progress. ' You know the old adage: 'When the Student is Ready the Teacher Appears'? Well, you will know when you have found the right teacher. Although you may feel completely healthy and ask why you would ever need a diagnosis, there are levels of sensitivity in our bodies that many of us are simply unaware of and unable to "tune into" due to our own misuse of attention and consciousness. Most of us (myself included) overuse our intellect and our mental attention simply because we have been patterned to do so. To begin to train sinking into a deep internal awareness requires dramatic shifts in mental attention and one that must be facilitated by a master. It is extremely unlikely that a beginner could easily enter into an ability to 'read' the energetic structure of their internal organs, flows of Qi through the meridians, the pulses, the tongue, the blood, and other diagnostic components of the mind/body system. For example, if you happen to have a propensity for anger and would be diagnosed as someone who has 'Liver Yang Rising', then it would be in your best interest to not practice movements that increased the Yang energy in the body, and you would never know to stay away from running the Fire Cycle (up the back of the spine and down the front of the body). Find a little piece of nature, nature, and more nature. Having a set place for your practice is really important and will help you to discipline your practice when just starting out. If you are struggling to get out of bed and go to your local park, or that piece of beautiful grass by the beach, or the clearing in the canyon behind your home, it is your connection to the space that will help you be more disciplined in your approach. You will begin to create your own vortex of energy in 'your spot' and you will begin to be called and drawn back to that spot - almost like you have a second home. Having your own indoor studio space is definitely a luxury and will come in handy in extreme weather, but there is something really special about being outdoors and practicing in such close contact to the elements of nature, the universe, heaven and earth, the cosmos and all that universal Qi force surrounding you. We all know the importance of a schedule but few of us actually hold to one. Having a weekly schedule is extremely important - especially when it comes to running your own home business. It is very easy to find yourself getting off track and wasting time surfing around the internet or idling in the mud of the social media jungle. Remember we are running a BUSINESS, and all successful businesses run on a schedule in hopes of accomplishing a set amount of daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals. Some business owners simply use more sophisticated resources when it comes to planning, running, and scheduling their business. It is no different when if comes to going to the gym, rehearsing a song, or practicing your Qigong. Scheduling an exact time may have more benefits than you could foresee at this given time. People in your community may begin to take notice of you and you will become a fixture at your particular outdoor space. This may ultimately help you grow your own practice if this is your goal for the future. It will demonstrate to those in your community that you are a dedicated and disciplined practitioner who is totally committed to your practice, and if you are correcting Qi deviations they may even begin to experience some healing while watching you do your forms in the park. If they aren't that sensitive, then they may just enjoy being around you and wouldn't be consciously aware as to why. Staying hydrated is so important when doing any sort of movement or exercise. A large percentage of our physical make-up is water and sipping water during your breaks in practice will go a long way for your longevity and stamina while practicing. The practice of Qigong opens the body, and allows you to absorb universal energies that will begin to hit deeper levels of our bodies: blood, nerves, organs, bones, marrow, and the entire cellular matrix. Because your body opens up, and the Qi begins to seep into all physical levels, your cells get activated (partly through your mind's attention), and they become more receptive to the input of Gu Qi, or the life force essence absorbed by the body from water and grain. You may never know when you will have those moments of inspiration and will truly experience shifts in your practice. Moments where you truly connected to the CORE ENERGY OF EARTH, or moments when you felt deeper movements of Qi in your Belt Vessel, or times when you felt deep ancestral sadness in your Lungs finding a voice and clear expression through your Po. You will wish you had a notebook handy when you begin to chart the growth and development of your practice, and you will definitely want to dictate material and knowledge from the time that you have with your master. Keep a record of your development and discoveries and add them to the great body of knowledge that already exists in the field of Qigong and energetic medicine. Chinese medicine is didactic because of this very reason - we are all thankful for other students and masters having kept detailed notes on their own discoveries, methods, experiences, and universal truths. One of my favorite quotes from the Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine) states: "When the spiritual powers are passed on and transmitted they can no longer turn back; and when they turn back they cannot be transmitted, and then their moving powers are lost to the universe. In oder to fulfill destiny man should go beyond that which is near at hand and consider it as trifling. One should make public upon tablets of jade that which was hidden and concealed in treasuries and storehouses, to study it from early dawn until night, and thus make known the precious mechanism of the universe. Having the right pair of shoes is pivotal for your practice. You definitely want to avoid sandals, flip flops, hard-soled shoes, and anything else that is going to restrict your movement. Safety and mobility are our primary concerns here. I suppose you could also go barefoot if you are outdoors and feel like you could move without getting stabbed by the odd placed pine needle. Just be careful to inspect your practice zone for any sharp objects, metal, dog s**t, or other such hazardous material. It is definitely nice to feel the earth under our feet but sometimes the movement of particular forms requires more dexterity of movement when walking, spiraling, or circling the energy in Bagua Circles. Shoe #1: What I use and have been using for years is a slip on martial arts shoe made by Mooto. They have a pair made from pine tree which looks really interesting. For under $50 you can get this pine tree pair with a leather exterior to reduce weight, and a mesh interior with reinforced tongue. For details on the product visit the Mooto site. Shoe #2: Another option to try is a type of low-top boxing shoe. These shoes have a much tighter restriction and a flat surface that are fantastic for traction and for gripping surfaces. You will definitely not slip in these shoes. Buying this pair is going to put you to around $70. If you are doing more external martial training as well as your healing Qigong, and you are on a budget - then you might want to consider getting this type of shoe. You will be able to use this pair in both training situations.
An online website builder can provide its users with options about color scheme, page layout, kinds of pages you want.
| 2019-04-23T15:54:37 |
http://guide4income.com/?page=14700
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0.999997 |
Researcher NotesIndicator met - the government of Canada runs campaigns that promote the crime stoppers hotline where people can report potential victims. NGOs confirm these have taken place, although one NGO states this is not the case.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - "I am not for sale" campaign has been distributed regularly.
Researcher NotesIndicator net - multiple reporting hotlines exist.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - hotline is available for all.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - Even though the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre hotline is not for free, all the other reporting mechanisms and hotline are free to access.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - RCMP hotlines operates 24/7.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - there is no evidence that RCMP hotline is available in multiple languages.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - police have identified victims during specified time period.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - training has been provided to immigration officials and labour inspectors.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - training has been provided to non-regulatory workers.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - evidence suggests that training has been delivered systematically.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - there are victim support services within Canada, however the quality and availability varies across the provinces (also due to funding issues).
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - victims have a choice about whether or not to remain in the shelter/ service.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - the government does fund victim assistance services through the Justice Canada Victims Fund, but there is evidence that funding is inadequate with some shelters having to turn people away or put them on waiting lists.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - physical and mental support is available for victims although services seem to be inadequate.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - victim support services are not available for all victims of modern slavery.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - there is no evidence which suggests that victims have not accessed shelters.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - no information found for specified time period. 2015 data suggests that long-term assistance exceeded available funds.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - both a 180 day reflection period as well as a longer-term visa up to three years is available for victims of modern slavery.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - evidence suggest that services are not specifically child-friendly.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - there is conflicting evidence but it appears family reunification is not easily accessible for victims of modern slavery.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - no evidence found that victim assistance services have been evaluated.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - no to 3.3.2 (no evaluation of direct victim assistance services has taken place).
Researcher NotesIndicator met - there are guidelines for police, prosecutors and immigration officials.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - guidelines for police and prosecutor do not include any information that suggests that victims can receive services until a formal decision on their status is made.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - guidelines do not contain information on which organisations are authorised to identify victims.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - Canada does not have an official national referral mechanism.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - human trafficking is criminalised in Canada under section 279.01.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - Canada has not criminalized slavery as a distinct offence.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - forced labour is not criminalised as a distinct offence (Component 2: "work for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily" is not present).
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - Canada prohibits the recruitment and deployment of minors under eighteen, however, does not criminalise use of children in armed conflict as a distinct crime.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - all relevant criminal laws have adequate penalties.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - victim is able to participate in the legal system according to section 722 in the Criminal Code.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - previous victimization is considered a mitigating factor in sentencing but there is no evidence of specific legislation which specifies that victims are not a criminal for conduct during enslavement.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - longer-term TRP visas are not tied to collaboration with law enforcement or testifying against traffickers in court.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - free legal aid is available.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - victim protection mechanisms inside court are available.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - Canada has an official witness protection program.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - restitution for victims of crime is available.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - child friendly services are available during the criminal justice process.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - specialised law enforcement unit exists on federal level, such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and on state level, such as in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Quebec.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - although a comprehensive handbook for law enforcement and criminal justice practitioners on how to deal with modern slavery cases was released in 2015 , it is unclear if procedures described in the handbook are even used across specialised units.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - there has been training provided for judiciary.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - training is systematic and recurrent.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - no information found for specified time period.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - national action plan exists. It expired on March 31, 2016, however budgets have been maintained and all federal departments are currently continuing their work.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - annual progress reports against the NAP have been released by the government every year since 2012.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - NAP has budget attached to it to finance its activities.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - no information found regarding independent entity that monitors Canada's anti-slavery activities.
Researcher NotesIndicator met- OSCE, OAS and RCM have taken some steps to combat modern slavery in the last year.
Researcher NotesIndicator met- an agreement on Public Safety and Human Trafficking between United States and Canada exists.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - agreements for repatriation exist and there is a AVRR pilot program with IOM being run in the Greater Toronto Area Region.
Researcher NotesIndicator met: Seasonal workers programme between Barbados and Canada, Jamaica and Mexico , Trinidad and Tobago has limited protection for workers, and there have been reports of varying standards.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - government supports non-prevalence research on modern slavery.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - the Government of Canada conducts research, however, does not include studying the prevalence of estimation of modern slavery crimes.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - Canadian government has implemented a variety of awareness raising campaigns.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - under the changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), the number of federal inspections screening for exploitation of workers is on the rise. These inspections seem to be conducted in all sectors.
Researcher NotesIndicator met- affordable health care exists for all in Canada.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - according to UNICEF statistics, Canada has an affordable and accessible public education system.
Researcher NotesIndicator met-corruption is criminalised by Sections 123 and 120 of the Criminal Code.
Researcher NotesIndicator met-Canada provides protection for refugees.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - although Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Saskatchewan have legislation in place that prohibits charging of recruitment fees to the employee/migrant worker, there is no consistent federal legislation covering all provinces (the only thing that exists are template contracts under each of the federal migration stream which prohibit recouping from a migrant worker the recruitment costs that the employer has paid). Furthermore, Ontario's law only applies to live-in caregivers, but not any other groups of migrant workers.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - primary survey data suggests that the labour laws covers all workers within Canada.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - there is a lot of evidence suggesting that migrant workers under Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program face abuse and Canadian law grants them little protection from this.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - the policies around the Temporary Foreign Worker Program work visa make it difficult for migrant workers to leave their employers as this type of work visa is tied to the employer. Once they leave their employer, foreign workers often have to wait a long time to obtain a new work permit due to employers having to go through the Labour Market Impact Assessments to prove they couldn’t have hired a Canadian for the kind of work they require.
Researcher NotesIndicator met - government of Canada provides anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - emergency repatriation of Canadian citizens are part of the National Action Plan and there are contact details for emergency services published on the government website. However, there is no evidence that this has occured since 2012.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - no evidence that Canada has state-imposed forced labour.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - Canada does not have legislation requiring business to report on their actions to minimise risk of forced labour in their supply chains, but civil society is campaigning for such policies.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - Canada does not have any legislation banning the import of goods produced by modern slavery.
Researcher NotesIndicator not met - no evidence of such policy.
| 2019-04-23T21:03:07 |
https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/2018/data/country-data/canada/
|
0.999328 |
What could be easier than putting all ingredients together in one pan and cooking until done?
Homemade cranberry sauce was one of the first things I learned how to make at the holidays when I was a child. While many in the family love the jellied canned sauce, I have always found it to be too sweet and too jiggly. I like texture and tartness, so if I make my own, I get to control the sugar. I also get to add other little enhancements: orange, lemon, lime, sage, even horseradish.
My favorite way to make this is with lime zest and juice. I zest the lime, squeeze the juice into a cup measure and top off with water to make a full cup.
Place cranberries, sugar, and water (juice) in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered. Test for sweetness after a few minutes (careful to not burn your tongue) and add up to another half cup of sugar if desired.
Add the zest and extract and mix well. Cranberries have a great deal of natural pectin in them, so this will thicken up considerably as it chills.
This will make a little over a pint.
Cranberry Horseradish Sauce: Omit the vanilla at the end and add 1 tbsp. of prepared horseradish.
| 2019-04-21T10:07:30 |
https://vintagekitchen.org/homemade-cranberry-sauce/
|
0.999999 |
You may read aloud to yourself, to a tape recorder, or to a colleague or friend. Journal of Second Language Writing. Present your results as figures and tables and point the reader to relevant items while discussing the results. The biggest challenge for many writers is the opening paragraph of the Discussion section. General form of a research paper An objective of organizing a research paper is to allow people to read your work selectively. The last time you updated your outline was before writing the Introduction and the Discussion.
Function : The Literature Cited section gives an alphabetical listing by first author's last name of the references that you actually cited in the body of your paper. It is good practice to note the one or two that each Table or Figure conveys and use this information as a basis for writing the Results section. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but in the world of there's actually a distinct difference between them. Go back over your paper now and read it carefully; read it aloud. However, even better results are achieved when using our algorithm. What did we know about it before I did this study? Our original resources for authors and journals will help you become an expert in academic publishing. My writer did everything quickly, I liked it.
In this paper we provide an argument that stem cells repopulate injured organs. Table and figures Tables and figures are the best way to present lots of data in a manner that will be quickly and easily understood by the reader. When reading for content and organization, you should control your urge to edit your paper for sentence structure and grammar and focus only on the flow of your ideas and logic of your presentation. Because the key words identify a specific behavior, a modifying agent, and the experimental organism. General style Specific editorial requirements for submission of a manuscript will always supercede instructions in these general guidelines. Shows that demographic and prognostic variables were evenly balanced in the process of random allocation of subjects to experimental and control groups. Therefore, the simple past tense is the natural choice when describing the results obtained.
Your Results section describes observations of events that have happened already, so the use of the past tense makes sense. Summarize the answers to the research questions. End each statistical test with a sentence or two indicating what that particular statistical result says about the hypothesis or question. At the end of the semester, she was amazed at how much she accomplished without even interrupting her regular lab hours. Be concise, using non-textual elements appropriately, such as figures and tables, to present findings more effectively. Your chapter reference might read something like, The data summarizing the effect of training on employees are presented in Table 2. Separating the data into separate graphs makes it easier for the reader to assess the findings, and consolidating this information into one figure saves space and makes it easy to locate all of the most relevant results.
What did I find out? You should also indicate the used to analyze your results, including the probability level at which you determined significance usually at 0. The results section is not for interpreting the results in any way; that belongs strictly in the discussion section. See the examples in the writing portfolio package. Use of the first person is okay, but too much use of the first person may actually distract the reader from the main points. Print a double space copy with font size 14 and re-read your paper in several steps. While your study might not have supported your original predictions, your finding can provide important inspiration for future explorations into a topic.
The method section should provide enough information to allow other researchers to replicate your experiment or study. Writing in the sciences: Exploring conventions of scientific discourse. Each of those strategies represents a step in the revision process and should help the writer improve the quality of the manuscript. All patients underwent elective intra abdominal procedures. Start with an outline Now that you have scheduled time, you need to decide how to start writing. Focus your efforts on the primary research journals - the journals that publish original research articles.
Treat each hypothesis as a separate section of the chapter. See recommendations for content, below. Your text should complement the graphical information and vice versa. Since you have all your notes, it should not be problematic for you to describe the experimental design and procedures. The Results section of a scientific research paper represents the core findings of a study derived from the methods applied to gather and analyze information. It follows the presentation of the Methods and Materials and is presented before the Discussion section—although the Results and Discussion are presented together in many journals.
Evaluating the medical literature Part I: Abstract, Introduction, Methods. Suppose you found that male Biology majors are, on average, 12. Whereas the can only make the simplest statement about the content of your article, the Abstract allows you to elaborate more on each major aspect of the paper. In genetics studies include the strains or genetic stocks used. Anemia is a condition in which there is insufficient hemoglobin in the blood.
| 2019-04-26T07:51:52 |
http://freia.jp/writing-the-results-section-of-a-research-paper.html
|
0.999998 |
Solution: At 25˚C, the vapor in equilibrium with a solution containing carbon disulfide and acetonitrile has a total pressure of 263 torr and is 85.5 mole percent carbon disulfide. What is the mole fraction of carbon disulfide in the solution? At 25˚C, the vapor pressure of carbon disulfide is 375 torr. Assume the solution and vapor exhibit ideal behavior.
At 25˚C, the vapor in equilibrium with a solution containing carbon disulfide and acetonitrile has a total pressure of 263 torr and is 85.5 mole percent carbon disulfide. What is the mole fraction of carbon disulfide in the solution? At 25˚C, the vapor pressure of carbon disulfide is 375 torr. Assume the solution and vapor exhibit ideal behavior.
| 2019-04-19T02:49:58 |
https://www.clutchprep.com/chemistry/practice-problems/92976/at-25-c-the-vapor-in-equilibrium-with-a-solution-containing-carbon-disulfide-and
|
0.998375 |
gary-weiss.com: Does Overstock.com Have a Board of Directors?
Does Overstock.com Have a Board of Directors?
Reading the latest atrocity by the nauseating (and I do mean nauseating) Judd Bagley, Overstock.com's Director of Communications, official spokesman and resident stalker, has gotten me wondering: does Overstock.com have a board of directors?
Not "does it have a competent board of directors?" or "does it have independent board members who care about their jobs?" -- the answer to those two questions obviously being no -- but whether there is such a thing as "corporate governance" at this chamber pot of a company.
What got me wondering about this was an act of blackmail, signed proudly by Bagley, directed at the proprietor of the O-Smear website, which has exposed this SEC-investigated company's unethical conduct.
Note the dictionary definition of blackmail: "to force or coerce into a particular action, statement, etc."
This may go down in history as the first blackmail letter written in smug corporate P.R. doublespeak. ("I'm beyond tired of the lies"="I'm beyond tired of the truth." "My goal is not to intimidate"= "My goal is to intimidate you and every other critic of Overstock.com") I say that because Bagley was, of course, aware that his letter would be made public. He's proud of it, you see.
Note the similarity in wording to the threat that he made against a Wikipedia administrator in late August, shortly after going on the Overstock.com payroll in his initial title of "director of social media."
No other company in the U.S. would sanction such disgusting, unethical, and legally questionable conduct by a corporate official, made doubly odious by the fact that Bagley was hired to do the bidding of CEO Byrne, and his actions have a long history of being supported and promoted by Byrne.
Any other corporate board would discharge both Byrne and Bagley -- something obviously inconceivable for the laughingstock, lapdog, functionally nonexistent Overstock.com board.
Reading this email from a corporate thug to a private citizen also makes me wonder: Is there is such a concept as "SEC enforcement" when it comes to the misdeeds of Overstock and its CEO Patrick Byrne? Or has Byrne's ancestral wealth and political influence makes that concept moot as well?
This latest episode in the Bagley-Byrne saga is a test of Overstock.com's board of directors as well as the Enforcement Division of the SEC.
The board's independent members, I understand, have been advised of Bagley's latest actions. Ditto for the SEC.
If they do nothing in a reasonably brief period of time, then the answer to the question that I posed above will be answered. It will mean that Overstock.com, for all intents and purposes, does not have a board of directors.
As for SEC enforcement -- well, just read my book and you can understand why nothing has been done. If anything is done, I would surmise, it would only happen long after Ovestock is a wretched memory.
Also today, Sam Antar has a revealing, detailed post on how Bagley and Byrne have used anti-Semitism as a tool of corporate intimidation. It makes for fascinating reading.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention: O-Smear did not respond and Bagley carried out his threat on Overstock's antisocialmedia.net corporate smear site. By so doing, Bagley showed that he is as much a schmuck as he is a blackmailer.
Bagley's "revelation" is that O-Smear is run not by the Sith Lord but by some guy in Indiana -- a private citizen who is disgusted with corporate creeps like Judd Bagley.
To make the slimy picture complete, and thumb his nose at Joseph J. Tabacco Jr. and other independent directors, Bagley put a spyware bug in his ASM post, so as to track people distributing the item via email.
The onus is now on Tabacco and the other independent board members. By serving on the board of this company, they have a moral and, I suspect, legal obligation to register strong and public disapproval of the activities of Bagley and Byrne. If they don't, their silence would be tacit approval of Bagley's and Byrne's disgraceful behavior, and they will bear full responsibility for their neglect of duty.
Quite frankly, I wonder how reputable people like Tabacco could allow their reputations to be sullied by associating with a company such as Overstock.com.
The Motley Fool's Daniel Rubin calls Bagley's blackmail adventures "the most incredible thing I've seen in my seven years of following the market. "
Is there ANY oversight of all this filth? Any at all? To see this mockery go on right out in the open, and involving an American public company is starting to genuinely challenge my faith in the integrity of the system. As I've said, this is the cruelest irony of this debacle. This pitiful, puke-inducing chapter of American business never ceases to turn the stomach - cyberstalking, anti-Semitism, Sith Lords, international mobsters, conspiracies, and enough message board animosity to fuel a space shuttle.
Rubin added in another Motley Fool post: "The question is when will all [Byrne's] railing and false accusations and seemingly blatant illegal activity result in his removal and legal action? This man has left a trail of animosity and denigration of the human spirit that is awe inspiring in it's scope."
That's the question. The answer is with Joe Tabacco and his colleagues.
Could a White Knight Rescue Dow Jones?
Should Message Boards Stomp Out Anti-Semitism?
| 2019-04-23T10:41:44 |
http://garyweiss.blogspot.com/2007/06/does-overstockcom-have-board-of.html
|
0.999941 |
How do I know when I've planned in enough food for the day?
At the bottom of each food diary page you will find the totals for that day. You should aim to get as close to your 'target food and drink' total as possible.
Use your 'Weekly Summary' to balance the calories consumed with the calories burnt to make sure you don't exceed your daily calorie allowance.
Foods and drinks added to your diary add calories into your daily totals, activities burn calories and take calories from your daily totals.
Try to balance your 'week-to-date' calories by the end of the week to achieve a successful weigh-in.
| 2019-04-22T02:43:32 |
https://www.weightplan.com/how-do-i-know-when-ive-planned-in-enough-food-for-the-day.html
|
0.999999 |
Given a list of items my @items = qw(low mid high) and a series of weights: @weights = (10, 100, 1000) how can we pick one (or more) items with the probability corresponding to their weight?
That would mean that 10 out of 1110 should be the chance of "low" to be selected.
10 elements of "low", then 100 elements of "mid" and finally 1000 elements of "high"
The total number of elements is 1110 calculated using my $total = sum @weights;.
Then we select a whole number between 0 and $total (0 can be, but $total cannot be) using my $rand = int rand $total;.
Then we need to find in which section does this number fall.
Once we find the section where the random number falls, the while look will end.
The above code can be used if you want to select one value, or if you want to select many values "with replacement". That is, after we selected one of the items, we put it back in the pool. Meaning the weights don't change between call.
If the weights were all the same then the "without replacement" would be really clear. It would mean an item that was selected once is removed from the selection pool and it cannot be selected again.
Having different weights makes this a bit less clear, but "without replacement" here means that once we selected one item, the weight of that item is reduced by one. Just as if we had $total number of items and after we selected one we are left with $total-1 items.
There are two changes from the previous script.
One is that we now have a foreach loop to generate more than one random values. That could have been used in the previous example as well, if we wanted more than one items.
The other change, the one that makes the difference between with and without replacement, is the last line $weights[$selected]--; where we adjust the weight.
As Nick Wellnhofer pointed out, an even better solution would be to use Math::Random::Discrete that uses some magic algorithm (aka. Walker's alias method) to make the random value generation more efficient.
| 2019-04-22T08:18:11 |
https://perlmaven.com/select-random-elements-from-a-weigthed-list
|
0.999153 |
What are the different kinds of co-management agreements, from informal to legal?
There is no standard co-management agreement, as each must be tailored to its specific subject context and scale, and negotiated with the relevant actors. In particular, different types of agreements exist at the local, national and international level. At the local and national levels, agreements may involve local communities, indigenous peoples‘ organisations and private enterprises as well as state, provincial and territorial authorities, government agencies, research and educational institutions, international agencies and development cooperation.
International agreements may be multilateral or bilateral and be related to a general convention or specific ad hoc situations. Natural resource management agreements are constantly being negotiated throughout the world. Whilst some agreements are reached after complex and lengthy negotiations involving lawyers and mediators, others are simply made by farmers or nomads shaking hands under a baobab tree or in the village hall.
little conceptual or practical separation exists between resource use and conservation.
Whilst indigenous and local governance of natural resources respond to many of the needs of local peoples, the diverse concerns of different groups within communities are often differently accommodated. Indeed, in all societies (indigenous or not) various types of co-management agreements may be more or less fair and capable of accommodating the specific interests of different social actors. Informal resource management agreements are constantly negotiated among a variety of parties. For example, the arrangements to establish a livestock corridor through a farmers‘ field in semi-arid northern Senegal are usually the product of informal discussions at the village mosque. Such ad hoc agreements have no formal legal status and are not enforced by the government. Conflicts between two or more parties are informally arbitrated by respected authorities such as the village chief, a village council, or a wise elder.
Among indigenous peoples, resource management agreements are usually enforced through social sanctions according to customary law, with decision-making in the hands of local institutions. The recognition of such agreements by governmental agencies can foster very effective co-management systems (see Box 7.4). In Rajasthan (western India), self-initiated forest protection committees even levy fines on offenders (the amount often depending on the ability of the offender to pay) besides imposing social sanctions, a practice that is informally condoned by official agencies.
The aquatic resource co-management system in Khong district is part of the existing administrative structure of Lao villages. No attempts were made to establish new levels of bureaucracy at the village level, although certain villages have established their own informal or ad hoc working groups to deal with particular issues. Regulation, implementation and enforcement are left up to the community. From a legal perspective, Khong district administrators consider that the aquatic resource co-management regulations of villages fit well into what is known as “village law” (kot labiap ban). The legal system of Lao PDR allows villages to make certain regulations regarding local issues, provided that they do not conflict with national laws or the constitution. In the recent past, village regulations were rarely utilised to deal with natural resource management issues (except for some security issues, or the tying up or releasing of water buffaloes). Now, Khong district officials believe that the village law system accommodates well for aquatic resource co-management not only within a village but even among villages. A fundamental issue with regards to any aquatic resource co-management programme relates to boundaries of management jurisdiction between villages. For several years no major conflicts between villages with regards to boundaries and aquatic resources have been reported. There seems to be a great potential for utilising village law for dealing with other natural resource management issues as well.
The village structure is the foundation of ethnic lowland Lao society. Villages are self-sustaining communities relatively unconnected with larger political and social units, have very limited social and economic stratification and possess a strong sense of social equality, cooperation and mutual dependence. Currently, disparities in wealth and power within villages are growing, but villagers are still able to speak with one voice when dealing with outsiders, a fact that positively influences the outcome of co-management regulations. There appear to be three interlocked and mutually reinforcing elements maintaining Lao village cooperation and solidarity: (1) a village ideology of mutuality, (2) successful events of cooperation, and (3) shallow socio-economic stratification.
Informal resource management agreements are also increasingly being negotiated between local communities and rural development and conservation projects. Covenants, memoranda of understanding, project and research agreements rarely have a legal standing. Yet such non-notarised written agreements can be effective in formalising the roles, rights and responsibilities of the rural communities and external agencies involved.
Legally recognised agreements can be stipulated at local, national or international levels, but the difference between these types of agreements is often blurred. For example, a natural resource management agreement may be codified in national law but signed locally. Conversely, local agreements may influence national level processes and legislation for resource management. And international treaties may deeply affect national policies and local resource management regimes.
