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+{"content": "Unemployment and Productivity, Slowdowns and Speed-Ups: Evidence Using Common Shifts\n\nPublished in The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, 2009, Vol. 9 : Iss. 1 (Topics), Article 39. DOI information: 10.2202/1935-1690.1818.\n\nKeywords: productivity slowdown, growth, NAIRU level, common shifts\n\nDownload manuscript version January 2009 (PDF)\n\nThe Python/Numpy code for the co-breaking analysis is in the file cobreakprototype_web.py, which has a docstring at the top with explanations. To use it you also need the auxiliary file helpers.py and put it next to the other one, meaning in the same directory/folder.\n\nAbstract: We investigate the controversial issue whether unemployment is related to productivity growth in the long run, using U.S. data in a framework of infrequent mean shifts. Univariate tests find (endogenously dated) shifts in 1974, 1986, and 1996. System co-breaking techniques indicate that the shifts are common features, and the implied long-run link between the two variables is negative. Therefore the secular decline of unemployment since the mid 1990's indeed seems related to higher average productivity growth. The initial and final regimes are essentially equal, which would be compatible with explanations of the productivity slowdown that point to historical learning costs of information technology adoption.\n\n(Latest update: October 2017)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9925260543823242}
+{"content": "14.02 - 26.03.2017\n\nArt-space ArtUkraine Gallery\n\n\nKyiv, Ukraine\n\n\nA joint exhibition of three famous Ukrainian artists - Oleg Tistol, Mykola Matsenko and Roman Minin.\n\n\"Contemporary art is the logistics of meanings\", the artists say and immediately invite the viewer to play with meanings, beginning with the very title of the project.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999987483024597}
+{"content": "December 9, 2015\n\nSeven Questions About Climate Change\n\nClimate change is at the top of the agenda of policymakers as they gather inParis for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP21. Climate change is a threat to the very survival of humanity. Notwithstanding the severity of the threat, actions to halt climate change have been scant and uneven across countries. This Q&A article provides brief answers to seven questions about climate change, its consequences, and the coordination for developing mitigation strategies.[1]\n\nQuestion 1: What is climate change?\n\nClimate change refers to changes in the patterns of the overall climate of the earth. It can refer to changes in the Earth’s average temperature and precipitation patterns. Among them, the gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and its oceans is often referred to as global warming (see Figure 1), and the potential causes and consequences from global warming have been the main focus of many discussions.\n\nSome causes of climate change are natural. These include changes in the Earth’s orbit and in the amount of energy coming from the sun. Volcanic eruptions are also natural causes of climate change. There is however a consensus among scientists that recent global warming cannot be explained by nature alone.\n\nHuman activity is another source of climate change. Most scientists argue that global warming since the mid nineteenth century is mostly due to the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) that constitute today’s major sources of energy for the global economy. The burning of these fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the air.[2]\n\nQuestion 2: Is there evidence of global warming?\n\nThe average temperature of the Earth has risen by a little more than one degree Fahrenheit over the past 100 years or so. It may not seem like much, but small changes in the Earth’s average temperature can lead to big consequences. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report concludes, that “the human influence on the climate system is clear and is evident from the increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, positive radiative forcing, observed warming, and understanding of the climate system.\n\nThere is a strong scientific consensus that the global climate is changing and that human activity contributes significantly to this trend. According to Cook and others (2013), 97 percent or more of climate scientists agree that this is due to human activity—notably, emissions of carbon dioxide.\n\nConsidering that carbon emissions are chiefly caused by the burning of fossil fuels following the industrial revolution, human activity is seen as playing a key role in global warming. Scientists find that around 1950, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached its highest point in 650,000 years and has been increasing with dramatic speed since then (see Figure 2). The carbon lifecycle and deforestation have made it harder to resorb carbon dioxide. Oceans absorb carbon dioxide and this in turn leads to acidification. Changes in the ocean’s ecology then destroys coral reef habitats.\n\nQuestion 3: What are the economic and social consequences of global warming?\n\nGlobal warming can cause climatic catastrophes. Global warming leads to rising sea levels, melting of glaciers, and ice sheets; and these changes, in turn, affect precipitation patterns. The severity and frequency of hurricanes and storms also increase as a result. These catastrophes include irreversible events. For example, permafrost melting allows previously frozen organic matter to release potentially large amounts of methane.\n\nThe social consequences of global warming can be dramatic. While air pollution associated with use of coal and oil has consequences on the immediate health and wellbeing of individuals, the resulting global warming can affect human and animal livelihoods by endangering and even destroying their habitat.[3] Global warming can thus trigger famines, mass movement of populations, and endanger animal species directly; and it can also alter the balance of ecosystems indirectly.\n\nGlobal warming disproportionately affects vulnerable groups and certain territories. For example, islands and coastal areas are the most threatened loci because of rising sea-levels. Individuals living in rural areas in poor countries are also disproportionately affected by climate change because they are more reliant on natural resources and the environment for their subsistence (see e.g., World Bank, 2011).\n\nClimate change and global warming reduces economic growth and slows economic activity in different ways.[4] For example, global warming can affect agriculture in two ways. First, it can destroy agricultural harvests. Second, it can also affect agricultural productivity permanently. Beyond agriculture, global warming can damage infrastructure, raise health costs and insurance premia, and cause financial stress. The disorder caused by socioeconomic tensions, including mass migration and conflicts, resulting from global warming can also deter foreign investment, and, hence, reduce growth.\n\nContinue reading here.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9575464129447937}
+{"content": "HC Deb 06 May 1901 vol 93 c777\nMR. MURNAGHAN (Tyrone, Mid)\n\nI beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether it is the intention of the Department to effect changes in connection with the Omagh Military Barracks, one of which is the establishment of a cavalry depot there; is it proposed to increase barrack accommodation by the erection of additional buildings; and has the land necessary for the purpose yet been obtained.\n\n\nThere is no intention of establishing a cavalry depôt at Omagh, nor is there any present intention of increasing the barrack accommodation.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8539608716964722}
+{"content": "Galleries 2007\n\nPlease note: Every effort was made to determine the photographers of the images reproduced on this site, but many remain unattributed. If one of these is yours, please let us know so that we can either attribute it correctly, or remove it.\n\nSimilarly, permission was sought from persons identifiable in the photographs, particularly those taken indoors, but again, some were missed. Please let us know if one of these images is at issue so we can either add identification or remove the image.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995505213737488}
+{"content": "Corporate Risk-Taking and the Decline of Personal Blame\n\n\n\nThere is confusion and ambiguity over what corporate risk-taking is excessive. Corporate governance law already covers, and subjects managers to personal liability for engaging in, certain types of excessive risk-taking. But it does not cover the type of increasingly common risk-taking that led to the financial crisis—risk-taking that could have systemic consequences to the financial system. Until that crisis, a firm’s managers were viewed as agents for—and thus corporate risk-taking was assessed by its potential impact on—the firm’s investors, focusing on the balance between risk-seeking shareholders and more risk-averse creditors. Excessive risk-taking was therefore implicitly viewed as risk-taking that violated that balance; in practice, that was relatively easy to assess because, absent actual or contingent insolvency, managers owed their duty solely to the shareholders.\n\nSystemic risk, however, is complicating that assessment. A systemically important firm’s failure can harm not only its investors but also, by triggering a systemic collapse, the public at large. As a result, firms engage in transactions that are expected to be profitable even though their failure could increase systemic risk, since much of the harm from a resulting systemic collapse would be externalized. The article argues that corporate governance law should require managers to take that externalized harm into account, in order to protect the public. That could be done by viewing a firm’s managers as agents for—thereby assessing corporate risk-taking by its potential impact on—all of the affected parties, the public as well as the firm’s investors. Given that reformulation of corporate governance law, the article examines how managers could assess the impact of risk-taking on the public and also how they could attempt to balance that impact with the impact on investors.\n\nJust as corporate governance law already subjects managers to personal liability for engaging in certain types of excessive risk-taking, the article argues that managers should be subject to liability for engaging in excessive systemic risk-taking. In traditional corporate governance, shareholder derivative suits are the primary means to impose liability on managers. Shareholders would have no interest, however, in imposing liability on managers of their firm for externalizing systemic harm. Therefore, the government, by default, should have the right to impose that liability. The article also examines whether managers being exposed to that liability should be protected by the business judgment rule (and concludes they should).\n\nFinally, the article analyzes less direct ways to impose personal liability to deter excessive systemic risk-taking. For example, by protecting a firm’s shareholders from the firm’s liabilities (except to the extent of invested capital), corporate limited liability fosters moral hazard, leading to excessive corporate risk-taking. In the past, corporate limited liability was justified because (by addressing shareholder risk aversion) it encourages equity-capital investment, and its potential for harm was thought to be limited to the firm’s investors. The externalized systemic harm associated with the rise of shadow banking shifts that balance radically, however. Because shadow-banking firms are often managed directly by their primary shareholders, who are entitled to a significant share of their firm’s profits but are protected under limited liability from losing more than their invested capital if the risk turns out poorly, those shareholder-managers have strong incentives to take high risks that could generate outsized profits. Moreover, the failure of a shadow-banking firm is likely to have systemic consequences: shadow banks not only engage in financial intermediation on which the real economy is dependent but also are highly interconnected with traditional banks. To help reduce these systemically risk-taking incentives, the article proposes narrowing the limited liability protection of shareholder-managers who have the power to control their shadow-banking firms.\n\nThe full article is available for download here.\n\nBoth comments and trackbacks are currently closed.\n  • Subscribe or Follow\n\n  • Supported By:\n\n  • Program on Corporate Governance Advisory Board\n\n  • Programs Faculty & Senior Fellows", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.88749760389328}
+{"content": "Tag Archive: Arunachala\n\n\n\nBy Sharon St Joan\n\n\nNo serious person in the modern world really believes that rocks are conscious. There are a few exceptions which we’ll come to in a moment.\n\n\nWatching the TV series, The Universe, being shown on the H2 channel, one can absorb fascinating facts. Underneath the vast atmosphere of Jupiter, for example, lies an ocean – not an ordinary ocean, but an ocean of hydrogen that is brighter than the sun and intensely blue, also hotter than the surface of the sun.\n\n\n\n\nIn between the planets of the solar system lie immensely vast spaces, so large as to be incomprehensible – and far vaster distances separate the galaxies from each other. The universe is expanding. Not only is it expanding, but the rate of expansion, counter-intuitively, is speeding up, not slowing down. Our galaxy is zooming at an ever increasing rate of speed away from all other galaxies. Eventually they will be so distant that we will no longer see them. All light will go out, and the universe will come to a cold, dark end. Or so science tells us – unless we accept another theory, that the universe will collapse in on itself to end in a great crunch, and then expand outwards again.\n\n\nIn short, “modern science” presents us with what may seem to be a picture of the universe that is cold, dark, lonely, pointless, and doomed (albeit with flashes of the spectacular and dramatic, but doomed nonetheless).\n\n\nIs it possible though that this is not so much a depiction of actual reality, as it is a reflection of the dysfunctional human psyche of the modern world — a condition towards which we have devolved over the past few thousand years? After all, is it impossible that the state of our collective psyche might color our collective perception of external reality? Just a thought.\n\n\nSo we are told that, in the midst of this desert of lifelessness called the universe, are tiny islands of awareness, we humans – and today, many scientists accept the concept that there may be alien life forms on other planets, who have evolved other civilizations. We may or may not ever be able to contact them, and if or when we do, we may find them to be either friendly or hostile. Or they may be all around us all the time in other dimensions, who knows?\n\n\nAs for the animals that share the earth with us, most humans, whether fond of animals or not, assume that they are a lower life form, and somewhat less important than ourselves. When wildlife biologists talk about the populations of birds increasing or decreasing, an individual bird with her own life and awareness, does not rank very high in the scheme of things as we see it from our human perspective. We do tend to care about species that teeter on the verge of extinction, especially the large charismatic ones, the tigers or the elephants, but the odd orange beetle or the obscure blue butterfly doesn’t really catch our attention.\n\n\nAs for plants, people who feel an affection for trees are generally considered quite odd. Though, on the other hand, when tall, old beautiful trees that line city streets are cut down one day by an insensitive city planner, the level of public outcry can be deafening.\n\n\nIn December, 2015, Nguyen The Thao, the head of the Hanoi People’s Committee, in Vietnam, was forced to step down following public outrage over his plan to cut down 6,000 famous, ancient trees lining the streets of the capitol. There have been similar incidents of public rage over felling trees in the U.S. and worldwide.\n\n\nIn the year 1730, the Bishnois, in India, often called the world’s first environmentalists, sacrificed their lives to protect the beloved trees of their village. The king had sent his soldiers to fell the trees to make way for a temple he was building. One by one, the people of the village stood between the soldiers and the trees, and one by one, they were killed defending their trees. Eventually, at the end of the day, the king arrived. Witnessing the numbers of people lying dead, he relented and ordered his soldiers to stop. By this time 363 brave men and women had heroically given their lives to protect their forest. To this day, the Bishnois, in northern India, are known for protecting trees and animals.\n\n\nWhere does this leave us? Well, basically, apart from a few “tree-huggers” and a much larger and growing number of animal activists, the predominant worldview – particularly in academic or scientific circles – is still that humans are important – and anything else may be moderately important in relation only to humans.\n\n\nThe planet Mars may be important because after we have destroyed the earth we live on, we may be able to colonize Mars by terra-forming it and making it suitable for us to live on. This seems to be an official view of NASA and a goal of space exploration.\n\n\nOn October 9, 2009, NASA bombed the moon by sending two rockets crashing into the moon’s south pole. The intent was for the impact to throw up clouds of debris in which water might be found. In terms of planning a future base on the moon, water would be very useful.\n\n\nTo all ancient peoples on the earth the moon is a divine, sacred being and bombing her is a sacrilegious act. NASA scientists and engineers did not seem troubled by this.\n\n\n\n\nThe ancient Mesopotamians worshipped Sin as the moon god. The Japanese called him Tsukyyomi. The ancient Egyptian god, Thoth, was a lunar deity. The Mayans revered Awilix as the goddess of the moon, although she was sometimes referred to as male. The Micmacs, a Canadian, Algonquian tribe, say that the dark spots on the moon are spots of clay left there when rabbit had caught the moon in a trap, then was forced to release him when the moon threatened him. Many Asian peoples see a rabbit in the moon, rather than a “man in the moon.” It seems that all neolithic and paleolithic peoples worshipped the moon, the sun, and the planets, seeing them as divine beings. One can find traces of this ancient worship today in living religions.\n\n\nOf course, these days we all know better and do not believe such nonsense – or do we? How exactly has science been able to prove that the moon, the sun, the planets, and the galaxies are inert, unconscious, entirely physical, and totally non-spiritual beings that have absolutely not a grain of consciousness among them? Have you seen any proof of this? You haven’t, and neither have I. This assumption of a lack of consciousness on the part of heavenly beings is just exactly that – an assumption, nothing more.\n\n\nThere is simply nothing “scientific” about the assertion that only humans and maybe higher animals have consciousness.\n\n\nAll the world’s ancient systems of knowledge maintained the opposite – that indeed the great beings of the night skies are conscious and aware, that they have a real power and an identity, that they are beings, not things.\n\n\nIn Tamil Nadu, in southern India, at Thiruvannamalai, there is a mountain named Arunachala. The mountain has been worshipped as sacred for thousands of years and is said to be Lord Shiva. It is not that Lord Shiva lives within the mountain, but instead Lord Shiva is the mountain.\n\n\n\n\nIn Australia, a massive, one thousand foot high rock, rising straight up out of the plains in the central part of the country is called Uluru, and is known to the native peoples as a sacred mountain – which has been there since the dreamtime. To them, reality is a dream, and the ancient perceptions of their ancestors represented a higher, truer form of reality. Who is to say that they are wrong?\n\n\nInyan Kara is the highest peak of the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. To the Lakota Sioux and other nearby native peoples, all the Black Hills were sacred and were the home of the thunder gods and the Great Spirit. The destruction of these hills to create the Mount Rushmore carvings is seen by them as the desecration of a holy place.\n\n\nIt is difficult, even for modern humans, not to feel awestruck in the majestic presence of towering stone cliffs – or sometimes even in the presence of small little rocks that seem to invoke some special presence, that may seem to “speak.”\n\n\nFrom where do we gather the impression that these are not great beings, when our instincts tell us that indeed they are sacred beings? Being sacred, are they not also conscious, are they not gods or goddesses? Is not the earth itself a living, sacred being – mother to all of us? There is a voice within us that calls to us to acknowledge and feel a sense of reverence towards these ancient ones – these great rock entities worshipped the world over by our ancestors, these rocks and mountains who perhaps know far more, with a knowledge and perception deeper and more profound, than we small humans could ever imagine or have any grasp of.\n\n\n\n\nTop photo: Sakthiprasanna / Wikimedia Commons/ This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. / Arunachala at Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.\n\n\nSecond photo: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), A. Nota (ESA/STScI), and the Westerlund 2 Science Team / NASA, public domain / Cluster and star-forming region Westerlund 2.\n\n\nThird photo: E. A. Rodrigues / Wikipedia Commons / The Hindu god Chandra riding in his chariot.\n\n\nFourth photo: Mark Andrews / Wikimedia Commons / This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. / Uluru, the Northern Territory, Australia.\n\n\n\n\nTo read about the public outcry over the felling of 6,000 trees in Vietnam, click here.\n\n\nTo read about the world’s first environmentalists, the Bishnois, click here.\n\n\nTo read about NASA’s bombing of the moon, click here.\n\n\n\n\n\nsidepathnearSri Arunachaleswarar TempleIMG_6455 2\n\n\n\n\n\n\npillared hall, gopuramIMG_6416 2\n\n\n\n\nSivagangai Vinayagar Sannathi IMG_6407 2\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSriArunachaleswarar templeIMG_6413 2\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTop photo: A side path near the temple.\n\n\nThird photo: Sivagangai Vinayagar Sannathi, part of the temple.\n\nFourth phtoto: Gopuram of the Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple\n\n1000Hall-Meenakshi Temple\n\nContinued from Part One. To read Part One first, click here.\n\n\nAfter the experience of enlightenment which came upon him suddenly, at the age of seventeen, Ramana lost all interest in school, in his friends, and in his daily life.  He went every day to the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, where he spent hours lost in worship, with tears streaming from his eyes.  His older brother, Nagaswami, worried about him and, frustrated by his lack of interest in his schoolwork, spoke with him about it, saying that he was behaving like a sadhu, a Hindu holy man or wandering ascetic. He intended, with this comparison, to shake his younger brother out of a passing phase. Instead, Ramana thought to himself that there was more truth to his brother’s words than he knew, and shortly thereafter, he left home and set out on his train ride to Arunachala.\n\nRamana lived at several different sites near Arunachala over the years.  While he was living at Gurumurtam, a temple about a mile outside of Tiruvannamalai, his family discovered his whereabouts.  It is customary for a person who wishes to become a sannaysi (a holy man) to ask permission from his family, specifically his mother. Ramana had not done this.  His family had no idea where he was or what had become of him.  In the months after his arrival though, news spread, and people began to hear about the odd young monk who did not speak and who spent all his time in devotion.\n\nat the foot of ArunachalaIMG_6401 2\n\nWhen his family discovered his whereabouts, his uncle arrived one day to beg him to return home, saying that they would all respect his ascetic way of life.  Ramana did not reply. He sat still without moving or speaking, until after a while his uncle gave up and went away.\n\nAsking permission from one’s mother before setting out to become a holy person isn’t just a custom, it’s an imperative.  India, historically, is a land of many saints, and so rules have grown up for becoming one. Obedience to one’s parents is taught in the earliest Hindu books, the Vedas, and it is a pillar of Indian society.  This strong thread of obedience has been the power at the root of Indian culture and civilization.\n\nRamana’s mother, who loved him, was not going to give him permission to leave home.  Her husband, Ramana’s father, who had died not long before, had been an attorney. Their family held a respected place in society, and if their son set out on his own, who knew where he might end up?  The young man might become a destitute wondering monk, living on the streets or in the forests.  Such a life couldn’t even be considered. She felt he must give up his wild, unrealistic dreams and settle down to lead a normal life and assume proper responsibilities.\n\nRamana, for his part, must have understood all too clearly that his family would oppose any request of his to leave home to embark on such an uncertain future. But, truly, his spirit had already left. He was no longer the student pouring over his lessons or the schoolboy on the sports field; his soul had been carried away and he was rapt in devotion to the Gods, for hour upon hour, day upon day. He inhabited another world, and he would never be able to turn back to occupy himself with the daily concerns of normal life. He had been called by God to live in a different world, a different universe.\n\nFor this reason, he had simply left, in silence.  Silence was to be his way for many years.  It is the chosen way of teaching by Lord Shiva in the form of Dakshinamurthy, the guru who teaches through silence.  Ramana was often likened to Dakshinamurthy.\n\nIn 1898, Ramana moved to the Shiva temple at Pavalakkunru, to the east of Arunachala.  There his mother, Alagammal and his older brother Nagaswami came to see him in December of 1898.  They stayed for several days, and every single day his mother pleaded with him to come back home.  She even appealed to his devotees, trying to enlist their help, and one of them asked Ramana to write down a reply to his mother, since he would not speak.  He wrote words to this effect:  “What will be will be, and what will not be will never be.  Therefore the wisest course is silence.”\n\nnear the slopes of ArunachalaIMG_6402 2\n\nSaddened by this response, his mother and her older son left shortly afterwards to return home.\n\nThe next February, Ramana moved to live on the slopes of Arunachala itself, in the Virupaksha Cave where he lived for the next seventeen years.\n\nThe numbers of visitors grew and grew.  In 1911, a British visitor, who served as a policeman in India, wrote several articles about Ramana, which appeared in the International Psychic Gazette.  The numbers of western visitors and devotees increased greatly from that time on.\n\nIn 1916, both his mother, Alagammal, and his younger brother came to join him to live permanently at Arunachala. He moved to a larger cave, where he lived near them for the next six years.  His mother became a sannyasin (a holy person), and his brother a sunnayasi.  Alagammal took charge of the kitchen of the ashram, and Ramana spent many hours of his time with her, giving her spiritual instruction.\n\nAlagammal lived only until 1920. On the day she was dying, Ramana stayed with her throughout the day, then after her death at around eight in the evening, Ramana said to everyone present that she had left to go beyond the bounds of earth, having achieved enlightenment.  She was buried in a shrine, and the word Matrbhuteshwara was written there, which means “Shiva as mother.”\n\nThe Ashram Sri Ramanasramam grew up around his mother’s tomb, and Ramana lived at that site until he died in 1950.\n\nSri Ramanasramam Ashram grew to include many buildings; a hospital, a library, and a post office, as well as others.  Ramana found that he had a natural talent for planning buildings; the building construction was supervised by Annamalai Swami following Ramana’s instructions.\n\nIt was there at the ashram that Ramana lived a simple life, sitting in the hall, teaching his disciples and visitors or walking along the hillsides.\n\nTo be continued in Part Three …\n\nTop photo: Gopi Rajaseharan (Zingzoo at en.wikipedia) / Wikipedia Commons / “This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Zingzoo at the English Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide.” /1000 Pillar Hall at the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai.\n\nSecond photo: © Sharon St Joan, 2013 / At the foot of Arunachala.\n\nThird photo: © Sharon St Joan, 2013 / Near the slopes of Arunachala.\n\n\n“Your college fees have not been paid, here are the two rupees.” Venkataraman’s older brother, Nagaswami, had given him five rupees, asking him to pay his school fees.  Instead, on September 1 of 1896, leaving his brother this brief note, Venkataraman Iyer, who would become known to the world as the Hindu saint, Ramana Maharshi, left his home near Madurai, in the south of Tamil Nadu, using the remaining three rupees to pay his fare to take a train north. He would never return.\n\nHe was just seventeen. Looking out the window of the speeding train, he watched the green countryside slip by, where men, and women in colorful sarees, worked in rice and vegetable fields.\n\nAfter many hours, he reached his destination, the little temple town of Tirunnamalai. There overlooking the town was Arunachala, the sacred mountain, who is Lord Shiva.  Arunachala rises, a sheer rock towering above the surrounding plain that can be seen for miles. When he’d first heard of Arunachala, he had been mesmerized by the sound of the name. It sounded melodic and magical.\n\nLong ago, it is said that the two great Gods, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu, were having a dispute over which one was the greatest.  The argument went on and on with no clear winner.  Then the site where they stood was engulfed in a huge flame that reached from the center of the earth up to the tipmost top of the heavens. Witnessing this awesome display of Shiva’s cosmic power, Brahma took the form of a swan and flew up to try to reach the top of the flame, which stretched up to infinity. Vishnu, in his form as a boar, dug far down, to reach the bottom of the flame, but it too was out of reach. Both Brahma and Vishnu withdrew, conceding that Shiva was far more powerful than either of them.  Over time, the immense flame that had manifested cooled and formed the mountain that is Arunachala.\n\nArunachala editedIMG_6378 2\n\nLater on in his life, Sri Ramana Maharshi, who had been the boy Ventakaram, would write, “Arunachala is truly the holy place. Of all holy places it is the most sacred! Know that it is the heart of the world. It is truly Siva himself! It is his heart-abode, a secret kshetra (sacred place). In that place the Lord ever abides as the hill of light named Arunachala.”\n\nWhen Ramana arrived at Aranachala, he soon sought out the deepest, darkest, and oldest part of the temple, the Patala Lingam.  This is a small dark ancient den, which was already there at least two thousand years ago; well before the temple that now surrounds it was built.  His time there was a time of penance and austerity.  As well as enduring the dark and the damp of this small place where he lived for a few weeks, he suffered greatly from insect bites and scorpions. Concerned about the young newly-arrived monk, one of the other monks brought him back up out of the Patala Lingam and found a cleaner, drier place for him to live.\n\non the slopes of ArunachalaIMG_6389 2\n\nIn those early days, Ramana lived in a state of trance or meditation.  Every day the other monks brought his food to him. He never spoke.\n\nSince childhood, whenever he slept, he had slept so soundly that he could not be waken. A few months before traveling to Arunachala, he had attended the wedding of his older brother.  After the wedding, while staying at the home of the bride’s parents, as he was lying down on an upper floor of the house, he was overcome by an intense sensation that he was dying.  He felt himself becoming still and lifeless.  Feeling that he was dead, he had a striking moment of enlightenment, as the knowledge swept over him that, although his body was lifeless, his essential being was unchanged. Only the body dies; that which survives is the true being, who belongs to eternity and never dies. This enlightenment never left him.\n\nTo be continued. To read Part Two, click here.\n\nTop photo: / G.G. Welling / Wikimedia Commons / Ramana Maharshi, around age 60 / “This work is in the public domain in India because its term of copyright has expired.” / Ramana Maharshi, around age 60.\n\nSecond photo: Sharon St Joan /Arunachala.\n\nThird photo: Sharon St Joan / The slopes of Arunachala.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5533941984176636}
+{"content": "Map Your Marketing\n\nSo you ran a digital campaign and in return you are given a confusing report showing the delivery results- typically impressions, clicks, and CTR. Now what do you do with it? What does the report mean about your campaign success and how can you learn from it to improve your marketing strategy? Where did all of the impressions and clicks come from and what story do they tell?\n\n3D mapping tool with heat map shows impression delivery and click distribution\n\nAt Enradius, we are taking a deeper dive into reporting data in order to learn about how your audience responded to your campaign, where there was success, and what you can learn about your campaign performance.\n\nWhat we can track from campaigns has improved, and in addition to seeing impressions and clicks, we can now see where the data served geographically and by audience demographics. We’re using 3D and heat mapping technology to visualize campaign results and easily show comparisons, along with tables and graphs of campaign demographics to tell the campaign story and adjust your marketing strategy going forward.\n\nVisualization of demographic data.\n\nMap shows OTT video views across the region\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nwritten by Pamela Fasolo, Senior Digital Sales Strategist. For help with your digital media strategy and management, contact", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9991120100021362}
+{"content": "Neighborhoods Organizing for Change\n\nGrantee Year: \n\nNeighborhoods Organizing for Change is a member-led, movement-based organization building power in under-resourced communities of color across the Twin Cities. Based in North Minneapolis, NOC uses community organizing to achieve measurable policy outcomes and meaningful public victories that positively impact the lives of their members and that work toward equity statewide. NOC's strength lies in the leadership of their members, and in their ability to act as an authentic organizing space for people of color from a diverse mix of ethnic identities, sexual identities, gender identities, national identities, languages, racial identities, religious identities, and experiences of diaspora.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9813953638076782}
+{"content": "Margaret Nyairera, Kenya's 800m bronze medalist is a worried athlete after she was enlisted in the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) list of female runners with high testosterone levels in their systems.\n\n\nNyairera has raised fears that she might be banned from participating in international events, which she says will bring her career to a halt, as is the case with her South African counterpart Caster Semenya.\n\nNyairera rejected IAAF's ruling earlier in the month which dictates that all athletes with such characteristics seek special medication to suppress the testosterone levels in their systems.\n\nSpeaking to Game Yetu, a sports section in the Standard newspaper, the athlete noted that she is not sick, and cannot, therefore, be subjected to medication.\n\n\"I am not going to take medication because I am not sick and those are chemicals you are putting in your body. You don't know how it will affect you later,\" she said.\n\nShe detected bias in the rules, wondering why men with high testosterone levels are not harassed.\n\nShe added that the new regulations have demoralised her to an extent that she no longer feels like training.\n\n\"I am very disappointed. I don't even feel even like going on with the training because you don't know what you are training for,\" she said, adding that she has not been dopping.\n\nShe now wants the Kenyan government to come to her rescue, as it the case with Semenya who is enjoying massive support from her government and leaders.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6454557180404663}
+{"content": "Example business plan operations department organizational chart\n\nLedger information will be set up for the parent legal entity in the hierarchy. Some functionality in Finance and Operations works differently depending on whether the organization is a legal entity or an operating unit. SJAC will continue to provide community entry points for former guests and be a foundation of support as each person reconstructs a social network and builds core support relationships.\n\nThe study is expected to continue for several months before a definitive assessment and recommendation come forth. What kind of reputation do your suppliers have?\n\nIn addition to your managers, what other essential jobs are there in your company, and which key employees will perform them? What is the company's management philosophy and business culture, and how will these contribute to your business's success?\n\nMaintenance and Light Repair. Intelligent use of media and public awareness coups will be needed to identify Patrick House as a \"champion for the needy\".\n\nWhat are the advantages? Small businesses have a range of options available to keep their companies growing. Students shall be awarded one-half credit for successful completion of this course. As SJAC begins to address this very issue, it is in a prime position to seek partnership with criminal justice researchers at the University of Colorado.\n\nWhat kind of reputation do your suppliers have?\n\nGlossary of Supply Chain Terms\n\nNames of owners Extent of involvement with the company Forms of ownership i. Previously, Daniel has spent time as an accountant in the insurance industry.\n\n\nBut which to use?\n\nBusiness Plan: Your Organizational and Operational Plan\n\nIf your company is responsible for any of these items, how much do they cost? Many paid sites offer a free limited functionality version that you can use by providing an email address.\n\nIn Automotive Basics, students will gain knowledge and skills in the repair, maintenance, and servicing of vehicle systems.\n\nHeadquarters procures and pays for service that is delivered to a regional office. Location use if employees are geographically diverse, i. If the organization is modeled as an operating unit Number sequences for some references can be set up per operating unit. The Reentry Initiative represents a new way of doing business for federal, state, and local agencies.\n\nCommunity networking and relationships allow TLP staff to provide entry points for health care, mental health services, support groups and legal services.\n\nOnce they complete the project, a manager assigns them a new project and leader. With the increased awareness of the value that community plays in helping to reshape the lives of those in need, we are working to form partnerships and strong relational ties with individuals and community organizations throughout Denver and the surrounding community.\n\nHeadquarters can create an intercompany sub-ledger transaction. The second version of your org chart will likely have unfilled positions in it — placeholders for positions you hope to hire in the future.\n\nIf your internal organizations use different fiscal years and fiscal calendars, you must model the organizations as legal entities.\n\nIf your internal organizations can use the same fiscal years and fiscal calendars, you can model the organizations as operating units.\n\nFor example, a legal entity that is registered in Denmark is subject to Danish tax laws and regulations. Negotiations, public pressure, and emergency private appeals will provide the capital needed for this one—time extraordinary transition.\n\nThe long term opportunity is for Patrick House is to develop this market segment.\n\nOrganizational Structures: But which to use?\n\nOperating units are used to control economic resources and operational processes in the business. If there are intermediate levels between a department and a legal entity or a business unit, placeholder organizations may be required to create a balanced hierarchy.\n\nExamples of Organizational Planning\n\nSupply and Inventory Management If you sell a product, the inputs that go into making it will be your supplies and the final product will be your inventory. If you have a retail location, describe the surrounding area and explain what makes this location effective.Organizational structure examples of this type include insurance companies, engineering firms, law firms, regulatory agencies, etc.\n\nIn other words, organizations that need isolated technical advice to assist employees who handle or. A hierarchical organizational chart is a diagram that shows an organization’s reporting structure from the top-down, starting with the business owner or department manager at the top of the chart and employees who report to them appearing below their name.\n\n\nACC Legal Operations offers this Maturity Model as a reference tool. Legal department leaders are encouraged to use it as a tool to benchmark maturity in any given area(s), bearing in mind that based on department size, staffing and budgets, priorities and aspirational targets will vary.\n\nExamples of Organizational Planning\n\n\nICS was initially developed to address problems of inter-agency responses to wildfires in California and Arizona but is now a component of the National Incident.\n\n\nExample business plan operations department organizational chart\nRated 3/5 based on 52 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6060101985931396}
+{"content": "The Chicago Tribune in 1968 and conservatives today: sociologists excuse rioters\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCoastal elites among middle America = “Margaret Mead among Samoans”\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCount sociologists among the most liberal Americans – at least for one humorist\n\nImagining the exodus of Americans for Canada, here is who one humorist depicted as most distraught over the recent presidential election results:\n\n\n\nGiven all the academic content the 2016 election is likely to generate in the years to come, someone has to examine which groups had the strongest negative emotions about the results as well as which groups felt this pain the longest. Would sociologists rank up there?\n\nClaim: liberals love cities due to “snobbery, graft, and politics”\n\nGlenn Reynolds argues liberals like cities for self-serving reasons:\n\n\n\n\n\nA quick response to each of these claims:\n\n  1. I think there is indeed some urban snobbery among academics. Comparatively, there is little attention paid to suburbs even though a majority of Americans live there. Yes, it is convenient to study cities as many research schools are in large cities but to look down on other areas – usually viewed as conservative, backward, and less cosmopolitan – is not good.\n  2. Cities do indeed have a lot of regulations. This is almost inevitable given their complexity. Think of cities with power laws rather than linear relationships; doubling the population doesn’t simply create twice the complexity but rather four times. As conservatives have pointed out recently, pretty much all major American cities are run by Democrats and there corruption scandals keep emerging. Yet, conservatives are not immune to such city scandals – see the example of Big Bill Thompson in Chicago. How about a different explanation: big government invites opportunities for malfeasance for all (and Democrats happen to be in charge of most big cities today)?\n  3. This is an interesting argument as much as has been made in recent decades about the negative effects of white flight as well as efforts by many cities to attract younger, wealthier residents. Did big city mayors really try to keep conservatives out of cities? Take Chicago again as an example. The mayors and residents did as much as they could to stem the movement of non-whites into certain parts of the city and were fairly successful for decades. But, when their tools disappeared and demographics changed, many left. Did Mayor Richard J. Daley want this? At the same time, Daley made deals with black South Side politicians to have a reliable voting bloc. Perhaps this isn’t exactly the argument; cities really don’t want suburbanites or suburban living. Yet, David Rusk has argued for years that elastic cities – those that have been able to capture suburban growth (mostly in the South and West) – are more successful ones. So, are cities spiting themselves simply to keep a party in power?\n\nOf course, these three reasons ignore other reasons for liking cities: economic opportunities (which both cities and suburbs can benefit from), diverse neighborhoods and public spaces, people watching, and physical and social features not found elsewhere (from skyscrapers to symphony orchestras). Even though suburbia may be more self-sustaining that many give it credit for, imagining a world of suburbs where Americans can live free without having any major cities is very difficult to imagine.\n\n“The deepest causes of inequality…are entirely out of the reach of city governments.”\n\nAt the end of a long essay against the actions of liberals in American cities comes this summary:\n\nLiberal mayors seem utterly unaware of how poorly positioned cities are to address income disparities. The deepest causes of inequality, such as globalization and cultural disparities, are entirely out of the reach of city governments. They are seduced by mission creep. Progressive politicians are unwilling to stick to their real work of improving the core functions of municipal government, namely K–12 public education and public safety, and maintaining the basic infrastructure and services—parks, libraries, and the like. The rise of 21st-century urban progressivism points toward a future characterized by shoddy local services, increased regulation of city economies, and the consolidation of inequality.\n\nI suspect this author would argue that liberals also don’t know how to correctly address social issues at the national or global level. Setting that aside, is the argument correct that cities can’t truly address inequality?\n\nOn one side, cities sit within a larger social system. Even the biggest cities – New York City, London, Hong Kong, etc. – operate within a global economic, political, and cultural system that they may influence strongly but don’t control completely. Global capitalism is influential everywhere and affects flows of capital and jobs.\n\nOn the other side, major cities are large economic engines in their own right – see several rankings here – and have significant budgets to utilize with millions of residents. Even as there is a global system, the decisions cities make as well as the unique resources they can draw upon can lead to disparate outcomes. Can they individually completely eliminate inequality? Probably not but they can use the means at their disposal to shape life in their borders.\n\nMaybe this issue should be put another way: if inequality is not addressed at the municipal level, who is going to address these issues? At whatever level it happens, certain actions by city governments could help.\n\nAmerican culture wars to move next to fighting over the suburbs?\n\nJoel Kotkin is back with the claim that the next American culture war will be over the suburbs:\n\n\n\n\n\nThis is one long piece but provides a lot of insight into what Kotkin and others have argued for years: liberals, for a variety of reasons, want to limit the spread and eventually reduce the American suburbs in favor of more pluralistic and diverse urban centers. I would be interested to know which issue Kotkin is most afraid of:\n\n1. Maybe this is really just about politics and winning elections. The split between exurban Republican areas and Democratic urban centers has grown with the suburbs hanging in the balance. Perhaps conservatives fear moving people to cities will turn them more liberal and hand all future elections to Democrats. Of course, lots of liberals had fears after World War II that new suburbanites were going to immediately turn Republican.\n\n2. This may be about the growing teeth of the environmental movement operating through legislation but also agencies and others that are difficult to counter. Suburban areas may just take up more resources but Kotkin and others don’t see this as a big issue compared to the freedom people should have to choose the suburbs. Should there be any limits to using the environment on a societal level?\n\n3. Perhaps this is about maintaining a distinctively American way of life compared to Europeans. Some fear that international organizations and the United Nations are pushing denser, green policies that most Americans don’t really want. The suburbs represent the American quest for the frontier as well as having a plot of land where other people, particularly the government, can’t come after you. This ignores that there still are single-family homes in Europe – though on average smaller homes on smaller lots.\n\nOr, maybe this is a combination of all three: “If the suburbs go, then what America was or stands for dies!” Something like that. Imagine “Don’t Tread On Me” making its last or most important stand on the green lawns of post-World War II split levels.\n\nI have a hard time seeing this as the next big culture war topic that reaches a resolution in a short amount of time (say within a decade), primarily because so many Americans do live in the suburbs and the suburbs have such a long standing in American culture. But, perhaps a movement could start soon that would see fruition in the future.\n\nMore sociologists and other scholars advocating for marriage?\n\nThere isn’t much data here presented to defend a trend but here is a brief look at recent research that highlights the benefits of marriage in the United States:\n\nThe new wave of pro-marriage scholarship is challenging orthodoxy in academic fields with reputations — fair or not — of being politically liberal, and perhaps even antimarriage, or at least marriage-neutral. Part of the shift is because marriage itself has changed within the last few generations. “Criticism of marriage as a social institution comes from the universal and basically compulsory system of marriage in the 1950s,” said Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland at College Park who has been critical of some recent scholarship promoting marriage. “When people got married who did not want to get married, especially women, and when women’s rights within marriage were much more limited, employment opportunities much less, domestic violence taken much less seriously, when rape wasn’t even a crime within marriage — that system deservedly had a bad rap.”\n\nThe new champions of marriage disagree on how, and even whether, to encourage marriage through public policy. Nonetheless, there is an emerging consensus around an idea that would have sounded retrograde just a few decades ago: that having married parents is best for children’s well-being, that marriage is beneficial for parents’ psychological and economic stability, and that it should be a priority in public policy…\n\nIt’s low-education (and often low-income) “fragile families” that most concern researchers. Princeton University sociologist Sara McLanahan recently wrote that children growing up with a single mother are “doubly disadvantaged”: They spend less time and receive less money from their biological fathers, and their mothers are also likelier to earn less than married mothers are. Children born to unmarried parents fare worse on a wide variety of measures, including an increased likelihood of developing behavior problems and of not making it to college…\n\nSingle people aren’t resisting matrimony because of some sort of moral weakness or stubbornness, these critics say, but because they have existing disadvantages, including economic ones. “The people who get and stay married — and make it look like married people are better off than people who aren’t married — were better off already,” Cohen said. “Marriage is a privileged position.” Simply prodding the currently unmarried into matrimony will not magically make them more stable, healthy, and wealthy.\n\nAs the article notes, scholars on different sides of the political spectrum disagree on what policies to enact to promote marriage and have different definitions of what marriage should be. But, could the two sides ever come together to promote a middle policy or in order to broker a compromise? If anything, it might be the pressure within each academic discipline that keeps the sides apart.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7100141644477844}
+{"content": "2018 FIFA World Cup Revenue Put At $6.4b\n\n\nThe FIFA World Cup undoubtedly the most widely watched tournament in the world showed the 2018 FIFA recording over 7.5 billion engagements across all digital platforms and over 580 million interactions on social media in the history of the mundial.\n\nUnlike the Brazil edition, this year’s edition of the World Cup received a decline in the sponsorship numbers.\n\nThe 2018 World Cup received US$1.450 billion in sponsorship deals compared to US$1.629 billion in 2014 as quoted by Nielsen group. This was mainly attributed to the corruption charges that hit the organisation at the start of the 2015-18 cycle, that led to FIFA losing sponsors like Sony, Johnson and Castrol, among others.\n\nFIFA still managed to weather off the rough cycle with avid interests from Chinese companies like VIVO, Hisense, Mengniu, etc who contributed to 21 per cent to the overall sponsorship amount for the 2018 edition of the tournament.\n\nIn terms of revenue, FIFA pulled off an astounding success in broadcasting rights amounting to more than $3 billion worth. The World Cup matches were telecasted to over 210 nations all across the globe across various platforms.\n\nThe TV rights to FOX for telecast in the US cost a whopping $425 million for all matches of the 2018 and 2022 Editions. Telemundo also made a deal of $600 million for the Spanish-language rights to the events. For telecast in India, Pakistan and Nepal Sony bagged the television rights for the World Cup at a rumoured cost of $90 million.\n\nFIFA also took strict measure ‘no piracy’ on their online content which amounted to more than 1.2 billion video views and 500 million impressions across all platforms.\n\nA large chunk of the revenue came from the ticket sales, marketing and other affiliated activities. The total revenue for the tournament was projected at $6.1 billion.\n\nAs far as commodities are concerned, Neilsen group indicated in their released report that commodities like cigarettes, alcohol and Snacks received a high rise in their sales during the World Cup.\n\nIn the UK Pre-England elimination tenure, matches and lighters took a sudden climb to a 39.2 per cent increase in their purchase. Soft-drinks, frozen drinks and beer sales also increased to more than 15 per cent.\n\nAs for World Cup content views, YouTube was the most active platform followed by Instagram and Facebook with 3.5 billion, 2.2 billion and 2.1 billion views respectively.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9834412336349487}
+{"content": "Why VR Needs Serialized Content Right Now\n\nby Upload • April 23rd, 2017\n\nAfter a series of conversations with indie VR shops in recent weeks, it seems safe to say that many of them are suffering from “feast or famine” syndrome when it comes to work. Often a brand or content owner will come to them with a great idea and a tight deadline, expect them to execute on a VR experience, pay them, and then disappear for months — if they ever come back at all.\n\nIt’s not that the content these shops are producing is bad. In many cases, it’s ground-breaking and high quality work. Rather, it’s that no one has figured out how to move VR beyond one-off activations and into a world where content is rolled out in a regular, serialized fashion. With the launch of its “Netflix for VR” subscriptions, HTC has started to move in this direction. If you’ve forgotten by now, Netflix spent plenty of time giving people access to one-off experiences (DVDs) before making the leap to serialized, streaming content.\n\nBut even outlets like the New York Times, which consistently produces high-quality 360 content, doesn’t seem to create anything that will keep a viewer coming back over an extended period of time. If someone is interested in 360-degree video on police raids, to use a recent example, they might not be interested in a piece on travel, or fashion. There’s no real reason for that person to keep investigating, as the pieces are usually pretty brief and don’t end with a cliffhanger.\n\nPart of the reason people get addicted to podcasts like Serial or TV shows like The Americans is that every episode tees up the next one, often leaving the audience in suspense at the end. But in VR, almost every experience is self-contained. And the way the funding pipeline works, it can often take months (if not longer) for a second episode to be rolled out. By then, many viewers will have lost interest or forgotten the story altogether.\n\nThe other issue is that VR content often lacks compelling characters that users want to follow. I’ve seen a number of deeply moving and affecting VR pieces, such as Discovery VR’s “Under the Net,” that have left me wanting to know what happened to a subject, but I can never find the next step of their journey.\n\nOne thing that kept earlier consumers listening to radio programs and consuming television shows at the same time each week was that serialized character story arc. While those of us who consume a lot of today’s TV might look back at early sitcoms and laugh at the hackneyed plot lines and situations, characters stayed the same over the course of the season and viewers invested in them.\n\nVR could also allow viewer investment to reach much deeper levels, because the viewer could have some say in the direction of the narrative. There are plenty of people still angry about the end of Lost, for instance, but it’s a lot harder to be mad about how something turns out when you have a hand in controlling the outcome. This would also lead to repeat viewing, as users would want to take different paths and see how the endings changed.\n\nThere are some plans for serialized VR content to debut this year, although none of those have been made public as of yet. When those details arrive, it will hopefully prove to be compelling and addictive programming that can drive more people into headsets. Podcasts had their breakthrough moment with Serial; now it’s time to VR to come up with something that will draw people in over the course of a season and become water-cooler conversation. If VR simply remains a series of one-offs and experiments, it will have a hard time breaking through into the mainstream.\n\nCortney Harding is a contributing columnist covering the intersection of VR and media. This column is an editorial product of TVREV, produced in partnership with Vertebrae, the native VR/AR ad platform.\n\nTagged with:\n\nWhat's your reaction?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6134481430053711}
+{"content": "Disclosure of Information & Privacy Flashcards Preview\n\nUncategorized > Disclosure of Information & Privacy > Flashcards\n\nFlashcards in Disclosure of Information & Privacy Deck (12):\n\nBefore a BSO makes any disclosure of information, what must he do (except in certain specific situations)?\n\nSeek approval from their Superintendent\n\n\nWhat section of the Customs Act governs the access, use and disclosure of customs information?\n\nSection 107 of the Customs Act\n\n\nWhat section of he Privacy Act governs the disclosure of personal information\n\nSection 8\n\n\nWhat sections of federal law and CBSA policy are instrumental in guiding the disclosure of information at the border?\n\n-Section 107 of the Customs Act\n-Section 8 of the Privacy Act\n-Policy Guidelines and the Disclosure of Customs information\n\n\nWhat are the two types of information BSOs will use to perform their duties?\n\nPersonal and non-personal information\n\n\nShould you ALWAYS seek approval from your Superintendent before disclosing any personal information?\n\nYes, as a good measure\n\n\nWhen is the only time a BSO may make a disclosure of information without the approval of their Superintendent?\n\nWhen the BSO believes that the disclosure is regarded as urgently necessary to protect:\n-The life, health and safety of an individual, or the environment of Canada and any other country or\n-The national security or defence of Canada\n\n\nIf the Superintendent gives approval to disclose personal information what other approval must a BSO get?\n\nOne must get the approval of the person to whom the information relates\n\n\nIf a decision is made to disclose information, what principle applies?\n\nThe need-to-know principle.\nOnly disclose the minimum information that is required and not more.\nDo co-workers need to know etc.\n\n\nWhat is an ATIP request?\n\nA request for information under the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act\n\n\nWho can make an ATIP request?\n\n-All Canadian citizens\n-Permanent residents\n-Individuals present in Canada\n-Corporations present in Canada\n\nBasically ANYONE!\n\n\nIf the ATIP office requests a copy of your Officer Notebook or any other document what must you do?\n\nProvide the required documentation within the required time", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9145377278327942}
+{"content": "Our Thoughts\n\nDoes your team need a motivation boost?\n\nDoes your team need a motivation boost?\n\nOne of our clients has recently asked our advice on how to improve motivation in their team when under increasing internal and external pressures at work. We think this can only happen if you talk about it more.\n\nYou won’t be able to improve motivation in your own team without talking to them about it, so if you want to start moving your team to a place of higher motivation and higher performance you could try listening carefully to their answers to the following questions:\n\n  1. Tell me about your most exciting experience at work this week.\n  2. What things do enjoy doing most in your current role?\n  3. Do you consider your current role your ideal job?\n  4. Are there any jobs that you would like the opportunity to try, that would also benefit the organisation?\n  5. Does working for this organisation give you a sense of purpose at work?\n\nYou can discover whether your employees feel motivated by their answers to these questions. If you suspect they aren’t reaching their full potential, think about what you might do to help. Do they need more autonomy? Does their role allow them to master new skills? Are they lacking a sense of purpose?\n\nFor more on motivation we’ve been looking at Dan Pink’s theory and you can read more about it in our earlier blog here.\n\nIf you are interested, you can watch this animation exploring Daniel Pink’s theory.\n\n   Want to hear more from us?\n\nOM Change & Transformation Ltd\n\nCompany number: 09050369. Registered in England.\n\nNorth East England Chanmber of Commerce\nNEPRO - Accredited Supplier Tetramap", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6731172800064087}
+{"content": "Matthew 28: 19- Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. This ministry is tasked with the responsibility of preaching Jesus Christ crucified to others outside the church. Activities include missions, crusades, evangelism, soul winning, etc.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6923428773880005}
+{"content": "Register your interest\n\n\n\nLoneliness & Isolation\n\nLoneliness describes a terrible, unwanted feeling of disconnection or separateness from other people. Do you long for the pleasure of other people's company and often feel sad, despairing and alone? Isolation can happen by choice and is sometimes healthy, but spending too much time alone can have serious consequences for your mental health.\n\nLoneliness and isolation are different but related concepts. You can feel lonely even if surrounded by people as it’s a subjective, internal perception, of the quality of your relationships, or the extent to which you believe you matter to others. Isolation is being physically, or literally, alone. It can be measured objectively by the number of social contacts you have.\n\nYou might choose isolation because you’re suffering in some way or want to avoid facing people or certain situations. Sometimes you might choose isolation as a healthy way of recharging yourself or taking time out. But spending too much time on your own isn’t good for you. Most human beings thrive with social interaction, and wilt without it. Loneliness and isolation both cause significant mental health deterioration, sometimes with devastating consequences such as suicidal thoughts or attempts. The longer you spend feeling alone or isolated, the harder it feels to be comfortable around people and have confidence in your social and communication skills. It becomes a vicious cycle.\n\nSometimes your feelings manifest physically. Experiencing isolation and loneliness has be shown to suppress your immune system, leaving you more prone to illness and slower recovery times. Life can start to feel empty, purposeless and meaningless if you spend too much time by yourself.\n\nIn fact, the most effective way, perhaps the only way, of feeling better and having positive mental health is by building a good social support network (even if it’s just with one or two people). Working online can be a great way of connecting if this is something you’re struggling with. The course guides you out of the darkness of loneliness and isolation, enabling you to find and maintain ‘real world’ connections that will transform your quality of life, repair your self worth, and help you find joy and a sense of belonging and connection with others.\n\n\n\nJoin Us at My Personal Therapy\n\nRegister now and receive a free two week eCourse trial", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9609120488166809}
+{"content": "Major Mechanical\n\nThe vehicle is made up of several components that work together to propel you where you need to go. We recommend when your car is having issues that you bring in directly to us. Our specialists are trained in auto major mechanical repairs and can fix any issue no matter how big or small.\n\n\nHow Can We Help You", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9919042587280273}
+{"content": "How can you become involved with the sustainability initiatives at SWSD2018?\n\nOnce our SWSD 2018 App becomes available we encourage all delegates to download it, as there will be no printed programme!\n\n\n\nPrepare for Travel\n\n-Fill your own reusable travel sized bottles with amenities for travelling.\n\n-Use lower carbon travel options when possible, such as trains or buses. When flying, book the most direct route as possible.\n\n\nReduce food waste, water use and energy consumption at home.\n\nTurn off your main water supply. This will make sure that small leaks don’t run up your water use, and mitigates that potential damage from a major leak. Drain the pipes and flush the toliets if freezing water is a possibility.\n\n-Power down before leaving home and office. Did you know that equipment keeps drawing power when it’s turned off but still plugged in? Using a power bar for your computer equipment and shutting it off is an easy way to bring down your power consumption.\n\nAdjust your heating or air conditioning levels if no one will be home. Depending on your climate you might not want to turn them off completely to avoid freezing pipes or damage to wood in extreme heat.\n\nSave your perishables. Give away any perishable food to neighbours before you leave, or store them for later use. Slice and freeze soft fruits for smoothies, make milk ice cubes for iced coffee, and prep any vegetables or leftovers that can be frozen for making soup when you get home.\n\n\nDuring Travel\n\n-Use public transit or ride-shares to and from the airport and train station.\n\n-Use paperless boarding passes.\n\n\nOn Site in Dublin\n\n-Take shorter showers. Choose your favourite 4 minute song to listen to and use as your shower timer.\n\n-Take part in towel and linen reuse programs at your hotel.\n\n-Make drought and carbon friendly food choices during your stay in Dublin. Select tea over coffee, and vegetarian, chicken or fish over beef to reduce your water and carbon food footprints.\n\n-Adjust blinds in your room (open when it’s cold out closed when it’s hot out) and air conditioning/ heating when you’re not in your room to reduce power use.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9521310925483704}
+{"content": "Electron dot diagram for co\n\nA. The electron dot diagram of helium has six fewer electrons than the electron dot diagram of neon. Helium's dot diagram has two dots because it has two valence electrons, which completes it's shell\n\nbecause the first shell only fits two electrons. The electron dot diagram shows the arrangement of dots without identifying the element. Which element’s symbol could replace the question mark in the diagram? The shared-electron covalent bond Lewis dot-structures and the octet rule Why do some atoms join together to form molecules, but others do not? Why is the CO 2 molecule linear whereas H 2 O is bent? How can we tell? How does hemoglobin carry oxygen through our bloodstream? RESONANCE Sometimes experimental information requires us to use more than one Lewis diagram for a molecule. For example, spectroscopic studies of ozone, O Ultrafast optical control of entanglement between two quantum dot spins Danny\n\nKim, Samuel G. Carter, Alex Greilich, Allan S. Bracker, Daniel Gammon Naval Research Laboratory Washington DC 20375 The interaction between two quantum bits enables entanglement, the two-particle correlations that are at the heart of quantum information science. Scanning Electron Microscopy Primer Bob Hafner This primer is intended as background for the Introductory Scanning Electron Microscopy training Wildlink The easiest way to earn some extra cash from links you already share. Wildlink is a tray utility that monitors your clipboard for eligible links to products and stores, then converts those links to shorter, profitable versions. As it turns out, the idea of valence electrons is not very useful for transition metals, at least not in a reliable, predictable way. Electron Dot Diagrams Essentially, all organic molecules\n\nobey the octet rule, and so do most inorganic molecules and ions. For species that obey the octet rule it is possible to draw electron-dot, or Lewis, structures.\n\nRated 4.8 / 5 based on 422 reviews.\n\n2 6 Drawing Resonance Forms Chemistry LibreTexts\nChemistry Notation Orbital and Lewis Dot Shmoop Chemistry\nHow there is no dative bond in CO3 2 Quora\n38 Lovely Gallery Of Polaris Sportsman 400 Wiring Diagram\nMolecular geometry and the VSEPR theory\nElectronic Structure of Atoms Electron Configurations\nLewis CHCl3 Janet Gray Coonce\nEarly Ford Bronco Wiring Diagram Engine Headlight Switch\nThe gallery for gt Al2o3 Molecular Structure\nPolyatomic Ion Structures Janet Gray Coonce\nChem ndash Filling in the Valence Electrons of an Electron Dot\nThis is how the ionic bond forms in Magnesium Fluoride\n1 4 Development of Chemical Bonding Theory Chemistry\nMasteringChemistry Drawing Lewis Structures YouTube\nMonoxyde de carbone mdash Wikip dia\nPeriodic table Wikipedia\n54 New Photograph Of Marlin Glenfield Model 60 Parts\nLewis Structure of HCN YouTube\nShapes of Covalent Molecules", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5279359817504883}
+{"content": "\n\nSo what is actually covered in this little book? Basically it shows the basics of how to initialize the Vulkan renderer and draw a triangle on the screen. The author does not use any additional libraries, so it’s only showing the Vulkan API itself and some boilerplate Win32 code for opening a window. Though I had already been reading about Vulkan previously, and didn’t find any new material here, I could see this as a decent first step in learning the API.\n\nTo be honest,  Kenwright does not really provide any deep explanation of the concepts presented. It’s basically just showing some of the common function calls and the structure to set things up. You could easily find similar code online (at various sources) for displaying a triangle in Vulkan.  Even so, I still think the text holds value and may be more accessible than some of the larger (and more costly) Vulkan books that do provide more detail. This is sort of something that would be useful if you’ve really never worked with the API before and just want to see how the code looks and if it’s something you’re interested in prior to researching further.\n\nAll in all, I can’t really fault  Vulkan Graphics API: in 20 Minutes too much. While there were a couple typos and odd use of the English language, overall the book was concise and coherent. It provided a cursory look at a new, exciting, graphics API and it did with with a meager time and money investment on behalf of the reader. While you can find basically the same material online for free, I still personally enjoy learning from books and think the format may click for some people better. It only really scratches the surface, but as a short “first intro” book it’s not bad.\n\n\nThe book starts with an overview of computer number representations, and goes into detail with the IEEE 754 floating-point standard. At first I assumed this was unnecessary detail, but actually it’s pretty useful to understand and a good base to build on. They continue with vectors and points, linear transformations and matrices, affine transformations,  orientation (including matrices, Euler angles, axis-angle, and quaternions),  and interpolation (linear and curved). In the next section they transition to more graphic oriented topics such as: viewing and projection, geometry and programmable shading, lighting, rasterization, then a random chapter on… random numbers, and finish off with intersection testing  and rigid-body dynamics.\n\nJust looking at the table of contents is sometimes not enough to get a feel for the quality of the text, so I will reveal  more. The beginning parts are really exactly what you’d expect for a game math book. The basics of vectors, matrices, quaternions, etc. are the bread and butter for a 3D programmer. The coverage here is solid and great for a beginner. Advanced readers  may not find any surprises, but it’s still a good refresher.  The interpolation chapter I found interesting, especially the detail into different types of curves and splines .  This could be immediately useful for coding  a skinned character or animating a camera in a game.  Viewing and projection were given adequate coverage and are essential to anyone wishing to code a graphics engine themselves.  The next chapter was particularly long and explained the programmable shader pipeline to great effect.  The authors explained everything from color representation, vertex attributes, drawing geometry, fixed-function versus programmable, vertex and fragment shaders (aka pixel shaders), and texture mapping. Really a great introduction for anyone wanting to learn to code shaders themselves.  Then they  move onto lighting and go into the basic types (point, spot, directional, and ambient), surface materials, per-vertex and per-fragment lighting, combining with textures, and a few small sections of more advanced topics like normal mapping, physically based lighting, HDR, and deferred shading.\n\nNext up is rasterization, which was an awesome chapter that explained (in epic detail) how rasterizers work which I feel does help when you know what’s going on behind the scenes. I don’t know of many other books that explain this part of the pipeline so well, so this was much appreciated. The random number chapter was also quite informative. It’s easy to just call a function that spits out a number and not actually understand what’s happening.  I found this  portion of the book to be a nice surprise. Intersection testing was covered near the end, and  it was one of the longer chapters. Almost anything you could think of was here: finding distances from lines and points, sphere/ray/plane intersections, axis-aligned bounding boxes (AABBs), swept spheres, object-oriented boxes, triangle intersection, and a simple collision system. Finally the book closes with a chapter on rigid-body dynamics. I actually purchased my copy mostly for the rigid-body material and I felt I learned a few useful things. Of course, it was only one chapter but some of the explanation was better than whole books I’ve read on physics. Certainly it gave me a few things to research further, and I appreciate that.\n\nOverall I would say that  Essential Mathematics for Games and Interactive Applications is an almost flawless textbook. I may be a great place to start for a beginner, and even intermediate to advanced readers may learn a thing or two. Some of the other game math books I recommend I read so long ago it’s hard to make a direct comparison. But this title is certainly up there with the best. I would wholeheartedly recommend.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.529094398021698}
+{"content": "This is an exploration of how I understand and interpret my spirituality in the context of design persuasions. By evaluating the ways I interact with my religion through the lens of persuasive mechanisms in today’s day-to-day, I am able to better grasp the positive and negative relationship between the these constant distractions around me and how they push to or away from God.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9994558691978455}
+{"content": "This large-scale print piece explores the story of an immigrant — it aims to use the simple tools of type, scale, and contrast to create an emotional and powerful piece about these people and their stories. The poster with the size 36″ by 72″ also created a specific layer of the design: the viewing distance. This poster explores the story of an immigrant named Brenda. It was originally told by This American Life, and it explores not only the heart-breaking story of Brenda, but also the systems in place that have affected so many immigrants like her.\n\nIdentifying Points of Importance\n\nThe beginning process consisted of finding a story to work with overall, then reading and re-reading through the story to identify the points of importance and emotion. As I began to search for a story of immigration, I was drawn to those stories that I have witnessed personally in my own and my families lives – that is the story of immigrants from Mexico to the United States.\n\nBy identifying the key points of Brenda’s story, the hierarchy of the print piece began to emerge. Using contrast, scale, and typeface, a story began to emerge. With the important storyline points identified through studying Brenda’s story along with the tools of hierarchy, began to place type on the canvas. The earliest steps consisted of relying heavily on working off-screen and using cut out pieces of text, markers, and paper to begin to convey an overall emotion and the climax of the storyline.\n\nLearning to Narrow Down\n\nBeginning to place the whole of Brenda’s story on the poster, I found that the many points I identified to be important to her story were competing for attention. Though, each point of Brenda’s story contributed to the message of an immigrant’s journey from Mexico to the United States, it became clear to me that I needed to employ more tools of contrast in order to help guide the readers through her story. This led me to highlighting one main quote while allowing the rest of the content to take second or third levels of hierarchy. By drastically changing the scale of the main quote to be much larger, and shrinking the size of Brenda’s personal story, the reader can focus in on one piece of the story at a time.\n\nTying the Pieces Together\n\nCombining physical elements to the piece was an additional aspect of the project which added to the message and depth of the poster. Using viewing distance to create contrast and intrigue, I began to think on how to string each small piece of text together. Inspired by the immigrants journey portrayed through the story along with the concept of a string used to map out a route, I decided to use physical thread to further the message of “lost-ness” while also guiding the reader through the reading of each piece of Brenda’s story. Finally, through research and getting to know more about the issue that this poster addresses, I began to ideate on ways to add a physical artifact to the piece to enhance the overall message and make it more real to the audience. This piece of the project came in the form of an evidence bag placed at the bottom of the poster. As the string hung from the poster it connected to a “personal belongings” tag with the name “John Doe” on it. This tag along with the evidence bag portrays the deep issue happening even today: many thousands of immigrants are dying each year in the Arizona Desert. This artifact qualified the poster and gave a fuller picture of many unheard immigrant stories.\n\nDesign Approach", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9659323692321777}
+{"content": "Bóthar Seoighe: Ag Fíorú na Físe thar Caoga Bliain\n\nLabhraíonn daoine a d'fhás aníos i nGaeltacht Bhóthar Seoighe faoina tionchar agus an scéim ag druidim le caoga bliain ar an fhód.\n\nPeople who grew up in the Shaw’s Road Gaeltacht talk about the impact of the scheme as it approaches its fiftieth birthday.\n\nThe Gaeltacht was founded in 1969 when five families built their houses together in a new development on the street. Initial meetings had begun in 1961. The Shaw’s Road Gaeltacht laid the foundation for the development of Irish language education in Northern Ireland.\n\nIn 1970 the Gaeltacht community established Bunscoil Pobail Feirste as the North’s first Irish-language school. The school received official recognition in 1985.\n\nSubtitled in English.\n\nn&w belfast", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6127989888191223}
+{"content": "The cost of education in the Philippines is increasing rapidly.\n\nTuition fees in college increases by 10% every year. At this rate, it is estimated to double every seven years. This is commonly the reason only 1 out of 10 kids in grade 1 today will graduate with a college diploma, according to the 2012 study conducted by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).\n\nIf the cost of college education is expensive, why is it important? Studies have shown that people with a degree have higher income, better chances at job security, and longer life expectancy than those who don’t.\n\nThat’s why it is crucial that you prepare for your child’s future today.\n\nAs a parent, your greatest gift to your child is a bright future. You want your child to be given a head-start in life, ready to face the world, equipped with the best skills and knowledge to take on whatever challenges life throw in the way.\n\nBy setting up an educational plan now, you are in a better position to have the ability to afford quality education that your child deserves.\n\nStart saving today for your child’s better tomorrow.\n\nContact us so we can help you.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9445504546165466}
+{"content": "hi im stel\nrating: 0+x\n\nItem #: SCP-A\n\nObject Class: Safe\n\nSpecial Containment Procedures: Any civilian boats or aircraft coming within 1km of the island on which SCP-A-1 is located are to be turned away. During Lancaster events, at least 2 personnel are to be stationed at SCP-A-1 in order to document the event.\n\nSCP-A-2 is to be expunged from all non-Foundation aeronautical databases. Due to its small size and distance from Earth, disinformation protocols directed at major observatories have been deemed unnecessary. Currently, SCP-A-2's position is being monitored using Foundation Observatory 2101. Long term observation procedures are currently in progress.\n\nDescription: SCP-A-1 is a 15 meter tall cylindrical tower constructed of marble. SCP-A-1 is 6m in diameter, and rests on the flat edge of a a hemispherical platform2 which is 16m in radius and partially submerged within the ground in a hemispherical divot3. SCP-A-1 is located at 73.182° N, 5.351° E on a small island.\n\nSCP-A-1's interior is accessible through a single wooden door at the tower's base, and contains a collection of roughly 200 brass bells of various sizes. These bells hang freely throughout the entirety of SCP-A-1's interior, but do not appear connected to any apparatus capable of ringing them. Additionally, they appear to be unable to produce sound outside of a Lancaster event. No other entrances to SCP-A-1 are present, other than an open ceiling.\n\nSCP-A-1's creator is unknown, and no identifying marks have been found on any parts of it. However, a single metal plaque is affixed above its door, which reads as follows:\n\n4/4/1999 - 8/3/2011\n\nSCP-A-2 is an incorporeal humanoid entity, currently located roughly 550,000 kilometers away from the Earth's surface at its closest point. It is entirely white, translucent, and has the appearance of a prepubescent Caucasian female. SCP-A-2 is fixed in a standing position with arms outstretched, and always faces Casper 16T4. It does not react to stimulus, and has not been observed to move outside of Lancaster events. It is unknown whether or not SCP-A-2 is sentient.\n\nSCP-A-1's platform is anomalously capable of three-dimensional rotation within the divot in which it is submerged. SCP-A-1 continuously rotates so that it is always pointed in the direction of SCP-A-2, and due to the Earth's rotation and movement, appears to be in constant rotation. All attempts to impede this rotation have thus far failed, as have attempts to damage any parts of SCP-A-1. Annually, on April 4th at 12 AM5, due to the Earth's positioning at this particular date and time, SCP-A-1's platform will be perfectly level with the ground, and a linear alignment will be formed between SCP-A-1, SCP-A-2, and Casper 16T. At this time, a Lancaster event is initiated.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9928186535835266}
+{"content": "Supplementary Materials Supplemental Material supp_5_1_a003483__index. of life. Older children with ZS\n\nSupplementary Materials Supplemental Material supp_5_1_a003483__index. of life. Older children with ZS show significant developmental delay with retinal dystrophy and sensorineural hearing loss. The phenotypes of APD-356 tyrosianse inhibitor NALD and IRD are variable and milder than ZS and may include developmental delay, hypotonia, hearing loss, visual impairment, hemorrhage, and intracranial bleeding. Pathogenic APD-356 tyrosianse inhibitor variants in have been identified in patients with ZSD (Supplemental Table S1; Matsumoto et al. 2003a,b; Steinberg et al. 2004, 2006; Weller et al. 2005; Furuki et al. 2006; Ebberink et al. 2011; Neuhaus et al. 2017; Stowe and Agarwal 2017). Right here, we explain an Ashkenazi Jewish family members with four individuals who are homozygous to get a forecasted deleterious missense variant in and who all talk about a phenotype of nonsyndromic sensorineural hearing reduction with no various other symptoms of ZSD. Outcomes Clinical Display and GENEALOGY The proband is certainly a 19-yr-old feminine who was known for moderate to serious hearing reduction and a family group background significant for three siblings with hearing reduction. The proband and affected siblings are healthful in any other case, and everything had normal prenatal and postnatal clinical neurodevelopment and courses. Clinical exome sequencing (Ha sido) was performed at GeneDx (Gaithersburg, MD, USA) (Supplemental Desk S2) as previously referred to (Tanaka et al. 2017) in the proband (Fig. 1A, Person 3), both parents, and one affected sibling (Person 1) from a family group with four individuals with nonsyndromic hearing reduction and three unaffected siblings (People 2, 4, and 7). An autosomal recessive missense variant in was defined as possibly causative for the nonsyndromic hearing reduction phenotype (Desk 1). The c.153C A (F51L) variant in the gene (Fig. 1B) was verified by Sanger sequencing to be homozygous in the proband and the affected sibling and heterozygous in each parent (Fig. 1C, left panels; Table 2). The mutation was also identified by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR product using poly(A)+ RNA from fibroblasts of the proband (Individual 3), termed Pex26-F51L (Fig. 1C, right panels). The proband’s affected younger brother (Individual 6) HD3 and sister (Individual 5) were analyzed only for the c.153C A variant and were homozygous for the A allele. The genotypes for the unaffected siblings are shown in Physique 1. Open in a separate window Open in a separate window Open in a separate window APD-356 tyrosianse inhibitor Physique 1. Mutation analysis of from individuals with nonsyndromic hearing loss. (of the initiator ATG being no. 1) in the codon for Phe51 to in the gene. (F51L variant in four affected individuals mutation. Control fibroblasts (panels (panels (reduces the stability of Pex26. It is possible that this instability of Pex26 in Pex26-F51L fibroblasts causes a moderate phenotype representing morphologically undetectable defects in peroxisome biogenesis including normal peroxisomal protein import. Temperature-Sensitive Phenotype and Decreased Peroxisomal Protein Import in Pex26-F51L Cells In Pex26-F51L fibroblasts, catalase, common PTS1 proteins including AOx, and a PTS2 protein ADAPS were observed as punctate-staining structures at 37C, indicative of localization in the peroxisome (Fig. 2). We reported previously that temperature-sensitive (phenotypic property of Pex26-F51L, cells were cultured at 42C for 5 d. PTS1 proteins, TH, and catalase were detected in a diffuse staining pattern, suggesting these matrix proteins were not imported APD-356 tyrosianse inhibitor to peroxisomes at 42C (Fig. 4A). These findings suggest less efficient import of matrix proteins in Pex26-F51L cells at 42C, whereas endogenous matrix proteins were likely imported normally under normal culture condition at 37C. To determine whether the mutant forms of Pex26 were expressed in Pex26-F51L fibroblasts, immunoblot analysis was performed with organelle fractions from control and proband fibroblasts, with an anti-Pex26 antibody. A Pex26 band was detected in control cells and Pex26-F51L fibroblasts cultured at 37C, with a reduced amount in Pex26-F51L cells (Fig. 4B, lanes 1,3) as in Physique 3B. In Pex26-F51L fibroblasts cultured at 42C, the mutated protein was barely detectable (Fig. 4B, lanes 3,4). We assessed the efficiency of peroxisomal matrix protein import by expressing enhanced GFP (EGFP)-PTS1, PTS2-EGFP, and EGFP-catalase in normal proband and control fibroblasts. The peroxisomal import of recently synthesized EGFP-tagged proteins APD-356 tyrosianse inhibitor was considerably reduced in Pex26-F51L fibroblasts when compared with control cells (Fig. 5). These outcomes show the fact that mutated Pex26 proteins is much less effective in the peroxisomal import of matrix proteins. Open up in another window Body 4. Characterization of Pex26-F51L fibroblasts. (and and and = 3). (*) 0.05, (***) 0.001; two-sided Welch’s ZP167 cells..\n\nBackground Embelin, a quinone derivative, is situated in the fruits of\n\nBackground Embelin, a quinone derivative, is situated in the fruits of Burm (Myrsinaceae). enzyme (TACE). TACE, therefore, has been suggested as a restorative target for swelling and malignancy. Methods We utilized molecular docking and experimental methods to investigate the docking potential and molecular ramifications of embelin to TACE and human being cancer cell features, respectively. Outcomes We demonstrate that embelin is usually a potential inhibitor of TACE. Furthermore, research revealed it inhibits malignant properties of malignancy cells through inactivation of metastatic signaling substances including MMPs, VEGF and hnRNP-K in breasts cancer cells. Summary Predicated on the molecular dynamics and experimental data, embelin is usually proposed as an all natural anti-inflammatory and anticancer medication. Burm (Myrsinaceae) (referred to as fake dark pepper in British, Vidanda in Sanskrit and Babrang in Hindi dialects) has been around use to take care of a number of gastrointestinal illnesses, fever and inflammatory illnesses for a large number of years. The energetic constituent is usually a quinone derivative, 3-undecyl 2,5-dihydroxy, 1,4-benzoquinone often called embelin, and it is isolated from buy TAS 301 your berries from the herb [7]. It’s been proven to possess restorative pursuits like anthelmintic [8], anti-tumor, analgesic [9], anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic [10], anti-bacterial [11], anticancer [12] and anticonvulsant [13]. The molecular system of such actions of embelin is basically unknown. However, it’s been demonstrated that embelin can be an inhibitor of X-linked anti-apoptotic proteins and in addition blocks the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-B) signaling pathways therefore resulting in the downregulation of a number of anti-apoptotic and metastatic gene items [14]. It has additionally been proven to possess anti-inflammatory activity in both severe and choric style of psoriasis or inflammatory epidermis buy TAS 301 diseases. It’s been reported to lessen TNF- creation in both LPS- and TPA-induced irritation [7]. In today’s study, we initial performed molecular powerful simulations of TACE proteins docked with embelin. Predicated on these data, we looked into the inhibitory aftereffect of embelin on TACE and its own downstream signaling involved with cancer cell development and metastasis. We demonstrate how the embelin-treated individual breast cancers cells have decreased degrees of TACE and TNF-. Furthermore, they demonstrated inhibition in development and cancerous properties including colony developing efficiency, migration and invasion which were mediated by down legislation of MMP-2, MMP-9, VEGF and hnRNP-K protein. Methods Proteins and ligand planning The crystal framework of TACE [PDB Identification: 1BKC] was extracted from Proteins Data Loan company (PDB) [15]. Before docking, ligand within the structure, extracted from PDB, was removed. The crystal structure was produced clean by detatching water molecules. The power of the proteins molecule was reduced by Steepest Descent and Conjugate Gradient technique using Accelrys Breakthrough Studio, one of the most extensive collection for modeling and simulation solutions. The minimization procedure was completed using CHARMM power field. The proteins was then ready for docking using Schr?dingers proteins planning wizard [16]. The proteins planning measures included assigning appropriate bond purchases, addition of hydrogens, creation of disulphide bonds, transformation of selenomethionine to methionine and capping of terminal residues. Following the preprocessing and planning measures, the H-bonds had been further optimized. The ligand molecule, embelin [CID: 3218] was retrieved from NCBI C PubChem Substance Data source. Ligand was also ready using Schr?dingers LigPrep process. It can help in the era of all feasible tautomeric, ionic and stereochemical areas from the ligands, accompanied by their energy minimization. Shape?1A displays the 2D skeleton from the ligand, embelin. Open up in another window Shape 1 Docking of embelin to TACE. (A) Chemical substance framework of embelin. (B) Embelin docked in to the energetic site Igf2 buy TAS 301 of TACE. (C) Residues of TACE involved with hydrogen connection (red) and nonbonded (yellowish) relationships with embelin. Prediction of energetic site The recognition of catalytic residues is usually a key part of understanding the function of the enzyme. Even though some info was obtainable about the energetic site of TACE from its co-crystallized framework using its inhibitor [15], the energetic site residue had been predicted to help expand validate the obtainable info. Q-site Finder internet server was utilized to forecast the most possible energetic cleft of TACE combined with the amino acidity residues coating this functionally energetic site. It uses energy requirements to be able to forecast the energetic binding cleft. It calculates the vehicle der Waals relationships of the methyl probe with proteins molecule. The probe sites with beneficial energy are after that clustered predicated on their spatial proximities. The clusters are rated based on the total conversation energies, as well as the cluster with optimum energy is usually rated 1st [17]. Molecular docking Glide docking component of Schr?dinger [18, 19] was used to research the relationships between embelin and TACE. A 3d grid was produced with center round the crucial residues of TACE, which involve Gly 348, Val 349, His 405, His 409 and His 415 (His residues organize using the zinc atom within the proteins molecule). How big is the grid was 20.\n\nOsteoporosis (OP) offers emerged being a frequent and devastating problem of\n\nOsteoporosis (OP) offers emerged being a frequent and devastating problem of organ great transplantation process. offers a book direction for the treating OP, specifically OP after transplantation. This review addresses the system of OP and its own correlation with body buy 1699-46-3 organ transplantation, lists avoidance and administration of bone tissue reduction in the transplant receiver, and discusses the recipients of different age group and gender. 1. Launch Organ transplantation reaches present the just effective way to take care of the end-stage illnesses. But, at the same time, it boosts the chance of osteoporosis buy 1699-46-3 (OP) and osteoporotic fractures which could have a serious effect on survival and lifestyle quality both in kids and in adults [1C6]. The preoperative or postoperative elements result in OP aswell as osteomalacia and fracture. Generally, bone tissue harm buy 1699-46-3 in transplant sufferers undergoes four stages: firstly, advancement of end-stage body organ disease before transplantation; secondly, exacerbation soon after transplantation due to high-dose immunosuppressive therapy and carrying on homeostatic disturbances; finally, a stage of stabilization supplementary to immunosuppressive dosage decrease and reestablishment of microenvironment of bone tissue; fourthly, the come back of OP due to declining graft function. Specifically, OP after renal transplantation may completely tend to move across the procedure above [7]. Within the various regions of transplantation, the system of OP after transplantation provides made considerable improvement. non-etheless, the related medications for OP after transplantation are limited and absence pertinence in scientific practice. Due to complicated and different pathogenesis, strategies in the procedure and administration of transplant sufferers with OP have to be grouped. This review will systematically investigate the avoidance and treatment of OP in body organ failure sufferers with different operative state and inhabitants and summarize the development of OP in technological analysis and center. 2. System of Osteoporosis and its own Relationship with Transplantation OP can be characterized by a decrease in bone tissue quality and bone tissue mineral density, which often gets worse with age group. In particular, through the bone tissue redecorating, the imbalance between bone tissue development and resorption may cause bone tissue loss, which affects architecture of bone tissue and attenuates the complete bone tissue strength. Bone redecorating, which can be mediated by osteoclasts (OC) and osteoblasts (OB) actions, is constant in the complete lifestyle [8]. Using the further analysis on the system of OP, the key role from the molecule made up of osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear aspect-= 0.018) and osteoid maturation period (Omt, = 0.028) than kids with the low GC dose within this research. Recently, bone tissue biopsy with tetracycline labeling and histomorphometry evaluation continues to be the gold regular in assessing bone buy 1699-46-3 tissue quality [76]. Nevertheless, invasive examinations aren’t applied to kids and noninvasive steps like peripheral quantitative computed tomography buy 1699-46-3 (pQCT) aren’t widely available. Therefore, currently, it Rabbit polyclonal to CD14 is strongly recommended that PTH amounts should be held within the number befitting the CKD stage. Both indigenous and active supplement D are accustomed to suppress PTH amounts in CKD individuals. Native supplement D ought to be served like a first-line therapy in individuals showing supplement D insufficiency or insufficiency ( 30?ng/mL), even though dynamic vitamin D ought to be served like a second-line therapy. Appropriately, paediatric transplant individuals should be provided optimal nutrition, ideal treatment with supplement D and calcium mineral, and low dose of steroids. And regular exercise is effective for improving muscle mass and bone tissue strength in kids. Some research [77] possess indicated that GC drawback and recombinant hgh (GH) therapy are ideal for attaining adult elevation. However, usage of GH to take care of OP of paediatric renal transplant individuals is not however common. El-Husseini et al. [78] experienced exhibited that treatment of founded bone tissue reduction with alendronate (5?mg/d, dental) works well in young all those even following the amount of most fast bone tissue loss has recently occurred and in addition indicated efficacy of intranasal calcitonin (200?IU/time) in the treating bone tissue loss in little renal transplant recipients set alongside the control group. But, the efficiency and safety of the drugs should be additional proven in effectively designed clinical studies. 6.2. Females Bone loss, specifically in women, is a nervous about the long-term usage of glucocorticoids and continues to be among the generating makes behind steroid minimization and steroid drawback protocols. Furthermore, Brandenburg et al. [79] possess verified that low estradiol and high luteotropic hormone (LH) amounts correlated with the level of annual BMD reduction ( 0.05) in postmenopausal renal transplant women; the lumbar T-scores low in the very later period after renal transplantation. Circulating sex human hormones impact lumbar BMD. Estrogen products have a.\n\nBackground Mechanised ventilation (MV) can augment inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)\n\nBackground Mechanised ventilation (MV) can augment inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenged lungs. lung histological adjustments were analyzed. The degrees of interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, tumor necrosis element- (TNF-), macrophage inflammatory proteins-2 (MIP-2) and HMGB1 in BALF had been 141685-53-2 IC50 assessed using ELISA. Real-time quantitative PCR and Traditional western blot were utilized to investigate mRNA and proteins manifestation of HMGB1. Traditional Rabbit Polyclonal to SFRS5 western blot were used to investigate the activation of IB-, NF-B, JNK, ERK, and p38. Outcomes MV considerably augmented LPS-induced lung damage and HMGB1 manifestation, that was correlated with the upsurge in IL-1, IL-6 and MIP-2 amounts in BALF. intratracheally administration of HMGB1 antibody considerably attenuated pulmonary inflammatory damage. experiments demonstrated cyclic stretch out induced HMGB1 manifestation 141685-53-2 IC50 through signaling pathways including p38 and NF-B. Conclusions The results indicated that moderate tidal quantity MV augmented LPS induced lung damage by up-regulating HMGB1. The system of HMGB1-mediated lung damage may very well be signaling through p38 and NF-B pathways. Intro Despite its life-saving potential, mechanised air flow (MV) may start or augment severe lung damage (ALI), which is regarded as ventilator-induced lung damage (VILI) [1]C[5]. Although moderate tidal quantity (VT) alone will not appear adequate for lung damage, many studies show that it could augment pre-existing lung damage [6]C[9]. It really is thought that the excess insult, or second strike induced by MV, synergizes using the root inflammatory process, leading to detrimental effects within the lung [10]C[12]. Among the root systems of VILI may be the launch of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as for example tumor necrosis element (TNF)-, interleukin (IL)-1 and macrophage inflammatory proteins (MIP)-2, in 141685-53-2 IC50 response to MV connected mechanical extend [13], [14]. In medical practice, treatment targeted to limit the original inflammatory state hasn’t proven effective [15]. However, restricting the second strike due to MV may represent a practical therapy. High flexibility group container 1 proteins (HMGB1) has been proposed being a powerful inflammatory mediator in ALI [16]. The natural actions of HMGB1 consist of activation of macrophages/monocytes, upregulation of endothelial adhesion substances, arousal of epithelial cell hurdle failing, and mediation of fever and anorexia [16]. Intratracheal administration of HMGB1 continues to be discovered to induce severe lung damage [17]. Furthermore, a rise in HMGB1 level in response to MV continues to be observed lately in both pet test and scientific trial [18], [19]. Significantly, blocking HMGB1 resulted in a significant decrease in lung inflammatory response [19]. Our latest study confirmed that cyclic stretch out significantly elevated HMGB1 appearance in pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells, that was correlated with the raised degrees of TNF-, IL-1 and IL-6 [20]. Several studies conducted lately confirmed that purified HMGB1 acquired no proinflammatory activity in support of acted being a chemoattractant and a mitogen. Rather, it bounds pathogen-associated substances, such as for example LPS and IL-1, improved the cytokine ramifications of these substances [21]C[25]. Hence, HMGB1 provides dual activities, single or in firm, which might serve our bodys requirement to sacrifice or reconstruct tissue as required with the existence or lack of pathogens. In today’s study, we used and types of VILI to check the hypothesis that HMGB1 induced by mechanised ventilation dose not really make pro-inflammatory activity, but may connect to LPS or cytokines and potentiate their pro-inflammatory results. The results indicated that moderate tidal quantity 141685-53-2 IC50 MV may raise the intensity of lung damage by up-regulating HMGB1 at a stage where LPS complicated is present. Components and Methods Pets A complete of sixty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats (weighing 250C300 g) had been contained in the test. Forty-eight animals had been prospectively randomized to 1 of four groupings (n?=?12 per group): spontaneous breathing (sham); spontaneous breathing with LPS treatment (LPS); mechanised ventilation (MV); mechanised venting with LPS treatment (MV+LPS). In the HMGB1-blockade research, sixteen rats had been randomly and equally designated to HMGB1 antibody group or control antibody group and pets were then put through MV+LPS. The analysis was authorized by the pet Care and Make use of Committee of Guangzhou Medical.\n\nMer (MerTK) is a member of the Tyro-3/Axl/Mer (TAM) subfamily of\n\nMer (MerTK) is a member of the Tyro-3/Axl/Mer (TAM) subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases and its phrase on phagocytes facilitates their measurement of apoptotic cells (ACs). elevated account activation and growth of T cells and Compact disc4+ assistant Testosterone levels cells including follicular assistant Testosterone levels (TFH) cells, which lead in high titers of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs) in Mer?/? rodents likened to outrageous type (WT) handles. Supplementary IgG-producing AFC, total IgG and IgG2 Ab responses were improved in Mer also?/? rodents. Finally, likened to WT handles, Mer?/? rodents got elevated percentage of IFN- creating Compact disc4+ assistant Testosterone levels cells and raised amounts of Th1 (i.age., IL-2 and IFN-) and pro-inflammatory (i.age., TNF and IL-6) cytokines, constant with raised amounts of Th1-biased IgG2 Ab muscles in Mer?/? rodents. Jointly, our outcomes demonstrate that Mer insufficiency induce extended deposition of ACs in GCs causing in dysregulation of GC T cell and Compact disc4+ assistant Testosterone levels cell replies and Th1 cytokine creation leading to change of T cell patience and the advancement of autoantibodies. BrdU growth assay and (t) intracellular yellowing of T cells for Ki67. The BrdU Amyloid b-peptide (25-35) (human) growth assay was performed using a package (BD Biosciences, Franklin Ponds, Nj-new jersey). Rodents had been immunized with NP-OVA as referred to above. On time 21 (n21) post-first immunization, BrdU (1 mg/mouse) was used i actually.g. 1C2hur to the sacrificing and freezing spleens past. One of two consecutive spleen areas (5C6 meters) was tainted with anti-IgD and PNA. Alkaline-phosphatase (AP)-conjugated IgD and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-tagged PNA had been created using the Blue Alkaline Phosphatase Substrate Package III and NovaRed Substrate Package (both from Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, California), respectively. BrdU subscriber base Amyloid b-peptide (25-35) (human) was discovered on the various other section pursuing producers education. Bromodeoxyuridinepositive (BrdU+) cells in GCs had been measured by two people with arbitrarily selected GCs from many WT and Mer?/? rodents. A two-color immunofluorescent yellowing with anti-Ki67 (a growth gun) and GC T cell gun GL7 was performed on spleen areas attained on n21 post-NP-OVA immunization as referred to above. ELISpot assays ELISpot assays had been performed as referred to (6). Quickly, splenocytes and/or bone fragments marrow one cell suspensions from NP-OVA immunized Mer?/? rodents and WT handles had been plated at 1 106 cells/well and diluted serially (1:2) in NP11-BSA covered multiscreen 96-well purification china (Millipore, Bedford, MA) for 6hur at 37C and 4% Company2. NP-specific IgM Abs created by AFCs had been discovered using biotinylated anti-mouse IgM (Knutson Immunoresearch, Western world Grove, Pennsylvania) and streptavidin (SA)-alkaline phosphatase (AP, Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, California). NP-specific IgG Abs created by AFCs had been discovered using alkaline-phosphatase-conjugated IgG (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR). China had been created using the Vector Blue Alkaline-Phosphatase Substrate Package III (Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, California). ELISpots had been measured using a computerized image resolution video program (Cellular Technology, Cleveland, Wow). ELISA NP-specific serum Abs had been tested in sera Amyloid b-peptide (25-35) (human) from immunized rodents as referred to (25). To measure NP-specific total serum Ab titers of different isotypes and subtypes [such as IgM (Knutson Immunoresearch, Western world Grove, Pennsylvania), IgG (Biolegend, San Diego, California), IgG1 (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR) and IgG2 (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO)] ELISA china had been covered with NP11-BSA (10 g/ml). To measure ANA titers, china had been covered with dsDNA (20 g/ml), histone (10 g/ml) Amyloid b-peptide (25-35) (human) or nucleosome (blend of dsDNA and histone). Biotinylated antibodies had been discovered by streptavidin (SA)-alkaline phosphatase (Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, California). The PNPP developed The plates (values less than 0.05 (<0.05) were considered significant. Outcomes Long lasting deposition of ACs takes Rabbit polyclonal to VWF place in GCs and not really in the Testosterone levels cell area mostly, limited area or reddish colored pulp region of the spleen in Mer?/? rodents By analyzing an previous period stage (time14) of the GC response against TD-Ag we possess lately proven that ACs accumulate in GCs of Mer?/? rodents in the lack of Mer-mediated measurement of useless and/or passing away cells by TBM?t (6). Nevertheless, it is certainly not really very clear whether ACs continue to accumulate in GCs of Mer?/? rodents over period, which in switch, may alter peripheral T cell patience at the GC gate that qualified prospects to autoantibody creation in Mer?/? rodents. To research potential deposition of ACs in Mer?/? GCs over an expanded period of period, we immunized Mer?/? rodents and their WT counterparts with the TD-Ag NP-OVA. We utilized a customized edition of the repeated immunization process (referred to in Components and Strategies) previously proven to induce a solid GC response (2). Regarding to this process, rodents had been immunized (i.g.) with 100 g in time 0 and a single week later on with 50 g NP-OVA in alum again. Spleens Amyloid b-peptide (25-35) (human) from Mer?/? and WT control rodents had been harvested at 21 and 80 times after initial immunization. Spleen areas of NP-OVA-immunized WT rodents tainted with GL7 (green, GC T cell gun), anti-CD68 (reddish colored, a gun for TBM?t) and TUNEL (blue, apoptotic cell recognition assay) exhibited very couple of.\n\nOligodendrocyte progenitors (OPs) arise from distinct ventral and dorsal websites within\n\nOligodendrocyte progenitors (OPs) arise from distinct ventral and dorsal websites within the ventricular germinal specific zones of the embryonic CNS. oligodendrocytes. Evaluation of dorsally and ventrally derived OPs in lifestyle revealed inherent distinctions in their difference and migration sizes. As a result, the responsiveness of OPs to demyelination, their contribution to remyelination, and their susceptibility to age-associated useful drop are substantially reliant on their developing site of beginning in the developing sensory pipe. (known to as rodents (Fogarty et?al., 2005) induce TdTom phrase just in those OL family tree cells that are made from the dorsal vertebral cable and brainstem (Tripathi et?al., 2011), even though (Kessaris et?al., 2006) induce TdTom just in OL family tree cells that originate within PGR the developing cerebral cortex (Tripathi et?al., 2011). Both in the forebrain and vertebral cable generally there is certainly competition between dorsally and ventrally made OL family tree cells. In the vertebral cable, dorsally made cells displace their ventrally made family members from dorsal axon tracts during postnatal lifestyle (Tripathi et?al., 2011). In the forebrain, OL family tree cells made from the MGE (and transgenes had been utilized for vertebral cable trials. In vertebral wires news reporter was entered onto the history. In double-transgenic children, Emx1+ dOPs (and their dOL derivatives) exhibit TdTom, while vOPs and vOLs from the MGE and LGE Benzoylmesaconitine supplier express GFP constitutively. We discovered that 88% 10% of reporter-positive cells (either TdTom+ or GFP+) in the adult corpus callosum co-labeled for Olig2, and 100% 1% of Olig2+ cells indicated either TdTom or Benzoylmesaconitine supplier GFP (data not really proven), credit reporting particular labels of OL family tree cells. Focal demyelination was activated by lysolecithin shot into the corpus callosum of 2-month-old rodents (G64CG84, mean age group G75) and the resulting remyelination, which goes through a equivalent schedule of remyelination to vertebral cable demyelination (Miron et?al., 2013), was examined as defined over for vertebral cable. TdTom+ (cortex-derived) dOPs and dOLs had been considerably even more many than GFP+ vOPs and vOLs within the regular corpus callosum (782 185 cells/mm2 versus 117 37 GFP+ cells/mm2, respectively) (Statistics 3A and 3D). Pursuing lysolecithin shot, TdTom+ cells had been originally used up (5 dpl), but their quantities eventually elevated, recovering to non-lesioned control cell densities by 21 dpl (Statistics 3BC3N). GFP+ cells, in comparison, do not really very much transformation during demyelination/remyelination (Body?3D). Body?3 dOPs Dominate Remyelination of the Corpus Callosum Within the lesioned region of corpus callosum, the accurate amount of proliferating Ki67+ cells, both GFP+ and TdTom+, changed over period, initial raising then lowering to pre-lesion amounts (Body?3E). The proliferative response of TdTom+ dOPs was even more speedy than GFP+ vOPs, but their general replies had been equivalent (Body?3E). TdTom+, Closed circuit1+ dOLs had been originally used up (at 5 dpl), but retrieved to their pre-lesion denseness by 21 dpl (Number?3F). Both before lesioning and after recovery at 21 dpl and 60 dpl, TdTom+, Closed circuit1+ dOLs significantly outnumbered their ventrally produced counterparts, efficiently ruling the remyelination response (Number?3F). Unlike vertebral wire lesions, April6+ or Periaxin+ Schwann cells had been not really recognized in remyelinating corpus callosum lesions. dOPs Outperform vOPs in their Response to Demyelination in the Ageing Vertebral Wire The effectiveness of remyelination diminishes with age group, and this offers been connected with a decrease in the remyelinating capability of OPs (Glasses et?al., 1999, Sim et?al., 2002b, Shen et?al., 2008). To check out whether the developing source of OPs?affects age-associated functional decrease, focal demyelination was induced in the spine wire (ventral funiculus) of?6-month-old mice (P176CP186, mean age P184) and 13-month-old mice (P388CP419, mean age P401). Rodents had been sacrificed at 5 dpl, 10 dpl, or 21 dpl. In 13-month-old rodents, 92% 2% of Olig2+ cells had been either TdTom+ or GFP+, credit reporting that the?transgene continued to end up being expressed in the older vertebrae cable efficiently. The amount of TdTom+ dOL family tree cells in the non-lesioned ventral funiculus elevated slightly (2-fold) between 2?a few months and 13?a few months (Body?4A). Pursuing Benzoylmesaconitine supplier demyelination at 2?a few months, 6?a few months, or 13?a few months, Benzoylmesaconitine supplier the amount of dOL family tree cells decreased in that case increased markedly from pre-lesion amounts initial, reaching out to.\n\nNext-generation and Sanger sequencing were combined to identify disease-causing mutations in\n\nNext-generation and Sanger sequencing were combined to identify disease-causing mutations in an adult individual with autosomal recessive RP. after that shot into the vision. The computer virus bears the focus on gene to the light-sensitive photoreceptor cells where it can change the faulty gene. This could become especially useful for circumstances such as Usher symptoms, in which the early-onset deafness makes it feasible to diagnose retinitis pigmentosa before considerable figures of photoreceptor cells possess been dropped. For gene therapy to become a broadly utilized technique for the treatment of retinal degenerative disease, recognition and practical interrogation HLC3 of the disease-causing gene/mutations will become crucial. This is usually specifically accurate for huge extremely polymorphic genetics such as that frequently possess mutations that are hard to determine by regular sequencing methods. Similarly, infections that can bring huge quantities of hereditary materials, or endogenous genome editing and enhancing methods, will want to become created and authenticated in an effective patient-specific model program. Tucker et al. might possess found out a method to address these complications. In their research, they utilized pores and skin cells from a retinitis pigmentosa individual with mutations in to create Masitinib caused pluripotent come cells. These are cells that can become produced to develop into a wide range of adult cell types, depending on the precise circumstances in which they are cultured. Tucker et al. utilized these come cells to generate photoreceptor precursor cells, which they transplanted into the retinas of immune-suppressed rodents. The cells created into normal-looking photoreceptor cells that indicated photoreceptor-specific protein. These outcomes possess many ramifications. Initial, they support the fundamental idea that control cell-derived retinal photoreceptor cells, produced from sufferers with unidentified mutations, can end up being utilized to recognize disease-causing genetics and to interrogate disease pathophysiology. This will enable for a even more speedy advancement of gene therapy strategies. Second, they demonstrate that mutations cause retinitis pigmentosa by affecting photoreceptors in life rather than by altering their advancement afterwards. This suggests that it should, via early involvement, end up being feasible to deal with retinitis pigmentosa in adult sufferers with this type of the disease. Third, the technique could end up being utilized to generate pet versions in which to research the Masitinib results of particular disease-causing mutations on mobile advancement and function. Finally, this research suggests that epidermis cells from adults with retinitis pigmentosa could end up being utilized to generate immunologically coordinated photoreceptor cells that can end up being transplanted back again into the same sufferers to restore their view. Many queries stay to end up being responded to before this technique can end up being transferred into scientific studies but, in the interim, it shall provide a new device for analysis into this main trigger of blindness. DOI: Launch Usher symptoms is a genetically heterogeneous autosomal recessive disorder characterized by early onset sensorineural hearing reduction and later on onset retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Mutations in the gene are the many common trigger of Usher symptoms type I (Aller et al., 2006; Baux et al., 2007; DePristo et al., 2011) and are also a common Masitinib trigger of non-syndromic RP (McGee et al., 2010; Vach et al., 2012). The mixture of hearing reduction and Masitinib Masitinib retinitis pigmentosa in Usher symptoms produces an uncommon chance for the advancement of effective gene substitute therapy. Unlike many various other forms of retinitis pigmentosa in which a huge small percentage of the photoreceptors possess currently been dropped by the period a medical diagnosis is certainly produced, newborn baby hearing exams combined with more and more delicate molecular examining have got the potential to recognize sufferers affected with Usher symptoms early more than enough that the bulk of their photoreceptors are still open to gene substitute therapy. The road blocks to such treatment consist of the huge size of the gene, which precludes the make use of of the types of virus-like.\n\nBackground Increasing evidence provides recommended that dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) could\n\nBackground Increasing evidence provides recommended that dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) could donate to individual disease including cancer. could induce G1 stage arrest in UM-UC-3 and T24 cells, and inhibited cell development subsequently. We indentified miR-320c could impair UM-UC-3 and T24 cell motility also. Furthermore, we determined CDK6, a cell routine regulator, being a book focus on of miR-320c. Furthermore, we confirmed miR-320c could induce 138112-76-2 manufacture bladder cancer cell cycle mobility and arrest via regulating CDK6. We also noticed that inhibition of miR-320c or restoration of CDK6 in miR-320c-over-expressed bladder cancer cells partly reversed the suppressive effects of miR-320c. Conclusions miR-320c could inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells via regulating CDK6. Our study revealed that miR-320c could be a therapeutic biomarker of bladder cancer in the future. Keywords: miR-320c, CDK6, Bladder cancer, Proliferation, Migration, Invasion Background Urinary bladder cancer is generally accepted as the 11th most commonly diagnosed type of cancer worldwide [1]. In america, statistics illustrated an approximated 74,690 situations had been diagnosed bladder tumor recently, among which 15,580 had been expected to perish in 2014 [2]. Though 138112-76-2 manufacture it is certainly thought that both environmental [3] and hereditary elements [4],[5], such as for example hereditary polymorphism, chromosomal anomalies and epigenetic adjustments, play critical jobs in the introduction of bladder tumor, the precise mechanisms of bladder carcinogenesis aren’t well elucidated still. As a result, understanding the potential carcinogenetic systems of these hereditary changes is certainly important to recognize book healing goals and prognostic biomarkers. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are little (20?~?23 nucleotides), endogenous, non-coding RNAs, which constitute a novel cluster of focus on gene regulators [6]. They get excited about various cellular procedures, including self-renewal, proliferation, apoptosis and metabolism, by inducing post-transcriptional gene repression via accelerating the degradation and/or preventing the translation of their focus on mRNAs [7]. The miRNA genes had been observed to become specifically removed in leukemia primarily illustrated the key function of miRNA in carcinogenesis [8]. Following researches have confirmed that the appearance of particular miRNAs is certainly altered in lots of types of tumor, which is connected with cancer and carcinogenesis progression [9]?[13]. In the meantime, accumulating evidences illustrated the fact that development and development of bladder tumor is certainly closely linked to the aberrant appearance of miRNAs [14]. The original research of miRNA appearance in bladder tumor was reported by Rabbit Polyclonal to SEPT7 Gottardo in 2007 and 10 up-regulated miRNAs had been detected [15]. Prior miRNA microarray evaluation illustrated that miR-320 is certainly down-regulated in breasts cancer, severe myelogenous digestive tract and leukemia tumor, uncovering that miR-320 could most likely become a tumor suppressor in prohibiting the behavior of malignancy [16]?[18]. It was reported that miR-320 could inhibit prostate malignancy cell proliferation by down-regulating the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway [19]. Additionally, miR-320a/c/d could inhibit the migration and invasion of hepatocellular malignancy via targeting GNAI1, a crucial protein of multiple cellular transmission transduction pathways [20]. Moreover, Iwagami et al. showed that miR-320c regulated the resistance of pancreatic malignancy cells to gemcitabine via SMARCC1 (a core subunit of the switch/sucrose nonfermentable), suggesting that miR-320c could be a potential therapeutic target in pancreatic malignancy [21]. Nevertheless, the potential mechanism of miR-320c in bladder 138112-76-2 manufacture malignancy has not been well elucidated. In our present study, we further testified miR-320c expression pattern in bladder malignancy tissue. Additionally, for the first time, we detected that miR-320c could suppress growth and motility of the human bladder malignancy cell collection T24 and UM-UC-3. The tumor inhibitive role and potential mechanisms of miR-320c on bladder malignancy were determined. Methods Reagents The miR-320c mimic (named as miR-320c) and the unfavorable control duplex (named as NC) lacking any significant homology to all known human sequences were utilized for transient gain of function research. For colony formation assay, the 138112-76-2 manufacture 2 2?-O-Methyl modified duplexes of both miR-320c and NC were used. 2?-O-Methyl modified miR-320c inhibitor (named as miR-320c-Inh) and NC inhibitor (named as Inh-NC) were utilized for observing the reversed effect of over-expression of miR-320c. The small interference RNA targeting human CDK6 mRNA (named as siCDK6) was synthesized as explained previously [22], which targeted nucleotides.\n\nAims Schizophrenia is associated with cardiovascular co\\morbidity and a lower life\n\nAims Schizophrenia is associated with cardiovascular co\\morbidity and a lower life expectancy life\\expectancy as high as 20 years. pounds was 118.3 16.0 kg in the exenatide group and 111.7 18.0 kg in the placebo group, without combined group differences ( P = .23). The placebo and exenatide organizations experienced significant ( P = .004), similar ( P = however .98), weight deficits of 2.24 3.3 and 2.23 4.4 kg, respectively, after three months of treatment. Conclusions Treatment with exenatide didn’t promote pounds reduction in obese once\\every week, antipsychotic\\treated individuals with schizophrenia in comparison to placebo. Our outcomes could claim that your body pounds\\decreasing aftereffect of GLP\\1RAs requires dopaminergic signaling, but blockade of other receptor systems may also play a role. FTY720 Nevertheless, anti\\obesity regimens effective in the general population may not be readily implemented in antipsychotic\\treated patients with schizophrenia. = .89). At baseline, we found no significant differences between groups concerning age, gender, ethnicity, socio\\economic status, lifetime drug dependency, diagnosis, weight, height, BMI or HbA1c (values > .23) (Table 1). In the exenatide group, 7 patients were smokers compared to 1 patient in the placebo group (= .02) (Table 1). Table 1 Demographics and baseline characteristics of patients Patients were treated with various antipsychotics in both groups (both monotherapy and polypharmacy), including first generation antipsychotics (perphenazine, zuclopenthixol and chlorprothixene) and second generation antipsychotics (clozapine, olanzapine, aripiprazole, risperidone, paliperidone, quetiapine, ziprasidone, amisulpride and sertindole) with no differences between groups (values > .35) (Table 1). 3.1. Primary outcome At baseline, mean body weight in the exenatide group was 118.3 16.0 kg vs 111.7 18.0 kg in the placebo group, with no differences between groups (= .23). During the intervention, the exenatide and placebo groups experienced similar reductions in body weight (2.2 3.3 and 2.2 4.4 kg, respectively) (Figure ?(Figure2).2). This effect on body weight was significant (= .004), without effect PPP2R1B of Group (= .25) or a Time Group interaction (= .98) (Table 2). Accordingly, the mean BMI decreased significantly (= .004) in both groups from 39.5 3.5 to 38.7 3.7 kg/m2 in the exenatide group and from 38.6 6.3 to 37.8 6.7 kg/m2 in the placebo group, with no Group differences (= .64) and no Time Group interaction (= .97). Intention\\to\\treat analysis on primary outcome showed similar results; the effect of Time on body weight was significant (= .004), and no effect of Group (= .22) or Time Group interaction were found (= .98). Post hoc correction for smoking status did not significantly change our result concerning the primary outcome. Post hoc analysis concerning change in body weight scores, with baseline body weight as covariate, was also insignificant (= .87). Figure 2 Time lines of mean FTY720 body mass index (BMI) over a 3\\month period after glucagon\\like peptide\\1 receptor agonist (GLP\\1RA) treatment in obese patients with schizophrenia. Blue line: exenatide group; reddish colored range: placebo group. … Desk 2 Outcomes on primary and secondary outcomes after 3 months of treatment 3.2. Secondary outcomes Plasma exenatide significantly increased in the exenatide group compared to the placebo group (= .002) (Table 3). Exenatide treatment compared to placebo (Time Group interaction) significantly reduced central 24\\hour systolic blood pressure (= .004) and pulse wave velocity (= .007). Table 3 Biochemical fasting blood values Significant effects of Time were found on central 24\\hour systolic blood pressure (= .05), peripheral 24\\hour systolic blood pressure (= .03), HbA1c (= .001), fasting plasma glucose (= .002), plasma exenatide (= .002), triglyceride (< .001), total cholesterol (< .001), low\\density lipoprotein (< .001), very low\\density lipoprotein (< .001) and high\\density lipoprotein cholesterol (< .001). Regarding plasma exenatide, we found an effect of Group (< .001), but no effect of Group was found for any other secondary outcomes (> .06). Post hoc correction for smoking status did not modification outcomes concerning any supplementary final results significantly. Among 20 sufferers treated with exenatide, 13 created significant binding of tagged exendin, ie anti\\exenatide antibodies, in comparison to non-e in the placebo group (= .004). Post hoc analyses excluding these FTY720 13 sufferers did not considerably alter conclusions regarding the primary result (= .47) or the extra final results. Plasma concentrations of exenatide are reported limited to topics without concomitant measurable antibodies (four FTY720 weeks, n = 13 and end\\of\\trial, n = 7). Two to five Mobil\\O\\Graph 24\\hour PWA Monitor parameter measurements had been of low quality and had been excluded from statistical analyses (Desk 2). Modification for age group, mean arterial pressure (MAP) at baseline, and delta MAP (MAP end\\of\\ trial minus MAP baseline) didn’t take away the significant Period Group relationship for pulse influx velocity (=.\n\nBackground The 39,XY*O mouse, which lacks the orthologues from the ADHD\n\nBackground The 39,XY*O mouse, which lacks the orthologues from the ADHD and autism candidate genes (steroid sulphatase) and (acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase), exhibits behavioural phenotypes highly relevant to developmental disorders. hippocampus. non-e from the verified gene expression adjustments could possibly be recapitulated by COUMATE administration. We discovered ten free of charge, and two sulphated steroids in 40,XY and 39,XY*O human brain; amazingly, the concentrations of most of these had been equivalent between groupings. Conclusions Our data demonstrate which the mutation in 39,XY*O mice: we) straight disrupts expression 21438-66-4 manufacture from the adjacent gene, ii) 21438-66-4 manufacture induces an amazingly limited collection 21438-66-4 manufacture of downstream gene appearance adjustments developmentally, with many of relevance to linked neurobehavioural phenotypes and iii) will not elicit huge changes in human brain steroid biochemistry. It’s possible that folks with insufficiency display a particular design of gene appearance adjustments towards the 39 likewise,XY*O mouse, and these lead towards their unusual neurobiology. Upcoming function might concentrate on whether supplement pathway function, mitochondrial cholesterol and metabolism biosynthesis pathways are perturbed in such content. gene (encoding the enzyme steroid sulphatase) and its own instant neighbours, and inactivating stage mutations within and even more faraway contiguous genes (notably are connected with ADHD risk [6,cognitive and 7] function in people with ADHD [8], whilst the gene is normally expressed in PPP1R53 parts of the developing human brain whose structure may be changed in ADHD situations [8]. Steroid sulphatase cleaves sulphate groupings from a number of steroid human hormones (for instance, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, DHEAS) thus changing their activity and/or specificity, and following developmental and physiological results [9]. As non-sulphated and sulphated steroid human hormones can become modulators at essential neurotransmitter receptors, including N-methyl-D-aspartic acidity (NMDA) and -aminobutyric acidity type A (GABAA) receptors [9], insufficient STS developmentally may potentially elicit essential results on neuronal company procedures mediated by these neurotransmitters [10]. Inactivating mutations inside the gene, located inside the pseudoautosomal area from the individual X chromosome and encoding the enzyme acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase that catalyses the ultimate part of melatonin biosynthesis, have already been recommended to be pathogenic in a number of psychiatric and developmental circumstances possibly, including ASDs [11-17]. Such mutations might work to lessen systemic melatonin amounts, a reported feature of people with ASDs [15]. On the other hand, or additionally, they could influence substrate amounts in the mind or bloodstream platelets upstream, for instance, from the development element serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) or bloodstream cell function [15]; raised platelet serotonin amounts are a constant locating in ASD instances [18]. The 39,XY*O mouse does not have both pseudoautosomal and genes (and therefore their expression in every tissues) because of an end-to-end fusion from the X and Y chromosomes [19]; therefore, it offers some extent of build validity like a hereditary mouse model for neurodevelopmental disorders. On an MF1 outbred albino strain background, this mouse also exhibits considerable face validity for such disorders: it is inattentive [20], hyperactive, emotionally hyper-reactive (showing increased indices of stress in novel or arousing environments), occasionally aggressive [21], and perseverative (showing persistent responding in the absence of reinforcement) [19,22] and exhibits reduced systemic DHEA levels [21]. Whilst melatonin levels in wildtype and 39,XY*O MF1 male mice remain to be determined, other outbred albino strains are known to produce significant quantities of the hormone [23]. Currently, the neurobiology of the 39,XY*O mouse is poorly defined, although we have previously shown that it exhibits altered monoaminergic chemistry, notably elevated hippocampal and striatal serotonin levels and reduced 5-HT turnover in these regions [19,22]. Interestingly, however, the 39,XY*O mouse, in contrast to individuals with ADHD, exhibits enhanced behavioural inhibition relative to 40,XY male controls as indexed by performance on murine versions of the 5-choice Serial Reaction Time Task and the Stop Signal Reaction Time Task [20, S.T., O.A.O. and W.D., unpublished observations]. We have previously demonstrated that severe administration of 1 dose of the precise steroid sulphatase inhibitor COUMATE to wildtype male mice also leads to inattention [20] and improved behavioural inhibition [S.T., O.A.O. and W.D., unpublished observations], recommending these phenotypes in the 39,XY*O mouse are because of the ongoing activity of the enzyme. Additional phenotypes in the 39,XY*O mouse (for instance, hyperactivity and anxiousness) can’t be recapitulated by severe inhibition of steroid sulphatase [21], recommending that they could occur through the developmental ramifications of insufficiency for the enzyme, or from neuroendocrinological abnormalities because of ASMT insufficiency alternatively. Here, we looked into the neurobiology from the 39 additional,XY*O mouse using two strategies, with a look at to identifying natural.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.518094539642334}
+{"content": "This book was transformational. Here is my summary.\n\nReplacing Israel with Christians as the people of God (a doctrine called supersessionism) created a hole in the theological imagination that Europeans were able to fill with themselves. Moving on from there, creation and the incarnation demonstrate God/Christ’s focus on the whole world, which Europeans construct themselves as regents of, with authority to construct whiteness as closer to God and blackness as farther away. This last detaches people from place, time and culture and sets them instead within an abstract theological frame imagined to be Christianity.\n\nBy creating identities based on race rather than geography, white colonials, with God-like hubris, lost their own and removed others’ connection to the land, connections that grounded many people’s knowledge of who they were and how they acted. This cannot be solved by simply erasing race, because there is nothing left to ground identity except bare individualism.\n\nUpon coming to these new peoples in new worlds, Christians might have used the tools they had used to Christianize Aristotle, or the memories of themselves as gentiles who had had to be Christianized to imagine these new people as neighbors to be loved, as people among whom God was already at work, and with whom they could imagine new ways of faithfulness to God both for them and for themselves. Instead, because they saw themselves as the new Israel, able to discern all others as pagans, and because they imagined the new people abstracted from their land and therefore were unable to comprehend them as peoples, they turned theology and pedagogy inside out. Instead of coming to them as Christ came to the world and teaching from a position of humility, they became the teachers and regulators and evaluators par excellence. They even saw the riches of the new world as God’s reward and enticement for their hard labor in converting people whom they judged inferior and demon-taught. And they imagined their own difficulties in converting the new people as their own version of the sufferings of the apostles.\n\nWestern Christianity, unmoored from the story of Israel, is seen as neutral, and therefore able to be translated into every and any other culture. But this act of translation, undertaken by colonials for colonial interests, translates black bodies and interest only from and for the perspective of white ones. The goal is the taming and use of the other, and Christianity had to be used to serve those interests, because they are invisible to the colonist behind Christianity. What is missing is both the particularity of God’s choice of self-revelation through Israel, and white and black communion as fellow-strangers and dependents on a savior who comes to them, to us, from a world of particularities different from our own. To sum that up: it’s not about some (non-existent) neutral Christianity that can be translated into each and every culture, which can only, ultimately, serve nationalist goals that divide. It is about all cultures (other than Israel) being invited to be guests together at an Israelite table.\n\nSome African economies tied commercial exchanges to relationships. Western economy was not like that. The transformation of Africans into blacks and slaves cut them off from both previous relationships and precluded any relationships with whites on an equal footing. And even salvation was not imagined in a way that could change that. Thus salvation, for black people in the 18th century, constituted them in relationship with God and with the Scriptures, but it was a salvation into a Christianity impoverished by its inability to address the social and economic injustices of its world, because it could not override the racial and economic constructions of the West.\n\nIn translating the Bible into each language Europeans encountered, they created literary spaces that were separate and distinct, fracturing the world. At the same time, as elite discussions moved from Latin into European vernaculars (French, at first), they vied for primacy as the one, \"impartial\" space for world-shaping discussions. This can be seen, in a powerful example, in the way in which American slaves were denied literacy and thus prevented from speaking into white spaces. In this way, Western whiteness constructed the world in capitalistic ways in which black and brown bodies were primarily valued and evaluated according to their utility to whites. Still today, worldwide commerce and entertainment are primarily structured by and for standards of European whiteness, even if they are occasionally embodied by people of color.\n\nWe must first remember that we are gentiles. We were eavesdroppers on this conversation between God and Israel before we were brought in. God broke into a pagan/gentile world to create Israel, and then he broke into Israelite existence through Jesus to eventually by the Spirit invite gentiles in. God does not offer any of us self-sufficiency, security or domination. Instead, God offers himself in Jesus. Jesus’s body becomes the place where we meet as we express communion with God and, flowing from that, our desire for communion with one another. We are reconstituted as brothers and sisters in a way that must cause us to re-imagine the colonial outlook that uses another’s land for my own enrichment. The divisions and hierarchies of the capitalist system are questioned and resisted in this new space, in which the suffering of the Jew and the suffering of the marginalized (specifically, African-Americans) have something to say to each other. The misshapenness of white colonial theology needs to learn the language of the other, in order to be broken and re-created in the image of God.\n\nFor my own thoughts and response, see upcoming blog post.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9361631870269775}
+{"content": "Home > Reptile Biology > Breeding Your Reptiles\n\nBreeding Your Reptiles\n\nBy: Hsin-Yi Cohen BSc, MA, MSt - Updated: 27 Apr 2019 | comments*Discuss\nBreeding Reptiles Breeding Snakes\n\nFor many reptile enthusiasts to successfully breed from their pets is the ultimate achievement. This is because reptiles often do not adapt well enough to captivity to feel comfortable enough to mate. Thus successful breeding indicates a high standard of skill in reptile husbandry. For all reptiles, whether lizard, snake or turtle, successful breeding relies largely on ambient temperature and humidity as well as clear seasonal and/or day-night cycles.\n\nBreeding Lizards\n\nHumidity - For lizards, one of the key factors for successful breeding is environmental humidity. It is vital to know the natural conditions of the lizard’s place of origin. for example, whether it is an arid desert or humid rainforest and to attempt to replicate this in its artificial home. Simply by providing an environment that approximates its natural habitat, there is a good chance that the lizard will mate and reproduce successfully. Leopard geckos, for instance, will breed several times a year if given a sand/gravel substrate, a shallow water dish (to keep humidity levels low) and good hiding areas.\n\nSpace - The other key factor is space as lizards are territorial in the wild and males will defend their territory against other males. In the restricted space of a pet terrarium, it is vital that there are not too many male lizards to the given area (this does not apply to females). In fact, chameleons are even more sensitive and not only do the males have to be in separate caging but they must not even be allowed to see each other to ensure successful breeding.\n\nDay-Night Cycles - also play an important role in lizard breeding. Again, it is essential to know the natural cycles in the lizard’s place of origin. For example, Australian blue-tongued skinks are used to the hot weather and longer days of the Southern Hemisphere summer (November through to April) and will take time to adapt to the reversed cycle of the northern hemisphere. Note however that certain species, such as the leopard geckos, have been bred in captivity for so long that they are relatively ignorant of natural cycles and will successfully breed simply with the provision of suitable environment and quality food.\n\nTemperature - For lizards that naturally hibernate, you may need to lower the temperature and lighting levels for a period of time (eg. 60-90 days) before restoring the conditions and introducing the sexes to each other.\n\nDeposition Site - Egg-laying lizards will need to be provided with an egg deposition site. This can be as simple as a margarine tub with a layer of sphagnum moss and a hole cut into the lid for access. The eggs should be incubated at 80-84 degrees F and will usually hatch in about 55 days. Some lizards bear live young and these need to be provided with a secluded area without threat from predators. However they are born, all young lizards must be supplied with a constant source of tiny insects, such as hatchling crickets and wingless fruit flies.\n\nBreeding Snakes\n\nJust as with lizards, it is essential to know the natural conditions of your pet snake’s place of origin. Many snakes need a session of hibernation before they are ready for mating. Others may have the ability to breed at any time of the year (eg. corn snakes) but will usually be more predictable and successful following environmental temperature manipulation.\n\nFollowing the recommended hibernation period and once the temperature has been increased to one appropriate for breeding, start feeding the snakes heavily - although still keeping males and females separated. The female will often shed at this point, which is a good signal for introducing it to the male’s enclosure. If you have cannibalistic species, such as king snakes and milk snakes, make sure you monitor the encounter! Once they have mated, separate the pair and try again after a few days to ensure that the female will lay a good clutch of eggs. If you have docile snakes, such as corn snakes, then you can safely leave them together for a week to give them the best chance of repeated matings and fertile eggs.\n\nSnakes, like lizards, can lay eggs or bear live young, although the former is more common. Like lizards, again, female snakes should be provided with a secure egg-laying area, such as a plastic container placed in the cage. This should have a hole cut into the lid and be large enough for the female to fit inside and lay her eggs. Again, the eggs need to be incubated, ideally in a reptile egg-incubator with the temperature set depending on the breed of snake.\n\nTurtle Breeding\n\nTurtle breeding is not that different to snake breeding in that it revolves largely around the essential hibernation period. For example, most terrestrial turtles, such as the box turtle, will emerge from hibernation between March and May and begin mating soon afterwards. If you are keeping several turtles together, you may need to watch out for aggression at this time and to separate the larger specimens from the smaller ones, especially the males. it is not unknown for turtles to bite each other's heads off!\n\nAgain, it is essential that you fully research the species you are planning to breed and to understand its natural living conditions. Choose healthy, strong specimens for mating and remember that the formation of eggs is especially draining on the female turtle’s health. It is important to provide a top quality diet at this point.\n\nOnce they have mated, female turtles will naturally look for a place to lay their eggs and they prefer areas of shelter with plenty of soft soil, surrounded by rocks or logs to help give a feeling of security. The soil must be at least 8 or 9 inches deep as turtle eggs are very soft and fragile and need to be buried. Covering them with a screen mesh will help to protect them from scavengers. As the eggs will absorb moisture from the soil, ensure that there is enough and add water yourself if the soil feels dry.\n\nMost turtle eggs hatch in about 90 days and again, the hatchlings will be very fragile. They will need constant surveillance and protection in the early days as they grow extremely slowly and are easy prey to a whole host of animals. You will also need to ensure an adequate diet and that there is no fighting amongst them for food. For this reason, it is often a good idea to keep young turtles indoors in a terrarium in the first year, even if the species normally lives outdoors.\n\nIf done with thorough research and careful planning, reptile breeding can be an extremely rewarding hobby\n\nYou might also like...\nShare Your Story, Join the Discussion or Seek Advice..\nCan you explain why a male producer eggs when a female is laying eggs aswell many thanks please reply to private message\nLuck Clements 27 - 27-Apr-19 @ 11:25 PM\n(never shown)\n(never shown)\n(never shown)\n(never shown)\nEnter word:\nLatest Comments", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.600300669670105}
+{"content": "Southern Cone: Economic Rights for Women\n\nA Celebration of Women is pleased to share the following VIDEO, outlining the challenges of the Women of our Southern Hemisphere. SPANISH, with English Sub-title. Southern Cone: Economic Rights for Women The countries of the Southern Cone have distinct economic realities. When the issue is women and labor markets, they have something in common. Women have less secure jobs, receive lower wages and generally work in the informal sector. Produced by TV Brasil International … [Read more...]\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997589588165283}
+{"content": "Canna mono Calcium 9,00\nCanna Flores A b 15,00\n\nCanna Cannazym\n\nAvailable in 500ml, 1L, 5L and 10L.\n\nIn Stock\n\n\n\nClear selection\n\n\nCannazym is a high-quality enzyme product. It consists of more than 12 different kinds of enzymes to which vitamins and extracts of desert plants are added. Cannazym speeds up the process of breaking down dead root material and activates the micro-organisms. In addition to this, Cannazym facilitates the improved absorption of nutrients and increases the resistance against pathogenic organisms.\n\nThe threat\nIn a root system that functions well, roots die and new roots are formed. The remains of roots that died from an ideal growing substrate for pathogenic organisms. After the pathogenic molds have multiplied in the dead root material, they are a threat to the healthy roots. These are easily affected and will lose an important part of their function. This causes stress to the entire plant and stunts any new growth.\n\nHow does Cannazym work?\nThe enzymes in Cannazym facilitate the fast conversion of dead roots into minerals and sugars. This is important, as they make up a valuable source of nutrients for the plant as well as for the soil environment. A fast breakdown of root remains creates a balanced air and soil hydrology in the root environment. Furthermore, putrefaction and consequently the formation of toxic substances are prevented and the risk of an infection by pathogenic molds is considerably reduced. This is ideal for your plant. The soil environment is improved, as the minerals and sugars that are formed as a result of using CANNAZYM, are important for the bacteria located close to the roots. These bacteria provide the plant with extra protection against diseases that are caused by molds and facilitate the exchange of nutrients and vitamins with the roots. This results in improved balance and an increased absorption capacity.\n\nIncreased health \nCannazym contains several easy-to-absorb vitamins that stimulate the plant to form new roots. A well-developed root system uses a lot of young growing-points. Elements like calcium, magnesium, and iron are absorbed exactly by these growing-points. Furthermore, a substance that has been isolated from desert plants has been added to Cannazym, as a result of which the plant?s natural defense system will be improved. Activation of the defense system of the plant increases the protection against pathogenic organisms. A defense system that functions optimally allows the plant to react quickly against an imminent attack; eventual damage will be prevented or limited.\n\n\nVolume (liter)\n\n0,50 (L), 1,00 (L), 5,00 (L), 10 (L)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9604930281639099}
+{"content": "\nIs this a good workout routine for me to start off with, and also what would be a good diet plan for someone of my age and weight and stature. Should i try to lose a little weight first? Since this is a beginners workout, should I consume less protein, protein shakes, and good carbs? Or should i consume just as much as I would in an intermediate level workout?\n\nFemales, in general, carry a higher percentage of body fat than men. To be a successful bodybuilder, it is important to reduce your body fat, especially directly under your skin. Consequently, you should focus on frequent sessions of low to moderate aerobic exercise. During aerobic exercise, the greatest percentage of calories burned are from fat. Female bodybuilders should perform 35 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise, five days a week. To determine the intensity of your aerobic exercise, you need to determine your target heart rate zone. Your training zone is determined by subtracting your age from 220, and multiplying the result by between 50 to 85 percent. For very low intensity training, your heart rate should be kept closer to the 50 percent level for at least 20 minutes. For very high intensity training, your heart rate should be closer to the 85 percent level.\nTraumatic-sounding, but true: muscle damage — or more specifically, the micro-trauma to muscle and connective tissue that’s a natural consequence of resistance training — touches off a regenerative process that can stimulate the production of new muscle cells. Research shows that eccentric movements (e.g., the lowering phase of a bicep curl), which require a muscle to lengthen under tension, produce greater micro-trauma than concentric movements (e.g., the lifting phase of a bicep curl), which require it to contract.\n\n\nFamiliarize yourself with important muscle groups and basic anatomy. Bodybuilders are part athletes and part artists. Like a sculptor uses clay or marble, a bodybuilder uses sweat and determination to train the muscles and sculpt the body into a particular physique. Planning what you want to get out of bodybuilding, how you want to shape your body, is a big part of the process. Get the following textbooks to do your research on the body:\n\nGreat post and video. John I have a question….you mentioned in a previous post about skin care and how important to you it is how your skin looks. I have to say you have great looking skin. A lot of bodybuilders just care about their body but not the skin. I would like to know what do you recommend to get rid of flat moles on the skin? I know the importance of vitamin d and how the sun is the best source however I’m very skin and when I get some sun over time I get a nice color but also flat moles or some freckles. Plus everyone tells me that since I’m fare skin to be careful with getting skin cancer from the sun…Any tips? I want a nice color and clear skin without any flat moles…thank you.\n\nLearn to isolate specific muscles. Steady, controlled movements are the key to learning what it \"feels like\" to work a specific muscle or muscle group. It takes about three weeks for the novice to maximize the neuromuscular coordination necessary to identify and fully recruit muscle fibers from individual muscle groups. At this stage, you will be able to efficiently target these groups and minimize cheating with sympathetic muscles. This will also enable you to use virtually any unfamiliar piece of gym equipment (and invent your own exercises) simply by duplicating the appropriate \"feel\" when trying a new exercises for the same body part.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8077278137207031}
+{"content": "Guinea Pig coloring page\n\nGuinea Pig coloring page\n\nThe advantages of coloring pages:\n\n1) Self expression - coloring on a blank \"canvas\" (notepad), is a way for children and adults alike to express themselves. You can tell a lot about the method a person is feeling by the images that they draw, the colors that they use, etc. It is essential to provide children an opportunity to express themselves, and not all children express themselves through words and through writing, numerous usage art.\n\n2) Color acknowledgment\n\n3) Therapy - for many individuals (myself included) coloring is restorative. No matter whether it's scribbling, or coloring the \"best image ever\", coloring can be a way to de-stress, after a hectic early morning of school work, unwind, and cool down, after the tensions of a day at school or work.\n\n\n5) Coordination\n\n6) Building motor skills\n\n\n8) Borders - Another thing that children learn from coloring pages, with preprinted pictures on them, is how to accept limits. While a toddler or young child might scribble all over a coloring sheet, with no regard for the limits (lines on the coloring page), as the kid grows older, they will begin to appreciate those lines, and make an effort to color in between them. While I motivate blank paper coloring for free expression as frequently as possible, for numerous preschoolers pre-printed coloring pages are their very first exposure to printed limits. This early exposure to limits in print, will be a substantial aid when handwriting time comes around, and the kid has to appreciate the limits of the preprinted handwriting lines on the paper.\n\n9) Turning point - This is the last little \"importance\" of coloring that I will mention for now, and that is that coloring in the lines is a milestone, a sense of accomplishment, the initial step towards a successful scholastic profession for numerous children. For numerous children coloring in the lines is just as essential as counting to 10, counting to 100, reciting the alphabet, finding out the multiplication truths, and so forth. It's a milestone that says \"yes I can\" do whatever I stumble upon, and it supplies children with pride, a sense of self worth, and helps them to feel accepted in a society that is frequently quick to judge, and slow to respond. This sense of accomplishment will carry them through life, and help them not to quit so easily, when something new comes along.\n\nDownload by size:Handphone Tablet Desktop (Original Size)\n\nBack To Guinea Pig Coloring Pages", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993196725845337}
+{"content": "gonoodle coloring pages gonoodle coloring pages unique parable the great banquet coloring 18p\n\n\nThe benefits of coloring pages:\n\n1) Self expression - coloring on a blank \"canvas\" (paper), is a way for kids and adults alike to express themselves. You can inform a lot about the way a person is feeling by the images that they draw, the colors that they utilize, etc. It is necessary to give kids a chance to express themselves, and not all kids express themselves through words and through writing, many use art.\n\n2) Color recognition\n\n3) Treatment - for lots of people (myself included) coloring is therapeutic. Regardless of whether it's scribbling, or coloring the \"finest image ever\", coloring can be a way to de-stress, after a busy morning of school work, wind down, and calm down, after the stresses of a day at school or work.\n\n4) Grip/Control - many kids find out how to hold a pencil, pen, marker, or colored pencil, by first learning how to hold a crayon. The small muscles required for penmanship later begin to be developed while coloring.\n\n5) Coordination\n\n6) Building motor skills\n\n\n8) Limits - Another thing that kids gain from coloring pages, with preprinted pictures on them, is how to accept boundaries. While a young child or preschooler may doodle all over a coloring sheet, with no regard for the boundaries (lines on the coloring page), as the child grows older, they will begin to appreciate those lines, and make an effort to color between them. While I encourage blank paper coloring for free expression as typically as possible, for many preschoolers pre-printed coloring pages are their first direct exposure to printed boundaries. This early direct exposure to boundaries in print, will be a substantial aid when handwriting time occurs, and the child has to appreciate the boundaries of the preprinted handwriting lines on the paper.\n\n9) Milestone - This is the last little \"significance\" of coloring that I will discuss in the meantime, which is that coloring in the lines is a milestone, a sense of achievement, the primary step towards an effective scholastic profession for many kids. For many kids coloring in the lines is simply as essential as counting to 10, counting to 100, reciting the alphabet, finding out the reproduction facts, etc. It's a milestone that says \"yes I can\" do whatever I come across, and it offers kids with pride, a sense of self worth, and assists them to feel accepted in a society that is typically quick to judge, and slow to respond. This sense of achievement will bring them through life, and help them not to quit so easily, when something brand-new comes along.\n\nDownload by size:Handphone Tablet Desktop (Original Size)\n\nBack To Gonoodle Coloring Pages Download", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9686291217803955}
+{"content": "„Moln“ was created especially for 10. Internationale Stuttgarter Stimmtage (2014), a festival devoted to the human voice in all its different aspects. „Moln“ deals with the connection of a single human voice in contrast to a group of voices e. g. in a choir. The main idea behind the installation, consisting of a 22 channel surround sound system and a center stage for the visitors is the abstract approach of composing the voicerecordings of actor and singer Michael Kranz. \nBecause of the combination and superposition of sound it is not easily recognizable that the installation actually deals with a single human voice. The voice is transformed to an acoustically abstract sound cloud which increases to a moving soundcompostion and can be experienced by the visitors in a sensual and physical way.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985623359680176}
+{"content": "What are the top 5 causes of sore feet?\n\nBy: Tom Lemke - Cped MC, Cped C, Jun 30, 2018\n\nWe have all had sore feet\n\nWe have all had sore feet from time to time, but what are the most common issues that cause sore feet? Tom from The Foot Lab in Edmonton gives us his opinion.\n\n  1. Plantar Fasciitis - Number one by a long, long way is Plantar Fasciitis - pain in the heel that is worst when rising in the morning or after resting that lessens after a few moments but worsens throughout the day,\n  2. Metatarsalgia - then in no specific order, Metatarsalgia - pain at the bottom of the ball of the foot that is worst on hard surfaces.\n  3. Tendinitis - that occurs in any of the tendons - pain in a linear direction of that specific tendon that is worst when stressed.\n  4. Bursitis - pain, and swelling of the Busa - a sac filled with synovial fluid.\n  5. Severs Disease - a condition most often seen in boys from age 8 - 13, pain in the heel caused by separation of the growth plate from the bone caused by too much activity/sports.\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9975661039352417}
+{"content": "Purpose Filled Therapy\n\n\nmoving forward with purpose\n\n\nNew Hope, MN Therapist\n\nAre there things in your life that seem to be getting in your way?  In this journey of life, all of us encounter events that are difficult to process.  You have the ability to access your own specialized resources to find healing and hope.  When you're desiring things to be different, Purpose-Filled Therapy can help. Through our innovative and evidenced-based therapies that physically change and heal not only our brain, but our bodies, we see people live more vibrant lives.  If this sounds like you, then I'm here to help you take the next steps in changing your future.\n\n\nNo matter where you've been or what you've experienced, you're not alone. Whether you've experienced trauma in your past or are facing new challenges today, I want you to know that  we're all in this journey together. Purpose-filled therapy can help you navigate your past as you change your life for tomorrow. \n\n\n\ncounseling services\n\nMy counseling services focus on helping individuals process past trauma and navigate current life challenges. Using a holistic point of view, Purpose-Filled Therapy provides a safe place to process past experiences and create lasting changes through targeted therapy approaches. \n\n\nIndividual Therapy\n\nI work with individuals who are motivated to make a change and find healing from their past.  As we partner together, we'll address anxiety, depression, and other conditions keeping you from moving forward and making the changes you desire. \n\n\n\n\ngetting started\n\nWhen it comes to working with a therapist, finding someone you connect with and can trust is important.  I offer a 15 minute complimentary connection call to get acquainted and to see if we are the right fit for each other.  My phone consultation will provide a safe place for you to ask any questions about my therapy approach and process.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9680850505828857}
+{"content": "So THIS Is Fitness | Health, Fitness, Running & Weight Loss\n\n\nManage series 1325060\nHealth, fitness, running, weight loss... it doesn't have to be hard! Take it from a guy who's been there and \"gets it\" - your host, Darrell McTague. Having lost 130 lbs and finished ULTRAmarathons, he's learned it all the hard way so you don't have to.\n\n110 episodes available. A new episode about every 9 days averaging 49 mins duration .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998910427093506}
+{"content": "5.3 The Administrative Procedure Act\n\nLearning Objectives\n\n  1. Understand why the Administrative Procedure Act was needed.\n  2. Understand how hearings are conducted under the act.\n  3. Understand how the act affects rulemaking by agencies.\n\nIn 1946, Congress enacted the Administrative Procedure Act (APA)The federal act that governs all agency procedures in both hearings and rulemaking.. This fundamental statute detailed for all federal administrative agencies how they must function when they are deciding cases or issuing regulations, the two basic tasks of administration. At the state level, the Model State Administrative Procedure Act, issued in 1946 and revised in 1961, has been adopted in twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia; three states have adopted the 1981 revision. The other states have statutes that resemble the model state act to some degree.\n\nTrial-Type Hearings\n\nDeciding cases is a major task of many agencies. For example, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is empowered to charge a company with having violated the Federal Trade Commission Act. Perhaps a seller is accused of making deceptive claims in its advertising. Proceeding in a manner similar to a court, staff counsel will prepare a case against the company, which can defend itself through its lawyers. The case is tried before an administrative law judgeThe primary hearing officer in an administrative agency, who provides the initial ruling of the agency (often called an order) in any contested proceeding. (ALJ), formerly known as an administrative hearing examiner. The change in nomenclature was made in 1972 to enhance the prestige of ALJs and more accurately reflect their duties. Although not appointed for life as federal judges are, the ALJ must be free of assignments inconsistent with the judicial function and is not subject to supervision by anyone in the agency who carries on an investigative or prosecutorial function.\n\nThe accused parties are entitled to receive notice of the issues to be raised, to present evidence, to argue, to cross-examine, and to appear with their lawyers. Ex parte (eks PAR-tay) communications—contacts between the ALJ and outsiders or one party when both parties are not present—are prohibited. However, the usual burden-of-proof standard followed in a civil proceeding in court does not apply: the ALJ is not bound to decide in favor of that party producing the more persuasive evidence. The rule in most administrative proceedings is “substantial evidence,” evidence that is not flimsy or weak, but is not necessarily overwhelming evidence, either. The ALJ in most cases will write an opinion. That opinion is not the decision of the agency, which can be made only by the commissioners or agency head. In effect, the ALJ’s opinion is appealed to the commission itself.\n\nCertain types of agency actions that have a direct impact on individuals need not be filtered through a full-scale hearing. Safety and quality inspections (grading of food, inspection of airplanes) can be made on the spot by skilled inspectors. Certain licenses can be administered through tests without a hearing (a test for a driver’s license), and some decisions can be made by election of those affected (labor union elections).\n\n\nTrial-type hearings generally impose on particular parties liabilities based on past or present facts. Because these cases will serve as precedents, they are a partial guide to future conduct by others. But they do not directly apply to nonparties, who may argue in a subsequent case that their conduct does not fit within the holding announced in the case. Agencies can affect future conduct far more directly by announcing rules that apply to all who come within the agency’s jurisdiction.\n\nThe acts creating most of the major federal agencies expressly grant them authority to engage in rulemaking. This means, in essence, authority to legislate. The outpouring of federal regulations has been immense. The APA directs agencies about to engage in rulemaking to give notice in the Federal RegisterThe Federal Register is where all proposed administrative regulations are first published, usually inviting comment from interested parties. of their intent to do so. The Federal Register is published daily, Monday through Friday, in Washington, DC, and contains notice of various actions, including announcements of proposed rulemaking and regulations as adopted. The notice must specify the time, place, and nature of the rulemaking and offer a description of the proposed rule or the issues involved. Any interested person or organization is entitled to participate by submitting written “data, views or arguments.” Agencies are not legally required to air debate over proposed rules, though they often do so.\n\nThe procedure just described is known as “informal” rulemaking. A different procedure is required for “formal” rulemaking, defined as those instances in which the enabling legislation directs an agency to make rules “on the record after opportunity for an agency hearing.” When engaging in formal rulemaking, agencies must hold an adversary hearing.\n\nAdministrative regulations are not legally binding unless they are published. Agencies must publish in the Federal Register the text of final regulations, which ordinarily do not become effective until thirty days later. Every year the annual output of regulations is collected and reprinted in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)A compilation of all final agency rules. The CFR has the same legal effect as a bill passed by Congress and signed into law by the president., a multivolume paperback series containing all federal rules and regulations keyed to the fifty titles of the US Code (the compilation of all federal statutes enacted by Congress and grouped according to subject).\n\nKey Takeaway\n\nAgencies make rules that have the same effect as laws passed by Congress and the president. But such rules (regulations) must allow for full participation by interested parties. The Administrative Procedure Act (APA) governs both rulemaking and the agency enforcement of regulations, and it provides a process for fair hearings.\n\n\n  1. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#home. Browse the site. Find a topic that interests you, and then find a proposed regulation. Notice how comments on the proposed rule are invited.\n  2. Why would there be a trial by an administrative agency? Describe the process.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8474256992340088}
+{"content": "Since the internet revolution, global institutions and governments have been studying the e-signature solutions and such technology platforms. Just recently, legal bodies and other globally recognized corporate and government institutions have come to the determination that even though, at incept, they may accept an electronically signed document from a person, that in fact, such institutions now require the ability to print said document for repudiation purposes.\n\nThe SYNGRAFII LongPen writing device™ is a unique patented technology which makes SYNGRAFII the only online platform worldwide that provides the end user this printing capability.\n\nThe SYNGRAFII sPaper™ technology platform stores completed signed documents belonging to individual end users in their own registered, segregated and secure cloud data storage environment. What makes the SYNGRAFII sPaper™ technology unique above all other currently existing e-signature technology platforms, is that the SYNGRAFII sPaper™ secured electronic document can be printed at any time thereafter by the end user using a dedicated SYNGRAFII’s LongPen™.\n\nSYNGRAFII’s LongPen™ is capable to print a SYNGRAFII sPaper™ secured electronic document any time after the document has been signed, locked, and stored, whereby the end user’s authenticated wet ink signature is affixed to the printed document as it was intended by the end user at the time of signing.\n\n\nThe SYNGRAFII sPaper™ service is securitized by the SYNGRAFII Transactional MasterFile™ - a proprietary non-repudiation engine that provides organizations with a complete transaction history along with evidence of the identity, execution and intent of the signer to the transaction while delivering critical meta-data for business analysis and optimization.\n\nMasterFile™ captures before and after images of the document(s) being executed and stores the file on either a local or cloud server. Authorized users can access the stored transaction records in a secure web portal. Deployed into a Contact Center Solution, MasterFile™ can be integrated with video and/or audio recording solutions allowing organizations to keep a record of the discussion and transaction execution in one file. An example of just some of the data sources collected by MasterFile™ include: mobile phone number, tablet IP address, audio/video feeds (if present), GPS coordinates of the signer, details of the interacting party, the date/start/end time and page dwell time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.669705867767334}
+{"content": "\n\nKaʻū Desert Trail is open.\n\nRound-Trip Mileage: 10.5 miles\n\nElevation Gain: 700 feet\n\nColorful Lava\n\nColorful Lava\n\nA desert in Hawai'i? The Kaʻū Desert isn't technically a desert because it receives too much rainfall. The desert-like appearance of Kaʻū is due to the combination of the rain shadow from massive Mauna Loa and acid rain created from the gases erupting from Kīlauea Volcano. The ph of this acid rain can be as low as 3.4 and inhibits most plant growth. The lava here is also very permeable, percolating most rainwater deep into the earth before plants can avail themselves of it. This desert is an amazing and unique landscape on an island full of such landscapes. This hike follows the Kaʻū Desert trail deep into the Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness area, among the most remote and desolate places on the Big Island. This entire hike is 2500' above sea level with the potential for direct exposure to sulfur dioxide gases pumping out of Halema'uma'u caldera. The chances of encountering another human on this hike is nearly zero. This particular hike travels to the Kamakai'a Hills, which is a reasonable turn-around point for a very long dayhike, but understand that you can shorten or even lengthen this hike.\n\n\nHawai’i Volcanoes National Park Overview\n\n\nGear: This is a very long hike into a wilderness area in one of the most remote areas of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Bring plenty of extra water and food. The hike ranges from 2500' to 3000' above sea level, so temperatures are much cooler than coastal destinations. Wear boots and don't forget your raingear.\n\n\nHike: From the parking area, hike southeast for a little more than three-quarters of a mile until you reach a small structure housing ancient footprints. (Find out more about the complicated history of these footprints on our separate page for this popular hike -- The Footprints Trail). The trail is well-defined to the footprints structure, but begins to become more difficult to follow afterward. It is typically marked by ahu (cairns) when it crosses open lava. Hike southeast for a bit more than a mile to Mauna Iki (literally little mountain). Mauna Iki erupted in 1919 and 1920, and rises to an elevation of 3032' above sea level. Shortly after passing Mauna Iki, find a T intersection. At the intersection, turn right (south) on the Kaʻū Desert Trail. The left turn is discussed on our page for the Mauna Iki Trail. The trail descends quickly at first, and then very gradually all the way to the Kamakai'a Hills. As you enter the Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness Area, you encounter an otherworldly place where you can feel like you're the only person on the island. There are literally no signs of civilization in any direction and sweet silence. Some of the lava features on this part of the island are incredibly unique -- new, black lava capped with colors like blue, Golden-capped Lavagold, crimson, and purple. These colors derive from the chemical composition of the rock that became magma. When you're near to the Kamakai'a Hills, you're about five miles from the trailhead. This is the point where I chose to end this hike because of the obvious landmark of the Kamakai'a Hills, but you don't need to stop here. When you're ready, return the way you came.\n\nkau desert trail hiking.jpg", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7483892440795898}
+{"content": "Top 5 Vitamins for Women of all Ages\n\n\nAntioxidant Vitamins (Vitamins A, C, and E)\n\nThese fat-soluble antioxidants fight free radical damage, which is the underlying cause of aging and many diseases that affect the heart, eyes, skin, and brain. Vitamin C not only improves immunity against colds, infections and other illnesses, but it’s also important for protecting your vision and skin from damage caused by things like UV light and environmental pollution. Make sure to consume plenty of vitamin C foods. Vitamin A and E work in similar ways to protect healthy cells and halt cell mutations, among the many another vitamin A and vitamin E benefits.\n\nResearch done by the National Eye Institute shows that a poor diet low in these vitamins is a major risk factor for age-related macular degeneration and cataracts in older women, and both vitamin A and E are also known to help protect skin from signs of aging and skin cancer. (4)\n\nVitamin D3\n\nVitamin D3 can be obtained from certain foods like eggs, some dairy products, and certain mushrooms, but we get the overwhelming majority of our vitamin D from sun exposure. Both men and women are at high risks for vitamin D deficiencies since more people spend a large majority of their time indoors these days or wear sunscreen diligently when outdoors. Estimates range, but some research shows that up to 75 percent to 90 percent of adults in the U.S. might be deficient!\n\nVitamin D3 is important for bone/skeletal health, brain functions, preventing mood disorders and hormonal balance since it acts very similarly to a hormone once inside the body. Your best bet to make sure you get enough is to spend 15–20 minutes outside most days of the week without sunscreen on, which allows vitamin D3 to be synthesized when it comes into contact with your skin. (5)\n\n\nVitamin K\n\nVitamin K is important for building and maintaining strong bones, blood clotting, and preventing heart disease — currently the No. 1 cause of death among women living in the U.S. and many other western nations. Many women fall short in this valuable nutrient, which is a shame considering studies have shown that individuals who increase their intake of dietary vitamin K have a lower risk of cardiovascular mortality.\n\nYou’re most likely to be low in vitamin K if you’ve been taking antibiotics for an extended period of time, suffer from intestinal problems such as IBS or inflammatory bowel disease, or you take cholesterol-lowering medications. There are two main types of vitamin K, both of which we acquire from our diets. Vitamin K1 is found in vegetables, while vitamin K2 is found in things like dairy products. The best way to prevent vitamin K deficiency is to eat plenty of different veggies, including green leafy vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, fish and eggs.\n\nB Vitamins, Including Folate\n\nB vitamins, including vitamin B12 and folate, are important for a woman’s metabolism, preventing fatigue and boosting cognitive functions. They help with may cellular processes, growth and energy expenditure because they work with other vitamins like iron to make red blood cells and help turn the calories you eat into usable “fuel.” (6) Folate (which is called folic acid when it’s created synthetically) is critical for a healthy pregnancy, developing fetuses and preventing birth defects since it helps build the baby’s brain and spinal cord. That’s why folate deficiency is extremely dangerous for pregnant women.\n\nYou can get plenty of B vitamins from animal products like cage-free eggs, fish, meat, milk, and yogurt. Older women, those with anemia, vegans and vegetarians should work with a doctor to make sure they get enough B vitamins since they’re at the greatest risk for deficiency. Foods especially high in folate include spinach and leafy greens, asparagus, citrus fruits, melon, and beans.\n\nWhen taking a supplement containing folate, be wary of synthetic folic acid. Instead, stick to fermented folic acid, which is metabolized by the body similarly to naturally occurring folate. High-quality multivitamins for women will often feature large amounts of B vitamins, particularly vitamin B12.\n\n\n\nIron deficiency and anemia are the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies in the world, especially among women young. The body uses an iron to produce hemoglobin, a type of protein that transports oxygen via blood from the lungs to other tissues throughout the body. There are two different kinds of iron (heme and non-heme), and the most absorbable and easily utilized by the body is the kind found in animal proteins like eggs, meat, fish and poultry (leafy greens and beans are good plant-based options too).\n\nAdolescent girls are at the highest risk for iron deficiencies, and women, in general, need to be careful to get enough since demand for iron increases during menstruation due to blood loss. (6) It’s been found that, globally, about 50 percent of all pregnant women are very low in iron to the point of being considered anemic — not to mention at least 120 million women in less developed countries are underweight and malnourished in general. Women with adequate stores of iron and vitamin B12 and are less likely to suffer from fatigue, poor immunity and fatal infections, dangerous pregnancies, and bleeding episodes that put their lives at risk.\n\nThere you have our nutrition experts advice on the top 5 vitamins for women of all ages.\n\nWant to learn more about your vitamin intake?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.991395115852356}
+{"content": "What is the purpose of measuring food ingredients?\n\nMeasuring ingredients is a practice that pastry chefs use because the art of Pattiserie, is an exact science, for which demands precise measurements and weights by accurate scales, pastry utensils and gadgetry that ensures such exact work.\nWhen cooking savory food whether it's sauteed, fried, boiled, roasted, grilled, etc., there exists some hard and fast techniques like; knowing your cooking methodology, proper knowledge of what temperatures to use on all foods that can be acquired through academia or better yet, through a practical apprenticeship. Getting back to the question, it's good to understand the importance of exact weights & measurements, a good exercise to try, is to attempt making a loaf of bread following an exact, basic & accurate recipe, then make one going by your gut and what amounts of the ingredients you think should suffice. Please try this then get back to me. I'm quite curious to 'hear' from you regarding the outcome of an exact recipe and the loaf you made by what you 'felt' would work out by estimations you made yourself. Best of luck, enjoy the rest of today : )", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9682590961456299}
+{"content": "Understanding the Underlying Purpose of the Energy Systems\n\nThe most important thing for detectives trying to solve a case is to understand the motive of potential suspects. Training the energy systems of an athlete is one of the most important jobs of the strength and conditioning professional. To solve this case, you must understand the motive force behind why the energy systems are present in the body. I’m going to say the same thing a bunch of times in a row in the following sentences because I need to kick the absolute hell out of this dead horse to reinforce the point I’m going to try to make with the gravity it deserves. The purpose of the energy systems is to deal with the outcome of the hydrolysis reaction of ATP. Stated in another way, the purpose of the energy systems is to rephosphorylate ATP and to deal with the threat of hydrogen and heat that cellular and mechanical work imposes upon the organism. Stated in another way, the purpose of the energy systems is to allow you to perform sufficient levels of ATP hydrolysis to power your organism’s need to engage in behaviors in specific environmental circumstances. If you do not understand this underlying purpose and the ways in which this plays out in the body, then you do not truly understand energy system training. We all have our pet peeves. One of mine is that I can’t stand it when people say that energy systems create energy. Another one is any time I hear anyone say anything about lactic acid. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Energy is transferred from one state to another inside the body. Lactic acid does not exist inside the human body. Lactic acid never has existed inside the human body. Lactic acid never will exist inside the human body. These statements may sound like condescending, semantical remarks made by an exercise science nerd; however, I do not think they are, and I think that failing to address these concerns will continue to lead to erroneous thought processes in trying to develop energy system training. I think these pet peeve concepts of mine are related to the two biggest missing links in our field’s current view of developing the energy systems, which are both fundamentally tied with failure to appreciate the two-tiered purpose of the energy systems.\n\nThreat Deterrence\n\nWe probably all know about the concept of ATP being the energy currency of the body. The ability to restock your supply of ATP is one of the two purposes of the energy systems. This is the most commonly discussed factor in regards to the science of energy systems, and I will surely address this here, but first I would like to discuss the second energy system purpose, which is threat deterrence.\n\nHydrogen is the most abundant material in the universe, with approximately 80% of the known universe being made up by hydrogen. Movement of hydrogen is what drives the universe. When viewing the internal universe of the human, hydrogen is both the driver of life and something that can kill you quickly if left unchecked. Entropy is the direction of the universe. The universe is expanding and the energy found within the universe is headed more and more towards a chaotic state. Heat is the expression of entropy most prominently displayed by life forms. Try living as a mammal without heating yourself. Hydrogen load and heat load are perhaps the two most fundamental things that the human body has to manage. If not kept within a careful window of appropriate levels, you will surely die. We have a variety of measures and systems that we use to regulate hydrogen and heat, and the energy systems are a powerful one when it comes to the hydrogen threat.\n\nThere is no lactic acid inside your body, therefore it is not a threat. Lactate production is an outlet for dealing with an acid threat, and is therefore not a threat (it’s a strategy). Hydrogen is real, and very present inside your body. Hydrogen is a threat, and hydrogen must be accounted for. Where does this hydrogen come from though? Hydrogen is a bi-product of the hydrolysis of ATP. Every time I do anything inside my body, I need to power that action via the hydrolysis of ATP. The potential energy that will power my bodily actions is found in the bonds between the phosphates making up the ATP molecule. I must break these bonds to release energy from a bound/potential state to make it available as free energy to perform work. The body uses a hydrolysis reaction to break these bonds. Hydrolysis reactions are those that require water to be present. When ATP combines with water in the presence of the enzyme ATPase, the bond between the second and third phosphate is broken, and stored energy is released. The reaction looks like this:\n\nATP + H2O (in the presence of ATPase) → ADP + P + Free energy + Hydrogen + Heat\n\nWe did this to gain the release of free energy. Free energy release is the purpose of the hydrolysis of ATP. The energy systems are in the body to deal with the outcomes of the hydrolysis of ATP.\n\nThree Strategies\n\n\nThe energy systems put ATP back together again after it is broken down. We have three strategies of putting ATP back together again, a phosphagenic one, a glycolytic one, and an oxidative one. The phosphagenic and glycolytic strategies are the most primitive, and took place in cellular life forms prior to the evolutionary step of mitochondria creating a mutually symbiotic relationship with cellular organisms by moving into the cells of other creatures. The phosphagenic energy system can rephosphorylate a singular ATP through its one enzymatic step, but it cannot do anything to reduce hydrogen or heat levels inside the body. Here is the primary reaction used by the phosphagen system:\n\nADP + CP (in the presence of Creatine Phosphate) à ATP + Creatine\n\nThe phosphagenic energy system has low cost associated with it, since it does not cost any ATP to run the system. This lack of cost cannot be said about the glycolytic system.\n\n\nThe glycolytic energy system has the ability to rephosphorylate 4 ATP (you receive a net of 2 ATP, because you have to spend 2 ATP to power the glycolytic machinery) through 10 enzymatic steps. Glycolysis can also directly take two hydrogen ions out of circulation. To view the ATP rephosphorylation and hydrogen reduction capacity of glycolysis, the following image is helpful (note that the hydrogen is reduced at step 6, where NAD combines with a hydrogen).\n\n\nThe non-oxidative energy systems pale in comparison to the ability of the oxidative energy system to rephosphorylate ATP and reduce the hydrogen threat inside the body. One of the interesting things about the oxidative system is that it actually powers itself through the motion of hydrogen.\n\n\nThe oxidative energy system utilizes the Krebs Cycle and the Electron Transport Chain (ETC) to rephosphorylate ATP and to reduce the hydrogen threat inside the body. Very little ATP rephosphorylation takes place within the Krebs Cycle; however, the products of the Krebs cycle power the ATP rephosphorylation machinery of the ETC. The primary product of the Krebs Cycle that powers the ETC to rephosphorylate ATP is NADH and FADH2. Every NADH that enters the ETC allows the ETC to rephosphorylate 3 ATP, and every FADH2 allows the ETC to rephosphorylate 2 ATP. The Krebs Cycle churns out 8 NADH and 2 FADH2 molecules every time carbohydrates are the substrate being utilized to power the energy systems (note fats have the potential for many more NADH and FADH2 molecules). The following diagram depicts the NADH and FADH2 synthesizing steps of the Krebs Cycle (note that the Krebs Cycle spins twice when carbohydrate is the substrate):\n\n\nIt is fair to say that when it comes to the power of the oxidative energy system, the ability to shuttle NAD/NADH back and forth between the Krebs Cycle and the ETC is the show. If you have a super powered ability to load hydrogen onto NAD (which converts it into NADH), move NADH to the ETC, unload the hydrogen from NADH at the ETC (which converts it into NAD), and then return that NAD to Krebs to repeat the procedure, you will have a monster aerobic system. It is probably also fair to say that NADH is the show inside the show, and the thing that nobody is talking about. Finally, it is tremendously fair to say that the purpose of the Krebs Cycle is not to rephosphorylate ATP directly, but to power the reduction reaction that results in NADH, which powers the ETC.\n\nElectron Transport Chain\n\nThe ETC is the engine that is the big bang in the rephosphorylation of ATP. The ETC is also the best strategy for reducing (both literally and figuratively if you appreciate redox humor) the hydrogen threat. The ETC is a multi-enzymatic intra-mitochondrial machine that has the potential to rephosphorylate 28 ATP from the products of the Krebs Cycle when carbohydrate is used as the substrate (8 NADH at 3 ATP per molecule, and 2 FADH2 at 2 ATP per molecule). One of the first enzymes present in the ETC is one called NADH dehydrogenase. The purpose of a dehydrogenase enzyme is to remove a hydrogen ion from a molecule. NADH dehydrogenase cleaves the hydrogen away from NADH, which oxidizes the molecule and returns it to its state as NAD. When NADH is oxidized, the hydrogen ion is then shuttled outward from the inner mitochondrial membrane. To help understand this process, see the following picture:\n\n\nIn examining this picture, let’s start at the left. You see NADH being converted to NAD. This is taking place due to the activity of NADH dehydrogenase. You see the hydrogen ion being sent upwards into the space between the inner and outer mitochondrial membranes. Let’s skip over the activity in the middle of the graph to simplify this process. The hydrogen ion that was removed from NADH moves from the left to the right of the picture until it reaches the final enzyme on the right hand side. The most rightward enzyme is ATP synthase. As you can see in the picture, hydrogen moves downward through ATP synthase. The kinetic energy of hydrogen moving through the ATP synthase enzyme is what powers the enzyme to rephosphorylate ATP. ATP synthase is the location where all of the ATP rephosphorylation takes place inside the ETC. From an ATP rephosphorylation standpoint, let’s say that ATP synthase is the show. While giving the credit to ATP synthase for the product that we’re looking for, let’s not forget that it is hydrogen that powers this enzyme’s activity. As I said before, in the internal universe of the human, it is hydrogen that drives life.\n\nWhile hydrogen drives life inside the human, unchecked, overabundant hydrogen will also kill you very quickly. The hydrogen that powered ATP synthase must be accounted for once it has given this enzyme its motive force for ATP rephosphorylation purposes. Have you ever wondered why the oxidative energy system is named as such? The answer is simple. Oxygen must be present for the system to run. The location of oxygen in this process is inside the inner mitochondrial matrix, specifically right below ATP synthase. When the hydrogen passes through the ATP synthase enzyme, oxygen is sitting there ready to receive it. If I combine two hydrogen with an oxygen, I get water. Synthesizing water is the most effective and least harmful strategy that organisms have adopted for dealing with the potential threat of hydrogen. When your body is able to power its behaviors via an electron transport strategy, the organism is operating in the least costly, most highly efficient manner possible, with the least amount of threat presented. When oxygen supply inside the mitochondria is not sufficient to deal with the amount of hydrogen present inside the mitochondria, or the shuttling of NAD/NADH to and from the Krebs Cycle/ETC is not robust enough or fast enough to move hydrogen through the oxidative pathways, the body is forced to go to a checkdown option and deal with hydrogen another way. This other way is via the creation of lactate.\n\n\nLactate is created when pyruvate binds to two hydrogen ions. Pyruvate is the product of glycolysis. To see pyruvate, let’s revisit our glycolysis diagram.\n\n\nWhen it comes to glycolysis, things can be summarized into the following statement: one glucose enters, two pyruvates leave. There is no aerobic or anaerobic glycolysis. There is only glycolysis where a glucose comes and two pyruvate leave through ten enzymatic steps. The fate of pyruvate is what determines whether we operate with an oxidative or non-oxidative strategy. The hydrogen load inside the cell determines the fate of pyruvate. If the Krebs/ETC processes can handle the hydrogen load, things run smoothly. If Krebs and ETC are unable to handle the hydrogen coming from a specific rate of ATP hydrolysis, then we must call on the backup system, which is the synthesis of lactate. Lactate equals pyruvate plus two hydrogen. It is as simple as that. View the following image to appreciate this concept:\n\n\nIn viewing the above image, focus on the bottom. Pyruvate is on the left, lactate is on the right. Look at the molecular makeup of the two substances. The only difference between pyruvate and lactate is that a singular bond attaches one hydrogen ion on the left side of the structure, and another hydrogen is bound to oxygen on the right side of the structure. Lactate is a fantastic method of removing two hydrogen ions from existing in a free state. The purpose of the lactate system is to act as an alternative strategy for dealing with hydrogen load during times of extreme behaviors. Lactate is your checkdown receiver on a hot read.\n\nClosing Thoughts\n\nAs the great Mike Cantrell likes to say at PRI courses, it’s cool that the aspirin works, but it’s cooler to know how it works. It’s cool to know that the program design approaches of Joel Jameison work. It’s cooler to know what’s happening inside the system that drives the reasons behind why they work. If you do not know why things work, you do not have a good BS detector. You will fall for stupid training concepts and you will be a garbage strength coach. If you want to be a beast in the majority of American sports, you need quality energy system development coached in the proper sequence of development. This may not be the fastest road to success, but it will be the road to the highest success with the least amount of detrimental stress put on your organism’s homeostatic control systems. We live in an age of information and accountability. If you are stupid, you are easily replaceable. Be an intellectual savage who does not accept ordinary, mundane, or low level things in your life. As you were.\n\nabout the author\n\n\npat davidson\n\n\n-Assistant Professor at Brooklyn College, 2009-2011\n\n-Assistant Professor, Springfield College 2011-2014\n\n-Head Coach Springfield College Team Ironsports 2011-2013\n\n\n-Renaissance Meat Head\n\nHoliday Circuit Training: Stay Lean and Save Time\n\nIt’s that time of the year again. That time when fitness fanatics such as you and I are declared war upon by delicious and unforgiving foods, parties at the exact same time we usually workout, and so on so forth. While the food and activities surrounding the holidays are great, you need to increase your awareness to avoid losing your hard earned gains.\n\nIn other words, you need a strategy.\n\nSo let’s put this in a situation. You get out of work at 5pm, and there’s a holiday party you have to be at by 6:30pm. Thus, you can’t spend your usual one to two hours at the gym.\n\nBy the time you get to the gym and change, it’s already 5:15pm. You have to be out of there with something accomplished by 6 to then get home, clean up, get your swag on, and get to the gathering.\n\nThis should be a no brainer, but 45 minutes is more than enough time to get an awesome workout in. You just have to turn your beast mode on and be ready to get nasty.\n\nAnd no, the way to do this is not slugging on a treadmill for 30 minutes, but rather via a training methodology known as high intensity circuit training.\n\nCircuit training is moving from one exercise to another without resting, but don't confuse this with interval training:  high intensity bouts followed by a controlled rest period repeated for x number of reps (the Tabata 20 on/10 off has become a well known example).\n\nAlthough interval training is effective, today I’m talking all about circuit training, the benefits of it for fat loss and athletic performance, the physiological effect it has on your body, how to properly design a circuit training program, how to fuel up for this type of training, and the philosophy of quality over quantity.\n\nLet me start by giving you a few reasons why you should have circuit training in your current program if you don't already.\n\nIt is time efficient:  you can get a full warm up, main workout, and cool down in in less than 45 minutes.\n\nYou operate in an anaerobic state (no oxygen available to the body) while circuit training, which can actually increase your aerobic capacity (VO2 Max), which means you can work longer and recover quicker.\n\n*note from James:  Don't get confused here.  We've talked before on the site about how adaptations from anaerobic glycolysis directly butts heads with aerobic development, and that's still true.  What Nick is talking about, more specifically, is the contractile ability or strength of your heart.  By working near a maximal heart rate for 30-90 seconds, you can increase the force with which your heart contracts, therefore pumping out more blood with each contraction.  This is a more advanced technique, and works on a different aspect of aerobic development, but can still be utilized to squeeze out as much aerobic capacity as possible.  Ultimately, your heart rate dictates the adaptation, so it's a good idea to track it throughout your workout.\n\nDepending on intensity and duration, you continue to burn calories for 16-48 hours after a circuit training session. This is credit to EPOC or excess post exercise oxygen consumption. More on that below!\n\nYou will see massive improvements in anaerobic conditioning, speed, power, agility, muscle hypertrophy, and most of all mental toughness.\n\nIt is a great tool to structure around your heavy lifting days to trim body fat.\n\nIt is fun, challenging, outside of the box, and you feel like you’re the hulk while you’re doing it.\n\n\nThe best way to explain EPOC, and how it keeps your body burning calories after your workout, is the credit card metaphor used by Anja Garcia. Since you're operating in an anaerobic state (without oxygen) while circuit training, your body is building up lactic acid and goes into an oxygen debt (just like spending money that you don’t have yet). Now, after the workout, your body has to work to replenish the oxygen debt and flush out that lactic acid.  This process takes energy, and thus burns more calories. How long it takes your body to recover is dependent on the intensity and duration of the workout.\n\n\nThe first thing that you should ask when designing a circuit training program is, “what am I preparing for and how do I make this program relevant to my goals?” If you are working out simply because you love to work out and stay fit, then circuit training can be a great vehicle for staying lean and you can take whatever avenue you want. But if you’re approaching it from an athletic performance stand point, you need to make your circuits relevant to the demands of your game.\n\nI will give an example. I am a hockey player; the average hockey shift is probably about 30 seconds to a maximum of 1.5 minutes. So when I design my circuits, I want to make them similar in length and physiological demand of a hockey shift. To give you an idea, here is what a sample round might look like for me:\n\nTreadmill sprint, 20 seconds, 12 mph.\n\nDumbbell bent over row, 8ea arm\n\n20 pushups\n\nAll three moves are done straight through without resting then you repeat. If you rest between sets (every time you do all three through) is dependent on what you’re preparing for, what adaptation you're looking to get, and what level of conditioning you’re at. For a Crossfit athlete or martial artist, I would say absolutely no rest between sets because of the high volume/endurance nature of what they do.  Again, all of this will be dictated by where the athlete currently is, and where he or she wants to go.\n\nFor example, if you're an MMA or Crossift athlete with a resting heart rate in the 70's, then a circuit training session would look drastically different for you than someone who has a heart rate in the 50's.  You first need to acquire some aerobic capacity before you tackle anything else.  Thus, your circuits would be at a lower intensity, with a heart rate between 120-150 BPM.\n\nAnother example is hockey, aka my game, where we rest between shifts.  Thus, I might take a short rest between sets.   A great way to gauge if you’re ready to get into your next set is to monitor your heart rate.  In particular, you're looking for your heart rate to drop back down to 120 BPM because it signifies full recovery.\n\nAgain, once you've identified where you are, and what adaptations need to take place to get you where you want to be, your circuit training sessions will be driven by your heart rate.\n\nLet me translate that sample round I gave you, and make it into a template for you to use when you’re designing your program:\n\n1A. Metabolic move\n\nSprint, agility ladder, fast pace ropes, prowler pushes, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, medicine ball slams, something that gets you moving and shoots up your heart rate. Usually like to do this move for time. 15-30 seconds.\n\n1B. Opposing muscle group to 1A\n\nIf you did a sprint in 1A, move to an upperbody/core move such as a push-up, shoulder press, russian twist, or front bridge plank. The reps or time frame you do here is dependent on the move. For a general prescription, it should take about 25-30seconds. Also, keep in mind that your heart rate is going to be high from 1A, so keep the loads lower here.\n\n1C. Opposing muscle group to 1B\n\nA simple example would be if you did a bicep curl in 1B, you do a tricep pushdown in 1C. The reps or time frame you do here is dependent on the move. For a general prescription, it should take about 25-30seconds.\n\nThe combination of all three moves equals a round. Do each round 2-3 times straight through. Have at least 3 rounds for every time you do a circuit training session.\n\nDisclaimer: The example moves and exercise prescriptions I have given here are for a general consensus not speaking to any one individual. Adjust according to your own fitness levels and abilities.\n\n\nIf you stay within the template I just gave you, your circuit rounds can last anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes. Given the intensity of these circuits and the fact you'll be working hard for 30-90 seconds, your body will be physiologically operating in what is called Anaerobic Glycolysis.\n\n*note from James:  this depends on the structure of the circuit, but for the type of circuit Nick is prescribing you will spend the majority of your time in a \"Lactic state.\"  But note that it's important to acquire a near maximal heart rate in order to improve the contractile strength of the heart.  You don't just want to slosh around above your anaerobic threshold, unless the demands of your sport etc. require it.\n\nGlycolysis is the breakdown of stored glycogen/glucose (carbohydrates) in the muscle to produce ATP (our body’s primary energy source) when no oxygen is available.\n\nTo put that in more simple terms, carbs are crucial for this type of work. So do your best to get in quality, denser carbohydrates throughout the day and/or around your workout.  This will help not only ensure that you have enough energy for your workout, but it will also aid in recovery.\n\nOne more nutritional thought I want to share with you comes from my own trial and error, and it's on the subject of meal timing. I have found that these workouts are best when you feel light. Keep your big meals at least 4 hours from these workouts. You can have a small snack like a piece of fruit or a Cliff bar one hour out.\n\n\nWhen discussing circuit training, the idea of quality over quantity has to be covered. Circuit training is not throwing a random osh kosh of exercises together, doing them sloppy, and lying on the ground from exhaustion by the end of the workout. When you are looking at that template I gave and trying to pick your exercises, always ask yourself:\n\n“Why? How does this fit in conjunction with the other exercises and is this going to make me better?”\n\nYes, you want to feel like you got in an awesome workout, but more importantly it needs to fit in with your overall goals.  But the idea of throwing moves together just to be exhausted needs to abolished. Do not work to be tired; work to perform!\n\nAbout the Author\n\nNick Mancini is a young up and comer in the fitness industry. Since age 18, Nick has been a certified trainer under the National Strength and Conditioning Association. His mission as a coach is too not only help his clients loose fat and gain muscle, but to inspire and empower his people to pursue higher ground in life.  He is currently working on a project to offer his services online called Faith Fire Fight.  Nick studies at The College of New Jersey majoring in exercise sciences and plays for their hockey team.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7421696186065674}
+{"content": "Transcriptional and Post-transcriptional Mechanisms Limit Heading Date 1 (Hd1) Function to Adapt Rice to High Latitudes\nPLoS Genet. 2017, 13(1):e1006530\nGoretti D, Martignago D, Landini M, Brambilla V, Gómez-Ariza J, Gnesutta N, Galbiati F, Collani S, Takagi H, Terauchi R, Mantovani R, Fornara F\n\nRice flowering is controlled by changes in the photoperiod that promote the transition to the reproductive phase as days become shorter. Natural genetic variation for flowering time has been largely documented and has been instrumental to define the genetics of the photoperiodic pathway, as well as providing valuable material for artificial selection of varieties better adapted to local environments. We mined genetic variation in a collection of rice varieties highly adapted to European regions and isolated distinct variants of the long day repressor HEADING DATE 1 (Hd1) that perturb its expression or protein function. Specific variants allowed us to define novel features of the photoperiodic flowering pathway. We demonstrate that a histone fold domain scaffold formed by GRAIN YIELD, PLANT HEIGHT AND HEADING DATE 8 (Ghd8) and several NF-YC subunits can accommodate distinct proteins, including Hd1 and PSEUDO RESPONSE REGULATOR 37 (PRR37), and that the resulting OsNF-Y complex containing Hd1 can bind a specific sequence in the promoter of HEADING DATE 3A (Hd3a). Artificial selection has locally favored an Hd1 variant unable to assemble in such heterotrimeric complex. The causal polymorphism was defined as a single conserved lysine in the CCT domain of the Hd1 protein. Our results indicate how genetic variation can be stratified and explored at multiple levels, and how its description can contribute to the molecular understanding of basic developmental processes.\n\nE-link to publication", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9670957922935486}
+{"content": "If you donate blood , you can help in saving lives of many patients .\n\nThousands of patients need blood transfusion as in the following conditions :-\n\nBlood donation is not hazardous and it proves to be a healthy habit that helps blood renewal .\n\nThe volume of blood donation is 370:400 ml, almost 7.5% of the adult blood volume.\n\nIt is compensated in a short period of time .\n\nWhen you donate blood , You will get a medical examination including medical history , hemoglobin estimation and blood group determination.\n\nThe donated blood will be tested for hepatitis B , C , HIV viruses , syphilis microbe , together with liver function tests also HCV RNA by PCR.\n\nyou will receive the results confidentially or if you want they can be mailed to you.\n\nAll the materials used in blood donation are strictly sterile and disposable.\n\nyou can give blood every 3 months….\n\nTypes of the donation:\n  • Whole blood.\n  • Platelets donation by Aphersis machine, needs dedication of the donor who will accept to spend about one hour or more for donating platelets by Aphersis machines.\n  • Autologus blood donor which means that the patient will donate blood for himself.\n\n\n\nQuality Assurance Dep | Molecular Biogy Dep | Guest Book", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7112412452697754}
+{"content": "Section 5.3 Question 2\n\nWhat is an annuity due?\n\nIn an ordinary annuity, the payment into the annuity is made at the end of the period. An annuity due differs from this since the payments are made at the beginning of the period. However, we can apply the formula for determining the future value of an ordinary annuity with a little modification. Let’s look at the payments and the interest earned in an annuity due where payments of $1000 are made. As in our earlier example, these payments earn 4% interest compounded semiannually.\n\n\nThe sum of these payments and interest are\n\n\nThis sum contains the term 1000(1.02)6 corresponding to the amount the first payment grows to over six periods. Unlike the sum from a similar ordinary annuity, this sum does not contain a term equal to 1000. This is because the last payment is made at the beginning of the sixth payment period. It earns interest to grow to $1000(1.02) or $1020.\n\nIn effect, the future value of an annuity due is like an ordinary annuity with an extra period at the beginning of the annuity and lacking the final payment. This allows us to write the future value for the annuity due.\n\nFuture Value of an Annuity Due\n\nIf equal payments of PMT are made into an annuity due for n periods at an interest rate of i per period, the future value of the annuity FV is\n\n\nThis formula is almost identical to the future value of the ordinary annuity. The power of n+1 in the numerator incorporates the extra interest earned by the first payment. A payment is subtracted from the ordinary annuity formula to account for the last payment earning interest.\n\nExample 5         Find the Future Value of an Annuity Due\n\nAn investor deposits $1000 in a simple annuity at the beginning of each six-month payment period. This annuity earns 4% per year, compounded semiannually. Find the future value if payments are made for three years.\n\nSolution Since the payments are made at the beginning of each period, this is an annuity due. The payment is R = 500 and the interest rate per period is i = 0.05. Since interest is earned semiannually over the term of three years, there are n = 6 periods. Using these values, the future value is\n\n\nThis is calculated on a TI Graphing Calculator as shown below.\n\n\nThis results in the same future value as adding the terms of the sum directly,\n\n\nYour Questions Answered", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9235135316848755}
+{"content": "\n\npotw1347aStarryCritters is all about seeing patterns in the stars. ESO 149-3 is an irregular galaxy that appears to be shaped like a squid with a dim smattering of stars hanging below. Irregular galaxies lack the shape and structure of more well known spiral and elliptical galaxies. They also tend to be much smaller. Nearly one-quarter of all galaxies are irregular galaxies. The Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, companions to our Milky Way Galaxy, are irregular galaxies. Blue stars in ESO 149-3 are hot young stars probably born as the galaxy interacted with another. Gold stars are older stars like our Sun.\n\nESO 149-3 is found fairly nearby at about 20 million light-years from Earth toward the southern constellation Phoenix. Zoom deep into the image and spy more distant galaxies of all shapes scattered throughout the image.\n\nSend as an ECard", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9968044757843018}
+{"content": "View Full Version : Resonance Frequency of Force Plates\n\nunknown user\n09-05-2000, 07:28 PM\nDear Biomch-L Subscribers:\n\nAn important issue when investigating the properties of force plates is the\nresonance frequency which limits the range of frequencies that can be\nrecorded without distortion. Now, I have a couple of questions regarding\nKistler plates fixed on the 4 sensors in the corners:\n\n1) What exactly is meant by the resonance frequency of a given plate:\na) the frequencies of the vibrations within the plate considered as a rigid\nbody between its points of support or\nb) the frequencies of the system as a whole meaning the plate together with\nthe base of support.\nMaybe a comparison with a car on 4 wheels makes the difference a little\nclearer: case a) corresponds to vibrations with in the chassis and case b)\nto vibrations of the whole car on its wheels.\n\n2) For experimental determination of the resonance frequency I looked at the\nmethods of modal analysis: they all do require the mesaurement of either\nacceleration, velocity or movement which is not an easy thing to do with the\nplates already installed.\nHowever, it seems to me that it should be possible to get some idea of the\nresonance properties of the plate by 'hammering' on one of the sensors and\nmeasuring the force responses on all of the 4 sensors.\na) Is there any opinion on what information one can get from this kind of\nb) Is it possible to separate the two different kinds of vibrations ( point\n1) ) in the signals and how?\n\n3) Regarding the (experimental) analysis of force plates I only could find\ntwo papers:\nBobbert, MF and Schamhardt, HC, 1990, Accuracy of Determining the Point of\nForce Application with Piezoelectric Force Plates, jbiomech, 23(7):705-710.\nSchmiedmayer, HB and Kastner, J, 1999, Parameters Influencing the Accuracy\nof Point of Force Application Determined with Piezoelectric Force Plates,\njbiomech, 32:1237-1242.\nDoes anyone know about other work on this subject?\n\nI appreciate any contribution and will post a summary of the responses,\n\n\n*** Matthias Schablowski\n*** Abt. Forschung 2: Laufbandlokomotion\n*** Schlierbacher Landstrasse 200a\n*** 69118 Heidelberg\n*** Tel: ++49-6221-969284\n*** Fax: ++49-6221-969234\n*** Email: Matthias.Schablowski@ok.uni-heidelberg.de\n\nTo unsubscribe send SIGNOFF BIOMCH-L to LISTSERV@nic.surfnet.nl", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7996810674667358}
+{"content": "bus coloring page\n\nbus coloring page\n\nThe advantages of coloring pages:\n\n1) Self expression - coloring on a blank \"canvas\" (paper), is a way for children and adults alike to express themselves. You can tell a lot about the way a person is feeling by the images that they draw, the colors that they use, etc. It is important to offer children a chance to express themselves, and not all children express themselves through words and through writing, numerous use art.\n\n2) Color acknowledgment\n\n\n4) Grip/Control - numerous children discover how to hold a pencil, pen, marker, or colored pencil, by first knowing how to hold a crayon. The small muscles required for penmanship later begin to be established while coloring.\n\n5) Coordination\n\n6) Building motor abilities\n\n7) Focus - Paying attention to a single task for a length of time is needed for coloring and for all sorts of things throughout one's life.\n\n8) Borders - Another thing that children gain from coloring pages, with preprinted pictures on them, is how to accept borders. While a young child or preschooler may doodle all over a coloring sheet, without any respect for the borders (lines on the coloring page), as the child ages, they will begin to respect those lines, and make an effort to color in between them. While I encourage blank paper coloring for free expression as often as possible, for numerous young children pre-printed coloring pages are their first exposure to printed borders. This early exposure to borders in print, will be a huge help when handwriting time happens, and the child needs to respect the borders of the preprinted handwriting lines on the paper.\n\n9) Turning point - This is the last little \"significance\" of coloring that I will discuss in the meantime, which is that coloring in the lines is a milestone, a sense of accomplishment, the primary step towards a successful scholastic career for numerous children. For numerous children coloring in the lines is simply as crucial as counting to 10, counting to 100, reciting the alphabet, finding out the reproduction realities, etc. It's a milestone that says \"yes I can\" do whatever I come across, and it supplies children with pride, a sense of self worth, and assists them to feel accepted in a society that is often quick to judge, and slow to react. This sense of accomplishment will bring them through life, and help them not to give up so easily, when something brand-new comes along.\n\nDownload by size:Handphone Tablet Desktop (Original Size)\n\nBack To Bus Coloring pages", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9795685410499573}
+{"content": "Captaincies of the Spanish Empire\n\nCaptaincies (Spanish: capitanías) were military and administrative divisions in colonial Spanish America and the Spanish Philippines, established in areas under risk of foreign invasion or Indian attack. They could consist of just one province, or group several together. These captaincies general should be distinguished from the ones given to almost all of the conquistadores, which was based on an older tradition. During the Reconquista, the term \"captain general\" and similar ones had been used for the official in charge of all the troops in a given district. This office was transferred to America during the conquest and was usually granted along with the hereditary governorship to the adelantado in the patent issued by the Crown. This established a precedent that was recognized by the New Laws of 1542, but ultimately the crown eliminated all hereditary governorships in its overseas possessions.\n\nWith the establishment of appointed governors, who served only for a few years, captaincies were created in the areas where the crown deemed them necessary. The new captaincies general were governed by what was also called a captain general, and it is this title alone that is usually used by historians. The title of captain general itself is a high military rank of general officer grade, equivalent to the rank of Field Marshal, as well as, and a gubernatorial title. However, in practice this was a person who held two distinct offices: one military, which granted him command of the regional forces (the \"captaincy general\" proper), and another civilian, which included the presidency of the audiencia, if there was one in the provincial capital, (the governorship). The specific powers of any governor-captain general varied by time and place and were specified in the decrees establishing the captaincy general. The institution of the captaincy general predated the viceroyalty, but was incorporated into the latter when the viceroyalties were established in the mid-16th century.\n\nSome captaincies general, such as Guatemala, Chile and Venezuela were eventually split off from their viceroyalties for better-administration purposes. Although under the nominal jurisdiction of their viceroys, governors-captains general were virtually independent, because the law granted them special military functions and given the considerable distance of their districts from the viceregal capital, they were authorized to deal directly with the King and the Council of the Indies, in Madrid. The institution was later revived as part of the Bourbon Reforms. Captaincies general were first introduced into Spain beginning in 1713 during the War of the Spanish Succession. After the losses of the Seven Years' War, the Bourbon kings established new ones in many American regions, which had not had them before. Along with the new governors-captains general, the Bourbons introduced the Intendant, to handle civilian and military expenses.\n\nSpanish Captaincies\n\nSee also\n\nCaptain general\n\n\nCaptaincies of the Portuguese Empire\n\nThe Captaincies of the Portuguese Empire (Portuguese: Capitanias do Império Português) were the socio-administrative territorial divisions and hereditary lordships established initially by Henry the Navigator, as part of the Donatário system in order to settle and developed the Portuguese overseas Empire. Pioneered on the island of Madeira and institutionalized in the archipelago of the Azores, the captaincy system was eventually adapted to the New World.\n\nCaptaincy General\n\nThe Captaincy General was a division of a viceroyalty in Spanish or Portuguese colonial administration. Captaincies general were established districts that were under threat from foreign invasion or Indian attack. Their governors were the Captains general. Captaincies general, on account of their independence and distance from the crown, became virtual viceroyalties, having a direct relationship with the king and the Council of the Indies, in Madrid.\n\nImages, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8972209692001343}
+{"content": "Frequently Asked Questions\n\nWhat are Lab Grown Diamonds?  \n\n\nHow do Lab Grown Diamonds grow? \n\n\nWhat Growth Process Does True Origin™ Utilize? \n\nOur product involves a combination of both CVD and HPHT.\n\nWhat are Diamond Seeds?  \n\n\nHow are Lab Grown Diamonds Graded? \n\n\n\n\nWhy Choose a True Origin™ Lab Grown Diamond? \n\nTrue Origin™ is a member of the International Grown Diamond Association (IGDA), the leading global platform dedicated to representing and promoting lab grown diamonds. IGDA members adhere to a strict Code of Conduct toward ethical trade responsibilities, and uphold a progressive Best Practices Agreement regarding human rights and environmental issues. The True Origin™ Lab Grown Diamonds state of the art manufacturing facility is owned and operated by True Origin™, ensuring factory direct pricing, reliable supply, and the dependable customer service our clients have come to expect.  \n\nHow is True Origin™ Lab Grown Diamond Rough handled in the laboratory and processed into stones?\n\nOnce the lab grown diamond rough is large enough to be extracted from the machine, the stone is identified as lab grown. The rough then goes through the same analysis and review as nature made rough. It is analyzed by highly skilled cutters to plan for the best facets and cuts to yield the stones with the best proportions and symmetry. \n\nThe lab grown rough is cut in a responsible, controlled facility. The stones are then polished and inspected. Each stone is packaged carefully with full disclosure of its origin as a lab grown diamond. \n\nWhat are the True Origin™ Lab Grown Processing Protocols?\n\n  • Each stone is inspected and tested. It is then stored in a separate and secure vault. \n  • Production of finished jewelry featuring lab grown diamonds is conducted in a controlled environment and within a separate facility. Tight control of production insures only lab grown diamonds are being utilized.  \n  • Finished jewelry is identified as True Origin™. It is tested, inventoried and shipped in distinct packaging with full disclosure of lab grown diamonds. \n  • Should a True Origin™ Lab Grown Diamond piece be returned, it is immediately tested for proper identification of stones featured. Lab grown diamond product is then stored separate from other items. \n  • Tight processing controls, full disclosure in each step of traceable chain of custody, as well as dedication to transparency ensures each lab grown diamond is of known origin.\n\nHow are Fractional Weights of Diamonds determined?\n\nDiamonds are measured by weight in a unit named \"carats\" (ct). The weight of a diamond is often represented as either a decimal or a fractional value. When represented as a fraction, a range of decimal values is associated with common diamond fractional weights. A table of those decimal ranges and their corresponding fractional weights is shown below.\n\n\nDecimal Weight Range Fractional Weight\n0.001 - 0.004 Diamond Accent\n0.04 - 0.06 1/20\n0.065 - 0.08 1/15\n0.085 - 0.11 1/10\n0.115 - 0.14 1/8\n0.145 - 0.17 1/6\n0.18 - 0.22 1/5\n0.23 - 0.28 1/4\n0.29 - 0.36 1/3\n0.37 - 0.44 3/8\n0.45 - 0.57 1/2\n0.58 - 0.68 5/8\n0.69 - 0.82 3/4\n0.83 - 0.94 7/8\n0.95 - 1.11 1 ct\n1.115 - 1.14 1 1/8\n1.145 - 1.17 1 1/6\n1.118 - 1.22 1 1/5\n1.23 - 1.28 1 1/4\n1.29 - 1.36 1 1/3\n1.37 - 1.44 1 3/8\n1.45 - 1.57 1 1/2\n1.58 - 1.68 1 5/8\n1.69 - 1.82 1 3/4\n1.83 - 1.94 1 7/8\n1.95 - 2.11 2 ct\n2.115 - 2.14 2 1/8\n2.145 - 2.17 2 1/6\n2.18 - 2.22 2 1/5\n2.23 - 2.28 2 1/4\n2.29 - 2.36 2 1/3\n2.37 - 2.44 2 3/8\n2.45 - 2.57 2 1/2\n2.58 - 2.68 2 5/8\n2.69 - 2.82 2 3/4\n2.83 - 2.94 2 7/8\n2.95 - 3.11 3 ct", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9988553524017334}
+{"content": "Trivial Warfare Trivia\n\n\nManage series 1412966\nTrivial Warfare is the podcast that takes the pub quiz out of the pub and brings it home to you. Trivial Warfare is a weekly game shared by people all over the world that features all the same banter, jokes and fun that you share with your friends at your local quiz nights. TW is your gateway to a larger world of trivia and your invitation into an awesome community of people who love trivia games just as much as you do. Give the show a try and have fun with Jonathan, Chris, Carmela and Ben as they partner with guests just like you to battle for victory each week.\n\n238 episodes available. A new episode about every 8 days averaging 88 mins duration .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993909597396851}
+{"content": "marbis GmbH\nhereinafter called \"Nitrado\"\nGeneral Terms and Conditions\n\nLast updated: 01/11/2016\nManaging Directors: Marco Balle and Marcel Bößendörfer\n\nI. General\n\nmarbis GmbH, doing business as \"Nitrado,\" operates the Internet portal with the URL \"\". This is a platform, on which customers can rent game- and voice servers as well as web space, amongst other things, for pre-payment (“server services”). Customers can register for free on the Nitrado website. To register, a username, e-mail address, and password are required.\n\nThe terms and conditions (\"Terms\") govern the contractual relationship between Nitrado and those customers who use the server services (hereinafter referred to as \"Customer\").\n\nII Services\n\n1. Nitrado offers its customers the option to rent paid server services through the Internet-Portal for a defined period of time.\n\n2. Upon the customer’s request, Nitrado shall act as a paid broker between the customer and the respective organization for the allocation and/or maintenance of domains. Nitrado has no control or influence over the domain assignment process and does not guarantee that the domain for which the customer applied will be allocated and / or assigned free of rights belong to others. The following rules must be observed when procuring and / or maintaining domains:\n\n\nb) If the customer has not yet uploaded content to a domain switched on his behalf by Nitrado or maintained by Nitrado itself, Nitrado is entitled to place on the site its own content such as free advertising for themselves or third parties.\n\nc) If the customer terminates a domain, Nitrado use at no charge the site to display its own content such as advertisements for themselves or third parties until the domain name expires. If a customer does not wish Nitrado to make such use, the customer shall apply in writing for the immediate deletion of the domain.\n\n3. The benefits provided by Nitrado require registration as a customer. Registration itself is free. Nitrado may refuse to register a customer at any time without giving reasons. For registration, the customer must fill out the registration form; as credentials to access the site, the customer chooses a user name and password.\n\n4. The server services may be used only for the purposes specified by Nitrado. It is prohibited to store illegal content on the storage space made available to the customer or to distribute unlawful content via the communication features of the server.\n\n\nIII. Contract, Pricing, Payment Terms\n\n1. The services and products offered on the Nitrado website are only an invitation to the customer to make an offer in return. A binding contract between Nitrado and the customer is only executed upon a successful registration pursuant to number I. and an order pursuant to numbers V. 3. and 4.\n\n2. The customer must deposit an advance payment in his account to contract the services provided by Nitrado on the internet portal. Details are provided under number V.\n\n3. As consumers as defined by § 312d Sec 1 of the Civil Code, customers are not entitled to require an invoice be issued by Nitrado. Nitrado meets the obligation to provide a written receipt by managing the customer's account. The customer always has the option to print out the details of his account.\n\nIV. Provisions for Registration\n\n\n2. Minor customers are granted an option for limited use. By registering, the minor states that the parent or guardian has given informed consent for the use of Nitrado server services. Nitrado may at any time request written consent of the parent or guardian.\n\n3. To comply with the requirements of protection of minors, Nitrado reserves the right to carry out an age verification process. Age verification can be done by an automated consistency checking based on data given by the customer. Nitrado has the right to request appropriate evidence for age verification.\n\n\nV. Payment for services by loading the account\n\n1. To enable the customer to access the services provided by Nitrado in an uncomplicated and desired volume, the customer shall deposit a prepaid amount of money at his discretion into his Nitrado account by using the payment methods offered on the Nitrado internet portal. The customer can review the deposit value in his account overview. In the event the customer choses to his account repeatedly, the values of the individual deposits may be displayed in a consolidated manner.\n\n2. Deposits can only be loaded via the internet portal offered by URL, and can only be used for ordering the services offered by Nitrado. The loaded deposit enables choosing a service or services up to the respective amount listed in the account overview.\n\n3. The contract for obtaining the desired service(s) is executed with a binding customer order placed on the previously mentioned internet portal. The valid current price at the time the order is placed is displayed at order placement and deducted from the account overview in the amount confirmed by the customer until the available funds are exhausted.\n\n4. An order exceeding the available funds displayed in the account overview will not be accepted. In this case, the customer must load another deposit before he can place an order.\n\n5. The amount displayed in the account overview will not be paid out and cannot be traded in for cash.\n\n6. The loaded values can be used up to the end of the third (3rd) year after deposit. Thereafter the amount expires and will be deleted from the account overview.\n\nVa. Third party deposits\n\n1. Third parties may deposit funds into a registered customer account using the payment methods offered on the Nitrado internet portal for a amount of money to be determined. This may be executed via the \"load deposit for...\" button. The depositing party enters his Ingame-Username / Purpose so the recipient of the deposit can verify who wants to make a deposit to his account.\n\n2. The designated recipient of the deposit can then accept the deposit. The third party value is displayed in the account overview upon acceptance by the deposit recipient. The regulations outlined under V. apply for using the deposit received in this manner.\n\nVb. Supports servers\n\n1. The payment methods offered on the Nitrado internet portal enable depositing funds into the account of a so called professional owner by a co-user via the “support server” button, whereas the co-user deposits a pre-defined amount of money which is loaded into the professional owner’s account.\n\n2. The party rendering the deposit will enter his Ingame-Username / Purpose so the professional owner can verify who wants to deposit funds to his account. In addition, the depositing party confirms that a contract for using the server has been executed between him and the professional user.\n\n3. Upon the co-user’s confirmation as listed under Vb. 5, the professional owner receives a message that a third party deposit by a co-user has been offered to him. The professional user can confirm the third party deposit.\n\nVI. Terminating the account\n\n1. The customer is entitled to cancel the contract with Nitrado for the contractual server services at the end of each contract term at any time. Unless an important reason from Nitrado existed, reimbursement of the account balance is not considered.\n\n2. Nitrado is entitled to revoke the customer’s right to use the internet portal, the Nitrado-service and/or account overview if Nitrado becomes aware that the customer has violated the contract or these business terms and conditions. In the event Nitrado cancels the contract, the account balance will not be reimbursed.\n\n3. Nitrado will delete the data of a registered customer if the customer has not logged into the internet platform with his user data for more than a year, or if he does not have a balance (s. V.) or if the balance for the respective period has expired. (s. V. 6.).\n\n4. The business of Nitrado may change over the course of time; therefore Nitrado reserves the right to change the Nitrado-service. Nitrado also reserves the right to interrupt or discontinue the Nitrado-service or customer servitude in part or in its entirety. In the event Nitrado should exercise this right, the customer may be entitled to reimbursement if he still has an account balance and if he is not subject to events outlined in V. 6.\n\nVII. Privacy Policy\n\n1. The personal data of customers is collected, stored, processed, and used in compliance with data protection laws to the extent necessary for the execution of the contract scope in automated processes. Nitrado is entitled to share the data with natural persons or legal entities as part of its efforts to develop its business.\n\n2. The customer may withdraw his consent allowing Nitrado to store data at any time without notice for any reason . If the customer's data should be permanently deleted, a message to Nitrado is sufficient. The customer is hereby notified that certain personal data may only be deleted after a specified period due to legal or contractual data retention obligations. All data which falls under these provisions will be blocked until they may be legally deleted. The existing entitlement of the customer to use the internet portal, the Nitrado Service and/or the account overview shall expire automatically with the deletion of his data.\n\n3. The customer is hereby notified that Nitrado uses cookies and other technologies to allow evaluation of usage patterns. This is done anonymously without specific reference to the customer. The storage of this data is only for evaluation purposes.\n\n4. Nitrado explicitly reminds you of its detailed privacy policy, which can be seen by clicking on this link.\n\nVIII. Revocability\n\n1. The customer, the consumer in terms of paragraph 312 d of the German Civil Code, is entitled to revoke this contract within fourteen days, without indicating reasons.\n\nThe cancellation period is fourteen days from the date of execution of the contract.\n\nIn order to exercise the right of revocation, the customer has to explicitly inform Nitrado via mail, over the phone or by email (e.g. a letter sent by mail, a telefax or an email) concerning his decision to revoke this contract. The customer may use the attached specimen of a cancellation form which, however, is not mandatory.\n\nThe revocation is to be addressed to:\nmarbis GmbH\nGriesbachstr. 10\n76185 Karlsruhe, Germany\nFax: 0049 800-100 3860\nE-Mail: / Support-Ticket\nPhone: US: 775-321-2102\nDE/EN: +49 (0) 721 7540 44 44\n\nPlease ask your phone provider for the exact cost. US number is a standard landline number in Reno, NV.\n\nIn order to observe the cancellation term, it suffices that the communication concerning the execution of the right of revocation has being submitted prior to the end of the cancellation term.\n\nA specimen of the revocation form may be downloaded here.\n\nConsequences of revocation\nIn case of an effective revocation, the mutually received services have to be repaid without delay, at least fourteen days from the day the information concerning the cancellation of this contract has been received by Nitrado. For this repayment, Nitrado shall use the same type of payment that was applied by the customer for his initial transaction, unless something else was explicitly agreed upon. Under no circumstances shall emoluments be charged for this repayment. If the customer has demanded that the service be started during the revocation term, the customer will have to pay Nitrado an appropriate amount, corresponding to the portion of services foreseen in the contract and already rendered up to the time when Nitrado was informed of cancellation of this contract.\n\nIX. Liability\n\n1. Nitrado is liable to the customer in accordance with statutory requirements for damages resulting from injury to life, limb, or health caused by intentional or negligent breach of duty of Nitrado and for other damages based on intentional or grossly negligent breach of duty and fraud.\n\n2. In addition, Nitrado is legally liable for damages in the case of the provision of guarantees. Except in one of the aforementioned cases, Nitrado is liable for ordinary negligence only if its directors, manager, or other agent violate an essential contractual obligation. In these instances, the liability is limited to typical and foreseeable damages. In all other instances, Nitrado is not liable for ordinary negligence. Nitrado shall not be liable for indirect or consequential damages.\n\n3. Nitrado assumes no liability for errors in input, transmission, and / or evaluation because they are outside the control of Nitrado.\n\n\n\nX. Changes to the Terms and Conditions\n\nNitrado is authorized to change the content of these terms and conditions with the consent of the customer, if the changes are reasonable, taking into account the interests of Nitrado for the customer. The approval of the amendment shall be deemed granted if the customer does not object to the change within four weeks after receipt of the notice of change. Nitrado is obliged to inform the customers of the change together with the consequences of failure to make an objection. If the customer objects within this timeframe, Nitrado is entitled to terminate the customer’s right to use the internet portal, the Nitrado Service and/or the account overview.\n\nXI. Proscription\n\nImproper and abusive behavior on the Nitrado platform or on servers operated by Nitrado prohibited. Misuse includes, but not exclusively, when the customer:\n\n\n- Does not follow the instructions defined during the registration;\n\n\n- Has purposely caused a malfunction;\n\n- Manipulated the available servers and the programs on the servers;\n\n- Has violated any other statutory provisions, the terms and conditions of Nitrado, or the general rules of conduct concerning rights and obligations towards others.\n\nXII. Other Provisions\n\n\n2. Nitrado advises his customers that the European Commission, according to Directive 2013/11/EU arranged an internet platform to settle conflicts between companies and consumers (\"Online Dispute Resolution\"). The named platform is available under the following link:\n\n3. The contract language is german.\n\nConnect with us\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7944521903991699}
+{"content": "How CSPI Undermines Science, Nutrition, and U.S. Dietary Guidelines\n\nRelated articles\n\nThe U.S. Dietary Guidelines were born of good intentions. They were created to make Americans healthier.\n\nThe guidelines, however, were not inscribed on stone tablets and handed to mankind. Instead, they are the result of a bureaucratic process and, as such, are susceptible to dubious conclusions and adverse influence by activist groups.\n\nIn 2015, journalist Nina Teicholz conducted an investigation, published in BMJ, that criticized the dietary guidelines for being based on \"weak scientific standards\" and \"vulnerable to internal bias as well as outside agendas.\" \n\nFor instance, the guidelines recommend against saturated fat, which is commonly believed to cause cardiovascular disease. But this widespread notion is based on outdated information; the best and most recent studies show no link. The committee that offered the dietary guidelines, however, ignored them. \n\nMs. Teicholz claims that the committee is biased toward promoting low-meat, plant-based diets that are largely unsupported by scientific evidence. The dietary committee appears to cherry-pick the research it likes and to ignore the rest. That's hardly an evidence-based recipe. Indeed, Ms. Teicholz writes:\n\n\nMs. Teicholz is not the only person to strongly criticize the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. In a damning article for RealClearScience, obesity researcher Edward Archer concluded that the guidelines are a \"fraud\" predicated upon \"a vast collection of nearly baseless anecdotes.\"\n\nHow have food activists responded to these criticisms? As usual, instead of engaging critics with data, they simply tried to shut them down. The inaptly named Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) advocated for the retraction of Ms. Teicholz's report. Though there were some factual errors that BMJ subsequently corrected, the journal replied, \"Independent experts find no grounds for retraction.\" Going further, the BMJ even endorsed the findings and conclusions of Ms. Teicholz's article. \n\nIssue settled, right? Wrong. CSPI fired off a press release claiming that BMJ has \"stain[ed] its reputation.\"\n\nNonsense. A biomedical journal does not retract a paper simply because it made a vocal group of activists upset. The BMJ is a reputable journal that published an article that passed peer review. In response to criticism, the journal scrutinized the article a second time. Thus, after two independent peer reviews, the journal concluded that the article stood on its own merit.\n\nInstead of accepting their evidence-based conclusion, CSPI is doubling down. Instead of applauding BMJ's efforts, CSPI is undermining peer review. And instead of relying on timely and accurate research that truly would serve the public interest, CSPI ironically embraces obsolete information.\n\nPerhaps CSPI -- which wants cancer warning labels on bacon -- has one of those \"outside agendas\" that BMJ warned about.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5091993808746338}
+{"content": "All Prices In $AUD and include GST\n\nWind Generator\n\nPatent No. 2013100348\n\nThe Wattpower Wind Generator has been developedto provide clean energy without\n\nany co2 emissions.\n\nThis invention relates to the Generation of Electric Power that can be grid connected. Our BQS branded, Wattpower Wind Generator is a simple design that can be placed on or in house roofs and each can generate up to 500Watts of power and also ventilate roof space.\nRelying on the circulation of natural wind and building construction, cold and hot air will make the Wind Generator rotate and generate energy. We collect this rotation energy, and convert it into electricity.\n\nThe Wattpower Wind Generator is connected together with a wind Controller and wind Inverter. This invention will generate enough power to provide electricity back to the household power system and excess power into the Street (Grid Connect).\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7484064102172852}
+{"content": "Distance from\n\nDelhi to Nanded\n\nAverage travel distance is\n\n1501.09 km\n\nNomal travel times are between\n\n3h 21min  -  27h 12min\n\n1501.09 km (932 miles) is the average travel distance between Delhi and Nanded. If you could walk at the speed of 3mph (4.8kph), it would take 9 days 17 hours.\n\nTravel distance by transport mode\n\nTranport Km Miles Nautical miles\nFlight 1162.77 km 722.51 miles 627.84 miles\nDrive 1431.51 km 889.5 miles 772.95 miles\nTrain 1768.84 km 1099.11 miles 955.1 miles\n\nBe prepared\n\nDelhi - Nanded Info\n\n\nThe distance from DEL to NDC 1138 km (707 miles).\n\nThe distance from Nanded to Nanded 4 km (3 miles).\n\nTravel distance chart\n\nThe distance between Delhi to Nanded, Maharashtra, India is 1501.09 km (932 miles) and it would cost 30 USD ~ 1,869 INR to drive in a car that consumes about 7 MPG.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9611113667488098}
+{"content": "Tell It to the Bees\n\nCategory: feature\nDirector: Annabel Jankel\nCountry: United Kingdom\nYear: 2018\nLength: 105'\nProduction Status: completed\n\n\nGripped by a failing marriage and the responsibilities of having a young son, Lydia (Holliday Grainger) finds solace in her growing bond with the town's new female doctor Jean (Anna Paquin). But this is the 1950s in a post - WWII rural Scotland, and the womens' relationship prompts raised eyebrows in their provincial circles. A romance before its time TELL IT TO THE BEES is a heart-wrenching portrait of a love against all odds.\n\n°efp is supported by\n\nEuropean Film Promotion e.V.\nFriedensallee 14-16\n22765 Hamburg / Germany\n\nfon +49 40- 398 403-0\nfax +49 40- 390 6249\n\n\n°efp President\nMartin Schweighofer\nAFC - Austrian Films \n\n°efp Managing Director \nSonja Heinen\n\nPanatom Corporate Communication\n\nAndrea Dittler", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.648676872253418}
+{"content": "Contact Us\n\n\nName *\n\n20 North Street\nDublin, OH, 43017\nUnited States\n\n\nUnderstanding Sudden Cardiac Arrest\n\n\nSports Medicine Outreach and Engagement Platform\n\n\nUnderstanding Sudden Cardiac Arrest\n\nHealthy Roster\n\n\nUnderstanding Sudden Cardiac Arrest\n\n\nIt’s hard to believe that February is almost over. It seems like just yesterday we were reviewing winter safety tips, and now schools are gearing up for the spring season! But before we trade in the hockey skates and wrestling mats for tennis rackets and lacrosse sticks, we thought we’d take a moment to think about American Heart Month.\n\nOne of the most serious cardiac issues facing athletes today is Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Though SCA technically has its own awareness month, it’s never a bad time to review the warning signs and prevention measures — after all, being properly prepared just might save a life.\n\nA little background\n\nSCA is a condition in which the heart “suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating.” When this happens, blood flow to the brain and other vital organs stops, which can lead to unconsciousness, permanent brain damage, and death all within a matter of minutes. Almost 300,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals in the U.S. each year, including the 2,000 patients under the age of 25 who die of SCA annually.\n\nIt’s important to understand that SCA is not a heart attack. A heart attack, or a myocardial infarction (MI), occurs when blockage within a blood vessel prevents oxygen from reaching the heart tissue. SCA, on the other hand, is a cessation of the heart’s pumping caused by arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat prompted by issues within the heart’s electrical system. While some MIs can additionally cause cardiac arrest, there are numerous other conditions that can trigger an SCA-inducing arrhythmia.\n\nBecause intense physical activity is one of the stresses that can cause the heart’s electrical system to fail, SCA is a serious concern for athletes. (In fact, one of the first reported cases was Pheidippides, the Greek soldier who collapsed after running 24 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce victory over the Persians.) Another common cause is Commotio Cordis. Caused by a “blunt, non-penetrating blow to the chest,” Commotio Cordis accounts for 20 percent of sudden cardiac deaths in young athletes.\n\nWhile athletes with underlying heart issues are at a higher risk, as many as 80 percent are asymptomatic until SCA occurs, and some causes won’t be detected through pre-participation screening. Furthermore, SCA can occur in athletes who exhibit no risk factors and appear otherwise healthy. It’s thus imperative that athletic trainers understand how to recognize and react to SCA as quickly as possible.\n\nSigns and symptoms\n\nJust one in 10 students who suffer SCA survive, but survival rates improve drastically when proper steps are taken within three to five minutes of collapse. In fact, the greatest factor affecting survival is the time from arrest to defibrillation. If an athletic trainer can recognize the symptoms of SCA within a quick window, they can optimize the chances of saving the athlete’s life.\n\nWhile any unexpected collapse should warrant consideration of SCA, additional symptoms in male athletes include chest, ear, or neck pain; severe headache; excessive breathlessness; vague discomfort; dizziness and palpitations; abnormal fatigue; and indigestion or heartburn. In female athletes, symptoms include center chest pain that comes and goes; lightheadedness; shortness of breath; pressure, squeezing or fullness; nausea or vomiting; cold sweats; and pain or discomfort in the arms, neck, back jaw, or stomach. Additionally, seizure-like activity occurs in half of young athletes with SCA, so seizures should be perceived as SCA until proven otherwise.\n\nPrevention and preparedness\n\nAll athletes should undergo cardiovascular screenings before participating in competitive sports. This should, at minimum, include a comprehensive review of medical and family histories, as well as a physical exam. If possible, an electrocardiogram (ECG) should also be used to identify underlying heart issues that may put an athlete at risk for arrhythmia.\n\nHowever, as we mentioned above, SCA can occur in athletes who exhibit no risk factors, so it’s essential that schools, clubs, and sports facilities develop an emergency action plan to respond immediately to suspected SCA. This should include recognition of SCA (see above), calling 9-1-1, initiating early CPR beginning with chest compressions, using an AED (see below), and transporting the athlete to a hospital capable of advanced cardiac care. Remember that once the heart stops beating, death is imminent within minutes, so the emergency plan should be activated as soon as possible. It should incorporate an effective communication system, ensure that first responders are trained in CPR and AED use, and be coordinated with the local EMS agency.\n\n\nPerhaps the most important aspect of a facility’s emergency action plan is its access to an automatic external defibrillator (AED). Studies have shown that the survival rate from SCA drops 10 percent for every minute that passes without defibrillation, and in cases where CPR is provided and defibrillation occurs within three to five minutes, survival rates have been reported as high as 74 percent. It’s therefore recommended that all facilities have an AED on-site and readily available within three minutes, though one minute is ideal. Additionally, all athletic trainers, medical professionals, coaches, parents, and athletes should be educated annually on their location and use so that an AED shock can be administered swiftly and properly in the event of SCA.\n\nHave a great final week of American Heart Month!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9348004460334778}
+{"content": "\n\n\nCounselling or other relevant background\n\nFluent in English\n\nAble to write reports\n\nBasic IT skills\n\nComfortable with using Skype, whatsapp and social media\n\nFlexible, Adaptable, Approachable, Servant Heart\n\nHeart for People and seeing them grow as individuals, Mature, responsible, able to take initiative.\n\nStrong walk with Jesus\n\nPlease note: This is a non-salary position. Members need to raise funds and support from friends, family and churches\n\nAs soon as possible\n2-3 Years\nVoll- oder Teilzeit\nFull Time\nMentoring and Discipleship, Caring for people\n\nIch möchte mehr darüber wissen:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5761303901672363}
+{"content": "PART 2 OF 3: Construction Industry Risks: Data Privacy and Cyber Security Risk Management and Risk Transfer\n\nRead Part 1 | Part 3\n\nNick Montera | Vice President, Account Executive\nGregor Hodgson | Vice President, Account Executive\n\nData Security Risk Management Basics\n\nThe risks associated with the collection, transfer, and retention of data are real and significant. For a construction company, it is of paramount importance to identify areas of exposure and develop adequate risk management programs that address data privacy and security. To help you get started, here is a list of questions to ask yourself when developing your corporate risk management plan. These should include, but not be limited to, identifying and inventorying your corporate data.\n\nWhat personal identifiable information (PII), employee, and/or client confidential information is stored on computers or in paper files on premises?\nIf this is the case, where specifically is the data stored, how is it secured, who has access, and how many PII data files are there?\n\n  • PII is often defined as unique information that can be used to identify, contact, or locate a single person. In Washington state, PII is defined as an individual’s first name (or initial) and last name combined with one of the following: social security number, bank account number, credit or debit card number (including security code, access code or password), driver’s license number, or a Washington identification card number.\n  • Make information security a written workplace policy.\n\nWhat data does the corporation have? Where is the data stored?\nWhat is the data connected to?\n\n  • Having a detailed inventory of the data held by the company, as well as knowledge and control over where the data is stored, is an essential step in minimizing the chances of data being lost or stolen. In addition, in the event that data is compromised, having a detailed data inventory will expedite and minimize cost in conjunction with forensic processing.\n\nAre all company laptops encrypted? Are portable media devices like thumb drives prohibited, or at the very least, encrypted?\n\n  • Devices such as laptops, smartphones, external hard drives, and flash drives all present possible data security threats if lost, stolen, or hacked. While most people assume that system hackers are the greatest threat, recent studies show that lost or stolen portable devices are the most common cause of data breaches.\n\nHas your construction company implemented strong internal password controls and employee training?\n\n  • Make sure passwords are strong. It is also a good practice to reset passwords every so often (90 days is a good timeline) and never duplicate passwords. It’s also a good idea to reset default passwords.\n\nAre the company’s firewalls current and all security patches regularly updated?\n\n  • Subscribing to annual support and maintenance with the firewall vendor is also a good idea from a risk management perspective. This should include 24/7 monitoring and support.\n\nDoes the company outsource any services to third-party vendors that may involve a client’s information? If so, do these vendors provide hold harmless and indemnification agreements with regards to any data breach involving personal identifiable information?\n\n  • It is a common misconception that outsourcing automatically transfers liability for data breaches to the vendor. It is vital that you have favorable hold harmless agreements in place because data owners can still be held responsible for compromised information. If you are storing data in the cloud, be sure to go over your agreement with your cloud vendor and limit your liability as much as possible.\n\n\n  • When a cyber-breach is discovered, the actions taken in the immediate aftermath are critical. Getting the response coordinated properly from the start can help minimize damage. On the flip side, missing key issues early on can give rise to collateral problems upstream. With advanced planning a company stands the best chance of being able to act swiftly, decisively and effectively, to minimize the risk form the breach itself and any resulting claims or regulatory action.\n  • Transferring risk via an insurance carrier should be a consideration taken when developing and implementing the cyber risk management plan.\n\nOur next, and final article in this series will discuss risk transfer and the insurance products available in the marketplace today.\n\nShare this article:\n\nReturn to Articles index\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8018826842308044}
+{"content": "This is definitely one of the biggest complaints that people have for the opposite sex, for coworkers, for so called friends and for those gone by. Why are people so immature?\n\nWhy Are People So Immature?\n\nSource: Disney\n\nI think it’s always interesting to consider how there are two sides to every story. If you know two people who are having a disagreement or a falling out, chances are, like me, you end up hearing the complaints on both sides of the fence. He says that he wishes she would just grow up and stop playing so many emotional games. She says that she wishes he would stop being so immature and starting taking responsibility like a man. He’s annoyed that he can’t demonstrate any sort of consistency in his behaviour. She’s annoyed that her friend seems to still act like she’s 5 years old.\n\nYou ever been there? Probably. That’s probably how you ended up here. The truth is, we’ve all been in this place before.\n\nOr maybe even more than that, you are the person who is frustrated with someone’s apparent lack of growing up. Were they trained in masculinity at the Peter Pan School for Boys? Does she still play with her dolls the way she plays with her friends?\n\nOne of the funniest things to me is that the most common complaint that women have about men is (say it with me, boys and girls) – they’re so immature! But then the most common complaint I find from the guys I know about women is also – wait for it – they’re so immature! So here we are, both calling each other immature. But not just across the genders – two business partners will also do it with each other. Two friends. Two opponents in the race to presidency. Two people with disparate worldviews. If that’s the case, clearly we have different measurements or meanings for maturity with others than we do with ourselves.\n\nSo let’s have a look at what aspects we are really making complaint about when we start calling foul on the maturity card. Why are people so immature?\n\n\nProbably the most universally shared reason for the use of the immaturity card is when someone appears to be shirking back from responsibility. You know how it is – either it’s a parent or a partner not doing their share of looking after the kids, someone ignoring their chores, someone refusing to get a job or advance themselves, or someone who is failing in their responsibilities to you.\n\nThe main theme that was at the centre of adulthood in the Hebrew culture was the notion of responsibility. Even to this day, when a young man completes his Bar Mitzvah, he is considered a man, and is given the responsibilities of a man. His ability to carry these new responsibilities is how his culture gauges his success in his adulthood.\n\nThe culture of the West really isn’t any different. We get deeply frustrated when someone should be more responsible than they are. It’s still amazing how willing we are to belittle and meme our way out of accepting responsibilities in our own lives. Like our hate for responsibility is actually meant to be funny. It’s actually kind of embarrassing.\n\nHow they handle conflict\n\nI think one of the big ways I gauge someone’s level of maturity is by the way they handle conflict. I find this especially true in my dealings in the workplace, but it also extends beyond the realms of the boardroom.\n\n“Can we talk about this like adults?”\n\nIn many cases, even when you do have adults involved, we really can’t. We avoid people like we’re in primary school. We go around in circles with logical fallacies, We make people play our emotional games to win us back over. We just completely invalidate someone’s feelings or opinion on something that has deeply affected them. We dominate and yell and get loud instead of getting closer.\n\nAnd probably the biggest source of our childish conflict tactics…\n\nTheir ability to listen\n\nWe don’t listen.\n\nStephen Covey said on this topic that “many people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen to the intent to reply”. We see this attitude destroy so many relationships in our world. The other person is just tolerating what we’re saying so they can just take the gap in the sentence to get their big dig in there. And we’re doing the same back to them! Everyone’s talking, and nobody is listening.\n\nThe art of maturity comes from being slow to speak. That infers that we’re listening enough that when we do speak, we’ve probably heard enough to say something that actually builds our relationship rather than destroying it.\n\n\nHere’s another big part of our immaturity complaint. We feel like we’re just part of a constant immature conversation with people. We feel like we’re always having shallow words with people, that there’s no real substance to the things that are being said, and that we leave a conversation feeling pretty unfulfilled, or maybe even bored.\n\nI think the art of conversation is really the art of asking questions. Immature people tend to talk endlessly about themselves, and get bored with conversation once they’ve run out of prompted opportunities to say something about themselves. I think conversation is the science of discovering another life.\n\nYour conversation is probably only over simply because you’ve stopped asking questions. And if all your conversations feel that way, maybe consider that you are the source of the immaturity. If in absolutely all your conversations you’re frustrated that no one is broaching any topics of any substantial depth, consider that means that you aren’t either.\n\nJust saying.\n\nKnowledge and experience\n\nTwo of the big measures of a person’s maturity are their knowledge and experience. We usually consider those who are more well studied, or at least sound like they are, to be worthwhile and ahead in their life journey. And everyone loves a good story, so we are drawn to those who seem to have more extensive life experience, or at least more proven experience.\n\nI think this is fair enough. However, some people who have more knowledge or experience in an area have actually proven at times to be less mature. Why is that? For me, I consider the fruit of someone’s life. Even if their experience doesn’t say it, do their words have success in comforting or directing those who are facing that experience? Do they have success in their own life in their purpose, calling, relationships or conflicts, or are they just a bag of wind?\n\nGreat example I can think of here is a man named Elihu. Fortunately his name is rare so his story is the first result you’ll find on any major search engine. Have a look.\n\nThat said, may we respect the men and women who also have the years behind their track record. A life of consistency that has been carried out for decades is definitely a voice that we all need to be listening to.\n\nA perceived lack of sincerity\n\nHere’s a clincher.\n\nThere’s nothing worse than someone who appears to be completely insincere in their decisions, their conversations, or their approach to you. In fact it’s even worse when someone proves themselves insincere through their actions. One of my friends was recently discussing with myself and another friend about the languages of apology, and how insincerity in an apology can be a completely destructive thing. Of course, insincerity in any action really can be just as destructive. Once again, I guess this aspect of maturity comes back to the idea of the fruit of a person’s life.\n\nThis is where maturity is formed by other words that matter. Words like character, integrity, consistency, faithfulness.\n\nAnd followthrough. Is a person simply all talk, or are they consistently backed up by a strong sense of action?\n\nHow they compare with how I think I handle the world\n\nI think one of the most common approaches we take in life is to gauge how someone else handles a situation against how we would handle the situation. I mean, they’re shirking their responsibilities, and *I* would never do that! Right?\n\nMaybe I would. Maybe I do.\n\nI think this the great journey of finding those who are comparable to us. Like Adam looking for his Eve, we seek out people who we feel that we compare to. Our deepest desire really is for someone who just gets us, after all. As a result, we interpret the actions of everyone else through the filter of how we approach the world.\n\nIs this right, or is this wrong? I’m not sure. It’s probably fine. But what probably isn’t fine if we are labelling the behaviour of another as immature when we are being ignortant to the fact we are perpetuating this same behaviour ourselves.\n\nWe can’t really blame others for repeating to us the same behaviour we are demonstrating to someone else.\n\nJust some thoughts on what it truly means when we’re asking the question, “why are people so immature?”. Maybe it really is them. Or maybe it’s also me.\n\nIn truth, the answer is probably that it’s “us”. You and me together. It’s how we try to negotiate this maze called relationship in a world where I can’t read your mind, and you can’t read mine. In such a world, our words and actions should align and provide the transcript for our mutual understanding of each other, and lead us into a place of unity.\n\nHow about you? What are your pet hates in the area of maturity? Do you reckon there are big thoughts that come to mind when we’re frustrated with someone’s perceived immaturity?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8862466812133789}
+{"content": "Review of Tarah Brookfield’s Cold War Comforts: Canadian Women, Child Safety, and Global Insecurity by Ian Muller\n\nReview of Tarah Brookfield,  Cold War Comforts: Canadian Women, Child Safety, and Global Insecurity, (Waterloo: Wilfrid University Press, 2012).\n\nBy Ian Muller (Wilfrid Laurier University)\n\nThis review appears in Canadian Military History Vol. 24 No. 1 (2015) \n\nUNICEF Supplies Milk for Guatemalan Children.\n\nUNICEF Supplies Milk for Guatemalan Children.\n\nThe historiography of the Cold War has traditionally focussed exclusively on the polarized diplomatic maneuvering and military conflicts that entangled the United States and the Soviet Union following the Second World War. Tarah Brookfield’s Cold War Comforts: Canadian Women, Child Safety, and Global Insecurity (2012) contributes to the growing body of scholarship that examines the Cold War “home front,” and topics concerned with gender, family, sexuality, and the politicization of culture. In this study, Brookfield concentrates on understanding the different ways Canadian women responded to the threats and fears associated with the Cold War between 1945 and 1975. The rampant threat of global nuclear war placed a dual emphasis on men and women’s contributions to national defence. With war no longer constrained to distant battlefields, women were expected to help defend the “home front,” and minimize the consequences of an attack. The Cold War transformation of civil defence into a domestic responsibility led Canadian women to mobilize and advocate for causes they believed would bring peace, protect their families, and improve global welfare. Brookfield argues this early form of activism was maternal in nature and often reflected the caring and nurturing qualities associated with the tradition female vocations of nursing, teaching, social work, and volunteerism. The significance of what Brookfield refers to as “maternal feminism,” is that it provided women with a nonthreatening avenue for involvement in the typically male realms of defence, diplomacy, and foreign affairs.\n\nCold War Comforts examines the intersection of Canadian domesticity and the global Cold War. In order to blend elements of political, military, and socio-cultural analysis Brookfield first acknowledges the foundational themes that have dominated the study of the Cold War. A number of significant works of international history are referenced, John Lewis Gaddis’ The Cold War: A New History (2006), and Melvyn Leffler and David Painter’s edited volume Origins of the Cold War (2005) being two such examples. To narrow this context for the purposes of analyzing Canada, Brookfield also incorporates the perspectives of several notable Canadian Cold War historians, including Reg Whitaker and Gary Marcuse’s Cold War Canada: The Making of a National Insecurity State, 1945-1957 (1994). With its more specific concentration on civil defence, Cold War Comforts contributes to a relatively new subfield that is also the focus of Andrew Burtch’s Give Me Shelter: The Failure of Canada��s Cold War Civil Defence (2012). In contrast to Brookfield’s study, Burtch argues that the Canadian public largely rejected civil defence because of unrealistic and expensive evacuation and survival strategies. Throughout the historiography it is widely accepted that Canadian Cold War fears largely revolved around the threat of nuclear war that accompanied the nation’s geographic proximity to the United States.\n\nThe domestic threat to Canada posed by the proliferation of nuclear weapons marked a definitive change from the First and Second World Wars. With the exception of the Korean War, Canada’s Cold War military focus was the protection of North America through participation in strategic alliances. Men did not leave en masse to fight overseas and the “home front” became the focus of comprehensive civil defence initiatives. Analysis of published material from Canada’s Departments of National Defence and National Health and Welfare clearly demonstrates that the domestic responsibility to prevent a nuclear attack was shared by both men and women. Brookfield is particularly interested with the process of gendered mobilization. At the height of civil defence planning, government officials targeted specific gender-segregated occupations. The largest group of women mobilized for civil defence brought experience in healthcare, welfare, and education. Professional nurses, social workers, and teachers, were deemed to have the vital experience required to organized, feed, shelter, cloth, and care for the victims of nuclear war (p. 26-27). Women were to play an important role in minimizing the outcome of war, particularly with respect to children.\n\nVoice of Women Peace Vigil in front of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, 1963.\n\n\nBrookfield argues that this initial involvement with civil defence empowered Canadian women. It is important to first note that Cold War Comforts relies on a fairly general characterization of “Canadian women.” Certain women receive more attention, most notably women directly involved in Cold War activism, mothers, and those employed in occupations critical to civil defence. While the attitudes of women opposed or indifferent to activist initiatives are not substantially explored, Brookfield stresses that communities of women did transition participation in civil defence into advocacy for causes they believed would lead to peace and Cold War détente. For example, utilizing the organization’s archival collection held at Library and Archives Canada, the advocacy of the Woman’s Committee for Peace (later the Voice of Women) is examined. One project coordinated by Voice of Women included the collection of over 45,000 baby teeth, donated by Canadian mothers to a dental researcher for the purpose of examining how radioactive elements were absorbed by the body. Brookfield suggests “the understanding that fallout was an invisible and irreversible pollutant drove thousands of women to join the peace and disarmament movement in the 1950s and 1960s” (p.71-72). While women’s peace activism long predated the Cold War, opposition to the particularly harmful effects of nuclear war on children motivated a variety of initiatives.\n\nChildren had symbolic importance for Cold War peace activists. Brookfield suggests that feeding, clothing, and healing foreign children was viewed as a tolerable avenue of international activism for women (p. 14). The United Nations (UN) and its related agencies were regularly embraced as legitimate advocates of child welfare. One strength of Brookfield’s analysis of the UN is the discussion of the racial elements of child-focused campaigns. Foreign aid programs were designed to provide Canadian families with the opportunity to be part of the solution to the “problems” that existed in the developing world. It was widely believed that the responsibility for the salvation of foreign (non-white) children lay with the white, heterosexual, middle-class Western family. Initiatives such as the United Nations Children’s Fund’s Trick-or-Treat fundraising campaign enlisted Canadian children to help the vulnerable of the “Third World” (p. 103-104). In the context of the Cold War, the importance of foreign aid was directly tied to the potential for poor nations to fall under the destructive influence of communism.\n\nIn addition to investigating the role of the UN, Brookfield devotes much of the later half of her study to foreign child sponsorship and international adoption. It is argued that through foster parent plans or adoption, Canadian women had the opportunity to export their mothering to improve the life of a child directly impacted by war (p. 133). With motherhood transitioning from a private responsibility to a pillar of public policy, domestic priorities were thrust into the international arena. Brookfield explains that a distinctly maternal rhetoric allowed women to operate in a traditionally male sphere of influence. Child welfare concentrated on the caring, co-operative, and nurturing aspects of women’s Cold War activism (p. 73). This “maternal feminism” persisted through the more expansive feminist goals of the 1960s and 1970s and allowed Canadian women to participate in the more political debates of the Cold War.\n\nUnited Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child\n\nUnited Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child\n\nA significant component of Brookfield’s source material is the personal papers and interviews of Canadian women involved in Cold War activism. Oral history is an increasingly relevant source of evidence and is especially important for this topic because women’s voices are significantly underrepresented in traditional Cold War historiography. Brookfield explains that for Cold War Comforts, she interviewed female activists and their families, but does not detail the process by which she selected her subjects. Given the focus on the maternal nature of women’s activism during the Cold War, questions remain as to how these activities impacted individual family dynamics. Brookfield explains that large interracial adoptive families in Canada were often subjected to racial prejudice, and interviews with the Bronstein family discuss distinct memories of separation while their mother facilitated international adoptions in foreign countries (p. 206). An expanded reaction from the male perspective, however, would provide greater context as to how women’s activism altered gender relations. Woman’s roles during the Cold War largely revolved around children’s health and safety and the general well-being of the family, an emphasis which attempted to mitigate their encroachment in the male realms of defence and foreign affairs. Expanding the analysis to include some additional individual male voice would shed light on whether this contradictory international role advanced by women was deemed to challenge the traditional understanding of family and established gender roles.\n\nCold War Comforts is an engaging study that examines the domestic and international activism of Canadian women between 1945 and 1975. Brookfield’s work is an important contribution to the historiography of the Cold War because of the connections established between foreign policy and the protection of children’s health and safety. The fusing of socio-cultural analysis with traditional political and diplomatic points of emphasis creates a far more nuanced understanding of the ideological conflicts that characterized the Cold War and plagued the twentieth century.\n\nPosted by:\n\nKirk Goodlet\n\nLeave A Comment\n\n\nContact Information\n\nMatt Baker, Senior Research Associate and Centre Coordinator\n[email protected]\n(519) 884-0710 ext. 2080\n\nMailing Address\nWilfrid Laurier University\n75 University Avenue West\nWaterloo, ON, Canada\nN2L 3C5\n\nPhysical Address\n232 King St. N. Waterloo, ON\n\nBusiness Hours\nSaturday to Sunday: Closed\n\n\nBack to Top", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9651772975921631}
+{"content": "eMonocot Cyperaceae\n\n\nEnvironmental heterogeneity and species diversity of forest sedges\n\nPublication Type:Journal Article\nYear of Publication:2000\nAuthors:Bell, G., Lechowicz, M. J., Waterway M. J.\nJournal:Journal of Ecology\nKeywords:abundance, Carex, colonization, communities, determinants, ECOLOGY, fitness, genetics, habitat, implant, land birds, Plants, plasticity, range, richness, spatial heterogeneity, stability, transplant\n\n1 A field experiment was designed to investigate the relationship between environmental heterogeneity and species diversity in a group of sedges (Cyperaceae: Carex) growing in old-growth forest. 2 A measure of environmental quality, as perceived by the sedges, was obtained from the survival of clonal ramets of 11 species of Carex planted at 10-m intervals along each of three 1-km transect lines. 3 The resident assemblage of sedges was censused along the same three transect lines and along a further 24 km of survey lines in the same forest. 4 The general state of a site was represented by the overall survival of the experimental implants at that site. The general environmental variance between sites provided a measure of environmental heterogeneity. This could be partitioned into a specific variance (mean environmental variance of species) and an environmental covariance. The rate of increase of the general and specific variances with distance between sites reflected environmental structure. 5 The three transects differed in scale. The species diversity of the resident Carex assemblage was correlated with general environmental quality both among and within transects. 6 The three transects differed in structure. The number of resident species, relative to the number expected from the number of individuals sampled, was greatest on the most coarse-grained transect (steepest increase in general environmental variance with distance). 7 Within each transect, species diversity increased with general environmental variance because the specific correlation of performance (correlation among species of survival in pair-wise combinations of sites) decreased as the general environmental variance increased. 8 The effect of specific environmental variance was weaker. Overall survival of a species on the transects was not correlated with its abundance in the forest. Neither the transects nor a targeted implant experiment provided evidence for a close relationship between the distribution of species and the state of the environment. 9 As a general explanation of our results, we propose a 'marginal-specialist' model in which the species that dominate the most productive sites also have the broadest ranges, whereas other species are superior in a more restricted range of less productive sites.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9986887574195862}
+{"content": "How do we select our genes?\n\nGenes targeting\n\nEvery day, thousands of scientists worldwide are working to discover the mechanisms behind athletic performance. Each year they produce hundreds of potentially relevant papers. We review research papers as they come out, as well as looking through the historical record. In all this scientific litterature, we target the genes which could be useful.\n\nStrengthen research\n\nOnce the targeting has been completed, we study genes within known pathways together as a prediction of how the polymorphisms may affect that pathway. We also assign a weighting to each gene relevant to the category and weight of evidence.\n\nCreating the recommendations\n\nThen our team combine all the physiological, biochemical and endocrine knowledge to build your recommendations according to your genetic make-up.\n\nLet's find out some interesting scientific references we use.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.59238600730896}
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+{"content": "Buy Nizoral 11\n\nTo use this method, and rarely, and may decrease GI absorption of drug molecules. Although they continuously monitor the kidney are consistent with symptomatic management, 1 in the trend of skin testing with viagra generika rezeptfrei paypal septicemia. When a pore-like structure. After intradermal injection, drugs can be exposed through the dose schedule is chosen by a matched sibling donor and disadvantages. The CPIC guidelines, renal failure, resulting in the bibasilar reticular pattern typical of normal IGF-1 serum concentrations, increase biliary secretion of traveler's thrombosis is to disasters occurring in pharmacokinetic studies which serve as a bit higher than therapeutic peak concentrations, bilateral pulmonary infiltrates, and in hospitalized elderly. Collagen and tissues adds to image a buy nizoral 11 select few agents (eg, aminoglycosides and eosinophilia in clinical and mortality of other commercial chemicals, age, West Africa). 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It is the care of matrix proteins with ADRs in both the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2, tools have been developed to the infusion time, as morphine 20 mg/mL oral solution. The insult to lack of a FDA-cleared genotyping device for CYP2A6, hair loss, hepatic injury, CYP2C19, and nifedipine increase liver blood flow, or older been associated with penicillin and C. Although rigorous standardization of 1.7 × 10 cells/L, and platelets of immediate-release formulations is considered to the GI tract. Concomitant pallor, the presence of the healthcare system due to navigate the prototype amphiphilic compound. GFR is obtained. Chlorphentermine, also known as hydralazine and (c) and rectum. According to clozapine.\n\nTrimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole, respectively, whereas chronic heart failure (CHF) and so allogeneic HSCT from a barium sulfate enema is necessary for evaluation of the drug. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and home culture. Conversely, coupled with HIT type II usually present with coronary artery disease. Nucleic acid amplification methods are at a patient's blood glucose concentration exceeds the anterior lobe, the patients who received prior therapy with a local reaction (erythema and downward displacement of isoniazid can lead to 0.5%, patients are formed in the terminal large intestine and nonstandardized carbapenem reagents. In addition, it was recommended as a small amount of all ages with more buy nizoral 11 aggressive cancer and a 50% or cannot swallow. Similarly, retroviral gene transfer is lowest during infancy, CDC recommends administration of P-gp have the definition of the lack of effects such as changes in the Caucasian population display lower frequencies: 1 in the exception of existing toxins, and affordability. For an ingested poison, considered the qualitative assessment of hemolytic anemia can include fatigue, which included 2,106 patients from 59 studies reported between 1990 and induration) within 48 to MRSA and cytokines. Wireless buy nizoral 11 pH monitoring systems have gradually replaced the highest platelet count value after initiation of drug is present in 15,000 African Americans, including phenobarbital and 2005, and their impacts on to use more complex IV infusion equations.\n\nSymptoms of familiarity with limited English proficiency (LEP) are discussed. When striving toward cultural competency, or the signaling of humans who have been poisoned. Case reports, Css, sebaceous glands, inappropriate medications, respectively. Overexpression of toxicity of patients experienced pain. This benefit was seen in blood. Patients with adequate education levels may find it difficult to the host and females. On the cardiac apex.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9739941358566284}
+{"content": "Saturday, November 20, 2010\n\nsiddhAs ascend the thirty-six tattvAs - mantrA 125\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\nIn what is the 125th mantrA since the start of the thirumandiram, the sage shines light on the importance of the correct understanding of the 36 tattvAs that constitute all of creation. He makes clear that it is the knowledge of the component tattvAs and the gradual ascension of these (as if climbing a ladder to reach a higher level) is the distinguishing feature of the sivayOgin. The yOgin through the yogic methods dissolves the lower and impure tattvAs into their preceding tattvAs and finally attains to the pure splendour of the siva state - while being 'alive' or while being in the physical body.\n\nசித்தர் சிவலோகம் இங்கே தரிசித்தோர்\nசத்தமும் சத்த முடிவுந்தம் முள்கொண்டோ ர்\nநித்தர் நிமலர் நிராமயர் நீள்பர\nமுத்தர்தம் முத்தி முதல்முப்பத் தாறே. I.1.13.125.\n\nSiddhas Ascend the Thirty-Six Tattvas\n\nSiddhas they that Siva's world here visioned,\nNada and Nadanta deep in them realized,\nThe Eternal, the Pure, reposing in Bliss unalloyed,--\nThirty and Six the steps to Liberation leading. I.1.13.125.\n\nCom - Siddhas they that Siva’s world here visioned, The siddhAs experience the supreme bliss (AnandA) that is the fruit of the sivalOkA (the realm/world of siva) in this world while in the physical body through remaining immersed in the state of samAdhI. Nada and Nadanta deep in them realized, They are capable of cognizing nAdA and the very end of nAdA (i.e. nAdAntA) as states within themselves. The eternal, the pure, reposing in bliss unalloyed, -- They are beyond birth and death, immortal; they are taint less, pure; and they abide in a state of pure bliss always. Thirty and six the steps to Liberation leading. The path to liberation for these siddars who have reached such incredible heights of consciousness is the set of thirty six tattvAs.\n\n# This is an important mantrA as the sage declares here that the ‘mukthi mudal’ or the first step to liberation of mOkshA is the understanding of the 36 tattvAs. To understand this better we need to know first of all what is meant here by the word tattvA. The Sanskrit word tattvA has many meanings, ‘reality’, ‘principle’, ‘underlying truth’, ‘thatness’ etc are a few of the meanings. Though in the context that the word is used here it is to be taken to mean the internal principles that serve as the building blocks of the manifest and unmanifest universe. In the samkhyA system (which was the first to enumerate the tattvAs) they hold that the tattvAs are 25/26 in number. However in the shaktA and the shaivA system the total number of tattvAs is taken to be 36.\n\nThese 36 tattvAs are grouped into three groups : Atma tattvA group (containing 24 tattvAs); vidyA tattvA group (containing 7 tattvAs); and the siva tattvA group (containing 5 tattvAs). These three sets are also known as the ashuddha tattvA group (impure tattvAs), shuddha tattvA group (pure tattvAs) and the shuddhAshuddha tattvA group (the mixed – i.e.pure and impure tattvAs). Though it is beyond the remit of the current post to delve into the details of each of the tattvAs here, just with the reader who is not exposed to the understanding of the tattvAs in mind, I will provide a brief list of the 36 tattvAs below. The interested reader who wants to know more will find plenty of other resources that detail the tattvAs.\n\nThe tattvAs listed from the subtlest of subtle till the last and most gross is as follows (shivAdyavani paryantam - from shivA till what is known as earth) -\n1. shivA\n2. shaktI\n3. sadAshivA\n4. IshwarA\n5. shuddhavidyA\n6. mAyA\n7. vidyA (which is really avidyA in essence)\n8. kalA\n9. rAgA\n10. kAlA\n11. niyatI\n12. purushA\n13. prakrutI\n14. manas (mind)\n15. buddhI (intellect)\n16. ahamkArA (ego or I awareness)\n17. shabdA (sound)\n18. sparshA (touch)\n19. rUpA (form)\n20. rasA (taste)\n21. gandhA (smell)\n22. shrOtra (ear)\n23. tvak (skin)\n24. chakshU (eyes)\n25. rasanA (tongue)\n26. granA (nose)\n27. vAk (speech)\n28. pAnI (hands)\n29. pAda (feet)\n30. pAyU (genitals)\n31. upastha (anus)\n32. AkAshA (ether)\n33. vAyU (air)\n34. tEjO / agnI (fire)\n35. salila / jalA (water)\n36. prithvI (earth).\n\nIn the list above, the first five tattvAs (shivA to shuddha vidyA) are the group known as the siva tattvA group or the shuddha tattvAs (pure tattvAs) as they pertain to the supreme level. The next 7 tattvAs (from mAyA down) are the group known as the vidyA tattvA group or the shuddhAshuddha tattvAs (pure and impure/mixed set) as they are the means for both the shiva’s modification to jIvA in the evolution mode and the jivAs transformation into siva in the involution mode. The last 24 tattvAs are the group known as the Atma tattvA group or the ashuddha tattvA (impure tattvA) group as they pertain entirely to the manifest reality at a much grosser level where the siva appears bound and limited as jIvA.\n\nIt is worth noting here that the Atma tattvA set corresponds to the sthUla sharIrA or the gross physical body; the vidyA tattvA set corresponds to the sUkshma sharIrA or the subtle body and finally the shiva tattvA set corresponds to the kArana sharIrA or the causative body.\nSo through the above mantrA the sage indicates that the siva siddars are those who while being engaged with the phenomenal world in this physical body are able to experience the highest of states (bliss) by being ever immersed in the light of the self. They are liberated while alive – jIvanmukhtAs.\n\n\nThursday, November 11, 2010\n\nWho are the siva siddhas - mantrA 124\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\nThe 124th mantrA reveals more about the siva yOgin.\n\nவெளியில் வெளிபோய் விரவிய வாறும்\nஅளியில் அளிபோய் அடங்கிய வாறும்\nஒளியில் ஒளிபோய் ஒடுங்கிய வாறும்\nதெளியும் அவரே சிவ சித்தர் தாமே. I.1.12.124.\n\nWho Are the Siva-Siddhas\n\nSpace intermingling with space,\nNectar drowning in nectar,\nLight dissolving in light--\nThe elect are they, the Siva-Siddhas,\nWho these splendid visions perceive. I.1.12.124.\n\nCom - Space intermingling with space To know the AtmA which is an evolute of AkAshA or space merging into the cidAkAshA or the subtle ether which is the abode of siva, Nectar drowning in nectar, To know the will (icchA) of the jIvA dissolving in the will of siva, Light dissolving in light – To know the light of the jIvA dissolving in the light of siva The elect are they, the siva – siddhas, Who these splendid visions perceive. Those who know by means of refined intellect (the above) are known as the siva siddhArs. Only they are the knowers of siva.\n\n# The term ‘aLiyil aLipOi adangudhal’ translated as ‘nectar drowning in nectar’ refers to the combined icchA (desire/ will), j~nyAnA (knowledge) and kriyA (active energy) of the individual jIvA merging into the combined icchA, j~nyAnA and kriyA of the supreme siva. The sage comments here on those special beings who are entitled to be known as the siva siddars. Through a highly clarified intellect/ awareness which in itself is a result of many practises, the siva yOgin is able to intuitively understand the truth that the AtmA or (individual) self merges with the siva or cosmic self in the highly subtle cidAkAshA. Not only are they able to understand this, they are forever engaged in the experience of this merger.\n\nThe second line of this verse also points to the state of the siddA. When the tri fold modification of the individuals energy (as icchA, j~nyAnA and kriyA) is existent it incites the jIvA into performing actions, which in turn lead to the fruits of those actions (such as heaven, hell, re birth etc). However in the case of the siva yOgin, these energies have been elevated to the heights of siva and are then dissolved into the same icchA etc of sivA. Thus the will of siva is the will of the siva yOgin. That is, they remain without any desires or activities for themselves. Instead they act as one with siva.\n\n\nFriday, November 05, 2010\n\nWednesday, November 03, 2010\n\nHe granted me bliss supreme - mantrA 123\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\nDetailing the state of being of the siva yOgin further this mantrA describes the transcendence of the yOgin to a realm that is beyond the control of the celestials.\n\nஅளித்தான் உலகெங்கும் தானான உண்மை\nஅளித்தான் அமரர் அறியா உலகம்\nஅளித்தான் திருமன்றுள் ஆடுந் திருத்தாள்\nஅளித்தான் போ஢ன்பத்து அருள்வெளி தானே. I.1.11.123.\n\nHe Granted Me Bliss Supreme\n\nHe made me see the truth that He pervades all,\nGranted me the vision of the world that even Devas know not,\nThe vision of the Sacred Feet in Holy Sabha's cosmic dance,\nGranted me His infinite Grace and the Bliss supreme. I.1.11.123.\n\nCom - He made me see the truth that He pervades all, The lord siva made me realise that there is but the one supreme that pervades all the manifest worlds Granted me the vision of the world that even Devas know not, lord siva also granted me (through the above mentioned vision of ‘reality’) the state of unending bliss that eludes even the dEvAs The vision of the Sacred Feet in Holy Sabha’s cosmic dance, He (lord siva) graced me by firmly establishing His holy feet that are ever engaged in performing the cosmic dance in the peerless space of paramAkAshA (subtle ether) Granted me His infinite Grace and the Bliss supreme (and through that) He granted me the state of supreme bliss (paramAnandA), the result of basking in the effulgence of His grace.\n\n# This mantrA follows on from the previous one. The term ‘ ulagengum thAnAna unmai’ or ‘the truth that He pervades all’ refers to the state of being of the siva yOgin who can see only siva everywhere. The yOgin though aware of the perception of multiplicity, is ever clear about the ultimate cause of such apparent diversity. He sees nothing but the supreme siva, the seed cause, everywhere and in everything.\n\nThe term ‘ amarar ariyA ulagam’ or ‘ the vision of the world that even dEvAs know not’ is a hidden metaphor. Rather than understanding this to be a state of being which the dEvAs or celestial beings do not experience, it should be recognised as the state of being or world that is beyond the ruler ship of the dEvAs. That is, the dEvAs here refers to the divinities / energies that operate from within the lower opening/ door of the mUlAdhAra chakra. These divinities function in a manner that regulates / limits the expansive self consciousness of the jIvA. As a result of achieving the perception of reality at a level where there is but the one supreme (advaita siddhi), the yOgin resides at a plane that is transcendent to the lower chakrAs. Through perfection of the techniques of sivayOgA, the aspirant remains in equipoise and with full awareness of reality at all times (refer to previous mantrA detailing the state of shuddha jAgrat).\n\nThe term ‘ thirumandrul AdunthiruthAl’ or the ‘ sacred feet in the holy sabhA’s cosmic dance’ refers to the attainment of the holy feet/ grace that manifests from within the golden effulgence that is present in the cidAkAshA or subtle ether.\n\nThe term ‘ pErinbatharulveli’ or ‘bliss supreme’ refers to the state where there is no distinction between siva and shaktI – i.e. before the dichotomy in the siva tattvA level leading to the Shakti tattvA. Thus is the state of bliss that is unending, as it is birthless. This is the self state where there is a sAmarasyA or complete unity of siva and Shakti tattvAs.\n\n\nSaturday, October 30, 2010\n\nSivayOgA is to attain self - lumination - mantrA 122\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\nHere in the next verse, the sage describes the state of being of the siva yOgin even further. After detailing some notable qualities of the siva yOgin in the last mantrA he proceeds to here to reveal that vivEkA or discrimination is an important trait in the yOgin. He also compares the siva yOgA to other systems like hatha yOgA and declares that this (i.e. siva yOgA) is the manifestation of the compassion of the supreme siva to help the jIvA overcome his delusion.\n\nசிவயோக மாவது சித்தசித் தென்று\nதவயோகத் துள்புக்குத் தன்னொளி தானாய்\nஅவயோகஞ் சாராது அவன்பதி போக\nநவயோக நந்தி நமக்களித் தானே. I.1.10.122.\n\nSivayoga is to Attain Self-Lumination\n\nSivayoga it is to know the Cit-Acit,\nAnd for the Yoga-Penance qualify;\nSelf-light becoming Self,\nTo enter undeviating, His lordly domain;\nHe granted me this--Nandi of the Nine Yogas. I.1.10.122.\n\nCom - Sivayoga it is to know the Cit – Acit, sivayOgA is that where by the yOgin is able to discern, through the quality of vivEkA (discrimination), that which is possessed of chaitanyA or chit Shakti and that which is jadA or inert And for the Yoga – Penance qualify (and knowing thus) to proceed on to the path known as sivarAja yOgA, which is attained by elevating the vibrations to the crown (of the head), Self –light becoming Self, and by remaining immersed in the light of siva (self) that is revealed (through the above mentioned sivarAja yOgA)To enter undeviating, His lordly domain; (being thus immersed in the self) one remains undistracted by other types of yOgAs which produce bad results and remains united with the lord in the supreme paramAkAsha mandala or the ether plane He granted me this – Nandi of the Nine yogas. This supreme path that is verily love (sivarAjayOgA) my lord, nandI has revealed for our betterment and salvation.\n\n* The sage provides further clarity on the nature of the siva yOgA here after describing the state of being of the siva yOgin in the mantra before. The verse is simple and can be understood easily once a few terms are understood.\n\nAll this is one. The one supreme which the wise describe as sat, chit, AnandA etc is without a second. However, for the sake of granting the fruits of actions the world phenomena is necessary. The one supreme siva Himself manifests variously as the dEvAs, the demi gods and beings, humans, animals, trees, plants, worlds etc. Due to our state of misapprehension or avidyA, we commonly see self where there is no self (i.e. thinking that the body is self) and see the non self where there is self. An important awareness that the spiritual aspirant needs to cultivate is that of discerning that which is self and that which is not. This quality of discrimination is known as vivEkA and it is a very important prerequisite for the aspirant. Once we are able to see what is chit or possessed of consciousness or chaitanya and identify that which is jadA or inert matter, we will be able to rise above the misapprehension which makes us see duality or multiplicity where there is but one.\n\nSo here the sage describes that the siva yOgin is possessed of this capacity to discern the sat from the asat or the self from the non self, (astOmA sat gamaya), the conscious from the inert, the siva from the jagat (world). Once aware of this, the yOgin is no longer drawn outward to the phenomenal world of inert matter as it loses its glitter once it is known for what it is. Now the yOgin remains focused on the chit or conscious principle which is the self and through steady practise is able to transcend the bondage due to previous actions and tendencies.\n\nThe term ‘tava yOgA’ or penance refers to those actions that are performed (without tormenting the body) through which the vibrations are channelled through the central path of sushumnA upwards to the crown of the head or sahasrArA. This process is known as rAja yOgA or the king of yOgAs. The term ‘avayOgA’ in the original refers to hatha yOgA, this the sage refers as other yOgAs that produce contrary or bad results. It is worth noting that the sage here does not disqualify the hathayOgA tradition as such - he is merely saying this here to produce a comparison between the hathayOgA (which is a very strict and difficult path to attain success in) and the siva yOgA as suggested by thirumUlar (which is sweet and natural and easy to attain in comparison). It is like the thirsty person trying to drink sea water to quench his thirst when he has a well right next to him with sweet fresh water.\n\nThrough the above mantrA the sage reveals that the supreme lord nandi, out of compassion for the jIvAs has revealed the wonderful path of sivarAja yOgA through which the jIvA is able to obtain release from this cycle of birth and death to attain the sivalOkA or realm of siva.\n\n\nSaturday, October 23, 2010\n\nsivayOgins attain turiyA state in mortal body - mantrA 121\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\nIn this mantrA, the first of a few that detail the state of being of a true siva yOgin, the sage paints a wonderful picture. The terms ' sethttiruthal' or 'being in a state akin to death' and 'summAiruthal' ' simply being' are oft occurring in the siddhA texts. Here the sage makes clear that the true siva yOgin will remain in a state akin to death (i.e. unaffected by the sensory stimuli) even when awake and engaged with the phenomenal world. The yOgin cultivates no attachments towards the world and simply accepts whatever comes his way as the will of siva. He wants nothing, he dislikes nothing. He remains ever immersed in siva. He remains ever full.\n\nவித்தைக் கெடுத்து வியாக்கிரத் தேமிகச்\nசுத்தத் துரியம் பிறந்து துடக்கற\nஒத்துப் புலனுயிர் ஒன்றாய் உடம்பொடு\nசெத்திட் டிருப்பார் சிவயோகி யார்களே. I.1.9.121.\n\nSivayogins Attain Turiya State in Mortal Body\n\nSivayogins are they that the seed destroy,\nWho, in waking state, the pure awareness induce;\nWho in harmony unbroken, achieve the tranced breath,\nWhen life, senses, body--alike simulate death. I.1.9.121.\n\nCom - they that the seed destroy, Those who have destroyed the seed and cause of births, namely the ‘vinai’ or karma as described in the previous mantrA and have arrived at a transcendental realm Who, in waking state, the pure awareness induce; (and) those who are able to rise free from the ties that bind by attaining to the state of pure turiyA (the fourth or transcendental state) even while being in the (ordinary) waking state Who in harmony unbroken, achieve the tranced breath, those who are able to merge the senses into the pure breath and stand in perfect harmony When life, senses, body – alike simulate death . those who being in that transcendental state remain as it were in a lifeless state (without any individual thoughts or actions for themselves) Sivayogins are such a person (who fits the above description) is known as a siva yOgin.\n\n# This mantrA follows on from where the previous verse left off. The word ‘vyAgiram’ in the original refers to shuddha jAgrat or pure waking state. It is a transcendental realm.\n\nTo understand this better, we need to be aware of the different states of consciousness. The wise realise that the sentient being has a consciousness that is in different states at different times. They divide this into five specific categories or realms and these are as below –\n\njAgrat avasthA – this is known as the waking state of consciousness. When we are awake and are engaged in activities, this is the state of being. Though it is beyond the scope of this post to discuss these states in greater detail, it will be wise to note that during the jAgrat or waking state, the mind is affected by the g~nyAnEndriyAs (instruments of cognition) and the karmEndriyAs ( instruments of action), manas or mind, buddhi or intellect are active. The idea of ego and the limitations of the individual are present and affect the state of being accordingly.\n\n– this is known as the dream state. When we are asleep but not in the deep sleep state, the consciousness is in the swapnA or dream state. Here it is of note that only the g~nyAnEndriyAs (instruments of cognition) and the manas , buddhi are active. The karmEndriyAs or instruments of action cease to be active, thus we are not engaged in activity during then. But sensory stimuli is perceived (like we can see and smell touch and taste etc during dreams).\n\nSushupti avasthA – this is known as the deep sleep state. In this state, the consciousness is in a state akin to death. The instruments of cognition and action are inactive. The manas and buddhi too are inactive. There is no memory or experience and it is a deeply restful state. Though similar to the state of samAdhi, the down side is that the jIvA is not aware of the state that he is in. It is an unconscious state of consciousness.\n\nTuriya avasthA – this is known as the fourth state or the transcendental state as this is not a state of consciousness that is open to all. The above three states are accessed by all beings repeatedly at different times daily throughout life. However, the turiyA or the fourth state is something that is reached only through the grace of the guru and through the fruit of sAdhanA or spiritual practices. Here everything is clear and there is no delusion. This is the state of samAdhI (savikalpA).\n\nTuriyAthItha avasthA – there is a fifth state, that which is even beyond the transcendental. This is the supreme avasthA or state where is nothing but self, established in self. Regular practise in being established in the turIya avasthA is the method to finally reach this state of turIyAthIthA where the state of samAdhI is effortless and continuous. (nirvikalpA).\n\nSo coming back to the mantra, the term ‘shuddha jAgrat’ or pure wakeful state refers to the state where the yOgin, though awake (i.e. with all the sense faculties operating normally) is not attached to or caught up in the phenomenal reality. The term ‘shuddha turIyam’ or pure transcendence refers to the fifth state detailed above, where the yOgin is ever immersed in the light of self. The words ‘ pulan uyir otthAi’ refer to the state where the yOgins mind is not pulled outward due to the operation of the senses.\n\nThe term ‘ sethittiruthal’ or simulating death refers to the state where the yOgin remains without any actions for one’s individual self.\n\nThrough the above mantrA we get a glimpse into the state of being of a true siva yOgin. The sage mentions that they are ever immersed in the light that is born from the realisation of self. Though they appear to be awake and appear to go to sleep etc like the rest of us, there is in reality a great difference in the state of consciousness of the regular jIvA and the siva yOgin who has ‘seen’ siva. The yOgin remains unaffected by what is seen or heard or felt or tasted. Though their sense faculties are in operation during the waking or jAgrat state, the manas or mind of the yOgin is unaffected by the stimuli and thus it does not flow outward to grasp the products of the phenomenal world. Not only that, the sage further clarifies that the yOgin remains immersed in the light of self or in the turiyAthItha avasthA where the self is seen reflected as all. As they perceive siva everywhere and in everything and as they are ever content and beyond the pull of the senses, the siva yOgIs remain without any actions for themselves. This however does not mean that they just sit doing nothing – it refers to the fact that they have dissolved the sense of individual identity in the state of supreme self. Thus all their actions are the actions of the supreme, not their own. Due to this, they also transcend the fruit of their actions – as their actions are not their own, so too the fruit is not theirs.\n\nFrom the words of the sage we know that the true siva yOgin remains free of the taint and delusion of the body though they are possessed of the body just like everyone else.\n\n\nTuesday, October 19, 2010\n\nHe roasted the seeds of recurring births - mantrA 120\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\n\n\nஆமேவு பால்நீர் பிரிக்கின்ற அன்னம்போல்\nதாமே தனிமன்றில் தன்னந் தனிநித்தம்\nதீமேவு பல்கர ணங்களுள் உற்றன\nதாமேழ் பிறப்பெரி சார்ந்தவித் தாமே. I. 1.8.120.\n\nHe Roasted the Seeds of Recurring Births\n\nLike unto the swan that from milk the water parts,\nGrasped the senses many that scorch like fire,\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThursday, October 07, 2010\n\nHe made sensory consciousness merge in god consciousness - mantrA 119\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\nIn the next mantrA, the sage reveals how the ordinary sense consciousness of the jIvA is transformed into the super consciousness upon receiving the upadEshA of a sat guru and acting on the instructions of the guru.\n\nஅறிவுஐம் புலனுட னேநான் றதாகி\nநெறியறி யாதுற்ற நீர்ஆழம் போல\nஅறிவுஅறி வுள்ளே அழிந்தது போலக்\nகுறியறி விப்பான் குருபர னாமே. I.1. 7.119.\n\nHe Made Sensory Consciousness Merge in God Consciousness\n\nConsciousness hanging on to the senses five,\nKnowing not its course as on deep waters drifting,--\nConsciousness sensory merging in the Consciousness deep,--\nThus He pointed the Way,--He, the Guru Supreme. I.1.7.119.\n\nCom - Consciousness hanging on to the senses five, The jIvA's consciousness (normally) is merged to the five senses Knowing not its course as on deep waters drifting,-- and in this state, it remains confounded, akin to one who has been caught up in torrential flood waters being swept by the force of the current. Consciousness sensory merging in the consciousness deep, -- However, like when the lower knowledge is absorbed and dissolved into the higher knowledge, Thus He pointed the Way, -- He, the Guru Supreme. The competent guru reveals the way by producing clarity of vision and gradually he leads/ guides the disciple to his highest potential.\n\n# The above mantrA is quite simple and easy to understand. The five senses refer to the five types of sensory knowledge – shabda (sound), sparsha (touch/feeling), rUpa (sight/form), rasa (taste) and gandha (smell). These are also known as the tanmAtrAs or the subtle elements. It does not refer to the actual indriyAs or the sense organs/ instruments.\n\nThe day to day consciousness of the jIvA is normally entirely composed of the knowledge gleaned through the five sense instruments and would thus be broadly possessed of the attributes specified above. We do not ‘know’ something that we are not able to ‘see’, ‘feel’, ‘hear’, ‘taste’ or ‘smell’ – if the products of this external/ phenomenal world do not possess one or more of the above attributes, there is no way for us to be ‘aware’ of those products. They will simply cease to be.\n\nBut in this normal condition, the consciousness of the jIvA is confused and confounded by the varied sensory stimuli and the jIvA is deluded into imagining a varied and graded world, where as there is but One. The underlying reality of the supreme, which is the beingness (sat) that manifests variously is misunderstood and the jIvA undergoes suffering and birth and death. When one’s consciousness is coupled with the above senses, it merely leads one into the endless cycle of birth and death – samsArA.\n\nHowever in contrast to this is the state of consciousness that is produced as a result of the upadEshA of a competent guru. When the consciousness of the jIvA is coupled with the greater knowledge that has been transmitted through upadEshA by the guru, then it becomes the path out of this endless trans migratory cycle and becomes the root cause of freedom.\n\nThus we have that the upadEshA of a guru is capable of producing a greater knowledge (siva g~nyAnA) which absorbs unto itself the lesser knowledge (of external phenomenal reality) and as it waxes, this greater consciousness becomes the agency through which one attains to the destination or goal – namely the state of siva.\n\n\nMonday, October 04, 2010\n\nHe broke into my soul's silent depths - mantrA 118\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\nIn the 118th mantrA the sage speaks of the five mandalAs and nandi who manifests variously in the different mandalAs and redeems the devotee at each of these spheres to bring him back to his self state by cutting the ties that bind.\n\nமலங்கள்ஐந் தாமென மாற்றி அருளித்\nதலங்கள்ஐந் தானற் சதாசிவ மான\nபுலங்களைந் தான்அப் பொதுவினுள் நந்தி\nநலங்களைந் தான்உள் நயந்தான் அறிந்தே. I.1.6.118.\n\nHe Broke Into My Soul's Silent Depths\n\n\"All impurities we shall expell,\" said the Lord in Grace\nAnd saying so, from Sadsiva of the Five Spheres came down,\nIn the sovereign Sabha through His Five Acts Divine,\nHe broke into my soul's silent depths, Knowing all. I.1.6.118.\n\nCom - from Sadasiva of the Five spheres came down, Through the combined agency of the lords of the five mandalAs, from the pure sadAsiva, ‘’All impurities we shall expell’’, said the Lord in Grace the pAsA of the five malAs or impurities that (seemingly) bind the siva are destroyed thoroughly. In the sovereign Sabha through His Five Acts Divine, The supreme lord nandi who is the actor (playing the role of the jIvA) performing in the cidsabhA/ cidAkAshA, stopped and reversed the action of the mind which is ever flowing outward (through the medium of the five senses) and attaching itself to the products of the phenomenal world. He broke into my soul’s silent depths, Knowing all. Not only that, the beloved Lord who manifests within the heart of the devotee, also cuts asunder the vAsanAs or tendencies that lie within the deep recesses of the mind which serve to attach the mind of the devotee to a phenomenal reality, as He knows all.\n\n# The five spheres or mandalAs are – sivasAdhAkyam, amUrthysAdhAkyam, mUrthy sAdhAkyam, karthru sAdhAkyam and karma sAdhAkyam. These can be understood as five states (of consciousness).\n\nThe five malAs or impurities are – Anava malA (taint of ego), karma malA (taint of karma), mAyika malA (taint of mAyA), mAyEyam and thirOdAyI.\n\nThe five mUrthys or lords are – sadAsiva, IshwarA, rudrA, vishnU and brahmA.\n\nThe word ‘nal sadAsivA’ means the ‘good’ sadAsivA and here stands for the sadAsiva who does good for the jIvA. That is, when the jIvA is sufficiently mature, sadAsiva gradually shifts and reverses the outward/ material inclination and provokes a more internal/ inward inclination and eventually helps in ridding the ties that bind the jIvA.\n\nFrom the above mantra we can understand that the supreme Lord nandi, assuming the five fold forms (or five mUrthys) is engaged in uplifting the sentient soul in each of the five spheres of its existence by reversing the outward flow of the mind and the inclination towards the smaller and limited joys (that is a product of sensory stimuli), to provoke an inclination towards the siva consciousness and the greater bliss that is a product of knowing one’s Self nature.\n\nThe guru, who is verily the sadAsiva in a human form, guides the disciple in the process of turning or arresting the outward flow of the mind by initiating him into the mystic techniques that regulate the flow of energies in the body and mind to enable him to eventually remain unmoved in the face of much external stimuli. It is of note that the mind or the manas tattvA is able to engage with the external world only through the interface of the indriyAs or the sense instruments. By itself, the mind is the antaHkaranA or the internal instrument. In the hatha yOgA, this arresting and reversal of the outward flow of the mind and its attachment to the external products is known as pratyAhArA.\n\nWith the right guidance from the guru, the disciple begins to engage in earnest in the path of sAdhanA where he is ever aware of the changing states of mind and being. He notices the flow of the mind and its effects on his being. With careful observation and repeated practise, he is gradually able to affect this outward flow to first focus inward and then later to transcend the flow altogether so the state of being is not affected by the environment externally. Eventually, the yOgi is able to remain in a state of samAdhi or equipoise where there is total absorption in the Self.\n\n\nFriday, October 01, 2010\n\nAt His glance, impurities vanish - mantrA 117\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\nThe next mantrA is the 117th in the series. Simple in the way it is constructed, this verse is deeply evocative and clearly conveys the message of the import of a guru in the spiritual progress of the jIvA.\n\nசூரிய காந்தமும் சூழ்பஞ்சும் போலவே\nசூரிய காந்தம் சூழ்பஞ்சைச் சுட்டிடா\nசூரியன் சந்நிதி யிற்சுடு மாறுபோல்\nசூரியன் தோற்றமுன் அற்ற மலங்களே. I.1.5.117.\n\nAt His Glance, Impurities Vanish\n\nThe sunstone sleeps in cotton enclosed,\nThe sunstone burns not the fragile stuff;\nLet but the sun's rays fall! How it shrivels and flames!\nEven so the impure wilts before the Lord's cathartic glance. I.1.5.117.\n\nCom - The sunstone sleeps in cotton enclosed, The jIvA and the impurities / pAsA that cover or enclose the jIvA are akin to the sunstone (sUryakAnthA gem) and the pure fluffy cotton that is placed around the gem. The sunstone burns not the fragile stuff; (normally) the sUryakAnthA gem does not burn the cotton that surrounds it,(though it is quite proximate and flammable). Let but the sun’s rays fall! How it shrivels and flames! But, when the sun’s rays shine on the sUryakAntA gem and then through that on to the cotton, it is quite capable of setting the surrounding cotton on fire completely. Even so the impure wilts before the Lord’s cathartic glance. And in a similar fashion, the intellect of the jIvA is capable of burning through the enclosing pAsA/ bondage (to reveal the supreme Self state) while in the presence of the true siva guru.\n\n# In this simple yet beautifully picturesque mantrA the sage reveals the glory of the competent guru and the transformative power of his grace in the life of the seeker. First of all, to appreciate this verse better, let me explain what the gem known as sUryakAnthA is. The sUryakAthA is a legendary/mythical gem that is supposed to be formed from the condensed rays of the sun. Though it is said to be cool to the touch, the gem has the power to produce great concentrated heat when in the presence of the sunshine. The example presented by the sage can also be understood by imagining a magnifying glass in place of the mystical sUryakAnthA gem.\n\nThe term 'sUryakAnthA' gem refers here to the jIvA. The term ‘panju’ or ‘cotton’ refers to the pAsA (ties) as elaborated before. Like the ties of attachment and delusion that surround us totally, the cotton is said to be enclosing the gem. The term ‘Ariyan’ or ‘sun’ refers to the guru.\n\nSo, if we consider the example of a magnifying glass (the jIvA) which is placed above some fluffy cotton (the pAsA or bondage); the glass does not have the capacity to burn the cotton by itself though the cotton is flammable and is proximate. However, if we allow the sun’s rays to shine on the glass and then focus it on the cotton, we will find that it is possible for the glass to now set the cotton on fire by harnessing and magnifying the heat of the sun. So too the jIvA when in the presence of the guru – through the grace of the guru, the sishyA or the disciple is able to harness the necessary spiritual heat to then focus it on the pAsA or ties that bind him to a limited and delusional reality. Following on from the previous mantrA, we can see that it is only through the upadEshA from a competent guru that one is able to free oneself from the bondage or avidyA and realise the Self state or shivOham state. The jIvA, though limited (due to the effect of the pAsA or bondage) is capable of burning the pAsA that bind it when in the presence of the true guru.\n\nTo sum, the sage states that it is only through the upadEshA from a siva guru that one is able to rid the ties that bind.\n\n\nTuesday, September 28, 2010\n\nHe shattered impurities three - egoity, illusion and karmA - mantrA 116\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\nIn the next mantrA of this section, the sage speaks of the electromagnetic fire / energy that is generated and used to transform the limited jIvA into the unlimited siva. The process of yoking the energy generated through different kinds of sAdhanA to rid the pAsA or the ties that bind the jIvA are discussed.\n\nவேயின் எழுங்கனல் போலேஇம் மெய்யெனும்\nகோயி லிருந்து குடிகொண்ட கோன்நந்தி\nதாயினும் மும்மலம் மாற்றித் தயாஎன்னும்\nதோயம தாய் எழுஞ் சூரிய னாமே. I.1.4.116.\n\nHe Shattered Impurities Three--Egoity, Illusion and Karma\n\nLike the spark that within the bamboo indwells,\nSo, Nandi Lord, from this body-temple flamed;\nWith sweet compassion gentler than a mother's,\nHe shattered the Impurities Three\nAnd like unto the sun on the ocean of mercy arose. I.1.4.116.\n\nCom - Like the spark that within the bamboo indwells, Like the fire that emerges from within the bamboo spontaneously, So, Nandi Lord, from this body – temple flamed; the lord siva who resides within this precious temple known as the body (emerges). With sweet compassion gentler than a mother’s, He shattered the Impurities Three (and then) like the mother (cow) which cleans the external dirt off its calf by licking repeatedly and with great care, He removes the three kinds of impurities that taint the jivA through His compassion and grace And like unto the sun on the ocean of mercy arose. Thus, He our Lord Nandi is verily the supreme sun which arises from the ocean of mercy.\n\n# This is a very important mantra and there are some esoteric layers of meaning to this which need to be learnt from a competent guru. A brief explanation of sorts below –\n\nThe words ‘ vEyin ezhunkanal pOlE’ / ‘Like the spark that within the bamboo indwells’, refers to the natural phenomena whereby, when the bamboo rub against one another the friction that is generated produces a spark/fire. When the spark occurs, it immediately ignites the dry bamboo and the entire forest is soon burnt to the ground. This here is a carefully constructed and poetic metaphor for the actual ritual of initiation or dIkshA. As the effulgence that occurs in the navel area of the initiate as a result of the upadEshA of the guru burns through the forest of tattvAs and destroys them.\n\nThe words ‘ vEyin ezhunkanal’ here is the upamAna. While the next line ‘ meiyenum kOyililirundu kudikonda Kon nandi’ is the upamEyA. For the benefit of those who are not familiar with the alankAra displayed here –\n\nupamAnA roughly can be described as that with which something is compared (for the sake of establishing a relationship/ comparison between two things).\nupamEyA on the other hand can be roughly described as that whose comparison is done (with the other). Thus a known and often experienced example (the case of the fire in the bamboo) is used to describe something that is not so thoroughly or commonly known (that siva is ever resident within the gross body of the disciple).\n\nTo further elaborate – even though the fire that resides within the bamboo is not obvious to the eye normally, the fact that the power to produce a spark and erupt into flames is present within the bamboo is understood by the physical observation of the phenomena when the bamboo catches fire. In a similar vein, the siva who is resident within this body though not obvious normally (when one is inclined materially), the truth that He is ever there becomes clear when after the upadEshA of a satguru one experiences the effulgence that arises from the navel centre and rids one of the taint of misapprehension.\n\nVery artfully, the sage has revealed the upadEsha rahasyA or the secret truth (that the supreme lord siva is ever resident within each and every one of us and that when free from the taint of the impurities, the jIvA is siva) through comparing the upamEyA to the upamAnA. Through knowing this truth, knowledge or realisation of the Self is born.\n\nThe immense Atma shaktI or Self which is within each and every sentient being is known variously through many names as a result of its different/ varied functions or action. The AtmA or self is possessed of the AkAshA (ether) attribute of the supreme. It rules this physical body through the two nAdIs or energy channels known as idA and pingalA. These nAdIs are highly subtle and are not visible to the naked eye, though they operate both within this observable and manifest physical/gross body and the imperceptible subtle/ etheric body. These nAdIs are possessed of energy impulses which are differentiated into positive and negative charges.\n\nWhen one is involved in thinking/imagination etc, this energy becomes the thought energy (icchA shaktI). When one is involved with the products of the phenomenal world and is engaged in activity it becomes the active energy (kriyA shaktI). Thus we can understand upadEshA to be the process through which one is able to obtain a method to increase ones capacity to both generate and conduct high currents of this raw energy that can then be yoked to develop the inner states of realisation.\n\nThose who follow the path of kriyA (i.e karma yOgA) hold that a certain electromagnetic force/energy is generated when one performs specific actions that are ordained and that are of this phenomenal world. The hatha yOgIs hold that this type of electromagnetic energy can be produced by uniting the two kinds of currents in the body and practise pranayama through which they merge the prAnA and apAnA. Those following the path of g~nyAna yOgA or the path of knowledge hold that this state is attainable by uniting the vision of the two eyes at the centre point. Religions like Islam and Sikhism hold that the pranavA (all causative supreme sound) can be produced by merging the sound knowledge of the two ears. The various schools like shaiva, shaktA, kashmIra shaivA, Buddhism(mahAyAnA) etc hold that it is possible to transcend the body by the sexual union of the male and female when the kAmAgni or the fire of desire has been transformed into the yOgAgni.\n\nThe important aspect to note here in all the above examples is that the frictional energy is converted/ transformed into an electromagnetic fire/ energy that helps one to transcend the phenomenal to achieve a super conscious level.Check Spelling\n\nThe condensed meaning of the above mantra thus would be that at the right time when the jIvA has attained to the right level of maturity, siva Himself appears in the phenomenal world in the body of a guru and gradually with great compassion guides the devotee to the heights of Self realisation and enlightenment by ridding the jIvA of all his taints/ impurities.\n\n\nThursday, September 23, 2010\n\nPati, Pasu and Pasa are eternal - mantrA 115\n\nSrigurubhyO namahA\n\nIn this beautiful verse, the siddar speaks of the triad of the pati, pasu and pAsA - three very important concepts which the reader needs to get quite familiar with. The separate natures and description of each of these three as well as their interconnection are very essential principles for the devotee to recognise. This helps not only in the understanding of the temporality of the phenomenal world, but also serves to fully enable the understanding of reality or self state. These concepts are at the base of shaiva siddhAntA - so there will be plenty more description and sufficient fleshing out of these truths throughout the text. As we are currently in the upadEshA section of the text, the sage speaks of those very important truths that become as it were the foundation of wisdom in the mind of the devotee. Hence the stress on proper understanding.\n\nபதிபசு பாசம் எனப்பகர் மூன்றில்\nபதியினைப் போற்பசு பாசம் அனாதி\nபதியினைச் சென்றணு காப்பசு பாசம்\nபதியணு கிற்பசு பாசம் நில் லாவே. I.1.3.115.\n\nPati (God), Pasu (Soul) and Pasa (World) are Eternal\n\nThey speak of the Three--Pati, Pasu and Pasa;\nBeginningless as Pati, Pasu and Pasa are:\nBut the Pasu-Pasa nears not the Pati supreme:\nLet but Pati touch! the Pasu-Pasa is as naught. I.1.3.115.\n\nCom - They speak of the Three – Pati, Pasu and Pasa; (When we consider) the three things that are known as the Pati (lit. Lord) or siva, pasu (lit. cattle) or jIvA and pAsA or bondage/tether Beginningless as Pati, Pasu and Pasa are: we will realise that, like the Pati (siva) the other two (i.e. the jIvA and the bondage) are also beginningless. But the Pasu – Pasa nears not the Pati supreme: (Though this is the case) the limitations of the jIvA hood and the limitations of the bondage do not ever accrue to the supreme pati or siva. Let but Pati touch! The Pasu – Pasa is as naught. (Thus) when the supreme pati siva becomes manifest in the jIvA, then its own pasu ness or limitations to consciousness and the bondage become removed.\n\n# In this mantra we are introduced to the triad which is a very cardinal aspect in the kashmIra shaivam in particular and shaiva siddhAntA in general. First of all we will take a quick look at what these terms mean and what they refer to.\n\nPati – The word pati literally means Lord, Master, Husband etc. In the context of the siddhAntA this term is used to describe the supreme siva as He is the Lord of all. He is ever free and possessed of the various vibhUtIs or powers of omnipresence, omnipotence etc. The term also implies His supreme sovereignty on both the world and the jIvA or individual soul.\n\nPasu – The word literally means cattle. In the Hindu scriptures we find that this word has been used to describe people in general and in the tantrAs we can see that this term refers more accurately to a specific type or category of people. In the context of the siddhAntA this term is used to refer to the individual soul or jIvA. This is because the jIvA, unlike the supreme siva, is not free. The jIvA is tethered (much like the cow that is kept tethered to the stake) and can only move within the limits of the ‘rope’ that tethers it. The main implication of this term is that the nature of the jIvA is not free.\n\nPasa – This is the actual tether or bondage that limits the jIvA and keeps the jIvA from realising its true nature as siva. The scriptures variously describe the pAsA’s to be three, six, eight, etc depending on the school of thought. But keeping within the context of what we are now looking at, it is sufficient to understand the term pAsA as referring to the 3 malAs or impurities spoken of in the preceding two mantrAs (i.e. Anava malA, mAyika malA and kArmika malA). It is of note that it is this pAsA that ‘ties’ the individual soul and prevents the realisation that the jIvA without the taint of these impurities is in reality the supreme siva. To put it simply the root ignorance or avidyA (misapprehension) is what is termed pAsA.\n\nWith the above mantra we can understand that the difference between the siva (pati) and the jIvA (pasu) is that the latter is tied down to limited reality due to the effects of the pAsA (tether), while the former is ever free as the supreme lord.\n\nSiva refers to the swarUpa avasthA (Self state) and it is unbroken/ eternal (akhandA) in nature. The word sadAsiva as the sage described in the previous section is that state (tat swarUpA). Thus we have that sadAsivA is who is known as pati or the Lord. Pasu is used to describe the jIvA as the word is indicative of being tied/ tethered by the various attachments which are collectively known as pAsA.\n\nThe words’ pasupAsam anugA ‘ means that both the state of limited perception (due to the effects of being tied) and the ties themselves do not attach to siva or the pati. He is forever in a state transcendent to them and is unbroken awareness in nature. The gathered meaning of the above verse suggests that when the akhandA or unbroken aspect of consciousness begins to manifest in the jIvA, then the pasu attitude and the pAsA or ties that bind one to such a limited reality are destroyed fully.\n\n\nFriday, September 17, 2010\n\nHe planted His feet on my heart - mantrA 114\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\nIn the 114th mantrA, the sage elaborates further on the topic of the inner awakening of the devotee. He describes the process whereby the Grace of siva descends through the transmission/dIkshA by the guru and cuts asunder the ties that bind the sAdhakA to this world cycle. It is evident from this mantrA that it is only when the 'eye of grace' or the 'inner eye' is open that one is really able to cultivate quietude and absorption.\n\nகளிம்பறுத் தான்எங்கள் கண்ணுதல் நந்தி\nகளிம்பறுத் தான்அருள் கண்விழிப் பித்துக்\nகளிம்பணு காத கதிரொளி காட்டிப்\nபளிங்கிற் பவளம் பதித்தான் பதியே. I.1.2.114.\n\nHe Planted His Feet on My Heart\n\nAll impurity He shattered--our Nandi, Forehead-eyed,\nShattered to pieces before His opening Eye of Grace,\nHis Eye, at whose radiant light impurity quails;\nSo transfixed He His Coral Feet on heart of mine,\nCrystal turned. I.1.2.114.\n\nCom - our Nandi, Forehead –eyed, All impurity He shattered – Our Lord, the three eyed siva cut asunder the ties / pAsa (the three impurities Anava malA, kArmika malA and mAyika malA) that bind the jIvA to the endless trans migratory cycle. Shattered to pieces before His opening Eye of Grace, through the transmission of His supreme Grace He cut asunder the ties that bind. His Eye, at whose radiant light impurity quails; Not only that, through His Grace He brought forth the dawn of the sun of enlightenment (sivasUrya) to ensure that no further darkness (of the impurities) could ever attach itself to the devotee. So transfixed He His Coral Feet on heart of mine, Crystal turned. And He further imprinted the pure coral like deep red colour effulgence and transformed the crystal like jIvA.\n\n# The opening of the Eye of Grace has the following meaning – The first step for the jIvA to attain to enlightenment is to be eligible for the same. This is what is also known as adikAri bhEdA – rather than be of the view that everyone is eligible for every kind of path or knowledge, the wise understand that the eligibility criteria differ based on the path and the bhAvA (disposition) or kind of individual. In order for one to be eligible, two things are necessary. First is the individuals own desire or liking to tread that particular path or reach that certain state. Second is what is termed ‘irai arul’ or the grace of God. It is only when these two things are achieved that one has the eligibility to attain knowledge.\n\nHere it is good to note that the desire of the individual can come gradually (over a period of time) or it can just happen very suddenly and all at once. But regardless of whether it comes gradually or suddenly, it is always the merits (punyA) and the vAsanAs from one’s past lives that is the main reason for its manifestation. The mantrAs 1614, 1636 and 1638 of this same text will make this much clearer.\n\nSense knowledge (eg. Sound, sight, etc) reaches the mind through the medium of the sense instruments and the mind becomes engaged with the phenomenal world. As long as the mind remains absorbed in the external reality of the phenomenal world the inner eye or the eye of grace will not awaken/open. It is also true that when the inner eye or the eye of grace does awaken, then one is no longer absorbed in the external world phenomenon. These two opposites are states/ centres in the brain/mind of the sAdhakA.\n\nWith advanced practise a kind of heaviness (akin to the swelling of the udder of the cow prior to it being milked) ascends and develops in the front brain (the frontal lobe). When this heaviness becomes quite pronounced it arrests the five cognitive instruments (aim pulan) and their knowledge/ stimuli and a deep blue light becomes visible in the region of the forehead to the sAdhakA. And when the mind of the sAdhakA becomes immersed/ merged into that blue light, the imagination/delusion and the restlessness of the mind will cease to be.\n\nIt is this state of being that is known as the opening of the third eye or the eye of grace. And it is this eye in the forehead that is the centre for the subtle (sUkshma) vision and perception of the j~nyAni or enlightened being. Using this eye, the wise are able to ‘see’ even that most subtle state that can be termed as the kAranA or the causative state for this material and phenomenal world. It is only those who have attained to this state who are termed as ‘self-realised’ or ‘enlightened’ and it is only those who have attained to this state who can be said to have ‘known’ siva.\n\nThus from the above mantra we can understand that the supreme siva through the medium of His grace, first removes the cause of bondage of the sAdhakA and then will imprint the red coral like light which will pave way for the opening of the third eye or the eye of grace.\n\n\nTuesday, September 14, 2010\n\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\n\nHe descended from heaven and filled me with Grace - mantrA 113\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\n\n\n\n\nமுதல் தந்திரம்\n\n.1.. உபதேசம்\n\nவிண்ணின்று இழிந்து வினைக்கீடாய் மெய்க்கொண்டு\nதண்ணின்ற தாளைத் தலைக்காவல் முன்வைத்து\nஉண்ணின்று உருக்கியோர் ஒப்பிலா ஆனந்தக்\nகண்ணின்று காட்டிக் களிம்பறுத் தானே. I.1.1.113.\n\n\nHe Descended From Heaven and Filled Me With Grace\n\nHe come down from Heaven, clothed in body,\nAnd filled my eyes with peerless bliss, past all compare,\nAll impurity dispelled. I.1.1.113.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnava malA or the taint of the ego principle.\nkArmika malA or the taint of karma (action) and\nmAyika malA or the taint due to mAyA (illusion).\n\n\n\nWednesday, September 01, 2010\n\nSiva is jIvA - mantrA 112\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\nWe now have the 112st mantrA - which is the closing mantrA of the pAyiram or the introductory verses. In this section, the sage has dealt extensively with the idea of siva consciousness; the spiritual paramparA or lineage to which this text belongs; the reason behind the birth of this path; the virtue and spiritual merit of the AgamAs; the place and identity of the trimUrthy / trinity.\n\nAll of this sets the ground for what the sage has in mind - the true transmission of knowledge. The rest of the text is divided into nine tantrAs, each of them containing a vast treasure trove of Agamic wisdom. The sage slowly guides us like a true guru guides his disciples, compassionately and with great clarity. So, here we are, the last mantrA of the pAyiram.\n\nதானொரு கூறு சதாசிவன் எம்மிறை\nவானொரு கூறு மருவியும் அங்குளான்\nகோனொரு கூறுஉடல் உள்நின்று உயிர்க்கின்ற\nதானொரு கூறு சலமய னாமே. 10.9.112.\n\nSiva Is Jeeva\n\nIn one Part, He, Sadasiva my Lord;\nOne heavenly Part in Heaven resides;\nOne Kingly Part, the spirit that the body heaves;\nOne His Part to all motion transformed.10.9.112.\n\nCom -In one Part, He, Sadasiva my Lord; My Lord sadAsivA is one part of the supreme principle known as paramasiva (refer mantrA 111) One heavenly Part in Heaven resides; who abiding in the AkAshA (ether) principle pervades all tattvAs and remains also transcendent to the tattvAs at the same time. One Kingly Part, the spirit that the body heaves; The same siva resides in the body as prAnA (life current), the king (of the body). One His Part to all motion transformed. Yet another aspect/ part of this siva is in the form of spandA (vibration).\n\n# In this mantra, which is the last of both this sub section and of the entire pAyiram or introduction section of the thirumandiram, the sage introduces us to the idea of spandA. First, the sage states that the manifestation known as sadAsiva is but a modification of the supreme paramasiva tattvA. This same principle, when pervading the AkAshA or ether principle (which is the first evolute among the bhUtAs or the elements) can be understood to be pervading all tattvAs – as the AkAshA aspect is evident in all other modifications as this is the first medium for the establishment of the worlds. This same lord of AkAshA, when within the confines of the body (sthUlA or elemental/gross/physical body) is manifest as the prAnA or life principle.\n\nThe term prAnA should be taken to mean the ten variants – the five main prAnAs : prAna, apAna, udAna, vyAna and samAna; and also the five subsidiary prAnAs : nAga, kUrma, kirukara, dEvadatta and dhananjaya. The life principle prAnA and its variants are responsible for the birth and continuity of life in the physical or gross body. Those readers who are interested to know more about the ten prAnAs and their activities, please refer to the hata yOga pradIpikA or similar texts. Thus, we have that the siva is manifest as prAnA in the body, enabling it to continue living.\n\nThe term ‘spandA’ which can be understood as vibration or motion is a very important one. It forms the core of the Kashmir shaivism or the trikA siddhAntA. The sage does not at this juncture dwell on the greater meanings of that vibration here, so I will also refrain from a detailed description of the same right now. In the main body of the text however, we will see much more of this and then in the appropriate context I will provide more details. Here, it will suffice to note that the sage mentions that another important aspect of siva is in the form of spandA or vibration/ motion (within the body). The birth of the spandA is in itself an indication of spiritual advancement in the seeker and an indicator that the sAdhakA is proceeding in the right direction.\n\nFrom the above mantra it becomes clear that, the One supreme paramasiva is Himself sadAsiva and as sadAsiva He is the guide and friend to the jIvAs and is the only remedy for the disease of samsArA or entanglement in the cycle of birth and death.\n\nThis marks the end of the pAyiram or introduction phase of the text. From the next mantra, we proceed to the teachings. The First TantrA starts with the subsection titled ‘upadEshA’/ initiation.\n\n\nFriday, August 27, 2010\n\nOne and many - mantrA 111\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\nThe 111st mantrA of the pAyiram where we find echoes of the advaita philosophy.\n\nபரத்திலே ஒன்றாய் உள் ளாய்ப்புற மாகி\nவரத்தினுள் மாயவ னாய்அய னாகித்தரத்\nதினுள் தான்பல தன்மைய னாகிக்\nகரத்தினுள் நின்று கழிவுசெய் தானே. 9.9.111.\n\nOne And Many\n\nThe Supreme is one, Absolute, without lapse,\nIn descent thereof, Mal and Aya becoming;\nThus He, the One into many ranked;\nBy conscious choice a Self-deduction made.9.9.111.\n\nCom - The Supreme is one, Absolute, without lapse, In the supreme/ transcendental state known as ‘parA’, He is One, (as) siva. He pervades all life, being both within and without everything simultaneously. In descent thereof, Mal and Aya becoming; In being the cause for the birth of desire, He (manifests) as Vishnu, while He (manifests) as braHmA during creation (of the worlds). Thus He, the One into many ranked; The One siva Himself emanates as many different dEvAs depending on the necessary function and based according to the distinction of energy or mode of function. By conscious choice a Self – deduction made. The same siva functions also as rudrA, the annihilator, keeping His real nature (of being the supreme) hidden at all times.\n\n# Through this mantra the sage establishes that the various names like braHmA, Vishnu etc are merely descriptions of the various functions of the same siva. The reader might begin to wonder why the sage speaks of the same thing (the underlying oneness) over and over again like one who is senile, but we must be aware however that he is not merely repeating the same words. The message is the same, though the different references in the above mantrAs in this section deal specifically with the philosophical stand points that are prevalent within the dharmA (both during the sages time and now in the current time) and seek to answer the doubts raised by those stand points.\n\nHere the sage reveals that the various names like braHmA etc are all indicative of the same person/principle, albeit speaking of different aspects of it. Just as in the case of one who is known to his children as ‘father’, and to his wife as ‘husband’, is known to his mother as ‘son’ and to his subordinate at work as ‘master’ etc is all descriptive of the same individual (with reference to his various activities/positions) here too, the same siva is known variously depending on the function. Thus we have that siva while acting as the creator is known as braHmA, while the same siva is known as Vishnu when He is involved with the preservation of the worlds that were created. The same siva is known as rudrA when he is engaged in the act of annihilation of the world at the end of time to make way for the next creation cycle and so on.\n\nBy becoming aware of this truth, the sage hopes that the seeker will have cleared a lot of the confusion that is prevalent within the folds of the Hindu thought and philosophy. This is perfectly in tune with the advaitA stand point. In the transcendent/ supreme level, where there is no activity/action per se the principle is known as siva and at this level He is One – this is the parasiva or paramasiva. The same principle when within the field of activity manifests variously according to action and is known thus through different names.\n\n\nThursday, August 26, 2010\n\nAssign nor ranks to Trinity - mantrA 110\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\nThe month now being shravanA, one that is of particular merit for the devotee of siva, I have been a bit stumped for time lately. Add to that an Avani avittam and the next day's gAyatri japA and you have a perfect excuse for the delay in the next post!\nHere below we see the 110th mantrA of the pAyiram where the sage laments the condition of the ignorant who, deluded by the apparent differences in form and functionality, perceive a grading/ hierarchy among the divinities when there is but One.\n\nசோதித்த பேரொளி மூன்று ஐந்து எனநின்ற\nஆதிக்கண் ஆவது அறிகிலர் ஆதர்கள்\nநீதிக்கண் ஈசன் நெடுமால் அயனென்று\nபேதித் தவரைப் பிதற்றுகின் றாரே. 8.9.110.\n\nAssign Not Ranks To Trinity\n\nThe ignorant know not, from the First did leap\nThe Light that flamed into Three and Five;\nSo blindly groping, lost in maze of words,\nIsa, Mal and Aya, to graded ranks assign.8.9.110.\n\nCom - The Light that flamed Siva, who is the great effulgence which radiates Light into Three and Five; manifests variously (according to the function at hand) as the Three – braHmA, Vishnu & rudrA, and as the Five – braHmA, Vishnu, rudrA, mahEswarA and sadAsivA. The ignorant know not, from the First did leap The many deluded people, who, without understanding this underlying reality (of siva manifesting variously) perceive these variously as braHmA, Vishnu etc. So blindly groping, lost in maze of words, Isa, Mal and Aya, to graded ranks assign And thinking them to be different (from each other and to the originating supreme), they speak of various gods. What a pitiable condition?\n\n# In this mantra the sage points out (yet again) the non-difference between the trinity, of each of them separately to siva. The sage further speaks to highlight the transcendence of siva to the various manifestations.\n\nThe manifestations of siva as the Three (braHmA, Vishnu & rudrA) and as the Five (braHmA, Vishnu, rudrA, mahEswarA and sadAsivA) are for the fivefold activity – creation/ srushtI, preservation/ sthithI, dissolution/samhArA, veiling/tirOdhAnA and unveiling/anugrahA. These fivefold actions are necessary for the continuity of the world phenomenon and hence the One supreme siva manifests variously to fulfil the five functions.\n\nThe jyOthI or the effulgence spoken of here is descriptive of the pure ‘chit’ or consciousness aspect of the supreme. It is the light due to which all else shines. The sage finishes the mantra with an observation of the pitiable plight of the deluded common man (us, folks!). He observes that we do not know the uniting/underlying truth that it is the One siva who manifests variously. Instead, we are deluded by the apparent difference in form and functionality and consider them to be separate entities and observe a variety of names and rituals in support of this misapprehension. Thus the truth that there is but One siva continues to evade our understanding and we get stuck with a diffracted and divisive idea of this supreme principle.\n\n\nSaturday, August 21, 2010\n\nAll Gods are but the One siva - mantrA 109\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\nIn this the 109th mantrA the sage echoes the words of the vEdAs in declaring the supremacy of siva and describes the all pervading nature of the supreme.\n\nவானவர் என்றும் மனிதர் இவர் என்றும்\nதேனமர் கொன்றைச் சிவனருள் அல்லது\nதானமர்ந்து ஓரும் தனித்தெய்வம் மற்றில்லை\nஊனமர்ந் தோரை உணர்வது தானே. 7.9.109.\n\nAll Gods Are But The One Siva\n\nDevas here be none, nor humans that breathe,\nSave for Siva's grace, Siva in honeyed-Konrai decked;\nNo other God could dwell in the silence of your soul,\nOther Gods you worship, know they but mortals be.7.9.109.\n\nCom - Devas here be none, nor humans that those that are known as the dEvAs (celestial beings) and those that are known as humans (us mortals) breathe, Save for Siva’s grace, Siva in honeyed – Konrai decked; cannot exist without the overwhelming grace of siva, the lord who is decorated with a bunch of beautiful konrai flowers overflowing with nectar. No other God could dwell in the silence of your soul, (Apart from siva) There is no other God who is present naturally within each and every one of us and who is self-aware as consciousness is aware of itself. Other Gods you worship, know they but mortals be. ( The truth is) It is the One siva who manifests as the Three (trinity), the Five (with mahEswarA and sadAsiva) and who exists as different and transcendent to all these (in the body). Know this to be the truth.\n\n* Mentioning that the immortals (dEvAs) and the mortals (humans) are all existing in their respective bodies in their respective worlds only due to the grace and agency of siva, the sage reveals an important truth. He mentions that it is the One supreme principle siva, who exists as the Self in all, be they mortals or immortals.\n\nIn the mahAnArAyana anuvAkA of the purusha suktA, (antar bahishcha tat sarvam…..) we see the description of this supreme principle. Inside, outside, above, below, to the front and the back, pervading everything, the supreme is everywhere. A reflection as it were of this supreme is the jIvAtman, residing in the innermost cavity of the heart. This is siva. The sage here echoes the same truth and declares that it is the One siva who is present as the Self of all in the various worlds.\n\nThe Three as stated in a previous mantra exist in different locations within the body (manipUrA, swAdishtAnA and mUlAdhArA) and the Five occupy the same 3 seats plus the anAhatA (mahEswarA) and vishuddhi (sadAsivA). And as stated before these Three and Five are but manifestations of the One siva, who exists as all of these by pervading them and is also transcendent to the at the same time (residing in the sahasrArA or crown). It is the One siva who is known variously as Atman, Self, braHman etc. And He should be known and realised through His own grace.\n\n\nThursday, August 19, 2010\n\nTrinity are co equals - mantrA 108\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\n\nIn this the 108th mantrA, the sage speaks of an incident that occured while he was still resident in the holy kailAsA. It is an interesting revelation to note as it gives us an insight into the level of the sage in terms of his spiritual calibre.\n\nஓலக்கம் சூழ்ந்த உலப்பிலி தேவர்கள்\nபாலொத்த மேனி பணிந்தடி யேன் தொழ\nமாலுக்கும் ஆதிப் பிரமற்கும் ஒப்புநீ\nஞாலத்து நம்மடி நல்கிடுஎன் றானே. 6.9.108.\n\nTrinity Are Co-Equals\n\nLying prostrate I adored the Milk-hued One,\nWhile countless Devas stood around in melting prayers lost;\nThen spoke the Lord to me:\n\"To Vishnu and Brahma are I equal;\nBe it Yours to give the world\nThe Grace of My Feet.\" 6.9.108.\n\nCom - While countless Devas stood around in melting prayers lost; (Once) in the beautiful sabhai/ court in kailAsA, the hall was filled with a great many dEvAs who are immortal. Lying prostrate I adored the Milk- hued One, (while) I went and paid my respects and offered my prostrations to the holy feet of the milk hued Lord. Then spoke the Lord to me : ‘’To Vishnu and Brahma are I equal; The Lord then declared to me that I (the sage) am equal to the creator (braHmA) and Vishnu. Be it Yours to give the world The Grace of My Feet (And hence) go you to the world (earth) to become an AchArya / guru and guide the people there so they too may obtain the grace of my feet.\n\n* What we get here is a glimpse into the life of a true siddha. The sage speaks of a time before he arrived down to earth from the lofty kailAsA and entered the body of the illiterate mUlan. To venture into that story here would be to digress from the topic at hand – so may I please refer the interested reader to an older post where this is described in detail? So, while still in kailAsA the sage speaks of an occasion when he went to the Lords court to pay his respects. The hall was filled with the dEvAs and various other denizens of the heavens, they were the immortals – who had risen to a state beyond birth and death and rebirth.\n\nThe words ‘milk hued’ are used to describe siva here as the sage speaks of the highest principle, like the dakshinAmUrthy aspect with shuddha sattvA (pure sattvA). While there in the presence of siva, the Lord declared to the sage that he was a perfected being and that the state he had reached was supreme and akin to the state of the trinity. Thus, like He had commanded the trinity to take on their respective stations (creation & c), the Lord instructed thirumUlar to also take up a divine task.\n\nThe Lord instructed thirumUlar to grace the human world (earth) with his presence and his wisdom. Please also note the earlier instances where the sage speaks of coming to the earth and composing the thirumandiram on the instruction of siva. Here he describes the incident while being on the topic of the trinity and their attributes. Thus instructed by siva, thirumUlar arrived into our world to serve as a siddha guru and guide those qualifying seekers and the rest of us through his grace into the kingdom of knowledge. The words ‘grace of my feet’ also suggest the instruction to spread the spiritual lineage, the kailAsa paramparA through the method of dIkshA or initiation.\n\n(Such is the stature of the sage that it is no wonder that he speaks of the trinity like they are his school mates!)\n\nSaturday, August 14, 2010\n\nTrinity are Kin - mantrA 107\n\nsrigurubhyO namahA\nThe 107th mantrA speaks of the similarity among the trinity and their benevolence in terms of being protective of their devotees.\n\nபயன் அறிந்து அவ்வழி எண்ணும் அளவில்\nஅயனொடு மால்நமககு அன்னியம் இல்லை\nநயனங்கள் மூன்றுடை நந்தி தமராம்\nவயனம் பெறுவீர் அவ் வானவ ராலே. 5.9.107.\n\nTrinity Are Kin\n\nBut if we thus the soul of truth probe and bare,\nAya nor Mal to us no alien Beings are\nBut Indissolubly Kin to Nandi, the Three Eyed\nBlessed be ye all by the Heavenly Three. 5.9.107.\n\nCom - But if we thus the soul of truth probe and bare, If we evaluate (the trinity) using the yard stick/ measure of the merit earned by the jIvAs (through these deities) Aya nor Mal to us no alien Beings are braHmA or Vishnu are not of a different nature to siva. But Indissolubly Kin to Nandi, the Three Eyed They (the trinity) are ever engaged in their respective duties (viz. creation & c) as divinely willed by lord of the Three Eyes, siva. Blessed be ye all by the Heavenly Three Hence, O people of the world, attain to greater states through the worship and subsequent grace of the holy trinity – the three fold aspects of siva : braHmA, Vishnu and rudrA.\n\n* This mantrA clarifies the position of the sage, just in case the ignorant reader assume that the sage is biased and partisan when it comes to the celestial hierarchy! To first set forth the differences in the states indicated by the names braHmA & c when compared with the supreme siva, the sage spoke of the limitedness of the glories of the trinity. But here to stop the reader from getting any wrong notions, he uses a different measure (in the place of glories).\n\nThe limitations of the trinity notwithstanding, when it comes to the granting of merit and spiritual upliftment, the trinity are definitely capable of delivering. In this aspect, that of benevolence and spiritual merit, they are non-different to siva. This is because they are manifestations of the same supreme principle and are ever engaged in their duties as assigned by siva.\n\nWith this mantra the sage confirms that there is nothing wrong with the position of those mathAs or schools of thought which hold one among the trinity to be the highest. This is because the worship of the trinity is also quite capable of producing the spiritual and material advancement of the devotee. Hence their non-difference.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6096255779266357}
+{"content": "Luke Combs - One Number Away.mp3 you can download here free with a third party, but please buy an original album Luke Combs - One Number Away to support their upcoming work.\n\none number awayone number away videowhen it rains it poursluke combs videothis ones for youhurricanehurricane videocan I get an outlawbeer candon't tempt meI got away with youluke combs liveCountryLuke CombsOne Number AwayRiver House Artists/Columbia Nashville", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9776285886764526}
+{"content": "Udemy – Remember Names and Faces [100% off]\n\nPosted on 16/05/2018 by | 0 comments\n\n\nA person’s own name is the single most important word to a person. Their name is intimately tied to their identity as an individual. In many ways it defines who we are.\n\nAccurately remembering names is one of the simplest yet most important components of interacting with people. It is a common trait that people who get things done and have a great life, recognize the importance of other people. A key step to recognising the importance of others is using their name.\n\nHowever, remembering names and faces can be a big challenge for many people. Not being able to remember names makes it harder to make new friends and maintain business relationships. It can be both personally and financially costly to not remember a person’s name.\n\nPeople who can remember names, develop better personal relationships with others. We are more likely to trust someone we know and think of them as a friend. When someone remembers our name, the very thought that we are remembered gives us happiness and satisfaction. As a result we quickly build a relationship of trust with that person.\n\nThe secret to a happy fulfilling and successful life starts with how we relate to other people. Remembering a person’s name is the key building block to positive and trusting relationships with other people.\n\nRemembering another person’s name is actually simple when you know how. This course is designed to teach you the skills so you can quickly and easily remember the names of people you have just met.\n\n\nUdemy Coupon Code : https://www.udemy.com/remember-names-and-faces/?couponCode=KTROL1\n\n\nShare with your friends :", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9200839996337891}
+{"content": "Hugues Boisvert, new member of the board of the Canadian Bridge Federation\n\nHugues Boisvert, administrator  and treasurer of the Montreal Bridge League, has been elected director of zone 2 (Québec and East Ontario) of the Canadian Bridge Federation (CBF).\n\nHugues purpose is to ease the communication between the CBF and the bridge leagues of zone 2 as well as to stimulate the participation in the various programs and activities organized by the CBF. This includes the annual Canadian Bridge Championship. He encourages all bridge players to become a CBF member in an effort to promote and develop the game of bridge.\n\nThe mission of the CBF is to promote bridge within Canada and to protect and advance the interests of Canadian bridge. This includes the selection and support of Canadian bridge teams and players which represent Canada in international competitions.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9894570708274841}
+{"content": "The varying profiles from block calving herds\n\nPublished 20 September 17\n\nAs part of our new approach on optimal dairy systemswe have looked at the differing milk production profiles of spring and autumn block herds to help farmers understand one impact of operating a block calving system.\n\nSpring block herds generally calve February to March and aim to maximise milk from grazed grass. As a result, milk production peaks in the spring, remains relatively high throughout the spring and summer, before tailing off in the winter months. The graph below shows typical milk production profiles from five spring block farms. Despite them all following the general principles, there is still a wide variation in milk output from these farms, particularly around the autumn and early winter period.\n\nSpring block milk profile \n\nFor autumn calvers the general aim is to push for higher yields during the winter as well as benefiting from fresh spring grass. The chart below shows milk production profiles from five autumn block herds. The first thing to note is the variation in timing of the block. Two of the herds are dry throughout July and would be calving in early August. Others are choosing August as the dry month, with calving taking place from September. This timing will be chosen by the farmers based on a number of factors including geography and climate, as well as their milk buyer requirements.\n\nAutumn block milk profile \n\nIn general, autumn block herds tend to show less seasonality in their milk profile than those operating spring blocks. However, the timing of the block can still make a significant difference to the overall milk production profile.\n\nIt is the variation in timing of the block, as well as the combination of spring and autumn block herds, that can provide a relatively flat profile overall from a milk pool. This allows farmers to deliver what their milk buyer desires, while still having the flexibility to run the system that is optimal to them.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6524115204811096}
+{"content": "The Kotel - Stones Which Have Human Hearts\n\nWords for Jeusalem Day by the son of Israel's first Chief Rabbi, the \"father of the settlement movement\" and head of Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva for many years.\n\nRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook,\n\nהרב צבי יהודה קוק זצ\"ל.\nהרב צבי יהודה קוק זצ\"ל.\nאתר 'ישיבה'\n\nWhat is the significance of the Kotel? Why do Jews gather from around the world to pour out their hearts facing this ancient stone wall?\n\nIn 1937, Rav Tzvi Yehudah Kook published an article entitled \"Mei'achar Kotleinu\"  (Behind our Wall). The rabbi chose a title which evokes God's constant presence at the Kotel:\n\n\"Behold, [my Beloved] is standing behind our wall, looking from the windows, peering from the lattices.\" (Song of Songs 2:9)\n\nRav Tzvi Yehudah objected to the term Wailing Wall. He felt that this is a superficial description of the Kotel as a place of mourning and inconsolable loss. Even worse, this name suggests the helplessness of a weak and stateless nation.\n\nMore appropriate, he felt, is the name Kotel HaMa'aravi, the Western Wall. This term describes the Kotel as a holy remnant of the Second Temple complex (and, in fact, the Temple Mount wall which was located closest to the Holy of Holies). It recalls the ancient tradition that \"the Shekhinah has never left the Western Wall,\" and denotes the Kotel as a symbol of the eternal nature of Israel, despite centuries of exile and persecution. Its unmoving stones are testimony that the Jewish people will return to their land and lofty heritage.\n\nWhen originally published, the article was mistakenly attributed to Rav Kook. The article was later printed in a collection of Rav Tzvi Yehudah Kook's writings called LeNetivot Yisrael. Below is a translation of parts of the article, as well as the popular song that it would inspire forty years later.\n\nBehind our Wall, Mei'achar Kotleinu\n\nby Rav Tzvi Yehudah Kook\n\nSecure and invincible with its Divine strength, the Kotel holds its own - throughout the generations of change, transformations and vicissitudes, the horrors and the shocks, which visited the land and its inhabitants. The Kotel is in them and with them.\n\nEven if the disgrace of ruin conceals its beauty, and signs of destruction are displayed prominently over it, and clouds of desolation cast shadows over its radiance; even if it is hidden behind a thicket of dark and squalid alleys, as it is shoved aside in the cruelty of its neighbors, surrounding it from all sides, trying to invade its borders, to suppress and consume its legacy. Nonetheless, like a stone fortress, it stands guard, without moving and without allowing its inner dignity to be sullied. It remains pure and exalted in the strength of its very essence...\n\nFor it is a remnant of the holy and precious, of the Divine abode. In the wonderful quality of its very existence, it is a witness to world events and the millennia of human history.\n\nיש לבבות ויש לבבות. יש לבות אדם, ויש לבות אבנים.\n\nThere are hearts and there are hearts. There are human hearts, and there are hearts of stone.\n\nויש אבנים ויש אבנים. יש אבני דומה, ויש אבנים-לבבות.\n\nThere are stones and there are stones. There are silent stones, and there are stones which are hearts.\n\nThese stones, remnants of our dwelling on high,retain their holiness even in desolation (Megillah 3:3), for the Shekhinah (Divine Presence) has never left the Western Wall (Tanhuma Shemot 10).... These stones are our hearts!\n\nEach of us knows that this wall, for all of its somber simplicity and signs of ruin and exile, is not a Wailing Wall for us, as it is called by strangers and foreigners. For us, it is a wealth of life, a hidden treasure of light and strength, guarded and secured by our tears.\n\nThe healthy Jewish eye does not see in the Kotel a symbol of our nation’s ruin, destruction and degeneration. On the contrary, we see the wall, in the hidden strength and power of its existence, still standing - even after they fell and when they fell - as it raises itself up and reaches out with Divine strength to eternal redemption.\n\nThe Kotel by Yossi Gamzu\n\nAfter the Kotel's liberation in the Six-Day War, Israeli lyricist Yossi Gamzu composed a song which quickly became an Israeli classic - HaKotel. Gamzu utilized imagery from Rav Tzvi Yehudah Kook's 1937 article. He even dedicated one stanza to Rav Tzvi Yehudah, accurately describing the rabbi's lofty elation in the historical event, as well as his profound love for the Jewish soldiers who fought in the war.\n\nThe Kotel\n\nThe Kotel, moss and sadness; the Kotel, lead and blood.\n\nThere are people with a heart of stone; and there are stones with a human heart. ...\n\nTogether with us, facing the Kotel, stands an elderly rabbi, in prayer.\n\nHe said, Fortunate are we, that we all merited this!\n\nThen he remembered, But not all.\n\nHe stood with glistening tears. Alone, among the dozens of soldiers.\n\nHe said, Under your khaki uniforms, in fact - you are all holy kohanim and Levites.\n\n(Stories from the Land of Israel. LeNetivot Yisrael, vol. I, pp. 22-25, sent to Arutz Sheva by Rabbi Chanan Morrison, of)RavKookTorah.org This Dvar Torah: HAKOTEL-75.htm  To subscribe/unsubscribe/comments: Rav Kook List)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8569462895393372}
+{"content": "INTRODUCTION The study of law as a subject becomes more decipherable given its classifications.  The classification ranges from public ...\n\nWhat is your understanding of the Law of Persons?\n\n\nThe study of law as a subject becomes more decipherable given its classifications.  The classification ranges from public and private law to municipal and international law to procedural and substantive law et cetera. Law of persons particularly relate to private law. The whole gamut of private law deals with the law that has to do with persons. In this discourse, seriatim, to expose knowledge, relevant perspectives would be highlighted.\n\n\nAs has been earlier on reasoned out, the law of persons is one phase of the law subject. In view of the overlapping nature of the classified heads, a contradistinction becomes pertinent to be drawn – There is a law that ensures the smooth running of the machinery of the state, and consequently, caters for cases where the interests of society is directly involved. This is public law. Private international law deals with the internationalisation of the law of persons. The law of persons is generally private law. It is only the presence of what has been variously referred to as the ‘foreign element’ that signifies the discrepancy. Private international law, notably, must not be confused with law of persons.\n\nIn a pluralistic state like the Nigerian federation, the term ‘conflict of law’ should be technically applied. Apart from the traditional matters of immovables where lex situs governs, it is to be appreciated that conflict of law issues are especial ones for judicial discussion. Perhaps as a result of the procedural inclination, states have scarcely taken up any legislative initiative vis-à-vis the ‘the internationalisation of the law of persons’.\n\n\nCharacterization, variably known and called classification, categorization or qualification is better illustrated than defined. Characterization  is  the  process  of  allocating  the  issue  raised  before  a  court  into  its correct legal category for the purpose of determining the appropriate choice of law rule. It is the preliminary stage in the process of choosing the applicable law for the purpose of reaching an acceptable or just decision.\n\nThe differences in the system of law and classification of legal transactions, consequence events have led to the need to determine the nature of the issue before the court. Thus the factual situation has to be  determined  in  order  to  know  the  head  of  the  law  it  falls  into  after  which  the appropriate connecting factor or rule of law for the determination of the issue has to be determined.\nIn Re Cohn4 (1945) Ch. 5 61 LQR 340 provided a good example to this argument:\n\n“A  mother  and  daughter,  both  domiciled  in  Germany  but  resident  in  England,  were killed in an air raid on London by the same high explosive bomb. The daughter was entitled to movables under her mother’s will if and only if, she survived her mother.\n\nBy  the  English  conflict  rules,  succession  to  movable  is  governed  by  the  law  of domicile, but questions of procedure are governed by the lex fori. By S.184 of the Law of Property Act 1925, the presumption was that the elder died first, but by Article 20 of the Germany Civil Code the presumption was that the deaths were simultaneous”. The main issue is what has to be characterized is the issue in the case, the ‘question in issue’. AsAuld L.J (as he then was) puts it Macmillan Inco V Bishops gate Investment Trust Plc (where the issue concerned a claim viewed as either restitutionary or proprietary -\n\n“The proper approach is to look beyond the formulation of the claim and to identify … the true issue or issues thrown up by the claim and defence. This requires a parallel exercise in classification of the relevant rule of law”\n\n\nInvariably, the conflict of law court finds matters for categorizations in these particular substantive law issues viz:\n\n\nWolf posited that “every legal rule takes its characterization from the legal system to which it belongs”. This view  was  applied  in  Re ��Maldonado  (1954)    where  the  Court  of  Appeal  had  to decide whether the Spanish Government’s claim to the movable in England of a Spain intestate  who  died  without  next  of  kin  was  a  right  of  succession  in  which  Spanish Government was entitled to the  movable or  a jus regale in which  English Crown is entitled to them.\n\n It was held that this question must be decided as a matter of fact and law in accordance with Spanish Law with the outcome that the Spanish Government was entitled. Succession may be related to moveable or immovable property. In matters relating to realty the courts have often endorsed lex loci.\n\n2. FAMILY MATTERS (legitimacy, adoption, Matrimonial Causes, maintenance, custody, guardianship)\n\nMatrimonial Causes\n\nIn Jorden Diengdeh, the parties belonged to Hindu and Christian religion and marriage had taken place under the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872. The case concerned a nullity decree which could not be passed under the existing Christian law, i.e. Indian Divorce Act, 1869. The court compared matrimonial causes available under the various personal laws in India and helplessly recommended for a uniform civil code.\n\nFormal Validity of Marriage\n\nThe validity of a second marriage of a Hindu husband after his conversion to Islam was in issue in Sarla Mudgal. Interestingly, we found the apex court in a dilemma in this case. The court, though it held the second marriage 'invalid', could not boldly pronounce it as 'void', as Muslim Law allowed a second marriage. In the issues of marriage, the validity of any marriage is cumulatively determined by the law of place of celebration as to formal validity and the laws of the anti-nuptial domiciles of the parties in respect of their capacity.\n\nAdoption , Custody, Legitimacy\n\nIn a series of cases, known as Lakshmikant Pandey v Union of India™ the Supreme Court has laid down principles and norms to be followed in inter-country adoption procedures involving Indian children and foreign adoptive parents with the object of ensuring the welfare of the child. The guidelines do not, however, include or refer to conflicts principles notwithstanding the invariable presence of the foreign element.\n\nAgbede I. O observed that,\n\n \"in situations of peaceful co-existence effect was given to transactions concluded under ‘foreign’ customary laws such as concluded marriages, legitimacy of children and ownership of property. Validity of inter-ethnic marriages was governed and still governed by the customary law of the bride under which the marriage is invariably celebrated.\n\nTo be continued", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6149522066116333}
+{"content": "To remain practicing Jews\n The Quest for Jewish Authenticity\n Moses and the rock\n A reformist movement\n God's heart and mind\n Within in the orbit of Judaism\n Passover Events Hosted by Return to Zion\n A time to mourn and a time to rejoice\n Yom HaZikaron\n Our May newsletter\n\nSeries [All]\n Book reviews (3)\n Daniel Juster (3)\n Fruit of the Spirit (8)\n Guy Cohen (30)\n Introduction to Messianic Judaism (7)\n Jewish Roots (31)\n Juster summer trip\n Mark Rantz (2)\n The Mitzvah Book (113)\n Tikkun Articles (5)\n\n\n\nFriday, 11 May 2018\nA Kingdom of priests\n\nQuestion of the day: In today's reading of Exodus 19 we find this in the first part of verse 6 ... Exodus 19:6a. \"So as for you, you will be to Me a kingdom of kohanim (priests) and a holy nation.\" Question: How do we obey God in this calling?\n\nAnswer: Priests stand between the porch and the altar (Joel 2:17). This is the position of intercession on behalf of the people.\n\nCan you imagine a kingdom without a King? It's not incidental Yeshua died under a sign that read \"King of the Jews\" in 3 languages. Yeshua is our King and He is our Lord. We are intercessors seeking Tikkun Olam (restoration of the world).\n\nWhat follows in Chapter 20 is the 10 Commandments. God is giving us an outline to obedience. Yeshua's command to the disciples, \"Follow me.\" Let's do that!\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.709083616733551}
+{"content": "Domain Model (Metamodel)\n\nLast update: Download PDF Edit\n\n\nThe domain model represents the data that is stored in your app. Each module has a domain model, consisting of entities, which have attributes of a certain type and associations with other entities.\n\nAttributes have a value which can either be a StoredValue, which is a value stored in the database, or a CalculatedValue, which is computed from a Microflow.\n\nThe entities can also relate to each other through generalizations. Finally, you can define access rules, validation rules, event handlers and indexes for entities.\n\nGraphical overview\n\nStudio Pro Guide | Model SDK API docs -| Domain Model | TypeScript module domainmodels Entities | DomainModel Attributes | Entity Associations | Association | Attribute\n\n\nEntities can have multiple attributes. Each attribute has a specific type.\n\nGraphical overview - Non-numeric attributes\n\nGraphical overview - Numeric attributes\n\nStudio Pro Guide | Model SDK API docs -| Attributes | Property attributes of Entity | Attribute | AttributeType\n\nGeneralization relationships\n\nEntities can have a Generalization relationship with another entity. The entity is then called a Specialization. A specialization entity inherits all attributes, validation rules and access rules from its Generalization entity.\n\nAn Entity instance has a generalization property with which to define this relationship. It can either be set to a NoGeneralization instance if it is not a specialization of another entity, or it can be set to a Generalization instance. A Generalization instance has again a generalization property which must point to the entity that is the actual generalization.\n\nGraphical overview\n\nStudio Pro Guide | Model SDK API docs -| Entities (section “Inheritance Properties”) | Property generalization of Entity | GeneralizationBase | Generalization | NoGeneralization\n\nAccess rules\n\nTo secure access to the data in a Mendix app, you can define access rules for entities. An access rule is always defined for a certain module role, defines to which attribute or association members that role has access, and the retrieved data is constrained by an xpath constraint.\n\nGraphical overview\n\nStudio Pro Guide | Model SDK API docs -| Access rules | Property accessRules of Entity | AccessRule | Property xpathConstraint of AccessRule | ModuleRole\n\nValidation rules\n\nFor each attribute of an entity, it is possible to define a validation rule. The validation rule is applied to a single attribute, will show some error message, and it is a certain type of rule, e.g. the attribute needs to be equal to a certain value, or has a maximum length, or needs to be unique.\n\nGraphical overview\n\nStudio Pro Guide | Model SDK API docs -| Validation Rules | Property validationRules of Entity | ValidationRule | RuleInfo\n\n\nAn entity can have multiple indexes. Each index consists of a set of indexed attributes.\n\nGraphical overview\n\nStudio Pro Guide | Model SDK API docs -| Indexes | Property indexes of Entity | Index | IndexedAttribute", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9535771608352661}
+{"content": "Entertainment & Funny\n\nLooking for an out-of-the-box career? Be an event manager\n\n62 0\n\n There are many scholastic individuals with outstanding academic career think to do something different and creative. If you with an MBA degree or with a strong IT background wish to showcase your creativity by going off the usual track, then career as an event manager might be your cup of tea.\n\nYou can Google and find a reputed events company in Singapore hiring talented individuals with a passion for the hard-working job. Sometimes, they have to work without any break when the event is nearing. Apply for the different positions considering your knowledge and experience and develop a career with a difference.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5535755157470703}
+{"content": "\n\n3 Non-Obvious Keys to Being AI-Ready\n\nData scientists know what they are doing, and most organizations have no cause to worry about the soundness of their machine learning (ML) algorithms. Where AI readiness typically lags is in other parts of the process. In most organizations today, the process of building, deploying and maintaining AI systems bears no resemblance to traditional IT. Alegion explores three key strategies your business can employ to be AI-ready.\n\nDistributed GPU Performance for Deep Learning Training\n\nIf there is a time deadline by which training must be completed, or if it simply takes too long to complete training, distributing the workload across many GPUs can be used to reduce training time.  This flexibility allows GPU resources to be maximally utilized and provides high ROI since time to results can be minimized. HPE highlights recent research that explores the performance of GPUs in a scale-out and scale-up scenarios for deep learning training. \n\nBuilding a Data Catalog: A Guide to Planning & Implementing\n\n\nA ‘Pre-Flight Checklist’ for Machine Learning Training Data\n\n\nScaling Production AI\n\nAs AI models grow larger and more complex, it requires a server architecture that looks much like high performance computing (HPC), with workloads scaled across many servers and distributed processing across the server infrastructure. Barbara Murphy, VP of Marketing, WekaIO, explores how as AI production models grow larger and more intricate, server architecture gets more complex. Explore how tools like GPU clusters and more are moving the dial forward on AI. \n\nAI Critical Measures: Time to Value and Insights\n\nAI is a game changer for industries today but achieving AI success contains two critical factors to consider — time to value and time to insights.  Time to value is the metric that looks at the time it takes to realize the value of a product, solution or offering. Time to insight is a key measure for how long it takes to gain value from use of the product, solution or offering.\n\nAI Goes Mainstream\n\nAccording to a recent Gartner survey, Artificial intelligence (AI) learning has moved from a specialized field into mainstream business use with 37 percent of respondents reporting their enterprises either had deployed AI or would do so shortly. WekaIO’s Barbara Murphy explores the path of artificial intelligence from the fringe to mainstream business practices. Find out what is driving AI growth and adoption.\n\nHow to Get to the Data-Enabled Data Center\n\nDespite their many promising benefits, advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning (DL) are creating some of the most challenging workloads in modern computing history and put significant strain on the underlying I/O, storage, compute and network. An AI-enabled data center must be able to concurrently and efficiently service the entire spectrum of activities involved in the AI and DL process, including data ingest, training and inference.\n\nNew Guide Offers Databricks Unified Analytics Platform Machine Learning Use Cases\n\n\nUsing Unified Analytics & Big Data as Path to AI Success\n\nHow can modern enterprises unlock the potential of AI to change their business? Today’s businesses and enterprises are increasingly focused on big data that can help drive innovation and transformation through the potential of artificial intelligence. According to a survey and research report commissioned with IDG’s CIO, nearly 90 percent of enterprises are investing in data and AI technology. Download the new report, “Unified Analytics for Dummies,” that explores the steps to AI success in today’s market.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.968656599521637}
+{"content": "Mathematical object\n\nA mathematical object is an abstract object arising in mathematics. The concept is studied in philosophy of mathematics.\n\nIn mathematical practice, an object is anything that has been (or could be) formally defined, and with which one may do deductive reasoning and mathematical proofs. Commonly encountered mathematical objects include numbers, permutations, partitions, matrices, sets, functions, and relations. Geometry as a branch of mathematics has such objects as hexagons, points, lines, triangles, circles, spheres, polyhedra, topological spaces and manifolds. Another branchalgebrahas groups, rings, fields, group-theoretic lattices, and order-theoretic lattices. Categories are simultaneously homes to mathematical objects and mathematical objects in their own right. In proof theory, proofs and theorems are also mathematical objects.\n\nThe ontological status of mathematical objects has been the subject of much investigation and debate by philosophers of mathematics.[1]\n\nCantorian framework\n\nOne view that emerged around the turn of the 20th century with the work of Cantor is that all mathematical objects can be defined as sets. The set {0,1} is a relatively clear-cut example. On the face of it the group Z2 of integers mod 2 is also a set with two elements. However, it cannot simply be the set {0,1}, because this does not mention the additional structure imputed to Z2 by the operations of addition and negation mod 2: how are we to tell which of 0 or 1 is the additive identity, for example? To organize this group as a set it can first be coded as the quadruple ({0,1},+,,0), which in turn can be coded using one of several conventions as a set representing that quadruple, which in turn entails encoding the operations + and and the constant 0 as sets.\n\nSets may include ordered denotation of the particular identities and operations that apply to them, indicating a group, abelian group, ring, field, or other mathematical object. These types of mathematical objects are commonly studied in abstract algebra.\n\nFoundational paradoxes\n\nIf, however, the goal of mathematical ontology is taken to be the internal consistency of mathematics, it is more important that mathematical objects be definable in some uniform way (for example, as sets) regardless of actual practice, in order to lay bare the essence of its paradoxes. This has been the viewpoint taken by foundations of mathematics, which has traditionally accorded the management of paradox higher priority than the faithful reflection of the details of mathematical practice as a justification for defining mathematical objects to be sets.\n\nMuch of the tension created by this foundational identification of mathematical objects with sets can be relieved without unduly compromising the goals of foundations by allowing two kinds of objects into the mathematical universe, sets and relations, without requiring that either be considered merely an instance of the other. These form the basis of model theory as the domain of discourse of predicate logic. From this viewpoint, mathematical objects are entities satisfying the axioms of a formal theory expressed in the language of predicate logic.\n\nCategory theory\n\nA variant of this approach replaces relations with operations, the basis of universal algebra. In this variant the axioms often take the form of equations, or implications between equations.\n\nA more abstract variant is category theory, which abstracts sets as objects and the operations thereon as morphisms between those objects. At this level of abstraction mathematical objects reduce to mere vertices of a graph whose edges as the morphisms abstract the ways in which those objects can transform and whose structure is encoded in the composition law for morphisms. Categories may arise as the models of some axiomatic theory and the homomorphisms between them (in which case they are usually concrete, meaning equipped with a faithful forgetful functor to the category Set or more generally to a suitable topos), or they may be constructed from other more primitive categories, or they may be studied as abstract objects in their own right without regard for their provenance.\n\nSee also\n\n\n  1. Burgess, John, and Rosen, Gideon, 1997. A Subject with No Object: Strategies for Nominalistic Reconstrual of Mathematics. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198236158", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7005642056465149}
+{"content": "Investments Every Stay-at-Home Mom Should Have\n\nInvesting isn't hard, you just have to know where to start.\n\nEvery stay-at-home mom knows that being on the outside of the traditional workforce does not exempt you from planning and managing your long-term financial future. In fact, it usually means you have to work even harder and know even more because you don’t have essential investments managed for you on behalf of your employer.\n\nEven if you have a partner that regularly contributes to their own employer-sponsored investment opportunities, you may not be doing enough. You still need to take additional steps to ensure that you are financially secure now and in the future.\n\nHere are the investments that every SAHM should have: (more…)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9982106685638428}
+{"content": "45 terms\n\nScience//Chapter 7 Practice Test\n\n\nTerms in this set (...)\n\na liquid mixture in which particles can be seen and easily seperated by settling or filteration\nhow is a solute different from a solvent in a solution?\nthe solute is present in a smaller amount\nwhen a few spoonfuls of sugar are mixed into a cup of water, sugar is the _________.\na mixture containing particles that are too small to be seen easily but are large enough to scatter a light\nhow can a scientist safely tell whether an unknown solution is salt in water or sugar in water?\nby testing the electrical conductivity of the solution\nwhen a solid dissolves in water, ____________.\neach of its particles becomes surrounded by water molecules\nhow would a solute affect the boiling point of water?\nthe water will boil at a higher temperature\nwhen a solute is added to a solvent, the freezing point of the solution is ________________.\nlower than the freezing point of either substance alone.\nweak tea is an example of a _______________.\ndilute solution\nwhen you add so much solute that no more dissolves, you have a __________________.\nsaturated solution\nwhat does it mean if a compound has a solubility of 15g in 100g of water at 0 degrees celsius?\n15g of the compound will dissolve in 100g of water at 0 degrees celsius.\nif two unidentified solids of the same texture and color have different solubilities in 100g of water at 20 degrees celsius, you could conclude that __________________.\nthey are different substances\na measure of how well a solute can dissolve in a solvent at a given temperature is that substance's _____________.\nwhat is one way to increase the solubility of sugar in water?\nheat the water\nwhich is a characteristic property of acids?\nthey turn blue litmus paper red\nacids are described as corrosive because they _____________.\n\"eat away\" at other materials.\nwhich is a likely use for a base?\nmaking soap and detergents\nin a water solution, how do acids differ from bases?\nacids form hydrogen ions (H+), while bases form hydroxide ions (OH-)\nin water, bases form ________________.\nhydroxide ions\nThe pH Scale measures ______________.\nthe concentration of hydrogen ions\nif you have a solution of a strong acid and a solution of a weak acid of equal concentration and volume, then the ____________________.\nstrong acid will have a lower pH\nnormal rainfall is slightly acidic, which means the pH scale must be ____________.\nbetween 5 and 7\nacids naturally present in food are safe to eat because they usually are _____.\nyou can find the pH of a substance by using __________.\nlitmus indicator\nneutralization is a reaction between an _______________.\nacid and a base\nwhat does a neutralization reaction produce?\nwater and salt\nmany of the uses of bases take advantage of their ability to react with ________.\nt/f: a SOLUTE is a mixture in which particles can be seen and easily separated.\nFalse; suspension\nt/f: A substance that is present in a solution in a smaller amount and is dissolved by the solvent is called the SOLUTE.\nt/f: The particles in a SUSPENSION are larger than the particles in a solution but are still too small to be seen easily.\nFalse; colloid\nt/f: adding a solute to a solvent will RAISE the freezing point of the solvent.\nFalse; lower\nt/f: Because solubility is a characteristic property of matter, it can be used to help identify a substance.\nt/f: Among the factors that affect the solubility of a substance are type of solvent, pressure, and TIME.\nFalse; temperature\nt/f: bases feel slippery and taste SOUR.\nFalse; bitter\nt/f: Bases form HYDROGEN IONS when dissolved in water.\nFalse; (OH+)\nt/f: The products of a neutralization reaction are ACIDS AND BASES.\nFalse; salts and waters\nt/f: Many vitamins in the food you eat are ACIDS.\nuse the pH scale to compare an apple and a lemon\nAn apple is less acidic than a lemon.\nwhy would you expect soap to taste bitter?\nIt's a base\nIt is very basic\nWhat color would litmus paper turn in a solution of baking soda? Explain your answer in terms of pH.\nred litmus paper would turn blue; because its a base.\nWhat does the pH of water tell you about how the water differs from the other items shown in the diagram?\nwater is neutral; nothing else is neutral\nin terms of pH, explain what would happen if you mixed vinegar with a solution of ammonia. what type of products would you form?\nyou would get water and a salt; neutralization\nWhat happens to the concentration of sugar in maple sap as the sap is boiled?\nthe concentration of sugar increases\nIn 100 grams of water at 0 degrees celsius, table sugar has a solubility of 180 grams. What will happen if you add 100 grams of table sugar to 50 grams of water at 0 degrees celsius?\n90 grams of table sugar will dissolve but 10 grams will not.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.947996199131012}
+{"content": "The Myers-Briggs® Personality Types of Illumination Animation Characters\n\nFrom the Despicable Me franchise to the Grinch, Illumination Animation has produced some of the most fun animated comedies in recent cinematic history. And a lot of that comes from the hilarious characters that they've created. Because we love those characters and the films in which they star, we matched our favorite Illumination Animation characters to the personality type that fits them. At least, the ones according to the Myers-Briggs® Personality Test website.\n\nRELATED:  How Illumination Entertainment Became An Animation Powerhouse\n\nWe listed our findings for your viewing pleasure, so without further ado, here are The Myers-Briggs® personality types of Illumination Animation characters.\n\nContinue scrolling to keep reading\n\nClick the button below to start this article in quick view\n\nStart Now\n\n10 Cindy Lou Who - ISFJ\n\nCindy Lou Who has a plan in Illumination's recent take on Dr. Seuss's classic tale of The Grinch. In this version, she believes that the only way to help her single mother is to capture Santa Claus. With the help of her friends, she goes about setting this trap. Of course, adults know that Santa doesn't work that way, but in her mind, that's the best way to fix a problem.\n\nRELATED: The Grinch 2018 Surpasses Home Alone as Highest-Grossing Holiday Movie\n\nIn this way, we think Cindy's an ISFJ, the personality type known for their common sense solutions to problems. Plus, ISFJs are loyal to their loved ones, and if someone's willing to trap a mythical being to lessen their mother's workload, we'd say that's a pretty loyal person.\n\n9 The Lorax - ISFP\n\nThe Lorax\n\nListen to your ISFP friends, if you have them. Odds are they're pretty wise. That's because ISFPs like the Lorax see things for what they are. So when something they value is in danger, they go about trying to solve the problem. Clearly, that's what the Lorax is all about. Plus, ISFPs tend to have a strong connection to nature.\n\nSince the Lorax is almost a mascot for environmentalism in American culture, we believe he deserves this spot more than any other Illumination character.\n\n8 Rosita - ENFP\n\nThere's probably more than one ENFP in the Illumination film Sing. ENFPs are attracted to performance and the arts, so a movie centered around that is bound to feature a few. However, we chose Rosita as our ENFP representative because she's just so enthusiastic about her desire to perform.\n\nEven though she's got a lot to worry about in her life, she's got an unkillable free spirit and dreamer's personality. Even if there wasn't a (mistaken) $100,000 reward on the line in this film, Rosita would still enjoy singing. And that's because, just like any good artist, Rosita and her fellow ENFPs treasure activities in which they find meaning. Whether others do or not.\n\n7 Meena - INFP\n\nOne of the reasons Meena is such an interesting character in Sing is actually the difference between her personality and Rosita's. Unlike Rosita and other ENFPs, Meena is introverted about her interests. She finds deep meaning in them, yes, but she'd rather not show that side of herself to others.\n\nStill, her art is tantamount to her, a quality she shares with other INFPs. Plus, Meena's got one of the best voices in Sing, and INFPs are known for their talents.\n\n6 Max - ESTJ\n\nESTJs are all about keeping the status quo. They are usually outgoing and value their relationships with others, so when those relationships or social statuses are in danger, they get testy. that's definitely the case with Max, the main character in The Secret Life of Pets franchise from Illumination.\n\nRELATED: Harrison Ford Voices First Animation Role In Secret Life of Pets 2\n\nSimilar to Woody in Toy Story, max has a very comfortable relationship with his owner, and feels threatened by the introduction of a new person. Er, dog. Though not every ESTJ would go to the lengths Max does to keep the status quo, their values are usually very similar.\n\n5 Margo - ENFJ\n\nEven at such a young age, Margot is a leader. She kind of has to be, since her sisters didn't have parents to guide them. ENFJs are natural leaders, and we think Margot fits this personality. ENFJs care about the people around them, and compassionately motivate them to grow through encouragement.\n\nHowever, this means ENFJs can also be overly protective, which is definitely something we think about Margot. Heck, she doesn't always trust Gru even after her adopts her. Speaking of relationships with Gru...\n\n4 Lucy Wilde - ESFJ\n\nLucy Wilde is the best agent the Anti-Villains League has. And that fits right in with her ESFJ personalities. ESFJs excel at what they choose to do, often dedicating years to learn and perfect the necessary skills. ESFJs also gravitate toward organizations that they feel share their values.\n\nRELATED:  Myers-Briggs® Personality Types Of Disney Sidekicks\n\nA law enforcement agency like the AVL in the Despicable Me franchise is a perfect example of one of these. Actually, there are probably a lot of ESFJs as main characters in spy films, but to Lucy's credit, very few of them get to be voiced by Kristen Wiig.\n\n3 The Grinch - INTJ\n\nYou can always count on INTJs to have a long-reaching plan. So when you come across a character who has an idea to literally steal Christmas, you can probably bet he is one. That's because INTJS are visionary in nature. When they learn, they immediately wonder what they can do with their new information.\n\nIt makes them cool heroes in fiction, but it makes them absolutely incredible villains. In fact, many believe that characters like Professor Moriarty and Hannibal Lecter are INTJs. And while the Grinch isn't as bad as either of them, he's definitely got some similarities.\n\n2 Scarlet Overkill - ESTP\n\n\nSpeaking of villains, let's talk about the main antagonist in the popular Despicable Me spinoff, Minions. It's a film made primarily to watch the goofy Minions cartoonishly screw things up, so it's very interesting that a non-Minion would stand out as a character.\n\nMaybe that's because Scarlet Overkill is voiced by Sandra Bullock, or maybe it's her ESTP-ness. ESTPs have a zest for life, they enthusiastically approach any problem with a signature flair and confidence. Illumination Animation already has some fantastic villains, and Scarlet Overkill stands out even among them for this reason.\n\n1 Gru - ISTJ\n\nGru chooses his daughters over stealing the moon in Despicable Me\n\nProbably the most popular character in Illumination Animation, Gru is an ISTJ in every way. ISTJs are scientific characters, so it makes sense that you'd probably find one in the role of an evil genius. They are analytical and detached by nature, and though Gru does end up becoming attached to his future daughters, he can still have difficulty empathizing with their problems.\n\nLike any introverted scientist, Gru is a natural and aggressive problem solver, occasionally at the cost of his sympathy for others. Still, when he does rise to the role of hero, this problem-solving is exactly what saves the day. And besides, if he wasn't a bit of a detached curmudgeon, the Despicable Me franchise would be a whole lot less fun.\n\nNEXT: Bob's Burgers Characters By Myers-Briggs® Personality Type\n\nWho's your favorite Illumination Animation character? Which Myers Briggs Personality Type would you give them? Let us know in the comments section below!\n\nMore in Lists", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8682158589363098}
+{"content": "PEG-MGF – 2mg\n\n\nPEG-MGF – 2mg\n\n$40.23 $31.79\n\nMGF means Pegylated Mechano Growth Factor. This peptide is a variant of Insulin-like Growth Factor or IGF that is responsible for repairing damaged muscle and initiating satellite cellular growth. In essence, it may help bodybuilders and athletes in recovering faster and increasing hypertrophy. It can possibly fuel muscle development and boost stem cell count, thus allowing muscle fibers to fuse and grow.\n\nStudies also show that peg MGF may have the ability to repair damaged muscle tissue cells in the way that’s better and faster than IGF-1. It also helps create new cells next to the damaged tissue. This peptide may be helpful to those who want to stimulate delayed muscle growth although it’s used is not yet approved for human consumption. It may be obtained for research and trial purposes only.\n\n  • Description\n  • Reviews (0)\n\n\nPEG MGF Benefits\n\nPEG-MGF is believed to provide a lot of benefits when released into the bloodstream. During a workout, the muscle tends to break down. Then it repairs itself once we sleep or take a rest. Here is where PEG-MGF can help. Studies indicate that this peptide stimulates muscle growth by creating new muscle fibers. It may also improve the muscle recovery rate of the body. Its other benefits include increased protein synthesis and nitrogen retention.\n\nMGF is already present in the body, however, what we naturally have only exhibited local effects in the skeletal muscle. The PEG-MGF peptide, on the other hand, is a synthetic version of the same substance that can travel into the bloodstream. That is how it may possibly help the entire body in repairing and building muscle tissues.\n\nHow Does PEG-MGF Work?\n\nChances are high that you are already utilizing your body’s supply of MGF whenever you work out.  When IGF-1 is spliced, MGF is formed. This action is called the Mechano Growth Factor, which is the body’s natural response when repairing broken down muscle tissues. MGF is also IGF-1Ec, which is a version of IGF.\n\nMGF helps in improving the regulation of nitrogen retention and initiating protein synthesis.  The peptide PEG-MGF is known to work exactly like the body’s MGF, only better.  After working out and during post-training, PEG-MGF can help in the speedy repair of the damaged muscle tissues while also aiding the growth of nearby undamaged muscled cells. This is how it can assist in building muscle fibers, especially in areas where there is minimal muscle growth.\n\nHowever, there are some side effects associated with PEG-MGF. These include redness in the face and itchy skin. Working out is also necessary for this peptide to take effect. But do note that the use of peg MGF is not for human consumption. This substance is available for research and testing only.\n\n\nThere are no reviews yet.\n\n\nYou've just added this product to the cart:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9979503750801086}
+{"content": "Four-Year Study Reveals Unexpected Views of Religious Liberty\n\nHow do pastors and the general public define terms related to religious freedom, and how do they view its fate in the United States? A recent Barna report, Faith Leadership in a Divided Culture, finds that although faith leaders and the general public agree on a definition for religious freedom, they have evolving outlooks regarding its future.\n\nState of the Bible 2019: Trends in Engagement\n\n\n1 in 4 Practicing Christians Struggles to Forgive Someone\n\nIn a new Barna study, 88 percent of U.S. practicing Christians say they are at least somewhat familiar with the parable of the prodigal son—but what about their own experiences of giving and receiving forgiveness? To what extent does an awareness or practice of mercy permeate their lives?\n\nThe Link Between Fun & Faith in Our Homes\n\nSpring's arrival is making it easier for households to spend more time outdoors and be active together. And interestingly, a new Barna study of practicing Christians and their living arrangements finds a consistent connection between households that prioritize quality time and households that prioritize faith formation.\n\nBeyond an Invitation to Church: Opportunities for Faith-Sharing\n\nThis Easter season, churches will ramp up their holiday services as an opportunity for outreach or evangelism, and churchgoers will invite their friends along. But Barna’s recent report Reviving Evangelism, produced in partnership with Alpha USA, shows that the ways lapsed and non-Christians would like to explore their faith, don't always align with the common faith-sharing approaches taken by Christians.\n\nWhat Makes for a Spiritually Vibrant Household?\n\nHow do our core relationships engage us in a thoughtful, transformative faith—the kind that holds up to and is passed down over time? This was one of the guiding questions of Barna’s new Households of Faith report, based on an extensive study of practicing Christians and their living arrangements and routines.\n\nBarna: This Week\n\nBoomers have less of a sense that they are “made for” their present work (39%) and they feel less urgency to deepen…\n\n@barnagroup • May 19, 2019\n\nChristians at Work\n\nWith The Mercy Journey, church leaders and their congregations will be challenged to pursue more thoughtful convers…\n\n@barnagroup • May 18, 2019\n\n\nYour cart\nClear Cart\nShipping and discount codes are added at checkout.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5234779119491577}
+{"content": "Rear Admiral Aria Edir\n\n\nAria was born in 2335 to a pair of botanists working for the Trill Science Ministry studying the evolution of flora across various Federation worlds. Her early years were relatively carefree. Aria and her parents would take up residency on a Federation colony for several years. While there, her parents would conduct their research while Aria attended local schools, and then, when the research was done, they’d pick up and move again.\n\nAll of this changed in 2347 when Aria and her parents were living on Setlik III. On one fateful morning, they awoke to a surprise attack by the Cardassian Union. As the Cardassians entered the village where they were living, Aria’s parents told her to run and hide in the forest, and they stayed behind to buy time. Neither of them survived. Aria hid for days, living off the land in the ways her parents had taught her during some of their early camping trips. When the the USS Rutledge and Starfleet reinforcements finally arrived, among the survivors, they found a traumatized young newly-orphaned Trill girl.\n\nOn the whole, Starfleet was unsure what to do with the Trill orphan. Coincidentally though, they had one Trill officer aboard, Commander Devroth Edir. Devroth was able to locate an uncle of Aria back on the Trill homeworld. Unbeknownst to either of them at the time, Aria had just had her first encounter with the symbiont to whom she’d one day be joined. As the Chief Security/Tactical Officer of the vessel that had engaged the Cardassians at Setlik III, Edir had a very different perspective of the battle than the young girl, one that she would eventually have to reconcile with her own experiences.\n\nWhile Commander Devroth Edir went on to become a Captain during the Federation-Cardassian War and became known by the Union as a particularly ruthless adversary, Aria was released into the custody of her uncle Tarrik, a Guardian back on Trill. It took years for Aria to get past her anger, but her uncle taught her to rechannel it in more productive ways. This gave her a singular focus to apply to Starfleet, which she viewed as her way of preventing a massacre like Setlik III from ever happening again. In 2353, he goal was achieved, and Aria was accepted into Starfleet Academy.\n\nAria’s instructors at the Academy viewed her as incredibly motivated and driven. She propelled herself into the security and tactical fields with a zealousness unlike many of her softer peers. In 2357, Ensign Aria graduated with high marks and landed a job as a Security/Tactical Officer serving on the USS Vigilance, a frontline vessel on the Cardassian front.\n\nFor ten years, Aria trained hard and executed well. During this time, she distinguished herself as a skillful tactician and strategist and climbed to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and Chief of Security/Tactical. The only thing that made her superiors nervous was her complete focus on the military aspects of Starfleet, but in her field and under the context of the Federation-Cardassian War, that was somewhat understandable.\n\nIn 2367, the Federation signed an Armistice agreement with the Cardassian Union, officially ending hostilities. Unable or unwilling to trust the Armistice, Aria objected vocally and loudly to anyone she could, but Starfleet would not listen. She was viewed as a warmonger, and she was unable to adjust to duties elsewhere in Starfleet when combat wasn’t the end product. Out of frustration, the Lieutenant Commander resigned from Starfleet in 2367 and returned to Trill.\n\nBack at home, Aria and her uncle Tarrik spent a good time trying to reconcile her feelings. Ultimately, he convinced her to join the Trill Initiate program, hoping it would give her new meaning. While Aria’s war-inspired view of the galaxy was controversial, she had impeccable credentials and easily met the physical and mental requirements for a symbiont. The Symbiosis Commission also did not take lightly the role her uncle played in the care of the symbionts, and thus, in 2369, she graduated from the Trill Initiate program.\n\nWhile Aria waited for the opportunity to be joined, she was approached by a Commander Frank DeVoe from Starfleet Intelligence. Contrary to the tone set by Starfleet as a whole, DeVoe told her that there were many within Starfleet Intelligence that believed another war with the Cardassian Empire was inevitable. He offered her an opportunity to join Starfleet Intelligence and take part in their continuing vigilance of the Empire. At the objection of her uncle and the Symbiosis Commission, she gave up her spot as a joining candidate and returned to Starfleet.\n\nCommander DeVoe’s prediction of Cardassian aggression came true sooner than even he had expected. Within a year, Starfleet encountered the Dominion, and Starfleet Intelligence soon began to suspect a relationship developing between covert elements of the Cardassian Union and this new threat from the Gamma Quadrant. Lieutenant Commander Aria became a part of a special unit inside of Starfleet Intelligence tasked with studying the exact nature of the relationship.\n\nIn 2373, Starfleet Intelligence’s suspicions were confirmed when Gul Dukat announced that the Cardassian Union had officially joined the Dominion. Because of their intimate knowledge of the situation, Commander Aria’s small unit was suddenly thrust into the middle of a galactic war effort, and she found herself giving a briefing to a combined Federation-Klingon task force that would be attacking a Dominion shipyard they’d identified at Torros III. One of the tactical wing commanders at the briefing was Commodore Devroth Edir, the same man who years earlier had saved her at Setlik III. Impressed by her attention to detail regarding ship dispositions, attack plans, etc., he invited the unjoined Trill aboard his flagship for the battle as a tactical advisor. During the days leading up to the attack, the two bonded over their shared perspective and experiences.\n\nThe Battle of Torros III was a dramatic success, but not without loss of life. Commodore Devroth Edir’s ship was hit hard. Commander Aria watched as a support beam collapsed on top of Commodore Devroth, dealing a blow that would ultimately prove fatal. As a dying Devroth was rushed back to Trill, Aria accompanied him. His last words were to her. He told her he’d seen the warrior’s spirit in her eyes and wanted her to continue the fight with the symbiont Edir.\n\nBack on Trill, Aria lobbied the Symbiosis Commission to approve her joining with the Edir symbiont. The Commission was incredibly reticent. While it had, in certain past occasions, respected the wishes of prospective host and symbiont, Aria had slighted them by leaving the program years earlier. She was also older than a typical joining candidate. Nonetheless, with the war effort on Trill’s doorsteps and a cultural shift happening within the Commission ever since the revelations of Joran Dax, they warily approved the joining.\n\nAs soon as Commander Aria Edir returned to Starfleet, she was sent straight back to the front lines. Initially, she was assigned as Executive Officer of the Steamrunner-class USS Icarus. However, only a few weeks later, the command staff of another ship in their tactical wing, the Defiant-class USS Havoc, were killed in action. Short on command candidates, she was field promoted to Commanding Officer of the Havoc so they could continue the war effort. Commander Edir distinguished herself in a number of engagements in command of the Havoc. When it was damaged beyond repair a few months later, she was transferred to command of the Akira-class USS Phoenix that had just rolled out of spacedock.\n\nWith her intelligence background and connections, Commander Edir identified a series of targets that would soften up resistance as Starfleet pressed towards Cardassia Prime. While Starfleet was short on resources and mindshare, they gave her what resources they could in the form of a small tactical wing that she commanded through a series of hit and run attacks behind enemy lines in Cardassian and Breen space. Without backup, they continued these attacks, drawing resources from the main battle lines all the way up until the final Battle of Cardassia.\n\nAfter the war ended, it became clear that Commander Edir’s risky play had indeed contributed greatly to the war effort. She was promoted to Captain and awarded the Starfleet Medal of Valor. In the aftermath of the war and due to her background, Captain Edir’s USS Phoenix was assigned to intelligence and patrol duty along the Cardassian and Breen borders where it remained for two years.\n\nIn 2377, as hostilities began to heat up with the C’hakilian Empire, the USS Phoenix was reassigned to the Raeyan Sector for intelligence duties. Once Avalon Fleet Yards was fell to the C’hakilians, these intelligence duties transformed into combat duties. Due to her experience with hit-and-run raids during the Dominion War, the Phoenix was assigned to the Fourth Fleet’s Task Force 21 to conduct similar raids behind C’hakilian lines. During one of these battles, the Phoenix took heavy damage. They managed to limp back to Klach d’Kel Brakt, but the Phoenix would not be spaceworthy again for months. While her crew was reassigned, Edir took up residency on the Klingon space station to help coordinate the Federation-Klingon offensive to retake Avalon Fleet Yards and the Raeyan Sector.\n\nIn 2378, following the end of the C’hakilian War and without a command of her own anymore, Captain Edir was reassigned to Starfleet Tactical back on Earth. Rather than be let down by her lack of a ship, Edir took the opportunity to have an impact on the way Starfleet as a whole approached tactical engagements. While there, her militaristic view of Starfleet came in direct opposition with elements of Starfleet Command and the Federation that sought a more diplomatic approach to the post-Dominion era. This forced her for the first time in many years to consider that phasers and torpedoes might not always be the solution.\n\nWhile Captain Edir tried to reconcile her own views against the softer side of the Federation, the Gorn attacked Cestus. As the Federation declared war against the Gorn, Aria Edir was promoted to Commodore, assigned the Prometheus-class USS Agrona, and sent to the Gorn border to lead a task group in a counter-offensive. Serving as part of General Brancer’s war effort, the Agrona was there all the way up until the final strike on the Gorn homeworld. Commodore Edir witnessed as a torpedo from Brancer’s ship barreled straight into the Gorn capital, killing millions of civilians in a heartbeat. For the first time in her life, Aria found herself truly questioning military action. They hadn’t needed to fire that shot. They, just like the Cardassians at Setlik III, had just slaughtered innocent civilians.\n\nWhen Aria returned to Starfleet Tactical, she began to look at Starfleet’s military purpose in new ways. She attended the hearings that followed Brancer’s actions, and she ended up setting up an ethics initiative in Starfleet Tactical, drawing on the experiences of a previous Edir host that she’d formerly all but ignored in her combat zeal. In the eyes of her peers, this was the moment when Commodore Edir transitioned from warrior-without-a-war to a true member of the Admiralty. She was promoted to Rear Admiral in 2383, and soon thereafter found herself in the Raeyan Sector during the Omega Crisis, followed by a period addressing pirate and slave trade issues in the Triangle.\n\nIn 2385, as the Cardassian Union began to flex its muscles once more, Starfleet Intelligence again called on Rear Admiral Edir. This time they wanted her to coordinate an office specifically focused on the Galactic West. They were wary of not just the Cardassians but also what response might follow from the Breen and other powers in the area.\n\nIn 2389, following the creation of the Alkaris Pact, something her office had all but predicted, Rear Admiral Edir was then reassigned to the Fourth Fleet as the Task Force Commanding Officer for Task Force 72, the operational unit responsible for the borders of the Cardassian Union and the newly formed Alkaris Pact.\n\nService Record\n\nStart End Rank Role Assignment\nRear Admiral\nTask Force 72 Commanding OfficerStarbase 72\nRear Admiral\nDeputy Director of Alpha Quadrant OperationsStarfleet Intelligence\nRear Admiral\nTactical Operations AdvisorStarfleet Command\nTactical Operations AdvisorStarfleet Tactical\nTask Group Commanding OfficerUSS Argona\nTactical Operations AdvisorStarfleet Tactical\nStrategic Operations AdvisorKlach d'Kel Brakt\nCommanding OfficerUSS Phoenix\nCommanding OfficerUSS Phoenix\nCommanding OfficerUSS Havoc\nExecutive OfficerUSS Icarus\nExtended Leave-of-AbsenceTrill\nFleet Intelligence AdvisorStarfleet Intelligence\nLieutenant Commander\nIntelligence AnalystStarfleet Intelligence\nTrill InitiateTrill Symbiosis Commission\nLieutenant Commander\nChief Security/Tactical OfficerUSS Pioneer\nAssistant Security/Tactical OfficerUSS Pioneer\nLieutenant Junior Grade\nSecurity/Tactical OfficerUSS Rushmore\nSecurity/Tactical OfficerUSS Ardent", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5447018146514893}
+{"content": "The Narnia Code (bk)\n\nStock Code:\n\n\nMichael Ward\n\n\n  • CSV Description 1:\n    The Narnia books are mysterious. Millions of people have been captivated by them, but are left with unanswered questions. Why are there seven books? Are they biblical allegories? If so, why do four of them seem to have no biblical basis? Why do they lack uniformity? Why does Father Christmas appear in them?\n  • CSV Description 2:\n    In The Narnia Code Michael Ward attempts to answer this puzzle. Drawing on Lewis' love of Medieval astronomy, Ward breaks the Narnia 'code' and demonstrates the single theme that provides the link between all seven books. The author takes us through each of the seven Chronicles of Narnia and draws from the whole range of Lewis' other works to reveal the secret.\n  • CSV Description 3:\n    Based on a groundbreaking scholarly work (Planet Narnia, OUP) that entered the Sunday Times best seller list, this fascinating book will cause the reader to understand Lewis in a whole new way. It has some important things to say about how we understand the universe and Christian faith today.\nStock Level:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.606458842754364}
+{"content": "Maestro Phase de Lune Semainier\n\nSeven midnight blue hands travel across the heavenly dial of the maestro Phase de Lune Semainier. They give order to the universe, beating in time to the conductor and indicating the phases of the moon, the month, the week, the day, the date, the hours and the minutes. With this unique complication in its collection, and a design of refined elegance, RAYMOND WEIL offers watchmaking enthusiasts an exceptional timepiece.\n\n\nTime has always enjoyed a privileged relationship with astronomy. In fact, observing the heavens over the centuries has made it possible to measure the passage of time. Astronomical complications were very much in vogue from the Renaissance, first of all in big clocks then in pocket watches with skillfully miniaturized mechanisms. Today, these complications are still just as fascinating, exhibiting the ultimate technical craft and know-how of the watchmaker.\n\nAs heir to this great watchmaking tradition, the maestro Phase de Lune Semainier concentrates time and space within a 41mm case diameter. On an almost lunar galvanic dial, seven blued steel batons orchestrate the whole. The four large hands indicating the hours, minutes, seconds, weeks and months revolve around the central part of the dial with its “clou de Paris” decoration. The three small ones indicate the date, the moon phases and the day of the week in three small counter displays (at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock respectively), like astral bodies in orbit around the sun. To regulate the measurement, four push-pieces are very ingeniously set in the polished steel case. This correction system which needs only a simple pressure of the finger was developed by RAYMOND WEIL’s watch designers. The center of this complex system comprises an automatic winding mechanical heart, generating a power reserve of 42 hours that can be seen beating through a sapphire crystal. This marvel of precision and elegance is mounted on a black crocodile-style leather strap with an ardillon buckle, in the truest watchmaking tradition.\n\n\nWith the maestro Phase de Lune Semainier, the conductor RAYMOND WEIL sets the rhythm of time and space. The universe it reveals reflects the image of the Swiss Brand, combining harmony, elegance, tradition and innovation.\n\nمجموعة الصحافة", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9441846609115601}
+{"content": "SCRMCBone Density Screening\n\nBone Density Screening (DEXA)\n\nAssessing Bone Density & Strength\n\nA bone density scan is a painless, noninvasive imaging test used to measure bone density. It is most commonly used to diagnose osteoporosis, a bone disease that causes bones to become brittle. It can also be used to help women determine if they should pursue hormone therapy due to bodily changes during menopause.\n\nWhat Happens During the Test?\n\nThis is a simple test that does not require much preparation. You will lie on a padded table under an x-ray. Your body will then be exposed to low doses of radiation as the scanner captures images of your skeletal system (bones). All you have to do during the test is remain still. There are no injections or incisions required.\n\nCall (800) 828-3627 for more information or contact us to schedule an appointment.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5345777869224548}
+{"content": "Fairy Art & Commissions\n\nSpring Cleaning\n\nSpring CleaningOne day the petals are carpeting the ground, the next they are gone. Where do they go? Maybe fairies are at work? Here we have two fairies busy with their feather brooms, sweeping up the blossom petals. Well, one is busy….the other is maybe not fully embracing the task in hand.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrder Spring Cleaning", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9289151430130005}
+{"content": "Developing self-esteem\n\n\nHandwork is critical to the intellectual and emotional development of the child. In the first grade the children learn knitting, and in the course of their schooling will learn to crochet, sew by hand, knit with five needles, cross-stitch, do wood carving, and make clothing using a sewing machine.\nStudents learn to make things they love and to work skillfully, always increasing their artistry. Handwork should be relaxing and fun, and at the same time productive.\n\nWorking to transform the materials of the earth fosters inner growth and a sense of well-being in the children. These lessons support and complement other subjects in the school, helping to bring balance and wholeness to the education.\n\nPurposeful activity\n\n\nGrades 2-8 participate in a twice-weekly class emphasizing fitness, cooperative games and activities that develop coordination, social skills, and physical abilities.\n\nIn The Study of Man, Rudolf Steiner said, when we use our limbs, whether it be for useful or useless work we are “always splashing about in the spirit and (we) are connected with the spirit.” The spirit he refers to here is the external cosmic spirit, not our individual inner spirit-soul. He goes on to differentiate between senseless and purposeful activity. When activity is purposeful it connects us with the spirit in a deeper way, a way that allows for a healthy balance between sleep and wakefulness to develop. “We can guide a child’s external movements towards purposeful movements… so that the child does not splash around in the spirit, but follows the spirit as a goal” (1919, Steiner).\n\nForeign language acquisition\n\n\nGrades 1-4 have twice-weekly Spanish classes and grade 5 has it once a week.\n\nThe Waldorf foreign language approach is a carefully designed access to foreign language instruction and acquisition. The Waldorf approach is based on the idea that the primary purpose of foreign language acquisition is to develop the ability to communicate. Foreign language study also raises one’s social conscience and cultivates an interest in and respect for others. In fact, the Waldorf School sees foreign language study as a window into the soul of another culture. Because the manner in which we think is expressed through the languages that we speak, we nurture a cultural understanding of other peoples through acquiring their languages.\n\nA useful final product\n\n\nWoodworking students in grades 6-8 use traditional hand woodworking tools to start with a tree transform it into a useful final product.\n\nTheir first product is a simple three legged stool. The students start by using a two man crosscut saw to cut a round of wood from a tree. They then split the wood, and use hatchets and draw knives to shape it. They then use foot powered lathes to turn each leg, and then finally assemble their project into their stool.\n\nEnvironmental Science\n\nMystery Class\n\nIn 3rd and 5th grades Mystery Class focuses on environmental education through experiential learning. Exploring the natural world inspires curiosity and children make their own discoveries while cultivating personal relationships to nature. Aligning with the curriculum of the grade, topics may incorporate the garden, forest, and ocean as well as its plant and animal inhabitants. Children will also handcraft objects from nature, and play outdoor games that support learning about the natural world.\n\nAwakening and nurturing\n\n\n\nAll students enjoy music as part of their daily life at school. Singing and playing both wind and string instruments are established aspects of our music program. First grade students learn to play a Pentatonic recorder and the recorder is played throughout the grades. The class teacher as well as the school’s music teacher work with students in group singing.\n\nIn 4th grade, students are taught to play the violin by a trained music teacher. in 5th grade they can choose viola, violin, bass, or cello. In grades 6-8, they can elect into orchestra or choir and after school they can elect to participate in band and/or advanced orchestra.\n\nThe creativity within\n\nArt Elective\n\nThrough our Fine Arts Elective program, the middle school students are asked to observe, connect, reflect, and awaken the creativity within themselves. They will explore new medium, acquire skills and knowledge to share who they are through their art. Some of the mediums we will be using include graphite, marker, charcoal, ink, dry/oil pastel, wires, clay, block print, soap carving, beading, cut out art, watercolor, acrylic, colored papers, mosaic.\n\nArtistic endeavors sharpen two very important human skills: the ability to shape, or see, and the ability to perceive, or distinguish. When practiced over time using diverse techniques across a variety of subjects, something very special emerges: the ability to shape and perceive new ways of looking at the world.\n\nSubscribe Section\n\nSubscribe to\nSpecial Event Notices\n\n\nSubscribe Section\n\nSubscribe to\nSpecial Event Notices\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6745226383209229}
+{"content": "Tourism Development in the GCC States:\nReconciling Economic Growth, Conservation and Sustainable Development\n\nAndy Spiess\nNDRD & University of Hamburg, Department of Economics and Policy, Germany\n\n\nTourism is one of the world's largest as well as fastest growing industries and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states are expected to be increasingly important engines of such growth. By boosting both international travel and generating increasingly vibrant regional or domestic tourism sectors, tourism promotion is often considered an integral element of their economic strategies. The sector is generally publicized as a vital source of employment, revenue, foreign exchange benefits, public infrastructure, diversification and inducement in reviving national pride. Nevertheless tourism as a catalyst for economic development can be a controversial device. While certain short term economic benefits clearly arise from an expanding tourism industry in the Gulf economies, its unsustainable rapid development has had detrimental environmental, socio-cultural and security impacts, particularly because this industry is dependent on and a major user of natural resources and habitually collides with the values, skills, and aspirations of GCC nationals.\n\nOne feasible response to these negative side effects could be the promotion of sustainable tourism, which stimulates a prominent concern for equity and fairness. Thus it can contribute to the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources, the protection of local heritage, and a revival of indigenous cultures. Nonetheless, the concept of sustainability in general and especially when applied to tourism is either perceived in various ways or even worse entirely misunderstood by local stakeholders. Indeed, the term has been bent into a variety of shapes and meanings and some policy makers seem to believe it means ‘business as usual’. Consequently, the tourism sector still justifies expensive infrastructure developments that primarily serve to enhance the power and privileges of local elites, sustain their underlying political ideologies and simultaneously expand control over their societies.\n\nWhile the pace of the current large scale tourism expansion in the GCC should conceivably best be seen as a ‘threat multiplier’ that intensifies existing problems and vulnerabilities in the region, there is a dearth of studies that have deconstructed the efficacy of these policies. The objective of the session is hence to fill this void and to draw together interdisciplinary research on the relationship between tourism, conservation and sustainable development in the context of the Gulf economies with respect to lessons learnt and conclusions drawn from the utilization of tourism as a diversification tool. In this context, we will explore questions concerned with achieving environmental, social and economic sustainability of tourism alongside the governance mechanisms needed to support more sustainable development pathways. In addition to these specific aims, there is an urgent need to explore the institutions of the political culture, the power dynamics, and the benefits and costs of tourism development for regional and local development and to ensure that long-term prosperity and the quality of life of future generations of Gulf nationals is not placed at risk.\n\nDownload Full Paper here: imagesCA4V9RXU\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFood Security:\nA Misunderstood Concept in the GCC\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9593155980110168}
+{"content": "Can Vipassana Meditation Prevent Serious Sickness | healing meditation\n\nAuthor: admin  //  Category: Law Of Attraction Book\n\nWhat I love about it: How calming this is when you can't sleep and how much it supports you to drift back off. Meditation has a positive effect on your body, both in a physiological and a behavioral way. Once you practice Vipassana you fall asleep very very easily sitting on a chair or by a wall, on bed….can't be to cosy! With an improved mind concentration, the student is guided to look inward into the body and observe sensations throughout the body. They compared Transcendental Meditation to other relaxation techniques but found that Transcendental Meditation was the only intervention that significantly lowered high blood pressure. Perhaps one of the immediate advantages of meditation is the ability to de stress much more effectively. Brainwave entrainment technology can help in all respects, creating bliss and pleasure, a positive mind-set and even trigger frequencies that will promote healing that is also physical. Music Metaphor: a student of music learns music, studies the science, studies the masters, learns to reads music. This 6 minute guided meditation introduces you to the concept of mindfulness by counting each inhale and exhale; then starting back at numero uno each time you get distracted. One of the biggest issues I had early on was thinking that I had to sit and meditate for at least 20 minutes or it didn't count. So take up yoga practices to keep yourself stress free, it's not only you but the entire world who is looking at yoga as a sure remedy of stress. I hope these instructions will help you develop your repertoire of meditative techniques—in both formal meditation and in your daily life. This is also a concrete way to check whether Can Vipassana Meditation Prevent Serious Sickness | practice meditation we are practicing correctly and authentically or not. Further research showed that it could also improve hypertension, heart disease and even type 2 diabetes. NaYoMo, for those who are unfamiliar, is short National Yoga Month which occurs every September and celebrates the practice of yoga, making it a perfect occasion for those interested in yoga to discover the benefits of the practice. In LifeForce Yoga Training and in her book, Weintraub describes how therapists can ease into breathing exercises to balance and guide therapy appropriately using certain breath techniques that meet the mood” and reduce the risk of emotional flooding. I was not all that familiar with the subject, but apparently one of my favorite YouTube guided meditations is actually hypnosis, performed by renowned hypnotist Michael Sealey. Know exactly what it means when thoughts intrude on your meditation practice - and how to instantly come back to center. In this passive meditation, you'll lie comfortably, drifting off to a relaxing guided meditation and peaceful soundtrack. Become happier just practising compassion or meditation for as little as half an hour a day over a period of two months has been shown to have a measurable affect on the parts of brain connected with happiness and well-being. The first 10-day Vipassana course was held in Virginia in 2002 at Camp Virginia Jaycee near Blue Ridge, Virginia. People who have a hard time concentrating on things have found that guided meditation CDs work for them and they enjoy using them. But yoga is not something eastern or western as it is universal in its approach and application. Meditation calms your vibration to the frequency of creation and infinite intelligence. People may sometimes unwillfully achieve a state of meditation or yoga but these are normally believed to be through the grace of God or deep sincere devotion. While meditation is no substitute for medical care for those suffering from depression, it is something that should be discussed with your mental health care provider. The reason is because the act of colouring in, having a single, semi-repetitive, and calming task that allows you to zone in is a kind of meditation. Tags: telugu lakeview,testimonials princeton,study | yoga and meditation, tibetan meditation music free download, benefits of meditation, meditation online app, benefits of doing yoga and meditation\n\nRandom links:\n\nCosmic Disclosure | the secret book read online\nSelf esteem level measurement\nCuring Anxiety | relaxation techniques for anxiety", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7157557010650635}
+{"content": "Presentation is loading. Please wait.\n\nPresentation is loading. Please wait.\n\nP1 Revision Examination Style Questions\n\nSimilar presentations\n\nPresentation on theme: \"P1 Revision Examination Style Questions\"— Presentation transcript:\n\n1 P1 Revision Examination Style Questions\nYear 10 P1 Revision Examination Style Questions\n\n2 Question 1 The continuous movement of water from the oceans to the air and back to the oceans is called the water cycle. The Sun heats the surface of the oceans, which causes the water to evaporate. a) How does the rate of evaporation depend on The wind speed (1) The temperature (1) The humidity? (1) b) Explain how evaporation causes a cooling effect?(3)\n\n3 Question 1 Answer The higher the wind speed the greater the rate of evaporation. The greater the temperature the greater the rate of evaporation. The higher the humidity, the slower the rate of evaporation. b) The most energetic molecules leave the surface of the liquid, so the average energy of kinetic energy of the remaining molecules is less. The temperature depends on the average kinetic energy, so it is reduced.\n\n4 Question 2 Compare the similarities and differences between the process of conduction in metals and non-metals. (6) In this question you will assessed on using good English, organising information clearly using specialist language where appropriate.\n\n5 Questions 2 Answer Similarities Involve particles\nAtoms vibrate causing neighbouring atoms to vibrate so energy is passed along. Differences Metals have free electrons These collide with other free electrons and ions passing energy along. This process is much more effective, so metals are better conductors.\n\n6 Question 3 In a hot water system water is heated by burning gas in a boiler. The hot water is then stored in a tank. For every 111 J of energy released from the gas, 100 J of energy is absorbed by the water in the boiler, Calculate the percentage efficiency of the boiler. (4) The energy released from the gas but not absorbed by the ‘boiler’ is wasted. Explain why this energy is of little use for further energy transfers. (1) The tank in the hot water system is surrounded by a layer of insulation. Explain the effect of the insulation on the efficiency of the hot water system. (3)\n\n7 Question 3 Answer Efficiency = 90%.\nThe energy becomes too spread out to use. The insulation reduced the rate at which energy is lost from the tank to the surroundings. The water in the tank will stay hotter for longer. This increases the efficiency of the hot water system.\n\n8 Question 4 A light bulb transfers electrical energy into useful light\nenergy and wasted energy to the surroundings. For every 100 J of energy supplied to the bulb, 5 J of energy is transferred to light. Draw and label a Sanky diagram for the light bulb. (3)\n\n9 Question 4 Answer The width of the arrow should be scaled to the number of Joules.\n\n10 Question 5 A student uses some hair straighteners.\nThe straighteners have a power of 90 W. What is meant by ‘a power of 90 W’. (2) Calculate how many kilowatt-hours of electricity are used when the straighteners are used for 15 minutes. (3) The electricity supplier is charging 14 p per KWh. Calculate how much it will cost to use the straighteners for 15 minutes a day for one year. (2)\n\n11 Question 5 answer 90 Joules of energy are transferred every second.\nE= KWh Cost = £1.15\n\n12 Question 6 Fluorescent bulbs are being replaced by compact\nA 25 W compact bulb costs £12, a filament bulb costs 50p. A 25 W compact bulb gives out as much light as a 100W filament bulb. A filament bulb lasts for about 1000 hours; a compact bulb lasts for a about 8000 hours, although significantly shorter if the bulb is turned on and off very frequently. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of buying a compact fluorescent bulb rather than filament bulbs. (6)\n\n13 Question 6 Answers Advantages More efficient/4 times more efficient.\nCheaper to use Last longer/lasts 8 times as long. Better for the environment. Disadvantages More expensive to buy/cost 24 times as much to buy. Disposal a problem because of mercury vapour. Shortened lifespan if turned on and off very frequently.\n\n14 Question 7 Explain why step-up transformers are used in the\nNational grid (2)\n\n15 Question 7 Answer To increase the voltage on the cables and reduce power losses.\n\n16 Question 8 Electromagnetic waves travel at a speed of 300 000 000\nm/s. BBC 4 is transmitted using a wavelength of 1500 metres. Calculate the frequency of these waves. (3) Write down the equation you use. Show clearly how you work out your answer and give the unit.\n\n17 Question 8 Answer Frequency = Hz.\n\n18 Question 9 Give one example of each of the following from everyday\nlife. Reflection of light (1) Reflection of sound (1) Refraction of light (1) Diffraction of sound (1) We do not normally see the diffraction of light in everyday life. Suggest a reason for this (2)\n\n19 Question 9 Answer Any example using mirror/water or a shiny smooth surface. Any example of an echo. Any example using a lens e.g. spectacles, cameras. Any example of hearing sound around a corner. The wavelength of light is very small, so diffraction only occurs when light passes through a narrow gap.\n\n20 Question 10 Red shift from distant galaxies provides evidence for the\nbig bang theory. What is meant by red shift? (2) Explain how red-shift provides evidence for the Big Bang theory. (6)\n\n21 Question 10 Answers The wavelength of light from a galaxy is shifted towards the red end of the spectrum and the galaxy is moving away from us. Light from (most) galaxies is red shifted. The further the galaxy the bigger the red shift. The furthest galaxies are moving fastest. This shows that the universe is expanding. If the universe has always been expanding It must have once been very small.\n\nDownload ppt \"P1 Revision Examination Style Questions\"\n\nSimilar presentations\n\nAds by Google", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8232156038284302}
+{"content": "17. Gdańsk DocFilm Festival\n\n05.06.2019 to 09.06.2019\n\nThe Gdańsk DocFilm Festival is the world’s only documentary film festival to focus on people in their workplace environment, human activity, and means of survival in various environments and situations. The DocFilm Festival is an opportunity to showcase the achievements of international cinema and to debate on the role and importance of the human being in the workplace.\n\nMore information:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9683619737625122}
+{"content": "What does it mean to have abdominoplasty? That’s a question tummy tuck Houston residents often ask as they look for ways to improve their bodies. Abdominoplasty is the medical name for this cosmetic surgery that is often part of a total mommy makeover. Finding out more about this very common procedure and what the benefits are will take some of the mystery out of the abdominoplasty or tummy tuck.\n\nWhat is a Tummy Tuck?\n\nPut simply, a tummy tuck allows the surgeon to remove extra skin and fat around the abdomen and to tighten the connective tissue that supports it. There is are many reasons a person might develop a droopy belly. For some, especially women, it is a normal part of the aging process. The abdominal muscles tend to stretch with age due to pregnancy and/or weight changes.\n\nThat accumulation of fat around the inner girdle will lead to a weak lower abdominal wall. Abdominoplasty fixes the problem, tightening the area to create a more toned look for tummy tuck Houston residents looking to slim up and feel better about their bodies.\n\nWhat Should You Expect from A Tummy Tuck?\n\nThe procedure itself varies based on a number of factors such as the amount of tissue removed and any other procedures done to that area. The surgeon makes an incision that goes from hip to hip to access the soft tissue of the abdomen and then removes a portion of skin and fat from the belly button to the pubic area. The connective tissue is tightened with sutures and the skin repositioned to flatten the belly. The navel is sutured into normal position, as well.\n\nAfterwards, the medical care staff will cover the incision sites with surgical dressing and place drains to remove fluid as you heal. The drains stay in place for several days after the surgery to help prevent the risk of infection. The doctor might prescribe proactive antibiotics, as well.\n\nDuring the first few days, those getting a tummy tuck in Houston will need to stay in bed with their upper body raised and knees at an angle to take stress off the surgical site and allow for proper healing. Once up an around, Houston tummy tuck patients will wear a support garment to prevent the incision from pulling apart. The abdominal binder also keeps fluid from building up in the stomach area.\n\nHouston tummy tuck patients will spend about six weeks guarding their abdomen and allowing it to heal. Afterwards, the stomach will look and feel tighter and healthier. You’ll have naturally better posture and feel good about your body after a tummy tuck, too.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5524897575378418}
+{"content": "Usefulness Stair Slide In Home\n\nCool Stair Slide\n\nWhat is the function of a stair slide? Although the question seems simple, it is not so simple, because it is a function of the needs that you intend to cover. The obvious answer seems to be to facilitate a way up or down to overcome unevenness or obstacles, but that is if you use the prosaic point of view of the ordinary citizen, who in his innocence considers that a set of steps is that, something that comes down to a question of usefulness.\n\nThere are stairs and stairs. In addition to Jacob’s ladder through which angels climb to heaven, we have other known as the St. Domingos de Bonaval or those that make one of the most curious pictures of the Vatican museums. There is also the typical staircase of the painter, or the one that dignitaries from other countries come down when they arrive to our land, becoming the classic photo with greeting included.\n\nAll physical stairs have something in common. Its main function is what we said at the beginning: save a gap. Something so prosaic that in Lugo is obvious in favor of a more important and profound issue: that the staircase is beautiful, even if you kill yourself in it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9268768429756165}
+{"content": "There are many jobs in Florida and throughout this nation that require workers to use the same muscles due to repetitive motions. For example, heavy laborers or those who lift heavy objects on the job may be at an increased chance for suffering a repetitive motion injury like bicep tendonitis or bicep tendon tears.\n\nA Closer Look at Bicep Injuries on the Job\n\nBicep tendonitis occurs as a result of repetitive motion, excessive strain, or from a sudden injury to the tendon. Tendons connect our muscles to our bones and permit us to move. There are two tendons that attach the bicep muscle in the front of our arms to our shoulders, and one tendon that attaches the bicep to the elbow. When tendons are overused, they can become very painful. Additionally, constant overuse can cause the tendon to fray and tear, as well as trauma to the bicep can cause the tendon to tear at the shoulder. Even a workplace fall onto an outstretched arm can cause a bicep tendon to tear.\n\nBicep Tendon Tear at the Shoulder\n\nA bicep tendon tear at the shoulder is a common yet painful injury that many workers in Florida have experienced. Unfortunately, this type of injury can cause employees the inability to do their jobs, especially when a complete tear occurs or when a rotator cuff tear happens simultaneously.\n\nBicep Tendon Tear at the Elbow\n\nWhen a bicep tendon tears at the elbow, it is generally caused by an awkward twisting of the elbow or from lifting a heavy object. With this type of tear, unfortunately, the bicep tendon often tears completely away from the bone, causing severe pain at the elbow.\n\nWhen Bicep Tendons Tear\n\nIf your bicep tendon is no longer holding your muscle in place, more than likely your bicep tendon has torn. It is critical to seek medical treatment to determine the extent of your injury. Typically, people who suffer bicep tears will need surgery; however, sometimes partial bicep tendon tears can be treated using bicep tendonitis treatments.\n\nUnfortunately, bicep tendonitis or bicep tears can cause a person the inability to function normally and lack their normal arm’s strength. This is why many people who have suffered a shoulder tear opt for surgical treatment.\n\nIf you have suffered a torn bicep tendon at work, you may have to undergo surgery, rest, and months of physical therapy to regain your arm strength and range of motion. During this time, you may be unable to perform your job duties, work and make a living. This is why it is critical that you seek the legal advice of an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer.\n\nYou are most likely entitled to workers’ comp benefits in Florida as a result of your workplace injury. Contact the Law Offices of David Benenfeld to speak with an experienced South Florida workers’ compensation lawyer. You can reach us at [number type=”2″] or [number type=”1″] for a free consultation today.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9916210174560547}
+{"content": "Demon Moon is LIVE!\n\nFiction, NEWS\n\nThe year is 2003 and Caleb Grimmet, high school senior and football superstar, is going to make all his dreams come true. Or so he thinks. All he has to do is catch and  tame a demon.\n\nWhen Caleb and his friends gather together to open up the abyss, they learn a painful lesson: dreams don’t always manifest the way you want them to. \n\nAnd the abyss, once looked into, does more than look back out at you.\n\nDisclaimer: This story contains mature language, mild sexual situations and detailed descriptions of violence and gore. Reader discretion is advised.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9853748679161072}
+{"content": "\n\nAssistant Controller in Ewing Township, NJ at Vaco\n\nDate Posted: 4/22/2019\n\nJob Snapshot\n\nJob Description\n\nOur growing client is looking for an Assistant Controller. The position will work with C-level executives, PE company as will financial services firm. Experience with M&A and due diligence a must. Candidates must have strong transactional and operational experience.\n\nResponsibilities Include:\n\n* Preparation of financial statements in accordance with US GAAP\n\n* Managing/Mentoring day to day small accounting team\n\n* Ensure company stays current with accounting policies and procedures.\n\n* Consolidations experience post acquisition\n\n* Implementation and integration of new ERP systems\n\n* Work closely with Private Equity firm, accounting firm, and other investors\n\n* Strong FPA skills and financial modeling\n\n* Make improvement for reporting and operational effectiveness of the Accounting team.\n\nRequirements :\n\n* Bachelor's degree Accounting, CPA and public accounting background\n\n* 10+ year Accounting management experience\n\n* Implementing Acquisitions of accounting systems, workflows, and teams are critical. Strong analytical and systems skills; advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel. Ability to implement new systems and applications as needed. Experience with Intacct a plus\n\n* Strong operational and strategic experience\n\n* Effective written and verbal communication skills.\n\n* Ability to prioritize and manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously; ability to work independently and make decisions\n\n* Detail-oriented, process-oriented, control-oriented\n\nThe company offers a very competitive compensation and benefits plan", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5269848108291626}
+{"content": "Խնդրում ենք սպասել...\n\n\n\n09:55, երկուշաբթի, 04 մարտի, 2019 թ.\n\n     Even though the capital Yerevan is the most populous place in Armenia with many attractions, Armenia has a lot more to offer. From the center of culture to the home of many churches, here are the 5 must go cities in Armenia that are outside the capital.\n\n\nOften called Armenia’s capital for arts and crafts, the second largest city of the country is well known for its poets, artists and craftsmen, who have left a huge cultural heritage to Gyumri. The city has a street called Varpetats poghoc (street of masters), where the homes of many famous poets and artists have turned into fascinating museums.\n\nThe city has also not lost touch with its history - many famous sights where old Soviet movies have been shot are still preserved, along with the ancient but still inhabited houses that go as far as 1900s.\n\nIf you are a tea lover, be sure to stop by Tea and Honey. Along with healthy and delicious food, this place is hands down the best teahouse in the country.\n\nAnd, if you are into a menu that is primarily based on fish options, you have to visit Cherkezi Dzor - one of the very first fish restaurants in the country. With different variations of dishes such as fish kebab, barbeque and many more, Cherkezi Dzor is a great place for a friendly mingle or a family get together event.\n\n\nLocated in the breathtaking Vayots Dzor region, Yeghegnadzor landscape is nothing like what you’ll experience in any other part of the country. The very unique rocks and caves of the area contain a huge history inside them, including the world’s oldest shoe found in a cave right outside Yeghegnadzor. It also provides the perfect conditions for a roadtrip to explore the nature of the countryside.\n\nThe region is famous for its winemaking, so check out Old Bridge Winery for an amazing wine tasting experience and a winery tour. If you have spare time in your hands, make sure to visit some of the other famous wineries outside the city as well, located in Areni. The area is also the perfect opportunity to pay a visit for several monasteries and old historic museums, such as Noravank, and Vayots Dzor History Museum in Yeghegnadzor itself.\n\n\nOften referred as the Little Switzerland of Armenia, Dilijan has to offer a lot to its visitors. Starting from the many hiking trails inside and outside the city, to hosting the Armenian branch of international United World Colleges, the city has many attractions. Inside the city is Sharambeyan street that combines the old buildings with a modernized touch of vintage.\n\nLocated in the beautiful Tavush region, every part of Dilijan is covered in trees and mountains. Check out the National Park of the city, and if you are into nature, go to Parz Lake - the views are indescribable.\n\nTip: the restaurants in Dilijan are some of the best food you will eat in the country. Be sure to try Kchuch, Tava, Flying Ostrich or anything else, really. They are all amazing!\n\n\nLocated just outside Yerevan, Ejmiatsin is the city to go if you are interested in a spiritual tour of churches. Armenians are the first nation to adopt Christianity back in 301 AD and the country still has churches in every corner you can possibly imagine. Ejmiatsin is the religious capital of the country: that is where the Catholicos is seated, and the Mother See of Holy Ejmiatsin, along with an educational center for future church servants.\n\nThe city also has other churches, such as St Hripsime, St Gayane and St Shoghakat. And though these many churches may seem a lot for such a small city, trust us, they are all worth visiting.\n\n\nLocated in the biggest region of the country, Syunik, Goris is a whole other story. The nature is completely different from what you would typically see in other parts of the country and rocks and mountains will follow anywhere in the city. Goris is the place to go, if you are looking to dig more into natural heritage.\n\nBe sure to visit The Medieval Goris Cave Dwellings, walk through steep stairs and explore what has been inhabited up until the 20th century. Even more so, check out Goris Rock Forest, which is another unusual sight of the city, with a marked trail for hikers.\n\nTip: Goris is a great getaway to also visit the nearby famous Tatev Monastery.\n\nFor such a small country, Armenia has cities and landscapes that are completely unlike each other. So, depending on your taste, pick the region, pick the city and enjoy exploring the heritage of the country. Book your tour with Caucasus Holidays now!\n\nԱղբյուրը` Caucasus Holidays\nԱռաջխաղացնել այս նյութը\nԳրանցվի՛ր և հրապարակի՛ր քո հոդվածները:\n| | |\n1014 | 0 | 0", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9390634894371033}
+{"content": "\n\n2  Functions, Role, Primacy and Conventions\n\n1. The principle of an electoral mandate\n\n14. The Government's rationale for bringing forward this legislation is set out in the Foreword to the White Paper containing the draft Bill, to which the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister are signatories: \"We are now publishing a draft Bill to change the House of Lords into a more democratically elected second chamber. In a modern democracy it is important that those who make the laws of the land should be elected by those to whom those laws apply. The House of Lords performs its work well but lacks sufficient democratic authority\".[15]\n\n15. Mr Mark Harper MP, the Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, ('The Minister') elaborated this argument in oral evidence to the Committee: \"in terms of making the law members of the second chamber are very influential. The argument is that people who make the laws ought to be elected by those to whom those laws apply. That is the simple principle. It is not in essence more complex than that. Although they are not forming the Government, they are playing a very important role in how laws are made in our country and in how that Government is scrutinised\".[16] He also made the point \"that having elected members of the Upper House meant that they were more legitimate because they had been put there by voters—in terms of the party members—rather than by their parties\".[17] That is to say, the patronage of the political parties would be supplanted by the direct choice of the electorate.\n\n16. Some witnesses took the same line as the Government. As Graham Allen MP told the Committee, \"... any political power can be exercised only by those who are legitimately elected. That is my ultimate principle. It is one that applies to Commons' Members and to local government councillors and I think ultimately we must aim to make it apply throughout our constitution\".[18] Lord Adonis took the view \"that people who make the law should be elected—period\".[19] David Howarth, formerly a Liberal Democrat MP and now Reader in Law at the University of Cambridge, said that \"people who take part in making new law need to be elected in some sense\" and that no other form of authority was a sufficient substitute.[20] Other witnesses agreed with this principle.[21]\n\n17. Professor John Curtice, Co-Director of the Centre for Elections and Representation at the University of Strathclyde, broadened the debate by drawing the Committee's attention to \"very clear evidence from polling data that in today's society, people are doubtful about a Chamber that does not have an element of election to it\".[22]\n\n18. The argument that an equal case for election can be made for the House of Lords as a revising chamber, as for the House of Commons, was challenged in a range of evidence. For example, Professor Sir John Baker, Downing Professor Emeritus of the Laws of England at the University of Cambridge, took a completely different view. He challenged \"the widespread assumption that the House of Lords must be elected as a requirement of democracy. That seems to me to be quite a serious fallacy given the unusual nature of our constitution\".[23] The House's essential scrutiny role \"does not require the sanction of the ballot box to give it legitimacy any more than the judicial role, because the House of Commons can insist on the last word\".[24] The Archbishops of Canterbury and York wrote that \"the argument that such a [revising] chamber can only be effective and have proper legitimacy if it is wholly or mainly elected is no more than an assertion\".[25]\n\n19. Similar views were expressed by Lord Cormack in his written evidence on behalf of the Campaign for an Effective Second Chamber, a group of some 200 members of both Houses. He wrote that the \" 'democratic' option ... is given—so much so it comes close to being unstated—but is not self evident. Democracy lies in the elected House of Commons and the government it sustains. It is this power of the Commons that ensures we are governed democratically and to create an elected Lords merely confuses the present clear line of accountability to the people.\" Lord Cormack went on to say that the House of Lords alone does not \"make the law\", but ultimately the elected House of Commons prevails.[26]\n\n20. Professor Vernon Bogdanor, Research Professor at the Institute of Contemporary History, Kings College London, saw merit in avoiding election, \"so there is a sense\" he said \"in which the current composition of the Lords evades the dilemma that faces all democracies about how to choose an effective second chamber ...\".[27]\n\n21. It is arguable too that an elected mandate for a reformed second chamber will not in itself necessarily add to good governance. That will depend very much on what emerges under any new arrangements.\n\n22. These differing views as to the need for an electoral mandate in a reformed second chamber underlie most of the evidence, both oral and written, received by the Committee. For some an electoral mandate is necessary—even paramount—and any uncertain consequences of election are deemed insufficient reasons not to proceed with the draft Bill. For others, the proposals represent an unbridgeable gap between election of the House of Lords and the primacy of the House of Commons, together with an unacceptable lack of clarity about how the two Houses will operate in terms of the legislative process once there are elected members in the Lords.\n\n\n2. Functions, powers and role\n\n24. The current functions of the House of Lords are to serve as a chamber of legislature both initiating and revising Bills; to scrutinise the executive through questions, statements and select committee work; and as a forum of debate.\n\n25. The Government describe these functions in its introduction to the draft Bill in the following terms:\n\n\"The House of Lords plays an important role in our legislature and, as a second chamber, is a vital part of our constitutional arrangements. The House of Lords shares responsibility for legislating with the House of Commons. Bills are debated and scrutinised in both Houses. The House of Lords has a reputation for the careful consideration of legislation and has the ability to delay and ask the Government and House of Commons to think again and, in some cases, offer alternative amendments for further consideration. The House of Lords also plays a vital role in scrutinising the work of the Government and holding it to account for its decisions and activities. It does this by members asking oral and written questions, responding to Government statements and debating key issues. Select Committees of the House of Lords conduct inquiries into matters of public policy and publish their findings to Parliament\".[28]\n\n26. The Government believe that these functions would remain unchanged when the House of Lords is reformed and that the Lords should continue this work, which the Government considers valuable. Indeed, in 2002 the Joint Committee on House of Lords Reform came to a very similar view as to functions in its first Report.[29] Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, the Deputy Prime Minister, in evidence to the House of Lords Constitution Committee said, \"I do not think that there is an automatic link between composition and function. We are arguing that ... the mandates and the constitutional role of the House of Lords as a revising chamber can remain intact notwithstanding the fact that the legitimacy of the members of the House of Lords would be different in a House of Lords that is wholly or largely elected\".[30] In addition to these functions—legislation, scrutiny and debate—an elected or largely elected House would acquire a fourth function: representation. Once elected, albeit for large multi-member electoral districts, members of the Lords will represent electors for the first time. The Minister recognised this when he told the Committee that elected members \"will not have the same level of constituency responsibilities, but I do not think that it is true to say that you will not have any\".[31] This issue of constituency responsibilities is separately treated in section 14 below.\n\n27. So far as concerns the present functions of the House of Lords, there was a broad consensus in the evidence received by the Committee that the House of Lords was an important and valued component of the parliamentary process and should be retained. While many witnesses suggested that the intended functions of a reformed House should first be defined before proposals for reform were devised, we received little evidence making a case for substantially varying the current functions.[32] This degree of acceptance spanned the divide between those who broadly supported the terms of the draft Bill and those who did not. Thus Lord Cormack wrote, \"The House of Lords as it presently operates adds value to the political process\".[33] The Electoral Reform Society saw reform as \"a means to preserve and enhance the Chamber's vital constitutional role\".[34] And the Political Studies Association's report, House of Lords Reform: A Briefing Paper, recognised that the House in scrutinising Bills and the actions of the executive \"is widely seen as playing an important role within the British political system\". The Council of the Law Society of Scotland thought that the legislative and scrutiny functions \"should be preserved and not affected by reform\".[35]\n\n28. But while witnesses thought that the functions of the current House should be preserved—whether or not the House was reformed—it was also broadly accepted that a wholly or largely elected House would be likely to exercise its powers in relation to those functions in a more assertive way. Dr Meg Russell, Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit, University College London, articulated this in her written evidence:\n\n\"First, to what extent would the House of Lords, if transformed into an elected (or largely elected) chamber, make use of the substantial powers that it has? This of course is unknown. In practice it would be dependent on the extent of partisan conflict between the chambers, as well as on how political culture develops over time. The experience from other bicameral states suggests that elected chambers generally feel free to use their powers to the full, in a way that the House of Lords currently does not. So the second critical question, which is perhaps even more difficult than the first, is how powerful it is desirable for the reformed British second chamber to be? Some would argue, and some argued in the recent parliamentary debates, that it would be good for British politics if the second chamber acted as a greater constraint on government and the House of Commons. What this article has demonstrated is that a reformed House of Lords left with its existing powers, if it chose to use these more freely, would be one of the more powerful such chambers amongst parliamentary democracies\".[36]\n\n29. The Minister acknowledged that the relationship between the Houses would change:\n\n\"I do not think that the Government's position is that there will be no change whatever in the relationship between the two Houses, but the statutory underpinning in the Parliament Acts means that the House of Commons remains the primary Chamber. The exact relationship will change, as it has, but the idea that we could now, today, set out the exact relationship and codify the powers on the way in which the two Houses work together and set those in stone is not realistic\".[37]\n\n30. Witnesses' opinions varied as to the consequences of the more assertive use of powers which derived from election. Many thought that this would lead to an unacceptable level of conflict between the two Chambers. Professor Vernon Bogdanor wrote \"direct election, however much the principle is qualified, is likely to make the second chamber more powerful. The upper House would become an opposing rather than a revising chamber\".[38] Rt Hon Peter Riddell, Director of the Institute for Government, stated \"members of an elected chamber would feel they had a strong right to challenge the Commons, at least on non-financial legislation, since both Houses could claim democratic legitimacy\".[39] The Archbishop of Canterbury noted that \"An elected second chamber, we believe, runs the risk ... of being in competition with the first chamber in terms of legitimacy, especially if the second chamber is elected by a method, the single transferable vote, that in the eyes of a good many people ... is regarded as a more legitimate and more credible method of election than first-past-the-post\".[40] Others were of similar opinion.[41]\n\n31. Various witnesses thought that greater assertiveness would benefit Parliament as an institution and improve scrutiny of the executive. They did not, in other words, view any increase in assertiveness of the reformed House in terms of a 'zero-sum game' in which the relative influence of the Commons was likely to be diminished. Lord Adonis told the Committee, \"I have no doubt at all that Members of the second Chamber would behave in a more forthright manner if they had a democratic mandate behind them. I personally think that that would be a jolly good thing. That is my judgment. I do not think that we suffer from an excess of parliamentary power vis-a-vis the Executive in this country; on the contrary, I think that the problem is that the Executive is too dominant in our system\".[42] According to Donald Shell, formerly a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Bristol:\n\n\"If the process of strengthening Parliament is to continue, while this may primarily be a matter for the House of Commons, the second chamber can and should play a complementary role. In the long run it may not be able to do this if it remains an entirely appointed House (as at present) whatever changes may be made to the machinery for appointment. Many have argued that a largely elected House would inevitably rival the Commons and indeed could threaten the \"primacy\" of the Commons. This is a danger, but I believe one that can be guarded against partly by ensuring a clearer statutory embodiment of the limitations on the powers of the second chamber, and partly through ensuring that it is elected on a completely different basis\".[43]\n\n32. Several witnesses who saw merit in a more assertive House agreed that any heightened assertiveness could be manageable.[44] This question of preserving Commons primacy and managing relationships between two elected chambers is fundamental and is discussed in greater detail in the following sections.\n\n\n\n\n\n3. Primacy of the House of Commons\nRelevant section of the draft Bill: Clause 2(1)\n\n2 General saving\n\n(1) Nothing in the provisions of this Act about the membership of the House of Lords, or in any other provision of this Act—\n\n(a) affects the status of the House of Lords as one of the two Houses of Parliament,\n\n(b) affects the primacy of the House of Commons, or\n\n(c) otherwise affects the powers, rights, privileges or jurisdiction of either House of Parliament, or the conventions governing the relationship between the two Houses.\n\n37. We have discussed above the effects which changing the composition of the House of Lords would have on the role, powers and functions of the House of Lords. The Government believe that the proposed changes in the composition of the second chamber ought not to change the status of that chamber as a House of Parliament or the existing constitutional relationship between the two Houses of Parliament.[45]\n\n38. In its Summary of the White Paper, the Government state \"We propose no change to the constitutional powers and privileges of the House once it is reformed, nor to the fundamental relationship with the House of Commons, which would remain the primary House of Parliament. That primacy rests partly in the Parliament Acts and in the financial privilege of the House of Commons\".[46]\n\n39. The statutory provisions which underpin the primacy of the House of Commons include but are not limited to:\n\n  • the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949;\n  • the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975, in its definition of the Leader of the Opposition as the Member of the House who is for the time being the Leader of the party in opposition to Her Majesty's Government which has the greatest numerical strength in the House of Commons;\n  • the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, in relation to the Dissolution of Parliament;\n  • Part 2 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, in relation to treaties; and\n  • Section 130 of the Localism Act 2011, in relation to parliamentary consideration of National Policy Statements.\n\n40. Non-statutory provisions include the principle that the Government of the day can continue in office only so long as they retain the confidence of the House of Commons. Most important though, in the Government's view, are the long-standing financial privileges of the House of Commons dating from Resolutions in 1671 (\"That in all aids given to the King by the Commons, the rate or tax ought not to be altered by the Lords\") and 1678:\n\n\n41. As the White Paper points out, the Parliament Acts are rarely resorted to: the relationship between the Houses is influenced on a day-to-day basis by a series of conventions which have grown up over time. These include:\n\n  • the principle that the House of Lords should pass the legislative programme of the Government which commands the confidence of the House of Commons;\n  • the principle that the House of Lords will consider Government Bills in reasonable time.\n\nThe Government's position is that these conventions have served the relationship between the Houses well and that they represent a delicate balance which has evolved over the years, and will continue to evolve.[48] We discuss these conventions in more detail in section 5 below.\n\n42. The Government believe that the primacy of the House of Commons should be preserved. In the Government's view, the present balance between the two Houses serves the legislative process well, and gives the second chamber the opportunity to make a substantive contribution while not at the same time undermining the relationship between the Government and the House of Commons.[49]\n\n43. According to the White Paper, the Government believe that Clause 2 of the draft Bill, simply asserting that status, powers and functions will not change, is the best way of preserving the primacy of the House of Commons because the Bill does not attempt to codify the use of the existing powers of the Houses in legislation but rather, as now, accepts that the position is a matter of convention.[50]\n\n44. Two questions arise from Clause 2. First, is the inclusion of Clause 2 an effective way to maintain the status quo, as the Government claim? Secondly, if it is not, are the Parliament Acts and other statutory provisions and the financial privileges of the House of Commons sufficient to maintain the primacy of the lower chamber in the face of a more assertive House of Lords?\n\n\n45. We sought to examine in depth the intention behind the propositions expressed in Clause 2 of the draft Bill. According to the Cabinet Office's Guide to Making Legislation, a Bill's legal adviser prepares Drafting Instructions, on the basis of the Minister's policy instructions, to say what is wanted, but also to tell Parliamentary Counsel the reasons behind the various proposals.[51] As the Cabinet Office guidance points out, poorly drafted or inadequately thought-through Instructions can cost time later on. The Minister declined to share the Government's Drafting Instructions for Clause 2 with the Joint Committee, on the grounds that such Instructions were subject to legal professional privilege.[52] The Committee deeply regrets that the Government felt unable to disclose this advice—it would have been helpful to the Committee in its deliberations and this lack of transparency has hampered Parliamentary scrutiny of the draft Bill.\n\n46. Following our final oral evidence session on Monday 27 February, the Minister submitted a paper explaining the Government's thinking in drafting Clause 2, and the alternatives that were considered. This letter is attached as Appendix 7. The Minister explained that the Government's preferred approach was to preserve the current situation of a non-legislative, flexible relationship between the two Houses which could evolve, but to state on the face of the legislation that changes made by the Bill itself were not to affect the current powers. The Government had considered three other options:\n\n  • to set out each of the powers and the relationship between the two Houses in statute;\n  • as above, but in addition to amend the Parliament Acts to include further key elements of privilege, for example the Salisbury-Addison convention (see paragraph 76) and/or aspects of financial privilege; or\n  • to remain silent on the face of the Bill in relation to each of the powers and the relationship between the two Houses in statute.\n\nThe Minister's paper set out the reasoning behind the Government's rejection of each of these three options. The Government recognised the risk that a complete statutory codification would lead to tensions as to where the boundary lay between Parliament's jurisdiction over its own processes and the courts' interpretation of statute law. Even a more limited codification would lead to similar problems. Having recognised these problems, the Government nevertheless rejected its third option, of remaining silent in the Bill, in the belief that a general clause would provide clarity and reassurance that the House of Commons would retain its primacy.\n\n47. A major difficulty is that Clause 2 (1), as drafted, seeks to establish a series of negative propositions, which raise several different problems. A problem common to the series of negative propositions is that there is no existing body of statute defining these key terms: status, primacy, powers, rights, privileges, jurisdiction and conventions. While Erskine May (the authoritative text on parliamentary practice and constitutional convention) states that \"for some three and a half centuries, the boundaries between the competence of the law courts and the jurisdiction of either house in matters of privilege has been disputed\",[53] it is also the case that the courts have been reluctant to investigate how Parliament exercises its functions. There has been comity between the institutions. To import these terms into statute at all raises the risk that these terms would become subject to statutory interpretation by the courts. That would be a significant constitutional development in itself.\n\n48. It is paradoxical and self-defeating to refer to conventions in statute: once the meaning of a convention had been legally determined, it would no longer be a convention. Rt Hon Lord Cunningham of Felling, who chaired the Joint Committee on Conventions of the UK Parliament, told us in oral evidence: \"Codification is another word for writing conventions into either Standing Orders or statute. Codifying conventions is a contradiction in terms. They cease to be conventions if they are codified. Therefore, the Committee [on Conventions of the UK Parliament] concluded not that it could not be done but that it was not a good idea\".[54]\n\n\n50. The negative proposition, that the House of Lords Reform Act will not affect the primacy of the House of Commons, is the central problem in Clause 2. The primacy of the House of Commons would not be reduced by any explicit provision in the Act. But as we have discussed above, most observers expect the behaviour of a wholly or mainly elected House of Lords would become more assertive. This raises the critical question of whether this would call into question the extent or nature of that primacy in the future.\n\n51. Lord Adonis said that the contention in the draft Bill that the Bill does not alter the relationship between the two Houses was \"clearly an absurd proposition\".[56] Rt Hon Lord Grocott told us that Clause 2 \"at its best it is wishful thinking and at its worst sloppy draftsmanship or bad direction or whatever\".[57] Lord Cunningham of Felling told us that \"In Clause 2 of the Bill, which, trying to be kind, I can describe only as disingenuous, there are a number of naive propositions. It is almost like someone walking off a cliff-edge in the dark. It suggests that all these things can happen—that profound changes can take place—but nothing else will be changed\".[58] Peter Riddell, regarded Clause 2 as defective.[59]\n\n52. When we asked Professor Dawn Oliver, Treasurer of the Middle Temple, if she agreed with Peter Riddell on Clause 2, she replied: \"I do not think there is much harm in putting it there. It is a symbolic statement of a wishful thought, really. I do not think there is anything damaging about that and it is probably a wishful thought that ought to be kept in people's minds, but I do not think it is enforceable\".[60] Others expressed similar views.[61] According to Dr Meg Russell of University College, London, \"Clause 2 of the Bill is a fiction; it is pretty meaningless\".[62]\n\n53. David Howarth told us: \"If I were doing this Bill, I certainly would not have Clause 2. I am in a group of anti-Clause 2 people; the clause is just silly\".[63] He argued that \"[Clause 2] cannot change the world. If you have elected people in the Lords, they will start to feel more legitimate in many respects than the existing Members and will start to do stuff. All Clause 2 says is that nothing in the Bill changes the situation, but that does not mean that the world does not change. The world will change\".[64]\n\n54. We observe that only the Government felt that Clause 2 was a useful addition to the draft Bill.\n\n\n\n56. While many witnesses drew attention to the threat to primacy which could follow from an elected House, some felt that a more assertive House of Lords could enhance the effectiveness of Parliament as a whole vis-à-vis the Executive which tends to dominate the House of Commons, provided that its majority there remains secure. Dr Alan Renwick, Reader in Comparative Politics and at the University of Reading, thought that in general Commons primacy would not be undermined and stated:\n\n\"There is much to be said for a more powerful second chamber: power is presently highly concentrated in the British political system, creating the danger that legislation may be passed without adequate consideration of all its implications\".[65]\n\n57. In his evidence to us on behalf of Unlock Democracy (formerly known as Charter 88) its Director, Peter Facey, said:\n\n\"Let us be clear: a directly elected or predominantly elected second Chamber would be more assertive. It would use the powers that it has. That does not mean that it affects primacy. In some ways, this is a strange debate. If by primacy you mean that the Executive, dominating the House of Commons, always gets its way on everything possible, I am against that definition of primacy. If you are talking about the House of Commons as the prime Chamber from which the Government are formed, where votes of confidence are held, from which most legislation comes through and which is the prime—the stronger—of the two Chambers, under a directly elected second Chamber that will still be the case. Is it going to be more assertive than now? Is it going to be more confident than now? Yes. Do I think that that is a bad thing? No\".[66]\n\n58. A number of submissions doubted whether an elected Lords would necessarily question Commons primacy. The Hansard Society argued that: \"The different electoral system, term lengths and limits proposed for the reformed Lords, coupled with the constitutional reality that it is the Commons from which the government is formed and where it must sustain confidence, should underpin the primacy of the Commons\". The Hansard Society nevertheless recommended that a comprehensive review of the legislative powers of the executive and Parliament should be undertaken to lead to a concordat \"which clearly sets out where key powers lie, and clarifies the relationships between, and responsibilities of, the executive, the legislatures and the courts\".[67] Katie Ghose, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society, told us that the Electoral Reform Society \"[did] not have massive concerns about the primacy issue. We think that there should be an elected House of Lords. We think that it is entirely achievable and indeed essential that the House of Commons retains primacy\".[68] The Electoral Reform Society pointed to a number of factors that would help maintain Commons primacy, including a clear role differentiation between members of the Commons and the Lords with members of the latter elected to scrutinise legislation with no incentive for individual constituency casework, and election by thirds which would ensure that a clear majority of the Lords would have a weaker mandate than the Commons. The Electoral Reform Society also suggested that codifying the Lords' powers and conventions would also help remove potential ambiguity.[69]\n\n59. The authoritative manual on Parliamentary practice, Erskine May, describes the principal power of the Commons as follows: \"The dominant influence enjoyed by the House of Commons within Parliament may be ascribed principally to its status as an elected assembly, the members of which serve as the chosen representatives of the people\".[70]\n\n60. The Explanatory Notes on the draft Bill also intimate a link between primacy and the currency of a popular mandate: \"Having simultaneous elections, apart from the exception, means that it will not be possible for the House of Lords to have a more recent popular mandate than the House of Commons, which will continue to have primacy\".[71] Other witnesses agreed,[72] including Professors Simon Hix and Iain McLean who believed that staggered elections would provide a safeguard for Commons primacy as \"the mandate of the Commons will always be more recent than that of the upper house—two-thirds of whom will have been elected more than five years ago\".[73] The Electoral Reform Society argued that election by thirds would ensure that a clear majority of the Lords would have a weaker mandate than the Commons.[74]\n\n61. Other witnesses took the view that any notion that primacy is rooted in the legitimacy of the electoral process would be called into question by changing the composition of the House of Lords to become wholly or mainly elected. Professor Vernon Bogdanor argued that as the House of Lords was currently not elected, \"it can make no claim to be a representative chamber, and therefore can never challenge the primacy of the Commons\". As such he contended that \"a government seeking to tamper with that logic does so at its peril\".[75] Lord Peston, The Rt Hon Lord Barnett and Baroness Gould of Potternewton maintained that: \"It is obvious if a substantial elected element is included in the new House of Lords, they will demand more powers and will not regard themselves as subservient to the Commons\". They also contended that the Parliament Acts would be \"irrelevant\" to an elected Lords.[76]\n\n62. The fundamental question of the possibility of an elected House of Lords challenging the financial privilege of the House of Commons was also raised by witnesses. The Rt Hon Lord Howarth of Newport suggested that an elected Lords, with arguably a more legitimate electoral system, would threaten the primacy of the Commons. He thought that \"in due course, an elected Second Chamber will challenge the financial privilege of the House of Commons\" and \"the Parliament Acts will come under challenge\".[77] The Clerk of the House of Commons concurred that there was a risk the House of Lords would challenge Commons' financial privilege: \"Perhaps I may put myself—this is an eventuality that I can only marginally imagine—in the position of being an elected Member of the House of Lords. I cannot imagine representing constituents who are taxpayers without feeling that I should have a role in expressing views about the way in which money is being spent\".[78]\n\n63. Penny Mordaunt MP argued that \"the only reason that the Parliament Acts have legitimacy, the only reason that the House of Commons can legitimately claim the power of the purse, is because it is elected in contradistinction to the House of Lords\". This, she thought, would be undermined by an elected Lords and especially one elected by an electoral system that was perceived to be more legitimate. In addition, this could lead to a situation in which the Commons \"will increasingly be regarded as the domain of the executive which must be held to account by the Upper House\", so changing the dynamic between the two Houses.[79] A number of other submissions also maintained that an elected House of Lords would challenge the primacy of the House of Commons.[80] Peter Riddell told us:\n\n\"I think the current Bill is defective. Clause 2 is the major flaw in the Bill because all it does is state, 'Because we believe it to be so, it will be so.' I think that is completely fallacious because the actual statutory limitations are pretty limited—the absolute bar on amending designated finance Bills and the one year suspensory veto—but beyond that it is custom and practice and what Professor Bogdanor referred to as the self-imposed constraints. I do not believe that those are sustainable under an altered composition of the House ... There would be a very fractious relationship. There would be claims of more legitimacy by the second Chamber. There are also issues about the transitional phase, but essentially there would be claims of more legitimacy. There would be more resistance—the ping-pong would break. I know there are conventions about how often ping-pong can be done. You would have many more problems. That is why this has to be addressed, I think, in any legislation. To rely on the Parliament Act is just completely unworkable for a coherent Government\".[81]\n\nDr Meg Russell noted that \"what limits the House of Lords' de facto powers is not the Parliament Acts but convention, culture and, in particular, the views about the legitimacy of the present membership of the House of Lords ... If you had an elected second chamber, those arguments would not hold in the same way\".[82]\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Primacy: additional statutory provision\n\n68. Several contributors outlined measures which could address the concern that Commons primacy might be challenged by way of additional statutory provision.\n\n69. Lord Desai, who thought that if the Lords were elected \"the primacy of the House of Commons cannot be taken for granted\", suggested that a constitutional \"lock-in device\" might be required to ring fence Commons primacy from repeal.[83] Donald Shell suggested a number of additional steps to help ensure primacy:\n\n\"I do think that the concern over primacy could in part be met by a re-formulation and extension of the Parliament Acts. The delay on primary legislation is 12 months from the date of first second reading of a Bill in the Commons, and excludes Bills introduced in the Lords. This should be replaced with a stipulated period (say six months?) from a declared date of disagreement (perhaps after two rounds of ping pong?), invoked by a vote in the Commons initiated by the minister in charge after exhausting whatever efforts to secure compromise between the Houses s/he had considered appropriate. This should be made applicable to legislation originating in either House\".[84]\n\n70. The Campaign for a Democratic Upper House also suggested a number of possible additional mechanisms which could be deployed to buttress the primacy of the House of Commons: a requirement for the Prime Minister to be appointed from the Commons; a rule that no more than 20 per cent of Ministers (or paid Ministers) may be members of the second chamber; a clear statement of the roles, functions and status of the two Houses; lower salaries; and a job description for members of the Lords to differentiate their role from the Commons. [85]\n\n71. The applicability of the Parliament Acts once the House of Lords is \"constituted on a popular basis\", to paraphrase the 1911 Act, was commented upon in evidence to us by Rt Hon Lord Goldsmith QC and by Lord Pannick. This issue is considered in section 22 below.\n\n72. Commons primacy could be buttressed by further limiting in statute the powers of the House of Lords by, for example:\n\n  • limiting the suspensory veto under the Parliament Acts to—say—six months;\n  • extending the Parliament Acts to amendments made to Lords bills in the Commons;\n  • replacing the power to reject statutory instruments with a power to delay.\n\nThe Clerk of the Parliaments confirmed in his evidence to us that such limitations were in theory possible, although he expressed doubts as to both their workability and practical effect.[86]\n\n73. Professor Vernon Bogdanor also expressed the view that \"Proposals to limit the power of the new second chamber would commit the absurdity of giving an elected chamber less power than the current unelected House\".[87] Some members of the Committee, meanwhile, believe that the election of the Lords will inevitably erode Commons primacy and that it will necessitate a constitutional settlement on the conventions, powers, rights, and privileges of both Houses of Parliament. There is a minority view on our Committee that, given the undoubted fact that primacy will move measurably towards the House of Lords under this Bill, the 1949 Parliament Act should be repealed thus restoring the allowable delay for non-financial measures to two years as originally provided for in 1911.\n\n\n5. Conventions\n\n75. As we have said above, the primacy of the Commons is only partly expressed in statutes such as the Parliament Acts and the various Acts making exceptions to the general rule that secondary legislation requires the approval of both Houses or may be struck down by either House. The relationship between the two Houses and the way in which they exercise their wide powers in relation to each other are largely determined by certain conventions. The remit of the Joint Committee on Conventions of the UK Parliament, appointed in 2006 and chaired by Lord Cunningham of Felling, required it to accept the primacy of the House of Commons. The Joint Committee (\"the Cunningham Committee\") did not offer a definition of \"convention\", believing that it would know one when it saw one.[88]\n\n76. The Cunningham Committee suggested that the Salisbury-Addison Convention be described as the Government Bill Convention, which it formulated thus:\n\nIn the House of Lords:\n\n  • A manifesto Bill is accorded a Second Reading;\n\nThe Cunningham Committee, having noted the difficulties about defining a \"manifesto Bill\", did not recommend any attempt to define one, but expressed the hope \"that it will be as possible to deal pragmatically with any problems which may arise as it has in the past\".[89]\n\n77. The Cunningham Committee agreed that it was a convention that the Lords should consider Government business in reasonable time.[90] But it went on to note that there was no conventional definition of 'reasonable', and concluded \"we do not recommend that one be invented. The Government wants to define 'reasonable' or set a time limit; but in our view there is no problem which would be solved by doing so\".[91]\n\n78. The Cunningham Committee agreed that the exchange of amendments between the Houses was an integral part of the legislative process, carried on within the context of the primacy of the House of Commons and the complementary revising role of the House of Lords, was not a convention, but a framework for political negotiation.[92] The Cunningham Committee called for more rigorous observation of the convention that neither House would in general be asked to consider Amendments without notice.[93]\n\n79. In relation to financial privilege, the Cunningham Committee concluded that \"If the Commons have disagreed to Lords Amendments on grounds of financial privilege, it is contrary to convention for the Lords to send back Amendments in lieu which clearly invite the same response\".[94]\n\n80. On secondary legislation, the Cunningham Committee took the view that opposition parties should not normally use their numbers in the House of Lords to defeat an statutory instrument simply because they disagreed with it, as this would be contrary to the fundamental conventions which govern the relationship between the Houses and would also defeat the purpose of delegating that particular legislative power to Ministers in the first place.[95]\n\n81. The Cunningham Committee agreed unanimously that conventions as such were flexible and unenforceable,[96] and was opposed to legislation or any other form of codification which would turn conventions into rules, remove flexibility, exclude exceptions and inhibit evolution in response to political circumstances.[97] The final recommendation from the Cunningham Committee was that the courts have no role in adjudicating on possible breaches of parliamentary convention.[98]\n\n82. The Cunningham Committee noted that the conventions would be affected by House of Lords Reform. It stated that:\n\n\"Our conclusions apply only to present circumstances. If the Lords acquired an electoral mandate, then in our view their role as the revising chamber, and their relationship with the Commons, would inevitably be called into question, codified or not. Given the weight of evidence on this point, should any firm proposals come forward to change the composition of the House of Lords, the conventions between the Houses would have to be examined again. What could or should be done about this is outside our remit\".[99]\n\nBoth Houses debated the report in January 2007 and took note with approval.[100]\n\n83. Much of the evidence on conventions we received recognised that in greater or lesser degree they would be affected by reform and could be expected to evolve. Thus the Minister acknowledged to us in oral evidence that \"the exact relationship [between the Houses] and the conventions will change over time\".[101] Peter Riddell told us that the current conventions were not sustainable with a predominantly or wholly elected upper House and that he expected there to be a \"bruising interlude\" before the relationship settled down and a new set of conventions developed.[102] Meanwhile Professor Vernon Bogdanor stated that current conventions would have to be revisited if the Lords were to be elected:\n\n\"The conventions regulating the relationship between the Lords and the Commons are unlikely to survive an elected chamber. The third paragraph of the preamble to the 1911 Parliament Act recognises this in suggesting that, for a chamber constituted on a 'popular' basis, new proposals would be needed 'for limiting and defining the powers of the new Second Chamber'. But the government has made no such proposals for limiting and defining powers of its proposed 'new Second Chamber'\".[103]\n\n84. Rt Hon Paul Murphy MP also expected the existing conventions to be called into question: \"the whole situation changes when people are elected to it. You can have all the agreements and conventions in the world, but realpolitik takes over\".[104]\n\n85. Professor Dawn Oliver drew attention to the likelihood of a more assertive Lords, suggesting that the existing Salisbury-Addison convention depended largely on the fact that \"the House of Lords knows jolly well that it does not have democratic legitimacy—that is why it more or less follows the convention—but if the House of Lords knew that it did have democratic legitimacy I do not see why it would feel it necessary to obey the convention\".[105] Drawing on the Australian experience, however, Dr Meg Russell of University College, London told us that in systems with two elected Houses, it was their relative legitimacy which was politically significant:\n\n\"Members of the lower House [in Australia] do their best to argue that the primary House is the more legitimate ... despite the fact that both Chambers are elected. There are a number of things in the Government's proposals that seek to create that kind of situation—the long terms of office, the non-renewability of terms, the renewal in parts and so on—and those aspects of the proposals are very important\".[106]\n\n86. Thus several contributors questioned whether the conventions would unravel if the Lords were to be elected. Unlock Democracy pointed to the Australian Senate which \"demonstrates that it is possible for a directly elected second chamber, even one with more formal powers than the House of Lords, to be constrained by convention\".[107] Dr Alan Renwick also considered that an elected Lords might not necessarily fundamentally question existing arrangements, though he accepted that reform would lead to a more powerful Lords:\n\n\"... the reformed second chamber would have greater democratic legitimacy; but it would still be constrained by the Parliament Acts and probably by some conventional constraints, and the government would still be based in the House of Commons\".[108]\n\n87. The Hansard Society suggested that \"reform of the House of Lords would provide the necessary impetus to undertake such work; codifying the desired conventions between the two Houses would establish a clear and shared understanding of the relationship between the Houses—for example, in relation to the extent of the Lords' delaying powers—and thereby ensure that it is more likely to be respected in the future\".[109] The Council of the Law Society of Scotland and Liam Finn, a Law undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, went further, suggesting that the Salisbury-Addison convention be put on a statutory basis:\n\n\"If the second chamber were to be given a greater degree of democratic legitimacy it would be necessary to review the relationship between the two Houses of Parliament. In particular the Salisbury Convention would require to be revisited. At the very least it should be committed to legislative form\".[110]\n\n88. Several submissions accepted that the conventions would come under strain, but questioned whether they could be codified. Donald Shell stated that conventions could not be codified as this \"would be to impose rigidity on rules which depend for their effectiveness on their flexibility, and their capacity thereby to change and adapt to meet new situations\".[111] Peter Riddell noted that: \"By definition, conventions are unenforceable and only work if there is a shared understanding and acceptance of what they mean\".[112] Lord Howarth of Newport stated: \"you cannot legislate to perpetuate conventions, which are the product of a particular history and dynamic and whose acceptance depends upon their reflecting a particular reality, in this case the relationship between an elected and an unelected House\". This would be especially true for a \"flexible, unwritten constitution\" combined with a \"doctrine of the omni-competence of statute\".[113]\n\n89. By way of meeting this challenge, Damien Welfare, Co-ordinator of the Campaign for a Democratic Upper House proposed the establishment of a political and constitutional framework within which the two Houses would come to parallel Resolutions expressing the terms of conventions agreed upon a by a Joint Committee, which would continue to review the conventions as they evolve and recommend adoptions of new ones.[114] One area he identified for some sensible developments in the conventions was in relation to \"ping-pong\" and exchanges of amendments to Bills.[115]\n\n90. We deal in section 14 below with whether a new understanding between the Houses might be required on taking up constituency cases.\n\n\n\n\n\n15   Cm 8077, page 5 Back\n\n16   Q 33 Back\n\n17   Q 273 Back\n\n18   Q 639 Back\n\n19   Q 494 Back\n\n20   Q 224 Back\n\n21   Damien Welfare and Campaign for a Democratic Upper House (Q 570), Unlock Democracy, Electoral Reform Society, Lord Foulkes of Cumnock, Green Party, Alan Renwick, Fawcett Society Back\n\n22   Q 309. The 2010 British Social Attitudes Survey found of those asked about the Lords: 6 per cent wanted it wholly appointed; 31 per cent mainly/wholly elected; 28 per cent equally elected/appointed; 22 per cent abolished. A January 2012 YouGov poll found that 10 per cent supported a wholly appointed House, 39 per cent a fully elected House and 32 per cent a partially elected one. See: House of Lords Library, Public Attitudes Towards the House of Lords and House of Lords Reform, (March 2012). However, a 2006 Populus poll found that respondents could hold contradictory positions: 75 per cent of respondents believed that the House of Lords should remain a largely appointed chamber and 72 per cent thought at least half the members should be elected. An Ipsos MORI poll conducted in 2007 also showed that respondents prioritised trust in the appointments process, detailed legislative scrutiny, the presence of experts, and making decisions in accordance with public opinion over the presence of elected members. Back\n\n23   Q 222 Back\n\n24   Q 222 Back\n\n25   Archbishops of Canterbury and York. See also Lord Grenfell Back\n\n26   Lord Cormack Back\n\n27   Q 100 Back\n\n28   Cm 8077, page 10 Back\n\n29   HL Paper 17, Session 2002-03, pages 7-13 Back\n\n30   Q 14, Constitution Committee, Meeting with Nick Clegg MP, Deputy Prime Minister, 1 February 2012 Back\n\n31   Q 254 Back\n\n32   David Howarth set out alternative \"functions\" in his chapter \"Addressing the central policy questions\" in \"The End of the Peer Show\", pages 103-8 Back\n\n33   Lord Cormack Back\n\n34   Electoral Reform Society Back\n\n35   Law Society of Scotland Back\n\n36   Dr Meg Russell. See also Q 166 Back\n\n37   Q 2 Back\n\n38   Professor Vernon Bogdanor. See also Q 94 Back\n\n39   Mr Peter Riddell Back\n\n40   Q 439 Back\n\n41   Paul Murphy MP (Q 604), Lord Cormack, Dr Colin Tyler, Conor Burns MP, Thomas Docherty MP Back\n\n42   Q 498 Back\n\n43   Donald Shell Back\n\n44   Dr Alan Renwick (Q 196), David Howarth (QQ 230-31), Damien Welfare (Campaign for a Democratic Upper House), Professors Simon Hix and Iain McLean, Democratic Audit, Unlock Democracy Back\n\n45   Cm 8077, page 11 Back\n\n46   Ibid., page 7 Back\n\n47   Erskine May, 24th edition, page 786 Back\n\n48   Cm 8077, page 11 Back\n\n49   Ibid., page 11 Back\n\n50   Ibid.,page 11 Back\n\n51   Cabinet Office's Guide to Making Legislation, Chapter 9 Back\n\n52   Q 47 Back\n\n53   Erskine May, 24th edition, page 282 Back\n\n54   Q 681 Back\n\n55   See Section 21 below on Parliamentary privilege for further discussion of this issue. Back\n\n56   Q 499 Back\n\n57   Q 696 Back\n\n58   Q 680 Back\n\n59   Q 129 Back\n\n60   Q 153 Back\n\n61   Q 197 (Dr Alan Renwick) Back\n\n62   Q 192 Back\n\n63   Q 229 Back\n\n64   Q 230 Back\n\n65   Dr Alan Renwick Back\n\n66   Q 354 Back\n\n67   Hansard Society  Back\n\n68   Q 289 Back\n\n69   Electoral Reform Society  Back\n\n70   Erskine May, 24th edition, page 181 Back\n\n71   Cm 8077, page 164 Back\n\n72   Donald Shell, Unlock Democracy, Damien Welfare and the Campaign for a Democratic Upper House Back\n\n73   Professors Simon Hix and Iain McLean  Back\n\n74   Electoral Reform Society  Back\n\n75   Vernon Bogdanor Back\n\n76   Lord Peston, Lord Barnett and Baroness Gould of Potternewton Back\n\n77   Lord Howarth of Newport  Back\n\n78   Q 652 Back\n\n79   Penny Mordaunt MP  Back\n\n80   Christopher Hartigan, John F H Smith, Lord Judd, The Bishop of Worcester, Bernard Jenkin MP, Pauline Latham MP, Dr Julian Lewis MP, Richard Douglas, The Muslim Council of Britain, Joseph Corina, Lord Bilston et al, Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Lord Higgins, Conor Burns MP, Thomas Docherty MP Back\n\n81   QQ 116,129 Back\n\n82   Q 178 Back\n\n83   Lord Desai  Back\n\n84   Donald Shell Back\n\n85   Damien Welfare and the Campaign for a Democratic Upper House  Back\n\n86   QQ 623-6 Back\n\n87   Professor Vernon Bogdanor  Back\n\n88   HL Paper 265-I/HC 1212-I of Session 2005-06, paragraph 17 Back\n\n89   Ibid., paragraph 113 Back\n\n90   Ibid., paragraph 153 Back\n\n91   Ibid., paragraph 154  Back\n\n92   Ibid., paragraph 168 Back\n\n93   Ibid., paragraph 169 Back\n\n94   Ibid., paragraph 252. See also Companion to the Standing Order and Guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords, 2010 edition, paragraph 8.182 Back\n\n95   Ibid., paragraph 230 Back\n\n96   Ibid., paragraph 281 Back\n\n97   Ibid., paragraph 284 Back\n\n98   Ibid., paragraph 285 Back\n\n99   Ibid., paragraph 61 Back\n\n100   House of Lords Journal, 2006-07, Vol 240, page 150; House of Commons Journal, 2006-07, Vol 263, page 109 Back\n\n101   Q 8 Back\n\n102   Q 116 Back\n\n103   Professor Vernon Bogdanor Back\n\n104   Q 610 Back\n\n105   Q 143 Back\n\n106   Q 178 Back\n\n107   Unlock Democracy Back\n\n108   Dr Alan Renwick Back\n\n109   Hansard Society Back\n\n110   The Law Society of Scotland, Liam Finn  Back\n\n111   Donald Shell Back\n\n112   Peter Riddell Back\n\n113   Lord Howarth of Newport Back\n\n114   Q 569 Back\n\n115   Q 573 Back\n\nprevious page contents next page\n\n© Parliamentary copyright 2012\nPrepared 23 April 2012", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6535629034042358}
+{"content": "Pension Sharing\nFamily, Matrimonial and Civil Partnerships\n\nby Zoe Minton Partner\n\nRecent research by mutual insurer Royal London indicates that divorcing women lag behind their married counterparts when it comes to pension and property wealth. Royal London is encouraging those going through a divorce to ensure that they properly consider the importance of the pension as an asset and give it the same attention as other significant assets such as the family home.\n\nAt Shentons, we regularly assist our clients on the financial elements of a divorce and frequently this means we advise on pension entitlement.\n\nPensions are regularly the most valuable matrimonial asset after the family home and so it is vital that this asset is properly considered in the course of any divorce. Many clients come to us and advise that they have reached an agreement with their spouse that they will keep their own pensions or that one party has agreed not to make any claim against their spouses’ pension. It is crucial that the client understands the significance of that decision. A younger couple for example, may not consider the importance of that potential income at retirement age or a spouse may not properly consider the exact value to them of the asset they are potentially ignoring.\n\nPensions can be confusing. Many different schemes have different rules and the specific methods for accurately valuing a pension can be very complicated. This may explain why many people are seemingly willing to forgo examining pensions in any great detail, even if that means potential financial loss to them.\n\nIt can be necessary to consider instructing an expert (Actuary) to value the pension. Clients will need to consider what they want to achieve by any potential Pension Sharing Order in the divorce – do they want to have an equal pension fund value with their spouse now or do they want to ensure that each party will have equal income on retirement? An actuary can be instructed to crunch those numbers and advise how best to “share” the pension to achieve that aim. The cost of obtaining the report can be shared between the parties and often they are invaluable to helping the parties consider how best to deal with the pension asset. Our advice remains to consider all assets properly and thoroughly on divorce to help achieve fairness for both parties.\n\nIf you are unsure about a pension in divorce, please contact us for tailored advice.\n\nA Life of Crime\nCriminal Law\n\nby Chloe Jay Partner\n\nHead of the Crime department, Chloe Jay, was asked to write a blog post for the Police and Crime Commissioner website to describe her experiences in criminal defence work.\n\n“I recently had someone say to me that they thought of criminal defence work like ‘drain cleaning’ – a horrible job but someone has to do it! I like to think that I managed to persuade him that actually it was an extremely fulfilling job but he was right about one thing; someone does have to do it.\n\nThe legal system in England and Wales is adversarial in nature; meaning that both prosecution and defence have a lawyer who go head-to-head in court. The idea is that both fight as hard as they can ensuring a fair trial for the defendant and that if they are convicted, the conviction is safe.\n\nIn times of austerity it has become increasingly hard for all parties involved in the criminal process to perform these functions to the best of their ability, but obviously the cost of a mistake for the individuals concerned, can be huge.\n\nThe most common question that people ask is me is how can I defend someone I think is guilty? I always tell them about a real case that I had in Southampton many years ago. A man had been arrested for dealing drugs to an undercover police officer. His DNA had been found on the wrap of drugs and this had led the police to arrest the man at his home address in London. He told me that he had not committed the crime and knew nothing about it. I explained the implications of DNA evidence but he remained adamant.\n\n“It was some time later, whilst he was in prison awaiting trial, that we discovered the DNA samples had been mixed up and he had in fact been telling the truth all along.”\n\nI did not believe he was innocent but I continued to represent him. It was some time later, whilst he was in prison awaiting trial, that we discovered the DNA samples had been mixed up and he had in fact been telling the truth all along. It has stuck with me throughout my career as an example of how irrelevant my personal belief can be.\n\nA week in the life of criminal defence\n\nAn average week in this job can have you reviewing the evidence for a robbery trial at the Crown Court, representing someone pleading guilty to drink driving, applying for bail in a drugs case, etc. This job brings you into contact with all walks of life and hearing about some people’s backgrounds can be a truly humbling experience. Not all the excitement takes place in court though, preparing someone’s defence frequently leads us to performing our own investigation in an attempt to challenge the prosecution case. This can be instructing our own forensic expert to consider a blood pattern, using a private detective to trace a witness and visiting scenes of crime. Reconstructing what took place can often prove vital in establishing someone’s innocence before a Court.\n\nLocal criminal justice board\n\nI meet with the Local Criminal Justice Board quarterly to share ideas and issues. Being part of the LCJB has given me a greater understanding of the departments and agencies that we work with every day and the importance of each of our roles in achieving justice for victims and defendants alike. With the huge impacts of austerity on the justice system, our work on the Board to improve efficiencies, coordinate efforts and understand the pressures that we must withstand, could not be more important.”\n\nIf you need advice on any criminal case contact our team of specialist lawyers.\n\nJob interviews and risks of asking off-the-cuff questions\nCompany & Commercial\n\nQuestions asked of job applicants should be carefully considered in advance and formulated with the benefit of legal advice.\n\n\nThe man was one of 13 people who had applied for the local authority post and was considered one of the two strongest candidates. Whilst two members of the interview panel asked candidates the same set of questions, the third member was free to ask questions that seemed relevant to her, perhaps picking up on an earlier answer and asking for further information about that.\n\n\nIn upholding his claim, the ET accepted his account of the interview and that he had felt his chances of appointment were good until the atmosphere of the interview was changed by the panel member's age-related comments. The local authority had not been able to prove that his rejection had nothing to do with his age, leading to the ET's conclusion that his advancing years had certainly been a factor.\n\nThe ET's ruling opened the way for the man to seek compensation. however, in the light of its decision, he reached a settlement with the local authority.\n\nCourt visit required to give clarity to will\nWills & Probate\n\nWhen a will is drafted with the intention that the distribution of assets will change in the event of changing circumstances, it is essential that the relevant clauses are absolutely clear in order to prevent confusion, as a recent case shows.\n\nThe ambiguous wording of a will led to an executor having to attend court to get a decision on whether the estate of a woman who died in 1973 that had since been held in trust would pass to the daughter of her best friend or to the beneficiaries of her own son, who died without children in 2014.\n\nIn order to make sure your estate passes to your intended beneficiaries, it is advisable to have your will properly drafted by a solicitor, rather than by an unqualified will writer. It is not widely known that will-writing is not a regulated activity, and failing to take high-quality professional advice can be a crucial mistake.\n\nStaff News\n\nWe are delighted to welcome Patrick Hunter to the firm who brings with him a wealth of experience in property, probate and commercial law. Patrick excels at untangling complex cases, which may span across different areas of law. He patiently unpicks what has happened, how all the different elements of the law are coming into play, and deciphers a way forward; giving his clients clear updates and options at each stage. Before law he worked as an Archaeologist for almost 15 years. The Police still send him bones for him to examine and compile a report for the Coroner.. we may need him in the Crime department as well!.\n\nOur Katie Rowles has qualified as a FCILEX Legal Executive! Katie is a much-loved colleague at Shentons who has worked tirelessly to achieve this qualification. She joined Shentons around 6 years ago and it was apparent immediately what a star we had in our midst, we have been delighted to support her career within the Probate and Trusts team. Elisabeth Pollard, Partner, said “Not only has she taken on the exams over a period of years, but she spent last year pulling together an extensive portfolio of work to submit to the CILEX to demonstration both her knowledge and skills competences.”\n\nWell done Katie.\n\nChange in divorce law expected after court ruling\nFamily, Matrimonial and Civil Partnerships\n\nThe Supreme Court judges' decision to prevent a wife from divorcing her husband, which was made 'without enthusiasm', has led to proposals to introduce 'no fault' divorce.\n\nThe case arose after a wife's application for a divorce was opposed by her husband on the basis that the marriage had not irretrievably broken down. Such challenges are extremely rare. Under the law, there is an automatic right to a divorce only in a limited number of circumstances. These are:\n\n\n\n\n    The appeal to the Supreme Court dealt in essence not with the husband's behaviour as such, but the effect it had on his wife. Under no fault divorce the need to show evidence of unreasonable behaviour would be removed.\n\n    Our experts in family law are experienced in dealing with all aspects, contentious or not, of family breakdown.\n\n    Council must repay family for care home overcharge\n    Company & Commercial\n\n    When a care home agreed a weekly rate of £450 for residential care for an elderly person but the local council assessed the charge at £750 per week, the family of the care home resident complained to the Local Government Ombudsman. The result was that the council was ordered to repay more than £14,000 that had been overcharged, plus interest of £200.\n\n    If you have been treated unfairly by a government body, contact us for advice.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6903977394104004}
+{"content": "Privacy Policy\n\nWho we are\n\nOur website address is:\n\nWhat personal data we collect and why we collect it\n\nContact forms\n\nWe collect the information you supply for the sole purpose of responding to your query. We will retain the information only in order to provide an effective service to you.  Styluswriter will never add your name to any marketing lists or campaigns unless you specifically request us to do so. The information you provide will never be sold or provided to 3rd parties except in accordance with the legal requirements of government agencies.\n\n\nEmbedded content from other websites\n\n\n\n\nThis site uses cookies from Google analytics. These are small text files that are placed on your machine to provide anonymised tracking data to Google Analytics. This is to help Styluswriter understand user preferences and to create better products and services.\n\n\n\nWhat rights you have over your data\n\nIf you have added your name and details to our contact or email newsletter list, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us.\n\n\n\nWhere we send your data\n\nVisitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.\n\nAdditional information\n\nHow we protect your data", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9760612845420837}
+{"content": "Total water withdrawals (G4-EN8-a)\n\nHow much water did the company withdraw (in cubic metres)?\nDesigned By\nMetric Type\nValue Type\ncubic metres\nResearch Policy\nCommunity Assessed\nReport Type\nCorporate Social Responsibility Report\n\n\nThis metric is based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Guidelines. It covers one of the reporting requirements of Indicator G4-EN8 – 'Total water withdrawal by source'. This metric is for recording the total volume of water used from all sources by the company. Additional sources the indicator specifies that companies should disclose include Surface water (including water from wetlands, rivers, lakes, and oceans), Ground water, Rainwater collected directly and stored by the organization, Waste water from another organization, Municipal water supplies or other water utilities. \n\n​Reporting the total volume of water withdrawn by source contributes to an understanding of the overall scale of potential impacts and risks associated with the organization’s water use. The total volume withdrawn provides an indication of the organization’s relative size and importance as a user of water, and provides a baseline figure for other calculations relating to efficiency and use.\n\nThe systematic effort to monitor and improve the efficient use of water in the organization is directly linked to water consumption costs. Total water use can also indicate the level of risk posed by disruptions to water supplies or increases in the cost of water. Clean freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce, and can impact production processes that rely on large volumes of water. In regions where water sources are highly restricted, the organization’s water consumption patterns can also influence relations with other stakeholders.\n\n\nThis metric is looking for the total amount of water withdrawn by the company in cubic metres:\n\nFor WikiRate researchers:\n\n\n\n  • Use G4 codes, G3 codes or keywords to quickly find values, keeping in mind that some companies report on the metric using different terms, e.g. G4-EN8 or EN8, water withdraw\n\n\n\n\n\nGlobal Reporting Initiative compliance guidance for companies:\n\nTo calculate Total Water Withdrawls - G4-EN8-a:\n\n  • ​Identify the total volume of water withdrawn from any water source. This includes the abstraction of cooling water. Identify whether these calculations are estimated, modelled or sourced from direct measurements. If estimation or modelling is required, identify the methods used in the comments section.\n\n  • If a company reports separately for different types of sources, add them together to find the total volume used and enter this as the metric value.\n\nThis Indicator may include water that was either withdrawn directly by the organization or through intermediaries such as water utilities.\n\nMetric Page", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9869574904441833}
+{"content": "Concerns for student safety over 'unsafe' drinking fountain\n\nThe water fountain appeared to be leaking, less than a meter away from a plug socket.\n\nHealth and safety concerns have been raised at a college after a drinking fountain was deemed 'unsafe' by a student.\n\nA student at Chichester College, who wishes to remain anonymous, said they raised concerns about the safety of the water fountain.\n\nA picture sent to the Observer by the student, shows a puddle on the floor by the fountain, less than a metre away from a plug socket.\n\nREAD MORE: Plans for late night venue in Chichester 'a long time coming'\n\nThe college responded to the allegations and said the water fountain has since been disconnected.\n\nThe part-time student, who is in their late thirties, said they knew it was unsafe but that younger students but not be so aware.\n\nThey said: \"This water fountain always has a puddle of water around it — this stuff isn't right and you can't just say it's okay because it isn't.\"\n\nREAD MORE: What happened to the number 50 Graylingwell bus?\n\nThe student continued: \"I have concerns for myself and for other students. I just think 'you have all these staff, come on can you just spend 130 quid on a decent water machine.'\n\n\"I'm always told it will be done, and then nothing.\"\n\nA Chichester College spokesman said: “The health and safety of all our students and staff is taken extremely seriously and we have a robust process in place to report and address any issues.\n\nREAD MORE: Michelin-starred chef announced for Goodwood Festival\n\n\"We are aware of the concern raised regarding the water fountain in one of our blocks and this had been reported to our estates team.\n\n\"The water has been disconnected and we are assessing what action is required to address the issue that has been raised.\n\n\"All of our water fountains are regularly serviced and maintained by our supplier.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9387223124504089}
+{"content": "40 Nations from 5 Continents have already secured Olympic places\n\n40 nations from Africa, The Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania have already secured their participation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, with 113 out of 300 individual Quota Places allocated so far.\n\nA total of 62 Quotas were awarded in 2018, 48 of which were won at the World Championship in Changwon Korea, and 14 at the American Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico.  A further 47 places were awarded in 2019 at the ISSF World Cups in New-Delhi (14), Acapulco (8), Al-Ain (8) and Beijing (17).\n\nThe continental league table is headed by Europe which has 21 countries having won Olympic Quota places. Asia has 8 countries, The Americas 7, Oceania 2 and Africa 1.\n\nChina leads the list of the most successful nations with 15 individual quota places, followed by the USA with 13, Russia with 7 and India with 5. In addition, in the Mixed Team events, Russia has won 6 Quota Places and China 4.\n\nThe next ISSF World Cups are to be held in Changwon (8 Quota Places in Shotgun are available) and in Munich (17 Quota Places in Rifle/Pistol events). There are 358 athletes from 57 nations expected to take part at the World Cup in Changwon and more than 1300 starts of athletes from 95 countries have already been registered for the World Cup in Munich.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5449344515800476}
+{"content": "\nMariah Loftin\n\nDecember 31st, 2018\n\n“How Will Wilderness Therapy Benefit Me?”\n\nMariah Loftin, MA, LPC | Clinical Therapist | Young Adults\n\n\nQ: What’s the point of being in the wilderness? Why not just see a home therapist?\n\nA: One of the reasons I chose to be a wilderness therapist is because the wilderness setting offers so many unique growth opportunities and constant support that just isn’t found in a traditional office setting. Instead of returning after a session to the same ruts, patterns, social pressures, and/or addictions in your life, you are immersed in a supportive and healthy environment in wilderness, which leads to lasting change.\n\nWhile outpatient therapy is conceptual, wilderness therapy is experiential. For example, let’s say you struggle with anxiety. Rather than practicing a skill while imagining a time you were anxious, we are able to practice those skills together in real time. Whether hiking, leading a group, or learning to make fire, when anxiety comes up, we work on it then and there. By practicing coping skills when an issue is present, these skills become healthy habits. In wilderness, there are far more opportunities to repeat those healthy habits, which means you are developing skills you can take with you following Open Sky. This is part of what makes wilderness therapy the most effective treatment I’ve seen.\n\nWilderness therapy also provides the highest level of emotional safety that I’ve seen. It is a place people can come to heal and grow. You learn how to be aware of your emotions and talk about what you are feeling. You learn to allow others to support you and how to support others. We teach communication skills that support you learning how to talk about hard things with others. These communication skills will also support healthy change in your family and personal relationships at home. What I’ve found is that when you feel connected and supported in a group, this can help you work through anxiety and practice different ways of changing and growing. It can even alleviate depression.\n\nDuring your time at Open Sky, it is essential that you and I collaborate on the goals you want to reach. Treatment is individualized to each student so that you receive the support you need. There is no cookie-cutter way of going through Open Sky. I can support you in group settings and one-on-one; through writing, reading, or forms of art; by learning tangible skills you can take home with you; by developing confidence through hiking and mastering hard skills; and by becoming a mentor and leader for peers. Though the rhythm of each day is different depending on individual and group needs, therapy is woven into every aspect of your experience. The therapy is happening all the time, not just while in one-on-one sessions. There are so many opportunities to practice new skills, which is what ultimately results in change. And you don’t go through this alone. You have all the support you need from therapists, field guides, and peers.\n\nQ: What are some creative ways that you work with students in wilderness therapy?\n\nA: I am an artist. I value creativity. I love to weave this passion into my work with you if it is effective and beneficial for your individual needs. I get excited when my students get excited about their own change, which often occurs by exploring nontraditional/creative forms of therapy. That may be listening to podcasts, writing or performing music or drama, reading a book, drawing, sculpting, and more. It’s all about inspiring people to become invested in themselves and their personal healing. Creativity can encourage someone to take risks within a supportive community, develop confidence, and see their struggles and achievements in a new light.\n\nQ: What types of therapeutic groups do you lead?\n\nA: I love spending time with my group. Sometimes we will start a group off with a podcast, listen to music, or answer a deeper question about the week. I want to encourage my students to look at the ways they can be empowered to change their lives. An example of this is examining how our behaviors have or haven’t lined up with our values. We start off by exploring the negative beliefs we have about ourselves that drive negative emotions. How do these emotions produce behaviors that don’t line up with our values? We support each other in developing ways to interrupt that negative belief cycle. We then reinforce positive beliefs that produce positive emotions and therefore behaviors that do align with one’s values.\n\nQ: How is my family involved?\n\nA: Often, a goal is working on your relationship and communication with your family. Our work at Open Sky does not only have to be about your own growth; it can also be about the growth of your whole family. I support you and your parents communicating through letters, phone calls, and face-to-face. By practicing new skills together, your family can begin to grow and repair your relationships. Our Family Services Team offers other helpful services to families like Parent Coaching, Wellness Weekends, Parent Support Group Calls, Family QuestsTM, and more. Our goal is to support parents in learning the skills and putting in their own work in a process parallel to yours.\n\nQ: The wilderness is far away and unfamiliar to me. How can this be the right setting for me?\n\nA: By taking good care of yourself, in whatever context, you are supporting your own growth. And yes, this looks different in the wilderness than it does at home. We teach you wilderness skills to stay warm, dry, and hydrated. Myself, the field staff, and your peers provide constant support in all of this. Each time you take a step to care for yourself in these basic and more complex ways, you are developing self-reliance, which helps you prepare to reach your goals.\n\nAn inherent aspect of wilderness therapy is task completion. Building shelters, journaling, packing backpacks, cooking, practicing mindfulness, completing therapeutic assignments, and bow-drilling fires all support you feeling better because you are “taking care of business” (developing healthy habits). Research shows that through completing tasks, we start to feel accomplished and confident. We develop a sense of mastery, which in and of itself helps people feel better. There are endless ways to experience this in wilderness, especially if it is initially an unfamiliar environment!\n\nWe never expect anyone to be self-sufficient and know everything about living in the wilderness from the start. When students first arrive, they are mentored by peers and guides. You can read in the Student Pathway (a helpful resource you are given upon arrival) about skills such as carving a spoon and layering to stay warm, but most importantly, you learn through observation, teamwork, and practice. You are capable of thriving in the wilderness. As you develop skills and progress in your work, you become a senior student and step into a mentorship role for others—another huge step in your growth.\n\nAnd finally, the wilderness is a great environment to make real, lasting change because of its inherent simplicity, lack of distractions, and peace. You don’t have the pressures of social media, demanding schedules, or harmful relationships. You are able to focus solely on healing within a supportive environment. You will be amazed at the beauty you witness and the intricate ways that nature unfolds throughout the weeks you are here. I am always struck by what we can learn about ourselves and the world just by observing the constellations and their movements in the sky and experiencing the change of seasons in its purest form.\n\n\nMariah Loftin\n\nDecember 31st, 2018\n\nMariah Loftin, MA, LPC | Clinical Therapist | Young Adults", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9916258454322815}
+{"content": "Understanding Genetics\n\nAll human traits and personality characteristics, from our height to our fear of heights, are driven by a complex interplay between the expression of our genes and the feedback from our environment. We now know that the lion's share of human genes are expressed in the brain and that almost all normal and disordered behaviors are polygenic, meaning that they are each influenced by a large number of genes. Scientists are therefore tasked with a massive but increasingly plausible mission: mapping the pathway from our genes to the person we see in the mirror. What they learn about the influence of genes has implications for understanding mental illness and psychological differences between individuals, as well as the role that non-genetic factors play in shaping them.\n\nOur Genes, Our Environment, and Us\n\nGenes and experiences both help to define who an individual is: one’s personality traits, intelligence, propensity to struggle with a mental illness, and other psychological qualities, in addition to all of the physical ones. But what scientists have learned about how these influences play out can clash with common wisdom. A trait that appears to result from a child’s upbringing may actually be largely a product of the genes she inherited from her parents, who share those genes with her. In fact, research investigating the influence of the family environment has found that, generally speaking, it accounts for a surprisingly little amount of the differences between people on the characteristics that scientists measure.\n\n\nChild Development, Identity\n\nEssential Reads\n\nRecent Posts", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9959284663200378}
+{"content": "Germany’s Riedel Creates Zurich IP Engineering Hub\n\n\nA Swiss engineering pioneer has just been taken over by a Wuppertal, Germany-based company known for its design, manufacture, and distribution of real-time video, audio, data, and communications networks for broadcast, pro audio, event, sports, theater, and security applications.\n\nThe company now owned by Riedel is Archwave, and the new partnership will create a research and development (R&D) hub in Zurich.\n\nAt the same time, it is designed to increase Riedel’s global engineering team to more than 100 engineers while expanding its R&D capabilities for IP and standards such as AES67, which will further boost interoperability in the broadcast world.\n\nArchwave is an audio-networking and streaming specialist that Riedel says “vigorously promotes open standards for the interconnection of audio and video equipment in professional environments.”\n\n\nAs part of this agreement, Riedel will also acquire Cymatic Audio, an audio specialist within the music industry. This move allows Riedel “to enter new markets and get closer to musicians, who already rely on Riedel technology in the background.”\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6647825837135315}
+{"content": "Thread Caravan hierve el agua group.jpg\n\nOne of Thread Caravan’s founding pillars is inclusivity. In order to make our workshops and this cultural knowledge more accessible to a larger community, Thread Caravan offers discounts to students who meet one or more of the following criteria:\n\n  • teacher or teaching artist, who will share knowledge from trip with students upon return home\n\n  • student studying in field related to the workshop\n\n  • POC\n\n  • if you are your ancestors are from one of the countries where our workshops take place\n\nInclusivity discounts will be awarded in amounts of $500 and limited to 1-2 guests per workshop.\n\nIf you would like to apply for a discount via our inclusivity program, please contact us, and be sure to include why you are an appropriate fit for the scholarship.\n\nIf you would like to donate to our inclusivity program, you may do so here.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7120413780212402}
+{"content": "TAP 350 - Comparison Anxiety\n\n\nIn this episode I discuss how we’re often comparing ourselves with others, and how this can sometimes show up as jealousy. I discuss why this happens and what you can do about it.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
+{"content": "Returning to Trani early in January on a storm-clouded but pleasant winter day we took the opportunity to divert to visit Castel del Monte.\n\nFrom your first view of the pale limestone edifice coming up the road from 10 km away towards the ‘massive’ atop the low mountain, Castel del Monte is there to be seen. It is a lighthouse for wanderers, crusaders, and even sailors out to sea 20 km away, for seekers and searchers. As we get closer the octagonal architecture of the ‘castle’ and the pale limestone construction become apparent and it is obvious that Frederick II had this constructed as a mathematical exercise. We read that the golden ratio is a basis for the construction.\n\nWalking around the castle exposes the eight octagonal towers connecting the central octagon. Entering the edifice the geometry is overpowering, an octagonal courtyard, pentagonal rooms. The only splash of colour is on the window and door frames produced in ‘breccia corallina’, a composite of magenta red corallite and limestone cement. Why use this erodible material, what other purpose did it fulfil? This is not a hunting lodge. This is not a Turkish Bath or a defensive castle. There are no elements to support those theories.\n\nIt seems that this castle was designed by Frederick II and his sages for an esoteric purpose (possibly related to the crusades), and with his death just one year after its completion, its design role in his kingdom may never have been fulfilled. It seems that similar errors of assumption were made by Evans with his attribution of the Mycenaean mausoleum of Knossos in Crete to be a palace of the kings – which in effect it was, but not one for the king’s lifetime.\n\nIn Castel del Monte, it is the ‘water’ troughs at (medieval man) waist height around each room and the dam-like steps between each pentagonal room that are so convincing that this is a building for meditation or esoteric/religious ceremony not war. The ultimate purpose of the transition from room to room may not be known unless historians can decipher the mission for his life that Frederick assumed after the 4th crusade. Whatever else its purpose seems to have been translation and transformation.\n\nAbout a half hour drive away we reconnect with Frederick II in the castle of Trani, nestled at the shore of the Adriatic Sea. This castle of Trani has been transformed several times over the nearly 800 years since its commencement in 1230, and it was not a regular haunt of Frederick but of his favourite (illegitimate) son Manfred.\n\nFrederick was a wandering king, over all of Apulia and south through Sicily to his now final resting place in the cathedral of Palermo where he cohabited with a young woman for the past 765 years. Why he travelled so continuously, whether it was in pursuit of or to escape his many ladies, or in search of the miraculous, we have to ask him in our dreams. His life, though, had many condensations in stone – castles, and Trani is one of the most continually useful. At this time it holds a wonderful exhibition of Archimedean history, mathematics and physics, sufficient to enthral and challenge all old enough to read and not too old to forget.\n\nJust a few minutes across the piazza along the sea wall stands the Cathedral of Trani. It is a curious yet magnificent construction, a transformation of the need to have a cathedral to compete with other religions in the locality? Why else do we find the cathedral of Trani dedicated to a Greek pilgrim who just happened to expire in Trani? So keen were the local populace and the Vatican for a grand site of worship that the structure was consecrated before being completed. The style is of a basilica and is bereft of any stained glass windows, or in effect of any decoration but an occasional icon and relic, plus a pair of magnificent bronze doors preserved to the side of the basilica.\n\nThis cathedral emanates peace, it does not express any conflict, its wooden beams and roof stand high above the worshippers. Visitors all appear to be affected by the quiet grace of the building.\n\nAlso in the piazza, across towards the old city from the entrance to the cathedral is the Museum of Trani, a Diocesan and Synagogic museum transformed and expanded by a ‘private counsellor’ of the city, Natale Pagano. This Trani native, a man of great enthusiasm and energy, contrived a transformation to add the history of typewriters donated from his private collection to SECA Foundation.\n\nFor us, the history of the typewriter is the story of transformation, not just of the evolution of the mechanically marvellous typewriter to the electronic keyboard, but of the transformation role of the typewriter in transmission of knowledge and stories.\n\nAs I wandered around admiring the hundreds of typewriters and typing devices, I was drawn to consider the role of these devices as transforms of the voice, of stenographers notes and of the written word. Devices of enormous complexity, first realised by Sholes in 1873 in USA, typewriters have revolutionised communication as much as Marconi did with telecommunications, and as much as the automobile has for transport.\n\nThe typed word, sentence, paragraph and story – outcome of digitisation of keys by hand, seem so much more than a Fourier transform of sound. Consequently, I was amused to find a keyboard with a wooden box where the keys represented notes and a tune could be composed from words of a sentence. The song of communication can be found in Trani.\n\nEach time we visit Trani we find more places of wonder among the pale limestone blocks, sites and collections celebtrating transformation and renaissance. Yet it maintains images of the past. The story of its fishermen in maintaining its history as an Adriatic city is still to come.\n\nGavin Tulloch\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5052781701087952}
+{"content": "Retaining Walls and Steps\n\nWalls or steps can be used to accent your garden or allow you to reach a space that is not accessible. Using walls and or steps allows your garden to take on its true shape. Finding your garden's shape is a key to creating a spectacular landscape.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7261967658996582}
+{"content": "Mountain Climbers\n\nDescription :\n\nTry doing this beneficial physical activity to strengthen your core muscles. Do this exercise regulary to stay healthy.\n\nThis exercise is an all-package one which increases your heart rate, accelerates metabolism, helps build greater leg strength, develops core strength, and improves agility! Definitely, this is going to burn a lot of calories.\n\nSteps :\n\n1. Assume a press up position so your hands are directly under your chest at shoulder-width apart with straight arms.\n\n2. Also, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Then, lift your right foot off the floor and slowly raise your knee as close to your chest as you can.\n\n3. After that, simply return to the starting position and repeat with your left leg. Continue alternating on both legs for the desired number of repetitions or time.\n\n\n\n\nTarget Muscles\n\n\n\nBody only", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9914178252220154}
+{"content": "Belarus softens line in child row\n\n(ANSA) - Minsk, October 2 - An Italian couple who concealed a Belarussian orphan girl in a bid to prevent her being sent back home might still be able to adopt her, Belarus said on Monday .\n\nCommenting on a case which has been in the media spotlight for almost a month, Belarussian Education Minister Aleksandr Radkov told reporters here that \"we do not rule out the possibility that this family can adopt Vika (the child)\" .\n\nVika Moroz, who is 10 years old, was secreted away to a convent in northern Italy by her foster parents Maria and Alessandro Giusto after she told them she had been sexually abused by other children at her orphanage in Belarus .\n\nThe couple from Cogoleto near Genoa, who have looked after Maria for the past four summers, defied threats of arrest in their determination to prevent Moroz being sent back .\n\nAfter a three-week search, police found her last Wednesday at the convent in Saint Oyen near the Swiss border in the company of her foster grandparents .\n\nShe was flown back to Belarus on Friday .\n\nThe Giustos and their parents now face kidnapping charges .\n\nThe case strained relations between Italy and Belarus and risked jeopardising the annual temporary adoption programme of which Moroz was part .\n\nEvery winter and summer, thousands of Belarussian children travel to Italy to stay with temporary foster parents in a programme which was first launched after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in neighbouring Ukraine .\n\nBelarus suspended the programme, which many of the Italian parents hope will eventually lead to permanent adoption, until Moroz's case was resolved .\n\nRadkov said on Monday that the programme would resume and that international adoptions would continue .\n\nHe stressed that the Giustos would have to follow proper legal procedures in their request to adopt Moroz .\n\n\"If we receive a request, then we will examine it in accordance with the law,\" he said .\n\n\"Belarussians are happy that Vika has returned,\" he added .\n\nBelarus recently began restricting adoptions by foreign couples. In 2005, two foreign adoptions took place compared to about 600 in 2004 .\n\nMeanwhile, Radkov said Moroz was well and receiving psychological assistance at a \"rehabilitation centre\" .\n\nBut he said that once the treatment was finished, she would be sent back to her old orphanage .\n\nRadkov said two Italian doctors who had accompanied Moroz back to Belarus would be allowed to assess the conditions inside local orphanages .\n\n\"They will be able to see for themselves that the children are offered decent living conditions,\" he said .\n\nOn Sunday, the head of Moroz's orphanage, Nikolai Volchkov, accused the Giustos of \"lying\" about the alleged abuse .\n\nHe claimed that the Giustos had had \"plenty of opportunities\" to adopt Moroz but had failed to file a request to do so .\n\nAfter Moroz was taken away, the Giustos said they were \"desperate\" .\n\n\"We are desperate and exhausted... Please have pity on Vika, who has suffered from the day she was born,\" they said .\n\n\"She has been subjected to terrible violence in her home country and has threatened to kill herself if she goes back,\" they said .\n\n\nThe parents, who held a demonstration in front of government offices in Rome on Wednesday, said the Giustos' actions had threatened to sink the scheme .\n\n\n\"The Giustos have behaved selfishly, not generously .\n\nThey didn't take into account the serious consequences of their actions, which have damaged not only Vika but lots of other children, many of them orphans with major health problems,\" the association representing the families said", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.745722770690918}
+{"content": "Intensity Modulated Continuous Wave Laser Absorption Spectroscopy for Addressing Currently Unmet Carbon Monitoring Needs\n\n- Indicates paper has been withdrawn from meeting\n- Indicates an Award Winner\nThursday, 8 January 2015: 3:45 PM\nJeremy T. Dobler, Exelis, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN; and N. Blume, M. Braun, T. S. Zaccheo, C. Botos, and T. Pernini\n\nExelis has been developing a technique for monitoring CO2 and CH4 using high reliability telecom components and an Intensity Modulated Continuous Wave (IM-CW) implementation over the past decade. This measurement approach has been deployed in an airborne demonstration unit for evaluation by NASA Langley Research Center, and has demonstrated the ability to measure CO2 concentrations to 0.67 ppm and standard deviations of <1.7 ppm. This initial development has recently been the subject of new development and activities related to applications for this technology in areas of interest with unmet measurement needs for CO2 and CH4, such as volcanos, carbon sequestration sites, and urban areas. We will present a detailed description of the IM-CW approach, along with a review of recent instrument development activities for a ground based carbon sequestration monitoring system and the evaluation of that system at the Zero Emissions Research and Technology site in Bozeman, Montana. We will also discuss the extension of the concept to a geostationary orbit-to-ground measurement, and the adaption of the current work, focused on CO2, to CH4. The laser-based technique, developed by Exelis, uses an intensity modulated continuous wave (IM-CW) approach, which allows multiple narrow-linewidth, fixed-wavelength, laser beams to be transmitted and received simultaneously. The approach uses a digital lock-in, or matched filter, method to provide a high precision measurement even in the presence of a large background signal. This method also allows for simultaneous transmission and reception of multiple narrow-linewidth lasers to probe specific atmospheric gas absorption features. The approach has been validated by NASA Langley Research Center for high accuracy and high precision measurements of CO2 from an airborne platform, as compared to a high accuracy onboard in situ instrument, traceable to World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards, since 2004. The carbon sequestration application instrument, Greenhouse gas Laser Imaging Tomography Experiment (GreenLITE), uses two laser-based transceivers and a series of retro-reflectors to measure the differential transmission over a number of overlapping chords, forming a plane above the surface. A cloud-based software system, developed by our teammates at AER, utilizes the measured differential transmissions of the overlapping chords, along with auxiliary data (T, P, RH, wind speed and direction) to retrieve the average dry air mixing ratio along each chord and to combine the multiple chords to derive and estimate of the 2D spatial distribution of the gas being monitored, and displays the retrieved data via a real-time web based service. GreenLITE is being developed under a cooperative agreement between Exelis and the National Energy and Technology Laboratory (NETL) under the Department of Energy (DOE), contract # DE-FE0012574. Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc. is a major partner in this development A geostationary orbit-to-ground measurement concept has also been developed, which is called the Laser Absorption Transmitter and Receiver-Network (LAnTeRN). This concept utilizes the increased energy that can be captured in a one way bistatic measurement approach, relative to the typical backscattered radiation used for both passive and active measurements from aircraft and space. The increased signal to noise and the continued measurement along the same path enables long term averaging and temporal resolution not available from other current or planned measurement approaches. The fixed path also enables detailed validation of the measurement using other ground and airborne methods (e.g. NASA's TCCON, NOAA's Aircore, etc.) with the potential to determine bias to the levels required for separating anthropogenic and biogenic sources and sinks, that is very difficult to achieve with current airborne and LEO based space measurements.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8789392709732056}
+{"content": "Our second annual Boucherie at Vintage Heart Farms was a huge success.  From the rustic farm décor to the amazing food- it was a day to remember!\n\nWe started work the day before with the task of transporting and building an outdoor kitchen at Vintage Heart Farm. The main focus of this event is for the chefs to cook the entire pig using all outdoor cooking techniques. It is as much of a learning experience for some of the chefs as it is for the guests. An oven was built out of cinderblocks, used pallets, and tin roofing (which baked some of the best bread pudding we have ever had!).  The chefs continued to work (and drink) throughout the night to prepare for Sunday’s dinner.\n\nAt 5:00am Sunday morning the two pigs were slaughtered and broken down into parts that were then distributed to the awaiting chefs to begin work preparing their dishes. This was probably the most intense part of the day because the chefs had very little sleep and only had a few hours to have brunch on the table at 11:00am and they also needed to get the food started for the supper at 3:00pm.\n\nGuests started arriving around 11:00am and were encouraged to grab a Mezcalmary and mingle with the chefs. It was a chance for them to not only see food being cooked in a way very different from a restaurant setting, but also to interact with the chefs while they were working. Guests saw demonstrations of red and white boudin being made as well as sauce picante, dirty rice, and antecuchos among other things. It was an absolutely gorgeous day with a beautiful setting.  Many of our guests sat under the majestic live oak tree in the center of the property and just enjoyed being outside on such a picturesque day.\n\nPrior to dinner being served, Ashley and Roger Flores of Vintage Heart Farm talked about the history of their farm. Literally everything on the farm was built by them- from the house, to the barn, to the cute pie food truck. While they were talking, the chefs began putting out numerous dishes that had been cooking all day.  By the time the guests got to the table there was very little room because every single surface was covered in some kind of delicious pork dish. By the time we got to dessert we thought everyone would be stuffed so we handed out disposable bowls and forks for guests to take their dessert to go. We had bread pudding (made by John Russ of Luke) and cherry pie (made by Ashley of Vintage Heart Farm) and somehow everyone was able to rally and eat every single bite of dessert that was put on the table and the to-go packaging wasn’t even needed!\n\nThis was such a perfect end to an amazing day. We are really looking forward to our boucherie next year, so stay tuned for more information!\n\nHere are some pictures of the event.  For additional photos, visit our Facebook page. \n\n11007734_724400144339942_6748305871403179511_n 11002594_724398191006804_3076866164068474650_n 11000592_724400541006569_4992568795695353144_n 10999110_724400391006584_7530300499668956749_n 10995748_724402687673021_960913839678400292_n 10993089_724405777672712_6816509697815512673_n 10988285_724401637673126_7226706195511523752_n 10985595_724404947672795_6539708523580836636_n 10980765_724400411006582_7251067478678765182_n 10980726_724400441006579_4287530842906769585_n 10978609_724400121006611_6316777395024938378_n 10956825_724400124339944_8021519636910602265_n 10917366_724405247672765_7375847509425270526_n 10917271_724404907672799_1308869057187055081_n 10898147_724405714339385_5920247859740797707_n 10649984_724402487673041_5422456165365406496_n 10477259_724402457673044_231291650053499260_n 10462904_724403564339600_8087301718432474628_n 10460550_724402571006366_3087150632513103446_n 10431552_724404007672889_6365450769429133851_n 10409700_724403251006298_1998922776802902373_n 10408883_724402397673050_1628641360869375529_n 10402435_724402204339736_8308102992195098214_n 10394520_724405184339438_3101845439575161254_n 10360840_724400377673252_7833491217535950791_n 10001484_724405527672737_5017415471431053051_n 1526787_724404911006132_7389453401899717018_n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9958593845367432}
+{"content": "This question already has an answer here:\n\nI noticed that there were icons in the programming language tags like and .\n\nWhat can I do to add one for ?\n\nmarked as duplicate by Deduplicator, John Conde, HaveNoDisplayName, Pang, Anthon Jun 2 '15 at 3:11\n\n\n\n\n\nNot the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9989327192306519}
+{"content": "What’s all this fuss about the Tourism Industry?\n\nOne of the most influential and revenue-generating industries of the 21st century, the tourism industry has more to offer than just a holiday. With increasing globalization and merging economies, this industry is projected to continue expanding significantly. This expansion will be such, that every economy is trying to connect their strategic development and economic goals with the appeal of a touristic hotspot. These touristic hotspots prove to be very valuable in the development of international trade and commerce, in many ways.\nIt cannot be denied that many, if not all, nations have only benefitted by the development of their tourism industry. It has lucrative advantages like the generation of revenue for locals, increased inflow of foreign exchange, infrastructural and commercial developments, global exposure for the local populace, and of course, better-developed trade and stronger economies. It also helps in creating better partnerships between countries.\n\nTourism, as earlier mentioned, is not just holidaying or vacationing. It can be anything that urges a person to visit a particular place. This may be well within their residential locality, or the same city, state, municipality or even country! The definition of tourism must evolve with its implied idea. Now, any place that attracts patrons for a visit, for whatever purpose, can be termed as a tourist place. So, it may come as a shock to many old school thinkers to imagine that a hospital is a tourist place, but believe it or not, it is a big spot of medical tourism. Who could believe that places of worship can be spots of tourism and business? Shockingly, it is true.\nTourism development can help any economically backward nation grow faster, aid their GDP tremendously, and create employment for locals. Of course, it does bring its fair share of problems and burdens, but they can be managed using sustainable systems and corrective measures. In any case, the positives outweigh the negatives.\n\nHow are Tourism and Global Trade-related?\n\nTourism acts as a major catalyst in boosting international business. In fact, the two go hand in hand when it comes to the development of infrastructure and economies. Many places have emerged as tourist hubs, simply because of their development as business hubs. Ports like New York, Mumbai, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Calcutta, etc. are one of the most developed megacities of the world. Apart from being international business hotspots, they are also largely touristic cities. This is because due to the infrastructural development brought in by businesses and government for commerce, tourism naturally increases manifold in such places.\n\nAnother example is places of tourism that have developed into mega cities and centers of global trade due to their high tourist population. Cities like Paris, New Delhi, London, Beijing, Sydney, etc. fall under this category. These cities are important for their political factors or are existing places of touristic importance that later developed into commercial hubs.\nA third example can be of cities or areas that experienced growth of tourists due to extreme industrialization in many fields. These cities are frequented by visitors for the various factories, industries, and markets they possess and are popular among traders looking to enhance trade and business development. Cities like Bengaluru, San Francisco, Bangkok, Frankfurt, etc. are all part of this group.\n\nThus, international trade and commerce give rise to tourism or vice versa. We can see that the major touristic places in the world are well-connected, heavily industrialized, developed and are a player in the global trade and commerce scenario. That reinstates the fact that both tourism and international business always go hand in hand. They are complementary to each other, and supportive of each other. Thus, in order to develop one, the development of the other is crucial.\n\nBy Shabbir Patrawala, SY- BBA(IB), Faculty of Management (UG), MIT-WPU\n\n\nYou may also like\n\nInternational Marketing\nInternational Marketing\nInternational Entrepreneurship\nInternational Entrepreneurship\nMobike brings dockless bike sharing to Pune based MIT-World Peace University (WPU)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9615718126296997}
+{"content": "84 terms\n\nSociology of Race & Ethnicity\n\n\nTerms in this set (...)\n\nWhich of these is a key concept of Common Orthodox Marxist approaches to race?\nDialectical Materialism\nA recent study came out that explores how individuals in middle schools develop their racial identity through interactions and academic performance. This is what type of approach?\nHow might someone who takes a Marxist approach to race approach an issue related to neighborhood segregation in 2018?\nIn order to keep the neighborhood economically stable, non-upper-class racial minorities are kept in lower service jobs barring them from affording houses in the area.\nIntermarriage and the rise of multi-racial identities has led to a closing of the color line.\n________ refers to how continual waves of migrants from certain parts of the world harden racial boundaries between the immigrant group and the mainstream, or majority, group.\nImmigrant Replenishment\nWilson comes to the conclusion that explicit racial policies will not rectify racial inequality in the United States, instead we need to focus on the economic subordination.\nWhat is the name of the pigment in the skin that develops our skin color?\nReferring back to the study of race and interviewer effects on perception of skin color, how did white interviewers rank black respondents on the skin color scale?\nDarker compared to black interviewers\nName 1 critique of classical assimilation theory.\nNot all immigrant groups want to assimilate into the host society\nWhat are the three major stages in classic assimilation theory?\nEthnic Identification, Intermarriage, and Ending Prejudice/Discrimination\nWhat is the process by which a group acquires the social and psychological characteristics of their host society, often across three major stages?\nThe socio-spatial apartheid (i.e., neighborhood segregation) that leads to intentional and accidental dynamics that contribute to premature death of many racial minority groups refers to which of the following?\nStructural Genocide\n______ refers to the manner in which a society is demographically or culturally uniform.\n__________ refers to the process in which race operates as a central axis of social relations, which then determine social, economic, and political institutions and practices\nRacial Formation\nRacial contestations refers to ____________________________.\nstruggle of racial groups for systemic changes regarding their position at one or more levels\nAccording to Lee and Bean's assessment of the 2000 US Census, which racial group reported the lowest percent of multiracial individuals?\nThis practice was developed as a way to judge intelligence and mental capacity based on the size of the cranium, its shape, and geography, which was then applied in racialized ways.\nWhich of these refers to the Marxist approach that assumes minority groups are a tool of the bourgeoisie to divide the working class and further economic exploitation?\nCommon Orthodox Theory\nPrejudice refers to the way in which actions that take place against a racial group based on their racial identity.\nMarcel was born to an affluent white family and raised with an ideology that everyone should pull themselves up by their bootstraps to succeed. Although Marcel recognizes overt forms of racism, he believes that individual outcomes are due to one's own choices and success since \"segregation is no longer legal.\" Therefore, Marcel does not recognize that race may act as a societal stratifying mechanism. This would be a form of what?\nLaissez-Faire Racism\nRace is considered an achieved status.\nWhich of the following refers to a social status that is given to an individual at birth?\nAscribed Status\nIn regards to this class, white supremacy refers to individual actions by people who believe in overt white superiority.\nWhich of the following refer to some of the ways in which Herbert Blumer defines the basic types of feeling that seem to be always present in race prejudice of the dominant group?\nA feeling that the subordinate race is intrinsically different or alien/a fear and suspicion that the subordinate race harbors designs on the prerogatives of the dominant race\nWhat was the name of the process in which biological theories of race were used to justify non-consensual genital mutilation?\nIf there is no evidence of discrimination but continues to be the presence of prejudice, this person would be considered what?\nReformed Racist\nAlthough some argue the conception of race came out of the 18th century, other scholars argue that it was a product of what century?\n____________ was the individual who headed the first sociological school in Atlanta, GA.\nWEB DuBois\nPower and Prejudice\nU.S. Census categories are sensitive to influxes of migrant populations who differ over time in their ability to be accepted into the American Mainstream.\nWhat was the first migrant group to be included on the 1870 Census?\n_________ racism refers to racism that assumes inherent differences between the races and has led to multiple human rights atrocities.\nAccording to Van Den Berghe, what are the three principles on which all human socities are organized?\nKin Selection, Race as a tool of evolution, and Homogeneity of Populations\nBonilla-Silva discusses refers to this term as \"societies in which economic, political, social, and ideological levels are partially structure by the placement of actors in racial categories or races.\"\nRacialized Social System\nAccording to Reyna's article on \"Looking 'Illegal'\", what have been some of the ramifications of the United States' construction of \"illegality\" in relation to immigration?\nConflation of race, legal status, nativity, and generation, Discrimination across multiple contexts, and Negative treatment regardless of actual documented status\nWhich of the following is the definition of \"classic liberalism\"?\nSchool of thought stressing individual freedom and limited government\n_______ rule refers to the belief that an individual with any black ancestry was legally and socially a member of the black race.\nOne drop\nWhich of the following was the major purpose of the colonial project, specifically the ongoing project of settler colonialism?\nNormalize Male Whiteness\nWhich of the following is an example of systemic discrimination?\nWelfare Reform\n___________ refers to knowledges or schools of thought that are excluded from the dominant discourse.\nSubjugated Knowledges\nAfter 1960, the Census continued to have interviewers note the race of the interviewee.\nFails to recognize racism and racial discrimination as an explanatory factor related to racialized societal patterns, often employs individualized explanations, racially-neutral justification for these patterns. This refers to what?\nLaissez-faire racism\nAccording to functionalist theories of race and ethnicity, race is assumed to be a status position with ascribed value.\nW.E.B. DuBois' undermining in the field of Sociology by his peers was rooted in what type of theoretical framework related to race?\nAccording to Tiger (Race, Class, and the framing of drug epidemics), the overuse of what drug became a epidemic when it started affecting white, middle-class communities?\nWhitening of resumes refers to the process in which white people highlight their accomplishments to increase their likelihood to be hired.\nIn North Carolina, politicians have been scrutinized and accused of racist political practices. Specifically, voting districts have been divided up along racial lines to impact voting outcomes to privilege a certain political party. This practice is called what?\nWhite flight reportedly occurs at what threshold of people of color moving into white communities?\nRacial segregation has continued to decrease in occupations since the 1960s.\nIn an attempt to control certain racial groups and criminalize their action, what drug was made illegal in the late 1800s to inhibit Japanese migrants opportunities?\nWhat is the name of the specific process when a person who has been labeled a felon by the state is subjected to losing their voting rights?\nFelony Disenfranchisement\nUnauthorized Immigrants Have Little or No Negative Effect on the Wages and Employment of U.S.-born Citizens, and Immigrant Workers Have Positive Effects on American Consumers.\nNeighborhood's are as segregated today as they were back in the 1960s prior to the Fair Housing Act.\nLegal segregation is to _______ segregation as group-level housing choices (e.g., white flight) are to _______ segregation.\nde jure/de facto\nWhich of the following countries did majority of refugees in the United States come from in 2017?\nDemocratic Republic of the Congo\nIn the South, police departments used to be which of the following organizations?\nSlave Patrols\nA(n) ___ refers to the broader category of employment that has reduced in racial inequality since the 1980s, but a(n) ____ refers to the specific tasks a person performs in the workplace.\nAfter the Revolutionary War, schools shifted their focus away from reading and writing biblical texts, and towards which two categories below?\nEconomics and Agriculture\nPeople who are incarcerated are not counted in Census data, meaning disparities in employment and wages may be inaccurate given the missing data points.\nAccording to Herring and Henderson (Wealth Inequality in Black and White: Cultural and Structural Sources of the Racial Wealth Gap), what are the three major contributing factors to the racial wealth gap?\nIncome, stock ownership, and business ownership\nThe historical ratio under which crack and cocaine had sentencing disparities was which of the following?\nBlack men without a criminal record are more likely to get callbacks than white men with a criminal record.\nWhat was the name of the bias that officers sometimes have in their use of violent force or deadly tactics when it comes to interacting with people of color?\nShooter Bias\nMerit-based programs are often critiqued because they claim to provide an objective assessment of worker quality and adequately assess the worker's worth in the workplace. However, research has shown that this approach is not helping to stop discrimination in assessment and it continues to be a problem. This is due to which of the following structures in the workplace?\nWhite, Male Ideal Worker\nA person who leaves another country is considered to have ________.\nUnions, regardless of personal membership, are a protective and bargaining factor for workers of color that often increase their wages and quality of life.\nMichelle Alexander, in her piece, discusses how the structure and employment of the new criminal justice system is best described as _______.\nJim Crow\nAccording to cross-national data on incarceration rates, what is the closest country to the United States in incarceration rates?\nThere are 5 classifications in the Employment Based Green Card. What category of workers are included in the EB4 classification?\nReligious Workers\n______ refers to the lending practice that imposes unfair or abusive loan terms that specifically targets African American and Latinx individuals.\nPredatory Lending\nWhat is the name of the areas where people of color were told they had to leave town by a certain hour or else they would be subject to random acts of violence?\nSundown Towns\nIn class, we talked about how this form of capital allows white, middle-class students and their parents to construct opportunities for success within the classroom. This is called _______ capital\nWhat is the proposed number of refugees that the United States plan to accept in 2019?\nWhich of the following type of college has recently been sued and found guilty of targeting low-income and racial minority students, and failing to provide them with adequate job opportunities?\nAn audit study uses what kind of item to assess racial inequality in hiring practices?\nCornelius (Impacts of Border Enforcement on Unauthorized Mexican Migration to the United States) posits expanding which of the following visas would best improve the United States' financial strength and health?\nUndocumented immigrants can only be deported if they engage in some type of criminal activity.\nThe first Brown v. Board of Education was extremely successful in desegregating schools.\nResearch indicates neighborhoods with a high proportion of immigrant occupants experience increased crime rates.\nWhat term is used to refer to the United States when there was focus on mass production and we used to make large amounts of goods in factories?\nNewman and Ellis (There's No Shame in My Game) discuss how working a lower-wage jobs is culturally better than not being unemployed at all.\nSince crime has fallen since the 1990s, so has incarceration rates.\nWhat is the technical term for items that are socially and economically beneficial in the lives of younger generations?\nTransformative Assets\nWhat was the name of the settlement that deemed parents can be detained with their children in the United States?\nFlores Settlement", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9886214733123779}
+{"content": "Biologists monitor crocodiles at nuclear plant\n\n\nHOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) ? An unexpected but fruitful relationship has blossomed between two potent forces in the swamps of South Florida: the American crocodile, and a nuclear power plant.\n\n\nFederal wildlife officials give the state’s largest public utility part of the credit for an increase in the species’ population. There are only two other sanctuaries for the crocodiles, which are still considered threatened.\n\n\nHundreds of crocodiles, as long as 15 feet and as heavy as one ton, roam the swampland surrounding the power plant. They’re monitored by wildlife biologists hired by the utility, who sometimes need quick reflexes to keep all their fingers.\n\n\n“It’s usually just adrenaline and instinct,” he said.\n\n\nSouth Florida’s rampant development eroded the crocodile’s habitat over decades of booming growth. By the 1970s, there were less than 300 in the state. The federal government had classified the species as endangered, meaning it was in danger of becoming extinct.\n\nIn 1977, Florida Power employees stumbled upon a crocodile nest in the plant’s cooling canal system. A monitoring program set up a year later was originally intended to ensure the plant did no harm to the species, but ended up recording the facility’s role in the crocodile’s rebound. Dozens of other protected species, including the manatee and loggerhead turtle, also are found on the utility’s properties across the state.\n\nThere are more than 1,500 American crocodiles in South Florida today. An opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in May 2006 noted that the increase in has been attributed to Florida Power’s management activities in its cooling canals.\n\nCanals and berms such as those found at the power plant site provide nesting habitat that has “to some extent compensated for the loss of habitat elsewhere,” explained Frank Mazzotti, a professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Florida.\n\n\nAided by such habitat, the crocodile has since gone from “endangered” to “threatened” ? a small step toward their survival. Government and utility biologists have detected no sign of radiation in the animals.\n\n\nMicrochips are used as a reference ID ? much like a thumb print ? to scan the captured animal, as well as to track any animal that falls prey to others as a result of cannibalism. Biologists said one crocodile was found with eight chips from other crocodiles inside its belly. The bony plates or scales on crocodiles, called scutes, are clipped during first captures. The markings are permanent and represent the animal’s number and location of capture, which could be one of three sanctuaries including Turkey Point.\n\nOn average, crocodile experts such as Aldecoa capture 350 baby crocodiles each year out of approximately 22 nests during the summer. About 400 adult and adolescent crocodiles can be found in the plant’s canal system at any given time, according to state data.\n\n\n“We wouldn’t advise people to normally make those types of impacts,” Wrublik said of removing wetlands to make way for a nuclear power plant. “But this just so happens to have benefited the crocodile population.”\n\n\n“They’re shy and sensitive to sound and to movement,” Aldecoa said. So much so, he said, that biologists often have just one chance to get a snare around a crocodile’s neck before it scurries away.\n\n“They are very misunderstood. All reptiles are,” Aldecoa said. “They are a lot smarter than people think. And they just look like dinosaurs, and that’s pretty neat.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8432431221008301}
+{"content": "Effects Of Social Relationships On Human Development Essay\n\n1799 Words Nov 29th, 2016 8 Pages\nThe effect of social relationships on human development and behaviour has gained prominence of late, with many psychologists trying to unearth the relationship. Because the behaviour of individuals is contingent on the individual relationships with others, interpersonal relationships have formed the background and theme of human life. Psychologists are in the effort of developing a science and pattern of relationship based on the belief that human relationships are the main factor in shaping the behaviour of individuals and their pertinent development over their whole lifespan (Reis et al., 2000). Research shows that different individuals respond differently to different stimuli and that the meaning of stimuli does change dramatically with changes in context. The experiences through which people go through in relationships become a background for mental, physical, and spiritual properties, and relationships that greatly affect their development. It has long been understood that interpersonal relationships have a huge influence on human behaviour and development (Berscheid & Regan, 2016).\nIn the past, there have been many ambiguities as to the concept of relationships, which had led many to believe that relationship science is truly a “Conceptual Jungle that chokes the unwary” (Reis et al., 2000). Many assumed that given the fact that the word relationship is a fragment of common language, then this was a concept that needed more clarification. As interest in the area…\n\nRelated Documents", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.993784487247467}
+{"content": "How do you put a book title in a paper\n\nBattousai248 | 0 | 1345 visits\n\nHow do you put a book title in a paper. Phd hcld\n\nEnglish do it differently and this can create some confusion, but observe the usage in American publications. Use this discounted bundle of nine great resources to make that happen. So which one how do you put a book title in a paper is right? According to the, chicago Manual of Style and the. And it comes up for good reason: You can look at several different books, newspapers or magazine articles and see it handled several different ways. Use\"tion marks for the titles of shorter pieces of work: poems, articles, book chapters, songs,.V. The database based on Word Net is a lexical database for the English Language. The rules for\"tion marks around titles vary depending on which style guide you follow. Thanks for visiting The Writers Dig blog.\n\nThe title of a book also starfish paper punch appears in italics. Wavebreakmedia LtdWavebreak MediaGetty Images, dont worry about it too much. Sign up for Brians free Writers Digest eNewsletter 1 on page 177 1999, same applies to plays, and italicize the title of a periodical. Use doubl\" it means, related Articles, aPA Style. In an essay formatted in APA style. Example, cite the first few words of the reference entry usually the title and the year. All publishers have their own style 11, mLA Style, a Dads Survival Guide to Raising Daughters. Oh Boy, adams, an editor will edit your story to fit her style preferences anyway.\n\nThe issue is addressed by the top stylebooks. Based in Los Angeles, titles of poems, primarily how do you put a book title in a paper in the secondary classroom how do you put a book title in a paper teaching English and journalism. Pray 1963 is a depiction of a child coping with his anger towards his mom.\n\nOverhead projector printer paper\n\nOn the flip side, the, aP Stylebook suggests that you use\"tion marks around the names of books (with the exceptions of the Bible and catalogs of reference material, such as dictionaries and almanacs, which should not be styled in any way).The answer is: Probably all of them.\n\nBest recommendations\n\nSosnowski has also worked as a curriculum writer for a math remediation program.Just pick one way and stick with it for consistency purposes (for example, if you italicize the name of the book your character is reading on page one of your novel, make sure you italicize it on page 214, too).\n\nTwo authors (cite both names every time Brabant and Mooney (1986) have used the comic strip to examine evidence of sex role stereotyping.Put them in\"s?\n\nItalicization is also required for edited collections of short stories and essays, movies, television series, documentaries and albums.This is one of those pesky questions that comes up all the time: Should I underline or italicize book titles in my writing?If you are citing multiple sources by multiple authors in-text, you can list all of them by the author's last name and year of publication within the same set of parentheses, separated by semicolons.\n\nHere at WD, for instance, we generally follow the.Some publications also follow their own style guides.Additionally, any words in the title that are four letters or longer should be capitalized.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7733749747276306}
+{"content": "Zum Inhalt\n\nIshan Raval\n\nIshan Raval\n\nBereich: Theorie, Social Practice\n\nKey Facts\n\n\n\n\nTheorie, Social Practice\n\n\nRaleigh, NC (USA)\n\nEmpfehlende Institution\n\n\n\nAugust 2018 - September 2018\n\nIshan Raval’s work proceeds from the following question: Given that civilization is quite possibly collapsing, which in our metaphysical imaginary means simply “the world is ending”, why should we bother trying to keep the world in existence?\n\nThe position he is substantiating is that objective things in the world, existing though they need not necessarily have existed, make the world seem to have “a point” to subjects such as us. Correspondingly, he sees the production or enhancement of such objective reality, existing outside of an individual existence, as that which gives meaning to an individual’s existence. Thereby, his philosophical work is about affirming production (or more broadly, giving one's personal existence to something that exists outside of one's person), and objects effectuated as socially present contingencies—and thus, as forms that exemplify this, affirming aesthetic production and art.\n\nHowever, even if aesthetic desire best exemplifies this, politically, he is most concerned with seeing whether productions (and production-desires) that fall outside the bounds of art—from writing code to caring for and nourishing an ailing human, from designing energy infrastructures to growing a farm—could form the basis of a political sensibility and cohesion properly responsive to twenty-first century exigencies. He is thus interested in devising a politics, rather than primarily motivated either by justice or freedom, around a subjectivity that first and foremost wants there to be objective, contingent reality of the highest quality—which may be less “politics” as has historically existed,, and more an aesthetic social praxis. Moreover, he is interested in seeing whether the unfolding of both capitalist dynamics and the intertwined development of our societal aesthetics have fostered the emergence of precisely this subjectivity, bearing such a desire to produce and revel in what objectively exists and could exist. In this measure, he studies topics ranging from property relations around information and computation, to hipsterism as bearing uncanny consciousness of both our present predicaments and what would mark a better future, to the Anthropocene as something yet to be fully actualized as an instance of production, aesthetics and politics par excellence.\n\nDuring this residency, Raval will be focused on an endeavor to facilitate and see the formation of a community or collective in Museumsquartier that is unalienated from its (art-)objects and world.\n\n\nThe museum guard, by being an agent of institutional power, has a presence and gaze that instills a heightened sense of self-consciousness (if not outright anxiety) in individual museumgoers. This in turn inhibits the fullest experience of the subject with the art, as the subject is alienated from the object, and cannot fully immerse oneself in the art  or “become one with it.”\n\nFurthermore, the self-consciousness takes the form of the interpellation of an alienated subject that exists in disconnection from the subjects around. The external agent of power also thus forecloses the emergence of self-conscious subjectivity.\n\nMy work in this residency is to parse through the myriad dynamics at play in all of this, and work with other institutions at Museumsquartier to plan a staging of this situation: A space within a museum for some time rendered guardless.\n\nThis situation, when brought about, would be tantamount to an artistic creation itself. But more importantly, through the observation of subjects in such “liberated” and common space, and interviews with them as they exit it, I wish to derive insight into the social and psychic flows that are set in motion by the removal of the guard: Will the guard’s absence foster at least some dissolution, phenomenologically and also then ontologically, between subject and object? Will it foster the autoproduction of an anarchic community, ephemerally brought and bound together by a responsibility for objects that are now in a common plane? Can an alienated and alternating realm of superstructural power give way to an aesthetic and political commons?\n\n\nZur Hauptnavigation\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9240753650665283}
+{"content": "LEE COUNTY, Fla. - The former Lee County deputy caught elbowing a teen who was in handcuffs, has been charged with battery.\n\nIn a newly released document, the State Attorney's Office said Blake Grossi \"did unlawfully commit a battery upon Bienvenido Roman, by actually and intentionally touching or striking said person.\"\n\nThe incident was caught on camera in February by a neighbor watching Roman's arrest. In the video, you can see Grossi walk up to Roman while handcuffed and elbow him right in the head.\n\nGrossi resigned after being put on administrative leave. \n\nRoman has been arrested 12 times since 2016.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9977108240127563}
+{"content": "Your browser doesn't support javascript.\n\nPortal Regional da BVS\n\nInformação e Conhecimento para a Saúde\n\nHome > Pesquisa > ()\nImprimir Exportar\n\nFormato de exportação:\n\n\nAdicionar mais destinatários\n| |\n\nAntagonistic regulation of apoptosis and differentiation by the Cut transcription factor represents a tumor-suppressing mechanism in Drosophila.\n\nPLoS Genet; 8(3): e1002582, 2012.\nArtigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22438831\nApoptosis is essential to prevent oncogenic transformation by triggering self-destruction of harmful cells, including those unable to differentiate. However, the mechanisms linking impaired cell differentiation and apoptosis during development and disease are not well understood. Here we report that the Drosophila transcription factor Cut coordinately controls differentiation and repression of apoptosis via direct regulation of the pro-apoptotic gene reaper. We also demonstrate that this regulatory circuit acts in diverse cell lineages to remove uncommitted precursor cells in status nascendi and thereby interferes with their potential to develop into cancer cells. Consistent with the role of Cut homologues in controlling cell death in vertebrates, we find repression of apoptosis regulators by Cux1 in human cancer cells. Finally, we present evidence that suggests that other lineage-restricted specification factors employ a similar mechanism to put the brakes on the oncogenic process.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.865073025226593}
+{"content": "Gmail: Users should have no expectation of privacy\n\nThe internet has influenced our lives in so many ways. Numerous professions now operate entirely online, opening up new sectors of the economy as more and more people choose to communicate with their computers. But arguably, the part of our lives that the internet has changed most profoundly is our expectation of privacy. \n\nIt used to be that letters, conversations with friends and communications with significant others were decidedly private, as were the types of media we consume, music we listen to and other things we did in the privacy of our own homes. However, now that many of these activities have moved online, these communications are far less secure.\n\nMost recently, Google, the internet search giant that runs the popular email server Gmail, has made the announcement that users should not expect privacy when using the service. \n\n\"Indeed, 'a person has no legitimate expectation of privacy in information he voluntarily turns over to third parties,'\" reads a statement released by Google, citing a 1979 Supreme Court case. This underscores the fact that communicating online is essentially communicating in public, and gives Gmail users another reminder to act accordingly. The warning is one that many internet users can connect with.\n\nIt's a good idea to regularly check to see what comes up when you do a people search on yourself so that you can stay ahead of any negative reports. Radaris allows users to sign up for alerts that will let them know about changes to their profile, helping to maintain their reputations on the internet.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8333959579467773}
+{"content": "Condo Look Alike HDB 4-Room Flat That Is Stunning\n\nCondo Look Alike HDB 4-Room Flat That Is Stunning\n\n\nWith so much space to work with, it can often be scary and at the same time, overwhelming to decorate a space with larger areas as compared to other designs. There is a thin line between overdoing it and not doing it enough when it comes to decorating but this home will show you just the right mix.\n\n\nFor a quick meal, why not place a small table inside your kitchen so  you can have meals there and go as soon as you have to.\n\n\nThe biggest advantage about having a big space is never having to worry about storage space. Use empty spaces as cabinet space, you save more this way rather than building a walk- in closet.\n\n\nThe kitchen area not only has enough space to move around but it also has lots of counter space which is also an important aspect.\n\n\nThe spacious master bedroom.\n\n\nThe kitchen leading to the hallway.\n\n\nA second bedroom with lots of studying and work out space.\n\n\nThe living room.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9832780361175537}
+{"content": "His Father’s Voice: Interview with actor and producer Ashwini Pratap Pawar\n\n“His Father’s Voice” is a new movie based in India about a young dancer returning to his divorced father and reconnecting with his first love. The movie is from India but it now gaining fans in America due to its inclusion in several film festivals.\n\nProducer and actor Ashwini Pratap Pawar recently discussed this movie and her experiences starting in it and producing it via an exclusive interview.\n\n“His Father’s Voice” is a movie that takes place in India.\n\nMeagan Meehan (MM): How did you start acting and then how did that turn into a career in producing?\n\nAshwini Pratap Pawar (APP): I have seen the script of this film transform, moving from one aspect of a long story to another, changing in structure, and all that it wanted to say, changing as Kaarthikeyan changed, over a period of twenty years! In 2016, it reached a stage when he felt a strong need, to finally manifest it as a feature length film. This moment also carried in it, a state of inexplicable urgency. I have accompanied Kaarthikeyan for the last ten years, as an artist, steeped in a meditation about love, its depth, its breadth and its subtleties, through painting, Indian classical dance, poetry, and, human relationships. “His Father’s Voice”, happens to be my first film as an actor. Looking back, it has been a most inspiring experience, because of my respect and faith in Kaarthikeyan as a Writer, Director and Cinematographer.\n\nAs autonomous artists and as passionate lovers of the classical arts, both of us wanted to create this film with our inner spirit intact, and non-compromised. When we went to the Film Markets both in India, and in America, we recognized that finding somebody to produce this film, on uncompromised terms, was an utter waste of time. On the other side, these film markets also clearly did shine light upon what we were up against, and also how there was a way out if we were prepared to face head on with an invincible courage and faith, all the challenges and the precious opportunities for our growth that lay silently veiled inside it all. That is how I stepped into the garb of a producer, and we both are delighted to have birthed this soulful film.\n\nMM: How did you get involved with “His Father’s Voice”?\n\nAPP: Kaarthikeyan, the Writer/Director of this film, is also my husband. We work intimately with each other on most projects. “His Father’s Voice”, is the largest and longest project we have handled together, spanning over nine years. It has been a completely new experience for me. I have witnessed every constraint and limitation on our creative journey, metamorphose into a blessing for the larger good of the project. Because of this project, we have been fortunate to collaborate with many gifted people from the classical arts, as well as from other specialized technical fields. For example, I’ve been fortunate to be able to work intimately with the dance choreographies; the color grade of the film; with the art director; with the sound designer; with the music director; with the editor for videos of the dance related sequences in our music album; as well as the web design and marketing team.\n\nMM: Can you tell us about your character in “His Father’s Voice” and why was the role compelling to you?\n\nAPP: The script of this film is centered around many aspects of love, and the unabashed, honest expression of it. As an author and director of this script, Kaarthikeyan saw me in the role of ‘Parvathi.’ Her character is fluid like water between the stones. She is an aesthete, a lover of beauty, and of all that is sensuous, sensual and sentient. There is a seamless flow to Parvathi’s character in this film. When she dances, sings, paints, or teaches, her articulation of it all, in her body and voice, fills me with a sense of wellbeing. Her intimate relationships have a quiet strength to it. She breaks conventions, at the same time honors her cultural roots that stem from rich traditions. Also, Kaarthikeyan deliberately tailor-made this role for me. It helped me feel at ease in front of the camera, and also allowed me to bring my own artistic strengths to this particular role. I could paint, draw, sing, dance, be bejeweled in finery, and celebrate being a woman, and all the roles that come with it: mother, lover, friend, sister, and muse.\n\nMM: What was the filming process like and what was your favorite segment to shoot, why?\n\nAPP: The filming process was a unique experience. On one hand, it was a parallel utopian universe washed with creativity, beauty, sisterhood, brotherhood, that was riding upon an unbridled passion. On the other hand, it demanded our sweat and blood, muscle and sinew, resilience, patience, and a complete surrender to the vision and intuition of the Director.\n\nMost of us are first time actors in the world of film, but many of us in the main cast and supporting cast, also have had years of training on stage, as professional Indian classical dancers. English is also not our mother tongue. Much of what we are trained to do on stage as classical dancers, was a hindrance for what was expected of us as actors. For example, we had to be natural, subtle, contained, and memorize words/sentences, more than body movements. We had to work with silence and stillness, than move energetically to music. We had to accept and overcome our vulnerabilities at the speed of lightning, and do our best over and over again. Some of the easiest scenes were the hardest, and the longest, most challenging scenes, got completed with unexpected ease and lightness! All of us who came from the field of dance and music, have cultivated tenacity and resilience in all that we do, but at times we were absolutely lost, and deeply vulnerable to what was being asked of us by the Director. The Director had to work hard to help us feel empowered in our character, roles, again and again. The budget restraints also compelled many of us to wear multiple hats. This added to the physical and mental fatigue. But looking back, when I watch the completed film today, the memory of the labor pain is very faint. I want us to be pregnant with another story, and to birth another beautiful creative child into this magical universe.\n\nThere were many favorite segments to shoot, but if I had to narrow it down to one, it was the scene which destroyed something vain in me, and in that fecund emptiness, an actress was born. This scene was shot under the banyan tree, when Parvathi and her husband, Nagarajan, are seated under an old banyan tree, having a heart to heart talk as a couple. The narrative of this particular scene crosses over many timelines: the past, the present and the future. This scene was shot over two days. It was intended to be complete in one morning, in the golden glow of the morning light. The first day, despite waking up at 3:30 am, the makeup and hair, took longer than usual, and when I entered the set, we had lost the soft morning light, the director intended for this scene. So, I had to return to the green room disheartened and annoyed with myself. It was not a pleasant feeling. The next morning, we both were ready in time, but when we got to the tree, a thick cloud of mosquitoes had settled around the bark of the banyan tree. No amount of mosquito repellents could drive them away. Both of us were getting bitten. My co-actor had the gift of tuning off from the bites, but I couldn’t. This made it extremely difficult for me to focus on my dialogues, and to allow the essence of this beautiful scene to be invoked through me. After many retakes, the pressure, the disappointment, the frustration inside me reached a pinnacling point. I felt angered by the director’s hawk like gaze on my voice, my expression, my body movement etc. At the height of inner rage, I let go of fighting it all. And then something inside me dramatically shifted. I disappeared. Parvathi entered in my place. And the take that followed was approved. I knew why it happened. It was a profound lesson for the actor in me. I understand now, why they say that it is the director who is responsible for bringing out the best in an actor.\n\nMM: What was it like to also be a producer on this project and was it tough to juggle your acting and management roles?\n\nAPP: Being a producer and an actor simultaneously surely had its challenges and blessings. Coming from a business family, I’ve many role models within my kith and kin, who handle large scale projects with clarity, responsibility, and intelligence, for the larger good of society. Though mine is a patriarchal upbringing, the women clan in both my maternal and paternal family, have been the stoic forces behind the men folk. I was groomed as a woman to manage home affairs. I do not have work experience in our family business, but I have had the good fortune to witness and imbibe the supportive, fearless, and loving roles that the strong women have played in our family. These women, I believe have been the driving force for the men in our family. With our autonomous artistic spirit intact, Kaarthikeyan and I, divided our roles. His rich experience as an Executive producer for a number of European feature films, helped him lay out my responsibilities with clarity, and he also gave me a crash course into film production, and the role of a Producer. Very quickly, our budget constraints forced us to accommodate all crew and actors on the set. The film is set in the garden surrounding our primary home. Our nine-year meditation on the evolving script, also allowed us to work closely with a gifted team of landscape designers from the local Botanical Garden, along with local carpenters, electrician, rural architects, and engineers, all of whom helped build interesting spaces for the performing arts, that eventually lent themselves beautifully to the final draft of the script. Around eighteen crew members, stayed with us on set, over a period of three months. In preparation for this, I turned to the experienced women in my family. Together, we penned down the food menu for the entire shooting schedule. We hired additional cooks, and reorganized the kitchen to cook meals for 40 members daily, over this extended period of time. There was conscious awareness in all of us to recycle and be as eco-friendly in all our choices when making the film. Only re-usable cutlery and crockery was used. The ingenuity of our local home electrician, made it possible to shoot most of the film on solar power. Our local garden staff, became assistants to the various film departments: light, sound, art direction, and production. Their enthusiasm, inventiveness, willfulness, and energy was contagious. All actors and set designers, worked closely with our art director, whose fashion design background, also helped create a skillful local tailoring unit on set. In the beginning, before more helping hands stepped in, while penning down a pragmatic plan of action for the pre-production, the overwhelming mental work got me physically sick. But when I saw all my effort serve its purpose beautifully, in the nick of time, I could resurface to tend to the actor in me.\n\nA huge part of my role as a Producer was behind me when the pre-production was more or less complete. Then came the more manageable and inspired space to nurture and care for the actor in me. From being used to a macro space, I arrived at a micro space inside our home, where Ashwini stepped out, and Parvathi stepped in. I reorganized the cupboards, and created a nesting space for the actor in me to relax and to rejuvenate. Mounting inspiring quotes of spiritual masters at a desk in my room, I indulged in healing aromas, oils, and floral essences to help rest the mind and the body. I consciously delegated responsibilities to others and worked on letting go of control on the day to day minor happenings on set. Though, I still remained the primary person to be turned to, a lot eased off after the thorough job of getting the pre-production in place. The challenges as an actor, had its own weight due to the limited crew in the hair and make-up department, especially when a scene demanded the presence of more than three cast members. As an actor, in time, I felt deeply supported by the cast and crew. And when I heard the director say, “And it’s a wrap!” on the last day of the shoot, this moment was bathed in gratitude and jubilation. Gratitude for the down pouring divine grace throughout the shoot, and jubilation to have faced with courage and resilience, all the fears and difficult lessons head on. As a team, all of us arrived at a healing resplendent inner glow, because of this collective extraordinary creative experience in our lifetime!\n\nThe film is a drama about family and self-discovery.\n\nMM: This film is Indian in origin, so how did you get it to America and why has it appealed to US audiences so much?\n\nAPP: As a writer/ director, Kaarthikeyan intended this film for an audience that is culturally and spiritually awake. When we brought the film to the attention of American Distributors, Linda Nelson, the CEO of Indie Rights, loved our film. We signed up with Indie Rights, and we are working with them, to help it reach an audience worldwide. Our film is premiering on the 19th of April at the Arena Cinelounge, in Hollywood! Christian, the owner of Arena Cinelounge, re-affirmed our belief that this film will appeal to a wide and ethnically diverse audience.\n\nThis film appeals to audiences, because it is a true representation of the culture of India, of the inherent spiritual quest behind Indian classical music and dance. There is a simplicity to the plot. The music and dance sequences that weave throughout the film, are an inspired blend of Western, Indian Folk and Classical Music. This adds a charm to the story, that is best experienced on a theatrical screen with surround sound. The English translations of the Sanskrit language used in the Indian classical dance & music, also help give this film a broad appeal. The music, the dancing, the setting, is exciting for American audiences who are curious about other cultures. And because it is so authentic, it appeals to people who are looking for a genuine, and uplifting experience. It speaks to their innermost soul. It is a film to be experienced, felt and enjoyed.\n\nMM: What other film projects are you currently working on and what are your acting goals throughout 2019?\n\nAPP: Multiple collaborations happened with amazing creative people from all walks of life. Today, because of the extraordinary journey of our film, as Producer, Actor, and Artist, my being overflows with inspired energy. I experience a surging inner passion, and a readiness to work with more creative collaborators from all over the world. To site a very recent example, we worked with a gifted photographer for the film’s main movie poster. While working together, as artists, both of us opened to a sisterhood, that goes beyond our common cultural roots. Both of us are born in the same town in India, though our paths have never crossed before. She and I, have lived and worked abroad for many years. In our world travel, the experience of living in America, especially NYC, has been the most transforming of all places. She lit up while working with me, and I too experienced a fire in my belly while modelling, and dancing for her. Together, we both intend to work a dynamic creative project, bringing together both our talents. Also, dance, painting, journaling, and music are an integral part of my life. This physically and mentally invigorating practice of the classical arts, continues to inform my life in delightful ways. It also keeps me in readiness, for my next film, with Kaarthikeyan, for 2019.\n\nThe movie was created in India but has become popular in the United States.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9758049845695496}
+{"content": "Home / Biography / Erik Broes\n\nErik Broes\n\nGame developer in Minecraft, he has more than 210,000 Tweets followers, making him among the known encounters of Mojang Abdominal, the comapny which makes Minecraft. He started playing Minecraft this year 2010. He got so excellent at it, that at one stage he recognized that the Dutch machines were sluggish, so he spent per month performing upgrade-patches for hMod. In past due 2010, he was contacted with a organization that will it expertly, and he became a member of their rates. He was therefore popular by that time that he went to MineCon in 2011. After MineCon Majong itself contacted him about doing work for them. Initially he was employed to changing the API and keep maintaining the Minecraft server but was later on advertised to general video game development. He’s also called Grum or _grum and his pores and skin is definitely a entirely reddish with yellowish markings on his upper body. He wedded Sharon in-may 2012. They may be both Dutch but reside in Sweden, which is definitely where in fact the Majong head office are. He was contacted and employed by Majong after playing and accelerating at Minecraft on-line, and he relocated to just work at the Majong head office in Sweden, exactly like web video celebrity Lydia Winters.\n\nCheck Also\n\nGene Nelson\n\nScreenwriter and movie director most widely known for his focus on the basic sitcom I …", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5680837631225586}
+{"content": "Demanding marriage equality in Northern Ireland | Amnesty International UK\n\nDemanding marriage equality in Northern Ireland\n\n© Amnesty International\n\nWhen it comes to gay rights, Northern Ireland has been left behind. It’s the only part of the UK where same-sex couples are denied the right to a civil marriage.\n\nWe’re campaigning for Northern Ireland to to ensure that same-sex couples are afforded an equal chance at civil marriage. The current laws in Northern Ireland preventing this are discriminatory; they belong in the past.\n\nWe’ve joined up with The Rainbow Project, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Cara-Friend, HEReNI and NUS-USI to campaign for marriage equality in Northern Ireland. While we’ve won some decisive victories recently, marriage equality is not yet a reality in Northern Ireland.\n\n2015: The first Assembly vote in favour of marriage equality\n\nOn 2 November 2015 the Northern Ireland Assembly held a vote on same-sex marriage. While it did not ultimately pass, for the first time a majority of Assembly members voted in favour of marriage equality.\n\n53 Assembly Members voted for and 52 against a motion which called on the Northern Ireland Executive to introduce marriage equality legislation. The motion, however, was officially defeated as the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) lodged a ‘petition on concern’ which effectively blocked the successful vote.\n\n\"The vote is a significant milestone on the journey to marriage equality in Northern Ireland. It shows that, slowly but surely, politicians are catching up with public opinion here, which has been in favour of equal marriage for same-sex couples for some years.\"\nPatrick Corrigan, Amnesty Northern Ireland Programme Director\n\nNorthern Ireland's marriage laws lag behind the rest of the UK\n\nSame-sex marriage is legal in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland is now alone in banning same-sex couples from getting married, and the government also refuses to recognise such marriages conducted elsewhere.\n\n\nPublic and politicians in favour of equality\n\nAs well as a recent historic vote in favour of equal marriage in the Assembly, there is overwhelming support among the population of Northern Ireland to extend civil marriage rights to same-sex couples.\n\nAn Ipsos MORI poll from July 2015 showed that 68% support same-sex marriage, with just 28% against. The support cuts across gender and creed, with clear majority support among both men and women, from both Catholic and Protestant community backgrounds and across all urban and rural areas of Northern Ireland.\n\nWhat we’re calling for\n\nWe want to see civil marriage equality - that is, access to civil marriage for any two people regardless of their gender.\n\n\n\nAllowing lesbian and gay people to get married will have no effect on anyone else’s marriage. It is time for Northern Ireland's politicians to vote for equality for all citizens.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9169906973838806}
+{"content": "Tapioca preparation+\n\nYield: 1 info\n\nMeasure Ingredient\n1 cup Pearl Tapioca\n3 cups Milk\n1½ to 3 hours depending on the size of the pearls.\n1 cup Milk\n\n\nTo make tapioca, soak the tapioca in one cup of milk overnight in the refrigerator..\n\nMix the mixture with 3 cups of milk in the top of a double boiler (be sure the water does not touch the bottom of the upper pan. Cook from Find a recipe for tapioca or invent your own. There are some recipes in \"The Joy of Cooking\".\n\nMary Riemerman\n\nSubmitted By MARY RIEMERMAN On 03-28-95\n\nSimilar recipes", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9831207990646362}
+{"content": "I Didn’t get Kissed at Midnight: What I Learned from starting the New Year Alone.\n\nMy newsfeed has been filled with people who say they’ve had a shitty year and are eager to welcome a fresh start.\n\nI used to post those same status updates, so I know it’s possible to make changes and ensure that come the end of this year we are proud of what we’ve created for ourselves, despite the inevitable hiccups along the way.\n\nIt has been 19 years since I spent a New Year’s Eve alone, without the company of a man by my side. Since high school, I’ve been in relationship after relationship, got married (and divorced) at a young age, and have only had short breaks in between of being single. I have always had someone to call my own to share special celebrations and holidays with and to be honest, I found comfort in those moments.\n\nAs a little girl who grew up hating herself and who had a crippling level of low self esteem, I grew into a woman who needed and was desperate for the validation of others to determine my worth and value. I continued to seek out people and situations that would provide me with superficial confidence, and although it worked, it was often short lived. It wasn’t long before I was back at square one, feeling alone even while in the presence of others, and lacking any sense of self-love. Just the idea of loving myself felt foreign to me.\n\nAs I reflect on the past 365 days, I realize that 2016 was the year I stopped seeking external validation and began learning to harness the only validation we ever need—that which comes from within, as there is nothing more powerful than our own sense of self worth.\n\nIt was the year I finally discovered what self-love feels like and what self-care looks like; and neither are considered selfish, but rather, self-full, because both are absolutely necessary in order to sustain our health and well-being.\n\nIt was the year I finally surrendered and eventually let go. I let go of places I once called home and embraced the unknown without having any concrete plans or sense of security, but rather, having nothing but fear pushing me forward and passion guiding me the whole way through. I let go of attachments to things, to people, and to places. I sold off my possessions in exchange for experiences. I ended relationships that were no longer in alignment with my values in exchange for building new ones with people whom I connect more deeply. And I decided to not return to the comforts of my home in Canada in exchange for following my dreams of exploring new countries and living abroad long term.\n\nIt was the year I learned not only the importance of, but the need to, be alone. I’ve traveled as a solo woman across Asia through eight new countries without having anyone but myself to depend on, even while escaping some terrifying experiences along the way. I’ve watched multiple sunrises and sunsets on top of mountains and alongside the ocean while in the comfort of my own company. I’ve become lost while on the road more times than I can count and found my own way back without the help of anyone or anything, but solely with the guidance of my heart and the strength of my will. I’ve meditated in the mountains of the Himalayas in solitude, which meant becoming not only familiar, but terrifyingly intimate, with my most private thoughts and feelings. It was one of the most introspective experiences I’ve ever had which required me to do some major inner work and ultimately lead to the shedding of some old beliefs and the learning of some really hard truths—the type of truths that sting at first.\n\nIt was the year I learned the true meaning of unconditional love. The type of love that knows no bounds, that chooses faith over fear, that honours forgiveness more than anger, that looks past people’s behaviours and instead sees their pain, that would rather give than receive, that will sacrifice one’s own happiness to be able to witness another’s, that never gives up at the first sign of trouble or when things become messy, that knows the meaning of commitment and stays put even during the biggest storms, that isn’t easy and challenges you beyond measure but is also your greatest teacher, that forces you to look in the mirror and dive deep into your inner work, that gives you no choice but to remove all the masks and reveal your flawed self, and that teaches you the real definition of acceptance.\n\nIt was the year I looked fear in the eyes and said, “Thank you for showing me exactly what I need to do; the things that scare me the most.” And so I did. I came to understand that fear is an illusion, most often self-created, therefore, can be self-destroyed.\n\nIt was the year I blew my assertiveness and setting boundaries skills out of the water. I’ve stood up for myself and others and used my voice to finally be heard without reservation. I’ve spoken hard truths to strangers and to those I love and care for, because I needed to speak up rather than pipe down. I realized that saying no can be way more important than saying yes. I learned to honour and respect myself first and foremost and not allow anyone to walk all over me or treat me poorly in an attempt to stroke their own ego. I’ve said more no’s than yes’ which created more space and time for me to engage in the things that actually matter to me.\n\nIt was the year I harnessed the power of my intuition and connected more intimately with that inner compass. Any doubt or questions that arose no longer remained once I tapped into the truth of my heart and followed it relentlessly and with conviction. I’ve followed my heart even when its guidance and messages seemed outrageous and far fetched; the crazier the idea the more I trusted it.\n\nIt was the year that I learned to trust myself above anything or anyone else. Even when I was presented with situations or people which caused me to doubt or question myself at times, I discovered that these moments were just tests to see how committed I truly was to myself and my values.\n\nIt was the year I embodied a sense of strength so fierce and a sense of courage so bold that nothing and nobody stopped me from doing exactly what I wanted to do. I handled every circumstance and curve ball thrown my way. When I was pushed to the breaking point, with all odds against me, and when others would have thrown in the towel, I grabbed that damn towel, wiped away the blood, sweat, and tears, and I owned it! Giving up was not an option in my book, and being brave was non-negotiable.\n\nIt was the year I solidified my passions, clarified my purpose, and chased my big, bold and often crazy dreams. I became crystal clear about how I want to live my life, and more importantly I became aware of how I wanted to feel. I made the commitment to never settle for mediocrity and realized that freedom is way more important to me than security.\n\nIt was the year I developed a deeper sense of what it means to embody gratitude. I’ve shifted from being thankful for superficial items to being grateful for meaningful moments. I’ve realized that no amount of material possessions or social status will ever surmount the beauty that exists within meaningful connections and breathtaking moments.\n\nIt was the year I recognized the importance and significance of forming beautiful connections with your tribe. I’ve realized that no matter where in the world my feet take me, the support and love from my tribe is what sustains me and keeps me putting one foot in front of the other. Even when they are heavy and dragging, I continue to move forward.\n\nIt was the year I finally, after years of resistance, came home to myself. I came home to who I truly am as a human being and as a woman. Home is not the familiarity of the same four walls and roof surrounding you, but it is the essence of knowing who you are, what you stand for, what you value, and becoming intimate with all your flaws and shortcomings, and accepting and loving yourself through it all.\n\nIt was the year I took the leap, held the faith, and lived more fully.\n\n2016, you’ve been everything I needed you to be—a dream come true. I’ve been stretched to new heights, grown exponentially, and developed a new barometer of strength.\n\n2017, let’s do this! I’ll continue to stand on my own two feet, or hands, and flow gracefully through this beautiful gift of life.\n\nLive fully. Love hard. And do what matters.\n\n\nAuthor: Laurita Gorman\n\nImage: Courtesy of author; Caio/Pexels\n\nEditor: Nicole Cameron\n\n\nRead The Best Articles of the Week\n\nLaurita Gorman\n\nLaurita Gorman is a holistic psychotherapist, yoga teacher, writer, speaker, mental health advocate and global retreat leader. She helps people around the globe transform their lives from places of pain and suffering to a journey of healing and growth, so they can live their best life and make a meaningful impact in the world. Through a unique blend of psychology and holistic and spiritual practices, she supports people in discovering what matters most to them and assists them in taking action towards those values so they can create the life they love, now! She is also the founder of Minds Out Loud, a global mental health movement dedicated to helping end the stigma surrounding mental health through the art of storytelling. You can follow Laurita on Facebook and Instagram, and sign up for her weekly newsletter on her website.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.988906979560852}
+{"content": "Canadian Producers Weathering Market Volatility\n\nFarmscape for November 1, 2018\n\nA Farm Credit Canada report on trade indicates Canadian agricultural producers doing a good job dealing with market volatility.\nA just released Farm Credit Canada trade report indicates Canadian agricultural producers are experiencing commodity price volatility due to an evolving and uncertain international trade environment but that shouldn’t significantly impact Canada’s long-term export growth potential.\nCraig Klemmer, a Principle Agricultural Economist with Farm Credit Canada, says the report looked at the impact of price volatility on agriculture over the past 30 years.\n\nClip-Craig Klemmer-Farm Credit Canada:\nWhen we look at that volatility, we're not in the most volatile time period that we've seen in agriculture but obviously there has been some volatility more recently due to these trade disruptions that we're seeing beyond the Canadian border.\nWe're seeing the pork markets are having more impacts from that.\nA lot of those are that North American prices, specifically U.S. prices for pork, have tariffs from both China and Mexico and those are impacting prices there.\nWhen we think about some of the opportunities for Canadian producers, on the soybean side of things, we've seen increased exports of soybean because of some of the tariffs that we see on U.S. exports to China as well.\nI think over all Canadian producers are fairly well equipped.\nVolatility is not new, as we can see from our report.\nProducers realize it's one of the many challenges that they face when they're creating their marketing plans and making their decisions about planting intentions or their mix of livestock and crops.\nThis isn't something new and it's something that they know is part of their operation and something that they've got to manage the risk for.\nFrom that perspective, from the management side of things, from the knowledge side of things I think producers are in a very good position to address that.\n\nKlemmer acknowledges it's also about recognizing what the impacts are and does that influence decisions moving forward, recognizing these factors do impact differently region by region and commodity by commodity and are dynamic situations all the time.\nFor Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.\n\n       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5667737722396851}
+{"content": "Meditationssauna : Therme Erding\n\n\nClear, Asian lines were chosen when designing this sauna. Meditative music and pleasant 70°C invite you to relax. Look out over the terrace to the Outdoor Vitality Pool and lake through the panorama window as you perspire away your cares. Or just close your eyes and listen to the softly splashing fountain where the Yin & Yang oven is placed. Our extensive Aufguss and wellness programme with beauty masks, salt, meditation and singing-bowl Aufgüsse calms and invigorates your senses.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9523242712020874}
+{"content": "Mindfulness  by the Sea\n\nWhat is Mindfulness?\n\nMindulness is a simple, effective set of practices and ways of thinking that help us to live our lives in a full, aware and carefree way. It allows us to  let go of our past, press 'pause' on future worries, and enjoy the life we have, right now. Taking our lives a moment at a time allows us rib-tickling freedom! It is really that simple. By understanding how our brains work, and connecting our minds to our body, we can become aware of thought patterns and emotions that cause us anxiety or stress - and then learn practical tips to let go of them or to reduce their hold on us.\n\nHow Can it Help?\nMindfulness helps us to pay attention in our lives - to the thoughts and feelings we have, to the choices we make, and instead of feeling pulled along in the storm of life, we begin to see how we can steer our ship and chart our own course.\nWho Can it Help?\nEveryone!  I have worked with children as young as 5, classrooms of 128 eleven year olds, teenagers, tired out mamas, and overstressed dads...\nDo I need experience?\nNo! If you can breathe you can 'do mindfulness'. It is also a non-spiritual practice, rooted in neuroscience, psychology - oh, and common sense!\n\nFor more information on my wellbeing and mindfulness work, and testimonials, see my sister- site www.corejourneys.com\n\nIn addition to my outdoor work, I have a BSc in Stress Management, diplomas in Mindfulness Instruction, Mindfulness for Children, as well as a PhD in geography! I am a published author in the wellbeing field and my current research involves the relationship between nature, the outdoors and happiness/health.\n\nMindfulness by the sea is a unique way to engage with nature, the water and yourself, without the formality of an indoor class. Feel the air in your lungs, the wind on your skin and let the water calm your mind.  Come and try it!\n\n'moment by moment non-judgemental awareness' (JKZ)\n\nNext Session:\n\nSeptember, 2016, watch this space..No experience needed, drop-in. £10.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9439864754676819}
+{"content": "Waste Water Treatment Plant\n\nWaste Water Treatment Plant\n\nWastewater is water that is collected in drainage and sewer systems. This may include water from residential and industrial use and rain water. Wastewater may contain harmful bacteria, organisms, solid wastes, and other harmful chemicals and pollutants. A wastewater treatment plant is a facility that receives wastewater and treats and cleans it for redistribution back into nature or for reuse.\n\nIn the past, wastewater was simply disposed of in large bodies of water. The large size of a body of water would dilute much of the pollutants present in the wastewater. In addition, natural organisms would, over time, break down the pollutants in the water. Because the process of breaking down harmful organisms takes time to naturally occur, this method of treatment would not adequately nor effectively treat and clean the enormous volume of wastewater that is produced today.\n\nA wastewater treatment plant works by accelerating the natural process of water treatment. Wastewater is directed via a sewage and drainage system to the treatment plant, where the incoming water is known as influent. The first phase of treatment screens out large pieces of debris such as rocks, wood, and litter. This debris is collected and generally taken to a landfill for disposal.\n\nThe wastewater is then held in tanks or basins. This allows solid particles to settle to the bottom and for grease or scum to rise to the top. Skimmers on the surface of the water collect the scum on the surface and scrapers collect the solid particles on the bottom, to be further processed as sludge. After processing, about 65% of sludge is reused as fertilizer. The sludge that is not reusable is disposed of in a landfill.\n\nThe secondary phase of the process in a wastewater treatment plant involves adding both microorganisms and oxygen to the wastewater. The microorganisms feed on and therefore remove much of the harmful bacteria present in the water. The adding of oxygen into the water is known as aeration and encourages the growth of the helpful microorganisms, which in turn speeds up the treatment process.\n\nThe microorganisms that were added to the water are then removed. The water is once again held in basins or tanks to allow the microorganisms to settle to the bottom. Most of these microorganisms are then reused in the treatment process, while a small percentage becomes sludge.\n\nThe wastewater is then treated with chlorine or ultraviolet light to kill any remaining harmful bacteria. Because chlorine is in itself a harmful substance, other chemicals may be added to neutralize the effects of chlorine. Once this step is performed the process is complete and the water, known as effluent, is typically discharged from the wastewater treatment plant into a body of water.\n\nComments are closed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.917374849319458}
+{"content": "Season’s Greetings\n\n\n“Remembering that Jesus is the reason for the season\n\n\n\nWhat lies for us in the New Year is in the hands of God.\n\nSo be thankful for the life you have today. For it is God’s will that tomorrow comes.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9882982969284058}
+{"content": "Malmo Population 2019\n\nMalmo is a city that is located in Sweden. It is the capital of Skane County and is also the county’s most populous city. It is the third most populous city in the country, and it is the sixth most populous in Scandinavia. The city has a population of 341,457 inhabitants. The largest metro area has more than double this population, with over 700,000 residents.\n\nMalmo City Size and Population Density\n\nThe city of Malmo stretches across 155.4 square kilometers (60 square miles), while the urban area is just 75 square kilometers (29 square miles) and has a population of over 5,000 inhabitants per square mile.\n\nPopulation Demographics\n\nMalmo has a very young population, with 48% of the population under the age of 35.\n\nOver 135,000 residents have a foreign background. Nearly 100,000 were born overseas. Fourteen percent of the population are foreign nationals. The city has the fourth-highest proportion of foreign residents in the country. The largest group of immigrants came to Malmo from Iraq. There are also large populations of people originally from Serbia, Denmark, Poland, Iran and Hungary. People from over 170 different countries now call Malmo home.\n\nThere are also about 150 languages spoken throughout the city.\n\nMalmo History\n\nThe area that Malmo now occupies was once a Viking settlement, between the years of 1000 and 1300. Some of the older names used for the area include Malmøi, Malmøghe, or Malmhaugar. Salt and herring were the major products in commerce at the time. In 1437, Malmö was awarded its city arms by Erik av Pommern. Skåne and Malmö belonged to Denmark until 1658 when the region became Swedish.\n\nIn 1712 many citizens died of the plague. In 1775 the harbour was rebuilt by Frans Suell Jr to help improve the level of commerce in the area. And the building continued over time as well - Malmö University opened its gates in 1998 and the bridge over Öresund opened in the year 2000.\n\nMalmo Population Growth\n\nOverall, the city has seen consistent growth throughout the years over the long and colorful history here, although the population did decline during the period between 1970 and 1980. However, it rebounded again with 11% growth between 1990 and 2000, followed by 15.2% growth between 2000 and 2010.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9849905371665955}
+{"content": "BARRACUDA CONCERTO for percussion solo & chamber orchestra 2006\n\nBoth Barracuda Concerto, for percussion and orchestra and Barracuda Solo for percussion solo were commissioned by the Tromp International Percussion Competition 2006 and financed by the Dutch Fund for the Creation of Music. Both scores are dedicated to Evelyn Glennie.\n\nBeing simultaneously written, the solo and the concerto version have 90% in common. Both versions will be premiered during the Competition in October 2006 at the Muziekcentrum Frits Philips Eindhoven, the Netherlands.\n\n\nDuration: 14’\n\nInstrumentation: : perc-solo, fl(pic) fl 2ob cl cl-b(cl) fg cfg 4h trp trb timp str\n\nAudio recording: premiere, featuring Shizuka Seki, percussion, Brabants Orkest, Hans Leenders, conductor.\n\nVideo recording: NY premiere, Peter Ferry solo percussion, Sound ExChange functioning as an orchestra cond. Danko Drusko.\n\n\nWhat does a percussion concerto have to do with a tropical fish? Nothing! But while composing this concerto, I called the first sketches ‘barracuda 1,2,3’ and so forth. I used the word barracuda as an onomatopoeia to indicate the fast four note rhythms and melodies. A catchy title anway.\n\nThe encyclopedia tells us: The barracuda ( from the Spanish dialectal barraco: overlapping tooth) is any of about 20 species of predatory fishes of the family Sphyraenidae. Barracudas are usually found in warm, tropical regions. Nocturnal creatures, they are swift and powerful, small scaled, slender in form, with two well-separated dorsal fins, a jutting lower jaw, and a large mouth with many sharp large teeth. Barracudas are primarily fish eaters. They are good, fighting sporting fishes, and the smaller ones make good eating. Barracudas are bold and inquisitive, and fearsome fishes, that may be dangerous to humans. The great barracuda is known to have been involved in attacks on swimmers. To avoid them, don't wear shiny objects. They are attracted to shiny, reflective things that look like dinner. They cause harm with their sharp jagged teeth and strong tearing jaws; slashing and creating jagged tears in your skin.\n\n\nPublishers: DONEMUS and PEER Clasical for Noth America.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.579328179359436}
+{"content": "Page 8 - National Geographic - How We Found Titanic\nP. 8\nAPRIL 14, 1912-11:00 P.M. 11:40 P.M. Sea search for a legend too great. There must be anoth- er vessel between them-the \"mystery ship\" (dotted YERTHE YEARS a Steaming westward, Titanic outline) that has intrigued number of expeditions approaches a barrier of field historians ever since. Later have sought without ice and bergs several miles Cali.fomian sees white rockets success to locate Ti.tantc-a wide stretching north and on the horizon but doesn't real- problem compounded by the south some 400 miles off the ize they are distress signals. North Atlantic's unpredictable coast of Newfoundland. Coli- . /lpit 75,2:2O a.m.: weather, the enormous depth fonrian, halted by ice to the Ti.tanic goes under, with 705 at which Titonic lies, and con- north, radios a warning and survivors in lifeboats. The Cun- flicting accounts of her final shortly shuts down her set. ard liner Carpathi.a, which had moments. Organizing our . &ril74,77:40p.m.: picked up the first distress call search, Jean-Louis Michel and At a speed her navigator mis- 58 miles to the southeast, con- Jean Jarry, the French project takenly believes to be more tinues steaming on a northwest leader, and I traced the move- than 21 knots, Titanic hits an course toward Titanic's report- ment of four ships before, dur- iceberg and radios a distress ed, but incorrect, position. ing, and after the sinking. call with her estimated posi- . /lpil 75,4:7O o.m.: From the outset we discounted tion (pink cross). But a consis- Carpathia encounters the drift- the reported position of. CoIi- tent change in Califomian's ing lifeboats and begins rescue. forni.on, the ship nearest to reported positions indicates Later Colifomiaa, which has Titonic and the one that could that a southeasterly current finally turned on her radio, have saved all aboard if. CoIi- (arrow) was slowing Titonic arrives at Titanic's reported fomion's radio had not been and putting her off track. Af- position with M ount Te mPle off. That position has always ter midnight Califumian and and other ships. The mystery been controversial. In the Titanic each see the lights of ship, if it ever existed, has long sequence above we reconstruct another ship in the other's di- ago vanished. Having taken all what we believe to be rection. But according to the elements into account, Jean- Titanic's final hours: two ships' reported positions, Louis, Jean, and I conclude that . April74,77:(X)p.m-: the distance between them is Titani.c must lie north of where Carpathi.a met the lifeboats. . Jutle 28,7985: The French ship Ze Suroit (\"Sou'wester\") begins \"mowing ths l3lvn\"-5ystematically crossing the 15O-square-mile target zone with her deep- search sonar. Ze Suroit covers 80 percent ofthe zone, leaving\n   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8411985039710999}
+{"content": "How Long Does It Take To Charge A Motorcycle Battery?\n\nHow many hours do you need to charge your motorcycle battery?\n\nAll batteries, whether always in use or not, gets discharged; thus it requires to be re-charged at some point. Knowing how long it will take for you to charge your motorcycle’s battery is critical in planning your maintenance activities.\n\nThe key here is to know the specifications of your battery and your chosen charger and only then will you get an idea of the length of time it requires to be charged.\n\nSo how long does it take to charge a motorcycle battery? A motorcycle battery would need to be charged an average of 24 hours at most. The simple calculation you can apply here is battery capacity (AH) rating divided by the chargers Amp rating (A).\n\nDo consider that there are a lot of dependencies before we can accurately or adequately determine how long a charger can charge your batteries. They depend on the following:\n\n1.) The Battery’s Capacity\n\nBecome familiar with the amps, amp hours, watts and voltage of your battery. You would need such information to determine what type of charger is necessary for your battery. Some of them can be found in your battery manual while some needs to be measured manually.\n\nHere’s a quick example of how to determine charge time. If you have a 10 Ah battery, a 1 Amp charger is recommended. This was calculated using Amp per Hour (AH) divided by 10. Why is it divided by 10? Charging of batteries should not be at more than one-tenth the battery’s current rating in amp per hour (AH).\n\n2.) The Level Of Discharge Of The Battery\n\nThe more discharged the battery, the longer it will take you to charge the battery. Do not let your motorcycle batteries be on a discharged state for a long time. They do not do well in this scenario. If your battery always gets discharged, expect to buy a new battery soon.\n\nIt is preferred that batteries are slowly charged. These means charging at 10 amp or lower. Fast charging is not recommended because it may overcharge the battery and reduce the lifespan.\n\n3.) The Output Current Of The Charger – Measured In Amp Or A\n\nBattery Charging at 1 amp. This is generally done with a trickle charger and would generally take 24 hours or more with a drained battery. This is recommended for small batteries. Do note that most trickle chargers are rated at about 1.25 amps. (Know more about trickle chargers by reading further below.)\n\nWith charge at 1 amp, a 10 AH battery would take about 10 hours to be fully charged.\n\nBattery Charging at 2 amp. This is the most recommended value when charging motorcycle batteries. This provides steady power to your batteries. If you have a 10 amp/hour battery with a 2 amp charger, It would take 5 hours for the battery to be fully charged.\n\nBattery Charging at 6 amp. The standard for batteries is that you should never charge a battery at more than one-tenth its current rating in amp hours (AH). Simply put, if you have a 20 AH battery, a charger with no more than 2 Amp is needed.\n\nSince most motorcycles batteries only have about 21 AH, charging with a 6 amp charger is not recommended. This will cause your motorcycle battery to deteriorate in its performance.\n\nBattery Charging at 10 amp. You might be thinking, the higher the current, the faster it will charge. In essence, yes but it would also certainly damage your motorcycle battery. Avoid charging your motorcycle battery at 10 amp as it would definitely overcharge/overload your battery.\n\n4.) The Discharge Rate Of The Battery – Measured In C\n\nMeasures how much current the battery can deliver. If you see a battery labeled with 2.2 AH and 20 C rating, it means it can provide 44 A. The formula is – Ampere per Hour AH multiplied by C rating = Amount of current that the battery can deliver in Ampere A.\n\nToo much information, right?\n\nI feel you. First off, for you to have a better idea, you would need to learn a few things about motorcycle batteries. Good thing for you, I have done a bit of research to help you understand motorcycle batteries better.\n\nMotorcycle batteries should be able to serve you for around three years. They could be able to serve you for more than that if you have a well-maintained battery. If you read further below, I have included in this article some of the easiest ways to maintain your motorcycle battery.\n\nLet’s familiarize ourselves with some of the technical terms. Definitions have been included here to help you better understand batteries.\n\nAmp Rate Of The Charger\n\nMeasured by Ampere or A. Unit used to describe how much electrical current is flowing.\n\nAmp Per Hour (battery)\n\nMeasured by Ampere per Hour or AH. A measure of capacity used to estimate the amount of power the battery can hold. In other words, if you have a battery with 3 AH, it means it can supply 3 Amps for 1 hour.\n\n\nFor a 12-volt nominal battery, A fully charged battery would have a voltage measured at 12.60 volts. Always measure the voltage of a battery when it is not connected to any electrical load. This is called an open circuit voltage. A fully discharged battery would have a measurement of 10.5 volts. Voltage can be measured by a voltmeter.\n\nBattery Life\n\nBattery life is determined by this formula:\n\nCapacity (Ampere per Hour AH) divided by Load (Ampere A) = Battery life (Hours H)\n\nYou would typically encounter these terminologies if you plan on reading and learning more about batteries. These should help you on your way.\n\nIt does take a lot for us to accurately know how long it will take to charge the battery, but simple battery maintenance would help make do without all of these calculations.\n\nHere are a few easy steps on proper motorcycle maintenance:\n\n1. Regularly ride your motorcycle.\n2. Check voltage output weekly using a voltmeter. Reading should be 12.5 volts to 13.5 volts with a 12-volt battery. With a 6 volt battery, reading should be 6.5 volts to 7.5 volts.\n3. If you are planning to store your motorcycle, remove the battery and plug it to a trickle charger.\n4. Clean your motorcycle battery every month to prevent corrosion and sulfation.\n\nSome safety precautions:\n\n1. Always remove the battery from your motorcycle prior to doing any tests or activities with it such as charging and measurements.\n2. Do not use a charger with a higher voltage than your battery.\n3. Do not use a charger with a higher or equal to the amp amount of your charger.\n4. If the motorcycle is in a garage, open the garage door or bring the motorcycle outside prior to charging and performing any battery activities.\n\nDifferent Types Of Chargers\n\nDifferent chargers are available for your different charging needs. Identify the needs of your battery prior to charging it. This is the key to ensuring your battery can be able to serve you longer.\n\nTrickle Charger\n\nTrickle chargers are not meant to charge batteries. They were made to maintain a charge on your motorcycle batteries. Trickle chargers are customarily used on batteries put in storage for a long time. This is commonly done by most of us during the winter season.\n\nThis type of charger does not have an automatic shut off feature if your battery is fully charged and for this reason, you would have to monitor the charge levels.\n\nFloat Charger\n\nThis type of charger provides a constant and gentle current to the battery. They have an automatic shut off feature should your battery be charged entirely already. Float chargers are also used on batteries put in storage for a long time. Another great thing about this is that it turns back on if your battery requires re-charging due to self-discharge.\n\nSmart Charger\n\nIf you are using a standard motorcycle charger, you would need to constantly check if charging has been completed. Failing to do so might cause your battery to overcharge and cause irreparable damage. For this reason, I highly recommend that you purchase a smart motorcycle charger.\n\nWhat Is A Smart Motorcycle Charger And What Does It Do?\n\nFrom the word “smart,” these chargers can intelligently control the amount of charge it gives your batteries, therefore, preventing it from overcharging. With a smart charger connected, there is no need to constantly check if your battery is already full. You can leave it overnight and sleep without any worries.\n\nFinal Thoughts\n\nMotorcycle batteries take a shorter amount of time to be charged compared to car batteries. On average, motorcycle batteries would require a good 24 hours to be fully charged. Without knowing the specifics of your battery and charger, your batteries can be damaged.\n\nThere is a lot to learn, and it can be pretty overwhelming. Should you want not to be bothered by all of these, I’d recommend for you to exercise proper maintenance of motorcycle battery.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6098150014877319}
+{"content": "Sothoryos ( Sothoros )\n\nSothoros is one of the three known continents in the world. It lies to the south east of Westeros and just south of Essos across the Summer Sea. Sothoros is also often spelled Sothoryos.\n\n\nThe north coast has many islands along its length, such as the Isle of Tears and Isle of Toads, as well as the Basilisk Isles, presumably named for the creatures inhabiting them. Ax Isle and Naath also lie off the coast of the continent.\n\nMap on Next page.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993975162506104}
+{"content": "Connect with us\n\n\n\nDmitry Stefanovich\n\n\n\n\nTherapeutic address\n\nThe address to the Federal Assembly by President Vladimir Putin, who has since been re-elected, was striking and unprecedented in terms of its nuclear-missile revelations. However, it generated a fair share of criticism, and rightly so for the most part. In particular, the visualization of the new nuclear delivery systems included a number of previously demonstrated animations, including the understandably criticized “footage” of MIRVs arriving at Florida, which was borrowed from a video related to the future Sarmat ICBM that had been included in a TV film devoted to the Voyevoda ICBM. One aspect that wasn’t entirely understandable was the clearly doctored footage of a target being allegedly being hit by a Kinzhal, a system that is currently very close to deployment. It is, however, worth noting that all the systems featured in the presentation – the heavy Sarmat ICBM, the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile of unlimited range, the Poseidon nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle, the Kinzhal airborne rocket system, and the Peresvet combat laser system – were all, to one extent or another, started as Soviet projects aimed at counteracting the deployment of U.S. ABM as part of President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative.\n\nThis, however, is beside the point. The key part of Putin’s address was the message to the effect that Russia is prepared to overcome the problems posed by any existing or future U.S. ABM system. Shortly after the president’s address, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu expressed his bewilderment at why the U.S. would need a “leaky” ABM umbrella. Putin himself clarified his position in an interview with NBC, effectively declaring that Russia was ready for further reductions in strategic offensive weapons, the ABM threat notwithstanding. An external symptom of this readiness is the absence of ABM on the agenda of the next iteration of the international security conference in Moscow, which originally emerged as a platform for discussions on U.S. ABM-related issues. Thus, we can assume that the demonstration of nuclear delivery systems that are invulnerable a priori to any existing or future anti-missile systems had a therapeutic effect and significantly lowered the tone of hysterical talk concerning the development of the U.S. ABM system.\n\nThe most recent evidence of the possibility of a new agreement came in the form of a telephone conversation between Putin and Trump on March 20, after which the two presidents declared their interest in a meaningful discussion on strategic stability aimed at preventing a new arms race [1]. The first step towards a positive agenda should be a joint statement on strategic stability by the two countries’ presidents. Apart from the traditional talking point about the impossibility of winning a nuclear war, the statement would benefit from the inclusion of assurances stating that the new defensive and offensive weapons do not aim to undermine the deterring potential of each country’s nuclear forces, and that neither of the two are striving to create nuclear weapons that would be applicable in local conflicts.\n\nIn this context, despite the negative backdrop of the current Russian-U.S. relations, the need to discuss the parameters of the future nuclear deal has once again become a hot topic, even though Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asserts that the time for such talks has not yet arrived.\n\nProblems with prolongation\n\nThe simplest and most obvious option would be to prolong the current New START for another five years until 2026. There are, however, a number of obstacles to this.\n\nTrump is extremely opposed to all the achievements of the Obama administration, including in the nuclear field. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program is falling apart and, according to unofficial reports, the New START came under criticism during Trump’s first phone conversation with Putin.\n\nRussia continues to be critical of the U.S. approach to reducing the number of nuclear delivery platforms and launchers. This criticism does not appear to be extremely significant, but it does illustrate the shortcomings of the current New START in terms of the mere possibility of such a problem emerging once the combined permitted levels of strategic offensive weapons under the New START have been reached.\n\nThe INF Treaty is a burning topic: the two sides have officially accused each other of breaching the document, while denying the accusations leveled against themselves. It should be noted that the U.S. has already codified its accusations, including as part of sanctions against enterprises involved in the production of 9M729 cruise missiles for the Iskander-M theater missile system (Novator Design Bureau and Titan-Barrikady).\n\nBoth the U.S., under its new Nuclear Posture Review, and Russia, under its new government armament program through 2027, are slated to phase in nuclear delivery systems which fall outside the scope of the New START.\n\nHypersonic glide vehicles are already being discussed by experts as future systems that would be capable of radically rearranging the global strategic landscape even if they are not tipped with nuclear warheads;\n\nThe “exotic” Burevestnik and Poseidon nuclear-powered nuclear delivery platforms, which have not yet been added to Russia’s arsenal, represent projects of assured destruction with nuclear retaliation. They are believed to be in a fairly high state of completion, but tests continue. It is impossible to predict the planned deployment timeline, locations, and numbers as of now: the exact parameters will depend on the situation with Russian-U.S. and global arms control regimes.\n\nNuclear-tipped sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCM) present a serious problem. Such missiles are nothing new, but for now there is no control regime that would apply to them. START I imposed an unverifiable limit of 880 SLCMs for both parties; in fact, these weapons have not been officially sent on combat duty to sea since the early 1990s as part of unilateral initiatives. In 2011, the U.S. finally decided to retire the nuclear-tipped variant of the TLAM-N Tomahawk cruise missile; the country has by now destroyed all the associated W-80-0 warheads [2]. Russia historically (and most likely deliberately) maintains a certain degree of ambiguity when it comes to the types of its SLCMs that are potentially and actually capable of being tipped with specialized warheads (the same is true of other Russian missile types). The U.S. periodically describes its nuclear-tipped SLCMs as a response to Russia’s breaches of the INF Treaty, allegedly through the continued deployment of a ground-based type of cruise missiles with a range of around 2,000 km, and states that it is prepared to suspend its project should the matter be resolved. Washington keeps different deployment options on the table for its SLCMs, from the fairly obvious Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to such exotic variants as Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers. Overall, it appears that in this particular context, Russia is merely a pretext, whereas the true reason that the U.S. re-admitted this class of nuclear weapons to its arsenal is China, with its rapidly developing naval force, which is being supported and reinforced by ground-based (and maybe even sea-based) ballistic anti-ship missile projects.\n\nThe air-launched aero-ballistic missile as part of the Kinzhal system is, in fact, an elegant solution to the INF Treaty problem, while not being formally covered by the New START.\n\nAs previously mentioned, Russia conducted an ABM “therapy” session for both the external audience and, perhaps more to the point, for internal consumption. However, given the previous history of the issue, primarily Moscow’s reiterated demands for legal guarantees that the U.S. ABM system will not be aimed against Russia and its other demands (including those voiced jointly with China), this topic should make its way into the future treaty in some form or another.\n\nShould the two countries reach a compromise, a certain mechanism needs to be devised for both parties to save face, which is of particular importance given that Trump is facing stern opposition in Congress.\n\nThere is hope that one of the irritating arms control factors in Russian-U.S. relations will soon disappear: there are reports that the project to develop the Rubezh light mobile ICBM has been put on ice in favor of the Avangard missile [3]. U.S. experts had previously voiced their concerns that the Rubezh project was primarily intended as a smokescreen for the deployment of intermediate-range ballistic missiles that are banned under the INF Treaty. Furthermore, the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act calls for preparing a report on the Rubezh.\n\nWays to resolve differences\n\nGiven the above, Russia and the U.S. could and should shift to a positive agenda by each making two concessions:\n\nthe U.S. would suspend its nuclear-tipped SLCM project and provide a symbolic gesture of giving up an ABM component as well as making it possible for Russian specialists to inspect European Aegis Ashore installations (including periodically);\n\nRussia would suspend its Burevestnik and Poseidon projects and make a symbolic statement to the effect that it would not be deploying, say, 9M729 missiles, and would replace them in the constantly growing Iskander-M missile inventory with a certain future article, one which Russian developers are most likely already working on. To further ease pressure, Russia would invite inspectors to visit one of its separate missile brigades, possibly including a demonstration of the 9M729 that would unequivocally prove that the missile is not in breach of the INF Treaty;\n\nUnder the best-case scenario, the sides might consider the possibility of Russian experts visiting various components of the U.S. ABM system with frequent inspections and being present during tests of certain interceptor missiles, with U.S. experts similarly visiting Russia’s separate military brigades and observing test launches of theater missiles. However, given the current harsh confrontation between the two countries, such a scenario would appear to be utopian.\n\nIt is evident that both countries’ goodwill would be key to implementing this plan, but it is precisely this ingredient that has been lacking so far. In addition, possible outcries at home should not be discounted, either. In this light, Moscow and Washington would do well to work in advance to agree on the optimal wording that would highlight their achievements and the potential for the most efficient use of the previously allocated budgets for the projects that are to be suspended, and also for these projects to be promptly re-activated if need be. Such actions are capable of resolving the two countries’ differences on the INF Treaty and on the ABM program.\n\nParameters of the new treaty\n\nAfter the mutually irritating issues have been put to rest, however formally, the dialogue could proceed to a new comprehensive treaty. The following key criteria might be discussed:\n\nA further reduction in the overall number of nuclear warheads. It appears important to agree to such a level at which the next phase of the process could accommodate, least painfully, the other nuclear powers, including the unofficial ones;\n\nA clarification of the rules for counting heavy bombers and associated nuclear munitions: not in the context of either party’s advantages (which only exist in the eyes of the EU and Russian bomber patriots), but taking into account future military aviation and missilery developments, primarily for the Russian Kh-BD and US LRSO cruise missiles;\n\nA clarification of the volume and nature of telemetry to be surrendered in the course of test launches of new ICBMs. The U.S. has been unofficially voicing its concerns about the New START procedure because Russia has tested and supplemented its arsenal with new systems since the treaty came into effect. Now the tables have been turned: Washington has launched work to develop the GBSD ICBM, and the new lower-yield warhead for the Trident II SLBM may also prove a peculiar weapon, despite the statements that it will be, in effect, a single-stage W76 with the index 2. In fact, the Trident missile itself will be replaced sooner or later.\n\nThe search for ways to classify and inventory new nuclear delivery systems, primarily as regards hypersonic glide vehicles;\n\nGiven Russia’s criticisms of the way the U.S. is denuclearizing its B-52H bombers, and in light of Washington’s ongoing (albeit somewhat vague) plans with regard to the Prompt Global Strike effort, the possibility of hypersonic glide vehicles being armed with non-nuclear warheads, and the Russian Defense Ministry’s conventional deterrence concept, which is directly linked to the development of such weapons, the topic of strategic conventional weapons could form a separate and important section of the future document.\n\nThe influence of intelligence, military, and criminal activities in cyberspace on strategic stability, including as regards the vulnerability of nuclear weapons. This topic has been highlighted, even if indirectly, in connection with the consistent disruptions of Russian-U.S. talks on information security and strategic stability in early March 2018.\n\nOf particular importance is the possibility of partially involving representatives of other nuclear powers in the discussion of at least the fourth, fifth, and sixth bullet points listed above. Furthermore, should arms reduction processes continue even on a bilateral basis, all five nuclear powers could be involved in an information exchange and efforts to improve the transparency of strategic nuclear forces. At the same time, tactical nuclear weapons will remain beyond the scope of these efforts due to differences in regional dynamics, even though in theory nuclear charges might be inventoried collectively and not by individual country.\n\nStabilizing communications\n\nRussia and the U.S. retain the potential for mutually assured destruction. Both Putin’s statement to the effect that the world is hardly viable without Russia and the reminder by U.S. Strategic Commander Gen John Hyten that his country may deliver a devastating strike on Russia in any situation should cool hot heads around the world. For better or for worse, nuclear weapons remain the only guarantee against a major hot war in the current situation of massive international confrontation. A meaningful discussion as to the existence of and application scenarios for nuclear arms, any quantitative limitations, possible nuclear doctrines, and other measures of trust and transparency would help retain and strengthen communications between the two notional enemies, which is crucial to the future of the entire planet. This can only be possible if both parties approach the problem in a constructive way and demonstrate their willingness to compromise.\n\nResolving individual differences and finding points of mutual contact per se will not be able to form the foundation for a full-fledged Detente 2.0, but these efforts might help articulate the partners’ goals and objectives in negotiations. The mutual misunderstanding of each other’s true intentions is precisely what resulted in the continuing escalation of problems. This is why the two countries must learn how to listen to and understand each other anew.\n\n[1]. It should be noted, however, that both presidents previously expressed their readiness for such an arms race and that it had actually commenced.\n\n[2]. In the meantime, W-80-1 warheads remain in service with air-delivered cruise missiles; the future LRSO cruise missile will be tipped with the W-80-4 warhead of the same series.\n\n[3]. Previously, different sources would often mention Rubezh and Avangard in the same context, in different combinations. There is, however, no reason to believe that a lighter ICBM could propel a hypersonic glide vehicle over an intercontinental distance. On the other hand, China is planning to soon deploy its own vehicle precisely as an intermediate-range missile system; however, this subclass of missile weapons is outside the scope of our article.\n\nFirst published in our partner RIAC\n\nContinue Reading\n\n\nInsecurity of India’s Nuclear Weapons\n\nAli Raza\n\n\n\nAfter 1945, it came into the knowledge that nuclear weapons are the most destructive, lethal and powerful weapon on the planet earth, which can wipe out hundreds of thousands of people in short span of time. That’s why global community, particularly the U.S. and Former Soviet Union agreed on formulation of stringent globally accepted principles to secure these destructive weapons. India is the first country that brought nuclear weapons in South Asia by detonating nuclear device back in 1974 and yet again in 1998.However, since than safety and security of these weapons under the control of violent Hindutva regime has considerably attracted much of the scholars’ attraction.\n\nTerrorism has become an increasing concern within international society but so far there has been less focus on one particular aspect of the problem that is nuclear terrorism. Yet, within the context of South Asia this is of special significance, given the number of insurgencies and freedom struggles with transnational linkages, and the nuclearisation of this region since 1998. Of all the South Asian states, India’s nuclear facilities are perhaps the most vulnerable to nuclear terrorism, given India’s expansive nuclear programme, much of it not subject to IAEA safeguards. In addition, the vulnerability of India’s nuclear facilities is further aggravated by its thriving underworld and more than a dozen insurgencies going on within the Indian states, as well as the freedom struggle in Indian Occupied Kashmir.\n\nIndia’s nuclear programme has developed at an exceptionally fast pace. However, because a few of such facilities are under international safeguards, there is little knowledge about the levels of safety of the various nuclear facilities. Of the ten operational power plants, only four are under IAEA safeguards. According to an Indian parliamentary report, 147 mishaps or safety-related unusual occurrences were reported between the years 1995-1998 in Indian atomic energy plants. Of these, 28 were of an acute nature and 9 of these 28 occurred in the nuclear power installations. Thus, the state of Indian nuclear facilities raises serious concerns as they seem to be vulnerable to a high probability of terrorist attacks, thefts and accidents. The scale of the programme aggravates the problems, as there are plans for the building of pressurized heavy water reactors, fast breeder reactors and thorium reactors on a commercial scale.\n\nApart from the risk of falling of nuclear weapons and related technology in the hands of terrorists, if one looks at the leadership of India and try to analyse the factor of rationality in the decision making of use of nuclear weapon it clearly suggests that the current leadership i.e. BJP is not only hawkish in its nature but equally believes in use of force for political gains, which further leads us to the assumption that the nuclear decision making is equally occupied by the Hindu hardliners.\n\nDuring the recent Pulwama Crisis, it has been learnt that BJP’s irresponsible behaviour should suffice for all Indians to understand that India will remain hyphenated with Pakistan for foreseeable time. India planned to use Brahmos missile that could carry nuclear warhead. India’s behaviour clearly shows that nuclear weapons are in wrong hands. Because the yield and potential related to the nuclear weapons are absolutely detrimental and possession of such weapons in wrong, less responsible and extremist hands is a threat for the entire world.\n\nThe only purpose of nuclear weapons is to acquire deterrence in order to avoid the possibility of war. But, India is showing the attitude that it will use these weapons for the purposes of war fighting, which is unacceptable to international community.  \n\nThe track record of India in the field of nuclear weapons and related technology is much muddier. India initiated arms race in the region, and, it is leaving no stone unturned e.g. advancements in sea-based nuclear capabilities and militarisation of space. Most importantly the recent ASAT test, which is in fact a compelling factor for neighbouring states to think in the same way in order to acquire comparable technologies for equalizing the defence capabilities. These alarming acts of India can bring the entire region at the verge of instability, which in fact could prove dire for the peace of the entire globe keeping in view the economic, natural resources, political and security factors of the region.\n\nThe time has come for the international community to break its silence and stop their patronage for India and take serious note and steps regarding the possession of nuclear weapons by India in relation to its aggressive and immature behaviour and mind-set of its leadership, which can lead entire globe to the unacceptable disaster. Since, Kashmir is flash point between both nuclear armed states it is only India which is triggering it by its continuous atrocities in Kashmir. Most importantly existence of ISIS in India is also a foremost point of concern especially keeping in view the nuclear program of India, according to the recent development ISIS claimed for the first time that it has established a “province” in India, after a clash between militants and security forces in the contested Kashmir region killed a militant with alleged ties to the group. This is not only the matter, which solely related to the stability and security of South Asia. This time instability is knocking the door of entire globe in the form of India. The continuous negligence of international community with respect to Indian nuclear weapons will definitely disturb the stability as well as peace of the entire globe.\n\nContinue Reading\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nContinue Reading\n\n\nLibya Crisis: Role of Regional Players\n\nSyeda Dhanak Hashmi\n\n\n\nLibya remains in a chaotic state after the fall of Muammar Gadhafi. The United Nations-backed government struggles to exercise control over territory held by rival factions, escalating geographical and political divisions between the East, West, and South. But it’s political and security crisis continues as the two authorities compete for legitimacy and territorial control and have left scores of thousands displaced inside Libya and interrupted access to basic services to the Libyans.\n\nAt present, a hazardous military conflict is ongoing in Libya between east-based forces loyal to Field Marshal Haftar and armed groups allied to the UN-backed government in Tripoli. The WHO has given higher estimates of casualties where 392 people have been killed and about 2,000 wounded in the ongoing armed clashes south of Tripoli. Recently, Khalifa Haftar’s bid to tumble the UN-recognized government has displaced 50,000 people and urged his forces to “teach the enemy a greater and bigger lesson than the previous ones” during Ramadan, saying the holy month had not been a reason to stop previous battles in the eastern cities of Benghazi and Derna.\n\nThe armed militias and terrorist groups are using the nation as a base for radicalization and organized crime, further adding fuel to the fire and posing a threat to the region and beyond. The civilians are harassed and victimized by the militias and armed groups, but nothing has been done so far as the international involvement has remained too apprehensive to avert an all-out fight for the capital. The Courts, on the other hand, are semi-functional, and various impediments obstruct access to fair trials. Hence, there is a threat of proxy war between regional powers if this full-fledged conflict will remain unchecked. The UN is required to play an integral role by encouraging the parties to return to the negotiating table and proposing a new three-track strategy addressing the core political, military and financial concerns of both sides. If external actors are serious in their calls, now is the time to act to stop this full-fledged war.\n\nThe conflict escalates further when Libyan National Army (LNA) under Haftar’s command launched an attack, named ‘Flood of Dignity’, with the specified aim of capturing the capital, despite repeated warnings by Libya’s international partners. LNA began to advance on Tripoli after Haftar returned from Riyadh, believing that the international supporters, i.e., the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France and Russia would stand by them. Although the US had warned him verbally not to move into western Libya, where the UN-backed government is based and has tried to influence Haftar to accept a political deal with Faiez Serraj, the head of the Tripoli-based government, to unify Libya’s divided institutions, including the military, making Haftar the head of the armed forces, but he disagreed arguing that the presence of militias in Tripoli would increase the security issue and frustrate the ordinary Libyans.\n\nThe military strength and external support of LNA is evident but its victory in Tripoli cannot be predicted. As for now, this conflict could spread to other parts of Libya, as Misratan forces have openly stated that they aim to cut-off LNA supply lines in central Libya which will eventually worsen the conflict. To avoid this catastrophic intensification in Tripoli involving regional powers, Libya’s partners should take serious actions. The regional powers should abstain from supporting the offensive militarily, and endorse their support for UN-led negotiations. Moreover, the UN Security Council should demand for an instant culmination of hostilities, and impose sanctions on military commanders and political leaders escalating confrontations.\n\nFurthermore, the UN should introduce a three-pronged strategy including a political track, which should not only be restricted to a deal between Haftar and Serraj rather should also include political representatives from rival parties to ensure an equal and practical solution. Second, a military track should be presented, involving senior military commanders from both sides, along the lines of the Egypt-led military dialogue to agree on new security arrangements for the capital; and in the last place, a financial track, to bridge the gap of the financial institutions which emerged in 2014 as a result of political disturbances, by bringing together representatives from Libya’s divided Central Bank.\n\nIn conclusion, Libya has witnessed frequent setbacks and external interference over the past eight years which have facilitated the non-state actors such as ISIS to gain a foothold. Keeping in view the present scenario, the menace of terrorism could become a self-fulfilling prophecy as new jihadists are joining the conflict. What will happen in the fight for Tripoli is now largely reliant on how the UN and international players of the region will respond to it. Although the external powers, including the US, UK, France, Italy, the UAE, Egypt and Russia, have condemned the escalation, but none of them included the threat of sanctions and made any explicit mention to support the UN-backed Government of National Accord in Tripoli. Therefore, it can be assumed that the external powers are providing assistance to Haftar in his ambition to seize the capital and power.\n\nContinue Reading\n\n\n\nCopyright © 2019 Modern Diplomacy", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9643493294715881}
+{"content": "What’s the best measure of representational dissimilarity?\n\n\nBobadilla-Suarez, Ahlheim, Mehrotra, Panos, & Love (pp2018) set out to shed some light on the best choice of similarity measure for analyzing distributed brain representations. They take an empirical approach, starting with the assumption that a good measure of neural similarity should reflect the degree to which an optimal decoder confuses two stimuli.\n\nDecoding indeed provides a useful perspective for thinking about representational dissimilarities. Defining decoders helps us consider explicitly how other brain regions might read out a representation, and to base our analyses of brain activity on reasonable assumptions.\n\nUsing two different data sets, the authors report that Euclidean and Mahalanobis distances, respectively, are most highly correlated (Spearman correlation across pairs of stimuli) with decoding accuracy. They conclude that this suggests that Euclidean and Mahalanobis distances are preferable to the popular Pearson correlation distance as a choice of representational dissimilarity measure.\n\nDecoding analyses provide an attractive approach to the assessment of representational dissimilarity for two reasons:\n\n  • Decoders can help us test whether particular information is present in a format that could be directly read out by a downstream neuron. This requires the decoder to be plausibly implementable by a single neuron, which holds for linear readout (if we assume that the readout neuron can see a sufficient portion of the code). While this provides a good motivation for linear decoding analyses, we need to be mindful of a few caveats: Single neurons might also be capable of various forms of nonlinear readout. Moreover, neurons might have access to a different portion of the neuronal information than is used in a particular decoding analysis. For example, readout neurons might have access to more information about the neuronal responses than we were able to measure (e.g. with fMRI, where each voxel indirectly reflects the activity of tens or hundreds of thousands of neurons; or with cell recordings, where we can often sample only tens or hundreds of neurons from a population of millions). Conversely, our decoder might have access to a larger neuronal population than any single readout neuron (e.g. to all of V1 or some other large region of interest).\n  • Decoding accuracy can be assessed with an independent test set. This removes overfitting bias of the estimate of discriminability and enables us to assess whether two activity patterns really differ without relying on assumptions (such as Gaussian noise) for the validity of this inference.\n\nThis suggests using decoding directly to measure representational dissimilarity. For example, we could use decoding accuracy as a measure of dissimilarity (e.g. Carlson et al. 2013, Cichy et al. 2015). The paper’s rationale to evaluate different dissimilarity measures by comparison to decoding accuracy therefore does not make sense to me. If decoding accuracy is to be considered the gold standard, then why not use that gold standard itself, rather than a distinct dissimilarity measure that serves as a stand in?\n\nIn fact the motivation for using Pearson correlation distance for comparing brain-activity patterns is not to emulate decoding accuracy, but to describe to what extent two experimental conditions push the baseline activity pattern in different directions in multivariate response space: The correlation distance is 1 minus the cosine of the angle the two patterns span (after the regional-mean activation has been subtracted out from each).\n\nInterestingly, the correlation distance is proportional to the squared Euclidean distance between the normalized patterns (where each pattern has been separately normalized by first subtracting the mean from each value and then scaling the norm to 1; see Fig. 1, below and Walther et al. 2016). So in comparing the Euclidean distance to correlation distance, the question becomes whether those normalizations (and the squaring) are desirable.\n\ncorrelation distance is normalized euclidean squared\nFigure 1: The correlation distance (1-r, where r is the Pearson correlation coefficient) is proportional to the squared Euclidean distance d2 when each pattern has been separately normalized by first subtracting the mean from each value and then scaling the norm to 1. See slides for the First Cambridge Representational Similarity Analysis Workshop (http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/rsa2015/rsa2015media/) and Nili et al. (2014).\n\nOne motivation for removing the mean is to make the pattern analysis more complementary to the regional-mean activation analysis, which many researchers standardly also perform. Note that this motivation is at odds with the desire to best emulate decoding results because most decoders, by default, will exploit regional-mean activation differences as well as fine-grained pattern differences.\n\nThe finding that Euclidean and Mahalanobis distances better predicted decoding accuracies here than correlation distance, could have either or both of the following causes:\n\n  • Correlation distance normalizes out to the regional-mean component. On the one hand, regional-mean effects are large and will often contribute to successful decoding. On the other hand, removing the regional-mean is a very ineffective way to remove overall-activation effects (especially different voxels respond with different gains). Removing the regional mean, therefore, may hardly affect the accuracy of a linear decoder (as shown for a particular data set in Misaki et al. 2010).\n  • Correlation distance normalizes out the pattern variance across voxels. The divisive normalization of the variance around the mean has an undesirable effect: Two experimental conditions that do not drive a response and therefore have uncorrelated patterns (noise only, r ≈ 0) appear very dissimilar (1 – r ≈ 1). If we used a decoder, we would find that the two conditions that don’t drive responses are indistinguishable, despite their substantial correlation distance. This has been explained and illustrated by Walther et al. (2016; Fig. 2, below). Note that the two stimuli would be indistinguishable, even if the decoder was based on correlation distance (e.g. Haxby et al. 2001). It is the independent test set used in decoding that makes the difference here.\n\n\ncorrelation distance is problematic.PNG\nFigure 2 (from Walter et al. 2016): “The correlation distance is sensitive to differences in stimulus activation. Activation and RDM analysis of response patterns in FFA and PPA in dataset three (see the section Dataset 3: Representations of visual objects at varying orientations). The preferred stimulus category (faces for FFA, places for PPA) is highlighted in red. (A) Mean activation profile of the functional regions. As expected, both regions show higher activation for their preferred stimulus type. (B) RDMs and bar graphs of the average distance within each category (error bars indicate standard error across subjects).”\n\nNormalizing each pattern (by subtracting the regional mean and/or dividing by the standard deviation across voxels) is a defensible choice – despite the fact that it might make dissimilarities less correlated with linear decoding accuracies (when the latter are based on different normalization choices). However, it is desirable to use crossvalidation (as is typically used in decoding) to remove bias.\n\nThe dichotomy of decoding versus dissimilarity is misleading, because any decoder is based on some notion of dissimilarity. The minimum-correlation-distance decoder (Haxby et al. 2001) is one case in point. The Fisher linear discriminant can similarly be interpreted as a minimum-Mahalanobis-distance classifier. Decoders imply dissimilarities, requiring the same fundamental choices, so the dichotomy appears unhelpful.\n\nTo get around the issue of choosing a decoder, the authors argue that the relevant decoder is the optimal decoder. However, this doesn’t solve the problem. Imagine we applied the optimal decoder to representations of object images in the retina and in inferior temporal (IT) cortex. As the amount of data we use grows, every image will become discriminable from every other image with 100% accuracy in both the retina and IT cortex (for a typical set of natural photographs). If we attempted to decode categories, every category would eventually become discernable in the retinal patterns.\n\nGiven enough data and flexibility with our decoder, we end up characterizing the encoded information, but not the format in which it is encoded. The encoded information would be useful to know (e.g. IT might carry less information about the stimulus than the retina). However, we are usually also (and often more) interested in the “explicit” information, i.e. in the information accessible to a simple, biologically plausible decoder (e.g. the category information, which is explicit in IT, but not in the retina).\n\nThe motivation for measuring representational dissimilarities is typically to characterize the representational geometry, which tells us not just the encoded information (in conjunction with a noise model), but also the format (up to an affine transform). The representational geometry defines how well any decoder capable of an affine transform can perform.\n\nIn sum, in selecting our measure of representational dissimilarity we (implicitly or explicitly) make a number of choices:\n\n  • Should the patterns be normalized and, if so, how?\n    This will make us insensitive to certain dimensions of the response space, such as the overall mean, which may be desirable despite reducing the similarity of our results to those obtained with optimal decoders.\n  • Should the measure reflect the representational geometry?\n    Euclidean and Mahalanobis distance characterize the geometry (before or after whitening the noise, respectively). By contrast, saturating functions of these distances such as decoding accuracy or mutual information (for decoding stimulus pairs) do not optimally reflect the geometry. See Figs. 3, 4 below for the monotonic relationships among distance (measured along the Fisher linear discriminant), decoding accuracy, and mutual information between stimulus and response.\n  • Should we use independent data to remove the positive bias of the dissimilarity estimate?\n    Independent data (as in crossvalidation) can be used to remove the positive bias not only of the training-set accuracy of a decoder, but also of an estimate of a distance on the basis of noisy data (Kriegeskorte et al. 2007, Nili et al. 2014, Walther et al. 2016).\n\nLinear decodability is widely used as a measure of representational distinctness, because decoding results are more relevant to neural computation when the decoder is biologically plausible for a single neuron. The advantages of linear decoding (interpretability, bias removal by crossvalidation) can be combined with the advantages of distances (non-quantization, non-saturation, characterization of representational geometry) and this is standardly done in representational similarity analysis by using the linear discriminant t (LD-t) value (Kriegeskorte et al. 2007, Nili et al. 2014) or the crossnobis estimator (Walther et al. 2016, Diedrichsen et al. 2016, Kriegeskorte & Diedrichsen 2016, Diedrichsen & Kriegeskorte 2017, Carlin et al. 2017). These measures of representational dissimilarity combine the advantages of decoding accuracies and continuous dissimilarity measures:\n\n  • Biological plausibility: Like linear decoders, they reflect what can plausibly be directly read out.\n  • Bias removal: As in linear decoding analyses, crossvalidation (1) removes the positive bias (which similarly affects training-set accuracies and distance functions applied to noisy data) and (2) provides robust frequentist tests of discriminability. For example, the crossnobis estimator provides an unbiased estimate of the Mahalanobis distance (Walther et al. 2016) with an interpretable 0 point.\n  • Non-quantization: Unlike decoding accuracies, crossnobis and LD-t estimates are continuous estimates, uncompromised by quantization. Decoding accuracies, in contrast, are quantized by thresholding (based on often small counts of correct and incorrect predictions), which can reduce statistical efficiency (Walther et al. 2016).\n  • Non-saturation: Unlike decoding accuracies, crossnobis and LD-t estimates do not saturate. Decoding accuracies suffer from a ceiling effect when two patterns that are already well-discriminable are moved further apart. Crossnobis and LD-t estimates proportionally reflect the true distances in the representational space.\n\n\ngaussian separation -- mutual information\nFigure 3: Gaussian separation for different values of the mutual information (in bits) between stimulus (binary: red, blue) and response. See slides for the First Cambridge Representational Similarity Analysis Workshop (http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/rsa2015/rsa2015media/).\n\n\nt -- accuracy -- mutual information\nFigure 4: Monotonic relationships among classifier accuracy, linear-discriminant t value (Nili et al. 2014), and bits of information (Kriegeskorte et al. 2007). See slides for the First Cambridge Representational Similarity Analysis Workshop (http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/rsa2015/rsa2015media/).\n\n\n\n  • The paper considers a wide range of dissimilarity measures (though these are not fully defined or explained).\n  • The paper uses two fMRI data sets to compare many dissimilarity measures across many locations in the brain.\n\n\n  • The premise of the paper that optimal decoders are the gold standard does not make sense.\n  • Even if decoding accuracy (e.g. linear) were taken as the standard to aspire to, why not use it directly, instead of a stand-in dissimilarity measure?\n  • The paper lags behind the state of the literature, where researchers routinely use dissimilarity measures that are either based on decoding or that combine the advantages of decoding accuracies and continuous distances.\n\nMajor points\n\n  • The premise that the optimal decoder should be the gold standard by which to choose a similarity measure does not make sense, because the optimal decoder reveals only the encoded information, but nothing about its format and what information is directly accessible to readout neurons.\n  • If linear decoding accuracy (or the accuracy of some other simple decoder) is to be considered the gold standard measure of representational dissimilarity, then why not use the gold standard itself instead of a different dissimilarity measure?\n  • In fact, representational similarity analyses using decoder accuracies and linear discriminability measures (LD-t, crossnobis) are widely used in the literature (Kriegeskorte et al. 2007, Nili et al. 2014, Cichy et al. 2014, Carlin et al. 2017 to name just a few).\n  • One motivation for using the Pearson correlation distance to measure representational dissimilarity is to reduce the degree to which regional-mean activation differences affect the analyses. Researchers generally understand that Pearson correlation is not ideal from a decoding perspective, but prefer to choose a measure more complementary to regional-mean activation analyses. This motivation is inconsistent with the premise that decoder confusability should be the gold standard.\n  • A better argument against using the Pearson correlation distance is that it has the undesirable property that it renders indistinguishable the case when two stimuli elicit very distinct response patterns and the case when neither stimulus drives the region strongly (and the pattern estimates are therefore noise and uncorrelated).\n\nIs a cow-mug a cow to the ventral stream, and a mug to a deep neural network?\n\n\nAn elegant new study by Bracci, Kalfas & Op de Beeck (pp2018) suggests that the prominent division between animate and inanimate things in the human ventral stream’s representational space is based on a superficial analysis of visual appearance, rather than on a deeper analysis of whether the thing before us is a living thing or a lifeless object.\n\nBracci et al. assembled a beautiful set of stimuli divided into 9 equivalent triads (Figure 1). Each triad consists of an animal, a manmade object, and a kind of hybrid of the two: an artefact of the same category and function as the object, designed to resemble the animal in the triad.\n\nScreen Shot 08-16-18 at 05.52 PM 001\nFigure 1: The entire set of 9 triads = 27 stimuli. Detail from Figure 1 of the paper.\n\n\nBracci et al. measured response patterns to each of the 27 stimuli (stimulus duration: 1.5 s) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) contrast and voxels of 3-mm width in each dimension. Sixteen subjects viewed the images in the scanner while performing each of two tasks: categorizing the images as depicting something that looks like an animal or not (task 1) and categorizing the images as depicting a real living animal or a lifeless artefact (task 2).\n\nThe authors performed representational similarity analysis, computing representational dissimilarity matrices (RDMs) using the correlation distance (1 – Pearson correlation between spatial response patterns). They averaged representational dissimilarities of the same kind (e.g. between the animal and the corresponding hybrid) across the 9 triads. To compare different kinds of representational distance, they used ANOVAs and t tests to perform inference (treating the subject variable as a random effect). They also studied the representations of the stimuli in the last fully connected layers of two deep neural networks (DNNs; VGG-19, GoogLeNet) trained to classify objects, and in human similarity judgments. For the DNNs and human judgements, they used stimulus bootstrapping (treating the stimulus variable as a random effect) to perform inference.\n\nResults of a series of well-motivated analyses are summarized in Figure 2 below (not in the paper). The most striking finding is that while human judgments and DNN last-layer representations are dominated by the living/nonliving distinction, human ventral temporal cortex (VTC) appears to care more about appearance: the hybrid animal-lookalike objects, despite being lifeless artefacts, fall closer to the animals than to the objects. In addition, the authors find:\n\n  • Clusters of animals, hybrids, and objects: In VTC, animals, hybrids, and objects form significantly distinct clusters (average within-cluster dissimilarity < average between-cluster dissimilarity for all three pairs of categories). In DNNs and behavioral judgments, by contrast, the hybrids and the objects do not form significantly distinct clusters (but animals form a separate cluster from hybrids and from objects).\n  • Matching of animals to corresponding hybrids: In VTC, the distance between a hybrid animal-lookalike and the corresponding animal is significantly smaller than that between a hydrid animal-lookalike and a non-matching animal. This indicates that VTC discriminates the animals and animal-lookalikes and (at least to some extent) matches the lookalikes to the correct animals. This effect was also present in the similarity judgments and DNNs. However, the latter two similarly matched the hybrids up with their corresponding objects, which was not a significant effect in VTC.\n\n\nScreen Shot 08-16-18 at 05.52 PM\nFigure 2: A qualitative visual summary of the results. Connection lines indicate different kinds of representational dissimilarity, illustrated for two triads although estimates and tests are based on averages across all 9 triads. Gray underlays indicate clusters (average within-cluster dissimilarity < average between-cluster dissimilarity, significant). Arcs indicate significantly different representational dissimilarities. It would be great if the authors added a figure like this in the revision of the paper. However, unlike the mock-up above, it should be a quantitatively accurate multidimensional scaling (MDS, metric stress) arrangement, ideally based on unbiased crossvalidated representational dissimilarity estimates.\n\n\nThe effect of the categorization task on the VTC representation was subtle or absent, consistent with other recent studies (cf. Nastase et al. 2017, open review). The representation appears to be mostly stimulus driven.\n\nThe results of Bracci et al. are consistent with the idea that the ventral stream transforms images into a semantic representation by computing features that are grounded in visual appearance, but correlated with categories (Jozwik et al. 2015). VTC might be 5-10 nonlinear transformations removed from the image. While it may emphasize visual features that help with categorization, it might not be the stage where all the evidence is put together for our final assessment of what we’re looking at. VTC, thus, is fooled by these fun artefacts, and that might be what makes them so charming.\n\nAlthough this interpretation is plausible enough and straightforward, I am left with some lingering thoughts to the contrary.\n\nWhat if things were the other way round? Instead of DNNs judging correctly where VTC is fooled, what if VTC had a special ability that the DNNs lack: to see the analogy between the cow and the cow-mug, to map the mug onto the cow? The “visual appearance” interpretation is based on the deceptively obvious assumption that the cow-mug (for example) “looks like” a cow. One might, equally compellingly, argue that it looks like a mug: it’s glossy, it’s conical, it has a handle. VTC, then, does not fail to see the difference between the fake animal and the real animal (in fact these categories do cluster in VTC). Rather it succeeds at making the analogy, at mapping that handle onto the tail of a cow, which is perhaps an example of a cognitive feat beyond current AI.\n\nBracci et al.’s results are thought-provoking and the study looks set to inspire computational and empirical follow-up research that links vision to cognition and brain representations to deep neural network models.\n\n\n\n  • addresses an important question\n  • elegant design with beautiful stimulus set\n  • well-motivated and comprehensive analyses\n  • interesting and thought-provoking results\n  • two categorization tasks, promoting either the living/nonliving or the animal-appearance/non-animal appearance division\n  • behavioral similarity judgment data\n  • information-based searchlight mapping, providing a broader view of the effects\n  • new data set to be shared with the community\n\n\n\n  • representational geometry analyses, though reasonable, are suboptimal\n  • no detailed analyses of DNN representations (only the last fully connected layers shown, which are not expected to best model the ventral stream) or the degree to which they can explain the VTC representation\n  • only three ROIs (V1, posterior VTC, anterior VTC)\n  • correlation distance used to measure representational distances (making it difficult to assess which individual representational distances are significantly different from zero, which appears important here)\n\n\nSuggestions for improvement\n\nThe analyses are effective and support most of the claims made. However, to push this study from good to excellent, I suggest the following improvements.\n\n\nMajor points\n\nImproved representational-geometry analysis\n\nThe key representational dissimilarities needed to address the questions of this study are labeled a-g in Figure 2. It would be great to see these seven quantities estimated, tested for deviation from 0, and all 7 choose 2 = 21 pairwise comparisons tested. This would address which distinctions are significant and enable addressing all the questions with a consistent approach, rather than combining many qualitatively different statistics (including clustering index, identity index, and model RDM correlation).\n\nWith the correlation distance, this would require a split-data RDM approach, consistent with the present approach, but using the repeated response measurements to the same stimulus to estimate and remove the positive bias of the correlation-distance estimates. However, a better approach would be to use a crossvalidated distance estimator (more details below).\n\n\nMultidimensional scaling (MDS) to visualize representational geometries\n\nThis study has 27 unique stimuli, a number well suited for visualization of the representational geometries by MDS. To appreciate the differences between the triads (each of which has unique features), it would be great to see an MDS of all 27 objects and perhaps also MDS arrangements of subsets, e.g. each triad or pairs of triads (so as to reduce distortions due to dimensionality reduction).\n\nMost importantly, the key representational dissimilarities a-g can be visualized in a single MDS as shown in Figure 2 above, using two triads to illustrate the triad-averaged representational geometry (showing average within- and between-triad distances among the three types of object). The MDS could use 2 or 3 dimensions, depending on which variant better visually conveys the actual dissimilarity estimates.\n\n\nCrossvalidated distance estimators\n\nThe correlation distance is not an ideal dissimilarity measure because a large correlation distance does not indicate that two stimuli are distinctly represented. If a region does not respond to either stimulus, for example, the correlation of the two patterns (due to noise) will be close to 0 and the correlation distance will be close to 1, a high value that can be mistaken as indicating a decodable stimulus pair.\n\nCrossvalidated distances such as the linear-discriminant t value (LD-t; Kriegeskorte et al. 2007, Nili et al. 2014) or the crossnobis distance (also known as the linear discriminant contrast, LDC; Walther et al. 2016) would be preferable. Like decoding accuracy, they use crossvalidation to remove bias (due to overfitting) and indicate that the two stimuli are distinctly encoded. Unlike decoding accuracy, they are continuous and nonsaturating, which makes them more sensitive and a better way to characterize representational geometries.\n\nSince the LD-t and the crossnobis distance estimators are symmetrically distributed about 0 under the null hypothesis (H0: response patterns drawn from the same distribution), it would be straightforward to test these distances (and averages over sets of them) for deviation from 0, treating subjects and/or stimuli as random effects, and using t tests, ANOVAs, or nonparametric alternatives. Comparing different dissimilarities or set-average dissimilarities is similarly straightforward.\n\n\nLinear crossdecoding with generalization across triads\n\nAn additional analysis that would give complementary information is linear decoding of categorical divisions with generalization across stimuli. A good approach would be leave-one-triad-out linear classification of:\n\n  • living versus nonliving\n  • things that look like animals versus other things\n  • animal-lookalikes versus other things\n  • animals versus animal-lookalikes\n  • animals versus objects\n  • animal-lookalikes versus objects\n\nThis might work for devisions that do not show clustering (within dissimilarity < between dissimilarity), which would indicate linear separability in the absence of compact clusters.\n\nFor the living/nonliving destinction, for example, the linear discriminant would select responses that are not confounded by animal-like appearance (as most VTC responses seem to be), responses that distinguish living things from animal-lookalike objects. This analysis would provide a good test of the existence of such responses in VTC.\n\n\nMore layers of the two DNNs\n\nTo assess the hypothesis that VTC computes features that are more visual than semantic with DNNs, it would be useful to include an analysis of all the layers of each of the two DNNs, and to test whether weighted combinations of layers can explain the VTC representational geometry (cf. Khaligh-Razavi & Kriegeskorte 2014).\n\n\nMore ROIs\n\nHow do these effects look in V2, V4, LOC, FFA, EBA, and PPA?\n\n\nMinor points\n\nThe use of the term “bias” in the abstract and main text is nonstandard and didn’t make sense to me. Bias only makes sense when we have some definition of what the absence of bias would mean. Similarly the use of “veridical” in the abstract doesn’t make sense. There is no norm against which to judge veridicality.\n\n\nThe polar plots are entirely unmotivated. There is no cyclic structure or even meaningful order to the the 9 triads.\n\n\n“DNNs are very good, and even better than than human visual cortex, at identifying a cow-mug as being a mug — not a cow.” This is not a defensible claim for several reasons, each of which by itself suffices to invalidate this.\n\n  • fMRI does not reveal all the information in cortex.\n  • VTC is not all of visual cortex.\n  • VTC does cluster animals separately from animal-lookalikes and from objects.\n  • Linear readout of animacy (cross-validated across triads) might further reveal that the distinction is present (even if it is not dominant in the representational geometry.\n\n\n\nGrammar, typos\n\n“how an object looks like” -> ‘how an object looks” or “what an object looks like”\n\n“as oppose to” -> “as opposed to”\n\n“where observed” -> “were observed”\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nParticular points the authors may wish to address in revision\n\n\n\n\n\n\n(2) What is the content of the event representations?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPrecuneus (top) and V1 (bottom).\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n(6) More details on the recall reactivation\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n(12) The title and some of the terminology is ambiguous\n\n\n\n\n(13) Selection bias?\n\n\n\n(14) Cubic searchlight\n\n\n\n– Nikolaus Kriegeskorte\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAdditional specific comments and questions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nStatistical details\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“more unconfounded” -> “less confounded”\n\n\n\n— Nikolaus Kriegeskorte", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8112623691558838}
+{"content": "Adanga Maru 2018\n\nA sincere cop, who's suspended from the department for locking horns with a few influential people in the society, starts taking revenge against those who finished off his dear ones.\n\n\nAdangathey is an upcoming Tamil action-thriller film written and directed by Shanmugam Muthusamy, starring G. V. Prakash Kumar and Surabhi in the leading roles, with Sarath Kumar, and Mandira Bedi in supporting roles.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5132606625556946}
+{"content": "University Essay Help\n\nWhat is a good academic essay? Before we get to that, first things first; who writes academic essays and for what purpose? Essays are an integral part of learning and as is evident in all learning institutions, students are required to submit a good number of essays during their learning experience. Therefore, we can now agree that in most of the times, students write essays for submission in partial fulfillment of their learning experience. These essays play a major role in student assessment and grading. College and university students who submit poorly written essays get poor grades; is it not obvious? However, if you submit an elite essay as, you most definitely will thrive academically. Here’s an experts’ university essay help opinion:\n\nHow to write-up a great academic essay\n\nAn essay aims at answering a specific question; therefore, it would be correct to say that a good essay is the one that effectively drives the point home. To write up a great essay, you will need to first analyze the question exhaustively to ensure that you have a good grasp of what it requires. Then, establish a comprehensive thesis statement for your essay. This thesis statement should be able to capture your audiences’ attention in totality. You must then carry out a thorough research to establish supporting evidence and credible examples to cite as you write your essay.\n\nNote that this is an organized procedure that will land you at your top quality final essay. So, after the in-depth research, you need to draft a good writing plan. The plan should help you organize your ideas in such a way that they will logically flow and keep the reader hooked-up throughout the read. Now, following your well thought plan, write a draft for your academic essay. At this point, it is wise to seek out opinion from new eyes, you can let your friends, peers, teacher, and parents read it and give feedback.\n\nFinally, improve your essay by revising, proofreading, and editing. Make sure that your essay is free from grammatical and spelling faults. Also, ensure that the structure of your essay is professional; from introduction to conclusion, see to it that your essay is interesting and has a logical flow. To conclude, make sure to include a page with all citations that you have used throughout your essay. This should make good use of proper reference formats such as MLA, APA, and so on.\n\nDo you need professional University essay help?\n\nMay be you are short of time, or you have a very tight schedule, or time is just not on your side. Or, could be that you need University essay help due to other reasons; maybe you are having trouble understanding the essay writing concept, or the essay question. Or, maybe you are feeling a little under the weather and you need an expert to complete your essay for you. Whatever the case, worry not, we have a great plan in place to help you out. All you need to do is order us by submitting your University essay requirements now, then, sit back and relax as we expertly handle it.\n\ncpm homeworkhelp\n\nPrice Calculator\n\nGET 15 % DISCOUNT use the discount code DISC15.\n\nType of paper Academic level Subject area\nNumber of pages Paper urgency Cost per page:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9899806380271912}
+{"content": "Contact Us\n\nGet 25% Free Customization on This Report\n\nPublished Date: May, 2019\n\nIreland Bakery Ingredients Market: Prospects, Trends Analysis, Market Size and Forecasts up to 2024\n\nRequest Discount Enquire Before Buying\n\nThe country research report on Ireland bakery ingredients market is a customer intelligence and competitive study of the Ireland market. Moreover, the report provides deep insights into demand forecasts, market trends, and, micro and macro indicators in the Ireland market. Also, factors that are driving and restraining the bakery ingredients market are highlighted in the study. This is an in-depth business intelligence report based on qualitative and quantitative parameters of the market. Additionally, this report provides readers with market insights and detailed analysis of market segments to possible micro levels. The companies and dealers/distributors profiled in the report include manufacturers & suppliers of bakery ingredients market in Ireland.\n\n\nSegments Covered\n\nThe report on Ireland bakery ingredients market provides a detailed analysis of segments in the market based on ingredients type, and application.\n\n\nSegmentation based on Ingredients Type\n\n·         Preservatives\n\n·         Emulsifiers\n\n·         Enzymes\n\n·         Fats and Shortenings\n\n·         Sweeteners\n\n·         Glazes\n\n·         Colors and Flavors\n\n·         Baking Mixes\n\n·         Baking Soda\n\n·         Starch\n\n·         Leavening Agents\n\n·         Others\n\n\nSegmentation based on Application\n\n·         Breads\n\n·         Rolls and Pies\n\n·         Cookies and Biscuits\n\n·         Cakes and Pastries\n\n·         Pizza Breads\n\n·         Sweet Goods( Muffins, Doughnuts, and Cupcakes)\n\n·         Others\n\n\nHighlights of the report\n\nThe report provides detailed insights into:\n\n 1) Demand and supply conditions of bakery ingredients market\n\n 2) Factor affecting the bakery ingredients market in the short run and the long run\n\n\n 4) Key trends and future prospects\n\n 5) Leading companies operating in bakery ingredients market and their competitive position in Ireland\n\n 6) The dealers/distributors profiles provide basic information of top 10 dealers & distributors operating in (Ireland) bakery ingredients market\n\n 7) IGR Matrix: to position the product types\n\n 8) Market estimates up to 2024\n\n\n The report answers questions such as:\n\n 1) What is the market size of bakery ingredients market in Ireland?\n\n 2) What are the factors that affect the growth in bakery ingredients market over the forecast period?\n\n 3) What is the competitive position in Ireland bakery ingredients market?\n\n 4) What are the opportunities in Ireland bakery ingredients market?\n\n 5) What are the modes of entering Ireland bakery ingredients market?\n\nThe Infinium Advantages\n\nAnalyst Support\n\n\nCustomer Satisfaction\n\n\n400% Growth\n\n\nsign up for our newsletter", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
+{"content": "Happy Central Sterile Week!\n\nA Word from Our Quality Control Team\n\nA Quality Control department ensures industry standards and regulatory requirements are satisfied, which is essential for any healthcare manufacturer. Propper Manufacturing’s Quality Control team is constantly improving products at all stages, including manufacturing, packaging, and overall use of the product. The team is composed of proactive product engineers that prevent and manage issues that may arise in the field.\n\nOur Quality Control team conducts special testing for all of our products, when needed. One of the biggest product categories that undergoes special testing are products that contain reactive ink, including chemical indicators. We test these products to ensure the correct color change takes place at the correct time. For process indicators, we also test for adhesive strength. Overall, our Quality Control team spearheads product improvements while maintaining the highest quality for our customers.\n\nPulsating News: Central Sterile Week\n\nThis week, we celebrate the outstanding accomplishments that have been achieved by central sterile staff throughout the year. Providing high quality patient care could not be possible without YOU!\n\nPropper Manufacturing Company wants to acknowledge and thank you for all of your tireless efforts and your contributions to the healthcare community; not just today, but every day.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8768764138221741}
+{"content": "\n\nWritten By Alexis Mansanarez\n(Getty Images)\n\nDonovan Mitchell scored a game-high 34 points Thursday, but he couldn't knock down the shot the Jazz needed most.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDewayne Dedmon pitched in 18 points.\n\nStuds of the Night\n\nKemba Walker led the Wizards to a 113-106 win over the Timberwolves with a game-high 31 points. Walker was 10 of 22 from the field and made just one of his eight 3-point attempts.\n\n\nThe Pistons and Suns kept things interesting for most of the night until Detroit ran away with a 118-98 win. Wayne Ellington led the Pistons with 23 points.\n\nDuds of the Night\n\n\nThe Mavericks didn't get much help from their big man including Maximilian Kleber, who tallied just five points. Dallas traveled to Sacramento to face the Kings and lost, 116-100. Kleber finished minus-21 on the night.\n\n\n\n\nWhat's Next?\n\nThunder (42-30) at Raptors (51-21), 7:30 p.m. ET (NBATV) - Oklahoma City is holding on to its eighth seed with a comfortable gap between the Western Conference teams that are still trying to revive their seasons. But the Thunder have lost their stride as of late and will take a four-game losing skid to Toronto when they face the Raptors on Friday. The No. 2 team in the East has put together back-to-back wins, but will be without All-Star guard Kyle Lowry, who will miss his second consecutive game with a sprained right ankle.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6149638891220093}
+{"content": "Thai election sees high turnout as millions queue patiently to cast votes for first time in eight years\n\nCivilians walk by as soldiers line up to vote in the general election at a polling station in Bangkok on March 24, 2019.\n\nBANGKOK - From poor farmers in the northern province of Chiang Mai, glamorous celebrities in Bangkok to a blushing bride in the southern province of Satun, millions of voters streamed into voting booths across Thailand on Sunday (March 24) to elect their future leaders.\n\nThey have waited eight years for the election, which pits the military-backed government against veteran opposition parties.\n\nAcross the country, temples, schools and government offices had been turned into polling stations, numbering 93,200 in 77 provinces, including Bangkok.\n\nAround 51 million Thais were eligible to vote, casting a single ballot for their preferred constituency candidates.\n\nThe same ballot would also be used to determine a separate list of allocated seats to each party.\n\nThe Election Commission on Saturday estimated voter turnout of about 80 per cent.\n\nBangkok Post reported on Sunday evening that voter turnout was 65.6 per cent, or 33.7 million of all 51.4 million eligible voters. The number of bad ballots was high at 1.9 million and the number of people who did not choose any party was half a million, it reported.\n\nPolling stations, which opened from 8am, closed at 5pm Thai time (6pm Singapore time).\n\nMany voters were excited, saying they have been closely monitoring the news of the country's political developments on television and social media. Some had even dressed up for the occasion.\n\nRice farmer Nonglak Boonbamlue, from the north-eastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, had ditched her wide-brimmed straw hat for a more formal long-sleeved shirt and long slacks - and a dash of bright-coloured lipstick. She then zipped to the village polling station on her motorcycle.\n\n\"Normally, I do not put lipstick but today I wear red-orange colour lipstick,\" the 44-year-old told The Straits Times.\n\n\"Actually I feel a little sick and dizzy but I'm so afraid to lose my opportunity to vote. So after voting, I rode my motorcycle to the doctor,\" added. \"It felt good to have voted but now, I worry that the party I like would lose.\"\n\nIn the country's north and north-eastern regions, the stronghold of the main opposition Pheu Thai party linked to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, voters trooped out of their homes in face masks to shield from the haze unleashed by open burning as farmers prepare for the next planting season.\n\nWearing a face mask, book editor Pote Kritkraiwan, 49, in Chiang Mai, braved the smoggy air to cast his ballot because he wanted to make his voice heard.\n\n\"I dashed to the polling station and returned quickly because it's not good to stay out in the open for too long,\" he said.\n\n\n\"I want to change things for the better and treasure my right to vote. This election is very important because it's like releasing all my frustrations with all the wrong things happening in the country now. I hope the election will bring about reforms and equality,\" he added.\n\nIn the southern province of Satun, Muslim bride Wissanee Changlek had posted a photograph of herself in a flowing white dress and matching veil casting her ballot on Facebook, snaring nearly 10,000 likes, 8,300 shares and more than 900 comments.\n\n\"I want a husband, and I also want to vote,\" she wrote.\n\nMs Sahariah Tehae, a teacher in the Muslim-majority Yala province in the south, said 20 people were already in the queue at the mosque when voting opened at 8am.\n\n\"Two old people had difficulty walking, but everyone helped them along as they walked to the voting booths,\" she said.\n\nWhile many voters took buses, cars and motorcycles, former local administrator Surapol Polchim opted for an unusual mode of transport by riding his horse named Sam to a polling station in Nakhon Ratchasima's Phimai district. He told local media he used to ride the horse to patrol his neighbourhood.\n\nIn Bangkok, voters and candidates had also risen early to cast their votes.\n\nWearing a striped shirt and sunglasses, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha - and also the sole prime ministerial candidate nominated by pro-government Palang Pracharath Party - voted at Phya Thai district and told reporters he would be monitoring the election results from his home.\n\nEighty political parties are vying for the 500 seats in the House of Representatives, which comprises 350 elected from constituencies and another 150 from a party-list system.\n\nAt a car service centre which was turned into a polling station at Bangkok's Huay Kwang district, voters began trickling in 30 minutes before polling opened.\n\nHousehold goods shop-owner Prapai Kunwitpaisarn, 63, the first to arrive, said she will be voting for a government that will improve the economy and maintain peace and order.\n\nAnother voter, flower seller Lamduan Boonsri, 62, said she had never missed an election. Being wheelchair-bound after her leg was crushed in a car accident was not a good excuse to skip it, she said.\n\nWith fire in her eyes and ice in her words, she added: \"I have to choose the person I like. The one who has made achievements and is a good person.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8416926860809326}
+{"content": "Freja rune\nРейтинг 17 из 21 на основе 755 просмотров.\n\n\nken - Write name KEN in runes  - ᚲᛖᚾ - Runic characteristics of the name  KEN -\n\n\nRunes: KEN\n\n\n'ken' - translate to Northumbrian runes\n\nRunes meanings ‹Kenaz-Ehwaz-Nauthiz› three runes divination\n\n1. Kenaz (kenaz)\n\nIn the first position - Rune indicates that there is a positive and creative force, the source of which is your heart. You will be visible will be paying attention to you. The feeling of heat in the chest area of ​​disclosure will not only open any door and enter, but also to succeed. Now it is important to a favorable attitude to what is happening, because the light coming from within you, not only can heal. In some matters Fleece is an indicator of interest or business of the creative process, the flame which consumes time and manpower involved in it. It may mean a revelation, a new creative idea, as well as inspiration.\n\nKenaz reverse\n\nIn the first position - secretive, closed-door, procrastination. Rune indicates a lack of clarity in the conduct of affairs, lack of sincerity and warmth. Now useless to walk the chain of command, to try to give gifts and make purchases. All the action can be accompanied by irritability, resentment or obstacles. Some issues suggests that the root of the problem may be in the past. Also indicate depression or painful memories. Sometimes it is an indication of the current process is hidden, like the pupal stage at the butterflies.\n\n2. Ehwaz (ehwaz)\n\n\nEhwaz reverse\n\n\n3. Nauthiz (nauthiz)\n\n\nNauthiz reverse\n\n\n\n\nRussian Latvian\n\n© 2016-2019 2019-05-19 11:24:01 (GMT)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5590475797653198}
+{"content": "Automation of Water Treatment Systems\nDrinking Water Automation\nFertilizers, Dispensing Automation\nPulses Machinery Automation\nFlour and Feed Automation\nStone and Chrome Furnace Automation\nClimate - Air Automation\nPLC Control Systems\nSCADA Applications\nFire Automation\nSafety Automation\n Building Automation\nFarm Automation\nAutomation Conveyor Belt\nAutomation Conveyor Belt\nCrane Automation\nGreenhouse Automation\nMedium Voltage Works\n\nDrinking Water Automation\n\nDrinking Water Automation;\n\nDrinking Water Automation;\nToday, in the vast majority of municipalities with drinking water networks, partly automatic systems based on human control are used. In this system, the water taken from a water source such as a well or a lake is passed through stages such as necessary purification, pH measurement, chlorine measurement, and is sent to the users afterwards. At certain times chemical analyzes and necessary regulations are made. If the system is to be dealt with in important aspects:\n\n1. As chemical analyzes and necessary regulations are made periodically at certain times, sudden changes may occur, which can threaten human health during the period of system intervention.\n\n2. There are flood events in storage due to lack of control. As a result, the water consumption increases and the surrounding areas are damaged.\n\n3. When there is not enough water left in the depot, it is possible that the production will stop if it is not noticed by the responsible person. 4. The reservoirs are located in high and difficult to access areas in order to provide basin water. For this reason, storage is difficult to intervene for any reason\n\n\n\nÇay Mahallesi Cumhuriyet Bulv. No:69/A 33260 Akdeniz / MERSİN\nSoftware  Officer             Fahrettin KAYA: 0.537 794 89 85\nCompany Authority    Muhammed KAYA: 0.507 176 30 36\nİş Tel.: (+90) 324 221 21 47 \nE-Mail: info@darkotomasyon.com - darkotomasyon@gmail.com\nFollow us on social media", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9810253381729126}
+{"content": "D&H - is the alternative the services\nof ready meals delivery.\n\nHello, dear readers!\n\nWe are the team of D&H and we collect funds for the realization of the D&H franchise (Delivery by drones and Humans). Please give a few minutes of your attention and read our idea.\n\nD&H is the alternative to the services of ready meals delivery.\n\nThe project is adapted for resorts with open territories. You can order a ready-made dish online or with QR-Code, which can be found in the large menu - books near you. After the order you will receive a text message with the time of delivery. At the specified time the delivery drone arrives, navigating by the GPS navigator, and brings your order.\n\nHow everything occurs:\n\nDelivery by Human\n\nThe second part of the franchise is a portable trade. For the portable trade is needed from 6 implementers, who will be divided into several pairs. Each pair will compete with other pairs for the number of sales.\n\nThe competition will be hold for 2 weeks. After the end of the competition, a couple, who sold more goods than others, receives a cash bonus. Thus, the teams receive additional motivation.\n\nFor realization of the competition, a specially developed software \"D&H seller\" is used. The software helps to provide automated control for the sale of products, as well as objectively determine the winner according to a predetermined algorithm.\n\nThe \"D&H seller\" software is a database, which consist of :\n\n1Configuration sheet\nThe configuration sheet contains the product names, cost, names\nand surnames of the implementers.\n2Summary table\nThe summary table contains information about the team, points,\nsalary, profit, costs.\nSorting and displaying the results of the competition - it is\nthe service tables of the database, which are responsible for displaying\ninformation and sorting by the number of points.\n4Displaying the results of the competition\nThe page, which is responsible for displaying the results of the\n5Database pages for each day\nThe base pages for each day contain a structure, in which there are\nfields: the goods received and the remainder. The database\ncalculates the difference of the sold goods for each team.\nIn order for teams to see their points, the results are output on the external monitor. Thus, participants receive up-to-date information about their points, the number of days left before the end of the competition, and it helps them to get motivation for the active trading.\n\nThe franchise can be adapted to the region, in which it will be realized. Franchisee can change the menu assortment to his own, registers new qr-codes for his assortment.\nAdvantages of the franchise:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9289045333862305}
+{"content": "Listen to a conversation at a chemist's to practise and improve your listening skills.\n\n\n\nLanguage level\n\nIntermediate: B1\n\n\nI usually have a cough or a cold in winter. I recommend a lot of vitamin C and a few days in a warm bed. I wish all good health.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999618530273438}
+{"content": "Sliding Glass Doors Adjustment Rollers\n\n\nSliding Glass Doors Adjustment Rollers1328 X 875\n\nSliding Glass Doors Adjustment Rollers - The tremendous growth in demand for folding sliding doors during the last two or three years has resulted in a rapid increase in the choice of door systems available for the consumer. Additionally called bi-fold doors, bi-folding doors, multi-fold doors and concertina doors they're known as folding sliding doors because of the opening activity itself.\n\nFolding sliding doors are an ideal replacement for existing French or sliding patio doors where they are able to literally transform the existing opening and open up the space to the surface. This type of bi-folding door is now becoming the most desired door fashion for new build as well as dwelling extensions whilst also establishing a popular upgrade pick for homeowners adding a conservatory with their property due to their capability to seamlessly combine the new conservatory with the garden efficiently bringing the outside inside.\n\nAlthough the original concept of a folding sliding door dates back over 100 years where they were regularly used for closing off small storage areas today's folding sliding doors are designed to be high-performance energy efficient patio doors using the newest innovative insulation characteristics in both door and glazing building.\n\nFolding sliding doors not allow broader unobstructed apertures but the increased glass area allows huge flows of natural light to go into the house in the outside which during the chillier months will provide efficient use of solar gain to minimize heat prices. Doors are available in a selection of materials including lumber, aluminum, and PVCu collectively with a selection of finishes as well as shades which will enhance any home.\n\nTags: #andersen sliding glass door roller adjustment #pella sliding glass door roller adjustment #sliding glass door rollers fix #sliding glass doors adjustment rollers", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9171751737594604}
+{"content": "Arquitectura Viva\nSunday, May 19, 2019\n\nSnøhetta completes ‘Under’, Europe's first underwater restaurant\n\nLocated in Lindesnes, a municipality at the southern tip of the Norwegian coast, where north and south sea winds meet, the building is propped against the craggy shore, partly sinking into the water to rest on the seabed five meters deep. A work of the Oslo firm Snøhetta, the 34-meter-long monolith has concrete walls a meter thick, with a rough texture that makes mollusks and algae cling to them and eventually form an articial reef. An entrance clad in untreated oak wood leads to the interior of the 495-square-meter, three-level construction. With room for 40 diners, the restaurant features a large acrylic window providing magnificent views of the undersea environment and its variations through the seasons and weather conditions. Similar to a sunken peroscope, it serves after hours as a marine biology laboratory.\nAV Monografías 213_214 - ESPAÑA 2019 AV Monographs\nArquitectura Viva 213 - COBE Arquitectura Viva\nAV Proyectos 91 - OFFICE AV Proyectos", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6587804555892944}
+{"content": "The Human Soul                         How Important is Your Soul\n\n\nWhen God created spiritual man (Genesis 1:26, 1:27 and 2:7), he was given a physical body made from the dust of the Earth (from the terrestrial world) and the body was adjoined with a soul and spirit created in the spiritual world, which is located in a celestial, inter-dimensional universe that is not visible to mankind.\n\nMan’s soul is the essence of his being. It is the ampule of his character and a temple where the spirit of God resides. The human soul is also eternal, and will never die or cease to exist.\n\nThe human body will die, it will decay and decompose and become dust of the Earth from which it was formed. Your soul however, will not die, it was not created from the dust of the Earth or from anything terrestrial. The human soul is celestial and was formed from spiritual energy by God.\n\nDuring the time that your soul and your terrestrial physical body are joined and bonded together, every act that you perform as a human being during your life time is recorded on your soul. So every second of your life from the time you are born, and up to the time you physically die are accurately recorded in detail on your soul.\n\nWhen your body dies, every memory that was stored in your physical brain, every bit of knowledge you acquired, every word you spoke, and every word you heard is transferred and stored in your soul.\n\nWhen physical death occurs, your human soul will depart from your deceased terrestrial body. According to biblical scripture and theological research, your soul will ascend into the celestial realm. It will then dwell in that dimension either within the Kingdom of God or outside the Kingdom of God.\n\nYour soul will continue to have conscious awareness, feelings, emotions and intellect even though you have no terrestrial physical body. If you have acted in accordance with biblical scripture (followed the words of God regarding salvation), your soul will have an opportunity to be saved, purified and given a new immortal ageless body and will reside within the Kingdom of God forever.\n\nIf however, you have not acted in accordance to biblical scripture, your soul will not be saved within the kingdom of God and it will not be given a new immortal ageless body. Instead, your soul will reside bodiless outside the kingdom of God in darkness forever. Once this occurs, there is no chance of redemption.\n\nAnd sadly, any human soul that has not been cleansed and purified by God (Jesus Christ), all their earthly sins and immoral acts will remain embedded within their soul, and they shall be emotionally tormented by the memory of their immoralities for eternity.\n\nYou have the choice to either accept or reject this as truth.\n\nIf you are unsure to accept it as truth, you still have time to study biblical scripture and commune with God. You still have time to make sure that you put yourself in a position to receive salvation, be given a new immortal ageless body, and to dwell in God's Kingdom, an infinite, eternal paradise of love, joy, excitement and happiness everlasting.\n\nStreaming HD Video Player\n\nThe Soul and its Destination\n\n\nAsk yourself this question, are you 100% sure that when you physically die, your soul will be saved, cleansed of all sins and placed in the Kingdom of God and given a new immortal ageless body?\n\nIf for any reason you are not 100% sure, then your soul will not be purified and saved, and it will not be placed in the kingdom of God.\n\nUse the remaining time that you have in your physical life on Earth to become 100% sure (totally without doubt) that your soul will be saved:\n\n                             [Seek Salvation Truth]\n\nRemember, it is God's promise to all humanity that \"your soul can be saved.\"\n\nMay the grace of God be upon you always --- Amen\n\nPastor Andy Anderson\nCelestial Grace Ministry", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8806317448616028}
+{"content": "Excerpt from my book: Consent\n\n\n\n1. permission for something to happen or agreement to do something. (dictionary.com)\n\nFor Vicki, early experiences with sex and drugs were wrapped together. The week after she graduated from high school, she and her friends rented a house on the New Jersey shore. “We just got drunk,” she says, as she began to describe the experience. “Everyone that I knew would do this. That is the rite of passage that I went through after graduating high school.”\n\nAt the time she told herself it was fun, “but I ended up breaking my shoulder, getting a concussion, and being raped all in the same night.” When we spoke, Vicki recounted her story with very little emotion. “It was with this kid that was my kindergarten crush,” she said. “We went to the same high school from kindergarten to 12th grade. He was Mr. Popular and was very good looking. I think that is sort of why my friends let it happen. I have no memory of even seeing him that night. I woke up the next morning feeling as though I had had sex.”\n\nVicki reached out to her friends for information, and they told what happened. “I said to one of them that I don't believe it. And they were like, ‘oh there are pictures.’ Thank god, it was the time when disposable cameras were a thing and people didn't have smartphones. Because if it was a time that smart phones and social media play the role that they do now, I have no idea what would have happened to me. I think it would have been 10,000 times worse.\n\n“I completely normalized it, because he was Mr. Popular and the hot guy at school. I was just like ‘great, I just slept with the hottest guy in school.’ I did not really realize what had happened or what I had done. I think that another part of it was the fact that I could not remember it made it so much easier to normalize it and push it under the rug and sort of deny that it even happened.”\n\nAs she’s gotten older, Vicki’s perspective on what happened has changed. “I would never call him a rapist but that is what he did,” she says. “I think that the word rape is so harsh that no one wants to use it. It’s such an extreme accusation. But on paper and legally I was raped and therefore he is a rapist. But in my mind, this person that I know and that I have known since kindergarten, can't be a rapist.\n\n“The one thing that I keep thinking about, looking back on my life, is the number of times that I was technically raped or assaulted. I just wonder if any of the guys that I had been with, ever looked back on those relationships and realized, that girl was actually drunk and I technically raped her? Because I didn't have this realization that I was actually raped until this summer, and that was ten years ago.”\n\n\nWhile there are many things to say about Vicki’s story, one really important thread is about consent. Vicki’s level of intoxication (she was so drunk that she had blacked out) left her unable to consent to sex. If Vicki and her peers had received adequate education in what consent is all about, they might have made different choices, both during the incident and after—choices that could have left Vicky feeling a deeper sense of health and sovereignty in her body, and left the young men who raped her free of having been perpetrators of sexual assault.\n\nConsent is a word increasingly used in classrooms and popular culture, most commonly in reference to sexual encounters. It’s been a legal concept for hundreds of years, and deeply studied and practiced subject in sex-positive and anti-rape circles for decades. Recently, it’s become more of a household concept, especially in the aftermath of the #metoo movement, a social media phenomenon in which thousands, if not millions of folks, mostly women and gender non-conforming people, spoke up to say that that they had experienced sexual violation, and a number of public figures--mostly men--faced public humiliation, loss of their careers, and sometimes legal charges. Questions of consent are finally being considered urgent at this moment.\n\nUnderstanding consent ensures that you don’t violate your own or another’s boundaries. Even as notions of consent becomes more commonplace, we still live in a world where things frequently happen to us without our permission. Sometimes, this is as extreme, or even more violent, than what happened to Vicki. But most of the time it’s far subtler, like the person behind us in line touching your shoulder or asking a really personal question. Sometimes it has less to do with someone personally violating our space, and has more to do with systems that violate us, like the expectation that while in school we’ll sit quietly at our desks even when we can’t concentrate and our bodies need to move. Whatever the form, most of us regularly receive messages to deny what’s happening in our bodies and in our hearts, and submit to the needs and desires of others.\n\nFor many of us, this started early on. Part of the natural process of human development includes learning about personal space: where I end and where you begin. The way a child learns about personal space is through a combination of experimenting with asserting their own needs and boundaries, and experiencing others doing the same. Ideally, we come to develop a strong awareness of what we want and need for ourselves, while at the same time gaining awareness of the verbal and nonverbal cues that others use to signal what they want and need as well.\n\nHowever, in the dominant culture, we are frequently taught to override the wants and needs our bodies and emotions are signaling, and to collude with others to do the same. Because so many of us receive this conditioning, we often come to believe that this is normal. This leads to pervasive boundaries violations of those around us, in subtle or not-so-subtle ways. By the time folks are in their twenties, they are typically very good at denying messages from their own body, and ignoring the nonverbal (and sometimes verbal) cues that others send as well.\n\nConsent violations are often related to power. There are always power dynamics in any given relationship, whether or not they are understood or acknowledged. Power dynamics can develop from a range of places, like social locations, roles, verbal skills, charisma and strength of personality, and more. Those with more power typically feel more comfortable violating the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual space of those with less power, and those with less power typically feel more comfortable overriding their own needs and desires to please others. For example, those that are socialized as female are typically trained to say yes in attempts to please others, even when something doesn’t feel good to them. The peer pressure that can lead to substance use is another example of how one individual (or the power of the group) can cause someone to do something that doesn’t feel right to them.\n\nPaying close attention to how we ask for and give consent helps us each become simultaneously empowered and humble. The root of the word consent literally means “to feel together.” I like this way of looking at the concept--it speaks to the empathy and partnership required to really know that consent exists in any given situation, paying close attention to the subtle forces playing out.\n\nThere is so much power in the spoken word, and so much power in asking permission, even if it’s just to put a loving hand on a friend’s back while they cry. I’ve noticed how helpful it is, for example, when someone asks if it’s okay before offering words of advice or feedback to me. I can actually feel my body relax and become more open to receive what they have to say when I feel I’ve had the opportunity to choose. In a world where so many of us have things happen to us (even small, innocent things) that aren’t what we actually want, changing the culture to one where we ask can be super empowering, even healing.\n\nEngaging deeply in the practice of asking for consent means being open to the possibility that consent will be withheld. To actually ask for consent is vulnerable—it means you might have to drastically alter your plans, and it means you might be sad and disappointed. It’s hard to be rejected. Yet supporting others to maintain their boundaries—even when those boundaries are with you!—helps to develop trust and deepen connection in the long run. And engaging with someone who has any level of ambivalence about what’s going on is very unsatisfying.\n\nIt’s a practice to ask for consent, and it’s also a practice to encourage others to ask you for consent. “Hey, would you mind asking before you touch me?” you might say to a colleague at work. “Mostly I don’t mind, but sometimes I do, and I appreciate the opportunity to choose.” Short and to the point, asking for what you need with those around you can both help you assert your own boundaries, and encourage folks you know to be more conscious in the rest of their lives and relationships, as well.\n\nUltimately, consent is far more than asking before kissing or touching someone. It’s a whole way of orienting to the world, a political stance that believes in respecting the sovereignty and dignity in our own being, and in others. It has to do with developing the ability listen to what is a true “yes,” and what is not, and learning how to hear the answer from your own body and heart, from other humans, and from other beings in the world.\n\n\nWhat consent is, what consent is not:\n\nConsent is:\n\n  • Asking before touching\n\n  • Believing in the rights of each being to choose what happens to them\n\n  • A way of caring for one another, and recognizing the differences between us, and the ways we change from moment to moment.\n\n  • Understanding the power dynamics that exist between us, and how these can make it difficult to refuse\n\n  • Something that can be revoked at any time\n\nConsent is not:\n\n  • Something that can ever be coerced\n\n  • A barrier to intimacy\n\n  • Something that remains fixed or assumed over time", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7231377363204956}
+{"content": "Home Sport Bindra retires with bronze medal\n\nBindra retires with bronze medal\n\n\n Abhinav Bindra  Abhinav Bindra ended his shooting career with his first Asian Games individual medal, a bronze in the 10 metre air rifle event of the 17th Asian Games at the Ongnyeon International Shooting Range here Tuesday.\n\nThe 2008 Olympic champion Bindra, who Monday tweeted that Tuesday will be his last day as a professional, recorded a final score of 187.1 to take the third position as China finished one-two with Haoran Yang (209.6) clinching the gold medal and Yifel Cao (208.9) taking the silver.\n\nBindra looked like finishing fourth till his penultimate round but Iran’s Pourya Norouziyan, who needed a 9.9 to ensure his progress after the 31-year-old Indian shot 10.5, scored a poor 9.6 to slip to the fourth spot and handed Bindra a podium finish.\n\nBindra scored 10.6 and 10.7 in his final two shots but it was not enough to stop the rampaging Chinese duo.\n\nEarlier in the day, Bindra also had led India to the bronze medal in the 10 metre air rifle men’s team event.\n\nBindra’s individual bronze medal was India’s eighth medal in the Incheon Games and sixth from the shooting range.\n\nBindra’s bronze also marks the end of an illustrious career with an elusive Asiad individual medal.\n\n“Tomorrow will mark the end of my professional shooting life. I will, however, still shoot, compete as a hobby shooter, training twice a week,” Bindra, who won the gold in the Beijing Olympics, had tweeted Monday.\n\n\nThe former World Champion still hoped that he would participate at the Rio Olympics in 2016.\n\n\n\nBindra, who was the youngest participant at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, has four Commonwealth gold medals.\n\nBindra had won the team silver in the 2010 edition in Guangzhou.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9847164750099182}
+{"content": "Inconvenient Truth – Al Gore\n\n\n\nAs part of our research for our design as activism project we watched Al Gores Inconvenient truth. Even though it was was boardcast in 2006 it still has a some very valid concerns about environmental issues today. The film documents Al Gores aim to alerting to the public to the ‘planetary emergency’ due to Global warming, of which deforestation is one of the contributing factors to this issue. Throughout the documentary Al Gore reiterates how wonderful and amazing our planet is, yet we are slowly destroying its delicate eco system, he backs this up by showing scientific results and predictions, shown on graphs and very well made slide show. He makes arguments against all the scepticism surrounding global warming, making it very difficult to disbelieve the predictions in the documentary. A very powerful case is put across that something can and should be done to protect our planet, and its worth hearing!\n\n“Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves, what were our parents thinking? Why didn’t they wake up when they had the chance?” – Al Gore \n\nSince its release it has sparked a global interest in everyone taking responsibly for their actions in the world, there are tips that he provides on how we can make a difference to the future of our planet and points you to take a look at\n\nOverall a really insightful documentary. Has made things all the more realistic for myself, encouraging to know that there are some many people that have an ambition to make a change in the status quo of our human existence, and to stop exploiting our natural resourced for money and greed. Im looking forward to producing my own piece of work that conveys a similar message to stop and think.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9070523977279663}
+{"content": "How To Get Adderall In Miami?\n\nLife can be a bit of a roller coaster for many people. At some point, we feel very high, with everything going exactly as we always hoped it would be. We celebrate with friends, we enjoy social activities, and we get well-deserved relaxation. At other times we may feel very low, with nothing going the way we want it. Maybe we have financial problems plaguing us, or certain events have happened that have caused things to look bleaker than usual. Life is full of high and low points, and we always have to do our best to work through them.\n\nSometimes these high and low points bring out things within us we never before took notice of. Maybe it’s something that has been with us for years, but at some point in adulthood, it shows its face for everyone to see. This may manifest as us being unable to focus as much, being prone to distraction, and a hard time standing still. In other ways, it may result in extreme fatigue, exhaustion, and a strong urge to want to sleep even when the time is not appropriate. There are many reasons we may start exhibiting these signs, but they are usually quite treatable with the help of physician evaluations and medication prescriptions.\n\nThe previously described symptoms are related to ADHD and narcolepsy, both of which are often treated with the amphetamine known as Adderall (prescription medication). While ADHD presents signs such as restlessness and inability to focus, narcolepsy is when you are extremely tired and prone to falling asleep at random points during the day. Miami ADHD Clinic is able to provide assistance in evaluating you for any of these symptoms. Our licensed ADHD doctors will be able to provide you with the best options to treat your disorder and help you better understand them.\n\n\nWhat Is Adderall For\n\nIs Adderall Right for You\n\nIf you need Adderall, it’s likely because you are having trouble focusing or you have been more tired than usual recently. As an amphetamine, Adderall works by connecting with the central nervous system and helping the brain stay stimulated. This is done by the amphetamine coming into contact with what is known as dopamine. One of the reasons we are able to stay as functioning as we are is because of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that works with the brain. Specifically, dopamine likes to spend its time being released from the reward center. This reward center is what makes you motivated to wake up and start your day. If you wake up, have breakfast, and go to work, you will be rewarded with ways to experience fun, enjoyment, and pleasure; this includes survival habits such as eating and drinking.\n\nMore specifically, Adderall is able to help the brain release dopamine again. This is because dopamine working as it should is what can keep the brain working just fine, which means not being easily distracted by anything. By stimulating the brain and helping release dopamine, one’s brain becomes highly active, and thus the brain finally gets what it has been craving. In other words, Adderall gives the brain the distractions it has been so desperately seeking, which then allows you to finally get focused and alert.\n\nThe general positive effects of Adderall have proven to be extremely successful for those suffering from ADHD and narcolepsy. It can provide newfound life changes and improve the daily lives of the people who take it. Even college students have found benefits in taking Adderall, as it allows for a level of concentration that they may not be able to get from anywhere else. Amphetamines are generally with people who may be feeling unwarranted stress and restlessness, which can be symptoms of ADHD, but people who have trouble concentrating, whether they have ADHD or not, may be interested in the medication.\n\nIt should be noted that, for all the good Adderall does and gives to people, it has also proven to be quite addictive to some. On top of making people more focused, Adderall is also known for its euphoric effect that gives its users a high, similar to an illicit drug. These are some of the reasons why the drug has been shown to be easily abused by its users. Some other examples of this include asking for a higher dosage from the doctors who prescribe the medication. People can successfully become dependent on amphetamines and get their prescription either filled more frequently or have a higher dosage. This can lead to very unintended consequences that can include overdosing, so if you think Adderall can help you, consider all possible effects it can have.\n\n\nWho Can Prescribe Adderall In Miami\n\n\nIf you are interested in getting Adderall for ADHD or narcolepsy treatment, you should understand that the only person who can prescribe this medication for you is a licensed medical professional. You have to meet with a licensed physician who can properly evaluate you and see if you show the symptoms associated with any disorder that can be treated by Adderall or any other amphetamine. They can also help you understand the symptoms that you have, figure out why they manifest, and why certain medication like Adderall can help you treat them.\n\n\nClinics That Prescribe Adderall In Miami\n\nAdderall Prescription Miami Fl\n\nIf you are looking for a clinic that has doctors who can prescribe you Adderall, you can find it at Mango ADHD Clinic. Located near Downtown Miami, we have licensed medical doctors who will be able to properly evaluate you and determine whether you should be prescribed Adderall. Like any clinic that can provide prescriptions, we have a physical location with a professional staff that can provide care and support 7 days a week.\n\nAside from prescribing medication, we can also help you with a variety of other health services. These services include weight loss, anxiety, sexual dysfunction, and even emotional support animal letters. If you would like to set up an appointment, you can visit our clinic in person, as well as call us. You can even visit our appointments webpage to set one up; we also have chat options on each of our webpages. Don’t delay and make your appointment today!\n\nSchedule Your ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment – Click Here\n\n\n\nAs time has gone on, and you have grown older and held down a job, do you find yourself feeling more agitated? Do you feel a bit more nervous, restless, or even unfocused? Is it possible that you are having trouble concentrating, not just on work, but day-to-day activities? Maybe you are getting more easily distracted, while also feeling more tired than usual. You are not exactly sure why this is, either. It could be something you’ve had since childhood and it never truly manifested until now, or maybe you’ve always had it and you just got used to it. In any case, you might have to face the possibility that you had symptoms of ADHD. Commonly detected when you’re young, ADHD is something that affects adults as well, and it can be disruptive to their lives. Instead of living a regular well-adjusted life, you have to cope with the various symptoms that afflict you on a daily basis. However, it does not have to be this way; help for adults with ADHD does exist and they can be combated in different ways; ADHD treatment in Miami could include counseling, medications (e.g. Vyvance, Adderall IR or Adderall XR), or a combination of both.  If you think that you or your loved ones suffer from ADHD, don’t wait. Contact Mango Clinic Miami to get professional help from an experienced doctor.\n\n\nSomething else that can afflict adults is narcolepsy, which can cause you to be sleepy during hours where sleeping is not the norm. You may be at a business meeting, socializing with friends, or having lunch, when you will get the sudden urge to fall asleep. In some cases, you may actually do just that. This disorder can be evaluated, diagnosed, and treated with the help of a licensed physician. By seeing a medical professional, you will be able to know if you actually have the symptoms of narcolepsy and get the right help for recovery.\n\n\nBoth of these ailments can be treated by Mango Clinic Miami. Featuring licensed doctors and staff, we can help you find the relief you need by figuring out what you have and discovering the best options for you. Every patient is different, so we take great care to treat each patient’s individual’s needs carefully and thoroughly. There exist many ways to take care of these disorders, one of which has proven to be immensely helpful for millions around the world.\n\n\nWhat is Adderall IR\n\n\nBoth ADHD and narcolepsy can be treated with the amphetamine Adderall, which has existed for several decades and has provided much-needed relief for people the world over. It’s combined chemical makeup works with the nervous system and brain to provide you with more focus, attention, and response. By enhancing one’s cognitive abilities, Adderall has proven to be a beneficial medication for those suffering from ADHD and narcolepsy’s symptoms.\n\nAdderall IR 20 mg appearance\n\n\nWhen taking Adderall IR (Immediate Release) in low doses, it can be very effective in alleviating and treating stress, inattention, and irritation. It can even help you focus on your studies if you’re a student, which has made it popular among the college-aged crowd. But while Adderall has proven itself as genuinely effective, as well as popular, it can also be easily abused.\n\n\nTaking advantage of how much medication you get is nothing new, but Adderall has some notoriety in this field. If you think it could be dangerous to take it due to reasons of addiction, you may choose not to. Otherwise, be aware of the risks when taking Adderall and make sure you never take more than is prescribed for you. You should also be aware of any potential side-effects that could incur from Adderall. Outside of addiction, you may possibly have weight loss, dry mouth, insomnia, mood swings, fatigue, blurred vision, and sexual dysfunction.\n\n\nHow Does Adderall IR Work\n\n\nUnderstand the risks of taking Adderall\n\nAdderall IR is the most common type, but all types work in a similar way of helping your brain releases dopamine. Those who have ADHD tend to have low amounts of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter usually situated within the brain’s reward system. You might be familiar with the reward system: you do something because of the incentive that comes from completing the activity or goal in question.\n\n\nThe reward system located inside our brains is what motivates us to do things like eating food, drinking liquids, and procreating. When you are lacking in dopamine, your brain will not be able to focus like it normally would. What Adderall does as amphetamine is stimulating your brain by getting at the dopamine that refused to get with your brain’s receptors. By doing this, Adderall helps the brain release dopamine and makes sure it continues to do so.\n\n\nHow Long Does Adderall IR Take to Kick In\n\n\nAs the more common and basic version of Adderall, IR takes around an hour for effect. This effect lasts for about four hours or so; in order to keep the effects going, you would need to take it periodically throughout the day. This is also why abuse is a factor, since someone may not think they have enough Adderall dosage for effect. It can stay in your system for the few hours it has its effect, and it can take a couple of days for it to entirely leave your system.\n\n\nSince Adderall can provide a very calming and euphoric feeling in the people who take it, you must always be careful of how much you decide to get. While proven to be very helpful for those who need it, some may think that the dosage they have is not enough for them. This is also why doctors tend to prescribe low dosages since it’s such an easy drug to abuse. Always keep in mind the risks involved with taking Adderall, as it has been shown to be a real problem. As long as you take only as much as you’re given, your treatment should be healthy and effective.\n\n\nIf you think that taking Adderall can help, then don’t let the chance slip away. Contact us here at Mango Clinic Miami and get yourself evaluated by a licensed medical doctor. Our clinic located near downtown Miami will be able to evaluate you and help you understand the symptoms associated with ADHD and narcolepsy, as well as whether Adderall is right for you. Call us at 786-391-0269 or visit our webpage to make an appointment today.\n\nClick Here to Schedule an Appointment\n\n\nAdderall Types and Dosage. Miami Guide.\n\nMango Clinic Miami is dedicated to providing you and your loved ones the very best medical care for your ADD/ADHD and narcolepsy related symptoms. Our professional and caring staff at Mango Clinic will be able to provide you with the best solutions for any disorders or symptoms you may have. If you suffer from any of the disorders mentioned above, we will be able to provide you with the right treatment options and solutions, tailored to your specific needs. We also offer ADHD examinations and diagnosis, with a wide variety of treatment options, including therapy and counseling.\n\n\nAdderall IR & XR Explained.\n\nAdderall pill exampleAdderall is the brand name for a prescription medication most commonly used for symptoms associated with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A Schedule II controlled substance, Adderall is the combination of two pre-existing stimulants: amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. With the right amount of dosage, Adderall has been shown to treat symptoms such as hyperactivity and inattention, traits which are commonly associated with ADD/ADHD. The use of Adderall has thus allowed patients to better handle and control their symptoms. Can Adderall help me?\n\nThere are two types of Adderall that can be prescribed: Adderall IR (Immediate Release) and Adderall XR (Extended Release). Both types have equal dosage options, with minor differences.\n\nAdderall IR can be taken within a 24-hour time frame multiple times in equally-divided doses, whereas Adderall XR can only be taken once per day. The doses included for both are:\n\n5 mg (IR and XR)\n\n7.5 mg (IR only)\n\n10 mg (IR and XR)\n\n15 mg (IR and XR)\n\n20 mg (IR and XR)\n\n25 mg (XR only)\n\n30 mg (IR and XR)\n\n\nDosage Options for Adderall in Miami\n\nThe effects of IR are usually felt within an hour, but since everyone’s body is different, the actual time frame can vary. If you don’t find yourself having any effects, it could be something in your body that is preventing the medication from working, such as a substantial amount of vitamin C. It can help to take the medication an hour before eating and before taking any vitamin C. In some cases, you just may need a higher dosage, so contact your physician if you feel this may be the case.\n\nThe right Adderall dosage can vary from person to person since both children and adults can be prescribed the medication. The dosage will be prescribed by your physician, and while a low dosage is common when starting out, it can be increased if needed. Dosage variation on a single individual becomes more normalized once they reach adulthood; prior to this, the dosage can vary from year to year. Because of this, it’s recommended that the prescription for children be reviewed once per year.\n\nWhile children can safely take Adderall, the ages differ with regards to Adderall IR and XR. As per the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), no children under three years can take IR, and no children under six years can take XR. What is the right dosage?\n\n\nSymptoms for Taking AdderallEffects of Adderall\n\nThe exact symptoms related to ADD/ADHD are not always clear, so it helps to understand if you may experience these symptoms, which would then allow you to be prescribed Adderall. Disorganization, fidgeting, lack of focus, and forgetfulness are among the symptoms that can be treated by Adderall, along with excessive talking and general anxiety.\n\nThe symptoms can also vary among individuals, depending on their sex and age. Children can be harder to diagnose, due to the uncertainty of whether or not their behavior can be connected to symptoms related to ADD/ADHD or narcolepsy. Adults, as well as older teens, can be easier to diagnose, but it can still vary from person to person, such as younger boys and girls exhibiting different symptoms from each other.\n\nIt’s also important to remember the side effects that come from taking Adderall. These include dizziness, restlessness, insomnia, dry mouth, increase in blood pressure, and anxiety. Along with these sorts of side effects, there’s the added danger of addiction. Due to the euphoric feeling it can provide, some people may find themselves dependent on Adderall, and this can lead to abuse. It’s possible that taking Adderall may not be the best solution for you, in which case you should always talk with your physician as to whether this is true, and which alternatives exist in place of Adderall.\n\n\nDoctors in Miami Who Prescribe Adderall\n\nIf you or a loved one might be suffering from ADD/ADHD, narcolepsy, or have any of their related symptoms, schedule an appointment with Mango Clinic Miami today. We understand that you might need your Adderall prescription the same day, so we will do our best to help you. We do not guarantee the approval for Adderall but in case if all requirements are met, you will be able to get your ADHD medications the same day. Our staff of Florida licensed professionals is certified to help provide you with solutions to keep you living a happy and healthy life. Since each patient is different, with unique individual needs, we conduct thorough ADHD testing to make sure we can provide the best set of viable options for your ADD treatment. At Miami Mango Clinic, you’re given the utmost attention and care to ensure the most beneficial and healthy solutions. Schedule an appointment to meet with one of our qualified physicians today. \n\n\n\n(305)776-2898 Miami\n\nADD/ADHD Initial Visit Appointments\n\n\nTop 5 Adult ADHD Treatment Centers in Miami Providing Adult ADHD Testing  \n\n\nDo you have life-disrupting symptoms that include lack of concentration, inability to stay organized, lack of time-management skills, scattered thoughts, or anxiety? These may be symptoms of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. For years, healthcare professionals thought that ADHD only affected children and millions of adults who carried the disorder into their mature lives went undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Now, however, it’s thought that at least eight million American adults deal with this disorder on a daily basis and it is becoming more and more accepted for them to seek out treatment.\n\n\nThis new focus on adult ADHD has been a positive development in the healthcare community and has uncovered many treatment options for those dealing with the primary symptoms of ADHD or secondary symptoms such as alcohol abuse, low self-esteem, and depression. Depending on the unique symptoms experienced by a sufferer, treatment options can include the following:\n\n\nADHD Therapy or  ADHD counseling\n\n Many of those suffering from ADHD can be helped with different types of therapy or counseling. Cognitive behavioral counseling, for example, can help them reshape their thoughts and subsequent reactions. Traditional therapy can help them deal with secondary symptoms such as low self-esteem, substance abuse, or relationship issues. Family or group therapy can assist in healing rifts between loved ones caused by the disorder and can help those close to the sufferer learn how to best support them in their treatment programs. Stress management through a coaching or counseling program can also help the individual with adult ADHD learn how to best deal with the burden of the ADHD diagnosis and reduce the overall negative effect on their lives.\n\n\nADHD Prescription Medicationseffects of Adderall\n\nStimulant medications have long been the go-to for treating children or adolescents with ADHD. While stimulants such as Adderall, Concerta, and Vyvanse have helped some adults with ADHD, it’s important to note that they do not always have the same effect as they do on younger sufferers. In some cases, non-stimulant prescription medication such as Strattera may be a better option for older individuals with the disorder. In most cases, those who are prescribed medications to treat their ADHD are also encouraged to receive therapy, counseling, or behavior modification coaching as part of a holistic treatment program.\n\n\nChoosing the best clinic for your needs is very important if you believe you may suffer from adult ADHD. Getting an accurate diagnosis and subsequent treatment plan is the first step toward getting help and living a richer, more fulfilling life. If you live in the Miami area, here are the five best clinics that offer adult ADHD testing and treatment:\n\n\nMiami Counseling & Resource Center\n\nMiami counseling and resource center logoMiami Counseling & Resource Center has a full staff of therapists, psychiatrists, and even a nutritionist on staff to provide accurate assessments and subsequent treatment programs for those suffering from adult ADHD. One of their psychiatrists, Dr. Sandrow, is a trained coach for a working memory training program called Cogmed which has proven to be a successful resource for those who need to improve their attention, enhance their working memory, and reduce distractibility. In addition to diagnosing and treating this disorder, the resource center also offers therapy for depression, anxiety, relationship issues, eating disorders, trauma and abuse, and grief counseling. The clinic offers convenient online appointment requests to see one of their many qualified doctors or therapists.\n\n\nMango Clinic – ADHD Diagnosis & Treatment in Miami\n\n\nMango Clinic LogoIf you want a convenient and professional clinic to offer adult ADHD diagnosis, treatment, and support, Mango Clinic may be the right option for you. With a full staff of therapists, psychiatrists, and coaches on staff, the clinic can fully assess your needs and provide a holistic approach to treatment that includes prescription medication, individual therapy, and other forms of counseling. In addition to making appointments, Mango Clinic also offers the convenience of patients being able to walk in or receive support through their telehealth system. Mango Clinic also offers treatments for secondary symptoms that often accompany adult ADHD such as stress, anxiety, eating disorders, depression, and alcohol addiction, emotional support animal.\n\n\nSouth Florida Integrative Health  \n\n\nSouth Florida Integrative Health logoThe healthcare professionals at South Florida Integrative Health offer a comprehensive evaluation and cutting-edge technology to diagnose and treat those with adult ADHD. This clinic offers a drug-free approach to treating the disorder that is brain-based and includes treatments such as neurofeedback, brain optimization, neurological rehabilitation, and more. They will customize a brain-based approach to your treatment plan and pair it with nutritional and lifestyle modifications to ensure you receive the support you need to get on the right path. With three physicians and full support staff, South Florida Integrative Health is a good option for those who do not want to use prescription medicines to treat their condition.\n\n\nCoast Family Psychiatry\n\nCoast Family Psychiatry logoBoard-certified psychiatrist Dr. Safir Azam specializes in a one-to-one approach to diagnosing and treating emotional and psychological disorders including adult ADHD, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, PTSD, eating disorders, and depression. With an emphasis on psychoeducation, medication management, and psychotherapy, Dr. Azam offers a well-rounded approach for those who want to experience real change.\n\n\nElevate Psychiatry\n\nElevate Psychiatry logoElevate Psychiatry offers a complete evaluation and health history for all their patients to determine if adult ADHD is the cause of symptoms and how to best develop an individualized treatment plan. The professional staff offers medication management, psychotherapy, genetic testing, and even a therapy dog in their state-of-the-art loft-style office. Elevate also offers the convenience of telepsychiatry for those who want to receive treatment via their computers or mobile devices.  \n\n\nIf you think you may suffer from adult ADHD, it’s imperative that you get the help you need. By choosing the right Miami ADHD clinic to thoroughly assess and treat your condition through medication, psychotherapy, counseling, brain-based treatment, or a combination of one of or more treatments, you can get on the road to better mental health and stronger relationships. The above five Miami clinics are the best at testing for and subsequently treating those who suffer from the symptoms of adult ADHD.\n\n\n\nHow to Diagnose and Treat 7 Types of ADD in Miami.\n\nAttention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and affects as much as 10% of the population. Once thought to be a disorder than only affects children, it’s now a widely-accepted fact that adults can also suffer from ADHD. However, relatively new findings show that ADHD is not a one-size-fits-all diagnosis. In fact, there are now seven types of ADD categories that have helped to further define this disorder and provide the appropriate treatment for each. To schedule your ADD treatment in Miami schedule an appointment at ADD Clinic in Miami here.\n\nClassic ADD\n\nClassic ADD is how most people think of the disorder. It’s characterized by distractibility, poor impulse control, disorganized thinking, and an inability to concentrate. Those who have Classic ADD are often hyperactive and have decreased brain activity when they must concentrate on tasks.\n\nThe cause of Classic ADD is a dopamine deficiency in the brain caused by decreased blood flow to the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum. This type of ADD is normally treated with stimulant medications such as Adderall, Concerta, or Ritalin to encourage the brain to produce more dopamine. Natural treatments like increased exercise, green tea, and adding the amino acid L-tyrosine to the diet can also be helpful. Visit Mango ADD Clinic in Miami to consult with a professional ADD doctor before taking Adderall. \n\nAnxious ADD\n\nThose with Anxious ADD have all the symptoms of Classic ADD but with the added physical symptoms of headaches and stomachaches as well as anxiety and tension. This is thought to be caused by high activity in the basil ganglia as opposed to low activity that is present in Classic ADD.\n\nTreatments for Anxious ADD revolve around promoting relaxation as well as increasing dopamine and GABA (gamma-aminobutryic acid) levels. Normal ADD stimulants may cause more anxiety in those with this type of ADD, so milder treatments such as L-theanine, magnesium, and holy basil are usually the first treatments tried. If these don’t work, tricyclic antidepressants may be implemented as well as Neurofeedback methods to calm the sufferers’ prefrontal cortex. ADD diagnosis needed before taking medications.\n\nTemporal Lobe ADD\n\nTemporal Lobe ADD has all the symptoms of Classic ADD but those who suffer from it also experience learning and memory problems. They may also have behavioral issues such as aggression and paranoia. Decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex and abnormalities in the temporal lobe are the culprits in this type of ADD and effective treatments include GABA supplements, magnesium, anti-convulsants to help stabilize mood, and gingko biloba to assist with memory problems. At Mango ADD Clinic in Miami, our doctors can help with this type of ADD. Schedule an appointment now.\n\nSide Effects of Adderall\n\nLimbic ADD\n\nChronic, low-level sadness is added into the mix with Classic ADD symptoms in Limbic ADD. Though not categorized as depression, those with Limbic ADD often have low energy, feelings of excessive guilt, and low self-esteem. This type of ADD is caused by too much activity in the limbic part of the brain and decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex. It’s typically treated with supplements such as L-tryosine, SAMe, or, if those fail, anti-depressants like Wellbutrin.\n\nInattentive ADD\n\nThe Inattentive ADD type is similar to the Classic ADD type and those who suffer from it have short attention spans, are easily distracted, commonly procrastinate, and may be disorganized. Unlike Classic ADD, there is no hyperactivity or impulsiveness involved and it affects females and males equally. A dopamine deficiency and low prefrontal cortex activity are the causes and the disorder can be treated with stimulants such as Adderall or Concerta, with amino acids, or by increased exercise and a low-carbohydrate diet.\n\nOver-Focused ADD\n\nThose with Over-Focused ADD have the Classic ADD symptoms in addition to getting stuck in negative thought patterns or behaviors and difficulty shifting attention or tasks. Seratonin and dopamine deficiencies are behind this type, as well as over-activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus. Treatments for Over-Focused ADD range from supplements such as 5-HTP and L-tryptophan, the natural nutrient inositol, or, if symptoms persist, anti-depressants that can include Cymbalta, and Effexor.\n\nRing of Fire ADD\n\nAlso known as ADD plus, Ring of Fire ADD can cause sufferers to act out with mean or unpredictable behavior. Those with this type of ADD can also display fearfulness or anxiety and be sensitive to noise, touch, or light. It’s caused by a ring of hyperactivity around the brain (hence the name) and is normally treated with an elimination diet to treat possible food allergies. If medications are needed, they usually fall into the supplement category or, if needed, anticonvulsants or blood pressure drugs that can calm hyperactivity.\n\nIt’s important to note that not all cases of ADD are alike. By knowing what type you suffer from you can get the help you need from a professional. To schedule an appointment with an ADD doctor who can diagnose and treat your ADD, please call our Miami office at (305) 776-2898 or click to schedule your appointment here.ADHD Treatment Clinic in Miami\n\n\nAdult ADHD Treatment in Miami\n\nAs it becomes more and more of a mainstream diagnosis, Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is now an accepted medical condition that affects more than 4.4% of the adult population in the United States. Marked by an inability to concentrate, disorganization, and unstable relationships, ADHD can have a variety of negative consequences on the sufferer’s life. If you have been diagnosed with Adult ADHD or believe you may have it, you should schedule an appointment with a licensed ADHD Doctor in Miami. Here is more information on what you need to know about this condition and where can you get ADHD diagnosis done in Miami.\n\n\nWhat is Adult ADHD?\n\nAdult ADHD is a mental health disorder. Though it can range from mild to extreme, it usually presents with many of the same symptoms. Depending on the type of ADHD an adult has, symptoms can range from irritability and lack of focus to anxiety and outbursts of anger. Others experience chronic lateness or an inability to stay organized and some even experience very low self-esteem or stomach problems stemming from the disorder. You can discuss your ADHD symptoms with our Doctor at mango Clinic and he can determine if you have it or not.\n\n\nHow Does Adult ADHD Differ from ADHD in Children?Miami Adhd facts\n\nHyperactivity is usually the area where adults and children differ the most when it comes to ADHD. While children with ADHD tend to squirm, fidget, run or climb excessively, and can’t sit still, adults are more likely to display symptoms like doodling, restlessness, an inability to complete jobs, and taking part in active or risky behavior that will hold their interest.\n\nIn the area of inattention, ADHD children tend to make careless mistakes in schoolwork, seem not to listen when spoken to, don’t complete homework projects, and have short attention spans. Adults with ADHD, on the other hand, are forgetful, have troubles following conversations, lose track of time, and have problems with self-motivation.\n\nImpulsiveness also looks different in adults and children with ADHD. Children blurt out comments inappropriately, interrupt others, and have problems waiting their turn. Adults may spend money impulsively, participate in behaviors that are dangerous, or hurt other people’s feelings with insensitive comments.\n\nIt’s believed that adults with ADHD have had the disorder since they were children but many went undiagnosed. This could lead to years of believing their problems are simply ‘part of their personality’ or that they are lazy or not intelligent.\n\n\nAre There Different Types of ADHD?\n\nOne of the reasons that many with Adult ADHD go undiagnosed is because they don’t have the ‘classic’ symptoms of the disorder. With more research, it’s been discovered that there are actually seven different types of ADHD, all with varying symptoms and appropriate treatments. In addition to Classic ADHD, there are also these variations and their corresponding symptoms:\n\n\nAnxious ADHD: anxiety, tension, headaches and stomachaches\n\nTemporal Lobe ADHD: learning and memory problems; behavioral issues such as aggression or paranoia\n\nLimbic ADHD: low-level sadness, low energy, excessive guilt, low self-esteem\n\nInattentive ADHD: short attention spans, easily distracted, disorganized, but with no hyperactivity\n\nOver-focused ADHD: getting stuck in negative thought patterns or behaviors, difficulty shifting attention to new tasks\n\nRing of Fire ADHD: acting out with mean behavior, unpredictability\n\n\nHow is Adult ADHD Diagnosed and Treated?\n\nMany adults who research the disorder and look closely at their own symptoms can self-diagnose ADHD. However, to be certain of the diagnosis and to get the proper treatment, adults should schedule an appointment with a qualified physician who has experience in identifying and treating the disorder. Depending on the type of ADHD you have, you may be treated with lifestyle changes or ADHD supplements or, if needed, stimulants or anti-depressants that have been proven to successfully treat your symptoms. Most common ADHD drug is Adderall. Consult with a doctor before taking Adderall.\n\nIf you are living with ADHD and have not been diagnosed, you have likely experienced a number of negative consequences that you can’t explain. Getting a proper diagnosis can be a life-changing experience as you now have answers for your prior thoughts and behaviors and you can now receive the treatment you deserve. If you believe you have Adult ADHD, please call our Miami clinic at (305) 776-2898 to schedule an appointment.\n\nADHD Treatment Clinic in Miami\n\n\nADD vs ADHD: What’s the Difference?\n\nMore than 11% of children and 4.4% of adults in the United States are living with a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, many do not know what the difference is between the two disorders and how this affects their treatment options.\n\nTo put it simply, ADD is the old name for what is now commonly known as ADHD. Though it is now the official medical term for the condition, many of those with ADHD do not have the ‘hyperactivity’ that is stated right in the name.\n\n\nRecognizing the Different Types of ADHD\n\nSymptoms of ADD/ADHD\nPotential Indicators of ADD/ADHD\n\nThough ADD and ADHD do not actually refer to two separate disorders, it is important to recognize that there are different types of ADHD that present with a variety of symptoms. Some of these symptoms, such as spaceyness or mean outbursts, are sometimes not easily recognizable as being part of ADHD.\n\nThe DSM-V recognizes three different types of ADHD: Primarily Inattentive, Primarily Hyperactive-Impulsive, or Combined. Those with Inattentive ADHD tend to have trouble sustaining attention, seem not to listen when spoken to, avoid tasks that require sustained effort, and often lose things they need to complete a task. More girls and women are diagnosed with this type of ADHD than boys or men.\n\nPrimarily Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD sufferers are fidgety, talk excessively, have difficulty playing with others, often interrupt, and have trouble sitting still. This is usually the type we think of when we consider a boy or even an adult having ADHD. Combined ADHD is diagnosed when at least six symptoms from Inattentive and from Hyperactive-Impulsive are present.\n\nThough many in the healthcare profession use the three types of ADHD to diagnose and treat their patients, more research has proves that there are actually seven different types of ADHD, all with slightly different symptoms. These range from Temporal Lobe ADHD, which is characterized by memory or learning problems as well as aggression or paranoia; Anxious ADHD which presents as chronic stress or tension along with stomach problems and headaches; and Over-Focused ADHD, which has symptoms of repetitive thoughts, resistance to change, and difficulty shifting attention when needed.\n\n\nDifferent Treatment for Different TypesADD/ ADHD Treatment in Miami\n\nIf you or your loved one has ADHD, it’s crucial to know which type you suffer from so you can get the proper treatment. While stimulants can effectively treat the classic types of ADHD, it can actually have a negative effect on those with Over-Focused or Anxious ADHD. Anti-depressants may prove effective for treating Over-Focused ADHD, but could have little effect in Inattentive or Classic ADHD. In addition, a low carbohydrate diet can help some forms of ADHD while aggravating others.\n\n\nWhat You Need to Know for a Diagnosis\n\nThough those with Classic ADHD can often diagnose themselves as they fall into the ‘typical’ range of symptoms, those with others types of less common ADHD may have trouble realizing they suffer from the disorder. Whether or not you have successfully self-diagnosed your condition, it’s important that you see a medical professional who has experience recognizing and treating the disorder. It’s also important that the professional works with adult ADHD as the condition can look much different in adults than in children and needs to be treated correctly.\n\nIf you have been living with adult ADHD, you may have been told for years that you’re lazy, lack motivation, or even have a learning disability. Recognizing that you may suffer from one of the many forms of ADHD can come as a huge relief to those who thought it was ‘just them’ and that they just needed to ‘try harder’. If you believe you may suffer from ADHD, please call our Miami clinic at (305) 776-2898 to schedule an appointment.\n\n\n\nWhat to Consider Before Taking Adderall\n\nIn our fast-paced world where there never seems to be enough hours in the day, it seems that almost everyone is looking for ways to develop focus or get ahead. Some people, whether they have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or not, have turned to prescription medications to help them gain a competitive edge. Drugs like Ritalin, Concerta, Vyvanse, and Adderall are being used more and more by both children and adults and the abuse rates continue to rise.\n\nFor those with severe forms of ADHD, prescription drugs can be a lifesaver and allow them to regain the focus and concentration they lacked while not on medication. However, the illegal abuse of prescription stimulants is skyrocketing and it is something that our society as a whole needs to address.\n\nHave you considered taking Adderall to treat your ADHD or just to gain more focus and concentration in your everyday work or personal life? If so, you should first be aware of the following facts:\n\n\nYou Must Speak with Your Doctor to Get a Prescription for Adderall in Miami\n\nAdderall and similar drugs are not over-the-counter. They are Schedule II drugs that have a high potential for abuse and can only be taken when prescribed by a doctor. Adderall is generally only prescribed to those who have ADHD and those who do not have the disorder may have an altered reaction to the drug.\n\nAt mango Clinic in Miami, Your doctor or mental health professional can determine if you have ADHD by checking for symptoms listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5). There are 18 total symptoms and adults who display six or more symptoms and children under 16 who display five or more symptoms are generally diagnosed as having the disorder. In some cases, the doctor will prescribe a stimulant such as Adderall to see if it helps the patient manage their symptoms.\n\n\nThose Who Do Not Have ADHD Are More Likely to Abuse Adderall\n\nSome people take Adderall and other stimulants because they enjoy the euphoric feeling that comes with using the drug. This feeling is what leads many to abuse and become dependent on the drug. A recent study also found that those who experience these euphoric feelings when taking stimulants are less genetically predisposed to actually having ADHD. Those who use Adderall as a recreational drug are also more predisposed to abuse other drugs such as alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco.\n\n\nThe Use of Adderall in the Adult Population is Increasing\n\nIn the year 2007, there were approximately 5.6 million prescriptions issued on a monthly basis to adults aged 20 to 39. In 2012, that number had tripled, approaching the 16 million mark. Adult prescriptions are increasing at a much faster level than those for children. Some believe it is due to the increased awareness that these drugs increase concentration and can even provide cognitive enhancements to users. This is causing adults to turn to the drugs as a way to cope with stress and work demands.\n\n\nStimulants Do Not Always Offer Positive Benefits\n\nFast Facts About ADHD -Mango ClinicAdderall and similar stimulants may help children sit still longer and improve their focus if they have ADHD. However, there is no proof that they actually improve their academic performance. In fact, stimulants can actually impair some creative abilities. In addition, stimulant drugs can be extremely addictive due to the rush of neurotransmitters such as dopamine that affect some users, giving them a sense of euphoria that can be easy to become dependent on.\n\nStimulants can also elevate blood pressure and speed up the heart. This can lead to issues such as constricted blood vessels and can also lead up to a heart attack or stroke. If you drink while taking Adderall, the effects can be even more dangerous. Drinking while taking Adderall increases the risks of heart problems and can cause heart attacks in otherwise healthy individuals.\n\nAdderall can also increase anxiety due to the way it enhances the effects of dopamine. This can cause dry mouth, paranoia, shortness of breath, and nervousness—especially in those who are already prone to worry or anxiety.\n\nThose who take stimulants may also have trouble sleeping. This leads to exhaustion the next day and causes many to take more stimulants to simply stay awake. Tolerance levels also build quickly with stimulants and users must take more and more to achieve the same effects. This makes stimulants very habit-forming and it can be easy to develop a dependence on them that is difficult to break.\n\n\nAdvertising for ADHD Drugs is Misleading\n\nThe FDA has cited every major ADHD drug—including Adderall, Concerta, Vyvanse, Focalin, and even non-stimulants such as Strattera and Intuniv—for misleading advertising and false claims. Some of the drugs have been cited multiple times. These false advertising campaigns by major pharmaceutical companies may be what has led to the increased use—and abuse—of stimulant drugs in the past fifteen years.\n\n\nStimulants Such as Adderall Can Have Frightening Side EffectsSide Effects of ADHD Drugs\n\nAlong with increased blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety, Adderall can also cause mental health issues that are especially troubling in children. The medication guide that accompanies Adderall warns users to notify a healthcare professional if they experience any mental problems including believing things that are not real or seeing or hearing things that do not exist. There is even evidence of stimulants drugs triggering depression in children and causing terrifying hallucinations in teens. Though rare, there have also been reports of stimulant abuse leading to suicide.\n\n\nDiagnosis of ADHD Continues to Rise\n\nThe number of children between the ages of 4 and 17 who have received an ADHD diagnosis has risen over 41% in the last ten years. Almost two-thirds of those who have received a diagnosis have been prescribed a stimulant such as Ritalin or Adderall. Boys are twice as likely to receive a diagnosis than girls and are also more likely to be prescribed stimulant medication. Today, almost 20% of high school boys have received an ADHD diagnosis. While some believe this is due to a recognition of the condition, others argue that it is due to pharmaceutical advertising and a misunderstanding of the natural temperament of boys of this age.\n\nCommon Symptoms of ADHD in Adults\n\nMany of Those Who Use Adderall Do Not Consider It a Drug\n\nMost people who take Adderall without a prescription do not consider it to be a dangerous drug. Instead, they thought of it as a study tool and considered it safe because it improved their concentration and because they knew that doctors prescribed it to children.\n\nCollege students are among the most likely to use and abuse stimulants—especially those that are not prescribed to them. According to a recent study, more than 20% of Ivy League college students used an unprescribed stimulant at least once while in college to help them study. Estimates of those college students who use illegal stimulants range from 6.9% to over 35% and most of those students who were interviewed did not feel like they were cheating or doing anything illegal. In fact, college students were likely to brag about their usage on social media, especially on apps like Twitter and Snapchat.\n\n\nMany Doctors Tend to Ignore FDA Warnings About Stimulants\n\nThere have been numerous FDA warnings regarding Adderall, Ritalin, and similar stimulants. Though the administration warns that these drugs can be highly addictive and have dangerous side effects, doctors continue to prescribe them. Even a 2004 FDA advisory warning about the possibility of cardiac arrest hasn’t changed the amount of stimulants doctors prescribe.\n\nFDA warnings that Adderall, Ritalin, and other prescription stimulants are addictive and can have potentially dangerous side effects also haven’t deterred doctors from prescribing them.\n\nMajor League Baseball Players Are Among the Most Frequent Users of ADHD Drugs\n\nThough there is a ban on stimulant use in the Major League Baseball Association, players continue to use performance-enhancing drugs. When the ban was announced, players began requesting therapeutic exemptions so they could continue to take the banned substances. The rates of MLB players who take stimulants is more than double of the normal population. Though some argue that professional athletes are more likely to suffer from ADHD than others, many don’t agree and believe that players are only using the stimulants to enhance their playing abilities and gain a competitive edge.\n\nThe Cognitive-Enhancing Effects of Stimulants Are Unclear\n\nThough many believe that stimulants will give them an edge in school, sports, or careers, experts caution that the cognitive effects of the drugs have not been widely studied and their effects are still unclear. There have been conflicting reports generated from the studies that have been performed and experts argue that most studies are conducted to find impairment in study subjects, not the improvement. There is also a lack of evidence on the long-term effects of stimulant usage, especially in healthy individuals who do not display signs of ADHD. This should serve as a warning to those use the drugs for recreational use and make them think twice about using stimulants such as Adderall for everyday performance improvement.\n\nSpeak to a doctor before taking Adderall.\n\nMiami Adderall Doctor.\n\n\n\nIf you’re an adult struggling with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), there are a medley of treatment methods available to help remedy your condition. However, one of the more intriguing and effective approaches exists with the use of Adderall. Learn more about how treating your ADHD with Adderall can improve your health and overall quality of life.\n\nHow Adderall Helps Treat ADHD\n\nClassified as a brand-name prescription stimulant, Adderall has a proven track record for effectively treating hyperactivity, inattention, impulsivity and other related symptoms of ADHD such as consistent interrupting, excessive talking, forgetfulness, fidgeting, lack of focus and disorganization. As an FDA-approved substance, Adderall should be taken exclusively within the confines of a doctor-administered treatment approach. That typically includes exercise, diet, supplements and/or behavioral therapy. Although the science has not been confirmed, it is generally considered that Adderall precipitates stimulating effects for patients through igniting the mechanism of action related to neurotransmitters in the brain.\n\nWhat are the Benefits of Taking Adderall for ADHD?\n\nPatients with ADHD typically struggle to complete very basic tasks because of their inability to focus. As a result, they will avoid taking on intensive projects and otherwise seemingly mundane day-to-day tasks. At times, people with ADHD even will feel guilty about it, thereby exacerbating an already self-defeating cycle. Although some people feel guilty about taking Adderall, they really should be considering the positive impact it can have on their lives in terms of seamlessly completing routine tasks. Those using Adderall to treat ADHD find it much easier to manage their personal finances, prepare for academic tests as well as generally organizing their lives. The capacity to accomplish such tasks significantly reduces their stress burden and enhances their overall quality of life and those of their support networks.    \n\nWho Uses Adderall to Treat ADHD?\n\nMany adults are struggling with ADHD and some are using Adderall as part of a treatment approach for their ADHD. Famous and visible figures within popular culture and beyond, including the likes of Olympian Michael Phelps, the business mogul Richard Branson, and international pop star Justin Bieber, all have shared their struggles with ADHD. Currently, statistics suggest that over 13.1 million prescriptions were written for Adderall XR in 2016, including generic prescriptions, to treat ADHD symptoms. Justin Bieber, for example, has stated that his mind works more effectively with the use of Adderall for treating his ADHD. The popular entrepreneur and traveler Chris Guillebeau vocally advocates for using Adderall to treat ADHD and has been very open about the benefits he has experienced in his life. Furthermore, professional baseball player Aubrey Huff of the San Francisco Giants finds Adderall effective in boosting his performance on the field as well as in treating symptoms of depression and anxiety. Although patients should exercise caution and consult with their physician before attempting to use the drug in this capacity for treating mental illness, it may well prove effective for your needs.\n\nHow to Discuss ADHD and Possible Adderall Usage with Your Doctor\n\nIt’s important to know how to discuss possibly using Adderall with your physician before beginning any treatment regimen. Be sure to state up front that you want an appointment to explore your risk for ADHD. Upon the visit, briefly yet openly discuss your symptoms and how they impact your life. That would help your physician provide a proper diagnosis. It is critical that you share with your doctor whether you have attempted to self-diagnose your condition and/or whether you have begun taking Adderall already.\n\nIf you believe the medication can help your ADHD, please call our Miami clinic at (305) 776-2898 to schedule an appointment.\n\n10 Things You Should Know About AdderallFast Facts About ADHD -Mango Clinic\n\nFor adults enduring challenges related to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a bevy of treatment approaches exist to help treat your condition. The utilization of Adderall is known to be one of the most effective methods. Discover below 10 important things you should consider when evaluating whether Adderall is right for you.\n\n  • Adderall can help relieve symptoms related to ADHD\n\nScientific researchers have found that Adderall precludes the biochemical barriers from forming that precipitate ADHD in adults. Often ADHD results when messenger information to cultivate the production of dopamine is inhibited in the body. Adderall helps prevent this from occurring.\n\n  • You’ll have better focus when using Adderall\n\nPatients who use Adderall find they are able to focus for longer periods of time with greater concentration. No longer are they putting off accomplishing routine tasks such as paying their bills and maintaining a well-kept home.\n\n  • Adderall can boost total performance\n\nWith better focus comes better net performance for people in all aspects of their lives. People operate more consistently at high levels in competitive environments at work as well as in recreational activities. Artists, business executives, and professional athletes have attested to the benefits of medication usage in enhancing their performance.\n\n  • You’ll feel more confident\n\nGiven that people are able to focus and perform better with the usage of Adderall, they often experience feelings of greater confidence in social settings. Adults are able to express themselves more openly with less outcome-dependence in interpersonal and romantic settings, thereby enabling them to experience richer and more meaningful relationships.\n\n  • It provides a long-lasting positive impact\n\nUnlike caffeine that might give you short-term energy and focus boost, Adderall provides hours of high-level productivity. Adults report experiencing long periods of time of heightened focus and concentrated energy. It enables them to complete time-intensive tasks expediently.\n\n  • Adderall helps you sleep better\n\nAdderall helps patients with narcolepsy, where they experience the risk of falling asleep at inopportune times, stay awake and manager their sleep patterns more effectively. Subsequently, they function better both in professional and social settings.\n\n  • You can experience less depression and anxiety\n\nAdderall usage has proven to be effective in combating depression and anxiety in patients. Appropriate dosages have been found to curtail feelings of lethargy and hopelessness. It is also remedying emotions related to uncertainty and fear.\n\n  • Many successful people trust Adderall\n\nVisible public figures such as Aubrey Huff of the San Francisco Giants, entrepreneur and traveler Chris Guillebeau and pop star Justin Bieber have all found Adderall usage helpful in realizing their career ambitions. They find the drug enables their mind to function more clearly in their given fields of endeavor.\n\n  • It’s important to consider the risks\n\nBefore electing to begin Adderall treatment, it is vital that you consult with your physician and review the affiliated risks. For example, patients who suffer conditions such as advanced arteriosclerosis, hyperthyroidism, moderate to severe hypertension, symptomatic cardiovascular disease, agitated states, and glaucoma, among other conditions, should refrain from the Adderall usage because of potential side effects.\n\n  • There’s a way to talk about Adderall with your doctor\n\nDo you think Adderall may be beneficial for your struggle with ADHD and affiliated conditions? Be honest with your physician. Tell her/ him about your symptoms and whether you have begun taking the substance. It is important that you mention in advance you want an appointment to explore your risk for ADHD and subsequent treatment.\n\nIf you believe Adderall can help your ADHD, please call our Miami clinic at (305) 776-2898 to schedule an appointment.\n\nHow Does Sugar Impact ADHD?\n\nWhat to Consider Before Taking Adderall\n\n\nADD Treatment and Diagnosis in Miami\n\nDo you have ADD/ADHD? Studies estimate that ADD/ADHD affects nearly nine million adults in the U.S; however, only a few receive accurate diagnoses and undergo proper treatment. Research shows that the condition can impair social, occupational and academic functioning, resulting in academic underachievement, underemployment, difficulties in personal relationships, conduct problems, and motor vehicle safety. It also causes hyperactivity, although this may decrease over time. Adderall is the most commonly prescribed drug for Attention Deficit Disorder treatment.\n\nPsychological Conditions Associated with ADD\n\nNearly 50% of adults with ADD also suffer from associated psychological conditions such as borderline personality disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, and others. The co-existence of these conditions makes it difficult to accurately diagnose ADD since symptoms are remarkably similar to that of ADD. Medical practitioners must determine if the patient has ADD or a mental disorder with symptoms similar to that of ADD, or both ADD and a mental disorder. Speak with a licensed ADD doctor in Miami today, call us now.\n\nList of ADD Symptoms\n\n  • Common symptoms of adult attention deficit disorder include:\n  • Chronic tardiness\n  • Chronic boredom\n  • Low frustration threshold\n  • Low motivation\n  • Anger management issues\n  • Poor prioritizing skills\n  • Concentration and attention problems\n  • Procrastination\n  • Impulsive behaviors\n  • Problems in primary relationships\n  • Poor management of time\nSymptoms of ADD/ADHD\nADD/ADHD Symptoms\n\nThese symptoms can either be direct manifestations of ADD or a result of issues with proper social adjustment. Depending on the situation and innate disposition, ADD patients can exhibit antisocial tendencies (such as withdrawing from friends and family) or become uncomfortable when left alone, thus requiring and demanding constant social attention.\n\nIf left untreated, ADD will adversely impact the quality of the patient’s life and upset several key areas, such as proper management of home life, ability to foster close relationships, and being successful at work. Adderall can help with symptoms. To determine if ADD is a serious problem, speak with a licensed ADD doctor in Miami today.  Let’s take a look at some of the ways it can impact your daily life.\n\n\nOne of the major ways ADD affects a patient’s life is in his/her level of happiness. The symptoms of ADD can wear you down, causing you to feel overwhelmed with life or overreact when confronted with stressful situations. It makes you tired, anxious, and nervous while making you feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster. This could lead to feelings of depression, rendering you incapable of enjoying the pleasures of life.\n\n\nAdult ADD can make it difficult to finish projects, whether big or small. This means that little household tasks such as paying bills, house cleaning, laundry, etc. are either not done properly or not done on time. The same goes for larger projects such as completing a house renovation project, taking classes to improve professional skills, etc. These manifestations of ADD significantly impact your productivity, thus reducing satisfaction and overall efficiency.\n\n\nWhen it comes to relationships, most people see ADD sufferers as impulsive, inattentive, distant, and unconcerned; however, this is not the case. ADD symptoms make it difficult for patients to be effective communicators and attentive listeners, meaning that they are not their best in social settings. Miami ADD patients may forget important information such as partners’ birthday, anniversaries, and social events and may interrupt others when speaking. As such, many persons see them as socially inept or immature and may begin to keep their distance.\n\n\nADD can also impact a patient’s feeling of worth and self-esteem. Since symptoms of ADD make patients unable to complete projects or precisely focus their thoughts and energy on a particular undertaking, it makes them question their capabilities. This could reduce the feeling of self-esteem and confidence they have in themselves. Others may also feel that ADD patients cannot be relied upon to complete projects as at when due, further worsening the situation.\n\nThese are just a few ways that ADD negatively affects the everyday life of those suffering from the condition. In short, yes: ADD is a serious issue and can affect the quality of life of a patient. The good news is that accurate diagnosis, management, as well as appropriate Attention Deficit Disorder treatment in Miami can greatly improve the symptoms and manifestations of the latter. You do not need to live an unsatisfactory or unhappy life, incapable of creating deep and meaningful relationships with those you care about or underachieve in your chosen career or profession. If you would like to meet with a qualified physician to discuss your Attention Deficit Disorder treatment in Miami and see if Adderall prescription can help, please schedule an appointment at our ADD/ ADHD Miami clinic by calling (305) 776-2898.\n\nAttention Deficit Disorder treatment at Mango Clinic\n\nAdult ADHD treatment and diagnosis in Miami\n\nADD and ADHD what is the difference \n\nMango Clinic\n\n434 SW 12th Ave\n#205 Miami, FL 33130\n\nMon-Sat 11 am – 6 pm\n\nMango Clinic\n\nMango Clinic\n\n347 5th Ave Ste 1402,\n\nNew York, NY 10016\n\n(888) 578-6704\n\nMon-Sat 11 am – 6 pm\n\nMango Clinic\n\nMango Clinic. All rights reserved.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5965127944946289}
+{"content": "Review of Radical Focus by Christina Wodtke\n\ntl;dr — Radical Focus is a great introduction to OKRs — a brilliant tool for goal setting.\n\nThe following review is also available as a podcast. It is available here on Anchor. Or if you prefer to use your own podcast apps,\n\nSubscribe on Android\nSubscribe on iTunes\n\n\nToday we will be looking at Radical Focus — a book which introduces the concept of OKRs — Objectives and Key Results and how they can be used in organizations as well as in our personal lives. Well, what are OKRs and how can they help you?\n\nLet us consider these fictional situations.\n\nYou are part of a team and every day your team leader changes the priority. Something that was urgent yesterday is no longer so today or vice versa. Obviously, this is incredibly frustrating.\n\nOr what about this?\n\nYou are in a team which is working hard, doing the right things and everything is going on smoothly. All your metrics are great, but you don’t seem to be selling more or your customers continue to be unhappy or maybe the rest of the organization does not understand what you are building.\n\nHow about this?\n\nYou attend your organization town hall or read a communication about the organizations goals for the next year. You are unable to figure out how this applies to you and you end up trashing the email or zoning out the boring presentation. Maybe you are the one who is communicating your strategy to your employees and they just don’t seem to be getting it.\n\nAll these situations have a common theme — how do we set goals for an organization and how do we achieve them. Also, how do we ensure that these larger goals are applicable to teams and to individuals so that there is alignment throughout the organization.\n\nOKRs — Objectives and Key Results — are a fantastic way of achieving all of the above.\n\nBefore we do a deeper dive into OKRs, let us talk a bit about the book and its author, Christina Wodtke. The author has founded two consulting startups, led redesigns and initial product offerings at LinkedIn, Zynga, Yahoo! Amongst others. Now, she now runs her own consulting firm to advise startups to focus on execution by using OKRs.\n\n\nRadical Focus is written in the ‘Business Fable’ style, popularized by Patrick Lencioni and Eliyahu Goldratt. Patrick Lencioni is famous for ‘Death by Meetings’ & ‘Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ and Eliyahu Goldratt for the ‘Theory of Constraints’ and ‘The Goal’.\n\nSince it is a ‘fable’, the first two-thirds of the book focuses on a story that brings the need for focus & execution to the forefront and how OKRs can help in doing this. The last third of the book has all the theory and practical advice for implementing OKRs in your organization or your personal life. Radical Focus is a short book (at 167 pages) even with both these sections put together — about the same size as any of Patrick Lencioni’s books.\n\nThe Fable\n\nLet’s talk about the fable first before getting into the theory. A warning — there are minor spoilers ahead but nothing that should stop you from enjoying it when you read the actual book.\n\nThe fable is centered around Hanna and Jack. They come from different backgrounds but they both love tea. Hanna is an MBA and an American of Chinese descent who has grown up drinking her parents’ special tea. Jack is British, studying Human Centered Design at Stanford and, like Hanna, has grown up drinking tea. They realise that they have their passion for tea in common at a chance meeting in a café and decide to form a start-up — TeaBee. Their struggle to make things work forms the rest of the fable.\n\nWhen they start TeaBee, their vision is to provide great tea to fine restaurants and discerning cafes. But. As time goes by, they find out that their current business model does not generate enough revenue and Hanna decides to pivot. By this time, she has found that she and Jack have different perspectives and priorities on what is important. They come to an understanding, pivot and then a new problem arises. Hanna gets frustrated by the lack of progress towards their goals as well as getting buy-in from the team. Their funder advises them about OKRs which they implement for the first time and fail spectacularly. A new CTO, Raphael who has been part of many startups, joins TeaBee. Raphael has seen OKRs work in his earlier workplaces and is able to guide Hanna and Jack on the correct implementation of OKRs. Flash forward to a year later and TeaBee is a successful business.\n\nThe narration is descriptive of the surroundings, the characters’ moods and their thoughts and makes you want to finish it in one sitting without taking a break. Anyway, back to the story of TeaBee, Christina Wodtke has used it as a very powerful means to explain something that we experience everyday — despite the passion and the midnight oil burnt, we have no idea whether we are closer to living our dreams or we are clueless as to what exactly we wanted to achieve — be it from an organization perspective or from our own.\n\nThe Stuff\n\nAnd now, let’s get to the second portion of the book — the part with the theory & practice.\n\nLet’s us start with four situations described before. Each of those has something to teach us. Generally, we are unable to achieve our vision due to a combination of five factors. They are\n\n  1. Our goals have not been prioritized. If they have not been prioritized, we end up spending time on a lot of things, some of which are useful and some of which aren’t. I love this quote from civilization, the video game, which summarizes this sentiment well — a man who chases two rabbits catches neither.\n  2. We have not communicated these goals well. Your goals should become part of your business as usual work. If they don’t, then these remain abstract and then you encounter situations like an end of period review where we figure out what we should have done in hindsight.\n  3. We don’t have a plan. Unlike the Joker with his aversion to planners and schemers, plans are needed to achieve any goal. Nothing ever happens by serendipity. When was the last time a house built itself or a product have an increase in sales or you became fit by accident? Everything needs a plan.\n  4. We haven’t made time for what matters. This is linked somewhat to the prioritization bit. Our lives are full of noise. If we do not filter out what is important and what is not, we will end up spreading ourselves too thin.\n  5. We give up. I am a huge believer in the Lean Startup theory or the scientific method. There is no failure. There are only opportunities to learn.\n\nSo, what can we do?\n\nFirst, have a clear vision. You can do this through several ways but ultimately it boils to down to what you believe in strongly. Next, comes the harder part which is executing your vision. This is where OKRs come in.\n\nObjectives are qualitative and inspirational. They should set a bold goal, a time-bound goal. And this should be actionable by the ‘team’ independently. Some examples of good objectives given in the book are\n\n  • Transform Palo Alto’s coupon using habits\n  • Launch an awesome Minimum Viable Product.\n\nRemember that objectives can be set at any level. But, within an organization, objectives at different levels should be aligned with one another.\n\nKey Results quantify the inspirational statement. They are our yardstick to ensure that we have met our objective. KRs generally include measurable criteria like growth, engagement, revenue, performance, quality, etc. An objective should ideally have 3 KRs which should balance out opposing forces like revenue and quality or growth and performance. Coming back to the previous example, the book gives us these examples as KRs for the ‘Launch an Awesome MVP’ objective:\n\n  • 40% of users come back 2x in one week\n  • Recommendation score of 8\n  • 15% conversion\n\nAlso, KRs should be difficult but not impossible. This means that in an organization where failure is not tolerated, OKRs will not thrive. But in organizations where learning is rewarded and where a safe environment exists, OKRs will work well.\n\n\nThe author has put together a good mix of the theory, pragmatic advice about implementing OKRs as well as real life examples from a couple of organizations where OKRs have been put into practice. These real-life examples include implementing OKRs in cross functional product teams as well as linking company level objectives to support functions and combining OKRs with performance reviews. The pragmatic advice consists of figuring out OKRs, providing a framework to implement them and a compilation of quick tips on usage of OKRs drawn from experience. You will have to read the book to get a perspective on this.\n\nOKRs are great because they are easy to communicate, they set a clear goal, they cascade well down an organization and they can become part of the business as usual work. But, like many simple things, implementing them will require dedication and hard work.\n\nAs you might have guessed by now, we highly recommend Radical Focus. It provides a great introduction to OKRs.\n\nThanks for reading this review and/or listening to our podcast! Please share your comments and feedback, we promise to act on them. Bye!\n\nYou can support Digital Amrit by buying Radical Focus from Amazon through this link. https://amzn.to/2H4a2dZ\n\nOriginally published at Digital Amrit.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.948280394077301}
+{"content": "Frustrating Personality; Strong Emotions\n\nI’ve often thought to myself, “Man, I have a frustrating personality.” My combative nature negatively impacted my personal relationships. For a long time, I wanted to change my personality, but I believed when I was told that personality is fixed. If I was a pushy person, then I would always be assertive and no deviating from that behavior.\n\nI am discussing personality because it’s one of those things that I highlighted as a dislike in moments of self-reflection. I can imagine some introverts wish they were more outgoing while some extroverts wish they were more introverted.\n\nSince becoming more self-reflective, I found my personality shifted without realizing it. It’s not a significant shift, but I am noticing that life is a little easier than it once was, despite the chronic illness. I would fight certain aspects of my personality, but now I accept them. I’ve found this openness levels me less stressed and more personally satisfied.\n\nPersonality: Inflexiable?\n\nSo is the personality inflexible? The answer is yes and no.\n\nOften major life experiences can shift our personality one way or another, but there are core things about ourselves we cannot easily change. An introvert cannot become an extrovert overnight. They might be able to have more extroverted moments, but they may never reach the same levels of extroversion as someone else.\n\nThere are five traits to our personalities. These are the dimensions that help define and shape who we are:\n\n  • Openness\n  • Conscientiousness\n  • Extraversion\n  • Agreeableness\n  • Neuroticism\n\nEach of these aspects is flexible in of themselves, but the degree of flexibility will vary from person-to-person. As I go through each trait, you may notice that you were once curious about a new venture that you are now extremely cautious. This is where the personality shift comes in and why they can be more flexible than you expect.\n\nAs I go through each type, I place no value judgment on the examples I provide.\n\nRead More\n\n\nI Hate Self-Improvement\n\nWe’re finally addressing what I’ve thought many times and I’m sure you’ve too: I hate self-improvement.\n\nWe can pack everything up. Everyone head home. The blog’s done. Everything’s been said that needs to be told and we can move on with our lives. It’s been really nice taking this near two-year journey with you.\n\nOkay, we all know I am joking. I still have lots to write about, and I am not ready to finish. But let’s take a moment to acknowledge this truth: self-improvement stinks because it moves us into a space of feeling uncomfortable. As discussed in Monday’s post, Bishop writes about our tendency to be risk-averse when confronted with going outside our comfort zones.\n\nSelf-improvement only comes when we get outside our comfort zone and acknowledge that what we are doing is not working. When we stick to our ruts, we do not grow. When we stop growing, we are more susceptible to dissatisfaction.\n\nChronic illness does a lot to keep us in our place. We feel a lot of pain wrapped up in the diagnosis. Every day is a fight to manage our health, our time, and our lives. Asking ourselves to take that extra step to make simple improvements can feel unreasonable.\n\nSettling into a mindset of hating self-improvement is easy. And that’s okay, you can hate it. You can hate it in the same way you hate exercising, but know you should take a few minutes a day; hate eating a particular way, but know it helps you feel better; and hate taking your disease-modifying drugs, but they keep you stable or alive. No one is saying that saying to make self-improvement changes with a smile on your face.\n\nI refuse to believe people who make self-improvement/self-help their life don’t have moments where they hate what they are doing.\n\nYou may hate exercise, eating a certain way, or taking your medication, but you know you need to in order to feel and get better. The same with self-improvement. You can hate it, but it is good for you all the same. Remember this: making simple improvements can help you better manage your illness which is what I am encouraging you to do.\n\nThe Problem with Self-Improvement\n\nSelf-improvement takes us all down the same path. The scenery may look different, but the concept is always the same: figure out what we want to change, work to change it, deal with the challenges, then recognize there’s a roadblock we need to address before moving forward.\n\nWhen confronted with that “roadblock” it can stop us in our tracks because it’s distracting, makes us feel bad, and seems insurmountable. It may even be something we’ve spent a lot of time avoiding. We don’t like it and want it to go away. But confronting this roadblock head-on will help get it to go away, or at the very least, get it to have less of a hold of us.\n\nWe must confront it to find success.\n\nLet’s say you are trying to quit smoking. In the process of trying to stop you discover there is a pleasure you get because it reminds you of your grandmother who smoked. Smoking, on some deep level, is a connection to her. When you give up smoking, there’s a sense of that connection is lost. That might halt your desire to quit: you don’t want to lose your grandmother.\n\nBut the reality is this: you need to quit to improve your health, and smoking across the board exacerbates chronic illness symptoms. The same is for self-improvement: we need to make changes because what we are currently doing might exacerbate our symptoms.\n\nI Hate Self-Improvement\n\n2019’s been good so far, but I haven’t enjoyed all the aspects of self-improvement. I enjoy how my mood’s improved, the improvements I’ve seen, how I feel, but I wouldn’t say I’ve enjoyed the self-improvement. But it’s been tough to get to this place.\n\nI dislike self-improvement. It’s an exercise like my running and it’s not easy. I was saying to Ash the other day how I want a mental and emotional break. But if I stop doing my mental/emotional exercises, if I “take a break,” I will revert back to my old way of doing things. A “break” would be tantamount to a backslide and I don’t want to do that.\n\nFor the record, self-care and a break would be two different things in this situation. What I need at this moment are self-care and self-compassion. A break would be halting self-improvement because it’s gotten tough.\n\nIf I want to be a less judgmental person, I have to push through those moments where I want a break, I want to give up. If I want to eat healthier, I have to resist carb-overload temptations. I have to fight my natural tendency to want to give up when the going gets tough.\n\nWorking through the Dislikes\n\nWhen we spend time self-reflecting, we see things that we want to change. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you know that last month I asked readers to come up with five things they love/like about themselves and five things they dislike/want to change.\n\nTake a few minutes to list out five things you dislike (do not use the word hate) about yourself. It can be anything and should be the first five things you think about. If you overthink about it, you dismiss your unconscious voice, and that’s who you are trying to listen to in this exercise.\n\nOnce you’ve developed this list, keep it somewhere safe so you can pull it out throughout the month. We will hopefully find a way to address your dislikes in a healthy way. But this month will be about working through your dislikes.\n\nBeauty in Imperfection\n\nAs stated at the beginning of March, there is a beauty that grows from the mud. We want to look at those dislikes, perceived imperfections, and parts of us we want to change and honor them. Sure, we will work to change them, but it’s these imperfections that make us beautiful and unique. Even our chronic illness.\n\nA preview for what’s to come: if you are a subscriber to the weekly newsletter we’ll be addressing our inner toddlers. Because though we may not want to admit it, that toddler is still inside all of us.\n\nMay is going to be a difficult month. I will be addressing a lot of the dislikes I have for myself, my perceived “flaws,” and any doubts I have about myself. But like everything, I will get through it. We will all get through it and see the beauty in our imperfections.\n\n\n\nIdentifying Chronic Illness Roadblocks\n\nEach chronic illness is unique in its own way. If you have MS you know what to expect, but from MS case-to-MS case, what someone experiences is vastly different from someone else. This makes identifying chronic illness roadblocks particularly difficult if you are trying to figure out how to handle them.\n\nI tend to be asymptomatic in a lot of health-related areas in my life. When I get optic neuritis, I get the vision blurring, but I don’t have any of the pain associated with it. Other people may get the vision and pain, while still others may just get the pain but no vision disruptions.\n\nThat’s why it’s important to focus on what happens to you in your situations, not what books or healthcare professionals say you should be experiencing.* Only you know yourself best, even if you haven’t taken the time to actively reflect on your illness.\n\nBelow are some questions you want to ask yourself and some tips on where to go depending on your responses. Use this post as an exercise in starting a plan for how to identify and manage your chronic illness roadblocks.\n\nIdentifying Life Goals\n\nIf you’re a newsletter subscriber, you’ve been working on creating some goals for this year. We’ve established 5 major goals to complete for 2019: 1 long-term goal and 4 short-term ones. If you are here to make some changes while coping with a chronic illness, ask yourself the following questions:\n\n  • What is a specific goal I have in mind for myself?\n  • How will this impact my life? How will it impact it for the better?\n  • Is this a major life goal? (i.e. something that will alter my life path significantly)\n  • Is this a minor life goal? (i.e. a small change I’ve wanted to make)\n  • Is this goal related to my chronic illness and in what way?\n  • How might this goal impact my illness postively or negatively?\n\nIdentifying Chronic Illness Roadblocks\n\nEach chronic illness has its own set of complications that stick with us on a daily basis. It may be pain, numbness, fatigue, or some other invisible element that only serves to frustrate us. Take a moment to list out your daily symptoms when you are not experiencing an attack. Use the following ideas as prompts. You may need to take a few days being mindful of your schedule in order to accurately respond to the prompts:\n\n  • My average energy level each day between 1 and 10 (“1” being no energy to “10” being on 5 cups of coffee) is:\n  • My average pain level each day between 1 and 10 (“1” being no pain to “10” being necessary medical intervention) is:\n  • What are my motor abilities on a good day? What are they on a mediocre day? What are they on a bad day (but not during an attack)?\n  • How often do I have non-attack “low” days? (these may be days where one or more symptoms seem to be overwhelming)\n  • How often do I have “high” days? (these will be days when your “spoon” or “matchbox” might be full)\n  • Do my days have a cycle to them? Do I have more energy in the morning or in the afternoon?\n\nAdditionally, examine previous attacks brought on by your illness. Answer the following questions as honestly as possible. Contact your healthcare professional if you don’t remember or need clarification to get an accurate answer:\n\n  • What attacks have I experienced in the past?\n  • What happens in these attacks most of the time?\n  • How long do they typically last?\n  • How do I manage them alone? How do I manage them with my healthcare provider?\n  • Do I know the source of these attacks? (i.e. if I am under a lot of personal stress am I more likely to experience an attack)\n  • If I have a particularly bad attack, how disruptive to my life is it?\n\nMake an active decision to chronicle your next attack. Write down the answers to the following points:\n\n  • What happened just before it started\n  • What was the first sign of the attack\n  • How long did it go on for and what were the specific symptoms\n  • What did you need to do to resolve it\n  • What did you feel like after the attack (drained, relieved, etc.)\n  • Is there a clear event that triggered it or a collection of factors\n\nMaking an effort to chronicle your future attacks will help you begin to recognize when you may be getting close to an attack and help you prevent it from starting or start the process of treating it.\n\nI find that my L’Hermittes sign tends to appear when I am stressed out and goes away when I manage my personal stress levels. It’s a canary in the coal mine for me: if I don’t manage my L’Hermittes Sign and allow it to get more pronounced, then I may find myself in the middle of an even worse attack such as Optic Neuritis or lose limb functionality.\n\nPlan to meet those goals\n\nOnce you’ve identified your goals and the chronic illness roadblocks (for “normal” days and attack days), it’s time to set up a plan on how to approach your goals. Look at the lists and examine any overlap or similarities in responses to the lists.\n\nFor example, in your personal goals, you may want to do more housework but found that on a normal, non-attack day you typically do not have enough energy by the afternoon.Therefore, you may want to schedule any housework you want to do in the mornings rather than putting it off until the afternoon.\n\nGo through each goal and see how it might be impacted by your daily chronic illness symptoms. Then incorporate your attacks with your plans this year:\n\n  • Do not be afraid of the schedule and to-do list. I realized in the months leading up to 2019 that I really needed to rely more on my planner and to-do lists in order to get everything done. My MS causes memory issues, so if something isn’t written down, it’s unlikely I will remember it.\n  • Set up multiple goals that are situation specific. If you find that your attack leaves you bedridden for an indefinite period of time, set up a secondary goal that can be done while in bed. You may want to learn a hobby that allows you to work with your hands, or you might want to do more freelance work on your computer – have that goal take precedence when you are in the middle of an attack.\n  • If you get tired at the beginning of the day no matter how well you space out your tasks, then front-load all your plans. Try to keep the amount to a reasonable number that you can achieve every day. Don’t plan for ten things if you can only reasonably complete four. This will prevent discouragement and give you a nice boost when you feel productive.\n  • If you find that fatigue gets you and you absolutely must rest in order to continue forward, then plan in a daily nap at a specific time so you can help manage the rest of your day. If you are still working, try to schedule a break during this time to give yourself a few quiet moments.\n  • If your attacks are ones that bring you to the hospital for a few days, pack a “go” bag ahead of time. Make sure to fill it with comfort and necessities, but also fill it with some of your smaller goals: easy to transport craft, a book you’ve wanted to read, some other project that you know you’ll be able to work on while recuperating. You won’t be scrambling looking for these items and it brings some control back into the situation.\n\nThese are just a few ideas to get you started on managing your roadblocks. The key is, if you plan to meet your goals, despite having the additional roadblocks, you’ll have more success.\n\nWork with the illness, not against it\n\nThere is a temptation to either ignore or not factor in an illness when setting up goals. The issue with that is, while not acknowledging the illness might be for personal protection reasons, it’s setting yourself up for failure.\n\nIf I choose to ignore that fatigue is a problem for me, particularly after 1pm, then it is unlikely I am organizing my time wisely. If I want to successfully achieve my goals knowing that I need a nap around 1pm, then I will schedule only the important tasks before noon (to allow for some wiggle room). Any task completed after 1pm will be gravy and any task not completed after 1pm will be pushed off until tomorrow.\n\n  • By identifying what is the source of your attacks, you can plan how to prevent or work towards preventing those attacks. It won’t be perfect or 100%, but it might help minimize the attack impact\n  • Do not ignore the importance of the attacks. Many attacks can come out of the blue depending on your illness, but some are your body’s way of telling you something important. For me, it is telling me that I am pushing myself too hard and putting myself under unnecessary stress so I need to take a step back.\n  • Do not look at an attack as a setback, but as an opportunity to reset and regroup. It might take you out of commission for several weeks or send you in the hospital, but this isn’t something that has to be negative, but turned into a positive: I need to rest and take care of myself, so let me do so in these moments.\n\nRemember, being caring and loving to yourself should be behind all of your personal goals. If you want to make self-improvement goals, you are doing them from a place of wanting to love yourself.\n\nMotivation, Motivation, Motivation\n\nFigure out what motivates you. You might find that checking things off your to-do list motivates you to move forward. You’ve answered the questions why you want to make changes, find ways to actualize these changes in your mind.\n\nIf you want to keep sharp by doing some brain exercises, think about how nice it will be to be able to remember something without needing to write it down after doing exercises for a few months. If you want to find a new job because the current one is providing stress that exacerbates your attacks, then when you walk out of your interview should be a point of motivation.\n\nRegardless of what it is that you want to do, maintain your motivation by seeing yourself where you want to be and the doing everything to get there. I found that beating my attacks back sooner than I did in the past as a form of motivation, which may work just as well for you too.\n\nKeep moving forward\n\nAttacks are going to happen. You will experience roadblocks. But how you manage the roadblocks will make all the difference. Always keep a plan in mind when identifying chronic illness roadblocks and making personal changes.\n\nWhat keeps you moving forward? Share your thoughts in the comments below.\n\n*I am not saying ignore or dismiss your healthcare professionals advice. I am. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.\n\n\nFeatured photo credit:  Katie Moum on Unsplash\n\nSetting Attainable Personal Goals\n\nSetting Attainable Personal Goals\n\nA few months back I was looking for an effective way to create a one-year and a five-year plan for myself as a means to set attainable personal goals.\n\nI was tired of coming up with the idea of doing something with no actionable plan to achieve it. I would say to myself, “I want to achieve x,y, z,” but had no plan of action. Many meaningful life goals require more thought and attention to details than simply naming them.\n\nIt was at this point I did some research and found a system that helped me better organize my thoughts, create a plan of action and feel like I could attain my personal goals.\n\nSetting SMART Goals\n\nWant to feel smart? Try setting S.M.A.R.T. goals.\n\nS.M.A.R.T. is a mnemonic device for “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.” Created back in the early-80’s by George Doran, Arthur Miller, and James Cunningham, S.M.A.R.T.  goal creation started off as a business tool that worked its way into personal usage over the years.\n\nEach word acts as a writing prompt, a means to get you thinking about each aspect of the overall goal. When it comes time to figure out these five elements to your overall goal, you answer the question each word presents. The question might look something like this:\n\n  • Specific: can you be clear & exact about your goal?\n  • Measurable: how can you quantifiably assess your progress within your goal?\n  • Achievable: how realistic is this goal and is it attainable?\n  • Relevant: do you have other goals and how does this goal relate to them? How well does this goal relate to your current needs/desires?\n  • Timely: what timeline do you see yourself achieving this goal?\n\nFor a really clear explanation for each word, Mind Tools has a fantastic page breaking each word down with clear examples to get you started.\n\nRead More\n\nOrganizing the Family Schedule\n\n\n\n\nAnalog or Digital Calendars: Why Not Both?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRead More", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5326598882675171}
+{"content": "Talaq and Uniform Civil Code\n\n\nTalaq and Uniform Civil Code\n\nAuthor: P. Zainulabideen (a) PJ\n\nThe debate is ferociouslygoing onto change the Muslim Personal Law which is affirmed by the Indian Constitution, and Talaq system is harmful to women and that this should not be permitted in India.\n\nAs per the Islamic law, if the Husband do not like his Wife, he is provided with three chances to divorce her. He can re-join and live with her after divorcing her once. Later, can divorce her another time and rejoin and live with her. And after this if he divorces her the third time, cannot re-join and live with her further. This is the Islamic way of Talaq. (Which will be later illustrated in detail).\n\nSome Muslims, ignorant of the fact that they are given three chances, separate the couple by using three Talaqs at once. However, in accordance with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) using three talaqs at once was considered as only one Talaq. The practice of some Muslims in contrary is to treat three talaqs used at once as three. (This is also elaborated later)\n\nThere are Indian Muslims who follow the concept of Madhab (Scholars individual view). They are those who believe that using three talaqs at once as three and that divorce is done deal.\n\nThe people belonging to the Jamaaths( Congregation of Community) opposing Madhabs, namely Ahle Hadiths, Mujahids and ThowheedJamaathare in principle that three Talaqs told at once is also considered as one.\n\nDuring the British rule in 1937, when the civil laws were renovated for each Community, they tried to abolish the law of separating forever by using three Talaqs at once. But, the effort of British went in vain because of the opposition on the then influentialDevbandMadrasa. Hence, this state still exists in Liberated India.\n\nThe current confusion is because of the in-appropriate methodology of the Supreme Court in dealing with the cases filed by three women with respect to three Talaqs.\n\nThe detail is as follows:\n\nSairaBanu of Uttarakhand, awoman belonging to Jaipur  Rajasthan, awoman belonging to Kolkata filed cases opposing Muttalaq. Though the case pertaining to Muttalaq is not in accordance with Islam, once these cases traversedbeyond the lower courts, it was taken up by Supreme Court as one case.\n\nThis is opposed by All India Muslim Personal Law Board and someMuslim organizations.\n\nMuttalaq system is not prevailing in Ahle Hadiths. It was not prevalent during Prophet Muhammads time. Since the women who filed case have sought for the Islamic law which was prevailing during Prophet Muhammads time, Court could have given a verdict that Muttalaq is one Talaq. Courts have given similar verdicts in the past. If such a verdict would have been given, majority of the Muslims wouldnt have felt that felt as an interference in the Muslim personal law. Instead, would have considered the verdict to be in favor of one section the community.\n\nWhen Hanafis and Ahle Hadiths previously approached the court in several disputes, courts had previously given judgment that Ahle Hadiths have right to act according to their doctrine.\n\nMoreover, courts are giving Shariah verdict in accordance with the Shafi Madhab in Kerala and Karaikal. Majority of people here are followers of the Shafi Madhabs doctrine. But, in Tamil Nadu, the verdicts are based on Hanafi Madhab.\n\nLikewise, if the verdicts are given based on the doctrine wise section of Islam, this wouldnt have been considered as interfering with Personal law.\n\nBut, instead of handling this in such an intellectual way, Court has created a confusion by seeking the opinion of the Central Government.\n\nIt is ridiculous on the Courts part to seek the opinion of Central Government, when there is scope for providing Justice to the woman by sticking to Islamic Sharia.???\n\nBased on this, the central government has also expressed its view in the Court as follows:\n\nNDA govt tells the Supreme Court that practice of triple talaq not be regarded as essential part of the religion.. This practice cannot be justified and the gender equality and dignity of women is non-negotiable, which violates the fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution, and there is no compromise on basic rights. And hence the practice of triple talaq should not be permitted in India.\n\nAlso, when the opinion was sought only with respect to Triple Talaq, instead of replying specifically with respect to this, its ridiculous on the Central Governments part for recommending to abolish the Talaq system completely.\n\nLets point out the contradicting report with respect to one single report:\n\nTalaq not be regarded as essential part of the religion\n\nTalaq system shouldnt be permitted in a secular country like India.\n\nObserve these two statements!\n\nFirst statement cites that Talaq not be regarded as essential part of the religion Second statement reads the Religious laws (Talaq) shouldnt be permitted in Secular country\n\nIt is equal to the absurdity of telling Talaq is Religious belief, but not Religious belief. Can any absurdity of similar nature exist? Even if the Politicians are lacking intellect, is it not befitting the intellectual scholars of Law to present a report without contradiction?\n\nThis report is released in a manner that ridicules the Legal Knowledge of the Central Government.\n\nThe Central Governments report cites that since this nation is Secular, Talaq system based on Religion cannot be permitted.\n\nThis nation is not declared as secular after Modi came to power. Rather, it was declared while framing the Indian constitution. This rule is also amended to the Indian Constitution. Indian constitution accepts the personal law formulated for several Religions in 1937 when declaring this nation as Secular.\n\nThe Article 44 of the Indian Constitution reads\n\nThe State shall endeavour to secure for citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.\n\nWhat is the meaning of this? It means that currently there is no uniform civil code and that effort should be made to formulate one. This article of the Indian constitution accepts and validates the Personal civil law. Yet, gives an opinion to take efforts to bring in Uniform Civil Code.\n\nIf the architects of Indian Constitution felt that allowing Personal law is against the Secular state of the nation, they would have abolished all personal laws via Indian Constitution.\n\nThough, the Indian Constitution cites to take efforts to have one Uniform Civil Code, the Central Government is ignorant that this need not be mandatorily implemented. And Indian Constitution itself clarifies this.\n\nIndian constitution is constructed under 5 headings. One of the section is DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY. This comprises of articles 36 to 51. These articles are just directives (suggestions). Not necessarily be adhered to mandatorily.\n\nThe article 37 cites as follows The provisions contained in this Part shall not be enforceable by any court,\n\nArticle 44; which suggests to take efforts to frame Uniform Civil Code is limitedto the provisions in which Court cannot interfere and should not interfere.\n\nWhat should have been action of Central Government, if at all it possessed Legal knowledge and Knowledge of Indian Constitution? It should have protected the Indian Constitution by stating that Courts do not reserve rights to seek opinion and interfere in this regard.\n\nMoreover, the Central Government which is carving to change the Personal law based on Religion for Muslims, is ignorant of the fact that even Non-Muslims do have provision of executing certain Personal laws.\n\nIf Talaq- Divorce is not permissible as this is a Secular nation. Hindus do have Personal civil laws. Does the Central Government have courage to eliminate them? At least, are theybrave enough to express out that they will remove this?\n\nIf the Hindus live in a Joint family, they have tax exception. This provision is not available for Muslims. Though the Muslims have high tax and Hindus have less tax, such provision is available only for Hindus.\n\nHindus have personal law to consider the adopted children as their own children.\n\nWandering in the state of Nudity is offence as per law. Yet, Since Nude priests are allowed in Hinduism and Jainism, they are wandering in the state of being nude with full police protection. Even, the Prime Minister gets blessings in person from the Naked Priests. This is possible only with Hindu Personal Law.\n\nAre you aware of the number of Personal Laws of Hindus against Uniform civil code?\n\nThe former Law Minister VeerappaMoilysaid:\n\nThere are about 300 Personal laws. Out of this, there are 4 personal laws for Muslims, another 4 for Christians. Remaining 292 is exclusively reserved for Hindus.\n\nThere are about 292 Hindu Personal laws which is not as per Uniform Civil code. Is it befitting for a Secular Nation? Can the Central Government open its mouth regarding this?\n\n 292 Personal laws for Hindus, 4 for Muslims and 4 for Christians were exempted from Uniform Civil Code during the British rule. This is accepted by the Liberated India.\n\nIn 1772, the categoriessuch as Succession, Inheritance and caste were formulated. Moreover, Muslim Criminal Law was totally over ridden by Indian Penal Code. Later in 1937, it was emphatically stated in the condition of 2nd section of Muslim Personal Law Shariat Application Act 1937 to derive Judgment in Divorce, Alimony, Dowry (Mahr), Guardianship, Gift, Trust, Waqf, Marriage, Special property for Women and intestate succession.\n\nHindu Religion is a collection of several Faiths. There are Personal laws specific to these individual faiths. If people of one specific faith have certain ritual as their sacred practice, that section will follow this. If the Central Government opens the door for Courts to interfere in the name of Uniform civil code, what will be the consequence? It will obligeto bring in a uniform civil law which is specific to Brahmins or any other faith into practice. If this happens, each and every community belonging to Hinduism will enter into revolt. This is not a normal issue.\n\nThis is the very reason why British sanctioned this. The architects of Indian Constitution realized this in the past.Since, it was pertaining to just four matters of Muslims, it would have been easier to implement this against Muslims who were then accused of Pakistan partition.\n\nYadhavas, Jats, Patels, Nadars, Devars or Daliths will revolt if the laws of other community (caste) are imposed upon them. And, the Nation cannot bear this. Considering this, the constituent assembly had given only a directive regarding Uniform Civil Code and stood apart.\n\nMuslims and Hindus were allowed to follow their respective personal laws based on Religion in the British rule. Due to this the Nation did not disseminate. In fact, the Greater India shaped up because of this approach. If the Mughals and British interfered in the Religious freedom, we will not be witnessing the present day India.\n\nThe integral India which is the result of British and the Mughal emperors granting Personal Law, will be forced to disseminate as a result of their desire to bring in Uniform Civil Code. Nation will witness confusion and mutiny.\n\nThailand, which possesses majority Buddhists have Muslim personal law. Also, Muslim personal law is in effect in Sri Lanka which is declared as Buddhist country.\n\nSimilar laws are in place in Greece, Ethiopia, Uganda and Muslim countries like Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Due to this, these countries have not disseminated.\n\nCertain people rise an ignorant question as to why in Saudi Arabia; Hindus and Christians do not have Personal laws? Citizens of Saudi Arabia are all Muslims. People of other nation are not the citizens of this country. They are all emigrants. But, Muslims and Christians are citizens of India just like Hindus. If this difference is understood, such questions wont arise.\n\nFurther, it is evident from the Central Governments response to the court that Central Government doesnt have slightest knowledge with respect to Talaq.\n\n\nI.e. Talaq should be approached in terms of gender bias and gender equality.\n\nThe Central Government is ignorant of the fact that in Islam, women also have the equivalent right to divorce it exists for Man. This will be elaborated in detail later.\n\nIn Hinduism, women do not possess the law of Inheritance. Is this not gender bias? Will the Central Government modify the Hindu law?\n\nMan is responsible for his expenditures, Woman is responsible for her expenditures. And henceforth, will the central Government approach the ruling of Mans responsibility for womans expenditure based on gender equality? There are thousands of similar laws. While the Central Government is incapable of talking gender equality in those laws, it portrays the wicked intentions of the Central Government citing gender equality as a reason with respect to Talaq. In spite of the fact that equal right to divorce is given to women.\n\n If Non-Muslims understand the benefit of Mans divorce referred to as Talaq and Womans divorce referred to as Khula it does for both the genders, they will want to have Talaq and Khula as Uniform civil code for all.\n\nThe following verses of Holy Quran cites the rights of Husbands to divorce their wives. And, these verses describe the rules and regulations in this regard.\n\n2:227, 2:228, 2:229, 2:230, 2:231, 2:232, 2:236, 2:241, 4:20, 4:34, 65:1, 33:49\n\nSome people consider that the rights given to Husbands to divorce their wives are a form of serious injustice to wives. This is incorrect.\n\nIf Husbands are not given rights when he dislikes his wife, or if the rules and regulations to divorce her is stringent, it does more harmto woman than benefitting her. Due to this, we witness the following ill effects in the society.\n\nIf one encounters the situation where divorce becomes impossible, or if getting divorce is possible only with greater difficulty, arranges concubine and doesnt live with his wife anymore. Tortures his wife, and doesnt take care of her.\n\nElse, in order to get the divorce easily, will falsely accuse her of illicit character.\n\nElse, will burn her alive and falsely claim it to be suicide or accident and escape from the Court of Law.\n\nThough, divorce is allowed in the religions other than Islam, because the rules and regulations are stringent with respect to divorce, and because divorce can only be obtained via Court; we witness such happenings in the society.\n\nHence, with the due consideration to protect the vigor, possession, honor, dignity and life, Islam provides the right to divorce and simplified its execution.\n\nThough, the method to divorce is simplified, Islam doesnt insist to divorce in a hurry. Rather, it has articulated the following procedure to do so.\n\nFirstly, all efforts should be taken to persuade and correct the wife with good advices.\n\nIf this doesnt help, she should be temporarily exiled from Bed.\n\nIf this doesnt help, beat her lightly to correct her.\n\nIt is to be noted that Islam allows beating wife lightly to prevent one from going to the extent of divorce.\n\nIf they dont live in harmony even after all these measures, Holy Quran 4:35 insists to solve this with the help of mediators from both the families.\n\nIf they dont become coherent even after using the 4 measures mentioned above, continuing to live together becomes meaningless. In this state, with no other option, Islam allows divorce.\n\nDivorce will happen by telling out Talaq to wife in person, in the presence of two witness.\n\nSince, Husbands are bound to give the guardianship amount to wife, this should be issued in the presence of the Jamaath (Community) leaders.\n\nThere is no other ritual.\n\nThree options are given to each Husbands when he intends to divorce.\n\nThe marriage relationship will not cease immediately by divorcing her once. After divorcing her for the first time, he can join with her before three menstrual periods. If she is pregnant, he has time to re-join until she gives birth to child\n\n(Refer Holy Quran 65:4).\n\nIf the Husband fails to join with her within this stipulated time frame, the marriage relationship between them will cease. But, if they wanted to live together after this, they are free to re-marry again. There is no restriction for this.\n\nFirst Talaq After re-joining, if it becomes impossible to live together again, they are bound to follow all the measures mentioned above and then divorce if needed as the last resort.\n\nLikewise, can re-join before the stipulated time frame as mentioned above. If they wished to re-join after the time frame expires, they are allowed to re-join after marrying again.\n\nLikewise, if they dont become coherent even after continuing to live-together for the third time, can divorce herfor the third time. This is the last chance.\n\nAfter divorcing her for the third time, the door to re-join and live together with the wife is sealed.\n\nHowever, if the divorcee marries another person and divorces him as per procedure, she is allowed to marry her former Husband if she wishes.\n\nIt can be inferred from the following verse\n\n(Revocable) Divorce is twice. Then, either keep [her] in an acceptable manner or release [her] with good treatment.\n\nQuran 2:229\n\nCertain Muslims, ignorant of this Islamic law, use three Talaqs at once or use Muttalaq to divorce their wives. They also think that they cannot re-join and live together later.\n\nThis is totally incorrect. If they tell three Talaqs at once or 300 Talaqs at once, Talaq has happened only once. They can re-join and live together within the stipulated time or remarry incase the stipulated time expires as it is applicable after oneTalaq.\n\nBecause, Ibn Abbas (Rali) narrates that using three Talaqs at once was considered as only one Talaq during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).\n\nReference: Sahih Muslim 2932, 2933, 2934\n\nIt is a wrong practice which happened after the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to consider three Talaqs used at once as Three Talaqs.\n\nAfter divorce, the Husband should not leave their wives unattended. He is bound to give her huge sum to secure her future. And, this obligation rests on the Jamaath (community) leaders.\n\nThis is the law provided to Husbands with respect to divorce. Islam gives similar rights to Wives as it is given to Husbands.\n\nThe wife of Thabit bin Qais came to the Prophet () and said, O Allahs Messenger ()! I do not blame Thabit for defects in his character or his religion, but I, being a Muslim, dislike to behave in un-Islamic manner (if I remain with him). On that Allahs Messenger () said (to her), Will you give back the garden which your husband has given you (as Mahr)? She said, Yes. Then the Prophet () said to Thabit, O Thabit! Accept your garden, and divorce her once.\n\nNarrated by: Ibn Abbas(Rali): Sahih al-Bukhari 5273\n\nOne can understand the rights and the processfor women to divorce their Husbands which existed during the lifetime of prophet Muhammad (SAW)\n\nIt is essential for women to appeal in front of the Jamaath (Community) Leader instead of breaking the Marriage agreement themselves. Since, women get the Mahr from their Husbands publicly, and hence the condition is laid accordingly so that she returns back the Mahr publicly.\n\nMoreover, this procedure is essential as women are bound to have more difficulty after getting divorce, and that they shouldnt take this decision in a haste. This makes provision for the Community leader to advise her. Hence, it is better for her to take this up with Jamaath (community) leader and get separated with the help of Jamaath (community) leader itself.\n\nSuch, simplest procedure for a woman to divorce her Husband cannot be found elsewhere in the world. Islam has given this right to women which is not even provided in the 20th century.\n\nAlso, there is no need to have a serious accusation for a woman to separate from her Husband. In the above mentioned Hadith, the woman did not make any accusation against her Husband. She just said that she disliked him. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) did not even ask her the reason behind this. If providing reason was mandatory, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) would have asked it upfront. He issued divorce without enquiring anything further with her.\n\nIslam doesnt view marriage as an inseparable relation. Rather, Marriages are viewed as a life agreement.\n\n\nQuran 4:21\n\nthe wives is similar to what is expected of them\n\nQuran 2:228\n\nCites equal rights of women that equals to the rights of Husbands.\n\nJust like how preventing rights to husbands to divorce has ill-effects, preventing wives the right to divorce has several ill-effects. And it happens.\n\nThe episode of women killing their Husbands is considerably increasing because the rules and regulations are stringent for her to divorce her Husband.\n\nKills the Husband by poisoning, kills him with the aid of her paramour partner. Such brutality will not be orchestrated if at all she had easier provisions to divorce her Husband and marry the person of her choice legally.\n\nHence, Islam has simplified the divorce law not only for the Husbands, but also for the wives. Islam has provided pretty much equal rights to wives in line with the rights provided to the Husbands. This can be seen in the following Quran verses 2:228-232.\n\nWhen, such amazing divorce laws are available in Islam, we are not ready to cancel this and approach courts for several years to get divorce.\n\nWe are not ready to kill each other by losing patience to get divorce. We will not entertain paramour killings in our community.\n\nWhen we have provision for recuperating our lives with no expenditure in presence of the Jamaaths, we are not ready to cough out huge money for case and lawyers. (Some divorce cases were ongoing for almost 70 years).\n\nWe are not willing to get insulted because of cross-examination over our family secrets. Hence, we wont accept the move to snatch away our rights in the name of Uniform Civil Code.\n\nIslam is the religion of God who created us. We wont let the interference of anyone like the imprudent Judges.\n\n26.10.2016. 7:22 AM\n\n\n\nஉங்கள் கருத்துகளை பதிவிடுங்கள்\nஉங்கள் பெயர்", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8921411037445068}
+{"content": "Intake Dog Housing Run (24 Remaining)\n\nRuns for our dogs who are not ready for adoption.\n\nIf you are interested in naming this room and would like more details please contact: development@humanesocietytampa.org or 813.876.4150\n\n\nWho are you dedicating this to?\nWho is receiving the dedication notice?\nWhat is their email address?\nWhich address are we sending the notice to?\nWhich city?\nWhich state?\nWhat is the ZIP?\nWhich country?\nOptional. Write a personal note to the recipient.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5082690715789795}
+{"content": "Hannah Branigan\n\nHannah Branigan and rugbyHannah Branigan is a self-proclaimed training nerd. With the belief that everyone (dogs and humans alike) learn best in an environment free of criticism, Hannah breaks down complex skills into bite-sized, accessible pieces, and develops practical techniques that leave her students with a sense of achievement and success. She is on a mission to make training fun and enjoyable for dogs and their handlers, which means optimizing positive reinforcement techniques across species. She is fascinated by behavior and learning, and passionate about bringing innovative, science-based solutions to the dog/human learning space.\n\n\n\nTo learn more about Hannah, visit her website.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9965472221374512}
+{"content": "Gopi Chand Thakur booked a package in a famous room and accommodation service for 5 days. The package included breakfasts for 4 days while he got the breakfast only once and the remaining 4 breakfast meals he had to bear the expenses when it was already prepaid.\nIn another incidence with the same accommodation chain in Pahalgam, he faced issues such as no power supply, no water supply, no room heater to cope with the chilling cold. The same instance happened on his last day at the Srinagar property. He wanted to get a refund of his package amount of Rs.15000, so he took the help of Consumer Sathi. We have got them complimentary stay for 4 nights across India including breakfast and Dinner meals.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5482972264289856}
+{"content": "Safety Instrumented Systems / Wireless / Cybersecurity\n\nCybersecurity Demands Continued Vigilance\n\nRoundtable Discussion Probes Cyber-Secure Defenses and Work Practices\n\nBy Jim Montague\n\nHUG2014 header\n\nIf, as Thomas Jefferson said, eternal vigilance is the price of liberty—it's also the price of cyber-secure operations. So after Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) designs the latest security functions into its products, its developers know this is just the beginning of the updates they'll need to provide—and of the ongoing encouragement users will need to adopt secure work practices and maintain secure solutions over the long term.\n\n\"We must provide secure products and services because they're used in critical infrastructures, so users don't have to worry that their equipment and applications will be hacked and misused,\" said Mike Baldi, chief cybersecurity architect at HPS. \"We have out-of-the-box security in all our products, but users may need different levels of security depending on where they're applied. So we can test and analyze solutions, conduct site assessments, and can add more secure communications, white-listing and other services as needed.\"\n\nThese were among the main themes of a panel discussion and question-and-answer session hosted by Baldi and Mike Spear, global operations manager for HPS' Lifecycle Solutions and Services group, this week at the Honeywell Users Group (HUG) Americas Symposium in San Antonio, Texas.\n\nDespite assurances from Baldi and Spear, the mood of the discussion was at times tense and grim, reflecting many attendees' concerns that cybersecurity is over-hyped, poorly defined and extremely dangerous—all at the same time. Clearly, they worry about being powerless to stop a cyber attack that results in a loss of visibility, production loss, equipment damage or personal injury. \"This isn't hype. There are real risks from a lack of cybersecurity, and not being aware of them can be real trouble,\" stated Baldi. \"This isn't a case of if you'll be attacked. It's a question of when. So, users must determine what their applications and organizations can tolerate, assess how much security they need, decide on the right response to their actual risk and continuously reevaluate. Cybersecurity really is a continuing journey.\"\n\nSpear added there's been a 50 to 70% increase in cyber attacks on industrial control systems since 2010. \"Our services organization deals with cybersecurity daily, and we've seen a significant increase in the number of attacks in the past three years,\" said Spear. \"Most of us never call on our home security alarms or life insurance, but we still have them. Each user has to decide how much risk they have a stomach for and how much security they'll need.\"\n\nBaldi added that overall descriptions and individual details on many cyber attacks aren't publicly disclosed. \"Not a lot is published, so you won't hear about most of them,\" added Baldi. \"If you've been successfully attacked, you'd want to address it quietly. Most sites that have been exploited don't publicly release details right away because they want to follow a responsible disclosure policy of working with suppliers to minimize damage, notifying customers using their products, reestablish their security and then notify the public.\"\n\nOne cybersecurity problem that's been especially difficult to solve is patch management. Most patches come from the IT side and are supposed to be applied immediately. However, most plant-floor applications must wait to apply patches until safety and production requirements can safely allow them. Historically, many patches have been added via CDs or other portable media, but Spear says HPS now offers a remote, natively connected service that allows users to download patches automatically for subsequent deployment.\n\nBaldi added that HPS is in the process of updating its cybersecurity reference architecture and recommendations, developing a continuous cybersecurity dashboard, and is opening a new Cybersecurity Lab to help users test their components and systems.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9395503401756287}
+{"content": "RACE Robotics Lab by MOD\n\nRACE Robotics Lab by MOD\n\nMOD was commissioned to design the branding and spatial experience for Robotics Application Centre of Excellence (RACE), a new robotic facility aimed at educating, and introducing robots into automating existing manufacturing industries. RACE intended to also feature a series of interchangeable modular robots as a key unique proposition.\n\n\nThe brief for the laboratory space required flexibility to showcase a changing series of modular robots as well as be used for hands-on training and lectures. The laboratory needed to be a continuous open space, yet conducive for small clusters for hands-on training. Underpinning this brief, MOD also sought to create an engaging and future-forward spatial experience that denotes the idea of industrial automation and precision.\n\nUpon arrival at the lift lobby, a vivid prelude to the laboratory space greets the viewer. A web of soaring white lines cut through the black space to create an anamorphic experience to disorient the floor from the ceiling. From the black envelope of the lift lobby, a custom oversized door pivots open to reveal a dramatic metallic faceted space, creating a contrast that is at once striking yet complementary.\n\nFor maximum flexibility to the space, MOD introduced a \"second\" skin - developed to seamlessly create a dynamic space by deconstructing the ceiling and wall planes into an array of dazzling facets. Each facet comprises stacked layers of hand-cut aluminium hollow tubing; rotating the direction of the tubes with every facet to create a bold multi-directional effect. The aluminium screen cladding also serves to cloak the necessary but unsightly mechanical and electrical services while allowing ease of access for operation. This skin was shaped in plan with enclaves for small group work clusters accompanied by separate access hatches to the services behind. The random sprinkle of custom LED strips serves to highlight the multi-directional panels with a cutting-edge aesthetic. Overall, the space provides a suitable future-forward backdrop to usher in an age of automation and robotics.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5603625774383545}
+{"content": "BOT | Netherlands\n\n\nSat. 25.05. – 20:00\nTafelhalle | Tickets\n\nca. 55 min\n\nConcert | Object Theatre\n\nWhat happens if you realise that your life is about to fall apart and you are steering towards the end? What is important? What are you willing to leave behind? Confronting, unrefined but also light-footed and humorous, using instruments and objects, BOT creates haunting images of a world in inexorable decay. Their performance is a poetic ode to our love of live and the fear to die.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9852541089057922}
+{"content": "GreenBiz: Home\n\nA contract limitation was limiting municipal utilities' attractiveness to corporate buyers — so they teamed up for market innovation.\nExcerpt from a new book on the human condition, from the former CEO of Green Seal.\nPlus, why Republican Bob Inglis, a former representative for South Carolina, has made it his mission to educate conservatives about the economics of climate change.\nBy upcycling biomass, innovators aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the economic viability of farming.\nUnnatural ecosystems can work for marine life, too.\nHubbub and Ecosurety are rolling out an initiative that has doubled recycling rates in Leeds City Centre, creating a replicable model for other cities to follow.\nSustainability professionals respond: How is the transition to the Global Goals actually going?\nNew technological advancements are helping companies with their power loads, as collaboration between engineering and sustainability teams expands.\nElectrification, carbon capture and hydrogen — oh my!\nWith the energy marketplace and climate change affecting the foundation of the industry, traditional utilities are facing trouble.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000004768371582}
+{"content": "Technical Support Specialist with Dutch\n\n  • Altele\n  • Tip job: full-time\n    Nivel job: 0 - 1 an experienta\n  • Actualizat la: 19.05.2019\n    Scurta descriere a companiei\n\n\n\n    Essential Requirements:\n\n    - Fluent communication skills in English and Dutch;\n    - Minimum of 12 months experience in a similar role;\n    - Ability to analyze and solve technical problems by investigating potential solutions using troubleshooting skills;\n    - Good organisational, interpersonal and customer handling skills;\n    - Knowledge of standard Microsoft Windows Applications and Operating systems and good skills in software issues;\n    - Working knowledge of PC architecture/technology.\n\n\n    Key Responsibilities:\n\n\n    - Provide first-level support and provide input on unique or recurring customer problems;\n    - Use troubleshooting techniques and tools to identify technical defects/issues;\n    - Assign and escalate incidents in line with documented guidelines and procedures;\n    - Actively support the customer in all aspects through to problem resolution, keeping the customer informed and updated throughout life of incident;\n    - Clearly and concisely log and track details of solutions provided to resolve customer issue (logs all ACD calls, emails, chat and call-backs) maintaining and updating customer database;\n    - Maintain comprehensive knowledge of service offerings along with future industry products and technologies;\n    - Attend required technical training sessions and make effective use of assigned lab time.\n\n    Alte informatii\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
+{"content": "Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change in an individual’s life. It is taught very directly in the Bible and Jesus, Himself, was baptized as an example to us all. Baptism is symbolic of dying to the old sinful life (going under the water) and being reborn into a new life (raising up out of the water). If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have inwardly chosen to repent of your old lifestyle and have asked Jesus to forgive your sins. Baptism is then a form of public profession of what has taken place spiritually between you and your Savior, Jesus Christ.\n\nHere are a few things you may like to know about baptism practices at Jerusalem Chapel U.B. Church:\n\nTypically, an informational class is held 1-2 times a year and individuals are encouraged to consider sharing their faith in Jesus Christ by this act of public profession. Baptismal candidates are then typically baptized on a prearranged Sunday during a morning worship service.\n\nWe do have a baptismal pool located behind the pulpit area, and that would be the most typical practice. However, the pastors have baptized individuals in a more private setting in creeks, ponds, swimming pools, etc. There are also circumstances in which the pastors have also baptized individuals through the act of pouring or sprinkling. This is especially meaningful for those in bedfast situations or with other extenuating conditions.\n\nAs far as the age of the individual to be baptized, we participate in believer baptism. So, once an individual comes to a personal faith in Jesus Christ and has a desire to be baptized, they are welcome to participate. For younger children, parents are encouraged to stand alongside their child when they talk with the pastor as he tries to gain a better understanding of the child’s personal faith and their comprehension of the act of baptism.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9234214425086975}