There has been a trend in some countries (e.g., Australia, USA, and Ecuador) towards increased use of conservation agreements over private land. Examples are the land use and conservation easements now numbering in the thousands in the USA. Such agreements address the protection of species, ecological communities, habitats or potential habitats and are usually legally binding on the contracting parties and successors in title. The parties include one or more landowners and the relevant government authorities, often with the facilitation of an environment-concerned NGO. The agreements are effective until terminated or revoked, may be registered and can be amended if so provided in the agreement or in legislation. In general, where an area is under a conservation easement, the authority of the landowner is affected in accordance with the terms of the covenant or the regulations corresponding to the management plan for the area.
The so-called “contractual approach” is becoming common place in conservation and development initiatives. A recent review has highlighted the growing use of local conventions and contracts throughout the Sahelian region of francophone Africa. This is partly because the contractual approach offers the flexibility required for the implementation of both integrated conservation and development initiatives 1 and agreements that need to change in content and scope as relationships between social actors evolve and as natural resources are regenerated or better managed over time. For example, gender and equity concerns are increasingly reflected in agreements on natural resource management.
The actual subject matter of protected area management agreements can vary considerably. An example of such diversity can be seen in the agreements reached between conservation agencies and communities neighbouring protected areas in South Africa. Twelve protected area management agencies have developed innovative agreements with local neighbours to cover issues of access and use of different types of protected resources as well as benefit sharing arrangements.
1. Land use agreements. The 1620 sq km Richtersveld National Park is leased from the Nama for a period of 30 years with rights to graze an agreed number of livestock and to controlled harvest of natural products. The lease payments are paid into a Trust appointed by the community to manage the funds.
2. Revenue sharing. Twenty percent of the gross revenue for a reserve in Kwa Zulu Natal is allocated to a neighbouring Tribal Authority and fifty per cent of the revenue generated by the protected area is passed on to the Tribal Authority in Lebowa.
3. Fuelwood collection rights. In KaNgwane, people from the neighbouring communities are allowed to remove one head-load of fuelwood per week. The wood has to be from fallen trees or from areas shortly scheduled for burning as part of the range management programme. People from more distant villages may collect fuelwood only for ceremonial purposes, provided they have received the permission of the local Tribal Authority.
4. Rights to harvest medicinal plants. Tribal herbalists or Inyangas are permitted to collect plants or plant parts in Bophuthtswana and KaNgwane National Parks.
Whether formal or informal, simple or comprehensive, detailed or principle setting different agreements are shaped by the social and ecological context in which they are negotiated. An important aim of these negotiations is clarity of meaning and purpose, which should be reflected in the contents of the co-management agreement. This is important to avoid ambiguities and divergent interpretations and on-going conflict during the phase of implementation of agreements, and learning by doing.
1 A review of experience with integrated conservation and development projects that recommends the contractual approach is available in Larson et al., 1997.
| 2019-04-21T01:12:49 |
http://www.agter.org/bdf/fr/corpus_chemin/fiche-chemin-180.html
|
0.996361 |
Time in Narita, Japan. What time is it in Narita right now?
No daylight saving time (DST) in Narita.
| 2019-04-24T14:13:31 |
http://dateandtime.info/city.php?id=2111684
|
0.997151 |
The Monarchy of Sweden concerns the monarchical head of state of Sweden, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige) has been a monarchy since time immemorial. Originally an elective monarchy, it became an hereditary monarchy in the 16th century during the reign of Gustav Vasa, though virtually all monarchs before that belonged to a limited and small number of families which are considered to be the royal dynasties of Sweden.
Scandinavian peoples have had kings since prehistoric times. As early as the 1st century CE, Tacitus wrote that the Suiones had a king, but the order of Swedish regnal succession up until King Eric the Victorious (died 995), is known almost exclusively through accounts in historically controversial Norse sagas (see Mythical kings of Sweden and Semi-legendary kings of Sweden).
Originally, the Swedish king had combined powers limited to that of a war chief, a judge and a priest at the Temple at Uppsala (see Germanic king). However, there are thousands of runestones commemorating commoners, but no known chronicle[clarification needed] about the Swedish kings prior to the 14th century (though a list of kings was added in the Westrogothic law), and there is a relatively small number of runestones that are thought to mention kings: Gs 11 (Emund the Old – reigned 1050–1060), U 11 (Håkan the Red – late 11th century) and U 861 (Blot-Sweyn – reigned c. 1080).
About 1000 A.D., the first king known to rule both Svealand and Götaland was Olof Skötkonung, but further history for the next two centuries is obscure, with many kings whose tenures and actual influence/power remains unclear. The Royal Court of Sweden, however, does count Olof's father, Eric the Victorious, as Sweden's first king. The power of the king was greatly strengthened[why?] by the introduction of Christianity during the 11th century, and the following centuries saw a process of consolidation of power into the hands of the king. The Swedes traditionally elected a king from a favored dynasty at the Stones of Mora, and the people had the right to elect the king as well as to depose him. The ceremonial stones were destroyed around 1515.
In the 12th century, the consolidation of Sweden was still affected by dynastic struggles between the Erik and Sverker clans, which ended when a third clan married into the Erik clan and the House of Bjelbo was established on the throne. That dynasty formed pre-Kalmar Union Sweden into a strong state, and finally king Magnus IV (reigned 1319–1364) even ruled Norway (1319–1343) and Scania (1332–1360). Following the Black Death,[clarification needed] the union weakened, and Scania reunited with Denmark.
In 1397, after the Black Death and domestic power struggles, Queen Margaret I of Denmark united Sweden (then including Finland), Denmark and Norway (then including Iceland) in the Union of Kalmar with the approval of the Swedish nobility. Continual tension within each country and the union led to open conflict between the Swedes and the Danes in the 15th century. The union's final disintegration in the early 16th century led to prolonged rivalry between Denmark-Norway and Sweden (with Finland) for centuries to come.
Tax reforms took place in 1538 and 1558, whereby multiple complex taxes on independent farmers were simplified and standardised throughout the district[clarification needed] and tax assessments per farm were adjusted to reflect ability to pay. Crown tax revenues increased, but more importantly the new system was perceived as fairer. A war with Lübeck in 1535 resulted in the expulsion of the Hanseatic traders, who previously had had a monopoly on foreign trade. With its own burghers in charge, Sweden's economic strength grew rapidly, and by 1544 Gustav controlled 60% of the farmlands in all of Sweden. Sweden now built the first modern army in Europe, supported by a sophisticated tax system and an efficient bureaucracy.
At the death of King Gustav I in 1560, he was succeeded by his oldest son Eric XIV. His reign was marked by Sweden's entrance into the Livonian War and the Northern Seven Years' War. The combination of Eric's developing mental disorder and his opposition to the aristocracy led to the Sture Murders in 1567 and the imprisonment of his brother John (III), who was married to Catherine Jagiellon, sister of King Sigismund II of Poland. In 1568 Eric was dethroned and succeeded by John III. In domestic politics John III showed clear Catholic sympathies, inspired by his queen, creating friction with the Swedish clergy and nobility. He reintroduced several Catholic traditions previously abolished, and his foreign policy was affected by his family connection to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, where his eldest son had been made King Sigismund III in 1587.[n 3] Following the death of his father, Sigismund tried to rule Sweden from Poland, leaving Sweden under the control of a regent – his paternal uncle (Gustav I's youngest son) Charles (IX) – but was unable to defend his Swedish throne against the ambitions of his uncle. In 1598 Sigismund and his Swedish-Polish army was defeated at the Battle of Stångebro by the forces of Charles, and he was declared deposed by the Estates in 1599.
As the heiress presumptive, at the age of six Christina succeeded her father on the Swedish throne (being the only person left in the line of succession), although a regency government would rule in her name until she turned 18 years of age. During the regency, Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna wrote the 1634 Instrument of Government, which although never approved by any monarch, nevertheless would continue to have an important normative role in the state administration. Christina early on showed an interest in literature and the sciences and famously brought René Descartes to Sweden. Sweden continued to be involved in the Thirty Years' War during reign of Christina and that conflict was settled at the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, and the Swedish monarch received representation at the Imperial Diet due to the German conquests (Bremen-Verden and Swedish Pomerania) that were made.[n 7] After having decided not to get married, Christina abdicated the throne on 5 June 1654, in favor of her cousin Charles Gustav[n 8], went abroad and converted to Roman Catholicism.
Charles XII's sister, Ulrika Eleonora, had now inherited the throne but she was forced by the Estates to sign the 1719 Instrument of Government, which ended the absolute monarchy and made the Riksdag of the Estates the highest organ of the state and reduced the role of monarch to a figurehead. The Age of Liberty (Swedish: frihetstiden) with its parliamentary rule, dominated by two parties – the Caps and the Hats – had begun. Ulrika Eleonora had had enough after a year on the throne and abdicated in favor of her husband, Frederick, who had little interest in the affairs of state and was elected King by the Estates as King Frederick I, resulting in the 1720 Instrument of Government: content-wise almost identical to the one from 1719. Despite having many extra-marital affairs, Frederick I never sired a legitimate heir to the throne.
On 17 September 1809 in the Treaty of Fredrikshamn, as a result of the poorly managed Finnish War, Sweden had to surrender the eastern-half of Sweden to Russia. King Gustav IV Adolf and his descendants were deposed in a coup d'état led by dissatisfied army officers. The childless uncle of the former king was almost immediately elected as King Charles XIII. The Instrument of Government of 1809 put an end to royal absolutism by dividing the legislative power between the Riksdag (primary) and the King (secondary), and vested executive power in the King when acting through the Council of State.
While the monarch is no longer the commander-in-chief (Swedish: högste befälhavare) of the Swedish Armed Forces, as he once was under the 1809 Instrument of Government (and much older custom, as shown in the history section), King Carl XVI Gustaf is the foremost representative of the Swedish defence establishment and holds supreme rank in each of the service arms. He ranks as a four star admiral in the Swedish Navy and general in the Swedish Army and Air Force. As part of his court, the monarch has a military staff, which is headed by a senior officer (usually a general or admiral, retired from active service) and includes active duty military officers serving as aides-de-camp to the monarch and his or her family.
The monarch and members of the Royal Family undertake a variety of official, unofficial and other representative duties within Sweden and abroad. The monarch and his or her family play a central role in state visits to Sweden and conduct state visits to other nations on behalf of Sweden. Other members of the Royal Family may also represent the country abroad at lesser functions.
The Swedish Succession Act was altered in 1980 to allow for female succession to the throne.
The Royal Palaces (including the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Drottningholm Palace, Haga Palace, Rosendal Palace, Ulriksdal Palace, Rosersberg Palace, Tullgarn Palace and Gripsholm Castle) are government property, managed by the National Property Board (Swedish: Statens fastighetsverk) and are at the disposal of the Monarch, an arrangement that has been in place since the beginning of the 19th century. There are also residences which are held privately by the Royal Family, such as Solliden Palace on the island of Öland, a cottage in Storlien in the Jämtland and Villa Mirage in Sainte-Maxime in southern France (originally acquired by Prince Bertil).
The offices of the king, other members of the Swedish Royal Family, and the offices of the Royal Court are located in the palace. The Royal Palace is used for representative purposes and State occasions by the king. The Royal Palace is guarded by Högvakten, a royal guard, consisting of regular service members of the Swedish Armed Forces. The tradition of having a regular unit of the Army guarding at the royal residence dates back to 1523. Until the mid-19th century, the royal guards also maintained law and order in the city and provided firefighting services.
The southern façade faces the grand style slope Slottsbacken;[clarification needed] the eastern façade borders Skeppsbron, a quay which passes along the eastern waterfront of the old town; on the northern front Lejonbacken is a system of ramps named for the Medici lions, sculptures on the stone railings; and the western wings border the open space Högvaktsterrassen. The Royal Palace in Stockholm is unique among European royal residences in that large portions of it are open year-round to visitors, who pay entrance fees.
The first building on this site was a fortress with a core tower built in the 13th century by Birger Jarl to defend the entry into Lake Mälaren. The fortress gradually grew to a castle, known as Tre Kronor: named after the spire on the centre tower with Three Crowns, which have become the Swedish national symbol.[n 18] In the late 16th century, work was done to transform the castle into a Renaissance palace during the reign of John III. In 1690, it was decided that the castle be rebuilt in Baroque style in a design by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. In 1692, work began on the northern row. However, much of the old castle was destroyed in a disastrous fire on 7 May 1697.
^ A complete Lutheran church ordinance was not presented until the Swedish Church Ordinance 1571, with a statement of faith finalized by the Uppsala Synod in 1593.
^ No regnal number—just Sigismund—is used when referring to Sigismund III Vasa as King of Sweden.
^ The war against Denmark was concluded in 1613 with a peace treaty, which did not cost Sweden any territory, but Sweden was nevertheless forced to pay a heavy indemnity to Denmark (Treaty of Knäred) in order to regain control of Älvsborg fortress.
^ Meanwhile, a Catholic army under Tilly was laying waste to Saxony. Gustavus Adolphus met Tilly's army and crushed it at the First Battle of Breitenfeld in September 1631. He then marched clear across Germany, establishing his winter quarters near the Rhine, making plans for the invasion of the rest of the Holy Roman Empire. In March 1632, Gustavus Adolphus invaded Bavaria, a staunch ally of the Emperor. He forced the withdrawal of his Catholic opponents at the Battle of Rain. In the summer of that year, he sought a political solution that would preserve the existing structure of states in Germany, while guaranteeing the security of its Protestants. But achieving these objectives depended on his continued success on the battlefield.
^ In Chapter V of Carl von Clausewitz' On War, he lists Gustavus Adolphus as an example of an outstanding military leader, along with: Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Alexander Farnese, Charles XII, Frederick the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte.
^ Although the local conflict with Denmark-Norway, as part of the Thirty Years' War was settled at the Second Treaty of Brömsebro (1645), in which the Danes ceded the Norwegian provinces of Jämtland, Härjedalen and Idre & Särna as well as the Danish Baltic Sea islands of Gotland and Ösel. Sweden was furthermore exempted from the Sound Dues and received the Danish province of Halland for a period of 30 years as a guarantee of these provisions.
^ Charles Gustav was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Kleeburg (1589–1652) and Princess Catherine of Sweden (1584–1638), daughter of King Charles IX.
^ Sweden ceded its Baltic provinces and parts of Finland to Russia in the 1721 Treaty of Nystad.
^ Also known as the Torekov Agreement (Swedish: Torekovsövernskommelsen). The participants were Valter Åman (s), Bertil Fiskesjö (c), Birger Lundström (fp) and Allan Hernelius (m).
^ The Speaker of the Riksdag, not the Prime Minister, is considered the second highest public office in the order of precedence, below the head of state.
^ Given their predominance in 20th century Swedish politics, the public positions taken by the leaders of the Social Democrats are noteworthy; particularly given that their party programme does call for the abolishment of the monarchy. Party leaders and prime ministers Hjalmar Branting, Per-Albin Hansson and Tage Erlander all made statements to the effect of being for a republic in principle whenever the issue was raised, but that it was not worth pursuing (presumably fearing an electoral backlash). At the 1972 party congress of the Social Democrats, Prime Minister Olof Palme publicly defended the Torekov compromise, in response some members that yearned for a republic, by famously characterizing that the upcoming reforms would reduce the constitutional role of the monarchy to nothing but a "plume" (Swedish: plym) and thus paving the way to abolish the monarchy with the stroke of a pen (Swedish: penndrag) at some distant point in the future. Palme emphasized though that other reforms were far more important for the Social Democrats than abolishing the monarchy. Successive leaders (and prime ministers) Ingvar Carlsson and Göran Persson have also defended the status quo.
^ This could be interpreted as "for life", given the historical precedent: no voluntary abdication has occurred since Ulrika Eleonora, in 1719 and only three hereditary monarchs have been involuntarily deposed (Eric XIV in 1568, Sigisumnd 1599, and Gustav IV Adolf in 1809).
Art. 6. A special meeting of the Chamber for the formal opening of a Riksdag session takes place no later than the third day of the session. At the request of the Speaker, the Head of State declares the session open. If the Head of State is unable to attend, the Speaker declares the session open.
^ According to the Gregorian calendar, the king died on 16 November, but the Julian calendar ("old style") was still used in Protestant Sweden at the time and the same date is still used now.
^ Flag days are regulated by an ordinance issued by the Government of Sweden. This means that the national flag is flown on all public flag poles and buildings on those dates.
^ The Stockholm City Hall, built in 1927, has a similar spire with Three Crowns on its tower.
^ a b c "The Royal Palace of Stockholm". Royal Court of Sweden. Archived from the original on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
^ a b c "Drottningholm Palace". Royal Court of Sweden. Archived from the original on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
^ See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5.
^ Parliamentary system: see the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 1.
^ a b "The Monarchy in Sweden". Royal Court of Sweden. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
^ "The Constitution". The Riksdag. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
^ Ericson Wolke, Lars; Larsson, Villstrand. Historiska Media (ed.). Trettioåriga kriget (in Swedish). pp. 145–148. ISBN 91-85377-37-6.
^ "Nordisk Familjebok – Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna". Nordisk Familjebok at runeberg.org (in Swedish). 1914. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
^ Prinz, Oliver C. (2005). Der Einfluss von Heeresverfassung und Soldatenbild auf die Entwicklung des Militärstrafrechts. Osnabrücker Schriften zur Rechtsgeschichte (in German). 7. Osnabrück: V&R unipress. pp. 40–41. ISBN 3-89971-129-7. Referring to Kroener, Bernhard R. (1993). "Militärgeschichte des Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit bis 1648. Vom Lehnskrieger zum Söldner". In Neugebauer, Karl-Volker (ed.). Grundzüge der deutschen Militärgeschichte (in German). 1. Freiburg: Rombach. p. 32.
^ Larsson & Bäck: pp. 66–67.
^ Larsson & Bäck: pp. 67–68.
^ a b Larsson & Bäck: pp. 68–69.
^ Larsson & Bäck: pp. 66–69.
^ a b Lewin: pp. 112–115.
^ Larsson & Bäck: p. 72.
^ a b c d e Torbjörn Bergman (1999). "Trade-offs in Swedish Constitutional design: The Monarchy Under Challenge". In Wolfgang C. Müller and Kaare Strøm, eds., Policy? Office?, or Votes? How Political Parties Make Hard Choices. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-63723-6.
^ "Monarken utan formell makt efter Torekovskompromissen". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 23 February 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
^ a b c d e "Duties of the Monarch". Royal Court of Sweden. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
^ a b c "The Head of State". Government of Sweden. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
^ a b Nergelius: pp. 15–16.
^ a b Nergelius: pp. 33–34.
^ "Forming a government". The Riksdag. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
^ Larsson & Bäck: pp. 166–170.
^ Larsson & Bäck: p. 155.
^ a b c d Prop. 1973:90. Kungl. Maj:ts proposition med förslag till ny regeringsform och ny riksdagsordning m. m.; given Stockholms slott den 16 mars 1973. p. 172-175.
^ Larsson & Bäck: pp. 65–69.
^ a b Nergelius: p. 41.
^ Larsson & Bäck: p. 166.
^ The Instrument of Government: Chapter 1, Article 5.
^ a b c "Socialdemokraterna och republikfrågan". Arbetarrörelsen arkiv och bibliotek (Swedish Labour Movement Archives and Library). Retrieved 2 December 2014.
^ a b c d e Nergelius: p. 42.
^ The Riksdag Act: Chapter 3, Article 6.
^ "A year in the Riksdag". The Riksdag. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
^ a b Nergelius: pp. 41–42.
^ "The Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs". The Riksdag. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
^ "Övriga funktioner" (in Swedish). The Royal Court of Sweden. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
^ Steve Wilson. "The genius of Sweden's 'Lion of the North'". Military History Online. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
^ "In Memory of a Great Man". Spokane Daily Chronicle (scanned by Google). 4 November 1901. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
^ "Swedish Festival Calendar". Swedish Language Training London. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
^ See the preamble to the Act of Succession.
^ "The Swedish Monarchy". sweden.se. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
^ a b c "History, The Treasury". Royal Court of Sweden. Archived from the original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
^ a b "Regal symbols". Royal Court of Sweden. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
^ "The Treasury". Royal Court of Sweden. Archived from the original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
^ Orders, Swedish Royal Court, date accessed 2014-10-22.
^ "Svenska folkets slott" (PDF) (in Swedish). Statens fastighetsverk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
^ "State administration in Sweden". Government of Sweden. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
^ "Interests". Royal Court of Sweden. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
^ a b c "About the Royal Guards". Swedish Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
^ "Drottningholm Palace Park". Royal Court of Sweden. Archived from the original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
^ "The World Heritage". Royal Court of Sweden. Archived from the original on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
^ "Buildings in Haga Park". Royal Court of Sweden. Archived from the original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
^ "Regeringen återlämnar Haga slott" (in Swedish). Government of Sweden. Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
^ "Haga Palace". Royal Court of Sweden. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
^ a b c "Möt Kungafamiljen" (in Swedish). Royal Court of Sweden. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
^ "The Act of Succession". The Riksdag. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
^ a b c Nergelius: pp. 42–44.
^ See Act of Succession, Article 1.
The Instrument of Government. Stockholm: The Riksdag. 2012.
The Act of Succession. Stockholm: The Riksdag. 2012.
The Riksdag Act. Stockholm: The Riksdag. 2014.
Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin (2001). Nils Ringertz (ed.). The Nobel Prize: The First 100 Years. Imperial College Press and World Scientific Publishing. ISBN 981-02-4664-1.
| 2019-04-26T09:38:24 |
http://wiki-offline.jakearchibald.com/wiki/Monarchy_of_Sweden
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0.998368 |
Serve eggs in individual ramekins for a lovely breakfast party with this recipe from "Martha's Entertaining."
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook bacon in a medium saute pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. In a small bowl, combine chives and parsley.
2. Butter six 8-ounce ramekins, and add bacon to each, dividing evenly. Crack two eggs into each ramekin, being careful not to break the yolks. Place ramekins in a roasting pan, and pour in enough steaming hot water to reach halfway up the sides of ramekins. Cover pan tightly with foil; bake 20 minutes.
3. Carefully remove pan from oven. Dividing evenly, sprinkle two ramekins carefully with goat cheese; sprinkle another two ramekins with fontina. Top each of remaining two ramekins with 1 tablespoon mixed herbs. Cover pan again and continue baking for another 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven.
4. Using tongs, carefully remove ramekins from water bath. Season eggs with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
| 2019-04-26T17:19:19 |
https://www.marthastewart.com/865388/baked-eggs-bacon-cheese-and-herbs
|
0.999999 |
A celestial body that is more massive than a gas giant planet but has insufficient mass to sustain the hydrogen fusion reactions that produce radiant energy in normal stars.
a cold, dark star that is too small to initiate the nuclear reactions that generate heat and light.
A celestial body that is similar to a star but does not emit light because it does not have enough mass to ignite internal nuclear fusion. See Note at dwarf star.
Smoothly blended combo of archival footage, fresh interviews, (somewhat stiff) re-enactments and campy artifacts from the period is both entertaining and insightful, presaging Reagan's failed Star Wars buildup and the current Iraq War.
Unison will be responding fully to the consultation and giving the proposals rigorous scrutiny to ensure that the failed star system is not replicated.
I APPLAUD Joan Burnie's condemnation of the proposed resurrection of Reagan's failed Star Wars system by the Bush administration.
This has led some scientists to speculate that rather than a planet it might be a brown dwarf, a failed star too small to shine.
And joining the long list is OGLE-2016-BLG-1190Lb, a planetary object so massive the team behind its discovery isn't even sure if it is a gigantic planet or a failed star.
Is This Huge Object A Failed Star Or A Giant Planet?
But the mass that a brown dwarf accumulates is not enough to ignite thermonuclear reactions in its core, resulting in a failed star that is very cool.
The body, about eight times as heavy as Jupiter, resides next to a failed star, a brown dwarf dubbed 2M1207 (SN: 5/7/05, p.
html) brown dwarf - a failed star that's too large to be a planet, but lacks the mass necessary to start nuclear fusion in its core - located five billion miles away.
Barely more massive than a planet itself, a failed star 500 light-years from Earth is nevertheless cloaked in a disk of gas and dust from which planets could coalesce.
Upon his success, McNeil reflected: "I find it simply stunning that a $1,000 scope, which I literally pieced together on my kitchen table, was able to detect a 21st-magnitude object whose identity as a failed star was announced only days before I arrived at TSP.
Kevin Luhman, Penn State's Associate Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics classifies this object as a "brown dwarf" - an object that formed just like a star out of a massive cloud of duct and gas, but the mass that it accumulates is not enough to ignite thermonuclear reactions in its core, resulting in a failed star that is very cool.
| 2019-04-21T13:23:23 |
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Failed+star
|
0.999924 |
Blockade Billy is a little book that contains two short (and really crappy) stories by King. Where do I start with this book? both stories were really lame in my opinion but in short, don't buy this because both stories will be included in the upcoming collection [b:The Bazaar of Bad Dreams|23512999|The Bazaar of Bad Dreams|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432324418s/23512999.jpg|43116154].
The only reason I would recommend buying this book is if you are a collector, otherwise AVOID IT.
I'll write a review of both short stories when [b:The Bazaar of Bad Dreams|23512999|The Bazaar of Bad Dreams|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432324418s/23512999.jpg|43116154] is published.
| 2019-04-18T18:15:56 |
http://jose.booklikes.com/post/1261376/blockade-billy
|
0.998875 |
Cicero's (106 - 43 BC) was one of the most powerfully, persuasive people of his day. He had this to say about the public in 1st Century BC, Rome.
The Politician: lives happily on the account of all ten.
President Clinton once said in a speech at Galesburg, III, "Running a country is a lot like running a cemetery; you've got a lot of people under you and nobody's listening.
In any non-profit organization, especially like a church, you have to persuade people, either to invest time in the church or to do something that is right, or change an area that they might have chosen. Paul gives a beautiful letter of persuasion. It is only one chapter.
Apparently, Paul led Philemon to a faith in Christ. It is implied in some of the things he says. He also had something to do with a young man named, Onesimus. Somehow, when Paul was in prison, Onesimus became a fellow-worker with Paul. And we do not know the details, but at some point, Onesimus is having a discussion with Paul. He has come to Christ in Paul's ministry, and in their discussion, he makes a confession.
He says, "Brother Paul, I am a run-away slave. I used to be a servant. It is illegal for me to be a run-away slave and I might even be killed."
May be he was noticed, and someone recognized him. He used to be Philemon's slave. So how does Paul deal with the whole issue? According to Roman law, slaves did not have any rights. They were thought of as property. Slavery is kind of like an employer-employee relationship.
I have read different documents, and some say 1/3rd to ½ of everybody in Rome were slaves! This was the common way of just getting by. You are caught in a debt, you become a slave, maybe for seven years or so, until you pay it off. Many today are in debt and maybe we are slaves to the company that we owe money to. The debtor becomes a slave to the lender.
So, Paul is writing to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus. Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon, and says to Philemon, "I am sending your slave back to you, and I am hoping that you would set him free, so that he could come back and work together in the ministry. That is the context of this letter.
1. Base your persuasion on Relationship, not authority.
2. Let integrity begin with you.
3. Be the first to give.
5. Appeal to people's best.
Honor the freedom of the other person. Never manipulate someone to do something simply because you think it is right, instead; give that person a genuine, completely free choice. If he chooses against your will, he will stand before God and give an account. If he chooses what is right, he will enjoy the full reward of the freely-made, right choice. By the blessing of freedom, I mean, the freedom to do the right thing freely, without being forced to do it. The person who does that receives an extra-ordinary reward in giving. There is joy and spiritual reward when you do the right thing, freely.
Encouraging the Corinthian church to follow the example of generosity of the church in Macedonia, Paul writes: 2 Cor.8:8.
So Paul says, I am not commanding you or forcing you, but I am just saying, demonstrate the generosity inspired in you by the Holy Spirit, and inspired by the generosity of Jesus Himself.
Paul had the spiritual right to demand of Philemon the services of his run-away slave. He had brought Philemon up in the love and knowledge of God. Onesimus was a free man before God. In what Paul writes, he treats Onesimus as equal with himself. And he wants Philemon to receive him, as if he were receiving Paul. In Christ, there is no slave and free, we are all equal and one.
Spiritually speaking Philemon owed Paul a debt, and Paul could make a demand, but Paul chose to abide by the law of the day, and to do the right thing as far as that law was concerned. He sent Onesimus back, gave him back to his master, and asked.
| 2019-04-21T16:30:34 |
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/powerful-persuasion-ken-henson-sermon-on-forgiveness-for-others-171496
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0.999433 |
Imhotep: What originally made you pick up guitar instead of some other instrument?
Downing: "This is actually a very good question. It was such a long time ago. Everybody probably dreams of being famous in one way or another. I didn't, however, take guitar playing all that seriously until the great Jimi Hendrix came into the picture. Also, many other great guitarists, such as Eric Clapton and Rory Gallagher, influenced me. Music became more and more important for me, and finally I bought a guitar. I worked hard to become a good guitar player. I never thought I was naturally talented, I just worked hard. At some point during the years I became quite good — or at least I hope so — and I consider myself pretty lucky, as I've been making my living as a musician for a long time."
Imhotep: How would you say your and Glenn's [Tipton] playing styles differ from each other?
Downing: "Many people ask that, and I'm not sure I really know the answer. I can only say that it's a strange thing, but guitar playing style is a bit like fingerprint — everybody's got a bit different. I guess that also applies to me and Glenn. We are both unique guitarists, but I can't point my finger on what the difference is."
Imhotep: Is there a secret to the JUDAS PRIEST guitar sound?
Downing: "No (laughter). We are searching, and I guess Glenn would agree with me on this one, new things all the time. One thing that bothers me a bit at this point of my life is that I am not as identifiable as a player as I would like to be. If I hear, for example, Michael Schenker playing I know immediately it's Michael Schenker, I don't have to see him. He has a very recognizable sound. Eddie Van Halen is another guitarist like that. I like to try different things, different techniques as far as the playing and the sound goes. I would say that is my thing."
Imhotep: Do you collect guitars?
Downing: "I don't consider myself as a guitar collector by any means, but I do have pretty many different guitars. I don't have any kind of guitar collector disease. I give away many guitars as well — to charity, to Hard Rock Cafés, to my friends, to my guitar technicians. If I would have kept every guitar I have ever owned I would have very many guitars, though."
Imhotep: You have influenced many younger bands and musicians. How does that make you feel?
Downing: "That's fantastic, dude! What else can I say? I would have never, even in my wildest dreams, could have imagined that I'd become a guitarist of play in a band that would inspire lots of other people. Now I can die happy."
Imhotep: How does your songwriting team with Rob (Halford) and Glenn work?
Downing: "It works very well, because we have two guitarists in the team. So when Rob comes in, we already have many ideas. Musical ideas. Me and Glenn, we throw around riffs and chord progression, Rob sings something on top of it, and it all becomes a song pretty quickly."
| 2019-04-20T06:17:08 |
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/judas-priest-guitarist-i-never-thought-i-was-naturally-talented-i-just-worked-hard/
|
0.999341 |
"In September I sing a lot."
Translation:I september sjunger jag mycket.
What is the rule that places jag after sjunger instead of in front of sjunger?
It's called V2 – verb second. In any Swedish main clause that is not a question, the verb goes in second place. So if you start a sentence with a time adverbial – like i september – the verb must go right after that.
Thank you. I went to read your writing about word order. I do not know the word "ska," or I have forgotten it. For some of the examples, my lack of vocabulary makes the explanations opaque. Thank you for your efforts. I will come back to this when I get more advanced so that I can take advantage of your work.
It's taught pretty late in the course, in the future skill. I should probably have used examples with just the present instead, thanks for your input!
I got the V2 rule right here! Woo!
Months take i and days of the week take på. På måndag but i september. As a mnemonic, you can think of it like this: months are a bit longer, so "in" fits them better. Days of the week are shorter, so they're more like points in time.
But i eftermiddagen... and på ögonblick!
For eftermiddag we have på eftermiddagen, i eftermiddag and i eftermiddags, with different meanings, see more here: https://www.duolingo.com/comment/6069004 I don't think I've heard på ögonblick, that would have to be på ett ögonblick, på ögonblicket, but there are other prepositions that are also possible with ögonblick.
What if this was a question - "Do I sing a lot in September?" Then what would the word order be?
Sjunger jag mycket i september? In questions, the verb goes before the subject.
What about "In September, do I sing a lot?"
The word order would idiomatically still be what Arnauti wrote above. But I suppose you could say "I september, sjunger jag mycket?" with a comma.
Could you change the word order for emphasis in the question, like in a declarative statement? I.e. "Sjunger i september jag mycket?", Or something like that? Or does that just not apply to questions?
What is the difference between "massor" (det regnar massor) and "mycket" (jag sjunger mycket)? >_> Thank you in advance.
It's a question of focus, about what it is that you're trying to communicate. If you're speaking about what you tend to do in September, it's best to start out with I september, otherwise start with the subject. We're a little bit more likely to front time adverbials in Swedish than you are in English, so that you're a tad more likely to hear I september sjunger jag mycket in Swedish than the corresponding word order in English. but the difference isn't huge. Jag sjunger mycket i september is a more neutral word order in Swedish too.
I september jag sjunger mycket. Why it marked me wrong?
Remember the V2 rule, in which the verb must come in the 2nd grammatical "place" in the sentence (not necessarily the 2nd word, mind you). That 2nd grammatical "place" comes after "I september" in this case, so the correct answer here would be "I september sjunger jag mycket" instead of a word-for-word English translation of "I september jag sjunger mycket"
| 2019-04-20T00:27:06 |
https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/5682485/In-September-I-sing-a-lot
|
0.999999 |
Passage an example may be the prologue to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The prologue to Romeo and Juliet is a substantial little bit of text in the play as both its form and content introduces and gives a rather detailed insight to the viewer about events that are to follow in the play and essentially prepares and establishes the viewer/audience for the "two hours traffic on our stage" which is and gives meaning to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
The entire prologue is spoken by the Chorus to the intended audience and eludes the viewer to the issues that arise throughout the play, as well as acknowledges existing problems before the ones that will eventuate. The positioning of the scene is set up through the phrase "in fair Verona where we lay our scene", as well as indicates central themes to Romeo and Juliet by mentioning themes of anger and revenge through the ongoing feuds of the "two households, both alike in dignity" and the central theme of love and tragedy, through the mentioned "fatal loins of these two foes" and "star-crossed lovers" being Romeo and Juliet. The passage can also be viewed as significant as it depicts what will happen on the stage, building a somewhat cathartic sense, as pity becomes greater if the viewer knows of the tragic events that will eventually occur in the play. The very last lines of the prologue repeat the message that the lovers will die, and through this the feud is annulled.
Unlike most "traditional" prologues, the main one initiating Romeo and Juliet is by means of a sonnet. It contains 14 lines-following an essential aspect of this structure, ABAB rhyming pattern within the initial 3 quatrains and a CC couplet by the end allowing it to be in iambic pentameter. Unique in form, poetic techniques are used cleverly as the sonnet breaks usual conventions of any love poem. Perhaps because the play is centred on love, Shakespeare wrote the prologue in this form in order to emphasise this concept within the play as well as the intimate relationship between Romeo and Juliet.
In this sonnet, the 14 lines are divided up into 3 parts of 4 lines and the last section comprises of 2 lines. The sonnet uses 3 different ways to divide the sections from one another: punctuation, change of topic and the use of rhyming couplets. The first three sections get started and end as sentences lines 1-3 use commas then to close the section there is a full stop indicating the next. Once there is a full stop, the new sentence commences a fresh topic essentially guiding the audience through the plot to avoid confusion of the storyline. The ending pattern of the prologue, however, differs compared to other lines within the passage which in a few regards reflects the way the storyline of the play is structured. The two rhyming lines at the end of the prologue are typical of a normal sonnet and work examples of combining form and content together in a simple enough form for the audience to understand and get meaning from the prologue and indeed all of those other play.
When observing the prologue, it is evident where Shakespeare intended to put emphasis through the stressing of certain syllables such as "fair", and "star-crossed"- these two particularly because they are crucial to the central themes from the concept of love and marriage. The "cross'd" in "star-cross'd" refers to the fact that their love suppressed, frustrated and finally defeated. Such would be the love of Romeo and Juliet, because of the stars- implying that destiny causes the "misadventured piteous overthrows" within the play. It may also be noted that violent words aren't stressed throughout the duration of the prologue. Aggressive words such as "mutiny, "blood" and "rage" are unstressed in the sonnet possibly may because though it is a tale surrounding issues of conflict, it is love and Romeo and Juliet who are the central meaning behind the play.
Within lines seven and eight "Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with the death bury their parent's strife" informs the audience which it required a tragedy to stop the families from feuding and also to make them realise what they had been doing. In line 8 of the prologue, there is certainly noticeable use of alliteration with the "d" and "th" sounds, which are repeated to make the line appear more noticeable and also includes its own rhyming section using 'doth with their death', using the 'th' sound to make it rhyme. Metaphors like the word "bury, " represents reconciliation between your Montagues and Capulets and that the burial with their past grudges has only come about due to the burial of their children. Meaning is established through these techniques as it poses the question to the audience of whether or not their ancient grudges and feuding are worth what will inevitably become the death of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare also uses other literary devices within the prologue to draw the viewer/audience's attention through this sonnet. In line 4, it's important to notice the repetition of the term "civil" and its implications throughout the storyline. "Civil blood" can be seen as a paradox as the Montagues and Capulets engage constantly in civil wars which shed civil blood, which would not really occur if they were civil in the first place. As both sides share the grudge, in addition they share the guilt, both sides mutiny from the peace of the town, making their "civil hands unclean. "
Repetition of words throughout the prologue such as "civil", introduces alliteration to the text. Shakespeare decides to utilize the repetition of a particular sound within the next line, creating alliteration. Alliteration in line 5 has not only the repetition of f sounds but of bold words for example "from forth the fatal loins of these two foes" which contains words that get started with f as well as "forth" that tends to be used as a word of initiative where Shakespeare could be playing after the idea as mentioned previously that possibly, the storyline has already been set and must "go forth" as it is destined to happen. A line packed with harsh sounding f's and words of antagonism are pushed against line 6 and appear to become more woeful than harsh which tells the viewer/audience of the predictable death of the lovers who were initially supposed to be enemies. Finally, enjambment in the prologue embraces the nature of the play being conflict and violence paralleling with love and inevitable tragedy.
Form and content are significant aspects within any text as the combination of both inevitably produce the ultimate meaning of the written text. Meaning cannot be derived if there is no content in which to base a tale on and some literary techniques such as those present in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet, place an focus on this specific content in order to mention the underlying message that Shakespeare is presenting to the audience. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, it is evident that Shakespeare intended the play to be always a tragedy based on love, and the prologue spoken by the chorus depicts this clearly. The strong use of literary techniques engages the audience permitting them to become part of and understand the meaning of the storyline and allow empathy for what's happening on stage.
| 2019-04-19T18:31:24 |
https://studybay.com/blog/literary-analysis-of-romeo-and-juliet/
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0.999062 |
I used different tools to do differently expressed genes analysis. From the results I see a general difference in logFC values for genes from limma-voom, edgeR and DESeq2. Although some people saw difference in logFC between edgeR and EDSeq2 and got good answers (seeBig differences in logfoldchange for some genes between edgeR and DESeq2 ), in my case edgeR and DESeq2 get very simmilar results but quite different from limma-voom.
Can this small difference in famulars cause a general big difference in limma-voom with other tools(edgeR and DESeq2) ?
Which logFC is better to trust?
I'am doing RNA-seq analysis using Read Counts data of 3 replicates of 2 different samples. Iam using DESeq2 and edgeR for analysis. will you please help me to get mean(Group1) and mean(Group2)..?
in DESeq2 and edgeR output one can get logFC value directly but i want to include mean values of both groups in output table.
I also got it from here which i actually wanted.
Your question boils down to whether the arithmetic or geometric means (of expression within each group) are better for computing log-fold changes. I dare say that this doesn't really have a clear answer - both means are valid measures of location, and the choice generally depends on what is mathematically convenient for your particular model. limma operates on the log-expression values, so it makes sense to set up the null hypothesis on the mean log-value (i.e., the log-geometric mean). edgeR and DESeq2 operate on the raw counts, so it is more convenient to set up the null hypothesis on the mean count (i.e., the arithmetic mean).
In general, I would not be particularly worried about the discrepancies between the two definitions. These should only occur when the variances are large and different between groups (a second-order Taylor approximation shows that the difference between E(log(x)) and log(E(x)) is a term dependent on the variance). If the differences between groups are strong enough to overcome the large variances, the discrepancy should be minor compared to the magnitude of the log-FCs and should not change your conclusions. If your DE is weak, then the affected gene wouldn't show up as significant in the first place, and so discrepancies can be ignored.
I guess that, with very large sample sizes, you can get significant hits for small log-fold changes that change in sign depending on whether you use one log-FC definition or the other. In such cases, you'll just have to keep in mind that each model is doing exactly what it's told; it's entirely possible for the arithmetic mean to increase in one group compared to another, while the geometric mean decreases. I suspect that this would require violation of the distributional assumptions, though, or at least some pathological scenarios.
Thank you, Aaron Lun! Very clear explanation!
That is all true, but there has to be something else going on with the data here. The limma logFCs are all down-shifted compared to the edgeR and DESeq2 results. This surely has to arise from a normalization issue.
Normalization. You have to apply the same normalization method and fit the same model in each package, otherwise the different packages will be estimating different things.
Arithmetic. There is a arithmetic difference between the linear model fold changes computed by limma vs the negative binomial generalized linear model fold changes computed by edgeR and DESeq2. This is the effect that you asked about and which Aaron has discussed. As Aaron explained, the differences are usually either small or not important.
Shrinkage. None of the three packages report "raw" fold changes (unless you ask them to). All three packages instead shrink the log fold changes towards zero and the default amount of shrinkage is different in the three packages. The defaults in limma and edgeR are similar, with limma doing a bit more shrinkage than edgeR. The shrinkage that edgeR does is user-settable although I assume you have used the default. DESeq2 might do a lot more shrinkage if you ask it to estimate the amount of shrinkage to do. This is the effect that was discussed in the previous question & answer that you gave the link to.
Dispersion. All the packages estimate the dispersions somewhat differently and this also has an influence.
The most important factors, the ones that can potentially give big differences, are (1) and (3). In your case it appears that the culprit is (1). Your log fold changes from limma are not shrunk (closer to zero) compared to edgeR and DESeq2, but rather are substantially shifted (more negative, with smaller positive values and larger negative values). Such a shift in the logFCs can only occur because you have normalized differently or fitted a different model in limma compared to the other two packages.
In summary, the differences you see are not intrinsic to the packages but have almost certainly resulted from the way that you used the packages.
I don't think the differences are due to the two formulas you give. The computations done by the three packages are actually more complicated than these formulas and none of the three packages uses the formula that you give as the "actual" logFC.
People often make the mistake of posting on this support site results that they got from different packages and asking why the numbers are different. This overlooks the fact that the packages are not canned analyses but rather flexible pipelines with lots of options. So it isn't meaningful to give results from a package without explaining the details of how the package was used. So you have to give all the steps and options chosen (e.g., by posting detailed code) leading up to the results that are presented.
| 2019-04-26T10:32:51 |
https://support.bioconductor.org/p/100978/
|
0.999996 |
Attempt now to get your rank among 1658 students!
Consider the following four statements and select the correct option stating which ones are true (T) and which ones are false (F)?
(i) Proteins contribute 6 - 8% of the blood plasma.
(ii) Plasma contains very high amount of minerals.
(iii) Plasma without the clotting factors is called serum.
(iv) Glucose, amino acids, lipids, etc., are also present in the plasma as they are always in transit in the body.
AErythrocytes/RBCs are the least abundant of all the cells in blood.
BThe number of RBCs in adult man per mm3 of blood is 5 million to 5.5 million.
CRBCs are formed in the red bone marrow in the adults.
DRBCs are enucleated in most of the mammals.
What is the oxidation state of iron in haemoglobin?
Which of the following is an agranulocyte?
Dbetween 20 to 30 days.
Find the correct descending order of percentage proportion of leucocytes in human blood.
Which of the following statements is/are incorrect about lymph?
(i) Lymph is colourful as it has haemoglobin but no RBC.
(ii) It contains specialised lymphocytes which are responsible for immunity of the body.
(iii) Lymph is an important carrier for nutrients and hormones.
(iv) Fats are absorbed through lymph in the lacteals present in the intestinal villi.
Open circulatory system is present in and (ii). Fill the correct option for (i) and (ii).
Read the following statements and select the correct option.
Statement 1 : The 4-chambered heart of birds is superior to the 4-chambered heart of crocodiles.
Statement 2 : Crocodilian heart retains both systemic arches that join, causing mixing of blood in the dorsal aorta while avian heart has lost left systemic arch.
The given figure shows the vertical section of human heart. Identify the parts labelled as A to K.
Read the following statements and select the correct ones.
(i) Nodal tissue is specialised cardiac musculature in human heart which has the ability to generate action potential due to an external stimuli.
(v) Purkinje fibres are modified cardiac muscle fibres that originate from the atrioventricular node and spread into the two ventricles.
Doxygenated blood is pumped into the aorta and deoxygenated blood is pumped into the pulmonary artery.
If due to some injury the chordae tendineae of the tricuspid valve of the human heart is partially non-functional, what will be the immediate effect?
AThe flow of blood into the aorta will be slowed down.
BThe 'pacemaker' will stop working.
CThe blood will tend to flow back into the left atrium.
DThe flow of blood into the pulmonary artery will be reduced.
Which one of the following statements is correct regarding blood pressure?
A130/90 mm Hg is considered high and requires treatment.
B100/55 mm Hg is considered an ideal blood pressure.
C105/50 mm Hg makes one very active.
D190/110 mm Hg may harm vital organs like brain and kidney.
Which one of the following is incorrect for 'atherosclerosis'?
| 2019-04-19T20:31:50 |
https://gradeup.co/class-xi-biology-revision-quiz-body-fluids-and-circulation-1-i-f5e89b30-2f72-11e9-9120-cb47897d58d9
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0.999999 |
Obviously, Judaism maintains that it is best to follow Judaism or, for gentiles, the Noachide laws. But I'm curious as to whether, according to Jewish scripture, it is preferable to not believe in G-d, or to believe the wrong things about G-d. That is to say, is it better to be an atheist, or a Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Shintoist, etc? This question is about belief, not practice.
I'm also assuming that the nonbeliever in question is a good person. He or she treats other people with respect and compassion, cares for the less fortunate and the afflicted, and is in all respects an admirable human being. He or she simply doesn't believe in G-d.
Note: I'm deliberately leaving out Islam, because I have been led to understand that, at least theoretically, Islam is considered to be preferable to the other non-Jewish options.
There is a dispute at to whether שיתוף (believing in G-d AND another power; the trinity included) is permitted for gentiles. See Is Christianity Avodah Zara? for the differing opinions. There's no need to go through it again. I heard from a Rabbi who's actively involved in spreading knowledge of the 7 Noahide laws that most contemporary rabbis hold that שיתוף is allowed, although not preferable).
So, to summarise, best is to believe in G-d, believing that he is the One and Only power.
Next, שיתוף, (including believing in the trinity). While some say that this is allowed for gentiles, others say it's not.
Next, atheism, which it seems everyone, or at the very least, nearly everyone, holds isn't alright for gentiles.
As acknowledged in the question, Judaism only requires that non-jews keep the seven Noachide laws (plus some miscellaneous laws which are beyond the scope of this answer). Seeing as the first of these is the prohibition against idolatry, it is clear that belief in any polytheistic religion is definitely a problem. That the prohibition extends to belief in addition to action can be seen from the Rambam in Hilchot Melachim 9:2.
What about atheism? Is atheism less problematic?
Jews (according to most classic opinions) have an explicit mitzvah to believe in God. There is no such mitzvah amongst the seven Noachide laws. Only the prohibition against idolatry. In the past, I inferred from this that there would be no problem with a non-jew being atheist. After all, one can be atheist and keep all of the seven Noachide laws. The problem with this is a halacha found in the Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 8:11, which states that a non-jew who keeps the seven Noachide laws because of his own moral calculations instead of because of God's commanding them doesn't get full credit for them (note that there are two variants of this halacha. See the Frankel ed. The above point stands according to both though). We thus see that the behaviour of a non-jew who doesn't believe in God is deficient regardless of how good his behaviour is. Apparently then, belief in God is some sort of prerequisite to the seven Noachide laws. This would also explain why the Rambam mentions this halacha immediately before listing the seven Noachide laws and their various details.
It appears then that atheism would also be a problem for non-jews, albeit a less severe one than polytheism.
What about Christianity* which professes to be monotheistic? The classic sources generally think that Christianity is idolatrous, for example, the Rambam explicitly says so in Hilchot Ma'achalot Assurot 11:7 (see the Franked ed. for the uncensored version) as well as in other places. There is however an often quoted Tosofot to Sanhedrin 63b which states that it is permissible to force a christian to make an oath with the name of God because the christian is only "associating" (shituf) God with his idolatrous beliefs and this is permissible for non-jews to do. There is significant discussion regarding whether Tosofot means that shituf is generally permitted for non-jews or only in the context of making oaths. To summarise then, according to one school of thought, Christianity is as problematic as any polytheistic religion while according to others, there may be no problem depending on how you interpret the aforementioned Tosofot.
Even though the question explicitly excluded Islam, it seems appropriate to deal with it here anyway because it will give us an insight into other religions in general. Classically, Islam has been assumed to not be idolatrous. This can for example be seen in the previously mentioned Rambam, Hilchot Ma'achalot Assurot 11:7. This however only addresses one side of the issue. From a theological perspective, Islam is apparently not idolatrous. Does this make it into an acceptable belief system for non-jews? The answer is unequivocally no. See the Rambam in Hilchot Melachim 10:9 where he explicitly brings a prohibition for non-jews to create their own religions to serve God. In his language - אין מניחין אותן לחדש דת ולעשות מצות לעצמן מדעתן - or in english - "we do not allow them to create a religion or to create mitzvot for themselves based on their opinions". As such, assuming that Muhammed wasn't actually a prophet of God, it turns out that subscribing to Islam and in fact any non-jewish religion would also be problematic for non-jews.
Belief in God as described by a non-jewish genuinely monotheistic religion such as Islam.
*If I am not mistaken, different denominations of Christianity can have very different beliefs about the divinity of Jesus and other potentially idolatrous beliefs. I'm not familiar with any classic sources which bother to distinguish between the denominations though so I have no way of categorising which denominations are less problematic and which are more.
generally speaking Christianity is better than Atheism since it's based on the Tanach. (though it could be exploited by bad people as we saw in the spanish inquisition). Here's a source.
Kovetz Maamarim 69 - The holy Chafetz Chaim would say: "if the torah study has stopped then perforce the faith will also stop. And without faith the world cannot endure". This is explained in the verse "only there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife" (Gen.20:11). The intent of "only", is that there is nothing in the world which has the power to hold back the animal in man besides the fear of God. In our times (world war II) where denial of God has spread throughout the world, human beings have become snakes which bite each other, and the proper (metukan) countries among the nations are those which believe in the holy writings (Tanach).
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged gentiles ikarim .
| 2019-04-24T20:25:29 |
https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/62167/does-jewish-scripture-show-a-preference-between-non-belief-or-erroneous-belief
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0.998485 |
Host Seth Meyers said that he didn’t want to bump interviews of SNL’s Leslie Jones and Democratic presidential candidate, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Instead, he’s going to “make room for both” the interviews and the Mueller context crash course.
“I simply will not stand for the Mueller report bumping Leslie Jones or vice versa, so we decided to make room for both,” Meyers said according to The Hill.
The special coverage announcement was roundly mocked on Twitter.
Definitely think people should look to Seth Meyers for in-depth legal analysis of the Mueller Report.
In a few instances, the intelligence of individuals who would turn in to hear Meyers speak on the legal implications of the Mueller report was called into question. It’s worth mentioning that some studies and polls have shown that some people do trust comedians more than news sources.
The context you should know is that Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein have determined that the evidence was “not sufficient” to allege that President Donald Trump obstructed justice. However, Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not exonerate Trump, Barr said.
This has led some to predict that there may still be details in the report damaging enough to the president to spawn impeachment proceedings. Meanwhile, President Trump has falsely claimed to have been “completely exonerated by Mueller. In reality, while Mueller did not allege a conspiracy between Trump/Trump campaign and Russia, he also didn’t exonerate Trump of obstructing the investigation.
Whatever “not exonerating” looks like is supposed to (mostly) be released on Thursday morning. We say mostly because we already know that grand jury info, info that would jeopardize ongoing cases, info that would unfairly highlight expose third parties and info revealed intel sources and methods will all be redacted. We also know that these redactions will be color-coded and be accompanied by explanatory notes. The report is going to be about 400 pages long (not counting exhibits etc.) and the Trump lawyer rebuttal is reportedly being “whittled down” from 140 pages to around 50 pages.
Although criticism of Barr has heightened in recent days, Deputy AG Rosenstein has attempted to defend his boss.
“He’s being as forthcoming as he can, and so this notion that he’s trying to mislead people, I think is just completely bizarre,” Rosenstein said.
Rosenstein also said Americans should have “tremendous confidence” in Barr. Democrats’ confidence in Barr or lack thereof has been well-documented. Part of that was a problem of Barr’s own making.
You may remember that Barr sent an “unsolicited” memo to DOJ officials in June 2018, expressing his belief that the obstruction of justice probe that began after President Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey was a no-go. Barr memorably characterized the “specific obstruction-of-justice theory” he believed his long-time friend Robert Mueller was considering as “fatally misconceived.” Barr said it was well within Trump’s authority to fire Comey and to ask Comey to give fired National Security Advisor Michael Flynn a “break.” Trump would later tell NBC News’ Lester Holt that “this Russia thing” had something to do with the firing.
At the time Barr sent this letter, Jeff Sessions was still the AG. It seemed obvious, however, that Sessions, having recused himself from the Russia probe, was not long for this role. What happened next? Matthew Whitaker was appointed acting AG and, after a few tumultuous months, Whitaker was replaced by Barr. Confidence in Barr reached newer lows when he floated the idea before lawmakers that “unauthorized spying” of the Trump campaign may have occurred.
Later that day, Barr said he had “no evidence” to support this. Despite this, President Trump tweeted “THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN (We will never forget)!” earlier Monday.
| 2019-04-22T20:42:04 |
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/late-night-with-seth-meyers-mocked-after-promising-special-coverage-of-the-mueller-report/
|
0.999879 |
It's the end of November! How did that happen? I have been thinking about what fun things I will be doing with my class this year during the month of December. I thought I would share some of the ideas with you since I bet you will be planning too! Most of the ideas are not Christmas-specific since I know some teachers are not allowed to celebrate Christmas in the classroom. I also try to spend a lot of time in December focusing on activities that emphasize generosity and kindness Read on to see what I am looking forward to doing with my class!
This is an activity my colleague came up with so I don't have anything formal to share with you, but what I do is have the kids draw names and then send home instructions and write their snowpal's names on it. The students design a special one of a kind card for their snowpal, bring it back to school (sneaking it in by having it wrapped and in a plastic or paper bag for anonymity). Then on a specific day, we exchange them. Students open the cards, read them, and try and guess who gave them a card. It is a lot of fun and really sweet! Here is a brief video of a class who did the same!