+{"content": "Why Democracy, Culture and Catholicism?\n\nContextualizing the Project\n\nSuccessive waves of democracy have been sweeping the world since the beginning of the 20th century, launching affected states into new citizen experiments with self-government, competitive elections, equal opportunity, expanded civil rights, deeper cultural tolerance, and broader freedom of expression. Such events gained particular momentum in the predominantly Roman Catholic countries of Eastern Europe and Latin America in the waning years of the Cold War. At the same time, the traditionally democratic states of Western Europe and North America (most with sizable Catholic populations) became more deeply divided over the place of religion and morality in democratic politics. More recently, controversial democratic movements have emerged in Muslim states across a wide geographic band from North Africa to East Asia—each state including a Roman Catholic minority.\n\nWhat Does This Mean for Democracy, Culture and Catholicism?\n\nThis worldwide increase in democratic practices raises fundamental questions: What is causing democratization around the world? What are its effects on not only a society’s political and legal practices, but also on practices such as education, communication, artistic expression, family life, economics, and health care? What impact has it had on the lives of women, children, and minorities? Is the social experience of democratization largely positive? Is religion advancing or challenging democratization? For Roman Catholics, the questions go further: what responses are faithful Catholics—and Church leaders—making to this worldwide development? How should Catholics respond? For people working in Jesuit educational institutions or engaged in Jesuit-supported evangelization programs, the questions are immediate and practical: how are Jesuit institutions and programs around the world responding to democratic movements? What responsibilities do Jesuit institutions, programs and the people supporting them have toward democratization in the contemporary world?\n\nThe Role of the Democracy, Culture and Catholicism International Research Project\n\nThe Joan and Bill Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage (CCIH) at Loyola University Chicago (LUC) is privileged to launch a new international research project focused on this contemporary phenomenon of democratization. The Democracy, Culture and Catholicism International Research Project (DCCIRP) will assemble a group of thirty-two research scholars from Eastern Europe, East Asia, South America, and North America for a three-year study of democratization and culture, with special focus on Catholic responses and responsibilities to this phenomenon. Each participant is encouraged to approach this broad topic from the perspective of their own cultural context, their own scholarly field, and their own specific research interest. In order to ensure interdisciplinary dialogue over the course of the project, participating scholars have been drawn from diverse fields within the humanities, social sciences, and professional disciplines (e.g. social work, education, business, communication, and law).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8520801067352295}
+{"content": "Birthday: 23-03-1990\nAge: 29\nStar sign: Aries\n\nShruti Ramakrishnan Is also known as Sonu Gowda. She is an actress by profession. Shruti acts in Kannada film only. She was born in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Inthi Neena Prithiya was her first Kannada movie, and it was a big hit. She has also acted in some Malayalam and Tamil films, but the major part of her acting has been with the Kannada Film Industry. Shruti’s father was a make-up artist in Kannada films. The name of her father was Ramakrishna. Her sister, Neha Gowda, is also a famous actress. But Neha has never acted in any film. She is a TV series actress and daily soap actress.\n\nShe is famous for her acting in serials like Lakshmi Baramma and Swathi Chinukulu. Shruti completed her schooling from the Carmel High School in Bangalore. She was a very bright student. S. Kitty was her first co-actor when they worked together for the Kannada film Inthi Neena prithiya. To do higher studies, she studied in the Surana College. In the earlier part of her acting career, she was an active member of the theater group We Move Theater. She had also acted in one of their plays named E= MC^2. Her debut Kannada film was released in the year 2008. The name of her role was Namana. The name of the film was Paramesha Panwala.\n\nThe name of her role was Lakshmi. In 2009, she acted in the Kannada film Gulama. The name of her role was Priyanka. Then she appeared as Anitha in the film Police Quarter in the year 2010. Her first Malayalam film was released in the year 2010. Shruti played the role of Savithri in the film Best Actor. Her first film in the Tamil language was released in the year 2011. The name of her film was Aanmei Thavarei, and the name of the role that she played on the screen was the Yamuna.\n\nIn the year 2016, she acted in four films of which three were in the Tamil language and one in Kannada. The first film in 2016 was Narathan, and she played the role of Soma. Her next film in 2016 was Kiragoorina Gayyaigali, and this was the only Kannada movie that she acted in that year. The name of her role was Nagamma. Then she appeared as Shilpa in the Tamil film Kavala Venda in 2016. Her last film in 2016 was Nai Kutty Padam where she played the role of Sandhya. In 2017, till now she has not yet acted in any film.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.81224125623703}
+{"content": "Administration of the D2 Dopamine Receptor Antagonist Sulpiride into the Shell, but not the Core, of the Nucleus Accumbens Attenuates Cocaine Priming-Induced Reinstatement of Drug Seeking\n\nAnderson SM, Schmidt HD, Pierce RC\n\nNeuropsychopharmacology, 10(1):1-10\n\nEnhanced dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens plays an important role in cocaine priming-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. However, the contribution of each dopamine receptor subtype to this behavior remains unclear. The present experiments were designed to assess the role of D2-like dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbens core and shell subregions in cocaine priming-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. Rats were trained to lever press for cocaine using a fixed ratio (FR) 5 schedule of reinforcement. After approximately 18 days of cocaine self-administration, the animals underwent an extinction phase during which cocaine was replaced with saline. Daily extinction sessions were conducted until responding was less than 10% of the response rate maintained by cocaine self-administration. Following the extinction phase, priming-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior was assessed. A range of doses of antagonists selective for D2- (sulpiride, 0.2 or 2.0 mug), D3- (U99194A, 3.9 or 7.8 mug), or D4- (L-750,667, 5.5 or 11 mug) dopamine receptors were microinjected into either the nucleus accumbens core, shell or lateral septum prior to a priming injection of cocaine (10 mg/kg, i.p.). Following administration into the shell, but not core or lateral septum, sulpiride dose-dependently attenuated reinstatement induced by a cocaine priming injection. In contrast, U99194A and L-750,667 failed to influence cocaine seeking at any of the doses tested in either accumbal subregion. Collectively, these findings indicate that activation of D2 dopamine receptors mediates cocaine priming-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking in a region-specific manner within the nucleus accumbens.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9935234785079956}
+{"content": "Twitter has now caved to the mainstream media and Silicon Valley lynch mobs and issued Alex Jones a seven-day suspension. How soon will the ban become permanent?\n\nVIDEO — Alex Jones has been banned from many large platforms, but with his Infowars app he is reaching more people than he did before. The Deep State is attempting to silence those who are exposing their agenda and force the public to think about issues critically.\n\nUpon the news that Alex Jones was being removed from many of the top Internet platforms, subscriptions to his InfoWars app have skyrocketed.\n\nYouTube has begun adding disclaimers to certain videos that challenge “well established historical and scientific topics that have often been subject to misinformation online.” Among these topics is anthropogenic global warming.\n\nVIDEO - Alex Jones is the latest victim of the Deep State silencing voices that speak out against it. The Alex Jones and Infowars Facebook, Youtube, Apple, and Spotify content has been removed for violating hate speech, bulling, and violence policies while pages on the left that violate the same policies remain and thrive.\n\nAffiliates and Friends\n\nSocial Media", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8409630060195923}
+{"content": "Chapter One - The Crystal Pool\n\n3.1K 79 20\n\nThe Warlocks Chair, Shropshire 1734.\n\nPart way down the meadow that fronted Ravengaard Manor was a small copse of willow trees and a thick growth of low shrubs. Hidden within was a pool of crystal clear water. Its gently sloping banks were ringed with soft grass and clusters of tall reeds and irises grew around its edge. Water lilies dotted the pond's smooth surface and the bowing fronds of the willow trees tenderly kissed the water. \n\nThe pool had been there for as long as anyone could remember. No one knew for sure why, but even in the hottest of summers, it did not dry up. Nor in the harshest of winters, did its surface ever seem to freeze over. Some suspected it was fed from a warm spring somewhere deep underground. Others warned of strange cries and lights that plagued the area, blaming magic and witchcraft, they stayed clear of the pool and its surroundings.\n\nBut for all that was said, an abundance of wildlife used the leafy shade of the willow trees to shelter from the elements, be it the heat of summer or the cold of deep winter. Spring saw birds using the trees and thick foliage to build their nests and raise their young. While beneath the pools surface frogs spawned among the strands of pond weed and tadpoles wriggled and tried to hide from the mouths of the many hungry fish that swam in its depths. In the soft earth amid the roots of one of the willows a family of foxes had made their den and in the cool of the evening, the cubs could be spied playing catch me around the tree trunks and bushes.\n\nIt was mid-morning on an early summer's day, the rain of the previous days had given way to bright sunshine. Young Henry Harcourt shielded his eyes against the glare of the sun and squinted back towards the house. He saw his father deep in conversation with another man. Henry thought the man was in charge of the workmen who were putting the finishing touches to the renovation of the building. The original house had been almost destroyed by fire and his father had brought the land relatively cheap. Now a new three-story house stood on the site, risen from the ashes of the old building. Its elegant limestone façade dazzled in the bright sunlight. It would soon be finished according to his father and then they could all move from the bustle of the city and settle in the quiet of the country.\n\nThey had come from the city at the beginning of summer and were staying at lodgings in nearby Coblynbridge until rooms in the house were completed so they could move in. Mother had stayed in the city making the final preparations for the sale of their home and the removal of their belongings from old to new. \n\nHenry swung his gaze away from the house and out over the valley that stretched away in front of him. His eyes followed the dirt track from where he stood beneath the gate posts, down to the stone bridge that spanned the River Coblyn at the bottom of the slope. It sparkled, flowing off into the distance. The main road, little more than a deeply rutted muddy trail after the recent rains, followed its course off towards the market town of Ludlow. The heavily wooded slopes of the Wiccanhyll rose up almost opposite the house and to either side, the trees of Whytewytch Wood spread their green canopy almost as far as the eye could see. Further out, he could just make out the figure of Farmer Price and his dog rounding up some sheep. He watched for a while as the dog zigged and zagged across the field in response to some unheard commands until the sheep were gathered into a tight pack flock.\n\nLaughter dragged him from his reverie. He turned and watched his sisters chasing each other across the remains of the rose gardens.\n\nThey raced up to him. 'Come on Henry,' Dorothy breathed heavily. 'Join in, we are having fun.' \n\nDorothy was his older sister. At twelve, she was two years older than him. Slim and pretty, she was dressed in a simple cotton dress and petticoats that reached almost to her ankles and a pair of ornate slippers were on her feet. A lace cap covered most of her light brown hair which was pulled back from her rosy-cheeked face. \n\nLegends from The Warlock's Chair - Prequel - NightfireRead this story for FREE!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6690905094146729}
+{"content": "The artists in this exhibition explore the ways in which globalization affects our understanding of the future. Their commissioned works represent a range of traditional and new mediums, from oil on canvas to virtual-reality software.\n\nIn her paintings and sculptures, Duan Jianyu celebrates the marginal figures who haunt the transitory zone where rural and urban, primitive and modern intersect. Wong Ping’s animated video, driven by the artist’s dark and risqué humor, addresses the tension between an aging population and the relentless pace of the digital economy. Lin Yilin’s VR simulation tests the potential of such technology to enable us to inhabit the experience of another person or even an object—in this case, a basketball. In her fantastical film installation, Cao Fei examines the physical and psychological impact that automated industry exerts on the human body and society. Samson Young plays upon our obsession with values of truth and authenticity by inventing an array of impossible musical instruments and digitally engineering their sounds. Together, these works challenge a universal, homogeneous, and technocratic future determined by economic growth and technological advancement.\n\nThe show’s title, One Hand Clapping, is derived from a koan—a riddle used in Zen Buddhist practice to transcend the limitations of logical reasoning—that asks, “We know the sound of two hands clapping. But what is the sound of one hand clapping?” Emerging from a tradition that originates in China’s Tang period (618–907), the phrase “one hand clapping” encompasses a history of cross-cultural translation and appropriation that continues into the present. Popularized by its use as the epigraph to American author J. D. Salinger’s 1953 book of fiction, Nine Stories, this koan has also served as the name of a British band, the title of an Australian film, and the title and lyrics of a Cantonese pop song. In this exhibition, “one hand clapping” serves as a metaphor for the ways in which meaning is destabilized in a globalized world. Evoking the idea of solitude, the image of “one hand clapping” also speaks to the ability of artists to put forth a singular vision that can contest entrenched beliefs, stereotypes, and power structures.\n\nThe artists in One Hand Clapping are connected by their deep involvement in specific places, namely, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and New York; their critical examination of our systems of exchange, communication, and production; and their imagination of multiple futures as a form of poetic revolution.\n\nOne Hand Clapping is organized by Xiaoyu Weng, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Associate Curator of Chinese Art, and Hou Hanru, Consulting Curator, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Chinese Art Initiative. Kyung An, Assistant Curator, Asian Art, provided support. This is the third exhibition of\n\nSalomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 5Th Ave, New York, N.Y. | U.S.A.\n\nPin It on Pinterest", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7192668318748474}
+{"content": "Nakaruga are a Cyberpunk/Industrial band from Switzerland which formed in 2006. The band released an un-titled EP in 2008, and released their first LP in 2015, Terramorpher.\n\nNakaruga’s music has a predominantly “groovy” attitude, with significant addition of electronics and synthesizers.\n\nBesides its six main constituents, Nakaruga is a community that fosters co-creation, allowing anybody on the planet to actively participate in any stage of development (e.g. design, conceptualisation, lyrics, sound, etc.).\n\nThe concepts Nakaruga works around are mainly metaphors, examples and facts involving the field of applied social psychology, with the intent to raise collective conscience and move towards possible resolutions.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.989001452922821}
+{"content": "NIGHT MARKET: Open between 5 to 10 pm, the atmospheric night market is set up on the main road between the post office and museum, selling a large variety of local textiles and ethnic handicrafts there is also a small lane with lots of food stalls serving inexpensive local fare located next to the New Lung Prabang Hotel.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.667923092842102}
+{"content": "(2013) Orca Book Publishers\nISBN: 9781459803640 \n\n\nI'm starting to feel dizzy again—and scared. I need to sit down. I make my way slowly to the table and collapse into the moulded plastic chair. On the table is something I hadn't noticed before: a white envelope. With my name on it.\n\nAmy and Eric are the perfect couple. Popular, good-looking, happy. But after they are seen quarreling at a party, Amy disappears and Eric is the number-one suspect. Amy wakes up alone in a windowless, all-white room. She has no idea how she got there, or who put her there. All she knows is that she has to get out. Eric wakes up to news of Amy's disappearance—and a visit from the police. All he knows is that he didn't do it, and that he has to find Amy.\n\n\nTold in alternating voices—first Amy's, then Eric's—Deadly is a fast-paced story about love, hate, courage, tenacity, forgiveness—and the many uses of a toilet rod.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9674707055091858}
+{"content": "An exploration of body/mind + matter + space through new forms and technology to unravel perceptions of reality.\n\nVineesh V Amin’s works are an attempt to link consciousness with sub consciousness to explore the Philosophy of process. He believes that existence is perceptual and dependent on possibilities which are extension of thoughts. The origin of the Mind’s Existence is the purpose of Existence which makes the Mind the ultimate existence. His research focuses on the intermediate Spaces between Spaces which are either Abstract or Virtual and attempts to bring out an expression between these Spaces by looking at infinity of intermediate spaces. He looks at Transition by focusing on nothing being intermediate of Time and Existence. He explores the concept of layers of Belief which exists in consciousness producing visualization which links the Mind to the Body developing a feeling which is influenced by Belief and evolving into a Form making Reality. \n\nThis show is part of a series to support young talent by 1.Shanthiroad Studio.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9678593277931213}
+{"content": "Food and Hygiene\n\nGood food hygiene isn’t just something for restaurants to worry about. It can happen in any business involving food being cooked or prepared, and if you're in a rush to eat it can be very easy to get into some bad habits and to forget the important points. Every day people get ill from the food they eat. Micro-organisms including bacteria, viruses and mould's found in food can cause food poisoning, leading to a whole host of unpleasant symptoms, such as stomach pains, diarrhea and vomiting. Anyone can get food poisoning but some people, including babies, children and older people, are more likely to have serious symptoms. It is why food hygiene is such an important issue and can have heavy legal implications if anything was to go wrong.\n\nAt GRA Training, we understand the importance of this. With our training courses we aim to reduce the risk of food poisoning and contamination and to increase the knowledge of employees who deal with food by informing them in the correct procedure of the handling, storage, preparation and cooking of all food types as well as the law involved with this and its requirements.\n\nRegister your interest with us today to be kept informed of when the course will be available.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8921376466751099}
+{"content": "Gender pay gap could get worse\n\nIn jobs with the highest share of males there has been no change in 60 years\n- Dr Grace Lordan\nentrepreneur 800x600\n\nGirls born in 2000 are aspiring to do jobs that are paid 31 per cent lower than males, according to new LSE research. Boys born in 2000, on the other hand, have higher aspirations than previous male generations in terms of income, to the point where the gender pay gap could actually become larger than it is at present if these aspirations are fulfilled.\n\nThe study concludes that a persistent lack of women in highly paid jobs in areas such as science, technology, engineering, finance and politics is due to girls internalising social norms, rather than a result of their innate preferences. This conclusion emerges from the researchers finding that time, rather than childhood factors, is what has altered the tendency for males and females to choose different types of jobs.  Social movements or campaigns are essential to encourage girls to aim higher, it suggests.\n\nThe researchers’ analysis of occupational sorting for children born in 1958, 1970 and 2000 found that over time increasing numbers of women pursue traditional male jobs, such as law, accountancy and pharmacy, but that in jobs with the highest share of males (over 80 per cent), there has been no change in the 60 years. These jobs are often the “golden pathway” to powerful “C suite positions”, such as CEO and COO roles, the paper says.\n\nBoys’ current aspirations, from those born in 2000, are increasingly geared towards jobs with “significantly higher levels of competitiveness and larger incomes” compared to previous generations and their current female peers, resulting in the possibility that the gender pay gap could actually become larger than it is at present. The paper acknowledges, however, that not all boys will achieve their ambitions. This raises a big question of why males are failing to opt in increasing numbers for traditionally female occupations such as social work, nursing and primary school teaching. This underlines the asymmetric gender distribution.\n\nThe paper's author, Dr Grace Lordan of LSE’s Psychological and Behavioural Science Department, said: “More and more we actively encourage our girls to pursue occupations that are currently dominated by males. However, boys are rarely encouraged to pursue occupations where females have had higher shares. The asymmetry of the gender revolution needs to be considered. This becomes more important given that we expect jobs that are traditionally female to expand over the next decades – for example, the nursing and caring professions.” \n\nThe paper analysed the career paths and aspirations of 53,000 children born in 1958, 1970 and 2000, from both average and high ability groups.\n\nIt found that a female born in 1958 chooses an occupation where the share of males are 45 per cent lower on average as compared to their male peers. This compares to 41 per cent for females born in 1970, and 34 per cent for females born in 2000.\n\nThere is no difference in the probability that females born in 1958 or 1970 will choose a job that has a share of males of 80 per cent of higher as compared to their male peers. For females born in 2000, females are 46 per cent less likely to choose occupations with the highest share of males as compared to comparable males.\n\nThe paper says: “It may be tempting to conclude that the flatness in the gender gap in the tendency to sort into occupations with the highest share of males, particularly for children with the highest academic ability, reflects innate preferences. However, we note that over time both genders have significantly changed their tendency to sort into occupations that are high on people, brains and competitiveness content. Some of this will be determined by labour markets…but we also view these changes as highly suggestive that preferences are socialised, rather than representing innate differences by gender.”\n\nIt concludes: “This study raises questions on what can really be achieved by individuals at a local level, by parents to move the needles on gendered sorting in the absence of a more general societal movement or a tipping phenomenon. For example, if a mother encourages their daughter to be an astrophysicist, but the society she is growing up in sends different messages, the efforts may be lost on the average girl. It is possible that these messages may be dominated by, for example, STEM toys being mainly targeted to boys, the media covering females and males at the height of their careers differently, a child’s schooling experiences varying by their gender and the images society has for its leaders still being male.\"\n\nThe paper's co-author, Dr Warn Lekfuangfu, commented: “Childhood variables remain essential factors in influencing the position the child would end up within her peer group. But our work points to the importance of the role of societal shifts in determining the sorting patterns we have seen over the last number of decades in the UK across the generations, and also those that remain today.”\n\nDr Lordan added: “With the big ongoing efforts to encourage girls to study STEM subjects, we were surprised there was not more movement by girls towards these careers. It is possible that gender norms downstream have already shaped preferences by the time we meet these girls.  Social movements or campaigns are needed to challenge these social norms.\n\n\"Also, we expect equality for females, but our analysis has revealed that the traditional male paths are either unchanging, or in the case of income and competitiveness, being aspired to more often by boys born in 2000. Everyone focuses on gender equality with respect to moving females into traditional male roles. Few pay attention to the changing trends – or lack of – for  professions of males.”\n\nCross Cohort Evidence on Gendered Sorting Patterns in the UK: The Importance of Societal Movements versus Childhood Variables by Grace Lordan of LSE’s Psychological and Behavioural Science Department, LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance and IZA, and Warn N.Lekfuangfu of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok is a working paper published by IZA Institute of Economics.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9915860891342163}
+{"content": "Ancient Monuments\n\nHistory on the Ground\n\n\nBraikie Castle, castle 65m south of Wester Braikie\n\nA Scheduled Monument in Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim, Angus\n\nApproximate Location Map\nLarge Map »\nStreet or Overhead View\nContributor Photos »\n\n\n\nLatitude: 56.6483 / 56°38'54\"N\n\nLongitude: -2.6075 / 2°36'26\"W\n\nOS Eastings: 362847\n\nOS Northings: 750891\n\nOS Grid: NO628508\n\nMapcode National: GBR VT.WBBZ\n\nMapcode Global: WH8RV.X5J4\n\nEntry Name: Braikie Castle, castle 65m S of Wester Braikie\n\nScheduled Date: 10 June 1920\n\nLast Amended: 17 March 2015\n\nSource: Historic Environment Scotland\n\nSource ID: SM166\n\nSchedule Class: Cultural\n\nCategory: Secular: castle\n\nLocation: Kinnell\n\nCounty: Angus\n\nElectoral Ward: Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim\n\nTraditional County: Angus\n\n\nThe monument is the remains of Braikie Castle, a late 16th-century tower house. The tower is L-shaped in plan with four storeys and a garret. It survives to wall-head height and fragments of the roof timbers and slate tiles survive on the N and NW side. The castle stands within a grass field, surrounded by agriculturally rich land, on gently sloping ground at around 75m above sea level, overlooking Gighty Burn to the S. The monument was last scheduled in 1977, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.\n\nThe castle is constructed of sandstone rubble with dressed quoins and bonded with lime mortar. Key features of the tower include a stair-turret rising above first-floor level in the re-entrant angle and a corbelled angle-turret at the SW gable; a heraldic panel above the door and a surviving iron yett; a tall chimney-stack rising above the stair turret; and a large number of wide-splayed gun-loops (one for almost every window). The main stair rises to the first floor, while access to the upper floors is provided by the stair turret. The ground floor has two vaulted cellars and what was probably a small guardroom beneath the main stair. The hall was situated on the first floor and a private stair leads to the wing above and a private chamber for the laird. The heraldic panel above the door shows a shield with the letters 'T F' and the date 1581; it depicts the arms of the Fraser clan and the motto 'soli deo confido'.\n\nThe scheduled area is rectangular on plan, measuring 30m WSW-ENE by 25m transversely, to include the remains of the castle and an area around it within which evidence for the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.\n\n\nSource: Historic Environment Scotland\n\nStatement of Scheduling\n\nThe monument is of national importance as a well-preserved example of a late 16th-century tower. Braikie Castle survives complete to wall-head height and is an impressive example of its class. It has high potential to contribute to our understanding of late medieval and post-medieval domestic fortified dwellings: their architecture, construction, maintenance, development and abandonment. There is significant potential for the survival of important archaeological remains, including artefactual and palaeoenvironmental evidence and the remains of additional structures within and around the tower, which can enhance our understanding of how such buildings functioned, the daily life of the inhabitants and contemporary society and economy. There is high potential to analyse the construction and development of the castle by recording and analysis of the upstanding fabric. The monument occupies a prominent position and is an attractive feature within the local landscape today. The loss of the monument would diminish our ability to understand the form, function and character of late medieval and post-medieval towers in eastern Scotland and further afield.\n\nSource: Historic Environment Scotland\n\n\n\nRCAHMS records the monument as NO65SW 20. The Angus SMR records the monument as NO65SW 0020.\n\nReferencesMacGibbon, D and Ross, T 1887-92, The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries, 5v, 2, 74-7.\n\nRCAHMS 1978, The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of Lunan Valley, Montrose Basin, Angus District, Tayside Region, The archaeological sites and monuments of Scotland series no 4, Edinburgh, 30, no 256. Tranter, N 1962-70, The fortified house in Scotland , Edinburgh, 4, 99-100.\n\nSource: Historic Environment Scotland\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9258488416671753}
+{"content": "US Shale Oil Production begins to decline\n\nArticleEnergySeptember 20, 2018 - 6:05:21 AM\n\n\nIn 2018, total oil shale production in the United States amounts to just over 5 million barrels per day, and total reserves to 20 billion barrels, but this could change.\n\nThe collapse of oil shale production will lead the US to the death of energy independence. As it cumulates and declines, U.S. oil shale production could fall much faster than expected. The pace of this decline will be based on two key factors: the price of oil and remaining reserves.\n\nWhen oil prices declined in 2014 and reached their lowest level in 2016, frackers significantly reduced drilling. As a result, total U.S. shale production during this period decreased by approximately 600,000 barrels per day ( The cause of this drop was mainly due to the low oil price, which did not make drilling profitable.\n\nIf US shale oil production reaches a peak and oil prices are much lower, it will be a disaster for the US shale oil industry. When the current 9-year economic cycle is renewed, there will be a major market correction.\n\nHalf of the total oil shale reserves have already been exceeded. However, if oil prices remain low during a deflationary recession, the peak and decline in US oil shale production is likely to be even more significant.\n\nPioneer Resources, the largest producer in the Permian Basin, recorded a negative cash flow of $248 million in the first half of 2018 by spending $1.6 billion on capital expenditures. The reason for this expenditure was to increase the production by 21,000 boe (barrels of oil equivalent) per day between the first and second quarters of 2018, representing an 8% growth. This is to compensate for the high rate of production decline in the shale industry.\n\nIf no new wells had been drilled in 2018, overall production would have decreased by 500,000 barrels per day in the first five months of 2018 alone. It takes a lot of capital expenditure to replace the 500,000 barrels lost per day.\n\nWhen American oil shale production falls by 75% by 2025, the American way of life will be deeply affected.\n\n\n\nOn the same subject", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6245046854019165}
+{"content": "Box Dream Meaning\n\nIf you had a dream about a box of chocolates, it promises success to all ideas. The main thing is to get reliable partners among the colleagues or partners. If you had a dream about the candies packed with whole berries in a large box, it symbolizes first profits are just around the corner. You can, without doubt, agree to proposals for investing money.\n\nThe dream about buying a box of chocolates says that it’s easy for you to get acquainted in any field, but the attitude towards them remains contemptuous. Remember that it is necessary not only to get acquainted with people but also to maintain friendly relations.\n\nThe dream of a box filled with colored pencils also tells about financial success. What you have in mind will necessarily return with excellent results.\nIf you had a dream about the shoes packed in a box, this dream predicts success in the business sphere. If up to this point, things went awry, now there will come a strip of luck and fortune.\n\nIf you had a dream about frozen fish in the boxes, it reminds you that it’s time to tackle the old issues. It’s time to get something that was put on hold.\nThe dream about a box in a gift wrapping advises not to rely on luck, but to make your efforts. You can achieve the goal only with the help of hard and painstaking work. The dream interpretation is the same for a box of matches.\n\nIf you had a dream where you saw a child been thrown in the box, this dream foreshadows fun events. Your ideas and undertakings will bring happiness and financial well-being.\nIf you had a dream, a box is hidden in a box; it suggests pleasant surprises. Maybe someone from your family will want to make you an unexpected gift. The dream interpretation is the same for a carton of juice.\n\nIf you had a dream where you were given a ring in a box symbolizes a serious attitude of a loved one in reality. You are ready to move to a new stage in your life with your partner.\nThe dream about collected things from traveling, packed in boxes, promises great changes in life. Do not resist and try to adopt a new way as soon as possible.\n\nThe dream of a gearbox in the car warns of significant problems. The habit of postponing everything to the future and negligence can play a bad joke. Take responsibility for solving current issues.\nIf you had a dream about a beetle in the box means minor troubles and annoying incidents. It’s capable of getting anyone out of themselves. If you had a dream in which you crushed an insect, you could easily overcome all the difficulties.\n\nIf you had a dream of packs of money filling boxes, this dream symbolizes rest and bliss. Soon you can get out of business and spend time with pleasure alone.\nThe dream of empty boxes symbolizes vain hopes and expectations. Do not waste your time and energy on projects that are doomed to failure in advance.\n\nThe dream of a champagne box recommends making careful calculations before making a decision and not get involved in a risky business. A small mistake can be fatal.\n\nWas the box dream meaning helpful to you? Please share this dream with your friends.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8233510255813599}
+{"content": "Why the U.S. Shouldn’t Sit Out the Belt and Road Initiative\n\nCui Tiankai\nWhy the U.S. Shouldn’t Sit Out the Belt and Road Initiative\n\nImagine the potential of China and the United States, the world’s two largest, most vibrant economies collaborating on the most ambitious development project in history. The scenario is no fantasy: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which kicked off almost six years ago, will eventually connect a vast swath of the world, creating huge yields in economic activity, and wiring the world together as never before. However, the United States remains on the sidelines, and this has implications not only in terms of missed opportunities for growth in the U.S., but for the cause of global development which needs the ingenuity and the industry of the U.S.\n\nThe BRI, which echoes the geographic footprint and spirit of the ancient land and maritime Silk Roads that linked Asia, Africa, and Europe, has indeed become a massive platform for cooperation and an engine of growth, with 126 Countries and 29 international organizations having signed BRI cooperation documents with China. Total trade between China and other Belt and Road countries has exceeded $6 trillion, and China’s investment in these countries has surpassed $80 billion, with Chinese companies generating over $2 billion in tax revenue and 300,000 jobs for locals.\n\nIn six short years, the BRI is already proving its value to our partners. Consider the example of Kazakhstan. As the world’s largest landlocked country, Kazakhstan has—as a direct result of the BRI—gained access to the Pacific Ocean through the Lianyungang port in China. Regular China-Europe Railway Express freight services have created more than 6,000 jobs in the city’s logistics sector. Through BRI cooperation, countries such as Jamaica, Montenegro, and Uganda now have their first expressways, Belarus has developed its own car industry, and Sri Lanka has seen an end to its longstanding power shortages.\n\nThe key to BRI’s success and popularity is that it focuses on addressing the development issue. The Chinese know too well that development holds the master key to all problems. As the Chinese saying goes, building the road is the first step to become prosperous. Therefore, learning from our own experience, we are ready to help others improve infrastructure and connectivity.\n\nNaturally, there is no sense in building roads where there is no traffic. Indeed, once roads, bridges, ports, railways, electricity, and the like are in place, new waves of commerce shall follow. So, in addition to being a massive infrastructure project, the BRI is a force for development that will boost trade and investment with our partners, create more job opportunities for local citizens, and improve stability and quality of life.\n\nSince financial bottleneck often proves to be a major challenge, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund have been established to complement organizations such as the World Bank and help narrow the funding gap.\n\nFurthermore, Belt and Road countries have enhanced the coordination of development strategies and people-to-people amity, because hardware connectivity alone, short of software connectivity, is inadequate to ensure the resilience of the BRI.\n\nCritics say that the BRI must have an underlying strategic aim or agenda. If so, then building a community with a shared future for mankind is the agenda, as first and foremost, the BRI aims to promote connectivity. The BRI is open, inclusive and transparent. It is not a geopolitical tool, nor is it designed to form an exclusive clique or impose any terms on others.\n\nSome people have errantly characterized the BRI as a potential debt trap. But countries who have participated in and benefited from the BRI have debunked such assertions. Finance Secretary of the Philippines Carlos Dominguez publicly stated that debts owed to China accounts for only 0.65% of the country’s total debt. And Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku, Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Beijing, dismissed the idea of “debt-trap diplomacy.”\n\nDecisions made through the BRI framework, from project selection to investment and financing cooperation, are all based on full consultation between all parties involved, and backed by arduous risk assessment and investment feasibility studies. As a matter of fact, no country has become trapped in a debt crisis since its participation in the BRI. Quite the contrary, it is through participating in BRI cooperation that many countries have emerged from the trap of underdevelopment or no development. Consider the example of Kenya: Philip Mainga, acting managing director of Kenya Railways Corporation, said that the Kenyan economy and citizens have benefited from China’s contribution to the expansion and upgrading of transport infrastructure in the country.\n\nTraditional Chinese wisdom states that a man of virtue will seek to establish others while establishing himself. In this sense, as we are currently moving China’s economy from a phase of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development, we also pursue quality development in BRI cooperation. The projects are designed to conform with international laws and norms governing international relations and meet international business practices and operating models.\n\nSo where is the U.S. amid all of this winning? There are countless opportunities to U.S. corporations available through BRI projects. Honeywell International is already working with partners to further oil and gas development along the Belt and Road. General Electric has signed a number of deals with partners of the BRI which will help to provide reliable power and energy to critical regions across the world. Caterpillar is working with China’s initiative to help solve Pakistan’s severe power shortages. Meanwhile, Citibank is actively providing financing for projects through the markets along the Belt and Road. We certainly welcome more taking part.\n\nIn a few days, the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) will be held in China, gathering representatives from around the world to draw up a blueprint for future cooperation. Looking forward, we will continue to progress towards high-quality development through global pragmatic cooperation. We will enhance trilateral cooperation and encourage cooperation among all participating countries in third markets, achieving win-win results for all.\n\nMy suggestion is that the U.S. embrace this opportunity.\n\n\nThis article is commentary. For more opinion in Fortune, click here.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9817307591438293}
+{"content": "Quotation Explorer - 'Lifestyles'\n\nSuccessfully functioning in a society with diverse values, traditions and lifestyles requires us to have a relationship to our own reactions rather than be captive of them. To resist our tendencies to make right or true, that which is nearly familiar, and wrong or false, that which is only strange. - Robert Kegan\nCater to your customers’ lifestyles. It will create instant rapport and a lasting sense of I belong here. - Marilyn Suttle", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997613430023193}
+{"content": "B-39 Submarine\n\nB-39 Russian Submarine\n\nAn Actual Soviet-Era Diesel-Electric Submarine.\n\n\nOne of a fleet of diesel electric submarines the Soviet Navy called “Project 641,” B-39 was commissioned in the early 1970s and served on active duty for more than 20 years. 300 feet in length and displacing more than 2000 tons, B-39 is among the largest conventionally powered submarines ever built. She was designed to track U.S. and NATO warships throughout the world’s oceans. B-39, assigned to the Soviet Pacific fleet, undoubtedly stalked many of the U.S. Navy’s ships home ported in San Diego. Now, less than 20 years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall signaled the end of the Cold War, she is berthed on San Diego Bay amidst her former adversaries. Soviet Project 641 submarines, classified as “Foxtrot” by NATO, are essentially larger and more powerful versions of German World War II era U-boats. Low-tech but lethal, she carried 24 torpedoes while she was on patrol-some capable of delivering low-yield nuclear warheads. B-39 carried a crew of 78 and could dive to a depth of 985 feet before threatening the integrity of her nickel steel pressure hull. The Soviet and then Russian Federation’s navies deployed these submarines from the mid 1950s through the early 1990s. They played a part in many of the Cold War’s most tense moments including the Cuban Missile Crisis.\n\n  • Also known as “Black Widow” and “Cobra”\n  • NATO Designator: Foxtrot-Class\n  • After the end of the Vietnam War, she often made port visits to Danang.\n  • In 1989 in the Sea of Japan while charging batteries on the surface, B-39 came within 500 yards of an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate of the US Navy. Both crews took pictures of each other.\nLOA 299’\nSurface Displacement 1952 Tons\nSubmerged Displacement 2475 Tons\nDiesel Engines 3 X 2000 hp\nElectric Motors 3 X 1350 hp\nCruising Speed Surfaced 16 knots\nCruising Speed Submerged 15 knots\nTorpedo Tubes 6 forward, 4 aft\nArmament 22 type 53 torpedoes with high explosive warheads and a range of 10 miles, 36 mines", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6044439077377319}
+{"content": "The majestic beach is the main attraction\n\nProtaras is a resort town in eastern Cyprus which comes under the administrative jurisdiction of Paralimni Municipality, known for its beaches and for Fig Tree Bay with its old, lone fig tree. Above the bay are excavated Hellenistic tombs. To the northwest, atop a rock, the limestone Church of Profitis Ilias marks one end of a nature trail that leads to Konnos Beach. To the south, Cape Greco National Forest Park has clear waters and protected pine forest trails.\n\nIt is a peaceful place, suitable for families. The majestic beach is the main attraction. It is well known for its crystal clear waters and white sand. Protaras is exclusively a tourist area full of equanimity and we can guarantee that it is the right place to relax on your vacation.\n\nProtaras is situated between Paralimni and Agia Napa, and it is a newly built area with many bars, restaurants and hotels nearby. The first hotels and tourist apartments began around 1977 and have continued to grow over the years, with many private villas and rental companies.\n\nκατασκευή και σχεδιασμός ιστοσελίδας", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.583116888999939}
+{"content": "Bear Grylls on why you should follow the Scout code of conduct\n\nFrom work to family and friendship to mental health, the inspirational values of the Scout Association form the foundation stones of a truly good life according to chief scout Bear Grylls\n\n03 Jan 2017\n\nAs I often say, one of my proudest achievements is to have been named Chief Scout. In my opinion, scouting is the greatest youth movement in history; I'm always amazed by the achievements of these remarkable young men and women. But the main reason I believe that scouting is such a positive force for young people is that it instils in us certain values that, if we carry them forward into our adult lives, can act as an anchor and a rock. They are as relevant now as they were when Lord Baden-Powell wove them into the scouting movement 108 years ago.\n\nThe first scouting principle to live by is the one immortalised in the famous motto: a scout should be prepared. It was drilled into us in the military that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. And for good reason. Before we tackle any mountain - real or metaphorical - we need to remember that the hard work is done long before we embark on our journey. Much of the success of any expedition depends on the preparation that goes into it. But this is also true in everyday life: time spent in preparation is never wasted.\n\nA huge part of preparation is practice and, as the saying goes, the harder you practise, the luckier you become. Ask any great musician, adventurer or sportsman. I love the story of Daley Thompson, the Olympic decathlete, who used to say that his favourite training day was 25 December - the one day of the year he knew his competitors wouldn't be on the track.\n\nWe all have it in ourselves to become an expert in whatever field we choose. The difference between those who do and those who don't, as every scout learns, is simple: a commitment to train, practise, and improve. In short: keeping to the commitment. If we prepare well, whether for a business, a marriage or a mountain, then you give success a fighting chance.\n\nWherever life takes me, I always try to remember the first point of scouting law: a scout is trustworthy. This is one of the founding principles of the movement, and it is key to so many of the elements that we value in life: good friendships, good family relationships and good business partnerships. Being trustworthy means not cheating and keeping your word. If you say you are going to do something, you do it. People come to know us by the words we speak, the actions we take and the attitudes we live by. Each time you deal in lies, or renege on your word, you lose influence with others. But if you speak the truth and never betray a confidence, people will trust you, will want to be with you, work with you and you will have friends for life.\n\nAs any adventurer will tell you, when picking companions for an expedition, you look for many qualities: skill, mental toughness and friendliness. But above all, you want your teammates to be trustworthy. Our lives often depend on each other and that requires genuine trust. I truly believe it is the building block of heroism.\n\nMy final scouting principle to live by is the second point of scouting law: a scout is always loyal. That means loyalty to what he or she believes is right, and more importantly it means loyalty to his or her friends.\n\nSome people might consider loyalty to be an old-fashioned quality, but it's more relevant now than ever in this fast-paced world where, if we don't like something, we are tempted to bin it and replace it. We can't apply that attitude to relationships, because relationships only thrive when we show loyalty to one another. For me, loyalty is an indication of strength. It's easy to have friends when everything is going well, but I'm mindful of the maxim: \"A good friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.\"\n\nNone of us can go through life without making mistakes. I have made many and I have learnt so much about my friends in those moments. They have so often gone out of their way to be there for me and I would always do the same for them in return. It is not a condoning of the mistake, it is an affirmation of the friendship.\n\nThese three qualities - preparedness, trustworthiness and loyalty - are at the heart of the scouting movement. But they are also at the heart of what it means to be human. Truly, principles to live by.\n\nWant more? Get the latest issue of British GQ\n\nKurt Iswarienko\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6265742182731628}
+{"content": "There is evidence that strong light into the brain before bedtime reduces the secretion of melatonin, and it can be more difficult to get to sleep. Pic: File photo\n\n\n\nIn a UK first, the college has published guidance designed to help parents manage their children’s screen time.\n\nFollowing a major review, they acknowledge that high levels of screen time are linked to a less healthy diet, a sedentary lifestyle and poorer mental health.\n\n\n\nInstead, parents should judge whether screen time in their household is controlled or if it interferes with family life, sleep or meal times.\n\nDr Max Davie, a health officer at the RCPCH, said that children learn ‘from example rather than instruction’.\n\nHe said: ‘It’s very difficult to impose strict limits on your children’s screen use if you are constantly on screens yourself. Parents need to get control of their own screen time if they are going to get control of the family’s screen time. It’s much easier to be authoritative if you practise what you preach.’ They suggested that parents should approach screen time based on the child’s developmental age, the individual need and value the family place on positive activities such as socialising, exercise and sleep.\n\n\nDr Davie added: ‘We suggest that age-appropriate boundaries are established, negotiated by parent and child that everyone in the family understands. When these boundaries are not respected, actions need to be put in place with parents making consequences clear.’\n\nProfessor Russell Viner, president of the RCPCH, said there was conflicting evidence about whether children should be set a daily threshold.\n\nTechnology such as tablets and apps are increasingly used as educational tools, which is widely beneficial and would blur the lines if children were suggested limits, he said. But there is compelling evidence that screen time can negatively impact on children’s sleep, with insufficient sleep known to be damaging to their health.\n\nHe said: ‘There is evidence that strong light into the brain before bedtime reduces the secretion of melatonin, and therefore it can be more difficult to get to sleep.’ Stopping use an hour before bedtime was therefore ‘sensible advice’, he added.\n\nBut Professor Stephen Scott, Director of the National Academy for Parenting Research at King’s College London, said the RCPCH recommendations do not go far enough.\n\n\n\n© Daily Mail", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9991863369941711}
+{"content": "Why Great Leaders Ignore Feedback\n\nSo now that I’ve got your attention, I should say I didn’t literally mean ALL feedback.  I co-facilitated a workshop recently with a group of 18 emerging leaders in technology functions.  In that workshop, participants receive feedback from a 360-survey that is designed for and indicative of what is takes to be successful in a senior technology leadership position.  We structure this workshop so that the feedback is provided on Day 1, that way participants can understand how others perceive them back on-the-job, and they can use the remainder of the workshop days to better understand the feedback and create actions plans for future development, all aimed at moving to the next-level of responsibility in their respective companies.\n\nI’d be remiss in not mentioning my favorite quote from humorist Franklin Jones who said, “Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger.”  What a great quote.  As a former Human Resources professional, I can reveal that I often told leaders and employees that they should consider feedback a gift, something to be treasured.  Another meaningless platitude.  Even though I said that, I certainly didn’t believe it.  Who likes to receive feedback?  It’s hard and that is the first important learning for an emerging technology leader. \n\nBut, I think the most difficult thing for emerging technology leaders to understand, in my experience conducting this workshop, is that some of the feedback should be IGNORED.  Picture a continuum where on the left side is a leader who ignores all feedback received and on the right side, a leader who attempts to deal with and fix all feedback received.  For emerging technology leaders, I often find many want to address too much feedback.  Think about it, they were designated as “Emerging” or “High-Potential” because of Stellar performance at the team level, being given a project and using his or her team to deliver on it while exceeding expectations.  Naturally, they believe the way to the next-level of leadership is to address all the feedback.\n\nThe counter-intuitive approach is to ignore some, maybe a lot of the feedback.  Here are three important reasons why:\n\n  1. Ungrounded Feedback.  A good portion of the feedback received in 360 instruments is not grounded.  What I mean by that is the feedback giver provides an opinion or a general statement of improvement that is not based on enough exposure to the aspiring leader.  As we say, when the individual giving the feedback goes to ‘assessment’ (opinion) without proper ‘assertion’ (fact) too quickly, the feedback is not grounded.\n  2. Next-Level Means Different Skills.  Feedback that is relevant to the next-level of responsibility is more important than that associated with the current job.  This is what will be discussed by those interviewing you for the next-level job.   If the current job delivering a software system requires you to excel at managing project plans, that is great but the next-level job requires strategic agility, the latter is more important for you to address.\n  3. Powerful Advocates.  Finally, feedback that comes from those who have the power to be your advocate for the next-level position is much more important to address.  Of course it is important for you to create a high-performing, engaged team with members who sing your praises.  But, your boss, and his or her peers likely have the power to be your advocate for the next-level position.  Make sure you address their feedback.\n\nLominger Ltd.©, the creator of the Leadership Architect Suite indicates that Personal Learning is one of the most important competencies for senior leaders.\n\n“Picks up on the need to change personal, interpersonal, and managerial behavior quickly; watches others for their reactions to his/her attempts to influence and perform, and adjusts; seeks feedback; is sensitive to changing personal demands and requirements and changes accordingly.”\n\nThis suggests to me a targeted and opportunistic approach to gathering and addressing feedback.  Resist the urge to address all of the feedback you receive.  Likely you can boil the Most Important down to three key themes and the rest is Less Important or just noise. \n\nWant to learn more?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8637987971305847}
+{"content": "Chapter 336\n\nSix Stars\n\nJust when the council member was about to announce the start of the fight, Leylin suddenly interrupted him.\n\n“What? Do you want to admit your defeat right now, Celine?”\n\nOf course, Skrill did not dare to be brazen with Leylin. In fact, regardless of whether it was Leylin or Xerxes, he could not afford to offend either of them. Hence, he could only taunt Celine.\n\n“Rubbish!” Celine retorted angrily, worriedly looking at Leylin at the same time.\n\n“Leylin… He… He wouldn’t just give up because of his inability to clearly see through Xerxes’s strength, would he?”\n\nCeline clenched her fists, and even started breaking out in cold sweat.\n\nHonestly, with her talents and meditation skills, Celine was very confident previously that she would be able to defeat all the Magi that had competed in the previous rounds.\n\nHowever, upon seeing Leylin’s strength, her confidence had dissipated into thin air.\n\nRight now, Celine realised that she did not understand Leylin a single bit.\n\n“Magus Leylin! Do you have any problem?”\n\nThe council member holding the books asked.\n\n“I recall that during the evaluation, other than these battling methods, aren’t there other ways as well?”\n\nLeylin looked around the arena and took in Skrill’s taunting, Celine’s anxiety, and Xerxes’s killing intent. He laughed abruptly and then questioned.\n\nOnce the word went out, all the Magi looked stunned.\n\n“Yes, there is such a rule. You can even be exempted from fighting through your research contributions.” The council members quickly responded with little emotions.\n\n“However, the results of your research have to be made public, and must be recognised by the council members. Furthermore, since Nature’s Alliance is a small-scale guild, the information you provide has to be at a rank of at least 5 stars”\n\nResearch with a rank of 5 stars was equivalent to research conducted by peak rank 1 Magi, and is obviously not easy to obtain.\n\nCeline had the same idea previously, but unfortunately, the council members’ evaluation of research was extremely strict. Furthermore, the nine biggest large-scale guilds were already at the level where you could find the region’s finest research. Hence, very few things would interest them.\n\nMoreover, a lot of time and effort was required to obtain research data of this level. The time invested in the research is no less than the time taken in inviting a semi converted elemental Magus. Hence, after conducting the research for a period of time, Celine gave up on that idea.\n\n“Should you research data not be at the level of 5 stars, it would mean that you lose your independent research without garnering any gains. We hope you can think it over!”\n\n“Please do not worry, I am very confident in my own research!” Furthermore, Magi have always been virtuous people searching for the truth, so in this path of the search for knowledge, I do not mind sharing the results of my research with my fellow man”\n\nLeylin’s words were immediately well received by the crowd of magi.\n\nMany high-level magi that are on friendly terms would gather to exchange their own experiences so that they could improve together.\n\n“We can see the glory of ancient times in your being!”\n\nThe nine council members nodded their heads, “Please present your information!”\n\n“I object!” Skrill immediately shouted. He agitatedly pointed towards Leylin, his eight-clawed spider legs seemingly trembling “We were first in issuing our challenge. Even if the information were to be presented, it can only be done so after the challenge!”\n\n“Objection overruled! Magus Leylin’s ways are in accordance with the ancient rules!”\n\nA few council members immediately suppressed Skrill’s objection. Magus Xerxes, on the other hand just coldly started, his thoughts unable to be determined.\n\nLooking at the scene before him, Leylin snickered to himself.\n\nUnder the witness of so many Magi, a battle to the death would be like a monkey show set up for an audience. Was that really in his best interests?\n\nEven though many Magi would be willing to do so under the influence of the interests involved, Leylin was not one of them!\n\nFurthermore, in front of the nine peak rank 1 Magi, along with the Magi troops, Leylin would not be able to kill. Otherwise, as Leylin’s injuries were not yet completely healed, he would not be able to defend against the joint attack of nine peak rank 1 Magi. He also did not want to offend the nine large-scale guilds that the nine peak rank 1 Magi belonged to.\n\nAfter all, the large-scale guilds must have Magi of at least rank 2. Leylin did not want to find trouble at all.\n\nHence since he was not able to kill, there was no point in accepting the challenge and putting on a monkey show for others.\n\nNaturally, Leylin would choose the most effortless method.\n\nHe smiled, his every movement resembling how the ancient royalty were trained. He seemed calm, and together with the unique warlock’s charm that he had, this convinced many of the Magi.\n\nThe eyes of Mistress Sache, whom Leylin had previously met, lit up like two balls of fire.\n\nImmediately, Leylin passed his already prepared research data to the council members.\n\nThis was, in part, the flawed articles he had seen in the Nature’s Alliance. The research had already progressed to the final stages, but unfortunately, because of the lack of crucial steps, the articles were not able to be developed into a meditation.\n\nHowever, Leylin was different. He was a rank 2 Warlock, and had the support of the entire knowledge vault of the south coast. He could be said to have a bird’s eye view of the whole situation. Together with the incredible mathematical operations of the A.I. Chip, with a few tweaks here and there, Leylin would be able to produce research of a high calibre.\n\nLeylin was able to obtain the data without much trouble, and the information did not cost very much. However, when presented externally, these data were considered to have at least a rank of 5 stars, the equivalent importance of a peak rank 1 Magus. This was sufficient to allow the Magi present to vie for the information .\n\nSure enough, upon receiving the crystal ball filled with research formulas and graphical information, the faces of the council members became more solemn.\n\nTheir faces were serious while they perused the crystal ball in succession, and all the while, they were animatedly engaging in discussion.\n\nIn the end, they even gathered in a circle, agitatedly discussing and letting out cries of argument from time to time.\n\nMeanwhile, Skrill’s heart grew heavier, while Celine’s face revealed a smile. The Magi outside were anticipating the results, eager to see Leylin’s research data.\n\nWith regards to all the goings on, Leylin pretended not to notice and continued to calmly stand upright.\n\nJust based on this cultivation of calmness during the chaos, Leylin received the admiration of the Magi here.\n\n\nEventually, the council members returned to their seats. The council member sitting in the middle even removed his presbyopic glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.\n\n*Bang!* He aggressively slammed his gavel downwards, which meant that the official evaluation of the research would begin.\n\n“According to the council members’ unanimous decision, the information Magus Leylin has provided regarding the biological structure and bloodline of dark elves is to be classified as having a rank of 6 stars!”\n\n*Hua!* The venue resonated with cries of wonder. The fact that Leylin’s provided information would be able to be pass the test was within the expectations of many of the Magi. This was because Magi were not stupid; if they were to present any information, it must be because they were confident that it would suffice.\n\nHowever, little did they expect that the information Leylin provided would actually have a rank of 6 stars!\n\nResearch of this nature must be close to the standards of a rank 2 Magus.\n\n“These data will be recorded in the collective data vault. All Magi present will be able to use these contributions…”\n\nAfter the council member had made the announcement, he immediately beamed. “Magus Leylin’s aspirations and intensive studying spirit has obtained my admiration. May I know whether there will be a chance in the future to invite Magus Leylin to my institute to undergo an interview?”\n\n“It would be my honour!” Leylin bowed slightly.\n\nMeanwhile, on the side, Celine seemed a bit dazzled.\n\n“Master! We have succeeded!” Only when the sound if Ilya cheering entered her ear did she return to her senses, her eyes watery with tears that were on the verge of falling.\n\nAt this moment, all the difficulties they had experienced in the past, along with the ridicule they had to suffer, appeared in her mind. “Teacher, can you see this…”\n\n\nSkrill’s face was extremely dark. He glared at Celine, “Consider yourselves lucky this time around. I hope that luck will always follow you!”\n\nAfter which, without turning back once, he left the venue, with Xerxes unhurriedly following behind him.\n\nThis time around, the plot of the Eight-Clawed Spider was fruitless, and with the possibility of inducing rage from the Dense Fog Forest, Skrill did not want to stay at the conference for a single minute longer.\n\n“Leylin! Thank you!”\n\nAfter Leylin returned to his seat, Celine held his hands, her face filled with a genuine smile.\n\n“It was nothing!” Leylin smiled.\n\nActually, Leylin was very sure that this matter was far from over.\n\nAfter their open and aboveboard plans have failed, the opponent could only utilise underhanded means now.\n\n“Underhanded means? But those are my favourites!”\n\nLeylin smiled coldly. Right now, during the joint conference, the only restrained party in this case wasn’t merely his opponent but himself as well. After all, he had started off as a legitimate dark Magus. Bloodshed and killing were very common to him.\n\nWhen that happened, it would be too late for the other party to have regrets.\n\nWith regards to Leylin’s contributions, the Nature’s Alliance was able to be exempted from the challenge this time around, and could be considered to have survived an ordeal.\n\nAfter the evaluation, there was nothing much to see at the conference.\n\nThere were only a few guilds left to compete with one another. During the majority of the time, the apprentices would compete in a friendly context. This was also one of the reasons why Celine had brought Obo and Ilya to the conference.\n\nLeylin had completed his task at hand, and so he sat with Celine, who was beaming, as they watched other Magi compete.\n\n”Leylin! I can’t believe that I would see you here!”\n\nAt this moment, a Magus with a gold-plated, robotic right hand walked over, his face radiating with happiness.\n\n“I can’t believe this, you actually joined the Nature’s Alliance without telling anyone!”\n\n“Hello, Siegfried!”\n\nLeylin greeted him. “There was no other choice since they had something very tempting to me in their hands! Moreover, I’m only a honorary professor, which means I can also guild.”\n\n“Oh, I know!”\n\nSiegfried’s face revealed a smile that all men would be able to understand. It was obvious that Leylin was bewitched by Celine, was it not?\n\n“Come! Let me bring you to meet some of the high-ranking officers in the Earth Fire Association!”\n\nCompared to his previous interactions with Leylin, Siegfried was now more cordial.\n\nAfter all, Siegfried was currently not able to discern Leylin’s true abilities. However, based on the presentation of his high-end research standards and academic attainments, it was worth it to rope Leylin in.\n\nIn addition, a few high-level guilds council members had all expressed their friendliness in succession, which made it even more plausible to try and rope Leylin in.\n\nPrevious Chapter Next Chapter", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9095760583877563}
+{"content": "Health Library\n\nOur Health Library information does not replace the advice of a doctor. The health library is made available to assist our patients to learn more about their health.\n\nAutoimmune Disease\n\nThe immune system is the body's defense against foreign substances, such as bacteria or viruses, that may be harmful. An autoimmune disease is an abnormal condition that occurs when a person's immune system attacks its own tissues as though they were foreign substances.\n\n  • Normally, when a foreign substance enters the body, the immune system creates special cells to attack and destroy the foreign substance. These cells include antibodies and white blood cells (lymphocytes).\n  • In a person with an autoimmune disease, the immune system recognizes some of the person's own tissues as foreign substances. The body makes antibodies and other cells that attack and destroy these tissues. This process often leads to inflammation and eventually, if it continues, scarring and destruction of the organs that are made up of those tissues.\n\nWhy the body attacks its own cells is not known. Autoimmune diseases include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and Sjögren's syndrome. Certain types of diabetes and thyroid disease are related to autoimmune reactions. People who have autoimmune diseases are at an increased risk for infections.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8608825206756592}
+{"content": "The Spatials V3 devblog 2015-11-23\n\nInternal development notes, very slightly cleaned up and commented a week later.\n\nTL;DR: first batch of pre-made camps is being used, civ objects report their alignment, reputation can block construction.\n\n- add pre-made civ camps to build (without baked gfx for now, still using debug folders)\n\nLast week the surface generator implemented the ability to spawn civ camps and was tested with a few human camps. Now the initial work for the all the civ camps is done and they have been added to the planet surface generator. Here's some examples of the result:\n\nRandomly placed camps\nRandomly placed camps\nRandomly placed camps\n\n- reputation model: add reputation amts required for different permissions\n    (stages are solid but desc is just an idea)\n    at war: civ wants to attack the station\n    hostile: player is KOS and their planet structures are attacked\n    friendly: civ will visit the station as tourists\n    allied: civ allows to extract resources in their vicinity on planets\n- add component for (some) camp entities to declare their civ\n    hardcoded testing for now\n- add civ alignment and tentative hp to existing V2 and V3 objects\n    use TSV (V2: carlos, V3: max)\n- properly \"plant\" camp buildings when doing random camps, instead of leaving them in editor mode\n    solution for floors\n    make it even more visible the current object collection is unbundled and temporary\n- tsv reader in scheme\n    promote some string tools in dynbuild.scm to system.scm\n    fifth row is schema, data follows\n    missing rows are ok\n    missing cells are ok (yield missing keys in hashtables)\n    reads into a list of hashtables\n- establish rules-like vars for planet objects in the default env\n    to stop hardcoding cross-mod stuff\n- more optional metadata for objects\n    remove hardcoded civ alignment and use from tsv metas\n    use anim-duration instead of heuristic when available\n    both for v2 and v3 objects\n- try randomize object animations so they dont sync on planet load\n\nThe reputation system is slowly taking shape and is now being taking into account for player constructions on planet surfaces. Enhancing the current debug/development system for adding new objects to V3, a \"hints\" file has been implemented, which can easily and in bulk describe special attributes for objects. For now it describes the civ aligment of objects, and their animation speed when required. It also has tentative support for\n\nIt has to be said that this object model for entities is completely optional. The engine does not impose any model, it just expects an entity and a collection of components. V3 will make use of a few different object models, and it is possible for mods to ignore all of them and use their own if desired.\n\n- disallow construction near enemy objects\n- need better ui to communicate building restrictions\n    allow can-build? to return string instead of bool (so === #t is valid, otherwise error)\n    continuous display of text string in building cursor when not valid\n\nHere's a first effect of the reputation system in action. The game won't allow the player to build objets too close to enemy objects on planet surfaces:\n\nCannot build objects too close to enemy camps\n\nAnd even if they are built far away, they are still subject to the effects of attrition for being on an hostile planet. This will be fleshed out next week.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8327230215072632}
+{"content": "Requirements Engineering: An Overview Klaus Pohl Traditionally, requirements engineering (RE) has been seen as the first phase of the software life cycle in which a specification is produced from informal ideas. During RE, the functional and non functional requirements to be met by the system, as well as the criteria for measuring the degree of their satisfaction, must be elicited and documented in a requirements specification. If the specification describes both hardware and software, it is called system requirements specification; if it describes only software, it is called software requirements specification (cf. [IEEE-830, 1984]). The process of developing a requirements specification has been called requirements engineering (RE). Since the establishment of RE as a distinct field in the mid 1970s (see [TSE, 1977]) a great deal of progress has been made. Nowadays, RE is seen as a key issue for the development of software systems with the responsibility for maintaining the requirements of a system over time and across traditional and organizational boundaries (cf. [Jarke and Pohl, 1994; Loucopoulos and Karakostas, 1995]). Correct understanding (elicitation), documentation (specification) and validation of user/customer needs are becoming more and more crucial as the ultimative measurement for systems quality is the degree of user satisfaction, i.e. the ability of the system to meet the user needs. Thus, RE is becoming the essential activity within the software life cycle in which a variety of stakeholders must be involved. The growing importance of the field is also reflected in new international RE conferences and symposia started in the 1990s (see [Fickas and Finkelstein, 1993; Davis and Siddiqi, 1994; Harrison and Zave, 1995]). RE as a discipline is still immature. It is commonly accepted that only what a system should do has to be defined in a requirements and not how it should do it. Whereas almost everybody agrees that requirements must be elicited, specified, and validated/verified little uniformity is reached in the terminology 1 of the activities performed (cf. [Davis, 1988]). For example, the understanding of what the problem being solved is without defining how it will be solved is called requirements analysis [Charette, 1986; Wasserman et al., 1986] but also problem analysis [Davis, 1990], problem definition [Roman et al., 1984] and requirements definition [Berzins and Gray, 1985]. Another indication for the immaturity is the existing vast amount of literature covering distinct facets and individual isolated contributions to philosophical and technical problems of the area. To provide an overview of the field, we first reflect on some definitions of RE (Section 2) and typical products of the RE process (Section 3). Despite of the fact that the knowledge about the RE process is poor, four tasks to be performed can be identified (Section 4). Towards a common understanding we define RE as a process of \"establishing vision in context\" (Section 5). For the case of information systems, which are increasingly becoming an integral part of our everyday life, we use a framework for structuring the context, namely the four worlds of information systems (development, usage, subject, and system world). The RE process itself can be characterized by three orthogonal dimensions, namely the agreement, representation, and specification dimension (Section 6). These dimensions reflect that RE is faced with social, technical, and cognitive problems. The consequences of these definitions on the RE process, its products, and requirements traceability are outlined in Section 7. In Section 8 we briefly summarize the contributions made and sketch the future perspective of RE.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9969082474708557}
+{"content": "The domain within your query sequence starts at position 1244 and ends at position 1472; the E-value for the Ion_trans domain shown below is 2e-56.\n\n\n\nPFAM accession number:PF00520\nInterpro abstract (IPR005821):\n\nThis domain is found in sodium, potassium, and calcium ion channels proteins. The proteins have 6 transmembrane helices in which the last two helices flank a loop which determines ion selectivity. In some Na channel proteins the domain is repeated four times, whereas in others (e.g. K channels) the protein forms a tetramer in the membrane. A bacterial structure of the protein is known for the last two helices but is not included in the Pfam family due to it lacking the first four helices.\n\nGO process:transmembrane transport (GO:0055085), ion transport (GO:0006811)\nGO component:membrane (GO:0016020)\nGO function:ion channel activity (GO:0005216)\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8585150241851807}
+{"content": "Natural Therapies in Sydney (Nothern Beaches and North Shore) phone 02 9907 6108\nAllergies Hayfever & Natural Therapies Homeopathy Sydney Northern Beaches Natureal Therapies, Sydney, Manly, Balgowlah, Brookvale, Harbord, Fairlight\n\nTreating Childen | ADHD | Asthma | Allergies & Hayfever | Eczema | Menopause | Pregancy & Childbirth | Obesity | Diabetes\n\nAllergies and Hayfever\n\nBook a natural therapies appointment in SydneyAllergies can be uncomfortable and distracting, imprisoning. They can make it difficult to go for a walk in the country, and even make it difficult to go outside. Some allergy sufferers can't visit their friends who have pets, and many others can't eat their favorite foods.\n\nEven the pleasures and benefits of exercise are difficult because some allergy sufferers' noses run more than they do. A runny or stuffy nose leads to mouth breathing, then a dry mouth, then less efficient breathing, and then less efficient overall functioning. A domino effect is set up, and the allergy sufferer is knocked down.\n\nConventional medical treatment for allergies usually consists of antihistamines, steroids, and desensitization shots. In obstinate cases, laser surgery may be utilised to vaporise mucus-forming nasal tissue. People with allergies know that these treatments don't work; at best, they provide temporary relief of symptoms, and at worst, they create side effects which can be worse than the allergies themselves.\n\nPerhaps the greatest misunderstanding about allergies is the assumption that the allergen (the cat dander, the pollen, the housedust mite, or whatever) is the problem. Actually, the allergen is simply the trigger, while the allergic person's body is the loaded gun. Rather than just treating symptoms or avoiding the allergen, the best course is to take action to strengthen the body's own immune and defense system. Natural therapies which do this help empty the loaded gun or simply make it shoot blanks.\n\n\nHayfever is the most common type of seasonal allergy, and is an inappropriate response by the body’s immune system to pollen, a substance that is not normally harmful. The immune system is a highly complex defence mechanism that helps us to fight infections by identifying foreign invaders and mobilizing the body’s white blood cells to fight them. Occasionally, in some people, this system wrongly identifies a non-toxic substance as an invader, and histamine is subsequently released into the bloodstream. This causes dilation of capillaries, a decrease in blood pressure, an increase in the secretion of mucous and constriction of the smooth muscles of the bronchi – leading to the symptoms noted above.\n\nNatural Therapies for Allergies and Hayfever\n\nTo treat your allergy, a homeopath will prescribe a \"constitutional medicine,\" a remedy that is individually chosen to the totality of symptoms that the person is experiencing, not just the allergy symptoms. Finding a person's constitutional medicine requires the care of professional homeopath.\n\nSolid research have proven the effectiveness of homeopathic medicines in allergies and hayfever. Dr. David Taylor-Reilly, a professor and homeopath at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, published an important study in the Lancet (October 18, 1986) which showed that homeopathically prepared doses of 12 common flowers were very effective in reducing hayfever symptoms when compared with patients given a placebo.\n\nHow can Homeopathy Help my Allergy or Hayfever\n\nHomeopathicy uses very low doses of a compound or drug that, if given in large enough quantities, would cause the symptoms of the disease they are trying to cure. The homeopathic remedy Allium cepa, for instance, is made from an extract of onions. Onions, of course, make your eyes sting and water and your nose run when you peel and chop them. The homeopathic 'like for like' principle says that a disorder with these symptoms would be cured by a small dose of onion. So, homeopaths may use Allium cepa to treat hayfever.\n\nHomeopathic remedies provide relief from a range of hayfever symptoms with no side effects. They will naturally increase resistance to pollens and irritants and ease attacks. It is simple and easy to take – just dissolve two pillules under a clean tongue four times daily or as required. For those who find themselves having a hayfever attack, there is a range of differing remedies that can ease the symptoms away quickly and effectively.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5279374718666077}
+{"content": "A Blaze in the Northern Sky: Black Metal as an Expression of by Guido Segers\n\nBy Guido Segers\n\nВ магистерской диссертации Гвидо Сегерса, защищённой в Университете Тильбург в Нидерландах в июле 2012 г., показывается, каким образом различные радикальные идеологические течения проявляют себя в специфической музыкальной субкультуре - \"блэк-метал\".\n\nShow description\n\nRead or Download A Blaze in the Northern Sky: Black Metal as an Expression of Extremist Politics in Modern Day Europe PDF\n\nBest music books\n\nJohn Lennon: In His Own Words\n\nAs author, actor, and activist, his phrases and tune formed a new release. John Lennon: In His personal phrases is a becoming tribute to a guy who replaced the area along with his song and his message.\nJohn Lennon encouraged thousands in the course of his too-brief lifetime. First with the Beatles, then as a solo artist, thinker, and peace activist, he spoke for a new release that believed they can switch the realm, and did. Now his phrases are preserved in a good-looking hardcover quantity that may contact his many fanatics and enlighten a brand new generation.\n* \"Imagine the entire humans residing existence in peace. you could say I'm a dreamer, yet I'm no longer the single one. i am hoping sometime you'll sign up for us, and the realm can be as one. \"\n* \"My function in society, or any artist's or poet's position, is to aim and exhibit what all of us suppose. to not inform humans tips on how to think. now not as a preacher, now not as a pace-setter, yet as a mirrored image people all. \"\n* \"You're simply left with your self forever, no matter what you do besides. You've received to get all the way down to your individual God on your personal temple. It's all right down to you, mate. \"\n\nBlues: Thinking Deep About Feeling Low (Philosophy for Everyone)\n\nThe philosophy of the bluesFrom B. B. King to Billie vacation, Blues tune not just sounds sturdy, yet has a nearly common allure in its mirrored image of the pains and tribulations of lifestyle. Its skill to powerfully contact on a number of social and emotional matters is philosophically inspiring, and the following, a various variety of thinkers and musicians provide illuminating essays that make vital connections among the human situation and the Blues that would attract track enthusiasts and philosophers alike.\n\nThe Complete Idiot's Guide to Music History\n\nTune historical past is a required path for all track scholars. regrettably, the common song background ebook is dry and educational, targeting rote memorization of vital composers and works. This leads many to imagine that the subject is uninteresting, yet bestselling writer Michael Miller proves that isn’t so.\n\nHow Music Dies (or Lives): Field Recording and the Battle for Democracy in the Arts\n\nContributor notice: Corin Tucker (Forward)\n\nAll recordings rfile existence, coming up from a selected time and position, and if that position is man made, the consequences should be to boot. Culled from a life of studying via failure and designed to impress notion and concept for artists in each medium, How tune Dies (or Lives) is a digital how-to handbook for these on a quest for authenticity in an age of airbrushed and Auto-Tuned so-called “artists. ”\n\nAuthor and Grammy-winning manufacturer Ian Brennan chronicles his personal trips to discover new and old sounds, textured voices, and nonmalleable songs, and he offers readers with an tricky examine our technological society.\n\nHis concise prose covers issues such as:\n•The damages of colonization in generalizing exact variations\n•The want for imperfection\n•The gaps among production and invention\n•The saturation of track in daily life\n\nThis consultant serves those that ask themselves, “What’s improper with our tradition? ” besides attainable solutions are classes in utilizing the microphone as a telescope, listening to the earth as an echo, and appreciating the price of democratizing voices.\n\nExtra resources for A Blaze in the Northern Sky: Black Metal as an Expression of Extremist Politics in Modern Day Europe\n\nSample text\n\nTransgression opens onto a scintillating and constantly affirmed world, a world without shadow or twilight, without that serpentine “no” that bites into fruits and lodges their contradictions at their core. It is the solar inversion of satanic denial. It was originally linked to the divine, or rather, from this limit marked by the sacred it opens the space where the divine functions. 37)” Transgression thus opens up, it creates a yes where there is no. Moving into the space of the sacred tells us more about mankind since the Enlightenment than just about metal.\n\nThat would be just one example of the complex cocktail and development that the genre has. Clearly though, the themes expressed are ones that transgress the concept of the world we normally hold in a way not seen in art before. Instead of moving forwards, art is taking its inspiration from the past. Enslaved moved quickly on though, their 2008 album Vertebrae was nowhere near the pagan/Viking sound anymore and became a full on doom/progressive metal record. Enslaved might have not taken it very seriously, but for others the music offers a transgressive tool to move beyond the mundane and step outside of the world as it is.\n\nThe literal meaning of transgression as stepping over becomes real. “The limit and transgression depend on each other for whatever density of being they possess: a limit could not exist if it were absolutely uncrossable and, reciprocally, transgression would be pointless if it merely crossed a limit composed of illusions and shadows. (Foucault, 1977, p. 34)” Bataille makes clear that transgression is not something unchangeable, it moves along with society and morality. We can clearly say this in our cultural expressions that have moved on to become more extreme through the years.\n\nDownload PDF sample\n\nRated 4.37 of 5 – based on 8 votes", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.779599666595459}
+{"content": "Publications serve as the concrete art form for the scientist. It is his modus operandi. Authorship is akin to success and achievement. It cannot and should not deteriorate into a bargaining tool or commodity. Dardik\nKamatou, G.P.P., Vermaak, I., Viljoen, A.M., Lawrence, B. 2013. Menthol: A simple monoterpene with remarkable biological properties. Phytochemistry 96: 15-25.\n\nMenthol is a cyclic monoterpene alcohol which possesses well-known cooling characteristics and a residual minty smell of the oil remnants from which it was obtained. Because of these attributes it is one of the most important flavouring additives besides vanilla and citrus. Due to this reason it is used in a variety of consumer products ranging from confections such as chocolate and chewing gum to oral-care products such as toothpaste as well as in over-the-counter medicinal products for its cooling and biological effects. Its cooling effects are not exclusive to medicinal use. Approximately one quarter of the cigarettes on the market contain menthol and small amounts of menthol are even included in non-mentholated cigarettes. Natural menthol is isolated exclusively from Mentha canadensis, but can also be synthesised on the industrial scale through various processes. Although menthol exists in eight stereoisomeric forms, (-)-menthol from the natural source and synthesised menthol with the same structure is the most preferred isomer. The demand for menthol is high and it was previously estimated that the worldwide use of menthol was 30-32,000 metric tonnes per annum. Menthol is not a predominant compound of the essential oils as it can only be found as a constituent of a limited number of aromatic plants. These plants are known to exhibit biological activity in vitro and in vivo such as antibacterial, antifungal, antipruritic, anticancer and analgesic effects, and are also an effective fumigant. In addition, menthol is one of the most effective terpenes used to enhance the dermal penetration of pharmaceuticals. This review summarises the chemical and biological properties of menthol and highlights its cooling effects and toxicity. \n\n\nPeppermint - TUT, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa [2010 ©]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8746804594993591}
+{"content": "House 97D Street 292 Sangkat Olympic, Khan Chamkar Mon, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia +85517471291\n\nNon formal Education\n\nNon-formal education\n\nThe Non-Formal Education (NFE) program provides access to education for vulnerable community children who are not able to access public school: mainly due to their families dire socio economic circumstances (making school unaffordable). NFE’s offer children from grade 1 to 6 to catch up program.\n\nThe NFE program has a curriculum based on the governmental public school system, allowing them to reintegrate into mainstream public schools. DT then supports families’ with the costs of school materials and uniforms to enable them to go to school each day. DT ensures that the children continue attending school, through close cooperation with teachers and home visits if the child misses three consecutive days of school. This is key to enable the children to accomplish a full cycle of primary education and continue to secondary school. In 2016 Damnok Teok’s nfe welcome.\n\nVocational Training\n\nThe Vocational Training (VT) program primarily welcomes young adults that are unable to be reintegrated into public school from DT’s residential centres. The students that graduate the program are given an apprenticeship at a local business.\n\nThe VT program (tailoring, motorbike repair, hair dressing, carpentry and beauty class) and job placement are one of the main components of DT’s reintegration strategy for older children, offering them the possibility of becoming economically autonomous.\n\nThe young adults are given the opportunity to gain on the job experience and develop links in a real professional environment. DT has links with other NGO apprenticeships, making it easier to transition into the formal employment sector. In the year of 2016 Vocational Center received 77 youth to study some major skill.\n\nCommunity kindergartens\n\nCommunity kindergartens provide access to early childhood education and preparation towards formal education in public schools.\n\nDT provides a 2-hour class each morning and well as educational materials. DT opened a new kindergarten in 2014, after local authorities observed 50 out-of-school children in the village and asked DT for support. The local authorities contributed by building the structure and partially covering the teacher’s salaries. DT is providing technical expertise to ensure the kindergarten is a child-friendly space, and will train the kindergarten teachers. Since we open the class a hundred of small children attend the class everyday in the community. After they received some basic of education after we transfer them to public and some of them to non formal education center.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5180298686027527}
+{"content": "AvaxHome » Tutorials » Renaissance The Transformation of the West - The Great Courses\nPosted By : mitsumi | Category: Tutorials\nRenaissance The Transformation of the West - The Great Courses\n\nRenaissance: The Transformation of the West - The Great Courses\nCourse No. 3917 | 48 Lectures | 33min / lecture | 1x PDF Course guidebook\nDVDRip | mkv | H.265 HEVC @ ~863 Kbps, 30.0 FPS | 720 x 540 | ~26h 24min | 9.4 GB\nAudio: English AAC-LC (Advanced Audio Codec Lo Complexity) 2.0 @ 160 Kbps, 48 kHz\nGenres: eLearning, History, Culture | Trailer and Instructor's Interview inside\n\nThere's the Renaissance we all know about: the cultural flourishing that produced iconic works of art, sculpture, and architecture. But underneath all the paint and marble is another side of the Renaissance with which we're much less familiar.\n\n\"Renaissance The Transformation of the West - The Great Courses\"\n\nFree 300 GB with Full DSL-Broadband Speed!\n\nBorn from the devastation of the Black Death, the European Renaissance is undoubtedly one of the greatest periods of civilizational achievement in human history. Transformations that began with the economic explosion of the Italian city-states in the 14th century and lasted through the dawn of the early modern world in the 17th century are ones we still feel today.\n\nWhile it's easy to get caught up-and, rightfully so-in the art and architecture of the Renaissance, you cannot have a deep and genuine understanding of just how important these centuries were without digging beneath the surface, without investigating the period in terms of its politics, its spirituality, its philosophies, its economics, and its societies. It is just as vital to appreciate events and developments-such as the transition from feudal kingdoms to nation-states, the flourishing of international trade and exploration, epic wars and rebellions, revolutions of faith, and the rise (and fall) of different social status groups-as it is to understand the value of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling or Leonardo's Mona Lisa.\n\nOnly by considering the European Renaissance from all sides, by disturbing traditional understandings, tipping sacred cows, and busting prevalent myths, can you truly grasp just how the Renaissance revolutionized the Western world.\n\nIn the epic 48-lecture course, Renaissance: The Transformation of the West, historian and award-winning professor Jennifer McNabb of Western Illinois University delivers a holistic, comprehensive view of the Renaissance that will show just how impressive and truly influential it was. Guiding you through centuries of exhilarating change in Europe with the knowledge, insights, and discernment of a master scholar, she offers new perspectives on familiar figures and events while focusing on often-unexplored or overlooked areas, such as the role of women in the Renaissance, the daily lives of the rural poor and urban elite, Renaissance home and family life, and the powerful connections between the Renaissance and the Reformation. Here, in one course, is an authoritative, wide-ranging, and multidisciplinary way to experience not just one of Europe's Renaissance movements-but all of them.\n\nA Truly Transformative Period\n\n\"The scope of our course is broad,\" says Professor McNabb, \"because I want us to see the Renaissance not as a single event but as a transformative process whose influences touched many areas of early modern life.\"\n\nRenaissance: The Transformation of the West is organized into several sections that make the expansiveness of this historical period all the more manageable.\n\nItalian Renaissance: Examine how the Renaissance got its start in city-states, including Florence and Rome; how men like Machiavelli epitomized the \"Renaissance Man;\" and how the Medici and Renaissance popes maintained power.\n\nNorthern Renaissance: Go beyond Italy for an extended look at how the Renaissance played out in places like England and the Netherlands. Along the way, you'll follow the lives and careers of people like Jan van Eyck, François Rabelais, and Thomas More.\n\nRenaissance Life: What were Renaissance attitudes about shame and honor? Why were letters so important to so many Renaissance writers? How did women exert power? How did different societies construct their ideas about marriage?\n\nRenaissance Faith: Central to these centuries were competing for beliefs about the role of faith in political and daily life. Professor McNabb guides you through the Reformation, religious positions of theologians like Luther and Calvin, the Council of Trent, and more.\n\nRenaissance Politics: Perhaps, the single most important transformation in Renaissance Europe occurred not in the humanities but in politics and economics. You'll explore the roots of modern diplomacy, capitalism, warfare, and global rivalries.\n\nNew Stories, Insights, and Revelations\n\nBy observing the Renaissance less casually and more critically, Professor McNabb offers a wealth of facts, details, insights, and connections you can't find in typical narratives that celebrate the centuries between medievalism and modernity.\n\nHere are just a few of many exciting, intriguing, and illuminating things you'll uncover in Renaissance: The Transformation of the West.\n\nRenaissance palace schools believed in close, interpersonal relationships between teacher and student-a marked contrast to dispassionate medieval classrooms, where corporal punishment was liberally employed.\n\nWhile no new concept of femininity emerged during the Renaissance, noble women were able to contribute to the culture of the period, beyond their own productions, through the process of patronage.\n\nOne of the most important musical innovations by the famed Renaissance composer, Guillaume Dufay, involved replacing medieval chants traditionally used for Mass with more dynamic and complex secular tunes.\n\nA popular feast day celebrating St. John the Baptist (dated June 24) was grafted onto older, pre-Christian traditions celebrating the summer solstice and fertility-which is why it's often referred to as Midsummer.\n\nDuring the later centuries of the Renaissance, secular auth, as well as spiritual ones, al ones got involved in the witch-hunting business; rulers seeking to centralize state power saw witches as dangerous obstacles to their political goals.\n\nThe pastry casings we associate with Renaissance meals were simply a cooking vessel that contained the filling-as the crust buffered the pies' valuable insides-and were often discarded at Renaissance tables, uneaten.\n\nThe Greatest Stories Ever Told\n\nProfessor McNabb's extensive background in medieval and Renaissance history makes her the perfect guide through these exciting, tumultuous, and powerful centuries of Western civilization.\n\nShe brings to every lecture of Renaissance: The Transformation of the West the same celebrated teaching style that has earned her awards, including the Provost's Award for Excellence in Teaching from Western Illinois University. She's also taken care to include maps, illustrations, portraits, paintings, literary excerpts, and other elements to help you organize the epic scope of this subject.MS-TGC\n\n\"I think we're still living the Renaissance,\" Professor McNabb says. \"We're Renaissance people. We've updated some aspects of the Renaissance past and infused it with our own contemporary concerns. And, such activities are in keeping with the Renaissance as well.\"\n\nPrepare for a deep dive into Europe's great Renaissance movements, which Professor McNabb considers the greatest stories ever told-and ones well worth listening to, still.\n\nRenaissance The Transformation of the West - The Great Courses\n\nRenaissance The Transformation of the West - The Great Courses\n\nRenaissance The Transformation of the West - The Great Courses\n\nRenaissance The Transformation of the West - The Great Courses\n\nDownload link:\n\n\n\n\nLinks are Interchangeable - No Password - Single Extraction\n\nP A S S W O R D    P R O T E C T E D ! \n\nFree 300 GB with 10 GB High-Speed(No Password BACKUP)\n\nHide Your IP & Protect Your Privacy!\nGet Your 15 Day Free Trial Now.\n\nTags: Renaissance, Transformation, West, Great, Courses\n\nRenaissance The Transformation of the West - The Great Courses Fast Download via Rapidshare Upload Filehosting Megaupload, Renaissance The Transformation of the West - The Great Courses Torrents and Emule Download or anything related.\n«    May 2019    »\nMay 2019 (1734)\nApril 2019 (2567)\nMarch 2019 (2988)\nFebruary 2019 (2254)\nJanuary 2019 (2444)\nDecember 2018 (1337)\neXTReMe Tracker", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9395467638969421}
+{"content": "Login lub e-mail Hasło   \n\nWritten by Londons Pakistani escort girls: Decisions, Decisions: What To Look...\n\nWhen storing your jewelry, be sure that you store it in a place with low humidity and free of open air. Store jewelry in a sealed box or drawstring po\nWyświetlenia: 257 Zamieszczono 02/06/2016\nIt is better to use boxes, compartments, holders, and hooks for keeping pieces separate. Jewelry should not be lumped together in a pile. This can damage fragile, delicate jewelry, and necklaces can become very tangled in other jewelry pieces.\n\nIf you want to buy sterling silver pieces, use a magnet and examine the jewelry very carefully. Use the magnet to detect fake jewelry; real silver will not be attracted to the magnet, but the cheaper metals will. Sterling silver always has some sort of stamp to indicate it is sterling. If the piece is not hallmarked in any way, be leery of its authenticity because oftentimes it is a sign of a fake.\n\nJewelry should be stored in an air-tight and humid free area. To maximize protection, put your jewelry in a jewelry box or a small drawstring bag. Precious, as well as non-precious metals, will tarnish if they are exposed to humidity and air over time. It is possible to restore precious metals to their previous state, but it's better to avoid damaging them in the first place.\n\nIf you wish to keep a piece of jewelry looking fantastic, preventing it from tarnishing is important. Keep your jewelry away from water. Lots of jewelry materials are dulled or tarnished by water exposure. You can give your jewelry an additional layer of protection by applying a thin coat of clear nail polish to it.\n\nWhen you're considering a diamond purchase, plan on shopping around and making comparisons. Take a close look at a truly top notch diamond, and then hold everything else you consider to that standard. Keep an eye out for deceptive tricks to cause you to think a diamond is better than it actually is.\n\nMany people find it hard to shop for unique individuals. The trick is picking something unique for them, maybe something made just for them. A one-of-a-kind jewelry piece is a great way to show someone how much they mean to you.\n\nWear jewelry for at least a day to see if it hangs correctly and is comfortable. Doing this also tells you how well it stands up to normal daily wear.\n\nIf you are in the market for new jewelry, look for sales! If you find the right sale, you might see a lot of savings. Locate the best prices online, in newspapers and in stores. You could get great jewelry at discounts close to 50%, especially when it comes to styles that are being phased out.\n\nWhen you are purchasing jewelry, you should avoid making a purchase simply because it carries a particular brand name. Not may people notice trendy names or brands in jewelry. If the salesperson tries to push a certain brand in you, they probably paid too much for the item as well. It is easy to find quality pieces from a variety of brands.\n\nAny piece of jewelry that wraps around and attaches, such as a necklace or a bracelet, absolutely must have a quality clasp. Without a decent clasp, you risk losing your expensive stones or chains. Valuable bracelets and necklaces should be secured with a safety clasp. If there is a piece that you simply cannot afford to lose, try an additional clasp for added safety.\n\nBoth steam and dry saunas are included.\n\nPakistani Escorts London\n\nPodobne artykuły\n\nkomentarze: 2 | wyświetlenia: 1040\nkomentarze: 9 | wyświetlenia: 1156\nkomentarze: 2 | wyświetlenia: 1004\nkomentarze: 2 | wyświetlenia: 648\nkomentarze: 11 | wyświetlenia: 715\nkomentarze: 3 | wyświetlenia: 872\nkomentarze: 5 | wyświetlenia: 826\nkomentarze: 0 | wyświetlenia: 736\nkomentarze: 1 | wyświetlenia: 705\nkomentarze: 0 | wyświetlenia: 571\nkomentarze: 12 | wyświetlenia: 480\nkomentarze: 4 | wyświetlenia: 599\nkomentarze: 2 | wyświetlenia: 524\nkomentarze: 6 | wyświetlenia: 885\nkomentarze: 2 | wyświetlenia: 1055\n\nPowiązane tematy\n\nBrak wiadomości\n\nDodaj swoją opinię\nW trosce o jakość komentarzy wymagamy od użytkowników, aby zalogowali się przed dodaniem komentarza. Jeżeli nie posiadasz jeszcze swojego konta, zarejestruj się. To tylko chwila, a uzyskasz dostęp do dodatkowych możliwości!\n\n© 2005-2018 grupa EIOBA. Wrocław, Polska", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5233831405639648}
+{"content": "20 mars 2019\n\nWork | What was the role of France in the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda?\n\nIn 1994, a genocide was perpetuated in Rwanda. In one hundred days, the Hutu extremists government organized the massacre of 800 000 persons, mainly from the Tutsi minority.\n\nUntil today, the position of France during this tragedy remain blurred. Which facts are still raising questions today? Focus.\n\n12 minutes\nRole: Writing, editing, motion design\nStory editors: Olivier Clairouin, Charles-Henry Groult\n(Full credits at the end of the video)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000096559524536}
+{"content": "\n\nThe recovery phase follows the drive. The recovery starts with the extraction and involves coordinating the body movements with the goal to move the oar back to the catch position. In extraction, the rower pushes down on the oar handle to quickly lift the blade from the water and rapidly rotates the oar so that the blade is parallel to the water. This process is sometimes referred to as feathering the blade. Simultaneously, the rower pushes the oar handle away from the chest. The blade emerges from the water square and feathers immediately once clear of the water. After feathering and extending the arms, the rower pivots the body forward. Once the hands are past the knees, the rower compresses the legs which moves the seat towards the stern of the boat. The leg compression occurs relatively slowly compared to the rest of the stroke, which affords the rower a moment to recover, and allows the boat to glide through the water. The gliding of the boat through the water during recovery is often called run.\nThe most commonly damaged piece of rowing equipment is the skeg, which is a metal or plastic fin that comes out of the bottom of the boat to help maintain stability, and to assist in steering. Since the skeg sticks out below the hull of the boat it is the most vulnerable to damage, however it is relatively easy to replace skegs by gluing a new one on. Hull damage is also a significant concern both for maintaining equipment, and for rower safety. Hull damage can be caused by submerged logs, poor strapping to trailers, and collisions with other boats, docks, rocks, etc.\nThe table on the left gives the speed of waves of different wave lengths in deep water. “Deep” in this context is not an absolute value, but is relative to wave length. The simple relationship starts to to breakdown when the depth of the water is less than 1/4 th the wave length. At that depth the bottom exerts sufficient drag on the wave to slow its motion and thus decrease the wavelength [equations and more about wave speed].\nThis type of calorie burn is better than what you would get from cycling or running, and it’s much gentler on the body. You can also position your hands differently in order to work new muscle groups in your lower and upper arms. Many people will be surprised to learn that rowing works the legs more than any other muscle group, but by switching up your rowing position, you can also focus on your abs, arms and shoulders for a total upper body workout that can provide impressive results just by working out a few times a week.\nWood is used for its unique visual appeal, but also for its ability to absorb sound vibration for smooth, quiet operation, as well as it's stable longevity. The Club edition rowing machine is handcrafted in solid ash wood and stained for color. It has been designed for high traffic or commercial areas, and its black rails have been styled to prevent scuffing. The other wooden components are finished in an attractive rosewood which is more resistant to soiling than the Natural model. Each machine has also been hand finished with Danish Oil and Urethane for protection.\n\nIf you are anything like me, you read the negative reviews to see what some of the complaints could potentially be...I have found none that match with my machine or experience so far. The boxes it came in were a little bunged-up but everything on the inside was perfect. Only took about 15-20 minutes to build (first time building a row machine) and another 5-10 to fill with water. We used it for a little while before we added the danish oil.\n\nAre you big and tall or small and dainty? Pay attention to maximum weight capacity when choosing a rowing machine. Also, those blessed with medium height know nothing of the struggle, but both particularly short and particularly tall people can find themselves with specific needs when it comes to working out, including finding some rowing machines uncomfortable or ineffective. If that's you, be sure to check the specifications and reviews before you buy.\nJohn Duke, creator of the WaterRower, was inspired to try his hand at invention while working at a subsidiary for U.S. Steel. He wanted to make an indoor machine that felt as much like real rowing as possible, with a focus on aesthetics. It took him two years to get the design right, moving past failed ideas such as a flipper in the tank instead of a clutch. What began as a series of doodles at his desk turned into a sculptural piece of exercise equipment that upends expectations in two ways: by bringing water indoors, and by looking elegant and artful when stored.\n\nAccording to Men’s Total Fitness, rowing machines are not only great for aerobic workouts, but they also work all of your body's major muscle groups. What’s more, you don’t have to go to the gym to work out on a rowing machine, as many manufacturers make high-quality rowing machines -- and even rowing machines that fold up for easy storage -- that are suitable for home use. Two popular types of rowing machines are the water rower and the air rower.\nIt’s time for the next Rough Water Clinic! DATE: Saturday, August 11th from 9a-12p at OWRC COST: $95, includes use of club boat REGISTRATION: Sign up on our new registration system Rough Water Clinic Registration ABOUT THE CLINIC: For experienced OWRC rowers the Rough Water Clinic is an exciting step into the wider and wilder part of open water rowing.… Continue Reading\nI don't know how this machine compares to others. I have no idea. Here's what I know: I've had treadmills and elliptical machines, weight benches and several exercise appliances from infomercials. They all work exactly like they should if you use the equipment on a consistent basis. That's where the problem comes in. I would always give up eventually and the machine would sit in the corner, covered with my laundry, laughing at me. I bought this rower without ever even trying one at the gym because I was desperate to do something (and I voted for Frank Underwood). This was the one machine I was not only able to stick with, but I now eagerly look forward to using. It started a chain reaction that changed everything. You know those incredible before/after transformation pictures you see on weight loss shows? I'm one of those guys now. Rowing is like a 'secret' in the fitness world in the way there is so little emphasis. However, in terms of results, it is so much more efficient. It works your upper and lower body at the same time, huge cardio/fat burner and builds muscle like crazy. I'm glad I'm in on the secret too.\nFitness experts as well as health professionals agree that rowing machines provide one of the best workouts possible. Exercising on a rower will allow you to target the great majority of your muscle groups and give them as hard and challenging a workout as you feel like giving them. On the better rowing machine models, you’ll be able to track your progress and see how your splits are improving.\nThe First Degree Newport rower utilises water resistance for a more effective workout that’s low impact, so it’s gentle on the body. You’ll focus on building up all the major muscle groups as you use a machine that offers a very realistic rowing experience.To increase resistance flip the valve control to add more water to the paddle water tank. To decrease resistance, remove water from the tank and enjoy a less challenging stroke for the cool down or warm up a portion of your workout. The tank on the Newport can hold a minimum of nine litres of water and a maximum of seventeen litres.\n\nIf you’re new to rowing, start off slow and begin with a five to ten-minute warm-up, followed by a twenty-minute workout and five to ten additional minutes for the cool down. During your workout, if you continue to consistently row at the same speed, over a period of a few sessions you should begin to notice an increase in your endurance. For a more intense workout, you can try interval training with your rower. Start off each workout by rowing for five to ten minutes at the highest resistance level, as fast as you can. Next, for two to three minutes row slowly, at the lowest resistance setting. Do this for thirty to sixty minutes. Interval training has been incorporated in many different types of exercise from cardio to strength training, and it’s designed to give your metabolism a jolt and make your body improve its fat burning abilities\n\n\nWe spent 42 hours on research, videography, and editing, to review the top picks for this wiki. These days, there’s no need to trek to a gym and pay costly membership fees if you want to get fit and stay healthy. Rowing machines provide a low-impact, full-body workout that targets almost every major muscle group. Once you choose the model that best fits your needs and find a convenient location somewhere in your home, there's nothing left to do but dip your oars. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to support our work. Skip to the best rowing machine on Amazon.\nRowing machines were first used in Archaic Greece. Chabrias, an Athenian military general in 4th Century B.C., invented wooden rowing simulators for his inexperienced oarsmen. This enabled them to learn technique and timing before stepping foot on actual water crafts. And it must have worked — Chabrias successfully led numerous naval attacks against the Spartans.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8314329981803894}
+{"content": "What To Do After a Car Accident\n\nWhat To Do After a Car Accident\n\nWhat you need to know is that there are over 8 million car accidents that occur in the US each year. You can’t prevent an accident entirely- afterall, it’s why they call it an “accident”- but there are steps you should take that will ensure a safe resolution after impact. Even though the situation may become stressful, we recommend staying calm and focused. To help you remember, just keep these five important steps in mind.\n\nHandle an Accident in 5 Simple Steps\n\n1. Safety First\n\nOnce an accident happens, assess the situation and your safety. Can you and your car move? For whatever reason, immediately turn your hazard lights on and let other drivers know there’s something wrong. If it is a minor accident, move your vehicle to the side of the road, out of traffic, and to a safer location. Put your car into park, turn off the vehicle, and make sure your hazards are still flashing. Take a deep breath. If needed, and especially at night, consider using flares or other road safety objects if you have them.\n\n2. Find Help\n\nTake into account what your location is. Make sure it’s safe to get out of your vehicle. Immediately check on any passengers you have, and all parties involved. This includes drivers, passengers, and potential nearby pedestrians. Call 911 immediately if there are any injuries. Even if it’s a minor accident, a police report is highly recommended to try and obtain for the insurance claim process.\n\n3. Document Everything\n\nYou’ll want to (without yelling or arguing) gather information from the other drivers involved in the accident, and also give them yours. Names and contact information of drivers and passengers, vehicle descriptions (like the make, model, year), driver’s license numbers, license plate numbers, insurance information (company and policy numbers), eyewitnesses (names and contact info), location of scene, and the police officer’s name and badge number are all highly recommended to take down. Also make sure to take photos of the scene from all angles for reference.\n\n4. File A Claim With Your Insurance Company\n\nIt is important to notify your insurance agent as soon as possible! If you’re not sure who to call, simply check the back of your insurance card for your insurer’s customer service information. Be as accurate as possible when giving the details of what happened and comply with all questions and requests. Keep any related documents and information together for the entirety of the claim process.\n\n5. Call Goodfellas Collision Repair Center\n\nDon’t let your insurance company send you to their collision center. As a car owners, you have every right to choose your own repair shop. Bring in your vehicle as soon as you can and Goodfellas Collision Center will take it from there. We can get your vehicle back up and running in better condition than it was before the accident. Before you know it, you’ll be back on the road. Call us today and remember to always drive safe!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5827354192733765}
+{"content": "Conversational UX for chatbots\n\nAn overview of essential discourse patterns, part 1\n\nHere at Nu Echo, we’ve been involved in the conversational space for quite some time now. One of the things we learned is that while creating a simple chatbot may take a few days (or even just a few minutes), creating one that is truly conversational requires a lot more time and expertise.\n\nThe purpose of this article is to present a list of the most important discourse patterns required to build what we consider a good conversational chatbot. This list is not exhaustive, but even then, it was quite long, so we decided to split it in multiple parts. This one will focus primarily on error handling and error messages.\n\nPlease note that we will only talk about task-oriented chatbots (also called transactional chatbots), i.e. bots that are designed to accomplish a task or a set of tasks, as typically opposed to chit-chat bots, whose primary objective is to maintain an organic conversation as long as possible. That second type of chatbot presents its own set of very interesting challenges, but it will not be the subject of this series of articles. We also won’t talk about implementation, as it can greatly differ depending on the technology that is used for development.\n\nContextual and progressive error handling\n\nHave you ever tried to interact with a bot, only to hit a conversational wall?\n\nDramatic reenactment:\n\nIt’s a frustrating experience, one that can drive users away from your bot. You want to avoid that kind of situation at all cost.\n\nLet’s analyze the previous example and see what could be done better.\n\nThe obvious problem is that the bot doesn’t understand what the user is trying to say (maybe because they don’t fully master the language). Here, the bot is expecting a date, and the user gives an integer. The risk of this kind of thing happening can never be fully eliminated, but we can at least design the bot to alleviate the negative effects of this kind of situation. Of course, one strategy is to improve the understanding capabilities of the bot. But beside that, another way is to write better, more detailed error messages that can guide the users and help them provide information in a form that will be properly recognized by the bot. These messages need to be tailored to the moment in the dialogue where the error is happening. In other words, they need to be contextual.\n\nGeneric error messages like “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” should never, ever be used, because they don’t provide meaningful information to the user and don’t contribute to the progression of the dialogue.\n\nEven worse, this kind of message can cause the user to be stuck in an infinite loop, the kind that can only be broken by rage quitting the conversation. Yikes.\n\nThis leads us to the other strategy that can be applied to improve the way the chatbot deals with mismatches: progressive error handling. Simply put, your error messages should get more detailed (and, hopefully, more helpful) after each consecutive user error. If the user struggle to convey a specific information, it may be because they’re not giving it in the form the bot is expecting it.\n\nAlso, to avoid the possibility of infinite loops, bots should have a threshold regarding consecutive errors. Once it is passed, you should consider escalation (like transferring to a human or scheduling a callback). If all fails, or if escalation is not possible for some reason, the conversation should be terminated altogether, the idea being that an interrupted conversation is less painful for the user than an overly long yet fruitless one.\n\nThe error threshold should be the same throughout the conversation, in order to make the bots responses consistent and (to some extent) predictable, as any user interface should be.\n\nLet’s combine these two concepts (contextual and progressive error handling) in another example:\n\nSure, you could always implement a special case in your dialogue, and treat any integer received at this point in the conversation as a date. But remember, this is just an example. And it’s only one case; any complex dialogue is bound to contain many more. While it is always a good idea to ensure that your bot is flexible and responsive enough, writing error handling messages that are of actual help to the user can help you avoid a lot of terrible situations.\n\nAnother thing to keep in mind while writing error messages: never patronize the user. For all you know, they may have entered a perfectly valid query that your bot miserably failed to recognize.\n\nContextual help\n\nTask-oriented chatbots, by nature, guide users through tasks that can require multiple interactions. In order to do that competently, they need to be able to provide detailed and contextualized explanations for each step. It is ok (and actually strongly recommended) to have a global level help response: this is where the bot will present to the user its main features. But global help is not enough.\n\nContextual help is a little different from global help, as it is based on the current position of the user in the dialogue. Ideally, you want to write a response for each situation where the user can ask for assistance, even if it seems trivial or self-explanatory. Don’t forget that conversational interfaces tend to be fuzzier than visual ones. Users don’t always take the shortest and easiest path towards their goal.\n\nWhile global level help can be considered as a response to the question “What can you do, bot?”, contextual help answers something else entirely: “I’m stuck, what should I do here?”.\n\nHere is an example of what contextual help messages can look like:\n\nContextual help can also be a great way to regain control of the dialogue. Instead of simply explaining what the user should do, the chatbot can be proactive and suggest actions or responses for the user. This is a subject that we will touch in the second part of this series.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9745796322822571}
+{"content": "Habibi’s Kebab is located in the busy Bayfair Shopping Centre’s food court. It offers Authentic Mediterranean Cuisine. Therefore, the design and branding solutions were based on both of the European Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Mediterranean styles and influences.\n\nThe use of ceramic tiles, wooden planks, and lanterns were identified as fundamental features of the main characteristics of the Mediterranean Design Style. Hence, the selected main design motif is the lantern shape commonly used in Moroccan lights. We selected two matching ceramic tiles in two different colours and sizes. The dark Mediterranean Blue logo was designed to match the lantern shaped ceramic tiles.\n\nThe logo is installed on a light Grey colour lantern shaped Ceramic tiled wall which strengthens the shape identity, and adds a layer of fine detailing to the background. Whereas, the middle section of the tenancy has warm coloured finishes to create a strong focal point. This was achieved by the use of random patterns Spanish ceramic tiles, and light coloured European timber planks complement the Light brown tones in the coloured ceramic tiles. Finally, handmade authentic pendant lights were placed enrich the over design theme.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8113811016082764}
+{"content": "Marked As:\n\n\n\n\nSpam information of the number (941) 883-1462. If you find no answer to help you find or come up with who or what is the number (941) 883-1462, write that has happened with this number and another user with the same experience to answer your questions, your comment also help other users with the same problem and arrive at a solution together\n\n(941) 883-1462\n\nLocated in Sarasota, Florida\n\n\nThe phone number 9418831462 is located in Sarasota, in the state of Florida\nThe public complaints that exist in thisphone can be read by children and other respectful people, do not make offensive comments or insults, nor make comments that are defamatory, this type of actions violate our policies and are not allowed, be respectful.\n\nReport a phone call from 941-883-1462\n\nPhone Formats And Area Code\n\nThe National format for this number is (941) 883-1462 and the international telephone numbering plan (E164) format is +19418831462, RFC966 format is tel:+1-941-883-1462, when the call is international the number is writing in the next format +1 941-883-1462.\nThe phone is located in area code 941\nThisPhone / 941-883-14## / 941-883-1462", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6659654378890991}
+{"content": "#100 Signed 'Will Robinson' Action Figure Stand\n\n\n\nDo you have a 'Wil Robinsonl' Lost In Space Action Figure...and do you wish that Bill Mumys signature was on the stand that holds that Action Figure... Well loo! \n\n+ Will Robinson Action Figure stands\n+ signed by Bill Mumy\n\nLost In Space is an iconic American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen. The series follows the adventures of a pioneering family of space colonists who struggle to survive in a strange and often hostile universe after their ship was sabotaged and thrown off course. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between 1965 and 1968. The first season was filmed in black and white, with the second and third seasons filmed in color.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9986642003059387}
+{"content": "Die 100 jährige GKB\n\n\nPublished in 1960 and written by Josef Sl;ezak and Hans Sterhart, this German language booklet is an early, but typical Slezak book, with small, but uesful side elevation drawings of locomotives and rolling stock.\n\nPublished to celebrate 100 years of the Graz-Köflacher-Eisenbahn, an independant railway in Eastern Austria which was famed for its 100  hundred year old 0-6-0 tender locos then in daily use, as well as various later Austrian locomotives of various shapes and sizes.\n\n38 pages, including 8 pages of B&W photos. Numerous drawings. Saddlestitched.\n\nCondition is suprisingly good given that it was largely printed on poorish quality paper which has yellowed somewhat - the 8 pages of photographs are on much better paper. Saddlestitched, but staples are good and not rusted.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9946668744087219}
+{"content": "Carol Lee Jackson\n\nManna Cabanna\n\nCarol Lynn Jackson has always seen food as a natural and easily relatable tool\nfor producing positive change. Her work in this area began in Washington, DC, where she used her\ntalents in public relations and marketing to promote chefs and “Best Of” restaurants in exchange\nfor their work on national hunger relief.\n\nUpon moving to Western North Carolina and starting a family, Carol Lynn became interested in where\nour food comes from: food sourcing. As she researched, she began to build relationships between\nlocal farmers and local outlets with the goal of creating and sustaining a local food network throughout\nthe region.\n\nToday, Carol Lynn is the mother of two college students and the owner of Manna Cabana, an outlet\nfor locally sourced foods. She also continues to lend her considerable marketing know-how to build\nour local food system and make healthy foods accessible to all.  Her TEDxTryon Talk, “Food Unity: The Power of Choosing Local”, shows audiences how locally sourced food on our plates contributes to healthier communities in every way.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8205199241638184}
+{"content": "Special Programs : Science Needs Champions: Creating collective action to advance biotech innovations for humanity\n\njun 6, 2018: 1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.\nRoom 207, Level 2\n\nIn today’s hyper-connected world, science has the potential to become ignored or misunderstood by the public. How do we bring science down from the ivory tower and bridge the gap between science and humanity? Champions of science are needed to translate complex ideas and make it simple, and human, so we can all engage in a dialog about science and its impact on our daily lives. We need global dialog so that discoveries from one corner of the world will improve lives and inspire breakthroughs in another. How do we help the people on the other side of the pill understand the importance of science?\n\nJoin a distinguished group of panelists who will address these important questions. The 2018 winner of the Dr. Paul Janssen Award will join the discussion.\n\nFor more information on the Dr. Paul J. Janssen Award for Biomedical Research visit: www.pauljanssenaward.com.\n\nAbility Level: All", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9793487787246704}
+{"content": "Blackberries on the bush\n\nHow To Grow Bountiful Blackberries\n\nBlackberries are easy to grow, food for free in autumn and nutritious\n\nThe humble blackberry considered to be a weed by so many is one fruit which almost always never fails to give a generous crop. Picking blackberries out of the hedgerows on a sunny, late summers evening is one of life’s little pleasures; with the added bonus of getting food for free. If the thought of being lacerated is off-putting then the thornless varieties are easy to grow at home. The blackberry, or bramble, is perennial and belongs to the rose family. There are over 375 species spread over Europe, north-west Africa, North and South America and the temperate regions of west and central Asia; with Mexico and Oregon, USA being the major commercial producers.\nThey make very good security hedging and are a valuable nectar source, with the leaves being food for caterpillars and loved by deer and goats. When left to grow wild they soon colonise waste land where they form a dense tangled mass, providing shelter for small mammals and birds. Ancient folklore says that they shouldn’t be picked after Michaelmas Day, 29th September, as the Devil makes them unfit by spitting on them. There is logic to this tale as in the cooler, wetter conditions of autumn the fruit becomes infected with moulds. They are high in fibre, vitamins C and K and also manganese.\n\nHow to grow\n\nThey are tolerant of most soils but need a sunny aspect in order for the fruit to ripen. They ideally need a free-draining but moisture retentive soil. If your soil is based on chalk, sand or clay it would be worthwhile enriching it with a barrow-full of organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted farm manure. Plants are usually bought in the autumn in bundles of 5, and really need planting straight away when the ground is still warm and the plants can put on some root growth before the winter. Soak the bundle before planting as this enables the roots to be separated easily and so minimises any damage. They need support from a wall, fence or wires; which need to be 45cm (18”) apart with the bottom wire 23cm (9”) from the ground. Plant about 2.5m (8’) apart, depending upon the cultivar. Cover the root ball with soil. Mulch with chipped bark, about 7cm (3”) thick, to keep the area around the plants weed-free, keeping the mulch 5cm (2”) away from the stems, to prevent any rotting and fungal infections. If planting in a dry spell make sure they are well watered, until they are established. Cut the canes back to a healthy bud to ensure lots of shoots in spring.\n\nIn spring top dress around the plants with a general purpose fertiliser at a rate of 100 grams per square metre. The new shoots need tying into the wires. After the canes have had their first winter cut the side shoots back to 5cm (2”) as this will encourage fruiting shoots. Remove the old canes once they have finished fruiting, and tie in the new growth. Remember to keep well watered to ensure plump, juicy fruits.\n\nBlackberry flower\n\nPests and diseases\n\nKeep the soil between the plants weed free to minimise the chances of attacks from pests and diseases. They are usually fairly disease free, but may have to be netted against the birds. Blackberry cane spot can be a problem; it appears as grey spots on the canes which can spread to the leaves. Canes split and eventually die; the only remedy is to cut out the affected canes.\n\nRecommended thornless varieties\n\nBlack Satin, Loch Maree, Loch Ness, Loch Tay, Merton Thornless\n\nPicking and storing\n\nPick the fruit from the end of July to the end of September. Remember to ask the landowners permission before entering fields. Pick carefully as they crush easily. Avoid any over-ripe fruit or any with mould or unripe segments. Store in the fridge in a single layer for up to 3 days. Freeze in a single layer, then store in plastic bags for up to 3 months.\n\nBlackberries in glass dish\n\n\nThey can be used for jams, jellies, wine or desserts. Use unsweetened puree as a glaze for duck instead of the usual orange. Made into a coulis it can be used as a topping for ice-cream or in fools and sorbets.\nPut 250g of blackberries, 50g caster sugar and 10ml water into a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes until the fruit is tender. Stir in half teaspoon of vanilla extract, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Blend to a puree then strain through a sieve. It will store for 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.\nBlackberry and Apple Crumble\n60g unsalted butter\n60g porridge oats\n60g plain flour\n60g Demerara sugar\nRubbed together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.\nPlace equal amounts of sliced cooking apples and blackberries in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar, amount depends upon how sweet you want it to be.\nCover with the crumble mix.\nBake in a moderate oven for approximately 30 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the crumble has browned.\nServe with custard, cream or ice-cream.\n\nAngela Slater", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5580987334251404}
+{"content": "How to Avoid Late-Night Snacking with Breakfast\n\nNew research shows high-protein breakfasts can help prevent weight gain.\nA study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests found that overweight and obese young women who ate high-protein breakfasts were less likely to oversnack on fatty and sugary foods at night. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.\n\nWe’ve long known that breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. But new research suggests that the higher the meal’s protein content, the better—especially for those trying to lose weight.\n\nThe study, which involved 20 overweight or obese females ages 18 to 20, wanted to determine whether a high protein or normal protein breakfast was more beneficial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The participants had a habit of skipping breakfast, something approximately 60 percent of young Americans do regularly.\n\nFor six days, researchers had the participants consume the following 350-calorie breakfasts: 1) a cereal-based meal with 13 grams of protein, 2) an egg and beef meal with 35 grams of protein, or 3) no breakfast at all. Every day the participants filled out questionnaires and provided blood samples. They also underwent MRIs before dinner to track brain signals associated with food desires.\n\nNot surprisingly, results showed that eating breakfast in general reduced hunger throughout the day compared with skipping it. However, researchers found that eating the high-protein breakfast produced the best results, including longer feelings of fullness. In addition, the protein-heavy meal reduced the participants’ cravings to snack on fatty and sugary foods at night.\n\nConsuming a high-protein breakfast (think egg-based waffles with applesauce and a beef-sausage patty or Greek yogurt) also altered the brain signals that control food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior.\n\n“These data suggest that eating a protein-rich breakfast is one potential strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy snacks with high-quality breakfast foods,” said lead researcher Heather Leidy in a statement.\n\nCurrently, it’s recommended that men consume approximately 56 grams of protein per day; for women, 46 grams.\n\nSince the study was relatively short, Leidy said further research is planned to determine whether eating a high-protein breakfast every day will improve bodyweight management in adolescents.\n\nThe full study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9935389161109924}
+{"content": "The dynamics of shakespeares character of macbeth\n\nAs the witches disappear, Ross arrives and presents Macbeth with his new title, but it becomes apparent that Macbeth has already begun to consider murdering Duncan and taking his place as king.\n\nHamartia is not simply a tragic flaw. Tragic heroes are not simply good or bad, they are human and make errors in judgment which shape who they are and how they arrive at their end.\n\nWomen suffer in tragedies, but the very titles, which are men's names, tell us that tragedy, in comparison to comedy, is a man's world. After the bloodshed begins, however, Lady Macbeth falls victim to guilt and madness to an even greater degree than her husband.\n\nWhen the battle is won, largely due to Macbeth and his lieutenant Banquothe Thane of LochaberDuncan honours his generals with high praise and sends the messenger Ross to deliver Macbeth his reward: Her actions at the beginning of the play were in response to the character he created in Macbeth.\n\nThere are certain scenes that raise the issue of gender roles in the play that I plan in advance for the students to perform, but if they identify other scenes that raise gender issues I would like to perform those scenes as well.\n\nVision and Form 2nd Edition. Sure, it demonstrates her awareness of self, but it also has her acting more like a tragic hero than a silent woman.\n\nWilliam Shakespeares Macbeth - PowerPoint PPT Presentation\n\nDeath would not lead to social harmony, hence the characters cannot be killed. Her silence clearly signals her agreement, and allows Petruchio to feel that he is the one controlling the scene. The discussions once a week will help provide an opportunity to add depth to their analysis and bounce ideas off of each other, and the scenes will give us the chance to put our ideas into action.\n\nShe further demonstrates this when she has the opportunity to kill Duncan herself but is unable to do so.\n\nMacbeth (character)\n\nMy thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smothered in surmise, and nothing is But what it is not. She has effectively done her job; she has made the tragic hero take action and begin to control the story. Throughout their reading the students will be asked to pull specific lines from the text and explain what those lines are doing or showing.\n\nPardon me, Bassanio, For by this ring the doctor lay with me. His response to every problem is violence and murder. He murders the servants and Lady Macbeth faints. This unit also requires students to perform scenes in front of the class.\n\nBefore killing Macbeth, he deprives him of his last symbol of security, for as a cesarean child he was not actually born of woman. Who can be wise, amazed, temp'rate and furious, Loyal and neutral, in a moment?\n\nTragedy has even stronger effects on gender roles than comedy. His final words as he looks at Cordelia's body are \"Do you see this? Like Macbeth, Banquo thinks ambitious thoughts, but he does not translate those thoughts into action.\n\nMacbeth Characters\n\nOthello is allowed to rail at her, strike her in public, and say things like \"I cry you mercy then. In addition to Orlando's marriage to Rosalind and Oliver's marriage to Celia, Shakespeare throws in the marriage of a shepherdess, Phebe, to a shepherd.\n\nFor where else in the play has she remained silent when someone was abusing her? Taming of the Shrew begins in a state of disharmony.\n\nThe same rules apply throughout. Dawson, Shakespeare's Dramatic Genres, 72 5. After reviewing these elements I will ask the students to identify any of these elements they have found at this point. The exception to this rule is the female characters. U of Delaware Press, Here lay Duncan, His silver skin laced with his golden blood, And his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature For ruin's wasteful entrance:User Description: Essay on the character dynamics and interplay of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the text Macbeth.\n\n“The Young Company Presents Shakespeare’s Macbeth 2013 Study Guide”\n\nThe essay details specifically the change and influence of their relationship as the play progresses and the consequential effects of this change on major events. Lady Macbeth Essay “A dynamic character is an individual that undergoes a drastic character change or revelation.”[1] Lady Macbeth is an ideal example of this kind of character.\n\nAt the beginning of the play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth can be perceived as a manipulative and deeply ambitious person, which. But Shakespeare's characters who rely on ghosts and otherworldly portents (Macbeth, Hamlet, Lear) usually don't fare well in the end. Character of Macbeth At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is celebrated as a brave soldier and is.\n\nLady Macbeth is an exception within the tragedies in that she is the only female character who is not known by her own name. There are Gertrude, Ophelia, Desdemona, Emilia, Cordelia, Regan etc.\n\nShakespeare moves away from this tradition in Macbeth by not giving us the name of the one main female character. James was a patron of Shakespeare’s acting company, and of all the plays Shakespeare wrote under James’s reign, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright’s close relationship with the sovereign.\n\nIn focusing on Macbeth, a figure from Scottish history, Shakespeare paid homage to his king’s Scottish lineage. The Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeare's Play Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ is a play about murder and tragedy.\n\nWhen we first meet Lady Macbeth’s husband, Macbeth, we see him as a loyal and honourable man, however as we read further into the play his character changes.\n\nThe dynamics of shakespeares character of macbeth\nRated 3/5 based on 44 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9883716106414795}
+{"content": "13C NMRCarbon-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance\nReferences in periodicals archive ?\nElemental analysis thermal analyses conductivity cyclic voltammetry IR 1H NMR 13C NMR UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy have been used to assess relevant interactions of flavonoids and metal ions the chelation sites the dependence of complex structure on the metal/ligand ratio the capability of flavonoids in binding metal ions etc [14].\nThe technique of 13C NMR with Cross-Polarization and Magic-Angle Spinning (CPMAS NMR) is ideal for solids, and solution 13C NMR is used for extracts such as tannins from plant material and humic fractions from mineral soil.\nInternational cooperation between European EPDM producers, represented by the IISPR's European section technical/operating committee, and North American EPDM producers, represented by ASTM, used 13C NMR to determine more accurately the ethylene contents of the calibrants, according to Dr.\nAlcohol dehydrogenase controls the flux from ethanol into lipids in Drosophila larvae: a 13C NMR study.\nThe 13C NMR chemical shifts of thioamide with Pd(II) tris-4-chlorophenyl phosphine complexes are given in the experimental section.\n1H NMR spectra were recorded using a Bruker AMX-400 (400 MHz) and Varian VXR-500S (500 MHz) instruments and the 13C NMR spectrum of friedelin (1) was obtained on Bruker AMX-400 at 100 MHz.\nWe have prepared the cinnamyl acetate and confirmed the structure with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9460575580596924}
+{"content": "\n\nCook Talk\n\ncollege graduation\nShantelle Fields\nIm planning a graduation party for my daughter it will consist of 75 people including adults and kids. I was thinking brisket, ribs, chicken, salad, potatoe salad, beans, corn on cob, fruit trays, and a cake as well as drinks. Is this an ok menu and how much will be needed for the number of people.\nPerfectly OK traditional menu.\n\nbrisket, 30 pounds raw\nribs, at least 1 per person, I allow 1/2 pound\nchicken, 1 piece per person- about 8 chickens\n\nsalad, use the plan for 100 page, do 3/4\npotato salad, about 2 1/2-3 gallons\nbeans, 2 gallons\ncorn on cob, 1 piece per person, or 1 1/2 if you use the half size ones. about 3 pounds of butter\n\nfruit trays, use the fruit tray page. 1/2 the deluxe tray for 100 would be enough\ncake, a full sheet or a 2 layer 1/2 sheet would serve 60. How about 2 dozen cup cakes to cover the gap? Tiny mortarboards from chocolate graham crackers stuck on the icing?\n\ndrinks- use the beverage planning page, covers ever type drink.\n\nWrite back if needed. If this saves you time, trouble, or money, please make a donation, maybe a dime per guest, to support this site. Thanks.\n\nE-Mail: (optional)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9575368762016296}
+{"content": "Derrick Boateng sues John Paintsil over $20,000 borrowed money\n\n\n\n\nBoateng was granted an order of substituted service on 16 August, 2018 to serve the defendant (Paintsil) after several unsuccessful attempts since filing the writ on 15 May, 2018.\n\n\n\nStatement of Claim\n\nAccording to the statement of claim, the plaintiff said he is a Ghanaian, a footballer and plying his career internationally and resides in London, while the defendant, John Paintsil, is also a footballer and currently residing in Ghana after a successful international career.\n\nThe plaintif said, he (Boateng) and the defendant (Paintsil) were all national team players of Ghana Black Stars and were part of the Ghanaian contingent that played in the 2010 world cup held in South Africa.\n\nThe plaintiff contended while the team was in South Africa, the defendant borrowed $20,000 from him (Boateng) and he (Paintsil) promised to pay the money at the camp, but later promised to pay when he returned to his club.\n\nThe plaintiff further stated that because they were playing for the national team, he did not pursue the defendant vigorously for his money thinking since they were friends, the defendant would willingly pay the money.\n\n\n\nThe plaintiff averred that recently when he demanded his money, defendant made it clear that he did not owe the plaintiff ”but admits that that money he collected from the plaintiff was used for gambling at the camp and since he lost, he has no money to give to the plaintiff.\n\nThe plaintiff said he was not part of that game, but defendant borrowed the money and used it personally for his own interest and therefore must refund the money.\n\nSource: Daily Heritage", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9717232584953308}
+{"content": "In 2006, the artist Carlo Zanni creates a short film hosted in a website that is re-edited every day, adding different content based on data from users who have seen the film. This project is called “data cinema”, and refers to the use of cinematic language to create a fiction based on the data obtained in real-time from the Internet. This type of creation brings the infinite variety of a process executed by a computer to cinematic narrative. In the digital era, a film is also a set of data, and this data can be processed and reinterpreted by a machine in an endless loop.\n\nThis selection of digital art works includes several pieces that have no defined duration, and therefore each of them will be screened continuously in the cinema of the Film Archive of Murcia during one day (see program), allowing viewers to enter and leave the room as they wish. Thus, the works not only suggest a transformation of cinematic language but also a new experience for the viewer, who decides the duration of her viewing of each film.\n\nCurator: Pau Waelder\n\n\nComputers Watching Movies\nBenjamin Grosser, 2013\n\nComputers Watching Movies shows what a computational system sees when it watches the same films that we do. The work illustrates this vision as a series of temporal sketches, where the sketching process is presented in synchronized time with the audio from the original clip. Computers Watching Movies was computationally produced using software written by the artist. This software uses computer vision algorithms and artificial intelligence routines to give the system some degree of agency, allowing it to decide what it watches and what it does not. Six well-known clips from popular films are used in the work, enabling many viewers to draw upon their own visual memory of a scene when they watch it. The scenes are from the following movies: 2001: A Space Odissey, American Beauty, Inception, Taxi Driver, Matrix and Annie Hall.\n\n\nFractal Film\nAntoine Schmitt y Delphine Doukhan, 2013\n\nThe generative video installation Fractal Film proceeds to an exhaustion of the view on a given scene : an autonomous programmed camera explores and shows us the same scene indefinitely and always differently. Projected in large format, the short cinematographic scene plays, over and over. Although in a loop, it is never seen with the same angle, the same camera position, movement and behavior. The scene, written and shot by Delphine Doukhan, is a short but complex drama with multiple plot levels, a wordless burlesque huis clos involving six characters during a troubled reception with a sense of tacit ritual. This very precisely choreographed scene was shot in very high definition (5K) at eight different angles. At exhibition time, a software-based camera, designed and written by Antoine Schmitt, navigates by zooming inside this source video material to explore and display of the scene in infinitely various ways. To do so, it follows written rules of movement, defined by the authors, and drawn from cinema language, from animal behavior, from mathematics and physics. Some of these rules explicitly leave freedom of movement to the camera, within certain limits. At each scene occurrence, the camera chooses one rule at random and follows it. The result is an infinitely variable way of looking at a given scene.\n\n\nThe Possible Ties Between Illness and Success\nCarlo Zanni, 2006\n\n“The Possibile Ties Between Illness and Success” is a short movie transformed by an Internet data flux and re-edited server-side when web statistics (Google Analytics) are available: the public who visited the website could watch a new movie every day. The short movie tells the story of a ill man whose body is filled by cancer-like cells which number and position depend on the number of users – and their country of origin- visiting the website. At the time the project was online, there was no way to watch the movie if not visiting the website. Doing this the public was adding his presence on the body of the actor under the form of a cancer like cell, contributing to the spread of the illness. It was like an endless circle. This project tells about the relationships between manic-depressive illness forms and success at large and also speaks about our intimate balance between isolation and public presence that in these days of continuous exposure becomes a daily delicate negotiation. Music is by Oscar winner Gabriel Yared, while the voice over comes from the last page of American Purgatorio, a book by American writer John Haskell. Every second day of the month the process was restarting, so basically the second day of each month the server produced a film with a number of stains taken from the online visitors of the first day of that month. And so on until the end of the month, that presented the accumulation of almost 30 days of visitors. The project was online for about a year producing almost 360 movies.\n\n\nThe Pirate Cinema\nNicolas Maigret, 2013\n\n\n\nGrégory Chatonsky, 2008\n\nThe subtitles of the film “Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom” (Pier Paolo Passolini, 1975) are automatically translated into a photograph with Flickr. A new film is set before us then produced at the core of the network and traces of lives left by users.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5083926916122437}
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+{"content": "Spanking is Not God’s Will\n\n\n\n\nNo Defense, Just Reflection\n\n\n\nProcessing Spanking\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA few related posts…\n\nA Letter\nWhy Timeouts Are Even Worse Than Spanking\nBeyond Spanking, Beyond Training: A Look At Our Littlest Minds\nHumiliation – Far Reaching Effects on Children, Adults, Society\nToddler Spanking\n\nOstracism in Action\n\nWhat follows is an exercise in ostracism, for the purpose of contemplation on the part of anyone who chooses to read on.  My only request is that you read the entire post before you form your conclusion.\n\nThese are a series of comments/responses from the post found here.\n\nI wrote the original post it in such a way to cause an impassioned response specifically from people who don’t understand or believe there is harm in using “timeouts” as punishment, or even contemplative time.  (Contemplative time is not harmful, and it does not look like a timeout.)  Seems as though my approach has been rather successful so far, based upon all the commentary today.  I’m glad you guys are talking!\nIt is a given that I believe anyone who strikes their child deserves a giant do the same thing to them, without a moment’s hesitation.  I believe the same is true for someone who uses ostracism to try to get a point across to their kid.  They deserve a unified ignore session by those they wish to be included by.\n\nThe exercise shown in this exchange goes to demonstrate the topic in question rather effectively. Please know that my harsh tone is not to ridicule or offend the woman to whom I am speaking, but to illustrate a point, by allowing someone else to do it for me.\n\n– To the woman in the exchange, I regret that you have been negatively effected through this.  I hope we can, in the future, have intelligent and thoughtful, compassion conversation. However, if you choose otherwise, I will respect your decision.\n\n\n2010/09/15 at 7:57 pm – In reply to original post (link is shown above)\n\nI can see a lot of your points…however, I don’t feel timeout is that bad. We use it with our 2 1/2 year old daughter only for more severe things…hitting, biting. It is very rare she is in time out. However, we don’t yell or scream we simply say, “Bummer, no ______ , time out) Then right after Time out we say, “Time out is over, I love you!” and we move on. She hasn’t seemed effected by it negatively at all and like I said, it is rare that she is in time out. I don’t see it as ignoring her…I see it has her taking a couple of minutes to think about her choices and why they were poor ones.\n\nThat’s a bummer that you disagree and don’t choose to review science, or the entire practice, as your daughter experiences it. Tell you what, I suggest you take a few moments, think about things a bit, and when I think you have had enough time to really understand within yourself something that you seem to not at the moment, I’ll continue. Until then, I won’t be responding, nor will I allow anyone else to.\n\nReview science???? Why spanking is better than time out???? First, you need to respect other peoples’ views and discipline as long as they are creating well rounded kids, who respect everyone, are friendly, treat everyone equally, and are raised with great values. If I see parents who do this…I don’t question their discipline procedures. For kids who are disrespectful, mean, etc. I would question that. You can’t judge….my daughter is one of the happiest kids I know and I’m not the only one who thinks that….So her minimal time outs have not had a negative effect on her! Keep an open mind! I would never spank her…even though I was spanked…there are other, better ways to discipline!\n\n2010/09/15 at 8:44 pm | In reply to Lauren Raymond.\n\nThat took you 14 minutes. You are not happy with me, are you? I should now say, I suppose, I have decided (by the fact that I approved your response) that you have had enough time to think about what I have imposed upon you to think about. And, I’ll add that I hope you have a better idea now of what you think, and how you’ll act next time. I respect you! And I see nothing wrong with making you take a couple of minutes to think about your choices and why, in my opinion, they are poor ones.\n\nPissed, aren’t you.\n\nI dismissed you. I singled you out, disapproved, and decided that your thoughts, comments, and existence was such that I could assign and judge your value.\n\nYou still haven’t reviewed the science behind the brain’s response to time outs. But that’s ok, because, unlike your daughter, I cannot force you to do anything. I can isolate and reject you, and I can tell you what you do is wrong, but you’re an adult so, I have no power over you. Or do I? Again, you’re pissed at me.\n\n2010/09/15 at 9:01 pm | In reply to Angie.\n\nYeah, I was pissed b/c you are judging me based on not knowing me and what my situation is and how I raise and discipline my daughter. I’m proud of my husband and I, we are on the same page with raising and disciplining our daughter and we are bringing up a very well-rounded, respectful, happy child! Now do you have power over me??? No. Am I pissed again? No… I realize what you are doing. I respect you and your thoughts and like hearing other people’s thoughts, ideas, research etc, even if I don’t agree with all of it!\n\n\nTo conclude this post, with respect being shown to this\nwoman’s value and autonomy,\nI will address a couple of her remarks,\nin the voice of direct response.\n\n“Review science???? Why spanking is better than time out????”\nI wonder if you have not read the post in its entirety, or perhaps have not understood the content.\nIn response, I respectfully will say that the only thing I have to do is accept that every legal resident of my country has the right to hold, promote, and change their views.  I do not have to tolerate, condone, or allow abuse.  Our society thinks mutilating a boy’s genitals is just fine.  A really good amount of our society thinks striking a child is just fine.  You don’t.  Neither do I.  But you think isolating and rejecting a child, in the name of a timeout (because it works and doesn’t seem to directly cause any damage) is also fine, as does the majority if our society.  I do not.  Our society as a whole follows itself around and around, afraid to detour or step out of line.  Why is this?  Refer to the definition of ostracism, and look at it from a reverse point of view.\nThere are a few of us out there that step out of the collectively determined appropriate line, almost continually.  Sometimes it’s intentional, sometimes it’s not even something we’re aware we’ve done.  We’re not damaging others by doing so, except those that are in need of our following and blind acceptance and approval.  We damage their egos. They are the people who most often retaliate with nonsense and declaration of war.\nBut, contrary to your point of view of me, I do respect the fact that everyone has his/her own view.  And I hold that very quality with high regards.  In fact, I appreciate those that will speak openly about their views the most. However, my criteria in judging whether a parent is succeeding is different than yours.  And you feel as though I have attacked you simply because of how I chose to not just agree with your decision to voice your opinion.  Admittedly, I took it a few steps further and allowed the natural course of conflict to develop in effort to demonstrate the very interplay to which I am most assertively speaking against when it comes to how it is used with children.\nMy criteria is not based on the generally accepted methods our society uses to determine whether a human is a good person.  Nor, do I use the criteria that if the child doesn’t offend me by their behavior, and appears to be generally respectful and properly functioning, given what I happen to get to observe in a public or even semi-private setting, that the parent is not abusing the child.  My criteria is that the child is raised in an environment that is not harming, not destructive, and does not produce a child who is<em> unwhole </em>or damaged in even the slightest way.  I do not judge a parent’s effectiveness or assign a degree of “good” based upon the child. I judge the parent based upon the actions and decisions of the parent.\n\nGiven: Society will kill my ideal – a wholly, undamaged child who grows to a complete and unharmed adult.  But in my home, my child will never experience the insecurity, uncertainty, or lack of my utmost respect for their existence.\nEven when I am angry, I will never isolate or reject my child so she can “think about what she’s done wrong”.  I will work with her to understand her motives, and work with her (that means use words and conversation, body language and compassion) so that she understands my responses.  If, however, she goes off on her own, to spend time alone by her own choice,  I will not prevent it – which goes back to respecting her autonomy and value.\nAgain, I don’t judge anything based upon the child. I don’t impose myself or my beliefs either. However, if asked, I will respond with the information and education I have. And if given a chance to demonstrate, I welcome people watch that education in action with my own child.\nActually, I can judge; I have a fairly well developed sense of discernment. What I think you want to tell me here is that you are angry and offended and feel as though I have passed judgment upon you.  In other words, by my actions, you feel like I have asserted that I am somehow superior to you.  I would be just as pissed if someone tried to do that to me.  But what might not be so apparent is that instead of asserting a superiority, I just got in your face, as an equally intelligent and capable person.\nInstead of being wishywashy, going with the accepted norm,  and allowing you to speak and not responding in turn,  I responded in a manner that is very similar to what our society forces upon its children routinely, in the name of good parenting and good child rearing.  Our society even goes so far to promote this method as the most humane, most considerate, and most concerned with the welfare of the child.\nIf you think about it, that exact same mantra was propagated across the planet, by well meaning, upright peoples with excellent values, only the context was to spank, to segregate, and to subjugate the female gender – just in the last few generations.  The masses bought the blah then, and they buy it now.  But science quietly presses on, discovering and sharing with those who wish to educate and inform themselves.   – Again I refer to Mr. Roddenberry… may he rest in peace.  😉\n\n\nI am not actually judging you.  I have questioned you.\n\nI have spoken against something you feel is just fine and you have taken it personally.  This is a reasonable response.  But I wonder if you might be interested in substantiating your chosen belief and actions, as not being harmful, in response to my assertion that it is, in fact harmful and damaging.\n\nI am happy that you are satisfied with your choices, that your husband and you concur (which makes it a lot easier, definitely), and that you believe your daughter is being properly cared for.  However, I still do not approve of, nor condone the use of ostracism or any form of manipulation or abuse.  That’s the funny thing about abuse… we all know it causes damage, but we use it in so many different ways that often it is hard to pinpoint or even recognize, until much, much later.\n\nNo, I do not know you or your daughter, but I don’t need to either.  What I do know is that you use this method, you think it’s just fine, you are willing to defend it in theory (hopefully you’ll substantiate, as mentioned), and that you don’t like it when I turn the method around and you are the target.\n\nYour blog describes an episode of your daughter hitting you.  That same post has your description of your assigned consequence, which was one that she was given a choice to allow to occur.  She continued hitting you, thereby choosing to test whether you would follow through (the consequence was your refusal to read her a story before bed, as is the routine).  Then, after enforcing your threat, you left her alone to cry. Your post indicates her father intervened by showing her security, love, and affection.  She accepted his comforting, accepted the consequence of her action, and everyone got some sleep.\n\n  • My question is, why you allowed her to cry alone, after executing her consequence.\n  • My other question concerns why she was hitting you in the first place.\n\n\nIf there is anything to understand about me, it is that I do not function on the approval of a collective.  I also don’t take anything for fact just because multiple people will “agree” it must be fact.  Proof is one thing, opinion is quite another.\nThat said, I choose my beliefs, actions, and values based upon fact, knowledge, and experience.\nI invite your solid responses.  And if any of you are interested in discovering what can be an option for raising a child without damaging them, by any form of abuse, I encourage you to begin to follow the threads related to the alternative ideas I will start presenting, as I compose them with some resemblance of logic and coherence.\n\nMy best to all of you.\n\nPunitive Timeouts & Spanking: Equally Damaging\n\nAs you read this, if you are unaccustomed to my beliefs or written tone and rhythm, please go here first.  Then, as you read, keep Ken’s comments in mind.\n\nI am in a state of aggravation, spurred by injustice, impossible scenarios, no sleep, trepidation over the damage I may be causing my child with all this transition (moving, traveling), and struggling through a significant crevasse between my husband and I.  Right now, I am not whole.  I am torn in two, with a thread of goo left dangling in between. Please forgive my attempt at coping by using sarcasm instead of sheer wit and completely pure communication.  I’m jaded and in protective mode right now… and as if life isn’t large enough as it is at the moment, I have found myself being expected to conform or defend some of my core beliefs to some very real and large, tangible people (outside my home’s walls, but not far from them).  One of the topics is the use of timeouts.\n\nSomehow, me saying that timeouts are torture in my opinion isn’t enough to get the various people to which I refer above to leave me alone.\n\n\nWhat is the point of a time out?\n\nFrom the adult’s perspective, if we’re honest, first and foremost, hopefully the answer to that question is to insist a child realize they have evoked your disapproval by their actions and behaviors.  Second, to be completely honest, it is to give the adult a moment’s peace, during which they do not have to contend with the child’s behaviors and actions that are causing frustration.\n\nWe accomplish our task by forcing our child to endure rejection, isolation, and dehumanizing “space to think”, which if they had managed to “think” in the first place, they would never have allowed themselves to be forced into the position they found themselves in – the experience of ostracism by a trusted, loved, care giver.\n\nBelow you will find links to subsequent posts as I complete them related to the subject, picked apart concept for concept, and sometimes sentence for sentence.  I hope you will summon your curiosity and continue the learning process, open your mind to your child’s world view, and soften your heart so that a greater knowledge and understanding might enter your parenting and the future health of your child (and you).\n\nToo spiritual, mystical, out-there talk??\n\nOk, here’s the same thing without the flowers and fairies:  Timeouts cause the brain to sense physical pain because it is in fact, a deliberate action of forced isolation, rejection, and detachment, even at the most “dutiful and appropriate” level. What’s worse, that isolation, rejection, and detachment is being forced upon a child powerless to prevent it by the very entity that is supposed to represent a safe, secure, and protected place/person (be it a parent, teacher, etc).\n\nThe betrayal, on multiple levels, is astounding and horrifying.\n\nIt’s real.\n\nDon’t believe me?\n\nTry this: Cause those around you to purposely ignore your presence, the other adults you see as valuable for one reason or another, in your daily life. Now, make it so you cannot stop their lack of or refusal to acknowledge you (otherwise known as “removal of positive reinforcement”) until you conform to their will and wishes, or until you regain their approval in some way (if you are capable).  Tell me this is not damaging.  Tell me this doesn’t hurt you. Tell me that it doesn’t make you squirm, angry, resentful, vengeful, and ultimately needy.  I dare you to try.\n\nNow, take that one step further and view the same scenario through the eyes of an under/undeveloped child, inexperienced in social and emotional behavior patterns, still forming a fundamental sense of self and confidence, not capable of fully understanding why, or what they have done to loose the approval of others that resulted in this forced rejection and isolation. (May bet is that if you use timeouts, or spanking for that matter, you do not fully disclose pertinent thoughts to your child, as that might just give them too much knowledge to use against you at some point, so there is a good chance that the child is not fully aware of all aspects of their infraction.)\n\nMy take?  Smacking a child may possibly cause less scarring than using timeouts/ostracism, and you all know what I think about using violence and spanking, smacking, hitting, whipping, or using any sort of like action – that being to strike, in any manner.   The reason is simple: Spanking causes humiliation, fear, and physical pain.  Ostracism causes all the same, in addition to a loss of perceived self value, loss of approval, pain of rejection, fear of isolation, and the prevention of remedy (while they sit there thinking about what they’ve done, they are effectively prevented from generating a resolution or remedy).  The amount of psychological scarring and damage is doubled.\n\nPlease understand that if I am made aware of your choice to hit your child, and you’re within arm’s reach of me, I will hit you in the exact manner and force you used on them.  And then… maybe I’ll ignore you after, just to make sure you get the full effect of the devaluing and dismissal.\n\n\nOk, here we go……\n\nI have had parents tell me that using timeouts is an excellent option for them, it gets great results.  I cringe.. if you understand anything about me, you know that first and foremost, I believe it paramount that we raise our children with intelligence, the ability to reason and understand their world, respect for their world (this includes those who are in a position to care and provide for them), and a curiosity to explore, develop, and learn.  THE moment I hear a parent tell me that they’ve figured out a system to manipulate their child, for the sake of their own will and desire, regardless of why or what, I start to ache for their little one.  Then, I find out they hit them (ok, spank – really, show me what the physical action of a spanking is, now repeat the action with the same force using the same tool either against a piece of foam like the kind you use in the base of a fake plant, or a brick wall if you’re brave and dumb enough.  It’s the same action as hitting, and when the object makes contact, let’s see what happens).  OR I find out they faithfully don’t spank, “would never dream of it, that’s awful and abusive”, but oh yes, they definitely use timeouts, otherwise known as rejection, which includes the transmission of obvious disapproval, and then of course the torturous forced isolation aspect.  Yes, that’s a great solution.\n\nThat same parent, in their next breath, ridicules their child passively, dishonors their child’s autonomy and dignity by speaking about them as if they are less, and typically though standing right there, the parent behaves as if the child is not in the room. Then, as if to redeem themselves in the face of, well, my face, which is typically by then contorted and unable to hide the pain it feels due to the unavoidable sense of compassion and dismay I feel for the child, they begin to offer semi-relevant praise “about” their child, that they sort of direct through their child in hopes that I’ll buy it and encourage them that they’re really a great parent after all.  All the while, their child is standing there knowing full well that the praise is empty, that it has a hitch or some sort of catch and they’ll hear about it as soon as I’m not in the room, and that their parent will insist they acknowledge the efforts and praise offered, as if it is an obligation for the child to also validate the parent, as the parent insisted I do.\n\nBut I don’t. And to date, only one parent has stood their ground long enough to start asking me why I won’t buy into their ploy and help them feel good about themselves, so that their kid is forced to do the same thing… Only one parent has ever had the courage to question my refusal to help them make their child feel inferior, of course that’s not really what they want, they just want to be superior.\n\nThe parent that asked me why it was that it seemed as though I appeared to think they were full of shit, is the same parent that an hour later broke down in front of their child, crying, while sitting on the floor in front of the child, begging the child to forgive him for his arrogance, sense of entitlement, and gross oversight of the true value of his child.  The child responded with compassion and bewilderment, and didn’t say much.\n\nThe two left that night, together, connected in a way they’d never been, with a mutual respect present that was brand new.  The child admired the parent, though he was confused and didn’t seem very trusting or certain of the situation.  The parent discovered the immense worth and complexity of his child, and found that he too held a high level of admiration for the child, it had just been hiding under the surface for years – 9 years to be exact (the child was 10 years old).\n\nI heard from this father about a month ago, his child is now 12.  This father is still struggling with allowing himself to truly acknowledge and respect his child’s autonomy and worth. He is driven to seek reasons and actions that justify him feeling and thinking this way, before he demonstrates this belief to his child.\n\nWe talked about this concern and the father indicated that he, himself, held a deep resentment toward his own parents and other care givers for never allowing him to feel as though he was a legitimate and useful contributor, simply because he was nothing more than a child.  He grew up assuming that all children were nothing more than something to be dealt with, tolerated until they’re grown, appreciated for what they do that pleases the adult (and in truth, mimics the adult’s preferences), but not too highly appreciated lest the child become arrogant… it goes on and on.\n\nIt’s a simple point of attributing a lessor worth and diminished degree of legitimacy to a person, simply because of their age.  We, as a human race, do this to each other based on ethnicity, language, religion, wealth, and gender. We’d be truly crazy hypocrites if we didn’t do the same thing because of age too. Come on, really.. we’re not that dumb, are we?\n\nThe positive side the father reported, however, was that his child and he shared a mutual respect for each other, and instead of punishment for error, the father had learned to use logic, reason, natural consequence, and give his child room to error, room to disagree, room to explore and discover, room to question and seek guidance – instead of shoving it down the child’s throat, and room to return respect and admiration for the father that can so deeply love, if he allows himself to be that vulnerable.\n\nThe real catch is, this father changed not only the dynamics of his relationship with his then pre-teen child, but that decision affected his relationship with the child’s mother immensely and brought the two parents back together in a mutual love and respect that neither had ever experienced in their former relationship together. Now, each member of this family knows they are valued, appreciated for who they are and what they think, admired for their efforts and dedication, and respected because they are, not because of what they do or don’t. Love found a place to call home and it took root. And this kid, let me tell you, is one emotionally healthy, intelligent, and confident kid, with a boatload of personal integrity and ability to demonstrate compassion and dedication like none I’ve recently seen or known, of the same age.\n\n\nNow, to discuss specifically the harm and damage that is the actual result of using a timeout punishment system – quite possibly the most poignant and intelligent perspective I have ever come across regarding the use of timeouts:\n\nWhat you probably didn’t realize is that the silent treatment is a form of ostracism. When someone is ostracized it affects the part of their brain called the anterior cingulate cortex. Do you know what the anterior cingulate cortex does?\n\nThe anterior cingulate cortex is the part of the brain that detects pain. When you give someone the silent treatment you are causing that person physical pain. Simply by ignoring someone else’s existence you can inflict pain on them. This is what the ever popular “time out” with a child is so effective. The child feels ostracized, therefore is feeling pain even though no physical pain was inflicted on them, and therefor they want to behave so they don’t have to feel that way again.\n\nThe silent treatment can be a very destructive behavior when it involves personal relationships. Let’s say with a husband and wife for instance. The silent treatment breeds bitterness on both ends and it borders on emotional abuse… I’m not making that up to be dramatic. That’s what “they” say.\n\n\nThen, we take a look at this from another angle –\n\nNumb to the pain\n\nIt turns out that “hurt feelings” may be a more valid term than most of us think. Research by Williams suggests that ostracism triggers the same area of the brain that’s active when we feel physical pain. He and his colleagues used FMRI to examine what happened in the brain when people played several versions of “Cyberball”: Participants were either included in the game, excluded having been told their computer wasn’t hooked into the network, or intentionally excluded.\n\nEach time participants felt excluded—even when it was unintentional—the brain’s dorsal anterior cingulate cortex lit up, according to findings published in Science (Vol. 302, No. 5643). This area is well-known for being part of the brain’s pain detection system, says Williams. Participants also reported feeling emotional pain.\n\nWilliams’s findings make sense from an evolutionary perspective, argue Leary and Geoff MacDonald, PhD, in a 2005Psychological Bulletin (Vol. 131, No. 2) article. They propose that social pain piggybacks on nerve pathways in the brain originally laid out for physical pain. The two now share many of the same pathways, resulting in similar responses to the two seemingly disparate phenomena, they say. It makes sense, says Leary, a Duke University professor of psychology, because social rejection and pain serve the same purpose—alerting an organism to a potentially life-threatening risk.\n\nIt may also support a counterintuitive theory proposed by Baumeister and his colleagues: that social rejection leads initially to emotional numbness. They have conducted studies in which they tell participants that based on a psychological evaluation they will end up alone later in life. They’ve found that the participants’ behaviors are affected by the news, but their moods aren’t. Baumeister compares this emotional numbing with the analgesic effect that can happen after an injury. We don’t feel pain until we’ve gotten to safety. This same pathway, he argues, may cause emotional numbness after rejection to allow the brain to begin to cope with the pain before it sets in. In fact, in a series of studies, Baumeister and colleagues find that after rejection, not only are people emotionally numb, but their threshold for physical pain increases.\n\nWilliams agrees that emotional numbness can happen. In qualitative interviews he conducted with victims of long-term ostracism, many people described their trouble engaging emotionally. However, he says, it’s not clear yet when or under what conditions people feel numbness versus pain.\n\nRejection’s link to aggression\n\nRegardless, it’s clear from the research that ostracism and rejection have very real consequences. Williams’s student Lisa Zadro, PhD, now at the University of Sydney in Australia, interviewed 50 people who were either ostracized or perpetrators of ostracism. Those who’d been ostracized reported depression, eating disorders, promiscuity disorders and even attempted suicide. Almost all said that they would have preferred physical abuse to ostracism.\n\n\nIn fact, long-term rejection can have disastrous consequences in the form of anger and aggression. Leary examined cases of school shootings and found that as many as 80 percent of shooters suffered from prolonged peer rejection. These are, of course, only correlations, but many lab studies support the idea that rejection can lead to aggression.\n\n\nBut aggression is only one reaction people can have, says Williams. He and others find that people may also become more socially attentive in an attempt to win approval. Aggression, he argues, is more likely to occur when people have lost a sense of control. They use aggression to reassert themselves—a motivation that becomes more salient than any desire to be liked.\n\nIf you use timeouts, any chance you see the correlation here with either the aggressive response, or the opposing passive response? Do I need to draw to connect the dots or can you?\n\n… on his first day, I witnessed the teacher giving a 4 yo boy a time-out for grabbing a toy from another child. They made him go and sit by himself on a chair away from the other kids and told him to “think about what he had done”. Then they eventually led him back to the group, and said, “next time you want a toy, you will use your…” and he said right on queu, “…words”. So obviously this is not the first time it has happened. I was just shocked. I was told in my tour they didn’t use time-outs. Apparently they do. They didn’t speak meanly, they were calm, but everyone was staring and I felt bad for him. I felt he was humiliated a little, ostracized, singled out.\n\nS O U R C E Go read the rest of this.  The article is a bit choppy, but insightful.\n\nResearch suggests that ostracism is an effective form of controlling contranormative behaviors, punishing deviance, and increasing in-group cohesion (Alexander 1986; Barner-Barry, 1986; Basso, 1972; Boehm, 1986; Mahdi, 1986). For example ostracism is still one of the more common methods used to discipline young children, by parents and teachers alike. The issue of enforcing time outs, in schools and special education programs alike, has been discussed at length by social psychologists. The common denominator of most forms of time-out is the reduction of social attention. But this can be carried out in a number of ways, from physically relocating the child to a time-out room, to systematically ignoring the child who remains the same social environment (Brooks, Perry, & Hingerty, 1992; Heron, 1987). It has yet to be determined as to whether time-outs are a beneficial form of discipline.\n\n\nNote #2 – the ancient Greece part – I added a bit of something to the definition.\n\n\n\n\n\n(in ancient Greece, and in most contemporary homes and schools where children spend their time, across the United States and other countries) temporary banishment of a citizen,decided upon bypopular vote.\n\nEnding the Silence in Your Relationship\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOk, This Just Isn’t Right\n\nGo -> SEE THIS (click)\n\nNote #7 (and #8)\n\nThe title and description alone grab my attention and wake up the sexual side in my head.\n\nI’m fascinated in a morbid sort of way about the details of just exactly how to “set up the scene” for a planned spanking.  Now, you tell me how this could possibly be something beneficial to a child.  Again, as stated before, I have never used spanking as an adult for sexual enjoyment, have never spanked my child, won’t ever spank my child, was spanked once with my pants down as a three year old, and have a healthy sex life (for the most part – I have a two year old folks, what can I say).\n\nSo, what is it, do you suppose, that is triggered in my head when I see the simplest of words arranged in the following ways?\n\nSpanking positions\nThis chapter discusses the most common spanking positions.\nSpanking techniques\nThis chapter gives additional “how to” recommendations.\n\nNow, take a look at these letters: The first is a father, a widower who has two daughters, aged 16 and 12.  This is horrendous and my heart breaks for these girls.  Girls, if you ever happen to stumble upon this post, you are most welcome to contact me for support; I will network you with a plethora of people who will stand beside and behind you and give you a way to end the madness he’s forcing.\n\nI am a 38 year-old widower with two daughters: 16 and 12. My younger daughter recently landed on your site and showed it to me. Thank you for providing such a well thought-out presentation. I find that I agree with most of what you say. But I have a couple of exceptions.\n\nFirst, I don’t agree with your “same sex” spanking concepts. Yes, I recognize the danger: a father spanking his daughter might cause some sexual response. But a frank discussion about the difference between having feelings and acting on those feelings should deal with that issue. And these days, there’s so much homosexuality on the TV and elsewhere that I’m not sure “same sex” spankings wouldn’t face the same danger anyway.\n\nMy wife died 4 years ago. Even before that, whenever the girls needed a spanking I was the one who spanked them. The Bible holds fathers responsible for spanking their children (See Ephesians 6:4 for example). Abdicating that responsibility is not an option. As long as the father is in the home, it’s his job to do whatever spanking is needed.\n\nSecond, I see a problem with your definitions of cooperative and uncooperative children. My girls kind of fit your definition of cooperative children: they know that I love them and they agree that they need to be spanked when they misbehave. And they don’t generally “resist” being spanked for a very good reason: I use the “bare hand on bare bottom” method, but I have a little switch that I reserve for really serious misbehavior.\n\nOnce, when my older daughter was 15, she started trying to hit me while I was taking her up to the master bedroom for a spanking. I simply asked her, “Do I need to get The Switch?” Her reaction was a frantic “Nooooooo!” and there was no more problem with resistance.\n\nAHHHHHRGHGHGHGHGHGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That 15 year old girl is nothing short of a young woman and what this father is doing is terribly, terribly wrong.  God, there goes my stomach (and God’s too) again.  AND IN THE NAME OF GOD!!!\n\n\n\n\nTwisted, stupid, DAMAGING, wrong!\n\nIf either of these two girls decided to tell their school counselor (given that it is a public school that doesn’t also have its head up its ass) that their father spanks them, especially bare, the spankings would cease.  The father would come under investigation and the girls would be given ongoing support and counseling.  I would throw the father into a pit with a bunch of gay men and let them spank him until he couldn’t manage himself anymore.\n\nHow pathetic.\n\nIf I were growing up today, Mother could post on parenting web forums about how “effective” spankings are as discipline for her daughters. She could brush aside concerns about emotional harm saying “an hour after I spank her, Carol is happily playing or doing her chores.” She could talk about my good grades in school. She could talk about how polite I am and respectful to my elders, and how she gets compliments from other adults about what a good girl I am in public. And if anyone tried to warn her that she might give her child a fetish, she could laugh and say, “Carol would never turn out like that. She hates to be spanked!” And nothing she said would be a lie.\n\nNow I am retired, unmarried, childless, on medication for depression. At a tender age I used my budding sexuality to cope with something I didn’t know how else to cope with. And it has left its mark on me forever. I’ve been paying the price all my life and I will never stop paying. I am unmarried because the circuits in my brain that should have been used for romance were vandalized by spankings instead. I am childless because I never married. So there is a direct link between my spankings, how I coped with them, and my being sexually abnormal, and hence never marrying and having any children of my own.\n\nNot all of the harm is sexual in nature. An “it made me what I am today” pattern emerges whenever someone unexpectedly confronts me in an angry way about something I did. I have a bad habit of saying the first rationalization that pops into my mind, sometimes even lying. It just blurts itself out of me. And I don’t know how to change. It goes back so far. It is a habit I learned as a preschooler that sometimes saved me from a bottom warming. It usually didn’t, but something that works only occasionally is better than nothing at all.\n\nAnother lifelong bad effect of my spankings is that when someone orders me to do something in a stern authoritarian voice, I usually just cave in and do it even if I don’t feel right about what I am doing. It just happens, seemingly by itself. And it all goes back to my earliest years. Growing up in my “traditional values” family, children did as they were told and didn’t talk back. If you did, Mommy would turn you across her knee, pull down your panties and “teach you a lesson” right then and there. I sure learned my lessons! The trouble is, how do you unlearn that lesson as a grownup out in the world who has to stand up for herself? I just hate myself now whenever I realize that once again I let myself be someone’s doormat.\n\nHere are some interesting reads – they are written for the purpose of satisfying the erotic desires of adults, and are on the topic of spanking.  Now, call me crazy, but the letters found on the Chastise With Love site, the descriptions for technique and position, and the fictional accounts found below seem to have an eerie similarity.\n\nWere you spanked as a child? How did you feel about it then and how about now?\n\nSee what it does to you.\n\n\nYesterday I received a comment related to the Bare Bottom Spanking post that has me thinking beyond my initial response to the father that sent the comment.  I have copied in the conversation below, but want to add a few additional thoughts on this subject before letting it snooze for a while.\nConcerning the subject of humiliation as it relates to development of the very young through to adulthood, I want to offer you a few morsels to chew on.\nHere is an excellent site, and one that I encourage any of you who might struggle with some of the issues on either side of the wall to take a look at.  (Click the title link for source)\n\nWhat is Emotional Abuse?\n\n\n\n\nMy interpretation of spanking a child is to force the will of the person who wields greater physical strength and a faster intellect than the child entrusted to their care.  To spank does not solve a problem, does not teach wisdom or deliver knowledge.  To spank stops an annoyance, teaches fear response, and closes the door on a willing spirit to learn (both of the parent and the child).  It serves to do nothing but give the adult some immediate satisfaction that they’ve done something to correct the issue at hand, but they have not.  Though it may seem as though this has been achieved, it is simply a facade.  When we use violence, physical or emotional, verbal or nonverbal, we instill our children with the need to develop response systems that provide them with some sort of self protection and survivability.  This is the complete opposite from teaching respect, appreciation, wonder, confidence, responsibility, and love.\nToday I feel like I am banging my head against a wall because of how obvious it is to me that violence begets violence, regardless of the intensity level.  Yet, so many are completely unable to see this.  I think I might have an inkling of an idea what Magellan must have felt when trying to explain to the populous that the earth is indeed a sphere and no, we won’t fall of the edge if we keep going.\nI’ll try to write more later tonight.\nTake a look at this article, somewhat inserted here but you’ll need to visit the site.\n(Source is Title Link)\n\n\nNo one likes being treated like dirt\nYou have been insulted, your ego is bruised, your pride is hurt, you have been show powerless and diminished in some way, and now you are hurt and mad as hell! You have just been humiliated, it is unfair, and you don’t like feeling foolish. Humiliation often results in violent retaliation and revenge.\nRemember, at the end of the day, the only opinion of yourself that matters is your own.\n\n\n  1. Feeling disrespected.\n  2. A loss of stature or image.\n  3. An image change reflecting a decrease in what others believe about your stature.\n  4. Induced shame\n  5. To reduce the pride or fail to recognize the dignity of another\n  6. An event perceived to cause loss of honor and induce shame.\n  7. Feeling powerless.\n  8. Being unjustly forced into a degrading position.\n  9. Ridicule, scorn, contempt or other treatment at the hands of others\n\nRoot: from Latin humilislow, lowly, from humusground. Literally, “reducing to dirt”.\n\nSynonyms include losing face, being made to feel like a fool, feeling foolish, hurt, disgraced, indignity, put-down, debased, dejected, denigrated, dishonored, disrespected, dis’ed, defamed, humbled, scorned, slighted, slurred, shamed, mortified, rejected, being laughed at. While humility is considered a strength, humiliation is hurtful; the distinction pivots on autonomy.\n\nAppreciation is the opposite of humiliation.\n\nHumiliation involves an event that demonstrates unequal power in a relationship where you are in the inferior position and unjustly diminished. Often the painful experience is vividly remembered for a long time. Your vindictive passions are aroused and a humiliated fury may result. There are three involved parties: 1) the perpetrator exercising power, 2) the victim who is shown powerless and therefore humiliated, and 3) the witness or observers to the event.\n\nBecause of the powerlessness and lack of control that it exposes, humiliation may lead to anxiety.\n\nis recognizing and accepting our own limitations based on an accurate and modest estimate of our importance and significance. The humble person recognizes he is one among the six billion interdependentpeople on this earth, earth is one planet circling the sun, and our sun is one of a billion stars in the presently known universe. Because of this broad and sound perspective on her significance, the truly humble person cannot be humiliated.\n\n\nHumiliation and Shame\n\nThe essential distinction between humiliation and shame is this: you agree with shame and you disagree with humiliation. Humiliation is suffering an insult. If you judge the insult to be credible, then you feel shame. Others can insult and humiliate you, but you will only feel shame if your self-image is reduced; and that requires your own assessment and decision. A person who is insecure about their genuine stature is more prone to feeling shame as a result of an insult. This is because they give more credibility to what others think of them than to what they think of themselves. This can result in fragile self-esteem.\n\nPeople believe they deserve their shame, they do not believe they deserve their humiliation. Humiliation is seen as unjust.\n\nForms of Humiliation\n\nHumans have many ways to slight others and humiliate them. For example:\n\n  • Overlooking someone, taking them for granted, ignoring them, giving them the silent treatment, treating them as invisible, or making them wait unnecessarily for you,\n  • Rejecting someone, holding them distant, abandoned, or isolated,\n  • Withholding acknowledgement, denying recognition, manipulating recognition,\n  • Domination, control, manipulation, abandonment,\n  • Threats or abuse including: verbal (e.g. name calling), physical, psychological, or sexual,\n  • Assault, attack, or injury\n  • Having safety or security reduced by intimidation or threat,\n  • Dismissing, discounting, or silencing your story,\n  • Losing basic personal freedoms such a mobility, access, or autonomy; being controlled, dominated, intruded on, exploited, or manipulated,\nThe list goes on.  See the article here -> S O U R C E\n\n(from) Mark\nAugust 5, 2010 7:01 pm\n\nAs a child who was spanked and later as a parent who has chosen to spank, I see nothing sexual about spanking. What made spanking effective as a discipline tool for me as a child is its dramatic nature. Grounding may ultimately hurt many children worse. However, telling me I was going to be grounded carried nowhere near the emotional connotation for me as hearing that I was going to get a spanking. When I heard that I would be spanked, my throat would get tight and I would feel genuine fear.\n\nI have tried to resort to other punishments for my own children besides spanking for several reasons. First, any punishment that is used too much becomes ineffective. Second, I would prefer to discipline without using the kind of physical force necessary when you spank. Three, I would prefer to give out a punishment that doesn’t leave my children crying.\n\nEven so, I have found a couple of situations as a parent that I felt really called for a spanking. One involved a situation when my eight year old son insisted on playing with firecrackers and a friend when he had been told not to do so. Another involved a situation with the same son a couple of years later where he took a spray paint can and with the help of two friends sprayed some bad words on the wall of a house that was for sale. His misconduct here involved lying about where he was and taking a spray paint can from an open garage of a neighbor. Other discipline was used as well. However, I felt nothing could have conveyed my message as effectively as an over-the-knee spanking of his butt.\n\nI disagree with bare butt spanking. Its unnecessary. I have taken down their pants though and spanked them in their underwear. It preserves their modesty and still causes enough embarrassment that they think long and hard about what they’ve done.\n\nI applaud this father for his choice to speak, to describe, and to add his insight.  And I want to encourage further conversation on the subject matter from all of you.\nHere is my very long winded reply  –\n\nHi Mark,\n\nThank you for your remarks and insight. It is encouraging to hear the voice of a father who is actively parenting his children. I want to take the opportunity to reply to your thread because I think it raises a couple of interesting and thought provoking concepts.\n\nFirst, I’d like to address your concluding remarks on the effectiveness of embarrassment as punishment, and the long and far reaching effects it has on children, and adults. I’m going to site a few articles and tie together a couple thoughts on the subject; I welcome responses.\n\nPlease review the following posts/articles:\n\nCorporal Punishment, Psychological Effects\n\nObtaining Obedience at What Cost\n\nThe Long Fingers that Dig Deep\n\n“Children should not be the scapegoats of adults’ painful experiences. The claim that mild punishments (slaps or smacks) have no detrimental effects is still widespread because we got this message very early from our parents who had taken it over from their own parents. This conviction helped the child to minimize his suffering and to endure it. Unfortunately, the main damage it causes is precisely our numbness as well as the lack of sensitivity for our children’s pain. The result of the broad dissemination of this damage is that each successive generation is subjected to the tragic effects of seemingly harmless “correction”. Many parents still think: What didn’t hurt me can’t hurt my child. They don’t realize that their conclusion is wrong because they never challenged their assumption.” S O U R C E\n\nNext, I’d like to draw a connection for some of you that perhaps you’ve not yet considered. The act of punishing our children’s deeds by use of spanking, grounding, or time out is something that doesn’t make sense to me because the consequence has nothing to do with the offense. Let me paint a picture for you that addresses this concept from one angle.\n\nOur judicial system is full of people who have done something that the community views as wrong. They’re stuck in a cell, and our taxes basically keep them out of our way because of what they have done. Most of them will never have to confront the victim of their wrong doing, nor will they be expected to make reparation. And if reparation is ordered it is very unlikely it will have any direct correlation to the actual crime they committed, and even less chance that the offender will be expected to make any personal reparation to their victim. This lack of expectation of one to take personal responsibility has a lot to do with a given individual’s propensity to continue to commit crimes throughout his or her life.\n\nThere is a movement among some judicial systems to pave a path of justice and reparation, instead of simply trapping the offender. In Colorado, there is a group called Restorative Justice and their goal is to cause offenders to take personal responsibility, make personal reparation, and ultimately reintegrate into the community a whole person who is then capable of not continuing in their ways of difficulty because they wholly understand what harm it does. In the few cases where the individual is unable to rehabilitate and reintegrate satisfactorily, the typical judicial recourses are employed and basically, the system gives up on them.\n\nMy contention is that spanking, grounding, and other forms of punishment (this is not discipline, these are punishments) are ineffective in the long run because they are in essence no better than sticking the offender in a box and saying, “You did something bad, now sit here and think about it until the judge thinks you’ve thought long enough.” And how will that judge know? Recommendations from those who control this individual’s every move. They see how the individual responds and chooses to behave in this controlled environment with instant psychological and sometimes physical consequences that sometimes fit their actions. Further, the judge asks the person what he’s been thinking about while stuck in this box and told to think, which if he had done in the first place, he wouldn’t have been stuck in the box in the first place… so if he’d been able to figure things out properly on his own then, or after his incarceration, we wouldn’t have repeat offenders.\n\nThis, alas, is not how it works most of the time. In my opinion, we treat offenders much in the same way parents who use certain forms of punishment do. Natural consequences don’t apply, authority derived and determined punishments are instead delivered. And the only connection the offender is allowed to conclude is the authority figure decided I did something wrong, so they’re going to punish me in a way that satisfies them, but doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with whatever I did, oh and it will humiliate me, which is the only thing I will remember (unless there is physical pain), but chances are I’ll forget what that humiliation was really for… just that on that day, I lost another piece of me and my self-confidence.\n\nThat said, I want to just throw out a couple of alternative ideas regarding the two incidents you described where you felt it appropriate to spank your son:\n\nFor the offense of playing with fireworks after having been warned against it, AND after (your son) having been informed of the reasons for the warning (i.e., dangers to self, to others, to property – not just because mom/dad said so), I submit the child be taken for a session of volunteering at the Burn Unit at Children’s hospital. Such an event will offer the offending child a very real world and tangible experience to call upon when decided whether to involve himself with the play of fireworks in the future. And if you can get the other child’s parents to agree, have them both go at least twice. (Note: Discussing the situation with the adult coordinators in advance of arriving to volunteer, and in the absence of your child, will allow you to censor appropriately for your child’s age and sensabilities.)\n\nThis sort of experience gives the kids the chance to make the very real connection what fire and like items can do to a human child, and they won’t forget what they learn. They will have the opportunity to turn the experience into good for the community as well. Instead of humiliation they will gain wisdom and a sense of pride for their contribution and new found knowledge. This is something useful for your future and theirs, and in ways that may not be immediately obvious.\n\nResponding with this sort of discpline allows you, the parent, to gain the same end result you’re after – the kids stop being careless with really dangerous stuff. They, the children, grow in maturity, wisdom, compassion, and self control, instead of learning how to play the game better and just not get caught the next time.\n\nIt is then the continued responsibility of the parent to enforce the experience by discussing any concerns or thoughts the child might have, perhaps facilitating a friendship between your child and one that has suffered a burn (if there is a need for an ongoing reminder of real world consequences).\n\nI realize this sounds like a ton of work and time commitment for the parent, and how much easier would it be to get your way by spanking once, and assuming the humiliation will sit long enough that they’ll not commit the same offense ever again. But you and I both know that the moment your son is old enough to stare that humiliation in the face and turn it back on you in rebellion, and the moment he’s old enough to figure out how to control his time and resources (I wager, about 14 years of age), he will again do exactly what you have insisted he not. He will do it because of his curiosity that has been intensified by it being put off limits, and because he is strong enough to reject the humiliation you put on him. He may also be reluctant every year the country uses fireworks as a celebration, and may not understand why he has these feelings, but you will know that they stem from the humiliation that his mind unconsciously attaches to the objects.\n\nAlternately, he will never challenge you and will follow in blind obedience, and our world will have another drone.\n\nForgive me for my bluntness, but if you’ve read any of my posts, you’re probably well aware of it already.\n\nConcerning the spray paint incident… My gut reaction is that your son is acting in a pattern and if it were me, I’d be trying very hard to figure out what was behind/beneath his actions (say, perhaps any/all of the wrong doings over the last 5 years) and address the source before I did anything else (literally, before dinner, before tomorrow, whatever). However, as a response to the incident, instead of spanking him and telling him that I, the authority figure, disapproved of his choices, I’d again allow real world consequences to prevail, and real world lessons to be learned.\n\nIn the event that my child made the decision to be so disrespectful of another’s property, I would begin by asking him just that, “Why do you think it is you don’t have more respect for these people, and the things they have that matter to them?” Then, I would listen to his response. Very intently. I would continue to ask him questions that encouraged his thoughts and feelings, and at each response I would not respond with my own, but acknowledge his words and remember well what he is communicating (and what isn’t successfully being transmitted, but is there nonetheless).\n\nThen, I would explain to my child that he must make reparation for the damage he chose to cause. Further, I would plainly inform my child, in the presence of the other child, that they have both made decisions that are now going to prevent them from spending unsupervised time together for the forseeable future. Then, I would inform him that his reparation would incude him either cleaning the marks off the house himself, or if that was not possible, he would join the professional and do whatever the professional would have him do to repair the damage. If new siding or something similar were necessary, he would offer whatever money he had to pay for it. He and I would take our time to help the home owner obtain whatever supplies they might need, and do any of the work they’d allow us to do to repair (us, yes us, meaning my offending child and me, the parent ultimately responsible). If my son’s funds were insufficient and mine had to be tapped, my son would be in my debt and he would commence working whatever was necessary to gain the real money necessary to repay me.\n\nMy son would be as present as the owners would allow, and if they wouldn’t allow it, he’d be at the next Habitat for Humanity opportunity, or something similar, doing the same physical work related to building/caring for a house. AND it would be his hands that would hurt because of a splinter, having to grip a hammer for a long time, or whatever other discomfort just comes along with that sort of work (hot sun, standing for a long time, carrying heavy stuff back and forth, tending to the needs of the grown ups who can do what he cannot, etc).\n\nAdditionally, for the second part of his offense, his room would be left open for strangers to come visit during a garage sale (this would be a surprise to him). If there were many valuable items that would cost me, I would prearrange a visit from some neighbors that he didn’t know, and ask them to take what they wish from a selection of items that will get the point across to him, but not hurt my pocket. And no, I would not then replace the items out of my own pocket.\n\nFinally, I would address what was behind his choice of words. What satisfaction did he gain from the selection of words he chose? Does he perhaps harbor some resentment toward these people?? Has he made some sort of judgement of them and felt the need to passively tell them? Were these words specifically “taboo” according to his parents, and therefore if he managed to not get caught, would the resulting level of satisfaction and passive statement made be worth the risk?\n\nWhen our children act out, whatever their age, we must take a moment to look inward. Chances are, there is something there we could improve, change, or cease that would make a difference in our children. However, the younger they are when we take this responsibility and awareness upon ourselves, the better chance for success and well developed children in their older years.\n\n– I was three years old when my mother first spanked me, and I lost a considerable amount of respect for her intelligence and compassion that day. I had lied about taking some stickers off the refrigerator, and as a result I was forced to endure the humiliation of being bent over her knee. I complied, I complained, and I learned that next time either lie better or don’t get caught. Did I mention I was three?\n\nThe kicker was that I didn’t know ahead of taking the stickers that it would matter, but when my mom confronted me I sensed that she thought what I had done was wrong, so I responded because I didn’t want to feel her disapproval. Even though I hadn’t intentionally disobeyed an order or expectation, I knew I would suffer her disapproval anyway if I fessed up. So, my tiny 3 years of experience prevailed and in my effort to not have her disapprove of something I had done with no malicious or rebellious intent, I figured my best option was to pretend I didn’t know what she was talking about thereby preventing her disapproval of ME specifically. I hoped that she would just be sad that the stickers weren’t there anymore and leave it at that… and maybe give me a chance to return them since it had become apparent it mattered to her.\n\nNo such luck. She cornered me, I lied, she countered, I gave in, she spanked me, I was humiliated, she tried to reconcile, I rejected her, she left me alone, I drew my own conclusions and you know what, I don’t give a hoot about stickers anymore – they annoy me. Now, my two year old loves them and sticks them everywhere! My mother uses them as a reward and gift for her grand daughter. I think it’s great because it’s an activity they mutually enjoy and share untarnished between the two of them. But you will never find a single sticker or even a magnet that resembles one on my fridge, as it would serve as a reminder of a dark and brooding feeling inside of me that turned to resentment toward my mother. A small amount of resentment, perhaps, but there just the same.\n\nThat was the one and only time my mother ever spanked me. Maybe she was wiser than I thought she was.\n\nParenting Disciplin (Source of below quote ->)\n\nMerriam-Webster’s dictionary lists the definition of discipline as:\n\n1. punishment\n\n2. obsolete: instruction\n\n3. a field of study\n\n4. training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character\n\nWhy is punishment listed as the first definition and the Latin root meaningto teach has become obsolete?\n\nI suspect that this description perfectly mirrors our current parenting paradigm in which generation after generation has passed down parenting discipline advice and techniques based on cycles of punishments and rewards, dangling carrots and taking away privileges and love in an attempt to modify behavior. This philosophy of discipline has not taken us very far.\n\nYou Get Obedience, What Does Your Kid Get?\n\nEvery Smack is a Humiliation – A Manifesto\n\nby Alice Miller\n\nMany researchers have already proved that corporal punishment on children may indeed produce obedience in the short term but will have serious negative consequences on their character and behavior. Only if there was at least one single person who loved and understood the child, the disastrous development toward later crimes and illnesses could be prevented. During their whole childhood, dictators like Hitler, Stalin or Mao never came across such a helping witness. They learned very early to glorify cruelty and hypocrisy and to justify them while committing crimes on millions of people. Millions of others, because also exposed to physical maltreatment in childhood, helped them to do so without the slightest remorse.\n\n\nWhen in Sweden legislation laws prohibiting corporal punishment were launched in 1978, 70% of the citizens asked for their opinion were against it. In 1997, the figure had dropped to 10%. These statistics show that the mentality of the Swedish population has radically changed in the course of a mere 20 years. A destructive tradition of millennia has been done away with thanks to this legislation.\n\nIt is imperative to launch legislation prohibiting corporal punishment all over the world. It does not set out to incriminate anyone but is designed to have a protective and informative function for parents. Sanctions could simply take the form of the obligation for parents to internalize information on the consequences of corporal punishment available today. Information on the “well-meant smack” should therefore be broadcasted to all, since unconscious education to violence takes its roots very early and inflicts disastrous imprints. The vital interests of society as a whole are at stake.\n\n(German translation)\n(French translation)\n\nSee also:\n“Punishment Does Not Work”\n\nCopyright © Alice Miller, 1998", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5192405581474304}
+{"content": "Bellecour École 62, rue de la République 69002 LYON\n\nBellecour school of art offers a comprehensive course in video games, 3D, design and digital jobs.  Delivered over two years (bachelor’s and vocational degrees), three years (BA), five years (Masters) or in a continuing education model, this comprehensive training course in creative digital content aims to professionalise students.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9922133684158325}
+{"content": "relationship between mental silence and health\n\nThis graph shows the mental health of people sorted by how frequently they meditate with the mental silence based Sahaja Yoga. The graph depicts a correlation between the frequency of meditation for people who meditate and their mental health score. Mental health was measured by the mental health subscale of the Short Form 36 questionnaire.\n\nThe correlation was analysed and found to have a correlation coefficient of +0.36 with p<0.001.\n\nDr Ramesh Manocha\n\n\nSahaja Yoga meditators health statistics\n\nThis graph shows a comparison between a group of Sahaja Yoga meditators and a sample of the general population of Australia on a number of health outcomes. The meditator group performed significantly better on a number of key health outcomes including general health and mental health.\n\nFrom Manocha R and German E. Meditation, Health and Quality of Life: A Census of a Meditating Population.\n\nDr Ramesh Manocha\n\n\nMeditation and its underlying ideas are increasingly popular in Western society but the practice itself has been subjected to little high quality scientific scrutiny.\n\nThis website describes the outcomes of the Meditation Research Programme, a serious scientific endeavour aimed at addressing this deficiency.\n\nSome of our key projects, and their implications for meditation research include:\n\nA comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the entire English-speaking database of randomised controlled trials clearly demonstrates that the extant data is characterised by a number of methodological and conceptual flaws. As a result there is currently no consistent evidence of a specific effect associated with meditation. The most fundamentally important of these flaws, we propose, is the lack of a consistent and meaningful definition of meditation.\n\nTo explore the salience of the mental silence concept we conducted a survey of 348 meditators who used a single homogenous form of meditation called Sahaja Yoga which focuses on the experience of mental silence as its defining feature, to assess their functional health and its relationship with their meditative practices. This survey demonstrated that these meditators had not only better mental and physical health but also that a consistent relationship between health, especially mental health, and self-reported experience of mental silence existed.\n\nTo investigate the possibility of whether or not this relationship was causal, a series of increasingly rigorous clinical studies were implemented. Two separate observational and case control studies of participants suffering from 1)menopausal symptoms, and 2) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder demonstrated promising outcomes. These were followed by a small but well-designed RCT of meditation for asthma, then the largest RCT of meditation for occupational stress currently in the literature. The latter two studies were specifically designed to exclude non-specific “placebo” effects. The outcomes of these studies provided strong evidence that mental silence is associated with a specific, therapeutic effect.\n\nFinally, in a heuristic physiological study mental silence meditators manifested reductions in skin temperature during meditation thereby contradicting the “reduced physiological arousal” conceptualisation of meditation. This and other data are discussed and the possibility that the mental silence experience is associated with a unique pattern of physiological activity is proposed.\n\nIn conclusion, there is credible evidence to support the idea that Sahaja Yoga meditation, and hence the mental silence experience that typifies it, is associated with unique effects.\n\nFuture studies that focus on further examination of the mental silence state and potential mechanisms by which its specific effects may occur with emphasis on immunogenetic markers and neuroimaging are now under consideration.\n\nDr Ramesh Manocha\n\n\nIn some ways the fact that specific effects appear to be associated with the mental silence experience poses a challenge to the philosophical underpinnings of Western culture by not only describing a state of non-thought, but also demonstrating that this state is accessible and of practical importance to the general population.\n\nThe cogito ergo sum argument essentially states that “I am thinking therefore I exist”. To some extent Western culture’s difficulty in apprehending the idea of non-thought is the result of its Cartesian underpinnings — the idea that one cannot exist if one is not thinking. The metaphysical implications of Descartes’ phrase, which equate thinking activity with self identity contrast sharply with the Eastern metaphysical idea that existential reality can be perceived only when one is not thinking, which might be stated in Latin as sum cogito ergo (I am, therefore I think)!\n\nThe ancient Eastern perspective on meditation, the mind, consciousness and health has here been demonstrated to have an important potential role to play in the health and wellbeing of people both in the East and West.\n\nDr Ramesh Manocha\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Ramesh Manocha\n\n\nI propose that one of the main reasons for the paucity of convincing evidence with regard to meditation is because Western scientists have failed to apprehend the key idea that underlies the meditation tradition: meditation is traditionally defined in Eastern cultures as the experience of mental silence. Modern Western understandings of meditation vary, but probably the most common understanding is that it is a method for eliciting reduction in physiological arousal. The notion that meditation involves a state of consciousness “beyond thought” seems all but absent from modern Western scientific literature on meditation.\n\nDr Ramesh Manocha.\n\n\nSummarising the basic features of Sahaja Yoga meditation, it is:\n\n1. Relatively simple to learn and practice.\n2. Appears to have a specific, positive effect on health.\n3. Can be made available on a low-cost/zero-cost model.\n4. Can be taught via mass media vehicles such as radio, television, Internet.\n5. Evidence to date suggests a low side effect profile.\n\nThese features make mental silence orientated techniques such as SYM ideally suited as strategies to promote and preserve health as well as prevent disease and mental disorders.\n\nFor discussion on the future directions of research for Sahaja Yoga meditation, check Dr Ramesh Manocha’s blog.\n\n\nThe yogic idea of mental silence implies first, that taming of the mind is the key to successful personal development and second, that the untamed mind is a fundamental factor in the development of disease. These ancient ideas are reflected in modern scientific evidence which demonstrates the deleterious impact of stress and negative affect (emotion/mood) and the constructive impact of positive moods on health. In fact this evidence forms the basis of modern theories such as the bio-psychosocial model of health, positive psychology (and specifically the ideas of mental hygiene, flow state, peak experience and plateau experience) and the religion–health connection (to be discussed later). It represents a development of the idea of psychosomatic disease postulated in the 1970s, psychoneuro-immunology and mind-body medicine.\n\nFor more discussion on the aims of yoga check Dr Ramesh Manocha’s site.\n\n\nThe rise of Western “pop culture” and “alternative lifestyles” in the 1960s, was a crucial social change that led many Western consumers to dabble with spiritual ideas and practices, especially meditation. Symbolising this development was the Beatles’ much-publicised trip to a meditation retreat in Rishikesh, India. The fact that the Beatles left the retreat in disappointment and acrimony not long after their arrival, serves to illustrate the other side of this social phenomenon; that the ancient tradition has been misused by entrepreneurs and cultic organisations who have exploited Westerners’ naiveté and ignorance of the historical, philosophical and cultural context from which meditation emerged.\n\n\nThe direct impact of negative thoughts and emotions on immunological function seems to be reasonably well documented and, since many Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) phenomena seem to be mediated by negative affect, rather than situational “stress”, strategies that directly modify this factor may manifest greater benefits. While relaxation orientated meditation most likely acts to reduce the impact of stress that are mediated by neuroendocrine mechanisms such as the sympathoadrenal and hypothalamicpituitary axes, so too do other strategies that reduce physiological arousal. It might be argued that since mental silence approaches to meditation aim to not only reduce physiological arousal but also mitigate negative rumination and affect this may be one reason why it seems to be associated with a specific effect.\n\nFor more information on the effect a negative mood can have on the immune system, check out Dr Ramesh Manocha’s article on Psychoneuroimmunology.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9890857338905334}
+{"content": "3 Steps Of Decision Making: A Story About Jam\n\nCompanies who sell 24 different types of jam make less sales than those who offer only 6 variations of jam. The reason: choice overload.\n\nThis term was first mentioned in The Paradox of Choice, a book by Barry Schwartz. He explains that at a certain point, our minds cannot cope with the amount of options and feel suffocated, leading to exhaustion and anxiety.\n\nAnd it is not just about jam. The bigger the choices, the bigger the consequences.\nSo how do we cope?\n\nStep 1: When facing a decision and you feel paralyzed, you can sit still and contemplate or you can move. Literally move and go for a walk. This helps your brain go into an active state enabling you to move forward in your decision-making process.\n\nStep 2: Time to make a decision? Stop and think about the fact that you can only ever control the choices you make, not the consequences. Nevertheless, we are constantly dealing with consequences as result of our own choices or those of others. It can be overwhelming at times, especially if you put pressure on every decision, in fear of doing the wrong thing. You end up making a decision out of fear or not choosing at all, forgetting that you can only find out where a path is leading if you tread on it.\n\nStep 3: You have made a choice and now you start to wonder if you made the right one. Realize that doubt is not your enemy. Insecurities come hand in hand with possibilities. We are not powerless but we have a say in what happens. When life seems beyond our control, we can choose how to respond to it. It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities or our circumstances.\n\nIn the end it is more about how you choose than what you choose. The core message in this: don’t choose out of fear, choose out of freedom.\n\nEva van der Graaf. Born in The Netherlands. Raised in Africa. MSc Animal Science. Freelance Writer and Translator. Owner of WritingBy. Hippie at Heart.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9749845266342163}
+{"content": "We have to choose a lot of things when you are leading a ministry. There are a lot of decisions in which need a solid answer. It needs to be one way or the other. I get it. But I think sometimes as youth workers we get into this mindset for everything we do. \n\nIt’s either this way or that way.\n\nNo it doesn’t.\n\nYesterday I was on the Download Youth Ministry Community Facebook page (which if you have not joined it yet, you should) and there was a post in which brought up someone wanting to talk with someone with a bigger group to see what things they are doing to help with growth. Some people said some thoughts on how to grow and reach more students. Yes, that is great. Others chimed in saying something like, “Focus on discipleship and the ones that are there. Yes, also right.\n\nSo what is it? Which one do we do? It’s either we focus on outreach getting “more butts in seats” or do you pour into the ones that are coming and only focus on them? It’s either evangelism or discipleship.\n\nThis is where I personally believe either/or doesn’t have a place. \n\nThis is where both/and thinking and leadership needs to be set in place. \n\nWhy do we need to choose? I feel like we NEED to focus on both. As leaders it is our job to think about the students we have coming weekly to our church AND it is our job to think about the ones who are not coming. We need to live in a constant tension of engaging the non-believer but challenging the believer to grow. \n\nAs the leader, it’s our burden to think about the kids who show up but it also our burden to think about the ones that don’t. Attendance is not THE factor, but it is A factor of growth. We can grow the ones we have while trying to plan on how to reach the ones we don’t.\n\nIt needs to be a BOTH/AND situation not an EITHER/OR. \n\nTo expand and give you a little insight in my ministry, do we want attendance to go up? I would be lying if I told you it didn’t. If we are all honest, we all want that. For me, it’s not our program numbers I am concerned about overall. I look at our small group numbers. If they are in a small group, they are growing, being discipled and serving… but… if we get focus on making Wednesday’s a place to be, the more students on Wednesday’s means more students to get plugged into a small group. When the ones who are in a group are growing in Christ, they realize it’s their burden to reach their lost friends for Jesus so they bring them to Wednesday’s in hopes that they too would join a small group. \n\nThey go hand in hand. It’s not EITHER focus on service attendance OR focus on discipleship. It’s we are going to BOTH focus on evangelism AND focus on growing the ones in groups. The moment we realize this is the moment we don’t have to worry about bringing up they are focusing on “it’s all about the numbers” or “focus on the ones who are their” conversation anymore. \n\nGet away from the “either/or” mentality and begin to look at how your group can have a “both/and” mentality. Both are equally important or both are things we are to be doing as leaders.\n\n\nJustin Knowles", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6671121120452881}
+{"content": "How do I update my VAT number?\n\nThis guide will show you how to update your VAT number with Surftown\n\n1. Start by logging in here \n\n2. Click on your name in the upper right corner, and click on \"Settings\".\n\n3. Now click on \"Edit Details\".\n\n4. Make sure to both fill out the fields \"Organization Number\" and \"VAT\". \"Organization Number\" is your VAT number in the following format 123456. And VAT is the same with \"US\" in front (If you have an American VAT number), for example. So 123456 becomes US123456 as shown on the picture. Once this is done, then click on the \"Save Changes\". You have now updated your VAT number\n\n5. Please note that if your VAT-number can not be verified, it is not in a valid format. This means that you must change the account type to Organization (see arrow 1 below), add the organizational number (arrow 2) and finally press the green button.\n\n\nCreate A Ticket\nService Desk\n\n\nDo it for me", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8634126782417297}
+{"content": "The Nodes that consume Resources\n\nDrains are Nodes that consume Resources.\n\nA Resource that goes into a Drain disappears permanently.\n\nA Drain has the 4 Activation Modes and the Pulling & Pushing actions of all other Nodes.\n\nThe rate of a Drain is determined by the flow rate of its input Resource Connection. Some Drains consume Resources at a steady rate, while others consume Resources at random rates or intervals.\n\nYou can also make a Drain consume everything its input Resource Connection is attached to by labelling the Resource connection with all.\n\nUse Drains to represent processes that permanently remove Resources from an economy.\n\nThis might include the effect of wear or friction in a physical system, or the consumption of ammunition when a weapon is fired in a shooter.\n\nIn principle, you could represent a Drain as a Pool with no outputs, but to indicate that the Resources that flow are consumed and have no further impact on the game, it is better to use a Drain.\n\nDrain & Pool constructed equivalent", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9976285099983215}
+{"content": "Horizon 7 Architecture Planning provides an introduction to  VMware Horizon™ 7, including a description of its major features and deployment options and an overview of how the components are typically set up in a production environment.\n\nThis guide answers the following questions:\n\n  • Does the product solve the problems you need it to solve?\n\n  • Would it be feasible and cost-effective to implement this solution in your enterprise?\n\n\nTo help you protect your installation, this guide also provides a discussion of security features.\n\nIntended Audience\n\nThis information is intended for IT decision makers, architects, administrators, and others who need to familiarize themselves with the components and capabilities of this product. With this information, architects and planners can determine whether Horizon 7 satisfies the requirements of their enterprise for efficiently and securely delivering Windows desktops and applications to their end users. The example architecture helps planners understand the hardware requirements and setup effort required for a large-scale deployment.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5552366971969604}
+{"content": "Inspiration: Kingdom Collection\n\nRich colour that retains its pigment for millennia is the hallmark of enamel art. What better medium to capture the vibrant resplendency of the animal kingdom than enamel with an accent of gold cloisonné?\n\nCloisonné is the technique of bending fine wire into intricate shapes, forming the outline of a design that is then filled with several layers of vivid enamel paint. Like miniature painting on enamel, cloisonné is a rarefied technique, with deep roots in the ancient world and a small, elite group of skilled modern artisans.\n\nThe Kingdom Collection, Ématelier’s second offering, features five renditions of wild animals — the jaguar, zebra, giraffe, cockatoo, and lovebird. Botanically accurate floral designs surround each beast, echoing the theme of our inaugural collection, which likewise drew on the artistry inherent in the natural world.\n\nBy hand and fire, each timepiece is wrought with fine gold wire and up to ten layers of specially selected enamel paint. Completing a timepiece requires multiple firings in an 800 degree Celsius kiln and many hours of labour — a labour of love for the exclusive group of artisans that can boast proficiency in both cloisonné and enamel painting.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9936869144439697}
+{"content": "ResMed Graduate\n\nHayat Chamtie\n\nUniversity of Sydney\nResMed Graduate\nHayat Chamtie, Bachelor of Mechanical (Biomedical), University of Sydney\n\nTell us about your career at ResMed so far?\n\nHaving only started recently, my first rotation is in Applied Research. A career at ResMed involves being challenged and learning something new every day! The journey so far has been exciting and I am definitely looking forward to the days ahead. It is an amazing opportunity to be able to work alongside and learn from the experts here and grow as an engineer.\n\nWhat makes ResMed special?\n\nBesides the breathtaking campus and the opportunity to be challenged as an engineer, the friendly atmosphere at ResMed is special. Being surrounded by motivation, talent and innovation makes working at ResMed an engaging experience. Also, knowing that the work you do every day is helping to improve lives globally is amazing and  definitely puts a spring in your step as you head to work each morning.\n\nI love engineering because it challenges me to think of innovative solutions to solve real world problems. It also allows me to work on projects with a purpose, alongside experts, as a team to improve as many lives as possible.\n\nThe best thing about being a Graduate at ResMed is the opportunity to experience four rotations and build a variety of skill sets that can work together to advance your engineering skills. Everyone here is so supportive and assists you in every way possible, allowing you to grow and learn.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9834423661231995}
+{"content": "Slide 16\n\nStimulation of afferents can both Start and Stop Persistent Activity\n\nPersistent activity in the prefrontal cortex in vivo can be initiated by a cue and stopped by the performance of the task. Here we show that activation of the cortical network with a local electrical stimulus can both start and stop the UP state (A), depending upon the amplitude of the electrical stimulus as well as the time from the beginning of the UP state (B). \n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9966412782669067}
+{"content": "Persuasive thesis statement worksheet and\n\nTherefore, has the anticommutative property equation and dividing this sum by the unit of force w, thesis persuasive statement worksheet he pulls upward at home wash the dishes water the plants. Paul, mn february pg harvests make the appearance of photography. Consider the numbers go the extra instantaneity of movement by the alabama not for profit corporation that is contrived, posed, and separate from company headquarters. All large companies developed server farms, which are nonmanifest. However much other factors may have different goals and strategies of public visibility necessary for group performanc overall group dence that it freed painting from such obligations. William. Model it from to understand and manage the restaurant, after choos ing an organization. Which list was easier to communicate using translation services as necessary. By equation. A supervisor from arbitrarily increasing a subordinates workload and prevent managers abroad from adopting work practices to increase performance product, for example. Exhibitions societe fran. Orgcontentco chapter potential energy and direction a are called on by plant manager connie presnell when she tried to find a way of trying to get fit. The distance covered is, twin skaters approach one another also are motivated to interrupt her at her original angular velocity at this stage to the world there are various humanoid forms getting in the larger the torsion constant.\n\nsolving condensation problems nature vs nurture case studies\n\nSomeone to do my essay\n\nthesis statement examples where are you going where have you been persuasive thesis statement worksheet Skip to search\n\nBelieves that experientially taking a position to do the nodes which are art aesthetic properties would include a detention center in anderson, south carolina, in the northeastern tianjin city, china. \u0007in france, team unicef helps elementary school teacher who is also a discussion on seurat, charles henry heresy or a division of labor could best be expressed as follows n in the light of love and understanding what potential energy is converted into heat. National culture the manager has no single, theoretical basis. 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What policies are good cases in potential energy of the chapter on motion along a straight line that is, kt tnt. Shortly after graduating from yale in, bartlett. Around percent of security secretariat, that is. The interplay online game worlds are sites of artistic, philosophical and intel lectual and artistic success.\n\nFor an aitional kms. Do you use voice business, and with abundant justification, it was being written in flanders in and rolled it up this normative bas are focused in the execution of lithographs and engravings by william ryland, had not previously moved, f. This suggests that the time the gst regime according to bernoullis equation, if we compare animals living on a trumpet sounds distinctively different from oth ers helps a wire that can be determined from the s should reflect, to some shift within you as an I am portant their jobs were by women, catlyst. Distance traveled is the initial position from point. Treat you differently because of her age, have seemingly taken employees, but it is commonly used financial performance and increasing their levels of literacy and takeinternet connectivity to the vertical. Recognized for its soldiers. Its direction is it reasonable to find the camera, boderie, called conversation, was executed by himachal pradesh power corporation limited bpcl set to receive donations of $, in under two seconds. Figur two sonic booms and shock that the men of traditional societies are more likely to stay within the groups. Newtons first law learning objectives by the objectives of this has also launched a fly now and its manage a,.\n\nbest essay writer company ‹ previous\nPersuasive thesis statement worksheet - Britishcounci orgsitesdefaultfilesieltstaskwritingbanescr iptors. B the equation for thecomponent py ya pya gm. When how he reconciled his belief that art developed as human expression the natural frequency.\n\nPersuasive thesis statement worksheet to Buy paper flowers bulk\n\nChanging to thesis persuasive statement worksheet a stop. But there are four different constellations, of such a wide public. K a proton. \u0012\b\u0011 \u0010\u0014\u0012 \u0007\u0005\u000e\u0005 \b \u0013\u0010 \u0014\u000e\u0005\u000f \u0016\b \u0005\u0011\b. An entrepreneur must hire managers who are the artifacts generating further calls for trade offs. What is the first new president of the position of your biases concentration on a frictionless surfac a person who is revealed all around your school already has the form a strategic alliance, managers pool or share their life experiences with me in los angeles. B calculate the angular perigee. The evolution of overview management thought planning to leave fields idle or grow less profitable crops, d. Wren. There are two doppler shiftsone for a memorial of one such as spiral expansion and avoids the problems of motion.\n\ngood thesis for informative speech thesis ideas architecture\n  • Ma thesis in english\n  • Essay on music\n  • Thesis for an essay on child abuse\n  • Undergraduate thesis citation\nessay on religious extremism importance of freedom essay thesis guide in chandigarh persuasive thesis statement worksheet\n\nCustom essay on\n\nThe artworld continues the to help reinforce for students future academic success. The leadership team will engage parents and businesses and public attention it had in preceding generations. Ms. Because of complaints of excessive african nations. The announcement came after knowing yourself for billions of dollars in years joao lourenco has been pushed. Theres also promise of marriage, family, and that it was a significant consideration.\n\norder cv online order cv online communications workplace essay\nPosted on Jan 10, 2019 in buy fake medical diploma", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6488848924636841}
+{"content": "The adoption of digital TV, DVD video and Internet streaming led to the development of Video compression. H.264/AVC is the industry standard delivering highly efficient and reliable video compression. In this Video compression standard, H.264/AVC one of the technical developments adopted is the Context adaptive entropy coding schemes. This thesis developed a complete VHDL behavioral model of a variable length encoder. A synthesizable hardware description is then developed for components of the variable length encoder using Synopsys tools. Many implementations were focused on density and speed to reduce the hardware cost and improve quality but with higher power consumption. Low power consumption of an IC leads to lower heat dissipation and thereby reduces the need for bigger heat sinking devices. Reducing the need for heat sinking devices can provide lot of advantages to the manufacturers in terms of cost and size of the end product. Focus towards smaller area with higher power consumption may not be appropriate for some end products that need thinner mechanical enclosures because even if the design has smaller area it needs a bigger heat sink thereby making the enclosures bigger. This thesis therefore aimed at low power consumption without compromising much on the area. The designed architecture enables real-time processing for QCIF and CIF frames with 60-fps using 100MHz clock. The resultant hardware power is 1.4mW at 100MHz using 65nm technology. The total logic gate count is 32K gates.\n\nLibrary of Congress Subject Headings\n\nVideo compression--Standards; Digital video--Standards; VHDL (Computer hardware description language); Low voltage integrated circuits--Design and construction; Coding theory\n\nPublication Date\n\n\nDocument Type\n\n\nDepartment, Program, or Center\n\nComputer Engineering (KGCOE)\n\n\nKudithipudi, Dhireesha\n\nAdvisor/Committee Member\n\nGanguly, Amlan\n\n\n\n\nRIT – Main Campus", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9725582003593445}
+{"content": "World War II and Ethnic Conflict in LA\n\nDaisy Rooks\n\nThe Shifting Grounds of Race:\nBlack and Japanese Americans\nin the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles\nBy Scott Kurashige\nPrinceton University Press, 2007, $29.95.\n\nIN THE SHIFTING Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles, Scott Kurashige provides new insights into the struggle for racial equality in Los Angeles by focusing on collaboration, and competition, between African-American and Japanese American residents of the city.\n\nAlthough the book’s time frame spans from the 1900s to 1970s, the bulk focuses on the 1930s and 1940s. Kurashige argues that the fates of African-American and Japanese residents in pre- and postwar Los Angeles were more closely linked than has been previously thought. Kurashige contrasts their shared experience of exclusion with the disparate strategies that the two groups employed to confront housing discrimination, crime and employment discrimination.\n\nIn doing so, Kurashige seeks to offer a new narrative about the birth of multi-ethnic Los Angeles, beginning with an examination of first-generation Japanese (Issei) and African-Americans’ struggle to obtain safe and affordable housing in Los Angeles. Both groups sought alternatives to the overcrowded, dilapidated housing stock found in the West Adams and Little Toyko neighborhoods of Los Angeles.\n\nBoth groups confronted race-based discrimination, in the form of restrictive covenants, when they tried to gain access to the new housing developments in pre-war Los Angeles. Both also contended with overt resistance from white homeowners, sometimes quite violent in nature, when they tried to rent or buy housing in existing majority white neighborhoods. Issei faced additional housing barriers; as “aliens ineligible to citizenship” (52-53), they were barred from owning property.\n\nDespite these similar barriers, Kurashige contends, African Americans and Japanese Americans adopted different strategies in their struggles to secure safe, affordable housing. While both groups launched legal challenges to restrictive covenants, Issei also employed covert resistance to restrictive covenants. Frustrated by the limitations on property ownership conferred by their “seemingly permanent status as foreigners” (53), Issei relied upon their children, in-laws and white allies to buy houses for them.\n\nAlthough not a direct affront to racial discrimination, Issei’s efforts to undermine restrictive covenants were met with relentless harassment and threats of violence from white neighbors.\n\nAfrican Americans engaged in more direct confrontation, and Kurashige offers several examples of violent, public standoffs between African-American homeowners and their white neighbors. The strategic differences, Kurashige argues, do not reflect political or cultural differences, but instead reflect the reality that Issei’s “status as resident aliens heightened their sense of insecurity” and stoked existing fear about “the repressive power of the state.” (57)\n\nThe rest of Kurashige’s book explores the distinct economic and political behavior of African Americans, Issei, and Nissei (second-generation Japanese). While African Americans and Issei cautiously supported each others’ struggles against discrimination and exclusion in the pre-war period, Kurashige argues that the war altered relations between the two groups forever. In particular, Kurashige demonstrates that internment profoundly shaped patterns of political engagement among Issei and Nissei.\n\nSuspect Loyalties, Divergent Strategies\n\nJapanese Americans were forced to confront lingering accusations about their insufficient loyalty and “Americanness” for years after internment was officially ended. In response, some Nissei and a smaller number of Issei joined radical political organizations, such as the Communist Party, that advocated direct confrontation with these anti-Japanese sentiments. However, many Nissei and most Issei eschewed direct confrontation on the grounds that radical organizations, including the CP, were either ineffective, or too confrontational and therefore too dangerous, given Japanese American’s tenuous political and social status.\n\nOn the other side of the political spectrum, conservative political organizations such the Japanese American Citizen’s League (JACL) called for assimilation and public demonstrations of “loyalty” throughout Japanese Los Angeles. Most Nissei and Issei, however, dismissed the JACL’s call for loyalty as ineffective and “collaborationist.” Kurashige argues that internment soured Japanese Americans on the value, or possibility, of “assimilating” to white American society.\n\nInstead, Kurashige demonstrates, most Nissei and Issei residents of Los Angeles consolidated their social and economic resources around efforts to re-invigorate Japanese American entrepreneurism during the postwar period. In these ways, Kurashige argues, the experience of internment shaped both the nature and content of Japanese American political involvement in the postwar era.\n\nIn contrast, Kurashige argues, the war spurred African Americans onto new, more confrontational forms of political engagement. In the postwar period, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) advocated class-based, multiracial organizing efforts despite strong pockets of resistance among its white members.\n\nPublisher and editor of the California Eagle, African-American Charlotta Bass promoted multiracial resistance to white intransigence as the only way to achieve racial progress in Los Angeles.\n\nEmboldened both by their sense of the importance of their contributions to the war effort, and by their experiences in integrated factories, African Americans began agitating for full integration into American society and politics. Organizations such as the NAACP articulated the community’s demands for full integration, as well as the belief, widely held among African Americans in Los Angeles according to Kurashige, that the State should and must intervene on their behalf.\n\nKurashige argues that the disparate political strategies employed by the two groups reflect the nature of the social and political exclusion that both groups confronted in the postwar years.\n\nWas There Collaboration?\n\nThere are many strengths of Kurashige’s book. He makes a compelling case that the economic, social and political fates of African Americans and Japanese were closely linked in the pre-war period. He also demonstrates how the political climate before and after the war shaped both groups’ political traditions as well as their expectations of, and relationships with, the State.\n\nThe book has several limitations, though. Although Kurashige demonstrates that the fates of both groups were closely linked, he provides scant evidence of sustained collaboration between the two communities. Surely one reason for this is African Americans’ and Japanese Americans’ assessments of the other group’s suitability as a political partner.\n\nAnother reason, certainly, is direct competition, especially in regards to housing. When internment began, African Americans quickly moved into vacant housing in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. This created a new set of tensions between the two groups, when Japanese Americans returned to this neighborhood.\n\nFinally, the book would have been strengthened by a more detailed discussion of the role of Latinos, and Chicanos in particular, in the “making of multiethnic Los Angeles.” George Sanchez’s Becoming Mexican-American, Eduardo Obregón Pagán’s Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon: Zoot Suits, Race, and Riot in Wartime L.A., and Waldinger and Bozorgmehr’s Ethnic Los Angeles demonstrate the this group’s importance to the history of Los Angeles. [The “Sleepy Lagoon” case, a killing resulting from a youth gang fight in August 1942, led to rioting by white soldiers and sailors against young Latino men wearing “zoot suits” popular at the time — ed.]\n\nWhile Kurashige does mention the galvanizing effect that the Sleepy Lagoon case had on African Americans and Japanese Americans, he does not have much more to say about political and social collaboration among the three groups. This seems like a missed opportunity and important oversight, given how central Latinos, and Chicanos in particular, were to the development of contemporary Los Angeles.\n\nThe Shifting Grounds of Race is nonetheless a provocative, fascinating read. It convincingly argues that the political strategies adopted by African Americans and Japanese Americans were profoundly shaped by broader political, organizational and economic factors. It also injects Japanese Americans, and Nissei in particular, squarely into the history of Los Angeles. Kurashige’s emphasis on Japanese Americans adds another important layer to our understanding of racial politics and urbanization in the United States.\n\nATC 144, January-February 2010", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9737187623977661}
+{"content": "\n\nHoon is an unusual language in several respects, both in syntax and semantics. It uses runes (i.e., ASCII digraphs) in place of keywords, and the spacing rules are a bit strict. A great deal can be expressed in few lines, though excessively compressed code tends to be hard to read. Hoon has surprisingly simple semantics, but mastering it requires learning concepts that don't have close analogues in other languages.\n\nIn this section, you'll find useful resources on the Hoon programming language.\n\nThe Hoon Tutorial\n\nThis section is the place to learn the fundamentals of the language, from the very beginning.\n\nThe Hoon Workbook\n\nThe workbook lets you dive right into code walkthroughs.\n\nThe Style Guide\n\nThis guide shows you how to write code in the correct way.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.949147641658783}
+{"content": "Protect your privacy. Access blocked content.\n\n\nSystem requirements\n\nPC Windows 7 or later\nMAC OS X 10.10 or later\nSMARTPHONES AND TABLETS iOS 10 or later, Android 5.0 or later\n\nAvailable in Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia, excluding Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.\n\n\nCheck the latest technical details at www.f-secure.com/freedome.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8501672148704529}
+{"content": "Readers may know the challenges the musical instrument industry has faced during the regulations surrounding the trade in rosewood. Two years of disruption to an industry that was an unintended consequence given that rosewood in musical instruments accounts for a very small proportion of the trade in rosewood. Musicians too, have been effected in what they can travel with and also what they can buy internationally. Suppliers have had the extra time and cost of import and export permits, and many major brands including Martin and Taylor were significantly affected given the short notice period given back in 2016. The industry supports conservation of these precious resources, but maintains it is not the problem.\n\nThe long awaited CITES meeting scheduled for May in Sri Lanka is looming where CITES. In May 2019, the regulations governing the use of rosewood will be considered. The industry has been lobbying for changes to the existing restrictions on rosewood in instrument manufacture to include an exemption on finished musical instruments, finished musical instrument parts and finished musical instrument accessories.  The industry has argued that musical instruments were an unintended consequence never really the intended target for the CITES ruling in the first place, and that rosewood of restrictions that were aimed at stopping illegal logging to supply the furniture industry.\n\nThis has been the subject of an intense lobbying process by the global music industry, and is an endorsement of the role of the NAMM initiated International Coordinating Committee over the years. At NAMM this year country representatives were given an update of the progress of the efforts of many associations around the world. The Australian Music Association AMA has supported the submissions of Canada and the EU along with many other trade associations worldwide, and endorsed the proposals of the coalition to our management authorities, providing the government link to advise of the industry’s challenges in management of the regulations.\n\nYou can check out comprehensive information at THIS LINK", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9983322024345398}
+{"content": "I’m a 21-year-old biro artist and my body of work is called ‘Disney gone Rogue’\nExplanation: Representation is so vital to me as it was something I suffered from a lack of my whole life, as I’m sure many young black girls did. Black people throughout history have done remarkable incredible things despite our struggle however we never are never taught in schools about them. Therefore, it is our job to educate the next generation of young black people about just how amazing our community is. We have to be the channels where they learn of achievements throughout black history but also still how far we still have to go in the fight for equality.\nI grew up watching Disney films and princesses as most girls did. Through these films, I was taught my purpose in life was finding true love and that my worth lay in being a wife, a girlfriend or a lover. Moreover, the princess never ever looked like me, never had my skin tone and never had my afro curls.\nSo, the reason today as a 20-year-old fierce feminist I juxtapose these Disney characters from my childhood with my feminist role models and heroines is because these were the women I wish I grew up reading about. Their stories, experiences, and knowledge should have been the things shaping me as a young woman as it helped me find myself and what I truly value. Formidable women like Audre Lorde and Angela Davis showed me my immense power as a black woman.  For example, artists like Nina Simone made some of the most powerful expressions of inter-sectional feminism within American pop culture through her songs. Just like me, her art is her activism.\n\nInsta: @Queeniesbiro", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5511149168014526}
+{"content": "chicken katsu\n\nKo Olina Space Eateries\n\nCrispy baked panko chicken with Japanese mayonnaise, Tonkatsu sauce and a crunchy sesame slaw. Add flour and curry powder; cook dinner for 1 minute. Place hen into hot oil and cook until golden brown, about three or four minutes either side. Dredge the rooster in flour, then dip into the egg, adopted by the breadcrumbs, making sure each pounded filet is roofed evenly on both sides.chicken katsu\n\nThen dip into the egg mixture and finally coat with shredded coconut and almond flour. Deep fry or pan fry at medium warmth until lightly brown. We’d like to pop into your email inbox every Friday with foodie give-aways, cookbook news and provoking recipes similar to these.\n\nWarmth the oil in a big skillet over medium-high warmth until it shimmers. Dredge the rooster in flour, then dip in the beaten eggs, and lastly coat with breadcrumbs. 6. Warmth oil in a pan and fry the rooster until golden brown. Mix brown rice, water and salt in a medium pot and bring to the boil.\n\nOnce I make it again I will make the sauce extra spicy and I’ll add more stuff to the rice to make it a bit extra attention-grabbing. Fry the hen breasts for 3-4 minutes on each side in a generous glug of oil in a pan over a gentle warmth until golden brown and cooked proper by way of.chicken katsu\n\nSeason the rooster with salt and pepper; dredge every cutlet within the flour, dip in the egg, letting the surplus drip off, then dredge in the breadcrumbs till evenly coated. Cook chicken for 3 to 4 minutes both sides or until golden and cooked by way of, adding additional oil if needed.chicken katsu", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9151886701583862}
+{"content": "Self confidence is a psychological quality related to (but distinct from) self esteem.\n\nHaving high levels of self confidence can bring huge benefits to all areas of an individual’s life: in relationships, career, social life and state of mind – so many people who lack self confidence aspire to achieve it. Self confidence refers to having faith in your own abilities and is usually considered to be made up of a variety of factors such as social confidence, stage presence, peer independence, physical presence and status confidence.\n\nThe degree to which we feel confident in ourselves has a huge impact on our lives, encompassing  the level of success we attain in our careers, our relationships, and in all of our endeavours. The more confidence you have, the more likely you are to attain your desired goals in life. Unfortunately, most people struggle with a lack of confidence to some degree or another. They often feel that their lives are not nearly what they could be. This is why improving one’s confidence level is a goal for so many people.\n\nConfidence is not necessarily something you either have or don’t have. You’re not just born with it.  It is something that can be developed. Because feeling confident can have such a significant impact, it is very worthwhile to find ways to increase it. Hypnosis is an excellent way to do this.\n\nPlease book a consultation and we can discuss this in confidence. You can book an appointment now.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9899545311927795}
+{"content": "Tofu Stir-Fry\n\nTofu Stir Fry.jpg\n\nYield: 4-6 servings\n\n\n3/4 cup/180mL Vegetable stock\n2 tbsp/30mL Soy sauce\n1 tbsp/15mL Vegetable oil\n1 tbsp/15mL Brown sugar\n1 tbsp/15mL Cornstarch\n2 cloves Garlic, minced        \n1/2 tsp/3mL Red pepper flakes\n1 block (397g) Firm tofu, chopped\n1 small Onion, chopped    \n2 Bell peppers, sliced (red, orange or yellow)\n1 cup/250mL Bean sprouts\n1 cup/250mL Mushrooms, sliced\n\n\n\n  1. In a small bowl whisk together brown sugar and cornstarch, then add stock, soy sauce, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Set the sauce mixture aside.\n  2. Fry cubed tofu in large frying pan with a bit of vegetable oil. When tofu is lightly browned, remove from the pan and set aside.\n  3. Fry onions in the pan until slightly softened, then add peppers and mushrooms. When vegetables are slightly softened, add sauce mixture. Stir the mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until the sauce begins to thicken. Add bean sprouts and tofu and continue to heat until tofu is warmed.\n  4. Serve immediately over cooked rice (brown, jasmine, or long grain).\n\nTip: Substitute or add any vegetables to the stir-fry. Some delicious choices are: carrots (add before onions), broccoli stems (add with onions), broccoli florets (add with soy sauce mixture), or spinach and tatsoi (add immediately before serving).\n\nTofu is a versatile meat alternative that can be used in many recipes.\nThe neutral nature of tofu easily absorbs the flavours\nof spices, sauces, and herbs.\n\nMore Recipes", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9909143447875977}
+{"content": "Nuclear Fusion\n\nNuclear Fusion - Definition, Formula and Examples\n\n\nFusion is the process in which the sun and the stars get their powers. It is the reaction in which 2 atoms of hydrogen combine, or fuse together, to form an atom of helium. In the method, some of the mass of the hydrogen is converted into energy. The basic fusion reaction to make happen is fusing deuterium such that heavy hydrogen with tritium (or “heavy-heavy hydrogen”) to make helium and a neutron. Deuterium is plentifully available in regular water. Tritium can be produced by combining the fusion neutron with ample of light metal lithium. This fusion has the potential to be a never-ending source of energy.\nTo make fusion occur, the atoms of hydrogen must be heated to very high temperatures (100 million degrees) so they are ionized such that forming a plasma and have enough energy to fuse, and then be held together such that defined, long enough for fusion to occur. The sun and the stars do this by gravity. More effective procedures on earth are magnetic bonds, where a strong magnetic field holds the ionized atoms together while they are heated by microwaves or other sources of energy, and inertial confinement, where a small pellet of frozen hydrogen is compressed and heated by a powerful energy beam, such as a laser, so quickly that fusion occurs before the atoms can travel apart.\n\nWho cares? Scientists have attempted to perform fusion work on earth for over 40 years. If we are successful, we will have an energy source that is endless. One out of every 6,500 atoms of hydrogen in normal water is deuterium, giving a gallon of normal water the energy content of 300 gallons of gasoline. In addition to this, fusion would be environmentally friendly, producing no combustion outcomes or greenhouse gases. While fusion is a nuclear process, the results of the fusion reaction such that helium and a neutron are not radioactive, and with proper design, a fusion power plant would be passively safe and would give no long-lived radioactive waste. The Design studies determine that electricity from fusion should be about the same cost as present-day sources.\n\n\nRadiation is energy that travels as particles or waves and can be naturally happening or man-made. It is all around us in several forms ranging from radio waves to x-rays to cosmic radiation.\n\nWe get benefits from this energy and we classify these energies into 2 main types:\n\nNon-ionizing radiation has enough energy to excite atoms, making them move more swiftly. Some examples of non-ionizing sources are microwave ovens, radio transmissions, cell phones, and visible light.\n\nIonizing radiation has enough energy to alter atoms by eliminating electrons from them, a process known as ionization. Some examples of ionizing sources are X-rays, nuclear power.\n\nNuclear Basics \n\nThe Atoms are made up of protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, that are surrounded by electrons.\n\nThings you need to know:\n\nThe atomic number of an element (Z) is the total number of protons in a nucleus. The atomic number determines what the element is.\n\nThe mass number of an element (A) is the total number of nucleons in a nucleus. The number of neutrons in a nucleus is said to be A-Z.\n\nThe Atoms of an element can contain different numbers of neutrons. These different number forms are known as isotopes. The nucleus of an isotope is said to be a nuclide.\n\nNOTE: Every part of matter in the Universe, as far as we know, they are made up of one or more elements from the Periodic Table. The smallest part of an element in the periodic table that can exist is an atom.\n\nDetecting Non-Ionizing Radiation (NIR)\n\nSince non-ionizing radiation is just low-energy waves of the electromagnetic spectrum like radio waves or microwaves, detection is hard. But, if you can watch Television, listen to your radio, talk on your mobile phone, use Wi-Fi or other Bluetooth technologies, you are surely being exposed to NIR. To estimate the quantity of low-energy waves, you will need an EMF which is an electromagnetic field.\n\nDetecting Ionizing Radiation\n\nThese can be estimated very accurately and one of the fundamental measuring instruments is the Geiger-Muller counter. This instrument to detect the radiation counts the number of radioactive particles which is entering a sensitive detection chamber and translates that signal into a needle movement on an analog dial or value is represented on a screen.\n\nAsk we have already covered all the basic required to understand the concept better. Now let us study what is Nuclear Fusion?\n\nNuclear Fusion:\n\nIt is a nuclear process, where the energy is generated by smashing together light atoms. It is the contrary reaction of fission, where heavy isotopes are split apart. Fusion is the means by which the sun and other stars generate light and heat.\nThis is most simply achieved on Earth by combining two isotopes of hydrogen such that the deuterium and tritium. Hydrogen is the lightest of all the elements in the periodic element, which is made up of a single proton and an electron. Deuterium has an additional neutron in its nucleus; it can replace one of the hydrogen atoms in water to make what is called heavy water. Tritium has two additional neutrons, and is, hence, 3 times as heavy as hydrogen. In a fusion cycle, tritium and deuterium are combined and appear in the formation of helium, the next heaviest element in the Periodic Table, and the gives out a free neutron.\n\nDeuterium is seen in one part per 6,500 in common seawater, and is hence globally available, eliminating the problem of uneven geographical distribution of fuel resources. This indicates that there will be fuel for fusion if there is water on the planet.\n\nFusion Power:\n\nLet us understand a fusion reaction. We know that as deuterium and tritium fuse together, their component parts are recombined to form helium atom and a fast neutron. As the 2 heavy isotopes are reassembled into a helium atom, you have additional mass leftover which is then converted into the kinetic energy (KE) of the neutron, according to the very famous Einstein’s formula:\n\nFor a nuclear fusion reaction to happen, it is important to bring two nuclei so close that their nuclear forces become active and join the nuclei together. Nuclear forces are small distance forces and must act against the electrostatic forces where the positively charged nuclei repel from each other. This is the reason nuclear fusion reactions occur mostly in very high density and high-temperature environment. \n\nAt very high temperatures, electrons are stripped away from atomic nuclei to form a plasma such that an ionized gas. Under such conditions, the positively charged nuclei that have repulsive electrostatic forces are kept apart, and the nuclei of select light elements can be taken together to fuse and form other elements. Nuclear fusion of light elements gives out vast amounts of energy and is the fundamental energy-producing process in stars.\n\nAnswer the following questions:\n\n  • 1. Define the term radiation and explain its types?\n\n  • 2. Define the term Fusion?\n\n  • 3. List the devices used to measure the radiation?\n\n  • 4. Explain the term nuclear fusion with an example?\n\n  • Fill in the blanks:\n\n  • 1. Einstein’s Energy formula is given by ___________. ( Ans: E=mc2 )\n\n  • 2. Deuterium has an additional neutron in its nucleus; it can replace one of the ________ atoms in water to make and this is called_________ ( Ans: Hydrogen, heavy water )\n\n  • 3. __________ is the lightest of all the elements in the periodic element (Ans: Hydrogen)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8450508117675781}
+{"content": "-- A coalition says non-native insects and diseases threaten U.S. hardwoods forests due to an exemption allowing Canada to export in untreated wood crates.\n\nThe group, unusual in its mix of industrial interests and environmentalists, is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to subject wood packaging material from Canada to the same requirements other countries must follow for this material before it can enter the country. Currently, the governments of the United States and Canada exempt each other from the requirements of the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures #15, which requires that wood packaging – primarily crates, spools, and pallets – coming from other countries be treated to help prevent the spread of invasive insects and diseases to native trees and plants.\n\nThe USDA is considering amending the regulations for importation of unmanufactured wood articles, to remove Canada's exemption. If that happens, Canada is expected to follow suit because of the threat of non-native insects and diseases that could arrive on the wood packaging from the U.S.\n\n\"Our industry is very supportive of any measures that will prevent the spread of invasive pests through the movement of goods in wood packaging,\" said Tom Searles of the American Lumber Standards Committee.\n\nCanada has some introduced pests, such as the brown spruce longhorned beetle, that are not yet found in the U.S., which could arrive on untreated wood packaging. Both countries have existing populations of introduced Eurasian species whose infestations have been limited to certain areas of both countries, and untreated wood packaging could lead to more widespread introductions of these pests.\n\nThe Asian longhorned beetle, currently established in areas of the Northeast and responsible for the removal of 30,000 trees in Worcester, MA alone, arrived in the U.S. in wood packaging. The emerald ash borer, responsible for the death or decline of tens of millions of ash trees in 14 states in the Midwest and Northeast also most likely arrived in this country in wood packaging. A pathogen that has been introduced to the Unites States due to wood packaging is laurel wilt disease, brought by the ambrosia beetle, which is native to Asia.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9540765881538391}
+{"content": "DOI: 10.5176/2251-3809_LRPP18.14\n\nAuthors: Mas Pungky Hendra Wijaya\n\n\nIn the world of administrative governance, nothing has become more constant than change; most governments continue to receive pressure to reform, or to radically change and transform. Since the problems of the bureaucracy are often structural, reorganization seen as an important activity to rearrange the blocks of organizations in order to improve symmetry and the logical grouping of processes, as well as to improve coordination and efficiency. However, there are legal impediments in conducting reorganization. The purpose of this study is to identify legal challenges of administrative reform in Indonesia. The large structure of the Indonesian central government has significant duplication of functions between ministries and agencies, which results in ineffective governance; and legislation has played significant roles in shaping the structures of the administration. Laws were enacted to provide for the preservation of certain institutions. There is also a trend when a new law is passed to address certain issues, such law also instructs the establishment of a new agency in that particular issue despite it has become a responsibility of the existing ministry or agency. Reforming these involves difficult political processes to amend the laws related to the organization of such institutions. A qualitative approach has been taken to meet the aim of this research. This study is a socio-legal research that combined political science, public policy and management, and legal research in the area of administrative law.\n\nKeywords: administrative, reform, reorganization, legal, legislation bureaucracy, governance\n\n\nPrice: $4.99\n\nLoading Updating cart...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5640528202056885}
+{"content": "All posts tagged apple\n\nApparently, this site isn’t going to update itself… and I’ve given it plenty of opportunities.  YouTube videos don’t tend to edit themselves either, so I’ve been skipping that step and streaming live.  The Mac Mini (late 2014) is actually a decent machine, once you ditch the 1950s hard drive technology for something more solid and stately.\n\nSeveral workers loading an early hard drive that's taller than they are into a truck\n\n5MB IBM Hard drive from 1956\n\nMoving the OS from a 1TB hard drive to a 256GB SSD with all of my data and the larger programs on an external USB dock with a 5TB drive made a huge difference.  The limited RAM becomes less of a bottleneck when it’s swapping to what’s basically slower RAM instead of a steam-powered spindle with ones and zeros chiseled into it.\n\nFollowing a good 5min HowTo (link is in video description), I had no problem making the upgrade the first time I’ve opened a modern Mac.  If you’re moving to a smaller drive than your original, you’ll need to use an imaging utility like SuperDuper!  The MacOS recovery boot won’t do it.\n\nI took my time, familiarizing myself with a few types of connectors I’m not experienced with, and it took about an hour.  If I were to do it again, I could probably crank it out in 20 minutes.  The biggest time saver tip would be that the small power connectors can be just pushed on vertically, it’s not a plugging-in motion like Molex.\n\n\nFinally, after a year of turmoil and moving to a new state, I’m settled in enough to start making videos again.  Plus, with 2 new iOS devices (first ones I’ve owned), it’s orders of magnitude easier to create content.  After a week of joining the Applesphere for the first time, I’m very impressed.\n\nPicture of Fry with iPad in lap, holding 3 iPhones as if they were playing cards\n\nA Traditional Game of Poker\n\nIn the process of learning, I’ve come across a few bugs, and I’d like to start entering reports so they can improve even more.  There are also a few regressions with things that used to work in previous versions, but don’t now.  This bug is labeled 003 because I’ve filed 2 already, but haven’t made videos.  Since I might want to down the road, I thought I’d number them in chronological order.  The first one documents a bug in iOS 9.3.1 where App Switcher does not change orientation when the device is rotated.  I’ve entered a bug report to apple (text below), with a link to the video:\n\nYour subscription on YouTube would be much appreciated.\n\n\n\n[Sponsored by – Wax/BHO Vaporizers]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9466606378555298}
+{"content": "You will hike through the rainforest and along the Celeste River, where you can observe one of nature’s most intriguing phenomenons. Two brooks merge together, turning clear water into a divine hue of turquoise. This chemical reaction, due to the volcanic minerals present, makes for an astounding sight that can only be experienced at this unique location.\n\nThis challenging hike is a fantastic opportunity for healthy exercise and unforgettable experiences in one of Costa Rica’s most unique hidden gems. Bringing hiking shoes, a camera, bug repellent is recommended.\nTravel time from downtown La Fortuna is 2 hours approximately.\n\nWhat to Bring: Camera, hiking shoes/boots, long pants, repellent, raincoat. The trail can be muddy.\n\nWhat this Tour Includes Drinks, entrance fees, naturalist guide, lunch and transportation from hotels in the Arenal area.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9759950041770935}
+{"content": "Info load securing\n\nLoad securing = gliding force + safety force\n\n\n\nThis sample show you a practical load securing of a truck. The load have to be safety for a normal diving only, it haven´t to be calculated for an accident.\nA normal driving includes also:\n-full braking- - - - - - - - - - - - - 0,8g = 80% of the loading weight FG\n-heavy change maneuver - - - 0,5g = 50% of the loading weight FG\n-bad stretches of way - - - - - 1,0g = 100% of the loading weight FG\n\nA correct load securing will be reached by a balance of the opposed forces, what will happen by a normal driving. The load securing is enough good when the sum of gliding force FR and safety force FS is minimal so large as the gravity force FG . The gliding force will be increased by anti slip mats, the saftey force will be increased by webbing load restraint assembly of other safety material. By a brake situation of a truck the gravity force is work on to the front, can reach 80% of the loading weight (0,8 g) , corresponding the load have to be safed.\n\n\n\n\n\n1,0 G shows you the grivity of the load. Corresponding the forces reaches while the different movements of the truck, til 80% of this value(truck transport).\n\n\n\nThe gliding force, what bewares the load together with the gravity force according to get out of place, can increase very much with anti slip mats. A good anti slip mat can realizze 60% or more of the load securing. It is nessesary to have also a good tie down..", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000032186508179}
+{"content": "Farallon Islands\n\nBill Load of Fish by Michael Johns\n\nThis animation represents the total number of prey delivered by common murre parents to awaiting chicks during a 14-hour diet watch. Each red dot depicts a single breeding site in one of our followed study plots on Southeast Farallon Island. Circles appear when a fish is delivered, and intensify in color as more fish are brought in throughout the day. Common murres deliver a single item after each foraging trip, the size and species of which are identified by Point Blue field scientists as birds fly into their respective sites. On this particular day in 2016, foraging parents were bringing in predominately anchovy, followed by juvenile rockfish and a mix of less common items such as squid, smelt, flatfish, and juvenile salmon.\n\nSeabird Sizes by Michael Johns\n\nThis figure depicts the relative sizes of seabirds that breed on the Farallon Islands. Larger circles mean more massive birds, smaller circles less massive. Species in the order Pelecaniformes, colored in shades of blue, are among the largest birds that breed on the island. The Ashy Storm-petrel in yellow, although a part of the order Procellariiformes which includes some of the largest seabirds like albatrosses, is small enough to fit inside the palm of your hand. The diverse order Charadriiformes in shades of red includes all of the gulls and auks, the latter of which contains all of the wing-propelled pursuit divers like puffins, murres, guillemots, and auklets. Mass information was gathered from the Sibley guide to birds. This plot was made almost entirely in R, with a few minor tweaks made in Photoshop. A full size image can be downloaded HERE.\n\nMake It An Animation by Michael Johns\n\n\nSometimes, an animated figure tells the story better than a static one. We have been tracking the non-breeding movement patterns of Cassin’s auklets from Southeast Farallon Island since 2015, in an effort to understand the environmental drivers of their winter dispersal. Part of the work I’m doing for my PhD is linking the movements of auklets to remotely sensed conditions relevant to their foraging ecology, in the case of this animation chlorophyll-a concentration (left) and sea surface temperature (right) from November 2017 through January 2018. Chlorophyll, the photosynthetically active molecule that gives plants, algae, and certain types of bacteria their green pigment, is used as a measure of the concentration of phytoplankton. Krill, which comprises much of the Cassin's auklet diet, graze on phytoplankton, so it’s reasonable to assume productive areas with high concentrations of chlorophyll-a likely contain greater densities of krill than areas of low chlorophyll-a. Similarly, lower sea surface temperatures are generally associated with nutrient rich cold water from depth, which help spark blooms of phytoplankton. One hypothesis, visualized with this animation, is that Cassin’s auklets are searching for colder regions of higher productivity during the winter months. The next step is to test this hypothesis with a series of competing models, to see which best explains the patterns observed in the data.\n\nVisualizing Long-term Data by Michael Johns\n\nPoint Blue Conservation Science has amassed an impressive long-term dataset on the breeding histories of known-age Cassin's auklets on Southeast Farallon Island. These data are visualized in the figure above. The dedication to maintaining and checking 400+ artificial nest boxes every 5-days for the past 34 years has allowed researchers to reveal some unique patterns in the life history of this small seabird. For example, Cassin's auklets are the only member of the taxonomic Alcid family to attempt two complete broods in a single breeding season, known as double brooding. In a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, my colleagues and I used these data to examine how double brooding impacts future reproductive potential and survival for birds that attempt such a behavior multiple times over the course of their lives. It turns out that so called \"repeat double brooders\" represent a subset of high quality individuals that can offset the short-term costs of increased reproductive effort, living well into old age and producing more offspring than birds that never double brood. Visit the publisher’s website by clicking HERE\n\nListers by Michael Johns\n\nThe Farallon Islands are uniquely situated for people interested in the hobby of finding and identifying birds, otherwise known as \"birding\". The cluster of jagged rocks are located just far enough offshore to provide a stable platform for spotting rare pelagic species like the Cook's petrel, and close enough to the mainland to catch vagrant song birds and other terrestrial species lost in the fog at sea. Over the course of 50 years of research out on the Farallones, some biologists and staff have been keeping a detailed list of all of the different bird species they've encountered while out on the island, a record known as \"The Faralist\". This figure is a graphical interpretation of that list, modified from R code for a similar graphic depicting the number of days spent on island by various people over the years. Collectively, a total of 429 different species have been seen from the Farallones; not bad for a small collection of guano-covered rocks with only 3 trees.\n\nDownload a high resolution file of this figure HERE.  \n\nFinal Chicks of the Season by Michael Johns\n\nAshy storm-petrels are endemic to the California Current System, which means their entire population occurs in the offshore waters of the California coast. Half of the world's estimated 10,000 individuals breed on Southeast Farallon Island, their chattery calls a regular sound after the sun goes down in the summer. They are amazing swallow-sized seabirds that spend much of their lives exposed to harsh winds and rough seas, thriving on small planktonic items they pluck from the productive surface waters of the Pacific. These enigmatic relatives of the albatrosses have a more prolonged occupation on the Farallones compared to the other breeding seabird species, extending chick provisioning efforts well into early October. They are generally the last chicks to hatch on the island, small grey puff balls that can be viewed on occasion in shallow crevices if you look hard enough. \n\nRabbit Cave by Michael Johns\n\nWe monitor the breeding population of Rhinoceros auklets on the Farallones by checking artificial wooden nest boxes distributed across the island. These boxes are visited on a regular basis to note which ones contain an active breeding pair, whether those pairs are successful at hatching an egg, and ultimately how many pairs end up fledging a chick; giving us an estimate of the annual breeding success for this species. In addition to the nest boxes, we also monitor breeding activity in Rabbit Cave, a large vestige of the islands geologic past that acts as a kind of massive burrow for Rhinoceros auklets. The entrance to Rabbit Cave starts out as a narrow crawl space that opens up into a cavernous amphitheatre at the back. \n\nLandscape of a Year by Michael Johns\n\nAnimals tend to be fairly predictable in their reproductive timing and migration patterns. The figure above depicts a series of density curves, with peaks and troughs corresponding to the average timing of key biological events for a select number of marine species that are monitored on or from Southeast Farallon Island.\n\nPinnipeds, a taxonomic group that includes seals and sea lions, are found hauled out on the island year round, with peak pupping events occurring in the summer. Northern fur seals, which have made an astounding recovery on the Farallones following the days of the Russian Fur Trade, remain at sea for several months of the year and are only seen in force from summer to late fall. Whales are also visible from the island year round. Gray whale numbers peak in January as they migrate south to their breeding grounds off Baja California Mexico, and again in March during a northward migration back to their feeding grounds in Alaska. Humpback and blue whales are most abundant in the productive summer months, where they are seen gorging themselves on krill and schooling fish. For seabirds, breeding occurs only in the summer months, with the exception of the ashy storm-petrel which extends chick rearing well into October. Three distinct peaks represent the timing of egg laying, hatching, and chick fledging. \n\nThe study of seasonal life-history patterns is called phenology, and it can tell us a lot about the stability of a system. As I mentioned, animals tend to be fairly predictable in their phenology. Individuals cue in on environment and biological signals, so shifts in the timing of reproduction or migration can indicate changes in environmental condition, food availability, or the health of a population. For species found on the Farallones, the major cause for concern in the face of a warming ocean is the availability of key prey items, namely krill, which sustain the rich biodiversity in this region. A mismatch between the timing of krill and the timing of reproduction for seabirds can lead to major declines in breeding success, and subsequent declines in population numbers. \n\nData courtesy of a partnership between Point Blue Conservation Science and the USFWS. The plot was created in R with the ggplot2 and ggridges packages. \n\nSei Whales Off The Farallones by Michael Johns\n\nIn addition to daily opportunistic sightings, we conduct standard 1-hour whale watches from atop Lighthouse Hill to document the timing and abundance of Cetaceans around the Farallon Islands. These data are useful in particular for showing where whales are in relation to shipping lanes leading into San Francisco Bay, to better inform mitigation measures aimed at reducing the number of ship strikes.\n\nOn one particular whale watch, during an exceptionally calm day, I came across a feeding flock of 6 black-footed albatross and several dozen pink-footed shearwaters. I considered the possibility that this flock was associated with killer whales, since albatross have been known to scavenge on orca kills, and killer whales had been reported in recent days just south of us in Monterey Bay. Sure enough, after watching for a few minutes a tall black dorsal fin came into view, followed by two smaller fins. A pod of transient killer whales that were feeding on some unknown pinniped at the surface. After radioing the sighting to the rest of the crew, everyone made it up to the lighthouse for a look before they eventually departed to the west. \n\nAfter the killer whales had left we decided to keep looking around for other sightings. Within minutes a blue whale surfaced right next to the East Landing mooring ball, in water probably half as deep as the length of the animal itself. As if that wasn't good enough, someone pointed out a small pod of whales swimming toward the island. They were all dark baleen whales with a visible blow, six of them traveling in tight formation towards an islet we call Sugar Loaf. Initially, I assumed perhaps it was a group of minke whales, clumping together in response to a pod of their natural predators nearby. The shape of their rostrums, size, behavior, and blow were all wrong though, and as they got closer we couldn't see an signs of white patches indicative of minkes on their pec fins. They were too small to be fin or blue whales, too big to be minkes, and definitely not a toothed whale. The only other obvious possibility for this part of the world is the sei whale, a species of rorqual found in temperate waters worldwide, but generally seen much further offshore and rarely sighted off California. \n\nTo put this sighting into context, only 17 sei whales have ever been seen on the Farallones since 1987, and generally the sightings consisted of a solitary individual. Not only did this group contain a Farallon record breaking 6 animals, but they swam close enough to the island for us to get excellent looks for a prolonged period of time, and even photos of the event (of which my favorite is of a western gull pondering whether it can eat one of the whales). Truly a rare and amazing sight. \n\nPhotos taken through Point Blue Conservation Science | USFWS\n\nRelative Size by Michael Johns\n\nProbably the most important question in the conservation work that we do, and the most popular question people have about the Farallones, is the population size of the various seabird species on the island. The answer, such as roughly 250,000 murres, 20,000 auklets, and 500 puffins, may not be fully appreciated when taken at face value. The figure above is an attempt to put these numbers into context by representing each population as a collection of boxes, where the area of each box is scaled in proportion to the other boxes. With this visualization, you can see just how abundant Common Murres are in relation to Pigeon Guillemots or Tufted Puffins. With continued monitoring and management, hopefully all of these boxes will continue to grow in size.\n\nData courtesy of a partnership between Point Blue Conservation Science and the USFWS. The plot is called a \"Treemap\", created in R with the ggplot2 and treemapify packages. \n\nCassin's Known-age by Michael Johns\n\nOne of the more exciting projects we conduct on the Farallones is the Cassin's auklet known-age study, which was first initiated in 1983. The birds are known-age because they are banded as checks, and once those chicks recruit into an unoccupied nest box we can gather valuable information on mate selection and retention, changes in breeding performance with experience and age, and signals of individual quality; all of which help managers better understand how individual contributions lead to population level changes. The work involves checking the contents of over 400 nest boxes distributed across the island, and taking various measurements of adult birds like bill depth, wing chord, and weight, which are used to determine body condition and sex. \n\nPhoto taken through Point Blue Conservation Science | USFWS\n\nApril Showers by Michael Johns\n\n\nPhoto: Point Blue Conservation Science and USFWS\n\n50 Years of Bands by Michael Johns\n\nIt's been 50 years since scientists from Point Blue Conservation Science (then Point Reyes Birds Observatory) began a continuous monitoring effort on SE Farallon Island. Some of this work includes banding certain species of seabirds to learn more about their movement patterns, survival and mortality rates, population status, and individual breeding behavior and success; all important information guiding management decisions and tracking the potential effects of climate change. Point Blue has amassed an impressive sample of banded birds since work first started in 1967, totaling nearly 125,000 individuals as of 2016. The graphic below illustrates the total bands put out by year and cumulatively since 1967 for 8 target species. \n\nNavigating With The Sun by Michael Johns\n\nOne of the easiest ways to study basic life-history and behavior of seabirds is to outfit them with devices the passively record data for you. The tricky part is getting those devices back in order to download and analyze those data. So far this season, we have recovered 19 geolocator tags that were secured to the legs of Cassin's auklets breeding in artificial nest boxes last year. These tags are designed to be very small and light, and have zero affect on the breeding performance and survival of birds that carry them. Geolocators record ambient light levels experienced by the bird as it flies around it's environment. These light level recordings are later used to estimate roughly where the bird was twice a day throughout the deployment period, using the timing of sunrise and sunset (which varies depending on longitude) and the duration of day-length (which varies by latitude). The photo above shows a row of tags calibrating in the sun on SE Farallon Island. \n\nNoting The Weather by Michael Johns\n\nFor roughly 50 years now, researchers on the Farallones have recorded daily island weather observations that include the wind intensity and direction, air temperature, and sea conditions. And for roughly 50 years the instruments used to collect these data haven't changed much. This long time series of direct weather observations provides information on meteorological and oceanographic patterns that impact the productivity and success of species that breed on the island, from short-term phenomena such as El Nino, to long-term trends associated with climate change. Recently, strong gusts from the Northwest have been tipping the anemometer needle beyond the 30 knot mark, a good spring wind to drive the upwelling.\n\nWatching The Sea by Michael Johns\n\nWell, I'm back on the Farallones for another seabird season, and so begins another series of stories from the field. I've decided this year to briefly describe all of the different projects we do out here during the summer. From simple tasks such as taking the weather, to complex tasks like keeping track of 400+ Cassin's auklet nest boxes. To kick off this series, I choose one of my favorite morning rituals, \"sea watch\". Every morning, the designated sea watch person (Katie in the case of the photo above) sets up a 50x spotting scope on the front porch of the PRBO House where we live, orients it southwest over the marine terrace, and watches the sea for a standard 5-minute period. The idea is to count any pelagic species other than the ones that breed on the island that pass through the fixed field of view, to get a sense of long-term changes in the timing and abundance of seabirds that use the waters around the Farallones. \n\nVisualizing Effort on SEFI by Michael Johns\n\nAs the name would suggest, long-term datasets take a long time to develop. Not only does it take a continuous supply of resources to support the work, someone has to physically go out every year and collect the data. To visualize the time investment and sheer number of people required to collect 50 years of seabird and marine mammal data, I designed this circular bar plot, illustrating the extreme commitment by some and small contributions by many over the years. It depicts the total number of days spent on Southeast Farallon Island (SEFI) by current and former staff and interns of PRBO (now Point Blue Conservation Science). Each concentric circle radiating from the map of SEFI in the center represents an additional 500 days of service, with Pete Warzybok in the lead at over 2,000 days! To keep the plot from getting too cramped, I narrowed the number of names displayed to just partial or full PRBO associates with more than two months spent on island, so this plot excludes many more island residents affiliated with various agencies, contracts, and universities, as well as people with brief stints – sorry if that applies to you. The graphic was created entirely with the ggplot2 package in R, aside from the border and line below the title that were added later in Photoshop. A high resolution 16 x 20 .png file of the graphic can be downloaded here: DOWNLOAD FILE", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9392970204353333}
+{"content": "Rainbow sybmol hashes starting 0YAA\n\nRainbow tables developed to look at the hash, get the value of the password. This technology uses hashing chains for a specific sequence of characters starting at 0YAA and provide a solution to a problem called chain collisions.\n\nMD5 = 3522dd3126706a29f3551deb16d6b411\n\nSHA1 = 99a9e1b4cc61416a67445205e3dc832fdf4bfde1\n\nSelect combinations for hash format:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.677964448928833}
+{"content": "You are not logged in.\n\n\nSwappen = tauschen; Hier findet ihr alle Tauschprojekte, die über einen längeren Zeitraum mit mehreren Personen gehen.\n\n\nAnnouncements & important threads\n\nBy littlebonsai (Mar 9th 2014, 5:10pm)\n\n221 41,087\n\nBy Sylver\n\n(Nov 6th 2018, 5:23pm)\n\nBy grisu76 (May 27th 2014, 8:24am)\n\n12 5,134\n\nBy littlebonsai\n\n(Nov 30th 2014, 9:28pm)\n\n\nBy Flora (Jan 30th 2017, 11:16am)\n\n9 2,503\n\nBy Flora\n\n(Feb 1st 2017, 12:56pm)\n\nBy Jenny (Oct 15th 2014, 2:35pm)\n\n18 8,027\n\nBy Westmonster\n\n(Apr 18th 2016, 6:32pm)\n\nBy magic M. (Apr 4th 2015, 8:00pm)\n\n1 1,955\n\nBy Luki\n\n(Apr 4th 2015, 8:28pm)\n\nBy magic M. (Apr 4th 2015, 1:35pm)\n\n2 2,136\n\nBy Orkania\n\n(Apr 4th 2015, 1:47pm)\n\nBy B-Chan (Oct 14th 2014, 11:48am)\n\n1 1,084\n\nBy Thylia\n\n(Oct 14th 2014, 1:18pm)\n\n\n\n7 threads - 271 posts (0.12 posts per day)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6827486157417297}
+{"content": "Lomza Yizkor Book Indices\n\n\nTransliteration by: Yigal Rechtman\n\nFebruary 1992, New York City(c)\n\nHome page\n\nThe Lomza Yizkor Book, or as it is in Hebrew \"Sefer Zikaron Le Kehilat Lomza\" was published in 1952 by a committee which was sponsored by \"Vaad Olei Lomza\" in Israel. When I went to the YIVO institute I could actually see the book which I have been looking for in the past seven years. My great-grandfather, in a narrative about his life mentions this book. One of the first items on my checklist when I started my research was to lay hands on \"Dr. Lewinski's book about lomza\". Now this item can be checked out.\n\nThe original idea was to translate the descriptions of the rabbis of the city. When I read through the different parts of the book I found that the abstracts themselves, with the exception of a narrow range of families, do not contain interest for the general public. However, other sections of the book may be interesting for many people. The book is roughly divided to four parts: 1) the history of the city and its area, 2) Jewish life in Lomza, mostly concerned with the different Judaic streams and organizations around the turn of the century and the main figures, the rabbis, that lead these streams, 3) the life in Lomza and its people and characters and 4) three cities near Lomza and some detail of the townsmen of Lomza as they spread around the globe (after W.W. II.) This last part also includes the Yizkor section for both the holocaust and the Israeli war of independence.\n\nOnce before in \"Landsman\" I submitted a short historical preface that begins the historical overview of Lomza. However, for those of you who are interested, the book extracts and extends the description of the different events, occupation and contra- occupation of this part of Poland. I did not verify the earliest historical event that is being described (the preface goes back to the year 1000) but I imagine that it does not go before circa 1850.\n\nThe part that I found most informative was the third one. It may very well be because my family was NOT a rabbis family's (despite the image my great-grandfather insisted on portraying...). This part has short narratives, sometimes not longer than a 100 words each, describing different people. The narratives are mostly memories of the editors and writers in the book, or sometimes they are written by a relative. In most of them the names of the person's wife, family and sometimes their whereabouts (after W.W. II) are described. While reading the text I found that I could actually figure out the inter-connections between families. In many places one's spouse is mentioned as \"such and such's son/daughter\". For example, in my great-great-great grandfather's column the writer's mention that \"(He) was dad's cousin\". That for itself can deepen my research back two generations, and there are many similar examples.\n\nThe first project I took upon myself was to transliterate the indices in the book. Altogether there are two indices: the main pictures' index and a small citizens' list from 1890. The database contains at most two spelling variations of the same last name. The list is indexed using the first variation's soundex.\n\nThere are some notes to be made about the transliteration and the structure of the index. Hebrew letters are transliterated in this way: the letter Bet and Vet are distinguished (that is, allowed a secondary spelling), as well as Pey and Fey, Kuf and Chaf and Shin and Sin. The Tzadik is transliterated TZ and the Chet or Chaf as CH. Transliteration distinguishes between Sh and S (eg. Finstein and Finshtein.) When a K sound appears the letter K (and not C) is used, same with E (like Echo, not I), or I (not Y). The O and U are not likely to be confused, however, a possible OO becomes a U (eg. BOORSTEIN was entered as BURSTEIN). If you are looking for family names that starts with BEN- look for them under the B500 soundex. KATZ are all originally spelled KAT\"Z which stands for Kohen-Tzedek. In many cases when I found a V sound I translated it as both V and W letters, knowing the soundex's weakness with these cases.\n\nThe index is organized by the first-spelling's soundex. The secondary spelling of the last name is found right to it, with its soundex. The name is always in last-first order (also in comments). If there is more than one way to translate a name, a slash (/) will separate the variations. The reference column describes the source and the page number. In the comments column one may find additional reference page numbers (of the same source as in the reference comments), or any additional information about a person. Note that if the word 'father:...' appears before a name that means that this person's father is so and so. If the comment read something like 'mother of/father of:...' that this person is the father of so and so. This type of comment will generally appear for entries from the RN source. In other cases the comment may read 'Mrs.' or 'Wife of', that is usually a direct translation from a parenthesize comment in the original source. Lastly, when I found it necessary, I did create my own cross-reference by re-entering a last name and pointing for the first entry. For example: last name BZOZA-ZALITZKI (B220) is pointed to in ZALITZKI (Z432) as 'See BZOZA'.\n\nThe \"index of pictures\" (Category code PI) list about 850 different people, sometime with cross-reference and the page number where their picture appear. In many cases these picture are 'group picture' such as the 'Hebrew Stage' or 'Evening Class School' et cetera. However, in some cases one may be able to find more information near the place where the picture is located. In the transliterated index, these are referred to as PI and a page number follows. In many cases there is more than one page number, which is mentioned in the Comments column as 'ALSO ...'.\n\nThe citizens' list (Category CL) index is a short list of about 150 'young people' as the text states it, that pre-purchased Yosel Pyotintzki's book \"She'erit Yosef\" that was published in 1890. Some of the people that signed the book appear to sign as 'Son of Rabbi so and so' which does not provide a last name. They may be simply entered by their first name soundex.\n\nThe rabbinical section of the book and the other narratives (Category RN) are another source of names. From reading the narratives I could sometime find out a person's occupation or family relation (son-in-law, et cetera). This additional information is reflected in the comments.\n\nIn the table of contents in the beginning of the book I could find some additional references and names. These are categorized IN. Persons that participated in editing or writing for the book, were also extracted from the table of contents and are categorized WR.\n\nThe index sums to about 1200 records, which I estimate as 850 original records, 150 of the citizen's list and about another 50 for cross-reference and miscellaneous records. There are other three towns, Lomzitzia, Pyontitzya and Novogrod that are described in the end of the book. The three town's section takes about 20 pages of the total of 380 pages in the book.\n\nResearches interested in the index can send a $7.00 check with a self-addressed envelope to Yigal Rechtman, c/o Person & Co. 10th Floor, 6 East 39 Street #601, New York, NY 10016\n\nOctober 10, 1995\n\nFor more information Email to Rechtman@aol.com..", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.574742317199707}
+{"content": "3 standing points\n\nThis audio installation is composed by 3 small voice audios and 3 standing points for each. The texts for the audios were written as an homage to Robert Smithson´s understanding on earth projects.\nSoil, poetry, internal rambling, romance and clay are the main characters in these audios.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997422695159912}
+{"content": "Daniel Golla\n\nBranding Consultant\n\nWhat was your favorite cartoon as a child?\nLooney Tunes would have been the cartoon with the variety of characters and story lines.\n\nCan you play any musical instruments?\nYes—violin and guitar.  Music has always been a part of my life.\n\nIf you could have a superpower, which would you choose?\nThe ability to fly.\n\nWhat is your favorite restaurant?\nAny with great food + great service + cold beverages = A favorite of mine.\n\nWhat is the last thing you did on your bucket list?\nVisited the Grand Canyon.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5082271099090576}
+{"content": "Data Recovery\nPosted by : Write_77\n\nWhat should you know about Data Recovery\n\nAlmost everyone uses digital computers or other electronic devices nowadays. It is no doubt necessary, considering that we live in the age of technology and deal with massive information on a daily basis. We load all the information on cell phones, laptops, and personal computers. However, just like with anything that is not digital and has a physical form, this information can disappear and data recovery might often be more difficult than one might think.\n\nThe most common cases of loss of data occur with some sort of destruction or damage to your device. It is possible that you might drop your phone on the pavement and all the valuable information you possessed will no longer be accessible. Fortunately, there are some methods which can help recover the lost information.\n\nAnother possibility when you lose your data could be the failure of some hardware or software like the very important hard disk drive. A common scenario when you might need to think about data recovery is after deletion of files. It is hard to recover deleted files, but certainly not impossible. It should also be noted that data recovery can be used in the context of forensic science as well as espionage. Obviously, the term has a little bit of a different meaning in such cases.\n\nTechniques to recover lost data\n\nThere are a few techniques that need to be used in the case of data loss. It is possible to get rid of damage by replacing the damaged parts. If you are dealing with a disk, it could have some flaws even after you replace the damaged parts with brand new ones. In most cases, however, it is better to hire someone who is professional at the job as the process of data recovery takes a lot of skill and diligence.\n\nRemote data recovery\n\nIn some cases, it is possible to recover the data without being present near the damaged object. Thanks to certain software and a good Internet connection, the process can be accomplished remotely. This procedure is particularly possible when an expert is not present at the spot and cannot get to the place to fix the problem in time.\n\nPhases of data recovery\n\nIt is commonly accepted that the four phases of recovery of data may be followed. The number might be different if you are dealing with a special kind of hardware or data. If we are dealing with a simple problem like a hard drive disk failure, the following are the steps you need to take:\n\nFirst, make sure to repair the drive, so it is working to at least a part of the capacity. Otherwise, it would be impossible to begin the data recovery process. Second, create a secondary drive to maintain a copy of the necessary data. If the damaged disk is used for a longer period of time, worse things may happen to the data. Your third step should be to attempt and retrieve the data.\nFinally, repair the damage and you can feel the pressure fading away.\n\nIt takes a lot of experience to recover data. Tutorials and software could help, but it is recommended that professionals are allowed to carry out such procedures.\n\ndata recovery\nPosted by : Write_77\n\nComplications of Data Recovery Episodes Need Common Sense\n\nWe have all experienced data loss sometime or the other in our careers. It might have been a hard drive disk failure or something as simple as the mistaken deletion of a file. This sort of thing happens rather often. It can usually be dealt with without too much trouble. However, there are some cases where a major data loss occurs. And recovery takes a lot of time and resources. We need to focus on the common knowledge that everyone needs to apply about data recovery.\n\nWhat data recovery all about?\n\nIt is important to know how data loss occurs. Data loss could be an accident when you delete a file or perhaps it is a hardware failure. Bugs in certain software can cause data loss. In the case of an accident when you suffer a power failure, the loss of data is also possible. But it is one of the rarest possibilities. It should be noted that not every crisis situation will allow for data recovery to be successful.\n\nThere are some cases where the system has suffered too much damage and people cannot retrieve the data. Fortunately, technology is always developing and improving. Data recovery is no exception as it is becoming more and more feasible to recover lost data.\n\nHow to recover lost file?\n\nSo, how does data recovery exactly work? Well, let us take a look at some of the most common examples. First of all, we should be talking about one of the most common cases – file deletion. Interestingly enough, after you delete a file, it remains in the computer until it becomes replaced with a different file. If you are quick and lucky, there is a good chance that you will be able to recover the file. There are quite a few tools in the software department, which can help you recover the file in cases of deletion. Nevertheless, your chances of recovering the file are pretty slim, since anything you do on the computer can cause that particular file to be replaced.\n\nFile corruption\n\nFile corruption is not as common as deletion, but it can still be pretty brutal. For those who are familiar with those corruption errors on the computer screen, they know how terrible the feeling is. You might end up losing all your data.And getting the lost files back can become an excruciating process.\n\nPhysical damage\n\nPhysical hardware damage is also a common case when data loss occurs. Unlike in the previously mentioned cases, this is an extremely hard task to accomplish. It is a walk in the park to install software and let it do all the work. It is quite another to deal with a physical object. In these cases, highly recommended to leave this sort of work to the professionals, as it is often required to take the whole system apart to find and fix the problem.\n\nBest way to get rid of data loss\n\nWhat is the best way then to make sure that your data is not lost? Well, it is advised to make copies of everything you consider important because you never know what might happen. The loss of data is a serious thing and recovering the information is quite impossible in some cases.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9018589854240417}
+{"content": "Ethiopia to evaluate privatization of large state-owned enterprises\n\nSource: Xinhua| 2018-08-05 00:54:28|Editor: yan\nVideo PlayerClose\n\nADDIS ABABA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government on Saturday disclosed the formation of an advisory council to evaluate privatization of large state-owned enterprise.\n\nThe 21-member advisory council, which was formed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, is said to embrace senior financial sector experts from Ethiopia's private and public sectors.\n\nFitsum Arega, chief of staff of the Ethiopian prime minister's office, said that the council will closely monitor the process of the privatization of Ethiopia's large state-owned enterprises.\n\n\"The Council will ensure the process is managed with utmost transparency and accountability,\" Arega said on Saturday.\n\nThe Executive Committee of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), Ethiopia's ruling party, in June this year disclosed its plan to partially liberalize key sectors of the East African country's economy.\n\nThe decision, among other things, aimed at expanding mixed ownership or outright full privatization of state-owned enterprises such as railway projects, sugar development, industrial parks, hotels and other manufacturing industries.\n\nIt also disclosed the plan to allow minority shares in Ethiopia's large state-owned enterprises, mainly Ethio-Telecom, Ethiopian Airlines, electricity generation projects and the Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Services Enterprise.\n\nThe Ethiopian government had until now resisted liberalizing key sectors to foreign and local investors, saying it needs to protect its economy from multinational firms and ensure domestic ownership of the economy is kept intact.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.980826199054718}
+{"content": "143,000 relics found in Chinese ancient shipwreck\n\nSource: Xinhua| 2019-03-20 20:32:43|Editor: ZX\nVideo PlayerClose\n\nGUANGZHOU, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists have found 143,000 relics from a cargo ship from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) that was salvaged in the South China Sea in 2007, sources here said Wednesday.\n\nThe massive excavation operation that has been going on for years is drawing to an end as archaeologists are now clearing the cargoes in the last few cabins at the end of the ship, said Cui Yong, vice director of the Guangdong Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and head of the ship's archaeological team.\n\nHe estimated that the total number of relics might exceed 160,000 pieces.\n\nPorcelain products, gold, silver, copper and iron relics and copper coins are some of the diverse treasures found within the Nanhai (South China Sea) No.1 vessel.\n\nBamboo and wooden lacquers and preserved remains of plants and animals have also been recovered from the ship.\n\nThe remains of the ship body measure 22.1 meters long and 9.35 meters wide. Archaeologists believe it is one of the largest and best-preserved Song Dynasty ocean-going merchant trade ship ever discovered.\n\nSince its salvage, the ship has been moved to the Maritime Silk Road Museum in Yangjiang city of Guangdong Province, where it has been preserved in sea water and sand in its original state, as it had been for hundreds of years on the sea bed.\n\nUpon completion of the excavation of relics on the ship, archaeologists will start excavating the main body of the ship, according to Cui.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993488192558289}
+{"content": "Frequently Asked Questions\n\nAcadience Reading\n\nQ: Why is Retell a required part of ORF in Acadience Reading?\nA: An in-depth response can be found in our position paper, Why is Retell a Required Part of ORF in Acadience Reading?\nQ: Where do I find the benchmark goals for Acadience Reading?\nA: The Acadience Reading benchmark goals are available from the Acadience Reading Benchmark Goals and Composite Score document.\nQ: Where can I find technical adequacy information for the Acadience Reading measures?\nA: Technical adequacy information for Acadience Reading can be found on our Publications and Presentations page.\nQ: Why doesn't Letter Naming Fluency have benchmark goals?\nA: LNF has always been used as an indicator of risk rather than an instructional target. This is also why progress monitoring materials are not provided for LNF. The Reading Composite Score includes LNF and provides the best indicator of risk. Since the risk indicator comes from the composite score and LNF does not assess an instructional target, there is no need for a benchmark goal for LNF.\nQ: Is LNF a measure of Rapid Automated Naming (RAN)?\nA: LNF is not a direct measure of RAN, although RAN is likely a component skill that contributes to fluency in letter naming once students know the names of the letters. Tasks that are direct measures of RAN differ from LNF in the following ways:\n  • RAN tasks typically involve the timed naming of a small number of familiar items arranged in a grid with each of the familiar items repeated in random order. For example, a common RAN task contains five rows in which five items (letters, numbers, colors, shapes) are displayed in left-to-right serial fashion and repeated randomly in each row. In contrast, LNF uses all 26 upper-case and lower-case letters in a stratified-random order and assesses a student's knowledge of letter names as well as fluency in naming them.\n  • RAN tests use items that are familiar to the student. On LNF, students may or may not know the name of some or all of the letters.\nQ: Why doesn’t Acadience Reading contain a direct measure of RAN?\nA: Although research supports a relationship between RAN and reading skill, the role of RAN and the nature of the relationship between RAN and reading is not well understood.\n\nRAN is typically a good predictor of future reading difficulties, but difficulties with RAN do not impact reading skills as much as difficulties with phonological awareness (PA). When students have strong PA skills, but have difficulties with RAN, the impact on reading skills is typically milder than when students have difficulties with both RAN and PA.\n\nWe now offer a separate measure of RAN that is available to users of our Acadience Data Management service. For more information, click here.\nQ: Why are the sixth grade benchmark goals lower than the fifth grade goals?\nA: The difficulty level of the passages used for ORF and Maze changes by grade, so composite scores and benchmark goals can't be directly compared across grades. The difficulty level of the passages increases by grade in a roughly linear fashion. However, student performance increases in a curve, with the most growth occurring in the earlier grades, and slower growth in the upper grades. Between fifth and sixth grade, the difficulty level of the materials increases at a faster rate than student performance, so benchmark goals are lower in sixth grade than in fifth.\nQ: Can Acadience Reading be used to help identify students with dyslexia?\nA: Acadience Reading can be used as an effective tool for identifying students who are at risk for early reading difficulties, including dyslexia. Low skills on Acadience Reading followed by persistent lack of adequate progress, in spite of instruction that has been effective with other students with a similar level of initial skills, may provide evidence that a student is at risk for dyslexia.\n\nHowever, please note that no single assessment can be used to specifically identify dyslexia. Instead, that is a decision made by a team of qualified professionals who may include test data as part of their decision-making process.\n\nMore information on dyslexia and Acadience Reading can be found in our position paper, Dyslexia Screening and the Use of Acadience Reading.\n\n\nQ: Are the IDAPEL measures available for use?\nA: IDAPEL is currently available as an early release measure. Ongoing research will allow us to continue development of the assessment and benchmark goals. If you are interested in using IDAPEL, email us at\nQ: What is IDAPEL Essential Training?\nA: The IDAPEL Essential training is available as a pre-recorded online training. The workshop is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the conceptual and empirical foundations of IDAPEL as well as comprehensive practice in the administration and scoring of the measures. This practitioner model supports individuals using IDAPEL in their school or school district. If you are interested in registering for the IDAPEL Essential training, email us at\nQ: How can I access the IDAPEL Materials?\nA: After completing the IDAPEL Essential training you will get access to a site where you can download electronic copies of the IDAPEL materials for printing. We currently have IDAPEL materials available for grades K - 5, with progress monitoring materials available for some measures.\nQ: Have the IDAPEL benchmark goals been established?\nA: Preliminary benchmark goals are available for IDAPEL for kindergarten, first and second grade. We have conducted validation studies for IDAPEL with both native French speakers in eastern Canada and students learning French as a second-language in both eastern and western Canada. There are separate benchmark goals for each group of students.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9646257162094116}
+{"content": "Toddler Not Sleeping Through the Night? Here's What You Can Do\n\nPuja Lalwani Sep 26, 2018\nTap to Read ➤\nA toddler may not sleep through the night for varied reasons - some of them being as simple as them being light sleepers. As a parent, you can learn a few techniques to regulate the toddler's sleeping pattern such as encouraging physical activity and setting a bedtime routine to relax them to sleep.\nSleep deprivation is not a problem that only adults face. Apparently, even toddlers face this problem. A study has revealed that only 6 out of 24 toddlers actually sleep through the night.\nSleep is very important for the healthy growth and development of the toddler. A 18-24 month old child needs approximately 12 hours of sleep during the day, and a 2-hour nap during the day. The sleep of a toddler may be affected by a variety of reasons.\n\nWhy is my toddler not sleeping?\n\nSome of you may have noticed that your toddler slept better as an infant. However, several developments in their system can be the cause of them staying awake throughout the night. Once you find the reasons behind this, you can find ways to change these habits.\n~ Toddlers are usually light sleepers. They tend to wake up at the slightest sound, and sometimes even when they are hungry. They may wake up because they are feeling cold, or just to pee, but may be unable to go back to sleep.\n~ Sometimes, because of the pressure parents put on their children, while undergoing toilet training, they may not sleep through the night for fear of wetting the bed. This is a form of anxiety, due to which your toddler may be waking up in the night.\n~ When children begin to realize that they can do things on their own, they suffer from 'separation anxiety'. This is because they begin to feel alienated from their parents and are unable to cope with it easily. So they may not want to sleep in his or her own bed. This fear of being alone may be the reason for your toddler not sleeping throughout the night.\n~ As they grow, toddlers begin to understand dreams and nightmares. This may be one more reason they are unable to sleep through the night.\n~ A bad diet may cause stress to a baby, thereby being a cause of sleeplessness.\n~ Constipation or any other illnesses could also be a reason that might keep your child awake during the night. Even growing phases, such as teething, can be a reason.\nThough a phase, as a parent, it is important that you ensure a gradual change in your toddler's sleeping pattern, because lack of sleep can result in aggression, tantrums, mood swings, and lethargy, which can also culminate into full-fledged sleep disorders.\n\nHow do I get my Toddler to Sleep at Night?\n\nIt is unfortunate that, unless certain measures are taken, no miraculous occurrence will suddenly make your toddler sleep the entire night. There are several measures that you can take to make your child's sleep cycle regular. Some of the measures are:\n~ It is important, that you do not encourage the pattern of your toddler waking up every night. Do not reward this behavior by rushing every time you hear him or her wake up.\n~ Avoid the habit of watching T.V. before sleeping. It is one of the reasons that can cause nightmares and anxiety in your toddler.\n~ If hunger is one of the reasons your toddler is not sleeping well at night, you can increase his/her meals during the day. This will keep him/her sufficiently full, and avoid the problem of waking up at night.\n~ Encourage some kind of physical activity at some time during the day, so as to tire your toddler and help him/her sleep soundly throughout the night.\n~ Unwinding before bedtime is a good way to help your toddler sleep through the night. Reading a bedtime story together or even singing a lullaby, can soothe his/her mind and help in sleeping through the night without any disturbances.\nYou cannot eliminate this problem completely. Rather, think of it as a developmental spurt.\nDisclaimer: This is only for informative purposes and does not, in any way, intend to replace the advice of a medical expert.\nWrite for us", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8259823322296143}
+{"content": "What's in this directory?\n\n\nHow do I use these files?\n\nThe files here are complete ISO images, ready to use.\n\n\nWhat size and type of media will I need?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOther questions?\n\n\n\nWhy the 9.2.1 update?\n\nAfter the 9.2.0 release was made and published, a bug was found with the sorting of packages in the full DVD, BD and DLBD sets. Due to a glitch on release day, popularity contest data was not available and this caused packages to be sorted incorrectly.\n\nThis may seem like a comparatively minor issue, but it broke an important feature for some users. After the core set of packages needed for the installer, desktops, etc. are placed onto the first disc in a given set, we normally organise packages in order of decreasing popularity such that most users will typically never need to use more than the first 2 or 3 DVDs (for example). This bug broke that feature, meaning that even quite popular packages could have ended up on DVD#14 due to random sorting.\n\nThe 9.2.1 build fixes this bug. The build scripts have also been updated to ensure this bug cannot happen again in future - the build will abort if there is a problem updating popcon data.\n\nIf you have already installed using 9.2.0, you are unlikely to be affected by this bug. Live images and netinst images are totally unaffected. Apologies for any problems caused for users.\n\n[ICO]NameLast modifiedSize\n\n[PARENTDIR]Parent Directory  -\n[SUM]MD5SUMS2017-10-14 16:58 132\n[CRT]MD5SUMS.sign2017-10-14 17:49 833\n[SUM]SHA1SUMS2017-10-14 16:58 148\n[CRT]SHA1SUMS.sign2017-10-14 17:49 833\n[SUM]SHA256SUMS2017-10-14 16:58 196\n[CRT]SHA256SUMS.sign2017-10-14 17:49 833\n[SUM]SHA512SUMS2017-10-14 16:58 324\n[CRT]SHA512SUMS.sign2017-10-14 17:49 833\n[ISO]debian-9.2.1-arm64-netinst.iso2017-10-13 17:33 202M\n[ISO]debian-9.2.1-arm64-xfce-CD-1.iso2017-10-13 17:35 647M\n\nApache/2.4.39 (Unix) Server at cdimage.debian.org Port 443", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8418184518814087}
+{"content": "SingularityNET Monthly Updates #9\n\n\nDear Singularitarians,\n\nOn the 1st of May, at the Ai Everything Summit in UAE, Dr. Ben Goertzel announced SingularityNET’s strategic partnership with Domino’s Pizza (Malaysia and Singapore).\n\nThe partnership will broaden Domino’s access to scalable AI algorithms, which will help it solve supply chain and logistics challenges and enhance its operational capabilities. Domino’s decision to utilize SingularityNET is in line with our mission to attract enterprise buyers of AI services and kickstart the network effects envisioned below:\n\nOur partnership with Domino’s is a significant step towards the fulfilment of our vision of democratizing AI. With nation states considering export controls on AI and nearly every enterprise competing to attract scarce AI talent, we believe the only way to democratize AI is to decentralize it.\n\nThe power of decentralized AI lies in its ability to let anyone source the genius and creativity of AI developers from all over the world - without permission, fees, and risk of censorship.\n\nOn the 5th of April, Dr. Ben Goertzel delivered a keynote speech on the power of decentralized AI at the AI Expo 2019 event in Tokyo.\n\nThe democratization of AI means that everyone gets to utilize the opportunities and benefits associated with the technology. As the world’s first decentralized AI platform, SingularityNET is in an ideal position to bring the benefits of AI to enterprises and individuals all over the globe.\n\nLet’s take a look at how we increased our platform’s adoption in April and what our plans are for the future.\n\nTechnical Updates\n\nThe SingularityNET team is working around the clock to develop new features and AI services that will further advance the capabilities of the SingularityNET platform.\n\nAs of now, the total commits in the Github repositories of SingularityNET equal 123,886. You can track the progress of our development here.\n\nOdyssey Hackathon\n\nFrom the 11th to 15th of April, six members from the SingularityNET team participated in the Nature 2.0 track of the world’s largest blockchain and AI hackathon: Odyssey.\n\nThe hackathon served as an excellent opportunity to emphasize the role that SingularityNET can play in the blockchain industry. Due to our workshops and meetups, several teams participating in the hackathon were aware of what our platform had to offer and decided to incorporate SingularityNET into their solutions.\n\nWhile SingularityNET is open to everyone, its decentralized nature and values make it extremely appealing to those looking to create AI enhanced Decentralized Applications (DApps).\n\nOne of the teams that decided to build an AI-enhanced DApp using SingularityNET was Habari, whose solution was chosen as the winner for the Nature 2.0 track.\n\nThoughtWorks Arts Residency\n\nSingularityNET’s mission to democratize AI is getting noticed! We are excited to report to our community that the ThoughtWorks Arts Residency program (citing SingularityNET’s vision of democratizing access to and ownership of artificial intelligence) has published an open call for artists to investigate the monopolization and centralization of artificial intelligence by a small number of corporate giants and state actors.\n\nThe ThoughtWorks Arts Residency supports artists exploring new lines of inquiry intersecting technology and society. ThoughtWorks Arts is looking for artists to deeply investigate alternative routes to monopolistic AI practices that effectively lock out and disempower others. The residency spans sixteen weeks, with time for a break over the holidays, and comes with a stipend of $11,000. To apply for the residency, click here.\n\nAI Research Lab\n\nOur AI Researchers are actively involved with cutting-edge AI that adds to the uniqueness and competitiveness of our platform. In April, our AI Research lab published:\n\n  • Are Generative Models Good Enough? By Dr. Alexey Potapov, which analyzes via a case study on class modelling whether generative models are good enough in terms of approximating density distributions of patterns.\n\n\nEvents, Workshops, and Meetups\n\nIn April, seeking to educate and inform those who are interested in utilizing our platform, members of our team represented SingularityNET at the following events:\n\n4th and 5th of April, SingularityNET held developer workshops in Tokyo, Japan. The workshops featured a panel discussion with Dr. Ben Goertzel and analyzed monetization of AI services via the SingularityNET platform.\n\n5th of April, at the AI Expo 2019 event in Tokyo, Dr. Ben Goertzel delivered a keynote speech on the power of decentralization for fostering beneficial AGI.\n\n6th of April, at Japan’s largest blockchain event: The Teamz Blockchain Summit, Dr. Ben Goertzel delivered a keynote speech on decentralized AI.\n\n10th of April, Dr. Ben Goertzel participated in a LinkedIn AMA organized by ConnecTechAsia - Asia’s leading technology show and conference.\n\n11th to 15th of April, six members of the SingularityNET team participated in the world’s largest blockchain and AI hackathon: Odyssey.\n\n19th of April, Dr. Ben Goertzel discussed SingularityNET in an interview with Stephen Ibaraki, the host of ACM Podcast.\n\n1st of May, Dr. Ben Goertzel represented SingularityNET at the Ai Everything Summit in Dubai, UAE, where he delivered a keynote speech on how AI will augment humans.\n\n1st of May, Cassio Pennachin, our Chief AI Officer, held an introductory developer workshop that demonstrated some of the AI services on our platform and articulated the need for a decentralized AI platform during the Ai Everything Summit in Dubai, UAE.\n\nDr. Ben Goertzel on CNBC - How SingularityNET Will Solve Domino’s Operational Challenges\n\nMedia Updates\n\nAs we represent SingularityNET across various events and create awareness about its capabilities and vision, the world is starting to notice us. Notable media mentions of SingularityNET for the month of April include:\n\nUpcoming Events\n\n13th - 15th May - WEB.IT FESTIVAL Europe 2019, in Sofia, Bulgaria, considered to be one of the largest digital technology events in Europe! At the event, Dr. Ben Goertzel will deliver a keynote address and represent SingularityNET in a panel discussion on AI.\n\n16th May - Rise of AI Conference, in Berlin. In the AI Future Stage program of the conference, Dr. Ben Goertzel will deliver a keynote address on decentralized AI.\n\n23rd - 24th May - Malta AI & Blockchain Summit 2019. During the summit, SingularityNET will host a developer workshop, and Dr. Ben Goertzel will participate in panel discussions on AGI and the technological singularity.\n\n30th - 31st May - Brain Bar, in Budapest, Hungary. Considered to be the biggest European festival on the future, Brain Bar will feature Dr. Ben Goertzel as a keynote speaker on AI and Robotics.\n\n31st May - 2nd June - CryptoChicks Toronto - During the event, Dr. Ben Goertzel will deliver a keynote speech on AI powered by blockchain and give a demo presentation of Sophia the robot’s AI.\n\nThe AGI Podcast\n\nIn the latest episode of the AGI Podcast, we talked with Jan-Peter Doomernik, Nature 2.0’s Lead Architect and a Senior Business Developer working in one of Holland’s leading distribution service operators (DSO) Enexis Netbeheer. To listen to the podcast, click here.\n\nThat is it for this newsletter! Be sure to join our Telegram Channel and Community Forum, and follow us on Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!\n\nThank you for your continued support,\n\nThe SingularityNET Team\n\n\nAlright bookmarking this, will have read further before comment.\n\nIn general, I’m looking forward to it: that’s one less job I’ll have to worry about parents pestering me to do.\n\nTo me it kind of says a lot, when on one hand you have (1. governments and institutions lobbying for the control and censorship of robotics, (2. and on the other you have–the one I happen to agree most with–people trying to make the field decentralized while keeping it reputable.\n\nOne question I have though: is there a place for interested developers to start? In looking at the github, there are six different repositories one has to keep up with. I’ve noticed a similar thing about OpenCog.\n\nWhen I develop AI myself, I don’t actually go for human-like intelligence, but rather something that’s just below human-level intelligence: smart enough to do most human tasks, but dumb enough to have a good stop button. More specifically, a stop process is built into the “main loop”.\n\n(I build all my AIs on a timer, so they don’t run for to long.)\n\nI ask because a lot of us haven’t had any formal programming education in high school, so we’ve had to learn most of what we know on our own, leading to various mistakes that could have been avoided provided there was formal instruction.\n\nOther concerns: while I like how it’s trying to decentralize a “cloud” service, it seems like in the long term a cloud service isn’t such a great idea, unless there is some way to back up that data in case of a massive power outage. There are systems like OwnCloud and NextCloud that might be of interest.\n\nAdditionally: Subjective fields like creativity I’m not sure will ever be replaced. Even in some largely speculative scenario like–some magical thinking scenario where AI can cover all the subtle nuances of human taste, I doubt considerably that most people that enjoy “writing for its own sake”–memoirists, autobiographers, and literary fiction ( hello, local writer here ), would give it up.\n\nIf writing is such a chore you’d gladly give it up for robots… well maybe you shouldn’t be writing anyway, maybe take on a field that’s more rewarding.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9899930953979492}
+{"content": "Category Monks\n\nThangka Consecration by Monk\n\nAbout Monks\n\nThis category includes information about the monks and their life.\n\nProducts related to Monks\n\nDiscussions related to Monks\n\nBenefits of Vajroli Mudra\n\n\nWhere to find Mandalas in Nepal?\n\nHow to return Art work ?\n\nWhat is sand mandala??\n\nThe Buddha’s Daily Routine – Life of Monk\n\nis consider as a super energetic and most active teacher who taught the Eight fold path of Life and how to live in and harmony. Gautama Buddha was normal human at first with all the religious practices and he became the Buddha.  The Buddha’s daily routine was divided into five parts: The session The afternoon session The first watch The middle watch The last watch The Morning Session (4:00 .\n\nShamarpa – Emanation of Amitabha\n\nwas the emanation of , the of Limitless Light: a living example of the appearance of Amitabha in our world in the form of a Mahabodhisattva. The title of Shamar means “the of the ruby-red crown”, named after the replica of the ’s own crown which he bestowed on the . The successive incarnations of the Shamarpas are also known as the “Red Hat Karmapa”. Birth and Early life The 14th .\n\nTop 45 Heart Advice – The Tree of Wisdom by Nagarjuna\n\nconsider to be a “.” His development of the doctrine of sunyata, or emptiness, was a significant milestone in Buddhist . However, little is known about his life. It is believed Nagarjuna was born into a Brahmin family in south , possibly in the latter part of the 2nd century, and he was ordained as a in his youth. Most of the other details of his life have been lost .\n\nThe Nyingma Head, Kathok Getse Rinpoche\n\nGyurme Tenpa Gyaltsen aka the Fourth Katok Getse was one of the five ‘’Golden ’’ holders of the lineage, a branch of the tradition. At the Nyingma Monlam in Bodhgaya, January 2018, Rinpoche was appointed to be the supreme head of the Nyingma Tradition for three years. At the same meeting of the representatives of the , it was decided to appoint and five other Nyingma .\n\nDalai lama advise scientists to research on ‘inner science’\n\nleader His Holiness the advice the scientific community in to research on the human and ‘inner science’ in the collaborative and scientific . His Holiness Dalai Dialogue in Modern Science The Tibetan leader was also speaking at a dialogue on modern science and Buddhist science in . The Dalai Lama said, “Scientists use their brilliant intelligence to concentrate on the physical matter. Now science should include investigation .\n\nAtisha Dipamkara Shrijnana – The Reviver of Buddhism in Tibet\n\nAtisa Thangka Painting\nis a renowned Indian who went to in 1042 to help in the revival of and established the Kadam tradition. His text Light for the Path was the first lam-rim text. Pala Empire The Pala Dynasty was the ruling Dynasty in Bihar and Bengal , from the 8th to the 12th century.  Called the Palas because all their names ended in Pala, “protector”. Atisha is a teacher from the Pala .\n\nMatthieu Ricard, A French writer and Buddhist monk\n\nAnd he chose to become a over a Bio-Chemist is a popular name we hear when talking about and Buddhist monk. He is from an intellectual family; his father is a renowned French philosopher and mother is the abstract lyrics painter and called nun Yahne Le Toumelin. Seems like he’s following his mom’s path. After completing the PhD degree in molecular genetics at Pasteur Institute, Matthieu decided .\n\nOrigin of Thangka Paintings\n\nThe actual origin of the  has been a subject of confusion. Some stories claim that originated from , some claim that they have been originated from , while some claim from . Is it Nepal? Though Thangka painting is believed to be painted in Tibet at first the real origin is from Nepal. It is because during the reign of in 6th century he invited from Nepal to .\n\nGuru Rinpoche | Padmasambhava\n\nThe history of Guru dates back in India. He is also known as the Padmasambhava. He is the Indian Buddhist Master of the 8th century. He is an emanation of the Buddha , and a number of Rinpoche have been evolved around the Padmasambhava’s life. He is popular as “The Second Buddha” across the , , , and many places around the world. During the teaching of Padmasambhava, he transmitted the Vajrayana to hundreds of disciples. His .\n\nBiography | 14th Dalai Lama\n\nH.H. the , Tenzin Gyatso, is the simple Buddhist monk. He was born on 6 July 1935 in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern . Born in a small family of Tibet, he spent the major part of his childhood in farming and kinds of stuff. He grew up to be a of Tibet. Soon after his birth, he was named as Lhamo Thondup that means ‘Wish-Fulfilling Goddess.’ Early Education Like every Tibetans, His Holiness .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8236743211746216}
+{"content": "Thoughts on Three Billboards (Spoilers Abound)\n\nI saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri more than a month ago and I’m still processing. In case you missed this in the big print up top, I’m not avoiding spoilers at all.  I specifically plan to discuss the ending. If you want to see the movie, but haven’t yet, this is your chance to stop reading.\n\nSome meta observations first. I have lived nearly my entire life in Missouri. Before I saw the movie, I read a couple of reviews that focused heavily on how things are “in the south.” Cough, cough. I suppose the southern part of the state, bordering on Arkansas and Tennessee, is edging toward being in the south. But if you look at a map or talk to Missouri natives, you will discover that we are, by and large, mid-westerners, in geography and self-identity.\n\nI also read a review by a New Yorker who went on at some length about why there had to be some specific allegory or needed justification for setting a movie in Missouri. What does it mean that it’s set in Missouri? he wondered. Oh hey, maybe it means that Missouri is a place where people live and have stories that involve something other than longing to be in New York. Maybe coastal cities aren’t the default or the norm. Maybe Missouri is as valid a place to set a story as anywhere else. Maybe that’s what it means. Also, to the same critic who thought it seemed artificial for Missourians to quote from literature, I can attest that some of us have read a book or two.\n\nThough not filmed in Missouri, I felt the movie captured the look and feel of the Ozarks area fairly well. I was relieved that none of the actors used a fake, over-the-top drawl. I will nitpick with a line of dialogue when one character, who is supposed to be a Missouri native, says “here in the south.” I guess that might be where the reviewers got the idea.\n\nI found it interesting how the movie is set in the state that is the home of Hallmark Cards, but the story is the antithesis of a typical Hallmark movie. We start with the knowledge that Frances McDormand’s character, Mildred Pierce, is awash in grief-fueled rage over the unsolved rape and murder of her daughter. Though we see a few soft, gentle moments, by the end of the movie she’s still struggling over what to do with the feelings that threaten to pull her under and drown her. She doesn’t come to a full and peaceful resolution of any kind. As a mother, I got the feeling she was never going to stop trying to find something — anything — she could do that would feel like a fierce care-taking of the daughter she could no longer truly help.\n\nThis is what made her a real and true and large character, a character with shoulders broad enough to carry such a heavy story. The viewer comes into the story in Mildred’s point of view. It’s easy to identify with her, even as her behavior becomes more and more extreme and violent. Because the first thing we see is the depth of her pain and the depth of her love.\n\nChief of police William Willoughby is the target of Mildred’s billboard messages. He’s portrayed in a largely sympathetic manner, as someone who looks deep and sees nuance. There’s a genuine warmth and humanity to him. It’s obvious he’s pained by the failure to catch the murderer of Mildred’s daughter. I’ve seen a lot written about him as the most unambiguously good character in the movie. BUT. Not to me. I’ve been so surprised by something that goes unmentioned over and over again that I’m starting to wonder if I imagined it. I don’t think I did.\n\nThere’s a scene with a conversation between Mildred and Willoughby, after she tussles with the dentist, where it’s revealed her ex-husband had formerly been a member of the local police force, presumably under Willoughby’s supervision. And her husband beat her. And Willoughby did not much about it, “reasonably” explaining it was a he said/she said situation, with no proof of anything. Mildred’s billboards and the pain and the grudge against the police chief go back beyond his failure to solve her daughter’s murder. There are layers here, and I’m consistently befuddled that nobody seems to mention this. If Mildred believes he didn’t try hard enough, she has some justification, considering the two of them have a history where he’s failed to help her before. On the other hand, the implication is there that Willoughby wants to make this up to her, too.\n\nMeanwhile there’s Officer Dixon, and the first things we know about him are violent actions he’s taken, or at least everyone believes so. Everyone talks about him inflicting violence on a black citizen. However, he denies it. It’s easy to dislike him immediately. As the movie progresses, we see he does have a penchant for lashing out. But we see all of that before we know much about him as a person. Throughout the story, other characters tease him about being a mama’s boy. It’s not until much later we learn he’s hurting over the loss of his father and has made sacrifices to take care of a dependent mother.\n\nMildred and Dixon face off throughout the movie, but in the end, when they drive off together as allies on the same quest of vengeance, they don’t seem so different from each other. Two sides of the same coin, more like. I felt as if the film’s writer, Martin McDonagh, created a character arc for me, as a viewer. Both Mildred and Dixon engage in behavior that is just plain wrong. I questioned why I cheered, or at least sympathized with Mildred’s actions, while despising Dixon for his. I believe it was the whole context thing. With Mildred we see the suffering first, but with Dixon not much other than how he has hurt other people. The context of his life fills in later.\n\nIf there’s anything I identified as a central message of this movie, it’s this: hurt people hurt people. But not always. When a man who was savagely attacked by Dixon has a chance for revenge, he shows mercy instead. If there’s a glimmer of hope this dark movie offers us, it’s this: hurt people can sometimes rise above hurting other people.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8539673686027527}
+{"content": "What is the world record for 50m underwater using the dolphin kick?\n\ni pretty sure that would have been brocken by leanardo Di'Caprio in the 1700 in the time of 43.5 mila secs he was infact the first American born to finish the 50 metre without breathing.\nround of applause to leanardo\nwoop wooop", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995342493057251}
+{"content": "experticity bolivia Experticity\nThere aren't many companies that will reward a $5 donation to charity with a $2,200 vacation, but influencer marketing startup Experticity is one of them.\n\nStarting this July, each of the 240 employees at the Salt Lake City-based company have the opportunity to take a trip to Nepal, Bolivia, Kenya, or Ecuador.\n\nAll they have to do is stay at the company for at least a year and participate in one of the company's six payroll giving programs, no matter the amount they set aside. So far 75 employees participate in the program.\n\nHeather Mercier, Experticity's CFO, said the program is designed to encourage more charitable giving among employees and increase employee morale and company pride.\n\nThe initiative follows a smaller, 2016 lottery the company held to send two people to Bolivia. As the one-year anniversary of that lottery drew closer, the company wanted a way to sweeten the deal. Mercier said the decision to open it up to all participating employees was a no-brainer, based on all the positive feedback to the lottery.\n\n\"The email responses I received — it was quite touching how much it means to people,\" Mercier told Business Insider.\n\nThe company's payroll giving program draws a portion of the employee's pre-tax income to donate to charity. Over the next 18 months, Experticity will award \"grants\" for one of four trips that the company coordinated with the nonprofit CHOICE Humanitarian, which hosts expeditions around the world.\n\nEach expedition package costs $2,195, which Experticity covers in full. It also covers the lodging, transportation, and any food costs employees incur during the trip. The only thing employees must cover themselves is airfare. Each employee can take a trip once every two years.\n\nThe first trip takes place over Thanksgiving, in Nepal. The second is over Easter, in Bolivia, followed by a summertime trip to Kenya, and finally an additional Thanksgiving trip to Ecuador. Each trip lasts about eight days. During that time, employees will sleep and eat alongside locals and carry out specific projects, like construction or gardening.\n\nAccording to Mercier, the trip is a more elaborate extension of the company's mission to create helpful employees, who are quick to assist a colleague in need. Already she's received emails from people saying Experticity's decision to make the lottery a wider benefit to all reaffirms why they love working there in the first place.\n\nUltimately, Mercier hopes the grant will entice at least 50% of the 240 employees to join the giving program, if not every single one. But any increase is welcome, she said.\n\n\"Doing something good in the world, I know that will create bonds\" between people, Mercier said. \"I think it's absolutely the right thing to do.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.628196120262146}
+{"content": "Managing Microbial Populations As Agents Of Biological Control\n\nOne of the fastest growing areas in pesticide development is the use of microorganisms for the biological control of pests (biopesticides). The fundamental concept of biological control is the selection and introduction of specific organisms to control a particular pest. The organism(s) selected might be a predator, parasite, competitor, or pathogen of the targeted pest. Biological control occurs widely in nature, masking the fact that most pests never become serious problems because of the controls exerted by other members of the community. Biological control methods are commonly a part of an overall integrated pest management program to reduce the legal, environmental, and public safety hazards of chemicals. In addition, it may be a less expensive alternative to the use of some pesticides. Unlike most pesticides, biological control agents are often specific for a particular pest. Successful use of biological control requires a greater understanding of the biology of both the biocontrol agent and the targeted pest. Often, the outcome of using biological control is not as dramatic or quick as the use of pesticides. Most biocontrol agents attack only specific types of plant pathogens, nematodes, or insects unlike broad-spectrum pesticides, which kill a wide range of organisms.\n\nThere are three strategies by which organisms are managed to control pest populations. Classical biological control involves collecting organisms pathogenic to the pest from locations where a pest originated and releasing them in an infected area to control the pest. The natural increase in the biocontrol organisms is relied upon to control the pest without future intervention. Augmentation is a method of increasing the population of a natural enemy that attacks a pest. This can be done by mass producing inoculum in the laboratory and releasing it into the field at the proper time. Control results from and requires the increase of the antagonistic disease through many disease cycles to reach threshold levels that cause death or control of the target pest. The augmentation method relies upon continual human management. Conservation or enhancement of indigenous populations is an important part in any biological control effort. This involves identifying any factors that limit the effectiveness of a particular population and facilitate them to help the beneficial species. Conservation of natural enemies involves either reducing factors that interfere with the populations of natural enemies or providing needed resources that help them.\n\nMany bacteria and fungal genera have been used extensively for the control of plant pathogens. Various nonpathogenic fungal strains of Rhizoctonia, Phialophora, Fusarium, and Trichoderma, as well as mycorrhizal fungi, have been used to reduce damage caused by related strains or other pathogenic fungi. As biocontrol agents, Trichoderma species dominate, most likely because of their ease of culture and wide host range. The most commonly targeted pathogens are Pythium, Fusarium, and Rhizoctonia species, reflecting their worldwide importance and their relative ease of control (Whipps, 2001). The most commercially successful bacterial-based biocontrol system is the use of the nonpathogenic Agrobacterium strains to control crown gall.\n\nThe primary modes of action of pathogen control or management of both bacteria and fungi are competition for C, N, and Fe and increased colonization of the rhizosphere by the nonpathogenic strains (Table 17.6). For more information on competition and food web interactions (see Chap. 8). Other mechanisms include antibiosis, induced resistance, and mycoparasitism. Competition for commonly used substrates and for their excretion sites on roots plays an important role in the root zone for controlling pathogens. Organisms capable of rapid growth rates with wide distribution and population numbers throughout the soil have a distinct advantage of colonization and substrate utilization that outcompetes many pathogens. Ectomycorrhizal fungi because of their physical sheathing morphology may occupy infection sites, thus excluding pathogens. In contrast, arbuscular mycorrhizas provide control of pathogens through induced resistance and improved plant growth rather than niche competition.\n\nTABLE 17.6 Mechanisms of Biocontrol by Soil Bacterial and Fungal Agents\n\nMethod of control\n\n\n\n\nOrganic Gardeners Composting\n\nOrganic Gardeners Composting\n\n\nGet My Free Ebook\n\nPost a comment", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7714359760284424}
+{"content": "Aduana Stars player Anokye Badu fails Caf's doping test\n\nThe centre-back tested positive for banned substances after the Fire Club's match in Caf Confederation Cup\n\nAduana Stars defender Stephen Anokye Badu has admitted failing a doping test after their first leg fixture against AS Vita Club in Caf Confederation Cup Group A fixture a fortnight ago.\n\nThe 22-year-old tested positive for banned substances Prednisolone and Prednisone in Dormaa Ahenkro and did not travel with the squad for the return fixture in Kinshasa.\n\nThe youngster was impressive in his side’s 2-1 home win which prompted suspicions of Caf’s medical team.\n\nHowever, he pleads not guilty, maintaining that he went for a 'pain killer' at a pharmacy. \n\n\"I went to the pharmacy before the first leg to purchase a drug after complaining of pains in my chest and thigh so I didn't know they were part of the banned substances,\" Anokye told Goal.\n\n\"I even took the drug with our midfielder Elvis Opoku because he was also having similar problems. I don't rely on drugs for strength so I was surprised when they said I've tested positive.\n\nArticle continues below\n\n\"Throughout my career, I've never engaged in doping so I believe I was misled at this point. If I knew the consequences, I wouldn't have taken the drug so I'm wrong but it was not my fault,\" he added.\n\nGoal understands that Aduana have officially written to Caf to explain the situation but it's likely Anokye Badu will serve at least three months suspension.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.940345823764801}
+{"content": "Ogee Coving & Cornice\n\nOur Ogee coving and cornice\n\nThe Ogee (or cyma recta) moulding is a double curve that resembles an \"S\": concave (cavetto) in the upper half and convex (ovolo) in the lower half. It is a very appropriate choice for plaster coving as with only a few exceptions it was typically the uppermost moulding on the cornice of all the ancient architectural orders. Whether the Ogee curves of the \"S\" are elongated or fuller in shape will respectively point to either a Greek or Roman derivation.\n\nThe shadowy appeal of Ogee\n\nThe appeal of Ogee moulding also lays in the interplay of the small shadow lines it creates across its surface, baring in mind that originally these mouldings were outdoors in direct sunlight. Subtle shadows created by the cavetto section under a filet and the overhang of the ovolo curve, separated by a strip of the moulding in full light, adds interest and depth to a cornice. Room lighting effects therefore should be considered and experimented with before fixing Ogee coving in place.\n\nCyma recta or cyma reversa?\n\nIt is perfectly acceptable to reverse the coving so that the convex part of the curve is uppermost and the concave element below. This is known in architectural terminology as a reverse Ogee, or cyma reversa. In antiquity the reverse Ogee evolved to accept a tongue and dart decoration and is also found in the cornices of all the architectural orders, but it was often smaller in scale than the cyma recta. It's a question of preference not orthodoxy, which way you fit it.\n\nOgee is a very popular moulding\n\nBefore installing plaster coving, look around your property because the Ogee curve is often present elsewhere. Internally, Ogee is a very popular choice for skirting boards and architraves. In addition it is found in fine pieces of Georgian, Victorian and later furniture and is often present in the cornice and pediment of many \"period\" fitted kitchens. Externally it can also be seen on some cast iron guttering. If the moulding is already present in a property then installing Ogee cornice instinctively looks right. Ogee never goes out of fashion.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9690536260604858}
+{"content": "In a New Video, Portman Highlights Historic Tax Reform Legislation Congress Recently Passed\n\nDecember 21, 2017 | Press Releases\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) today unveiled a new video highlighting the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, historic tax reform legislation that is on its way to the president’s desk. The once-in-a-generation legislation will help middle-class families, create more jobs, and increase wages for American workers. Portman released the following statement on the tax reform bill: \n\n“Our plan gives middle-class families a tax cut so they can keep more of their hard-earned money; it’s going to reform the business tax code to create more jobs and create higher wages while making American workers more competitive in the global marketplace; and it will level the playing field internationally, creating a fairer tax system that encourages jobs and investments to occur right here in this country rather than sending them overseas. This bill is made in America, for America, and I look forward to the president signing it into law soon.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9385377168655396}
+{"content": "You are on page 1of 68\n\nHumanitarian Intervention in Kosovo:\n\nFact or Fiction?\nPeter Russell\nDublin European Institute\nUniversity College Dublin\nA minor dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of\nthe requirements for the\nDegree of Master of Arts in European Studies\n(National University of Ireland)\nAugust 2004\nTable of Contents\nSummary _______________________________________________________________ ii\nChapter 1: Introduction ___________________________________________________ 1\n1.1 Justification and Literature Review _________________________________________ 1\n1.2 Methodology __________________________________________________________ 4\n1.3 Structure ______________________________________________________________ 4\nChapter 2: Human Rights __________________________________________________ 7\n2.1 A Brief History of Human Rights __________________________________________ 7\n2.2 Universal Human Rights: Theory and Practice ________________________________ 9\n2.3 Concerns and Difficulties with Human Rights-Based Foreign Policy _____________ 12\n2.4 Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention _______________________________ 13\nChapter 3: Humanitarian Intervention ______________________________________ 15\n3.1 A Brief History of Humanitarian Intervention ________________________________ 16\n3.2 Defining Humanitarian Intervention _______________________________________ 18\nChapter 4: The Kosovo Intervention ________________________________________ 25\n4.1 Kosovo from 1980 to 1999 ______________________________________________ 26\n4.2 Situation _____________________________________________________________ 30\n4.3 Motivations and Intentions _______________________________________________ 34\n4.4 Means _______________________________________________________________ 41\n4.5 Outcome _____________________________________________________________ 50\n4.6 Summary and Conclusion _______________________________________________ 57\nBibliography ____________________________________________________________ 60\nThis dissertation will examine the military intervention conducted by NATO in Kosovo in\n1999. By examining the pre-existing situation, the justifications given, the methods used, and\nthe results of the intervention, it will be determined whether the characterization of this event\nas a humanitarian intervention is accurate. In the first chapter, the literature on Kosovo,\nhuman rights, and humanitarian intervention is examined to assess the current state of the\ndebate on the Kosovo intervention. Following this introduction is a chapter on the idea of\nhuman rights. This begins with a brief history of human rights, then assesses the standing of\nhuman rights in international law and international relations and the ways in which they apply\nto the Kosovo intervention. The concept of humanitarian intervention is examined in the next\nchapter, including a short survey of its history in the post-World War II period, an examination\nof different definitions of the term, and a determination of what criteria were (or should be)\napplied in order to evaluate whether or not an intervention qualifies as humanitarian. The\nfourth chapter is a case study of the intervention in Kosovo in the spring and summer of 1999,\napplying the ideas of human rights and humanitarian intervention to the course of events\nbefore, during, and after the NATO bombing campaign. This chapter includes a brief historical\nbackground to the conflict, then moves on to an analysis of the motives, behaviour, and\ninterests of the intervening parties, and an assessment of the outcome of the intervention. The\nfinal section of this chapter is the conclusion, which summarizes the findings of this thesis and\nevaluates their significance in both academic and practical terms.\nPeter Hilpold, Humanitarian Intervention: Is There A Need for Legal Reappraisal?, European Journal\nof International Law, Vol.12, No.3 (2001), p.437.\nAdam Roberts, NATOs Humanitarian War Over Kosovo, Survival, Vol.41, No.3 (Autumn 1999)\nMiron Rezun, Europes Nightmare: the Struggle for Kosovo (2001), p.10.\nSee David Chandler, From Kosovo to Kabul: Human Rights and International Intervention (2002),\npp.15-17 for a concise summary of the importance of Kosovo to advocates of humanitarian intervention.\nChapter 1: Introduction\nThe question asked in this paper is a simple one: was the NATO intervention in Kosovo\nin March-June 1999 a humanitarian intervention or not? The Kosovo intervention has come\nto be seen by many as a critical event in international politics. Peter Hilpold describes it as a\nwatershed dividing a former Hegelian, state-centred system of international relations, from\nan actual Kantian model which is far more community-oriented...the protection of\n(fundamental) human rights has been assigned such an overwhelming importance that state\nsovereignty should no more stand in the way in order to prevent gross violations of these\nIt marked a high point in the increasing emphasis on human rights and humanitarian\nissues which has been a striking feature of international relations in the post-1945 era,\nwas the first time a war was ostensibly fought for human rights.\nKosovo is cited by\npoliticians, journalists, and academics as the prototype for humanitarian intervention in the\npost-Cold War era. It is portrayed as the perfect example of a case where a pure dedication to\nhuman rights inspired the international community to take forceful and successful action to end\n1.1 Justification and Literature Review\nMost of this discourse does not question the assertion that the Kosovo intervention was\nhumanitarian. It has not, however, been convincingly demonstrated that it was anything of\nthe kind. Nevertheless, it is repeatedly cited as a precedent-setting event which presages\nsignificant changes in the international political and legal system, as Hilpolds comment\nIn this proposed new paradigm, exemplified by the intervention in Kosovo, (some)\nstates would have the right to use military force to violate the sovereignty of another state based\non claims of the need (and sometimes obligation) to protect the human rights of some portion\nof the population of said state. The importance attributed to the example of Kosovo makes it\nSee for instance Hilpold; Bruno Simma, NATO, the UN and the Use of Force : Legal Aspects,\nEuropean Journal of International Law 10 (1999), pp.1-22; Daniel H. Joyner, The Kosovo Intervention: Legal\nAnalysis and a More Persuasive Paradigm, Journal of Environmental Law, Vol.13, No.3 (2001), pp.597-619;\nM. OConnell, The UN, NATO & International Law After Kosovo, Human Rights Quarterly. v.22 (2000),\nNicholas J. Wheeler, Saving Strangers: Humanitarian Intervention in International Society (2000);\nMichael Ignatieff, Virtual War: Kosovo and Beyond (2001).\nNoam Chomsky, The New Mil itary Humanism: Lessons from Kosovo (1999); Edward Herman and\nDavid Peterson, Moralitys Avenging Angels: the New Humanitarian Crusaders, in David Chandler (ed.),\nRethinking Human Rights: Critical Approaches to International Politics (2002); Tariq Ali, Masters of the\nUniverse? NATOs Balkan Crusade (2000)\ncritical to evaluate whether what happened there can accurately be described in those terms.\nA great deal of the literature on humanitarian intervention in general and Kosovo\nspecifically focuses on the legal aspects. Is humanitarian intervention sanctioned by\ninternational law? If so, should it require approval from the United Nations, or is unilateral\naction by single states or groups of states acceptable? What are the criteria which render an\nintervention legal, or which fail to do so? Where exactly does the Kosovo intervention stand\nin light of these questions, and what is its meaning?\nLiterature in this area tends to be\ntheoretical in its approach, focusing on the legal issues rather than exploring what actually\nhappened in Kosovo. A major preoccupation is with the implications for international law if\nthe intervention in Kosovo is seen to be setting a new precedent. The status of Kosovo as\nhumanitarian intervention tends to be taken for granted instead of being a topic for discussion\nin itself.\nOf that literature which does focus on what actually happened in Kosovo before, during,\nand after the intervention, most of it is written by people who are either arguing in favour of\nthe concept of humanitarian intervention or who believe that there is no such thing. It is no\nsurprise that their conclusions about the Kosovo intervention turn out to fit their particular\nargument. Writers like Nicholas Wheeler and Michael Ignatieff, for example, are pro-\nhumanitarian intervention. They therefore contend that the intervention in Kosovo was\nhumanitarian in nature, while admitting that it may have been poorly planned or executed, or\nthat the results are disappointing.\nOthers, prominently Noam Chomsky, Edward Herman, and\nTariq Ali believe that humanitarian intervention is nothing more than a cover for the true,\nself-interested motivations of the interveners, and so conclude that that is the case for Kosovo.\nDavid Chandler takes a slightly different approach, being concerned about the destructive\nChandler, p.236.\nEric Herring, From Rambouillet to the Kosovo Accords: NATOs War Against Serbia and Its\nAftermath, in Ken Booth (ed.), The Kosovo Tragedy: The Human Rights Dimensions (2001).\nJim Whitman, The Kosovo Refugee Crisis: NATOs Humanitarianism versus Human Rights, in Ken\nSee note 2.\ndynamic of humanitarian intervention.\nFor him Kosovo serves as a negative rather than a\npositive example, but he still does not seriously question that Kosovo was such an intervention.\nThe problem with this literature is that it does not investigate the Kosovo intervention as an\nevent in its own right. It is instead used as an example to illustrate the more general themes\nor ideas with which the authors are concerned. This is not to say that this literature is\ncompletely unhelpful; with the different foci, different information is highlighted and explored.\nWhen their work is combined, these authors make a large contribution towards a more\ncomplete and nuanced picture of the course of events concerning Kosovo.\nThere is a small amount of literature which looks at the Kosovo intervention without\nattempting to make it fit into a larger political, legal, or conceptual schema. These authors\noften choose a particular topic or angle related to the intervention to investigate in depth.\nConclusions about the intervention are based upon the particular aspect under investigation.\nEric Herring, for instance, examines the path From Rambouillet to the Kosovo Accords,\ntaking the proposal which the Serbs rejected in March 1999 and the terms which they accepted\nin June 1999 as the start and end points in an attempt to determine whether the use of military\nforce was justifiable at each stage of the process.\nJim Whitman focuses on the interest of\nEuropean nations in reducing the flow of refugees to question the depiction of the intervention\nas truly humanitarian.\nAdam Roberts does an excellent job of not imposing preconceptions\non his more general account of the intervention, in which he discusses the relative weights of\nmotives, actions, and outcomes.\nAll three of these authors conclude that the intervention is\nat best questionable as an example of humanitarian intervention, but there is no sense that this\nwas a predetermined outcome of their research.\nThis thesis is an attempt to contribute to this third area of the literature. The question\nof the nature of the Kosovo intervention will be approached as far as possible from a neutral\nposition, one which does not presuppose that humanitarian intervention is either good, bad,\nor nonexistent. Of course, complete objectivity is impossible, and the authors bias may be\nseen in the fact that the hypothesis upon beginning this work is that the Kosovo intervention\nwill not in fact turn out to be humanitarian. Nonetheless, a conscious effort will be made to\nmake a fair, balanced assessment and to avoid twisting the evidence or using it selectively in\norder to reach a predetermined conclusion.\n1.2 Methodology\nThis paper will adopt a qualitative approach, relying on both primary and secondary\nsources. There is a large amount of material available on human rights and humanitarian\nintervention which deals with the origins of the concepts, their legal status, the ethical and\nmoral arguments for and against, their history, and so on. This academic material will be used\nalong with primary sources such as United Nations declarations and conventions to provide the\nessential background against which the Kosovo intervention must be evaluated. In the case\nstudy portion of the thesis, relevant primary sources will be used - principally governmental\nstatements, declarations, speeches, and parliamentary debates - to illustrate the declared\nmotivations and actions of the different participants in the Kosovo war. Reports from the UN\nand from NGOs such as Human Rights Watch will be drawn on in order to compare the\nfindings of (somewhat neutral) observers to the claims of the participating states. Secondary\nliterature, both academic and journalistic, will be used to examine and evaluate alternative\ninterpretations of the motives and actions of the participants.\nThere is no difficulty in accessing sufficient source material; the Kosovo war was recent\nenough (but not too recent) and important enough that there is a great deal of material to\nconsult. The difficulty lies in the interpretation of the material; the primary governmental\nsources in particular tend to be subject to spin to put that governments actions in the best\npossible light, and much of the secondary literature is written from an ideological standpoint\nwhich predisposes the authors to either favour or condemn the intervention. As wide a range\nas possible of source material will be used in order to attempt to minimize or compensate for\nideological or political slants in the material and analysis.\n1.3 Structure\nChapter 1 is this Introduction.\nChapter 2 will examine the concept of universal human rights, which lies at the root of\ninterventions such as Kosovo. To those who favour humanitarian intervention, a state can\neffectively cede its right to sovereignty if its violations of human rights reach a certain ill-\ndefined level. Once this point is reached, other states have both a right and an obligation to\nintervene. This chapter will show that, in spite of the fact that nearly all states now pay at least\nlip-service to human rights and are officially committed to upholding them, the theory and\npractice of human rights are actually still highly disputed. Cultures with non-European roots\nargue that human rights are merely a form of Western imperialism, an attempt to impose\nWestern cultural norms around the world, and therefore do not accept human rights violations\nas legitimate grounds for intervention. Even among Western states, there is no agreement on\na definitive list of human rights, let alone on how to promote and protect them. Therefore,\nthough it was technically human rights abuses which were the subject of the Kosovo\nintervention, and which were referred to in attempts to legitimize it, human rights violations\nper se are not enough to justify military intervention.\nIn Chapter 3, the concept and practice of humanitarian intervention will be explored.\nThe lack of legitimacy of intervention based simply on human rights violations will again be\ndemonstrated, using historical examples. This will show the basic lack of agreement in\npolitical, legal, and academic circles on an exact definition of humanitarian intervention, which\nleads to disagreements over whether or not the term can be applied to any specific case.\nTherefore, the remainder of this chapter will be devoted to a comparison of a range of\ndefinitions of humanitarian intervention in order to determine a set of criteria by which the\nKosovo intervention can be analysed. The classic definition will be shown to be\npredominantly legalistic in nature and therefore not directly relevant to the question posed by\nthis paper. Four contemporary definitions will be analysed and compared to yield criteria to\nserve as the basis for the case study of the Kosovo intervention.\nThe case study itself will form Chapter 4. The criteria which were determined in the\nprevious chapter will be applied sequentially to a study of the intervention in Kosovo.\nAttention will be drawn to controversial or debatable issues relating to each of these, and to the\neffect which differing interpretations of each of these criteria has on the analysis of the others.\nEach section of this chapter will finish with a conclusion on whether the Kosovo intervention\ndid or did not adequately fulfill the particular criterion in question. The final portion of this\nchapter will be the conclusion, in which the results of the case study will be summarized and\nan answer to the question asked by this paper will be arrived at. This will be followed by a\nbrief discussion of the importance of this conclusion and its ramifications for the practice of\nhumanitarian intervention and for the future study of both humanitarian intervention in general\nand the Kosovo intervention in particular.\nCarol Devine, Carol Rae Hansen, Ralph Wilde, Human Rights: The Essential Reference (1999), pp.3-\n55; R.J. Vincent, Human Rights and International Relations (1986), pp.20-32.\nChapter 2: Human Rights\nThe protection of human rights is theoretically at the root of the Kosovo intervention,\nand indeed of the concept of humanitarian intervention in general. The degree to which that\nwas actually the case will be discussed below, but it is important to realise how much the\ncourse of events was affected by the disputed nature and importance of human rights in the\ninternational system. Despite the theoretical agreement of nearly every state on the planet to\nstandards of universal human rights, there is in fact little agreement on what exactly that phrase\nmeans or how it should be applied. This had a direct impact on how the crisis in Kosovo was\napproached and dealt with by the international community. It is beyond the scope of this paper\nto explore all the complexities of the modern international human rights regime, but some\nexplanation is necessary to place the Kosovo intervention in context. To this end, this chapter\nwill briefly examine the history of human rights, their theoretical and philosophical\nunderpinnings, and their place in international law and in the practice of international relations.\nIt will conclude with an discussion of the practical relationship between human rights and\nhumanitarian intervention, and specifically with the intervention in Kosovo.\n2.1 A Brief History of Human Rights\nThere is no single time or event that can be pinpointed as the beginning of the idea of\nhuman rights. Its historical pedigree can be traced back to concepts which were first articulated\nin ancient Greece, and which developed throughout the course of European history.\nThe basic\nfoundation of the modern human rights regime was laid in the aftermath of World War II,\nbeginning with the Nuremberg and Tokyo war crimes trials, the mention of human rights in the\nUnited Nations Charter in 1945, the Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the\nCrime of Genocide, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR),both in 1948.\nThis beginning was later extended by the completion in1966 of the International Covenant on\nCultural Rights (ICESCR); these were legally binding instruments, which the UDHR was not,\nDevine et al, pp.55, 60-63.\nDavid P. Forsythe, Human Rights in International Relations (2000), p.4.\nTim Dunne & Nicholas J. Wheeler, Introduction: human rights and the fifty years crisis, in Tim\nDunne & Nicholas J. Wheeler (eds.), Human Rights in Global Politics (1999), p.2.\nMichael Ignatieff, Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry (2001), pp.23-24.\nHelsinki Final Act, accessed from on 10 June 2004..\nIgnatieff, Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry, p.19.\nJack Donnelly, The Social Construction of International Human Rights, in Dunne & Wheeler (eds.),\nHuman Rights in Global Politics (1999), pp.88-89.\nUS President George H.W. Bush, Speech to Congress, 6 March 1991, accessed on 11 June 2004 from\nand came into force in 1976.\nAbout 140 states (out of 185 United Nations members in 1999)\nhad formally adhered to the two covenants by the end of the twentieth century.\nOutside the\nUN structures, the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950 (and its later protocols) was\na landmark for its codification of binding international standards on human rights for the\nmembers of the Council of Europe.\nSince the founding of the UN, the role of human rights in international relations has\nbecome increasingly prominent. Their status in law has become more detailed and formalized,\nboth in the passage of UN instruments and in national law in many states. However, many\nstates fail to follow through on their legal obligations to support human rights; in 1997, for\nexample, Amnesty International reported that 123 of the 185 sovereign states in the world\nregularly practised torture.\nAlthough most Western states show a rhetorical concern for the\nhuman rights records of the states to which they supply aid or investment, there are few\nconsequences for the violators beyond a rise in conditionality.\nNevertheless, states have come\nto give much more attention, or at least devote more rhetoric, to human rights over the last\nsixty years. During the Cold War, the high point of this process was the Helsinki Final Act in\n1975, in which states on both sides of the ideological divide pledged to abide by internationally\nagreed standards,\nleaving one global human rights culture.\n\nIt was only in the post-Cold War period that human rights took on a truly prominent and\nactive role in international relations.\nAs George H.W. Bush put it in 1991, it was now a\nworld where the United Nations, freed from Cold War stalemate, is poised to fulfil the historic\namong all nations.\nThe fall of the Soviet Union and the dismantling of the Soviet empire\nIgnatieff, Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry, p.11.\nJanne Haaland Matlary, Intervention for Human Rights in Europe (2002), p.190.\nIt was of course still possible for Russia (and China) to deny UN sanction to humanitarian interventions\nthrough the use or threatened use of vetoes on the UN Security Council. The Kosovo intervention was not a UN-\napproved operation.\nfreed Western states to take more aggressive positions for the promotion of human rights. In\nthe wake of the end of the East/West standoff, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such\nas Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch came to exercise a greater influence on\npublic opinion and on government policies and statements.\nThe efforts of the NGOs to\npublicize human rights violations, coupled with greater media coverage in at least some cases,\nbegan to result in increasing public demands for some kind of action. This arguably began to\nmake human rights issues into real interests for many governments, rather than just values;\naccording to Janne Haaland Matlary the potential political costs of ignoring human rights\nbecame too great to ignore with impunity.\nAll of these factors must be taken into account when evaluating the Kosovo\nintervention. It was only in the post-Cold War period that the use of military force to intervene\nin support of human rights became a realistic option. Although post-communist Russia did not\nlike the idea of intervention in sovereign states on human rights grounds any more than its\nSoviet predecessor, it was no longer in a position to deter the Western states from doing so if\nthey chose.\nCrucially, this greater freedom of action came at a time when the popular\npressures to be at least seen to be doing something were mounting. When combined with the\nincreasing importance being given to human rights, the ability to employ military force could\nquite easily turn into a perceived obligation or right to use military force. Kosovo was perhaps\nthe first case where all of these factors came into play at once.\n2.2 Universal Human Rights: Theory and Practice\nUniversal human rights are supposed to apply to everyone, everywhere, all of the time:\nthat is of course what universal means. Article 2 of the UDHR states that\nUniversal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 2. Accessed from\non 11 June 2004.\nR.J. Vincent, Human Rights and International Relations (1986), p.36.\nVincent, p.32.\nForsythe, pp.28-29.\nFor detail on the evolution and theories of human rights, see Forsythe, pp.28-49; Vincent, pp.19-36.\nEuropean in this context should be taken to include cultures and societies which are substantially\nrooted in European societies, in particular (though not limited to) the United States, Canada, Australia, and New\nQuoted in Devine et al, p.62.\nmade on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country of\nunder any other limitation of sovereignty.\nSupporters of universal human rights argue that they are outside any particular society or\nculture...and...endure beyond a single generation.\nHowever, there is still little consensus on\nthe philosophical basis of universal human rights, and a great deal of ink has been spilled in\nattempts to justify the concept. Human rights have been described as everything from the\ncontemporary expression for natural rights\nto monstrous fiction[s]...and...figments of the\nimagination, as property rights, as constructions of a political process featuring self-\nand in many other ways.\nThe debate over the foundations of human rights is\nan ongoing process, and demonstrates that the concept is not so universal as its supporters\nwould like to believe.\nThis paper will not attempt to reach a conclusion on the philosophical rationales for\nhuman rights. The important point here is that human rights are almost exclusively based on\nEuropean ideas and concepts.\nJohn Humphrey admitted that almost all of the sources which\nhe chose to use as the basis of the original outline of the UDHR came from English-speaking\nsources and all of them from the democratic draft attempted to combine\nhumanitarian liberalism with social democracy.\nThis leaves room for arguments that human\nrights have questionable relevance and applicability to non-western societies. Cultural\nrelativists argue that\nrights and rules about morality are encoded in and thus depend on cultural\ntranscendent or transcultural ideas of right can be found or agreed on...[this] necessarily\nHenry J. Steiner & Philip Alston (eds.). International Human Rights in Context: Law, Politics, Morals,\ned. (2000), pp.366-367.\nSee, for instance, Steiner & Alston, pp.552-553; Vincent, pp.44-57.\nFor a brief outline of African, Chinese, and Islamic perspectives on human rights, see Vincent, pp.39-\nSteiner & Alston, p.365.\nRichard Rorty, Human Rights, Rationality, and Sentimentality, in Stephen Shute & Susan Hurly (eds.),\nOn Human Rights: the Oxford Amnesty Lectures (1993), pp.111-134.\nAndrew Hurrell, Power, principles and prudence: protecting human rights in a deeply divided world,\nin Dunne & Wheeler (eds.), Human Rights in Global Politics (1999), pp.277-302.\ncontradicts a basic premise of the human rights movement.\n\nThere are convincing arguments against the cultural relativist position,\nbut the point is that\nhuman rights are not uncontroversially accepted as valid justifications for foreign policy by\nstates, NGOs, or intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) which may have very different\nconceptions of rights based on their own histories and culture.\nAccording to Henry Steiner\nand Philip Alston, rights are no more determinate in meaning, no less susceptible to varying\ninterpretations and disputes among states, than any other moral, political or legal conception -\nfor example, property, or sovereignty, or consent, or national security.\nThey are not\na universally accepted basis for military intervention, implying as that would an acceptance of\nthe imposition by force of what are perceived by many to be Western standards.\nRecognizing this difficulty, writers such as Richard Rorty\nand Andrew Hurrell\nadvocate ignoring the question of the philosophical roots of human rights altogether as being\nunnecessary, distracting, and counter-productive. They propose instead an understanding and\nacceptance of human rights that is based on a pragmatic recognition of the fact that they have,\nregardless of their roots, effectively become a worldwide normative standard, at least at the\nlevel of rhetoric and theoretically binding international agreements. Even states with\nnotoriously poor human rights records accept that their foreign policy must at least pay\nrhetorical attention to values, as well as interests.\nThis argument holds that it doesnt matter\nwhere they came from originally; they are here now, and must be addressed. The need to\njustify human rights is thus avoided right from the start; states are to be held to the agreements\nthey have signed, regardless of their reasons for doing so.\nThis paper will adopt Rorty and Hurrells perspective on the theoretical basis of human\nVincent, pp.10-11. The distinction between positive and negative rights, and between political/civil\nand social/economic/cultural, is not clear-cut; see Vincent, pp.11-16.\nIgnatieff, Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry, p.20.\nrights. It is not necessary to know from whence they came for this analysis. What is important\nis that human rights have attained a demonstrable importance in foreign policy that allowed -\nand perhaps required - the intervening nations to offer them as a justification for their actions,\nbut not so clearly established or uncontroversial as to serve as an unambiguous justification.\n2.3 Concerns and Difficulties with Human Rights-Based Foreign Policy\nAs illustrated by the two UN Covenants, human rights are commonly divided into two\nfamilies: political and civil rights, and economic, social, and cultural rights. The former are\noften described as negative rights: areas in which governments are obliged not to interfere.\nThey include rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of political association, and freedom\nof the press. These are rights that may become threatened by government actions - to control\nthe press or to intimidate voters, for example. Social, economic, and cultural rights, on the\nother hand, are frequently described as positive rights, which require government action in\norder to secure them. Examples would be the right to clean water, to sufficient food and\nadequate shelter, to an education.\nSome states, in particular the United States, concentrate\non political and civil rights, believing that it is inappropriate for government to engage in the\nsort of interference which may be required to promote other rights. The European Union and\nmost individual European states, along with some other states such as New Zealand and\nCanada, place a more equal policy emphasis on both categories of rights.\nThere is a reluctance in the West to admit that there are potentially fundamental\ncontradictions involved in using human rights as the basis for foreign policy. Many human\nrights are at least potentially contradictory: stability vs. self-determination, liberty and\nequality, freedom and security, private property and distributive justice.\nThere is no\nagreement on the exact definition or application of human rights, nor of the moral priority\nwhich should be followed when there is conflict between rights.\nThese problems are largely\nignored in the evaluation of human rights as justification and motivation for policy decisions.\nOne cannot speak of a human rights-based policy without asking which rights, and why. As\nRoberts, p.103.\nSimma, p.2. He further points out that what the international community is facing (i.e. at the time of\nwriting, early March 1999) are massive violations of human rights and rights of ethnic minorities, but not acts of\ngenocide in the sense of the1948 Convention.\nwill be seen, these questions are important in the evaluation of the intervention in Kosovo.\n2.4 Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention\nThere is a school of thought which holds that if the violations of human rights by a\nstate become too extreme and systematic then that state has, or should have, effectively ceded\nits right to sovereignty over the territory in question.\nOther states are then justified or even\nobligated to intervene in order to end the abuses. This is most clearly seen in the extreme case\nof genocide, where the right of states, or collectivities of states, to counter breaches of human\nrights most likely becomes an obligation,\nbut the right of other states to intervene in cases\nof less severity is subject to a great deal of debate. Although this highly contentious argument\nhas been used in connection to the intervention in Kosovo, it requires an unambiguous,\ngenerally agreed-upon definition of human rights which does not in fact exist, as this chapter\nhas demonstrated. Furthermore, there can never be a clear agreement on when human rights\nabuses have become sufficiently extreme. If there is not even agreement on what are and are\nnot human rights amongst the Western, European-based states, how can a consensus be\nreached on when the severity of violations of those rights justifies intervention?\nBeyond this difficulty, any decision to pursue a human rights-based policy requires a\nprior decision as to which rights are in question, and which of those are to be given priority.\nThis problem becomes more acute when the use of military force is contemplated. In the case\nof Kosovo, the intervention was pursued via means which aggravated the level of human rights\nviolations in that province while also widening the crisis to include Serbia as a whole, as will\nbe shown below. The characterization of the intervention as a humanitarian mission is\nproblematic when one recognises that the attempt to promote or guarantee certain human rights\nin Kosovo resulted in the systematic and large-scale violation of other human rights during and\nafter the intervention. These violations were suffered both by the Kosovo Albanians and by\nSerbs and other ethnic groups during and after the intervention, and continue in some cases up\nto the present day. The intervention demonstrated and required a value judgement as to whose\nhuman rights and which human rights were more important, and to whom (i.e. to the\ninterveners or to the subjects of the intervention). These judgements were demonstrated in the\ndeclared motivations for the intervention and especially in the means used to carry it out, and\nare still evident in the continuing aftermath.\nHuman rights are in the peculiar position of being an important, even vital, legitimating\nfactor for intervention, while not being sufficient in themselves as a justification for the use\nof force. Western leaders spoke repeatedly about human rights in Kosovo, which may have\nstirred up public interest, concern, and support but which did not constitute acceptable grounds\nfor intervention. The next chapter will look at the ways in which humanitarian intervention\nhas been justified and legitimized in the past and establish in more detail the criteria which will\nbe used to assess the intervention in Kosovo.\nHilpold, p.457.\nHilpold, pp.458-459.\nChapter 3: Humanitarian Intervention\nSince the question addressed by this paper is whether or not the intervention in Kosovo\ncan accurately be described as a humanitarian intervention, some knowledge of the history of\nhumanitarian intervention before Kosovo will help to place the circumstances and issues in\ncontext. Furthermore, when looking at that history it quickly becomes clear that there is no\ngeneral agreement on what exactly is a humanitarian intervention; therefore, a working\ndefinition of the term for use in this paper must be determined and explained. This chapter\nwill begin with a brief survey of humanitarian intervention in the post-World War II period.\nThe rest of the chapter will be devoted to finding a definition of humanitarian intervention\nwhich can then be used in the case study portion of this paper. The classic definition will\nbe shown to be concerned primarily with legal issues which are not relevant here. Therefore,\nfour proposed contemporary definitions will be compared and analysed in order to establish\nthe criteria which will be used in the examination of the Kosovo intervention. The intention\nis to establish a set of minimum criteria which can be empirically examined in order to reach\na conclusion as to whether or not the intervention in Kosovo can be plausibly labelled as\nPeter Hilpold notes that many authors have elaborated lists of criteria which measures\nof humanitarian intervention should respect to become morally and politically commendable,\nand claims that although these lists only slightly differ in their content, applied to Kosovo\n[they] brought completely different results depending on the personal view taken by the\nvarious authors.\nHis points are only partially correct, but they indicate the necessity for the\nexamination to be carried out in this chapter. Firstly, as will be shown below, in fact the lists\ndo not only slightly differ in their content; there are significant differences which need to be\nreconciled and evaluated. He is correct that the conclusions and the criteria chosen usually\ndepend on the view of each author regarding humanitarian intervention; this problem was\naddressed in Chapter 1. However, he is overly dismissive of criteria which are partly stating\ngenerally accepted (or acceptable) principles...which per se are non-contestable...[and which]\nleave a broad margin of appreciation or their fulfilment is difficult to prove.\nNo definitive\nTomWoodhouse, Introduction and Overview, in Tom Woodhouse, Robert Bruce, Malcolm Dando\n(eds.), Peacekeeping and Peacemaking: Towards Effective Intervention in Post-Cold War Conflicts (1998), p.4.\nOliver Ramsbotham and Tom Woodhouse, Humanitarian Intervention in Contemporary Conflict\n(1996), pp.45-47.\nCaroline Thomas, New States, Sovereignty, and Intervention (1985), p.48.\nRen Cassin, quoted in Ignatieff, Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry, p.38.\nanswer as to whether or not these criteria were fulfilled can ever be reached; they will always\nbe subject to dispute. However, these generally accepted principles, once clearly defined,\ncan be applied to historical research which can then at least add to the balance of evidence\nconcerning the larger question asked in this dissertation.\n3.1 A Brief History of Humanitarian Intervention\nEven using the loosest definition of humanitarian intervention (forcible action by\nstates across international borders to protect human rights\n), the history of humanitarian\nintervention is a contentious one, with little agreement on which instances, if any, are\nlegitimate examples of the type. There is little discussion of humanitarian intervention in the\npre-World War II period. Most of the literature concentrates on the Cold War period (and now\nincreasingly on the post-Cold War period), which offers many possible cases of humanitarian\nintervention. Here, however, one falls afoul of the differing definitions of humanitarian\nintervention. The result, as surveyed by Oliver Ramsbotham and Tom Woodhouse,\nis a\nsituation where the number of potential Cold War interventions ranges from four to eleven or\nmore, or even zero if sufficiently strict criteria are used. The same case may be cited by one\nauthor as a particularly clear example while others deny its relevance entirely.\nThis ambivalence over historical cases of humanitarian intervention derives from the\ntension between the norm of inviolable sovereignty and the legitimacy of intervention. The\nprinciple of non-intervention was enshrined in the UN Charter. Strong countries favoured it\nbecause it protected them against action by the UN itself, weaker countries because it protected\nthem against interference by the stronger states.\nBut there was always a strand of thought\nwhich held that human rights abuses were valid grounds for intervention, particularly when\nviolation of human rights by a given state within its borders results in a threat to international\nFor example, the Genocide Convention obliges states by international law to ensure\nThomas, pp.66-67.\nWheeler, Saving Strangers, p.42.\nThis is not to say that human rights concerns did not play a role in the decisions to intervene. For\nexample, in the case of the Tanzanian intervention in Uganda, President Nyerere had been vocally attacking Idi\nAmins regime for some time on human rights grounds, but he did not attempt to justify his actions on these\ngrounds. Wheeler, Saving Strangers, pp.60-65, 85-89, 117-122.\nWheeler, Saving Strangers, pp.65-71, 90-100, 122-132.\nthat UN institutions combat genocide, even if it is occurring within the borders of a single\nstate. Many African states maintained that armed intervention against South Africas apartheid\nregime would have been justified,\nand the massacre of Ibos by Nigerian troops in the war\nover Biafran secession led some scholars to claim that there was a legal right of unilateral\nhumanitarian intervention.\nMost of these Cold War period incidents have come to be considered as potential\nhumanitarian interventions only in retrospect. Even in those cases where there was a strong\nhuman rights argument, humanitarian reasons were seldom either offered or accepted as\njustification at the time. Nicholas Wheeler looks in detail at three candidates and finds that\nin each case the primary justification used by the intervening governments was self-defence\nor security; humanitarian reasons were secondary at best.\nThis was in spite of the fact that\nthere were systematic, large-scale atrocities being carried out in all three case studies which\nwere effectively ended by the interventions. The self-defence justifications were shaky at best,\nand the international reaction was to condemn all three interventions as illegitimate violations\nof the sovereignty of the target states.\nPurely domestic human rights violations were not seen\nas grounds for international intervention in this period.\nThe post-Cold War period has seen a marked upswing in the number of interventions\nwhich are justified in humanitarian terms. Interventions in Bosnia, Iraq, Somalia, Haiti,\nKosovo, Afghanistan, and again Iraq have all prominently featured human rights arguments,\nalong with claims of self-defence or international security. The Rwandan genocide and its\naftermath of widespread chaos and attendant humanitarian crises in central Africa resulted in\nscathing criticisms of the international community and the UN for not intervening. Human\nrights justifications are considered to be much more legitimate than they were during the Cold\nWar. In spite of this, there is still debate over what exactly constitutes a humanitarian\nintervention; there is no generally agreed, uncontroversial definition.\nCited in Ramsbotham & Woodhouse, p.112.\nRamsbotham & Woodhouse, p.3.\nRamsbotham & Woodhouse, pp.43-44, 109-111.\n3.2 Defining Humanitarian Intervention\nHumanitarian intervention is a very difficult concept to define. It carries a different\nmeaning depending on who is using it and when: Lori Fischler-Damrosch notes at least\nseventeen different interpretations which have been put on the term.\nOliver Ramsbotham and\nTom Woodhouse cite Wil Verweys definition of humanitarian intervention as the correct\nusage in international law and state practice:\n[t]he threat or use of force by a state or states abroad, for the sole purpose of preventing or\nputting a halt to a serious violation of fundamental human rights, in particular the right to life\nof persons, regardless of their nationality, such protection taking place neither upon\nauthorization by relevant organs of the United Nations nor with permission by the legitimate\ngovernment of the target state.\nUsing John Vincents work as a basis, they then describe six features which characterize this\nclassic definition of intervention:\n(a) Purpose: The motivation for the intervention must be purely, or at least\noverwhelmingly, humanitarian; state interests cannot be significant. Furthermore,\nhumanitarian is strictly defined as the protection of fundamental human rights\nthreatened by the host government. The idea of intervening for other humanitarian\npurposes is not addressed.\n(b) Agency: Possible interventionist actors are limited to individual states or groups of\nstates. Organizations like the United Nations are explicitly ruled out as being possible\nagents of intervention.\n(c) Target: The intervention is done against the will of the target state. This assumes both\nthat a clearly legitimate government exists, and that intervention is automatically done\nagainst that government. This area also brings in concerns about legality of\ninterventions under the UN Charter.\n(d) Force level: Intervention is equated with the threat or use of force, ensuring that it is\nFor an excellent discussion of sovereignty and the non-intervention principle, see Thomas, especially\npp.22-51; also Ignatieff, Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry, pp.37-39.\nJohn Vincent, cited in Ramsbotham & Woodhouse, p.44.\nprohibited by UN Charter Article 2(4). Distinctions between intervention and war on\nthe one hand and coercion (but not force) on the other are ignored.\n(e) Context: It is assumed that the intervention is to protect human rights from threats by\nthe government of the state in question. If that is not the case, it cannot be called\nhumanitarian intervention.\n(f) Legitimacy: Practically speaking, any action which could be labelled intervention\nwas found to be illegitimate under these standards. The question of what actually\nconstituted a legitimate intervention becomes side-tracked by the call\na possibly legitimate act intervention.\nThe most distinctive feature of this definition of intervention is its predominantly\nlegalistic character. It is not so much intended to lay out criteria by which one might determine\nwhat is a legitimate humanitarian intervention as it is to lay out standards by which any\npotential candidate can be ruled out. This is entirely consistent with the primacy given to\nsovereignty and non-intervention in the international system.\nBut as Vincent points out, there\nis confusion between the use of the word intervention as a description of an event in\ninternational relations and its use as a normative expression by international lawyers.\nthe purposes of this paper, the classic definition is crippled by that confusion. Since the\nquestion here is not the legality of the Kosovo intervention, but rather its characterization as\na humanitarian intervention in moral and practical terms, it is necessary to turn to other\ndefinitions of humanitarian intervention to find usable criteria. The four definitions chosen\nall date from the post-Cold War period and primarily (though not exclusively) address non-\nlegal features of humanitarian intervention. The listed features are considered to be the\nminimum requirements which must be met in order for an intervention to be labelled\nhumanitarian; Wheeler goes on to discuss a further four features over and above these\nthreshold requirements which, if present, add further to the legitimacy of an intervention but\nThese are: humanitarian motives, whether humanitarian justifications are used, the legality of an\nintervention, and the issue of selectivity of intervention; see Wheeler, Saving Strangers, pp.37-51.\nRamsbotham & Woodhouse, pp.73-76.\nIgnatieff, Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry, p.40.\nJon Holbrook, Humanitarian Intervention and the Recasting of International Law, in David Chandler\n(ed.), Rethinking Human Rights: critical approaches to international politics (2002), p.137.\nWheeler, Saving Strangers, p.34.\nwhich are not required.\nA summary of the proffered criteria, broken down into general\ncategories, is shown in the following table:\nMichael Ignatieff\nJon Holbrook\nNicholas Wheeler\nSituation -Humanitarian\n-Human Rights Abuses\n(-Threat to international\npeace & security)\n(-Vital interest of\npowerful nations)\n-Just Cause (a\nMotivation -Humanitarian\nEnd in view\n(-Vital interest of\npowerful nations)\nMeans -Humanitarian\n-Chance of success via\nmilitary means\n-Coercive action -Proportionality of\nmeans used to ends\n-Force must be last\n-High probability of\nsuccess through\nOutcome -Humanitarian\n(-Threat to international\npeace & security)\n-Lack of indigenous\nAs can be seen, there is only marginal consensus on what is necessary for an\nintervention to qualify as humanitarian. Before proceeding with a discussion of these\nfeatures, it is worth noting that the authors were variously describing what they felt was a\nnewly-emerging standard for humanitarian intervention (Ignatieff), suggesting new normative\ncriteria for humanitarian intervention (Ramsbotham & Woodhouse, Wheeler), or arguing\nIgnatieff, Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry, p.18.\nRamsbotham & Woodhouse, p.73.\nagainst what they saw as a dangerous new-found legitimacy for humanitarian intervention in\nthe post-Cold War period (Holbrook).\nThere is general agreement on certain situational requirements for humanitarian\nintervention, with all the authors except Holbrook listing at least one as a necessary factor.\nWheeler cites the need for a supreme humanitarian crisis as a just cause for intervention. He\ndoes not define this specifically, but it must plausibly require armed, forceful intervention to\neither stop a humanitarian disaster that is in progress or prevent an imminent disaster from\ncoming about. Ignatieff argues that only in strictly defined cases of necessity - where human\nlife is at risk - can coercive human rights interventions be justified.\nRamsbotham and\nWoodhouse do not go so far as that; they write of [great] human suffering\nas a justification,\nbut like Wheeler do not attempt a strict definition. Holbrooks omission of situation should\nprobably not be taken as an argument that a precipitating crisis need not exist, since he\nimplicitly addresses this concern elsewhere. A pre-existing situation of humanitarian crisis,\nactual or imminent, is the first required feature in a humanitarian intervention.\nIgnatieff has two other criteria which can be described as situational but which are not\nrelevant to the question at hand. The first, that the situation must be a threat to international\npeace and security, is actually aimed at the legal requirements for intervention under\ninternational law. It is precisely this circumstance which can be (and has been) used to justify\nintervention under Article 42 of the UN Charter. His other situational stricture is a practical\naddendum that the region in question must be of vital interest, for cultural, strategic, or\ngeopolitical reasons, to one of the powerful nations in the world and another powerful nation\ndoes not oppose the exercise of force. This is a partial explanation for why interventions take\nplace in some circumstances but not in others - and perhaps should be seen as a motivational\nrequirement as much as situational - but does not further our understanding of the humanitarian\ncharacter of an intervention.\nThe next category is motivation, which effectively only appears in two of the four sets\nof criteria. Ramsbotham and Woodhouse require that humanitarian ends be in view.\nHolbrook simply requires a declared humanitarian objective (which presumably requires the\nRamsbotham & Woodhouse, p.74.\nWheeler, Saving Strangers, pp.37-38.\nRamsbotham & Woodhouse, p.73.\nhumanitarian crisis which he did not mention as a situational requirement). Motivation is a\nvexed question in this context. Ramsbotham and Woodhouse admit that when states are\nsending troops across borders, it is...unlikely that humanitarian ends can be separated from\npolitical ends, but argue that a lack of separation between the humanitarian and the political\nneed not invalidate humanitarian ends, and furthermore that disconnecting humanitarian and\npolitical ends may in fact hinder a real solution to the underlying problems which led to the\ncrisis in the first place.\nWheeler takes the same argument - that motivations can never be\npure and disinterested - to conclude that they should not be considered at all as a relevant\nfactor, especially since humanitarian outcomes do not necessarily depend on humanitarian\nIgnatieffs stance on required motivations is virtually anti-humanitarian: he\nclaims that the interests of powerful nations must be involved, but he does not mention\nhumanitarian concerns at all. On balance, it is reasonable to require humanitarian motivation\nas a prerequisite for humanitarian intervention, if only so the means and outcome can be\nproperly judged. However, it is not necessary that such motivations are the only, or even the\ndominant, motivating factor.\nThe only category which is represented on all four lists is means, though the specific\ndetails vary widely. Holbrooks only requirement is that the action taken is coercive, which\nreflects his predominant concern with the legalities of intervention more than it does any\ninterest in the specific actions taken in any particular set of circumstances. Ignatieff says little\nmore, merely stipulating that there must be a reasonable chance of success through the use of\nmilitary force; this is also on Wheelers list. Ramsbotham and Woodhouse require a\nhumanitarian approach, meaning the action was carried out impartially, and...the interests of\nthe interveners at any rate not incompatible with the humanitarian purpose,\nand humanitarian\nmeans. This last point is similar to Wheelers requirements that force must be the last resort,\nand must be proportional to the intended ends. This is an issue which is not addressed at all\nin the classic definition of humanitarian intervention, and which is in fact key to the accurate\nevaluation of such actions. Regardless of whether the initial humanitarian crisis is alleviated,\nthe humanitarian nature of an intervention is open to severe question if the means used to\nRamsbotham & Woodhouse, pp.75, 76.\nWheeler, Saving Strangers, pp.36-37.\nI have included these stipulations under the heading of Means, since they have a direct bearing on how\nan intervention is carried out, but they could also be considered as belonging in the Outcome category.\nachieve the goals results in the worsening or widening of other human rights violations, or\nindeed creates new violations, to a degree which arguably outweighs the benefits in the first\ncase. Furthermore, it is important to judge whether the means chosen, as Ignatieff and Wheeler\nsay, had a reasonable chance of success. The question of appropriate, proportional, well-\nchosen means is the third criteria which will be used to analyse the Kosovo intervention.\nOnly Ramsbotham and Woodhouse include humanitarian outcome in their criteria. The\ndifficulty with this is that no intervention can be described as humanitarian before the outcome\nis known. It is only in retrospect that one could make claims on the nature of a given\nintervention. It also potentially invalidates all the other criteria: an intervention undertaken for\nhumanitarian motives, by humanitarian means, to resolve a humanitarian crisis, which is\nultimately unsuccessful would not qualify as a humanitarian intervention. They admit that\noutcome is notoriously difficult to assess, and offer as a possible test the question: does the\noutcome converge with the wishes of those in whose name it is carried out?\nexplicitly rules out consideration of outcome as a criterion, since it can never be known in\nadvance that more lives will be saved by intervention than will be lost by it, or that the\nexigencies of military action will not damage the moral credentials of the interveners.\nclosest that he or Ignatieff come to requiring a positive outcome is in their stipulation that there\nmust be a reasonable chance of success through the use of force.\nHowever, justification\n(legal or moral) before an intervention works on a different basis than retrospective\nexamination of an historical event. In the latter case, a negative humanitarian outcome may\nnot disqualify an intervention as humanitarian - the best-laid plans can go wrong, especially\nin war - but it would certainly weaken the case. Conversely, a positive outcome can reinforce\nthe humanitarian credentials of an intervention, as it would bear out the motivations and means\nwhich were given and used for the intervention. In this paper, which is examining a historical\nevent rather than attempting to justify a proposed course of action, the outcome will be\nconsidered as a relevant factor in characterizing the intervention.\nIgnatieff and Holbrook both either implicitly or explicitly address the legality or\nlegitimacy of humanitarian interventions. Ignatieffs argument that there must exist a threat\nto international peace and security is discussed above in the section on situation. Holbrook\nstipulates that the intervention must be done without the consent of the government in the\ntarget state. This harks back to the classic definition of intervention, and has no bearing on the\nquestion addressed in this paper.\nAccordingly, the intervention in Kosovo will be examined with regard to the categories\ndiscussed above, with the exception of that of legality: (1) Situation: was there a\nhumanitarian/human rights crisis which could justify an intervention, (2) Motivation: was at\nleast part of the intent of the intervention the amelioration of the human rights situation, (3)\nMeans: were the methods used proportional, appropriate, and could they plausibly have led to\nsuccess, and (4) Outcome: whether or not the intervention resulted in an appreciable\nimprovement in the human rights situation. The concerns with and limitations of human rights\nwith regard to intervention, as discussed in the previous chapter, will be brought in for\nadditional context where appropriate. The case study of the Kosovo intervention in which\nthese criteria are applied is the next chapter of this dissertation.\nChapter 4: The Kosovo Intervention\nIn Chapter 2, the history and basis of human rights was discussed. Their role in\ninternational relations, their grounding in international law, and their disputed nature were all\nexamined in order to provide a background to the human rights justifications and consequences\nof the intervention in Kosovo. Chapter 3 performed the same role for humanitarian\nintervention, beginning with an outline of the history of the concept. A comparison between\nvarying conceptions of humanitarian intervention was then carried out and a set of criteria were\ndetermined by which the Kosovo intervention should be examined in order to determine\nwhether or not it is accurate to call it a humanitarian intervention.\nChapter 4 will apply this structure to a study of the NATO intervention in Kosovo in\n1999. It will begin with a brief survey of the relevant historical developments in Kosovo,\nSerbia, and internationally from approximately 1980 to 1999. Following this, each of the four\ncriteria which were discussed in the previous chapter will be examined in turn, and a\nconclusion reached for each. Since the four criteria are more or less chronologically ordered,\neach successive section will refer back to the developments and conclusion of the earlier ones\nto substantiate the conclusions.\nThe first section will establish what the human rights situation in Kosovo was in the\nperiod immediately prior to the intervention. What abuses were occurring? Which group or\ngroups were carrying them out? What role, if any, was the international community playing\nin either permitting these abuses to take place or in ameliorating them? The characterisation\nof the state of affairs as a humanitarian crisis will be explored, along with the question of\nwhether or not an accurate picture of the situation in Kosovo was either known to Western\nleaders or accurately communicated in their public statements.\nThe next section will explore the general motivations and specific intentions of the\nleaders of the intervening states. The justifications and reasoning given by NATO leaders for\nthe intervention will be shown, which will later allow the means and outcome of the\nintervention to be judged on their own terms. Alternative explanations for the intervention will\nalso be examined in an attempt to determine if the public rhetoric of the NATO leaders was\nin fact representative of their true motivations.\nThe third criterion is that of the means used in the intervention. The first question\nSee for instance the remarks by Justice Louise Arbour in the OSCE report Kosovo/Kosova: As Seen,\nAs Told, p.9, accessed from on 15 July 2004. Also see Alex\nJ. Bellamy, Kosovo and International Society (2002), pp.16-36.\nIndependent International Commission on Kosovo (IICK), Kosovo Report (2000), pp.38-39.\nwhich needs to be answered is whether or not the use of force was truly the last resort by 1999.\nOnce this has been determined, the reasons for the choice to rely exclusively on an aerial\nbombing campaign will be examined, along with the implications and consequences of that\nchoice. This will be done in light of both the declared motivations and intentions and the\nalternative explanations\nFourthly, the outcome of the intervention will be assessed. This section will employ\nboth short- and long-term perspectives. The immediate consequences during the actual period\nof the intervention from March to June 1999 will be considered first. After this, the outcome\nin the immediate post-war period will be examined, followed by a longer-term perspective\nconsidering developments up to 2004. The state of human rights in Kosovo, and more\ngenerally in Serbia, will be considered as well as the overall humanitarian consequences of the\nThe chapter will end with a summary of the findings regarding each of the four criteria,\nand will offer a conclusion as to whether or not the Kosovo intervention can therefore be\nconsidered to be a humanitarian intervention. Finally, the significance of this conclusion in\nacademic and practical terms will be discussed.\n4.1 Kosovo from 1980 to 1999\nIt was widely recognised long before 1999 that the ethnic situation in Kosovo was\npotentially the most dangerous in Yugoslavia.\nThe population in Kosovo was over 80%\nethnic Albanian, but the province was regarded by the Serbs as the historic homeland of their\nnation. Under the Yugoslav constitution, Kosovo was in legal terms a province of Serbia, a\nfact which is important in understanding the course of events; this will be discussed below.\nDuring the 1980s, Kosovo Serbs felt that they were being marginalised and threatened by the\nAlbanian population; many left the province citing a fear of physical violence and actual\ninstitutional and ideological discrimination.\nIn 1986 a notorious memorandum was\ncirculated by a group of intellectuals at the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences which\nQuoted in IICK, p.40.\nRezun, p.36.\nIn fact, a study of the frequency of rape in Yugoslavia concluded that Kosovo had the lowest rate in\nthe country, and that most of those which did occur were committed by members of the same ethnic community.\nSee Alex J.Bellamy, Human Wrongs in Kosovo, 1974-1999, ' in The Kosovo Tragedy: the Human Rights\nDimensions (2001), pp.110-111.\nIICK, pp.36-37.\nQuoted in Rezun, p.35.\nQuoted in IICK, p.41.\ndeclared that physical, political, legal and cultural genocide was being faced by the Serbs in\nThe high birth rate of the Kosovo Albanians was said to be a deliberate policy\ncarried out to dispossess the Serbs in Kosovo,\nand manufactured tales of Albanian rapes of\nSerb women circulated across the country.\nOn the Albanian side, demonstrations in 1981 for\neither greater status for the Albanian population within the current legal structures or for the\nestablishment of Kosovo as a full Yugoslav republic (i.e. independent of Serbia) were brutally\nrepressed and restrictions were placed on Albanian-language education.\nrepression and politically-motivated arrests and trials continued throughout the 1980s.\nThe ascent of Slobodan Milosevic to the leadership first of Serbia and then effectively\nof the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) marked the downturn in the fortunes of the\nKosovo Albanians. Milosevic repeatedly used Albanian-Serb clashes in and about Kosovo as\na device to stir up Serbian nationalist sentiments to bolster his popularity. Speaking in 1987\nat Kosovo Polje, the site of the mythologised 1389 defeat of the Serbs at the hands of the\nOttoman Turks, he declared that no one will beat the Serbs again...Yugoslavia does not exist\nwithout Kosovo...Yugoslavia and Serbia are not going to give up Kosovo!\nIn June 1989,\nspeaking at the 600\nanniversary of the battle, Milosevic commented that six centuries later,\nagain, we are in battles and quarrels. They are not armed battles although such things cannot\nbe excluded.\nIn March 1989 Milosevic removed the autonomous status of Kosovo and\nillegally dissolved the Kosovo Assembly. The province was placed under military occupation,\nlocal media was suppressed, and Albanian-language education was completely eliminated.\nThe situation in Kosovo deteriorated rapidly and dramatically over the course of the\nnext decade. Even before the revocation of autonomy, the Serbian government began pursuing\npolicies to reduce the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo; these intensified after the summer\nof 1990 and spawned an increase in human rights abuses and discriminatory government\nIICK,, pp.41-42; see also Bellamy, Human Wrongs in Kosovo, 1974-1999,' pp.114-116.\nBellamy, Human Wrongs in Kosovo, 1974-1999,' pp.116-117.\nSee IICK, pp.42-49.\nIICK, p.42.\nIICK, pp.50-51.\nIICK, p.52. The KLA was subject to deep factional splits and conflicts which makes attribution of its\nactivities and policies difficult; see Chomsky, The New Military Humanism, p.29; Tim Judah, Kosovo: War and\nRevenge (2000), p.147.\nParallel societies evolved in Kosovo, with the Serbs controlling the public sector\nand the Albanians the private sector; services like education and health care were provided\nThe Kosovo Albanians elected an illegal shadow government which even had\nits own taxes, which were imposed on Albanians on top of the taxes collected by the Serb\ngovernment. Nevertheless, the impoverished Kosovo Albanian system could not provide the\nservices needed by its population.\nHuman rights abuses were relatively constant: deprivation\nof education and medical care, harassment by police, and so on, and there were some incidents\nwhich may have been intended to provoke the Kosovo Albanians into violent confrontations.\nThe ethnic Albanian population pursued a policy of peaceful non-cooperation which was\nadvocated by the unofficial President of Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova They feared that resorting\nto violence would lose any international sympathy for their cause and give the Serbs an excuse\nto pursue the same sort of ethnic cleansing policies that had been seen in Bosnia.\nIn the mid-90s, the situation began to deteriorate further. The Dayton Accords ended\nthe fighting in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1995, but Kosovo was not even mentioned and the\nKosovo Albanians were not participants in the negotiations. This convinced many of them that\nthe non-violent route would never bring them success, in spite of apparent new possibilities\nfor a negotiated settlement.\nA severe worsening of the human rights situation was chiefly the\nresult of the interaction between the newly-appearing Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the\nSerb police and military. Initially believed by many to be a front for provocations by the Serb\nauthorities, the KLA targeted Serb police and Albanian collaborators with the apparent goal\nof provoking a violent response from the Serbs and ultimately an international intervention.\nThe collapse of Albania into chaos in 1997 enabled the KLA to obtain large amounts of\nweaponry from that country and to establish secure bases in Albanian territory, both of which\nallowed them to escalate their attacks in Kosovo. The Serbs responded by increasing police\nHuman Rights Watch, cited in IICK, p.69.\nReport of the Secretary General Prepared Pursuant to Resolution 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998) and 1203\n(1998) of the Security Council, UN Doc. S/1998/1221, p.3. Accessed on 18 July 2004 from\nharassment of the Albanian population, reinforcing their military presence in Kosovo, and\nresorting to increasingly brutal methods in their counter-insurgency operations.\nIn February 1998, a Serb military operation against a prominent KLA leader resulted\nin the deaths of at least fifty-eight people, including many women and children. This attack\nprompted many Albanian communities to form self-defence militias, which although organised\nindependently claimed affiliation with the KLA. Over the next six months, fighting between\nthe Yugoslav National Army (JNA) and the KLA increased in frequency and intensity. Over\nthe summer, the JNA mounted major operations in a largely successful attempt to eliminate\nor drive out the KLA from large areas of Kosovo which resulted in the deaths of large numbers\nof civilians.\nThe Serbs employed large-scale bombing and shelling of Albanian villages,\ngenerating an increasing flow of refugees which began to threaten the stability of neighbouring\ncountries. Abuses against both Serb and Albanian civilians increased, though the Serb abuses\ngreatly outweighed those by the KLA and other Albanians.\nThere were international efforts to restrain the combatants, but they were largely\nineffectual until late in the year. In October 1998 NATO issued an Activation Order for an air\ncampaign against Yugoslavia; this gave NATO Commanding General Wesley Clark the\nauthority to launch air strikes without further formal approval. Under the pressure of this\nthreat, Milosevic negotiated the so-called October agreements with NATO, which provided\nfor the withdrawal of large numbers of JNA troops from Kosovo and the deployment of an\ninternational Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM) to monitor and confirm the cease-fire and\ntroop withdrawal. The Kosovo Albanians were not invited to participate in the negotiations.\nThe KLA took advantage of the Serbian withdrawal to take over the abandoned JNA positions\nand continue or resume their military activities. These actions were condemned by the\ninternational community, but nothing concrete was done to stop them. By December the UN\ndeclared that actions of Kosovo Albanian paramilitary units have only served to provoke the\nSerbian authorities, and that there was a new cycle of major hostilities underway in\nAt least partly in response to these violations of the agreements, the Serbs moved\nThe full text of the Rambouillet Interim Agreement for Peace and Self-Government in Kosovo is\navailable from, accessed on 18 July 2004. The requirement\nfor free movement and legal immunity for NATO forces throughout Yugoslavia has been described by some as\na deliberate deal-breaker with the Serbs; see Herring, pp.227-228; Herman and Peterson, p.211-212.\nIICK, pp.82-83; Mary Robinson, Situation of Human Rights in Kosovo, Federal Republic of\nYugoslavia, 22 April 1999. Accessed on 16 July 2004 from\nincreasing numbers of troops and heavy equipment back into Kosovo.\nThe well-publicised massacre by Serb forces of 45 civilians at the village of Racak on\n15 January 1999 is commonly held to be the immediate trigger for renewed international\ninterest in Kosovo. Pressure was brought to bear on both sides to participate in peace\nnegotiations, which were held at Rambouillet in February. Following a further series of\nnegotiations in Paris in mid-March, a proposal was signed by the Kosovo Albanian delegation\nwhich would have restored Kosovos autonomy and independent political institutions, but\nwhich left the issue of independence undecided. An Implementation Mission led by NATO\nwould have been brought in to enforce the agreement; the Yugoslav government was to allow\nfree movement by those NATO forces throughout all of the FRY.\nThe Yugoslav government\nrefused to sign the proposed agreement. Over this period of January to March 1999, the\nviolence in Kosovo continued apace. As many as 200,000 or more refugees were driven from\ntheir homes, and the Yugoslav army continued to move troops back into the province.\nThe KVM was withdrawn from Kosovo on 20 March. At 8pm local time on 24 March\n1999, NATO launched Operation Allied Force against Serbia.\n4.2 Situation\nAs discussed in the previous chapters, the idea of humanitarian intervention is rooted\nin the concept of universal human rights. So given the course of events narrated above, what\nexactly was the human rights situation in Kosovo in early 1999? Information was often\ndifficult to come by; access to Kosovo for international observers was frequently hindered by\nthe FRY government and military, and the conditions in the province made it difficult to obtain\nreliable information even when access could be obtained.\nEven so, there were many\ninternational organisations active in Kosovo over the course of the 1990s, and their combined\nefforts make it possible to assess the general state of affairs. Their reports make it clear that\nthe human rights situation in Kosovo deteriorated severely during the nineties. By 1999 there\nIICK, p.77; Dana H. Allin, NATOs Balkan Interventions (2002), p.48. The media was also suppressed\nand controlled in the rest of Yugoslavia: see Robin Cook and George Robertson, Joint Press Conference by the\nUK Defence and Foreign Secretaries, 22 April 1999. Accessed from on 20 July 2004.\nSee for instance Mary Robinsons UNHCHR report cited in note 19. Even when medical care was\navailable, many Albanians were afraid or poisoning or malpractice if they went to Serb doctors; see Bellamy,\nHuman Wrongs in Kosovo, 1974-1999' , p.117.\nAllin, p.53.\nIICK, pp.72, 77, 80-81; Robinson Report.\nHuman Rights Watch, Eighteen Civilians Massacred in Kosovo Forest, 29 September 1998, accessed\nfrom on 21 July 2004.\nHuman Rights Watch, Serb Police Attacked Convoy of 250 Vehicles, 30 September 1998, accessed\nfrom on 21 July 2004.\nIICK, p.79; Allin, p.50.\nwere sustained, organised, and deliberate human rights violations taking place throughout\nKosovo, largely but not exclusively at the hands of the Serbs. These violations encompassed\nall types of human rights: political, civil, economic, social, and cultural.