I send home a letter to my students' parents and respectfully request they don't give me a Christmas gift (but they often do anyway, which is always okay) and instead ask they consider picking out a toy for a tot with their child and bring it in.
If your school allows, it is fun to have a holiday party with your class. Mine are usually low key, and I have cookie decorating, Mad Libs and more!
My town has a council for the aging and they love to get birthday cards and get well cards from the kids. I think they also would enjoy getting holiday cards.
In the same vein as the cards for senior citizens, your students could make cards for military personnel serving overseas. You may want to do this one on the first day of December though, to give your cards time to reach them before Christmas.
This is great in places that have cold falls and winters. I have heard some schools have mitten trees which they place in the lobby and kids bring in mitten donations. My school has also collected coats, hats, and scarves.
We like to get a few volunteers to help bring the food to the local pantry when the drive is over. Otherwise, it can sit around too long.
Have students do one random act of kindness a day for each day until Christmas vacation starts. Try searching random acts of kindness on TPT for ideas. You can also brainstorm with your class and download my freebie from TPT to have your students list their ideas. Click here to grab it.
Is there a nursing home nearby? Plan a nursing home visit. Your class could sing songs, read poems and/or put on a short performance. It is amazing the wonderful feelings that would bring during and after for both the nursing home residents and your students! Your class could also collect spare change and, after consulting with the nursing home, buy a small gift for one or two residents who staff knows would not otherwise receive a gift from anyone.
Your class could also create decorations that the nursing home might hang in common areas or give to residents to decorate their personal space!
Instead of you, the teacher giving each child a Christmas gift, consider donating just $1 per student to a charity. You could also have the class involved in the decision. For example, many of my students love cats and could really be excited about donating to a rescue organization or shelter. This would also be an interesting opportunity to discuss how to "vet" a charity, or evaluate it to make sure it is honest, and if it would be the best place to donate. For example, WWF is a terrific charity that donates huge amounts to important causes. They are transparent about the fact that if you donate, say, $100, $15 will go to fundraising and marketing. For example, you might get a cute stuffed polar bear or calendar but the cost of that comes out of your donations. Students and you could also use websites that review charities to help you make decisions. It could become a lesson in awareness, economics, decision makings, and even business! And the best part, at the end, you and the students have contributed money to a worthy cause.
If you are allowed to play them, there are so many fun songs! And some are relaxing, and winter-themed, like Winter Wonderland. Check out my blog post here for specific suggestions! It's titled 10 Christmas Songs to Play at Your School Holiday Party.
My all time favorite! Click here to see details on Amazon!
What is your favorite December activity to do with your students?
| 2019-04-21T10:44:26 |
http://www.readingandwritingredhead.com/2016/11/12-activities-you-can-do-with-your.html
|
0.998552 |
The constitution and membership of the Academic Promotions Committee.
1. The Academic Promotions Committee is an advisory committee to the Vice-Chancellor.
2. The role of the Academic Promotions Committee is to advise the Vice-Chancellor in connection with applications for the promotion and tenure, subject to review, of the academic staff.
(iii) one member is selected by the Vice-Chancellor from a list of three names to be submitted by the Academic Staff Association.
(2) The Associate Director, Equity and Diversity (Human Resources), is invited to attend all meetings of the committee and to view all documentation.
(3) The Executive Officer to the committee will be located in Human Resources.
(4)(a) If the Chair is absent, the committee will nominate another member to take on that role for the relevant period.
(b) If the Chair is absent for an extended period of time, either the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor or the Vice-Chancellor will nominate an alternate Chair.
(c) the Director, Human Resources or nominee.
4.(1) The terms of office of members appointed following nomination under 3(1)(b)(i) is two years.
(2) The term of office of members appointed or selected under 3(1)(b)(ii) and (iii) is one year.
5. At the end of a term of office, appointed and elected members are eligible to be reappointed or re-elected as appropriate.
6. The quorum for the committee is four members described in 3(1)(a) and (b).
7.(1) Except as set out in (3), all questions which come before the committee are decided by a majority of the members present and voting.
(2) If a member is unable to attend a meeting they are invited to submit written comments on the agenda items for consideration by the committee.
(3) In the absence of a quorum, all business which should have been transacted at the meeting must be either deferred until the next meeting, at which it must take precedence, or be dealt with by circulation.
8. The committee normally meets at least once a month during the months of February to December inclusive, but may meet more frequently if required.
A decision-making map illustrating where the committee's business comes from and where its recommendations or decisions go is available at (to be advised).
A communications map illustrating where information comes to the committee from and which committees or groups need to be informed of the committee's decisions is available at (to be advised).
| 2019-04-23T20:52:23 |
http://www.governance.uwa.edu.au/committees/other/academic-promotions
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0.999994 |
What is a motor? A motor is a device that converts electrical energy into kinetic energy. Basically, motors receive electrical energy from an electricity source, such as an outlet or battery, and convert that energy into mechanical energy, causing something to spin, move or do some form of work. Today, students use two types of magnets to create such a motor: an electromagnet and a permanent magnet. Students are probably familiar with a permanent magnet—it is the type that sticks to refrigerator doors. It is called a permanent magnet because it always has a magnetic field. An electromagnet is different because its magnetic field is created by an electric current, meaning the magnetic field can be removed by turning off the electricity.
Figure 1. A student-built motor.
Working in groups of three, students make motors that consist of three parts: a permanent magnet, an electromagnet (a coil of wire), and a battery. The wire is made of copper, and is therefore not magnetic. But, when current is run through the wire coil, it generates a magnetic field, allowing it to act as a magnet. Its magnetic poles want to align with the poles of the permanent magnet, making it turn. Together, the battery, magnet and electromagnet (wire) act as a motor by converting electric energy from the battery to mechanical energy, evidenced by the spinning motion of the wire coil. Half of the insulation is removed from one wire end, so that when it turns and the insulation comes in contact with the battery (through the paperclip), there is no current and therefore no magnetic field. This occurs at the point in which the poles of the electromagnet would align with the magnet's poles. If there was still current running, the attraction of the magnetic poles would cause the electromagnet (wire coil) to stop moving. But instead, without the force of magnetic attraction, the inertia of the rotating coil helps keeps the coil turning, and brings the un-insulated portion of the wire back in contact with the battery, completing the circuit, re-introducing the electric current through the wire and the electromagnetic poles, causing the coil to continue rotating. This engine can be used to do work...such as lift a paperclip!
Note: Perform all of the steps along with the students as a class demonstration.
Hand out the supplies to students.
Figure 2. The wire coil.
Starting 1.5" (3.8 cm) from the end, wrap the wire around the short side of the magnet 7 times leaving both "tails" on opposite sides of the magnet.
Gently slide the wire off the magnet, keeping the rectangular shape.
Leave 3" (7.6 cm) of extra wire on the second tail (this is the "long" tail), and cut off any extra wire (see Figure 2).
Wrap each tail around its side of the coil so that it is bound together; make sure to smooth out each tail so that they make flat lines (see Figure 2).
Sanding the wire tails (note: help students with these steps—if done incorrectly, the motor will not work; see Figure 3): Use the sandpaper to gently remove all the insulation from the long tail, starting at the top and going up to ¼" (0.6 cm) from the coil. Lay the short tail down on a sheet of paper and use the sandpaper to gently remove the insulation from the top half of the wire only.
Figure 3. Sanding the wire.
Unfold two of the paperclips so that they look like the one in Figure 4.
Lightly sand all of the paperclip surfaces.
Use a rubber band to secure the loops of the paperclip to each terminal of the battery (see Figure 1).
Figuare 4. Unfolding the paperclip.
Make sure the small loops of the paperclip are on the same side of the battery and make sure they are level.
Stick the magnet to the battery between the small loops of the paperclips, as shown in Figure 1; do not let the paperclips touch the magnet.
Put the battery on a table with the small loops hanging off the edge (see Figure 1); make sure the coil will not bump the table.
Rest the wire coil in the small loops (see Figure 1), again making sure it is level.
Give the wire coil a push, and watch it spin! Review with students how the motor works.
Tie the thread to the last paperclip.
Gently make a small loop at the very end of the long tail of the wire.
Tie the other end of the thread to the loop.
Put the wire coil back on the small loops and try to get your engine to lift your paperclip. It may take a few tries, but it will work.
Make sure the wire is clean where it touches the paperclips (it gets dirty over time).
Try adjusting the distance between the magnet and the wire and between the small paperclip loops.
Be sure to remove all magnets from batteries; otherwise the batteries will drain.
What are some factors that made the motor go faster or slower? Why?
Why does the motor need a push to get it started?
What would have happened if we had taken all of the insulation off of both ends of the wire?
What would happen if we increased or decreased the number of coils in the electromagnet?
| 2019-04-26T15:53:29 |
https://www.teachengineering.org/sprinkles/view/cub_motor
|
0.999998 |
Context. The INTEGRAL/SPI, X/γ-ray spectrometer (20 keV–8 MeV) is an instrument for which recovering source intensity variations is not straightforward and can constitute a difficulty for data analysis. In most cases, determining the source intensity changes between exposures is largely based on a priori information. Aims. We propose techniques that help to overcome the difficulty related to source intensity variations, which make this step more rational. In addition, the constructed “synthetic” light curves should permit us to obtain a sky model that describes the data better and optimizes the source signal-to-noise ratios. Methods. For this purpose, the time intensity variation of each source was modeled as a combination of piecewise segments of time during which a given source exhibits a constant intensity. To optimize the signal-to-noise ratios, the number of segments was minimized. We present a first method that takes advantage of previous time series that can be obtained from another instrument on-board the INTEGRAL observatory. A data segmentation algorithm was then used to synthesize the time series into segments. The second method no longer needs external light curves, but solely SPI raw data. For this, we developed a specific algorithm that involves the SPI transfer function. Results. The time segmentation algorithms that were developed solve a difficulty inherent to the SPI instrument, which is the intensity variations of sources between exposures, and it allows us to obtain more information about the sources’ behavior.
| 2019-04-20T06:14:40 |
http://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/12455/
|
0.999842 |
Q: What kind of monitor should I buy? There are so many different kinds, and I don't know what to look for.
A: We feel your pain. The computer monitor marketplace is confusing because, unlike TVs, computer monitors are used in a variety of applications and settings. Some are specialized for photo editing (these have a wider range of color), others for gaming (they tend to have high screen refresh rates), and some for even more niche applications like multi-touch or graphic design work. Given that those who need a specialized monitor most likely already have the background needed to make the decision, this writeup will focus on what to consider for the day-to-day computer user.
In the end, no amount of nerdery or specialized vocabulary can help you choose a panel. We'll discuss some of it here, but that's more so that you can impress your friends after you buy a monitor. We like the Asus VH242H for standard users who don't want to pay a bunch of money, and the Dell Ultrasharp U2410 for high-end users who want better color management. But we can admit that people's taste in monitors (as in cars) can differ. Remember that you can always go to your local Best Buy or computer store and just trust your eyes. Do make sure to bring a notebook to jot down any specifications, model numbers and observations or you risk forgetting it all in a flood of incomprehensible numbers and letters.
First things first: HD. Marketers today like to slap HD on anything and everything they can get their hands on. In today's lingo HD (1080p) means anything with a resolution equal to or greater than 1920x1080. Don't be swayed by monitors claiming to be HD-enabled as most larger monitors on the market today will have a resolution that qualifies. Outside of resolution, the next feature to consider is ratio of height and width. The most common aspect ratio in panels today is 16:9, which, while great for watching movies, but not necessarily optimal for day-to-day computer use. Instead, be sure to look for panels that are 16:10 (or 1920x1200). While 120 vertical pixels doesn't seem significant, the added height is critical for better browsing.
Since most panels today are HD-enabled, the next important feature to consider is the type of panel. The two most common types of panels today are the older Twisted Nematic (TN), and newer In Plane Switching (IPS). These two technologies are separated by price and use. TN panels tend to be cheaper, and lower quality, while the IPS products tend to be better, more expensive panels with good color-management. For most intents and purposes, a TN should suffice. They used to have a bad reputation for poor black depth, which means black really looks gray, and for slow refresh rates. But they've mostly overcome those problems. However, if you plan on doing photo-editing or anything else that might be color-sensitive you should definitely consider looking into an IPS panel.
When buying a TN monitor, two important things to consider are connectivity and refresh rate. Most panels today come with a bewildering array of inputs ranging from HDMI (a newer HD standard) to DVI and VGA (older, but still commonly used video inputs). If you plan on using your monitor as a multi-use computer/media center, make sure to find a monitor with an HDMI input. You'll want it to use it to hook up your Blu-ray player and/or videogame console. If you intend to use your monitor as a station for watching movies or playing video games, than you should also make sure to find a screen with an adequate refresh rate (anything below 10-15 ms) or else run the risk of ghosting/shadowing and choppy looking video and games.
When you finally make a decision, make sure that when your panel arrives that you check it for any dead pixels or color shifting. This is best done by opening an application that can fill the screen with black or white (Word is an easy one), and then shifting the brightness and contrast from high to low, while keeping an eye out for any distortions in color or dead pixels. Most manufacturers have a standard whereby they expect a certain number of dead pixels on arrival, however, a quick call to customer service will more than likely get your panel replaced.
Oliver Hulland is the editor of Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools, a review site for tools that really work. He currently lives in Baltimore where he eats inordinate amounts of blue crab while writing about science and technology.
| 2019-04-24T03:59:23 |
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/09/how-to-buy-a-computer-monitor/63375/
|
0.999927 |
How to meet people and make friends while on a vacation?
Meeting people is something that comes easily to some, and not at all to others. The key to meeting people on the road is to make use of any resources you have at hand, but to not be dependent on them. One strategy that you can use to meet people when traveling is to become a regular at a few different places near where you're staying. Try out a few restaurants and coffee shops and bookstores and choose one of each to frequent. Get to know the employees and the owners, and eventually you'll also start to meet the other frequent customers. Seeing someone repeatedly is a big step toward recognizing them as someone like you, rather than an outsider, and removing the 'outsider stigma' is a big part of what we're trying to do here.
It seems obvious, but most people — especially when nervous — will unconsciously become defensive and will reflexively grimace or frown or have upset-eyes as a response. Worse, many people will become clipped, abrupt or otherwise rude, going into protect myself mode and trying to fight off the threat. Keep this at the forefront of your mind: be friendly. Be someone that other people want to be around.
This is a great way to start a conversation, and to simply show your good intentions to a stranger without even having to know their name. Pick up something they dropped, help them carry their groceries, or otherwise make their lives a little easier. Relationships are based on having an equal exchange of value (healthy ones, anyway), so by providing value from the beginning, you're subtly indicating that you would be a good person to have around, and the other person will be more likely to want to give value back (perhaps by introducing themselves).
One thing that makes the 'stranger danger' alarm go off in peoples' heads is not knowing who you are, what you want and why you are around them. Our animal instincts pump out all the worst chemicals when we are unsure of what's going on around us, so you want to make yourself as easily identifiable and comprehensible by that lizard brain as possible. Make sure your clothing, posture, facial expression and actions all reflect who you are and what you're up to.
If the person you're approaching seems to be pretty weird, this rule may not apply, but in general, avoid trying to be impressively off-center. Instead of making you seem endearing (as you probably want it to), your weirdness will make you seem like an unknown quantity, or worse, a known quantity that their brain perceives as a threat.
Finally, meeting people is for naught if they have no way to get in touch with you. Before you start trying to build local connections in earnest, have a mobile phone number you can hand out and be ready to connect online as well. Facebook seems to be the common way to stay in touch as it allows strangers to become less strange and more familiar with each other, and with little commitment, though emails are pretty good, too.
| 2019-04-19T14:54:14 |
https://www.thecheers.org/Travel/article_3798_How-to-meet-people-and-make-friends-while-on-a-vacation.html
|
0.998716 |
This viper, Echis carinatus, which inhabits parts of India and the Middle East, doesn't possess the strongest of venoms, but is responsible for more human deaths annually than any other snake, partly because it's often found in populated areas.
Wondering which snake can bring down an elephant? The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) delivers enough neurotoxins to kill an Asian elephant, as well as about 50 percent of the humans it bites. Reaching 18 feet (5.5 meters) in length, the king cobra is also the world's longest venomous snake.
This deadly snake (Notechis scutatus) inhabits southern Australia and Tasmania, and kills victims with a potent mixture of neurotoxins, coagulants, hemolysins and myotoxins. Interestingly, these snakes vary greatly in size depending on their preferred type of prey.
This reptile (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) is often referred to as the "fierce snake," and its bite can kill a human being in less than an hour. One of the deadliest snakes on the planet, its paralyzing venom causes hemorrhaging in blood vessels and muscle tissues.
Many believe this water snake to be the most venomous snake in the world. The bite of Hydrophis belcheri is said to be 100 times more deadly than that of its compatriot, the inland taipan. Luckily, this Indian and Pacific Ocean native is rarely known to bite humans.
The fastest snake in the world is also one of the deadliest. The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) can move at speeds of up to 12.5 miles per hour (5.5 meters per second), and its bite can kill a human being in less than 30 minutes. This snake is known for using its lethal fangs to repeatedly stab those unfortunate enough to get in its way, with each bite injecting a deadly amount of neurotoxic venom.
| 2019-04-21T04:34:33 |
https://www.livescience.com/34443-deadliest-snakes-most-venomous-snakes.html
|
0.998971 |
1. A farewell or final appearance, action, or work.
2. The beautiful legendary song sung only once by a swan in its lifetime, as it is dying.
a final act or farewell appearance.
In essence, Nawaz Sahrif's diatribes against the judiciary are not directed for sanctioning military rule but are, in fact, the swan song of a failed politician, trying to malign and belittle his tormentors for punishing him for his corrupt practices.
On Tuesday, the American jazz singer performed at the Fox Theatre in Detriot, Michigan, the same venue where Cornell performed his swan song with Soundgarden.
Fans called for Dubliner Neil Seery to be drafted into the main event in for his MMA swan song, but a report from Ariel Helwani has claimed that top middleweight contender Gegard Mousasi will be drafted in for a rubber match with Uriah Hall instead.
com/bones-spoilers-what-happened-season-10-finale-recap-season-11-premiere-2123120) Bones " co-showrunner, Jonathan Collier, is hoping that the series' creator, Hart Hanson, will write the swan song of the series finale.
What Will Cam And Arastoo's Wedding Be Like In 'Bones' Season 12?
seemed to get caught up in the Richie Macaw swan song SpuddyWithers AS an Aussie at the game I am ashamed of the Aussie media for even suggesting such a thing - it was a fair game well managed and the Aussies despite a valiant effort were outclassed - simple.
Washington and Brussels won't forget the events that have been enrolling since June, and it is clear that they now started to sing the swan song and have had it with Gruevski, Zaev, Ahmeti and Tachi.
com)-- After a 25 year long recording career, comprising a dozen albums released as a leader or co-leader, in several styles, from electro-acoustic to post-rock, tango and jazz, Daniel Diaz releases Swan Song in October 2015.
Starring Dennis Waterman in his New Tricks swan song, alongside Garry Cooper (below).
NEW YORK -- David Letterman is packing his final 28 shows as a late-night host with a who's who of Hollywood names and favorites leading up to his May 20 swan song.
The club will move for the first time in more than 40 years, with its swan song on Sunday, September 21.
Leg 1: 3:05 Asc: HAMELIN (2) Leg 2: 3:45 Asc: TELESCOPE (2) Leg 3: 4:15 Ayr: DOCTOR PARKES (2) Leg 4: 4:25 Asc: ALJAMAAHEER (2) Leg 5: 4:50 Ayr: SWAN SONG (1) Leg 6: 5:00 Asc: NINJAGO (2).
Swan Song - An Evening Of Music And Song At The RSC features the world premiere of a new work called Anya.
| 2019-04-18T15:31:03 |
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/swan+song
|
0.999935 |
Was Dostoevsky co-author with A. U. Poretsky and V. F. Putsykovich? Did Dostoevsky take part in making editorial insertions in the articles of the authors of "Grazhdanin"? Who is the author of "The Pictures from Officer Life"? Which manuscripts of Dostoevsky did Fulop-Miller export illegally from the USSR? What are the differences between the final and rough manuscripts of Anna Dostoevskaya's notes to her husband's writings? What's new in her commentaries?
The article is devoted to the problem of attribution of publications of the weekly "Grazhdanin" and presents the arguments in favor of the role of Dostoevsky as a co-author of the article "Semeynaya neuryaditsa kak prichina samoubiystva" ["Family problem as a cause of suicide"] ("Grazhdanin". 1873, no. 49; in collaboration with Alexander Poretsky) and the review "Inostrannye sobytiya" ["Foreign events"] ("Grazhdanin". 1874, no. 12; in collaboration with Victor Putsykovich).
The author of this article ascribes to Dostoevsky text boxes in "Peterburgskoe obozrenie" ["St. Petersburg review"] of Vladimir Meshchersky ("Grazhdanin", 1873, no. 8) and in the chronicle "Iz tekushchey zhizni" ["Ongoing life"] (1873, no. 19), "Ezhenedel’naya khronika" ["Weekly chronicle"] (1873, no. 37). In addition, the notes to the article of Victor Putsykovich "Khivinskiy pokhod" ["Khiva campaign"] (1873, no. 24) and the editorial remarks in the publications of Ivan Nekrasov, Konstantin Pobedonostsev, Victor Putsykovich are also attributed to Dostoevsky.
Who Is Behind the Pseudonym "X."?
The article considers a current problem of establishing the authorship of anonymous and pseudonymous articles published in the weekly "Grazhdanin" during F. M. Dostoevsky’s editorship. Namely, it is dedicated to a less studied issue of attribution of the articles of unknown authors that used to send the materials to the editorial office of "Grazhdanin" in comparison with a more explored matter of Dostoyevsky’s participation in the creation of a number of anonymous notes, reviews, stories, etc. On the basis of various materials, including epistolary heritage of F. M. Dostoevsky and his addressees by correspondence, archival sources, historical, reference, scientific literature, it was found out that the author of the "Pictures from officer life" published in No. 41 of "Grazhdanin" in 1873 and signed by "X." was Nikolai Aleksandrovich Shakhov, the officer of the Imperial Guard of the 1st Ekaterinoslav Regiment.
Which Manuscripts of Dostoevsky Were in "Piper-Verlag"?
Following Ornatskaya T. I., Bograd G. L., Tikhomirov B. N. the author of this article makes a new hypothesis about a possible location of the final draft of the last novel of F. M. Dostoevsky "The Brothers Karamazov" lost during the Russian civil war. A key figure of this theory is an Austro-American writer and journalist Rene Fulop-Miller who visited Soviet Russia in 1923—1924 in search of Dostoevsky’s manuscripts. The best part of the materials he brought in Western Europe was published soon in an eight-part series "Der Dostojewskis-Nachlaß" released by Munich publishing house "Piper" in the German language in the years 1925—1931. Fulop-Miller might have taken out some unknown, unpublished materials he kept first from Vienna to Paris in 1935, and then to the USA in 1939. As Fulop-Miller declared it, among other papers concerning Dostoevsky he had acquired in Russia, there was a parcel stolen in Georgia and consigned to him by a Moscow horse-cab driver supposedly. As far as it is known that the final draft of the novel "The Brothers Karamazov" had been lost in the Caucasus there is a hope it was it which the Austrian traveler obtained. To verify this version archival researches should be conducted on the territory of the USA and other countries. Our foreign colleagues from the International Dostoevsky Society could be of great aide in it.
The article compares two editions of Anna G. Dostoevskya’s notes that are known at this moment to her husband’s literary works — the draft and final version. These notes were made by A. G. Dostoevskaya in 1904-1906 on the galley-proofs of the seventh edition of F. M. Dostoevsky’s complete works and later, they were inserted in some volumes of the complete works. The draft edition is published for the first time. The text of the final version provides the corrected inaccuracies of the first publications and keeps author’s spelling and punctuation intact. Some of the notes contain comments.
| 2019-04-23T00:07:37 |
http://unknown-dostoevsky.ru/journal/content_list_en.php?id=7961
|
0.999976 |
Q: At the time that Saruman openly shows himself as a traitor to the cause of the Free Peoples he ceases to wear the white robes and takes on the form of "Saruman of Many Colors." As well, when Gandalf is sent back to Middle-earth after his death in battle with the Balrog he returns wearing the white robes. My question concerns the leadership of the White Council, originally lead by Saruman before he turned upon the Free Peoples. At what point does Saruman lose his leadership of the Council? Does it occur when he becomes "Many Colored," when Gandalf returns as "The White," or when he is defeated by the armies of Rohan and the Ents? Is there a point at which he is officially deposed of his office, and who is given the seat in his place? I had assumed it was Gandalf, but I can not find any text to confirm this.
A: I am of two minds about how Saruman got fired from his job (so to speak). The first requires an examination of his heart and the inner workings of his twisted malice, fed by pride and ego. My friend Anwyn wrote a remarkable essay about this very aspect of Saruman over in her Counterpoint section. As Tolkien devised, there must have been a certain point when he became lost to his jealous desires. In my opinion, this moment of internal motivation, however unknown or untraceable by others, would have been the point when Saruman lost his place as leader of the White Council. But, as you well know, he kept his traitorous leanings a secret long enough to keep his role and position among The Wise. His façade was truly remarkable: he played along and none of them had a clue. Little did they know what would eventually become of their misplaced trust in Saruman. He still functioned as leader to all outward appearances, and the other Istari and Eldar who made up the Council still came to him for counsel. But he was no longer being helpful or altruistic, no longer truly LEADING.
It was Gandalf who was doing the real leading at that point, if anyone. I make this statement based upon Gandalfs motivations, actions, and adherence to the original purpose which the Valar conferred upon him. Indeed, Gandalfs active leadership and influence with the Free Peoples was often going on whether Saruman collaborated or not. Your assumption is correct, in that sense.
so you could get away with saying that no one individual ever held the seat of leader after Saruman. Again, it depends on whether youre discussing leadership as just a surface title or as a broader concept of choices and forthright action.
Q: I have a question for you. Were the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves reawakened before the Humans entered the world?
I will not suffer this: that these should come before the Firstborn of my design . . . They shall sleep now in the darkness under stone, and shall not come forth until the Firstborn have awakened upon Earth (The Silmarillion, Chapter 2).
The Firstborn are, of course, the Elves. So it appears that the Dwarves were allowed to reawaken before the coming of Men into the world. In "The Annals of Aman" (found in Morgoths Ring), the year for the awakening of the Elves is given as 1050 (in years of the Valar, which are approximately ten times longer than our year), and the Dwarves entered into Beleriand in 1250, when they became known to the Elves. The Aftercomers, or Men, appeared around the years 1495 to 1500.
Q: What does "Evenstar" mean? Is it just a nice name? In my mind, just as a name (not linked to LotR, like if you just heard it in the street), it implies great purity, beauty and wisdom. It is one of the most amazing sounds I have ever heard. Tolkien truly is great. Do you know if "Evenstar" actually means anything?
A: Evenstar is the translation of the name Undómiel. "Evenstar" is simply English shorthand for "evening star," and "Undómiel" comes from word-roots "undome," which means star-opening or twilight, and "iel," which is simply a feminine name-suffix. "So it was that Frodo saw her whom few mortals had yet seen; Arwen, daughter of Elrond, in whom it was said that the likeness of Luthien had come on earth again,; and she was called Undómiel, for she was the Evenstar of her people." This seems to mean that Arwen is the last great beauty, the last princess of her Elven-line. When the Evening Star has risen, nightfall cannot be far behind. When Gimli and Éomer resolve their difference of opinion concerning the comparative beauty of Arwen and Galadriel, Gimli says thus: "You have chosen the Evening (meaning Éomer prefers Arwen), but my love is given to the Morning (Galadriel). And my heart forebodes that soon it will pass away forever." He is referring to Galadriels imminent departure over-Sea. She is one of the oldest scions of her race, while Arwen, though still much older than most humans, is one of the youngest, and is living through the twilight of the age of her peoplethe Elves will pass over-Sea, and time of the Dominion of Man will begin.