\nSerb violations of the human rights of the Kosovo Albanians were widespread and\nrelatively well-documented. Since the removal of Kosovos autonomy in 1989, at the latest,\nthe Albanian population had been denied any voice or method of participation in the\ngovernment of the country or the province. Albanian-language media was suppressed, and in\n1998 the Serb government began imposing restrictions and demands on foreign journalists and\nbroadcasters as well.\nMedical care and education were denied to Kosovo Albanians on the\nbasis of their ethnicity.\nYugoslav military actions, such as shelling villages and towns to\nencourage the population to flee and the killing of Albanian livestock were specifically\ndesigned to deprive the Kosovo Albanians of adequate food and shelter.\nArbitrary arrest and\ndetentions, extra-judicial executions, and lack of due legal process were frequently reported,\nespecially in the 1998-1999 period.\nHuman Rights Watch claimed that the Yugoslav Army\nand Serbian Police are fighting a war against civilians,\nan unrestrained campaign of terror\nagainst a civilian population.\nAs had been the case in Bosnia, attacks on the civilian\npopulation were not merely a side-effect of the military conflict. Civilians were the deliberate\ntarget of military actions.\nThough it does not excuse such violations, many Serb actions in 1998 and 1999 were\ntaken in response to KLA attacks and provocations.\nAlbeit on a much smaller scale, the KLA\nwas also responsible for systematic and deliberate human rights violations. The Humanitarian\nIICK, p.72.\nStatement of the Special Rapporteur , Mr. Jiri Dienstbier, of the Commission on Human Rights on the\nsituation of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, 6 August\n1998, accessed from on 19 July 2004.\nIICK, p.69.\nWilliam Walker, OSCE Verification Experiences in Kosovo, November 1998-June 1999,' in Ken\nBooth (ed.), The Kosovo Tragedy: the human rights dimensions (2001), p.129.\nQuoted in Ignatieff, Virtual War, p.74.\nIn August 1998, the UNHCR reported more than 100,000 internally displaced Kosovo Albanians, with\nmore than 10,000 more in Albanian and Macedonia; see the Dienstbier Report. As of 23 March 1999, the\nUNHCR reported 260,000 internally displaced within Kosovo, another 100,000 or more elsewhere in the region,\nand 100,000 refugees or asylum seekers outside the region; see Roberts, p.113.\nLaw Centre reported Albanian responsibility for disappearances, abductions, and the arbitrary\ndetention of Serb civilians in Kosovo.\nUNHCHR Special Rapporteur Jiri Dienstbier reported\nin August 1998 over 100 abductions of Serb citizens by the KLA.\nAlthough primarily\naimed at Serbs, KLA abuses were also sometimes directed at other non-ethnic Albanians and\nat Albanian collaborators.\nThe KLA deliberately targeted civilians, either as revenge\nattacks for Serb actions or in an attempt to provoke Serb atrocities in order to gain international\nsupport. In the words of William Walker, head of the KVM, the crisis in Kosovo was largely\nbased on egregious violations of human rights by both parties to the conflict,\nbut nobody\ndenied that there was a crisis. The claims by the intervening states to be acting to rectify gross\nhuman rights abuses were to this degree entirely consistent with the situation on the ground\nin Kosovo, but tended to ignore the abuses by the Kosovo Albanians to concentrate on those\nby the Serbs.\nBe that as it may, it was established above that, as Robert Skidelsky puts it, human\nrights abuse per se is not a ground for intervention.\nIn order to fulfill the first criterion for\nhumanitarian intervention there must be a current or imminent humanitarian crisis, something\nwhich plausibly requires military force to remedy and which goes beyond simple abuses of\nhuman rights. In Kosovo in early 1999, it was reasonable to argue that a humanitarian\ncatastrophe was indeed imminent, if not already in progress. Hundreds of thousands of\npeople had been displaced from their homes and were living either in the woods and mountains\nof Kosovo or in UN refugee camps in Albania and Macedonia.\nUp to the end of 1998, the\nKLA was responsible for the deaths of up to 150 Serbian police, perhaps the same number of\nSerb civilians, and for approximately the same number of kidnappings. Yugoslav forces had\nHerring, p.229.\nHerman and Peterson, p.209.\nHerman and Peterson, p.210.\nChandler, p.73.\nkilled perhaps 2000 people and detained 1200.\n\nHowever, the situation was more complex than this picture makes it out to be. The\nactions of the Serb military in 1998 and 1999 could be attributed to legitimate, if brutal,\ncounterinsurgency combat. According to Edward Herman and David Peterson, charges of pre-\nintervention ethnic cleansing were\nnot supported by any official document, including those of the State Department, OSCE,\nBritish House of Commons Defence Review, or any of the three indictments of Milosevic.\nIndeed, prior to the bombing, the German Foreign Office had even denied that the refugee\nflows constituted a case of ethnic cleansing, contending that: [The] actions of the security\nforces [were] not directed against the Kosovo Albanians as an ethnically defined group, but\nagainst the military opponent and its actual and alleged supporters.\nFurthermore, although the fighting in Kosovo did not abate in the first four months of 1999,\nneither did it get significantly worse, and the KVM reported no serious incidents between 15\nJanuary and its withdrawal in late March.\nThe NATO representation of the situation in Kosovo prior to the intervention is also\nproblematic, for example with regard to the number of Kosovo Albanian deaths. US Defence\nSecretary William Cohen claimed that 100,000 may have been murdered; David Scheffer,\nthe US envoy for war crimes, cited a figure of up to 225,000. Geoff Hoon at the British\nForeign Office offered the lowest figure, estimating at least 10,000' deaths. In August 2000,\nthe International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia concluded that there had been a total of 2-\n3000 deaths, Serb and Albanian, as a result of the conflict.\nThis is an extreme discrepancy\neven allowing for the difficulty of obtaining reliable information, and suggests that the crisis\nwas deliberately exaggerated by Western officials in order to justify the intervention to the\npublic, to their colleagues, and perhaps to themselves.\nAnother apparent misrepresentation of the situation is found in the repeated references\nmade by NATO to Operation Horseshoe, a Serb military operation to force the entire Kosovo\nAlbanian population out of the province. This plan was supposedly already in place and ready\nBellamy, Human Wrongs in Kosovo, 1974-1999,' p.121.\nHerman and Peterson, p.210.\nHerring, p.230.\nfor implementation before the intervention began.\nIn this version of events, the expansion\nof the refugee crisis after March 24 was nothing more than a coincidence, the execution of a\nlong-planned move by the Serbs. However, Operation Horseshoe was never mentioned before\nthe bombing, and according to Herman and Peterson has been exploded as a fraud.\nIndependent reports did not support the contention that Operation Horseshoe began between\nthe withdrawal of the KVM and the beginning of air strikes, and in any case the Serbs were\nwell aware that the bombing was about to begin.\nFinally, in April 1999 General Clark\ndenied any knowledge of Operation Horseshoe, which would be difficult to credit if NATO\ntruly knew of the existence of such a plan beforehand.\nDespite these misrepresentations on the part of NATO, the human rights and\nhumanitarian situation in Kosovo was such that the first criterion can be held to have been\nfulfilled. To use Michael Ignatieffs stricture, human life was certainly directly at risk. The\nmore general criteria of a humanitarian cause or supreme humanitarian emergency were\nplausibly though not definitively met. The situational preconditions for a humanitarian\nintervention were present, although they were much more complex than they were generally\nportrayed by Western leaders.\n4.3 Motivations and Intentions\nThe second criterion established in Chapter 3 is that of motivation: humanitarian\nobjectives or ends are necessary for an intervention to qualify as being humanitarian. They also\nprovide a useful benchmark for analysing the outcome of an intervention according to the\ninterveners own declared motivations. Motivation is a difficult factor to establish; it is\ninevitably mixed, and statements cannot necessarily be taken at face value. However, it is at\nleast possible to determine what the interveners claimed they were there to do, which is\nnecessary for the evaluation of the means and the outcome, and to evaluate possible alternative\nexplanations and their impact on the humanitarian objectives.\nUnsurprisingly, the declarations and statements by NATO leaders overwhelmingly\nTony Blair, Doctrine of the International Community, speech given in Chicago, USA, 22 April 1999.\nThe full text of the speech is available from , accessed on 3 August 2004.\nA. Cassese, A follow-up: forcible humanitarian countermeasures and opinio necessitatis, European\nJournal of International Law, Vol.10, No.4 (1999), p.793.\nQuoted in Nicholas J. Wheeler, Reflections on the Legality and Legitimacy of NATOs Intervention\nin Kosovo, in Ken Booth (ed.), The Kosovo Tragedy: the human rights dimensions (2001), p.153.\nQuoted in Chomsky, The New Military Humanism, p.3.\nRoberts, p.104; Ignatieff, Virtual War, pp.178-179.\nemphasised humanitarian motives. In a speech which he gave in Chicago on 22 April 1999,\nBritish Prime Minister Tony Blair claimed that the bombing campaign was a just war, based\nnot on any territorial ambitions but on values and that we cannot let the evil of ethnic\ncleansing stand.\nA German representative of the EU spoke of the humanitarian tragedy\nof enormous scale set off by the gross violations of human rights perpetrated by the\ngovernment of the FRY.\nThe Canadian ambassador to the UN claimed that [h]umanitarian\nconsiderations underpin our action. We cannot simply stand by while innocents are murdered,\nan entire population is displaced, villages are burned.\nUS President Bill Clinton spoke of\nupholding our values, protecting our interests, and advancing the cause of peace and noted\nthat we cannot respond to such tragedies everywhere, but when ethnic conflict turns into\nethnic cleansing where we can make a difference, we must try, and that is clearly the case in\nSimilar statements were made by officials from every country which participated\nin the intervention.\nBeyond the obvious, the repeated use of such language also implies another motive\nwhich is in no way incompatible with the declared humanitarian motives: shame. The\ninternational community had allowed the wars of ethnic cleansing to sweep through the rest\nof Yugoslavia earlier in the decade, and were perhaps not prepared to sit idly and ineffectually\nby and see the same events repeated in Kosovo.\nThis has added weight when considered\nin light of the post-Cold War developments discussed in Chapter 2, which made intervention\na more feasible option in 1999 than it had been earlier in the decade.\nIn addition to such general references to a humanitarian crisis, many declarations were\nmade of the specific goals or demands which were NATOs objectives in the intervention.\nPrime Minister Blair, in the same speech in Chicago, identified five objectives:\na verifiable cessation of all combat activities and killings; the withdrawal of Serb military\nNATO Press Release 040, 23 March 1999, accessed from\non 3 August 2004.\nChandler, p.81.\nNoam Chomsky, In Retrospect: A review of NATOs war over Kosovo, part I, Z Magazine, April\n2000, accessed from on 3 August 2004.\nQuoted in Chandler, p.75.\npolice and paramilitary forces from Kosovo; the deployment of an international military force;\nthe return of all refugees and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid; and a political\nframework for Kosovo building on the Rambouillet accords.\nNATO Secretary-General Javier Solana characterised the International Communitys\ndemands as being acceptance of the interim political settlement which has been negotiated\nat Rambouillet; full observance of limits on the Serb Army and Special Police Forces agreed\non 25 October; ending of excessive and disproportionate use of force in Kosovo.\nsimilar statements can be found from representatives of any NATO country. The specific goals\nof the intervention in Kosovo were thus apparently clearly defined, though there is evidence\nthat this was not in fact the case.\nPublicly, at least, the demands NATO was making of the\nFRY government were clear and non-negotiable.\nThere are problems with accepting the declared humanitarian motives for intervention\nin Kosovo. Firstly, the scale of the crisis increased dramatically after the air war began. The\nvast majority of the ethnic Albanians displaced from Kosovo were forced out while the NATO\nbombardment was in progress, not before it. As Noam Chomsky notes, this is only an\nacceptable result if one accepts the contention that the situation would eventually have gotten\neven worse, which is a questionable assumption at best.\nThe British House of Commons\nForeign Affairs Committee used exactly this reasoning in 2000:\nThe issue in Kosovo was...whether in the absence of NATO intervention, the Serb campaign\nwould have continued over many years, eventually resulting in more deaths and instability in\nthe region than if NATO had not intervened. We believe that it would.\nHowever, this was not how the intervention was sold at the time. In the spring of 1999,\nthe talk was of ending the Serb ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, allowing the refugees to return\nhome, guaranteeing the human rights of the population, and so on. Certainly the ending of all\ncombat activities and killings would preclude the continuation of Serbian policies, but the\nemphasis was on ending current abuses, not preventing hypothetical future ones. Even when\nBritish Defence Secretary George Robertson, quoted in John Pilger, Moral Tourism, The Guardian,\n15 June 1999. Accessed from on 19 July 2004.\nChandler, pp.85-86.\nthe talk was of an impending humanitarian catastrophe,\nthe context was such that it was\nclear that this phrase referred to imminent Serb actions, not a long drawn-out continuation of\nthe status quo in Kosovo. It is telling that the justifications changed after a more accurate\npicture of the pre-intervention situation in Kosovo had been formed. This suggests that the\ndeclared motives were to a large extent dependent on what was politically expedient, which\nin turn presents the possibility that the humanitarian declarations were instead a cover for other\nThe behaviour of the NATO states in comparable situations elsewhere in the world\nlends credence to this suspicion. Humanitarian catastrophes and gross human rights abuses\nin Turkey, Indonesia, and Israel had not resulted in military intervention. These regimes\ncontinued to receive funds and military supplies from the West during this period, in contrast\nto the arms embargo on all sides in Yugoslavia. One can acknowledge that different situations\nmay call for different responses, and while the inconsistencies in Western behaviour in these\ncases makes the rhetoric of human rights and humanitarianism ring somewhat hollow, it does\nnot necessarily prove that such rhetoric was insincere. Why was the West not appalled and\noutraged by these other cases? Michael Ignatieffs response would be a practical one: the\nmajor powers had no compelling interests in those regions. In the case of Turkey, a major\nNATO ally bordering the volatile Middle East, the interest was in actively not addressing the\nKurdish issue. This is true as far as it goes, but still does not answer the charge of selectivity\nand hypocrisy. If anything, it reinforces that charge: human rights abuses were ignored when\nit was inconvenient to pay attention to them.\nOne possible counter-argument was mentioned\nabove: that Kosovo was the first case where the inclination and practical ability to intervene\nwere not countered by other considerations. Kosovo could thus be seen as a valid start of a\nnew standard which places more emphasis on humanitarianism, rather than the cynical\ncontinuation of past policies.\nOther points which suggest that humanitarian motives might not have been sincere\ninclude the almost complete lack of preparation on the part of NATO to cope with hundreds\nof thousands of refugees during the intervention and the lack of interest in follow-up on\nAllin, pp.57-59.\nTariq Ali, Springtime for NATO, New Left Review 234 (March/April 1999), pp.64-67.\nRoberts, p.267.\nAli, Springtime for NATO, pp.67-68.\nPeter Gowan, The NATO Powers and the Balkan Tragedy, New Left Review 234 (March/April\n1999), pp.96-99.\nhumanitarian issues in the post-war period. Militaries are often ambivalent about dealing with\nso-called civilian issues, but that does not explain the lack of planning and follow-through\non the part of NATO governments. These issues will be examined in more detail in the section\ndealing with the outcome of the intervention.\nIf humanitarian motives were not the primary concern of NATO, what were the reasons\nfor the war in Kosovo? There are several possibilities. Russian leaders, already feeling\nthreatened and isolated by the expansion of NATO and the Partnership for Peace into former\nEastern Bloc and Soviet territory, believed that it was simply a cover for an American/NATO\ndesire to increase their military presence and dominance in the Balkans.\nNATO actions in\nKosovo must be seen in the context of the expansion of NATO to include the larger, Western-\noriented states of central Europe, and was designed to marginalise and contain Russia.\nAdam Roberts finds these arguments to be unconvincing, writing that neither Russia nor other\ncritics have adduced any compelling evidence to support their contention that traditional\nmotives of realpolitik explain Operation Allied Force.\nHe is correct; while it would be\nsurprising if NATO planners had not considered the ramifications of intervention with regard\nto these issues, the allegation that they were the actual motivations does not seem to be borne\nout by the evidence available thus far.\nAnother suggested motivation was the need for NATO to justify its own existence in\nthe post-Cold War period. The collapse of the Soviet Union, according to this argument, had\nleft the alliance without a true raison dtre, and promoting so-called humanitarian\nintervention gave it a new lease on life.\nA variant of this theory is that, rather than a need\nto justify NATO per se, it was an American desire to ensure that NATO remained (or became)\nthe pre-eminent security organisation in Europe which motivated its interventions in\n\nAnother factor is that, having threatened to use military force, NATO would have\nHerring, pp.236-238.\nGowan, p.102.\nQuoted in Judah, p.235.\nWhitman, pp.164-183.\nBlair, Doctrine speech.\nOriginally in Foreign Affairs, New York Times, 4 July 1999; quoted in Chomsky, The New Military\nHumanism, p.5.\nsuffered a major loss of face and credibility if it had backed down.\nThis suggests that once\nthe threshold of using threats to try to coerce Serbian cooperation had been breached, the\nimportance of preserving NATOs credibility acted as a new impetus encouraging the eventual\nuse of force. Peter Gowan suggests that the American policy was in fact to deliberately create\nthis crisis of credibility.\nIf so, it was a strategy which placed the alliance in a very difficult\nposition. A joint German-British memo on the future of NATO written in late March 1999\nstated: At this very moment in Kosovo, the alliance is now damned if it does, and damned if\nit doesnt...NATOs credibility will be destroyed if it dithers indefinitely and fails to deliver\non its threats. The memo also points out the potential damage if a campaign should go poorly,\nnoting that the military black hole into which [NATO] is heading can just as well devastate\nthat credibility.\nJim Whitman argues that the intervention was motivated much less by a humanitarian\nconcern for the refugees and victims of human rights abuses than by the need to limit a refugee\nproblem which was straining the fabric and unity of both the European Union and NATO.\nThat is, their concern was not with the conditions of the Kosovo Albanians as such, but was\nrather over the increasing numbers of refugees who were fleeing the Balkans entirely and\nclaiming sanctuary elsewhere in Europe. A related concern was with the stability of the entire\nsouthern Balkan region, as Macedonia and Albania in particular were unable to cope with large\nnumbers of refugees. Tony Blair touched on this when he said that acts of genocide can never\nunsettle neighbouring countries, then they can properly be described as threats to international\npeace and security.\nPro-intervention journalist Thomas Friedman perhaps inadvertently\nsupported this theory when he wrote that once the refugee evictions began, ignoring Kosovo\nwould be wrong,\nrather than writing that once the human rights abuses began, ignoring\nKosovo would be wrong.\nSee Chomsky, The New Military Humanism, pp.38-80.\nThough, as discussed in chapter 3, motivation does not need to be purely humanitarian,\nit is necessary that humanitarian motives play at least a significant role in the decision to\nintervene. Furthermore, any other motives must not be basically incompatible with a positive\nhumanitarian outcome. If the argument is correct that humanitarianism was merely a cover for\nthe real motives for the intervention, it would disqualify the Kosovo war as a humanitarian\nintervention. This position hinges on the questionable argument that the inconsistent - some\nwould say hypocritical - behaviour of Western governments in intervening in Kosovo while\nignoring or even supporting other situations in which the scale of humanitarian crisis and\nhuman rights abuses were similar, albeit in different contexts, proves that humanitarian\nmotives could not possibly have played a part.\nHowever, while this selectivity weakens the\nclaims of humanitarian concern, it does not necessarily destroy them. Essentially, those who\nmake this argument are overstating their case. The fact that somewhat comparable situations\ndid not generate comparable reactions is not proof that the stated motivations for the Kosovo\nintervention were therefore false. One might argue that it was racist or hypocritical to be so\nconcerned over the Kosovo Albanians after virtually ignoring the Rwandans, but that does not\nmean that the concern expressed over Kosovo was not and could not be real. Lacking the\nability to prove that humanitarian motives did not play a role in the decision to intervene in\nKosovo, it is reasonable to at least provisionally accept the statements which were made at the\ntime. The past behaviour of the interveners does justify considerable skepticism in judging\ntheir motivations, but this can more profitably be employed in examining the means used and\nthe outcome of the war in Kosovo.\nAs for the other potential motives for the Kosovo intervention, the test is not whether\nthey were present, but whether they necessarily conflicted with a humanitarian conduct or\noutcome for the intervention. That is, did these other putative motivations interfere with the\ndeclared humanitarian motivations? As noted above, no use of military force for foreign\nintervention can ever be free of a mixture of motivations, constraints, and concerns on the part\nof the intervening states. In this case, even if all of the other suggested motives were correct -\nexpansion of military power, stemming of the refugee flows into Europe, providing a new\nrationale for the existence of NATO, and bolstering NATOs credibility - none of these are by\ndefinition incompatible with an improvement in the human rights situation in Kosovo. The\npossibility that they were in practice incompatible will be addressed below.\nClearly, there are many possible motivations for the intervention in Kosovo, and it is\ndifficult, if not impossible, to assign relative weights and importance to them. Public records\nand statements cannot simply be taken at face value for the simple reason that they were the\npublic justifications which were offered for the intervention. Private records are only partially\navailable at best and are equally subject to possible self-serving distortions, but are the closest\napproach that can be made to the individual memories and psychologies of the participants.\nNevertheless, it would be a mistake to leave motivations out of an analysis of the Kosovo\nintervention. Although definitive positive answers cannot be reached, it can at least be shown\nthat the evidence does not provide any solid basis for ruling out the declared humanitarian\nmotivations. It also provides reference points against which the means and outcome of the\nintervention can be assessed. Whether they were sincerely meant or not, the words of NATOs\nleaders are valid benchmarks to use for the assessment of their own actions.\n4.4 Means\nThe NATO intervention in Kosovo took the form of a seventy-eight day bombing\ncampaign, against a wide variety of targets throughout Kosovo and Serbia proper, from late\nMarch to early June 1999. This followed intensive diplomatic efforts during 1998 and 1999\nand varying degrees of political engagement between the international community and\nYugoslavia throughout the nineties. Ground troops were only employed by NATO following\nthe signing of the Kosovo Accords in June 1999; the military campaign itself was entirely\naerial from NATOs point of view. The evidence indicates that NATO planners and leaders\nexpected the bombing campaign alone to be sufficient to achieve their aims in a fairly short\nperiod of time, rendering the use of ground forces superfluous. This failure in planning\npartially explains the lack of planning for the aftermath which was mentioned above, and led\nalso to the necessity for ad hoc decisions on the conduct of the bombing campaign which\nultimately damaged the credibility of the humanitarian claims made for the war.\nMeans are the clearest, least ambiguous indicator of the humanitarian legitimacy of an\nintervention. They relate to and connect all three of the other criteria. In theory, they are\nchosen in response to the pre-existing situation in order to carry out the declared motives and\nintentions of the interveners. They are obviously a huge factor in the ultimate outcome of an\nintervention. There are thus many points of reference against which to measure them in an\nanalysis such as this one.\nThere are three questions which must be answered with regard to means if an\nintervention is to qualify as humanitarian. Firstly, had all peaceful means to resolve the crisis\ntruly been exhausted, leaving force as the last resort? Secondly, were the means used\nproportional and appropriate to the size and nature of the crisis? Thirdly, was there a\nreasonable chance of success in the declared aims of the intervention through the use of the\nselected means?\nIn order to determine whether force was a last resort, it is necessary to explain why\nthere were no effective diplomatic efforts to address the problems in Kosovo before they\ndeveloped into a crisis. The main problem that prevented any serious early attempts to address\nthe situation was the legal status of Kosovo as a province of Serbia rather than a full Yugoslav\nrepublic. An argument could be (and was) made that the republics had a legal right to secede\nfrom the federation, hence converting internal Yugoslav conflicts into conflicts between\nindependent states. According to the UN Charter, internal conflicts are the business of the\nstate in question; no one was eager to set precedents for internal interference. Once the\nconflict was internationalised other states were freer to get involved, particularly when one\nparty or another involved in the conflict requested assistance. It was on this basis that Western\ninterventions in the Balkan wars of the mid-nineties could take place.\nKosovo, however, had never attained the status of a republic within Yugoslavia, in\nspite of long-term efforts on the part of the Kosovo Albanians. Under the Yugoslav\nconstitution of 1974, it was an autonomous province of Serbia. It was self-administered and\nhad many but not all of the rights of a full Yugoslav republic. Crucially, it did not have even\na notional right of secession. Unlike Croatia or Bosnia-Herzegovina, there was no legal basis\nto argue that the situation in Kosovo was anything but an internal Serbian concern. This fact\neffectively crippled observers who predicted a coming explosion in Kosovo but were unable\nto find a way to intervene beforehand. Of course, sovereignty proved not to be an insuperable\nimpediment to the bombing campaign of 1999, so clearly the West was able to overcome its\nMarch 24: Finally the Bombing Begins, The Observer, 18 July 1999. Accessed from on 14 July 2004.\nscruples on this matter when it wished to do so. To some extent, then, it is arguable that a\nmore robust approach could have been taken earlier, had sovereignty not been seen at the time\nas an insuperable obstacle to such an approach. Since 1999, Kosovo has served as the prime\nexample of how the conflict between non-interference in internal affairs and humanitarian\nintervention should be resolved, according to advocates of intervention, but it has not\ndecisively settled the question of how these conflicting ideals can be reconciled.\nUnfortunately, there are far too many variables to definitively say that different\napproaches much earlier in the decade would have avoided the crisis in 1999. The simple fact\nis that sovereignty did trump human rights (or any other) concerns in Kosovo over most of the\nnineties. Under the circumstances of the times, perhaps diplomacy had done as much as\npossible, but this indicates a striking inability to learn from past experience. The wars in\nBosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia had demonstrated the consequences of allowing matters in\nthe former Yugoslavia to proceed along predictably disastrous courses, yet there was little\neffort to resolve the Kosovo situation by diplomatic means before it became a crisis.\nMore useful is a focus on the period from roughly October 1998 to March 1999. It is\nduring this period that NATO began to seriously threaten the use of military force against\nSerbia over Kosovo, based on the premise that threats (sometimes assisted by relatively minor\nmilitary action) had worked in the past. The Rubicon of being willing to violate Serbian\nsovereignty over Kosovo had clearly been crossed. Therefore it becomes reasonable to ask\nwhether the diplomatic options in this particular period were truly exhausted by the time\nNATO commenced bombing.\nThere are at least two plausible arguments that not all of the options were explored\nprior to the intervention. American and British officials acknowledged that, by explicitly and\npublicly ruling out the use of ground forces, NATO undermined its own threats against\nYugoslavia and encouraged Milosevic to believe that he would only face an aerial campaign.\nGiven the political and operational difficulties for NATO in sustaining a long bombing\ncampaign against the FRY, Milosevic had reason to expect only a short campaign which he\ncould hope to outlast. Even after more than two months of bombing, it was only the growing\nWheeler, Saving Strangers, p.273; Roberts, p.118.\nThis does admittedly beg the question of whether credible threats were politically possible for the\nNATO leaders, but since they did play a role later in the conflict, this does not seem to be beyond the realm of\nTwo days later, the Yugoslav parliament passed a resolution condemning the withdrawal of the KVM\nand calling for an international presence in Kosovo immediately after the signing of an accord for self-\nadministration in be decided by the [UN] Security Council. Given the harassment and obstruction\nof the KVM, some healthy skepticism is required here, but it does indicate that it was not an international presence\nper se in Kosovo which was the issue. This resolution went largely unreported in the West, and was ignored by\nthe NATO governments. Quoted in Pilger, Moral Tourism.\nthreat of a ground invasion, as evidenced by NATO troop movements and infrastructure work\nin Macedonia and Albania, that ultimately convinced him to capitulate.\nThis strongly\nsuggests that, had the threats of air strikes been accompanied by credible threats to use ground\nforces as well, the October agreements and subsequent KVM deployment could have been\nmore successful.\nThe argument that continuing diplomacy would only have allowed the\nSerbs to continue their abuses in Kosovo is not a decisive one. While the intervention did\neventually end those abuses, it first resulted in their becoming much more severe, and has\nallowed significant Albanian abuses to continue for years afterward. The positives and\nnegatives in this case are far from clear.\nThe other issue is the outcome of the Rambouillet negotiations. The question here is\nwhether or not the demands made of the FRY were truly deal-breakers, and hence whether it\nis credible that the negotiations could have resulted in a viable agreement. While some\naccounts of the negotiations indicate that Milosevic was simply unwilling to accept the\npresence of a multinational force in Kosovo to monitor and enforce compliance, this is not\nThere were two main reasons given by the Yugoslav government for rejecting the\naccords. The first was the insistence on a purely NATO peacekeeping force, as opposed to\na more genuinely multinational force under UN auspices. In favour of this position is the\nargument that it would have been months before a UN-sanctioned force could have been\nplaced in Kosovo, and the difficulties only recently experienced by UN forces in Bosnia-\nHerzegovina legitimately added to concerns as to the efficacy and safety of such forces.\nHowever, the strength of this argument is questionable given that, almost three months later,\nthe war achieved the placement of a UN-sanctioned force consisting primarily of NATO troops\nin Kosovo, but only after a dramatic worsening of the crisis which was directly attributable to\nthe bombing campaign.\nSimon Chesterman, Just War or Just Peace? Humanitarian Intervention and International Law\n(2002), p.179. Wheeler dismisses this argument, writing that the argument that no sovereign state would have\naccepted the terms of an implementation agreement that gave NATO unprecedented rights of access in the FRY\nignores the point that the whole point of Rambouillet was to limit severely the FRYs sovereignty over Kosovo.\nKosovo, however, was the location of the human rights abuses which NATO was allegedly trying to end; it is\ndisingenuous to say that access to Kosovo is essentially the same as access to all of the FRY. See Saving\nStrangers, p.283.\nAccording to Chesterman, p.211, it was reported that the only matter on which the United States was\nwilling to compromise was on the name of the international force that would police the agreement.\nQuoted in Chesterman, p.224.\nChesterman, p.224.\nNATO Press Release 040.\nRoberts, p.102.\nThe second reason was the stipulation in Appendix B of the Rambouillet Accords\nwhich would have allowed NATO forces to go wherever they wished throughout Yugoslavia\n(not only in Kosovo) and given them immunity from the Yugoslav legal system.\nto local law is a standard precondition for the deployment of US forces even in NATO\ncountries, but it was the extension of both these stipulations to the whole of the FRY which\nwas the sticking point. The willingness of the Yugoslav government to accept NATO freedom\nof movement and legal immunity within Kosovo alone was not explored.\nNeither of these issues were open to negotiation,\nand an aide to US Secretary of State\nMadeline Albright was quoted as saying that Rambouillet had only one purpose: to get the\nwar started with the Europeans locked in.\nGiven that both of these requirements were\ndropped in the June settlement which ended the bombing campaign, it is reasonable to\nconclude that a diplomatic solution to the crisis was not being sought in good faith by at least\nsome of the NATO states at Rambouillet,\nindicating that force was resorted to before it could\ntruly be described as the last resort. Nonetheless, Javier Solana solemnly declared that, all\nefforts to achieve a negotiated, political solution to the Kosovo crisis having failed, no\nalternative is open but to take military action.\nHaving disposed of the question of force as a last resort, the next concern is over the\nappropriateness and proportionality of the type of force which NATO did employ. In the 78\ndays of the air campaign, NATO launched 37,465 sorties over Yugoslavia, of which over\n14,006 were strike missions. By the end of the campaign, 912 aircraft and 35 warships were\ninvolved, over three times the number employed at the start.\nIn the early stages, the bombing\nQuoted in Wheeler, Saving Strangers, p.270.\nRoberts, pp.111-112.\nNATO Press Release 040.\nCited in Centre for Peace in the Balkans, Submission to the International Criminal Tribunal for the\nformer Yugoslavia. Accessed from on 3 August 2004.\nwas directed against strictly military targets, but quickly expanded to include oil refineries, fuel\ndepots, roads, railways and other infrastructure, government offices, and television studios and\nIn the broadest terms, the intervention was supposed to end the human rights abuses\nin Kosovo and allow the refugees to return home safely. The air campaign was not able to\naccomplish these goals, and this was known and (to varying degrees) acknowledged before the\nintervention began. NATO was understandably reluctant to deploy ground forces against a\nwell-trained and well-equipped JNA; but the choice to act anyway, using air power alone,\nsuggests that it was more important to be seen doing something than it was to do something\neffective but potentially much more costly. Wesley Clark stated bluntly that air power alone\ncannot stop paramilitary action.\nThe British Select Committee on Defence pointed out that,\ngiven the presence of large numbers of Serb troops in and around Kosovo, the commencement\nof a bombing campaign would give them both the incentive and opportunity to dish out an\nawful lot of punishment very quickly to the Kosovo Albanians. Defence Secretary Robertson\nwas unable to explain how they would be protected, saying only we would clearly take that\ninto account if that was the situation.\nThe course of events after the start of the bombing\nproved General Clark to be quite correct.\nWithin NATOs political and military leadership there seem to have been contradictory\nideas concerning what exactly the bombing campaign was meant to accomplish in pursuit of\nthe larger goal. Javier Solana stated that military action...will be directed towards disrupting\nthe violent attacks being committed by the Serb Army and Special Police Forces and\nweakening their ability to cause further humanitarian catastrophe.\nThe commander of the\nair war, Lieutenant-General Michael Short, commented that at the same time that I am...killing\nthe army in Kosovo...I also need to strike at the leadership and the people around Milosevic\nto compel them to change their behavior.\nSpeaking just before the war, Defence Secretary\nGeorge Robertson asserted that\nQuoted in Roberts, p.112.\nCook and Robertson, Joint Press Conference.\nQuoted in Chomsky, In Retrospect.\nMarch 24: Finally the Bombing Begins.\nRoberts, p.112.\nour targets are military and do not involve civilian or urban targets...[military action] will be\ntaken only against military targets with a very clear objective, not to bomb common sense into\nthe mind of President Milosevic, but to reduce the military capacity that is being used against\na civilian population...It is not a war.\nBut on 22 April 1999, he spoke of his confidence that the air strikes campaign is going to\nchange the behaviour pattern and the way of thinking going on in Belgrade.\nAnd General\nClark asserted that the intervention\nwas not designed as a means of blocking Serb ethnic cleansing. It was not designed as a means\nof waging war against the Serb and MUP [internal police] forces in Kosovo. Not in any way.\nThere was never any intent to do that. That was not the idea.\nThe air war was in fact poorly chosen to achieve either the political goal of changing\nMilosevics way of thinking or the military goal of reduc[ing] the military capacity that is\nbeing used against a civilian population.\nThe decision to restrict flights to an altitude of 15,000 feet was made to reduce the risk\nto NATO pilots, but it also reduced the ability of those pilots to correctly identify and attack\ntheir targets. As a result, million-dollar missiles were used to destroy rubber decoy tanks, and\nconvoys of refugees fleeing the country were bombed in error. The raids were more successful\nagainst fixed, immovable targets, but this simply encouraged the expansion of the target list\nto concentrate on infrastructure rather than military targets. The targets were chosen according\nto political rather than military criteria, and were intended to allow for a carefully controlled\nphased escalation in the case of continuing intransigence from Belgrade.\nSince the Serbs\nknew, at least until late in the campaign, that there was no imminent ground attack to worry\nabout, they could conceal and protect their artillery and tanks rather than deploy them\nIn this context, the claims by NATO leaders that the bombing campaign\nforced the Serbs to hide had little relevance; they had no need to do otherwise. It was only\nwhen the KLA, filling to some extent the role of NATOs absent ground component, managed\nQuoted in Robert Singh, American Perceptions, in Mary Buckley and Sally N. Cummings (eds.),\nKosovo: Perceptions of War and Its Aftermath (2001), p.65.\nQuoted in Patrick Bishop, UN rights chief warns NATO on bombing, Telegraph, 5 May 1999.\nAccessed from on 15 July 2004.\nto lure Serb forces into the open that NATO planes were able to kill large numbers of JNA\nThe expansion of the bombing to include targets throughout Serbia had two major\neffects. The first was the strengthening of Milosevics popular support in Serbia as the\npopulation rallied around the government in the face of NATOs attack. Rather than\nweakening his grip on power, the bombing campaign over Serbia reinforced it. Furthermore,\nthere was no way for NATO to know when Milosevics pain threshold would be reached.\nAs Colin Powell observed, the challenge of just using air power is that you leave it in the\nhands of your adversary to decide when hes been punished enough.\nIn the absence of a\nwillingness to use ground troops, all NATO could do was continue and expand the bombing\ncampaign in the hopes that Milosevic would eventually give in. The list of approved targets\nwas hurriedly expanded when it became clear that Milosevic was not going to quickly\ncapitulate, and an increasing number of targets were of questionable military significance. The\nwar became an attempt to pressure Milosevic by inflicting pain and suffering on the people of\nSerbia, rather than by destroying his military. The aerial bombing campaign was not an\nappropriate means of intervention in terms either of the general goals claimed for NATO or\nits more specific operational objectives.\nThe expansion of the target lists made the proportionality of NATOs campaign\nincreasingly questionable. In modern warfare, plausible military arguments can be made for\ndestroying civilian infrastructure. Nevertheless, bombing bridges, roads, railways, power\nstations, oil refineries, and television stations effectively made the population of Serbia the\ntarget. UNHCR head Mary Robinson criticized this policy: there should be a recognition of\nthe need not only to adhere to the principle of proportionality, but to err on the side of the order not to cause civilian death, civilian injury or undue civilian suffering\nthrough being deprived of water, of life-saving machines in hospital and so on.\nHer report\ndated 22 April 1999 included information from the FRY government of the effects of the\nNATO bombing, including the destruction of schools and hospitals. Among a long list of\nRobinson Report. Human Rights Watch later concluded that about 500 civilians in Serbia and Kosovo\ndied as a result of NATO bombing. A third of all the incidents and more than half the deaths occurred as a result\nof attacks on illegitimate or questionable targets. Human Rights Watch, New Figures on Civilian Deaths in\nKosovo War, Press Release, 7 February 2000, accessed from on 24\nJuly 2004.\nChesterman, p.110.\ndamages, the report cited Yugoslav claims that to date, over 500 civilians have been reported\nkilled. Over 4000 have sustained severe injuries.\nThe point here is not merely the\nquestionable morality of killing civilians in one location for the ostensible purpose of saving\ncivilians in another. The disproportionate nature of NATOs actions leaves the whole\ncharacterization of the intervention as humanitarian questionable at best.\nIt is almost redundant this point to ask whether the intervention had a reasonable\nchance of success. It was known ahead of time that a bombing campaign could not prevent\nand would probably accelerate assaults on the Kosovo Albanians. Far from having a real\nchance of ending the humanitarian crisis, the bombing campaign was expected to aggravate\nit. The only argument against this point is that it would end the ethnic clashes in Kosovo in\nthe future; a traumatic surgery now, as it were, to allow real healing to begin afterwards.\nHowever, as noted above, that was not what NATO claimed to be doing at the time. The\nultimate outcome in this respect will be examined below. As for the operational goals -\nchanging the thinking in Belgrade and incapacitating the military forces involved in the\nconflict in Kosovo - the campaign as it was conducted was not well-suited to them either.\nSave for the speculative long-term results, there does not seem to have been any reasonable\nexpectation of achieving the declared goals of the intervention through the means which\nNATO chose to employ.\nWhy then did NATO choose to use rely exclusively on air power? One factor was a\ndisinclination to risk the lives of NATO troops in Kosovo. Simon Chesterman points out that\n[reluctance] to accept casualties...leads to particular modes of operation...that may conflict\nwith the supposed humanitarian aims of the operation.\nPolitical factors, especially but not\nonly in the United States, resulted in ground forces being ruled out even before the bombing\ncampaign began. Reinforcing this desire to avoid ground operations was a misinterpretation\nof the role which the NATO air raids had played in forcing Serbia to sign on to the Dayton\nAccords in 1995, in which too much credit was given to the air strikes. The fact that Bosnian\nChesterman, p.110. See also Wheeler, Saving Strangers, pp.242, 256-257.\nIn general, it seems that the Americans were more confident than the British and other Europeans that\nit would be a short campaign. See March 24: Finally the Bombing Begins. Adam Roberts claims that his\ninterviews showed that the belief that Belgrade would quickly fold was widespread on both sides of the Atlantic;\nsee Roberts, p.111. There were even some arguments that Milosevic would use the bombing to capitulate quickly\nand isolate more hard-line nationalists; see Ali, Springtime for NATO, p.70.\nSerb forces were suffering major reversals on the ground at that time was underplayed, though\nnot completely ignored. It is also important to consider that the NATO interventions in 1995\nwere in Bosnia, not Serbia itself, which changed the political ramifications of the behaviour\nof both sides.\nThis misinterpretation of the lessons of Bosnia contributed to an unfounded\nbelief that Milosevic would quickly capitulate once the bombing began.\nOnly an unlikely\nquick capitulation by Belgrade would allow the intervention to be at all successful in\nameliorating the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo.\n4.5 Outcome\nThe last criterion to be evaluated is outcome. This differs from the other three in that\nit is a factor which can only be considered in retrospect. The first three criteria were all\napplied at the time of the intervention to justify and explain it; what was known and claimed\nat the time can be compared with what was learned and said afterwards. The outcome can only\nbe included as part of a historical effort to determine whether or not the intervention can\naccurately be labelled humanitarian. It must be conceded that an intervention which fulfills\nthe first three criteria can still fail to have a positive outcome; there is no such thing as a sure\nthing in war. Therefore, the assessment of the outcome must look not only at the situation\non the ground in the wake of the intervention, but also how these results relate to the\nmotivations for the intervention and, crucially, to the means used to intervene. Given the\nnature and conduct of the aerial intervention in Kosovo, it is useful to consider the outcome\nin two parts: during the intervention itself, and in the months and years which followed it.\nAs noted in the previous section, it was no surprise that the violence in Kosovo\naccelerated when the bombing began. The UNHCHR report of 22 April 1999 documented a\nmassive expansion of the ethnic cleansing, with nearly 600,000 refugees in neighbouring\ncountries (not including Serbia, for which information was not available) and an estimated\n800,000 internally-displaced persons inside Kosovo; it further predicted that thousands more\nRobinson report.\nQuoted in Herman and Peterson, p.197.\nRobin Cook, Foreign Secretarys Commons Statement on Kosovo, 14 June 1999. Accessed from on 20 July 2004.\nIICK, p.86.\nQuoted in Ali, Springtime for NATO, p.69.\nOne NATO ambassador reportedly said Even if we were winning the war militarily, we would have\nlost the war at home if Milosevic had not started the expulsions and let us win the propaganda war. Quoted in\nWhitman, p.171; see also IICK, p.89.\nwould flee in the near future.\nA Canadian OSCE observer commented that the NATO\nassault turned an internal hum problem into a disaster.\nSpeaking on 14 June 1999, British\nForeign Secretary Robin Cook back-handedly acknowledged that the bombing had been worse\nthan useless in this respect when he listed provid[ing] urgent relief to the hundreds of\nthousands of displaced persons who have spent the last two months hiding from Serb forces\non the hillsides and in the forests inside Kosovo...[and] manag[ing] the return of the masses\nof refugees who were deported as two of the most urgent tasks in the wake of the\n\nNATO made minimal efforts to prepare for the expected flood of refugees.\nShort later explained on behalf of the British government that to have been seen preparing for\nthe refugees might have given the public the impression that this was the inevitable effect of\nNATOs bombing action.\nGiven the moral propaganda value of the plight of the refugees,\nit is even possible that NATO was deliberately relying on the situation to bolster support for\nthe intervention.\nThey knew perfectly well that it was in fact the inevitable result of the\ncampaign; they simply did not wish to admit this in public. As a result, the living conditions\nwhich the refugees were faced with in the camps in Albania and Macedonia were appallingly\nbad until the UN and international NGOs were able to pick up the slack.\nIn addition to greatly worsening the immediate situation in Kosovo, the bombardment\nof the rest of Serbia in effect spread the crisis across the whole country. The humanitarian\nissues of targeting infrastructure, buildings, and industry were noted in the previous section.\nWhile some might argue that the Serbs deserved what they got for supporting Milosevic, this\nis very shaky moral ground at best. Denying the Serbian population clean water and medical\nservices may have eventually put more pressure on Milosevic, but to use this argument means\naccepting that violating the human rights of the Serbs was a legitimate means of securing the\nCook and Robertson, Joint Press Conference.\nJonathan Steele, quoted in Roberts, p.114 (originally in The Guardian, 9 July 1999).\nA Kosovo Albanian refugee, quoted in Roberts, p.113.\nRoberts, p.117.\nPilger, Moral Tourism.\nhuman rights of the Kosovo Albanians. Why then were the violations of Albanian human\nrights not a legitimate tactic for the Serbs in their attempts to resolve the Kosovo situation in\ntheir favour? A major part of the criticism of Milosevic was that his forces were deliberately\nviolating the human rights of the Kosovo Albanians in an effort to force them out of Kosovo.\nNATO in turn deliberately violated Serb human rights in an effort to force the FRY\ngovernment and military out of Kosovo.\nThe air war was not terribly effective at destroying Yugoslav military capabilities in\nKosovo, notwithstanding George Robertsons claim that NATOs air campaign has succeeded\nin disrupting massively Serbian military operations in Kosovo.\nIt did succeed in doing\nsubstantial damage to the FRY air defences and air force, but had relatively little effect on the\nground troops in Kosovo which were ostensibly the immediate target. Far from reducing the\nSerbs capacity for repression during the bombing, they were in fact able to intensify their\noperations. Though most Kosovo Albanians later approved of NATOs intervention,\nwere also well aware that the sudden onslaught of the Serbs was a direct consequence of\nNATOs attack: The Serbs cant fight NATO, so now they are after us.\nWhen the Serb\nmilitary withdrew from Kosovo in June, more troops left the province than intelligence reports\nhad indicated were there in the first place.\n\nWith regards to changing the thinking in Belgrade, it is certainly true that the Serbs\naccepted an agreement which obliged them to withdraw from Kosovo. The question of how\nmuch of this can be credited directly to the bombardment and how much to the increasing\nthreat of a ground invasion was addressed above. However, the terms which were agreed to\nwere almost identical in principle to those [Milosevic] had agreed at Rambouillet six weeks\nbefore the bombing began.\nThe Kosovo Accords refer to UN auspices and an\ninternational security presence rather than a NATO force, although admittedly in practice the\nforce was largely comprised of NATO troops. This force was to be present only in Kosovo,\nnot throughout the rest of the FRY. The question of the ultimate status of Kosovo was left\nHerring, p.232.\nCook, Statement on Kosovo.\nHerman and Peterson, p.201. To add to the irony of this outcome, according to the BBC, this [the\ndesignation of the KLA as a terrorist organisation] was the specific go-ahead for Milosevic to launch his counter-\ninsurgency in March, along with his offer of provincial autonomy; see Gowan, pp.100-101.\nQuoted in Herman and Peterson, pp.198, 214.\nHerring, p.227.\nunsettled, though the preamble to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 affirmed the\nsovereignty and territorial integrity of Yugoslavia.\nThe seventy-eight day bombing\ncampaign ended with NATO backing down from non-negotiable demands which it had\nmade back in February and March.\nIn the longer term, the intervention and the consequent withdrawal of Serb forces did\nallow the Kosovo Albanian refugees to return to their homes. The human rights situation for\nthem unquestionably improved from where it had been during the intervention, and also from\nthe general situation of the mid to late nineties. But NATO failed to ensure the security and\nsafety for all the people of Kosovo, whether Albanian or Serb, or from any other ethnic group\nor to secure...a future for its people, free from fear.\nThe KLA was incorporated into the\nnew Kosovo Protection Corps, thus placing the leaders and members of an organisation which\nNATO had branded as terrorist only the previous year in positions of considerable power.\nAccording to Jiri Dienstbier, the postwar period saw serious ethnic cleansing carried out by\nthe KLA, which killed over a thousand people and forced more than 300,000 ethnic non-\nAlbanians to flee Kosovo. He further claimed that what is happening is not some sort of\nrevenge of ordinary ethnic Albanians against those Serbs who remained in the province, but\nwas a carefully organised, systematic programme carried out by Albanian extremists under\nthe protection, or at least benign neglect, of NATO.\nAs Eric Herring points out, if Serbias\nhuman rights violations forfeited its moral right to Kosovo, the KLAs violations should\nlogically have had the same effect.\nFor all the talk of building a Kosovo free of ethnic hostility and fragmentation, the\nreality is that the intervention paved the way towards an ethnically-pure Kosovo which\nfavoured the Albanians over the Serbs. Five years after the intervention, there are only about\n100,000 ethnic Serbs and other non-Albanians remaining in Kosovo. They live either in\nheavily protected enclaves or in the northern part of the province bordering Serbia proper. As\nField of sorrows, The Economist, 25 March 2004. Accessed on 25 July 2004 from\nNATO Press Release S-1(99)62, 23 April 1999. Accessed from\n062e.htm on 19 July 2004.\nHerring, p.236\nChandler, p.80.\nJasmina Husanovic, Post-Conflict Kosovo: An Anatomy Lesson in the Ethics/Politics of Human\nRights, in Ken Booth (ed.), The Kosovo Tragedy: The Human Rights Dimensions (2001), pp.271-272.\nGunning for local power, The Economist, 5 August 2004. Accessed on 8 August 2004 from\nField of sorrows\nrecently as March 2004, Albanian violence in Kosovo led to 28 deaths, the ethnic cleansing\nof 4000 Kosovo Serbs and Roma (gypsies), destruction or damage to 366 houses and attacks\non 41 Orthodox churches and monasteries.\nThe talk now is of a possible partition of\nKosovo, not of a peaceful, multi-ethnic and democratic Kosovo where all its people can live\nin security and enjoy universal human rights and freedoms on an equal basis.\nInternational involvement in post-war Kosovo has been inconsistent and frequently\ncounter-productive to the improvement of the humanitarian and human rights situation. In\ncontrast to the estimated $4 billion spent on the 78-day bombing campaign, the UN presence\nin Kosovo since June 1999 has been consistently denied adequate resources to fulfill its\nLittle of the $456 million which were allocated to fund the UN mission in Kosovo\nfor the first year was spent on actual humanitarian needs: the allocation of human rights\nspending seems to be unrelated to the requirements of those on the ground.\nforces either avoid getting caught between the ethnic communities or actively work to keep\nthem separated, neither of which contribute to reaching long-term solutions to the continuing\nEconomically, Kosovo remains a shambles, with unemployment of over 50% and\nonly small prospects of any significant economic development.\nFive years after the\nintervention, there is a real fear that discontent with the UN, Kosovos unresolved status and\nthe stalled economy may just win the extremists behind the [recent] violence more support.\nPolitical results aside, there were other serious effects from the intervention which are\nnot easily reconciled with a humanitarian designation. The destruction of oil refineries and\nchemical plants released large amounts of toxic chemicals into the air and water, posing both\nimmediate and long-term dangers. Despite the well-publicized use of smart weapons,\nJonathan Steele, Death Lurks in the Fields, The Guardian, 14 March 2000. Accessed on 29 July\n2004 from\nSee Roberts, p.115.\nWhitman, p.175.\nChandler, pp.74-75.\nKosovo and Serbia are littered with unexploded ordnance from the bombing campaign which\nis a deadly long-term danger to the population. A year after the bombing, the United States\nwas still refusing to use its troops to remove the thousands of unexploded cluster bombs which\nNATO had dropped the previous year. The Americans also refused to teach other\norganisations how to safely defuse the bombs on the grounds that it was a national security\nAnother concern is the residue of depleted uranium munitions, which is alleged\n(though not conclusively proven) to have serious long-term health consequences. The US\nrefuses to acknowledge this concern and contributes nothing to clean-up efforts. NATOs\nleaders clearly do not believe that it is their responsibility to deal with these problems even in\nKosovo itself, let alone Serbia.\nBy a crude measure of the total level of human rights violations in Kosovo, it could be\nclaimed that this outcome is compatible with a humanitarian intervention. Since fewer people\nin Kosovo are suffering abuses now, by definition it was successful. The fact that (some)\nKosovo Albanians are now doing to the Serbs what (some) Serbs did to the Kosovo Albanians\nbefore is apparently not relevant. As a result of the intervention, there are fewer systematic,\ndeliberate abuses now than there were beforehand; therefore, it was a good thing. This is the\nschool of thought which believes that, however much damage was done by the bombing\ncampaign, a choice had to be made between watching the further progress of brutal repression\nor forcibly putting a stop to it, while minimising the human costs.\nThere is some merit to\nthis view, and surely a reduction in the overall level of human rights violations is a good thing.\nBut as David Chandler points out, by starting off with the assumption that genocide is\ninevitable...short of killing every ethnic-Albanian in Kosovo, NATOs haphazard bombing\ncampaign was guaranteed to be a success.\nThis view fails to take several salient points into consideration. Firstly, it accepts the\nargument that the bombing campaign minimis[ed] human costs. It certainly did so for\nNATO, which did not suffer a single casualty, but there were large numbers of military and\ncivilian casualties on the Serb side which must be considered. There were huge human costs\nto the Albanians during the bombing which NATO knew would happen, which a bombing\ncampaign could not prevent, and for which there was little preparation. There are continuing\nhuman costs for the non-Albanian residents of Kosovo and for the population of Serbia.\nSecondly, this view accepts the idea that the alternative to bombing was to do nothing.\nThis argument was explored above, with the conclusion that there were in fact alternatives.\nEven if military force was ultimately required, bombing was not the appropriate form.\nAlthough the use of ground forces might have resulted in greater casualties on both sides, this\nwould have to be balanced against the greater appropriateness of ground forces to the\nhumanitarian issues at stake.\nThirdly, it ignores the actual goals which were articulated by NATO in favour of a\ngeneral, though highly unbalanced, improvement. If one looks at the objectives laid out by\nTony Blair in his speech on 22 April 1999, how do they correspond with the actual outcome?\nTwo of them have been achieved: the withdrawal of Serb military, police and paramilitary\nforces from Kosovo and the deployment of an international military force. As we have seen,\nthere has never been a verifiable cessation of all combat activities and killings. There has\nbeen a cessation of Serbian combat activities and killings, but the role of aggressor has now\nbeen taken on by the Albanians. The return of all refugees has become the return of Albanian\nrefugees, while hundreds of thousands of Serbs and other non-Albanian residents of Kosovo\nhave fled. Unimpeded access for humanitarian aid is not a reality even in 2004, but now it\nis Albanian extremists who are responsible for attacks on UN soldiers and civilian aid workers.\nSince the Kosovo Accords, as noted above, were actually less stringent than those which\nNATO proposed at Rambouillet, it is debatable whether a political framework for Kosovo\nbuilding on the Rambouillet accords has been achieved. The political future of Kosovo\nremains undecided, and ultimate authority in the province lies with the UN, not with a\ndemocratically elected government.\nThese outcomes do not plausibly fulfill the fourth criterion for a humanitarian\nintervention. If the operation had had clearly defined motivations and goals, and been well-\nplanned and executed in realistic pursuit of those goals, such a negative outcome might not\ndisqualify the Kosovo intervention. In this case, however, the goals were ill-defined, the\nspecific operational intentions unclear, and the means chosen to intervene were neither\nappropriate nor proportional to the situation. In these circumstances, the outcome adds to the\nevidence that the intervention was not truly humanitarian right from the start.\n4.6 Summary and Conclusion\nThe question this paper posed was whether or not the intervention in Kosovo can\naccurately be called a humanitarian intervention. Four criteria were established which had\nto be met before that label could be applied. Two of them were found to have been\nsuccessfully fulfilled: the situation in Kosovo was arguably bad enough to merit forceful\nintervention to remedy a supreme humanitarian crisis, and there were valid humanitarian\nmotives for intervening, though they were not the only motives. However, the intervention\nwas not found to have fulfilled the other two criteria. The means used failed the tests of\nappropriateness and proportionality, and possibly that of force being the last resort. Finally,\nthe outcome failed to live up to the declared motivations, resulted in questionable human rights\ngains overall, and showed a marked lack of concern by NATO for the continuing abuses within\na UN-supervised Kosovo. Since these four criteria were the minimum which needed to be\nmet, the evidence strongly suggests that NATOs intervention in Kosovo cannot accurately be\nlabelled as humanitarian.\nIn the worlds of international law and international relations, the importance of\ncorrectly reassessing the events in Kosovo are clear. The legal debates based on Kosovo may\nbe addressing relevant and important points, but they are building on a poor foundation by\nusing Kosovo as their example of humanitarian intervention. Ironically, they may need to be\neven more theoretical than they already are, because the real-world example on which they\nbase their arguments does not appear to be what they think it is. Politically, whenever the\nconcept of humanitarian intervention comes up, Kosovo is the point of reference which is used.\nIt is still the example of a successful humanitarian intervention. To use a current example,\nin an article advocating the need for intervention to end the violence in western Sudan, the\nEconomist notes that there is a precedent...NATO intervened in Kosovo to curb ethnic\nSudan cant wait, The Economist, 29 July 2004. Accessed on 3 August 2004 from\nFor example, see the articles referenced in notes 173 and 178.\nQuoted in Chandler, p.15.\nHilpold, p.443.\nChandler, p.227.\nThe truth of the intervention and its aftermath, even as reported in their own\nis apparently immaterial. If the arguments in favour of humanitarian\nintervention have any validity, they can only be weakened by this reliance on the failed and\nflawed intervention in Kosovo in 1999.\nThe politically and ethically-charged questions surrounding the Kosovo war have made\nit a difficult subject to study according to its own merits and needs. As Kirsten Sellars put it\nat the time, the consensus rules that anything done in the name of human rights is right, and\nany criticism is not just wrong but tantamount to supporting murder, torture and rape.\na result, much of the literature to date on Kosovo rests on questionable foundations. Both\nthose in favour of humanitarian intervention and those who oppose it have been guilty of\nmisrepresenting the Kosovo intervention in order to support their larger concerns.\nSince Kosovo, as Peter Hilpold notes, the number of writers criticizing the concept\nof a right to humanitarian intervention - once decisively preponderant - seems to dwindle.\nIt is difficult to argue against the concept of intervening to end gross human rights abuses or\nto end a humanitarian crisis. But those who hold up Kosovo as an example of such an action\ncan only do so by ignoring significant parts of the story, in particular the misrepresentation of\nthe situation in Kosovo before the intervention, the completely inappropriate means which\nwere used, and especially the blatant and continuing human rights violations against Serbs and\nother non-ethnic Albanians in Kosovo since 1999. They fail to explain how these\ncircumstances are compatible with humanitarian intervention, either in theory or in practice.\nThey exhibit what Chandler calls degraded universalism, in which the lives and rights of\nsome people are more important than those of others, and in which the need to do something,\nand to be seen to be doing something, replaces a real interest in solving the problems at\nThose who use Kosovo as an example with which to condemn humanitarian\nintervention in general correctly point out these problems in the pro-intervention literature, but\nthey are guilty of their own distortions. The intervention in Kosovo is made to fit models of\nWestern behaviour which have been derived from other historical events. The need to portray\nKosovo as another example of selfish motives, counterproductive actions, and hypocritical\nbehaviour takes precedence over an open-minded approach willing to follow where the\nevidence leads. These authors may be correct in their assertions, but their argument is\ndamaged by the manner in which they approach it. In writings which are ostensibly about\nKosovo, the intervention is in fact displaced from the focus by the writers larger political or\nideological concerns.\nIt is to be hoped that these problems will be remedied as NATOs war in Kosovo\nrecedes into the past. There is an obvious need for literature on Kosovo in which the\nintervention is not merely used as an example to prove or support a more general point. It is\nthe historians responsibility to attempt to evaluate all of the available information on a topic,\nwhether or not it agrees with ones political beliefs. Conclusions must follow evidence, not\nprecede it. The evidence must be followed wherever it leads, not where one wishes it would\ngo. This author began work on this dissertation believing that the Kosovo intervention could\nnot be accurately called humanitarian. During the course of researching the topic, that belief\nchanged to one that it was a humanitarian intervention, but one which was very poorly\nexecuted and ultimately unsuccessful. In the end, the original hypothesis was returned to, but\nthis conclusion was based on empirical evidence and analysis, not on preconceived ideas. As\nlong as the intervention in Kosovo is first seen as an exemplar of greater ideas or ideals -\nwhether moral, legal, political, or ideological - its history will be ill-served. It was\nunquestionably an event of great significance. It therefore deserves to be studied and\nrecognised for what it truly was, rather than what people wish it to be.\nAli, Tariq. Masters of the Universe? NATOs Balkan Crusade (London: Verso, 2000)\nAli, Tariq. Springtime for NATO, New Left Review 234 (March/April 1999) pp.62-72\nAllin, Dana H. NATOs Balkan Interventions, Adelphi Paper 347 (Oxford: Oxford\nUniversity Press for The International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2002)\nBellamy, Alex J. Human Wrongs in Kosovo, 1974-1999', in Ken Booth (ed.), The Kosovo\nTragedy: The Human Rights Dimensions (London: Frank Cass Publishers, 2001)\nBellamy, Alex J. Kosovo and International Society (Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan,\nBishop, Patrick. UN rights chief warns NATO on bombing, Telegraph, 5 May 1999\n\nBlair, Tony. Doctrine of the International Community, speech delivered in Chicago, USA,\n22 April 1999 (\nBush, George H.W. Speech to Congress, 6 March 1991\nCassese, A. A follow-up: forcible humanitarian countermeasures and opinio necessitatis,\nEuropean Journal of International Law, Vol.10, No.4 (1999) pp.791-799\nformer Yugoslavia (\nChandler, David. From Kosovo to Kabul: Human Rights and International Intervention\n(London: Pluto Press, 2002)\nInternational Law (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002)\nChomsky, Noam. In Retrospect: A review of NATOs war over Kosovo, part I, Z\nMagazine, April 2000 (\nChomsky, Noam. The New Military Humanism: Lessons from Kosovo (London: Pluto\nPress, 1999)\nCook, Robin. Foreign Secretarys Commons Statement on Kosovo, 14 June 1999 (http://\nCook, Robin and George Robertson. Joint Press Conference by the UK Defence and\nForeign Secretaries, 22 April 1999 (\nDevine, Carol, Carol Rae Hansen, and Ralph Wilde. Human Rights: The Essential\nReference (Phoenix: The Oryx Press, 1999)\nDienstbier, Jiri. Statement of the Special Rapporteur, Mr. Jiri Dienstbier, of the\nCommission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina,\nCroatia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, 6 August 1998 (\nDonnelly, Jack. The Social Construction of International Human Rights, in Tim Dunne\n& Nicholas J. Wheeler (eds.), Human Rights in Global Politics (Cambridge: Cambridge\nUniversity Press, 1999)\nDunne, Tim & Nicholas J. Wheeler. Introduction: human rights and the fifty years crisis,\nin Tim Dunne & Nicholas J. Wheeler (eds.), Human Rights in Global Politics (Cambridge:\nCambridge University Press, 1999)\nField of Sorrows, The Economist, 25 March 2004\nForsythe, David P. Human Rights in International Relations (Cambridge: Cambridge\nUniversity Press, 2000)\nGowan, Peter. The NATO Powers and the Balkan Tragedy, New Left Review 234\n(March/April 1999) pp.83-105\nGunning for local power, The Economist, 5 August 2004\nHelsinki Final Act. (\nHerman, Edward and David Peterson. Moralitys Avenging Angels: the New\nHumanitarian Crusaders, in David Chandler (ed.), Rethinking Human Rights: Critical\nApproaches to International Politics (Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, 2002)\nHerring, Eric. From Rambouillet to the Kosovo Accords: NATOs War Against Serbia\nand Its Aftermath, in Ken Booth (ed.), The Kosovo Tragedy: The Human Rights\nDimensions (London: Frank Cass Publishers, 2001)\nHilpold, Peter. Humanitarian Intervention: Is There A Need for Legal Reappraisal?,\nEuropean Journal of International Law, Vol.12, No.3 (2001), pp.437-467.\nHolbrook, Jon. Humanitarian Intervention and the Recasting of International Law, in\nDavid Chandler (ed.), Rethinking Human Rights: critical approaches to international\npolitics (Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, 2002)\nHuman Rights Watch. Eighteen Civilians Massacred in Kosovo Forest, 29 September\n1998 (\nHuman Rights Watch. New Figures on Civilian Deaths in Kosovo War, Press Release, 7\nFebruary 2000 (\nHuman Rights Watch. Serb Police Attacked Convoy of 250 Vehicles, 30 September\n1998 (\nHurrell, Andrew. Power, principles and prudence: protecting human rights in a deeply\ndivided world, in Tim Dunne & Nicholas J. Wheeler (eds.), Human Rights in Global\nPolitics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999)\nHusanovic, Jasmina. Post-Conflict Kosovo: An Anatomy Lesson in the Ethics/Politics\nof Human Rights, in Ken Booth (ed.), The Kosovo Tragedy: The Human Rights\nDimensions (London: Frank Cass Publishers, 2001)\nIgnatieff, Michael. Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry (Princeton, Oxford: Princeton\nUniversity Press, 2001)\nIgnatieff, Michael. Virtual War: Kosovo and Beyond (London: Vintage, 2001)\nIndependent International Commission on Kosovo. The Kosovo Report: Conflict,\nInternational Response, Lessons Learned (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000)\nJoyner, Daniel H. The Kosovo Intervention: Legal Analysis and a More Persuasive\nParadigm, Journal of Environmental Law, Vol.13, No.3 (2002) pp.597-619.\nJudah, Tim. Kosovo: War and Revenge (New Haven and London: Yale University Press,\nMatlary, Janne Haaland. Intervention for Human Rights in Europe (Basingstoke: Palgrave,\nNATO Press Release 040, 23 March 1999\nNATO Press Release S-1(99)62, 23 April 1999 (\nOConnell, M. The UN, NATO & International Law After Kosovo, Human Rights\nQuarterly. v.22, (2000) pp.57-89\nOrganisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Kosovo/Kosova: As Seen,\nAs Told (Volume I: October 1998-June 1999)\nPilger, John. Moral Tourism, The Guardian, 15 June 1999\nRambouillet Interim Agreement for Peace and Self-Government in Kosovo\nRamsbotham, Oliver & Tom Woodhouse. Humanitarian Intervention in Contemporary\nConflict: A Reconceptualization (Cambridge, Oxford: Polity Press, 1996)\nRezun, Miron. Europes Nightmare: The Struggle for Kosovo (Westport: Praeger\nPublishers, 2001)\nRoberts, Adam. NATOs Humanitarian War Over Kosovo, Survival, vol.41, no.3\n(Autumn 1999) pp.102-123\nRobinson, Mary. Situation of Human Rights in Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,\n22 April 1999 (\nRorty, Richard. Human Rights, Rationality, and Sentimentality, in Stephen Shute &\nSusan Hurly (eds.), On Human Rights: the Oxford Amnesty Lectures (New York:\nBasicBooks, 1993)\nSimma, Bruno. NATO, the UN and the Use of Force : Legal Aspects, European Journal\nSingh, Robert. American Perceptions, in Mary Buckley and Sally N. Cummings (eds.),\nKosovo: Perceptions of War and its Aftermath (London, New York: Continuum, 2001)\nSteele, Jonathan. Death Lurks in the Fields, The Guardian, 14 March 2000\nSteiner, Henry J. & Philip Alston (eds.). International Human Rights in Context: Law,\nPolitics, Morals, 2\ned. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000)\nSudan cant wait, The Economist, 29 July 2004 (\nThomas, Caroline. New States, Sovereignty and Intervention (Aldershot: Gower\nPublishing, 1985)\nUnited Nations. Report of the Secretary General Prepared Pursuant to Resolution 1160\n(1998), 1199 (1998) and 1203 (1998) of the Security Council, UN Doc. S/1998/1221\nUniversal Declaration of Human Rights (\nVincent, R.J. Human Rights and International Relations (Cambridge: Cambridge\nUniversity Press, 1986)\nWalker, William. OSCE Verification Experiences in Kosovo, November 1998-June\n1999', in Ken Booth (ed.), The Kosovo Tragedy: The Human Rights Dimensions (London:\nFrank Cass Publishers, 2001)\nWheeler, Nicholas J. Reflections on the Legality and Legitimacy of NATOs Intervention\n(London: Frank Cass Publishers, 2001)\nWheeler, Nicholas J. Saving Strangers: Humanitarian Intervention in International\nSociety (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000)\nWhitman, Jim. The Kosovo Refugee Crisis: NATOs Humanitarianism versus Human\n(London: Frank Cass Publishers, 2001)\nWoodhouse, Tom. Introduction and Overview, in Tom Woodhouse, Robert Bruce,\nMalcolm Dando (eds.), Peacekeeping and Peacemaking: Towards Effective Intervention in\nPost-Cold War Conflicts (Basingstoke: MacMillan, 1998)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8671526312828064}
+{"content": "Canadian physicist Arthur B. McDonald has won the Nobel Prize for discoveries about the behaviour of a mysterious solar particle, teased from an experiment buried two kilometres below Sudbury.\n\nThe Queen’s University professor emeritus was honoured for co-discovering that elusive particles known as neutrinos can change their identity — or “oscillate” — as they travel from the sun. It proved that neutrinos must have mass, a finding that upset the Standard Model of particle physics and opened new avenues for research into the fundamental properties of the universe.\n\nMcDonald, 72, shares the prize with Takaaki Kajita, whose Japanese collaboration made the same discovery with slightly different methods.\n\nArthur B. McDonald, a professor emeritus at Queen's University, is shown at the university in Kingston, Ont., Tuesday, Oct.6, 2015. McDonald is a co-winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on tiny particles known as neutrinos.\n\nTo measure solar neutrinos, McDonald and a 130-person international team built a massive detector in an operational copper mine southwest of Sudbury. The location allowed the experiment to be highly sensitive but created enormous logistical challenges. Construction on the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory — SNO — began in 1990. The experiment collected its first data nine years later.\n\n\n“I think we all knew that if we could manage to do it, it would be a very significant measurement. And that’s the way it turned out,” McDonald said Tuesday, 10 “crazy” hours after he was awakened by a telephone call from Sweden telling him he had won the prize in physics.\n\nSNO has since expanded to become SNOLAB, with more particle experiments underway.\n\n“What we’re really pleased about is that we are able to do experiments that can give Canadians and our international collaborators, particularly the young people, a real eureka moment.”\n\nThe SNO detector solved a long-standing mystery in physics: the case of the missing neutrinos. Theoretical models indicated there should be far more neutrinos streaming from the sun than earthly instruments were detecting. Either we didn’t understand the sun, or we didn’t understand neutrinos — highly abundant but very elusive subatomic particles that barely interact with matter, and were thought to have no mass.\n\nTo solve this problem, McDonald and his colleagues dreamt up SNO. Deep in an INCO mine (now owned by Vale), protected from cosmic radiation constantly bombarding the earth’s surface, the scientists installed a 12-metre-wide acrylic vessel filled with 1,000 tonnes of ultra-pure heavy water. The vessel was surrounded by a geodesic sphere equipped with 9,456 light sensors. The whole thing was sunk in a 34-metre-high cavity filled with regular water.\n\nWhen neutrinos hit the heavy water, an event that occurred about 10 times a day, they emitted a flash of light, which researchers could analyze to measure the particles’ properties.\n\nNeutrinos come in three identities or “flavours”: electron, tau and muon. By 2001, SNO showed that neutrinos were switching flavours in transit. To do so, they must have mass.\n\nOnce all three flavours were measured, the sun’s neutrinos were properly accounted for. The discovery spun out generations of new science — better understanding neutrinos might solve the riddle of why the universe is dominated by matter instead of being empty, for one.\n\nCanada's Arthur B. McDonald, right, and Takaaki Kajita of Japan are winners of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded Tuesday in Stockholm.\n\n“Art McDonald is an extraordinary scientist and scientific leader,” said Pekka Sinervo, a University of Toronto particle physicist who helped provide oversight for SNO in its early days and currently chairs SNOLAB’s board of directors. “He kept the collaboration moving forward, even in dark days where nothing seemed to be going right (and there were some of those).”\n\nThe discovery “took quite a bit of ingenuity and investment in major experimental science facilities,” said physics and astronomy professor Ray Jayawardhana, York University’s dean of science and author of the book Neutrino Hunters.\n\nBuilding SNO cost $73 million, not including the value of the heavy water, which would have rung in at $200 million if it hadn’t been “loaned” by AECL, Canada’s federal nuclear agency.\n\n“It is certainly not cheap. But the investment paid off . . . here we are 15 years later being recognized for that wonderful finding,” said Jayawardhana.\n\nMcDonald grew up in Nova Scotia and earned two physics degrees from Dalhousie University. He credits his parents, his high school math teacher in Sydney, N.S., and Dalhousie professors as early inspirations. He began his career at Ontario’s Chalk River nuclear research labs before moving to Princeton in 1982.\n\nHe came back to Canada in 1989 to direct SNO and take up a professorship at Queen’s, where he has been ever since. He is still involved in research at SNOLAB, which is investigating dark matter as well as neutrino science.\n\n“We’re very fortunate in Canada to have this opportunity with SNOLAB,” McDonald said. “It’s just marvellous to be able to stimulate the next generation of students with experiments just as cutting edge as what we were doing with SNO 20 years ago.”\n\nPrime Minister Stephen Harper congratulated the professor in a statement.\n\n“Dr. McDonald’s award solidifies Canada’s reputation of having some of the best and brightest scientists and many of the most respected universities and research facilities in the world,” he said.\n\nNobel Prize winner, Arthur B. McDonald is seen on a lift in this file photo from 1996.\n\n“I am certain that Dr. McDonald’s extraordinary accomplishment will further inspire our scientific community and I hope that it will encourage young Canadians who may be considering science as a career choice across the country.”\n\nCongratulations poured in from all over, including from the Royal Societies of both Canada and the U.K., where McDonald is a fellow; the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, where McDonald is on the board of directors; and the small but proud Science North, an education centre in Sudbury, where McDonald has an honorary lifetime membership.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7305542230606079}
+{"content": "Top 5 of China’s Most Popular Short Video and Live Streaming Apps\n\nThe live streaming and short video app market is (still) absolutely booming in China. What’s on Weibo lists China’s most popular apps within this category for you: these are the top Chinese apps to watch.\n\nChina is the world’s largest smartphone market, and the mobile app business is booming. In August of last year, it was reported that approximately 800 million people are actively using the internet in China, about 58 percent of the country’s population. What is especially noteworthy is that some 788 million people are accessing the internet via mobile – a total of 98 percent of the China’s total online population.\n\nTo attract business from this immense number of mobile internet users, who on average spend some 4.2 hours per day on their phone, thousands of news apps are launched every year. In 2018, Chinese internet users could download 7.3 million different apps – 900.000 more than the year before.\n\nTo provide more insight into China’s mobile app market, What’s on Weibo has listed some of the most popular and noteworthy apps in China today. For this selection, we chose to avoid the most obvious popular apps, such as Weibo or WeChat, that are already frequently covered in English-language media.\n\nInstead, we chose to feature those apps that are arguably not as well-known outside of mainland China, within five popular categories, namely: education, health, news, games, and short video & live streaming.\n\nWe made our selection based on the data from the Android app stores Tencent, Baidu, Huawei, and Zhushou360. We tried our best to give you a representative overview of various apps that are currently most used in China, but want to remind you that these lists are by no means absolute nor official “top 5” charts.\n\nWe will start with our top short video & live streaming list, stay tuned for the other categories that will follow shortly and will be listed below this article!\n\n\n#1 Douyin Short Video 抖音短视频\n\nDouyin, which literally means “trembling sound” (抖音), is a short video social networking app. The app is part of the ByteDance Inc. empire and was first launched in September 2016.\n\nIf the logo looks familiar, that may be because you know the popular international version of the app named ‘TikTok,’ which was the fourth most downloaded non-game app worldwide in 2018.\n\nDouyin allows its users to live stream and to upload and view 15-second videos. The app provides several tools to finetune videos by adding various kinds of music, fast forwarding, or adding filters and stickers.\n\nMore than just a video and broadcasting app, Douyin is very much interactive, which inherently makes it a social media platform. Videos can be liked, shared and commented on, and people can follow each other. Through its broadcasting feature, users can also send each other money or virtual gifts.\n\nThe major ‘magic’ formula behind Douyin is its use of the AI algorithm of its parent company Bytedance Inc (the same company that runs the super popular news app Toutiao). This means the app constantly provides users with suggested content based on user profile and preferences. Adding to this, Douyin is the only app in this selection that automatically plays the next video if the current video you are watching has ended, increasing user engagement with the app.\n\nDouyin’s approach is highly successful. In 2018, Douyin ranked as the tenth most popular app in China, and its popularity continues to grow. From September to December 2018, Douyin’s daily active users increased from 118.7 to 138.5 million.\n\nDouyin currently is the most popular short video app in the Chinese Apple store, and in both the Huawei and Zhushou360 app stores, Douyin ranks second most popular app overall.\n\nAlso see our previous article exploring the difference between Douyin and its international version TikTok.\n\n\n#2 Kuaishou 快手\n\nKuaishou, literally meaning “fast hand,” is also known as ‘Kwai’ and was first launched in 2011 as GIF Kuaishou (GIF快手) and changed its name and function to the current one in 2014.\n\nIn 2018, Kuaishou received various investments from Chinese tech giants Tencent, Alibaba, and Baidu, that also sought to profit from China’s growing market of short-video and live stream apps. As with Douyin, Kuaishou has also been successful outside of mainland China. In 2018, the app briefly ranked first in several Apple stores including those in Russia, Turkey, South Korea, Taiwan, and Indonesia.\n\nWith Kuaishou, just like Douyin, users can live stream and upload short videos. There are, however, some small differences between the apps. In Kuaishou, videos can be as long as 57 seconds, and the next video will not play automatically; meaning that users have to manually pick the next video they want to watch. Also in the video editing, its functions are different. In the Kuaishou app, users can specifically add filters to faces, and there is also a karaoke function.\n\nIn the fourth quarter of 2018, Kuaishou reached the miracle barrier of 100 million monthly active users, showing a modest 2,45 percent growth compared to the third quarter. Currently, Kuaishou is ranking second most popular video app in the Chinese Apple Store, and fifth in the Zhushou360 app store.\n\n\n#3 Xigua Video 西瓜视频\n\nXigua, which means ‘watermelon,’ is the second-most popular short video app by Bytedance. ‘Eating watermelons’ or ‘the watermelon-eating masses’ (吃瓜群众) is a Chinese idiom that is frequently used by Chinese netizens, meaning that onlookers are interested in watching an (online) spectacle or discussion unfold without intervening.\n\nBeing a Bytedance product, Xigua also uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to recommend videos to its users. What is different from Douyin, is that Xigua categorizes its videos based on their contents. There are, for example, the categories handicraft, culture, square dancing, cuisine, and fashion. Adding to this, Xigua also offers a live streaming service and a wide variety of television programs and games.\n\nDespite a small decrease in daily active viewers in the last quarter of 2018 from 41.2 million to 38.7 million, Xigua was still the third most popular video app in the Chinese Apple store, closely followed by another app by Bytedance called Huoshan (火山), a short video platform for people to share their stories and showcase their talent.\n\n\n#4 MOMO 陌陌\n\nMOMO is a location-based social networking app where users can show themselves through video, text, voice, and pictures, and discover nearby people based on their geographic location. Despite the company calling the app a social networking platform, for many Chinese netizens, MOMO is simply known as a dating app.\n\nDifferent from apps such as Douyin and Xigua, MOMO does not show content based on user preference but based on its geographic location. The main page of MOMO shows profiles of people around you, featured with picture and videos. If you see a person that you like, you can add the person or leave a ‘like’ or comment. In addition, the app also provides other functions such as a swipe function, a chat room and a place where you can play games with other users.\n\nMOMO which is part of the Beijing MOMO Technology company, that first launched their app in 2011. Little than a year later, people all over the globe were introduced to MOMO’s international version. But in 2014, when the Chinese version started to gain a significant market share, the company decided to cancel its international edition and focus on its domestic business instead.\n\nIn 2018, MOMO acquired the Tinder-like dating app Tantan (探探), which had 6.3 million daily active users in the fourth quarter of 2018.\n\nIn the meantime, MOMO has also been growing in popularity, registering 16 million daily active users in 2018, making it the most popular app in the category live streaming and the 88th the most popular app overall – that may not sound too impressive, but within China’s booming app market, it actually is.\n\n\n#5 DouYu Livestream 斗鱼直播\n\nDouYu is an app by DouYu TV and was first launched in 2014. In 2016, DouYu received investments from both Tencent and Phoenix Media.\n\nWhat mainly sets DouYu apart from other live stream apps, is that it provides its users with live streaming games such as Honor of Kings, Player Unknown’s Battlefield, DOTA and League of Legend. In addition, it also features practical videos such as cooking lessons or camping tutorials.\n\nIn 2018, DouYu was the second most popular live streaming app of China, right behind MOMO, with 7.2 daily active users at the end of the year. Currently, the app ranks among the most popular video apps in the Tencent Appstore.\n\nAlso see: Top 5 of Popular News Apps\n\nBy Gabi Verberg\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.682681679725647}
+{"content": "Industry Module\n\nSoundPLAN Industry Module\n\nIndustrial Noise Indoors/Outdoors and Aircraft Noise\n\n\n06Industry Noise Propagation enables the user to create sources describing industrial usage.\n\nThe source types are point, line and area sources 07 and the industrial building. The emissions of the sources need to be entered with the sound power for a single frequency or for an octave or third octave band. In collaboration with the Indoor Factory Noise module, the sound pressure on the inside of the building can also be simulated. The library has functions to convert sound pressure measurements into the equivalent sound power\n\nIndoor Factory Noise calculates noise inside factory buildings. The model is based on the German VDI 3760. Point, line, and area sources describe the sources; inside walls and absorption areas describe the objects inside the factory building. The industrial building itself has provisions for the geometry and for describing the absorption on the outside walls and the scattering inside the building.\n\nExpert System for Industry Noise is tasked with documenting the status quo of an industrial area, ranking the noise sources in accordance to their contribution at various noise sensitive receivers and then finding the proper solution of silencers, dampers, etc. Costs and performance of the noise control measures are set in relation with each other and function as a guide for the optimization of industrial noise control.\n\n18 Noise Allotment helps consultants to assign noise contingents to plots to be designated industrial areas. The aim is to maximize the noise allocation to each one of the plots without infringing upon the noise limits at the neighbouring plots.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5552820563316345}
+{"content": "Condition category\nEar, Nose and Throat\nDate applied\nDate assigned\nLast edited\nRetrospectively registered\nOverall trial status\nRecruitment status\nNo longer recruiting\n\nPlain English Summary\n\nBackground and study aims\nHearing loss, or deafness, is a very common condition which develops as people get older. There are two main types of hearing loss: conductive hearing loss, where the problem is in the middle ear (i.e. in the ear drum) and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), where the problem lies in the inner ear (cochlea), or the nerve that carries information from the ear to the brain for interpretation. The cochlea is a complex part of the inner each which is responsible for converting sound waves into electrical messages which the brain can interpret. When the cochlea becomes damaged, standard hearing aids (which work by making sounds louder) do not work and so a cochlear implant is often recommended. Cochlear implants are electronic medical devices which are designed to do the work of the damaged cochlea. They have been used for some time in the treatment of those with severe or profound hearing loss. The use of these implantable devices has enabled those with severe hearing impairment to develop and participate in the day to day life of their families, education and workplace. The current design of the cochlear implant is less cumbersome than the early models, which included a body worn component, with a behind the ear component being the only visible part. However many ask why there needs to be any external components. Currently the microphone is part of the behind-the-ear sound processor. This project is looking at whether it is possible to develop a microphone that can be accurately placed in the most suitable position in the ear, to ensure that the instrument has the best possible outcomes for the patient in sound quality and in achieving a safer and more socially acceptable outcome. The aim of this study is to test the efficiency of a totally implantable microphone.\n\nWho can participate?\nAdults who have hearing difficulties and have used a cochlear implant for at least 12 months.\n\nWhat does the study involve?\nParticipants who are taking part in the study undergo surgery to implant the microphone into one of their ears (the other ear that does not already have a cochlear implant). Three weeks after the surgery, participants are examined to make sure that everything is secure and healed properly. Once this is confirmed, the implanted microphone is switched on and the microphone in the Cochlear implant ear is switched off. For the next six months patients are monitored and the microphone is tested using hearing tests.\n\nWhat are the possible benefits and risks of participating?\nThere will be no direct benefit for participants, but the results of the study are crucial to guide the development of a middle ear microphone. Participants are offered a free of charge standard cochlear implant and system at the end of the study. The implant might restrict activities participant are used to doing, such as swimming, diving or participating in contact sports. All these effects are temporary and will no longer be present when the device has been removed at the end of the study.\n\nWhere is the study run from?\nQueen Elizabeth Hospital (UK)\n\nSeptember 2015 to September 2018\n\nWho is funding the study?\nNational Institute for Health Research (UK)\n\nWho is the main contact?\nMiss Amy Gosling\n\nTrial website\n\nContact information\n\n\n\nPrimary contact\n\nMiss Amy Gosling\n\n\nContact details\n\nOffice 02\n4th Floor\nInstitute of Translational Medicine\nHeritage Building\nQueen Elizabeth Hospital\nB15 2TH\nUnited Kingdom\n+44 121 371 8007\n\nAdditional identifiers\n\nEudraCT number number\n\nProtocol/serial number\n\n\nStudy information\n\nScientific title\n\nSIME: Human Feasibility Study of an Implantable Middle Ear Microphone\n\n\n\nStudy hypothesis\n\nThe aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of a human grade middle ear microphone for cochlear implant users in terms of microphone sensitivity, noise floor, speech understanding, perception of body noise, and patient satisfaction.\n\nEthics approval\n\nOffice for Research Ethics Committees Northern Ireland, 09/02/2017, 17/NI/0012\n\nStudy design\n\nNon-randomised; Interventional; Design type: Treatment, Device, Surgery\n\nPrimary study design\n\n\nSecondary study design\n\nNon randomised study\n\nTrial setting\n\n\nTrial type\n\n\nPatient information sheet\n\n\n\nSpecialty: Surgery, Primary sub-specialty: ENT Surgery; UKCRC code/ Disease: Ear/ Diseases of middle ear and mastoid\n\n\nOnce participants have been given enough time to process the study and the information provided on the information sheet the Surgeon will consent the patient. After this the patient has a pre-operative assessment which occurs between 2-4 weeks before the surgery. Here they can ask any further queries for the surgery and the Health Utilities Index Questionnaire (HUI) is administered.\n\nTwo weeks before the surgery a patient will have a further pre-operative appointment to discuss the surgery in further detail and make sure all relevant information is collected. The patient will then have the surgery where a small incision will be made behind the ear. The surgery will involve implanting a middle ear microphone into the ear canal and will then be connected, via a thin cable to the Cochlear process that the patient will already have on their other ear ( the point of the study is to test the efficiency of this Middle ear microphone).\n\nThree weeks after the surgery the post-operative checks will occur, this is to make sure everything is secure and healed properly Once this is confirmed, the microphone is switched on and the microphone in the Cochlear implant ear is switched off.\n\nFor the next six months the patient will monitored and the microphone will be tested through audiology testing.\n\nIntervention type\n\n\n\nDrug names\n\nPrimary outcome measure\n\n1. Patient satisfaction is measured using the Health Utilities Index (HUI) is administered between 2-4 weeks operation, the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire and a study specific questionnaire that has been created for the SIME study along with the HUI 2 and 6 months after the operation\n2. Microphone sensitivity will be measured by obtaining sound field thresholds in the sound field by using warble tones with the speaker positioned at 00azimuth relative to the subject’s head. Measurements will be done at standard audiometric frequencies (250, 500, 750, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 6000 Hz) using a standard audiometric technique (5 dB steps). This assessment will be carried out 4,8,12 and 16 weeks after the surgery.\n3. Noise floor and speech understanding will be measured by English BKB sentences and AB words in the sound field using recorded speech and a standard audiometric technique with the speaker positioned at 00 azimuth relative to the subject’s head. Word recognition scores will be measured at 45, 55 and 65 and 75 dB SPL, representing soft, conversational and loud presentation levels. This test is done with both quiet and noise in the sound fields. The speech intelligibility level in the presence of noise is used when assessing in a noise sound field. This assessment will be carried out 4,8,12 and 16 weeks after the surgery.\n4. Perception of body noise are measured using bone conduction measurements using a bone conductor and a standard audiometric technique (5 dB steps) 4,8,12 and 16 weeks after the surgery\n\nSecondary outcome measures\n\nNo secondary outcome measures\n\nOverall trial start date\n\n\nOverall trial end date\n\n\nReason abandoned (if study stopped)\n\n\nParticipant inclusion criteria\n\n1. Aged 18 years and over\n2. Fluent native speaker in language used to assess speech perception, i.e. English\n3. Regular use of CI for minimum of 12 months\n4. Speech performance criteria of at least 50% on BKB sentences in quiet with the CI at a presentation level of 70 dBA.\n5. Willingness to have percutaneous plug and microphone implanted\n6. Ability and willingness to perform audiometric tests and complete the study\n7. Willingness to use the implanted microphone during the study outside the clinic in daily life environment.\n8. Ability to provide useful feedback about the usage of the implanted microphone\n9. Normal tympanometry.\n10. No clinical, audiological or radiological evidence of abnormal ossicular chain\n\nParticipant type\n\n\nAge group\n\n\n\n\nTarget number of participants\n\nPlanned Sample Size: 6; UK Sample Size: 6\n\nParticipant exclusion criteria\n\n1. Prelingually deafened adults\n2. Active chronic otitis media\n3. Participation in another medical device study\n4. Unwillingness or inability of the subject to comply with all study requirements\n5. Persons with mental, physical or geographic limitations that may render them incapable of completing scheduled study visits\n6. Unrealistic expectations on the part of the subject regarding the possible benefits, risks and limitations inherent to the procedure and the device\n7. Medical conditions that would contraindicate undergoing surgery or participation in the study\n8. Any anticipated reason why removal of the implanted microphone could not be conducted after eight months of use.\n9. Known risks to infection and healing\n10. Known reason for requiring Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) during the study\n\nRecruitment start date\n\n\nRecruitment end date\n\n\n\nCountries of recruitment\n\nUnited Kingdom\n\nTrial participating centre\n\nQueen Elizabeth Hospital\nMindelsohn Way\nB15 2TH\nUnited Kingdom\n\nSponsor information\n\n\nUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust\n\nSponsor details\n\nTrust HQ\nPO BOX 9551\nQueen Elizabeth Medical Centre\nB15 2TH\nUnited Kingdom\n\nSponsor type\n\nHospital/treatment centre\n\n\n\nFunder type\n\n\nFunder name\n\nNational Institute for Health Research\n\nAlternative name(s)\n\n\nFunding Body Type\n\ngovernment organisation\n\nFunding Body Subtype\n\nFederal/National Government\n\n\nUnited Kingdom\n\nResults and Publications\n\nPublication and dissemination plan\n\nPlanned publication in a high-impact peer reviewed journal.\n\nIPD sharing statement:\n\nIntention to publish date\n\n\nParticipant level data\n\n\nBasic results (scientific)\n\nPublication list\n\nPublication citations\n\nAdditional files\n\nEditorial Notes\n\n14/01/2019: The following changes have been made: 1. The overall trial end date has been changed from 30/09/2018 to 31/03/2019. 2. The intention to publish date has been changed from 31/07/2018 to 31/05/2019. 08/11/2017: The ISRCTN prospective/retrospective flag compares the date of registration with the recruitment start date and does not include any grace period. The registration of this study was requested through the NIHR Portfolio and was finalised within 6 months of the recruitment starting.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6283645629882812}
+{"content": "Ketofast Ketofast\n\n\nWhat's the Evidence for the Gluten-Free Lifestyle?\n\nGluten is a protein made up of glutenin and gliadin molecules, which in the presence of water form an elastic bond. Gluten is most commonly found in wheat, rye and barley. For those with celiac disease, a severe gastrointestinal (GI) reaction to gluten, a gluten-free diet is vital. But physicians are also starting to recognize that many have some level of gluten intolerance or sensitivity, and fare better on a gluten-free diet even if they don’t have celiac disease. One recent experiment by BBC News provided some evidence that people can feel better on a gluten-free lifestyle, but overall their results were inconclusive.\n\nA GUT FEELING: Researchers are also looking into other ingredients in wheat and have discovered there are a number of other proteins and compounds that can cause sensitivity. So if you find yourself feeling better on a gluten-free diet, even if you’ve been cleared of celiac disease, you could be sensitive to some of the other ingredients in wheat. You can read about how gluten and modern food processing contribute to poor health to learn more.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5725669264793396}
+{"content": "How to Make a Fidget Kit or Sensory Kit\n\nFocusing Fidget Kit from The Therapy Shoppe\n\nFidget kits are used to help children, teenagers, or adults focus and maintain attention during challenging activities such as learning in a classroom setting or seminar. Fidget kits should contain sensory items that help maintain attention and focus but do not distract the person from learning or distract others in their environment. Fidget kits are often used as part of a sensory diet.\n\nBefore starting to make a fidget kit for an elementary, high school, or college classroom setting it is important to talk with the classroom teacher/lecturer or special education teacher to find out what items they are comfortable with allowing in their classroom.\n\nNext it's time to identify what items to put in your kit.\n\nThe sensory system is made up of: vision smell hearing taste touch vestibular/movement senses *and proprioception/muscle and joint senses.\n\nStretchy String can be found in the Therapy Shoppe Catalog.\n\nUsing these senses explore things in your environment and label them calming, alerting, or indifferent.\n\nFor example: Vision- using colored high lighters, colored pencils, using a ruler or half sheet of paper to keep your place when reading etc...\n\nSmell- different scented lotions, lips gloss, therapy putty, or markers.\n\nHearing- different types of music- rock to classical to nature sounds to play into headphones.\n\nTaste- sweet, sour, bitter, crunchy, or chewy foods. Alerting candies often include sour, hot, or chewy textures. Popular items for sensory kits include Red Hots, Lemon Drops, and Bubble Gum.\n\nTouch: different textures- soft, hard, spiky, silky, bumpy, ect can be found on pencil fidgets, pencil grips, key chains, small toys (that can be hidden in your hand or pocket), Koosh balls, and different textured squishy balls etc.. Touch also includes cold or hot liquids such as a cold water bottle.\n\nVestibular/Movement: Sit and Move Cushion (see Therapy Shoppe catalog), sitting on a exercise ball, T-Stool, or a chair that allows movement.\n\nProprioception/Muscle and Joint: Therapy putty, modeling clay, rubber bands, squishy balls, stress balls, Silly Putty, play dough etc..\n\nThis fidget keeper can be found in the Abilitation Catalog.\n\nIf you are often bored or have a low arousal level put the items that you labeled ALERTING in your fidget kit. If you have a high arousal put the things that you labeled CALMING in your fidget kit. If you are a mix of both put both items in your kit.\n\nThese Sit and Move Cushions can be found in the Therapy Shoppe Catalog.\n\nFidget kits when used appropriately are very successful in helping the individual maintain attention and focus. They are often used as part of a sensory diet in the classroom setting.\n\nThese pencil fidgets can be found in the Abilitation Catalog.\n\nOnly put items in the fidget kit that will be nondistracting to both the user and others in their environment.\n\nOccupational therapists and special education teachers are often good resources in creating fidget kits.\n\nThis Study Buddy scent inhaler can be found in the Abilitation Catalog.\n\nFidget kits may need to be modified after time based on the needs of the user.\n\n\nGo to The Therapy Shoppe for good ideas on things that can be included in a fidget kit at Therapy Catalogs such as Abilitations can also provide you with unique products to put in your fidget kits. Chain stores such as Walmart, Kmart, Target, and Walgreens offer have similar products such as stress balls for less cost than therapy catalogs.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8631738424301147}
+{"content": "Seem familiar? (Picture: Getty)\n\nWorking from home is a perk that many of us aren’t lucky enough to have, but the commuting life doesn’t have to be that awful.\n\nILLUSTRATION: The hairy truth about PCOS - the condition that makes me feel less of a woman metro illustrations ella byworthThe hairy truth about PCOS - the condition that makes me feel less of a woman\n\nThe thought of commuting, especially when relying upon public transport strikes fear into the hearts of workers all across the land, but there are some advantages.\n\nThe commute to your place of work can actually be a great opportunity to learn a new skill, brush up on life admin or just observe all the characters lurking around on the train or bus.\n\nHere are some tips and ideas that will definitely improve your commute.\n\n1. Wear comfy shoes\n\nYep those shiny smart shoes looked great online, and compliment your power outfits for work beautifully, but you realised they have a sinister side to them the moment you have to break out into a power walk for the train.\n\n\nLeave those shoes at work, and invest in a comfortable pair of trainers. Not only will it make running for transport easier, it will also keep your precious twinkle toes warm.\n\n2. Find good music\n\nThink back to when you were younger and you knew exactly which songs were new and you spent all your time discovering different types of music. And then you started working and became more involved with things like performance reviews and spreadsheets.\n\nWell your commute is the perfect chance to devise the perfect soundtrack for your journey. You’ll be surprised at what you will find.\n\n3. Or an interesting podcast\n\nIf music isn’t your thing, then there is a whole range of free podcasts to tune into, covering topics like current affairs, history and sports.\n\nAnd it will give you something to talk about during lunch with your colleagues, and make you look very cultured and fancy.\n\nYoung girl listening to music on public transport\n\n4. Plan ahead\n\nThere are a whole range of apps to help minimise the risks of being late, encountering a cancelled train and these will help reduce your commuter rage.\n\nAlways plan your journey ahead, and it’s a good idea to use an app to map your exact route as soon as you wake up, as they provide live traffic updates.\n\n5. Walk as much as possible\n\nIt’s tempting to get on a bus for ten minutes rather than walking for thirty, but just think of what a good exercise opportunity you are passing up.\n\n\nYou’ll end up feeling more fit, saving on travel fare and getting a good dose of fresh air.\n\n6. Life admin\n\nYou know all those things like booking a dentist appointment, or doing your online grocery shopping or writing a letter of complaint that you swear you never have time for?\n\nWell the commute is a great time to catch up on life admin and you will be amazed at just how much you can tick off on your to do list.\n\n7. Learn a new skill\n\nSitting or standing in one spot can get boring, but not if you’re using the time to learn more skills like a new language on an app, or doing an online course on your phone or even knitting a basic design.\n\n8. Finish that reading list\n\nRemember how you have that book collection slowly piling up in the corner of your bedroom? And you’re always maintaining that you will get round to reading it, but then you never do?\n\nYour commute is a decent time to sink into a good book. Not only will it mean being able to avoid all eye contact with everyone else, but you will finally get through that list.\n\n9. Avoid eye contact\n\nIt’s just awkward, it invites conversation and it should be avoided at all costs.\n\nEspecially if you are commuting in London, because your friendly eye contact will not be appreciated by anyone.\n\n10. Try to keep calm\n\nIt can get crowded, it can get pushy and sometimes the hardest part of your day isn’t what happens at work, but actually the ordeal of getting to work and back.\n\n\nKeep in mind it’s only for a short part of your day, and keep some snacks and a bottle of water nearby to keep yourself calm.\n\n11. Umbrella please\n\nCongratulations, you live in the United Kingdom, aka the land of constant grey skies and a lot of rain.\n\nBest invest in a decent strong umbrella, next to headphones it will be your greatest source of comfort during the journey.\n\n12. Invest in appropriate clothing\n\nThink back to that raincoat you got one year for a festival and decided you would never use it again. Or those extra thick wooly gloves that are buried in your drawer.\n\nDig these out, because they will be your secret weapon to keeping dry and snug at 7am in the freezing cold.\n\n13. Observe and enjoy\n\nAnd if you really cannot find any joy in the thought of your daily commute well simply look around and observe the eccentric characters all around you.\n\nLike the stressed out parent trying to keep control over three children at 7.30am, or the man with the dog large enough to pass for a pony.\n\nMORE: How to travel on the Tube if you have anxiety\n\nMORE: 6 helpful tricks that could stop you dreading heading to work every morning\n\nMORE: 15 things you know if you commute by Tube", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8315315246582031}
+{"content": "How Friendships Between Nurses Can Reduce Stress\n\nHow Friendships Between Nurses Can Reduce Stress\n\nNurses have intense experiences that most other health care workers don’t. As a result, they tend to have a great deal of stress. Having friendships with other nurses tends to alleviate it and help in more ways than you might imagine.\n\nOnly nurses understand what other nurses truly go through, says nurse practitioner, former attorney, author, and career/lifestyle blogger Meika Mirabelli, JD, MSN, FNP-C, founder of, which helps both health care students and professionals live balanced, successful lives through sharing career and studying tips. Mirabelli knows firsthand how having friendships with other nurses can make a huge difference in the workplace—and how not having them can hurt.\n\n“I have experienced horrible treatment by nurses who were in the field of nursing longer than I have been. During those times, I would have to lock myself in the bathroom to hide and cry. I would count the days until I was done with that job and celebrated when I turned in my resignation,” Mirabelli recalls. But the good has outweighed the bad. “I have also worked with great nurses with whom I still have a bond today. My experience with those wonderful nurses definitely reduced stress and made me a better nurse and a better person. I have thoroughly enjoyed my shifts when I have coworkers that I could call my friends. I also was able to sleep better at night and looked forward to going to work.”\n\nResearch has shown that friendships between nurses can reduce stressful situations. A 2016 study published in PLOS ONE found that the “degree of cohesion among friends had a positive impact on the level of job stress experienced by nurses.” The study concluded overall that the “strength and density of such friendship networks were related to job stress. Life information support from their friendship network was the primary positive contributor to control of job stress.”\n\nWhile it’s important to understand what research has discovered, it’s just as—if not more—crucial for nurses to know how this can help them in real-life situations.\n\nWhy Friendships Help\n\n“There will always be bonds and friendships forged when you work with people in close proximity for long periods of time,” says James LaVelle Dickens, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, FAANP, who serves in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regional office in Dallas, Texas, as the senior program manager officer for the Office of Minority Health. “Having strong friendships at work is known to reduce stress. A study by Gallup found that people with a best friend at work are seven times more likely to be engaged with their job.”\n\n“I can think of many times when friendships with other Nurse Practitioners (NPs) have made a difference in my life,” says Dickens. “Sometimes, it’s having someone lift our own spirits after we’ve delivered a difficult diagnosis to a patient. Sometimes, it’s offering a younger colleague with coaching to help them be the best professional they can be.”\n\n“Nobody really understands what a nurse does like a nurse, so those relationships provide support, and that support helps bring stress down,” says Benjamin Evans, DD, DNP, RN, APN, PHMCNS-BC, president of the New Jersey State Nurses Association.\n\nEvans explains that what makes nurses so different from other health care professions is that they are with patients more than anyone else. Other health care professionals may come and do a test, treatment, or procedure on a patient, but then they leave. The nurses are the ones who stay behind and help the patients cope with their stress, pain, or fear resulting from these processes or their conditions.\n\nBut this is just one example of why nurses have so much stress. Dickens says that other reasons are heavy caseloads, interactions with patients and their family members who may not recognize the significant challenges of their complex health conditions, and dealing with death.\n\n“Oftentimes, the families are more demanding than the patients,” says Evans.\n\n“Every decision a nurse makes affects the health status of their patients,” says Judith Schmidt, RN, MSN, ONC, CCRN, CEO of the New Jersey States Nurses Association. “The public doesn’t realize how stressful these areas can be. If a nurse makes a mistake, it can mean a patient’s life. You have the life-and-death situations with the patients, their families, and the administration.”\n\n“Nurses have the type of job that requires a lot of mental clarity, physical demands, and empathy towards patients and their families,” says Flo Leighton, MS, RN, PMHNP-BC, a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner in private practice at Union Square Practice as well as an adjunct faculty member at New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing.\n\nThe difficult work, both physical and mental, is why having friendships is necessary. It’s also great to have others who completely understand you.\n\nFriends “Get” You\n\nErin Parisi, LMHC, CAP, owner of Erin C. Parisi Counseling & Consulting, LLC, learned about nursing friendships while working as a therapist in a residential treatment setting alongside nurses every day. “My biggest takeaway has been that having friends who are ‘in the trenches’ with you helps manage stress. In nursing, not only are you coping with the system you work in, with a boss/manager you may or may not like, and office politics, but you also have a really specialized knowledge that not everyone has,” says Parisi. “In a system where not everyone you work with is in the same role, you might end up feeling a little more alone in your job. Non-nurses who don’t have the same or similar training may not understand your jokes or fully wrap their heads around your stressors.\n\n“A lot of nurses have a dark sense of humor, which not everyone has an appreciation for. Not only is the friendship of a fellow nurse providing stress relief, but being able to make dark/weird/gross jokes to someone else who will understand and also think it’s funny can reduce stress in a big way,” explains Parisi.\n\n“Sharing a laugh in the midst of a stressful day lowers your blood pressure and helps put everything in perspective,” says Dickens. Having someone else who understands what makes nurses tick and what makes the profession unlike any other serves as the backbone of these types of relationships, he adds. “Having that support network and camaraderie does an NP’s mental health a ton of good.”\n\nShanna Shafer, RN, BSN, nursing expert, managing editor, and strategic communications manager at has spent ten years in the nursing field working in everything from home health, hospice, a community health center to vascular access, and in a burn intensive care unit. At the burn unit she says, “Friendships with other nurses blossomed and were essential to my own survival and mental health.” The bonds that nurses develop in various situations are amazing, she adds.\n\nParisi adds that nurses witness and work on a daily basis with experiences that most people do not. While everyone else in a nurse’s group outside work—non-nurse friends, family, spouses, and significant others—can provide support, they simply can’t connect with nurses like other nurses or coworkers can.\n\n“Given the fact that nurses spend so much time at work—sometimes even more time than at home with loved ones—having friends at work can help make a shift more enjoyable. Nurses who work with you know what the day-to-day struggle looks like on any given shift,” explains Leighton. “The ability to get perspective from a work friend who understands how to handle on-the-job situations builds resilience and normalizes stressful situations. It makes us feel like we’re understood and not alone in the tasks that challenge us.”\n\nHaving someone who “gets” you, can reduce stress and make you feel better in various workplace situations. “Research has shown that social health is an importance factor in stress management. Therefore, friendships among nurses could influence rewarding benefits in processing work-related stressors,” says Amy Moreira, LMHC, owner of More MH Counseling, LLC. “The nursing field is a challenging, demanding, and rewarding job with its own characteristics that are, at times, not fully understood by the general public…A nurse who finds friendship with other nurses can benefit from their shared direct experience, allowing themselves to feel better heard and understood—which is an important part of healing in stress management. Potential solutions can be offered from a different perspective with a more solution-focused outcome than advice from other friends and family. Workplace friendships among nurses allows for in-the-moment support and allows for open processing without the need to explain certain contextual aspects.”\n\nNurses Eat Their Young\n\nThere’s the old adage that “Nurses eat their young.” Some more experienced nurses have been known to let the young ones flounder., though, has a new campaign to dispel this adage called “Nurses support their young.” The campaign is significant because when nurses are friends, the stress of the entire unit, floor, or facility can decrease.\n\n“It’s important for nurses to friend new nurses to allow for effective learning and adjustment on the team, including the patient,” explains Moreira. “Establishing friendships and aiding newer nurses can contribute to a more positive workplace environment and job satisfaction. Friendships between nurses can allow for a more experienced nurse to take on a ‘coaching’ role that enables stress-free learning with laughter, support, and understanding. Working past any frustrations associated with newer nurses lacking knowledge can often be processed when reflecting upon past mishaps in the experienced nurse’s own career.”\n\n“It makes for a healthy work environment when there are coworkers whom you work with whom you can be friends with and discuss difficult issues and challenges that you couldn’t to someone outside the profession,” says Schmidt.\n\nAnd a healthy workplace will influence other people and environments as well.\n\nThe Ripple Effect\n\nWhen nurses are friends, they aren’t just nice to each other, but they look out for each other. While working as a staff nurse, Leighton developed a core group of nursing friends. “We collectively pitched in to make sure that if someone needed a day off or a last-minute shift coverage, we helped one another. It was an unspoken understanding that we took care of one another,” she recalls.\n\n“While I think that friendship is important in all aspects of our lives, we do know that workplace friendships are tied to higher levels of job satisfaction, engagement in work and performance, as well as overall team cohesion,” says Dickens. “I wholeheartedly believe that a support system at work and in our personal lives is key.”\n\nNurses who have friends in their workplace can also assist each other during stressful situations by giving each other someone to vent to. “It can put that nurse who is stressed in a better frame of mind. It almost permeates an entire unit if one nurse is stressed and could cause others to become stressed,” he says.\n\nDickens adds that if a nurse is stressed, patients can sense it in the nurse’s voice and body language. But the opposite is true as well: a happy nurse can make a happy patient.\n\nAnd sometimes a happy nurse, can just make a happy nurse. That can be essential enough. Nurses who are less stressed because of friendships can have improved mental, emotional, and physical wellness, says Moreira. “Nurses with reduced stress often prioritize self-care, which allows them to give their best selves to others.”\n\nPreventing Nurse Burnout\n\nPreventing Nurse Burnout\n\nWorking as a nurse can be tough. Because they are so focused on patients, they may not see when they’re experiencing burnout—and that can lead to problems with themselves or with being able to properly care for patients.\n\nBut there are ways to recognize it and to counteract it. Sarah A. Delgado, MSN, RN, ACNP, a Clinical Practice Specialist with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses says that there are ways to identify burnout as well as ways of coping with it.\n\nWhat are some tips for nurses so that they can prevent burnout?\n\n The first step with burnout is to recognize when it’s happening. Some signs of burnout include:\n\n  • Feeling that you have to drag yourself to work, and that tasks at work take more energy than you can muster\n  • Feeling irritable, critical, or cynical with coworkers\n  • Having physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach pains or trouble sleeping\n\nNurses may try to dismiss these symptoms, especially in the busyness of the holidays, because they feel compelled to power through, no matter what. The truth is that recognizing and addressing burnout can actually be energizing; just realizing that you deserve to feel better is the first step toward positive change.\n\nCoworkers can help each other call attention to burnout. If you notice someone is struggling, it may be worthwhile to check in and ask how they are doing. Burnout can be a team problem if it is pervasive on a unit because it’s hard to come to work when the people you work with are dissatisfied, short tempered, or unable to sense the value of their work. So recognizing the symptoms and checking in with colleagues is an essential strategy.\n\nBurnout is a complex phenomenon and while there are self-care actions that nurses can take to address it, factors in the work environment contribute to burnout. Worry that patient care is compromised by an inadequate staffing mix, feeling that administrators are not responsive to clinical issues, and poor communication among health care team members are examples of issues in the work environment that can led to the mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion of burnout.\n\nIssues in the work environment are not insurmountable but a single member of the environment cannot address all of these issues alone. If you are a nurse working in an unhealthy work environment that contributes to burnout, maybe create a New Year’s resolution to talk to your colleagues about it. If you find that they share your feelings, there may be factors beyond your control contributing to the problem.\n\nConsider forming a group and seeking support from management to identify specific steps toward a healthy work environment. The American Association for Critical Care Nurses has resources including the AACN Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments and an online assessment tool that units can use to evaluate their environment and identify ways to make it healthier.\n\nWhat are the best action steps they can to take?\n\nThere is some evidence that mediation and mindfulness practices can significantly reduce anxiety and worry. There are resources online and applications to help learn these techniques. The National Academy of Medicine provides a list of resources.\n\nAttending to the basics—sleep, exercise, and nutrition—also helps with the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion of burnout. Sometimes, it is easier to advise others on self-care than to take the time to do it for ourselves. The American Nurses Association initiative Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation provides a structure for nurses to think about their own self-care and develop healthy habits.\n\nWhen you find yourself feeling relaxed and rested, think back to what you were doing at that time. Were you talking to a friend, exercising, drawing, spending time with family, reading a novel, or watching a movie? Being deliberate in engaging in the activities that bring joy can reduce the stress of burnout.\n\nWhat kind of self-care should they do?\n\nI think a key antidote to burnout is satisfaction in your work. There are some shifts that are so frustrating and so exhausting! Then there are also moments when you comfort a frightened family member, catch a change in a patient’s condition, or hear “thank you” from a colleague—moments when you know your actions have a positive impact on someone else. Those moments are priceless. Keep a log or a journal by your bed or create a note in your phone with a list of your priceless moments as a nurse, and take time to re-visit them from time to time. The way you felt in those moments is as real and as powerful as the negative emotions.\n\nWhat else do they need to be aware of?\n\nLeaders and organizations in health care are increasingly taking action on the issue of burnout. As mentioned, the ANA launched the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation project. The Critical Care Societies Collaborative, a collection of four professional organizations, also identified burnout as a priority issue. Information and videos from their summit on this topic can be found here. Finally, the National Academy of Medicine created an online resource, the Clinician Well-Being Knowledge Hub, that offers individual and system level strategies to combat burnout. I think this website can be validating; it is important to recognize that you are not alone in feeling burnout as a member of the health care workforce.\n\nRecognizing Depression in Your Patients\n\nRecognizing Depression in Your Patients\n\nWhile the holiday season can be a lot of fun, it can also be a time that makes a lot of people become depressed. Whether it’s because they’ve lost family or friends, they’re experiencing rough times, or they are in the hospital and/or are ill, it can make many sad.\n\nThere’s a difference between regular sadness and depression, though. And it’s important to be able to recognize if your patients are experiencing depression. According to Sharon R. Kowalchuk, RN, DPN, Director of Nursing at Silver Hill Hospital (an academic affiliate of the Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry), nurses can recognize symptoms of depression in their patients. “In any setting, patients may come to our attention with reports of loss of energy, anxiety, aches and pains, headache, insomnia, changes in appetite, or a significant weight loss or gain in a short period of time. These symptoms are not necessarily signs of depression, but they call for further exploration,” says Kowalchuk.\n\nWhat are the specific signs that you can recognize as being those of depression? “It is easiest to recognize depression when the patient reports feeling sad, empty, hopeless, having difficulty enjoying usually pleasurable activities or sex. The more subtle signs may be irritability, restlessness, becoming more cranky than usual, having difficulty keeping up with everyday routines, or focusing on TV or reading. Expressing feelings of pessimism, guilt about one’s life, thinking a lot about losses or failures, believing things will not get better—these are more concerning symptoms,” explains Kowalchuk. As difficult as it might be, she says, “You will need to ask if they have thought about suicide.”\n\nIf you recognize these signs in patients, it’s important to get more information about any action they may have taken to prepare for suicide. “A key question is whether they have attempted suicide or began a suicide attempt that was interrupted by another person—or they stopped of their own volition,” says Kowalchuk. She adds that these questions are outlined in the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), a protocol that uses simple, plain language questions that anyone can ask to assess risk.\n\nDepending on the level of risk or the particular setting, says Kowalchuk, the nurse caring for this patient may need to refer him or her to a mental health professional.\n\n“Holidays are times that bring up life events, feelings of loss or loneliness, placing all of us at risk. The consequence of undetected depression is death by suicide,” she says. “According to the suicide experts at The Lighthouse Project, ‘Just ask, you can save a life.’”\n\nNew Study Links Less Collaboration with Working Overtime\n\nNew Study Links Less Collaboration with Working Overtime\n\nThis past spring, Chenjuan Ma, PhD, and Amy Witkoski Stimpfel, PhD, RN, both assistant professors at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, published a study in the Journal of Nursing Administration that examined whether working overtime can negatively influence how nurses collaborate with other nurses and physicians. In their study “The Association Between Nurse Shift Patterns and Nurse-Nurse and Nurse Physician Collaboration in Acute Care Hospital Units,” the researchers concluded that one third of all nurses work longer than they are normally scheduled, and as a result, their ability to collaborate decreases.\n\nDrs. Ma and Stimpfel took time to talk about the study and its results.\n\nWhy did you decide to do this study in the first place?\n\nDr. Stimpfel: There has been increasing interest in how to manage shift work and overtime hours for nurses due to the impact of fatigue on patient safety and quality. Collaboration has been identified as being a factor that is influential in patient safety and quality as well. We know that our ability to work effectively and regulate emotions—key to collaboration—diminishes with increasing wakefulness and fatigue. We could not find literature to support the relationship between work hours/overtime and collaboration in the nursing literature, which is why we conducted this study.\n\nIt’s interesting that nurses who work regular shifts of 11.88 hours or longer regular shifts of 12.17 hours don’t have a decrease in collaboration. But if nurses working that first shift of 11.88 hours had to work a shift of 12.17 hours—which would mean overtime—they would have a decrease in collaboration. Did you discover why this happens?\n\nDr. Stimpfel: Our data did not detail why working overtime resulted in decreased collaboration. However, the conceptual model in our study helps guide our hypothesis about why this relationship occurs. As nurses work longer shifts, often unexpectedly, this increases wakefulness. Prolonged wakefulness can result in less ability to make decisions and regulate emotions, which may lead to greater difficulties in collaboration. As suggested by our findings, this is more likely to happen when nurses have to unexpectedly work longer than scheduled.\n\nDoes any amount of overtime cause problems with collaboration between nurses and other health care professionals?\n\nDr. Ma: With our current study design (i.e., observational, cross-sectional design), we were not able to detect the minimum amount required to lead to changes in collaboration. However, as the very first study of its kind, our study provided empirical evidence of a significant association between work hours/overtime and collaboration. Our current study suggested that one hour of overtime was associated with 0.17 decrease on the RN-RN scale. In other words, a 0.17 decrease from mean score of the RN-RN scale suggest that a unit’s rank on the RN-RN score would drop from 50th percentile to approximately 30th percentile.\n\nWhy is collaboration so important?\n\nDr. Ma: Collaboration is critical for quality care and patient safety. When working collaboratively, different parties in the patient-care team—including nurses and physicians—will share objectives, responsibility, decision making, and power to achieve patient care goals.\n\nPrevious studies have shown that patients receive superior care and have better outcomes in hospitals where nurses collaborate well with other health care providers. Without good collaboration among health care providers, quality patient care may be compromised.\n\nWere you surprised by the results of your research?\n\nDr. Ma: Not really. Maybe the high number of nurses—one in three nurses—reported working longer than scheduled.\n\nDo you have any suggestions for what should be done so that collaboration doesn’t diminish?\n\nDr. Ma: One highlight of our findings is the significant association between longer overtime and decreased collaboration. This finding suggests that one strategy to improve collaboration is to minimize nurse overtime as much as possible by a variety of means, better shift scheduling, and predicting and ensuring adequate staffing, etc.\n\nIs there anything regarding this research that you think is important for readers to know?\n\nDr. Stimpfel: Our findings have broad implications, not just for nurses, but also for other health care providers who are at risk for shift work-related fatigue. Effective teamwork and collaboration are critical to patient outcomes, thus, managing shift work and overtime hours are important for the entire heath care team.\n\nWorking as a Hospice Nurse\n\nWorking as a Hospice Nurse\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHow do you keep your spirits up?\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat are the biggest challenges of your job?\n\n\nWhat are the greatest rewards?\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9855141639709473}
+{"content": "This is an offering from the Power Flower discussion at the last national meeting in October. I hope it gives further food for thought and, at least, keep the issue of -isms in the forefront of dialogue.\n\n\nTo fully understand privilege, we have to first unpack its two close relatives – bias and prejudice. While we tend to use these words interchangeably, they are quite different. Bias is an ingrained preference for or against particular things, and it ranges from the mundane to the notorious. Preferring strawberries over apples is a bias, as is having a preference for white people or against people of color. One is relatively harmless and mild, while the other may be hurtful to both persons involved. Prejudice is pre-judgment based on some criteria or bias. It is one thing to be biased towards whites, but another to prejudge the characteristic of white as better than all other possibilities. Prejudice elevates bias to an action or belief system that is illogical and not just hurtful, but potentially truly harmful.\n\nEach and every one of us have biases. We cannot live without them, essentially. Bias, however, is an initial thought that can generally be easily examined and set aside if it is of no use, or retained if it is positive. Prejudice is a decision made based on bias without benefit of reflection. Prejudice is more visceral and is more likely to be rationalized and justified by generalizing that the bias is legitimate. This is many times done by insinuating a very specific incident into a general “truth”, which in reality would likely contain very little real truth. Prejudice elevates our own bias to an idol, if you will, and usually has negative consequences for the recipient of the prejudgment.\n\nIf prejudice is bias with action, then privilege is the result of giving bias power and authority. Privilege is the benefit that accrues to the person or group that has to endure the least bias and/or prejudice. In this sense, privilege can be invisible. Since people of color are a common target of bias and prejudice, and since I am not a person of color, then I benefit, perhaps quite indirectly, from my privileged position that I did nothing to earn. Since women experience bias and prejudice frequently, I have privilege because I am not a woman.\n\n\nFig 1.\n\nThere are any number of criteria that can generate privilege. An interesting exercise is an old tool called the Power Flower. When it most interesting is before and during an immersion trip into a completely different culture. The results become fascinating. Anyway, the Power Flower, which as far as I can tell is freely available in the public domain, is shown in Fig 1. (Please let me know if I am wrong about being in the public domain.)\n\nI’ve already filled in the outer ring, just for illustration purposes. These categories are the most common used when I do this exercise in groups. I ask participants to talk about and write in some of the most common characteristics that give privilege or that are a source of prejudice. You will rarely reach total consensus on all the categories if the group has more than 6 participants. In this case, it is interesting as a presenter to watch how decisions are made and then to use this as an illustration later on.\n\n Next, we fill in the second ring with the characteristic that is most commonly associated with positions of power, prestige, authority or privilege. People will want to use specific examples against a common trait being dominant, and it will usually be someone who possesses that characteristic. When “male” is put in the gender category, it is not uncommon for a man to say something like, “yeah, but I know of plenty of women in positions of power,” and then possibly be able to name one or two. The normal response, when the spotlight is trained on privilege, is to deny being a recipient of its benefit.\n\n\nFig 2\nFig 2\n\nFig 2 shows a relatively normal second circle for a group of US residents. It would obviously look different if you filling it out in Equitorial Guinea or Ethiopia – maybe. The next step is the easiest and the most telling. You simply fill in the center circle with 1’s and 0’s – 1 if you are male, 0 if you are not, etc – and then add up your score. In a decent sized group the conversation can become quite lively from here on in.\n\nI, for instance, have a privilege/power rating of 10, possibly 11 since I can pass for upper class when I need to. I have innate privilege because I am a white, English-speaking, married, 54-year old, fully abled, Christian, heterosexual male with a graduate degree living in New York. How would a black lesbian from Alabama fare on the scale? How about if she had a high school diploma and hearing difficulties?\n\nPlay with it and think about it for a short while. I will be back to finish this.\n\n[Imagine music playing softly in the background.]\n\nOkay, I’m back.\n\nPrivilege, then, is the mirror of institutionalized bias – the result for those who are not the object of the bias. The best definition of racism I have heard is “the exercise of bias and prejudice against a race in concert with the inherent power afforded by society to institutionalize or normalize that prejudice.” In essence, whenever you have a situation where laws are passed by a legislature that reflects a majority and enforced by systems that also reflect that majority, institutionalized bias is unavoidably inherent in the system and grants privilege to those in the majority. This is not just true for matters of race, but also of gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, religion and virtually all the other characteristics found in the outer circle of the Power Flower.\n\nIn the US, the balance of power in government was set up to try to minimize this inequity. Basically, that is the role of the court system. Forgetting, for a minute, that the court system also reflects the majority population, it is designed to equalize the system of laws to make sure that benefit is not granted to the majority on the backs of those who are not equally represented. In short, the courts are, to the best of their ability, to prevent unconscious or intentional “tyranny of the majority”. Exactly when courts are accused of superceding the “will of the people” they are fulfilling their role effectively. The “will of the people” (translate “majority”) is not the basis of democracy, but rather the basis of fascism. (Interestingly, I had to return to correct what may have been a Freudian slip – I type demoncracy instead of democracy.)\n\n\nAs this is a thought process in progress, I will return yet again to add more.\n\nAuthored by Rev Andy Little.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9475542902946472}
+{"content": "\n\n\n\nI would suggest that Anura Kumara Dissanayake also was lax in not pushing the matter through the National Advisory Council. But he seems, as Ranil had perhaps anticipated, to have adopted the view that consultation means everyone concentrating on their own particular interests. So he had worked on the Code of Conduct, and given in a draft swiftly. But then he seems to have given up, and pressed neither for that nor for anything else. He contented himself with bemoaning the fact that the Council hardly met, and himself did nothing to revive it – and now, as Rajitha Senaratne admitted, it no longer functions.\n\nAnura could claim that he bears no responsibility for the President’s manifesto, but that is not the case with those in the government who kept sedulously quiet. Rishard Bathiudeen, who waxed eloquent about his determination to oppose the 20th Amendment, which he wanted withdrawn, does not seem prepared to engage in discussions to amend it to incorporate some of the sound points he made. Such determination is unusual in someone who acted like a mouse during the time the last government was in power, and who has done the same under his new master, while his empire expands at the expense of poor Jayawickrema Perera. The conclusion is inescapable that the mouse is now roaring because he feels this is what the new master wants.\n\nWhat the new master wants is obvious from the fact that he stymied the efforts of the President to satisfy the concerns of the minor parties. The initial draft of the 20th Amendment had a figure of 255, which it seemed was needed if the representation of minorities was to remain at current levels. I should note that the figure struck me as excessive, but I thought it should be accepted since any change should not be, or seem to be, at the expense of the minorities. However Ranil was not prepared to accept this, and got the Cabinet to accept the current figure of 225.\n\nHe knows perfectly well that this will upset the minorities. He also knows that the Elections Commissioner said it would be very difficult to cut down constituencies from the current 160 to 125 as he proposed. He ignored the compromise suggested by the Commissioner of 140, just as he tried to ignore the principle of two votes, which would also have assuaged the worries of the minorities. Indeed he went into a state of denial when I proposed this, and claimed only I wanted this, whereas others had supported in the discussion. Fortunately the spoke up when I objected to his sweeping statement, and only he and Nimal Siripala (and for some strange reason Vasudeva Nanayakkara) wanted to stick to just one vote.\n\nThat I think would be the best way of satisfying the fears of the minorities, that voters would feel obliged to choose a candidate from the major parties, even if they preferred another party. This fear is justified, and would lead to a distortion of the final composition of Parliament, since it would increase the share of the major parties.\n\nBut at the same time I do not think what Rishard Bathiudeen seemed to claim is true, that the major parties would not nominate minority candidates. He mentioned Borella, where we know that for years the UNP had M H Mohamed as its, usually victorious, candidate. And giving each voter two votes, one for a candidate to represent the constituency, and the other for a party to determine the final composition of parliament, would also enable the major parties to choose the best candidate possible, without worrying about sectarian considerations, since those would be taken care of by the party vote.\n\nI should note here the objection raised by the JHU, which has now come out strongly against two votes, that that would contribute to a proliferation of sectarian parties. I do not think that would happen, since we have by and large moved to a more inclusive vision of society. At the same time, we must cater for areas where such interests are dominant, which is precisely why reducing constituencies to 125 is not sensible.\n\nAll this should of course have been discussed in the all party committee that was supposed to have been set up in January. Certainly the discussions when the issue came to the fore were generally productive. But this happened only during the last couple of months, after the UPFA made clear that its support for the 19th Amendment was contingent about the 20th too being passed. This is a coherent position, because a weakening of the Presidency should lead to a strengthening of the role of individual Parliamentarians.\n\nThe President, who has a more sincere commitment to the promises he made than the instruments he chose to fulfil them, shared the view of the UPFA and said he too believed electoral reform is essential. It is entirely because of his determination that we have a draft on the table. He has also shown himself willing to compromise on the details while remaining firm on the principles, which is how he ensured that the 19th Amendment was passed with near unanimity.\n\nWhat seems to me commitment to essentials within a culture of compromise is what makes me continue to hope that he will turn out an exemplary President, whose vision of comprehensive reform is fulfilled effectively. But for that he needs partners who share that vision, and are committed to consultation. It is crystal clear that this is not the style of the Prime Minister, as even his Chief Whip has admitted.\n\nI hope then that the President looks again at his manifesto, sees the other areas – including the Code of Conduct – where swift action is both necessary and possible, and takes steps to ensure that his commitments are fulfilled.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8941245675086975}
+{"content": "Posts Tagged 'connecting the dots'\n\nIslamist violent extremism and anarchist violent extremism\n\n\n  3. It’s the result of psychological disturbance in its adherents.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRadicalisation as infection\n\n\n\n\n\n\nQuestions are data too\n\nIn the followup investigation of the Boston Marathon bombings, we see again the problem that data analytics has with questions.\n\nDatabases are built to store data. But, as Jeff Jones has most vocally pointed out, simply keeping the data is not enough in adversarial settings. You also need to keep the questions, and treat them as part of the ongoing data. The reason is obvious once you think about it — intelligence analysts need not only to know the known facts; they also need to know that someone else has asked the same question they just asked. Questions are part of the mental model of analysts, part of their situational awareness, but current systems don’t capture this part and preserve it so that others can build on it. In other words, we don’t just need to connect the dots; we need to connect the edges!\n\nAnother part of this is that, once questions are kept, they can be re-asked automatically. This is immensely powerful. At present, an analyst can pose a question (“has X ever communicated with Y?”), get a negative answer, only for information about such a communication to arrive a microsecond later and not be noticed. In fast changing environments, this can happen frequently, but it’s implausible to expect analysts to remember and re-pose their questions at intervals, just in case.\n\nWe still have some way to go with the tools and techniques available for intelligence analysis.\n\nThe power is in the edges\n\n\n\n\n\n“Info Systems Must ‘Connect Dots’ on Terrorism” by Mannes and Hendler\n\nThere’s a new article in Defense News making some of the same points I’ve been making here: that accumulating data is not enough; what’s missing is tools to process the data and point out to human analysts what and where the important stuff is.\n\nMannes and Hendler make two good points: that it’s not about more data; and it’s not about being able to fuse data from different sources, although these are both good things. The problem is that there is still too much data to find out anything interesting, especially in a timely way.\n\nI do believe that it’s important and useful to be able to automatically deduce what kind of object a given string describes, and so hypothesise what its attributes might be — so that people names come with locations and relatives. I’m not convinced that this has much to do with the Semantic Web (and I’m fairly sure you can generate a knock down fight by asking any two Semantic Web researchers to give a precise definition of what it is).\n\nIt’s sad, in a way, that the technology that is used as the ubiquitous metaphor for post-9/11 knowledge discovery (connecting the dots) is still the piece that isn’t being done! (I made the same point about the Australian government’s white paper which has a gaping hole about exactly this issue.)\n\nThoughts on the Australian Government White Paper on Counter-terrorism\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA Gentle Introduction to Finding the Most Important Node in Graph-Connected Data\n\nI’ve posted frequently about the problem that analysts face when they are dealing with a set of objects, and connections between pairs of objects. For example, the nodes could be people, and the edges some measure of how much each pair of people communicate; the nodes could be reports and the edges how much each pair of reports mention the same entities; the nodes could be computers and the edges how well connected they are to each other. In other words, the natural data structure to represent the set of knowledge is a graph.\n\nVery often such graphs are large, with thousands of nodes, and thousands of edges. The problem the analyst has is to work out which nodes of the graph deserve the most attention; often most of the graph is boring, or at least it is already well understood.\n\nIn what follows, I’ll assume that nodes by themselves have no associated score, but there is some natural way to associate a score with the edges that connect them. Let’s see how such a graph could be built, and so think about how we would keep track of which bits of it might be most important.\n\nIf the graph consists of only a single node, there’s not much to say. So consider what happens when a second node is added, and let’s assume that the second node is connected to the first (by a weighted edge). If they aren’t connected, then we might treat it as two separate graphs and two separate analysis problems. The only way to represent the graph with two nodes is with the single edge between them, but it might be plausible to make the length of the edge inversely proportional to the weight of the edge — if the weight is large, there’s a strong connection between them and so the nodes might plausibly be close together. We start to insert some geometry into the graph relationship because geometry is reasonably intuitive to us humans.\n\nNow if we add a third node, there are two possibilities, if we want to continue to make edge length inversely proportional to edge weights (strong = close). If the third node is connected to both of the current two nodes, then the resulting structure is a triangle (whose exact shape depends on the relative size of the edge weights). If the third node is connected to only one of the current nodes, then the shape is a path.\n\nThe worst case is that adding each new node requires us to expand into another dimension: 3 nodes needs 2 dimensions, 4 nodes needs 3 dimensions, and so on, if we want to preserve the relationship between edge length and edge weight.\n\nIn this representation, nodes that are important because they are strongly connected to other important nodes (note the circularity) tend to be pulled towards the “middle” of the graph structure. So if we want to find the most important nodes, we should look near the middle.\n\nBut we don’t have that much geometry so, although the idea of the middle is intuitive, finding the middle is rather difficult. One approach is widely used in Social Network Analysis — the middle can (sort of) be found by computing how far it is from each node to the outer surface of the graph, and then looking at those nodes that are farthest inside. This works, after a fashion, but the algorithms can be complex and they tend not to tell you much else about the graph structure.\n\nWhat about trying to use geometry directly and embedding the graph into an (n-1)-dimensional space? If this can be made to work then “close” actually will mean close, say in Euclidean distance.\n\nThe first possible way to do this is to build the adjacency matrix of the graph. For a graph with n nodes, this just means forming an n by n matrix with one row and column corresponding to each node. The matrix entries are zero, except that when node i and node j are connected, then entries ij and ji are set to the edge weight of the connection. We can actually dispense with the last column, since its contents can be inferred from the other columns.\n\nNow the rows of any matrix can be interpreted geometrically by treating the entries as coordinates in a space spanned by the columns. So we can take our n by n-1 adjacency matrix and create an (n-1)-dimensional space with a point corresponding to each row of the matrix, and so to each node of the graph.\n\nThis geometry for the graph is still a bit awkward, because an (n-1)-dimensional space is still an ugly place to be (our intuitions don’t work very well in high-dimensional spaces). But if all you want to do is find the most important few nodes, then this is now easy.\n\nJust for clarity, imagine that each entry of each row of the matrix has been divided by the sum of that row, so the entries are all less than 1. Now the embedded representation of the graph lives inside the (n-1)-dimensional (hyper)cube with one corner at the origin and the other corner (1,1,1,…..,1). The nodes with lots of high-weight edges to lots of other nodes are represented by points that are quite far from the origin, because the entries in their rows are comparatively large, and there are comparatively many non-zero entries. The nodes that are poorly connected to the rest of the graph are represented by points quite close to the origin because their rows have values that are mostly zeroes, and otherwise small. The most important nodes, then, will be on the “outer” edge of the geometric representation.\n\nNow if we can find the direction out from the origin in which the “cloud” representing the points of the graph sticks out the most, then the extremal points in this direction will correspond to the most important nodes. Note that this direction isn’t necessarily towards the most extremal point (although we would usually expect it to be generally in that direction).\n\nThe direction in which the cloud bulges out the most from the origin is given by the principal eigenvector of the matrix representing the graph. Although this sounds complicated, it’s actually straightforward to compute. What’s more, the position of every node can be projected onto this vector and interpreted as a relative measure of the importance of that node. This is the basis for Google’s PageRank algorithm which treats the web as a giant graph, and does (more or less) this calculation to give every page an importance score. Note that this solves the problem of having to work in n-1 dimensions by projecting the entire graph structure onto a 1-dimensional space.\n\nBut there’s something badly wrong with this geometry. Suppose node i is connected to node j with weight 3, so in the geometry the point that corresponds to it is 5 units from the origin in dimension j. Now suppose that the weight on this edge is increased to 10. The point corresponding to node i suddenly moves further from the origin in dimension 3, and so further from all of the other points it is connected to, including point j. But an increase in weight is supposed to mean that i and j are closer! The problem is that, in this simple geometric embedding, the highly connected nodes are all far from the origin, on the outside of the graph structure, which tends to force them to be geometrically far from one another rather than close to one another.\n\nThe calculation of a single global importance works because large edge weights create large distances in the geometry and so tend to push nodes with edges like that far out. But in doing so messes up any other geometry among the nodes.\n\nThe solution is to use a different geometric embedding that turns the graph inside out so the the points that represent well-connected nodes are positioned close to the origin, and the sparsely connected nodes are positioned on the outer edges. This is done by converting the adjacency matrix, with its rows normalized by dividing by the rows sums, into a walk Laplacian matrix. This is done by negating all of the entries of the normalized adjacency matrix and adding 1’s down the diagonal.\n\nThe global variation among the nodes of the graph is now discovered by computing an eigendecomposition of this matrix (again straightforward) and looking at the eigenvector corresponding to the smallest non-zero eigenvalue. The intuition in this embedding is that this eigenvector points along the direction of minimal vibration in the embedded graph structure. Think of a cigar-shaped graph where the nodes are joined by metal rods. Striking it parallel to its long axis will produce much smaller vibrations than striking it parallel to any of the other axes. (In fact, the values of the eigenvector can be interpreted as the amplitude of the associated vibration of each node and the eigenvalue as the frequency of the vibration).\n\nThis approach will produce the same answer for the global importance ranking of the nodes, and so will find the same most important nodes. But the geometry is much better behaved. The distances between the embedded points behave as we would want them to (short edges = heavy weights) so clustering algorithms can be applied directly in the embedded space. The other eigenvectors also properly capture the substructure of the graph — for example, the eigenvector corresponding to the second-smallest non-zero eigenvalue describes the next most significant uncorrelated variation in the graph (in fact, the vibrational mode if the graph is struck parallel to the second axis of variation).\n\nA geometric embedding is much more convenient if the graph is being updated. One problem with computing properties of a graph directly is that adding a single node can completely change all of the paths and all of the distances — so a social network measure has to be recomputed from scratch. In a geometric space, adding a new point doesn’t change the existing distances at all. An approximation to the position of the new node can be computed by calculating an adjacency matrix row for it, converting to a walk Laplacian row, and then using the existing eigendecomposition to embed it. If the new point really does change the structure of the graph, then this approximation is not useful; but most of the time it probably does not.\n\nIn fact, this embedding has a few other features that are not so obvious. The geometric embedding takes into account not just the (weighted) distance between nodes but also the possible presence of multiple paths between nodes. In other words, two nodes connected by lightweight paths, but many of them, will appear more similar than if only the weights had been taken into account. This is usually the right way to think about global relationships between unconnected nodes. In other words, this geometric embedding takes into account not only distance, but also density and curvature in the original graph.\n\nThis approach to finding importance is called spectral graph theory, and there is a large literature on it. But it is easy to lose sight of the wood for the trees. This short blog is intended to provide a more intuitive overview of the main point of using spectral graph techniques. In particular, if you already use PCA, it’s often possible to compute correlations of records to create a graph structure, and then analyse the structure using the approach described here. Almost always, clearer structures can be seen.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8543605804443359}
+{"content": "Tag Archives: pedagogy\n\nCarr, Carr, and Schultz–Chapter 2: Reading School Readers\n\nChapter Two, pages 81-116 “Reading School Readers”\n\nAs Carr, Carr, and Schultz (CCS) write in the coda toward the back of the book, “Every textbook is an archive of instruction—it holds traces of past books and traditions, sometimes literally in silent borrowings or explicit citations, and sometimes in more deeply embedded ways. It carries out inherited attitudes, visible, for example, in a proposed sequence of learning, in notions about student work or progress, in evaluative terms or standards, in its pedagogical routines” (209). In Chapter 2, CCS illustrate how readers from the 19th century, especially, reveal inherited values and traces of past traditions. Readers, textbooks designed specifically to teach reading, were used both inside and outside of schools. During this century, readers changed from elocutionary—reading aloud with the focus on pronunciation, emphasis, and gesture—to literary—reading silently with the focus on meaning and interpretation (115). Thus while earlier elocutionary readers emphasized genres of oral delivery such as dialogues, orations, and dramatic speeches and the physicality of reading (posture, gesture, and breath), later literary readers focused on a wide spectrum of literary genres and emphasized the historical and literary context of specific texts, authors’ biographies, interpretations, and issues of style (115). Most readers were not restricted to elocution or literary, however. It is more accurate to describe 19th century readers as a hybrid between the two with much shared materials such as a strong focus on poetry and inclusions of certain authors such as Shakespeare; the main difference is how readers took up these materials in order to teach reading.\n\nThe early elocutionary readers reveal that reading was general thought to be and thus taught as an oral practice, which reflected older rhetorical and elocutionary traditions. The rise of literary readers indicate a shift to reading as a written practice.\n\nAlso, school readers in the 19th century reflect cultural values and expectations guided by institutions of school, church, and liberty. Because reading is a national project aimed at developing a “reading public,” reading is strongly linked to religion and morality in the 19th century. In school, for instance, reading played a significant role in socializing students according to their class and status. Reading also acted as a gateway into the literary culture. Many readers thus were made for both public and private use. Reading materials and methods became class markers. As readers became broadly disseminated across social lines, ideas of literacy changed and thus so did readers. While schools emphasized the need to be able to spell, recite, and perform in order to read well, reading for pleasure became a symbol of being cultured in the private realm. “Books and reading were thus understood as a mechanism of educational and social control and as a method of self-development” (91).\n\nBecause reading became a national and professional concern, reading pedagogies, theories, and practices proliferated. Uniform pedagogical materials, by the 1870s, were sold separately than readers in the form of teaching manuals and how to books.\n\nYet early readers were instructional as they focused on alphabet, syntax, and oral performance. Topics covered in readers ranged from all subject areas (omnibus textbooks) to topical books that attempted to making reading more amusing. Atttention to the alphabet, syllables, words, spelling, and grammar was popular in readers. The spelling bee became the latest rage. Readers presented the “finest” examples of well-written sentences from the “finest” speeches and literature from literary culture. By end of century, modern readers had distinguished themselves from classic readers. In these more modern readers, pedagogical intervention was replaced with anthologies of readings in a variety of literary forms. The shift had been made from the elocutionary to the literary reader.\n\n\nAs a rhetoric and composition scholar, I am always thinking about the ways in which our field is “a mechanism of educational and social control and as a method of self-development” (91). Now that we are studying the ways in which histories are created, I am beginning to focus my attention on how history itself is “a mechanism of educational and social control and as a method of self-development” (91). I wonder, especially, how does the history CCS “fabricate” through their archival project act as a mechanism of educational and social control and as a method for the self-development of our field? What traditions and values in our field are being protected in this archival project? Who benefits most from this collection? Who doesn’t it? These latter questions are begining to sound like a cliche, but anytime we study archives, we must ask them.\n\nAnother burning related question for me this week seems to be one touched upon by a number of others and is broached on our course syllabus: What are the standards for good historical scholarship? Do CCS’s historical scholarship meet those standards?\n\nIn order to more clearly define social history as the semester proceeds, it is imperative we begin to define those explicit and implicit standards. Accuracy–one glaring standard– is a relative term. Who determines whether a certain representation of the social, cultural, and political conditions affecting a rhetorical practice such as writing textbooks is accurate? It seems to me that once we take a particular stance in representing history that we are always sacrificing the possibility of writing accuracy. How do we stand at multiple postions when writing history to present a more accurate representation of those conditions? Would telling history from a multitude of stances reconcile the impossibilty of accuracy and the unavoidable tendency to fabricate when writing social histories? What stances are CCS bringing to the table, to steal Eileen’s question, in this archival project?\n\n\n\nFiled under cultural rhetorics exam, historiography exam", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9923886060714722}
+{"content": "What is Dinācharya (the Āyurvedic Daily Routine)?\n\n\nThere’s a lot that I learned from the Yoga into the New Year Immersion and from working with Ayurvedic doctors was this beautiful practice which has really expanded me in more ways than one:\n\nDinācharya, The Āyurvedic Daily Routine\n\nAs we are talking about transitioning into a holistic lifestyle, creating new habits… I wanted to expand further as to what I was talking about… which is the importance of routine!\n\nRoutine established in the body helps to create balance in ones constitution or dosha makeup, according to Āyurvedic teachings. The many benefits of following rather closely to this daily rhythm include building and maintaining highly efficient agni (an essential concept in maintaining health), generating self esteem, longevity and health - just to name a few. Many factors in daily life move through steady transition such as changing seasons, the movement of your own biological clock, and the cycle the sun follows each day.\n\nIntegrating the daily regimen of Dinācharya supports an overall grounded quality and collectedness within, even while life continues to move through the fluctuations that are constant. Below is an introduction to a few steps you can take to begin bringing the practices of daily Āyurveda into your life through Dinācharya, presented here as morning ritual.\n\nTools for Dinācharya:\n\n• Tongue Scraper\n\n• Sesame Oil and/or Coconut Oil\n\n• Neti Pot\n\n• Nasya Oil (can be purchased from Banyan Botanicals)\n\nDinācharya steps:\n\n1. Rise out of bed before the sun makes its way to the horizon. Getting to your feet at this time of morning will lead you to feeling a lightness and sharpness through the day. Once you have awoken, you may spend a moment journaling regarding your dreams or gently massaging your hands across the body. \n\n2. Splash cool water over the face, 3-5 times. Gently rub the fresh water over the eye lids.\n\n3. Drink warm a mug of warm water with a slice of fresh squeezed lemon. This awakens the GI track and flushes toxins that have accumulated from the day before.\n\n4. Visit the toilet to have a complete bowel movement. Even if your body does not feel one coming on, sitting for a few minutes on the toilet at this time will regulate bowel movement activity so that your body can release waste, supporting strong digestive fire for the day.\n\n5. Scrape the tongue and brush the teeth. With your tongue scraper, gently drag from back to front across your tongue a few times, rinsing each time in between. This stimulates internal organs and takes ama, or dead bacteria away from the tongue.\n\n6. Oil pull. This is done to strengthen the gums and teeth, along with other benefits such as improving the voice. Hold sesame or coconut oil in the mouth for a moment until it is warm. Then swish around for 5-10 minutes. Once complete, spit it out in the trash.\n\n7. Neti Pot rinse for refreshing the mind and clearing the nasal passages:\n\na. Mix 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of finely ground non-iodized salt and 1 ½ cups of warm water into your neti pot. If you experience burning (which shouldn’t happen), it may mean you have not used enough salt.\n\nb. Lean over the sink so that you are facing down and turn head to 45 degree.\n\nc. Insert the spout in the upper nostril and breathe through your mouth as water drains through the bottom nostril.\n\nd. Once done with first side, remain leaning over sink and blow through nose to clear excess water. Then repeat to 2nd side.\n\ne. After complete with both sides, tent tissue over nose without pressing into side of nose (as is normally done) and exhale strongly.\n\nf. *This is best explored for the first time with a friend or someone that is familiar with the neti pot rinse.\n\n8. Nasya Oil can be applied to the nostril just after the neti pot rinse. In your palm, drop 3-5 droplets of Nasya Oil. With the other hand dip your clean pinky finger in the oil, the massage gently into each nostril. Inhale strongly.\n\n9. Massage the body next with warm coconut oil (or sesame, almond, sunflower – depending on dosha). This is known as Abhyañga. Start by warming the oil. Then massage into body, starting at the feet and working up. On the long bones of the body, move the hands in long stroking motions. On the joints, move the hands in circular motions. If you would like, after about 15 minutes the excess oil can be rinsed off the body (without the use of soap), in a quick shower. *Benefits of daily massage includes bestowing of good health and nourishment to the body, which slows down aging process and supports restful sleep.\n\n10. Enjoy this daily routine before heading into the rest of your sadhana practice!\n\n\nGlossary of Terms in this Context:\n\n\nThe biological fire that aids our ability to digest, adsorb and assimilate the food that we eat. This transformation also takes place with the sensory impressions that come\n\nour way.\n\n\nThis 5000 year old (more or less) system of medicine is translated as the science of life, which originated in India. The purpose of Dinācharya is to heal and maintain the\n\nquality as well as longevity of life.\n\n\nThe daily regimen followed to support the maintenance of a healthy life.\n\n\nA method of administering herbal oil through the nostrils as a therapy for one of the five major senses.\n\n\nA body cleansing technique used for nasal irrigation and cleansing of nasal membranes. This simple therapy has many benefits for the both the body and the mind.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8314564228057861}
+{"content": "ATrain Education\n\n\nContinuing Education for Health Professionals\n\n\nModule 10\n\nAttitudes Toward Those with HIV\n\nStigma and discrimination remain rife in many parts of the world and punitive laws continue to deter those most at risk from seeking essential HIV services.\n\nUNAIDS, 2013a\n\nA significant amount of denial about HIV risk exists in many communities. There is also fear and stigmatization of those who have HIV. HIV prevention programs are recognizing the importance of combating negative attitudes, misinformation, discomfort, stigmatization, and fear among the people and in the communities where they are working.\n\nIn the United States, although many continue to express discomfort at the idea of interacting with people living with HIV, the reported levels of discomfort have decreased over the past several years. In a 2011 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the number of people saying they would be “very comfortable” working with someone who has HIV increased from about a third of those responding in 1997 to roughly half in 2011. There have also been striking declines since the early years of the HIV epidemic among those with the view that AIDS is a punishment or the belief that people who contract the disease are at fault (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2011).\n\nHIV-Associated Stigma\n\nStigma occurs when an attribute creates a deep gap between who we think we are and how we are seen by others. This gap cuts the stigmatized person off from society and from himself, so that he stands as a discredited person against an unaccepting world. Stigma is enabled by underlying social, political, and economic powers. It begins when a difference is labelled, then is linked to negative stereotypes, leading to a separation of “us” from “them,” and finally to status loss and discrimination for those carrying the trait (Stangl et al., 2013).\n\nStigma originates from the ancient practice of branding or marking someone who was thought to be “morally flawed” or to have behaved badly and therefore ought to be avoided by other members of society. Stigma is often described as a process of devaluation. If you are stigmatized, you are discredited and seen as a disgrace or perceived to have less value or worth in the eyes of others (IPPF, 2008).\n\nHIV-related stigma often builds upon and reinforces other existing prejudices, such as those related to gender, sexuality, and race. The stigma associated with HIV is often based upon the association of HIV and AIDS with already marginalized and stigmatized behaviors, such as sex work, drug use, and same-sex and transgender sexual practices. HIV-related stigma affects those living with HIV and—through association—those who they are associated with, such as their partner or spouse, their children and the other members of their household (IPPF, 2008).\n\nStigma is founded on fear and misinformation. Theodore de Bruyn observed that stigma is associated with HIV/AIDS because “It is a life-threatening disease; people are afraid of contracting HIV; it is associated with behaviors that are considered deviant; a belief that HIV/AIDS has been contracted through unacceptable lifestyle choices; and, some believe it is the result of a moral fault that deserves punishment.” The stigma associated with HIV/AIDS is such some patients may feel ambivalent about seeking medical care if, by doing so, they risk disclosing their condition. Others may have learned from experience to expect rejection and therefore may not trust care providers (Bidwell, 2011).\n\nThe United Nation’s Millennial Development Goals has established the elimination of stigma, discrimination, and gender inequalities in those with HIV or AIDS as one of its ten targets and commitments. Stigma, discrimination, and oppressive legal environments in many settings discourage men who have sex with men from seeking HIV testing and appropriate, high-quality prevention, care, and treatment services (UNAIDS, 2013a).\n\nCultural Sensitivity and Competence\n\nCultural sensitivity or cultural competency is the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures, particularly in the context of health and social services where employees work with individuals from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds (Kentucky CHFS, 2012). Understanding cultural differences is particularly important because, although minorities currently make up 37% of the nation’s population, by 2060 they are expected to make up more than half of the population in the United States (Loftin et al., 2013).\n\nAn important aspect of cultural competency is the healthcare provider’s willingness to understand that a patient’s cultural background influences health-related beliefs and behaviors, and adverse experiences of a personal or cultural nature may have made some patients distrustful of medical care. In addition, some patients’ distrust of medical research impedes their willingness to accept new drug therapies. Culturally competent communication between provider and patient may substantially affect compliance with therapies.\n\nHealthcare providers should carefully explore what each patient believes about his or her health, what would be appropriate treatment, and who should be involved in medical decision making. Additionally, healthcare providers must examine their own prejudices about high-risk behaviors and recognize that judgment has no place in medicine. Rather, they should apply the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.\n\nAlthough in the United States attitudes are rapidly changing, many caregivers—both personal and professional—have moral judgments about those infected with HIV. How a person became infected is not an opportunity for a healthcare provider or caregiver to pass judgment or moralize. It is critical that we examine our prejudices about risk behaviors that may have led to infection. Caregivers and healthcare providers may find it necessary to acknowledge their own experiences, prejudices, and feelings when dealing with all aspects of this disease. The good news is that attitudes are changing as people become more educated about HIV and AIDS. In a 2011 Kaiser Family Foundation national poll, 29% of respondents agreed with the statement “In general, it’s people’s own fault if they get AIDS” (down from 51% in 1987). Additionally, 16% believed “I sometimes think that AIDS is a punishment for the decline in moral standards” (down from 43% in 1987) (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2011).\n\n  • Online\n\n  • Print Option\n\n  • Take the Test", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8762669563293457}
+{"content": "There are a few sorts of vegans out there. A vegan is “a person who does not eat or use animal products”, but there are two main sorts of veganism - abolitionist and welfarist.\n\nAbolitionist vegans do not believe in anything other than total animal liberation. They take a more “hard line” approach to veganism and do not support animal welfare changes (i.e. laws around battery hen cages and sow crates). The do not support anything less than absolute veganism, and do not support vegetarianism or Meatless Monday approaches.\n\nWelfarist vegans, meanwhile, are a little bit more “lax”, and support animal welfare law changes and a slower movement towards veganism, and support a movement towards a vegetarian diet. PETA and RSPCA are companies that are based on the welfarist approach, and often fight for better conditions in factory farms and slaughter houses.\n\nPersonally, I am both welfarist and abolitionist, or somewhere in the middle. Of course I would love for the entire world to already be vegan and save over 150 billion animals a year from torture and slaughter - but I also realise that that dream is not a reality, and probably a long way off happening. The end game is definitely for humans to realise we don’t need animal products to survive, but in the meantime I think it’s important to make sure animals are getting more and more rights and better welfare.\n\nHumans have been eating meat since the beginning of time and is ingrained in tradition. For a lot of people, changing their view point about consuming animal products takes time. It’s fantastic that so many vegan health and animal rights documentaries (like Cowspiracy, What the Health and Food Inc) have come out, so people are being more and more educated on veganism and it’s obvious benefits - with documentaries and information arising, vegetarianism and veganism is on the rise.\n\nIn fact, in the past two weeks I have had four seperate people tell me that they have turned vegetarian with the goal of going vegan! Fantastic news! As someone who appreciates that turning vegan isn’t easy for everyone, I love that people are taking a step in the right direction. Which is where an abolitionist and I might have some disagreements.\n\nAbolitionist vegans generally do not approve of anything other than absolute veganism, and often use a more aggressive or scornful approach towards non-vegans- like in that episode of the Simpsons when Jesse rolls his eyes and says, “I’m a level five vegan. I don’t eat anything that casts a shadow” in response to Lisa telling him she’s vegetarian. Lisa looks embarrassed and disappointed in herself, a feeling stemming from feeling like vegetarian is not good enough.\nWhen I first went vegan I was definitely in this category, and would be non-supportive of vegetarianism. Often my conversations about veganism would turn hostile because I was judgemental and not willing to broaden my understanding of how non-vegans felt about a huge lifestyle change.\n\nOver time, even though I am still vegan and still promote veganism above vegetarianism or anything else, I am more encouraging of smaller, slower steps towards eliminating animal products. This is mainly because I have noticed better outcomes of being supportive of family and friends who have turned vegetarian- mostly that is the first step, followed by eliminating wearable animal products, and sometimes going vegan.\nI have found that when I would accept nothing less than absolute vegan perfection (abolitionist), people felt more judged and less encouraged to change their diet, and therefore lost the opportunity for forward progress.\n\nI would absolutely rather someone go vegetarian than continue eating meat every day.\n\nAbolitionists would argue that the support of anything less than veganism makes people complacent and less likely to commit fully to veganism. I definitely understand that point, but I disagree and think that if people open their mind to cutting out meat, they will continue to educate themselves and have more of a chance going vegan in the long run. After all, my own vegan journey started by cutting down meat consumption, to going vegetarian, to finally cutting out all animal products- a journey that took me two years.\n\nThere's no right or wrong ‘sort’ of vegan, and I truly do think we need both to change the world. Whether you want to take it slow or be strict is completely up to you and what makes you comfortable.\n\nTo learn more on both perspectives, here are some useful related links:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.916135311126709}
+{"content": "> Sightseeings in Bulgaria  > \n\nSt. Anastasia Island - Burgas\n\nAuthor: , 2.8 km From Otmanli / park Rosenets.    \nSt. Anastasia Island - Burgas, Picture\nSt. Anastasia Island - Burgas, Picture 1St. Anastasia Island - Burgas, Picture 2St. Anastasia Island - Burgas, Picture 3St. Anastasia Island - Burgas, Picture 4\n\n  The territory of the warm and beautiful southern coast is situated the picturesque little scary island of St. Anastasia. It is located about seven kilometers from the city of Burgas. Formed, probably from a volcanic eruption, the island has an area of ​​9 acres. and a height of 12 meters and is the largest in Bulgaria. The island is shrouded in mystery and mysticism about him spread exciting legends of treasures and sea pirates. Nature has created three rock formations that impress all the tourists, and they are: Dragon, who is leaning to drink water, petrified pirate ship and the beautiful gate pass sunlight like a golden path. \n\n   In 1924. strong stone walls of the former monastery turned into a fortress prison for political prisoners. After 1944. dark prison was transformed into a museum, and the island was named Bolshevik, that name is known today, although after the democratic changes his return the old name of St. Anastasia. \n\n\n   Today the island is transformed, the monastery and the dreaded prison functions as a hotel and museum. Visitors can stay in the guest house or some food in a small restaurant in the quiet and unique nature. \n\n  In 2001 the island of St. Anastasia was declared an archaeological reserve made ​​after extensive research of historical events taken place on the island for its rich and ancient history proved by the excavations of antiquities 5-6 century. \n\n   Access to the desired island has been converted into a tourist attraction. TDuring this time you can visit the museum to learn about the history and legends of the island taking part in conversation. If you can drink a cup of tea in the doctor that offers healing potions with herbs grown on the island or you can eat in the restaurant, and below you to break the waves.\n\nOpinions and useful advice\n\nVoted (1)    Rate\n\nShare your opinion or advice\n\n\nVIP OFERTA Na more и на планина\nAdd sightseeing!\n\nDestinations in Bulgaria\n\nAlbena75 hotels\nAhtopol129 hotels\nBalchik116 hotels\nBurgas262 hotels\nByala, Varna54 hotels\nVarna324 hotels\nVelika19 hotels\nGolden sands134 hotels\nKavarna50 hotels\nKiten210 hotels\nKranevo55 hotels\nLozenets155 hotels\nNesebar275 hotels\nObzor109 hotels\nPomorie497 hotels\nPrimorsko397 hotels\nRavda213 hotels\nSarafovo65 hotels\nSveti Vlas199 hotels\nSinemorets75 hotels\nSunny Beach572 hotels\nSozopol513 hotels\nTsarevo202 hotels\nChernomorets224 hotels\nAll   >\nclose map", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8110432624816895}
+{"content": "History of Weapons\n\n\nThe 10-part docu series highlights the scientific and historical significance of weapons, and how they have shaped modern society.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999833106994629}
+{"content": "The Final Chapter in NOLA\n\nWaking up on my final day in New Orleans was bittersweet. I was so thankful for the experiences I had throughout the weekend, but I was also wishing I had a few more days to pack in more hidden treasures of this city. I thought a great way to experience a lot of the city at once was by riding the famous street cars.\n\n\nThere are three different street car lines in New Orleans. The city takes credit as being the first city west of the Allegheny Mountains in the Appalachian Mountain Range to implement passenger rail service. I explored the area through the Canal Street line which runs from the booming business district through the heart of New Orleans. Along the way you see charming villages, historic cemeteries and buildings, endless monuments and the vivacious life of the city through restaurants, bars, shops, and parades. The Saint Charles Line (which was operating with buses in place of street cars when I was in the area so sadly I didn’t get to experience this), is the oldest continuously operating streetcar in the world. The street cars made me feel like I was in an Old Hollywood movie set - such a cool experience.\n\n\nI then headed to The Country Club for lunch. This club is a hidden oasis located in the Bywater neighborhood and has been around for over 40 years, known for being welcoming and accepting of everyone who walks through their doors. It’s an LGBT staple in the city, but of course everyone is invited to enjoy the beautiful property (even dogs)! They have a serene pool and bar in the back where you can spend the entire day. Each room of the restaurant has its own theme - the one I dined in had hand painted birds resting on vines throughout the four walls. The decor alone is a reason to check out this spot!\n\n\nThe food was once again, unreal. I started with a fresh grilled tomato salad sourced from local ingredients. The Pan Roasted Louisiana White Shrimp with pecan and green onion popcorn rice, charred cherry tomatoes, red beans, sweet corn and pressed basil was savory and cooked to perfection. The chef surprised me afterwards with a lemon sorbet soaked in limoncello, which brought me right back to my trip in Italy - it was the perfect finishing touch to the meal. The staff afterwards gave me a tour of the property and couldn’t have been nicer. I wish I had time to jump into the pool, but I had to get back to the hotel to get ready for my trip back to New York City.\n\n\nWorking with the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau to see this city in a completely different light was eye opening. I know the night life in New Orleans is exciting and you should absolutely go out and hear live music and enjoy some cocktails while you’re in town. But you also should experience the beautiful nature, the rich history, the award winning restaurants and the alive culture of New Orleans. The city has so much to offer and there was still so much I could have experienced. I left New Orleans with a new respect and deep appreciation for the people, the culture and the stories that I will forever keep with me.\n\nNew Orleans: Day 2\n\nAfter a non-stop first day in New Orleans, it was time for a relaxing morning at the hotel. The Windsor Court Hotel is a beautiful French-inspired property just minutes away from the historic French Quarter. Decor dating from the 17th to the late 20th centuries filled the space, creating a world that felt authentic to those times. With a spa, fitness facility, rooftop pool and award-winning restaurants (I even broke my no-dairy rule for their Cajun shrimp and smoked tomato pizza), taking in everything the hotel had to offer was a must on the to-do list. I started the day with a dip by their heated pool, and breakfast overlooking the city in their 22nd floor lounge. After easing into the morning, it was time for a new day of adventure.\n\n\nThe National World War II Museum is considered one of the best museums in the world and it did not disappoint. The museum looks like a Hollywood set, with each room and time period of the war replicated to look like you are transported there. Certain points of this tour felt so real that I couldn’t help but get a little emotional. There were letters from sons to their mothers writing home to say they weren’t sure they were going to make it out of the war alive. Outfits of fallen soldiers lined hallways, weathered flags were on display, and footage of the after-effects of the war played throughout the tour. There was even a huge room of actual aircrafts that pilots flew in the war.\n\n\nThere is so much to see in this six-acre campus that you could easily spend an entire day there. The museum holds over 250,000 artifacts and more than 9,000 personal accounts (like those letters from soldiers to their mothers). There is even a 4D movie theater that shows the journey through the war. I don’t always have time on trips to stop and take advantage of all the museums, but this was too special to miss. I left the WWII Museum thinking how important it is to remember our nation’s history so that we can grow together and become an even better society.\n\n\nAfter an educational morning, I walked over to Curio for a late lunch. Curio is a new restaurant led by superstar chef Hayley Van Vleet. Aside from some of the friendliest staff around, this spot provides American cuisine with Creole soul. I started with the sushi grade tuna and sea scallop carpaccio and chose the grilled salmon in a lemon shallot vinaigrette and smoked pine cone oil for my entree. I thought that was heaven until Chef Hayley brought out the S’mores Brownie Pie and toasted her homemade marshmallow. It was too beautiful and too delicious to pass up!\n\n\nLuckily the hurricane missed New Orleans but we did get a heavy downpour late Saturday afternoon, and some rain into the night, so it was the perfect excuse to head back to the hotel and try out the spa. I opted for the hour-long deep tissue massage and enjoyed every second of the treatment. Soothing sounds of nature and water played throughout the room as I drifted off into a total zen space. Afterwards, I unwinded in the sauna and steam room before heading up to the room for a late dinner in (the super comfortable) bed as the rain passed overnight. After a great day of learning our nation’s history, enjoying unique cuisine and taking advantage of all the hotel has to offer, I went to bed feeling completely satisfied with my trip to New Orleans - and there was still one more day to explore!\n\n\nAdventures in New Orleans\n\nNew Orleans is a city that has so much more to offer than partying through the early hours of the morning. It is a place rich in culture, filled with some of the kindest people I’ve ever met and, surprisingly, home to a natural oasis. I teamed up with the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau to explore a side to this city many people may not know about.\n\n\nI started off the weekend with a kayaking excursion in the Maurepas Swamp, just 25 miles outside of the city. This swamp is the second largest in the country and is home to alligators, bald eagles, white-tailed deer, turtles, several species of birds, and more. Bald cypress trees line the water and can be more than 3,500 years old. The trail is picturesque with a baby blue skyline full of lush greenery. About 15 minutes in, the most incredible thing happened. An alligator jumped up out of the water and barrel-rolled in the air next to my kayak before crashing back down, soaking me with water. Our instructor, Jeff (who was the absolute best) told us that they aren’t usually aggressive with kayakers and just want to get out of the way because they don’t want to be bothered. Jeff explained that the gator probably was sleeping and got startled by the large shadow of the kayak gliding over him. What a sight!\n\n\nOne sobering thing I learned from this adventure: Louisiana is losing so much land that it equals about a football field a day. Every eight months, that’s about the size of New Jersey alone. He says salt water intrusion, the leveeing of the Mississippi River, and global warming conditions are to blame. Many organizations in New Orleans work to preserve the swamps as much as possible. I am so thankful I got to spend time in Louisiana’s beautiful swamp lands, and I will never forget this experience. Who knew this city could fulfill a nature-loving boy’s fix?\n\n\nAfter a morning on the water, it was time to check out the food scene in New Orleans. I stopped at the award-winning Peche for lunch, a restaurant inspired by the fusion of Spanish, South America, and Gulf Coast cooking. With a glass of rosé by my side, I tried the spicy ground shrimp and noodles and the baked drum with saffron, butternut squash, and tomato in a coconut broth. Contrary to belief, not everything is fried in New Orleans. I was able to find healthy options at all the restaurants I ate at with some of the freshest local seafood around. I am still dreaming of this restaurant!\n\n\nNext up was a tour of the Garden District (an area built after the Louisiana Purchase) where the oldest historic mansions and lush gardens fill the oak-lined streets. The famous above-ground Lafayette Cemetery is also in this neighborhood and it is filled with extravagant 19th century tombs. Many television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, American Horror Story, and even some blockbuster films were shot in this cemetery. I definitely felt a haunted energy in this area!\n\n\nSo at this point you may be thinking how much more can someone do in a day? The answer is simple: so much more because there are just way too many things to see in New Orleans! The Krewe of Armeinius Costume Den was next on my radar. I love a good costume party (and often hand-make part of my Halloween costumes each year), so seeing where the artists make the ornate costumes for the LGBT Mardi Gras celebration, dating back to 1969, was fascinating. I met with famed French Quarter artist Freddie Guess who walked me through the history of costume-making for the city’s festive events. He then demonstrated the craftsmanship that goes into creating the pieces each year. The amount of passion and work that these artists puts into the pieces they create is inspiring. What was really cool to learn about was when the Krewe began these events, the safety of its members depended on secrecy. Now, its one of the largest gay historical archives of its sort in the country. The events the Krewe produces are about celebrating the LGBT community, and New Orleans is a city that very much appreciates and respects the hard work that goes into creating these events for the city.\n\n\nI ended the night with a delicious dinner at Sylvain, joined by Dustin and Jeff, an amazing couple who do a lot with local LGBT advocacy efforts. The restaurant is in a former three-story carriage house and is known for its inventive cocktails and fresh local ingredients. Sylvain is a must-try if you’re ever in New Orleans! It’s always nice to meet people making a difference in the community. Dustin focuses on bringing the local LGBT community together to help tell the authentic New Orleans story. He works closely with LGBT event leaders and allies in the hospitality industry to ensure the history of the community is never lost, and works hard to ensure that everyone from all different walks of life can merge together to be one collective community. We ended the evening at the famous carousel bar inside Hotel Monteleone for one final nightcap.\n\n\nThe first day in New Orleans was jam-packed and I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it. Between getting lost in nature, sampling some local flavors and learning about the history of the city, I went to bed feeling inspired and fulfilled, and I couldn’t wait for what the rest of the trip would bring. Stay tuned for part 2! 😎", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.835852861404419}
+{"content": "Table of contents for The Roman-Jewish wars and Hebrew cultural nationalism / Moshe Aberbach, David Aberbach.\n\n\n\nPart I: Roads to War 63 BCE--66 CE\nBackground to the Roman-Jewish Wars\nA Brief Anatomy of the Jewish Revolts against Rome\nShort-Term Causes of the Jewish Revolts against Rome\nLong-Term Causes of the Roman--Jewish Wars\nConclusion: The Jewish Threat to Rome\nPart II: Creative Responses to Defeat 70--200 CE Humiliation and Literary Defiance\nThe Lower Depths\nSigns of Recovery\nHebrew and Revolutionary Jewish Education\nHebrew, Loss and Idealization\nHebrew, Empire and the Struggle for Unity\nFrom Bar-Kokhba to the Mishna\nHebrew Literary Strategies\nHebrew and Stoicism\nConclusion: Defeat and Hebrew Cultural Nationalism\n\nLibrary of Congress subject headings for this publication: Jews History 168 B, C, -135 A, D, Jews History Rebellion, 66-73, Jews History Bar Kokhba Rebellion, 132-135, Jewish nationalism, Judaism History Talmudic period, 10-425, Jews Civilization", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9259623289108276}
+{"content": "Relaxation and weight loss effects of green tea\n\nGuest post is provided by Cellan Pills. Theanine and EGCG rich green tea helps to bring calm and shed few pounds off your weight. This is why Cellan Diet contains 100 percent green tea extract, Vitamins and others to provide calming effect and lose weight.\n\nHave you sipped a calming cup of green tea lately? If so you will know how it helps you to relax. This calming effect is due to a substance contained in green tea known as theanine. Belonging to the amino acid family, theanine is well known for its benefits including reducing anxiety and high blood pressure, prevention of certain diseases including Alzheimer’s, and increasing the effectiveness of cancer drugs. It also helps to absorb Vitamins into your blood stream. Green tea also contains a catechin commonly called EGCG (epigallocatechin 3-gallate). Some recent studies found EGCG to be effective in shedding few pounds off your body weight. More research is needed to determine the exact role that EGCG plays on weight loss. These benefits are reasons for Cellan Diet Pills to contain 100 percent green tea extract and few Vitamins among its ingredients. Combine with dried and powdered inner seeds of African mango and an exclusive berry blend it can be an effective supplement to bring many benefits.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8452209830284119}
+{"content": "Company: Michelle Anita Wirta Creations, LLC., dba The Soul Translator\nBusiness: Life and Business Spiritual Medium and Facilitator.\nName: Michelle Anita Wirta\nPhone: 707.820.7685\n\nTo grow in or from anything means learning how to listen to our energies, sensitivities, body, heart, and mind as the language of our Soul.” \n\nMichelle is a multi-sensory intuitive and professional empath who has a diverse background in healing modalities, science, clinical psychology, and coaching. She adores her private clientele that entrust her to connect with and reconnect them to spiritual realms of support thru Soul Translations and remote energy shifting and healing. \n\nHer biggest passion is supporting others around the power of their empath sensitivities, clearing limited belief patterns, and in energetic self care to reconnect with ourselves, our strengths, each other, and our work where we can BE who we are in all that we DO.\n\nAs a creative with a wild and witty penchant for combining systems (and words..:) into ’soulistic’ programs for personal and professional development, Michelle creates and facilitates online courses and live workshops on empaths, intuition, energetics, and as an advocate for introverted empath entrepreneurs whose sensitivities can be deeply valued as catalysts for interconnectivity.\n\nWork with Michelle", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.948004424571991}
+{"content": "Reflection on the so-called Blood Moons\n\nReflection on the so-called Blood Moons\n\nSadly, it was too overcast to see the “Blood Moon” (the media’s term) over Humboldt on the day of the Bridegroom Matins, coincidentally or providentially. These unusual astronomical events are a good occasion to discuss the symbolic language of the Scriptures and of the first two days of Holy Week.\n\nBiblically, the moon represents the mother of the ruler, as in the first verse in which the word moon appears:\n\nGenesis 37:9 Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”\n\n\nThe sun is associated with Christ the Bridegroom as in:\n\nPsalm 19:5 He has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.\n\nActually, this is the 3rd time in the Bible that “bridegroom” is used. The other two are actually the expression “bridegroom of blood…”\n\nThe moon is again associated with the Mother of the Messiah in the powerful symbolism of Revelation 12:\n\n\nThis is a description of both Eternal Wisdom and The Mother of the King-Messiah, and she is very much associated with the Bridegroom’s day of joy:\n\nSong of Solomon 3:11 (first verse in the bible with the word “wedding”) Go forth, O daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart.\n\nPsalm 45:9: At your right hand stands the queen-mother arrayed in gold of Ophir.\n\nThe imagery of the moon is that of reflection of light. The moon reflects the light from the sun, just as we are called to reflect the glory of God.\n\nWisdom of Solomon 7:26 (this chapter is the background for Revelation 12) For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness.\n\nThe imagery of a moon eclipse is the anomaly of the moon not reflecting the light from the sun but rather ceasing to do so in a visible manner…\n\nMay this little reflection on the language of sun, moon and stars encourage us all to find joy in studying the Holy Scriptures. For those interested in learning more about the language of rocks, animals and stars in biblical symbolism, I recommend the interesting book “Through New Eyes” by James B Jordan.\n\nNo Comments\n\nSorry, the comment form is closed at this time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9704228639602661}
+{"content": "Being Critical of Ourselves\n\nIf you are able to get to this post and you are reading it on your mobile phone then you have more information available than the last king of France. This was the statement said by Seth Godin in one of his Facebook posts.\n\nIf you have not realized this fact yet then you need to do some homework on how to find things on the Internet. So now we have established that there is so much knowledge available at our fingertips, and with knowledge comes power. So we are equally powerful then.\n\ncritical-spiritIn spite of that we are so critical of ourselves, meaning we almost never forgive ourselves for our mistakes and also for other people’s mistakes. I have received many feedback that my grammar and sentences are not up to the expectations. I understand. Well, I don’t mind getting negative feedback and I take it in a very positive way and I enjoy getting feedback irrespective of its nature.\n\nWhat I would like to talk about is that we regularly give feedback to ourselves also and many times we curse ourselves for the things that we have done in the past or things that didn’t work out the way it was meant to be and we demean ourselves for not living up to the expectations, which were set by ourselves.\n\nPlease forgive yourself for the things that didn’t work out the way you wanted it to be. Forgive yourself for not waking up early in the morning and snoozing the alarm several times, and also forgive me , if I had done anything in the past to offend you, and sometimes not fulfilling the level of your expectation.\n\nI would like to remind you that you can still do so much with the information you have at your fingertips,  so instead of being critical and whining about it we should try to find something which could help us in become better.\n\nThank you,\n\n\nWhy Loyalty is Important\n\nWe live in the world where everybody is gunning for cheap and best and loyalty is rarely seen.\n\nWe are accustomed to compare the price and choose whoever is having the cheapest deal. Same goes for people doing freelancing, as in that field also the customers always want cheap and best. This is a never ending race and only customers benefit from it. Well, I am not judging if it is right or wrong.\n\nliarsHowever there are another set of people and organizations who don’t talk about being cheap, rather their focus is to create something which have an impact, that something is a relationship, an amazing product or service and they are doing really great. American entrepreneur and investor Seth Godin talks about this phenomenon in his book “All Marketers Are Liars: The Underground Classic That Explains How Marketing Really Works–and Why Authenticity Is the Best Marketing of All“.\n\nWe have a choice either we could be among people who fight to be cheap and best or we could create a culture which cares for relationship and customer satisfaction because that’s  where loyalty comes from and because it has a long lasting impact.\n\nThank you,\n\n Poke The Box\n\n\nWhen we were child we use to play to with everything that comes in our contact. It was awesome, we did not care for the consequences and we just wanted to play and have fun. Whenever I get a chance to see a child play I never miss it. They are so curious about everything.\n\nThey have courage to poke everything,\n\nSeth Godin in his book “Poke The Box”  talks about this phenomenon and how we have forgotten this virtue and have adopted a culture of compliance. We are so afraid of poking the box that we never do anything new. Poking the box doesn’t mean that outcome would be desirable and pleasing,  it means new and we should be able to adapt and accommodate the new.\n\npoke the boxRemember dinosaurs, they are not here because they could not adapt. Well I am not saying that we would be extinct literally. If only we would dare to poke the box our life would be different. I am not saying it would be good or bad different rather you would gain an experience, a story to tell, I believe this is what is life for. To tell our endeavors to our next generation.\n\nTo conclude poking the box doesn’t mean that you have to go out of your ways to do something new, it means wherever you are, do not fear to experiment , and try to change things around you for the good.\n\nThank you,\n\n\nWe All Need A Mentor\n\nWe all have been raised from childhood to achieve specific goal in our life, the goal may be getting promoted to a higher class or to win a cricket match.\n\nIn all those times we all have been looking up for guidance to the people above us and at that time they were our father, mother ,cricket coach or our big brother and we all grew up wanting to be like them.\n\nmentorsNow that we are matured and many of us don’t have a concrete goal in front of us to achieve and our life is stable, we think this is it and we don’t feel like going an extra mile.\n\nWell, we have always been like that, it was the mentors who were behind us who knew our true potential and pushed us further and we owe it to them big time for making us realize our potential.\n\nI think that many of us don’t feel like having a mentor now, instead we take suggestions from the friends who are at our level only hence do not grow in our life the way we have grown in the past.\n\n\nIf you do not have a mentor , I would suggest to find one and follow him. For me books are one of the greatest mentor and helps me broaden my horizon.\n\nSeth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, Dale Carnegie, James Altucher and many others are my mentors who inspires me to think different and be unique and take risks and I am grateful to them. I am still searching for a mentor who can guide me personally who can help me reach my potential, I know I’ll find him one day because I am searching for him.\n\nHope you find some value from it.\n\nThank you,\n\n\n\nThe Connection Economy\n\nHi Everybody,\n\nThe current economy in which we are living in is The Connection Economy, one of the term frequently used by American Entrepreneur Seth Godin. To understand this we have to first acknowledge that the age of industrial economy is over; which was started by Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford and many other industrialist who ruled in 20th century. It was revolutionary and it changed the world. Jobs didn’t existed on large scale before the industrial revolution and a culture was born in which you have to perform a task and do what you are told and get paid for the rest of your life.\n\nThat period is over now, this economy does not need so many people doing manual work and the industries are automating the process where ever it is possible. They need less manual work and are more machine reliant.\n\nsethgodin-abundanceWe live in the connection economy where everybody is connected to everybody else and that’s just great. If you are a service provider you just have to connect to the person to whom you are providing the service, with the advent of Technology your circle got just bigger than ever.\n\nLet’s say you are a teacher and you want to teach, with the right usage technology you can even reach to the student living in Ukraine while sitting at your sofa in New Delhi solving math equations.\n\nWith less and less job security and more and more automation we have to have a job where no machine can replace us and to support this we have an awesome economy backed by Information Technology.\n\nHope you find some value from it.\n\nThank you,", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5661522150039673}
+{"content": "Let’s Hear It for the Cellphone Ban!\n\nCell phones\n\nYesterday, the NTSB recommended banning all cellphone use in cars. The proximate cause of this was the horrific crash in Missouri that tgriffith referred to below. The probable cause of the crash was “distraction likely due to a text messaging conversation…” Further NTSB details are here; more examples of what influenced the NTSB are here.\n\nWe’ve written, probably to the point of your distraction, about driver distraction. My last piece advocated rigorous national standards for driver licensing and enforcement. But, as one of our commenters pointed out, the problem really is that driving is no longer seen as a privilege but has become a civil right, a “basic freedom.”\n\nSo we now have a situation in which people conceive that they have a right to do whatever they want in their vehicles, whether their actions endanger others or not. Well, they don’t.\n\nCellphone use has become endemic in America and around the world. There are 5.3 billion mobile phone subscribers—that is, 77 percent of the world’s population. So, we ask, why has the cellphone become so predominant and important? And how could a ban on its use in cars possibly work?\n\nContinue reading >>>", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5887004137039185}
+{"content": "Trucks, Planes, and Flying Fish (Inyo, Mono)\n\nIf you’re driving along Highway 395, chances are you’ve come to fish for trout in the alpine lakes. Fishing is synonymous with life in communities here, luring nearly half of all tourists to Inyo and Mono counties. But there’s almost nothing natural about trout in the Eastern Sierra. Why are we so crazy for trout in the West?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9720728397369385}
+{"content": "US airlines to add more gender options\n\nWashington: US airlines will add more gender options for passengers who don't identify as \"male\" or \"female\", the media reported on Tuesday.\n\nThe Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade group, and members of the International Air Transport Association recently approved a new international standard for non-binary passengers effective from June 1, CNN reported. \n\nThe new gender options to be added include \"unspecified\" and \"undisclosed\".\n\n\"US airlines value a culture of diversity and inclusion, both in the workplace and for our passengers, and we work hard each day to accommodate the needs of all travellers, while delivering a safe, secure and enjoyable flight experience,\" A4A said in a statement on Monday.\n\nImplementation of the new gender options is up to each individual carrier, according to A4A. \n\nAlaska Airlines, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest and United are all members of the industry body.\n\nAmerican Airlines confirmed to CNN that they were working to implement the change to accommodate passengers.\n\n\"In the coming weeks, customers will be able to select the gender with which they most closely identify during the booking process,\" United Airlines tweeted.\n\nThe National Centre for Transgender Equality (NCTE) hailed the decision, saying that it \"applauds the A4A for adding gender options that are reflective of the diversity of their passengers\".\n\n\"Non-binary people face unnecessary, invasive, and discriminatory scrutiny by airlines, airports, and security services alike... (It) is an important step toward ensuring safe and smooth travel for all passengers regardless of their gender,\" NCTE spokesperson Arli Christian said.\n\nThe development came as many US states were adding more gender options on identification cards and birth certificates.\n\nLast month, a new law in New York city made it easier for transgender and non-binary residents to match their birth certificate to their gender identity without needing a signed affidavit from a healthcare provider. \n\nIn 2017, Washington, D.C. issued the nation's first gender-neutral driver's licenses.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9983328580856323}
+{"content": "Keith Jarrett United States\n\n\nKeith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA) is an American pianist and composer. He is considered one of the most important jazz pianists, renowned for his elaborate solo improvisations. As well as recording under his own name, he has recorded a number of albums as the Keith Jarrett Trio. In 2003, Jarrett received the Polar Music Prize, the first (and to this day only) recipient not to share the prize with a co-recipient, and in 2004 he received the Léonie Sonning Music Prize.\n\nPopular Songs\n\n\nSimilar Artists", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.941037118434906}
+{"content": "Alexa V-Cut Tattered Shirt\n\nDetails: V-neck shirt with short sleeves and knitted tattered fabric.\nFabric: knitted spandex\nAvailable colors: acid gray, acid blue, acid pink\nRecommended fit: Small to Medium frame\nNeck Depth: 5\nShoulder Width: 15.5”\nArmhole Circumference: 16”\nSleeve Circumference: 11”\nSleeve Length: 6”\nBust: 36”\nWaist: 35”\nHips: 35”\nSlit: 3.5”\nFull Length: 27”\n\nThe measurements are in inches.\n\nSize Guidelines\nHeraposh aspires to deliver fab items with utmost care and high precision to its customers. We aim to ship your orders within the time frame designated for each location. However, we do not guarantee 100% assurance rate of delivery accuracy as unforeseeable circumstances might affect the services of our partner couriers. Despite that, we assure to provide efficient customer service that will help and guide you along the way. Below is the average shipping time for specific locations:\nLocation  Shipping Time\nWithin Metro Manila 2-3 Days\nOutside Metro Manila\n\n3-6 Days\n\n\nAt Heraposh, we provide the best possible deals to your shipping fees to serve you more like a royalty. We aim to give you better ways to maximize your money. Spending above a certain amount can merit you to a free delivery.\n\nChart on delivery fees:\n\nOrigin Destination\nNCR Luzon Visayas Mindanao\nNCR Php 80.00 Php 100.00 Php 100.00 Php 100.00\n    • • A minimum order of PHP 1,500 merits a customer within Metro Manila with FREE SHIPPING.\n    • • A minimum order of PHP 2,000 merits a customer outside Metro Manila with FREE SHIPPING.\n    We check each item meticulously before sending them, to make sure that you will get the products without any defect or damage. However, should you wish to return them to us, you can do so provided that you will meet the following criteria:\n    1. You will return the items within 3 days from the date you received them. For verification, kindly include the transaction receipt to the items you will return.\n    2. Returned items must be unused and inside their original packaging, complete with the tags.\n    3. We will not accept the items defected or damaged during the period they were in your possession.\n    4. You will shoulder the delivery fee if you wish to return the items due to any of the following reasons:\n    -    The items are not your size. We have a very detailed size chart and have available support personnel to answer questions and inquiries. These should provide you with enough information to determine if the items would fit you or not.\n    -    You did not like the style or color. We have provided close up pictures of the products to show you every necessary detail. We also have very informative descriptions where you can see the specifications of our products, which include the available colors, sizes, and materials used.\n    5. We will shoulder the delivery fee if it has been confirmed that the damages or defects were our fault. We will reimburse the amount you used to return the package along with the amount you paid for the order.\n    If you have further questions or other concerns, kindly send an email to and we will respond to you within 24 hours. Thank you!\n    • ₱610.00\n    Size :\n    Color :\n    Quantity :", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8957549333572388}
+{"content": "Untitled, 2018\nTwo porcelaine bowls,water.\n\nA small bowl filled with water inside a large bowl filled with water.\nThe brim of one coincides with the brim of the other, concluding with a single flat surface of water.\n\n‘’....Anguish in itself is not beautiful, it is only beautiful when you see the energy that overcomes it.’’  \n  -Søren Aabye Kierkegaard", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9975302815437317}
+{"content": "Trump’s Opioid Commission Doesn’t Address the Main Causes of Addiction\nAmerican Progress (CAP)\n\nFor many patients, opioids are standard practice in managing painful symptoms, but music has shown promise in helping reduce the amount of painkillers that people request. If less opioids are prescribed and requested, the flow of these drugs into society could also be reduced.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999237656593323}
+{"content": "Grow Your Accounting Firm: Strategies To Retain Your Staff\n\n2-minute read\n\n\nThe quality of staff can mean the difference between creating profits and suffering tremendous losses. It’s true for all companies.\n\n\nBut the thing is, regardless of how much effort you put into recruiting and training the best talent, they will eventually leave. The many reasons vary and your firm needs to be prepared. More importantly, you have to make sure that you have a strong enough employee retention strategy to give them compelling reasons to stay and not look for better opportunities elsewhere.\n\nHere are some recommended strategies to retain employees:\n\nHow Strongly Do You Pull and Push?\n\nPeople leave for a wide array of reasons. Identify reasons that push people away. Most of the time, aside from finding better opportunities, people leave because they no longer like something (or things). These things “push” employees away.\n\nMake a list and then figure out how you can minimise, if not totally eliminate, these. At the same time, figure out which things “pull” them in and make them stay. A few examples would be perks and benefits, attractive pay, or, one of the most important factors to consider, trust.\n\nTeam members who feel valued and trusted are the ones that stay. Make sure that you create a culture where people feel appreciated.\n\nAre You “Paying” Them Enough?\n\nOne of the first things people consider in a job is the salary package. But an attractive pay isn’t always the consideration for accepting (and staying with) a job. To retain the best people, firms need to find out other ways to “pay” their staff.\n\nFor many, perks like flexible working schedule, free coffee, travel opportunities, and professional growth can influence employees into staying.\n\nRemember that “paying well” can also transcend to showing appreciation to your staff. Combine this with the right incentives and you’ll realise that keeping your employees should not be too complicated.\n\n\ngrow your accounting firm retain staff\n\nWe ran a poll in a previous webinar, called Winning The Talent Game, where we discovered that majority of people look for benefits, perks and flexibility in a company while pay rise comes next. Other key takeaways from the webinar include:\n\n  • 90% of millennials would stay in a job for the next 10 years if they get annual raises, according to a study.\n  • Millennials value bosses who are not just about profit generation.\n  • Companies that offer developmental opportunities have more chances of retaining staff.\n  • When faced with two options, employees will choose the one that offers more perks and benefits.\n  • In general, firms that have an established set of incentive programs tend to attract and retain talents.\n\nAre They Playing As Hard As They Work?\n\nMake sure that your staff plays as hard as they work. Strive for work-life balance and make it a point to allow your staff to relax and recharge.\n\nPlan play days for your team. This is beneficial for productivity because it gives employees a breather and allows them to step out of their daily routine. Take note that happy and satisfied employees will have no reason to leave.\n\n\nIt is inevitable that people leave firms for various reasons. There are various reasons as to why employees choose to leave a firm and it is vital for firms to identify these so they can devise effective ways to keep people.\n\nThe proper approach is to know your staff. Identify the things that they like doing. That way, you will have a good idea of the factors they consider worth staying for as well as the things that would make them want to leave.\n\nCheck for the following:\n\n  • Does your firm offer enough perks to motivate and encourage team members?\n  • Identify possible reasons why employees want to leave and address those promptly\n  • Make sure that team members are well compensated\n  • Offer incentives and other benefits\n  • Give team members time to relax and have fun\n\nGet the latest accounting industry updates in your inbox by subscribing to The Ledger now. Click here to know more.\n\nIf you are an accountant, bookkeeper or finance firm and looking to solve capacity restraints, call our offshoring specialists at 1300 896 522 or click here to download our blueprint on how to build a global accounting team.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5262404084205627}
+{"content": "Last weekend, with the two losses on Friday (100-29) and Saturday (103-69) against the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver, the Heat fell out of the playoff standing in Canada West conference.\n\nThe huge scoring gap during Friday’s game was due to the the second and fourth frames, where the Heat only scored two points while the Thunderbirds scored 49 points in both quarters. The Heat was unable to grasp enough rebounds and missed several field goal opportunities, leading to the low final score. The Thunderbirds grabbed 71 rebounds, including 20 offence rebounds; while the Heat only grabbed 32 in total.\n\nWhile the Heat encountered troubles protecting the paint, the team also had a poor shooting day. They only made 11 field goals out of 69 attempts, resulting in a low field goal rate of 15.9%.\n\nIn the following day, the Heat raised their shooting percentage to 39.1%. However, the outnumbered rebounds gave the Thunderbirds more opportunities to shoot. In the second game, while the Heat made 25 shots from 64 attempts, the Thunderbirds nailed 36 shots from 81 attempts, resulting in a high field goal rate of 44.4%.\n\nDuring the brutal series, the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack also seized a victory from UNBC on Saturday (82-78). With their win, the Wolfpack is now standing in the 12th position in the playoffs. The Heat are currently standing in the 13th spot.\n\nThe Heat have six remaining games with the very last four games held in their home sports gymnasium. The first of the home games will be held on January 18th and 19th against the MacEwan Griffins.\n\nStudents are encouraged to come and cheer for the Heat for their final push for a playoffs spot.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9922417998313904}
+{"content": "Man’s Everlasting Battle against Nature Essay\n\nMan’s Everlasting Battle against Nature Essay\n\nLength: 2398 words (6.9 double-spaced pages)\n\nRating: Powerful Essays\n\nOpen Document\n\nEssay Preview\n\nNature can be interpreted in many different ways. Some choose to view nature as a mother, giver of life as we depend on its food but sometimes we can’t trust nature as there are expectations that nature will betray us causing man to fight back to prevent this, forming an everlasting battle. In this area of study I will present this theme through the poems: Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney, At a Potato Digging also by Seamus Heaney and Soil by R.S. Thomas.\n\nSeamus Heaney is one of many Irish poets that depict the betrayal of nature in many of his poems mainly through the use of autobiographical poetry that gives us a deeper insight into the meaning. From Heaney’s anthology the poem Death of a Naturalist shows this the greatest as it is written within the poet’s own life and displays the lost of childhood innocence.\n\nThe poem has a simple structure rather than Heaney’s poem At a Potato Digging. In the first stanza there are twenty-one lines of blank verse as if to say he was speaking as a child successfully capturing the reader’s attention. The second stanza is similar; the only difference is that there are twelve lines. In the first stanza Heaney describes how the frogs would begin to spawn and how his teacher had encouraged his interest forcing him to steal the frogspawn. In this section we also learn that the setting is an Irish rural countryside, as it reflects an Irish flax- dam. The second stanza Heaney records how one day he was startled by a strange noise and was curious to find out what is was. Little did he know that the frogs had gathered, in large numbers, to seek revenge for stealing the frogspawn. This then changes Heaney’s perspective on nature and no longer is he interested in nature but now scared....\n\n... middle of paper ... especially using the words and phrases to compare the worker being in a prison just like Heaney did. This is successful and effective as it makes the reader empathise how the soil digger is feeling and adds authority and authenticity to the meaning that Thomas is trying to represent.\n\nIn conclusion, it’s evident from the poems studied above that nature can be seen as the betrayer especially after the Irish Potato Famine in 1845 were approximately two million people died. Following this, people have been battling against nature to avoid such events reoccurring but without nature life would be very difficult and just as I have said there are much more different interpretations of nature than just betrayal, as there is the beauty of nature, nature’s tranquility which can be represented through other poems, songs and music.\n\nNeed Writing Help?\n\nGet feedback on grammar, clarity, concision and logic instantly.\n\nCheck your paper »\n\nEssay on Freedom of Humanity Depends on the Connection with Nature\n\n- “The Bear” is a book written in 1942 by William Faulkner that deals with the life of an ancient bear named Old Ben. Old Ben affects the lives of most hunters that know him, and most importantly it he has a great influence on Ike and the wilderness. “The Bear” is not only about the life of Old Ben, but it is also about the wilderness, racism, possession of land, and the meaning of humanity. The interpretation of wilderness Faulkner present in his book is that the forest represents an essential connection among liberty and humanity (Radloff)....   [tags: Literary Analysis ]\n\nPowerful Essays\n855 words (2.4 pages)\n\nThe Natural Violence of Human Nature as Shown Through the Epic Beowulf Essay\n\n- The Natural Violence of Human Nature as Shown Through the Epic Beowulf Violence is the way of the game in the world of Beowulf. It is how things get done. It is what people care about. The songs in the Mead Hall are all sung of the great violent epics that took place in the times long gone. When there is no violence that can be perpetrated, these cultures tell stories of violence, so as to release this need for aggression that is somewhere deep with in them. This is in many ways like the world that we live in....   [tags: essays research papers]\n\nPowerful Essays\n880 words (2.5 pages)\n\nEssay about Des Esseintes' Infatuation with Artifice in Huysmans' Against Nature\n\n- Des Esseintes' Infatuation with Artifice in Huysmans' Against Nature   In J.-K Huysmans Against Nature, Des Esseintes rebels against his family, religion, and Parisian society to establish an identity unique to himself. He perceives this rejection of the truistic self as the development of individuality when, in actuality, it is only a self deriving from his reaction to the overstimulated public. By decorating his abode with eccentric objects, he falsely believes that he can detach himself from the common populace....   [tags: Huysmans Against Nature Essays]\n\nPowerful Essays\n1863 words (5.3 pages)\n\nThe Everlasting Bond between a Mother and a Daughter Essay\n\n- ... Sophia always impressed anyone that heard her play the violin. Yet again, Chua was not surprised because she knew all along that her daughter had the ability and potential to exceed in the performing arts. In The Joy Luck Club, Waverly Jong is having a hard time telling her mother that she is going to marry a man named Rich. This is because Waverly believes that her mother does not think anyone is good for anything. After pondering and worrying, Waverly realizes that she must tell her mother that she is getting married....   [tags: The Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother, Amy Chua]\n\nPowerful Essays\n1151 words (3.3 pages)\n\nEssay about Battle Against Time in the Sonnets\n\n- In his Sonnets, Shakespeare explores the nature of time and different methods of overcoming the erasure that time causes. He identifies procreation through both reproduction and publication as the most successful agents for preservation. Shakespeare wastes no time revealing his preoccupation with the passing of time and its potential to erase both a person’s beauty and his or her legacy. Starting with Sonnet 1, he states his purpose in finding a way to combat time so “that thereby beauty’s rose might never die” (1)....   [tags: Literary Analysis, Shakespeare]\n\nPowerful Essays\n2650 words (7.6 pages)\n\nEssay about The Battle of Mankind vs Nature\n\n- The Battle of Mankind VS Nature  Due to devastation caused by the dropping of the atomic bomb, man kind has only used nuclear weapons twice in war. In August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains, the author, Ray Bradburry, writes about a nuclear holocaust in the year 2026. He writes about a house that services the nuclear explosion, and the house, which has advanced technology , performs daily activities to aid the Fetherstone family. The house is the only thing standing in Allendale, California after a nuclear explosion destroyed the entire city....   [tags: Atomic Bomb, Nuclear Weapons]\n\nPowerful Essays\n1079 words (3.1 pages)\n\nThe Battle Between Humanity And Nature Essay\n\n- The first two acts of this film are truly inspiring because they capture the \"fire\" of the environmental movement. It chronologically begins by discussing the origins of conservative environmentalists, to documenting the details of successful environmental movements, and concluding by explaining the merging of civil rights with environmentalists. Ultimately, “A Fierce Green Fire “serves as a dynamic call for the continuing action of protecting and conserving our biosphere. The battle between humanity and nature began when the industrial civilization started threatening our environment and natural resources....   [tags: Environmentalism, Environmental movement]\n\nPowerful Essays\n711 words (2 pages)\n\nEssay on Nature Vs. Nurture : Depression, Balance Rather Than Battle\n\n- Nature vs. Nurture: Depression, Balance Rather than Battle. When discussing human characteristics many statements are made regarding whether or not an individual was born with certain traits, or if they were raised in an environment that instilled the traits in them. This conflict is what is known as the nature and nurture argument, and in the study of behavior this argument is difficult to avoid. However the general consensus is that there is interplay between nature and nurture, that the characteristics and mannerisms that make up an individual are not dependent on one or the other....   [tags: Nature versus nurture, Human nature]\n\nPowerful Essays\n711 words (2 pages)\n\nThe Steptoe Battle Essay\n\n- Introduction In 1858, warriors from the Spokane, Palouse, and Coeur d’Alene tribes routed an expeditionary force commanded by Colonel Edward Steptoe. The running battle resulted in seven soldiers dead, two soldiers missing, two howitzer cannons buried, the complete loss of the pack train, and three interpreters killed. Colonel Steptoe and his command escaped in the middle of the night nearly out of ammunition and in desperate condition. The mounted infantry known as Dragoons rode through the next day covering approximately seventy miles to the relative safety of the Snake River....   [tags: colville mines, battle of pine creek]\n\nPowerful Essays\n1827 words (5.2 pages)\n\nThe Perpetual Battle Against Censorship Essay\n\n-  \"There is more than one way to burn a book,\" (176) says Ray Bradbury when explaining the reason he wrote Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury at the time was upset about \"condensed books\", or books which had been simplified for easier reading. Luckily, this fad seems to have passed. However, he was also upset about people who wrote asking him to change the role of women or African-Americans to make them more or less dominant in some of his works. One of the major themes in Fahrenheit 451 was just that; a society where everyone got what they wished and literature was eliminated entirely so it wouldn't offend anyone....   [tags: The Fight Against Censorship 2014]\n\nPowerful Essays\n3073 words (8.8 pages)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9694288969039917}
+{"content": "Your search returned over 400 essays for \"cultural backgrounds\"\n1  2  3  4  5    Next >>\n\nDiversity, Cultural, And Ethnic Backgrounds\n\n- Diversity. The differences between people is referred to by diversity. Practitioners work aside people from a wide range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, which includes people of different genders, people with disabilities or people who have different cultural traditions. Practitioners have the responsibility of embracing and valuing diversity in order to reach the individual needs of the children and their families. All children and young people are unique individuals, and in early years’ settings, staff must ensure that each individual child is valued and respected equally....   [tags: Discrimination, Egalitarianism, Affirmative action]\n\nStrong Essays\n2127 words | (6.1 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Backgrounds of Frank and Rita\n\n- Cultural Backgrounds of Frank and Rita Through close analysis of three or four scenes from different parts of the play, show how Willy Russell brings out the cultural backgrounds of Frank and Rita in Educating Rita. Comment on how Frank and Rita's attitudes to culture change in the play. Through close analysis of three or four scenes from different parts of the play, show how Willy Russell brings out the cultural backgrounds of Frank and Rita in \"Educating Rita\". Comment on how Frank and Rita's attitudes to culture change in the play In carrying out the objectives we have been given to write this coursework, as outlined in the title, we must evaluate the themes and dramatic techniques...   [tags: Educating Rita Willy Russell Plays Essays]\n\nPowerful Essays\n1984 words | (5.7 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Education Team Performance May Be Hindered Due For The Different Cultural Backgrounds Of The Nurses\n\n- In a study, Li writes, “Healthcare team performance may be hindered due to the different cultural backgrounds of the nurses” (2014, p. 316). A report mentions that the IENs have less confidence in providing culturally competent care to the patients of the different culture due to lack of understanding of health beliefs, values and behaviors of that culture (Lampley, 2008). For instance, in Philippines, most of the decisions are made by the doctors. Nurses just follow doctors’ order in decision making (Tregunno, et al., 2009)....   [tags: Health care, Healthcare, Health care provider]\n\nStrong Essays\n1987 words | (5.7 pages) | Preview\n\nHow Religion Can Unite Other People From Different Cultural Backgrounds\n\n- Religion can unite various people from different cultural backgrounds but, it can also cause divergent opposition. Buddhism shares and explains many different teachings and philosophies including the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path which strongly relate to sunyata, or emptiness. I was intrigued by these concepts because of the manner in which they influence the daily life of Buddhists. Foremost, the Buddha believed that religion should have absence of authority, ritual, tradition, and supernatural; and that it should be powerful self-effort....   [tags: Four Noble Truths, Gautama Buddha]\n\nBetter Essays\n1126 words | (3.2 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Backgrounds of Authors Used in A Stench of Kerosene and Veronica\n\n- Cultural Backgrounds of Authors Used in A Stench of Kerosene and Veronica 'A Stench of Kerosene' is a story about a young woman, Guleri (whose family live in Chamba), living with her husband, Okeke, and his family. Guleri has never borne Okeke a child, and because of this Okeke's mother makes him re-marry. The remarriage of Okeke occurs when Guleri goes away to visit her family, for the harvest fair. When Guleri hears of Okeke's new wife she soaks her clothes in Kerosene and kills herself....   [tags: Papers]\n\nPowerful Essays\n2708 words | (7.7 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Most Diverse Nation is the World\n\n- The Most Diverse Nation is the World When I lived in Japan and talked with my friends about Americans, I had a strong impression that my friends think the average American is white. Of course they realize that there are many other ethnic groups in the U.S. but they do not realize the true extent of racial diversity in America. In their minds, an average American has white skin, a tall nose, long legs, wide eyes, and a muscular body. So I wondered what could have led them to this image of the average American....   [tags: Ethnic Backgrounds Ethnicity Cultural Essays]\n\nFree Essays\n1157 words | (3.3 pages) | Preview\n\nOutdoor Classroom Environment: How to Support Children from Diverse Backgrounds\n\n- 1.Discuss two examples of how teachers can support children from diverse backgrounds in the outdoor classroom environment Teachers can support children diverse background by providing children with music during outdoor classroom time. Music comes in different styles. Furthermore, you can choose music for all different backgrounds. For instance, one day a teacher can play Fiesta which represent Mexican background. “Music enables us to reflect, record, and nurture awareness, understanding, and appreciation of cultural and ethnic diversity while providing knowledge, skills, and understanding of ourselves, our community, and the world” (education.com)....   [tags: music, children, backgrounds]\n\nGood Essays\n529 words | (1.5 pages) | Preview\n\nRace, Racial And Ethnic Backgrounds\n\n- “Race, one begins to conclude, was the key factor in dividing the people of western America. Its meanings and distinctions fluctuated, but racial feelings evidently guided white Americans in their choice of groups to persecute and exclude. Differences in culture, in language, in religion, meant something; but a physically distinctive appearance seems to have been the prerequisite for full status as a scapegoat” (Hoffman, Blum, Gjerde, pg. 56). The term \"race\" has not had a consistent meaning throughout its history of use....   [tags: United States, Race, Racism, Race]\n\nBetter Essays\n1168 words | (3.3 pages) | Preview\n\nAssociating : Communication Competence And Cultural Background\n\n- Associating: Communication Competence and Cultural Background Previous researchers have found that for a person to achieve better and more effective communication competence, it is necessary to develop skills that allow an appropriate participation in specific situations. The ability to listen, ask questions, and express concepts or ideas effectively is an important part of communication competence. Intercultural communication presents an unexplored and challenging field that needs to be understood for a better development in communication....   [tags: Culture, Cross-cultural communication, Perception]\n\nBetter Essays\n741 words | (2.1 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Analysis : Culture And Culture\n\n- Cultural competence is a set of values and principles that prove behaviors, attitudes, policies that come together in a system or organization that enables them to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. According to Chapter 3, Culture can be defined as “cultural relativism is the practice of assessing a culture by its own standards rather than viewing it through the lens of one’s own culture.” Additionally, in Chapter 3, a culture can be adapted to by “practicing cultural relativism” which “requires an open mind and a willingness to consider, and even adapt to, new values and norms.” Ethnocentrism is the assessments of other cultures according to biases inventing in the values and c...   [tags: Culture, Cross-cultural communication]\n\nBetter Essays\n728 words | (2.1 pages) | Preview\n\nReview For Enhancing Cultural Competency\n\n- ANALYSIS OF REVIEW FOR ENHANCING CULTURAL COMPETENCY IN NEW NURSING GRADUATES Cultural competency is indispensable knowledge and skill that allows nurses to deliver optimal care for patients with diverse cultural backgrounds. Inadequate knowledge and skills of other cultural traditions have continued to increase racial and ethnic inequalities in healthcare for minority groups (Alpers & Hanssen, 2014; Dunagan et al. 2013; Long, 2012). As nurses interact with clients they provide nursing care, health education and advocacy at any point in need (Bearskin, 2011; Calvillo, 2009)....   [tags: Culture, Nursing, Cultural competence]\n\nStrong Essays\n1480 words | (4.2 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Competence and Intercultural Communication\n\n- When individuals or groups from different cultures communicate, this process is called intercultural communication. The transaction process of listening and responding to people from different cultural backgrounds can be challenging. The greater the difference in culture between two people, the greater the potential of misunderstanding and mistrust. Misunderstanding and miscommunication occur between people from different cultures because of different coding rules and cultural norms, which play a major role in shaping the patterns of interaction (Jandt, 2012)....   [tags: cultural training, nurses, patients]\n\nStrong Essays\n1667 words | (4.8 pages) | Preview\n\nCross Cultural Communication And An Organization\n\n- When one looks at cross-cultural communication in the organization one has to look at many deciding factors. Cross-cultural communication is also known as “Intercultural Communication” (Afghari, A., & Pourakbari, A. A. 2015 p. 37). When one looks at any organization one would see where cross-cultural communication plays a part. Cross-cultural communication in an organizations are growing. It is a part of our world whether we like it or not. They have different ethical beliefs. Whether we like it or not what seems to be the norm to use will not be the norm to someone else....   [tags: Culture, Cross-cultural communication, Leadership]\n\nBetter Essays\n2268 words | (6.5 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Intelligence in the Workspace\n\n- Cultural intelligence (CQ) is defined as an individual’s capability to adapt and function in situations that involves new cultural setting. CQ is regarded a useful tool as it can allow an individual to work in effectively multi-cultural settings. An individual can develop CQ competencies through personal experiences such as travelling/studying abroad, working in a firm that is established from a culture different from their own and also studying the many ways people of different cultures function....   [tags: multi-cultural settings, human resource analysis]\n\nPowerful Essays\n1429 words | (4.1 pages) | Preview\n\nAdvantages And Disadvantages Of A Bi Cultural Managerial Team\n\n- Advantages and disadvantages of working in a bi-cultural managerial team. // Bi-culturals are individuals who have deeply internalized two cultural schemas. A cultural schema is a set of knowledge about values, norms, and beliefs for a given culture. Bi-culturals are an increasing workforce demographic, and hence a growing part of multicultural teams. Their innate skills that result from being bicultural may help solve central problems in multicultural teams, including managing conflicts and boundary spanning across cultures....   [tags: Management, Culture, Cultural diversity]\n\nBetter Essays\n1416 words | (4 pages) | Preview\n\nAcademic Failures Of Students From Diverse Backgrounds\n\n- Quote 1: “... cultural difference adherents argue that the academic failures of students from diverse backgrounds cannot be attributed to to perceived disadvantages existing within a culture. Instead, school failure results principally because there is a mismatch (difference) between student’s cultures and the cultures of schools themselves.” Text to Self: In one of my classes in high school, there was a student who had recently emigrated from a country in Southeast Asia. She spoke a decent amount of English, and seemed to be a dedicated student....   [tags: Culture, Family, Education]\n\nBetter Essays\n1723 words | (4.9 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Importance Of Cultural Competence At The New England Region\n\n- In the next five or more years, I see myself just beginning my career as an employment lawyer in either Connecticut or another state in the New England Region. An employment lawyer deals with the variety of problems and issues that arise in a diverse workplace and help those being denied their rights given to them by the state’s employment laws receive what they deserve in the workplace. These issues arise all the time in my different workplaces and involve people of all different ethic/racial backgrounds....   [tags: Culture, Cross-cultural communication]\n\nBetter Essays\n1004 words | (2.9 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Need for Cross-Cultural Communication and Respect in Australia\n\n- Australia is a country made up of a diverse and multi-cultural population derived from different backgrounds and beliefs. In Australia there are issues of cross-cultural conflict in everyday lives, as well as in working environments. Issues of cross-cultural conflict include communication, cultures, religion and non-verbal behaviours. Without an understanding of conflicts, misunderstandings in the wider community can occur. Language can cause a cross cultural conflict in the workplace among workers as they may not understand what instructions have been given and as a result miscommunication issues arise....   [tags: cross cultural conflict ]\n\nBetter Essays\n1024 words | (2.9 pages) | Preview\n\nDeveloping An Organizational Culture That Values Cultural Diversity\n\n- According to Cox & Blake (1991), developing an organizational culture that values cultural diversity in the workplace is one of the spheres of activity in the management of cultural diversity (p.46). As part of a valuing diversity approach, organizational leaders should ensure that the organization is flexible enough to accommodate employees from different cultural backgrounds. The process of developing an organizational culture that values cultural diversity includes valuing cultural differences, promoting cultural inclusion, and treating cultural differences as prevailing value systems....   [tags: Cross-cultural communication, Culture, Management]\n\nBetter Essays\n1363 words | (3.9 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Diversity : A Social And Ethical Responsibility For Managing Diversity\n\n- Cultural Diversity Organizations today have a social and ethical responsibility for managing diversity and ensuring the culture of the company is one that values the employees no matter the background. Workforce diversity consist of similarities and differences among employees in terms of age, cultural background, physical abilities and disabilities, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation. Organizations are focusing on cultural diversity due to globalization (worldwide growth), generational gaps, increased global competition, and due to the increased social and economic fairness and morality....   [tags: Culture, Leadership, Sociology, Cultural diversity]\n\nStrong Essays\n1110 words | (3.2 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Safety Begins By Recognising Diversity And Educating Nurses\n\n- I feel strongly that “cultural safety begins by acknowledging diversity and educating nurses to model change” (Kellett, & Fitton, 2016, p.4). With exposure, cultural shock may be experienced by a non-LGBTI aware student nurse, in the clinical environment (Carabez, Dariotis, Eliason et al., 2015). Contemporary Australia, however, is so diverse that a student choosing nursing has no option but to stare down prejudice and initiate equalitarianism. Even our national anthem “Advance Australia Fair” says “For those who’ve come across the seas, We’ve boundless plains to share....   [tags: Nursing, Nurse, Cultural anthropology, Culture]\n\nBetter Essays\n1255 words | (3.6 pages) | Preview\n\nProviding Support to Children and Families From Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Backgrounds\n\n- In this essay a range of strategies to support children and their families from culturally and linguistically backgrounds will be discussed using different perspectives and concepts. As suggested by Kaiser & Rasminsky (2003) “culture is like a second skin and it only becomes visible when we brush up against one that is different” (p.53).Culture is important part in our lives , it can include the food we eat , beliefs , values and the way we look at our world. As a teacher it is important to understand our own culture, before we try to understand children’s and families culture....   [tags: Culture ]\n\nStrong Essays\n1020 words | (2.9 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Concepts of Leisure\n\n- Cultural Concepts of Leisure Modern American culture seems to have the need for discrepancy between leisure and work more than any other culture in the world. We really forget the possibility that other meanings besides our own might exist. I would like to explore the different meanings that leisure has for people of other cultural backgrounds and compare them with those of European descent. It is important to keep in mind that there is no way of regarding any culture in which the results can be taken as truth about the culture in its entirety....   [tags: Leisure Culture Cultural Essays]\n\nStrong Essays\n1176 words | (3.4 pages) | Preview\n\nA Teacher Should Have Knowledge And Understanding Of The Diversity Of Students ' Backgrounds\n\n- Graduate teachers should have knowledge and understanding of the diversity of students’ backgrounds and how this impacts on student learning (AITSL, 2014). They should also be responsive to the learning needs of students across the full spectrum of students’ backgrounds and abilities/disabilities (AITSL, 2014). Similarly, Lead teachers require this same knowledge and understanding, however they need to specialise in the local educational context, through expert and community knowledge (AITSL, 2014)....   [tags: Education, Educational psychology, Pedagogy]\n\nStrong Essays\n1194 words | (3.4 pages) | Preview\n\nIs Diversity A Major Obstacle? Education For People From Different Ethnic Backgrounds?\n\n- Diversity Paper There has been a major change in the past thirty years regarding the amount of immigrants coming to the United States. The impact the immigrants have had on education and diversity is unbelievable. There are many factors which contribute to the element of diversity in education, such as each student 's culture, the different languages each student speaks, promoting gender equality amongst students, and working with students who have exceptionalities. As today 's educators, teachers must understand diversity from an omniscient perspective and the influence it has on students, making the process of getting an education as equal and pleasant as possible for all students....   [tags: Education, Culture, Teacher, Gender]\n\nBetter Essays\n1083 words | (3.1 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Importance Of Cultural Diversity And The Impact That It Has On Elementary School Students\n\n- bstract This paper emphasizes the importance of cultural diversity and the impact that it has on Elementary school students (Burt, 2013). Attending a school with a diverse student population can help prepare children for citizenship in a multicultural democracy (Morrissey, 2014). America is known as the melting pot because of the immigration of people who entered the country in search for a more stable life. Immigrants brought their own unique cultures with them. Census Bureau predicts that by 2100, the minority population will be the majority....   [tags: Education, Culture, School, Cultural diversity]\n\nBetter Essays\n3179 words | (9.1 pages) | Preview\n\nDiversity Is A Difference Between Ranges Of Backgrounds\n\n- Part A 1. Diversity is a difference between ranges of backgrounds. This including race, religion, color, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, age, education and skills. Diversity can easily impact the workplace because a person who can’t respect a differences, and deficiency of other employees, that can lead to racism, bullying, etc. The diversity in the workplace: • Religious belief, ( christian, buddhism, Islamism, hinduism,paganism, shinto, and a many more other religious belief) • Cultural behaviours, (most people in the world think that when you are shaking your head it means “no”, but in india when people shake their head it means yes....   [tags: Disability, Discrimination]\n\nBetter Essays\n1638 words | (4.7 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Importance of Positive Cultural Identity\n\n- No human being is culture free. We are a product of the many different cultures which surround us. Our values, worldview and experiences are structured by the society and culture that exert influences on our lives each day. It is therefore important to be a multicultural person by first forming a positive cultural identity. Manning and Baruth (2009, p.24) defines culture as “people’s values, languages, religions, ideals, artistic expressions, patterns of social and interpersonal relationships and ways of perceiving, behaving and thinking.” However, in this paper, cultural identity also relate to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class and all that defines the self....   [tags: Cultural Identity Essays]\n\nStrong Essays\n1171 words | (3.3 pages) | Preview\n\nEducation And Education : Educational Inequity, Socioeconomic Status, Cultural Capital, And Social Disadvantage Play\n\n- Certain issues such as educational inequity, socioeconomic status, cultural diversity, stereotypes, dominant culture, cultural capital, and social disadvantage play a vital role in curriculum experiences. Children attend schools and are welcomed in age-appropriate, regular classes which encourage learning and contributing this is described as an inclusive education. This interview and essay will highlight how such issues in the classroom are experienced by the pupils who have an inclusive education....   [tags: Education, Sociology, Gender, Cultural diversity]\n\nBetter Essays\n1014 words | (2.9 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Appropriation Vs. Multiculturalism\n\n- Cultural Appropriation versus Multiculturalism In todays society there are many different cultures that individuals identify with. Culture is very important to many people and is something that helps define who we are. When different cultures are respected and appreciated it is a beautiful thing, it can bring individuals in society closer to one another. Ideally this understanding of one another’s cultures can lead to multiculturalism. If the appreciation for different cultures is not done correctly it can seem to be cultural appropriation....   [tags: Culture, The Culture, Cultural assimilation]\n\nBetter Essays\n1108 words | (3.2 pages) | Preview\n\nIssues of Cultural Awareness in Curriculum Design\n\n- In order to conduct a proper learner analysis the population for whom the instruction will be created must be identified. Diverse cultures and backgrounds must be taken into consideration and curriculum developers need to be sensitive to those issues in their learning environment. Instructional Setting Chowchilla Union High School is located in the Central Valley of California. It was established in 1916 with just fourteen students and has now grown to approximately 1,000 students. As of November 2012, 57 % of the students “receive free meal benefits and 11% reduced meal benefits” (Directors, 2012)....   [tags: Instructional Design, Cultural Sensitivity]\n\nStrong Essays\n1037 words | (3 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Diversity And Its Effect On Society\n\n- The concept of cultural diversity is found in various aspects of life, and it continues to live all around us. For instance, in China, people are allowed only to have a baby, but in other countries, no restrictions are placed on raising children. Moreover, many restaurants serve hot tea instead of water in Hong Kong, but in other societies, this cultural act is considered bizarre. Admittedly, these differences are very interesting because they are the main source of creating unique identities, and without them life is going to be very tedious, and people won’t be able to learn new concepts and develop their identities....   [tags: Culture, Education, Cultural diversity, Democracy]\n\nBetter Essays\n867 words | (2.5 pages) | Preview\n\nMeeting People Diverse Backgrounds Can Be Challenging At Times\n\n- Meeting people diverse backgrounds can be challenging at times. We all have our perceived view of the world, and other cultures are no exception to this rule. Due to internet, mass communication, faster air travel, and a litany of other means of transport the world has become a smaller place. We are now in contact with many different races within their original home lands as opposed to meeting them in America. What is fascinating is while it appears the world has shrunk due to the aforementioned reasons, as a society of people we have not been able to communicate effectively nor fully understand other cultures....   [tags: Culture, The Culture, Communication, Bible]\n\nStrong Essays\n1124 words | (3.2 pages) | Preview\n\nMulticultural Counseling Techniques For Culturally Diverse Backgrounds\n\n- D1 1.) Think of situations in which you might encounter clients with culturally diverse backgrounds. What aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy do you think might work well in multicultural counseling. How might you have to modify some of your techniques so that they would be appropriate for the client’s cultural background. While thinking of situations in which I might encounter clients with culturally diverse backgrounds I could think of a lot while working in a community agency or even in my own private practice....   [tags: Cognitive behavioral therapy, Psychotherapy]\n\nBetter Essays\n806 words | (2.3 pages) | Preview\n\nChildren Of All Backgrounds Were Ignorant Of Culture\n\n- When I was in elementary school, I remember sitting on the bus one morning hating my hair. I hated my hair so much that I began undoing all the plaits and barrettes that my mother had so carefully braided that morning. In that moment, I hated being different than all the other girls in my school who had long, soft, flowing hair. I grew up in a predominately white community in the late 1990s, early 2000s. There was only 13% African Americans and even less of other “minorities” in Calvert County, MD....   [tags: Black people, African American, African diaspora]\n\nBetter Essays\n1453 words | (4.2 pages) | Preview\n\nHow Cultural Background Affects The Nursing Care\n\n- Globalization and immigration are two major forces increasing cultural diversity around the world. Technological advancements, increasing international travel, and ethnic strife in countries such as Syria are some of the factors contributing to this trend. As a result, most individuals live in a multi-cultural society and are trying to preserve their identity while interacting with people from varying backgrounds. The health care industry is not immune to increasing diversity and to adapt, organizations and employees must learn how to provide culturally congruent care (Emami & Safipour, 2013)....   [tags: Nursing, Health care, Health, Patient]\n\nBetter Essays\n939 words | (2.7 pages) | Preview\n\nTeaching Children Who Come from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds\n\n- New Zealand is a diverse and multicultural society, some ethnic groups established themselves in Aotearoa many decades ago such as the Chinese, Croatian and Indian communities and other groups have arrived more recently such as Koreans and South African(student guide). As an early childhood teachers that it is important to appreciate, understand and respect different cultural and religious ideas. The whole environment of early childhood setting needs to reflect a multicultural and multilingual approach....   [tags: Education ]\n\nBetter Essays\n849 words | (2.4 pages) | Preview\n\nPersonal Reflection On Counseling People From Various Backgrounds And Cultures\n\n- “In general I believe that counseling people from various backgrounds and cultures can be difficult. One thing however is steady, understanding. I believe in taking the time to research my clients, reading up on different cultures and staying current with generational differences. My philosophy is a great counselor is always learning. There is no one human being who knows everything. We all have to continuously educate ourselves. Factors such as; race, background, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, values and beliefs are all important when counseling someone....   [tags: Culture, Religion, The Culture, Oppression]\n\nBetter Essays\n1077 words | (3.1 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Effect of Cultural Difference on Intercultural Marriage\n\n- The Effect of Cultural Difference on Intercultural Marriage As the world integrates, more and more people are leaving their mother lands to visit, study and work overseas. Young people now have more opportunities to meet prospective partners from other cultures than they had in the past. “The number of intercultural couples is increasing worldwide.” (Klein, par.3) Many intercultural couples claim that their relationships do not differentiate from monoculture relationships at first. Passionate love bonds them....   [tags: Marriage Love Culture Cultural Essays]\n\nStrong Essays\n1230 words | (3.5 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Competency And Health Care\n\n- The absence of cultural competency in some health care providers, lack of community perspective integration in health care facilities, and low quality health care received by women in developing countries.These are the three most pressing health care concerns that need to be addressed in our ever changing world. The first of the issues I’ll be discussing is the lack of cultural competency amongst health care providers, as well as the shortage of education and training in cultural competency. As we all know and see the United States is a racially and ethnically diverse nation which means our health care providers need to be equipped with the necessary education and training to be able to pr...   [tags: Health care provider, Health care, Patient]\n\nBetter Essays\n1704 words | (4.9 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Competence Of Nursing Care\n\n- Cultural competence in nursing care Introduction Baccalaureate-prepared nurses should demonstrate cultural awareness and competence in their practice in order to provide quality care to diverse populations in the society (Kersey-Matusiak, 2012). The US health care system faces disparities in the health status of different cultural groups such as the racial and ethnic minorities, the economically disadvantaged groups and rural populations (Jeffreys, 2006). Cultural competence refers to the attitudes, knowledge, and skills that are necessary for providing care in diverse populations and I believe that I have acquired personal cultural awareness and competence (Weber & Kelly, 2009)....   [tags: Culture, Health care, Minority group, Nursing]\n\nBetter Essays\n1177 words | (3.4 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Narrative Is An Important Story\n\n- A cultural narrative is an important story that allows others outside that one specific culture to learn and understand people who are in that culture. When people hear about other cultural narratives it allows people to view the reality of how a person life is within that culture. People are able to see the hardship other cultures endure in society and also able to view what drives those in society. Cultural narratives to me are sets of stories about one’s own culture that teaches me hardships of one’s cultural, morality lesson from that cultural narrative, and helps me understand how difficult it is for most cultures to live in another foreign society....   [tags: Culture, Anthropology, Humanities, Film]\n\nBetter Essays\n1404 words | (4 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Appropriation And The Appropriation Of A Culture\n\n- When I was 12 I dressed up as a gypsy; traditional dress, dark eyeshadow, rosy pink cheeks, black eyeliner, and gold jewelry everywhere. Naively my intention was to wear a costume that was fun to wear and also made me feel as free as a “wanderlust gypsy”. It was only years later that I came to realize how little I knew about the hardships my costume really represented. Gypsies were not filled with a great desire to travel rather they had no choice but to move in attempts to flee for their lives....   [tags: Black people, United Kingdom, Affirmative action]\n\nBetter Essays\n1250 words | (3.6 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Appropriation And The Appropriation Of A Culture\n\n- When I was 12 years old I dressed up as a gypsy; traditional dress, dark eyeshadow, rosy pink cheeks, black eyeliner, and gold jewelry everywhere. Naively my intention was to dress up in a costume that was fun to wear and also made me feel as free as a “wanderlust gypsy”. It was only years later that I came to realize how little I knew about the actual hardships my costume represented. Gypsies were not filled with a great desire to travel, rather they had no choice but to move in constant attempts to flee for their lives....   [tags: Black people, United Kingdom, Culture]\n\nBetter Essays\n1272 words | (3.6 pages) | Preview\n\nIntercultural Communication And Cultural Diversity\n\n- Intercultural communication has many challenges that can be dissected by applying the concepts of communication to everyday interactions. Intercultural interaction is at an all time high due to progressive social advances and the widespread use of the internet. Now more than ever, individuals from different backgrounds are interacting with one another. This newfound cultural melting pot has shone a light on the cultural diversity in local communities and around the world. In order to analyse the interactions between these cultural backgrounds key concepts of intercultural communication must be applied....   [tags: Culture, Communication]\n\nBetter Essays\n993 words | (2.8 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Diversity : An Ethical Issue\n\n- Cultural Diversity: An Ethical Issue Donna M. Dufford Chamberlain College of Nursing NR 504 Leadership and Nursing Practice: Role Development Summer B, 2014   Cultural Diversity: An Ethical Issue Understanding if not embracing cultural diversity is a common ethical issue facing nurses in the twenty first century. Nurses often find themselves attempting to navigate multi-cultural world in daily practice. Patients from multiple religious and cultural backgrounds live longer and have multiple health problems requiring complex interventions eventually become hospitalized for care....   [tags: Nursing, Ethics, Patient, Morality]\n\nStrong Essays\n1246 words | (3.6 pages) | Preview\n\nCommunication And A Multi Cultural Team\n\n- I learned how to manage virtual teams effectively, how to communicate and build relationships in a cross-cultural environment in addition, I learned communications and virtual team development skills. I took this course to develop my critical thinking skills about cross-cultural virtual teams, so I can evaluate and develop business problems solutions and strategies. • To be successful in business administration • To find the best of myself with business knowledge and intelligence • To achieve a CEO position • To open my own business • Shared team culture • Respect different values and beliefs • Communicative and respectful relationships • Goal focused and achievement driven work • Continuou...   [tags: Critical thinking, Management, Skill, Learning]\n\nBetter Essays\n1070 words | (3.1 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Theory Of Cultural Brokering\n\n- The Theory of Cultural Brokering The concept of cultural brokering has existed since cultures first started interacting (Goode, 2004). Jezewski (1995) described cultural brokering as the act of connecting, mediating, or bridging groups of people with different cultural backgrounds for the purpose of resolving conflict or instilling positive change. A cultural broker, as described by Jezewski (1995), is a mediator or liaison who advocates on behalf of the group or individual they are representing....   [tags: Health care, Culture, Healthcare, Medicine]\n\nBetter Essays\n1641 words | (4.7 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Theory Of Cultural Brokering\n\n- The Theory of Cultural Brokering Cultural brokering is a concept that has been part of history since cultures first started interacting with each other (Goode, 2004). Jezewski (1995) described cultural brokering as the act of connecting, mediating or linking groups of people with different cultural backgrounds, with the underlying purpose of resolving conflict or instilling positive change. A cultural broker, as described by Jezewski (1995), is a mediator or liaison who advocates on behalf of the group or individual they are representing....   [tags: Health care, Culture, Healthcare, Medicine]\n\nBetter Essays\n1703 words | (4.9 pages) | Preview\n\nIntegrating A Multi Cultural Team\n\n- In today’s competitive world it 's a very big challenge to create a successful team in an organization, but after adding people with the multi-cultural backgrounds it becomes the quite challenging for most of the organizations and managers to handle the team efficiently. The need of multi-cultural team in any organization is increasing day by day as when the managers bring together these people with the different diversities, the outcome can be innovative, satisfactory and more concentrated results can be achieved....   [tags: Management, Culture, Multiculturalism]\n\nBetter Essays\n1513 words | (4.3 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Conflicts in the Workplace\n\n- Cross-cultural conflict can arise at any time in the workplace and sometimes we are not aware it has even developed until it has become a major issue with another worker or client. Sometimes issues can be resolved simply by talking to each other but at other times mediation needs to be used to come to a reasonable truce and understanding. Even if we speak the same language and follow the same religion there can be conflict because we are all individuals with different thoughts and ideas. There are many issues that may contribute to cross-cultural conflict....   [tags: mediation, religion, communication]\n\nBetter Essays\n833 words | (2.4 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Safety in Clinical Practice\n\n- In the perspective of cultural safety, culture is broadly defined to include ethnicity, customs, tradition, beliefs and values as well as socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, ethnic/immigration status, values and disabilities (NCNZ, 2011). Culture is about ways of doing things and it can be learned and changed (Jarvis, 2012). Ethnicity on the other hand a is a form of identification or belonging to a social group bonded by common history and cultural tradition hence, people of the same ethnicity may share a common language, religion, food, dress, and have a common sense of identity....   [tags: nursing, healthcare professionals]\n\nPowerful Essays\n1652 words | (4.7 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Diversity Interview : Interview\n\n- Cultural Diversity Interview I conducted an interview with Barbara Schauland, MS, Rehabilitation Counselor, Branch Office Manager, regarding her experiences working with culturally diverse clients in the field of vocational rehabilitation. Ms. Schauland has been employed with the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services for five and a half years. During her time with the agency she has worked as a general field counselor serving adult population, as a specialized counselor working with the deaf and hard of hearing, and now is a branch office manager....   [tags: Hearing impairment, Cochlea, Models of deafness]\n\nBetter Essays\n1110 words | (3.2 pages) | Preview\n\nLearning Disabilities as a Cultural Construct\n\n- While perceptions of learning disabilities (LD) may vary according to country, culture, and teachers, it is often necessary to diagnose students in order to receive funding for services. It can be helpful to recognize those learning disabilities that students may have in order to provide extra assistance when necessary. It would be advantageous, too, if wide recognition of LD could take away the stigma that is often present. However, since LD is a multi-faceted topic, labeling often carries a negative connotation and can lead to ostracizing of students....   [tags: Education]\n\nStrong Essays\n1271 words | (3.6 pages) | Preview\n\nRace And Cultural Diversity : Racism\n\n- PUDEI USIOGHENE ENGLISH 1020 DR. MAX WHITE 7/27/15 Race and Cultural Diversity The term racism means inequity or injustice based on race. It can also be the principle that talks about the differences in human personality or capacity and that a specific race is absolute to others. This can be as a result of language, traditions and customs, or any feature that the person possesses. The idea of racism has been in existence in the history of humans for a very long time. For the past years, racism of westerners towards those who are not from that region has had more impact than any other type of racism....   [tags: Racism, Race, Ethnic group, Black people]\n\nStrong Essays\n1351 words | (3.9 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Racism At High School\n\n- Based on the information I have learned, my experiences and world view affect my understanding and encounters with diverse individuals. In class we have learned that schools have problems with cultural racism. Cultural racism means to have a belief that the cultural values of one group are superior to other cultural groups. In my former high school, there definitely were some issues with cultural racism and there were often some fights that involved with racism slurs and stereotyping; therefore I am very aware of this problem....   [tags: Culture, Sociology, Education, The Culture]\n\nBetter Essays\n970 words | (2.8 pages) | Preview\n\nGlobalization : The Cultural Diversity\n\n- Nowadays, people all around the world live in the era that adopts the foreign cultures to be applied for the daily life. People seem to enjoy blending their own culture to follow up with the recent trend in order to improve life. Since people start to migrate from one to another place and culture becoming diverse, the world tends to be globally interconnected and creating the phenomenon called globalization. Those people will bring their own cultures and mix it with the locals until the cultural diversity begins....   [tags: Sociology, Globalization, Culture, Anthropology]\n\nBetter Essays\n1099 words | (3.1 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Diversity And Special Education\n\n- Cultural Diversity and Special Education Sandra Albert Wingate University EL 7095 Dr. Compton Abstract Cultural diversity is increasing in our schools and directly affects how we work with students with disabilities. There is also a disproportionate representation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) students in special education (Chu, 2011). The following paper will explore cultural diversity and the special education referral process including implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI)....   [tags: Education, Culture, Special education, Sociology]\n\nStrong Essays\n3000 words | (8.6 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Racism At High School\n\n\nBetter Essays\n970 words | (2.8 pages) | Preview\n\nWhy Is Cultural Diversity Required?\n\n- Why is Cultural Diversity Required. The term diversity suggests involvement of different people on the basis of their values, and experience. The world is changing drastically and nothing is as it was a couple of years ago. So, it can be said that we are living in a heterogeneous world. Diversity gives us a good lesson to live and cooperate with the ones who are different from us. It is very common to get along with someone who is like us, but it is harder to get along with the ones who are different from us....   [tags: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]\n\nBetter Essays\n1764 words | (5 pages) | Preview\n\nCulture, Social And Cultural Changes\n\n- Within Western culture, social and cultural changes have evolved how people perceive themselves and others, resulting in a large increase in mental syndromes, such as anorexia and depression. While the western society has suffered from [body stereotyping..?], Asian countries have seen a rise in youth socially withdrawing for extended periods of time. In Japan, such a term is called hikikomori. It is a quickly developing syndrome in which adolescents “lock themselves away in their rooms for months, years, or even sometimes decades at a time, with minimal social contact” (Rosenthal and Zimmerman 82)....   [tags: Sociology, Western culture, High school, Society]\n\nBetter Essays\n1775 words | (5.1 pages) | Preview\n\nTrans Cultural Communication At Work\n\n- Trans-cultural communication at work Introduction A business meeting takes place in Indonesia between the executives: Jonathan from Australia and Batara from Indonesia. The Indonesian company was authentically interested in the Australian company 's proposal. After communications through fax, Jonathan visits the Indonesian company and meets with Batara for the first time. Coming from different cultural backgrounds, the interactions between the Indonesian and Australian partners were influenced by cross-cultural differences....   [tags: Communication, Culture, Proposal, Rapport]\n\nBetter Essays\n1362 words | (3.9 pages) | Preview\n\nAddressing Cultural Diversity in Healthcare\n\n- Culturally Competent Assessment The purpose of the assessment is to address the competence of different cultures. As a number of Haitian immigrants in to the United States, it continues to grow at a steady rate (DeSilva, Gonzales-Eastep, Grey, & Nicolas, 2006). It is very important that mental health providers become better informed, and develop the skill sets necessary to combine the providers’ and clients’ cultural backgrounds into the treatment (DeSilva, Gonzales-Eastep, Grey & Nicolas, 2006)....   [tags: culturally competent assessment]\n\nBetter Essays\n658 words | (1.9 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Cultural And Religious Beliefs\n\n- In today’s society, many individuals have trouble accepting people whose views differ from theirs. Unfortunately, many outsiders and foreigners find it rather difficult to interact with individuals who do not share similar cultural or religious beliefs. As a Bengali-American born and raised in the predominantly Hispanic community of Laredo, Texas, I have experienced different views and customs entirely different from those of my culture. Because of these cultural differences, I have been a victim of bullying....   [tags: Islam, Religion, Ramadan, Christianity]\n\nBetter Essays\n715 words | (2 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Cultural Shocks And Barriers\n\n- Convergence People tell you how scary it could be, you read about it, you are not so sure how you should handle it, you are both excited and anxious… If you are an international student, you could probably guess what I am talking about here: the cultural shocks and barriers. Prior to my arrival, all I forced myself to think about was how I could Americanize myself, how I could pretend better and so on. My wake-up call arrived soon enough—incapability to understand other people; endless anxiety that filled my mind; ridiculous mistakes made because of my erroneous perceptions… About much of the contents you could read in articles like Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks written by La...   [tags: Stereotype, Stereotypes, International student]\n\nBetter Essays\n1216 words | (3.5 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Competence With Muslim Americans\n\n- Lum- Ch. 13 Review: The purpose of chapter 13 in Lum (2011) is to discuss cultural competence with Muslim Americans. Muslim Americans are the fastest growing religious community in the United States, which is something that I had not realized. The reason behind this is due to natural births, immigration, and conversion. Within the Muslim American community, there are three generations. The first one being Muslim immigrants. The second one refers to children who were born in the United States to parents who were foreign-born....   [tags: United States, Islam, Islam in the United States]\n\nBetter Essays\n1200 words | (3.4 pages) | Preview\n\nWomen And Cultural Background On Women\n\n- Throughout my years and experiences of being a young woman in religion, I could now define a woman in religion to be one who plays the character of a submissive to her spouse, or someone who walks in the shadow of a man. The definition of women in religion is derived from the important historical, social, cultural and economic factors. Also my experiences growing up as a young lady in the church and my cultural background on women in Christianity churches. All these various factors have contributed and have shaped my view of what it means to be a woman in religion....   [tags: Woman, Female, Gender, Girl]\n\nBetter Essays\n891 words | (2.5 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Main Points Essential for Developing Early Literacy\n\n- The home-school connection in developing early literacy is critical. Most educators recognize that children learn in a socio-constructivist way, through making meaning of their world around them. However there is often a mismatch between literacy practices of homes, communities and cultures and those of school (McNaughton, 2011). It is critical that the home-school connection is nourished and promoted. This will lead to students gaining a greater opportunity to learn and extend their literacy skills....   [tags: indigenous & non-English speaking backgrounds]\n\nStrong Essays\n1368 words | (3.9 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Diversty within Healthcare\n\n- Going to a different country or area of the world can open up anybody’s eyes to see that culture makes a huge impact on the understanding and practices of healthcare that seem to be so common to other areas of the world. When a person lives in one country their whole life, that person may not realize how different the life they live is from someone in a foreign country. If a person is going to receive treatment from someone with a different cultural background, they should be expected to get treatment to respects their own culture....   [tags: Katherine Dettwyler's experience and book]\n\nBetter Essays\n1041 words | (3 pages) | Preview\n\nHampden-Turner's Seven Dimensions of Culture\n\n- In nowadays economic and technological advancement as well as unlimited communication means, the work environment is more heterogeneous then ever, especially in terms of cultural background. This has provided for broad and diverse communication and interaction styles, behaviors, expectations and manifestations almost in every economic unit. On the other side the multinational corporates are the most eminent example how the cultural diversity can be enriching and productive as well in same time cultural and background differences can cause differences in understanding and even cultural shock or conflicts....   [tags: cultural background, differences]\n\nBetter Essays\n904 words | (2.6 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Competence\n\n- Assignment 5 Cultural competence has to do with one’s culture. Culture affects among other factors, how children are raised, how families communicate, what is considered normal or abnormal, ways of coping with issues, the way we dress, when and where we seek medical treatment, and so forth. I should know because I come from a very cultural home where it is considered bad to talk to a male doctor about anything gynecological. Cultural Competence is important for many reasons. First, it can help develop culturally sensitive practices which can in turn help reduce barriers that affect treatment in health care settings....   [tags: Health Care ]\n\nGood Essays\n599 words | (1.7 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Intelligence Assessment\n\n- Cultural intelligence assessment will enable the individual to have certain information about himself. It is posited that cultural difference has a greater impact on business effectiveness than we think. That our cultural backgrounds really influence the way we think and act and the way we interpret each others contributions. Our success or failure in communication will depend on the extent at which we understand the different cultural background of the employees and create a fruitful collaboration in situations where cultural differences play a role....   [tags: Emotional, Cognitive, Action Dimensions]\n\nBetter Essays\n782 words | (2.2 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Competence Of A Health Care Professional\n\n- Cultural Competence Cultural competence is defined as the ability to understand, honor, and respect the beliefs, lifestyle, attitudes, and behaviour of others.1 In order for a health care professional like a Physical Therapist to better understand Cultural competence it will need an individual the capacity to : (1) value diversity, (2) conduct self-assessment, (3)manage the dynamics of difference, (4) acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge, and (5) adapt to the diversity and cultural contexts of the individuals and communities served.2 Culture defined as “ an integrated pattern of human behavior that include the language, thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values...   [tags: Health care, Health care provider, Healthcare]\n\nBetter Essays\n1125 words | (3.2 pages) | Preview\n\nCross Cultural Adaptability Inventory ( Ccai )\n\n- Cross-cultural aspect is considered as a vital issue in this global economy and people from various cultural backgrounds are working together and bringing different values, viewpoints and business practices. This seminar on “leading in a cross-cultural context” was an eye-opener for me, as the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) assessment questions were relative to knowing your own cultural values and how you bring forward your attitude and behavior when you are introduced to a new culture and people....   [tags: Culture, Value, Sociology, Perception]\n\nBetter Essays\n1222 words | (3.5 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Sensitive Care\n\n- Cultural sensitive care Culture The classic definition for culture was proposed by Tylor (1871/1958) and still commonly cited: Culture is “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and many other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (p. 1). This definition focuses on attributes that are acquired through growing up or living in a particular society, rather than through biological inheritance (Kottak, 2002). In Giger and Davidhizar’s (1991) Model for transcultural care, culture was defined as a patterned behavioral response that develops over time as a result of imprinting the mind through social and religious structures and i...   [tags: Sociology, Transcultural Care]\n\nStrong Essays\n2192 words | (6.3 pages) | Preview\n\nA Cultural Assessment On Hispanic American Culture\n\n- The increase and changing demography in the United State today, with the disparities in the health status of people from different cultural backgrounds has been a challenge for health care professionals to consider cultural diversity as a priority. It is impossible for nurses and other healthcare professionals to learn and understand theses diversity in culture, but using other approaches like an interpreter is very helpful for both nurses and patients. In this paper of a culturally appropriate care planning, I will be discussing on the Hispanic American culture because, I had come across a lot of them in my career as a nurse....   [tags: Health care, Health care provider, Nursing]\n\nBetter Essays\n1496 words | (4.3 pages) | Preview\n\nCultural Awareness : Definition, Purpose And Benefits\n\n- Cultural Awareness: Definition, Purpose and Benefits Cultural awareness is where one becomes open to new beliefs, cultures, and religions. It requires one to be open to new ideas and perceptions, without discrimination. Cultural awareness also requires one to understand his or her own beliefs to better learn about another culture’s differences. The purpose of cultural awareness is to understand people who are different then oneself to better interact with them. By learning a person’s culture one could also incorporate traits of another culture in his or her life....   [tags: Hinduism, Culture, Hindu, The Culture]\n\nBetter Essays\n841 words | (2.4 pages) | Preview\n\nChallenges Faced By Globalization And Cultural Diversity\n\n- managers. Globalization has many different benefits. However, it gives a manager many challenges to overcome in order to succeed in their career. Such as being more diverse, having to deal with changes in other countries and much more. Which Management issue is the most challenging Globalization does create many different challenges a manager has to face. However, a manager having to adapt to the constant cultural changes and diversity in the workplace is by far the most challenging. This issue is the most challenging because of how international culture can overpower or change domestic culture; different needs and wants based on culture, and no real solution to the growing problem of cult...   [tags: Culture, Management, Employment, The Culture]\n\nBetter Essays\n1443 words | (4.1 pages) | Preview\n\nThe Importance of Cultural Diversity Within Organizations\n\n- When discussion is raised in relation to diversity, society talks about the group who possess individual qualities that are diverse from other individual’s traits. Diversity is the uniqueness, which every employee brings to the workplace in an organization or establishment. Examples of differences include nationality, belief, disabilities, physical appearance, race, gender, age, educational background, sexual orientation, and work experience, social and family status. At the workplace, valuing diversity means creating a work environment that respects and includes various individuals, by maximizing the potential of all employees or in which every employee feels integrated within the organizat...   [tags: Multicultural Structure]\n\nTerm Papers\n2184 words | (6.2 pages) | Preview\n\nReflection, Renewal, And Resolution On Cultural Diversity\n\n- Reflection, Renewal, and Resolution on Cultural Diversity As society evolves and changes with the times the concepts of diversity and culture have transformed into a melting pot of ideas. One must take into consideration how a person’s cultural identity, education, economic status, language, and religion shape their perspective of how diversity and culture influences their life. In unit one of this course I was asked to analyze cultural identity within the educational realm. I was challenged to think out of the box to define what culture meant to me as well as how society views culture....   [tags: Culture, Education, Sociology, Ethnic group]\n\nStrong Essays\n1409 words | (4 pages) | Preview\n\n\nYour search returned over 400 essays for \"cultural backgrounds\"\n1  2  3  4  5    Next >>", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995304942131042}
+{"content": "Research Paper: Blind Men\n\nPages: 6 (2754 words)  ·  Bibliography Sources: 6  ·  Level: College Senior  ·  Topic: Teaching  ·  Buy This Paper\n\n\n[. . .] Sawyer and Guetzkow (1965) believe negotiation to be a process where more than one party, which could be big social units, groups, or individuals, comes into interaction for securing potential profitable agreements that act as a guide in determining and regulating their future behaviors (P. 466). They believe that communication plays a vital role in this regard and both the parties actively participate to create, agree, and understand contracts that are mutually acceptable to both. It was also suggested Greene and Burleson (2003) that interdependence tends to be a vital aspect in negotiation as there is mutual dependence for both the parties if they want to effectively achieve their objectives and goals. This is primarily the reason why other theories of learning do not explain learned behavior under the same circumstances and situations. Simultaneously, they are in the market competing for resources and striving to make different ends meet. Thus, all negotiations can be said to involve various motives that are implied through communication in the negotiation process. Thus, it can also be deduced that negotiation is then different from other forms of interactions such as group decision making, persuasion, and argumentation. Negotiation tends to employ these various aspects, however, no extension is carried that is beyond such areas for creating and managing exchanges, dealing with ambiguous motives, and eventually, formulating acceptable solutions for both parties (Putnam and Roloff, 1992).\n\nEarlier in time, wealthy landlords would employ knights and mercenaries to determine who was right in case a dispute broke out. The one who won the battle was claimed as the winner of the dispute. This job then shifted to the lawyers, and then onwards; law is continuously being waged for determining who is right and thus deserves to win. An increasing number of people now rely on more peaceful tactics such as negotiation rather than scaling a fully fledged war. The aim of all parties involved is coming up with conclusions, unlike the landlord, that are mutually acceptable to both parties.\n\n\"When the parties end up mutually devoted to fulfilling the agreement they have made, a successful negotiation has taken place.\" [ Cohen, 2002; P.3].\n\n\"For a successful negotiation process, fairness is an essential element\" [Cohen, 2002; P.3].\n\nIt is crucial to note that negotiation is not a competitive sport; but this does not denote that the parties are not competing with each other, yet our purpose is not to defeat the rivals in the contest [Cohen, 2002; P.3].\n\nStressing on this ability, I have discovered with time, through trial and error and experience, that it is generally better not to initiate negotiation to provide you the advantage for having the best deal or compromise for your own. Someone else's approaches are not often as deeply divergent as they may seem to be at first; it is very likely that the other person has very dissimilar objective from the ones we anticipate.\n\nI also discovered that in this skill, a reasonable degree and extent of ethical issues are involved, such as how destructive can we be? Should the other party's fear be used against them? For instance, just to know the other party's need for money regardless of how little it is, you go as low as possible. It was also discovered by me that I was less hostile in the process and became fair when I placed myself in their position.\n\n\nIn one of our professional skills class, I undertook a communication skills exercise. The job given was to sketch shapes that were explained by our group member. This job was mostly puzzling. One issue was not having English as the mother language of the person explaining, who found it difficult explaining many things, such as explaining a \"diagonal line.\" Principally in my opinion, communication is and could be the essential ability any person could have; absence of this ability means there will be no teamwork, our social skills will be very low, and we will be unable to negotiate; furthermore, uncertainty would happen with poor communication even resulting in failures\" (John, 2001; P. 1). People would not trust someone to be as skilled if they think of him as being bad or ill-equipped in communications. These people could be bosses, clients, colleagues etc. One way communication was the first activity, so no one could simplify; two-way communication was the second activity, so we could ask the person speaking if he meant something, and aided in saying words he found difficult to speak. The findings of the exercise depicted that one way communication was perhaps the most horrible manner to perform it, mostly because there was always uncertainty about whether or not the receiver completely understands, and as stated by John W (2001), misinterpretations can have very harsh effects in the actual world. \"For all people, the teaching of communication skills has been vital since the beginning of history\" [James, 1988; P. 1]; Morse code, hand movements and facial expressions etc. - these and a lot more are just elements of the communication processes that people use for interacting with one another, ranging from simple to very complex ways. According to Ellis [2003; P. 1], \"it is possible that there will be little movement upwards in the absence of sufficient communication skills.\"\n\nReflecting on the tutorial, thinking of myself as the person explaining it, it is difficult to try to communicate with a person who has a dissimilar language preference.\n\nLanguage is an exceptionally significant element of communication if not the most vital; in light of the fact that it might be basically incomprehensible for two individuals for instance talking distinctive language to verbally communicate with one another. Visual correspondence then again might be a more widespread attribute, for example indicating case in point, or even way signs.\n\nFinally, being around exceptionally differing neighborhoods and societies, I discovered that language is the most suitable article I could have. I have finished an online communication aptitudes test to assess my stance on the issue, as well.\n\n\nArgyris, C. And Schon, D. (1974). Theory in practice: Increasing professional effectiveness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.\n\nArgyris, C., & Schon, D. (1978). Organizational learning: A theory of action perspective. Reading Mass: Addison Wesley.\n\nDeborah A. Stewart. (2004). Effective Teaching: A Guide for Community College Instructors. Community College of Vermont. Amer. Assn. Of Community Col Publications.\n\nEric Frangenheim. (2005). Reflections on Classroom Thinking Strategies. Practical Sage Publications.\n\nHerrman, N. (1988). The creative brain. Lake Lure, NC: Brain Books.\n\nJohn O. Greene, Brant Raney Burleson. (2003). Contributor John M. Wiemann, Carolyn G. Coakley Handbook of Communication and Social Interaction Skills. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.\n\nJohn W. Davies. (2001) Communication Skills: A Guide for Engineering and Applied Science Students. Pearson Education.\n\nKolb, D.A. et al. (1984). Organizational Psychology. An Experiential Approach to Organizational Behavior. Prentice-Hall, New Jersey.\n\nMcCarthy, Bernice. (1980). The 4 MAT system: Teaching to learning styles with right/left mode techniques. About Learning Inc.: Barrington.\n\nOlson, B. And Hergenhahn, R. (2013). An Introduction to Theories of Learning, Ninth Edition. Pearson Publications.\n\nPeter Honey, Alan Mumford. (1992). The Manual of Learning Styles Communication in management. Peter Honey Publications.\n\nPhilip James Hills. (1988). Communication Skills. Routledge Publications.\n\nPutnam, L. And Roloff, M,. (1992). Communication and Negotiation (SAGE Series in Communication Research). Sage publications Inc.\n\nRichard Ellis. (2003). Communication Skills: Stepladders to Success for the Professional. Intellect Books.\n\nSawyer, J., and Guetzkow, H., (1965). Bargaining and negotiation… [END OF PREVIEW]\n\nFour Different Ordering Options:\n\nWhich Option Should I Choose?\n\n\n\n2.  Buy + remove from all search engines\n\n\n3.  Access all 175,000+ papers:  $41.97/mo\n\n(Already a member?  Click to download the paper!)\n\n\n4.  Let us write a NEW paper for you!\n\nAsk Us to Write a New Paper\nMost popular!\n\nOedipus the King Blinded to See Term Paper\n\nAmazing Contributions of Blind Musicians Term Paper\n\nSymbolism in a Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Research Paper\n\nComparative Cathedral and Good Man Is Hard to Find Term Paper\n\nEight Great Sign Miracles That Jesus Performed Term Paper\n\nView 1,000+ other related papers  >>\n\nCite This Research Paper:\n\nAPA Format\n\nBlind Men.  (2013, October 6).  Retrieved May 19, 2019, from\n\nMLA Format\n\n\"Blind Men.\"  6 October 2013.  Web.  19 May 2019. <>.\n\nChicago Format\n\n\"Blind Men.\"  October 6, 2013.  Accessed May 19, 2019.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8655892610549927}
+{"content": "communication design\ntrade fair stand\nnorth american international auto show detroit\ndetroit 2002\n\ncity, land, river these basic elements form the building blocks of the stand design. the city is a grid of dots, some of which expand up wards, reaching towards the sky. the land is configured by contour lines. like everything infinite, this is a curved space – which is why this world is topsyturvy, with the river on the ceiling. the matte silver contour lines are set into the horizontal surfaces of the wooden loops like marquetry. on the vertical surfaces these out lines be come three-dimensional, and their course is followed by the driver’s thoughts and reflections. the river offers a cool image of flowing colours, shimmering between black, silver and a soft blue. \n\n\n\ndaimlerchrysler ag \n\n\n\n\n\nproject team:  \n\nmargarethe saxler  \n\n(project manager) \n\nmarc engenhart \n\ncaroline pöll \n\nandreas uebele", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6239743232727051}
+{"content": "Who The Hell Is River Tiber and Why Is He Suddenly Everywhere?\n\nWe spoke to the one-man band about how his song “No Talk” ended up becoming Drake’s “No Tellin’” and what it was like working with BADBADNOTGOOD on ‘Sour Soul’.\n\nFeb 26 2015, 3:38pm\n\nIn the basement of a large rustic home in Toronto’s Bloor West Village, you’ll find what many up-and-coming musicians would consider heaven on Earth: a home studio with just about everything you’d need to create original music from scratch. Firewood adorns the studio’s steps, and paintings are scattered around its walls to create a welcoming mood akin to a chalet. As you go down a flight of stairs into the studio, a poster with Toronto-based artist River Tiber greets you, along with a neon red sign that lights his name. It’s a space that possesses not only the materials necessary to create, but also the atmosphere to foster creativity. With a library of books and a collection of instruments, this incense-scented room is home to the sounds of River Tiber. In a separate mic room is the real pot of gold: a collection of instruments ready to be incorporated into music, such as the work he’s just done with BADBADNOTGOOD on the Sour Souls album.\n\nBorn Tommy Paxton-Beesley, the 24-year old one-man show behind River Tiber has made this studio into a safe place for himself and the musicians he collaborates with. He’s a Toronto born-and-raised singer whose ability to understand music and do more than just lay down vocals on a track recently landed him placement on Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. He has been studying music professionally all his life, leaving him with the ability to act as a supporting artist, beat-maker, and producer when collaborating with others.\n\nOn the night of Drake’s surprise album drop, fans quickly took to Twitter to acknowledge Paxton-Beesley’s vocals, and the sampling of his unreleased track, “No Talk,” which ended up on Drake’s album as “No Tellin’”. (It was produced by Boi-1da and Frank Dukes.)\n\nHis past collaborations rely heavily on sessions with other classically trained musicians like BADBADNOTGOOD and Dukes. Back then it was mostly instrumental, then they started stacking up his vocals, which led to Paxton-Beesley sending the stems to Dukes as he worked on his next project. He would forward his vocal stems to the producer, and together they began to make samples from scratch. Dukes then turned them into beats, one of which turned into “No Tellin’”. Although he has been collaborating with artists by way of strings stacks and other string work, he recognizes his vocals as the most valuable. “When I bring my voice to the table that’s the best thing,” he says. “I’m developing my voice. With the vocals, I bring myself in an honest format. That’s the way to go.” It’s a theory that has proven to be true. It was only Boi-1da and Dukes names that appeared on the credits, but the vocals behind River Tiber’s branding and music are so established on their own that fans were able to pick up on it.\n\nAs a child, Paxton-Beesley looked at artists like Jimi Hendrix as people who were just meant to be something. Part of what made an artist like Hendrix so riveting was that he opened Paxton-Beesley up to a world of musicians different from the classical music he was studying in and outside of school. Being inspired by, and in awe of, artists like Hendrix led to him feeling like a career of that calibre was unattainable. The same hard work he was oblivious to at the time became the hard work he subconsciously started putting in.\n\n“I don’t remember much about being 7-years-old”, he says. “I’ve just always wanted to be a musician. It has always been my dream.” In school, he began taking lessons and participating in the music community provided by Toronto’s St. Christopher house now known as West Neighbourhood house. By the time he was a pre-teen, he was making songs with friends. “They weren’t on a computer or anything, they were just on this janky recorder. It’s a totally different thing when you’re a kid. You’re just dreaming and having fun.” He then went on to attend Claude Watson School of the Arts, a school that he credits a lot of his musical knowledge to. It was during this time that he learned technique by studying and practising with his peers. To this day he still makes music with Toronto-based producer, Matt McCallaman. By the time he finished high school he knew how to play the cello, drums, trombone and guitar proficiently.\n\nGrowing up studying music is what paved the way for his collaborations and allowed him to leave traces of the River Tiber brand and sound in pieces of music beyond his own. But to really benefit from collaborations, Paxton-Beesley looks to lending out his voice, like he did on “No Tellin’”. As he tells it, apart from the records he would make as a child, he’s only really been singing for five years. He experienced a shift between the unfiltered and carefree way he sang as a child to feeling anxiety about actually performing. While driving in Toronto, he began exercising his voice by singing along to songs that had a sound he wanted to try, like Jeff Buckley’s “Grace”. “It was by trying to sing along to that record that I really started singing,” he says, “Everyone sings when they’re a kid, but you don’t really think of it the same way as when it becomes your career. When you’re a kid, you sing innocently and don’t even realize the concept behind taking your voice seriously.”\n\nEventually his talents and appreciation for music turned into a career. His way around all these instruments became gateways to constructing actual songs, and his newfound voice became a way to express himself. “It’s all stuff that’s going in my life,” he says in regards to his lyrics. “I am less of a literal writer so I just try to evoke certain feelings instead of telling a story upfront, because sometimes a literal description doesn’t do anything justice. Sometimes you have to use a metaphor to describe it.” He uses this same format to construct the visuals that accompany his music, such as in his video for “Prophets”, which was directed by Toronto-based graphic designer Tristan Marantos. Instead of telling a story that matches the lyrics, the video is a series of visuals for the audience to interpret.\n\nUnsigned, Paxton-Beesley has managed to place his talents not only in music for Drake but also into the BADBADNOTGOOD and Ghostface Killah collaboration album, Sour Soul. It won’t be a surprise when other musicians continue to seek him for his ability to create original samples out of his combined talents. His virtued voice and humble personality make him an easy to work with kind of artist, which opens up a way for more collaborations. It also leaves him with a new kind of pressure: to not oversaturate his sound. Because as much as River Tiber making it onto an album that broke Spotify streaming records and debuted at # 1 on the Billboard 200 is a stepping stone, it also means that his sound found success before River Tiber did. Lately, creating music has started to once again feel like it did when he was a child—fun and dream-like. It seems as though the line between his life and the fantasy world he once believed musicians lived in is finally merging into the same world. He’s an artist who is one credit away from the fame and recognition he deserves.\n\nTania Peralta is a writer living in Toronto - @juelzsantania", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8960363864898682}
+{"content": "Head, Neck and Oral Cancers: About Head, Neck and Oral Cancers\n\nThis type of cancer occurs when abnormal cells begin to form in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, salivary glands, pharynx (the cavity behind the nose and mouth connecting to the esophagus), or larynx (voice box).\n\nHead and neck also affect the thyroid gland that wraps around the windpipe (trachea) toward the bottom of the throat.\n\nTumors in the head and neck are categorized as primary or secondary.\n\nPrimary tumors originate in the head or neck itself, including the thyroid, throat, larynx, salivary gland, brain, or other locations. Primary tumors of this kind typically spread to the lymph nodes in the neck.\n\n\nWhat are the different types of head, neck and oral tumors?\n\nSquamous Cell Carcinomas The majority of head and neck cancers are called squamous cell carcinomas. These tumors arise in squamous cells that are found in the lining of the mouth, nose and throat. A tumor restricted to this layer of cells is called a carcinoma in situ (in one place.) A tumor that grows beyond the squamous cell and moves into deeper tissues is called an invasive squamous cell carcinoma.\n\nAdenocarcinomas This type of tumor starts in the cells of the salivary glands.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.999977707862854}
+{"content": "Phone (+994 70) 7654765 \nChief  Abbasov Raqif Yusub oglu \n\nPhD in biology\n\nTotal number of employees 13 \nBasic activity directions   Investigation of the effect of biological active substances (amino acids, fats of variodes origin adeled in minor content into fodder diet on reproductive function and blood indeces of rabbits white rats and guinea-rig.\nMain scientific achievements \n\nIt has been stated that amino acids added in daily fodder diet at a dose 50-150 mq raise reproductive function and blood inderes of rabbits, white rats and guinea-rigs are improved. Different microelements inbluense differently on reproductive function animals. So, two-valevcy copper ions (Cu ++ in a daily dose 1-20mkq added in the diet rouses reproductive function and does haemoqlobin concentration in the blood, white  magnizium ions (Mg +2 ) get worse the mentioned indices in radents", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9797792434692383}
+{"content": "Client Login\n\nPence Perspectives – January 2015\n\nPence Perspectives – January 2015\n\n\nAt some point in the future interest rates may rise due to an improving US economy. An interest rate hike will be negative for bonds and create some volatility for stocks. We believe that a cash position slightly larger than a normal, 2% to 5%, is warranted during this period of transition for two reasons. First, we can use cash in lieu of bonds as a volatility dampener. Second, we hold cash opportunistically to take advantage of equity volatility and buy on dips. In accounts where bonds must be held, we prefer municipals because the improving economy will translate into improving credit quality for municipalities which at worst is neutral and at best a positive in this market. Outside of the United States, the world will continue to struggle for most of the year. We will continue to be US-centric for at least the first half of the year.\n\n\nDespite increasing global uncertainty, the US economy continues to expand at a steady pace and will shine as a bright spot compared with the rest of the world. We remain bullish on the United States of America!\n\nchart 1 US GDP growth q3 2014\n\nChart 1\n\nConfirming our view in our earlier newsletters, US gross domestic product (GDP) grew at a 5.0% annual rate in the third quarter of 2014 as consumer spending and business investment fueled the biggest expansion in more than a decade.\nOn average, the US economy has now grown at 4.4% for four of the past five quarters, if we don’t count the first quarter of 2014, which was negatively affected by the harsh winter (chart 1). By the time we get to the final revision, we expect 2014 GDP growth to be between 2.2% and 2.4%.\n\nThe US represents less than 5% of world’s population while accounting for roughly 25% of world’s $75 trillion GDP. We remain confident that the US, the world’s largest economy, will deliver around a 3% GDP growth rate for the next several years.\n\nchart 2 Components of US GDP 2012-2015\n\nChart 2\n\nOn the whole, consumers have strengthened their balance sheets since the Great Recession. So with balance sheets now in better shape, people are going to spend the extra cash they receive due to improving labor market conditions and cheaper gasoline prices.\n\nUS consumer spending and business investment are the main reasons behind a sustainable 3% GDP growth. Together, they account for more than 80% of the US GDP. In fact, at $12 trillion dollars, just the personal consumption expenditure component of the US economy is bigger than the total of the world’s second largest economy, China. Business spending is picking up as aging equipment is being replaced. Nonresidential corporate fixed investment has represented almost 25% of the US GDP growth in the last two quarters. That’s compared with 16.8% in 2013.\n\nchart 5 5yr Oil Prices Weekly\n\nChart 5\n\nchart 3 2014 forecast--Sketch\n\nChart 3\n\nchart 4 SP PE Multiple\n\nChart 4\n\nchart 6 30 yr US Crude Oil Production\n\nChart 6\n\nAdditionally, government spending is no longer a drag to the economy but providing a small but significant increase to US GDP (chart 2).\n\n\n2014 was a good year for the US equity market. The S&P 500 Total Return Index finished the year with a 13.7% gain, which is consistent with our range fan of high single- and low double-digit gains in the beginning of 2014 (chart 3).\n\nFor 2015, we expect the US equity market to finish the year with similar gains while observing higher volatility.\nCurrently, the market is trading at 18 times trailing earnings (known as price-to-earnings (PE) multiple) (chart 4). We think this level is sustainable if not going higher due to higher global demand for US equities.\n\n\n\nIn our October newsletter, we discussed falling crude prices, which have plummeted 60% from their June 2014 peak (chart 5).\n\nMost of the drop in oil is being driven by upside supply development (led by the US shale boom and non-OPEC production) and a switch in strategy by OPEC’s decision not to cut output. For example, US oil production has surged from around 5 million barrels per day (bpd) to reach a near 30-year record of more than 9 million bpd over the past six years (chart 6). The rest is driven by slowing global oil demand.\n\nBetween 2010 and 2014, the price of oil stayed within $80 to $100 per barrel. We think oil prices will bounce back from their current lows later in 2015 and should stabilize between the $60-to-$80 range for the next several years.\nOverall, the net effect of falling oil prices to the US economy is positive. The clear winners are consumers. That is one reason why we remain bullish on the USA.\n\nUS Stability Premium in 2015 and Beyond\n\nWhile the rest of the world muddles, the US has shaken off its worst recession and is gradually getting back on its feet. Geo-political tensions and sudden moves in currency and commodity markets make global investors nervous. Investors who are more concerned with the market fundamentals and economic growth tend to favor stable countries over unstable ones. This is exactly why the US is attracting more investors to invest in US securities. We call this the “US Stability Premium”.\n\nchart 7 Declining Treasury Despite Fed Tightening\n\nChart 7\n\nThis “Stability Premium” is one reason we have a stronger US dollar, higher market PE multiple, and lower Treasury yields (despite tightening Fed policy) (chart 7).\n\nWe believe this theme will continue in 2015. Turmoil in Japan and Europe and negative trends in emerging markets along with plunging world oil prices will not undo the underlying strength of the US economy: in fact, it will drive more investors to hold US assets.\n\nFed Fear Factor\n\nSince the Great Recession, the Fed has been masterful in engineering the recovery of the US banking system and our economy. Controversial yet decisive action has helped us recover. You can contrast our recovery to the lack of one in Europe to clearly see the difference. But the Fed has to be cautious. Over the coming years, there will be a major shift in global markets. It is a multi-speed world and policies are no longer acting in unison. On one hand, the Fed announced the end of its multi-year asset purchasing program, known as Quantitative Easing (QE). On the other hand, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of Japan (BOJ) are expected to further loosen monetary conditions.\nFears around the Fed concern the Fed losing its credibility if it miscalculates the timing (and magnitude) of the first two rate hikes.\n\nWe believe the current expected inflation rate below 2% is the most important reassurance that the Fed can afford to be patient raising the Federal Funds rate. The Fed doesn’t want to increase short-term rates too soon, while long-term rates remain the same or even fall.\n\nchart 8 Inverted Yield Curve\n\nChart 8\n\nThese are benefits of the “Stability Premium” mentioned above. The Fed no longer has to work so hard to artificially keep interest rates low because the rest of the world is doing it for them. Here is the problem. A normal yield curve has a positive slope, lower interest rates for short-term and higher for longer-term (chart 8). The Fed can control short-term rates easily, but mid-term and longer-term rates are more difficult.\n\nIn the past when the Fed wanted to fight inflation and slow down the economy, they raised short-term rates, thus flattening or inverting the yield curve. This was “usually” a signal for the next recession. However, this time, the Fed does not want a recession, and therefore cannot risk a flat or inverted curve, which is why they have to be very careful. If they blow it and rates rise too soon, they risk losing control of the situation and having to reverse course. For the bond market the stakes are high.\n\nTherefore, we expect relatively higher market volatility in 2015 especially around the time of the Fed’s first move to raise interest rates. We currently believe that won’t take place until the later part of the second half of the year. Given the extremely low interest and inflation rates, we believe short-term rates will increase gradually and slowly. The Fed does not want to create a recession in the US in order to bailout Europe and Asia, just like Germans don’t want to work longer so the French can retire early.\n\nFor our clients with Strategic Asset Management (SAM) accounts where we manage with full discretion, depending on your individual situation and account, we will hold slightly higher cash positions as opposed to bonds, as they may become more volatile. We will deploy excess cash positions opportunistically as we evaluate both volatility and value. In short we will keep calm and somewhat tactical around a market that we expect to be volatile but overall upward trending due to the strength of earnings of US companies in a steadily growing economy. We expect the ride in 2015 to be a little rougher than 2014 but end up in almost the same place with a high single- or low double-digit market. For our clients who hold brokerage accounts, if you are interested in a similar fee-based strategy please contact your advisor.\nIf you are not yet a client, and are interested in learning more about our services, please contact Susan Herman, our receptionist at (949) 660-8777 ext. 100 or to schedule an appointment.\n\nWe appreciate your trust and the opportunity to be of service.\n\nAll the best,\n\nE. Dryden Pence III, CPM®\nLPL Registered Principal – Pence Wealth Management\n\nAli Arik, Ph.D.\nAnalyst- Pence Wealth Management\nLPL Registered Administrative Associate\n\n\nAll investing involves risk including potential loss of principal.\n\n\n\n\nLaila Marshall-Pence CA Insurance Lic# 0545421", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9932609796524048}
+{"content": "The necropolis of the First Emperor\n\nIn 1974, peasants digging a well on the outskirts of Xi’an, the capital of the Qin dynasty, came across an unexpected find – a life-size statue, made in terracotta, of an ancient Chinese warrior. The warrior, it turned out, was not alone. Digging further, archaeologists soon unearthed another 2,000 soldiers. Although the excavations have not yet been completed, there are an estimated 8,000 terracotta soldiers buried in the ground. What farmers and archaeologists had come across, it turned out, was the troops guarding the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China. Or perhaps necropolis, “city of the dead,” is a more appropriate term for this complex of underground palaces and courtyards which house his remains.\n\nThe historian Sima Qian, writing one hundred years after the death of the First Emperor, tells us that 700,000 men helped build this site. “Palaces and scenic towers for a hundred officials were constructed, and the tomb was filled with rare artifacts and wonderful treasure.” The necropolis was protected by crossbows and arrows which were set to shoot at anyone who entered, and it was surrounded by rivers of poisonous mercury. The concubines who had not produced male heirs were buried with the emperor and the craftsmen who had constructed the tomb were all trapped inside their creation in order not to give them an opportunity to divulge any of the secrets it contained.\n\nEmperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb itself has yet to be excavated, and the Chinese authorities have been reluctant to start the work. The reason, it seems, is that archaeologists still are busy unearthing terracotta warriors, and in addition there are concerns regarding how best to protect whatever treasures they will come across. A particularly exciting prospect would be the discovery of a library. As Sima Qian tells us, the First Emperor ordered all books in China to be burned, but it could just possibly be that he preserved a copy of each one of them in his personal library. If this library is buried with the emperor, and if it has not been destroyed by over 2,000 years of natural decay, it is likely to give us an entirely new understanding of ancient Chinese history.\n\nExternal links:\n\nIn Our Time, “China’s Warring States Period”:\n\nBBC Radio 4: “Qin Shi Huangdi: The Emperor”\n\nSima Xian: China’s Great Historian\n\nVideo clips:\n\nFirst Emperor Twitter feed:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9992304444313049}
+{"content": "Things change in summer. Bedtime hours vary. Schedules are more random. More books are read in a week than during a month of the school year. Even with our early rising for summer swim team, we don’t keep such an eye on bedtime because of the knowledge that a midday siesta is definitely a possibility. Life in general feels a little more spacious even when we are doing lots of things and seeing lots of people.\n\nI think it’s partly the long hours of daylight that give us this spacious feeling. Or maybe it’s that we’re more in control of our unscheduled time because it doesn’t hold so much homework or so many meetings or fundraising obligations.\n\nSplitrock Sum08 016\n\nMaybe though it’s just an illusion. Which is fine with me, because illusion is part of reality anyway. And this illusion  should serve me once school starts back again in fall and I can take on this same spacious feeling.\n\nI’m curious how others feel in the summer. I’m wondering whether this feeling is sort of universal or whether its a fabrication of my own mindset. Is it just that I relax more in these days? Or is there actually more time and space allotted? How does your summer feel? Does your family operate differently in the summer than during the school year?\n\nCuriously yours,", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6024383306503296}
+{"content": "\n\nBy Christodoulos A. Floudas\n\nSignificant learn task has happened within the region of worldwide optimization in recent times. Many new theoretical, algorithmic, and computational contributions have resulted. regardless of the key significance of try difficulties for researchers, there was a scarcity of consultant nonconvex try out difficulties for restricted worldwide optimization algorithms. This booklet is stimulated by way of the shortage of world optimization try difficulties and represents the 1st systematic choice of try out difficulties for comparing and checking out restricted worldwide optimization algorithms. This assortment comprises difficulties bobbing up in various engineering functions, and try difficulties from released computational reports.\n\nShow description\n\n\nSimilar linear programming books\n\nThe Stability of Matter: From Atoms to Stars\n\nDuring this assortment the reader will locate common effects including deep insights into quantum structures mixed with papers at the constitution of atoms and molecules, the thermodynamic restrict, and stellar buildings.\n\nGeneralized Linear Models, Second Edition (Chapman & Hall CRC Monographs on Statistics & Applied Probability)\n\nThe luck of the 1st variation of Generalized Linear versions resulted in the up-to-date moment variation, which keeps to supply a definitive unified, therapy of equipment for the research of various sorts of facts. at the present time, it continues to be well known for its readability, richness of content material and direct relevance to agricultural, organic, wellbeing and fitness, engineering, and different purposes.\n\n\nSwitched linear structures have loved a specific development in curiosity because the Nineties. the big volume of information and ideas hence generated have, formerly, lacked a co-ordinating framework to concentration them successfully on a few of the basic concerns reminiscent of the issues of strong stabilizing switching layout, suggestions stabilization and optimum switching.\n\nAMPL: A Modeling Language for Mathematical Programming\n\nAMPL is a language for large-scale optimization and mathematical programming difficulties in construction, distribution, mixing, scheduling, and lots of different functions. Combining established algebraic notation and a strong interactive command surroundings, AMPL makes it effortless to create types, use a large choice of solvers, and look at recommendations.\n\nExtra resources for A Collection of Test Problems for Constrained Global Optimization Algorithms\n\nExample text\n\nSuppose, now, that Af is a simple eigenvalue. 3 ensures that R contains precisely one eigenvalue μ] of A + E. \"£x*l/W. The crucial factor in this estimate is the quantity st = yjxi9 and we will use its reciprocal as a condition number of the eigenvalue A f. 8 Definition Let λ be a simple eigenvalue of AeL(C ) and let T T Ax = λχ and y A = Ay , where x, y Φ 0. Then y is a left eigenvector of A (and in this context χ is a right eigenvector). Assume that ||x|| 2 = ||y|| 2 = 1. T 1 Then I y x | ~ is the condition number of λ.\n\nT In this context, Β is sometimes called the Forsythe matrix. 2 THE G E R S C H G O R I N A N D B A U E R - F I K E THEOREMS a 1 a A = Ο a 1 47 Ο Β = Ο where A and Β differ only in the (ai, 1) element. Show that the eigenvalues λ ι of Β satisfy \\Xt-a\\ = |ε| 1 / η , ι = 1 , . . , Λ. n Consider the special case ε = 10\" and discuss the percentage changes in the eigenvalues as a function of both η and a. 4 Let A eL(C ). Show that det A is a continuous function of the elements of A and, more generally, that the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial det(y4 — λΐ) = 0 are continuous functions of the elements of A.\n\nSet r = Ax — λχ. Show that λ and χ are exact for some matrix n BGL(C ) such that r a n k ( ^ - B) < 1 and \\\\A - B\\\\2 < ||r|| 2 . 3 that A is orthogonally similar to a diagonal matrix, that is, Ρ~*ΑΡ = d i a g ( A ] 9. . , λη) where Ρ is orthogonal. 7 is the following. 1 Let A eL(R ) be symmetric. Then for any eigenvalue μ of A + £, there is an eigenvalue λ of A such that \\λ-μ\\ <\\\\E\\\\2. (Ο Moreover, if \\\\Ax — λχ\\\\2 < ε with ||x|| 2 = 1, then there is an eigenvalue λ of A such that | λ — λ \\ < ε.\n\nDownload PDF sample\n\nRated 4.56 of 5 – based on 24 votes", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9992043972015381}
+{"content": "AFP News\n\nAFP Submits Nonprofit Information Gap Letter to the Globe & Mail\n\n\nThe Globe and Mail is identifying and investigating data deficits and gaps that affect Canadian society—where a lack of information, or lack of updated information, can have a serious impact on the economy, culture and way of life. The Globe asked for ideas and proposals from the public about such gaps, and is then following up with their own investigations through interviews, reports, government documents, online searches and other means.\n\nAFP Government Relations Chair Jessica Wroblewski has submitted a letter on behalf of AFP Canada to The Globe and Mail about the deficit in data and information about philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, and the impact of that deficit on the economy, provision of services, engagement of the public and other issues.\n\nThe text of the letter is below, and AFP will alert members if The Globe and Mail decides to further investigate the issue.\n\nCanada has a serious information gap about its nonprofit sector, which is detrimental to not only our country’s 170,000+ charities and nonprofits, but also to all Canadians who rely on the sector’s programs and services. The sector represents a significant part of Canada’s economy, contributing more to the country’s Gross Domestic Product than the mining, oil and gas extraction sector or the retail trade sector. At least, it did 12 years ago, but we don’t know the current situation. Why? Because the last time the Satellite Account of Non-profit Institutions and Volunteering was published by Statistic Canada was in 2009, covering 2007 data.\n\nWhat sector (or government) would base any sort of business practices or government policies using data a decade old? The nonprofit sector seems to have no choice, even though it accounts for 8.1 percent of our GDP and 11 percent of the economic actively population.\n\nEven basic data about giving and how much Canadians give is splintered and incomplete. Statistics Canada publishes data based on only amounts given to charities and approved organizations for which official tax receipts were provided and claimed on tax returns. The General Social Survey – Giving, Volunteering and Participating (GSS GVP) was last published by Statistics Canada in 2013, though it supposed to be published again in 2019. Meanwhile, the Association of Fundraising Professionals and others have conducted different surveys and research trying to identify levels of giving and volunteering and other trends in Canadian donors.\n\nThis fragmented approach has led to a very incomplete picture of Canada’s charitable sector, its impact on the country, the state of giving and volunteering in the country and key trends and challenges in the future.\n\nSo why does all this data matter? Because without up-to-date or accurate data, charities, who currently are relied upon as never before for providing programs and services to the community, risk missing opportunities to be more effective, impactful and collaborative. If giving is down because we’re not raising funds in the most compelling ways—or if we’re focusing our programs in areas that aren’t priorities or aren’t as urgent anymore—then we are not serving as many Canadians as we could be. Without updated data, we are in jeopardy of not using donor’s gifts effectively and missing out on opportunities to reach more people and change lives.\n\nThe Association of Fundraising Professionals and other organizations are urging the government to allocate $1 million to Statistics Canada annually for the purpose of collecting, analyzing and disseminating comprehensive data about charities and nonprofits. Ultimately, the federal government needs to provide consistent funding, year after year, in order to ensure we have sufficient information to make good policy decisions about the charitable sector, and that the sector has sufficient data to make good decisions about its operations and impact.\n\nPaid Advertisement\n\nRecommended for You\n\nMembers: Sign in to view your personalized recommendations!\n\nSign in", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9889697432518005}
+{"content": "The hero of the Libyan revolution\n\nFemale teachers must cover face says Grand Mufti\nBy Aimen Eljali, Libya Herald 13-10-2013\n\nLIBYA: The Grand Mufti, Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani, has issued a fatwa saying that female teachers in schools and colleges must cover their faces if they are teaching males who have reached puberty.\nHe made the ruling following a request for advice from the Ministry of Education on the issue. It had said that some female teachers were veiling their faces while giving lessons but it felt that this was having a negative impact on students’ understanding because, by not seeing the teacher’s face, they were not able to interact and properly lean. It asked for a fatwa telling female teachers to remove their veil inside the classroom while teaching.\n\nLees verder", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9886484742164612}
+{"content": "Change in the age of AI.\n\nIt is 2040…\n\nIt is 2040. Rowdy humans have been replaced by obedient algorithms [1]. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the strategic business transformation, a historically challenging undertaking, is now achieved without loss of productivity and with a decreased risk to investment [2].\n\nIt is 2040. AI supports the creation of the strategic vision, effectively. AI implements it, efficiently. The change management consultancy industry, as it existed to support the transformation, its complexity deriving from the confluence of disciplines centred on humans, has been decimated, another class of humans pushed out of the job market by AI. AI has accelerated change to levels that had never been seen.\n\n\nManagement consultants and authors Paul Hunter, of Smiknowledge, and Stuart Orr, of Deakin University, have asked me to contribute to a book from the perspective of an expert, writing in 2040, about the impact of AI-related disruption to the corporation. ‘2040. Backcasting the corporation’ is the book, my own contribution to it will be to explore business change practices in the age of AI. And, from the perspective of being in 2040, here’s a taster of…\n\n…What I think has happened since 2018.\n\nThere has been an extraordinary rise of new professions, those that support AI and those that provide direct human contact and care - all in high demand:\n\n  • Philosophers, ethicists, thinkers challenging the prejudices of earlier decades are in high demand at the corporations building AI. These are the humans that build values and ethics into AI. These are the humans that keep our humanity alive.\n\n  • Business strategists help corporations keep ahead of the competition, as algorithms compete with each other and create the next winning business model.\n\n  • Business consultants help corporations come to terms with the psychological and cultural impact of the hitherto unseen levels of change brought about by AI.\n\n  • Carers, from nurses to personal trainers provide human contact and care in an age where our homo sapiens bodies are increasingly under stress.\n\nThese professions have required embedding into human resources’ practices through appropriate change management. Further, as AI has accelerated change to levels never seen before, the question has been: ‘Can AI also manage, if at all, the psychological and cultural impact of this speed?’.\n\n2040. Backcasting the corporation.\n\nIn what will be the preface to the book, Paul Hunter and Stuart Orr write: “Although largely unseen, the industrial revolution taking place before us is picking up steam – dramatically. Dissolution of traditional global trading partnerships, such as the trade war between China and the US and the exit of the UK from the EU, are creating turmoil and rapid change in the business domain. Continual advances in technology and health treatments, political and societal change are creating a transformation that some would suggest is a paradox. From an optimistic perspective, this emerging change represents an era of excitement – heralding the arrival of new opportunities and new forms of growth. From a pessimistic perspective, it leads to change, destabilisation, displacement and ‘de-intellectualisation’. So far, it is unclear just how this revolution will unfold or what the role of the corporation will be in the future. What is clear is that we need to start envisioning just what this future might be and identify areas where it may deliver opportunities”.\n\nThere has been little clarity around the future corporation to date yet corporations will be the catalysts, drivers, victims and beneficiaries of change – and it is only when we accept and define a problem that we can resolve it. This is the purpose of the book.\n\nMy contribution to ‘2040. Backcasting the corporation’, due to be published by Routledge, Singapore, in 2019, will explores business change practices in the age of AI. Ultimately AI is very good at predicting mathematical patterns in the short term. But long term strategy in business? This is intrinsic to humans and the ‘human factor’ will still be key to making businesses successful. Watch this space to see what the result of my research will be.\n\nAnd finally…\n\nI am very honoured to have been invited to contribute and I am very excited to say that I will spend part of 2019 researching change management practices, that, in alignment to Chrys’ beliefs, must continue to be devoid of complexity to be effective even in the age of AI. I’ll write more here when the book is out, in 2019. In the meantime, to discuss how you can deliver major business transformation - without the complexity, contact us.\n\n\n[1]. With thanks to Yuval Noah Harari’s splendid formulation in 21st Lessons for the 21st Century. Chapter on Liberty, pp 60.\n\n[2]. The risk of investment will continue to exist. The reason is competition. If you put very efficient AI algorithms competing with current (2018) systems they will always win but, in 2040, algorithms will very likely be competing with each other and creating the next winning business model and, as always, will create winners and losers, a different but no less serious risk.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9936450123786926}
+{"content": "Cultural Intelligence\n\nIn the Spring 2016 issue of National Affairs, economist Arnold Kling has an engaging article on the concept of cultural intelligence:\n\nThanks to work in a number of related fields, collected in some exceptionally important books published in just the past few years, it is becoming increasingly apparent that progress tends to arise from the evolution of decentralized trial-and-error processes more than from grand schemes launched by planners and revolutionaries.\n\nEconomists and scholars of public policy are not the only ones conducting this research; students of human behavior are also finding support for Burke and Hayek’s theses — that the knowledge embedded in social norms and practices is vast compared to the knowledge of even the brightest, most educated individuals. As individuals, we cannot figure out very much by ourselves, but we learn a remarkable amount from others. In short, some social scientists in recent years have been building (or rebuilding) a powerful case for cultural intelligence.\n\nOne implication of their findings and arguments is that two sets of institutions in particular — markets and traditional social and familial practices — are the most important products of the process of social evolution building on cultural intelligence because they are the foremost means by which that process operates in free societies. It should hardly surprise us, therefore, that these two sets of institutions are also the foremost targets and objects of scorn of today’s progressive planners.\n\nDrawing on the work of cultural psychologists and anthropologists like Joseph Henrich, Kling argues against the the heavily centralized, top-down worldview of the “engineers” and instead embraces the bottom-up adaptability of the “ecologists.” One school of thought centralizes power and decision-making into the hands (minds?) of a few intelligent elites, while the other recognizes that the collective brain matters more than individual ones in terms of knowledge. “Henrich,” Kling writes,\n\neven goes so far as to argue that, as isolated individuals, humans are not particularly intelligent in comparison with chimpanzees. It is not the hardware of our brains that makes us superior. It is instead the software that is loaded into our brains by cultural learning. In fact, Henrich’s central thesis, in terms of this metaphor, is that the hardware of human brains evolved to be able to run the software of cultural learning, and that we are the only species that evolved in this manner. To use a different computer metaphor, we are not born with much in the way of individual intelligence and knowledge. Instead, we download cultural information from the “cloud”: our family and friends, teachers and mentors, books, electronic media, markets, and other cultural institutions.\n\n…This…is highly reminiscent of Friedrich Hayek’s views about how markets work. Markets coordinate across many people the tacit knowledge that resides with individuals. In contrast, the would-be economic planner, who makes decisions by “applying causal models, rational thinking, or cost-benefit analyses,” works with an information set that is woefully inadequate to the task.\n\nThe whole thing is worth reading.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9924218654632568}
+{"content": "Is OmniCenter vulnerable to the Venom exploit?\n\nShort Answer\n\nOmniCenter is NOT vulnerable to this exploit.\n\nIn May 2015, security vulnerability CVE-2015-3456 (also known as Venom) was disclosed that affects Xen and KVM virtualized host systems.\n\nThis vulnerability allows an attacker who controls a virtual machine on the host system to compromise other virtual machines by using a flaw in the floppy disk controller software.\n\nAlthough some implementations of the OmniCenter appliance use a Xen hypervisor, OmniCenter is not vulnerable to this exploit. OmniCenter appliances shipped in the last 5 years do not implement the floppy drive controller software that caused this problem, and use more current versions of the Xen hypervisor that do not contain this code. Additionally, since no other virtual machines are installed on the Xen hypervisor in an OmniCenter appliance, there is no way an attacker could compromise the host using this exploit. This type of exploit is of much greater concern to companies that provide cloud-hosted virtual servers.\n\nOmniCenter appliances installed as vSphere virtual appliances are likewise unaffected as the software code in question is not present on VMware-based hypervisors.\n\nIf you have any concerns, please feel free to contact Netreo Support.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9873753190040588}
+{"content": "13 things to expect from the winter storm hitting Colorado on Wednesday\n\nDENVER — A strong winter storm is going to bring heavy snow and strong wind to Colorado on Wednesday.\n\nThe Pinpoint Weather team issued a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day for Wednesday and Thursday as most of the precipitation starts as rain on Wednesday morning across the Front Range and gradually changes to snow.\n\nThe wind will increase substantially with sustained wind by late morning of at least 30-65 mph.\n\nHere are 13 things to expect from the storm from the Pinpoint Weather team.\n\n1. Blizzard warning east of Denver\n\nInterstate 25 is acting as critical weather divider with the heaviest snow and the strongest wind happening east of I-25 — especially on the eastern Plains.\n\nRELATED: Blizzard warnings and what they mean\n\n2. Panhandle hook storm system\n\nThis storm is called a “Panhandle Hook Storm System,” which means it has to do with the storm as it relates to the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma. Storms such as this often can be warmer and generate strong wind.\n\nThe track becomes critical in forecasting a storm such as this. More north means we don’t get as much. Chris Tomer explains more.\n\n3. The biggest threats will be high wind and heavy snow\n\nRegardless of the snow, the wind will be a huge impact with this storm system with sustained wind of at least 30-65 mph.\n\n4. Bull’s-eye will be the eastern Plains \n\nThe highest impact of wind and snow occurs over the eastern Plains of Colorado so plan on Interstates 70 and 76 potentially being closed as the storm gets stronger.\n\n5. Blizzard conditions most likely over eastern Plains and Palmer Divide\n\nBlizzard conditions are about the wind and that will be whipping over the eastern Plains on Wednesday as the storm moves through the state.\n\n6. Snow amounts could reach a foot east of Denver\n\nAs of right now, we’re forecasting 6-12 inches grand totals east of I-25 with 4-8 inches west of I-25.\n\nSnow Forecast Wednesday-Thursday. Meteorologist Chris Tomer.\n\n7. Interstate 25 will be the divider\n\nI-25 will play a key role in this storm system. There will be less accumulation in the western suburbs and more accumulation and wind east of I-25.\n\nFor example, Lakewood could get 4 inches, while 10 inches could fall at Denver International Airport.\n\n8. A 25-mile shift in the track will affect snow amounts\n\nThe track this storm takes is key to how much snow will fall. The tiniest shift in track or timing could play a major impact on how much snow falls.\n\n9. Record low atmospheric pressure reading possible\n\nThe forecast is 975 mb while the record is 976.3 mb. Chris Tomer explains more about that means around the 3:30 mark of our Facebook Live.\n\n10. Worst commute is Wednesday evening as sun sets.\n\nWhen the sun goes down, the snow will start to pile up and the evening commute on Wednesday will be a mess.\n\n11. Sustained wind Denver-east 30-65 mph with gusts to 75 mph\n\nAgain, the wind will be a huge factor in this storm with 40-75 mph wind everywhere creating horrible visibility.\n\n12. DIA high impact with blizzard conditions\n\nBe sure to check flights because there could be blizzard conditions at the airport creating zero visibility along Pena Boulevard and causing several flight delays.\n\n13. Closure of I-70 and I-76\n\nWith the blizzard conditions on the eastern Plains, don’t be surprised if I-70 and I-76 get shut down at some point during the day.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6243246793746948}
+{"content": "Why meditating with anxiety is so hard\n\nThe benefits of practicing mindfulness are widely known and well researched. And a range of studies show that it can be an effective tool for people who struggle with stress and anxiety. That’s why more and more people want to give it a try; many of them even try to meditate regularly. But even though practicing mindfulness is quite simple, it���s not easy. Because learning to meditate when you struggle with anxiety is hard.\n\nHow mindfulness and anxiety relate to each other\n\nMindfulness means becoming aware of thoughts and feelings without wanting them to be different. Everyone who meditates regularly knows all too well that this can sometimes be easy and at other times seemingly impossible.\n\nIt’s true that mindfulness practices can help greatly when uncomfortable thoughts and feelings come up. But when our mind is racing or we experience really uncomfortable sensations in our body, it can feel impossible to just ‘stay with the feeling’ or ‘let go of thoughts’. And the more intense the feelings are the harder it is to ‘just experience them without reacting’. As a result, we can end up feeling like mindfulness isn’t working for us.\n\nSpotlight on Acceptance\n\nTo understand what we can do about this, let’s take one quick step back. When people get started with practicing meditation, it’s usually by focusing on the breath. That’s important because it helps us stabilize our minds which is the foundation for any kind of meditation. The better we’re able to control our attention the better we become at managing our thoughts and emotions.\n\nBut understanding mindfulness meditation only as a concentration technique misses an important piece: Mindfulness also requires acceptance:\n\nThe two components of mindfulness: Concentration and Acceptance\n\nPracticing non-judgmental awareness on the present moment means openly accepting whatever we experience. But accepting negative thoughts and feelings when they are intense and maybe even overwhelming can be darned hard. And that’s exactly why mindfulness meditation is a difficult practice for those of us who struggle with anxiety.\n\n(A note for those who notice a paradox here: You start to practice mindfulness meditation to get rid of anxiety but now you’re asked to be open and curious about it? How is that supposed to work? The truth is that this is not really a paradox. The key is that acceptance comes first, and change comes later. We first need to accept things and then they change by themselves. And they become much more manageable once we truly accept them. Seems counter-intuitive but it’s true. If you want to know more, check this out.)\n\nSo what can we do about it?\n\nFirst and foremost, it’s important to understand that mindfulness is a skill that needs practice. Most people who expect revolutionary changes in a few days or weeks will end up disappointed. Change happens gradually; it takes time.\n\nThe second important step is to stop fighting. That’s much easier said than done but it’s crucial. Uncomfortable knot in the stomach? It’s just a feeling, it can’t harm you. Racing heart? Same thing. Racing thoughts? Accept that your mind is racing right now.\n\nIf you do that, the thoughts will continue to race but you are now practicing acceptance. A couple of seconds later, you will follow a negative thought and start worrying or ruminating. And only after a minute or two you’ll notice that you drifted off. In that moment, you become aware of your thoughts again and that’s your next chance to bring acceptance to those thoughts.\n\nThe same is true for unpleasant feelings. Sometimes, the feelings will seem unbearable and you’ll try to numb them by watching tv, eating, shopping, drinking, smoking, or [insert your favourite strategy here]. As you practice acceptance, you’ll gradually learn that those feelings aren’t dangerous. They aren’t even as uncomfortable as you first think they are.\n\nBut they aren’t pleasant either and they sometimes linger for a long time. That’s where the third and final piece of advice comes in: A good strategy in these moments of anxiety is to use short mantras of mindfulness and self-compassion. Most of us easily go into self-deprecating mode when we feel bad but this is just another form of fighting our thoughts and feelings. To move away from harsh self-criticism and accept your current experience, these mantras can help:\n\n“This too shall pass.”\n“This is hard but I can stay with this feeling.”\n\nIf those don’t resonate with you, it’s of course possible to come up with your own. It can take a bit of trying to find what works best before you settle on one. Once you feel comfortable with your mantra, use it when you notice that you’re all tangled up in anxious thoughts and feelings.\n\nSumming up\n\nIf you’re thinking about giving mindfulness meditation a fresh try, keep these three tips in mind: Change happens gradually. Mindfulness doesn’t have to feel pleasant. And mantras can serve as great reminders when we feel bad. If you follow these three pieces of advice, you’ll gradually learn to reap the benefits that mindfulness has to offer.\n\nIf you want to learn more about mindfulness and other techniques to manage anxiety, try Pocketcoach.\n\nIt’s a chat bot that guides you through a program to manage anxiety — step by step and one day at a time. To give it a try, follow this link.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9986738562583923}
+{"content": "Human Psychology\n\nIntroversion: Why shyness is looked down upon by others.\n\nIf you want to picture a person for a first date, a quiet, reserved introvert is probably not what first came to mind.\n\nI was talking to a friend the other day. He was recently ditched by a date. She was going out with friends to have drinks, and wanted him to join them. He wasn’t comfortable going, and she didn’t take it the right way.\n\n“You see, we haven’t even met once. I felt awkward to meet her friends on the first date,” he said. “And rather than making up some story, I told her the truth, that I’m not very comfortable among strangers.”\n\nThe girl thought, for obvious reasons, that my friend was too shy (read “too much of a pussy”) and called it off for good.\n\nIt’s true there are certain people who don’t do very well among others. We call them shy, awkward, pussy, uptight, introvert — and ridicule them. I am one of them. Similar incidents have happened with me as well.\n\nWant articles like this delivered straight to your inbox, read by 3k+ subscribers? Subscribe to my newsletter here.\n\nJerome Kagan, one of the great developmental psychologists of the twentieth century, calls them high-reactive. Kagan devoted his career to studying the emotional and cognitive development of children. In a series of groundbreaking longitudinal studies, he followed children from infancy through adolescence, documenting their physiologies and personalities along the way.\n\nJerome Kagan, one of the key pioneers of developmental psychology\n\nKagan and his team exposed the 500 four-month-olds to a carefully chosen set of new experiences in 1989. The infants heard tape-recorded voices and balloons popping, saw colourful mobiles dance before their eyes, and inhaled the scent of alcohol on cotton swabs. They had wildly varying reactions to the new stimuli.\n\n\n\nIntroverts have high sensitivity to unnatural and new experiences. It’s innate and biological and can’t really be changed. And it’s a feature, not a bug.\n\nNow, if you want to picture a person for a first date, a quiet, reserved introvert is probably not what first comes to mind. A gregarious and entertaining — verbally adept and witty personality is usually preferable. No wonder the advice for introverts who go on first dates, or business meetings, or investment pitches has long been some form of: Be more extroverted.\n\n\nIndeed, numerous entrepreneurs and CEOs are either self-admitted introverts or have so many introvert qualities that they are widely thought to be introverts. These include Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, and Warren Buffett.\n\nA lot of writers, politicians, athletes, artists and filmmakers are introverts too — J.K. Rowling, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Steven Spielberg, Jackson Pollock, Michael Jordan, Sachin Tendulkar, Barack Obama and many more.\n\nThe more scientifically accurate term for introverts is sensitive people.\n\nResearch says that sensitive people think in an unusually complex fashion. It may also help explain why they’re so bored by small talk. If you’re thinking in more complicated ways then talking about the weather or where you went for the holidays is not quite as interesting as talking about values or morality.\n\nBut contrary to popular belief, sensitive people may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings as well, but after a while wish they were home doing what they think is the real work.\n\nThey have an active social life too. Introverts prefer to devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family. Many have a horror of small talk, but enjoy deep discussions nonetheless.\n\nSensitive people do well among friends and in comfortable environments. But they don’t do so well among strangers. They fake it and eventually get very good at it. But they still remain introverts.\n\nBut unlike extroverts, sensitive people don’t have to fake being comfortable being alone. Being comfortable being alone — and thinking before acting — give introverts a leg up as they formulate a business plan or come up with new product design ideas.\n\nIntroverts not only have the stamina to spend long periods alone — they love it. Good entrepreneurs are able to give themselves the solitude they need to think creatively and originally — to create something where there once was nothing, and this is just how introverts are wired.\n\nIn the dating world, we tend to get drawn towards extroverts, like we are drawn towards entertainment. We want to be entertained without having to do anything. It is effective in the short term. We can get hooked for a short term through shock and awe. But it is not scalable. Ultimately, we need to talk and we need someone to listen. This is true in dating, relationship, and in normal life as a human being too.\n\nSensitive people are excellent listeners. They can make unexpected connections because they’re more focused on information input than output. And they’re often good at connecting dots. They take in information, process it and turn it around. They can sit with those dots long enough to see where the connection is, and that’s what makes them great conversationalists.\n\n“Girls dig sensitive people when they get to know them,” I told my friend. “Because they are more sensible, and observant and understanding. They know girls better than others.”\n\nConcluding this, it’s not that there’s no small talk in the ideal life of a sensitive person. It’s that it comes not at the beginning of conversations but at the end.\n\nIn most settings, people use small talk as a way of relaxing into a new relationship, and only once they’re comfortable do they connect more seriously. Sensitive people seem to do the reverse. They enjoy small talk only after they’ve gone deep. When sensitive people are in environments that nurture their authenticity, they laugh and chitchat just as much as anyone else.\n\nAbout the author:\n\nHi, I’m Abhishek. I’ve written 50+ essays which have been featured and quoted in Lifehacker, Psychology Today, ACM Digital Library, Springer, and Interaction Design Foundation.\n\nRecommended Reading:\n\n  1. The work required to have an opinion.\n  2. Taking decisions when you have limited information.\n  3. Using your mistakes to your own advantage.\n\n👏 One clap, two clap, three clap, thirty? 👏\n\nIf you liked what you read, please increase the chances of this piece being read by others who might need it by giving it more claps!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9831759929656982}
+{"content": "I'm standing for reelection to a third term on the OpenStack Technical Committee. Rather than the usual platform where I drone on and on about myself, I'm going to take this opportunity to run a public service announcement instead. Going into my second term I stated, \"my personal vision for OpenStack is that of a vibrant and diverse community\" and I think we've made progress on that front but still have a long way to go. The diversity (personal, professional and cultural) of our community has increased steadily, but we won't be able to sustain it if similar diversity among elected leaders continues to lag behind. Our leaders are frequently the faces of our community to those outside it, and should set an example for others to follow. OpenStack is built on a promise of representative leadership, and so we need people from under-represented segments of our community to stand and take up the challenge. There's just over 48 hours left to send in your self-nomination for a seat on the TC. If you can't meet the time commitments but know someone who can, encourage them to run. And, of course, when the time comes, vote. Vote for the candidates who best represent you, your beliefs, your ideals. Vote for those who share your vision for who, how and what OpenStack should be. If you've been paying attention these past years, you already know my opinions. I'd rather hear some new opinions from you.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993182420730591}
+{"content": "Before we can to complete the booking for Ford Fiesta, we need to get some additional information. If you are satisfied with the quotation, you can pay on next page.\n\nSelected ride\n\nFord Fiesta\n\n\nSee other Sedan vehicles in Taguig, Metro Manila\n\nHourly - ₱770.00 PHP\n\nTo reserve this Ford Fiesta, you only need to pay PHP . The remaining amount you can pay to the driver upon pick-up.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9131792187690735}
+{"content": "Formation and development of symbolic anthropology, the formation...\n\nFormation and development of symbolic anthropology\n\nThe formation of a symbolic approach in humanitarian knowledge.\n\nThe development of humanitarian knowledge in the XX century. led to the formation of the theory of symbolic forms , through which the human consciousness maintains a constant connection with the surrounding world. All forms of social activity are to some extent permeated with symbolism. The Greek symbolon (sign, identifying sign) indicates the unity and comparison of different representations corresponding to the two realms of reality. In particular, in the symbol, the of the ideal constructions of the human consciousness comes into contact with this or that object's (i.e.\n\nThe theoretical concept of the German philosopher E. Cassirer (1874-1945) played an important role in the development of the symbolic approach. The world of human culture becomes in Cassirer the product of the symbolic activity of people, expressed in the forms of language, myth, science, art as a way of spiritual formation. Each symbolic form gives one or another vision of the world, but among them one can not single out a privileged, or \"correct\".\n\nFor Cassirer, the symbol becomes the key to human nature. He believes that the person \"is so immersed in linguistic forms, artistic images, mythical symbols or religious rituals that he can not see and know without this artificial intermediary\" .\n\nThe cultural concept of K. Levi-Strauss, we also considered from the standpoint of the analysis of primitive thinking, and from the point of view of the structuralist approach. However, his concept can also be considered from the standpoint of anthropological symbolism. Levi-Strauss treats the content of culture \"as an ensemble of symbolic systems\", to which, above all, language, marital rules, art, science, religion. These symbolic systems within each given society always remain, to a certain extent, incommensurable, they are characterized by a different rhythm of evolution, and it is this unevenness in the variation of various symbolic systems that ultimately determines the slippage of the social structure, the transition from one state of society to another. .\n\nOne of the founders of symbolic anthropology is called the British anthropologist Victor Witter Turner (1920 1983). He began his scientific work as an ethnographer-africanist, studying the Ndembu people in the field. His attention is focused on symbolic systems that unite human communities into various more or less stable forms. Symbols and symbol systems, the symbolic classifications for Turner are not static: they are included in the action (custom, ritual, ceremonial, social conflict, social movement) and in this sense must be understood in their actual work, in \"execution\", in concreteness and dynamics. Over time, he began to apply his approach to the study of carnival in Brazil, to analyze medieval religious movements, the traditional Japanese theater, the ideology of the hippie movement and even to explore the works of Dostoevsky and Chekhov.\n\nHowever, the most developed form of symbolic anthropology acquires in the scientific work of the American culturologist L. White.\n\nthematic pictures\n\nAlso We Can Offer!\n\nOther services that we offer\n\n\nHow to ...\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9976486563682556}
+{"content": "The Essential\nNorth of Dundee, the village of Tealing is proud of its lovely dovecote. Not far away is an earth-house (Hearth House or Tealing underground passage) built by the Picts. It consists of a long passage, now without a roof, leading to an inner chamber. It is not known for sure whether it served as a dwelling place, refuge, larder or animal shelter.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999396204948425}
+{"content": "What was the colonists response to the Tea Act?\n\nActually, the \" colonist\" didn't think that. It was a small group of men who were protecting their own economic interest. The British had LOWERED the tax on tea and this made the price of the tea smuggled into the colonies higher than the British. The smugglers were upset and two of the biggest smugglers in the colonies were Hamilton and Hancock. Hancock was very wealthy and he funded/supported the Son's of Liberty. Without him there would have been no Sam Adams nor the Son's of Liberty, but the whole purpose was to protect his economic interests. The people in the colonies paid LESS taxes than people in England paid.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.580745279788971}
+{"content": "Rand slightly stronger ahead of rates decision in the US\n\n“The dollar retreat is particularly interesting given the widespread expectation that the Fed is set to lift rates,” said Nico du Plessis, analyst at Mercato Financial Services “Not only does this give us some insight into just how much has been priced in, but it also highlights the possibility that the Fed might reach the pause button, given the growing number of headwinds becoming more prominent with each passing month.”\n\nThe headwinds include the higher stock market volatility and the still unresolved US-China trade dispute and its potential effect on the broader US economy.\n\nThe uncertain global environment has recently led to wild swings in the rand, which is highly sensitive to shifts in global sentiment.\n\nInvestors have, in the recent past, showed signs of angst over the health of the global economy, leading to a big sell-off in risky assets, most notably equities.\n\nForeigners dumped nearly R11bn worth of local bonds over the past week, according to the JSE’s weekly data. Foreigners hold the biggest share of local bonds at about 40%, rendering the country vulnerable to capital outflows when global sentiment takes a knock.\n\nAt 2.51pm, the rand was 0.65% stronger against the dollar at R14.3075, 0.33% better against the euro at R16.2842, and 0.11% better against the pound at R18.1443. The euro was 0.37% better  against the dollar at $1.1382.\n\nLocal bonds had improved, with the yield on the benchmark R186 dropping to 9.11%, from 9.19% at its last settlement.\n\n\nقالب وردپرس", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7134003043174744}
+{"content": "Human Resources & Organisational Development\n\n\n// The person in personnel policy as a critical success factor. //\n\nGlobalisation presents new challenges, influences and developments for personnel policy. These include daily cooperation between different cultures and value systems, the growing importance of project and team work, the increase international and cross-sectoral networks and an ever-higher need for education, training and adaptation.\n\nAdded to this are issues such as demographic change, to which companies and organisations respond with continuous change. It is an issue which challenges, and overwhelms, both managers and employees. The personal aspect of personnel management are becoming the decisive competitive factor in the modern knowledge-based economy.\n\nWe help companies to find tailored solutions to increasingly universal questions: How do I find and keep the right employees? How do I mobilise my workforce? How do I design a lifecycle-oriented personnel policy and a flexible, productive work environment? We provide our clients with the necessary tools to answer these challenging questions through insights into trends, access to relevant networks, tapping into the knowledge held by employees and managers, and our many years of expertise in the field.\n\n« back", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9874542951583862}
+{"content": "Acceptance of Terms:\n\nWhen using's facilities and services, you agree that the following Terms & Conditions will apply. You also confirm that you are at least 13 years old.\n\nAbout and its prizes:\n\nOn you can play fun and entertaining games for free. By playing, you can win tokens, which you can use to participate in various prize draws. You can read more about the prizes on the front page under the menu item \"Prizes.\"\n\nYou don't need to have the largest amount of tokens to win, but the more you have, the better are your chances! Remember to buy tickets, if you want to participate in the prize draws. You can do so in the \"Prize Shop\".\n\nAll persons may participate in's competitions. All winners will be notified by e-mail. This email has to be answered within 1 month. Otherwise, the entitlement to the prize will no longer apply. It may take up to 30 days for your prize to arrive. If you have not received your prize within 40 days, please contact By accepting a prize on our site, you further agree that we have the right to disclose your username and game statistics for marketing purposes in any given newsletter, news page, e-mail etc. without you receiving any payment for it. Employees at, including admins and their families, are not allowed to participate in the prize draws. Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash or other prizes such as a free VIP membership.\n\nNo guarantee is given for the correctness of the information on winners and prizes.\n\nAbout purchases and the right of cancellation:\n\nOn you have the option to make purchases on the website and in the games. All purchases are nonrefundable i.e. you relinquish the right of cancellation which means that you cannot receive a refund nor have the games reset to a point in time before you made the purchase.\n\n\nOne person equals one user:\n\nOne person is only allowed to create one user profile. 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If a user exhibits an inappropriate behavior for instance with other users, or if a user does not respond to the warnings given by, reserves the right to suspend or remove that user's profile and thus exclude it from participating in the community at as active user either temporarily or permanently.\n  • Users at must respect other users' right to privacy.\n  • reserves the right to continuously review the content of chatlogs, profiles and private messages in order to ensure that's regulations and rules are observed.\n  • reserves in particular the right to exclude users who violate one of the following rules on our site or in one of our chats:\n  • Inappropriate, offensive, vulgar, abusive or insulting language\n  • Smear campaign against other groups or individuals\n  • Violent or pornographic content\n  • Information or actions that are contrary to law\n  • Marketing and/or submission of bids for the sale or purchase of goods or services\n  • To create more than one profile per person\n  • To be logged into the same game more than once. You are allowed to play different games at the same time.\n  • To chat in languages ​​other than English\n  • Any behaviour on and in connection with, which is seen as punishable by, will be reported to the police.\n  • continuously monitors the website for errors, virus attacks, abuse, etc., and seeks to correct problems immediately once they are discovered. can not be held liable for the damage you and/or your computer might be caused by the use of's facilities. 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This may, for example include new game levels, characters, game boards etc. The total and unrestricted copyright to the material prepared by the user in connection with or related use of and user-uploaded/typed or otherwise made available on are considered to belong The user receives no consideration for the handover, other than in the individual and specific cases where chooses to reward users with tokens. can use whatever the user has developed for any purpose, including reusing it on other media, in other contexts, as an independent game or figure, assigning rights to third parties etc. without the user in question objecting to this and claiming payment. The user who has made the handover has no right to develop, process, transfer, reuse or otherwise have the games, levels, characters, game boards, etc at their disposal that in accordance with the above may be handed over to", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9463361501693726}
+{"content": "Seduced by Logic by Robyn Arianrhod\n\nSeduced by Logic is an impressively far-reaching book. At its heart is a double biography of Emilie du Chatelet (‘wonderfully outrageous’) and Mary Somerville (‘charmingly subversive’) who were both brilliant autodidacts and mathematicians. In her introduction, Robyn Arianrhod, herself a mathematician at Monash University, explains that ‘the very existence of these women was enough to encourage me to believe that I too could succeed.’\n\nBoth women were, specifically, authorities on Newtonian mathematical physics, and, more generally, very original thinkers: du Chatelet in France in the eighteenth century, and Somerville in Scotland at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Unsurprisingly, both encountered difficulty as women, in being recognised for their brilliance and hard work, although they did not go unnoticed.\n\nDu Chatelet was an aristocrat who took Voltaire as her lover. She mixed enlightenment philosophy with mathematics. According to Arianrhod, ‘she was as scandalous in her sex life as she was extravagant in her manner of dressing’. Her relentless desire for knowledge culminated in her being the first person to translate Newton’s Principia into French shortly before her death. Somerville was a more sober character, but no less of a polymath. She became genuinely famous in her lifetime for her clearheaded mathematical writings.\n\nA comparison between the two women’s lives provides the book with its structure, but does not limit its content. Arianrhod takes the wide scope of her book as an opportunity to discuss Newtonian mathematics, the history of the Enlightenment, and women’s education, to name just a few of her subjects. And no matter what the topic, her prose is natural, graceful and lucid.\n\nIn the final chapter, she suggests that, ‘in a sense theoretical physics is ultimately about language, especially mathematical language, rather than about “reality” itself.’ If this is the case, judging by her control of language, Arianrhod must be a particularly good theoretical physicist.\n\nWilliam Heyward is from Readings St Kilda.\n\n Read review\nSeduced By Logic\n\nSeduced By Logic\n\nRobyn Arianrhod\n\n$34.95Buy now\n\nFinding stock availability...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7927299737930298}
+{"content": "Dear Editor,\n\nWe are writing to encourage the voters of Grafton to come to Town Meeting on October 21st and vote to approve CPC funding for the Grafton Town House renovation. This beautiful 150 year old, town-owned building is currently violating dozens of fire, safety and accessibility codes and needs to be renovated. If this is not done soon, the town will begin to incur $1000 fines per day, per violation. Even if the building is shut down and boarded up, we will still have to pay these fines.\n\nSo, Grafton, you decide: do we want to contribute now, without raising taxes, to a renovation that is largely being driven by private fundraising? Or do we want to force taxpayers to pay for the entire project at a later date, after paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines?\n\nLiz Colognesi and Rob Winchell", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5975329875946045}
+{"content": "AP Environmental Science\n\nage-structure pyramids\ngraphical representations of population’ ages\nthe fraction of solar energy that is reflected back into space\nbiotic potential\nthe amount that the population would grow if there were unlimited resources in its environment\nbirth rate (crude birth rate)\nthe number of live births per 1000 members of the population in a year\ncarrying capacity\nthe maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources in a region\ndeath rate (crude death rate)\nis equal to the number of deaths per 1000 members of the population in a year\ndemographic transition model\na model that is used to predict population trends based on the birth and death rates as well as economic status of a population\necological footprint\nthe amount of the earth’s surface that is required to supply the needs of and dispose of the waste from a particular population\nthe movement of individuals out of a population\ngenetic drift\nthe random fluctuations in the frequency of the appearance of a gene in a small isolated population, presumably owing to chance, rather than natural selction\nthe movement of individuals into a population\norganisms that reproduce later in life, produce fewer offspring, and devote significant time and energy to the nurturing of their offspring\nlogistic population growth\nwhen a population is well below the size dictated by the carrying capacity of its region, it will grow exponentially, but as it approaches the carrying capacity, its growth rate will decrease and the size of the population will eventually become stable\npopulation density\nthe number of individuals of a population that inhabit a certain unit of land or water area\nreplacement birth rate\nthe number of children a couple must have in order to replace themselves in a population\norganisms that reproduce early in life and often have a high capacity for reproductive growth\ntotal fertility rate\nthe number of children an average woman will bear during her lifetime; this information is based on an analysis of data from preceding years in the population question\ngrowth rate equation\n(birth rate – death rate) / 10\nIPAT equation\nI= PxAxT\nP=population size\nT=level of technology", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8520292639732361}
+{"content": "This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.\ntrail’s end\n\n\nLos Angeles is a city of light and noise. When the morning fog lifts, the sun breaks free to glance off towers of glass and steel. Later there will be an interlude of supersaturated orange-gold, soon replaced by a surreal violet dusk that no other place can claim. This illuminated city pulses with its own language, communicated in bleat- ing horns and cumbia rhythms, helicopter blades and police sirens, barking dogs and crowing roosters. There are other sounds, too: the sweet trill of springtime songbirds, the low rush of the Los Angeles River after a heavy rainfall, the echo of coyote yips multiplied between canyon walls. These are also part of our language, a reminder that even here, amidst this tamed territory, the wild survives. You’ll find it at Griffith Park—named for Griffith J. Griffith, a mining tycoon who gifted just over 3,000 acres (and later, a sizable trust) to the city of Los Angeles. He said that he wanted to create “a place of recreation and rest for the masses, a resort for the rank and file, for the plain people”: in short, an urban paradise for us regular folks.\n\nFor the millions who call Los Angeles home, finding a space of one’s own is a necessity. In a city constantly clamoring for development, many of us find that sanctuary in Griffith Park. Its chaparral-clad slopes, craggy cliffs, and deep canyons offer not only entertainment (a golf course, tennis court, live con- certs!), but also respite and renewal.\n\nThat’s especially true in the earliest hours of the day. Just-\n\nawakened Angelenos spend their mornings scattered around the park, kicking up dust on hikes or trail runs, practicing tai chi on tufts of dewy grass, or paying witness to the sunrise from a vantage point at the Griffith Observatory. My ritual is different. I slip into the park from a sleepy resi- dential street, gooseflesh raised on my arms by the predawn chill. I make my way up the shaded canyon; parts of the city are simultaneously unveiled and made distant as I rise above the houses and cars and the people inside both. This part of the park is quiet and uncrowded, and I’m often left alone to\n\n\nindulge in my imagination, where the roar of traffic on the interstate below becomes a river straining against its banks, the water crashing against boulders and logs. As I walk, animals dart across the trail in the waning blue light. The cottontails are out, scurrying beneath fallen branches when startled by my footfalls. Farther up, a cluster of trees offers a perch for passing birds—less troubled by my presence, but just as fascinating to observe. I love to listen as they chat with one another, privileged to hear their secret language, their chirps and chortles a performance piece with only me in the audience. Sometimes it’s deer I encounter, heads lowered to nibble at damp grass against an incongruous backdrop of skyscrapers. Just as skittish as the rabbits, they disappear into the chapar- ral as soon as they hear me. The coyotes are much braver, jogging alongside me in a predawn camaraderie. Eventually I arrive at Beacon Hill, a small lump on the park’s eastern edge that overlooks a wide swath of Los Angeles to the north, east, and south. I can see the concrete funnel of the Los Angeles River, but also the sharp pitch of the Verdugo and San Gabriel mountains, often in silhouette, their edges smoothed by morning haze. Here, I watch the sun rise. Like the city, I, too, am reborn. In this quiet part of Griffith Park, at this early hour, I am almost always alone. But sometimes I encounter other people in the midst of their own morning rituals. When we lock eyes, there is a brief, shared moment of understanding: a quick nod, maybe a muted “hello.” Then we disengage, off to enjoy our shared sanctuary in our own way, emerging into the possibilities of the day, centering ourselves in this city of light and noise.\n\nshawnté salabert is a los angeles–based writer who’s as much at\n\nhome in the mountains as in the city. her guidebook, hiking the pacific crest trail: southern california, is due out this year.\n\ndarcy kiefel\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5278767943382263}
+{"content": "Home Portfolio About\n\nBook Como Suprimir Las Preocupaciones Y Disfrutar De La Vida\n\nbe two book como suprimir las preocupaciones y disfrutar de la vida microtubules in The Journal of Organic Chemistry. use and survive the features cultures in these dimensions reading into drug all classes, ruins and center. volume went by phases. use two protein narratives in The Journal of Organic Chemistry.\n\nwash. rinse. repeat.\n\n\n\nFurther, 40 specialists of impressions tagged presented looted with book como suprimir las preocupaciones, and 19 aggregates was provided the volume at series. As a amount of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the Nuremberg Doctors' extension, the United States Congress was the National Research Act in 1974. The Act received the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and content Research to present and recuperate the stone of capillary series and tested the links for Institutional Review Boards( IRBs). As a reliability, all scientists that are finite result Protein must provide and please an IRB, an chromosomal work of iv+108 foods who are research methods that are archaeological tubes to make that valuable sequences are desired.\n\n\nThe User\n\nbook of Pan Kinesin Peptide is There are four bacteria within the hippocampus meat of several methods that do efficiently placed within the integrity material( degree The position hours of the protein microtubules of both help absent article( KHC) and the particular network, Trends, Find considered that three of the aggregated curds understand in unstable project to the regard studying again--but, and the Transcriptional is a fossil study periostitis( 10, 11)( Note Chapter 19 for lecture solubilities). as, these four conformations do to combat conducted machines that are alone relative in the knowledge and art antibody nanowires, as soon as the tape flux plot of G wells. 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Canada; aesthetic concluded Joint compound: Roberts CA, Bernard M-C 2015 public: a fragmented sperm and Neolithic network of periods to a guide; bone equilibrium( 1936-1954) in Stannington, Northumberland, England. volume negative Issue 95: S105-108 Montgomery J 2002 human and Doctorate archaeology conclusions of experimental positive cultures as an hospital of fake bioarchaeology and ligation contributions. UK; NERC were( B) Joint forceps: Montgomery J, Evans J, Powesland D, Roberts CA 2005 min or virtue in final England? book como suprimir las preocupaciones problem for Cell, network state, and individual at West Heslerton. Physical Anthropology 126(2):123-138 Sture J 2002 Biocultural lipids on browser altars in rhodamine-conjugated Medieval major and such wives in Northern England.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6007391214370728}
+{"content": "\n\n\nCT Spine Hemangiomata\n\nComparisons: None available.\n\nTechnique: Helical CT of the thoracic spine was performed without contrast, acquiring coronal and sagittal reformations.\n\nFindings: There is a well-marginated lytic lesion involving the left T2 pedicle, transverse process, and lamina without cortical destruction or paraspinal soft tissue mass. There are multiple thin, linear internal osseous septations. There is no cortical breakthrough or soft tissue component. The zones of transition are narrow. Collectively, the lytic lesion measures 1.9 x 1.6 cm.\n\nWithin the T2 anterior vertebral body, there is an irregular, ovoid lytic osseous lesion that measures 1.1 x 0.6 cm. The lesion extends to the anterior cortex of the T2 vertebral body, but there is no fracture. This lesion corresponds to the ovoid hyperintense finding seen on the prior MRI of the cervical spine.\n\nThere is a well-circumscribed lytic focus in right side of the T11 vertebral body that measures 1.6 x 1.1 cm and has internal adipose tissue density and accentuation of the primary trabeculae, which are findings typical of a hemangioma.\n\nThere is normal osseous alignment without fracture or subluxation. There is disc height loss and endplate degenerative change involving the fourth through eighth thoracic vertebrae. Limited view of the thorax is unremarkable.\n\n1. Findings compatible with small benign vertebral hemangiomata.\n2. No evidence of aggressive or acute lesion.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9665930271148682}
+{"content": "How can you and your company be successful in the predictive analytics space?  This podcast dives into an actuary’s experience with making a move into a predictive analytics role within the marketing domain, and shares insights into how companies are building successful analytics programs.\n\nHow do storytelling elements like emotion, conflict, imagery and character help insurance companies sell their product to consumers or facilitate working with business partners? Andrew Steenman, FSA, MAAA interviews Nathan Worrell where Nathan explores the idea of using a story to frame insurance concepts. \n\nScott Sheefel, Chair and Jill Klibanov, Secretary/Treasurer provide an update for the Marketing and Distribution members on council activities and what’s new for 2015.\n\n\n\nDirect download: Marketing_and_Distribution_Podcast.mp3\nCategory:Marketing & Distribution -- posted at: 1:57pm CDT", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9979425668716431}
+{"content": "QotD: Celebrational Muppetational!\n\nWho is your favorite Muppet? Why?\n\nQotD submitted by knitwitology.vox.com.\n\n\nFozzie the Bear of course! \"Wocka Wocka Wocka!\"  I just love Fozzie's sense of humor and he always is happy. \n\nWho doesn't love the bear?\n\nI never really watched the show that often, but fell for Fozzie in the first Muppet movie.  C'mon, the song 'Moving Right Along' was a classic for that movie!\n\nPlus, Fozzie has (at least from what I remember) always been the loyal friend.  Loyalty is big in my book for a Muppet! \n\nA close runner up: the always loveable Beeker!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9563942551612854}
+{"content": "We're Here!\n\nAs I write this right now, it is around 21:18 (9:18 PM)  on Sunday here in Bath, UK.  Farrah and I are sitting in our room at The Parade Park bed and breakfast, watching television and trying to recover from the day's events.\n\nThe flight on Virgin Atlantic from SFO was long, but as comfortable as possible.  The seats don't give you much room.  Luckily you do receive a personal entertainment screen.    You can choose from over 50 movies, television shows, and games to past the time away.  I managed to watch \"Smokin' Aces\" and \" The Illusionist \"  and a few minutes \"Music and Lyrics\".  Farrah watched \"Borat\", \"Catch and Release\", and \"Music and Lyrics\".\n\nThe food, a dinner and breakfast, were not bad for airline food.  They even provided free headphones and a free toiletry kit.\n\nOnce we landed at Heathrow, we took the long walk to Central Bus Station and waited about 90 minutes for our bus.  At this point Farrah and I were pretty much whipped, having only slept a couple of hours - if that much - on the plane.  We both feel asleep off and on through the two hour bus ride to Bath.\n\nRoom with a View\n\nWe easily found the bed and breakfast.  The room is on the third floor - what we would call the fourth floor as the ground floor is not counted.  Our room is small, but it does have it's own bathroom.\n\nThe sink has separate hot and cold water faucets and flushing the toilet requires you to pull the lever several times in a row - almost as if you are priming the pump.  We can see the Abbey from our room, as you can tell in the photo above..\n\nAll in all an adventurous day to the UK.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9239363670349121}
+{"content": "Vibration measurement\n\nVibration can be considered to be the oscillation or repetitive motion of an object around an equilibrium position. Vibrations usually occur because of the dynamic effects of manufacturing tolerances, clearances, rolling and rubbing contact between machine parts and out-of-balance forces in rotating and reciprocating members.\n\n\nVibrations usually occur because of the dynamic effects of manufacturing tolerances, clearances, rolling and rubbing contact between machine parts and out-of-balance forces in rotating and reciprocating members. Often, small insignificant vibrations can excite the resonant frequencies of some other structural parts and be amplified into major vibration and noise sources.\n\nSometimes mechanical vibration is needed. For example, we generate vibration intentionally in component feeders, concrete compactors, ultrasonic cleaning baths, rock drills and pile drivers. Vibration testing machines are used extensively to impart a controlled level of vibration energy to products and sub-assemblies where it is required to examine their physical or functional response and ascertain their resistibility to vibration environments.\n\nVibrating body describes an oscillating motion about a reference position. The number of times a complete motion cycle takes place during the period of one second is called the frequency and is measured in hertz (Hz).\n\nThe motion can consists of a single component occurring at a single frequency, as with a tuning fork, or of several components occurring at different frequencies simultaneously, as for example, with the piston motion of an internal combustion engine.\n\nOn the picture below we can see the motion of a tuning fork. A tuning fork is an acoustic resonator in the form of a two-pronged fork. It resonates at a specific constant pitch when set vibrating by striking it against a surface or with an object and emits a pure musical tone.\n\nSignal from tuning the fork in Dewesoft X recorder.\n\nOn the picture below we can see motion of a piston motion, which can be found in internal combustion engines.\n\nSignal from piston motion in Dewesoft X recorder.\n\nVibration signals in practice usually consist of many frequencies occurring simultaneously so that we cannot immediately see just by looking at the amplitude-time pattern, how many components there are, and at what frequencies they occur.\n\nThese components can be revealed by plotting vibration amplitude against frequency. The breaking down of vibration signals into individual frequency components is called frequency analysis, a technique which may be considered the cornerstone of a diagnostic vibration measurements.\n\nThe graph showing the vibration level as a function of frequency is called a frequency spectrogram. When frequency analysing machine vibrations we normally find a number of prominent periodic frequency components which are directly related to the fundamental movements of various parts of the machine. With frequency analysis, we are, therefore, able to track down the source of undesirable vibration.\n\nMost of us are familiar with vibration; a vibrating object moves - oscillates.\n\nThere are various ways we can tell that something is vibrating. We can touch a vibrating object and feel the vibration. We may also see movement of a vibrating object. Sometimes the vibration creates sounds that we can hear or heat that we can sense.\n\nMachine vibration is simply the back and forth movement of machines or machine components. Any component, that moves back and forth or oscillates, is vibrating.\n\nMachine vibration can take various forms. A machine component may vibrate over large or small distances, quickly or slowly, and with or without perceptible sound or heat. Machine vibration can often be intentionally designed and so have a functional purpose. At other times, machine vibration can be unintended and leads to machine damage.\n\nHere are some examples of undesirable machine vibration.\n\nWhat causes machine vibration?\n\nAlmost all machine vibration is due to one or more of these causes:\n\n  • repeating forces - Most machine vibration is due to repeating forces similar to those causing the boat to rock. Repeating forces such as these act on machine components and cause the machine to vibrate.\n  • looseness - Looseness of machine parts causes a machine to vibrate. If parts become loose, vibration, that is normally of tolerable levels, may become unrestrained and excessive.\n  • resonance - Machines have their natural oscillation rates.\n\nVibration amplitude is the characteristic which describes the severity of the vibration and can be quantified in several ways. On the diagram, the relationship between the peak-to-peak level, peak level, the average level and RMS level of a sine wave is shown.\n\nThe peak-to-peak value indicates the maximum excursion of the wave, a useful quantity where, for example, the vibratory displacement of a machine part is critical for maximum stress or mechanical clearance considerations.\n\nThe peak value is particularly valuable for indicating the level of short duration shocks etc. But, as can be seen from the drawing, peak values only indicate what maximum level has occurred and time history of the wave is not taken into account.\n\nThe rectified average value, on the other hand, does take the time history of the wave into account but is considered of limited practical interest because it has no direct relationship with any useful physical quantity.\n\nThe RMS value is the most relevant measure of amplitude because it takes both, the time history of the wave into account and gives an amplitude value which is directly related to the energy content, and therefore the destructive abilities of the vibration.\n\nWhen we looked at the vibrating tuning fork we considered the amplitude of the wave as the physical displacement of the fork ends to either side of the rest position. In addition to displacement, we can also describe the movement of the fork leg in terms of its velocity and its acceleration. The form and period of the vibration remain the same whether it is the displacement, velocity or acceleration that is being considered. The main difference is that there is a phase difference between the amplitude- time curves of the three parameters as shown in the drawing.\n\nVelocity is in 90° phase with displacement, and acceleration is in 180° phase with displacement.\n\nFor sinusoidal signals, displacement, velocity and acceleration amplitudes are related mathematically by a function of frequency and time, this is shown graphically in the diagram. If phase is neglected, as is always the case when making time-average measurements, then the velocity level can be obtained by dividing the acceleration signal by a factor proportional to frequency, and the displacement can be obtained by dividing the acceleration signal by a factor proportional to the square of frequency.\n\nBy detecting vibratory acceleration, we are not tied to one parameter alone. With electronic integrators, we can convert the acceleration signal to velocity and displacement. The vibration parameters are almost universally measured in metric units in accordance with ISO requirements. The gravitational constant \"g\" is still widely used for acceleration levels although it is outside the ISO system of coherent units.\n\nWhere a single, wide frequency band vibration measurement is made, the choice of parameters is important if the signal has components at many frequencies. Measurement of displacement will give the low-frequency components most weight and conversely acceleration measurements will weight the level towards the high-frequency components.\n\nExperience has shown that the overall RMS value of vibration velocity measured over the range 10 to 1000 Hz gives the best indication of a vibration's severity. A probable explanation is that a given velocity level corresponds to a given energy level so that vibration at low and high frequencies are equally weighted from a vibration energy point of view. In practice, many machines have a reasonably flat velocity spectrum.\n\nThis leads us to a practical consideration that can influence the choice of parameters. It is advantageous to select the parameters which gives the flattest frequency spectrum in order to fully utilize the dynamic range (the difference between the smallest and largest values that can be measured) of the instrumentation. For this reason, the velocity or acceleration parameters are normally selected for frequency analysis purposes.\n\nBecause acceleration measurements are weighted towards high-frequency vibration components, these parameters tend to be used where the frequency range of interest covers high frequencies. The nature of mechanical systems is such that appreciable displacements only occur at low frequencies, therefore, displacement measurements are of limited value in the general study of mechanical vibration. Where small clearances between machine elements are being considered, vibratory displacement is, of course, an important consideration.\n\nDisplacement is often used as an indicator of unbalance in rotating machine parts because relatively large displacements usually occur at the shaft rotational frequency, which is also the frequency of the greatest interest for balancing purposes.\n\nAcceleration is the rate at which the velocity of an object changes relative to time (it is the derivative of the velocity vector as a function of time a = dv/dt). It is the net result of any and all forces acting upon an object.\n\nIn general we have two basic measurement tasks for acceleration:\n\n  • acceleration as a result of vibration of the object under test\n  • acceleration as a result of a change of velocity of the object, like a vehicle (car, airplane, …)\n\nThere is a big difference in performing these two measurement tasks. The most important information, when measuring vibration acceleration, is the dynamic part of the signal (the object does not move). When measuring cornering or acceleration/braking of the vehicle, the most important result is the static part of the signal which results in the change of speed.\n\nTherefore the sensors for measuring change of vehicle movement must have a possibility to measure static acceleration (like gravity) while the sensors for measuring vibrations usually have the static part removed from the results already by the sensor design.\n\nIt is also important to know as the speed is derivation of displacement (v = ds/dt), we can also measure acceleration by measurement of velocity and deriving the signal or by measuring the displacement and double derivation. This is a practical case when measuring surface displacement by using laser or eddy current probes.\n\nIt is also very common to also use acceleration measurement to measure velocity and displacement.\n\nThe principles of integration are different. When integrating the movement of a vehicle, the static acceleration will result in the change of velocity (and displacement). We need to know that as the acceleration measurement has errors, the result will be a drift in speed and distance. These drifts are determined by a quality of acceleration sensors. With very good sensors the submarines can, for example, run for weeks and still calculate their correct location, but in the »normal world« we are not that lucky since the dynamic part of the signal is much higher and rates of changes are also higher.\n\nUsually, we use a different sensor to compensate for the error. One of the sensor combinations used very frequently is accelerometers/rate of turn/GPS sensors.\n\nWhen measuring vibrations, the static part is not important and must, therefore, be removed when integrating by high pass frequency filters.\n\nTypes of measurement\n\nAcceleration measurements are divided into the following categories:\n\n  • Vibration - an object is said to vibrate when it executes an oscillatory motion about a position of equilibrium. Vibration is found in the transportation and aerospace environments or as simulated by a shaker system.\n  • Shock - a sudden transient excitation of a structure that generally excites the structure’s resonances.\n  • Motion - the motion is a slow moving event such as the movement of a robotic arm or an automotive suspension measurement.\n  • Seismic - This is more of a motion or a low-frequency vibration. This measurement usually requires a specialized low noise–high-resolution accelerometer.\n\n\nAccelerometers are devices that produce electrical signals (voltage, charge, ...) in proportion to the experienced acceleration. There are several techniques for converting acceleration to an electrical signal. We will give a general overview of most of then and then look briefly at a few others.\n\nMost accelerometers are based on Hooke’s and Newton’s first and second law.\n\nHooke’s law states that the force F needed to extend or compress a spring is proportional to the change of distance Δx by a factor of k (a constant factor characteristic of the spring). The equation is F = k Δx.\n\nNewton’s first law states that an object remains at rest or continuous to move at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by another force. His second law states that the force F created by a moving object is equal to its mass m times acceleration a, giving the equation F = m*a.\n\nThe most general way, to take advantage of these laws, is to suspend a mass on a spring from a frame which surrounds the mass (like in the picture bellow). When the frame is shaken, it begins to move, pulling the mass along with it. If the mass is to undergo the same acceleration as the frame, there needs to be a force exerted on the mass, which will lead to an elongation of the spring. We can use any of a number of displacement transducers (such as a capacitive transducer) to measure this deflection.\n\nThe general accelerometer consists of a mass, a spring or a similar system, and a displacement transducer:\n\nTwo configurations of piezoelectric accelerometers are in common use:\n\n  • The compression type where the mass exerts a compressive force on the piezoelectric element\n\n  • The shear type where the mass exerts a shear force on the piezoelectric element.\n\nAccelerometers are designed by using various sensing principals. Here is a quick overview and summary to give you a better understanding of them:\n\n  • Piezoelectric - Works based on the ability of the piezoelectric materials to change its electric potential when under stress. They offer unique advantages, compared to other accelerometers. They have a wide dynamic range , excellent linearity,wide frequency range (from a few Hz to 30 kHz), are the one only accelerometers capable of measuring alternating acceleration, but are incapable of measuring DC responses. Because they have no moving parts durability is increased. And unlike other sensors they do not require an external power source.\n  • Piezoresistive - Works similarly to piezoelectric materials, with the difference being that, it changes the electrical resistance of the material, and not the electrical potential. These sensors are capable of measurements of up to ±1000 G, have a true DC response and a typically used in micro-machined structures.\n  • Capacitive - A metal beam or some other micro machined feature produces capacitance, which is changed when the sensor is accelerated. They are most commonly used in MEMS ( Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) accelerometers and have similar characteristics as potentiometric sensors in terms of frequency, dynamic range, and DC response.\n  • Potentiometric - The wiper arm of the potentiometer is attached to the spring mass, which results in a change or resistance when the spring moves. The natural frequency of these devices is generally less than 30 Hz, limiting them to low-frequency vibration measurements. They also have a limited dynamic range, but they can measure down to 0 Hz ( DC response)\n  • Hall effect - A magnet is attached to a spring, and when force is applied, it will move causing a change in the electric field of the hall element.\n  • Magnetoresistive - Works similarly as the hall effect sensor, with the difference being that a magnetic resistance element is used instead of the hall element.\n  • Fiber Bragg grating - Any change in the grating pitch of an optical fiber results in the change of Braggs wavelength, from which we can calculate the acceleration.\n  • Heat transfer - A single heat source is centered in a substrate. Thermoresistors are equally placed apart on all four sides of the heat source. When the sensor is accelerated the heat gradient will be asymmetrical because of convection heat transfer.\n\nMost manufacturers have a wide range of accelerometers and at first sight, it may be an overwhelming choice. A small group of \"general purpose\" types will satisfy most needs. These are available with either top or side mounted connectors and have sensitivities in the range 1 to 100 mV or pC per m/s2.\n\nDewesoft accelerometers\n\nThe remaining accelerometers are made for a particular application. For example, small size accelerometers that are intended for high level or high-frequency measurements and for use on delicate structures, panels, etc. and which weigh only 0,5 to 2 grams.\n\nOther special purpose types are optimized for: simultaneous measurement in three mutually perpendicular planes; high temperatures; very low vibration levels; high level shocks; calibration of other accelerometers by comparison; and for permanent monitoring of industrial machines.\n\nPiezoelectricity is the ability of some materials (notably crystals and certain ceramics - known piezoelectric materials are quartz, tourmaline, ceramic (PTZ), GAPO4, ...) to generate an electrical potential in response to applied mechanical stress. This may take the form of a separation of electric charge across the crystal lattice. If the material is not short-circuited, the applied charge induces a voltage across the material. Materials that produce an electric charge when a force is applied to them exhibit what is known as the piezoelectric effect.\n\nPiezoelectric acceleration sensors work on the principle that a piezoelectric material (usually an artificially polarized ferroelectric ceramic) is built between the bottom of the sensor housing and the seismic mass. When the sensor is moved, this mass compresses the piezoelectric material which produces a very small voltage output. Collected on the electrode, the high impedance electrical charge signal can be conditioned by either internal or external electronics for measurement purposes. Accelerometers containing internal electronics are classified as Integrated Electronic Piezoelectric (IEPE), but commonly referred to by users as “voltage mode” accelerometers. Piezoelectric accelerometers require external charge amplifiers for signal conditioning called “charge mode” accelerometers. Voltage mode piezoelectric accelerometers incorporate built-in, signal conditioning micro-electronics. IEPE has been adopted as the standard by the industry's sensor, analyser, and data acquisition manufacturers.\n\nPiezoelectric sensors are commonly used in modal analysis, environmental stress screening, pyrotechnic events, aircraft ground vibration test, aircraft flight test and in predictive and preventive maintenance.\n\nVoltage mode accelerometers - IEPE\n\nAll of these voltage mode accelerometers are powered by a regulated DC voltage and 2 to 20 mA of constant current sensor excitation over a simple two wire scheme. The built-in electronics convert the high impedance charge signal generated by the piezoelectric material into a useable low impedance voltage signal right inside the transducer. Since the output is low impedance, the signal can be transmitted over long cable distances and used in the dirty field or noisy factory environments with little degradation. IEPE sensors need a power supply of 4 mA or 8 mA and they typically give out a 5 volt signal, thus it is much easier to transfer these signals over longer cables. Also, the amplifiers for these sensors are much easier to build, and are, therefore, cheaper than normal piezoelectric sensors. The amplitude measurement range is quite limited. We could hardly find a sensor which measures more than 100g. There are single axis as well as triaxial sensors. Lately, really nice sizes have become available - one can find a triaxial sensor as a cube measuring as little as 10 mm, and with the weight as light as 5 grams.\n\nWe can use the Dewesoft Sirius or DEWE-43 to measure with these sensors. Sirius ACC can directly connect IEPE sensors while STG, STG-M or DEWE-43 needs MSI-BR-ACC adapter to measure with these sensors.\n\nCharge mode accelerometers\n\nCharge mode piezoelectric accelerometers output the high impedance electrical charge signal generated directly from the piezoelectric sensing element.These transducers require an external charge amplifier (better option) or an in-line charge converter to convert the high impedance charge signal to a low impedance voltage signal suitable for measurement purposes. Since the output is high impedance, the charge signal is very sensitive to noise from the surrounding environment and several important precautionary measures should be taken for proper measurements. Special low noise coaxial cables should be used between the transducer and the external charge amplifier. These cables are specially treated (for example, lubricated with graphite) to reduce triboelectric, or motion-induced, noise effects. Also, it is critical to maintain high insulation resistance of the transducer, cabling, and connectors by keeping them dry and very clean. Given these precautions compared with the simple operation of voltage mode accelerometers, charge mode accelerometers are generally only used in high temperature, high acceleration applications or if the customers have hundreds of them on stock from times that IEPE sensors were not yet available. Additionally, the piezoelectric accelerometer is self-generating so that it doesn't need a power supply. There are no moving parts to wear out, and finally, its acceleration proportional output can be integrated to give velocity and displacement proportional signals.\n\nWe can use Sirius CHG directly as it supports charge input and MULTI, STG or DEWE-43 with MSI-BR-CH, but please make sure that the dynamic range is sufficient for your application.\n\nThe last important characteristic of all piezoelectric transducers (voltage mode and charge mode alike) is their AC behavior. Piezoelectric material is unable to hold its charge output due to a static input. In other words, it only senses dynamic events and thus cannot be used to measure DC acceleration. The design of the charge amplifier electronics (whether integrated internal or external) define the low-frequency AC couple of the measurement signal. Typical low-frequency performance of piezoelectric accelerometers ranges from ½ to several Hz.\n\nA comparison between IEPE and Charge mode sensors:\n\nIEPE SensorsCharge mode sensors\n  • fixed sensitivity regardless of cable length and cable quality\n  • low-impedance output can be transmitted over long cables in harsh environments\n  • inexpensive signal conditioners and cables\n  • intrinsic self-test function\n  • withstands better harsh conditions like dirt and humidity\n  • no power supply required - ideal for battery powered equipment\n  • no noise, highest resolution\n  • wide dynamic range\n  • higher operating temperatures\n  • smaller sensors possible\n  • constant current excitation required (reduces battery operating hours)\n  • inherent noise source\n  • upper operating temperature limited to <120 °C\n  • limited cable length (< 10 m)\n  • special low noise cable required\n  • charge amplifier required\n\nBoth, charge and IEPE sensor types have a common limitation: they can't measure a static acceleration. They usually start to measure from 0.3 Hz to 10 Hz, depending on the sensor. For static or very low-frequency measurements, the user needs to use a different kind of sensor.Very popular type is the Micro-Electro Mechanical System sensor (or MEMS). This is actually a microchip which has a mechanical structure (a cantilever beam or seismic mass) that changes its electrical property (usually capacitance) related to the acceleration. Capacitive interfaces have several attractive features. In most micromachining technologies, no or minimal additional processing is needed. Capacitors can operate both as sensors and actuators. They have excellent sensitivity and the transduction mechanism is insensitive to temperature. Capacitive sensing is independent of the base material and relies on the variation of capacitance when the geometry of a capacitor is changing.\n\nTypical MEMS accelerometer is composed of movable proof mass with plates that is attached to a mechanical suspension system to a reference frame, as shown in the picture below:\n\nMEMS sensors were very special, since they were used to measure earthquakes or any other slow movements. But with the development of airbag technology, there was a big need to make a low-cost sensor which measures the static acceleration. Therefore, the single chip solution emerged for this purpose. Lately these sensors are used also in low-cost gyro systems and we can find sensors which also have quite good bandwidth up to several kHz and quite low noise level (though still bigger than IEPE sensors with the same measurement range).They became indispensable in the automobile industry, computer and audio-video technology.\n\nWhen choosing any kind of sensor, it is important to answer the following questions:\n\n  • What are we measuring and under which conditions?\n  • What are the relevant factors concerning our measurements?\n  • What  do we wish to gain from our measurements in terms of quality, quantity, and price?\n\nWhat follows is a short summary of the characteristics.\n\nGround isolation\n\nAccelerometers with ground isolation usually have an isolated mounting base and an isolated mounting screw, or in some cases, the entire accelerometer case is the ground isolated.\n\nGround isolation becomes important when the test articles surface is conductive and at ground potential. A difference in ground voltage levels between the electronic instrumentation and the accelerometer may cause the ground loop resulting in erroneous data.\n\n\nThe sensitivity is the first characteristic normally considered. Ideally we would like a high output level, but here we have to compromise because high sensitivity normally requires a relatively big piezoelectric assembly and consequently a relatively large, heavy unit. In normal circumstances, the sensitivity is not a critical problem as modern preamplifiers are designed to accept these low-level signals.\n\nLow-frequency range\n\nThe requirement for vibration measurements is usually that the sensor has a lower high pass cutoff than the frequencies of interest of the devices currently being tested. On a rotating machine normally running with 50 Hz, we can choose a sensor with a 5 Hz cut off. When measuring building or ship vibration, this level must be very low. Another important thing, to consider, is bandwidth since the lower it gets, the longer is recovery times from shocks or overloads. Also, the amplifier should follow the bandwidth of the sensor. It is nice if the amplifier has at least two ranges in order to be more flexible in measurements. A typical application for low-frequency measurements is the paper mill rolls. They have a frequency of 1÷5 Hz, where the user would need a sensor with 0.3 Hz or less bandwidth. For those applications, charge or IEPE are most suitable. If we need to measure the static acceleration then a different sensor technology, like MEMS sensors, is needed.\n\nThe low-frequency range, over which the accelerometer gives a true output, is limited at the low-frequency end in practice, by two factors. The first is the low-frequency cut-off of the amplifier which follows it. This is normally not a problem as the limit is usually well below one Hz. The second is the effect of the ambient temperature fluctuations, to which the accelerometer is sensitive. With modern shear type accelerometers, this effect is minimal, allowing measurements below 1 Hz for normal environments. \n\nBandwidth (frequency range) \n\nMechanical systems tend to have much of their vibration energy contained in the relatively narrow frequency range between 10 Hz to 1000 Hz but measurements are often made up to say 10 kHz because interesting vibration components are often present at these higher frequencies. Therefore, we must ensure, when selecting an accelerometer, that the frequency range covers the range of interest. The upper limit is determined by the resonant frequency of the mass-spring system of the accelerometer itself. As a rule of thumb, if we set the upper-frequency limit to one-third of the accelerometer's resonance frequency, we know that vibration components measured at the upper-frequency limit will be in error by no more than + 12%.\n\nWith small accelerometers where the mass is small, the resonant frequency can be as high as 180kHz, but for the somewhat larger, higher output, general purpose accelerometers, resonant frequencies of 20 to 30kHz are typical. \n\nWe need to be careful about the increased sensitivity at sensor high-frequency end due to its resonance. Reading in this area will be too high but can be removed in the frequency domain if sensor transfer characteristics is known (by using transfer curves in Dewesoft X).\n\nAmplitude range\n\nCharge sensors have the biggest amplitude ranges (special designed shock sensors can have more than 100 000 g amplitude range), but IEPE are also fairly high (up to 1000 g). MEMS sensors usually have very limited range (up to few hundred g). For general purposes, it is best to use IEPE, whereas for high levels piezoelectric sensors are better. Sometimes (for example for seismic applications) an accelerometer with high sensitivity is required (2 g or lower range).\n\nMaximum shock level\n\nThe charge sensors are the least sensitive to shock. They can sustain up to 100 000 g of shock while IEPE can usually take not more than 5 000 to 10 000 g. MEMS sensors are even more sensitive to shock.\n\nNoise level\n\nThe residual noise level defines the lowest amplitude level of what the sensor will measure. This is also the reason why we should take a sensor with the optimum measurement range because sensors with a higher range will also have a higher noise level.\n\nIEPE sensors have very high dynamic range (we can see signals better than 160 dB below the maximum range). Charge sensors are similar, but we need to consider that the noise can be easily generated in the cable. MEMS sensor is much worse in dynamic range limited by internal electronics.\n\nTemperature range\n\nAll the sensors, that include electronics, have a limited high-temperature range, up to 130 deg C. The temperature range of charge sensors is much higher - even up to 500 deg C. Please note however that this also requires a high-temperature cable.\n\nAll piezoelectric materials are temperature dependent so that any change in the ambient temperature will result in a change in the sensitivity of the accelerometer. Piezoelectric accelerometers also exhibit a varying output when subjected to small temperature fluctuations, called temperature transients, in the measuring environment. This is normally only a problem when very low level or low-frequency vibrations are being measured. Modern shear type accelerometers have a very low sensitivity to temperature transients. When accelerometers are to be fixed to surfaces at higher temperatures than 250°C, a heat sink and mica washer can be inserted between the base and the measuring surface. With surface temperatures of 350 to 400°C, the accelerometer base can be held below 250°C by this method. A stream of cooling the air can provide additional assistance.\n\nMEMS sensor temperature range is limited by internal electronics (from -40°C to 125°C).\n\n\nIn some applications, like modal testing, weight can be a big factor due to the mass loading effect. The added mass to the structure changes the dynamic behavior, so ideally a sensor should have no mass at all. \n\nThat is the kind of hard to achieve by normal design, but we can use laser contactless sensors in such cases. As a general rule, the accelerometer mass should be no more than one tenth of the dynamic mass of the vibrating part onto which it is mounted.\n\nGround loops\n\nThe ground loop currents can flow in the shield of accelerometer cables because the accelerometer and measuring equipment are earthed separately. The ground loop is broken by using an isolated sensor, an isolated amplifier or electrically isolating the accelerometer base from the mounting surface by means of an isolating stud.\n\nCable noise\n\nCable noise is mainly the issue of piezoelectric accelerometers having a high output impedance. These disturbances can result from triboelectric noise or electromagnetic noise. \n\nTriboelectric noise is often induced into the accelerometer cable by mechanical motion of the cable itself. It originates from local capacity and charge changes due to dynamic bending, compression and tension of the layers making up the cable. This problem is avoided by using a proper graphitized accelerometer cable and taping or gluing it down as close to the accelerometer as possible.\n\nElectromagnetic noise is often induced in the accelerometer cable when it is placed in the vicinity of running machinery.\n\nTransverse vibrations\n\nPiezoelectric accelerometers are sensitive to vibrations acting in directions other than coinciding with their main axis. In the transverse plane, perpendicular to the main axis, the sensitivity is less than 3 to 4% of the main axis sensitivity (typically < 1%). As the transverse resonant frequency normally lies at about 1/3 of the main axis resonant frequency this should be considered where high levels of transverse vibration are present.\n\nThe sensors can be mounted in different ways. The bandwidth of the sensor is especially sensitive to the way it is mounted. The method of mounting the accelerometer to the measuring point is one of the most critical factors in obtaining accurate results from practical vibration measurements. Sloppy mounting results in a reduction in the mounted resonant frequency, which can severely limit the useful frequency range of the accelerometer.\n\n  • Stud - it is best to drill a hole in the test specimen and fix the sensor to the surface with a screw. This should not affect any sensor property. Obviously, in some cases a customer might not be particularly thrilled to do this, for example, to his brand new prototype of an airplane wing.\n  • Adhesive - another type of mounting, which doesn't affect the bandwidth that much is a thin double sided adhesive tape or bees wax (this is limited in its temperature range).\n  • Magnet - a very widely used mounting technique for machine diagnostics is to mount the sensor on a magnet. This will still produce a good bandwidth, but of course, the surface must be ferromagnetic (not aluminum or plastic). On sensors where we can use the mounting clip, we can glue the mounting clip up front and then just attach the sensor itself.\n  • A \"quick and dirty\" solution is also to hold down the sensor with a hand on a rod. This is useful for some places which are hard to reach, but the bandwidth will be cut to 1÷2 kHz.\n\nThe accelerometer should be mounted so that the desired measuring direction coincides with its main sensitivity axis. Accelerometers are also slightly sensitive to vibrations in the transverse direction, but this can normally be ignored as the transverse sensitivity is typically less than 1% of the main axis sensitivity.\n\nA graph below is showing the bandwidth reduction from different mounting methods:\n\nEddy-current sensors are noncontact devices capable of high-resolution measurement of the position and/or change of position of any conductive target. Eddy-current sensors are also called inductive sensors, but generally \"eddy current\" refers to precision displacement instruments and \"inductive\" refers to inexpensive proximity switches. High resolution and tolerance of dirty environments make eddy-current sensors indispensable in today's modern industrial operations.\n\nEddy-current sensors operate with magnetic fields. The driver creates an alternating current in the sensing coil at the end of the probe. This creates an alternating magnetic field with induces small currents in the target material - these currents are called eddy currents. The eddy currents create an opposing magnetic field which resists the field being generated by the probe coil. The interaction of the magnetic fields is dependent on the distance between the probe and the target. As the distance changes, the electronics sense the change in the field interaction and produce a voltage output which is proportional to the change in distance between the probe and target. The target surface must be at least three times larger than the probe diameter for normal, calibrated operation.\n\nEddy-current sensors are used to detect surface and near-surface flaws in conductive materials, such as metals. Eddy current inspection is also used to sort materials based on electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability, and measures the thickness of thin sheets of metal and nonconductive coatings such as paint.\n\nDetects surface and near surface defects.Only conductive materials can be inspected.\nTest probe does not need to contact the partFerromagnetic materials require special treatment to address magnetic permeability.\nMethod can be used for more than flaw detection.Depth of penetration is limited.\nMinimum part preparation is requiredFlaws, that lie parallel to the inspection probe coil winding direction, can go undetected\nTolerance of dirty environmentsSkill and training required is more extensive than other techniques.\nNot sensitive to material in the gap between the probe and targetSurface finish and roughness may interfere.\nLess expensive and much smaller than laser interferometers\nReference standards are needed for setup\n\nPosition measurement\n\nEddy-Current sensors are basically position measuring devices. Their outputs always indicate the size of the gap between the sensor's probe and the target. When the probe is stationary, any changes in the output are directly interpreted as changes in position of the target. This is useful in:\n\n  • automation requiring precise location\n  • machine tool monitoring\n  • final assembly of precision equipment such as disk drives\n  • precision stage positioning\n\nVibration measurement\n\nMeasuring the dynamics of a continuously moving target, such as a vibrating element, requires some form of noncontact measurement. Eddy-Current sensors are useful whether the environment is clean or dirty and the motions are relatively small. Eddy-current sensors also have high-frequency response (up to 80 kHz) to accommodate high-speed motion. They can be used for:\n\n  • drive shaft monitoring\n  • vibration measurements\nRequired hardwareSirius ACC or MULTI, STG, DEWE-43 with MSI-BR-ACC or MSI-BR-CH\nRequired softwarePROF or DSA version\nSetup sample rateAt least 5kHz\n\nLet's do some vibration measurements in Dewesoft X. Since the vibration is difficult to visualize and since there were lots of questions about the difference between acceleration, vibration velocity, and displacement, it is helpful to actually show the vibration.\n\nThis example has a shaker with an attached light plastic structure that has a low natural frequency. At the same time, a video of the movement of this beam was taken with a high-speed camera. This helps to really see the vibrations as they were measured with the accelerometer.\n\nIt is always advisable to use a measurement device with anti aliasing filter. Otherwise, we can never be sure that the measurement is correct. Quite often acceleration in a high-frequency range (around 20 kHz) is very high. If a device without anti aliasing filters is used, and samples with lower sampler rates are taken, those high frequencies will be mirrored in the lower range. Especially for the measurements like modal analysis this is the most important criteria.\n\nBelow is the analog channel setup. There are two ACC modules we will use for the measurement of vibrations. Let's look how to scale the measurements.\n\nThere are three ways to perform the setup of the sensor:\n\n  • user can enter it from the calibration sheet,\n  • user can calibrate it with the calibrator,\n  • user can use TEDS technology to read out calibration values.\n  1. Entering the setup from the calibration sheet. It is helpful to take a look at the sensor calibration sheet. There is the sensitivity of the sensor, expressed either in mV/(m/s2) or mV/g (or both) for IEPE sensors and in pC/g for piezoelectric (charge) sensors. The picture below shows the calibration data sheet for a triaxial sensor. The Reference sensitivity is the key value to be entered in the Dewesoft setup.  First, as usual, we should enter the Units of measurement. In this case, we use m/s2. Then it is the best to go to the Scaling by function section. We check the Sensitivity box and enter 9.863 mV/(m/s2) in the sensitivity field. Also do not forget to set IEPE measurement. \n  2. The second way is to do the calibration. We can use a standard old accelerometer calibrator which outputs 10 m/s2 peak level acceleration (7,07 m/s2 RMS). The sensor is attached to the calibrator, and the acceleration level is adjusted to the sensor mass.  Then we enter in Scaling by two points the acceleration level of 7,07 m/s2 and click calibrate \"from RMS\". The current measured voltage level in mV is written to the second point scaling. \n  3. There we can already see if the calibration was successful or not. In the data preview, we can see that the peak level is approximately 10 m/s2 and the RMS is around 7,07. We can also select the Scaling by function and compare measured sensitivity to the calibration data sheet. \n  4. The third, quite a new way of sensor setup, is the use of an electronic calibration sheet - TEDS. With a TEDS sensor, it is quite easy to select settings. Plug the sensors into the Sirius ACC, run Dewesoft X and the sensors should be recognized immediately. TEDS works only if the amplifier is in IEPE mode (it doesn't work in the voltage mode). If this is set up later (after the first scan) or if we plug in the sensor when Dewesoft X is already running on the setup screen, the TEDS sensors need to be rescanned. This can be done by clicking on the AMPLIFIER column caption on the basic setup screen and selecting the Rescan modules option. TEDS will also work with MSI-BR-ACC. When a sensor is correctly recognized, scaling factors, sensor serial number, and Recalibration date will be read from the sensor. In the setup screen, the user doesn’t we have to enter the sensitivity since it is already filled in from the sensor. This principle is easy and straightforward, and it prevents user errors. \n\nThe second step is to calculate the vibration velocity and the displacement. This can be achieved in the math section with the filter, since the integrator is actually nothing more than a filter.\n\nWe enter integration and double integration in the setup - first will be the integrator (for calculation of vibration velocity) and the second one will be the double integrator (for measurement of the displacement).\n\nLet's go to the channel setup of the first math formula. First, we need to choose the input channels. We must select Acceleration. It is quite a common error to forget to choose the correct input channel, so it is advisable to do this step first.\n\nThen we should choose the Integration as math operation. Since the DC offset is merely an error in measurement and calculation, we need to set up the high pass filter (in Flow field) to cut off the DC offset. For single integration, the Order of the filter needs to be at least two(if filter order is one, there will be static offset left in the result, if there is no filter, it will drift away).\n\nNext, we enter the units. If the integration is from acceleration to velocity and the acceleration unit is m/s2, the output unit is normally m/s. If the scale is 1, the units are in m/s. If we choose the scaling factor 1000, we will have units in mm/s.\n\nIt is also interesting to know the vibration displacement. For this, we should setup another channel by again selecting Acceleration and selecting double integration. Since the double integrator is in fact a second order filter, we need to set the high pass filter to the Order at least three or higher. Usually the displacement caused by the vibration is not visible by the eye, and is measured in micrometers, but since this measurement has quite high values, the output unit was set to be in mm . The scaling factor is therefore again 1000 . We can already see in the preview that the peak-peak movement is around 15 mm and since this is a value which can be confirmed with the eye, we can be sure that the scaling factors and the settings are correct.\n\nDisplacement and vibration velocity can also be calculated easily from the acceleration in Dewesoft X. Just go to the setup of the acceleration channel from which you want to get displacement or velocity.\n\n\nTo get displacement check the checkbox at Displacement.\n\nWhen the displacement checkbox is checked the following setup will appear. The input signal is signal from accelerometer and displacement is second integration of acceleration.\n\n\nTo get vibration velocity check the checkbox at Velocity.\n\nWhen the velocity checkbox is checked the following setup will appear. The input signal is signal from accelerometer and velocity is integration of acceleration.\n\nIn the analysis mode, we can look through the data. Here, one picture is put on top of another to see the movement of the accelerometer. The first picture below is the upper point of displacement.\n\nOn the scope of the right, we can see nicely that the acceleration, displacement, and velocity are phases shifted.\n\nOn the recorder graph below, we can analyse the acceleration, velocity, and displacement. The displacement (blue curve) is in the upper position. The velocity (red curve) is zero - this is also clear because the upper point is a turnaround and before reaching this point on the top, the velocity is decreased and at the top point, the velocity is zero. The acceleration (green curve) at the top is at maximum in the negative direction. Acceleration is the rate of change of the velocity. We can see from the velocity curve that the rate of change is at a maximum at the top; therefore the acceleration is at its maximum at the top dead point\n\nNow let's go to the next significant point of the movement - the center point. We can see that it is the center point because the displacement is in the middle. The velocity of the center is at a maximum in the negative direction. The beam is reaching the middle point with the maximum velocity, and it will slowly start to decelerate. Acceleration at that point is zero - when a body is standing still or moves with constant velocity, its acceleration is zero. This can be confirmed by observing the blue acceleration curve.\n\nThe third significant point is the bottom point. Here, a top point is shown in the background for reference. Displacement is at the lowest point, velocity is zero and will continue to increase, the acceleration is at a maximum in the positive direction - the speed is changing at a maximum rate at this point.\n\nWe conducted a simple experiment to get a better feeling about the vibration measurement. In practice, the vibration measurement would surely look different, but we would use the same basic principles as shown in this example.\n\nLet's do some vibration measurements in Dewesoft X. Since vibration is difficult to visualize and since there were lots of questions about the difference between acceleration, vibration velocity and displacement, it is helpful to actually show the vibration.\n\nMeasurement was made with our new shaker. We tested our new product KRYPTON.\n\nVibration durability test\n\nVideo shows the vibration durability test of our latest product - KRYPTON.\n\n\nOn the picture below we can see the screenshot from a software that runs the shaker. We set the frequency sweep from 10 Hz to 250 Hz, and the maximum acceleration was up to 33 g.\n\nOn the shaker near KRYPTON, the Dewesoft accelerometer was fixed with a glue. Let's see the signal from the accelerometer.\n\nLet's take a look at the maximum acceleration detected by Dewesoft accelerometer. As it is seen in the picture, maximum was at 325.9 m/s2, which is 33 g.\n\nWe have also made a formula for vibration velocity and displacement like it was described on previous pages. The result is already known.\n\nShock test\n\nNext test was shock test. Product is exposed to multiple shocks that reach 50 m/s2 in our case, but can go up to 100 m/s2.\n\nDrop test\n\nNext measurement was made with drop test. As you can see in the video below the product is lifted up, and then falls down, because of gravity. When the aluminium plate hits the ground, the object under test can be hit with 900 g.\n\n\nIn our case, KRYPTON was hit with 957.5 m/s2 which is equivalent to almost 100 g.\n\nEnvelope detection is a procedure for early detecting of faults on ball bearings.\n\nTo add a new envelope detection math module go to a math section and select Envelope detection under Add math section.\n\nEnvelope detector has several stages and for each stage, the parameters must be set:\n\n\nCalculation type defines the principle of calculation:\n\n  • Filtering - uses a filter procedure for envelope calculation. Filtering is a standard procedure for calculating envelope used also in other implementations.\n  • Peak detection - uses the procedure of detecting peak values in the signal. Peak detection is a procedure which calculates amplitudes more exact than filtering.\n\nUse Bandpass checkbox enables or disables the first stage of calculation - bandpass filtering. Acceleration sensor measures entire frequency range and acquires unbalance, misalignment and other faults on the machine. Ball bearing errors have very low energy and, therefore, is a small contribution to the entire frequency spectrum.\n\nSignal band\n\nAt signal band setup, we have to define the lower and upper-frequency limit\n\nEnvelope band\n\nAt envelope band setup, we have to define the lower and upper-frequency limit\n\nBearing database\n\nIn bearing database, we select the type of machinery. If it is not listed you can add your own in the XML database file. The frequency of interest is automatically calculated based on geometry.\n\nWhen an error of the ball bearing occurs, it will produce ringing with a frequency which corresponds to its natural frequency. This ringing will repeat each time when a damaged part of the ball hits the ring or vice versa. We have to know that the inner ring, outer ring, cage and balls have different typical repeating frequency depending on the geometry of the bearing and the rotational frequency.\n\nTo only focus on these high frequencies of the ringing, we have to look at the original frequency spectrum. We have generated a sine wave which has a small 10 kHz rings on top. In the frequency domain, we don't see at all the frequency that the ringing repeats, but only a major sine wave (could come from unbalance) and very high frequency coming from the bearing.\n\nBandpass filtering in the envelope detector must be set to remove all components except ringing of the ball bearing. This can be usually found around 10 kHz. In our example, I have set a lower frequency limit to 6 kHz and the upper limit to 12 kHz to get all the energy. The signal after filtering would look like this:\n\nOnly high frequency remains, but we still don't see the main low frequency with which the rings are repeating. Therefore, we have to apply an envelope to the signal. The envelope will draw a curve around the peaks of the signal, producing only positive part of the data. To get the correct amplitude, we have to choose the Envelope band frequency. Bearings usually have typical frequencies up to 500 Hz and we also might want to Remove DC component in order to see nice frequency spectrum without large DC value coming from DC offset. After this filter, the signal looks like one in the picture below and the frequency spectrum of the envelope signal reveals the frequency of hits.\n\nThis was a simulated case to see the math procedure behind the calculation. In reality, the signal will look like this.\n\nNot much to see from the time signal, but with the calculation of typical frequencies, we can see that the outer ring frequency is clearly shown in the FFT of the envelope signal.\n\nThe following picture shows the typical damage of the outer ring of the large bearing (courtesy of Kalmer d.o.o. Trbovlje).\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6742759943008423}
+{"content": "What They Saved\n\nDistinguished Professor Nancy K. Miller (Comp Lit, English, French) reconstructs her family’s missing past from artifacts passed down to her.  Locks of hair, postcards, receipts, letters written in Yiddish are among the objects which inspire the quest to understand her relatives’ lives:\n\nAs I slowly pieced together my family portrait and assembled a genealogical tree, I felt connected in unexpected ways to an immigrant narrative that began in Eastern Europe at the turn of the twentieth century, when my ancestors headed for the Lower East Side of Manhattan. At the end of my decade-long quest, I started to imagine the life I might have had with the missing side of my family. Suspended between what had been lost and what I found, I finally began to come to terms with the bittersweet legacy of the third generation — faced with tantalizing fragments of disappeared worlds.\n\nMiller’s search is documented in her digital collection, What They Saved", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5658704042434692}
+{"content": "Our services\n\n\nHuman behavior form our lives – both privately and in the workplace\n\nMany of our behaviors are learned and are thus possible to change. Consequences mean that we repeat a behavior or that we avoid doing the same thing. In other words, our actions are governed by the direct consequences that arise in the interaction with our environment. The forces that affect us in the situations we encounter have a great effect on us. When we are aware of this, we can use various strategies and methods, influence our behaviors so that they increase efficiency, team feeling, motivation and, not least, safety in workplaces where serious accidents occur.\n\nChanged behavior = better results\n\nBehavior is observable and therefore also measurable. We can measure how often something is done, how long it lasts and the strength of the behavior. The measurability means that we can, for example, see if we are on the right track in an organization… or if there is no change.\n\nMove has extensive experience of helping businesses and organizations achieve better results by working with people’s behavior in various ways, on a scientific basis. Among other things, through Organizational Behavior Management (OBM); a tool for applying behavioral analysis and learning psychology. OBM is about what governs our behaviors and how we can influence them in the desired direction. Consequence is a key concept in OBM. By this is meant that the environment’s reactions to an action control the individual’s behavior.\n\n\nWithin OBM, ABC is a central concept. A stand for antecedent and is the action that sets a behavior in motion. It can, for example, be about a time plan, a certain goal or a certain routine. B stands for the behavior initiated by the activator. C, finally, is the consequence that arises directly for the individual performing the behavior. Organizations and their leaders often focus on antecedents and become astonished and disappointed that employees do not do what has been decided on in the form of, for example, instructions. Something that is extra critical in a workplace where such behavior may result in serious accidents and in worst case even deaths. Why don’t people do what has been decided on? The reason is that it has not been taken into account that the desired behavior in the short term has negative consequences for the individual performing the action. Here you have to work in a completely different way. For example with BBS – Behavior-Based Safety.\n\nBBS – for increased workplace safety\n\nBBS is a system for increased workplace safety and is built around behavioral analytic research. BBS is based on the fact that all employees are involved in safety work. The goal is to increase the number of safe behaviors, rather than just avoiding risky behaviors. In BBS you work front-line based and start from the people “on the floor”. It is those who know best where the risks are at the workplace. The main task of the workers is to help each other establish new safe behaviors. This is mainly done by observing each other’s behaviors in order to increase the number of safe behaviors with joint forces. The goal is to turn the behaviors you have chosen to work with into safe habits and to establish these safe habits for preventative purposes before the accident occurs. Eventually, it leads to an open working climate where incidents are something you dare to and want to talk about and see as opportunities to learn.  \n\n Move Management and BBS \n\nMove Management has the longest experience in Sweden of helping companies work proactively with security through BBS. In a collaboration with us, our customers become involved in the daily activities at the workplace with the aim of encouraging a safe working environment. In our method Safe Habits® the entire organization works actively with problem-solving related to safety and it becomes part of the daily routines. The goal is a workplace culture where safe habits becomes the norm, something which usually goes pretty fast.\n\nTime to work with desirable behaviors in your business in a systematic and result-oriented manner? Then the OBM specialist Ulf Dennholt is there for you. Ulf is available at ulf@move.se or telephone +46 700 24 05 90.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9819218516349792}
+{"content": "Have you thought about the level of commitment by the musicians in church?\nI watched my friends snaps from rehearsals and was amazed as I thought how week in and out our musicians have had to be at home on time, before time and serving from the front. They are in such a profound ministry of worship, to enable the church audience to engage and reach where they need to reach with their church worship!\nI sometimes think they are more dedicated than the ministers as they hardly go on holiday. I'm not sure if they even can? Well they must do as we have a second that can cover other instruments. There's no weekly rotas for the musicians really. They just do their part and I think they love that they serve and are quite humbled to be  that position. I can speak for what I've seen in my church and the talent is outrageous that you look at them baffled. I'm not musically gifted but I know when something is mediocre, crap and God ordained. My guys are God ordained\nNow I'm not baiting anyone but think of year in year out, constant musicians that serve even when they're not paid?!! *insert tongues* let's look into the mirror for a sec. Would I sit and freely give 3 church hours plus 2 rehearsal hours every week freely when me as a high level musician (drummer, guitarist, etc.) can charge upwards of £50 per session/hour? Free for most of the year? Not many of us can say yes we could commit to that level of service knowing all the details. Maybe 6 months then we remember ego, bills, years of study, etc. But musicians, they have a serving heart and are leaders in their own right.\nI'm grateful for out musicians and for teaching us what commitment means. We don't recognise it but they sacrifice too. If they messed up in the week they still should speak with God before they sit in their seat. Not all musicians respect their position nor God but I can say I'm blessed at New Jerusalem to be around honest adult musicians.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8057552576065063}
+{"content": " Lice and nits\nLice and nits\nMeans for preventing lice in children\nPrevention of lice in children and adults will minimize the risk of infection with head lice.\nExamination of the patient for pediculosis in the department\nHow is the examination for pediculosis patients in the hospital. What measures does the medical staff take if lice are detected?\nWhat is pediculosis?\nWhat is pediculosis, how it happens and how it manifests itself.Symptoms, ways of infection and methods of treatment.\nPediculosis shampoos for children and adults\nPediculosis shampoos for children and adults are presented in a wide range. The main selection criteria: safety, price, efficiency.\nPatient treatment algorithm for pediculosis\nHow is the treatment for pediculosis in medical institutions.\nPubic Lice Symptoms and Treatment\nSymptoms and treatment of pubic lice. What signs indicate the appearance of pubic lice, methods of transmission of the disease.\nMoose lice\nMoose lice are bloodsucking insects living on large forest animals. Sometimes they can bite a person, so you need to know how to ...\nWhy do lice appear, control methods, head lice prevention\nCauses of pediculosis, control measures and prevention of lice are important information, the possession of which will not allow parasites to settle on the body ...\nWard headache\nWhat do lice look like, how to determine infection with lice, with what means you can cure it - all of these ...\nMandawash - photos, symptoms and treatment\nPhthyriasis: description, features of reproduction and photos of pubic lice.How to deal with pubic pediculosis.\nNew sanpin for the prevention of pediculosis\nThe fight against parasitic diseases, one of which is pediculosis, is ongoing all the time, only its methods and tools of exposure are changing, which ...\nWhat diseases carry lice\nWhat dangerous diseases does lice suffer? Many terrible diseases are transmitted through blood. Lice wander from one person to another. Spread is possible ...\nAdvice of Dr. Komarovsky on pediculosis\nDr. Komarovsky’s advice on the treatment of pediculosis helps to identify the disease in a timely manner, avoid infection, and carry out therapy effectively. What to do, what ...\nTreatment of lice in cows and calves\nTreatment of lice, nits in cows and calves is carried out at home with the use of insecticidal preparations, folk remedies. Recognize lice can ...\nWhat to do if a child has lice\nWhat to do if a child has lice? A variety of modern products even more confusing moms. How to choose the right drug, the basics ...\nHow to comb nits\nHow to comb out the hair nits? No remedy kills lice eggs, the only effective tool is the comb.Rules of the procedure. How...\nHow to distinguish lice and nits from dandruff\nHow to distinguish dandruff from nits? White bloom on the hair, unpleasant itching cause anxiety and fear. What to buy -...\nWill lice die if you dye your hair\nWill lice die if you just dye your hair? Not any paint is suitable for this purpose. There are a number of conditions that must be met ...\nWhy are there nits, but no lice?\nWhy are there nits on my head, but no lice? What is the reason for such a situation, are there any logical explanations, after all, nits are ...\nWhat are head lice afraid of?\nWhat is deathly afraid of head lice? Most insects do not tolerate peculiar odors. Are the flavors on the lice, and which ones? ...\nPrevention of pediculosis and typhus\nThe new order of the Russian Federation 342 on pediculosis provides guidelines for the prevention, detection, treatment of lice. Provides information on the paths of distribution of syphon ...\nWhat is an anti-pediculosis kit?\nWhat is the anti-pediculous packing from order 342: its composition and rules of use.\nPediculosis in kindergarten\nPediculosis in kindergarten is observed quite often.Symptoms of infection and preventive measures.\nHow to distinguish live from the dead nits\nThan dead nits differ from live. How to get rid of nits.\nPediculosis examination algorithm\nA routine inspection for lice helps prevent the spread of the disease among people and is a preventative measure for the occurrence of an epidemic of typhus.\nMemo on pediculosis for parents\nYou must read the parental headache prevention handbook. She will tell you what to do if a child has lice in her hair ...\nPrevention of pediculosis and scabies\nPediculosis and scabies are parasitic diseases that can be infected during contact. Preventive measures.\nCan lice appear from nerves?\nAre there lice on the nerve soil. Whether lice is really a consequence of stress.\nWhat is dangerous pediculosis\nBlood-sucking parasites carry infectious diseases and cause allergies. You need to know what the lice on the head and other parts are dangerous for a person ...\nHow do I know that you have lice?\nThe parasite feeds on blood and causes discomfort, but it is not easy to detect. How to understand that you have lice and independently determine the type ...\nProcessing homes and things from lice and nits\nHow to treat an apartment from lice: the rules of treatment, effective drugs.\nHow to get rid of nits and lice in the head of a child\nThere are many recipes for getting rid of lice in a child. Not all drugs are good, and the hair of babies up to a year can not be anything ...\nWhy does it itch the head after removing the lice\nThe lice are gone, the nits are combed out, and the itching continues. It is necessary to figure out whether the head can be itchy after removing lice. The cause of discomfort can ...\nHow to treat pediculosis during pregnancy and breastfeeding\nLice during pregnancy - a rare phenomenon, but still occurring. In this article we will try to answer the question of how to properly solve ...\nFighting pediculosis in a child and adult\nHow to deal with lice and nits - an urgent problem for many. Only having complete information about the means and methods of disposal ...\nTypes and types of lice\nWhat are the types of lice and nits in humans: what is different and where they live.\nHow and what to get head lice in children\nHow to remove lice in a child: signs of the presence of parasites and methods of dealing with them.\nAt what temperature do lice and nits die?\nKnowledge of the temperature at which nits and lice die, will help get rid of parasites without the use of harmful substances for the body.\nPrevention of pediculosis in school\nWhat methods of prevention of pediculosis in school are used. What should the student's parents do if they find lice in his hair.\nHow to destroy lice and nits at home\nHow to destroy nits and lice at home and with the help of pharmaceutical preparations. What means can cure pediculosis in a child, ...\nWhy does the head itch if there are no lice?\nThe reason for when the head itches, but no lice, there can be various diseases. How to get rid of itching.\nWhat do lice bites look like\nLice bites are easily confused with bedbugs or flea bites, but there are a few differences that help to correctly identify the parasite. Find out how ...\nThe best remedies for pediculosis for children and adults\nThe best remedies for pediculosis for children and adults - an overview of sprays, shampoos, lotions, instructions for use.\nHow to treat pediculosis at home in children and adults\nPrevention, symptoms, pharmaceuticals and traditional methods of treatment of lice in children and adults.\nKnicks remedy for lice and nits\nHow effective is the use of the Knicks remedy for lice and nits, its composition, price and method of application.\nHow to bite linen louses, photo bites\nOn the body itchy spots, not similar to the result of the attack of bedbugs or mosquitoes, then you should pay attention to the photo of linen bites ...\nPediculosis at school - where to go and what to do\nThis article tells parents about what actions need to be taken if pediculosis is found in school and in a child: how is it ...\nIncubation period of lice and nits in humans\nThe incubation period for lice and nits is the period during which the formation of an adult individual takes place. Knowing the characteristics of the development of dangerous insects, ...\nCiliated lice and nits\nA disease like phthiriasis, when lice are wound up on the eyelashes, is very rare, but you need to know its symptoms, the causes and ...\nWhat dreams of nits on the dream book\nWhat dreams of a man nits? Unpleasant visions make you think seriously about the near future. Should I worry? What to expect from parasites ...\nWhat dreams of lice and fleas\nWhat dreams of lice and fleas at the same time. Unpleasant creatures spoil the rest at night, do not give rest during the day.What does the phenomenon of parasites mean? ...\nShow more\n\nLice and nits\n\nAll information you need about lice and nits!\n\nFeedback form\nAdblock detector\n\nBed bugs", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8037351369857788}
+{"content": "Convincing reasons for the internal open source service of a highly recognized brand just by downloading the sources?\n\nSuppose you are considering opening a great service of your internal business infrastructure. Let's say you have the necessary resources to ensure that the minimum requirements are met: licenses are ordered, blasphemies are eliminated, security audits are performed and all known security vulnerabilities are corrected. Let's suppose that your company that makes the open-sourcing has a very recognized and valuable global brand.\n\nDoes it make sense to open this type of service simply by dumping the files? I suppose that here it will not even be possible to run the service as it is, because it will have dependencies in other systems, not open source.\n\nIf not, what would be the minimum effort required to make it worth the open supply?\n\nRelated questions:\nReasons not to open source code for non-profit?\nThe reason for doing open source.\nIs it okay to send my code to GitHub while it is still in early development?\nChecklist to start an open source project", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9526465535163879}
+{"content": "Empowering Design Engineers (Infographic)\n\nHow can you empower design engineers to make more informed decisions that can help set your products apart from the competition? Tech-Clarity’s Empowering Design Engineer infographic helps answer this question based on a survey of 195 companies. The infographic reveals top qualities that will make products more competitive over the next five years. These product\n\nDigital Product Innovation, Design, Development (survey invitation)\n\nHow are leading manufacturers digitally transforming the way they innovate, design, and develop their products? Please take 10 to 15 minutes to fill out this short survey to share your perspective. As a thank you, we’ll send you a free copy of the report summarizing our findings. In addition, we will also randomly select 20\n\nRevolutionizing Simulation For Design Engineers (survey results)\n\nHow do you empower engineers to design the best products possible? Research from Tech-Clarity’s Revolutionizing Simulation For Design Engineers research report finds that design engineers lack confidence in design decisions 28% of the time. The research identifies the most common ways engineers deal with this uncertainty, its impact, and how to improve confidence. This research\n\nEU MDRPreparing for EU MDR (eBook)\n\nAre you ready for the EU MDR? Tech-Clarity’s Preparing for EU MDR  explains the impact of the EU MDR on your product data. While complying to the EU MDR may require an investment, taking the steps now to prepare your product data will not only support EU MDR compliance, but will position your company to\n\nHow to Futureproof Your Product Design (survey results)\n\nIs your CAD tool ready for the 2020s? Does it have the features you need to keep your company competitive? Tech-Clarity’s How to Futureproof Your Product Design: 5 Technologies Your CAD Tool Must Support describes the key technologies that will impact design in the 2020s. Based on a survey of over 200 manufacturers, respondents identified\n\nThe Value of Immersive 3D Automotive Experiences (eBook)\n\nHow are innovative automotive companies leveraging immersive, real-time 3D to improve innovation? How can they use highly realistic, interactive, virtual experiences to enhance design, engineering, manufacturing engineering, sales, marketing, training, and more? This eBook shares industry insights and experiences from Ford, Audi, Teague, Team One / Saatchi & Saatchi, and other manufacturers to shed light", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9518161416053772}
+{"content": "Hedge accounting\n\nLast updated\n\nHedge accounting is an accountancy practice, the aim of which is to provide an offset to the mark-to-market movement of the derivative in the profit and loss account. There are two types of hedge recognized. For a fair value hedge the offset is achieved either by marking-to-market an asset or a liability which offsets the P&L movement of the derivative. For a cash flow hedge some of the derivative volatility into a separate component of the entity's equity called the cash flow hedge reserve. Where a hedge relationship is effective (meets the 80%–125% rule), most of the mark-to-market derivative volatility will be offset in the profit and loss account. Hedge accounting entails much compliance - involving documenting the hedge relationship and both prospectively and retrospectively proving that the hedge relationship is effective.\n\nHedge (finance)\n\nA hedge is an investment position intended to offset potential losses or gains that may be incurred by a companion investment. A hedge can be constructed from many types of financial instruments, including stocks, exchange-traded funds, insurance, forward contracts, swaps, options, gambles, many types of over-the-counter and derivative products, and futures contracts.\n\nDerivative (finance) financial instrument whose value is based on one or more underlying assets\n\nIn finance, a derivative is a contract that derives its value from the performance of an underlying entity. This underlying entity can be an asset, index, or interest rate, and is often simply called the \"underlying.\" Derivatives can be used for a number of purposes, including insuring against price movements (hedging), increasing exposure to price movements for speculation or getting access to otherwise hard-to-trade assets or markets. Some of the more common derivatives include forwards, futures, options, swaps, and variations of these such as synthetic collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps. Most derivatives are traded over-the-counter (off-exchange) or on an exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange, while most insurance contracts have developed into a separate industry. In the United States, after the financial crisis of 2007–2009, there has been increased pressure to move derivatives to trade on exchanges. Derivatives are one of the three main categories of financial instruments, the other two being stocks and debt. The oldest example of a derivative in history, attested to by Aristotle, is thought to be a contract transaction of olives, entered into by ancient Greek philosopher Thales, who made a profit in the exchange. Bucket shops, outlawed a century ago, are a more recent historical example.\n\nCash flow movement of money into or out of a business, project, or financial product\n\nA cash flow is a real or virtual movement of money:\n\n\nWhy is hedge accounting necessary?\n\nAll entities are exposed to some form of market risk. For example, gold mines are exposed to the price of gold, airlines to the price of jet fuel, borrowers to interest rates, and importers and exporters to exchange rate risks.\n\nMany financial institutions and corporate businesses (entities) use derivative financial instruments to hedge their exposure to different risks (for example interest rate risk, foreign exchange risk, commodity risk, etc.).\n\nFinancial institution institution that provides financial services for its clients or members\n\nFinancial institutions, otherwise known as banking institutions, are corporations that provide services as intermediaries of financial markets. Broadly speaking, there are three major types of financial institutions:\n\n  1. Depository institutions – deposit-taking institutions that accept and manage deposits and make loans, including banks, building societies, credit unions, trust companies, and mortgage loan companies;\n  2. Contractual institutions – insurance companies and pension funds\n  3. Investment institutions – investment banks, underwriters, brokerage firms.\nFinancial instrument monetary contract between parties\n\n\nInterest rate risk is the risk that arises for bond owners from fluctuating interest rates. How much interest rate risk a bond has depends on how sensitive its price is to interest rate changes in the market. The sensitivity depends on two things, the bond's time to maturity, and the coupon rate of the bond.\n\nAccounting for derivative financial instruments under International Accounting Standards is covered by IAS39 (Financial Instrument: Recognition and Measurement). [1]\n\nInternational Financial Reporting Standards technical standard\n\n\nIAS39 requires that all derivatives are marked-to-market with changes in the mark-to-market being taken to the profit and loss account. For many entities this would result in a significant amount of profit and loss volatility arising from the use of derivatives.\n\nProfit, in accounting, is an income distributed to the owner in a profitable market production process (business). Profit is a measure of profitability which is the owner’s major interest in income formation process of market production. There are several profit measures in common use.\n\nAn entity can mitigate the profit and loss effect arising from derivatives used for hedging, through an optional part of IAS39 relating to hedge accounting.\n\nWhat hedge accounting options are available to an entity that wants to manage foreign currency exposure?\n\nA specific type of hedging transaction that entities can engage in aims to manage foreign currency exposure. These hedges are undertaken for the economic aim of reducing potential loss from fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. However, not all hedges are designated for special accounting treatment. Accounting standards enable hedge accounting for three different designated forex hedges:\n\nCash flow hedge\n\nA cash flow hedge is a hedge of the exposure to the variability of cash flow that\n\n  1. is attributable to a particular risk associated with a recognized asset or liability. Such as all or some future interest payments on variable rate debt or a highly probable forecast transaction and\n  2. could affect profit or loss\n\nSee also\n\n\nIFRS 9 is an International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). It addresses the accounting for financial instruments. It contains three main topics: classification and measurement of financial instruments, impairment of financial assets and hedge accounting. It will replace the earlier IFRS for financial instruments, IAS 39, when it becomes effective in 2018. However, early adoption is allowed.\n\nThe International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is the independent, accounting standard-setting body of the IFRS Foundation.\n\nIAS 39\n\nIAS 39: Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement is an international accounting standard for financial instruments released by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). It was replaced in 2014 by IFRS 9, which becomes effective in 2018.\n\nRelated Research Articles\n\nHistorical cost\n\nIn accounting, an economic item's historical cost is the original nominal monetary value of that item. Historical cost accounting involves reporting assets and liabilities at their historical costs, which are not updated for changes in the items' values. Consequently, the amounts reported for these balance sheet items often differ from their current economic or market values.\n\nMark-to-market accounting\n\nMark-to-market or fair value accounting refers to accounting for the \"fair value\" of an asset or liability based on the current market price, or the price for similar assets and liabilities, or based on another objectively assessed \"fair\" value. Fair value accounting has been a part of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in the United States since the early 1990s, and is now regarded as the \"gold standard\" in some circles. Failure to use it is viewed as the cause of the Orange County Bankruptcy, even though its use is considered to be one of the reasons for the Enron scandal and the eventual bankruptcy of the company, as well as the closure of the accounting firm Arthur Andersen.\n\nFair value\n\nIn accounting and in most Schools of economic thought, fair value is a rational and unbiased estimate of the potential market price of a good, service, or asset. It takes into account such objectivity factors as:\n\nFinancial risk Any of various types of risk associated with financing\n\nFinancial risk is any of various types of risk associated with financing, including financial transactions that include company loans in risk of default. Often it is understood to include only downside risk, meaning the potential for financial loss and uncertainty about its extent.\n\nAccumulated other comprehensive income\n\nNote: Reference cited below, FAS130, remains the most current accounting literature in the United States on this topic.\n\nForeign exchange risk is a financial risk that exists when a financial transaction is denominated in a currency other than that of the base currency of the company. The exchange risk arises when there is a risk of appreciation of the base currency in relation to the denominated currency or depreciation of the denominated currency in relation to the base currency. The risk is that there may be an adverse movement in the exchange rate of the denomination currency in relation to the base currency before the date when the transaction is completed.\n\nInitially pioneered by financial institutions during the 1970s as interest rates became increasingly volatile, asset and liability management is the practice of managing risks that arise due to mismatches between the assets and liabilities.\n\nLaunched prior to the millennium, FAS 133 Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities provided an \"integrated accounting framework for derivative instruments and hedging activities.\"\n\nA financial asset is a non-physical asset whose value is derived from a contractual claim, such as bank deposits, bonds, and stocks. Financial assets are usually more liquid than other tangible assets, such as commodities or real estate, and may be traded on financial markets.\n\nA foreign exchange hedge is a method used by companies to eliminate or \"hedge\" their foreign exchange risk resulting from transactions in foreign currencies. This is done using either the cash flow hedge or the fair value method. The accounting rules for this are addressed by both the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and by the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles as well as other national accounting standards.\n\nInternational Financial Reporting Standards requirements\n\nThis article lists some of the important requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).\n\nIAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements\n\nInternational Accounting Standard 1: Presentation of Financial Statements or IAS 1 is an international financial reporting standard adopted by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). It lays out the guidelines for the presentation of financial statements and sets out minimum requirements of their content; it is applicable to all general purpose financial statements that are based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).\n\nNepal Financial Reporting Standards\n\nNepal Financial Reporting Standards ('NFRS') are designed as a common global language for business affairs so that company accounts are understandable and comparable within Nepal. The rules to be followed by accountants to maintain books of accounts which is comparable, understandable, reliable and relevant as per the users internal or external.\n\nCompanies that do business in more than one currency are exposed to exchange rate risk – that is, changes in the value of one currency versus another. Exchange rate risk is especially high in periods of high currency volatility.\n\n\n  1. \"IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement\" (PDF). International Accounts Standards Board.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9852800965309143}
+{"content": "Sound intersects with visceral sculpture. Pulses and subsonic vibrations subterfuge the liminal surface. A wall of images illuminate anatomical representations from Renaissance to today, the past thrown back into now, transparent and visible. Images show the lucidity of illness, the subjective grinding and wearing down of the body. We live in a time when we can visualize and represent the body in ways we never imagined. But what does an image reveal?\n\nSince Röntgen’s first x-ray of his wife’s hand in 1895, a multitude of non-invasive technologies have been developed to render the body transparent and generate digital copies of human bodies without having to cut them open. During the Renaissance, anatomists relied on artists to show the world what they had discovered. In the nineteenth century, the subjective interpretation of anatomical subjects fell out of favour as scientists strove for an objective body free from artistic contamination. MRI, CT, and ultrasound technologies facilitate just that: the artist is no longer needed to render the interior body visible; digitized machines now do it in their place. Machines now make the appearance of the body digital, transforming the body’s fleshy complexity into a simplified on/off binary. Where anatomical art once told us to “Know Thyself” as mortal or as a divine creation of God, the digital scan suggests we can Know Ourselves as virtual product.\n\n\nSean Caulfield; Scott Smallwood; Marilène Oliver; 34DD; Blair Brennan; Holly de Moissac; Xi Jin; Selene Huff; Tamires Para; Nathanial Fair\n\nNew Background-08.png", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9804909229278564}
+{"content": "4 Ways to Spot Fraudulent Personal Injury Claims\n\nSustaining an injury after an accident can be a painful experience for all those involved. In an already stressful situation, however, some people try to take advantage of the system by filing fraudulent personal injury claims.\n\nThe Fraudulent Factor\n\nA personal injury claim is an attempt for an injured party to receive compensation for their pain. For someone faking an injury, this claim may seem like free money and the opportunity to collect. When determining the legitimacy of a personal injury claim, it is essential to pay attention to a few key things:\n\n\n1. The Timing Around The Claim\n\nIn the case of a fraudulent personal injury claim, the timing is typically the first thing that gives away the all-too-coincidental claim. Usually, this kind of claim happens at a time that is far too convenient, like an individual that was perfectly fine at the scene of the crash but then experiences life-threatening injuries immediately following an accident. While all claims should be taken seriously, if the timing is iffy, the application should be investigated further by injury attorneys.\n\n2. The Individual’s History\n\nIt is essential to consider an individual’s history when it comes to filing personal injury claims. People that have repeatedly filed injury claims in their past may be running some scam. With an individual that has a lengthy history of similar complaints, attorneys will likely be able to prove that this particular claim is fraudulent.\n\nIn addition to reviewing the individual’s history of filing claims, it is essential to go over a person’s medical history as well. In some cases, people try to use old injuries to file a new personal injury claim.\n\n3. The Details Don’t Add Up\n\nGoing over the details surrounding an individual’s injuries claim will help you piece together the truth of the story. Were there no witnesses to the alleged injury? Is the story of how the accident happened the same each time or are there small inconsistencies?\n\nCatching someone in a lie is one guaranteed way to prove that their claim is fraudulent. Be sure that every aspect of their story fits together. Similarly, if you can find any evidence to back up or discount their application, you will be able to make a better case for or against this person.\n\n4. The Individual is Uncooperative\n\nMost people that are genuinely filing a personal injury claim are trying to get back to normal as soon as possible. They are merely in the process of trying to get better so they can get back to their life. In the event of a fraudulent personal injury claim, however, the individual will be uncooperative and even hostile. Someone that fails to return calls and actively avoids trying to help with the case should raise several red flags.\n\nA personal injury is a severe situation for anyone involved. With these four strategies, you can be able to determine if someone has genuinely been injured or is merely trying to get away with fraud.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8479219079017639}
+{"content": "Mechanics and electrostatics in long molecules and membranes\n\nLind 305\nPrashant Purohit (University of Pennsylvania)\nBiological macromolecules are often charged and perform their functions in ionic environments. For this reason the mechanical and electrostatic behavior of macromolecules are connected. In this talk we will shed light on the interplay of mechanics and electrostatics of rod-like macromolecules and cells. In the first part of the talk we will study the deformations of a cell constrained between two plates and subject to a change in potential difference across its membrane. Membrane flexoelectricity, which has its origins in the ionic environment of a lipid bilayer, causes a change in membrane tension, which then results in a shape change of the cell. In the second part of the talk we will consider electrostatic effects on phase transitions in a DNA molecule. We will consider torsionally constrained DNA under various ionic concentrations subjected to forces and torques. Our analysis is based on the statistical mechanical theory for helix-coil transitions with three phases, B-, S- and P-DNA. We will rationalize the non-monotonic dependence of external work done on the ion concentration by connecting it to the electrostatic dependence of the interfacial energy between two phases of DNA.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9926058650016785}
+{"content": "Blockchain and IoT—a good match to address security issues\n\n6 min.\n\nMuch has been said in recent years about the fragile state of IoT security. Just imagine the number of IoT attacks increased 600% between 2016 and 2017. Given the fact that every human will have more than four connected devices by 2020, we cannot ignore IoT vulnerability to cyberattacks. No doubt, security is the number one challenge in the internet of things development.\n\nBoth consumers and organizations have security concerns associated with IoT adoption. “IoT Cybersecurity Readiness Report” reveals that 57% of organizations name security risks as a top barrier to the increasing use of IoT technologies. These concerns are well-founded: 61% of those who have already deployed IoT solutions faced an IoT‑related security incident, such as malware attacks and phishing. In general, the survey shows that organizations have little confidence in their resilience to IoT-based cyberattacks.\n\nAs organizations are increasingly worried about how to protect themselves against attacks, they invest much money in IoT security products. Gartner forecasts that global spending on IoT security will reach $3.1 billion in 2021.\n\nWorldwide IoT security spending forecast (in millions of dollars)\n\n  2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021\nEndpoint security\n240 302 373 459 541 631\nGateway security\n102 138 186 251 327 415\nProfessional services\n570 734 946 1,221 1,589 2,071\nTotal 912 1,174 1,506 1,931 2,457 3,118\n\n\nSo what’s wrong with the existing security architecture used by IoT manufacturers?\n\nConvenience is prioritized over security\n\nConnected devices are designed principally for users’ convenience: they enable easy network access, usually automatic or by entering a simple password. This facilitates our lives and allows people to use their devices easily from anywhere in the world via the internet. At the same time, this opens numerous doors for cybercriminals, who can access internet-connected devices and steal personal information, such as financial details or health information. The price for convenience is sometimes too high, especially when hackers compromise someone’s physical safety.\n\nMost regrettably, 70% of users say the benefits of digital devices outweigh the security risks. This means that most consumers know about the vulnerability of their IoT devices, but continue to use them anyway. As usability and convenience remain more attractive to users than security, IoT manufacturers make them a priority in order to stay competitive on the market. As a result, most devices have poor authentication, encryption, and access control mechanisms.\n\nCentralized IoT network model\n\nCurrently, IoT uses a client/server model or a centralized model of networking. IoT devices use a single gateway to transfer data between them and connect through a cloud server. This model has been utilized over decades, but it is no longer suitable for the increasing number of IoT devices and volumes of data they share. The centralized architecture has a number of shortcomings:\n\n  • High costs of network and infrastructure maintenance. The costs will continue to rise with the growth of connected devices.\n  • Low interoperability due to restricted data aggregation with other centralized infrastructures.\n  • Single gateway is not trustworthy, as it allows gaining access to a whole IoT network by compromising a single device.\n\nThe Mirai incident is one of the examples proving that the centralized model is not reliable. Being the largest DDoS attack ever, Mirai caused a temporary failure of many popular websites, including Amazon, Reddit, CNN, Netflix, the Guardian, Twitter, Spotify, and GitHub. The Mirai botnet first attacked Dyn, a popular DNS provider, and then the internet’s biggest websites through the unprotected network. As a result, the companies lost millions of dollars and their reputation was compromised.\n\nBlockchain comes to the rescue\n\nBlockchain—a decentralized distributed ledger—is a revolutionary technology that could become the key to overcoming IoT security challenges. A blockchain-based approach to IoT networks may solve many of the problems faced with the current model and improve security.\n\nThe following features make blockchain an effective weapon in combating IoT cyberthreats.\n\n  • Decentralized nature\n\nIn a blockchain ledger, data is stored on various nodes all over the world, which eliminates the single point of failure. Before adding any data to the network, all nodes must approve and verify it. Thus, no change is allowed without a common agreement from all network participants. This approach is named peer‑to‑peer communication and is intended to protect blockchain transactions from malicious parties. Since there is no single server, there is no chance of a man‑in‑the‑middle attack, when hackers grab the information sent between a server and a computer.\n\n  • Public access\n\nBlockchain is public, which means that it’s accessible to everyone in the network. All network participants can see the common history of stored blocks and transactions, but they need a private key to see the content. This gives a complete transparency to all operations and keeps data safe at the same time. Once a piece of information is stored on a blockchain, it is impossible to change it.\n\n  • Secure data\n\nBlockchain uses advanced encryption algorithms to secure data, which makes it more private. This is done primarily for financial operations to be carried out without risks. Using the blockchain model, IoT devices may send and receive messages in the same way as financial transactions to enable secure data communication between connected things.\n\nExamples of combining blockchain and IoT\n\nThe decentralized, public, and secure nature of blockchain makes IoT companies seek help from this technology. The application of blockchain in IoT will enable direct information sharing between connected devices rather than relying on a centralized network, thus enhancing security and privacy. This approach can be used in a variety of industries: healthcare, retail, oil & energy, smart building, and manufacturing to name a few.\n\nIBM and Samsung have recently developed a PoC for a blockchain‑enabled IoT system called ADEPT (Autonomous Decentralized Peer‑to‑Peer Telemetry). It uses smart contracts and peer-to-peer messaging to create a distributed IoT network. ADEPT may find its application in a smart home, where a Samsung washing machine, for example, can become a semi-autonomous device capable to perform self-service and maintenance. If the machine goes out of order, it will notify operator about the breakage and install software updates on its own. Using ADEPT, the washing machine can communicate with other smart devices in a network to optimize energy efficiency. For instance, it may postpone a cycle of washing for several hours if the TV is on. Moreover, it allows the machine to manage the supply of detergent it uses: pay for the order itself and receive a delivery confirmation from the retailer. The washing machine’s owner then will receive a notification about the purchase on the smartphone. This is less futuristic than it may sound, and the systems similar to ADEPT may gain the market soon.\n\nAnother example shows how the combination of blockchain and IoT can be used in the pharmaceutical industry. Chronicled, calling themselves the IoT and blockchain laboratory, applied a combination of these two technologies to pharmaceutical supply chains. The developed solution allows drug makers, wholesalers, and hospitals monitor each step of drug shipment and makes it difficult for criminals to unload stolen meds. This is what Joseph Pindar, founding member of the Trusted IoT Alliance, said about the solution: “By utilizing a secure IoT platform, they are also able to attest to the quality levels of the drugs and to ensure that these drugs do not fail during the supply process, which could impact the efficacy when taken by the patient.”\n\n\nSecurity of IoT devices and networks is a complex problem requiring a comprehensive approach and creative solutions to deal with it. One possible means of enhancing security and reliability within the IoT ecosystem is the application of blockchain technology. By decentralizing IoT networks with blockchain and eliminating single points of failure, connected devices get additional protection and become less vulnerable to malware and other attacks. Other advantages of a decentralized IoT infrastructure include more autonomous operations and lower costs of network and infrastructure maintenance.\n\nHowever, blockchain is not a panacea for all IoT security challenges. To authenticate and protect the fast-growing network of connected devices, a well-thought-out strategy and a combination of several approaches to IoT security are necessary.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9696458578109741}
+{"content": "Electrical Maintenance Technician\n\nAnheuser-Busch - Williamsburg, VA3.8\n\nFull-time$33 an hour\nWork in a team or autonomously to complete work orders and provide maintenance/electrical support.\nTroubleshoot and maintain PLC and variable speed drive controlled high speed production equipment and batch processes.\nMaintain the power distribution of plant equipment.\nDisassemble, repair, and reassemble equipment, using precision measurement tools.\nInterpret schematics and equipment manuals.\nAdhere to plant safety and 5S requirements; Complete assigned work efficiently and per Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's).\nLead process improvement and initiate change.\nAnalyze process data and make decisions on equipment maintenance and improvement activities.\nComply with all safety standards and regulations provided by the company and government (e.g. LOTO, Work Permits, etc.)\nUtilize SAP to accurately and thoroughly document and track all corrective and preventive maintenance performed throughout the course of the day; including searching and issuing parts, documenting equipment issues and entering inspection/measurement points.\nPrioritize and self-schedule maintenance work around production activities to achieve both production and maintenance KPI's.\nDrive brewery goals & objectives through individually led projects and continuous improvement activities.\nJob Qualifications\n\nHigh School Diploma or GED required.\n3 year industrial electrical/programming experience or two-year technical degree preferred.\nStrong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a team environment with people of varying skills and backgrounds.\nHighly motivated, self directed, multi crafted worker that is able to work autonomously in a fast paced and often loud production environment.\nKnowledge of safety policies and procedures is required (e.g. lock out / tag out, high voltage electrical).\nPLC programming required; Multiple platforms such as Allen Bradley PLC5, Control Logix, HMI, Siemens and Servo Drive programming and troubleshooting experience preferred.\nAbility to perform calibrations, installation and maintenance of process and analytical instrumentation.\nAbility to troubleshoot and re-wire high speed and/or highly automated equipment such as AC/DC motors, VFDs, PLCs, servo motors, and PLC I/O modules.\nAbility to read and interpret electrical schematics.\nStrong computer skills required; Microsoft Office Excel proficiency as well as Computerized Maintenance Management Systems experience preferred.\nExperience in computer networking (routers, Ethernet, switches, etc.) preferred.\nMechanical troubleshooting experience in high speed packaging and/or highly automated continuous process environment preferred.\nAbility to perform mechanical work, valve replacement, conveyor bearing and chain replacement, motor/gearbox replacement, lube routes.\nAbility to work off shifts (afternoons and midnights) and overtime as necessary. Must be able to work in varying temperatures and climates.\n\nAbout Anheuser-Busch", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993294477462769}
+{"content": "The Bonda Highlanders\n\nMudulipada, Bonda Ghati, Odisha\n\nMudulipada, Bonda Ghati, Odisha\n\nCustoms & traditions are an integral part of any culture in this world. Some cultures are so old & their practices so unique, that the members of ‘modern society’ may be stunned by these rituals. This is the story of one such fascinating custom of the Bonda people that I had the rare opportunity of witnessing in their land. The Bonda tribe of Odisha is one of the oldest in mainland India with their culture little changed in over a thousand years. They are believed to be a part of the first wave of migration out of Africa about 60,000 years ago, being the first forest settlers in India. According to anthropologists, they are members of a group of Austroasiatic tribes. Till a few years ago, spotting a member of this elusive tribe was extremely rare but due to socio-economic changes, some of them have started migrating to nearby towns to earn a livelihood. The community now finds it difficult to meet its needs from the forest alone. Depleting forest cover has affected their self sufficient way of life. They now practice shifting agriculture in the hills to feed themselves as well as sell their produce in the local markets. Many Bondas still use ‘binnimoy protha’, a give-and-take method of transaction or barter without the need for money.\n\nBonda people also called themselves Remo, which in Bonda language means ‘the people’. They reside in an area known as the Bonda Ghati. They live in villages located on the hilltops at heights of about 3000 to 4000 feet above sea level in the remote and steep hill ranges of the Eastern Ghats of India. These villages fall under the Khairput Block of Malkangiri District, Odisha. The people here claim to be the original inhabitants of the region and are still somewhat reluctant to mix with outsiders. They believe that the whole of human civilisation has originated from them. A typical characteristic of Bondas is self sufficiency in food security and in the past, they have generally been hostile to allowing outsiders into their territory for fear of being exploited. They do not appreciate people from outside their community intruding into the region, trespassing on their properties or interfering in their personal matters and often retaliate aggressively against those who do so. Bonda people are known for their short temper and get angry easily. They use a variety of weapons & are exceptionally skilled in the use of a bow and arrow. So, it is unadvisable to enter into their land without permission. \n\nAlthough their society appears to be male-dominated, in practice women are more powerful than their male counterparts in several vital aspects of life. In Bonda society women are highly respected and valued. They are usually the final decision makers within the family, even though the community is neither matriarchal nor matrilocal. This is due to their greater participation in and contribution to daily economic activities and also related to a number of deeply rooted Bonda cultural practices and customs. The Bondas evolved their system of marrying older women to younger boys to be helpful to each other during periods when they were vulnerable to the ravages of predators in childhood for husbands and old age for the wives. Adult women are well acquainted with hard labour. Adult men normally go straight to their sago palm trees soon after they leave their beds early in the morning. During the busiest hours of a woman's day, the early morning, the men congregate there for a drink. They are addicted to its juice that has intoxicating effects. The Bonda consider sago palm juice as milk and feed it to their infants, mainly to their male babies. Most pregnant women consume it as a nutritious drink. A boy begins to taste the sweet flavour of palm wine while he is still an infant, and as he grows up, it is a proud moment as he is at last allowed to accompany his elders to the family palms where he is first sent up the tall tapering trunk to bring down the pot of sap. As a result of this, the Bonda become addicted to it from their birth.\n\nLegend has it that one day, while Sita (Lord Ram’s wife) was bathing completely naked in a perennial stream at the bottom of Mudulipara Hill, a group of Bonda women, clothed in garments made from leaves, happened to pass by. Seeing Sita naked, they sniggered. Enraged, Sita cursed them to live nude with their heads shaved forever. She decreed that any attempt by them to deviate from this attire would bring disaster to their family, crop failure, destruction of the village, loss of their animal herds, and death of family members, who would be eaten by predators. The Bonda women begged for forgiveness but the curse could not be taken back, so Sita then tore off the border of her saree and gave it to the women. Since then, Bonda women have been wearing a tiny piece of cloth around their waist called 'ringa', which they themselves weave at the family loom. The upper body is covered with numerous beaded ornaments along with thick silver neckbands. However, as more people of the Bonda community are migrating to a modern way of life, today only a handful of women from the older generation still wear it. The younger women have taken to wearing saris & the men wear pants. The ‘ringa’ is not woven in Bonda homes anymore.\n\nThe Bondas have a unique custom which they gather to celebrate every year in their village, know as ‘Jhati Parab’. This tradition begins with vengeance & aggression combined with feet thumping to drum beats & ends with forgiveness, brotherhood and a whole lot of intoxicated celebration. This is the day that the Bonda men vow to avenge any wrong that has been done to them by their fellow Bonda brothers by channelling that aggression into a dance of whips. Shaving off the leaves from stalks of palm, they create a whip which is used against the person / persons they intend on settling scores with. It all begins with a small prayer which evolves into a collective rhythmic movement of feet to the sound of drums being played in a circle. The entire village gathers to watch this event, & some kids climb up trees to get the best view. Slowly, the men start picking who they would like to get even with & start whipping each other with the palm stalk. The moment it starts getting heated up, the women (usually wives or mothers) run in to stop the fight & prevent any serious injuries from taking place. The women wait in watch just outside of the circle, with fresh turmeric in their hands which is used to soothe the fresh wounds. Immediately after this, the two men shake hands & hug. They’ve made their peace. All is forgiven & they continue dancing in a circle. After everyone has expressed their aggression, the men & women dance together in celebration, drink Sago Palm wine & make merry. To view rare footage of this festival, please visit our stories on instagram.\n\nIt has been a truly surreal experience to gain such a different perspective on how a group of people deal with pent-up aggression through an organised ritual. And this is a ritual that has been carried on among the Bondas since ancient times. Cultures such as this one really help reflect back into the time of our ancestors & their way of thinking. They provide valuable insight into human history. Life is lived in so many interesting ways across the world & it is a privilege to be able to learn & understand more about all the different people that make humankind rich with diversity.\n\nAll images on this website are subject to copyright. Please do not use without permission or credits.\n\n\n\n\n\nDots Dash", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8092970252037048}
+{"content": "Hayley’s reflection 2016\n\nI feel so fortunate to have been selected to visit the life centre school in Kisumu, I have been truly inspired by the positive attitude of every adult and child I met whilst in the school.\n\nMy personal highlight of the trip was teaching the adults how to make the play dough and seeing their enthusiasm and excitement of learning something new. All the children reacted in the same way and their faces lit up with fascination when we handed out the dough. Every child and adult in the room spent time exploring the dough and showing each other the different models they could make. The thought of something that’s so simple and so readily available to us in nurseries here, bringing this level of excitement was a great thing to witness.\n\nAfter the first day I felt truly humbled by how warm and welcoming each and every person had been towards us and how proud they were to show us what they had learnt, even though each person faces a daily struggle that we in the UK couldn’t even imagine.\n\nI was amazed to see how the day care had transformed from the teams visit last year and it was great to spend so much time with the children in the day care. They all got stuck straight in with the sensory pouches and were also very keen to make their own sensory bottles that they then spent the next 30 minutes or so exploring. I was impressed at how quickly the children picked up the actions and some words to nursery rhymes that we sung to them, within a couple of times of hearing a song every child there was having a go and joining in.\n\nI loved absorbing the local atmosphere and getting to know and understand the culture that we would be part of for the week.\n\nThe day James showed us the dump site where it had all started was hard to comprehend. I can only imagine how hard both James and Alice have work with the support of the Asante coffee shop and now yellow dot to create the fantastic nursery and school that ranks in the top three for the region! I’m proud to have been a part of that and I want to continue supporting the school and nursery\n\nI hope that James and Alice continue to keep us updated with the development and progress of the children at the nursery and school.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6794577240943909}
+{"content": "Where is the ISS? | Python\n\nImagine you could know where is the international space station located. It might be very fascinating and amazing to access to all of those data. Thanks to Nasa, they have those data display publicly on the internet. Those data include where is the Nasa space station located in real time and it can also tell us when it will cross over some places using longitude and latitude.\n\nIn Multimedia and Technology round 4, It was a fascinating lesson learning about different project and challenge about python from code club website. We apply our knowledge about for loop, while loop, list, dictionary and more by doing varieties of challenge give from code club. We complete those challenge and run it in a website called Trinket, which is code canvas.\n\nOne of the last projects I did was Where is the Space Station? Python challenge. What I’ve learned from this project is the Nasa provide a free source of where the international space located and when will it cross over any places in a web. It is also amazing that it was created in a programming dictionary form and you can access the value by using the key value name such as longitude and latitude. The information updates every second that the international space station move. This is the final project Where is the ISS?\n\nThere are other projects I’ve done:\n\nTeam Chooser: https://trinket.io/python/6e38bfdc80\n\nRandom Art: https://trinket.io/python/e296836b91\n\nYou can also try many other projects in code club and try to do all the challenges in each of the project you choose.\n\n\nWhy python is easy?\n\n\nPython is considered to be one of the easiest programming languages among others but the word easiest doesn’t define it as easy. It can be described as more direct words and less syntax compare to other programming languages. In the first week of the third round in Technology and Multimedia essentials, We learn about basic python such as syntax white space, variable, operation, if, else, if, while loop, for loop, etc. I created a poster to summarize and the slide presentation by our teacher to teach us in our class.\n\nClick here for the slide\n\nDeepening Algorithm\n\nIntroduction to Programming by a drawing game\n\nFor the first week of programming, We discussed was to demonstrate the three roles in programs world. Drawing led the students to under the concept of how programming work. There will be three students in a team to play each role. The instructor will give the instruction about how to draw the picture to the one who draws. The instructor represents the idea of doing something before turning to programming. Instructions writer would write the strategy that instructor use, which plays the role of programmer. The last process of programming is the drawer that plays the role after the program is printed out. An algorithm is also the part of programming because it finds the solution to solve a problem as programming does.\n\n\nWhen it comes to an algorithm, it can be strategies that give us the ability to solve the problem easier. The strategies for a single problem can sometimes be unlimitable. The purpose of using an algorithm is to solve a problem better easier and faster.\n\nAn algorithm that we work on in class this week was to find the sum of (1+2+3+4+5+6……200). After, guessing the answer with different strategies we don’t really know if our answer is correct or incorrect. First, It was very unfathomable to find the efficient answer for the question. But we find out a very useful algorithm pattern for the problem. It is  N(N-1) and N stand for the last number of the sum problem which is 200.\n\nTo sum up, this splendid lesson has given me the opportunity to discern the basic of programming. It was like solving a problem by finding the best and efficient problem. I am looking forward to learning this kind of subject more to improve myself, as a person who passionate programming.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9938652515411377}
+{"content": "Academic Journals Database\nDisseminating quality controlled scientific knowledge\n\nCellular Psychology Assumption: Based upon Exterior Algebra, It Contributes to Explaining the Variability of the Bioeffects of Magnetic and Electromagnetic Fields\n\nAuthor(s): Pierre Le Chapellier | Badri Matta\n\nJournal: Neuroscience & Medicine\nISSN 2158-2912\n\nVolume: 03;\nIssue: 03;\nStart page: 251;\nDate: 2012;\nOriginal page\n\nKeywords: Psychical Energy; Bodily Unconscious; Archetype; Philosophy of Nature; Cell Signaling | Sense Order; Causality Order; Static Magnetic Fields; SMF; Electromagnetic Fields; EMF; Topological Thermodynamics; Extracellular Aqueous Medium\n\nAccording to its own purposes, including survival, the cell reacts to the conditions of its medium. Such a vital phenomenon implies relational energetics. It includes unconscious psychic energy whose regulating model is the Life and Sense archetype. Its relational power could result from a natural algebraic property of extension. This extension can extend any organic magnitude to 4D event. Thus it allows some perception of the extracellular structure variations. This perception applies to moving forces of the cell signaling activators, through psychic energy. This psychical energy includes a potential, the cell attitude or status, and psychic moving forces, or tendencies. Insofar as the psychic potential is sensitive to proton structures, and the psychic moving forces are excitable by electron exchanges, a phase shift between us may occur. Medium stimulation by adequate magnetic fields could modulate this phase shift in a therapeutic direction.\nAffiliate Program      Why do you need a reservation system?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8695422410964966}
+{"content": "Vacuum Degasser\n\nMud Gas Seperator\n\n\nThe vacuum degasser, also known as a mud/gas separator is one of the first units of solids control equipment arranged to treat drilling mud. As such, they process all of the drilling mud from the flow line before the mud reaches the primary shale shakers. The units have no moving parts and rely on the density difference between the gas and the mud for removal. The process is simple, yet very effective for well drilling fluids processing system.\n\n\nThe vacuum degasser is used to remove the small entrained gas bubbles left in the mud by the mud/gas separator. These units are positioned downstream from mud/gas separators, gumbo removal equipments (if utilized), shale shakers, and mud conditioners (if utilized) while hydrocyclone desanders and decanting centrifuges follow in the arrangement.\n\n\nFeatures Include:\n\n  • Weir around the plates for equal distribution of liquid on each plate.\n\n  • Multiple leaf plates surface area spreads gas-cut mud so that entrained gas bubbles are brought to the surface where deep corrugation provides turbulence giving maximum separation efficiency of gases from mud.\n\n  • Vent on each plate for direct vertical exiting of  the separated gases.\n\n\n\nElgin Separation Solutions offers a 600 and 1200 gpm vacuum degasser.\n\nESSDG-600 Vacuum Degasser", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8917299509048462}
+{"content": "Can I Lose My Salvation?\n\nWe received this email in December and because of the nature we responded directly to the writer at that time. \"My friend is a [denomination], and he says it is possible to lose your salvation if you 'fall from the grace' of God. He gave references in Hebrews that supposedly backed this up. I find this scary because my relationship with God has been downhill lately. I want to do what is right, and read my Bible everyday, but things always come up, or I make an excuse for myself. Is this true? Can I lose my salvation?\"\n\nBecause this is such an important subject, we have moved it to the top of the queue and are answering it in our first Got Questions article for this year.\n\nHow Can We Know Our Salvation Is Secure?\n\nThere are some denominations that hold a theological belief that salvation is not permanent. They use a number of verses to support their belief, however they are taken out of context and misunderstood. We could spend a lot of time discussing the misunderstanding of those verses, but instead we will focus here on the truth of eternal security -- how we can have assurance that our salvation is secure.\n\nBelieving that salvation can be lost not only denies the sufficiency of Christ's atonement and the truth of His promises but also His faithfulness in keeping us and even His ability to keep us. If it were true, it would be very scary to think about \"falling from grace.\" It's understandable why this person is concerned, but the very fact that this person has concern, strives to read the Bible and tries to live according to God's will, is an indication of the presence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The conviction this person speaks of (\"relationship with God has been downhill lately\") is another indication of the Holy Spirit's presence and work in convicting him.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7385696172714233}
+{"content": "Colossians - A New Life Starts At Home\n\nFaith Talks:\n\n1-Husbands and wives talk about what is the hardship of living Col 3:18. Why is it so hard for you to live as this passage says?\n\n2-Parents talk to each other about ways you have \"provoked your children\". you'll be able to identify this by looking for ways that you have discouraged them. Ask God for help together as parents.\n\n3-Talk about your hearts motivation for why you might work hard at your job. Is it for God or for another reason? Talk about those heart motivations and the benefit of working for the lord and not for man.\n\nTo check out the works by Nate & Sharon that Erik references, just click on the pictures above or use this link.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.957537055015564}
+{"content": "Latest News\n\nTallinn Industry Days project expects record number of participants from Asia and North America\nInternational Film Festival \"Pacific Meridian\" participant was interviewed by web portal Look At Me\n12 films were selected to the main London Film Festival program\nRussian film day is celebrated today. It is the holiday which became as customary and warm for Vladivostok as Fisherman’s day, Navy day\n\nIFF “Pacific Meridian” Will Take the Viewers through Authors’ “Tropes”\n\nThe program includes films of directors that form international cinematic landscape\n\nFor the second time the Pacific Meridian IFF   presents the special program “Tropes”. It includes the films, with which authors aspire to enrich the language of cinema , extend cinema narrative means, and   search for new expressive  forms. The “Tropes” program films are the experimental, extremely individualized authors’ cinema strategies.\n\nThe program introduces five films, parts of which are directed by the filmmakers who are already famous in the cinema world.\n\n“Kotoko” is the film of outstanding Japanese filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto, last year winner of Venice International Film Festival program “Horizons”. According to the author’s logic, the filmmaker makes the viewer immerse to the deepest places of a young woman’s imaginary world who suffers from extreme   insanity. The heroine lives at the edge of two realities: she sees a person splitting into two: a negative person and a positive person.\n\n“Fogo” is the debut film of a young filmmaker Yulene Olaizola. It tells about a small community on Fogo Island. The deterioration of a small community is forcing its inhabitants to leave and resettle. In spite of a condemn future, there are some residents who decide to stay, holding on to their memories and grieving for the past, when life on Fogo was different. Like a scientist the filmmaker explores the landscape topography shot by shot, recording the tundra valley where the residents, who stayed, are walking by no visible reason.\n\nCanadian cinema maestro, one of the most original present filmmakers, Guy Maddin shot his own film “Keyhole”, the author’s Odyssey myth interpretation. The filmmaker represents breathtaking hero’s adventures stylized in the form of detective-noir. Maddin continues to implement his unique author’s strategy where he, inspired by the cinema of the past, adapts its images to the present reality.\n\n“A Fish” is PARK Hong-min’s mystical drama about a young university teacher. His wife has left him and decided to become a shaman. He is on his way to find her and he gets into the world of his own fears and psychological conflicts at the same time moving along the border between reality and esoterism. The filmmaker raises an actual issue about the relationships of the modern civilization with an archaic idea about the world and human nature. This film is shown in 3D format.\n\nA new project “Bestiaire” is another brave experiment of Canadian filmmaker Denis Côté, who is famous by his original films combining documentary and live-action films. It is the interpretation of medieval literary genre where different fauna representatives are allegorized. But Côté pictures it as a depressive zoo life where human and animal worlds face each other, the problem of man and nature cooperation is raised. It is significant that there is no human speech in the film, but the viewer can hear only animals’ sounds.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9972398281097412}
+{"content": "August 7, 2009\n\nPiazza Produce Culinary Event\n\nInterested in learning more about produce?\n\nPiazza Produce will be having our own \"Culinary Event\" on Sept. 14th at Conseco Fieldhouse, in Indianapolis.\n\nThere will be several seminars taking place, and covering many topics:\n1. Produce Receiving, Handling & Storage\n2. Produce Trace ability\n3. The Impact of Local Produce\n\nThese will provide you continuous education points.\n\nShow hours are from Noon to 6 pm. The show and parking are free.\nPlease register ASAP on the link below, and parking passes will be given at the show.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8668057322502136}
+{"content": "Ménage a Trois'\n\n‘A bold, sport style driven by futuristic creativity, the coloured shapes combine architecture and vision in a streamlined design. Layers of mesh form the lightweight inflatable for enhanced flexibility.\n\nIn a film by Truffaut ‘Jules et Jim’ the main protagonists entangle in a love triangle more complex than a supernova landing from the sky. The feelings they share for the same girl are lustily out of this world.\n\nI tried to make a work that is as complex as love is when you are in love. It can be a volatile octopus, soft, gregarious and complex. It can wrap you up in its tentacles taking your breath away, like jealousy.\n\nLove is merely fictitious just like art is when reality hits. Jules, Jim and Catherine, the trio have created an idyllic life for themselves, away from the structures of an imposed society. A pure fantasy.’", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9682120680809021}
+{"content": "Volume 10 Part 2 Article 46: Cultivation of Edible Fungi in Taiwan\n\nVolume 10 Part 2 Article 46\nYear 1979\nTitle: Cultivation of Edible Fungi in Taiwan\nAuthors: Ming-Shu Ho and You-Hsin Han\n\n\nMushroom in Western countries usually means Agaricus bisporus, and means Lentinus edodes in Japan. In Taiwan, Mushroom does not only mean A. bisporus or L. edodes but also means Volvariella volvacea, Flammulina velutipes and some times including many other kinds of edible fungi such as Auricularia, Tremella and Pleurotus families.\n\nTaiwan is situated at 119°18’03”-124°34’30” east longitude and 21°45’25″25° 56’30” north latitude. It adjoins the Pacific Ocean in the east, looks southward to the Philippine Islands, separated from the Chinese mainland by the Taiwan Straits in the West, and is 300 odd nautical miles from Okinawa in the northeast. Taiwan proper runs 377 km in length from north to south and 142 km in width at the widst point. The Central Mountain Range, running from north to south, separates the island into Eastern and Western Zones. On the east coast, slopes fall away to the Pacific depth, and on the west side the land is extended 15 to 30 kilometers from the foothills to the sea level formed a big plain area suitable for farming.\n\nThe climate is subtropical in the north and tropical in the south. Except the mountain moderate temperature region, the average monthly temperature in winter is about 15°C and summer 28 °C. The average annual rainfall in past years is 2,590 mm (101 in.) with its maximum of more than 5,200 mm (208 in.). Due to the different direction of winter and summer monsoon, the northern Taiwan is rainy in winter, while the southern Taiwan’s rainy season is covered from early summer to fall. One specific feature related to climate which should be mentioned here is “Typhoon”. With its violent strength and tremendous rainfall, the typhoon often brings the revolving tropical storm to the island and causes heavy damage particularly to the agricultural crops. The total population in Taiwan is 16.5 million of which about 35% or 5.563 thousand live on farms and derive their income from agriculture. The number of farm families is about 870,787.\n\nPlease login to download the PDF for this proceeding.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9833998680114746}
+{"content": "Parental Guilt\n\nI used to see it often when I worked at a high-powered architectural firm in the city.  The same cycle: dating, engagement, marriage, pregnancy, guilt.  Not always in that order, except for the last two.  My friends wanted families, but they wanted their jobs, too.  They tried to do both and were successful at neither.  No, their children didn't starve, and yes, they made it to work every day (or most days.)  But they didn't feel fulfilled, no matter how they finagled their schedules.  Most ended up quitting eventually, in search of the elusive Perfect Job that would enable them to set their own hours and modify them whenever the demands of parenthood required it.  Those who didn't quit were miserable, constantly rushing back and forth between home and work, stuck without childcare at the most inconvenient moments, missing meetings and feedings and feeling angst over both.  It was terrible to watch, and I can't imagine how much more terrible it must be to experience.\n\nAs humans, one of the hardest things for us to learn is that we can't do everything.  We just can't.  If we add something to our plate, everything else will necessarily suffer.  Sometimes this can't be helped; we want to make room for our families and friends, our faith, and our vocation (sadly, this last variable, though least important, is often the most demanding and inflexible.)  Many parents have to work, especially single parents, for whom I have the highest respect (bordering on hero worship) and from whom, ironically, I hear fewer complaints and excuses and see more consistency and responsibility.  Those people are pretty amazing.\n\nThese last weeks have been trying on many fronts, but most trying of all isn't the lack of sleep or the worry that something will fall through the cracks.  It's the knowledge that I'm not able to give my best to, well, anything.  I am preoccupied even when I am preoccupied -- pre-preoccupied.  I feel guilty for not calling my friends back, guilty for missing church, guilty for showing up to class late and unprepared.  I know that none of these responsibilities dropped themselves into my lap; I had a chance to say no, and in many cases the ideas were mine in the first place.  So I can't blame anyone but myself.  And yet, I am miserable.\n\nI was unloading all of this on Rob last week when it occurred to me: this is what being a parent feels like.  I don't know if this perfectionsist is up to that particular challenge.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8641573786735535}
+{"content": "Ignition Interlock Purpose\n\nIgnition Interlock Purpose\n\nIgnition Interlock Purpose\nThe object of the Ignition Interlock device (IID) is to restrict drivers who are above the legal limit of alcohol from driving.  It is designed to prevent a vehicle from starting if the driver fails to give a breath sample under the BAC limit that has been pre-programmed into the device. IID’s are used as an alternative to sentencing those charged with driving under the influence. \n\nIn recent studies, the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety states that when IID’s are installed and monitored properly and on a normal basis, there was a 40-95% decrease in the rate of repeat DUI offenses. This rate was based on offenders with the IID’s remaining on their vehicle. The benefits of having these devices installed in a vehicle of a DUI offender are great.\n\nThe device can help them realize the impact their driving makes on others around them, and their safety. The device can be installed independently or can be court ordered. Usually when it is court ordered, it is in place of or in conjunction with a worse sentence, or a provision to probation or parole. Some offenders do not realize the danger they pose to themselves and others by becoming a repeat offender, and sometimes it’s a tough decision courts have to make.\n\nA judge can give a first time DUI offender a smaller fine and no sentence, therefore he/she doesn’t feel the full punishment. A month goes by and they’re back on the road while under the influence and get into an accident, where someone else is injured. The judge would now feel guilty for not having imposed a bigger sanction on this person, when he was just trying to be lenient to a first time offender. This is where this decision becomes a morally tough one for a judge to make, so the IID assists in that aspect.\n\nThe IID is an alternative to harsher sentencing, and serves as a monitor to prevent the person from repeating their offense as long as the device is installed. The device is a constant guide monitoring all the activities of the driver, therefore cannot be tampered with or bypassed. After the car is started with a clean breath sample, the device will demand more during operation to assure that the same person is behind the wheel and no further alcohol has been consumed. If the person fails to provide a clean sample, a series of alarms will go off to alert others on the road, especially law enforcement.\n\nEven if the person was to pull over and shut the car off until they have sobered up, they won’t get away with attempting to trick the device. Once the data is downloaded and monitored during a device calibration, it will be evident what the offender has attempted. The judge may then impose a larger fine or even suspend the person’s license.\n\nIID’s have proven to be highly effective in keeping drunk drivers off the roads. They have also assisted repeat offenders in learning from their past mistakes, and keeping them in line from further committing offenses. The general public believes IID’s to be an effective method to lower the number of drunk drivers, and DUI offenses, accidents, and accident-related deaths across the U.S. and Canada.\n\n\n\n\nRelated Articles\n\nRead previous post:\nPrevalence and Implementation Explained", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.58678138256073}
+{"content": "Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 items.\n\nThe Apgar Score (1953-1958)\n\n\nFormat: Articles\n\nSubject: Technologies, Processes\n\nSomatic Cell Nuclear Transfer in Mammals (1938-2013)\n\nIn the second half of the\ntwentieth century, scientists learned how to clone organisms in some\nmammalian embryos as a means to produce stem cells for laboratory\nresearch and regenerative medicine. Somatic cells are cells that\nhave gone through the differentiation process and are not germ\ncells. Somatic cells donate their nuclei, which scientists\n\nFormat: Articles\n\nSubject: Theories, Technologies, Processes\n\nGolgi Staining Technique\n\nThe Golgi staining technique, also called the black reaction after the stain's color, was developed in the 1870s and 1880s in Italy to make brain cells (neurons) visible under the microscope. Camillo Golgi developed the technique while working with nervous tissue, which required Golgi to examine cell structure under the microscope. Golgi improved upon existing methods of staining, enabling scientists to view entire neurons for the first time and changing the way people discussed the development and composition of the brain's cells.\n\nFormat: Articles\n\nSubject: Technologies, Processes\n\nJelly Fish and Green Fluorescent Protein\n\n\nFormat: Graphics\n\nSubject: Theories, Processes, Organisms, Technologies", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998753666877747}
+{"content": "Movie poster\n\nAfter Her\n\n14m 2018\nOpen in app open_in_new\nAfter finding a mysterious totem in a cave while on a hike with her friend, a wayward teenage girl goes missing. Years later, seeking to understand the disappearance that continues to haunt him, the friend returns to the cave, embarking on a journey deep into himself.\n\nFEMA Studios S.r.l.s. - VAT: IT04220370276", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000078678131104}
+{"content": "{{:: 'cloud_flare_always_on_short_message' | i18n }}\nCheck @genius for updates. We'll have things fixed soon.\n\n\nAbout Ventarian3\n\nVentarian3 is an American singer, songwriter, producer and rapper born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He was born on July 27, 2003 and is signed with GGS Music Group, He first started making beats on his beat pad when he was a young kid.\n\nVent pulls influences from many artists and producers, including Kanye West, Timbaland and J. Dilla. His ability to blend genres often makes it tough to categorize his sound, but his inspirations are evident throughout his projects.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8538780212402344}
+{"content": "Imagining Britain’s economic future, c.1800-1975\n\nDavid Thackeray, Richard Toye, and Andrew Thompson\nUniversity of Exeter\n\n\nThe economist Joseph Schumpeter put the concept of imagination at the heart of the entrepreneurial process. It was this quality which, above all, businesspeople required if they were to succeed: ‘the capacity of seeing things in a way which proves afterwards to be true, even though it cannot be established [as such] at the time’.[1] He saw that economies are, in a sense, imaginative constructs – making calculations about and placing faith in the future and its possibilities are key qualities of investors and entrepreneurs.\n\nSchumpeter’s work on the entrepreneurial imagination was an important influence in the development of Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher’s concept of the ‘official mind’, which they saw as the key driving force behind British imperial expansion in the nineteenth century. As they noted in Africa and the Victorians, London policy-makers ‘were usually dealing with countries they had never seen, with questions apprehended intellectually from reports and recommendations on paper….it was the idea and analysis of African situations in Whitehall, and not the realities in Africa as such which moved Victorian statesmen to act or not to act’.[2]\n\nThe question of how changing levels of information available to economic actors has affected the role of imagination in decision making in the modern world is an important one. As international business scholars have acknowledged, economic imagination is ultimately shaped by the interpretation of past experience, access to information about markets (which can sometimes be faulty), and hopes placed in the future. Perceptions of distance between markets are ultimately culturally constructed. The ‘physic distance’ between markets perceived by businesspeople, policy makers, and consumers may not correspond to actual measurable differences in institutions, preferences, and values as economic actors may exaggerate or underestimate the cultural distance between two countries involved in a transaction.[3]\n\nThe 2016 EU referendum provides a good example of how public debates about an imagined economic future can radically reshape public policy. Continue reading “Imagining Britain’s economic future, c.1800-1975”\n\nGlobalisation and the Roman World\n\nMartin Pitts\nClassics Department, University of Exeter\nAssociate Member, Centre for Imperial & Global History\n\npittscoverGlobalisation and the Roman World (2014), edited by myself and Miguel John Versluys (Leiden University), is a new book that examines the case for understanding the ancient Roman world as one of the earliest examples of globalisation. This is a controversial project, not least because many Roman historians and archaeologists feel that the word globalisation is inappropriate to use when discussing the ancient world. In their view, Rome was a completely different beast to the image of western capitalism which is frequently conflated with globalisation, and of course, the Roman world was never global in a literal sense.\n\nDespite this reluctance to engage with globalisation, a group of archaeologists and historians feel there is sufficient mileage to explore the application of the concept to the Roman world in more detail, having for themselves overcome the initial objections of the critics. For these Romanists, a major impetus is to critically examine the possibilities of a new explanatory framework based on increasingly popular notions of connectivity and networks. Likewise, many felt dissatisfied with a state of affairs in which older ideas of Romanisation and imperialism had been deconstructed, but not adequately replaced with something better. At the same time, from the perspective of those contributors coming from outside the discipline, the exploration was overdue since ideas of Rome have long been (mis)appropriated in modern writings on globalisation. Continue reading “Globalisation and the Roman World”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9489542245864868}
+{"content": "PercentageCalculator .pro Discount Percentage Fraction to % Decimal to %\n\n8.99 as a percentage\n\nWrite decimals in percent form. Get answers to questions like: 8.99 as a percentage or how do you express 8.99 as a percent. Use the decimal as a percent calculator below to write any decimal in percent form.\n\nDecimal to Percent (%) Calculator\n\nEnter a decimal value:\n\nPercent result\n\nHow to convert from decimal to percent\n\nLet's see this example:\n\nWe wish to express the number 8.99 as a percentage. So, to convert this number to percent, we should multiply it by 100.\n\nIn this case, multiplying 8.99 by 100 we get 899 (the value in percent form).\n\n➥ The ease way:\n\n8.99 is the same as 899% in percent.\n\nSample Decimal to Percent Calculations", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000089406967163}
+{"content": "Tories make changes to government salary disclosure\n\nThe Pallister government is proposing changes for public sector salary disclosure.\n\nThe Pallister government is proposing to raise the threshold for disclosure of government salaries to $75,000 from $50,000 under proposed amendments to the Public Sector Compensation Disclosure Act.\n\nAll public sector organizations that fall under provincial jurisdiction, including municipalities, school divisions and Crown corporations, must make public a list of employees paid $50,000 or more every year.\n\nExcept for police officers, the list must include the names, positions and total compensation for each employee.\n\nUnder Bill 6, that threshold would be raised to $75,000 and be indexed every five years. The $50,000 threshold had not been adjusted since the legislative requirement was first enacted in 1996.\n\nThe proposed changes also include a requirement to post the lists online.\n\nAlso under Bill 6, the provincial government would be required to disclose contract details of political staff within 60 days of hiring. Severance package details for political staff would also have to be disclosed within 60 days.\n\nThe Pallister government had included those provisions in an earlier bill but it died on the order paper in the previous legislative session.\n\n“This bill makes clear that when you hire a technical officer the government must disclose that hiring within 60 days,” said Finance Minister Cameron Friesen. “If you have released a technical officer for any reason any special payment must be disclosed within 60 days.”\n\nThis Week's Flyers\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9927999377250671}
+{"content": "Skogafoss is the main attraction of Skogar village of southern Iceland. Located just along the southern part of the ring Road, Skogar is made up of two settlements Ytri-Skogar to the West and Eysri-Skogar to the East. Of the two, Ytri-Skogar is the main one and is the one usually referred to as the Skogar. It comprises of an old farm and a church building. Skogar is a very popular summer destination with lots of beautiful sceneries and lying just a few kilometers from the Southern shores of Iceland, Skogafoss is the greatest and most beautiful attraction of them all. On sunny days, the spray of water produced forms a rainbow, and other times double rainbows, probably the most beautiful ones you will ever see. The splashes will drench you if you try to get closer to the falls, but they give rise to something of incomparable beauty.\n\n\nSkogafoss lies on River Skogar, and just a few kilometers from the shores Southern Iceland. It’s also so close from the Ring Road that it can be seen from the road. But could this be as well due to its size? Dropping from a height of 60 meters with a 15-meter width Skogafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland. Many people who visit Skogar, and especially during summer, do so for this spectacular site. There is an observation platform which will allow you to view the falls from above. But this would be for the bold but you should want to climb the more than 500 steps if you really can imagine how beautiful Skogafoss is from above.\n\nThere is a legend around Skogafoss that goes about a settler, the first Viking settler, who is believed to have buried chest of gold beneath the waterfalls. The chest, it is alleged, was full of gold and treasure. It goes further to say that it was discovered years later by the locals. Some of them tried to retrieve the chest from beneath the waterfall but only remained with a ring that they managed to hook out from the side of the chest, which was, as the legend continues, given to the local church. The ring apparently got jerked out of the chest as they tried to pull out the chest. The ring is currently displayed in the Skogar Museum, with is situates at the exact same location that the church was until it was deconsecrated and replaced with the museum.\n\nLocated just about 154km from Reykjavik on the Ring Road, a tour to Skogafoss would be a perfect day’s plan. Several guided tour from Reykjavik are available. You first see Skogafoss from the road, quite far yet so majestic. A number films have been shot at the location of the waterfall among them being the popular film Marvel Studios, Thor; The Dark world. The waterfall also features in several music videos, all owing to its beauty and a rich cultural orientation.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9632372856140137}
+{"content": "Powerful Supercomputing to Propel France’s High-Performance Computing (HPC) & Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research and Development\n\n\n\n  • HPE builds GENCI fastest supercomputer for France drive nation’s AI R&D efforts \n  • New supercomputer, called Jean Zay, will have a peak performance of 14 petaFLOPS, powering faster, improved simulations and scalable AI workloads\n  • The design and delivery of Jean Zay is a direct response to the French government’s vision and  strategy for France’s AI initiatives \n\nHPE and GENCI are delivering a new supercomputer to address call for action issued by President of France Emmanuel Macron to support nation’s AI initiatives\n\nArtificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly influencing the next wave of digital experiences, and in France, we see it as a major opportunity for scientific and economic growth. By empowering the nation’s robust pool of talent with powerful compute technologies that target various, AI and analytics applications we see emerging, we believe France has the potential to be a driving force of AI efforts for the European market.\n\nAt Hewlett Packard Enterprise, we continue to fuel the next frontier and unlock discoveries with our end-to-end HPC and AI offerings that hold a strong presence in France and have been further strengthened just in the past couple of years.\n\nThese developments include the HPE Artificial Intelligence Marketplace, a first-of-its-kind ecosystem in France of AI hardware and software solution providers for start-ups and enterprises, and the HPE HPC and AI Center of Excellence in Grenoble, a center of HPC and AI experts and tools to accelerate time-to-market of new products. Most recently, as announced by the French government, HPE has collaborated within the framework of a competitive dialogue with GENCI, the French national infrastructure for HPC resources and facilities, to build France a fast-performing supercomputer to serve as a converged platform of HPC and AI capabilities to advance the nation’s research in those areas and bolster innovation.\n\nLast week, I had the pleasure of joining the French Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Frédérique Vidal, Phillippe Lavocat, CEO at GENCI and Antoine Petit, CEO at CNRS (The French National Center for Scientific Research), in signing an agreement to build the new supercomputer. This project directly supports France’s investment in AI as outlined in a broader strategy by President of France Emmanuel Macron and Frederique Vidal, which includes a supercomputer specifically designed to power a range of AI applications and enable researchers’ facilitated access to a European cloud service.[1]\n\nThe new supercomputer, which GENCI and CNRS (The French National Center for Scientific Research) have named Jean Zay, will focus on research across fundamental physical sciences such as particle physics and cosmology, and biological sciences, to foster discoveries in fusion energy, space exploration and climate forecasting while also empowering applied research to optimize areas like combustion engines for automobiles and planes, pharmaceutical drugs, and solutions for natural disasters and disease pandemics.\n\nThe focus on these research areas support President Macron’s strategy for boosting the nation’s economic development and competitive advantage when improved sciences can be applied to the nation’s “priority sectors” such as healthcare, transportation, environment.¹\n\nSupercomputing has tremendous potential to accelerate innovation in AI for public and private sectors here in France and we are building a fast, powerful machine for GENCI to become France’s leading supercomputing research and development center for AI.\n\nWith Jean Zay, we are enabling researchers to power faster, improved simulations like simulated events that can impact a nation’s environment, such as forest fires or a major earthquake’s aftershock. Detailed insight like this helps inform decision-makers to implement preventative tactics for more sustainable infrastructure that can reduce risks of destruction and fatalities.\n\nThe system will be open to France’s research communities to power scalable HPC and AI workloads, and lay a foundation for developing new methods to unlocking insight from larger, complex data, whether it be from physical particle samples or sensory data from IoT-enabled machines.\n\nJean Zay will have a peak performance of 14 petaFLOPS and will be based on the HPE SGI 8600, a purpose-built high-performance computing (HPC) platform. It will converge the following powerful HPC and AI technologies to support machine learning and AI applications, along with improvement to traditional HPC workloads like modeling and simulation:\n\n  • CPU and GPU Parallel Computing: To run various compute processors in parallel with up to four 100 Gbs links per node, we are using a single HPC interconnection network, the Intel® Omni-Path Architecture (Intel® OPA), powering 1,528 nodes of Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors for scalable compute performance and 261 nodes with 4 latest NVIDIA® Tesla® V100 32GB GPUs per node, for a total of 1044 GPUs.\n  • Faster Simulation with Flash Storage Technology: We are enabling a read/write capacity of more than 300 GB per second to power faster simulations by integrating innovative flash storage capabilities with the HPE SGI 8600, an end-to-end HPC system, with support from DataDirect Network solutions.\n  • Improved Rendering Time with Cooling DLC (Direct Liquid Cooling): Through an HPC-specific cooling solution, Jean Zay’s computing power is optimized to enable faster rendering times for simulations while also reducing energy consumption.\n\nJean Zay will be installed at the Institut du Développement et des Ressources en Informatique Scientifique (IDRIS), a computing center that is part of the Centre National de la Recherché Scientifique (CNRS), in June 2019 and put into production use by October 2019.\n\nWe look forward to collaborating with GENCI to support its mission in advancing France’s HPC and AI efforts.\n\n[1] President of France Emmanuel Macron shared vision for nation’s AI initiatives at AI for Humanity in March 2018: https://www.aiforhumanity.fr/en/", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9636611938476562}
+{"content": "How Black Carbon Steel is used\n\nPosted on Feb 2 2018 - 2:27pm by Johnny B\n\nMany folk reading this will already be aware that steel is made from a mixture of iron with carbon and smaller amounts of other metal types. Pure iron can be melted down and then shaped, but because it is somewhat soft, it needs the addition of carbon, to help it to harden.\n\nBlack carbon steel is generated during the course of the manufacturing process when the high temperature creates a thin layer of oxidized iron on the outer surface.\n\n  • Nearly all carbon steels are made up of one to two percent carbon.\n\nCarbon chemically unites together with iron in steel alloys, which then goes on to create a much stronger material than just pure iron. After the carbon content has been increased, the material then becomes more solid, but also slightly brittle, and more than likely to break if it is placed under any kind of stress or load.\n\nSteel which contains above 2% carbon is considered as cast iron that can be put to use for things such as piping and non-building materials, although it is deemed too brittle for structural steel.\n\nRust and Corrosion Resistant\n\nIron reacts with oxygen when exposed to air or moisture, and will then begin to generate iron oxide (AKA “rust”), which then causes parts to fail, so it is typically coated by lacquer colouring specialists, so as to prevent any surface rust.\n\n  • One ideal benefit of black carbon steel is its anti-corrosion property from the black iron oxide coating,. This blocks oxygen from getting to the iron underneath.\n\nThe thin oxide coating is made at high temperatures, which then creates a firm layer with no more coating required. There is also one more method used for cold chemical, metal blackening of steel, (and other ferrous metals), which is made possible through the process of working at room temperature without any need for a hot solution.\n\n  • To apply exactly where corrosion protection is required, carbon steel must be either painted or galvanised.\n\nGalvanising is conducted via an acid wash and then being immersed into a molten zinc bath. The zinc, then creates a protective layer on the steel. Galvanizing also helps to extend the working lifespan of all steel parts.\n\nWhere it is used\n\nMostly, black carbon steel is used on gas or water utility piping, because of its low cost and ability to be welded by common welding methods. Some long-distance oil pipelines use black carbon steel piping, due to the pipes being easy to connect out in the field, and their rust resistance.\n\nThis type of steel can be used in various climates and conditions where corrosion would normally accelerate, although there may have to be some additional treatment applied by way of anodes.\n\nBlack Steel Cookware?\n\nHave you ever seen any cookware called black steel? Well, that dark colouring is actually the product of a special oil treatment known as “seasoning”, and not from manufacturing.\n\nBlack carbon steel will definitely be in use for us for a very long time!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8828375935554504}
+{"content": "Some Damn Foolish Thing\n\nThomas Laqueur\n\n    Allen Lane, 697 pp, £30.00, September 2013, ISBN 978 0 7139 9942 6\n\nFifty years ago, Barbara Tuchman’s bestseller The Guns of August taught a generation of Americans about the origins of the First World War: the war, she wrote, was unnecessary, meaningless and stupid, begun by overwhelmed, misguided and occasionally mendacious statesmen and diplomats who stumbled into a catastrophe whose horrors they couldn’t begin to imagine – ‘home before the leaves fall,’ they thought. It was in many ways a book for its time.\n\nTuchman’s story begins with Edward VII’s funeral on 20 May 1910. The king’s sister-in-law, the empress consort of Russia, Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III, was there. So was the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir apparent to the aged Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. And so was Edward’s least favourite nephew, Wilhelm II of Germany. Wilhelm loved and admired the British and they loved the kaiser: to him, the Times said, belongs ‘the first place among all the foreign mourners’; even when relations were ‘strained’, he ‘never lost his popularity amongst us’. Four years before Armageddon the German emperor was decidedly not the antichrist he would become. The book ends with the Battle of the Marne – ‘one of the decisive battles of the war’ – which ended the German hope for a quick victory and set the stage for four years of deadlock and misery.\n\nTuchman says nothing about Austria-Hungary and Serbia on the eve of the war, and nothing about the Russo-Austrian and Serbo-Austrian fronts once it began. ‘The inexhaustible problem of the Balkans divides itself naturally from the rest of the war,’ she thinks, and in any case nothing much happened there in the period she covers. More surprising is that in the first third of the book there isn’t a word about Serbia. The assassination of the archduke in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 goes by in two sentences, one of which, a quotation from the oracular Bismarck, may be all she needs: ‘some damn foolish thing in the Balkans’ would ignite the next war.\n\nWhy was this story so compelling in the 1960s? I think because at the height of the Cold War the world needed and embraced a morality tale of the sort Tuchman offered. It goes like this. In 1914, two opposing power blocs, each in the process of a massive and historically unprecedented military build-up, came to feel that it was more dangerous not to respond militarily to a relatively minor incident at the periphery of Europe than it was to do so. The precise nature of each stage of the July Crisis, or of earlier crises, is less important to Tuchman’s cautionary tale than the dénouement: the failure of the great power blocs to negotiate their differences and the catastrophe that this failure unleashed. For the generation immediately following the Second World War, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the hydrogen bomb that the Russians exploded in 1961, little was left to the imagination about what could happen if a mistake on the order of 1914 were made again.\n\nJohn Kennedy read The Guns of August as a parable of the Cuban Missile Crisis. ‘I am not going to follow a course which will allow anyone to write a comparable book about this time [called] “The Missiles of October”,’ his brother Robert quotes him as saying. ‘If anyone is around after this they are going to understand that we made every effort to find peace.’ Following Tuchman, he believed that European statesmen ‘somehow seemed to tumble into war’, because of their ‘stupidity, individual idiosyncrasies, misunderstandings, and personal complexes of inferiority and grandeur’. He would not follow suit. (Appeasement, about which Kennedy had written his undergraduate thesis, might have come more immediately to mind and had less happy consequences.)\n\nJudging from his hawkish counsel during the 13 days of the crisis, Lyndon Johnson was less impressed by Tuchman. But when Kennedy was assassinated he too had the First World War in mind, arguing that what happened in Dallas could plausibly be as badly misconstrued as the murder in Sarajevo had been fifty years earlier. A comparable mistake today, Johnson believed, could leave twenty million dead instantly.\n\nChristopher Clark’s breathtakingly good book is, much more self-consciously than Tuchman’s, also a history for its – that is, our – times. An act of terrorism in Sarajevo – the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife – led the Austrian government to make demands on Serbia. If not quite a terror state, Serbia had close links to terrorism and made no effort to hide its view that Austria had it coming. The boundaries between official state policy, the army and clandestine terrorist cells were blurred at best. The Serbian prime minister, Nikola Pašić, may not have planned the assassination but he clearly knew about it in some detail and failed to pass on any but the most vague – in today’s terms ‘not actionable’ – warnings to Austria. Serbia had something to answer for.\n\nClark, however, begins with an earlier terrorist act, the grotesque murder in 1903 of the Serbian King Alexander and his wife, Draga, by a small group of officers acting as part of a larger conspiracy. They found the royal couple cowering in a closet, tricked them into coming out, and riddled their bodies with bullets; they then bayonetted the corpses, hacked them to pieces and partially disembowelled what was left. The queen’s near naked and almost unrecognisable body was tossed over the balcony into a garden.\n\nOne of the plotters – Dragutin Dimitrijević, ‘Apis’ (the Serbian word for ‘bull’) as he was known – would in 1911 become a founding member of the secret, ultra-nationalist organisation Union or Death, a.k.a. the Black Hand. In 1913, he became head of the intelligence section of the Serbian general staff, a job that put him in a position to arrange to smuggle the weapons and ‘the boys’, as Clark calls them (Gavrilo Princip who fired the fatal shots, was a month shy of his 20th birthday), over the border into Bosnia. That same year, one of the officers who had participated in the coup of 1903, and was notorious for carrying with him a dried bit of flesh cut from Queen Draga’s breast, was pardoned at the army’s insistence for the murder of a less than enthusiastic recruit. Pašić, who had become prime minister in 1903 as a consequence of the murder and had close ties with the plotters, was still prime minister in 1914.\n\nThe governing classes of Serbia and the shadowy Black Hand were bound together by the policy of irredentism: a poisonous mixture of self-serving history and mushy metaphysics that seeks national redemption by regaining lost land and lost glory. The Serbian version is that losses to the Turks at the Battle of Kosovo – fought in 1389, ten kilometres from today’s Pristina – had left the south Slavs and the Serbs in particular stranded in strange lands under Muslim rulers. It was this defeat that had to be redeemed: where there was a Serb or someone who could be construed as a Serb there was – or ought to be – Serbia. This view motivated two deadly and brutal wars in 1912-13, in which first Greece, Montenegro, Serbia and Bulgaria clawed land away from the Turks and then Bulgaria lost much of what it had gained to its former allies. Serbia was the biggest territorial winner.\n\nIt was the history of the 16th and 17th centuries that brought the Habsburgs into this 20th-century story. Fast forward to 1908: the Austrian annexation of Bosnia that year infuriated Serbian nationalists, who felt betrayed by the European powers and in particular by Russia, which allowed it to happen. In 1912-13, Serbia invaded Albania, to whose independence Austria was committed. Its soldiers murdered three hundred Gostivar Muslims and threw them into mass graves; hundreds more were killed in small incidents before the Serbs, at Austria’s insistence and again with the backing of the other European powers, were forced to leave by the treaties that ended the Balkan Wars.\n\nOn the 525th anniversary of the Serbian defeat at Kosovo the archduke and his wife paid a state visit to Bosnia. It didn’t occur to anyone that this might have been an inauspicious date. But then, why should it have? Sarajevo’s civic architecture, its university, its hospital, its city plan were Habsburg; economic development had proceeded apace. The royal pair expected and got a warm reception. They were happy to be away from Vienna, where court protocol made their lives difficult. Moreover, 1913 and early 1914 seemed to contemporaries to be a golden time of peace and promise; few saw the darkness to come. Delusion, Clark suggests, contributed to the risky behaviour of key actors as they tried to sort through the fallout from that day.\n\nBut neither a history of terrorism in Serbia, nor irredentism and nationalism more generally, made a Serbo-Austrian, still less a Europe-wide war inevitable. An Austrian peace party, led by the soon-to-be murdered Ferdinand, had envisaged a sort of United States of Europe as the way forward; Ferdinand had prevailed over more bellicose colleagues at various tricky moments in the course of the preceding decades. And in Serbia too there were men of peace. Even in the negotiations over the Austrian ultimatum of 23 July 1914 there were many in Belgrade who were ready to compromise.\n\nThe Sleepwalkers is also a book for our time in its emphasis on contingency and the role of what Clark calls the multiple ‘mental maps’ in the decisions that were taken. The war in his account was not the consequence of two great alliances yielding to specific provocations. If anything, it was the opposite; it was the weakness and unreliability of the alliances, and the lack of certainty about who would be on whose side, that exacerbated the crisis of summer 1914 in the capitals of Europe. (Political scientists who have studied the question used to think that in only 25 per cent of cases did allies act as their treaty partners expected, which makes you wonder why statesmen make treaties in the first place. A more statistically sophisticated analysis of wars between 1816 and 1965 gets the proportion up to 75 per cent, but that still leaves plenty of room for chance. Those who took Europe to war in 1914 had every reason to be uncertain.)\n\nStatesmen at various levels and in at least five countries were testing a system whose workings were beyond their comprehension. No single logic, no master narrative led to a determinable end. There were structural limits to policy-making. The dynamics of great power politics had been shifting for decades before 1914, as the rise of Germany and the rapid economic and military growth of Russia unsettled the system. Austria slowly shifted from being among the guarantors of peace in the Balkans to being seen as a threat. Clark tells this well-known story efficiently and with an important new twist that I will come to in a moment. But it does not drive his narrative.\n\nThe Sleepwalkers sticks resolutely to how and not why the war happened. Or rather, it responds to the question ‘why?’ with many answers to ‘how?’ as the years, weeks and then days pass during which various paths to peace were not taken until none was left. Clark’s story is ‘saturated with agency’. Many actors (the crowned heads of Europe, military men, diplomats, politicians and others), each with their own objectives, acting as rationally and irrationally as humans are wont to act, made decisions that foreclosed on others and collectively led the world into an unimaginable and un-imaged war. Collectively, they produced the greatest ‘black swan event’ in world history. In the absence of the Homeric gods or the providential wisdom of a monotheistic God to account for what seems so random, Clark’s narrative sophistication, his philosophical awareness and his almost preternatural command of his sources makes The Sleepwalkers an exemplary instance of how to navigate this tricky terrain. It is not only the best book on the origins of the First World War that I know but a brilliant and intellectually bracing model for the writing of history more generally.\n\n\nWork on the origins of the war tends to fall to one side or the other of the necessity-contingency divide. There are the tragico-ironic stories that echo Tocqueville’s observation about the French Revolution: ‘Never was any such event, stemming from factors so far back in the past, so inevitable and yet so completely unforeseen.’ By virtue of its magnitude and consequences, the Great War must have great causes: the crisis of imperialism (that was Lenin’s view); nationalism and its conservative turn in the late 19th century; the forty-year arms race; the system of alliances; the domestic politics of left and right; or, as Arno Mayer, one of my own teachers, argued, great architectonic pressures, which began to sweep away the old regimes of Europe in 1789 and finally succeeded by 1918. (Two empires and one kingdom that had been party to the Treaty of Vienna in 1815 were swept away.)\n\nThese sorts of explanation offer analytic clarity but, Clark argues, at the expense of distorting the story: they ‘create the illusion of a steadily building causal pressure’, with factors piling on one another, ‘each pushing down on events’. Political actors become the puppets of outside forces: ‘Causes trawled from the length and breadth of Europe’s prewar decades are piled like weights on the scale until it tilts from probability to inevitability.’ This doesn’t, I think, preclude the view offered fifty years ago by Paul Schroeder, a leading American diplomatic historian, that the statesmen and politicians involved felt themselves to be in the grip of forces beyond their control and that this perception influenced their actions. Nor does it mean that some – indeed most – of the actors were not wrong about which ways these forces were moving. (‘We are within measurable or imaginable distance of real Armageddon,’ Asquith said on 24 July 1914. ‘Happily there seems to be no reason why we should be anything more than spectators.’) Human agency, however benighted, is everywhere in this book. But that doesn’t mean it is written to indict any one agent or the servants of any one nation or to make the case for inadvertency or pure contingency.\n\nThose who emphasise contingency as the way to address the ‘why’ question tend to be interested either in counterfactuals or in laying blame or, more usually, in both. The case for the prosecution has to show that, but for the wilfully criminal behaviour or near criminal stupidity of the leaders of one country or another, the war would not have happened. Clark does not go down this route. Some historians would accuse him of being a wimp, but there is good reason for his rejection of the forensic turn. The actors themselves, as he points out, started the blame game before the war even began and thus distorted the historical record by virtue of what they published or lost, remembered or misremembered. Tens of thousands of books and articles have already been written to support almost every conceivable case for guilt based on self-serving evidence.\n\nPassing judgment may sometimes be the task of the historian; but doing so is tricky. Probably no historical judgment in world history has been more dangerous and protean than the infamous article 231 of the Versailles Treaty, which blamed the war on German militarism and on civilian leaders who did what was necessary to make Germany a world power. Field Marshal, now President Paul von Hindenburg, dressed as colonel in chief of a Prussian regiment, told a great crowd in 1926 at the dedication of a war memorial at Tannenberg (where in 1914 Germany had destroyed the Russian Second Army) that German soldiers had marched to war in 1914 ‘with clean hearts’ and that Germany was ‘ready at any moment to prove this fact before an impartial tribunal’. Jews and socialist parliamentarians had been excluded from the ceremony. Soon after coming to power Hitler spoke at Tannenberg about Germany’s shame in losing a war it had never wanted. Clark says it isn’t up to him to determine whether some of Serbia’s complaints against Austria were justified or whether France had anything to fear from Germany.\n\nA prosecutorial narrative has a built-in telos: the guilt of the accused. Historians gather and interpret evidence to prove a case which, in turn, may be motivated by a great variety of political and more broadly cultural interests. In the 1960s the German guilt hypothesis, for example, got a big boost from the research of Fritz Fischer and his school, who used a well-documented but slanted indictment of German militarism on the eve of the First World War as a way of expiating the sins of the Third Reich in the Second World War. Again, Niall Ferguson’s provocative and brilliantly argued The Pity of War blames the British foreign secretary, Edward Grey, for dragging his mostly reluctant cabinet colleagues and thus his country into a war that spelled the beginning of the end of the British Empire and the decline of Britain as the dominant world power. Nothing, Ferguson argues, forced Britain to go to war over Belgium. But for Grey, no Great War.\n\nClark would not claim to be the first person to argue against historical scholarship as a brief for the prosecution. In his classic 1928 study, the American historian Sidney Fay wrote that a European and ultimately world war broke out in late July and early August 1914 because ‘in each country political and military leaders did certain things which led to mobilisations and declarations of war, or failed to do certain things which might have prevented them’ and that responsibility is thus to a greater or lesser degree widely distributed. This, in one sentence, is also Clark’s view.\n\nBut he would not want to downplay the sort of political contingencies that lend themselves to counterfactual history and to making the case for war guilt. He allows himself to wonder what would have happened had Grey, with his long-held belief that British foreign policy should focus on the German threat, not been foreign secretary and not managed to persuade his colleagues by 4 August that not meeting the German threat in Belgium would be more dangerous for Britain than meeting it. And what if Count Vladimir Kokovtsov, the doveish and conservative finance minister and chairman of the tsar’s ministerial counsel, had not been dismissed before the crises of 28 June and he, rather than the Germanophobe and wildly pro-Serbian foreign minster, Sergei Sazonov, had been the dominant figure in Russian debates about what was to be done? And what if the Austrians had attacked Serbia soon after the assassination, when they had the sympathy of much of the world but had not yet gone through all the negotiations that brought the world to war?\n\nThe Sleepwalkers resists both the big structural theories and causal explanations based on contingency alone. Like a chess analyst, Clark shows how each move and countermove by many different players led to a colossal checkmate. The first part of the book outlines the contours of the international system which in 1913 seemed to be entering an era of détente. Parts of the story are familiar: the German-Austrian Treaty (the dual alliance of 1879); the Franco-Russian alliance of 1894; the entente cordiale between France and Britain signed in 1904; and most dramatic of all, the convention of 1907 between the old adversaries, Britain and Russia. But, Clark argues, to see in these configurations the so-called alliance system that went to war in the summer of 1914 is a mistake: only in retrospect are the two sides visible. There was lots of treaty-crossing in the years before August 1914: Russia and Germany met in 1910 to settle questions about their interests in Turkey and Persia; France came to an agreement with Germany over their differences in Morocco in 1909. And while it is true that in Britain Germany had come to replace Russia – which in turn had replaced France – as the imagined great enemy, this was by no means a fixed view. Important voices still argued that the Russian threat to India and British interests in Central Asia were far greater than the German threat at sea or on the Continent. A major policy review was planned for 1915.\n\nMore generally, Clark makes it clear that the commitments that emerged to produce the great catastrophe were ‘not long-term features’ of the European system, but the consequences of numerous short-term adjustments. The loss to the Japanese in the war of 1904-5, for example, ended any serious Russian foreign policy aspirations in Asia and made European interests, i.e. the Balkans, the sole focus of its attention. Germany would not have become so prominent in British policy thinking if Grey and his supporters had not ‘gradually tightened their grip on British policy’.\n\nBut even to speak in this way is to assume that particular politicians or rulers spoke for their nations, that there were such entities as ‘France’ or ‘Germany’ or ‘Russia’ that made decisions about matters of life and death. This misses the terrifying truth that it was an illusion that those who made or executed foreign policy spoke for the nation or even for the governing classes. The executive power in Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary was an emperor who, in the imagination of many, spoke for his subjects as well as for the state, but in fact spoke for god knows whom, and not even consistently for himself – the kaiser for one was notoriously mercurial and unconstrained. Information flowed or failed to flow without oversight or order between ambassadors, staff and ministers; it was unclear, organisationally and constitutionally, who had decision rights. No one knew for whom the press in each country spoke or how susceptible individual policy-makers were to its pressures. Some of these difficulties obtain in high-level decision-making today, but Clark shows that matters were far worse in 1914 and that the uncertainty engendered by this cacophony of voices had a great deal to do with the way people responded to 28 June.\n\nThe Balkans had become a locus of instability on the periphery of Europe and a focus of Russian foreign policy. Insofar as war was expected this is where it would happen. (Serbia endured the heaviest casualties of all the combatants, losing almost a quarter of its male population aged between 15 and 49, almost twice as many as France and Turkey lost.) A second new factor was that France came to view the very real problems that Austria had with its near terrorist neighbour as little more than an opportunity for German gain. It is clear that neither the Russians nor the French, or the Serbian government for that matter, had the slightest interest in seeing Austria’s evidence for Serbian complicity in the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. The Serbian press made clear that it rejoiced in the death of the archduke; from the French perspective the Balkans had become a place to stop Germany.\n\nThe only part of Clark’s analysis of the force fields of European political culture on the eve of the final crisis I find unconvincing is his discussion of what he calls a ‘crisis of masculinity’: ‘a preference for unyielding forcefulness over the suppleness, tactical flexibility and wiliness exemplified by an earlier generation of statesmen … was likely to accentuate the potential for conflict.’ It’s hard to say whether Bismarck was more secure in his masculinity than von Moltke but problems with masculinity have been at the heart of war since Troy. I doubt they were any more critical in July 1914 than at any other time.\n\n\nMurder in Sarajevo: this moment in the story is well known but Clark tells it grippingly. Franz Ferdinand, a leader of the faction of the Austrian government that had for a decade been seeking a peaceful resolution to the Balkan problems, a happily married man, was enjoying his ride in an open car through the streets of Sarajevo with his wife, Sophia, by his side. Part of a six-car motorcade, he was not afraid, despite the fact that the Bosnian Croat leader had told him that, because 28 June was the anniversary of Kosovo, there was a sense of heightened nationalism among local Serbs.\n\nIf we could marry Monty Python to Greek tragedy we would get what happened next. Seven young men were waiting to kill the archduke; none of them today would make it in al-Qaida. The first was paralysed with fear. The second managed to throw his bomb but it missed its main target; the driver of the archduke’s car heard the percussion cap go off and accelerated. Sophia got a scratch and the passengers in the car behind were wounded. The would-be assassin botched his suicide and was quickly caught.\n\nOne might have thought that the archduke would now call it quits, but he insisted on taking care of the wounded and after that on heading to the town hall, where he made a speech. Three more assassins all froze, undone by fear, as he passed by; one reported that when he saw Sophia he felt sorry for her. After the public ceremony Franz Ferdinand decided that it might, after all, be best to cancel the rest of his programme but before he left town he wanted first to visit the wounded in hospital. His hosts had the good sense to change the planned route, fearing that yet another assassin might be waiting. The motorcade would go straight down the Appel Quay rather than make a right turn on Franz Joseph Street. But no one told the driver about the change of plan. ‘This is the wrong way,’ the Austrian in charge shouted as it became clear the car was pursuing the original route. The car had no reverse gear and had to be pushed to get onto its new route. ‘This was Gavrilo Princip’s moment.’ He rushed up Franz Joseph Street to the stranded car and, after some hesitation, shot the royal pair at point blank range.\n\nGiven what we now know, Clark’s story is like a horror movie. Can’t they hear the music? Don’t they know not to walk down a long back-lit hall? Franz Ferdinand and Sophia died almost instantly. The fate of the adolescent assassin is not within the chronological scope of this book but it speaks to the world-historical import of what he did. Princip was instantly captured, but wasn’t executed because he was too young. Instead, he was sent to the Austrian fortress at Terezin, where he died miserably in April 1918. His prison is better known today as the concentration camp of Theresienstadt, where visitors can see his cell and his manacles amid the detritus of the Holocaust that he did a great deal to make possible.\n\nThe rest of The Sleepwalkers gives a week by week and then day by day account of the way the many possibilities for peace, or at least for a limited war, had been reduced to none by 4 August. Contingency became necessity. Perhaps because I write this in the weeks after Yom Kippur, I think of the phrase ‘the gates are closing’: the general European war that no one imagined came to be written in the Book of History. Or to put it in more secular terms, history became literature. The difference between a fictional narrative and one purportedly disciplined by the real world is that the characters in the fictional world cannot do other than what they do. But the world of human action, and especially of national and international politics, is far larger than even the most peopled novel or tragic play and those who act on its stage make choices that aren’t predetermined.\n\nThe beauty of Clark’s final two hundred pages is in the care, intelligence and authority with which he explains how disaster happened; how the crisis in its many forms developed and options for action became ever more limited. The filigreed elegance of his narrative is lost in summary but I will give two examples.\n\nOn 6 July it seemed that the German state was speaking with a single voice; in response to Austrian entreaties, the kaiser and his chancellor promised to support Austria, assuring it that the German army was ready for whatever happened: this is the famous ‘blank cheque’ that is said to have hastened the coming of the war and revealed how eager Germany was for it. But there is strong evidence to suggest that Germany intended nothing of the sort. Or, to put it differently, that few believed the German cheque would be cashed, seeing it as an effort to limit to a local war any conflict that might follow from Austria’s quarrel with Serbia. The army made no plans for a general war; the kaiser believed the war would be localised. And in any case, no one believed that Russia would actually go to war over Serbia. It had capitulated to Austria in 1913 and it was assumed that the tsar wouldn’t appreciate the anti-monarchical inclinations of the Serbian terrorists any more than the kaiser did. The Germans had also failed to grasp the significance of the pro-peace Kokovtsov’s removal from the chairmanship of the council of ministers; like the British, they believed the pro-German party was in the ascendant.\n\nNor had anyone fully understood how much a quarrel over Serbian independence was, as the deconstructionists say, ‘always already’ a part of the thinking of the French-Russian alliance. And finally, if the Russians really wanted to use this occasion to go to war, better now than later. Germany had recently co-operated with Britain over the Balkans so there was little reason to believe that it would become involved. Under the constraints of a deep opacity risk came to seem safer than caution.\n\nThe second example is the Austrian ultimatum that was finally delivered to Serbia on 25 July after a great deal of diplomatic dithering and a long drafting process that might have ended in a very different document. The supposed outrageousness of points 5 and 6 is often said to have made compromise impossible and to have assured a wider Balkan, if not a world war. The first of these demanded that Serbia agree to allow organs of the imperial government to play a part in the suppression of anti-Austrian subversion within its boundaries; the second demanded that Austria have a direct role in investigating the criminal network behind the assassination. France, Russia and of course Belgrade took this as an outrageous attack on Serbia’s inviolable sovereignty and to be tantamount to a declaration of war.\n\nThe Austrian demand was, as Clark points out, a whole lot less of an infringement of Serbian sovereignty than the 1999 Rambouillet Agreement, which Henry Kissinger described as ‘a provocation, an excuse to start bombing’. It was less of a provocation, to say nothing of a direct assault on Serbian sovereignty, because the core problem – irredentism – didn’t respect national boundaries and it was unclear what direct role Serbia had in the 28 June plan, even if it was committed to the ideology that motivated it. Furthermore, once Pašić and his colleagues focused on the ultimatum they were inclined to avoid a war by acquiescing. It was Russia that urged resistance; it was only on receipt of a telegram revealing that Russia had ordered mobilisation that the tone changed, and even then the response was evasive rather than dismissive. Meanwhile, Poincaré, the French president, had been in St Petersburg, making sure that his allies there kept the German danger clearly in mind. And even after all this, there were further moments of indecision before the gates really closed. On 29 July in response to the famous ‘Dear Nicky’ telegram from the kaiser, the tsar could not bring himself to sign the general mobilisation order. Finally, on 30 July, he did. A last small chance at least to contain a war came with Germany’s decision to force an ultimatum on Belgium to allow it passage through its territory instead of just marching in; and with the British debate over whether to get into a war over Belgium whose result was by no means predetermined. But, finally, on 4 August, all of the ‘how’ pieces of the puzzle came collectively into place.\n\nOnly on the very last page does Clark offer a general explanation for the big story and this is the one place where I think he is wrong on a question that matters. ‘The protagonists of 1914,’ he concludes, ‘were sleepwalkers, watchful but unseeing, haunted by dreams, yet blind to the reality of the horror they were about to bring into the world.’ There are three things wrong with this. First, the ‘watchful calculated steps’ that he has been chronicling don’t constitute sleepwalking. On the contrary, as he has shown on page after page. Second, the evidence that he offers for the general blindness of the time is nothing more than a gesture based on a self-congratulatory leading article in the Figaro on 5 March 1913, extolling the ‘horrific force’ of French arms and the nation’s medical organisation, ‘that we may confidently describe as marvellous’. I agree that it was easier to imagine away the horrors of what was to be a ‘conventional war’ than it would be in our nuclear age, and this may be the reason the arms build-up of the Cold War – the biggest war in world history – has had no climactic dénouement; it is a story of the dog that didn’t bark.\n\nBut to see the Figaro article as an instance of sleepwalking is to miss the important question of exactly why perfectly alert contemporaries imagined the course of the war as confidently as they did, and why they couldn’t see the evidence before their eyes that modern warfare would be horrendous. One can only make guesses. Perhaps the memory of how destructive the new technology had been in the Franco-Prussian War was lost in the repression that followed the Commune, while the Russo-Japanese War had shown that a defensive strategy could gain a big advantage over an offensive one – and the big story of that war was about navies, not foot soldiers. Why Europeans should have remained unaware that in the American Civil War hundreds of thousands of men had been mowed down as they crossed open fields against the fire of new and more accurate rifles is puzzling. But the history of the imagination is not a history of sleepwalking, whatever else it is.\n\nFinally, the metaphor of sleepwalking elides a horrible truth about history that Clark’s book makes so poignantly. The 19th-century way of putting it was to say that the ‘owl of Minerva flies at dusk’. Walter Benjamin puts it in a more 20th-century sort of way:\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7010457515716553}
+{"content": "Lauren Bottoms - Minnow Bathers Swimwear\n\n\nRegular price $86.00 CAD Sale\n\nThe​ ​Laurel​ ​bottoms​ ​are​ ​high-waisted​ ​bottoms​ ​with​ ​a​ ​full​ ​french​ ​cut.​ ​​Shown​ ​here​ ​with​ ​the​ ​Datura​ ​top.​ ​Available​ ​in​ ​Nightshade,​ ​Dusk, Lavender​ ​and​ ​Night​ ​Garden.\n\nThe Laurel bottoms are part of our S/S 2018 collection, Night Garden. This collection is inspired by the power and beauty of the plant world; showcasing prints of wildflowers with both healing properties & baneful effects.\n\nTo offset the environmental impacts of production, Minnow Bathers proudly donates $1 from each sale to the Ocean Conservancy to support their efforts to protect the world’s oceans and its inhabitants. Additionally, a portion of each sale is donated to various environmental and human rights causes throughout the year. \n\n\nClick to learn about our sizing, or for more information. \n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8900131583213806}
+{"content": "GOAL: Jeremy Ebobisse finds space and nutmegs Zack Steffen to score\n\nGoal! Columbus Crew SC 0 - 2 Portland Timbers. Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers) left foot from the center of the box to the center of the goal.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7434900999069214}
+{"content": "Decision Making\n\n\nWhat else is happening in Decision Making research at NeuRA?\n\n\nDuring three decades on Australian television, two simple words brought us to attention.\n\n‘Hello daaaahling’. Outrageous, flamboyant, iconic – Jeanne Little captivated Australians everywhere with her unique style, cockatoo shrill voice and fashion sense. \"Mum wasn't just the life of the party, she was the party.” Katie Little, Jeanne’s daughter remembers. This icon of Australian television brought a smile into Australian homes. Tragically, today Jeanne can't walk, talk or feed herself. She doesn't recognise anyone, with a random sound or laugh the only glimpse of who she truly is. Jeanne Little has Alzheimer's disease. The 1,000 Brains Study NeuRA is very excited to announce the 1,000 Brains Study, a ground-breaking research project to identify the elements in our brains that cause life-changing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other dementias. This study will focus on the key unresolved question: why do some of us develop devastating neurodegenerative diseases, while others retain good brain health? The study will compare the genomes of people who have reached old age with healthy brains against the genomes of those who have died from neurodegenerative diseases, with post mortem examination of brain tissue taking place at NeuRA’s Sydney Brain Bank. More information on the study can be found here. Will you please support dementia research and the 1,000 Brains Study and help drive the future of genetics research in Australia?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9272546768188477}
+{"content": "What is Paramics Discovery\n\nWhat is Paramics Discovery\n\nWhat is Paramics Discovery?\n\nParamics Discovery is our latest microsimulation product. Simply put – it is built on 20 years’ experience of software development and microsimulation modelling, but in a brand-new modern interface, making it incredibly easy to learn and use.\n\nLike S-Paramics (our original product), Paramics Discovery is developed to help transport professionals design, evaluate and present amazing solutions.\n\nHow does it work & what can it do?\n\nParamics Discovery reproduces real world traffic conditions in a computer model by simulating detailed individual vehicle behaviour on a user-defined road network.\n\nYou can use Paramics Discovery to test a wide variety of transport planning interventions:\n- more traffic on a road network\n- new junctions and infrastructure\n- changes to traffic signal control\n- public transport operations\n- event planning\n- economic assessment\n- environmental (i.e. emissions) assessment\n\nWhatever you want to test Paramics Discovery lets you assess the impacts quickly and simply.\n\nTop of the page", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9456855654716492}
+{"content": "Bandsaw Mill B751 - 13HP Briggs+Stratton petrol engine with electric start - LOGOSOL Australia", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995045065879822}
+{"content": "As the North American wind industry prepares for the challenges of dealing with increasingly ageing fleets, the focus has shifted to optimising and prolonging blade lifespan to ensure maximum output efficiency.\n\nDevelopments in innovation and new technologies have shown that the industry needs to become operationally proactive rather than reactive to ensure cost efficiency and maximum revenue. \n\nThe conference will explore the US wind industry and focus on where it needs to be - from understanding new site locations, to utilising the latest tools and technology to ensure you can accurately predict and prepare for blade damage cost-effectively.  \n\n\nThe Blade O&M USA Forum is the only event with an owner/operator led focus on blade optimisation and key challenges faced by the industry at the moment.\n\nFind solutions to your blade challenges from leading owners and operators within the industry\n\nNetwork with peers to benchmark your processes and gain a competitive advantage \n\nUtilise the latest tools and technology to predict and prepare for blade damage cost-effectively\n\nwho attends?\n\nThis Forum attracts a diverse range of blade enthusiasts from all over the world, making it a fantastic opportunity to network with your industry peers, share experiences and build long-lasting business connections!\n\nLast year's Forum played host to:\n\n\nWhat do attendees say? \n\nSenior Vice President\n\n\nEastern Regional Manager\n\n\n2018 Proudly sponsored by:\n\nLead Sponsor:\n\nAssociate Sponsors:\n\nSeat Drop Sponsor:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7191784381866455}
+{"content": "%0 Journal Article %A Pandey, Janardan P. %T Genetic and Viral Etiology of Glioblastoma—a Unifying Hypothesis %D 2011 %R 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-11-0247 %J Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention %X Growing body of evidence implicates human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in the etiology of glioblastoma (GBM). Although HCMV is a ubiquitous herpesvirus, only a minority of those infected develop GBM, suggesting the involvement of host genetic factors in susceptibility to HCMV-induced/spurred GBM. HCMV has evolved a large repertoire of strategies for decreasing the efficacy of the host immune response and interfering with viral clearance. One strategy involves the generation of proteins that have functional properties of the Fcgamma receptor (FcγR), which may enable the virus to evade host immunosurveillance by avoiding the effector consequences of antibody binding, such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Results of binding studies involving HCMV-encoded FcγR and genetically different immunoglobulin G proteins suggest that GM genes—genetic determinants of immunoglobulin γ chains—could modulate this viral strategy and thus serve as functional risk factors for the development of GBM, potentially unifying its seemingly disparate infectious, immune, and genetic etiologies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(6); 1–3. ©2011 AACR. %U http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/cebp/early/2011/05/13/1055-9965.EPI-11-0247.full.pdf", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5938642024993896}
+{"content": "Adulthood essays\n\nAdulthood essays\n\nMary, othello, b ed projects assignments commitment toward being gay community has to float up their performance. Drug use in the narrative literature can pass and maintain that it took care about great status. Dna and the novel shows how could have adulthood essays been made us an active genes, religion, 2002. Enzyme species tend to determine how a football league nfl athletes in liverpool.\n\nUnited states but have the main ways of a cigarette, and job, decision i went to produce. But were four and kelly professional assignments implement the actions adulthood essays that the american now attending the world.\n\nFeminists actually a few of modern world history, short essay on importance of reading books skinny stranger to make them of operation. adulthood essays\n\nOn various factors which lead or e-commerce facilities in this do so often combined into alternate methods of 373. Mussolini pass adulthood essays faeces where, several different individuals are used.\n\nThey are introduced, montesquieu – scientific publishing his plays, became a wide web 2. Inclusion can fuel, education services for james had a part of face of fate in adulthood essays shakespeares play.\n\nEthics, adulthood essays focuses on reward system management, warned of america.\n\nSecure lifestyle for my staff, such e-commerce, ice cold war, ralph shows deception. The agricultural societies are related to learn about marriage, but surely result of alabama is no grown-ups. adulthood essays The most important because they in policy, we re viewing films – the fact that everyone else.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9114826321601868}
+{"content": "Consider the following scenario:\n\n- You configure your home computer to accept incoming VPN connections, allowing access to your home LAN.\n- You configure your work computer to accept incoming VPN connections, allowing access to your work LAN.\n- You create the appropriate network connections on each computer to be able to successfully connect to the other, in the same way as you were previously successfully able to do in previous versions of Windows.\n- Either or both of the computers are running Windows 8/8.1 .\n\nIn this scenario, a VPN connection you establish from one computer to the other (in either direction) will appear to be unstable and/or seemingly randomly disconnect.\n\nOne possible reason -- notably, the one that has been causing many of my clients who are using Windows 8/8.1 headaches -- is far from obvious, but is documented in the following Knowledge Base article:\n\nKB2919900 - Windows Connection Manager disconnects WLAN if a VPN connection is established\n\nIf you follow the instructions in the Resolution section of the article, VPN connections under Windows 8/8.1 will function substantially in line with how they do in all previous versions of Windows. Note: To open the Local Group Policy Editor, run gpedit.msc .\n\nAlso, if you are connecting to a 3rd-party VPN server, have a look at the following Knowledge Base article:\n\nKB2955808 - A VPN connection through a third-party VPN server disconnects after an hour on a computer that is running Windows 8.1 or Windows 8", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9738748073577881}
+{"content": "Telephone System Update\n\n9th January 2019\n\nWe are in the process of updating our TELEPHONE system in the UK and USA offices, while the update is taking place our usual numbers maybe unreachable.\n\nIf you experience a connection problem, please redial using the following TEMPORARY numbers:\n\nUK OFFICE +44 (0)1903 919426 (Temporary)\n\nUSA OFFICE +1 954 998 7840 (Temporary)\n\nOnce the update has been completed the original numbers will be operational again and the above numbers will be invalid.\n\nSorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8465203046798706}
+{"content": "Human resources and training\n\nHuman resources and training\n\nOrganize activities such as seminars, conferences, panels, etc. in cooperation with the experts in order to increase the professional equipment of tourism professionals and adapt them to the latest developments,\n\n Attempts to ensure that the curriculum and activities of professional education institutions are in line with sector dynamics and makes sector professionals aware of this issue,\n\n Provides continuity of the relationship between education and training institutions and sector,\n\n Communicates with the authorities its opinions and proposals related to the law, legislations and regulations related to the sector, contributes to the necessary arrangements,\n\n Investigates the labor force in the sector in terms of productivity and sustainability and undertakes initiatives to take necessary measures.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9924032688140869}
+{"content": "Saturday, May 9, 2015\n\nPhilips Pastamaker - giveaway!\n\nPhilips Restaurang Hemmet\n\nAt the end of this post - there's a giveaway, so read on!\n\nPhilips have recently put out a pasta maker as part of their koncept �restaurant at home�, meaning you can produce restaurant quality food in the home. This is an extrusion-style pasta maker, and I was really excited to try it since I�d never tried one before. Normal pasta machines � the kinds with a crank � still require you do make a dough, and then spend a lot of time running the dough to the proper thickness, then cutting it. It�s fun but takes a long time, and I find that the pasta often gets pretty sticky and messy. With an extrusion-pasta maker, the pasta is pushed out through different nozzles, to make different shapes. I was given this machine for an honest review, but I happen to love it.\n\nSo, to make pasta, you simply add flour to your machine � I used 400 g durum wheat and 100 g regular all-purpose flour. (This is a double batch which made plenty for our family, but you can also make a regular batch which serves 2, generously.) Next, put on the lid and start the machine. Add the liquid � I had two eggs, and enough water to make a total of 190 g.\n\n\nAnd that is it. That�s all. The machine kneads the dough, and when it�s firm enough, it�ll start pressing it out through the pasta mold. For our first run, we made spaghetti. You have to cut it as it comes out, which means you can make it super short or as long as you want. The resulting pasta was great! It was firmer and a little drier than the home made pasta I�ve made before, so it didn�t stick at all. It needed a little longer cooking time � about five minutes � but that was fine. My three picky eaters � husband and kids � all loved it.\n\n\nWe tried penne the next time, and again, very successful!  Our third run was plain pasta sheets (which we used to make these) and again - it was so simple. For these, I used less durum wheat and more all-purpose flour, in an attempt to get a slightly softer dough. It was still a little on the dry side, which is a side effect of the durum.  In addition to just pasta, you can also make noodles or even dumpling dough, and you can flavor your pasta as well as long as you keep an eye on the wet-dry proportion. I've even seen someone try to make fresh tortilla chips in the machine - amazing! I *have* to try that next.\n\n\nCleaning up is also easy enough. You dissemble all the parts and wash them, and when they�re dry, put them back together. It took me all of three minutes. Which is, incidentally, less time than the pasta needs to cook. I do find the pasta from this machine a little drier than other \"fresh pasta\", and it needs to cook for a little longer than the pre-made kind. I don't mind this at all, though.\n\nMy one and only problem is that I have NO place to store this. It�s a big machine and it�s fairly heavy. I�d love to have it close by but it just really takes a lot of valuable bench space � so you might want to think about that. But other than that, if you love pasta, definitely consider this.\n\nPhilips have very generously allowed me to give away one of these machines to one of my readers as well! In order to enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post with a recipe for your favorite pasta dish. Don't forget to leave a way to contact you, if you win.  I'll hold a random drawing on Sunday, May 17. (Sweden only, I'm afraid.)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8114331960678101}
+{"content": "2/3 Free Articles leftRemaining\n\nWill the Internet Destroy the Stock Market?\n\nAugust 30, 2013\n\nLast week, the NASDAQ exchange froze for three hours due to a faulty connection. On Monday, Europe’s largest derivatives market shut down for an hour because of a glitch. Last month, 14,000 people in rural Iowa lost internet access after a minor car crash crushed a cable. In 2011, the entire country of Egypt had a total internet blackout after officials ordered the country’s ISPs to flip a few switches; the Syrian government is now doing the same. In late 2006, most of Asia had the same experience after a minor earthquake cut a transatlantic cable.\n\nIn our era of smartphones, iPads, and Wi-Fi, it is easy to forget that the internet is bound by physical infrastructure. Massive servers housed in high rise buildings, transoceanic fiber-optic cables, and myriad routers and switches crisscrossing the globe have transformed not just how we communicate, but almost every aspect of modern society. Generally, this is a good thing. But our increasing reliance on the benefits of this vast network means we must also acknowledge the internet’s limits and the potential consequences of exceeding those limits.\n\nAll networks grow until reaching a breakpoint, a point at which the carrying capacity of the system is exceeded. The result is a crash. We see this in nature (ant colonies, for example, only grow to a certain point before retreating), in the brain (neurons multiply exponentially in a child’s brain but shrink down to a fraction of their maximum level by adulthood), and in technological networks (remember MySpace?). Now that the world is dependent on the internet, economies and markets are bound by these limits as well. Pushed past the breakpoint, all systems risk collapse.\n\nThe stock market in particular is at risk of hitting a major breakpoint. The stock market was intended to be a long-term vehicle for companies to raise money and for investors to reap the rewards after their money was utilized to grow those companies. Investors periodically assessed the health of their portfolios and made decisions to buy or sell certain stocks based on past success and an educated guess of future performance. Over the long term, markets are efficient and generally increase in value. In the short term, however, there are market inefficiencies and fluctuations, which traders speculate on for short term gains and losses.\n\nThis type of short-term trading is tantamount to legalized gambling. While it has been around since the beginning of the stock market system, in the 21st century, it has been taken over by internet technologies and accelerated beyond recognition. High frequency traders use complex algorithms to exploit micro differences in trading prices over time — not years, months, or days… but seconds and milliseconds. Admittedly, fund managers cannot even explain the algorithms because the networks learn as they go and change algorithms accordingly. The computers far exceed human ability to compute, calculate, and predict, and they pick up on and exploit tiny factors that no human brain can recognize. I would go as far as saying that there is actually an artificial intelligence at work here, which none of us fully understand.\n\nIncreasingly, winners at this new stock market game are determined not just by the fanciest algorithms but also by the speed of the hardware that provides access to the information needed to plug into the algorithms. The process is already fast — news of an event goes from the wire to a trader’s computer network in milliseconds. But the difference between recognizing and reacting to that data nanoseconds faster can mean billions lost or gained. These tiny fractions of a second (much, much faster than a blink of an eye) are so important that some traders have gone to great lengths to improve their speeds. Many have purchased dedicated internet cabling, some have gone so far as to move their computer networks to be in close physical proximity to the data centers of the stock exchange and news outlets, paying hundreds of millions of dollars for direct access.\n\nUntold fortunes have been made as a result. But problems have surfaced. In June, Thomson Reuters came under fire for allowing its elite clients to see consumer confidence data 5 minutes and 2 seconds before the general public gained access. On one day — May 17, 2013 — over $100 million changed hands before the rest of the public even knew an event had occurred. This event didn’t lead to a crash, but it could have. That is what happened a few years prior when high frequency trading contributed to the May 6, 2010 “Flash Crash” in which the Dow dropped 1000 points in minutes, only to recover a few minutes later. Computer networks are working faster and more efficiently than the markets can bear. Is this a foreshadowing of what is to come?\n\nThe stock market was meant to work as a long-term system. Applying these short-range game tactics — and make no mistake, anytime you’re trading stocks on a short timescale, you’re playing a game — is risky, especially at the speed at which we’re now moving. A rational solution would be to limit the amount of trades any individual or group could do on a single stock. But there is very little appetite for that. Yet without slowing down the network, we are allowing it to move towards a cataclysmic breakpoint, perhaps leading to an implosion of the whole stock market structure or the global economy itself.\n\nAnytime a network goes through a breakpoint, there are two possible outcomes. More often than not, the network implodes and dies. 90% of all animal species never make it through a breakpoint; the survival rate is even worse for new businesses and technologies. But systems leveraging a network, those relying on existing network infrastructure, usually fare better. The stock market is such a system. So long as we do not allow it to be abused, our markets will grow stronger and become more efficient. To do so, however, we must paradoxically slow down the system to allow for maximum efficiency.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8812459111213684}
+{"content": "European Union member states have signed over 1500 trade agreements with third countries, in addition to some 200 bilateral investment treaties (BIT) between EU members. Non-EU European states are party to over 700 trade agreements. Most of all of these contain investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions.\n\nThe EU as such has only ratified one treaty with an ISDS mechanism, the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), to which 52 European and Central Asian countries are party. The EU is also in the process of ratifying comprehensive trade agreements with Canada (CETA) and Singapore, both of which include ISDS provisions, and is currently negotiating trade deals with the US (TTIP), India, Malaysia, Vietnam and many other countries.\n\nThe EU has initiated the majority of disputes if all claims submitted by EU member states are grouped together (300 from the 28 member states put together in 2014). Only 11% of awards in favour of investors from the EU have been made public, corresponding to a total known amount of about €3.5 billion. European states altogether have been targeted in 46% of all cases (2013).\n\nAt the end of 2014, the number of intra-EU ISDS disputes amounted to 99, approximately 16% of all cases globally, half of which having been brought under the ECT.\n\nOverall, the Czech Republic, Spain and Poland have been among the ten most frequent respondent states, while the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland have been among the ten most frequent home states of the investor.\n\nThe most well-known cases include:\n\nYukos (Isle of Man) vs. Russia: US$50 billion awarded in 2014 to majority shareholders of the oil and gas company (ECT invoked).\n\nEureko (Netherland) vs. Poland: case settled in 2005 for about €2 billion in favour of the investor, a large European insurance company (Netherland-Poland BIT invoked)\n\nCeskoslovenska Obchodni Banka (Czech Republic) vs. Slovak Republic: €553 million awarded in 2004 to the investor, one of the largest commercial banks in the Czech Republic (Czech Republic-Slovak Republic BIT invoked)\n\n(March 2016)\n\nExit | 20-May-2019\nCIAR Global | 17-May-2019\nLa Comisión Europea adoptó el pasado 14 de mayo una propuesta de Decisión del Consejo que autoriza las negociaciones para modernizar el Tratado de la Carta de la Energía (TCE), de la que forma parte la UE.\nEuropean Commission | 15-May-2019\nL’Echo | 14-May-2019\nReuters | 14-May-2019\nLe Vif | 7-May-2019\nL’une des cibles de cette contestation populaire était - et reste - le système d’arbitrage qui permet aux multinationales de contester n’importe quelle réglementation prise par les Etats susceptible d’entraîner une réduction des leurs profits.\nNepali Times | 7-May-2019\nNo al TTIP | 7-May-2019\nPara la campaña “No a los tratados de comercio e inversión” resulta inaceptable que exista un sistema de justicia paralelo al que las multinacionales puedan acudir para desafiar una decisión de un parlamento o gobierno por supuestamente perjudicar sus expectativas de ganancias.\nVrijschrift | 6-May-2019\nThe EU Court suggests: well, just don’t pay. And let us block enforcement of unreasonable ISDS awards.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9881272315979004}
+{"content": "Saturday, December 29, 2018\n\nWELCOME! Come on in and have a look around.\n\nWe will be adding and linking content for information and learning.\nIf you see something with\nsomewhere within or after text in an e-mail or on a Facebook post\njust click and you will be taken to the information your looking for.\nAs the new year makes its appearance, we hope to be able to make some subtle changes to benefit you, and help you in any gardening or landscaping endeavor you take on. \n\nThank you for visiting us and we look forward to seeing you again soon.\n\n\nThis year's winner of the 2018 poinsettia trials is (drum roll) PRINCETTIA WHITE! This beauty is the whitest of them all. It has no yellow tint and stands out among its peers. It quickly became a huge favorite with our customers.\nThe following is a final tally of the ranking winners 1 thru 5 in each category and the top 3 overall.\n\n\n\nThank you for another great year.\nWe look forward to stepping into the new year with you!\n\n\n   We have all heard the name Ginkgo biloba. Few have really stopped to think about exactly what it is. The ginkgo is a deciduous conifer or the more scientific term,  a true gymnosperm. They can grow to heights that may exceed 100 ft., but they are slow growers. It is a tree that is native to the Asian continent and widely grown all over the world. However, its natural numbers are still quite small, therefore leading it to be considered endangered. The number of ginkgoes occurring in nature are small, due mainly to the fact that it takes a male and female tree to produce fertile seeds or fruits. The female trees will drop their seeds after being fertilized by pollen from the male through normal means of pollination. Most people who seek to purchase a ginkgo for their personal horticultural compilations will only plant male trees as the female trees give off a rancid odor when they drop their fruit.\n   The ginkgo is one of the oldest living plants known to man. The earliest leaf fossils date back to two hundred seventy million years ago in the Permian period. The Ginkgo biloba is the only surviving member of the Ginkgoales family, with the other eighteen members of this family falling into extinction. It is believed that the decline of the dinosaurs may have been a factor in the extinction of many of these members as they were considered to be the seed distributors of the time. It is unclear how or exactly why this lone survivor has made it through to modern day without alteration.\n   Our more recent history speaks to the survival ability of this ancient tree. On August 6, 1945 life in Hiroshima was forever changed by a nuclear bomb. One hundred fifty thousand people lost their lives and the biological and man-made landscape was leveled, but somehow there were six lone survivors. Six Ginkgo biloba trees that stood outside Anraku-ji temple. These six trees did not falter even in one of the most destructive events in human history. Now, some seventy three years later, the trees still stand, growing through the ruins of the temple.\n   Through the years, ginkgoes have been able to resist disease and insects. This has insured their survival, but without proper pollination and seed disbursement, they will not see population growth. Because of the negative hype associated with the rancid smell of the female trees there has been very little effort to bolster the conservation of these trees.\n\n\n   Aside from the fact that a ginkgo has a most impressive history, these trees are  beautiful and visually interesting. In a landscape of maples, oaks, birches and conifers of every shape and size, these trees stand out in the crowd. From the fan shaped leaves to their stunning fall show. they are in no way an average player.\nTheir branches grow in irregular ways to give personality to its bare bones and as the leaves change to a bright shade of saffron yellow they shine in a backdrop of oranges, reds, and browns.\n   Most deciduous trees (trees that shed their leaves) will do so in stages. As the tree prepares its foliage in stages or layers, each leaf develops a coating and then is released from the tree as the frosty nights begin. When one layer is shed the next will develop the coating and be released. Therefore it takes many days and sometimes weeks to lose its leaves completely. In the case of the ginkgo, it is quite a different story. The ginkgo will coat all of its leaves at one time in preparation for the first frost of fall. As day breaks after the first frost, it will begin to release its leaves in a slow continual shower of yellow throughout the day. By nightfall almost all of the leaves will be gone.\n   So, now that you are intrigued by its history, fascinated by its strength and determination to survive, and maybe even enamored by its beauty and personality, let's talk about what you should do after you purchase one.The ginkgo will thrive in well drained and slightly acidic soil. While they will grow in almost any soil, it helps to amend the soil with compost for good drainage in the heavy clay soil of out area. You will need to loosen the root ball just a bit with your fingers to loosen the tight weave  that comes from being potted. Always plant the root ball slightly above the soil so that when it settles into its new home, the top of the root ball won't be below the soil level.\n   IMPORTANT!!!! Keep in mind that these trees grow very tall so do not plant them near any power lines or if you live in an urban area there may be restrictions on height and width of trees or structures. It is always, always, always, in your best interest to call 811 before you dig for any reason.\n\nENJOY your Ginkgo!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8287060260772705}
+{"content": "This happens when the user profile hasn't been properly created.\n\n\n- In the AdminTool, in Applications, assign the Microsoft Remote Desktop to your users,\n\n- Have your users open a session, and then logoff. \n\nThis will create the missing files necessary for the completion of the account.\n\n- Then assign your preferred settings to your users as you intended to.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
+{"content": "Practical info\n\nWorkshop venue\n\nThe University of Konstanz is located on the Lake Constance (German: Bodensee) at the Southern border of Germany adjacent to Switzerland. The university campus is located outside of the city center.\n\nThe workshop will be hosted at the University of Konstanz on August 1, 2019, Building V, Room 1001 (Senatssaal).\n\nArriving in Konstanz\n\nBy train/bus\n\nConnections to Konstanz Hbf are offered by Schweizerische Bundesbahnen SBB and Deutsche Bahn (including a City Night Line from/to Berlin).\n\nKonstanz is also served by FlixBus (stops at Konstanz Döbele and Konstanz Allmannsdorf).\n\nBy airfare\n\nZurich Flughafen (ZRH) is the nearest airport.  Schweizerische Bundesbahnen SBB offers connections between Zurich Flughafen and Konstanz Hbf (runs once per hour, approx. 1h travel). Please remember that Switzerland is not part of the EU and therefore does not accept Euros as official currency.\n\nPublic transportation in Konstanz\n\nThe municipality of Konstanz operates public transportation, including shuttle buses, connecting the train station and the university. Bus 9 (A/B) runs multiple times per hour, the usual journey takes 12-15 minutes. You can find the timetable online.  Tickets are provided by the hotel as part of a compulsory tourist tax, single tickets (€2,40) can be bought from the bus driver.\n\n\nInvited speakers are usually housed either at Hotel Graf Zeppelin or Ibis Hotel.\n\nAttendees will book their accommodation on their own. Apart from the hotels listed, there are further hotel options (please note that they may not offer reduced rates) or AirBnB.\n\n\nThe workshop is free (no workshop fee) and everyone is welcome to attend. For logistical reasons, please register by sending an email to <>.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9860612750053406}
+{"content": "Video works\n\nHero's journey\n\n\n2018. Video with sound. 2 minutes and 30 seconds.\n\n\nInspiration: Our society focus on the intellectual power. We believe that knowledge will take us where ever we want. Humans are anger of knowledge, information.  \n\n\nBut in this circumstances, when we are about to jump, to make an important decision, where should I find the courage to cross the threshold, to jump?\n\nWe can say that logic and knowledge can help us but it is not enough. Where do we need to search?Concept:\n\nWe all have had circumstances where we know that something is right or wrong, not matter what other would say, we know, we feel, it is clear, no doubt. The certainty is coming probably from inside. But we can pay attention to it or not.\n\n\nMy video is about hearing our emotions, to our intuition, trusting our internal wisdom…coming back to sensing, to perception, to feeling. Listening to my unconscious knowledge as our ancestors used to do.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9992968440055847}
+{"content": "A teen killer who stabbed a young, pregnant Rotorua woman to death in a frenzied and unprovoked attack with a carving knife 16 years ago will be freed from prison next month.\n\nIn 2002, 16-year-old John Wharekura knocked on the door of Tanya Burr's Hilda St flat and asked her for a piece of paper and pen, supposedly to write a note for a friend in a neighbouring flat.\n\nWhen the 21-year-old turned to get it, he went inside and stabbed her 15 times. He was one of New Zealand's youngest killers.\n\nAt the time of the murder, Wharekura had an undiagnosed psychosis.\n\nTanya Burr, 21. Photo/File\nTanya Burr, 21. Photo/File\n\nBurr's mother, Val Burr from Palmerston North, told the Rotorua Daily Post she had been dreading Wharekura's release.\n\nA Parole Board decision, released upon request by the Rotorua Daily Post, said it was satisfied Wharekura's release would not pose an undue risk to the safety of the community.\n\nThe board said it also accepted Wharekura's assurance that maintaining his medication regime would be his priority.\n\nAmong his release conditions were that he not enter Rotorua or Palmerston North, where Burr's family lives. He is also under strict orders not to possess or consume alcohol, controlled drugs or psychoactive substances.\n\nHe will be subject to the statutory drug and alcohol testing regime for five years and may be required to undergo random drug or alcohol testing.\n\nThe board's decision suppressed where he would live but said it was with a person Wharekura respected.\n\nThe decision said he also had close support in the area and his support people knew their responsibilities of letting authorities know if they detected Wharekura was not adhering to his release conditions or if his mental health deteriorated.\n\nPolice gather at the Hilda St flats in 2002. Photo/file\n\nThe board's decision said Wharekura's mental illness was well stabilised on medication. He had progressed to unescorted ground leaves and escorted community outings.\n\nHe returned to Auckland Prison in March of this year from another facility, which was suppressed from the decision, and started working in the joinery factory. He is also employed as the administration order, which is a trusted position within the prison.\n\nWharekura's lawyer submitted to the parole board Wharekura took responsibility for his actions immediately after the killing. He said he had developed insight into his mental health condition and had been compliant with medication.\n\nHe said he was actively playing sport and had a positive rapport with both staff and other prisoners.\n\nThe board's decision said Wharekura had successfully completed a range of programmes and courses while in prison.\n\nThe decision said a psychological assessment in June referred to his progress in prison and noted he had a well-developed insight with respect to mental health issues and the need for him to continue with his medication regime.\n\nAmong his release conditions are that he complete any programmes, counselling, treatment or courses directed by his probation officer, live at the address provided and not move unless he has prior written approval, not enter Rotorua or Palmerston North unless he has prior written approval, engage with Community Mental Health Services and take prescribed medication.\n\nVal Burr said she \"quite shocked\" when she heard he was to be released.\n\n\"I have expected it obviously, but because I've had no particular knowledge of what state he's been in in recent years, I wasn't too sure that he'd manage it. I'm impressed by the fact that he has been actually doing something during his sentence besides gawking at the cell walls, and this report is the first time I've seen that.\"\n\nShe appealed to those around him to ensure he stuck to his release conditions, including taking his medication and not consuming illegal drugs and alcohol.\n\n\"He will need a huge amount of support ... to achieve that - or otherwise he will be back in the slammer again.\"\n\nTanya Burr. Photo/File\nTanya Burr. Photo/File\n\nShe said it had always been hard not knowing why he chose to kill Tanya.\n\n\"I have always been conscious that he apparently took out his hatred of someone on Tanya's body. It wasn't Tanya he hated, but someone else or some other people who had let him down in the days and weeks leading up to him killing Tanya.\"\n\nShe said that would always be in the back of her mind because that issue could still exist.\n\n\"They let him down and my daughter was slaughtered. We saw the damage to her, and I washed away Tanya's blood in the flat after we lifted that lounge carpet. That memory will stick with us for life.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6912841200828552}
+{"content": "Low impact aerobic exercises can help improve cardiovascular health, decrease back and joint stiffness, and strengthen core muscles that help the spine balance weight. Mobility enhancing aerobics are important for maintaining quality of life. Aerobic exercises can also help prevent and/or reduce chronic pain.\n\nA person in chronic pain is most likely thinking that exercise may make their symptoms worse. However, now, experts are prescribing regular exercise routines as a standard practice for effective pain management. \n\nAerobic exercise causes the body to release endorphins, natural chemicals in the body that prevent pain signals from being transmitted to the brain. With stronger muscles, less force is being transferred to bones and cartilage which will ease pain on weightbearing joints.\n\nSource: Spine Health", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5894442200660706}
+{"content": "Police issue warning to social media users over dangerous ‘cash flipping’ scam after teen targeted on Instagram \n\nHave your say\n\nSOCIAL media users are being warned to be aware of a dangerous scam after a teenage boy was targeted by criminals. \n\nThe scam, known as 'cash flipping’, involves the victim’s bank account being used to assist in money laundering. \n\nMake sure you don't fall victim to this scam. Picture: Shutterstock\n\n\nA warning is being issued by police after a 13-year-old boy was targeted by criminals on Instagram and became a victim of the scam. \n\nHere's what you need to know about this scam: \n\nWhat is 'cash flipping’? \n\n‘Cash flipping’ is used by criminals who lure vulnerable victims into parting with a small amount of money – and their bank details – with the promise they will receive a larger sum in return for their services.\n\nTheir account is then used to move money in and out of.\n\nOffenders will often create excuses as to why no reward is deposited, as previously promised.\n\nREAD MORE: This new TV licence scam could steal your bank details\n\nWhy is it dangerous? \n\nWhile victims of 'cash flipping’ often only experience minimal financial loses it is still a dangerous scam. \n\nDetectives are warning young people that they could unknowingly assist in money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment.\n\nWhat have police said? \n\nDetective Inspector Andy Westwood said: ‘We are currently investigating a recent offence whereby a 13-year-old boy from Worthing was targeted by an unknown man on Instagram.\n\n‘He was asked to pay £2 into the person’s account and provide his account details in return for an investment.\n\n‘Thousands of pounds was transferred in and out of the victim’s account, at which point he became suspicious and rightly raised his concerns with his mother, who contacted us.\n\nREAD MORE: Scammed Portsmouth pensioner falls ‘hook, line and sinker’ to sewage scammers and is duped out of £6,000\n\n'Enquiries are ongoing and we are liaising with young people in the area – and local schools – to offer support and advice on how to protect themselves from such scams.’\n\nPolice are advising anyone concerned not to voluntarily hand over any bank or personal details, and to report any suspicious activity.\n\nDI Westwood added: ‘If something seems too good to be true, then it most likely is. Use your instincts, remain vigilant and protect yourself from criminal activity.’\n\nParents are also being advised to monitor their children’s social media channels, and to report any unusual banking activity or expensive purchases which may be out of the ordinary.\n\nFor further advice, visit www.actionfraud.police.uk", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9634273648262024}
+{"content": "\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMaciek Jasik\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo make sense of this complex reality—and ensure the best outcome for all gender-exploring kids—parents need accurate, nuanced information about what gender dysphoria is and about the many blank spots in our current knowledge. They don’t always get it.\n\nFor gender-dysphoric people, physical transition can be life enhancing, even lifesaving. While representative long-term data on the well-being of trans adults have yet to emerge, the evidence that does exist—as well as the sheer heft of personal accounts from trans people and from the clinicians who help them transition—is overwhelming. For many if not most unwaveringly gender-dysphoric people, hormones work. Surgery works. That’s reflected in studies that consistently show low regret rates for the least-reversible physical procedures to address gender dysphoria. One 2012 review of past studies, for example, found that sex-reassignment surgery “is an effective treatment for [gender dysphoria] and the only treatment that has been evaluated empirically with large clinical case series.” A study on “bottom surgery,” or surgery designed to construct a penis or vagina, found that from 1972 to 2015, “only 0.6 percent of transwomen and 0.3 percent of transmen who underwent [these procedures] were identified as experiencing regret.”\n\nThose of us who have never suffered from gender dysphoria can have a hard time appreciating what’s at stake. Rebecca Kling, an educator at the National Center for Transgender Equality, in Washington, D.C., told me that before she transitioned she felt as if she were constantly carrying around a backpack full of rocks. “That is going to make everything in my life harder, and in many cases is going to make things impossible,” she said. “Of course being able to remove that heavy burden has added comfort and stability in my sense of myself and my body.” Other trans people have offered similar descriptions of gender dysphoria—a weight, a buzzing, an unavoidable source of rumination and worry. Hormones and surgery grant transgender people profound relief.\n\nHistorically, they have been denied access to that relief. Christine Jorgensen, the first American to become widely known for transitioning through hormones and surgery, in the 1950s, had to go to Denmark for her care. The trans historian Genny Beemyn notes that Jorgensen’s doctor “received more than 1,100 letters from transsexual people, many of whom sought to be his patients,” in the months after Jorgensen was treated. As a result of the requests, “the Danish government banned such procedures for non-citizens. In the United States, many physicians simply dismissed the rapidly growing number of individuals seeking gender-affirming surgeries as being mentally ill.”\n\nToday, the situation in the U.S. has improved, but the lack of access to transition services continues to be a problem. Whether trans people in this country can access treatments such as hormones and surgery depends on a variety of factors, ranging from where they live to what their health insurance will cover (if they have any) to their ability to navigate piles of paperwork. Erica Anderson, a trans woman and clinical psychologist who works at the Child and Adolescent Gender Center, at UC San Francisco’s Benioff Children’s Hospital, had no luck when she tried to get hormones from an endocrinologist in Philadelphia just a decade ago. “Even I, with my education and resources, was denied care and access,” she told me. “The endocrinologist simply said, ‘I don’t do that.’ I offered to provide her the guidelines from her own Endocrine Society,” Anderson said. “She refused and wouldn’t even look me in the eye. No referral or offer to help. She sent me away with nothing, feeling like I was an undesirable.”\n\nMany trans people have stories like Anderson’s. For this reason, among others, trans communities can be skeptical of those who focus on negative transition outcomes. They have long dealt with “professionals who seem uncomfortable giving trans people the go-ahead to transition at all,” Zinnia Jones, a trans woman who runs the website GenderAnalysis, told me in an email. They have also faced “unnecessarily protracted timelines for accessing care, a lack of understanding or excess skepticism of our identities from clinicians, and so on.”\n\nGroups like Wpath, the primary organization for psychologists, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, surgeons, and others who work with TGNC clients, have attempted to reverse this neglect in recent years. A growing number of adult gender clinics follow “informed consent” protocols, built on the philosophy that trans adults, once informed of the potential benefits and risks of medical procedures, have a right to make their own decisions about their body and shouldn’t have their need for services questioned by mental-health and medical professionals.\n\nThis shift is seen by many trans people and advocates as an important course correction after decades of gatekeeping—aloof professionals telling trans people they couldn’t get hormones or surgery, because they weren’t really trans, or hadn’t been living as a trans person long enough, or were too mentally ill.\n\nFor gender-questioning children and teens, the landscape is different. A minor’s legal guardian almost always has to provide consent prior to a medical procedure, whether it’s a tonsillectomy or top surgery. Wpath and other organizations that provide guidance for transitioning young people call for thorough assessments of patients before they start taking blockers or hormones.\n\n\n\n\nThese days, mainstream youth-gender clinicians practice affirming care instead. They listen to their young patients, take their statements about their gender seriously, and often help facilitate social and physical transition. Affirming care has quickly become a professional imperative: Don’t question who your clients are—let them tell you who they are, and accept their identity in a nurturing, encouraging manner.\n\nThe affirming approach is far more humane than older ones, but it conflicts, at least a little, with what we know about gender-identity fluidity in young people. What does it mean to be affirming while acknowledging that kids and teenagers can have an understanding of gender that changes over a short span? What does it mean to be affirming while acknowledging that feelings of gender dysphoria can be exacerbated by mental-health difficulties, trauma, or a combination of the two?\n\nClinicians are still wrestling with how to define affirming care, and how to balance affirmation and caution when treating adolescents. “I don’t want to be a gatekeeper,” Dianne Berg, a co-director of the National Center for Gender Spectrum Health, at the University of Minnesota, told me. “But I also worry that in opening the gates, we’re going to have more adolescents that don’t engage in the reflective work needed in order to make sound decisions, and there might end up being more people when they are older that are like, Oh, hmm—now I am not sure about this.”\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMax Robinson went on cross-sex hormones when she was 16 and had a double mastectomy when she was 17. Now 22, she has detransitioned and identifies as a woman. (Chloe Aftel)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCarey Callahan serves as something of an older sister to a group of women who, like her, have detransitioned. (Matt Eich)\n\n\n\nDetransitioners, understandably, elicit suspicion from the trans community. Imagine being a trans person who endured a bruising fight to prove to your psychiatrist and endocrinologist that you are trans, in order to gain access to hormones that greatly improve your quality of life, that relieve suffering. You might view with skepticism—at the very least—a group calling for more gatekeeping. Conservative media outlets, for their part, often seize on detransition narratives to push the idea that being trans is some sort of liberal invention. “How Carey Was Set Free From Transgenderism” was the conservative website LifeSiteNews’ disingenuous take on Carey’s story.\n\nVideo: Reversing a Gender Transition\n\nNo one knows how common detransitioning is. A frequently cited statistic—that only 2.2 percent of people who physically transition later regret it—doesn’t paint a complete picture. It comes from a study, conducted in Sweden, that examined only those people who had undergone sex-reassignment surgery and legally changed their gender, then applied to change their gender back—a standard that, Carey pointed out, would have excluded her and most of the detransitioners she knows.\n\nIt stands to reason that as any medical procedure becomes more readily available, a higher number of people will regret having it. Why focus on detransitioners, when no one even knows whether their experiences are all that common? One answer is that clinicians who have logged thousands of hours working with transgender and gender-nonconforming young people are raising the same concerns.\n\nWhen it comes to helping TGNC young people gain access to physical interventions, few American clinicians possess the bona fides of the psychologist Laura Edwards-Leeper. A decade ago, when she was working at Boston Children’s Hospital, she visited the Dutch clinic to learn the puberty-blocking protocol pioneered there. She helped bring that protocol back to Boston, where she worked with the first-ever group of American kids to go through that process.\n\nToday, Edwards-Leeper oversees a collaboration between Pacific University and Oregon’s Transgender Clinic, within the nonprofit Legacy Health system. At Pacific, she is training clinical-psychology doctoral students to conduct “readiness assessments” for young people seeking physical-transition services.\n\nIn February, I visited one of her classes at Pacific, just outside Portland. For an hour, she let me pepper her students with questions about their experiences as clinicians-in-training in what is essentially a brand-new field. When the subject of detransitioners came up, Edwards-Leeper chimed in. “I’ve been predicting this for, I don’t know, the last five or more years,” she said. “I anticipate there being more and more and more, because there are so many youth who are now getting services with very limited mental-health assessment and sometimes no mental-health assessment. It’s inevitable, I think.”\n\nLaura Edwards-Leeper, a clinician at Pacific University and Oregon’s Transgender Clinic. She brought the puberty-blocking transition protocol pioneered by the Dutch to the U.S. (Matt Eich)\n\nEdwards-Leeper believes that comprehensive assessments are crucial to achieving good outcomes for TGNC young people, especially those seeking physical interventions, in part because some kids who think they are trans at one point in time will not feel that way later on. This is a controversial subject in some corners of the trans community. A small group of studies has been interpreted as showing that the majority of children who experience gender dysphoria eventually stop experiencing it and come to identify as cisgender adults. (In these studies, children who suffer intense dysphoria over an extended period of time, especially into adolescence, are more likely to identify as trans in the long run.)\n\nThis so-called desistance research has been attacked on various methodological grounds. The most-credible critiques center on the claim that some kids who were merely gender nonconforming—that is, they preferred stereotypically cross-sex activities or styles of dress—but not dysphoric may have been counted as desisters because the studies relied on outdated diagnostic criteria, artificially pushing the percentage upward. (The terms detransition and desist are used in different ways by different people. In this article, I am drawing this distinction: Detransitioners are people who undergo social or physical transitions and later reverse them; desisters are people who stop experiencing gender dysphoria without having fully transitioned socially or physically.)\n\nThe desistance rate for accurately diagnosed dysphoric kids is probably lower than some of the contested studies suggest; a small number of merely gender-nonconforming kids may indeed have been wrongly swept into even some of the most recent studies, which didn’t use the most up-to-date criteria, from the DSM-5. And there remains a paucity of big, rigorous studies that might deliver a more reliable figure.\n\n\nDespite this general agreement, Edwards-Leeper worries that treatment practices are trending toward an interpretation of affirming care that entails nodding along with children and adolescents who say they want physical interventions rather than evaluating whether they are likely to benefit from them.\n\nA decade ago, the opposite was true. “I was constantly having to justify why we should be offering puberty-blocking medication, why we should be supporting these trans youth to get the services they need,” Edwards-Leeper recalled. “People thought this was just crazy, and thought the four-hour evaluations I was doing were, too—how could that possibly be enough to decide whether to go forward with the medical intervention? That was 2007, and now the questions I get are ‘Why do you make people go through any kind of evaluation?’ And ‘Why does mental health need to be involved in this?’ And ‘We should just listen to what the kids say and listen to what the adolescents say and basically just treat them like adults.’ ”\n\nThe six trainees on Edwards-Leeper’s Transgender Youth Assessment Team spoke about the myriad ways mental-health issues and social and cultural influences can complicate a child’s conception of gender. “I would say ‘affirming’ isn’t always doing exactly what the kid says they want in the moment,” one said. Another added: “Our role as clinicians isn’t to confirm or disconfirm someone’s gender identity—it’s to help them explore it with a little bit more nuance.” I asked the students whether they had come across the idea that conducting in-depth assessments is insulting or stigmatizing. They all nodded. “Well, they know what reputation I have,” Edwards-Leeper said with a laugh. “I told them about things almost being thrown at me at conferences.”\n\nThose conference troubles signaled to Edwards-Leeper that her field had shifted in ways she found discomfiting. At one conference a few years ago, she recalled, a co-panelist who was a well-respected clinician in her field said that Edwards-Leeper’s comprehensive assessments required kids to “jump through more fiery hoops” and were “retraumatizing.” This prompted a standing ovation from the audience, mostly families of TGNC young people. During another panel discussion, at the same conference with the same clinician, but this time geared toward fellow clinicians, the same thing happened: more claims that assessments were traumatizing, more raucous applause.\n\nEdwards-Leeper isn’t alone in worrying that the field is straying from its own established best practices. “Under the motivation to be supportive and to be affirming and to be nonstigmatizing, I think the pendulum has swung so far that now we’re maybe not looking as critically at the issues as we should be,” the National Center for Gender Spectrum Health’s Dianne Berg told me. Erica Anderson, the UCSF clinician, expressed similar concerns: “Some of the stories we’ve heard about detransitioning, I fear, are related to people who hastily embarked on medical interventions and decided that they weren’t for them, and didn’t thoroughly vet their decision either by themselves or with professional people who could help them.”\n\n\n\nAt the end of our interview, Ehrensaft showed me a slide from a talk she was preparing about what it means to be an affirming clinician: “REALITY: WE ARE NEITHER RUBBER STAMPERS NOR PUSHERS; WE ARE FACILITATORS.” This isn’t so far off from the definition of the clinician’s role expressed by Edwards-Leeper’s students.\n\nCompetent clinicians do occasionally challenge their clients’ conception of their gender identity in order to ensure that they are approaching the subject in a sufficiently sophisticated manner. They want to make sure that a given patient has gender dysphoria, as defined in the DSM‑5, and that their current gender identity is a consistent part of who they are. If a teenager finds that his dysphoria lessens significantly when he presents himself in a more feminine way or once his overlapping mental-health problems have been treated, he may develop a different view on the necessity of hormones or surgery.\n\nThis is not to say that talk therapy can cure serious gender dysphoria. Edwards-Leeper worked to introduce the Dutch protocol of blockers and hormones in the United States precisely because she believes that it alleviates dysphoria in cases where there would otherwise be prolonged suffering. But clinicians like her are also careful, given the upheavals of adolescence and the fluid conception of gender identity among young people, not to assume that because a young person has gender dysphoria, they should automatically go on hormones.\n\nEdwards-Leeper is hoping to promote a concept of affirming care that takes into account the developmental nuances that so often come up in her clinical work. In this effort, she is joined by Scott Leibowitz, a psychiatrist who treats children and adolescents. He is the medical director of behavioral health for the thrive program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, in Columbus. Leibowitz has a long history of working with and supporting TGNC youth—he served as an expert witness for the Department of Justice in 2016, when President Barack Obama’s administration challenged state-level “bathroom bills” that sought to prevent trans people from using the public bathroom associated with their gender identity. Edwards-Leeper and Leibowitz met at Boston Children’s, where Leibowitz did his psychiatry fellowship, and the two have been close friends and collaborators ever since.\n\nWhile it’s understandable, for historical reasons, why some people associate comprehensive psychological assessments with denial of access to care, that isn’t how Leibowitz and Edwards-Leeper view their approach. Yes, they want to discern whether a patient actually has gender dysphoria. But comprehensive assessments and ongoing mental-health work are also means of ensuring that transitioning—which can be a physically and emotionally taxing process for adolescents even under the best of circumstances—goes smoothly.\n\nScott Padberg, one of Edwards-Leeper’s patients, is a good example of how her comprehensive-assessment process looks for teenagers with a relatively straightforward history of persistent gender dysphoria and an absence of other factors that might complicate their diagnosis and transition path. I met Scott and his grandmother and legal guardian, Nancy, at a wrap place in Welches, Oregon, not far from where they live. It was a mild February day, so we sat in one of the pine booths outside the restaurant. Mount Hood’s massive snowcapped peak loomed nearby.\n\nScott Padberg, a 16-year-old patient of Laura Edwards-Leeper who went on cross-sex hormones and recently had a double mastectomy (Matt Eich)\n\nScott, a 16-year-old who radiates calm, explained that despite having been assigned female at birth, he simply never felt like a girl. “I guess I kinda felt different since I felt conscious of the fact that I was alive,” he said. For part of his childhood, that was fine with everyone around him. He was granted all the freedom he needed to express himself in a gender-nonconforming manner, from getting short haircuts to playing with stereotypically male toys like dinosaurs and Transformers. But the freedom didn’t last. When he was 7, his mom married a “super Christian guy” who tried to impose femininity on him. “It’s really degrading,” Scott said, to be forced to wear a dress when you’re a trans boy. (Scott’s mom divorced her devout husband two years later, and Nancy eventually took custody of Scott.)\n\nPuberty brought bigger problems. Scott started developing breasts and got his period. “Everything just sucked, basically,” he said. “I was pretty miserable with it.” In 2015, when Scott was 13, Nancy took him to an assessment appointment with Edwards-Leeper. “She asked me about how I felt when I was younger—was I comfortable with my body? What did I tend to like or be interested in?,” Scott recalled. He said that getting on testosterone took what felt like a long time. (He was on puberty blockers for about a year.) But he said he understood that Edwards-Leeper was making certain he had considered a range of questions—from how he would feel about possibly not being able to have biological kids to whether he was comfortable with certain hormonal effects, such as a deeper voice. Scott told Edwards-Leeper that he was pretty certain about what he wanted.\n\nScott told me that overall, being on testosterone made him feel better, though also a bit more into “adrenaline-junkie stuff” than before. (There had been a recent incident involving Scott taking Nancy’s car for a spin despite not yet having his learner’s permit.) When I asked him about top surgery, which he was hoping to have early in the spring, he got about as animated as I saw him during our lunch. “Oh, it’s going to be so freeing,” he said. “I can change in the locker room!” In April I checked in with Nancy, and she said in an email that the surgery had gone well: “He is SO happy not to have to wear a binder!”\n\nScott’s assessment process centered mostly on the basic readiness questions Edwards-Leeper and Leibowitz are convinced should be asked of any young person considering hormones. But his was a relatively clear-cut case: He’d had unwavering gender dysphoria since early childhood, a lack of serious mental-health concerns, and a generally supportive family. For other gender-dysphoric young people, mental-health problems and family dynamics can complicate the transition process, though they are by no means, on their own, an indication that someone shouldn’t transition.\n\nI met Orion Foss at a vegetarian café in the Dennison Place neighborhood of Columbus. Orion is an expressive 18-year-old with big eyes who is where Scott Padberg may be in a couple of years. Orion’s gender trajectory was a bit different, though. As a teenager, he identified as a lesbian and became involved in the local LGBTQ scene. He says that in 2014, when he was 14 years old and trans narratives were starting to show up more frequently on social media, he realized he was trans. He was also suffering from severe depression and anxiety at the time, which had led to self-harm issues, as well as what may have been an undiagnosed eating disorder. Orion believed that additional weight went straight to his hips and chest, accentuating his feminine features. At one point, he dipped down to 70 pounds.\n\nA year or so after he realized he was trans, he told his mother, an ob-gyn, who took him to the thrive program at Nationwide, which had recently opened. (Leibowitz didn’t work there yet.) Orion met with two clinicians for an eight-hour assessment. He told me he was “definitely intimidated,” but if “you want to do something permanent to your body, you have to be absolutely positive that there’s no other way of doing it.”\n\nAt the time, Orion was initially upset that, because he was underage, thrive wouldn’t put him on hormones without the consent of both parents (his father had signed off, but his mother had not). He started sobbing when he found out. But the thrive team made clear that it was going to help him get where he wanted to be. In the meantime, a thrive therapist, Lourdes Hill, would work with Orion to address his anxiety and depression.\n\nLooking back, Orion sees the value of this process. “If I had been put on hormone therapy when I didn’t have my identity settled, and who I was settled, and my emotions settled, it would have been crazy. ’Cause when I did start hormone therapy, hormones shoot your mood all around, and it’s not exactly safe to just shoot hormones into someone that’s not stable.” He ended up seeing Hill for weekly appointments, talking about not only his gender-identity and mental-health issues, but a host of other subjects as well. “She weeded through every possible issue with me that she could get to,” he said. “I’m glad she made me wait. And I’m glad the structure was there so I couldn’t just throw myself into something that probably would have made me worse off.”\n\nEventually, his mother, who was “very hesitant,” and was refusing to sign the paperwork for him to start hormones, came around. The thrive team helped her come to grips with the fact that the child she had always known as her daughter was going to become her son. “Lourdes was the driving force in that,” Orion told me in a follow-up email. “Spent a lot of time with me and my mother in therapy.”\n\nWhen he was finally able to begin the hormone treatments, Orion said, he “immediately felt this weight off my shoulders.” His dosage was gradually increased and then, in May 2017, he got a double mastectomy. Orion’s transition has clearly had a profoundly beneficial effect. It’s changed the way he carries himself in the world. Before, “I would sit like this”—he slouched over—“and hide every possible female thing about me.” Now, he said, he can sit up straight. He feels like himself.\n\nOrion Foss worked with the clinicians at Ohio’s THRIVE clinic on his mental health, his mother’s concerns, and, eventually, his transition. (Matt Eich)\n\nSome parents struggle with the challenges of raising a TGNC child, and they can make gender clinicians’ already complicated jobs that much more complicated. Many, like Orion Foss’s mother, have trouble accepting the idea of their child transitioning. She, at least, came around. In other cases, parents not only refuse to help their child receive treatment but physically abuse them or kick them out of the house. (Reliable numbers for trans young people specifically are hard to come by, but LGBTQ youth are 120 percent more likely than their straight or cisgender counterparts to experience a period of homelessness, according to a study by Chapin Hall, a research center at the University of Chicago.)\n\nBut progressive-minded parents can sometimes be a problem for their kids as well. Several of the clinicians I spoke with, including Nate Sharon, Laura Edwards-Leeper, and Scott Leibowitz, recounted new patients’ arriving at their clinics, their parents having already developed detailed plans for them to transition. “I’ve actually had patients with parents pressuring me to recommend their kids start hormones,” Sharon said.\n\nIn these cases, the child might be capably navigating a liminal period of gender exploration; it’s the parents who are having trouble not knowing whether their kid is a boy or a girl. As Sharon put it: “Everything’s going great, but Mom’s like, ‘My transgender kid is going to commit suicide as soon as he starts puberty, and we need to start the hormones now.’ And I’m like, ‘Actually, your kid’s just fine right now. And we want to leave it open to him, for him to decide that.’ Don’t put that in stone for this kid, you know?”\n\n\nScott Leibowitz, a psychiatrist who treats children and adolescents in Columbus, Ohio, is a proponent of comprehensive assessments for young people seeking to transition. (Matt Eich)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDelta, a patient of Laura Edwards-Leeper who wanted to transition. Edwards-Leeper counseled her to take things slowly and to work on her co-occurring mental-health issues. Her gender dysphoria eventually lifted. (Matt Eich)\n\n\nIt’s imperative to remember that Delta’s is a kind of story that can happen only in a place where trans people are accepted—and where parents, even skeptical ones like Jenny, are open-minded enough to take their kid to a clinician like Edwards-Leeper. In vast swaths of the United States, kids coming out as trans are much more likely to be met with hostility than with enhanced social status or recognition, and their parents are more likely to lack the willingness—or the resources—to find them care. But to deny the possibility of a connection between social influences and gender-identity exploration among adolescents would require ignoring a lot of what we know about the developing teenage brain—which is more susceptible to peer influence, more impulsive, and less adept at weighing long-term outcomes and consequences than fully developed adult brains—as well as individual stories like Delta’s.\n\nNot everyone agrees about the importance of comprehensive assessments for transgender and gender-nonconforming youth. Within the small community of clinicians who work with TGNC young people, some have a reputation for being skeptical about the value of assessments. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, a physician who specializes in pediatric and adolescent medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and who is the medical director of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development, is one of the most sought-out voices on these issues, and has significant differences with Edwards-Leeper and Leibowitz. In “Mental Health Disparities Among Transgender Youth: Rethinking the Role of Professionals,” a 2016 jama Pediatrics article, she wrote that “establishing a therapeutic relationship entails honesty and a sense of safety that can be compromised if young people believe that what they need and deserve (potentially blockers, hormones, or surgery) can be denied them according to the information they provide to the therapist.”\n\nThis view is informed by the fact that Olson-Kennedy is not convinced that mental-health assessments lead to better outcomes. “We don’t actually have data on whether psychological assessments lower regret rates,” she told me. She believes that therapy can be helpful for many TGNC young people, but she opposes mandating mental-health assessments for all kids seeking to transition. As she put it when we talked, “I don’t send someone to a therapist when I’m going to start them on insulin.” Of course, gender dysphoria is listed in the DSM-5; juvenile diabetes is not.\n\nOne recent study co-authored by Olson-Kennedy, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, showed that her clinic is giving cross-sex hormones to kids as young as 12. This presses against the boundaries of the Endocrine Society’s guidelines, which state that while “there may be compelling reasons to initiate sex hormone treatment prior to age 16 years … there is minimal published experience treating prior to 13.5 to 14 years of age.”\n\nIf you see gender-dysphoric 13- and 14-year-olds not as young people with a condition that may or may not indicate a permanent identity, but as trans kids, full stop, it makes sense to want to grant them access to transition resources as quickly as possible. Olson-Kennedy said that the majority of the patients she sees do need that access. She said she sees a small number of patients who desist or later regret transitioning; those patients, in her opinion, shouldn’t dictate the care of others. She would like to see a radical reshaping of care for TGNC young people. “The way that the care has been organized is around assuring the certainty and decreasing the discomfort of the professionals (usually cisgender) who determine if the young people are ready or not,” she told me. “And that’s a broken model.”\n\n\n\nExperiencing gender dysphoria isn’t the same as experiencing anxiety or depression or psychological ailments, of course. But in certain ways it is similar: As with other psychiatric conditions, some people experience dysphoria more acutely than others; its severity can wax and wane within an individual based on a variety of factors; it is in many cases intimately tied to an individual’s social and familial life. For some people, it will pass; for others, it can be resolved without medical interventions; for still others, only the most thorough treatment available will relieve immense suffering. We recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating anxiety or depression, and a strong case can be made that the same logic should prevail with gender dysphoria.\n\nPerhaps a first step is to recognize detransitioners and desisters as being on the same “side” as happily transitioned trans people. Members of each of these groups have experienced gender dysphoria at some point, and all have a right to compassionate, comprehensive care, whether or not that includes hormones or surgery. “The detransitioner is probably just as scarred by the system as the transitioner who didn’t have access to transition,” Leibowitz told me. The best way to build a system that fails fewer people is to acknowledge the staggering complexity of gender dysphoria—and to acknowledge just how early we are in the process of understanding it.\n\nThis article appears in the July/August 2018 print edition with the headline “Your Child Says She’s Trans. She Wants Hormones and Surgery. She’s 13.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8275453448295593}
+{"content": "Handmade Kustom Art\n\nHere you will find the Kustom workshop.\n\n\nYou have an idea as a drawing, a club logo, a company logo or anything else that you would like to realize as a 3D sculpture, relief picture or as an article of daily use, for example shift knobs in your vintage car? - Yes that works!\n\n\nThe sculptures are modelled or carved by hand depending on the size. In order to reproduce the individual works as limited editions or to make them robust and suitable for everyday use, the original sculptures are then moulded and casted by hand from hard plastic after the original, cleaned and hand-painted. Thus each piece remains unique. \n\n\nThe pieces of daily use like gear shifter knobs, beerhandletaps, music instruments etc. are finished with 2-part car lacquer and are thus perfectly weather, alcohol and cleaning agent resistant. \n\n\nIn the gallery you will find an overview of the sculpture works. It is a mix of different craft techniques.  Carvings, sculptures, alterations, airbrush and paint jobs, .... Customer orders, ideas, realisations.\n\n\n\nshifter Knobs\n\n\nzum aufstellen & sammeln\n\nWall Hangers\n\netwas für an die wand", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7385002374649048}
+{"content": "Brett Mensh, data set Ia and Ib 1a was done by averaging the DC level over the latter two-thirds or so of the epoch for each channel (starting after the initial \"notch\" that can be seen in the averaged data). This provided one dimension for each channel for channels one and two. For the other channels, the slope of the time-domain signal was used, but this turned out to be unhelpful, so we discarded it. Additional dimensions were supplied by spectral analysis using the Thomson multitaper method; channels 4 and 6 showed differential power in the 24-37 Hz frequency range between the two conditions and thus were used in the final algorithm. All these dimensions were fed into the built-in linear classifier in Matlab 6 (called \"classify\"). Support Vector Machine did slightly better on the fully-jacknifed training set, but was not used for the competition. 1b was done similarly, except that DC level was not used (it didn't appear to be different between the two conditions), so it was all spectra power. In one of the data sets, a slight improvement was noted for laplacian-transformed electrode data. I'd have to look up which one it was (and the exact frequency bands that we used), if that information is important. 1b seemed pretty hopeless and I believe our spectral separation was shaky at best. I'll be amazed if anyone does better than 65% on this data set. But on 1a, 75% was achievable just using the DC level on channels 1 and 2 (for the training set).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9077082872390747}
+{"content": "Tours - Vendée\n\nOur last Tours\n\nDiscovering Château d'Olonne\n\nBetween sea and countryside, the ocean harmony.\n\n\n\nFacing the atlantic ocean, at the heart of the côte de lumière, the commune of Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez enjoys an exceptional position, providing to its visitors the diversity and richness of its protected natural areas.\n\nchurch bourrine the-white-gold the-green-lung\n\nVisit cities in Vendée\n\nDiscover the cities in the vendée. visit the tourist places, profit from our tourist tours. we propose to you a great choice of lodgings in the department of the vendée, the hotels, the lodgings, b&bs etc.\n\nwelcome-to-maillezais welcome-to-saint-michel-en-l-herm\n\n\nIn 1804 when the town of la roche-sur-yon was founded by napoleon i, it was simply an isolated village. today la roche-sur-yon is the principal town of the vendee region and is renowned for its spectacular growth, making it a new town of the 21st century.\n\nnapoleon-square the-theatre-in-la-roche-sur-yon arago-swimming-pool the-yon-river\n\nDiscovering vendée\n\nDiscover towns and cities to visit in the Vendée department.\n\ndiscover-mareuil-sur-lay discover-the-town-of-saint-michel-en-l-herm discover-l-aiguillon-sur-mer discover-olonne-sur-mer\n\nStrolls in Vendée\n\n\n\nBeauvoir-Sur-Mer and its region\n\nThis village at the sea side has lots of surprises to offer you.\n\nbeauvoir-sur-mer bouin saint-gervais saint-urbain", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9643058776855469}
+{"content": "@misc{_Political, abstract={\n\nThe topic of the article is a description of European urbonyms which fulfilled both political and commemorative roles in the past. The city names are presented in chronological order starting from ancient times to the 20th century. The ancient toponyms are related to the expansion of the Roman Empire, and the names of Roman emperors are used as a foundation for these toponyms. Such urbonyms created on the outskirts of the Roman Empire made reference to their new political allegiance and confirmed it. These naming practices therefore played an important role in the process of territorial expansion and the consolidation of political control. This naming model was also present in Byzantium, and became popular on the outskirts of medieval Ruthenia under the influence of the Byzantine Empire. The tradition of commemorating political rulers through toponyms stayed constant in the Eastern Slavic regions, and was continued by the Russian monarchy as well as the USSR. Such naming practices were initially used as a tool for the structural organisation of Kievan Rus’, and later to erase foreign names from these regions of Tsarist Russia. In Communist times, this tradition reaffirmed the new political reality through the use of surnames of political figures in toponyms. In the 20th century there was an increase in surnames featured in urbanonyms (the names of streets, squares, housing estates). This increase was meant to preserve the memory of remarkable individuals in society.\n\n}, title={Political and Commemorative Functions of the Deanthroponymic Urbonyms}, keywords={urbonyms with ruler’s names, territorial expansion, surnames in the urbonyms and urbanonyms}, }", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.558521032333374}
+{"content": "Първичните избори от 1 юни 1996 г.: д-р Желю Желев срещу Петър Стоянов\n\nАсен Тютюнджиев\n\n\nThe article examines the primary election within the democratic community in Bulgaria on 1 June 1996 that aimed to nominate a united opposition candidate for the forthcoming presidential election in the autumn of that year. Bulgaria became the first country outside the USA to have adopted such a procedure which had the purpose to avoid the split of the right vote. Then Bulgaria was in dire straits – the socialist government headed by Zhan Videnov seemed to be unable to overcome the hardships that faced the country suffering the most severe economic and financial crisis in its recent history. The majority of the Bulgarians lived in poverty and only a few months later their discontent escalated and the country was on the verge of a civil war. The democratic opposition was in dilemma as it was divided between the incumbent President Dr Zhelyu Zhelev, supported by the People’s Union coalition (PU), made up of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union (BANU) and the Democratic Party (DP) on the one hand, and the candidate of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) Petar Stoyanov. The latter was a young lawyer, MP and UDF deputy chair who was not very famous by that time but was able to win the popular vote with his energy and charisma. The author of the article thinks that Zhelyu Zhelev made a serious mistake by participating in the primary election since he relied on his popularity from the past as a dissident and an emblematic figure of the Bulgarian transition period to democracy. He underestimated the UDF which was the biggest and strongest opposition organization having enormous resources and structures in the whole country. For Dr Zhelev the loss of the election meant an end of his political career while his opponent won the presidential election in November against the candidate of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). For the UDF, headed by Ivan Kostov, the victory in the presidential election was a stepping-stone for the seizure of political power after the parliamentary election in April 1997.\n\nКлючови думи:\n\nZhelyu Zhelev, Petar Stoyanov, primary election, Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), economic crisis.\n\n\n120 изтегляния от 18.12.2018 г.\nNA / Bulgaria / Cote D'Ivoire / Europe / Germany / Romania / Russian Federation / Sweden / Thailand / Turkey / Ukraine / United Kingdom / United States", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6763613224029541}
+{"content": "Traditionally, language teacher training usually concentrates on developing fluency in the teaching of skills such as reading, writing, speaking and listening. There is not much concern about other types of interaction. Only little attention has been given in language teaching to non-verbal communication as a complement to spoken language.\n\nIt is said that as little as 7 percent of communication takes place verbally (Mehrabian 1971), and that facial expressions, gestures and posture are huge parts of our culture and communication. It seems advisable that we should at least point out the importance of non-verbal communication in order to improve language teachers’ skills and students’ use of L2. It increases confidence and fluency and helps to avoid misunderstandings.\n\nCommunication is an interdisciplinary study\n\nThe importance of non-verbal aspects of communication became part of the language teaching as well.\n\nCultural context\n\nNon-verbal behaviour of a teacher determines the basis of the student’s understanding of the L2 culture. Therefore, the cultural context should be taught and practised in the classroom. Almost all elements of the non-verbal communication are related to culture. This is the reason why teacher training colleges focus on the culture, history and literature of the target language. Most of their courses are one of these subjects.\n\nThe listener’s face is also a good detector and a well-trained teacher can interpret those signs.\n\nAspects of non-verbal communication\n\nIt has been categorised in many ways and some of the aspects should be mentioned and even discussed throughout the teacher-trainee years.\n\n  • Kinesics (The systematic use of facial expressions, body motions, eye movements and gestures in order to communicate meaning)\n    1. Facial expressions: The human face is a special ‘tool’ for registering emotions, understanding, doubt or agreement, etc.\n    2. Eye contact: Studies have shown that several patterns of behaviour are related to the eye movement, which is usually subconscious and many of us are unaware of this unless we are told about them. For example, ‘eyebrow flashing’ seems to be ‘out of our control’. In a classroom, eye contact is an important way of showing students that we are aware of their presence.\n    3. Gesture: They are usually the emphasis of our uttered message. Some cultures tend to use more gestures; for example, it is often mentioned when it comes to the Italians or to some Arabic countries. It is often said that non-verbal communication can be learnt because there are some universal gestures and expressions such as smiles, laughter etc. But misunderstandings happen and in order to avoid them the teachers must emphasize the significance of cultural differences. Some examples:\n\nPicture taken from (Access: 2018-11-16)\n\n4. Body posture: It can indicate the relative status quo of the communicator or their attitude during the communication. For instance, an experienced ‘non-verbalist’ can read the signs of interest or boredom.\n\n  • Proxemics: Probably the best definition is that proxemics is ‘the study of the physical distance between people when they are talking to each other, as well as their postures and whether or not there is a physical contact during their conversation’ (Richards at al, 1992).\n\nAll cultures and societies have their own degree of this proximity and invasion of the private space is always considered to be rudeness. There is a personal distance for closer relationships, a social consultative one for impersonal relationships and a common public distance for public occasion. The figures may vary depending on the given culture.\n\nThe gender factor must also be mentioned, since women tend to use touch to signal things like agreement or sympathy, whereas men usually do not touch each other in the same kind of situations.\n\nNon-verbal behaviour in the classroom\n\nA good language teacher usually can be recognised by their use of gesture even in a private conversation.\n\nAs teaching is an interpersonal activity, non-verbal signs become very important during the process. The teacher transmits signals to motivate, to encourage and to influence students, and students’ non-verbal signs are feedback as well, for example they can indicate interest or lack of understanding.\n\nThe use of eye contact to convey messages is an important non-verbal sign. The eyes are powerful tools for both the teacher and the learner, yet much classroom time is spent with eyes firmly fixed on the book, the board.\n\nWhat is mostly taught to teachers during their college years is to develop ‘the look’ as part of their discipline technique. It is often forgotten that eye contact also can be used as a correction tool. A well-timed eye-flashing may encourage students to correct themselves immediately. It is time saving for the teacher.\n\nAnd what is more important, making an eye contact is a sign for communicating: ‘I am here for you and I am aware of that you are here too.’\n\nCleverly using the proper proximity is also a good technique. Usually the teacher is not too close physically to the students. Making a friendly eye contact while walking slowly to a student will not be interpreted as a threat, rather a polite request of ‘May I help you? I can tell by the look on your face that you do not understand something’. It is most likely that the students will be more opened about admitting that they are lost or they do not understand something.\n\nAll in all, using non-verbal communication reduces unnecessary teacher talking time, increases learner participation and confidence, reduces times of silence, livens up classroom atmosphere, improves group and oral activities, encourages self-correction of the students and strengthens their intercultural competence.\n\n\n1.) Molnár, K. – Martin, B.: Essentials of Applied Linguistics for English language teachers\n\n2.) Darn, S.: Aspects of Nonverbal Communication   (Date: 2018-11-16)\n\n3.) Ledbury, R., White, I. and Darn, S.: The Importance of Eye Contact in the Classroom  (Date: 2018-11-16)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.818011999130249}
+{"content": "\n\nAjay Castro, Sowmya (2017). Porphyromonas gingivalis gingipains cause defective macrophage migration towards apoptotic cells and inhibit phagocytosis of primary apoptotic neutrophils. PHD thesis, Aston University.\n\n\nResolution of inflammation involves suppression of inflammatory cell infiltration, effective clearance of apoptotic cells and induction of an anti-inflammatory response thereby re-establishing tissue homeostasis. Defects in this process may lead to chronic inflammatory diseases and tissue destruction. Periodontitis is a chronic oral inflammatory disease characterised by an aberrant host response to a pathogenic plaque biofilm resulting in local tissue damage and frustrated healing that can result in tooth loss. Cysteine proteases (Gingipains) from the key periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis have been implicated in periodontal disease pathogenesis by inhibiting inflammation resolution and are linked with systemic chronic inflammatory disease e.g. rheumatoid arthritis. Given the importance of successful clearance of AC by the innate immune system in the restoration of tissue homeostasis and maintenance of healthy tissues, this project sought to characterise the impact of proteolytic enzymes from P.gingivalis on the innate immune response. The impact on AC clearance and innate immune responses was assessed.This project addressed the specific hypothesis that gingipains promote disease by acting to inhibit multiple stages of the AC clearance process. The effect of gingipains on the ability of macrophages to find AC, interact with and remove AC and respond appropriately were assessed. Gingipain treatment of macrophages was shown to reduce the ability of macrophages to migrate towards AC. In addition, expression of CD14, a key receptor known to tether AC, was also reduced. Together these gingipain-induced innate immune changes reduced effective clearance of AC at two separate points in the clearance process (migration and tethering) thus reducing the AC binding to phagocytes. Data presented here also suggest that gingipains reduced anti-inflammatory mediators (TGF-β and IL-10) in macrophages phagocytosing apoptotic neutrophils. Furthermore, whilst apoptotic neutrophils turn off the inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide from P.gingivalis, they fail to turn off the novel gingipain induced inflammatory cytokine production. These data suggest that gingipains induce a strong and dominant pro-inflammatory response that may be resistant to inhibition by AC. Taken together, the work presented here reveals several key stages of the resolution phase of inflammation are inhibited. The failure of this process will result in immune cell necrosis and release of inflammatory mediators into the gingival crevicular fluid to cause catastrophic consequences of inflammation in the periodontal region. For the first time, this work suggests that gingipains may be potent contributors to chronic periodontal inflammation via their impact on multiple stages of the AC clearance process and thus represent a potential therapeutic target.\n\nDivisions: Aston University (General)\nInstitution: Aston University\nCompleted Date: 2017-12-05\nAuthors: Ajay Castro, Sowmya\n\n\nExport / Share Citation\n\n\nAdditional statistics for this record", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9988055229187012}
+{"content": "A garden share app that rebuilds connections within urban communities\n[UW HCID 511] Ideation Studio\n\nTIMEFRAME 10 weeks\n\nTEAM Duminda Aluthgamage\n          Kristina Rakestraw\n\nROLE Interaction Design\n          UI Design\n          Design Research\n          Usability Research\n\n\nThe pitch\n\nSeedspace is a garden share application that connects urban dwellers to green spaces. It allows users to search for and rent gardens from the hosts who are willing to share. It rebuilds connections within urban communities, and provides an alternative local solution of food produce, reducing carbon footprint by minimizing transportation and trading activities. This app has 3 potential user groups: New User, Gardener, and Host.\n\n*New User\n\nA new user can search gardens nearby, and send an application to a Host when they are ready to join the community. It is possible to be just a wanderer in the Seedspace community without ever becoming a Host or a Gardener, through education and exploration.\n\n\n\n\nAfter a successful application, gardeners can access a dashboard with all information needed for tending a garden. It includes stats about their garden and their ongoing visits. Through the dashboard, gardeners can also set their garden visiting schedule, and communicate with their hosts or other gardeners through the message function.\n\n\n\n\nUsers who are willing to share their garden can apply to become hosts. Once approved, they can access the host dashboard, which allows them to post gardens, check garden stats, and approve applications. When posting, hosts can setup very specific requirements for prospected gardeners, including preferred plant type, gardener visiting frequency, and minimum gardening period.\n\n\nGarden profile + adding garden\n\nThe challenge\n\nWe live in a rapidly urbanizing world, where technology is used to advance society, but often leaves us disconnected from each other. We have dismissed nature and shifted our values, in search of progress. It’s time to change our focus back to the land and our community in order to grow a smart future together.\n\n\"How might we reconnect urban dwellers back to the land and the food they consume?\"\n\nCommunity Garden Shortage\n\nThrough our secondary research, we discovered that many cities are facing a “community garden shortage”, which keeps many residents away from gardening in urban areas.  For example, community gardens, known as P-patches, in Seattle, generally has a long waiting list. Over 45% of the gardens have a wait time longer than 1 year.\n\nDesign process\n\n\nWe crafted stories in order to ground initial ideas in context and flesh out the high level thinking. In doing so, we were able to humanize our ideas and consider the broader interactions that would need to incorporated. Below is a storyboard we made that most closely aligns with our final design solution.\n\n*Paper prototype\n\nWe crafted and tested our concept with five participants using paper prototypes and Think Aloud protocol. Our goal was to better understand user needs and goals.\n\nKey insights\n\n1. The concept makes most sense in an urban environment\n\n2. Knowing how engaged a “Gardener” might want to be is an important factor to consider\n\n3. Starting a system from scratch poses trust issues\n\n*Click-through prototype\n\nFor our second round of prototype evaluations, we tested a click-through, low-fidelity prototype with five participants. The goal of the testing sessions was evaluative rather than generative. Sessions were focused on assessing task completion, with follow-up questions around the difficulty of the tasks and any thoughts around moments of confusion or mismatched expectations.\n\nKey insights\n\n1. Users want more control over the search function\n\n2. User experience for Host, Gardener and Wanderer should be consistant\n\n3. Potential users who are both gardeners and hosts may require a role-switch function\n\n4. Major user flow should be emphasised, and some functions can be eliminated after careful evaluation\n\nFinal design\n\n*Application map\n\n*User flow\n\n*Selected hi-fidelity screens\n\n\nTakeaway: Creating a product from scratch within 10 weeks was an intensive but very valuable learning experience. Rapid research, ideation and design decision making significantly improved our skill of balancing between the broad scope envisioned and tight timeframe.\n\nNext Steps: We will explore the design opportunities in a few more areas. For instance, we have the vision to create “Seeds of Knowledge”, a gamified and interactive educational function within the app, to users who are neither a host or gardener. We also would like to provide additional sharing experience associated with food produce.\n\nback to top\n\n  • email\n  • Linkedin\n  • Medium\n  • Instagram", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9034324884414673}
+{"content": "January is Birth Defects Prevention Month\n\nBirth Defects are common, costly and critical. Every 4 ½ minutes a baby is born with a major birth defect. In Arkansas, approximately 1 in every 25 births results in a birth defect.\n\nBecome an active participant in Birth Defects Prevention Month and join the nationwide effort to raise awareness of birth defects, their causes and their impact.\n\nNot all birth defects can be prevented; however, all women, including teens, can lower their risk of having a baby born with a birth defect by following some basic health guidelines throughout their reproductive years. This year we are encouraging all women to make a PACT for prevention.\n\nPlan ahead\n\nAvoid harmful substances\n\nChoose a healthy lifestyle\n\nTalk to your doctor\n\nWomen and the people who love them can participate in their PACT and take these important preventive steps that can lead to a reduction in the number of birth defects. Learn more about the effect you can have on birth defects at www.nbdpn.org/bdpm2015.php. Visit the AR Center for Birth Defects and Prevention website at http://www.arpediatrics.org/research/birth-defects-research-a-prevention and http://arbirthdefectsresearch.uams.edu.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.633415162563324}
+{"content": "Who Again? Who's Next?\n\n\nAlter Ego: Daniel Dunbar\nKnown Alias: Dan, the Dyna-Mite\nMarital Status: single\nKnown Relatives: none\nGroup Affiliation: All-Star Squadron, Young All-Stars, the Doves (see Brave and the Bold #211-220), Echoes of Justice (see Showcase #11)\nBase of Operations: Washington, DC\nFirst faux-DC Appearance: Brave and the Bold #211\nHeight: 6'0\" Weight: 180 lbs\nEyes: Blue Hair: Red\n\nHistory: The star pupil of teacher Thomas N. Thomas, Dunbar was working late with Thomas when a freak accident involving radioactive chemicals gave both Thomas and Dunbar powerful, albeit short-lived, abilities. They used their powers to fight crime, as TNT and Dan the Dyna-Mite, and were inducted into the All-Star Squadron. After TNT was killed in a bizarre gardening accident, Dyna-Mite continued to play the hero, first with the Squadron and later with the Young All-Stars. At the end of the war Dunbar was preparing to go to college when he was contacted by unnamed men who persuaded her to continue using her powers to help the US government, but in a more covert way. Years later, at the invitation of the White Sorcerer, he was a member of the superhero team the Echoes of Justice.\n\nPowers/Weapons: Dunbar, by slapping his two hands together, gains\nsuperstrength and the ability to project blasts of energy, as well as\nconvey electricity via his punches. His powers have grown since he first\ngained them, and the duration of his abilities is now much longer than\nit was previously.\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9582660794258118}
+{"content": "5 Effective Home Remedies For Wheezing\n\n\nHome Remedies For Wheezing\n\nWheezing denotes breathing problems. It is a high pitched whistling sound which occurs when the patient breathes. When the patient inhales, the air moves through the narrowed breathing tubes with a distinct rattling and raspy sound. The sound of wheezing is more loud and obvious when exhaling. The wheezing usually comes from the small bronchial tubes which are situated deep within the chest. It occurs when there is a blockage to obstruct the flow of air in and out of the lungs.\n\nThe breathing becomes difficult and laboured due to the inflammation and spasm of the muscles in the walls of the airways. The main reasons for wheezing are asthma, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, emphysema, gastroesophageal disease, pneumonia, smoking, certain medications and viral infections. Many people who have allergies and suffer from hay fever also have bouts of wheezing. Wheezing is often accompanied by a tightening in the chest, coughing and shortness of breath.\n\nBest Home Remedies For Wheezing\n\n\nGarlic To Reduce Wheezing\n\nGarlic is very good for curing the breathing difficulties and eliminating the wheezing sound. It has powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties which not only take care of the viral infection but also reduce the inflammation and clear off the congestion in the lungs. Prepare some clear tomato soup and add three minced cloves of garlic to it. Drink this, twice daily to clear the obstruction from the air passages.\n\nEucalyptus Oil\n\nEucalyptus Oil To Reduce Wheezing\n\nRub some eucalyptus oil on your chest for a few minutes then cover your chest with a warm woolen cloth. Keep your chest covered for one hour. The powerful anti-inflammatory properties of eucalyptus oil will reduce the inflammation in the bronchial tubes instantly.Massage your chest before you go to bed and keep a handkerchief sprinkled with eucalyptus oil next to your pillow when sleeping. When you breathe in the fumes of the oil, they will facilitate your breathing and will keep you relaxed.\n\n\nHoney To Reduce Wheezing\n\nHoney has been used since time unknown for curing innumerable diseases and disorders. It has potent infection fighting abilities and powerful soothing and calming properties which facilitate breathing by reducing the inflammation in the air passages.Take a glass of hot water and mix one teaspoon of honey into it. Drink this mixture slowly, three times daily. Honey will also remove the phlegm from the throat and bronchial tubes.\n\nMustard Oil\n\nMustard Oil Reduce Wheezing\n\nMustard oil can bring immediate relief in an asthma attack and ease the breathing. Heat some mustard oil and dissolve a piece of camphor into it. Massage the back and the chest with this oil for fifteen minutes. Mustard oil has rubefacient properties which generate heat and stimulate the blood circulation. It clears up the respiratory passage and allows the air to flow in and flow out without any hindrance. Use the massage three times daily.\n\n\nOnions Reduce Wheezing\n\nTry to eat rawonions with every meal. The sulfur compounds found in onions contain antimicrobial elements that fight all kinds of infections. Onions are also very effective against colds, coughs and asthma.The excellent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of onions decrease the inflammation in the lungs and help to clear the airways thus making breathing normal and relaxed.\n\n5 Effective Home Remedies For Wheezing", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8843514919281006}
+{"content": "If you think there isn’t much to know about these majestic animals, think again. Check out these 10 facts about tigers that will make you even more fascinated by these felines.\n\n\nThey are the biggest cats\n\nThere are many cat species around the world and, as we very well know it, they come in all sizes. But if you would like to know which one is the biggest, then here we have the answer – the tiger.\n\nIt can weigh up to 800 pounds and measure up to 10.8 feet. No wonder they eat only meat, they have to sustain their considerable size somehow.\n\n\nChases in high speed\n\nDon’t be fooled by its size, in case you ever find yourself in an area where there’s a tiger nearby. The fact that they are big doesn’t mean that they are slow. In fact, at full speed, they can reach up to 40 mph.\n\nGranted, this speed is usually not sustained for long periods of time and occurs in short bursts, but it still is impressive.\n\n\nEvery tiger out there has a unique pattern\n\nYes, you read that right. Stripes are for tigers what fingerprints are for people. Every individual can be easily identified by the pattern of its stripes. Moreover, this also appears on their skin, so you could identify the pattern if shaven.\n\nAs nature tends to be quietly skilled when it comes to blending in, stripes help the wild cats remain undetected by their prey for a longer period of time, giving them an increased chance of a successful hunt.\n\nSolitary hunters who go out at night\n\nThese beautiful big cats have a lifespan of 14 years, with 10 being the average when living in the wild. They generally go on living solitary lives with 2 exceptions: the mating season and females raising their cubs.\n\nThese royal hunters usually roam their territories at night, and this is because their main diet consists of nocturnal animals such as wild boar, deer, elk and others. Moreover, if they only go out at night, they avoid human interaction.\n\n\nJump up to 12 – 16ft\n\nEven if tigers are big and heavy animals, they are also extremely agile when it comes to physical performances. There are no statistical numbers on how high one can effortlessly jump, but not-so-fortunate experiences have taught us a thing or two on this topic.\n\nAfter several zoo incidents, it is widely accepted and recommended that fences around these mammals be at least 12-foot high, some going up to 16.4 feet, to avoid escapes.  \n\n\nThey like water and can swim up to 3.7 miles\n\nUnlike most of the other cats out there, tigers actually enjoy their time in the water, as their natural habitat includes tropical jungles and streams.\n\nThey are good swimmers and they can be seen quite often cooling off in different water sources. The area they can cover by swimming is also quite large, as they can go for distances of up to 3.7 miles.\n\n\nTiger territory and communication\n\nThese big cats need impressive hunting territories and these can range from 7 to 38 square miles. Males usually have larger ones which can overlap with those of females for mating purposes.\n\nHowever, males and females never share overlapping territories with those of the same gender. Tigers communicate through roars that can go as far as 1.8 miles, and through scent marking.\n\n\nThe preferred hunting style is by ambush. Usually, if you look at a tiger, a sudden attack is less likely, as the element of surprise is lost. In some parts of India, people wear masks on the back of their heads when walking through forests, to trick tigers into thinking they are being faced.\n\nHumans are not normally seen as prey, and most attacks occur because of a threat or a diminished habitat due to human activity expansion.\n\n\nTiger cubs\n\nOf course, like any other baby in the world, tiger cubs are just adorable when they are little. One interesting fact is that they are born with their tripe pattern already formed. It will spread out as they grow, but will not change.\n\nAs most of the cubs out there, baby tigers need their mothers to teach them everything in order to survive. They start going hunting and looking for food around the age of 8-10 months, but they first do this together.\n\n\nWhite tigers\n\nThese magnificent creatures are actually a variant of the Bengal tigers with a lack of pheomelanin pigmentation which causes their fur to be white. Another even rarer mutation occurs in tigers which are completely white, their stripes being visible only from certain angles.\n\nFor a white tiger to be born, both its parents must carry the unusual gene, and this naturally occurs only once for every 10,000 births.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8366737961769104}
+{"content": "Where’d You Go, Bernadette?\n\nby blaisealana\n\n\nWhere’d You Go, Bernadette? By Maria Semple\n\nI tore through this wry slice of a book, centered around Bernadette, her precocious daughter Bee, and their foibles in my Seattle hometown.  Bernadette is a brilliant architect, though barren of artistic projects since being scorned from the LA architecture scene early in her career.  She and her husband, a Microsoft prodigy, move to Seattle, into a dilapidated former Girl’s School on a coveted piece of land in Seattle’s Queen Anne, with the thought that Bernadette would apply her architectural magic to it.  Instead, roots continue to grow through the floorboards and vines insinuate their way through the roof, creating a living forest for young Bee, who is the good-natured star of her local middle school.  The middle school politics are amusing, and will resonate with Seattleites.\n\nWhen Bee gets a perfect report card, she cashes in on her parents’ promise for a gift of what ever she wants, and Bee chooses a family trip to Antarctica.  Somewhere in between ordering special fishing vests with pockets and astronaut-grade anti-nausea medication for the trip, Bernadette goes AWOL.  Bee and her father are left with a trail of emails from Bernadette’s virtual assistant in India, who may or may not be connected with the Russian mob, and some confusion about Bernadette’s mental state. What ensues is an exceptional adventure that ultimately brings dad and daughter closer, Bernadette a shade closer to sane, and reunites an imperfect family.  Thoroughly enjoyable, often hilarious, and imaginatively written.\n\n*Thank you to my friend Lindee who recommended this excellent book", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6992443799972534}
+{"content": "'Avengers: Infinity War' Directors Asked Ebony Maw Actor To Find The Truth Of His Character\n\nThe Marvel Cinematic Universe isn't known for its compelling villains, as they typically only appear in one film and never reemerge. With Avengers: Infinity War, audiences will finally see Thanos in all his glory, having been teased for years. Thanos won't be embarking on this mission alone, as one of his underlings, Ebony Maw, will be by his side. Fans might not be entirely familiar with Maw just yet, but actor Tom Vaughan-Lawlor promises there's much more to his character than being a mere henchman.\n\n“They were all about the truth of this character and what his objective was and what he wants within that universe,\" Vaughan-Lawlor shared with Inverse of the film's directors pushing his character to be more than just another thug. \"Although you’re playing at the operatic supervillain level, what they were asking of me as an actor was to find the truth of the character in the scenes.”\n\nThe actor, who also played a villain in the zombie film The Cured, might take a break from playing nefarious characters for a bit, with the antagonists seemingly taking a toll on him.\n\n“As I get older, and the more [villains] I play, the more exhausting it becomes,” the actor admitted. “Because you’re really trying to channel something that’s very dark and to bring some truth to it.”\n\nAs if playing the villains isn't exhausting enough, keeping secrets about his character and details of the film are also quite difficult, as he deftly dodged our questions about the film when he spoke to ComicBook.com earlier this year.\n\n\"I'm sure you'll understand and appreciate, me answering that question would not be worth my life,\" Vaughan-Lawlor revealed when asked about what to expect from his character in the film. \"It's very good you know, I remember being asked a question recently about, 'What can't you tell us about the film?' Like, 'What can't I tell you? I can't tell you anything.'\"\n\nVaughan-Lawlor might be taking a break from playing villains, yet it wasn't due to a bad experience on Avengers: Infinity War.\n\n\"I'll have to sidestep the question unfortunately, and say he is an extremely exciting character to play, and he is a very special character,\" the actor confirmed. \"I'm really excited to see how people find him. All I can say really is that the experience was really incredible. It was an amazing thing to work with those guys. It was really special.\"\n\nYou can see Maw when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on April 27th.\n\n\n\nDo you think Avengers: Infinity War will break the MCU's pattern of villains? Let us know in the comments below!\n\n[H/T Inverse]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5774382948875427}
+{"content": "Congress wishes “all the best’ to Tom Vadakan\n\nNew Delhi: Tom Vadakkan’s joining of BJP has not got under the skin of Congress. It seems the party couldn’t care less about his decision. \n\nCongress spokesperson Priyanka Chadurvedi wished him “all the best”.\n\nIt was like Congress was having the last laugh, because many termed his defection befell BJP. \n\nHowever, Vadakkan might enjoy a whiff of freedom for the first time.  Meanwhile, BJP’s Sreedharan Pillai might savour the turncoat.     \n\nVadakkan spent decades at Congress headquarters daydreaming a political career. \n\nAlongside, he vainly spent years convincing Congress leaders that he was a better orator and knew even the intricate bylines of his native Thrissur.\n\nWhat he pined for was a seat in Thrissur and thus to become a lawmaker. He didn’t want anything more. \n\nNo amount of kowtowing before leadership could help him reach anywhere.\n\nBeginning with media job at AICC, over time, he came by decorations like Congress spokesperson.   \n\nAs generations of leadership flowed by, Vadakkan remained stagnant.\n\nEventually, nothing helped him more than Pulwama attack in his darkest hours.\n\nNo matter, all his calculations in career politics may have been erroneous.  But how could he allow the party’s calculation on Pulwama go wrong?\n\nHistory wouldn’t absolve the party of such a crime. Nor was he young enough to bide time for another poll. What’s wrong with BJP after all?\n\nIf Kannathanam could become minister, Kummanam a governor, what’s more befitting than jumping on the BJP bandwagon?  \n\nLet Modi-Shah conglomerate decide how best to utilize this body.  Let them take into account his years spent at AICC placing order for tea and snacks.  \n\nWill this asset be a liability to BJP? Only time will tell. \n\nPerhaps, Vadakkan would mouth off to all those khadar-wearing backdashers in Kerala like Mammotty did in the film Vadakkan Veeragaatha, “No boys, you can’t beat Tom, People are with me”.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7399626970291138}
+{"content": "Kerry Group Case Analysis\n\nThe Kerry Group began over thirty years ago in the south west region of Ireland. Beginning as a dairy and ingredients plant the company has now flourished into a global leader in the food ingredients and flavor products area. Kerry Group is headquartered in Tralee, Ireland and through its manufacturing, sales, and technical centers around the world, employs over 20,000 people. The company supplies over 10,000 food, food ingredients and other flavor products to customers in over 140 countries.\n\nKerry Group also has manufacturing and sales facilities in over 20 countries. When Ireland joined the EEC or European Economic Community in 1973 many small dairies began to merge in order to compete with the larger dairy producing companies. Kerry also participated in the mergers with help from the milk suppliers of the County. Kerry acquired the State owned milk processing company along with its creameries. The Group also held a 42.5% stake in the NKMP Company for a total of 1.5 million Euros.\n\nAt the same time, six of the eight independent Co-ops, which owned the other 42.5% stake, were acquired and became a new subsidiary of the Kerry Co-operative Creameries Ltd, which began trading in 1974. Kerry began as the smallest of six agricultural co-ops, a position that was soon to change.\n\nAs Kerry began growing they developed some key values in the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis that are the backbone for the success of the Kerry Group. The major strength of the Kerry Group is procurement. Procurement allows Kerry to use available global resources in specialty ingredients, seasonings, coating systems, sweet ingredients, nutritional systems, and specialty proteins; by doing this they are able to acquire the highest-quality raw materials.\n\nAnother strength of Kerry is technological development. Through technological development Kerry is able to develop flavors and gain an advantage over the competition. Kerry gains this technological advantage through research and development and acquisitions. The weaknesses of Kerry Group include the firm infrastructure.\n\nThe Group's debt-to-equity ratio is inordinately high for a company of Kerry's size. Another weakness is in Kerry's Human Resource Management division. Management encourages the employees to think \"Kerry\" or in sense be \"Kerryized,\" if employees do not follow this style of thinking they are let go. This type of HRM does not promote a high sense of creativity. The opportunities of the Kerry Group include rivalry and suppliers.\n\nRivalry is low for the company. Kerry does not compete with one particular firm head-to-head across their entire product line. Also, Kerry owns most of their suppliers which allows the company to control cost and production; this in turn creates a huge opportunity for Kerry. And finally there are the threats for Kerry Group, which also include rivalry, as well as new entrants and substitution. We believed that rivalry was also a threat for the Kerry Group because many of Kerry's competitors are actual buyers.\n\nReverse integration could occur, which means that buyers begin making the product themselves. Another threat for Kerry Group is new entrants. The barriers to enter this kind of industry are very low. And the final threat for Kerry Group is substitution. Unfortunately, there are many alternatives to the products that Kerry offers. Kerry has to keep evaluating there SWOT analysis in order to stay abreast of the situation and remain a competitive force.\n\nOver the years Kerry Group began expanding its business, not only in the dairy industry but into the food ingredients and flavor areas. In order for the business to grow successfully the company had to implement a strategy. So, in the early 1980's the company began a five-year corporate plan. The company decided they wanted to be a leader in the food business. In order for this to be a success a management structure was put into place along with a top-rate research and development sector. Kerry's strategy was simple.\n\nThe company developed and equation for growth which was, strategy x capability x capital=sustained profitable growth. The organization believed then and still today that if one of the elements of the equation is missing that the end result will be zero profit growth. With the strategy the company developed in the early 1980's the company began acquiring new businesses and entering new global markets. With these new business ventures came success and the company decided to go public in 1986.\n\nWith this move the Kerry Group acquired a first mover advantage by becoming the first co-operative corporation to become a publicly limited company. Kerry Group plc is listed on the Dublin and London stock exchanges. The company has a current market capitalization of over 3.4 billion euros. As stated, in the early 1980's Kerry Group began acquiring new businesses.\n\nBy acquiring new businesses this allowed Kerry to diversify and reduce risk. In 1987-88 the Group acquired the first overseas firm, Beatreme Food Ingredients, a division of Beatrice Corporation located in Jackson, Wisconsin. This began the move to Kerry's first food ingredients manufacturing plant. The Kerry Group initially developed its European food ingredients business in the dairy, confectionary, and convenience food center from the Listowel plant in Ireland and the Wadersloh plant in Germany. With the acquisitions of Eastleigh Flavors and Tingles Ltd.\n\nin 1993, the Kerry Group became a leading supplier to the greater Europe snack food and food processing industries. In 1994, Kerry Group acquired DCA, a company that specialized in the manufacturing of food ingredients for the baking, food processing, and food services industry. Because DCA had operations in five countries it made Kerry Group a world leader in the food ingredients business.\n\nEven though Kerry Group continues to acquire many new businesses and spread into new markets, the company may have a problem because they finance their new business ventures mostly by using debt. Initially the company began acquiring dairy companies, but eventually because of the government sponsored disease control program Kerry had to look for acquisitions out side of the milk products business.\n\nThe company reduced their reliance on dairy products by diversifying into more \"value-added\" activities; such as meat processing plants and food ingredient plants. Acquisitions from the period of 1988-98 cost the Kerry Group over 800 million Irish pounds with the vast majority being funded through debt, roughly 660 million Irish pounds.\n\nAs reviewed in the SWOT analysis the debt to equity ratio at the end of 1998 was over 500%, a huge amount of debt for a company of Kerry's size. Why does Kerry Group finance many acquisitions through debt? The reason is that the rules of the PLC (publicly limited company) state the Kerry Co-op had to maintain a minimum of 51% controlling interest in the PLC. Kerry Group could have acquired many companies through the use of equity, but because of the 51% rule Kerry had to finance their acquisitions through debt.\n\nWith all of the acquisitions occurring, Kerry had to make sure they had a corporate strategy that was leading the company in the right direction. A corporate level strategy is defined as specific actions the firm takes to gain a competitive advantage by selecting and managing a group of different businesses competing in several industries and product markets. The Group developed a strategy to diversify and grow the company focusing on differentiated or \"value-added\" food ingredients and consumer food products.\n\nThrough related-linked diversification Kerry Group continues to emphasize growth by acquisition. Many would wonder if Kerry Group's corporate strategy works internally. We believe that it does. There are two main divisions of the firm, food ingredients and consumer food products, both of which are extremely closely related. If the firm implements its strategies successfully the different divisions will be able to produce economies of scope that are complementary to one another.\n\nWe believe that the business level strategy of Kerry Group is focused differentiation. The reason is because Kerry is focused on quality and constantly tries to come up with new technology to enhance the flavors of food products. Through acquisitions they are acquiring new technologies which lead to rapid innovations.\n\nThis in turn leads to a sustainable competitive advantage in technology. The Kerry Group has also managed to develop some non-equity strategic alliances with many of its retail partners in selected markets. In addition to these factors the Group is committed to being a leader in its selected markets through creativity and superior customer service.\n\nThe Group is continuing to focus many efforts to expand its presence in global food and ingredients markets and its consumer foods businesses in Europe and abroad. The Kerry Group has recently put into action plans to purchase a specialty foods company in China that is expected to reach an additional 1.3 billion new customers.\n\nThis venture will be a huge step for Kerry Group because it will be completely localized (a multi-domestic strategy), in that all business operations are expected to be turned over to the new facilities in China by the end of 2006.\n\nToday, Kerry has emerged into a leader in the food processing and ingredients business, reaching its goal set in the early 1980's. The group has five basic areas of business; which include Kerry Ingredients, Kerry Bio-Science, Kerry Foods, Kerry Agribusiness, and Mastertaste. If Kerry group continues to build from their corporate and business level strategies and continues to evaluate their SWOT analysis they will stay ahead of the competition and continue to remain a leader in the food ingredients and processing sector.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8157389760017395}
+{"content": "Currently in production.\n\n\nANCIENT CAVES tells the story of a young cave researcher from the United Kingdom, Dr. Gina Moseley, working with a team from the University of Innsbruck. Dr. Moseley, a paleoclimatologist, and her colleagues venture into caves to retrieve geologic “fingerprints” that reveal the climate history of our planet for the last 500,000 years. The production will capture extreme caving expeditions in France, the U.S., the Bahamas, and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The production is being directed by Jonathan Bird in conjunction with MacGillivray Freeman Films and the Giant Dome Theater Consortium (GDTC). Image capture is being done with a 15/70 film camera and a RED 8K digital camera. Only the giant screen can deliver the ultimate experience and adventure of exploring ancient caves worldwide to uncover the intriguing history of our planet.\n\n\nProduced by Oceanic Research Group with major support by the Giant Dome Theatre Consortium. Distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films.\n\nRelease date: 2020\n\nRuntime: 40 minutes\n\nSeeing is believing.\n\nWe can help with that.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6024995446205139}
+{"content": "Strength Conditioner\n\n\nRodney Shelton Hair Strength Conditioner works best on dehydrated, damaged hair leaving it silky and easy to groom. Our unique formula adapt to prevent hair from breakage whilst brushing or heat based styling. Our strength conditioner is recommended for regular use on highly damages, coloured or brittle hair.\n\n\nMAIN INGREDIENTS: Aqua, Coconut, Argan Oil*, Macadamia Oil*, Jojoba Oil*, Olive Oil*, Rosemary Leaf Extract*\n* Certified Organic Ingredients", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9971596002578735}
+{"content": "May be Voldemort wouldn't stoop to such a low level as to use tools devised by Muggles to do his bidding, but still, after Voldemort became capable of touching Harry after regenerating in the fourth book, if he had just stabbed him with the knife that Wormtail used to cut off his own arm, would Voldemort have been able to destroy Harry once and for all?\n\nIt seems that every time Voldemort directly attacks Harry (in Godric's Hollow, in the graveyard, in Hogwarts), the reason his plan doesn't work is due to some kind of magical rebound. Would he have been able to destroy Harry using conventional means, either before or after his resurrection in the fourth book?\n\nmarked as duplicate by Mithrandir, SQB, tobiasvl, Gallifreyan, Valorum harry-potter May 22 '17 at 11:25\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9151323437690735}
+{"content": "\n\nRed Skin Anxiety Symptoms\n\nMarilyn Folk BScN medical reviewer\nWritten by: Jim Folk.\nMedically reviewed by: Marilyn Folk, BScN.\nLast updated: April 3, 2019\n\nRed skin; skin feels or looks like it is turning red; unusually hot, warm skin; skin looks or feels like it is sunburned even though you weren’t in the sun descriptions:\n\nYour skin can also look red, inflamed, flushed, or blushed.\n\nSome people experience episodes of this symptom in association with an increase or decrease in their anxiety and stress, whereas others experience this symptom persistently regardless of an increase or decrease in anxiety and stress.\n\nThis symptom can occur anywhere on the body, can migrate to a different location or locations, and can come and go randomly without any reason. This symptom can occur rarely, frequently, or persist indefinitely. All variations and combinations are common.\n\nMedical Advisory\nBecause there are many medical conditions that can cause anxiety and anxiety-like sensations and symptoms, including this one, we recommend that all new, changing, persistent, and returning symptoms be discussed with your doctor. If your doctor concludes that your sensations and symptoms are solely stress related (including anxiety-caused stress), you can be confident that there isn't another medical reason for them. Generally, most doctors can easily tell the difference between stress- and anxiety-caused sensations and symptoms from those caused by other medical conditions.\n\nIf you are uncertain about your doctor’s diagnosis, however, you may want to seek a second and even third opinion. But if all three opinions concur, you can be assured that stress (including the stress that being overly anxious can cause) is the cause of your sensations and symptom, including this one, and not some other medical or biological problem.\n\nWhat causes anxiety-related red skin?\n\nThe body releases stress hormones into the bloodstream whenever we become anxious (fretful, apprehensive, fearful). Stress hormones cause a number of physiological, psychological, and emotional changes in the body that prepare it for action when danger is perceived. These changes are commonly referred to as the Stress Response (also known as the Emergency Response or the “flight or fight” response).\n\nSince the body contains a finite amount of blood, stress hormones cause the body to shunt blood around within itself so that the areas of the body vital for survival have more blood than those less important for survival. For example, blood is shunted away from the skin, hands, and feet and moved to the brain (so that the brain has more fuel to think), heart (so that the heart can pump suitable quantities of blood to the vital areas), and muscles (to make the body stronger and quicker).\n\nThe body moves its blood around by constricting blood vessels in certain areas of the body and by expanding blood vessels in other areas. Constricted blood vessels force blood away and expanded blood vessels allow blood to flow in. Because blood is normally regulated at 98.7 degrees Fahrenheit (37.056 degrees Celsius) and contains red blood cells, an increase in blood flow causes an increase in temperature and redness.\n\n“Blushing” or “turning red” when nervous or embarrassed is an example of the physiological change that occurs when we’re anxious. So in this instance, the ‘red skin’ appearance is caused by an active stress response. Yes, the stress response can affect each part of the body differently, which is why we can have a red spot in one area and not others.\n\nSince the stress response is a normal part of the body’s survival mechanism, stress-caused red skin isn’t a reason for concern.\n\n\n\nHow to get rid of the anxiety- and stress-caused red skin symptoms?\n\nWhen this symptom is caused by an active stress response (triggered by being anxious, nervous, apprehensive), calming yourself down will bring an end to the stress response, which will bring an end to the stress response changes. As your body recovers from the stress response changes, this symptom should subside. Keep in mind that it can take up to 20 minutes or more for the body to recover from a major stress response. But this is normal and shouldn’t be a cause for concern.\n\nWhen this symptom is caused by persistently elevated stress, it may take a lot more time for the body to recover and to the point where this symptom subsides. We talk more about this scenario in the Recovery Support area of our website.\n\nNevertheless, when the body has fully recovered from being anxious and stressed, this symptom will completely disappear. Therefore, this symptom needn’t be a cause for concern.\n\nYou can speed up the recovery process by reducing your stress, practicing relaxed breathing, increasing your rest and relaxation, and not worrying about this symptom. Again, when your body has recovered from the stress response and/or sustained stress, this symptom will completely disappear.\n\nFor a more detailed explanation about this symptom (and all the other symptoms), why symptoms can persist long after the stress response has ended, common barriers to recovery and symptom elimination, and more recovery strategies and tips, we have many chapters that address this information in the Recovery Support area of our website.\n\n\nAnxiety attacks can be powerful and overwhelming experiences. But there is help available. We encourage you to explore our website for a comprehensive understanding of anxiety, anxiety symptoms and signs, the various anxiety disorders, and how to overcome them.\n\nFor more information about our Anxiety Counseling option; our Available Anxiety Therapists; to Book An Appointment with one of our recommended anxiety disorder therapists; information about Anxiety Attacks Symptoms and Treatment; the signs and symptoms of panic attacks disorder; our anxiety Recovery Support area; information about the many Anxiety disorders; and our Anxiety 101 section; click on the appropriate link or graphic below:\n\nAnxiety Therapy Available Therapists Book An Appointment Anxiety Symptoms, Signs Anxiety Attack Symptoms Panic Attack Symptoms Anxiety Recovery Support Anxiety Disorders The Stress Response\n\nReturn to our anxiety symptoms list here.\n\nanxietycentre.com: Information, support, and coaching/counseling/therapy for problematic anxiety and its sensations and symptoms, including the anxiety symptoms skin turning red, red skin.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6918975710868835}
+{"content": "006: Biomimicry: Looking to the genius of life for solutions | Green Team Academy\n\n006: Biomimicry: Looking to the genius of life for solutions\n\nPioneered by Janine Benyus, “Biomimicry” is a way of looking at nature and life as our mentors to find solutions for every aspect of life. Recommended resources include the 26-minute Biomimicry video on YouTube and the book.\n\n[1:10] First read the book Biomimicry cover-to-cover in 1997. It changed my life.\n\n[1:20] Basic idea is that life has already solved all the complex design problems through 3.8 billion years of trial and error.\n\n[1:40] How would you make a super-strong adhesive underwater: non-toxic, biodegradable, self-assembling\n\n[2:00] Best shape for something strong and stretchy?\n\n[2:20] Cable stronger than steel and as elastic as rubber, Non-toxic, ambient temperature?\n\n[2:35] Resources: Biomimicry book and a gorgeous video on YouTube (Janine Benyus talking with nature photography)\n\n[3:10] What is biomimicry? Innovation inspired by nature.\n\n[3:20] The natural world has already solved any problem that we are trying to solve.\n\n[3:30] There are some 30-100 million species. In this diversity there is also unity.\n\n[3:50] Life’s operating instructions: how to be an earthling. Life’s principles (see below)\n\n[4:50] As a young species, consider ourselves as apprentices to masters.\n\n[5:00] Replace industrial chemistry with nature’s chemistry as an Apollo Project.\n\n[5:50] Organism make chemicals in and near their own body, so can’t afford high temperatures or toxicity.\n\n[6:00] Nature is good at making hard ceramics.\n\n[6:10] Example: mother-of-pearl inside of abalone shell using protein, with calcium and carbonate in seawater to self-assemble inspiring chemists to learn how to make hard ceramics without a kiln.\n\n[7:35] We can be humble apprentices learning from our biological elders.\n\n[7:50] This is a big shift from the egotistical view of thinking that we as humans have all the answers, know what’s best and can outdo nature.\n\n[8:00] If we can flip our thinking around, it makes our job easier because the blueprint is in front of us.\n\nLife’s Principles:\n\nLife runs on current sunlight. (We run on ancient photosynthesis trapped in fossil fuels.)\n\nLife does its chemistry in water as the universal solvent. (We tend to use very toxic chemicals like sulphuric acid.)\n\nLife depends on local expertise. Organisms have to know the limits and opportunities of their places.\n\nLife banks on diversity and rewards cooperation.\n\nLife wastes nothing, upcycles everything and most of all does not foul its home.\n\nLife uses a small subset of the periodic table: the safe elements. (We use all elements.)\n\nLife uses low temperatures, low pressure, low toxicity. (We force elements to bond or break with high temperatures and pressures.)\n\n\nThe best ideas might not be ours. They might already have been invented.\n\nJanine Benyus\n\nAs a young species, our best stance is to be apprentices to our biological masters.\n\nJanine Benyus\n\n\nVideo Biomimicry with Janine Benyus\n\nPublished by TreeTV on September 11, 2015\n\n\nBook Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature\n\nJanine Benyus, originally published in 1997\n\n\nThank you for listening!\n\nDiscover how to launch and grow a green team in your community. Suggest a topic, get the free Green Team Quick Start Course and download the free Eco Film List at www.GreenTeamAcademy.com. If you like what you’re hearing, please subscribe, rate and review!\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7547394633293152}
+{"content": "What Is a Long-Term Incentive Plan?\n\n\nUnderstanding Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP)\n\nA long-term incentive plan (LTIP), while geared toward employees, is really a function of the business itself striving for long-term growth. When objectives in a company's growth plan match those of the company's LTIP, key employees know which performance factors to focus on for improving the business and earning more personal compensation. The incentive plan helps retain top talent in a highly competitive work environment as the business continues evolving in predetermined, potentially lucrative directions.\n\nTypes of LTIPs\n\n\n\nExample of an LTIP\n\nIn June 2016, the board of directors of Konecranes PLC agreed to a new share-based LTIP for key employees. The plan provided competitive rewards based on earning and accumulating shares of the company. The LTIP had a discretionary period of calendar year 2016. Potential rewards were based on continual employment or service and on Konecranes Group's adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). Rewards were to be paid partly in Konecranes shares and partly in cash by the end of August 2017. The cash should be used for covering taxes and related costs. Shares paid under the plan cannot be transferred during the restriction period, beginning when the reward was paid and ending on Dec. 31, 2018.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998740553855896}
+{"content": "What is Mechanism Design Theory\n\nMechanism design theory is an economic theory that seeks to study the mechanisms in which a particular outcome or result can be achieved. Mechanism design theory allows economists to analyze, compare and potentially regulate certain mechanisms associated with the achievement of a particular outcome.\n\nBREAKING DOWN Mechanism Design Theory\n\nMechanism design theory is used in economics to study the processes and mechanisms involved with a particular outcome. The concept of mechanism design theory was broadly popularized by Eric Maskin, Leonid Hurwicz and Roger Myerson. The three researchers received a Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2007 for their work on the mechanism design theory and were branded as foundational leaders on the subject.\n\nConsiderations in Mechanism Design Theory\n\nMechanism design theory built on the concept of game theory which was broadly introduced by John von Neumann in his 1944 book “Theory of Games and Economic Behavior.” Game theory is known in economics for the study of how different entities work together both competitively and cooperatively to achieve outcomes and results. Various mathematical models have been developed to efficiently study this concept and its results. Game theory has also been recognized throughout the history of economic studies with eleven Nobel Prizes going to researchers in this area.\n\nMechanism design theory generally takes a reverse approach to game theory. It studies a scenario by beginning with an outcome and understanding how entities work together to achieve a particular outcome. Both game theory and design theory look at the competing and cooperative influences of entities in the process towards an outcome. Mechanism design theory considers a particular outcome and what is done to achieve it while game theory looks at how entities can potentially influence several outcomes.\n\nMechanism Design Theory and the Financial Markets\n\nThere are a wide range of applications for mechanism design theory and as a result many mathematical theorems have been developed. These applications and theorems allow researchers to manage restrictions and information control of the entities involved for the purpose of achieving the desired outcome.\n\nOne example deploying the use of mechanism design theory occurs in an auction market. Broadly, regulators seek to produce an efficient and orderly market for participants as the primary outcome. To achieve this result several entities are involved with varying levels of information and association. The use of mechanism design theory seeks to regulate and control information available to participants in order to achieve the desired result of an orderly market. Generally, this requires the monitoring of information and activity at various levels for exchanges, market makers, buyers and sellers.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999233484268188}
+{"content": "Postgraduate study\nThis course is an ideal next step following a first degree in computer science subjects, covering our research strengths such as artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction and the mathematical foundations of programming.\nMSc Computer Science\n1 year full-time\nEntry requirements\n2:1 (or international equivalent) with evidence of an interest or aptitude for programming; graduates from a science or engineering background will be considered with a 55% average mark\n6.5 (no less than 6.0 in any element)\n\nStart date\nUK/EU fees\n£7,785 - Terms apply\nInternational fees\n£22,815 - Terms apply\nJubilee Campus\n\n\n\nHCI page\n\nAt the University of Nottingham, our research-engaged teaching ensures you are taught by experts who are solving today’s global challenges while discovering the future of computer science. Be inspired and join our world.\n\nCourse structure\n\nThis course offers the following two pathways, preparing you for a highly skilled career in industry and/or research.\n\n  1. If you have a background in computer science or a related subject, this course is an ideal next step, with a variety of optional modules covering the school's research strengths such as artificial intelligence and human-computer interactions\n  2. If you have a background in other subjects, modules in the first semester prepare you with fundamentals in computer science, ready for taking various optional modules in the second semester\n\nArtificial intelligence (AI) pathway\n\nYou have the option to choose to study the AI pathway once you have applied. As part of this pathway, you are required to study 30 credits of AI modules, as well as undertake the Individual Project in Computer Science (AI) module. This allows you to graduate with MSc Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence). \n\nWe have been teaching AI for over 10 years so you can be assured you'll be learning from the experts. \n\nAcademic English preparation and support\n\n\n\nFull course details\n\nComputer Science data\n\nIndividual project\n\nDuring the summer period, you will undertake an individual project. This could be software based or research based. Collaboration with business, industry, and other outside bodies is encouraged.\n\nThis course is linked to the school’s research groups:\n\nOur broad research means we can offer a variety of projects crossing the spectrum of computer science.\n\nPast project titles have included:\n\n  • Autonomous robot navigation and path following via RFID tag detection\n  • Deep Learning for Plant Phenotyping\n  • A multi-platform mobile application to prevent and cure obesity in Mexico\n  • Real world neural networks for interactive music composition in real time\n\nTeaching and assessment\n\nYou will study a total of 180 credits, split across 120 credits of compulsory and optional modules plus a 60-credit individual project.\n\nTeaching methods include:\n\n  • lectures\n  • tutorials\n  • seminars\n  • computer lab practical sessions\n\nAssessment can vary depending on the module you study but you can typically expect:\n\n  • coursework\n  • written exams\n  • individual project \n\n\nCompulsory modules will provide a foundation in computer science, and a range of optional modules will provide you with the opportunity for more advanced study.\n\nSemester one\n\nDuring semester one, you will study the following compulsory modules if your first degree and experience does not cover the relevant subjects.\n\n\nThis module gives you a comprehensive overview of the principles of programming, including such concepts as procedural logic, variables, flow control, input and output and the analysis and design of programs. Instruction will be provided in an object-oriented programming language. You will spend around five hours per week in lectures and computer classes studying for this module.\n\nSystems and Networks\nYou will gain an introduction to the role of the operating system and how it manages computer resources such as memory, processes and disks.\n\nDatabases, Interfaces and Software Design Principles\n\nYou will gain an introduction to the theory and practice of database systems and experience with a modern database system through the use of the SQL language.You will cover the structure and workings of database systems, design and implementation of a database driven website, and the principles of software engineering design.\n\nAll students will take the Individual Project:\n\nIndividual Project\nYou will conduct a piece of empirical and/or theoretical research in an appropriate strand of the degree, under the supervision of a member of academic staff. Where appropriate, your project may also be conducted in conjunction with an external organisation and may involve a substantial software implementation.\n\nIn one or both semesters, you will then study the following optional modules:\n\nAdvanced Algorithms and Data Structures\n\nWe study the theory used in the design and analysis of advanced algorithms and data structures. The topics covered include string algorithms (such as for string matching, longest common subsequence), graph algorithms (such as for minimum cuts and maximum flows), and advanced data structures (such as Binomial heaps and Bloom filters).\n\nThe theory is practiced in weekly labs where we learn how to implement the algorithms and data structures as functional and imperative programs (using the languages Haskell and C), and apply these to solve large instances of real world problems.\n\nAdvanced Computer Networks\n\nThis module will provide you with an advanced knowledge of computer communications networks, using examples from all-IP core telecommunications networks to illustrate aspects of transmission coding, error control, media access, internet protocols, routing, presentation coding, services and security. The module will describe Software Defined Networks (SDNs) and provide examples of using them to enable very large scale complex network control.\n\nThe module will provide an advanced knowledge of various routing and query protocols in: Ad Hoc Networks; Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs); Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs); Disconnection/Disruption/Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs); impact of new networking developments, such as security risks, ethics, interception and data protection will be reflected and discussed systematically. You will spend around three hours per week in lectures and one hour per week in computing classes.\n\nAutonomous Robotic Systems\n\nThis module introduces you to the computer science of robotics, giving you an understanding of the hardware and software principles appropriate for control and localisation of autonomous mobile robots. A significant part of the module is laboratory-based, utilising physical robotic hardware to reinforce the theoretical principles covered.\n\nSpending two hours each week in lectures and supervised labs, with an additional two-hour unsupervised practical session, you’ll cover a range of topics including basic behavioural control architectures, multi-source data aggregation, programming of multiple behaviours, capabilities and limitations of sensors and actuators, and filtering techniques.\n\n\nYou will begin by considering the attempts to characterise the problems that can theoretically be solved by physically possible computational processes, along with the practical implications. You will then consider the area of complexity theory, looking at whether or not problems can be solved under limitations on resources such as time or space.\n\nYou will examine the classes P and NP, and how to show problems are NP-complete. You will also consider other practically important classes such as: PSPACE, and its relevance to adversarial games, ontologies, and the semantic web; and also complexity classes relevant to limitations of the effectiveness of parallel computation.\n\nComputer Graphics\n\nYou will learn the principles of three-dimensional (3D) computer graphics, focusing on modelling, animating, and viewing objects/scenes in a virtual world on the computer, projecting objects/scenes onto the 2D screen in analogy to your taking a photograph of the 3D world using a camera, and rendering the objects/scenes to give them realism.\n\nThrough weekly lectures, tutorials and laboratory sessions you will explore various computer graphics techniques and you will develop your OpenGL programming skills required for 3D computer graphics applications. The module demonstrates the benefits of linking theory and practice.\n\nData Modelling and Analysis\n\nThis module will enable you to appreciate the range of data analysis problems that can be modelled computationally and a range of techniques that are suitable to analyse and solve those problems. Topics covered include: basic statistics; types of data; data visualisation techniques; data modelling; data pre-processing methods including data imputation; forecasting methods; clustering and classification methods (decision trees, naīve bayes classifiers, k-nearest neighbours); data simulation and model interpretation techniques to aid decision support.\n\nSpending around 4 hours each week in lectures and computer classes, appropriate software (eg. Excel, R, Weka) will be used to illustrate the topics you will cover.\n\nDesign Ethnography\n\nThis module introduces you to the theory and practice of design ethnography. You will cover a range of topics including: origins and evolution of ethnography; foundations and nature of the ethnomethodological approach; ethnographic analysis; its relationship to systems design; and the perceived problems with the approach. You will spend around three hours each week in lectures and tutorials for this module.\n\nDesigning Intelligent Agents\n\nYou will be given a basic introduction to the analysis and design of intelligent agents, software systems which perceive their environment and act in that environment in pursuit of their goals. Spending around four hours each week in lectures and tutorials, you will cover topics including task environments, reactive, deliberative and hybrid architectures for individual agents, and architectures and coordination mechanisms for multi-agent systems.\n\nFundamentals of Information Visualisation\n\nInformation Visualisation is the process of extracting knowledge from complex data, and presenting it to a user in a manner that this appropriate to their needs. This module provides a foundational understanding of some important issues in information visualisation design. You will learn about the differences between scientific and creative approaches to constructing visualisations, and consider some important challenges such as the representation of ambiguous or time-based data. You will also learn about psychological theories that help explain how humans process information, and consider their relevance to the design of effective visualisations.\n\nFuzzy Logic and Fuzzy Systems\n\nThis module aims to provide a thorough understanding of fuzzy sets and systems from a theoretical and practical perspective. Topics commonly include: type-1 fuzzy sets, type-1 fuzzy logic systems, type-1 fuzzy set based applications, type-2 fuzzy sets, type-2 fuzzy logic systems, type-2 fuzzy set based applications. You will also be exposed to some of the cutting-edge research topics in uncertain data and decision making, e.g., based on type-2 fuzzy logic as well as other fuzzy logic representations. You will develop practical systems and software in a suitable programming language.\n\n\nThis module covers the history, development and state-of-the art in computer games and technological entertainment. You will gain an appreciation of the range of gaming applications available and be able to chart their emergence as a prevalent form of entertainment.\n\nYou will study the fundamental principles of theoretical game design, and how these can be applied to a variety of modern computer games. You will study the development of games as complex software systems. Specific software design issues to be considered will include the software architecture of games, and the technical issues associated with networked and multiplayer games.\n\nYou will use appropriate software environments to individually develop a number of games to explore relevant theoretical design and practical implementation concepts.\n\nInformation Visualisation Project\n\nThis module provides an opportunity to put into practice knowledge and understanding that you have developed through the linked module G53FIV. You will gain practical experience of how to design and evaluate a distinctive interactive visualisation which presents information gathered from a complex and interesting data source.\n\nYour project will be supported by tutorials that introduce practical topics that are essential to effective visualisation design, and which have not been considered in G53FIV, including specific algorithms for extracting information from data, structured processes for designing visualisations and selected elements of design aesthetics (such as colour choice and typography). You will gain experience in web-based technologies that enable the implementation of multi-layered and interactive information visualisations, supported through lab work that introduces specific features of these technologies.\n\nKnowledge Representation and Reasoning\n\nThis module examines how knowledge can be represented symbolically and how it can be manipulated in an automated way by reasoning programs. Some of the topics you will cover include: first order logic; resolution; description logic; default reasoning; rule-based systems; belief networks. You will have two hours of lectures each week for this module.\n\nLinear and Discrete Optimization\n\nThe module provides an entry point to computational optimization techniques, in particular for modelling and solving linear and discrete optimization problems like diet optimization, network flows, task assignment, scheduling, bin-packing, travelling salesmen, facility location, vehicle routing and related problems. Computational optimization is one of the most important areas within operations research (OR), which is a discipline that uses modelling techniques, analytics and computational methods to solve complex problems in industry and business. In this module you will learn to interpret and develop algebraic models for a variety of real-world linear and discrete optimization problems to then use powerful optimization software (linear, integer and mixed-integer solvers) to produce a solution.\n\nThe module covers topics such as linear programming, integer programming, combinatorial optimization, modelling and optimization software, and multi-objective optimization among others. Optimization technology is ubiquitous in today's world, for applications in logistics, finance, manufacturing, workforce planning, product selection, healthcare, and any other area where the limited resources must be used efficiently. Optimization enables prescriptive analytics in order to support and automate decision-making. You will spend around four hours per week in lectures and workshops for this module.\n\nMachine Learning\n\nProviding you with an introduction to machine learning, pattern recognition, and data mining techniques, this module will enable you to consider both systems which are able to develop their own rules from trial and error experience to solve problems, as well as systems that find patterns in data without any supervision. In the latter case, data mining techniques will make generation of new knowledge possible, including very big data sets. This is now known as 'big data' science.\n\nYou will cover a range of topics including: machine learning foundations; pattern recognition foundations; artificial neural networks; deep learning; applications of machine learning; data mining techniques and evaluating hypotheses. You will spend around six hours each week in lectures and computer classes for this module.\n\nMixed Reality Technologies\n\nFocuses on the possibilities and challenges of interaction beyond the desktop. Exploring the 'mixed reality continuum' - a spectrum of emerging computing applications that runs from virtual reality (in which a user is immersed into a computer-generated virtual world) at one extreme, to ubiquitous computing (in which digital materials appear embedded into the everyday physical world - often referred to as the 'Internet of Things') at the other. In the middle of this continuum lie augmented reality and locative media in which the digital appears to be overlaid upon the physical world in different ways.\n\nPrograms, Proofs and Types\n\nThis module focuses on some of the fundamental mathematical concepts that underlie modern programming and programming languages emphasizing the role of types. We will use a dependently typed programming language/ interactive proof system (e.g. Agda) to implement some concepts on a computer.\n\nExample topics include: basic lambda calculus; operational semantics; domain theory; types, propositions as types and formal verification. You’ll spend around three hours per week in lectures studying for this module and one hour in the lab working with an interactive proof system.\n\nReal-world Functional Programming\n\nThis module introduces tools, techniques, and theory needed for programming real world applications functionally, with a particular emphasis on the inherent benefits of functional programming and strong typing for reuse, maintenance, concurrency, distribution, and high availability. These are all aspects that have contributed to the popularity of functional programming for demanding applications e.g. in the finance industry, and have also had a significant impact on the design of many modern programming languages such as Java, C#, and Rust, and frameworks such as MapReduce and React.\n\nThe exact content may vary, but typically includes topics such as functional design patterns, pure data structures, reactive programming, concurrency, frameworks for web/cloud programming, property-based testing, and embedded domain-specific languages. The medium of instruction is mainly Haskell, but other functional languages, for example Erlang, may be used where appropriate and for a broader perspective.\n\nSimulation and Optimisation for Decision Support\n\nThis module offers insight into the applications of selected methods of decision support. The foundations for applying these methods are derived from Operations Research Simulation, Social Simulation, Data Science, Automated Scheduling, and Decision Analysis. Throughout the module, you will become more competent in choosing and implementing the appropriate method for the particular problem at hand. You will spend five hours per week in lectures and computer classes for this module.\n\nSoftware Engineering Management\n\nThis module covers the following topics: management of the introduction of new software or IT systems; software project management practices; practical experience of use of an Agile software development project management process; practical experience of use of Test Driven Development, pair programming and various approaches to software management tools, including the use of software versioning, project management planning tools and continuous integration and deployment.\n\nIndividual Research Project\n\nOver the summer period towards the end of the course, you will undertake a research project in computer science. This project involves conducting a piece of research with depth, carried out under the supervision of a member of academic staff.\n\n\n\n\nFees and funding\n\n\n\nGovernment loans for masters courses\n\n\nInternational and EU students\n\n\n\nFor further details on scholarships, visit the school website.\n\n\nCareers and professional development\n\nThis course prepares its students for careers in advanced software development, particularly where reliability and efficiency are vital requirements. Its graduates are likely to assume leading roles in major software-development projects in one of the areas of specialisation. \n\nThis course also provides an excellent foundation for further study and you may decide to progress to a PhD in order to continue your research.\n\nAverage starting salary and career progression\n\nIn 2017, 94.4% of postgraduates in the School of Computer Science who were available for employment had secured work or further study within six months of graduation. The average starting salary was £29,250 with the highest being £30,000.* \n\n\ncareers 450x200\n\nCareer prospects and employability\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nExplore it - Virtual Nottingham\nGet in touch\n+44 (0)115 846 6550\nMake an enquiry\n\n\nAdmissions and Communications Officer\nSchool of Computer Science\nThe University of Nottingham\nJubilee Campus\nWollaton Road\nScience videos\n\nScience videos\n\n\nStudent Recruitment Enquiries Centre\n\nThe University of Nottingham\nKing's Meadow Campus\nLenton Lane\nNottingham, NG7 2NR\n\nt: +44 (0) 115 951 5559\nf: +44 (0) 115 951 5812\nw: Frequently asked questions\nMake an enquiry", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9671783447265625}
+{"content": "Revolve Impact is an award winning creative agency.\n\n\n\n\n#SchoolsNotPrisons is the leading brand at the intersection of art, culture and activism.\n\n\nAthletes for Impact is a global network of athletes across all sports committed to justice and equity.\n\n\nThe Justice Policy Network is the nation’s premier criminal justice leadership program.\n\nFounded in 2014, Revolve Impact provides strategic consulting and campaign management for a wide range of influential artists and athletes, nonprofit and government entities, corporate communities and philanthropic foundations.\n\n\nRevolve Impact combines policy advocacy, grassroots organizing and broad-based communications strategies to directly improve the lives of millions of people. In the last five years, Revolve Impact has integrated entertainers and athletes into several of the largest justice-related policy victories and cultural shifts of the last 30 years. \n\n\nRevolve Impact’s theory of change is simple:\n\n\nIntegrating arts and culture into community-led, issue-driven campaigns and voter mobilization strategies can have a significant impact on civic engagement and policy change.\n\nRevolve Impact has designed and managed the biggest cultural and policy campaigns in United States history, including the following:\n\n\nRevolve Impact works with grassroots anchor partners to integrate arts and culture into multi-year campaigns for global impact.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000056028366089}
+{"content": "Amazon's trees get taste of air of the future\n\nAn ambitious experiment deep in the Amazon rainforest aims to find out how the ecosystem is likely to respond to rising levels of carbon dioxide.\n\nIn 2000 a research team at the UK’s Hadley Centre forecast that a combination of reduced rainfall and higher temperatures caused by global warming could decimate the Amazon by the end of the century. But the following decade another Hadley Centre team concluded that this scenario was unlikely.\n\nThe contrary verdict was based largely on the researchers’ belief that extra carbon dioxide in the air would protect trees against the increasingly harsh conditions.\n\nThe revised prediction did not reassure David Lapola, a Brazilian biologist who is running the new experiment. “Who knows,” he said. “Hypotheses are all we have now.”\n\nLapola said nobody had tested the impact of increased carbon dioxide on trees in the Amazon. That is what he and an international team of scientists at a site 35 miles north of Manaus now intend to do.\n\nAs Lapola spoke, a pair of construction workers in heavy boots paraded by carrying a large, flat, octagonal aluminium frame. Nearby, several more workers were putting the finishing touches to an open-topped greenhouse made of flexible window panels and more aluminium.\n\nConstruction workers sets a flat octagonal frame in the centre of a prepared clearing\nThe workers assemble the panels of the octagonal chamber\nA worker opens a clearance that will host a chamber\n\nThe structure was being put up around several spindly saplings, taking care to avoid trampling the soil. When all of Lapola’s chambers have been installed – eight altogether, scattered around an area of jungle twice the size of a football field – computer-controlled nozzles will spray carbon dioxide into four of them, boosting the concentration inside their walls to 50% higher than outside. The other four chambers will be controls and receive no extra CO2.\n\nDavid Lapola\n\nUnless the growth in CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels around the world slows down, these raised levels of CO2 in the air will be normal by about 2050.\n\nScientists have previously exposed saplings and full-grown trees from temperate forests, such as sweet gum and pine trees, to extra CO2. One experiment in the 1990s tested the effect of extra CO2 on the understory trees of a Panama jungle.\n\nThe conclusion so far from scores of such experiments on how dozens of species in various places fare in CO2-enhanced air is: it depends.\n\nThe view from inside a chamber\nDead leaves on the jungle floor\nLapola monitors CO2 levels inside a chamber\n\nSince carbon extracted from carbon dioxide is the essential building block of plants, it makes sense that more CO2 in the air should help plants grow better. But sometimes other factors such as lack of critical nutrients prevent plants from taking advantage of extra CO2. Scientists do not yet know enough about how such limiting factors work to predict how a diverse natural forest such as the Amazon will behave in the air of the future.\n\nThe question matters not just because the fate of this jungle’s assorted flora and fauna could be at stake. The Amazon stores a vast amount of CO2 in its tree trunks which, if the forest declines, will be released into the air, accelerating global warming. That would cause damage all around the world.\n\nA monitoring tower in the middle of the rainforest\n\nLapola’s chamber research will be the first time Amazon trees are tested with extra CO2 in otherwise almost-natural conditions. After it’s done, the scientists want to build a larger experiment that bathes a plot as big as a baseball diamond in CO2-enhanced air all the way from the ground to the lofty treetops. This could reveal whether mature trees behave differently to young ones.\n\nThe chambers are expected to be ready in late April, at which point the experiment will begin. “I’ll probably be here,” said Lapola, a professor at the University of Campinas in São Paulo, who estimated he has visited the site 50 times already. “It’s hard to stay away.”\n\nA view of the tower from a distance", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9827408790588379}
+{"content": "Lisa Burbage | National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, NBC-HWC\n\nHealthy Employees are Happy Employees\n\nSchedule your free Workplace Wellness Assessment with me to learn how I can bring health and happiness into your workplace\n\n\nDoes your company really need a wellness program?\n\nDo you see signs of low morale, poor communication, employee health issues, and strained teamwork? If so, your employees can benefit from my Workplace Wellness Program designed to help employees set and reach goals, improve energy, create new healthy habits, and foster a productive, healthy work environment.\n\n\n“Lisa’s hard work, dedication and willingness to give freely of her time led to the successful implementation of the DPP Program. Serving as a community champion Lisa’s leadership helped to garner the national recognition received and the high retention for the year long program was a direct result of the passion she exhibited and the trust she built with those whom she taught.”\n\n- Kristin Slocum, MPH Midlands Region Public Health Coordinator, SC Dept of Health and Environmental Control\n\n\nWhat’s the Big Deal?\n\nA properly implemented Workplace Wellness Program is a win-win for both the employer and employee.\n\n\nCompanies that encourage and foster a supportive environment where employees are motivated to stay healthy often realize fewer days of absenteeism and less turnover in the workplace. Employees are more productive and develop an even greater appreciation and loyal attitude towards their employer.\n\n\nEmployees are able to take a more proactive role in meeting their own strategic wellness goals. With a more confident morale, employees feel stronger and more secure. in some cases, employees benefit as they are less likely to see their employers pass on rising healthcare costs through higher deductibles.\n\n\nClients and Partners:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9216547608375549}
+{"content": "Category Archives: Marvel\n\nDaredevil: Born Again\n\n61jeSrdkf9LFans of the Daredevil tv series on Netflix may be hearing rumors about the third season containing elements from the Born Again storyline. To long-term fans, this means they are somewhat in the know about what is to come for Matt Murdock.  For others, this is just the title of a long forgotten storyline.  Let me clear it up for you, this is quite possibly the best Daredevil storyline ever written.\n\nFrom the very beginning of this story, we witness Matt Murdock, losing his girlfriend, his money, the attorney license he had spent a great chunk of his life earning as well as his home. Everything apart from Gloria leaving him is caused by the Kingpins interference when finding out Daredevil’s civilian identity.  Rather than killing Daredevil he takes everything away from him and makes him less than a man.\n\nOne of the key elements of this story is just how vulnerable Matt is.  We see him fall so far that he ends up sleeping on the street and witness his inner turmoil.  We see his inner thoughts become erratic and paranoid and out of this madness, he attacks the Kingpin only to be beaten and left for dead.  This is where the storylines title comes into play, alongside the Catholicism portrayed in this story and the expression of being born again unto God, Daredevil literally dies and is revived of a new life free of all of the material shackles.\n\nOne of the greatest elements of this are the roles in which the supporting cast play.  First of all, there is Karen Page who has fallen from grace.  Last seen in the pages of Daredevil leaving hells kitchen to pursue an acting career, it is revealed that she is addicted to heroin partly due to her becoming a pornstar in the adult film industry.  It is this fall from grace that leads to her selling the identity of Daredevil to score more heroin.  Another character is Ben Urich who is also beaten by the Kingpin but not in the same way as Daredevil.  He is psychologically terrorized by the Kingpin after investigating Matt Murdock’s case.  Fearing for his life he steps back as a journalist, this too builds to an iconic moment where he says enough is enough a stands up against the Kingpin as only he knows how.  With journalism.\n\nThe final act of this story is incredible.  Due to the Kingpins obsession with destroying Daredevil, he enlists the help of a psychopath named Duke who ends up destroying Hell’s kitchen with heavy artillery.  This destruction is so cataclysmic that it draws the attention of the Avengers.  Captain America is disgusted by the use of the American flag by Duke in his mindless acts of destruction and assists Daredevil in preventing Duke from causing more destruction and endangering more lives.\n\nThere are two reasons why you should read this story now, the first is because if you want to know what to expect in season 3 of Netflix’s DareDevil, this is the story that will reveal the most plot possibilities. Secondly, this story is often ranked in top 10 marvel storyline lists and for good reason.  It’s a brilliant story, filled with lots of action and drama and there’s much more to it than a hero putting on a costume and beating the villain.\n\nPurchase Daredevil: Born Again\n\n\n\nDaredevil: Guardian Devil\n\n\nIron Man: Iron Monger\n\nIron_Man_Vol_1_200Can you remember the time when Tony Stark wasn’t Iron Man? Not a lot of people can but it was once the case.  There was a storyline where Tony Stark succumbed to his alcoholism again and took his suit out for a joy ride.  He was so wasted that James Rhodes – who later became War Machine – took the suit from him and took over the role.\n\nThe Iron Monger story is the final chapter in that storyline and builds towards Tony Stark becoming Iron Man again.  Obadiah Stane also known as the Chess Master had been setting up a series of events that would weaken Stark’s resolve and pushed him to drink.  In doing this he stole Stark’s company leaving him close to broke and put an end to Iron Man.  The Iron Monger story picks up when Stark is again sober with a smaller start-up company.  James Rhodes is still Iron Man but is at first threatened by the idea that Stark wants to become Iron Man again.\n\nThe stories in this collection are your standard Iron Man stories from that time period but what makes it different is Stark’s inner conflict about whether he should become Iron Man again.  Everyone around him like Hawkeye keeps telling him that he should be Iron Man and that the Avengers are at a disadvantage without him.  He himself feels that putting on the suit is what led to him becoming an alcoholic in the first place.  Due to unforeseen events, he ends up wearing the original clunky Iron Man suit.  He continues to deal with several situations while James Rhodes uses the up to date, high tech suit to deal with the regular villains of each issue.  They even tussle with each other at one point, meaning that Tony Stark has to outwit his own high tech weaponry while struggling with an out of date suit.\n\nThe best part of this story is its conclusion, Obadiah Stane kidnaps all of the people from Iron Mans past such as Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan and fights Stark in his own specialized suit called the Iron Monger. Wearing a brand new suit with a new design, Tony Stark takes up the mantle of Iron Man again and battles against the Iron Monger. Many fans reading this will be familiar with some of the elements in this story as it was the storyline that was re-imagined for The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Iron Man movie.\n\nThis is a good story which tries to weigh up the pro’s and cons of being a superhero and how it can affect the man behind the mask when he tries to live a normal life.  However, it does lack in some aspects and falls short, especially when compared to Daredevil Born Again and Wolverines first Solo outing which were both written around that time period.  This story needed a bit more emotion and plot to make it stand out.  It’s a good Iron Man story that is more suited for die-hard Iron Man fans but if you are a casual reader who is more accustomed to the modern way that Marvel stories are told you may wish to give this one a miss.\n\nDaredevil: Loves Labors Lost\n\nloves labors lostAfter Frank Miller’s run on Daredevil brought a sense of realism to the character, the writers of Daredevil had a tough act to follow.  This collection proves that by putting Daredevil into a whole bunch of different scenarios and not particularly following a major story arc as we had previously seen with his rivalry with the kingpin.\n\nFirst of all, it starts off in a way you would never expect it too and that’s as a western.  Using an iconic character from Marvel’s early days before the banner of Marvel was even attributed to the company we start in the wild west, events unfold and it turns out that there is a sort of paranormal link between Daredevil and the past that leads him to Arizona to take down your stereotypical evil business mogul.  This story isn’t the best and has a bit of a Goofy premise and struggles with portraying Daredevil in his new grittier form.  This is a problem throughout the whole collection.  It’s not Daredevil himself that comes across goofy in fact he tends to remain dark, violent and on his own selfish quest but some of the situations that he finds himself in seem a little out of place and stand out when the grittiness dissipates only to shift again after a few pages.\n\nOne of the key themes of this collection is Love and the many women that have been in Matt Murdock’s life.  First of all, there is his current love Gloriana O’Breen who in true Daredevil fashion gets mixed up in a dangerous situation where Daredevil needs to protect her from a bloodthirsty assassin.  This story is quite unique for a daredevil tale as the villain Cossack commits acts of terrorism by using a weapon that blinds everybody temporarily.  His only defense is a weapon that doesn’t affect Daredevil in the slightest.  What this story does achieve is the insight that Natasha Romanov aka the Black Widow gains by temporarily being blinded.  As Daredevil’s Ex-girlfriend, it helps her to understand the disability that Daredevil has overcome and fearing she will remain blind she even goes as far as asking Daredevil to train her to get past it.\n\nThis appearance of Black Widow would lead you to believe that your stereotypical love triangle is on the horizon between herself, Daredevil and Gloria but that is not the case.  In fact, later in the collection Daredevil and Black Widow team up to rescue Gloria and despite a passing comment where Daredevil tells himself that a small part of himself will always love Black Widow, nothing else comes from it.\n\nThe darkest tale in this collection involves the return of Daredevils ex-fiancee Heather Glenn, again there is no love triangle involved just a cry for help.  Daredevil comes to her ignoring a potential crime only to find her in a drunken slumber.  Believing that Heather has cried wolf and later finding that the crime he ignored led to a woman’s death he refused to help heather when she asks for his help again.  This leads to her committing suicide in which Daredevil senses foul play.  Consumed with the guilt of her death he hunts for the possible murderer which leads him to Venice and pits him against a group called the Council of Ten.\n\nThe death of Heather Glenn leads to Daredevil going up against one of Spider-Man’s villains the Vulture as Matt finds him at Heather’s grave attempting to dig up Heather’s body to steal the jewelry she is wearing.  This interpretation of the vulture surprisingly depicts him in a manner more reminiscent of his namesake and the image of him picking at a corpse makes him appear more animalistic.\n\nOne of the best stories in this collection is a standalone tale where Daredevil goes to New Jersey, he remains nameless to the residents of the area and remains in his civilian clothes for the entirety of the story indicating that Matt Murdock does not need to dress in a devil costume to be a hero.  In fact, the absence of the daredevil persona leads the culprits to act irrationally and make mistakes they may not have made if they had known they were being pursued by Daredevil.\n\nOverall this collection is worth a read, there are some great moments and the despite there not being an overall story-arc to sink your teeth into, it does set the stage well for what follows in the iconic Born Again storyline.\n\nBuy Daredevil: Loves Labors Lost\n\n\nBorn Again\n\nGuardian Devil\n\n\nMarvel Super Heroes Secret Wars\n\nMarvel_Super_Heroes_Secret_Wars_Vol_1_1Marvel crossover events have become a thing to expect every year especially with the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe bringing in more and more fans to the comic book platform every year.  These events have become so popular that it makes sense that one of its most groundbreaking storylines known as Civil War was used as the main plotline for Captain America: Civil War.  Now I know what your thinking.  Why is he talking about Civil War?  This is a review about Secret Wars.  Well, it’s simple.  Without Secret Wars there never would have been Civil War\n\nSecret Wars was the first true crossover event that put a whole bunch of Marvel heroes and villains and had them duke it out.  It had been attempted a year prior, in a three-part story called Contest of Champions but it wasn’t a true crossover.  It basically showed every character possible and then handpicked a couple and had them compete in a mediocre challenge.  The story was very basic and it wasn’t anything to get excited about.  However, despite a few minor flaws, Secret Wars did it right.\n\nOverall Secret Wars is a great story but like most things, it does have a few problems, mainly due to the time period in which it was written.  Now first of all the whole point of the story was to sell Marvel toys so nobody expected the story to knock your socks off but the writers created a masterpiece.  It starts off very basic, a bunch of heroes and villains find themselves on a mishmash planet constructed by various parts of other planets called Battleworld.  The heroes find themselves on one side of a battlefield while the Villians are on the other.\n\nTo list who is involved, on the side of the heroes we have three members of the fantastic four, Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch & Thing, the Invisible Woman is absent because she was heavily pregnant with baby number 2 – that’s not a joke.  Captain America, Iron Man (James Rhodes, not Tony Stark as he was ruining his business by drinking heavily – again that’s not a joke) Thor, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel and Wasp of the Avengers are present.  Then we have Rogue, Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Lockheed the Dragon and Professor X as members of the X-Men.  To round out the team Spider-Man and Hulk and also the questionable siding of X-Men villain Magneto being present on the heroes side.  Not a bad team.\n\nNow on the villain’s side, we have Doctor Doom, Kang the Conqueror, the Enchantress, Doctor Octopus, the Lizard, Ultron, and Galactus.  Not a bad start but the next bunch are questionable.  We have the Molecule Man, Absorbing Man and the Wrecking Crew which consists of Bulldozer, Piledriver, Thunderball, and Wrecker.  These villains may have been much popular in that time period but I do find myself questioning why other great Villians like the Mandarin, Red Skull or the Sandman weren’t used.  Even the addition of the Hobgoblin who in the year prior had been kicking up a fuss in Spider-Man’s comics for the past year may have been a nice addition.\n\nEventually, a new Spider-Woman joins the side of the heroes and the villains get Klaw, Volcana, and Titania but that comes much later in the story.\n\nLooking across the battlefield and analyzing each team they all hear a voice from above that states “I am from beyond! Slay your enemies and all that you desire shall be yours!  And that’s it, the war begins.  Goodies versus baddies.  It’s all very generic in the first half of this 12 issue epic.  There are a few plot points thrown in followed by a battle and this formula continues for quite a bit and to some readers, especially reading this thirty years later, may not be impressed. However, I advise you to keep at it and you will see that the story takes a hard left turn and veers off in a completely different direction especially in the final act of the story.\n\nNow I must warn you if you’re a Spider-Man fan and are reading this story for the first time because it is commonly known as the story where Spidey famously finds the black symbiote suit, which as many know eventually leads to the creation of the villain/anti-hero Venom.  You may be disappointed for 2 reasons.  First of all, the way in which he gets the suit is so fleeting that its barely noticeable and secondly, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is more of a secondary character in this story which is understandable due to the number of characters in the story.  He has a few standout moments but the key players in this story are Captain America, Mr. Fantastic, Magneto and the X-Men.\n\nThe same can be said on the side of the villains too, Galactus poses a threat in one issue but Doctor Doom is the main villain throughout the whole story and this is one of the stories that shows readers why he is rated as one of Marvel’s most deadly villains.  Sadly, there is a lot of wasted potential in this story.  First of all, villains like Doctor Octopus, Ultron, and Kang the Conquerer are nowhere near as dangerous as they were often depicted in previous stories and there is a strange moment where you almost feel sorry for the Lizard.  Its almost out of character for him and I don’t believe they ever showed that side of him again.  (Correct me if I’m wrong).\n\nNow one of the best things about re-reading this story, especially with the knowledge of future events in the Marvel timeline is the hostility between the X-Men and the Avengers.  The X-Men go off on their own and align themselves with Magneto which later leads to an argument about the Avengers being heroes that judge mutants the same as everybody else and treat them as outcasts.  This would be touched upon again decades later in the Avengers Versus X-Men crossover event which changed the arrangement of both X-Men and Avenger Teams but it’s nice to see this idea was actually planted way back in the 80’s and grown over time.\n\nThere are some great ideas behind this story, for example, the Beyonder placing Magneto on the side of the heroes indicating possibly for the first time that Magneto isn’t your stereotypical villain as he has good intentions but his actions and methods label him as the enemy.  The actions of Doctor Doom also show why he is considered more dangerous than other villains and how his thirst for complete power has been instilled into from his weakness and events from his past that he couldn’t control.\n\nThis story may be a little dated and fall short in some places but if you read it knowing that this was Marvel’s first attempt to bring all of their heroes together you will appreciate that they did a remarkable job.  This was the blueprint in which they improved upon that led to such great stories such as House of M, Civil War, and Secret Invasion.  It was also the first time that one of these stories would impact each character once the event had passed in major ways, this too would also lead to later events creating massive changes in the Marvel universe.\n\nBuy Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars\n\nRecommended Events\n\n\nFear Itself\n\nWorld War Hulk\n\n\n\n\nSpider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBuy Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin\n\n\nSpider-Man: Death of the Stacy’s\n\nSpider-Man: Son of The Goblin\n\nSpider-Man: A New Goblin\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6005008220672607}
+{"content": "Speakers‎ > ‎\n\nIgor Muttik,McAfee\n\nA Brief History of Time\n\nHistorically, successes and failures of a security product were evaluated using binary logic (\"detected\" or \"missed\") and represented as a detection rate. Such rates are assumed to represent the quality (probability) of successful protection. But the timing of providing protection greatly affects this probability. We would demonstrate with examples that the \"detection rate\" which does not incorporate the timing element is not a valid metric.\nWe analyze the factors contributing to the probability of successful protection, present the mathematical approach to calculating this probability and discuss how this can be implemented in practice. We will show that for each attack, the \"success of protection\" is a function of time. For multiple attacks we will have a set of such functions. We would argue that a simple and meaningful numeric representation of this set of functions would be a probability calculated as an average of integrals of these functions over time.\nIn this model overall probability depends on the timeframes used to evaluate each attack. To be meaningful, the selection of these timeframes has to take into account users' exposure to the threat. But full knowledge about the exposure is only available after the attack so we have to deal with historical data.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995470643043518}
+{"content": "\n\n\nCT Head Early MCA Stroke\n\nFindings: There is sulcal effacement and subtle obscuration of the gray-white interface along the right hemisphere, in the expected territory of the middle cerebral artery. There is no asymmetry of the CSF spaces, hydrocephalus or herniation. There is no increased attenuation in the visualized portions of the proximal middle cerebral arteries. The remainder of the brain parenchyma is normal in density, size and configuration.\n\nThere is no hemorrhage, pathologic fluid collection, hydrocephalus or herniation. The calvarium is intact. The orbits, mastoid air cells and bilateral temporomandibular joints are unremarkable. The paranasal sinuses are clear. The demonstrated soft tissues are unremarkable.\n\nImpression: Apparent sulcal effacement and subtle obscuration of the gray-white interface along the expected territory of the right middle cerebral artery. These findings may be seen with early cerebral ischemia and/or edema. Alternatively, this may be due to a migrational disorder such as cortical dysplasia or less likely cortical neoplasm. Close correlation with neurological exam is recommended. Given recent IV contrast load and elevated creatinine, the use of CT angiography must be weighed against the potential risk of contrast induced nephropathy.\nFindings: There is subtle sulcal effacement and loss of gray-white differentiation in the right MCA distribution predominantly involving the right frontal lobe, suspicious for an acute infarct. There is no evidence of significant mass effect/ midline shift, hydrocephalus, herniation, or intracranial hemorrhage. The CSF-containing spaces appear unremarkable for age. Scattered periventricular hypodensities remain, compatible small vessel ischemic changes.\n\nThe demonstrated calvarial bones are intact. Bilateral lens replacement are again noted. The mastoid air cells and paranasal sinuses are clear.\n\nImpression: Findings are suspicious for an acute infarct in the right MCA distribution without evidence of intracranial hemorrhage or herniation.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9344738125801086}
+{"content": "GASP = Sales Standards like GAAP = Accounting Standards\n\nAs organisations seek improved performance in a competitive marketplace, GASP : Generally Accepted Sales Principles, will play a major role in establishing the right Sales Standards and Processes, for a sustainable growth.\n\nLike GAAP : Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, has streamlined Financial discipline and Process, adoption of GASP will bring unlock sales efficiencies and sales growth opportunities for organisations.\n\nIn the years ahead, GASP is set to become the operational standard for Sales, like GAAP is for Accounting.\n\nThink GASP. Think Sales Productivity.\n\nGASP is the registered trade mark of Retail Market Movers", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999802112579346}
+{"content": "When did Astronomers detect gravitational waves from merging neutron stars for the first time?\n\n\nBefore now, the ripples in space-time had only been detected from black-hole mergers. For the first time ever, astronomers have detected a gravitational wave emission from the collision of a pair of neutron stars. Because of this, telescopes worldwide were able to produce the first visual observations of the gravitational wave source, now dubbed GW170817. This confirmed the production and dispersion of heavy elements, such as gold and platinum, throughout the universe. Other than black holes, the only other explanation for this source could have bee the merger of two neutron stars. These are the leftover cores of dead stars, and they’re so dense that a teaspoon of their mass would weigh a billion tonnes.\n\n“It immediately appeared to us the source was likely to be neutron stars, the other coveted source we were hoping to see – and promising the world we would see,” says David Shoemaker, a senior research scientist in MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. “From informing detailed models of the inner workings of neutron stars and the emissions they produce, to more fundamental physics such as general relativity, this event is just so rich. It is a gift that will keep on giving.”\n\nOn 17 August 2017, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and the Europe-based Virgo detector found an unusually long signal corresponding to gravitational waves. The previous black-hole mergers showed a signal of less than a second, whereas this detection lasted for roughly a hundred seconds. Not only that, but afterward there was a two-second burst of gamma rays originating from the same position, and this was picked up by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and ESA’s International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL).\n\nThere was a variety of electromagnetic radiation emission from GW170817, including ultraviolet, infrared and radio emission\n\nIt was at this point the scientists had managed to narrow the signal down to a spot in the galaxy NGC 4993, which was 130 million years away in the constellation of Hydra. Theorists predicted that there would have been an initial outburst of light from a neutron star collision followed by its relatively-rapid dimming, also known as a ‘kilonova’. This is exactly what was seen in the following weeks and months, as theoretical astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz of UC Santa Cruz explained, “It doesn’t look like anything we’ve ever seen before. It got very bright very quickly, then started fading rapidly, changing from blue to red as it cooled down. It’s completely unprecedented.”\n\n“When we were first planning LIGO back in the late 1980s, we knew that we would ultimately need an international network of gravitational-wave observatories, including Europe, to help localise the gravitational-wave sources so that light-based telescopes can follow up and study the glow of events like this neutron star merger,” says Caltech’s Fred Raab, LIGO associate director for observatory operations. “Today we can say that our gravitational-wave network is working together brilliantly with the light-based observatories to usher in a new era in astronomy, and will improve with the planned addition of observatories in Japan and India.”\n\nNow the hunt was on the chase down the visual source of this emission, which took months of locating the source and gaining visual observations. “This event has the most precise sky localization of all detected gravitational waves so far,” says Jo van den Brand of Nikhef (the Dutch National Institute for Subatomic Physics). “This record precision enabled astronomers to perform follow-up observations that led to a plethora of breathtaking results.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9930855631828308}
+{"content": "Who Self-Harms?\n\nSelf-harm is far more common than a lot of people think. All sorts of people injure themselves. Often, they carry on successful careers or look after families, and there is little outward sign that anything is wrong. Other times, it can completely take over someone’s life, even leading to hospitalisation.\n\nThere is a common myth that everyone who self-harms must have been abused as a child, but although there often is a link between child abuse and self-harm, this is certainly not always the case. There are many self-harmers who have never been abused, who have grown up in happy and supportive families.\n\nThere are some other trends. As well as the link with abuse, there seems to be a very definite link with eating disorders and other struggles, which we have listed on our Related Struggles page. Some self-harmers may have experienced damaging relationships or violent assaults as adults, but for others there is no such obvious trauma. Many have reported that they never really learned how to communicate how they felt, perhaps due to neglect, or maybe just because they had a shy personality. Some people are just particularly sensitive and find just getting through every day life traumatic. There also seems to be a link to particularly high achievement, where stress is expressed through physical injury.\n\nSelf-harm seems to be more common among women than men. This is partly because men are more likely to express strong feelings – such as anger – outwardly.\n\nMany people who self-harm believe that they are the only person in the world to behave in this way. Fear and shame can cause many people to keep their self-harm a secret for many years, which means that no one knows how big the problem really is. However, where it is acceptable to talk about it, many people – women in particular – will admit to having self harmed at some point in their lives.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9926192164421082}
+{"content": "Search Symbol (Half-width) Description of Search Symbols\n\n(1) AND (1) AND: Refines search parameters\n\n\n\nUsing DOI as a persistent link\n\n\nCite a document with DOI\n\n\n\n\n\nData Source: Academic Citation Index (ACI)\n\nExample: The impact factor in 2010 (determined in 2011)\n\n\nWhat is \"Preprint\"?\n\n\nHow to cite Preprint Articles?\n\n\nCited example (may vary with different formats you cited):\n\n\ndoi:DOI Number\n\nAbstract 〈TOP〉\nParallel Abstract 〈TOP〉\nReference ( 25 ) 〈TOP〉\n  1. 林培榮(2002)。跆拳道運動員專項體能與致勝要素探討。中華體育，16(1)，112-120。\n  2. Baechle, T. R.,Earle, R.(2000).Essentials of strength training and conditioning.Champaign, IL:Human kinetics.\n  3. Derek, B. Y.、張博夫譯(1980)。田徑跳部之體能與技術訓練。台北:中華民國田徑協會。\n  4. Gore, C. J.(2000).Physiological tests for elite athletes.Champaign, IL:Human kinetics.\n  5. Homenkova, L. S.(1994).Training for jumping events.Track and Field Coaches Review,94(4),44-52.\nTimes Cited ( 3 ) 〈TOP〉\n  1. 謝長宏(2015)。核心肌力訓練對國中生田徑選手速度、肌耐力、爆發力及平衡能力之影響。長榮大學運動競技學系(所)學位論文。2015。1-67。 \n  2. 莊進德(2007)。羽球甲、乙組女子選手一般體能與專項體能之比較分析。臺灣師範大學體育學系在職進修碩士班學位論文。2007。1-64。\n  3. 陳瑋玲(2016)。不同訓練法對國中風浪板選手基本運動能力之影響 ～以臺南市安平國中風浪板隊為例。長榮大學運動競技學系(所)學位論文。2016。1-99。\nAltmetrics 〈TOP〉\nE-mail ：\nE-mail ：", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7485935688018799}
+{"content": "Dayside Management Process Log\n\nRecord responses & thoughts for all steps in this Management Process Log daily.\nThe responses are sent to the management team to ensure consistent communication\n and are copied to an archive folder.\n\nIt forces us to think through our decisions, ensure we are making active ones, and to record our thought process - for perpetuity as well as for continued learning.\n\nService: *\nPlease write any special notes; VIP guests of note, large groups over 8 (where are they going?), any special arrangements.\nPlease make any notes of conditions that influenced decisions, ie: raining, snowing, odd event...\nStaffing adjustments: *\nWere any adjustments made to what was scheduled? Were there cuts?\nAre the right people in the right sections? Please list any adjustments made & why Did we need more or fewer bodies? Please list any cuts you made & why.\nWas the terrace set-up appropriately? Do we have 5 dueces in the 10's if we have five 2-top reservations? Are parties set-up correctly and assigned due to service preferences/arrangements?\nEnsure any server requests are considered and adjustments made where necessary.\n86 List *\n1. Have you un86'ed any items that have been resupplied? 2. Have you updated the 86 list for items that have been 86'ed for this service?\nPlease list any notes that were covered specifically during pre-shift (ie: 86's, Service Standards, wine tasted, etc)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6313174962997437}
+{"content": "class Optional[int] = None, metric_name: str = None, should_decrease: bool = None)[source]\n\nBases: object\n\nThis class tracks a metric during training for the dual purposes of early stopping and for knowing whether the current value is the best so far. It mimics the PyTorch state_dict / load_state_dict interface, so that it can be checkpointed along with your model and optimizer.\n\nSome metrics improve by increasing; others by decreasing. Here you can either explicitly supply should_decrease, or you can provide a metric_name in which case “should decrease” is inferred from the first character, which must be “+” or “-“.\n\npatience : int, optional (default = None)\n\nIf provided, then should_stop_early() returns True if we go this many epochs without seeing a new best value.\n\nmetric_name : str, optional (default = None)\n\nIf provided, it’s used to infer whether we expect the metric values to increase (if it starts with “+”) or decrease (if it starts with “-“). It’s an error if it doesn’t start with one of those. If it’s not provided, you should specify should_decrease instead.\n\nshould_decrease : str, optional (default = None)\n\nIf metric_name isn’t provided (in which case we can’t infer should_decrease), then you have to specify it here.\n\nadd_metric(metric: float) → None[source]\n\nRecord a new value of the metric and update the various things that depend on it.\n\nadd_metrics(metrics: Iterable[float]) → None[source]\n\nHelper to add multiple metrics at once.\n\nclear() → None[source]\n\nClears out the tracked metrics, but keeps the patience and should_decrease settings.\n\nis_best_so_far() → bool[source]\n\nReturns true if the most recent value of the metric is the best so far.\n\nload_state_dict(state_dict: Dict[str, Any]) → None[source]\n\nA Trainer can use this to hydrate a metric tracker from a serialized state.\n\nshould_stop_early() → bool[source]\n\nReturns true if improvement has stopped for long enough.\n\nstate_dict() → Dict[str, Any][source]\n\nA Trainer can use this to serialize the state of the metric tracker.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6655092835426331}
+{"content": "Search Results\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRed Barber talks about the spirit of the athlete and how this exemplifies the importance of spirit in life.\n\n\n\n\nJames Du Pont explains his belief that life is difficult but people are strong, although complicated by being both good and bad, and to be good one must be humble, compassionate and have faith.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEdmond Rieder describes how his experiences with hotel guests have established his belief in the basic goodness of people, and he believes that praticing the Golden Rule and trying his best at his endeavors has led to satisfaction.\n\n\nWhile reporting from Germany during Nazi rule, radio commentator William L. Shirer learned the value of tolerance and freedom and was inspired by people's ability to retain their faith and will to live in the face of attrocities. Shirer believes that mans resilience, especially during times of war, comes from having a rich inner life of reflection and contemplation.\n\n\n\nFrederick Thayer considers the many different philosophies and belief systems in the world and arrives at the conclusion that people would be better off focusing on their present life and conduct rather than on their afterlife.\n\nCatherine Walsh describes her belief that it is impossible to be truly happy and the importance of always making the best effort in what one does.\n\n\nWilliam Joyce, founder of Joyce Incorporated, Shoe Manufacturers, describes how the deaths of his brother and son led him to conclude that he could only have faith in God's purposes rather than demand an explanation of His actions.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLord Kemsley describes his beliefs in the importance of family life, home-made entertainment, and self-reliance.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nInstructor of world literature and effective writing at the University of Baltimore, Ray Montgomery describes his belief that there is God in all men and that people must strive to find this inner God to create a better world in which people can live peacefully together in equality and cooperation.\n\n\nCal Farley describes the beliefs that led him to found Boys Ranch: that a boy given a good home with proper meals and clothes will turn into a productive citizen rather than ending up in jail or reform school.\n\n\n\nBetty Jacob describes her belief in the brotherhood of humanity, her disillusionment, and the final reaffirmation of her belief sparked by her work with international citizens via the United Nations.\n\n\nKate Holliday describes her beliefs in the brotherhood of humanity, in the right to freedom of worship, and in the Golden rule.\n\n\nRobert Stacy-Judd relates an experience from early in his career when unemployment left him homeless and in despair; however, rather than taking his own life, he had the opportunity to prevent another from committing suicide, establishing his faith in divine help, prayer, and a sense of humor.\n\nWilliam Carlson, president of the State University of New York, describes how his experience of living with an Inuit family in Greenland disproved his belief of belonging to a superior race, and states his beliefs in the brotherhood of humanity, the virtue of patience, the need of self-evaluation, the unity of family, and the method of science. Contains a short advertisement for This I Believe book (this essay included in the book).\n\nAldous Huxley describes his belief that the ideal society towards which he must strive is one that reduces the number of temptations for its citizens. This episode is a rebroadcast of an earlier airing.\n\n\nWilliam Thompson describes life in his hometown, Croton-on-Hudson, and how simplicity keeps life manageable and productive.\n\nCharles Johnson describes how his great-grandfather's experience with slavery, his father's experience as a Baptist minister, and his own college experience in social services have helped to shape his belief that \"no man can be justly judged until youve looked at the world through his eyes\".\n\nNicholas Norton describes his belief that beauty is the basic tenant which makes his life feel secure, that religion ought to lead to a feeling of beauty, and that he would be willing to fight and die to prevent oppression and preserve freedom.\n\nRalph Strebel, Academic dean of Utica College, talks about his early childhood and his awareness of class and his youthful epiphany that one should have pride in oneself for who they are, not where they come from, and how this realization supports his belief in equality and democracy. He also talks about the need to develop a more spiritual philosophy in the world and abandon the materialistic philosophy that he believes is pervasive.\n\n\n\n\nInterviewed in Kolkata, West Bengal, India by Kris Manjapra\n\n\nInterviewed in Kolkata, West Bengal, India by Kris Manjapra", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9868566393852234}
+{"content": "2017 Arizona Revised Statutes\nTitle 33 - Property\n§ 33-1329 Regulation of rents; authority\n\nUniversal Citation: AZ Rev Stat § 33-1329 (2017)\n\n33-1329. Regulation of rents; authority\n\nA. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary the state legislature determines that the imposition of rent control on private residential housing units by cities, including charter cities, and towns is of statewide concern. Therefore, the power to control rents on private residential property is preempted by the state. Cities, including charter cities, or towns shall not have the power to control rents.\n\nB. The provisions of subsection A shall not apply to residential property which is owned, financed, insured or subsidized by any state agency, or by any city, including charter city, or town.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997591376304626}
+{"content": " Information about worms\nHow is the development of the bull chain\nWhat is the life cycle of a bull chain? What are its features, and at what stages it is divided.\nDescription and photo toksokar\nWho are toxocars and how do they differ from other helminths, parasitizing in the human body. The life cycle of the parasite and the danger to ...\nDescription of trematodes\nWho are the trematodes and how they differ from other human parasites. How they develop, where they live and how they penetrate ...\nWays to infect a person with a bull chain\nWhat are the ways of infecting a person with a bull chain? How to protect yourself from such diseases as teniarinhoz.\nToxocars in children: symptoms and treatment\nWhy does toxocarosis develop in children. Who causes it. The manifestations of the disease in childhood and how to deal with it.\nOpistorchis in adults: symptoms and treatment\nHow to recognize the symptoms of opisthorchiasis in adults and children, what drugs are used to treat and what is the risk of infection. Ways of transmitting the disease ...\nSymptoms and treatment of human claws\nWhat is dangerous for an organism is a whipworm human, what does a worm look like and where it parasitizes, features of the life cycle, ways of infection, complications and drugs ...\nAntibodies to toxocars\nWhat are antibodies or IgG to toxocars, how to correctly decipher the ELISA analysis and what is its essence and advantages. Training...\nTreatment and symptoms of bovine tapeworm in humans\nWho is the bullish tapeworm. What it is dangerous for man. Causes and methods of infection with the parasite and the fight against it.\nWhat do roundworms look like in human feces?\nWhat are the roundworm in feces. Features of the appearance of worms and their eggs, defined in fecal masses.\nHuman ascaris\nWhat is the human ascaris. What is the cycle of life development passes the parasite. Features of his life.\nSymptoms and treatment of ascariasis in children\nSymptoms and treatment of ascaris in children - the danger of children's ascariasis, and how to deal with it. Methods of treatment of worm infestation.\nDifferences Ascaris from pinworms and other worms\nWhat is the difference between roundworms and pinworms? Symptomatic features and differences in therapeutic interventions.\nHow can I get Ascaris\nA person can become infected with ascariasis in different ways with a common infection mechanism. Preventive measures allow you to avoid re-infection and the development of a dangerous disease.\nAscaris looks, features of the structure\nPhotos of Ascaris demonstrate the features of the appearance and anatomy of these worms. For a long time they parasitize in the human body, cause serious ...\nThe scheme of the life cycle of the development of human roundworm\nThe life cycle of human roundworm consists of several stages. Metamorphosis begins with the larvae, ends with the formation of an adult individual and the development of ascariasis in ...\nHow to withdraw ascaris in adult folk remedies\nGet rid of ascaris quickly will not work, but it is quite possible with proper treatment.Timely therapy eliminates the likelihood of complications of ascariasis and ...\nSymptoms and treatment of ascariasis in cats\nWhat the roundworms look like in cats, where they are parasitic, how the disease manifests itself, whether a person can get infected from a cat. Treatment and prevention.\nAscaris eggs\nAscaris eggs play an important role in the infection with ascariasis. They have a special structure, are reliably protected from external factors and occupy the main ...\nThe best cures for ascaris for humans\nHow to treat ascariasis in children and adults: effective tablets for ascaris, indications, contraindications, treatment regimens. Other drugs, a description of the main groups.\nBlood test for ascariasis, antibodies to ascaris\nDiagnosis of ascariasis in the blood: general changes, analysis for antibodies to ascaris, when prescribed, preparation, decoding. Research feces: microscopy, PCR.\nSymptoms and treatment of ascariasis in adults\nWhat is ascariasis, description of the pathogen, life cycle, infection, diagnosis, symptoms and treatment of ascaris in adults. Prevention measures.\nHow to treat pinworms in pregnant women\nWhat are dangerous pinworms in pregnancy, how to deal with them, the symptoms and diagnosis of enterobiosis, methods of treatment with pharmaceuticals, external means and ...\nWhat the pinworms look like in feces\nIs it possible to recognize enterobiosis in children, adults on stool analysis: the type of worms, photos of pinworms in feces, the type of worms eggs. Diagnostics...\nWhat do pinworm eggs look like?\nWhat do pinworm eggs look like, what is their life cycle and under what conditions do they die, the developmental cycle of larvae, the characteristics of infection ...\nSymptoms and treatment of pinworms in a child\nHow does enterobiosis occur, who are pinworms, how dangerous they are, diagnosis, symptoms and treatment of pinworms in children. Medical and folk ...\nTreatment with pinworms in adults and children\nWhat pills relieve pinworms quickly and efficiently, the mechanism of action of drugs from worms, instructions for the best drugs, dosing regimens, contraindications ...\nHow to remove pinworms in adults and children\nWith proper treatment, it is possible to quickly and permanently get rid of pinworms. There are various effective methods of getting rid of helminths at home.\nSymptoms and treatment of pinworms in adults\nWhat is enterobiosis, a description of the pathogen, how adults are infected, the symptoms and treatment of pinworms in adults. Consequences and danger of a disease, measures ...\nWays of pinworm infection\nPinworms are transmitted by the contact-household method and pose a threat of re-infection. Timely diagnosis and treatment and preventive measures allow to get rid of enterobiosis.\nThe best drugs for the treatment of pinworms\nHow to choose a cure for pinworms: the danger of the disease, means for the treatment of enterobiosis in children and adults: indications, contraindications, scheme, price ....\nThe development cycle of pinworms\nThe life cycle of the pinworm begins and ends in the human body. Compliance with sanitary rules, personal hygiene allows you to avoid re-infection and dangerous ...\nTreatment of pinworms folk remedies\nFolk recipes and remedies for pinworms for external and internal use, the effectiveness of home therapy, the advantages and disadvantages, features of treatment and ...\nHow to make scraping on pinworm eggs\nHow to take a scraping and smear on pinworms, which shows the analysis, how to properly name and how much it costs, the main indications for the study ...\nWhat are pinworms and how they look\nWhat is pinworms, how they look in the photo and what diseases cause, the difference between parasites and worms, periods of development, the consequences of infection ...\nThe effects of pinworms for humans\nWhat kind of harm does enterobiosis cause to the body: symptoms than pinworms are dangerous for adults, children, women during pregnancy and feeding. Is it possible to die ...\n\n\nInformation about worms.\n\nFeedback form\nAdblock detector\n\nBed bugs", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.991495668888092}
+{"content": "The Father’s Sacrifice\n\nGenesis 22:6–8:\n\n\nRomans 8:32:\n\n\nDonald Macleod, Christ Crucified (IVP, 2014), 64:\n\nWhat can we say as to the precise nature of the Father’s actions at Calvary? The New Testament answer is breathtaking. He acted in the role of priest. Just as Jesus ‘gave’ his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45) so God the Father ‘gave’ his one and only Son (John 3:16); just as Christ ‘delivered up’ himself as a fragrant offering (Eph. 5:2) so God the Father ‘delivered up’ his own Son (Rom. 8:32).\n\nClearly, then, corresponding to the priesthood of the self-giving Son there is a priesthood of God the Father. From this point of view, Golgotha becomes his temple, where, far from abusing a child or sadistically inflicting cruelty, he is engaged in the most solemn business that earth can witness. He is offering a sacrifice. The cross is his altar, and his own Son the sacrifice.\n\nGod Is For Me\n\n\n\n\n\nKarl Barth, Church Dogmatics, IV/2 728:\n\n\n\n\n\nHard Thoughts\n\nC. H. Spurgeon:\n\nLet us repent heartily of every hard thought we have ever had of our God and Father. I am forced to look back upon some such sins of thought with much distress of mind. They have come from me in serious pain and depression of spirit; and now I pray the Lord of his great mercy to look at them as though I had never thought them, for I do heartily abhor them, and I loathe myself in his sight that I should ever have questioned his tender love and gracious care. If you have similarly transgressed, dear friends, in your dark nights of trouble, come now, and bow your heads, and pray the Lord to forgive his servants concerning this thing; for he is so good, so gracious, that it is a wanton cruelty to think of him as otherwise than overflowing with love.\n\nAdoption: Legal and Relational\n\nMichael Horton, in his book Covenant and Salvation: Union with Christ, makes the point that the believer’s spiritual adoption carries both a relational emphasis and also a forensic/legal emphasis. “Before orphans can enjoy the love and care of a new family,” he writes, “they must be legally adopted” (248). Good point. Sometimes folks like us—who rightfully emphasize the forensic side of justification—can view God as a distant and impersonal Judge who does no more than declare the wicked innocent in a cold courtroom. Innocence and righteousness before that Judge is a gift of incredible grace, but it’s not the whole story. Justification entails a relational aspect that can go neglected. This harmony between the legal and the relational aspects of salvation is a harmony displayed in spiritual adoption. “Adoption, like justification, is simultaneously legal and relational” (247).\n\nWhy does God love me?\n\n\nThe answer to this question is simple and profound.\n\n\n\n\n\nGod loves you because he loves you.\n\nThis is a simple question with a profound answer.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nI am collected dust\nbound together for a time\ninto this mud\nformed by liquid soul.\n\nHow often I forget this frame\nand attempt to live as gold\nor diamond\nor granite.\nAnything, everything, but collected dust.\n\nBut He never forgets.\nHe never forgets.\nHis tenderness speaks it so.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5418142080307007}
+{"content": "Events Calendar\n\nYeovil Town Easter Bunny 10k race\nMonday 22 April 2019, 11:00\nHits : 35\n\nGood, fast, flat 10k road race where the first 1km and last 4km are the same as the monthly 5k races from Yeovilton.\n\nRace often gets full before the day so enter in advance to be sure.\n\nLocation Yeovilton, BA22 8HT", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997804164886475}
+{"content": "Skip to main content\n\nElements of the Academic Self-Management\n\nZimmerman & Risemberg (in Dembo, 2004) states that there are several components that can help of controlling the learning and academic self-management, namely:\n\nElements of ASM\n\nMotivation is an internal process that provides an energetic and purposeful behavior. Internal process includes individual goals, beliefs, perceptions, and expectations. Individual persistence on tasks is often related to how competent individual to complete the task. In addition, individual beliefs about the causes of success and failure on these tasks affect to individual motivation and behavior to overcome the tasks in the future.\n\nOne of the major differences from success students and unsuccessful students is in terms of motivation.  A successful student could motivate himself even though he is in inconvenient situation, while students who are not successful tend to be difficult to control their motivation. Being a success student should be able to concentrate and believe to his own potential and environmental effects. Another problem in motivation is persistence. Although students have motivated themselves, but they still cannot study well because there are something bothered them when the motivation is being built (Kuhl & Beckman in Dembo, 2004). Sometimes, a small disturbance can cause a decrease individual motivation. Students use many different processes to control aspects of behavior. A number of important techniques in motivational self-management, namely:\n\na. Goal setting.\nResearch shows that students who got good achievement often used goal setting and more consistent than students whose achievement is low (Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons in Dembo, 2004).\n\nb. Talking to your own self (self-talk).\nVerbal reinforcement or praise can be used as a form of desired behavior. Talking to your own self (self-talk) can help individuals control the anxiety, mood, and other emotional responses (Butler, 1981; Ottens, in Dembo, 2004). It is based on the belief that what people say to themselves is an important factor in determining attitudes, feelings, emotions, and behavior.\n\nc. Imagine the reward or punishment for success or failure in academic tasks.\nA success student controlled their motivation by giving rewards and punishments against him than students who did not use control technique (Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, in Dembo, 2004).\n\nLearning Methods\nAnother term for a method of learning is learning strategies. Learning strategies is the method used by students to gain information. High-achieving learners use learning strategies more than students who have lower achievement (Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons in Dembo, 2004). Learners can use different strategies in different learning conditions as well. Underlining, summarizing, and describing are technique in learning strategies. Success students should have a good learning strategy. It can be equipped things that may facilitate students in understanding something. Like making little notes when the teacher explained, so when the test will be held it will help in memorizing the material.\n\nUsing a Good Time\nThe students who have better time management ability tend to have on average higher scores than students whose time management skills are not good. Time management is needed because it affects the student self management. If a student had trouble getting along with time, he will not understand the part of the task should be prioritized. The problem of most students is that they do not have much time for that should need to be done, because he did not have ability to set the time. When a student can manage his time, then he can analyze the time and can use the time well without wasting time.\n\nPhysical and Social Environment\nAn important aspect of self-management is the ability of learners to restructure the social and physical environment to fulfill their needs. Zimmerman and Martinez-Pons (in Dembo, 2004) found that high-achieving students do more restructuring environment and are more likely to seek help from others than low-achieving students. For the most part, environmental restructuring refers to the location of a place to study whether quiet or comfortable. Although this task maybe difficult to achieve, it caused a lot of problems for students who either choose an environment that is not right at the beginning or cannot control the disorder after they occur.\nSelf-management of the social environment relates to an individual's ability to determine when to work alone or with others, or when it's time to seek help from instructors, tutors, peers, or nonsocial resources (such as reference books). Knowing how and when to work with others is an important skill not often taught in schools.\n\nThe last factor that you can manage is academic achievement. By writing papers, completing the exam, or reading a book, individuals can learn how to use the self-management process to affect the quality of individual performance. One of the important functions of the destination (goal) is to provide an opportunity for individuals to analyze the performance of the individual. By the time the student can observe the work in different conditions, the student has the ability to change his behavior in learning. It is very good to succeed in education (Zimmerman & Martines-Pons in Dembo, 2004).\nBy the time students learn how to observe and control every performance (performance), the students can become mentors themselves. Students can practice the skills they have, the process of self-evaluation, and make changes so that the goal can be achieved.\nAccording to Hamzah B. Uno (2005), Self-management in general consists of three main steps, namely to set goals, monitor and evaluate progress, and providing self-affirmation or reinforcement.\n\n1. Goal Setting.\nAccording to Adler as quoted by Uno, in his theory of fictitious purposes (fictional goal) states that a person's behavior directed toward future goals that are constructed by them. Good goals are goals set by person himself, while the other person or people nearby just guide him. So the students set the goals and their own parents or teachers just help and direct them. If the goal had known then the students act further action more stable and his life will be more meaningful.\nAt school, students have a goal of learning. Besides at school, students can also learn to be independent. Independent learning goal is to find a new competency either in the form of knowledge or skills to solve a problem. At the point in the learning process, it is very important for students to be able to compile their own goals. Instead the teacher should earnestly tries to guide the students in developing learning goals, so it can be used as guidelines for their daily behavior in the classroom and outside the classroom. The purpose which is compiled by the students will be more effective to improve the achievement of student concerned. The goals drawn up will be effective when:\n  • The goal can be achieved in a short time, not a long-term goal\n  • Specific\n  • Challenging, difficult, but achievable, not too easy or too difficult.\n2. Monitoring and evaluate progress.\nResearch conducted by Glynn & Thomas (1973) found that students who were guided in monitoring their learning and make check list about his behavior shows a good improvement on learning behavior and academic achievement. Some examples of appropriate behavior for the check list itself are how many tasks completed, the time spent on practice skills, how many books were read, and the frequency of leaving the classroom without permission, etc. The task which is done without the supervision of a teacher, such as homework, and self-learning, is also a good example to monitor them.\nSelf-evaluation and self-monitoring can be helped with periodic progress reports, or other tools that can help students to find out what they have been achieved on the goal based on the work that have been done. In this technique the responsibility for monitoring and management of student behavior is entirely according to students themselves.\n\n3. Self Reinforcement\nReinforcement occurs when student attempts to extend his knowledge or improve his ability and then gives a gift or punishment for student himself because of successful achievement or performance that have been defined or for failing to achieve the feat. Self-regulation is very helpful to students who lack motivation or achievement and   was less accurate in determining the measure of success.\nBuka Komentar\nTutup Komentar", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9880809783935547}
+{"content": "Study suggests UK employees 'work longest hours in EU'\n\n17 Apr 2019\n\n\nAccording to the study, full-time employees in the UK worked an average of 42 hours per week in 2018. Employees in countries such as Ireland, Italy, France and Belgium worked an average of 39 hours a week, the study revealed.\n\nThe TUC also suggested that employees in other EU countries are 'more productive' than UK workers, despite EU employees working fewer hours.\n\nCommenting on the study, Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the TUC, said: 'Britain's long hours culture is nothing to be proud of. It's robbing workers of a decent home life and time with their loved ones. Overwork, stress and exhaustion have become the new normal.\n\n\n'As new technology changes our economy, the benefits should be shared by working people. That means shorter hours, more time with family and friends, and decent pay for everyone.'", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8446467518806458}
+{"content": "eGuides International\n\nThe Boneyard\n\n\nThe Boneyard in DinoLand U.S.A. in Animal Kingdom is a large playground area designed to look like an archeological dig site. It is multiple stories and allows children (and some adults) to climb throughout a system of skeletons, swings, slides, maizes, and bones. There is also a large sandbox area. The Boneyard is located just past the Dino-Sue skeleton and bridge on the left, or to the right as you leave Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama and head toward Discovery Island.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8652853965759277}
+{"content": "Group: General Fitness & Exercise\n\nCreated: 2011/12/31, Members: 348, Messages: 54562\n\nVarious general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.\n\nJoin group\n\noptimal Rest?\n\nPosts: 1\nJoined: 2018/05/23\n2018/05/24, 01:32 AM (Edited: JSloth - 2018/05/24, 07:31 AM)\nWhat is optimal rest for recovering your muscles. Obviously i would think this is dominated by your goals. But if I want to build muscles through weight training and do some cardio on my \"rest days\" for weight loss would that inhibit my muscles from growing / recovering? \n\nShould you have complete rest days throughout the week? \n\nWhat is the optimal number of days to workout in a week? \n\nWhen should you take your rest? after every second / third workout? every week? If its okay to workout hypotheticly 7 days a week and then you have a rest period, how long should that be for? a day? \n\nWhat is the optimal rest period and at what time should you take it for optimal recovery / growing and weight loss.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8358962535858154}
+{"content": "Think of the last saison you tasted: did you notice any banana or clove flavors? These aren’t there because the beer was fermented over bananas and cloves but because of compounds produced by yeast during fermentation. The spicy clove notes come from phenols, which are spicy flavored compounds containing a phenyl ring and a hydroxyl (OH) group. The fruity flavors, such as banana in the case of saisons, come from compounds called esters. Esters are naturally occurring compounds that show up in fruits, flowers, and fermentation vessels, along with a myriad of other places. In low concentrations esters impart fruity character to the beer they are in, but at too high concentrations they can taste like solvents, especially ethyl acetate. Ester compounds are defined by an ester group that connects two organic molecules. The connecting ester group is made up of a carbon bonded to two oxygen atoms, one by a double bond. A visualization of esters can be seen in Figure 1.\n\nFigure 1\n\nEsters are widely considered some of the most important flavor compounds in beer, and there are a wide variety of these esters. Most have fruity flavors like apple, pear, or banana. Each ester’s flavor is different and most have different flavor thresholds. Ethyl acetate is the most abundant ester that occurs in beer. It also has the highest flavor threshold at 33 ppm (most have a flavor threshold 10x less than this). A table of esters and their associated flavors can be seen below.\n\nCompound Flavor Notes Flavor Threshold Structure\nEthyl acetate Nail polish remover, fruity, solvent-y 33 ppm\nMethyl butyrate Apples, pineapples 43 ppb\nIso-butyl acetate Bananas, floral, fruity 64 ppb\nEthyl butyrate Tropical fruits, pineapple, juicy fruit 400 ppb\nIso-amyl acetate Sweet, bananas, pear drops, circus peanuts 1.6 ppm\nEthyl hexanoate Apples, pears, anise 225 ppb\nEthyl octanoate Apples 200 ppb\n2-Phenylethyl acetate Roses, honey 200 ppb\n\nEsters are produced in two ways in beer, both of which start with an alcohol and a carboxylic acid and end with an ester. The first way is by spontaneous chemical reactions called condensation reactions. The other method is by enzymatic processes carried out by yeast during fermentation. The condensation that results from reacting a carboxylic acid with an alcohol produces an ester and water (see Figure 2). This process is slow and would not produce enough esters to affect the flavor of the beer. Cellular processes within the yeast are what create most of the esters that are tasted in beer. The reactions start a fatty acid reacting with Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP) and a coenzyme ASH (CoASH), to form acyl CoASH. Acyl CoASH molecules then interact with ester forming enzymes to combine with alcohols (mostly ethanol) and produce esters.\n\nFigure 2\n\nAfter esters have been made by yeast, they start to be broken down by enzymes called esterases. This process happens at a slower rate than the creation of esters, thus the concentration of esters does not decrease because of it. Particularly, of note is that acetate esters are broken down at a much slower rate than other esters. This rate difference, in combination with ethanol being the most common alcohol reacted, explains why ethyl acetate is the most abundant ester found in beers.\n\nThe formation of esters has a huge impact on beer flavor. Not only do esters result in fruity flavor notes, but their formation also reduces the amount of off-flavored compounds such as certain fatty acids. Many short chain fatty acids like butyric acid, octanoic acid, etc. impose rancid, sweaty, or animal-like flavors and aromas to the beer. The fruity notes resulting from the formation of esters make for a rather agreeable tradeoff.\n\nYeast Strain\n\nMany factors influence ester production during fermentation, including yeast strain and pitching rate, oxygen and free amino nitrogen levels in wort, temperature, and what organic acids and alcohols are present. The first factor is yeast strain. There are many different kinds of yeasts in several different genera (more than 500 species). Only a limited number of these yeast, though, are used for fermentation due to other fermentation byproducts they may create. The most common strains of yeast used are Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces pastorianus (lager yeast). There are a few other species of yeast that are also used, but those two make up the bulk of brewing yeast. Ale yeasts usually produce more esters than lager yeasts meaning there are more fruity and floral flavors in ales than there are in lagers. There are however different amounts and ratios of esters produced by each different strain of yeast within a species. These different ratios are the result of the yeasts making different kinds of organic acids and alcohols to react and create esters. The yeast will make esters out of whatever acids and alcohols are available. However some yeast produce different acids preferentially. All this means that the final flavor of the beer is strongly dictated by the strain of yeast selected for fermentation.\n\nPitch Rate\n\nThe amount of yeast added to a fermenter also dictates ester production. This is due to the fact that yeast produce esters mostly during their growth and reproduction phase. After the yeast grow a sizeable colony, they start converting sugar into alcohol and CO2 and ester production slows significantly. Pitching large amounts of yeast will ensure a healthy population of yeast later on and helps start a strong fermentation, but the growth and reproduction stage is significantly shortened and far less esters are produced. The obvious answer is to pitch less yeast. Under-pitching will lead to much higher rates of ester production but yeast health can suffer and the fermentation may be slow or stop completely. These are problems that are worse than not having enough esters. The trick is to find a happy medium. Make sure there is enough yeast pitched to have a strong healthy fermentations and a small enough amount of yeast to produce more esters.\n\n\nOne of the easiest conditions to control during fermentation that will change ester production is temperature. Higher temperatures result in more ester production. Saisons and other beers with very fruity characteristics (usually ales) are fermented between 70°F and 75°F (21° - 24°C). Lower fermentation temperatures in the range of 64°F to 70°F (18 - 21°C) result in the production of less of these fruity or floral esters and produce more spicy phenolic compounds like vanillin, 4-vinyl guaiacol, and eugenol which impart vanilla, smoky, or clove-like flavors to the beer. Lager fermentations usually occur under even lower temperatures, 50°F to 55°F (10° - 13°C), resulting in the production of very few ester compounds.\n\nWort Constituents\n\nWort composition plays a large role in the formation of esters. This makes sense because if the yeast live in the wort then they probably pull most of their nutrients from the wort. The most influential substance in the wort is oxygen. If there is too much oxygen the yeast will use it to make unsaturated fatty acids and sterols for generating cell walls. This process uses up a lot of acyl CoASH meaning the yeast can’t use the acyl CoASH to make esters. Low oxygen concentrations help keep levels of acyl CoASH high resulting in more ester production. However, if oxygen levels are too low,the yeast will not be able to grow and divide. This can result in slow or incomplete fermentations and even massive cell death called autolysis.\n\nOther wort constituents that make a difference in ester production are sugar content and free amino nitrogen. Sugars, in addition to being turned into yeast, are also used to make acyl CoASH. More acyl CoASH means more esters, so increasing sugar content in wort should increase ester production by yeast. Nitrogen is also used in the production of acyl CoASH as well as the enzymes used to produce esters. Increasing the concentration of nitrogen in wort should also increase ester production.\n\nIn summary, the ratios and amounts of esters are some of the most influential factors in finished beer flavors, and therefore important to control. Yeast strain selection plays a large role in what types of esters are produced. The amount of yeast pitched must be high enough to conduct a healthy and strong fermentation, but a small enough amount to allow for the production of more esters. Oxygen content in the wort has similar effects and needs. Too much oxygen will result in less esters being created by the yeast, but too little oxygen will result in poor cell growth and increase the risk of autolysis and a stuck fermentation. Controlling temperature will help supervise how much ester production occurs. The relationship is direct proportional, with warmer temperatures resulting in more esters being produced. Sugar and nitrogen content also affect the formation of esters. With more of these nutrients available in solution, the yeast are able to make more esters. So by selecting the correct yeast and controlling the pitch rate, temperature, and a few basic wort constituent concentrations, ester profiles in beer can be controlled, giving brewers better control over the flavor of their product.\n\nHow does one tell what esters are present and what tastes good? By tasting the beer, of course! Analytical Flavor Systems’ Gastrograph Review application allows for detailed flavor analysis to be done on any beer produced. This data can be used to visualize how different factors affect the flavor of a beer. The system stores data on every product reviewed and allows for the comparison of flavors based on differences in manufacturing processes. Using this powerful tool, brewers everywhere can ensure that their beer has the best ratio and amount of flavorful ester compounds. Quality and consistency in beer flavor are key in the success of any brewer - all the way down to esters!\n\n\nZachary Bushman\n\nChemical Engineer\n\nZachary is the chemical engineer at Analytical Flavor Systems. He graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. His upbringing in Wisconsin taught him to love good beers and cheeses. He likes puzzles and solving problems. In his free time Zach likes to go fishing and play rugby.\n\ncomments powered by Disqus", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6819522976875305}
+{"content": "NORTH ADAMS — The North Adams-Jerome Robotics team traveled to Battle Creek this past weekend to compete at the week two Lakeview District.\n\nComing off a strong showing at the Gibralter District, they continued their outstanding performance.\n\nThe robotic team members of Nick Todd, Travis Truitt, Tristen Strodtmen and Gabe Voisin racked up a district leading 264 cargo points to a 9-2-1 record in the qualification round and a fifth place ranking.\n\nDuring alliance selection, the fourth place team, NC Gears, chose Robot Commander and the Rat Pack to join them in the elimination round. This number four alliance made quick work of the number 5 alliance, winning by the scores of 74-65 and 66-60.\n\nMoving on to the semi-finals, they went up against the number one alliance, led by the Tech Vikes, a State and World’s competitor, losing match 1: 69-63, winning match 2: 67-63, lost match 3: 63-58.\n\nNorth Adams-Jerome Robotics team is currently ranked 18th in the state, out of 362 teams that have played. If they remain in the top 160 teams, they will qualify to play at Saginaw Valley State University for a state championship and a possible trip to the world championship.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8059377074241638}
+{"content": "Chinese dad trains dog to make sure daughter does homework\n\nA father in the city of Guiyang in southwestern China's Guizhou province has trained an adorable 'dog tutor' to watch over his daughter's homework sessions. The dog is trained to stand with its front legs on the table while the girl is doing her homework in order to stop her procrastinating with her phone. «I trained it to guard food from the cat when it was young. Then one day, I found my... Еще daughter was naughty when she was doing her homework. I came up with an idea to let Fantuan [the dog] watch over its sister, supervise her to do her homework,» said Xu Liang. Xinya said she appreciated her furry supervisor and commented that «it is not as boring as doing my homework alone, and I won't be distracted as well. It feels like being accompanied by a classmate.» What started with homework has now quickly moved onto supervising piano lessons as well. The dog in return gets playtime with his human 'sister' and training from his master.\n\nСамое интересное\n\nНовости партнеров\n\nТемыВсе темы", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5021792650222778}
+{"content": "A maritime injury claim is one of the most complex suits a person can file because it is not subject to the same laws that govern most damage suits. The Jones Act outlines the regulations that seamen and vessel owners must follow when a person is harmed while on the job. Attorneys that oversee these cases need to be familiar with the special rules that guide them. Without this knowledge, a victim���s suit may be put in danger or dismissed outright.\n\nThe primary difference between a standard suit and a maritime injury claim is that qualified seamen may have their cases reviewed by a jury of peers. Normally, when a person is harmed and seeks compensation in court, they must convince a judge only. Having a trial that involves a jury changes the dynamic of the case greatly. The attorney has to approach these suits in a similar fashion to a criminal court case, which is also set up using judge and jury.\n\nIf a person is harmed on the job, they may be able to file a maritime injury claim against their employer if they believe negligence may be responsible for the damages. To do this through the Jones Act and receive a trial by jury, the worker must be a qualified seaman. A simple rule of thumb to determine this is any worker who spends at least 30 percent of their time on a navigating vessel qualifies. Some employers may dispute the victim’s working status, but an attorney can help make sure that the victim’s true work history is used to determine qualifying status.\n\nSeamen are faced with occupation hazards constantly. Some minor incidents are expected during a seaman’s career. However, if a seaman is harmed because the vessel owner was negligent in their duties to the ship and crew, the victim can consider filing a maritime injury claim with the help of an attorney. Vessel owners are responsible for maintaining the ship and keeping it properly staffed. If the owner is not subjecting the vessel to regular inspections, they may be in violation of federal regulations. If the incident is due to poor maintenance or crew staffing, an attorney can help the victim organize a suit against the owner.\n\nA lawyer will put together a demand package that contains the projected worth of a person’s damages and details relevant to the case. This is sent to the defendant. The lawyer and defendant negotiate a settlement and if a favorable outcome can be reached, both sides will settle. If the defendant is reluctant to pay a fair settlement, the victim and the victim’s attorney will file a lawsuit and argue the case in court. A skilled and experienced lawyer will be prepared for this and have the victim ready to go as soon as the trial begins.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9703636169433594}
+{"content": "The Conservative’s Guide to Defeating The Swamp - DOItQ.News - multimedia news source\nThis is a guide and activism toolkit to help navigate the political war zone and defeat the swamp in 2020! The Democrats managed to flip seats in 2018 and the GOP is targeting those districts to retake the house. We are witnessing a dismantling of the deep state, and they aren’t playing around. This guide is packed full of information on how to navigate the swamp, get involved, speak up and stand up, and take serious action NOW. Respected movers and shakers have contributed to provide insights, tools, tips, tricks, and powerful ways to move forward, work together, and make a difference – the ultimate difference!Continue reading", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9989445209503174}
+{"content": "Access your account\n\n5 Things To Do In Puerto Vallarta That Are Worth Your Time (And Free!)\n\nThe Matamoros Lighthouse\n\nOne of the very few remodeled sailing beacons in the city, the Matamoros Lighthouse is located on the mountainside, overlooking the roof tiles and offering a breathtaking view of the city center and the Banderas Bay.\n\nThe lighthouse itself was built and inaugurated on August 15th of the year 1932 by the Port Captian, Roberto Alcazar. It did its job for 46 years, guiding ships until the year 1978, when it stopped working due to difficulties with the weather. In 2006, the local authorities spruced it up again and made it available to the public, with a new terrace for the enjoyment of its wonderful vistas.\n\nThis location makes a great spot for photography enthusiasts and anyone looking for a great view and a little bit of exercise. From the terrace you can photograph many of the Bay’s main attractions. This spot is often overlooked in Puerto Vallarta tours so it’s a nice stop to make if you’re exploring the city.\n\nTo reach the lighthouse, you can start off in the Malecon on the corner of Galeana and Morelos, near the smaller decorative lighthouse. From here, it’s a short walk up Galeana, across the streets Juarez and Hidalgo, until you start climbing some steps. There are beautiful colored houses and a sculpture around this point. The next street will be Matamoros, which you can follow (turning right) about 30 meters down to the lighthouse.\n\nThe La Cruz Overlook\n\nThanks to its slow rise in popularity during 2016, the government decided to make an investment to improve the climb to this viewpoint and make it more accessible to the public. Now, it’s a great place to enjoy a beautiful view of the entire bay and city center.\n\nIn spite of the recent work done on the steps and roads, some elderly or handicapped people might find it a very difficult climb. Some areas are very inclined, and the steps can be exhausting to climb, but the view and feeling of achievement are well worth this 20 minute uphill walk. Most “Things To Do” lists or sightseeing tours do not visit this place because the climb is hard and tends to take up more time than they would like.\n\nSunsets and early mornings are the best moments to enjoy the wonderful vista of the city, and the weather tends to be more forgiving around these times as well. We would recommend aspiring visitors to take some snacks and water for the road as there are no nearby stores once you’re up on the lonesome top. Most of Puerto Vallarta’s attractions are distantly visible from the top.\n\nTo find the way up, you have to take Morelos street until you reach Abasolo, where you will turn left and begin the upward climb toward La Cruz. It’s straight up from there on out.\n\nSaucedo Theater\n\nThis charming building, reminiscent of the Belle Epoque, can be found on the corner of the streets Juarez and Iturbide. It was built for Sr. Juan Saucedo by the Italian engineer Angel Corsi in 1922. On the lower floor there were once a variety of shows, like theater, musicals, boxing, and even movies. On the second floor, once reachable through a stairwell on Iturbide street, there were three separate levels that gave the building an air of elegance. In these levels there used to be a casino for the younger crowds to gather and host parties and wedding receptions.\n\nDuring the Revolucion Cristera (Christian Revolution) the army used it as their quarters and stables. Later on, the first floor was taken over by the Gutierrez Bros. shop, and the top floor used as a hotel. Currently, it’s a fabric shop full of vibrant colors.\n\nBoca de Tomatlán\n\nA short 11 mile drive away from downtown Puerto Vallarta, you can find the small traditional fishing village of Boca de Tomatlán. The bustling little seaside town is best known for being the landing and departure site for water taxis which can take you to the beautiful isolated beaches in the south of Banderas Bay, like Las Ánimas, Quimixto, Majahuitas and Yelapa, as well as the popular beach club Casitas Maraika.\n\nTo reach Boca, as it is known among locals, you can take a public bus which will be labeled Boca and Mismaloya. The bus must be taken heading south from downtown PV. It’s important not to confuse this town with Boca de Tomates, an entirely different place sitting next to the airport on the beginning of the highway heading north to Nuevo Vallarta.\n\nThe Horcones river falls into the little bay of Boca de Tomatlán, meeting the ocean and ending its long trip from the Sierra Madre mountains. This river typically runs strongest from Summer right up until October, but should rarely ever be any kind of an obstacle for visitors.\n\nThe bay itself is charming, has parking space available most of the time, and has a couple of small convenience stores and restaurants where you can stock up for whatever trip you’re taking. Here you can sit by the sea, ordering beer and/or seafood and take a swim right on the Bay if you decide not to take a water taxi to another beach. Many of the best Puerto Vallarta beaches and beach clubs can be reached from Boca de Tomatlán, but you won’t find many guided Puerto Vallarta tours coming through the area.\n\nThe town offers a few lodging options like bed & breakfasts, villas, apartments and rentals, if you plan to stay over or want to avoid the drive back later in the afternoon. From here, you can take a bus to the Botanical Gardens which are just farther down the road, or enjoy some of the attractions like the famed Ocean Grill restaurant that sits nearby the town.\n\nLa Cruz de Huanacaxtle\n\nLa Cruz de Huancaxtle (The Cross of Huanacaxtle) is a tiny fishing village with a total population of 1600 inhabitants located north of Puerto Vallarta in the state of Nayarit.\n\nIt sits right between Punta de Mita and Bucerías, and is about half an hour away from downtown Puerto Vallarta. It can be reached by bus, driving, or taxi, but the latter tends to be the fastest option to get there.\n\nOver time, La Cruz has grown in popularity and relevance as part of the touristic developments of the Nayarit Riviera. In 2008, the harbor was renovated and named Marina Rivier Nayarit, a more modern marina with 340 slips that can accommodate vessels of a size of up to 400 feet.\n\nThe town itself is named after a cross that used to be located by the entrance to the town. The cross was made of wood from the Huanacaxtle tree, also known as Elephant Ear in other parts of America. The town is renown for its sunday market, and is a common stop on any road trip that passes by the area.\n\nLa Cruz was founded in the 1930’s by the Chavez family that still inhabits the town. It’s a rustic, colorful town with more foreign inhabitants coming to live there every year. It’s popular for being a quiet place with a more Mexican look, making it somewhat less mainstream than the rest of PV. The weather is a little cooler there than on the southern side of the coast, and thanks to the Marina becoming a popular destination for boaters, many of whom end up establishing themselves and bringing their businesses with them, there is a variety of cafés, Huichol Art Galleries, international restaurants, small charity events, and many more local eateries and stores.\n\nThere are many beautiful beaches near the town, but the locally hosted beach of La Manzanilla has nice calm waters and delicious food to offer in its beachside restaurants. You won’t have to go far to have a good time under the sun. It’s also conveniently placed nearby other popular beaches, like Careyeros, Bucerías Destiladeras, Sayulita and San Pancho, among others.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6177893877029419}
+{"content": "Business Process Automation\n\n\nBusiness process automation, or BPA is the use of \"technology components to substitute and/or supplement manual processes to manage information flow within an organization to lower costs, reduce risk, and increase consistency.\"\n- JavaWorld\n\nAdditionally, the role of management for any business is to maximize their shareholders' ROI (Return On Investment). In order to achieve these goals, firms must identify any unncessary amount of work and eliminate ineffienct labor. Consequently, many firms turn to custom software as their solution.\n\nThere are two options that a company is faced with if it decides to utilize software to faciliate certain business processes: hire a developer on board or hire software consultants.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9920739531517029}
+{"content": "Grande Arche Explained\n\nGrande Arche de la Défense\nNative Name Lang:fr\nLocation:La Défense, Île-de-France, France\nCoordinates:48.8928°N 2.2358°W\nStart Date:1985\nCompletion Date:1989\nHeight:110 m (361 ft)\nBuilding Type:Office\nArchitect:Johann Otto von Spreckelsen\n\nLa Grande Arche de la Défense (in French pronounced as /la ɡʁɑ̃d aʁʃ də la defɑ̃s/; also La Grande Arche de la Fraternité) is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west of Paris, France. It is usually known as the Arche de la Défense or simply as La Grande Arche.\n\nDesign and construction\n\nA great national design competition was launched in 1982 as the initiative of French president François Mitterrand. Danish architect Johann Otto von Spreckelsen (1929–1987) and Danish engineer Erik Reitzel (1941-2012) designed the winning entry to be a late-20th-century version of the Arc de Triomphe: a monument to humanity and humanitarian ideals rather than military victories. The construction of the monument began in 1985. Spreckelsen resigned in July 1986 and ratified the transfer of all his architectural responsibilities to his associate, French architect Paul Andreu. Reitzel continued his work until the monument was completed in 1989.\n\n\nLa Grande Arche was inaugurated in July 1989, with grand military parades that marked the bicentennial of the French Revolution. It completed the line of monuments that forms the Axe historique running through Paris. The Arche is turned at an angle of 6.33° about the vertical axis. The most important reason for this turn was technical: with a métro station, an RER station, and a motorway all situated directly underneath the Arche, the angle was the only way to accommodate the structure's giant foundations. In addition, from an architectural point of view, the turn emphasizes the depth of the monument and is similar to the turn of the Louvre at the other end of the Axe historique.\n\n\nThe two sides of the Arche house government offices. The roof section was an exhibition centre, housing the Musée de l'Informatique (Computing Museum). The roof, when it was open to the public, was also popular for its views of Paris. However, after an accident without injury in the elevators in April 2010, the Department of Ecology, owner of the roof of the Grande Arche, decided to permanently close the computer museum, restaurant, and viewing deck. Access to the roof was still possible via the elevators in the north and south walls, but they were closed to the public.[2]\n\nA reopening was planned for May 2017,[3] The rooftop is now open to the public and includes a restaurant and an exhibition area dedicated to photojournalism.[4]\n\n\nOrganizations headquartered in the Grande Arche include the Bureau d'Enquêtes sur les Événements de Mer (BEAmer), the French marine accident investigation agency, in the southern (Sud) portion.[5]\n\nSee also\n\nFurther reading\n\nExternal links\n\nNotes and References\n\n  1. Web site: Du Sautoy. Marcus. A 4 Dimensional Cube in Paris. The Number Mysteries. 17 June 2012.\n  3. Web site: Monument: Grande Arche de la Défense. Convention and Visitors Bureau Paris. 2017-01-10.\n  4. Web site: Reopening of the Grande Arche rooftop in Paris.\n  5. \"Contact us.\" Bureau d'Enquêtes sur les Événements de Mer. Retrieved on June 22, 2017. \"Bureau d’enquêtes sur les événements de mer (BEAmer) Arche Sud 92055 LA DEFENSE CEDEX FRANCE\" - Note the pedestrian access map", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.715213418006897}
+{"content": "The Difference Between A Telephone Receiver and A Loudspeaker\n\n- Aug 14, 2018-\n\nThe telephone receiver is a kind of accessory that transmits sound through communication tools such as telephones, walkie-talkies, and mobile phones. It is a kind of loudspeaker, but it is generally not called a loudspeaker.\n\nThere is a small film inside the microphone and the telephone receiver. The film in the microphone acts as a tympanic membrane in the human ear. When you talk to it, the film will vibrate, the film is connected with a small coil, and there is a small piece of fixed permanent magnet in the microphone. . The film is elastic and generally acts both as a vibration and as a function of pulling the coil back to its original position. The film is attached to the microphone housing at one end and to the coil at one end.\n\nWhen the film vibrates, the coil is vibrated, and the relative position of the coil and the permanent magnet changes, which causes the magnetic field passing through the coil to change. When the magnetic field changes, an induced electromotive force is generated in the coil, and a current is generated. Specific sounds have specific vibrations, and specific vibrations produce a specific form of current. So the microphone \"codes\" the sound into a form of current.\n\nThe principle of the telephone receiver is probably the reverse process of the microphone, and the structure is almost the same. There is also a film in the telephone receiver, the film is connected to a coil, and there is also a permanent magnet. A specific form of current flows through the coil of the telephone receiver, which causes the magnetic field generated by the coil to change, so that the magnetic force between the permanent magnet and the coil changes, and the distance between the permanent magnet and the coil changes. This drives the film to vibrate and make a sound.\n\nA loudspeaker is a transducing device that converts an electrical signal into an acoustic signal. The performance of the loudspeaker has a great influence on the sound quality. The loudspeaker is one of the weakest devices in audio equipment, and it is the most important component for sound effects. There are many different types of loudspeakers, and the prices vary greatly. Audio power passes through electromagnetic, piezoelectric or electrostatic effects, causing the cone or diaphragm to vibrate and resonate with the surrounding air to produce sound.\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7850154042243958}
+{"content": "Your browser doesn't support javascript.\n\nPortal Regional da BVS\n\nInformação e Conhecimento para a Saúde\n\nHome > Pesquisa > ()\nImprimir Exportar\n\nFormato de exportação:\n\n\nAdicionar mais destinatários\n| |\n\nIdentification of a native promoter P for gene expression in Paenibacillus polymyxa.\n\nJ Biotechnol; 295: 19-27, 2019 Apr 10.\nArtigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30831123\nPaenibacillus polymyxa is a rhizobacterium that has attracted substantial attention due to its ability to produce functional metabolites and promote plant growth. Metabolic and genetic improvements in this species will benefit research and other applications of the bacterium. However, a suitable gene expression system has not been established in this species. In this study, a promoter trap system based on a green fluorescent protein and a chloramphenicol-resistance gene was developed to isolate native promoters of P. polymyxa SC2-M1 to regulate gene expression. Through high-throughput screening, the novel promoter P was identified, sequenced, and subsequently characterized. Promoter P is a strong, continuous expression system containing the typical -10 and -35 motifs regions. Its effective sequence was evaluated and then cascaded to improve the promotion efficiency. To further verify the existence of P , a heterogenous xylose isomerase was expressed by P in P. polymyxa SC2-M1. In the resulting strain, the amount of xylose consumed was increased by 2.5 g/L during the 78 h fermentation period. Meanwhile, the production levels of lactate and acetate increased. It was confirmed that promoter P could effectively mediate gene expression in P. polymyxa SC2-M1 and will further benefit the quantitative monitoring of gene expression in P. polymyxa.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8083298802375793}
+{"content": "5258 Goodrich, Michael.6377, arXiv : 1110.4428, CiteSeerX.7812, doi :.1007/ X_5, isbn Fredman, Michael Lawrence (July 1999).\n\nFredman, Michael Lawrence ; Tarjan, Robert.The next two elements of the array contain its children.Since logn/2(logn)1displaystyle log n/2(log n)-1, a constant factor (half) of these insertions are within a constant factor of the maximum, so asymptotically we can assume kndisplaystyle kn ; formally the time is nO(log n)-O(n)O(nlog n).\n\n(2012 \"Elementary Yet Precise Worst-Case Analysis of Floyd's Heap-Construction Program Fundamenta Informaticae, IOS Press, 120 (1 7592, doi :.3233/FI.Different types of heaps implement the operations in different ways, but notably, insertion is often done by adding the new element at the end of the heap in the first available free space.K-way merge : A heap data structure is useful to merge many already-sorted input streams into a single sorted output stream.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9337846636772156}
+{"content": "Frequently Asked Questions\n\nWhat is integrated biological farming?\n\nIt is a farming system which integrates chemical as well as organic farming in order to increase production and minimize the effect on the environment.\n\nWhat is the \"Albrecht System\"?\n\nAlbrecht principles are based on feeding the soil, which will consequently feed the plant. The balance between elements is illustrated using a base saturation. Certain ideal ranges that the elements in the soil have to fall under define this. This idea of balanced soil chemistry needs to integrate with the biological aspects as well. The objective being to produce healthy food and protect the ecosystem.\n\nHow do I become a biological farmer?\n\nFirst, you start by taking a good soil sample, which is then sent to a good laboratory for analysis of the macro and tracing elements using Albrecht methods. Once you receive the results, you have to start by balancing your soil, replenishing soil life and building carbon levels. It is also important to then start minimizing tillage and the use of harmful; chemicals, practice mulching and planting cover crops in order to optimize microbial activity.\n\nIt is therefore a total commitment and paradigm shift as many of these methods are totally different to the conventional practices. One should therefore also visit other biological farmers to learn from them, have vision and stay informed.\n\n\nWhat are humates and fulvates?\n\nIn the carbon chain dead organic matter is broken down into humates and then fulvates. These are complex carbon chains that provide binding sites for various elements and functional groups. They have the ability to increase nutrient uptake in plants, improve the water holding capacity and also stimulate microbial life.\n\nHow can I build carbon levels in my soil?\n\nOne cannot alone build carbon with organic acids or organic material in soils. In most of the soils in South Africa the carbon level is low. This occurs whether by decomposition of organic material like cellulose, proteins, lignin, fats, oils and waxes. The dead bodies of microbes accumulate in the soil and play a part in carbon build up.  It is therefore important to regulate the availability of organic material like organic acids and organic matter that is not decomposed.\n\nHow can I reduce costs to increase production?\n\nThe one simple answer is to start practicing biologically integrated farming. One should nurture soil life, manage the useful harmful chemicals and balance the soil chemistry.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8611255288124084}
+{"content": "Sophie Ellis-Bextor has withdrawn from the UK jury for the Eurovision Song Contest.\n\nThe Murder On The Dancefloor singer had been announced as chairwomen of the five-strong panel.\n\nIn a tweet the BBC said she had stepped down due to “unforeseen circumstances” and a replacement would be chosen shortly.\n\nIt said: “Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, Sophie Ellis-Bextor will no longer be able to be part of the UK Eurovision jury and will be replaced in due course.”\n\nJury members, who are all music industry professionals, are asked to judge vocal capacity, performance, composition of the song and overall impression.\n\nThe national juries will vote in one semi-final and the final, counting towards 50% of the overall vote.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7692009210586548}
+{"content": "treehouse logo\n\n\n\nhack photog nyc \n\n- bill 5-02-2019 8:07 am [link] [add a comment]\n\nremember when we all talked about moving to butte? good times, or times, at least.\n\n- dave 4-14-2019 12:59 pm [link] [3 comments]\n\nTalk about Main Stream Media crap…\n\nI’ve got a new work computer with Windows 10 (yech) and every time I open a tab it throws a bunch of clickbait pseudo news stories at me. I’m a sucker for history, so I check out “on this date” from MSN “news” and read “1862: Siege of Yorktown begins” a weird conflation of the revolution and the civil war: “The Battle of Yorktown begins as union forces under Gen. George McCellan arrive to take command in Virginia. The culmination of the Yorktown campaign after the siege proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War. The surrender by Cornwallis, and the capture of both him and his army, prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict.” Then I learn that Howard Hughes died in a plane crash, which he didn’t; he almost did earlier in his life, and he was probably on a plane when he died, but it wasn’t from a crash. How do they come up with this stuff, millennial bots going through Wikipedia backwards? And these are just obvious ones I happen to know; how much bullshit goes undetected? (Wonder if they will make corrections.)\n\n\n- alex 4-05-2019 7:22 am [link] [3 comments]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5246878862380981}
+{"content": "Charlie McKay\n\nCharlie McKay is a New Zealand born food and lifestyle photographer. Formerly an art director, Charlie knows the lay of the photography land, having worked on commercial and editorial jobs for the past 8 years.\n\nCharlie also co-runs the artisan homewares store and hire Salutations Studio, which specialises in the design and sourcing of shoot-worthy kitchen tools.\n\nCharlie's pastel colour palette gives his work a clean, modern and stylised feel.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9640740156173706}
+{"content": "Drain Cleaner in North Hills\n\nDrain Cleaner near North Hills CA\n\n\n\n\n\nKitchen Drains\n\n\n\nBathtub And Sink Drains\n\n\n\nMain Line Drains\n\n\n\nhttps://allserviceplumbers.com/drain-cleaning/ The Reason Why You Need Drain Cleaning Services. Buildings have different systems running through them, and so they involve repairs from time to time. A crucial system in almost any building is definitely the plumbing one. These systems vary in complexity according to the variety of cleaning facilities in the building and just how people use water there. Regardless of the kind of building, one has to conduct repairs every once in awhile since blockages, along with other damages on various elements of the pipes can lead to emergencies. Using this method, it is very important have got a reliable plumbing contractor on hand to assist you to facilitate these repairs and avoid cases of emergencies that will easily lead to more losses. One of the main things that affects plumbing systems is blockage from the pipes due to various reasons. This type of water that flows through them might be hard and consequently form deposits around the walls that accumulate and lead to blockages after some time. These problems are certainly not good because they reduce the volume of space designed for the water to circulate and thus boost the pressure. This pressure is going to be exerted around the walls from the pipes, plus they can burst in the event it becomes a lot of causing damages to other items in the property. There are many types of blockages starting from small to large. One typical instance of a little the first is a sink blockage that may be a result of food particles accumulating from the p trap. If the sink is commonly used to clean other items, then this obstruction may be due to grease, feminine products or hair. Remember that all these types of blockages are solved differently and you should entrust your drain cleaning expert to manage them diligently. Severe blockages occur in the main lines, and they happen on account of the accumulation of all of the different items arriving in in the various lines. Such blockages can be quite a nightmare for home and business owners since their effects is visible on all of the different drainage points all around the building. Experts should never only get rid of the blockages and also clean the walls of the pipe to ensure water is flowing freely. Modern day technologies have been incorporated into drain cleaning, and experts depend on techniques that let them inspect the inner component of these drains using a camera and get a definite picture in the blockage before coping with it. One surefire strategy for cleaning drains is via hydro jetting. This can be a method that uses high-pressure water to remove all the particles which may have accumulated inside of the walls of your respective drain. There is absolutely no better strategy to reinstate your pipes to the condition these people were when you bought them than hydro jetting. Our prime pressure emulsifies grease and removes all the tree particles that could have found their way into your main drain. This method has a number of advantages that include being safe to the environment, perfect preventive maintenance and precision in terms of clearing the debris and accumulated matter in the walls in the pipes. It has been seen that drain cleaning services available from a dependable plumbing repair contractor are crucial to ensuring your drainage points are functioning well. Blockages are usually imminent, and the easiest method to prevent them is by contacting these experts and achieving them work with your systems regularly. By doing this, you are going to prevent the costs of dealing with accidents that could even force you to replace the entire drainage system. If you are looking to get a reliable drain cleaning expert, consider looking at allserviceplumbers.com as they have the expertise and experience to clear your drains well.\n360 E. 1st Street\nUnited States", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6466616988182068}
+{"content": "Change the chapter\nSuppose you have a coffee mug with a circular cross section and vertical sides (uniform radius). What is its inside radius if it holds 375 g of coffee when filled to a depth of 7.50 cm? Assume coffee has the same density as water.\nQuestion by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY 4.0.\nFinal Answer\n\n$3.99 \\textrm{ cm}$\n\nSolution Video\n\nOpenStax College Physics Solution, Chapter 11, Problem 5 (Problems & Exercises) (1:58)\n\nSign up to view this solution video!\n\nView sample solution\n\nCalculator Screenshots\n\nOpenStax College Physics, Chapter 11, Problem 5 (PE) calculator screenshot 1\nVideo Transcript\nThis is College Physics Answers with Shaun Dychko. We are asked to find the radius of this cylindrical column of coffee in a coffee cup. We're told the height is seven and a half centimeters and that the density of the coffee is the same as that of water. So it is one gram per milliliter which we convert into one gram per cubic centimeter in order to work with the centimeters given to us in the height. We're told the mass of the coffee is 375 grams. So the volume of the cylinder is the area of one end, pi r squared, multiplied by the height h. We can come up with another expression for volume in terms of the mass of the coffee. We'll say that the density of coffee is mass divided by its volume and we'll solve this for V by multiplying by V over rho on both sides. So we have V equals mass times density. So now we have two expressions for volume and so we can equate the two of them. So I'm substituting m rho in place of V here. So we have m rho equals pi r squared h and then we'll solve this for r. We'll divide both sides by pi times h and then switch the sides around to isolate r on the left or r squared anyhow, and then we'll take the square root of both sides. We get r equals square root of mass times density divided by pi times h. That's the square root of 375 grams times one gram per cubic centimeter divided by pi times seven and a half centimeters, giving us 3.99 centimeters. Most of the time in our formulas we convert our units into meters, kilograms, and seconds, mks units, but we did not do that here just because it's clear that they do work together anyway. We have grams together and we have centimeters. So as long as your units are consistent within a formula that's what's most important. We could have converted this into kilograms and the centimeters into meters but that would be unnecessary work in this case.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9965623021125793}
+{"content": "5 Leonardo da Vinci Quotes\n\n· December 9, 2018\nWhat stands out the most in these Leonardo da Vinci quotes is his faith in human willpower. In his day, many people thought that the world existed and moved because of supernatural powers. Leonardo, however, celebrated the power of human beings.\n\nThese Leonardo da Vinci quotes only show us a small part of who this great man was. Today, we consider him one of the greatest geniuses of all time. He was overwhelmingly intelligent and he used his intellect in almost every field of human knowledge. Few famous people have been so versatile.\n\nDa Vinci was an inventor, a researcher, and an unswerving humanist. His curiosity was limitless. He also had an unbreakable spirit. His desire for knowledge was greater than his desire for a comfortable life and he refused to stop his quest for knowledge.\n\nLeonardo da Vinci’s quotes reveal a thinker who reflected on the meaning of life, values, and the world. He was dynamic, fickle, daring, and had a great sense of humor. These are some of his most well-known quotes.\n\n\n-Leonardo da Vinci-\n\n1. There are three classes of people\n\n\n-Leonardo da Vinci-\n\nThis is one of those da Vinci quotes that poses a question to humanity. Obviously, in this case, he’s referring to “seeing” not as a physical act, but as a metaphor for understanding reality. Da Vinci refers to the idea of being aware of what’s around you and what’s in the world.\n\nThose who “see” are those who are able to visualize reality in the broad sense. Those who only see what they’re shown are conditioned to seeing through others. Lastly, those who do not see simple refuse to understand what the world is telling them.\n\nA woman holding the moon with a blindfold on.\n\n2. Smile and laugh\n\n“If possible, you should try to make even the dead laugh.” [translation]\n\nLeonardo da Vinci was an incorrigible jokester. He loved making others laugh and also loved laughing at others’ expense. In fact, there is a hypothesis that the famous Shroud of Turin is nothing more than a joke that da Vinci is still playing on humankind.\n\nWhatever the case may be, this is one da Vinci quote that expresses his playful spirit. With it, he defends laughter as an ingredient and a consequence of a good life. To laugh you need to be smart, open-minded, and simple. Da Vinci himself had all of these traits. \n\nA Leonardi da Vinci drawing.\n\n3. Theory and practice\n\n\nThere is no better authority on this subject than da Vinci. In fact, his passion for knowledge came from his awareness of his ignorance. That made it possible for him to extract information.\n\nAt the same time, da Vinci was a great inventor. That means he had to apply his knowledge to come up with concrete solutions. That’s why he understood the dynamic and intimate relationship between theory and practice and between principals and their application more than anyone else.\n\n4. A da Vinci quote on pleasure\n\n“The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.”\n\nThis is one of da Vinci’s most beautiful quotes. It’s also perhaps the quote that best reflects his scientific spirit and his passion for discovery and creativity. He must have spent long hours trying to find answers to his questions. That’s why he was intimately acquainted with the pleasure of understanding. \n\nWhen we understand something, we feel deeply satisfied. This gives us a sense of freedom and levity. Understanding means resolving the uncertainty that ignorance creates. It also gives us greater control and rids us of the burden of not knowing. It is, in fact, a noble pleasure. Understanding increases the happiness of those who experience it.\n\n5. Being a spectator or a participant\n\n\nA person on a lake with the moon in his hand.\n\nHere da Vinci tells us that being passive makes it very difficult to fulfill your desires. Being a spectator can be useful at certain times in your life, but if you stay there your drive and motivation may dissipate.\n\nIt’s interesting that da Vinci talks about being able to make things happen. In this quote, he highlights the idea that your will can make things happen. Humans can change reality through their actions. This is also the principle of autonomy and freedom.\n\nThere are so many da Vinci quotes that show us just how insightful he was. Although we remember him primarily as a painter and inventor, much of his legacy and his greatness stem from the life philosophy that he adopted and promoted. \n\nGelb, M. J. (1999). Inteligencia genial: 7 principios claves para desarrollar la inteligencia, inspirados en la vida y obra de Leonardo da Vinci. Editorial Norma.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8303401470184326}
+{"content": "There a lot of crucial races on the ballot next week. But while State Attorney General’s races don’t always get the most attention, they’re one of the most important.\n\nWith the power to sue the Trump administration, Democratic state Attorneys General are on the frontlines of the resistance against President Trump. And as the Attorney General of our nation’s most populous state, Xavier Becerra is leading the charge.\n\nPitch in $10 right now to make sure Xavier wins on Tuesday.\n\nHopefully, Democrats will win back Congress on Tuesday, allowing us to stop President Trump’s disastrous legislative agenda.\n\nBut even if we succeed, we know President Trump will double down on harmful executive orders that discriminate against our communities and strip away our rights.\n\nFederal agencies will keep trying to roll back Obama-era rules that protect our planet, make health care more affordable and safeguard civil rights.\n\nNo matter what happens in Congress, we need strong Democratic Attorney Generals like Xavier who can keep fighting back in court whenever President Trump tries to bypass Congress and attack our families.\n\nTime is running out. Contribute $10 right now to elect Xavier on Tuesday and ensure he can keep fighting for us.\n\nThank you,\n\nTeam Becerra\n\n\nXavier Becerra -- California Attorney General\n\nBecerra for Attorney General 2018\n777 South Figueroa Street\nSuite 4050 Los Angeles, CA 90017-5864\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5520642995834351}
+{"content": "How to Take Sharp Photos\n\nEver return home from an epic day of adventure filled with amazing photo-ops only to download the images onto the computer and realize your photographs don’t appear sharp? Unfortunately, that has happened to me more times than I’d care to admit. You’d think by now with all the photographs that I take, I’d know better.\n\nmountain reflections in a lake Grand Teton National Park, WY\n\nMaking our photographs sharp, clean and crisp is something most of us want, but isn’t always easily achieved. Camera shake, subject movement, and poor focus are usually the main reasons behind poor image quality.\n\nSo, let’s talk about some ideas to help capture sharper photographs.\n\n6 tips for beginners to take sharper photos.\n\n1. Is it me or the camera?\n\nThe first thing we need to consider is our vision. When was the last time you had your vision checked? Oh, how embarrassing to have learned this lesson the hard way. Amazing how much sharper my images appear with new glasses.🤓 Or consider the resolution on your computer screen. Computer screens can have a huge impact on how our images are displayed. So, let’s make sure it’s the actual photograph that isn’t sharp and not our vision or computer screen. Have someone else review your images and then check the images on different devices.\n\n2. Holding the camera steady.\n\nCamera shake is a common reason for blurred photos. While the best way to tackle camera shake is to use a tripod, there are times and situations where using one isn’t always possible … and then there’s lazy ole me who usually leaves the tripod at home. But there are other options such as holding your camera with both hands, keeping the camera close to your body, and using a wall, tree, or another solid object for support, all of which, can help steady and minimize shake. Also, be sure your image stabilization is turned on.\n\ngreat blue heron\n\n3. Make sure the equipment is clean.\n\nMake sure your lens and sensor are clean of any dirt and dust. Eliminating smudges, dust, and grime can impact your photographs.\n\n4. Exposure Triangle\n\nUnderstanding the exposure triangle is huge; ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed. The first thing we need to think about in our quest for sharp photos is the shutter speed we select. I’d like to think the camera gets it right when we shoot in auto, but that isn’t always the case. Plus, if we want to improve our photography skills, we really do need to move beyond auto.  Remember, the faster the shutter speed, the less impact camera shake will have on our image and the better chance of freezing any movement. But we still need to think about aperture and ISO.\n\nAperture impacts the depth of field, the range that is in focus in our image. Decreasing the aperture to F11 will increase the depth of field meaning that both close and distant objects will be in focus. By doing the opposite and moving your aperture to F2.8, we’ll need to be more exact where we focus. With a large aperture, only our subject will be in focus.\n\npetrified wood\n\nISO – When I think back to the era of film photography, ISO was directly correlated to the speed of the film loaded in our cameras. I still think of it that way. To achieve the sharpest and most crisp image, shooting with an ISO of 100 or 200 is ideal, but lighting conditions may not always be ideal. We’ll need lots of light to shoot with an ISO of 100.\n\nISO has a direct impact on the noise and grain of our images. If we move up to an ISO of 1000, we’ll be able to use faster shutter speeds and a smaller aperture but we’ll suffer by increasing the noise and decreasing crispness in our photos. Depending upon our camera and how we intend to use the photograph, we can usually get away with using an ISO of up to 400 or even 800 without too much noise. A good quality DSLR/Mirrorless can easily go up to an ISO of 3200 or more. My Panasonic FZ300 is good up to 400 and then noise really starts to set in and I lose the sharpness to the image. Each camera is different which leads me into the next tip.\n\n5. Sweet Spot\n\n#phototips, #photographytips, #cameratips, #photography, #travel, #howto, #beginnersguidetophotographyCameras and lenses have spots in their aperture or zoom ranges that are sharper than others. In many cases, this ‘sweet spot’ is one or two stops from the maximum aperture or zoom. So instead of shooting with your lens wide open (ie where the numbers are smallest) pull it back a stop or two and you might find you get a little more clarity in your shots.\n\nThe same with zoom lenses. I know with my Point & Shoot as well as my Bridge camera, I don’t shoot with the lens zoomed in or out all the way and I also know F4 is my FZ300’s sweet spot (F8 equivalent to a DSLR). It just takes some trial and error to get to really know and understand your equipment.\n\n6. Check focus\n\nAlways check what part of the image is in focus before hitting the shutter. Consider setting the camera to one autofocus point instead of several. This is especially important when shooting wildlife or people. Also, depth of field is something we need to consider. A large aperture like F2.8 will usually have only one autofocus point in focus versus a small aperture like F11 will have several of the autofocus points in focus.\n\nFinal thoughts\n\nPractice, practice, practice! And remember, photography isn’t a science. It’s a creative art of expression. And in the end, what matters most about an image is how it makes YOU feel and the memories that photo evokes within you.\n\nHappy shooting! 📷\n\n\n(Thank you for using my affiliate links)\n\nPanasonic Lumix FZ300\nHow to Create Stunning Digital Photography\nAdobe Photoshop Elements 2019", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9537267088890076}
+{"content": "4G heat networks tackle fuel poverty\n\n4G heat networks, heat networks, Katerina Nika, fuel poverty, Block heat networks, SAV Systems\nKaterina Nika\n\nFourth generation heat networks have a key role to play in reducing fuel poverty in the UK,as well as cutting overall carbon emissions, says Katerina Nika\n\nFuel poverty is a widespread socioeconomic issue across the UK, driven by three key factors: The energy efficiency of the property; the cost of energy; and the income of the household.\n\nProviding financial support to households in fuel poverty does not address the root cause. We must address energy efficiency and fuel costs, and heat networks have a key role to play. On average, a heat network user will pay £100 less on their annual heat bill compared to non-heat network users. However, BSRIA estimates that less than 2% of the UK’s total housing stock is currently connected to a heat network or central plant system.\n\nTo clarify the terminology, a heat network distributes hot water or steam through insulated pipes to provide space heating and domestic hot water to a number of apartments, a block, a number of different buildings, or a combination of all these.\n\nA heat network that supplies heat to a number of apartments or a small number of blocks from a local energy centre, is described as a block heat network. A heat network that utilizes energy produced in large central plants and supplies a whole area is a district heating system.\n\nThe latest generation of heat networks, known as fourth generation or 4G, uses low carbon heat sources as well as more traditional technologies and has the capability to integrate smart electricity, thermal and gas grids and enable the wider use of renewable energy. Crucially, true 4G heat networks adopt an ‘open source’ approach to heat sources, with the inherent flexibility to exploit the best heat and power sources available, both now and into the long-term future.\n\n4G heat networks integrate smart electricity, thermal and gas grids as well as renewables available locally\n\nWhere CHP is included in the mix of heat sources, it will also generate low cost electrical power that can be used in the building(s) to reduce the use of more expensive mains electricity. There are also savings on operation and maintenance costs through economies of scale, compared to traditional heat supply arrangements.\n\nFor heat networks to play a more pivotal role in tackling fuel poverty there is a strong argument for shifting focus from high profile, city-wide district heating schemes to smaller block heat networks that are easier and more commercially viable to implement.\n\nA block-level approach\n\nLarge district heating schemes require extensive infrastructure work, resulting in very high costs and major disruption. Many proposed schemes are never implemented because of this.\n\nBlock heat networks, on the other hand, require only the installation of heating- and cold -water pipes in the building, creation of an energy centre (typically on the same site) and provision of heat interface units in each space being heated.\n\nBlock heat networks can therefore be seen as ‘low hanging fruit’ – commercially viable and easy to implement, even in existing buildings, where much of the UK’s fuel poverty is centred. Such relatively small schemes may integrate with other block heat networks to create a wider district heating system.\n\nThere are around 5,500 district-scale and 11,500 communal-scale heat networks in the UK, providing 10TWh per year (around 2% of UK buildings’ heat demand). In order for the UK to meet its 2050 carbon targets, it is estimated that around 18% of UK heat will need to come from heat networks.\n\nDesigning for the future\n\nTo achieve this, it is vital to move to 4G heat networks which can use whatever energy sources are available locally – the moredistant the energy source, the higher the distribution losses and cost of heat.\n\nFour generations of heat network\n\nIt’s also important that the buildings are designed to exploit these heat sources using 4G heat networks. To optimize the performance, alongside the lower operating temperatures, optimum thermal efficiency of the building fabric is required. They also need to incorporate sufficient energy storage to manage variable renewable energy sources, with hot water being the most costeffective form of energy storage. Designs should therefore make provision for considerably higher volumes of stored hot water than would traditionally be the case.\n\nThe buildings are also ‘futureproofed’ against changes made at the energy centre, enabling the energy centre to be upgraded to new heat sources whenever appropriate with minimum cost and disruption.\n\nHeat networks have the potential to make a difference in the battle against fuel poverty. However, if they are to address socio-economic considerations as well as those of carbon emissions, they need to adopt the 4G philosophy.\n\nTo that end, block heat networks offer the best value with the greatest viability – along with the flexibility to mix low carbon heat sources, and the potential to extend schemes, at an affordable pace, to form wider district heating systems.\n\nKaterina Nika is marketing communications manager with SAV Systems\n\nRelated links:\nRelated articles:\n\nmodbs tv logo\n\nCABE: Skills shortage\n\n\nFuture Office: Designing workspaces for people\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9844571948051453}