Q: Is there any mention of the lands east of Mordor or the Sea of Rhûn? Are they even named or at all described?
A: Funny you should ask! This was the subject of my Out on a Limb feature last June. The lands of Rhûn are only mentioned twice in the course of LOTR, and indeed they are only brief references to lands far to the East.
Although the Professor mapped these places himself, there is precious little information about the geography, flora, or inhabitants. Without any of Tolkiens characters travelling first-hand through Rhûn, we simply dont have a clear account. There are so many places in the world of Arda that fall under the heading "Mystery Locales." We may see them on maps or hear characters mention something in passing, yet we are never taken there with the same descriptive affection that Tolkien uses for the main passages of his books. I daydream about these places constantly.
Q: I am currently reading LOTR for the second time, and in The Return of the King, Chapter Minas Tirith, Book 5, page 738 and line 24, Gandalf said: "The other is with Théoden of Rohan and may come hereafter. Halflings they are, as you can see, yet this is not he of whom the OMENS spoke."
I would like to know where does it explain in LOTR about what the omens spoke? Who told them and where did the omens originate from?
Gandalf tells Denethor that Pippin is not the Halfling of whom the omens spoke, for that of course is Frodo.
Q: My question is about the Blessed Realm: When in Rivendell, after the incident at the Ford, Frodo questions Gandalf about the shining figure of white light (Glorfindel). Gandalf tells him something like "Those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in two worlds..." Does this mean that the Black Riders, who also dwell in two worlds, have been to the Blessed Realm?
. The power of the Nine Rings was such that the Men did not die; they exist in a profane sort of immortality, existing primarily in the spiritual world, but well able to influence events in the physical world. The fact that they are in both worlds is attributable to the power of the Rings, not to any trip to the Blessed Realm. The Blessed Realm was the home of Elves; mortals were not, under general rules, permitted there.
Q: Here is a question that has been bothering me. Andúril, the sword of Aragorn, was reforged by Elvish smiths in Rivendell. So far, all Elvish blades mentioned in the books have had spells laid upon them, which makes them "glow" when evil is near. I have found no sign of Andúril "glowing," and was wondering if any spells were placed on it.
Youd think it likely the Elven smiths in Elronds service would have asserted themselves and imbued the sword with the familiar magical characteristics found in other blades. But apparently they decided that fidelity to Telchars work was the priorityand should not be deviated from. They labored solely to return Andúril back to its original state. No blue glowing here, thank you very much.
Q: I am interested in your opinion on the following issue: Of the company accompanying Aragorn along the Paths of the Dead, only Legolas felt no fear. Why was Legolas unafraid of the ghosts of Men? Are Elves more innately courageous than Men or Dwarves? Or, having had such a strong relationship with the Ainur, are Elves more in touch with supernatural or magical forces? Or, being immortal, can Elves better relate to the idea of immortal souls (even though neither the Elves nor the Ainur know what happens to the spirits of men after they die)?
A: In "The Passing of the Grey Company" (Chapter 2 of The Return of the King), after Gimli has agreed to follow Aragorn through the Paths of the Dead, Legolas says: "I also will come, for I do not fear the Dead." Within the framework of The Lord of the Rings, this could be interpreted in any of the ways suggested above. However, any simple answer doesnt seem to suffice, especially after one considers the remarkable Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, "The Debate of Finrod and Andreth," which is published in Morgoths Ring. The Athrabeth is a conversation between Finrod Felagund, King of Nargothrond, and Andreth, a human wise-woman (and kinswoman to Beren), concerning the beliefs of the Eldar and of Men as regards immortality and the afterlife. To try to summarize it here would be extremely difficult, so Ill just say that anyone interested in a long answer to the above question should have a look at the Athrabeth in Morgoths Ring. There is another text in the same volume which should also be consulted, and that is "Laws and Customs among the Eldar."
there other themes present in this book?
A: Okay, there are several questions here. Firstly, it should be stated at the outset that Tolkien "despised allegory," that is, stories with purposeful symbolism intended by the author. So he would never have intended for Frodo to be a symbol for Christ, very much unlike C. S. Lewis who was obvious in his writings of The Chronicles of Narnia, that the lion Aslan was indeed the Christ of that world. I have held a conversation with a reader who draws parallels between Aragorn and Christ, but I am firmly convinced that Tolkien had no such intention of comparing any of the characters in Lord of the Rings to Christ. That being said, we move on to the question of whether religion is the main thematic idea.
In The Silmarillion, Tolkien lays out his own "creation myth." It follows along Biblical lines only insofar as there is the One, Eru, Ilúvatar, who creates the Ainur, who subsequently help him fashion the world. Eru can be compared to God, Ainur, in a limited fashion, to angels. (C. S. Lewis "eldils" are another facet of this idea.) The myth continues to follow the Biblical tales of origin as we see the fall of the highest-ranking Ainur into sin and evil (Melkor or Morgoth, who can be compared to Lucifer).
Beyond the existence of Eru and the Valar (specialized Ainur whose job is to watch over the Circles of the World and the Blessed Realm), and the evil of Melkor, there are no further direct, overt references to any current established religion in Lord of the Rings. However, the primary theme of the book is the fight of Good vs. Evil, and the moral norms of most modern religions are prized throughout: responsibility, attentiveness to duty, kind and just treatment of others, justice and punishment of evil. For a more expansive treatment of these themes, you might want to check out my oldest Counterpoints, including "Good and Evil," "Justice, Mercy, and Redemption."
So Good triumphing over Evil is the main theme of Lord of the Rings. Given the fact that most religions are striving for Goodness to win out over Evil, there are certainly parallels to be drawn. But Tolkien intended such interpretations to lie in "the freedom of the reader," and not in "the purposed dominion of the author" (his comments on allegory). So while we are free to draw interpretations, it would be extremely misleading, at best, to say that religion was the main theme. Frodo was never "resurrected;" he was merely saved from an untimely death through the healing powers of Elrond. Gandalf made a sacrifice for the good of the Company and all of Middle-earth; he was indeed "resurrected" in the physical body, and also he was never really human to begin with. All of these facts are similar to the circumstances of Jesus death and resurrection, but given that sacrifice is often necessary for good to triumph, I dont see that its necessary to beat readers over the head with a specific symbolic connection to Christ that Tolkien most likely didnt intend. Ill take Gandalf as a reminder of Christs sacrifice, yes, but not view Gandalf as Christ; given Tolkiens attitude towards allegory and his own very private, very deeply-held faith, I feel that would be borderline sacrilegious.
What does Evenstar mean?
Black Rider in Blessed Realm?
| 2019-04-23T01:07:00 |
http://greenbooks.theonering.net/questions/files/070100.html
|
0.998805 |
Can I transfer my photographs to furniture?
I would like to transfer pictures of my four grandsons when they were babies onto an old pine two-door dresser (armoire) in my bedroom, and maybe antique it afterwards. Is this possible, and what are your suggestions for doing it? Thank you so much.
It's certainly possible to transfer photographs onto various objects, and we can think of three ways you may be able to do this. For some of them you need to start with a photocopy, and some of the methods we would recommend need a reversed copy, unless you're happy with the final images' being reversed. We also think that a 'proper' photocopy is best, rather than one produced using an inkjet printer, as some of the processes tend to be a bit 'wet', and we wonder if the ink from an inkjet printer might run.
The easiest and most direct method would be to take a direct copy of your photograph, cut out the image if required, and simply collage it onto your dresser with PVA glue or Mod Podge, sealing it afterwards with more Mod Podge or varnish.
The second method is using a transfer medium. In the UK there is one called Dylon Image Maker that seems to be intended for use with fabrics, but it may work with other surfaces as well; we're not sure. Dylon has a list of international contacts that includes a couple in Canada, so you may be able to obtain this product locally. We do know, though, that Golden produce several types of transfer medium, and we would assume that these would be easily available in Canada.
There seem to be a couple of ways of using a transfer medium for this purpose, one of which (the easier, we think) needs a reversed image. We've found some hints and tips on using Golden transfer medium on their website that may be helpful to you.
The third method is using a 'transfer' or decal. For this method you would need to scan your photographs into your computer and print them off onto special decal paper. In some cases at least you would need to print your image in reverse, but there's usually a printer setting for this.
We know of a company in the UK called Crafty Computer Paper that sells various types of decal paper, and we know that they ship overseas at cost (or below!). Perhaps you have a stockist or supplier for something similar in Canada. Here's their website address for these products.
| 2019-04-20T11:25:24 |
http://www.altered-art.net/can-i-transfer-my-photographs-to-furniture.html
|
0.996314 |
How would Christine Hallquist's plan to build fiber in Vermont work?
Christine Hallquist's plan to bring fiber-optic cable to Vermont: How would it work?
The Democratic candidate for governor says she would seek a law requiring electric utilities to hang fiber-optic cable all over Vermont.
On a sunny day, Christine Hallquist can stream video on her computer in her Hyde Park home, but not in high definition.
When the weather turns bad, Hallquist says her internet connection gets less reliable.
"I probably have to reset my modem daily, at least," Hallquist said. "When it's pouring rain, I lose connection completely."
Hallquist has a plan to fix her internet problem, as well those of others living in rural Vermont — a plan that's central to the Democratic candidate's bid to become governor.
"I will get fiber-optic to every home and business in Vermont," Hallquist promised in her campaign kickoff speech, "so every Vermonter can partake in the 21st-century economy."
Previous governors have promised universal broadband. Hallquist is going further by proposing universal fiber-optic cable, which she says would revitalize Vermont's small towns and attract families to the state.
But for the plan to work, Hallquist would need the cooperation of virtually every electric utility in the state. The power companies would bear the cost and do the work.
If Hallquist is elected governor, her plan is to pass legislation that would require electric utilities to hang fiber-optic cable in their service areas, she explained in an interview late last month. The power companies could make money by leasing the fiber to internet service providers.
Utilities would not be allowed to compete with traditional telecom companies by selling internet service directly to customers.
"When I talk about doing fiber, I'm not saying that the electric companies are going to provide the services, because that would be unfair," Hallquist said.
There would be no state funding to go along with the mandate. Hallquist believes that neither utilities nor telecom companies would put up a fight if the legislation is done correctly.
"I think the electric utility providers are going to want to do it anyway," said Hallquist, who was the CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative until she resigned this year to run for governor. "So we'll make it a requirement, but you’re not going to get resistance from the electric utilities."
No other state in the nation has passed such a mandate.
"Can somebody be forced to build a network? I don’t think so, but maybe," said Jonathan Chambers, a former Federal Communications Commission official who now consults with electric co-ops around the nation that are interested in fiber.
Chambers applauds Hallquist's focus on building fiber to every home and business, which he believes is the logical long-term solution for rural internet access.
"I would disagree with an awful lot of what Christine thinks is the solution," Chambers said in a telephone interview, "but the goal is absolutely correct."
In his inaugural address in 2007, Gov. Jim Douglas promised full internet and cell-phone coverage in three years and imagined that Vermont would be the nation's "first true e-state." State government created the Vermont Telecommunications Authority, backed by state bonding, to lead the infrastructure investments.
Gov. Peter Shumlin adopted the same goal of universal access. In 2015, Shumlin declared that all Vermont addresses had access to broadband or a plan to make it happen. Some of those addresses were connected at speeds well below the federal government's definition of broadband.
Gov. Phil Scott has not promised so-called "last-mile" broadband, but his administration has continued the approach of using state grants to support broadband projects.
"We have some more work to do in terms of bringing higher-speed broadband to all parts of the state," Scott said in an interview at the Burlington Free Press.
Today, an estimated 73 percent of Vermont homes and businesses are served by internet access that meets the federal government's speed benchmark for broadband, which is 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. Just 13 percent of the state is served by fiber, which offers connection at the highest speed.
Cost has been the greatest barrier to getting fiber to Vermont homes and businesses. The state's 2014 telecom plan summarized the challenge like this: "The cost of bringing service to rural areas may outpace the revenues providers can expect to receive from selling broadband service."
When asked about his broadband plan, Scott emphasized the good news: Many communities, including Springfield and Newport, have what the governor described as high-speed access. And the governor said 260 schools have high-speed access, which was better than he'd expected.
Scott said he is interested in talking with the Vermont Electric Power Co. about expanding their existing fiber network. He is focused on population centers, rather than promising to reach every address.
At the heart of Hallquist's idea is a concept that has already been tested elsewhere: Electric utilities can take the lead on fiber.
Utilities across the country, from New York to Iowa to Missouri, have begun to install broadband networks in rural areas that had been passed over by traditional telecom companies.
"It’s very successful," said Angie Edge, vice president of finance and administration at Pulse Broadband, an organization that consults with electric utilities. "And most if not all of our projects have a higher take rate than we expected," referring to the number of customers signing up for the internet service.
Vermont Electric Cooperative is no stranger to fiber projects. The utility won a federal grant in 2011 to hang fiber to support its smart grid infrastructure. Hallquist requested a waiver that allowed VEC to hang additional fiber that could be made available to telecom providers, she said.
VEC has continued to discuss its options for fiber after Hallquist's departure, but hasn't committed to the kind of large-scale installation that she envisions.
"VEC hasn't made any decision about whether we would or wouldn’t get into building out fiber or broadband," said Andrea Cohen, manager of government affairs and member relations at VEC. "It’s an important issue, it's an important topic for our membership, but also our primary responsibility is to our electric ratepayers."
Green Mountain Power has not looked into the possibility of building fiber to the public, said spokeswoman Kristin Carlson. She said the utility would want answers on how much such a project would cost. Green Mountain Power is by far Vermont's largest electric company, serving about 71 percent of all customers.
Hallquist has not offered any cost estimates. Her plan would call on utilities to build fiber to every home and business in their service territory, except that it would not duplicate existing fiber lines. Hallquist's campaign spokesman, David Glidden, said in response to follow-up questions that "places that have adequate internet" might also be exempt.
Hallquist estimates that the new fiber network could materialize within the next decade: two years to pass the legislation, then three to seven years for installation.
It would be up to the Legislature to decide on an enforcement mechanism if utilities were unwilling or unable to comply, Glidden said.
Chambers, the national consultant, suggested that Vermont co-ops could build a fiber network without waiting for a government directive.
"It can be done without the government forcing it, but that means that people have to step up," Chambers said. "This isn't magic. It's not a wave of the wand kind of stuff, and nor is it the stroke of a pen from a government agency. This is really hard work."
| 2019-04-25T14:05:26 |
https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/10/08/how-would-christine-hallquists-plan-build-fiber-vermont-work/1338544002/
|
0.998708 |
Health secretary Matt Hancock has pledged the government will meet its target of recruiting an extra 5,000 GPs by 2020/21, despite admitting the goal was proving 'difficult, to say the least'.
In a video message to GPs at the RCGP annual conference 2018 in Glasgow, Mr Hancock said that to achieve his vision of building a more sustainable, prevention-focused NHS, 'quite simply we need an expansion of primary care and we need more GPs'.
Under a target set by then-health secretary Jeremy Hunt in 2015, the government pledged to increase the full-time equivalent (FTE) GP workforce by 5,000 by 2020/21.
However, since the target was set the FTE GP workforce has instead dropped by more than 1,400 - a decline that RCGP chair Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard has called 'distressing and demoralising'.
Mr Hancock told the conference: 'In 2015 the target was set to recruit 5,000 more GPs and that target has proved difficult to say the least. But I am telling you today, we are going to make it happen.
'Some say we don’t need more GPs because we should change the model. I completely disagree. We need more GPs and we need more people in primary care practices supporting GPs.
The health secretary confirmed the government would implement a state-backed indemnity scheme for GPs by April 2019, but offered no information about how it would work despite repeated calls from the profession for more detail. He reiterated his high-profile support for new technology in the NHS, but after criticism for recent support for Babylon and GP at Hand sought to reassure GPs that 'I hold no brief for any one piece of technology or any one company'.
Mr Hancock said he believed that 'the most transformational period in general practice in recent years' was beginning. He pointed to heavy GP workload and rising demand from an ageing population, and said the pressure created an opportunity to shift to prevention and more self care, harnessing technology.
He added that his goal was 'to make the profession more attractive by addressing the concerns of GPs' - pointing to the GP partnership review led by Dr Nigel Watson - and saying he looked forward to his recommendations on how to reinvigorate the partnership model. Mr Hancock said the review would feed into government talks on how to invest the £20bn extra funding per year promised for the NHS.
| 2019-04-26T00:39:49 |
https://www.gponline.com/government-will-hit-difficult-5000-gp-recruitment-target-pledges-health-secretary/article/1495065
|
0.999645 |
The beginning of our mining journey.
بسبب التعدين بطاقات RX 500 و RX 400 اختفت من السوق وفي أزمة حاليًا من الشركات في انتاجها وكان الحل البديل مع بطاقات NVIDIA وفي الفيديو ده هنعرف أداء بطاقات GTX 1060 و GTX 1070 في تعدين ETH و ZEC لوحة جيجابايت H110-D3A هل هي الأفضل للتعدين؟ : https://goo.gl/WhXX8s حل مشكلة ETH DAG لبطاقات RX 500 من هنا : https://goo.gl/TPSbX5 أداء بطاقة RX VEGA في تعدين الاثيريوم : https://goo.gl/3i5EK8 أداء بطاقات AMD و NVIDIA مع الاثيريوم ETH من هنا : https://goo.gl/THnokf تفاصيل بطاقات انفيديا الجديدة : https://goo.gl/Jg3L1X مشكلات التعدين الحالية : https://goo.gl/VjTNcB اشتري من هنا : https://goo.gl/iJnP8v NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti : https://goo.gl/zibeUq https://goo.gl/VM7Zfb NVIDIA GTX 1060 : https://goo.gl/VFscEY https://goo.gl/kGzxSG NVIDIA GTX 1070 : https://goo.gl/ygx5Wi https://goo.gl/KTxArp NVIDIA GTX 1080 : https://goo.gl/afDjV5 https://goo.gl/Np4ZS6 NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti : https://goo.gl/FXbH5n RX VEGA 64 : https://goo.gl/ZsNZ63 RX VEGA 56 : https://goo.gl/CCTQ5m AMD RX 460 : https://goo.gl/PsbydS https://goo.gl/ni69Me AMD RX 550 : https://goo.gl/Bmfx36 https://goo.gl/PYD3xR AMD RX 470 : https://goo.gl/2VGp4x AMD RX 480 : https://goo.gl/a9u2Um AMD RX 570 : https://goo.gl/ssRhsD https://goo.gl/yVidD1 AMD RX 580 : https://goo.gl/K4se5H https://goo.gl/R1thm7 للأسئلة : https://t.me/engpcnet https://www.facebook.com/ENGPC.NET https://www.instagram.com/engpc_net https://twitter.com/ENGPC_NET ------------- لا تنس الاشتراك في : انضم إلى الجروب الرسمي #البيتكوين_بالعربي من هنا : https://goo.gl/rf7GRT ------------- إن كنت تبحث عن : تعدين البيتكوين تعدين البيتكوين بالبطاقات الرسومية تعدين العملات الافتراضية الربح من العملات الافتراضية تعدين الايثيريوم تعدين زد كاش فهذا الفيديو لك.
Might give legacy miner a go soon! Let me know if you use any other miners?
Bitcoin mining using a gtx 1070 in my dorm room at college. I do not have to pay utilities here so there is no electricity costs to me. Let me know if you have any ways I can improve my earnings!
Очень эффективное охлаждение от msi.
Now that Coinbase supports Zcash (ZEC) I wanted to try out Zcash mining performance using Nanopool on my gaming PC with two 8GB GTX 1070s - an Asus Strix GTX 1070 OC and EVGA GTX 1070 Gaming OC. It shows hashrate, average hashrate, time to payout, US$ value, and daily/weekly income estimates.
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080-A8G-11GBPS без разгона что Linux что Windows ZEC - 490 и может прыгнуть до 500 ETC - 21.0 ASUS STRIX-GTX1070-8G-GAMING без разгона что Linux что Windows ZEC - 430 и может прыгнуть до 440 ETC - 26.6 т.е. разницы в какой ОС копать ZEC или ETH/ETC сейчас нет на nvidia.
Hey guys we just got our first couple Nvidia 1070 TI 8gb GPU's in, and we are putting them to the test! Is the 1070 TI the most energy efficient mining GPU to date? Is the 1070 TI good for mining Ethereum or is the 1070 TI the best GPU to mine Zcash / Equihash with? Perhaps Lyra (Vertcoin, MonaCoin etc) Graphics Cards IN STOCK on Amazon - http://geni.us/nti5asr Mining Rig Parts IN STOCK on Amazon - http://geni.us/WQd7cCs Buy a 1070 TI here before their price is increased and/or they're out of stock! EVGA SC (what I plan to order six of) https://goo.gl/Wz6VuX EVGA FTW (1070 TI shown) https://goo.gl/epBAvo Zotac 1070 TI (Cheapest and same specs) https://goo.gl/9BZPPm Gigabyte 1070 TI (Solid price / same specs) https://goo.gl/GvRkJx Interested in picking up some cool crypto gear? Kings of Crypto is where its at! https://goo.gl/g8XavU Build your own GPU Mining Rig! FULL PART LIST Zotac 1080 Mini 8gb (6x) http://amzn.to/2zweEWM Zotac 1070 Mini 8gb (6x) http://amzn.to/2xMruhB Zotac 1060 mini 6gb (6x) http://amzn.to/2gOOIxK Gigabyte z270 d3 mobo http://amzn.to/2yvLVmh Intel g4400 CPU http://amzn.to/2yvIUTh ATX power switch http://amzn.to/2zxp4pe Ram http://amzn.to/2gOnmYK USB (Harddrive) http://amzn.to/2znaPX9 EVGA 750w PSU http://amzn.to/2hNSKpQ Alternate PSU Parallel 750w (needs ATX adapter) https://goo.gl/ZFckQc ATX mobo adapter https://goo.gl/BDbcGD & https://goo.gl/5G6pHU Velcro (Useful for customizing placement) http://amzn.to/2zgKDt8 Arctic Freeze Thermal Paste kit http://amzn.to/2zi6TD5 PCIE Risers http://amzn.to/2xMTKQY Add2PSU http://amzn.to/2xMtVAM Zip Ties http://amzn.to/2xIib2S 6x GPU Mining Rig Frame http://amzn.to/2zfQEcV MiningCave Coupon for entire site = voskcoin https://goo.gl/Qk1th5 Mining software used is nvOC made by fullzero https://goo.gl/pYgo8B Alternate Mining OS smOS https://goo.gl/jMxTSS VoskCoin Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/VoskCoin VoskCoin Steemit - https://steemit.com/@voskcoin VoskCoin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VoskCoin/ VoskCoin Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/voskcoin/ VoskCoin Discord Server Invite - https://discord.gg/FGGmS2z VoskCoin Twitter - https://twitter.com/VoskCoin VoskCoin Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/voskcoin/ VoskCoin Decentralized Tube - http://bit.ly/VoskCoindTube VoskCoin Official Donation Addresses, support appreciated! BTC - 12PsgKuhcJrEqJbD3oMN7rcEcuyqyqRznL ETH - 0xDEe6A2ae293F8C58Ef71649658344BbF382b6e70 ZEC - t1WRoxHVh8vhDJxAr6vpP4zzj3xHGF9ZbgQ ZEN - znb1iNFP6VctF2AhXLXtMsSjP7emvYDmeXR VTC - VdeggL7drzbYeB2eedDeDYe9xPwtPXW8KG KMD - RCbKFSQhNWCqSwuFY8cGwzhDk8zMdYkjDj Doge - DHgX7vJjBsmYcB1GgubGtu3TVJkqQgCG6B XMR - 484HoyS4h2fenvLKQkuUV7FwnJaGK8LMX43tiJ3UZdVU53d2MxFiQ1jbSfyorsXZVs1SvoPVh4nipjd7b4GVgFGmCgygdpV We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to http://Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Gigabyte GTX 1070ti GPU mining REVIEW. Testing Ethereum and Zcash.
August update on my mining farm, proudly joined the 30,000 club with over 30k sols / hash on equihash which I am currently mining Zcash or ZEC with. I am using the 1080 TI, 1080 TI, 1080/1070/1060 Mini Trio GPU DIY Rig build. Genesis Mining 3% Coupon Code / Referral = p7Yi4l I sold my Bitmain Antminer L3+ and Pandaminer as well as my Mining Cave Cheetah AMD GPU rig. So much more to come so make sure to subscribe to the VoskCoin Crypto YouTube channel! Iconomi, WTT, Golem, EOS, Ethereum, and Zcash are some of the main coins I hold! Graphics Cards IN STOCK on Amazon - http://geni.us/nti5asr Mining Rig Parts IN STOCK on Amazon - http://geni.us/WQd7cCs VoskCoin Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/VoskCoin VoskCoin Steemit - https://steemit.com/@voskcoin VoskCoin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VoskCoin/ VoskCoin Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/voskcoin/ VoskCoin Discord Server Invite - https://discord.gg/FGGmS2z VoskCoin Twitter - https://twitter.com/VoskCoin VoskCoin Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/voskcoin/ VoskCoin Decentralized Tube - http://bit.ly/VoskCoindTube VoskCoin Official Donation Addresses, support appreciated! BTC - 12PsgKuhcJrEqJbD3oMN7rcEcuyqyqRznL ETH - 0xDEe6A2ae293F8C58Ef71649658344BbF382b6e70 ZEC - t1WRoxHVh8vhDJxAr6vpP4zzj3xHGF9ZbgQ ZEN - znb1iNFP6VctF2AhXLXtMsSjP7emvYDmeXR VTC - VdeggL7drzbYeB2eedDeDYe9xPwtPXW8KG KMD - RCbKFSQhNWCqSwuFY8cGwzhDk8zMdYkjDj Doge - DHgX7vJjBsmYcB1GgubGtu3TVJkqQgCG6B XMR - 484HoyS4h2fenvLKQkuUV7FwnJaGK8LMX43tiJ3UZdVU53d2MxFiQ1jbSfyorsXZVs1SvoPVh4nipjd7b4GVgFGmCgygdpV We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to http://Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
While the GTX 1070 Ti certainly takes the gaming performance crown away from RX Vega 56 and comes close to matching the GTX 1080, can it also do that with mining? Does the GDDR5 memory buff, as opposed to GDDR5X, make any difference for this GTX 1080-lite? How well can you mine Ethereum, Monero, Vertcoin, and Zcash with the new Nvidia GPU? Is it time to cash in and rake up all the Bitcoins with this new card? Thanks to ASUS South Africa for sending over the Republic of Gamers Strix 1070 Ti Advanced Binned Edition card for review. • Buy GTX 1070 Ti from Wootware in SA: https://goo.gl/o7qByV • Buy GTX 1070 Ti from Amazon in US: http://amzn.to/2A9NHIz • Buy Parts for a Mining Rig: http://amzn.to/2jSSsCz • Support UFD via Bitcoin: 1G5n6qFafWSYf8CZikZTXXcThpoxKeXK1K Video was edited on: • X399 Gaming Pro Carbon: http://amzn.to/2iPnnzB • Threadripper 1950X: http://amzn.to/2ikITbh • MSI RX Vega 64: http://amzn.to/2A2JW7Q • Trident Z RGB: http://amzn.to/2prkDHI • Corsair H100i: http://amzn.to/2gRg0mU • ASUS PCI WiFi Adapter: http://amzn.to/2teOAwm • Enthoo Evolv: http://amzn.to/2oHZU5o • Corsair LL 120's: http://amzn.to/2z1w25M • Thermaltake Toughpower RGB 850W: http://amzn.to/2lSKNUv Video was shot on: • Panasonic GH4: http://amzn.to/2tyKUpJ • Sigma 18-35 f1.8: http://amzn.to/2tyDKBB • Tascam DR-40: http://amzn.to/2tRVLxo • AKG Lavalier Mic: http://amzn.to/2uzaVW3 • Rode VideoMic Pro: http://amzn.to/2uzxOZf • Benro Tripod & Head: http://amzn.to/2u0P9xk • Godox LED Lights: http://amzn.to/2uTeHJ2 For the intro/outro music by Kalyptra: https://goo.gl/KyLzTB For the music in the video: https://goo.gl/IMZC9A Join the UFDisciple Discord server! - https://discord.gg/PApp82h My Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/ufdisciple My Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/ufdisciple My Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/ufdisciple Thanks to Tancrid "Tank" Muller for writing this video! Thanks to Reece Hill for filming the video!