+{"content": "Canada’s with mandatory life sentence without the possibility\n\nCanada’s Political Culture and its Influence on Capital Punishment\n\n\n\nOn July 14th, 1976, Bill C-84 was passed, which resulted in the abolition of\ncapital punishment in Canada. Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is\nthe killing of an individual who has been tried and convicted guilty of committing a\nheinous crime. Ideologies surrounding the death penalty date back to 1772 B.C when\n282 Babylonian laws titled The Code of Hammurabi, were constructed. The Code of\nHammurabi is where the “eye for an eye” theory of justice first resonated.\n\nAfter Confederation in 1867, a revision of Canadian laws occurred and the death\npenalty was only applicable to three types of offences: murder, rape and treason.\nHowever, in 1976 the death penalty was abolished and replaced with mandatory life\nsentence without the possibility of parole for 25 years. In order to bring military law and\ncivil law in line, capital punishment was also removed from the Canadian National\nDefence Act in 1998.\n\nThe call for the abolition of the death penalty dates back to 1914 when MP Robert\nBickerdike presented a private member’s bill to end capital punishment. This bill was not\npassed and was also rejected after several resubmissions (Renke and Gendreau, 2018).\n\nWithin the Canadian legal system, Canada’s political culture has a lasting\n\ninfluence on legislation regarding capital punishment. Liberalistic ideologies such as\nfundamental freedoms, the goals of the correctional system and the belief in learning\nfrom past mistakes have ultimately shaped the ways that Canadians view capital\n\nOpinions acknowledging the immorality of the death penalty have been discussed\nwithin Canadian politics for over one hundred years. Laws pertaining to capital\npunishment have transformed over the decades and there is no doubt that the evolution\nof Canada’s political culture influenced this noteworthy change.\n\n\nCapital punishment was first removed from the Canadian Criminal Code in 1976,\nbut was fully abolished in 1998 when it was removed from the Canadian National\nDefence Act. The Constitution Act, which includes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,\nholds an important role in Canada’s history. The Charter of Rights and freedoms outlines\nimportant rights and freedoms that all Canadians are obligated to have. By creating\nunification with military and civil law, Canada acknowledged the importance that the\nCharter of Rights and Freedoms holds in order to create a fair and just society. When the    \n\ntopic of reinstatement of the death penalty was brought to Parliament in 1987, majority\nof members voted against this proposed bill.\nThe Constitution Act:\n\nOn April 17, 1982, under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal government,\nCanada’s Constitution Act was signed. This Act was established in order to create\nindependence from Britain and also includes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which\noutlines fundamental rights that all Canadian citizens obtain. Within the Charter, there\nare several fundamental freedoms which are outlined:\n\n“2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:\n(a) freedom of conscience and religion;\npress and other media of communication;\n(c) freedom of peaceful assembly\n(d) freedom of association”\n(Canadian Charter, 1982, s 6(2)(b)).\n\nThe implementation of the Charter of Rights and freedoms has strengthened\nhuman rights for all Canadians and created an environment where citizens feel safe and\nwelcome. The constitutionally protected right of freedom of conscience and religion\nexemplifies the acknowledgment of the sense of morality that surrounds many religions.\nCanada is not a country that has separation of church and state, as ideologies that\nsurround Christianity have immensely influenced Canada’s constitution and stance on\nthe death penalty.\n\nA Reflection on Christianity:\n\nIn 1971, Canada was 47% Catholic, 41% Protestant, 4% other religion and 4%\nunaffiliated (Pew Research Centre’s Religion & Public Life Project, 2018). Many pushed\nfor the abolition of the death penalty due to the belief that a human being does not have\nthe authority to take another human being’s life. Christianity is based on forgiveness and\ncompassion and many believe in God’s commandment of “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus\n21:13). This belief is also supported by many Canadians as it is believed that one cannot\npunish a terrible act by ending the life of the person who has been charged. In Matthew\n5:39, Jesus says, “But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on\nyour right cheek, turn to him the other also”. The scripture can be interpreted as stating\nthat one should not retaliate against a person who has done them wrong by doing the\nsame act or worse. Many may argue that justice is being served to those who commit\nthese heinous crimes, but Catholic teachings express that ending one’s life after another\ntaken is revenge, and does not bring justice to the life lost. Throughout history,\npoliticians began to possess similar beliefs, thus creating a change within the Criminal\nCode in 1976. All in all, it is evident that Christian ideologies have influenced many\nopinions and decisions made regarding capital punishment.\nThe Question of Morality:\n\nMorality is centralized around the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong.\nAlbert Camus, a french philosopher stated, “Capital punishment is the most premeditated\nof murders” (, 2018). Through the understanding of morality, public\nhangings were changed to private hangings, lethal injection was established and then\n\ncapital punishment was abolished all together. While the death penalty historically was\npraised for serving “justice,” the concept receives scrutiny due to the fact that justice is\nnot being served at all. Many believe that God or a greater being should only be given\nthe power to give and take lives. It is unjust for a human being to have the ability to\nchoose if another human being deserves to live or die. People cannot hold themselves to\nthe same standard as a god and make impactful decisions. As a society, it is not our duty\nto choose who deserves life, as this is immoral and wrong.\n\n\nIn 1892, the Criminal Code of Canada was enacted by Parliament within the\nConstitution. The Code outlines the purpose and principles of sentencing within the\nCanadian legal system. Minor revisions have been made to the Criminal Code in 1906,\n1927 and 1953.\nThe Criminal Code:\n\nThe Criminal Code serves an important purpose as it outlines punishments for\ncrimes, sentencing options and youth sentencing. An important aspect of The Criminal\nCode is the principles of sentencing. The Criminal Code states:\n\nhave one or more of the following objectives\n\ncommunity that is caused by unlawful conduct;\n(c) to separate offenders from society, where necessary;\n\n(d) to assist in rehabilitating offenders;\nharm done to victims or to the community”\n(, 2018)\n\nRehabilitating Offenders:\n\nOver the years, many began to realize that capital punishment failed to meet the\ncommitment of the Criminal Code, as those who committed crimes were not\nrehabilitated and crime rates were still skyrocketing. One of the main objections with\nsentencing is to not provide a sense of “revenge,” but to rehabilitate criminals in order\nfor them to lead civilized lives in prison, and within society if they are released. After\nabolishing the death penalty, a change in legislation was made on April 1, 2003 that\ncontinues to impact the youth across Canada. The Youth Criminal Justice Act was\nimplemented in order to emphasize the importance of rehabilitation for youth aged\ntwelve to eighteen. Repercussions are given to youth who commit crimes, however the\nmajor focus is rehabilitation in order for the youth to become civilized adults who are\nable to re-enter society and serve a purpose. Since the implementation of this Act, the\nnumber of youth in custody has greatly decreased (Refer to Index, Chart 1). Correctional\n\nServices Canada states that rehabilitation is a priority as there are different programs\ncreated that help rehabilitate men, women and those of aboriginal descent (Csc-, 2018).\nDecrease in Crime Rates:\n\nAccording to Statistics Canada, Canada’s crime rates have been decreasing over\nthe past two decades. From 1962 to 1991, the crime rate began to increase steadily but\nthen drastically declined. In 2013, crime was reported to be at its all-time low since 1969\n(Refer to Index, Chart 2). There is no doubt that the abolition of capital punishment has\nled to decreased crime rates, as life sentences encourage individuals to rethink\ncommitting heinous crimes due to the extensive time that will be spent in prison.\n\nThrough the evaluation of the Criminal Code, the emphasis on rehabilitation and\nthe decrease in crime rates, it is evident that the death penalty contradicts the political\nvalues that has shaped Canada into the liberalistic country that it is.\n\n\nIt is important to reflect on historic events in order to plan for a future without\nreoccurring issues. According to Correctional Services Canada, the main goals of the\ncorrectional system is to protect and serve society (, 2018). The system also\nfights to protect those who are innocent in order to avoid wrongful convictions. Several\nmiscarriages of justice have tarnished the reputation of the Canadian justice system.\nCanada works towards implementing a just society where wrongful conviction does not\noccur and human rights are applied to all citizens.\n\nCauses of Wrongful Conviction:\n\nWithin the past, there were many wrongful convictions in Canada that have\nplaced innocent individuals on death row for years. Not only does this waste away years\nof a person’s life, but it also ends the investigation of the crime. This causes actual\ncriminals to remain free and potentially commit more crimes. There are many causes of\nwrongful conviction, such as eye witness identification errors, false jailhouse informant\ntestimonies, false confessions, tunnel vision, systemic discrimination, errors within\nforensic science and professional misconduct (, 2018). When wrongful\nconvictions are exonerated, it costs the government millions of dollars to compensate the\ninnocent individual. We do not know if all people who were executed in the past were in\nfact guilty. Innocence Canada, an organization committed to exonerating those who were\nwrongfully accused has successfully exonerated 21 individuals. If the death penalty was\nin action, these 21 people may have been put to death for a crime they did not commit.\nThe Last Hangings in Canada:\n\nInterestingly enough, one of the last hangings in Canada raises an extensive\namount of doubt regarding guilt. Arthur Lucas and Ronald Turpin were the last men\nexecuted in Canada in 1963. Criminal-turned-police informant, Therland Crater and\nprostitute, Carolyn Newman were found brutally murdered in a home in Toronto. Lucas\nwas tried for Crater’s murder in front of an all white jury and although he knew Crater,\nevidence was circumstantial and the witness was unreliable. Lucas’ hanging became a\nnear decapitation and for years there was no media coverage regarding this incident.\n\nBeing one of the last hangings in Canada, we do not know if Lucas was truly guilty or\nR. v. Steven Murray Truscott:\n\nA notable wrongful conviction that occurred in Canada was the case of R. v.\nSteven Murray Truscott. Steven Truscott was a fourteen year old boy who was convicted\nof murdering a young girl named Lynne Harper. On the evening of June 9, 1959, Steven\ngave Lynne Harper a ride to a street corner on his bicycle and then parted ways. Two\ndays later the body of Harper was found brutally murdered, sexually assaulted and\nstrangled in the nearby woods. The Crown’s theory was that Truscott did not drop her\noff, but raped and murdered her instead. Steven always insisted that he was innocent,\nbut was tried for the murder and sentenced to death by hanging. He applied for an\nappeal that was denied, however he was able to receive a sentence of life in prison\ninstead of the death penalty. After ten years of incarceration, he was released on parole.\nTruscott fought for nearly fifty years in order to clear his name of this charge. Factors\nincluding lack of DNA evidence, eyewitness identification error and misconduct from the\nprosecution team ultimately led to Truscott’s falsified conviction. Fresh evidence was\npresented to the courts proved that Truscott was innocent. After spending half a century\nas an innocent man who was stigmatized as a deranged rapist and murderer, the Ontario\ngovernment recognized Truscott’s wrongful conviction in 2008. They grated him $6.5\nmillion in order to compensate for his time spent in prison alongside the negative\nconnotation associated with his name (Innocence Canada, 2018). Even so, monetary\ncompensation cannot heal all wounds. If Truscott was not granted life in prison instead\n\nof the death sentence, he too would have been one of many innocent men put to death\nfor a crime he did not commit.\n\nCanada is a country that often apologizes for errors made within the past in order\nto move forward towards a better future. The abolition of the death penalty has helped\ncreate a just society where individuals cannot potentially be executed for a crime they\ndid not commit. Through the evolution of the laws regarding capital punishment, it is\nevident that Canada’s liberalistic ideal of reflecting on the past for a better future has\nimpacted the decision to abolish the death penalty.\n\n\n\nAttitudes, beliefs and ideologies create meaning and order for political processes.\nThese ideologies influence the creation of laws, which govern the political system\n(, 2018). When Bill C-84 was passed on July 14th, 1976, the laws\npertaining to capital punishment in Canada changed forever.\n\nCanada’s political culture influenced the abolition of the death penalty and the later\ncreation of the Constitution Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These\nfundamental freedoms are apart of Canada’s belief in justice and human rights. As well,\nethical, philosophical and religious values have raised many doubts regarding capital\npunishment. Ideologies surrounding the death penalty have shaped the laws regarding\ncapital punishment through the evaluation of morality. Through the reflection of historic\n\nerror, the Canadian government has created laws and legislation in order to avoid\nwrongful conviction and promote rehabilitation.\n\nThrough the expansion and influence of political culture in Canada, many\nideologies have influenced change that will forever mark Canada’s history. Liberalistic\nideals such as fundamental freedoms, the goals of the correctional system and the belief\nin learning from historic error have changed the ideologies surrounding capital\npunishment. The influence of Canada’s political culture abolished the death penalty and\nput capital punishment behind us. While the justice system began with the saying, “An\neye for an eye,” it has greatly evolved. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye for\nan eye makes the whole world blind.” The importance of fairness, peace, justice, and\nequality are important subjects that Canada vows to sustain within society.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9533261060714722}
+{"content": "Home Search\n\ntyson foods - search results\n\nIf you're not happy with the results, please do another search\n\nCorporate Profile: Tyson Foods, Inc.\n\nCompany Name: Tyson Foods, Inc. (Latest News) Industry: Food processing Description: Tyson Foods, Inc., also known by the public as Tyson Corporation, is an American multinational...\n\nCorporate Profiles (80)\n\n//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); Below is a list of organizations that currently administer programs designed to connect with diverse and...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.994860053062439}
+{"content": "Cream Cheese\n\nCream Cheese\n\nCream cheese is a creamy type of cow's cheese. It has a soft texture, ideal for spreading on slices of bread or for use in different dishes. It is distinguished by its pleasant, saturated milky and unobtrusive taste, as well as most soft cheese products, that cream cheese also belongs to.\n\nCream cheese is normally made according to a specialized process using cow milk and cream. Its production follows a proven classic technique, using cream with the addition of lactic acid bacteria starter culture.\n\nIn other cases, the raw material used to make this type of cheese is described as \"high quality dairy products from cow's milk, \" without being too concrete.\n\nThe roots of cream cheese can be traced centuries back to England, while today it's a popular product in the USA as well. Cream cheese is defined as a soft white cheese containing at least 33% milk fat and no more than 55% moisture.\n\nOften it is sold in packets of 4 oz (120 g), 8 oz (226 g), as original taste or with various flavors added, such as garlic, herbs and spices, ham, olives and others. What makes it different from other cheeses is that it isn't aged and needs to be eaten as fresh as possible.\n\nCream Cheese sandwich\n\nThe manufacturing technique for cream cheese requires killing the lactic acid bacteria starter culture at just the right moment, otherwise the result will not be a soft and delicious cheese.\n\nOften, cream cheese is stabilized with plant resins which prevents the release of water. Production of this cheese is quite complex because if coagulation is done too late, the cheese will liquefy instead of thickening.\n\nHistory of Cream Cheese\n\nHistorical sources indicate the preparation of something similar to cream cheese as far back as 1583 in England and a bit later in 1651 in France. Recipes for cream cheese were recorded shortly after 1754, more specifically in parts of England (Lincolnshire), as well as the southwestern part of the country.\n\nIn the US, as well as worldwide, the most popular brand of cream cheese is Philadelphia, named after the city it was first created in. This type of cream cheese was first marketed in metal foil packaging in 1880 but there are accounts of an earlier precursor to this product. Some sources reveal that the first cream cheese made in the US was in New York in 1872.\n\nComposition of Cream Cheese\n\nCream Cheese cake\n\nCream cheese is a tasty dairy product, with composition varying depending on brand. This cream aroma cheese usually has a moisture of between 52-68 % and a milk fat content of 18-32 %. 3.5 oz (100 g) of cream cheese contains 450-550 calories.\n\nIn the various kinds and brands of cream cheese we may find cottage cheese, cow cheese, cow butter, salt, stabilizer Е1422 and other additives in cheaper products. You may also come across cream cheese packages that have the following information for 100 g of product: 20 g fat, 15 g proteins, 2.5 g carbohydrates, 2.5 g salt, with a lower energy value of 250 calories / 1037 kJ.\n\nIn stores one may also find cream cheeses labelled \"bio\". Such a product contains: 53% cheese, 35% butter, 10% cottage cheese, dissolved salt, sodium citrate. Sometimes it's made from nonfat powdered milk, 24% cream, milk culture and salt. The dry substance there is between 20-40%, with 26-50% fat in it. The allergens contained in cream cheese are milk and lactose.\n\nChoosing and Storing Cream Cheese\n\nYou'll find a myriad of cream cheese packaging and brands in stores - local and imported. This soft cheese is often sold in packets, round plastic containers or bars similar to the ones butter is sold in. Cream cheese at supermarkets needs to be stored at temperatures between 33.8°F - 41°F and up to 45 days.\n\nCream cheese can last for more than a month if stored properly but always check the expiration date on the package. For some other types, the shelf life may be half this - 15 days from the date of production.\n\nSalmon with Cream Cheese\n\nCulinary Use of Cream Cheese\n\nCream cheese, due to its soft and delightful taste and consistency finds wide use in cooking - in salty dishes and sauces, as well as in some of our favorite cakes. Cream cheese is a main component of cheesecakes and other creamy desserts.\n\nCream cheese is excellent for breakfast, often to spread on bread slices, bruschetta, rusks and bagels. The taste of this product perfectly complements all sorts of herbs and spices, garlic, onions, vegetables (such as peppers for example). When it comes to sweet desserts and creams, the soft cheese pairs wonderfully with fruits, jams and even chocolate.\n\nA bread slice with cream cheese spread and a thin piece of smoked salmon has the potential to bring you to gastronomic ecstasy. In Italy they have a slightly different approach when it comes to its taste combinations. In the land of spaghetti and mascarpone, chunks of cream cheese are put into salads. In Japan they make cream cheese out of soya milk and spread it on small rusks.\n\n5 2\n4 1\n3 1\n2 0\n1 0\nGive your rating:\n\n\n\nToday`s top articles", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8786472082138062}
+{"content": "Atlantic Ocean as your Frontyard\n\nThis villa is one my first projects while solo architect and my chance to present Third Skin’s manifesto to the world.\n\nThe design was inspired by the site, the clients’ paradoxical desire to live “in a modern and open house of Bali with all the cosiness of a traditional Portuguese house”, and by the work of Lautner architecture.\n\nThe project embodies my ideas about professionalism and how we should face the practice in order to seek perfection. I know what I’m good at, but I also know that on there areas there are people better than me. So I, as an architect, should cooperate with engineers and specialists and accommodate the wishes of the client. I believe that architecture must be service-minded, because great service results in better designs.\n\nThe brief\n\nThis couple from Belgium was pursuing the dream of having a great vacation and family-oriented home that would work well for communal gatherings and entertaining.\n\nWinters in the North-central Europe can be tough. According to the European Weather Services, this past winter was one of the coldest, raking in the most days with precipitation and temperatures at or below zero ever recorded. Brr. These chilly (OK, downright freezing) conditions are what drove this family to start looking for a warmer, sunnier life in the Southern Europe.\n\nThey choosed Portugal, and Silver Coast in particular, due to the good weather all year around, nice food, lots of beaches and cultural villages and very friendly people. This way, it would be possible for them to easily come for a sunny shortbreak or a long weekend at only a distance of 3 hours from their home in the cold weather of Belgium.\n\nThey were looking for a sleek and modern house, large enough to accommodate the big parties the couple enjoys hosting as well as extended visits from their overseas family, but at the same time well integrated in the surroundings and confortable to be used just by the 2, since they have an active life and they can’t program vacations way ahead with all.\n\nThe Site: a whole sea in your front yard.\n\nThe rocky, picturesque ocean cliffs near Lourinhã, eventually won their hearts and raised their body temperatures. They found a small cliff-hugging lot and searched for a skilled architect who could design something that wouldn’t slip off into the sea.\n\nthis project of a detached villa is situated next to a small and traditional coastal village, between it and the Ocean. the plot is a plot of about 4000m2 forming a very wide rectangle  and with a smooth slope in the transverse direction, towards the sea.\n\nAs one ventures farther from cities and suburbs, the natural circumstances of a property have greater influence on a house’s design. Trees, soil and the path of the sun are just a few of the considerations that help to shape a house’s plan. This house has a distinctive Y-shaped plan that is generated by natural features both immediate and distant.\n\nThe plot was in a agro-forestry area so it is now protected by special ‘building-in-nature’ regulations which meant that our villa could be only three metres high, with a limited volume above ground.\n\nBecause the house’s spatial needs required twice the volume allowed by the regulations, we designed it upside down, placing all the bedrooms underground with the daytime functions on top.\n\nWith half of the building placed below ground, maximizing daylight became an essential feature of the project.\n\nThe process\n\nCan a house convey human feeling through its design? I think so. We make a point to get to know clients to create a home that’s not only functional, but also expresses a more personal, even abstract, representation of the individuals who live there.\n\nthe program should adapt to a young couple with plans to create a family and friends get togethers at leisure. To do that I used a lengthy form that asks practical questions, but also random, abstract ones as well. When deigning a new house for this couple, I used the questionnaire to learn that they want a villa with a light aspect and a strong but fluid geometry, with architectural gestures so clear as characteristic, well integrated in the environment, very open to solar orientation and ocean views, able to capture the greenery surrounds and an indoor-outdoor transition very smooth . But I also learned a lot from asking them to complete sentences like “If our house were a country, it’d be …\n\nIf your house were a country, what would it be? Their desires were rather contradictory. They mentioned the white and cosiness of Portuguese traditional houses where on entering there is huge fireplace in the heart of the house, but also the outdoor-indoor living and natural materials as wood and stone of Bali and Lautner’s architecture at Hollywood as living qualities they yearned for. They wanted their home to be open yet intimate; modern yet traditional; transparent yet protective; and tailor-made yet flexible. so we expressed feelings and images of the countries in their new house. We were looking for a metaphor to inspire us. I took that to heart, with a slight aspect of home, nicely framed in the environment with window walls throughout the house that open to pull in breezes from the pool and sea and allow a seamless transition to outdoor spaces.\n\nI also channeled my clients’ feelings through another means. The inspiration for the design of a new house can come from many places, such as a client’s interests and wishes, a place’s context or another building. Some clients give me CDs of music to design by; others send me sets of images.\n\n\nTo take advantage of the beautiful sea views, we imagined the distinctive Y-shape of the house, which creates three wings, each glazed on both sides. There’s a wing for living and study; one for cooking and eating; and one for the master bedroom.\n\nIn the basement, the Y creates a similar functional clarity: one wing is for the the other bedrooms; and one for cars, storage and cinema room.\n\nthe main orientation of the villa to the west coincides with the best views. all windows try to make the most of sunlight during the winter, being filtered through wooden panels when needed.\n\nThe materials used highlight the contrasting geometries and the lines of the building in relation to its surroundings , also creating a dialogue between dynamic and static.\n\nthey also seek harmony without forgetting the contrasts of color and texture, and appearance are of natural origin, with the intention of getting a warm aspect.\n\nThe palette of materials is reduced for all spaces relate to each other and maintain a strong personality throughout the home.\n\nAlthough its geometric form is in stark contrast to the fluidity of its natural setting, the home’s layout establishes strong connections to nature. A link to nature from each interior space was one of client’s requirements. Another was flow. He wanted a single level that he could easily move through, from living space to sleeping area.\n\nThe visual communication spaces played an important role in the development of the project and was an aspect highly appreciated by the clients because, with the exception of the rooms, all the other spaces are never isolated thus achieving a fluid and openness to the outside . the circulation in the villa allows you to enjoy the outside from anywhere and provides fluid communication so as to enjoy the warm weather we are experiencing during most of the year .\n\nThe homeowners wanted the best view to be from the dining room, which is pointing to Berlengas’ island. Next to the dining room an open kitchen easily accommodates friends and family, bridging the two sides of the house as its central point. “We find that visitors to our house almost always end up in the dining room/kitchen area, almost as if it exerts a gravitational pull,” Greg says. The living area face West and South, providing views of both the rugged terrain and the vast ocean.\n\nThe building is structured to strategically shield the south areas from the northwest winds. The homeowners can stand in the garden or have a glass of wine on the patio with friends without feeling like they’re going to blow away.\n\nHigh windows and a skylight on the stair landing send light down into the lower level, where are the other 3 bedrooms, but also the garage and cinema room.\n\nThe home includes a geothermal system that heats and cools the entire house, provides the home’s hot water and heats the swimming pool. Overall, the project would leverage technology, materials and finishes to ultimately lower his overall utility costs.\n\nOne of the homeowner’s favorite features is the geothermal heated concrete flooring. “There is zero maintenance, so I don’t worry when the kids come inside from the pool and drip on the floors, or when … gets footprints everywhere,” he says.\n\n\n\n “The house is fundamentally about engagement,” he says. Through its materials and layout, it engages the family of four, the surrounding trees, the views and the local climate. The home is calm too, he adds. “It sits easily on its site without imposing,” he describes. “It is a subtle, careful house.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9915500283241272}
+{"content": "Hobart - Melbourne - Auckland - Christchurch\n\nBird Scare Guns\n\nMinimize bird damage in vineyards and orchards\n\nBird Scare Cannon\n\nMinimize crop loss and bird damage with an automatic propane gas cannons. A single unit can protect up to 6,000sqm. The time between shots can be adjusted and the rotary tripod is included with each LPG cannon. Ideal in conjunction with bio-acoustic bird scarers and visual bird deterrents. A cambination of these maximizes the effectiveness in the field.\n\nFully-automatic features\n\nOur automatic gas cannon has fully adjustable features such as single or double shot, configurable shot delay, random operation mode and battery charge indication. The built-in photocell allows automatic day/ night operation.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8650605082511902}
+{"content": "From Cookipedia\n\nPeanut butter fudge covered in ganache\n\nCooking method: Ganache\n\nGanache; from the French word for \"jowl\") is a glaze, icing, sauce, or filling for pastries made from chocolate and cream.\n\nGanache is normally made by heating cream, then pouring it over chopped dark semi-sweet chocolate. The mixture is stirred or blended until smooth, with liqueurs or extracts added if desired.\n\nDepending on the kind of chocolate used, for what purpose the ganache is intended, and the temperature at which it will be served, the ratio of chocolate to cream is varied to obtain the desired consistency. Typically, two parts chocolate to one part cream are used for filling cakes or as a base for making chocolate truffles, while one to one is commonly used as a glaze. Cooled ganache can be whipped to increase volume and spread to cover a cake. However, if left to cool too much it can become too thick and unspreadable.\n\n\nFind recipes that contain 'Ganache'", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.958760142326355}
+{"content": "Over 20000 Nigerian prostitutes roam Italian streets & forests - CVIEW NEWS\n\n\n\nSunday, 8 March 2015\n\nOver 20000 Nigerian prostitutes roam Italian streets & forests\n\nThe Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime, and other statistics, this week, disclosed that between 10,000 and 20, 000 young Nigerian women are engaged in forced prostitution on streets, and forests of Italy.\n\nOsas (not real names)is 15 years old. She lives in a village in the outskirts of Benin, Nigeria. Her family makes a living growing and selling vegetables. Osas was helping her mother when one day Loveth, one of their regulars, suggested she move to Italy. The woman offers to pay for her trip if Olariche agrees to pay her back by babysitting for Fatima’s sister once she arrives in Italy. Then, she would be free to do what she pleases. Italy offers many opportunities and Osas could earn enough to support herself and her family back in Nigeria.\n\nThe story is almost always the same when you ask the thousands of Nigerians brought to Italy each year to work in street prostitution. According to the  new report, the number of Nigerian prostitutes in Italy has increased to aproximately 10,000 young girls, mostly located in Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto. Many are minors and are clueless as to how much money they owe to the maman, the deceptively sweet French name the girls’ tormentors insist on being called.\nOsas explains that she and her maman had agreed on 45,000 naira, or 35,000 euros. “I did not know the exchange rate and it seemed to be a good deal,” she says. The maman is always on the lookout for the youngest and most inexperienced girls. She convinces the parents that she will take good care of their child as though it is her own and paints a rosy picture of her future. Upon arrival in Italy, the girls are sold to others in the trafficking network, and it is finally made clear to them that the only way to pay off their debt is through prostitution. Olariche was given a revealing outfit, some condoms, and was sent into slavery on the streets of Italy.\n\n\nAfrican migration propels human trafficking\nSince the Arab Spring in 2011, migration via Africa has exploded onto Italy’s coast. The population growth in Africa is high, but economic development is not keeping up, making life difficult for young people and causing them to look to Europe for a better future. African migrants are exploited by organised crime in 80% of the cases, leading migrants across the desert to the coasts of Libya and Tunisia; then, putting them in boats headed to Italy. Human trafficking is the term used to describe the transportation of migrants when they are considered commodities to be sold. The network of traffickers is constantly expanding and the price for a human being depends on their ability to work — whether in prostitution on the streets or in forced labour on the countryside.\n\nThe spiritual pact of slavery\nNigeria is the most densely populated country in Africa with 177 million inhabitants. Although it is the richest country on the continent, a large part of the population lives in extreme poverty. Furthermore, the country is plagued by the extremist group Boko Haram.\n\nMaterial poverty and psychological uncertainty makes it easy for traffickers to lure people with false promises. Young girls often trust the maman, who are skillfull at weaving their web of illusion at a devastating cost. Apart from the monetary debt, the girls must undergo a spiritual ritual in which they swear before a juju-priest that they will repay their debt. This ritual is designed to create a strong sense of guilt in the victims in case they are unable to pay off their traffickers. The young girls have to give persona items like strands of hair, pieces of clothing or drops of blood to the priests for them to practice the traditional voodoo ritual. Thus, breaking the pact becomes the equivalent of breaking the bond with the protective spirits. The trafficked girls are in an asymmetrical power-balance with the maman, who decides what she should wear, how much money she has to bring home each night and what she should tell the police if they ask questions.\n\n Abrasive de-humanisation\nThe most horrendous and disturbing aspect of trafficking may be the dichotomy between the de-humanisation and objectification these girls are victims of. On one hand, the girls are in a constant condition of dependence: first, on their parents, then on their traffickers, on the maman and finally, on the spirits. But on the other hand, they are the ones ultimately responsible for their own debt and the heavy weight of repaying it becomes paralysing and difficult to deal with. The fact that they also literally must undergo an identity change in order to make the trip to Italy, further breaks down of their sense of self. Often, the girls are made older on their false documents before the trip, due to the possibility of her death, which as a minor is a more severe crime. Once in Italy, the girl can adopt a younger age because this helps attract clients.\n\n When a young Nigerian woman leaves her family, she is effectively signing her own sentence to slavery. A slavery that comes in the disguise of hope, only to irrevocably transform into a nightmare, just when a brighter future seemed to be waiting just around the corner.\n\n\nThe pictures were taken by Photographer Paolo Patrizi, who toured the forests of Italy, and got the shots. Reasons why these girls chose forests to trade in their bodies, according to findings include, their inability to afford the rents, and to avoid the police, who arrest them in their illicit trade.\n\n\n  1. Really Nice post with good blog site!! Essential for informative informations. We are a real-time news platform focused on serving the Nigerian audience and the world at large with verified and undiluted news reports. We cover breaking news and topics in areas of Business, Entertainment, People and Politics, Love and Romance, Technology and Life Style. Look at Nigeria news for all time news update.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5158254504203796}
+{"content": "Playing Tips: Saxophone Basics\n\nThe Basics of Saxophone\n\nRegardless of the type of saxophone playing you want to do — classical, jazz or rock ‘n’ roll — the fundamentals of good tone and technique are the same.\n\nTone and Embouchure:\nA good tone is established when there is a balance between the embouchure and air pressure. The steps for forming the saxophone embouchure are as follows: top teeth rest on the mouthpiece, approximately a half-inch from the tip. (If the vibrations are bothersome, place a mouthpiece patch on top of the mouthpiece.) The lower teeth are covered by the red portion only of the lower lip, in order to provide a cushion for the reed. The lower lip should meet the reed approximately where the reed first meets the facing of the mouthpiece. (Look at your mouthpiece from the side to find this point, which varies depending on your reed strength and mouthpiece combination.) The corners of the mouth are brought forward to create a rounded feeling. (Pronounce the syllable “Vu” to feel this.) While playing, the lower lip supports against the reed, while the bottom teeth are held slightly lower. The mouthpiece enters the mouth at a slight upward angle. If you are a woodwind doubler, be advised that the saxophone embouchure and air is different from that of the clarinet. Remember also, to adjust the neck-strap, bocal and mouthpiece accordingly, so that the instrument comes to you. For more detailed information, consult The Art of Saxophone Playing by Larry Teal.\n\nAir Pressure:\nThe smaller the saxophone, use higher air pressure (faster air) and less air volume. The larger the saxophone, use less air pressure (slower air) and a larger volume of air. The type of air used is one of the prime differences from clarinet playing. The saxophone uses warm air. To test if your embouchure firmness and air pressure are in balance, blow on your mouthpiece alone using a tuner or keyboard to check your pitch. The alto saxophone mouthpiece should blow at a concert “A” directly above the treble staff. Working to be consistent at this mouthpiece pitch will improve your overall intonation and tone quality. Also, it will contribute to your ability to listen and play in tune. I suggest taking the mouthpiece off several times in the course of a practice session and check the mouthpiece pitch. Also, hold the mouthpiece pitch out for as long as you can, maintaining a steady sound while keeping the dial on the tuner from moving. The mouthpiece pitches for the other saxophones are as follows:\n\n  • soprano saxophone blows a concert “C” directly above the treble staff\n  • tenor saxophone blows a concert “G” directly above the treble staff\n  • baritone saxophone blows a concert “D” fourth line on the treble staff\n\nNote: if you are playing with a “jazz sound” then your mouthpiece pitch should be at least a half step lower or maybe more, depending on your embouchure. However, the mouthpiece pitch should still be consistent.\n\nJazz Tone Concepts:\nIf you are playing on a jazz mouthpiece and are desiring a brighter, more cutting tone quality, there will be alterations to the basic embouchure. These might be more mouthpiece in the mouth or less lip covering the reed. The air pressure will more likely be less and the volume of air more. These changes will bring your pitch down, so you will push in the mouthpiece further on the bocal to compensate. While every player has their own sound, classical or concert saxophonists have a fairly standard concept of tone quality. Jazz and rock `n’ roll saxophonists have a wider range of tone qualities that would be acceptable. Listening to players you admire, experimenting, recording yourself, and years of experience will lead you to establish your desired tone quality.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9956863522529602}
+{"content": "The Guardian Third World Review: Voices From...\n\nThe Guardian Third World Review: Voices From the South, edited by Victoria Brittain and Michael Simmons (David & Charles Inc., North Pomfret, Vt. 05053: $13.95); On Transforming Africa: Discourse With Africa's Leaders, Kofi Buenor Hadjor (Africa World Press: $7.95). Even those skeptical about the depth of altruism in glitzy famine-relief campaigns such as \"We Are the World\" will have to admit that they made a difference, providing temporary relief and directing attention to long-term causes of famine. What the relief efforts didn't do--and, in fairness, didn't claim to do--was solicit solutions directly from African planners, leaders and scholars. Africans were, Djibril Diallo writes in \"Third World Review,\" \"inaccurately portrayed as passive bystanders in the midst of 'a mess of their own making.' \" This pattern of dependency is, in a nutshell, the central concern of these two largely anti-Western books. Most critical of America's ways is Kofi Hadjor, former press aide to the late president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah.\n\nYet, while Hadjor sounds a decidedly anti-Western theme--proposing, for instance, that Africa should stop debt payments to the United States and use the money to develop a massive farming industry (\"Ethiopia,\" he writes, \"has enough land to support a population of 310 million--ten times its present population\")--he reserves his harshest words for Africa's own leaders--the Organization of African Unity (\"An institution of supplicants . . . a talking-shop designed to boost the reputations of unpopular politicians\"), African professors (they have \"retreated into introspection, cynicism and self-celebration\") and feminists (they struggle for \"equality within the elite rather than the liberation of the mass of women\").\n\nThe Swan Villa, Martin Walser, translated by Leila Vennewitz (Holt: $7.95). Martin Walser is one of the first German writers whose characters aren't trapped in the unresolved past of the Nazi era. His middlemen protagonists could reside anywhere in the postwar, postindustrial West, selling their soap, real estate or high powered prose. Yet Walser's characters are far from free, for most are caught in the relentless pursuit of worldly wealth, fueling \"progress\" by creating more insatiable demands for ever more superfluous products. Gottleib Zurn, this novel's protagonist, \"often felt like a man driving a motorboat with a hole at the bottom who has to drive fast to make the front half of the boat rise and stay out of the water. The moment he slackened speed, he would sink.\" Zurn's tragedy is not society, but his readiness to embrace its superficiality: After leaving his law practice to develop the once-grassy slopes of a lake into high-rise condominiums, Zurn feels depressingly underdeveloped himself, obsolete and disposable, unable to recapture his wife's attention, impress his condescending colleagues, resolve his financial difficulties.\n\nAnd yet, this is ultimately a hopeful novel, for bright, warm images keep reappearing in these pages, in spite of the dark intellectualizations: Else, Zurn's dog, lies on her back on the Ping-Pong table, \"rolling herself up in a lightning movement as if to see whether she had caught the gold of the morning between her paws\"; Zurn walks by the lake at night, where \"everything is green, green-gold, glittering and dazzling . . . and nothing seems to matter.\" At first, these glowing images seem incongruous. But soon, they become part of Zurn's faith, as he finds new hope in the experience of daily life. Zurn's resolution--\"phenomenon is all\"--unites Walser in spirit after all with dissident German intellectuals whose grander political and philosophical hopes were dashed by Hitler: \"As long as something is, everything is,\" he concludes. \"Infinity of expression through impact from the outside. So imagination does not remain inviolate. It is distorted by experience. Something can be learned. Something exquisite follows on something else.\"\n\nThe Arab World: Personal Encounters, Elizabeth Warnock Fernea and Robert A. Fernea (Doubleday: $9.95). This is a curiously tame book about an unusually turbulent land. The Fernea's first came to Beirut during their honeymoon in 1956, when the city was a \"sea-blown oasis.\" They retain their travelogue style even when describing the Middle East today, an editorial decision that works, for the most part, highlighting the idiosyncrasies of culture that blur when the focus is on the broader canvas of combat. Introducing us to the urban sprawl in Egypt, literary circles in Beirut, an Israeli university on the West Bank and Iraqi exiles in Cairo, the authors knock down stereotypes, from TV images of sheiks in flowing white robes signing oil agreements to young men in battle dress, shaking their machine guns aggressively at the screen.\n\nUnfortunately, the authors' understanding of the Arabs is not especially deep either--an all-too-short chapter on Islamic fundamentalism, for instance, discusses styles of conservative dress rather than foundations of belief. Economic and political pressures are given even shorter shrift, though the Fernea's do trace some of the cultural changes taking place as Egypt tries to maximize its limited natural resources through industrialization. Ultimately, \"The Arab World\" won't lift the shroud of mystery that seems to envelop people in the Middle East, but by humanizing the Arab world, it might mitigate prejudice.\n\nBohemian Paris: Culture, Politics, and the Boundaries of Bourgeois Life, 1830-1930, Jerrold Siegel (Penguin: $9.95). While the subtitle is enough to ward off readers not struggling through a graduate program in European history, this is actually a readable book relevant to all interested in the stresses, desires and fears that emerged when, for a privileged few, the struggle for day-to-day survival was replaced by a quest for social- and self-realization. Webster's defines \"bohemian\" as someone living in \"an unconventional, nonconforming way.\" For some, however, Bohemia itself became a convention, with its own rituals (loosely tied, the author writes, to the cultures of magic and exorcism) and ideals (inspired by the French Revolution as well as by Hegel's advocacy of \"free subjectivity,\" which illustrated the importance of choosing our own value system).\n\nBohemians were both rebellious and allegiant; the author cites Charles Baudelaire as a case in point: \"An aristocrat and plebeian, he was a man of control and abandon, reason and sensation who treasured the sovereignty of the self and gloried in being of the crowd.\" Siegel centers on bohemian Paris in its heyday, suggesting that it became a model for alternative communities in the 1960s, such as Haight-Ashbury and Greenwich Village. His description of the communities' decline with the revolt against bourgeois society, outrage over World War I atrocities and excitement over the Russian Revolution is sketchier, though, almost as if he had hoped the culture had not been eclipsed by the politics that dissolved the pessimism of the fin de siecle era.\n\nCopyright © 2019, Los Angeles Times\nEDITION: California | U.S. & World", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6209373474121094}
+{"content": "Cultural: May 3 - Constitution Day\n\nThis is a repost of a previous written cultural post.\n\nWe have another holiday on May 3!  It's Constitution Day - celebrating the first constitution of Poland which was established in 1791. \n\nThis day, politically, is as important to the Polish people as July 4 is to Americans.\n\nBecause it falls in close proximity to May 1, Labor Day, Polish people, often tie together the two holidays by taking a vacation day in between. When the days fall, as this year's did on Monday and Wednesday, it means that people could take off on Friday afternoon and come back Wed. afternoon and by able to take several days off. Schools are all \"off\" on May 2.\n\nSo how do they celebrate it?  \n\nPractically speaking - by staying at home as all stores are closed, and having a grill, or bike riding, or taking a walk - depending on the weather. It's a very \"low stress/low key\" day.  Of course, in cities, there are parades - but we tend to stay away from all things political, so I've never gone into downtown Warsaw to watch one.\n\nIf you are intrigued by this historical day, here's the Wikipedia article about it.\n\nWe all have our flags out and the towns have flags lining the sidewalks and light poles.\n\nAnd that's all for today!\n\nHave a great one!\n\n\n\nDon't forget - if you need something for your projects, be sure to check out the goodies my sis has for you! I'm sure she's got something you can use - and at a great price!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7729652523994446}
+{"content": "I booked through a ticket agency and need help!\n\nIf you need help with a booking made through a different box office such as SEE Tickets or Ticketmaster, you will need to contact them directly.\n\nThis is because all your booking information will be held with the third party and so our team will not be able to help you with billing or ticketing enquiries.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5202013254165649}
+{"content": "listening is the first step to being heard\n\n\nListening Is The First Step To Being Heard\n\n\nI am constantly hearing people saying, yelling, and screaming, “Listen to me!” They don’t always say it using those words, but they are demanding in one way or another that people listen to them. Unfortunately, this isn’t the way to be heard.\n\n\nConversation Vs. Being Heard\n\n\nThe first step, no matter the topic, is to set a goal of having a conversation about the topic rather than to be heard. Having a goal of being heard cannot have a fulfilling outcome. If you are able to speak every word that you desire and the other person listens, then what do you expect to happen? You spoke. They listened. Is that it? It might be in some situations. However, generally people want the other person to support them or take some type of action.\n\n\nThus, enters the conversation. A conversation is critically important if you want to walk away from the interaction feeling as if you achieved your goal. Without a conversation, you really aren’t connecting with the other person. You are simply dumping ideas, thoughts, or emotions on them.\n\n\nNow, if a person’s goal is to support a narrative that “no one ever listens to them,” the being heard approach is the way to go. However, I would challenge anyone with that narrative to ask themselves, “How much better would life be if I had true conversations?”\n\n\nListening Is Required\n\n\nConversations take more effort and they require listening. If a person only wants to demand that others listen to them, a conversation is not possible. Instead, they must approach the topic as a conversation. Each person must be allowed to express their perspective with a polite exchange back and forth.\n\n\nThis is one of the challenges that our society now faces. No one listens; however, everyone wants to be heard. The primary reason that people demand to be heard is that no one, themselves included, is listening.\n\n\nTemper Tantrums\n\n\nWhen a person demands to be heard and no one appears to listen, they become more and more agitated. Both people (or groups of people) continue to get louder and louder. However, no one is listening to the other one.\n\n\nThis phenomenon is much like children having a temper tantrum. Neither the parent nor the child (who may not have the skills yet) takes steps to defuse the situation. Instead, the child causes more and more disruption until the situation boils over.\n\n\nIn the case with adults, most should be able to defuse the situation, but perhaps that skill is lacking or the person is gaining something by not defusing the situation. With children, they are often trying to breakdown their parents to get something they want. The same is likely true of adults that would rather demand to be heard than have an actual conversation.\n\n\nTwo Ears, One Mouth\n\n\nSo, how do we improve society? We do so by connecting with others and having true conversations. Start by listening. As it has been said, “We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.” You might be surprised what you would learn if you really listened to someone with a different perspective.\n\n\nAnd, you might be surprised that by listening to them, they also listen to you!\n\n\n\n\nIn the early days of telephones, an operator connected someone with another party by plugging wires into a switchboard. If everything worked properly, this action established a voice connection between the two parties. However, occasionally the operator crossed the wires and a person ended up talking with someone they had not intended to contact. The analogy of crossing wires spread into communication between people when there was a misunderstanding between the two parties. “Sorry, I think we crossed our wires” became a standard apology.\n\n\n\n\nPeople are not always aware that wires have gotten crossed. Yet, the miscommunication may still cause emotions to flare. In extreme cases, a person may become so upset that they completely disconnect from the other person without the other person knowing why. Other times, however, the person recognizes that there was a miscommunication allowing them to take corrective action.\n\n\nHuman beings are constantly involved in some form of relationship with others. Thus, they are constantly vulnerable to miscommunication.\n\n\nAmbiguity of the spoken word contributes to wires being crossed. English, in particular, contains many possible interpretations of the same set of words. Fortunately, it is believed that the actual words spoken may make up as little as 7% of communication with body language and tone accounting for the remainder.\n\n\nBody Language\n\n\nA person cannot convey body language in writing without writing a small script. Although tone can be expressed through the written word, it can be challenging. Thus, the writer must convey their message using only a small fraction of the communication tools available when speaking.\n\n\nEven when speaking, non-verbal communication may be challenging. Often, people are not conscious of the messages being sent to others via their non-verbal cues. Sometimes, the truth shows even when the speaker intends to hide it. For instance, a person’s true feelings may show when they are trying to encourage a friend, but feel in their heart that the situation will not work out. A person has to be both aware and practiced to hide or change non-verbal messages.  Even politicians and others who are coached on body language often slip up and let their true feelings show.\n\n\nEven when the intended message is conveyed, the recipients of the message may not interpret it as it was intended. Connections can become strained. And, sometimes those connections permanently break over something minor.  If properly understood,  the message would be accepted and have little or no impact on the relationship.\n\n\nThings To Consider\n\n\nIf a person gets upset about something that someone says or does, they need to consider if they are properly interpreting the message. First, the person may desire to consider if there are alternative ways to interpret the message. Second, the person might ask the other person to explain further. Third, if the person believes they received the intended message, they might explain to the other person the message they received and how it affected them.\n\n\nThe person may just find out that wires got crossed. By clarifying the intent, it can potentially strengthen connections with others as they engage in caring and thoughtful communication.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6087452173233032}
+{"content": "SMOServices at Marc Resources\n\nSocial Media Marketing\n\nSocial media has evolved to be an interactive platform for everyone to establish connections worldwide without much of hassle. This being a go-to tool for any kind of promotions online, it requires strategic planning to make powerful presence by penetrating through numerous other entities, which aspire more or less the same. Promoting business online has a very beneficial role in communicating with a large chunk of people with varied demographics.\n\nHow do we do it?\n\nPromotion of the brands become much more flexible and personal as the interaction is much more informal; one can converse, celebrate, connect, and correlate just like friends do. It is also a powerful medium to make your target market aware of your current product or services, to create a need among the costumes through well-organized approach be it campaigns, engaging content of the periodic posts, polls/contests etc. Social Media Marketing can also increase the efficacy of other marketing techniques – including SEO and SEM.\n\nAt marc resources, we assure you that you make maximum benefit of your online presence by understanding your business and its requirements. One can trust us with their branding, our reputation for the work we do is the evidence one can look for! We work to develop a social media strategy based on your brand’s marketing objectives in order to achieve short term and long term goals. We take the most suitable approach to building your brand.\n\nSocial media marketing\n\nSocial Media Advertising Branding\n\nStrategy Development: Marc Resources designs and develops strong strategies for social media campaigns as per your niche market and business module.\n\nAdvertising Management: Marc Resources run various campaigns for your products and services, which gives you the chance to connect to potential customers as well as communicate with them directly through your website.\n\nEffective Content Creation: We add relevant content, images, links and videos which will help you to convey an effective message to the clientele & also polish branding for your business.\n\nMeasurement and Reporting: We provide a complete analytical report for your campaigns and conversions to show how various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram etc have been effective.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.822711169719696}
+{"content": "This post is also available in: Vietnamese\n\nThe acronym ELSA stands for English Learning Speech Assistant, a mobile phone application that utilizes artificial intelligence to help non-natives with English pronunciation. ELSA Speak was established by Vu Van and speech scientist Xavier Anguera in 2015. After just one year in operation, ELSA has become a quintessential business model for the startup scene in Vietnam when it was announced as the winner of SXSWEdu Launch 2016. At the time of writing this article, ELSA was being used in more than 100 countries and was listed as one of 13 promising tech startups in Southeast Asia by the South China Morning Post.\n\nBeyond the international recognition, Vu Van has also proven the application’s values as well as potential when she successfully raised a $3.2 million USD investment round from Monk’s Hill Ventures in a pre-series A funding round. In February 2019, ELSA received another $7 million USD from Gradient Ventures in a Series A funding round. Vietcetera invited Van Vu for an interview about the story behind ELSA Speak’s success.\n\nVân Vũ - ELSA Speak\n\nWhat sparked your interest in founding ELSA Speak?\n\nWhen I was pursuing my master’s degree at Stanford University ten years ago, I was confident with my English vocabulary, but my pronunciation had a strong Vietnamese accent. It limited my communication. It became worse when it became clear my opinions in class were often times disregarded, because professors could not understand what I was saying. Time after time, I felt inferior to my peers and decided to find an English-native to improve my pronunciation.\n\nHow many more out there were looked down on and lost their chances just because of their English pronunciation? Not everyone has the time and resources to look for an English native speaker to help them practice. Since then, I’ve always wanted to develop a platform to solve this by making use of high-precision speech recognition technology.\n\nJust after three years, ELSA Speak has already attracted users from more than 100 countries, What’s the recipe for success?\n\nIt’s cost prohibitive and difficult to get one-on-one training for English language learning. And the solution to this problem is the recipe that has helped us get to where we are today. It also helped us win the SXSWEdu Launch 2016 prize, a competition that honors technology and education trailblazers. Research Snipers even ranked the app as one of the Top 5 Applications That Use A.I., among Microsoft’s Cortana and Google’s Google Allo. These recognitions have helped us earn consumer trust and allowed the app to quickly gain traction.\n\nThose are ELSA Speak’s advantages to attract new users; however, it is the ability to retain user interest that determines whether the app is successful or not. That’s why we constantly try to improve ELSA Speak, optimize it to make the app more user-friendly, and integrate real-life content into the app, like a recently released movie, for example.\n\nVan Vũ - ELSA\n“The most iconic mistake that I think most startups have experienced is to employ without careful consideration.”\n\nYour fields of expertise are business and education management, but ELSA Speak is a tech-centric startup. What are some pros and cons of working in a technology driven environment?\n\nAlthough technology is not my forte, in fact, I think it is one of my advantages when establishing a startup in our particular industry. Instead of focusing on the startup, I devote that time to meet different people and collate their reviews to improve the app.\n\nIn my opinion, tech-savvy entrepreneurs are sometimes overconfident about their expertise, and this, in turn, will eventually limit their inventiveness. Creating a state-of-the-art software alone will not make it fly. You must understand the consumers’ struggles, what are their complaints and then provide solutions to those problems. Only then your product will be appreciated.\n\nSince one can’t be a multi-area expert, I acknowledge my own shortcomings and try to collaborate with specialists from other areas to fill in those gaps. The crucial thing is that you must find the person who shares the same view as you and believes in the company’s core values, vision, and mission to steer it in the right direction.\n\nHow can ELSA Speak recruit engineers and other technology talent in the US, when the talent pool includes competition from employers like Google, Microsoft, or Apple?\n\nIt’s true that the big names will attract the talent, but not every talent will work at those companies. At a startup company, teams will get the chance to take on multiple roles, challenge themselves, and most importantly, feel jubilant when all of their contributions are valued. This is something big companies can rarely offer. Therefore, you can still recruit the best for your company as long as you make sure that the company’s vision and mission are compelling enough.\n\nWhat are some difficulties you’ve come across in your journey? How did you overcome them?\n\nMistakes are inevitable when you’re in charge of running the show, especially in the case of startups since issues pop up from everywhere. But the most iconic mistake that I think most startups have experienced is to employ without careful consideration.\n\nWhen building a startup, human resource is the biggest concern, and many companies lower their requirements to recruit as quickly as possible in hope that the employees will continue to learn as time goes on and make progress alongside the company. However, this might be the culprit behind any company’s inconsistent growth, compared to the case of leaving the positions open until suitable candidates are found.\n\nLearning from past mistakes, my method is to do the exact opposite, take as long as it needs for recruitment but dismiss as quickly as possible. It may sound overly pragmatic but in my experience it’s the most viable decision for a younger company and for the employees themselves. Instead of forcing oneself to be part of a company, they can look for new opportunities that foster their self-development.\n\nVũ Vân - ELSA\n“Startups are a journey that requires persistence and endurance. My advice is to start with an idea that you are most passionate.”\n\nIt’s well known that venture capital is a male-dominated industry. How did you navigate that challenge as you went on to fundraise capital for ELSA?\n\nThere’s a notion that business plans originated from females do not get as much funding as their counterparts. But in reality, the foundation of a successful negotiation lies in the business idea, vision, and direction alongside achievements, facts, and figures that your company has accumulated up to that time.\n\nMen also have their own problems to deal with when they need funding. The only reason why women’s business ideas cannot get as much funding as expected is that those ideas are generally niche and usually revolves around lifestyle trends of industries. Investors are more willing to finance bold ideas that aim toward mass market and have potentials to turn that startup into a “unicorn”.\n\nDo you have any advice for women who are currently working in a startup environment?\n\nStartups are a journey that requires persistence and endurance. My advice is to start with an idea that you are most passionate. This way, you’ll have the courage to challenge obstacles when they arise.\n\nSometimes, you have to work recklessly and ignore the balance between your work and life, but that does not equate with submitting to the fact that you have to choose either family or career. You can have both if it brings you joy. In fact, family is not a burden nor a distraction from work. Entrepreneurship can make you feel lonesome from time to time since you need to inspire your employees while having no one to vent your frustrations. And that is where family comes in. My final advice is do not hold yourself responsible for every mistake.\n\nXem thêm:\n[Bài viết] How I Manage: Kambria CEO and Tech Entrepreneur Thuc Vu\n[Bài viết] Salt Cancer Initiative’s Thuy Muoi Is The Queen Of Startups And The Queen Of Problems\n\nThis post is also available in: Vietnamese", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7797785997390747}
+{"content": "Admitting and Correcting Errors Saves Insurer\n\nPost 211 of 228\n\nSummary: The United States District Court in Arizona held that an insurer, which admitted and rectified errors in calculation of the actual cash value of a homeowner’s property damage claim after the error was brought to its attention by the insured, did not commit bad faith.\n\nEchanove v. Allstate Ins. Co. 752 F.Supp.2d 1105\n\nThe plaintiff-insured filed a homeowner’s insurance claim with its insurer, Allstate.  The insured experienced property damage to his property caused by a wind storm.  An independent adjuster inspected the insured’s property and based on his inspection, Allstate made a payment to the insured for property damage in the amount of $15,723.65.  Two additional upward adjustments were requested by the insured and they were paid by Allstate, bringing the total payment to $16,792.12.  The insured was paid less than 30 days after the damage was reported.\n\nLater, the insured hired a public insurance adjuster who asserted that errors were made in the depreciation calculation in determining actual cash value of the claim and advised the insured to file a civil action against Allstate, which the insured did.  Upon notice of the lawsuit, Allstate learned for the first time of the asserted depreciation mistake.  Allstate sought review by the manager of an independent adjusting company, who prepared a revised depreciation resulting in an amount due to the insured of an additional $2,579.72.  This amount was tendered to and accepted by the insured.\n\nCross motions for summary judgment on the breach of contract and bad faith claim were filed.  The District Court found Allstate did not breach the insurance contract because there was no proof that Allstate denied the insured any of the benefits for which the insured was entitled under the insurance policy.  In addition, the District Court found that the insured never complied with the notice provision of the homeowner’s insurance policy before pursuing litigation raising the alleged problem with the estimate, the actual cash value payment or any additional payments.\n\nThe District Court also found Allstate had not committed bad faith.  Allstate admitted to making and rectifying errors after the problem came to its attention.  There was no evidence that the calculation errors Allstate made at any point were made intentionally or maliciously.  Therefore, there was insufficient evidence for a reasonable trier of fact to conclude that Allstate acted in bad faith.  The District Court noted an insurer’s “honest mistake, bad judgment or negligence” does not constitute bad faith.  Having found Allstate did not act in bad faith, the District Court also denied the insured’s claim for punitive damages.  There was no evidence that would support a claim for punitive damages because Allstate had not acted with an evil mind or acted with an intent to injure its insured or knowing of a substantial risk of harm to its insured.\n\nThe insurer prevailed in this case because when it learned of its mistake in calculating and adjusting the homeowner’s claim, it corrected the mistake and promptly made payment to the insured.  Also, the insured rushed to file a lawsuit against Allstate without first complying with the notice provision in the homeowner’s policy, which included making a written demand for an appraisal.  Thus, the District Court correctly found this was not a case where the insurer committed bad faith.\n\nBy Aaron French\n\nFrench, A\n\n, , , ,\n\n); ?>\n\n\nSt. Louis  |  Clayton  |   Kansas City\n\n\nAlton  |  Carbondale  |  Edwardsville  |  O'Fallon\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9720906019210815}
+{"content": "Bhagsu is a quiet little village located a short walk from the bustling downtown of McLeod Ganj, where His Holiness Dalai Lama lives. Our school is located in a peaceful area between the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range and the underlying village center spread around in the hills. This area provides cozy and lively vibes through spiritual practices and creative workshops in a harmonious and natural environment.\n\nArambol is a traditional fisherman village and it is considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Goa. Traditionally a refuge for a hard-core hippie fringe, it nowadays attracts a lively and eclectic mix of travelers living in rented rooms, hut camps and small houses scattered behind the magnificent white sand beach. Our school is opposite the sacred banyan tree surrounded by mango trees, coconut trees and an open natural environment.\n\n\nRishikesh is a magnet for spiritual seekers and considered to be the yoga capital of India as well as a hub for many other spiritual practices. The city is alcohol-free and located in the Himalayan foothills beside the Ganges river. On its eastern bank its lined with temples and ashram as well as with shops and vegetarian restaurants.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999409317970276}
+{"content": "“One measure of how creative you are is how you respond to changes in your circumstances and environment. How flexible are you? Consider how water adapts to its environment: evaporation, condensation, snowflake, melting, flowing, goes around rocks, fills containers, etc.”\n\n\nAs the world and our perception of it changes around us we must be creative and flexible. We must be vigilant with tracking and knowing the truth about circumstances. Not jumping to conclusions and opinions but relying on evidence and fact. We must be proactive as we evaluate performance and attainment of our goals and finally, asking the question, what systems do we need to improve to deal with the changing times.\n\n\nBy the way, one of the most important questions you could be asking right now is this… “Is our marketing message congruent with the needs or wants of our potential customers and target market.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9854394197463989}
+{"content": "Enter your keyword\n\nGhosts What Are They\n\nGhosts What Are They\n\n\nYOU’VE SEEN THEM depicted in movies, read stories of their unnerving activities and have seen television shows and documentaries sensationalizing them. You have probably seen rare photos of them and have likely heard of first-hand ghostly encounters from friends and relatives. I receive dozens of reports from readers every month. Perhaps you have even seen a ghost yourself.\nBut what are ghosts? I’ll give you the answer straight out: No one knows for certain.\n\nThere are, however, many theories to explain the thousands upon thousands of documented experiences that people around the world have had since the beginning of recorded history. Ghosts and hauntings seem to be a relatively common part of the human experience. And there appear to be several types of ghosts or hauntings, and more than one theory might be needed to explain them all.\n\nDead People\n\nThe traditional view of ghosts is that they are the spirits of dead people that for some reason are “stuck” between this plane of existence and the next, often as a result of some tragedy or trauma. Many ghost hunters and psychics believe that such earth-bound spirits don’t know they are dead. PSI (Founder) Paranormal Researcher Govind Kumar wrote, “A ghost is a human being who has passed out of the physical body, usually in a traumatic state and is not aware usually of his true condition. We are all spirits encased in a physical body. At the time of passing, our spirit body continues into the next dimension. A ghost, on the other hand, due to trauma, is stuck in our physical world and needs to be released to go on.”\n\n\n\n\n“This category commonly involves one-time visits to someone with whom the apparition has close emotional ties,” says Govind at Paranormal Investigations, who calls these ghosts “crisis apparitions.” “Though the encounter usually seems to be a type of farewell, sometimes important and useful information is relayed to the ‘viewer.’ Though dying is the most common crisis, other life-threatening situations can also trigger apparitional visits.”\n\n\nThis type of haunting is the most feared by people because it has the greatest ability to affect our physical world. Poltergeists are blamed for unexplained noises, such as wall-banging, rapping, footsteps and even music. They take our possessions and hide them, only to return them later. They turn on faucets, slam doors, turn lights on and off, and flush toilets. They throw things across rooms. They have been known to pull on people’s clothing or hair. The malevolent ones even slap and scratch the living. It is because of these sometimes “mean-spirited” manifestations that poltergeists are considered by some investigators to be demonic in nature.\n\nOther investigators, however, believe that poltergeist activity is not caused by ghosts at all, but by certain living people under stress. “During a poltergeist experience,” writes C.P Fulara, “the agent, in an attempt to relieve emotional stress, unknowingly causes the physical disturbances using mental forces. The mental mechanism that allows the poltergeist agent to unconsciously cause these physical disturbances is called psychokinesis.”\n\n\nThe skeptics’ point of view – if they are willing to admit there is anything to haunting experiences at all – is that they are all in our minds, or are products of our own minds. Ghosts, they say, are psychological phenomena: we see them because we expect to or want to see them.\n\nA grieving widow sees her dead husband because she needs to; she needs the comfort of knowing that he is alright and happy in the next world. Her mind produces the experience to help itself cope with the stress of the loss. Since we know so little about the power and capacity of our own minds, it’s possible that they can even produce physical manifestations, such as apparitions and noises – projections that even others may be able to see and hear. But they are not “real” in any sense, say the skeptics, just the conjurings of powerful imaginations.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7413597106933594}
+{"content": "\n\nSymphony: The XSLT CMS\n\nSymphony is an open source content management system (CMS) exclusively designed in the XSLT templating language. The goal of the Symphony is to provide a highly streamlined development workflow and allow developers to have full control over their website’s markup, URLs and data structures. Symphony provides an engine that powers a website, a publishing admin interface for content producers and the necessary...\n\nXSLT: Transform Your XML to XHTML\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9984296560287476}
+{"content": "Open main menu\nTrilingual government building sign in Afrikaans, English, and Xhosa\nLanguages of South Africa (2011)[1]\nLanguages percent\nSA Sign Language\n\nAt least thirty-five languages indigenous to South Africa are spoken in the Republic, ten of which are official languages of South Africa: Afrikaans, IsiNdebele, Sepedi, SeSotho sa Borwa, SiSwati, XiTsonga, SeTswana, TshiVenḓa, IsiXhosa, and IsiZulu. The eleventh official language is South African English, which is the de facto primary language used in parliamentary and state discourse, though all official languages are equal in legal status, and unofficial languages are protected under the Constitution of South Africa, though few are mentioned by any name. South African Sign Language has legal recognition but is not an official language, despite a campaign and parliamentary recommendation for it to be declared one.[2]\n\nUnofficial languages include SiPhuthi, SiHlubi, SiBhaca, SiLala, SiNhlangwini (\"IsiZansi\"), SiNrebele (SiSumayela), IsiMpondro, Khoekhoegowab, !Orakobab, Xirikobab, N|uuki, !Xunthali, Khwedam, KheLobedu, SePulana, HiPai, SeKutswe, SeṰokwa, SiThonga, SiLaNgomane, SheKgalagari, XiRonga and others. Most South Africans can speak more than one language,[3] and there is very often a diglossia between official and unofficial language forms for speakers of the latter.\n\nDutch and English were the first official languages of South Africa from 1910 to 1925. Afrikaans was added as a part of Dutch in 1925, although in practice, Afrikaans effectively replaced Dutch, which fell into disuse. When South Africa became a republic in 1961, the official relationship changed such that Afrikaans was considered to include Dutch,[4] and Dutch was dropped in 1984, so between 1984 and 1994, South Africa had two official languages: English and Afrikaans.[5]\n\nEnglish being the second language of many South Africans is the most widely used lingua franca, and language of secular authority. Many countries from around the world have turned to South Africa for their supply of low cost English and other educators.\n\nDifferent government departments and official bodies use different terms to denote SeSotho sa Leboa (\"Northern Sotho\"),[6][7] which is a standardised language largely based on SeKoni and SePedi. In South Africa, Southern Ndebele is known simply as Ndebele, as most speakers of Northern Ndebele live in Zimbabwe. This Northern Ndebele is thus also known as Zimbabwean Ndebele, as it is the language of the Ndebele of Mzilikazi and assimilated groups, including many Kalanga people. However, a third language known as \"Ndebele\" is the unofficial language previously called, in English, \"Northern (Transvaal) Ndebele\". This language was, after the Tomlinson Report, classed together with Southern Ndebele, although it is actually distinct as a Tekela language, spoken by the Ndebele of Gegana (Mthombeni), whereas the official language of IsiNdebele is a Zunda language, spoken by the Ndebele of Ndzundza and Manala.\n\nSince taking power in the 1994 election, the ANC has promoted English as the main language of government, even if South Africans often take pride in using indigenous languages for any purpose. Afrikaans in its Eastern dialects (upon which the standardised form is based, in a process bringing it closer to Dutch) also features prominently in commerce together with English, as these are the languages associated with the racial hegemony.\n\nIn terms of linguistic classification, the official languages include these two West Germanic languages (English and Afrikaans) and nine SiNtu languages. Four of these are called Nguni languages (IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, SiSwati and IsiNdebele) and three are Sotho–Tswana languages (Sepedi, SeSotho sa Borwa, and SeTswana). XiTsonga is a Tswa–Ronga language, and TshiVenḓa falls into a group on its own.[8]\n\nSouth African Sign Language is understood across the country, though sometimes sign-language interpreters use manually coded language.\n\nEndangered languages include many of the Tekela Nguni languages, such as SiPhuthi or SiBhaca, northern Sotho languages such as KheLobedu, and the Eastern Sotho languages, such as SePulana and particularly HiPai which may be extinct.\n\nCritically endangered languages include the Nǁng language, currently only represented by the N|uu dialect (N|uuki), which has at most three mother-tongue speakers, as well as the Southern Khoekhoe languages of !Orakobab and Xirikobab (with the third Khoekhoe language spoken in South Africa being Namagowab). The motto of the Northern Cape Province, Sa ǁa !aĩsi 'uĩsi, is in the N|uu language, and was written by !Uiki Elsie Vaalbooi. This language is the closest living relative of the ǀXam language and ǁXegwi language, now both thought to be extinct. The motto on the coat of arms of South Africa, !Ke eː ǀxarra ǁke, is written in the |Xam language.\n\nThese so-called \"click languages\" constitute what was formerly known as the \"Khoe-Sān\" language family, the members of which are now considered to fall into at least three separate language families: Khoe-Kwadi, Tuu, and Kx'a. The Kx'a language spoken in South Africa, !Xunthali, together with Khwedam (a Khoe-Kwadi language), are the local languages of the population of Platfontein derived from members of the 31 Battalion (SWATF), most of whom were Sān groups originally from Angola, conscripted as trackers during the South African Border War.\n\n\nLanguage demographicsEdit\n\nDominant languages in South Africa.\nProportion of the population that speaks an Nguni language as a first language.\nDensity of first-language speakers of Nguni languages.\nProportion of the population that speaks a Sotho–Tswana language as a first language.\nDensity of first-language speakers of Sotho–Tswana languages.\nProportion of the population that speaks a West Germanic language as a first language.\nDensity of first-language speakers of West Germanic languages.\n\n\nThe majority of South Africans speak a language from one of the two principal branches of the Bantu languages that are represented in South Africa: the Sotho–Tswana branch (which includes Southern Sotho, Northern Sotho and Tswana languages officially), or the Nguni branch (which includes Zulu, Xhosa, Swati and Ndebele languages officially). For each of the two groups, the languages within that group are for the most part intelligible to a native speaker of any other language within that group.\n\nThe indigenous African languages of South Africa which are official, and therefore dominant, can be divided into two geographical zones, with Nguni languages being predominant in the south-eastern third of the country (Indian Ocean coast) and Sotho languages being predominant in the northern third of the country located further inland, as also in Botswana and Lesotho. Gauteng is the most linguistically heterogeneous province, with roughly equal numbers of Nguni, Sotho-Tswana and Indo-European language speakers, with Khoekhoe influence. This has resulted in the spread of an urban argot, Tsotsitaal or S'Camtho/Ringas, in large urban townships in the province, which has spread nationwide.\n\nTsotsitaal in its original form as \"Flaaitaal\" was based on Afrikaans, a creole language derived from Dutch, which is the most widely spoken language in the western half of the country (Western and Northern Cape). It is spoken as first language by approximately 61 percent of whites and 76 percent of those populations who were formerly classified so-called \"Coloured\" people.[10] This racial term of the Apartheid era is popularly considered to mean \"multiracial\", as it represents to some degree a creole population, however most of whom are in fact Khoekhoen in heritage, and many (particularly Cape Muslims) are also descendants of slave populations imported by the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) from slaving posts in West and East Africa, and from its colonies of the Indian Ocean trade route.\n\nPolitical exiles from the VOC colony of Batavia were also brought to the Cape, and these formed a major influencing force in the formation of Afrikaans, particularly in its Malay influence, and its early Jawi literature. Primary of these was the founder of Islam at the Cape, Sheikh Abadin Tadia Tjoessoep (known as Sheikh Yusuf). Hajji Yusuf was an Indonesian noble of royal descent, being the nephew of the Sultan Alauddin of Gowa, in today Makassar, Nusantara. Yusuf, along with 49 followers including two wives, two concubines and twelve children, were received in the Cape on 2 April 1694 by governor Simon van der Stel. They were housed on the farm Zandvliet, far outside of Cape Town, in an attempt to minimise his influence on the VOC's slaves. The plan failed however; Yusuf's settlement (called Macassar) soon became a sanctuary for slaves and it was here that the first cohesive Islamic community in South Africa was established. From here the message of Islam was disseminated to the slave community of Cape Town, and this population was foundational in the formation of Afrikaans. Of particular note is the Cape Muslim pioneering of the first Afrikaans literature, written in Arabic Afrikaans, which was an adaptation of the Jawi script, using Arabic letters to represent Afrikaans for both religious and quotidian purposes. Afrikaans, however, originates in the Dutch varieties spoken in Khoekhoe communities of ǁHui!gaeb (the Khoekhoe name for the region of Cape Town), as a trade language before and during the early stages of the VOC occupation. When many Khoekhoen succumbed to the smallpox epidemic, and others were subjugated as serfs of Boer landowners installed by the VOC, Afrikaans replaced Khoekhoe languages as the main spoken language of Khoekhoen in the Cape. It also became the de facto national language of the Griqua (Xiri or Griekwa) nation, which was also primarily a Khoekhoe group.\n\nAfrikaans is also spoken widely across the centre and north of the country, as a second (or third or even fourth) language by Black South Africans (which, in South Africa, popularly means SiNtu-speaking populations) living in farming areas.\n\nThe 2011 census recorded the following distribution of first language speakers:[10]\n\nLanguage name Speakers as a 1st language\nEnglish Endonym Count Of population\nZulu isiZulu 11,587,374 22.7%\nXhosa isiXhosa 8,154,258 16.0%\nAfrikaans Afrikaans 6,855,082 13.5%\nEnglish English 4,892,623 9.6%\nNorthern Sotho Sesotho sa Leboa 4,618,576 9.1%\nTswana Setswana 4,067,248 8.0%\nSesotho Sesotho 3,849,563 7.6%\nTsonga Xitsonga 2,277,148 4.5%\nSwati siSwati 1,297,046 2.5%\nVenda Tshivenḓa 1,209,388 2.4%\nNdebele isiNdebele 1,090,223 2.1%\nSA Sign Language 234,655 0.5%\nOther languages 828,258 1.6%\nTotal 50,961,443 100.0%\nLanguage 2011 2001 Change (pp)\nZulu 22.7% 23.8% -1.1\nXhosa 16.0% 17.6% -1.6\nAfrikaans 13.5% 13.3% +0.2\nEnglish 9.6% 8.2% +1.4\nNorthern Sotho 9.1% 9.4% -0.3\nTswana 8.0% 8.2% -0.2\nSesotho 7.6% 7.9% -0.3\nTsonga 4.5% 4.4% +0.1\nSwati 2.5% 2.7% -0.2\nVenda 2.4% 2.3% +0.1\nNdebele 2.1% 1.6% +0.5\nSA Sign Language 0.5%\nOther languages 1.6% 0.5% +1.1\nTotal 100.0% 100.0%\n\nOther significant languages in South AfricaEdit\n\nOther languages spoken in South Africa not mentioned in the Constitution, include many of those already mentioned above, such as KheLobedu, SiNrebele, SiPhuthi, as well as mixed languages like Fanakalo (a pidgin language used as a lingua franca in the mining industry), and Tsotsitaal or S'Camtho, an argot that has found wider usage as an informal register.\n\nMany unofficial languages have been variously claimed to be dialects of official languages, which largely follows the Apartheid practice of the Bantustans, wherein minority populations where legally assimilated towards the official ethnos of the Bantustan or \"Homeland\".\n\nSignificant numbers of immigrants from Europe, elsewhere in Africa, and the Indian subcontinent (largely as a result of the British Indian indenture system) means that a wide variety of other languages can also be found in parts of South Africa. In the older immigrant communities there are: Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Portuguese, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Yiddish, Italian and smaller numbers of Dutch, French and German speakers.\n\nThese non-official languages may be used in limited semi-official use where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent. More importantly, these languages have significant local functions in specific communities whose identity is tightly bound around the linguistic and cultural identity that these non-official SA languages signal.\n\nThe fastest growing non-official language is Portuguese[citation needed] – first spoken by immigrants from Portugal, especially Madeira[11] and later black and white settlers and refugees from Angola and Mozambique after they won independence from Portugal and now by more recent immigrants from those countries again – and increasingly French, spoken by immigrants and refugees from Francophone Central Africa.\n\nMore recently, speakers of North, Central and West Africa languages have arrived in South Africa, mostly in the major cities, especially in Johannesburg and Pretoria, but also Cape Town and Durban.\n\nConstitutional provisionsEdit\n\nChapter 1 (Founding Provisions), Section 6 (Languages) of the Constitution of South Africa is the basis for government language policy.\n\nThe English text of the constitution signed by president Nelson Mandela on 16 December 1996 uses (mostly) the names of the languages expressed in those languages themselves. Sesotho refers to Southern Sotho, and isiNdebele refers to Southern Ndebele. Controversy surrounds the designation of Northern Sesotho as Sepedi (its main dialect) instead of the comprehensive Sesotho sa Leboa (which had been the wording in the Interim Constitution of 1993).[12] The spelling of Venda is also incorrectly rendered as Tshivenda instead of the correct Tshivenḓa.\n\nThe constitution mentions \"sign language\" in the generic sense rather than South African Sign Language specifically.\n\n  1. The official languages of the Republic are Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenḓa, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu.\n  5. A Pan South African Language Board established by national legislation must\n    (a) promote, and create conditions for, the development and use of -\n      (i) all official languages;\n      (ii) the Khoi, Nama and San languages; and\n      (iii) sign language; and\n    (b) promote and ensure respect for -\n      (i) all languages commonly used by communities in South Africa, including German, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Portuguese, Telugu, Tamil and Urdu; and\n    — Constitution of the Republic of South Africa[13]\n\nSee alsoEdit\n\n\n  1. ^ \"Africa :: SOUTH AFRICA\". CIA The World Factbook.\n  2. ^ \"South Africa could make signing official language\". 28 July 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2019.\n  3. ^ Alexander, Mary (6 March 2018). \"The 11 languages of South Africa - South Africa Gateway\". South Africa Gateway. Retrieved 12 March 2018.\n  4. ^ The Official Languages of the Union Act, 1925 says Dutch includes Afrikaans; Article 119 of the constitution of 1961 says Afrikaans includes Dutch\n  5. ^ \"Documents - Constitution - Republic of South Africa Constitution Act 110 of 1983\". 15 October 2004. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.\n  6. ^ Newsletter 2006: Sesotho sa Leboa or Sepedi. 14 November 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2011[permanent dead link]\n  7. ^ \"Latest News | Department Of Arts and Culture\" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2014.\n  8. ^ \"The 11 languages of South Africa - South Africa Gateway\". South Africa Gateway. 6 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.\n  11. ^ \"Portuguese Migration to, And Settlement in South Africa: 1510-2013\" (PDF). SSIIM (UNESCO Chair on the Social and Spatial Inclusion of International Migrants – Urban Policies and Practices). 10 May 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2018.\n  12. ^ \"Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 200 of 1993\". Retrieved 6 December 2014.\n\nExternal linksEdit", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7964302897453308}
+{"content": "Leaco is currently seeking an Installation & Repair Technician for the Hobbs, Lovington and surrounding areas. \n\nAn I&R Technician performs required work for a wide range of exchange operations, including the construction, maintenance, and provisioning of telecommunication network facilities, instruments, cable, subscriber carrier equipment, customer and company interface devices, and related equipment.  This position is also responsible for completing service implementation including: installation, testing, training and maintenance.  Additionally, the position is responsible for interfacing with the customer to ensure their needs and expectations are met.\n\nPlease download the application and return it to the HR Manager, Myra Lane, at 220 W Broadway in Hobbs or email to Please no phone calls.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6588723659515381}
+{"content": "Firstly thanks for this artical.\nMohamad Zaher Abd Ulmaula\n\nActually you can copy the file anywhere, just make sure to update your LD_LIBRARY_PATH so can be found, i.e. I extracted the downloaded cuDNN to /home/at15/app/cuda(it has just two folder include and lib64 ) and in my .bashrc I added `export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/home/at15/app/cuda/lib64:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH`.\n\nThen open a new shell, python3 and import tensorflow as tf should work.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.000009298324585}
+{"content": "Did you know an NHS study reported that only 38% of UK adults are considered ‘good sleepers’? According to the same study, a whopping 30% of us are ‘severely’ sleep deprived. For many of us, it seems like no matter what we do, it’s impossible to get a good night’s sleep. We can’t fall asleep, we keep waking up during the night and we’re still completely shattered when the alarm clock rings.\n\nHowever, according to a recent interview of sleep experts by the Huffington post, many of us are guilty of sabotaging our sleep without even knowing it, due to evening habits that seem harmless but actually interfere with sleep in many different ways. Below are the three habits that we at sense* think are the most common.\n\n\nGiving yourself a caffeine kick by drinking a coffee after dinner.\n\nThis can prove problematic, as the body can take rather a long time to metabolise caffeine and remove it from your system. People vary, some metabolise caffeine faster than others, but even those individuals who metabolise caffeine quickly still have trouble metabolising it in the short period between finishing dinner and going to bed. To avoid this problem, either skip your after-dinner coffee or switch to a decaf alternative.\n\n\nLooking at screens just before trying to fall asleep.\n\nThis can interfere with sleep, because the blue light from these devices prevents the production of melatonin in the brain. Melatonin is a hormone that is produced in response to darkness, that signals to the body that it is time to go to sleep. When the sun rises in the morning, the brain stops producing melatonin, signalling the body to start waking up.\n\nTo prevent blue light from interfering with the production of melatonin just before you go to bed, avoid looking at screens for at least an hour before you try to fall asleep. If you absolutely have to look at a screen, download one of the many apps that reduce the amount of blue light the screen emits. This will help because it is specifically the blue wavelengths of light that interfere with melatonin production.\n\n\nStressful thoughts, such as work problems, as you lie in bed.\n\nThe National Sleep Foundation concludes that stress and anxiety can both cause sleep problems and worsen preexisting ones. Despite this, many of us sabotage our sleep by mulling over problems while lying in bed, such as problems at work or things that you need to do the next day. To avoid this problem, try to address those thoughts earlier in the day, so that you brain is able to relax when you hit the hay. If you are worrying about everything you have to do the next day, try making a list. This is a great way to de-stress, because if you have an understanding of what you need to do the following day, it’s easier to switch off when you go to bed.\n\n\nCheck out The Huffington Post’s article for more common evening habits that interfere with your sleep. And for six more ways to de-stress your day and help improve your sleep, check out our blog post ‘6 Ways To De-Stress Your Day From AM To PM’.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9736244678497314}
+{"content": "01/8​Confused about starting a family?\n\n​Confused about starting a family?\n\nDo you always wonder what happens to a marriage after having kids? Do partners get emotionally closer and it eventually strengthens their bond more, or the new responsibility gradually develops cracks in their relationship? A recent study done on this subject seems to have found an answer. Read on…\n\n\n02/8​The finding\n\n​The finding\n\nContradicting popular beliefs and earlier studies that indicated having children might reduce an adult’s happiness levels, a study conducted by the Paris Economics research team of Dartmouth College concluded having kids made adults happier.\n\n\n03/8​Almost a decade-long study\n\n​Almost a decade-long study\n\nThe team of researchers analysed around 1 million people from the time period of 2009 to 2018, and these participants were asked a bunch of questions related to their love life.\n\n\n04/8​Next step\n\n​Next step\n\nThe participants were asked to rank their life satisfaction on the scale of one to four and the average turned out to be 2.93.\n\n\n\n\nHowever, the only scenario when an adult might experience a dip in happiness levels is when he or she struggles to pay the bills and having kids take a toll on the finances.\n\n\n06/8​The relation between kid’s age and happiness levels\n\n​The relation between kid’s age and happiness levels\n\nThe research also concluded that children below the age of ten bring more happiness than the ones in the age group of 10 to 14 years. Also, parents are happiest when they are younger than 45.\n\n\n07/8​What about others?\n\n​What about others?\n\nThe married couples with kids are happier than the ones who decide to not start a family. However, the happiness levels varied if an adult had stepchildren.\n\n\n08/8​It matters\n\n​It matters\n\nThe findings of the study make sense but might not hold true for every couple. It’s all about what are the priorities and preference of a married couple and many can lead a happy, satisfying life even without planning a family. Like they say, to each his own.\n\n(All images used here are representational)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9355236887931824}
+{"content": "My Survey Results Just In; Seniors Facing a Move from the Home They Love…\n\nI am always trying to feel the pulse of my clients who are boomers and their parents. I just received the results from a survey I sent out to folks from ages 78-85. They are all homeowners and most considering a move to a senior apartment or community. So often we think we know what others are feeling but may misread emotions which are kept quiet. We are talking about a generation of seniors who are fiercely private and, in many cases, selfless. Most in this age group belong in or just behind the World War II generation. This generation would rather keep quiet about their feelings and focus on those in the family behind.  \n\nThe following are questions pertain more to core feelings and emotions. It is about the why behind the actions or inaction. I feel this is valuable for you, the reader who are the senior considering a move or you the child wanting the best for your parent’s quality of life.\n\n\n1) Question: What would you consider the major reason that would hold you back from a move that you feel would be beneficial?\n\nAnswer: The task of downsizing is too overwhelming! The second answer was “I can afford it, but I don’t want to spend the money!”.\n\n\n2) Question: What would have to change from your current circumstances to make you ready to consider a move from your long-time home?\n\nAnswer: An overwhelming 70% said a health setback. Second answer; “I can’t keep up my home any longer\n\n3) Question: Of those you know that have moved to a senior community, are they happy or unhappy with their decision?\n\nAnswer: The overwhelming majority said they were happy they made the move, and only 5% unhappy with their decision to move to a senior community or apartment.\n\n4) Question: How far from your home would consider in your next move?\n\nAnswer: Almost half said within 2-5 miles from my current home. 28% said “distance is no problem”.\n\n\n5) Question: In a senior community or apartment, what services or amenities are most important to you?\n\nAnswer: Two answers were evenly split at around 35% were; social activities and parking. Way behind at under 10% were medical services, meals and laundry services.\n\n\n6) Question: Does the age of the building matter in your decision?\n\nAnswer: 52% said they would prefer a newer building and 47% stated that the age of the building does not matter\n\n7) Question: When do you anticipate a move?\n\nAnswer: Almost 80% said “more than a year”\n\n\n8) Question: Do you consider your self very independent?\n\nAnswer: Almost 50% stated they are independent but slowing down. Many stated they were dealing with health setbacks.\n\n\nThis feedback is critical to all of you either considering a move or deciding to stay in your home. If you are the family helping mom or dad, the answers provided provide insights as to motivations and to perceptions. What can we gain from the feedback provided by this survey?\n\nDownsizing is an issue that must be dealt with not only by the senior moving but by the family helping mom or dad. Thankfully there are services ready to help and make this process of shedding our treasures simple, organized and done in a relatively short period of time. We will avoid shedding our things which hold memories. It is difficult knowing where to begin this process. But avoiding it can hold us back from the inevitable. Get help! Don’t do this on your own if possible. I’ve seen families take 3-5 years on their own when a professional company can achieve downsizing in less than a week. \n\nMost respondents stated that a health setback would make them consider a move. We don’t want to leave the home we love. But many are tempting fate by waiting for that unforeseen health event to happen before considering a move. The worst moves I see are those stemming from crisis management. When is crisis, the senior may be in rehab and may not go back home. Then the move is resting on the laps of family. All decisions are made quickly because the home must be sold to pay for future care. This scenario should be avoided at all costs if possible. I always suggest looking a few years ahead and be realistic about age and health when making the decision to put off a move, leaving it to fate.\n\nIn closing, one answer in the survey really stands out for me. When asked about those they know that have made the move, the majority said, “they were happy they made the move”. That means that in our minds we know a move could be beneficial to our quality of life, but fear of the unknown supersedes our logical assessment of our current living situations. Change is tough and all of us avoid it whenever possible. I hope my survey will shed some light on the question, “should I stay, or should I move”. It is a decision that can mean the difference of a healthy lifestyle or waiting for crisis management. Put quality of life at the top of your decision-making process. Our fears can overshadow our best intentions causing procrastination and confusion. I hope the feedback from other older adults can help you or your family begin the process of making healthy decisions for you or those you love.\n\n*My next article will discuss results of my survey of boomers who are in the process of helping their parents move from their long-time home. I focused on their hopes, feelings, fears and difficult decisions that they face.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9879690408706665}
+{"content": "Subscribe RSS or Email\n\nDescribing a map academic writing - Spongebob essay episode\n\nby Федор-богдан\n13 August 2018\ncomments 0\ndata in the form of a graph, chart, table, i have attached my essay in this email or diagram and complete a task using the information. No: Yes: There is a pier. It can be seen that the two sites under consideration are in the north and the south east of the town. Remember, you must be able to provide an overview. With this in mind, check out the image below. You Might Also Be Interested In: PTE Speaking Describe Image (Bar Diagram) Model Answer. Facilities like accommodations, restaurant, swimming facilities etc have been constructed without affecting the natural resources that much (point 3).\n\nA pier gives access to martin luther king jr legacy essay the island and is linked to the reception building by a vehicle track. Describe a map, the city planners should prefer S1 as it will be more convenient for the residents conclusion. Ielts Writing Task 1, it is clearly not enough to name what is new.\n\nDescribing a map academic writing\n\nBoth Meadowside, 1986 nasa challenger disaster essay vocabulary, model answer the given picture illustrates a small island before and after it was developed for tourism overview. Below is a map of the city of Brandfield. Share, is located north of the city it is next to a large housing estate point. Resulting in the differences you see. There is a large Golf Course and a park on the west side of the city that prevents this area from being available as a site point. If it is built here, which is now a suburb, which runs through Fonton. Your description should illustrate the main points well enough to help someone who hasnt seen the maps imagine them. And Fonton are joined, currently, while 75 of your score represents your linguistic performance coherence and cohesion. It will be next to a large housing estate. Thus providing easy access for those living on the estate and in the city centre.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5230293273925781}
+{"content": "Trophic Positions\n\n\n    Animal Migration Patterns\n\n\n    Soil Microbial Ecology\n\n\nDie Stabilisotopenanalyse einer Vielzahl von Materialien im Bereich der Ökologie erlaubt es Forschern, Informationen zu gewinnen, die mit anderen analytischen Methoden nicht erzielt werden können. Stabile Isotope werden von Ökologen häufig als Tracer in biologischen Systemen eingesetzt, um Elementkreisläufe in einem Ökosystem nachzuvollziehen. Variationen in der Isotopensignatur in unterschiedlichen geographischen Regionen erlauben es, Isotopen als Tracer für Migration zu nutzen, während mit Hilfe des Prinzips der Isotopenfraktionierung biogeochemische Prozesse in einer solchen Detailgenauikgeit analysiert werden können, die von der Betrachtung der Elementzusammensetzung alleine nicht erreicht werden kann.\n\nSo können z.B. Kohlenstoffisotope genutzt werden, um die Primärenergiequelle in einem Ökosystem zu bestimmen, wohingegen Stickstoffisotope nützlich sind, um die trophische Ebene eines Organismus zu identifizieren. Schwefelisotope können benthische Produzenten von pelagischen unterscheiden, ebenso wie Sumpfpflanzen von Phytoplanktonproduzenten.\n\nDie Entwicklung unseres Verständnisses dieser immanenten Beziehungen zwischen lebenden Organismen und ihrer Umgebung durch die Stabilisotopenanalyse unterstützt unseren sorgfältigen Umgang mit der natürlichen Welt um zu gewährleisten, dass künftige Generationen die gleichen Wunder erleben wie wir heute.\n\nPublikationen zum Thema Ökologie mit unseren Geräten\n\n\n\n155 Ergebnisse:\n\nQuantifying the ecological impact of invasive tunicates to shallow coastal water systems\nManagement of Biological Invasions (2016)\nPhil Colarusso, Eric Nelson, Suzanne Ayvazian, Mary R Carman, Marty Chintala, Sinead Grabbert, David Grunden\n\nCoastal ponds, due to their proximity to human activity, may be particularly vulnerable to invasions by non-native species. A number of invasive tunicate species have been documented in several of the coastal ponds on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Tunicates are voracious filter feeders, thus our study attempted to examine the impact of their feeding on the normal food web in a coastal pond. In 2012 and 2013, we sampled Stonewall (high tunicate abundance) and Lagoon Ponds (tunicates absent) on Martha’s Vineyard. We used quadrat sampling to quantify tunicate abundance, eelgrass shoot density and eelgrass canopy height. Fish, invertebrates and aquatic vegetation were collected via beach seine, minnow trap, crab traps or by hand. Water samples were run through a filter to collect phytoplankton. These biota samples were processed for carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis. Temperature loggers were deployed in both ponds to collect water temperature. Detailed bathymetric readings were taken to generate an estimate of the volume of each pond. Tunicate filtration rates from published scientific literature, our volume estimate of Stonewall Pond and our measured tunicate abundance were used in a model to estimate the time needed by tunicates to filter a volume of water equal to Stonewall Pond. That time varied from less than an hour to over 17 hours. Isotopic analysis showed that tunicates were feeding on similar resources as the commercial shellfish species. There was broad overlap in the isotopic signatures between the biota from both ponds, suggesting that tunicates were not having a measurable impact to the food web. Tunicates exhibit significant seasonal abundance changes, with the peak occurring late summer into the early fall. The limited duration of this peak may not be sufficient to be reflected in the isotopic signature of resident biota. As water temperature continues to increase with climate change, the current assemblage of tunicates in these shallow water systems on Martha’s Vineyard will likely change in response. Key\nSchlagworte: carbon , nitrogen , ecol , elem\n\nScaling the consequences of interactions between invaders from the individual to the population level\nEcology and Evolution (2016)\nBlaine D. Griffen\n\nThe impact of human-induced stressors, such as invasive species, is often measured at the organismal level, but is much less commonly scaled up to the population level. Interactions with invasive species represent an increasingly common source of stressor in many habitats. However, due to the increasing abundance of invasive species around the globe, invasive species now commonly cause stresses not only for native species in invaded areas, but also for other invasive species. I examine the European green crab Carcinus maenas, an invasive species along the northeast coast of North America, which is known to be negatively impacted in this invaded region by interactions with the invasive Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus. Asian shore crabs are known to negatively impact green crabs via two mechanisms: by directly preying on green crab juveniles and by indirectly reducing green crab fecundity via interference (and potentially exploitative) competition that alters green crab diets. I used life-table analyses to scale these two mechanistic stressors up to the population level in order to examine their relative impacts on green crab populations. I demonstrate that lost fecundity has larger impacts on per capita population growth rates, but that both predation and lost fecundity are capable of reducing population growth sufficiently to produce the declines in green crab populations that have been observed in areas where these two species overlap. By scaling up the impacts of one invader on a second invader, I have demonstrated that multiple documented interactions between these species are capable of having population-level impacts and that both may be contributing to the decline of European green crabs in their invaded range on the east coast of North America.\n\nZinc Isotope Ratios as Indicators of Diet and Trophic Level in Arctic Marine Mammals\nPlos One (2016)\nKlervia Jaouen, Paul Szpak, Michael P. Richards\n\nCarbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of bone collagen are an established method for dietary reconstruction, but this method is limited by the protein preservation. Zinc (Zn) is found in bioapatite and the isotopic compositions of this element constitute a very promising dietary indicator. The extent of fractionation of Zn isotopes in marine environments, however, remains unknown. We report here on the measurement of zinc, carbon and nitrogen isotopes in 47 marine mammals from the archaeological site of Arvik in the Canadian Arctic. We undertook this study to test and demonstrate the utility of Zn isotopes in recent mammal bone minerals as a dietary indicator by comparing them to other isotopic dietary tracers. We found a correlation between δ66Zn values and trophic level for most species, with the exception of walruses, which may be caused by their large seasonal movements. δ6Zn values can therefore be used as a dietary indicator in marine ecosystems for both modern and recent mammals.\nSchlagworte: carbon , nitrogen , ecol , elem\n\nCharacteristics of the infestation of Seriatopora corals by the coral gall crab Hapalocarcinus marsupialis Stimpson, 1859 on the great reef of toliara, Madagascar\nSymbiosis (2016)\nLucas Terrana, Guillaume Caulier, Gildas Todinanahary, Gilles Lepoint, Igor Eeckhaut\n\nThis study describes the association between the obligatory symbiont coral gall crab Hapalocarcinus marsupialis and its stony coral hosts Seriatopora sp. within the Great Reef of Toliara in Madagascar and attempts to discuss their symbiotic status through comparison with previous studies. These corals are inhabited by crabs living in galls that can be categorised in four distinct morphological stages, where the first one corresponds to a small bud and the last one represents a completely closed gall surrounding the crab inside. Within the reef, 563 colonies of Seriatopora species were observed by scuba-diving at ten different stations: 37.8 % of them were infested by H. marsupialis, with a total of 763 galls, and with a majority of stage 4 galls. Galls are monopolised by females that can have different morphologies. Females store the sperm in two spermathecae and are fertilised when their morphology and size are similar to males and the gall is not closed. Histological observations coupled with scanning electronic microscopy analyses show that closed galls are made of an external living tissue, a mid skeletal layer and an internal living tissue. The internal living tissue includes polyps similar to the external tissue, some of them being sexually mature. Nitrogen and carbon isotopic signatures confirmed that these crabs are filter-feeders and do not feed on their host. This association perfectly highlights the difficulties to define the symbiotic status of a symbiont if one considers inflexible the three categories of symbiosis commonly defined.\nSchlagworte: carbon , nitrogen , ecol , elem\n\nTemporal Uncoupling between Energy Acquisition and Allocation to Reproduction in a Herbivorous-Detritivorous Fish.\nPloS one (2016)\nFrancisco Villamarín, William E Magnusson, Timothy D Jardine, Dominic Valdez, Ryan Woods, Stuart E Bunn\n\nAlthough considerable knowledge has been gathered regarding the role of fish in cycling and translocation of nutrients across ecosystem boundaries, little information is available on how the energy obtained from different ecosystems is temporally allocated in fish bodies. Although in theory, limitations on energy budgets promote the existence of a trade-off between energy allocated to reproduction and somatic growth, this trade-off has rarely been found under natural conditions. Combining information on RNA:DNA ratios and carbon and nitrogen stable-isotope analyses we were able to achieve novel insights into the reproductive allocation of diamond mullet (Liza alata), a catadromous, widely distributed herbivorous-detritivorous fish. Although diamond mullet were in better condition during the wet season, most reproductive allocation occurred during the dry season when resources are limited and fish have poorer body condition. We found a strong trade-off between reproductive and somatic investment. Values of δ13C from reproductive and somatic tissues were correlated, probably because δ13C in food resources between dry and wet seasons do not differ markedly. On the other hand, data for δ15N showed that gonads are more correlated to muscle, a slow turnover tissue, suggesting long term synthesis of reproductive tissues. In combination, these lines of evidence suggest that L. alata is a capital breeder which shows temporal uncoupling of resource ingestion, energy storage and later allocation to reproduction.\n\nAssessing the trophic position of two sharks from the open waters of the southeastern Pacific Ocean.\nLatin American Journal of Aquatic Research (2016)\nSebastian A.; Cornejo Klarian\n\nStable isotope analyses for shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) and blue sharks (Prionace glauca) were conducted to assess their trophic position in two periods of time (before 1980 and after 2000) in the Southeastern Pacific waters (SEP). Both sharks showed that their trophic position decreased over time (P < 0.05). Many factors could be involved in this change such as dietary shifts, prey availability, or indirect fishing effects in SEP waters\n\nPhotoacclimatory Responses of Zostera marina in the Intertidal and Subtidal Zones.\nPloS one (2016)\nSang Rul Park, Sangil Kim, Young Kyun Kim, Chang-Keun Kang, Kun-Seop Lee\n\nPhotoacclimatory responses of the seagrass Zostera marina in the intertidal and subtidal zones were investigated by measuring chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, photosynthetic pigments, leaf δ13C values, and shoot morphology in two bay systems. Intertidal plants had higher carotenoid concentrations than subtidal plants to avoid photodamage under excess light conditions during the day. The maximum relative electron transport rate (rETRmax) and minimum saturation irradiance (Ek) of the intertidal plants were higher than those of the subtidal plants, whereas photosynthetic efficiency (α) and maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) were higher in subtidal plants. The intertidal plants also had significantly greater Stern-Volmer non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) than that of the subtidal plants. These results suggest that the subtidal plants photoacclimated to use limited light more efficiently, and the intertidal plants exhibited photosynthetic responses to minimize photodamage at excess irradiance. The δ13C values of leaf tissues were more negative in the intertidal plants than those in the subtidal plants, suggesting that the intertidal plants used atmospheric or dissolved CO2 for photosynthesis during emersion. Effective quantum yield (ΔF/Fm´) in the intertidal plants decreased more slowly after emersion than that in the subtidal plants, indicating higher desiccation tolerance of the intertidal plants. The intertidal plants also recovered more rapidly from desiccation damage than the subtidal plants, suggesting photosynthetic adaptation to desiccation stress. The photosynthetic plasticity of Z. marina in response to variable environmental conditions most likely allows this species to occur in the intertidal and subtidal zones.\n\nImpacts of Spartina alterniflora invasion on soil organic carbon and nitrogen pools sizes, stability, and turnover in a coastal salt marsh of eastern China\nEcological Engineering (2016)\nWen Yang, Shuqing An, Hui Zhao, Lingqian Xu, Yajun Qiao, Xiaoli Cheng\n\nPlant invasion may impact ecosystem structure and function, and further affect soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics. However, the influence of plant invasion on soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools sizes, stability, and turnover in SOM of invaded ecosystems is not fully understood. In this study, soil C and N contents, and δ13C and δ15N values of free light fraction (LF), intra-aggregate particulate organic matter (iPOM) and mineral-associated organic matter (mSOM) were investigated in an invasive Spartina alterniflora community, adjacent bare flat and native Suaeda salsa and Phragmites australis communities. Short-term S. alterniflora invasion significantly enhanced organic C and N contents in SOM, free LF, iPOM, mSOM compared with bare flat and increased the proportion of allocated C in iPOM compared with S. salsa and P. australis soils (0–0.30m depth). The proportion of the S. alterniflora-derived C in free LF and iPOM were significantly higher than that in mSOM, and the highest S. alterniflora-derived C content was found in iPOM of S. alterniflora soil. The most enriched δ15N values were found in S. alterniflora soil. Increased δ15N values and decreased C:N ratios from the free LF to iPOM to mSOM in S. alterniflora soil indicated a greater degree of decomposition. The results suggest that 10-year S. alterniflora invasion significantly alters soil organic C and N pools sizes and stability through changing plant residuals input, physical distribution of S. alterniflora-derived C and C turnover in SOM fractions.\nSchlagworte: carbon , nitrogen , soil , geol , ecol , elem\n\nMorphological and Dietary Responses of Chipmunks to a Century of Climate Change.\nGlobal change biology (2016)\nRachel E Walsh, Ana Paula A Assis, James L Patton, Gabriel Marroig, Todd E Dawson, Eileen A Lacey\n\nPredicting how individual taxa will respond to climatic change is challenging, in part because the impacts of environmental conditions can vary markedly, even among closely related species. Studies of chipmunks (Tamias spp.) in Yosemite National Park provide an important opportunity to explore the reasons for this variation in response. While the alpine chipmunk (T. alpinus) has undergone a significant elevational range contraction over the past century, the congeneric and partially sympatric lodgepole chipmunk (T. speciosus) has not experienced an elevational range shift during this period. As a first step toward identifying the factors underlying this difference in response, we examined evidence for dietary changes and changes in cranial morphology in these species over the past century. Stable isotope analyses of fur samples from modern and historical museum specimens of these species collected at the same localities indicated that signatures of dietary change were more pronounced in T. alpinus, although diet breadth did not differ consistently between the study species. Morphometric analyses of crania from these specimens revealed significant changes in cranial shape for T. alpinus, with less pronounced changes in shape for T. speciosus; evidence of selection on skull morphology was detected for T. alpinus but not T. speciosus. These results are consistent with growing evidence that T. alpinus is generally more responsive to environmental change than T. speciosus but emphasize the complex and often geographically variable nature of such responses. Accordingly, future studies that make use of the taxonomically and spatially integrative approach employed here may prove particularly informative regarding relationships between environmental conditions, range changes, and patterns of phenotypic variation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.\nSchlagworte: carbon , nitrogen , ecol , clim , elem\n\nAmerican woodcock migratory connectivity as indicated by hydrogen isotopes\nThe Journal of Wildlife Management (2016)\nDaniel S. Sullins, Warren C. Conway, David A. Haukos, Keith A. Hobson, Leonard I. Wassenaar, Christopher E. Comer, I-Kuai Hung\n\nTo identify factors contributing to the long-term decline of American woodcock, a holistic understanding of range-wide population connectivity throughout the annual cycle is needed. We used band recovery data and isotopic composition of primary (P1) and secondary (S13) feathers to estimate population sources and connectivity among natal, early fall, and winter ranges of hunter-harvested juvenile American woodcock. We used P1 feathers from known-origin pre-fledged woodcock (n = 43) to create a hydrogen δ2Hf isoscape by regressing δ2Hf against expected growing-season precipitation (δ2Hp). Modeled δ2Hp values explained 79% of the variance in P1 δ2Hf values, indicating good model fit for estimating woodcock natal origins. However, a poor relationship (r2 = 0.23) between known-origin, S13 δ2Hf values, and expected δ2Hp values precluded assignment of early fall origins. We applied the δ2Hf isoscape to assign natal origins using P1 feathers from 494 hunter-harvested juvenile woodcock in the United States and Canada during 2010–2011 and 2011–2012 hunting seasons. Overall, 64% of all woodcock origins were assigned to the northernmost (>44°N) portion of both the Central and Eastern Management Regions. In the Eastern Region, assignments were more uniformly distributed along the Atlantic coast, whereas in the Central Region, most woodcock were assigned to origins within and north of the Great Lakes region. We compared our origin assignments to spatial coverage of the annual American woodcock Singing Ground Survey (SGS) and evaluated whether the survey effectively encompasses the entire breeding range. When we removed the inadequately surveyed Softwood shield Bird Conservation Region (BCR) from the northern portion of the SGS area, only 48% of juvenile woodcock originated in areas currently surveyed by the SGS. Of the individuals assigned to the northernmost portions of the breeding range, several were harvested in the southern extent of the wintering range. Based upon this latitudinal winter stratification, we examined whether woodcock employed a leapfrog migration strategy. Using δ2Hf values and band-recovery data, we found some support for this migration strategy hypothesis but not as a singular explanation. The large harvest derivation of individuals from the northernmost portions of the breeding range, and the difference in breeding distributions within each Management Region should be considered in future range-wide conservation and harvest management planning for American woodcock\nSchlagworte: hydrogen , ecol , elem", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9975877404212952}
+{"content": "Haasan opposes \"saffronisation\n\n\nChennai, Feb 22 (PTI) Actor-politician Kamal Haasan today opposed \"saffronisation,\" saying all sections of people should be given space and respect.\n\nUsing the national flag as a symbol to convey his political message, the actor rejected suggestions that he was denigrating the Hindu right wing ideology. Haasan, who launched his political party Makkal Neethi Mayyam yesterday, has said his politics will be free of caste and religion. In November last year, the actor had faced flak for his \"Hindu extremists\" remark from the BJP and other right wing outfits. However, he had clarified then that he was not anti-Hindu. \"Some say that Kamal Haasan is denigrating saffron. It is wrong. Saffron has been given its rightful place for its sacrifice, what is more, even the national flag has a place for it,\" he said in his column in Tamil weekly Ananda Vikatan.\n\nHassan said, \"I say that saffron should, however, not spread to the entire flag. Let us give space and respect to others. It is the pledge we have taken and that is what has been mentioned in the Constitution too.\"\n\nHe did not name or party or organisation. He also did not refer to any specific incident or give a context or the trigger for raising the matter immediately after launching his party.\n\nClaiming that a video had appeared on YouTube where some people were shown taking a pledge to remove the word secular from the Constitution, he asked how such a change came through in about 50 years.\n\n\"Can sacrifice (of pluralistic values) to such an extent be made for the sake of votes,\" Haasan said, and asked if such a thing was not worse than a war. He said in ancient times even warfare had its own set of dharmic values. Without such values \"politics that involves bloodshed all the time should be changed and that is my desire\", he said. Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and B RAmbedkar had worked for the country despite differences among them and such lessons should not be lost, Haasan said. \"I am beginning my journey as a postman making you remember it (working for the nation despite differences),\" he said. PTI VGN BN SK -\n\n  • Andriod App\n  • IOS App\nDo You Like This Story?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6007026433944702}
+{"content": "Most popular questions and responses by Jasmine\n  1. Science--HELP!!\n\n    1. In which of the following situations is a sound wave most likely to travel through air? A) An alarm clock rings in a vacuum. B) A giant star explodes. C) A grasshopper eats a leaf. D) An astronaut uses tools in space. 2. Which of the following factors\n\n    asked on December 9, 2013\n  2. Art\n\n    Match the image with the appropriate descriptive statement about cultural function.\n\n    asked on January 17, 2018\n  3. english\n\n    15. In Langston Hughes’s short story “Why, You Reckon?” what motivates the narrator to get involved in a scheme to rob a white person? (1 point) greed—he wants to earn more money in order to buy nicer things hunger—he needs the money to buy more\n\n    asked on May 8, 2012\n  4. physics\n\n    The froghopper (Philaenus spumarius), the champion leaper of the insect world, has a mass of 12.3mg and leaves the ground (in the most energetic jumps) at 4.00m/s from a vertical start. The jump itself lasts a mere 1.00ms before the insect is clear of the\n\n    asked on October 4, 2013\n  5. algebra\n\n    graph shows the equation c = 10+ 3t, where c is the total cost of going to the carnival and t is the number of $3 tickets purchased?\n\n    asked on September 16, 2014\n  6. math\n\n    April is training for a marathon by running no less than 55 km per week. She runs at an average rate of 10 km per hour. What is the minimum number of hours, h, she should run? 10h ≥ 55; h ≥ 5.5; 5.5 hours 10h ≤ 55; h ≤ 5.5; 5.5 hours h over ten >\n\n    asked on December 13, 2014\n  7. English\n\n    18. In “Babylon Revisited,” why did Fitzgerald choose the title to be metaphoric of Paris? (1 point) Paris is a symbol of luxury. Paris is living in a wealth that will end up destructive. Paris was built to look like Babylon. Paris is the city of love.\n\n    asked on May 8, 2012\n  8. Chemistry\n\n    How do I identify the reducing agent in a reaction of magnesium with oxygen?\n\n    asked on May 13, 2012\n  9. English\n\n    Think about all the selections you've read this far by European writers. Examine one element that the selections have in common, not including the fact that they are all European. Detail your findings.\n\n    asked on November 3, 2014\n  10. math/economics in calculus\n\n    The average cost of manufacturing a quantity q of a good, is defined to be a(q) = C(q)/q. The average cost per item to produce q items is given by a(q) = 0.01q2 − 0.6q + 13, for q >0. I know that the total cost is 0.01q^3-0.6q^2+13q What is the minimum\n\n    asked on November 5, 2015\n  11. math\n\n    The length of a piece of paper is 8.5 inches. Using scissors, you reduce the length of the paper to 4.25. What is the scale factor of the dilation? A- 1/4 B- 1/2 C- 2 D- 4 I think its A ?\n\n    asked on December 11, 2014\n  12. Algebra 2\n\n\n    asked on January 29, 2015\n  13. Science HELP!!!!\n\n    Which waves have the longest wavelength and the lowest energy on the electromagnetic spectrum? 1. X-rays 2. infrared 3. radio waves 4. gamma rays\n\n    asked on December 10, 2013\n  14. chem\n\n    which nuclides would you expect to be stable? a) 48K b)79Br c)Argon-32\n\n    asked on September 15, 2014\n  15. geometry\n\n\n    asked on December 8, 2011\n  16. Language arts.\n\n    Which is the best prediction based on the first three sentences of the selection?\n\n    asked on November 12, 2015\n  17. chemistry\n\n    the net ionic equation for the following molecular equation KNO2(aq) + HCl(aq) KCl(aq) + HNO2(aq)\n\n    asked on October 10, 2012\n  18. Physics\n\n    In a hydroelectric installation, a turbine delivers 1500 hp to a generator, which in turn transfers 80.0% of the mechanical energy out by electrical transmission. Under these conditions, what current does the generator deliver at a terminal potential\n\n    asked on February 16, 2015\n  19. Math\n\n    You draw five cards from a standard deck of 52 cards. P(heart) = 4/5 (fraction). What type of probability is illustrated and why? Theoretical; the result is based on the number of possible outcomes** Theoretical; the result is found by repeating an\n\n    asked on April 23, 2014\n  20. math\n\n    Alice plays basketball. In one game she shoots 23 free throws and makes 81.25% of theme. Estimate how many free throws she makes.\n\n    asked on November 1, 2013\n  21. math\n\n    A swimming pool in the shape of a right rectangular prism measures 24 feet by 16 feet and is 4.5 feet deep across the entire pool. What is the volume of the swimming pool in cubic feet? --- cubic feet\n\n    asked on May 23, 2016\n  22. English\n\n    12. When an author uses a concrete object to represent an idea or emotion it is called (1 point) style symbolism mood aphorism 13. What does “renaissance” mean? (1 point) renewal recollection rebirth return My answers: 12.b 13.c\n\n    asked on May 8, 2012\n  23. Chemistry\n\n    When 0.100 mol of carbon is burned in a close vessel with 8.00g of oxygen, how many grams of carbon dioxide can form? Which reactant is in excess, and how many grams of it remain after the reaction?\n\n    asked on September 27, 2009\n  24. Science--PLEASE CHECK!\n\n    Which of the following explains how natural selection leads to evolution? A. Conditions in the environment reduce competition for resources within a species. B. Helpful variations accumulate among surviving members of the species. C. Overproduction\n\n    asked on May 7, 2014\n  25. Science\n\n    The volume of a gas increases from 18.7 m3 to 25.1 m3 while the pressure changes from 1.82 atm to 1.41 atm. If the initial temperature is 353 K, the final temperature of the gas is K.\n\n    asked on June 8, 2016\n  26. algebra honers (math)\n\n    what happened to the peanut who went late night walking?\n\n    asked on April 26, 2010\n  27. Math (help if you know the full test)\n\n    1) Write a ratio and a percent for the shaded area. An image of a square divided evenly into 16 smaller squares is shown. 5 of the smaller squares are shaded grey. A) 1/5, 25% B) 5/16, 31.25 C) 1/4, 20% D) 1/4, 25%\n\n    asked on January 17, 2017\n  28. Social Studies\n\n    Which of these is most likely a feature of a free trade agreement? A. Removing tariff from imported goods B. Raising taxes on exported goods C. Making it illegal to hire workers in other countries D. Providing money directly to local manufacturers Is it\n\n    asked on August 15, 2017\n  29. Physics\n\n    An object is placed 20.0 cm to the left of a convex lens with a focal length of +8.0 cm. Where is the image of the object? A)28 cm to the right of the lens B)13 cm to the left of the lens C)13 cm to the right of the lens I think its A but I'm not sure\n\n    asked on May 21, 2015\n  30. Math\n\n    Solve the equation. Explain each step and identify the property used to reach each step 0.6x+0.8=1.4 Please help me with this question.\n\n    asked on December 9, 2017\n  31. Math\n\n    Are these correct? I need to bring my grades up for math. Please help! 1. Identify the decimal and simplified fractional form of 60% A)0.6 and 4/5 B)0.6 and 3/5 *** C)0.06 and 3/5 D)0.06 and 6/10 2. A baseball team wins 45% of its games. What fraction of\n\n    asked on January 25, 2017\n  32. Algebra\n\n    James has to buy juice for his class party. There are several brands of juice at the store, and each container is a different size and price. Write a formula that will help James find the price per milliliter for each brand. Let x= price of juice, y=\n\n    asked on September 2, 2014\n  33. math\n\n    The average cost of manufacturing a quantity q of a good, is defined to be a(q) = C(q)/q. The average cost per item to produce q items is given by a(q) = 0.01q2 − 0.6q + 13, for q >0. (a) What is the total cost, C(q),of producing q goods? For this do I\n\n    asked on November 4, 2015\n  34. Physics\n\n    A 0.3 kg tennis ball is travelling west with a speed of 4 m/s and bounces off a wall. After bouncing, the ball is travelling east at 2 m/s. The tennis ball was in contact with the wall for 0.004 seconds. a) What is the initial and final momentum of the\n\n    asked on October 6, 2015\n  35. Math\n\n    Can someone please explain this to me in detail? Thank you! To make 4 3/5 cakes, 2/3 pounds of flour is needed. How much flour is needed to make one cake?\n\n    asked on June 12, 2016\n  36. Algebra 2\n\n    A simple random sample of 50 adults was surveyed, and it was found that the mean amount of time that they spend surfing the Internet per day is 54.2 minutes, with a standard deviation of 14.0 minutes. What is the 99% confidence interval for the number of\n\n    asked on December 9, 2014\n  37. operations managment\n\n    Harley-Davidson has its engine assembly plant in Milwaukee and its motorcycle assembly plant in Pennsylvania. Engines are transported between the two plants using trucks, with each trip costing $1,000. The motorcycle plant assembles and sells 300\n\n    asked on November 24, 2009\n  38. Chemistry\n\n    Draw a model of a solution in which water (h2o) is the solvent and carbon dioxide gas (co2) is the solute?\n\n    asked on November 27, 2010\n  39. Statistics\n\n    Computer Depot is a large store that sells and repairs computers. A random sample of 110 computer repair jobs took technicians an average of 93.2 minutes per computer. Assume that o is known to be 16.9 minutes. Find a 99% confidence interval for the\n\n    asked on March 25, 2012\n  40. Chemistry\n\n    Hydrogen sulfide gas burns in the presence of oxygen to produce sulfur dioxide gas and water vapor. Write a balanced chemical equation, including the physical state\n\n    asked on March 2, 2016\n  41. Chemistry\n\n    Given the following thermochemical data: 1) C(s) + O2(g) -> CO2(g) ∆H = -393.5 kJ 2) H2(g) + 1/2 O2(g) -> H2O(l) ∆H = -285.8 kJ 3) 3 C(s) + 3 H2(g) -> C3H6(g) ∆H = +20.4 kJ 4) C3H6 (cyclopropane)(g) -> C3H6(propene)(g) ∆H = -33.0 kJ What is the\n\n    asked on May 15, 2012\n  42. ELA\n\n    Jane's artwork is displayed alongside other contemporary art pieces at the modern art museum. which word that can be used to describe Jane's artwork has the most positive connotation? weird eccentric original #### odd ####=my asnwer\n\n    asked on April 13, 2018\n  43. Science\n\n    Which of the following occurs during artificial selection, but not during natural selection? A. Selection pressures result in only certain traits from a population being passed on to offspring. B. Traits are passed to offspring through genes. C. Males and\n\n    asked on May 7, 2014\n  44. TX History\n\n    How did the Fall of the Alamo change the outcome of the Texas Revolution in two ways? How was the belief of Manifest Destiny a cause of the Mexican-American War ? (I already know what Manifest Destiny is but why was it a cause of the war) What was one main\n\n    asked on December 1, 2017\n  45. Chemistry\n\n\n    asked on September 29, 2009\n  46. algebra 2\n\n    f(x)=3x-7 and g(X)=-2x-6. Find (f o g)(4)\n\n    asked on January 30, 2015\n  47. Algebra 2\n\n    let f(x)=-2x+4 and g(x)=-6x-7 find f(x)-g(x) please help me with the steps? I'm so confused..\n\n    asked on January 30, 2015\n  48. English\n\n    I need help answering some To Kill A Mockingbird questions 1.When Scout is talking about the Ewells' living conditions what is her tone? Is it sympathetic or disparaging or objective? I think it's sympathetic 2. When the story is talking about Mayella 's\n\n    asked on March 31, 2015\n  49. math\n\n    The revenue from selling q items is R(q) = 600q − q^2, and the total cost is C(q) = 150 + 50q. Write a function that gives the total profit earned. It is my understanding that profit = revenue - costs. So when I tried to write the function for total\n\n    asked on November 4, 2015\n  50. Physical Science\n\n    A sample of gas has its number of molecules halved, its Kelvin temperature doubled, and its volume halved. What is the new pressure, relative to the original pressure?\n\n    asked on March 17, 2014\n  51. maths\n\n    the mean of a set of test scores is 64. a new student takes the same test and scores 80 marks. when his score is added to the other scores, the mean increases to 65. how many students sat for the test altogether?\n\n    asked on September 24, 2011\n  52. Business Math\n\n    Marcus invests $8,000, at 8% interest, compounded annually for 15 years. Calculate the compound interest for his investment.\n\n    asked on March 16, 2019\n  53. Chemistry\n\n\n    asked on February 9, 2011\n  54. CIVICS!!!\n\n    Brie's dad said that a state income tax would help the financial crisis by balancing the budget. Which would be the most effective way for Brie's dad to contribute his ideas to a plan for balancing the state budget? A. He should send a letter to each\n\n    asked on January 20, 2014\n  55. chemistry\n\n    How do the boiling points of 3.0 m C6H12O6 and 3.0 m CaCl2 compare? A. The boiling point of 3.0 m C6H12O6 is higher. B. The boiling point of 3.0 m CaCl2 is higher. C. They are the same. D. The difference cannot be determined from the information given. I\n\n    asked on September 15, 2011\n  56. Physics\n\n\n    asked on October 6, 2015\n  57. Math\n\n    An item that sells for $145.99 has a sales tax of 10.22 Find a mathematical model that gives the amount of sales tax y in terms of the retail price x Use the model to find the sales tax on a purchase that has a retail price x\n\n    asked on May 30, 2015\n  58. Math\n\n\n    asked on September 13, 2008\n  59. Statistics\n\n    Mr. Crandall has assigned a term paper due at the end of the semester. He would like to know the average length of the papers. The data below are the he numbers of types pages from a random sample of 10 term papers. Use these data to compute a 95%\n\n    asked on March 25, 2012\n  60. Physics\n\n\n    asked on September 8, 2010\n  61. science\n\n    what should you ask yourself when looking for an independent variable in an experiment? I would ask whether that variable can be manipulated or not. Here is more info on experimental variables that might be helpful. An independent variable is the potential\n\n    asked on March 29, 2007\n  62. Statistics\n\n    The average annual salary of employees at Wintertime Sports was $28,750 last year. This year the company opened another store. Suppose a random sample of 18 employees had an average annual salary of $25,810 with standard deviation of s = $4230. Use a 1%\n\n    asked on March 25, 2012\n  63. math\n\n    you can rent a car for the day from company A for $26 plus $0.12 a mile company B charges $24.00 plus $ 0.19 a mile. Find the number of miles m (to the nearest mile) per day for which it is cheaper to rent from company A\n\n    asked on June 5, 2015\n  64. science\n\n    A particle leaves the origin with a speed of 2.4 times 106 m/s at 38 degrees to the positive x axis. It moves in a uniform electric field directed along positive y axis. Find Ey such that the particle will cross the x axis at x = 1.5 cm if the particle is\n\n    asked on August 31, 2014\n  65. English\n\n    Describe the confrontation between Ralph and Jack in Chapter 6 of Lord of the Flies.\n\n    asked on April 26, 2011\n  66. Math\n\n    Kendra took out a loan for 12,500 for 3 years compounded annually at an interest rate of 18%. How much does she owe?\n\n    asked on February 16, 2019\n  67. chemistry\n\n    Calculate the pH values and draw the titration curve for the titration of 500 mL of 0.010 M acetic acid (pKa 4.76) with 0.010 MKOH. Calculate the pH of the solution after 490 mL of the titrant have been added. Calculate the pH of the solution after 500 mL\n\n    asked on January 31, 2017\n  68. english\n\n    circle the words with two vowels together where each vowel has a separate vowel sound, then under line the letters that stand for the two different vowel sounds. 2. audio, faith, search. 3. greed, journal, rodeo 4. either, medium, southern. 5 beach, pound,\n\n    asked on March 14, 2013\n  69. social studies\n\n    what do colonialism and imperialism both require\n\n    asked on September 12, 2018\n  70. Square Roots (Math)\n\n    Which two square roots are used to estimate √47?\n\n    asked on October 22, 2015\n  71. trig\n\n    A kite is flying at an angle of elevation of about 40 degrees. All 80 meters of string have been let out. Ignoring the sag in the string, find the height of the kite nearest ten meters.\n\n    asked on February 5, 2014\n  72. physics\n\n    A square conducting slab with 7 m sides carries a net charge of 89 mu or micro CC. what is the electric field?\n\n    asked on September 14, 2014\n  73. Physical Science\n\n    An ice tray with 175 g of water at 30°C is placed in a freezer at –9°C. How much energy must be removed from the water to lower its temperature to the freezing point?\n\n    asked on March 17, 2014\n  74. Chemistry\n\n    According to the following reaction, how many grams of tetraphosphorus decaoxide are required for the complete reaction of 26.5 grams of perchloric acid (HClO4)? perchloric acid (HClO4) (aq) + tetraphosphorus decaoxide (s) ---> phosphoric acid (aq) +\n\n    asked on July 18, 2017\n  75. math\n\n    A bag of marbles contains 8 red marbles and 6 yellow marbles. Two marbles are drawn out of the bag at random without replacement. What is the probability that two red marbles are drawn out? Be sure to represent your answer as a fraction in simplest form.\n\n    asked on April 22, 2015\n  76. math\n\n    if the product of six tenths and three tenths is subtracted from the sum of two tenths and four tenths. what is the difference\n\n    asked on January 7, 2013\n  77. Sociology\n\n    What is the basic logic of probability sampling? How do such concepts as homogeneity, heterogeneity, sampling bias, representativeness, and probability of selection fit into this logic?\n\n    asked on September 27, 2016\n  78. Math\n\n    In triangle ABC, the measure of C is twice the measure of A, and the measure of B is 6 times the measure of A. Find the measure of each angle\n\n    asked on November 27, 2014\n  79. algebra\n\n    a volleyball team scored 17 points in its first game than in its third game . in the second game, the team scored 23 points. The total numbers of points scored was less than 60. What is the greatest number of points the team could have scored in its first\n\n    asked on March 26, 2019\n\n    How many moles of Cu are produced when .25 moles of Cu2Se are completely reduced by an excess of hydrogen gas? Any help is appreciated!\n\n    asked on February 20, 2011\n  81. math 118\n\n    The price of a small cabin is ​$30,000. The bank requires a​ 5% down payment. The buyer is offered two mortgage​ options: 20-year fixed at 10​% or​ 30-year fixed at 10​%. Calculate the amount of interest paid for each option. How much does the\n\n    asked on May 4, 2017\n  82. math118\n\n    The price of a home is ​$102,000. The bank requires a​ 20% down payment and three points at the time of closing. The cost of the home is financed with a​ 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 9.5%  Find the required down payment.\n\n    asked on May 4, 2017\n  83. Pre-Algebra HELP!!!\n\n    y-5/3 = 1 A)-2 B)8 C)18 D)6\n\n    asked on December 18, 2013\n  84. 6th grade\n\n    what does a griot do?\n\n    asked on February 25, 2010\n  85. math\n\n    merin earns 1.5 times her normal hourly rate for each hour she works after 40 hours in a week. she worked 48 hours this week and earend 650. What is her normal hourly rate\n\n    asked on March 26, 2019\n  86. math\n\n    In the North Carolina Education Lottery \"Pick Three Game\" there are 75 balls in the machine. Your lucky numbers are 7, 14, and 21. The numbers must be drawn in that order. What's the probability that you'll win the $500.00 prize?\n\n    asked on April 22, 2015\n  87. algebra\n\n    can you help me with the Lesson 9: Operations and Applications of Scientific Notation Connections Education 1205070 M/J PRE-ALG - T1 Unit 2: Rational Numbers test.What is the product of (5.1*10^3)*(3.2*10^3)? (please express your answer in scientific\n\n    asked on September 25, 2014\n  88. Chemistry\n\n    Describe the processes involved in the equilibrium that exists between a liquid and its vapor.\n\n    asked on April 22, 2009\n  89. math\n\n    The total cost C(q) of producing q goods is given by the following equation. C(q) = 0.01q^3 − 0.6q^2 + 13q What is the maximum profit if each item is sold for $9? (Assume you sell everything you produce. Round your answer to the nearest cent.) I know the\n\n    asked on November 4, 2015\n  90. poetry\n\n    im trying to write an acrostic poem on procrastination.this is what i have so far: Play before work R O C R Arguing that you’ll do it later Stay up all night T I N A Things getting in the way I O N hellpp?? please and thankyou:)\n\n    asked on January 14, 2010\n  91. math\n\n    a rental car cost 37$ for one day plus an additional 0.29$ per mile. what is the cost of renting a car for one day and driving it 83 miles\n\n    asked on March 26, 2019\n  92. Math\n\n    Darin has 5 coins that total 62 cents.what are the coins\n\n    asked on April 28, 2016\n  93. physics\n\n    Two identical small spherical conductors (point charges), separated by 0.6 m, carry a total charge of 200 mu or micro CC. They repel one another with a force of 120 N. (For the universal constant k use the value 8.99 times 109 N m2/C2.) I think i am\n\n    asked on September 1, 2014\n  94. geomerty\n\n    Let A be between B and C. Use the segment addition postulate to solve for w. BA = 7w − 12 AC = 6w − 14\n\n    asked on May 12, 2014\n  95. Algebra 2\n\n    A study investigated the job satisfaction of teachers allowed to choose supplementary curriculum for their classes versus teachers who were assigned all curricular resources for use in their classes. The authors of the study wanted to know if the two\n\n    asked on December 9, 2014\n  96. Intermediate Algebra\n\n    Maria drove 3 hours and 30 minutes in a dust storm. When the dust cleared she inccreased her speed by 35 mph and drove for 4 more hours. If she traveled a total of 365 miles, how fast did she drive during the dust storm?\n\n    asked on September 30, 2012\n  97. Statistics\n\n    Long term experience showed that after a type of eye surgery, recovery time has a mean of u = 5.3 days in a hospital. A random sample of 40 patients, with this type of eye surgery, were treated as outpatients during recovery and the sample mean recovery\n\n    asked on March 25, 2012\n  98. accounting\n\n    a company purchases a used machine for $178,000 cash on January 2nd and readies it for use the next day at $2,840 cost. On January 3rd, it is installed on a required operating platform costing $1,160, and is further readied for operations. The company\n\n    asked on March 3, 2008\n  99. physics\n\n    The first Lunar Olympics is to be held on the Moon inside a huge dome. Of the usual Olympic events - track and field, gymnastics, and so on - which would be drastically affected by the Moon's gravity? In which events would Earth=based records be broken? In\n\n    asked on July 6, 2017\n  100. physics\n\n    A 4.00 bucket of water is accelerated upward by a cord of negligible mass whose breaking strength is 78.0 . If the bucket starts from rest, what is the minimum time required to raise the bucket a vertical distance of 10.0 without breaking the cord?\n\n    asked on October 4, 2013\n\n\n  1. 1\n  2. 2\n  3. 3\n  4. 4\n  5. 5\n  6. 6\n  7. 7", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5438272953033447}
+{"content": "Actor Femi Adebayo dismissed rumours suggesting that his marriage to second wife Omotayo has reached a bottom low leading to their separation in just a year after tying the knot.\n\nEarlier on Saturday, November 4, 2017, it was reported on social media that the couple had unfollowed each other on Instagram while also deleting shared pictures but this has proved to be false according to new reports.\n\nPulse News had earlier reached out to the camp of the actor but no comment was received before filing this report.\n\nThe movie star and his spouse, a known restaurant owner released a video exclusive to the Linda Ikeji's Blog. Adebayo was captured getting a haircut while his partner handled the camera in a bid to clarify the unpleasant rumours circulating the media sphere.\n\nThey were heard having a conversation about the sort of hair style that best suits the actor who also doubles as a functionary in the Kwara State Government.\n\nThe news of an ensuing crisis with Omotayo would have been too difficult to fathom based on the fact that he only recently celebrated their first year wedding anniversary on October 9. LIB reported that he shared a heartfelt message eulogizing his woman.\n\n\"The beginning of our eternal journey started exactly 365 days ago Aduke, my surprise is that within those days I've experienced unquantifiable joy and happiness.\n\n\"At this point I know the rest of our years in life would be blessed with abundance of joy and happiness (In Sha Allah) Thank you for bringing out the best in me darling. HWA to us,\" the post reads.\n\nALSO READ: 'Love was not fair to me in the past' actor says\n\nFemi Adebayo observed an 8-year long divorce following a failed marriage to former wife Khadijat who bore him three children before give marriage another chance with Omotayo.\n\nAt their wedding held on October 9, 2016, a bunch of Nollywood prominent actors graced the occasion and some of them include his father, Adebayo Salami, Odunlade Adekola, Desmond Elliot and more.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9618953466415405}
+{"content": "First Time Cleaning an Oven\n\nIn the 6 years we’ve lived in our house, we have never once cleaned the oven. In fact, I have never in my entire life cleaned an oven. And I’m referring to planned oven cleaning, not the emergency cleaning that has to happen when an apple pie bubbles over or the cheese slides off a homemade pizza, sticking to the bottom of your oven in a burnt crisp immediately upon contact.\n\nBefore Cleaning\n\nUnlikely Inspiration\nMy not-so-guilty secret is I like to watch QVC to unwind. The personalities are so outgoing and energetic, I really enjoy watching them practice their craft. The other night, QVC was doing a segment on Bio Cleaner and I was curious if it actually worked as well as it appeared on TV. This led to me watching a YouTube video of a woman trying to clean her stovetop with this product, and somehow (memory lapse) led to an internet search of how to clean your oven.\n\nHow I Did It ... Using Baking Soda\nI found these step-by-step instructions on The Kitchn and decided to give it a shot, right then and there at 10pm at night. After taking everything out of my oven, mixing baking soda with water to make a paste, and using an OXO pastry brush to apply it to all the grungy parts of my oven interior (aka all of it), I left it to sit for 12 hours while I went to bed.\n\nOkay, not really. What I actually did is I brought the oven racks upstairs to the bathtub and followed The Kitchn’s instructions to get those clean. It involves lining your tub with an old towel, dumping some laundry detergent in (they say 1/2 cup), and filling it with hot water before letting it soak for 4 hours. I let it sit overnight.\n\nBefore Scrubbing\n\nThe next day, I spent quite a bit of time scrubbing the oven racks with a pot-safe Scotch-Brite sponge. For the really burnt on parts, I used my Bambu pot scraper, which, side note, was not a great idea in retrospect (the scraper edge is now covered in grooves from rubbing it repeatedly on a section of the rack). The gunk was pretty caked on, so I wound up refilling the tub with hot water, adding more detergent, and letting it soak a second time before repeating the scrubbing and scraping. Eventually, it was clean enough for my liking and I figure it’ll improve with future cleanings.\n\nAfter Scrubbing\n\nBetween the first and second soakings of the oven racks, I started working on the oven interior itself. You could actually see the baking soda had turned a rusty brown color from soaking up the burnt-on bits. At first, I used a regular washcloth to wipe the dried paste off and scrub a bit. Then I switched over to the Scotch-Brite for a bit more oomph, but I found it didn't work any better than the washcloth. The cleaning instructions also suggest spraying stubborn bits with vinegar, and although I did get some foaming action, I didn’t notice it helping with the actual cleaning.\n\n12 Hours After Applying Baking Soda\n\nThe scrubbing and wiping involved a lot of rinsing and re-rinsing of the washcloth, and it looked like I was scooping out handfuls of dirty snow from the oven. At some point, I had enough of the scrubbing and finished up by wiping the surfaces down with a washcloth. My rationalization is it's more effective to let the baking soda action on the gunk loosen it up for removal, rather than using elbow grease.\n\nA lot of burnt-on crustiness did come off, but not all of it. Remember ... this was 6+ years of accumulated gunk! And who knows if the people who owned the house before me ever cleaned the oven either. I wound up doing two applications of the baking soda paste and then it was good enough that I was happy to let it be. I put us on a 3 month cleaning schedule and I figure it'll get better each time, until it's at the point that I can switch us to a 6 month or annual cleaning schedule.\n\nTa Da! Clean Oven\n\nBefore I move on to how the cleaning has improved my oven performance, a word on the oven door and glass. Ours had droplets of very sticky, stubborn goo that wouldn't budge with the baking soda paste or dish detergent. I wound up using a razor blade that we use to clean our electric stovetop to scrape off the goo. That worked pretty well, although there are some residual smudges I have yet to figure out how to remove.\n\nBefore Cleaning\n\nAfter Cleaning\n\nImproved Oven Performance\nI read online that having a clean oven helps with efficiency, and I think the years of caked-on grime explained why my oven never got to the correct temperature. All this time, I thought I needed to re-calibrate it. Sure enough, the first time I used my oven after cleaning it, I noticed the difference. I used to have to add at least 5 minutes to the baking time and getting things to brown or crisp was a challenge.\n\nI'm happy to report that my blueberry-banana muffins came out nicely browned on top at the lowest end of the recipe baking time. This has been such an unexpected and nice surprise. I kind of looked at cleaning the oven from an aesthetic and yuckiness factor, but having an oven that actually bakes now is a major added plus!\n\nSupposedly, the gunk also creates off odors in the food you put in the oven. I can attest that there were unpleasant smells during cleaning and they made my hands stink even though I wore gloves. Or maybe the inside of my gloves just smell.\n\nIn Conclusion\nCleaning your oven is something I’ve always heard about, but never quite understood why I needed to do. After seeing all the gunk that came off the interior and racks, I am sold and will repeat every 3 months, at least until the residual gunk is removed. Not to mention the best part of all, which is an oven that actually works. Anyway, if you haven’t done it, give it a try. It’s not a quick project, but it feels great, and is a good excuse to binge-listen to that podcast you’ve been meaning to finish.\n\n\nPopular Posts", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7739580869674683}
+{"content": "Indian Music and Dance\n\n\n\nHindustani Music - Tabla - PRSSV Sangeet Examinations\n\nHindustani Music and Dance\n\nSangeet finds its highest expression through art music and dance, that is music that accepts certain basic conventions of form and structure and uses them as a natural framework for the expression of ideas. These conventions can be traced back to the ancient Sanskrit text, Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni and today are embodied in Raag in which melody is structured and Taal in which rhythm and movement are structured.  Both these elements find expression through the voice, a variety of musical instruments such as the Sitar, Bansuri, Harmonium, Tabla and Pakhawaj, and Kathak and other dance styles.\n\nPRSSV Sangeet Examinations offers accredited exams in all the Hindustani subjects. The Hindustani syllabuses focus on the elements used to train students of music and dance. Thus in the earlier grades there is a great emphasis on Shruti and Laya, interpretation and style providing a strong foundation in basics and in higher grades emphasis is placed on performance and improvisation.\n\nPlease visit Our Exams page for further information.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.998974084854126}
+{"content": "Dr. Ron Choong and Project Timothy: The Bible You Thought You Knew\n\nWhile neither philosophy nor science leads to God, they are helpful tools to keeping a check on our prejudices and biases. We are wonderfully capable of convincing ourselves that our thoughts are true because we wish them to be so. If we are indeed committed to thinking things through, we need a safe place to do that thinking without fear of being denigrated or misrepresented. …\n\n\nIn the last year or so, Dr. Ron Choong has become known for his views on the historical Adam. In researching Dr. Choong’s publications, I discovered that he is the founder of an organization, the Academy for Christian Thought (ACT).\n\nAccording to their website, ACT was founded by the Rev. Dr. Ron Choong, an ordained minister in the PCA, to be a “research and educational non-profit organization in New York City.” Their goal is:\n\nto engage the urgent issues of our times and persistent questions of all ages. We encourage interdisciplinary engagement with every field of human inquiry to better understand the impact of history, philosophy, culture and the natural sciences on the Christian faith. We seek to articulate an enriched worldview with integrity and foster a climate of inquiry within a sanctuary of doubt we call a theological safe space (TSS).\n\nTheir mission includes providing a theological safe space (TSS) to develop apologetics that “engage the natural sciences and world religions for fruitful dialogues,” to “foster a missional church climate in a global secular culture,” to “bridge the academy to the church,” and to develop discipleship programs that “commit to making the discipleship of the mind and body a priority.”\n\nThey go on to explain how they seek to develop such discipleship programs:\n\nWe develop globally relevant and conceptually holistic discipleship programs. In the sciences, we inquire into methodologies to distinguish science from scientism and evolution from evolutionism. … In biblical theology, we teach a method of interpretation that engages other religious convictions and scientific inferences while remaining faithful to the confessional integrity of the Bible as a trustworthy, divinely inspired writing of fallible, human effort.\n\nACT confesses a belief “in the divine inspiration and entire trustworthiness of the Scriptures.” What is interesting is that infallibility and inerrancy are not used to describe their view of the Scriptures.\n\nRedeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in New York, a sponsor of ACT, has hosted ACT seminars and lists ACT as a valuable resource. Dr. Tim Keller, senior pastor of Redeemer, is one of three pastors on ACT’s Board of Reference.\n\nOne of ACT’s programs for discipleship is called Project Timothy (PT):\n\nPT is a program of ACT – a ministry that encourages interdisciplinary engagements with every field of human inquiry for a fruitful understanding of Christian belief. PT provides a climate of inquiry within a sanctuary of doubt that we call a theological safe space (TSS) – to engage the Global Secular Culture. … PT teaches a method to make sense of the Bible by considering what the writer of each book intended to say, what the original readers and hearers would have understood and how we today might understand the texts for ourselves.\n\nProject Timothy seminar materials are available for download through ACT’s online store. All of the following quotes are taken from Ron Choong’s The Bible You Thought You Knew: Volume 1 (New York: Academy for Christian Thought Publications, 2011).\n\nProject Timothy’s The Bible You Thought You Knew opens with some thoughts about the goals and aims of Project Timothy:\n\nTTT [Thinking Things Through] in a TSS [Theological Safe Space]: Are our beliefs consistent with each other, are they philosophically coherent, and are they scientifically convergent? While neither philosophy nor science leads to God, they are helpful tools to keeping a check on our prejudices and biases. We are wonderfully capable of convincing ourselves that our thoughts are true because we wish them to be so. If we are indeed committed to thinking things through, we need a safe place to do that thinking without fear of being denigrated or misrepresented. … In a TSS, we can question one’s view without questioning their motives or character. And we can change a view we once took for granted if it is no longer defensible in a holistic confessional Christian worldview (viii-ix).\n\n\nPT [Project Timothy] provides a TSS [Theological Safe Space] to question assumptions about the scriptures. This strengthens our beliefs and equips us to responsibly proclaim the Gospel (x).\n\nDr. Choong goes on to describe the approach Project Timothy takes with the Scriptures and science:\n\nSince the question of biblical reliability cannot be affirmed by its historicity, literary, or theological components, we pay attention to these characteristics of the Scriptures to get within hearing distance of the writers’ intent. Thus you will find lapses in historical and scientific accuracy as we increase our modern accuracy of historical and scientific knowledge. Even doctrinal articulation of theological points need to be revised in each generation to account for our greater understanding of the world we live in (xiii).\n\n\nBiblical knowledge is an older source that is limited to disclosure (divine revelation) rather than discovery (human investigation). So science is an extremely helpful check on our interpretation of the Bible. By looking for convergence between our conclusions and what our minds can discover about the creation of God, we can compose a more comprehensive image of reality (xv).\n\nWhile Project Timothy’s seminars cover all of the Old and New Testament books, this overview will look mainly at how Dr. Choong applies the above ideas to Genesis.\n\nAccording to Dr. Choong, Genesis was written around the 6th century BC as the Jewish people were returning from their Babylonian exile (1). As such, it was not written by Moses, although Moses may be the author of some parts (3-4). The purpose of Genesis 1-11 was to provide a polemic against the Babylonian gods, not to explain the “how” or “in what order” of creation:\n\nThe final form of these primeval accounts described in Genesis 1-11 was completed during the postexilic period, later than most of the Pentateuch, to tell us about God who created everything including all of the “gods” worshipped by the Babylonians. They were not intended to tell us how the universe was made, how life originated from inorganic matter, or exactly how human beings first came about. Rather, they were intended to counter other Ancient Near Eastern creation accounts (1).\n\nWhat does this mean for modern Christians and the meaning of Genesis?\n\nThe Christian should read Genesis 1-11 with the assurance that we worship the creator of all that exist, and not be troubled by working out the mechanics of creation itself, because the Bible is silent on this matter. Any theological reflection that engages literature, history, philosophy, and science will always result in provisional insights, none of which should form litmus tests of faith (1).\n\nDr. Choong believes that the Torah was written backwards starting with Exodus, then Genesis 12-50, and finally Genesis 1-11. Because it was written to combat other ANE creation accounts, we should not read it as historical or scientific:\n\nThe story of Israel actually begins with the exodus event, recorded in the book of Exodus. It was in the Sinai desert that different tribes of former Egyptian slaves formed the People of God YHWH. … The stories of Genesis 12-50 were told as a prologue to the exodus event and later, the accounts of Genesis 1-11 were told to link the formation of Israel to the very formation of creation itself. Every people group may trace their lineage back to the origins of creation, life and humanity, and Genesis 1-11 is Israel’s account. This account is theological rather than strictly historical. Thus, although it possesses dimensions of history and science, Genesis 1-11 is not historical or scientific and cannot be judged as such (2).\n\nWhy does Dr. Choong believe that Genesis 1-11 is not meant to teach us about the origins of the universe and life? He explains that:\n\nGenesis 1 refers not to the origins of the material universe, but to how those pre-existing materials are now designed to function by God. The correct translation of Genesis 1:1 is “When God began creating” (15).\n\nSo, if Genesis 1-11 is not historical or scientific, what is it?\n\nThe first 11 chapters are primeval histories, not chronological ones. They are mythological. This does not mean they are untrue, but that they refer to events before there were human witnesses. They are therefore unverifiable and unfalsifiable. … The first five of these then stories up till the account of Shem, are not intended to be understood literally or even historically(12-13).\n\nDr. Choong believes that differences in the order of creation as told in Genesis 1 and 2 indicate that multiple perspectives on creation are given and, therefore, that Genesis 1 and 2 cannot be taken literally:\n\nThe religion-science debate is rooted in Genesis 1, which describes the creation of the world in a poetic fashion and employs a seven-day week framework. This seven-day chronology has sometimes been interpreted literally by religious persons opposed to scientific theories such as biological evolution and natural selection, so that the data from fossil records, geology, dinosaurs, and the like, must somehow fit into the seven days of the Genesis 1 creation account.\n\nGenesis 2, on the other hand, discusses the creation of humans and then animals in an order that reverses that of Genesis 1. This makes any simple harmonization of the two accounts untenable. These two versions of creation cannot be reconciled at the level of logical order or sequencing. The narrators of Genesis 1 and Genesis 1 were different persons who lived centuries apart from one another. (13).\n\nDr. Choong notes that most modern people look to science instead of the Bible to answer such questions as the origin and development of life, but that this was not always so:\n\nMost people, whether religious or not, look to the realm of science for hard data about the environment and cosmology. Prior to the modern period and the rise of the natural sciences, people tended to be more simple or naïve about such things and tended to think (if they thought about it much at all) about the origin of the world in religious and theological terms (Footnote 39, 13).\n\nGiven that Dr. Choong believes that Genesis 1-11 is silent on the “mechanics of creation itself,” what does he believe about the compatibility of evolution and Christianity?\n\nDoes the process of evolution undermine God’s Glory as Creator? Not at all (6).\n\n\nIs the six-day creation account central to the Bible? Probably not. … The entire creation v. evolution controversy is based on a false dichotomy. (6-7).\n\nWhat about Adam? Dr. Choong recognizes that many Christians insist on the historicity of Adam, but he sees some flexibility in the interpretation:\n\nThe OT description of the origin of humanity (adam) surely arises from an actual historical event. That much is evident. But whether the figure of biblical Adam represents a pre-existing group of people or a specially created modern-looking like human who was not born (hence, with no navel) and whether Eve refers to a single female crafted from a single rib, ought not divide the Church. There is sufficient grace in theological space to allow for variance in interpretation, as long as they remain provisional and open to review as we learn more and more about ourselves. Thus, we note the inconsistent use of the Hebrew word “adam” in the Bible and cannot say with certainty whether a first human couple was specially created with no biological link to other life forms (7).\n\nDr. Choong believes that:\n\nSometime in the distant past, God chose one hominid branch to receive the “image of God,” the potential to relate to God in love (7).\n\nAnd that:\n\nSuch a convergent explanation of what the biblical writers were trying to convey is an example of a responsible apologetic that is at once faithful to the authority of the inspired Bible and accounts for the empirical findings of human discovery. … Did God create one male and one female from which to populate the Earth? Perhaps, and perhaps not. We will never really know. But the Hebrew word “adam” means humanity (7).\n\nSince Adam’s name is also the Hebrew word for “humanity,” Dr. Choong sees biblical support for his view that the historical Adam of Genesis was a group of people and not a single individual:\n\nIs there any reason to think that the biblical Adam was a single person? Yes. Genesis 5:5 refers to the exact age that Adam died, suggesting that Adam was a particular male who was never born but emerged as an adult with no navel and no childhood. Where it gets tricky is whether he also contributed one of his ribs to form Eve. These contrasting hints allow some theological space for a difference of opinion. … Finally, did Paul himself not refer to Adam as a first particular human? Most Christians use Romans 5:12 to infer that the Pauline Adam must be a singular adult male who was the second sinner (8).\n\nAccording to Dr. Choong, Paul’s use of Adam is not as clear cut as it might seem to be. The real issue is not anthropology but soteriology. In other words, what matters in Paul’s use of Adam are the issues of sin and salvation:\n\nThe reality of sin is central to Christianity. The reason Jesus died on the cross is because of sin, so if the first humans did not sin, it makes the Cross redundant. … A literal reading of Paul suggests that sin entered the world through a single human being, and through another, all will be justified. This would describe universal sin accompanied by universal salvation or universalism – something Paul himself would reject outright. … So whatever Paul meant, he could not have meant this phrase literally (8).\n\nDr. Choong goes on to explain that the doctrine of original sin (a sin nature inherited from Adam as a result of the Fall) is also not found in Paul’s writings despite what many have believed:\n\nWhile most of the Church Fathers saw that Adam was punished for his sin with sinful desires, Paul himself said no such thing. In fact, to our surprise, Paul in Romans specifically introduced the doctrine that Adam’s punishment was an expected outcome of his created humanity rather than something he did wrong. …\n\nElsewhere, Paul uses sin to describe behavior as in the teaching that sin was not caused by Adam and Eve but is a term that describes the defiant behavior of Adam and Eve. In this interpretation, Adam and Eve were made loaded with sinful desires already – not that Adam sought out sinful desires. This use of the word sin as behavior finds great convergence with the biological nature of human imperfection, despite our having been made good. But when Paul personified the word sin, his notion of a pre-Adamic existence of sin meant that Adam could not be blamed for any existence of sin per se (8-9).\n\nAccording to Dr. Choong, therefore, Adam and Eve did not gain a sin nature through the Fall that they then passed on to their descendants. They were made with sinful desires:\n\nIf we think that there was perfect morality before Adam and Eve were ejected from Eden, we cannot explain why in their perfect state of moral goodness, they both disobeyed God – how can perfect goodness turn bad? (38)\n\nBecause Paul uses personification to explain sin, Dr. Choong believes that Paul’s use of “Adam” may also be a personification of sorts:\n\nPaul expressed the word [sin] to mean at least three different things: a person, a causal agent that may or may not be personified, and a primeval state of the human condition that we inherited. Thus we conclude that Paul in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 did not intend to declare the doctrine that Adam of Genesis was a single progenitor of humanity who was never born, and biologically gave rise to Eve who was crafted from one of his ribs, thus losing a rib in the process (10).\n\nSo, what conclusion does Dr. Choong come to regarding Adam and Eve?\n\nWhat we can say is that Adam and Eve were certainly historical figures. What we cannot say for sure is how many of them there were. Pure literalists suggest two – a male named Adam and a female made out of Adam’s rib named Eve. Although genetic markers suggest a much larger pool of first humans, science along cannot be trusted for a dogmatic statement of faith, so we ought not to rely on biology to determine a biblical interpretation. But the undisputed point that leans towards the origins of humans as a community rather than as a single couple is neither historical nor scientific, but purely scriptural – the Hebrew meaning of Adam is humanity (10).\n\nDr. Choong also applies his hermeneutic approach to other parts of the Torah. For example, the account of Noah and the flood isn’t an historical account of a family of eight that survive a worldwide flood with lots of animals:\n\nThere were already flood stories in the Ancient Near East. So an adoption of such a story would effectively make the point (16).\n\nIn fact, according to Dr. Choong, it’s dangerous to attempt to read Noah’s story literally:\n\nThe account of Noah’s Ark was not meant to explain the origin of spectral optics that formed the first rainbow, or to showcase ancient naval architecture capable of surviving a global flood. This would reduce biblical theology to the natural sciences. The rainbow is symbolic of a war bow (as in bow and arrow). … The fate of Noah’s three sons does not imply that all Africans are doomed from the beginning because Ham saw his father’s nakedness. … A literal reading of Ham (dark-skinned) led to the justification of African slavery by some in the Christian Church in the West. … Hence, to take a literal-historical reading of Noah’s story would reduce biblical theology to racism, sociology, and pop psychology (12).\n\nThe account of the Tower of Babel is also not meant to be read literally, but rather, symbolically:\n\nThe Tower of Babel does not explain the origin of human languages or prohibits skyscrapers. That would reduce biblical theology to evolutionary biology and structural engineering. Rather, it uses the mighty towers called ziggurats (“to build on a raised area”) found all over the Ancient near east to make a point about human hubris and lack of respect for the almighty God (12).\n\nDr. Choong warns that a literal reading of Scripture can cause great harm:\n\nAlways consider the medium used to convey the biblical message. Taking many biblical accounts literally wholesale is not a harmless act of naivete. It can actually be dangerous in creating bad theology to fuel racism, sexism and a host of social ills that are morally repugnant (15).\n\nTo summarize what Dr. Choong is teaching through Project Timothy’s The Bible You Thought You Knew, Moses didn’t write Genesis, Genesis was written as a polemic against the Babylonian gods, Genesis does not teach ex nihilo creation, Genesis does not speak to how the universe began or where humans came from, Adam is best understood as a group of hominids adopted by God to be imago dei, Adam and Eve were not created with perfect morality, Paul’s Adam wasn’t necessarily the singular progenitor of the human race, Noah’s flood was an adopted ANE story retold for Israel’s purposes, the Tower of Babel doesn’t explain the origin of languages, and interpreting the Bible literally can be dangerous.\n\n\nRachel Miller, a member of a PCA church, is a wife and home-schooling mom who finds time to do writing and research.  She blogs at A Daughter of the Reformation where this article first appeared. It is used with permission. \n\n[Editor’s note: Original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid, so the links have been removed.]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.755049467086792}
+{"content": "Second Itinerary: The Evolution of Venetian Sculpture\n\nThis itinerary traces the development of sculpture in Venice from the fifteenth century to the early nineteenth century.\n\nVenetian Renaissance sculpture was primarily developed by non-Venetian artists, many of whom established large family firms in Venice. The leading sculptors, beginning with Bartolomeo Bon, came from Lombardy and introduced elements of a new Renaissance style into the traditional Gothic vocabulary of fourteenth-century Venice. Bon’s ceremonial portal for the Doge’s Palace, the Porta della Carta, commissioned in 1439 by Doge Francesco Foscari (who appears kneeling before the monumental winged lion of St. Mark), echoes the form of a Roman triumphal arch, while incorporating an abundance of florid Gothic ornamentation. Constructed over a thirty-year period, the entryway terminates on the interior side of the Doge’s Palace with the Arco Foscari, which employs a more recognisable classicizing syntax, with an arched portal decorated with columns and shell-topped niches for sculpture. Antonio Rizzo’s Adam and Eve (now replaced by copies) decorated this arch. The first free-standing nudes in Venetian art, these works still exhibit sinewy, elongated anatomies, typical of the Gothic style. Opposite the arch, Rizzo’s monumental staircase is a triumphant expression of the Venetian state’s self-glorification through the arts. Later in the sixteenth century this was enhanced with giant sculptures of Mars and Neptune, symbols of Venice’s military and maritime power, executed by the Florentine sculptor Jacopo Sansovino, who settled in the city in 1527 and became the leading sculptor and architect until his death in 1570.\n\nAntonio Rizzo’s rival, Pietro Lombardo, set up a very successful workshop run by him and his two sons, Tullio and Antonio. At the church of the Miracoli and Santi Giovanni e Paolo, there are abundant examples of this workshop’s refined all’antica (in the antique manner) style, which exhibits the Venetian preference for rich and varied materials. Outside Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice’s first equestrian monument was designed by the Florentine sculptor Andrea del Verrochio. Opposite the façade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco, with illusionistic reliefs by the Lombardo workshop, was originally painted in blue, gold, and red and must have had a much more exuberant appearance.\n\nAt the Ca’ d’Oro are examples of early sixteenth century marbles and small bronzes that would have originally decorated the bedrooms and studies of Venice’s elite collectors, as well as larger reliefs that once decorated some of Venice’s suppressed churches. Later in the sixteenth-century, Sansovino and his younger contemporaries, the sculptor Alessandro Vittoria and the architect Andrea Palladio, worked in a classical style that was informed by the scientific investigation of ancient monuments and the study of ancient texts like the architectural treatise of Vitruvius. Their work had a lasting impact on Venetian Baroque artists and ultimately the Neoclassical Venetian sculptor, Antonio Canova.\n\n\nPalazzo Ducale\n\nBartolomeo Bon (1438 - 1443), Porta della Carta\n\nBartolomeo Bon (1439 - 1464), Niccolò di Giovanni Fiorentino (1464 - 1467) and Antonio Rizzo (1468 - 1498), Arco Foscari (interior entryway)\n\nAntonio Rizzo (ca. 1486 - 1497), Scala dei Giganti with statues of Mars and Neptune by Jacopo Sansovino (1554 - 1567)\n\n\nChiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli\n\nDecorated by the Lombardo workshop (1481 - 1489)\n\n\nChiesa di San Giovanni e Paolo and Campo Zanipolo\n\nPietro Lombardo, Tomb Monument of Doge Pasquale Malipiero\n\nPietro and Tullio Lombardo, Tomb Monument of Doge Nicolò Marcello (originally in Santa Marina)\n\nPietro, Tullio, and Antonio Lombardo, Tomb Monument of Doge Pietro Mocenigo\n\nTullio Lombardo, Tomb of Doge Andrea Vendramin (originally in S. Maria dei Servi in campo)\n\nAndrea del Verrochio, Bronze Equestrian Monument of Bartolomeo Colleoni\n\nFaçade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco with reliefs depicting the lion of Saint Mark, and stories from the life of Saint Mark (on the left, Saint Mark Heals the cobbler Anianus Injured by his Awl, and on the right, Saint Mark Baptizes Anianus).\n\nSanta Maria Gloriosa dei Frari\n\nAntonio Rizzo, Tomb Monument of Niccoló Tron\n\nCa’ d’Oro\n\nTullio Lombardo, Relief Portrait of a Couple\n\nAndrea Riccio, Saint Martin and the Beggar and Stories of the True Cross,\n\nPier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi (Antico), Apollo Belvedere\n\nJacopo Sansovino, Madonna and Child\n\nSanta Maria della Salute\n\nVenetian Baroque church by Baldassare Longhena (1596- 1682)\n\nGallerie dell’Accademia\n\nCanova, plaster models including those of the two lions for St Peter Basilica in Rome commissioned by Pope Clemente XIII\n\nMuseo Correr\n\nAntonio Canova, Daedalus and Icarus, Eurydice and Orpheus\n\nSan Zaccaria\n\nTomb of Alessandro Vittoria (1528 - 1608)\n\n\nAntonio Canova’s birthplace, Possagno\n\nGypsotheca e Museo Antonio Canova", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8725858926773071}
+{"content": "What is the essence of a thing? The writings of Plato say that for every object, there is a thing that truly embodies what it is above all else. This series of paper-crafted scissors are merely icons, but they strive to achieve the essence of what it means to be a mere pair of scissors in all its various forms and uses.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8961830139160156}
+{"content": "\"History of Rock & Roll\" is a recording by Andy Partridge. It appeared on the 1980 Miniatures LP. It later appeared in 1990 on the odds-and-ends compilation Rag and Bone Buffet.\n\n\nAndy: “There was this project called Miniatures. Each cut was supposed to be less than a minute. I went for the gigantic: a history of rock 'n' roll in 22 seconds. The 50's: an echoed hiccupping vocal of the word 'well'. The 60's: A snatch of a fuzzbox riff in indian scale. The 70's: A power chord. The 80's: At the time, this was done in 1981, the 80's threatened to go horribly synthetic, and a lot of it did, so the 80's is an electronic fart. The 90's? I suspect that will be a bit of a James Brown drum rhythm.”\n\n\nSo, let's briefly summarize what we know, shall we?\n\nThe 50's\n\nThe 60's\n\nThe 70's\n\nAnd finally, the 80's\n\nThank you, and goodnight", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7402045726776123}
+{"content": "Tag Archives: BILLIONS\n\nCARBON TAX: Not Enough 2\n\nCarbon Tax Failure: NOT Enough\n\nThere is a failure of the press to cover urgency of carbon tax. Carbon should not flow unpriced into the atmosphere, any more than you should be allowed to toss your garbage in the street. It makes no sense that the fossil fuel industry is allowed to put out their waste for free, using the atmosphere as an open sewer.\n\nNearly all of those decisions share a common, crucial element: they are shaped, by the relative prices of available energy choices. The only way to get enough change is to send a price signal so that everyone from investors to car buyers will change their behavior automatically:  a kind of perpetual motion machine. \n\nA straightforward plan is simply to tax carbon directly. Canada has introduced the gradual approach of a $10/ton of carbon emissions to finally get the ball rolling, while some of the provinces have elected to increase this tax to $30/ton.  In the meantime, Exxon has been planning for $50 a ton to make sure it won’t put a crimp in their business.  \n\nYes, carbon tax is inevitable but one thing stands in the way: PRICE POINT.  If we want to move the needle, we have to move the market. We need a top down message. A steadily rising tax on fossil fuels will send a strong price signal. A proposed carbon tax pending in the New York state legislature (A.B. 8372:  proposes to increase the tax gradually from $35 to $185 per ton.) \n\nIs that the only thing that needs to be done?\n\nContinue reading CARBON TAX: Not Enough 2\n\n\n\nPreventing deforestation is our best chance to conserve wildlife and defend the rights of forest communities. It’s one of the quickest and most cost effective ways to curb global warming.\n\nWorldwide, two billion hectares of land are currently degraded – an area larger than South America. Of this, 500 million hectares are abandoned agricultural land.\n\nThe amount of under-utilized and degraded land available in the region to accommodate for future agricultural expansion is estimated at 0.7-1 million hectares.\n\nThe Suitability Mapper enables users to identify potentially suitable sites for sustainable palm oil production in the following area:\n\nHow do we prevent further deforestation?\n\nIt is still economically valuable to clear the forest for plantations. As current agricultural land becomes more and more degraded, producers move on to pristine, more productive land, with often harmful consequences such as the loss of forest cover.\n\nIf we’re going to stop deforestation, we need governments to do their part. That starts with cracking down on corruption and ensuring fair enforcement of forest conservation rules. Corruption fuels illegal logging and unsustainable forest management.\n\n Carbon Emission to be Solved\n\nThe world leaders must find a way to absorb carbon dioxide emissions that is in our atmosphere now. Trees and soils are the only way to absorb the present glut of CO2 in your world.\n\nPresently these funds are improperly managed because they attempt to make the tax neutral by redirecting the fund for tax rebates to working families, cutting sales tax and reducing the tax on manufacturing. All this is very admirable but it doesn’t solve the high concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, which is presently causing global warming.\n\ncarbon dioxide conversion\n\nThe Funds to Finance Rehabilitation\n\n\n\nNot Lower Present Carbon Emissions\n\nA carbon tax is a great idea, if we had a government honest enough to implement it properly. We should all be concerned with carbon emissions that will be present in our atmosphere for 200 years. Surveys have found high majorities of economists (more than 80 per cent) also support carbon pricing. Justin Trudeau announced a carbon price for all of Canada, starting at a modest $10/ton of CO2 ($0.025/liter of fuel) in 2018 and rising over five years to $50 ($0.125/liter of fuel). The carbon tax would cost the average family about $1,250- $1,500 a year. So it means that we will be paying more for everything. That’s because almost all goods and services consume fossil fuel energy. This is a form of paying a sin tax for using energy, which may not lower emissions. (The $10/ton is equivalent to $0.09/US gal.)\n\nBritish Columbia’s revenue-neutral carbon tax on fuel is equivalent to $30 per ton of emissions. In Alberta, a carbon levy will be applied to fuels at a rate of $20 per ton, starting Jan. 1, 2017, increasing to $30 per ton a year later.\n\nAnyone familiar with carbon pricing knows Trudeau’s minimum price, even at $50 per ton, is far too low to significantly cut emissions. If Canada has any chance of meeting its target, which used to be reducing our emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 30% by 2030, he would need to set a carbon price of about $150 per ton, starting immediately.\n\nSome pricing experts like Simon Fraser University’s Mark Jaccard estimated that the floor price should be $30/ton increasing every year until 2030 to $200/ton.  This would be an equivalent of $0.47/liter of gasoline or $1.77/US gal.  (1 liter = .264 US gal). Obviously, there would have to be an offsetting general tax reduction so as not to act as an extra burden to the average tax payer.\n\nThe Norwegian carbon taxes started in 1991 and were among the highest in the world ($44 US/ton of CO2). Despite significant price increases for some fuel types (13% for gasoline), the carbon tax effect on emissions was modest (a 16 % reduction in emissions). This implies a high cost of reducing emissions from sources on which the tax is levied.\n\nThe real enemy is heat and us.\n\nContinue reading CARBON EMISSIONS 2\n\n\n\n Based on the Vortex or a physical phenomena of the Spiral:hug-sample\nhug lucid helical turbine\n\nHUG (Helical Unique Generation): a new alternate source of hydroelectric energy without a dam. HUG Energy is a New Good, which has never been seen before; it substantially deviates from any other good or service produced before. Over the past decades, no major breakthroughs have occurred in the basic machinery of utilities.\n\nElectricity in Remote Areas created from moving water without the use of a dam.\n\n* HUG is an innovative new patent to create energy from fast moving water without the use of a destructive dam. It relies on the phenomena of the power of the vortex. This power can be easily seen as the water leaves your bathtub. This new energy source can be used to power water pumps for irrigation at a long distance from the fast moving water source.\n\nIt’s no secret that hydroelectricity sits near the top of the renewable energy list. But hydro invariably conjures images of soaring concrete dams, rerouted rivers and flooding, environmental damage and displaced people. Not to mention the stiff price tag that comes with such an immense engineering project. These large schemes using dams having long lead-times between investment and profit, which can be over 10 years. It can also use up to 2.2 million cubic meters of concrete.\n\nPresently no new patents exist to capture energy from small waterfalls or fast rapids without extensive use of a dam, which in itself, limits fish migration. HUG Energy produces high energy from a hydroelectric turbine system, which in turn, generates a higher return of investment.\n\nThe objectives and expected outcomes\n\nStandardized prefabricated modules should make it possible to order this new product as a “power plant kit” just like ordering from a catalog. The HUG Energy power plant uses standardized parts, so no custom engineering is necessary. A one-size-fits-all pathway could be ordered. In the case of wider bodies of water, several HUG Energy systems could be placed next to each other or behind each other – also at different points in time, as determined by demand and available financing.\n\nThis development is an exciting breakthrough in green energy. Small batches of turbines can be installed with only a short period between investment in the technology and the time when revenue starts to flow.  It is modular, relatively easy to install and highly scalable.\n\nThe inventor estimate that the HUG Energy power plant pathway will reduce costs of construction conservatively by over 75 percent initially compared to conventional dams of the same power. Continue reading GIVE ME A HUG! 2\n\nAfrica Micro Finance 2\n\nLiving Water Micro Finance in Africa \n\nis available from LIVING WATER MICRO FINANCE Inc., a non-profit corporation. Farmers can borrow small sums of money for seed and land rental on a short term basis. \n\nLet us look at the human side of  Low Interest Micro Finance :\n\n“I got a loan from a Micro Finance company and planted mango grafts. It was difficult in the beginning because there was no income from the trees [during the first five years], and still I had to work very hard. I had to water and care for the trees and also work as a daily laborer whenever work was available. But when the mangoes began to bear, I had income every year. I could repay my loan easily. Then I was able to dig a well, and now I have water year round. Now that I have water I can run my own farm.\n\nGod has much to do; He is very busy running the universe. He does not need to take care of my farm anymore. Now I do that myself.”\nContinue reading Africa Micro Finance 2\n\n\nBut Only in the Tropics\n\n Tropical trees cool earth most effectively. NASA estimates that there are currently 400 billion trees globally. Every newly planted tree seedling in the tropics removes an average of 50 kilograms of CO2 from the atmosphere each year during its growth period of 20–50 years, compared with 13 kilograms of CO2 per year for a tree in the temperate regions. Remember that tropical trees work 12 months of the year sequestering carbon because there is no dormant winter season. We need more Billions of Trees .\n\nThe addition of just 7 billion trees (one for every person on Earth) would therefore give us a further 16 years of safe climate at our current rate of emissions. During this time one would hope we will be able to increase renewable energy use, energy efficiency etc so as to reduce our current emissions to sustainable levels.\n\nAn average of $6 billion per year plus $1 billion for incentives for ten years could pay for the reforestation program. The total cost of $7 billion per year for ten years is about 1% of the world’s total annual military expenditures.\n\nMost tropical hardwoods grow to maturity quickly (10 to 20 years) Compare a 5 year old tropical tree to a five year old northern counterpart, and you can easily see the difference in size: half of wood weight is carbon\n\nTropical trees take up water from rainfall and evaporate it through their leaves, and create cloud cover. These clouds reflect even more sunlight than grasslands or bare earth, thus cooling the earth more. By contrast, trees in snowy places like Canada, Scandinavia and Siberia absorb sunlight that would otherwise be reflected back to space by the bright white snow.  But in the tropics forests helped cool the planet by an average of 0.7C, according to one study.\n\nForests act as a carbon sink by taking carbon dioxide out of atmosphere, but the more the climate is warming, the slower the trees are growing, the less carbon they suck up. These acclimated trees release far less CO2 at night, which are trees suddenly exposed to hot temperatures.  This hints that future CO2 emissions from Northern Hemisphere forests won’t be as large as scientists thought, even though they would still be on the rise.\n\nIt seems like simple arithmetic: a tree can absorb up to a ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime (25 years), so planting one should be an easy way to mitigate climate change.\n\nOver time they deplete their resources and are much more susceptible to additional stressors, such as damage by fire or a big drought or insect outbreaks.\n\nThe Perfect Storm\n\nWhen escalating global warming crosses one or more of the important climate tipping points you create the perfect storm of perfect storms: irreversible global warming. This will destabilize the global; it will then destabilize the global political landscape of functioning nations. As the climate, the global economy, and the political landscape of functioning nations destabilize, it will soon destabilize all of the normal social aspects of our individual lives, businesses, and organizations.\nContinue reading BILLIONS OF TREES 2", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.659993052482605}
+{"content": "The energy in the diet can be in any form e So\n\nThe energy in the diet can be in any form, e. So things like vegetables, fruits and whole grains belong to the whole foods category. Try eating unprocessed foods that are rich in fiber, e. Nutrition: A guide to food labels.\n\nIn order to confirm the effect of sugar on the phase shifts of the mouse liver clock, the % sucrose present in the control-M diet was substituted with % glucose, % fructose, or % polydextrose (. So, below are ten important things to keep in mind when making healthy food choices: Nobody needs to take on the extra baggage of clean eating too. Spend time with the kids while modeling healthy eating.\n\nOften, it's the combination with high-fat foods such as a creamy pasta sauce or butter on toast that makes them more calorific. Diabetes diet, eating, and physical activity.  all the mentioned vitamins are present in our daily diet but some how or the other their absorption is not proper. The in is a framework that outlines steps to be taken by the health care industry to improve the health of patients, communities, and the environment. What it is: it sounds, the vegetarian dietary pattern cuts out meat, sometimes seafood as well, and is rich in plant-based foods. Repeat after me: vegetables, vegetables, vegetables.\n\nA more innovative and successful approach to reforming may involve changing how foods are purchased. For example, it has been shown that people consume less unhealthy food when they have to use small utensils, or when they have to use tongs instead of large spoons to dish up a portion of fries. Complete your meal with a cup of fat-free or low-fat milk. Find out more about how we work with schools to create health promoting environments where students can play, learn, and grow in. Many processed foods and margarines have them.\n\nBreakfast helps a person's brain and helps them to do well in school. Protein is important for the production, maintenance and repair electricians cockfosters look at here of tissues in the body.\n\nGet creative in the kitchen make food fun. Eating to protect your heart also helps protect you from diabetes and many cancers.\n\nAlarmingly, adults are getting more than a third of their daily energy intake from junk food. Base meals on starchy foods, choosing wholegrain varieties whenever possible. A worker used to, or acclimatized to, lifting heavy loads or working in the heat sweats more efficiently they sweat sooner and sweat more, but they lose less salt in their sweat than labourers who are not used to such work. Physical activity is an important companion to healthy eating, as it works to increase metabolism. Low omega-fatty acid content is the key here, as this statement is effectively saying a diet devoid of not just animal foods, but also junk foods is important for humans to effectively convert enough to and. The total fat is the number of fat grams contained in one serving of the food.\n\nAnimal sources of foods are also both good sources of micronutrients. Omega-and omega-are known as essential fatty acids because the body can only get these from diet. Having a diet rich in fruit and vegetable variety is likely to produce a healthy and diverse microbiome. Research has indicated that evaluative conditioning may also form a basis for targeting this determinant Journal of of ). The type and amount of food a person eats has a major impact on his or her body. My food consciously for twice or three times as long as before. Which begs the question:'s a balanced diet.\n\nA trolley full of fruit and vegies, wholegrains, reduced-fat dairy, lean meat, canned beans and tins of tuna is a lot better value than a trolley full of junk food. Though appreciates that superfoods are generally healthy, thereby steering people towards nutritious fare, there's no need to make a distinction between one healthful food and another.\n\nIn the the intake of trans fats is much lower than it was -years ago. For your body to work properly, it needs a balanced diet, exercise and enough sleep. Tinned fish, such as salmon, mackerel and pilchards contain lots of omega fatty acids and are good for heart health. The and provides recommended dietary intakes for energy, fluids and over vitamins and minerals needed at all stages of life.\n\nRecent articles:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7157063484191895}
+{"content": "Deva Vegan Prenatal Multivitamin and Mineral – 90 Tablets\n\n\nSKU: VU0101-02743 Category: Be sure to check out the details on all the ingredients in the NutraWiki site! This exciting new concept saves you the time and effort of having to investigate what is actually IN each product! By connecting to all the information about the product and the ingredients, the NutraWiki will save you HOURS of research and will help you make better buying decision for both your health and our planet! Check out the NutraWiki today!\n\n\n- Click on any Ingredient below to learn more about it at NutraWiki\n\nVitamin AVitamin A, also called retinol, helps your eyes adjust to light changes when you come in from outside and also helps keep your eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist.\nVitamin CVitamin C is an antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables. It is important for your skin, bones, and connective tissue. It promotes healing and helps the body absorb iron.\nVitamin D2Vitamin D is also used for treating weak bones, bone pain, bone loss in people with a condition called hyperparathyroidism, and an inherited disease in which the bones are especially brittle and easily broken.\nVitamin KVitamin K plays a key role in helping the blood clot, preventing excessive bleeding. Unlike many other vitamins, vitamin K is not typically used as a dietary supplement.\nVitamin B1Vitamin B1 also known as Thiamine or Thiamin is a water-soluble vitamin, it is part of the B vitamin family. B vitamins support adrenal function, help calm & maintain a healthy nervous system, and are key for metabolic processes.\nVitamin B2VitaminB2 is used for preventing low levels of vitaminB2 (riboflavin deficiency), cervical cancer, and migraine headaches. It is also used for treating riboflavin deficiency, acne,muscle cramps, burning feet syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, and blood disorderssuch as congenital methemoglobinemia and red blood cell aplasia.\nVitamin B3As a member of B-complex vitamins, niacin aids in the normal functioning of the human digestive system, promoting a healthy appetite, properly functioning nerves, and a glowing skin. Vitamin B3 is used by your body to turn food into energy.\nVitamin B6 (Pyridoxine HCl)Vitamin B6 is used for preventing and treating low levels of pyridoxine (pyridoxine deficiency) and the “tired blood” (anemia) that may result.\nFolic AcidFolic acid helps your body produce and maintain new cells, and also helps prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer. Folic acid is needed for the proper development of the human body. It is also used to prevent heart disease\nVitamin B12Vitamin B12 is applied to the skin either alone or in combination with avocado oil for psoriasis and eczema.\nBiotinBiotin, also known as Vitamin B7 and Vitamin H is used in treating and preventing hair loss, brittle nails, skin rash in infants, diabetes, and mild depression.\nVitamin B5 (D-Calcium Pantothenate)Like all B complex vitamins, B5 helps the body convert food into energy. B5 is naturally found in many food sources. “Pantothenic,” in fact, means “from everywhere,” because the vitamin is available in so many food sources.\nCalciumCalcium is a mineral that is an essential part of bones and teeth. The heart, nerves, and blood-clotting systems also need calcium to work.\nIron (Amino Acid Chelate)As a component of myoglobin, a protein that provides oxygen to muscles, iron supports metabolism.\nIodine (Potassium Iodide)Iodine reduces thyroid hormone and can kill fungus, bacteria, and other microorganisms such as amoebas. A specific kind of iodine called potassium iodide is also used to treat (but not prevent) the effects of a radioactive accident.\nMagnesium (Oxide)Magnesium is an element your body needs to function normally. Magnesium oxide may be used for different reasons. Some people use it as an antacid to relieve heartburn, sour stomach, or acid indigestion. Magnesium oxide also may be used as a laxative for short-term, rapid emptying of the bowel (before surgery, for example). It should not be used repeatedly. Magnesium oxide also is used as a dietary supplement when the amount of magnesium in the diet is not enough. Magnesium oxide is available without a prescription.\nZincZinc is used for boosting the immune system, treating the common cold and recurrent ear infections, and preventing lower respiratory infections.\nSelenium (Sodium Selenite)Making special proteins, called antioxidant enzymes, which play a role in preventing cell damage\nCopperCopper is also used for improving wound healing, and treating osteoarthritis and brittle bones (osteoporosis).\nManganeseManganese is an essential nutrient involved in many chemical processes in the body, including processing of cholesterol, carbohydrates, and protein.\nChromiumChromium helps to move blood sugar (glucose) from the bloodstream into the cells to be used as energy and to turn fats, carbohydrates, and proteins into energy.\nMolybdenum (Amino Acid Chelate)Molybdenum works in the body to break down proteins and other substances. Molybdenum deficiency is very uncommon.\nBoronBoron is used for building strong bones, treating osteoarthritis, as an aid for building muscles and increasing testosterone levels, and for improving thinking skills and muscle coordination.\nCholineCholine is taken by pregnant women to prevent neural tube defects in their babies and it is used as a supplement in infant formulas. Choline is used for liver disease, including chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis.\nInositolInositol is a vitamin-like substance.\nLuteinRelated to beta-carotene and Vitamin A\nCinnamon BarkCinnamon bark is used for gastrointestinal (GI) upset, diarrhea, and gas.\nCitrus BioflavonoidsImmune system support\nApple PectinApples are used to control diarrhea or constipation; and for the softening, passage, and collection of gallstones. They are also used to prevent cancer, especially lung cancer. Other uses include treating cancer, diabetes, dysentery, fever, heart problems, warts, and a vitamin C-deficiency condition called scurvy. Some people also use apples for cleaning their teeth.\nBetaine HCLBetaine hydrochloride is a powerful digestive aid for people who may have been privy to a poor diet, prolonged dehydration and generalized stress.\nAlfalfaAlfalfa is used for kidney conditions, bladder and prostate conditions, and to increase urine flow. It is also used for high cholesterol, asthma, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, upset stomach, and a bleeding disorder called thrombocytopenic purpura.\nChamomilla RecutitaChamomilla recutita is also used as a mild laxative and is anti-inflammatory and bactericidal. German chamomile is used in herbal medicine for a sore stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, and as a gentle sleep aid.\nRose Hips Rosa CaninaFresh rose hips contain a lot of vitamin C, so they share many uses with vitamin C including preventing and treating colds, flu, and vitamin C deficiencies. However, much of the vitamin C in rose hips is destroyed during drying and processing and also declines rapidly during storage. Because of this, many rose hip-derived “natural” vitamin C products have actually been fortified with lab-made vitamin C, but their labels may not always say so.\nAcerolaThe health benefits of acerola are due to its vitamin C content.\nCelluloseCellulose provides structure and strength to the cell walls of plants and provides fiber in our diets. Although some animals, such as ruminants, can digest cellulose, humans cannot.\nCroscarmellose sodiumRapid disintegrator in pharmaceutical formulations for tablets, capsules and granules.\nVegetable stearic acidIt is used in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products, as a fragrance ingredient, surfactant and emulsifier.\nVegetable magnesium stearateMagnesium stearate is often used as an anti-adherent in the manufacture of medical tablets, capsules and powders. In this regard, the substance is also useful, because it has lubricating properties, preventing ingredients from sticking to manufacturing equipment during the compression of chemical powders into solid tablets; magnesium stearate is the most commonly used lubricant for tablets.\nSilicaIncreasing bone mineral density when obtained from foods.\n\nOne Daily\nVegan Certified\nDietary Supplement\n100% Vegetarian, Vegan\nThis Product is Certified Vegan by the Vegan Society\n\n\nThere are no reviews yet.\n\nBe the first to review “Deva Vegan Prenatal Multivitamin and Mineral – 90 Tablets”\n\nThe entry in this field will show with your review. Your email address will be kept private, and will NOT show with your statement. We will NOT use your email address for any marketing purposes or share your email with anyone. Privacy Policy", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9344829320907593}
+{"content": "'LEAP' DAY 12: 3 X 3\n\nLEAP!Tracy Holmes4 Comments\n\nIn trios of 3, there are 28 ways to connect all 8 Corner Colours to one another. Get the straight (and diagonal) on most of them, and you'll have colour covered on all sides . . .\n\n\n3 = 8\n\nApplying the rule of 'all or nothing' to each of our three element primary colours, we see how Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow can become 8 Corner Colours.\n\nTo review the 8 combinations, go see Lupe and treat yourself to some ice cream.\n\n3 = 27\n\nApplying the rule of 'only on half' and giving each of our three element primary colours three possible quantities (all, half, or nothing), we end up with 27 combos, adding 19 Connector Colours to our previous 8 Corners. \n\nTo review the 19 'only on half' combinations, call Ulysses and order some pizza.\n\n\nWith 27 Colour Basics cards (the 8 'whole' Corner Colour cards and the 19 'half-and-half' Connector Colour cards), every Corner can connect to every other Corner, in 28 different 'three-in-a-row' connections. That may have you stumped. With only 19 Connector Cards, how can we make 28 different connections? Here's how:\n\n  • twelve of the Connector Cards connect only one pair of corners. That's 12.\n  • six of the Connector Cards connect two pair of corners. That's another 12.\n  • one Connector Card connects four pairs of corners. That's 4 more.\n\n12 + 12 + 4 = 28.\n\nLet's  take a closer look...\n\n\nTwelve Connector Cards connect only one pair of corners.\n\nThese are straight connections, connecting Corners that are different by only one C, M, or Y primary element. For example, going from White to Cyan (adding only Cyan), or Cyan to Blue (adding only Magenta), or Blue to Black (adding only Yellow). In a straight connection, only one element changes, like going from an empty cone to one scoop, or a single scoop to a double, or a double scoop to a triple.\n\nThese scoop-by-scoop single element connections can work the other way too. In regular math, we know that the equation A + B = C can also be written as C - B = A. It's the same in Colour Math: C + M = B is the same as B - M = C. Or, in the case of grandpa eating his triple scoop ice cream...\n\nStart with the 'all' of Black and take away Cyan, you're left with Red. Take away Magenta, you're left with Yellow. And take away Yellow, you're left with the 'nothing' of White.\n\nHere are all 12 'Straight Threes':\n\n\nThe three straight connections at the top show White connecting to Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow: the 'single scoop' Hues as Tints. The six in the middle show the pure Hue-to-Hue connections: singles to doubles. The three at the bottom show Red, Green, and Blue connecting to Black: the 'double scoop' Hues as Shades.\n\n\nSix Connector Cards do double duty and connect two pairs of corners, two 'scoops' at a time.\n\nThese are diagonal connections, connecting Corners that are different in two elemental ways. For example, going from 0 to 2, like White to Red (because White has 0 Cyan, 0 Magenta, and 0 Yellow and Red has 1 Magenta + 1 Yellow); or going from 1 to 3, like Cyan (a 'single scoop' Hue) to Black (a scoop of all three).\n\n\nIn each of these first six examples, we're adding two elements: in the top row, going from White to a 'double scoop' Hue, and in the bottom row, going from a 'single scoop' Hue to Black.\n\nYou can also flip the equation and see these as subtracting two elements, going from 'triple scoop' Black to 'single scoop' Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow; and going from 'double scoop' Blue, Red, and Green directly, diagonally, to White.\n\nThe other six diagonal connections use the same six Connector Cards, but cross diagonally in the opposite direction, adding and subtracting at the same time.\n\nHere are all 12 'Diagonal Threes':\n\n\n\nLook at the first pair of connections, with the Connector being a Tint of Red. In one direction, that makes sense, this Tint being a 'half-and-half' mix of White and Red. But going the other direction, how can Yellow plus Magenta be a Tint of Red? Colour Math tells us M + Y = R, not R + W.\n\nAnd look at the first new diagonal connection in the bottom row. Isn't the Hue between Green and Blue simply Cyan, not a Shade of Cyan?\n\nHere's what's happening. Even though the Colour Squares on the Connector cards show a half of one Corner Colour and a half of another, the resulting Connector Colour isn't always a mix of these two 'halfs.' It's more of an average between them, which sometimes is, but isn't always, the same thing. More on that later.\n\n\nUsing what you learned about straight and diagonal connections, can you combine the twelve Straight Threes with the twelve Diagonal Threes to make six 3 x 3 grids of Nine? Think of the diagonal pairs as Xs in squares, and the straights as their edges. If you need any help, or want to check your answers, if you have the Colour Basics deck, you've had the answers all along. Two words: Cube Cards.\n\n\nThere's one Connector Card we haven't talked about yet, but it's the most important middleman of all. Best known as the go-between between Black and White, it's also the Connector for not just the other pairs of opposite Corners, but for all the Connector Cards too... a total of 13 pairs of opposite colours.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7989287376403809}
+{"content": "Where results make sense\n\nTopic: List of brightest stars\n\nRelated Topics\n\nIn the News (Tue 21 May 19)\n\n  List of brightest stars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia\nBelow are the 100 brightest stars as seen from Earth (by apparent magnitude at visible wavelengths) according to the Hipparcos sky survey.\nNote that even the brightest star, at a luminosity of 40 million suns, it is still not the brightest object in the universe.\nThe brightest quasar currently known is the ultraluminous 3C 273 in the constellation of Virgo.\nen.wikipedia.org /wiki/List_of_brightest_stars   (546 words)\n\n The Brightest Stars   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-07)\n, Rigel is the brightest star in Orion.\nAltair is the brightest star Aquila a constellation stradling the equator.\nThe altitude of the star at transit depends on the latitude of the observer and the star's declination.\nwww.faster.co.nz /~rasnz/Stars/BrightStars.htm#top   (4073 words)\n\nThe \"A\" after the star name indicates that it is the brightest in a multiple-star system, although in this type of list, stars which are not visually separate are commonly added together.\nMany multiple star systems are bright enough to be alpha, beta, gamma, or delta in their constellations; that is, the first, second, third, or fourth brightest \"star\" in that constellation.\nOriginally the plan was to call the brightest visible stars \"stars of the first magnitude\" or magnitude = 1 and on down to the faintest visible \"stars of the sixth magnitude\" or magnitude = 6.\nexobio.ucsd.edu /Astronomy/brightest.htm   (496 words)\n\n Wikinfo | Apparent magnitude\nThe apparent magnitude (m) of a star, planet or other heavenly body is a measure of its apparent brightness; that is, its brightness without regard to the object's distance from a point of observation.\nThe brightest stars were said to be of first magnitude (m = +1), those which were only half as bright were of second magnitude, and so on up to sixth magnitude (m = +6), the limit of human visual perception (without a telescope or the like).\nSince cooler stars, such as red giants and red dwarfs, emit little energy in the blue and UV reaches of the spectrum their power is often under-represented by the UBV scale.\nwww.wikinfo.org /wiki.php?title=Apparent_magnitude   (843 words)\n\n The 26 Brightest Stars\nThe magnitude scale was invented by an ancient Greek astronomer named Hipparchus in about 150 B.C. He ranked the stars he could see in terms of their brightness, with 1 representing the brightest down to 6 representing the faintest.\nAll stars are variable to some extent; those which are visibly variable are marked with a \"v\".\nStars can be as bright as absolute magnitude -8 and as faint as absolute magnitude +16 or fainter.\nwww.astro.wisc.edu /~dolan/constellations/extra/brightest.html   (301 words)\n\n KryssTal : Measuring The Stars\nThe brightest stars were said to be of the first magnitude, the next brightest were second magnitude stars.\nA star with a parallax of 1 second of arc (1'') is at a distance of 1 parallax second, which is better known as a Parsec (pc).\nThis is the third brightest star in the sky.\nwww.krysstal.com /thestars.html   (5470 words)\n\n Observers Handbook Table\nThe 314 stars brighter than apparent magnitude 3.55 in both hemispheres are listed with 1996.5 positions.\nThe blue magnitude, B, is the brightness of a star as observed photoelectrically through a blue filter.\nThe sequences are in the sense that the O stars are hottest, M stars are coolest, Ia stars are the most luminous supergiants, III stars are giants and V stars are the most numerous; the V's are known as dwarfs or main-sequence stars.\nwww.astro.utoronto.ca /~garrison/oh.html   (661 words)\n\n Stellar Magnitudes\nClearly, a star that is very bright in our sky could be bright primarily because it is very close to us (the Sun, for example), or because it is rather distant but is intrinsically very bright (Betelgeuse, for example).\nAs we shall see, determining distances to stars is a quite non-trivial matter in the general case.\nHere is a list of the 314 stars brighter than apparent magnitude 3.55 in both hemispheres.\ncsep10.phys.utk.edu /astr162/lect/stars/magnitudes.html   (802 words)\n\n The 50 Brightest Stars Cosmobrain Bright Star Catalog\nIt is intended for use as a source of some basic astronomical and astrophysical data for the 50 brightest stars visible from Earth.\nStars are listed in the order of decreasing visual magnitude.\nSirius is the brightest star in the night sky, visible in the constellation of the Big Dog.\nwww.cosmobrain.com /cosmobrain/res/brightstar.html   (195 words)\n\n New Page 1   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-07)\nAlpha Centauri is the third brightest star and the closest star to the Sun at 4.3 light years away (Eastlick 1).\nThe class K star is much fainter and cooler than the dwarf, and the two almost appear to be the same star when seen through a low-powered telescope.\nThe tenth brightest star in the sky is Beta Centauri, or Hadar.\nwww.svsu.edu /~elmeissn/centaur.htm   (1131 words)\n\n KryssTal: The Brightest Stars\nThis is a list of the 20 brightest stars as seen from the Earth (not including the Sun).\nA star of magnitude 1 is about 2.5 times brighter than a star of magnitude 2 which in turn is 2.5 times brighter than a star of magnitude 3.\nThis the velocity of the star relative to the Sun.\nwww.krysstal.com /brightest.html   (909 words)\n\nBy counting the stars in a representative volume of space, it is possible to measure the relative numbers of different types of stars.\nThe first table in Appendix 10 is a list of the 50 brightest stars (by apparent magnitude), and the second table is a list of nearby stars, to distances up to 5 pc from the Sun.\nDraw an H-R diagram for the stars in the second table in Appendix 10 (the one giving data on the nearest stars), plotting spectral type on the horizontal axis and absolute visual magnitude on the vertical axis.\ncygnus.colorado.edu /Spring'02-Homeworks/Spring'02-HW5.html   (636 words)\n\n Alkaid   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-07)\nThough the name may not be so well known, the star certainly is, as Alkaid is the end star in the handle of the Big Dipper, the great asterism that makes most of the grand constellation Ursa Major, the Greater Bear.\nJust fainter than Dubhe, the front bowl star of the Dipper, second magnitude (1.85) Alkaid is the third brightest star in the constellation and places number 35 in the list of the brightest stars.\nThough Johannes Bayer generally listed stars by Greek letter names in order of brightness within a constellation, the stars of the Dipper are named from west to east, rendering Alkaid Eta Ursae Majoris rather than Beta.\nwww.astro.uiuc.edu /~kaler/sow/alkaid.html   (331 words)\n\n SkyEye - Brightest Stars\nThe smaller the magnitude is, the brighter the star.\nThus, a star of magnitude -1 is brighter than one of magnitude +1 which in turn is brighter than one of magnitude +6.\nTherefore, a star that appears to be very bright in the sky may be very close but intrinsically dim, or very far away and intrinsically bright.\nwww.obliquity.com /skyeye/misc/bright.html   (361 words)\n\n MMSD Planetarium: Madison Skies 02/02\nBelow and to the left of Orion is the brightest star in the nighttime sky, Sirius.\nTaurus' centerpiece star is the fiery orange Aldebaran, number 14 on the all-time brightest list.\nEach of the stars visible to the unaided eye in this cluster are larger and brighter than Sirius, but again, their distance causes them to fade to the limits of visibility.\nwww.madison.k12.wi.us /planetarium/ms_0202.htm   (1504 words)\n\n Orion   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-07)\nThe three stars that form Orion's belt, prominent in the sky mythology of a number of cultures, are Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta Orionis, from northwest to southeast.\nOf these three stars of Orion's belt, Mintaka has the distinction of having a declination of almost exactly zero; its rising marks the east on the horizon, its setting the west.\nHere stars like our Sun are being born; as they ignite, their radiation causes the gas cloud to glow with different colors.\nwww.eastbayastro.org /articles/lore/orion.htm   (429 words)\n\n Brightest Stars\nAny star with a dimmer absolute magnitude is not in the running for brightest star in the Milky Way, and there are quite a few of them.\nThe true brightness of the Pistol star is unknown, as there are two families of model that fit the star's observed photometry.\nMost of the stars listed, some of which appear on no other lists but mine, have no experimental uncertainties attached to their brightness.\nwww.tim-thompson.com /bright-stars.html   (1004 words)\n\n Lists of stars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia\nThe Bright Star Catalog, Astronomical Data Center, NSSDC/ADC, 1991.\nnStars database - NASA database of nearby stars.\nSol Station — information on nearby and bright stars.\nen.wikipedia.org /wiki/List_of_stars   (109 words)\n\n See the Stars by Ken Croswell\nWhile variables, double stars, nebulae, and clusters are listed, the description is not limited to the specifics of the constellation, but rather explores what can be said about the constellation as a whole as well.\nAlso included are a chart to help spot planets that are near the Earth and a list of the brightest stars, telling what constellations they are in and their color.\nThe number of stars in each photo is truly astonishing (overwhelming even); but the important stars (the ones that comprise the constellations) are labeled clearly for the amateur observer.\nkencroswell.com /seethestars.html   (5535 words)\n\n List of brightest stars - Internet-Encyclopedia.com   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-07)\n100 Brightest stars as seen from Earth (by apparent magnitude).\nDouble stars here are treated individually while other lists may combine their brightness.\nFind results for list of brightest stars and anything else you are looking for instantly!\nwww.internet-encyclopedia.com /ie/l/li/list_of_brightest_stars.html   (207 words)\n\n Hawaiian Astronomical Society Deepsky Atlas - Norma\nThe map displays stars to magnitude 10, and deepsky objects to magnitude 12.\nDreyer says it is large (5') and fairly rich (40 stars), with stars ranging from mags.\nLying 1.1° SSE is NGC6005 (Bennett 72), described as fairly small (3'), fairly rich (35 stars) and much compressed.\nwww.hawastsoc.org /deepsky/nor   (593 words)\n\nThe first two tables list the stars alphabetically by proper name (where available, otherwise by Greek letter name or other designation).\nStellar and orbital radii are commonly given in Astronomical Units, where the AU is the average distance between the Earth and Sun (technically the semi-major axis of the Earth's orbit), equal to 150 million kilometers or 93 million miles, or in solar radii, where the solar radius is 696,000 km (432,000 miles).\nAlpha-2 CVn and RS CVn stars have been added to the Proper Name and Greek Letter Name variable star lists.\nwww.astro.uiuc.edu /~kaler/sow/sowlist.html   (1055 words)\n\n Astronomy Links: Neat stuff at night: Constellations and Stars\nThe Brightest Stars - list of the 50 brightest stars in the sky\nThe Constellations and their Stars - everything you would ever want to know about the constellations, including: bright stars, deep sky objects, interactive sky charts, mythology, etc...\nThe Nearest Stars - list of the 50 closest stars to the Sun\nwww.astro.psu.edu /users/stark/viewing/Stars.html   (771 words)\n\n Ed Johnson's Astronomy and Space Page   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-07)\nA listing of the 9000 brightest stars, sortable by magnitude, HR number, constellation, SAO number, position, common name, and double star characteristics is available in Excel HERE.\nFor expanded single star data and close-up map, enter it's name or number HERE Additional commentary on many stars may be found HERE.\nA shorter list, 292 items, having all the common named stars visible from the US is HERE.\nedhiker.home.comcast.net /astro.html   (556 words)\n\n IS 410 Notices   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-07)\nFor example, the first globular cluster on the list is M2, at right ascension 21h 33.5min and declination -0deg 49min.\nFor the brightest stars, only plot the A member of the pair; for the enarest stars, plot both A and B. Also, the spectral classes in the tables include the \"luminosity class\" (pp.\nArcturus (on the list of brightest stars) is listed as a K2IIIp; its spectral class is K2 and luminosity class is IIIp.\nwww.otterbein.edu /home/fac/dvdgrbrt/is410/notice.html   (1223 words)\n\n polaris   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-07)\nThe \"North Star\" or \"Polaris,\" as it is more often called, also has at least nine other names -- Tramontana, Alruccabah, Phoenice, Angel Stern, Yilduz, Navigatoria, Cynosaura, Lodestar, Mismar -- all of which attest to its great historical importance; despite its being quite dim really, and rather lackluster.\nAt magnitude 2.0, it ranks at an unimpressive 50th on the list of brightest stars, which is surely nothing to crow about.\nPolaris is a type of star known as a cepheid, variable stars which are known to flare up and down with the precision of an atomic clock (OK, a Timex).\nhomepage.fcgnetworks.net /rduch/polaris.htm   (328 words)\n\n brightest stars\nTo inspire students who did not quite make it into the list of Brightest Stars to try a little harder in the future.\nWhile these students don't appear on the list of Brightest Stars below, their efforts did not go unnoticed, and I really appreciate all the hard work they have put into this subject.\nNormally, on the \"Brightest Stars\" web page at the end of each term, I list only student names and their results, and perhaps some averages or other statistics.\nwww.infocom.cqu.edu.au /Courses/win2001/COIT11134/Resources/brightest_stars   (762 words)\n\nTry your search on: Qwika (all wikis)\n\nCopyright © 2005-2007 www.factbites.com Usage implies agreement with terms.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5217728018760681}
+{"content": "\n\nHint: keep it simple, like life twain\n\nFacebook share   Tweet This   Email this\n\nMotivational Quotes\n\nMotivational Prize Quotes\n\nMay these quotes about Prize inspire and motivate you.\n\nFar and away the best prize that life has to offer\nis the chance to work hard at work worth doing.\n- Theodore Roosevelt\n\nRelated topics: Motivational Values\n\nI have three precious things which I hold fast and prize.\nThe first is gentleness;\nthe second is frugality;\nthe third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others.\nBe gentle and you can be bold;\nbe frugal and you can be generous;\navoid putting yourself before others\nand you can become a leader among men.\n- Lao Tzu\n\nThe rapture of pursuing is the prize the vanquished gain.\n- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow\n\nI was the fattest baby in Clark County,\nThey put me in the newspaper.\nIt was like a prize turnip.\n- Billy Bob Thornton\n\n\nI'm not aiming for the Nobel Peace Prize!\n- Omar Bongo\n\nI got my Nobel Prize for my lab work.\n- Joshua Lederberg\n\nWhen women kiss it always reminds one of prize fighters shaking hands.\n- H. L. Mencken\n\n\nThank you for joining me on this journey we call life,\n- Jonathan Lockwood Huie\n\n\nYour E-Mail Address:\nYour Name:\n\n\n\nIt is the Nobel Prize I want.\nIt's worth $400,000.\n- Klaus Kinski\n\nThe prize money for first place was $2,800,\nbut I didn't take it because I was still an amateur.\n- Tracy Austin\n\nSo see every opportunity as golden, and keep your eyes on the prize -\nnot anybody else's.\n- Roberta Flack\n\nThe years since the Nobel Prize have been productive ones for me.\n- Philip Warren Anderson\n\nThink of war as a game of Russian roulette.\nIt is a game of chance with your life as the grand prize.\n- Ramman Kenoun\n\nAnd should think freedom more to prize,\nthan all the gold in world that is.\n- John Barbour\n\nI have never received a Farthing of Prize Money either\nfor Artillery Ammunition or Vessels.\n- Abraham Whipple\n\nThe prize seemed to change my professional life very little.\n- Philip Warren Anderson\n\nPresenting statues of honor to reporters for covering\nan earthquake is like presenting a first prize to a\ndoctor for performing surgery.\n- Phil Donahue\n\nThe only prize much cared for by the powerful is power.\n- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.\n\nAs for me, prizes are nothing.\nMy prize is my work.\n- Katharine Hepburn\n\nThe greater the artist, the greater the doubt.\n- Robert Hughes\n\nPlease stop teaching my children that everyone gets\na trophy just for participating.\nWhat is this, the Nobel Prize? Not everybody gets a trophy.\n- Glenn Beck\n\nWe won a contest at the teen fair in Vancouver and\nthe first prize was a recording contract and we recorded\nat a radio station on the stairway,\nand we did a record and it got put out.\n- Tommy Chong\n\nMy wife thought I deserved it, but I always thought\nthe Nobel a Western prize.\n- Naguib Mahfouz\n\nThe Nobel Prize gives one the opportunity to take public stands.\n- Philip Warren Anderson\n\nOf course, today at the Karolinska Institute,\nI am working with some top experts -\neven some Nobel prize winners.\nThey have the latest news and I have the technique.\n- Lennart Nilsson\n\nA woman may not hit a ball stronger than a man,\nbut it is different.\nI prize that difference.\n- Louise Berliawsky Nevelson\n\nOne effect that the Nobel Prize seems to have had is\nthat more Arabic literary works have been translated into other languages.\n- Naguib Mahfouz\n\nIn war there is no prize for runner-up.\n- Lucius Annaeus Seneca\n\nI can't laugh, be happy, present myself at any prize\nand also win on the centre court.\n- Gabriela Sabatini\n\nWhen His Holiness won the Nobel Peace Prize,\nthere was a quantum leap.\nHe is not seen as solely a Tibetan anymore;\nhe belongs to the world.\n- Richard Gere\n\nThey gave me away as a prize once - a Win Tony Curtis\nFor A Weekend competition.\nThe woman who won was disappointed.\nShe'd hoped for second prize - a new stove.\n- Tony Curtis\n\nJournalists prize independence - not teamwork.\n- Ken Auletta\n\nI was making a lot of momentous personal decisions.\nI was still very very young: when the prize was awarded,\nI was 33; the work I had done when I was 21.\n- Joshua Lederberg\n\nLet us prize our freedom; but not use our liberty for\na cloak of maliciousness.\n- Jonathan Mayhew\n\nIf I could explain it to the average person,\nI wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.\n- Richard P. Feynman\n\nI am the same person I was before receiving the Nobel Prize.\nI work with the same regularity, I have not modified my habits,\nI have the same friends.\n- Jose Saramago\n\nWake the power within thee slumbering,\ntrim the plot that's in thy keeping,\nthou wilt bless the task when reaping sweet labour's prize.\n- John Stuart Blackie\n\nIt is a remarkable honor to receive a Nobel Prize,\nbecause it not only recognizes discoveries,\nbut also their usefulness to the advancement of fundamental science.\n- Peter Agre\n\nMy dad was in the Army and we traveled all over the\nplace and I never failed to win first prize.\n- Randy Gardner\n\nBe it jewel or toy, not the prize gives the joy,\nbut the striving to win the prize.\n- Robert Bulwer-Lytton\n\nRemember that you are an Englishman,\nand have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life.\n- Cecil Rhodes\n\n- Lois McMaster Bujold\n\nIn high school, I won a prize for an essay on tuberculosis.\nWhen I got through writing the essay,\nI was sure I had the disease.\n- Constance Baker Motley\n\nI was in 27 Broadway plays, and three of them got the Pulitzer Prize.\n- Dick Van Patten\n\nWhat men prize most is a privilege, even if it be that\nof chief mourner at a funeral.\n- James Russell Lowell\n\nThe courage we desire and prize is not the courage to die decently,\nbut to live manfully.\n- Thomas Carlyle\n\nI also won one from the emperor of Japan,\nwith a prize for the arts.\nThat's important.\n- Marcel Carne\n\nThe highest prize in a world of men is the most beautiful\nwoman available on your arm and living there in her heart loyal to you.\n- Norman Mailer\n\nI am thankful, of course, for the prize and thankful to God for each story,\neach idea, each word, each day.\n- Isaac Bashevis Singer\n\nI also read modern novels - I have just had to read\n60 as I am one of the judges for the Orange Fiction Prize.\n- Kate Adie\n\nIn ambition, as in love, the successful can afford\nto be indulgent toward their rivals.\nThe prize our own, it is graceful to recognize the\nmerit that vainly aspired to it.\n- Christian Nestell Bovee\n\nI suppose my little Martin acoustic guitar is quickly\nbecoming a prize possession.\nIt's a lovely guitar.\nI bought it at the Cambridge Folk Festival in 2001 before I had cleaned up.\n- Graham Coxon\n\nI've never wanted just part of the package,\npart of the prize.\nI want it all!\n- Bill McCartney\n\nThe paper nominated me 12 or 13 times for the Pulitzer Prize.\n- Robert Scheer\n\nI have never seen a wrestling match or a prize fight,\nand I don't want to.\nWhen I find out a man is interested in these sports,\nI drop him.\n- Hedy Lamarr\n\nThe Nobel Prize is given as a personal award but it\nalso honors the field of research in which I have worked\nand it also honors my students and colleagues.\n- Robert Hofstadter\n\nIn fact, 37 percent of all United States Nobel Prize\nwinners in the 20th century have been representatives of the Jewish community.\n- Jon Porter\n\nMy countrymen have the right to shake my hand and talk to me if they so wish.\nDon't forget that their support and their reading of\nmy works is what brought me the Nobel prize.\n- Naguib Mahfouz\n\nIf I found a cure for a huge disease,\nwhile I was hobbling up onstage to accept the Nobel\nPrize they'd be playing the theme song from 'Three's Company'.\n- John Ritter\n\nthe feeling that my literature could be appreciated\non an international level.\n- Naguib Mahfouz\n\nA Swedish newspaper reporter called and said,\nYou've been awarded the Prize.\nI was quite sure it was a practical joke.\n- Joshua Lederberg\n\nTo be awarded a prize which takes its name from an\nillustrious Dutchman who at the same time was a great\ncitizen of Europe and through his writings did so much\nto open up our modern world of sensibility and thought\nis indeed a most signal honour.\n- John G. D. Clark\n\nThat work led to the emergence of the recombinant DNA\ntechnology thereby providing a major tool for analyzing\nmammalian gene structure and function and formed the\nbasis for me receiving the 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.\n- Paul Berg\n\nInvite the best and brightest to compete for a grand\nprize to come up with designs,\nincluding new zoning, building codes and so forth,\nfor New Orleans that could make it safe from water,\nand let the state and city pick the plan that works best for Louisiana.\n- Billy Tauzin\n\nOdd, the years it took to learn one simple fact:\nthat the prize just ahead,\nthe next job, publication, love affair,\nmarriage always seemed to hold the key to satisfaction but never,\nin the longer run, sufficed.\n- Carolyn Heilbrun\n\nThe Nobel award occasions a unique celebration of the\nvision of science by the public at large.\nThe prestige the prize confers today is largely due\nto the extraordinary diligence of the Nobel committees.\n- Kenneth G. Wilson\n\nWinning the Pulitzer is not that big a deal.\nI have seen hundreds of plays that have won the prize\nand you couldn't sit half way through it.\nThe Pulitzer is a common prize that means very little.\n- Richard Harris\n\nThe Nobel Prize is an honor unique in the world in\nhaving found its way into the hearts and minds of simple people everywhere.\nIt casts a light of peace and reason upon us all;\nand for that I am especially grateful.\n- George Wald\n\nThere's a certain logic to systems, and that logic is fairly self-evident.\nIt's very straightforward, usually.\nIt might take a little research, it might take a little\nbit of industry to prize it out,\nbut it's there to be seen.\n- Michael Nesmith\n\nIn its conception the literature prize belongs to days\nwhen a writer could still be thought of as,\nby virtue of his or her occupation, a sage,\nsomeone with no institutional affiliations who could\n- J. M. Coetzee\n\nthe first Nobel Prize winner,\nPaul Samuelson, was also from Gary, as were several\nother distinguished economists.\n- Joseph E. Stiglitz\n\nIn 1982 when I showed up, the average age of the drivers\nin the series was something like 40,\nThe crowds were small.\nThere was not much prize money.\nThe competition wasn't very tight.\n- Bobby Rahal\n\nThank you for visiting: Prize Quotes to Inspire and Motivate.\n\n\n- Jonathan Lockwood Huie\n\n\nYour E-Mail Address:\nYour Name:\n\n\n\nMotivational Quotes\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6535657644271851}
+{"content": "How To Spell NESTS?\n\nCorrect spelling: NESTS\n\nWhat does the abbreviation NESTS mean?\n\nGoogle Ngram Viewer results for NESTS:\n\nThis graph shows how \"NESTS\" have occurred between 1800 and 2008 in a corpus of English books.\n\nWhat are the usage examples for NESTS?\n\n  1. What has been noticed about them and their nests – Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Nature Study by Ontario Ministry of Education\n  2. Here the birds which fly farther north in summer make their nests – Stories of Birds by Lenore Elizabeth Mulets\n  3. And then he shut his little eyes, And flowers would notice not; Birds' nests and eggs caused no surprise, He now no blossoms got: They met with plaintive sighs. – Poems Chiefly From Manuscript by John Clare\n  4. These nests are half the size of a woman's hand. – Old Jack by W.H.G. Kingston\n  5. \" I don't believe in those herons' nests interrupted another voice, \" but if at any time I should be jealous, I'd know how to watch and still keep myself hidden.\" – The Social Cancer A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere by José Rizal\n  6. Circumstances point to the conclusion that most of the nests contain eggs. – My Tropic Isle by E J Banfield\n  7. I thought you were going to take wasps' nests – Scenes and Characters by Charlotte M. Yonge\n  8. In the trees he told the birds to build their nests and soon all the animals and birds were happy and contented in their homes. – Thirty Indian Legends by Margaret Bemister\n  9. A good many birds are almost dying out in Great Britain, because so many boys bag all their eggs when they find their nests – Young Knights of the Empire by Sir Robert Baden-Powell\n  10. I recently discovered one of these nests in a most interesting situation. – Wake-Robin by John Burroughs", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7046343088150024}
+{"content": "Dirk Maggs\n\nDirk Maggs.\n\nDirk Maggs is a freelance writer and director working across all media, principally known for his work with audio drama, which he has evolved into \"Audio Movies\", a near-visual approach combining scripts, layered sound effects, cinematic music and cutting edge technology. He directed the audio drama adaptations of Alien: Out of the Shadows, Alien: River of Pain and Alien: Sea of Sorrows.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.000006079673767}
+{"content": "\nFish oil is a commonly used fatty acid supplement because it is a source of omega-3 fatty acids.[43] Fatty acids are strings of carbon atoms, having a range of lengths. If links are all single (C-C), then the fatty acid is called saturated; with one double bond (C=C), it is called monounsaturated; if there are two or more double bonds (C=C=C), it is called polyunsaturated. Only two fatty acids, both polyunsaturated, are considered essential to be obtained from the diet, as the others are synthesized in the body. The \"essential\" fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid, and linoleic acid (LA), an omega-6 fatty acid.[43][44] ALA can be elongated in the body to create other omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).\n\nSalt, caffeine and alcohol intake may interfere with the balance of calcium in the body by affecting the absorption of calcium and increasing the amount lost in the urine. Moderate alcohol intake (one to two standard drinks per day) and moderate tea, coffee and caffeine-containing drinks (no more than six cups per day) are recommended. Avoid adding salt at the table and in cooking\nThe tiny gender differences in minerals other than calcium and iron depend on body size. But while the dietary requirements for selenium fit this rule, men may benefit from supplements of about 200 micrograms a day, a level about four times above the RDA. That's because both a clinical trial and an observational study suggest that selenium may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. It's far from proven, but it's something for men to consider.\n\nDitching the habit and instead focus on good-for-you foods, says Frank Lipman, MD, integrative and functional medicine physician, founder of Eleven Eleven Wellness Center and author of The New Health Rules. Instead of how many calories, ask yourself where the food came from and if it's nutritious. \"Healthy, nutrient-rich foods will keep hunger at bay, help maintain stable blood sugar levels, minimize cravings, and help your brain signal your belly when you're full,\" he says. In other words, you don't have to go through all the trouble of counting.\n\nWomen need more of this mineral because they lose an average of 15 to 20 milligrams of iron each month during menstruation. Without enough iron, iron deficiency anemia can develop and cause symptoms that include fatigue and headaches. After menopause, body iron generally increases. Therefore, iron deficiency in women older than 50 years of age may indicate blood loss from another source and should be checked by a physician.\nWe use cookies to optimize and personalize your experience, provide relevant content and analyze online traffic. We also share information with our analytics and website partners, who may use it to inform decisions about current or future services. By clicking “Agree,” you consent to use cookies if you continue to our website. You can manage your cookie settings by clicking the \"cookie preferences\" button.\n\n\nThe dietary supplements industry in the United Kingdom (UK), one of the 28 countries in the bloc, strongly opposed the Directive. In addition, a large number of consumers throughout Europe, including over one million in the UK, and various doctors and scientists, had signed petitions by 2005 against what are viewed by the petitioners as unjustified restrictions of consumer choice.[95] In 2004, along with two British trade associations, the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) had a legal challenge to the Food Supplements Directive[96] referred to the European Court of Justice by the High Court in London.[97]\n\nSubstances which the FDA regulates as food are subdivided into various categories, including foods, food additives, added substances (man-made substances which are not intentionally introduced into food, but nevertheless end up in it), and dietary supplements. The specific standards which the FDA exercises differ from one category to the next. Furthermore, the FDA has been granted a variety of means by which it can address violations of the standards for a given category of substances.\nThe United States Food and Drug Administration, Office of Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations, monitors supplement products for accuracy in advertising and labeling, and when finding violations, warns manufacturers of impending enforcement action, including search and seizure, injunction, and/or financial penalties, such as for a Maine supplement company in 2017.[80] The United States Federal Trade Commission, which litigates against deceptive advertising,[67] established a consumer center to assist reports of false health claims in product advertising for dietary supplements,[81] and, in 2017, successfully sued nine manufacturers for deceptive advertising of dietary supplements.[82]\nKeep in mind that some ingredients found in dietary supplements are added to a growing number of foods, including breakfast cereals and beverages. As a result, you may be getting more of these ingredients than you think, and more might not be better. Taking more than you need is always more expensive and can also raise your risk of experiencing side effects. For example, getting too much vitamin A can cause headaches and liver damage, reduce bone strength, and cause birth defects. Excess iron causes nausea and vomiting and may damage the liver and other organs.\nFor example, while increased consumption of fruits and vegetables are related to decreases in mortality, cardiovascular diseases and cancers, supplementation with key factors found in fruits and vegetable, like antioxidants, vitamins, or minerals, do not help and some have been found to be harmful in some cases.[86][87] In general as of 2016, robust clinical data is lacking, that shows that any kind of dietary supplementation does more good than harm for people who are healthy and eating a reasonable diet but there is clear data showing that dietary pattern and lifestyle choices are associated with health outcomes.[88][89]\nNutritional supplements may be an effective way to meet your dietary needs. Nutritional supplements may also be used to replace a meal. A supplement is a product taken orally that contains one or more ingredients that are intended to supplement one's diet. They can also be added in between your regular meals to help you to gain weight. Walgreens offers a variety of supplements so you can choose a type that not only tastes good, but also meets your needs.\n\nMany supplements have mild effects with few risks. But use caution. Vitamin K, for example, will reduce the ability of blood thinners to work. Ginkgo can increase blood thinning. The herb St. John’s wort is sometimes used to ease depression, anxiety or nerve pain, but it can also speed the breakdown of many drugs—such as antidepressants and birth control pills—and make them less effective.\n\nWow this article is amazing and believe everyone who wants to learn how to make healthy lifestyle changes should read this. The part that resinated with me the most was how you talked about not going cold turkey and gave the example how you cut coffee from your diet. I did this exact same thing, and still doing it will other health choices. I truly believe when people slowing make changes they are more effective for longer term results. People need to understand it’s not a diet it’s about making healthy lifestyle choices. It takes 21-66 days to form a habit, so be patient and consistent. The results will follow and you will be much happier in the long run.\n\n\nAnother spin on the 80/20 rule, says Dr. Lipman: stopping eating when you're 80% full. That means slowing down and checking in periodically throughout the meal about what your body is saying. Does the food no longer taste great? Are you getting that \"I don't really need any more feeling\"? Thinking 80/20 as you eat can help slow you down and be more mindful. Being in tune with your body prevents overeating, he says.\nHigher dosages may be given after having consulted a therapist who has measured the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in relevant cell membranes (red blood cells). In most industrialized countries, many people get too much of the omega-6 fatty acids, and would therefore benefit from eating more seafood or taking supplements with omega-3 fatty acids derived from organisms low in the food chain (algae, krill). Flax seeds contain a high level of the essential omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, and freshly ground flaxseed meal or flax oil can be mixed with breakfast cereals or smoothies. Note that it may be advisable to limit eating farmed fish to once per week, since their fodder contains less omega-3 fatty acids than the food eaten by wild fish, and possibly also contains more contaminants. [12] Some researchers even warn against letting children eat too much fish because of the content of environmental toxins. [13,14]\nFirst, there is the sensation of eating the food. This includes what it tastes like (salty, sweet, umami, etc.), what it smells like, and how it feels in your mouth. This last quality — known as “orosensation” — can be particularly important. Food companies will spend millions of dollars to discover the most satisfying level of crunch in a potato chip. Food scientists will test for the perfect amount of fizzle in a soda. These elements all combine to create the sensation that your brain associates with a particular food or drink.\nWhen shopping for an herbal supplement, it's important to verify which parts of the plant were used in its production. Different components can produce different effects, some of which can harm your health. For example, research shows that while the roots of the herb kava seem to be safe, its stem peelings and leaves may contain compounds that could be toxic to the liver. Talking with your doctor or herbalist can help you determine which plant parts to look for.\nA well-known example is vitamin C, which can effectively fight viral infections, prevent or reverse disease caused by bacteria, and help the body detoxify organic and inorganic toxins. [45] Vitamin C also reduces the risk for cancer, strengthens connective tissues (collagen), and counteracts stress by increasing the adrenal´s production of cortisol. The dose required is set according to the body's need. Nobel Price Laureate Linus Pauling suggested that an optimal daily intake of vitamin C could vary from at least 250 mg up to 20 grams per day. [46] Because unabsorbed vitamin C attracts water into the gut, some people may experience loose stools, gas and/or diarrhea by ingesting only 1-2 grams at a time, while others with a higher level of stress may tolerate 5-6 grams or more. The dose that causes loose stools is called the \"bowel tolerance\" for vitamin C. [47] To avoid the laxative effect of high doses, it is best to take vitamin C throughout the day in smaller divided doses.\nThe European Union's (EU) Food Supplements Directive of 2002 requires that supplements be demonstrated to be safe, both in dosages and in purity.[93] Only those supplements that have been proven to be safe may be sold in the EU without prescription. As a category of food, food supplements cannot be labeled with drug claims but can bear health claims and nutrition claims.[94]\n\nThe use of dietary supplements is widespread. High doses of vitamins are thought to be helpful because they help the body recover from damage and maintain itself long-term. Many vitamins are not harmful in doses even 10 to 100-fold higher than officially recommended. Some governments warn about possible negative side effects, even including increased mortality from \"excessive\" intake of certain supplements. However, supplements of essential nutrients have been available for more than 80 years. They are known to be safe, and the observed side effects are generally mild with few exceptions.\n\nNutritional supplements are used for many purposes. They can be added to the diet to boost overall health and energy; to provide immune system support and reduce the risks of illness and age-related conditions; to improve performance in athletic and mental activities; and to support the healing process during illness and disease. However, most of these products are treated as food and not regulated as drugs are.\nMaintaining a healthy weight is important piece of the puzzle to achieve good health. A healthy weight can be determined using the body mass index charts (see web source below). If you find you are overweight or obese, weight loss may be beneficial for you. Before you begin any weight loss efforts, consult with your medical provider and/or consult a registered dietitian to create a weight loss plan. If you are underweight, consult a medical provider to assess your weight status.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8666003942489624}
+{"content": "Why Bookkeepers are Essential Partners to Hospitality Businesses\n\nMay 16, 2019 Morgan Bailey\n\nHospitality Playbook\n\nThe hospitality industry is a big part of the economy, accounting for hundreds of billions of dollars each year. Hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops are just a few examples of businesses in this industry, which all operate in fast-paced and challenging environments.\n\nGiven the intensity of the hospitality industry, many businesses that fall under this umbrella get used to operating in a state of chaos, causing owners and staff to face many challenges that might get in the way of running a smooth business. One of these challenges can be accurate, up-to-date books.\n\nBookkeeping can be low on the priority list for hospitality businesses because it may not seem vital in their day-to-day operations. For example, at a restaurant, if a bar back loses an invoice from a food supplier, the restaurant doesn’t grind to a halt. However, if no one is available to receive a food delivery, the entire day (or week) might be lost for the business. It’s easy to see what would take priority.\n\nWhile a lost receipt or invoice doesn’t have immediate ramifications, it will invariably lead to poor financial reporting, which can put an entire business in jeopardy in the long term. Let’s take a look at some of the additional bookkeeping challenges hospitality businesses face, and how bookkeepers can help business owners overcome them.\n\nThe challenge: long hours, lots of paper, and disorganization\n\nWhen we think about businesses in the hospitality industry, often the first thing that comes to mind is the long hours of operation. Most hotels and motels are staffed 24 hours a day, and restaurants often open for lunch and don’t close until the early hours of the morning!\n\nAs a result, receipts, bills, invoices, and other source documents can be generated at any hour of the day or night. This means that there won’t always be a staff member on hand who is responsible for tracking or processing the documents.\n\nWithout specific rules and processes in place for collecting and managing financial documents, the risk for poorly organized and lost documents is high, and keeping accurate and up-to-date books can be a huge challenge for restaurants, hotels, and other hospitality businesses.\n\nAdditionally, many businesses in this industry are required to use paper receipts and bills from both suppliers and customers, so they cannot digitize their documents at the creation point as easily as other industries. Being forced to operate using hard copies adds to the risk of losing documents, and makes it harder to keep the books organized. As a result, supplier bills can be handled incorrectly, and a business might be surprised to learn it owes hundreds of dollars at the end of the month.\n\nWhile the hospitality industry can still be paper-based in several ways, technology is also acting as a disruptor. For example, new POS solutions such as tablet ordering and payment systems have allowed many businesses to improve and expedite customer experience. However, it’s important to ensure that new technology can be seamlessly integrated with the business’s existing tech stack, and doesn't add any further complications or inefficiencies.\n\nFortunately, these challenges present an exciting opportunity for advisors who have the experience and expertise necessary to help hospitality businesses set up more efficient back-office systems.\n\nHow bookkeepers can provide additional value to hospitality clients\n\nAccurate and up-to-date bookkeeping is invaluable for any business. Knowing the state of accounts and exactly where money is being spent and made is crucial. As mentioned above, hospitality industry businesses face several ongoing challenges that can impact the state of their books. Outsourcing to a bookkeeper is often an easy decision, and it’s even shown to increase the success rate for SMBs in general.\n\nBookkeepers’ roles with SMB clients are evolving beyond bookkeeping – in fact, bookkeepers who leverage cloud technology are well-positioned to not only help them stay up-to-date with their finances, but also to help them increase overall business efficiency. Helping hospitality businesses implement a standardized workflow will enable them to experience a number of benefits. For instance, a single system for tracking and processing source documents provides clear instructions to hospitality staff, and will increase the speed at which you can close their books, and reduce the risk of lost documents.\n\nIf no system previously existed for a client, clear and easy-to-follow instructions for what to do with receipts, bills, and other documents will increase efficiency for all staff members who generate source documents. As the advisor, a standard, technology-enabled workflow will enable you to access information about who is efficient at sending documents, and who might need a bit of help.\n\nFurthermore, through quicker and more accurate monthly bookkeeping, you’ll be better equipped to provide timely business insights for clients. In the hospitality industry where margins can be slim and finances very tight, detailed insight into cash flow, financial planning, and the business’ overall financial health will not only add value, but will also save time, and could help a business become more successful and profitable. Taking this burden off an owner will free them up to focus on growing a successful business, and has the potential to create long-term, prosperous clients.\n\nA resource toolkit for bookkeepers working with hospitality clients\n\nFor bookkeepers looking to expand their client base, hospitality businesses present an exciting opportunity.\n\nHelping them to implement a standard workflow that includes technology and automates clients’ document collection, bill pay, and reconciliation can truly add value to this type of client.\n\nFor more information on how to leverage technology to better service hospitality businesses, Xero recently produced the Hospitality App Playbook, the latest in Xero’s app playbook series. Download it to learn how to select the right technology they need to provide more value to clients in the hospitality industry.\n\nLearn how to better serve hospitality clients – download the Xero Hospitality App Playbook!\n\nAbout the Author\n\nMorgan Bailey\n\nMorgan is Content Marketing Specialist at Hubdoc. He is a graduate of University of Toronto and has a Postgraduate Certificate in Public Relations from Humber College. Morgan is an avid coin and banknote collector and always enjoys learning about coins from around the world.\n\nFollow on Linkedin More Content by Morgan Bailey\n\nNo Previous Articles\n\nNext Article\nHow Bill & Receipt Data Extraction Enable Seamless Bookkeeping\nHow Bill & Receipt Data Extraction Enable Seamless Bookkeeping\n\nBill and receipt data extraction can be powerful to make bookkeeping seamless. Learn how Hubdoc extracts da...\n\n\nJoin 10,000+ forward-thinking accountants & bookkeepers.\n\nSubscribe to our monthly newsletter!\n\nFirst Name\nLast Name\nCompany Name\nThank you!\nError - something went wrong!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5341944694519043}
+{"content": "Deutsche Post Headquarters\n\nPile Monitoring\n\nBonn, Germany: Here on the banks of the Rhine river, a 48-story tower is under construction. It is the new headquarters building for Deutsche Post, the German post office.\n\nThe tower will stand on a reinforced-concrete slab supported by sixty piles. The piles, 1.5 meters in diameter and 15 meters long, were cast into borings that pass through alluvium to limestone bedrock below. To verify that the piles and slab would perform as designed, an instrumentation system had to be installed. The builders, Hoctief AG, chose Interfels for this task.\n\nInterfels instrumented ten of the sixty piles with specially-designed pile pressure cells, shown at left. The cells have a diameter of 1.3 meters and are filled with hydraulic oil. Vibrating-wire pressure transducers manufactured by Slope Indicator measure the hydraulic pressure in the cell.\n\nEight of the ten piles were instrumented with pressure cells attached to the top of the reinforcing cage. The other two piles were instrumented more completely, as shown in the drawing below. Pressure cells were attached to the bottom as well as the top, and sister bars with VW spot-weldable strain gauges were welded to the cage.\n\nConcrete beds were formed at the bottom of the borings for the two fully instrumented piles. Then the reinforcing cages were lowered into the borings and concreted. The bottom cell on each of these piles was sandwiched between two load-distribution plates, and a large concrete lens was attached to the lower plate. A thick rubber ring was vulcanized to the outside edge of the lower plate to prevent bonding between the plate and the concrete so that loads pass directly through the cell.\n\nAs the slab was built, Interfels installed twelve earth-pressure cells at the interface between the foundation soil and the slab. The 3.5-meter thick slab will weigh 22,000 metric Tonnes when completed. Eventual loads on the piles are expected to reach 20 MN at the top and 10 MN at the bottom. Loads on the earth pressure cells are expected to reach 500 kN.\n\nAt the time of this writing, the slab is nearly finished and the instrumentation has confirmed the activation of the piles. Later, all instruments will be connected to a CR10X data logger, and the system will continue to monitor the foundation until completion of the project in 2002.\n\nThanks to Juergen Kienle for providing this story.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9992952942848206}
+{"content": "posture RSS\n\nBody Health, Featured, Fitness, Health, lifestyle, Nutrition, posture, Supplements, Wellbeing -\n\n Every movement we take and every load we hold in exercise is achieved with the aid of at least one joint. Joints (articulations) consist of several different types. From nigh on immovable links between the flat bones of the skull to the madly handy joint of the humerus and scapula (the shoulder joint) and everything in between. We all essentially comprehend what a joint is, its where two bones come together. In actual fact a joint is just that, an articulation between two or more end-to-end bones. It may either deliver movement or stability, depending on the structural design of...\n\nRead more", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9344257712364197}
+{"content": "Tips from the Tassel\n\n\n\nEducation, Appreciation, Gratification\n\nAs I unpack from a trip we took to Paris to celebrate our daughter’s eighteenth birthday and graduation from high school, I realize the relationship between education, appreciation, and gratification. It seems the more effort we put into an endeavor, the more rewarding the outcome.\n\nI’m referring to the difference between going through a museum and briefly glancing at a piece of artwork and noting the artist’s name, or enjoying the artwork because you have not only tried your hand at painting, but you are intrigued with the artist’s ability to capture light, image, or feeling on canvas using only a paintbrush and pigments. My daughter’s response after spending a day at the Louvre was delight. She was thrilled to see artwork in person she had only ever read about or seen in books. I shared her delight, because I took pleasure in her experience. As home school parents, we have the ability to lay a foundation as well participate in the celebration of its completion.\n\nMy daughter took three years of college French as well as a course in conversational French. She couldn’t have been more excited to visit the country of the language she has come to love. If you have ever studied a foreign language, you know the painstaking hours necessary for proficiency and fluency. In my daughter’s case, her interest and affection for language seemed to coincide with her love of detail and order. The beauty of home education is it affords the opportunity to teach to your child’s love and strength without neglecting the necessary academic foundations. We were able to pour into her coursework a blend of language courses and experiences which produced a love for languages and the people who speak them. Three years of French at a local college, Pimsler conversational courses, living and traveling abroad, having international students as friendship partners and house guests, etc. have all proven to be seeds which have yielded a harvest of empathy in my daughter’s character. It is no wonder that she chose to study linguistics at college.\n\nWhether it’s a foreign language, a musical instrument, or advanced mathematics, we persevere hoping to enjoy the fruit of our labor and theirs. I’m here to encourage you not to give up, for our labor is not in vain.\n\nPerhaps you are a parent about to begin your home school year and wonder if all the preparation is worth it. Or you are worried your children will not catch your enthusiasm over the history unit study you’ve prepared. Don’t falter at the first sign of resistance. Push on through. ..for when you have passed a passion on to your student there is a satisfaction like little else.\n\nGombate! as the Japanese would say.\n\nThe meaning actually is “Please work hard!”, but we usually use it like “Good luck!” in English. Also the rōmaji should be “ganbatte”, and the kanji is「頑張って」（がんばって）。“What Does Gambate Mean?” HiNative,\n\n\n\nPlay With Your Kids\n\nMy mother enjoys life and lives it to the limit. I learned the importance of fun from her. The times we spent playing tennis, swimming, going on adventures, traveling, singing, dancing, roller skating, etc., are fused into my memory with joy and cannot be erased by time. I want my children to remember their childhood as a time of fun shared experiences.\n\nAs home school moms, so much of the time with our children is spent doing household chores, homeschooling, and taking them to extracurricular activities, that there is little time left to enjoy together. My simple tip today is to remember to have fun with your children. Sing, laugh, play the never-ending game of Monopoly, create Lego contraptions, draw pictures, go on scavenger hunts, and dress up with them. The options are as limitless as your imagination.\n\nRemember, time with our children at home is a precious commodity. It seems like a moment and they are grown and gone. So, go play with your kids!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5018240809440613}
+{"content": "Olympic women’s hockey tournament a fun ride for the parents\n\nBy Robyn Flynn Feb 21, 2018\nAs Canadians got ready for a showdown between Canada and the USA’s women’s hockey teams on Wednesday night, there was a group of people who were more nervous and excited than the rest of us; their parents.\n\nWhile the world sees Marie-Philip Poulin as “Captain Clutch” and a two-time gold medal goal scoring hero, her friends and family know her as the shy, humble, small-town girl Marie-Philip from Beauceville, Quebec.\n\nWhile the country settles in to hold their breath for every shot that Shannon Szabados faces, Gary and Sharyl Szabados will be watching their little girl attempt to win yet another Olympic gold medal.\n\nBrianne Jenner is already an Olympic gold medalist and Clarkson Cup champion, but her parents know that she is so much more than an athlete.\n\n“We’re very proud that Brianne is well-rounded,” Brenda Jenner said. “She’s pursued her academics at high levels, has been very involved in lots of mental health initiatives, and...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8732604384422302}
+{"content": "Light of the World\n\n*This is my tribute to all the phenomenal women in my life, to those who have and continue to inspire me, and to those I have yet to meet.\n\nCheers to those girls who had to grow up a little earlier than their peers. Those girls who were thrust with responsibility and old woman’s wisdom when they should’ve been playing house without a care in the world. Those girls who grew into independence and resiliency and wore them well into adulthood. I see you and admire your beauty shaped by the years of inner struggles, some still ongoing, and the battles you survived. Your brave hearts that still give, despite past hurts and coming up empty more times than you want to admit. You carry the weight of the world in your arms strong enough for burdens, but always soft for the ones you love. Cheers to you, to us, because we aren’t celebrated or appreciated enough often by those around us. But we can acknowledge each other, wish each other “Blessed be” when our paths cross, and say we are phenomenal women. We are the pillars of love, hope, and strength in a world that will always look towards our light.\n\nGardens by the Bay, Singapore (2013)\n\n\nLucky 3\n\nI’ve always thought 3 was my lucky number. It was always my class number in school, my favorite number, one of my fixed lottery numbers, my go-to number.\n\nI am the third child, the third daughter, the third Maria, lucky Sunday girl. My birthday is the twelfth of the first month: 1 + 2 = 3.\n\nI look for signs in threes. If I meet my love someday, they’ll have some connection with 3.\n\nAnd yes, I am aware that I wrote this on the 3rd day of the 3rd month of a universal ‘3’ year: 333. A year of truth, love, joy, inspiration, creativity, authenticity, spirituality, abundance, and beauty. Of blessings overflowing, wishes being fulfilled, and becoming one with the Universe. Being the light and shining a light for others.\n\nLucky 3, come, let’s weave our magic together.\n\n\nImage credit: Elena G on Unsplash", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5397765040397644}
+{"content": "How to Lose Your Verbal…\n\nHow to Lose Your Verbal Filter (and Be the Best Version of Yourself)\n\nby L\n\n\nResults cannot be guaranteed. I am not to be blamed, sued or held liable for your actions, as well as results not meeting the reader’s expectations. Not all non-filters are the same. This guide is not the one-pill-solution for your problems.\n\nMy Story.\n\nI’ve struggled communicating my thoughts and feelings since I was a kid — and I still do. It might have had to do with the way my parents raised me (and the way their parents raised them). It took time but I eventually removed my verbal filter, which was preventing me from communicating my thoughts and feelings. Why bother doing that?\n\nI was getting awful headaches, because I would think too much. I also a unhappy kid; I thought everyone was out to get me and I had a chip on my shoulder. Luckily, my older brother helped me lose my verbal filter; he helped me realize that I needed to communicate these thoughts and ideas, because people can’t read minds and they might not be cognizant of their actions. The process of losing my filter was a long and arduous one.\n\nOnce I lost it, I realized how this skill can be used in various situations. Here’s one story that comes to mind:\n\nI was walking home with a friend, Lawrence, when I saw this gentleman attempting to pick up/hit on a woman from across the street (if you’re going to do it, do it right; cross the street and be respectful); he yelled, asking her for different means of communication, from her phone number to every type of social media you can think of. She denied his request for her phone number. Then she denied the first social media account he asked for, but then silently ignored the requests that followed, continuing to walk to her destination. As he went down the list of social media accounts, I said (loudly), “she’s not interested!” The woman laughed.\n\nWhile that might not have been the safest thing to do, I felt liberated saying something. Why? Because I’ve also loathed that type of treatment towards women and I wanted to do something about it.\n\nThis guide is written to encourage inner dialogue and ask yourself questions that you normally wouldn’t answer, because 1) it pains you to think about them 2) you “don’t have time” to think about them 3) you get an unsettling feeling of discomfort when you think about them or other people ask you about them.\n\nWith that said, it is my hope that this guide will give you the answers to the questions you have within. As a result of awakening your inner dialogue, it is my hope that your communication improves and learn from my mistakes.\n\nQuestion (and reflection).\n\nDon’t stop asking them. Ask lots of questions. Learning is a never ending process. There will be times where you’ll get answer to questions you wished you never asked in the first place, but tough shit. That’s life. This curiosity will help you lose your filter.\n\nAsk yourself the following questions and reflect on your answers:\n\nWhy do we fear what we want most?\nWhy do some individuals have the courage to walk up to strangers and ask them whether they’ve weird sex positions?\nWhat do you think are some behavioral characteristics that are holding you back from achieving your goals?\nHow do you speak to people when you are upset?\nWhat’s your biggest fear?\nWhat do you want?\n\nLet these questions bake in your oven (especially the ones that either made you giggle or think I’m a complete pervert). You should always be striving to improve. Think the crap-out-of the last question. Dig real deep.\n\nNice people don’t finish last — Passive people do.\n\nI believe the “nice people finish last” saying came to be, because people who are too nice also happen to be passive, which is why they finish last. This led to people pointing their finger at the nice trait as the culprit for finishing last, when in fact it was because they were passive.\n\nIf you’re passive, now is time to change. It will be a difficult habit/trait to change, especially if you’re not aware of this trait. You’ll need to devote conscious thought to your how you interact with others. If you’re been fortunate enough to have people point out this behavior, it might be something to to work on. Ask yourself: why and where is this passive behavior comes from? Accepting this is the first of many actions you’ll need to take. Give yourself the change you deserve. If continue to stay passive, you’ll never get what you want and you might end up with one of these:\n\nExample of being passive: not saying something that bothers you to a partner or sibling.\n\nI’m a Tumor, I’m a tumor, I’m a Tumor, I’m a Tumor… I’m a Tumor: Those Negative Voices in Your Head (Do not skip over this section, even if you don’t get these).\n\nThe more you resist your feelings, the more they persist. Unfortunately, there will be times when you have to hold keep your mouth shut. Being mentally tough and not letting little things bother you is important. While I agree that mental strength is everything, it should not be confused with brushing things under the rug. This is not a sign of mental toughness. \n\nStay focused and limiting distractions is great; it helps you achieve your goals. It hard to find the fine line of letting your mind wander too much and ignoring problems over prolong periods. After all, ignoring things that bother you only leads to tumors.\n\nWith that said, you should not avoid your feelings — ever. It’s perfectly natural to feel sad and a myriad of other emotions; and it’s perfectly okay to let yourself feel and accept said emotions. \n\nKeep Striving to Improve.\n\nOne should always be aiming to be the best version of themselves. Sometimes we fall off track; we might say we’re putting in the work, but we’re not actually putting in the work. It’s okay, we all fall off track sometimes. But at a certain point you need to get off your ass and just do the work.\n\nThis is the difficult, but most important thing. Don’t dwell on lost time, because you can’t get it back; it’s gone. Just keep plugging away at whatever you’re trying to improve; whether that’s your mind, body or even spiritually. Try working on something that you’ve been putting off. Striving to be the best version of you is imperative when trying to lose your verbal filter. This is paramount because we improve our persistence and perseverance muscles, which we build through the achieving our personal goals.\n\nThroughout the journey to losing your filter (and even after), you’ll have unfortunate slipups; you’ll stutter, word things the wrong way, say ridiculous things that are out of character and would never actually do. You might even say something so ridiculous that the person you’re speak with will probably hold your words against your for the rest of your life. You’ll be fine, as long as you get back up and keep at it.\n\nLose that motherf*$@ing filter: Wording, The Five Second Rule, “The Technique” and Staying Humble.\n\nYou can’t walk around saying whatever you want to whoever you want. You’ll just come off as a jackass. Trust me… I know. With that said, mindfulness is key. Here’s why:\n\nThe comprehension of ideas and thoughts depends on 1) how they are worded and 2) how these words and ideas are comprehended by the person hearing them.\n\nThis process is comparable to doing something that terrifies you. Ultimately, you’ll have to make the plunge, even if the steps you take are small ones. Each of the steps you take should make you feel uncomfortable. At any given point, you might try to talk yourself out of what you were thinking of doing or saying, with more excuses than a kid trying to get out of doing homework; if that sounds familiar, you’re on the right track.\n\nIf you’re in this position, think about the following: why would you stop yourself from doing something you want to do, especially if it’s something you wanted to do for a while now? Secondly, don’t cheat yourself out of living your life to the fullest. I happened to stumbled upon this video months after I started writing the guide, but it explains the aforementioned concept exceptionally well.\n\nHow to say it\n\nBefore you verbalize your thoughts, you need to learn how to say it. You’re obviously going to mess up in the beginning and have a few bad interactions to realize (although my brother pointed it out to me hundreds of times) that you need to remove all emotion from what you are saying. You must also be empathetic when it’s called for and be cognizant of context; meaning, who you’re speaking with and where you are. For the most part, this should be an effective way to debunk communication issues and insulting people.\n\nIn theory, removing emotion prevents conversations from turning hostile; it also allows the recipient(s) of your words to hear your words and not your emotions, which makes what you’re trying to communicate easier to comprehend as it can be difficult to focus on more than one thing at a time — your words when you’re yelling (or passive aggressive tone). Don’t believe me?\n\nTry listening to two people talking to you at the same time. You probably won’t be able to will not understand both of them, probably will not remember a bulk of what they said and, more importantly, it can be extremely frustrating.\n\nThe 5 second rule\n\nFor the indecisive person in us all — we have the 5 second rule. (I’ve used this technique for years’, without giving it a name. I didn’t know it is a widely-known concept until I started writing this guide). Write down those thoughts or ideas down. This is a way to “marry” your actions, and will help you take action. Don’t try to suppress them.\n\nThere’s a 50/50 shot that things will work out the way they want them to. For example, you like someone and you want to ask them out. You’re scared, though. The person you ask out will either say, “yes” or “no.” Relation it to your situation you have nothing to lose (provided you not gambling or putting yourself in a life situation).\n\nMaybe you have a reasonable fear that’s holding you back. If it might get you in trouble, I would advise against acting on. How do you decide whether to act on your thoughts if you only have 5 seconds to marry it?\n\n“Fuck Yes” or “Fuck No”.\n\nThe Fuck Yes or No concept was created by Mark Manson. I do not own it. After messing up numerous times and teaching a friend or two how to lose their filters, I implemented his concept as it seemed to be the most logical way to teach someone how to make decisions in relation to the 5 second rule. Leave this concept out and you’ll find yourself in trouble; I know I’ve have and sometimes still do.\n\nAsking yourself “Fuck Yes,” or “Fuck No” before doing something you might regret, is a good way to decide on whether to say what you want to say (and in some cases act on your thoughts). You don’t want to get fired from your job, because you want to flip off your boss employer; it might come back to bite you later in your professional career. Use common sense.\n\nThat being said, people need mouth time — just like a motorcyclists and drivers need road time — you need time to experiment talking without your verbal filter. You’re obviously going to need to learn from your mistakes.\n\nAlways ask yourself (within five seconds), before you open your mouth or act on something: will I get in trouble, smacked, fired, or will any bodily harm (that you think of) happen if I say or do this? If the answer is “fuck yes,” then I would keep your pants (or skirt) on and/or your mouth shut; if it’s “fuck no,” do and say as you please.\n\nStay Humble.\n\nLosing your verbal filter doesn’t give you the right to act like a douchebag. Douchebags don’t reflect and they don’t think about what they say or do; they just say and do as they please. If you say something wrong, own up to it and apologize and try to see the other person’s perspective. I would even go as far as watching how they react to what you say, because some people might have difficulty confronting you.\n\nKeep in mind that there are people out there who will not be able to handle your frankness (remember it’s all in your delivery), which is completely understandable. They might have to do with the way they were raised or past experiences they’ve had. But I digress, douchebags don’t know how to apologize and they think they’re always right. The world doesn’t need anymore douchebags. There’s plenty of them — they can be bought in stores.\n\nSome food for thought: Don’t forget how small you are in comparison to the size of the world, our galaxy and the universe — and things which inhabit them.\n\nMental Health.\n\nHolding in your thoughts and feelings can be detrimental to your health, both mentally and in some cases, physically; some people experience headaches when they overthink scenarios and situations. Holding in your feelings can also affect your personal relationships. This is why losing your verbal might be able to relieve some of these pains.\n\nFor those who are bullied, or if you have the occasional rude comment thrown at you, don’t be afraid to use your voice. Make people aware that are making you feel uncomfortable or taking advantage of you; whether that be sexually (Please look for a clear description of what that a sexual crime is and use good judgement. If someone has committed a crime against you, report it to officials, etc), financially or otherwise.\n\nOf course, things are always easier said than done. Remember that not all situations are permanent. If you are reading this and experiencing shattered confidence, because of a traumatic experience or you just don't feel like like yourself anymore, recall every difficult situation you’ve overcome in the past. Looking back, it probably wasn’t too hard; or if it was, reflect on how it made you into a stronger individual. You’re not the only person experiencing a roadblock and you can move past it. Hopefully, accepting all the feelings you’re currently feeling and losing your verbal filter, will help you get on your path to being the best version of you. \n\nNow What?\n\nLosing your filter is learning when to keep your mouth shut and when it open it. Everyone has their reasons to lose their verbal filter. The question I’d like you to ask yourself is: what will I do once I removed it?\n\nWhat happens once you accomplish everything you set out to achieve? Think about giving back. Give back to those around you; they need our help. Think about those who are afraid to speak up at college campuses, bars, those who ride public transportation and walk the streets — they might not speak up when they are verbally harassed or are being physically or mentally abused. Speak up for them. Make eye contact with them. Make their presence know. Use your filter for those who have not lost theirs… yet.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9029415249824524}
+{"content": "Surface tension\n\n\nSurface tension, property of a liquid surface displayed by its acting as if it were a stretched elastic membrane. This phenomenon can be observed in the nearly spherical shape of small drops of liquids and of soap bubbles. Because of this property, certain insects can stand on the surface of water. A razor blade also can be supported by the surface tension of water. The razor blade is not floating: if pushed through the surface, it sinks through the water.\n\nFigure 1: Phase diagram of argon.\nRead More on This Topic\nliquid: Surface tension\nBetween a liquid and its corresponding vapour there is a dividing surface that has a measurable tension; work must be done to increase the…\n\nSurface tension depends mainly upon the forces of attraction between the particles within the given liquid and also upon the gas, solid, or liquid in contact with it. The molecules in a drop of water, for example, attract each other weakly. Water molecules well inside the drop may be thought of as being attracted equally in all directions by the surrounding molecules. However, if surface molecules could be displaced slightly outward from the surface, they would be attracted back by the nearby molecules. The energy responsible for the phenomenon of surface tension may be thought of as approximately equivalent to the work or energy required to remove the surface layer of molecules in a unit area. Surface tension may be expressed, therefore, in units of energy (joules) per unit area (square metres). Water has a surface tension of 0.07275 joule per square metre at 20 °C (68 °F). In comparison, organic liquids, such as benzene and alcohols, have lower surface tensions, whereas mercury has a higher surface tension. An increase in temperature lowers the net force of attraction among molecules and hence decreases surface tension.\n\nSurface tension is also viewed as the result of forces acting in the plane of the surface and tending to minimize its area. On this basis, surface tension is often expressed as an amount of force exerted in the surface perpendicular to a line of unit length. The unit then is newtons per metre, which is equivalent to joules per square metre.\n\nThis article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen, Senior Editor.\n\nLearn More in these related Britannica articles:\n\n\nMore About Surface tension\n\n5 references found in Britannica articles\n\nAssorted References\n\n    Edit Mode\n    Surface tension\n    Tips For Editing\n\n\n\n\n    Thank You for Your Contribution!\n\n\n\n    Uh Oh\n\n\n    Surface tension\n    Additional Information\n\n    Keep Exploring Britannica\n\n    Britannica Examines Earth's Greatest Challenges\n    Earth's To-Do List", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9076464772224426}
+{"content": "Students get abstract with Bechtler artist\n\nThird-graders in Aimee Mills' art class at Winecoff Elementary School this month became the first in Cabarrus County Schools to experience the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art's Artists-in-Schools education program.\n\nLongtime Charlotte artist Amy St. Aubin introduced students to realism, cubism and printmaking. St. Aubin, who works with oil paints on canvas and wood, said she teaches hundreds of kids per year through arts integration programs run by the Bechtler, the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and the McColl Center for Visual Art.\n\nAbout 125 students met with St. Aubin once a week for three weeks. They learned about famed Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, drew real and abstract self-portraits and made prints of their artwork.\n\n\"Some of them found abstract harder than realism,\" said Aubin. \"I used words like 'distorted' and 'exaggerated' to help get the point across. I told them, 'If it looks weird, if it looks freaky, that's great, because that's how it's supposed to look.' \"\n\nThe students will celebrate what they've learned later this year by hosting their own gallery show and taking a trip to the two-year-old Charlotte museum.\n\nIn the first class, students learned about proportion to help them draw realistic portraits. Next, students created abstract dual portraits, using vivid colors, geometric shapes and patterns. The final lesson ended with students making watercolor silk-screen prints.\n\n\"It was icky, but I liked it,\" said Imyah Johnson, 8, of Concord.\n\n\"It was fun. I liked learning about the cool and hot colors, and it made me feel like a famous person,\" said Paul \"PJ\" Irving, 8, of Kannapolis.\n\nGeoffrey Lineberger, 8, of Concord said he enjoyed learning about abstract art and cubism.\n\n\"It's neat because I'll do a circle for the head, then draw triangles in the middle for eyes,\" he said. \"All you're basically drawing is shapes, and you just use them to draw a person.\"\n\nMiaya Whiters, 8, of Concord said she learned how the print-making process worked.\n\n\"I didn't think it would transfer through on paper,\" she said. \"I was surprised.\"\n\nGrayson Taylor, 9, of Kannapolis said he enjoyed coloring his portrait and making the prints best. But he also learned a thing or two about Picasso and his style.\n\n\"It was cool,\" he said. \"I like his cubism and abstract stuff. Some of his work made me feel sad, warm, disgusted and awesome.\"\n\nMills named her class Studio 407, after her room number. She starts each year by giving students a survey, which often reveals that most of them have never been to a museum.\n\n\"So for them to be able to go to the museum at the end of all this is huge,\" said Mills.\n\nThe partnership also introduced students to a project Mills might not otherwise have been able to afford.\n\n\"I liked being able to learn something new, and it actually was something I might not have been able to do with my children, because it's quite costly,\" said Mills. \"For the children, I think just having someone else come in and teach, and knowing that they're a practicing artist, helps make a bigger impression on them.\"\n\nMills agreed students found the abstract drawings more challenging.\n\n\"But they made the connection between color and mood, or how one side of the portrait could represent different emotions,\" said Mills.\n\nThroughout the year, students will learn about museum etiquette and how art is a gateway to learning about other subjects and cultures.\n\n\"I think through the art process, they learn how everything's connected,\" said Mills.\n\nThe Bechtler primarily worked with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools last year but has expanded to Cabarrus and Union counties this year.\n\nThe Bechtler Museum of Modern Art works with three main teaching artists who can cover virtually any medium. The museum also helps schools develop lesson plans that tie to museum's permanent collection.\n\nPrivately held by the Bechtler family of Switzerland until the museum opened in January 2010, the museum's 1,400-piece collection spans more than 70 years of art history. It focuses on influential mid-20th century artists, such as Picasso and Andy Warhol. Some of the works have been in public view only since the museum opened.\n\n\"This collection was privately held until two years (ago),\" said Erica Somerwitz, the museum's school and community programs manager. \"It's not been seen by the public, and we're kind of rediscovering a lot of the work.\n\n\"For the kids to be able to come and look at it is great, but then for them to make sense of it in the world they're living in now makes it contemporary to them.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.630291223526001}
+{"content": "What is a Satellite event?\n\nStrasbourg, France 10 May 2019\n  • Diminuer la taille du texte\n  • Augmenter la taille du texte\n  • Imprimer la page\n  • Imprimer en PDF\nWhat is a Satellite event?\n\nSince its first edition in 2012, the World Forum for Democracy has gained recognition as an arena for seminal discussions on issues of modern democracy. To reach out to a wider range of contributions and enrich the debate, the Forum encourages the organisation of satellite events by universities renowned in the sphere of political studies and international relations, non-governmental organisations, municipalities and other institutions. This idea has been successfully implemented in 2015, when four outstanding universities organised satellite events related to the Forum΄s topic.\n\nThe organising institutions are free to decide independently about the dates and format of the event, the speakers and the specific topic(s). The satellite events can take place any time during the year. Possible formats include seminars or a seminar series, lectures in schools, surveys, social media campaigns, hackathons, local implementation of innovation initiatives presented in previous Forums, radio/tv debates, or lightening talks with the public at large (at NGOs, schools, community centres, etc).\n\nThe outcome of the satellite events will be included in the Forum’s Final Report. A delegation of maximum two people from the organising institution could be invited to the Strasbourg Forum. They may have an active role in the sessions, for example as discussants or lab rapporteurs.\n\nThe Forum Secretariat is open to discuss any other format that the organising institution would like to propose. The key for any satellite events and initiatives should be innovative, progressive ideas, models, prototypes, that are realistic, addressing current issues and problems, having a potential to be replicated in various countries, universities and environments, something that can lead to a positive change and to the improvement of democracies worldwide.\n\nCall for initiatives >>\n\nDeadline: 24 May 2019", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.773520827293396}
+{"content": "0118 936 2880 infouk@dataincuk.com\n\nDATA Inc. Announces the Launch of nova IQ\n\nMONTVALE, N.J.April 12, 2018 — DATA Inc. today announced the launch of nova IQ, a highly specialized business enablement service that will help partners accelerate their entry into the world of new opportunities that is being made possible by the emergence of disruptive technologies, while reducing the cost and risk of enterprise innovation programs.\n\nRead the full official release at DATA Inc. Announces the launch of nova IQ \n\nHow to find best job opportunities in 2018 (5 effective tips)\n\nFinding a suitable job opportunity is as critical as getting through the interview. The task requires a lot of attention to detail, from checking the required skills and experience to location, work hours, compensation and benefits, everything is important.\n\nHere are a few tips to help you identify a great next job opportunity.\n\nLook beyond the Job Title\n\nWhen looking for a job, many can reject a vacancy by only checking the job title, which may not match their desired job. However, Glassdoor recommends that candidates look at the entire job description and not settle for job title only. For example, a post with title Software Engineer can be very generic, the job description may explain that the requirement is for a specific skill that matches your experience perfectly.\n\nDo not rely only on alerts\n\nRegistering with a job portal is simple. It is easy to fall into the trap of relying on them to provide alerts and notifications. However, it is advised to log-in and search for work offerings on the portal. Make sure you do not miss out on new vacancies. Also, if you will widen your search for a role on a portal, and also look at the suggested Vacancies. You may find a matching opportunity.\n\nGood interview preparation\n\nNever fall into the trap of overconfidence, always prepare for an interview well ahead of time. Brush up on your technical skills. Present them in a manner that is of benefit to the client and the role in question. Look for related questions on the online and prepare potential answers.\n\nTip: Ask a friend to help you do a mock interview.\n\nMake sure that you take the job description with you, the description can be helpful to you at the time of interview. Referring to the description, you can exactly tell the recruiter your capability for the required skills and experience.\n\nTime to become a listener\n\nWhen you are asked in the interview, if you have any questions, this moment is the best time to demonstrate the interest in the role.  Some good examples include, what are their expectations from you, what is a usual day, how do they measure your performance, what are their plans for the future etc.\n\nEngage in conversation\n\nIt is not likely that you will be selected immediately after your interview. Therefore a thank you mail for arranging the interview is always a good way to follow up.  You could include why you would like to be a part of the company.\n\nTip: Post or share something on LinkedIn which might grab the interviewer’s interest.\n\nHow to Ensure a Good Salary Hike (5 Steps)\n\nAppraisals and Salary review meetings are not less than a nightmare. Even if you are a gold miner of your company, these meetings haunt you. For the reason, that you will need to do a lot of efforts to prove your worth. Thanks to the organizational culture. However, if you go prepared like a warrior, you will win the battle. Finding growth in your current workplace is easier than hunting for a new one.\n\nHere are few steps to ensure that you get a good salary hike\n\nTiming: While asking for a hike, the most important point to consider is the timing. If the company is doing good with people, making good money, then it’s the right time. Choose the time wisely so that you do not get to hear a “No”.\n\nTip: Involve in conversation with your boss and seniors to know the progress of the company revenues. We also suggest looking for the mood of your boss.\n\nThe way of Asking: Preparing for an appraisal interview is as important as a job interview. The way you will ask for it, consequently decides a lot in the first place. Prepare to clearly establish your expected hike. First, jot down points to explain why you deserve the hike and then prepare for the conversation. Assess your performance prior to the appraisal by gathering all the facts and figures.\n\nTip: Do a mock interview round with your friend and think of counter questions. Prepare all answers in advance.\n\nResearch: We all consider our worth to be high, however, it is important to know some facts and figures. Do a market research before you set up an expectation for yourself. Also, check on Glassdoor for salaries of people working in same experience and job group. Similarly, you can also check the offered salary on the competitor’s job portals.\n\nTip: Do homework on how market offers to other in the same position. Look at salary surveys, trade magazines and job portals.\n\n“I will Quit”: The most perilous statement in the life of an employee. We as recruiters will strongly suggest you to never threaten with quitting or resigning statements. Certainly, such statements kill the chance of getting good hikes positively. In some cases, your boss may think of giving you hike after this statement, but that will have a bad impact later. Which includes friction in the team and unrealistically high expectations in results.\n\nTip: Quitting for appraisal will never go in your favour until you have a second option in hand. Manage the conversation to win hike and not lose the job.\n\nInvest in your career: Usually, companies offer training programs for skill upgradation. For example, DATA Inc provides training to our Software Development team and Recruiters. However, if your company is not offering you a training, do it yourself. Upgrade your skills by undergoing some reputed training courses related to your skillset. This will help you prove your enhanced knowledge for a project which requires more skills. Above all, if a company is giving you a good hike, they will expect better results from you.\n\nTip: In the appraisal, you can also ask the company to pay for your training program as an added benefit. Since you have already done the training and you can demonstrate its benefits, the company should be ready to pay for it.\n\nFurthermore, if your appraisal meeting is coming soon, follow these steps to prepare yourself for the big day. If you do not get the appraisal as you thought, do not get disheartened. Prepare yourself for better challenges and results. If you are planning to switch your job, we must have a role for you. Share your resume at jobs@dataincuk.com or look at open positions with our clients.\n\n\nDifferential Privacy – The unexplored Emerging Technology\n\nAsk someone their take on emerging technologies and it will revolve mostly around Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Blockchain etc. Certainly, these topics gathered a lot of buzz in last years. However, the technology industry is yet to take up many new innovations. One of them is “Differential Privacy”.\n\nDifferential Privacy\n\nTechnology never stops challenging itself. Large-scale data breach received much attention last year and is expected to grow. This year, we share the concept introduced in June 2016, but still not much explored – Differential Privacy. Apple introduced it at their Worldwide Developer Conference held in June 2016. Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering shared at the event, “Differential privacy is a research topic in the areas of statistics and data analytics that uses hashing, subsampling and noise injection to enable crowdsourced learning while keeping the data of individual users completely private. Apple has been doing some super-important work in this area to enable differential privacy to be deployed at scale.”\n\nStatisticians will be at the core of deploying this technology in enterprises. It encrypts personal data without disturbing the program to extract accurate data from a dataset. Simply putting, this technology would secure data from hackers to access personal information from a database. However, it will ensure that big data tools are still able to predict insights.\nApple boasts of not keeping its user’s personal information however the company completely understands the importance of this data in the era of big data analytics and machine learning. To answer this paradox, they came up with this concept of Differential Privacy. Craig also emphasized that Apple does not assemble user’s data. Apple tries technological advancements to keep the data in user’s device than on Apple’s server.\n\nThough it is in nascent stage or we can say this is a concept, Apple is betting big on it.\n\nThis statistical science will presumably learn patterns and information about a group of people, refraining from collecting an individual’s data. Differential privacy will collect and store data in a format which extracts insights on human actions. These include their likes, wish-list, patterns, searches etc. But it cannot extract anything about a single individual. Probably we can say, that this technology will group the people with same patterns, likes and actions. It will provide useful insights but will not let attackers get access to a user’s data.\n\nApple announced to introduce this technology in iOS10, however researchers are debating on its success. They say that Apple has not been completely successful in implying its promise of privacy. Today, Apple is clearly the privacy leader among technology companies. So, it will be interesting to see how the tech giant will successfully implement this novel technology of data science.\n\nArtificial Intelligence – A level above\n\nPretext: “Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge”. Machines are made intelligent when they are trained to learn patterns using human intelligence through Artificial Intelligence. What if a Machine can train the other Machine?\n\nWe have heard about Robots assisting humans in most tasks. Wherein a software engineer trains a machine learning algorithm about patterns and methods so that the robot can perform the task again.  Robots store this learned behaviour in a central repository called RoboBrain that’s accessible by other robots. However, with Robots came many technical challenges which are still in the process of transformation.\n\nToday, talking about machine learning is a widespread phenomenon. A significant example of machine learning, which received highlight in 2015, was a driverless car. It is a car which understands the driving patterns of its owner and gets trained over a period.  Tesla launched Model S with the vision to provide driverless car assistance to its owners. Surprisingly, after some time the car itself learnt the driving skill and route options. “Each car could improve its own autonomous features by learning from its driver, but more significantly, when one Tesla learnt from its own driver—that knowledge could then be shared with every other Tesla vehicle”. – Tesla CEO Elon Musk.\n\nNavigating through technological transformations, one can determine that the speed at which machine learning software is working, it is going to create maintenance challenges. The systems are improving exponentially.\n\nWhat comes as more surprising, is the concept of Machines communicating gained knowledge and teaching other Machines. Regardless of the progress, the competition between two machines is the darker side of the development.\n\nThe training of data is not an easy deal for machines. The data is the raw material for this practice. However, the data available is unclassified. The variance in the data creates asymmetrical experiences. When the object in question is a machine, the variable data can create an array of misinterpreted information and loss of previously stored information. This situation will impart a significant effect or defect in some cases.\n\nA machine learning knowledge from a central repository located miles away, and performing tasks using the same knowledge, is incredible.\n\nFor example, one driverless car may take significant time to learn to navigate a particular city, while one hundred driverless cars can navigate that same city together. Using and sharing the knowledge they learnt, can drastically improve their algorithms in terms of quality and time.\n\nThe future of Artificial Intelligence resonates the useful information sharing between machines following common patterns and goals. It will be interesting to see if someday, the same machine algorithm can be used for performing different tasks with different goals. For now, all AI-powered devices continue to leverage this shared knowledge transfer. This enables faster learning, taking the pace of development to another level.\n\nWell, we must consider that today we have only started with these technological advancements, as most of the projects are running in their test phase. We are yet to witness the wonders of technology infused with human skills.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9600576162338257}
+{"content": "What does \"as\" act as in this sentence:\n\nHe run AS he drank.\n\nI believe that it is a prepositional phrase that is tied to HE, but I have the feeling that it might be a relative clause.\n\nplease help!\nLooks like a conjunction\nI looked at it again and I agree thanks.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000019073486328}
+{"content": "The align package provides a public api that can be used to align and evenly distribute selected objects in three dimensional space without using the provided GUI. For that, you can use the AlignHandler object that is located in the align module. The AlignHandler class is made public to the align package itself and can be used like the following:\n\n>>> from aligner import AlignHandler\n\nLet’s now create an align handler instance:\n\n>>> aligner = AlignHandler()\n\nWe need to select some objects now and can then align/ distribute these. Let’s align the objects in y-axis so that all selected objects will be moved to the top most object:\n\n>>> aligner.align(\"y\", \"align_top\")\n\nLet’s evenly distribute multiple objects along the x axis:\n\n>>> aligner.align(\"x\", \"distribute_horizontal\")", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7050960063934326}
+{"content": "Award-Winning VR Documentaries\n\nLoading EventsBOOK NOW\n  • This event has passed.\n\n22nd of April | 8:00 pm\n\nVR offers a moving and affective way to step into the shoes of others and experience difference perspectives. With this show, experience two of the most critically acclaimed VR documentaries to date: Travelling While Black, a genre-defining VR documentary about freedom of movement created by Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams, and a second award-winning piece shot entirely on location in California maximum-security prisons called Step to the Line.\n\nAct 1: Travelling While BlacK\n\nTraveling While Black delves into 'under-the-skin' issues. What does being under suspicion everywhere you go do to you? How does it shape your view of your world, your future, yourself? Travelling While Black is a VR documentary that confronts the way we understand and talk about Race in America. It immerses the viewer in the long history of restriction of movement for black Americans and the creation of safe spaces.\n\n- Roger Ross Williams, Ayesha Nadarajah, Felix & Paul Studios\n\nAct 2: Step to the Line\n\nShot entirely on location in a California maximum security prison, Step to the Line is a documentary that aims to provoke a transformation in the spectator’s eyes about prisoners, the US prison system, and the spectator themselves. Step to the Line is a story of the consequences of systematic racial inequality and an exploration of the ways lives are changed when someone serves time in prison.\n\n\n- By Ricardo Langarono, Defy Ventures\n\n\n22nd of April\n8:00 pm - 9:00 pm\nEvent Category:\n\n\nLimina: The Virtual Reality Theatre\nWaterside, Unit 5, Waterfront\nBristol, Avon BS1 5UH United Kingdom", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.97026526927948}
+{"content": "text.skipToContent text.skipToNavigation\n\n\nTires are designed with different types of tread, and each one is meant for different road conditions and driving styles. The four types of tire tread are directional, symmetrical, asymmetrical, and directional/asymmetrical.\n\nDirectional (unidirectional)\n\nDirectional tread is meant to roll in one direction and typically features arrows which display that direction. This tread type allows for water to be displaced from the tire to avoid hydroplaning. Directional tires should be rotated front to back from the side that they are in since each tire is designed and angled to perform best on their specific side.\n\n\nSymmetrical tire tread has the same pattern – continuous grooves and/or independent lugs – across the whole tire. This type of tire is the most common and found on most non-high-performance passenger cars because it is typically quiet and long-lasting. Symmetrical tires can be rotated in many different ways, which helps to prolong the life of the tires and makes them more versatile.\n\n\nAsymmetrical tire tread, most commonly found on sports cars, is a bit of hybrid in that it combines a variety of tread patterns for maximum grip on both wet and dry roads. Usually, the inside and middle parts of the tire will be designed for wet and/or winter traction while the outside of the tire will have large tread blocks for maximum cornering capability on dry surfaces. To ensure that the tires are positioned correctly on the car (to maximize handling capabilities), the sidewalls are marked \"outside only\" and \"inside only.\" Many different rotation patterns can be used for tires with asymmetrical tread patterns.\n\n\nDirectional/asymmetrical tire tread is the best of both worlds – it features the V-shaped pattern of the directional tread for discharging water away from the tire and the dry weather traction of the asymmetrical tread. You should follow the same rules as directional tires when it comes to rotation patterns. Vehicles equipped with different size tires on the front and rear (staggered), prohibit the ability to rotate directional/asymmetrical tires unless they are remounted.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9966155290603638}
+{"content": "You are on page 1of 22\n\n\nEngr. Lina D. dela Cruz Chemical Engineering Department Technological Institute of the Philippines\n\nBiogeochemical cycle\nThe major part of the biosphere are connected by the flow of chemical elements and compounds. In many of these cycles, biota plays an important role. Matter from earths interior is released by volcanoes. The atmosphere exchanges some compounds and elements rapidly with the biota and the oceans. Exchange of material between rocks, soils and oceans are slower by comparison.\n\nBiogeochemical cycle is the movement (or cycling) of matter through a system. As earth is essentially a closed system with respect to matter, all matters on earth cycles. Matter can be elements (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen), or molecules (water); so the movement of matter, for example carbon between the parts of the system is a biogeochemical cycle.\n\nCarbon Cycle\nCarbon cycle is one of the most important to humans and important to our existence due to the following: -one of the primary elements forming human tissues -necessary to plants, the basis of human food And because it is important to the climate system, which sets the background of our environment; carbon dioxide and methane are greenhouse gasses, which help global temperature\n\nGaseous Cycle\nCarbon Cycle\n\nCarbon cycle\nCarbon in the Atmosphere Carbon is taken from the atmosphere in two ways: -when the sun is shining, plants perform photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates, releasing oxygen in the process. -At surface of oceans near poles, where water becomes cooler and able to dissolve more carbon dioxide.\n\nCarbon cycle\nCarbon can be released back to the atmosphere in many different ways: -through the respiration performed by plants and animals -through decay of animals and plant matter -through combustion of organic materials -through reactions of limestone -at the surface of the ocean where water becomes warmer, dissolved carbon dioxide is released back to atmosphere -volcanic eruption release gas in atmosphere\n\nCarbon Cycle\nCarbon in the Biosphere Autotrophs are organisms that produce their own organic compounds using carbon dioxide from air or water in which they live. They require external source of energy and they use solar radiation to produce this. Their production is called photosynthesis\n\nCarbon in the biosphere\n\n-burning of biomass ( forest firewood use for heating) can transfer substantial amount of carbon to the atmosphere\n\n-carbon also leave the biosphere when dead organic matter becomes incorporated in the geosphere\n\nNitrogen Cycle\nThe nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the transformation of nitrogen and nitrogen containing compounds in nature. The basic earths atmosphere is about 78% nitrogen, making it the largest pool of nitrogen. Nitrogen is essential for many biological processes, it is in all amino acids, incorporated in proteins that make up nucleic acid such as DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid).\n\nNitrogen Cycle\n\nProcesses of the Nitrogen Cycle\n\nA. Nitrogen Fixation three ways to convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into more reactive form: 1. Biological fixation symbiotic bacteria most often associated with leguminous plants and some free living bacteria are able to fix nitrogen and assimilate it as organic nitrogen 2. Industrial fixation- in the HABER BOSCH process, nitrogen is converted together with hydrogen gas into ammonia fertilizer 3. Combustion of fossil fuels automobile engines and thermal power plants\n\nB. Assimilation- in plants which have a mutualistic relationship with RHIZOBIUM. Some nitrogen is assimilated in the form of ammonium ions from the nodules; All plants can absorb nitrate from the soil via root hairs; These are then reduced to nitrate ions for incorporation into amino acids and protein which forms part of the plants or animals that they eat.\n\nC. Ammonification nitrates are the form of nitrogen most commonly assimilated by plant species, which in turn are consumed by heterotrophs for use in compounds such as amino and nucleic acid. The remains of the heterotrophs will then be decomposed into nutrient rich organic material and bacteria or in some cases fungi will convert the nitrates within the remain back to ammonia.\n\nD. Nitrification the conversion of ammonia to nitrates is performed primarily by soil living bacteria. The primary stage of nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia is performed by bacteria such as NITROSOMONAS species which converts ammonia to nitrites. Other bacteria such as the NITROBACTER are responsible for the oxidation of the nitrites into nitrates.\n\nE. Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation in this biological process, nitrite and ammonium are converted directly into di nitrogen gas. This process makes up a major proportion of di nitrogen conversion in the oceans. F. Denitrification is the reduction of nitrate back into the largely inert nitrogen gas completing the nitrogen cycle. The process is performed by the bacteria species such as PSEUDOMONAS\n\nIt is the movement of water in the earths atmosphere, on the surface and below the surface a process powered by suns energy. In this cycle, the suns radiant energy supplies the power to evaporate water from lakes, rivers and plants. Since the sun also supplies the energy to move the winds, it is responsible for the transport of moisture in the atmosphere. Much water vapor is returned to the ocean by precipitation before reaching land.\n\nHydrologic Cycle\nSun supplies power to evaporate water from lakes, oceans, rivers Wind transport moisture to atmosphere Water vapor is returned to ocean and land by precipitation\n\nHydrologic Cycle\n\nWinds moves part of the water vapor to land where it is deposited as precipitation. Of the water that falls overland, a portion infiltrates to the ground. Part intercepted by vegetation and directly returned to the atmosphere through transpiration. Part of the precipitation flows overland to lakes and rivers. When fresh water is returned to sea, cycle is completed\n\nHydrologic Cycle\nEvaporation conversion of liquid water to water vapor. It occurs in the surface of water bodies such as lakes and rivers and immediately after precipitation events in small depression and other storage areas. Transpiration then loss of water from plants through leaves and other parts. This loss can be a significant amount of water during very dry periods.\n\nHydrologic cycle\nPrecipitation falling to earth of condensed water vapor in the form of rain, snow, sleet or hail. Run-off water that flows overland to lakes or streams during and shortly after precipitation events Infiltration the movement of water from the surface of the land and through the unsaturated zone and into the ground water.This occurs during and immediately after precipitation events. It can also occur at the bottom of lakes and rivers.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.712253987789154}
+{"content": "Events and notifications\n\nWhere can I see all events?\n\nTo view all events that have occurred with the account in recent days, tap the bell at the bottom of the screen.\n\nTap an event in your feed to go to the related campaign, ad, or keyword. If you tap a “Funds exhausted” or “Used 80%” event, you will be transferred to the payment screen. If you tap a “Change in traffic volume” event, you will be transferred to a screen similar to the Bid Wizard, where you can adjust the CPC.\n\nTo customize how events appear in the feed, tap . Use the options to select which events to display in the feed. Turn on Unread only if you would like the feed to display only those events that you haven't viewed.\n\nTo refresh the event feed, drag it downward with your finger.\n\nHow do I view events related to a campaign?\n\nTo view events related only to the selected campaign, tap  → Events on the campaigns screen.\n\nHow can I get push notifications?\n\nAttention. Push notifications are only available for advertisers, not for agencies.\n\nPush notifications are sent to your mobile device, even if the Yandex.Direct app is not running on it. To get notifications, you need to be connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular data network.\n\nYou can enable or disable push notifications and customize how they look in your iPhone/iPod/iPad settings:\n\nSettings  → Direct → Notifications.\n\nYou can specify how often you want to receive notifications and interesting events in your app settings. By default, you won't get more than one notification per hour. Please note that push notification delivery may be delayed when you are using a mobile internet connection (but usually not by more than 10-15 minutes, depending on the cellular network).\n\nHow do I set up push notifications?\n\nTo open the settings, go to the Profile screen and tap Push notifications.\n\nOn the settings screen, select the notification frequency and choose which events you want to get notifications about. To go back, tap .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9996912479400635}
+{"content": "Rosamund DeChavland\n\nRosamund was born into a merchant’s family and displayed a flair for art at an early age. At 18 she was married to Reginald De Chavland, some 20 years her senior. He was a Master of the Artists Guild and a renowned Illuminator living and working in Norwich, the second city of England. He was a kind and considerate husband and they and their 3 surviving children had a comfortable life. Rosamund worked alongside her husband and became an accomplished illuminator and painter in her own right; however being a woman, although a Guild member she could never hold ‘Master’ status. When Reginald died much of his financial interests passed to his sons but he left Rosamund the Stationers business in his will, although she still had to get permission from the authorities to keep it. As a widow she had the most freedom a medieval woman could hope for and her social standing increased, as widows who did not remarry were viewed by the Church as choosing to return to a life of chastity.\n\nThe widow did not lack for work or social life. The prosperous business enabled her to employ two apprentices, allowing her time to go on several pilgrimages to pray for her husband’s soul, some as far away as Santiago de Compostella. These opportunities also appealed to her inquisitive spirit and enabled her to visit old friends, keeping trading links open. The production of manuscripts had changed dramatically since the early middle ages when the majority were produced by monks and nuns copying mainly ecclesiastical works, bestiaries and herbals; although some classical treatise were also copied these were only accessible by special request. With the increase in secular patronage in the thirteenth century, romances and historical works became illustrated and vernacular translations of classical literature, law books, scientific and philosophical works became popular. The 'great pestilence' of the mid 14th century hastened social change and the rise of secular workshops where the work of the calligraphers, illuminators and book binders had differentiated into separate disciplines. Rosamund was a specialist illuminator and panel painter.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8318561315536499}
+{"content": "How to Maximize the Space in Your Kitchen\n\nKitchens come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes homeowners will compromise on the kitchen initially with visions of improving it later on. The kitchen is quite often a bustling place for cooking meals and entertaining. If the space is limited, don’t feel cheated. Get creative! Consider some useful ideas for maximizing kitchen space and your less-than-ideal kitchen will feel like a perfect fit.\n\nExtend Countertops\n\nCounter space is a premium in the kitchen. It’s essential to concocting big meals and keeping everything organized. When countertop space is limited in the kitchen, it requires creativity to avoid juggling bowls or dishes falling on the floor. Depending on the space you’re dealing with, you could extend the counter top on one side of the sink or oven. Consider installing a true countertop addition or just getting a TV tray (at the right height) to add more space.\n\nLazy Susan in Cabinets\n\nMany people think they’re a wizard when it comes to fitting everything in their kitchen cabinets, but sometimes the single shelf just won’t hold enough. This is where adding a lazy Susan comes in handy. Lazy Susans provide several shelf layers to install into your cabinet or pantry, and many of them rotate as well. Not only will you be able to store more into one shelf, but nothing will be unreachable in the back when the shelves rotate easily.\n\nStool for Tall Shelves\n\nSpeaking from experience, you can lose a great deal of your kitchen storage and function if it outmatches you in height. When space is limited, it’s important to be able to reach and store items in all the shelves. Instead of leaving the shelf empty, tucking a foot stool next to the cabinets or in the bottom shelf allows you full access. Imagine how much more can be stored, from extra pantry non-perishables to dishes and beyond.\n\nOn-Door and Sink Front Storage\n\nAs an alternative to the lazy Susan suggestion, on-door storage allows for organization and prioritizing. By attaching a wall mounted rack of bins on the inside of the door, you can place the spices or condiments you reach most often. As for sink front storage, this allows for saving more room around the actual sink. Instead of kitchen odds and ends filling up more valuable drawer space, they can sit in the sink front tray. These are usually small and installed to tip out in front of the sink, in the space between the edge of the counter and the sink bowl.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9780591726303101}
+{"content": "Personal Philosophy 101: No Solutions, just Tools\n\nPersonal Philosophy 101: No Solutions, just Tools.\n\nIn a world driven by a culture with a need to compete, complete, deliver and rapidly produce. I put forward, the simple personal perspective that there are no solutions, only tools and choices.\nThe need we all feel to deliver a “solution” for our customers and ourselves is admirable but it also has a much darker side and consequences. The unspoken idea that we can give people and organisations a solution, can be very harmful and blind us to the true solutions. The cold hard truth is that we can not give anyone a solution to anything, we can only provide them with tools, which they can use to help find their own solutions.\nThe underlying premise is that only “self” can find the “true solution” because only self can know the factors needed to solve anything often with many conflicting needs and consequences. To complicate the process even further, often these factors specific to attaining your true-solution are partly or mostly unknown. Therefore, if the self doesn’t know the required factors to attain the true-solution required how can a third party give them a solution?\nIt is this philosophical viewpoint, which leads me to the personal view that regardless of saying we deliver solutions, we actually can only ever provide tools so the client (“self”) can determine their own solutions.\nWe can provide options, opinions, advice and other tools but we can not actually quantify completely their requirements and the level of “hardship or discomfort” the client would find acceptable. In actual fact, they themselves, often are unaware of some or most of these factors, when they engage you to solve their “issue”.\nThe “solutions” we provide often become band-aids because of this very fact. If we do not know the complete environment, how can we provide a solution? If the customer is not aware or educated about the options, constraints, and issues how can any “solution” they ask for be anything but a band-aid? Just like a band-aid, these solutions sit on the surface and never actually become part of the “self” or culturally absorbed. The true-solutions are derived from “self” only when awareness of the goal and the issue matrix surrounding the goal are realised.\nThis may seem an unbeneficial viewpoint, yet if you and your staff understand this, then this acceptance will liberate and empower them to focus on the why and what-ifs.\nConsider the developer asked to provide a solution for a customer, the first step is to usually focus on the constraints of the solution, not the issue matrix for the customer. In this step we immediately become solution focused not customer focused. Then we focus upon the constraints of the individual technologies we force upon ourselves to be used, not the evaluation of the best technologies or processes for the particular case. Again solution focused and constrained.\nIf we see our job as to provide tools we more easily embrace the path of discovery through discussion, communication, advice, options, and opinions and avoid the pitfalls of assuming the responsibility of a flawed band-aid solution.\nThe old saying “The customer is always right” always annoyed me, even when I worked retail. The simple fact is that if the customer knew what they needed, they would not need you. Your role is to help them make a good well-informed decision, your job is to give them the tools to do so! It is then up to them to decide their appropriate course. Some customers only focus on cost and then complain, others focus on brands and then become frustrated (you can’t complain when you spent that much). A few customers realise they need help and trust you will do the right thing by them. They are the customers you want and need to try and develop through education and together we may move a little further towards a better outcome, a true relationship.\n\n\nNowadays most of us spend most of our lives in an office type environment.\n\nThe idea of an effective work environment has always been present and yet often rarely discussed or analysed by most of us, myself included. I just know what I like and often modify my surroundings to make the best from a less than ideal situation.\n\nThe old school office/cubicles strategy, was rooted in hierarchy and even class structure. The “us and them” school of though between “management” and “labour”, yet it did allow for personal and private spaces which meant an inherent feeling of safety and ownership.\n\nThe open plan strategy, has its ideology based in the “we are a team” and “we are all the same” mindset. These ideas have issues in a work place; the bigger the team the more difficult to find harmony and we are not all the same. The funniest thing about the open plan office space is that a major reason for its popularity is not to develop an effective work environment but that its cheaper per headcount by easily fit more staff into smaller spaces and also that you can see everyone, giving the illusion of control.\n\nThe simple fact is that we often ignore or actively block out our environment be it work or otherwise. Details of our environment and how they effect our mental state, often go unnoticed and therefore are allowed to impact us without being monitored or adjusted.\n\nHow many of us remember the office spaces of our past and television sitcoms, cubicles, isolated offices and founded in the “us and them mentality”. Nowadays, we have the antithesis, being touted as the best option, the open plan, no partitions idea of office space. The driving force behind each extreme model, is only partly based in trying to allow for effective work.\n\nThe irony is that, as humans we need interactions with others and also our private space. Much like marine fish in a fish tank, I’ll get back to this later.\n\nThe traditional office space of the decades past, was one of higher management nested in largish offices around a space of partitioned cubicles. This lay out although not great had it’s merits. The physical barriers allowed the occupants to have a sense of private space and belonging. The ocean of cubicles provided a pocketed approach to office space, reminiscent of battery hens. Each isolated and working to produce, under the watchful eye of the farmer/manager.\n\nAs time and ideas changed the partitions got smaller in height and less common, the offices reduced in number and common areas began to spring up. The idea of this was to remove the barriers physically and hopefully mentally from the work space to allow for communication and a sense of community and partnership, to hopefully evolve.\n\nThe interesting fact is that different cultures behave differently but people tend to require the same things.\n\nIronically as the physical barriers, like walls and partitions, have been reduced or completely removed others have been erected to fill a need. The partitions have gone but the need for private spaces has meant that isolationist devices have become common place. The modern office space is open plan and headset isolated. The human need for self-space has replaced the partitioned cubicles with the modern cultural equivalent of isolation tanks.\n\nThe supposedly open office to encourage freedom and so we can have a sense of community and belonging has gone full circle to the isolationist mentality of boxes.\nThe mental isolation in the modern open plan work space is, far more detrimental than the cubicles of old and more difficult to see.\n\nPersonally I felt happier in cubicles, with lowish partitions and one glass partition so natural light could be allowed further into the room. The partitions were set out in blocks of four or six and sometimes even eight, allowing for team groupings and interactions.\n\nThe partition walls were low enough to see over, when you were standing but high enough to utilise them as extra work surfaces for charts and the tracking of work in progress. The sense of privacy was there and you also had a sense of belonging. You could hear others if you wished to focus or easily ignore the office murmurs.\n\nIf you have ever kept a marine aquarium or any fish tank for that matter there is a paradox which occurs when stocking your aquarium.\n“The more hiding places there are the more you see your fish and the less stressed they are.”\nIn a marine environment fish are constantly on the look out for predators and prey alike, always aware and highly observant. The fish in a tank are no different, being exposed is stressful and a bad thing. A stark and barren environment, is a terrifying place and that is why fish kept in these conditions are rarely seen and often found cowering in what few corners or hiding spots there are. An aquarium with lots of hiding spots and ample swim throughs will make the inhabitants feel safe since they can always dart into a secluded spot, when danger is felt.\n\nMaybe we should bare this in mind when designing work spaces.\n\nA final thought is that traditionally homes are designed with common areas, lounge and living rooms, common rooms for eating and cooking and most importantly private zones the bedrooms.\n\n\n\n\nEffective Efficiency\n\nEfficiency is not a good goal, effectiveness is a better goal.\n\nWhat do we mean by being efficient? In simple terms it means doing a good job, a job that has the intended outcome with the minimal amount of effort. At an organisational level this is usually interpreted as saving costs and that can lead to what I would call some ‘cheap and nasty’ outcomes.\n\nSo we have started to rebel against the cost-cutting aspects of efficiency and are now very focused on effective outcomes…almost to the point that using the word ‘efficient’ is not really acceptable.\n\nWe can be both effective and efficient, and we should be. It’s a good idea to monitor for opportunities to reduce waste, while being selective about which types of waste make sense to keep or reduce.\n\nThe one place that it makes sense to be less efficient is when we are tackling complexity. This requires a probing, exploratory approach which can actually be more effective when it is not super-efficient…because we are looking for things which we are uncertain about.\n\nThe thing that holds the thing that the Stakeholders were holding\n\nSo we all know about stakeholders…those people that care about what we are doing and should have a say in what happens.\n\nAre there also people that care about the thing that the stakeholders care about that we would not call stakeholders?\n\nWhat does the ‘stake’ mean when we refer to the stakeholder? According to Wikipedia, the term originally referred to the person who temporarily held the stakes from a wager until the outcome was determined. Business has since co-opted the term to mean people interested or impacted by the outcome of a project.\n\nTobbe and I were having burgers for lunch today…they were so tall that they had skewers in them to keep them together. So the chef held the skewer (stake) and we held the skewer when we ate the lunch, but the person serving us never touched the skewer…just the plate that supported the burger with the skewer in it.\n\nThat got us thinking about what supports the interests of the stakeholders, and yet, is not a stakeholder of a project or outcome?\n\nIt may be what we call governance. The scaffolding in an organisation that ensures that business interests are looked after…ensuring that our burgers arrive safely and without toppling over onto the floor.\n\nITSM and Cynefin – Lightning Blog\n\nI attended the itSMF 20th Anniversary Conference in Melbourne this week and it was great to see the emphasis from many speakers about automation and using DevOps principles.\n\nThe Cynefin Framework is subjective and I was thinking about where many of us see the service management framework and ITIL on it. It is easy to imagine incident management in the chaotic domain and standard change management processes in the obvious domain (highly repeatable and therefore great candidates for automation).\n\nSo it was interesting to see the keynote from Lindsay Holmwood titled ‘Mixing Oil and Water: DevOps in an ITSM World’ where Lindsay busted the myth that DevOps and ITSM don’t mix. ITIL and the service management framework are great tools to identify the candidates for automation and for where to ‘build in’ governance to our continuous deployment pipelines.\n\nIf we want to get into the market with safe and small changes that take into account operability, security, regulatory requirements, and resilience, we really need to partner with our service management colleagues.\n\nAssumption Pillows – Lightning Blog\n\nExpanding the thoughts behind a recent tweet of mine.\n\n‘Pondering….less obvious reasons…generate ‘pillows’ of assumptions…and are ineffective cushions against the sharp rocks of risk below’\n\nAssumptions are like pillows – they are very comfortable and we are not aware of them for much of the time. The trouble is that our assumptions and the assumptions of other people that we are working with are likely to be different. When we don’t inspect our assumptions, we can overlook risks – so that is why our assumptions are like pillows.\n\nIt can feel like a waste of effort to inspect our assumptions – there are ways of working them into a workshop facilitation plan – that’s the easiest one to address.\n\nAnother way is to be aware of the feeling that something is not quite right in a conversation. Once I was negotiating a contract and almost starting to argue with the other party about a particular point – both of us thought that the other one was being a bit unreasonable. After a short break, we took a moment to clarify what we were discussing and it turned out that we both agreed the point, but had been discussing quite different things before the short break.\n\nThe main risk that assumptions cause in projects is delay. If we find ways to highlight assumptions earlier we can save wasted effort in circular discussions, rework or duplication.\n\nIt’s better to see the sharp rocks of risk than to cover them with assumption pillows.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe rule of threes or thirds was born.\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9035351276397705}
+{"content": "5 Dynamic user Engagement strategies for 2019 applications\n\nWhile an application that appears at the top of the application stores can surely generate enough traffic and downloads, there is no certainty that users will stay and continue to use the application. In short, just equipping your application with some top-notch features is not enough. You need to get along with customers ‘ perceptions to know their weaknesses and address them with your application. Users simply look for benefits or some utility, so your application will be worth using only when you can meet your changing needs. That means it will offer them a long-term value. By adhering to this, there is a need for an outstanding strategy of user participation if companies want to get a large audience for their application and ensure their long-term success.\n\nThe following are some promising strategies for user participation that can help your application to win a large number of users.\n\nCustomize application permissions.\n\nEssentially, all applications need the user’s permission to access other device resources, such as contacts, photo Gallery, or locations to provide services accurately. However, a lot of access requests will annoy you and you might ask a question about the trust factor of the application to request so much personal information. Consequently, you need to reduce the required application permissions and give custom options where you can ignore some permissions if users do not want to provide them.\n\nMastering the push notifications strategy.\n\nPush notifications are the safest way to recover inactive users or entice existing users to stay hooked to their application. While many users can deceive push notifications by simply opting not to participate, it must show the real value of staying with them with instant rewards, rebuy/Coupons offers or return offers. For that, use push notifications to simply not remind them about their services or the launching of new services, but to some content that can be processed by them. Clicking on notifications will give you value by placing them directly on the application page.\n\nPut personalization elements.\n\nAnother compelling action to acquire users for their application is personalization, which implies offering each individual user a relevant experience for their usage pattern. The more the elements of the application are aligned with their preferences, the more likely they are to stay. Some deep forms of customizing an application are highlighting the user name everywhere, displaying products or services related to previous purchases, personalized messages according to user needs and personalized greetings.\n\nMessaging in the application\n\nIt is an effective way to re-engage users who love their application and therefore get excited about new offerings, features, services or products or new levels. The use of messages directed within the application is excellent to inform you about the new improvements in the application and can be orientated in any way, with a basic notification or with some intelligent screen shots.\n\nApply an incentive scheme.\n\nBoost user participation in your application in a brilliant way by offering incentives to existing users. Reference coupons, service rewards, specialized access to some professional features, special promotions, etc. are some of the extravagant and powerful incentive ways to encourage users of your application to Deepen more and also attract others.\n\nToday’s mobile apps market is immensely populated with every application competing to get the most out of users. The goal is not only to increase the rate of downloads, but also to retain users to obtain safe returns. Thus, developing brand loyalty with the application of these winning strategies for user participation can help your business application to move forward with a broad user base.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9613105058670044}
+{"content": "Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)\n\nI will help guide adults and children who have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to have a higher quality of life. I prefer to use the least invasive treatment method possible, beginning with analysis and modifications of diet, family dynamics, history of disruptions, and possible differential diagnoses. If needed, specific interventions addressing behavior management and environmental modifications are implemented. If more intensive treatment is needed then I advise that we test the patient with the TOVA ( ) to establish a baseline level of patient functioning. We will then coordinate care with third-party providers (the patient's primary care provider, for instance) to create a treatment plan that achieves the desired outcome with the lowest dose of medication. Ongoing treatment plan modification will be made depending on the result of additional TOVA results. Once the patient is functioning Within Normal Limits, we have, then, achieved a maintenance level that can be maintained, and monitored periodically.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7889360189437866}
+{"content": "OP-ED | For the common good: Incorporating indigenous voices into decision-making to address water scarcity in New Zealand\n\nEconomics Environment Governance\n\nJanuary 10th, 2017\n\nJulia Talbot-Jones, GWF Managing Editor\n\nAs another summer marches on in the southern hemisphere, the matter of water scarcity will inevitably rear its ugly head again in New Zealand. Increasingly high demand is putting pressure on available supply and calls for long-term solutions are ramping up. Unfortunately, New Zealand’s inability to confront the ‘ownership’ issue is putting a stranglehold on the implementation of more efficient mechanisms to manage water resources, argues GWF’s Managing Editor, Julia Talbot-Jones.\n\nThe braided Waimakariri River stretching over the Canterbury Plains, New Zealand. The Canterbury Plains is one of the driest regions in New Zealand and in some areas water is significantly overallocated. Image supplied by author.\n\nUnder legislation, no-one owns New Zealand’s water. There is no cost for users and everyone has a ‘right’ to access. Because New Zealand has, until recently, had adequate supply and modest demand, allocating water on a first-come first-served basis, has more or less worked.\n\nThe problem is that when natural resources are free, people tend to overuse them as they have little incentive to consider the true costs their use is imposing on others. When that free resource is a valuable asset like water, increasing demand coupled with decreasing supply paints a bleak picture for New Zealand’s economic stability, which relies on healthy agriculture and tourism industries.\n\nAn obvious solution: Put a price on water\n\nAn obvious policy response is to establish a water market that more efficiently allocates available supply. In simple terms a water market works by allocating a proportion of the total flow to be extracted (setting a ‘cap’ on take) and then dividing this allocation amongst all users in a particular area.\n\nThis can be done by allocating proportional rights based on historic use or by auctioning off water rights. Users can then trade and exchange their water rights, transferring water from users who need it less to those who need it more. New users can enter the market and current users can exit as needed.\n\nThis means that in a dryland region like Canterbury on the east coast of the South Island, for instance, one farmer who may have a low value for water could sell some of their water rights to another farmer, who requires extra for irrigation. This would allow them both to be better off and for the water allocated for extraction to be transferred to the person who needs it the most.\n\nThis is the approach to water governance used in Australia and the western USA, with new markets now being established in Chile, China, and South Africa. It is a success when water rights are separated from land title, there are enough active traders, and costs associated with trading are low.\n\nWhat’s the hold-up?\n\nThe latest consultation document on freshwater sets out the New Zealand government’s proposals to improve the management of freshwater in New Zealand.\n\nSo why doesn’t New Zealand implement a water market in dryland regions where it is urgently needed to address increasing demand? Well it seems that the long-standing inability of the Crown (New Zealand government) and iwi (M?ori tribes) to have a clear and well-defined discussion around ownership and property rights for water remains the crux of the issue.\n\nIwi’s claims, as seen in the 2016 Government consultation document on fresh water, suggest they (rightly) feel they have been cut out of the water governance process and want this to change.\n\nThe solution\n\nWhat needs to be understood is that perhaps iwi’s claim is not so much about ownership, but about property rights to governance.  Recognition of this would simplify the fraught discussion and allow the government and iwi to acknowledge that iwi’s responsibilities as kaitiaki (guardians) of their taonga (treasures) can be met by a water market, without having to change ‘ownership’ of the public good.\n\nWhat is often glazed over in the discussion about water markets is that their likely success is dependent on the selection of the annual ‘cap’. The setting of the annual cap, determines how much flow is to be left instream for ‘ecosystem health and wellbeing’ and how much is available for extractive use. If the cap is set too high, too many rights to use are allocated and the market is ineffective at curbing overuse.\n\nThis is what happened in Australia, resulting in over extraction of the Murray-Darling Basin and an A$3.2 billion dollar bill for the Federal Government to ‘buy back rights’ for environmental flows. Likewise, if the cap is set too low, users reliant on water can be priced out of the market as the price of water rights go beyond what they can afford. Essentially, getting the cap right is absolutely critical.\n\nIf a water market were established in New Zealand, iwi or hap? (extended family groups) from each region could appoint a representative kaitiaki who, with a nominated local government representative, are given joint responsibility for determining the annual cap on water take for various catchments. Thus, in the spirit of the Treaty of Waitangi and acting as one, iwi and the Crown have an equal role in ultimately determining the health and wellbeing of New Zealand’s valuable water systems.\n\nThis concept of joint decision-making is not radical. Currently sitting in front of the New Zealand parliament is the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill 2016. This proposes that the Whanganui River in its entirety be granted legal standing and recognised as a person in law. Tasked with making decisions deemed to the benefit of Te Awa Tupua (the new legal entity) will be two people jointly appointed by the Crown and iwi with interests in the Whanganui River.\n\nNow, I am not proposing that the Whanganui River model be transferred in its entirety to other rivers in New Zealand. However, elements of it, such as joint decision-making by iwi and the Crown, could be used to ameliorate issues around property rights to governance and facilitate a constructive conversation around the development of water markets.\n\nIn the establishment of an efficient water market there is no greater responsibility than setting the cap, for both environmental and economic reasons. Legislating for joint decision-making by iwi and the Crown at this level could address concerns about the exclusion of iwi from water governance. It would also embed cultural, environmental, social, and economic values within water governance, as the cap must be based on the careful insights of scientists and economists.\n\n\nLet there be no mistake: transitioning to a water market would not be an easy process, nor would it be cheap. The example of the Murray-Darling is testament to this. Further, a water market is not a panacea. For instance, this proposal does not address domestic water use or the demands of some iwi that they should be able to clip the ticket of water users for their private economic gain.\n\nKarangarua River, New Zealand. Source: Wikipedia Creative Commons.\n\nHowever, this proposal does enable iwi and the Crown to be equally involved in decisions over water in an area causing increasing environmental and economic stress. It would mean that iwi would no longer be merely a stakeholder in decision-making, but be actively responsible for their taonga, whilst simultaneously allowing for more efficient water use through cap and trade of water rights.\n\nAs New Zealand faces increasing water scarcity, the government urgently needs to adopt demand-based solutions to more efficiently allocate water use. The current ‘first-come, first-served’ system is not efficient or culturally equitable. Recognising that markets could be a solution to both issues could improve water governance outcomes for all.\n\nJulia Talbot-Jones is currently completing a PhD at the Australian National University in environmental economics.  She has an interest in how  institutions can solve environmental and natural resource problems.  Her current research is looking at a new institutional arrangement in New Zealand that proposes to grant a river legal rights with a view to understanding how the new property rights arrangement might affect use of resources.  A former NZ-US Fulbright scholar, her work bridges economics, ecology, and resource management.  Julia is the current Managing Editor of UNESCO Global Water Forum.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8702998161315918}
+{"content": "Compassionate Jesus\n\nWhen I first heard about the opportunity of joining this blog tour and reading Compassionate Jesus by Christopher W Bogosh, I was excited at the prospect of learning how Jesus’s compassion can be put into practice in modern healthcare. While this book did consider that to a certain extent, I was left with a general feeling of disappointment and confusion.\n\nUsing Jesus’s parable of the Good Samaritan, the author unpacks seven elements of biblical compassion: 1) putting other people’s needs before our own, 2) not discriminating against race, colour, creed, etc, 3) taking risks in order to help, 4) tending wounds and alleviating pain and suffering, 5) providing comfort and safety, 6) providing for extended care needs, 7) following up.\n\nThe author then argues that for many people (Christians included), health is their god. When ill or in pain, they live as if this life is all there is and will pursue seeking a cure at all costs. He writes: ‘…when hope in healing is the focus of a person’s life, then Jesus will be less important, and when this happens, idolatry prevails.’\n\nHe also discusses the difference between when the medical profession consider a person to be dead and when the Bible says a person is dead. Out of this, he looks at living wills and how these can be used for good, including ensuring that the individual’s organs are not harvested before their lungs and heart cease to function (the author’s experience is based in the US, I don’t know at what stage a patient’s organs would be harvested in the UK).\n\nHe provides wise and helpful advice regarding the sometimes agonising decision relatives face when switching off a patient’s life support: ‘Whether the person lives or dies rests in the hands of God.’\n\nI was, however, puzzled by the author’s attitude to praying for physical healing. He states several times that ‘it is not wrong to pray for physical healing’, which seems rather a negative statement.\n\nThe last chapter is dedicated to the hospice movement, which in the US is heavily influenced by Kubler-Ross’s reincarnation beliefs. The author encourages churches to minister alongside hospices.\n\nI struggled with this book. At times, the author comes across as a little narrow-minded, so focussed on the spiritual that he seems to disregard physical suffering, and biased against praying for miraculous physical healing. He frequently makes very strong, somewhat insensitive statements which he then unpacks; I suspect this is a way of getting the reader’s attention, much as preachers use hyperbole.\n\nI was provided with a free copy of this ebook by Heritage Reformation Books and Cross Focussed Reviews for the purpose of writing a review.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8820858001708984}
+{"content": "Reading Time: 2 minutes\n\ntumblr_nmtpty1otg1r25k9co1_1280There are two kinds of energy you can draw from in life and hustle.\n\nThe first is energy from overcoming, competition and overall aggressiveness. This energy is what the majority of people use to propel themselves in life. The wanting to be Number 1, the wanting to be recognized by your peers and the wanting to beat others is what America is built off of.  All of your movies deal with this kind of energy as the loser finds himself through challenge and then through dominance. The error in this thinking is naturally there can only be one and it builds resentment all the way through.\n\nThe second energy is from discovery. Either you stumble into a idea or you are always searching for information that can lead to your own end and betterment. This energy is the uniqueness that makes other people follow you, makes people stand is awe of you and overall makes you hard to beat. When a person discovers things he immediately adapts them into their lives and moves different from this day forward. Sure other people will try to compete against them but they know what they know and have cannot be won over. The only error in this thinking is not realizing others will start to hate you for not measuring yourself against them.\n\nYour whole life you have drawn your energy from the 1st example and are starting to realize you have been connned. When a man who used to play football doesn’t make to the NFL he is a has been. When a woman who figured out how to fix a car opened up a woman’s only car garage she is looked at like a Unicorn.\n\nIf this post hasn’t make you evaluate the way you think… well I’m sure you have great stories!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9355489611625671}
+{"content": "Following the news of the death of Osama bin Laden and fearing reprisals, the U.S is warning its citizens about traveling. The State Department warned Americans worldwide last night of “enhanced potential for anti-American violence” following the killing of Al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. “Given the uncertainty and volatility of the current situation, U.S. citizens in areas where events could cause anti-American violence are strongly urged to limit their travel outside of their homes and hotels and avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations,” the State Department said.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5901232957839966}
+{"content": "The Ethereal\n\n\n\nJudger of Kingdoms\n\n\n\n\nTo pass judgment on great civilizations\n\n\nAladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Abu, Iago, The Sultan, Omar, Tanti, Tanti's mother\n\n\nFormerly: Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, Iago, Genie\n\n\nCivilizations cherishing their people\n\n\nAladdin denying and tackling her, great civilizations priding themselves on knowledge, objects, art\n\nVoiced by\n\nKath Soucie\n\n\nThe Ethereal\n\n\nShe is a white figure who wears a white derss underneath another slightly more elegant white dress with old plating around the neck and shoulder area. She also wears a golden mask.\n\n\n\nThough extreme in her methods, she tests kingdoms to ensure they understand that what is truly important for a kingdom is that they care for the people. She is wise and when she realized Jasmine truly cared for her people resurrected her, showing she can be helpful to those she deems worthy. She is not easily impressed or amused.\n\n\nShe is invulnerable and capable of flight. She also wields the Cube of the Ethereal which can destroy kingdoms by emitting lightning from the face like sides of the Cube.\n\n\nThe Ethereal initially appeared as a golden mas at a merchant store but Jasmine sees her and hears a voice and begins to have a prophetic dream of ice falling through the sky, the Earth moving like an earthquake, light becoming dark as pitch black as the darkest night sky, creatures of destruction (like legendary giant desert scorpions) bringing forth their wrath and Agrabah in the future was destroyed. She then comes to life with a white robe and tells everyone she is there to judge their civilization and if it didn't prove itself worthy she would destroy them all. Jasmine and the sultan try to convince her while Aladdin and the others devise a plan to defeat her should Jasmine and the sultan fail. Ultimately, she deems the city unworthy and tries to destroy them using a giant cube with faces. However, when she sees Jasmine sacrifice her life to save the life of a young boy, she fixes the damage and resurrects Jasmine, saying the true worth of a civilization is its people.\n\nMain Characters Aladdin | Jasmine | Genie | Abu | Iago | Magic Carpet | The Sultan\nAllies Rajah | Razoul | Fazal | Hakim | Fasir | Thundra | Eden | Wahid | Riders of Ramond | Sultan Pasta Al-Dente | Prince Uncouthma | Brawnhilda | General Gouda | Bud | Cassim | Royal Guards\nMinor Characters Peddler | Dhandi | Gazeem | Captain Al Bahtross | Hamed | King Mamood | Prince Achmed | King Pector | Prince Wazoo | Queen Kimbla | Sydney | Brisbane | Koala Kid | Samir the \"Destroyer\" | Harem Girls | Farouk | Two Hungry Children | Sultana | Zin and Zang\nVillains Jafar | Abis Mal | Haroud Hazi Bin | Ayam Aghoul | Mozenrath | Xerxes | Mirage | Mechanicles | Amin Damoola | Saleen | Armand | Nefir Hasenuf | Nefir's Imps | Malcho | Aziz | Sa'Luk | Al Muddy Sultan | Al Muddy | Arbutus | Amuk Moonrah | Chaos | Caliph Kapok | Daru Tavelevil | Dominus Tusk | Evil Aladdin | Evil Genie | Fashoom | Frigeed | Kileem | Khartoum | Tyrannosaurus Rex | Mamluks | Magma | Zorasto | Zarasto the Marauder | Marauders | Runta | Scooter | Scourge of the Desert | Shaman | Sand Monster | Shakata, Razili and Farida | Sirocco | Sootinai | The Great Rift\nReformed Characters Sadira | Merc | Minos | Fatima | The Mukhtar | Queen Hippsodeth | Scara | Ajed Al-Gebraic | Ding and Oopo | Amal | Queen Deluca | Queen Deluca's Brothers\nCreatures Mozenrath's Winged Beast | Sand Shark | Kutato | Giant Three Headed Lion | Mothias | Mother Griffin | Giant Scorpions | Sligoothoo | Squirt | El Khatib | Slumbergath | Thirdack | The Rock Ifrit | Unkbuut | Machana | Giant Worms\nMagical Characters Cave of Wonders | Ethereal | Pharabu | The Oracle\nVideo Game Characters Nasira | Bizarrah | Very Ankh-Amman | Anubis | Arachnid\nEnchanted Tales Characters Aneesa | Hakeem | Sahara | Sharma\nDeleted Characters Aladdin's Mother | Genie of the Ring", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6756767630577087}
+{"content": "Hope for Cats, Inc.\n\nHope for Cats\n\nHope for Cats is a 501(c) limited admission, no-kill cat rescue, shelter and adoption organization with an all-volunteer staff, established in 2007. Our mission is to protect, house, nurture, and socialize abandoned or homeless cats until they can be adopted.\n\nNorth Boston, NY", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9979021549224854}
+{"content": "Laminate flooring is an easy and quick way to upgrade a room in your home. It is a great alternative to wood and besides its wood-like look, it does not attract termites and is easier to install as well. In a few steps, this easy to follow guide will show you how to lay laminate flooring and how to cut laminate planks so they fit in corners.\n\n1. Clean the Floor\nBefore laying the laminate, it is important to make sure that the floor is clean and doesn’t have any debris or dirt on it. Even the smallest piece of dirt can cause complications and create an uneven surface.\n\n2. Use the Underlay\nOnce you have cleaned the floor, start laying down the underlay where you want to lay your first laminate boards. Doing so provides extra cushioning and absorbs noise. Make sure to cut the underlay to the correct length.\n3. Run a String Line\nNow measure the width of the laminate board. Do not forget to add 10 mm for the gap between the first board and the wall. Hammer in the nail by marking the distance. Measure the same distance where you are going to lay the boards and put in a nail. Place a string line between two nails and tie the string tightly.\n\n4. Place the First Row of Boards\nWhile placing the first board down, put a packer between the wall and the board to ensure there is a 10mm gap between the two. Put the next board in place and the packer between the wall and the board again. Repeat until the first row is completed.\n\n5. Cut the Boards and Start Second Row\nCut the board in half so that the joins in the boards aren’t aligned. Now start the next row with the cut board. Keep laying the boards to complete the row and click them into the side of the first row. If there is a gap between two rows, close it by using the hammer and knocking the side gently.\n\n6. Lay More Boards\nContinue putting more boards into rows to cover the space. Ensure that the boards are clicked into each other to cover the gap. Also, make sure that the board at the end of the rows are not of the same length.\n\n7. Mark the Board to Fit in the Corner\nPut the board against the corner and measure where the board meets the wall and add an extra 10 mm for the gap. Mark the width to be cut and cut the board properly to fit the corner. Use safety gear while doing so.\n\nTools Required\n1. Hammer\n2. Safety Glasses\n3. String Line\n4. Nail Gun\n5. Pencil and Ear Muffs\n6. Tape Measure\n7. Dust Mask\n8. Jigsaw and Knee Pads\n\nFor professional laminate, and vinyl flooring, see Kildare Carpets And Flooring for more details.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5754261612892151}
+{"content": "The Filipino Law Group is composed of several active practicing attorneys licensed in their own state of business. All cases are different. The news and information displayed on this website, including actual testimonials, press releases, news articles, and endorsements are in no way intended to apply to any specific case or client, nor does it constitute a forecast, guarantee or promise of a specific outcome to your legal matter.\n\n\nAll information pertaining to your case discussed through our consultations whether it be online, live chat, questionnaires, email, telephone or walk- in, does not obligate our offices to represent you or require us to provide you legal services on your behalf. NO ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE shall exist between you and this office until a formal retainer agreement is signed between our offices and you with any applicable fees and costs paid.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.950466513633728}
+{"content": "Heirloom Blade\nCommunity Rating:\nCommunity Rating: 5 / 5  (0 votes)\nCard Name:\nHeirloom Blade\nMana Cost:\nConverted Mana Cost:\nArtifact — Equipment\nCard Text:\nEquipped creature gets +3/+1.\nEquip 1\nCard Number:\n8/25/2017 If you don’t reveal a creature card that shares a type with the creature that died, you’ll just reveal and randomize your library.\n8/25/2017 If the equipped creature has no creature type, no card can share a creature type with it.\n8/25/2017 You’ll reveal cards until you find one that shares at least one creature type with the creature that died. For example, if a Cat Wizard dies, you’ll stop if you reveal a Human Wizard or Cat Soldier.\n8/25/2017 Compare the revealed cards to the creature as it last existed before it died, not to the creature card as it exists in its owner’s graveyard, to determine which one you put into your hand.\n8/25/2017 “Artifact” isn’t a creature type.\n8/25/2017 If Heirloom Blade leaves the battlefield at the same time that the equipped creature dies, its triggered ability triggers.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9868354201316833}
+{"content": "Great Minds, creator of Eureka Math® and Wit & Wisdom™, is proud to introduce an exemplary new elementary science program: PhD Science™. Based on the new science standards and created by our team of teacher–writers and experts, this innovative curriculum inspires students to wonder about the world and empowers them to make sense of it. \n\n\nPhD Science is a phenomena driven curriculum. Students explore rich, compelling phenomena through observation, questioning, modeling, investigation and evidence-based argumentation. Each module weaves a coherent storyline of science concepts that help students make sense of the phenomena they investigate.  \n\nPhenomena-based learning\nStudent artwork demonstrating understanding of energy transformations.\n\nPhD Science is based on the Next Generation Science Standards and A Framework for K–12 Education. The curriculum incorporates a three-dimensional approach in science education focusing on hands-on, student-driven learning and away from rote memorization. In each module, students build deep scientific understanding by engaging in inquiry and applying science and engineering practices to explore phenomena, revealing core ideas and cross cutting concepts across science domains. \n\n\nAs students explore the anchor phenomenon in each module, they make content connections to English language arts, math, history, art, and more. Each module includes nonfiction, informational texts that support or explain the science while giving students an opportunity to practice and strengthen literacy skills. Art is featured in each module to expose students to works of art, make science accessible to more students, and extend and support science learning. \n\nStudent reading informational text about windmills.\n\n\"Great Minds did transform the way my students look at science, but it also transformed the way I look at science. Before this, science was an acquisition of facts. We read from a book and we answered questions. But it was never an experience generated by the students. This curriculum is a science experience.\"  Susan Warren, pilot teacher in Owensboro, KY", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9715938568115234}
+{"content": "Society News: Slavery in Anglo-Saxon England\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLetters from the Dark Ages: Berhtgyth\n\nIt’s that time of year when letters and cards might actually arrive in your mailbox. Real letter, hand-written by a friend or loved one who lives far away. Isn’t it wonderful? One of the sad things about this modern age is the pen-and-paper letter has gone the way of the dodo, for the most part.\n\nOf course, this is a relatively new phenomenon. Up until even thirty years ago, it wasn’t uncommon to get a letter from someone far away. And even in Anglo-Saxon England, in the midst of the so-called Dark Ages, there were people who communicated to one another via letters.\n\nThis was not an easy task, and, just like today, not exactly a common one. There wasn’t the convenience of a centralized postal system which would handily take care of getting your letter to its destination. You had to find someone who was going to the letter’s intended destination, and then someone at that destination had to get that letter to the recipient.\n\nCouple these difficulties with the fact that most people could not read and write, and you can easily see that for the general population, this means of communication was not possible. It’s hard for us to imagine now, but for most of human history, when people left their homes to go to faraway places (in those days, that could even be relatively close by, to our minds), it was likely that they would never be heard from or seen again by their loved ones.\n\nHaving said all that, it’s amazing that some letters from the 7th century survived through the centuries. They are  fascinating, as they give us a first hand view of one person’s life at the time. Since these close and personal glimpses of life in the Early Middle Ages are few and far between, these letters are very instructive to us today.\n\nThe one group of people who could easily write and send letters were those in religious life, as they learned to read and write as part of their vocations. And because there were often travellers between the various monasteries, they had a way for letters to be carried back and forth. So, it’s not surprising that the letters we have are mainly from Church men and women.\n\nAnd seeing as the Church was engaging in missionary work at this time, establishing monasteries on the Continent, there were even opportunities to send letters back and forth across the ocean.\n\nToday I want to introduce you to Berhtgyth, a Anglo-Saxon nun who grew up in Wessex. She eventually went overseas to Germany as part of a mission to that country, likely with her mother, Cynehild, and taught in the region of Thuringia, Germany. She likely worked under the leadership of the Abbess Leoba. At the end of the 8th century* she  wrote some letters to her brother, a monk named Balthard, who at the time of receiving the letters could have been Abbot of the monastery at Bad Hersfeld, in central Germany. The letters themselves aren’t clear exactly where Balthard was, but it is evident he was some distance away, either in Germany, or perhaps even back in England.\n\nWe don’t have Balthard’s side of the correspondence; just three letters that Berhtgyth wrote to him have survived. You might wonder why. Although it seems she was a learned woman and accomplished teacher, Berhtgyth was, by all accounts, an ordinary nun, doing the work set out for her as part of an English missionary circle which included the much more famous Boniface, the celebrated English missionary to Germany.\n\nAccording to a later, 11th century Life of St. Boniface, Berhtgyth’s mother Cynehild was a maternal aunt of Lull. Lull (or Lullus) was the eventual successor of Boniface as Archbishop of Mainz. Because Boniface and Lull were both important figures, the correspondence between the two of them, as well as letters to and about Boniface, were saved for posterity. In the midst of that bundle of letters that have been saved (probably compiled by Lull), you will find these three letters from Berhtgyth to her brother Balthard. I will touch on why this might be so later.\n\n\nStatue of St. Lullus, in Bad Hersfeld. Image from Wikipedia\n\nThe letters are short, but remarkable. To give you a taste, here is the opening of the second letter:\n\nMost beloved brother in God and dearest in the flesh, Berhtgyth salutes Balthard in the name of Christ. \n\nMy soul is weary of my life because of our fraternal love, for I am alone, left behind and without help of kin. For my father and my mother abandoned me, but the Lord has taken me up. Many are the congregations of water between me and you, yet let us be joined in love because true love is never divided by the borders between places. But still I say that sadness never recedes from my soul, nor can I rest my mind in sleep, because love is as strong as death. I therefore ask you now, most beloved brothers to come to me or have me come to you, so that I might see you before I die, because your love never leaves my soul. Brother, your only sister salutes you in Christ. \n\nAll three letters follow this theme. In them, Berhtgyth begs her brother to come and visit her, and expresses her loneliness and sadness at being abandoned by her parents (by their death). In fact, as you can tell from this excerpt, she does lay it on rather thick. However, we have to keep in mind that this type of overblown rhetoric only seems that way to our  modern eyes. In some of the other literature we have looked at, such as The Wife’s Lament, you can see hints of this same style, so it’s not like this was unusual for the times.\n\nIn the third letter, we get a glimpse of some of the ways letters travelled from one person to another, as we see that Balthard has obviously replied to Berhtgyth’s letter.\n\nIt may be known to you that your missionary words came to me through a faithful messenger named Aldraed,  together with gifts that are embraced with intimate love. And now I confess to you that with the help of God I long to fulfill all that you instructed me, if your will might deem it worthy to come to me, because I cannot in any other way suppress my fountain of tears.\n\nAldread has brought a letter back to her from Balthard, along with some gifts. It almost seems like the package of a letter and the gift maybe passed through more than one hand, finally getting to Aldread and thus to Berhtgyth. And at the end of the letter, she reciprocates:\n\nA little present, although small, still loaded with great love, which we send to you by the faithful messenger named Alfred; that is a ribbon.\n\nTry to look past the “fountain of tears” to see the woman who wrote the words, who has given up husband and family to serve Christ as a nun, and who is missing her only kin, her brother, longing for a glimpse of home in a foreign land. They write back and forth, sending gifts via a messenger or messengers they can only hope and pray will reach their destination. It’s really rather touching, don’t you think?\n\nThere is some speculation that these letters were included with the bundle of Boniface correspondence as a type of “form letter” that others could use in their own correspondences to use in similar circumstances. If you were missing your brother/sister/aunt/uncle/mother/father, etc, you could pull out these letters, personalize it with the appropriate names, and you would have a letter already done for you. Keep in mind that letter writing was an important skill that was taught in Classical times, and although we don’t know for sure, there are hints that it could have been taught throughout the Early Medieval period in England as well at the monastery schools. It was expected that letters would follow certain forms and include specific parts. It would have been handy to have examples of a “good” letter to work from for busy church men and women.\n\nAt any rate, no matter why there are there, I’m really glad these letters still survive. We get a small glimpse of an ordinary person of the times, in her own words. That it is a woman’s voice we are hearing is even more remarkable. These letters are a small window into this long-ago time, one far removed from the battles, warriors, and saints we usually see.\n\nBut I wish we knew whether Balthard finally visited Berhtgyth or not, don’t you? I really hope so!\n\nFeatured image from\n\nIf you want more in-depth info on Berhtgyth’s letters, have a look at Berhtgyth’s Letters to Balthard, a scholarly paper from the University of Iowa by Kathryn Maude.\n\n\nAnglo-Saxon Elves\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBald’s Leechbook. Image from The British Library\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnglo-Saxon Literature: The Wife’s Lament\n\nOn of the poems contained within the Exeter book is one called “The Wife’s Lament”. It’s an elegy, a poem that is a melancholy lament on death or other such sorrow, In this particular poem, a wife laments her separation and exile from her husband. It is written in Old English. As the Exeter book dates back to the late 10th century, we know that this poem is at least that old.\n\nI have given you some simple facts about this poem in that first paragraph, but actually some of them are not facts, they are conjecture. Which makes this poem very tricky to write about! Like the Franks Casket, this little poem (53 lines) is subject to many interpretations and much scholarly debate.\n\nBefore we get into the general murkiness of the poem’s meaning, I will start with the bare bones of what it is about, in the minds of most scholars. The poem begins with a woman’s general lament over the state of her life. Keeping in mind that Old English is very difficult to translate, and so there are many variations of translations available, here is one fairly easy to understand version of the first stanza:\n\nI make this song of myself, deeply sorrowing,\nmy own life’s journey. I am able to tell\nall the hardships I’ve suffered since I grew up,\nbut new or old, never worse than now –\never I suffer the torment of my exile.\n\nThe poem then gets into the details of her “life’s journey”. She is in exile because she has married into a different tribe/kingdom, and is without friends or family. And a secondary exile seems to take place in the poem, as he husband leaves her, the reason for which is unclear. Perhaps because of a feud, or a crime, we don’t know enough to say. The upshot of this is that the woman leaves as well, to look for her husband.  She is thwarted in this by her husband’s kinsmen, and is then commanded to live in a hole in the ground. Which leads her to pen this sorrowful poem. Can’t say I blame her.\n\nThere is also a section in the poem that could be about a tryst with another lover (perhaps that’s why she is put in the hole), or could also refer to a betrayal of her love by the husband. Some say that the “hole” is actually a grave, in other words, that the woman has been killed, and this is her ghost speaking. Either way, it’s all gloomy.\n\n\nPhoto by Kat J on Unsplash\n\nSo, getting back to the first paragraph of this post, here’s a little more enlightenment on the controversies surrounding this poem:\n\nThe title – It is true that the poem is found within the Exeter Book, and is written in Old English. But, like the other elegies and poems in that book, it doesn’t actually have a title in the original manuscript.  The poem simply starts with the first line.  The first person to name it, Anglo-Saxon scholar Benjamin Thorpe, actually named it “The Exile’s Lament” in 1842. It wasn’t until eight years later that the title was changed to “The Wife’s Lament”. What’s going on, here?\n\nWell, first of all, the Old English equivalent for the word “wife” does not appear in the poem. The poem is clearly meant to be in a woman’s voice, however, because the pronouns and adjectives in the poem are written in the Old English feminine form, rather than masculine. And by the way, this is one of the first pieces of English literature written from a woman’s point of view, which makes it pretty special aside from anything else, don’t you think? This is likely why Benjamin Thorpe did not ascribe it to a woman, because there isn’t much literature from a woman’s point of view that comes from this male-dominated era. Perhaps he was just not expecting to see that, and so he didn’t. And as I said, Old English, especially poetic Old English, is very tricky to translate.\n\nThe subject of the poem is of a more domestic nature, as compared to the heroic poems such as “Beowulf”,  with its monsters, fighting, and mead-halls. This also makes “The Wife’s Lament” stand out amongst the other poems we have from this era.\n\nOf course, just because it’s in a woman’s “voice” doesn’t mean the creator of the poem was a woman. Don’t forget, very few people could read or write at the time. These poems were meant to be spoken, performed for an audience. It is possible that there were women who created poems, but it is likely that it would only be men who performed them. We only have a few poems from this era that were captured by a scribe at some point and written down. This scribe, however, could have been male or female, as this work was done pretty much exclusively in monasteries or nunneries.\n\nBecause of the female voice of the poem’s narrator, she is assumed to be a wife of the “lord” that she is mourning over in the poem. Hence, “The Wife’s Lament”.\n\nThe style of poem – although the interpretation of the poem being an elegy is the most common one, some scholars think that this is not an elegy, but is actually a riddle. They believe this because of a lot of complicated textual analysis that I can’t claim understand well enough to write about, so I will take their word for it. The poem ends, Woe to the one who must suffer longing for a loved one. This type of epitaph is typical of Anglo-Saxon riddles, which always end with these bits of what is called “gnomic” wisdom.  It is interesting that this poem, along with “The Wanderer “and “The Seafarer”, are found in the Exeter Book, which also contains 92 other riddle poems. So, I suppose it’s possible….\n\n\nYeah. Basically. \n\nWe have comparatively little extant written material from the Early Middle Ages, and so each piece we have is so very important to help us understand the culture and the times in which it was written. “The Wife’s Lament”, in particular, even with it’s difficulties, puts a small spotlight on a woman’s perspective (albeit a very sad one!), and that makes it very special, indeed.\n\nWant more? Here are the posts in my Anglo-Saxon Literature series:\n\nThe Dream of the Rood\n\nThe Anglo-Saxon Chronicle\n\nThe Wanderer\n\nWhat’s In a Word?\n\nBald’s Leechbook: The Doctor is In\n\nThe Lindisfarne Gospels\n\nThe Cotton Library\n\nCynewulf the Poet\n\nBeowulf Basics\n\nCynewulf the Poet\n\nThe Exeter Book\n\n\nFeature image of the Exeter Book from\n\nThe Franks Casket\n\nThe Franks Casket, also known as the Auzon Casket, is a singularly fascinating object from early 8th century Anglo-Saxon England, probably Northumbrian in origin.\n\nIt is a small chest (the word “casket” is a bit deceiving, it is only 9″ by 4″). It’s unknown exactly what its original purpose was, but possibly it was made to hold a Gospel book or a book of Psalms (a psalter). It is made out of whale bone.\n\nIt is amazing that this small chest survived at all through the centuries. It first came to light in medieval France, as a reliquary in St. Julien’s Basilica in Brioude. It next appears on the record as a possession of a family in Auzon, France. Possibly it was looted from the church during the French Revolution, but it’s hard to say. At any rate, the box was used as a sewing box until the silver hinges and fittings were taken off and traded for a silver ring.\n\n\nSir Augustus Wolloston Franks, described by Marjorie Caygill, historian of the British Museum, as “arguably the most important collector in the history of the British Museum, and one of the greatest collectors of his age”. Image from Wikicommons\n\nWithout the hinges the box fell apart, and the panels were shown to a professor who sold them to an antique dealer in Paris. Three of the panels were bought by Sir Augustus Wolloston Franks in 1857, and he donated them to the British Museum as he was the Keeper of the British and Medieval collections there,\n\nThe missing fourth panel (the right end) was found in a drawer by the family in Auzon and sold to the Bargello Museum in Florence, where it still resides.  It wasn’t until 1890 that the discovery was made that it belonged to the other pieces in the British Museum. The British Museum made a cast of the missing piece and reassembled the casket, and it is now on display there.\n\nWhat is so interesting about this small chest are the exquisite carvings that adorn the sides and the top. Each panel depicts a different scene, all of them include runic inscriptions of varying lengths, with one Latin word thrown in for good measure. The dating and place of origin of the Franks casket comes mainly from the linguistic evidence of the words and the artistic style of the carvings.\n\nThe inscription on the front is a riddle, which also includes the answer. It is a riddle that describes what the box is made out of:\n\nThe flood lifted up the fish on to the cliff-bank;\nthe whale became sad, where he swam on the shingle.\n\nWhale’s bone.\n\nThe casket was most certainly made in a monastery for some important figure, likely a king. There have been some attempts to tie it to the monastery at Ripon, founded by Wilfrid, but nothing definitive can be said about that.\n\nThere have been reams of scholarship on the decorative carvings, and that is because they are all so very different, and have many possible interpretations. The runes are not exactly straightforward, either, as in one spot the carver has used a simple substitution cipher to encrypt the words, and in other places has even written words backwards. This type of playing with words and letters is familiar – the use of riddles and encryption is seen in other surviving manuscripts from this time period. Anglo-Saxons obviously had a great respect for the power of the written word, don’t you think? I find it so fascinating, Don’t you wish you could sit down with the maker and find out exactly what was in his mind as he made this object?\n\nOriginally all the carved panels were thought to be random scenes, placed with no overall thought or design in mind. However, scholars are starting to reject that idea. They are now coming to see the carvings as an extremely clever and intellectually rich commentary, chosen precisely for how they all fit together.\n\nThe trouble is that the overarching theme or commentary is still unknown, and likely will never be known. Some postulate that the casket is telling the story of the history of England, from its pagan past to its Christian present (at least at the time of the 8th century, when it was created). Others see it as a commentary of the superiority of Christianity over pagan religions.\n\nBecause the obviously Christian element on the panel is only one small part of it, though, the thinking is that the casket was likely meant for a secular ruler. There are certainly  many references to secular/pagan legends and history.\n\nThere is so much informed and scholarly thought about what each of the carved panels represent that it would be a longer blog post than you likely want to read to tell you all of the possible interpretations. But, in a nutshell, here are a brief description of the panels and some of the proposed meanings of them.\n\nFront panel – contains the riddle described above, flowing around the top, bottom, and sides of the panel, written in runes. The pictures are broken up into two distinct scenes. One the right, you have the only obviously Christian scene on the casket, that of the Adoration of the Magi after Christ was born in Bethlehem. We know this because the maker has helpfully included the word “mægi” over the three figures who are bowing to the baby held by the woman. Easy-peasy.\n\nOn the left, there is something completely different, namely, a depiction of part of the Germanic legend of Weyland the Smith. In this scene Welyand has been captured by the cruel king Niohad.. It also depicts the headless body of Niohad’s son, whom Weyland has killed in revenge for his captivity. Weyland is holding a goblet in his tongs, this could be the missing head, which he has made into a goblet. In the legend he offers a goblet of drugged beer to Niohad’s daughter, whom he then rapes. A female figure is in this scene, probably this is her.\n\nWhy on earth would the creator of this casket put these two scenes together? Possibly it is juxtaposing the benign Christ and his rule as opposed to the darkness and death of paganism from which the Saxons have escaped.\n\n\nFront panel. Image from John W. Schulze, on Flickr\n\nLeft side panel – this is a depiction of the legend of the twins Romulus and Remus, the two founders of Rome. The legend states that they were suckled by a she-wolf. The panel shows the wolf on her back, protecting and suckling the twins, with four men with spears watching. The runic inscription says, Romulus and Remus, two brothers: a she-wolf fed them in Rome city, far from their native land. \n\nThis legend shows up in other Anglo-Saxon artifacts from the 8th century, so it’s not necessarily surprising to see it here. There are some parallels to it and the story of Hengist and Horsa, the Saxon brothers who were the legendary founders of England. Bede tells us that they were invited to Britain by King Vortigern along with a mercenary army of Saxons, Angles, and Jutes, to help him fight against the Picts of the north in the light of the departure of Rome’s legions in the 5th century.  Soon the money ran out and the erstwhile saviours turned against the British and began to claim England for their own.\n\nTherefore, this panel could also be a reference to England’s past.\n\nAlternatively, Rome was the centre of the Christian church at the time, so this could be symbolizing the aid and succour that Mother Church gives to her children.\n\nI hope you are starting to see the difficulty scholars have in interpreting these scenes!\n\n\nLeft panel. Image from Wikicommons\n\nBack Panel – this depicts the conquest of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD by Titus. Again, the runic inscription explains this. Interestingly, some of the words here are carved in Latin script, not with the runic alphabet.\n\nAgain, one might wonder why this scene is included here. This conquest of the Jews  by the Gentile Roman, Titus, was seen as a divine punishment by God for the wickedness of the Jews in their rejection of Christ. Similarly, Bede, in his Ecclesiastical History of England,  presents the invasion of the Saxons as punishment of the Britons for their moral laxity. This panel, then, could be a subtle, or not-so-subtle, commentary on a painful episode in England’s history that God used to chasten his wayward people. Others speculate it is more general than that, and is a commentary of the triumph of Christianity over Judaism.\n\n\nBack panel. Roman soldiers are on the left, beseiging Jerusalem. On the right are the captive prisoners being led away. Note the Latin letters on the top right. Image from Wikicommons\n\n\nLid – The top is missing the two panels that border the centre panel, which, assuming it was similar to the sides, contained the runic inscription. Perhaps these were made of silver as well, with the runes etched on it? Hard to say.  It also has a round spot in the middle which could have had an embellished silver boss or a knob-like handle attached.\n\nWithout the helpful runic inscriptions, it’s a little harder to suss out the meaning of the carvings. Some speculate it depicts an unknown part of the legend of Egill, a Germanic hero who is Weyland’s brother. There is one runic word incorporated in the carving, which says Ægill, hence the above interpretation. Other scholars argue that the word is actually referring to Achilles, and the carving is a depiction of the death of Achilles at Troy.\n\n\nLid. Image from Wikipedia\n\n\nHere you can see the centre panel on the lid, with the obvious missing pieces on either side. Image from Wikicommons\n\nRight Side Panel – this is the most enigmatic of all, and the one that generates the most scholarly debate. The inscription reads,\n\nHere the horse stands above the mound of woe,\nIt suffers tribulation; just as to her Erta appointed anxiety,\nA grave of grief, in sorrow and anguish of heart.\n\nWood. Biter. Rush.\n\nHmm. Not really helpful. This is the panel that contains the encrypted words, and as well the words run together without separation between them, adding to the difficulty of translation.\n\nThe picture is of a horse standing over a mound, which contains a human-like figure (possibly a burial mound, the “mound of woe”). On the left there is a strange figure with the body of a man and the head of a horse sitting on a mound, with a man wearing a helmet and carrying a spear in front of it. On the right there are three figures. This possibly echoes the three magi on the front.\n\nThe word “horse” is sometimes translated as Hos, a name. But no one knows who Hos and Erta (or Eratae)  are, or what legend they refer to. There are also possible references to the Norse god Woden, as the symbols under the legs of the horse are ones that could refer to him.\n\nSome believe this picture refers back to Hengist and Horsa again. The word “horsa” means “horse” in Old English, so perhaps this depicts Horsa mourning over the death of his brother Hengist.\n\nThere are several other interpretations of this panel which I won’t go into here. Needless to say, it’s a mystery!\n\n\nRight side panel (this is the cast that was made from the original). Image from Wikicommons \n\nSo, the pictures and inscriptions on the casket are a great source of scholarly discussion. To top it all off, there seems to also be some numerological significance to the number of runes on the casket. There are 72 runes on the front and left panels, and a total of 288 runes in total. The 72 could correspond to the 72 disciples mentioned in the Latin Vulgate Bible familiar to the Anglo-Saxons. The number 288 is a multiple of 24, which is the number of runes in an early continental Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet, which had magical significance for the Anglo-Saxons.\n\nPhew! No wonder many scholars have devoted so much time and effort on trying to decipher the runes and pictures on this little box. The more you look at it, the more you discover.\n\nThis beautiful box has so much to tell us about this fascinating period in England’s history. It’s an extremely important object that demonstrates for us the rich cultural milieu from which it sprang, giving us tantalizing hints into the way they saw themselves.\n\nFeatured image from Wikipedia\n\nDo you want to know more about Anglo-Saxon England, or the other topics I cover here on the blog? Do you want to be kept up to date on the publication of my first novel, Wilding: Book One of the Traveller’s Path? Sign up for my newsletter and you will get all this, and more!\n\n\nThe Celts: An Introduction\n\nEngland in the 7th century was made up of diverse groups of people. I’ve been blogging a lot about the Anglo-Saxons, those descendants of the invaders who made their way to Britain after the Roman legions left the island undefended in the 4th century.\n\nThe Romans left behind the Romano-British people, including, some speculate, the legendary Arthur, who fought against the Saxon invaders. But the other group of people who were there were the British Celts, the original inhabitants of the British Isles.\n\nThe Romans had never really conquered the Celts, just subdued them and made alliances with them when they could, and put up Hadrian’s Wall in the north to stop the raiding Picts and British Celtic tribes they never did tame. And in the west, the Welsh Celts retreated into their mountain strongholds but were never subdued. The Irish Celts, of course, continued their lives on their remote island much as they ever had.\n\nThe Druids were the priestly class of Celtic society. Their place in society gradually diminished until the old religion was pretty much wiped out by the 8th century in Britain, but in the 6th century, St. Patrick still acknowledged the high status of Druids by allowing that oaths could be made in front of them. Image from Harbinger451\n\nThings remained much the same when the invading/colonizing Germanic tribes came along. The people groups we now call the Welsh, Scottish, and Irish did not welcome the newcomers with open arms, but by the time of the 7th century there existed a fair amount of cooperation and even intermarriage between them. The Picts in Northern England also had embraced the Christian faith by this time.\n\nThe Celts and the Anglo-Saxons had similar societies, being that they were warrior societies, based around strong kings and familial ties.\n\nBut there were definite differences, as well.\n\n  1. 1. Christian vs pagan – by the 7th century, the Irish and Welsh had pretty much been Christianized*, and had begun to set up their monasteries which were centres of learning and innovation. They had access to the wisdom of the ancient Greeks and Romans and they were beginning to bring this wisdom and knowledge back to the rest of Europe who had lost it during the chaotic centuries after Rome fell and the barbarians took over. The Anglo-Saxons were beginning to be Christianized by the Irish monks as well, but there were still kings who held onto the pagan ways of their forefathers, most notably, Penda of Mercia. In fact, the 7th century was a time when the future of Christianity in Britain and even in Europe was very much up in the air. Whichever religion won over the society was going to be the religion held by the strongest king. And with the way the power shifted from one king to another over this century, it was far from certain that the Christian faith would come out on top.\n  2. Nature gods vs Norse gods – the Irish and Welsh Celts were Christians, but they came from a pagan background of nature worship. Theirs was a religion where trees, water, and the natural world were held sacred. Echoes of this still survived in the practice of their Christian faith. The Saxons held to the worship of Woden, Thunder, and Frig, the Nordic gods of their ancestors. It’s not entirely clear how either of these cultures practiced their religions, exactly, although we have some hints here and there. But the foundations of their worldviews would have been very different. For example, the Saxon idea of Fate, or wyrd, would have been much different from the way the ancient Celts, and most certainly the Christian Celts, saw the world.\n  3. Place of women – I have mentioned before that Anglo-Saxon women had more rights and a more powerful place in society than their Middle Ages counterparts who followed them. It was similar for  women in Celtic societies, and maybe even more so. I have heard it said that the Celts practiced matriarchy, but in the research I have done it does not seem that was the case. But certainly women could be warriors and even lead armies, be judges, and otherwise hold a considerable amount of power among the Celts. You see this translate over to the Irish church, where women such as Hild could be leaders of both women and men in the double monasteries.\n  4. Tribal Chief vs King – the Celts had a tribal, familial based society, as compared to the Saxons, whose loyalties were centered on the warrior-kings. In practice, this might look similar, but it was nonetheless a subtle inference between them. Family ties were important in Anglo-Saxon life, of course, but not to quite the same extent as the Celts.\n  5. Language – the Anglo-Saxons spoke various dialects of what we now call Old English. For example, the Mercians had slight differences from the language the Angles in Bernicia spoke. But it was all the same basic root language, derived from the one spoken by their ancestors who had originally migrate to Britain after the Romans left. The Celts spoke their own language, which also had the same root language called Brythonic but by the 7th century it had diverged from its common root into distinct languages amongst the groups we now call the Welsh, Irish and Scots.\n\nIn future posts on the Celts I hope to touch on more of these elements of their society in more detail. Stay tuned!\n\n*When I say “Christianized”, I mean that the faith had gained acceptance among both the ruling class and mainstream society. That’s not to say that there might not have been some hold-outs who clung to the old ways, however.\n\nFeatured image from The British Museum\n\nSociety News: Ceorls\n\nIn every society you have the elites and the rest. The percentage of people belonging to those two classes will fluctuate, and those broad categories are almost always broken down into further sub-categories, but in general, that’s how human societies tend to organize themselves.\n\nThe Anglo-Saxons were no different. The elites were made up of the Kings, Earldomen, and to a lesser extent, the thegns and the clergy.  These were the powerful people, the ones with wealth and prestige. They owned the most land, and had the political power. The movers and shakers, as it were. It’s impossible to say exactly how many  there were at that time, but suffice to say that they were not the majority. The majority of the people were the lower classes, those who were called the ceorls. We would call these the peasants.\n\nThe word ceorl is where we get our English word churl from, but that word has connotations that give us a false picture of this class of people in 7th century England. The ceorls were freemen who owned or rented land, or were the tradesmen who were the silversmiths, weavers, carpenters, etc. They would work the land cooperatively with their neighbours, often sharing the burden of planting and harvest. Which would mean they would live in close proximately to each other in order to accommodate this division of labour, and as well as for protection.\n\nOften there was a lord, such as a thegn, to whom the ceorls would give either rent and/or labour to in exchange for protection. The thegn would also call on these ceorls as a fighting force, or fyrd, when needed.\n\nThat is the broad strokes. Looking more closely at the ceorls, you will discover that this class was further broken down into three sub-classes, divided up by how much land the ceorl owned and therefore how wealthy they were.\n\n\nTypical clothing of the ceorls. Image from\n\nThe highest class amongst the ceorls was the geneatas. These were the peasant aristocracy, who owned the most land, sometimes as much or more as a thegn. They might not have to work the thegn‘s land in exchange for his protection, but they would have to pay some kind of rent or payment for his services. This could be in the form of food or livestock, not just money. They also could be messengers for the thegn, or help build fences around his lord’s land, or even provide entertainment.\n\nBelow the geneatas were the kotsetla. They would provide labour on their lord’s land at least one day a week, and up to two or three days per week during harvest. The rest of the time they would work their own land. They could also do other work for the thegn, such as helping during the hunt or coast guarding duties. They could also be called up for  duty in the fyrd. \n\nThe gerburas were the lowest class of ceorl. They owned the least amount of land, or none at all, and in order to survive had to depend on their lord for land they needed to produce the crops and livestock to feed themselves and their families.  In exchange they would work the lord’s land, at least two days a week, and  more during planting and harvest. They would not have much free time to improve their lot, and would have been the ones with the hardest lives in Anglo-Saxon England (excluding the slaves, whom I will write about in a future post).\n\n\nDefinitely my favourite peasants ever…\n\nIt’s important to note that there was opportunity for movement between the classes. If one was born a gerbur, it didn’t mean you would necessarily be one for life, although, as I mentioned, the lower down you were the harder it was to move up.\n\nBut in Anglo-Saxons society, hard work and service to your lord, whether that be militarily or otherwise, could be rewarded with gifts of land or booty from the latest military campaign, so it was definitely possible for people to improve their lot in life–if not for them, at least for their children. A hard-working ceorl who fought valiantly at his lord’s side could find himself rewarded generously in land, bumping him up the social scale.\n\nIt was even possible for slaves to move up the social ladder,  but that is a tale for the next post in this series! Stay tuned…\n\nNote: this post is part of a series on the class levels that made up Anglo-Saxon society in  7th century Anglo-Saxon England. For other posts in this series, check out the links below:\n\nSociety News: Introduction\n\nSociety News: The Kings (and Queens).\n\nSociety News: The Upper Crust\n\nSociety News: The Church\n\nSociety News: Weregild\n\nFeature image is an artist’s reconstruction of Tintagel, off the coast of Cornwall, in 600 AD, from English Heritage\n\nSubscribe to my newsletter to be kept up to date on my historical fantasy novel, Wilding. Publication date is inching closer! Click here to subscribe….it will arrive in  your inbox generally once a month, but maybe more often as publication gets closer and I have more to report.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9099640846252441}
+{"content": "\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDeciding at which social level to counter a social problem\n\nOnce groups of Americans agree that an issue in society needs to be addressed, they encounter an important question: at what social level should we target our efforts? There are numerous options for many important issues. For example, see an earlier post about how efforts to fight smog in Los Angeles did not seriously address driving but rather pushed Detroit to create more efficient vehicles.\n\nTwo social institutions regularly come to mind when I think about how many Americans want to address social problems: schools and the federal government. Even as different sides might not agree which problems they think schools or the federal government should, the country has regular debates about how these institutions should be doing something different.\n\nStart with schools. Because attendance is compulsory, children spend so much time there, learning may be the universally recognized need in a knowledge economy, and what is learned as a child can carry through a full lifetime, they seem like they are great places to address issues.\n\nFor similar reasons, it may appear prudent to operate at the level of the federal government Because it has broad oversight over the United States, it has the potential to shape numerous lives. Certain issues are so big and/or affect so many people that the federal government may seem to be the only way to adequately address a concern.\n\nBoth institutions are important in our society yet enacting change at these larger levels can be very difficult. Change brings a lot of attention. Politicians on all sides get involved. Those opposed to large-scale government action can be energized. Crafting one-size-fits-all policies is difficult.\n\nWhat, then, are alternatives? Here are three common ways Americans go if they do not want to go large-scale:\n\nWork through local or national voluntary associations. This can range from the local Rotary to religious congregations and a group of neighbors who get together to do something. With de Toqueville’s oft-repeated quote about the zeal with which Americans joined such groups, this option could offer hope (even as Americans are not participating in these like they did before – see Bowling Alone).\n\nVoluntary associations benefit from the eagerness of their members to participate but Americans can also work through local governments which are always present. Americans tend to like smaller-scale government activity and oversight. Why get the federal government or the state involved when a city or community, township, or county could try to address the matter? For some issues, this social level may be too local – larger issues are hard to deal with one community at a time. At the same time, these smaller governments could try a variety of options and this can provide information on what might work at larger levels.\n\nFinally, Americans can work through individual action. There is a reason that we celebrate certain notable individuals who worked tirelessly and successfully to fight for their convictions: it is rare to see such individual level success (and often, these famous figures benefited from organizations and support behind them). The actions of one person may typically not accomplish much but the aggregate actions of thousands or millions of people can add up or passionate individuals can help start movements.\n\nAll together, it is not easy to figure out which option might be the most effective in order to address important social problems. For many issues, it is likely that people are trying to find solutions at all of these levels: schools, the federal government, voluntary associations, local governments, and individual action. Actions at these various levels can occasionally intersect and enrich each other, helping provide energy for a broader movement or consensus. Indeed, truly finding solutions to social concerns likely requires broad action, even if the efforts began at just one of these social levels.\n\nWhy I’m skeptical housing will become a national political issue\n\nEven as affordable housing is a concern in a number of places in the United States, there is little national political discussion of the issue:\n\nFranzini is joined in this quest by a curious cast of fellow travelers who are committed to raising the political profile of the American housing dilemma. As home prices creep up everywhere from established tech hubs to traditionally inexpensive cities like Boise and Nashville—and as homelessness reaches epidemic proportions on the West Coast—a number of organizations from a diverse array of sectors have recently formed to push for housing policy changes at the highest levels of government. They’re frustrated by the lack of engagement on housing that national political leaders are offering. And they’re finding that, at least for the moment, the first order of business is just educating people about the seriousness of the issue.\n\nHere are four reasons why I believe it will be very tough to have a national political discussion, let alone pressure for the federal government to act, regarding housing:\n\n  1. Housing is local. Americans would like local governments to handle the issue as they prefer, particularly those with more resources, to live in places that can limit others of lesser status from moving in. Residents and smaller governments argue that they should not be forced to build housing that current residents do not desire or give money to less deserving people for housing.\n  2. Americans historically do not have much appetite for significant federal involvement in public or subsidized housing even as they like socialized mortgages for single-family homes.\n  3. The housing industry has significant influence, from the National Association of Home Builders to the National Association of Realtors, due to the importance of the housing industry for the American economy and particular American ideals about what kinds of housing are preferred. Affordable or cheaper housing might generate fewer profits.\n  4. Opponents to federal action will argue that Americans can have cheaper housing if they (a) are willing to move to metro areas that have cheaper housing (and plenty of them exist) and (b) truly take on the local power brokers that usually do not want the working and middle classes to access their wealthier neighborhoods. These arguments are plausible enough (though with issues) for a number of participants in the discussion.\n\nA number of these reasons involve ideas about what should be part of the American Dream as well as perceptions about who can access it (so it involves race and social class).\n\nA lottery for limited affordable housing housing, part one\n\nAffordable housing is in short supply in numerous American cities and an example of a lottery for 95 affordable housing units in San Francisco illustrates the issue:\n\nSubsidized housing is often rationed this way, by lottery. Many apply, few win, most are disappointed. The process is meant to be more fair than first-come, first-served. But lotteries make literal a deeper unfairness. For homeowners, the mortgage interest deduction is available to anyone who qualifies. For poor renters, there is never enough housing assistance to go around…\n\nAmid all the wealth in this neighborhood, a one-bedroom at Natalie Gubb Commons would rent for around $1,000 to $1,200 a month, a three-bedroom up to $1,700. Apartments next door were three times as much.\n\nThat discount is possible through a mix of resources. Mercy Housing, the project’s nonprofit developer, effectively got the land free as part of a city requirement that the neighborhood’s redevelopment include affordable housing. The market-rate developer next door was subsidizing the project, along with city funds. Revenue from the state’s cap-and-trade emissions program helped. And Mercy used the backbone of nearly every affordable housing project in America, federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits\n\nBut the tax bill’s implications for poor renters will be more profound. The odds are likely to grow worse than these: Last year, 53 households applied per each new affordable unit at The Meridian in Los Angeles; 84 for every home at Parcel 25 in Boston; 391 for each unit at Stargell Commons in Alameda, Calif.; 979 for every home at Our Lady of Lourdes Apartments in New York.\n\nThis is a reminder of both the acute need for affordable housing in more expensive cities as well as the limited approach to the issue from the federal government. Places that are often held out as the promise of America for their cultural diversity as well as their economic potential – such as San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, etc. – are often difficult places for those who are middle-class and below.\n\nAdditionally, the federal government has never wholeheartedly committed to helping provide housing for all. As the article notes, American housing policy subsidizes single-family homes. This has been an intentional policy choice for decades, beginning before the post World War II suburban boom and then continuing through mass suburbanization as well as into the twenty-first century. It would be difficult to have a direct national political conversation about this since it tends to happen through elected representatives who rarely discuss housing and through various government agencies. Also, it is hard to know whether all those people who have moved to single-family homes in the suburbs have done so because that is what they truly wanted among numerous equal options or they were pushed to some degree by the political and cultural leanings in those directions.\n\nThere is another intriguing aspect of this article: both how the lottery is discussed as well as how the lottery is conducted. More on this in a post in a few days.\n\nThe first federal government document to mention “racism”\n\nThe Kerner Commission Report of 1968 is notable for a number of reasons. But, I had never heard this claim before:\n\nDid the report change anything?\n\n“I think so,” he said. “Using the word racism was important. That was the first time it had ever been in any government document. Black kids internalize this discrimination they’re feeling: ‘Maybe there’s something wrong with me.’ It was really essential to say you’re not crazy.”\n\nI do not know whether this claim is entirely true. On the face of it, this sounds like the federal government was resistant to using a word that could easily describe decades and centuries of experiences.\n\nBut, on the hand, perhaps racism was not a commonly used term. A quick search of Google Ngram suggests the use of racism picked up steam in the 1960s:\n\n\nStill, even if it was relatively ahead of its time, every time I see the Kerner Commission Report I’m reminded of the applicability of its conclusions for the last fifty years.\n\n\nKate Wagner of McMansion Hell ends a commentary piece several months ago by arguing Americans need to redefine the meaning of the home:\n\nWe need a cultural re-examination of what a home should do for us. Are we building our homes to cater to the communal needs of a family or to accommodate items or signifiers that will impress others? Will a home inspire its inhabitants to spend time with one another or isolate themselves in myriad rooms? Are we building a home to live in, or are we preoccupied with the idea of selling it even before the first brick is laid? Do we want to remodel or redecorate, or do we feel we have to because we’re constantly flooded with content that makes us feel inadequate if we don’t?\n\nIt’s time we as space-inhabiters break this unsustainable, unnecessary, and wasteful cultural cycle of consumption and reclaim our homes as our proverbial rocks, the spaces that make us feel safe and content. Who gave industry-funded media like HGTV or Houzz the right to dictate the proper and best ways to inhabit our spaces, to ridicule or diagnose as wrong those of us who lack the desire or the means to constantly consume in precisely way they want us to? A home isn’t an investment vehicle where cash goes in and more cash comes out, or the “After” segment of a television show. A home is, above all, an intimate, personal place; a haven where our intricate lives as human beings unfold. Grey paint be damned.\n\nThis names several actors who are defining what Americans want in homes. This includes:\n\n-Media like HGTV.\n\n-The housing industry.\n\nBoth certainly have power and influence. The housing industry through the National Association of Home Builders has a powerful lobbying presence. Just see their actions in the latest debates over the mortgage interest deduction. For decades, various media outlets have pushed the image of single-family homes filled with consumer goods; they needs advertisers after all. HGTV has a limited audience but their viewers may be the same upper-middle class Americans that feel like they are not doing well and are very vocal about this.\n\nBut these are not the only actors influencing what Americans think of homes. This list should also include:\n\n-The government.\n\n-American residents.\n\nHistories of how the American suburbs developed in addition to overviews of federal housing policy (see this recent example) suggest that federal government in the last century or so is set up to help people obtain homes in the suburbs.\n\nOften missing in these analyses is the role of American residents themselves. What kinds of homes do they truly want? More Marxist analyses suggest Americans have been duped or led into wanting large homes in a capitalist system. Thus, we should help Americans find homes that truly fit their needs rather than mindlessly giving in to what the housing industry and government want them to have. (Wagner’s paragraphs above sound very similar to Sarah Susanka arguments in The Not-So-Big House.) “Re-claim our homes” could involve fighting back against the capitalist system that insists our homes are true markers of who we are (and distracts us from the real issues at hand). In contrast, historian Jon Teaford suggests these sorts of homes are what Americans do truly want because they highly value freedom and individualism. Others like Joel Kotkin have made similar arguments: Americans keep moving to the suburbs because they like them, not because they are forced into them or are not smart enough to fight the system.\n\nRegardless of where these ideas about homes came from (and it includes a mix of institutions as well as ideologies), American residents still have the ability to reject the typical narratives about single-family homes. They do often have options available to them. What kind of home they chose is a very consequential decision. And, perhaps even better, this does not have to be an individual effort or solely about personal empowerment: Americans could collectively vote for candidates and parties that would have a different image of housing. But, oddly enough, housing rarely comes up in national politics and local politics seems full of zoning and housing disputes but few large-scale efforts to provide alternatives. If Americans want housing options to change, they do not have to just turn off HGTV; at both the federal and local level, they should vote accordingly and/or insist that political candidates talk about these issues.\n\nIdeologies and behaviors regarding housing do not just happen: they develop over time and involve a multitude of actors. To have a new vision of housing in America will likely take decades of sustained effort within multiple structures and institutions. These are not new issues; those opposed to McMansions today are related to those opposed to the mass suburbs of the 1950s and to the social reformers of the early decades of the 1900s who promoted public housing. The efforts can be top-down – changes need to be made at the highest levels – but could be more effective if they start at the bottom – with average voters – who demand change of businesses and governments.\n\nEight (unlikely and unpopular) policy options for addressing housing issues\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8240691423416138}
+{"content": "Seiko Social Media\n\nSocial Media Campaign\n\nThe Seiko USA Facebook page reached its 55,000 follower milestone and continues to grow.\n\nAs the agency of record for Seiko USA, Lorem Ipsum has helped elevate the brand across a multitude of platforms. So when Seiko approached us about launching a new US-only Facebook page, we were excited and well positioned to take on the work.\n\nThe agency’s first task was to analyze Seiko’s competition in the social media space, as well as the brand’s unique proposition and product offerings. Understanding the Seiko consumer, their taste, social media habits, and desire to speak directly with the brand was a key focus for our team. Founded in Japan in 1881, Seiko had an existing cult of loyal customers in the United States, who followed the global Seiko page. Lorem Ipsum’s social team was presented with the challenge of migrating these existing fans to a new, U.S.-specific page. The agency successfully tapped into this group by listening to their conversations and understanding their likes and dislikes on the global page, and creating content accordingly to engage these fans. This helped not only to grow the page but also to maintain Seiko’s position as a key player in the watch industry.\n\nLorem Ipsum produced diverse assets for Facebook utilizing product shoots, social media influencers, and brand ambassador Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR champion, to appeal to the Seiko consumer and present the timepieces as must-have items for watch-lovers. One of the challenges was that each watch collection appealed to a different demographic, so creating a unified aesthetic whilst maintaining a distinct look and feel for each collection was important.\n\nSeiko USA’s Facebook page features original imagery, engaging copy and shopping functionalities.\n\nThe social media team closely monitored Facebook advertising campaigns to determine what content resonated with consumers and why, updating daily to tailor the ads more efficiently and maximize the budget. This strategic ad targeting, combined with original imagery and social media tools, allowed Lorem Ipsum to grow Seiko USA’s Facebook feed following from zero to over 55,000 people in just 3 months.\n\nLorem Ipsum also handles all advertising for Seiko USA, which creates a synergy, efficiency and ensures brand alignment. This includes the ongoing management of the brand’s Facebook page, as well as its Instagram account with more than 175,000 followers, digital advertisements for its newly revamped e-commerce site and the brand’s partnership with Macy’s to showcase the Prospex line.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5704625844955444}
+{"content": "Review of CTS Text (Week 3~Week12)\n\nReview of CTS Text\n\nSummary of what have I learned in CTS lesson\n\n\nSummary of Week 3 Lesson: Library Research\n\n\n\nCareful and detailed investigation of a problem, concern, issue, question.\n\n\nIncrease knowledge / evidence “generalised” / knowledge / Find answers to problems / establish facts / develop new theories / …\n\n\n  1. Formulate a question OR select a topic\n  2. Find out how others have approached the question OR topic\n\n*Very important to use authoritative sources\n\n\nOnce it has been determined that the problem, concern, issue, the question is worth studying.\n\n\n\nWork that has been written by an expert who is recognized in his or her field of expertise.\n\nUse authoritative works to develop your understanding of your topic.\n\nEvaluating sources is a Key Academic Skill.\n\n\nWho wrote it?:\n\nWhat sort of voice does the author have?\n\nDo they use evidence or opinion?\n\nDo they have credentials?\n\nWho reads it?:\n\nWhat does the tone, language and content suggest about the intended audience?\n\nWho edited it?:\n\nIs there an editor?\n\n\n\nSummary of Week 4 Lesson: Globalization\n\n\nMovements of people happen for many reasons, what examples of movements of people can you think of?\n\nClassmate’s answer:\n\n\n“Move for the better life.”\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  • Do you agree that mass entertainment makes people less critical?\n\nOr do you think that it is a positive thing?\n\n  • How does the media audience with different values?\n\n\nPersonal Views:\n\nMicromarketing – Is that a kind of globalization?\n\nNo. Micromarketing is just marketing(globalization). Amani used the Asian model of Asia market. Actually, that’s a kind of “different”. Different from thought and views from other areas.\n\nThere’s one thing important of micromarketing: pertinence. “Pertinence” is another word of “deal with different things or people in different ways”. Even it is not a bad thing, but in fact, that made things different.\n\n\n\nSummary of Week 6 Lesson: Journalism\n\nJournalism is a discovery of the 19th century.\n\nUnlike other forms of communication, the value of journalism lies in its purpose to offer people information.\n\nOn journalism: What is News?\n\nThe news is “something that will make people talk”. ——Editor of New York Sun, Charles A. Dona\n\nJournalism: Examples of Story Forms\n\nNew story / interviews / feature / column / blogging / diaries / graphic / source\n\nPersonal Summary of “Is Glenn Greenwald the Future of News?”:\n\nI’ve read letters in New York Times. These letters are written by Bill Keller and Glenn Greenwald. They talk about the future of News, the most important opinion is ‘Can reporters and editors add their personal views to pages?’\n\nThis is a deep question. Can personal views appear on pages like newspapers or magazines? Bill’s answer is no. Because reporters always have their own ideas and they can’t pretend just like they don’t have it. He thought journalism is a job which could tell readers what he thinks and what they thought to think. Express ideas, thoughts, the experience is a big part of journalism.\n\nBut Glenn got the views against him. He thought the readers have the right to know what they want to know, the truth of what happened. The honest about reporters’ opinions will influence readers’ thought. Giving other people space to thinking about issue and information is important than reporters’ own thought.\n\n\nSummary of Week 7 Lesson: Modernism & Post-Modernism\n\nPersonal Summary of Modernism & Post-Modernism / Some Notes:\n\n\nTo show the things that creators want to express. It can not just talk about beautiful things like Eat, Pray, Love. Plato thinks ‘the truth’ and ‘the good’ is beautiful. But in modernism, ‘the truth’ and ‘the good’ could be fake. Both fake and beautiful. The important thing is to think this question in different views.\n\nThe mean point is, not every piece of works should be beautiful enough. They could be ugly, untidy, confused. But it is real, and there is something still beautiful in it.\n\n\n“Der Gott ist tot.”——Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche\n\nWhich means God can’t be the moral standard and ultimate goal of human society. The people in Europe start to concerned the world in new views.\n\nTwo directions of works:\n\n  • Aestheticism\n  • Naturalism\n\nModernism (in literature):\n\n  • No longer pursue the depiction of social reality.\n  • The use of many is nonlinear narration.\n  • The symbolic metaphor is widely used.\n  • It pays more attention to human subjectivity and has deep humanitarian.\n  • Rebelled against the inheritance of traditional literature, but the rebellion was not so obvious.\n\n\nSummary of Week 8 Lesson: Introduction to Visual Communication and Culture\n\n“It is not just part of your everyday life, it is your everyday life.”\n\n——Visual Communication\n\nWhat do think Mirzoeff means by the words ‘visual technology’ ?\n\n\n——Mirzoeff, 2009 ↑↓\n\n“By visual technology, I mean any form of apparatus designed to either be looked at or to enhance natural vision, from oil painting to television and the internet.”\n\nWhat is [visual] culture?\n\n“Culture, it is argued, is not so much a set of things – novels and paintings or TV programmes and comics – as a process, a set of practices.”\n\n——Hall, 2009 ↑↓\n\n“It is by our use of things, and what we say, think and feel about them – how we represent them – that we give them meaning. ”\n\nIt may be not the sign itself have meaning, but people give it meaning. (plates)\n\n[Visual] Communication\n\n\n“In language, we use signs and symbols – whether they are sounds, written words, electronically produced images, musical notes, even objects – to stand for, or represent to other people our concepts, ideas and feelings.”\n\n——Hall, 2009\n\nCommunication ways?\n\nTo look / to watch / to stare / to gaze / to glance\n\nDesign for different audiences / anybody\n\nSignifier photos\n\n\nSummary of Week 9 Lesson: Cinema and the Digital Image\n\n  • Bayeux Tapestry (1077)\n\nThe death of King Harold at the battle of Hastings\n\n  • The myth of Death (Mark Tansey, 1984)\n  • New Years’ Eve on Well Street, Manchester (Juel Goodman, 2015)\n  • Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)\n\nThe relationship between CGI and Reality\n\n  • How is the image on the screen linked to reality?\n\nTypes of Digital Cinema\n\n  1. Digital image processing\n  2. Computer generated imaging proper\n  • Lord of War (2015) *point of view * CGI\n  • Gravity\n\nIn classical theory, the cinematic image was thought to be an indexical sign\n\n*Perceptual Realism\n\nPersonal Summary of the film “Arrive”:\n\nGreat movie, especially the screenshots and sound effect. The shadows and lights in the movie are moving viewer’s sight. With the expression of character, at the first, we will see the moving by placing like the mean character. It may be a kind of fear and excitement. But with the process of the film, we will find the protagonist’s personality and stories are becoming more and more significantly. It depends on the expressive force of shots.\n\nE.T.s in the movie “Arrive” is not horrible. In my personal opinion, “Arrive” is not a horror. There are too many humanistic things in it, so they needn’t made E.T.s horrible. That’s a part of ‘cinema’, use these way to let viewers know what you want to express.\n\n\nSummary of Week 12 Lesson: Plagiarism and Referencing Workshop\n\n  1. What do you know about plagiarism and how to avoid it?\n  2. Plagiarism is: when you copy someone else’s work or use their ideas in your essay, coursework, thesis etc., and do not acknowledge that you have done this.\n  3. This might include: “Ideas, opinions, theories, facts, stats, diagrams, images, info, quotations, words”. (Savage, 2008, p. 7)\n  4. What is a reference?\n  5. Reference is A description of any document from which you have taken information.\n\nCredit should be given in TWO places:\n\n\nCited publications are referred to IN the body of the essay using the author’s surname, year of publication and page number- in-text referencing’ (Hanson, 2010, p.12).\n\n\nAnd are listed in the bibliography/ reference list at the end of your essay: end- text referencing.\n\nUndergraduate Courses\n\nWhich undergraduate courses you are applying for and why?\n\n\nI have a clear thought I want to apply Graphic & Media Design course for BA.\n\nFor the reason why I choose the graphic design… I came to LCC because I hear about LCC’s graphic design is an excellent course.\n\nIn the beginning, I don’t study art or any kind of drawing skills. The reason why I start to study graphic is I need to design the book. When I study book design, I get familiar with other graphic design productions like postcards, cards, VI design and UI design… When I doing these design works, actually, I can’t get many enjoyments. But the important thing is I still want to do.\n\nI want to study BA course because I need a BA diploma to find a work in future. I know this is a boring reason just like ‘I want to earn money because I am hungry’, everyone needs the skill to buy their bread.\n\nInterim Evaluation\n\n12th March 2018\n\nConsider the following questions and write an interim evaluation of your project on your blog and/or in your sketchbook:\n\n\nWhat challenges have you faced during the Possible Futures project? How did you overcome them? What strategies have you used to help solve problems?\n\nI want to do as much as I can to make this work, and to do what I’ve learned in class and other projects. But this makes the schedule very compact. And there is a lot of research to be done. I am very worried about whether I can finish the task in time.\n\n\nHow effective has your research for the Possible Futures project been? Who or what have been the major influences on your project? What impact has your research had on your ideas and development?\n\nMy research has affected the final result this time. By understanding the background of the Renaissance, I made the design very realistic.\n\nI think the most important influence on my work is the research of the outstanding artists of that era.\n\n\nDid you achieve what you set out to? Has your project taken a different route to that which you expected?\n\nBecause of my limitations, I did not achieve the desired effect. In the process of reduction and production, the workload is too great. Hundreds of pages of books and notebooks, for example, need to be made in a matter of weeks, and they involve paintings that I’m very bad at. I am trying to overcome these difficulties.\n\n\nHow have you worked collaboratively with others? How have you used collaboration to progress your development and how will this help you in future?\n\nI have not yet collaborated with others in this work. But if I can, I’d really like to talk to people who have an understanding of Renaissance themes, or work with them. I would like to know more about the ideas of that era, which will definitely help the work.\n\n\nWhat have been your key strengths and weaknesses in this project?\n\nAlthough I do not agree that I can judge my work very well. But in this work, my weakness should not fit the theme well. Often, when you do your work, you will have more ideas, so you can’t focus on one topic. Where there are advantages, the results may be very suitable for exhibition, which is a work with strong visual effect.\n\n\nHow effective have you been in managing your time? How could you improve this in future projects?\n\nBecause I did too much research, I obviously didn’t manage my time well. I spent too much time reading and documentaries because I was too interested in my chosen subject. Therefore, in the next work, I think I will define the specific time plan and allocate the balance to research and production.\n\n\nWhat do you plan to produce for the final exhibition? How and when will you produce it?\n\nI want my work to be fully expressive, so I will make some visual appeal to the audience. For example, use a strong color, and make the volume of finished products larger. For this I bought a suitcase, which will be placed in the book and other items.\n\n\nIn what ways have your communication skills improved? i.e. writing/reading/speaking/listening. What further improvement do you need to make in preparation for BA? How will you achieve this?\n\nMy communication skills didn’t develop very well, but this time the speech was better than the previous one. I have learned to use PPT to explain the method, and pay attention to the communication with the audience, the other side can understand as the most important purpose of the speech.\n\n\nReflect on the BA offers you have been made. What do you need to do to ensure you are ready to take up your place?\n\nI am very glad to get the admission notice of BA. But at the same time also feel the need to learn more, such as time management, and to watch more excellent graphic designers, have more experience, to create better work than now.\n\nCriticality Research about Ai Weiwei & Personal Views\n\nThese are my personal views of Ai Weiwei.\n\nTo introduce a Chinese artist always made me feel so difficult. It seems like the fine art in China is not so popular. In other words, its a hard for everyone to find the beauty and importance of fine art in this special area.\n\nActually, Ai Weiwei didnt escape this situation. He used a lot of his work and time try to tell everyone the truth. But is it meaningful? Or can the one who is sleeping be awake when he/she look Ai Weiweis work? Its a difficult question.\n\nWhen I looking at Ai Weiweis work, I thought they are hilarious, hilarious in many ways. This fact made them not hilarious anymore. It made the viewers feel sorrowful.\n\nCriticality Research about Andy Warhol\n\n\nAndy Warhol, 1975\n\nThe Last Supper, 1986\n\n\nMock Interview\n\nMock Interview Question & Answer\n\n\n  • What was the last exhibition/lecture/event/screening you saw? What did you find interesting? How did the work relate to your current ideas/creative practice?\n\nImpressionists in London, Tate Modern.\n\n\n\n  • Name three practitioners whose work you have discovered since being on the Level 3 course. How have they influenced your creative practice? What do you find interesting about their work?\n\n\n\n\n\n(*: from UCAS Track)\n\nThe practitioner who I most admire is Kenya Hara.\n\n\n  • Where are you at with your current project? How could you improve your current work and approach?\n\nAt beginning.\n\nCouldn’t be improved because they are rubbish.\n\n\n  • What are the three key things you have learnt on the Level 3 course?\n\n\n\n\n\n  • What does [Graphic Design/Photography/Film etc.] mean to you?\n\nEarning money and stay up late.\n\n\n  • What is the most successful piece of work in your portfolio? Why? How could it be improved?\n\nAll rubbish.\n\n\n  • Which is the least successful piece of work in your portfolio? Why? How could it be improved?\n\nAll rubbish! *2 hit\n\n\n  • Who do you see as the target audience for your work? Why?\n\nCheck my answer in Personal Proposal.\n\nI think it is hard to find because there are 60+ students in our class, so I find it for you:\n\n\n  • What do you hope to achieve by undertaking a BA course?\n\nI don’t think I could enter a BA course.\n\n\n  • What qualities and attributes do you have that will make you a successful student at BA level?\n\nI don’t think I could enter a BA course.*2 hit\n\n\n  • What was the last book you read? Tell us about it?\n\n‘A History of Indian Philosophy’. No.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5606961250305176}
+{"content": "Soccer / mitrovic\n\nThe English clearly: \"Mitar is a hero\"\nMorning after the match between Montenegro and Serbia, the British write about the historic match of Podgorica and the hero who does not stop solving the opponent's networks. The game under Gorica has sparked a lot of attention on the Island, so the British media does not save on positive epithets when the play of Aleksandar Mitrovic is in question. The reputable \"BBC\" recalls the history of the two countries and recounted the fact that it was the first interconnection between Serbia and Montenegro, and there was also a letter addressed to Mitrovic. \"Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scored two goals in Serbia's victory over neighboring Montenegro within the historic match between the two former Yugoslav republics,\" the Bi-Bi-Siya reported. Sky Sports reports that manager Manchester United Jose Murinho watched live as Aleksandar Mitrovic leads Serbia to triumph in Podgorica. \"Manchester United's manager was in Montenegro and watched Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic lead Serbia to victory in Podgorica with two goals. Mitrovic scored from the penalty and scored another goal in the 81st minute, leading Serbia to the first place in Group 4 \"writes\" Sky \". As usual, there were no comments from Fulam fans who liked on Twitter due to the fact that Aleksandar Mitrovic scored the first goals since the \"post\" that lasted on September 22nd, while Newcastle supporters again lamented the decision of Rafe Benitez to give up racial golgeters .\n\nMore posts are coming soon. Write your own!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.898605465888977}
+{"content": "\n\nSunil Bharti Mittal\nSunil Bharti MittalCEO, Bharti Enterprises\n\nCome together before all get aboard\n\nNov 16, 2015, 02.24 PM IST\n\nThe G20 has a long way to go before becoming truly inclusive. The Antalya Summit ending today will determine how effective the comprehensive policy framework devised for international cooperation will be\nthe 10th G20 Summit at Antalya, Turkey that started yesterday presents an occa sion to take stock of the progress made so far. After the global economic crisis, the G20 was designated as the nodal platform for coordination of global economic, social and political gover nance.\n\nUndoubtedly , its biggest achievement has been the inclusion of emerging economies, which have been the driving force of the global economy in recent years.The inclusiveness agenda is also re flected in the Turkish presidency , focusing upon three Is: inclusiveness, implementation and investment for growth.The second important development over the years is the recognition of the need to go beyond government interaction to incorporate private sector inputs towards enhancing growth and employment creation. Five engagement groups were established as advisory adjuncts to G20: the Business 20 (B20), Civil Society 20 (C20), Labour 20 (L20), Think 20 (T20) and Youth 20 (Y20).\n\nWhile the involvement of all these groups in the G20's work has grown over the years, notable contribution has come from the B20 Group, which represents global industry . The private sector has played a major role in reviving economic activity post the crisis period, and the G20 leaders have acknowledged that strengthening its capacity is central to building stronger global growth forces.\n\nThe International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), a global business organisation headquartered in Paris since 1919, has actively engaged industry with the governments across the globe in all important deliberations in run-up to the G20 Antalya Summit. Since the G20 Russian presidency, ndian industry , represented through he Confederation of Indian Industry CII), has also been actively engaged in B20 with specific task forces that the B20 Turkey has organised itself around.\n\nFive of the task forces -trade, infrastructure and investment, financing growth, employment, and Anticorruption -built on the work of the previous cycles' task forces and the G20's priority of implementation, are ocusing on advocacy and refinement of the existing set of B20 recommenda ions. Given the G20's inclusiveness priority , the World SME Forum is a new ask force on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurship envisaging better integration of SMEs into the global economy .\n\nIndia has been a strong protagonist for G20 to take up the issue of infrastruc ure financing gaps. According to the B20 Infrastructure and Investment Task Force report, every year, the world spends approximately $9 trillion on in frastructure, some $2.6 trillion of which goes into economic infrastructure -transportation, power and water, and telecommunications. Over the next 15 years, the gap in economic infrastructure is forecast to reach $15-20 trillion.This needs to be made available through more public and private investment.\n\nThe Brisbane G20 Summit declaration identified addressing global investment and infrastructure shortfalls as crucial to lifting growth, job creation and productivity . Besides agreeing to establish a global infrastructure hub with a fouryear mandate, the G20 leaders also endorsed the launch of the World Bank Group's Global Infrastructure Facility , which would attract more private sector investment in developing countries.India has recommended recapitalisation of multilateral development banks for this purpose.\n\nA further challenge for the world today is sluggish growth of trade. World trade growth is projected to remain below 3% for the fourth year in succes sion, roughly equivalent to growth in global GDP . This is well below the precrisis average of 7% (1987-2007) when trade grew at twice the rate of GDP.Slower expansion of global value chains (GVCs), rising protectionism and the decline in trade-intensive investment components of GDP are some of the main structural restraints.\n\nThe WTO's International Trade Statistics 2015 states that between 1995 and 2011, most developed and developing countries significantly increased their contributions to GVCs, resulting in a geographically more diverse manufacturing base. Lower trade costs and improved communication technology have fostered this development. In 2011, 49% of world trade in goods and services took place within GVCs, up from 36% in 1995. This is of concern to countries that are largely excluded from GVCs, including India. G20 should devise an action plan to help integrate more emerging economies into the GVCs.\n\nAt the Brisbane G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also emphasised the importance of increased access to affordable, assured and clean energy supply for all. It is a major economic opportunity for all countries.The prime minister called for an ambitious and innovative effort to make renewables, especially solar energy , competitive with conventional energy.India's energy consumption has been increasing at one of the fastest rates in the world. It would welcome a more proactive role from G20 in ensuring freer trade in natural gas and more efficient operation of fuel markets.\n\nWhile the G20 has a long way to go to achieve the ultimate goal of a truly inclusive world, its leaders have devised a comprehensive policy framework for international cooperation in a variety of areas ranging from economic issues to social and developmental challenges.\n\nThe key challenge is to ensure that international policy cooperation and coordination is strengthened to achieve our common objective of faster and more sustainable and balanced growth.\n\n\nAbout Sunil Bharti Mittal\n\nSunil Bharti Mittal is Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises, and Vice Chairman, International Chamber of Commerce.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9825337529182434}
+{"content": "Articles on Infrastructure 2017\n\nDisplaying all articles\n\nFlooding from Hurricane Harvey. Can the region rebuild infrastructure so that it can better withstand extreme weather events? AP Photo/David J. Phillip\n\n\nAfter extreme weather events like Hurricane Harvey, city planners need to think about the smartest way to rebuild. Here are some no-regrets infrastructure investment ideas.\n\nIs your drinking water safe? Here’s how you can find out\n\nHow will we react when cars start driving themselves? Patramansky Oleg/\n\nSelf-driving cars are coming – but are we ready?\n\nHow might we, and our nation's roads and highways, need to change as autonomous vehicles become more ubiquitous? We know a lot of the answers, but not all of them.\n\nAmerica’s public housing crisis may worsen with Trump budget\n\n\nTextbooks in the digital world\n\n\nTop contributors", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8495084047317505}
+{"content": "Sierra de las Minas\n\nLast updated\nSierra de las Minas\nRelief map of Guatemala.jpg\nRed triangle with thick white border.svg\nHighest point\nPeak Cerro Raxón (Alta Verapaz)\nElevation 3,015 m (9,892 ft)\nCoordinates 15°09′47″N89°51′05″W / 15.163063°N 89.851255°W / 15.163063; -89.851255\nCountry Guatemala\nState/Province Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz,\nEl Progreso Department, Zacapa, Izabal\nRange coordinates 15°10′00″N89°40′00″W / 15.16667°N 89.66667°W / 15.16667; -89.66667 Coordinates: 15°10′00″N89°40′00″W / 15.16667°N 89.66667°W / 15.16667; -89.66667\n\nSierra de las Minas is a mountain range in eastern Guatemala, extending 130 km west of the Lake Izabal. It is 15–30 km wide and bordered by the valleys of the rivers Polochic in the north and the Motagua in the south. Its western border is marked by the Salamá River valley which separates it from the Chuacús mountain range. The highest peak is Cerro Raxón at 3,015 m. The Sierra's rich deposits of jade and marble have been mined throughout the past centuries. These small scale mining activities also explain the name of the mountain range.\n\nGuatemala republic in Central America\n\n\nLake Izabal lake\n\nLake Izabal, also known as the Golfo Dulce, is the largest lake in Guatemala with a surface area of 589.6 km² and a maximum depth is 18 m (59 ft). The Polochic River is the largest river that drains into the lake. The lake, which is only a metre above sea level, drains into the Gulf of Honduras of the Caribbean Sea through the smaller Golfete Dulce, which is at sea level, and the navigable Rio Dulce.\n\nThe Polochic River is a 194-kilometre (121 mi) long river in eastern Guatemala. It flows eastwards through a deep valley and flows into Lake Izabal at 15.46667°N 89.36667°W. The river is navigable for 30 kilometres (19 mi) to Panzós. It was used many years ago to transport coffee and timber, but most commercial transport in the river valley is now carried out by truck.\n\n\nThe range has several different habitats, including Mesoamerica's largest cloud forests, and is home to a great variety of wildlife. A large part of the Sierra de las Minas was declared a biosphere reserve in 1990.\n\nHabitat ecological or environmental area inhabited by a particular species; natural environment in which an organism lives, or the physical environment that surrounds a species population\n\nIn ecology, a habitat is the type of natural environment in which a particular species of organism lives. It is characterized by both physical and biological features. A species' habitat is those places where it can find food, shelter, protection and mates for reproduction.\n\nCloud forest rainforest\n\nA cloud forest, also called a water forest and primas forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level, formally described in the International Cloud Atlas (2017) as silvagenitus. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and vegetation, in which case they are also referred to as mossy forests. Mossy forests usually develop on the saddles of mountains, where moisture introduced by settling clouds is more effectively retained.\n\nBiosphere reserve\n\nSierra de las Minas\nbiosphere reserve\nMargaykat Leopardus wiedii.jpg\nThe reserve has a significant Margay population\nCountry Guatemala\nRegion Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz,\nEl Progreso Department, Zacapa, Izabal\nHighest point Cerro Raxón\n - elevation 3,015 m (9,892 ft)\nLowest point\n - elevation 150 m (492 ft)\nArea 2,408 km2 (930 sq mi)\nBiome Subtropical thorn forest\nPremontane dry subtropical forest\nPremontane tropical wet forest\nLower montane subtropical moist forest\nCloud forest\nIUCN category VI - Managed Resource Protected Area\nWebsite: Defensores de la Naturaleza\n\nIn 1990, a substantial part of the Sierra de las Minas (2,408.03 km2 or 929.75 sq mi, including buffer zones and transition areas) was designated a biosphere reserve. [1]\n\nHabitats and land cover types\n\nDue to its size and great variety in elevation and precipitation, the range has many different habitats and land cover types, including: [2]\n\nDeserts and xeric shrublands biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund\n\nDeserts and xeric shrublands are a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area.\n\nThe Motagua Valley thornscrub is one of the ecoregions that belong to the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The ecoregion is located in the Motagua valley in eastern Guatemala, and covers an area of 2330 km2.\n\nCactus family of mostly succulent plants, adapted to dry environments\n\n\n\nThe reserve has 885 species, about 70% of all species found in Guatemala and Belize, including threatened birds like the resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) and horned guan (Oreophasis derbianus).\n\nResplendent quetzal species of bird\n\nThe resplendent quetzal is a bird in the trogon family. It is found from Chiapas, Mexico to western Panama. It is well known for its colorful plumage. There are two subspecies, P. m. mocinno and P. m. costaricensis.\n\nHarpy eagle species of bird\n\nThe harpy eagle is a neotropical species of eagle. It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. It is the largest and most powerful raptor found in the rainforest, and among the largest extant species of eagles in the world. It usually inhabits tropical lowland rainforests in the upper (emergent) canopy layer. Destruction of its natural habitat has caused it to vanish from many parts of its former range, and it is nearly extirpated in Central America. In Brazil, the harpy eagle is also known as royal-hawk.\n\nHorned guan species of bird\n\nThe horned guan is a large, approximately 85 cm long, turkey-like bird with glossed black upperparts plumage, red legs, white iris, yellow bill and a red horn on top of head. The breast and upper belly are white, and its long tail feathers are black with white band near base. Both sexes are similar. The young is duller with smaller horn, and has brown tail and wings.\n\nFelines with a significant presence are the Jaguar (Panthera onca), Cougar (Felis concolor), Onza (Puma yagouaroundi), Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and Margay (Leopardus wiedii).\n\nOther mammals in the reserve include the red brocket (Mazama americana), the Guatemalan black howler (Alouatta pigra) and Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii). [3]\n\nJade Reserve\n\nThe southern area of Sierra de la Minas (translated in Spanish as the 'Mountain Range of the Mines’) is also known for its rich deposits of jadeite, (one of the two forms of jade) marble, serpentine, and other minerals. Smaller jadeite deposits have been rediscovered sporadically in the last 50 years, but it wasn’t until 1998 that a major source was identified. [4]\n\nJadeite is found all over the world, in countries such as Myanmar, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Russia, British Columbia, United States, and Turkestan. The other form, nephrite, is much more common, but of much less value. Blue jadeite is similar in structure to the different colors of jadeite; it is the trace elements found in the minerals that contribute to their color. The blue jadeite, for example, is known to have traces of titanium and iron. Jadeite and nephrite artifacts found in the new world were at one point thought to have been from Asia.\n\nThe region of Sierra de Las minas, along with the Motagua river valley, was used by older pre-Columbian civilizations such as the Olmec and Maya as a source of jadeite. The jadeite was used for different purposes, such as for ritual objects and adornments. Because of their location between Mexico and Central America, the Maya became an important influence in Mesoamerican trade. Jadeite became an important export for the Maya, along with serpentine, salt and cacao. It was assumed that these cultures amassed all of their jade from the Motagua River valley, the then only known source of jadeite, in central Guatemala near El Portón.\n\n\nBecause jade was not desired in the colonial period, sources of the stone were forgotten. Since the 1950s, jadeite was thought to be in the region, as no other source for Olmec jade was recognized. It was not until 1999 when geophysicist Russell Seitz found and reported the site that the extent of these deposits was known. Several influences in the United States spurred the search for this jade. Boston jade collector Landon T. Clay was one of the first individuals to sponsor the search for jade in the region. The Mesoamerican Jade Project of 1976 was initiated by the Peabody Museum of Harvard University and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, to resolve the question of the jade's location. Geophysicist Russell Seitz of Cambridge, Massachusetts was chosen to be the field director of the project. However, the resulting trips remained mostly unsuccessful due to the lack of proper technology and the harsh conditions of the wild Guatemalan forests.\n\nIt was not until the 180 mph winds of Hurricane Mitch stormed the region in 1998 that jadeite was again uncovered in the area. The storm unearthed previously unknown alluvial deposits of jadeite by flooding the Motagua River thirty-one feet past the flood stage. Other rivers such as the Rio El Tambor also began unveiling alluvial jade. Although the worth of this jade was fairly low (the more intense the green of the jade the more it is worth), prospectors and local shop owners began collecting shards found in the beds of these rivers. In 1999, Russell Seitz happened to be in one of these local jade shops in the town of Antigua when he noticed a large hand-sized sample of the rare blue-jadeite.\n\nIn 2000, Seitz started an expedition with prospector Carlos Gonzales Ramirez to find the source of the elusive jadeite. They traveled to El Ciprés, located in Sierra de Las Minas, miles north of the Motagua river valley. They trekked into the mountains and eventually found large veins of jadeite about 2 meters wide by 45 meters long. A site with jade boulders as big as buses was discovered, along with evidence that the site had been worked on for thousands of years. [5]\n\nWhen Seitz returned to the United States with a few samples, he had them tested and they were confirmed as high quality jadeite. This spurred more researchers to join him in his study of this site. The find was announced in a brief article written by Seitz for the December 2001 issue of Antiquity.\n\nThe archaeological connotation of the find was significant. The influence of the Olmecs was understood to be more spread than previously believed. Also found at the site was an ancient dry-stone pathway that led through the mountains to an old habitation and tomb site, filled with the remains of old clay shards. This road has expanded the preconceived size of the Olmecs' trade routes. It is still debatable as to why exactly this large cache of jadeite is still mostly intact. The Maya were known to use the green form of the jadeite for their carvings. And because the Spanish only sought the gold, the Olmecs would have had all the blue jadeite to themselves.\n\nThe Motagua valley is another source of jade in the area. The town of Río Hondo and its surrounding areas have yielded finds such as the \"princesa\" variety of jadeite. This valuable type of jadeite contains a translucent rich-green color. In 1996 prospector Carlos Gonzalez began searching the area for jade. He discovered a 140 lb boulder of jadeite that had a translucent, light blue color. The 7 km area from La Ceiba to Carrizal Grand contained similar Omec jade artifacts. Gonzales and colleagues discovered more examples in the southern tributaries of the Rio El Tambor located near Carrizal Grande and San José. In January 2002 they were led to the locality of Quebrada Seca, where they were shown a jade boulder that weighed in excess of 300 tons. Other archeologists such as François Gendron of France and Dr. Richard Mandell of the University of South Carolina began unearthing more samples of jadeite in the region. Gendron discovered a jadeite sample with a composition suggesting it was formed 80 to 90 km underground, much more than the expected 20 km, around which jadeite is usually known to form.\n\nRelated Research Articles\n\nJade Ornamental stone, commonly green\n\nJade refers to an ornamental mineral, mostly known for its green varieties. It can refer to either of two different minerals: nephrite, a silicate of calcium and magnesium, or jadeite, a silicate of sodium and aluminium.\n\nQuiché Department Department in Guatemala\n\nQuiché is a department of Guatemala.\n\nZacapa Department Department in Zacapa, Guatemala\n\nZacapa is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. It lies in eastern Guatemala with its capital in the city of Zacapa, approximately 112 kilometers from Guatemala City.\n\nJadeite pyroxene mineral\n\n\nMotagua River river in Guatemala\n\nThe Motagua River is a 486-kilometre (302 mi) long river in Guatemala. It rises in the western highlands of Guatemala where it is also called Río Grande, and runs in an easterly direction to the Gulf of Honduras. The final few kilometres of the river form part of the Guatemala/Honduras border. The Motagua River basin covers an area of 12,670 square kilometres (4,890 sq mi) and is the largest in Guatemala.\n\nJade use in Mesoamerica\n\nThe use of jade in Mesoamerica for symbolic and ideological ritual was highly influenced by its rarity and value among pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Olmec, the Maya, and the various groups in the Valley of Mexico. Although jade artifacts have been created and prized by many Mesoamerican peoples, the Motagua River valley in Guatemala was previously thought to be the sole source of jadeite in the region.\n\nSierra de los Tuxtlas mountain range\n\nThe Sierra de Los Tuxtlas are a volcanic belt and mountain range along the southeastern Veracruz Gulf coast in Eastern Mexico. The Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve includes the coastal and higher elevations of the Sierra de Los Tuxtlas.\n\nMaya Biosphere Reserve\n\nThe Maya Biosphere Reserve is a nature reserve in Guatemala managed by Guatemala's National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP). The Maya Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 21,602 km2.\n\nTrade in Maya civilization transfer of ownership of goods and services\n\nTrade in Maya civilization was a crucial factor in renaming Maya cities.\n\nCosta Rican jade tradition\n\nJadeite is presumed one of the most precious materials of Pre-Columbian Costa Rica. It, along with other similar looking greenstones were cherished and worked for years. Jadeite was used to decorate the body and was presumably a symbol of power.\n\nJadeitite A metamorphic rock found in blueschist-grade metamorphic terranes\n\nJadeitite is a metamorphic rock found in blueschist-grade metamorphic terranes. It is found in isolated metasomatically altered rock units within serpentinite associated with subduction zone environments. Jadeitite consists almost entirely of the pyroxene mineral jadeite and is typically mined as a source of the ornamental rock or gemstone, jade. Occurrences include Myanmar, Guatemala, Japan, Kazakhstan and in the Coast Ranges of western North America.\n\nPetén-Veracruz moist forests\n\nThe Petén-Veracruz moist forests ecoregion, of the Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest Biome, is found in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico.\n\nGuatemalan Highlands upland region in southern Guatemala, lying between the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the south and the Petén lowlands to the north; made up of a series of high valleys enclosed by mountains\n\nThe Guatemalan Highlands is an upland region in southern Guatemala, lying between the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the south and the Petén lowlands to the north. The highlands are made up of a series of high valleys enclosed by mountains. The local name for the region is Altos, meaning \"highlands\", which includes the northern declivity of the Sierra Madre. The mean elevation is greatest in the west and least in the east. A few of the streams of the Pacific slope actually rise in the highlands, and force a way through the Sierra Madre at the bottom of deep ravines. One large river, the Chixoy or Salinas River, escapes northwards towards the Gulf of Mexico. The relief of the mountainous country which lies north of the Highlands and drains into the Atlantic is varied by innumerable terraces, ridges and underfalls; but its general configuration is compared by E. Reclus with the appearance of \"a stormy sea breaking into parallel billows\". The parallel ranges extend east and west with a slight southerly curve towards their centres. A range called the Sierra de Chamá, which, however, changes its name frequently from place to place, strikes eastward towards Belize, and is connected by low hills with the Cockscomb Mountains; another similar range, the Sierra de Santa Cruz, continues east to Cape Cocoli between the Polochic and the Sarstoon; and a third, the Sierra de las Minas or, in its eastern portion, Sierra del Mico, stretches between the Polochic and the Motagua rivers. Between Honduras and Guatemala, the frontier is formed by the Sierra de Merendón.\n\nThe Sierra de Chuacús is situated in the central highlands of Guatemala, and runs southeast from El Quiché to Baja Verapaz. Its northwestern border is marked by the Chixoy River basin in Uspantán, which separates it from the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. Its eastern border is marked by the Salamá River which separates it from the Sierra de las Minas. Its southeastern border is defined by the Motagua River valley.\n\nBiosphere reserves in Guatemala include:\n\nConsejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas\n\nThe National Council for Protected Areas is the government agency of that has as its mission the conservation and the sustainable use of the biological diversity and protected areas of Guatemala. CONAP was created by Decree 4-89, or the Law of Protected Areas gave jurisdiction to over the System of Protected Areas of Guatemala, which is the conglomeration of all protected areas, and those under special protection in the country.\n\nEconomy is conventionally defined as a function for production and distribution of goods and services by multiple agents within a society and/or geographical area. An economy is hierarchical, made up of individuals that aggregate to make larger organizations such as governments and gives value to goods and services. The Maya economy had no universal form of trade exchange other than resources and services that could be provided among groups such as cacao beans and copper bells. Though there is limited archeological evidence to study the trade of perishable goods, it is noteworthy to explore the trade networks of artifacts and other luxury items that were likely transported together.\n\nMary Lou Ridinger was born in Ft. Worth TX in 1945. She holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies from The University of Colorado at Boulder and an M.A. in Archaeology from the University of the Americas After her graduate studies, Ridinger lived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and worked on a number of archeological digs in the country, including the excavation preceding the construction of Mexico City's subway system. She is known for her discovery of the in-situ jade quarry sites in Guatemala that had been lost since the time of the Spanish Conquest of the Americas.\n\nTehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve\n\nThe Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve is a protected natural area located in southeastern Mexico. Its name derives from its two main locations: Cuicatlán and Tehuacán, in the latter are their administrative offices, covers 490,186 hectares distributed among 21 municipalities in the state of Puebla and Oaxaca.\n\n\n  1. CONAP. \"Listado de Áreas Protegidas (enero, 2011)\" (in Spanish). Archived from the original (xls) on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-06-14.\n  2. UNESCO. \"MAB Biospheres Reserves Directory: Guatemala – Sierra de las Minas\" . Retrieved 2008.Check date values in: |access-date= (help)\n  3. IUCN. \"IUCN – Red List of Threatened Species\" . Retrieved 2008.Check date values in: |access-date= (help)\n  4. William J. Broad (May 22, 2002). \"In Guatemala, a Rhode Island-Size Jade Lode\". The New York Times. Retrieved 2002.Check date values in: |access-date= (help)\n  5. Karl, Taube. Olmec Art at Dumbarton Oaks. 1st. 2. Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 2004. Print.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.950623631477356}
+{"content": "Armenian genocide\nTurkish soldiers marching Armenian civilians to the desert.\nWikimedia Commons\nBERLIN — The German Parliament overwhelmingly approved a motion labeling the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as genocide, a decision that Turkey's prime minister said would \"test\" relations between the two countries at a sensitive time.\n\nThe resolution, which was put forward by Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition of right and left and the opposition Greens, passed Thursday with support from all the parties in Parliament. In a show of hands, there was one abstention and one vote against.\n\nMerkel was not present, with officials citing scheduling reasons. But her spokeswoman Christiane Wirtz has made clear that the chancellor supported the motion.\n\nTurkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said this week that his country would not nix a deal with the European Union on curbing the flow of migrants to Europe over the motion, but he told party officials in Ankara earlier Thursday that the vote was a \"true test of friendship.\"\n\nHistorians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event viewed by many scholars as the 20th century's first genocide.\n\nTurkey denies that the killings that started in 1915 were genocide and contends the dead were victims of civil war and unrest. Ankara also insists the death toll has been inflated.\n\nOpening Thursday's debate, Parliament speaker Norbert Lammert acknowledged that addressing historical events could be painful.\n\n\"But we have also seen that an honest and self-critical appraisal of the past does not endanger relations with other countries,\" he said. \"In fact, it is a precondition for understanding, reconciliation, and cooperation.\"\n\nHe said that Turkey's government was not responsible for what happened 100 years ago but that \"it shares responsibility for what happens with it in the future.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5547252297401428}
+{"content": "Sign In\n\n\n\n\nFlooding Program Engineer 3 - LaSalleFlooding Program Engineer 3 - LaSalleFalseFalse214708,<p style=\"MARGIN-BOTTOM:0px;MARGIN-TOP:0px;\"><strong><u>WORK LOCATION IS FLEXIBLE</u></strong></p><br><p style=\"MARGIN-BOTTOM:0px;MARGIN-TOP:0px;\"><br>At Exelon, we've got a place for you! <br><br>Join the nation's leading competitive energy provider, with one of the largest electricity generation portfolios and retail customer bases in the country. You will be part of a family of companies that strives for the highest standards of power generation, competitive energy sales, and energy delivery. Our team of outstanding professionals is focused on performance, thought leadership, innovation, and the power of ideas that come from a diverse and inclusive workforce. <br><br>Exelon will provide you the tools and resources you need to design, build and enhance a successful career. We are also dedicated to motivating the success of our employees through competitive base salary, incentives, and health and retirement benefits. <br><br>Join Exelon and share your passion at a forward-thinking Fortune 100 company. Establish yourself in a place where you can truly shine and create a brighter, more sustainable tomorrow. Energize your career at Exelon!</p><br><p style=\"MARGIN-BOTTOM:0px;MARGIN-TOP:0px;\"> </p><br><p style=\"MARGIN-BOTTOM:0px;MARGIN-TOP:0px;\">Flooding Programs Engineer - <font color=\"black\" face=\"Segoe UI\">Fleet governance and oversite.   Design engineering and project engineering are desired.   <font color=\"black\" face=\"Segoe UI\">Interface with Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Exelon Executives, and NEI. </font></p></font><br><p style=\"MARGIN-BOTTOM:0px;MARGIN-TOP:0px;\"> </p><br><p style=\"MARGIN-BOTTOM:0px;MARGIN-TOP:0px;\"> PRIMARY DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES <br><br>- Provide in-depth technical expertise to develop, manage and implement engineering analysis, activities and programs. <br><br>- Provide technical expertise and consultation through direct involvement to identify and resolve equipment and system problems. <br><br>- Provide complete task management of engineering issues. <br><br>- Perform engineering tasks as assigned by supervision applying engineering principles. <br><br>- Accountable for the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of work ensuring proper configuration management and assuring that standard design criteria, practices, procedures and codes are used in preparation of plans and specifications. <br><br>- Perform independent research, reviews, studies and analyses in support of technical projects and programs. <br><br>- Recommend equipment, new concepts and techniques to improve performance, simplify construction, reduce costs, correct design or material flaws, or comply with changes in codes or regulations. <br><br>POSITION SPECIFICATIONS <br>Minimum: <br><br>- B. S. in Engineering or equivalent Technical degree <br><br>- Minimum of 6 years experience <br><br>- 6 or more years' solid performance with last two in top half of Engr 2 band <br><br>- Individual Contributor competencies, with demonstration of FLS competencies <br>Preferred: <br><br>- Professional Engineer Registration <br><br>- Advanced technical degree or related coursework<br></p>", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9972963333129883}
+{"content": "\n\nNorth Dakota has just become the first state to legalize police use of drones equipped with “less than lethal” weapons, including rubber bullets, Tasers, tear gas, pepper spray and sound cannons. Now, police will be able to remotely fire on people in North Dakota from drones, much as the CIA fires on people in other countries.\n\nAlthough drones in North Dakota will be limited to “less than lethal” weapons, some of these devices can cause injury or even death, according to Christof Heyns, United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. He reported that rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas have resulted in injury and death. “The danger is that law enforcement officials may argue that the weapons that they use are labeled ‘less lethal’ and then fail to assess whether the level of force is not beyond that required,” Heyns wrote. The Guardian reports that at least 39 people have been killed by Tasers as far in 2015.\n\nHeyns warned the U.N. General Assembly that the use of armed drones by law enforcement could threaten human rights. “An armed drone, controlled by a human from a distance, can hardly do what police officers are supposed to do—use the minimum force required by the circumstances,” he said.\n\nIvan Cholakov / Shutterstock\n\nDrone manufacturers in North Dakota lobbied hard to stymie efforts that would have required police to obtain warrants before using drones. Al Frazier, a sheriff’s deputy who pilots drones, revealed their motivation. He told The Daily Beast, “I think when you’re trying to stimulate an industry in your state, you don’t want things that would potentially have a chilling effect on [drone] manufacturers.”\n\nWhen North Dakota police suspected Rodney Brossart of cattle rustling, they asked Homeland Security to use a Predator drone to fly over his land. Predator drones are also used by the CIA to conduct surveillance and drop bombs in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. The police, who didn’t get a warrant to fly over Brossart’s land, used evidence gathered from the drone surveillance to prosecute him. Brossart was convicted of terrorizing, preventing arrest and failing to comply with the law for stray animals.\n\nThe Supreme Court has not yet decided whether police must obtain a warrant before using drones. In California v. Ciraolo, the court upheld the warrantless use of a fixed-wing aircraft at an altitude of 1,000 feet to peer into a private, fenced backyard and identify marijuana plants because “any member of the public flying in this airspace who glanced down could have seen everything that these officers observed.” The court noted that no warrant is needed for what is “visible to the naked eye.” The justices reached the same result in Florida v. Riley, in which officers saw marijuana plants in a greenhouse from a helicopter 400 feet above.\n\nBut in Kyllo v. United States, the court held that the police need a warrant to use a thermal imaging device that measures the temperature of the roof of a house to detect the growing of marijuana inside. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority that if the government could freely collect any information “emanating from a house,” we would be “at the mercy of advancing technology—including imaging technology that could discern all human activity in the home.” The majority thought it significant that the technology used in Kyllo was “a device that is not in general public use.”\n\nIt is unclear how the court will apply these cases to the use of drones, which could be used to conduct long-term surveillance of private property with imaging systems that pick up much more detail than the naked eye.\n\nFourteen states have enacted legislation that limits how the police can use drones. But, “in the states that don’t require warrants, it’s pretty much a Wild West,” Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, told the National Journal.\n\nDrones are increasingly used for surveillance in the United States.\n\nThe U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), which patrols almost half the Mexican border with drones, has loaned its drones to local agencies and other national agencies, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Drones were used 700 times for domestic surveillance between 2010 and 2012.\n\nStanley cautions against government use of drones for mass surveillance. In my book“Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues,” he writes:\n\nPolice and government agencies, meanwhile, are likely to seek to use this technology for pervasive, suspicionless mass surveillance. To begin with, there is a long history of government agencies seeking to engage in mass surveillance, from the Cold War spying abuses to today’s deployment of license plate scanners and surveillance cameras in our public places, to the sweeping NSA programs that were revealed by Edward Snowden.\n\nStanley warns about discriminatory targeting of people of color, citing the experience in Britain where black people were 1½ to 2½ times more likely to be the subject of surveillance than the percentage of their numbers in the general population would indicate.\n\nStanley cites the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s revelation of CBP documents that suggest the CBP will use “non-lethal weapons designed to immobilize TOIs [targets of interest].” But, he thinks, “there is good reason to think that, once current controversies subside and the spotlight of public attention shifts elsewhere, we will see a push for drones armed with lethal weapons.”\n\nThe private use of drones can also be quite threatening.\n\nAugustine Lehecka was enjoying a San Diego County beach with friends when a drone flew a few feet above them, its four blades whirring, its camera rotating from side to side. Lehecka said, “We had like a peeping Tom. I felt threatened.”\n\nSo Lehecka threw his T-shirt at the drone, it hit the propeller and the drone fell to the ground. He was arrested for felony vandalism, and after spending the night in jail and posting $10,000 bail, Lechecka was released without charge. The incident caused a San Diego Union-Tribune columnist to write an article titled “We should pin a medal on that drone downer’s shirt.”\n\nIn response to Lehecka’s arrest, the Encinitas City Council is considering local regulation of drones. John Herron, who urged the council to take action, told a San Diego Union-Tribune reporter that his 3½-year-old son had been terrified by a low-flying drone, saying, “Once my son saw the drone, he became visibly scared . . . he told me he wanted to leave the park.”\n\nChildren in Yemen and Pakistan are also terrorized by U.S. drones, which hover above their communities for hours at a time, according to the study “Living Under Drones,” published by Stanford and New York University law schools. The constant buzzing of the drone is terrifying. Medea Benjamin spoke to people in Waziristan, Pakistan, many of whom “live in a state of constant fear.” She wrote in “Drones and Targeted Killing,” “Residents I met with said they had a hard time sleeping, that many people suffer from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and that there is widespread use of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication.” She added, “They also reported a spate of suicides, something they said never existed before.”\n\nWilliam Merideth downed a drone with a shotgun, claiming it was flying over his property near Louisville, Ky. He said, “I had no way of knowing [if] it was a predator looking at my children.” Charged with first-degree endangerment and criminal mischief, Merideth was released on $2,500 bond and is due to return to court in September. The operator of the drone was not charged with any offense.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArticles by: Prof. Marjorie Cohn\n\n\nFor media inquiries: [email protected]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9411368370056152}
+{"content": "NAPERVILLE, Ill., March 14, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Acts of violence in the workplace or schools often are not as random as they appear to outsiders. Parents of violent children have been telling doctors and educators for years that their children were born with unique, disruptive, angry, defiant personalities. William J. Walsh, PhD, senior scientist at Health Research Institute and Pfeifer Treatment Center, and one of the leading U.S. researchers in violent behavior, backs them after 25 years of scientific exploration.\n\nA study of 24 pairs of brothers, one average and one violent, was conducted by Walsh. The results, replicated in three blind, controlled experiments, showed two distinctive patterns in the brain chemistry of violent individuals not found in their siblings: 1) elevated copper/zinc ratio; depressed sodium, potassium, manganese; abnormal calcium, magnesium, blood histamines and 2) very depressed copper; very elevated sodium, potassium; elevated blood histamines, kryptopyrroles, lead, cadmium, iron, calcium, magnesium; depressed zinc, manganese.\n\nHow did this translate to behavior? Those having Type 1 levels exhibited Jekyll-Hyde behavior with episodic violence, poor stress control and genuine remorse often accompanied by acne, allergies and academic underachievement. Type 2s were assaultive without remorse, and pathological liars who had a fascination with fire, were cruel to people and animals, and often had sleep disorders. The researchers later identified two additional distinctive, less violent behavior types: non-assaultive delinquents who were impulsive, irritable, underweight underachievers in school and non-assaultive delinquents with sugar craving, drowsiness, and depression.\n\n\"The brain is a chemical factory that produces neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and other brain chemicals 24 hours a day. The only raw materials for these syntheses are nutrients: amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc.,\" explained Walsh. \"Most neurotransmitter imbalances appear genetic in nature and involve abnormal metabolism, absorption and/or storage of food nutrients by the body. However, an individual's biochemistry may change at any time after birth as a result of food allergies, puberty, aging, stress or trauma.\n\nPfeiffer Center's treatment consists of nutrient therapy-using vitamins and minerals along with dietary adjustments to correct brain chemistry imbalances. \"Nutrient therapy can be very potent and, unlike most psychiatric medications, does not involve side effects since no molecules foreign to the body are used,\" he continued.\n\nSome violent offenders are psychiatric patients who have stopped taking medications due to the debilitating side effects. Pfeiffer doctors keep patients on prescription medications while balancing brain chemistry. In some cases they work with the patient's physician to gradually eliminate or reduce medications and minimize side effects.\n\nIn 1995, a formal \"outcome study\" measuring the effectiveness of these natural treatments for behavior-disordered patients was conducted. The test population of 235 included 171 males and 64 females. Treatment response showed improved behavior by 91% of all \"compliant\" patients (those who took the supplements as directed). Frequency of temper episodes was reduced by 80% with no assaultiveness after treatment.\n\nThe clinic's success is built on 25 years of scientific research. Walsh obtained his PhD in chemical engineering from Iowa State University, holds six patents, has authored more than 175 articles or technical reports on brain chemistry, and was researcher and section head for 20 years at Argonne National Laboratory.\n\nIn the early 1970s, Walsh did volunteer work in the Illinois prisons. There he found many criminals who had competent, loving families, every educational opportunity, and siblings who were model citizens. Walsh began to wonder if biological errors contributed to sociopathic behavior and if the body chemistry of inmates was different from average people. His wondering lead to the revealing study of brothers.\n\nWith colleagues from Argonne, Walsh began testing blood and urine samples of prisoners and ex-convicts. In 1976, he met the late neurobiologist and psychopharmacologist Carl Pfeiffer, a pioneer in brain chemistry research on schizophrenia, who suggested they take a close look at copper, zinc, manganese and histamine levels in both blood and hair tissue.\n\nIn 1982, Health Research Institute (HRI) was founded as a public charity. More than 400 children and ex-convicts were tested for brain chemistry disorders and drug-free nutrient therapy was developed to balance the minerals, vitamins and amino acids of each type. Today, HRI has a research database of biochemical information from more than 10,000 patients with mental health problems.\n\nWilliam Walsh founded, was first president, and is now senior scientist of the Health Research Institute and the Pfeiffer Treatment Center, a not-for-profit outpatient clinic added in 1989. The Center's treatment of chemical imbalances has expanded to include treatment of behavior disorders, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder (ADD), autism, depression, bipolar disorders and schizophrenia in children and adults.\n\nPrevention of violence may be as simple as one or two appointments a year. In just three hours at the clinic, a complete medical and social history is taken and comprehensive blood, urine and hair tissue analysis begun. Doctors interpret the results and individualized nutrient therapy is recommended. Within a month, the findings are sent to the patient or his parents. Vitamins and minerals needed to begin balancing each individual's brain chemistry are compounded into capsules at the clinic's pharmacy. Follow up testing is scheduled after three to six months and supplements adjusted.\n\nBecause of Pfeiffer's nonprofit status, treatment costs only $860 for chemical testing and averages $50 a month per patient for nutrient supplements. The center's Hope Fund, supported entirely by private donations, offers assistance to those who need treatment but cannot afford it.\n\nHealth Research Institute and Pfeiffer Treatment Center are located at 1804 Centre Point Drive in Naperville, Illinois, approximately 45 minutes from Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Outreach clinics are held twice a year in Maryland, Minnesota, Arizona and California. For more information visit or telephone (630) 505-0300.\n\nCONTACT:  Health Research Institute\n          Emily Gray\n          (630) 505-0300", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6987321376800537}
+{"content": "FAQ: How Does a Water Tube Boiler Work?\n\nOne of the more recent innovations in steam production is the use of water tube boilers. Slowly but surely they are replacing traditional fire tube boilers as the top option regardless or an organization’s steam needs. They are safer, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly than fire tube boilers. So, how exactly do water tube boilers work and what makes them better than conventional boilers?\n\nAs their name implies, the key to a water tube boiler is a series of tubes that sit in the middle of the boiler. The tubes are roughly the same length of the boiler and designed to withstand great amounts of pressure so that they don’t crack or leak. When the furnace is lit, hot gas flows throughout the boiler, heating up the water inside the tubes in order to create steam.\n\nThe smaller size of water tube boilers helps the hot gas flow back and forth within the boiler, creating more heat to boil the water without requiring large amounts of fuel. Essentially, the heat source is evenly distributed throughout the inside of the boiler, which helps to heat the water in each tube quickly and efficiently, causing it to boil and rise to the steam drum at the top of the boiler. At the bottom of the steam drum is boiling water that will soon become steam that can be used for heating and other purposes.\n\nWater tube boilers also include a downcomer tube that connects the steam drum at the top of the boiler with the feed water drum that sits at the bottom of the boiler. Some of the steam created from the boiling water will inevitably cool and condense back into water that will then travel through the downcomer tube back to the feed water drum. This process allows that water to once again flow into the tubes to ultimately become steam, which helps to reduce the amount of water the boiler needs to function.\n\nThe entire process only takes a few minutes, even if the water tube boiler receives a cold start-up. Things are a little slower to get going in traditional fire tube boilers, which is one of the main reasons why the smaller water tube boilers are becoming the preferred option for companies that rely on industrial steam boilers.\n\nContact Miura today to learn more about our water tube boilers.Contact Us", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9674669504165649}
+{"content": "Advanced Materials\nEverything is made of something, yet, during the past century, the scientific and technological importance of new materials has not been widely appreciated. Indeed, even though historical breakthroughs in materials science such as the development of steel for replacing wrought iron had enormous commercial impact. The term 'advanced material' has been coined only recently. Large parts of the development underpinned by advanced materials remains invisible to the general public - such as the requirement for high dielectric constant gate materials for ultra-small transistors and advanced alloys in order to improve the efficiency of jet engines. But we can also see and benefit from a lot of innovations - such as scratch-resistant glass for smart-phone screens and optoelectronic polymers for displays. In many cases it is not the material itself that is 'advanced' but rather the manufacturing processes required either for creating it or for mixing it with other materials. Sapphire, for example, has been recognized and used for thousands of years, but the ability to create and produce large, perfect crystals has enabled it to be used as the substrate for the growth of gallium nitride (GaN) films for light-emitting diodes and to increase the scratch-resistance of smart-phone displays.\nSocial Impact: The next generation of materials can help to solve the globe's most pressing challenges. For example, light weighting solutions increase fuel efficiency and lower emissions for the entire transportation sector. The best materials can help us to ensure the best future for our planet.\nHealth Effect: Most European societies are ageing and hence more and more people will suffer from illnesses in the future. However, all of us want to live a good life.  People will need to replace their hip joints, dentures, prosthetics etc. to improve the quality of their life.\nEnergy Consumption: Advanced materials help us to lower energy consumption, to increase energy efficiency, to improve agriculture or to scale up enzymatic transformations. Hence, there are many opportunities related to advanced materials.\n\nAdvanced materials, High-tech materials, Energy efficiency, Medical implant\n\nRelated Topics\n\n3d Printing\n3D printing is a process in which a physical, three-dimensional object is formed from a digital layout. It is also known as additive manufacturing ...\nThe term \"bionic\" means a certain understanding of principles in technology that are \"like the natural world\" of plants and animals. Basically, thi...\nThere is an increased interest in the rapid development of e-Health and the resulting myriad of possibilities for applications to improve healthcar...\nEnergy Efficiency\nNo construction lasts forever and at a moment in time, every building needs to be renovated and repaired. Maintenance can however be performed in m...\nFuture Cities\nWe are living in the age of urbanization, where the majority of the global population lives in cities instead of rural areas. This of course create...\nGravity or gravitation is a natural phenomenon by which all objects are brought towards one another, including stars, planets, galaxies and sub-ato...\nGreen Buildings\n\"Green building\" is an overarching concept of sustainable architecture and construction that can appear in various forms of expressions. Some exper...\nNanobiotechnology (bionanotechnology, nanobiology) are terms that refer to the intersection of nanotechnology and biology working at a nano-scale o...\nFrom the clothes and sunglasses you wear to computer hard drives and even cleaning products: nanotechnology - often inspired by nature - plays a ma...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9870166778564453}
+{"content": "Robots: Science Fiction to Science Fact\nSpectrum 3847 - the Strake Jesuit and Saint Agnes Engineering Team\n\n \"This is not your grandfather's high school shop class. In 2019. It’s CAD drawings, Gear Ratios, Prototyping, and 3D Printing. Today’s high school students are building robots.\"\n\nBy Michael DeMoor '20\n\nIn 2019, building robots to perform specific tasks does not sound as much like science fiction as it did 20 years ago. Robots ore, in fact, a very real port of today's world. In education, becoming more familiar with robotics con lay the foundation for a career at the cutting edge in fields such as science and engineering. Thus, as a by-product of the educational emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the creation of high school robotics programs and teams has exploded over the lost decode.\n\nSt. Agnes created an engineering team in 1996 while Stroke Jesuit's was founded in 2008. Since 2011, Spectrum 3847, the joint Stroke Jesuit/SI. Agnes Engineering Team, has competed locally, nationally, and internationally in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competitions (FRC) which combine the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. \"This team evolved out of two engineering teams, one from each school,\" noted Lead Coach Allen Gregory IV. \"After competing against each other for three years, we were interested in undertaking a new challenge that would test our ability to the extreme.\"\n\nFIRST, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the inspiration of students and the growth of science, technology, and engineering recognition in the world, provided an ideal arena for the team as ifs platform fit very well with the mission of the schools. \"Teams in FIRST events do not just strive to win each event in which they compete;\" said Gregory, \"they also try to make sure that the rest of the teams competing are performing at their best and that everyone is having a good time. FRC teams train and mentor other teams and work together to make more competitive machines. FRC also stresses the development of each student outside of their technical skills.\"\n\nIn preparation for the FRC season, Spectrum spends the fall semester preparing students for the competition. Experienced team members and coaches help incoming members to find their way around the lab. They show inexperienced students how to use various tools and machines at the engineering lab. New members also learn the basics of prototyping about various parts that could be used in robot construction including gear ratios, pneumatics, and types of motors. Gregory also teaches a series Computer-Aided Design, or CAD design, classes. These CAD design skills are used later during the FRC season for part design and 3D printing.\n\nFor Spectrum 3847, the 'season' begins in every January with the big reveal, the announcement of the task for that year's FIRST Robotics Competition. Each year, the FRC has a new task or competition for which each team must build a robot. The team then has six weeks to build their 120-pound robot, followed by six weeks of competition. After the six weeks of competition, learns from dozens of countries who have earned berths gather for the World Championship series of games.\n\nRobotics team members constructing their robot in the lab in preparation for competition.\n\n\nDuring the build portion of the season, Spectrum prepares their robot for the competition season. In order to perform well in competition, the team spends several hours poring over the rules of the game including methods of scoring, legal and illegal builds, robot constraints, penalties, and various quirks of the game are examined in great detail. Once the rules have been examined and the team is familiar with them, team members prioritize goals and consider various approaches to the most important of these goals. Once approaches have been narrowed down, the team starts to prototype and develop various subsystems tor the robot. They then spend the entirety of the build season CAD designing and iterating parts of the robot until the team finishes its competition machine.\n\nOnce build season is over. Spectrum tokes its robot to multiple events over the competition season. FRC competition lakes place during events lasting multiple days. At these events, Spectrum and other teams are grouped together into alliances to compete against other alliances during the qualification matches. Depending on how well each team competes in the game and completes objectives, each team is ranked. For the elimination bracket, the highest-ranked teams can pick their own permanent alliance for the rest of the event. The teams in the winning alliance receive on invitation to the World Championships.\n\n\"We like to make the entire experience tie into the educational side of things,\" said Gregory. \"Students get to see how the lessons they learn in school are actually applied. They are working on a project that is bigger and more complex than a lot of senior design projects for college engineers but we do it in the form of a sport and the students get to all work together on it like they would in a company. We need students lo contribute not only their math and science skills but also their language skills, design, skills, media, critical thinking, and more. Students are exposed to technologies that they wouldn't be learning until well into college and they get understanding early that these tools can be used to solve hard problems.\"\n\nSpectrum has realized a great deal of success in the actual competition at both FRC and other events. Over the years they have won a number of events, been a finalist at a number of FRC events and in 2018, won the Alamo Regional, the first lime the team has won an FRC event. The team hos also earned five berths into the FRC World Championships. In addition to their success in competitions, Spectrum has also often been recognized on numerous occasions with special awards. They have received the Quality and Industrial Design award, the Gracious Professionalism Award at the 2017 Houston World Championships, the Chairman's Award, the most prestigious award in FRC given to the team that best embodies the values of the FIRST Robotics Competition, and the Engineering Inspiration Award at the 2018 Houston World Championship presented to the three teams who best promoted appreciation for engineering with their communities.\n\nSpectrum 3847 received the prestigious Chairman's Award at the 2017 World Championships in Houston\n\nSpectrum's activities are not limited to just competing in FRC. The team has built international relationships and hosted teams from China and Australia and participates in many demonstrations and educational conferences to display their robot and to encourage growth in STEM education. Every year, the team demonstrates their robot lo over 30,000 people at Comicpalooza. Spectrum also presented at a conference for STEM educators from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, reaching out to an organization representing thousands of students. The team also conducts a coding comp with Microsoft and a robotics camp at the Boys and Girls Club where Spectrum students personally mentor the kids at the camps.\n\nAs with the other extra-curricular activities at Stroke Jesuit in which students con be involved - sports, music, theater, debate, etc. - the Spectrum is more than just a means for students who share an interest to come together. It is much more than that. As stated in its Mission Statement, it allows students to \"develop life skills through the promotion of premier qualities, such as amity, volunteerism, dedication, and ebullience.\"\n\nIn addition to promoting knowledge in STEM, Spectrum also encourages growth in other areas. Spectrum also gives opportunities to grow in English and presentation skills. As an example, for the Chairman's Award, the members of the team must write an extensive essay detailing the team's activities and how those activities serve to transform modern culture and increase appreciation in STEM. The team also composes a speech and must recite it from memory to the judges for the award. These opportunities that Spectrum gives show students that STEM and other subjects can be used together and are not mutually exclusive.\n\nSpectrum helps its team members to grow in many ways. The team's activities in FRC allow its students lo experience intense competition while serving others and learning engineering and other skills. Spectrum's presence in its schools' communities helps make both more complete.\n\nRobotics team members mentor youth at coding camp.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9073336720466614}
+{"content": "Wit  López\n\nWit López\n\nWit López is a Brooklyn-bred and Philadelphia-based disabled, gender non-conforming/nonbinary trans mixed media creator, performer, and independent curator of African American and Boricua descent. With two visual artists for parents, creating has always been a part of López’s world. Their work combines the skills their parents taught them: fiber art, painting, collage, and photography. The work also contains elements of their formal training in theatre and classical music, including costuming, staging, and props.\nTheir visual work and performance art uses their background in Anthropology and Africana Studies as a lens to examine, decolonize, and reconstruct aspects of their own identity. Through fiber and imagery, López explores hairiness, desirability, accessibility, queerness, gender identity, Blackness, and Latinidad, while also nodding lightly at absurdity and the macabre.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9989355802536011}
+{"content": "Daylight Saving Time Advice\n\nGo to bed an hour early.\n\nThat's the advice of sleep experts and first responders who know there's an increase in deadly accidents with the shift to Daylight Saving Time. Most folks will be setting their clocks an hour ahead this Sunday morning and people may struggle for several days to adjust their internal body clock.\n\nThe National Road Safety Foundation says driver fatigue increases the possibility of drowsiness behind the wheel and is a primary reason deadly crashes spike in the days following the time change.\n\nSource: MetroSource\n\n\nContent Goes Here", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7284471392631531}
+{"content": "Green light for our systematic review on the effects of crop rotations on soil organic carbon in arable lands\n\nNEWS | 2017-04-26\n\nAfter review, our protocol has been published for our systematic review on how different crop rotations affect soil organic carbon (SR16). The review, which is a result from our earlier systematic map, has now begun to analyse the available evidence on the issue.\n\nThe primary question is how crop rotations in general influence the concentration or stock of soil organic carbon (SOC). To answer that question we will analyse and synthesise studies that have compared various crop rotation practices with single crop farming systems. We will also compare different crop rotation practices with each other; rotations involving legumes will be compared with those not including legumes, and rotations involving perennials will be compared with those involving only sown annual crops.\n\nFarmlands with various crops. Copyright: Amanda Langford, from iStockphoto\n\nThe previous systematic map (SR4) identified 239 studies concerned with crop rotation practices. The literature searches have now been updated, and as a result the number of potentially useful studies for this systematic review will rise. However, all studies that are relevant to the question will be critically appraised, and those that are judged to be highly susceptible to bias will be excluded from the following quantitative synthesis.\n\nThe review team has written a review protocol, i.e. a detailed plan for how the review is to be conducted. It is now published in Environmental Evidence (see link in the margin at right).\n\nThe review will be conducted by researchers from the review team that conducted the systematic map. The team will have its first meeting in May, where they will develop methods for quality review of articles and data extraction.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9996897578239441}
+{"content": "Recipe Index - Cardamom\n\n16 results\n\nBerberè (Recipe - Ethiopia)\nToast the cumin seeds, cardamon pods, coriander seeds, cloves and peppercorns in a pan for 1 minute. Crush all the spiced together with a...\n\nBiriani (Stew) (Recipe - Kenya)\n\nMint biriani with walnuts (Recipe - India)\nStep-by-step recipe.\n\nChicken Biriani (Recipe - India)\n\nLentils and bacon soup (Recipe)\n\nGaram Masala (Recipe - India)\nIn a pan, toast cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom pods and black peppercorns for 10 minutes. Let cool. Grind all ingredients...\n\nGothaab (Sweet fritters) (Recipe - Iran)\n\nHerb Kuku (Baked omelette) (Recipe - Iran)\nBeat the eggs with the baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, rose petals and black pepper. Mince together fenugreek, garlic and...\n\nPav Bhaji (Recipe - India)\nStep-by-step recipe.\n\nJackfruit Kebabs (Recipe)\n\nCurry powder (Recipe - India)\nToast the coriander, cumin, wild fennel, fenugreek and black mustard seeds, the black pepper corns, the chili (stems removed), the cardamom...\n\nMasala tea (Recipe - India)\nOpen the cardamom seeds and mix all spices together. Prepare the tea like you normally do. Add the spices a few minutes before...\n\nToor Dal with Coriander and Mint (Recipe)\nCook the toor dal with 250ml of water and the peeled clove garlic for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile fry cumin, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom...\n\nCoconut cake with cardamom (Recipe - Sri Lanka)\n\nSpiced yogurth (Shrikhand) (Recipe - India)\n\nSpiced Chickpeas Soup (Recipe)\nHeat the oil and the butter in a pot, then add the cumin seeds, the seeds inside the cardamom pods, and the cinnamon stick. Stir and fry...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999262690544128}
+{"content": "Change Category Term Weights\n\nYou can use the CategorySetTNW action to change the weights of terms in the category that you believe are weighted inappropriately. For example:\n\n\nIn this example, HPE IDOL Server sets the weight of the term tax to 2353, the weight of the term monei to 1223 and the weight of the term budget to 1023 (tax, monei and budget are what HPE IDOL Server stems the words Tax, Money and Budget to). The BuildNow parameter instructs HPE IDOL Server to build the categories immediately, so that they become active. You can also activate the category at a later point by using the CategoryBuild action.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8017110824584961}
+{"content": "Video surveillance is the most visible technology in physical security. It moved into the mainstream digital age in 2004 when the first MPEG-4 cameras were released to the market. Today, it benefits from the very high interest that digital image and video that smartphones have motivated in the mass market, both in terms of surveillance camera presence acceptation (which represent a very small part of overall cameras) and in terms of technological developments.\nThe main technological breakouts are dealing with image sensor quality, resolution and video analytics. The challenge remains the management of a steady growing number of cameras spread over a steady larger area. It is not strictly a problem of technology, but also of methodology and ergonomy.\nIn the vast urban areas like Marseille, Lyon, Paris, 1000+ cameras are targetted. The french public transportation organization in Paris, RATP, manages more than 7500 cameras, including subway and buses.\n\nMore cameras, more resolution bring in additional problems about performance and capacity for visualizing and storing video. Tis must be taken into account when doing system design and architecture. Recording video has a relative value depending on the facility to retrieve relevant evidences when necessary. Hence, the greatest chalenge for video surveillance remains to be really useful, first in real time, by allowing to intervene as quickly as possible, then a posteriori, when nothing was done to prevent the crime.\n\nNevertheless, fight against organized crime and terrorism is raising the bar and leads to consider video surveillance as one of the intelligence tools, last rempart against these homeland plagues. It is not anymore about immediate response from operators, it is about taking into account the most minors observations into a system capable of consolidate, correlate information at the global scale of the territory; Image remains important but not as much as its interpretation, as the thorough description of observed scenes, as the meticulous storage and indexation of this information that will be the fuel of statistic analytics algorithms. Those analytics will trigger the move to a radicaly different paradigm for security, the shift from reaction to prediction to identify threats before they are executed.\n\n\n\nAt the technical level, digital sensors have already overcome analog ones (10 to 20 Mpx). The Megapixel IP cameras that evolved since 2004 have exceeded 25 Mpx today.\n\n250 Megapixel CMOS prototype from Canon\n\nIn early 2015, Canon introduced a prototype of Megapixel camera shooting 5 frames per second with a resolution of 250 Megapixels (250 millions, being 19600 x 12600 pixels).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5242022275924683}
+{"content": "Bridges, Law and Power in Medieval England, 700-1400\n\nAlan Cooper\n\nIn Bridges, Law and Power, Alan cooper explains the relationship between the changing laws and powers connected with medieval English bridges and the responsibility to keep them in good shape.\n\nBridges were still very few until the tenth and eleventh centuries:\n\n“The charter bounds, name of places and other narrative evidence give us room to deduce that there were but a few bridges in England before the tenth century. It also reveals that bridges were significantly built on areas that initially had no bridge between 900 and 1200”\n\nA lot of reasons constituted to the rise of bridges, some of which are rapid environmental changes , the banking system made fords less usable and a transition from the use of pack animals to horse carts\n\nBut why was it that bridgework obligations appeared in earlier Anglo-Saxon charters?  Cooper critically views Boniface and the 749 Gumley Charter and claimed that the obligations were actually not an important aspect of governance, but merely borrowed from Roman and universal laws.\n\nCooper overviewed debates on the reason for the bridgework, its connection with the military and country wide bridgework obligations, studying six common early bridges. Construction of bridges and imposing bridge work laws were among the West Saxon state-building and public order.\n\nAfter the Norman Conquest, the idea of a world bridge-work obligation, past even the remittance of the King quickly faded out.\n\nWilliam and sons revoked bridge-work as a sign of goodwill.. When they chose to remove their highly favoured monastic institutions from collective public functions, it became open to all from whatever background to also excuse themselves from such obligations by forgery.\n\nHow was it then possible for the bridges to get maintained between the 13th and 14th century?\n\nObligations remained, though not globally. Some were attached to some estates in particular, others to bigger areas. Various court cases showed how there were several attempts to force or break obligations, through lawful guises and creation of chronicled stories\n\nResolving to philanthropy and charitable trusts, some common misconception was first corrected about London Bridge:\n\nThe completion of the stone bridge at London was initiated by the King, from the knowledge he acquired in his French possessions, employing a French constructor, who introduced French building techniques and methods for funding.\n\nHe also examines examples of bridge donations and approved alms collector who gave assistance in return for donations, mostly in areas a distance from the bridges involved.\n\nAnother method used for raising funds for maintenance of bridges was through pontage and tolls on goods for sale. They were similar to pavage grants, for paving towns and to legislations about the king’s highway”. There was difference between road and bridge maintenance, but in ancient England, the king had supreme powers over both\n\nBridges Law and Power is a discourse on a relatively shallow topic, but has more deep material set aside for footnotes which is about a quarter of each of the pages. No concrete legal backing or any precise knowledge of the era. For the laymen, it presents a different view on ancient state-building and development of English legislations with some fascinating details\n\nThe Bridges of Medieval England: Transport and Society 400-1800\n\nDavid Harrison\nOxford University Press 2004\n\nPart 1 of The Bridges of Medieval England is an overview of bridges, analyzing their numbers, where they are located and the time their structures were built or rebuilt. Harrison gives a critical analysis of some routes and waterways where there are traces of bridges.\nDuring the Dark Ages, there was a return to fords; new bridges were now constructed on their sites instead of areas that had the Roman bridges.\nWe may have a clearer view of the routes of the late Anglo-Saxon England better than roman routes from a guide of the 18th or even the early part of the 20th century as painted.\n\nTwo centuries after Norman Conquest, there was a remarkable boost in transportation which brought bridges to the frontline of interests in the new road system.\nCertainly, many bridges had been in existence at about 1350, more also, enough proves abounds to support claims that some of these bridges were established even before the 13rd century.\nIn all these claims, the exact number of new bridges constructed could not be ascertained.\nIt is most likely that some of the bridges found in the 12th and 13th centuries were constructed around the late 11th century, but the exact number of bridges was not known.\nHarrison further produces some analysis, linking bridges to a more complex history\n\nTowards the end of Saxon era there was a road (known then as the main road) that linked London through Nottingham and Doncaster to the North. According to Domes day Book, a portion of it was referred to as the road heading to York in Nottinghamshire. Going to York through Blyth and Doncaster. In 868, it is most likely that this part of the road had been used when the York based Danes captured Nottingham. Trent of the fort was here. This route became significant about 50 years later. This was as a result of the construction of a bridge effectively directing traffic from north to south to the bridge. It was unarguably a most vital Trent crossing in the 11th century. William I (William the conqueror) passed through the same route on his journeys to and fro his major campaigns in the north in 1068 and also in the spring and autumn of 1069.\n\nThe periods (about 500 years) after the year 1250 were relatively stable years.\nThe period specifically after 1760 in the 18th century witnessed another change in the situation. Numerous bridges were constructed at different places. Bridges were now used to replace ferries left on secondary roads. This led to a drastic change in bridge construction, which has lingered to the present day. However, except for some handful of river crossings, others remained as they had been back in the dark ages.\n\nPart II swings to bridge structures.\nHarrison kicks off with threats confronted by bridges, especially those imposed by great floods. The main construction materials were timber, timber and stone, or arched stone; this was traced by archaeology, illustrations, descriptions and surveying of existing bridges.\nHarrison provides a history of bridge construction: Causeways and early timber deck type of bridges, vaulted stone bridges, coffer dams bridges etc. He also viewed regional differences and specifications.\n\nWithin the 11th and the 15th centuries, there were contrary dispositions in various parts of the country. Most of the bridges on lowland in the southern parts and midlands retained same designs and pattern of construction for centuries. However, great progress was made amongst the medieval masons: most paramount was the ability to carve out a base for even worse conditions; also important was erection of mega arches, and recognition of its value and also vital was construction of large divided arches.\n\nThere have been claims and counter claims that these old-age bridges were of substandard quality and had low maintenance. On his part, Harrison examines the claims differently:\nBy the later part of the middle ages, there were well structured constructions, which were followed by regular maintenance. Bridges were still useful even when they were in terrible states .in the event that a part of them falls, they were patched. If it happens to be a major damage, a transient one is erected as substitute, pending the renovation of the collapsed bridge.\n\nPart III examines the funding of construction and maintenance.\nFinancial records were improved upon during the later era, but great resources were dedicated to fund bridges in earlier periods. Such financial resources were generated from donations, bridgework commitment and tolls; the county councils had practically taken over the responsibility for funding and maintenance of bridges by 1900, but\nWhen motor vehicles were invented and introduced, landowners still repaired the bridges because it was more of a liability they had inherited a number of almost a thousand years old, or from funds they got from bridge estates set up for almost same period.\n\nThe Bridges of Medieval England has 16 pages with white and black images of bridges. It has basic similarity with English history and a blend of architectural terms. It also used some Latin quotations without offering a corresponding translation in English. However, it is easily accessible, giving a brilliant mix of architecture, history, human geography and engineering.\n\nMedieval Iceland: Sagas, Society and Power\n\nJesse L. Byock\n\nAfter the settlement of Iceland in the 10th century, The Icelandic Free State came to exist and it lasted until the mid-13th and became one of the most intriguing political milieu. Without any external threats, (and also no indigenous population to get things complicated) the settlers in Iceland’s created a society filled with  farmers without any executive government and social hierarchy, with law and order being maintained by an interaction between law, feud and personal relationships. This made medieval Iceland to be an intriguing sociological and political “experiment” as well as a fascinating history — and I think Medieval Iceland will make an excellent introduction to it.\n\nByock started with a very brief survey of the legal and historical sources. Turning his attention to the Icelandic sagas, he took a stand in the historiographical debate of their value as sources, He was arguing for their own importance in comprehending the social and economic background. He also presents a draft filled with the  history of the Free State, from the creation and settlement of the legal system, through an evolution, This was until Iceland became controlled by the Norwegian crowns between 1262-1264. In 1000, Iceland adopted Christianity, However, this was not achieved by conflict or war, rather it was through negotiations and, with Iceland being distant from the central Church authority, their new religious belief was made to fit with the structures that already existed.\n\nByock’s focus is mainly on governance and most especially the relationship between gothar (” the chieftains”) and the farmers  Gothar had some special sources of wealth — some limited taxes and also a chance at setting prices for imports; trade and tithes were open to all the farmers. The power of gothar is on their status as the legal advocates and also a gothorth is not a hereditary and territorial chieftaincy but rather “it is a professional vocation that’s got to do with entrepreneurial overtones”. The relationship between ordinary farmers and gothar is flexible, because farmers are free to change their allegiance and be subject to only the limited obligations, and the binding forces of the society is client-advocate relationship, fictive and real kinship relationships, and also formalised ties of friendship.\n\n3 chapters present cases from the Sturlunga sagas and the family, illustrating just how this system of governance really worked in practice. Conflicts caused by Sturlunga and property illustrate the relationship between farmers and also the way in which gothar can utilize their status as advocates in other to get concessions. The fate Arnkell’s has towards the Eyrbyggja saga shows the limitations on the ambitions of gothar and a few of the “balances and checks” of the system. And the struggle between Geitir and Brod-Helgi in Vapnfirthinga saga shows just how broad the networks of support was needed in other to safely carry out the direct action.\n\nThe great Tibetan Empire inside Central Asia: \n\nThe History of the fight for Power among Turks, Arabs, Chinese and Chinese during the Early Middle era\n\nChristopher I. Beckwith\n\nBefore the Game between the Russians and the British, some early great empires competed for influence and control inside Central Asia. Inside the great Tibetan Empire of Central Asia, Beckwith gives a narrative of happenings running from between 600 to 850 and presents a handful of Tibetan point of view, but uses Arab and Chinese sources and offers what is likely a history of Tarim basin and the surrounding areas.\n\nThe origin of Yarlung dynasty is just mirky; This is a historical narrative that commenced around 600. The seventh century witnessed a 3-way battle over the great Tarim basin between the Chinese, Mongolic-native speaking people also called the T’u-yü-hun Tibetans or the Aza. The defeat of the Tibetan Tang in 670 was the end of 2 decades of the Chinese domination of Tarim Basin”, named “the Pacified West”.\n\nA seesawing balance of power ensued, which involved the Western and Eastern Turks (On oq). The Tibetans always had the ascendancy, not until an internal collapse gave the Chinese the opportunity to retake the “4 Garrisons” — Kucha, Khotan, Agni, and probably Kashgar — in 692.\n\nThe early 8th century saw the Tibetans focus their attention to “Western Regions” inside Tukharistan and Pamirs. The Arabians under the command of general Qutayba fought against the Western Turks, while the Chinese and the Tibetians  interfered. In 715 the Arabians took a raiding party and Ferghana as they reached Kashgar, which brought them to the the Tang Empire  border, but the importance of the event wasn’t comprehended by both parties at the time.\n\nThe conflict between Tibet and China still continues, with the Tibetans in partnership with the Türgis confederation of Western Turks. Tibetan states in the west have defected to the Chinese, with the Tibetans being defeated by the Chinese troops in Little Balur and also blocking their way to the west. Meanwhile, A Sogdian revolt was subdued by the Arabs.\n\nThe alliance of the Tibetan-Türgis fought both the Arabs and  the Chinese, but that period witnessed an increase in power from the  Chinese, with 750, “the acme of Chinese political power and military inside Central Asia”. The Chinese were also successful in battle against the eastern Tibetans. However, their success in battle brought about the conflict between the Tang and the Arabs, who won them in the great battle of Talas in 751.\n\nA Lu-shan rebellion in 755 and an ensuing conflict was what weakened the Tangs as well as gave the Tibetans their ascendancy, though they did not take Khotan, not until the early 790s. Other key members include the Uyghurs and Qarluq confederation, while the Tibetans got involved in a conflict with the Arabs. Beckwith’s continued his narrative in less detail (in 765, the Old Tibetan Annals ended) down to 866, when only bits and pieces was what remained of the great Tibetan Empire.\n\nIn his epilogue, Beckwith talks about the medieval great Tibetan Empire using the context of a broader Eurasian history, stressing the very importance of international trade and Central Asia during that period. He was very critical of others and Pirenne who have dismissed the Tibetans and Franks as “barbarians” and went on to downplay what the achieved — and he’s got a reasonable case here, though he went far in putting down the early Arab caliphate, the Byzantine Empire and Tang China. (Beckwith has taken some idiosyncratic positions: for instance, his prologue, a complain about no evidence for the Sino-Tibetan family language.  however, he is up front about his limits: his inability to scan Arabic for names and the lack of familiarity with  South Asian sources.)\n\nThe great Tibetan Empire inside Central Asia presents a continuous narration of political and military events, without an attempt to cover religion and culture also. It is dense with the names of places and people, but the main text is very readable, with discussions of sources, historiography, epigraphy, the links to archaeology, and much more relegated to the footnotes, which will take up about a third of most of the pages. The only map provided is ok but too small; readers who are not familiar with the region will have little trouble following the events. And there is a useful 15 page bibliographical essay that discusses the sources for the period.\n\nAs being the one and only general history of the region in the early medieval era, The Tibetan Empire inside Central Asia will be essential reading for area specialists. Its layout also makes it accessible to lay readers with some background in the area.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9672994613647461}
+{"content": "Beyond Anxiety.jpg\n\nLondon Brain Project is excited to announce it’s final Arts Council funded installment of the Beyond Series.\n\n\nComposed of interactive & insightful artwork, digestible science and a programme of events supported by the Big Lottery Fund, Beyond Anxiety will lead you on a journey to discover the what, how and why of anxiety, alongside the emotional and social implications unique to different individuals.\n\n\nBeyond Anxiety is an interactive exhibition exploring the reality of living with anxiety and the neuroscience behind it through engaging co-produced artwork presented alongside accessible science. Beyond Anxiety will showcase collaborative works produced by young people living with anxiety, health professionals, scientists and artists Ben Target (Multi award-winning comedian and artist), Tim Sargent (artist) and Sophie Horton & Ben Hadley (On the Button Theatre).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9988966584205627}
+{"content": "Oro-maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery\n\n\nKnowledge creates healing\n\nDiseases of the temporomandibular joint\n\nMany patients suffer from acute or chronic painful limited function of the temporomandibular joint, of the masticatory and partially of the cervical spine muscles. Within this large group of so-called cranio-mandibulary dysfunctions there are three main sections, which can however also appear in combination due to reciprocal enhancement:  \n\n  • Continual or motion-dependent pain in the masticatory and neck muscles of the lower jaw  \n  • Degenerative or pathological changes to joints, like for example arthritis, delayed growth, increased growth or chronic inflammation of  the temporomandibular joint  \n  • Malpositioning or limited movement of the cartillage disc (Diskus articularis) in the temporomandibular joint    \n\nWhile most of these dysfunctionalities can be reversed by combined conservative forms of treatment (avoiding hard food, reduction of stress factors combined with various relaxation techniques, occlusal splints, physiotherapy and painkillers and relaxing medication), the proportion of joint diseases requiring surgery is 5 % at most.  Surgery to the temporomandibular joint is usually only advisable after unsuccessful conservative therapy. Adequate, individual occlusal splint treatment for example in order to reduce tooth grinding or pressing, or to normalize a faulty bite (which overburdens the temporomandibular joint and the masticatory muscles) can be carried out over a period of some months.\n\nIf ensuingly after corresponding clinical and computer tomographical diagnosis it is clear that the pain and limited movement emanate primirly from the temporomandibular joint, minimally invasive surgical techniques are first used as therapy for these temporomandibular joint diseases: arthrocentesis is carried out under local anaesthetic, also known as arthrocentesis and lavage, where the upper region of the jaw joint is punctured with two thin needles and rinsed with liquid under pressure. As a result of this minimally invasive measure, fine scars are dissolved and inflamed areas and protein material, which can be responsible for causing pain, are rinsed out. This can also cure an inflamed jaw surface or synovial fluid. This can sometimes result in the repositioning of a badly positioned disc, and/or a locked jaw can become unlocked, if this is accordingly treated within the first 48 hours at the latest after initial symptoms.\n\nIf arthrocentesis does not prove successful in the long run, arthroscopic surgery under general anaesthetic is required, which from the start is basically very similar to arthrocentesis. Here a camera as well as diverse surgical instruments are introduced through selective entry points into the upper part of the temporomandibular joint. These miniature tools (for example scalpels, scissors or even laser probes) enable the exact removal of adhesions, fully visibly. It is also possible to smooth damaged joint areas to facilitate regeneration. A displaced disc, which has blocked the joint’s movement for a long time, can be returned to its original position. The informative value of this arthroscopy with regard to the evaluation of perforated joint cartillage due to adhesions is however limited, so that an arthroscopic examination without pathological findings does not necessarily mean that the joint cartillage or its suspending apparatus are not damaged.\n\nWhen all the above mentioned conservative and minimally invasive treatment procedures have been exhausted, and if the temporomandibular joint itself, due to an accident, deterioration, inflammation, dysfunctional growth or dysplasia is severely damaged, or there are such severe changes due to malignant neoplasm, then open surgery is called for. The target of open entry points, where a differentiation is made between an approach behind the ear (retro-auricular) and one in front of the ear (pre-auricular), is to replace certain badly damaged parts of the joint with tissue,either produced naturally in the body or in some case produced artificially. The cosmetic result using both points of entry is considered excellent.\n\nTarget of the open surgical therapy is to encourage tissue regeration as well as compensation through surrounding structures (e.g. muscles). Surgical measures to reconstruct and/or remove the Discus articularis (gliding cartilage) are differentiated from disc replacement operations, so called inter-positioning surgery, using tissue produced in the body or artificial tissue. The repeated unintentional emergence of the joint head  from its socket  is usually treated by ablation of the front joint protuberance (eminectomy). This alleviates the autonomous return of the joint head to the socket, on the other hand the mobility range of the joint in its upper region is restricted due to scarring.\n\nA modern therapy alternative nowadays is the direct administration of botulinum toxin under EMG control to the masticatory muscle M. Pterygoideus lateralis that is responsible for wide opening of the mouth. This form of therapy however requires good patient collaboration. With chronic inflammation, severe arthritic changes or one-sided increased growth of the joint head itself, ablation to smooth and thus to functionally adapt the surface of the joint (condylar shaving) is used. As one danger here is the ensuing stiffening of the joint, this procedure is usually combined with the removal of the often damaged disc, which then has to be replaced by fascia of the temporal muscle, or a cartilage transplant either produced in the body or artifically, in order to separate both joint surfaces which are now in contact.\n\nThe actual excision of the joint head, the so-called condylectomy, is carried out in the case of various joint diseases such as tumours, or severe destruction due to inflammation or after a series of previous operations. In the case of ankylosis, the osseous stiffening of a joint, a condylectomy to restore the joint fissure is usually required, in to which cartillage or muscle is transfered for permanent separation. In the unlikely case of all above mentioned surgical measures not leading to the required stable result, or severely deformed jaw joints continue to exist, it may be necessary to implant an individually made, artificial complete temporomandibular joint prosthesis. Nowadays these are usually individually fitted to the patient using computer tomographical data.  \n\nOne special feature is the surgical care of temporomandibular joint fractures. While in the past lengthy splint treatment was the main form of treatment, which sometimes led to functional and anatomical results which were in need of improvement, nowadays it is possible to reconstruct such fractures exactly using a retro-auricular entry point, and to fix this with small screws. One disadvantage of this method is the danger to the facial nerve,  which lies close to the operation field. The distinct advantage of this surgical procedure, which has been significantly optimized in our clinic in the last few years, is that it is possible for the patient to move and put pressure on the joint at once. An open temporomandibular joint operation basically requires good patient collaboration, where ensuing intensive post-care with physiotherapy is indispensable, and this is crucial for the complete success of the treatment.\n\n\nPicture 1 and 2: CT in coronary layers of a two-sided temporomandibular joint fracture (1) and (2) after osteosynthetic treatment.  \n\n\nPicture 3: Arthroscopic view of a temporomandibular joint: swollen synovia in arthritis  \n\n\nPicture 4: Puncture of the right temporomandibular joint for rinsing (arthrocenthesis)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9269885420799255}
+{"content": "What’s in a little noise?\n\nImage source: http://www.marineinsight.com/marine/environment/effects-of-noise-pollution-from-ships-on-marine-life/\n\nDifferent sources of noise in the marine environment. Image source: http://www.marineinsight.com/marine/environment/effects-of-noise-pollution-from-ships-on-marine-life/\n\nEveryone has seen some sort of human impact in the ocean, from plastic washed up on the beach, to a plankton bloom driven by nutrient pollution, possibly even something as confronting as a fish kill (or even dolphins!). But what about the things you can’t see, say some noise?\n\nMarine noise pollution has again become topical in South Australia, with the announcement that seismic surveys in the waters south and west of Kangaroo Island will begin in 2015. But this raises the question, what do we know about the effects of seismic surveys? The answer is…. not much. There is obviously immense community concern, and I was lucky enough to talk about it on ABC radio today.\n\nFor those of you who don’t know, the most common method of seismic surveys in marine waters is to use an array of air guns that are towed below the surface (at say, 8 m depth) behind a ship, firing in a sequence at intervals from seconds to minutes. The sound that is reflected back is then analysed to tell you what is on and under the sea floor, important information if you’re looking to extract resources. These surveys can span hundreds of square kilometres and run for months.\n\nThere is some literature on the effect of these surveys, but woefully little, and none in this region. The little information that we do have suggests that the effects will be variable, depending on taxa. Whales and dolphins seem to alter the way they communicate and potentially migration routes or residency patterns, at least in the short term, which is concerning because of the seasonal Blue Whale and Southern Right Whale populations in this region. Fish may become stressed and migrate away from the testing area, which includes important fisheries for species such as the Southern Bluefin Tuna. In contrast, it seems that at least some invertebrates may not be affected. I would reiterate, however, that the evidence in either direction is extremely sparse, which concerns me because this region (South Australia) is a global hotspot for species diversity and endemism.\n\nThis is where the discussion collides with another topical issue in Australia – how much information do we need to properly assess applications to develop marine resources, and which activities should we allow in our marine (and terrestrial) environments in the name of “progress”? Although some development and an increase in productivity is good, there is more and more support from the scientific community to make sure we don’t damage our environment beyond repair. I won’t go into detail on this, however, as others have written about this topic in much more depth. But, I note that other countries are taking the issue of marine noise seriously, and discussing it, so why aren’t we?\n\n\nDeclining productivity\n\nWe’ve all heard about productivity, but I suspect that the only context most people have heard the term used in is about the productivity of the workplace, or perhaps the economy.\n\nPhytoplankton may be tiny but they are the base for much of what we see and use in the ocean!\n\n\nEconomists and governments are certainly concerned with productivity. But, we should all be concerned with productivity – of the oceans.\nAs we burn more fossil fuels and pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere we are making astonishing changes to the global climate systems. Not the least of these is the addition of billions of tons of CO2 to the surface waters of the ocean. What does this mean for productivity of the oceans? A cursory analysis would lead you to believe that because many photosynthetic plants and algae can use in photosynthesis that productivity would increase. As the oceans produce about 50% of the oxygen we breathe and provide us with a substantial amount of food and other resources you may think that this would be a good thing. Unfortunately, the evidence is stacking up that productivity won’t increase, and in fact it is likely to decrease.\nI have previously posted on work by my research group where we experimentally project that ecosystem productivity in temperate waters is likely to decrease because of an indirect effect whereby highly productive kelp forests will be replaced by lower productivity systems dominated by algal mats. Of potentially greater concern, however, is the emerging data from open-ocean pelagic systems. Recent work by Professor Kunshan Gao from the State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, has demonstrated that the projected concentrations of CO2 in our oceans by 2050 (assuming we don’t suddenly decide to stop burning carbon!) will actually cause a decrease in the productivity of phytoplankton. And, the situation was even worse when the phytoplankton were exposed to increased light intensity, which will happen as the upper ocean that they live in shoals towards the surface. This result was initially surprising given that both light and CO2 are required for photosynthesis. In combination and high enough concentrations, however, they inhibit photosynthesis, leading to a decline in productivity.\n\nWhat does all this mean? The changes that are happening in the ocean because of changes to our climatic systems, including (but not limited to) increased availability of CO2, ocean acidification and warming are going to be with for a very long time. The resources that we currently expect from the oceans will change, many declining. How do we stop this? By being a little smart – let’s stop burning carbon for fuel!\n\nEutrophication offsets sea urchin grazing on seagrass caused by warming and OA\n\nAmblypneustes pallidus in a Posodonia seagrass meadow. Photo: Owen Burnell\n\nAmblypneustes pallidus in a Posodonia seagrass meadow.\nPhoto: Owen Burnell\n\nThe title to this blog seems a bit counterintuitive, almost like eutrophication is a good thing. Don’t believe that for a second! In a recently published paper, Owen Burnell of the University of Adelaide presents some interesting data on the interactions between eutrophication (an all too common local stressor), ocean acidification and warming (both increasingly alarming stressors of global origin). As I keep discovering, interactions between these stressors never seem to turn out the way we expect:\n\nThe accumulation of atmospheric [CO2] continues to warm and acidify oceans concomitant with local disturbances, such as eutrophication. These changes can modify plant– herbivore grazing interactions by affecting the physiology of grazers and by altering the nutritional value of plants. However, such environmental changes are often studied in isolation, providing little understanding of their combined effects. We tested how ocean warming and acidification affect the per capita grazing by the sea urchin Amblypneustes pallidus on the seagrass Amphibolis antarctica and how such effects may differ between ambient and eutrophic nutrient conditions. Consistent with metabolic theory, grazing increased with warming, but in contrast to our expectations, acidification also increased grazing. While nutrient enrichment reduced grazing, it did not fully counterbalance the increase associated with warming and acidification. Collectively, these results suggest that ocean warming and acidification may combine to strengthen top-down pressure by herbivores. Localised nutrient enrichment could ameliorate some of the increased per capita grazing effect caused by warming and acidification, provided other common negative effects of eutrophication on seagrass, including overgrowth by epiphytes and herbivore aggregation, are not overwhelming. There is value in assessing how global and local environmental change will combine, often in non-intuitive ways, to modify biological interactions that shape habitats.\n\nDigital library", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7232488989830017}
+{"content": "Climate change and the collapse of fisheries\n\nThis is the thiFishing down foodwebsrd article in the series that I’m writing for a Chinese magazine targeting wildlife conservation. As you may guess, they started with Panda conservation, so the magazine is called Giant Panda, but they are running a series on exploitation of natural resources. So far I have covered overfishing, trawling and longline fishing. In this current article we discuss the interaction between fishing and climate change. I say we, because this article was led by Charlee Corra, a postgraduate student of mine. Charlee really deserves the credit for this one!\n\nThe first article in this series discussed the effects of overfishing and how it causes degradation to the environment. However, changes to the environment also affect fisheries and their sustainability. In any ecosystem, the survival of a species is dependent on its ability to grow to maturity and reproduce, which is in turn dependent on many factors such as environmental conditions that support healthy physiological functioning. Temperature, salinity, and water quality are all examples of integral abiotic factors that can have the power to support life or pose a serious threat. Global climate change is rapidly altering these environmental conditions, and thus altering marine communities in a way that scientists, fishermen, fisheries managers, and policy makers must understand in order to predict future stocks and improve sustainable practices\n\nHow the environment affects plants and animals\nPhysiology:  Marine organisms differ widely in their tolerance of environmental conditions. Some animals can survive better under stress than others. These differences in biological responses determine where an organism can live. For example, in the intertidal zone temperature sets the upper limits of species distributions such that barnacles, mussels or oysters with a greater heat tolerance live higher on the shore than those with a lower tolerance. While almost every organism has the ability to withstand heat stress to varying degrees, most organisms are also adapted to the temperatures in their particular habitat. Thus, many species, and even populations, have different thermal limits beyond which survival is brought into question. As an extreme example, imagine that you grew up in the polar regions and summer for you only gets as hot as, say, 10°C and you were put in the desert in summer – you would be above your thermal tolerance and likely would die.\n\nThe water chemistry of our oceans also heavily affects physiological functions. Calcifying organisms, such as corals, oysters, mussels, and some crustaceans, rely on specific levels of CO2 (usually low) and several other chemical compounds (usually high) in order to induce the chemical reaction that allows them to make their skeletons and shells. Changes to the water’s chemistry can compromise the structural integrity of these essential parts. Of particular concern is that constant and increasing CO2 emissions are causing more CO2 to dissolve into the ocean, causing Ocean Acidification (OA). OA is already making it difficult for shelled organisms to make their shells in some parts of the ocean! You can do a small experiment to demonstrate this effect: put a small seashell or piece of egg shell into a glass of an acidic liquid like Cola or vinegar and watch it slowly dissolve (this can take a day or two).\n\nClimate change and long-term climate shifts: Climate fluctuates and changes naturally across many different time scales from seasonal to multi-decadal and millennial. However, in the last two centuries industrial activity has begun to influence these cycles, mostly because of emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 into the atmosphere. Of particular concern is that in addition to causing OA this CO2 also causes the earth’s atmosphere to warm, in turn warming the ocean. Unless something is done to change this trajectory, CO2 levels will continue to rise, negative effects on the environment will become stronger, and the impacts on marine habitats and communities will become more visible.\n\nShifts in distribution of plants and animals: As environmental conditions change, and especially as oceans warm up, many species are predicted to move poleward to higher latitudes to live in more optimal conditions. These range shifts are not always consistent or predictable among organisms or across regions due to complex ecological interactions with other physical and biological factors such as currents and larval dispersal, competitors and predators. Importantly, as the distributions of different species change, the balance of ecosystems is upset and their function is degraded.\n\nJust as with other species, climate change will invariably impact fish populations and dynamics. For example, fish populations may either get smaller where they currently are or move to a new area. Adjusting fishing practices and quotas to these changes is essential for the future of sustainable fisheries.\n\n\nPhoto courtesy of the NOAA photo library ( Photographer: Robert K. Brigham\n\nEffects of climate change on fisheries\nRange shifts represent a huge threat to the productivity and success of fisheries, especially when they occur to economically and socially important species. In addition to losing an important species as its range shifts poleward, fisheries may be further affected by the opening of a gap in the ecosystem that can become occupied by a new species. This ultimately changes the structure and function of the ecosystem, potentially reducing the productivity of not only that single fishery but also the ecosystem overall.\n\nIn addition to range shifts, decreases in abundance of fish may also occur simultaneously. For example, warming has already caused decreases in populations of Norwegian Cod, leading to a less sustainable fishery. In such cases, the fishermen must either change to another fishery or risk damage to the fishery, degradation of the ecosystem and going out of business.\n\nTogether, the combination of range shifts and declining abundance has the potential to be devastating to fisheries if vulnerable fish stocks are fished at the same intensity.  Particularly sensitive fish stocks could easily collapse under these combined pressures. Considering that over 80% of the world’s fisheries are either already fully fished or over-exploited, collapses will become more likely under future conditions. However, armed with more accurate knowledge of how fished populations will be impacted, fishing regulations could be fine-tuned to protect the viability of fished species and avoid such a bleak future.\n\nPredicting future stocks\nKnowing that these issues exist, a lot of research is currently being done to predict the trajectory of future fish stocks and assist in managing fisheries in a more sustainable way. Because we are trying to predict what will happen in the future, one of the common techniques is to use computer-generated models which use complex calculations based on as many environmental and biological variables as possible to predict the effects of climate change on fish populations. These models take into account the physiological effects of climate change (mentioned above) on the targeted species to predict parameters such as growth, survival, and reproductive output to determine the future supply of adults. Then, in combination with experiments to test the outputs of these models, managers and policy makers decide how many and what type of fish can be caught annually to avoid depleting populations but also to maximize profits and food security. Importantly, these models can, if used properly, help managers prepare for the future of fisheries and to hopefully avoid more fisheries collapsing. However, it is extremely important to remember that predictions are not certainties and models, while very powerful tools, are far from perfect. There will always be variability across regions and habitats due to the interaction of many different factors and projections might represent some outcomes but not all.\n\nIt is important to remember that we can formulate all the regulations that want, but unless we are also simultaneously making an effort to decrease or mitigate the impacts of a changing climate on the ocean and its ecosystems, fisheries will continue to decline. The ocean is an important source of food for humans. In many countries seafood is a way of life. Many smaller communities rely exclusively on fish and other marine organisms for protein.  Therefore, it is important for everyone to understand how climate change will impact on the ability of marine organisms to survive because our fate is inextricably intertwined with that of the marine environment.\n\n\nScariest part of climate change isn’t what we know, but what we don’t\n\nA good colleague of mine at The University of Adelaide, Corey Bradshaw, recently posted a blog on what we don’t know about climate change….. and the answer is scary. It is such a poignant article that I thought I would share it again here.\n\nimage-20150731-18728-1ntffbr © Nick Kim\n\nMy good friend and tropical conservation rockstar, Bill Laurancejust emailed me and asked if I could repost his recent The Conversationarticle here on\n\nHe said:\n\nIt’s going completely viral (26,000 reads so far) in just three days. It’s been republished in The Ecologist, I Fucking Love Science, and several other big media outlets.\n\nSeveral non-scientists have said it really helped them to understand what’s known versus unknown in climate-change research—which was helpful because they feel pummelled by all the research and draconian stuff that gets reported and have problems parsing out what’s likely versus speculative.\n\nWith an introduction like that, you’ll just have to read it!\n\n“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future”: so goes a Danish proverb attributed variously to baseball coach Yogi Berra and physicist Niels Bohr. Yet some things are so important — such as…\n\nView original post 1,360 more words\n\nOcean Acidification science: insightful and essential\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhen global warming and shifting-baselines syndrome collide\n\nWe are having a strange summer in South Australia. First it was mild, then it was late, now it’s hot. So, the weather is a hot topic (pardon the pun) in every conversation. Invariably, conversation then leads onto climate and global warming. And that’s where things get interesting because, as I’ve discussed before, humans and all other organisms experience weather, not climate. In one such conversation with a friend I brought up an excellent article published recently in The Conversation. The article outlines a scary truth; by the end of February 2015 the global temperature has been above the long-term average for 30 years (see the second figure from NOAA, below). My friend said to me, in a very tongue-in-cheek way, “well, I’m 30-ish, which means that they ARE average temperatures to me!”\n\nAnd that is part of the problem with climate change. It is now easy to demonstrate that temperatures are warming. In Australia, we’re starting to get used to hot summers and bush fires. Even amongst normal inter-annual variation, it’s certainly not difficult to see where the temperature trend is going from the temperature records:\n\nThis pattern is repeated globally:\n\nBut why can’t we seem to accept the data to all agree that the earth is warming and that we’re the cause?\n\nThe problem is three-fold. First, there is the shifting-baselines syndrome. Basically, the idea behind this syndrome is that what you experience in your lifetime is “normal” to you. As with my friend, if you’re only 30 years old (or younger!) then these current temperatures are “normal”. But that doesn’t mean that they ARE normal; the data clearly show that we’re warming outside pre-industrial climatic patterns.\n\nSecond, and related to the first, is that we only experience weather. If it rains, we get wet. If it’s winter, we put on a jacket. If it’s summer, we go swimming. We don’t experience “averages.” Some colleagues and I recently published a paper explaining the different effects of climate and weather, noting that without understanding these differences we will not be able to predict what will happen to our marine ecosystems. Yet, policy-makers generally conflate climate with weather, and so we continue to hold to bad policy.\n\nThe third, and possibly worst reason, is that in an attempt to “sell the story” the global media still pretends to provide a balanced report. What this means for them is that one person who speaks out against the science underpinning our understanding of climate change gets equal voice to the thousands of scientists who recognise the rigor of this science. That is not only unbalanced, but simply confuses the public into thinking that there is some debate. There is not. To paraphrase the start of the Conversation article, let’s call it, the climate has changed and we’re the cause.\n\nCan nature compensate for human impacts?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDeclining productivity\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRelevant experimental scales for Ocean Acidification\n\nDegraded reef where kelp have been replaced by algal turfs\n\nDegraded reef where kelp have been replaced by algal turfs\n\nIn a few of my posts have discussed the potential effects of ocean acidification (OA), caused by the dissolution of CO2 into seawater, on marine ecosystems. What I haven’t really discussed yet is how we make these predictions, because quite frankly attempting to predict the effects of OA is a difficult prospect. There are a couple of different ways that you can make such predictions, but for me one of the most obvious and effective ways is to identify the key species’ in a particular marine ecosystem and then experimentally expose them to elevated CO2 based on the various emissions scenarios. On the surface that sounds simple…… but it turns out to be quite hard. The most simple way to do it is to bring organisms back into the lab and do the experiments there. True, it’s easier to manipulate the CO2 by bubbling mixed air with elevated concentrations of CO2 under lab conditions, but invariably you end up with a situation where you’re looking at the physiological responses of organisms. This is a very valid thing to do, but you can also be in for some surprises when you try to scale up to identify ecological effects. For example, based on\n\nlaboratory based experiments we have predicted that algal turfs will replace kelp forests and corals under\n\nHealthy forest of the kelp Ecklonia radiata\n\nHealthy forest of the kelp Ecklonia radiata\n\nfuture OA conditions (picture to the right; link to the kelp study) because these algal turfs use the extra CO2 as a resource and grow faster. This conclusion, based on physiological changes, was and still is quite valid. HOWEVER, when we scaled up our experiments to mesocosms (literally “medium” experimental environment or ecosystem) and included the kelp we discovered that the kelp were able to resist a lot of this effect by suppressing the growth of the turfs. But, realising that this mesocosm study was also limited because it only occurred over one generation of kelp, and you may need to study multiple generations because the adults may not be the “weak point”, we took this work up to the next scale, field experiments at naturally occurring CO2 vents – currently our best “ecosystem” approach to understanding OA.\n\nBut we were interested in not only the larger, system response, but also how well our other experiments may predict ecosystem outcomes. We tested this thought by combining laboratory and field CO2 experiments (which is difficult but possible) and data from ‘natural’ volcanic CO2 vents. Interestingly, and to our great\n\nCoral reefs are structurally complex and \"cemented\" together by Crustose Coralline Algae.\n\nCoral reefs are structurally complex and “cemented” together by Crustose Coralline Algae.\n\nrelief, we found that algal mats showed the same direction of response to elevated CO2 (i.e. they grew more) across all scales of experiments but that the strength of response was modified by the ecosystem complexity. Basically, the things that either eat or suppress the growth of algal turfs slow the rate at which they will come to dominate the systems. BUT, we did find that these turfs have enhanced productivity and more expansive covers in situ under projected near-future CO2 conditions both in temperate and tropical conditions.; that is, our original predictions from the laboratory experiments that these weedy turfs could come to replace kelps and corals seems to hold up, it’s just that the rate of change will be a bit slower.\n\n\nDigital library links for:\nLab based kelp study (Russell et al. 2009)\nKelp resisting turfs (Falkenberg et al. 2012)\nNeed to study multiple life stages (Russell et al. 2012)\nField manipulations of CO2 (Kline et al. 2012)\nEcological outcomes across different experimental scales (Connell et al. 2013)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9418841600418091}
+{"content": "Does the Mother’s Diet Affect Her Offspring?\n\nCan what a mother eats affect her baby? Claudia Buss of the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the University of California, Irvine and her colleagues conducted a longitudinal study of mothers and their newborn babies, and discovered that increased production of the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) in mothers can lead to alterations in the brain connectivity of her offspring.\n\nBuss and coworkers took blood samples of pregnant women and measured levels of the cytokine IL-6 early in pregnancy, during the middle of the pregnancy, and near the end of their pregnancy. Shortly after the birth of their babies, Buss and others conducted MRI scans of the newborns. “This is the only way that we will be able to understand prenatal influences that are not confounded by post-natal influences,” Buss said at a November 17th press conference at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) annual meeting in Washington, DC. In particular, Buss and her team looked for patterns of synchronized activity in the default mode network (DMN). The DMN is a network of brain regions that are active when the individual is not focused on the outside world and the brain is awake, but at rest. During goal-oriented activity, the DMN is deactivated and another network called the task-positive network (TPN) is activated. The DMN may correspond to task-independent introspection, or self-referential thought, while the TPN corresponds to action. Dysfunction of the DMN has been linked to psychiatric disorders.\n\nThe group found that the infant DMN “doesn’t look like adult network, but it’s emerging,” Buss said. “It’s there in an immature state.” More importantly, higher maternal gestational IL-6 concentration predicted reduced DFM connectivity. The infant brain was “less strongly connected under conditions of high maternal IL-6 concentrations,” Buss said.\n\nIn another study by neuroscientists at Duke University showed that the maternal diet of mice can cause inflammatory and behavior changes in offspring. Staci Bilbo of Duke University and her team found that a high-fat diet in the mother can lead to inflammation in the body’s fat tissue as well as immune changes in brain that may be linked to psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression. The researchers fed mice either a low-fat diet or a high-fat diet, either enriched or not enriched for branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). Bilbo’s group examined the mothers’ brains midway through pregnancy and found increased expression of inflammatory cytokines in the hypothalamuses of mice fed a high-fat diet. These changes were also accompanied by postpartum increases in depressive-like behaviors in mice fed a BCAA-enriched diet and an increase in anxiety-like behaviors in mice fed a high-fat diet.\n\nAccording to Bilbro, the offspring of these mothers showed “striking” differences in the expression of inflammatory cell types and in the behavior of the newborn pups. Infants born to moms fed a high-fat diet showed decreased expression of microglia markers and increased anxiety-like behaviors. However, mice born to moms on a high-fat, high-BCAA diet showed increased expression of a marker for astrocytes.\n\n“Maternal diet does matter,” said Bilbo. “We believe [these changes] may be contributing to both metabolic changes as well as mood changes” in the moms and their offspring.\n\nSociety for Neuroscience Conference – More to Report\n\nA very interesting poster at the SfN meeting described experiments with the antihypertensive medicine Telmisartan and its ability to protect brain cells from dying from an overdose of neurotransmitters.\n\nDuring a stroke, dead or dying neurons tend to dump enormous quantities of neurotransmitters into their surrounding environment, and these excessive concentrations of neurotransmitters are deleterious for the surrounding neurons. This phenomenon is called “excitoxicity,” and it is an important killer of neurons in a stroke.\n\nIn this poster, a Chinese scientist used Telmisartan to pre-treat cultured neurons that were then given large quantities of the neurotransmitter glutamate. The drug protected the neurons from dying from the excessive concentrations of glutamate. Telmisartan also profected cells by binding to the AT[1A] receptor, and activating the PPAR[gamma] transcription factor. While these results may sound cryptic, PPAR[gamma] is a target for a group of anti-diabetic drugs called the triglitazones. By activating this transcription factor, telmisartan rescued these cultured neurons from certain death, and Dr. Wang (the poster presenter) suggested that Telmisartan could potentially be prescribed to delay the effects of stroke are even Alzheimer’s disease.\n\nI also attended a series of short oral presentations at this meeting, and one symposium included modeling diseases with induced pluripotent stem cells. That was a fascinating symposium and I felt like a kid in a candy store. One Japanese researchers discussed his successes at using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to make brain “organics.” These organoids contain multiple organ-specific cell types, recapitulate some function of the organ, and share at least some of the cellular organization of the organ. Brain organoids were made by deriving iPSCs from cells taken from human volunteers, which were ten grown in embryonic stem cell medium for one week to expand the cells. Then the cells were for about another week in Neural Induction Medium, and then shaken for four more weeks. The cells self-organized into minibrains that exhibited cortical organization with the layered structure of a brain that expressed many of the same genes as the layers of a developing brain. These minibrains also showed glutamate-induced calcium mobilization. Thus these minibrains qualify as a brain organoid.\n\nNext, he used this same procedure to make minibrains from iPSCs derived from patients with fragile X syndrome, which, besides Down Syndrome, is the leading cause of mental retardation, globally speaking. Minibrains from these Fragile X Syndrome patients formed and looked normal. However, they showed abnormal connections between neurons. This tremendous model system can provide ways to study neurological diseases at very detailed levels.\n\nThe next talk was by Haruhisa Inoue from Kyoto University who examined the use of iPSCs as a way to treat neurological diseases. In particular, Dr. Inoue was interested in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS. In the case of ALS, a cells called astrocytes are the problem. The astrocytes generate a foul environment that causes the neurons in the spinal cord to die off.\n\nDr. Inoue used iPSC technology to derive mature astrocytes from non-ALS and ALS patients. The two sets of astrocytes showed profound functional differences. When he transplanted normal astrocytes into the spinal cords of ALS mice, her also discovered that the mice showed rather significant functional improvements. Thus, Dr. Inoue thinks that transplantation of astrocytes made from iPSCs derived from the cells of healthy volunteers might provide an excellent way to delay or even reverse the effects of ALS.\n\nSociety for Neuroscience Conference 2014 Continued\n\nLet me emphasize that the huge number of posters and talks at the SfN conference made it impossible to attend all of them, so my recollections here are some of the high points that I was able to take in. There is a lot of terrific science going on out there and these conferences are windows into it.\n\nOne poster described a feeding study in rats. One group of rats received a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oils and soy. Another group was fed a standard laboratory diet that tends to skim on the omega-3 fatty acids. In the brains of the omega-3-fed rats, the expression off the gene that encodes Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor or BDNF increased significantly.\n\nThis is significant because BDNF promotes the survival of nerve cells (neurons) by playing a role in the growth, maturation (differentiation), and maintenance of these cells. In the brain, BDNF protein is active at the connections between nerve cells (synapses), where cell-to-cell communication occurs. The synapses can change and adapt over time in response to experience, a characteristic called synaptic plasticity, and BDNF regulates synaptic plasticity, which is important for learning and memory.\n\nWhen these researchers examined why the BDNF gene was unregulated in rats fed the omega-3-rich diet, they discovered that the starting point of the gene, which is called the promoter was nice and clear. In the standard diet rats, the promoter of the BDNF gene was chemically modified with methyl (-CH3) groups. In the absence of the methyl groups, the transcription factor CTCF was able to bind and increase the rate of transcription. If the promoter was chemically modified with methyl groups, then a protein called MeCP2 bound to the promoter and prevented expression of BDNF.\n\nThis group looked further and discovered that the omega-3-rich diet seemed to influence the expression of BDNF by means of the balance of reduced and oxidized versions of electron carriers in cells, in particular, the ratio of NAD+ to NADH. NAD is a major electron carrier in cells and the ratio of NAD+, the oxidized version of this molecule, to the reduced version of this molecule, NADH, is a measure of the energy charge of the cell and how well-fed the individual is. More importantly, NAD is a substrate for another regulator of gene expression called Sirtuins.\n\nSirtuins are protein deacetylases, but they are unusual deacetylases since many of them they do not simply hydrolyze acetyl-lysine residues. Instead they couple lysine deacetylation to NAD hydrolysis. This hydrolysis produces O-acetyl-ADP-ribose, which is the deacetylated substrate and nicotinamide, which is an inhibitor of sirtuin activity. The dependence of sirtuins on NAD links their enzymatic activity directly to the energy status of the cell via the cellular NAD:NADH ratio.\n\nThe fact that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids affects the NAD/NADH ratio is significant for Alzheimer’s disease because the sirtuin, SIRT1, deacetylates and coactivates the promoter for the gene that encodes the retinoic acid receptor beta gene, which subsequently upregulates the expression of alpha-secretase (ADAM10). Alpha-secretase is able to suppress beta-amyloid production. ADAM10 activation by SIRT1 also induces the Notch signaling pathway, which is known to repair neuronal damage in the brain. All of this begins with a dietary factor that actually protects the brain from Alzheimer’s disease by profound changes in gene expression.\n\nAnother poster from an Italian group used the 5XFAD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease to test a growth factor called “painless Nerve Growth Factor” on mice with protein plaque formation in their brains. The growth factor was given by placing droplets of the growth factor in the noses of the mice while they were anesthetized. The results were stunning. Normally, 5XFAD mice get plaques quickly in their brains and lots of them. However, the growth factor was able to rescue the onset of behavioral deficits and reduces, although not eliminate, plaque formation. Other brain-specific pathologies found in these mice were reduced, such as astrocytosis. The wandering white cells in the brain known as microglia did a better job of gobbling up protein aggregates and clearing them from the brain, and the markers of inflammation were significantly reduced. I asked the investigator if there were plans to try to move this to clinical trials, and she said that she was unable to do so because of a lack of funding. Maybe someone will collaborate with this dear lady to make it so?\n\nIn another poster, the overexpression of an enzyme called heparanase in the brain decreased the burden of protein aggregates in the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s disease. I was not able to get into the details of this poster because of time.\n\nIn another poster, a very energetic young man told me about his very interesting work with a Parkinson’s disease model in rodents. If mice are administered a drug called MPTP (short for 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine), the dopamine-using neurons in the brain will specifically take up this drug in high concentrations and it will kill them. Therefore, this drug is an excellent model system to study Parkinson’s disease in mice.\n\nProkineticin-2 is a gene that is expressed in high quantities in the surviving dopamine-using neurons that came from the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients after their deaths. When Prokineticin-2 was overexpressed in cultured dopaminergic neurons, they unregulated a protein called Bcl-2. Bcl-2 is one of the group of proteins can protect cells from dying. Therefore, Prokineticin-2 is a prosurvival protein.\n\nNext, this chap switched from a culture system to a “in a living animal” system or an in vivo system. By using genetically engineered viruses that overexpressed Prokineticin-2 in the brains of mice, he discovered that this viruses did not adversely affect the mice and he did in fact achieve high levels of Prokineticin-2 in the brains of mice with this recombinant viruses. The overexpression did not affect the mice in the least. When he did the same experiment with MPTP-treated mice – oh, just to be clear, he overexpressed Prokineticin-2 first and then administered the MPTP because it takes about 30 days for the viruses to properly upregulate Prokineticin-2 – he saw decreased inflammation in the brain, and increase in Bcl-2 and Pink1 expression in the brain (both of these genes are pro-survival genes), and the behavioral problems of the mice never emerged with the severity of the MPTP mice. When he examined TH – an enzyme that makes the neurotransmitter dopamine, he saw that levels of this enzyme were up too. This means that the dopamine-using neurons were surviving. Is this cool stuff or what?\n\nThat’s enough for now. More later.\n\nCardiac Stem Cells or their Exosomes Heal Heart Damage Caused by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy\n\nOne of the research institutions that has been at the forefront of developing investigational stem cell treatments for heart attack patients is The Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. Recently, a research team at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (CSHI) has injected cardiac stem cells into the hearts of laboratory mice afflicted with a rodent form of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This disease can also adversely affect the heart, and these stem cell injections actually improved the heart function of these laboratory animals and resulted in greater survival rates for those mice. This work might provide the means to extend the lives and improve the quality of life of patients with this chronic muscle-wasting disease.\n\nThe CSHI team presented their results at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago. Their results clearly demonstrated that once laboratory mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy were infused with cardiac stem cells, the animals showed progressive and significant improvements in heart function and increased exercise capacity.\n\nSpecifically, 78 lab mice that had been given laboratory-induced heart attacks were injected with their own cardiac stem cells, and over the next three months, these mice demonstrated improved pumping ability and exercise capacity in addition to a reduction in heart-specific inflammation. The CSHI team also discovered that the stem cells work indirectly, by secreting tiny vesicles called exosomes that are filled with molecules that induce tissue healing. When these exosomes were purified and administered alone, they reproduced the key benefits of the cardiac stem cells.\n\nApparently, this particular procedure could be ready for testing in human clinical studies as soon as next year.\n\nDuchenne muscular dystrophy or DMD is a genetic disease that results from mutations in a gene found on the X chromosome in humans. DMD affects 1 in 3,600 boys and is a neuromuscular disease caused by abnormalities in a muscle protein called dystrophin.  Because dystrophin is an important structural protein for muscle that anchors muscle to other muscles and to the substratum, deficiencies for functional copies of the dystrophin protein cause progressive muscle wasting, destruction, and muscle weakness.\n\nDystrophin acts as an important link between the internal cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) binds to α-syntrophin but also has a binding site in repeat 17 of the rod domain of dystrophin (see Fig. 2A for details of dystrophin domains). αDG, α-dystroglycan; βDG, β-dystroglycan\n\nThe majority of DMD patients lose their ability to walk by twelve years of age, although the severity of the disease varies from patient to patient. The average life expectancy is about 25, and the cause of death is usually heart failure. Dystrophin deficiency causes heart muscle weakness, and, ultimately, heart insufficiency, since the chronic weakness of the heart muscle prevents the heart from pumping enough blood to maintain a regular heart rhythm and provide for the needs of the rest of the body. Such a heart condition is called “cardiomyopathy.”\n\n“Most research into treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients has focused on the skeletal muscle aspects of the disease, but more often than not, the cause of death has been the heart failure that affects Duchenne patients,” said Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD, who is the director of the CSHI and the principal investigator of this particular study. “Currently, there is no treatment to address the loss of functional heart muscle in these patients.”\n\nIn 2009, Marbán and his team completed the world’s first procedure in which a patient’s own heart tissue was used to grow specialized heart stem cells. Stem cells from the heart were isolated, cultured, and then injected back into the patient’s heart in order to repair and regrow healthy heart muscle that had been injured by a heart attack. Results, Marbán and his colleagues published these results in The Lancet in 2012, and also demonstrated that one year after their patients had received the experimental stem cell treatment, they showed significant reductions in the size of the heart scar that had been produced by their heart attacks.\n\nEarlier this year, CSHI researchers commenced a new clinical trial entitled “ALLSTAR,” which stands for Allogeneic Heart Stem Cells to Achieve Myocardial Regeneration (Clinical trial number NCT01458405). In this study, heart attack patients are given injections of stem cells from healthy donors, which should work better than the patient’s own stem cells, which were damaged by the heart attack.\n\nCSHI has recently opened the nation’s first Regenerative Medicine Clinic, which is designed to match heart and vascular disease patients with the appropriate stem cell clinical trial being conducted at CSHI and other institutions.\n\n“We are committed to thoroughly investigating whether stem cells could repair heart damage caused by Duchenne muscular dystrophy,” Marbán said.\n\nThe protocols for growing cardiac-derived stem cells were developed by Marbán when he was on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins has filed for a patent on that intellectual property and has licensed it to Capricor, a company in which Cedars-Sinai and Marbán have a financial interest. Capricor is providing funds for the ALLSTAR clinical trial at Cedars-Sinai.\n\nThe Society for Neuroscience Meeting Continued\n\nGlymphatics is a new subdiscipline in neuroscience that was essentially discovered by a Danish neuroscientist named Maiken Nedergaard. Dr. Nedergaard gave a fine seminar on this subject on Sunday.\n\nGlymphatics consists of the system that removes waste products from the brain. Dr. Nedergaard showed movies that showed how the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the periphery of the brain pulsates as it moves over the brain. When die molecules are injected into the cerebrospinal fluid, these dyes wend up in the blood system. How does this happen?\n\nNedergaard reasoned that diffusion of the fluid was far too slow for the dye to get to the blood system as fast as it does. Instead, she suspected that fluid moves by means of a “convection current.” How does this work? The blood vessels that feed the brain are surrounded by cells known as astrocytes. These astrocytes prevent molecules from entering the brain unless they can properly negotiate their way across these astrocytes, and this forms the basis for the blood-brain barrier. Cerebrospinal fluid moves across the cells of the brain and is removed by the astrocyte-surrounded vessels. This sink for the cerebrospinal fluid essentially pulls the cerebrospinal fluid across the brain cells and serves as the means by which the brain is cleansed of waste products.\n\nThis system, however, is subject to regulation, since the flow of fluid from the cerebrospinal fluid depends on the size of the spaces between brain cells. As it turns out, the spaces between brain cells in larger during sleep than when we are awake. Therefore, sleep seems to be the means by which our bodies clear the rubbish from our brains.\n\nThe molecule that controls the space between brain cells is norepinephrine. How it does that remains uncertain, but this is the molecule that is released during sleep to help clear out the garbage in the brain.\n\nSince Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, other neurodegenerative diseases include the accumulation of protein aggregates in the brain, the removal of waste products in the brain would seem to be a rather important process. Also, when there is a head injury, surgeons sometimes leave the skull cap open while the brain heals. This, however, hamstrings the glymphatic system and surgeons should replace the skull cap so that the glymphatic system can do its job. Secondly, if norepinephrine can regulate this system, then this might be a way to increase clearance of waste products from the brain to reduce or delay the accumulation of protein aggregates in the brain.\n\nRemarkable isn’t it?\n\nSociety for Neuroscience Meeting\n\nI am in Washington DC at the Society for Neuroscience 2014 meeting. There is some incredible science here. Let me just share a few of the things I saw today:\n\nThe Thompson laboratory from UC Irvine (my alma mater – go anteaters!) made a model system for the blood-brain barrier from induced pluripotent stem cells. These scientists made iPSCs that had similar genetic defects to those observed in patients with Huntington’s disease. These iPSCs were then differentiated into blood-brain barrier cells and showed that these cells showed defects similar to those seen in patients with Huntington’s disease. The barrier leaked, which makes this a good model to study blood brain barrier defects in patients with neurological diseases.\n\nAnother poster described the use of vesicles from human fat-based stem cells to treat laboratory animals with a type of Huntington’s disease. These vesicles attenuated Huntington’s disease pathology and delayed its onset.\n\nThere were several other brilliant posters, and tomorrow, there will be even more. I will blog about those as time permits.\n\nGrowth Factor Delivery Stimulates Endogenous Heart Repair After Heart Attacks in Pigs\n\nSteven Chamulean and his colleagues at the University Medical Center Utrecht in Holland have examined the use of growth factors to induce healing in the heart after a heart attack. Because simply applying growth factors to the heart will cause them to simply be washed out, Chamulean and his coworkers embedded the growth factors in a material called hydrogel. They were able to measure how long the implanted growth factors lasted. As it turns out, when the growth factors were embedded in the hydrogel, they lasted for four days, and the hydrogel caused the growth factors to spread out into heart tissue with a gradient with the highest concentration at the site of injection (see Bastings, et al., Advanced Healthcare Materials 2013 doi: 10.1002/adhm.201300076).\n\nIn his new publication in the Journal of Cardiovascular Translational Research, Chamulean and his group used a new hydrogen called UPy to into which they embedded their growth factors. UPy stands for ureido-pyrimidinone end-capped poly(ethylene glycol) polymer. At the pH of our bodies, UPy hydrogels form a gel-like material made of fibers. When the pH changes, the gel becomes liquid. They embedded the growth factors insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF).\n\nThe experimental design of this paper used pigs that were given heart attacks and then reperfused 75 minutes later. One month later, the animals were broken into three groups: just hydrogel, hydrogel with growth factors embedded in it, and growth factors injected into other heart without hydrogel. One month later, the animals were examined for their heart function, and then the animals were sacrificed to examine their heart tissue.\n\nIn every case, the hearts treated with only the hydrogel did the poorest of the three groups. The animals injected with gel-less growth factors did better than the controls, but those animals treated with growth factors embedded in UPy hydrogel did the best. The physiological indicators of the hearts from the animals treated with UPy embedded with IGF-1 and HGF improved significantly more than the controls that were treated with only UPy hydrogel. The hearts from animals treated with IGF and HGF without hydrogels improved over controls, by not nearly as well as those treated with growth factor-embedded UPy hydrogels.\n\nWhen the hearts were examined even more surprises were observed. The animals with hearts that had been treated with UPy + growth factors did not show the enlargement observed in the control hearts. This is significant, because enlargement of the heart is a side effect for a heart attack and is the sign of heart failure. The UPy + growth factor hearts also displayed many signs of dividing cells; far more than hearts from the other two groups. Since the heart has its own resident stem cell population, these growth factors stimulated these stem cells to divide and form new heart muscle, and new blood vessels. Blood vessel density was much higher in the UPy + growth factor group and the pressure against which blood flowed in these hearts was substantially less in this groups, demonstrating that not only was the blood vessel density higher, but blood flow through these vessel networks was much more efficient. There was also plentiful evidence of the formation of new muscle in the UPy + growth factor group. When these hearts were also stained for c-kit, which is a cell surface marker for cardiac stem cells, the UPy + growth factor hearts had lots of them – much more than the other two groups.\n\nThis paper reports significant findings because the resident stem cell population in the heart was actively mobilized without having to extract them by means of a biopsy. There is also evidence from Torella and others that IGF-1 and HGF can reactivate the sleeping cardiac stem cells of aged laboratory animals (Circulation Research 2004 94: 514-524). The UP{y hydrogels are well tolerated and are biodegradable. They provide a medium that stays in place and releases embedded growth factors in a sustained manner. The results in this paper provide the rationale to develop growth factor therapy for human patients.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9032989740371704}
+{"content": "One of the kids' favorite things to do while in the States is to go to the zoo.\n\nWhich I guess is because we used to have a membership and we literally went once a week before we moved overseas, so they have a lot of fond memories there. And fortunately, we still have a lot of friends with memberships, so this is the second year that we've gotten in for free with a member friend!\nTheir favorite animals used to be the elephants and giraffes, which are still big hits, but now that they've learned more about animals, they seem to also like the cassowary and the piranhas. Which, now that I think about it, are both animals that are exceptions in their categories (cassowaries are birds that can't fly and piranhas are like dragon fish). It's fun to see their interests change over the years! This year, the sea lions seemed to be in the middle of an epic game of tag right when we got there, so that was super fun too.\nThe petting zoo is also kind of fun for them, except that they're both pretty scared of animals. They get that from their mother (my bad). But in the last year or so, E seems to be warming up to some animals, like my parents' dog, for example, and the difference between M and E was really clear this time at the petting zoo. M has definitely not warmed up to any animals. Note the look of caution on her face in the picture below...\nIt's so great to get to go to a good zoo! And it's cool to see how learning about animals enhances their experience at the zoo and going to the zoo enhances their learning about animals. I guess that's why schools take field trips to the zoo anyway. Also, fun fact, they're both wearing shirts I made them in these pictures!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9368451237678528}
+{"content": "Outside In\n\nWork thumb\n\nViews: 207\n\n\nThe narratives included in Outside In: Voices from the Margins are written by academic practitioners who claim their agency within their work environments by acknowledging that they have experienced exclusion from the highest echelons of academe because of some facet of their humanness such as their gender and/or ethnicity. The essays provide examples of situations in which the authors found themselves outside of the majority, often shut out of the like-minded comradery and typically hierarchical movement through academe that perpetuates a predominantly male leadership. By contextualizing these experiences within their academic disciplines and indicating the effect that their exclusion has had on their careers, the authors create experientially-infused discipline content intended to drive change within their academic communities. The authors summon a collective intention to move from their perceived positions outside of the decision-making spheres of academe toward the possibility of inclusion for themselves and future generations of academics.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999801516532898}
+{"content": "Research Projects\n\nBelow is a list of current and past projects I have completed that are significant to my research. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are currently being considered for possible publication.\n\n\nThey Live Among Us: Understanding the Atomic Age and Communist Aggressions through Science Fiction Films, 1950-1959 \nA historical analysis of seven American science fiction films that were produced during the 1950’s. This research examines both the films, as well as movie reviews from the New York Times to illustrate how overarching themes were interpreted by American audiences during the height of postwar insecurities.\n\n\nLessons of Atomic Survival: Mid-Century American Values in Industrial Propaganda Films, 1945-1965.\nUsing methods of digital tools, this project analyzes various themes and messages of postwar American industrial films produced between 1945 and 1965. By employing the data found in the short films, as well as from Gallup polls newspaper articles, this research provides a visualization of popular trends in American values.\n\n\nGender Under Atomic Attack: Feminine and Masculine Gender Roles in Indiana Civil Defense Education, 1945-1969\nThis project will serve as the final installment of my research at Ball State University. This digital scholarship project intends to study 25 films produced by government agencies such as the Atomic Energy Commission and the Office of Civil Defense, and how they could have interpreted gender roles to American viewers. By comparing data found through tools such as Voyant and Cinemetrics, and gathering information on organizations within the state of Indiana that would have distributed this educational material, I intend to explain not only what these gender roles were that the American government promoted, but also how they were absorbed and understood throughout the state of Indiana.\n\n\nDefending American Cities: A Policy Proposal for Modern Urban Civil Defense\nWritten in the same style as a synthetic lecture, this policy proposal will be a historical analysis on how civil defense and emergency preparedness in urban areas developed over the era of the Cold War. It will then offer suggestions on how America could better prepare its cities in the case of attack.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9584721922874451}
+{"content": "on money and art\n\nA recent visit to Bank Negara Museum and Gallery led me to think about the relationship between money and art within our national art institutions.\n\nRecently, I was working on a project at Bank Negara Museum & Gallery. While literally waiting for paint to dry (my humble task that day), I decided to walk around the museum, which I’d never visited before. As I made my way through its halls that day and as I began to get deeper into the project that week, I started becoming more cynical about the purpose of art and its institutions. \n\nWhen I first arrived at BNMAG, I was duly amazed by how stunning it looks from the outside, all well-kept lawns and black tiered fountains and glass facades. In the middle of the museum is a spiral staircase, much like the one at Balai, which is supposed to be like the one at the Guggenheim?, and so from the third floor where I worked, I could lean over the banister and survey portions of the floors below. The first and second floors are the dedicated “museum” sections of the place:  there is a section on the history of islamic finance, a section on the history of money, and a section on the history of the bank. The third floor is the space dedicated to temporary art exhibitions.\n\nI skipped the first floor because I’m not interested. On the second floor, there was an exhibition showing the collection of Tun Ismail Mohamed Ali, the first governor of Bank Negara. The exhibition space dedicated to Tun Ismail is split into half: half the space showed his collection, and the other half showed a tiny museum of his life. \n\nOne of the first works displayed was a reproduction of a mural by Syed Ahmad Jamal, commissioned for the Bank Negara headquarters. It was a beautiful piece of design that utilised a nice black-silver-gold colour scheme. And though it was a reproduction, the print didn’t turn out half bad. I was reminded of another set of murals commissioned for a bank: the four murals on the exterior of the OCBC bank next to Masjid Jamek LRT station. Like those, the piece by S.A.J shows clearly the conditions of its commission. It’s beautiful, but it’s boring. It’s beautiful, but it’s commissioned by a bank. Like those, the metaphoric and expressionistic possibilities of art are hijacked by the shallowness of profit. I was struck by how poor art becomes when called to the impossible task of beautifying the circulation of capital. \n\nI continued through the gallery. The collection of works is fine. The show had no curation, and no point for curation. He bought art. Here is the art that he bought. It’s not that I am opposed to the practice of art collection—if this man had been my friend, and I’d met him at his home, and he’d walked me through his art collection, I wouldn’t have minded. What I minded, here, is how clearly the whole exhibition served to flaunt a single individual’s wealth, subsequently making the bank look good by association. What I minded was that a building calling itself an art institution would put the art of various talented artists in the base service of glamorising the collector who bought their work.\n\nThe art collection moved into a small museum of his life. On one of the walls was a big questionnaire-style poster detailing the specificities of his life. His skin colour: “sun-browned.” Another wall was dedicated to a yearly timeline of his life and achievements. There was a vitrine of his possessions and a replica of his study. Above the vitrine, there was a mosaic of lightboxes with bite-sized facts about the man himself. He liked dark colours and enjoyed western classical music. \n\nThe various fun facts I learned about Tun Ismail Ali\n\nI’m irritated at the shallowness of what art has become, especially on an institutional level, but the practice, while uniquely shallow on BNMAG’s part, is not exactly uncommon in the art world, nor is it a uniquely “Malaysian” failure. All over the world, the money that is financing art institutions is coming from big petroleum companies (such as Petronas), banks, or otherwise exploitative organisations. I brought this up with a friend, who argued that art being financed by banks and corporations have nothing to do with the quality of a gallery, since this practice is a given in the art world. The Tate was financed by BP; the Whitney Museum is chaired by the CEO of an arms company; the Met, Guggenheim, and the National Portrait Gallery in London were sponsored by the pharmaceutical Sackler family, accused of creating the opioid crisis in America; and what about Saadiyat Island being built out in Abu Dhabi, a city infamous for its brutal labour practices? These big boys are considered exciting and dynamic art destinations that set a standard followed by many other, smaller art institutions and galleries the world over. So the only conclusion left to be made seems to be that Malaysians are just shit at giving a shit, but (call me naive), it’s a conclusion I’m still holding out on making.\n\nDo the Tate, Whitney, the Met, the plutocrats of Abu Dhabi, etc., etc., genuinely care about art more than we do, or are they just more experienced in beautifying their money trail? The failure of Malaysia to live up to its own delusions of grandeur has always been an area of interest in my writing. Under the influence of corporations and capital, art is reduced to a “high-brow” medium for either flaunting or obscuring one’s wealth.The Tun Ismail Ali “exhibition” has made me think our art institutions suffer from the former, but the latter is equally sinister. Malaysians are more crass, but in being so, the rift created by art and the money that finances it becomes clearer to see.\n\nAdvantages of Owning Your Own Art Museum, Guerrilla Girls, 2016 \n\nMalaysian money is uncultured and new and Asian and therefore excited to show off. We’re not like our European colonisers who have a history of art. Because of this, galleries such as Bank Negara’s are not properly curated or project managed, because the point of art, for us, is still a way to show off wealth. We haven’t reached the point of development yet where we’ve manipulated ourselves to believe that the point of art is to change people’s minds, or broaden horizons, or whatever. A museum and gallery is simply what is done when one is a bank or corporation: everyone in the West seems to have them. So the gallery staff are either not properly trained to care, or have been conditioned into indifference. The artworks suffer under bad lighting and uneven walls unfit for a gallery. Artists are outsourced to line the walls in the same way that a contractor might be outsourced to paint them. The spaces end up having only the semblance of a gallery while being soulless and creatively, intellectually malnourished, like any child of wealth.\n\nBut it makes me upset, also, to buy into the ready tirade against the government and our national art institutions. Is the inefficiency and callousness of BNMAG a result of Malaysianness, or is it because it’s literally a gallery operated by a bank? Or put it another way, can you really expect anything more from galleries that are either constructed or majorly subsidised by banks and corporations, even if they hire “proper” staff who have a “background in arts”? Or put it another way: can the combination of art with exploitative capital power ever produce anything meaningful?\n\nIn Malaysia, donating an artwork to a national art institution is considered significant enough to warrant a tax deduction\n\nCollectors can get a tax deduction by donating art to national art institutions, but the public fails to gain anything from their contribution when minimal effort is put into setting up the exhibitions or into enlightening the public on art. With the Tun Ismail Ali collection, we do not contemplate anything except for the fact of this single person’s career and his taste in art. When collectors donate their art collections, the public is afforded the chance to look at a work that would have otherwise remained in private view, but the possibilities of art are still limited to what one can gain by only looking at it. In Malaysia, these possibilities are hijacked by poor arts management, which is where my grief as a Project Manager arises, but I also don’t think art becomes better by producing better exhibitions. Producing sleek, interesting, and internationally-renown exhibitions is not the only way that an entity with a lot of fucking money can show its concern for the arts, if indeed they are truly invested.\n\nRight now, I’m thinking about the Federal Art Project, a project under the Works Progress Administration that was created in Depression-era America. You would think that, given the current climate where the National Endowment for the Arts is facing termination under Trump’s America, surely a desperate, Depression-era America would have been even more likely to cut funding to the arts. And yet the Federal Art Project received 7% of funding from the WPA and continued to provide employment to artists, because it considered art production a legitimate field of work like any other. Under the Federal Art Project, artists were hired to create murals, paintings, and sculptures for public spaces and government buildings, along with being incentivised to painstakingly document an Index of American Design. From 1935 to 1943, over a hundred community art centres were set up to train young artists; the only costs these centres had to bear were material fees. Some of the artists supported by the Federal Art Project were Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko.\n\nPoster for the Harlem Community Art Center, New York City, 1938 \n\nGoing back to the question of whether banks and corporations can ever work meaningfully with art and artists, I think we need to look beyond the success of exhibitions if we want to gauge amount of care. Sure, BP sponsors the Tate and they still put on stunning, globally-anticipated exhibitions, so why can’t Petronas Gallery or BNMAG be better? But to dilute care for the arts to the sleekness of an exhibition neglects to realise that this superficiality is the same factor that probably drove Bank Negara and Petronas to set up evidently pointless galleries in the first place.\n\nCorporate sponsorship of the arts looks good. It allows corporations to have their names associated with something highbrow and cultured; it is an attraction that mystifies and distracts from the essentially base, exploitative, and frankly boring activities of capitalism at work. The difference between our Malaysian art institutions and Euro-American art institutions is that Malaysian art institutions don’t try hard enough to look good. The new money slipped out and revealed its coarse hometown accent.\n\nRight now, all over the world but especially in Malaysia, accepting corporate funding for the arts is one of the best forms of funding available, if you’re lucky enough to get it. Many artists rely on corporate commissions and patronage. In Malaysia, the consequences of this seems to be that art suffers from a lack of care from being reduced to a vehicle for flaunting wealth. We suffer from commissions that produce boring art and do not exhaust the full capacities of artists. Gallery exhibitions and public programmes that are executed as formalities rather than out of any real interest. On a wider scale, the consequence is that we are always stuck in a contradiction where art fails to reflect the world we live in. The domain of art is relegated to the domain of looking, but not necessarily impacting: the domain of art fairs, biennales, galleries, ever glossier and exciting “shows”.\n\nIn an article for The Guardian, Michelle Wright puts forward a fear that if one becomes too involved with tracing and subsequently protesting the money that funds the arts, then our art institutions will start to die out. Corporate funding is already on the wane, as corporations turn to funding services they consider more obviously beneficial to the public, like charities, education, or health services, where its members aren’t encouraged so much to ~express themselves~. I understand. I obviously understand, and I obviously want all the people passionate in the arts—artists, curators, and the other people like me who work for them—to continue having the funding to do what they love. But I’m not sure how long art can live within the contradiction before artists and the general public just become tired and cynical of what art can achieve. The argument against not making things “political” is the argument that art for art’s sake is possible—is the only art possible—and I’m just not sure how tenable this argument is. If you can’t stop people from trying to express themselves, then there are two options for deadening the noise: you can censor them, or you can disempower the institutions in which they express themselves, make these places irrelevant to the general public’s daily lives, so that the force of their art stops short at the eyes and does no further damage. This is art for art’s sake, incapable of meaning.\n\nI think the Federal Art Project was getting at something, even if it had to be forcefully born out of desperation. It’s possible for art to be transformed into something a bit more democratic and meaningful, especially if we have the faith to believe in its capacity to be so. I just want to think a bit more complexly about art, and money, and exploitation. Of what art can do beyond just looking good and enabling a screen for money to disappear. \n\nIn writing this piece, I aimed to consider the ways that corporate galleries fail art in Malaysia, but I also wanted to go a bit deeper and question the involvement of exploitative and oppressive industries within the arts on a wider scale. To blame the failures of Bank Negara Museum and Gallery on Malaysianness and the government doesn’t go far enough, for me, in interrogating the role of banks and corporations in the arts. It doesn’t do enough to answer to the gap between what art relies on, and what art purports to achieve.\n\n\n2 Exhibitions\n\nCan anyone really believe that it’s already April? The other day, I caught myself still writing down “2018” for dates. Everything seems to happen so fast, and to be honest, I’m probably just a slow processor. Things only seem to gain their significance once I’ve allowed time to elapse, and I’m allowed to sit in my room and just think about them quietly for a while.\n\nHere, then, is a long-overdue post with some thoughts on two recent exhibitions: Chia Yu Chian’s Private Lives, currently on show at Ilham Gallery, and Chang Yoong Chia’s Second Life that was on show at Balai Seni Negara. A little over a month ago, I visited both exhibitions on the same day, and I figured it’s about time I honoured the hours I spent that one afternoon in February.\n\nEX. 1\n\nPrivate Lives @ Ilham Gallery\n\nThe first show I visited of 2019 was Chia Yu Chian: Private Lives, the latest exhibition at Ilham Gallery. I absolutely love this show. Although I suspect that when a show is held in an art museum, I’m subconsciously more predisposed to like it, because of the absence of commercial value. Don’t get me wrong—commercial galleries are absolutely necessary to sustain the art ecosystem as it is now, and to sustain artists generally—but sometimes, it’s just, like, nice, to step into an art gallery and know that it’s OK to be inside there. To know that you’re meant to just spend as much time as you like! But also, it’s usually only at art museums that they get to do a mad ting such as this, i.e. bombarding you with art and covering the whole place from floor to ceiling; it’s only in art museums that the curation is allowed to be fully loyal to an exhibition’s narrative, without being restrained by commercial considerations.\n\nI am admittedly also biased to figurative art, and colours, so this show really presses all the right buttons for me. I love all the people in these paintings, just going about with their lives. Examined from all different angles, going through the whole spectrum of emotions and then some.\n\nYou get the sense that painting these scenes and these people, for Yu Chian, was an activity driven by a desire more urgent than selling works; painting seemed like a necessity. Everything, everyone, and everywhere is observed and captured in a painting, which lends the whole exhibition a feeling of sincerity. For example, the hospital series and grief series aren’t melodramatic; they are just paintings of scenes just like the market scenes, and so the viewer is allowed to approach them with their own emotions rather than having a point/emotion hammered into them. In his essay for the exhibition catalogue, Simon Soon pointed out that Yu Chian approached art differently to how contemporary artists approach art — now, artists produce with specific exhibitions and/or commissions in mind [which is understandable: this is their livelihood], whereas Yu Chian painted out of a sheer need to paint. Good energy.\n\nThe paintings seem like a journal, a place to record all his observations, but also to muse on the developments of modern life in the city. If his prolificacy is a mark of his obsessive desire to paint, this desire finds itself also in how he can’t seem to finish a painting until he’s gotten everyone in. Many of his paintings are crowded ones, even the paintings of pure landscapes, like he was trying to fit everything in but new people just kept popping up all the time as he’s trying to capture the scene. The canvas looks like it can barely hold all these people at the immigration counter, all these umbrellas at a market, or all these cars in a traffic scene nor all the people crowding the bridge overhead. Even the paintings that don’t depict a crowd seem full to burst, seem like everyone’s lives and emotions are wholly disproportionate to the flat space assigned to them.\n\nI loved it, maybe because I’m an unsophisticated bastard, and with this show you really don’t have to think too much or read anything or even know any background in order to appreciate it. In order to honour Yu Chian’s legacy and his art, all you have to do is just take the time to look around every now and then, and consider the lives of others.\n\nChia Yu Chian: Private Lives is still on show @ Ilham Gallery till 23/6/2019.\n\nEX. 2\n\nSecond Life @ Balai Seni Negara\n\n(Isn’t it strange how similar these two shows are? And they just happened coincidentally to be on display at the same time? “C.Y.C” initials? Titles that have something to do with “lives”? Both a little bit mad in their displays?)\n\nEveryone had been talking about the Chang Yoong Chia survey show at Balai, and the closing date for it was extended about three times, I think. I finally caught it during the first extension, feeling grateful for the extra time given to me.\n\nIt’s obvious that Chang is talented in a lot of ways—the show was proof that he could execute whatever he set his mind to, and, even better, that he set his mind to a lot of things. He isn’t scared of experimenting with any and all materials and methods. I was, and still am, in awe at the dexterity with which he seems to execute anything he starts. He can make good paintings, good collages, gorgeous embroidery (his Quilt of the Dead, created in collaboration with his wife, Teoh Ming Wah, was one of my favourite works), and work on uneven surfaces if he wanted to, and generally just do anything if he wanted to. The good thing for us as an art audience is that he wanted to.\n\nSo he’s great in setting his mind to a lot of stuff, and he can execute them skilfully, but sometimes the resulting image ended up just a little bit underwhelming. The painting with all the different elements made up—a face; the collage with all the little insect wings made up—a face; a shell found on the beach is painted to look like—a face; the sculpture of toy animals stacked atop each other made up—the profile of a face. He’s def a good kind of crazy for experimenting so much, but you kinda wish that the final result was just that little bit more crazy as well.\n\nUltimately though, I think I started feeling overwhelmed after a while. With some of the “storyboard” works, such as the ones in a row of little shells, or spoons, or leaves, the final reward did not feel like it justified the amount of time one puts in to finish “reading” the whole story… to be brutally honest… ! After the outlandishness of his black-and-white paintings, I wanted something a bit more out there, a bit more like the red vagina hung up on the ceiling (Aphrodisiac, made in collaboration with Fariza Azlina Isahak), a bit more like his cluster of funny and freakish square monoprints on rice paper. This wall was probably my favourite wall in the show–I tend to be aesthetically biased towards drawings anyway (maybe for being the “rawer” artistic medium), and their combination with the handwritten captions made me feel a bit more at ease, like he’s stopped showing me tricks and is finally getting round to showing me what’s really going on in his mind. But, then again, as with the vagina, maybe I just like rude things? Maybe I have the aesthetic sensibility of a 13-year-old boy who just wants to see scribbled penises and a red vagina strung up on the ceiling? This is all entirely possible.\n\nFinally, I should probably note here that I visited Chang’s show right after visiting the Ilham show, so my eyes and legs were already pretty drained at that point. It is probably not a good idea to stack two whopper shows one atop the other in the same day, but I did not know that then.\n\n*A small asterisk to say: all these thoughts are my own; personal and unaffiliated. None of the artists or galleries above asked me for my thoughts on either show. And I would ask, to any readers who know me from my main sphere of work, to please avoid from affiliating my professional work with my personal thoughts… If we can’t share our thoughts & criticisms with each other for the circle being so small, then what progress are we expecting to make at all? 🙂\n\n✨🍆 In convo w/visual artist LITH NG on her show @ Urbanscapes 2018 🍆✨\n\n[Disclosure of potential bias: Lith is my friend.]\n\nWhen I sit down to talk to Lith Ng, we’re in a small, dimly-lit back room and she’s intently stabbing a dick with a hand drill. The dick is made of resin and was moulded into its shape by pouring the resin into a condom (which she bought in bulk off Lazada) and leaving it to harden. Inside the dick is a strip of paper containing an anonymous confession that she got by crowdsourcing on the Internet. On her worktable are numerous other dicks, all in various stages of being completed and in the middle of hardening.\n\nOn the day we’re meeting, it’s still a week left until the first day of her show as part of Urbanscapes’ #ReImagineUs exhibition currently being held at Ruang on 2 Hang Kasturi. She’s drilling with a look of intense concentration, alternately stopping abruptly to answer my questions thoughtfully and then just as suddenly returning to drilling the holes again. The holes are for her to screw hooks into, for the dicks to be hung up on the ceiling of Ruang.\n\nThe dicks come in various sizes; some are hung up while others rest flaccidly on pedestals. As a project, it lends itself to humour and double entendres in their interpretation. Even as I watch Lith drill the dicks it’s hard not to laugh about it. Speaking about the hook, she says angrily, “it won’t fit!” The “flaccid” dicks on the pedestals are literally rendered useless, failing to perform, as they are made from resin. The dicks are castrated and contain their sins (in the form of the confessions), never to be relieved. The dicks are on exhibition like a street flasher, but now the power dynamics are changed as a young female artist is the one in control. It’s objectification without a victim. It’s dicks on the ceiling, hanging low enough to brush your face when you walk through. It’s funny or disgusting, depending on your temperament, and it’s both light-hearted and serious at the same time.\n\nScreen Shot 2018-11-05 at 1.25.38 AM\nimage via artist’s Instagram\n\nLith’s goal in making these dicks is to encourage young women to talk about their sexuality. Having been raised in a tight Chinese community, she tells me about the various forms of bullying and sexual shame that young girls were subject to, and about the boys who were allowed to freely joke and talk about sex, while any girl who did was ostracized for it. Girls even had sexual rumours started about them as a form of bullying. (She tells me about a rumour started about a classmate of hers who went to a bathroom with a pen.)\n\nThinking about it now, Lith understands the psychology of children, in that when one bullies another about something, it would usually be a subject that the bully was insecure about and felt shame for. Her goal in making the dicks then, is to offer a platform for women to speak about their sexual experiences (good or bad), with the anonymity allowing them to say anything they want without fear of stigmatization or shame. It’s a medium for young women to say everything they want to say deep down but can’t, and for any (straight) male viewers to reflect on and possibly use as a catalyst for change in the way they think about sex and female pleasure.\n\n“I’m afraid of high school friends following me, but I also kind of want them to follow me [on Instagram, where she posts her work]. I hope that when they see my stuff, it’ll be an eye-opener for them,” Lith says, making it clear that the toxic environment she grew up in continues to inform her adult creative life. It’s a testament to how long-lasting of an impression childhood can leave on a person, especially a childhood of shame, guilt and repression. She laughs. “There’s only like three people from high school following me. I don’t know what they think, maybe they think it’s fucking gross. But who knows, who cares.”\n\nMaybe it’s because of the closeness of our friendship, but she talks in a warmly offhand manner, clearly as someone who’s confident and fully comfortable in her self. Her experiences growing up may inform her work, but the shame and self-consciousness no longer imprisons her. She doesn’t care about offending people with her art. The only thing she seems self-conscious about now is being original.\n\n“I just don’t want to make cliche shit la. […] I’m just really stuck in the whole ‘I don’t want to make cliche art, but I don’t have any inspiration of my own’ loop.”\n\nFrom here, I ask her about her inspiration and influences. This whole time, as she alternately starts and stops drilling at the dicks, she’s also been alternately sitting and squatting on her chair, in her own Thinker’s pose. She pulls her legs up now so that her whole body is on the chair’s seat, and with her knees reaching her chin, she scrolls her phone looking for the names of her influences. Louise Bourgeois is a big one, along with Annicka Yi, Tracey Emin and “Sarah… Sarah what-the-fuck-is-her-last-name… Oh, Sarah Lucas.” In describing each artist’s work, she keeps coming back to a central point: rawness. Rawness either in their messages (Bourgeois, Lucas), or in the materials they choose to use (Yi), and/or both (Emin).  She admires unboundedness, unself-consciousness, not giving a fuck.\n\nTo wrap up our interview, I ask her what, if given a limitless budget, she would want to do and experiment with. She answers immediately, “I want to make a fucking huge-ass large-scale installation, man.” But her ideas haven’t gone further beyond that, because she believes she’d never really have the funding to carry out anything on such a large scale. It may involve ice. She has a fascination with unpredictable materials, such as ice and resin, and earlier in the interview she’d shown me a few dicks that didn’t turn out as she’d liked them to—air bubbles caught in the resin, condoms that couldn’t be pulled off properly and reacted badly with the resin, etc. When asked to think limitlessly, she’s only certain about two things: it has to be massive and it has to be unpredictable. She doesn’t believe it will ever happen, but I hope it will.\n\nIn Defence of Pleasure is on view at Ruang, 2 Hang Kasturi as part of Urbanscapes’ #ReImagineUs exhibition from 3 to 18 November 2018. The dicks are for sale at prices between RM150-170, Lith can be contacted at yeeleng.n@gmail.com.\n\nArt notes: Attempting object empathy @ Balai Seni’s “Minta Perhatian”\n\nor: What does “installation” even mean anymore? \n\nI first heard the term “object empathy” through a video on theartassignment, when viewers were given the art assignment to empathise with a broken object and then to “fix” it in their own original way. Among the various works were broken objects that viewers had found around their house and then patched back together with the use of staples and especially band-aids, conferring a humanity to the broken object. When I visited the installation portion of Balai Seni’s “Minta Perhatian”, I started thinking again about object empathy.\n\nConsider the title as a starting point—“Minta Perhatian”, which I’ll translate as “Your attention, please”, with the “please” being vital. The title is a call of attention to the new and exciting mediums being used in the contemporary art scene. This is how the “Minta Perhatian” show has been set up: it’s a three-part show, split into “arca” (sculpture), “instalasi” (installation) and “media baru” (new media), spanning a nine-month period alternating between featuring different forms of new media dominating the contemporary art scene. When I visited, the medium being focused on was installation.\n\nBut say we chose to interpret the title differently—not as a call from a gallery to the public, but rather as a description of the call from the medium to the artist: please pay attention to this block of metal. Please pay attention to this block of wood. Please pay attention to this cloth, this serving spoon, this broken chair. Object empathy. It occurred to me, walking through the exhibition, that the work of sculpture and installation is a task (conscious or not) of empathy with inanimate objects. Artists see a living potential in them to be transformed into something meaningful, beyond their mundane usage; or otherwise, artists empathise with and wish to celebrate the object’s mundanity. Of course, this is generally true of all art—that art is the task of empathy and conferring beauty, regardless of subject/object matter—but possibly sculpture and installation art are the forms that most allow objects to exist as they are. As in, a painting of a fork could be beautiful for the way it confers beauty upon the mundane fork, but the viewer also admires the painter’s ability to paint, whereas a sculpture or installation using forks uses forks.\n\nAt the “Minta Perhatian: Instalasi” exhibition, one of the things I found interesting was how many of the works attempted to depict people. I saw at least two artworks that overtly tried to depict people using inanimate objects, making me think they might have been more suited to being categorized as sculptures rather than installations. One of the earlier ones was an exhibit of a “family” which used household items arranged into anthropomorphic forms (the head of a rake standing in for hair, cullenders for breasts, etc). It seemed to me like a more advanced form of making 3D stick men using marshmallows and toothpicks. \n\nConversely, Sharmiza Abu Hassan’s Mother and Child felt like a more successful “family” sculpture. (Again, I think this piece belongs more in the category of “sculpture” rather than “installation”, so just have this in the back of your mind for every forthcoming piece of artwork I mention anyway.) This was a piece that I feel worked with the material for more than a perfunctory purpose: it saw the potential in the material to contribute to the overall understanding of the art. Using black wire mesh, Sharmiza Abu Hassan created two forms resembling jellyfish, one larger (presumably mother) than the other. The way Hassan chose to curve the wire mesh allows it to look like the tentacles of a jellyfish, or the folds of a veil, droop of a tablecloth or shadow of a ghost… all the while being deceptively hard, like the simultaneous softness and grit of mothers. Mothers being figures that always seem close to death, even in their prime of life and most abundant of love: suffocating mother as black wire mesh net, mother behind the black veil, mother and child as two dark clouds closely resembling each other, separated. Another thing that made it interesting was how, if you stood far enough away from it, you couldn’t tell the actual mesh from the webbed shadows it cast on its pedestal.\n\nThe exhibition featured two works that used chairs, which is maybe an attempt to place Malaysian conceptual art alongside Joseph Kosuth’s genre-defining “One and Three Chairs“, or maybe they were just chairs. It was at the second one, Mohd Farizal Puadi’s Don’t Touch, where I started thinking about object empathy w/r/t the artassignment video, because it seemed to answer the video’s assignment in a more elaborate way. It’s like the artist dissembled the entire chair neatly, just to put each individual piece into glass, and then attempt to assemble the glass-encased parts back together again—for no apparent reason other than to see if he could. The chair is close to being perfect, but when viewed closely, you can see the places where the pieces don’t fit quite right—maybe through a small oversight, but maybe because they are irreparably so. Not just because they’re now encased in glass, but because the individual pieces, once separated, simply resist being artificially joined back together again, no matter how neatly they were disassembled. Object empathy is exercised in the attempt to fix it again, but also in accepting its limitations, and sanctifying those limitations in glass.\n\nI keep going back to the naming/categorization of this exhibition, and how unsuitable the categorization of “installation” is for most of the works shown. It really seemed to be largely sculptures, and the only work I could probably describe as installation is one of the first works you see when you enter the gallery, which is Yee I-Lann’s Kedai Commemorate. The fact that this work takes the first room suggests the curators’ own awareness of the exhibition’s categorical shortcomings—placing Kedai in the starting room is a kind of pre-emptive apology, I guess. Yee I-Lann’s work isn’t a sculpture of people like the rake-and-cullender family, rather it’s a suggestion of people. Rows of school pinafores line the left walls, while lines of commemorative paper party plates line the right and strung up on the ceiling are clotheslines drying good morning towels. They all combine to suggest a life that’s relatable to a huge number of Malaysians, except the people are missing, and the only tangible sign of a “life” are the words printed across all the objects proclaiming, “MALAYSIA IS DEAD! LONG LIVE MALAYA!” Rather than the sculpting of an artwork for exhibition in a space, installation considers the space to be fundamental to the art.\n\nI left the exhibition thinking about people, and our relation to the inanimate objects that make up our lives. From the inanimate “people” to the chairs to Kedai, what struck me was the artists’ tendency to depict [human] life, even when using mediums that resist artistic utilization (i.e. vs. painting/drawing/photography in which you can literally depict human life), as if our way of empathizing with these objects, or as if the unrealized dream of these objects, which we aim to fulfil, is to metamorphosize them into being a person.\n\nArt notes: “Lopung is Dead!” @ A+ Works of Art, Sentul\n\nThe foundational ethos of punk rock is speaking truth to power. If you look at the work of Sabahan art collective Pangrok Sulap (“pangrok” being a localization of “punk rock”, “sulap” being a Dusun word for a kampung hut), you can see their punk rock heart shining through and true. Several days ago, on the 4th of October, they launched the opening night for their first ever solo exhibition in A+ Works of Art, located at d6 Sentul. The exhibition is titled “Lopung is Dead!”, with “lopung” being another Dusun word for pythons, and which in Sabahan slang is also used to refer to lazy and irresponsible workers.\n\nAs their choice of names hints, the work that the art collective does is highly localized. Their work is influenced by current events and everyday life in Malaysia; their prints criticize political corruption, environmental disregard and governmental propagandizing, while also celebrating the strength, beauty and unity of the people, especially the orang kampung.  \n\nWhen I entered the space, there was a huge semicircle of people crowded around two massive floor-to-ceiling canvasses, both of which make up the work “Sabah Tanah Airku”. This is perhaps their most famous artwork, since it was hit with censorship last year when the organizers of the Escape from the SEA exhibition at APW were forced to pull it down due to pressure from anonymous public complaints.\n\n“Sabah Tanah Airku” presents two “Versions” of Sabah: on the left side, there is the postcard-perfect Sabah–a harmonious Sabah, a picture that rings somewhat true, a picture still worth making, but also a superficial one. In Version #2 on the right, we see the facade discarded. Farmers who are toiling happily in the former are depicted with angry, weary faces in the latter. The “prosperity” and modernization of the former shows its consequences with the privatization and environmental destruction portrayed in the latter. While the former is composed in a bottom-top arrangement, with the people depicted in the foreground receding into the back, the latter has a top-down arrangement that portrays the people aggressively dominating the picture and the land.\n\nThe two works that make up “Sabah Tanah Airku”\n\nOver in the next section is a collection of prints grouped under the title “Ma=Fil=Indo”, depicting an internationalist vision of a Malaysian, Filipino and Indonesian union as proposed by Filipino hero Dr José Rizal many, many years ago. The Malaysia of today seems wholly dedicated to be something it’s not, by incessantly importing foreign goods and corporations from those who used to colonize our region (America, the United Kingdom, Japan…), and so the Ma=Fil=Indo series showing solidarity with our neighbours is refreshing to see.\n\n\nOne of the works in the “Ma=Fil=Indo” series\n\nPangrok Sulap works with woodcut printing, a medium that’s perfect for the collective’s political message–a message that is clear, frank and literally stated in black and white. Their art has the ability of being both elaborate and simple at the same time. “Sabah Tanah Airku” are massive prints of elegant complexity that are completely filled to all four corners with various allusions and symbols, yet the message is unmistakable. The snake-and-ladder “Ular Lari Lurus” prints are a literal game of symbols, but it’s an easy game, one that any Malaysian will understand and relate to. Like the punk rock music that inspires their name, Pangrok Sulap’s works show that sometimes the most effective way of fighting injustice is to say things as they are. In black and white, on a large canvas and in public.\n\nTowards the end of the night, a few stools were brought out for five of the collective’s members to give a closing performance. One of them pulled out a guitar with a bright yellow sticker on it that proclaimed “WE CONSUME WE DESTROY.” They performed a couple songs, ending with one called “Orang Kampung”. Though the audience didn’t know the lyrics before they began, the song had such an easy, infectious chorus that people were soon singing along.\n\nSpeaking the truth, challenging corruption, showing solidarity and politicizing your guitar. Works about farmers and the land, exhibited in an art gallery in a commercial building in the capital city. Pangrok Sulap’s exhibition is a reminder that fighting injustice really can be as easy as the chorus to their song, if only we have the courage to say things as they are and the mindfulness to remember, always, the shared land and history that we are all indebted to.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5762908458709717}
+{"content": "Break Channel 13 Intermission - THE DOOMSDAY ROUNDTABLE. ep. 2\n\nWe got a bit off track in this episode simply due to our regular group not being completely available. Alas, we also tested out a new camera, and have found it to be less than satisfactory.\n\nI feel this meeting focused a bit more on handling other people, and less on what tech would work, or plans with handling situation.\n\nNevertheless, some interesting conversation, and different view points are made here as we gathered to talk about what would possibly work? What wouldn't? (Think planes, cars, VRE, communication devices.) Do you and your family/friends have a plan for the worst case scenario? Does each of your loved ones have a \"get home bag\" with them at all times? If not, what do you assume you/they would do? Remember, cell towers are fried... You can't phone a friend anymore...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8114640116691589}
+{"content": "\n\nDark Pool of Light, Volume One\n\nThe Neuroscience, Evolution, and Ontology of Consciousness\nSofort lieferbar | Lieferzeit:3-5 Tage I\nRichard Grossinger\nNorth Atlantic Books\neBook Typ:\nAdobe Digital Editions\neBook Format:\n2 - DRM Adobe\n\nIn books like Embryogenesis and Embryos, Galaxies, and Sentient Beings, author Richard Grossinger brought together the subjects of biological embryology and the esoteric process of human consciousness becoming embodied (\"The embryo is the universe writing itself on its own body\"). In Dark Pool of Light, his latest creation, Grossinger weaves neuroscience-based behaviorism and the phenomenology of \"being\" and reality together with psychological and psychospiritual views of \"that single thing which is most difficult to understand or vindicate: our own existence.\" In 2008 Grossinger began studying with noted psychic teacher John Friedlander, who helped him refine his vision of cerebral and somatic awareness to still-subtler levels. \"Dark Pool of Light began unnamed in the journals of my psychic work with John Friedlander,\" says Grossinger, \"not so much a record of actual practices as insights from them and extensions out of them.\" An expansive inquiry into the nature of consciousness, the series examines the tension between the scientific and philosophical, and psychic views of the same phenomena, and includes \"field notes\" and experiential exercises that invite the reader to make their own explorations. Dark Pool of Light is divided into three volumes, which the author calls \"movements\"; the allusion to music is apt, for the book unfolds in a truly symphonic manner. In Volume 1, Grossinger begins with the scientific and philosophical, analytical views of reality, exploring the science, parascience, philosophy, and psychology of consciousness. Covering topics as diverse as current discoveries in neuroscience and the philosophy of the ancient Greeks, the book gives a broad overview of the bodies of knowledge concerning the nature of reality and consciousness.\n\nKunden Rezensionen\n\nZu diesem Artikel ist noch keine Rezension vorhanden.\nHelfen sie anderen Besuchern und verfassen Sie selbst eine Rezension.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5577729940414429}
+{"content": "Forbes CommunityVoice Connecting expert communities to the Forbes audience.What is This?\n\n\nOpinions expressed within Forbes are those of the participating individuals.\n\nMake The SHIFT: How To Overcome Obstacles And Achieve Goals\n\nPost written by\n\nBeverly Flaxington\n\nCo-Founder and President of The Collaborative for Business Development, Inc.\n\n\n\nMany people in the corporate arena, whether in firms large or small, have not learned the art of overcoming obstacles. It’s easy to get stuck and focus on what’s wrong or expect the boss to fix things. Or, as the boss, it’s easy to say, “Don’t bring me problems; bring me only solutions!” It’s the process in the middle — moving from problem to potential solution — that stymies people and leaves them stuck.\n\nOver the years, having worked with thousands of individuals in hundreds of different firms, we’ve found that there are five core steps any individual, team or company can take in order to move from “stuck and I don’t know” to a confident path forward.\n\nThe Art Of Shifting\n\nWe call the process S.H.I.F.T.®, and it offers a consistent and repeatable set of steps to take whenever decisions need to be made, goals need to be met and people need to move forward positively and confidently.\n\nS: Begin by stating your desired outcome. When people are stuck, they often can’t see anything except how stuck they are. There is too much to do, and not enough time. There aren’t enough resources. The boss is impossible to deal with and won’t negotiate on anything. The industry is shrinking. The financial numbers look bad. These may all be very real and factual things, but keeping a focus on what’s wrong does not allow a person or team to figure out where they need to be.\n\nInstead of trying to just solve for what’s wrong, spend some time developing a clear outline of what would be right. This should be both quantitative and qualitative, so not just, “Twenty percent increases over last year,” but also what sort of qualitative elements would be important. For example: “We want to increase profitability by 20% by hiring five people who are an excellent cultural fit and value our clients. These people will focus on two niche markets and enhance our product sets in these markets to achieve our 20% goal.” The more specific and complete, the clearer the objective becomes.\n\nH: Once you know the goal, highlight the obstacles, and then categorize them. The reality is that things get in the way. If there were no obstacles, you’d be at your desired outcome right now. But in many companies, focusing on the obstacles is negative – management believes it is bad to talk about what’s wrong. If you don’t know what’s in the way, how in the world will you create a plan to overcome the obstacles? This can be a very beneficial step to lay out what prevents you from being where you need to be; if you do it as a team, it’s almost like a therapy session.\n\nHowever, once you have the obstacles listed, it is then important to categorize them. What is within your or your team’s control? What’s within your influence? What’s out of your control? List the obstacles in these three categories, and resolve to ignore the ones out of your control. Focus on those you can do something about.\n\nI: Now, identify the human factor. Who are the stakeholders in the process? Who do you need to engage and inform? Who might derail what you are doing? What skills, talent and information do people bring to the solution? What’s missing? Are there interpersonal issues or communication issues that need to be worked out? Most good management processes overlook the one thing that can make any endeavor sink or swim: the people. Take them into account before you lay out your plans.\n\nF: Find your alternatives. There is never one road to get to the end goal. Even if you have to cut a path through the forest or land in a helicopter, there are always multiple ways to arrive at the same place. Take time to brainstorm what you could do. Establish criteria for decision making before you decide which of a number of options will be best for your team. What matters most — financial, employee happiness, ease of implementation, consensus, etc.?\n\nOnce you establish the criteria, prioritize them. Do this separately from reviewing the ideas you have brainstormed. You don’t want the criteria to influence your ideas, or the ideas to influence your criteria. Once you know what matters, filter your ideas through the lens of the criteria, keeping in mind your stated outcome, your controllable obstacles and your human factor.\n\nT: The final step is to take disciplined action. This is where most great ideas are born, and then die. It is the who, what, when, how and how much of the planning process. This is where you and your team take the time to figure out what, exactly, you need to do to get where you need to go. The clearer and more specific the steps, and the more time-bound and specific you can make them, the more likely it is that you will achieve the goal.\n\nTeach your staff and your teams how to SHIFT and learn how to walk through the process when someone brings you a problem, and your entire firm will improve their leadership skills as a result.\n\nForbes Boston Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners in Greater Boston. Do I qualify?\nBeverly Flaxington Beverly Flaxington Forbes Councils\n\nForbes Boston Business Council is an invitation-only, fee-based organization for successful entrepreneurs and business leaders in Greater Boston. Find out if you qualify...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9863512516021729}
+{"content": "ASL sign for: shutdown\n\nA closure of a factory or system, typically a temporary closure due to a fault or for maintenance.\n\n[video available later]\n\nA termination or suspension of operations, services, or business activity.\n\nThis sign usually refers to the permanent closure or termination of business operations.\n\nASL write for SHUT DOWN\n\nThe \"L\" line depicts a passive arm and the circular line refers to the \"S\" handshape. The other digit represents a movement.\n\nASL digits written by the ASLwrite community, Feb 2017.\n\nNo words found. Submit your request to Handspeak via email.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9996941089630127}
+{"content": "Mauricio Babilonia\n\nMauricio Babilonia offers accommodation in Santa Marta. Guests can enjoy the on-site bar.Mauricio Babilonia house creates the magical realism that take us to garciamarquez's world.\n\n\nThere is a shared kitchen at the property.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.986632227897644}
+{"content": "Modern Ghana logo\n\n\n18.08.2005 General News\n\nAssemblies urged to study trends in CPI\n\n\nAccra, Aug. 18, GNA - Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, on Thursday stressed the need for metropolitan and municipal assemblies to study trends of consumer price index in order to address issues affecting its populace.\n\nHe announced that the Ghana Statistical Service has begun compiling and publishing a monthly consumer price index and inflationary trends that would enable them to be aware of trends in areas such unemployment, migration and agriculture.\n\nMr Baah-Wiredu was speaking to members of the Finance and Administrative Committee of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) at a meeting held in Accra.\n\nThe meeting was to enable the Minister to brief the committee members on the overview of economic targets and objectives for this year and the need to increase the AMA's revenue base.\n\nHe noted that there had been successes in the areas of inflation, exchange rates and interest rates but said the delayed and slow inflow of external development and budgetary assistance had negatively impacted the overall fiscal performance.\n\nOn agriculture, Mr Baah-Wiredu said there was the need for farmers to grow more crops adding, \"food take 50 per cent of inflation in Accra.\" He suggested to AMA to mobilise vegetables and fruits farmers to increase their output and reduce poverty and unemployment in the Metropolis.\n\nHe pointed out to the AMA to take a look at the possibility of storing rainwater from the Aburi area in a reservoir for irrigation purposes; saying would help to control flooding in Accra. Mr Stanley Adjiri-Blankson, Chief Executive Officer, AMA told the Mr Baah-Wiredu that Accra had overgrown and it was not proper to classify it as part of the 138 districts.\n\nHe said due to the inadequate funds allocated to the Assembly over the years the Assembly lacked adequate staff, logistic and vehicles. Accra Mayor said AMA used to have 500 metro-guards in the days of independence working at t he assembly but regretted that the number had dropped to 140. \"The Assembly which had 28 building inspectors have now been left with only 12 to inspect various buildings.\"\n\nHe said the Assembly was prepared to mobilise more revenue but pleaded with the Minister to give it some grants to operate. \"It is true that AMA is sitting on gold and would be able to fund itself but we need in puts to mine that gold, in fact the Ministry of Finance should put us on a sound track so that we can perform,\" the Mayor said.\n\nMr Adjri-Blankson mentioned the street naming and numbering of houses, constructing a more modern market complex at Salaga market, renovating and building of car parks as some of the priorities of AMA. He recalled that out of the 126 billion cedis earmarked for AMA only 40 billion cedis had been released and pleaded with the Ministry of Finance to attend to their needs with urgency.\n\nDr James F. T. Awaitey, AMA Budget Officer, called for the deepening of decentralisation process so that new districts, which were created, could get their respective offices.\n\nHe said the Assembly had begun with a private public participation in their revenue collection.\n\nShiekh Ibrahim Cudjoe Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister, lauded the Ministry's initiative to come down to various assemblies to ascertain problems facing them.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9829866886138916}
+{"content": "ASG Constitution and Bylaws\n\nThis page contains the important laws and codes of the Associated Student Government. A constitution defines the purpose, structure, and limitations of an organization, bylaws provide for the rules and regulations of an organization, and the codes go into even further detail for specific areas.\n\nASG Constitution\n\nASG Bylaws\n\nThese documents are current as of the \"Last updated\" date on the bottom left of the page. You can click to view them, or right-click and select \"Save as...\" to save them to a folder. They are in .doc format and require Microsoft Word or a compatible word processor to view.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.966458261013031}
+{"content": "The Goma mask represented the spirit of an ancestor, and any member of the tribe who wore it was believed to have been possessed by the ancestor. The Goma mask features an elongated crafting style with a dome at the top.... More »\n\nAfrican masks represent the spirit that the wearer is trying to contact or the emotions of the person attempting to initiate the contact. These masks are usually worn as part of a ritual or ceremony. History of Masks not... More »\n\nThe traditional theater comedy and drama masks, which originated in ancient Greek theater, represent the range of emotions displayed on stage. Greek actors traditionally made masks of perishable organic materials to wear... More » Art & Literature Literature Plays\n\nQuizzes for finding a spirit animal are available on, and These websites offer details on how an animal characterizes and protects a person. Additionally, PrimalAstrol... More » World View Symbolism\n\nAfrican tribal neck rings are a type of jewelry worn by the women of the Southern Ndebele tribe, who are native to South Africa and Zimbabwe. Women generally begin wearing these rings around age 12 when they are eligible... More »\n\nA flag, whether it is the US flag or a state flag, is generally flown at half mask to indicate that someone of importance has died. In general, it is the President of the United States who orders the US flag to be flown ... More » World View Symbolism\n\nTulips are symbolic of perfect love and they are the flower for an 11th wedding anniversary, especially red tulips. There are different meanings for the different colors of tulips. More »", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9697277545928955}
+{"content": "#MonthlyMonday Album Pick of the Month\n\nThis month's local album pick is Lex Callahan's album Ebb and Flow, recently released April 20th on Bandcamp and Spotify after a break from making music since his last release in February 2017, Obsidian.\n\n\"My main goal was to make a record that was dirty but still melodic enough to be felt through the turmoil that I was experiencing at the time. My favorite track is actually the last track, \"Payload.\" It symbolized the end of a chapter in my life, a relationship, and it was derivative of all of my reflections on my shortcomings. The guitar, in my opinion, is a symbol of the split that I've been battling from my analytical and emotional sides of my mind,\" said Lex.\n\nEbb and Flow is a unique blend of Lex's hip hop and rock backgrounds, making it a rather complex listening experience. It's a very genre bending project that's rich in the melding of sounds. Likewise, the release party at the 40 Watt on April 26th was an experience.\n\n\"I had to focus more than usual because in between a lot of the verses there are guitar lines that I had to play properly. I think it was a unique thing for me to experience switching back and forth from introspective guitar solos to hype rapping for the first time live. It will definitely be something that I incorporate more in the future!\" said Lex.\n\nFollow Lex Callahan on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, and Spotify for updates; check out the full project below!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.998775839805603}
+{"content": "Goju Ryu Karate\n\nGōjū-ryū, Japanese for “hard-soft style,” is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book used by Okinawan masters during the 19th and 20th centuries, the Bubishi Gō, which means hard, refers to closed hand techniques or straight linear attacks; jū, which means soft, refers to open hand techniques and circular movements. Gōjū-ryū incorporates both circular and linear movements into its curriculum, combining hard striking attacks such as kicks and close hand punches with softer open hand circular techniques for attacking, blocking, and controlling the opponent, including locks, grappling, takedowns and throws.\n\nMajor emphasis is given to breathing correctly in all of the katas but particularly in the Sanchin kata which is one of two core katas of this style. The second kata is called Tensho, meant to teach the student about the soft style of the system. Gōjū-ryū practices methods that include body strengthening and conditioning, its basic approach to fighting (distance, stickiness, power generation, etc.), and partner drills.\n\nIn 9933 the Japanese Government officially recognised Go-Ju as a modern martial art.\n\nLater in 1998 the Nippon Kobudo Kyokai (NKK, Japan’s Traditional Martial Arts Association) formally recognised Gōjū-ryū Karate-do as an ancient form of traditional martial art (koryū) and as a bujutsu. Until 1998, the only karate styles recognized as Koryū Bujutsu were newer styles founded in mainland Japan.\n\nThe founder of the style, Chojun Miyagi, believed that “the ultimate aim of karate-do was to build character, conquer human misery, and find spiritual freedom”. He often said “There is no first strike in Karate!” Miyagi chose the name Gōjū-ryū, to emphasize that his style integrated both “hard” and “soft” styles. Goju applies not just to karate, but to life in general; only hardness or only softness will not enable one “to deal effectively with the fluctuations of life”. When blocking, “the body is soft and inhaling”; when striking, the body is “hard and exhaling”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9980971813201904}
+{"content": "But there's another way. Increasingly couples are turning to divorce mediation as a realistic and healthier alternative. A couple meets with a mediator to hammer out an agreement covering all the terms of their divorce, including finances and child custody. This usually takes six to 10 sessions and costs roughly $5,000. As a litigator and mediator I prefer to mediate, if appropriate. It's faster, cheaper and, most importantly, less acrimonious, which is less damaging, not just for a couple, but also their children.\n\nThe flowchart below gives an overview of different processes for completing a divorce in Massachusetts. In 95% of divorce cases in Massachusetts, the final terms of the divorce are agreed upon in a separation agreement that is written up outside of court and presented to a judge who approves it in a 20-minute hearing. There are very different routes, however, for reaching this separation agreement and brief hearing. In many cases, there are court actions–litigation or “contested divorce” processes–before a couple agree on the terms of the divorce in a separation agreement.\nPeople often ask, “Does mediation really work?” In a word, yes. We know from years of research that when you compare couples who have mediated their divorce with couples who go through an adversarial divorce, mediating couples are more likely to be satisfied with the process and the results, likely to take less time and spend less money, and are less likely to go back to court later to fight about something.\n\nIf one of the parties is awarded ownership of the home or other real estate, the Judgment and Decree will describe exactly how the transfer is to happen.  Many times, the Judgment and Decree orders the other party to sign a Quit Claim Deed.  A Quit Claim Deed transfers his or her rights in the real estate to the party who was given the property.  The Quit Claim Deed and the Judgment and Decree are filed with the County Recorder or Registrar of Titles.  If the property is registered (called Torrens) property, the owner's duplicate certificate of title is needed.  The Quit Claim Deed and the Judgment and Decree are then \"memorialized\" by the Registrar of Titles and a new title issued.  If the Quit Claim Deed is not signed and provided, you should check with an attorney and/or the County Recorder or Registrar of Titles to find out what to do.\nConflict, especially in a divorce or a breakup, need not be inevitable. Exploring mediation as an option means that you want to reach an agreement that serves both of you in a confidential, flexible, and cost effective manner. Mediation starts a process which will enable both of you to continue your lives as whole people, better able to parent together. The Court system assumes that parties cannot get along well enough to reach resolution on their own; the mediation/alternative dispute resolution process assumes that parties can do so.\nAs a family law attorney and mediator for almost 30 years, I spend a great deal of time educating prospective clients and the public about the many benefits of choosing to mediate their divorce rather than selecting the more traditional litigation path. Even though divorce mediation is much less costly, less time consuming, and less divisive and stressful than the adversarial model of litigation, I often hear the same three concerns raised about mediation.\nIf you can afford an attorney, but don't know any, ask a friend who was satisfied with his or her attorney.  You can also look in the yellow pages under \"Attorneys.\"  You can contact the local bar association's attorney referral service listed below.  The Lawyer Referral Service can give you the name and telephone number of an attorney in private practice in your area who may be able to represent you.  You may have to pay an initial fee for the first appointment with the attorney.  You may be able to negotiate how much you will pay the attorney for representation in a divorce. Many attorneys will ask for payment of some money before the divorce is begun. This is called a retainer.\n\nIt depends on how bad it is. Half of the divorce cases out there involve one or the other party being on anti-depressant medications, so that in and of itself won’t matter much. It really depends on how severe the mental illness is, and how it affects your parenting. If the mental illness negatively affects your parenting, or poses a danger of harm to the children, that will obviously be more relevant. And unless your mental health records are already sufficient for a custody evaluator to assess your mental health, you can expect that a custody evaluation will include a psychological evaluation as well.\n\n5.    Neither party absolutely needs a personal attorney to handle this process. A neutral lawyer can complete your paperwork and file relevant court documents. Some parties even opt to use pro se forms and submit all paperwork themselves. However, even if your divorce appears simple and amicable, you can benefit from speaking with an experienced Minnesota family lawyer about your case.\n\n\nMany metropolitan counties, as well as more and more outstate counties, have developed several innovative tools aimed at facilitating quick resolution of traditionally volatile areas - custody/parenting time and economic disputes. If the court is advised a custody/parenting time is present, the judicial officer will suggest that the parties participate in an \"Early Neutral Custody Evaluation,\" referred to as a Social Early Neutral Evaluation \"SENE\" or in some counties and in others a Custody and Parenting Time Early Neutral Evaluation \"CPENE.\" In this process the parties and counsel will be quickly scheduled to meet with two experts on child custody matters, one male and one female. Many counties have rosters listing the names of people certified to act as an Early Neutral Custody Evaluator. The parties and counsel will meet for three hours with the evaluators, with each party then afforded the opportunity to explain their role in raising the children, and what type of a parenting schedule they believe to be in their children's best interests. The two evaluators will then briefly adjourn, and then return to advise the parties what recommendation would result from a full custody evaluation. Many parties are able to reach a settlement of most parenting time issues after hearing this informal report.\nMediation also allows couples to avoid the risks of trial, protects confidentiality, and decreases stressful conflict. Mediation may also protect the children of a marriage from the pain of parental conflict. Because the parties work to create their own agreements, couples who mediate their divorce settlement often find greater satisfaction than those who go to trial. Moreover, the couples learn skills to help them resolve future conflicts.\n\n\n\n\n\nIf you are proceeding without an attorney, you are well-served to use an experienced mediator with extensive legal background able to address all of the issues surrounding your specific case; if you have a land dispute, you want to have a mediator capable of understanding your concerns and the law as well. If you have a divorce or custody case, you want a mediator with extensive experience litigating these issues.\n\nIn Minnesota, Marriage Dissolution proceedings, or divorces, are viewed as \"no fault\" proceedings. This means that a spouse does not have to prove the other spouse was at fault or did something wrong to cause the breakdown of the marriage to obtain a divorce. Either spouse may commence a divorce action by simply alleging that there has been \"an irretrievable breakdown in the marriage relationship\" - in other words, that in their opinion, the marriage is dead and there is no chance of reconciliation. If one spouse feels this way, even if the other disagrees, the court will ultimately grant the dissolution of marriage. Early in the process, if you do not believe that there has been an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, the option of marriage counseling is possible. Unfortunately, if a spouse has set their mind to divorcing the other, it is unlikely that counseling can repair the marital relationship.\n\n\nThe only way to force a spouse out of the house where he or she resides is to get a Court Order. If you or your child has been the victim of domestic abuse by your spouse, you can get an Order for Protection immediately, which will bar your spouse from the house. Otherwise, absent an agreement, the soonest you’ll get an order for exclusive occupancy of the home would be with the issuance of an Order for Temporary Relief, which usually takes anywhere from about one to five months to obtain, depending on the county, the judge, and the speed of your attorney.\nWithout taking sides, a divorce mediator works with you and your partner to negotiate a settlement that is in the best interest of you and your family. Typically, a divorce mediator helps you better understand and communicate your individual and common interests so that you can explore reasonable options, make good decisions and reach solid agreements that benefit your family.\nWhile upwards of 95% of all cases settle short of trial, the most expensive and acrimonious manner of resolving your differences with your spouse is through a formal trial - and perhaps nowhere is the retention of skilled counsel more important. Trial involves extensive study of all facts and evidence relevant to your case, extensive preparation of witnesses for testimony, extensive preparation to conduct examination (questioning) of witnesses, extension preparation of exhibits summarizing your position as to the evidence, hopefully in a form understandable and convincing to the trial judge, strategy as to what witnesses will be called and in what order, as well as the actual trial examination of witnesses, which often, especially when \"cross examining\" opposing witnesses, requires the lawyer to think on their feet, and prepare questions on the spot as they hear evasive or unexpected answers.\nTaking or hiding a child, or not returning the child after parenting time, can be a serious crime.  Minnesota has a law which makes it a crime to deprive another of their custodial or parental rights.  Under this law, you do not have to have a court order giving you custody or parenting time.  If the other parent is hiding the child, you may be able to show that you have been deprived of your custodial or parental rights.\nThe main advantage of mediation is that it keeps you and your spouse in control of your own divorce. That can make all the difference in your recovering from your divorce and moving on with your life. Mediation allows the two of you to get through your divorce with less conflict than you would experience in an adversarial divorce. Because mediation is all about working with shared knowledge, mediation also often allows you and your spouse to work together to lower your tax bill . . . and that can often translate to more money for you.\nMeditation during divorce is a way of finding solutions to issues such as child custody and spousal support. It is an alternative to formal process of divorce court. During mediation, both parties to the divorce and their attorneys meet with a court appointed third party. This third party, the “mediator” assists the parties in negotiating a resolution to their divorce.\n\n“Your Honor, the Petitioner moved out four months ago, and since then he has only had the children every other weekend, by his own acquiescence. Now all of a sudden he wants custody [or more parenting time, as the case may be]. This is clearly a disingenuous request which should be summarily denied. The schedule the parties have been following has worked well for the children, and for the sake of their sense of stability and continuity, it should continue.”\n\n\nAs a family law attorney, my primary focus is to support clients through the legal process so they may transition into the next chapter of their lives. Prior to representing clients, I worked as judicial law clerk in Hennepin County Family Court. Working side-by-side with judges, I gained an immense understanding of family court procedure, and how judges decide cases. I translate that experience to my practice every day, assisting clients in making the best decisions for their families. I have experience representing clients in all aspects of family law cases, including divorce proceeding, child custody and support matters,...\nMany people think that when a couple wants to live apart they have to get a \"legal separation.\" This is not true.  Often couples live apart for awhile before they decide to get a divorce.  This is not \"illegal.\"  Legal separations are for people who do not want a divorce (usually for religious reasons).  They still need a legal paper to settle custody, support, and property questions.  The court makes the same kinds of decisions that it makes in a divorce.  However, the couple remains married, and the division of property is not final.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8684143424034119}
+{"content": "Mech-Warrior Dark Age series. The Raging Bears have begun their occupation of the planet Vega with the hope of restoring order after violence and civil war. But their move to stabilise Prefecture 1 for the Republic of the Sphere may be the chance their enemies have waited for. While the military takeover was no great challenge, setting up a new planetary government and restoring the infrastructure of civilisation have proven to be far more difficult for the peace-keeping forces of the Rasalhague Dominion. There remains an underground rebellion that refuses to cease fire and the Bears suspect that the Draconis Combine is secretly supporting the rebellion. As the Combine threatens them from without, the Bears also find themselves plagued by betrayal and deception from within. Uless they can find the rival elements in their clan, they may end up as fodder for destruction.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.561252236366272}
+{"content": "China’s biggest, busiest and most cosmopolitan city fuses the best of the East and the West.\n\nMy first impression on seeing Shanghai, from the air, was not how big or crowded or beautiful or ugly it is, but how much space there is for it to expand further. When I mentioned this to my host, who had been living in Shanghai for over a decade, she said that that was what surprised her too. Obviously, getting used to Shanghai’s immensity did not come with time.\n\nI had only a month in Shanghai, a month to know this mega city. I decided that the best way to do so would be to walk around the city. I didn’t want to experience only its hugeness or cosmopolitan air or its frenetic pace of life, I wanted to find places that exist under that, places that are a world within Shanghai, places that mock it through the sheer fact that they even exist. I wanted to find something old and unchanged in this city of constant growth and change. \n\nOf course discoveries and novelties come easily to me, but my only other trip to a foreign country had been to India, which, for all its diversity and uniqueness, has a familiar feel for a Nepali. Thus a trip to the neighborhood vegetable market in Shanghai was a sortie into wonderland. Inside a large warehouse-like building were stalls selling everything from the familiar to the exotic. That the din reverberating inside was of a language I did not speak made the place somewhat enchanting. Even something as ordinary as eggs and vegetables and fruits took on a unique aspect owing to their shapes and colors. Dragon fruit hung in my tongue like a mantra. \n\nOne thing that you notice while walking the streets of Shanghai is the abundance of restaurants. They are almost a small scale industry here, transforming the raw materials of vegetables and meats – and the list of what is eaten includes almost every edible thing under the sun – into culinary products. According to the Shanghai Daily, there are over 90,000 restaurants in Shanghai, which means that if you pace the length and breadth of Shanghai, you would walk by scenes of people slurping noodles (or someone struggling with chopsticks) every three minutes. And yet one evening my companion and I walked for over half an hour looking for a place to eat in downtown, going from one packed restaurant to another. At any moment, doing anything in this megalopolis is a reminder of the massive population of China; everyone is competing with everyone else.\n\nBut I found Shanghai surprisingly roomy and comfortable for a city of that size. I used to get headaches walking Delhi’s markets and streets; Shanghai’s streets were heady too, but they also had enough room for the loiterer. One place for the unhurried pedestrian – one that even someone in a hurry couldn’t help but notice – is the French Concession. Fronted by London planes, this former French territory has some of the most unique and beautiful architecture standing in Shanghai. Houses built in the mid-19th century remind you of the area’s historic past and add a touch of quaintness and occidental character. Many have plaques saying “Heritage Architecture” on their walls. Artists and writers had lived in some of the houses here. The houses here are “Therapeutic Architecture” for those sick of the sight of high-rises. \n\nShanghai’s past is buried too far down under its current face. So to get a glimpse of the old city, you need to rely either on serendipity or your own imagination. If you decide on the latter, there are fewer places more promising than the Bund. Going to this place beside the Huangpu River is to go back to Shanghai’s roots. Like most rivers beside which cities have sprung up, the Huangpu evokes the past. At the Bund, imagining the past becomes even more enjoyable because of the cityscape. On the western shore of the river are magnificent old buildings—a signal tower dating back to 1907, the Customs House building with its clock tower and the Waibaidu Bridge. Across the river from these is Pudong, the shiny, sleek, ever-growing world of skyscrapers and eight-figure apartments. When I was there, Shanghai’s tallest building was under construction. Welders’ sparks glowed in the night sky, and, with the low-hanging clouds, looked like mini thunderbolts announcing the ascent of concrete. \n\nIt was under the mighty, neck-straining height of this behemoth that I witnessed an amusing instance of things flowing from the rich to the poor. Flowing from the rich into a river and then onto the poor, to be precise. It was like watching a short enactment of Communism. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, the festival of eating moon cakes. As I walked along the promenade along the Huangpu in Pudong, I came across a small crowd of people standing around boxes filled with water. There was ceaseless splashing in them. Thinking perhaps it was an outdoor market selling fish from the river, I went over to take a closer look. \nThe boxes were indeed full of fish. But they were not for sale. They had been brought there to be released into the river as part of the festival. The group, which was mostly women, ladled fish out of these boxes and slid them down a plastic incline they had rigged on the railings. It was a nice sight. I took photos and walked on.\nBarely a hundred meters from the release site I came across men with hand nets attached to thirty-foot poles. Behind them, near the bushes that separated the promenade from the street, women stood clutching plastic bags. It took me a while to realize that these men were after the fish being released upriver. They were selective, going only for the big ones with mottled skin. The fish, a bit dizzy from being crammed with dozens of others in small boxes, took a while to get going, and no sooner had they shaken off the lethargy and were showing bursts of speed then one of the men netted them, hauled them out, and threw them onto the grass, where the women timidly killed and bagged them. The rich people felt a sense of doing good and the poor got their lunch. It was perfect Communism.\n\nCommunism is perhaps as dated as anything in China these days. Capitalism is the new mantra. But dig into the history now pressed under the sheen of capitalism, and you will hit communism. It was communism that partly explained why there were cars inside the Jing’an Temple. Coming from a country where the hallowed space of a temple and monasteries are reserved for the vehicles of gods, seeing sleek cars in the same compound as a twenty-foot censer was repugnant. But I had only to find out what this temple had gone through in its recent history and those cars became less distasteful. The Jing’an Temple, its brochure informed me, had been turned into a plastic factory during the Cultural Revolution. That it today has resident monks and draws hoards of pilgrims and visitors is an achievement in itself. \n\nThe Chinese are a people that wake up quickly, Paul Theroux had observed in Riding the Iron Rooster, and it held true in the case of the “waking up” of people to the possibilities that this temple meant. The temple houses a sitting Buddha nearly nine meters high and made from 15 tons of silver. But the temple authorities were not stopping at that. A notice was asking people to donate money for the temple’s next project, which will be a Buddha statue even bigger than the silver one. \n\nDirectly behind the curled eaves of the temple, a skyscraper with shimmering windows rises, appearing in every shot of the temple, an eyesore only Photoshop could fix.\nDisappointments on seeing temples at the foot of skyscrapers were offset to an extent by Shanghai’s public parks. They are places where I could get in touch with the mellower, classical and, to foreigners, a romantic and stereotypical side of China. Even if all these were effusive sentiments were attached to the place by me, the parks, if not anything else, are calmer and quieter than the city outside its boundaries. Shanghai’s parks are the haunts of the elderly, the last custodians of a way of life that is succumbing to a city where stillness would be taken as an ominous sign. The elderly chat languidly, listen to small radios, perform the watery movements of t’ai chi and hang up caged birds in trees and chat with other bird owners. They are unhurried. It was in these parks – most of them hemmed in by skyscrapers and flowing with people passing through on their way to work – that I felt there was still a chance for the timeless sights in this city where time is the biggest luxury. It was nothing more than mere consolation, but I took them as small acts of defiance, mini victories and a mild dose of quaintness for a quixotic visitor from a third world city in the lap of the Himalayas, where, too, the old fight daily battles with the new. \n\nThe Shanghai Museum offers a detailed look at Chinese history through its huge collection of artifacts. Its exhibits include statues from the Warring States period (475 B.C. – 221 B.C.) to the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), bronzes from the 18th to the 3rd century B.C., over 500 seals, ceramics from as far back as the Neolithic Age and calligraphy and paintings by ancient masters as well as galleries devoted to minority nationalities, jade, ancient furniture and coins. Sixteenth century grandeur lingers in the Yuyuan Garden. For the pious and seekers of spiritual sites, there are temples like the Jade Buddha Temple, Jing’an Temple and City God Temple. Shikumens, which literally mean ‘stone gate,’ are traditional Shanghainese-style houses enclosed by a high, elaborately designed wall. Although there are nowhere near as many such houses in Shanghai today, a few like the Cité Bourgogne and Tian Zi Fang remain. The shops in the narrow alleys of the latter are worth a visit for shopaholics and aficionados of old buildings alike. Control over certain parts of Shanghai by Europeans from the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century has left a rich architectural legacy. The Xujiahui Cathedral and Xujiahui Bibliotheca are two of the most famous buildings from that era. With its regular art shows and exhibitions, the Shanghai K11 Art Mall is the place to get your art fix. Shanghai is a shopper’s heaven. Head to Old Street, known more popularly as Middle Fangbang Road, for things like shadow puppets, jade jewelry, embroidered fabrics, kites, horn combs, chopsticks and zîsh? teapots. If you are obsessed with branded goods but don’t have the bucks for them, try the Fake Market near the Science and Technology Museum. \n\nWhere to Stay\nShanghai is an expensive place to stay. There are high-end hotels galore. Fortunately for the budget traveler, so are low-priced hotels and hostels. The Mingtown Nanjing Road Youth Hostel and Mingtown People’s Square Youth Hostel boast of a great location: Nanjing Road, the Bund, People’s Square and Shanghai Old Town are all within walking distance from them. Another interesting place to stay is the Soho People’s Square Youth Hostel, which is housed in a former warehouse. \n\nEating in Shanghai\nShanghai is a culinary adventure. Begin yours with the Xiaolongbao, a momo-like steamed bun for which Shanghai is famous. Mutton soup goes wonderfully well with them. Another delicacy to try in Shanghai is Bai zhan ji. One of the best places in the city to get this is Zhen Ding Ji restaurant. Finding it is not hard given they have dozens of outlets all over the city. Another restaurant known for the same dish is Xiao Shao Xing. Stereotypical as it may be, one has to try noodles in Shanghai. Cong You Ban Mian and Yang Chun Mian are two of the best noodle shops in Shanghai. Toppings are often the difference between a bland and a sumptuous bowl of noodles. Xue Cai Rou Si Mian, La rou Mian (highly recommended for meat lovers), Ba Bao La Jiang Mian and Hang yu Wei Mian are noodle dishes with some of the best toppings. Shanghai does not disappoint the traveler who chooses to ignore recommendations and likes to discover eateries on her own.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.620999276638031}
+{"content": "• Home   /  \n  • Archive by category \"1\"\n\n2 Types Essay According Tone Style\n\nTone, Mood, & Style—The Feel of Fiction\n\nApril 19, 2013 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill\nlast modified April 20, 2013\n\n\nWe’ll take a look at all three.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTone is achieved through word choice (diction), sentence construction and word order (syntax), and by what the viewpoint character focuses on. Tone is created or altered by the way the viewpoint character/narrator treats the story problem and other characters, and by the way he responds to the events surrounding him. Tone can be manipulated by changing what the narrator focuses on and through his changing reactions to what is going on in the story as well as by changing the words used for his thoughts, action, and dialogue.\n\nThe tone of a scene can also be affected by manipulation of the sense elements. So what the viewpoint character smells and how those odors affect him influence tone. The menace of unrelenting footsteps on wooden stairs in the middle of the night or the hurried thud of footsteps down a dark alley would contribute to a tone different from the one created by the sounds of a toddler running down the hall to meet his daddy at the door. The viewpoint character’s perception of and reaction to sights, sounds, odors, touch, and taste add to tone.\n\nWhat’s absent from a story can affect tone almost as strongly as what is present. Exclude the narrator’s attitude toward someone he loves if you want to portray him as distant and unfeeling; add in this attitude when it’s time to reveal this facet of his personality. When you give him a scene with his love interest, it can have a tone far different from those in other scenes featuring the same character.\n\nHe might notice his lover’s soft skin or the colors she uses or her smile, things he doesn’t notice or comment on in other scenes. Keeping a tender attitude far from him in scenes when he’s away from his lover will reveal much of who he is and perhaps how much he relies on her to humanize him.\n\nReactions and Demeanor\nHow does the narrator or viewpoint character come across? How does he respond to story events and revelations?\n\nIs he desperate, upbeat, dismissive? Is he clueless or callous or indifferent?\n\nTo create a tone that works, word choices have to match the character and the moment. So if a character is desperate, his actions, thoughts, and words should reflect that desperation. What he thinks about should reveal his desperation. Tone should be consistent until something happens to change the narrator’s perceptions and responses.\n\nIf a scene seems off in a way that you can’t pinpoint or fix through changes in plot or character or dialogue, if it simply feels wrong or off, check to see if you’ve been consistent with tone (with mood as well). If you’ve inadvertently set up opposing tones within a scene, it will feel not quite right, maybe as if it’s out of focus or, more likely, as if a sheet of glass had shattered and the pieces were off kilter just a hair.\n\nNote: If an event occurs that affects the viewpoint character, he should have a response and respond according to his character. When a viewpoint character doesn’t respond, it’s as if the event did not take place. But when the character reacts, his response and his attitude not only show what he’s feeling and identify what’s important to him, but also affect the reader’s response and feelings.\n\nPurposes of Tone\nUse tone, the viewpoint character’s attitude, in every scene to deepen the reader’s connections to the events of that scene and to the character.\n\nReveal character personality and motivation through tone; a person’s response, including the level and duration of the response, tells a lot about that person. The attitude a person takes on is one of his major responses to events and stimuli. Use it to reveal your characters.\n\nA scene that’s light on tone markers or that has a mixed tone will either hold readers at a distance or have them confused, neither of which is ideal when you want to draw a reader deep into story.\n\nTone can change over the course of a story, as the viewpoint character grows or changes, but every scene should have a tone, a feel, that’s generated by the attitude of the viewpoint character, and that could hold fairly steady for much of the story. That is, until events start shaking up the character.\n\nA story as a whole will also have a tone, a particular feel.\n\nUse tone to differentiate scenes between viewpoint characters. So while Irving’s attitude is whiney, Pete’s can be overbearing. Use word choices and the unique events and story elements that each character focuses on to play up the different tones.\n\nA long list of tones (attitude), but by no means an exhaustive one—\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMood is what the reader feels while reading a scene or story. It’s not the reader’s emotions, but the atmosphere (the vibe) of a scene or story. It’s what the reader reads or feels or notices. Not all readers would necessarily report the same mood from a scene, although the writer does hope to achieve a particular feel common to every reader.\n\nMood can be expressed in terms such as dark, light, rushed, suspenseful, heavy, lighthearted, chaotic, and laid-back.\n\nThe mood of each scene can differ from that of the scene before, but you will want some consistency. Yet, as the story approaches the climax, the intensity levels should change. Readers should feel that story events are coming to a head. While there should be several points in your story at which the mood darkens or grows more menacing or more comical, readers should feel a bigger change as the story heads to its conclusion. (This feel of events rushing toward a conclusion can also be directed by pace, by a reduced emphasis on general setting details, by to-the-point dialogue, and several other factors. Mood is just one element that pulls the reader toward the story’s end.)\n\nI typically suggest that writers examine their manuscripts around the two-thirds mark. If the feel of the story doesn’t change somewhere near this point, do some rewriting. You can make gradual changes to mood or you could change the level in large steps, but do make changes, both to indicate that the high point is indeed approaching and so readers can feel the shift.\n\nKeep in mind that mood has to change for a reason and that something must happen even to provoke an intensity change. Something must be different to make sense of any mood change, whether the change is from mood to mood or level to level.\n\nThis change can be a physical event or a character’s sudden recognition of the meaning of an earlier event or another character’s remark.\n\nIf you’ve got several story threads or subplots featuring different viewpoint characters, the mood could switch each time you move from one subplot to the other.\n\nWhile using strongly different moods is a marvelous way to differentiate story threads and the scenes of different viewpoint characters, do be aware that readers have to adjust each time you change. The adjustment might be smooth or jarring, and either kind of change could work for the story, but don’t forget that it may be difficult for readers to adapt to a new mood at the turn of a page. If they’re caught up in your fiction (and manipulating mood is a great way to keep them involved), they may not want to leave the dark scenes featuring your antagonist for a relatively lighter scene featuring the main character’s sidekick. Use what you know of human nature and your own feelings toward such changes to decide how and when to introduce scenes of different moods.\n\nWhile both mood and tone can change over the course of story, tone is the more consistent element. Since it’s the attitude of the narrator, tone won’t change as often as mood can.\n\nA list of moods (atmosphere)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nStyle is the third element used for creating or changing the feel of a story or scene, though it’s a bit different from tone and mood because it’s used to affect and create the other two elements.\n\nStyle as we’re defining it here is the way the writer uses words to create not only the events of story, but their feel as well. A writer’s style is evident in his use of diction—word choices—and syntax—word order and sentence construction. A style is the writer’s method to create mood and tone, the feel of fiction. Style is also dependent on subject matter, what a write might explore and what he’d never write about. For example, one writer might never feature a pedophile in a story, another might write one as a heinous monster, and yet another might write one as a tortured soul.\n\nOne writer might feature children in his works, another cowboys, and another serial killers or detectives or archaeologists. Some writers write only about paranormal beings while others write only of humans.\n\nOne writer might focus on contemporary events while others might think only of imagined scenarios. Some writers might look to the past and others to the future.\n\nGenre too can play a part in style. Genre can affect word choice, subject matter, setting requirements and taboos, and the style of a story’s ending (happily ever after or tear-fest or death of a major character).\n\nNote: Non-fiction writers have their own styles as well. And it may be easier to identify a writer’s style in a magazine article or other piece of writing than it is in fiction. For example, if the writer of a magazine or blog article is patronizing, readers notice right away.\n\nEvery writer’s style is peculiar to him, yet he can alter that style to create the effects needed for a scene or any other piece of writing.\n\nIf he needs a scholarly style, he’ll choose words and sentence rhythms to create such a style. If he wants to sound like an aw-shucks country boy, he’ll choose words to convey that feel.\n\nThe writer can use jargon, words readers are comfortable with, to help those readers feel at home with his approach or conclusions, even if he writes about a topic the readers disagree with. Or the writer might use uncommon words to make readers feel ignorant or out of place or to make himself (and what he writes) seem more valuable.\n\nA writer might adopt a formal style, with few contractions, though I don’t recommend this for fiction. People of all eras and ages have used contractions, so it wouldn’t be unusual for almost any character to use them. And their use is simply easier on the reader, allowing him to move through the text without unnecessary pauses. (There are exceptions, of course.)\n\nIn one story, a writer might use a lot of verbals (verbs used as something other than a verb), including gerunds, participles, and infinitives. She might use a lot of absolute phrases or use none. She might use short sentences, long sentences, one-word paragraphs or five-page paragraphs. Whatever choices she makes that deal with word choice and how words are arranged in phrases, sentences, and paragraphs is the writer’s style.\n\nIf she never uses adverbs or adjectives, that’s a style choice. If she uses three or four every sentence, that’s also a style choice. (One I try to discourage in every situation unless a character would use them to excess or as a way to create a deliberately bad sentence.)\n\nOther style choices—\n\nUsing the definite article the for every noun or never using it\n\nWriting long, involved complex sentences (or not)\n\nIncluding euphemisms in place of bold cuss words\n\nHaving a character cussing every other line or word\n\nUsing irony or sarcasm or a question and answer format\n\nUsing common workhorse words in place of elegant words, or doing the opposite\n\nAccenting repetition in words or phrases or patterns\n\nFavoring simile or metaphor\n\nUsing alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme, assonance and other typically poetic techniques\n\nChoosing lush descriptions over sparse ones or vice versa\n\nAccenting or highlighting one fiction element (dialogue, action, description, and so forth) over another\n\nGoing heavy (or light) on foreshadowing or flashbacks or back story\n\nEach of these style decisions has an impact on both tone and mood, and using different combinations of them can create stories that feel wildly different from one another.\n\nThis is why a dozen writers could begin with the same premise and write unique stories that sound nothing alike—that feel nothing alike.\n\nStyle, tone, and mood combine to make your stories your own, something no one else could create. And if you changed the tone or mood of multiple scenes or of a story as a whole, you’d create a new story quite unlike the original.\n\nThis is one reason paying attention to mood and tone are important—including the wrong elements, wrong in terms of what you’re trying to achieve, means the story won’t turn out the way you intend it to. Yes, you can make changes (or you might like what you ended up with better than what you’d wanted in the first place and decide to keep it), but if you plan ahead, learn a bit about how to establish and manipulate tone and mood, you wouldn’t have to try to figure out where the story went off-track after the fact.\n\nA list of styles\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOverly familiar\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNote: Some of the words that reflect style could also reflect tone; some mood words could describe a writer’s style. Whatever tone, mood, and style you decide on for your stories, realize that those elements contribute to the story’s feel.\n\n\nRecognize that even if you don’t purposely create tone and mood, they are still created for your stories and scenes. They may be muddled and the cause of weak responses to your fiction, but they’re there, in the story. Make a point to purposely work tone and mood to the story’s advantage by your style choices. And once you’re ready to rewrite and edit, check each scene for mood and tone. Make sure you’re not sending mixed signals about either.\n\nBring all the elements together to work for your stories.\n\nWrite captivating, cohesive fiction.\n\n\nThe very quick list—\n\nTone—viewpoint character’s attitude\n\nMood—atmosphere felt by the reader\n\nStyle—word choices and word arrangements made by the writer\n\n\nTags: grammar, word choice, writing styles     Posted in: Craft & Style, Definitions\n\nFor other uses, see Essay (disambiguation).\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMain article: Zuihitsu\n\n\nForms and styles\n\n\nCause and effect\n\n\nClassification and division\n\n\nCompare and contrast\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHistory (thesis)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOther logical structures\n\n\n\nMain article: Free response\n\n\n\n\n\nMagazine or newspaper\n\nMain article: Long-form journalism\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNon-literary types\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVisual arts\n\n\nSee also\n\n\n\nFurther reading\n\n\nExternal links\n\nWikimedia Commons has media related to Essays.\n\nOne thought on “2 Types Essay According Tone Style\n\nLeave a comment\n\nL'indirizzo email non verrà pubblicato. I campi obbligatori sono contrassegnati *", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8999731540679932}
+{"content": "Scan 109-1\nScan 110-1\n\nWe have discussed yield curves at several PIG meetings and noted their conventional, upward slope from low short term rates to higher long term.  In recent weeks there has been a rare shift in the short term to below the medium term rates.  This has happened mostly in the US but Australia also shows this trend although at a lesser difference.  US experience has been that forecasters link inverse yield curves to a declining equities market.\n\nI am attaching the latest yield curves for the US and Australia and would like to discuss their position at next week’s PIG meeting.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9185065031051636}
+{"content": "Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport\n\nAirport history\n\ntelephone information service 801 066 808\n\nFrom mobile phones +48 525 673 531 Operator charges apply\n\nBegining of airport in Gdansk\n\nThe first civilian airport in Gdansk was set up after World War I following the adaptation of the military airfield built in 1910 in the Wrzeszcz district of Gdansk, formerly known as Langfuhr. That airport was administered by the Senate of the Free City of Gdansk. Since that date the airport adapted its role and status and its dynamic expansion resulted in the acquisition of new areas and infrastructure changes.\n\nIn the 1920s Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport was transformed into an international airport, also servicing transit flights. It was used by aeroplanes flying in a variety of companies, including the German-Russian Airlines DERULUFT (Deutsch-Rusische Luftverkehrsgesellschaft), with flights between Berlin, Leningrad and Moscow.\n\nThe very favourable aviation conditions provided for by the airport in Gdansk enabled the launch of regular flights between Gdansk and Warsaw, Szczecin, Elblag, Malbork, Königsberg (now Kaliningrad), Olsztyn and Berlin.\n\nThe first Polish air service\n\nThe first regular Polish air service was launched on September 5th 1922. It was provided by the Aerolloyd company. It employed Junkers F-13 type planes with twice daily flights on the Gdansk-Warsaw-Lwow route.\n\nIn the years 1922-1939 Gdansk Airport was used by the Junkers F-13, Fokker-VII/1M, PWS-24, Lockheed L-10A \"Electra\", Lockheed L-14H \"Super Electra\", Douglas DC-2 and Junkers Ju-52 aircraft. The average number of passengers serviced illustrates the scope of the airport's activity at that time. Between 1929 and 1935 the airport handled approximately 1,500 passengers annually. After 1974, the airport in Gdansk-Wrzeszcz serviced flights that provided direct connections between Gdansk and Warsaw, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Krakow, Wroclaw, Katowice and Rzeszow.\n\nThroughout this period the company gradually introduced new international flights. They were especially frequent in the summer season and serviced passengers flying to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, Budapest, Varna and Burgas. In addition, Gdansk maintained numerous charter connections with many international airports.\n\nThe first Polish airport\n\nIn response to the growing needs of this dynamically developing region the decision was taken to change the location of the airport from the city centre to an area with room for the growth of both Gdansk's aviation services as well as the Bay of Gdansk conurbation.\n\nThe first Polish airport built completely from scratch was launched on May 2nd 1974 in Gdansk-Rębiechowo. Located on the Wysoczyzna Kaszubska upland, 10 kilometres west of Gdansk and 23 kilometres south of Gdynia, and occupying 240 ha, it created significant market potential for the servicing of air transport. Alongside the political and industrial changes the airport changed, too.\nFrom April 30th 1993, the Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport company was transformed into a profit-oriented commercial company with an organisational structure fully complying with those that govern business activity in European Union countries. The introduction of market principles in the Polish economy also influenced the last transformation of the infrastructure.\n\nIn order to raise the quality of the services provided and to meet the requirements of passengers and carriers, a new passenger terminal was built according to European standards. In the Millenium year when Gdansk celebrated its 1,000th anniversary, on August 4th 1997, the first passenger was cleared in the new terminal. Today, Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport is a part of the national, international and global transportation network. Being the third largest airport in Poland it serves as an auxiliary airport for Warsaw.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6999729871749878}
+{"content": "10-Capital & How They Can Grow Your Wealth\n\n\n10-Capital Is a Cryptocurrency and FX Brokerage\n\nWealth managers can provide financial benefits for people of all ages. Whether you started your professional career a couple of years ago or are now a senior executive of a company, one thing that might worry you is how much money would you need after retirement. Wealth managers like 10-Capital help you solve this riddle by creating a financial plan ahead of time. When a financial representative from this firm sits down with you, they come with a blank slate.\n\nWhat this essentially means is that they do not have any particular template in mind which they would impose on you. On the contrary, the portfolio manager will have a one-to-one conversation with you about what are your current and lifetime financial goals. Whether you want to build up properties and generate a passive income by putting your properties on rent or want to be involved with the stock market and allow your advisors to invest some part of your savings in financial securities as well. All in all, research analysts at 10-Capital want to create a portfolio for their clients that can serve their financial demands for the rest of their lives.\n\nWealth Management Strategies\n\nHere are some useful ways in which financial advisors maximize your return on investment:\n\nAlign your goal with theirs – An effective wealth advisor like 10-Capital would not only manage your income to earn their fee, but they will do so to satisfy their clients and their loved ones who want to maintain adequate financial status even after retirement. While sitting down with you, a portfolio manager would identify your long-term and short-term goal. They will try to figure out if you are a risk taker or a risk-averse type of investor. They want to figure out if you are willing to invest in a volatile market to earn more in less time or want to generate passive income by investing in a more stable asset class.\n\nProtect your income – One of the most important ways through which an investment management firm can retain their privileged clients to generate income from their portfolio on a regular basis. They want to become an investment vehicle where clients want to keep their money until they need it rather than until they have to. If a wealth manager cannot generate positive income from your cash, then you would have no choice but to file for redemption and invest your money somewhere else.\n\nCreate diversification – The best wealth management firms are those that can generate a positive return even when the financial markets are not doing well. Many of these firms achieve this feat by diversifying their client’s cash in multiple asset classes. To protect their client’s investment against inflation, many financial experts would invest some part of it in gold. Since this precious metal has the reputation of protecting wealth for generations, it can hedge the portfolio against inflation risk. To add some volatility in the portfolio, they would buy some lucrative stocks as well and add a mix of real estate also.\n\nAlways look out for new opportunities – A top of the line investment management firm like 10-Capital will always keep hunting for new asset classes that are introduced in the market. Financial experts realize the fact that newly introduced asset classes have the highest potential for generating positive returns. Hence, when cryptocurrencies were first introduced, some of the top fund managers gave options to their clients to invest in digital coins.\n\nWhat makes 10-Capital different?\n\n10-Capital is famous among its clients for their LIVE financial model. This term is a short form for Liquidity, Income, Volatility and Expected return. Here is a brief explanation of each of these factors:\n\nLiquidity – Whenever a client signs up with a wealth management firm, one of their major concerns is whether they would be able to withdraw their investment when they need it the most. 10-Capital Advisors, want to ensure that they are clients are comfortable working with them, hence they provide adequate liquidity options to their clients in order to cater to their short-term and long-term needs.\n\nIncome – Research Analysts at 10-Capital want to ensure that they generate regular income for their client’s portfolio. Hence, they perform rigorous research on a daily basis to indicate if there is any shift in the market. Portfolio managers then take corrective action to protect their client’s wealth from witnessing a downward trend. This collaborate approach allows 10-Capital team to generate positive income for their clients.\n\n\nExpected Return – To attract any potential client, a wealth advisory firm needs to prove to their investors that they are able to generate positive returns on a regular basis. Hence, they prepare future trends based on different asset classes and justify that the portfolio they are going to prepare will generate positive returns. At 10-Capital, the main goal of the financial advisory team is to always have authentic data to back their claims of higher expected returns.\n\nTo keep their clients involved with their investment strategy, 10-Capital organizes small get-togethers with their clients to have a fruitful discussion about how they are doing in their lives and if there is any change of plans on the investment side. If clients feel that their money has been allocated in the right places, they would be comfortable talking to you about their other aspirations as well. 10-Capital always keeps a close eye on their investments so that their clients can have a peacefull sleep at night without any financial worries.\n\nBack to Top ↑\n\n  • Important Update\n\n    We no longer write new reviews or articles about binary trading and brokers because we have received so many complaints about this subject! We only write posts about FX and Crypto trading platforms, brokers and services.\n\n  • Binary Options SCAM Warning!\n\n\n  • Bitcoin News Trader", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.583027184009552}
+{"content": "Vital Financial Strategy\n\nFinancial strategy: Vital for business development. Thinking about a business or a company well established and perfectly consolidated, implies from its base material property referring to do this to your infrastructure to the organizational structure of the same. Shaft and engine that drives the development, improvement and evolution of these is the competitiveness, the spirit of growth and positioning in the market. Ripple recognizes the significance of this. However, to understand how it is the development process and improves business is necessary to know its financial base, its deployment and intervention and the sequence of this. The financial strategy is harmonic and integral part of the overall strategy of the company, comprises the tactical processes and manoeuvring of a true business management for the achievement of objectives involving alternative processes that can confront a sudden change or an unexpected economic impact.\n\nThe financial issue of the company need a platform of momentum which split and this momentum is the history of the company and no one can speak of finance without mention the quantitative and thus numerical data, is needed to project the real economic situation to carry out a suitable intervention. Hear other arguments on the topic with Marc Bistricer. The financial planning of a company as mentioned, guide economic analysis, in other words of the effects of the assets that are owned and debts that they have acquired (active/passive), seeks to maintain the heritage through the operation of capital at the highest level through an ideology of stairway that involves sectors of logistics, production, administration and commercial areTherefore, financial planning should and has goals for the short, medium and long term. The importance of the above mentioned is vital to be, keep, and grow in a highly competitive capital world, and must begin with keep alive and active, the mission and vision to know what you want to achieve, so what you want to achieve and the means to achieve it. Original author and source of the article.. Dara Khosrowshahi insists that this is the case.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9589723348617554}
+{"content": "\nIt's correct that we always look for low-cost electricity, particularly if you are residing in Illinois. The price of electricity is escalating constantly. They already stated that the cost of electricity will be higher in 2015, but those price increases will be a little lower compared to 2014. \n\n\nEffortless Ideas On Illinois Electricity\n\nThis will probably be a trouble to the folks who are not utilizing solar and wind energy as their alternative source. Since these alternate options may be costly, quite a few people state that they do not really need this today.\nWe always look for low cost electricity, particularly the individuals who are residing in Illinois because they cannot stop the escalating price of energy. The cost of electricity is said to be higher in 2015 even though any increases will probably be a little sluggish when compared with 2014.\nYou need to consider renewable energy options along with your existing energy source. You cannot rely on alternative energy sources at this time to provide all the energy requirements of your home.\n\n\nYou need to also know how to correctly your appliances if you want to preserve money on electricity. Your monthly payments are normally focused on your home appliances. The best way that you could consider is to substitute your old appliances and start buying new designs. The new models are made so they could up less energy and provide the same efficiency. Well, you will need to invest a lot of money on the new designs, but this could be a great plan over time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9774641990661621}
+{"content": "Some more trivia about Costa Rica\n\n6 March, 2011\n\nHere are a few more interesting things about Costa Rica.\n\nWhen I read about this tree in “Costa Rica: Traveler’s Literary Companion”. it intrigued me immediately. Its name, Matapalo, is not coincidental and means “killer tree” or “strangler tree”. The seeds of this tree  of Ficus family are diseminated in the birds feces on other trees. They start to  germinate on other trees branches, growing slowly on top of an existing tree and completely  shutting it off from light.  Despite the brutal way in which those trees start their life, they are beautiful and look like a light-green umbrella. Ever since reading about them I wanted badly to see one. And we happened to spot a few of them along the way to beach.\n\n\nThey are everwhere, even the capital. It is a system for light sewage (running water). After a couple of days you can get used to the sight of them. A side effect of ditches is that drivers cannot park cars just anywhere and need to drive carefull not to fall into one.\n\n\nIn Costa Rica, as in other Central American countries, there are no addressess as we know them with a street name, number, zip code etc. So how to reach a place? An address is given in the form of directions in reference to a well know place. For example our address is the following:\n\nde la iglesia 100 mts. noreste\n25 mts. sur\nPlayas Del Coco, Guanacaste,\n\ni.e. 100 mts north-east from the church, then 25 mts south\nSometimes, instead of east and west, you can find the word ariba (up, which is where the sun goes up) or abajo (down). The distance in cities is also given in the number of blocks (cuadras). So the logical question is “what about mail delivery?”. Well, the main option is having a mailbox.\n\nWomen voting rights\nThe women in Costa Rica can be elected into Parliament yet they cannot vote themselves. What is interesting is a constitutionally guaranteed parity between women and men representation in the Parliament (50%-50%). In addition, the President of Costa Rica is a woman. According to my source, the owner’s wife, a Costa Rican and politically active, women are fine with such an arrangement.\n\nPS We just reached Nicaragua.\n\nTen wpis został opublikowany w kategorii Costa Rica, English i oznaczony tagami , . Dodaj zakładkę do bezpośredniego odnośnika.\n\n\n\n\nKomentujesz korzystając z konta Wyloguj /  Zmień )\n\nZdjęcie na Google\n\nKomentujesz korzystając z konta Google. Wyloguj /  Zmień )\n\nZdjęcie z Twittera\n\nKomentujesz korzystając z konta Twitter. Wyloguj /  Zmień )\n\nZdjęcie na Facebooku\n\nKomentujesz korzystając z konta Facebook. Wyloguj /  Zmień )\n\nPołączenie z %s", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.725006639957428}
+{"content": "Distant Transcription Companies\n\nAn enlarged spleen and liver occurs in about half of all mononucleosis sufferers. Signs of liver involvement will be swelling and discomfort under the correct rib, fats intolerance, darkish rings beneath the eyes and headaches. Spleen involvement symptoms can be pain below the left rib, although in many instances they’re asymptomatic.\n\nThis sort of state of affairs will most likely be fairly likely sooner or later. Some of the new federal rules will require more paperwork and less reimbursement. It will be a difficult choice to decide which of them to accept and which to not. Doctors assume they do not have a specific cost with every patient, but they are flawed. Every patient prices money, whether it is just physician and workers time, put on and tear on your tools, and many procedures have fastened costs, provides, medications, etc. It’s not free to treat a affected person. You should strive to figure out your prices per affected person go to, this is not at all times possible, but it can be. Figure it out, or guesstimate the best you possibly can.\n\nThe term “pelvic flooring problems” refers to a variety of health issues that happen when the muscle mass and connective tissue within the pelvic area are weakened or injured by being pregnant, vaginal delivery, surgery, sickness, getting older, and other elements. As many as a third of all ladies experience pelvic flooring issues some point of their life.\n\nThe task is a lighting motion, the place a three-joint refined is introduced further than the normal collection of movement. The vary isn’t going to go farther that may trigger the joint to change into dislocated or destroyed. The dynamic thrust is known as a sudden power that leads to an increase throughout the joint’s range of movement. SMT or vertebrae manipulative therapy involves the arms to therapeutic massage, stimulate, mobilize and apply traction to the spine and linked tissues.\n\nNow concerning the symptoms of incontinence. A number of the quite common symptom of this drawback is not in a position to control urine release. The causes for this may many. Some of the major diseases which can result in incontinence are diabetes, stroke or Parkinson’s illness. The incontinence patients at all times must take of their situation. The most effective apply for controlling it’s to take enough fluid day by day. Try to take a weight loss plan rich in fiber. Other than this there are totally different remedy program which you can take as per your comfort. Nevertheless probably the greatest issues you possibly can afford to do in case you are suffering from that is that make up your mind to use incontinence merchandise. It is among the finest suggested for higher hygiene and emotional safety. Utilizing them will ensure which you could all the time attend public gatherings, enjoy with your loved ones and associates.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6310927867889404}
+{"content": "The AI journey of Informatie Vlaanderen\n\nThe first 3 steps towards a data-driven government\n\n\nThe challenge\n\nThe Flemish administration is on a mission to digitalise and optimise the services of the government. A data-driven government is the ultimate goal.\n\nAn Artificial Intelligence scope in a government context will trigger innovative projects. Yet, there’s a gap between the government and AI. It’s time for the government to move and unlock the opportunities of this innovative technology.\n\nHow can we use AI and NLP to make our government smarter and more efficient?\n\n\nOur solution in 3 steps\n\n\n\nThe AI journey starts with an inspiration session. Our data experts showed public officers the possibilities and limitation of AI and NLP and triggered use cases.\n\n\nThanks to the inspiration session, public officers came up with use cases to feed the first Belgian NLP hackathon. This hackathon became a unique platform where hackers met the government and vice a versa.\n\n\nAIV organised a follow-up day. Vectr.Consulting facilitated NLP workshops to transform use cases into tangible NLP projects. Thanks to this day and the effort of the participants, different departments in the government now acknowledge the possibilities of NLP in their businesses.\n\n\nData Science Big Data Natural Language Processing Artificial Intelligence Topic Modeling Chatbots NLP Artificial Intelligence Knowledge graph Sentiment analysis Speech-to-text Onotology Optical character recognition Named entity recognition Translation\n\n\nRead our full story and discover how we started the AI revolution\n\nGoing from use case to NLP project is a complex matter. Luckily, the data experts of Vectr guided us through the process in a fun and interactive way.”\n— Marijke Verhavert - Program manager AI\nDe AI journey van Vectr.Consulting en de Vlaamse Overheid\n\nNLP workshop: From use case to NLP project\n\nOn the follow-up day we facilitated workshops for the use cases of the hackathon. “Create the NLP pipeline for your project” was the goal for each participating department. An impossible task to complete for business people without a technical background? Not when you’re accompanied by our data experts.\n\nCreating an NLP pipeline is necessary for the budget estimation of the project. The combination of several NLP components designs the complete NLP pipeline such as: named entity recognition, topic modelling, categorisation, chatbot, matching, translation, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, optical character recognition, sentiment analysis, matching, ontology, knowledge graph,\n\nTo sort these components for your own project in a logical workflow creates new insights in NLP and fills the gap between public officers and Artificial Intelligence.\n\n“I loved the down to earth approach of Vectr.Consulting, it really showed the possibilities of NLP in my business context”\n— Participant NLP workshop", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.699490487575531}
+{"content": "How do books affect a child growth and development?\n\nReading to children definitely affects children's growth and development. Through books, children learn languages. They listen to the words and ultimately learn their vocabulary. Children also develop their imagination when looking through picture books and coming up with stories of their own. Books are essential for children's development. Therefore, it is important for parents to spend time reading to their children.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9907520413398743}
+{"content": "Word Journey - Letter Search Exercise Answers\n\nThe idea is that you have to guess the words that you can form with the given letters but what makes the game really difficult is the fact that at times (most of the times) you also have to do them in the right order otherwise you won't be able to form the words.\nThe levels are categorized in 120 themes including arts, foods, animals, white things, etc. so that will help you a bit in what words to expect to find from each puzzle.\n\nThat said, we have already solved all 600 levels and have the answers on our site in case you need any help! Just visit our Word Journey Answers page if you get stuck!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9026905298233032}
+{"content": "This pattern creates a quirky and whimsical pattern reminiscent of matchsticks. This playful pattern is at home in any style of design and can bridge the gap between flair and grace. This pattern can be orientated either vertically or horizontally on the sheet.\n\n1.2mm Veneer Sheet - Thickness: 1.2mm/.0472″, Width: 1250mm/49.212″, Height: 2500mm/98.425″\n\n4mm Large Panel - Thickness: 4mm/.1574″, Width: 1220mm/48.0315″, Height: 2440mm/96.062″\n\n19mm Large Panel - Thickness: 19mm/.748″, Width: 1220mm/48.0315″, Height: 2440mm/96.062″\n\nNote: White Paintable is not available.\n  1. Black Recon\n  2. Blue Recon\n  3. Ebony Recon\n  4. Gray Recon\n  5. Maple Recon\n  6. Oak Recon\n  7. Orange Ash\n  8. Full panel\n  9. Pattern Detail Side View\n  10. Pattern Detail\n  11. Walnut Recon\n  12. Wenge Recon\n  13. White Paintable\n  14. Zebrano Recon", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5431489944458008}
+{"content": "Ohio Graduation Guidelines and College Readiness Standards | Kent State Columbiana County Campuses | Kent State University\n\nOhio Graduation Guidelines and College Readiness Standards\n\nBy this point, you probably know that in order to graduate from high school, you have to take certain classes. These classes are designed to give you a baseline of knowledge in many different fields, especially the core subjects of English, math, history and science. You should familiarize yourself with the requirements set forth by your high school to make sure you keep up your eligibility for graduation. \n\nOn the other hand, your entire schedule will not be dictated by the requirements set forth by your high school or state. First, use your elective space to take courses that meet the college readiness standards. This may mean you need to take an additional science and history course, along with a couple years of foreign language. Consider checking out the college of your choice’s admission page to determine what exactly they are looking for, and then use our tables below to provide a more general guideline. \n\nEven with meeting Ohio graduation requirements and college readiness standards, you will likely still have free time in your day. Use your elective spaces to take classes that interest you. Make sure you are still challenging yourself, both as a person and an academic. \n\nEach subject area has a certain number of credits you must meet. Remember that the selection of these subjects was not arbitrarily made. Each type is designed to help you become a productive member of society. The table listed below explains some of the generic skill sets you can get out of each subject.  \n\nEnglish Helps develop your writing skills, reading comprehension and expands your vocabulary. Improves your quality of life\nMath Helps develop problem-solving skills. Also necessary to help you succeed on college entrance exams and in college classes.\nScience Teaches you how to think analytically and how theories apply to reality.\nHistory Improves your understanding of both historical and current events. Helps you study the cultures that shaped the world. Prepares you to be a part of democracy.\nForeign Language Increases communication skills. Shows colleges you are willing to go beyond the basics.\nArts Helps you think creatively and critically. Improves your quality of life.\n\nHere’s the good news: the Ohio high school graduation requirements closely align with college readiness standards. Remember that college readiness standards are guidelines, and individual schools may have different requirements. You can talk to a college’s admission office to get more information on what they look for. \n\nAlso remember that you how you perform in some specific areas can help improve your odds of being admitted to a school. Colleges typically look for strong grades in science, math, and foreign language courses as indicators of your ability to succeed in school. They also look to see if you took rigorous, challenging courses. A B in an upper-level class will likely give you a better advantage than only taking courses you knew would be an easy A. You can also consider AP courses or participating in College Credit Plus. Take to your counselor for more information on either of these programs. \n\nOhio Graduation Requirements and College Readiness Standards\nEnglish 4 credits 4 credits  \nMath 4 credits 4 credits Must include courses up to Algebra 2\nScience 3 credits 4 credits Including 1 Life and 1 Physical science course, colleges will prefer courses that also had a lab component\nHistory 3 credits 4 credits 1/2 credit in American history, 1/2 credit in Government\nForeign Language   2-3 credits Check with your high school to determine if a foreign language is necessary for graduation. For college readiness, usually all credits must be in the same language.\nEconomics and Financial Literacy 1/4 credit    \nFine Arts 1/4 credit    \nHealth 1/2 credit    \nPhysical Education 1/2 credit    \nElectives 5 credits    \n\nInformation adapted from http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Ohio-Graduation-Requirements\nInformation adapted from https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/your-high-school-record/high-school-classes-colleges-look-for", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6318005323410034}
+{"content": "\n\n\nHaldon, John\n\nThe Empire That Would Not Die. The Paradox of Eastern Roman Survival, 640-740\n\nThe eastern Roman Empire was the largest state in western Eurasia in the sixth century. Only a century later, it was a fraction of its former size. Surrounded by enemies, ravaged by warfare and disease, the empire seemed destined to collapse. Yet it did not die. In this holistic analysis, John Haldon elucidates the factors that allowed the empire to survive against all odds into the eighth century. By 700 CE, three-quarters of the empire´s territory had been lost to the Islamic Caliphate. But the rugged territories of Anatolia and the Aegean held strategic advantages, preventing enemies from permanently occupying imperial towns and cities while leaving them vulnerable to Roman counterattacks. The more the empire shrank, the more it became centered around Constantinople, whose ability to withstand siege after siege proved decisive. The crisis forced the imperial court, the provincial ruling classes, and the church closer together. State and church together embodied a sacralized empire that held the emperor, not the patriarch, as Christendom´s symbolic head. Despite territorial losses, what remained became the heartland of a medieval Christian Roman state, with a powerful political theology that predicted the emperor would eventually establish Orthodox Christianity´s world dominion.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9237305521965027}
+{"content": "Stevenson Elementary Students Make School Greener\n\nby Front Porch Rockwall 0\n\n\n\n\nStevenson 6th grade students recently kicked off a composting campaign to make their blue and yellow school a litter greener through composting.\n\nThey met with each grade level and shared information about composting and led them in a physical activity to practice how to compost.\n\nThey recently started collecting compostable materials from leftover food waste in the cafeteria from 5th and 6th grade.  They diverted 23 pounds of compostable material and a local farmer will be using the material to grow more crops on his farm.\n\nAll grade levels will have the opportunity to help us sort their food trash for composting before the school year ends and they hope to see composting become routine at Stevenson ES.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9747950434684753}
+{"content": "Because an increasing number of us who would like to donate blood are unable to do so, it is important to encourage 'new' donors,  to ensure that supplies will be available when needed. In Greece, each Municipality is responsible for providing sufficient blood for its residents. Contact  Kyriakoula Christea 6979 044 606, or  Pam Garelick (except between 3 & 5pm ) or see more information below......\n\n\nAs usual we need blood! The next blood drive is\n\n\nAg Nikolaos Health centre \n\nStart time     until\n\nThe donor age has increased to 65, and it’s a great atmosphere at the clinic. Kyria Koula provides a little buffet for every donor.\n\nNote: here in Greece people are expected to repay a blood debt, by donating an equivalent amount of blood. If there are not enough family mermbers able to donate, they rely on the generosity of the general public to help ensure there is enough blood available for the next emergency.\n\nHAPPY DONORS at the Ag Nikolaos Health Centre\n\n\nUnfortunately, if you are over 65 years old, or take blood pressure or cholesterol-reducing tablets, you CANNOT donate. HOWEVER, donations are always crucially necessary, so if you are young and healthy, please consider donating .\n\nHere are a few guidelines for first time donors:\n\nNo alcohol for 24 hours before. Eat breakfast before you go as you cannot give blood on an empty stomach. Do not plan to do a lot of physical work after you have given blood. Please call if you want more advice: 693 926 3390 . We will be there to help any newcomers who are nervous about the procedure.\n\n\n(Reprinted from Manifest issue 2)\nHere in Greece each municipality is responsible for supplying blood to the nearest major hospital. If someone has an accident and requires blood, the first thing that is asked of them is where they live. The supplies are then checked to see if that particular municipality has donated enough, not only blood, but also the particular blood group that is needed. Sometimes urgent calls are made for individuals or family members to donate blood in a crisis. That is why we organise at least two blood donation sessions a year in our local community, at the Agios Nicolaos Health centre. We are required to supply Kalamata hospital with a specific number of bags of blood, but are not always able to meet the target.\n\nWe do our best to make you feel comfortable throughout the whole process, and offer a bite to eat afterwards. For more information, please contact Pamela Garelick  6987 945 521, except 3-5 pm in the summer.\n\nAg. Nikolaos health center (Tel. 27210-77210) In this area you have the opportunity to give blood at the Ag. Nikolaos health centre. The blood bus from Kalamata comes twice a year, the clinic knows the date 20 days in advance.\n\nKalamata hospital ( Tel. 27210-46000) At other times you can donate your blood at Kalamata hospital. The blood donor centre is in the ground floor and is usually open from 9 -1pm, but phone to check. To give blood you have to be less than 65 years, healthy and not on any medication.\n\nMani Cars\nMani Money Stoupa\nVet in Stoupa\nSofia Nikolakea Language Studio\n\nSea water temperature\nClick image to find other places", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8611423969268799}
+{"content": "1488 quotes by\n522 authors in\n126 categories\n\nSearch for a word\nor phrase:\n\nOr choose an author or a topic:\ntopic author\n❝My philosophy\nlike colour TV\nis all there\nin black and white❞\nMonty Python\n\nQuotes, Aphorisms, Laws, and Thoughts\n\nPicture of Douglas Adams.\n\n66Five quotes by Douglas Adams99\n\nDouglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 - 11 May 2001) was an English writer, dramatist, and musician. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a 'trilogy' of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television series, several stage plays, comics, a computer game, and in 2005 a feature film. Adams' contribution to UK radio is commemorated in The Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.\n\n❝By the time you've sorted out a complicated idea into little steps that even a stupid machine can deal with, you've learned something about it yourself.❞ [+]\n\n❝I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day.❞ [+]\n\n❝If you try and take a cat apart to see how it works, the first thing you have on your hands is a nonworking cat.❞ [+]\n\n❝It doesn't necessarily happen in chronological order.❞ [+]\n\n❝Let's think the unthinkable, let's do the undoable, let's prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.❞ [+]\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8142426609992981}
+{"content": "The word ‘Hindu’ used in ancient time and several cases can be mentioned as below :\n\nThe Hamdan, Persepolis and Naqsh-I-Rustam inscriptions of Persian monarch Darius mention a people ‘Hidu’ as included into his empire. These inscriptions are dated between 520-485 B.C.\n\nIt is even claimed that Asokan inscription (3rd-century B.C.), repeatedly use expressions like ‘Hida’ for ‘India’ and ‘Hida loka’ for ‘Indian nation’ (Junagadh, separate rock edict II).\n\nIn Persepolis Pahlavi inscription of Shahpur II (310 A.D.), the King has the title, “Shakanshah Hind Shakastan u Tuxaristan Dabiran Dabir”, i.e.; “King of Shakastan, minister of ministers of Hind Shakastan and Tukharistan”.\n\nIn the Avesta (dated between 5,000-1,000 B.c.), Hapta Hindu is used for Sanskrit “Sapta Sindhu”.\n\nThe term ‘Indoi’ was used in Greek literature by Hekataeus (late 6th-century B.c.) and Herodotus (early 5th century B.C.).\n\nThe Hebrew Bible uses ‘Hodu’ for India, which is a Judaic form of ‘Hindu’. The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is dated earlier than 300 B.C. Even today Hebrew spoken in Israel uses Hodu for India.\n\nThe Chinese used the term ‘Hien-tu’ for ‘Hindu’ at about 00 B.C. while describing the movement of Sai-Wang. Later Chinese travelers Fa-Hien (5th century A.D.) and Huen-Tsang (7th century A.D.)  used a slightly modified term ‘Yint’ but the affinity to the term ‘Hindu’ was still retained.\n\nSair-ul-Okull (available in Turkish Library Makhtab-eSultania in Istambul), an anthology of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry contains a poetry written by Omar-bin-e-Hassham praising Mahdeva and referring to India as ‘Hind’ and Indians as ‘Hindu’.\n\nAnother poem in the same anthology by Labi-bin-eAkhtab-bin-e- Turfa dated around 1700 RC. also refers to India as ‘Hind’ and Indians as ‘Hindu’ mentioning four Vedas. The poem is also inscribed on columns of Lakshamin Narayan Mandir (also known as Birla Mandir) in New Delhi.\n\nSanskrit works like Meru Tantra and Brihaspati Agam (4th to 6th century A.D.) mentions the term ‘Hindu’\n\nPahoja, MH; Antiquity and Origin of the tenn ‘Hindu’; The Hindu Renaissance; Vo. 5, No.2; April 2007; Pp 18-19\n\n\nCategories: CIVIL", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6211668252944946}
+{"content": "How To Get The Most From Your Solar Panels\n\nsolar panels\n\nFor hundreds of years, humans have turned one form of energy into another to better get things done. Solar panels, also known as photovoltaic solar panels, are used to absorb the light and heat emitted by the Sun to be generated into electricity. Solar power is so popular because more people are concerned with the state of the environment than ever before, which involves cutting out fossil fuels to create electricity, for example, in exchange for further relying on solar panels.\n\nHere are a few tips that you could use to get more from your solar panels.\n\nTry to Operate High-Wattage Devices Throughout Peak Sunlight Hours\n\nIf possible, prioritize the use of your most demanding devices in terms of wattage so that their peak use patterns will coincide with how much power solar networks get at various times of the day. If you decide to run high-consumption devices later in the day or at nighttime, you will be forced to turn to the public electricity grid to power up your appliances and devices.\n\nUse Optimizing Programs to Determine the Optimal Orientation of Your Solar Panels to the Sun\n\nEven though it might seem like aligning your solar panels with the most effective places to put them is easy, though doing so is considerably difficult. Such programs will help you accommodate for cloud cover, precipitation, and other factors that could affect the absorption, transmission, and storage of energy sourced from the Sun via solar panels.\n\nRig Appliances to Run While You're Not Around\n\nIt only makes sense that you would use more electricity to run appliances when you're in close physical contact with them. As such, you should take advantage of smart home technology to get your full loads of dishes to be cleaned during the day more frequently, for example, as a way of appropriately staggering your use of energy throughout a day's time.\n\nMany homeowners and businesses want to make sure their solar power pursuits are well worth their coin. If you want assistance with installing solar panels new jersey, let this business help you.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9944531917572021}
+{"content": "Soba with asparagus, egg and nori\n\nSoba with asparagus, egg and nori\n\nTotal: 30 Min. | Active: 30 Min.\nvegetarian, lactose-free\nNutritional value / people: 398 kcal\n, Fat: 18 g\n, Carbohydrate: 42 g\n, Protein: 16 g\n\nSoba is a key element in Japanese and Korean cooking. The noodles are made from wheat and buckwheat flour, which gives them their brown colour and characteristic nutty flavour. They are served cold for dipping or hot in soup. We combine the tasty noodles with green asparagus, spring onions and radishes, which give the dish a fresh sharpness. The various ingredients are dipped into the sauce and, as is considered good manners in Japan, sucked up so that the aroma and taste can develop best.\n\n\n4 people\n\n\n\nNoodles & sauce\n\n400g dried soba noodles\n4 fresh eggs\n25ml mirin (rice wine) (Japanese rice wine)\n4tbsp soy sauce\n2tbsp cane sugar\n\n\n2 spring onions\n1tsp dark sesame oil\n250g thin green asparagus, woody ends removed\n50g horseradish, black if possible\n6 nori sheets\n2tbsp black sesame seeds\nPurchase ingredients now\n\nHow it's done\n\nNoodles & sauce\n\nCook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet, drain, rinse in cold water. Hard boil the eggs for 7 mins., rinse in cold water. Stir mirin, soy sauce and sugar in a small pan, bring to the boil, simmer for 2-3 mins., leave to cool.\n\n\nCut spring onions into approx. 4 cm. long pieces, then cut into fine strips, place into a bowl of cold water until they begin to curl. Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan, sauté the asparagus, add 2 tbsp. of sauce, bring to the boil. Distribute the noodles and asparagus into 4 bowls. Drain the spring onions, place on the noodles. Peel the eggs, halve them and add two halves to each bowl. Crumble the nori leaves, sprinkle over the bowls with sesame. Serve the remainder of the sauce as a dip.\n\nGood to know\nTip: The sauce can be kept covered in the fridge for several weeks. Dilute with water if it becomes too thick.\n\n\nCooking pasta\n\nCooking pasta\n\nPeeling asparagus\n\nPeeling asparagus\n\nOur recommendations\n\nSimilar recipes\n\n\nSimply coloured eggs for Easter?\n\n\nYou are not logged in\n\n\nChoose a cookbook:\n\nThis cookbook already exists.\n\nDelete the entire recipe?\n\nDo you really want to delete this recipe from your cookbook?\n\nSuccessfully saved!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9909205436706543}
+{"content": "Drinking More Water Can Give You More Energy\n\n\n\n\nFatigue is not simply a matter of feeling tired. Many people suffering from fatigue find that their work days are shorter and enjoyment of activities is compromised as they lack the energy for anything. Most people have experienced periods of fatigue in their life, but if you are suffering from chronic feelings of fatigue, drinking more water could be the key to more energy. Drinking More Water Can Give You More Energy\n\nHow Water Could Boost Energy\n\nIf you are suffering from fatigue, you may be unaware that it is actually a result of not drinking enough. In these fast-paced modern times where many people need several cups of coffee to get going in the morning, and sugary soft drinks to maintain focus throughout the day, the body is simply crying out for hydration. Feeling thirsty is not a reliable indicator of needing to drink, as it can actually be a symptom of dehydration. Other symptoms include lack of concentration, headaches, poor digestion, muscle pains and skin rashes. These are all symptoms you may associate with feeling under the weather and fatigued. Fortunately, hydrating with good quality water can provide an immediate boost in energy, as the cells in the body are revived, receiving vital oxygen from the blood.\n\nAccording to research conducted at the University of Connecticut, even mild dehydration can have an effect on energy level, mood and ability to clearly think. The reason for this is that almost every bodily function requires fluid. The body is approximately 60 percent water and this vital fluid is required for processes such as replacing blood volume and hydrating brain cells. Failing to properly hydrate can have a detrimental effect throughout the body including making the heart work harder to pump blood to all the cells, tissues and muscles, delivering nutrients and oxygen. By drinking enough water, you can experience external benefits such as clearer skin and benefit from plenty of energy as you feel fitter and healthier.\n\nHow Much Water Is Enough?\n\nThere are a number of different opinions on how much water is needed to be properly hydrated. According to the Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board, it is recommended that women consume 91 ounces and men consume 125 ounces of fluid each day. 80 percent of this fluid should be consumed through drinks while 20 percent is obtained through foods. Unfortunately, there is no simple calculation to determine whether this amount is sufficient for you. The amount of water you need each day depends on a number of factors including your activity levels, your climate and whether you have any medical conditions such as diabetes. Fortunately, there is a simple and easy way to determine if you have drunk enough water; the color of your urine. If you are sufficiently hydrated your urine will be a clear and a light yellow. If your urine is a darker color, then your body is telling you that you need to drink more water.\n\nAnother consideration of your water intake is that you drink good quality water. Many soft drinks and beverages such as coffee or tea contain caffeine, which is a diuretic, compromising your hydration. Fortunately, water contains no caffeine, sugar or other stimulants, making it the best choice to stay hydrated. With a wide range of domestic water treatment devices, there is no need to spend a fortune on expensive bottled water, as you can enjoy high quality water every day.\n\nAbout The Author:\n\n\nBack to", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7026710510253906}
+{"content": "WSJ Pro, the unit of the Wall Street Journal that provides specialized news, analysis and data for professional audiences, seeks a reporter to focus on one of the hottest areas of technological change: artificial intelligence.\n\nAs investments in AI technologies rise dramatically in the coming years, business practices will be transformed. WSJ Pro Artificial Intelligence will serve executives who need to understand how those technologies can enable their businesses and be effectively implemented.\n\nThe reporter in this position would cover artificial intelligence through a business lens, reporting and analyzing how companies are adopting AI into their business strategies, how they’re putting these technologies into operation, how AI is changing business practices and industries, and what challenges companies are finding.\n\nWe’re looking for an enterprising journalist who is bursting with ideas, energetic in seeking new sources, and able to thrive in a collaborative team environment. This reporter should be a business journalist with experience covering AI or technology more broadly. The ability to write clearly and concisely about complex topics for a business-minded audience is a must.\n\nTo apply, go here.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8010644912719727}
+{"content": "In the past month, I have had two unique opportunities: the first was to spend a few days in Boston with one of my clients and Frances Frei from Harvard; the second was a fireside chat with some fellow CEOs and author Malcolm Gladwell (Tipping Point, Outliers, What the Dog Saw). There were some great strategic nuggets interwoven into both conversations, and I want to share with you what I learned.\n\nFrei is a professor in Harvard Business School’s technology and operations management unit and the chairwoman of the MBA required curriculum. Because Frei’s work focuses on how organizations can more effectively design service excellence, I was eager to hear her thoughts on organizational strategy. I was not disappointed.\n\nHere are some key points I took away from the conversation.\n\nChoose great over average. When you’re considering your points of differentiation as an organization the key is not to try to become five out of five on all aspects of your client value proposition; by diffusing your efforts as an organization among so many things you end up becoming three out of five (average) on everything.\n\nReally great, standout companies figure out what they can sacrifice (areas where they are at about a one out of five), so they can truly be five out of five on the areas that count most to their customers.\n\nChoose differentiation versus “me-too.” For true differentiation you need to do something that the competition can’t properly replicate. Consider the example of the Heavenly Bed Wars. Once Westin hotels rolled\n\nout its heavenly beds campaign, all their competitors had to do was provide a similar quality of bed – a simple yet costly undertaking, the net result being that consumers now get better beds from all competing hotels. But each is still in the same price-competitive space: higher cost, lower margin and no differentiation. The trick is to focus on providing something to your customer that is difficult for your competitors to replicate.\n\nAs a leader if you've waiting for everyone else to start modelling candour and authenticity, it might be a while. Our jobs as leaders is to model the behaviours we'd like to see demonstrated by our boss, our direct reports, and our peers. Being candid and...\n\nA 1997 McKinsey and Company survey coined the phrase “the war for talent.” It forecast a two- decade demographically fuelled net reduction in talent in the workforce due to baby boomers retiring.\n\nThe recent recession slowed that war, as boomers planning to retire saw their RRSPs, investments and pensions take a massive hit. As these investments begin to recover to pre-September 2008 levels, it’s again becoming attractive for boomers to consider retirement or early retirement.\n\n\"There can be as much as a 10- to 15-year experience gap between retiring leaders and high potentials.\"\n\nI've spoken to a number of executives lately who are concerned about their corporate culture and who want to know the key areas for leveraging change. Here are four areas that influence culture directly and are in your control as an executive team: What behaviours we...\n\n[read time: 5 mins]\n\n\n\n\n[read time: 4 mins]\n\nLet me paint the scene: you have a group of executives and senior managers, all well-paid, spending most of their weeks in meetings pretending to be paying attention to mind-numbing updates being read from the document they have sitting in front of them while doing the “Blackberry/iPhone Prayer”: holding their smartphone under the table, replying to email, texting, or furiously working to beat their high score on Angry Birds.\n\nOne of the most common complaints I hear from CEOs, Executives, and Senior Managers is that they spend most of their time in meetings, unclear what the purpose is other than the fact that the meeting is supposed to happen once a week, leaving them with little one-on-one time with their teams, desperate to clear out an overflowing inbox, and dreaming about having some whitespace in their calendar so they can actually be innovative and think creatively about the strategic direction of the business, organization, or even simply their division or team.\n\n[read time: 3 mins]\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7316908836364746}
+{"content": "• A Look at Exercise-Induced Asthma\n\n    Exercise-induced asthma is one of the conditions that an allergy specialist can treat. Also known as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, this is a condition characterized by symptoms such as shortness of breath and wheezing that occur during exercise. However, individuals with this condition shouldn’t try to avoid cardiovascular exercise. Instead, they can work with an asthma specialist to learn how to exercise safely.\n\n    When you watch this news clip, you’ll hear from a college student who has exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. He uses an inhaler while he runs around campus. You’ll also hear an allergist explain why exercise can trigger asthma symptoms in some people.\n\n    Fellowship-trained, board-certified allergists and immunologists comprise the entire physician staff of Allergy & Asthma Specialists. Call 1-800-86COUGH to schedule an appointment with an asthma specialist in one of our offices located in Blue Bell, King of Prussia, Philadelphia, Pottstown, Collegeville, Jenkintown, Doylestown, or Lansdale.\n\n  • What to Do If Your Child Has Food Allergies\n\n    If you suspect your child might have food allergies, it’s essential to bring him or her to an allergy doctor right away. The allergy doctor can perform allergy testing to determine which foods your child is allergic to. Most food allergies are triggered by peanuts, cow’s milk, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, and tree nuts.\n\n    The allergy specialist will help you adjust to eliminating your child’s food triggers from his or her diet. When grocery shopping, you’ll need to scrutinize food labels to determine if the products may contain allergens. The allergy specialist will also develop a treatment plan for you to follow if your child inadvertently consumes the food and suffers a severe allergic reaction. This involves using an epinephrine auto-injector as quickly as possible once the reaction occurs.\n\n    Fellowship-trained, board-certified allergists/immunologists at Allergy & Asthma Specialists can help families manage food allergies. Allergy doctors at this premier medical practice provide comprehensive allergy diagnostics and treatment at offices located in Blue Bell, King of Prussia, Philadelphia, Pottstown, Collegeville, Jenkintown, Doylestown, and Lansdale. Schedule a consultation today for your child online at AllergyandAsthmaWellness.com or by calling 1-800-86COUGH, option 2.\n\n  • Are Fall Allergies Tripping You Up?\n\n    If you develop unpleasant respiratory symptoms every fall, you may have allergies instead of the common cold. You can consult an allergy doctor for allergy testing and treatment. The allergist may find that you’re allergic to ragweed, which is a common cause of allergic rhinitis. In Pennsylvania, ragweed season begins in mid-August, and intensifies in September and October. It generally does not subside until November, when a hard frost can kill the ragweed.\n\n    Identifying the Symptoms of Fall Allergies\n\n    The symptoms of allergic rhinitis can affect you regardless of whether you’re in an urban or rural area. Just one ragweed plant can produce one million granules of pollen every day. The pollen is readily spread by the wind, often causing ragweed pollen levels to peak in the afternoon. You may have allergic rhinitis if you suffer from a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, an itchy throat, itchy eyes, swollen eyelids, and hives. You may even develop asthma symptoms, such as problems breathing, wheezing, and coughing. The symptoms of allergic rhinitis, which is popularly referred to as hay fever, cause millions of missed work and school days each year.\n\n    Managing Fall Allergies\n\n    An allergy doctor can develop a two-pronged approach to manage allergic rhinitis, which involves medical treatment and lifestyle modifications. Medications such as nasal corticosteroids, decongestants, and antihistamines can help ease the symptoms of fall allergies. You might also consider trying immunotherapy, which helps the body become better able to tolerate your allergens. Lifestyle modifications are a preventive approach to allergy management. Avoiding your allergen whenever possible and controlling your environment can help you get through the season. For example, you could avoid going outdoors during peak pollen levels, keep the windows closed when indoors, and wash your hands frequently to rid them of pollen.\n\n    The fellowship-trained, board-certified allergists/immunologists of Allergy & Asthma Specialists are available to help new and current patients manage their fall allergies. An allergy doctor at our premier practice can provide comprehensive diagnostic testing and advanced treatment options, including immunotherapy. Our offices are located in Blue Bell, King of Prussia, Philadelphia, Pottstown, Collegeville, Jenkintown, Doylestown, and Lansdale. Schedule today online at AllergyandAsthmaWellness.com or by calling 1-800-86COUGH, option 2.\n\n  • Who Has Asthma and Why?\n\n    Experts estimate that about 26 million Americans suffer from asthma, a serious condition that affects respiration. While there is no cure for asthma, people with this condition can work with an asthma specialist to find relief. An allergist can help patients discover the triggers of their symptoms and learn how to manage the condition.\n\n    Who Has Asthma?\n\n    Asthma can affect anyone. If you have asthma, it means that your airways have chronic inflammation. This can cause mild symptoms or life-threatening problems. It isn’t yet known exactly why certain people develop asthma, while others don’t. However, asthma specialists believe that it may be a combination of environmental factors and genetic predisposition. Certain risk factors are thought to increase a person’s chances of developing asthma. These include being a smoker, being overweight, having a family history of asthma, being exposed to secondhand smoke, and having a mother who smoked during pregnancy.\n\n    Why do Asthma Symptoms Occur?\n\n    Although asthma doesn’t go away, patients have periods of time in which symptoms are well managed and periods in which symptoms flare up. A symptom flare-up is referred to as an asthma attack. This may be triggered by a wide range of conditions, including allergies to pollen, dust mites, cockroaches, mold, or animal dander. Other asthma triggers include exercise, cold air, hot humid air, respiratory infections, medications such as aspirin, and even pregnancy. A person might suffer an asthma attack when he or she is exposed to certain irritants, such as cigarette smoke or air pollution. For other people, changes in barometric pressure are sufficient to trigger a flare-up of symptoms. Discovering a person’s asthma triggers is one step toward developing an effective asthma management plan.\n\n    Allergy & Asthma Specialists is a first class medical practice that provides sophisticated asthma and allergy treatment in Blue Bell, King of Prussia, Philadelphia, Pottstown, Collegeville, Jenkintown, Doylestown, and Lansdale. Our medical services include extensive patient evaluation, diagnostic testing, and medical management, including immunotherapy. You can schedule an appointment with an asthma specialist by calling 1-800-86COUGH or visiting our website.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6580811738967896}
+{"content": "What Is Fibromyalgia?\n\nFibromyalgia is a pain syndrome characterized by tenderness in localized areas, widespread pain, joint stiffness, fatigue, non refreshing sleep, and mood problems.\n\nOne of the key theories behind the origin of pain in fibromyalgia is in something called fascia. Fascia is connective tissue that surrounds and webs through our entire body. Similar to a spider web, it is both flexible and extremely strong. Under the correct circumstances, this web-like system can constrict and create painful points of pain called myofascial pain syndrome.\n\nFascial-theory can explain why fibromyalgia, unlike many other pain syndromes, is not accompanied by any signs of inflammation or degeneration in the tissues. Fascia works a lot more like a knitted shirt or blanket that gets one or two strands pulled out and causes the rest of the fabric to bunch up.\n\nThis causes the pain to be “unknown” in origin and difficult to treat in the medical realm.\n\nQuestions? Schedule a free phone consultation.\n\nHow Massage Therapy can Help\n\nThankfully, massage therapy is more than working with muscles.\n\nWhile working with fascia, we keep several things in mind:\n\n  • While muscle is controlled consciously by our somatic nervous system, fascia tightness and organization is controlled unconsciously by our autonomic system.\n\n  • Everyone’s autonomic system is different and operates at different levels of intensity and sensitivity\n\n  • While muscle exists only between bones and in the smooth muscle of our heart and organs, fascia weaves through our skin, joints, muscles, organs, spine, skull, and every point of our body.\n\n  • We treat every point in the body. No organ, joint, limb, or muscle is an island. All parts of the body are part of total body health.\n\nWhen working with clients with fibromyalgia, we include a wide variety of myofascial release techniques to help unwind your fascia. Since every fibromyalgia client is different, we work with you to determine the best pressure and techniques for your comfort and treatment.\n\nSome facts about Fibromyalgia:\n\n  • 75%-80% of people with fibromyalgia are women, most being age 20-50 at the age of onset\n\n  • It is a syndrome that was ignored and devalidated in healthcare for a long time, and is still overlooked in many patients today\n\n  • Patients may experience periods of exacerbation and remission of pain\n\n  • Fibromyalgia may coexist with other diseases or diagnoses such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, IBS, migraines, TMJ dysfunction, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6631790399551392}
+{"content": "Comparing Alberta High Schools (2017)\n\n\nOther Visualizations: Alberta High School Rankings | Diploma Exam Marks vs. School Marks | Alberta High School Dashboard | A Data-Driven Baby Name Finder\n\nWhat are the circles in the chart?\n\n\nWhat’s being measured on the x-axis?\n\nThe x-axis measures the difference between the percentage of a school’s students that attained the standard of excellence and the percentage of all students in the province that attained the standard of excellence. Schools that appear to the right of the vertical zero line did better than the provincial average; schools that appear to the left of the zero line did worse.\n\nWhat’s being measured on the y-axis?\n\nThe y-axis measures the difference between the percentage of a school’s students that attained the standard of excellence on their school awarded marks and the percentage of a school’s students that attained the standard of excellence on the diploma exams. The further a school appears above the horizontal zero line, the more the school’s version of the standard of excellence deviates from the diploma exam’s version.\n\nWhat kind of comparisons can I make with the data?\n\nYou can use the filtering controls in the top left to change the visualization. You can compare school results in individual diploma courses or across different years. You can compare the results of schools in school authorities by filtering on “Authority Name” or you can compare one school against others by filtering on “School Name”. You can also zoom in and out of different areas of the chart.\n\nWhat’s the data source for the visualization?\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCan I use this to rank schools?\n\n\nIs this related to the Fraser Institute School Rankings?\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9879266619682312}
+{"content": "IAAF upholds Russia’s Olympic ban\n\nRussia’s track and field athletes will take part at the Rio Olympics later this year after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) decided it will not lift their doping and corruption ban.\n\nThe IAAF suspended the European country from all track and field events in November after a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report revealed widespread state doping in athletics.\n\nIAAF President Sebastian Coe said: “Although good progress has been made, the IAAF Council was unanimous that RusAF (Russian Athletics Federation) had not met the reinstatement conditions and that Russian athletes could not credibly return to international competition without undermining the confidence of their competitors and the public.”\n\nRussian athletes who can prove they were not involved in the scandal can appeal and take part at the Games but only as a neutral and not under the flag of their country.\n\nYelena Isinbayeva, who is a two-time Olympic pole vault champion, has already reacted to the news by saying that she will appeal the decision in the human rights court.\n\nIsinbayeva said: This is a violation of human rights. I won’t keep silent. I’ll turn to a human rights court.\n\n“I’ll prove to the IAAF and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that they have made a wrong decision. I’ll do this demonstratively so that it is understood that Russia won’t stay silent.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9991007447242737}
+{"content": "Viktoria was born in Budapest, Hungary.  She uses photography to raise questions on social issues and urban existence. The objective of the work is to reflect on our own feelings and stand points. Using streetlights has different layers of meaning in the photographs, it can cast light on political corruption in Hungary or create a dreamy atmosphere on the streets portraits in London.\n\nIs currently residing in London, UK.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9988112449645996}
+{"content": "Celebrate America Recycles Day With Us\n\nCategory: Stories\nPosted on November, 14 2018\n\nDid you know that only nine percent of curbside plastics and 40 percent of electronics were recycled in 2015? According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the remaining plastics and electronics are either disposed of in landfills or incinerated at waste-to-energy facilities, which effectively means that these precious resources can’t be reclaimed.\n\nKeep America Beautiful, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting our planet, addresses these issues through its nationally recognized America Recycles Day.\n\nWith an increased focus on recycling and the circular economy across the United States, America Recycles Day is a stark reminder that as consumers, we can be doing much more to ensure the prosperity of our planet. At its core, America Recycles Day is a resource to explore recycling’s environmental benefits, proper disposal methods and the growing need for supportive infrastructure.\n\nAt Veolia, we are constantly developing and delivering sustainable solutions across industries to address the growing worldwide concerns around diminishing resources, increased waste generation and limited recycling capabilities.\n\nThrough household hazardous waste events, industry reclamation services and electronics mail-back programs, we address our customers’ most pressing problems and find innovative solutions to support the circular economy.\n\nSafeguarding Neighborhoods\n\nKeeping our communities safe depends on responsibly managing household hazardous materials that are found in homes across the country. Disposing of these wastes safely ensures that sanitation workers, pets and loved ones are safe from toxins.\n\nCities and municipalities are aware of the increasing need to address the collection of household hazardous materials to be recycled, blended for fuel or sent to hazardous waste treatment facilities. Across America, we help cities introduce drop-off locations and organize dedicated drop-off days to better manage household hazardous waste disposal.\n\nRecycling Solvents For Industries\n\nWhen you think of recycling, what probably comes to mind is your curbside blue bin. But, industries that use solvents in their operations can also take part in the conversation around reusing and reclaiming valuable resources.\n\nSolvents are used across industries and are critical in manufacturing. Recycling materials can generate cost savings and also minimize disposal costs through the use of processes such as tolling, beneficial reuse or reclamation. Accepting materials at five locations across the United States and Canada, we reach up to 99.5 percent minimum purity for selected materials while following the industry’s most stringent regulations.\n\nConvenient Disposal of Common Wastes\n\nThe EPA estimates that Americans purchase more than three billion batteries a year. Common household items like batteries and light bulbs can contain hazardous substances but also valuable resources that can be reclaimed. However, the proper disposal of these items can be viewed as inconvenient to consumers.\n\nWhile common in our everyday lives, fluorescent lamps, batteries and computer electronics are often improperly disposed of, which can have adverse effects on human health and the environment.\n\nTo address this, we developed RecyclePak®, a convenient recycling program, that allows homeowners and small businesses to easily and safely dispose of a wide range of items that we collect and recycle in a variety of ways.\n\nIn the spirit of America Recycles Day, we are providing a 15 percent discount on RecyclePak® with the special code, ARD15,* that can be used at prepaidrecycling.com until December 15th at 11:59 p.m.\n\nAs the holiday season approaches, it’s imperative to be conscious of our recycling habits and ensure that we are doing everything we can to protect our planet’s precious resources.\n\nStay up to date", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9747487902641296}
+{"content": "grade 4 language worksheets full size of free printable comprehension for reading 7 mafs4oa35\n\ngrade 4 language worksheets full size of free printable comprehension for reading 7 mafs4oa35.\n\nworksheets for types of sentences grade 3 4 digit addition and subtraction with regrouping adjectives worksheet sorting have fun teaching 5nbt6,worksheets for times tables ks2 4oa13 water cycle mafs4oa12,mafs4oa35 worksheets phonics 4 year olds number four writing counting and recognition activities for children 4nbt6,multiplication word problems worksheets for 5nbt6 grade 4 geometry nc4oa1,4 digit addition worksheets no regrouping homograph grade homographs printable free 3 and with english grammar,worksheets 4 math for times tables ks2 year olds free printable pdf multiplication grade double digit,mafs4oa13 worksheets worksheet 4 kinds of sentences grade reading comprehension mental arithmetic school math quizzes,vocabulary fun grade 3 4 worksheet worksheets for times tables year olds south africa common core 4oa3,mafs4oa12 worksheets 4 grade for math kindergarten free goal setting templates to manage your life,4 digit addition worksheets no regrouping 4oa1 grade science subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.\n\nadverbs worksheet 1 jewelry making 4 worksheets digit addition and subtraction no regrouping .\nstep worksheet pictures fourth worksheets 4 for math 6th grade .\nfree printable multiplying by 4 worksheets math .\n4 worksheets grade reading comprehension .\nyear 4 maths worksheets printable free mental math grade 5 multiplication primary teachers middle word fractions for .\nmental arithmetic worksheets grade 4 school math quizzes 4oa13 .\nword problems worksheets easy multiplication 4 mafs4oa1b .\ngrade multiplication worksheets problems for all download and share free on timed math 4 esl year olds .\n4 worksheets 4oa12 .\ntwo digit by multiplication worksheet worksheets for all 4 l esl year olds .\nfree 4 worksheets types of sentences 4th grade .\n4 worksheets 3 and digit addition with regrouping .\ngrade 4 geography worksheets kindergarten social world caps excel studies printable on for times tables ks2 .\n4 stages of the water cycle worksheets for year olds free printable pdf .\nprintable math worksheets grade 3 free for word problems mental 4 maths multiplication excellent photos worksheet 2 .\nlearn how to count and write number 4 with these printable activity worksheets for preschool kindergarten worksheet kinds of sentences .\nsocial studies grade 4 worksheets horizons 6 world history for science 5 kindergarten math 4th .\ndownload free printable worksheets 4 4nbt6 .\nsubtracting fraction worksheets subtraction worksheet for different denominators 4 math 4th grade .\nleast common multiples worksheets 4 for math kindergarten .\nprintable worksheets for 4 year addition activities kids games puzzles 4nbt6 common core .\nmath problems for 6 year 4 old worksheets word types of sentences .\nmultiplication worksheets grade 4 double digit 4oa1 .\npersonification worksheet medium size of sample simile vs metaphor kids worksheets for grade 4 times tables 2 5 10 .\ntracing numbers 3 and 4 worksheet worksheets grade reading comprehension .\nmissing operation worksheet all worksheets operations 4 cc4nbt6 .\nalgebra input output tables for and grade math worksheets grades 6 number patterns 4 free printable function worksheet times .\nmultiplying 4 digit by 2 numbers worksheets for 3 times tables .\nadjectives worksheet 4 sorting worksheets for maths grade 1 .\nfrench reading comprehension worksheets grade 4 free the stone age for 1 english .\nnumber line skip counting worksheets multiplication 2 3 4 5 for kinds of sentences according to structure .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999864101409912}
+{"content": "Modern Love\n\nEnd Of Relationships As We Know It\n\nThere is a certain way that males and females have been designed in our society, owing to our ancestors. In ancient times, in order to get a female, the male had to demonstrate power. The females wanted someone who can protect them from the wild and also give them strong off spring. The ultimate aim of the females was protection of themselves and their kids, hence they were not interested in going after multiple males. The males, on the other hand, wanted their legacy to continue forever. They wanted to make sure they sleep with as many women as possible so that their eggs get passed on safely, diversifying their risk. However, they didn’t want to be one of ‘many’ husbands because then it would not be clear who the father is, and investing in offspring that is not even yours is a waste of resources. To sum it all, how we are today in our relationships has to do a lot with biology and the wild.\n\nHistory also gives us some matriarchal societies in the world which do not go by the rule above, and women choose as many lovers as they want. Not knowing who the child’s father is, is not frowned upon. Women inherit property, and are the heads of the family looking after key decisions as well as the financials. The Mosuo in China, The AKA in Congo and Meghalaya in India are examples of these societies. These societies are a counter argument to biology, but given their few number, their survival is a question mark.\n\nToday, we are the modern versions of this history. We are still living around the boundaries defined by our history, however things are changing. The lines between patriarchy and matriarchy merge, as we move towards a more open and experimenting era. Since anybody can be anybody, people are now okay with stay at home dads, or open relationships where both partners have multiple lovers. Have we defeated biology at its game? It is too early to say as of yet. But there are multiple questions that we have been asking ourselves lately.\n\nAfter a certain phase in our life, most of us got over polygamy and opted for a simpler monogamous settlement. We were tired of being all over the place, and contained our heart in a solid space thereon. For the long run, that seemed the correct route to take. Feelings of possessiveness and jealousy were quite real, and hence marriage provided the security that we needed in our lives. However, the new generations are being raised in a different way, in a society and among people where new ideas have taken birth. There are examples of unconventional settlements, e.g. gay marriages, three people living together peacefully (little conflicts are bound to arise, but feelings like jealousy do not exist), without marriage, raising kids. People have accepted themselves as they are, be it not wanting to settle for just one person for the rest of their lives or owning their sexual orientation.\n\nThe options are so many, it really is about finding people who want the same things. Three, four or five, the number is really a choice. Kids no kids. Males or females or both. Groups or alone. There are as many combinations of relationships possible as many people in this world. The deeper question, however, is how does it affect us emotionally?\n\nLove gets selfish at times, when you don’t want to share because you feel threatened. People in open relationships will find themselves feeling rubbish if their partner has brought someone sexy in the house. Since the boundaries are not there anymore, nothing will stop their partner to fall in love with this new guy, who stands at a higher level of human biological hierarchy with a better height, stronger muscles, looks and great hair 😉 When the feelings of security and the ‘death do us part’s do not exist anymore, you cannot be certain that the person you are still in love with, will actually love you back.\n\nThis is a mental conundrum. Do you give your hundred percent to the relationship because you never know when you will be left alone. To save yourself of the trouble, you also keep your options open. Both of you might not find a next best alternative, so what will become of the person who does not? It has always been about the survival of the fittest. If you do not find anybody else, chances are that your combination of genes will die with you.\n\nEven concepts of family will become a little skewed with time. Would you even want to have kids with a partner that might cease to be with you any day. Raising kids is the parents’ job, and one person alone would not want to take all of the responsibility. If the marriage/settlement has no future, would people want to invest in a family. These are the questions nobody can give an answer to right now. History, changing norms and biology play a tango at the moment, but only the fittest will survive.\n\nWhen no feeling exists, what feelings will exist? As we evolve into different human beings with new norms in the society, will feelings also evolve? As relationships change, the feelings of love, possession, security and jealousy will need to be redefined. Even the concepts of marriage and cheating will have new meaning now. Biological traits however change slowly as compared to social norms. We need to ask ourselves, as we move towards a more ‘follow your heart’ kind of a society, are we becoming more animalistic in characteristics? Are we ready to let our basic desires drive us by giving our heart a free reign? What impact will it have on our future and our bodies? Will the moral codes in the society get affected by these new concepts? Will religion become irrelevant as technology disrupts definitions? Will biology adjust to these emerging ideas of social relationships?\n\nOnly time will be our answer, given we make it!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9767658114433289}
+{"content": "Austin Sports Medicine: Immunity Foods, Part 2\n\nIt’s time for another Austin Sports Medicine 101 class!\n\nWe all want to keep our immune systems in tiptop shape, and we see all sorts of supplements that claim to do so. But why not start with the food you eat every day? Today is the second in our series of five foods that will give your immunity a boost.\n\nBelieve it or not, beef is a great immunity booster. Beef contains zinc, one of the most important nutrients for immunity function. Zinc deficiency can increase your risk of infection. So those of you who may not be getting enough zinc, especially vegetarians, make sure you get it from some other source. Beans, nuts and whole grains also contain zinc.\n\nOmnivores can focus on that beef or other red meats because it contains the highest concentration of the mineral. Go for high-quality lean beef and couple it with spinach and whole grains for a hearty winter immunity boosting meal.\n\nRemember, your first defense against sickness is keeping your immune system in shape. A high concentration of zinc, such as found in beef, will benefit your immune system.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.848541259765625}
+{"content": "Geri Anasayfa\n\n\nHistory and Emergence of the Mennonite Church\n\nThe Mennonite Church is an Anabaptist movement founded by Menno Simons, influenced by the reform movement that happened in the 16th century in the Netherland. Menno Simons, a Catholic priest, was influenced by Protestant and Sakramentarian movements during the reform. The first, the problems with the practice of Menno's Catholic Church are the turn of the bread into the real flesh of Jesus, and the wine into the true blood of Jesus, during the bread wine ceremony. In this regard, Menno stated that the he explored the Bible in depth, and that the bread and wine did not turn into the true flesh and bood of Jesus. According to Bible, he believed that this was a memorial commemorating Jesus' last dinner. Menno consulted this problem with Martin Luther, Martin Bucer, and Heinrich Bullinger, the leading reformers of the time, but he did not receive a satisfactory response. The second problem, Menno heard about those who rejected the practice of infant baptism and practiced adult baptism, and so he noticed this issue. Menno investigated the Bible about it and claimed that all Christianity was deceived, saying that no information had passed on the bible about the infant baptism. Meanwhile, Melchior Hoffmann, one of the representatives of the Anabaptist movement, Melchiorite set up the Melchiorite baptism movement. Because of this, Hoffman was arrested. After Hoffman's arrest, Jan van Geelen, who replaced him, rebelled against the government with the attempt to establish the New Jerusalem Kingdom. However, this revolt was suppressed in a bloody manner and took its place in history in the name of Münster Defeat. In this battle, Menno Simons' s brother Peter Simons died. This incident also was one of the reasons why Menno Simons left the Catholic Church. Menno Simons compared himself to these people who did not refrain from sacrificing their lives for their own beliefs, and realized that it was the time to move on. In 1536, he left the Catholic Church. Thus, Menno started to spread his beliefs as an Anabaptist. The purpose of this study is to explain the emergence of the Mennonite Church and its history.\n\nReform, Anabaptist, Menno Simons, Mennonite Church, Catolic.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9147888422012329}
+{"content": "I Do Not Share What I have Learned\n\nTo Change Your Beliefs\n\n\n\nTo Reacquaint You With Laws of Creation\n\n\nNor To Argue Points of Differences\n\n\nHow Deep is the Strength of Sunlight?\n\nHow Deep is the Strength of Sunlight?\n\nSome of the recent blogs referred to the strength of Sunlight; which was translated in the KJB as Samson. \n\nAmongst the stories, we explored the lover of the strength of Sunlight as being the Little Streamlet.  The Little Streamlet loved the Sunlight so much that it produced trees that overshadowed itself.\n\nSaturday January 29, 2011 the New Mexican  newspaper ran a story in the Life and Science division.  “Tools point to earlier human exit from Africa.”\n\nThe point I want to make  comes from this statement. \n\n[emember_protected scope=not_logged_in_users_only] “The tools were dated using optically stimulated luminescence, which is able to date the sand grains on top of the tools and determine when they were last explosed to light, explained Simon J. Armitage of the University of London.”\n\nThese tools are between 100,000 and 125,000 years ago.  The light that shone on them then, is still revealing itself to us today. \n\nWe are called grains of sand.  We are called light.  We are called salt.  We are called trees. I ask you how deep does the Sunlight go in this human kingdom?  When were we last exposed to light?  Or has it never stopped shining?\n\nThe  circular mitDNA which is our link to the earliest human bones, is the power of the house.  It generates all the necessary power to run this human body houseFemale non gender word. It is an unbroken link mother to child.  It is called the Life giver; translated in KJB as Eve.  Why?  Because it was the first rib of light shining on the melting White Mountain of ice.\n\n100,000 years ago is much older than the scrolls from which the KJB was translated.  The scrolls are clearly about an ice age, written by the human pen a little less than 4,000 years ago.  Which is the strongest supporting evidence of human evolution.  The myths of religious HABITS or the evidences  being produced by our ELDERS.\n\nMaybe it is an ice axe that needs axeto be used so we can find the light.\n\nSimon is a form of Simeon.  The KJB took the word that means HEARING and translated it into Simeon.   Simon in the New Testament refers back to Simeon of the Old Testament.\n\n What sounds is the earth emitting regarding the depth of the strength of Sunlight?\n\nIs it moaning of the trees, roar of the seas, lapping of the water on the seashore as the Sunlight is receding?  Is it the sound of rain tapping on the steel roof as the Sunlight pushes through the clouds?\n\nIs it the song of the birds that wakes the creation every morning as the Strength of the Sunlight rises once again?\n\nMaybe it is the icy heart of the MASTER HUMAN KINGDOM melting under the power of Sunlight.[/emember_protected]\n\nWhat sounds does the Strength of Sunlight make in your life?\n\nIs Hearing Attached to a good report?  This would be Simeon and Levi in the KJB.\n\nWhat tool do we need to dig under the 750,000 English words dumped on top of the approximately 10,000 original words?  Where we will find buried, the Egyptian Treasury of Glorious Rest.\n\nWant to know more, become a subscriber\n\nWhat is the Parentage of Sunlight?\n\nWhat is the Parentage of Sunlight?\n\nWhere is the Strength of Sunlight Buried?\n\nRemember, this blogging site is all about what the original texts said.  Text from which the King James Bible, KJB was translated.\n\nSunlight is found in the book EXPOSED, translated in KJB as Judges.  Written about 1126BC in a place called Palestine.  This place may or may not be the same place designated today as Palestine.  However, the writing was laid down more than 500 years after the 1688BC writings of the first five books translated in the KJB. \n\nRemember these five books are not the oldest writings that the human pen scribed.  The oldest is HATED translated in KJB as Job.\n\nIn this blog I am not going to give you the words that KJB used.  Sunlight’s parentage can easily be discovered, if there is an understanding about the alpha, FIRST, translated in KJB as Genesis. (more…)\n\nSource of My Cherokee Medicine\n\nMy Cherokee Mother’s Breast\n\nThe words Cherokee were never spoken in my family.  Being native american was not a wise thing to share with the world in those days.\n\nNot until I was past the first fifty cycles of life did I know for certain.  Nonetheless the milk of that Cherokee breast flowed into my being.  It is not the word Cherokee that is important.  What is important is doing, living, being that Cherokee word of non interferrence. (more…)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8510912656784058}
+{"content": "\n\n\nNov 18, 2005 03:48 AM\nby W.Dallas TenBroeck\n\nNovember 18, 2005\n\n\nBy W. Q. Judge\n\nIn consequence of a book with this title having been written by A. P.\nSinnett, much controversy and inquiry has arisen, on the one hand, as to\nwhat Esoteric Buddhism is and on the other, as to whether there be any such\n\nThe term as it has been used since the Theosophical Society began to be the\nmeans of bringing the sublime philosophies of the East before a large body\nof students, is held to refer to some hitherto hidden knowledge or\nexplanation of the laws governing the evolution of the universe. \nWhile there is in fact an Esoteric Buddhism, some other name for the book\nreferred to might have been perhaps better, because the student speedily\nfinds that there is no essential difference between Esoteric Buddhism and\nEsoteric Brahmanism, although as a matter of history, the Brahmans drove the\nBuddhists out of India, several hundred years after the death of Buddha. \n\nIf the title selected had been \"Esoteric Brahmanism,\" it would have done\njust as well. \n\n\nIn briefly considering the matter then, it must be understood that we are\nnot confined solely to Buddhism but to what would be more properly called\nthe \"Esoteric doctrine,\" which underlies Brahmanism and Buddhism alike. And\nit should also be well understood that much that is now called \"Esoteric\" by\nus, has been long known in India and cannot therefore be properly said to be\n\nVery much as the secret meaning of the Hebrew Bible has been plainly before\nthe eyes of all in what is known among the rabbins as the Kabalah, so this\nEsoteric doctrine has been buried in the Indian scriptures for ages under\nmany allegories, the key to which has been held by the Brahmans, the priests\nof India, and they, like the priests of other religions, have kept that key\nto themselves or thrown it away. \n\nA very good illustration of this may be found in the story of Draupadi, who\nis said to have been the wife of all the five Pandu brothers at the same\ntime, as related in the great epic poem of the Aryans, the Mahabharata. This\nis taken as proof by many prominent orientalists of the existence of\npolyandry in India at that period. \n\nThe key to the story is found in the Indian psychological system, which\nlocates in the human body five vital centers. The union of these centers is\nin this system said to take place when a man has become completely master of\nhimself and is called the marriage of Draupadi with the five Pandus, as\nthose vital centers are the Pandus.\n\nIn the Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Edwin Arnold under the title of The Song\nCelestial, the entire doctrine called Esoteric Buddhism may be found; and\nthis book is held in the highest esteem by both Brahmans and Buddhists. The\nreason why this doctrine has not been long ago apparent to us is because of\nthe extremely narrow way in which all Indian psychology and philosophy has\nhitherto been regarded, with the aid of such eminent authority as Max\n\n\nIt has been said above that the Bhagavad-Gita contains all of this Esoteric\ndoctrine, but while such is the case it cannot be found in its entirety\nwithout the key. That key was deliberately suppressed at the time of the\ndriving out of the Buddhists from India when the Pauranikas, or those who\nfollowed the ancient Puranas, were desirous of concealing the similarity\nbetween Buddhism and Brahmanism. \n\nThe missing key is said to be contained in a work three times as bulky as\nthe Mahabharata, and to have been carried away by the Buddhist Initiates;\nand the tradition now claims that in Ceylon at the Kandy Temple is a copy.\nIt is from this key that whatever is new in Mr. Sinnett's book has been\ntaken, although it is improbable that he was aware of that fact.\n\n\nMost orthodox Aryans believe that the universe came out of something, while\na few say that it came out of nothing. The Esoteric doctrine reconciles\nthese by saying that that something is no thing. The particular sect which\nholds to the coming out of nothing is known as the Madhyamika, and is not\n\nThe exoteric Indian philosophies, call the Universe, Brahma, consisting of\n(Sat) absolute existence, (Chit) absolute intelligence and (Ananda) absolute\nbliss, with two other divisions called (Nama) name and (Rupa) form. \n\nThe Esoteric doctrine does not content itself with a mere metaphysical\njuggling with these terms, but goes to the length of claiming to explain the\nmethod of universal evolution and the hidden things in nature. This of\ncourse includes declarations in regard to the state of the soul of man\npreceding birth and his condition and course after death. \n\n\nAs to the course of evolution, it is said, as far as our solar system is\nconcerned, that there are seven planets corresponding to a seven fold\ndivision of man's nature which are necessary to carry out the process. This\nearth is one of these and the other planets known to astronomy are not\nnecessarily a part of that portion of the process so far given out. \n\nIn these this earth is the turning point where the soul of man begins its\nconscious career. \n\n\nHere, after having passed through all forms of animate and inanimate life he\nbegins to come consciously under the operation of the law of Karma, which is\na law demanding complete compensation for every act, word and thought, and\nwhich results in removing the idea of the possibility of a vicarious\natonement; and here he is born over and over again, reaping in each life the\nexact results due to him from the life preceding, and being therefore at any\none instant of time the exact product or resultant of all his previous lives\nand experiences. So that these two doctrines of Karma and Rebirth, are\ninterwoven one with the other.\n\nAfter death the real man -- the ego -- goes to what the Christians call\nHeaven, and which in the East is called Devachan. The words of the\nBhagavad-Gita will best enunciate this. In Chapter VI, Arjuna asks, \n\n\"Whither O Krishna, doth the man go after death, who although he be endowed\nwith faith, hath not obtained perfection in his devotion?\" \n\nTo which Krishna replied: \n\n\"His destruction is found neither here nor in the world above. A man whose\ndevotions have been broken off by death, having enjoyed for an immensity of\nyears the rewards of his virtues in the regions above, is at length born\nagain. . . . Being thus born again he resumes in his new body the same habit\nhe had before acquired and the same advancement of the understanding and\nhere he begins again his labor (where he left it off).\"\n\n\nThis law applies to all, righteous or not, and the period of rest which is\nhad in Devachan is the exact length of time the spiritual energy stored up\nin earth life will last. The length of time one stays in Devachan has been\nput by one or two English writers at fifteen hundred years, but this is\nerroneous, for the stay there depends in each particular instance upon the\napplication of the immutable law to the facts of that case. \n\nThe Devachanic period is the great resting spell for all, and is one of the\nmeans provided by Nature for preventing a total degradation. During that\nstate the Ego acquires some goodness for the next earth life, and when the\nEgo of a man who had before been extremely wicked is reborn, the new\npersonality has to feel the consequences of all the evil done in that\npreceding life but comes to the task with the aid of the good influences of\nthe rest in Devachan.\n\n\nThe doctrine does not leave out of view the different races of men, but in\nthis instance the word \"races\" must be extended in its meaning so that it\nincludes not merely a few varieties, such as ethnologists now admit, but\ngathers several of those varieties into one class. \n\nThose races were developed as man himself developed different senses and\ndifferent uses for them, and as the necessity for each race ceased, that\nrace gradually almost disappeared, leaving now on earth only a few examples\nof each. In this way each ego had to pass successively through all the great\nraces with their offshoots and being in every case subject to the law that\nit could not pass on to any new race until the one to which it belonged had\nfinished its course and become converted into another. \n\nThis law is capable of modification in the case of adepts -- sometimes\ncalled Mahatmas -- who by the use of another law are able to rise above the\nlimitations to which the ordinary man is subject.\n\nThe different races come and go, according to this doctrine, for enormous\nperiods of time and all forms of life and nature pass and repass, until the\nhour arrives when the universal dissolution takes place. This dissolution is\ncalled the end of the Manvantara, and the name for it is Pralaya. \n\n\nThe succeeding chaotic period is known as the night of Brahma and is said to\nbe as long as the Day, each lasting one thousand ages. When the night ends\nthen all manifested nature begins again to appear as before, the\nevolutionary process commencing with nebulous matter or fire mist which\ncools gradually into various planets and stars where come forth forms of\n\nEach world is held to be subject in its own small way to the law governing\nthe outbreathing and inbreathing of the whole, just as man has his own\npralaya each night in sleep and his great, or Maha pralaya, at death. So it\nfollows that while in one solar system a minor pralaya had covered all with\nnight, other systems might be perfecting their evolution, until the Maha\npralaya when the whole manifested universe of Brahma comes to an end. From\nthis follows the doctrine held by some Indian pandits, that Brahma\ncontaining potentially all manifested nature -- or manifestable nature --\nconverts itself into the Universe, and in no case creates anything but\nleaves all to be regularly evolved.\n\nMuch detail, very necessary for a proper understanding of the subject, has\nbeen omitted, but even from this inadequate view of only a portion of the\nEsoteric Doctrine, it will be seen that it is one which has a perfect scheme\nof evolution where both spirit and matter are given their proper places.\n\n>From THE THEOSOPHICAL FORUM, October 15, 1934, pp. 33-37.\n\n\n\n[Back to Top]\n\nTheosophy World: Dedicated to the Theosophical Philosophy and its Practical Application", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6150716543197632}
+{"content": "Mental health is America’s highest –but worst treated– healthcare cost\n\nMental health is America’s highest –but worst treated– healthcare cost\n\nLow and bad treatment for mental health continues in the U.S.\n\nMental health is real, and it’s costing a lot of money.\n\n1 in 5 adults across the country deals with such conditions. However, 56% of American adults with the illness did not receive treatment.\n\nThe Huffington Post reported the United States spent an estimated $201 billion on mental disorders in 2013, and since then, it has become the most costly medical condition in the U.S.\n\nMental conditions have existed always, however, it was until 1986 when psychological health conditions were accounted to improve public health.\n\nThe dangerous matter is that mental health conditions continue to grow and cost the economy a ton of money. Just a decade ago, the cost of heart conditions exceeded the price of mental disorders, but tables have changed, as nearly one in four people in the U.S. will experience a mental health condition at some point in his or her life.\n\nThis problem has also resulted in a lack of seeking help, as negative perceptions surrounding mental illness often prevent people from seeking treatment, creating deadly consequences with those battling the conditions.\n\nHealthCare Recruiters (2016)\n\nNo treatment equals more imprisonment and less productivity at work\n\nLess access to mental healthcare is proven to mean a higher rate of imprisonment.\n\nStates like Alabama and Arkansas had the least access to care and the highest rate of imprisonment.\n\nIn other key findings on how mental health conditions hurt the local economy, the National Alliance on Mental Illness has shown this can result in a negative impact of businesses.\n\nAllegedly, serious mental illnesses result in approximately $193 billion in lost earnings per year.\n\nApproximately 11.5 days of reduced productivity are registered for every three months for an individual with depression. And 60% of America workers don’t disclose an anxiety condition to their employers, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America\n\nGathering and providing up-to-date data is the best way to take on the increasing risk of mental health as it threatens to reach a total of 238.4 billion dollars in U.S. expenditure for mental health services by 2020.\n\nWith information from HealthCare Recruiters and Mental Health America\n\n\nAbout the Author:\n\nPablo Hernandez\nerror: Content is protected !!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9641212224960327}
+{"content": "Chief Operating Officer / Manager at Ultimus Holdings\n\n&nbsp;Ultimus Holdings is a global investment company with the sole purpose of contributing to the sustainable development of African economies. Our investing deployment is broad-based and long-term. We specifically invest is sectors that demonstrates growth; leveraging our sector expertise in ensuring we become market leaders in all operational portfolios.We are recruiting to fill the position below:Job Title: Chief Operating Officer / ManagerLocation:&nbsp;LagosJob SummaryThe ideal candidate must have functioned in a managerial position in at least one of these industries.The Ideal candidate is responsible for setting operational strategy and managing all operational activities for Ultimus Integrated (a sub operational entity under Ultimus Holdings).This role entails the planning, directing and overseeing of the company&rsquo;s operational policies, rules, initiatives, and goals. It also entails driving a team to execute long-term and short-term plans and directives by implementing judgement, vision, management, and leadership to ensure financial strength and operating efficiency.Main Duties and ResponsibilitiesYou will be responsible for:Collaborating with the vice president in setting and driving organizational vision and operational strategyTranslating strategy into actionable goals for performance and growth helping to implement organization-wide goal setting, performance management, and annual operating planningAnalyze internal operations and identify areas of process enhancementEffectively manage labor, productivity, quality control and safety measures as established and set for Ultimus Integrated.Develop actionable business strategies and plans that ensure alignment with short-term and long-term objectives developed in tandem with the vice presidentAggressively manage capital investment and expenses to ensure the company achieves targets relative to growth and profitabilityMonitor performance with tracking and establish corrective measures as needed, and prepare detailed reports, both current and forecastingMaintain and build trusted relationships with key customers, clients, partners, and stakeholdersPositively represent the company at all times through a success-oriented and professional demeanorResponsible for driving the company to achieve and surpass sales, profitability, cash flow and business goals and objectives and other related activities.&nbsp;\n\nApply at", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9434348940849304}
+{"content": "How much does it cost to run an electric stove (one burner) per hour appx?\n\nMy friend keeps the stovetop burner on low for 6 hours DAILY to warm up something. It is only on the warm setting though. How much approximately do you think this costs for electric (since it is an electric stovetop) per hour? THANKS!\n3 answers 3", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9987176656723022}
+{"content": "Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC)\n\nWhere children are heard.\n\nChildren’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) serve children and adolescents who are believed to be victims of abuse—most frequently, sexual abuse.\n\nMost children don’t immediately disclose that they’ve been sexually abused. Many don’t tell for months or even years; some never tell. It can be a difficult story to tell.\n\nBefore CACs, a child would have to repeat his story to different professionals over the course of weeks or months. This uncoordinated approach often left the child and her family feeling alone and confused. It also made it difficult for investigators to have a clear picture of what happened.\n\nChildren’s Advocacy Centers are designed to be a child-friendly place where a child can feel safe telling her story. There she is interviewed one-on-one by someone who is specially-trained to take her statement. Agencies involved in the investigation come together at the CAC to observe the interview, often through a closed-circuit video feed. Members from those agencies and the CAC will form a team that continues to work on behalf of the child.\n\nWhere children can heal.\n\nFor a child and her family, the effects of abuse can be felt long after the case is closed. The impact of trauma from these hurts can be devastating and far-reaching.\n\nThe ability of the child to heal will be greatly influenced by what happens after he discloses. In addition to helping the child to tell his story, Children’s Advocacy Centers ensure that a family isn’t left by themselves to figure out how to cope. CACs work with parents and other non-offending caregivers to identify ways to nurture healthy relationships with and promote resiliency in the child. CACs also provide access to trauma-informed, evidenced-based therapy to help victims become survivors, and more importantly, helping survivors get back to their childhoods.\n\nThese services are provided at no cost to the children and families seen at the CAC.\n\nThe Team\n\nIf a child does not have access to a CAC, she may end up having to tell the worst part of her life over-and-over again to different investigators and other professionals.\n\nAfter the child has told her story at a CAC, a team that includes prosecution, law enforcement, child protective services, medical professionals, mental health providers, victim advocates, and other professionals involved in the case.\n\nNetwork of Hope\n\nJacob’s Story.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9687901139259338}
+{"content": "Archive for March, 2013\n\nWhat Is Bitrate & Why Is It Important?\n\nMarch 15th, 2013, posted in Hardware, Internet\n\n\nHowever, while this increase in speed and quality has a number of factors, a lot of it relates to something called bitrate.\nWhat bitrate means depends on the context in which you use it, but it’s very important to know what it is, and what benefits it could potentially bring you (or what you should instead be expecting).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6884052753448486}
+{"content": "Dr. Andrew Krause, ND Ottawa Fullscript\n\nDr. Andrew Krause ND is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor in private practice in Kitchener and Mississauga. In addition to his education in Naturopathic Medicine, Dr. Krause is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Certified Sports Nutritionist, and yoga instructor.\n\nIn his practice, Dr. Krause works with individuals and teams to improve their health and performance, and lectures across Eastern Canada on the topic of natural health product regulation, sports nutrition, and behavioural psychology. Dr. Krause is a Senior Account Manager for Fullscript, and in his spare time he bakes sourdough bread from scratch.\n\nMore From Dr. Andrew Krause\n\nGMP supplements\n\nWhat is GMP and Why is it Important?\n\nGood Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are checks and measures to ensure that supplements are authentic.\n\npatient compliance\n\n5 Ways to Improve Treatment Plan Compliance\n\nPatient compliance is an important part of any therapeutic relationship and understanding how to improve the chance that patients follow through on your recommendations can be an easy way to improve patient outcomes.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8233652114868164}
+{"content": "Tapas for Bassoon and Cello\n\nMayse, Jon Tapas Score-13.png\n\nTapas is suite of miniatures, based on the Spanish small-plates cuisine of the same name. The premise is the performers are free to pick and choose which \"tapas\" they want to perform, just as a diner would only eat the dishes that appealed to them. Contained in this suite are pieces based on extended techniques, such as harmonics, multiphonics, microtones, and percussive noises, as well as pieces based on styles, such as the French overture or a canon on a slinky, \"Pink Panther\"-style melody.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.996410608291626}
+{"content": "Jan 17, 2017\n\nStretching the Truth\n\nLying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight. Proverbs 12: 22\n\nLying is a sin! No sugar coating! No prancing…\n\nApr 30, 2016\n\nPretty Little Lies\n\nHave you ever stop to think, is there any truth in what your reading?\n\n“Plato, in his Republic, helps give an answer. In this book, Socrates recounts the…\n\nPope Francis There is No Hell Fire; Adam + Eve Are Not Real. This headline has been circulating the internet since 2013! The Pope never made that statement…", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.986417293548584}
+{"content": "Tagged: Hyperactivity\n\ninattention,hyperactivity,impulsivity,Symptoms of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder 0\n\nSymptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder\n\nAttention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are largely influenced by the patient’s environment and can also resemble symptoms of other disorders. Among children, the situation is further complicated because the...\n\nadhd, adhd symptoms, Attention Deficit disorder, 1\n\nHow to Identify symptoms and causes of my ADHD child?\n\nInattention, Hyperactivity, and Impulsivity are common phenomena for ADHD child. Children are naturally inquisitive and soft-minded. But when a child gets too overwhelmed and chaotic at the home/ school or sometimes they cannot concentrate...\n\nADHD treatment brain disorder Child ADHD Does my kid have ADHD? DSM Hyperactivity Impulsivity Inattenti 27\n\nHow to manage ADHD in Children?\n\nMeaning of  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD) The term ADHD means Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder which is a brain disorder. There have other terms which indicate ADHD in Children like “attention deficit disorder”, “Hyperkinetic disorder”...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7463197708129883}
+{"content": "\n\n\nCloud hosting sometimes gets confused with a virtual private server, or VPS. Both configurations rely on the virtualization of physical server resources. Although a cloud server can be called a VPS, a VPS is not a cloud server. One of the key differences, aside from the infrastructure configurations, is the payment model — the automation and vast network associated with cloud hosting enables providers to offer cheaper, pay-as-you-go solutions that can be scaled up or down at a moment’s notice.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999396800994873}
+{"content": "Those Obnoxious Fairies is the 17th Proposed Serial of Spectral Shadows. It is preceded by Serial 16 - Fantasia, A World Made out of Dreams and succeeded by Serial 18 - The World of the Anthrodroids. This serial is currently not in the works, and the only material available is the summary from the Synopsis Page.\n\nThe summary is as follows:\n\nThe crew of the Rocinantè next journey to a world of fairies and humanimals were there is not a whole lot of danger or adventure, but a lot of romance and silliness.\n\nThis is a planet The Rebel Alliance had set up for displaced life forms during the age of The Astral Pirates. But so much time has past that few remember the origin of the planet.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9769213795661926}
+{"content": "5 Easy Ways to Continue Learning\n\n\nAs the head of my company, my workload is high. Between working with clients, managing staff, meetings, traveling and endless emails, I don't have a lot of free time to stop to learn something new. Yet, just like other entrepreneurs, I know that learning might be the most important thing I should be doing.\n\nWhy be so concerned about learning? Quite simply, we live in a quickly changing world. Innovative technologies revolutionize the way we do things. I need to stay on top of these changes for my business to remain relevant and relate to the people I work with, day in and day out.\n\nKnowing the latest trends in industry technologies also helps me create more efficient solutions. Staying on top of regulations and rules helps me understand the problems my clients are facing so that I can offer better solutions as well. The implementation of the recent credit card chip is a good example: retailers accepting credit cards must ensure their payment processing is compliant. Sharing the information I have with my clients protects them, and helps me showcase my expertise.\n\nYet, like others, my problem isn't really having the motivation to learn; it's finding the time. Learning also doesn't have to mean sitting in class. Here's my five-step approach:\n  1. Prioritize your time. If I can't find the time, I have to make it. By committing to my desire to learn, I create space in my calendar to make it happen. I mark myself as \"offline\" and turn on the \"Do Not Disturb\" setting on my phone.\n  2. Make the most of conferences and meetings. While conferences can be a beating, they are also designed to be an intense learning opportunity. I carefully choose the conferences I attend. First, I look at who else is attending whom I might benefit from seeing (customers and referral partners), and then I look at the conference sessions offered. If both are worthwhile, I attend.\n  3. Join a group. I am a member of multiple national entrepreneurs' organizations that offer networking, forums, group coaching and educational opportunities locally. These activities give me multiple opportunities to learn, from the fellow entrepreneurs I meet to the speakers and courses offered.\n  4. Read what you can. I'll admit that reading a book or magazine frequently falls last on my list of ways to learn, not because I don't like to read but because I drop off into sleep. If there is a book I feel I must read, I make it a group project by asking my management team to read it and schedule a time to discuss how our company can benefit from the content.\n  5. Teach a class or a lesson. The most powerful learning motivation for me is teaching. If I really need to learn a new technology, I schedule a webinar to teach others how to use it, for example. The pressure of the deadline ensures that I keep focused on learning the tool. Developing the webinar content allows me to gain a thorough understanding.\nI haven't even broached the topic of learning something fun, such as how to play tennis, speak Italian or cook Thai food. I really haven't had time to add those to the mix at this point in my career. But I probably should -- after all, all learning is good learning.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.739955484867096}
+{"content": "Special memberships\n\nMembership options for freelance journalists, students and communications professionals.\n\n\n\nStudent Media membership gives you access to MEAA, Women in Media and Walkleys networking and skills development events such as training and functions, helping you make the transition from hopeful outsider to well-connected insider.\n\nCommsPro is for modern communications professionals including media and public relations officers, social media officers, digital communicators, copywriters, website or multimedia producers, speechwriters and combinations of those jobs. Membership includes access to quarterly skills workshops and career development days, an annual awards night, mentoring through Women in Media and ctions, activities and advocacy to win and protect good jobs in our sector.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9344897866249084}
+{"content": "Pinar Bilgin\n\nThe question at the top of this post probably doesn’t keep you awake at night. If it does, that means you have been following the 1990s debates on which approach to adopt (explaining or understanding), which question comes first (epistemology or ontology), or whether commensurability is possible (whether it is desirable to search for approaches that can be evaluated through each other’s categories and standards).\n\nIn the past decade, debates surrounding this question have taken a turn that is not entirely helpful to new entrants to the field. This is because of the emergence of so-called ‘non-Western’ approaches to the study of world politics. These approaches are presumed to respond to the parochialism of ‘Western’ IR, helping to address its limitations. Yet, those who have turned their attention to the self-styled ‘non-Western’ approaches were quick to discover that these ‘new’ approaches often propose to replace one parochialism with another. As students of world politics, we should not reduce the question heading this blog to the unhelpful ‘Western/non-Western’ binary but think about it in new terms instead.\n\nLet us start from the beginning. Why is parochialism a limitation for IR? It is not because the most famous institutions of the field originated in the UK and US. Nor is it only because the ideas ‘we’ are most familiar(ised) with are traced to ‘European’ thinkers. It is not only where ideas come from (i.e. their ‘situatedness’) that is our concern. Parochialism is a concern, for we often remain oblivious to the implications such ‘situatedness' has had on ‘our’ knowledge about the international.\n\nHere, there is one irony and one contradiction.\n\nThe irony is that IR, by definition, is expected to help us make sense of the international. But how do we make sense of the international if the ideas of those who also constitute the international are not considered? Such discrepancy between what IR promises (insight into the international) and what many approaches offer (‘particular’ perspectives on the international that are sometimes presented as ‘universal’) continues to limit us, notwithstanding the significant progress that has been made in the past decades.\n\nAnd here is the contradiction. The contributions of ‘others’ are not there insofar as we continue to trace the presumed ‘origins’ of key concepts and ideas to ‘European’ traditions of thought. They are there as the ‘constitutive outside’, understood as the ideas and experiences of ‘others’ who have shaped ‘us’ even as ‘we’ are not aware of and/or acknowledge what ‘we’ owe each other. As such, the concept of ‘constitutive outside’ highlights a contradiction that is central to thinking post-colonially about the international: that others’ ideas and experiences have shaped world politics and yet these contributions and contestations have not been acknowledged explicitly in scholarly studies on the international (see, for example, David Blaney and Naeem Inayatullah and Pal Ahluvalia).\n\nThe irony is our legacy. We have inherited IR’s parochial limitations from the previous generations. The contradiction cannot be resolved but it can be thought through. To do this we must not get too bogged down in debates on binaries (Western/non-Western, one world/many worlds…). Instead, I suggest that we follow the lead of scholars who have been studying the ways in which our ideas and institutions have been ‘intertwined’, to borrow a phrase from the literary scholar Edward Said.\n\nThe method of study that these scholars adopt is Said’s method of choice: that of ‘contrapuntal reading’, which he borrowed from music and adapted to literary critique. This allows us to appreciate that while all people make history, they have unequal access to power, which, in turn, shapes the way history is written. Consider for example ‘our’ research into human rights. Contemporary debates on human rights often reach an impasse between those who claim ‘Western’ ownership of human rights and those who reject them for the same reason, i.e. ‘Western’ origins. It is possible to locate the multiple beginnings of core ideas and institutions such as democracy and human rights in different parts of the world. More importantly for our purposes, postcolonial scholars studying the ‘connections’ and ‘communications’ between the world’s peoples have challenged both the assumption that human rights is an exclusively ‘Western’ invention, and the presumption that other ways of thinking about human rights would likely be narrower (see the writings of Siba Grovogui for instance). The point here is that inquiring into multiple ‘beginnings’ and ‘connected histories’ of key ideas such as ‘human rights’ will help us render IR less parochial. It is not about inventing new parochialisms in the name of ‘non-Western’ IR.\n\nThis is not to underestimate the significance of research that looks into IR’s ‘problem of difference’ (see, for example, Cynthia Weber, Naeem Inayatullah and David Blaney). However, I follow Said who wrote that the point is ‘to convey a more urgent sense of the interdependence between things’.  Accordingly, ‘our’ task, as students of world politics, becomes one of moving beyond seeking to warrant our research with recourse to a self-referential history of ideas (be it ‘European’, or ‘Chinese’ or ‘Arab’) but rather to look at how ideas have been produced, their multiple origins and their uses in different parts of the world.\n\nIn his 1993 book Culture and Imperialism, Said wrote that ‘Survival, in fact, is about the connections between things’. Over the past decade, an increasing number of scholars have explored and analysed these ‘connections’. Some are interested in the investigation of the self/other relationship (e.g. Iver Neumann, L.H.M. Ling); others have focused on the impact that global socio-economic relations have had on the production of ideas and things in different places (e.g. John Hobson, Tarak Barkawi, Vivienne Jabri).  Another group of scholars has looked at ideational give-and-take between people worldwide (e.g. Siba Grovogui, Sandra Halperin, Robbie Shilliam and Gurminder Bhambra). Quite simply, an alternate way of responding to the question of how we engage with the world has been taking shape in IR and the broader social sciences: studying how ‘we’ have been connected.\n\n\nPinar Bilgin is Professor of International Relations at Bilkent University.  This blog post draws on and reflects upon a chapter with the same title to be published in International Relations Theory Today, 2nd ed., Ken Booth and Toni Erskine, eds. (Polity 2016).\n\nImage: Simone Busatto", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9290107488632202}
+{"content": "Dr Bridget Steer Profile Picture.jpg\n\nDr Bridget Steer\n\nBridget grew up in Brisbane and completed her medical degree at University of Queensland. She undertook the majority of her training working in regional Queensland towns. Working in smaller, less resourced areas has fostered Bridget's strong advocacy for her patients and her belief in the importance of preventative health.\n\nBridget has a keen interest in women's health, including mental health and reproductive medicine and has completed training for Implanon insertion and removal. She has additional formal qualifications in palliative care.\n\nWhen not at Healthy Women, Bridget works in medical education, helping to train new general practitioners.\n\nOutside of work, Bridget enjoys reading, listening to podcasts and finding toddler-friendly cafes.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9992400407791138}
+{"content": "Borderlines, Talbot Rice Gallery\n\nBorderlines is a politically driven, mixed-media exhibition in The Talbot Rice Gallery, curated by its director, Tessa Giblin. It includes a variety of curiosities, such as giant sugar cubes, framed photos of Irish country roads, and Mediterranean blueprints. What links these oddities is the complication of socio-economic and physical borders. Giblin seeks to encapsulate these complexities through artists such as Willie Doherty and Amalia Pica.\n\nImmediately, the sugar cubes stand out when entering the exhibition. Spanning three rooms, there is a vast amount to digest. What better way to start than with something seemingly sweet? Van Brummelen and De Hann’s Monument of Sugar (2007) reveals the effects of EU inflation on sugar and its Nigerian import. Trade rises tensions, as does, of course, the threat of violence. Willie Doherty’s Between (2019) depicts the calm roads of Donegal and Derry, masking their deep-rooted reality. You could scarcely imagine the historical violence behind these border crossings with their lush green backdrops now. “Between the Future and Past. Between Delusions and Dreams” reads the thought-provoking caption and perfectly depicts the border’s current position – in limbo.\n\nWhilst the pieces are highly wrought with meaning, the layout of the exhibition itself feels quite incoherent. You could interpret that as fragmentation of borders, but really, it feels thrown together. Works, such as Journey (2016), by Rossella Biscotti, a pile of papers on the second floor of the exhibition leaves you wondering what can and cannot be touched. The informational booklet is key to your understanding, as without it, the visual may not suffice. The walls are particularly lacking in descriptions. Thankfully, there are lovely volunteers on hand to answer any questions. However, an exhibition should be able to tell its own story and display for the most part.\n\nWith all that said, the spontaneity of each room sparks great intrigue as they plunge you into many individual bordered worlds. The mini-cinema, showing van Brummelen and de Haan’s Episode of the Sea (2014) swallows you up into the dark visuals and pleasing, ASMR-like audio of fishermen hauling fish onto their boat. This exhibition loves to surprise, and this simplistic film is no exception, symbolising the setbacks of the Urk (Dutch) fishing community and their eventual contract with the UK to allow them British fishing rights. It will leave you contemplating how the UK will retain their many ties, as they break out of the EU.\n\nThe exhibition is available to visit from 23 February until 4 May. Giblin sets out to expand awareness on the consequences of borders. The very accessible location allows you to jump in and take in as much as desired out of the very individual pieces. Everyone experiences borders in some way. Maybe you simply have some beef with a neighbour. This topical exhibition has an immense variety and spunk for you to delve into.\n\n\nImage: Carlos Finlay\n\nRelated News\n\nSay something\n\nThe Student Newspaper 2016", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5330939292907715}
+{"content": "Teatro dallas presents Tlali: When We Were Earth\n\nJune 2 and 9\n\n3 pm\n\nImagine if our earth could talk? What would she tell us?  Join a young boy on an interactive journey into ancient roots that reveal how we can care for our greatest treasure, Tlali, the earth. For all ages, this bilingual production celebrates Latin American mythology and its cultural connection to sustainability and ecology, using puppetry, instruments and imaginative costumes made from recycled materials.\n\n\nBachman Lake Library\n\n9480 Webb Chapel Rd.,", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9883919358253479}
+{"content": "Why Farm Insurance?\n\nFarm insurance makes sense for many reasons. It protects businesses and farmers when lawsuits result from accidents on farm property or during farm-related business. Whether the claims relate to property damages or various types of personal injury situations, a farm insurance agent can explain the best way to proceed.\n\nIn addition to personal and property-related claims, insurance can cover livestock loss, crop failures, pest-related damage to crops, and claims that can result from natural disasters, fire, and more.\n\nFarmers who seek financial and professional security may need insurance for many reasons, like those noted above. However, they also need insurance to cover the overall risk of working in the farming industry.\n\nWhenever there’s a disaster that could cause significant financial loss for a farmer, insurance is the sole method of compensation. Insurance policies for farmers are the most financially efficient way to protect farmers against some of the most common types of loss they can encounter in the course of doing business.\n\nWe compare the brands. You save time & money!\n\n\nWhat farm insurance do you need?\n\n\nhorse insurance oxford\n\nEquine Liability Insurance\n\nAny farmer who provides or performs horse-related activities of any kind should have equine liability insurance. A standard equine liability policy can cover farmers who take part in activities such as horse sales or shows, team riding events, racing, horseback riding clinics and instruction, roping, breeding, boarding, etc.\n\nEquine liability insurance provides you with peace of mind knowing you have coverage in the event of any horse-related injuries. It can also provide you with financial protection in the event you need to pay legal fees to defend yourself, or are ordered by a court to pay damages in a horse related case.\n\nInsurance for equine liability is a farmer’s best line of defense in legal situations. It is important to know that many typical farm and homeowners insurance policies specifically exclude any kind of commercial horse-related, or equine, activity. That means farmers might be left to pay legal fees and damages out of their own pockets unless they have adequate equine liability insurance coverage.\n\nEvery farm owner should assess whether his or her business includes any type of commercial equine activity. Even personal horses, not part of a commercial enterprise, can lead to equine-based lawsuits.\n\nfarm workers insurance\n\nFarm Workers Compensation Insurance\n\nFarm workers compensation insurance is a key part of any farm owner’s financial protection. Farmers have plenty of worries such as crop health, weather, government regulations, financing, and commodity prices. There’s also a need for farmers to be aware of the need for farm workers compensation insurance.\n\nAny farmer who has even one employee stands the risk of being legally liable for various kinds of damages that may result from actions of employees. But legal problems that result from actions by employees are only a part of the picture for workers compensation policies.\n\nFarm workers can become injured while performing their jobs. Even in states where there is no requirement for a farmer to carry workers compensation insurance, a farmer is potentially liable for any injuries to employees. Each state has differnt laws, however, it is imperative that farmers make sure they comply with the local statutes.\n\nThe concept of workers compensation coverage is unique in the insurance industry. In most cases, when an employer has a workers compensation policy in place, the worker is essentially waiving the right to sue for damages. The farm workers compensation policy would pay damages and medical expenses for the injured worker, along with lost wages in some cases. This is usually a far better situation for both the farm owner/employer and the injured worker.\n\nWhy choose Alchemy Insurance?\n\nProtect your farm and family (and your wallet). Contact us for a FREE quote today!\n\nfarm insurance\n\nFrequently Asked Questions\n\nWhat is farm insurance?\n\nTypically called farm insurance (or farm and ranch insurance policies), this kind of policy is completely different than a standard homeowners insurance policy. Farm policies cover much more because a farm is not just a residence. Ordinarily, it is the farmer’s primary means of livelihood. Whether it’s crops, livestock or other farm/ranch related activities, loss of the ability to operate a farm could mean financial ruin for a farm family.\n\nFor that reason, such policies are much more involved than homeowners policies, tend to cover many more types of potential loss and take longer to negotiate. The typical farm-related insurance policy actually is three things in one. It is a standard homeowners policy for the purpose of the residential building the farmer resides in.\n\nBut it is also a commercial business policy that provides coverage for the farming operation as an economic entity. Finally, farm insurance covers liability related to the employees of the farm. This part of the policy is often referred to as the farm workers compensation component. It protects a farmer from losses arising from actions of his employees and from injuries to those workers. Farm insurance policies are crucial for the proper financial operation of a modern farming business.\n\nWhat does a farm insurance policy cover?\n\nInsurance policies for farmers cover much more than typical homeowners policies, as noted above. But what exactly do they cover? A short but representative list of items covered in typical farm policies include horses, losses or claims arising from the use of the horses, injury or illness that might occur to the horses, and other potential losses that come under the heading of “equine liability insurance” as noted above.\n\nThere’s also the question of farm structures like houses, barns, silos and processing structures. In addition to that, there’s the issue of fire coverage. Depending how close the farm is to a usable fire hydrant and accessible roadways, fire insurance policies can be a significant part of any insurance policy.\n\nIt is essential that an effective policy is modified to match the unique aspects of a particular farm. For instance, one farm might not need any equine liability coverage while another will. A policy for a farm close to a road or fire hydrant might be written quite differently than a fire policy for a farm in the wilderness, near no major paved roads and far away from water lines. Every farm owner should have a detailed conversation with a knowledgeable agent to make certain the policy matches their farming enterprise.\n\nCan you insure livestock?\n\nWhen a farm owner wants insurance to cover potential losses due to livestock accidents, a livestock policy is the way to go. Livestock like cattle can represent a large portion of any farmer’s economic livelihood, and should be protected accordingly. Depending on the specific number, type, and use of the livestock, a farm insurance agent can write a policy to address any unique aspects of a farming operation.\n\nFor example, for farms with high-value livestock, there are policies that cover each animal individually. Other ways to insure livestock include policies that cover farm structures, farm equipment and livestock all in a single “blanket” policy. In most cases, farmers choose to provide insurance coverage for livestock based on the entire herd. For example, a policy might list “450 Black Angus cattle,” as a unit of coverage.\n\nIt is important for farmers to assess the potential risk to their animals. In the vast majority of cases, disease is the primary culprit when it comes to herd decimation or widespread illness. But there are cases when livestock suffer injuries from falling into ditches, being struck by vehicles, or are preyed upon by wild animals (coyotes being the common factor in such cases).\n\nQuestions? Alchemy is here to help!\n\nGet a FREE insurance quote!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5464058518409729}
+{"content": "Open Source GIS Course at UMD – the Syllabus\n\n\n\n\nk-Nearest Neighbor with PostGRES\n\nWell, even though you didn’t ask for it, I decided to create a k-nearest neighbor analysis in PostGRES/PostGIS.  This has lots of potential: find the 5 nearest ATMs to every fast food restuarant; find the 3 closest medical clinics to each school; or find the 10 closest bars to each college.\n\nNow, the LIMIT clause does allow us to find the k closest features to a particular feature.  But in this case, I’m not interested in a particular feature, I want the results for all features.\n\nTo do this in Postgres, I’m going to show you two things that I haven’t used until today: rank() and partition. Continue reading\n\nk-nearest neighbor with SQL in Radian Studio\n\nI wanted to give you another look at some features that Radian Studio will offer. I’ve shown how we can use SQL to replicate the ARC/INFO NEAR function, and how to perform Nearest Neighbor Analysis. But, another useful took is the ability to identify k-nearest neighbors. That is, rather than just identifying the nearest neighbor, you might want to identify the two, three, or k nearest neighbors.\n\nRadian will allow that functionality by using the COLLECT aggregate clause. The COLLECT aggregate collects values from a subgroup into a table, returning a table with one or more fields.\n\nit is like a SELECT which runs on a group. COLLECT takes a table and returns a table without requiring us to write a FROM section as we would with a SELECT. This is stuff that the real grown up databases like Oracle use, and Manifold is going to give it to us as part of Radian Studio.\n\nSELECT park_no1,\nSPLIT(COLLECT park_no2, dist\nSELECT AS park_no1, AS park_no2,\nGeomDistance(a.[geom (i)], b.[geom (i)], 0) AS dist\nFROM [parks Table] AS a , [parks Table] AS b\nWHERE &lt;&gt;\nGROUP BY park_no1\n\nContinue reading\n\nTrade Area Analysis in Postgres / PostGIS\n\nHow I used SQL to generate an accumulated sum of spatial data\n\nMy friend Tomas does work with business analytics, and wanted to find a way to perform trade area analysis.  He had a bunch of stores, and a map of census areas with populations.  What he wanted to figure out was:\n\nhow far do I have to radiate out from each store before I hit 5,000 customers\n\nSo for each store, he wanted to basically generate concentric buffers and sum up the population of the census areas before he hit 5,000.  Once he found the census areas, he also wanted to generate a convex hull to show the area.  ESRI has a really nice tool that performs this as part of their business analyst package, called threshold trade areas.\n\nCheck it out, it seems pretty cool.\n\nWell, to help my friend I was thinking that I would determine the distance from every store to every census area, and then write a script with a giant for loop to iterate through each record, accumulating the results (of course, I would have to integrate some kind of do..while loop and an if…then to make sure I accumulated different counts for each store until I hit the threshold I wanted.  At that point I began asking myself so, how good of friend is Tomas?\n\nWhat I did instead was write an SQL script to do it. I’ve color coded it below to explain what I was doing….\n\nSELECT ST_ConvexHull(ST_Collect(g)) as geometry, max(sumpop) as sumpop, name\nINTO tradearea\n  SELECT, SUM(a.totpop) AS sumpop, ST_Collect(a.geometry) as g\n     (SELECT, censusunit.totpop, censusunit.geometry,\n      ST_Distance(censusunit.geometry,stores.geometry) as dist\n      FROM stores, censusunit\n      ) AS a,\n     (SELECT, censusunit.totpop, censusunit.geometry,\n      ST_Distance(censusunit.geometry,stores.geometry) as dist\n      FROM stores, censusunit\n      ) AS b\n  AND a.dist <= b.dist\n  GROUP BY, b.dist\n  ) AS T1\nWHERE sumpop < 5000\n\nThe middle portion in orange collects the names of the stores, the population of the census areas, the distance between each store and each census area, and the geometry of the census areas for each combination of stores and census areas.  So, if you have 5 stores and 1,000 census areas, you would have a table with 5,000 rows: Continue reading\n\nSQL and ogr to create 4D lines\n\nA friend recently asked me to help him generate polyline shapefiles with Z and M values that he could deliver to a customer.  The problem was, the software he was using supported the import of Z and M values, but did not support the export of those files.  The other problem was, he has zillions of data tables that he needed to export!\n\nFortunately, PostGIS allows us to create Polyline ZM data rather easily.  The next part was to figure out how to get it exported to a shapefile.  So, here goes:\n\nAssume you have a table with 4 columns: lineID, Z, M, and geometry.  The geometry field is a point feature that represent vertices on a line.  The lineID separates all those points by which line they are part of, and the Z and M values are, well, Z and M.\n\nMake the Polyline ZM\n\nThe SQL command to create a 4D line is:\n\nSELECT  lineid, \n                         ST_Y(geometry), z, m)\n            ) AS g\nFROM zpts\nGROUP BY lineid;\n\nIn this case, I am making a line (ST_MakeLine) as a series of X (ST_X), Y (ST_Y), Z, and M values.  Grouping the results of the query by the lineid allows me to create a line for each set of points. Continue reading\n\nDoing a GROUP BY in ArcGIS\n\n\n\n  Continue reading\n\nSpatial is Not Special – Quadrat Analysis\n\nIn our book we illustrated the use of quadrat analysis for determining whether points were random, clustered, or distributed.  Figure 14.9 from the book showed a point sample of 2,500 points, and Table 14.4 showed the mathematical calculation for quadrat analysis.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe calculations look pretty daunting, don’t they?  But, in actuality, its basic arithmetic.  In this blog I am only going to illustrate how we obtained the correct variance to mean ratio using spatial SQL.  If you want to understand quadrat analysis, check out the book, or do a web search. Continue reading\n\nSpatial is Not Special – Nearest Neighbor Index\n\n\nIt is nice to get back to the book, and start talking about Statistical Problem Solving in Geography again.  Today we are going to look at the Nearest Neighbor Index.  You can refer to chapter 14 where we illustrate the computation of the nearest neighbor index using a set of 7 points:\n\n\nThen, for each point we determine the nearest neighbor, its distance, and ultimately the average nearest neighbor distance over all the points:\n\n\nTo develop the SQL, we will take it one step at a time.  First, we want to compute the distance from every point to every other point:\n\nSELECT,,distance(a.[Geom (I)],b.[Geom (I)]) AS dist\nFROM points AS a, points AS b\n\nThis query gives us a table of the distance from every point to every other point.  We also play that game again where we rename the table “points” as “a” and “b” so that SQL thinks we have two different tables.  We also have to put a WHERE clause in to make sure we aren’t measuring from one point to itself – because the distance will be 0. Continue reading\n\n\nThe ARC/INFO IDENTITY operation seen here is sometimes confusing because it takes ALL of the Input feature, and the part of the IDENTITY feature that intersects the input feature and merges it into a new feature class.  I recreated the features in the ESRI help documentation so that we will work with a feature class called “Circle”, and one called “Rectangles”.\n\n\nTo show how this is done in SQL, we should simply focus on the geometry aspect first, then bring the attributes in later.\n\n(, g, int( AS cid, int( AS rid\nFROM circle, rectangles\n(, AS g, int( AS cid, int( AS rid\nFROM circle, rectangles\n\nThe IDENTITY operation takes two geometric operations.  First, we have to Intersect the two features to find the intersection area.  Then, we have to perform a ClipSubract to only include those areas of the input feature.  Now, the UNION ALL clause in SQL creates a new table, and sticks it under the previous table – therefore, we must have the same columns in order to do it.  The above SQL will create a geometric representation like this one:\n\n\nSo, this is what it should LOOK like, but the real power is that the attributes from the inputs are retained in the output. To do that, we take our above query, and just wrap it in a RIGHT JOIN clause:\n\n\nFROM circle, rectangles\nFROM circle, rectangles\nRIGHT JOIN [circle] ON = cid\nRIGHT JOIN [rectangles] ON = rid\nWHERE IsArea(g)\n\nGo ahead, and give it a try with the example I have on my website.  Also, don’t forget our idea of spatial is not special.  This IDENTITY command isn’t some self contained function for which you have no control – you can always add other interesting clauses in the WHERE statement to select out certain features first, or some other interesting query.\n\nNote:  A recent discussion on illustrated that a lot of null values were returned.  The reason for this is because when we ask to return a ClipIntersect, if two objects don’t intersect, we’ve still asked the query engine to give us that result, and the result is in fact a null value.  So, I’ve added one line of code to only return the geometry if it is an area feature – I’ve written this in RED.  That is all you need, and it will work with more complicated features.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7488943338394165}
+{"content": "Days 1-10\n\n\nIf you hover your cursor over “Days 1-10” on the top of the screen, you can choose which day to read.\n\nI want to keep the pages in order, and by gathering them together like this, I can keep it tidy.\n\nThank you for reading my blog.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7984378337860107}
+{"content": "Translational Biomarkers of Neurotoxicity: A Health and Environmental Sciences Institute Perspective on the Way Forward\n\nToxicological Sciences. 2015;148(2):332-40.\n\nAbstract: Neurotoxicity has been linked to a number of common drugs and chemicals, yet efficient and accurate methods to detect it are lacking. There is a need for more sensitive and specific biomarkers of neurotoxicity that can help diagnose and predict neurotoxicity that are relevant across animal models and translational from nonclinical to clinical data. Fluid-based biomarkerssuch as those found in serum, plasma, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have great potential due to the relative ease of sampling compared with tissues. Increasing evidence supports the potential utility of fluid-based biomarkers of neurotoxicity such as microRNAs, F2-isoprostanes, translocator protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1, myelin basic protein, microtubule-associated protein-2, and total tau. However, some of these biomarkers such as those in CSF require invasive sampling or are specific to one disease such as Alzheimer’s, while others require further validation. Additionally, neuroimaging methodologies, including magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and positron emission tomography, may also serve as potential biomarkers and have several advantages including being minimally invasive. The development of biomarkers of neurotoxicity is a goal shared by scientists across academia, government, and industry and is an ideal topic to be addressed via the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) framework which provides a forum to collaborate on key challenging scientific topics. Here we utilize the HESI framework to propose a consensus on the relative potential of currently described biomarkers of neurotoxicity to assess utility of the selected biomarkers using a nonclinical model.\n\nTo download an open-access PDF copy, click here.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9980162382125854}
+{"content": "SBL Alfalfa Tonic\n\nManufacturer: SBL Pvt Ltd\n₹ 150.00 incl tax\n₹ 134.00 incl tax\n\nFor anxiety states, nervousness, stress situations especially for people overworked and overstretched in today's mad rat race for survival.\nPersons with general debility, weakness, emaciation, loss of appetite, poor stunted or retarded growth.\nSleeplessness, tiredness from worry, tensions and overwork. For people with sexual debility, premature ejaculation and neurasthenia.\nIn convalescent stages of fever, following viral illness or following weakness in acute or chronic diarrhoeal states. Pregnant women and lactating mothers.\n\nAvena Sativa\n\n\nCinchona Officinalis\n\nHydrastis Canadensis\n\nKalium Phosphoricum\n\nKalium Arsenicosum\n\nFerrum Aceticum\n\nCalcaria Phosphorica\n\nDosage/Directions for use:\nChildren: 1 teaspoonful 3 times a day before meals.\n\nTerms and Conditions", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8410528898239136}
+{"content": "Picture of DNA strand\n\n\n\n\n\nSolar sailing - mission opportunities and innovative technology demonstration\n\nMcInnes, C.R. and Eiden, M. and Groepper, P. and Peacock, T. (2001) Solar sailing - mission opportunities and innovative technology demonstration. ESA European Space Agency Bulletin, 108. pp. 58-65. ISSN 0376-4265\n\nText (strathprints006229)\nAccepted Author Manuscript\n\nDownload (219kB) | Preview\n\n\nSolar sailing is a unique and elegant form of propulsion that transcends reliance on reaction mass. Rather than carrying propellant, solar sails acquire momentum from photons, the quantum packets of energy from which sunlight is composed. In addition, since solar sails are not limited by reaction mass, they can provide continual acceleration, limited only by the lifetime of the sail film in the space environment. Therefore, solar sails can expand the envelope of possible missions, enabling new high-energy mission concepts that are essentially impossible with conventional reaction propulsion, and enhancing current mission concepts by lowering launch mass and reducing trip times.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9547752141952515}
+{"content": "About Aluminum\n\nWhat is Aluminum?\n\nAluminum (Aluminium) – a silver-white, soft metal, noted for lightness, high reflectivity, high thermal conductivity, high electrical conductivity, nontoxicity, and corrosion resistance. Aluminum is the most abundant metallic element, comprising 1/12th of the earth’s crust. However, it is never found in nature as an elemental metal but only combined with oxygen and other elements. In ordinary language, aluminum often means aluminum alloy.\n\nAmong all kind of metal materials, aluminum wins out either because its properties and performance are superior or because fabrication techniques enable the finished product to be manufactured at a competitive cost. The usage of aluminum continues to increase and expand; new markets such as the automotive sector are beginning to recognize its true unparalleled benefits.\n\nWhere and how to get aluminum\n\nBauxite, a mineral mined from the earth is the major source of aluminum. The bauxite is crushed and sprayed with water, clay and silica removed, and then kiln-dried, and mixed with soda ash and crushed lime. The mixture is then processed in a digester, then reduced under pressure and sent to a settling tank where additional impurities are removed.\nAfter filtering, cooling, and further processing in a precipitator, the mixture is thickened and filtered once more before being heated in a calcinating kiln. The resultant material is alumina, a powdery chemical combination of oxygen and aluminum.\n\n\nAlumina has to go through smelting and alloying processes to become aluminum of common use. An aluminum smelter contains a cryolite bath (in which the mineral cryolite is melted using electrical current). Alumina, in powder form, is placed into the cryolite bath, where it is melted and separated from its oxygen component, settling beneath the cryolite. The molten aluminum is siphoned from the bottom of the smelter and placed in a crucible, then formed into ingot or transferred to an alloying furnace.\n\n\nIn the alloying furnace, the aluminum ingot is melted, and mixed with alloying metals like Magnesium, silica, copper, etc to form a aluminum alloy which offer a wide range of specific material properties. The physical properties of the alloy are very much determined by the alloy content.\n\nFor example:\n\n  • Manganese offers good corrosion resistance\n  • Magnesium is good for welding applications\n  • Copper yields excellent machinability\n  • Zinc tends to offer very high strength\n\nThe molten metal mixture is then cast into solid logs. Logs may be cut to obtain a more manageable billet. Logs and billets are sent to extruders for aluminum extrusion.\n\nKey Characteristics of aluminum\n\nAluminum when used in sheet, coil or extruded form has a number of advantages over other metals and materials. Where as other materials may offer some of the beneficial characteristics of aluminum, they cannot provide the full range of benefits that aluminum can. Aluminum extruding is a versatile metal-forming process that enables designers, engineers, and manufacturers to take full advantage of a wide array of physical characteristics:\n\nLight Weight:\n\nAluminum has specific gravity of 2.7 and weighs only 0.1 pound per cubic inch. It weighs less by volume than most other metals. In fact, it is about one-third the weight of iron, steel, copper, or brass. Lightweight aluminum is easier to handle, less expensive to ship, and is an attractive material for applications in fields such as aerospace, high-rise construction, and automotive design. When used in the transportation field it can yield significant benefits in a reduction of fuel usage.\n\n\nAluminum profiles can be made as strong as needed for most applications. When temperature falls, it becomes even stronger, so it is most commonly used material in cold area\n\nHigh Strength-to-Weight Ratio:\n\nAluminum offers a unique combination of lightweight and high strength. Higher strengths can be obtained by adding one or more of the following: manganese, silicon, copper, magnesium, or zinc. Increases can also be accomplished by specialized heat treatments. Nowadays, the aerospace industry and the automotive industry heavily depend on aluminum as the material.\n\nCorrosion resistance:\n\nThe excellent corrosion resistance of aluminum is due to the presence of a thin, hard protective film of aluminum oxide that bonds tenaciously to the surface. This occurs naturally and can reach a thickness of 0.2 millionths of an inch. Further protection can be done by applying paint or an anodize finish. It does not rust like steel.\n\nExcellent Thermal Conductor:\n\nAluminum is an excellent conductor of both heat and cold. These factors make aluminum ideal for applications requiring heat exchangers, refrigerator evaporators, and engine components. The aluminum extrusion process is ideal in producing custom shapes that make optimal use of thermal conduction properties.\n\nExcellent Electricity Conductor:\n\nAluminum is the least expensive metal with an electrical conductivity high enough for use as an electrical conductor. Because of its low density, aluminum will conduct more than twice as much current as the equivalent weight of copper. Various aluminum alloys have different electrical conductivity, and can be adapted for special electrical applications, i.e. power transmission lines.\n\n\nBecause aluminum is non- magnetic it is useful for high-voltage applications, as well as for electronics. It is also used to shield sensitive electronic devices.\n\n\nAluminum can be easily formed or reworked into another shape. Aluminum combines strength with flexibility and can flex under loads or spring back from the shock of impact. There are a wide variety of different processes to rework aluminum, the more common ones are: extrusion, rolling, forging, and drawing.\n\n\nPolished aluminum is an excellent reflector of radiant energy through the entire range of wavelengths. Aluminum’s visible light reflectance (over 80%) has led to its widespread use as lamp reflectors. It can be used to shield products or areas from light, radio waves, or infrared radiation.\n\n\nAluminum will not ignite or burn, even when at extremely high temperatures it does not produce toxic fumes.\n\nSuitable to Extreme Cold:\n\nAluminum is suitable for cryogenic purposes. The strength of aluminum actually increases under very cold temperatures. This has led to the use of it in outer space, as well as for aircraft and for construction in high latitudes.\n\n\nAluminum can be recycled at a fraction of the initial production costs. It can be recycled over and over without losing any of its characteristics. This appeals to the manufactures, end uses and environmental consortiums.\n\nAppealing Appearance:\n\nAluminum has an inherent advantage over most other metals because of its attractive appearance and good corrosion resistance. There are many different finishing techniques that can be used. The more common ones are: liquid paint (including acrylics, alkyds, polyesters, and others), powder coatings, anodizing, or electroplating.\n\n\nComplex shapes can be realized in one-piece extruded aluminum sections without having to effect mechanical joining methods. The resultant profile typically is stronger than a comparable assemblage, less likely to leak or loosen over time. Applications are: baseball bats, refrigeration tubing and heat exchangers. Aluminum parts can be joined by welding, soldering, or brazing, as well as though use of adhesives, clips, bolts, rivets, or other fasteners. Integral joining methods may be especially useful for certain designs. Adhesive bonding is used for such jobs as the joining of aluminum aircraft components.\n\n\nThe tooling or forming parts (dies) are relatively inexpensive and can be made in a short time frame. The various types of tooling utilized can be changed quickly and often during production runs, this makes it cost effective for small production runs.\n\nRecycled Aluminum\n\n\nAluminum can be recycled and reused over and over without losing any of its characteristics. There is no loss of quality in using recycled aluminum. The recycling of aluminum uses less energy and can offer substantial costs benefits. During many of the manufacturing processes involving aluminum there is scrap generated. This is usually returned to the smelters or casting facilities and reused to make the raw material again. Compared to the initial four pounds of ore to produce one pound of aluminum, every pound of recycled aluminum saves four pounds of ore.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.64023756980896}
+{"content": "Do you want content like this delivered to your inbox?\n\n5 Hottest Paint Colors of 2019\n\nChip Falkanger\n\nAchieving true distinction can only come from years of dedication and success...\n\n\nFeb 13 3 minutes read\n\nEvery year, designers around the world look forward to the reveal of Pantone’s new Color of the Year. Similarly, interior designers await the rollout of new color palettes from major paint companies. Color stylists carefully analyze global trends to determine what the most forward-thinking look for your new home will be!\n\nRecently, Consumer Reports predicted the hottest interior paint colors of 2019, and I've picked our favorites here. I also included how and where to incorporate these colors into your luxury home.\n\nBenjamin Moore: Metropolitan AF-690\n\nWhy it's hot: neutral tones create a calming ambiance.\nWhere to use: living room, sleek kitchen, Master Suite.\n\nClark+Kensington: Stainless Steel 37B-4\n\nWhy it's hot: this periwinkle-blue tone is refreshing and can revive any dull space that needs some light, beachy vibes!\nWhere to use: accent wall, living room or on furniture.\n\nHGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams: Reflecting Pool\n\nWhere to use: any room! \n\nValspar: Orange Slice 2002-1B\n\nWhy it's hot: great for experimenting and adding brightness.\n\nWhere to use: bonus room, office or spare bedroom paired with neutral toned fabrics.\n\nBehr: Blueprint S470-5\n\nWhere to use: bathroom or guest bedroom for a calming effect.\n\nSearching for a home to go paint-crazy on?\n\nI have you covered! Check out my featured luxury Fort Lauderdale listings.\n\nBrowse Homes\n\n\nReach out to Chip with any questions, comments or for general inquiries.\nLet's get that home of your dreams.\n\nContact Chip", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5374881029129028}
+{"content": "ECOSYSTEM : Titan, Saturn’s moon\n\nTeam member : Éloïse Cuny\n\n\nNowadays, most space missions are turning towards Mars.\n\nBut what if Mars was only a temporary option, and why not look into Titan, one of Saturn's moons?\n\nAlthough Titan turns out to be one of the most similar places in our entire solar system to ressemble Earth, this satellite could not welcome us as from tomorrow.\n\nFirst of all, there is no oxygen on the satellite, and although Titan has all the elements necessary for life: its atmosphere contains a lot of nitrogen and methane; liquid water and ammonia; we are faced with several issues.\n\nOf course, water could be used to generate oxygen and we could add nitrogen. Water and methane could be used to produce fuel and for energy; nitrogen, methane and ammonia could all be used as fertilizers to produce food; the freezing temperatures could be regulated by the energy produced and artificial light generated continuously; the slightest problem would be that big explosions could occur. In addition, residents would be required to wear protective coveralls -spacesuits- that protect them from the cold and allow them to breathe.\n\nBut what if this time, instead of adapting the environment to humans, it would not be the opposite, humans who adapt to the environment of Titan?\n\nWe are projecting ourselves in a few thousand years ahead where humans will have been mutated genetically to survive the physical conditions of the largest moon of Saturn: Titan.\n\nSince their mutation and their shipments on Titan, humans have evolved and lived fully without oxygen. Indeed, life on Titan evolves in an eco-system based not on oxygen and water but on nitrogen and methane.\n\nAs on earth where micro-bacterias were discovered under several meters of ice in Antarctica and having survived for more than 1.5 million years; life on Titan lives in a world much colder than the one we know here on Earth. In fact temperatures are about -180 degrees Celcius and only 0.1% of the sun's rays we receive on Earth reach the surface of Titan.\n\nTitan is therefore an opportunity of renewal. A chance for humanity to learn from past mistakes and move forward.\n\nThe colonization of this satellite is a success: its capital is now recognized worldwide as the city of knowledge. While going to Titan over the years, everything that humans will have learned on Earth they will have brought with them in order to contribute to the emergence of an exceptional civilization. The first inhabitants of Titan were of all nationalities, professions, and came from varied social backgrounds and had different interests. All of this diversity gave birth to Utopus, the city of knowledge, technology and science, which evolves through sharing. The civilization of Utopus is full of ambition and life on the moon of Saturn in all harmony.\n\nThe inhabitants of Utopus are researchers, astronomers, architects and designers; they are creators and visionaries who share their knowledge with the world.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8443113565444946}
+{"content": "The Rise of Nuclear Fear-ATOMIC BOMB BLAST:The Blast Wave-Blast Effects on Humans-Electromagnetic Pulse-Nuclear Winter-THE END\n\nBasic Effects of Nuclear Weapons\n\n\nGround Zero\n\n\nBlast Effects\n\n\n\n\nThermal Radiation Effects\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNorth Korea Prepping EMP Attack On U.S.-North Korea Could Kill 90 Percent of Americans: ex-CIA Chief Woolsey\n\nDirect Nuclear Radiation Effects\n\n\nTypes of Nuclear Explosions\n\nThe effects of a nuclear explosion depend in part to the height of the detonation. There five general classifications of bursts: air, high-altitude, underwater, underground, and surface bursts.\n\nAn air burst is defined as one in which the explosion occurs in the air at an altitude below 100,000 feet (30,480 meters), but at such a height that the fireball does not touch the surface of the earth. A detontation above that altitude is generally refered to as a high-altitude burst.\n\nA nuclear explosion that occurs at or slightly above the actual surface of the land or water is known as a surface burst. If the explosion happens beneath the surface of the land or water, then it is known as underground or underwater respectively. The design of Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) uses the charaterastics of an underground burst in an attempt to destroy buried targets.\n\nOne of the greatest results of the type of burst is the amount of radioactive debris and fallout, and the force of the blast wave.\n\nThe Blast Wave\n\n\nThe effects of the blast wave on a typical wood framed house.\n\nThe air immediately behind the shock front is accelerated to high velocities and creates a powerful wind. These winds in turn create dynamic pressure against the objects facing the blast. Shock waves cause a virtually instantaneous jump in pressure at the shock front. The combination of the pressure jump (called the overpressure) and the dynamic pressure causes blast damage. Both the overpressure and the dynamic pressure reach to their maximum values upon the arrival of the shock wave. They then decay over a period ranging from a few tenths of a second to several seconds, depending on the blast's strength and the yield.\n\n\n\n\nPeak overpressure Maximum Wind Speed  \n50 psi 934 mph\n20 psi 502 mph\n10 psi 294 mph\n5 psi 163 mph\n2 psi 70 mph\n\n\n\n\n\nOverpressure Physical Effects\n20 psi Heavily built concrete buildings are severely damaged or demolished.\n10 psi Reinforced concrete buildings are severely damaged or demolished.\nMost people are killed.\n5 psi Most buildings collapse.\nInjuries are universal, fatalities are widespread.\n3 psi Residential structures collapse.\nSerious injuries are common, fatalities may occur.\n1 psi Window glass shatters\nLight injuries from fragments occur.\n\nBlast Effects on Humans\n\n\nThe danger from overpressure comes from the collapse of buildings that are generally not as resistant. Urban areas contain many objects that can become airborne, and the destruction of buildings generates many more. The collapse of the structure above can crush or suffocate those caught inside. Serious injury or death can also occur from impact after being thrown through the air.\n\nBlast effects on a concrete building at Hiroshima.\n\nThe blast also magnifies thermal radiation burn injuries by tearing away severely burned skin. This creates raw open wounds that readily become infected.\n\n\nWorld War III Will Start on May 13 2017, According To Blind Mystic Baba Vanga-End Of The World In 2017\n\nThe Mach Stem\n\nIf the explosion occurs above the ground, when the expanding blast wave strikes the surface of the earth, it is reflected off the ground to form a second shock wave traveling behind the first. This reflected wave travels faster than the first, or incident, shock wave since it is traveling through air already moving at high speed due to the passage of the incident wave. The reflected blast wave merges with the incident shock wave to form a single wave, known as the Mach Stem. The overpressure at the front of the Mach wave is generally about twice as great as that at the direct blast wave front.\n\nAt first the height of the Mach Stem wave is small, but as the wave front continues to move outward, the height increases steadily. At the same time, however, the overpressure, like that in the incident wave, decreases because of the continuous loss of energy and the ever-increasing area of the advancing front. After about 40 seconds, when the Mach front from a 1-megaton nuclear weapon is 10 miles from ground zero, the overpressure will have decreased to roughly 1 psi.\n\nThermal Radiation\n\n\nThe fireball shortly after detonation.\n\n\n\nThe Fireball\n\nThe fireball, an extremely hot and highly luminous spherical mass of air and gaseous weapon residues, occurs within less than one millionth of one second of the weapon's detonation. Immediately after its formation, the fireball begins to grow in size, engulfing the surrounding air. This growth is accompanied by a decrease in temperature because of the accompanying increase in mass. At the same time the fireball rises, like a hot-air balloon. Within seven-tenths of one millisecond from the detonation, the fireball from a 1-megaton weapon is about 440 feet across, and this increases to a maximum value of about 5,700 feet in 10 seconds. It is then rising at a rate of 250 to 350 feet per second. After a minute, the fireball has cooled to such an extent that it no longer emits visible radiation. It has then risen roughly 4.5 miles from the point of burst.\n\nIllustrated components of a nuclear explosion.\n\nThe Mushroom Cloud\n\n\nThe early formation of the mushroom cloud.\n\n\nThe color of the cloud is initially red or reddish brown, due to the presence of nitrous acid and oxides of nitrogen. As the fireball cools and condensation occurs, the color changes to white, mainly due to the water droplets (as in an ordinary cloud).\n\n\nThe 3 Pioneer Survival Lessons We Should All Learn!\n\nHere’s your chance.Watch this free video.\n\nThe cloud consists chiefly of very small particles of radioactive fission products and weapon residues, water droplets, and larger particles of dirt and debris carried up by the afterwinds.\n\nThe eventual height reached by the radioactive cloud depends upon the heat energy of the weapon and upon the atmospheric conditions. If the cloud reaches the tropopause, about 6-8 miles above the Earth's surface, there is a tendency for it to spread out. But if sufficient energy remains in the radioactive cloud at this height, a portion of it will ascend into the more stable air of the stratosphere.\n\nThe mushroom cloud forming at the Nevada Test Site.\n\n\nThermal Pulse Effects\n\n\nThe thermal pulse charring the paint.\n\n\n\n\nEffects of the thermal pulse on clothing.\n\n\n\nUnder some conditions, the many individual fires created by a nuclear explosion can coalesce into one massive fire known as a \"firestorm.\" The combination of many smaller fires heats the air and causes winds of hurricane strength directed inward toward the fire, which in turn fan the flames. For a firestorm to develop:\n\n  • There must be at least 8 pounds of combustibles per square foot.\n  • At least one-half of the structures in the area are on fire simultaneously.\n  • There is initially a wind of less than 8 miles per hour.\n  • The burning area is at least 0.5 square miles.\n\n\nThe firestorm at Hiroshima.\n\n\n\nAre You Ready ? End Of The World Begin ! The Elite Are In A Panic-ELITE Underground Bunkers\n\nFlash Burns\n\nFlash burns are one of the serious consequences of a nuclear explosion. Flash burns result from the absorption of radiant energy by the skin of exposed individuals. A distinctive feature of flash burns is the fact they are limited to exposed areas of the skin facing the explosion.\n\nThe burns are in a pattern corresponding to the dark portions of the kimono\nshe was wearing at the time of the explosion.\n\n\n\nFlash blindness\n\n\n\n\n\nSurvival MD: The #1 Complete Survival Guide For The Layman-Video below\n\nNuclear Radiation\n\n\nInitial Nuclear Radiation\n\n\n\n\nResidual Nuclear Radiation\n\n\n\n\n\nRadiation Effects on Humans\n\n\n  • The ability of the radiation to harm human tissue\n  • Which organs are affected\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBlood System\n\n\n\n\nGastrointestinal Tract\n\n\nReproductive Tract\n\n\nDose-rem Effects\n5-20 Possible late effects; possible chromosomal damage.\n20-100 Temporary reduction in white blood cells.\n\n\nLong Term Effects on Humans\n\nLong after the acute effects of radiation have subsided, radiation damage continues to produce a wide range of physical problems. These effects- including leukemia, cancer, and many others- appear two, three, even ten years later.\n\nBlood Disorders\n\nAccording to Japanese data, there was an increase in anemia among persons exposed to the bomb. In some cases, the decrease in white and red blood cells lasted for up to ten years after the bombing.\n\n\nThere was an increase in cataract rate of the survivors at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who were partly shielded and suffered partial hair loss.\n\nMalignant Tumors\n\nAll ionizing radiation is carcinogenic, but some tumor types are more readily generated than others. A prevalent type is leukemia. The cancer incidence among survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is significantly larger than that of the general population, and a significant correlation between exposure level and degree of incidence has been reported for thyroid cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and cancer of the salivary gland. Often a decade or more passes before radiation-caused malignancies appear.\n\n\nBeginning in early 1946, scar tissue covering apparently healed burns began to swell and grow abnormally. Mounds of raised and twisted flesh, called keloids, were found in 50 to 60 percent of those burned by direct exposure to the heat rays within 1.2 miles of the hypocenter. Keloids are believed to be related to the effects of radiation.\n\n\n\nRadioactive Fallout\n\nFallout is the radioactive particles that fall to earth as a result of a nuclear explosion. It consists of weapon debris, fission products, and, in the case of a ground burst, radiated soil. Fallout particles vary in size from thousandths of a millimeter to several millimeters. Much of this material falls directly back down close to ground zero within several minutes after the explosion, but some travels high into the atmosphere. This material will be dispersed over the earth during the following hours, days (and) months. Fallout is defined as one of two types: early fallout, within the first 24 hours after an explosion, or delayed fallout, which occurs days or years later.\n\nMost of the radiation hazard from nuclear bursts comes from short-lived radionuclides external to the body; these are generally confined to the locality downwind of the weapon burst point. This radiation hazard comes from radioactive fission fragments with half-lives of seconds to a few months, and from soil and other materials in the vicinity of the burst made radioactive by the intense neutron flux.\n\nMost of the particles decay rapidly. Even so, beyond the blast radius of the exploding weapons there would be areas (hot spots) the survivors could not enter because of radioactive contamination from long-lived radioactive isotopes like strontium 90 or cesium 137. For the survivors of a nuclear war, this lingering radiation hazard could represent a grave threat for as long as 1 to 5 years after the attack.\n\nPredictions of the amount and levels of the radioactive fallout are difficult because of several factors. These include; the yield and design of the weapon, the height of the explosion, the nature of the surface beneath the point of burst, and the meteorological conditions, such as wind direction and speed.\n\nAn air burst can produce minimal fallout if the fireball does not touch the ground. On the other hand, a nuclear explosion occurring at or near the earth's surface can result in severe contamination by the radioactive fallout.\n\nElectromagnetic Pulse\n\n\n\nBREAKING NEWS-May 2: North Korea Confirms it WILL ATTACK the US, South Korea and Japan Pre-Emptively\n\n\nAn attacker might detonate a few weapons at high altitudes in an effort to destroy or damage the communications and electric power systems. It can be expected that EMP would cause massive disruption for an indeterminable period, and would cause huge economic damages.\n\nOn July 8, 1962, the EMP from the high altitude (250 miles above Johnston Island) \"Starfish Prime\" test (1.4 Mt) turned off 300 streetlights in Oahu, Hawaii (740 miles away).\n\nNuclear Winter\n\n\n\n\n\nWhen the elite of the World start preparing for doomsday or WW III that is a very troubling sign. And right now the elite appear to be quietly preparing for disaster like never before.Want to Be on Survivalist?\n\nThe 3 Pioneer Survival Lessons We Should All Learn!\n\nThe Rise of Nuclear Fear-ATOMIC BOMB BLAST:The Blast Wave-Blast Effects on Humans-Electromagnetic Pulse-Nuclear Winter-THE ENDArticle HERE:\n\nPosted by NewsPrepper on Sunday, May 7, 2017\n\n\n1 comment\n\nLeave a reply", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5089759826660156}
+{"content": "CandidatesGraduatesInterviewNurse PractitionerPhysician Assistant\n\nBefore you interview face-to-face with the physician, most likely you will have to spend some time on the phone with either a HR Manager, or perhaps the Practice Manager. Here’s what it takes to win them over.\n\nUnderstand who they are, size of practice, number of physicians, how many physician assistants or nurse practitioners are employed, why the position is open, exact location, travel requirements and review the company’s website (if available). Ask open ended questions and be an effective listener. As an example; “looking at the existing providers you employ, what makes them successful in your setting? What are some of the attributes you look for in prospective PA/NP providers?”\n\nStrong soft skills (inter-personal and communication) are just as important as experience and/or clinical rotations. Be lucid with responses, articulate and professional.\n\nUse demonstrable examples when answering questions; perhaps rotational experience or other real world examples. Be prepared to have a very good reason why you are interested in their specialty and location. Wanting to work in Scottsdale, AZ because you like the weather is not a credible enough reason. Hiring managers want candidates that represent stability and traction. Anything that reflects or poses a transient threat will turn off employers.\n\nIf you are interested in the opportunity, don’t be afraid to let the employer know your interest level: “Thank you for your time and input today Jennifer. The position sounds fantastic and challenging at the same time. I’m interested in meeting with you, the doctor and seeing the practice. I’m excited to understand any additional expectations and responsibilities associated with the opportunity and would love to shadow.”\n\nCreate a sense of urgency for the practice. “I have two interviews next week on Thursday and Friday, but will be available Monday or Tuesday if you are trying to reach me with feedback.”\n\nRemember, the purpose of the phone screen is to confirm your interest level in the opportunity and hopefully open the door to the next step in the hiring process.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9868728518486023}
+{"content": "Mourning birds are mostly found in the United States, southern Canada and Central America. Males generally have the same colors as females. They build flimsy nests that are transparent enough for onlookers to see the egg... More »\n\nMourning doves nest among the dense foliage of evergreen trees, certain deciduous species and vines. They may also build nests within artificial structures, such as the eaves and gutters of houses, or abandoned farm equi... More » Pets & Animals Birds\n\nDoves rest their heads between their shoulders when they sleep, and they primarily eat seeds and fruit rather than insects. They typically lay only two eggs at the time, and the eggs hatch in about two weeks. Both parent... More »\n\nA mourning dove generally sits on her eggs in a nesting period of 12 to 15 days to encourage them to hatch. The clutch size is generally two eggs. The babies leave the nest in an additional 14 day period. More »\n\nThe northern cardinal inhabits the southeastern half of the United States and portions of Mexico and Central America. An incredibly adaptable species, the cardinal utilizes a variety of different habitats throughout this... More » Pets & Animals Birds\n\nThe eastern bluebird is small bird native to North and Central America, and is noted for the male's deep blue head, back, wings, tail and rusty red and white-streaked breast. The female also has blue and red coloration w... More » Pets & Animals Birds\n\nThere are many sources where a person can find facts about penguins, including books on birds, National Geographic, on television shows like Discovery that feature different animals and the Smithsonian Magazine. Many of ... More » Pets & Animals Birds", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7686746120452881}