ItsCryptoChick is building her first GPU Mining rig which is actually going to become the pilot rig for our Vertcoin mining experiment, however it is perfectly setup to mine Zcash or the even more lucrative (stats prove this) ZenCash! Graphics Cards IN STOCK on Amazon - http://geni.us/nti5asr Mining Rig Parts IN STOCK on Amazon - http://geni.us/WQd7cCs VoskCoin Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/VoskCoin VoskCoin Steemit - https://steemit.com/@voskcoin VoskCoin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VoskCoin/ VoskCoin Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/voskcoin/ VoskCoin Discord Server Invite - https://discord.gg/FGGmS2z VoskCoin Twitter - https://twitter.com/VoskCoin VoskCoin Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/voskcoin/ VoskCoin Decentralized Tube - http://bit.ly/VoskCoindTube Exact EVGA FTW2 1070 TI's used in this video http://amzn.to/2hsxzK9 Exact Parallel Miner Open Air Bare Bones Frame used https://goo.gl/5GD8P1 Interested in building your own Mining Rig? FULL PARTS LIST EVGA FTW2 1070 TI http://amzn.to/2hsxzK9 Parallel Miner Bare Bones Frame https://goo.gl/5GD8P1 Zotac 1080 Mini 8gb (6x) (Alternate cards) http://amzn.to/2z3m3Ak Zotac 1070 Mini 8gb (6x) (Alternate cards) http://amzn.to/2iWXQRt Zotac 1060 mini 6gb (6x) (Alternate cards) http://amzn.to/2zHm5Nu Gigabyte z270 d3 mobo http://amzn.to/2AKJYld Intel g4400 CPU http://amzn.to/2iikvrU PCIE 6 pin to 2x 6+2 pin http://amzn.to/2yCEA1W Power Cable PDU c13/c14 http://amzn.to/2yDT6Xm Power Cable 110/120v standard outlet http://amzn.to/2yCDNhx ATX power switch http://amzn.to/2yEoxkh Ram http://amzn.to/2hrNEjt EVGA GQ 1000w PSU http://amzn.to/2hsxXZ7 Arctic Freeze Thermal Paste kit http://amzn.to/2z3bxZG PCIE Risers http://amzn.to/2zFKkLS Mining OS used = smOS https://goo.gl/jMxTSS VoskCoin Official Donation Addresses, support appreciated! BTC - 12PsgKuhcJrEqJbD3oMN7rcEcuyqyqRznL ETH - 0xDEe6A2ae293F8C58Ef71649658344BbF382b6e70 ZEC - t1WRoxHVh8vhDJxAr6vpP4zzj3xHGF9ZbgQ ZEN - znb1iNFP6VctF2AhXLXtMsSjP7emvYDmeXR VTC - VdeggL7drzbYeB2eedDeDYe9xPwtPXW8KG KMD - RCbKFSQhNWCqSwuFY8cGwzhDk8zMdYkjDj Doge - DHgX7vJjBsmYcB1GgubGtu3TVJkqQgCG6B XMR - 484HoyS4h2fenvLKQkuUV7FwnJaGK8LMX43tiJ3UZdVU53d2MxFiQ1jbSfyorsXZVs1SvoPVh4nipjd7b4GVgFGmCgygdpV We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to http://Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Asus GTX 1070 TI Strix A8G - mining performance for BTCZ ( equihash ) and Monacoin ( Lyra2rv2 ) Mining software used on this video : EWBF, DSTM, CCMINER.
| 2019-04-19T09:47:41 |
http://bandstemmen.info/search?q=Mining%20zec%201070
|
0.998483 |
Just read a good article by James Shore on what he calls Agile Requirements Collaboration.
In it, he talks about the use and misuse of Story Cards to capture requirements. To sum up, Story Cards are not 3x5 requirements documents. They are placeholders for a more detailed discussion about the business requirements.
But how and where are these requirements ultimately captured? According to XP literature, this is the role of the Acceptance Test. A Story has one or more Acceptance Tests, created by the stakeholders, that define the correct behavior from their viewpoint. Ideally, these can be automated.
I've seen a lot of discussion on Unit Testing, Test-driven Development (TDD), and other developer-oriented testing, but there is a much smaller body of work for what is arguably a much more important activity - Acceptance testing. This is the Agile equivalent of a functional specification, regression test suite, requirements document and safety net all rolled into one.
Why are acceptance tests so important? There isn't any other artifact in an Agile process that captures the details of a Story in an unambiguous way. It's a way of recording customer intentions and decisions for posterity. Unit tests are great for module level verification of code, but they don't address business functionality. How do I know if I'm breaking an important feature if I don't know how the end-users are using it?
Part of the discussion in the James Shore article is around FIT (Framework for Integrated Test) as a tool for facilitating the creation of these tests. FIT supports documents in HTML (that can be written using Word, for example) with a mix of prose and test tables. The idea is that you can wind up with an human-readable specification, created by customers, along with an executable set of test examples in table form. Programmers then write test fixtures to make the tables run and pass or fail.
This stuff isn't exactly new, but in many of the organizations I've worked with, very little of this is going on in practice. In organizations with QA teams, some acceptance testing occurs naturally, but is still not entirely from the customer viewpoint, it's from a tester's perspective. Stakeholders often don't see creating acceptance tests as part of their job - "What are we paying you developers for?"
The idea of FIT is to remove some of those objections by making test creation easier, instead of making customers work harder. As more tools like FIT become available, they can only help improve the outcomes of Agile projects.
And as practitioners, we need to remember the fundamentals: Discover, Design, Implement, Verify, Repeat. The "verify" part isn't just at the code level, it has to be at the business level too.
Are your projects succeeding by accident?
Are Acceptance Tests an Agile Specification?
| 2019-04-26T12:19:06 |
http://blog.extremeplanner.com/2005/12/agile-requirements-gathering-is-not.html
|
0.998771 |
Summary: Federal News Network's Cyber Chat with Sean Kelley is a monthly show featuring interviews with experts in IT and Information Security discussing the latest trends and hottest cyber topics and challenges impacting the federal community.
Any mention of an organization and insider threat in the same sentence generally conjures up an image of information being stolen by an employee — which is precisely the image Michael Theis and Matt Moynahan want to change. Cyber Chat Host Sean Kelley sat down with Moynahan, CEO of ForcePoint and Theis, Chief Counterintelligence Expert at Carnegie Mellon University’s CERT Insider Threat Center.
In this edition of Cyber Chat with Sean Kelley, Sean sits down with Dr. Suzanne Schwartz, associate director for Science & Strategic Partnerships at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, and Christopher Butera, deputy director for Cyber Threat Detection and Analysis at the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.
Cyber Chat’s Host Sean Kelley sat down with Dr. Neal Evans, the chief officer for the Office of Connected Care in the Veterans Health Administration at the Veterans Affairs Department.
For this month’s show, Cyber Chat’s host Sean Kelley sat down with a reflective Scott Blackburn. Blackburn served in many capacities while at the Veterans Affairs Department.
On this episode of CyberChat, host Sean Kelley, former chief information security officer at the Environmental Protection Agency, is joined by Dr. Paul Tibbits, deputy chief information officer for the Veterans Affairs Department and program executive officer for the Financial Management Business Transformation (FMBT,) for a discussion about FMBT’s present and future functionality.
On this episode of CyberChat, host Sean Kelley, former EPA CISO, is joined by Nick Sinai, senior adviser at Insight Venture Partners and Matt Rose, director of Application Security Strategy at Checkmarx.
On this episode of CyberChat, host Sean Kelley, former EPA CISO, discusses the Chinese military’s for-profit ventures with Joshua Philipp, an investigative journalist at the Epoch Times, which covers national security and politics.
On this episode of CyberChat, host Sean Kelley, former chief information security officer at the Environmental Protection agency, is joined by Greg Cranley, vice president of Federal and U.S. Public Sector Sales at Centrify.
On this episode of CyberChat, host Sean Kelley, former EPA CISO, is joined by James Scott, senior ICIT fellow and author of Information Warfare: The Meme is the Embryo of the Narrative Illusion.
On this episode of CyberChat, host Sean Kelley, former Environmental Protection Agency chief information security officer, is joined by retired Homeland Security senior executive and founder of GotUrSix TV, Keith Trippie.
| 2019-04-20T09:03:36 |
http://www.digitalpodcast.com/feeds/78423-cyber-chat-with-sean-kelley
|
0.999828 |
A fun method of playing the game of anagrams is to write short stories, putting the anagram in a sentence appropriate to it, and drawing a line under it to show which is the anagram. Read the following story and decode each underlined anagram.
Thinking of you, dear neat chair, would soon come to the red nuts and gin of what I write you in a rag man of my visits with a crymangle on the I hire parsons. As we were walking along, talking about the good deeds of Flit on cheering angel, we suddenly met a crowd around the moon starer. Asking him if it was a rare mad frolic, he said, “’Tis no demon’s art,” and that he was holding his the bar watching the moon shining up with oil soap and trying to enlighten the ten tea pots of different countries.” We did not take much stock in their real fun or to love ruin. Two sly ware came up to us and said, “We don’t see much the law in this.” We had never sympathized with the doctrines of Sin sat on a tin tar tub. Our first call was on a popular house rats, who had just returned from an horse cart concert. We had a pleasant call, and as we came out we saw a go nurse and Dr. Rich able man driving at full speed. In great no stern action we followed them, and found a just master hurt by the cars. When the excitement was over, we were Tim in a pet to return home, so that ended our visits to the I hire parsons.
Click here to print. Click here for the answer key.
Click here for more free printable brain teasers, puzzles, mazes, and fun activities for kids.
Thinking of you, dear Catherine, would soon come to the understanding of what I write you in anagram of my visits with a clergyman on the parishioners. As we were walking along, talking about the good deeds of Florence Nightingale, we suddenly met a crowd around the astronomer. Asking him if it was a radical reform, he said, “Demonstration,” and that he was holding his breath watching the moon shining up with sapolio and trying to enlighten the potentates of different countries. We did not take much stock in their funeral or revolution. Two lawyers came up to us and said, “We don’t see much wealth in this.” We had never sympathized with the doctrines of transubstantiation. Our first call was on a popular authoress, who had just returned from an orchestra concert. We had a pleasant call, and as we came out we saw a surgeon and Dr. Chamberlain driving at full speed. In great consternation we followed them, and found James Stuart hurt by the cars. When the excitement was over, we were impatient to return home, so that ended our visits to the parishioners.
| 2019-04-23T20:32:08 |
https://www.studenthandouts.com/study-games/printable-games/brain-teasers/a-story-in-anagrams-worksheet-for-kids.htm
|
0.998665 |
Does chocolate contain cholesterol ?
Cholesterol is mostly found in animal products. As a plant-based product, cocoa butter contains only a small amount of cholesterol. As a result, dark chocolate contains a very small amount of cholesterol (less than 5 mg/100 g). As milk chocolate and white chocolate contain milk powder they contain a bit more cholesterol, however those quantities remain small. Milk and white chocolate contain around 15 and 20 mg of cholesterol per 100 g respectively. As a comparison, the level of cholesterol in eggs is slightly less than 380 mg per 100 g(1).
Additionally, it is becoming increasingly accepted that dietary cholesterol has minimal influence on blood cholesterol². For instance, in the new American dietary guidelines, cholesterol is no longer considered a nutrient of concern(3).
| 2019-04-20T15:13:28 |
https://www.puratos.com/knowledge-base/does-chocolate-contain-cholesterol
|
0.999995 |
Step 1: Paint the entire outside of the paper towel roll brown.
Step 2: Cut green tissue paper into approximately 1 inch by 1 inch squares.
Step 3: Put a thin coat of glue onto a section of the paper cup. (Too much glue will cause the tissue paper to stick to the pencil instead of the cup.) You will probably have to put glue on in small sections as you go because if you coat the cup completely at the beginning by the end the glue have dried too much.
Step 4: Place the pencil eraser in the center of a square of tissue paper. Then pull the edges of the square back so that they lay flat against the pencil.
Step 5: Press the tissue paper covered eraser against the cup coated in glue. The tuft of tissue paper should stay on the cup as you pull the pencil away. Repeat this process until all of the sides, including the bottom, of the paper cup are covered in tufts of tissue paper.
Step 6: Set the cup (open side down) on top of the paper towel tube. If you would like the tree to be a little more secure you can add some glue to the top edge of the paper towel roll so that it will stick to the inside of the cup.
| 2019-04-23T06:43:44 |
https://eerdlings.com/forty-days-of-crafts-zacchaeus-tree/
|
0.998312 |
Two outcomes were measured: • whether the correct suggestion was ranked number one • whether the correct suggestion was found at all. Table 3 shows the probability of success among the eight different search combinations for each of the two outcomes. A. Langer et al. Percent of misspelled words for which the correct word was found Description Drugs Number of terms searched Correct word ranked No. 1 Correct word found at all The efficiency of GSpell for our domain is very encouraging and is higher than the general biomedical domain scenario for which efficiency has been calculated in Crowell et al. (2004). After spell-check, the query is passed through the query processor block (block II) which is delineated in the following section. 5.2 Query processor This block passes the query through a number of query pre-processing modules and finally selects the features relevant for its classification. In other words, it outputs the query instance which is ready to be fed to the learned classifier model (described in block III). The classifier model tags the query with its predicted class. This target class, along with the drug name extracted from the query in medical entity extractor in block II, is used to generate the SQL query to retrieve answer from the drug information domain. Finally, the answer is sent to the user in the SMS text format. 5.2.1 Stop words remover Some stop words were removed from the query in this stage. However, certain words that are generally considered as stop words played key roles in distinguishing one query class from the other. For instance, consider the queries in Table 4. Queries having common words as distinguishing features Query Query When should I not take Accutane? Contraindications What should I not take with Accutane? How should I take Accutane? How to take (directions) Keeping the above cases in mind, certain common words like what, when, how, not, etc. were not considered as stop words and were therefore used for query classification. 5.2.2 Medical entity extractor We need to identify and mark named entities in the query, which in our domain are drug names, disease names and symptoms. To identify these entities in the query we do exhaustive search for every drug name, disease name and symptom in our medical database and replace them by generic terms like drug_name, disease_name and symptom_name respectively. All queries are expected to possess only one drug name except in the case of queries for drug-drug interaction where even two drug names can be A text based drug query system for mobile phones present. Now let us consider the following query on side-effects of Ambien to understand the generalisation procedure outlined in Figure 2: Query: Can Ambien cause taste loss?
Generalised Query: Can drug_name cause symptom_name?
| 2019-04-19T07:11:05 |
http://2medicalcare.com/c/charm.cs.illinois.edu1.html
|
0.999999 |
In order to add fractions that are not alike, you will need to find the lowest common denominator. This is the least common multiple of the fractions. To add 2/3 plus 1/5, you will need to find the lowest common denominator. Here, it is best to think of all of the multiples of the denominators. If it helps, make a list. For 3, it is 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, etc. For five, the multiples are 5, 15, 20, 25, etc. The lowest number that they have in common is 15. This is your lowest common denominator. Next, you will need to multiply your numerator by the same number that you used to get 15 for the denominators. It should look like this: 10/15 +3/15.
| 2019-04-25T22:29:38 |
https://math.wonderhowto.com/how-to/add-fractions-with-unlike-denominators-292813/
|
0.999999 |
MJ Translate - Piers Morgan Tonight with Michael Durham Prince & Lavelle Smith Jr.
Strona główna > Inni o MJ > Piers Morgan Tonight with Michael Durham Prince & Lavelle Smith Jr.
Piers Morgan Tonight with Michael Durham Prince & Lavelle Smith Jr. Wywiad Piersa Morgana z Michaelem Durhamem Princem i LaVellem Smithem Jr.
LaVelle Smith Jr., choreograf i tancerz oraz Michael Durham Prince, nadzorujący stronę muzyczną koncertów „This Is It”, wzięli udział w programie Piersa Morgana „Piers Morgan Live” (znanym jako „Piers Morgan Tonight”), wyemitowanym 5 listopada 2011 roku. Opowiedzieli w nim o swojej pracy z Michaelem. Nagranie nie zawiera początku rozmowy, zaczyna się w zaznaczonym momencie. Transkrypt zawiera całą i jest kilkunastominutową częścią całego, trwającego ponad czterdzieści minut programu.
PIERS MORGAN: Joining me now two members of Michael Jackson's inner circle. Men who may have known him better than even his famous family. Lavelle Smith and Michael Durham Prince worked with Michael as he prepare to go on tour and with him in those fateful, final days. Gentlemen, thank you very much for joining me.
LAVELLE SMITH JR: My pleasure.
MORGAN: Having followed Michael a long time and reported on him and see him in concert, I know how integral you guys were to his world. Strange times for you it must have been.
MORGAN: I mean, how would you sum up your feelings?
SMITH: Sadness. Sadness but I do feel really blessed because the happiness that he left with me was all the work we did together. You know? That won't go away. But the sadness that we don't get to create anymore with him. That's sad.
MORGAN: You were dancing with him since 1987.
SMITH: Yes. "Smooth Criminal" was actually the first video. The first tour was "Bad," and then "Dangerous," and then "History." And then we started working on "This Is It." When he called that in 2008 in Vegas, and that was going to be -- he was excited. You know? We were both bringing out costumes, picking props. You know, thinking about what that show could be. Had no name. And just had a great time for six months in Vegas working like crazy. He was excited. I was excited. You know, whenever he gets excited, I get excited.
MORGAN: Michael, you can't believe what happened? I mean, you guys, had been working with Michael right to the end. Was there a massive shock? I mean, were there any signs that he was -- you know, I've heard contrary views. I heard that he was very frail, that the stuff you didn't see in the movie, he was fainting.
He was always kind of faint. That's what some of the family believe. What did you see?
PRINCE: All of 2008, I was in Vegas along with Lavelle. He'd show up on dance days. I showed up on music days. And I just had the feeling, Michael is getting ready for his close up. He just started looking better. You could tell he was -- his energy was going up. And then in 2009, extremely excited. You know? He gave us a speech about how important this was to him. That he could spend the rest of his life doing his greatest hits, but that's not what he wanted to do. He said, I want to write new songs. I want to have better songs than I ever had. We're going to add those to the show. And I really have never seen him that energized before. That in the moment before, right up until the last night when I gave him a hug and he gave me a hug, you know. And he felt strong. He said tomorrow we're going to discuss all the vocals for the tour, you know. And that was the last time I spoke to him.
MORGAN: I mean, from a dance point of view, from a voice point of view, where was he do you think given all the experience you have had with him? Was he ready to go?
SMITH: There was no stopping him.
MORGAN: To do 50 shows?
PRINCE: Remember his pace -- not to interrupt, but his pace was going to be two, two and a half shows a week. His family was going to be there. He was going to have a house in London, outside of London. And we had a good chat. He and I about that. How this was the hard part, rehearsing is the hard part. You know, four, five, six nights a week. Doing videos during the day. Once we got to the U.K., once we started the shows, that was going to be almost a vacation. Truly, you know. I don't want to say that because they were going to pay me, but I mean, honestly, it would have been. And he knew that.
MORGAN: So originally it was ten shows.
MORGAN: Then he got made in to 50. I remember that happening. I think, you know, Michael, you're talking about a guy who was not as young as he used to be. 50 shows is pretty demanding, even if you're only doing 2, 3 shows a week.
SMITH: I remember him saying there's ten shows. It's going to be fantastic. And I do remember a day when the ten shows turned to 34. He said, Lavelle, you know, there's 34 shows, I got to do them. That seemed to be a little bit like, you know, wow, this is a lot. And Then I remember it kept growing. What I remember is that he was really honored that that many people wanted to see him.
MORGAN: I had tickets to the first one.
MORGAN: I was excited. I mean, he -- I saw him in Paris once. It was the best concert I ever saw.
SMITH: Men, he was just honored that people wanted to see so as much as maybe 34 or the 50 shows were like, oh man, this is going to be crazy. The smile on his face showed me that he felt so honored that people really wanted to see him.
MORGAN: Let me ask you a different question. Did you ever see him taking drugs of any kind?
MORGAN: He seems to have been a very closed world. What we're hearing from all this trial that's happened and from interviews of people involved is that there were two Michaels. There was the Michael that people thought they knew and there was the guy who chronic pain from when he had the terrible Pepsi accident and then to counter this, the terrible insomnia he used to get, mixed with the pressure and everything else, and so he got more and more into sleeping medication ending up with Demerol for the pain and the Propofol for sleeping. I mean, you put it all together and he was leading two lives. I mean, there was a night time Michael Jackson that you guys I assume didn't see.
PRINCE: Did not see. And honestly, most of the time, when we were with him, I don't think that night time Michael Jackson was around because he had the kids around. We were at the ranch. We were at a hotel almost like a vacation and we're working on new songs. And there was no pressure on him. He didn't have to get up the next day if he didn't want to. He didn't have to perform the next day. I think that pressure comes in to play when there's a show. You know? When there's a huge tour.
MORGAN: Let's take a little break. I want to come back and talk to you about the dreadful day that you both found out that Michael died. And how you see his legacy developing. How you would like it to develop.
MICHAEL JACKSON: Yes. That's a cool move.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just spreads out too much at the end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to stop it.
MICHAEL JACKSON: Go to infinity.
MORGAN: Back with two of Michael Jackson's closest work colleagues. Lavelle Smith and Michael Prince. I've got to ask you a difficult question because I know how close you were. Where were you both? I'll start with you, Lavelle, when you heard that Michael had died.
SMITH: I was at home in my bedroom watching CNN and I heard Michael Jackson went to the hospital with a heart attack. And I thought, OK. That's -- kept watching and it kept getting worse and worse. And I just thought this really either is a really bad publicity stunt or something is desperately wrong.
MORGAN: And you knew that Michael, you know, he could do publicity stunts.
SMITH: Of course. He's a show man.
MORGAN: I mean, he'd been in wheelchairs before to create an impression that he was somehow in a terrible state.
SMITH: P.T. Barnum. That's what you do as a showman. Yes, you build it.
MORGAN: -- Is this another Michael stunt?
SMITH: Yes. And I really was hoping for that. I kept hoping, and then it got worse. And then when they finally said, dead, of course, even that I didn't believe until it stayed there.
MORGAN: You saw that on CNN?
SMITH: Yes. It all went up from heart attack to something happened.
SMITH: Not breathing, and then dead. And I was like, OK, just wait a few more minutes. And then it didn't go away. And I thought this is really crazy. I called his assistant. And she said, it's a madhouse around here. And I thought, OK, this is the real deal. I just went numb. I remember being numb for days and days. I couldn't cry. I think anger. Just every emotion except I couldn't cry. I didn't cry until I did the TV shows with Jermaine in London. "Move Like Michael Jackson," and I was doing a little outtake like, you know, how you do for the show reading something that said Michael Jackson was -- I kept saying Michael Jackson is -- and they're like, you have to say was. I said, I got it this time. Michael Jackson is -- OK. Finally when I got was, it was over. It was over.
MORGAN: And for you? Where were you?
MORGAN: They are extraordinary children.
PRINCE: They were brought up so well. So much love. They read a lot.
PRINCE: Well-spoken, beautiful children. And I just want them to know how much he loved them. And I saw the love that they had for him. And he and I talked about that in his dressing room, you know, about when we get to the UK, and when this seven-day week thing is done, you are going to be with your family, you know, again and have a lot more quality time with them.
MORGAN: What do you guys make of the trial? Did you know Conrad Murray? Did you see him much?
SMITH: No, not at all.
MORGAN: So all this was sort of brand new to you?
SMITH: To me it is simple.
MORGAN: Does it seem like a weird other world?
MORGAN: My gut feeling is, I mean, Michael Jackson is not going to want to kill himself. There's no way he was in any kind of suicidal mood.
PRINCE: Oh my God, no, no, no.
MORGAN: He was enjoying the preparation. He was enjoying being a father, and so on. And just from everyone I have talked to about Conrad Murray, he didn't want to kill Michael Jackson.
MORGAN: So you're left with a terrible accident. And I think you are left with the technicalities of how this happened and who did what, and so which we may never know answers to.
SMITH: I have a feeling, I've said, we may never know.
MORGAN: But was it a shock to you when the tapes were played? I mean, I was staggered.
SMITH: I had no words.
MORGAN: When I first heard this, I thought this can't be Michael Jackson.
SMITH: But, listen, I know that voice, over 23 years. I knew that was him, but I didn't know why it existed. Why do that tape exist.
MORGAN: Have either of you ever heard him speak like that?
PRINCE: Never. And honestly, I told Lavelle this, I said, I think the doctor might have made that to show Michael maybe the next day, Michael, you did fall asleep, because Michael might have said I didn't fall asleep, you know. But no I mean -- I would have never made that recording.
PRINCE: That's sort of weird.
SMITH: It is weird, but it's -- it happens. Things happen that way.
MORGAN: I mean, Michael's whole life was a bit crazy, ever since the people around him and the circus element and, you know, I just felt the whole thing just unraveled in a very, very strange way and we will probably never know what really happened.
PRINCE: I don't think so.
SMITH: I hope we get to. But one thing I know is important is that, what Michael taught me, all the dance and all that stuff will live on because his -- his goal was to take dance and continue to take dance to higher and higher levels.
MORGAN: There were lots of theories about what Michael was planning to do. What was he planning to do?
SMITH: We were going to do short films. You know, Michael loved the short film. We were working on a cowboy film.
PRINCE: He wanted to do like a modern musical on "Legs Diamond." Because Michael already had some gangster-ish, sounds like "Smooth Criminal."
SMITH: Yes, "Dangerous" and "Criminal."
MORGAN: I heard he also wanted to release singles every few months. And at the end of that have an amazing album. It could be a very unusual way of doing it.
PRINCE: Right. And that way you don't get compared to "Thriller" every time you put out an album. So he was going to do it while we were on tour, maybe a single every eight weeks. And then once you had ten out, you add two new songs and you have a record. He also wanted to do a children's album. Because he loved to write these, you know, beautiful, innocent songs for children. He wanted to do a classical album, because he had a lot of melodies that he didn't want to write words to.
MORGAN: How good was Michael Jackson, as an entertainer?
MORGAN: Let's talk voice, first of all, his voice. How good a singer was he?
PRINCE: Amazing. I mean, he could go from a ballad, a soft song, to -- he had one of the best rock voices. I mean, I would compare it to, you know, somebody like in -- not like Led Zeppelin, but I mean, he could sing rock 'n' roll like you wouldn't believe, you know. I always wanted to like get him on some really hard rock stuff.
SMITH: Top. Just top of the line, you know.
MORGAN: Have you ever seen a better dancer?
SMITH: A better natural dancer? Not in my life so far ever. I mean, I was trained ballet dancer and we would share, he would teach me, because his stuff was always so strange to me, but once we started sharing, I shared ballet moves or technical things, and he would share his stuff. And that's where our bond came from, just a sharing of dance and a love of dance.
MORGAN: How do you think, finally, Michael would like to be remembered?
SMITH: I think he would like to be remembered as someone that was always, you know, making sure that what he delivered to his fans and to his audience was original. It was innovative. And he ddidn't mind if people copy it, but he would always wanted to be the one that did it first.
MORGAN: Michael, you were going to say?
PRINCE: I was going to agree with that and say that anything he wanted to do, he wanted it to be the best. He wanted himself to be the best, every dancer behind him, every musician, down to the lighting, down to whoever was running what piece of equipment, they had to be the best.
SMITH: Cameras. Everything had choreography. I love it when he use that word. The cameras have choreography. The light have choreography. And that's kind of stuff he taught me.
MORGAN: That's what he was. He was remarkable. I mean, to me, he achieved that. He was the best. The best entertainer I ever saw.
MORGAN: Lavelle, Michael, thank you both very much. A pleasure meeting you.
SMITH: It has been my pleasure.
(źródło) PIERS MORGAN: Dołącza teraz do mnie dwóch członków najbliższego kręgu Michaela Jacksona. Ludzie, którzy mogli znać go lepiej, niż jego słynna rodzina. Lavelle Smith i Michael Durham Prince pracowali z Michaelem, kiedy przygotowywał się do trasy i byli z nim w te pamiętne, ostatnie dni. Panowie, bardzo wam dziękuję za przyłączenie się do mnie.
LAVELLE SMITH JR.: To dla mnie przyjemność.
MICHAEL DURHAM PRINCE: To ja dziękuję.
MORGAN: Przez długi okres czasu śledziłem losy Michaela, informowałem o nim i oglądałem jego koncerty. Stąd wiem, jaką byliście integralną częścią jego świata. To musiał być dla was dziwny czas.
MORGAN: Jak podsumowałbyś swoje uczucia?
SMITH: Smutek. Smutek, ale jednocześnie czuję się naprawdę szczęśliwy, ponieważ cała ta praca, którą wspólnie wykonaliśmy, była tym szczęściem, które mi zostawił. To nie zniknie. Jednak smutek, że nie możemy już z nim tworzyć. To smutne.
MORGAN: Tańczyłeś z nim od 1987 roku.
SMITH: Tak. Pierwszym teledyskiem był "Smooth Criminal". Pierwszą trasą koncertową była trasa "Bad", następnie "Dangerous", a później "History". A potem zaczęliśmy pracę nad "This Is It". Kiedy zadzwonił w 2008 roku z Vegas, że to będzie miało miejsce… był podekscytowany. Obaj wyciągaliśmy kostiumy, dobieraliśmy rekwizyty, myśląc o tym, czym może być to show. Nie miało nazwy. I świetnie się bawiliśmy przez sześć miesięcy w Vegas, pracując jak szaleni. On był podekscytowany. Ja byłem podekscytowany. Wiesz, kiedy on się ekscytuje, to ja też jestem podekscytowany.
MORGAN: Michael, czy możesz uwierzyć w to, co się stało? Mam na myśli to, że pracowaliście z Michaelem do samego końca. Czy to był ogromny wstrząs? Chodzi mi o to, czy były jakieś oznaki, że był… wiecie, słyszałem sprzeczne opinie. Słyszałem, że był bardzo słaby, że mdlał, coś, czego nie pokazano w filmie.
Zawsze był wątły. Tak uważają niektórzy członkowie rodziny. Co wy widzieliście?
PRINCE: Przez cały 2008 rok byłem w Vegas razem z LaVellem. On pojawiał się w dni taneczne. Ja pojawiałem się w dni muzyczne. I odnosiłem wrażenie, że Michael jest na dobrej drodze, żeby całkowite dojście do siebie. Po prostu, zaczął wyglądać lepiej. Można powiedzieć, że był… jego energia rosła. A później, w 2009 roku, był bardzo podekscytowany. Wiesz? Wygłosił nam mowę o tym, jak ważne to było dla niego, że mógłby spędzić resztę swojego życia wykonując swoje największe przeboje, ale to nie było to, co chciał robić. Powiedział: „Chcę pisać nowe piosenki. Chcę mieć lepsze piosenki, niż kiedykolwiek miałem. Dodamy je do tego koncertu”. I naprawdę, nigdy wcześniej nie widziałem go tak naładowanego energią. Wiesz, w tym poprzedzającym czasie, aż do ostatniej nocy, kiedy go uściskałem i on mnie uściskał. I czuł się silny. Powiedział, że jutro omówimy wszystkie wokale na trasę, wiesz. I to był ostatni raz, kiedy z nim rozmawiałem.
MORGAN: Chodzi mi o to, gdzie on był, waszym zdaniem, z punktu widzenia tańca i głosu, biorąc pod uwagę całe wasze doświadczenie w pracy z nim? Czy był gotowy do pracy?
SMITH: Nic go nie zatrzymywało.
MORGAN: Do dania 50 koncertów?
PRINCE: Pamiętaj o jego tempie… bez robienia przerw, ale jego tempo zakładało dwa, dwa i pół koncertu tygodniowo. Miała tam być jego rodzina. Miał mieć dom w Londynie, poza Londynem. Mieliśmy na ten temat, on i ja, fajną rozmowę. Jak trudna była ta część? Próby są trudną częścią. Wiesz, cztery, pięć, sześć nocy w tygodniu. W ciągu dnia, robienie filmów. Po przyjeździe do Wielkiej Brytanii, po rozpoczęciu koncertów, miały to być prawie wakacje. Naprawdę, wiesz. Nie potrzebuję tego mówić, ponieważ zamierzali mi zapłacić, ale, szczerze mówiąc, chodzi o to, że tak by było. I on to wiedział.
MORGAN: Pierwotnie było to dziesięć koncertów.
MORGAN: Potem doszło do 50. Pamiętam to wydarzenie. Wiesz Michael, myślę, że mówisz o facecie, który nie był już taki młody. 50 koncertów to spory wysiłek, nawet jeśli dajesz tylko 2, 3 koncerty tygodniowo.
SMITH: Pamiętam, jak mówił, że jest dziesięć koncertów. To będzie fantastyczne. I pamiętam dzień, w którym dziesięć koncertów zmieniło się w 34. Powiedział: "LaVelle, wiesz, są 34 koncerty, muszę to zrobić”. Wyglądało to trochę jak, no wiesz, ojej, to dużo. I pamiętam, że ich liczba ciągle rosła. Pamiętam też, że był naprawdę zaszczycony, że tak wiele osób chciało go zobaczyć.
MORGAN: Miałem bilety na pierwszy.
MORGAN: Byłem podekscytowany. Mam na myśli, że on… widziałem go kiedyś w Paryżu. To był najlepszy koncert, jaki oglądałem.
SMITH: Ludzie, on był właśnie zaszczycony tym, że ludzie chcieli go oglądać, dlatego tak samo, być może, 34 lub 50 koncertów było niczym „och stary, to będzie szaleństwo”. Uśmiech na jego twarzy pokazywał mi, że czuje się bardzo zaszczycony, że ludzie naprawdę chcieli go zobaczyć.
MORGAN: Pozwól, że zadam ci inne pytanie. Czy widziałeś go kiedykolwiek biorącego jakieś leki?
MORGAN: Wydaje się, że on żył w bardzo hermetycznym świecie. Z tego, co dowiedzieliśmy się podczas całego tego procesu sądowego i z wywiadów przeprowadzanych z zaangażowanymi osobami wynika, że było dwóch Michaelów. Był Michael, którego ludzie, jak sądzili, znali i był facet, który zmagał się z przewlekłym bólem od czasu tego potwornego wypadku podczas kręcenia reklamy Pepsi, następstwem czego był nawrót okropnej bezsenności, na którą kiedyś cierpiał. Ból i bezsenność mieszały się z presją i wszystkim innym, dlatego zażywał coraz więcej leków przed zaśnięciem, kończąc na demerolu na ból i propofolu na sen. Chodzi o to, że to wszystko składało się w całość, a on prowadził podwójne życie. Chcę powiedzieć, że była noc Michaela Jacksona, której, jak zakładam, nie widzieliście.
PRINCE: Nie widzieliśmy. I szczerze mówiąc, nie sądzę, żeby przez większość czasu, kiedy byliśmy z nim, istniała noc Michaela Jacksona, ponieważ w pobliżu miał dzieci. Byliśmy na ranczu. Byliśmy w hotelu, prawie jak na wakacjach i pracowaliśmy nad nowymi utworami. I nie wywierano na nim presji. Nie musiał wstawać następnego dnia, jeśli nie chciał. Nie musiał występować następnego dnia. Wydaje mi się, że presja pojawia się wtedy, kiedy jest koncert. Wiesz? Kiedy jest ogromna trasa.
MORGAN: Zróbmy małą przerwę. Chcę wrócić i porozmawiać z wami o tym tragicznym dniu, w którym obaj dowiedzieliście się, że Michael umarł. I jak widzicie rozwijanie jego spuścizny. Jak chcielibyście ją kultywować.
MICHAEL JACKSON: Tak. To fajny ruch.
MĘŻCZYZNA: Za bardzo rozwleka się na końcu.
MICHAEL JACKSON: Dążymy do nieskończoności.
MORGAN: Wracam z dwoma najbliższymi współpracownikami Michaela Jacksona. LaVellem Smithem i Michaelem Princem. Muszę zadać wam trudne pytanie, bo wiem, jak byliście blisko. Gdzie obaj byliście? Zacznę od ciebie, LaVelle, kiedy dowiedziałeś się, że Michael umarł.
SMITH: Byłem w domu, w mojej sypialni oglądając CNN i usłyszałem, że Michael Jackson został przewieziony do szpitala z zawałem serca. I pomyślałem, w porządku. To… ciągle patrzyłem i to stawało się coraz gorsze. I pomyślałem, że albo jest to naprawdę kiepski chwyt reklamowy, albo coś jest nie w porządku.
MORGAN: Wiedziałeś, że Michael, wiesz, mógł zrobić numer reklamowy, dla przyciągnięcia uwagi.
SMITH: Oczywiście. On jest człowiekiem showbiznesu.
MORGAN: Chodzi mi o to, że wcześniej jeździł na wózku inwalidzkim, żeby stworzyć wrażenie, że jest w jakimś tragicznym stanie.
MORGAN: A później z kolei… ponieważ zawsze miał to coś, sprawiał, że publiczność traciła nadzieję i wtedy oszałamiał ją czymś imponującym. Tak było.
SMITH: P.T. Barnum [jeden z prekursorów nowoczesnego przemysłu rozrywkowego i reklamy]. To jest to, co robisz jako showman. Tak, budujesz to.
MORGAN: … Czy to jest kolejny popis Michaela?
SMITH: Tak. I naprawdę miałem taką nadzieję. Ciągle miałem nadzieję i później było gorzej. Wtedy, kiedy w końcu powiedzieli, że nie żyje, jeszcze w to, oczywiście, nie wierzyłem, dopóki to tam nie pozostało.
MORGAN: Oglądałeś to w CNN?
SMITH: Tak. Wszystko zaczęło się od ataku serca, a skończyło na tym, że coś się stało.
SMITH: Nie oddycha, a potem, że nie żyje. A ja na to: okej, poczekajmy jeszcze kilka minut. A to nie znikało. Stwierdziłem, że to naprawdę szalone. Zadzwoniłem do jego asystentki, a ona powiedziała, że tutaj jest dom wariatów. I pomyślałem, dobra, to jest prawda. Byłem po prostu oszołomiony. Pamiętam, że przez wiele dni byłem odrętwiały. Nie mogłem płakać. Myślę, że czułem gniew, właściwie wszystkie emocje, z wyjątkiem płaczu, nie mogłem płakać. Nie płakałem, dopóki nie zrobiłem programów telewizyjnych z Jermainem w Londynie, "Move Like Michael Jackson".Kręciłem krótką scenę, wiesz, tak jak to się robi dla programu, czytając coś, co stwierdzało, że Michael Jackson był… ja wciąż mówiłem, że Michael Jackson jest… a oni na to, musisz powiedzieć, że był. Powiedziałem, że obecnie tak to czuję. Michael Jackson jest… Dobrze. Wreszcie, kiedy zdobyłem się na „był”, to był koniec. To był koniec.
MORGAN: A ty? Gdzie byłeś?
PRINCE: Były bardzo dobrze wychowywane. Tyle miłości. Dużo czytały.
PRINCE: Elokwentne, piękne dzieci. Chcę tylko, żeby wiedziały, jak bardzo on je kochał. Widziałem miłość, jaką one mu okazywały. I on i ja rozmawialiśmy o tym w jego garderobie, wiesz, o tym, kiedy dotrzemy do Wielkiej Brytanii i, że kiedy ten tydzień się skończy, znów będzie ze swoją rodziną i będzie spędzał z nimi dużo więcej czasu.
MORGAN: W jaki sposób odnosicie się do procesu? Czy znaliście Conrada Murraya? Często go widywaliście?
SMITH: Nie, wcale nie znaliśmy.
MORGAN: Więc wszystko to było dla was czymś nowym?
SMITH: Dla mnie to jest proste.
MORGAN: Czy to wygląda na dziwny, inny świat?
MORGAN: Mam przeczucie, że Michael Jackson nie chciał się zabić. Nie ma mowy, żeby był w samobójczym nastroju.
PRINCE: O mój Boże, nie, nie, nie.
MORGAN: Cieszył się przygotowaniami. Cieszył się ojcostwem, itd. I od prawie wszystkich, z którymi rozmawiałem na temat Conrada Murray’a słyszałem, że on nie chciał zabijać Michaela Jacksona.
SMITH: Dlaczego on by chciał?
MORGAN: Dlatego pozostaliście z tragicznym wypadkiem. I myślę, że pozostaliście z technicznymi szczegółami, jak to się stało i kto co zrobił, pytaniami, na które możemy nigdy nie poznać odpowiedzi.
SMITH: Mówiłem, że mam przeczucie, że możemy nigdy się nie dowiedzieć.
MORGAN: Czy było to szokiem dla was, kiedy odtwarzano taśmy? Chodzi o to, że mnie wprawiły w osłupienie.
MORGAN: Kiedy pierwszy raz to usłyszałem, pomyślałem, że to nie może być Michael Jackson.
SMITH: Jednak, posłuchaj, znam ten głos, przeszło 23 lata. Wiedziałem, że to był on, ale nie wiedziałem, po co to zaistniało. Dlaczego ta taśma istnieje.
MORGAN: Czy któryś z was kiedykolwiek słyszał go, tak mówiącego?
PRINCE: Nigdy. I szczerze mówiąc, powiedziałem o tym LaVelle’owi, powiedziałem, że myślę, iż lekarz mógł to zrobić, żeby pokazać ją Michaelowi, być może następnego dnia. „Michael, zasnąłeś”, bo Michael mógł powiedzieć, że nie zasnął, wiesz. Jednak nie o to chodzi… ja nigdy bym nie stworzył takiego nagrania.
SMITH: To jest dziwne, ale to… to się dzieje. Sprawy tak właśnie się mają.
MORGAN: Chcę powiedzieć, że całe życie Michaela było trochę szalone, od zawsze, ci otaczający go ludzie i elementy cyrku, i, wiecie, po prostu czułem, że cała sprawa była wyjaśniana w bardzo, bardzo dziwny sposób i prawdopodobnie nigdy nie dowiemy się, co tak naprawdę się stało.
SMITH: Mam nadzieję, że do tego dojdziemy. Wiem jednak, że ważne jest to, czego Michael mnie nauczył, że taniec i wszystko to, co się z nim wiaże, pozostanie żywe, ponieważ jego… jego celem był taniec i wznoszenie tańca na coraz wyższe poziomy.
MORGAN: Było wiele teorii na temat tego, co Michael zamierzał robić. Co planował robić?
SMITH: Zamierzaliśmy kręcić krótkie filmy. Wiesz, Michael uwielbiał krótki film. Pracowaliśmy nad filmem kowbojskim.
PRINCE: Chciał zrobić coś podobnego do współczesnego musicalu w "Legs Diamond", ponieważ Michael miał już jakiś gangsterskie brzmienia, takie jak "Smooth Criminal".
SMITH: Tak, "Dangerous" i "Smooth Criminal".
MORGAN: Słyszałem, że chciał też wydawać co kilka miesięcy single. I na koniec mieć z tego niesamowity album. Mógł to być bardzo nietypowy sposób jego tworzenia.
PRINCE: Dokładnie. I w ten sposób unika się porównania z "Thrillerem" za każdym razem, gdy wydaje się album. Dlatego zamierzał to zrobić, gdy mieliśmy być w trasie, być może jeden singiel co osiem tygodni. A po ukazaniu się dziesiątego, dodać dwie nowe piosenki i mieć płytę. Chciał także nagrać album dla dzieci, bo uwielbiał je pisać, no wiesz, te piękne, niewinne piosenki o dzieciach. Chciał stworzyć klasyczny album, ponieważ miał bardzo dużo melodii, do których nie chciał pisać słów.
MORGAN: Jak dobry był Michael Jackson, jako artysta estradowy?
MORGAN: Porozmawiajmy przede wszystkim o głosie, jego głosie. Jak dobrym był piosenkarzem?
PRINCE: Wspaniałym. Chodzi mi o to, że mógł przejść od ballady, spokojnej piosenki, do… miał jeden z najlepszych rockowych głosów. Chcę powiedzieć, że porównałbym go do, no wiesz, kogoś takiego jak… nie takiego jak Led Zeppelin, ale chodzi mi o to, że mógł śpiewać rock'n'rolla tak, że byś nie uwierzył, wiesz. Zawsze chciałem go usłyszeć w jakimś naprawdę ciężkim rockowym materiale.
MORGAN: A tanecznie - dobry, hipnotyzujący?
SMITH: Najlepszy. Po prostu na samym szczycie, wiesz.
MORGAN: Czy widziałeś kiedyś lepszego tancerza?
SMITH: Lepszego naturalnego tancerza? Nie w moim dotychczasowym życiu. Ja byłem wyszkolonym tancerzem baletowym i dzieliliśmy się z nim, on uczył mnie, ponieważ to, co robił, było dla mnie zawsze takie dziwne. Jednak odkąd zaczęliśmy się dzielić, ja dzieliłem się z nim baletowymi ruchami lub technicznymi rzeczami, a on dzielił się ze mną swoimi. I stąd wzięła się nasza więź, po prostu dzielenie się tańcem i miłością do tańca.
MORGAN: Na koniec, jak myślicie, jak Michael chciałby być zapamiętany?
SMITH: Myślę, że chciałby być zapamiętany jako ktoś, kim zawsze był, wiesz, mający pewność, że to, co przekazał swoim fanom i słuchaczom, było oryginalne. Było innowacyjne. I nie miał nic przeciwko, jeśli ludzie go naśladowali, ale zawsze chciał być tym, który zrobił to pierwszy.
MORGAN: Michael, co zamierzałeś powiedzieć?
PRINCE: Miałem zamiar się z tym zgodzić i powiedzieć, że cokolwiek chciał zrobić, chciał, żeby to było najlepsze. Chciał sam być najlepszy, każdy tancerz za nim, każdy muzyk, oświetleniowiec i każdy kto zajmował się jakimkolwiek sprzętem, musieli być najlepsi.
SMITH: Kamery. Wszystko miało choreografię. Uwielbiam to, kiedy on używa tego słowa. Kamery mają choreografię. Światło ma choreografię. I tego rodzaju rzeczy mnie uczył.
MORGAN: Taki właśnie był. Był wybitny. Dla mnie, osiągnął to. Był najlepszy. Najlepszy artysta, jakiego kiedykolwiek widziałem.
MORGAN: LaVelle, Michael, bardzo wam dziękuję. Spotkanie z wami było przyjemnością.
SMITH: Cała przyjemność po mojej stronie.
PRINCE: To dla mnie przyjemność.
Serce mi ściska z bólu,gdy czytam o tych tragicznych chwilach,a z drugiej strony,tylko informacje osób,które dobrze znały ( chociaż sa wyjatki) i pracowały z Michaelem są wiarygodne. Dziękuje ...kato... i pozdrawiam .
| 2019-04-21T04:12:47 |
http://www.mjtranslate.com/pl/aboutmjs/1949
|
0.999868 |
Why do we use maps?
Maps exist to make sense of confusing data. So it's only natural that at times of political uncertainty (and the 2015 election is mathematically more uncertain than most) we should try and understand it geographically. Maps are utilised to illustrate think pieces and the debates, and they help us make sense of what is going around us, both locally and nationally. "For many people the numbers are just not very evocative -- you can write about the counts of numbers of seats that you're predicting or that people expect, or the vote shared first, but there's something nice about the visualisation," says Ben Lauderdale of LSE and electionforecast.co.uk.
Lauderdale believes it is inevitable that people are drawn to maps due to their aesthetic appeal in a sea of numbers and rhetoric. He also points out that they are also, arguably, the most of practical method making sense of our politics.
"Of course in a political system where it is ultimately geographic, where there are single member districts -- there is one MP for each particular area -- it's very natural that people will want to see that."
Election prediction maps fall into roughly two distinct styles -- those that prioritise the geography of the UK as we know it, and those that try to reshape the country, to give a more accurate depiction of population and support. "There are two major styles of maps that you see," Lauderdale tells WIRED. "The ones where you retain the geography as it is, and the emphasis is really on seeing, in this case the UK -- its real geography and seeing relative support, or expected victories in seats overlaid on that. And then all the versions that maybe try to give up a bit of that in exchange for being a bit more proportionate in favour of population or seats."
The interactive election maps created by both the Economist and FiveThirtyEight both take the geographical approach and as a result, both maps contain a sea of blue -- which if you didn't know anything about the population would suggest to you that the Tories had already won.
"It's not that they aren't going to win seats, but the seats that they're winning are in geographically large constituencies with lower population densities," Lauderdale points out. "You don't see a lot of red by proportion even though Labour and the Conservatives are likely to win very similar numbers of seats. Sometimes people get annoyed at this and they feel there's something wrong about presenting the data this way -- I don't think that's quite fair."
There are benefits to mapping geographically in that those maps can be very useful for the purposes of comparison. For example, Chris Hanretty of electionforecast.com has created a map that shows the percentage of the population commuting by train and therefore the constituencies set to benefit from the price freeze promised by the Conservatives on fares. Compare this against a geographical map and it becomes evident that the seats the freezes will benefit are already Conservative. As such, the policy is, Hanretty points out, "no game-changer".
An approach that favours population density over physical geography is likely to reflect the potential of success of the two main parties in a more meaningful way.
Electoral Calculus has an interesting approach, using different shaped blocks that makes it seem as if the UK was just a happy accident that occurred during a game of Tetris. The metropolitan areas of the country have been cut out and represented in enlarged, but correspondingly shaped splodges outside of the map in order to keep the size of the blocks accurate in terms of how they represent the population size. On the zoomable map, you can hone in on constituencies to see the statistics that define them.
Electionforecast.co.uk has used a cartogram, with no geographical boundaries, but a carefully arranged map created from dots -- one per constituency -- so as to focus on the number of dots in each colour, rather than the amount of surface area that has been coloured in blue.
Using hexagons to represent each constituency is a common approach, and one that has been taken by YouGov. The map not only offers a seemingly fair compromise between geography and demographics, but also allows you to see what people in different constituencies are talking about in real time. Thanks to the mass of data YouGov collects, it probably gives the most in-depth and insightful view into each constituency that goes beyond straightforward politics as you might think of them.
Perhaps the most interesting representation of the country in this election, however, is the Guardian's interactive map, which also uses a hexagonal approach to try and accurately portray both the population size and location of constituencies. The result is that the UK looks rather like an upside-down chicken drumstick, but the map itself offers a unique view of how the British population is spread out across the country. "I think the Guardian's one is one that I haven't seen before this election," says Lauderdale. "It's got some nice things about it and some things that are less nice about it, but it's an innovation in terms of how to solve this particular problem and I suspect that people will continue to come up with new versions of this."
When you think about the influence London will have in the upcoming election it's important to remember that it's all about the population, not the geography. To understand it clearly, look no further than this map put together by Redditor LB4.
Boris Johnson may be the capital's Tory mayor, but London -- like most urban centres in the UK -- is ultimately a Labour city. The researchers over at electionforecast.co.uk note that Labour's influence over the city is not static, but in fact is a trend. Maps they have published on the LSE election blog show their predictions that the Labour-flavoured blush that currently decorates London's cheeks may creep up to its forehead and down towards its chin come polling day.
They point out that increasingly, London is not the microcosm of the rest of the country that it once was -- the party outperforms in the capital relative to the rest of the UK. This trend of course could be exacerbated if, as predicted, many Labour seats north of the border fall into the hands of the SNP.
The most significant change to occur in the 2015 election will undoubtedly take place in Scotland, where politics have been totally recast in light of last year's independence referendum. According to pretty much every map out there, Scotland is turning yellow this May, and not in support of Nick Clegg. In fact the Lib Dems are set to lose seats, but the loss will be felt more significantly by the Labour party.
The electionforecast.co.uk team predicts that 70 percent of seats will change hands in Scotland next month, and perhaps surprisingly, the SNP are not set to be the only winners. The Conservatives will supposedly also make gains -- albeit nowhere near as dramatic as those made by Nicola Sturgeon's party.
As electionforecast.co.uk has done, it's possible to look at Scotland as a separate entity. But it's more interesting to look at in context of the rest of the country. On a geographically weighted map, it transforms the whole of the UK into a landscape decorated in primary colours.
Everyone in the UK has a stake in the outcome of the election, but for some -- and not just potential MPs -- those stakes are financial as well as political. Gamblers are gamifying the election, and much like Risk, that game is being played out across a map.
Ladbrokes has an interactive map that allows you to click through the UK, constituency by constituency, and see the odds for each party, as well as the predicted outcomes. If you fancy a flutter, you can bet then and there on the party of your choice. But it's not just gamblers who are interested in Ladbrokes' map.
"So far our traffic analysis would suggest that lots of people who do not normally visit our site or bet with us are looking at the site and sharing it as they are well aware that the odds are a very accurate indicator of who is favoured in each seat and the visual aspect makes it very easy even for the political or betting layman to understand," a Ladbrokes spokesperson tells WIRED.co.uk. "The map has been shared by many political pundits and academics as well as interested party members/campaigners who are keen to shout when they are favourites in a close seat."
Part of the reason the map is so popular is that the colours of the seats will change in real time if a favourite to win that seat changes. This is possible as the map is based upon a direct feed straight from Ladbrokes' latest odds. Ladbrokes will be taking bets not only during the run-up to polling day, but throughout the count, meaning that the map may be an interesting one to keep an eye on on election night.
Mapping support for minority parties has been a popular sport ahead of the 2015 election, no doubt fuelled by the rise of UKIP. The Mirror has created a slidey map that shows what support looks like for both the Green Party and UKIP across the country.
It shows that for both parties, the battle is centred around the south-east and to a lesser extent the north-west of England. The Greens have more of chance in the south-west, as well as in London and Scotland, where there is very little tolerance for UKIP. Neither party looks like it is going to have much luck in either Wales or the north-east of England.
A BBC map tells a different story, however. It shows pockets of support for UKIP in both the north-east and Scotland. This map suggests that UKIP supporters are scattered in disparate pockets around the country, with a cluster of purple constituencies in England's south-west toe.
The Telegraph has also had a punt at mapping UKIP support, and its attempts suggest that there may be UKIP fans in Wales after all, and plenty of them too. Cleverly, what the Telegraph has done is to place its UKIP map side by side with a map detailing the percentage of constituents born abroad. The result is that where there are few immigrants, there are UKIP supporters, and where there are immigrants, UKIP support is scarce.
Just as geographical maps of UK politics suggest that the Tories have conquered most of the country, the map of white male power in Great Britain (as put together by the Mirror in November 2014) suggests that very few constituencies have ever voted in favour of a woman or ethnic minority candidate.
However whereas the impression of Conservative success in the UK may be misleading when viewed on a geographical map, the impression of women and ethnic minority candidates is not. In fact 320 of the 650 constituencies across the country have never elected a woman or ethnic minority MP.
Things don't look particularly bright for 2015 either. Over 120 constituencies in the UK don't have any female candidates standing in this election, and not even a third of candidates are women. Another map put together by the Mirror shows you how many female candidates are standing for election in your constituency. You will be in the minority if it is more than three.
Pretty much the best part of election night is the chance to see the famous swingometer in action, and some have already started to document which seats have the potential to cause the swings to occur.
Metro.co.uk has put together this map highlighting the positions of the 10 most marginal seats in the country, where just a few votes could make a dramatic difference.
The Telegraph on the other hand has mapped the safe seats against the marginal seats. Marginal constituencies tend to be more exciting places to vote in than safe seats, as you feel like your vote really counts. Voters in safe seats shouldn't be apathetic, however -- your vote is still your opportunity to express your opinion who should be in charge of both your local area and the country.
When we look at election maps, we look for faultlines in the country. Depending on the map, it's certainly possible to find them. Channel 4 economics Paul Mason writes in the Guardian that the country can be divided into three regions: "Scandi-Scotland, the asset-rich south-east and post-industrial Britain".
His analysis is that while the SNP and the Conservatives have got their heartlands (Scandi-Scotland and the asset-rich respectively) locked down, post-industrial Britain is struggling to make its mind up. Post-industrial votes should historically belong to Labour, but for one reason or another, this demographic is wavering. A glance at the Telegraph's map of marginal seats to some extent reflects this. While the urban centres around the country are pretty unwavering, the outlying areas -- the former milling, mining and industrial towns -- across the north west, north east, the Midlands and Wales are still not sure.
Look at any carefully electoral map of the UK and you'll see a similar reflection of Mason's analysis. This is indeed an election that is being played according out to three separate dreams of what people want the country to be. Experts seem to agree that this is difficult election to call, and the fact that there is no centre between these three grounds is the factor causing this difficulty. Maps are inherently more complex to design when there are more than two factors at play, as there definitely are in this election.
Map analysis is in itself a political process. For example, the Telegraph has published a map showing the constituencies in which unemployment fell the most since the last election. The editorial accompanying the map notes that Tories will be delighted that it fell most dramatically in Labour seats. But this assumption is based upon the idea that those living in these constituencies will attribute the change in circumstances to the government as a whole, rather than to the work that their local MP may have undertaken in that area.
As Lauderdale says, each map about the election -- the good ones at least -- will "reflect a substance or story behind them". Not until the election is done and dusted and a new government steps into power will we really be able to draw an accurate picture of the British political landscape. Until then, though, we have our maps, each of which tells a story of hope and possibility and, of course, statistical probability.
| 2019-04-19T23:20:49 |
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/general-election-2015-maps
|
0.999999 |
The point A(5, 2) is translated 7 units to the left and 5 units down. Determine the coordinates of A¢, the point after the translation.
Given the triangle and its image after a translation, select the translation vector that describes the translation.
Select the coordinates of the image of the point (-3, 2) after the translation [-4, -3].
Select the coordinates of the image of the point (0, 5) after a translation [3, -8].
The coordinates of the vertices of DABC are A(2, -2), B(4, 0), and C(3, 5).
Select the translation vector needed to move A to A¢(-3, 5).
For the triangle stated in Question 5, determine the coordinates of B¢ after the same translation.
For the triangle stated in Question 5, determine the coordinates of C¢ after the same translation.
DXYZ is transformed to DX¢Y¢Z¢ by applying the same transformation two times.
The coordinates of X are (-5, 4).
The vertices of the final image are at X¢¢(1, 0), Y¢¢(5, -3) and Z¢¢(2, -7).
Continuing with the problem stated in Question 8, determine the coordinates of vertex Y.
Continuing with the problem stated in Question 8, determine the coordinates of vertex Z.
| 2019-04-22T18:10:54 |
http://mathk8.nelson.com/math8/quizzes/math8quizzes/m8ch7l2.htm
|
0.998494 |
As marijuana's status has changed legally and in the opinions of many people across America, there's no doubt that dogs are getting stoned too. It's happening both when owners purposefully give it to their dogs and when they accidentally ingest it.
Cases of stoned dogs have increased since medial marijuana started to be legalized in certain states in the mid-2000s, the ASPCA and Pet Poison Hotline both reported to BuzzFeed.
Although, it's not clear if this increase is because more pets are getting high, said Dr. Tina Wismer, the medical director at the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center. This may be because "people are more willing to say 'Yeah, my dog got into my marijuana'" or because veterinarians are more aware of the issue and thus identifying it correctly more often, but either way it's clearly happening.
How do dogs get stoned?
People give marijuana to their pets to deal with medical problems and have said they are very pleased with the results, said Darlene Arden, who is a certified animal behavior consultant that advocates for medical marijuana for animals.
Owners have also found their dogs accidentally high after eating pot brownies and other edibles, as well as from eating the green, leafy marijuana buds.
Cannabinoids, the psychotropic compounds that get someone high, pass through people in their feces, so dogs also get exposed to marijuana by eating human poop. This happens most often in areas with large homeless populations, Wismer explained.
The impact of the weed on the dogs varies greatly depending on the weight and body size of the animals, Dr. Robin Downing, a Colorado doctor of veterinary medicine who is also a certified pain and rehabilitation practitioner, told BuzzFeed.
Dogs can also get high from secondhand smoke, just like a person can. Again the dog's size plays a role, but how high the dog gets depends on the concentration of smoke and how long the exposure is to the smoke.
"Was the smoke blown into their face?" Downing asked. "If the smoke was blown into their face, they might as well be smoking it themselves."
How does marijuana impact dogs?
Dogs who have been seen by vets after ingesting marijuana show the symptoms listed above. Although, "about 25% of animals, instead of being calm and relaxed, they are panting, pacing," Wismer said. "And they are quite distressed." This poses a challenge, because there's no way to know which dogs are going to be effected this way.
Size also plays an important role in how the cannabis effects dogs. "A 75-pound labrador retriever who gets into the stash, that dog is going to have a different experience than the 12-week-old, two-and-a-half-pound dachshund," said Downing.
She explained the small dachshund had gotten into the medical marijuana of her clients' son who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and is getting relief from medical marijuana, but the dog "nearly died" because of its young age and small size.
Can dogs die from marijuana?
They have to ingest a pretty large amount of weed to actually die, Downing said, but it doesn't necessarily take a lot to have an adverse effect.
"Their time in the emergency room on intravenous fluids and supportive care has varied from one day to three days," Downing said. Dogs who are more likely to die are those who are small, old, or very sick.
Two dogs have died from ingesting marijuana in the form of cannabis butter, a five-year study done by two Colorado veterinarian hospitals reported. The incidents were both related to marijuana-infused butter, called cannabutter, perhaps because of the process used to make it, which involves heat and alters the compounds.
Does medical marijuana work for dogs?
The debate over whether or not medical marijuana is beneficial for ailing pets is becoming an increasingly relevant topic, as many people are self-administrating medical marijuana to their pets and a few pot shops are even selling dog treats.
For the most part, the veterinarian community remains doubtful on this approach due to a lack of research, emphasizing that it is unknown what is appropriate dosages for dogs.
Before his death in August from cancer, so-called "vet guru" Doug Kramer was a vocal advocate for medical marijuana for animals.
Kramer first gave marijuana to his own Siberian husky when Nikita was 12 and suffering from chronic pain. The cannabinoids have similar effects on animals as to humans, with increased appetite and decreased nausea, Kramer said. It gave him six more weeks with his beloved dog before she died.
"I grew tired of euthanizing pets when I wasn't doing everything I could to make their lives better," he said in an interview with the Associated Press in June 2013. "I felt like I was letting them down."
Kramer prescribed one drop of liquid marijuana put in cheese for every 10 pounds of body weight, Darlene Arden said.
"AVMA (the American Veterinary Medical Association) will not approve it until there have been studies," Arden said to BuzzFeed. "I agree that there should be studies but at the same time, I don't think animals should have to wait years for treatment, for relief from pain and/or nausea."
Medical marijuana has offered pain relief to dogs suffering from arthritis, Arden said. She also mentioned that it has decreased nausea for dogs undergoing chemotherapy, while increasing their appetites. "It gives them quality of life," Arden added.
Will there be a future for medical marijuana?
"Absolutely yes," Downing said. She explained that cats and dogs have receptors in their nervous system called cannabinoids receptors that allow them to be effected from marijuana.
"They have the lock, if you will, and our job now is to find the key that fits that lock," Downing said. "And it's somewhere in the marijuana plant."
She thinks will open an entirely new door, "but it's going to require an awful lot of research before we have something that we can use reliably safely and consistently."
| 2019-04-22T21:57:09 |
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mbvd/everything-you-need-to-know-about-marijuana-and-your-dogs
|
0.999953 |
250은 삽질끝에 간신히 풀어내고.. 500은 왠지 greedy로 푸는사람이 있을것같아서..
미리 챌 데이타를 만들어 둔게 도움이 됐다..
grid will contain between 1 and 50 elements, inclusive.
Each element of grid will contain between 1 and 50 characters, inclusive.
Each element of grid will contain the same number of characters.
Each character in grid will be '.', '#' or '/'.
unfoldLimit will be between 1 and 2500, inclusive.
Examples 1 and 0 were explained in the problem statement.
주어진 그림에서 만들 수 있는 최대 직각 이등변 삼각형의 크기를 구하기.. 여기서 크기라함은 차지하고있는 cell의 개수이다.. 단 직각삼각형의 빗변은 모두 '/' 이어야 하고 내부는 모두 '#' 이어야 한다.. 그리고 직각삼각형의 임의의 선분이 외부의 '#' 와 만나서는 안된다.. '/' 로 되어있는 cell 은 최대 unfoldLimit 개 만큼 '#' 로 만들 수 있다..
임의의 cell에 대해서 정사각형의 upper left 와 lower right 점을 찍어서 가능한지 모두 체크한다..
1. 정사각형의 오른쪽 윗부분은 아무 종류의 cell이어도 상관없고..
2. 대각선에 걸치는 cell은 모두 '/' 이어야 한다..
3. 그리고 오른쪽 아래는 '#' 이어야 하고 '/' 일 경우 fold 를 하나 쓰게 된다..
4. 마지막으로 이 정사각형 오른쪽과 아래쪽 경계 외부에 이웃한 cell은 모두 '#' 이 아니어야 한다..
이렇게 만들 수 있는 정사각형 중 가장 큰게 답이 된다..
코드에 고심한 흔적이 철철 넘치지 않는가..?
The final score would be 4*16 + 6*1 = 70.
grid will contain between 1 and 10 elements, inclusive.
Each element of grid will contain between 1 and 25 characters, inclusive.
All elements of grid will contain the same number of characters.
Each element of grid will contain only '.' or '1' (one).
This is the example from the statement.
It is not possible to place any '4' bricks in this setup.
하나의 16점짜리 4 by 4 block이 있고 하나에 1점짜리 1 by 1 block이 있다.. 주어진 board에서 이미 채원지는거는 어쩔수 없고 빈 공간을 이 두가지 block으로 채워서 최대 많은 점수를 먹기..
The number contains at most n digits.
The number does not contain four consecutive '4' digits. For example, 43444124 is allowed, but 45444474 is not.
The number of digits in the number is not a multiple of any of the integers greater than 10 that contain only '4' in their decimal representations (44, 444, 4444, 44444, ...).
Return the total count of these numbers modulo 1000000007.
n will be between 1 and 40000000000 (4e10), inclusive.
Of all the 9999 positive integers containing 1, 2, 3 or 4 digits, 4444 is the only one that contains four consecutive '4' digits.
The numbers to ignore are: 4444, 44440, 44441, 44442, ..., 44449, 14444, 24444, 34444, 54444, ... , 94444.
88 is a multiple of 44, so all numbers with 88 digits are ignored.
| 2019-04-24T11:55:00 |
https://helloneo.pe.kr/282?category=74777
|
0.999861 |
"Beyond the Sea" maintains the same indirect tradition seen earlier this year in "De Lovely," in which a famous talent seems to stand off in the shadows while his memories manifest in the form of a stage musical. In what can essentially be described as a "This is Your Life" technique, audiences are forced to accept the impression that there are no cameras or scripts around dictating the movement of the narrative in front of them - instead, life itself wants to play out unhindered right in front of our eyes, as if the characters are playing puppeteer with their own recollections so that ordinary instances are made into glossy moments without seeming obviously recreated. Make sense? Of course it doesn't, and such an approach was certainly part of the problem with the recent Cole Porter film biography (among other things). The questions are often too great to be skipped over. What reality are these people in? Are they stuck somewhere between consciousness and dream? And how can anyone remember so vividly the fine details of their own past? The immediate dilemma facing Kevin Spacey, who both directs and stars in this biopic about singer Bobby Darin, is that his source material is required to reference the famed celebrity's untimely death. Therefore, if there is demise here, how can a persona plausibly look back at his life after the fact? What is the ground rule, exactly?
In whatever case, after witnessing this twice, one has to wonder if this is new route that filmmakers are embracing when it comes to cinematic biographies will ever be able to have legs. It's simply too weird for its own good, a tactic that demands too much logic be left behind for something so forthright in its element of narrative truth. Luckily for "Beyond the Sea," however, Spacey seems to have studied these problems enough to come up with a surprisingly-effective counterattack: he clearly indicates that his film is a "fictionalized" account of the life of Darin, and therefore thins out most of the established realism. And if that isn't enough to actually benefit his movie, then consider this also: 1) he both looks and sounds like an authentic Darin, and therefore comes off as convincing in the role; and 2) he deals with surprisingly interesting aspects of the source's life rather than completely abandoning him to all kinds of overzealous musical fanfare. You can't say that you're totally okay with the premise's framework, but at least the entrails have been shaped into something manageable.
The thing about Darin that perhaps appeals most to anyone is not the fact that he could sing circles around many of his professional early 60s competitors, but the fact that he was a survivor - and then ultimately a casualty - to physical restriction. At age seven he came down with a terrible case of rheumatic fever, and was subsequently told by both doctors and relatives that his life would probably be cut short in his early teens. But those years came and went, and Bobby's weakened heart lasted long enough to take him farther into life… up to age 37, to be precise. By that point, of course, he managed to accomplish more in his life than most people ever get to, but reality kept him from fully outlasting the times, and when he died he had already long left behind the stardom spotlight. Does that make his story ultimately a tragedy? Maybe to him, but not to Spacey, who has shared such an enduring enthusiasm for this guy that he has long said he was born to play him on the big screen. His endeavor is a leading example as to why this is a personal history that should be regarded optimistically; by putting so much of himself into both the direction and the performance, Spacey proves that Darin's was a life important enough to glorify on celluloid, and was therefore a positive one instead of being entirely downbeat.
The script, co-written by Spacey with Lewis Colick, doesn't burden itself with the plot negatives for long, and once Bobby's bleak premise is established, the movie sends us right into his unlikely evolution. His mother, a woman constantly worried about the future (or potential lack thereof) of her son, introduces him to song and dance as a distraction from declining health and young Bobby is so receptive to the tap of piano keys and the intuitiveness of a vocal performance that he builds his life around them. Soon, needless to say, the fear of a young death fades and his love of the music is taken to a professional level - a recording contract is soon around the corner, and young popular audiences, looking for the next big thing of the moment, clamber to his heels. He also insists he wants to surpass Frank Sinatra… and indeed for a certain while, his path towards that lofty goal is a fairly consistent one (especially once he goes from just singing nightclub standards to writing his own songs, and then expands his credentials to acting in film). But as is the case with so many young and avid overachievers of his generation, the times changed too quickly for him to keep up - Vietnam broke out, the revolution of rock music went on to dominate pop culture, and suddenly there was just no longer a need for his kind of skill.
The movie represents these moments of triumph and collapse just as you expect it to: the drama is high when it needs to be, but the music is forced to take on a great weight between several acting interludes. Some of the numbers are real show-stoppers, such as when Darin woos the lovely Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth) on the set of one of their movies together with the film's title track. The periodic shift between straight performance and vibrant stage numbers is managed fairly well, but eventually it feels rather forced, especially in the final half. Consider, for instance, the last ten minutes of the film in which Darin, now aged and weakened by his condition, takes to the stage one last time in Las Vegas before he is sent off to the hospital. The traditional biopic would give us the full resolution; here, Spacey breaks from the deathbed scene and sends Bobby the performer into one more musical number, dancing alongside a kid who is, I guess, supposed to represent his childhood. The scene is well-choreographed and has a lot of vibrant energy, but at a point when the fate of the character is inevitable, it represents a shift in tone that is perhaps too drastic to be plausible.
The movie's saving grace ultimately lies in acting. Spacey is as convincing a Bobby Darin as he believed he was; he replicates both the look and the stage presence of his hero without being too over-the-top with the rendition, and his vocal performances, while not as consistent with the source as you would expect, are definitely up to a certain standard; this is an actor who could have easily had a respectable singing career. Bosworth, meanwhile, has a lot of fun playing Darin's wife Sandra Dee - especially in scenes that demand her to go over-the-top during domestic fights with her husband - and both Bob Hoskins and John Goodman do admirable jobs in minor roles that are basically there just to prop up the focal point. True, the movie is problematic and lacks a certain sense of purpose (is this a man who really deserves his own biopic, after all?), but the direction is dedicated, the performances credible, and the approach solid. This is not a great achievement by any means, but the director's consistent display of enthusiasm allows it to stay afloat long enough to get its point across.
| 2019-04-21T02:07:27 |
http://www.thecinemaphileblog.com/2004/12/beyond-sea-2004.html
|
0.999705 |
Can North Carolina finish what it started a season ago? Or will Gonzaga cap off a memorable season with its first national championship?
Both teams needed to survive late rallies in the Final Four to reach Monday night's national championship game. The Tar Heels missed four free throws in the final six seconds, but corralled offensive rebounds both times to edge Oregon 77-76. The Bulldogs fell behind after a 16-0 run by South Carolina, but held off the Gamecocks down the stretch for a 77-73 victory.
North Carolina (32-7) is making its second straight national championship game appearance and 11th overall. The Tar Heels are seeking their first NCAA Tournament title since winning it all in 2009.
Gonzaga (37-1) is making its first-ever title game appearance. The Bulldogs are the first West Coast Conference team to reach this point since San Francisco did it with Bill Russell in 1956. They are trying to become the first team to win a national title from a mid-major conference since UNLV won the tournament in 1990 out of the Big West.
North Carolina and Gonzaga met once previously in the NCAA Tournament, facing off in a Sweet 16 game in 2009. The Tar Heels routed the Bulldogs 98-77 on their way to winning their most recent national crown.
Keeping North Carolina off the glass is a chore for any team, but the Bulldogs need to win the battle of the boards. Failing to box out on missed free throws in the final seconds cost Oregon a chance to reach the championship game. The Tar Heels are used to imposing their will on the glass.
North Carolina entered the Final Four as the nation's leader in rebounding margin, collecting 13.0 more rebounds per game than its opponents. Kennedy Meeks leads the way with 9.3 boards per game. Meeks totaled 25 points and 14 rebounds against the Ducks, becoming one of just five players to post those numbers in a Final Four game in the last 40 years.
Gonzaga has enough size to match North Carolina around the rim. Przemek Karnowski and Zach Collins are both 7-footers who can take up space and hold their ground down low. Johnathan Williams and Nigel Williams-Goss are also skilled and tenacious at corralling loose balls. All four average between 5.7 and 6.6 rebounds per game. Collins, in particular, came up big against the Gamecocks. The freshman totaled 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks.
Beyond rebounding, the Bulldogs need to get Williams-Goss going early on offense. When the junior guard is in a rhythm, Gonzaga's offense is nearly impossible to slow down. He has scored 20-plus points six times in the postseason – including back-to-back 23 point outings against Xavier and South Carolina. Williams-Goss averages 16.7 points per game on 49 percent shooting this season.
The Tar Heels had to survive a ragged shooting performance from several key players against Oregon. Three starters – Isaiah Hicks, Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson – combined to shoot 5-of-34 (.147) from the floor against the Ducks. North Carolina cannot survive a similar shooting performance while facing Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs are one of the nation's elite defensive teams. Gonzaga allows just 61.2 points per game, which ranks in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense. Teams have major trouble shooting from long distance against the WCC champions, connecting on just 29.5 percent of their 3-point field goal attempts per game.
North Carolina has capable outside shooters in Berry, Justin Jackson, Luke Maye and Nate Britt. All four players shoot 33 percent or better from the perimeter with Maye leading the way at 41 percent. If they can get the outside shot to fall early, it will force Gonzaga to pull away from the basket and give Meeks, Jackson and Hicks more room to get to the rim and create high percentage shots.
The Tar Heels definitely need Meeks to come up big down low like he did against Oregon. The 6-foot-10 forward is their best option to counter the potential damage Collins and Karnowski can do around the rim.
Both North Carolina and Gonzaga had to survive close calls to reach this point and both teams are equally capable of finishing as champions. The Tar Heels and the Bulldogs mirror one another in so many ways. They have balanced offenses featuring multiple scoring threats. They also feature tough defenses that can hound opponents into bad shots and turnovers.
In the end, this championship game may feel like an eerie rerun from last season for North Carolina when the Tar Heels lost to Villanova on a buzzer-beater. Gonzaga is deep enough and talented enough to hang toe-to-toe with North Carolina for 40 minutes. The Bulldogs proved capable of surviving far tougher defenses from West Virginia and South Carolina. They're not going to be intimidated by the Tar Heels on either end.
Expect to see plenty of ties and lead changes down to the final minute. In the end, though, Gonzaga will make an extra play or two and cut down the nets in Arizona.
| 2019-04-26T12:50:44 |
https://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/gonzaga-bulldogs-vs-north-carolina-tar-heels-ncaa-tournament-national-championship-game-preview-prediction-2017
|
0.999909 |
Q: A friend was bitten by a centipede two years ago. The initial bite had holes and became very hard and red. Within a short time his lower arm was red and swollen. His doctor put him on prednisone, and he hasn't been able to quit taking the medication since. Whenever he tries to reduce the dosage, his legs became very painful and walking becomes very difficult. The doctors can't seem to find any way to relieve his symptoms. Do you know if the venom of the centipede would act like this and stay in a person's system for so long? He was 73 at the time, and I think he was bitten more than once.
A: Centipedes are venomous, but not fatally so. Some people have a severe reaction to the properties in centipede venom, as your friend did, and others have no reaction at all. I get bitten several times a year because I frequently handle centipedes, but my symptoms are very mild. I feel a burning sensation for about 10 minutes after the bite and that's all.
Having said that, I don't recommend that anyone pick up centipedes, although I doubt that many people would even if I did recommend it. I have also been bitten by venomous snakes, scorpions, spiders, bees, wasps and just about everything else that bites and stings, including rats, bats, cats and even once a moray eel.
Q: I have maggots all over my garage floor. They seem to have started in a trash bag and scattered throughout the garage. Is there anything I can do besides pour hot water on them?
A: Hot water is your best bet for the maggots you can find. There is no reason to use pesticides on them. You will want to make sure there isn't any organic material in the garage they can feed on that will enable them to pupate and complete their life cycle. If this happens you will have a garage full of flies. Even so, if the flies do develop they will shortly die off if there is no food source available to allow them to reproduce. Fly control is fairly easy if you can identify the breeding material and eliminate it.
Q: Barn swallows have built a nest over my front door. This is not a good place for this to happen. I have taken the hose to the mud they leave. I have also knocked a nest down with a broom. But they keep coming back. The mess is unbelievable. What can I do to discourage them? A: There isn't much you can do.
A few things would be to make sure the surface of the wall they are nesting on is smooth. They will not nest on a smooth surface but prefer stucco. You could fasten a piece of sheet metal or plastic where they are nesting to discourage them, but they will probably just move to another part of the building. You can't kill them because they are protected, and you can't even use a hose on them when they have fledglings in the nest. Perhaps installing a screen to exclude them may help if it is possible.
| 2019-04-25T14:59:25 |
https://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/article/It-s-best-not-to-let-the-bad-bugs-bite-2770202.php
|
0.999792 |
Modern anti-torpedo weapons work by creating an explosion in the path of the incoming torpedo, disabling or destroying it.
This torpedo would search for potential incoming countermeasures and fire a rocket to stop itself dead in the water at the right time to avoid likely explosions. It would then speed up again and continue to seek its target.
It goes into surly teenager mode, and paints the inside of the torpedo tube black?
Excellent technology for didn't-mean-to-hit-that-button nuclear incidents, if you just want it to perch on a tree or hide in a swamp somewhere in North Carolina for a time.
You mean use a reaction motor to decelerate ?
Have you ever wondered why, after all this time, torpedoes are still propelled by screws, rather than rockets (Russian supercavitators excepted) ?
A screw would let you stop and back up. Do torpedoes do that? Because that is the idea here, I think.
You could just have a random path torpedo which swoops and dives unpredictably on the way to the ship.
Or how about one that sneaks along the bottom and comes straight up from below? Like the Red Baron but upsidedown. An explosion directly below the ship would make a rough ride, whether from torpedo or countermeasure.
Got some examples? Not that I doubt you, I just can't find much information on the subject, other than some oblique references to "hard kill" modes for lightweight torpedos to be used in the anti-torpedo role. Are there any dedicated systems?
If you want to stop the torpedo, drogues would work pretty well, and you could get lots of them on one torpedo.
Suspect some military somewhere is working on some smaller, flocking torpedoes that follow different paths to the target, then group together before detonation.
Some rumour about a Chinese supercavitating submarine, which sounds interesting. But, the launch speed is high, so if it stops, a devil to get it up to high speed again..
They do not. The screw of a torpedo is powered by a turbine that spins only in one direction and once started does not stop until it runs out of propellant. Stopping or reversing the torpedo might be possible by remotely altering blade pitch, but (I'm guessing) it would take more energy than a conventional torpedo motor is capable of delivering, and restarting would not be possible.
On the other hand, there are torpedo-like vehicles that perform as this idea describes: they're called 'unmanned submersibles', and they are slow and easily countered or avoided. You might as well pack a rowboat with gunpowder.
Al Qaeda tried that, didn't they?
We have turbine engines that can be stopped and started arbitrarily. They're used in some series hybrid road vehicles. Changing the speed and direction of the propeller while maintaining the speed and direction of the turbine is also possible; just use a transmission, continuously variable if necessary.
And controlling the pitch of the propeller's blades is easy; there are now a few quadcopters that do that for each of their four rotors independently. The shallower the pitch commanded, the less torque necessary to turn the propeller at a given speed. (At zero pitch, the torque is also (almost) zero, because it's not propelling.) So pitch control could only make it easier, not harder, on the engine.
I imagine all of this would be controlled by an onboard autopilot, like pretty much all guided missilesand, I assume, some torpedoesuse.
OTOH, if you wanted to do this with an underwater missile like the Shkval, it would be considerably harder. To be able to stop and start, you need a hybrid or liquid rocket, solid rockets being unthrottleable, as well as some kind of ignitor (or a hypergolic propellant combination). The supercavity would collapse upon stopping; I don't know if the missile would be able to achieve a high enough speed to reestablish it while experiencing lots of drag from the water. Low-speed maneuverability could be achieved using thrust vectoring (which Shkval 2 is rumored to have) with the rocket at low throttle.
Mildly interestingly, I misremembered the Shkval's method of control. This is what I had thought: It has only a small flat plate on its nose that can be tilted in one axis only. This is the only part that contacts the water; its angle deflects the missile one way or the other. The whole missile rolls continuously to enable it to adjust its pitch and yaw alternately (sinusoidally alternately).
This is how it actually works, according to Wikipedia: It has four fins (text) or several rods (photo) on its tail end that can be extended or retracted. These dip into the water outside the supercavity, implementing differential drag.
It clearly does have some kind of tilting plate on its nose, though.
| 2019-04-21T14:39:11 |
http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/More_20evasive_20torpedo
|
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