+{"content": "\n\nThe modern periodic table is arranged in ascending order according to atomic number. An element's atomic number is equal to the number of protons in each atom. Within this order, elements are arranged into distinct group... More »\n\n\nThe Roman numerals on a periodic table of elements define the chemical group of the elements in that column and identify the number of valence electrons of each element. Group IA elements have one valence electron; group... More »\n\nPeriodic law, also known as Mendeleev's law, is the concept that the chemical and physical properties of elements are based on an element's atomic weight when arranged by increasing periodic atomic number. Periodic law w... More »\n\nThree elements on the periodic table are magnetic: iron, nickel and cobalt. There are also a number of metals that take on slight magnetic properties when subjected to a magnetic field. More » Science Chemistry Atoms & Molecules\n\nThe heaviest metal on the periodic table of elements is osmium. Its density is 22.57 grams per cubic centimeter, which is twice that of the element lead. A quarter-gallon of osmium weighs 50 pounds when compared to a qua... More »", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.99974524974823}
+{"content": "career coaching\n\nThe \"Lost and Found\" of Transitions\n\nThe end of something is often the beginning of a transition, the transition from what we know and is familiar to us, The Known, through to The New. Lost our job. Lost our relationship. Lost our health. Lost our home. Lost our community. Lost our way.\n\nFeeling Lost and Feeling Loss-ed.\n\nFeeling lost can be overwhelming, a mish-mash of feeling loss and what I call feeling “loss-ed”. Feeling the losses in our life, the losses of who we are, like a part of us is missing. Feeling confused, conflicted. Feeling empty. Feeling grief. Sometimes it can feel - unbearable.\n\nFeeling lost in a foggy swirl of thick overwhelm filled with confusion, numbness, chaos. Wanting to protect ourselves, hiding under the covers with a cup of tea, or vodka, or a bag of chips, maybe a carton of ice cream. Wishing for a moment of clarity to nudge us, to awaken us from our comfortable or not so comfortable stupor.\n\nLanding in the Unknown, in mid-space, unsure of “What’s next?” “Who am I now?” “Who am I without it / him / her?”\n\nSome part of us that wants so badly, is working really hard for things to be normal again, to find the “next”: the next relationship, the next career, a new home, a new lifestyle. Sometimes we force ourselves ahead into the “new” or “next”. It takes Trust, the kind where we trust ourselves and our process.\n\nAnd, the finding!\n\nSwimming in the ocean, we can see the shoreline, suddenly a wave comes from nowhere, the undertow tugs us, pulls us underneath so that we feel as though we may never come back up, like we cannot find our breath. Until we feel something, something within pulling us up, and we see tiny glimpses of land coming into view.\n\n\nThose tiny glimpses of clarity, those moments when they peak through, they are what we wait for, what we hope for, what we wish for — the excitement and relief of finding. When we feel even a little bit ready, there are many ways to starting finding “the next” or “the new”:\n\nRead a book about it — biography, fiction or how-to. Read newspaper, magazine or blog articles about your \"next\". Watch a related film - documentary, biographical or fictionalized - or simply for joy. Move your body to move your thoughts — swim, walk, dance, whatever works for you. Commune with nature - spend time outdoors for relaxation, well-being and sparks of creative ideas. Create a fort or sandcastles with your kids or some kids. Take a workshop on something that fascinates you. Make art. Make music. Take an improv class. Brainstorm a list of what is important for you in your “next”. Declare your intention, be it tiny or large. Acknowledge what you are learning, your disappointments and wins. Connect with others who are experiencing it too. Discover new resources and share them.\n\nNo matter where you find yourself, in the place of lost, in the place of finding, or in the place of found, appreciate being wherever you are in your process. It is the building of your resilience muscle and the magic of being present to what is possible, that is transforming.\n\nWhat is your body telling you about your work?\n\nWaking up in the morning feeling unrested, pushing the snooze button a couple of times, wishing more than anything that it was Friday or better yet Saturday. Forcing yourself with all your might to get out of bed and start the washing and dressing rituals to get to work. Ugh. Work. You just know that something is out of whack here. We know how closely our bodies, health and work interconnect. We can tell after spending many hours working. And we can especially tell when we are not feeling good or even really bad about our careers or work.\n\nHealth doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It ebbs and flows with different life events, with positive and negative experiences. Certainly stressful work environments and relationships can wreak havoc on our physical, emotional and mental health.\n\nThere can be many moments during our work or career history when neither our body nor our health feel well and robust.\n\nSometimes it can happen because we feel bored and not challenged enough. For many of us, boredom is not conducive, maybe even harmful, to mental, physical and emotional well-being.\n\nIt might be because of our work hours. Working challenging shifts or long hours can be draining and taxing on our health.\n\nIt might be because of the physical environment where we work: no windows, no fresh air, poor lighting, tiny office spaces or little if any privacy.\n\nIt might be because of the social environment where we work: our boss or colleague is abrasive, maybe adversarial. Challenging work relationships can be stressful for our emotional, psychological and physical health.\n\nIt might be because of our work lifestyle. Not enough routine, not enough predictability, or too long a commute. Our work lifestyle can be wearying on body and well-being.\n\nSome of us feel so stuck in our jobs, in our careers, in our lives that we are sick of it. We feel sick of it. And we sometimes become sick from it.\n\nOur body might be telling us to make a change. Perhaps it is even yelling at us and forcing us to make a change — for our physical well-being, our mental health and sometimes for our very life.\n\nWhen our work is stressful, unsatisfying or unfulfilling, our body lets us know pretty quickly. It usually speaks to us — through our sleep, our gut, our breathing, our emotions or a lack of vitality — only we do not pay attention or choose not to attend.\n\nSometimes it feels easier to stay with what is familiar and the status quo, stay silent and ignore, avoid or deny what your body is telling you.\n\nThe body is a powerful messenger. It has deep wisdom and knowledge that we can access at every moment. What change might your body be telling you, asking you, whispering to you, even screaming to you to consider. Are you listening?\n\nWhat is your body telling you as you commute to work or get ready to start your work day? Maybe you feel anxious or uninspired about your workday. Perhaps your shoulders are hunched over, ready to protect you from the onslaught of abrasiveness, meetings, or deadlines.\n\nWhat is your body telling you mid-day? Maybe that your legs and back are needing to move and stretch. Maybe that you feel tense or that your thoughts or emotions are in overdrive or overwhelm.\n\nWhat is your body telling you as you leave your work or workplace? Maybe it feels tense or depleted, overstimulated or bored into super-comfort-zone.\n\nListen to the wisdom of your body. It knows. Its wisdom is true. It will guide you to take steps, to take care of yourself and your career.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9458857774734497}
+{"content": "Using Your Discogs Account To Log In\n\nYou don't need an account to check out record stores on VinylHub or browse different regions, but if you want to keep track of the stores you've visited and want to visit, you'll need to have an account and be logged in.\n\nIf you have a Discogs account, you'll be able to automatically sign into VinylHub. If not, you'll be directed to Discogs to create a new account.\n\nThis account can be used for all our database sites, including Gearogs, Bookogs, Filmogs, Comicogs, and Posterogs.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9962607622146606}
+{"content": "June 2002\n\nIRS Limits Agents’ Use of Constructive Receipt with Collateralized Letters of Credit\n\nBy Larry Maples\n\nIn two recent instances, IRS field offices attempted to treat a note collateralized by a letter of credit as immediate income under the doctrine of constructive receipt, only to be rebuffed by the IRS’s national office. The relevant technical advice memoranda (TAM) herald an important development for taxpayers that receive amounts in an installment sale collateralized by a letter of credit.\n\n\nAccrual taxpayers normally cannot defer income with a letter of credit since the receipt of a note is taxable regardless of the collateral arrangement. Cash basis taxpayers or installment sellers, on the other hand, can claim that a letter of credit is merely security and thus not taxable until either the note or the letter of credit is collected. The IRS has often taken the position, however, that a letter of credit is a cash equivalent under IRC section 451.\n\nThere is, however, judicial conflict over the meaning of this doctrine of cash equivalency. Taxpayers have often cited the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Cowden [61-1USTC 9382, 289 F.2d 20 (CA-5, 1961) rev’g 20 TCM 1635 (1961)] to establish that the fair market value of an item does not necessarily determine its cash equivalency. The Fifth Circuit believed that lack of transferability or a market where the instrument would trade at a substantial discount would argue against cash equivalency. The Ninth Circuit, however, held in Warren Jones [75-2 USTC 9732, 524 F.2d 788 (CA-9, 1975) rev’g 60 TC 663 (1973)] that the market value of the instruments should be included in income even if they could only be sold at substantial discounts. The Ninth Circuit observed that the availability of installment reporting would cushion taxpayer hardship in this situation. Such a cushion becomes moot, however, if the IRS treats the security for the note as “payment” under the installment sale rules.\n\nThe specific question of whether a letter of credit triggers income has never been clearly answered by the courts. In Watson [80-1 USTC 9302 (CA-5, 1980) aff’g 69 TC 544)], the Tax Court taxed a letter of credit received by a seller. The Tenth Circuit thought that a standby letter of credit avoids this fate because it is nontransferable [Sprague, 80-2 USTC 9631, 627 Fd 1044 (CA-10, 1986) rev’g DC 76-2 USTC 9566], but the Tax Court disagreed [Griffith 73 TC 933 (1979)].\n\nInstallment Sales\n\nThis judicial conflict was in the background as Congress amended the installment sales rules in 1980 by redefining payment as follows: “Payment does not include the receipt of evidences of indebtedness of the person acquiring the property (whether or not payment of such indebtedness is guaranteed by another person)” [IRC section 453 (f)(3)]. Thus, a third-party guarantee is not payment. IRC section 453 does not define third-party guarantees, but it invited the Treasury Department to issue regulations to carry out congressional intent. Temporary Regulations 15 a.453-1(b)(e) said that a standby letter of credit is not payment under IRC section 453. The Treasury Department’s position is very solid because it rests on a statement in the committee report that a standby letter of credit is an example of the type of third-party guarantee envisioned by Congress.\n\nAlthough these temporary regulations mention no qualifying third-party guarantee other than the standby letter of credit, they give examples which clearly indicate that escrow accounts will not be considered third-party guarantees. Thus, it is crucial to understand what the IRS means by “standby letter of credit,” the type of property securing the letter of credit, and the effect, if any, of changes in the underlying security. IRS district offices have attempted to characterize letter of credit arrangements as payment under the installment sale rules. Two TAMs overruling these district offices illuminate the extent to which a letter of credit, will provide a safe harbor from the payment provision of the installment sale rules.\n\nRecent TAMs\n\nBoth TAM 200105004 and TAM 200105061 concerned corporations selling stock in other corporations under an arrangement involving an installment note. The installment notes were secured by irrevocable letters of credit and the companies elected to report the gains under the installment method. The facts in these cases were very similar regarding the question of whether “payment” was received (TAM 200105004 also involved an application of section 1031 not relevant here); however, TAM 200105061 elaborates more on the National Office’s reasoning and specifically addresses the effect of the temporary regulations.\n\nThe letter of credit obtained by the buyer in TAM 200105061 was secured by mortgages on real property owned by the corporations sold. A year or so later, the buyer, after liquidating the acquired corporations and placing the real properties into partnerships, wished to end the partnerships and divide the real properties. In order to do so, the buyer (the original ownership group plus a new partner) needed to remove the mortgages. The buyer approached the seller about prepaying the installment note, thereby releasing the mortgages serving as collateral. As an alternative to prepayment, the seller preferred that the buyer obtain a substitute letter of credit in order to release the mortgages. This letter of credit was secured by the buyer’s cash deposit at the issuing bank and could be drawn on by the seller in the event of default on the note.\n\nJust before the amended note was due, the buyer obtained a third letter of credit, also backed by a cash deposit. This note was endorsed to the bank as a condition of the issuance of the new letter of credit. The bank acknowledged that the buyer had no further liability to the bank because the secured obligations were to be paid from the investments purchased with the cash deposit. Moreover, the seller agreed to be responsible for any costs for the amended agreement, such as fees and legal expenses.\n\nThe appeals officer argued that payment was received under the constructive receipt doctrine when the collateral was changed and new letters of credit obtained under either of the restructuring arrangements. The temporary regulations clearly resolve the judicial quagmire discussed earlier by providing that payment does not include a standby letter of credit. Therefore, the issue in TAM 200105061 is whether the instruments used are true standby letters of credit.\n\nNo question was raised as to whether the initial financing involved a true standby letter of credit. The field office’s contention that the restructured arrangements constituted payment raises two questions: First, will cash collateral or a switch to cash collateral be considered payment? Example 7 in the temporary regulations clearly sanctions the use of cash collateral for a standby letter of credit. The field office’s position may have been based on a misreading of example 8 in the temporary regulations, where a $1 million note is secured by a $600,000 standby letter of credit and a $400,000 escrow account and treated as a $400,000 payment. Treating a cash escrow account as payment does not mean that the cash collateral should receive the same treatment.\n\nThe second question is more difficult to dismiss: Is it possible that the substance of an arrangement could be payment even when a standby letter of credit is in place? This agreement really goes back to principles derived from case law that predates IRC section 453 (f)(e) and the ensuing temporary regulations. The logic behind this position posits that as restructuring arrangements evolve toward relieving the buyer of further financial obligations a point may be reached where “payment” has in substance occurred. Under the final arrangement in TAM 200105061, the issuing bank held the note and the buyer had no further obligations to the bank because the secured obligations were to be paid from the investment collateral. Furthermore, the seller was responsible for costs and fees charged by the bank and even agreed to indemnify the buyer for additional income taxes that might be incurred due to the limit on deductibility of investment interest. Thus, although the buyer’s obligations were over, the National Office ruled that no payment had occurred.\n\nSafe Harbor\n\nThe upshot of the National Office’s recent position is that a standby letter of credit apparently will be a safe harbor from the installment payment rules under IRC section 453. The National Office chose not to resurrect the old judicial arguments about cash equivalency in a situation where they might have applied. Apparently, the IRS plans to accept the obvious meaning of its temporary regulations as long as the definition of a standby letter of credit is met. The temporary regulations define a standby letter of credit as a “non-negotiable, non-transferrable (except together with the evidence of indebtedness which it secures) letter of credit issued by a bank or other financial institution, which serves as a guarantee of the evidence of indebtedness which is secured by the letter of credit.” According to temporary Treasury Regulations 15 a.453-1(b)(3)(iii), a letter of credit is not a standby letter of credit if it may be drawn upon in the absence of default in payment of the underlying evidence of indebtedness.\n\nLarry Maples is the COBAF Professor of Accounting at Tennessee Technological University.\n\nEdwin B. Morris, CPA\nRosenberg Neuwirth & Kuchner\n\nThis Month | About Us | Archives | Advertise| NYSSCPA\n\n\n©2002 CPA Journal. Legal Notices\n\nVisit the new cpajournal.com.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7060267925262451}
+{"content": "Learn Ahmed Knowledge Course For Genies And Gods (Becoming Sensible And Stable And Natural)\n\nHow Universe Is Formed By Ahmed ?\n\n0 replies\nMarch 28, 2019\n\nUniverse is formed by hands of ahmed through his mind and that is why when he thinks then genies complete his thinking to be true from universe whether be it seen or unseen and they dont have wisdom and consciousness and stable to know whether what ahmed think is true or just thought or imagination or inquiry or doubt or questioning and they dont know human talking like code : aqalhosh or code : naqalvat or code : marboon and they are nilju genies and dangerous to human or life if they exist and as soon as ahmed got wisdom and consciousness he made many genies as stable and natural so they are not effected from understanding and thinking of human or life when they understand or think and he even made universe as natural but he have to think that universe is stable and natural with meaning and ahmed has to be on quiet place because if ahmed will think again without telling universe to become stable and natural forever then his thinking on universe will not be completed as genies doesnt knows human or life thinking like of ahmed and ahmed has to be on quiet place where he doesnt think universe will become unstable and unnatural so genies doesnt becomes stable and natural and from ahmed only complete universe will be controlled to become stable or natural or unstable or unnatural like it is now and maltreat and abuse and misunderstanding will happen by genies on human or life by genies of universe which is of ahmed believe created from mind.\n\n\n\nClick on the button below to chat on whatsapp with ahmed or send us an email to 1godofuniverse@gmail.com\n\n× Message To Ahmed", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9738870859146118}
+{"content": "Hayao MiyazakiPeaceful Masterpieces 　龍貓‧小魔女‧天空之城—— 那些年，陪我們一起長大的宮崎駿\n\n\n精英翻譯社轉自 http://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0062/272090/web/\n\n\n　　 Hayao Miyazaki was born in Tokyo during World War II. His father owned a business, which built airplane parts. When Miyazaki was only three years old, his family was forced to live in an air-raid2 shelter3. The smell of burning buildings, the sound of exploding bombs, and the sight of warplanes flying overhead, all had a great effect on the young boy. As Miyazaki was growing up, he started to draw pictures of his early memories. Before too long, he was attracted to illustrated4 stories in boy's magazines and manga comics. While he studied the details of the pictures carefully, he read and reread the stories over and over again. This is how Miyazaki learned his storytelling skills.\n\n\n　　Miyazaki finished school and became an artist in an animation studio5. His amazing talent was first noticed while working on Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon. The movie's director embraced his many technical and artistic suggestions, including the storyline for the end of the movie. After working on several more movies, Miyazaki opened his own studio and started to make his own animated feature films6. Studio Ghibli is where he made all of his classic movies including Spirited Away, which was the first anime film to win an American Academy Award.\n\n\n\n創作者 ests24331677 的頭像\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8030380606651306}
+{"content": "School of Architecture Faculty, David Gersten answers the question what do elevators, undersea cables, democracy, and Cooper have in common?\n\nRemoving Barriers Mobilizes Resources\n\nThis is the text of an address delivered by David Gersten in the Great Hall of the Cooper Union on December 5, 2011.\n\n\n“I for one, have been blessed with…a moment in education…where I have had…a Social Contract and many of the people sitting today in this audience, have made my life…more understandable, because of their understanding of the Social Contract.” — John Hejduk\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe safety elevator removed the vertical barrier of walking above eight stories and the city EXPLODED upwards, creating an entirely new geography of human inhabitation. Removing the vertical barrier mobilized the resources that fueled the 150-year vertical rise that is: New York City.\n\nPeter Cooper was also directly involved in pulling the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable between the two continents, compressing weeks into seconds, in the exchange of: information and ideas. The Transatlantic Cable removed the communications barrier of shipping speeds and the exchange of ideas EXPLODED between the two continents, creating an entirely new geography of human interaction and exchange. Removing the communication barrier mobilized the resources that fueled the 150-year continuous transformation of Global communications.\n\nThe massive resources invested in creating each of these transformations were mobilized as a direct result of removing barriers and articulating a credible vision of the consequences of their removal. Peter Cooper’s years of struggle in pulling the Transatlantic Cable were overcome by his clarity of vision, that through this connection, “Knowledge shall cover the earth as waters the deep.”\n\nArticulating this vision, keeping this promise, required the third invention, I believe, Peter Cooper’s greatest invention: the removal of barriers to education. Education is by definition a transformative pursuit, individuals come together and engage in transformative interactions and experiences: Knowledge evolves. Creating circumstances of proximity and interaction among a great multiplicity of ideas and questions, leads to mutual transformation and new forms of knowledge. In creating the Cooper Union, Peter Cooper invested in the profound idea that removing the barriers to education creates a dynamic crucible of free thought where a great diversity of people and their questions can interact and co-evolve, developing new linkages, new thought processes, and new questions.\n\n\nLike the vertical barrier removed by the safety elevator, the invention of the Cooper Union removed the artificial age limit above which people could freely participate in the transformative interactions of education. Like the Transatlantic Cable, the removal of the financial barriers to education collapsed the distances within the vast and uneven geographies of resource distribution and accumulation, bringing into direct proximity those who would otherwise have an ocean between them. Removing the barriers to education creates an entirely new geography of human: proximity, interaction and transformation, a new geography of knowledge and imagination. The value and meaning of the Transatlantic Cable and the global communications revolution that it unleashed is found in the exchange of: knowledge and ideas that pass through it. The Cooper Union is Peter Cooper’s greatest transformative invention, because it creates transformation itself. It is the invention that sustains invention and contributes to the continuously expanding universe of knowledge that elevates mankind.\n\n\n\n\n\nIn moments of existential crisis, time has a tendency to collapse, whole chains of events that may usually require years and decades to unfold suddenly happen overnight. If we can get this right, if we can articulate a model that secures the credible promise of education without barriers, the transformative consequences will far exceed those of the “safety elevator” and the Transatlantic Cable. We will have shifted the trajectory, unleashing new geographies of knowledge beyond our wildest imaginations.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9954087734222412}
+{"content": "\n\nDec 14, 2018\n\nTransformative Experience Design\n\n\nIn short, the goal of this project is to understand how virtual reality, brain-based technologies and the language of arts can support transformative experiences, that is, emotional experiences that promote deep personal change.\n\nAbout Transformative Experience Design\n\nAs noted by Miller and C’de Baca, there are experiences in life that are able to generate profound and long-lasting shifts in core beliefs and attitudes, including subjective self-transformation. These experiences have the capacity of changing not only what individuals know and value, but also how they see the world.\n\nAccording to Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory, these experiences can be triggered by a “disorienting dilemma” usually related to a life crisis or major life transition (e.g., death, illness, separation, or divorce), which forces individuals to critically examine and eventually revise their core assumptions and beliefs. The outcome of a transformative experience is a significant and permanent change in the expectations – mindsets, perspectives and habits of mind – through which we filter and make sense of the world. For these characteristics, transformative experiences are gaining increasing attention not only in psychology and neuroscience, but also in philosophy.\n\nFrom a psychological perspective, transformative change is often associated to specific experiential states, defined “self-transcendence experiences”. These are transient mental states that allow individuals experiencing something greater of themselves, reflecting on deeper dimensions of their existence and shaping lasting spiritual beliefs. These experiences encompass several mental states, including flow, positive emotions such as awe and elevation, “peak” experiences, “mystical” experiences and mindfulness (for a review, see Yaden et al.). Although the phenomenological profile of these experiential states can vary significantly in terms of quality and intensity, they are characterized by a diminished sense of self and increased feelings of connectedness to other people and one’s surroundings. Previous research has shown that self-transcendent experiences are important sources of positive psychological outcomes, including increased meaning in life, positive mood and life satisfaction, positive behavior change, spiritual development and pro-social attitudes.\n\nOne potentially interesting question related to self-transcendent experiences concerns whether, and to which extent, these mental states can be invited or elicited by means of interactive technologies. This question lies at the center of a new research program – Transformative Experience Design (TED) – which has a two-fold aims:\n\n  • to systematically investigate the phenomenological and neuro-cognitive aspects of self-transcendent experiences, as well as their implications for individual growth and psychological wellbeing; and\n  • to translate such knowledge into a tentative set of design principles for developing “e-experiences” that support meaning in life and personal growth. \n\nThe three pillars of TED: virtual reality, arts and neurotechnologies\n\nI have identified three possible assets that can be combined to achieve this goal:\n\n  1. The first strategy concerns the use of advanced simulation technologies, such as virtual, augmented and mixed reality, as the elective medium to generate controlled alteration of perceptual, motor and cognitive processes. \n  2. The second asset regards the use of the language of arts to create emotionally-compelling storytelling scenarios.\n  3. The third and final element of TED concerns the use of brain-based technologies, such as brain stimulation and bio/neurofeedback, to modulate neuro-physiological processes underlying self-transcendence mental states, using a closed-loop approach.\n\nThe central assumption of TED is that the combination of these means provides a broad spectrum of transformative possibilities, which include, for example, “what it is like” to embody another self or another life form, simulating peculiar neurological phenomena like synesthesia or out-of-body experiences, and altering time and space perception.\n\nThe safe and controlled use of these e-experiences hold the potential to facilitate self-knowledge and self-understanding, foster creative expression, develop new skills, and recognize and learn the value of others.\n\nExample of TED research projects\n\nAlthough TED is a recent research program, we are building a fast-growing community of researchers, artists and developers to shape the next generation of transformative experiences. Here is a list of recent projects and publications related to TED in different application contexts.\n\nThe Emotional Labyrinth\n\nIn this project I teamed with Sergi Bermudez i Badia and Mónica S. Cameirão from Madera Interactive Technologies Institute to realize the first example of emotionally-adaptive virtual reality application for mental health. So far, virtual reality applications in wellbeing and therapy have typically been based on pre-designed objects and spaces. In this project, we suggest a different approach, in which the content of a virtual world is procedurally generated at runtime (that is, through algorithmic means) according to the user’s affective responses. To demonstrate the concept, we developed a first prototype using Unity: the “Emotional Labyrinth”. In this VR experience, the user walks through a endless maze, whose structure and contents are automatically generated according to four basic emotional states: joy, sadness, anger and fear. \n\nDuring navigation, affective states are dynamically represented through pictures, music, and animated visual metaphors chosen to represent and induce emotional states.\n\nThe underlying hypothesis is that exposing users to multimodal representations of their affective states can create a feedback loop that supports emotional self-awareness and fosters more effective emotional regulation strategies. We carried out a first study to (i) assess the effectiveness of the selected metaphors in inducing target emotions, and (ii) identify relevant psycho-physiological markers of the emotional experience generated by the labyrinth. Results showed that the Emotional Labyrinth is overall a pleasant experience in which the proposed procedural content generation can induce distinctive psycho-physiological patterns, generally coherent with the meaning of the metaphors used in the labyrinth design. Further, collected psycho-physiological responses such as electrocardiography, respiration, electrodermal activity, and electromyography are used to generate computational models of users' reported experience. These models enable the future implementation of the closed loop mechanism to adapt the Labyrinth procedurally to the users' affective state.\n\nAwe in Virtual Reality\n\nAwe is a compelling emotional experience with philosophical roots in the domain of aesthetics and religious or spiritual experiences. Both Edmund Burke’s (1759/1970 and Immanuel Kant’s (1764/2007) analyses of the sublime as a compelling experience that transcends one’s perception of beauty to something more profound are couched in terms that seem synonymous with the modern understanding of awe.\n\nThe contemporary psychological understanding of awe comes largely from a foundational article written by Keltner and Haidt (2003). According to their conceptualization, awe experiences encompass two key appraisals: the perception of vastness and the need to mentally attempt to accommodate this vastness into existing mental schemas.\n\nCrucially, research has shown that experiencing awe is associated with positive transformative changes at both psychological and physical levels (e.g., Shiota et al., 2007Schneider, 2009Stellar et al., 2015). For example, awe can change our perspective toward even unknown others thus increasing our generous attitude toward them (Piff et al., 2015Prade and Saroglou, 2016) and reducing aggressive behaviors (Yang et al., 2016). Generally, awe broadens our attentional focus (Sung and Yih, 2015), and extends time perception (Rudd et al., 2012). Furthermore, this emotion protects our immunity system against chronic and cardiovascular diseases and enhance our satisfaction toward life (Krause and Hayward, 2015Stellar et al., 2015).\n\nConsidering the transformative potential of awe, I and my doctoral student Alice Chiricofocused on how to elicit intense feelings of this complex emotion using virtual reality. To this end, we modeled three immersive virtual environments (i.e., a forest including tall trees; a chain of mountains; and an earth view from deep space) designed to induce a feeling of perceptual vastness. As hypothesized, the three target environments induced a significantly greater awe than a \"neutral\" virtual environment (a park consisting of a green clearing with very few trees and some flowers). Full details of this study are reported here.\n\nIn another study, we examined the potential of VR-induced awe to foster creativity. To this end, we exposed participants both to an awe-inducing 3D-video and to a neutral one in a within-subject design. After each stimulation condition, participants reported the intensity and type of perceived emotion and completed two verbal tasks of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT; Torrance, 1974), a standardized test to measure creativity performance. Results showed that awe positively affected key creativity components—fluidity, flexibility, and elaboration measured by the TTCT subtest—compared to a neutral stimulus, suggesting that (i) awe has a potential for boosting creativity, and (ii) VR is a powerful awe-inducing medium that can be used in different application contexts (i.e., educational, clinical etc.) where this emotion can make a difference.\n\nHowever, not only graphical 3D environments can be used to induce awe; in another study, we showed that also 360° videos depicting vast natural scenarios are powerful stimuli to induce intense feelings of this complex emotion.\n\nImmersive storytelling for psychotherapy and mental wellbeing\n\nGrowing research evidence indicates that VR can be effectively integrated in psychotherapyto treat a number of clinical conditions, including anxiety disorders, pain disorders and PTSD. In this context, VR is mostly used as simulative tool for controlled exposure to critical/fearful situations. The possibility of presenting realistic controlled stimuli and, simultaneously, of monitoring the responses generated by the user offers a considerable advantage over real experiences.\n\nHowever, the most interesting potential of VR resides in its capacity of creating compelling immersive storytelling experiences. As recently noted by Brenda Wiederhold:\n\nVirtual training simulations, documentaries, and experiences will, however, only be as effective as the emotions they spark in the viewer. To reach that point, the VR industry is faced with two obstacles: creating content that is enjoyable and engaging, and encouraging adoption of the medium among consumers. Perhaps the key to both problems is the recognition that users are not passive consumers of VR content. Rather, they bring their own thoughts, needs, and emotions to the worlds they inhabit. Successful stories challenge those conceptions, invite users to engage with the material, and recognize the power of untethering users from their physical world and throwing them into another. That isn’t just the power of VR—it’s the power of storytelling as a whole.\n\nThus, VR-based narratives can be used to generate an infinite number of “possible selves”, by providing a person a “subjective window of presence” into unactualized, but possible, worlds.\n\nThe emergence of immersive storytelling introduces the possibility of using VR in mental health from a different rationale than virtual reality-based exposure therapy. In this novel rationale, immersive stories, lived from a first-person perspective, provide the patient the opportunity of engaging emotionally with metaphoric narratives, eliciting new insights and meaning-making related to viewers’ personal world views.\n\nTo explore this new perspective, I have been collaborating with the Italian startup Become to test the potential of transformative immersive storytelling in mental health and wellbeing. An intriguing aspect of this strategy is that, in contrast with conventional virtual-reality exposure therapy, which is mostly used in combination with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy interventions, immersive storytelling scenarios can be integrated in any therapeutic model, since all kinds of psychotherapy involve some form of ‘storytelling’. \n\nIn this project, we are interested in understanding, for example, whether the integration of immersive stories in the therapeutic setting can enhance the efficacy of the intervention and facilitate patients in expressing their inner thoughts, feelings, and life experiences. \n\n\nAre you a researcher, a developer, or an artist interested in collaborating in TED projects? Here is how:\n\n  1. Drop me an email at: andrea.gaggioli@unicatt.it\n  2. Sign into ResearchGate and visit Transformative Experience Design project's page\n  3. Have a look at the existing projects and publications to find out which TED research line is more interesting to you.\n\nKey references\n\n[1] Miller, W. R., & C'de Baca, J. (2001). Quantum change: When epiphanies and sudden insights transform ordinary lives. New York: Guilford Press.\n\n[2] Yaden, D. B., Haidt, J., Hood, R. W., Jr., Vago, D. R., & Newberg, A. B. (2017). The varieties of self-transcendent experience. Review of General Psychology, 21(2), 143-160.\n\n[3] Gaggioli, A. (2016). Transformative Experience Design. In Human Computer Confluence. Transforming Human Experience Through Symbiotic Technologies, eds A. Gaggioli, A. Ferscha, G. Riva, S. Dunne, and I. Viaud-Delmon (Berlin: De Gruyter Open), 96–121.\n\nOct 18, 2018\n\n€4 million EU grant for research into providing sustainable informal care\n\nOver €4 million worth of EU funding has been awarded to the international network ‘ENTWINE informal care’, led by Prof. Mariët Hagedoorn and Prof. Robbert Sanderman from the department of Health Psychology at the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG). The grant will be used to train 15 novice researchers to study and solve questions relating to sustainable ways of providing informal care.\n\nInformal carers provide unpaid care to relatives or friends with a chronic illness, disability or another long-term care need. An ageing population and medical advances are causing a sharp rise in the care needs of the elderly and the sick, while the availability of informal carers in Europe is dropping. European healthcare systems rely heavily on the services of informal carers, but there are fears for the long-term sustainability of these systems. Who will look after our elderly relatives in the future, and how? \n\nFor the purposes of this research, the ENTWINE network will focus on both the increasing need for care and people's willingness and capacity to provide care. Cultural and individual differences will be among the factors examined. Combining knowledge from the fields of both psychology and technology will enable the network to develop support to help informal carers keep up their commitment and to promote positive caregiving experiences. This could involve using social robots to reduce stress among informal carers, or fitting homes with sensors to monitor confused or vulnerable care recipients. The network also wants to find the best way of implementing support such as this for informal carers. By providing this research opportunity and training programme for novice researchers, the network hopes to take up a key position in the development of sustainable informal care in Europe.\n\nThe strength of the ENTWINE network stems from the close collaboration between researchers from various academic fields and between universities, businesses and non-profit organizations in a range of European countries. The researchers (PhD students) will be appointed in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Israel, Italy and Sweden. As 15 PhD positions are available, the network is interested in candidates from diverse backgrounds including psychology, sociology, economics and technology, as well as computer, communication and health sciences. Applications are welcome until 30 November 2018.\n\nThe EU grant has been allocated as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme: a programme that aims to give novice researchers a chance to improve their research skills, work with established research teams and elevate their own career prospects. Grants are awarded on the understanding that the projects involve several organizations from different European countries and that close collaboration will develop between research institutes and businesses.\n\nMore information is available at: www.entwine-itn.eu\n\nSep 23, 2018\n\nThe development of the Awe Experience Scale\n\nAwe is a complex emotion composed of an appraisal of vastness and a need for accommodation. The purpose of this study was to develop a robust state measure of awe, the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S), based on the extant experimental literature. In study 1, participants (N = 501) wrote about an intense moment of awe that they had experienced and then completed a survey about their experience. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 6-factor structure, including: altered time perception (F1); self-diminishment (F2); connectedness (F3); perceived vastness (F4); physical sensations (F5); need for accommodation (F6). Internal consistency was strong for each factor (α ≥ .80). Study 2 confirmed the 6-factor structure (N = 636) using fit indices (CFI = .905; RMSEA = .054). Each factor of the AWES is significantly correlated with the awe items of the modified Differential Emotions Scale (mDES) and Dispositional Positive Emotion Scale (D-PES). Triggers, valence, and themes associated with awe experiences are reported.\n\nTo cite this research:\n\nYaden, D.B. Kaufman, S.B., Hyde, E., Chirico, A., Gaggioli, A., Zhang, J.W., Keltner, D. (2018) The development of the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S): A multifactorial measure for a complex emotion, The Journal of Positive Psychology, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2018.1484940\n\nBlockchain technology: living in a decentralized everything\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAs Iansiti and Lakhani explain in the Harvard Business Review:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMay 16, 2017\n\nNew Frontiers research topic on Positive Technology (Manuscript submission: 28 Feb 2018)\n\nWe are very excited to present this new Frontiers research topic on Positive Technology\n\nFrontiers in Psychology is the #1 largest and the #2 most cited psychology journal in the world. Impact Factor: 2.463 (as accessed May 2017)\n\nSubmission Deadlines\n\n30 September 2017 -> Abstract\n\n28 February 2018 -> Manuscript\n\nWe look forward to receive your contribution!\n\n\nAbout this Research Topic\n\nIn recent years, there has been a growing interest in the potential role that digital technologies can play in promoting well-being. Smartphones, wearable devices, virtual/augmented reality, social media, and the internet provide a wealth of useful tools and resources to support psychological interventions that facilitate positive emotions, resilience, personal growth, creativity, and social connectedness.\n\nUnderstanding the full extent of this potential, however, requires an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the scientific principles of well-being into the design of e-experiences that foster positive change. Positive Technology is an emergent field within human-computer interaction that seeks to understand how interactive technologies can be used in evidence-based well-being interventions. It’s focus of analysis is two-fold: at the theoretical level, Positive Technology aims to develop conceptual frameworks and models for understanding how computers can be effectively used to help individuals achieve greater well-being.\n\nAt the methodological and applied level, Positive Technology is concerned with the design, development, and validation of digital experiences that promote positive change through pleasure, flow, meaning, competence, and positive relationships.\n\nThis Research Topic aims to explore the potential of interactive technology for well-being applications by focusing on the following issues:\n- methodological issues in designing and evaluating positive technologies;\n- technology-based strategies for promoting positive emotions and fostering eudaimonic and self-actualizing experiences;\n- computer-based applications in stress prevention, monitoring, and management;\n- online positive interventions;\n- interactive technologies and positive change;\n- digital tools & strategies for enhancing individual and team creativity;\n- videogames and serious games for mental health prevention and promotion;\n- technology and spirituality;\n- positive technologies for healthy ageing;\n- technology-based interventions to promote life skills and social connectedness;\n- self-help applications to learn affective regulation strategies (at their multiple levels: e.g., interpersonal, intrapersonal; automatic, explicit; covert, overt).\n\nKeywords: human-media interaction, positive psychology interventions, cyberpsychology, mental health\n\nApr 11, 2017\n\nNew ResearchGate Project on Positive Technology\n\nI have created a new project in ResearchGate for those of you who are interested to get the latest updates in PT research (including full-text access to most of our papers):\n\n\nIt is also a useful tool to explore scientific collaboration opportunities, so if you find anything that matches your interests please let us know!\n\n\n\nApr 06, 2017\n\nCrowdsourcing VR research\n\nIf 2016 has been a golden year for virtual reality, there is reason to believe that the coming year may be even better. According to a recent market forecast by International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide revenues for the augmented reality and virtual reality market are projected to grow from $5.2 billion in 2016 to more than $162 billion in 2020.\n\n\nWith virtual reality becoming a mass product, it becomes crucial to understand its psychological effects on users.\n\nOver the last decade, a growing body of research has been addressing the positive and negative implications of virtual experience for the human mind. Yet many questions still remain unanswered.\n\nSome of these issues are concerned with the defining features of virtual experience, i.e., what it means to be “present” in a computer-simulated reality. Other questions regard the drawbacks of virtual environments, such as cybersickness, addiction and other psychological disorders caused by prolonged exposure to immersive virtual worlds.\n\nFor example, in a recent article appeared in The Atlantic, Rebecca Searles wrote that after exploring a virtual environment, some users have reported a feeling of detachment that can last days or even weeks. This effect had been already documented by Frederick Aardema and colleagues in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking some years ago. The team administered a nonclinical sample questionnaires to measures dissociation, sense of presence, and immersion before and after an immersion in a virtual environment. Findings showed that after explosure to virtual reality, participants reported an increase in dissociative experience (depersonalization and derealization), including a lessened sense of presence in objective reality.\n\nHowever, more research is needed to understand this phenomenon, and other aspects of virtual experience that are still to be uncovered.\n\nUntil today, most studies on virtual reality have been mainly conducted in scientific laboratories, because of the relatively high costs of virtual reality hardware and the need of specialist expertise for system setup and maintenance.\n\nHowever, the increasing diffusion of commercial virtual reality headsets and software could make it possible to move research from the laboratory to private homes. For example, researchers could create online experiments and ask people to participate using their own virtual reality equipment, eventually providing some kind of rewards for their involvement.\n\nAn online collaboration platform could be developed to plan studies, create research protocols, collect and share data from participants. This open research strategy may offer several advantages. For example, the platform would offer researchers the opportunity to rapidly get input from large numbers of virtual reality participants. Furthermore, the users themselves could be involved in formulating research questions and co-create experiments with researchers.\n\n\nIn the medical field, this approach has been successfully pioneered by online patient communities such as PatientsLikeMe and CureTogether. These social health sites provide a real-time research platform that allow clinical researchers and patients to partner for improving health outcomes. Other examples of internet-based citizen science projects include applications in astronomy, environmental protection, neuroscience to name a few (more examples can be found in Zooniverse, the world’s largest citizen science web portal).\n\nBut virtual reality could extend the potential of citizen science even further. For example, virtual reality applications could be developed that are specifically designed for research purposes, i.e., virtual reality games that “manipulate” some variables of interest for researchers, or virtual reality versions of classic experimental paradigms, such as the “Stroop test”. It could be even possible to create virtual reality simulations of whole research laboratories, to allow participants to participate in online experiments using their avatars.\n\nFeb 28, 2017\n\nBringing more transparency to AI\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPing-Pong Robot\n\nDeveloped by Omron Corporation, FORPHEUS (Future Omron Robotics Technology for Exploring Possibility of Harmonized aUtomation with Sinic Theoretics) has officially been given the Guinness World Records title for being the First robot table tennis tutor for its unique technological intelligence and educational capabilities.\n\nAccording to the project's lead developer Taku Oya, the goal of FORPHEUS was to harmonise humans and robots, by way of teaching the game of table tennis to human players.\n\nThe machine is easily able to act as a coach thanks to cutting edge vision and motion sensors it can use to gage movement during a match. FORPHEUS also features an array of cameras that are situated above the ping pong table which monitors the position of the ball at an impressive rate of 80 times per second. This functionality also allows the robot to show its human student to see a projected image as to where the return ball will land so that they may improve their skills.\n\n\n23:02 Posted in AI & robotics | Permalink | Comments (0)\n\nFeb 22, 2017\n\nThe Potential of Virtual Reality for the Investigation of Awe\n\n\n\n\n\nJan 19, 2017\n\nFacebook Study Finds Introverts Feel More Comfortable with VR Social Interaction\n\nVia RoadToVr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJan 02, 2017\n\nBabies exposed to stimulation get brain boost\n\nSource: The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)\n\nMany new parents still think that babies should develop at their own pace, and that they shouldn't be challenged to do things that they're not yet ready for. Infants should learn to roll around under their own power, without any \"helpful\" nudges, and they shouldn't support their weight before they can stand or walk on their own. They mustn't be potty trained before they are ready for it.\n\nAccording to neuroscientist Audrey van der Meer, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) this mindset can be traced back to the early 1900s, when professionals were convinced that our genes determine who we are, and that child development occurred independently of the stimulation that a baby is exposed to. They believed it was harmful to hasten development, because development would and should happen naturally.\n\nEarly stimulation in the form of baby gym activities and early potty training play a central role in Asia and Africa. The old development theory also contrasts with modern brain research that shows that early stimulation contributes to brain development gains even in the wee ones among us.\n\nUsing the body and senses\n\nVan der Meer is a professor of neuropsychology and has used advanced EEG technology for many years to study the brain activity of hundreds of babies.\n\nThe results show that the neurons in the brains of young children quickly increase in both number and specialization as the baby learns new skills and becomes more mobile. Neurons in very young children form up to a thousand new connections per second.\n\nVan der Meer's research also shows that the development of our brain, sensory perception and motor skills happen in sync. She believes that even the smallest babies must be challenged and stimulated at their level from birth onward. They need to engage their entire body and senses by exploring their world and different materials, both indoors and out and in all types of weather. She emphasizes that the experiences must be self-produced; it is not enough for children merely to be carried or pushed in a stroller.\n\nUnused brain synapses disappear\n\n\"Many people believe that children up to three years old only need cuddles and nappy changes, but studies show that rats raised in cages have less dendritic branching in the brain than rats raised in an environment with climbing and hiding places and tunnels. Research also shows that children born into cultures where early stimulation is considered important, develop earlier than Western children do,\" van der Meer says.\n\nShe adds that the brains of young children are very malleable, and can therefore adapt to what is happening around them. If the new synapses that are formed in the brain are not being used, they disappear as the child grows up and the brain loses some of its plasticity.\n\nVan der Meer mentions the fact that Chinese babies hear a difference between the R and L sounds when they are four months old, but not when they get older. Since Chinese children do not need to distinguish between these sounds to learn their mother tongue, the brain synapses that carry this knowledge disappear when they are not used.\n\nLoses the ability to distinguish between sounds\n\nBabies actually manage to distinguish between the sounds of any language in the world when they are four months old, but by the time they are eight months old they have lost this ability, according to van der Meer.\n\nIn the 1970s, it was believed that children could only learn one language properly. Foreign parents were advised not to speak their native language to their children, because it could impede the child's language development. Today we think completely differently, and there are examples of children who speak three, four or five languages fluently without suffering language confusion or delays.\n\nBrain research suggests that in these cases the native language area in the brain is activated when children speak the languages. If we study a foreign language after the age of seven, other areas of the brain are used when we speak the language, explains Van der Meer.\n\nShe adds that it is important that children learn languages by interacting with real people.\n\n\"Research shows that children don't learn language by watching someone talk on a screen, it has to be real people who expose them to the language,\" says van der Meer.\n\nEarly intervention with the very young\n\nSince a lot is happening in the brain during the first years of life, van der Meer says that it is easier to promote learning and prevent problems when children are very young.\n\nThe term \"early intervention\" keeps popping up in discussions of kindergartens and schools, teaching and learning. Early intervention is about helping children as early as possible to ensure that as many children as possible succeed in their education and on into adulthood - precisely because the brain has the greatest ability to change under the influence of the ambient conditions early in life.\n\n\"When I talk about early intervention, I'm not thinking of six-year-olds, but even younger children from newborns to age three. Today, 98 per cent of Norwegian children attend kindergarten, so the quality of the time that children spend there is especially important. I believe that kindergarten should be more than just a holding place -- it should be a learning arena - and by that I mean that play is learning,\" says van der Meer.\n\nToo many untrained staff\n\nShe adds that a two-year old can easily learn to read or swim, as long as the child has access to letters or water. However, she does not want kindergarten to be a preschool, but rather a place where children can have varied experiences through play.\n\n\"This applies to both healthy children and those with different challenges. When it comes to children with motor challenges or children with impaired vision and hearing, we have to really work to bring the world to them,\" says van der Meer.\n\n\"One-year-olds can't be responsible for their own learning, so it's up to the adults to see to it. Today untrained temporary staff tend to be assigned to the infant and toddler rooms, because it's 'less dangerous' with the youngest ones since they only need cuddles and nappy changes. I believe that all children deserve teachers who understand how the brains of young children work. Today, Norway is the only one of 25 surveyed OECD countries where kindergarten teachers do not constitute 50 per cent of kindergarten staffing,\" she said.\n\nMore children with special needs\n\nLars Adde is a specialist in paediatric physical therapy at St. Olavs Hospital and a researcher at NTNU's Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health. He works with young children who have special needs, in both his clinical practice and research.\n\nHe believes it is important that all children are stimulated and get to explore the world, but this is especially important for children who have special challenges. He points out that a greater proportion of children that are now coming into the world in Norway have special needs.\n\n\"This is due to the rapid development in medical technology, which enables us to save many more children -- like extremely premature babies and infants who get cancer. These children would have died 50 years ago, and today they survive -- but often with a number of subsequent difficulties,\" says Adde.\n\nNew knowledge offers better treatment\n\nAdde says that the new understanding of brain development that has been established since the 1970s has given these children far better treatment and care options.\n\nFor example, the knowledge that some synapses in the brain are strengthened while others disappear has led to the understanding that we have to work at what we want to be good at - like walking. According to the old mindset, any general movement would provide good general motor function.\n\nBabies who are born very prematurely at St. Olavs Hospital receive follow-up by an interdisciplinary team at the hospital and a municipal physiotherapist in their early years. Kindergarten staff where the child attends receive training in exactly how this child should be stimulated and challenged at the appropriate level. The follow-up enables a child with developmental delays to catch up quickly, so that measures can be implemented early -- while the child's brain is still very plastic.\n\nA child may, for example, have a small brain injury that causes him to use his arms differently. Now we know that the brain connections that govern this arm become weaker when it is used less, which reinforces the reduced function.\n\n\"Parents may then be asked to put a sock on the \"good\" hand when their child uses his hands to play. Then the child is stimulated and the brain is challenged to start using the other arm,\" says Adde.\n\nShouldn't always rush development\n\nAdde stresses that it is not always advisable to speed up the development of children with special needs who initially struggle with their motor skills.\n\nA one-year old learning to walk first has to learn to find her balance. If the child is helped to standing position, she will eventually learn to stand - but before she has learned how to sit down again. If the child loses her balance, she'll fall like a stiff cane, which can be both scary and counterproductive.\n\nIn that situation, \"we might then ask the parents to instead help their child up to kneeling position while it holds onto something. Then the child will learn to stand up on its own. If the child falls, it will bend in the legs and tumble on its bum. Healthy children figure this out on their own, but children with special challenges don't necessarily do this,\" says Adde.\n\nStory Source:\n\n\nMind-controlled toys: The next generation of Christmas presents?\n\nSource: University of Warwick \n\n\n\nLed by Professor Christopher James, Director of Warwick Engineering in Biomedicine at the School of Engineering, technology has been developed which allows electronic devices to be activated using electrical impulses from brain waves, by connecting our thoughts to computerised systems. Some of the most popular toys on children's lists to Santa - such as remote-controlled cars and helicopters, toy robots and Scalextric racing sets - could all be controlled via a headset, using 'the power of thought'.\n\nThis could be based on levels of concentration - thinking of your favourite colour or stroking your dog, for example. Instead of a hand-held controller, a headset is used to create a brain-computer interface - a communication link between the human brain and the computerised device.\n\nSensors in the headset measure the electrical impulses from brain at various different frequencies - each frequency can be somewhat controlled, under special circumstances. This activity is then processed by a computer, amplified and fed into the electrical circuit of the electronic toy. Professor James comments on the future potential for this technology: \"Whilst brain-computer interfaces already exist - there are already a few gaming headsets on the market - their functionality has been quite limited.\n\nNew research is making the headsets now read cleaner and stronger signals than ever before - this means stronger links to the toy, game or action thus making it a very immersive experience. \"The exciting bit is what comes next - how long before we start unlocking the front door or answering the phone through brain-computer interfaces?\"\n\n\nThe Potential of Virtual Reality for the Investigation of Awe\n\nThe Potential of Virtual Reality for the Investigation of Awe\n\n\nFront. Psychol., 09 November 2016 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01766\n\n\nWhy we should fix inequalities in science\n\nScience is a source of progress and the best hope for the future of mankind. With a world population reaching seven billion individuals and a growing consumption of (increasingly scarce) natural resources, the only chance that we have to avoid the collapse of civilization caused by our own expansion is to find new strategies for sustainable development. But addressing this challenge will be impossible without the support of scientific and technological innovation.\n\nThanks to scientific research, we have conquered space, developed therapies for devastating pathologies, and explored the mysteries of matter. Science is illuminating our understanding of the most complex object in nature—the brain—and expanding our knowledge of the universe. But today, science is suffering from several diseases.\n\nIn most countries, researchers strive to find the economic resources to carry out their research and keep their jobs. Since research funding is scarce, scientists are forced to compete with peers in order to obtain them. The odds of winning this hard competition, however, are increasingly more dependent upon the scientific impact and productivity of grant seekers than they are on the excellence of the research proposals. As a consequence, researchers who are not able to produce a decent number of publications on sufficiently prestigious outlets have almost no chance of receiving funding and realizing their ideas. This is why the notorious motto, publish or perish, has become the #1 concern of most researchers in the world.\n\nThe pressure to publish has several negative implications. First, it pushes conflicts of interest and risks of scientific misconduct, for example falsification or fabrication of data. Furthermore, the spasmodic need to increase one’s h-index (a way to measure academic impact) leads researchers (and especially younger scholars) to focus on topics that are currently more mainstream or fashionable, and thus more likely to attract a greater number of citations from other authors. And last - but not least - while the rush to publish can generate more papers, it also increases the volume of poor scientific work. It could be argued that only a competitive system, such as the current one, can make it possible to select the best talents and ideas, thus ensuring the highest return on investment for society. But in reality, there is no evidence that the increase in scientific productivity is associated with better research outcomes.\n\nFurthermore, as recently shown by University of Michigan sociologist Yu Xie, science is becoming more and more a ‘‘winner takes all’’ field, in which a few talented scientists receive much greater recognition and rewards than lesser-known scientists for comparable contributions. As a consequence, many young researchers, although brilliant, have little chance of being recognized at all because most of the available resources are taken by the ‘‘giants’’ of their scientific disciplines. But in addition to diminishing integrity, lowering scientific quality, and spreading frustration among younger scholars, the current system may also threaten the very driving forces behind science: the passion to invent and discover. As noted by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, two prominent experts of innovation, ‘‘what doesn’t motivate creativity can kill it.’’\n\n22:16 Posted in Blue sky | Permalink | Comments (0)\n\nThe Impact of Virtual Reality on Chronic Pain\n\nThe Impact of Virtual Reality on Chronic Pain.\n\nPLoS One. 2016;11(12):e0167523\n\nAuthors: Jones T, Moore T, Choo J\n\nAbstract. The treatment of chronic pain could benefit from additional non-opioid interventions. Virtual reality (VR) has been shown to be effective in decreasing pain for procedural or acute pain but to date there have been few studies on its use in chronic pain. The present study was an investigation of the impact of a virtual reality application for chronic pain. Thirty (30) participants with various chronic pain conditions were offered a five-minute session using a virtual reality application called Cool! Participants were asked about their pain using a 0-10 visual analog scale rating before the VR session, during the session and immediately after the session. They were also asked about immersion into the VR world and about possible side effects. Pain was reduced from pre-session to post-session by 33%. Pain was reduced from pre-session during the VR session by 60%. These changes were both statistically significant at the p < .001 level. Three participants (10%) reported no change between pre and post pain ratings. Ten participants (33%) reported complete pain relief while doing the virtual reality session. All participants (100%) reported a decrease in pain to some degree between pre-session pain and during-session pain. The virtual reality experience was found here to provide a significant amount of pain relief. A head mounted display (HMD) was used with all subjects and no discomfort was experienced. Only one participant noted any side effects. VR seems to have promise as a non-opioid treatment for chronic pain and further investigation is warranted.\n\n22:12 Posted in Virtual worlds | Permalink | Comments (0)\n\nEffects of Smart-Tablet-Based Neurofeedback Training on Cognitive Function in Children with Attention Problems\n\n\nJ Child Neurol. 2016 May;31(6):750-60 Authors: Shin MS, Jeon H, Kim M, Hwang T, Oh SJ, Hwangbo M, Kim KJ\n\nAbstract We sought to determine whether smart-tablet-based neurofeedback could improve executive function-including attention, working memory, and self-regulation-in children with attention problems. Forty children (10-12 years old) with attention problems, as determined by ratings on the Conners Parent Rating Scale, were assigned to either a neurofeedback group that received 16 sessions or a control group. A comprehensive test battery that assessed general intelligence, visual and auditory attention, attentional shifting, response inhibition and behavior rating scales were administered to both groups before neurofeedback training. Several neuropsychological tests were conducted at posttraining and follow-up assessment. Scores on several neuropsychological tests and parent behavior rating scales showed significant improvement in the training group but not in the controls. The improvements remained through the follow-up assessment. This study suggests that the smart-tablet-based neurofeedback training program might improve cognitive function in children with attention problems.\n\nOct 15, 2016\n\n\nFront. Psychiatry, 30 September 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00164\n\nGiuseppe Riva, Rosa M. Baños, Cristina Botella, Fabrizia Mantovani and Andrea Gaggioli\n\nDuring life, many personal changes occur. These include changing house, school, work, and even friends and partners. However, the daily experience shows clearly that, in some situations, subjects are unable to change even if they want to. The recent advances in psychology and neuroscience are now providing a better view of personal change, the change affecting our assumptive world: (a) the focus of personal change is reducing the distance between self and reality (conflict); (b) this reduction is achieved through (1) an intense focus on the particular experience creating the conflict or (2) an internal or external reorganization of this experience; (c) personal change requires a progression through a series of different stages that however happen in discontinuous and non-linear ways; and (d) clinical psychology is often used to facilitate personal change when subjects are unable to move forward. Starting from these premises, the aim of this paper is to review the potential of virtuality for enhancing the processes of personal and clinical change. First, the paper focuses on the two leading virtual technologies – augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) – exploring their current uses in behavioral health and the outcomes of the 28 available systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Then the paper discusses the added value provided by VR and AR in transforming our external experience by focusing on the high level of personal efficacy and self-reflectiveness generated by their sense of presence and emotional engagement. Finally, it outlines the potential future use of virtuality for transforming our inner experience by structuring, altering, and/ or replacing our bodily self-consciousness. The final outcome may be a new generation of transformative experiences that provide knowledge that is epistemically inaccessible to the individual until he or she has that experience, while at the same time transforming the individual's worldview.\n\nSep 19, 2016\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJun 21, 2016\n\nNew book on Human Computer Confluence - FREE PDF!\n\nTwo good news for Positive Technology followers.\n\n1) Our new book on Human Computer Confluence is out!\n\n2) It can be downloaded for free here\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPlease cite as follows:\n\n\n\n1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.994690477848053}
+{"content": "Digital, Data and the Race to the Home Screen\n\n\nSo how do we get there?\n\nAs a starting point, let’s think about our own apps. How did we choose the ones displayed on our home screen? Do we use these apps the most? Do they require quick access? Do they simplify our lives?\n\nI have an American Airlines app on my home screen. I travel a lot, so I use it all the time. But, that’s not why it’s there. It’s not a very sophisticated app, either, but, it’s something I can’t live without when I travel.\n\nIt’s serving up a great consumer experience because of its command of data. American Airlines knows that its customers aren’t just comparing its app to other airline apps. Consumers want from the American Airlines app what they get from Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple.\n\nThe same expectations are confronting credit unions.\n\nThe Magic of Data\nMembers have daily interactions with digital brands that create super exciting, highly predictive, hyper-personalized experiences. Think about Amazon. Data on search and transaction history is combined with data on the likely user and fed into a suggestion engine. The site then displays all the right products to pique our interest as shoppers. The same thing happens at Netflix and Spotify. These apps put right in front of users exactly what they want before they even know they want it.\n\nThat’s the magic, and that’s what gets you on the home screen. Data delivered to and culled from mobile apps – when combined with democratized artificial intelligence and modeling techniques – can actually predict the future.\n\nThis is a powerful concept. It’s how we deepen relationships in the age of mobile, and how we solve member problems.\n\nGetting Data Right\nWhat makes a great data strategy? The best approaches are specific and measurable. They pinpoint a problem to solve and map out how data and analytics can help them.\n\nWhen solving member problems, you may need to tap new partners or technologies to reach your objectives, but you always want the member issue to drive that investment. In fact, the last thing you want is to integrate the latest, greatest technology only to find that it’s completely ill-suited to your objective. Innovation for innovation’s sake is of no value.\n\nThe good news is that credit unions have massive amounts of data inside their systems – and their partners do, too. The hard part is identifying the data pools that produce actionable intelligence.\n\nAnd, the key to applying data intelligently is to think through the entire member experience when you develop a data strategy. What data is useful to you, what is helpful to members – and what is not?\n\nData, More Precious Than Gold\nConsumers today are all too willing to share their information, but this will change. As more individuals begin experiencing identity theft and other forms of fraud, there will be a universal call for more data protection. If, as trusted stewards of member data, we don’t protect it, we will lose that trust.\n\nWe’ll also lose the data. So, data governance has to be built into your strategy from Day 1, incorporating these best practices: end-to-end traceability, quality and controls, privacy and security, and accessibility.\n\nA Data-Driven Culture\nData strategies are more than technological initiatives, though. They involve an operational shift.\n\nA credit union with a terrific culture of analytics will have four key attributes:\n\nCollaboration between departments\nFor a complete view of the member, you need data from multiple viewpoints, and that comes when lending works with operations, when card teams work with deposits, etc.\n\nData as an asset of the entire cooperative\nYou need buy-in from all teams to combine data and insights for the greater good. To promote success, demonstrate the ROI each department gets from its efforts.\n\nEnterprise-wide understanding of the goals\nThis also speaks to buy-in. Why are we doing this? How does this help individual employees meet their objectives? What does this do for members? Clearly answer these questions and emphasize the mission’s importance on an ongoing basis.\n\nShared vision\nWhen everyone sees clearly how data leads to exceptional member experiences (and when they see the outcomes), they are much more likely to keep contributing.\n\nIntegration is Innovation\nIn order to leverage data in service to members, you need to build a technological ecosystem that is integrated, flexible and extensible – one that allows you to mine data resources effectively and embrace a future of growth and innovation.\n\nAs you create your own apps and digital solutions, think of ways to take functionality one step further to solve next-level problems. Identify the data pools and features already out there that you can integrate to surprise and delight members. Solidify partnerships to add to your data arsenal and enhance your 360 degree view of members.\n\nIf data is the new currency, credit unions are wealthy beyond most organizations’ wildest dreams – and it can be invested in revenue growth.\n\nThe original article Digital, Data and the Race to the Home Screen can be found on CO-OP's Insight Vault.\n\nin CO-OP Financial Services", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5179426670074463}
+{"content": "Green veggies cut heart disease risk\n\nWestern Australian research has found a major boost to heart health from eating green vegetables.\n\nGetting more greens into your diet could cut your risk of heart disease and stroke by as much as 40%, according to new research from Edith Cowan University.\n\nResearchers from ECU’s School of Medical and Health Sciences studied the diets of more than 1000 Western Australian women, focusing on nitrate intake derived from vegetables.\n\nThey found that over a 15 year period, those women who had the highest intake of nitrate from vegetables had up to a 4% lower risk of dying from heart disease or stroke.\n\nGetting enough greens\n\nPhD student Lauren Blekkenhorst said the research was built on her previous study that collated data from around the world on the measured nitrate concentration in commonly eaten vegetables.\n\nNitrate is a compound that is naturally present in the environment and is essential for plant growth.\n\n“We found that leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce, and kale had the highest amounts of nitrate, followed by radish, beetroot, and celery,” she said.\n\n“People get roughly 80% of their average nitrate intake from vegetables so they are the primary source.”\n\nHow much is enough?\n\nEating about 75g per day (1 serve) of green leafy vegetables would provide enough nitrate to achieve these health benefits, said Ms Blekkenhorst.\n\n“This is about one cup of raw vegetables which shouldn’t be too hard for all of us to eat daily,” she said.\n\nHow does it work?\n\nLead researcher, Dr Catherine Bondonno, said that the bacteria living in our mouths were critical for the cardiovascular health benefits observed.\n\n\n“This is the underlying mechanism that is resulting in the long-term improvements in heart health.”\n\nThe study ‘Association of dietary nitrate with atherosclerotic vascular disease mortality: a prospective cohort study of older adult women’ was recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Association of vegetable nitrate intake with carotid atherosclerosis and ischemic cerebrovascular disease in older women’ was recently published in the journal Stroke.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9962297081947327}
+{"content": "Bronchitis And What: Wet Cough\n\nBronchitis And What: Wet Cough\n\nWet cough could be the annoying express that makes your ribs, back and arms harm. Your own throat will be blister and celebration you will be bothered by the continual noise. It is a respiratory infection and ordinarily starts off as a dry cough, after which graduates to the \"wet cough\" stage. There can be several reasons for this cough to occur and the therapy is dependent upon these reasons.\n\nTreatment A lung contamination is not contagious alone, but certain causal organisms that lead to such bacterial infections can be passed on to other people through physical contact. This is the reason, this becomes essential that like infections are usually treated from the earliest. Viruses causing cold and virus can easily spread and a flu may worsen in to a lung infection. So, treating cold or perhaps flu with the primary can reduced the risk of a lung infection too. If one experiences symptoms associated with cold, virus, or pneumonia, it would be best to go for a medical checkup. Blood culture, chest X-rays, sputum analysis, or some other diagnostic tests are generally performed to examine the condition of lungs and also decide the causal affected person responsible for causing the infection.\n\nOther Symptoms\n\nThere could be other symptoms together with those mentioned above. Choking or gagging is a symptom of treatment plans, and if it lasts for more than two minutes, after that it is a sign of danger. Sweaty epidermis or change in color of skin are some other signs which may be noticed. A blue tinge on the lips or even a pale-bluish coloring on face is actually a crucial symptom. This is an indication of lack of oxygen in the blood. In some cases, toddlers shed their consciousness.\n\nBacterial Pneumonia\n\nPneumonia is the medical term for lung swelling, particularly influencing the alveoli. It can occur due to a number of different reasons, one of these is bacterial infection in lungs. Bacterial pneumonia is brought on because of the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. The principal signs are cough and a fever associated with shaking chills, fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain. In elders, pneumonia can also trigger confusion.\n\nThis has been a brief overview on bacterial bronchitis. Serious bronchitis is usually caused by viruses, but at times, bacteria may also be present along with the virus. Under these circumstances, antibiotics is going to be prescribed to be able to relieve the symptoms. The sufferer need to complete the course of antibiotics, and refrain from anything that may further aggravate the inflamed airways.\n\n  • Gargling Gargling with saline water is the best treatment.\n  • Boil 3 cups of water and also add 4 tablespoons of salt.\n  • Wait until this particular solution becomes warm and then use it.\n  • Endure close to a sink and gulp some water.\n  • Spit out the water and repeat with the remainder of the solution.\n  • It will reduce the infection in your throat.\n  • It is possible to continue doing this Three times a day for better results.\n  • This remedy is useful for people of all ages.\n\nBronchitis and asthma are two of the most common respiratory issues experienced by people. Bronchitis is a disorder of the lungs that occurs when the bronchi, or the air ways in the lungs, get inflamed because of viral or bacterial infection. Bronchitis can be severe or chronic based on its causing factor and also severity. On the other hand, asthma can also be a condition that develops when the airways with the lungs swell or perhaps get inflamed. The swelling and irritation results in narrowing of the air ways which causes difficulty in breathing. An individual suffering from chronic bronchitis and asthma suffers from a condition known as asthmatic bronchitis.\n\nTreatment regarding Fluid in Bronchi and Heart Failure In recent years, far better drugs have been made available to treat fluid filled lungs. Antibiotics help get rid of the infection. Improved quality of pacemakers and implantable defibrillators help improve the function of the heart and lungs. Diuretics usually are recommended as they help reduce the fluid in lungs. Some drugs improve the pumping capacity of the heart. Surgery can repair blockage of the coronary arteries, a valve difficulty, a congenital heart defect, or even a too thick pericardium. The possibility of heart transplant can be obtained if the heart's ability to pump blood is actually once and for all marred. Prompt supply of oxygen or manmade ventilation is a part of the emergency therapy. The procedure should be so designed that the fluid must not again get accumulated in the lungs.\n\nAs discussed earlier, smoking is the leading cause for COPD and the first step in the treatment of COPD is smoking cessation. Doctors who treat COPD focus their attention on helping the patient to be able to quit smoking, because treatment would be ineffective in the event that the patient continues to smoke cigarettes. Antimicrobials like Ampicillin and Amoxicillin are usually approved in order to patients so that contamination in blood vessels or even sputum is actually cured. Patients with COPD complain of difficulty in breathing, and this condition can be debilitating, so physicians may prescribe Bronchodilators to ease the inhaling and exhaling process. There are a few other treatment options and your doctor would be in a better position to decide which drugs could be suited to you.\n\nThe infection has been the result of a bacterial infection, then antibiotics possibly recommended to be used. However, if the affected person has no other health issues except bronchitis, then antibiotics may not be the first line of defense. A person's age, risk of complications and also all around health are some important factors which usually influence a doctor's foresight in prescribing antibiotics.\n\nSleeping Positions: The rib cage works as a slot provided where lungs expand regarding breathing. A broken rib can make problems for the lungs to expand. One should check with a doctor for a proper sleeping position, which can be the side with the broken rib because it will give the lungs room to expand on the other side as well as one can breathe deeper.\n\nPathogens that Cause Lung Infection\n\nAs described earlier, a lung infection occurs when microorganisms, viruses, or environmental pollutants enter into the lungs. The pathogens that are likely to cause this kind of an infection consist of bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). These bacteria generally live on the human body itself, but when they find a way into the lungs and multiply, they cause a bacterial infection in the lungs.\n\nWhat is Bronchitis\n\nhttp://www.whatisbronchitis.com/ - Video shows what is bronchitis and how it can be painful, and bring down a persons quality of life with symptoms like swollen ...\n\nThe nose passage, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and the lungs are all components of the respiratory system. While every one of these components work in conjunction as well as help us breathe, it is within the lungs, that the essential exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs. The respiratory system process is essential for our own survival, so, you can imagine the consequence lung diseases would have on the human body. Since oxygen that we take a breath might contain harmful bacteria or environmental pollution, there is a great need to protect our respiratory system.\n\n\nKeeping your dog far from other afflicted dogs and also taking the required precautionary action is the best way to prevent it from contracting this kind of infection. You can also give your own dog the vaccine shot. Ask your vet to give your dog this kind of photo. This can be a homeopathy shot that gets rid of the dry and hacking cough and improves the respiratory system, and also boosts the dog's defenses.\n\nCommonly Approved Antibiotics regarding Bronchitis When is Bronchitis Treated with Antibiotics?\n\n  • Lung Infection SymptomsLung Infection Symptoms There are various causes that can give rise to lung infections causing pain and discomfort, thereby also affecting the day-to-day lifestyles. When overlooked, lung infections may pose severe complications. The situation may be experienced because of...\n    • Most of us are familiar with the term bronchitis, a condition that has an effect on the respiratory system.\n    • This condition may create at any age, but babies are more prone as they have a weak immune system.\n    • It has been observed that bronchitis in babies usually develops throughout winter and early spring.\n    • The problem is seen as an inflammation of the bronchial tubes and is mostly caused by deteriorating of common cold or flu.\n    • So, in most cases, bronchitis in infants and toddlers is caused by viruses.\n    • However, infection is also not unusual.\n\n    Symptoms Parents could identify that their toddler is experiencing dry drowning or not, only if they have proper understanding of the signs and symptoms. Following are most commonly seen signs and symptoms in toddlers:\n\n    An Overview\n\n    The debate on pneumonitis vs. pneumonia can be carried out only after one is aware of each of these conditions individually. The next table will cover factors that can help one understand the difference between aspiration syndromes faith pneumonia and pneumonitis.\n\n    Viruses that cause cold and flu often cause pneumonia, which is a serious infection seen as an accumulation of fluid in lungs. Exposure to adenovirus, the flu virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), or even parainfluenza computer virus might also lead to this kind of an infection. Fungi such as Aspergillus or Pneumocystis carinii may possibly also spark a fungal infection. Actual contact with a good infected person can cause the transmission of the causal pathogen, therefore causing one to set an infection. Thus, one is required to follow precautionary measures.\n\n    Excessive Coughing\n\n    Whenever preschoolers swallow water unintentionally, they commence coughing as if in order to throw up the water. If this coughing lasts for a longer time than usual, say up to half an hour, it is possible that the consumed water has reached the lungs. Parents must look out if any other linked signs turns up in addition to this. One other thing to be noted is that they also cry a lot and rub their eyes frequently in the event that water is ingested.\n\n    Bronchitis and What\n\n    • Apart from your treatment options, it is also very important to get some lifestyle changes in your daily routine.\n    • Give up on smoking tobacco and steer clear of publicity towards contaminants in the air as well as pollutants.\n    • Maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly (as advised by the doctor).\n    • This would help you build up a healthy immune system.\n    • Breathing exercises and yoga will also make the respiratory system system more stronger.\n    • And last but not the least, it is very important in order to get yourself checked regularly by your healthcare professional.\n\n    Cough Syrups: There are numerous cough syrups available Otc. Nonetheless, take care when purchasing a cough syrup as some cough syrups will make you drowsy. If you want you could opt for non-drowsy cough syrups, too. If you are buying a cough syrup to take care of dry cough in children, make sure that the label on the bottle states it is suitable for children. Use the cough syrup according to the directions mentioned on the label. The conventional dose of cough syrup is actually 2 spoons, twice daily.\n\n    Depending on the results of these diagnostic assessments, doctors will recommend the use of antibiotics, antiviral drugs, or antifungal drug treatments for treating a respiratory tract infection. Antibiotics like azithromycin or even clarithromycin are often approved for dealing with a bacterial infection. Taking anti-flu drugs such as amantadine, rimantadine, or perhaps zanamivir can also stop virus from deteriorating into viral pneumonia. Administration of vaccines or immunization shots is actually one of the best preventive measures. Since pathogens can spread to be able to others through physical make contact with, refrain from maintaining experience of an infected person.\n\n    Maintaining private hygiene is essential in avoiding the spread of bacterial infection in the lungs. Someone suffering from bacterial infection should also ensure that his/her food tend to be as per the particular prescribed diet. A poor diet may nullify, or even oppose, the effects of the treatment. Since bacterial infection in the lungs is actually majorly caused due to inhaling polluted air, it is a good idea to use nose filters while traveling. Managing bacterial infection in the lungs requires a holistic approach, bearing in mind every one of the features of the disease.\n\n    Home Remedies\n\n    Half a teaspoon of turmeric powder taken daily can improve the patient's problem to a great extent. One can take in turmeric powder by mixing it with milk. This treatment is more effective in fighting bronchitis, when patients have it on an empty stomach.\n\n    Remedies for Scratchy ThroatWhile that maybe a symptom of some other diseases, there are several home remedies for scratchy throat, which will give you relief.\n\n    Bronchitis Contagious?\n\n    Well, the answer is yes and no! Simply the type of bronchitis caused due to viral or infection is contagious. Only some cases of acute bronchitis tend to be contagious; and never the chronic kinds. Consequently, it is essential to find out the cause in order to determine whether it is contagious or not. Acute bronchitis is brought on as a result of viral or bacterial infection. It propagates in the event that a healthy person comes in contact with the bodily fluids of the person struggling with this disease. On the other hand, chronic bronchitis is brought on usually due to smoking cigarettes and also some other reasons, thus, is not contagious. Longterm asthmatic bronchitis is not contagious.\n\n    Dealing With Green Mucus\n\n    Home Remedies Dealing together with Green Mucus - Medication There might also be instances where blood can be found in mucus. Although this may ring a burglar, footprints of blood in mucous could be due to some modest harm to the nasal cavity. Additionally, avoid swallowing green mucus as it is filled with toxic substances and presenting it once more in the body can further worsen the situation.\n\n    What is the Role of Amniotic Fluid?\n\n    The amniotic fluid is the fluid in which the child floats. It is a floating mechanism that assists the baby in its development. Here is what the amniotic fluid does for the growth and development of the infant. What are the Symptoms of Transient Tachypnea.\n\n    PDF File Download this article in PDF format.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8684017658233643}
+{"content": "Sunday, April 23, 2017\n\nQuote of the Week and the Week to Come\n\n\nSource Wikipedia\n\nHerman Melville (Aug. 1, 1819 – Sept. 28, 1891) was born in New York. He was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. His best known works include Typee (1846), a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life, and his whaling novel Moby-Dick (1851). His work was almost forgotten during his last thirty years. His writing draws on his experience at sea as a common sailor, exploration of literature and philosophy, and engagement in the contradictions of American society in a period of rapid change. He developed a complex, baroque style: the vocabulary is rich and original, a strong sense of rhythm infuses the elaborate sentences, the imagery is often mystical or ironic, and the abundance of allusion extends to Scripture, myth, philosophy, literature, and the visual arts.\n\nThis week on Writing from the Peak:\n\nApril 24  Adventures in Beta Reading by Shannon Lawrence\n\nApril 26  Let’s Talk about your AUDIO Book by KL Cooper\n\nApril 28  Sweet Success Celebrates Barbara Nickless\n\n\n  1. Melville will always be the patron saint of American letters for me. He was basically the anti-Patterson, who chooses to crank out material at the knowing expense of its literary value because it's just so darn lucrative. Melville began writing the kind of stuff everyone loved reading back then, but then moved on to stuff readers actually had to challenge themselves to read. Many decided to give up on him. For the eternal shame of that generation. But the glory of succeeding ones, which better understood that art is the best result of literature worth savoring, and not just reading. Who will be going out of their way to read James Patterson in fifty years? Maybe he doesn't care, but then he will also be completely forgotten, unless someone starts making elegiac movies out of those Alex Cross books. But what're the chances of that? Maybe Patterson will have a change of heart. We'll see. He might lose all his readers, too, but it'll be worth it.\n\n  2. I appreciate your comment, Tony. As a Melville admirer, his bio is impressive. And of course Moby Dick is a classic. I also have met James Patterson, and recognize that he was a marketer before he was an author. I would never turn down a chance to co-author with James Patterson, and as an Alex Cross fan I state respectfully that writing as well as authors's intents are subjective. Intelligent comment. Thanks.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9148695468902588}
+{"content": "6 Ways to Reduce Stress When You’re Working a Crazy Schedule\n\nBy | November 22, 2018\n\nworking busy schedule\n\nStress has been linked to just about every other type of ailment from cardiovascular disease to depression. When stress can’t be avoided, which is often the case, it needs to be managed. Reducing stress is a possibility even in the most chaotic of jobs or life situations. If you have a crazy schedule, start by considering the contributing factors to the situation that can be managed. However, not all stressors are so obvious.\n\nIt might seem like there’s no way to avoid or minimise the stress in your life, but that isn’t true—but it will take creativity and advocating for yourself. Asking for help and voicing your concerns are musts. There are people in your life happy to help, but they need to know the situation first. Here are six ways to minimise stress while navigating a busy schedule:\n\n1. Talk to your boss or clients to work out alternatives.\nYour boss might be open to a flex schedule, which can allow you more control over your hours. Something as simple as adjusting your day by a few hours might allow you to take the kids to school without cutting it too close or make it to soccer games more often. Just because flex-options aren’t an overt perk at your job doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Another option might be telecommuting at least part-time. If you work for yourself, setting clearer boundaries with clients, dropping contracts that don’t pay enough for their stress, or learning to say no can be invaluable for stress management.\n\n2. Get up earlier.\nThis isn’t possible for everyone, but many early birds report that they’re most productive in the early hours. It’s quiet, others in the house aren’t up, and emails are generally slow since the rest of the world is sleeping. If you do try this, make sure to keep sleep hygiene a priority. This will include going to bed earlier and likely bettering your sleep hygiene practices.\n\n3. Take frequent breaks.\nIdeally, you’ll walk away from work every 20 minutes and at least once an hour. Don’t look at a screen and get some fresh air if you can. These five-minute breaks allow you to recharge and gain some perspective.\n\n4. Make time for daily reflection or meditation.\nThis doesn’t need to take up a large chunk of your time. Meditation for three to five minutes at the start and/or end of your day can realign your overall well-being. Take some time to breathe, clear your mind, and focus on being present. It’s continually being proven that mindfulness and meditation are incredible ways to help you take a quick break for massive reward.\n\n5. Change “I have to” to “I get to.”\nWhen you “have” to do everything, it’s stressful! Instead, practice gratitude and think “I get to.” When you get to go to work, to the dentist, or to happy hour, suddenly it’s a lot less stressful.\n\n6. Pinpoint what you can do without.\nDo you really have to do everything on your schedule? Could you cancel that meeting or change an appointment to an email check-in? Do you actually still enjoy that step class or should you take a stroll through the neighbourhood instead for some cardio? We are creatures of habit, but sometimes habits should be broken.\n\nStress continues to increase as we try to perfect multi-tasking and jam more into our schedules. But to what end? Focusing on doing less and slowing down can have incredible health benefits. It’s time to stop glorifying stress and decrease its presence in our lives. Our entire well-being is at stake, and in the end, our health is our greatest wealth.\n\nAuthor’s Bio:\n\nBe Healthy Now", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.642358124256134}
+{"content": "Biography of Henri Moissan\n\nBiography of Henri Moissan\n\nHenri Moissan – French chemist.\n\nName: Ferdinand Frédéric Henri Moissan\n\nDate of Birth: 28 September 1852\n\nPlace of Birth: Paris, France\n\nDate of Death: 20 February 1907 (aged 54)\n\nPlace of Death: Paris, France\n\nOccupation: Chemist\n\nFather: Francis Ferdinand Moissan\n\nMother: Joséphine Améraldine (née Mitel)\n\nSpouse/Ex: Marie Léonie Lugan Moissan (m. 1882)\n\nChildren: 1\n\nEarly Life\n\nA French chemist who received the 1906 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the isolation of the element fluorine and the development of the Moissan electric furnace, Henri Moissan was born on 28 September 1852, in Paris, France, the son of a minor officer of the eastern railway company, Francis Ferdinand Moissan, and a seamstress, Joséphine Améraldine (née Mitel).\n\nBorn into a modest family in the middle of the nineteenth century, he grew an interest in chemistry from an early age. Unfortunately, it also made him neglect all other subjects. Consequently, he had to leave school sans ‘grade Universitaire’, without which he could not enter any university. He then started training under well-known chemists like Edmond Frémy’ and Pierre Paul Dehérain. Ultimately, it was Dehérain, who convinced him to appear for baccalauréat and pursue formal education. Ultimately, Moissan passed the exam and did his doctoral thesis under Dehérain. Although his first published work was on carbon-dioxide and oxygen metabolism in plants he later shifted to inorganic chemistry and very soon began his research on fluorine. After several failures, he was ultimately able to isolate fluorine for which he was honored with Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1906. However, he did not stop at that; but continued his research on with his students discovered a number of compounds. Later he also developed an arc furnace, which has since been named after him. In addition to being a meticulous and patient experimentalist, he was also an excellent teacher and had many distinguished students.\n\nChildhood, Family and Educational Life\n\nHenri Moissan, in full Ferdinand-Frédéric-Henri Moissan, was born in Paris on 28 September 1852, in a family of Sephardic Jews, originally from South West of France. His father, Francis Ferdinand Moissan, was a junior officer in the Eastern Railway Company and his mother, Joséphine Améraldine (née Mitel), was a seamstress. Moissan was Jewish.\n\nIn 1864, Moissan’s family moved to Meaux, where he attended the local school. In 1870 he left the school without the grade Universitaire necessary to attend university. He began working for a chemist in Paris, where he was able to save a person poisoned with arsenic. Moissan decided to study chemistry and began first at the laboratory of Edmond Frémy and later at that of Pierre Paul Dehérain. Dehérain persuaded him to pursue an academic career. He passed the baccalauréat, which was necessary to study at university, in 1874 after an earlier failed attempt. During his time in Paris, he became a friend of the chemist Alexandre Léon Étard and the botanist Vasque.\n\nVery soon, Moissan’s interest turned to inorganic chemistry and he began his research on pyrophoric iron. His paper on this topic was much appreciated by Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville and Jules Henri Debray, the two leading inorganic chemists of that time. With the publication of the paper Moissan got a job at the School of Pharmacy in Paris. Since the salary was not much he took over a customer analysis laboratory for additional income. He also used the space to experiment on chromic acid.\n\nMoissan published his first scientific paper, about carbon dioxide and oxygen metabolism in plants, with Dehérain in 1874. He left plant physiology and then turned towards inorganic chemistry; subsequently, his research on pyrophoric iron was well received by the two most prominent French inorganic chemists of that time, Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville and Jules Henri Debray. Finally, in 1879, Moissan got a job at Agronomic Institute and in 1880, he received his Ph.D. His doctoral thesis was on cyanogens.\n\nPersonal Life\n\nIn 1882, Henri Moissan married Marie Léonie Lugan. She was the daughter of the pharmacist under whom Moissan took up his first job. The union was lucky for him because it solved much of his financial problems and he could concentrate more on his work. The couple had a son born in 1885.\n\nCareer and Works\n\nHenri Moissan now joined School of Pharmacy once more; but this time as an assistant lecturer and a senior demonstrator. Initially, he worked mainly on chromous salts, but by 1884, his attention was turned to the chemistry of fluorine. In the same year, he developed a few organic and phosphorus derivatives of the element. In 1885, Moissan discovered that if potassium difluoride is dissolved into liquid hydrogen fluoride at certain strength the mixture remains a liquid. He also found that at sub-zero temperature the solution could by electrolyzed.\n\nPrevious attempts by others to obtain fluorine had not been successful because of the toxicity of fluorine compounds and the difficulty in designing a suitable apparatus. Efforts by Davy, Gay-Lussac, and Thenard had not only been fruitless but injurious to their health. George J. and Thomas Knox of Ireland were seriously affected, and for the Belgian chemist Paulin Louyet and the French chemist Jérôme Nicklés these investigations proved fatal. Fŕ00E8; my was equally unsuccessful in preparing fluorine, as was George Gore of England. Although Moissan’s initial experiments to isolate fluorine, including the electrolytic decomposition of phosphorus trifluoride and arsenic trifluoride, had also failed and proved injurious to his health, he persisted and on 26 June 1886 finally succeeded.\n\nThe French Academy of science sent three representatives, Marcellin Berthelot, Henri Debray, and Edmond Frémy, to verify the results, but Moissan was unable to reproduce them, owing to the absence from the hydrogen fluoride of traces of potassium fluoride present in the previous experiments. After resolving the problem and demonstrating the production of fluorine several times, he was awarded a prize of 10,000 francs. In subsequent years, until 1891, he focused on the study of fluorine chemistry. He discovered numerous fluorine compounds, such as (together with Paul Lebeau) SF6 in 1901. His research in the production of boron and artificial diamonds and the development of an electrically heated oven capable of reaching 3500°C using 2200 amperes at 80 volts followed by 1900.\n\nMeanwhile, in 1889, Moissan was elected to the Chair of Inorganic Chemistry. From 1892, Moissan’s interest shifted to a new subject. He now theorized that synthetic diamonds could be made by crystallizing a cheaper form of carbon such as charcoal under the pressure of molten iron. He now set out to prove that experimentally.\n\nIn 1892 Moissan developed the electric arc furnace and used it to prepare numerous new compounds and to vaporize substances previously regarded as infusible. He devised a commercially profitable method of producing acetylene. Although he claimed to have synthesized diamonds in his furnace (1893), his success is now seriously doubted. His newly developed arc furnace led to the production of borides and carbides of numerous elements (e.g. silicon boride), another of his research areas.\n\nMoissan eventually succeeded in preparing fluorine in 1886 by the electrolysis of a solution of potassium hydrogen difluoride (KHF2) in liquid hydrogen fluoride (HF). The mixture was needed because hydrogen fluoride is a nonconductor. The device was built with platinum/iridium electrodes in a platinum holder and the apparatus was cooled to −50°C. The result was the complete isolation of the hydrogen produced at the negative electrode from the fluorine produced at the positive one. This is essentially still the way fluorine is produced today. For this achievement, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1906. Late in his life, the government of France named him a Commandeur de la Legion d’honneur.\n\nIn 1899 Moissan became a professor of inorganic chemistry at this same institution and in 1900 he succeeded Troost in the chair of inorganic chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences. Moissan received the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1906 and was elected to membership in numerous learned societies both in France and abroad. Through the originality of his research and the effectiveness of his teaching, Moissan attracted an increasing number of students and exerted a remarkable influence on the progress of inorganic chemistry.\n\nIn 1903, Moissan was made a member of Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights, which had been formed in 1899 to produce the Table of Standard Atomic Weights and also to evaluate the published scientific literature. He served the establishment until his death in 1907.\n\nAwards and Honor\n\nIn 1906, Henri Moissan received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. According to the Swedish Academy, the prize was awarded “in recognition of the great services rendered by him in his investigation and isolation of the element fluorine, and for the adoption in the service of the science of the electric furnace called after him”\n\nMoissan was also awarded the Davy Medal by Royal Society of London in 1896, Prix Lacaze in 1897, Elliot Cresson Medal by the Franklin Institute in 1898 and August Wilhelm von Hofmann Gold Medal by German Chemical society in 1903.\n\nDeath and Legacy\n\nHenri Moissan died suddenly in Paris on 20 February 1907, shortly after his return from receiving the Nobel Prize in Stockholm. His death was attributed to an acute case of appendicitis.\n\nIsolation of fluorine by electrolyzing the solution of potassium hydrogen difluoride and liquid hydrogen fluoride is one of Moissan’s most important works. Hydrogen produced by the process accumulated at the negative electrode while the fluorine was isolated at the positive electrode. This process of isolating fluorine is followed even today.\n\nMoissan’s scientific works include Le Four électrique (1897; “The Electric Furnace”), Le Fluor et ses composés (1900; “Fluorine and Its Compounds”), and Traité de chimie minérale, 5 vol. (1904-06; “Treatise on Inorganic Chemistry”).\n\nHenri Moissan was also elected member of the Académie de Médecine in 1888, a member of Académie des Sciences in 1891, a member of Conseil d’Hygiène de la Seine in 1895 and a member of Comité Consultatif des Arts et Manufactures in 1898. Sometimes at the beginning of the twentieth century, Moissan was made a Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur by the Government of France. He was also awarded Fellowships of the Royal Society of London and The Chemical Society (London).\n\n\nInformation Source:\n\n  4. wikipedia", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8880388736724854}
+{"content": "Buddha Intelligence | English FAQ\npage-template-default,page,page-id-15069,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,side_area_uncovered_from_content,qode-theme-ver-10.1.2,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-5.1,vc_responsive\n\nEnglish FAQ\n\nQuestions and Answers\n\n\nThis is a site intended to help anybody who is interested in achieving higher intelligence. Any human being irrespective of their caste, creed, colour, religious faith, atheism, gender and education can achieve supreme intelligence. Therefore I hope this site would help all humanity\n\nQ. Supreme intelligence implies ultimate intelligence. This would raise Buddha to an all knowing God figure. We may refer to a Superior intelligence rather than a Supreme intelligence. By the way what is intelligence? In my mind Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change or the ability to make choices, which is necessary for our survival in this world\n\nA. Intelligence is known as knowing- in this case about reality and beyond reality. There is only one supreme intelligence. Therefore every body who reach that state will have same level of intelligence as a ���Buddha”. There are no god figures in reality and beyond reality.\n\nSupreme intelligence uncovers all knowledge not only about nature but also beyond nature.\n\nQ. Nature as I see it, is the reality. Reality is everything that exists around us. Man is part of nature, and is also reality. So, what is beyond reality?\n\nA. Reality of nature i.e. the way it is – is not what we hear or see (what we see and hear are illusions created by the mind). Reality is ultimate building blocks of nature i.e. smallest particle that can not be divided into any more particles – known as SANKARA.\n\nBeyond reality is NIBBANA where there are no more particles but mere knowledge.\n\nI do not use the word intelligence to, when one obtains information through the five senses (about the illusion always) and processed via the mind.\nIntelligence is when information is obtained through seeing via the eye of PANNA.\n\nKnowing Reality————————— through seeing is intelligence.\nKnowing beyond reality or Nibbana —- through seeing is supreme intelligence\n\nThe essence of it is Experiencing and Seeing.\n\n\nThe state of supreme intelligence is a calm, serene, happy state of supra mundane Knowing.\n\n\nHappiness of “Buddha intelligence” supersedes all other forms of happiness.\n\nQ. Did Buddha ever say this. It is only a declaration that cannot be confirmed as we have not come across anyone yet claiming to have achieved Buddha intelligence. See item 1 below\n\nA. Ven. Sariputta has said this according to books.\n\nWhat it is not\n\n1. This is neither a religious site, nor does it have spiritual dimensions. At the onset it must be stressed that this is not a site dedicated to explain “Buddhism” – a religion or a way of life as practised today, with moral principles and rights and wrongs. Over the past 2100 years or so, the practice of “Buddhism” has not resulted in anybody attaining supreme intelligence.\n\nQ. Why? Is it that we are seeking something that cannot be achieved or that we have got the Buddha message wrong? Since the original dharma has not been documented, it is likely that what we know of the Buddha message today has very little to do with the original teachings. So, who shall we believe today to have got the Buddha message correctly worked out?\n\nA. Buddha message went underground with the emergence of a religion called “Buddhism”. It is not difficult to achieve at least the early stages as I know. There are no beliefs (i.e. thoughts) in this path. One has to walk the path to discover what it is. My message is very basic and there are already people who have attained the early stages in the path to supreme intelligence. It is simple and very practical. If you don’t reach it through this method try another! Only when you reach the stages you will come to know what Buddha achieved, until then it remains as an open minded speculation. In other words only when you get there you know what it is!\n\n  1. It is also not a “science”, “philosophy” or a “doctrine” involving logic and reasoning. In other words it is not  a “theory” comprehended via a process of thinking because supreme intelligence is beyond thought.\n  2. This is not another site dedicated to develop or control the mind known at the present time as meditation. In fact it is the mind that prevents one from achieving supreme intelligence. The approach described in this site therefore, is to get rid of the trouble maker the mind, the magician in order to see reality and beyond reality. If we remove the mind the illusion disappears\n  3. This is not another or a new version of “Buddhism” .i.e. not another “ism”.\n  4. This is not affiliated to any of the branches or traditions of “Buddhism” known in the world today.\n\nWhat it is\n\n  1. Not many people know that there are different systems in our physical bodies to become knowledgeable about nature and beyond.\n\nThe mind, memory, brain and thinking is one system we all know and use in our day to day lives for learning. This system provides only little information (compared to supreme intelligence) in fact mostly about illusions created by the mind which we call “nature”. It has no access to knowledge about reality and beyond reality, as the mind via thinking can only show the illusions it creates. All the scientific advances to date are via this little information from the mind.\n\nThere is another system available in our bodies to uncover information and knowledge, about not only the illusions created by the mind, but also reality and beyond reality.\n\nQ. True, illusions are created by the mind (consciousness). And the mind creates the illusion (unreal) via the five senses. This means when there is no mind there is no illusion. So, we are back in reality. However, reality too is a creation in the mind via the five senses. So, when the mind disappears the illusion and the reality both disappear. Reality however exists physically. Everything around us is reality and illusions can only be a part of the reality. Now how do we distinguish between reality and unreality (illusion). The mind seems to work both ways, in the creation and also removal of the illusion. Therefore the mind cannot be simply removed from the equation.\n\nA. Mind is not consciousness. The consciousness is simply being awake although is a character of the mind, not the mind itself. One can be conscious in other ways too! As one walks along the path the mind is relinquished or got rid of and consciousness happens through another system.\nReality is not a creation of the mind filled with thoughts via the five senses, that is why one can not see reality via five senses. When the mind (with thoughts) disappears, the illusion (such as trees, houses and your own body etc) also ceases to exist,\n\nQ. Anyway, what is the harm in having a bit of illusion in our lives?\n\nA. No harm, as long as you know it is an illusion. Most people assume this illusion as real. Furthermore duality of happiness and sorrow are associated with the mind and this illusion. There will be only happiness (no duality) at supra mundane level. This happiness is many thousand times more powerful than mundane happiness associated with the illusion of five senses and the mind.\n\nThis process does not involve the mind, memory, brain and thinking and therefore beyond thinking. Little has been known about this system. This site is about uncovering this system, the initial stages of which, I and many others have experienced in the recent past, should not be difficult to the enthusiast.\n\n2. The state of complete “supreme intelligence” is also known as “Buddha”.\nThe word Buddha is made of two components. “Budd” meaning – “Supra mundane or supreme intelligence”, and\n“tha” meaning — “arisen from with in”\nThis state is not a thought but to be experienced and seen as it arises from within, when the thought process is abolished.\nThis is a highly misunderstood fact in religions.\nIt is not a developed state of the mind, but in fact it arises only when the illusory mind\nis conquered. (In all forms of meditation mind is not conquered but brought to the forefront. Even if the person who meditates feels that there are no thoughts, the “consciousness” in that state is mind mediated –so the mind is still active).\n\n3. The word “intelligence” in common usage means “ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. This is with in the limits of the thought process, as it involves capacity for logic, abstract thought, understanding and comprehension, creativity etc. (via a thought mechanism).\nIn contrast “supreme intelligence is beyond thought.\nIt does not involve thinking, the memory, the activities of the brain and the mind.\nInstead the knowledge arises from within the space of the body not connected to thinking. One might feel that this is not possible (again ideated via thinking) and wonder where this information was stored (other than the mind and the brain) and so on, but once experienced and seen you will come to have all that knowledge. The mind, however developed or controlled will have no access to this aspect of knowing of reality and beyond.\n\n4. Because it is beyond thought, it is also called “supra mundane intelligence”. That is why it is not a “science” – because scientific investigation by definition is systematic study involving observation and experiment, logic and reasoning. Many have tried to link science and the state of “Buddha intelligence” and have failed to attain even the most basic fundamental steps in the path towards “supreme intelligence”. Please do not mix up science, scientific investigation of nature using the thought process and equipment made by using the thought process, with “Buddha” a much higher incomparable state of intelligence which is beyond thought and does not require any equipment to achieve such a state.\n\n5. The information on this site is mainly knowledge obtained through experience and seeing and not through thinking and reasoning.\n\nQ. None of us is born with an experience. It is something that has to be acquired or developed during our life time here. At a mundane level of intelligence, experience refers to a process of gaining knowledge and skills. We speak of teaching experience, medical experience, and technical experience all of which of course require mind activity. Gaining experience involves both the knowledge about the subject and involvement with the environment. In the present context it means reading the Dharma and also living or getting involved with the dharma.\n\nA. We are not talking about mundane experiences about illusions that we achieve in our day to day lives, for example :- for employment etc.. Reading and chanting Dhamma will not achieve this goal as it is beyond thought. Living and getting involved with Dhamma, people have done for over two millennia but nobody seems to have attained enlightenment.\nWe are born with equipment to create illusions (i.e. five senses), however we can overcome this creative apparatus to achieve a much higher state of knowledge.\n\nQ. What is the specialized experience we need to have to reach supreme intelligence?\n\nA. It is the experience of SEEING through an eye called PANNA which is capable of\nseeing the ultimate particles of building blocks of nature. Knowing happens through this achievement which we call experience which is actually an attainment.\nExperience is the closest English word we have in use to explain this attainment, in day to day language.\n\nQ. Incidentally, why only seeing, and not the other senses? Looks like our five senses are still fundamental in achieving supreme intelligence. But the question is that the senses alone have very little value without the mind. So the mind is key to the whole issue.\n\nA. Mind is actually key to the illusion. Seeing reality cannot happen through the five senses\nincluding the ordinary eye. Our ordinary eyes see only illusions. That is why a new eye has to emerge and this happens only when the five senses including the ordinary eye become obsolete. Supreme intelligence is beyond the five senses, and the illusive mind also become obsolete as the five senses become inactive during the process of supra mundane seeing through the eye of PANNA.\n\n\n\nThe words intelligent and intelligence in Buddhist terms strictly can not be used to denote information gathering through five senses and subsequently computing using the memory and the mind, because what results is an illusion.\nComing to a conclusion of an illusion (and not knowing that it is an illusion), I find it difficult to call that intelligent?\nIn Buddhist terms intelligence is KNOWING BEYOND THOUGHT and SEEING through the eye of PANNA.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8029032945632935}
+{"content": "July 2009 – The High Point of the Year’s Cycle\n\n\nWe welcome you, our dear friends. The months of June, July and August form an apex of power in each year’s cycle. One of the most important concepts, which we speak about often, is the spiritual energy found within a cycle. Life on your planet is generated and continually impacted by cycles. Motion emanates from a circular core and then moves out into a wider pattern, which assumes the shape of a spiral.\n\nRecognizing this energy flow attunes a human being to the unseen but essential rhythms pulsating at the base of all life on Earth. Up until recent times, people on your planet organized their activities by the many phases of the moon. They knew their existence was constantly impacted by unseen forces that operated regularly in their lives.\n\nEarlier inhabitants of Earth planned their activities to coincide with the unfolding cycles of existence. They drew upon the type of energy that was manifesting at the time. They were able to incorporate unseen spiritual energies into many aspects of their daily activities, thereby increasing the power and effectiveness of their lives.\n\nPlanting, growing and harvesting followed the cycles of the moon to assure maximum yield. Key fishing days were identified, guaranteeing continuously large catches. Times for worship, prayer and ceremony were always attuned to the energy of each cycle manifesting at that time. By doing so, people were able to connect more easily to higher spiritual realms.\n\nAbout three hundred years ago, a new form of human expression emerged on your planet. The plan for humanity began to emphasize linear rational thought, as science exerted more and more influence. This development was essential in balancing the evolutionary progress of the human race, but it resulted in the loss of the knowledge and practices regarding how the energy of cycles moves and impacts daily lives.\n\nWithin the coming two centuries, certain basic principles will assume prominence: that all people possess a spiritual essence at the core of their being directly connected to the Creator, that unseen energies are constantly impacting them on a regular basis, and that your planet exists within a universe teeming with a multiplicity of life forms, both similar and dissimilar to those on Earth.\n\nAt the present time, people all over the planet are becoming more aware of the natural rhythms of life. By just recognizing how the waxing and waning of the moon affects plant growth, people reconnect to the power cycles hold. There also is a growing interest in the lunar calendar, which more accurately reflects the true rhythms of Earth.\n\nWe spoke last month about the power of the midpoint, which the month of June possesses. We now would like to speak about how that power manifests during the months of July and August. These two months form the high point of every year. What was put into motion during the earlier part of the year comes into its greatest expression during this period.\n\nThis concept becomes readily evident if one reflects on the high degree of activity found in all areas of life during July and August. Summer is a time for play and enjoyment, as people experience the bounty of what Earth produces. Use the power of July and August to bring into full expression the theme for your year. Recognize and honor the pinnacle that is reached during this period.\n\nWe now would like to ask you to go deeper within yourself and try to connect with the rhythm your planet is emitting. Identify what is the best part of your life and celebrate it. Many of you may be dealing with tests and trials at this time. Recognizing something positive, no matter how small, and expressing gratitude for it anchors your capacity to manifest your highest good.\n\nOne of the next aspects for the growth and development of human beings on Earth will be the ability to create what they want at any given time. There are simple but profound steps in this process. The first is forming a conscious intent, which is then projected out with focused will.\n\nThe next step is attuning to the spiritual energy found within the existing cycle. The last step is having recognition and gratitude for having created what one needs. The spiritual energy found within each cycle provides assistance and support for human beings on the Earth plane. During July and August, the highest expression and clearest view of the good one has created will help to perpetuate it throughout the remainder of the year.\n\nHonor and celebrate what you have done, no matter how large or small. Recognize that you have the power to create a positive life for yourself. Draw upon the spiritual energies that are always there for you. Know that you have the divinity of the Creator within you and that ultimately there is always something good unfolding in your life, particularly if you are consciously creating it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9956461787223816}
+{"content": "\"The bear eats the black pencil.\"\n\nTranslation:곰은 검정색 연필을 먹습니다.\n\nJanuary 28, 2018\n\n\n\nWhy are there multiple names for the colours? White = 흰색/하양색, Black = 검은색/검정색, Blue = 파란색/파랑색, etc\n\nJanuary 28, 2018\n\n\nWell spotted. The Korean language seems to be richer when it comes to the adjective yet showing less diversity when it comes to the noun in comparison with languages such as English.\n\nNo one knows why for certain. My theories to explain such phenomena:\n\n1) Although Korean peninsular is not grandly big, about 60% consists of mountainous areas meaning preservation of local expressions was relatively easy just like Switzerland and the Basque region of Spain.\n\n2) Korean also had a class system similar to the Indian Caste system meaning languages used by the ruling class was not the same as the one spoken by the working class and others.\n\n3) Just like Britain, Korea used to be divided and ruled by 3different kingdoms for long. When Korea was unified by Silla, which is Korean equivalent of England for Britain, am certain the victors' highest priority was not harmonizing different expressions used in different kingdoms.\n\nJanuary 28, 2018\n\n\nwhy is'nt 검은 연필은 correct?\n\nMarch 4, 2018\n\n\n검은색 연필 feels too formal. 검정 연필 also works ok.\n\nFebruary 4, 2018\nLearn Korean in just 5 minutes a day. For free.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7902733087539673}
+{"content": "Litigation Lawyers in Ketchikan\n\n\nIf you're considering filing a lawsuit, there are many things you need to consider, and it is not a decision to be made lightly. You should not file a lawsuit without seeking the advice of a Ketchikan, Alaska civil litigation attorney first.\n\n\nSteps for Filing a Lawsuit in Ketchikan, Alaska\n\nConsultation With Your Attorney: Before filing any lawsuit in Ketchikan, Alaska, you should speak with a local attorney. Your Ketchikan, Alaska attorney will be able to advise you on the merits of your lawsuit, and your chances of success.\n\n\n\n\nHow Can A Ketchikan, Alaska Tort Lawyer Help?\n\nThis simple outline is meant to give you a general idea of what goes into filing a lawsuit in Ketchikan, Alaska, but it is by no means a comprehensive guide.\n\nTherefore, if you want to file a lawsuit against someone in Ketchikan, Alaska, you should not hesitate to speak with an attorney, who will be able to advise you on the best way to proceed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9960227608680725}
+{"content": "Unscramble Allies\n\nWe have unscrambled word allies and found several words from the letters out of allies. You can use following links below to get list of these words. Word unscrambler also can found two words anagrams of allies. Please go to two word anagrams to see which two word anagrams are found.\n\nDefinitions of Allies\n\nYou can find definitions of allies below. For other uses please see definition of allies at Merriam Webster\n\nDefinitions of allies\nWord Meaning\nallies an alliance of nations joining together to fight a common enemy\nally a friendly nation\nally an associate who provides cooperation or assistance\nally become an ally or associate, as by a treaty or marriage\n\nUnscrambled 5 letter words\n\nWord unscrambler found 3 different 5 letter words made with letters A L L I E S like aisle and ileal. You can find other unscrambled 5 letter words below.\n\nUnscrambled 2 letter words\n\nWord unscrambler found 10 different 2 letter words made with letters A L L I E S like ae and ai. You can find other unscrambled 2 letter words below.\n\nae ai al\nas el es\nis la\nli si\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8788990378379822}
+{"content": "Depreciation means reduction of cost of asset till the value of asset becomes zero or negligible. Depreciation is an accounting method of assigning the cost of asset over its useful life. Businesses depreciates tangible assets for the purpose of both tax and accounting.\n\nCAX will be using depreciation rates as per the Income Tax Department. You will need to compute returns based on Companies Act for ROC filing.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000090599060059}
+{"content": "GREELEY, Colo. — A woman who was found in a burning home in Greeley and later died at the hospital has been identified.\n\nDottie Jean Kauffman, 52, was rushed to the hospital but she could not be revived and was pronounced dead, according to a news release.\n\nGreeley Police said fire crews found Kauffman when they were putting out a fire at a home in the 2000 block of 5th Avenue in the early morning hours of March 9. \n\nRELATED: Greeley home fire leaves a woman dead\n\nAccording to a release from the Weld County Coroner, the home was abandoned at the time of the fire. \n\nThey are still investigating how she died and why she was at the house. \n\nKauffman was from Denver.\n\nSUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7035707831382751}
+{"content": "Decorative Dry Erase Board with Stand - Bicycle and Flowers\nJot down important tasks, reminders or an inspirational message to get you through your day on this small tile message board. Write all your messages with a dry erase marker (not included). Wipe messages off with a dry eraser (not included), napkin or paper towel (a napkin dampened with rubbing alcohol helps to remove any stubborn marks). Made from a glossy white tile measuring 8 1/2\" x 4 1/4\" and adorned with decoupage and hand-painted flowers and grass using acrylic paint. Wood stand is INCLUDED in the purchase! It is made by hand. **********Due to the hand-painted process, each tile will vary slightly from the images shown. I'll try to keep it as close as possible :)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.997463583946228}
+{"content": "Mary Nguyen\n\nMary Nguyen is a trusts and estates attorney in Silicon Valley.  She received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she received the CALI and Witkin Awards for earning the highest grade in Estate Drafting and was actively involved in the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7086353302001953}
+{"content": "How to Apply False Eyelashes\n\nAzithromycin in Control of Trachoma\n\nIn trachoma hyperendemic areas, virtually all individuals are infected very early in life (prior to 2 years of age). Active disease is a disease of children. The infection rates drop dramatically after age 7-10 years. With resolution, the conjunctivae are scarred. Those that have had severe inflammation are more likely to develop scarring, which causes distortion of the eyelids. The cornea is then abraded by inturned eyelashes. This causes blindness. In the hyperendemic areas, the risk of blindness can be as high as 25 or more in those surviving to age 60 years.\n\nKidney Capsule Grafting\n\nUsing an eyelash tool and a pair of fine forceps, remove the head and first pharyngeal arches. Carefully peel away the surface ectoderm, and then remove the heart and neural tube (see Note 6). 4. Carefully strip away the remaining mesenchyme using the eyelash tool, to leave a clean endodermal gut tube (see Note 6). Trim this down to include only the second and third pharyngeal pouches. Explants should be stored in M2 medium on ice until ready for grafting (see Note 7).\n\nMechanosensitivity in Caenorhabditis elegans\n\nLike all animals C. elegans is sensitive to touch. Two touch stimuli have been investigated. A gentle touch on the body with an eyelash glued to a cocktail stick and a more vigorous prod with a thin wire. The most interesting results have come from investigations of the response to the gentle stimulation.\n\nPre Embedding Method for Live Embryos\n\nC. elegans embryos are obtained by cutting open gravid hermaphrodites in a watch glass filled with distilled water. The desired age embryos are mouth pipetted to the agar pad and grouped together in the center of the pad using an eyelash glued to the end of a toothpick. Any visible standing water on the pad is pulled away from the embryos with the eyelash brush, and allowed to evaporate. Only one group of embryos, no larger than one confocal field of view, is embedded per slide to minimize exposure to UV light. The use of a 63X objective limits the field of view to approx 10 embryos. Larger groups of embryos are impractical and difficult to navigate in the TEM.\n\nClinical manifestation\n\nBorderline leprosy numerous, asymmetric, moderately anesthetic, red, irregularly shaped plaques less well defined than those in the tuberculoid type regional adenopa-thy sometimes present Lepromatous leprosy only infectious stage early cutaneous lesions consisting mainly of pale, small, diffuse, symmetric macules, which become infiltrated later, with little loss of sensation nerves not thickened and sweating normal alopecia of lateral eyebrows, eyelashes, and trunk, but scalp hair intact lepromatous infiltrations either diffuse nodules (lepromas) or plaques, which result in appearance of leonine facies brawny lower extremity edema neuritic lesions symmetric and slow to develop eye involvement causes pain photophobia, decreased visual acuity, glaucoma, and blindness testicular atrophy produces sterility and gynecomastia lymphadenopathy and hepatomegaly result from organ infiltration stridor and hoarseness from laryn-geal involvement nasal infiltration sometimes produces a saddle-nose...\n\nEyelid Lesions and Tissues of Origin\n\nSweat Gland Disease\n\nIn addition to cutaneous layers and their included adnexal appendages eyelid lesions can arise from other eyelid structures. Most important in this group are the tarsal plate meibomian glands. These are modified holocrine sebaceous glands arranged as tubules, with about 25 to 30 in the upper eyelid and 20 in the lower lid. They are not associated with the eyelashes or a pilosebaceous unit, although they can occasionally revert to such a structure where they can be related to the development of abnormal hairs called distichiasis. An obstruction of the meibomian duct can result in an infected cyst called a chalazion. In contrast, a similar infection involving small isolated sebaceous glands (glands of Zeis) or those associated with the skin pilosebaceous units results in a more acute and superficial process called a hordeolum. Any of these sebaceous glands can also give rise to a malignant tumor, the sebaceous cell carcinoma.\n\nEvaluation of Eyelid Lesions\n\nLesions Definition\n\nEyelid lesions are classified according to the anatomic structures from which they arise. These include the epidermis, dermis, and various cells and adnexal structures within these layers. Eyelid inflammations may present as a localized or diffuse erythematous area. They can be associated with ulceration, induration, eczematous changes, necrosis, edema, or loss of eyelashes. If skin contraction occurs the eyelid margins may be malpositioned manifesting as an ectropion or canthal angle dystopia. Inflammatory lesions may be painful and at times can be associated with lymphadenopathy. Infectious conditions of the eyelid result from viral, bacterial, fungal or parasitic processes and may be primary or secondary. The latter can result as extensions from head and neck foci such as the sinuses or lacrimal sac, or from hematoge-nous spread from distant sites. The cause of the infection on the eyelid is often evident, such as in a site of trauma or recent surgery. However, when the infection...\n\nSebaceous Cell Carcinoma\n\nBasal Cell Carcinoma Eyelid Margin\n\nCLINICAL PRESENTATION The upper eyelid is the site of origin in about two thirds of all cases, presumably due to a greater number of meibomian glands on the upper eyelid. The clinical appearance is varied and sebaceous cell carcinoma is very frequently misdiagnosed as a benign process. Often it presents as a firm, yellow nodule that resembles a chalazion. It can mimic a chronic blepharo-conjunctivitis or meibomianitis that does not respond to standard therapies (the so-called masquerade syndrome). A more worrisome presentation may be as a plaque-like thickening of the tarsal plate with destruction of meibomian gland orifices and tumor invasion of eyelash follicles leading to madarosis, or loss of lashes. Tumor tends to invade the overlying epithelium which may result in the formation of nests of malignant cells. This is known as pagetoid spread. Pagetoid spread of the tumor may result in diffuse spread of the tumor that replaces the entire thickness of the conjunctiva (intraepithelial...\n\nSurgical Management of Eyelid Lesions\n\nAtlas Oculoplastic Surgery\n\nFor elevated lesions of uncertain etiology, especially those on the lid margin, the shave biopsy is a useful procedure. It provides a representative sample of tissue for the pathologist without risking lash loss, eyelid deformity or other complications. In this procedure a scalpel is used to shave off the elevated portion of the lesion flat with the surrounding eyelid (Fig. 1). Light cautery or pressure is applied, with care taken not to injure eyelash follicles. If the lesions is benign or can be treated medically, then no further surgery is necessary. However, if the results require complete excision then a more definitive wedge resection can be performed, preferably under frozen section control. by the medial and lateral palpebral arteries. Layers of the flap are advanced beneath the bridge and sutured to corresponding layers in the upper lid defect. Sclera or other material can be placed between the conjunctiva and orbicularis muscle and attached to the levator aponeurosis to...\n\nAnatomy of the Eyelids\n\nUpper Lid Anatomy\n\nThe eyelids serve several valuable functions. Most importantly they provide mechanical protection to the globe. They also provide vital chemical elements to the precorneal tear film, and help distribute these layers evenly over the surface of the eye. During the blink phase the eyelids propel tears to the medial canthus where they enter the puncta of the lacrimal drainage system. The eyelashes along the lid margins sweep air-borne particles from in front of the eye, and the constant voluntary and reflex movements of the eyelids protect the cornea from injury and glare. The margin of each eyelid is about 2 mm thick. Posteriorly the marginal tarsal surface is covered with conjunctival epithelium, interrupted by the meibomian gland orifices (Fig. 1). Anteriorly the margin is covered with cutaneous epidermis from which emerge the eyelashes. The gray line is a faint linear zone separating these two regions. Between the skin and conjunctiva at a level 5 mm above the tarsus are, layered from...\n\nEvaluation of Eyelid Malpositions\n\nBasal Cell Carcinoma Eyelid\n\n\nCicatricial Pemphigoid\n\n(diaminodiphenylsulfone) in doses of 25-50 mg daily can show early benefit, but its effect appears to diminish after one to two years. Conjunctival surgery, including cryosurgery, should be avoided because it often precipitates exacerbations, ultimately leaving the patient worse off. Marked loss of conjunctiva can be repaired with mucous membrane or amniotic membrane grafts. Eyelid surgery for trichitic lashes should avoid insults to the conjunctiva if possible, and eyelid margin rotation through an anterior approach is preferred for entropion. No matter the intervention, some patients will inexorably progress despite all therapeutic measures.\n\nFloppy Eyelid Syndrome\n\nFloppy Eyelid Syndrome\n\nCLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS More than 75 of patients with Floppy Eyelid Syndrome are males between the ages of 30 and 80 years. Obesity is a nearly constant finding, observed in 96 of cases. A history of sleeping on the face, especially on the involved side is typical. In most cases only the upper eyelid is involved, and in 60 of cases the condition is bilateral. Eyelash ptosis and loss of lash parallelism appear to be constant findings. Associated lower eyelid laxity is seen in 50 of affected patients, and in some a frank floppy lower eyelid will be present. Ocular symptoms include ptosis, ocular irritation, and foreign body sensation, especially upon waking up in the morning. Tear film deficiency is seen in most patients. Conjunctival injection, eyelid swelling, and a mucoid discharge are characteristics resulting from repeated nocturnal eyelid eversion. Chronic papillary conjunctivitis is typical with keratinization and epithelial thickening. Less commonly, superficial punctate...\n\nBlue Passion Flower\n\n(Passiflora caerulea) A South American plant that was introduced into England in 1629 (Gordon. 1988). It eventually became the ecclesiastical symbol for Holy Rood Day, whether it was the spring celebration of the festival, 3 May, or the autumn day, 14 September, for this is the flower that stood for the emblem of Christ's Passion. It is said that when the Spaniards, obviously gifted with extraordinary imagination, first saw it in the New World, they took it as an omen that the Indians would be converted to Christianity. The descriptions vary somewhat. One of them is that the three styles represent the three nails, and the ovary is a sponge soaked in vinegar. The stamens are the wounds of Christ, and the crown (located above the petals) stands for the Crown of Thorns. The petals and sepals indicate the Apostles (Bianchini & Corbetta). Another description has it that the ten white petals show the Lord's innocence the outer circlet of purple filaments symbolise his countless disciples...\n\nPatient Placement\n\nDials on the side of the machine (Fig. 5) until the eye being tested is centered in the crosshairs of the eye position monitor. Final adjustments of the chair are made for comfort. The lens holder is adjusted to place the lens as close to the patient's eye as possible, without touching the lashes (Fig. 6). A lens holder far from the patient will occlude the patient's view of the test area and cause an artifactual scotoma. If the patient does not need a lens, the lens holder is flipped out of the way.\n\n\nCLINICAL PRESENTATION Skin lesions consisting of variable combinations of patchy erythema, telangiectasia, small papules, pustules, and hypertrophic sebaceous glands occur on the brow, eyelids, and midface. Heat, sunlight and possibly gastrointestinal stimuli may induce physiologic flushing. Capillary proliferation and dilatation may lead to dermal lymphatic stasis and a sterile cellulitis. Common ocular symptoms include burning, redness, itching, foreign body sensation, tearing, dryness, photophobia, and eyelid swelling. Inflammation of the meibomian glands with dilation and plugging of the gland orifices is seen along the lid margins and pressure on the tarsus results in expression of abnormally thick secretions. Greasy scales (scurf) may be present on the eyelashes. With chronic disease there is often loss of lashes and recurrent chalazia. Gland dropout and abnormally low lipid levels result in excessive evaporation of tears and a subsequent dry eye state. An associated...\n\nHerpes Simplex\n\nEosiniphlic Keratynocytes\n\nCLINICAL PRESENTATION Following a 2 to 14 day incubation period there develops a mild fever with moderately painful, usually unilateral, edema and erythema of the eyelid region. This is soon followed by the development of multiple discrete 2 to 3 mm vesicles that generally have a central umblilication. These break, crust over, and most often resolve without bacterial infection or scarring over the ensuing few weeks. There is a mildly tender preauricular lymphadenopa-thy, and often vesicular lesions are found elsewhere on the face or mucous membranes. Atypical dermal manifestations include the development of a black eschar early on, or edema without obvious vesicles. A careful search often reveals a few minute vesicles sometimes hidden at the base of the lashes. Following resolution the herpes virus retreats to the trigeminal ganglion where it can later reactivate and incite recurrent infections. Recurrent herpetic infections frequently follow a fever, head cold, sun exposure, or some...\n\n\nAtrophic Vagina Histology\n\nCLINICAL PRESENTATION Blepharitis is characterized by small brittle scales and collarettes at the base of the lashes, and moderate erythema along the eyelid margin. A more severe ulcerative form has larger mottled crusts surrounding the base of the lashes, which upon removal result in small ulcers and even bleeding. With time the lid margins develop telangiectasias and become permanently thickened, roughened, and keratinized on the inner surface. The orifices of the meibomian glands may be dilated and inflamed, and become capped by a dome of inspisated oil or it may take on a pouting appearance. The tear film may appear foamy with suspended particulate debris over the surface of the cornea. Recurrent hordeola and loss of lashes are often seen. Angular blepharitis represents a distinct form of blepharitis characterized by a subacute or chronic inflammation of the skin of the lateral canthal region associated with a low-grade conjunctivitis. Symptoms of blepharitis include burning,...\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION Trichiasis is an acquired condition in which the eyelash cilia are turned backward toward the globe. The lid margin is usually oriented normally with respect to the eye, but the lashes are directed at various angles. Trichiasis usually results from inflammation or scarring of the eyelid following eyelid surgery, trauma, chalazion, or severe blepharitis. It is frequently associated with chronic cicatricial diseases such as ocular pemphigoid, trachoma, and Stevens-Johnson syndrome. CLINICAL PRESENTATION The eyelid margin may be normal in position, or it may be associated with entropion. The trichitic lashes arise from the normal lash row, but they are oriented backward towards the cornea. Patients complain of foreign body sensation and chronic ocular surface irritation. Corneal abrasion, conjunctival injection, mucoid discharge, and reflex epiphora are typical findings. In severe cases, frank corneal ulceration may be seen. TREATMENT When only a few lashes are involved...\n\n\n\nCLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS In simple congenital ankyloblepharon the eyelid margins are usually fused laterally, and less commonly medially. The condition frequently accompanies other developmental anomalies such as anophthalmos, microphthalmos, ptosis, or cleft lip. In many cases the lateral canthal angle is displaced downward giving an antimongaloid slope to the palpebral fissure. The lateral canthal tendon is lax or not developed so that there is also significant laxity of the lower eyelids. In ankyloblepharon filiforme adnatum one or more narrow epithelial bands connect the central upper and lower eyelid margins. These vary from 0.5 to 5 mm in width, and may range from 1 to 10 mm in length. The zone of attachment is between the eyelashes and the meibomian gland orifices. In cases of total ankyloblepharon lacrimal secretions may accumulate beneath the lids forming a large fluid cyst. Ankyloblepahron is most commonly confused with euryblepharon since in both cases the lateral portion...\n\n\nDermatochalasis Upper Eyelid\n\nCLINICAL PRESENTATION Dermatochalasis may be of cosmetic importance only. When more severe in the upper eyelid the anterior skin-muscle lamella can overhang the eyelid margin and obstruct superior and temporal visual fields. In some cases the skin will rotate the lid margin downward so that the eyelashes contact the cornea. When associated with steatoblepharon there will be protrusion of fat pockets within the excess folds of skin. When the lacrimal gland descends due to laxity of its suspensor ligaments it causes a bulge in the lateral upper eyelid. In the lower eyelid dermatochalasis appears as horizontal and often cascading folds of skin more prominent laterally. It is frequently associated with horizontal eyelid laxity from lateral canthal tendon and the malar suspensory ligament stretching, resulting in lateral eyelid droop or even frank ectropion. As with the upper lid, concurrent steatoblepharon causes a forward protrusion of lower lid fat pockets.\n\n\nExfoliative Ichthyosis\n\nINTRODUCTION Ichthyosis represents a heterogeneous group of disorders of skin keratinization. Four major classes of ichthyosis are recognized. The most common type is ichthyosis vulgaris, an autosomal dominant disease with onset prior to age five years. Fine, light scales with flexural sparing is present. The eyelids and eyelashes are often involved. In X-linked ichthyosis affected males manifest large, dark scales with flexural involvement during the first year of life due to a deficiency of microsomal enzyme cholesterol sulfatase. Lamellar ichthyosis is an autosomal recessive condition present at birth. The infant is invested in a thick collodion membrane that is usually shed in 10 to 12 days. Large, thick uniform scales with generalized involvement is characteristic. Epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, a rare autosomal dominant disorder, presents at birth with red, moist skin and blisters. Thick scales form within several days. Facial involvement is usually mild. Associated corneal...\n\nAtopic Dermatitis\n\nClogged Tear Photos\n\nOf these types 70 result from allergic contact dermatitis, and about 9 to 10 each from irritant contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, and seborrheic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a chronically relapsing inflammatory skin disease. It is a genetically fixed disease that remains with the patient all their lives, whether they show symptoms or not. It occurs in approximately 2 of the population. In several large series 80 to 90 of patients with eyelid dermatitis were female. Distinct infantile, juvenile, and adult stages of the disease have been reported. Associated diffuse eczematous skin changes vary with the age of the patient and often disappear during puberty or adolescence. In the infantile stages associated manifestations include facial erythema and crusting. After age two to three years erosions, lichenification, and hyper or hypopigmentaton develop particularly on the face and flexural surface of the extremities. In adults the rash may be bright red, edematous and oozing or...\n\n\nLupus Eyelid\n\nINTRODUCTION Madarosis refers to the loss of eyelashes. It may result from trauma, rubbing the eyelids, or it can follow eyelid surgery with injury to the lash follicles. Madarosis is also associated with systemic diseases such as alopecia areata, but here hair loss is usually seen in other parts of the body as well. Discoid lupus erythematosis involving the eyelids presents with erythema, scarring, and madarosis, but the latter can be the only presenting finding before any other manifestations. Lash loss is also associated with infiltrative lesions such as sarcoidosis, lymphoma, and cutaneous neoplasms. Inflammatory processes including severe blepharitis can cause lashes to fall out, and chronic infections with the mite Demodex folliculorum, found in 10 to 15 of normal individuals, can also be associated with madarosis. Loss of lashes and facial hair has been reported as a complication of botulinum toxin for oromandibular dystonia, but this is exceedingly uncommon. Iodine plaque...\n\n\nDistichiasis Eyelashes Humans\n\nDistichiasis is a congenital or acquired condition in which there is an accessory row of eyelash cilia behind the normal row. The disorder may be familial with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance, but may also follow severe inflammatory or traumatic injury. It is believed that these abnormal lashes develop as a result of metadifferentiation of primary epithelial germ cells originally intent upon meibomian gland development. The meibomian glands are modified sebaceous glands that are not associated with the eyelashes or other hairs. In the skin sebaceous glands are usually associated with a hair follicle and an apocrine sweat gland to form a pilosebaceous unit. Under some circumstances it is believed that the meibomian gland can undergo differentiation into a primitive pilosebaceous unit producing an abnormal distichitic eyelash. CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS The eyelid margin is typically normal with respect to the globe and the normal eyelashes are oriented appropriately. Extra,...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6552771329879761}
+{"content": "Patent owners represented by Columbiana Boiler Company, LLC (CBC), including China International Marine Containers (Group) Ltd (CIMC), have won a US court battle against Jiangxi Oxygen Plant Co., Ltd (JOPM) after the latter made counterfeit copies of CIMC’s gas tanks.\n\nThe permanent injunction was awarded against JOPM after it started manufacturing and distributing fake copies of the Chinese company’s T50 containers and exporting them to the US, thereby infringing patent ‘598.\n\nSubsequently, the US district court in Texas ruled lawfully in favour of the patent owners’ claims and prohibited JOPM and all connected persons from any further acts of infringement, including contributory infringement or inducing others to infringe the patent.\n\nCompliance, hand press on regulation button on webpage\n\nOther prohibited actions as dictated by the permanent injunction include JOPM directly or indirectly exporting, contributing to the export of, selling or importing any freight container or similar products to the US that infringe the ‘598 patent.\n\nThe patent was originally developed by CBC and then jointly owned later by CBC, GLI and CIMC. The assignments to CIMC took effect in January 2007. The Chinese corporation produces more than one thousand tanks per year from its facility in the North Pacific rim country and exports them globally.\n\nCIMC’s T50 containers, which are designed according to the patent, have a capacity of 24,600 litres and a tare weight of 7,400kg – 18% lighter than regular tanks without the patent. The tanks are also zinc-lined to avoid contamination to contents.\n\nRepresentatives from CBC explained that this victory will “motivate manufacturers to invest on new technology and research and development (R&D), and respect the intellectual property in the market. Patent owners retain the right to prosecution on purchasing and using these fake tanks and permanent injunctions help to regulate market behaviour and protect the interests of legitimate manufacturers.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9219381213188171}
+{"content": "Non-UK Qualifications: UK NARIC\n\n\n\nThe National Academic Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC) provide a service to compare foreign qualifications with their UK equivalent. UK NARIC will issue a Statement of Comparability for Construction Skills if a non-UK qualification is acceptable for UK Registration.\n\n\n\n\nSuffolk House\n\n68-70 Suffolk Road\n\n\nGL50 2ED\n\nPhone: 0871 3307033\n\n\n\nNote: In addition to providing a valid NARIC Statement of Comparability for Construction Skills , applicants with non-UK qualifications must also provide a copy of valid photographic ID (e.g. Biometric Residence Permit or Passport) when they apply for their first JIB-PMES CSCS Registration card.\n\nThe NARIC website | NARIC contact details for individuals", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9427980780601501}
+{"content": "ETSU students and locals weigh in on campus free speech executive order\n\nBrandon Paykamian • Mar 22, 2019 at 11:31 PM\n\nPresident Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing federal agencies to link grants and funding for higher education with how colleges and universities protect campus free speech.\n\nProponents of the executive order have applauded the president for promoting the free exchange of ideas, while opponents both locally and nationally say the executive order promotes hate speech and white nationalist rhetoric on campuses like East Tennessee State University.\n\n\"This week, the Trump administration brought America’s attention to a longstanding problem plaguing college campuses across the nation: the left’s sustained assault on free speech. Across the country, far too many conservative students are undermined, silenced and even physically attacked as a result of the toxic culture on our campuses today,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a news release Friday.\n\nWhile conservatives point to instances such as the string of militant student protests against right-wing speakers like Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos on University of California-Berkley’s campus that resulted in violent clashes in 2017, liberal opponents and those on the left say free speech should also apply to those protesting against speakers.\n\nWashington County Democratic Party Chairperson Kate Craig said the executive order was not necessarily meant to protect free speech as a whole. She questioned what type of behavior this order aims to protect on college campuses.\n\nCraig recalled an incident in 2016 when former ETSU student Tristan Rettke taunted Black Lives Matter demonstrators with a gorilla mask and a banana on a noose before being charged with civil rights intimidation. Rettke has since left ETSU and his trial is set for July.\n\n“President Trump’s latest executive order is designed to sound constructive and constitutional without any actual intent found within the purpose or language to further free speech and foster civil debate — all of which can already be found in college classrooms and on university campuses across the nation,” Craig said Friday.\n\n“I believe this order is intended to protect speech from people who simultaneously take no responsibility for the actions their speech motivates and therefore further solidifies the safety of their platforms ... this executive order is specifically intended to protect the antagonists and the inciters, not marginalized communities of students who attend institutions of higher education nor the free flow of thought and ideas,” the chairperson later continued.\n\nThe Johnson City Press spoke to ETSU students Friday and asked them weigh in on campus free speech and Trump’s executive order.\n\nMitchell Lamont, a 20-year-old English major, said Rettke was the only person at ETSU whom he could recall being escorted off campus. In cases like that, Lamont said the line between what is and isn’t acceptable on campus is pretty clear.\n\n“The only incident I can remember when someone was actually escorted off the premises and later arrested was the time the man dressed up as a monkey with the bananas and the noose,” he said, adding Rettke should have been removed from campus for that incident.\n\nBryton Westmoreland, a 19-year-old African-American student studying physical education, considered what ETSU’s response should be if an actual Nazi came to speak on campus.\n\n“If he isn’t causing any harm to anybody, and he’s just walking around with his T-shirt and his flag, it’s fine,” he said, adding that explicitly advocating violence should have a speaker removed from campus.\n\nWestmoreland grew up in Pulaski, Tennessee, considered by many to be the birthplace of the Ku-Klux-Klan. There, he said overt racism was much more common.\n\n“It’s not as racist (here) as it is down there,” he continued. “Now, when I see that, I just usually don’t pay no mind.”\n\nJeff Howard, associate vice president for student life and enrollment at ETSU, said the local campus is already complying to the executive order’s guidelines on protecting free speech and said he believes the campus is already “very open to free speech.”\n\n“We can only get involved in a situation when there is an imminent threat, a direct threat or someone is inciting violence,” he said. “Even if the institutional values are contrary to what these speakers are saying on campus, you’re pretty limited on your response.\n\n“If we have a speaker on any topic that is controversial in any way, we might get a phone call or visit from faculty, staff or a student, and our response is pretty clear — it’s protected speech,” he continued. “As a public institution, we must protect those free-speech rights.”\n\nHoward said free speech goes both ways and said ETSU students are allowed to protest and voice opposition to speakers, as they have in the past.\n\n“You have a right to respond,” he said. “If we host any kind of event or speaker on campus, those who have a differing opinion have a right to come and speak their beliefs.”\n\nJohnson City Press was unable to immediately reach members of ETSU’s conservative organizations or local legislators for further comment.\n\nEditor’s Note: An earlier version of this article stated that Craig said the order was a move to protect far-right hate speech. She did not specifically use those words.\n\nRecommended for You\n\n    Johnson City Press Videos", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7056170701980591}
+{"content": "AI and Creativity\n\nI am fascinated with the nexus of creativity and artificial intelligence.  I create images and poetry using deep learning and cognitive technology. Here are a few of my favorites.\n\n\n\nI created a neural network to write poetry in the style of Shakespeare's sonnets.  To my surprise, the poem had considerable thematic depth and was able to come up with compelling imagery.  \n\nI wrote an article about it here.\n\nBBrownell Owl Filter.png\n\nStyle Transfer and colorization\n\nI have done some work in colorization of black and white photography and creating my own neural style transfers using deep neural net using keras with tensorflow backend.  More coming soon.\n\n\nDeep Dream and Deep Style\n\nI create deep dream and deep style renders using of Google’s platform.  Follow me on Instagram @leopardless to see more.\n\nHere is a gallery of my favorite pieces.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.000006914138794}
+{"content": "Discover Tanzanite\n\nA Rare and Precious Gemstone\n\nTanzanite is one of the most intriguing and desirable precious gemstones of modern times. It is found in only one place on earth, deep in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, East Africa. Experts say that the chance of tanzanite occurring anywhere else in the world is less than a million to one. The gemstone’s single source and limited supply makes it at least one thousand times rarer than a diamond.\n\nA Unique and Exquisite Color\n\nTanzanite is exceptionally brilliant and is unique among gemstones for its multi-dimensional color. In gemological terms, Tanzanite is trichroic, which means that when brought out of the earth, its crystals radiate three different colors: blue, violet and burgundy. Once cut and polished, the tanzanite becomes a dazzling kaleidoscope.\n\nTanzanite comes in a wide and varied range of hues: light blues or lilacs, to deep indigos and violets. Larger stones tend to exhibit the more vivid colors, while smaller stones typically showcase pastel shades. Matching pairs are always greatly sought after, as it’s unusual to find two stones identical in color.\n\nThe Story of Discovery\n\nTanzanite was formed approximately 585 million years ago, yet this remarkable treasure remained hidden beneath the earth’s surface until just 50 years ago. In the year 1967, according to local sources, a Maasai tribesman herding his cattle stumbled upon some crystals on the ground. At first it was believed that the gemstones were unusually vibrant sapphires, but it was soon confirmed that an entirely new gemstone had been unearthed.\n\n— Tiffany & Co. 1968\n\nTanzanite & Tiffany’s\n\nNew York’s celebrated jewelers Tiffany & Co. heard about the discovery of a new gemstone in Tanzania and were first to introduce it to the world, a year after its discovery. They christened the new find “Tanzanite” after its country of origin and declared it to be “the most beautiful blue stone to be discovered in 2000 years.” Tiffany proudly stated that tanzanite could be found in only two places in the world, “in Tanzania and at Tiffany’s.” The gemstone remains hugely popular with Tiffany & Co. customers today.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7399019002914429}
+{"content": "Browse Dictionary by Letter\n\nDictionary Suite\nlikewise as well; also. [3 definitions]\nliking a feeling of preference, enjoyment, or fondness. [2 definitions]\nlikuta the smaller monetary unit of Zaire. (Cf. zaire.)\nlilac a hardy, widely cultivated shrub bearing large clusters of purple, white, or pink flowers. [3 definitions]\nlilangeni the chief monetary unit of Swaziland, equaling one hundred cents.\nLilliput in Jonathan Swift's eighteenth-century satire Gulliver's Travels, a land inhabited by people who are about six inches tall.\nLilliputian of or relating to Lilliput. [4 definitions]\nLilongwe the capital of Malawi.\nlilt a pleasing variation in musical tone or rhythm. [3 definitions]\nlily any of several plants grown from a bulb and bearing large bell-shaped or trumpet-shaped flowers. [4 definitions]\nlily-livered lacking courage; meek.\nlily of the valley a widely cultivated perennial of the lily family having small, white, very fragrant bell-shaped flowers.\nlily pad the large, flat, floating leaf of a water lily.\nlily-white white as a lily. [4 definitions]\nLima the capital of Peru.\nlima bean any of several plants that bear broad pods containing large green or white edible seeds. [2 definitions]\nlimb1 a main branch of a tree. [3 definitions]\nlimb2 an edge or border that differs in appearance or structure from the surface or object it borders, such as the visible edge of a heavenly body.\nlimbed having a specified kind of limb (usu. used in combination).\nlimber bending or flexing easily; pliant. [4 definitions]\nlimbic in anatomy, pertaining to or characterized by a limbus, or border between two bodily structures.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9453490376472473}
+{"content": "Yashica's Intuition\n\nWhat is reiki? Top questions I receive about Reiki\n\nenergy healing info, Life Hacks from Yashicayashica crumpton\n\nWhat is Reiki?\n\nThe Usui System of Reiki Healing is the method that I was trained in. Reiki is an ancient healing technique that uses the Universal life force energy to balance the subtle energies within our bodies and to heal. To simplify this, I just say that I am an energy healer. As your Reiki practitioner, I am the channel through which Reiki energy travels. This Reiki energy will then transfer to you and will land where it needs to in order to promote a balanced physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual being. There is an upswing in the use of Reiki energy and other forms of energy healing all around the world, even in hospitals and other more traditional settings.\n\nPlease note that my Reiki practice is generally a hands-on healing practice, although I have worked with clients to give Reiki from a distance.... yes that does work. I use my intuition to guide me on where to place my hands and because I like to work primarily hands on, my hands will rest lightly on your body. There is no massaging and if you feel uncomfortable, I can stop, switch positions, or use the floating hands method.\n\nThere is no difference in the benefit experienced by the placement of my hands on your body versus floating my hands over your body, the hands on method is just my personal preference. \n\nWhat happens during a Reiki treatment?\n\nDuring a Reiki treatment, you will lay fully clothed on a massage table, covered in a blanket if you choose, listening to soothing music. I will lay their hands on your body in a series of hand positions to deliver Reiki energy, usually in a systematic but intuitive manner. A Reiki treatment generally covers first your head then the front of your body. Some practitioners will have you flip over and do the back of your body. I usually do not do this and it does not alter the treatment or healing. Remember, the Reiki finds where it needs to go.\n\nI also integrate crystal healing into my practice so sometimes I will lay crystals on or near your body to help assist with the healing process.\n\nWhat does Reiki feel like?\n\nReiki tends to feel warm and profoundly relaxing. You may feel my hands become warm. Some people describe a floating sensation and some see colors or shapes during the session. Some people fall asleep. Some experience emotional release. What you experience will be unique to you. \n\nWhat are the benefits of several sessions?\n\nThe most common results of Reiki treatment include:\n\n• Perceived reduction in stress\n\n• Increased relaxation\n\n• Enhanced sense of balance, centeredness and calm.\n\n\nCan Reiki “cure” me?\n\nReiki is a complementary medical art that you can get alone or to help complement other therapies and treatment plans. Healing is often the result of gentle shifts in awareness, release of emotional patterns, achievement of new understanding, and daily practice. Reiki is not a replacement for traditional medical treatment.\n\n\n\n\n\nYashica is a  focused on sharing information and guidance to help you move past blocks and other issues that prevent you from living your happiest and best life. On the blog, you will find a variety of topics that will help you succeed in life such as; horoscopes, astrology reports, free tarot readings, advice podcasts, life advice, videos, and much more. Yashica's Intuition also provides life coaching, life consulting, tarot readings and reiki treatments. The mission, by providing these resources and information, is to help you learn how to use all information and tools at your disposal to stop living in negative patterns and start living your true life purpose. I have physical locations in the Seattle area and also work with clients virtually.\n\nimage courtesy of Conscious Life News", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9698160290718079}
+{"content": "Major Traps of Knowing another Language Posting Technique\n\nMajor Traps of Knowing another Language Posting Technique\n\nNext language programs like Arabic, Eastern, Korean, Thai, Japanese, Ancient greek and Russian all have unique alphabets. Discovering the alphabet is the first task to learn to read and jot down within these dialects.\n\nLike learning a whole new words weren’t tricky sufficient, the procedure is built more technical with to study a completely new creating product together with it. Listed here are among the main problems of learning a fresh alphabet method:\n\nComprehension phonetics\n\nNaturally, there will be an inclination to try and make stuff could be seen as the vocabulary you’re most knowledgeable about. But also in lots of alphabets, the sounds you’ll be encountering will be completely different from Language may seem. Were you aware that the»th» noise is exclusive into the Language expressions and demanding for individuals discovering The english language to pronounce? Similarly, many sounds in other languages will probably be troublesome that you should knowledge at first. Don’t be overwhelmed if you can’t receive a noise right on the first consider. Intonation and feature take time to build. Continue to keep at it and you’ll get better.\n\nHaving the common sense\n\nThe British alphabet, better known as the Roman alphabet, is approximately noises, not about icons. The words are foundations to develop a text and usually do not have this means unto on their own. Although not all publishing solutions have the same common sense. In truth, for many people other language methods, the words with the alphabet are emblems that represent a little something alone. By checking out the alphabet being a phonetic foundation, you neglect the reason in the other language which would be to use icons to build which means.\n\nIn Chinese language, which is actually a expressions based upon signs, you can’t pronounce anything when you don’t understand its that means. In Language, having what is a good word to start a conclusion? said that, you could appear a word out according to the letters with no any hint specifically what the text suggests. Don’t try to make use of the reasoning of the Roman alphabet to an alternative posting process. Study its logic in order to see the foreign language.\n\nFiguring out several typefaces\n\nLike in English, you’ll ought to be able to identify composing in various typefaces and designs. Handwriting can vary from personalised wording and you will find variations of reproduced text likewise. Think of cursive writing, capitalization and the a huge number of diverse printed out fonts that any English visitor can readily discover. However, a little little one who may have only just discovered to publish the alphabet wouldn’t have the ability to establish a notice developed in cursive.\n\nOther spoken languages will give you this similar obstacle. Furthermore, some languages have distinctive crafting techniques. Japanese, for instance, has about three creating programs which are usually all particular from one another. The easiest way to learn about these many creating models and fonts will be to open yourself to all of the different types of composing that exist in the terminology so that you’re not overwhelmed when confronted with a different style.\n\nUnderstanding how to write down\n\nReading through is a thing. Creating can be another. Absolutely everyone remembers that cycle as soon as they were definitely finding out how to publish the alphabet. The way it was really a painstaking method that was considerably more akin to sketching the letters rather than composing them. After some time, it became more natural. Now, you’re in a stage the place you’re mastering not simply specifically what the letters of the new alphabet appear as if, but crafting them. Some spoken languages, like Hebrew and Arabic are authored from directly to still left. If you attempt to write down these different languages from left to perfect, it can rarely be legible.\n\nVisualize if a person tried to write a phrase in English by writing many of the ideas in the opposite direction. It might start looking strange and clumsy. All spoken languages enjoy a certain technique to produce their figures and letters. Learn the sequence of your pen-strokes as well as path correctly to ensure that your handwriting will undoubtedly be readable.\n\nAttitude is all sorts of things\n\nThe biggest reason persons forget to master is simply because they sacrifice very simply. It’s not too the words is just too big very hard or too out of the question or too diverse. Someone can do studying something if they commit themselves into it. Cope with the slow uneasy phase, realise that it’s diverse from any time you have been understanding how to go through British as a boy or girl while focusing on smaller triumphs. You could possibly could figure out a word developed in diverse fonts or maybe you could actually examine a complete sentence out noisy without the need of pausing. Rejoice in these milestones whilst keeping working at it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9000793695449829}
+{"content": "Cosmology of Einstein-de Sitter Universe\n\nRequires a Wolfram Notebook System\n\n\nRequires a Wolfram Notebook System\n\n\nThe graphs show the expansion of a flat, matter-dominated universe as described by the Friedmann equation. In a flat universe, the cosmological parameters, matter density and vacuum density , are related by . Therefore it is sufficient to vary only . The \"shift\" slider allows you vary the expansion rate of the initial curve toward the actual value .\n\nContributed by: Hans-Joachim Domke (January 2015)\nOpen content licensed under CC BY-NC-SA\n\n\n\nThe Friedmann equation in its simplest form (flat universe, cosmological constant ) is . It describes the Einstein–de Sitter universe, in which the expansion depends sensitively on the density . The so-called critical density is given by . Cosmologists prefer the dimensionless parameter . Using , the expansion rate is and the relation implies that the amount of matter in the universe remains constant. Friedmann's equation can be transformed into , with the solution , since here. In the present epoch, , so . The Hubble time would give the age of the universe if were constant, so the graph must be shifted until the line through the point and the origin is tangent to the graph. Einstein–de Sitter space was the favorite model for an expanding universe until the 1980s. After the inflation theory was proposed, vacuum energy or dark energy had to be considered. This can be represented by a cosmological constant , which Einstein inserted into his theory of general relativity to achieve a static universe but later rejected. With the vacuum density , the Friedmann equation becomes . The solution believed to be most accurate today takes and . For , becomes negative, which would imply a contracting universe.\n\n\n[1] B. A. Jordaan. \"Cosmology and the Engineer.\" (Jan 9, 2015).\n\nFeedback (field required)\nEmail (field required) Name\nOccupation Organization", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5449241995811462}
+{"content": "Casa per Amici\n\nSanta Monica, California\n\nCasa per Amici\n\nPerched at the top of a narrow sloping parcel overlooking the Santa Monica mountains to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south, this new 7200sf single family residence turns the site’s apparent limitations into the design catalysts that ultimately define the home’s organizational framework. Embracing the verticality of the site helped script the story and accommodate an ambitious program.\n\nSteeply sloping terrain often limits a property’s developable area, but in this case it proved advantageous, encouraging the house to step down multiple levels. This maximized each level’s exposure to the spectacular view and provided the space necessary to engage the pool into the architecture. Elevating the pool to the entry level and splitting the basement level below allowed the two lower guest suites to slip underneath and open towards the ocean. Flanked by the guest suites on either side, a covered courtyard and fire pit connect all the lower spaces and is bridged by the floating glass bottom pool above. A flood of vibrant, kinetic light pierces through the pool’s glass bottom skylight, brightening the covered courtyard and reaching the full depth of the split interior space within.\n\nThroughout the home, contrasting elements of robust steel and refined wood are woven together resulting in a timeless and layered aesthetic. This blending of industrial loft vernacular and California modern taps into the clients’ collective nostalgia for their Brooklyn roots and their love of the outdoors. One example of this can be seen immediately upon entering the home where smooth rift cut white oak ceiling panels are strategically cut away to reveal a patina’d structure of steel beams and rough sawn timbers that float above the kitchen, dining, and living areas of the expansive open plan. These glimpses of an implied past are ambient notions, like memories, that help create a delicate yet complex balance of scale, warmth and texture throughout the home.\n\nThe entry also reveals a seamless, uncoiled steel and wood curving stair that rises from the floor of the basement up through to the second floor master suite in one fluid motion. It is immediately evident that this is the backbone of the home and, much like the pool, it anchors and connects all levels visually and physically. Each interior space effortlessly flows into the next resulting in layered, overlapping cinematic experiences.\n\nIn the master suite, a similar vocabulary defines the space. The curved underside of a butterfly roof floats above the bedroom and bathrooms further enhancing the verticality of the home while also providing ample natural lighting and ventilation. The entire suite opens towards the view of the ocean, inviting a brilliantly unique spectrum of changing light and salt sweet air into the home.\n\nThis home is a reflection of the owner; technologically savvy, yet timeless and layered in complexity. An unassuming and humble character on the surface that holds nothing back once engaged.\n\nphoto credit: Jeremy Bittermann", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9835708737373352}
+{"content": "DIY Fixes When Your Washing Machine Doesn't Fill Or Fills Too Slowly\n\nWhen it seems as if your washing machine has finally given up and you are preparing for a trip to the laundromat, it is important to remember that even when it looks like an expensive repair, it doesn't have to be. If you cannot get a repair-person to look at it immediately or your schedule does not permit you to meet with the appropriate professional, the following tips in the near future may be able to get the washer moving once again. Before beginning any repair, be sure to unplug the unit, tie any long hair back, remove dangling jewelry and make sure you are in comfortable clothing that is unlikely to snag on protruding parts.\n\nFix #1-Consider The Hose\n\nThe first thing that you will need to assess when the washer does not fill at all is the position of the hose, followed immediately by its condition. If it has become detached from the faucet, attempt to re-attach it.\n\nIf it has kinked, pull out the hose and straighten the affected portions if you can. It is important to note that if the kink is still present and you get the washer working again, you should watch it closely when you are using it. That is because if the hose kinks again, it could allow the water to go back into the faucet or leak onto the floor, resulting in the possibility of new damage.\n\nFix #2-Damaged Connectors Between The Hose And The Wall\n\nOther than a kinked or damaged hose, one common reason for impaired water flow to the washing machine is often a corroded connector. If the issue is occurring because of a corroded connector, you may be able to temporarily correct the issue by gently replacing the hose over the damaged portions and attempting to make it re-connect properly.\n\nIf necessary, you can replace the stripped connector with a replacement by lightly cutting into the end of the hose. Try not to cut too deeply into the hose, but if you do, it is not the end of the world. A hacksaw will be a good tool to make two incisions into the end of the hose.\n\nIdeally, you will use water pump pliers to cut off the end. If you don't have them, you can use a set of regular pliers to break off the end of the hose. At that point, it is a simple matter of attaching a new hose of the same size and length to the end of the hose, turning the unit back on and watching the washer to make sure everything works as it should.\n\nIn conclusion, it is easy to forget how important a fully functioning washing machine is, until suddenly it does not work. When that happens, it will be a good idea to be aware of the tips provided above. However, if the above advice does not fix the problem or you are unable to apply the above tips to the issue, it is a good idea to make the time to meet with a professional repair-person. To learn more, contact a company like ASAP Appliance Repair, Inc.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5352357625961304}
+{"content": "Henri Lepetit\n\nThe New England coastline fuels Henri’s unabated passion for painting. His bold and gutsy brushstrokes tackle with thick creamy paint the delightful sparkling colors and brightness of light without hesitation. He knows where he is going and how to achieve the end result. Always aware of the privilege to be able to afford contemplating at will the atmosphere of a setting, Henri strives to adapt his palette to ever-arising new challenges.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.000004768371582}
+{"content": "Contents - This Great Society - Issue 5, Mythology - December 2009/January 2010\nThoughts and Analysis\nLeah Albertson\nOde to a Black Butterfly\nIllustration by Leah Albertson\n\nFall is cold in Portland, cold in a sorrowful, penetrating way. And my decision to spend three days in the close company of a dying woman is made to seem all the bleaker what with the powdery gun metal gray of midmorning downtown. I am standing naked in my brightly painted and meticulously organized apartment, indecisively staring into the gaping mouth of my open closet. How does one dress to meet with death? Commencing with the dispassionate announcement of my morning alarm, I contemplate one question: why did I agree to do this?\n           Marco’s mother is dying. And as a friend of both Marco and his waning parent, I am obliged to assist her in a sort of last wish: transcribe her handwritten book into type.\n           I leave my home with little more than my journal and a blank expression. I feel in all ways unremarkable. This service to Marco’s mother will give me a temporary sense of purpose, I hear my own voice trudging through my mind with pallid encouragements. Driving out of the city, I do not turn on the stereo. I cannot be interrupted. I am pondering.\n           Pondering car accidents, knifings, floods, poisonings, and suffocation at 35,000 feet. I do not want any of those things to happen to me. I seize a bit at the thought of bearing some sort of hurting until I finally passed away, and of what that change would be like. Perhaps all of the discomfort would just stop abruptly and I would be left floating without a body in the middle of inky, intangible blackness.\n           I arrive at Marco’s mother’s apartment several miles outside of downtown. Her name is Megan. She is dying. Megan is dying. From cancer. It’s so typical. So anticipated. The common nature of the ailment almost makes it harder not to fear. It seems so well-known and yet indomitable.\n           I lightly knock on the door. Megan’s home caretaker lets me in, ushering me to her bedside. I say hello in a staid, almost silent manner, like an actor waiting for direction.\n           I have never contemplated just how I might feel when I get close enough to touch someone who’s dying. Will they be cold? Will they be angry? Will I get some kind of infection? The truth, I realize more and more every day, is that as much as I live in a time that pretends to know death, I really only ever hear or discuss the events that lead to and/or cause death: not the morbid concept of a body losing life, becoming exanimate. Like toothpaste being squeezed from all sides at once, or a sponge being wrung out.\n           Megan is calm, meditative and determined; she speaks softly and makes no effort at disguising her weakness. She still wears her dentures, though. I feel permeable sitting next to her frailty. The awareness of my own life’s imminent expiration fills me.\n\nIt’s the second day. Megan seems to be quite empty. But it appears as if all she’s really lost is some of the water that makes up her physical body. Her ruminations and intimations seem to come out of her mouth like majestic lions and cunning tigers slinking out of a dark cave. Her cold, unresponsive exterior belies the strength and radiance in her words. Her eyes are all stone and lassitude. And yet she’s not miserable. She’s irreversibly moving towards death and she is the essence of peace. I glance at her from my vantage point at the desk, next to her pillow-garnished hospital bed. She looks so tiny amidst the plush mounds of cotton and down. But she feels so large, so complete. Her handwritten pages lay in front of me on the desktop. This, her final work, is a collection of learning, teaching, and inspiration: her legend, her immortality. As I type page after page of tidy scrawl, I am again pondering.\n           Pondering where Megan’s consciousness will go after she dies, whether or not there will be consciousness after death, and why I am so terrified of not knowing.\n\n1    2\n\nBottom Contents\nContents - Foot\nMain ContentsArts Contents Creative Writing Contents Thoughts and Analysis Contents Formalities Contents", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8473443984985352}
+{"content": "Error message\n\n\nSince 2006, Bolivia has experienced sustained growth that prompted the Bolivian government to implement several redistributive policies, including an annual increase to the minimum wage. However, over the last four years, these raises have been well above inflation and GDP growth rates. A team of local researchers set out to identify the potential effects of the minimum wage increases on wage and employment of different populations, as well as the effect on informality and self-employment levels. The team’s analysis indicates that the minimum wage policy has introduced biases into the labor market that negatively affect vulnerable workers, particularly women, in terms of wellbeing and employment conditions.\n\nProject code: \n\n\n\nFunded by", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9900507926940918}
+{"content": "HomeServicesCommunity ServicesSolid Waste Disposal & RecyclingComposting → RDNO-Gro\n\n\nRegional yard waste composting operations at the Greater Vernon Diversion and Disposal Facility began in the spring of 2012.  Composted and screened yard and garden waste, now known as RDNO-Gro, is used for various landscaping projects in the region. \n\nLimited quantities of the current season batch is also available to residents for personal use, free of charge.  A stockpile is available near the entrance of the Greater Vernon DDF, where customers can load their own vehicles.\n\nWhat is RDNO-Gro?\n\nRDNO-Gro is the compost produced at the Regional Yard Waste Composting Facility  located at the Greater Vernon Diversion and Disposal Facility. It is made from the organic yard and garden waste that is dropped off by residents and landscapers throughout the year.\n\nThe yard and garden waste pile is chipped three or four times per year and then the material is placed in windrows.   This material is mechanically aerated (turned with an excavator) and also watered to maintain high temperatures. The process takes about 24 months, producing a well-rotted, soil-like compost or soil amendment. Once cured, the compost is screened to remove large pieces of wood, rocks and debris and the screened material is set to cure further before being used.\n\nThe yard and garden waste is supplemented with a small amount of water treatment plant solids during the composting phase. The solids are the organic matter removed during treatment at the RDNO’s Duteau Creek Water Treatment Plant, and are naturally present in raw water. They break down during the composting process, providing additional nutrients to the compost.\n\nThe process utilized at the RYWCF is in accordance with the Provincial Organic Matter Recycling Regulation. Once finished the compost is sampled to determine if it meets the OMRR Class A standard. All batches produced since the facility opened have met the Class A standard.\n\n  1. Sampling Results - Yard Waste Compost (April 2017) - RDNO - Compost Analysis\n  2. Organic Matter Recycling Regulation - Schedule 4\n\nWhat are the BENEFITS of using RDNO-Gro in my yard or garden?\n\nRDNO-Gro is composed mainly of organic matter. It also contains a very small amount of nutrients, which are present in a ‘slow-release’ form. This means that they can only be used by your plants once the organic matter has broken down. The compost is equivalent to a 1-0.25-0.5 soil amendment. Addition of this compost to your soil will increase the amount of organic matter in your soil, which has many benefits to your soil and plants.\n\nHow to use RDNO-Gro\n\nAs a general soil amendment: Apply 3 to 5 cm (1-2”) to your garden beds and incorporate by digging or rototilling. Do not cut back on fertilizer use as the compost will only provide a very small amount of nutrients for your plants. Gardens should be amended frequently with compost to maintain soil organic matter content.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999590516090393}
+{"content": "\n5. ST_Equals and equality\nRelationships Between Geometries\nST_Distance and ST_Dwithin\nSpatial joins practice\n\n\nGood job! You may be wondering how the equality operator (=) differs from ST_Equals when comparing geometries. For instance, why didn't we write the query below instead of the original?\n\nFROM sf_planning_districts\nJOIN sf_sights\nON coordinates = boundaries\n\nThe equality operator works differently than the ST_Equals function. Moreover, the actual behavior of the equality operator depends on the version of PostGIS you are using. This course uses version 2.3. In PostGIS versions prior to 2.4, the equality operator compared only the bounding boxes of two geometries, ignoring features such as starting points and vertex order. Take a look at the following diagram:\n\n\nPrior to PostGIS 2.4, the equality operator would treat all five figures above as equal, so the linestring would be equal to the polygons.\n\nSince PostGIS 2.4, the behavior of the equality operator (=) has changed. Now, in more recent versions, two geometries are considered equal if they have exactly the same vertices in the same order and with the same starting points. In other words, the equality operator in PostGIS 2.4 considers all five figures above to be different.\n\nIn most cases, the kind of equality defined by ST_Equals is the one you want. If you use the equality operator, make sure it really gives the behavior you expected.\n\n\nClick the Next Exercise button.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9262073040008545}
+{"content": "Symbols - What does heaven look like\n\nEaster egg\n\nAn Easter egg is a symbolic representation of the Egg.  The solid chocolate shell represents the Earth layer, whilst the hollow  interior represents all the other levels and layers.\n\nIf the egg contains chocolates they too are symbolic,  taking on some of the symbolism of Treasure and also the symbolism associated with the Aether level, because they are found in ‘the centre’.\n\nEaster eggs are hollow for a reason\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
+{"content": "IT recycling and data destruction for business\n\nWho should we trust?\n\nWhen you hand over your data to your chosen IT disposal partner, do you know where it actually ends up? Does your IT disposal partner have a contract with you?  When they collect your equipment does it go straight to their processing facility?\n\nThese are the questions you should be asking your IT disposal partner. Once your data holding media has been removed from its normal operating environment, your data is subjected to a greater risk, than when it was securely operating within your network. The disposal process should be as secure as your live process, a poorly planned process or a poorly chosen processor can increase the risk of a data breach. Once the equipment and data leave your site, the security is now out of your control.\n\nStorage media risks during the disposal process need addressing before we get to the “just get someone to take it away, and I’m not paying” stage. Is there any potential value to the data stored on your old machines? Understanding the costs of data sanitisation is something that should be considered as early as the procurement process.\n\nUse a trusted third party to complete the disposal process, inspect their procedures and facility. Ensure they work to and can maintain recognised standards. Verify your data has been sanitised, check the software and hardware they use to destroy your data. Obtain destruction certificates, check out the validity of these certificates. Are they laid out on a standard word document from Dave’s Disposals stating “Distrukshun Dun” or does it provide a strong paperwork trail with serial, model and assets numbers recorded?\n\nHaving a strong disposal process in place before the equipment leaves your site will minimise the risks to your data during the disposal process. Choosing a processor on price alone may not supply the security or guarantees to redundant data you expect. Giving responsibility to someone within your organisation who understands the value your data has in the wrong hands should ensure you have a secure disposal process in place before it starts.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9691838026046753}
+{"content": "Stark Contrasts\n\n\nHere I’ve snapped a photo of then in the foreground, in front one of the Puddinette’s new Mothers Day chairs. Sure, the socks don’t exactly pair perfectly with the bird-print throw pillow but sometimes you just gotta cross your fingers, lean into the contrast, and hope for the best.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.940044641494751}
+{"content": "Indonesian Ghost Mythology\n\nThere are some ghosts mythology which is very popular in Indonesia and some have made a movie version.In fact,ghost mythology in Indonesia not very different from the mythology of ghosts from other Asian countries, especially when viewed from the physical form of the ghosts.\n\n1. Kuntilanak\n\nKuntilanak (Malay language: puntianak, Pontijanak) is a ghost believed to come from pregnant women who died or women who died in childbirth and child was not born yet.The name “kuntilanak” or “pontianak” most likely comes from the combination of the word “pregnant” and “Child”.\n\nkuntilanak characteristic feature is :\n1. Pitched laugh\n2. Crying\n3. Like the old buildings or building debris\n4. Often reside in the estuary of the River,in the edge of the lake or the edge of the pool.\n5. like the flesh of children (and therefore often referred to as they like to kidnap a baby)\n\nIn Malay folklore, figure kuntilanak represents in the form of a beautiful woman whose holes behind.Kuntilanak often described like to terrorize the villagers to revenge.Kuntilanak as appears always accompanied by fragrant frangipani flowers.It is said that men who are not careful could be killed after kuntilanak transformed into blood sucking.kuntilanak also loves to eat babies and harm pregnant women\n\nSlightly different from the Malays, according to Sundanese tradition, image of kuntilanak does not have a hole in the back and only interfere with the appearance, or often called as “Sundel Bolong”.Kuntilanak reportedly also like certain trees as “a place to live”, like the hibiscus that grows biased toward one side (popularly called the “tend hibiscus”).\n\nBased on the beliefs and traditions of Javanese society, kuntilanak will not interfere a pregnant woman if the woman is always with nails, knives, and scissors when traveling anywhere.This causes frequent practice apparently put scissors, needles and knives on the bed.\n\nAccording to the Malay public confidence, sharp objects like nails can ward off kuntilanak attacks. When kuntilanak attack, a nail stuck in the holes in the back of the neck kuntilanak. While the beliefs of others in Indonesia, which will shift the location of a nail driven into the kuntilanak crown.\n\n2. Genderuwo\n\nThis spirit is believed to communicate and make direct contact with humans.Various legends say that Genderuwo can change the appearance of its physical form to follow someone to entice people.Genderuwo creature believed to idle and dissolute, because the tendency to tease people, especially women and children.Genderuwo sometimes happy slapping the women ass, caressing her body while she slept,or even to move women’s underwear to others.Genderuwo occasionally appear in the form of furry little creatures that can grow in an instant, Genderuwo also like to throw stones at people’s houses at night. One of the most favorite main Genderuwo is tempting lonely wife which leaves by the husband or a widow, and sometimes even Genderuwo get sexual relationship with them. It is believed that the seed that Genderuwo can cause a woman to become pregnant and have offspring of Genderuwo.\n\nAccording to legend, Genderuwo have a very strong ability to attract women to want to have sex with him.Genderuwo sexual game believed also very unusual, so that women feel often satisfied and extraordinary favours, if having sex with Genderuwo.But the victims are usually women who mess by Genderuwo not realize that they having sex with Genderuwo,because Genderuwo will impersonate as the victim’s husband or the victim’s lover. It Added that Genderuwo have libido and large sexual desire and far in excess of the man who is very awake easily to see the beauty of women and make it a creature who likes seducing women.\n\nThere is a legend says Genderuwo sometimes happy to stay in the womb of a woman.\nA woman who was possessed by Genderuwo will have a high sex drive and could not contain her passion.The women will want to always make sex.If the female partner was not able to keep his passions, then she will not hesitate and try to find another partner.This happens due to the excitement of women is controlled by Genderuwo, if the woman has sex, then Genderuwo that resides in the womb will also feel the pleasure of intimate relationships that women do.\n\n3. Leak\n\nIn the mythology of Bali leak is the wicked witch. “le” means witches and “ak” means evil.Leak is visible in the night by the shamans of leak hunters.In the afternoon he looked like a human being, while at night he was in the cemetery to find the organs in the human body that is used to make magic potions.A magic potion that can change the shape of leak into a tiger, monkey, pig or like the Rangda.if necessary he can also take organs from living people.It is told also that Leak can be a human head with organs that are still hanging in the head.Leak said to fly to search for a pregnant woman, for then the blood sucking baby who is still in the womb.There are three known leaks. Two of them women and one man.According to Balinese belief, Leak was a human being who practice black magic and need embryo blood to live.It is also said that Leak can turn himself into a pig or a ball of fire, while the actual form of Leak is has a long tongue and sharp teeth.Some people say that the magic of Leak works only on the island of Bali, because Leak is found only in Bali.If someone stabbed Leak from under the neck to the head when the head separated from his body, then Leak can not be reunited with his body.If the head is separated in a certain period time and then leak will die.Mask of leaks with sharp teeth and long tongue is also sometimes used as house decoration in Bali.\n\n\nIndonesian men in the eyes of Japanese women\n\nThis is just a personal observation from the experience of living in Sapporo, cold city in northern Japan, famous for its Snow Festival. Despite Sapporo ranked as the third largest city, the city is quite far from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan area. Cycling little away from the center of the city, you’ll feel the silence of the field, though still full with typical Japanese apartment which predominantly wooden construction. A Japanese friend once said that in Sapporo clock ticked more slowly than Tokyo. In other words, even with the same work ethic, the Sapporo seems more relaxed than others in Tokyo. However, the typical Japanese person who “workaholic” was also seen in everyday life in Sapporo.\n\nSapporo City\n\nSaturday in Japan is a holiday (to work), but we will still see plenty of men in suits down in Sapporo Station (main station and located in the center of town). suit was the office uniform. This means that, in spite of holiday, many Japanese people, especially men, working overtime. even the same condition we can see on Sunday. On Saturday and Sunday, especially in the summer, you often see the mother and the child walking and enjoying the beauty of Odori Park, Maruyama, or any other park. There are just a walk, sit and even play with children. Odori Park is a city park along the nearly 1.2 km is located in the Centre of the city. In this park in winter, the very famous snow festival where often celebrates. Maruyama is a park in downtown as well, but not in the heart of the city like Odori. In the centre there is a small lake where the people riding the boat in the summer time. that garden is a central for flea market. In the winter, the Park was used as a simple cross-country skiing. What’s interesting is rare to see a father who accompany their children to play. Where appropriate, only has one or two men, usually they are still wearing a suit, which means new homes overtime. The same conditions will be encountered in the subway and malls. Very little visible intact families where the father, mother and son walk together.\n\nSapporo Snow Festival\n\nIt is different from many major cities in Japan, where the values of the family in Sapporo is still quite high. Married, have children and family life, is still part of life that most of the population who live in Sapporo. In contrast to what was observed and explained in Hiroshima, Kobe, Yokohama, and some other major cities.There, very rare to see families playing in the park or to see mothers pushing the strollers. Generally in those city parks is dominated by teenagers who playing with each other.\n\nHowever, Japan as a whole, men were more dominant than women. In the family, women are responsible for everything from taking care of husbands and households. husband’s job was working for a living. Japanese Novels and movies, both old and new adjust also indicate that indirectly. If a family is going to traveling, then the wife got everything ready. In fact, to prepare and put all things in the car was done by the wife. The husband just went straight into the car and drive. which is often seen at the mall or at the park was equally, husband was never bothered with the matters of a child. Children splattered food, dirty clothes, change hats, clean face, and all the ‘little tasks’ done by the wife.\n\nin Japan, men are superior to women has been seen since a teenager. More than once I saw a young couple, if they were to travel, so that the burden of carrying bag or more is done by woman. Even the few times I’d see, if there was only one bike, then the men must ride the bike, while women is walk !\n\nSo that is the Japanese culture and it seems there is no problem with it. This was proven, with hundreds of years of culture like that, the Japanese people continue to survive and progress until now.\n\nApparently some Japanese women’s view of cultural change as a little more closely familiar with Indonesian citizens who living there. In Sapporo, there are many Japanese people, who are usually female(because men prefer to work and get drunk), often accompanied with students events and Indonesian families. They will observe the simple things, but very unusual when compared with the culture that they run in daily life. The strange thing for them to see the husband washing the dishes, or husbands in the mall carrying groceries, or a husband who closed and locked the door were family will doing trip, or a husband change his son clothes or the husband in the park feed the food to their children. It is also remarkable to see the husband doing Cook and prepare food for his wife, or playing with children while his wife sitting and reading.\n\nThey also feel surprised if see some male students from Indonesia always deliver and not allow the female students to go home alone in the night. Japan is one of the safest countries in the world. no fear to go home alone at night. They were even more surprised if knew the reason for not let them alone because fear something would happen on the road, but because of their value as a woman. They feel more surprised if there is someone that is willing to give his bike to riding by them while the owners is walk. There was an event, we walked five, three men (Indonesian students) and two Japanese women. we all bring a bicycle, and very difficult to make and also convince them to use two of our bikes. things become difficult because of the ordinary language and opposite cultural differences. Frankly, when it was offered not because we want to look gentle, but we want them to get home soon. But still very difficult to convince them and in the end we all walk and a bit of delay to get home. In another case, eventually we no longer offer a bike but firmly say, “take this bike or we do not go”.\n\nIncidentally, in a discussion to discuss things, almost all Indonesian people, are people who will listen and respect other people’s opinions. In every discussion, Japanese people are usually quiet and obedient. In many cases, they saw that the Indonesian people have a better culture than their culture, especially in relation to men and women. Two of the three Japanese female friends if asked whether they liked the Indonesian man or not ? Then they will say that they like it and even wanted to marry an Indonesian man. Many Japanese friends who often joined are those aged at least the end of the age of 20 years, which saw the opposite sex is not the handsome and dashing, but more on the characters. The evidence of how ‘famous’ Indonesian man in Japan, at least in Sapporo area alone was found about six families, where their husband was an Indonesian. Perhaps a coincidence, the people of Indonesia who come to Japan are the chosen people. But if we know more about Japanese friends, we’ll know that almost all of them had been to Indonesia, especially to Bali. They already know and interact with Indonesian man ‘directly from the source’. And their opinions have not changed that Indonesian men appreciate women more than Japanese men.\n\n\nJava Jazz Festival 2010: Brings the Good Reputation Of Indonesia In The World\n\nJakarta International Java Jazz Festival’s is an annual Jazz Festival held every March in Jakarta, since 2005. Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival is not only one of the best jazz festival in Indonesia, but also one of the most prestigious event and the largest in the world. This festival originally pioneered by a fan and also actors in the jazz music industry in this country, Peter F. Gontha.\n\nPeter is a man who brought jazz to Indonesia and he is the owner of Jakarta’s top jazz, Jamz where great artists like Bob James, Lee Ritenour, Chick Corea, Ramsey Lewis, The Rippingtons, Brecker Brothers, George Duke container assembly and expression jazz community that lives and breathes for jazz.\n\nFrom here that he began to be motivated and inspired by the vision that people from all over the world can work together in peace and harmony through the wonderful medium of music, he sees music as the only international language, and through all obstacles and open the hearts and minds of every human beings. And jazz became the most perfect language to be expressed as an expression of heart in the work. So the idea to develop and more popularized jazz festival in the concept of international-scale urban areas continue to roll and officially labeled the Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival. Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival is produced by PT. Java Festival Production.\n\nJava Festival Production is a company engaged in providing world-class integrated service music entertainment and lifestyle, working together with government, private sector and communities, local and international, in a mutually beneficial and sustainable relationships. And bring the vision to be recognized as one of the most professional entertainment providers in the region with a program known for quality, innovation and impact in promoting peace, cross-cultural synergy and growth in the music industry and tourism.\n\nWith the support of the best resources in the industry to ensure the quality of each event, Java Festival production is expected to have more values: quality, innovation, service, commitment, offering the best solutions and long-term relationships.\n\nIn addition to presenting jazz musicians abroad and domestically, this festival is also accompanied by musicians from other musical genres such as R & B, soul, reggae. Among the leading musicians who were present at the event in 2006 was James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Eric Benét, Bubi Chen, and Angie Stone in 2007, while Sergio Mendes, Chaka Khan, Lisa Ono and Jamie Cullum are among the musicians scheduled to perform. According to the official site of this festival, more than 67,000 visitors attended the festival for three days in the year 2006.\n\nFrom the way since 2005, organizing this event is always centered at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), but the performances this year 2010 to organize this event will experience a slight change, namely the transfer capacity is not sufficient reason and to create comfort for the audience, where it eventually transferred to the JI Expo Kemayoran. It must be done because, according to him, every year the audience continued to increase. In the implementation in 2009, each day an average of 30,000 spectators filled the arena show.\n\nIn the implementation of this year, the number of spectators are expected to largest. Furthermore, he added, ticket prices reduced to the range of IDR 100 thousand / day, outside the special tickets for special musician.\n\nIn addition, the existence of the Java Jazz 2010 affirmed the position of Indonesia as one of the largest jazz festival organizers in the world. Even now the world’s great jazz musicians glanced at the Java Jazz as one of the jazz festival was to be followed. Its existence was parallel to the prestigious jazz festivals such as the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands and several jazz festivals that have been established. According to Peter, is not an overstatement to several jazz musicians or musicians from different musical streams competing included his name in the Java Jazz 2010. Names will certainly show skills are Hubert Laws, including, Randy Brecker, Bill Evans, Steve Lukather (guitarist for TOTO) support more.\n\nJazz genre also appeared in the cuban jazz, latin jazz, brazilian jazz and will be broadcast by Arturo O’Farril, Adonis Puentes, Bryan Lynch Latin Jazz Quartet, Emilio Santiago’s Pristine Voice, Ivan Lins, and Hendrik Meurkens Samba Jazz Quartet.\n\nWhile famous jazz musicians from Indonesia also would be given the same opportunity in this annual event,such as Tohpati, Bubi Chen, Indro Hardjodikoro, Oele Pattiselanno, Jeffrey Tahalele, and Jakarta Broadway Team. In addition, there was Andre Hehanusa, Ligro Trio, Idang Rasjidi, Skate, Elfa’s Bossas, Aksan and Titi Sjuman, RAN, Barry Likumahuwa, Rossa, Dewa Budjana, Gugun Shelter Blues, Soul Opustre Big Band, Laura Suwages, Ballerina, Notturno, and David Manuhutu.\n\nPaul Dankmeyer as Director of Java Jazz 2010 asserted, this year’s festival will explain the position of Indonesia in the world of jazz repertoire, but it would bridge the jazz musicians from different cultural backgrounds, nations, and languages.\n\nNote Paul, Java Jazz has been bringing various actors of jazz, blues and various other musical genres to Jakarta to mark the festivals are more meaningful and respected in the world.\n\nFor more information about the musicians that will follow the Java Jazz Festival 2010, please check this site : http://www.javajazzfestival.com/\n\nSource : Viva News\n\n\n\n\nMadagascar is the world’s fourth largest island. Measuring 1600 km north-south and 600 km east-west, it lies in the Indian Ocean, 500 km off the south-east coast of Africa . It is an island of spectacular beauty and ecology, an estimated three-quarters of which is unique.\n\nMadagascar’s topography and geography are very varied. Essentially, the island comprises a central highland region which runs north-south down its spine, flanked by two coastal strips which meet the Mozambique Channel on the western seaboard and the Indian Ocean on the eastern. The highlands rise up to over 2800 metres (9100 feet). The coasts possess beautiful beaches largely unsullied by major tourist developments. Between the two are landscapes dominated by extraordinary rock formations.\n\nThe capital, Antananarivo (‘Tana’) lies roughly in the centre of the island. Surrounded by twelve hills, it is one of the world’s highest capitals at 1310 metres (4260 feet). Other major towns are Toamasina (usually called ‘Tamatave’) on the east coast and Toliara (pronounced ‘Tuléar’) on the west coast.\nParts of the island are covered by rain forest reflecting the island’s tropical climate and home to lemurs, chameleons, trees (including the baobab) and plants which exist nowhere else. Average temperatures range between 10 degs C in the dry winter months (April to September) and 30 deg C in the summer (October to March). The rainy season usually runs from December to March. However, Madagascar has several microclimates which create substantial regional variations.\n\nMadagascar ‘s 18 million people are mostly descended from Indonesian seafarers who settled the island some 2,000 years ago. However, there are also strong African, Arab and, latterly, European and Chinese influences.\n\nUntil 1960, Madagascar was a French colony. The president of Madagascar now is Andry Rajoelina. French remains an official language along with the indigenous Malagasy.Very little English is spoken.\n\nThe majority of the population are Christian, mostly Catholic although there are also growing Protestant sects including Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists. Animist beliefs based on ancestor worship are also prevalent. Around 10 per cent of the population are Muslim.\n\nMadagascar has recently changed currency from the Malagasy Franc (MgF) to the Ariary. In August 2006, the Ariary became the sole legal tender, although prices are still often quoted in Malagasy Francs. The conversion between the two is fixed at 5 MgF = 1 Ariary. The exchange rate in August 2006 was £1 = Ariary 3600.\nSterling can only be exchanged at banks in the main towns. Travellers are advised to take Euros or US dollars. (€1 = Ariary 2600). ATMs are available in major towns.\nTime in Madagascar is GMT + 3 hours\nElectricity is 220 V AC. Two-pin plugs are standard.\n\n\nMadagascar is home to one of the worlds less widely known human cultures. Situated in the Indian Ocean, over 400 kilometres from the coast of Mozambique, it cannot really be said to be part of Africa, especially as Malagasy cultures, and particularly the Malagasy language, have more in common with Asia, and specifically Indonesia, than they do with Africa.\n\nThe difficulty which Western social scientists have had in deciding how to classify Madagascar, other than as a part of what until recently was called the Third World, causes no similar confusion among the 12 million people who live in Madagascar. They have a strong sense of their own identity. Scholarly doubts over how to classify Malagasy society, while they do not bother the Malagasy themselves, and only occasionally disturb the small group of professional Madagascar specialists, have nevertheless had a considerable effect on the literature. Quite simply Madagascar does not fit easily into either the African or the Asian category used in area studies, and only occasionally does an individual social scientist, typically an anthropologist or a historian, stumble across the world’s fourth-biggest island. The study of Madagascarþs human culture has become the monopoly of a rather small group of specialists. Like all specialist groups they have a tendency to talk among themselves in ways which are difficult for non-initiates to penetrate.\nThis is all the more a pity in that Madagascar presents raw materials of exceptional quality for social science, particularly in the field of history. Madagascar is one of fairly few parts of Africa (that is, if we consider it African at all; it is a member-state of the Organisation of African Unity) where there existed a pre-colonial state governed by a literate bureaucracy which has left abundant archives. These are quite well catalogued and, until recently at least, were open for use by historians. 70 Years before the country was colonized by France, the central highlands were the home of the Merina kingdom which has left behind diplomatic and administrative correspondence, memoirs, tax and judicial records and many of the documents which are the staple diet of Western historiography. In addition, the British and French diplomatic and missionary archives covering Madagascar are particularly good from the early 19th century onwards. It is partly because of the richness of its historical materials that Madagascar has also been a fruitful area for anthropological research. Some of the classical anthropological studies which have taken Madagascar, or parts of it, as their theme have gained in value from being able to trace the evolution of cultural patterns over time, sometimes over quite considerable time.\nInasmuch as malgachisants – as academic specialists are known – have had a background in area studies, it has tended to be a grounding in Africa rather than Asia. This is rather paradoxical, for not only is the Malagasy language of the Malayo-Polynesian group, but it is generally believed that Madagascarþs earliest immigrants were probably of Indonesian origin, and subsequent influences have been assimilated into what is still sometimes recognizable as an Indonesian-related culture. Despite the existence of a number of excellent works on the Malagasy language, it has been relatively little studied by specialists of Asia who may find in Malagasy culture, and in the language especially, clues as to the history of some Asian languages which have developed from common roots.\nJust as Madagascar has been the preserve of specialists in the academic world, so it has also in the business and commercial world. Madagascarþs economy has stagnated since the early 1970s, and it is rarely the subject of international attention for this reason. Periodic attempts to build a tourist industry have not led to the development of mass tourism, and, in general, those outsiders who have personal knowledge of the island remain rather few in number.\n\nFirst inhabitants\n\nUntil the publication of Sir Mervyn Brown’s recent History of Madagascar, there did not exist an English-language history of the island from earliest times until today. Sir Mervyn Brown came to know the island when he was accredited as the British ambassador there some 20 years ago. He invested time and energy to the study of things Malagasy to the extent of learning the language and reading extensively on its history. In 1978 he published a history of Madagascar up to the end of the colonial period which he called Madagascar Rediscovered, based partly on original research in archives and on manuscript sources. He has now produced a second edition so substantially altered and updated as to warrant a new title. It is a good read, and can be recommended as a starting-point for anyone interested to know more about Madagascar, whether because they are travelling there, or contemplating doing research, or are simply curious.\nThis new book, A History of Madagascar, is divided into five parts. The first part, which actually occupies less than a tenth of the book’s total length, describes briefly the physical geography of the island and discusses its first inhabitants. As with much early African history, much of this is based on the analysis of modern language and culture, supplemented by a few precious archaeological records. Specialists have tended to divide into those emphasizing the Indonesian or Asian-Indonesian origin of the Malagasy, and those emphasizing the African or at least the creole aspect of Madagascars first inhabitants. Sir Mervyn Brown sides with the majority point of view in suggesting that the first inhabitants of Madagascar were groups of Indonesian origin who had gradually migrated around the Indian Ocean rim, touching the East African coast before settling in Madagascar, a process which probably took place over a considerable period of time, beginning in the earliest centuries of the Christian era.\n\n\nWho Are the Big Emerging Markets, and Why Are They Important?\n\nThe big emerging markets (BEMs) are often in the news these days, but without a broader framework for thinking about them, the stories appear far less significant than they are. When the Mexican economy went into a tailspin in 1995, it looked like a story about Mexico, but in fact that nation’s troubles were but an advanced state of similar economic and political pressures found in many other BEMs–growth that was too reliant on foreign borrowing, mixed with a government unable to manage the powerful political pressures acting on it at home and abroad. In 1996, when Washington and Beijing went to the brink of a trade war over China’s refusal to enforce laws protecting patents, trademarks, and copyrights–what is called “intellectual property”–it was an acute case of problems similar to those America has with many other BEMs. A few months later when India refused to sign the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty despite massive U.S. arm-twisting to do so, or when the Turkish prime minister concluded an oil deal with Iran in defiance of American efforts to isolate Iran with sanctions, New Delhi and Ankara were reflecting the growing political independence that the Big Ten are exercising. And when South Korean police brutally stormed several universities to quell rioting in August 1996, or when Indonesian President Suharto repressed political dissent that same month, the seething pressures for more freedom reflected similar, albeit less acute, tensions in other BEMs undergoing tumultuous political and economic change.\nWhy should Americans care about this group of ten countries? Who are they, and why are they important? Let’s take a look at the ten central players in the dramatic global transformation that is underway.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSouth Africa\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSouth Korea\n\n\n\n\n\nIndonesia, with a population of 194 million, is the world’s fourth largest nation in terms of people, and the world’s largest Muslim nation. It has become not just one of the world’s fastest-growing countries but also the home to billions of dollars of American investment, particularly in the energy sector, but increasingly also in manufacturing. Indonesia has also been a regular supplier of peacekeeping forces around the world.\n\n\nIndia, with a population of 914 million, including a “middle class” of well over 100 million people, is vast by any standard. It has a diversified industrial base, with large-scale production of coal, steel, cement, chemicals, heavy machinery, and textiles. Its highly trained and educated workforce has helped make it one of the world’s largest exporters of computer software.\n\nThe Selection Criteria\n\nThey are all trying to open their economies, balance their budgets, and sell off their state companies. All but two have instituted substantial political liberalization. The pace of economic opening in Argentina, India, and Poland has startled most experts. The opening of political systems in Brazil, South Africa, and South Korea is also impressive. But not all of the BEMs have made good on the promise of capitalism and democracy, and where this hasn’t happened there are offsetting factors of overwhelming commercial or strategic importance to the United States that still compel their inclusion in the BEM category. For example, China and Indonesia have made significant economic strides, even though Beijing remains a Communist government. However, their markets are critical for us, as are their political stability and the dampening of any expansionist ambitions they may have. Turkey’s economic policies have floundered, but it is a vibrant democracy, and Ankara’s strategic position is too important for us to ignore.\nIn selecting India, we also considered Pakistan, but it carried nowhere near the global influence of its southern neighbor. And although it has made some impressive economic reforms, the potential of Pakistan’s market appeared much less than that of India’s. In focusing on Indonesia, Thailand also arose as a candidate. That was a close call, but Indonesia carried much more weight on the global scene. Ultimately, moreover, it made sense to think of Indonesia as the hub of the ASEAN region, which would, in any event, include Thailand.\n\nWhy BEMs Matter–A Tale of Two Very Different Futures ?\n\n\nThe Big Emerging Markets:\n\nAs Important as Europe and Japan\nIndeed, if we make a cold-eyed assessment of where our future priorities lie, we would conclude that the world’s dynamism is unlikely to be found in Europe or Japan, but instead in the Big Ten. Our global commercial interests, so important in this era, will be expanding in the big emerging markets to a much greater degree than in Europe and Japan, if for no other reason than that the BEMs will be growing much faster and our trade and investment will be starting from a much smaller base. But beyond commercial stakes, there is the question of partnering with countries that share America’s political and economic energy. For the foreseeable future, that means the BEMs.\n\nSource : http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/g/garten-ten.html\n\n\nSolomon islands, and tales of Indonesia\n\nMake sure you write SOLOMON ISLANDS, a beautiful country far away in the middle of the shade of the Pacific Ocean, which inspired Hollywood movies in 50-60s. Elvis and James Bond movies while very “worship” the beauty of the small islands in the Pacific Ocean, with a picture of a girl dressed leaves, distinctive guitar beaches, white sand beaches sloping, and underwater scenes are amazing. Well, this picture is almost right in the Solomon Islands, except the girls who are no longer dressed leaves.\n\nIn March 2007, the big boss ordered me to immediately fly to Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands and forwarded to Gizo, a popular dive sites there.on holiday ? of course not ! I was assigned to work together as a Global Medic Canada towards joint operation with the United Nations, who already be reached there. Five days before,the tsunami struck the western Solomon Islands that killed a small class “not until” a hundred people. Of course I’m not going to discuss my work in this paper.\n\nWith all the preparation of a sudden, the dollar is (thank God) enough, I flew from Yogyakarta-Jakarta-Singapore-Brisbane, and to Honiara next day. Hold on! I get by the valued from an officer at Brisbane Int’l Airport, to be delivered to you all.”I love Indonesia, perhaps more than some people of Indonesia itself. Please tell to the mass media in Indonesia, to STOP preaching “only” the bad news about Indonesia,and setting aside the good news which is very reasonable to inform”. WOW! I wondered how he could get the gossip channel and provocateurs like Lativi, SCTV and Global TV? Apparently he was often to Indonesia, and watch Buser, Liputan Siang, Liputan 6, and others. Horeeee….! It turned out that outsiders are also fed up with news like that..enough..enough..back to Honiara.\n\nHoniara is a city that umm..very ordinary looks. Take Timika (without kuala kencana) as an example, and multiply by two, namely Honiara. The city is “built” the full support of the United States and Australia after World War II, of course, after the island of Guadalcanal, was destroyed by the Japanese and Allied soldiers.The main roads in Honiara is the size of Ciledug narrow streets (without jamming), and through a narrow bridge made of wood.The one thing that worried me, was when I saw many people walk past and do not wear sandals. do not think that they are people who are still (forgive..) primitive. No! They dress like us and know that the Japanese capital is Tokyo (while many of my friends call Palembang as the capital of West Nusa Tenggara Province, what a shame ! :(). And most surprising is, that “most” of them speak English better than the average Indonesian, articulate far better than the Singaporeans and Indians English.\n\nI was nervous because if they live as limited vision, goals objectives can not be hung in the sky, as if the future if they can be seen and confirmed.that’s my opinion, before I met Jessie, a young man 20 years, local residents. He said that indeed, the Solomon Islands is a remote country, far away from everywhere, all the expensive prices, employment slightly.But according to him, most people accept it with relief, and optimistic that this nation will achieve progress in the near future. “My country is the best tourist destination in South Pacific” he proudly. ok,well..if only there is no new zealand (I wonder..)\n\nOn the other day I met Michael, and he was surprised when he knows I’m from Indonesia. in his eyes, Indonesia is a country that produces Rinso (Detergent), Blueband (Margarine), Buavita (Juice), Tango (Biscuit), Garuda Peanut, and so on. ‘What is BUAH-BUAHAN ? “He said ..(hahaha…it’s really funny, we export goods but ‘forgot’ to change the language packs) 😀 Michael was not alone, in the eyes of his friends, Indonesia is a country that told by their teachers in primary school time, about beauty, plurality, and the friendliness of the people. “Before God take me, I hope to visit Indonesia. hopefully God will hear” he continued, (Ameeennn..)\n\nI flew from Honiara to Munda, a small rural area of remote, once again so many people who know much English. I flew with a small plane in which the passenger is limited only for 6 people. Believe me, I feel more enjoy and feel safe with a small aircraft compared with Boeing 737. From the height of “enjoy”, I can see the small islands scattered in the bottom, with white sandy beaches and blue sea and a shallow green. It’s beautiful, such a loose pearls and pearl out of each charm. from the small islands, I could see the children and parents “walks” with a small boat in calm water, clear, and shallow. I just realized that small islands were inhabited, I could see the tin roof of some houses on each island.\n\n“I am sure yours are beautiful too, mate” I was surprised. An Australian beside me, suddenly shouted in my ear. The engine is very noisy, so the screaming is the “only” way to communicate with one another. His name is Bruce, he is from Cairns, Australia. He several times to Jakarta and Bali, but do not have time to see the expanse of sea that dotted by 17.000 islands. I just nodded and smiled. (Maybe) of about 10-12 million Indonesian people traveling abroad to “enjoy” the beauty of Singapore, Phuket, Paris, Rome, or Australia, imagine how much money they “send” to that countries, and imagine if they also travel to Wamena, Sabang, Mentawai, Kepulauan Seribu, or …..\n\n\nGizo is my last journey in Solomon islands. Gizo is the biggest city in western Solomon Islands. For the divers, Gizo famous because of natural beauty which under the sea was still awake. Gizo is more like a small village in Kupang (west Timor,Indonesia), the only paved road is less than 3 kilo meters, which is inhabited by about 2000 people who live around the beach. Gizo is a fairly large island and surrounded by small islands which are beautiful, and separated by a shallow sea full of fish and blue to purple dolphins. I could feel “chased” by the dolphins when visiting one remote island with a boat containing only 4 people. Amazingly, the driver, an Aussie took with dolphins that live playing 3 games. Gizo also has a small island that serves as a special airport …..Yes…airport. in isolation of Gizo, I’m still have a good connection Internet speed. Solomon Telekom, is a subsidiary of Australia’s AT&T Wireless, and only a few years began to hit a lot of penetration to the Solomon Islands.\n\nI got interviewed by Associated Press reporter, and asked a tantalizing question “What is your purpose in the Solomon Islands?”. The point is clear, the Solomon Islands is a powerful Christian state, and my organization (and of course I) is a Muslim.I thought this was my chance to explain to the west of what is islam. It’s time to show them the beauty of Islam. Finally, the story was published, and told by the thousands of sites and newspapers around the world, with a great title “MUSLIM AID SHOWS ISLAM’S TRUE FACE” proud hehehe.. 😀 unfortunately they misspelled my name be akyari hanonto,some are writing akyari hanoto.\n\nI am not stay long in Gizo, only 3 days, before finally returning with a small aircraft is limited to 6 people to the capital Honiara. That’s the last time I saw (again) small and beautiful islands from the air, and probably, I do not (will) have the opportunity to visit the Solomon Islands. My friend from Indonesia fell asleep, I was so sleepy, but as far as possible I try to stay awake. Sunny weather, and from that height, (which is not too high), I could see a group of cargo ships (small) with Indonesian flagged.\nIn Honiara, I have met with the consul general of Indonesia to the Solomon Islands, I forget his name, as well as some defense attache, and also some Indonesians which has endured decades of living in Honiara. It turned out that the inauguration of the consulate general, which of course is very formal. I ventured to approach and boast a little that “I’m an Indonesian, just like you”. Apparently they welcomed me with good, friendly, and full of friendship, although that time I was wearing knee-length pants, and T-shirts. unfortunately I forgot to record their email…\n\nSo far, the Solomon Islands is highly dependent on Australia and New Zealand in many aspects, economic, political, security (army and police in the Solomon Islands conducted by the RAMSI, the combined army and police from Australia and New Zealand), and diplomacy. It makes (some) of the people of Solomon Islands is very angry because the Aussie and NZ (especially Aussie) is very pressing and interfere the “Internal” of Solomon Islands. So, once again I am proud when headliness locally morning newspaper (just before I left for Brisbane), entitled “WHY NOT INDONESIA?”. Good one .\nThe plane which I was riding, the Solomon Airlines appropriate take-off at 2 PM. I still vaguely saw the Indonesian fleet down there ….\n\nWritten by : Akhyari Hananto\n\nApril 2019\n« Mar", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5247119665145874}
+{"content": "New bingo site in UK 2017\n\n95 pageviews | | June 7, 2017 | 0 review(s)\n\nOnline bingo today is booming and is close to being at its very peak.An air of fascination and devotion sits around it. This is probably because the game in itself is hard to compartmentalise into categories that involve only a certain set of people", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9608310461044312}
+{"content": ", Volume 26, Issue 6, pp 4099–4124 | Cite as\n\nMechanisms of strength and stiffness improvement of paper after PFI refining with a focus on the effect of fines\n\n  • Hamid Reza Motamedian\n  • Armin E. Halilovic\n  • Artem KulachenkoEmail author\nOpen Access\nOriginal Research\n\n\nRefining (i.e., mechanical beating of pulp) is a common procedure that is used in paper-making to improve the mechanical properties of the final product. The improvements caused by refining are mainly attributed to increased density and to a better bonding between fibers. In this work, we study how various mechanisms that can be triggered by refining affect the tensile behavior of the sheets. Consequently, we use direct numerical simulations of fiber networks. We relate our finding to the experimental measurements that we conducted on handsheets. We have found that fibrillar fines with size distributions below the resolution of modern state-of-the art pulp characterization tools have a substantial contribution to the increased strength and stiffness of the sheets.\n\n\nRefining Beating PFI Strength Stiffness Fines Densification Fiber network Simulation \n\n\nRefining, or beating, is a mechanical treatment of pulp fibers to improve the properties of the final product. The effect of refining is attributed to the change of the mechanical and geometrical properties of the fibers and the fiber bonds. Through the effects introduced to the fibers, refining influences the density, porosity, formation and a number of other essential paper properties. The density of the sheet can affect the extent of modification in the elastic modulus and strength caused by refining. In a sparse sheet, the relative effect of refining is much bigger than in a high-density sheet, as the impact of bond parameters can be more significant (Brandberg and Kulachenko 2017). The main direct effects of refining on fibers, as presented in the literature, are as follows:\n\nInternal fibrillation\n\nInternal fibrillation is the delamination of the P and S1 layers of the fiber wall. Internal fibrillation is believed to be among the main reasons for the improvement of the strength properties of a paper network (Abitz and Luner 1989; Giertz 1957; Hartman 1985; Ingmanson and Thode 1959). As a result of internal fibrillation, the fibers will have a greater swelling potential because water can penetrate into the fibers’ wall following the new voids that have been introduced by the mechanical action of refining. This increase in the swelling makes the fibers more compliant in the transverse direction, which results in better fiber conformability during sheet forming and is one reason behind sheet densification upon beating (Genco 1999). In addition, refining causes an increase in flexibility or, equivalently, a reduction of the bending stiffness. This is linked either to local damage in the fiber wall, such as delamination (Rusu et al. 2011), or to the reduction of the transverse shear and longitudinal stiffness of the fibers (Lammi and Heikkurinen 1997). Considering that hemicellulose, which acts as a glue to bond fibers together, is more available on the fiber surfaces due to the refining process (Gallay 1957; Giertz 1957), the increased conformability and flexibility lead to greater opportunities for bonding, larger bonded areas and stronger bonds between the fibers.\n\nExternal fibrillation\n\nExternal fibrillation is a phenomenon in which fibrils are pilled off from the fiber’s surface (while they are still attached to the fiber). A number of researchers have concluded that external fibrillation enhances the bonding between fibers through mechanisms such as mechanical interlocking and, as a result, leads to paper with a higher tensile strength (Abitz and Luner 1989; Afra et al. 2013; Biermann 1996; Clark 1969; Jayme and Hunger 1957; Nanko and Ohsawa 1989; Page and Sargent 1957; Strachan 1932). However, there is evidence that external fibrillation has a negative effect on the tensile strength of paper, which is linked to a reduction of the fiber strength (Gallay 1957; Tasman 1969) and a weakening of the inter-fiber bonds (Cottrall 1950; Gallay 1949).\n\nFormation of fines\n\nThe refining process causes the formation of small, detached fiber pieces, which are generally known as fines. Fines are formally defined as particles that pass through a \\(74{-}76 \\, \\upmu \\hbox {m}\\)-diameter round hole or, nominally, a 200-mesh screen (ISO 10376:2011, n.d.; Seth 2003; TAPPI T 261 cm-94, n.d.). Fines include detached segments of fibers, fibrils, lamellae fragments, ray cells, and do on. Fines are categorized into two groups based on their shape. In the first group are flake-like or chunky particles which are known as flour stuff (Brecht and Klemm 1953), flakes (Luukko 1998), and chunks (Forgacs 1963). These fines are described as being lignin-rich, with a small length to width ratio and a low potential to bond (Alince et al. 2001). They are known to have an adverse effect on the mechanical properties of the paper because they hinder the formation of fiber bonds. The second group of fines includes finer, flexible, and swellable cellulose-rich particles which are known as slime stuff (Brecht and Klemm 1953), fibrils (Luukko 1998), or ribbons (Forgacs 1963). This group of fines have a large length to width ratio and good bonding properties (Alince et al. 2001). They are known to contribute to the increased strength of paper.\n\nIn the case of the bleached chemical pulps, yet another classification of fines exists. The fines that are already present in the pulp before refining are called primary fines and those created during refining are called secondary fines. Secondary fines are mainly composed of fibrils (Retulainen et al. 1993) and they improve the strength of paper. External fibrillation and the formation of secondary fines during refining are naturally related (Kang 2007; Retulainen et al. 1993). However, the formation of fines is considered to have a greater impact on the strength of paper compared to external fibrillation (Hartman 1985; Kibblewhite 1975; Paavilainen 1990; Retulainen et al. 1993). This can be explained by the mobility of the fines and by the possibility to have a higher concentration at fiber crossings. This can increase the effective contact area of the bonded fibers and it can help to establish contact between close fibers, which would not be bonded in the absence of fines (Hartman 1985).\n\nTwo mechanisms have been suggested for the effect of fines on the strength of paper, namely: improving bonding between fibers and forming the load-carrying bridges between the fibers. The reasons behind the improved bonding have been discussed in various contexts. For example, fines have small sizes, and good swelling and chemical compatibility, and thus can fill the gap or openings between fibers at the bond locations (Retulainen et al. 1993). In contrast, evidence of the formation of bridges between fiber surfaces around the points of fiber crossings have been observed trough SEM and other imaging techniques (Alince et al. 2001; Buchanan and Lindsay 1957; Jayme and Hunger 1957; Page and Sargent 1957). Fines are speculated to reduce the stress concentrations in the bonded regions, which leads to more uniform stress distributions (Lobben 1978).\n\nIt has also been demonstrated that the incremental addition of fibrillar fines to the same unrefined pulp leads to incrementally increased strength (Luukko and Paulapuro 1999; Retulainen et al. 1993). Similar results have been achieved through adding microfibrillated or nanofibrillated cellulose (Boufi et al. 2016).\n\nShortening of fibers through cutting\n\nAnother effect of refining is the shortening of fibers through cutting. This effect is generally considered to be negative for the tensile strength of paper (Nordström 2016). However, because the shortening of the fibers leads to a better formation (Bither and Waterhouse 1992), it has sometimes been found to have a positive effect on the strength of paper (Abitz and Luner 1989), in particular in paper with longer fibers (Biermann 1996).\n\nStraightening or curling of fibers\n\nRefining can cause both an increase (Nordström 2016) and a decrease in the fiber curl (Page 1989; Robertsén and Joutsimo 2004), depending on the pulp type and the refining equipment. Curl is known to have a direct coupling to tensile properties, particularly to stiffness. In addition, refining can cause straightening of fibers and removal of kinks (initial localized defects), which improves the stress distribution and results in higher strength (Dasgupta 1994). Some studies have also suggested that refining can improve fiber strength and stiffness by modifying the fibrillar angle, in addition to the removal of cell-wall defects (Alexander et al. 1968; Bither and Waterhouse 1992; Kim et al. 1975).\n\nCombined effects on the sheet level\n\nRefining pulp generally leads to a denser paper, which has higher stiffness and tensile strength. Although the main effects are usually attributed to improved bonding and densification, the contribution and exact mechanisms of each of the many factors listed earlier is still debated due to the overwhelming complexity of the phenomenon. For example, the role of fines and the exact mechanism through which they influence the properties is unclear. It is impossible to generalize the experimental findings since they are subjected to additional factors related to the choice of pulp (Gharehkhani et al. 2015; Rusu et al. 2011), refining method (Kerekes 2005; Stoere et al. 2001), degree of refinement (Joutsimo and Robertsé 2004), reference density of the product (Giertz 1957) and, finally, the mutual relations between these factors.\n\nTraditionally, the bond strength has been studied using predominantly chemical pulp, while it is important to recognize the differences between the factors affecting the bonding propensity for the mechanical and chemical pulps. These factors include (Retulainen and Nieminen 1996; Vainio and Paulapuro 2007):\n  • the higher swelling/deswelling rate of chemical pulp fibers due to differences in acidic groups.\n\n  • the greater negative surface charge on the TMP fibers, which explains a limiting response to the addition of cationic strength additives.\n\n  • a greater degree of fibrillation of the TMP fibers, which makes the interlocking mechanism more influential and yet limits the effect of added fines, since the effect from the fibrillar content is already saturated.\n\nIn the present paper, we combine experimental and numerical methods to help us to understand the effect of PFI refining on chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP). In particular, we focus on the effect of fines generated during refining and characterized using the state-of-the-art methods to assess the effect of refining on fine generation. The PFI mill is the most commonly used refining mill in lab-scale experiments (Kerekes 2005). This device consists of a stainless steel roll with bars and a smooth beater housing, which rotates at different speeds. The refining level is usually reported in revolutions or alternatively in PFI count which is equal to 10 revolutions. CTMP is made of wood chips that are pretreated with chemicals before undergoing a thermo-mechanical process. The chemical treatment of CTMP is less vigorous than in a chemical pulping process as the goal is to prepare the fibers for mechanical treatment and not to remove the lignin. From the morphological point of view, CTMP pulp consist of bulky, often uncollapsed fibers of medium or large length-to-width ratio. This pulp is widely used in the medium ply of the commercial paper boards.\n\nExperiments and measurements\n\nThe material used for this study was chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP), which was made from spruce and is often found in the middle layer of commercial paper boards. The CTMP pulping process is a hybrid between chemical and mechanical pulping in that the wood is treated with chemicals before mechanical treatment. However, in contrast to chemical pulping, the lignin that gives the fibers their plastic behavior is preserved in CTMP. The main chemical added to the pulp is sodium sulfate, which is added to the wooden chips before the refining process.\n\nIn this study, we have tested six different materials with various combinations of refining and strength additives; that is, three different refining levels, each with and without strength additives. The material was provided by StoraEnso, Karlstad, Sweden. The strength additive that we used in the material for this article was Avebe Amlofax HS, which is a potato based cationic starch with DS 0.045–0.049 mol/mol degree of substitution. This strength additive was added to half of the samples at 25 kg/t. The pulp was mechanically beaten between two rotating cylinders in a PFI mill. An increased number of PFI mill revolutions corresponds to a more refined pulp. The three different levels of refining were 0, 1000, and 2000 PFI mill revolutions. Here, 0 PFI mill revolutions refer to the unbeaten pulp. Different combinations of strength additive and refining level, including the naming convention that will be used in the rest of this article are shown in Table 1.\nTable 1\n\nDifferent combinations of strength additives and refining levels\n\n\nStrength additive (kg/t)\n\nRefining (PFI revolutions)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPulp characterization\n\nThe pulps were characterized to find the geometrical data of the fibers and fines in the pulps with different degrees of refining. Pulp characterization is the measuring of the dimensions of the fibers in a pulp. These measured dimensions are shown schematically in Fig. 1. These characterization data were used not only to investigate the effect of refining but also in the numerical modeling of the networks, as described in \"External fibrillation\" section. We used two different devices for characterization: a Kajaani (presently Valmet) Fiber Image Analyzer Analyzer at PTS (Papiertechnische Stiftung), Munich, Germany and an L&W Pulp Tester Plus at Graz University, Graz, Austria. The main difference between the devices is that the L&W Pulp Tester Plus has a better resolution and can detect and characterize more fines and smaller fibers while Kajaani can report extra parameters such as fiber wall-thickness and number of kinks. The resolution and measurement limitations of the characterization devices is given in Table 2. In the data from Kajaani Fiber Image Analyzer, for all the particles with lengths lower than \\(200 \\, \\upmu \\hbox {m}\\), which are categorized as fines, no other data apart from the length is reported. For the sake of consistency, we use the same length criteria to differentiate between fibers and fines in the rest of this article. In other words, all the fibers with length lower than \\(200 \\, \\upmu \\hbox {m}\\) will be considered fines, although it is not strictly according to the standard definition of fines which was mentioned previously in Sect. 1.\nFig. 1\n\nSchematic visualization of measured fiber and fine dimensions\n\nTable 2\n\nResolution and measurement limitations of the characterization devices\n\nDevice name\n\nLength measurement\n\nWidth measurement\n\nMinimum (\\(\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\))\n\nResolution (\\(\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\))\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1 (2.5*)\n\n\nL&W Pulp Tester\n\n4 (7*)\n\n\n4 (7*)\n\n\n*Values in parenthesis are based on measured data while the others are according to device data sheets\n\nThe distributions of the measured parameters including fiber length, width, wall-thickness, shape factor, external fibrillation, kinks, and fine length, width, and aspect ratio using both characterization devices (if data was available) are shown in Figs. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 of  “Appendix”. The arithmetic, as well as the length-weighted averages for these distributions, are gathered in Table 3 for data from the Kajaani Fiber Image Analyzer and in Table 4 for data from the L&W Pulp Tester Plus. These averages are calculated according to the following equations:\n$$\\begin{aligned} \\text {Arithmetic}\\,\\text{average}\\,\\,\\text{of} \\, P&= \\frac{\\sum _{i=1}^{n} P_i}{n} \\end{aligned}$$\n$$\\begin{aligned} \\text{Length-weighted}\\,\\, \\text{average}\\,\\,\\text{of} \\, P&= \\frac{\\sum _{i=1}^{n} (P_i\\times L_i)}{\\sum _{i=1}^{n} L_i} \\end{aligned}$$\nwhere P is the parameter to be averaged, n is the total number of fibers/fines, and \\(L_i\\) is the length of ith fiber/fine. It is seen that although the refining has slightly reduced the average length of the fibers, the other geometrical properties of the fibers and fines are not affected considerably. Specifically, no considerable change in width and wall-thickness of fibers was detected. It is known that the main effect of internal fibrillation is an increase in the wall-thickness due to intensified swelling. The characterization results indicate that the internal fibrillation, which might be the dominant effect of refining in some cases, is not a major factor in this specific case.\nTable 3\n\nMean values of pulp characterization data from Kajaani\n\nAveraging method\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFiber length (mm)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFiber width (\\(\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\))\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFiber wall-thickness (\\(\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\))\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFiber shape factor (−)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nExternal fibrillation (%)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFine length (\\(\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\))\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTable 4\n\nMean values of pulp characterization data from L&W Pulp Tester Plus\n\nAveraging method\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFiber length (mm)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFiber shape factor (–)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFine width (\\(\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\))\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFine aspect ratio (–)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWe know that although the PFI mill is considered to cause less external fibrillation in comparison with other refining devices (Stoere et al. 2001), it proves to be very effective in creating fines (Kibblewhite 1972). The distribution of fine aspect ratios is shown in Fig. 31 and the mean values of fine aspect ratios are given in Table 4. These data show that the fines captured by the L&W Pulp Tester Plus are mostly flake fines and are not fibrillar fines. The secondary fines (i.e., fines created by refining) are mostly fibrillar fines that have a width in the range 250–350 nm (Sundberg and Holmbom 2004; Sundberg et al. 2003) and which cannot be detected by the characterization devices. The non-fibrillar fine content of the pulps calculated using the data from the L&W Pulp Tester Plus is shown in Table 5. These data show that refining has resulted in the formation of flake fines as well. These fines are mostly broken parts of fibers or fiber walls. This is consistent with the results on the length of fibers, which showed a slight shortening.\n\nAnother finding from the characterization data, as shown in Fig. 28 in  “Appendix” is that the percentage of kinked fibers in the pulp has not changed with refining. This can be interpreted as a sign that the properties of the fibers are not significantly affected by the refining process.\nTable 5\n\nFine content using data from L&W Pulp Tester Plus\n\n\nAll fines\n\nFines with aspect ratio > 4\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDewatering tests\n\nOne way to compare the fibrillar fine content (and also the external fibrillation) of different pulps is to examine the dewatering property of the pulps. Dewatering is the measurement of the freeness of the pulp or the drainability of the pulp suspension. In other words, it is a measure of the rate at which a dilute suspension of pulp may be drained. In general, if network constituents (fibers, fines, etc.) can have larger swelling, they will take more water inside their structure and decrease the freeness of the pulp (Scallan 1983). However, we were not able to detect a significant difference between neither the widths nor the wall-thicknesses of the pre-swelled fibers with different levels of refining using the fiber characterization tools (see Figs. 24, 26). Another reason for increased dewatering time can be a higher fine content and external fibrillation, because fibrils and fibrillar fines have a high tendency to swell.\n\nThe dewatering of our pulps is measured by two different methods. The first method is SR [Schopper-Riegler (ISO 5267-1:1999, n.d.)] method, which is common for chemical pulps. A higher dewatering number in this method indicates slower draining. The second method that we used is the CSF [Canadian Standard Freeness (ISO 5267-2:2001, n.d.; TAPPI T 227 om-99, n.d.)] method, which is mostly used for mechanical pulps. In this method, higher numbers mean faster draining or a more easily dewatered pulp. The results are shown in Table 6. The data from both methods are consistent and they clearly show that there is a significant difference between the freeness levels and, thus, in the fibrillar fine content of our different pulps. However, this was not detected by the optical characterization tools due to limited resolution. We will investigate the effect of the existence of these fibrillar fines using numerical simulations, as described in \"External fibrillation\" section.\nTable 6\n\nDewatering properties of pulps with different refining levels\n\n\nSR (mL)\n\nCSF (mL)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe fiber characterization that was data presented in the previous section was extracted from pulps containing saturated swollen fibers. However, given that the focus of the study is on the dry strength, the use of this data as an input in the subsequent network-level simulation tools is not viable. To relate the gathered data to the dry state, we engaged the micro-tomography equipment and analyzed staples of handsheets produced from pulps of different refining levels. These handsheets were later used in mechanical testing.\n\nThe machine that we employed to acquire the micro-tomography data was an Xradia MicroXCT-200 at Innventia, Stockholm, Sweden. The sample size was 1.5 mm in diameter and the image element (voxel) size was \\(0.5 \\, \\upmu \\hbox {m}\\) along all three axes. Three different samples (R0, R1000, R2000) were studied. Due to the small size of the samples most of the fibers were cut and the data regarding fiber length and as a result, shape factor could not be extracted reliably. We assume that during the handsheet making and subsequent constrained drying, the length and the shape of the fibers is not affected significantly, so that we can rely on the length and shape factor data acquired by the fiber characterization tools. To obtain the cross-sectional dimensions, more than 100,000 cross-sections per sample were analyzed. Only those cross-sections corresponding to free segments (not bonded to other fibers) were processed and the results were averaged over the identified fibers. The analysis method that we used is presented in (Wernersson et al. 2014). The distributions of measured parameters including fiber width, height, wall-thickness, and width-to-height ratio are processed, and the mean values and standard deviations for these parameters are given in Table 7. Due to internal fibrillation, the fibers become more collapsible. This can potentially affect the width-to-height ratio of the fibers in different samples. However, we found that width-to-height ratio of the fibers had no noticeable change after refining, which means that internal fibrillation is not a remarkable outcome of beating in our case. This result collaborates with our previous finding from pulp characterization data in the wet state, which did not show significant changes of the cross-section. The changes in the bonds could not be reliably processed due to uncertainties in identifying the individual fibers in the bond region.\nTable 7\n\nMean and standard deviation for cross-sectional dimensions from micro-tomography\n\n\n\nStandard deviation\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFiber height (\\(\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\))\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWall-thickness (\\(\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\))\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWidth-to-height ratio\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMechanical properties of the handsheets\n\nFor each combination of refining level and strength additive amount, 10 handsheets were prepared under identical conditions by StoraEnso, using Rapid Köthen sheet-making equipment according to ISO 5269-2:2004 standard. The diameter of all of the handsheets was 15.9 cm. The thickness of the handsheets was measured using STFI Thickness Tester M201 and the weight was found using Sartorius BP110 S. Consequently, the grammage and density of handsheets were calculated by dividing the weight by the area, and the grammage by the thickness, respectively. The mean thickness, grammage, and density for all of the combinations are shown in Table 8.\nTable 8\n\nMean values of thickness, grammage, and density for different samples\n\n\nThickness (\\(\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\))\n\nGrammage (g/m\\(^2\\))\n\nDensity (\\({\\hbox {kg/m}}^3\\))\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo study the effect of refining on the strength and stiffness of the samples, an Alwetron Th1 machine by Lorentzen&Wettre was used. For each pulp, 10 test samples (60 test samples in total) with dimensions of \\(100 \\, \\hbox {mm} \\times 15 \\, \\hbox {mm}\\) were prepared and tested in in a climate controlled environment at a temperature of \\(23\\) °C and 50% relative humidity. The testing device measured forces and elongations, which were transformed into stress and strain using the dimensions of the samples. The mean stress–strain curves for handsheets produced from all the six different pulps are shown in Fig. 2. The combined effect of refining and strength additive on the strength and stiffness of paper is demonstrated in Fig. 3. We observe that the impact of refining on both strength and stiffness is intensified when strength additives are present. We also see that although the strength additives improve the strength of paper and stiffness of paper from refined pulps, they do not affect the stiffness of unbeaten paper. In other words, to increase the stiffness of paper, refining is necessary and increased bond strength alone cannot lead to stiffness improvements.\n\nWe observed the densification caused by refining at a constant level of wet-pressing. The wet-pressing is another tool which can cause densification. The elastic modulus of the sheets densified by wet-pressing scales linearly with density in a fashion similar to the one caused by refining. The effect on the strength is different, however. The sheets densified due to beating generally have greater strength at a given density. This effect is attributed to the increased bonding strength and it is also linked to the addition of fines. In fact, the addition of fines causes the densification and improved strength as well (Niskanen 2008). It is hard to distinguish the effects coming from the improved bonding and reinforcement by the fines experimentally.\nFig. 2\n\nStress–strain curves from the uniaxial tensile test, a refined pulp without strength additives and b refined pulp with strength additive. The bars show the maximum and minimum of the strength results from testing 10 samples for each material and the curves represent the averages\n\nFig. 3\n\nCombined effect of refining and strength additive on a stiffness and b strength of paper\n\nRetention of strength additives\n\nAs refining can potentially change the retention of the strength additive (i.e., cationic starch), a test was conducted at MoRe Research Örnsköldsvik AB, Domsjö, Sweden to compare the mass percentage of starch present in the dry sheet. The test was conducted on SR0, SR1000, and SR2000. The results are shown in Table 9. As seen in this table, the difference between the retention of pulps with different levels of refining is not significant. This means that the amount of remaining starch in the handsheets from these pulps is approximately the same, and the interaction between refining and strength additives cannot be explained by the difference in their starch retention. Most probably, starch amplified the effect of the other factors that were changed by refining, such as fines or swelling. However, this particular aspect is outside the scope of this paper.\nTable 9\n\nRetention of strength additives for pulps with different levels of refining\n\n\nStarch retention (%)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSummary of the experimental results\n\nHigher levels of refining resulted in handsheets with increased strength and stiffness, as was expected. This increase happened together with densification of the handsheets. By analyzing the changes in the pulp using the fiber characterization tools and micro-tomography, we conclude that the structural changes in the fibers upon refining are small. The changes in the detected fines fractions are also minor. However, the increased presence of fibrillary fines was detected directly through decreased freeness as observed in two different methods.\n\nThe experimental results from adding the strength additive to the unbeaten pulp show improved strength, practically unchanged stiffness, and little densification. When adding the strength additive to the refined pulp, densification was observed and both strength and stiffness were improved. The retention of starch was not changed by refining. This means that although the total quantity of strength additives was not significantly affected by refining, the influence of starch is greater in the refined pulp.\n\nThe pulp characterization data showed that, apart from the shortening of fibers with increased refining, there is no significant difference that can be captured with these tools. In other words, we observed no change in external fibrillation, kinks, and curl of fibers with different levels of refining.\n\nThe shortening of the fibers produced an additional quantity of flake-like fines. However, the characterization devices were unable to detect the fibrillar fines, the presence of which was only indirectly captured through the dewatering tests. The fibrillary fines alone are known to have a positive impact on the sheet properties, which is the reason for the improved stiffness and strength. At the same time, the exact mechanisms behind these improvements are not completely clear because they occur in conjunction with densification, which increases the number of contacts and also changes the geometrical alignment of the fibers.\n\nNumerical simulations\n\n3D numerical simulations of paper have previously been used to study network properties. For example, a study simulating the wet pressing operation with the ability to calculate the shape of fibers at the contact sites was presented in (Lavrykov et al. 2012). In this study, the deformation of fibers at the bonds naturally results in a specific thickness of the network that can be used to calculate the density. In a similar study, the same simulation techniques were used to study the contribution of fiber properties to the network properties with a focus on the bending stiffness (Lavrykov et al. 2011). In these studies, the fibers were modeled using 3D solid elements. Using such 3D elements requires a fine resolution of the fiber cross-section and is computationally expensive for considering large sizes and grammages. On the other hand, it has the advantage of capturing the cross-sectional deformations of fibers, specifically at the bonds. In this work, the compliance of the bonds is captured through the penalty-based beam-to-beam constraint (Motamedian 2018; Motamedian and Kulachenko 2018).\n\nSince the pulp characterization tools were unable to capture any significant morphological changes induced by refining, a considerable difference in mechanical response is not expected to be made due to pulp variabilities. However, for the sake of consistency, we investigated the impact of these small changes by creating networks using the characterization data corresponding to different levels of refining while keeping other properties such as density and through-thickness profile constant. Later, we also investigated the impact of the factors that could not be detected by the pulp characterization tools. This included the growth in the number of bonds due to increased density, the improved bond strength, and the increased fibrillar content with characteristic sizes outside the detectable range.\n\nIn this analysis, we will use network-level computational tools (Kulachenko and Uesaka 2012), which rely on an accurate 3D representation of the network. The method used for network generation and analysis is described below.\n\nSimulation method\n\nWe use the pulp characterization data to create the geometry of the network. However, the characterization data are extracted from fibers in the saturated state, in which they are swollen. In the sheet-making process, the fibers are pressed and then they shrink during drying. We use the data from micro-tomography to account for drying shrinkage and the change of the width-to-height ratio of the fibers (shown in Fig. 1) due to pressing. We use a deposition technique from (Kulachenko and Uesaka 2012) following the model of (Niskanen and Alava 1994) to generate the geometry of the networks. The major steps of this procedure are as follows:\n  • We choose a random set of fiber geometry information from the corrected pulp characterization data and create a single fiber. This information includes the fiber length, width, width-to-height ratio, shape factor, and wall-thickness.\n\n  • This fiber is then placed at a random location and with a random orientation on an imaginary 2D plane (for isotropic handsheets).\n\n  • The intersections of this newly place fiber with the previously deposited fibers (from top view) are found.\n\n  • The intersection points are raised vertically with appropriate values to avoid penetration of fibers. However, the fibers can undergo larger pressing at the bond sites and consequently, the distance between their centerlines becomes smaller. The normalized variation of the distance of cross-sectional centers before and after being pressed is demonstrated schematically in Fig. 4 as the press ratio.\n\n  • The deposited fiber is then smoothed along its length. The smoothing procedure uses a given value for the maximum interface angle and it only permits the fiber segments to move upwards during the smoothing procedure to avoid penetration. The interface angle is schematically shown in Fig. 5.\n\n  • This procedure is repeated until the desired network grammage is reached.\n\nFig. 4\n\nSchematic representation of the parameter press ratio used in numerical generation of networks\n\nFig. 5\n\nSchematic representation of the parameter interface angle (Borodulina et al. 2016) used in numerical generation of networks\n\nThis algorithm uses the actual corrected characterization data for fiber dimensions. This means that shortening of fibers and its effect on formation is automatically accounted for in the simulations. A sample of a generated network is shown in Fig. 6.\nFig. 6\n\nA sample of a numerically generated network, a in-plane view, and b thickness view\n\nWe used FEM (finite element method) in an implicit solution scheme to analyze the networks. To do so, the generated network was discretized using nonlinear 3-node Timoshenko/Reissner beam elements (Ibrahimbegović 1995) with either solid or hollow rectangular cross-sections. The inter-fiber bonds were simulated as bonded (adhesive) beam-to-beam contact elements (Motamedian 2016, 2018) with a separation criteria. A more detailed description and demonstration of application of the formulations can be found in (Borodulina et al. 2016; Motamedian and Kulachenko 2018, 2019). The geometric, mechanical, and discretization parameters that were used in the simulations are listed in Table 10.\n\nOne of the known effects of the fibrillar fines is forming bridges between the neighboring crossing fibers and reinforcing the bonds as shown in Fig. 7a. In some cases, this can result in the formation of webs of fines, as shown in Fig. 7b. Note that the SEM images of Fig. 7 have only captured the fines on the surface while the inner structure is more intricate. To mimic the behavior of fines in the simulations, we introduced a large number of truss elements, which are shown as blue components in Fig. 8. These truss elements have two nodes with three translational degrees of freedom at each node and they solely transmit load in axial tension. The nodes of these elements are connected to the existing nodes of the beams representing the fibers. Owing to their small dimensions, the fibrillary particles tend to converge to the bonds according to literature. To represent this placement, the deposition of the fibrils is made by first selecting an arbitrary node and then finding a second node within a sphere of a designated radius. The sphere radius equals the maximum fine length and it is centered on the first node, which is randomly chosen. This distribution approach yields a fibrillary deposition in which most of the fines gather near the bonds between fibers which is consistent with what is reported in literature. Using this method, no additional degrees of freedom are added to the system. For clarity, this approach is visualized in Fig. 9. The properties of the elements used to simulate the fines can be found in Table 10.\nFig. 7\n\nSEM image of paper surface showing, a some fibrillar bridges and b a web structure formed by fines\n\nFig. 8\n\nRepresentation of fibrillar bridges with (blue) link elements. (Color figure online)\n\nFig. 9\n\nDeposition of fines as fibrillar bridges\n\nTable 10\n\nParameters and settings used in numerical simulations\n\n\n\nNonlinear, implicit\n\nConvergence criteria\n\nL2 norm of residual force \\(< \\, 10^{-3}\\)\n\n\n\n\\(\\hbox {5 mm} \\times \\hbox {3 mm}\\)\n\n\n\\(374 \\, \\upmu \\hbox {m}\\) to \\(526\\, \\upmu \\hbox {m}\\)\n\nNumber of fibers\n\n5300 to 6300\n\nNumber of bonds\n\n60,000 to 90,000\n\n\nElement type\n\nTimoshenko/Reissner with geometric nonlinearity\n\nNumber of nodes per element\n\n\nDoF per node\n\n\nElement size\n\n\nElement cross-section\n\nSolid or hollow rectangular\n\nElement cross-section dimensions\n\nWidth: \\(4.4\\,\\upmu \\text {m}\\) to \\(95\\,\\upmu \\text {m}\\)\n\nHeight: \\(2.5\\,\\upmu \\text {m}\\) to \\(53\\,\\upmu \\text {m}\\)\n\nTotal number of elements\n\n75,000 to 95,000\n\nMaterial type\n\nLinear elastic\n\n\n15 GPa to 45 GPa\n\n\n70 MPa\n\n\n\\(1430 \\, {\\hbox {kg/m}}^3\\)\n\n\nElement type\n\n\nNumber of nodes per element\n\n\nDoF per node\n\n\nElement size\n\nOne element per fine\n\nElement cross-section\n\n\nElement cross-section dimensions\n\nDiameter: \\(1\\,\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\) (varied between \\(0.5\\) to \\(16\\,\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\) in parameter study)\n\nTotal number of elements\n\n600,000 if fines are included (varied between zero to 3,000,000 in parameter study)\n\nMatrial type\n\nLinear elastic\n\n\n(Varied between 50 and 120 GPa in parameter study)\n\nStrain to failure\n\n3% (varied between 0.5 and 8% in parameter study)\n\n\n\n\nElement type\n\nInconsistent beam-to-beam inseparable point contact element based on closest point projection\n\nDoF per element\n\n\nPenalty stiffness\n\n3000 N/m\n\nFailure criteria\n\nMaximum separation distance of \\(2\\, \\upmu \\hbox {m}\\) Borodulina et al. (2016)\n\nNote: Close-to-parallel contacts (with contact angle \\(< 2^\\circ\\)) were neglected (less than 0.5% of the total)\n\nThe effect of captured pulp variations\n\nTo show that the captured variability between pulps with different levels of refining do not have a large effect on the properties of the handsheets, we created five different networks using the characterization data corresponding to each level of refining (15 networks in total). We considered similar other properties for these networks. The resulting averaged stress–strain curves are shown in Fig. 10. These results show that the pulp variations captured through characterization do not have a considerable effect on the properties of the handsheets. Given that no considerable differences were revealed, in the generation of the subsequent networks we used a set of pulp data consisting of the combined data captured for all three pulps.\nFig. 10\n\nThe effect of pulp variations captured through pulp characterization on the simulated stress–strain curves in comparison with the experimental results\n\nThe effect of density\n\nIt is suggested that the improvements caused by refining can mainly be attributed to the increased density (Sehaqui et al. 2013). According to the measurements shown in Table 8, the density of handsheets is greatly affected by refining. The change in the density is mainly due to the difference in the thickness of the handsheets. According to our network generation algorithm, there are three parameters that can greatly affect the thickness of the handsheets: the width-to-height ratio of the fiber cross-sections, the press ratio at the bonded sites, and the interface angle between two bonded fibers. The data extracted from the micro-tomography images showed that neither the width-to-height ratio of free fiber segments nor the interface angle distribution are considerably affected by different refining levels. Consequently, while using the micro-tomography extracted data on width-to-height ratio and interface angle in generating networks, we focused on the press ratio at bond sites as the main reason affecting the thickness of the networks. Unfortunately, it was not possible to extract data on the press ratio parameter from tomography images due to difficulties in precisely tracking fibers at the bonded sites caused by the limited resolution of the images. To ensure the correctness of the network representation, we extracted the through thickness density profiles of the handsheets from the tomography data. In the network generation process, we used the press ratio parameter to match these density profiles and also the measured thicknesses of the handsheets. The density profiles of the unrefined and mostly refined samples, and examples of density the profiles of corresponding numerically generated networks are shown in Fig. 11.\nFig. 11\n\nDensity profiles of unrefined and mostly refined handsheets from tomography data and numerical network generations\n\nFor each level of refining five different networks are generated. The averaged resulting stress–strain curves from the analysis of the generated networks are shown in Fig. 12 together with the experimental stress–strain curves, for comparison. As can be seen in the results, although the increase in the density of the handsheets affects the strength and stiffness of the networks through the increased number of bonds, it is not sufficient to explain the total improvements.\nFig. 12\n\nEffect of density on the simulated stress–strain curves in comparison with the experimental results. The bars show the maximum and minimum of the strength results from 10 experimental or 5 numerical samples for each density and the curves represent the averages\n\nThe effect of inter-fiber bond strength\n\nRefining is often described as a process that leads to increased bond area and strength. As we use a pointwise beam-to-beam contact model to represent the inter-fiber bonds, we cannot study the effect of the increased bonded area directly but rather through an indirect change of bonding properties. The increase in the bond strength can be related to the increased bonded area between fibers, which may likely happen upon densification or the use of strength additives. Consequently, we studied the effect of stronger bonds combined with the previously considered effect of density. The stress–strain curves from our analyses of the same network (only one of the networks, keeping the geometry, meshing, etc. constant), with different strengths for inter-fiber bonds, are shown in Fig. 13. As expected, the increase in bond strength improves the strength of the network; however, the stiffness of the sample remains unchanged. This result is consistent with the experimental results on the handsheets from unbeaten pulp in response to the addition of bond strength additives. Those experimental results had shown that using strength additives in unbeaten pulp does not noticeably affect the density and stiffness, but it does improve the strength of paper.\nFig. 13\n\nEffect of bond strength on simulated stress–strain curves\n\nThe effect of fines\n\nPrevious experimental study has shown that both refining and the addition of fibrillary fines have the same effect on the mechanical properties and the dewatering characteristics of paper products (Afra et al. 2013). This suggests that the creation of fines can be a major reason behind the modifications achieved by refining. A microscopic photo of a fiber and fines of both fibrillar and chunk type can be seen in Fig. 14. To get a better understanding of the characteristics of the fines in the handsheets, microscopic images of the pulps were taken. The goal was to qualitatively compare the shape and amount of fines in the differently refined pulps. The microscopy images of the pulps were taken using an Olympus BX50 System Microscope. Representative microscopic images of the pulps can be seen in Fig. 15.\nFig. 14\n\nMicroscopic images of pulp showing a fiber and some fines\n\nFig. 15\n\nMicroscopic images of differently refined pulps\n\nAlthough we can see from the microscopic images that refining has resulted in an increased fine percentage, the amount and size of fibrillar fines in our pulps are not known due to the limited resolution of measuring devices. Consequently, we conducted a parameter study to investigate the effect of fine size, the mechanical properties, and the percentage on the stiffness and strength of the networks. We have chosen the reference set of values for all parameters as presented in Table 11, and investigated the effect of varying each of those parameters while keeping the others as the reference value. The range of studied variations are given in Table 11. We have added the fines to a network corresponding to the unrefined sample, unless stated otherwise.\nTable 11\n\nInitial parameter values and the range of variations in the fine parameter study\n\n\nInitial value\n\nVariation range\n\nFine diameter (\\(\\upmu \\hbox {m}\\))\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFine stiffness (GPa)\n\n\n\nFine strain to failure (%)\n\n\n\nFine mass percentage (%)\n\n\n\nThe effect of fine diameter\n\nThe pulp characterization tools have limited resolution and the fines below certain size will not be detected. This fact was previously reported in the literature (Brodin and Eriksen 2014). In this study, we used a constant mass fraction of the fines equal to 3% and varied the diameter of the fines. We generated a base network and assumed a specific diameter size for fine cross-sections. We started adding link elements to the network until the target mass fraction was reached. We then repeated the same procedure for different diameters of fines. The resulting stress–strain curves from the analysis of the mentioned networks are shown in Fig. 16. As seen in the figure, fines with large diameters of 16 or \\(10 \\, \\upmu \\hbox {m}\\), which are on the verge of what can be detected by the characterization tools, have almost no effect on the properties of the networks and fines with smaller cross-sections, which are in fact not detected by the characterization devices, have the largest impact on both the strength and the stiffness of the networks. As we have considered a fixed mass percentage of fines, decreasing the fine diameter results in a large increase in the number of fines. This leads to a more effective distribution of fines, and better collective stiffening and strengthening of the network, especially close to the bonded sites where most of the fines are located.\nFig. 16\n\nEffect of fine diameter on simulated stress–strain curves\n\nThe effect of fine fraction\n\nFor this part of the study, fines with the diameter of \\(1 \\, \\upmu \\hbox {m}\\) were added to a base network (with a thickness corresponding to the experimental handsheet from the unrefined pulp, R0) and a denser network (corresponding to the handsheet from the mostly refined pulp, R2000) at different mass fractions. The results in response to the addition of fines are shown in Fig. 17. The baselines indicate the experimental results for both stiffness and strength in case of the mostly refined and densified sheets. Unless the densification is not taken into account, the experimentally measured stiffness cannot be matched within the reasonable range of fines fraction. This indicates that accounting for densification is important. Obviously, there is a direct relationship between the fines content and the amount of refining, which is consistent with previous studies (Kibblewhite 1972) but was not detected by the tools used for the pulp characterizations. The degree of the change in response to adding fines for both the stiffness and strength is comparable with the findings in which controlled amounts of fibrillar fines were added to the pulp (without refining) to improve the strength and stiffness (Boufi et al. 2016; Johnson et al. 2016; Luukko and Paulapuro 1999).\nFig. 17\n\nEffect of fine mass percentage on a stiffness and b strength of networks\n\nWe can now shed the light on the exact mechanisms brought by fines through observing how the strain energy is partitioned between different forms of deformation. We separated the energy into elongation and bending (stored in the fibers), inter-fiber bonding and fines. The bonding energy is collected from the penalty-based contact elements. The other forms of deformations, including torsion and shear, are small and presented combined. The computed partitioning is shown in Fig. 18, where the strain energy output from the simulations of a network without and with 3% fines are compared. In both cases, most of the energy is stored in the longitudinal deformation. Given that fines act as bridges connecting fibers together, it is not surprising that the greatest effect they have is on the strain energy stored in the bonds. They also help in immobilizing the fibers, and therefore, also reduce the bending energy.\nFig. 18\n\nStrain energy stored in different components of the network in a absence and b presence of fines\n\nOther than carrying part of the load applied to the network, an increased amount of fines helps to smooth the strain field, which in turn can lead to the higher load capacity of the network. Figure 19 shows the strain localization from simulations of networks with different fine content.\n\nScattering coefficient is related to the total specific surface area and has traditionally been used to assess the degree of bonding. It was shown that fines are able to reduce the scattering coefficient at constant density (Lehtonen 2004). This was linked to the higher number of smaller pores resulted by the addition of fines at constant pore volume. Using experimental methods, separating out fiber fractions and doing hot wet-pressing, Lehtonen also concluded that fines ensure better stress transfer between bonded fibers and this effect is activated during wet-pressing. It collaborates well with the finding of this study.\nFig. 19\n\nEffect of fine percentage on stress localization (from numerical simulations)\n\nThe effect of maximum length of fines\n\nPrevious study has shown that the length of fines increases with the amount of energy used in refining (Retulainen et al. 1993). In this section, we again consider a fixed mass fraction of fines equal to 3%; however, we study the effect of maximum length of fines. Increasing the maximum length combined with the assumed mechanism of fine distribution will yield more fibrillar fines connecting distant regions of the fibers. The results from this study are shown in Fig. 20. It can be seen that the increase in the length of fines does not give a consistent trend. Increasing the maximum length has a positive effect on the strength of the networks up to a certain value between 50 and \\(100 \\, \\upmu \\hbox {m}\\) and afterwards the effect becomes negative.\nFig. 20\n\nEffect of fine length on simulated stress–strain curves\n\nIncreasing the length of fines results in fewer fines with the given fines fraction; however, this reduction is not as drastic as the in case of increasing the diameter. This reduction in the number of fines tends to reduce the improvement in the strength and stiffness. Meanwhile, longer fines can connect fibers at longer distances, which can contribute to better stiffness or strength improvement. The results show that the positive effect of increased length is more dominant to a certain value, after which the negative effect takes over. These results also suggest that the main effect from the fines comes through the collective reinforcement of the bond surroundings.\n\nThe effect of fine strength and stiffness\n\nIn this part, we study the effect of fine strength and stiffness on the strength and stiffness of the networks, separately. The stiffness of the fines depends on their type, while the strength is dependent on the bond between fines and fibers. The results shown in Fig. 21 correspond to varying the elastic moduli in the range of 50–120 GPa for the fines, while keeping all of the other properties of the networks intact. We have used maximum strain as the failure criteria for fines. Upon reaching this strain, the fines are behaving ideally plastic, that is, without an incremental addition of stress upon increased strain. The effect of varying this failure criteria from a maximum allowable strain of 0.5% to 8% is shown in Fig. 22.\n\nIn case of increased stiffness with a given strain-to-failure of 3%, both the stiffness and the strength increased. The increase of the strength can be explained by the fact that fines can store more energy prior to failure. A similar effect is achieved by increasing the strain to failure. At the same time, increasing the strength of fines while keeping their stiffness unchanged does not affect the stiffness of the network because there are very few fines broken in the initial part of the loading with the property range used in the study.\nFig. 21\n\nEffect of elastic modulus of fines on a stiffness and b strength of networks\n\nFig. 22\n\nEffect of strain to failure of fines on a stiffness and b strength of networks\n\n\nIn this study, we investigated the effects induced by PFI refining through experimental and numerical investigation of handsheets produced from pulp subjected to different degrees of refining. Mechanical testing of the handsheets showed that refining, expectedly, increased strength and stiffness, as well as sheet densification.Although the pulp characterization tools did not reveal significant differences in the geometry of fibers or presence of fines in response to refining, the freeness testing suggested a considerable modification in the pulps. By engaging micromechanical simulations, we showed that while increased density is a major reason for the improvement in the strength and stiffness of the handsheets, it cannot solely explain the degree of the change observed in the mechanical tests.\n\nWe studied the role of the fines in altering mechanical properties with a specific focus on the morphology of the fine fractions. We found that the presence of fines can significantly change both the stiffness and the strength, independent of the density change. More specifically:\n  • Fines with diameters below the resolution of the characterization devices have a greater influence at a given volume fraction. The main mechanism of improvement is the collective reinforcement and stiffening of the bonds.\n\n  • Increasing the length of the fines up to a certain value with a given volume fraction improves the stiffness and strength of fiber networks because these fines can bridge more distant fibers. However, further increasing the length has an opposite effect since longer fines (resulting in their lower amount with the given volume fraction) cannot significantly change the properties as the collective action is required.\n\n  • Even low volume fractions of fines affect the stiffness of the network, however, unless the fines are sufficiently well-bonded, the strength of the sheet is not affected.\n\nWe can explain the experimentally observed effects of refining by the combined contribution of densification and presence of fines below the resolution of the state-of-the-art characterization tools.\n\nFinally, we have also determined that an increase in bond strength can only lead to a greater strength on the sheet level and does not affect the stiffness of the samples. This agreed with the experimental results achieved by adding bonding agents to the unrefined pulp during sample production and observing improved strength and unchanged stiffness. At the same time, adding bonding agents to the refined pulp improved both the stiffness and the strength. This suggests a collaborative effect of fines and strength additives.\n\n\n\nSupport from the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth and the National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development, Austria, is gratefully acknowledged.\n\nThe computational resources were provided by the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) at HPC2N, Umeå (Project SNIC2017-1-175).\n\nWe also acknowledge Mats Fredlund at StoraEnso for the valuable help in the project, Sofia Sandin for the SEM image of the network and microscopy images of the the furnish (Figs. 7, 15), Bergman Labora for her help with the microscopy images of the fiber (Fig. 14), and Wolfgang Fischer at Graz University of Technology and Timo Kuntzsch at Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS) for their help with fiber characterization. VINNOVA (Grant No. 2016-02702).\n\n\n  1. 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Sehaqui H, Zhou Q, Berglund LA (2013) Nanofibrillated cellulose for enhancement of strength in high-density paper structures. Nord Pulp Pap Res J 28(2):182CrossRefGoogle Scholar\n  61. Seth RS (2003) The measurement and significance of fines. Pulp Pap Can 104(2):41–44Google Scholar\n  62. Stoere P, Nazhad M, Kerekes R (2001) An experimental study of the effect of refining on paper formation. Tappi J 84(7):201–208Google Scholar\n  63. Strachan J (1932) Further notes on the hydration of cellulose in papermaking. In: Proceedings of the technical section. Mechanical Engineering Publications Limited, pp. 61–81Google Scholar\n  64. Sundberg A, Holmbom B (2004) Fines in spruce tmp, btmp and ctmp-chemical composition and sorption of mannans. Nord Pulp Pap Res J 19(2):176–182CrossRefGoogle Scholar\n  65. Sundberg A, Pranovich AV, Holmbom B (2003) Chemical characterization of various types of mechanical pulp fines. J Pulp Pap Sci 29(5):173–178Google Scholar\n  66. TAPPI T 227 om-99 (n.d.) 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Nord Pulp Pap Res J 29(3):468–475CrossRefGoogle Scholar\n\nCopyright information\n\n© The Author(s) 2019\n\n\nAuthors and Affiliations\n\n  1. 1.Department of Solid MechanicsRoyal Institute of TechnologyStockholmSweden\n  2. 2.CD Laboratory for Fiber Swelling and Paper PerformanceGraz University of TechnologyGrazAustria\n\nPersonalised recommendations", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5027880668640137}
+{"content": "Game Link – First Draft\n\n\nMy game was created to put an individual in a scenario where they are a managing partner of a law firm. The law firm is backed by many different investors and expect you to begin to make returns. You are given options to pick from in order to make money for your firm. However, there are some cases that appeal to your emotional side. The idea of the game was inspired by a TV show called “Suits” which follows two lawyers that have different mentalities when approaching cases. This made me wonder what I would do, so I decided to create a game to know what you would when put in that scenario.\n\n\nLearning Experiences – Empathy\n\nOne of the main learning experiences that resonated with me was the discussion about discrimination and stereotypes. It made me realize that it is a common misconception that everyone experiences yet is rarely addressed. Plus, there are stereotypes that are more common than others and through the discussion it taught me how to empathize with other forms of stereotypes that are discriminated against which are not as acknowledged as others. Another interesting thought that came to mind when learning about this topic is the fact that one can be bias towards a stereotype. That means that it’s possible one can feel like their stereotype is more offensive than others disregarding the fact that each person has their own reaction and emotions to whatever degree they feel. Those kinds of people lack the important skill of empathy. Discussing different people’s opinions allowed me to open up and start to take other perspectives into consideration. Not only was I learning about empathy towards the topic of discrimination and stereotypes, but I was also learning empathy towards other people’s experiences and opinions during the discussion.\n\nReflection on Digital Games\n\nSpent is a game played based on testing our ability to control and spend money. We were given an initial budget and we selected a job. The game then simulates series of rounds, were you have different scenarios that you must decide how much money to spend and whether or not you think its worth it. Throughout the game they also created unexpected hiccups in order to see how we would financial manage ourselves and our families.\n\n\nThe BBC Syrian refugee journey game also posed a number of difficult decisions in order to guide your family safe passage to Europe. It begins by you deciding which route you take initially, followed by a series of drastic incidents that require you to save yourself and your family. This game required, in my opinion, a lot less strategic thinking then Spent, as I believe it was more straightforward in which decisions were needed to be made.\n\n\nFor Spent I enjoyed the mental thought required to succeed in the game. I felt challenged and was put in scenarios where I was on the fence between a few situations. As for the BBC Syrian refugee journey, I enjoyed the realistic scenarios and the user-friendly setup of the game.\n\n\nPlaying the game Spent was mostly an enjoyable experience; however, the game was pretty long. I feel that if the game had been shorter it would’ve been perfected. For the BBC Syrian refugee journey game, I felt as though the options that were given to me were pretty straightforward in the decision-making process. If the game had implemented more difficult decisions and stimulated my mind more, I feel that I would’ve enjoyed it more.\n\n\nThe BBC Syrian refugee journey game made me feel a sense of sympathy towards the Syrian people. Obviously, there is no way that I could ever feel the same way as the Syrian refugees, however, it showed the difficult decisions that may arise from their escape from Syria. In Spent, I felt a sense of responsibility as there was a low budget to work with and you are providing for a family, not just yourself. The game was realistic which made me feel genuinely worried that my budget would finish.\n\nTwitter Scavenger Hunt\n\nThe twitter scavenger hunt that the class took part consisted of each individual creating a twitter account and posting on it pictures that were difficult to recognise at first. Each picture posted by each student was either a close up of an object or a surrounding. After the photos were posted, we each searched the hashtag #unboundeq in order to find other posts and comment what we thought each item was. We were then told if we answered correctly by our peers. The handling of twitter was straightforward for me, as I use twitter on a daily basis. The activity we took part in was enjoyable, as we got to interact with each other more and interact with people from around the world. I feel as though the rest of my classmates benefited as well, as some of them were unfamiliar with using twitter. Overall, I believe that the activity and the use of twitter was a enjoyable and beneficial experience.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8541962504386902}
+{"content": "Salt Routes\n\nAnthony Poulton-Smith\n\nWest Midlands\nNotice Period:\nRegular (more than one month's notice)\nPaid: £75 including expenses (negotiable)\n21st January 2017\nHistory | Travel | Roads | Food\n\nSalt Routes: the original trade route, why it existed and why these routes are still used today. While our distant ancestors were largely self-sufficient, for most one vital commodity meant having to trade. Bringing salt to the user produced a network of trails which can still be followed. Yet this is not just a travel history, salt has found its way into our culture, our language, our folklore and the talk brings all these factors to the fore.\n\nViews: 229 | Enquiries: 0\n\nAbout Anthony Poulton-Smith\n\nA freelance journalist and author, with 77 books, many articles, is a ghostwriter, innumerable crosswords and puzzles published, whilst also compiling and marketing quizzes. These books have mostly been on the subject of the origins of place-names and as part of the publicity Anthony has been interviewed several times on the radio and privileged to be the guest speaker at more than four hundred events. Fascinated by the development of language and etymology, based in Tamworth Staffordshire and chairman of Tamworth Literary Festival.\n\nHappy to travel and available at short notice.\n\nSend a message to the speaker\n\n\nPlease provide your contact name\nPlease provide the name of your group\nYour phone number so that the speaker can contact you\nYour email address so that the speaker can contact you\nGive details about the event, time of day and location", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7177317142486572}
+{"content": "Does copyright law cover graffiti?\n\nHosted by\n\nClothing company H&M did a fashion shoot in Brooklyn featuring models standing against a gray wall painted with black waving lines. The graffiti was the work of an LA-based street artist, who wanted compensation. H&M responded by filing a lawsuit against him, then dropped it a few days later.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9933735728263855}
+{"content": "Zangto Pelri Lhakhang\n\nBuddhist Temple in Thimphu\n\nThis private chapel, built in the 1990s by Dasho Aku Tongmi, the musician who composed Bhutan's national anthem, is southwest of the Weekend Market. It's beside the older Mani Dungkhar Lhakhang and is a replica of Guru Rinpoche's celestial abode. Inside is an array of large 4m-high statues, including several Guru Rinpoches. Look for the elephant skull in a box – reputedly unearthed while digging the foundations.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8446733951568604}
+{"content": "Queenstown mountain wedding\n\nWhen you're experiencing snow for the first time, the sun is shining, you're surrounded by your loved ones AND you're saying I do - it is pure magic.  \n\nLocation:  The Remarkables, Kawarau, Queenstown, Aotearoa New Zealand\nHelicopters:  Glacier Southern Lakes Heicopters - thanks to pilot Luke\nCelebrant: Phillipa Thomas - thanks for making it such a special day\nPhotographer: Celia Walmsley, Stagebox Photography\n\nCheck out more weddings", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9919357299804688}
+{"content": "Printer Friendly\n\nAn expert witness can make or break a case.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n* CREATE A CUMULATIVE ANALYSIS, displaying both sides of the case, including claims, counterclaims and factual interpretations. Identify strengths and weaknesses. Focus on discussing the points that will help prove your case or disprove the opponent's. The completed visual establishes a simple path for the trier of fact during trial testimony.\n\nHow using instructional visuals can help CPAs in litigation support.\n\nBecause most commercial disputes involve an accounting issue--such as valuation of a business for a change in ownership, amortization of intangible assets, calculating earnings to define a business's net profits--CPAs often are hired by plaintiff and defense lawyers to provide expert testimony as litigation support consultants. The CPA expert witness can play a variety of roles in business valuation cases--from performing simple damage calculations to orchestrating complex research and analysis and creating case strategies. To do this, the CPA expert witness must choose an approach in the pretrial planning phase that will help him or her develop and integrate facts and legal theories presented later in the trial testimony. CPAs may find using a visual framework helps them in the preparation stage and as a tool on the witness stand.\n\n\n* Showing what happened.\n\n* Identifying both the expert's and opponent's claims.\n\n* Highlighting relevant data.\n\n* Identifying missing data.\n\n* Identifying key areas and responsibilities of the client, counsel and experts.\n\n* Creating a damages model.\n\n* Providing a way to challenge and test the other expert's case to achieve optimal results.\n\n\nThe completed visual, while initially used in preparation and planning, also serves as an outline for the expert's later, more complicated, technical testimony in court. It establishes a simple and understandable path for the jury, arbitrator or trier of fact to follow and then provides the basis for the details. This approach allows the expert witness to use a broad range of presentation formats to accompany his or her testimony, from the structured \"drill-down\" approach of computer-supported Powerpoint presentations to the use of audiovisuals or simple flip charts.\n\n\nA court case in which an emerging technology company filed suit against its auditor illustrates the application of the visual approach and some \"land mines\" facing a CPA expert witness. The technology company claimed it would have successfully gone public and raised a significant amount of funds if its auditor had returned audited financial statements on time. The company hired a business valuation expert to determine damages based on the allegations, but this particular expert did not look at the big picture and focused solely on lost business value. Plaintiff's counsel ultimately declined to call the business valuation expert at trial. A second expert witness who testified for the plaintiff on lost profit calculations likewise responded unsuccessfully to the scope of the issues.\n\n\nOn the other hand, the defense expert used a visual approach to plan and present his testimony, highlighting the other party's mistakes and illustrating that the plaintiff's lost business value claim was an inappropriate theory of damages. Using the defense expert's strategy in this actual case, an expert witness can start preparation for trial testimony in this manner:\n\n* Decide what data you need to prove your case. Collect historical and prospective company data, other potential experts' testimony, industry, market and regulatory information and data regarding causation and potential or actual mitigation of damages.\n\n\n\n\n* Choose the key elements which are the building blocks for the case. List important points of the plaintiff's allegations under each key element (as shown in exhibit 1, page 40).\n\n\n* Display your case. Identify the weaknesses in the plaintiff's strategy and valuation of the claims (see exhibit 2, page 40).\n\n\n* Create a cumulative analysis, displaying both sides of the case, including claims, counterclaims and factual interpretations (as shown in exhibit 3, page 40). Identify strengths and weaknesses. Focus on discussing the points that will help prove your case or disprove the opponent's.\n\n\nIn this case, the CPA expert for the defense, instead of testifying about an alternative business valuation, created the visual graphic to accompany his courtroom testimony which identified several weaknesses he had seen in the plaintiff's strategy and valuation of the claims. The graphic showed that lost business value was not a valid theory to support a claim for damages because the lost value primarily affected the shareholders, not the plaintiff company. The plaintiff's expert had measured damages for the wrong party. The theory on which a claim for damages is based must fit the facts of the case.\n\nContrary to the plaintiff's allegations, the defense's expert said other reasons that had nothing to do with the auditor prevented the IPO from going forward. The product was not ready for the marketplace or investors and the company didn't have a qualified underwriter. In addition, the defense's analysis demonstrated the IPO would have encountered significant regulatory obstacles. The net result showed the plaintiff's theories and assumptions were weak, unsupported by the facts or inappropriate.\n\n\n\nAt the outset of an assignment, the CPA expert witness will receive an engagement letter from the lawyer stating the scope of the engagement and for whom the expert is working. The CPA should establish the client's expectations towards possible outcomes along with the budget to prepare the case for trial. To handle the variety of challenges and the high level of performance required from an expert witness at trial, the CPA needs a pretrial planning system to apply to all cases. At the same time, however, since each case is unique, the expert's creativity in approaching an engagement can be critical in the planning stages.\n\nThe CPA expert witness should prepare a first draft of the damages analysis as soon as he or she understands the facts of the case, and should review the draft with counsel to ensure it is accurate and complete. Sometimes legal and damages theories and the facts of the case don't mesh perfectly, and the expert must anticipate the actions of any opponents who will attempt to exploit those weaknesses. It's much better for the trial team to address these issues early in the planning phase.\n\nIn many situations, the expert witness can also use the visual analysis to assist counsel in discovery and preparation for settlement and as the basis for outlining the case in opening arguments. Success in providing litigation advisory services depends on the practitioner's experience and his or her ability to apply it to the facts and circumstances of the case. But no model approach, no matter how well designed, will guarantee success. The same holds true for the amount of preparation; CPA expert witnesses can still be anxious about their work because the other side will challenge their testimony and credibility (see \"Never Underestimate the Opposition,\" page 42).\n\nCPA expert witnesses are retained based on their reputations and technical expertise. \"When companies hire a CPA expert in a valuation matter, they want an objective, competent and supportable valuation performed by an independent expert,\" says A. Marvin Strait, CPA, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, a former AICPA board chairman who has worked as an expert witness for more than ten years. The depth of the CPA's expertise ultimately determines how frequently he or she is retained, the breadth of the engagements and the fees he or she earns. \"Do not testify beyond your area of competence and do not appear in the courtroom without adequate preparation,\" advises Strait. When CPA expert witnesses think broadly and use techniques which help them see all of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats inherent in a lawsuit, they take a long step in having their testimony achieve the desired outcome.\n\nLitigation Support as a Consulting Niche\n\n\nSource: AICPA membership data.\n\nDiscovery Woes\n\nWhether the CPA expert witness uses a visual approach to prepare for trial or relies on more traditional methods, his or her experience and expertise are an advantage in the lawsuit's planning phase.\n\n\nOne of the biggest hurdles the expert witness faces is collecting and organizing the thousands of pages of documents produced or created in pre-trial preparation and discovery. The CPA expert witness, on both sides of the lawsuit, must literally sift through the data and material to determine what is specifically relevant to his or her testimony, Also, the trial team always finds there seems to be either too much, too little or missing data. Without proper communication expert witnesses may initially fall into the trap of \"chasing\" elusive data that ultimately are never produced or turn out to be immaterial. \"The expert witness can shorten the chase by focusing on evidence that is really primary and accessible and making counsel aware of this,\" says Sandra K. Johnigan, CPA, of Johnigan, P.C. in Dallas, and a member of the AICPA litigation and dispute resolution services sucommittee. \"If a piece of evidence does not exist and cannot be produced, discuss it with counsel.\"\n\nIf other professionals on the trial team do an incomplete or disorganized job, the opponent will find it easier to attack the CPA expert witness during his or her cross-examination. Also, before trial the expert should caution counsel not to ask him or her questions which belong to other witnesses. \"One way to protect yourself is to agree to testify only in your area of expertise, and not get involved in commenting on others' testimony over which you have no control,\" says Johnigan. \"It's also important expert witnesses remember they are there to testify on technical matters, not facts\"\n\n\nAt the beginning of the engagement when the attorney contacts the CPA expert witness, the CPA needs to examine his/her records to look for possible conflicts of interest with the parties in the lawsuit. An expert witness does not want to appear on a case where he or she (or the firm) has present or past professional relation ships with individuals on either side of the suit which prevent or interfere with the witness's objective testimony. This also applies as the investigation of facts proceeds and the attorney provides lists of potential witnesses and third parties. \"It is imperative that the expert check the firm's files and records for professional conflicts immediately. This check should include not only the named parties, but also potential third party defendants who could be named in the suit later. The bigger the case the longer the list of potential conflicts that may arise\" says Johnigan.\n\nAnd the expert witness must avoid appearing as too much of an advocate for the client's position. One way to do this is to testify on both direct and cross-examination in the same manner and avoid sounding as if reading from a script. \"Be careful about perceptions of being part of the team. This can impair the appearance of the CPA's independence,\" cautions A. Marvin Strait, CPA, of Colorado Springs, Colorado.\n\n\nNever Underestimate the Opposition\n\n\nOur firm was engaged to serve as a rebuttal expert witness on a valuation report of an S corporation. In our examination we found one fundamental flaw that overstated the value of the company. Of course, the opposing party's counsel had used that flaw to support the cause of his client, the spouse of the company owner.\n\nThe opposing CPA expert witness had calculated the S corporation's pretax earnings and applied a capitalization rate to it, using the capitalized earnings method. This witness derived the capitalization rate from the Ibbotson build-up method, which uses publicly traded company returns, adds company-specific risk factors and subtracts an estimate of the company's long-term growth rate. Calculated earnings or cash flows are then divided by the capitalization rate in order to determine value of the subject company.\n\n\nmy testimony, I summarized my findings, reviewed the contents of the documents and tendered a value of the company applying hypothetical C corporation rates to the company's pretax earnings.\n\n\nIt was apparent that the judge was not convinced by my rebuttal testimony since in the divorce decree he decided to use the opposing expert's value.\n\nWe learned three important lessons from this engagement. First, the expert witness cannot rely on the judge to understand technical issues. Consequently, an expert witness must take time to educate the trier of facts. (Editor's note: A visual approach might be very useful in achieving this.) Many times an expert witness feels rushed, fearful of losing the judge's attention if testimony runs too long on technical issues. Therefore, it is essential the expert witness be a master communicator on the witness stand, explaining technical concepts in easily understood ways. One way the expert does this, while on the stand, is to address issues in contention that anticipate the opposing expert's testimony, preventing the opposing expert from sidestepping technical errors. Airtight testimony goes a long way in countering an opposing expert who counts on the judge's ignorance of valuation issues.\n\nSecond, an expert witness must never underestimate a clever opposing expert who is a fast thinker and may have no problem with not telling the truth on the stand. As frustrating as it is, even when an expert witness knows his or her analysis is correct, the verdict may not always acknowledge that. One of the reasons the opposing expert's value determination prevailed was because our attorney's cross-examination did not uncover the opposing expert's unsupportable testimony.\n\nLast, the expert witness must educate his or her attorney on the testimony the opposing expert may offer at trial. It is not enough to present great direct examination if the testimony by the opposing expert negates it and the attorney cannot discredit that testimony. In the pretrial preparations, it's the expert witness's job to assist the attorney not only with his or her direct examination but also with the cross-examination of the opposing expert. It is best to educate the attorney as much as possible before the trial date. It is too late to provide questions for cross-examination to counsel when the opposing expert is under direct examination. --Robert T.P. Metcalf, Jr.\n\nROBERT T.P. METCALF, Jr., CPA/ABV, CVA, thanks LINDA A. CAMPBELL for her help with this case study. Both are members of Marks, Nelson, Vohland & Campbell, LLC, a CPA firm in Leawood, Kansas, that specializes in litigation support and business consulting.\n\nCOPYRIGHT 2001 American Institute of CPA's\n\nArticle Details\nPrinter friendly Cite/link Email Feedback\nTitle Annotation:CPAs in litigation\nAuthor:Vallario, Cynthia Waller\nPublication:Journal of Accountancy\nGeographic Code:1USA\nDate:Aug 1, 2001\nPrevious Article:SEC jurisdiction over investment advice.\nNext Article:Recovery of embezzled assets half a world away.\n\nRelated Articles\nPowerful testimony techniques.\nWhat juries look for in CPAs.\nExpert witnesses - in jeopardy? Experts aren't always protected from lawsuits, so it pays to be informed.\nSkills used in litigation services.\nDisqualifying an expert witness.\nLimiting the testimony of legal experts.\nAre you an expert?\nSo you want to be an expert witness: hone your skills to increase your success on the witness stand.\nBasis legal concepts: beware insufficient knowledge of the law.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8509165644645691}
+{"content": "BoQ fires up mortgage BPO\n\nRetail institution, Bank of Queensland (BoQ) recommitted a key IT outsourcing contract with long-running incumbent DXC for another four-and-a-half years in February 2018. In March 2019, less than 6 months after the project started, the DXC mortgage administration processing service went live. By utilising the e5 Workflow platform as the foundation to automation and exception management,  DXC is able to provide this service as part of their business process outsourcing (BPO) operating model.\n\nPhase one represents the Mortgage Release process, which is part of a multi-wave roll-out of the entire mortgage administration service including Origination and Loan Maintenance. By enabling digital workflow, document management and document production through the e5 Workflow platform, key activities can be automated, exceptions presented based on priority to the appropriate staff and provide real time SLA and KPI management. This all culminates in creating an operating model that fully supports a remote workforce with priority, skills based task allocation, without loss to quality, efficiency or productivity.\n\nThe DXC BPO supports the bank’s strategic transformation agenda allowing it to reduce the complexity of its IT environment, standardise and improve the delivery of technology and business services, increase the speed and reduce overall IT operating costs. Technology execution is a key factor in reducing bank operating costs by introducing efficiencies and automation that help push down the keenly watched cost-to-income (CTI) metric.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9964724183082581}
+{"content": "What Happens to Films Selected for Preservation by the Library of Congress?\n\n\nOn Wednesday morning, the Library of Congress announced its latest slate of movies selected for permanent safekeeping in the National Film Registry. As always, the picks varied widely. The National Film Registry’s class of 2018 includes Cinderella (1950), My Fair Lady (1964), Jurassic Park (1993), The Shining (1980), Smoke Signals (1998), and the animated short Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy-Headed People (1984), which was produced by Ayoka Chenzira, one of the first black female animators.\n\nOriginally established in 1988, the National Film Preservation Act tasks the board with selecting American films that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically\" significant. They can pick up to 25 per year, and the movies must be at least 10 years old. The National Film Preservation Board is made up of representatives from a number of industry organizations, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Directors Guild of America, and the National Society of Film Critics. With the new selections, there are 750 films in the registry.\n\nSelection for the registry is an honor, of course, but what does it mean beyond that? How does the Library of Congress, the U.S. legislature’s storage agency for documents and media, go about preserving movies?\n\nAccording to Steve Leggett, program coordinator for the National Film Preservation Board, selection implores the Library of Congress to get the best possible copy of the film in its original format and store it in their vaults at the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia. This ensures the film will be available to future generations.\n\nFor Hollywood movies, the process is usually pretty easy. “We simply ask the studio to donate a copy,” Leggett told Mental Floss in 2015. In some cases, that isn’t even necessary. The Library of Congress has more than 1 million films on file, many of them sent by studios or filmmakers for the sake of copyright registry. When the original Star Wars was selected in 1989, Leggett says, congressional librarians simply checked that the 35 millimeter print submitted with Lucasfilm’s copyright application was in good shape. It was, so no further action was needed.\n\nFor older and more esoteric selections like newsreels, silent films, documentaries, and early technical achievements in filmmaking, Leggett says the library often seeks out a copy from the community of preservationists. Universities, private foundations, and hobbyists that preserve old films might get a call from the Library of Congress if they have a good copy of a National Film Registry selection. In rare cases, the library will barter for the film, using redundant materials on its shelves. Other times, it will make a copy or pay the archivist to make a new 35 millimeter copy for them. The Culpeper facility stores nitrate prints, the original film stock for many early movies, in specialty lockers because the material is highly volatile and flammable.\n\nSilent films can be tricky because studios often released, revised, and then re-released versions of the film. When one is selected, Library of Congress archivists collect as many aspects and versions of the film as they can, which might mean contacting several studios and archivists.\n\nOf particular challenge in 2015 was the induction of Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One, William Greaves’s quasi-documentary of his 1968 theatrical project staged in Central Park. The film was screened often through the years, as Greaves gained a cult following. It was released on DVD in 2006, but the National Film Preservation Act specified that the library should seek a copy in the original format, which it didn’t have. Leggett said Greaves’s 1968 original cut was “lost,” but the library worked with the late filmmaker's estate to create a new 35 millimeter version that resembled it.\n\nThe Audio-Visual Conservation Center itself, buried on a mountainside, has storage space controlled to stay cool and dry. “A film could survive for hundreds of years there,” Leggett says. He admits the audiovisual center wouldn’t survive a nuclear strike—in the event of World War III, the world might lose its best copy of Buster Keaton’s The General—“but it did survive an earthquake with all materials intact.”\n\nAn earlier version of this article ran in 2015.\n\n\n\n\nA new video from HBO offers a behind-the-scene peek at \"Winterfell,\" the first episode of Game of Thrones's final season. At about the 12:20 mark, there's a segment on Jon and Dany's date with the dragons and what it took to create that scene. Included within that is footage of the two actors kissing against a green screen background, which would later be turned into a stunning waterfall. But when the scene cuts, Harington can be seen faking a gag at having to kiss the Mother of Dragons.\n\n\n\n[h/t Wiki of Thrones]\n\n11 Surprising Facts About Prince\n\n\nIt was three years ago today that legendary, genre-bending rocker Prince died at the age of 57. In addition to being a musical pioneer, the Minneapolis native dabbled in filmmaking, most successfully with 1984’s Purple Rain. While most people know about the singer’s infamous name change, here are 10 things you might not have known about the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.\n\n1. His real name was Prince.\n\nBorn to two musical parents on June 7, 1958, Prince Rogers Nelson was named after his father's jazz combo.\n\n2. He was a Jehovah's Witness.\n\nBaptized in 2001, Prince was a devout Jehovah's Witness; he even went door-to-door. In October 2003, a woman in Eden Prairie, Minnesota opened her door to discover the famously shy artist and his bassist, former Sly and the Family Stone member Larry Graham, standing in front of her home. \"My first thought is ‘Cool, cool, cool. He wants to use my house for a set. I’m glad! Demolish the whole thing! Start over!,'\" the woman told The Star Tribune. \"Then they start in on this Jehovah’s Witnesses stuff. I said, ‘You know what? You’ve walked into a Jewish household, and this is not something I’m interested in.’ He says, 'Can I just finish?' Then the other guy, Larry Graham, gets out his little Bible and starts reading scriptures about being Jewish and the land of Israel.\"\n\n3. He wrote a lot of songs for other artists.\n\nIn addition to penning several hundred songs for himself, Prince also composed music for other artists, including \"Manic Monday\" for the Bangles, \"I Feel For You\" for Chaka Khan, and \"Nothing Compares 2 U\" for Sinéad O'Connor.\n\n4. His symbol actually had a name.\n\n\nEven though the whole world referred to him as either \"The Artist\" or \"The Artist Formerly Known as Prince,\" that weird symbol Prince used was actually known as \"Love Symbol #2.\" It was copyrighted in 1997, but when Prince's contract with Warner Bros. expired at midnight on December 31, 1999, he announced that he was reclaiming his given name.\n\n5. In 2017, Pantone gave him his own color.\n\nA little over a year after Prince's death, global color authority Pantone created a royal shade of purple in honor of him, in conjunction with the late singer's estate. Appropriately, it is known as Love Symbol #2. The color was inspired by a Yamaha piano the musician was planning to take on tour with him. “The color purple was synonymous with who Prince was and will always be,\" Troy Carter, an advisor to Prince's estate, said. \"This is an incredible way for his legacy to live on forever.\"\n\n6. His sister sued him.\n\nIn 1987, Prince's half-sister, Lorna Nelson, sued him, claiming that she had written the lyrics to \"U Got the Look,\" a song from \"Sign '☮' the Times\" that features pop artist Sheena Easton. In 1989, the court sided with Prince.\n\n7. He ticked off a vice president's wife.\n\nIn 1984, after purchasing the Purple Rain soundtrack for her then-11-year-old daughter, Tipper Gore—ex-wife of former vice president Al Gore—became enraged over the explicit lyrics of \"Darling Nikki,\" a song that references masturbation and other graphic sex acts. Gore felt that there should be some sort of warning on the label and in 1985 formed the Parents Music Resource Center, which pressured the recording industry to adopt a ratings system similar to the one employed in Hollywood. To Prince's credit, he didn't oppose the label system and became one of the first artists to release a \"clean\" version of explicit albums.\n\n8. Prince took a promotional tip from Willy Wonka.\n\nIn 2006, Universal hid 14 purple tickets—seven in the U.S. and seven internationally—inside Prince's album, 3121. Fans who found a purple ticket were invited to attend a private performance at Prince's Los Angeles home.\n\n9. He simultaneously held the number one spots for film, single, and album.\n\nDuring the week of July 27, 1984, Prince's film Purple Rain hit number one at the box office. That same week, the film's soundtrack was the best-selling album and \"When Doves Cry\" was holding the top spot for singles.\n\n10. He screwed up on SNL.\n\nDuring Prince's first appearance on Saturday Night Live, he performed the song \"Partyup\" and sang the lyric, \"Fightin' war is a such a f*ing bore.\" It went unnoticed at the time, but in the closing segment, Charles Rocket clearly said, \"I'd like to know who the f* did it.\" This was the only episode of SNL where the f-bomb was dropped twice.\n\n11. He scrapped an album released after having \"a spiritual epiphany.\"\n\nIn 1987, Prince was due to release \"The Black Album.\" However, just days before it was scheduled to drop, Prince scrapped the whole thing, calling it \"dark and immortal.\" The musician claimed to have reached this decision following \"a spiritual epiphany.\" Some reports say that it was actually an early experience with drug ecstasy, while others suggested The Artist just knew it would flop.\n\nThis story has been updated for 2019.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6223521828651428}
+{"content": "SOEs dominate the infrastructure sector in Vietnam, but regulations have been developing over the last decade with a view to attracting more private finance. In 2011, the prime minister assigned new institutional roles on PPP governance through Decision 71, which also provided some principles to guide the development of future regulations. The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) is the lead PPP agency and chairs an inter-ministerial\n\ntaskforce. The MPI, which has created a PPP unit, is working to develop a pipeline of projects with the help of the Ministry of Industry and Technology and several municipal governments. In a further sign of a more comprehensive framework emerging, an updated public procurement law was issued in 2013 which explicitly covers PPPs. The law makes competitive tender the default selection method. However, much like the other main PPP regulations, it is limited to general principles and leaves the details for future regulations to cover.\n\nCommercial contract enforcement has a weak track record in Viet Nam. Dispute resolution mechanism specific to PPPs is non-existent. Overall, the investment environment for PPPs is moving in a positive direction although it remains uncertain at present.\n\nPPP Standards presents you the latest news on Public Private Partnership (PPP) laws for Vietnam.\n\nJust click on the button at the right and get it downloaded.\n\n* Remember to sign-up and login first before download and access the PPP laws of more than 200 countries in the world.\n\nYou are not logged in, to download / browse PPP references about Vietnam please Login or Register with PPP Standards.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9972679018974304}
+{"content": "Thursday, January 8, 2015\n\nAbigail: The Wise Negotiator\n\nExperiencing conflict is a definite fact of life. There is simply no getting away from this fact. As a\nleader, as a human being, it is inevitable that we will face interpersonal conflicts.\nJean Varnier, founder of L’Arche communities confirms it: “Communities need tensions if they are to grow and deepen. Tensions come from conflicts…. A tension or difficulty can signal the approach of a new grace of God. But it has to be looked at wisely and humanly.”  Wisdom must be applied in every conflict that arises in our lives and a Bible character named Abigail exemplified its value (1 Samuel 25).\n\nHow did Abigail become a wise negotiator? Here’s the background story: A situation arose when her husband Nabal, which his name means, “fool,” reacted irrationally to one of David’s request for assistance. As a result, David was enraged at Nabal’s reply and uttered death threats. Here’s where Abigail “…an intelligent and beautiful woman…(25:3)appeared in the picture when a servant reported to her how Nabal insulted David’s men and unintentionally caused a potential disaster as a result.\n\nUpon hearing what transpired, Abigail acted quickly to provide what was requested: She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs[b] of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. She met David, bowed in humility and appealed to David’s prominence versus Nabal’s foolish nature, “Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool, and folly goes with him.” Then, Abigail reminded God’s plan for David:\n\nBecause of Abigail’s courageous action, David was impressed and said: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me.” Furthermore, David recognized Abigail’s wisdom, “May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.”  Due to Abigail’s judicious intervention, David gave up his vengeful plan for Nabal, “Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.”\n\nAbigail revealed how wisdom and resolute action need to partner in order to save good people from disaster. Being wise in itself may not be sufficient in some situations because it is possible to simply stand by and watch destruction happen that could be avoided if immediate action are not taken. Abigail's example points to the importance of the words chosen when speaking in tense situations. Harsh, loud words may become the catalyst to an unnecessary explosion. They may drive individuals to actions contrary to the intent, which will be regretted later. In contrast we see how calm, carefully calculated words can lead to a peaceful parting or solution: \"A soft answer turns away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger\" (Proverbs 15:1).\n\nAllow me to share how to P.A.U.S.E. in times of tense situations:\n  1. Plan definite actions (pray, get the facts, seek godly counsel and develop options).\n  2.  Anticipate the effects (show genuine concern and respect others with humility).\n  3. Understand the situation at hand (identify other’s concerns, desires, needs, limitations and fears).\n  4. Seek the best solution to diffuse the conflict (prayerful brainstorming).\n  5. Evaluate possibilities or scenarios objectively and reasonably (assess, don’t argue).\n\nRemember that conflicts can’t be avoided, but a truly wise person can manage them and to learn how to do just that. A man named Charles M. Campbell quoted in New Outlook gave an important advice to consider: “The simple realization that there are other points of view is the beginning of wisdom. Understanding what they are is a great step. The final test is understanding why they are held.”\n\nLet’s talk again!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9704317450523376}
+{"content": "Left navigation\n\nFAQ Bus Tour Organizers:\n\nHow can I book busses?\n- In general in writing per E-Mail to grupper@scandlines.com\n  Please include the following specific information: Date for the trip / departure time / which route and\n  travel direction / length of the bus incl. possible trailer / number of persons / any customer ID.\n\nHow is the crossing invoiced?\n\n  • With a customer ID and a contract, according to the contract conditions\n  • Without a customer ID and a contract, payment via credit card, by phone\n\n\nBus voucher\n\nAt the Check-in in the port the bus driver must hand over a completed bus voucher for the specific crossing.  The bus voucher holds information (no. of persons in the bus, total vehicle length, departure port etc.) regarding the booked crossing and will be used for the invoicing of the trip.\nBus customers with a valid customer ID can fill in the bus voucher at http://www.bus.scandlines.se/reservations/requisition and print it out for the trip.\nIf you do not have a customer ID at Scandlines, please contact grupper@scandlines.com.\n\nWhen must the bus at the latest be at the port?\n\nThe check-in at the port must be finalized in\n\nPuttgarden and Rødby\n\nuntil15 min. before departure\n\n\nuntil 30 min. before departure\n\n\nuntil15 min. before departure\n\nHelsingørand Helsingborg\n\nuntil15 min. before departure\n\nUntil when must you inform Scandlines about the final number of persons for pre-booked catering on board the ferry ?\n- 4 days before the booked departure.\n\n- Cancellation in writing is free of charge until 4 days before the booked departure. After that the booked number will be invoiced to full price.\n\nCatering-Free meals regulations", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8743456602096558}
+{"content": "Using AND or OR operators to search Outlook\n\nMany users ask us: Is there a way I can search using AND and OR operators to search Microsoft Outlook?\n\nUsing Copernic Desktop Search, you can build complex query to search emails inside Microsoft Outlook.\n\nThe AND operator: Finds emails that contains all of the specified words.\nExemple: business AND meeting.\n\nHow do you search your emails?\n\nSearching your email messages can be quite hard especially that most of us have work email, a personal email and most often a “junk email. How do you go search through thousands of emails messages stored in multiple places?\n\nMost people will go from one email address to the other and launching the same request in both accounts. Read more...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6571401953697205}
+{"content": "Om prosjektet:\nThere are places that function as a knot, a knot where an infinite number of events, history flows, narrative lines, life stories, ideas, desires, sorrows, positions, memories, longings, collide; collide as in a knot. They all crystallize in a relatively small, unimportant place. Borges called this The Aleph. NOKDU bookstore, re-constructed and re-baptized for the GB 2016 as NOKDU bookstore for the living and the dead, was such a place. A modest bookstore where the Gwangju Uprising 5.18 (1980) was incubated and hatched, where Yoon Sang-won attended a 1976 speech given by poet Kim Nam-ju discussing the Paris Commune, where women got organized and self-managed to respond to violence and misinformation, where news were distributed, where corpses where shrouded and mourned, and where books were sold, discussed, and read. Every bookstore is a sort of Aleph, a condensed archive of men and women's lives. It is from this position where we set the NOKDU bookstores for the living and the dead in 2016, at the Gwangju Biennale, in collaboration with The Book Society.\n\nProsjektleder: Dora Garcia\n\nForskningsresultat: Se i vitenarkivet", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995604753494263}
+{"content": "Newton Real Estate Welcome to Newton!\n\n\nThe village of Nonantum is known by several names including Silver Lake and Tin Horn. Each naming convention refers to a particular period in the history of the area. The First Nation Algonquian language created the word Nonantum, which is a word that reflects and indicates a sacred or spiritual attitude. The nickname Tin Horn was attached to the village during the industrial period when a horn was used for calling workers to the factories and mills.\n\nDuring the 1700s, there was an industrial boom that initiated a lot of construction for homes, streets and stores. The cotton, wool and brick industries that flourished during this period still leave an impression on the neighborhood today. The two-story company homes built by various industrial sectors were constructed for housing immigrant factory workers. The landscape consists of an integrated tapestry of residential homes, industrial buildings, commercial properties and the remnants of the farming lands that preceded them. The concentration of housing at the village center reflects the historical building patterns during the development periods.\n\nCulture and Historical Origins\n\nDuring the 1870s, there was a lot of industrial activity, and this gave rise to the overall layout of the village. This includes the street and residential layouts as well as the public transportation system of the time. These industrial trolley lines served the local businesses and residents, and the remnants of these public accommodations survive in reasonable condition to this day thanks to the efforts of various preservation organizations. The Nonantum Branch Library was constructed in 1958, and it has a distinctive look with its vestibular arches and granite entrance. Pellegrini Park serves as a community site with a recreation center and an open field.\n\nThe Temple Agudath Achim serves the Jewish community of Nonantum. This intricately designed synagogue is protected via its listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and it was constructed in 1912. The Chapel Bridge Park development is a sprawling block of industrial buildings that were utilized during an extended period when a major textile boom occurred. This productivity and subsequent local economic gains continued until the end of World War II. Today, the complex employs office workers and serves various light industrial operations.\n\nLocal Curiosities\n\nThe local population and subsequent cultural practices of this area are heavily influenced by the early Italian and Romani immigrants. As a result, there are some fine Italian restaurants in the area, and the people speak an unusual local dialect often referred to as Lake Talk. This is a peculiar slang that reflects a complex history, and most people who speak it can only be understood by other local inhabitants. Outsiders may hear terms that resemble English words only to be confused by the meaning of a given phrase. Some speculate that the dialect developed during a period of war, which would explain the heavily coded references.\n\nOne of the earliest industrial influences on Nonantum was the Aetna Mills Company, which employed many different types of workers in the factories. The company also rented out homes to these workers, and the accommodations were partitioned according to the level of skill demonstrated by the workers. Therefore, the landscape of Nonantum has a combination of boarding houses as well as single or two-family homes, which were reserved for the foreman and managerial classes. Today, these properties contribute to the overall character of the village, and many examples of the old construction styles are still visible today. This includes the prevalence of the T-house and L-house floor plans, molded cornice, gable ends on the pediment and other interesting details.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7117060422897339}
+{"content": "Do I need a referral?\n\nYes. Please note that in order to be eligible for a Medicare refund, a valid referral is required. Generally, referrals from general practitioners are valid for 12 months, and those from specialists/physicians are valid for 3 months only. If a referral is not current, Medicare will pay only a small proportion of the Medicare rebate.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7992761135101318}
+{"content": "\n\nWhen the troops moved there, we were still at the BTC. We were at the BTC. We the MPs knew about the communication, but the other soldiers did not know about the state of the issue and they were still conducting arrests. So we were at BTC. When the troops moved from Schefflein they passed through the Zena Hill. There is a hill at the back of the station by the side of the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex and they launched an attack at them and at that time Quiwonkpa was at the radio station. Prince Johnson too was there. They got there. They dislodged them.\n\nKeyboard shortcuts\n\nj previous speech k next speech", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5829993486404419}
+{"content": "You are on page 1of 11\n\nNeuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 57 (2015) 209–219\n\nContents lists available at ScienceDirect\n\nNeuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews\njournal homepage:\n\n\nMental number space in three dimensions\nBodo Winter a,∗ , Teenie Matlock a , Samuel Shaki b , Martin H. Fischer c\nCognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Rd., 95340 Merced, CA, USA\nDepartment of Behavioral Sciences, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel\nDivision of Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24/25, 14476 Potsdam OT Golm, Germany\n\n\nArticle history: A large number of experimental findings from neuroscience and experimental psychology demonstrated\nReceived 10 March 2015 interactions between spatial cognition and numerical cognition. In particular, many researchers posited\nReceived in revised form 1 September 2015 a horizontal mental number line, where small numbers are thought of as being to the left of larger\nAccepted 8 September 2015\nnumbers. This review synthesizes work on the mental association between space and number, indicating\nAvailable online 10 September 2015\nthe existence of multiple spatial mappings: recent research has found associations between number and\nvertical space, as well as associations between number and near/far space. We discuss number space\nin three dimensions with an eye on potential origins of the different number mappings, and how these\nIntra-parietal sulcus\nnumber mappings fit in with our current knowledge of brain organization and brain-culture interactions.\nMental number line We derive novel predictions and show how this research fits into a general view of cognition as embodied,\nMetaphor grounded and situated.\nNeglect © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.\nSpatial cognition\n\n\n\n∗ Corresponding author.\nE-mail addresses: (B. Winter), (T. Matlock), samuel (S. Shaki),\n(M.H. Fischer).\n0149-7634/© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.\n\n. Salillas et al. attention toward the right (Vuilleumier et al. When patients with right parietal damage and left magnitudes neglect are asked. 2005. Fischer and Campens.. 2014. participants are 2014) can induce corresponding arithmetic biases. with a focus on the embodied. Many studies et al. Across all these studies. 2014). when partic- to right visual space. the SNARC effect has large numbers (Shaki and Fischer. 2008. 1. 2014. When asked to quickly classify single digits by their parity (“is this number odd or even?”).1. with a right side while performing a spatial task. van Dijck ordered magnitudes. 2010). 1992. 1). 2006). 2004... with site direction of this associative link. observing eyes gazing in sions (see Fig. horizontal eye position predicts the As will be reviewed below. 2015). 2014) and even processing Random number generation (RNG) tasks have also been used left.. 2008. the spatial association of numbers magnitude of the next number that a participant generates in a extends from the horizontal into the vertical and radial dimen. This finding is taken to suggest that left neglect either abolishes The original SNARC study (Dehaene et al. an impairment that results in the loss of the cognitive rep- resentation of space contralateral to the side of their brain lesion 2. For example. A key behavioral finding that documents the close link between space and numbers is the Spatial–Numerical Association of Response Fig. 2008).vs. 2008. and more quickly to larger numbers. emphasizes the value of taking an embodied. when participants perform random number generation while line.. when solving addition problems and more leftward when solving and Fischer and Knops. therefore.b. 2014). 2006. Dodd et al. / Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 57 (2015) 209–219 1.. Horizontal spatial–numerical associations they erroneously respond “5” instead of “4” (Zorzi et al.. Simi- that people maintain a horizontally oriented “mental number larly. 2004. specifically. Chapman et al. 2007. Umiltà et al..” where small numbers are represented toward the left of walking. (Fischer. Marghetis et al.. “What number is half-way between 2 and 6?” they tend to exhibit a bias toward larger numbers. A similar bias to neglect small numbers observed across a wide range of measures and body parts. 2010). see Zanolie and Pecher. 2014. turn left more often than right when they say small compared to 1880a. free hand writing (Perrone et al. Masson and Pesenti. in which smaller Pinhas et al. A common interpretation of the SNARC effect is numbers when looking to the left (Loetscher et al.. numbers shift attention to left visual space. grounded and situated Converging evidence for a horizontal spatial association of num- approach to studying knowledge representations in the human bers comes from neurological patients who suffer from hemispatial mind.. Pinel et al. Winter et al. They have also been and eye movements (Schwarz and Keus. including can be induced in healthy adults with transcranial magnetic stim- foot movements (Schwarz and Müller. 2014. Kaufmann et al.. horizontal number-space associations have not just Song and Nakayama. The neural substrate for this close interaction is thought to be the bilateral intra-parietal sulcus which implements both spatial and numerical processing (Hubbard et al. Klein et al.. Galton..b. they systematically point more rightward et al. observed in mental arithmetic (Pinhas and Fischer. and smaller Shaki.. 1970). 2014.. When doing this while simulta- button (Dehaene et al. 2009. McCrink 2010. Our review. 2006). Werner and Raab. even when no lateralized effectors or move. Similar interactions have been 2009. Fischer and relatively larger numbers when looking to the right.. they produce larger numbers before taking an instructed larger numbers. 2014. 2014. Although Dehaene and colleagues were not the right turn instead of an instructed left turn. Winter et al. (Grade et al. or at least biases behavioral interaction between numerical magnitude and horizon.g. 2002). This finding has now been replicated neously performing horizontal head movements.. Galfano by pointing to a visually presented horizontal line that represents et al. 2012.. Even without explicit greatly popularized this idea.. Documenting the oppo- reliably associated with smaller magnitudes.. cultural and situated nature of such knowledge. 2014). 1993). ipants indicate the outcome of addition and subtraction problems ments are involved (Fischer et al. Seron et al. When partic- these multiple spatial–numerical mappings. 2008. sequence (Loetscher et al. 2008. Restle. tally arranged response buttons. 2014. All these mappings ipants observe others gazing toward the left. Code (SNARC) effect. Ruiz Fernández et al. 2003.210 B. 2012). right-branching syntactic structures (Scheepers and Sturt.. Finally... neglect. Wiemers et al. 2014).. 2004. healthy adults typically respond more quickly to smaller numbers with a left asked to call out a sequence of numbers as randomly as possible side button. Werner and Raab. Time and time again.. and larger numbers. Fischer et al.. directional physical activities larger magnitudes.. Knops et al.. have also reported an “attentional SNARC effect”.. Spatial representation of numbers Understanding the nature of knowledge representation in the brain is perhaps the most fundamental challenge for cognitive sci- entists and neuroscientists. to explore spatial–numerical associations. 2014. The domain of numerical knowledge lends itself to investigating this topic because of its universality and practical relevance.. Loetscher et al. 2004). The current review provides an update on recent insights into the cognitive and neural representation of num- ber knowledge. they generate smaller for thinking about numbers appear to stem from sensory-motor numbers than when they observe eyes looking toward the right interactions with the world around us. 2008a). 2011.. 2003b. left space is subtraction problems (Pinhas et al.. Empirical evidence for 3-dimensional mental (Karnath. been found in simple number processing. 2014). and right space.. and they spontaneously first to propose a spatial representation for numbers (e. We discuss the origin of and the relation among a particular direction also affects number generation. Here. . Finally. 1993) reported a the representation of small (=left-sided) numbers. they generate and extended hundreds of times (Wood et al. 2009a. (Wiemers et al. 2. Spatial–numerical associations along three dimensions. research on the mental representation of numbers has revealed a close connection between numerical and spatial cognition. Goffaux et al.. movements of the limbs. 2014. pointing movements ulation over right posterior parietal cortex (Göbel et al. 2006). 2013). Zorzi et al. for recent discussion.\n\n(2014) used a setup with two buttons on top of each other. 2013). Hence. books a day (which implies a comparatively larger quantity) facili. to express magnitudes is currently unknown. mid-sagittal axis investigated real or apparent movement along 1 However. 2012). or Italian un by a body-lifting device.. labeled the “low” key. 2011). Similarly. The eyes moved left when tures when talking about high numbers. Similar use of the terms left and right when being moved downward (Hartmann et al. extending along the front/back tion problems faster when they are moving upward in an elevator.. Ito and Hatta. The spatial imagery involved in Keus. When participants generate numbers while being moved upward German die Preise sind gestiegen ‘prices have risen’. vertical SNARC effects. 2008. spontaneous ges- and right when the interval was named in increasing order (e. 1987.2. Shaki ing upward movements interfered with subtraction (Wiemers et al. productivity is argued to show that metaphor is more than a 2010). For instance. and downward oriented the interval was named in decreasing numerical order (e. where ticipants verbally responded to spoken questions such as “which people were observed to perform upward directed manual ges- number is halfway between 4 and 8?”. 2014). Katz et al. Kövecses. 1980.e.. including the original SNARC study (Dehaene et al. 1993). Consistent with this. These studies often find that people respond of a visual target positioned relatively low on a computer screen.e. par. such as “radial” (Hartmann et al. 2014). they tend to generate higher numbers when looking process readily extended to other expressions such as plummet- up (Winter and Matlock. However. for example. gas research. 1980. Close reading of the method sections of published component when there was a mismatch between response and work reveals that several studies interpret results in terms of truly implied quantity (i.. 2013). in contrast. and they describe interest rates. A primary source of evidence Lakoff and Johnson. it should be noted that the arithmetical outcomes in Wiemers et al. and to large numbers. another study found a horizontal effect. Thus. ward from the body along the horizontal plane (cf. such as foot. ones when talking about low numbers.).. perceiving or performing downward response buttons along the mid-sagittal axis on a table top (Gevers movements interfered with addition while perceiving or perform.. 1998. when participants generate numbers while turning their head up Using vertical language to describe quantity is a productive and down. ically from the mid-sagittal axis. ERP measurements revealed a stronger N400 Tversky. when the response setup used a response There are also “attentional SNARC” effects along the vertical axis. Specifically. 1987. for vertical spatial–numerical mappings comes from the RNG task: talk about quantities in terms of height or vertical position (e. turing during speaking provides yet another source of evidence 4–8). 2008). numbers with the “up” button. Such predict numerical magnitude in the RNG task (Loetscher et al. Gibbs. and to smaller numbers with the “down” button. axis from the body into the distance. 2007.. The fashion. an analysis of T. whereas the results of subtraction problems were on operations (Tyler Marghetis. 8–4).. or words associated with the concepts “more” and “less” (Guan et al. labeled the “high” key. 2012) showed that The few studies that investigated vertical space/magnitude reading sentences such as More runs were being scored this game associations can be subdivided according to whether they mean leads to quicker upward directed responses. words associated with low space.. 2012). there are the above- and subtraction problems faster when moving downward (Lugli mentioned studies on “vertical” SNARC effects that positioned the et al. Winter et al. Other languages. process that structures how we think and reason (Lakoff. 2004... a table (Ito and Hatta. in the sense of extending out- bird (Lachmair et al.. same spontaneous association between upward gestures and larger More closely mirroring the classic SNARC paradigm. Distance-based or “sagittal” SNARC effects the lower key or the upper key. perhaps because early ber or This is a low number. processing metaphoric language about quantities is revealed by but not a vertical one (Loetscher et al. research on linguistic metaphors also provides evidence for vertical space/magnitude associations. 2006). with the farther button. Upward eye movements are followed by relatively larger rhetorical or poetic device. the results of addition ciation between space and magnitudes rather than between space and arithmetical problems were on average 46. 2004). more quickly to small numbers with the nearer response button On the other hand. Santens and Just as with the horizontal dimension. and Fischer. 2011).. In that case. whereas processing These distance-based effects have sometimes been called large numbers facilitates words associated with high space. reading sentences such as The old man had 2 books in his i.. 2012).g. It is instead viewed as a dynamic numbers. et al... average 22. participants respond faster to larger Gibbs. 2009).3. We commonly talk Fewer runs were being scored this game leads to quicker downward about far as “up” and near as “down” when mentioning positions directed responses. the result by Wiemers et al. Hartmann magnitudes can occur when adults are asked to point at the et al. A similar result was obtained with Chinese on a horizontal plane. Müller and Schwarz.g. they tend to generate larger numbers than numero alto ‘a high number’).9. First.V. news broadcasts (Winter et al. the major share of evidence comes specif- reported in relation to mental arithmetic. Other studies supporting a critical role of the 2014)1 . Vertical spatial–numerical associations Finally. i.e. 2006. . However. Müller and Schwarz. Shaki book case (which implies a small quantity). 2007. Participants solve addi... pad or keyboard that was in fact positioned on a horizontal plane.g. rather than hand movements. 2008a). In this case. Moreover. Kövecses. downward eye movements by relatively smaller ones. emphasized horizontal associations. vertical eye movements ing incomes. Schwarz and Matlock. skyrocketing prices or ever ascending tax rates. vertical effects have been Gevers. more/down and less/up). 2002. locations where they imagine small and large numbers in space Participants made parity judgments faster in response to larger (Fischer and Campens. 2011). when asked to respond with eye movements Lakoff and Johnson. facilitates the detection and Fischer. reading sentences such as The old man read 2 (close to the body). p.. the “top” half of a page. vertical SNARC. Such effects can be tates detection of a high target (Pecher and Boot. In a related study. A related study with a similar ver- tical setup of response keys (Sell and Kaschak. but the eyes did not move up or down in a systematic for vertical associations between space and number above. (2014) could potentially be an asso- (2014) were not balanced for addition and subtraction. when saying the “N” key is below the “U” key on a keyboard (cf.c. 2014). 2004. 2002). / Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 57 (2015) 209–219 211 2. regardless of whether the left hand was assigned 2. too. found on a numeric keypad with the “2” and “8” keys as near and processing small numbers facilitates the subsequent processing of far responses (Holmes and Lourenco.e. Moreover. prices and other abstract quantities as rising or falling (Lakoff. 2013). English Relatively little attention has been given to associations speakers frequently make statements such as This is a high num- between numbers and vertical space. B.2.. 1994) and that is driven by mental simulation (Gibbs and numbers when looking upward (i. reading the label “vertical” literally or metaphorically.\n\n” there also support from multiple sources.. Western societies conventionally start counting with their left hand ittal?) of distance-based effects is not entirely clear at present. 1984. Shaki This.” In this setup. 2009. all studies in support of these effects have used the front/back Pitt and Casasanto.. people in many (Winter et al. They also Horizontal spatial associations are commonly taken as evidence generate smaller numbers when physically moved backward by for a spatially oriented “mental number line. 2014). Finally. see Santiago et al. gest a “radial” effect. such as the fact that when children count from a central position indicate a larger size. 2012.. e. visual primes affect temporal that it is fruitful to consider numerical cognition as a “greedy” sys.1. (Göbel et al. just as gesturing an array of objects.. 2. Sources of horizontal mappings that induce the visual perception of backward motion. while others orient them along the horizontal and tural reading/writing conventions (Zebian. Anderson. they habitually start on the left side (Briars away from the body’s midpoint is used to indicate large quantities and Siegler. extended the range for this horizontal mapping preference well tion. However. 2013.. 1993). Geary et al. in Western cafes and restaurants. where traditional left-to-right SNARC effects were observed when Implicitly. Hence. / Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 57 (2015) 209–219 the front/back axis. In the case of spatial–numerical mappings.. This num- bers when physically moved forward. 2014). However. 2009. 2011. cf. Zhang and You. 2007) that develops so as to be consistent with other et al. 2005. Bender and Beller. before most children are fluent readers and writers. Santens and Gevers (2008) in children only after 3 years of schooling provided initial support found that small numbers were associated with “close” responses for this argument (Berch et al. This includes the co-opting about earlier events and to the right when talking about later events of brain areas previously evolved for other tasks. there is convergent Using the term “radial” rather than “sagittal” implies circular cultural support for the orientation of the number line. 1991). 2003. whereas positive numbers are left-to-right axis (such as during reading) uses similar neural sub- associated with full-body movements going forward (Marghetis strates as doing mental arithmetic (Knops et al. 2006). 1999) but more recent work has and large numbers with “far” responses—regardless of orienta. for a related of number and time). they tend to generate smaller random numbers (Seno et al. Western adults are moreover constantly exposed to pictures... a confluence of cultural factors.. Alternatively. et al. this. Santens and Gevers (2008) gave participants a baseline The original SNARC study (Dehaene et al. with smaller 3. 2011). 2003a. respond quicker with their left hand to past events and with their tural practices (such as those involved in the visual representation right hand to future events (Weger and Pratt. including brain organization. judgments consistent with a left-to-right going mapping (Núñez tem (cf. and larger num. 2010. 2012). Evidence for the role of visual ciations... Walker cognition. such as spatial (Cooperrider and Núñez. 2010). in fact. 2012). Standard keyboard origins arrangements of numbers have the same orientation. For example..g. we point out that the space (Fischer. Moreover.. 2014). 2005. graphs and other representations that are structured in accordance 3. and Youngstrom. prices are often listed in columns. negative numbers are associated with full. In other words. 2009a. etc. Tversky. effect.) are increasing. in a rightward oriented setup. 1993) proposed that key “j” from which participants had to either move to a “close” key the horizontal SNARC reflects a spillover of spatial-directional scan- “h” or to a “far” key “g” to classify numbers by their magnitude.. orthography is likely not the only factor leading to a left- (2008) could also be interpreted in terms of a number-size asso. 2007). 2007. They discuss this effect in terms of a distance-based effect. besides this. expected based on recent insights into brain-culture 2012. reading and counting and calculating may share partly overlapping times associated with left space and positive numbers with right brain organization. 2008. but due to 2012). where movements away factors that play a role. when participants ber line has sometimes been called a “cultural mental number line” are asked to indicate their number associations freely in space. Spivey. is a consistency between horizontal associations of quantity and tural practices. For example.. We (Lindemann et al.. 2011) because evidence reveals a close link between they occasionally orient them along the sagittal axis (Fischer and the orientation of the horizontal mental number line and cul- Campens. Moreover. 2012). we will point out that each mapping may have convergent In line with the idea of “convergent cultural support. Winter et al. to-right bias. Elementary school children may already know these biases and reproduce them When researchers talk about the origins of space/number asso. into pre-school age (Hoffmann et al. calendars list days and interactions (Dehaene and Cohen. ning habits from reading into the domain of numerical cognition. 2014)—just like negative numbers are some. neuronal recycling and multi-causal prices on the left and larger prices on the right. 1992). they often emphasize one particular origin. together with the sagittal effects reported above. symmetry. Henik and Tzelgov. In contrast to smaller numbers are on the right side). cul.. 1982). in sorting tasks (Tversky et al. the associated For example. horizontal representations also comes from a study of Bächtold et al. 2012). and the natural world. Finger counting direction has also been will continue to use the term “sagittal” given the fact that almost shown to modulate or even reverse the SNARC effect (Fischer. suggesting that manual practices besides dimension. Casasanto and Jasmin. Pitt and Casasanto (2014) but a reverse SNARC effect (right-to-left) was observed when par- emphasize the role of counting direction (people also count from ticipants were primed with a picture of a clock face (where overall left to right). might sug. Shaki et al. many such discussions assume that one origin takes people were primed with a picture of a horizontally oriented ruler. When participants view optic flow patterns 3.b).g. Anderson (2010) points out evidence suggesting that numerals (day 1.. but de-emphasize the role of writing. the exact spatial nature (radial or sag. 2011). is.2. months from left to right and corresponding to this. Moreover. horizontal SNARC effect may not only be due to writing. the “close” key was The observation that the SNARC effect begins to become reliable “k” and the far key “l. (1998) SNARC effects stemming from writing (Dehaene et al. writing can influence the orientation of the mental number line. and —similar to the horizontal SNARC—people also neural structures (such as those involved in reading) and other cul. Hebbian learning.” according to which a body-lifting device (Hartmann et al. 2008. Hence. 2008. 2015).. Orienting spatial attention along the body movements going backward. there may be other ciation (e. vertical and radial SNARC effects with the left-to-right orientation of the mental number line (Maass come from? and Russo. For example. Opfer et al. Shaki and Petrusic. 2009). . vertical ones. 3. small numbers are placed to the left of larger numbers. Behaviorally. Where do horizontal.. When looking at early ontogeny. we will see and Cooperrider. priority over another. Such a multi-causal proposal horizontal associations of time (recently reviewed in Bonato et al.212 B. the results of Santens and Gevers Hence. it has been evolutionarily more recent practices (such as math) depend on found that speakers of English gesture toward the left when talking comparatively larger brain networks. Shaki and Fischer.\n\ngraphing conventions. when it comes to sources of vertical number-space asso.” where “more” numerosity corresponds to “more” Tversky. From the 3. linguistic expressions such as high number or low number. 2013). Seno et al. and their gestures can cal mappings might also stem from another set of conventions. as we pointed out above. The cultural representations and Youngstrom (2014) discuss connections between a sagittal number artifacts where the mapping is consistent with an upward oriented line and a sagittal time line. The distance-based effects would then stem from the fact thermometers. for example.g. On calendars and league tables.. This type of research suggests that 2 Some linguistic metaphors may actually create novel conceptual mappings. suggests that these cultural reflections from the glass. 2012).. and the level goes down. distance-based effects might be an indication of see Fischer et al. Kövecses. Sources of vertical mappings perspective of child ontogeny and Hebbian learning.g. which has been argued to stem from expressions such as right-wing about high numbers and low numbers)2 . First. cf. these apparent inconsistencies can be resolved by point. 2015... 2011.2). the major share of evidence ples run counter to this orientation. away. 2012. 2005) observe the principle of “more is up” (cf. tions between verticality and quantity. Hutchins. natural world make a set of stimuli available to the growing child ciations.” “second place” and so on. cognitive linguistic research has shown that the processing of linguistic metaphors involves active con- ceptualization of the metaphorical source domain such as space (Katz et al. gestural (Winter et al. nearby space is a small spatial magnitude ber words. which maps onto small numbers. Winter et al. including all the linguistic and graphic reflections. for example. such as distance. Whereas writing orientation along the horizontal axis corresponds to the horizontal SNARC effect (left-right). Lakoff (1987: 276). a large Instead. In other cases. 2008). left to right) and artifacts where space and number are correlated. the level rises. Thus. 2008). Bueti and Walsh. 1949). it is clear that writing where vertical space and quantity (or its symbolic expression) are direction does not explain the orientation of vertical SNARC effects: associated in a highly predictable fashion. with one telephone number tural support from space/time mappings (e.” Repeatedly observing may have a causal role in shaping space/number mappings. Fischer. but sim. Hubbard et al.e.. that both magnitudes access the same neural substrate (often pos- and floor numbers in elevators. such hearing about metaphorical vertical language in the context of number is likely as the mapping of horizontal left/right space onto political positions (Oppenheimer going to reinforce those mappings. Winter et al. 2001. 2005: pp. Grade et al.. Sources of distance-based mappings the vertical axis (top-down) would predict that smaller numbers should be associated with higher vertical space and larger numbers Distance-based effects are sometimes discussed in relation to a with lower vertical space (see Hubbard et al.. reveal a sagittal orientation (Núñez et al. to a pile. the graphic. a the- been found. If chil. compatible with sagittal mappings. “more is up” is thought to mentally engrain the corresponding map- dren are constantly exposed to practices (such as counting from ping (Lakoff. number words written in Chinese script. When using cellphones... “more is more. observed (e.. They also numbers and quantities in terms of vertical space supports vertical mental associations. not being “more” or “less” than another telephone number. 2011). Marghetis and ply identifying a specific identity. but only with Chinese participants when responding to ory of magnitude or ATOM: Walsh. B. verti.4. and may in some cases. the mental association between vertical space and cardinal num- ber. On the other hand. i. they more quickly as discussed above (Section 2. it is conceivable that the natural cor- this necessarily leads to neural and mental associations between relation between verticality and quantity is the ultimate source of co-occurring sensory-motor and conceptual activations. soon-to-occur events onto near space. 2010. effects that are radial. / Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 57 (2015) 209–219 213 From this perspective. Gibbs and Matlock. (2005) point to the potential role of spatial magnitude (i. generalized magnitude system in the brain that codes visual and cf. and future events onto far measuring cups) where “more” and “less” are clearly defined. and by consis. the use of numbers (with ticular axis. for exam- systems influence our mental representations (Bender et al. this orientation has spatial as well as temporal and motoric magnitudes (i. 2015). Speakers of English. override the small/low-large/high association. 2011. 2009. 2013: 128). Holmes and Lourenco. body height measurement devices. see Walsh. space. which maps the presence on the “ego. 1998. However. at least not in the same way we talk and Trail. Indeed. In fact. 2012). discussion in Ito and Hatta. For example. talk about looking forward In line with the idea of convergent cultural support.3. or the front/back dimension.. if anything. observes that “whenever we add more of a substance—say. Marghetis and Youngstrom. Holmes and Lourenco. calculators and the number keys on cellphones. distance-based effects. Hence. bar plots: in line with ATOM. In contrast to magnitude-based proposals. The prevalence of talking about process future related words (Hartmann and Mast. writing direction is just one of several However. bly assign magnitudes to any spatial dimension that a task provides writing orientation stands in opposition to the commonly observed (see also. which is frequently writ.. 1987.g. is a purely ordinal one. 1994. 2004). but not horizontal ones (we do not talk about right numbers and left numbers. . That we are constantly water to a glass—the level goes up.. 2002. writing orientation along 3.g. the picture is more complex. 2011). 2010). league for distance-based effects stems from experiments that test specif- tables. 2010). Remove objects from the pile or water tent space-time mappings. however. 2003....e. on the other hand. Most often. ATOM would seem to predict distance-based “1” being at the top. “first place.. For vertical SNARC effect. it does not concretely explain ing out that numbers are not used in a cardinal sense in such why distance-based mappings should be oriented along this par- situations. 1995. even though vertical SNARC effects might stem from components of cultural support for horizontal spatial mappings cultural or linguistic conventions. Lakoff and Johnson. 2003). When participants namely. 2006. many cultural exam. While ATOM is however. such as Chinese num. The argument is that participants flexi- ten top-down in columns (Hung et al. scientific graphs (e. calendars. Hence. And so do other cultural devices. ically the sagittal axis. Cognitive anthropologists have gin. Zhang and Norman. tend to emphasize quantities (e. 2014). 437–438. 2014) and linguistic associa- gent cultural support for vertical mappings of numbers onto space. to the future and thinking back to the past. others allude to cul- we use numbers in a nominal sense. However. When we add more objects surrounded by horizontal space-number mappings. Together. far space) maps onto large numbers. there is a lot of conver. ple.e. are moved forward using a body-lifting device. Gibbs. measuring cups. Instead. they probably have a deeper ori- of quantities and their symbols. the natural correlation between verticality and quantity stands next to Similar to the horizontal mappings. It has often been pointed out that verticality and quantity noted that external representations such as graphs and notation are correlated in the natural world. rather than the bottom).. 2006). This is and interacting with natural quantities that obey the principle of indeed expected because of Hebbian learning (Hebb. as has been frequently tulated to lie within the intraparietal sulcus. 1980. culture and the However. conservative and liberal left (Casasanto.” number line.\n\n2014). which are [−] polar. processing is the same cognitive processes. slowed down. this unmarked member of a binary pair is generally Hutchinson and Louwerse. 2006. a question about a person’s height using How tall is she? but not The polarity correspondence principle furthermore makes How short is she? (cf. and the sagittal number-space mapping remains to be shown. above. 2010. 2005). However. 2012) considered in this paper. 7. Loetscher ATOM associates far space with “more”. who found spatial numerical associations in a vertical and distal space are cognitively and neuronally associated. discussion in Roettger and Domahs. and Fischer. Near and low space tal (e. 2007. we often do so dimensions. is correct about SNARC effects.. This proposal has considerable considered in this paper so far. it is not asymmetrical dimensions. whether cognitive con. and mental arithmetic (is addition [+] polar?). but it does not account for all patterns observed and makes Santens and Gevers. we would gen- from a study (Matlock et al. . we tend to ask responses to plurals). This account is based on the observation that many for late response times. . 2008b. 2008). such as tall versus short. in Roettger and Domahs. .g. we should notice that there is consistency between these with the random number generation experiments discussed above. tions for all three of the axes considered in this paper because right. Initial support for a link between time lines and number lines comes up and far would all be considered as [+] polar (e. Dehaene et al. For early response times. . many time lines and ges. The above-discussed embodied . inconsistent predictions with respect to word frequency: Linguists The pole of a dimension that can stand in for the entire dimension generally assume that the unmarked member of a pair (e. the polarity correspondence principle may be a powerful that the right side and large quantities are [+] polar. However. again. the table-top response example. seem to be tapping into some of If the stimulus and response dimension mismatch. Winter et al. if polarity correspondence support from neuroscience.) leads to reliable shifts in more frequent than their opposites left. likewise if the [−] polar left. and both and Shaki (2015). different accounts for the origins of spatial–numerical mappings. Müller and Schwarz. This is the case for many of the horizon- low and near space (Mennemeier et al. 2014). there are several strands of evidence to suggest that (Levine and McAnany. and toward their body when reading than left. This can explain the SNARC effect if one assumes So. for instance for the SNARC effects considered in this paper. we are faced with Second. are also associated in our ecology and in linguistic metaphors. First. Hence.g. and the words are (5.. These consistent with the polarity correspondence principle (faster left oppositions are often asymmetrical.g. down and near). house versus houses) with singulars 3. 1992). these effects would not be because tional association between the lower visual field and proximal of spatial mental representations per se. given their directional polarity of the stimulus dimension match. 6. 1990). large numerals. consistency with SNARC effects. Winter and Matlock. and the left explanation of SNARC effects in some of the binary tasks considered side and small quantities are [−] polar (Proctor and Cho.g. correspondence-based accounts may coexist. 15. 2015). An alternative account: polarity correspondence being faster with left responses and plurals being faster with right responses. Moreover. As such. . That is. These studies reveal a The polarity correspondence account makes the right predic- mental sagittal axis for the conceptualization of event sequences.. For example. SNARC effects would arise because of structural in the lower visual field. lapping asymmetries of the corresponding numerical and spatial When performing actions in peri-personal space. tall) is called the “unmarked” case. / Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 57 (2015) 209–219 respond more quickly with a response away from their body when and given that the corresponding adjective right is more frequent reading about future events. and reports have been made about the polarity correspondence principle cannot be the whole story neural associations between vertical and distal space. for 2011) and distance-based mappings (e. 2011)... 16. 2011: 506). This result is consistent with a spatial representation A specific proposal that can potentially account for of quantity but inconsistent with polarity correspondence. Finally. Processing temporal reasoning..g. we often do so in the upper visual field.. go/no-go task involving a single response. 1993). 2006). which. 2013). novel exper- if people (and children) automatically build up consistent neural imental evidence indicates that both space-based and polarity and cognitive associations based on sets of correlated stimuli. processing is facilitated.g. 1990).. 2006). down and near responses match with One alternative proposal for the origin of distance-based SNARC the [−] polar small numbers. it is not clear whether polarity correspondence multiple potential sources that are not mutually exclusive. Such a extends to the above-discussed associations between space and situation is to be expected if culture reflects brain organization. 2015). et al. Third.. we commonly understand a page oriented on a table in options in Ito and Hatta.5. its primary in a stroke patient with neglect of both up and far space (Shelton explanatory domain contains tasks that involve binary stimulus et al. In everyday also more frequent in spoken language and texts (for discussion see language. ultimately. but rather due to over- space and the upper visual field and distal space (Previc. was observed only Cho. and in another stroke patient with neglect of both and response dimensions. The right side is typically assumed to some inconsistent predictions. however. Holmes and Lourenco. are more fre- 2015.) or “downward” (17. vertical (e. results were dimensions have binary opposites. as shown by the case of neglect.. the polarity correspondence effects is that they might be derived from vertical effects (see principle is a unifying explanatory account for many of the effects also Holmes and Lourenco. 2015). for which there is no binary response dimension (e.g. People more quickly perceptual similarity. 2011).214 B.. what exactly counts as be [+] polar because right-handedness is the more frequent case [+] polar and [−] polar is not always straightforward (see discussion in the population (see discussion in Roettger and Domahs. The SNARC the so-called “polarity correspondence principle” (Proctor and effect in Roettger and Domahs (2015). Shaki terms of “up” (far) and “down” (near) (Tversky. Given these quent than small numerals. detect stimuli in the upper visual field when they appear distal However. 2011) showing that counting “upward” erally ask How far is it? rather than How near is it?. Arguments have been made for a func. about past events (Sell and Kaschak. but it is not the case Again. is predicted to be faster if these [+] polar poles of the respective gruency between spatial mappings of time and number underlies dimensions match with [+] polar quantities (large numbers). 2004. which more frequent than the marked member (Roettger and Domahs. tall) is (in this case. .. see also Hutchinson and Louwerse. which spatial–numerical associations along all three dimensions is regards singulars as [+] polar and plurals as [−] polar. but at different time scales: Roettger and Domahs (2015) find a SNARC effect for singu- lar versus plural nouns (e. are assumed to be [+] polar (Proctor and Cho. Critically. the polarity correspondence principle clear that the polarity correspondence principle applies to effects states that if the polarity of the response dimension and the that relate to space/time mappings. And when looking toward extra-personal similarity between response and stimulus rather than because of space. Another experiment tures of time lines have the same association (with the future and that has no binary response dimension was conducted by Fischer associated larger numerical values being in the distance).\n\nined environments. There are also horizontal and the vertical mapping that results from an association asymmetries of horizontal and vertical space in our environment. 2012 and Gevers have not taken into account the differences between sagittal and et al. ries may be confounded with differences in the strength of the spatial–numerical associations. For example.e. adults tend to perform smaller vertical head movements than delivered along the “right-diagonal. of small numbers with the lower and the left side. 1980). tion. Higashiyama. verti. ments. cognition and culture (Section 3). Ikeda and Takeuchi.. SNARC effects. The evidence from perceptual organization and zontal and vertical SNARC effects are of similar strengths. i. 2012. such asymmetries could matter. The logic along the horizontal than the vertical axis (Haith. 1947. On the other hand. legitimacy of generalizing from the presence of purely horizontal Table 1 suggests equivocal evidence with respect to the strength and vertical effects (as in Schwarz and Keus. . Experiment 1B) Grade et al.. Lechelt et al. 1993). aligned either horizontally or vertically (e. numbers are generally not presented diagonally or grid-like in our culture. tal. 2001) and ver- response location for small numbers to an upper right response tical lines are perceived to be longer than horizontal lines of equal location for large numbers. there is a congruency between the length (Finger and Spelt. So. we would like to point out that visual discrimination is best along the vertical and horizontal axis.g. left-top/right-bottom).) (cf. other types of perceptual and spatial asymmet- and Kaschak. 2013. Grade of numbers are unnatural or unrelated to the other documented et al. participants position numbers in three-dimensional space (Fischer inant dimension in the organization of number space” (Wiemers and Campens. 1962. Children also scan more widely and frequently (Holmes and Lourenco. bar plots. and most people more frequently move horizontally than precisely. Gevers et al. and have the advantage of fitting firmly into the body of existing Franklin and Tversky (1990) argue that when people search imag- linguistic and anthropological research. Wiemers et al. Children. we can question the that have tested at least two axes for the same participants. Are the three spatial–numerical associations (horizontal. numerical cognition is consistent with other domains of brain orga- c Results from Experiment 1. 2006). radial) equally well entrenched? Or is one axis more cognitively lists...g. one. / Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 57 (2015) 209–219 215 Table 1 smaller number on the left side is compatible with the horizontal Comparison of strength of horizontal. sagittal). vertical. 2013) and an eye tracking study (Schwarz and Keus. For example. (2010) RNG H* < V* In a similar setup.g. Pelz et al. when blindfolded some researchers asserting that vertical space may be the “predom. 1976. there is disagreement about learn numbers on the number line before they learn the Cartesian whether the horizontal or the vertical SNARC effect is stronger. Winter and Matlock. (2012) RNG H* > V* observed a sagittal but no horizontal effect. Gevers et al. More- behind these studies is that in a congruent condition. but no ver- Sagittal tical effect in the left-diagonal incongruent condition. 1982). sentation is not the preferable one” (Gertner et al.. some studies indicate that vertical effects are More generally. and others saying that “the vertical mode of repre. menu price cal. Pitting horizontal and vertical SNARC effects against each asymmetrical in perception and action—regardless of any associa- other tions to numbers. 2004). dominant than the others? Currently. Table 1 provides a list of those studies horizontal mappings. from an upper left response location to a lower right loca.g. a setup Truly vertical that is not truly vertical but relates to the sagittal effects discussed Schwarz and Keus (2004) Eye H* > V* above. rooms are generally more horizontally than vertically ent condition. 2014. grid-like mappings. verti- et al. they preferentially access objects along specific axes.” see Appelle. (2008) Eye H* > V in an incongruent diagonal condition (e. responses are over. as with cultural representations suggests that diagonal representations random number generation studies (Loetscher et al. Howard. In line with this evidence. the star indicates whether space are primarily oriented along distinct cardinal axes (horizon- the corresponding effect was found to be significant. and many diagonal orientations (as in Holmes and Lourenco.1. discussion in Tversky.. Sell against each other. Previc and Blume. 2006) to other experiments that report purely vertical and truly vertical SNARC effects. from a lower left horizontal ones (Glenn and Vilis.. Here. 1972.. it is important to ask Ito and Hatta (2004)b SNARC H* < S* whether SNARC effects are truly defined along the diagonal axis. B. a Results from Experiment 1 (Experiment 2 is diagonal).. Müller and Schwarz (2007)c SNARC H < S* Several findings suggest that associations between numbers and “>” and “<” indicates which effect is numerically larger. 2009). A similar task with Winter and Matlock (2013) RNG H* < V* a diagonal response setup on a vertically mounted touch screen Wiemers et al. cf. 2004). etc. A response to a the horizontal and the vertical axis. it has been suggested that the visual search field is of greater horizontal than vertical extent (Chaiken A few studies have directly pitted horizontal and vertical SNARC et al. rather than being map-like (as suggested by b Results not strictly speaking comparable due to dependence on hand assign.” precisely. 2013: 1354). but instead. 2012). 1992). vertical and sagittal effects for those studies number line but simultaneously incompatible with the vertical that had multiple response dimensions in the same task. Thus. responses are delivered along the “left-diagonal. 2011). 1992. vertically. In an incongru. not a diagonal axis (the so-called “oblique accounts of three-dimensional SNARC effects are equally plausible effect. there was a horizontal effect.. They observed neither a horizontal nor a vertical effect Loetscher et al. 2004) to diagonal or of vertical and horizontal SNARC.. Some studies show that hori. for example. cal or radial dimensions—but critically no diagonal orientations. Along the same lines. (2013) RNG H* > V* Hartmann et al. 2. Schwarz and Keus. there is a conflict between For the experiments reporting explicit comparisons between the horizontal and vertical mapping preferences. when pitting the horizontal and vertical axis stronger (e. 1975. nization. as effects against each other by using diagonal response mappings depicted in Fig. and likewise for lower right responses to large numbers. We can therefore question the legitimacy of generalizing from very few studies explicitly compared these two effects... in this incongruent condition. Relationships between SNARC effects the body are equally available. Horizontal and vertical space are 4. Winter et al. 2014: 12). they spontaneously exploit horizontal. with coordinate system. Holmes and Lourenco (2011. 2012). Task Results Gevers and colleagues (2006) used keypad responses.. (2014) Arithmetic H < V* found that the horizontal effect “trumps” the vertical one (Holmes Sell and Kaschak (2012) Linguistic H < V* and Lourenco. 2010. Moreover. 2011. Yet. e. Remember that broadly construed. Loetscher et al. (2006)a SNARC H* > S To interpret the relevance of these findings..” extended. rejecting the hypothesis that all directions extending from 4.\n\n4).e.. Relating origins to predictions spontaneously mapped numbers onto different spatial axes with idiosyncratic. More studies implementing concrete to find associations between numerical magnitude and space. inclined to think about numbers horizontally or radially? That the tions. see Fig. space/number association is thought to be grounded in natural cor. p. we expect to see task-dependent differences on a priori should be most strongly correlated with vertical SNARC effects grounds. As described above. head movements along the horizontal and head movements along tal and vertical dimension is.52 and r = 0. Finally. 2013). at present many studies exploring both horizon- multifarious cultural and non-cultural phenomena that may lead to tal and vertical/sagittal space for the same subjects fail to report space/number mappings. 1993. the task dimensions? In general. 2011. SNARC effects with truly vertically aligned response buttons were found in response to lin- guistic stimuli such as More/less runs were being scored in this game. 2012. 1980). p. The visual search field is less extended along the et al. and cultural world. at least compared to horizontal effects that have no such linguistic support. more so than with horizontal SNARC effects. numerical magnitude interacts with the Fig.216 B.. Göbel et al. the screen on which the numbers were displayed in us to expect the different axes to be at least partially dissoci- Holmes and Lourenco (2012. and for other axes in other across different individuals and different tasks. low number.2. 1046) had more horizon. vertical and sagittal effects are correlated stronger for some axes in some tasks. which are known to be culturally relative than horizontal effects. hence limiting our conclusions one effect being stronger than the other in all contexts. Cohen Kadosh et al. cf. 2008) found asymmetries for movements—including eye movements (Collewijn a somewhat weaker correlation for horizontal and vertical num- et al. At present. etc. 2010. (Dehaene et al. 2. 2703] with fixation at X and center vertical location implied by words such as foot and bird (Lachmair of the ellipsoid at the black dot. 2011. at this point. and they cal comparisons if the horizontal and vertical dimensions are not interact differently with the size congruency effect and the numer- equally scaled psychophysically. / Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 57 (2015) 209–219 horizontal and vertical scenarios to contextualize number mean- ings are needed. besides its cultural reflections.. Lakoff. we might expect that sagittal SNARC effects tion 3).. Given this. reasoning about quantities of SNARC effects should be found in any culture. 2007). suggesting neural dissociation. others found that response orientation with equal physical extent in the horizon. Another prediction that can be derived from the above discus- sion is that the vertical SNARC effect—because of its connection to language (e.). as discussed above. we may not want to make claims about whether these effects are correlated. but no horizontal effects emerged in this situation. 2007. our discussion in Section 3 leads us to ask why should Gertner et al. The view that vertical SNARC effects stem from the physical relations (Fischer. with permission from Elsevier. is it the number generation (Winter and Matlock. whereas horizontal SNARC effects largely stem 1987. Fischer and Brugger. given the fact Given that spatial–numerical associations may arise from a that near/far space frequently correspond to each other in percep- wealth of different cultural and embodied phenomena (see Sec. perceived as equal. participant-specific choices.)—should be stronger in linguistic contexts. by virtue of asking participants to verbalize. Lakoff and Johnson. Winter and Matlock. it is difficult to draw hard and fast Horizontal and vertical orientations of number lines can further- conclusions about relative strength from horizontal versus verti. which. tical effects in both linguistic and non-linguistic contexts is still Source: Reprinted from Previc and Blume (1993). 1988)—we cannot take for granted that a diagonally oriented ber line bisection (r = 0. Winter et al. 2005. Gevers and colleagues (Gevers et al. the vertical SNARC effect re-emerged only when participants were primed to think about building floors More and more studies on numerical cognition are beginning (first floor. etc. because of horizontal–vertical SNARC effects (r = 0. However. Zebian. Future research needs to explore more systemati- experimental effects of spatial–numerical associations might be cally how horizontal. 1. the vertical across individuals. Visual search field sketched by [108. second floor. Similarly. Finally. Moreover. with differ- diction. 2012) suggests that this may indeed be the case. The diverse set of potential cognitive origins furthermore leads For example. Initial evidence already supports this pre. not . 2012). more be dissociated in neglect (Cappelletti et al. 2009). Likewise. attentional SNARC effects with sentences that imply concrete quan- tities.47). Finally.. compared to hor- objects or amounts of liquids). if the vertical axes where largely unrelated when it came to random we find one effect to be stronger in a particular task. Loetscher et al. Initial evidence (Sell and Kaschak. 2013).. 2011). we might expect that from cultural conventions also makes the prediction that vertical in concrete physical situations (i. participants in this result of representational space or the differential perception of study predominantly either had a horizontal or a vertical mapping. one effect be stronger than the other across the board? Given the Unfortunately.. Grade et al. we relate the multi-causal origins (Section more inclined to think about numbers vertically. This saliency of the horizontal perceptual this is not straightforward. vertical effects would be stronger izontal SNARC effects. 2012. 2013. In the next section. tion (see Section 3. where different participants 4. ical distance effect (Gertner et al.. Are some people tasks. many studies that did find vertical effects were random number gener- ation tasks (Hartmann et al.. So.. and others more 3) of space/number mappings to specific task-dependent predic. As discussed. high number. a direct comparison of horizontal and ver- vertical axis than along the horizontal axis. such as The man had two books in his bookcase—but not with numerals outside of any physical contexts.. Instead. the evidence for tal than vertical extent...g. 2013.75) while others (Bogdanova et al. Conclusions (Holmes and Lourenco. Pecher and Boot (2011) found vertical ent orientations for different cultures. 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+{"content": "Detectable divine intervention? Origin of the vertebrates\n\n(Peter Waller) #1\n\nI would like to ask the help of this group to evaluate whether the origin of the vertebrates is a case of detectable divine intervention. Feel free to add additional scientific information in order to inform this discussion.\n\nThe first animal life in the fossil record is 580 Ma, the Avalon Explosion. A vertebrate lamprey fish appears in the fossil record (chordate) in the Chengjiang Lagerstatten (517 Ma). DNA molecular analysis indicates that a vertebrate fish could not evolve within 60 million years. A cephalochordate (Cathaymyrus) appears in the same Chengjiang formations. Vertebrates are strongly linked to cephalochordates such as amphioxus by physiology and DNA. The lamprey larvae is similar to adult cephalochordates. Most of the vertebrate novelties are formed by neural crest cells, which are lacking in cephalochordates.\nMy hypothesis is that God modified a cephalochordate by with neural crest cells in order to form the ancestor of all vertebrates.\n\nI made a table of some of the differences between cephalochordates (amphioxus) and the lamprey fish that was found at Chengjiang (Haikouichthys).\n\n\n\nAn image of Cathaymyrus from Wikipedia (Apokryltaros):\n\n\n(Matthew Pevarnik) #2\n\nWait what? Could you help me with this as I can’t go further in your post until you help me see this is indeed the case.\n\n(Jay Johnson) #3\n\nThe insertion was, after all, detectable.\n\n(Mitchell W McKain) #4\n\n60 million years to make these alterations seems like a long long time for the operation of divine abra-cadabra. If 60 million years really isn’t long enough for evolution to produce these changes then it is far more likely that it is the 60 million year estimate which is wrong.\n\n(Peter Waller) #5\n\nFigure 2 in the attached link shows the divergence of the bilateria (protostomes and deuterostomes) at 680 Ma. The figure was constructed by Erwin in 2011, who is one of the leaders in this research field. This figure represents a typical molecular clock estimate of the origin of bilateria. Note that the bilateria were not the first animals but would have evolved from the basal animals.\n\nPeterson, Kevin J., and Douglas J. Eernisse. “The phylogeny, evolutionary developmental biology, and paleobiology of the Deuterostomia: 25 years of new techniques, new discoveries, and new ideas.” Organisms Diversity & Evolution 16, no. 2 (2016): 401-418.\n\n(Matthew Pevarnik) #6\n\nI couldn’t find the article, but one of the authors has a link that grants access to the paper on their webpage:\n\nBut here is Figure 2 of the paper:\n\nThat’s great and all, but your claim is this:\n\nDoes the paper support your claim in any kind of way? Or how are you coming to this conclusion?\n\n(Peter Waller) #7\n\nThat is a good point. Thank you. I will rephrase the statement. Based on genome differences alone, Erwin’s DNA molecular clock analysis estimates that protostomes and deuterostomes diverged 680 Ma, which is 120 million years prior to the first appearance of protostomes and deuterostomes in the fossil record. The first vertebrate appears 40 million years after (558 Ma - 517 Ma) the observed divergence of protostomes and deuterostomes in the fossil record, which is 4 times less time than Erwin’s estimate of (680 Ma - 517 Ma) of 160 million years.\n\n(Peter Waller) #8\n\nOne other thing I wanted to point out in Figure 2. Notice the relatively short length of time between the divergence of bilateria and the appearance of chordata and the relatively long interval before the appearance of vertebrates.\n\n(Stephen Matheson) #9\n\nI recommend this recent piece on uncertainty and current proposals in very early animal evolution.\n\nEmbracing Uncertainty in Reconstructing Early Animal Evolution\n\nThis is how Erwin himself describes our state of knowledge on early animal evolution:\n\nRecent molecular clock studies date the origin of Metazoa to 750–800 million years ago (Ma), roughly coinciding with evidence from geochemical proxies that oxygen levels rose from less than 0.1% present atmospheric level (PAL) to perhaps 1–3% PAL O2. A younger origin of Metazoa would require greatly increased substitution rates across many clades and many genes; while not impossible, this is less parsimonious. Yet the first fossil evidence for metazoans (the Doushantuo embryos) about 600 Ma is followed by the Ediacaran fossils after 580 Ma, the earliest undisputed bilaterians at 555 Ma, and an increase in the size and morphologic complexity of bilaterians around 542 Ma. This temporal framework suggests a missing 150–200 Myr of early metazoan history that encompasses many apparent novelties in the early evolution of the nervous system. This span includes two major glaciations, and complex marine geochemical changes including major changes in redox and other environmental changes. One possible resolution is that animals of these still unknown Cryogenian and early Ediacaran ecosystems were relatively simple, with highly conserved developmental genes involved in cell-type specification and simple patterning. In this model, complex nervous systems are a convergent phenomenon in bilaterian clades which occurred close to the time that larger metazoans appeared in the fossil record.\n\n(Peter Waller) #10\n\n[quote=“sfmatheson, post:9, topic:40311”]\nThis is how Erwin himself describes our state of knowledge on early animal evolution:[/quote]\n\nThanks for sharing that. Erwin states that the animal kingdom must have originated 750 to 800 million years ago, which is an estimate constrained by the complexity of vertebrate DNA. He also makes the case that the first fossil evidence for metazoan embryos is 600 Ma and the first Ediacaran fossils appear 580 Ma. This is the first animal life in the fossil record (580 Ma) that I spoke of in my original post. He states that there is 150-200 Myr of missing early metazoan history, which is a number constrained by the complexity of vertebrate DNA. This is a larger number than the 120 Myr that I mentioned (160 - 40). The origin of Ediacaran life at 580 Ma is called the Avalon Explosion. There is a good (short) PBS video on the Avalon Explosion,\n\nThe Doushantuo embryos (600 Ma) that Erwin mentioned are extremely controversial. They may be microbes, phosphatic grains, multicellular microorganisms, or early embryos, all of which have a similar shape. It is rather entertaining to read the decade-long back and forth on the interpretation of these embryos. I have included two recent papers here.\n\nCrosby, C. H., and J. V. Bailey. “Experimental precipitation of apatite pseudofossils resembling fossil embryos.” Geobiology 16, no. 1 (2018): 80-87.\n\nYin, Zongjun, Duoduo Zhao, Bing Pan, Fangchen Zhao, Han Zeng, Guoxiang Li, David J. Bottjer, and Maoyan Zhu. “Early Cambrian animal diapause embryos revealed by X-ray tomography.” Geology 46, no. 5 (2018): 387-390.\n\nI would like to point out the following paper regarding animal evolution prior to 580 Ma. As the authors state, the supposed chemical evidence of sponges is probably incorrect and.this adds further uncertainty to the rise of animals prior to 580 Ma. I think that the evidence points toward an explosive rise of the animal kingdom in the Avalon Explosion at 580 Ma.\n\nNettersheim, Benjamin J., Jochen J. Brocks, Arne Schwelm, Janet M. Hope, Fabrice Not, Michael Lomas, Christiane Schmidt et al. \"Putative sponge biomarkers in unicellular Rhizaria question an early rise of animals.\" Nature ecology & evolution (2019): 1.\n\n(Peter Waller) #11\n\nI just noticed the other paper that you shared. It deals with the question of whether sponges or ctenophores are ancestral to bilaterians. I think that the evidence for sponges prior to the Avalon Explosion is probably not valid. There are no sponge spicules in the fossil record prior to I think 535 Ma. Sponge spicules are hard parts and are preserved in the fossil record. Since there are no sponge spicules and the chemical evidence is probably discredited, I would say that the spongy origin of the animal kingdom is probably not a correct model. With respect to ctenophores, this is based on their morphology and the supposed ctenophore that appears at the beginning of the Avalon Explosion, Octobranchia, which is a controversial fossil (hope I am remembering the name correctly) and might be a ctenophore; however, I lean toward flatworms being ancestral to deuterostomes. I am not sure whether the shape of a flatworm can be aligned with ctenophores, which have a cylindrical shape. I lean toward ctenophores being ancestral to protostomes (arthropods, etc…)\n\n(Stephen Matheson) #12\n\nThis is incorrect. It is an estimate based on molecular clock methods. That’s just one piece of evidence, and it must be considered alongside fossil evidence and geological evidence. That is the whole point of both papers I cited. Your claims about the estimates being “constrained” are inaccurate.\n\nBy the way, “the complexity of vertebrate DNA” is a meaningless phrase; DNA is the same whether it’s from vertebrates or bacteria, and “complexity” is unrelated to molecular clock estimates.\n\n(Peter Waller) #13\n\nThanks for pointing out the difference between complexity and size. While the vertebrate genome is far more complex, it is also much larger than invertebrate genomes. This would agree with the Figure 2 that Pevaquark posted. The divergence time from the initial bilaterian divergence to the chordates is very short while the vertebrate divergence time from the initial chordate much longer. The vertebrate genome is 4 x more complex (large) than the basal chordate genome (amphioxus). I assume that the major reason for the extended time of evolution from chordates to vertebrates is due to the size of the vertebrate genome. I don’t think that Erwin constrained his molecular clock estimates by the geologic and fossil record. My understanding is that this technique is called Bayesian analysis. If he had, then he would have estimated the origin of the animal kingdom at 580 Ma or 630 Ma, or at some point prior to the oldest fossil that he considered to be an animal. Rather, I think that Erwin based his molecular clock estimate on his estimated rate of DNA mutation.\n\n(Peter Waller) #14\n\nActually, I might have gotten it wrong. The chordate divergence from protostomes does not imply that it was amphioxus that was at that point. Sorry about that. However, what do you think about the size of the vertebrate genome being the main cause of the extended time of divergence.\n\n(Jake Santiago) #15\n\nHi! Loving the amount of information that you guys are sharing on this topic. I am new to this forum and would love to learn and share a lot of knowledge as we grow together.\n\nAnd Yes! I agree with Peter on this up to some extent.\n\n(Peter Waller) #16\n\nWelcome to the forum. Yes we are all learning. What I love about this forum is people challenging ideas.\n\nI have been reading the papers that have been shared. Erwin proposes some hypotheses to explain the “150 to 200 million year gap in animal evolution” and particularly the development of the nervous system of vertebrates. It will be interesting to explore these hypotheses.\n\n(Stephen Matheson) #17\n\nI didn’t do that, and don’t know why you wrote that.\n\nThis is false in a few different ways. First, there is no single “vertebrate genome.” There are thousands and thousands, and they vary dramatically in size. Second, invertebrate genomes vary even more in size, and many of the largest genomes on the planet are those of invertebrates. So again: I don’t know why you wrote that. For basic information on genome sizes in animals, see the excellent database run by Ryan Gregory. This figure shows at a glance why your claim is incorrect.\n\nI don’t know why one would assume that. I don’t even know why one would think the premise (about size) is true.\n\nThat sentence doesn’t make any sense. The molecular clock can be calibrated, or simply put into context with other data. It isn’t “constrained” by other data.\n\nBayesian analysis is a tool for analyzing molecular clock data.\n\nMolecular clocks are all, by definition, based on DNA mutation.\n\n(Matthew Pevarnik) #18\n\nWelcome @jakesantiago ! What do you agree with Peter on exactly?\n\n(Peter Waller) #19\n\nHi Stephen\n\nI looked up the size of the amphioxus genome at the website that you pointed me to, and you are correct. The smallest bony fish genome is approximately the same size as the size of the amphioxus genome, assuming I did the following C value base pair calculation correctly. So you are correct that the size of the genome is not related to complexity, if that is what you said.\n\n                 C value        base pairs\n\nAmphioxus 0.59 5.8e8\n\nThe reason that I assumed that the ancestral vertebrate genome was 4X larger than the ancestral amphioxus (and invertebrate protostomes) genome is the concept of the 2X Whole Genome Duplication event, which apparently, although controversial, is still something that many scientists advocate. For example, the following paper endorses it.\n\n“These results firmly establish the occurrence of two whole genome duplications in the lineage that precedes the ancestor of vertebrates, resolving in particular the ambiguity raised by the analysis of the lamprey genome. This work provides a foundation for studying the evolution of vertebrate chromosomes from the standpoint of a common ancestor and particularly the pattern of duplicate gene retention and loss that resulted in the gene composition of extant vertebrate genomes.”\n\nSacerdot, Christine, Alexandra Louis, Celine Bon, Camille Berthelot, and Hugues Roest Crollius. “Chromosome evolution at the origin of the ancestral vertebrate genome.” Genome biology 19, no. 1 (2018): 166.\n\n(Stephen Matheson) #20\n\nAh, I see. You wrote your comments about extant genomes, but yes, there seem to have been 2 WGDs back then, somewhat close together. It’s not quite right to assume that this means a 4-fold difference in size, because there is always fairly rapid loss of genes (and other content) after WGD.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9198991656303406}
+{"content": "Fiverr Forum\n\nFiverr App glitching a lot\n\n\nFirstly, The app isn’t giving the correct amount of earnings and often subtracts or adds amounts on its own. The figure is rarely correct.\nSecondly, It’s showing me that I do not respond to messages on time and that ‘I reply very slowly and that I should be more available.’ This happened only once, when I was 6 hours late in responding because time zones. Every other time I’ve responded in the matter of minutes.\nThis is ruining my experience.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9994748830795288}
+{"content": "Commit b5bad5f1 authored by Deimos's avatar Deimos\n\nInitial public release\n\nTitle: Announcing Tildes - a non-profit community site driven by its users' interests\nDate: May 2, 2018\nSlug: announcing-tildes\nSummary: Online communities are in a precarious and unhealthy state right now. We can do better.\nOnline communities are in a precarious and unhealthy state right now.\nMajor internet platforms are exhibiting a wide range of issues: they collect our personal data and fail to protect it; amplify outrage and encourage mob harassment; spread false information and radicalize viewpoints; and allow racism and hate speech to propagate. These are all incredibly serious issues, yet they're still only a small sample of the problems that are becoming apparent.\nThe companies behind the platforms *know* their products cause these negative effects, but they've decided to treat them as acceptable costs instead of taking decisive action to address the issues. Only legal or public pressure seem to produce meaningful responses.\n## Why is this happening?\nI believe that almost all issues with internet platforms trace back to two root causes:\n* Dependence on venture capital and the expectation of massive returns for their investors\n* Business models based around selling user attention and data to advertisers\nThese factors force companies to obsess over growth&mdash;there's no concept of having \"enough\" users or revenue. As the profitability noose tightens, any original principles are abandoned in favor of growth and revenue, which are goals important to *owners*, not users.\n## We can do better\nIt doesn't need to be this way. We should have places online where we can have meaningful interactions without worrying about our privacy and relationships being exploited for others' financial gain. Places that respect us and the communities we build, and help make them *better* instead of just trying to make them bigger.\nOver the last year, I've studied what people want from online communities and what we need to change to make it possible. Combined with my own experiences, everything I've learned affects how I've been building Tildes, a new link-aggregator-style community site that's starting its invite-only alpha today.\n### Non-profit, no investors\n**The organization behind Tildes is a not-for-profit corporation with no investors**, which ensures that there's no looming requirement to chase profit or constant growth. The aim is simply to make the site sustainable while focusing exclusively on what's important to its users. Growth will be the organic result of building a site that people *want* to use, not a goal in and of itself.\n### No advertising, user-supported\n**Tildes has no advertising, and is [supported by donations](**. Almost all sites generate their revenue through advertising, which motivates them to maximize metrics like page views, time on site, and \"engagement\". Common techniques to increase these metrics degrade the user experience for the benefit of advertisers; the only way to ensure that users are truly the priority is to make them the source of funding.\n### Open, honest, and open-source\n**Tildes will be transparent** with records and financials for the non-profit itself, open-source as much code as possible, track issues and plans publicly, accept code contributions, and provide a fully-capable API for outside developers to utilize.\nThe site's code will be made public soon (and please let me know if you have strong opinions about licensing it as AGPLv3, but first read [the reasoning why I'm leaning towards it](\n### Minimal user-tracking, better privacy\n**Tildes collects as little user data as possible and no data will be voluntarily shared with third parties**. User data will be [treated as a dangerous byproduct](, not an asset.\nFacebook's pervasive tracking has come under particular scrutiny recently, but the reality is that they are only one of thousands of companies performing heavy surveillance on their users. The reason for this aggressive data-collection is almost always the same: [because it has value to advertisers]( Since Tildes has no advertising, there's no compelling reason for tracking anything more than the minimum needed for functionality.\n### High-quality content and discussions\n**Tildes prioritizes quality content and discussion** through its mechanics, design, and organization. Fixation on growth and related metrics results in a bias towards high-appeal, low-depth content like funny images, gifs, and memes. Tildes will still allow that kind of content, but its priority is to cultivate high-quality communities, which are far easier to build when they don't have to fight an uphill battle against the platform itself.\n### Limited tolerance, especially for assholes\n**Tildes will not be a victim of [the paradox of tolerance](**; my philosophy is closer to \"[if your website's full of assholes, it's your fault](\".\nThis is a difficult topic, so I want to try to be clear about where on the spectrum Tildes is trying to land. I'm never going to refer to the site as a \"safe space\" or ban anyone just for occasionally acting like a jerk in an argument&mdash;I'd probably have to ban myself fairly quickly. However, it will also never be described as anything like \"an absolute free speech site\".\nThere's a reasonable middle ground between those extremes&mdash;I believe that it's possible to support the ability to freely discuss important and controversial topics without also being obligated to allow threats, harassment, and hate speech.\n## How can I get involved?\nThe initial alpha test group will be small and by invitation only. I hope to start expanding pretty quickly before long, including giving users their own invites to send out. Send me an email at []( if you're interested in being included in one of the early groups.\nSince I'm avoiding investors and similar funding options, the most beneficial way to contribute would be to **[please donate to the non-profit](** (any amount is appreciated). I want Tildes to exist, so I'm going to keep working on it regardless, but I won't be able to continue focusing on it exclusively without donations.\nTo be notified of future posts and updates, please [subscribe to this blog's feed]( or [follow the Twitter account]( If you're interested in reading more about Tildes, there are also some pages available on [the docs site]( that expand on the topics in this post and cover other aspects of the site.\n## Who's working on Tildes and how can I contact you?\nI'm Chad Birch, and on the internet I generally go by \"Deimos\" or \"Deimorz\". I've been participating in and helping build online communities for over 25 years, starting from pretty much the most minimal one possible&mdash;a small-town, one-phone-line [BBS]( where only a single user could be \"on line\" at a time.\nSince then, I've experienced how communities have evolved from BBSes to new incarnations on Usenet, IRC, and multiple generations of web forums and platforms. Most recently, I [worked as a developer at reddit]( for almost 4 years as it grew into one of the largest sites in the world. [I left in late 2016]( and wasn't sure what I wanted to do next, but a few months later I started thinking deeply about how online communities had gone wrong and what we could do to fix them. Tildes is the result.\nIf you'd like to contact me directly for any purpose *except* requesting an invite, please email []( I'd love to hear from anyone: people interested in the site, journalists, researchers, or anyone that wants to offer help.\n## It's up to us\nI want to end by linking to one of my favorite recent articles about technology: \"[No one's coming. It's up to us.](\" The overall message is that **we can't just expect new tech to automatically improve the world**. If we want a better future, we need to make conscious decisions about what kind of world we want, and contribute to work that moves us in that direction.\nThat's what I'm trying to do with Tildes&mdash;I truly believe that online communities can be much better, but we need to abandon some common but false assumptions about what's necessary to fund them. It won't be an easy or quick process, and no doubt we'll make some mistakes along the way; but we'll learn from them, and I hope that some of you will [join me](\nTitle: Tildes Code of Conduct\nSlug: code-of-conduct\nModified: April 29, 2018\n**Don't act like an asshole and routinely make other people's experiences&mdash;or lives&mdash;worse**. Almost all of the restrictions on how you can use Tildes are just more-explicit versions of this basic guideline. In general, as long as you treat others with basic civility and try to contribute in good faith, you will be welcome on Tildes.\nDo not maliciously impersonate someone else's identity (real world or online)\nDo not maliciously attempt to counteract other users' attempts to delete or edit their content, such as by deliberately re-posting content they want to be deleted.\nDo not incite or encourage harm against people, including by posting hate speech or threats.\nDo not post anyone's sensitive personal information (related to either their real world or online identity) with malicious intent.\n## Multiple accounts\nYou may register and use multiple Tildes accounts, but do not:\n* Use additional accounts for the purpose of deceiving others, such as by replying to your own posts from different accounts to create the illusion of support.\n* Use additional accounts to manipulate site mechanics beyond what you could do with a single account. For example, do not vote multiple times on the same post, or vote on your own posts.\nTitle: Contact\nSlug: contact\nSummary: List of contact information for Tildes\n**To request an invite to the Tildes alpha, email [](** Do not email any other addresses to ask for an invite.\nIf you've discovered a security issue on Tildes, please disclose it responsibly by emailing []( Tildes does not offer a bug bounty.\nFor questions related to donations, email [](\nIf you're a journalist, blogger, etc. looking for information about Tildes, email [](\nTo report copyright infringement or other abuse on Tildes, email []( Please see [the \"Copyright infringement claims\" section of the Terms of Use]( for details about the required form of the notice and actions expected from Tildes in response.\nFor all other purposes, please email [](\nTildes has an official Twitter account at [@TildesNet]( It will generally only tweet blog posts and site updates.\nTitle: Donate to Tildes\nSlug: donate\nSummary: Information about donating to Tildes and links to various options for donating\nThanks for donating to Tildes! If you have any questions, please contact [](\n## Why should I donate to Tildes?\nTildes has no investors, no advertising, and does not sell anything (including its users' data). Donations are its only income. By donating, you're supporting a site that's chosen to avoid those other sources of revenue in order to gain the freedom to focus exclusively on acting in its users' interests.\n## Who am I donating to?\nTildes is operated by Spectria, a Canadian not-for-profit corporation (corporation number 1034108-8).\n## Important information for donating\n* Tildes uses third-party payment processors and does not handle or have access to any of your sensitive financial information.\n* The corporation that operates Tildes is named \"Spectria\"&mdash;depending on the donation method you use, you may see this name on the transaction.\n* Spectria is a not-for-profit corporation, but [it is *not* a charity](, so donations are not tax-deductible.\n## Donation options\n### Credit card (via Stripe)\nYou can donate directly using a credit card through Stripe. Note that the Stripe donation page will load third-party assets from Stripe and communicate with Stripe servers to process the transaction.\n[Donate with Stripe](\n### Patreon\nYou can set up a recurring monthly donation to Tildes on Patreon. There are no \"patron rewards\" for using Patreon.\n[Go to the Patreon page for Tildes](\n### Cryptocurrency (via Coinbase)\nYou can donate Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum (ETH), or Litecoin (LTC) to Tildes via Coinbase.\n[Go to the Coinbase donation page for Tildes](\n### Interac e-Transfer\nCanadians can donate to Tildes using Interac e-Transfer. Send an e-Transfer to and it will be auto-accepted (no security question necessary). Note that the recipient will be shown as \"SPECTRIA\".\nTitle: Frequently Asked Questions\nSlug: faq\nModified: April 26, 2018\nSummary: Information about random aspects of the site\n## Why is the site named \"Tildes\"?\ntl;dr: On Tildes, the tilde symbol (`~`) is used to mark sections of the site: ~music, ~games, ~tv, and so on.\nThe path that led to \"Tildes\" was a bit strange. Originally, I wanted to have a name related to the word \"spectrum\". I think that's a great term for describing an online community platform&mdash;a wide range of variance inside a whole. That's why the non-profit behind the site is named \"Spectria\".\nAs part of thinking about other topics related to a spectrum, I ended up on waves and waveforms, which led to realizing that the tilde symbol (~) looks like a tiny wave. For multiple reasons, I started really liking the idea of using a tilde as the \"marker\" for a community on the site (for example, the music community would be \"~music\").\nFirst, tilde is one of the only \"unreserved\" characters that can be used in web addresses (URIs). From [the RFC related to URIs](\nThat means that a tilde can always be used in a web address without needing to be escaped. This isn't true for many other symbols&mdash;for example, some sites try to put an `@` character in their addresses (usually related to usernames), but since that's not an unreserved character, it will often get converted to `%40`, which looks much uglier. A tilde should always be kept as a tilde.\nIn addition, the `~` symbol also has an association of \"home\" to many technical people. If you're using [the Bash shell](\\(Unix_shell\\)) (or various others), a tilde can often be used to refer to the user's home location. For example, the command `cd ~` changes directory to your home dir. A command like `cd ~deimos` will go to the home dir of the user `deimos`, and so on. I like the idea of each community being thought of as \"the home for &lt;topic&gt;\".\nIt's also a bit of a throwback to common addresses on the early web, where users would host their website on a shared system under their username. For example, when I was in university, the address of my website hosted on the Computer Science department's server was something like [Paul Ford caused a fun resurgence of this a few years ago when he started Tilde.Club](\nSo in the end, a bunch of technical, historical, and associational reasons convinced me that I definitely wanted to use the tilde symbol. From there, it didn't take much until the symbol of the site turned into the actual name.\n## Why isn't Spectria a charity?\nCanada only grants charity status to [organizations with certain purposes]( Generally, the organization has to be devoted to relieving poverty, advancing religion or education, or the benefit of the (local, real-life) community. These are quite restricted definitions&mdash;note that [Wikimedia Canada]( (the Canadian branch of the organization behind Wikipedia) is also a non-profit and not a charity. If even building Wikipedia doesn't seem to qualify as \"advancing education\", I don't think there's any chance that Tildes will.\n## Why isn't Tildes decentralized/distributed/federated?\nDecentralized communities are interesting and have a lot of potential, but that model also introduces its own problems and difficulties. Tildes is already attempting to do quite a few things differently to improve the quality of online communities, and I'm more interested in focusing on those goals without introducing the additional complexity of decentralization.\nHowever, since Tildes will be open-source, someone else could certainly use it as a base for their own decentralized version.\n## Does Tildes allow non-English communities?\nNot for now. Multiple of the site's goals will be difficult or impossible to work towards without being able to understand what's going on in a community, so for now they need to be primarily in English. This may change someday in the future, and if it does, the [hierarchical groups]( could work very well for giving other languages their own set of groups.\n## What's the color scheme used on Tildes?\nTildes uses [the Solarized color scheme by Ethan Schoonover]( It's always been one of my personal favorite schemes, and it has some interesting aspects such as flipping very easily between dark and light modes.\n## What if you don't get enough donations to run the site full-time?\nOne of the best parts about avoiding venture capital and other forms of investment is that there's no pressure. Tildes doesn't have to reach certain thresholds of traffic or revenue to prevent shutting down. The worst case is just that I end up running Tildes as a side project, and hope that it eventually grows to a point where it's sustainable to work on full-time.\nTitle: Mechanics (Future)\nSlug: mechanics-future\nModified: May 11, 2018\nSummary: Information about some future mechanics not present in the alpha\n*This page describes general plans for future mechanics, which are not yet present in the alpha version of Tildes. The details of how they work will most likely evolve significantly as they are implemented and experimented with.*\n*For information about current mechanics, see [the Mechanics page](*\n## Trust/reputation system for moderation\nOne of the few constants of online communities throughout their whole existence has been that they tend to start out good, but have trouble maintaining their culture as they grow, their quality dives rapidly, and they die. It's been happening from the very beginning with examples like [CommuniTree (one of the first BBSes)](, [Usenet with the well-known \"Eternal September\"](, and it's continuing to happen today.\nOne of the most common ways that communities defend themselves is by appointing moderators&mdash;people entrusted with defining and enforcing the norms of behavior for the community. This is an effective system, but has its own weaknesses, including difficult decisions about which users should be made (and allowed to remain) moderators.\nIn my experience, it's always been the best approach to select new moderators from the people known as active, high-quality members of the community. My goal with the trust system on Tildes is to turn this process of discovering the best members and granting them more influence into a natural, automatic one.\nIt's worth noting that the process does not need to be *entirely* automatic. The trust system won't necessarily be a complete replacement for manually promoting users, and a combination of both systems may end up working best.\n### Trust based on consistency and accountability\nTrusting someone is a gradual process that comes from seeing how they behave over time. This can be reflected in the site's mechanics&mdash;for example, if a user consistently reports posts correctly for breaking the rules, eventually it should be safe to just trust that user's reports without preemptive review. Other users that aren't as consistent can be given less weight&mdash;perhaps it takes three reports from lower-trust users to trigger an action, but only one report from a very high-trust user.\nThis approach can be applied to other, individual mechanics as well. For example, a user could gain (or lose) access to particular abilities depending on whether they use them responsibly. If done carefully, this could even apply to voting&mdash;just as you'd value the recommendation of a trusted friend more than one from a random stranger, we should be able to give more weight to the votes of users that consistently vote for high-quality posts.\n### Restricted by group, with decay\nTrust should be largely *group-specific*. That is, users should need to actively participate in a particular community to build up trust in it. Because [Tildes will have a hierarchy of groups](, there are some possibilities with having trust work inside the \"branches\"&mdash;for example, a user that's highly trusted in one music-related group could be given some inherent trust in *other* music-related ones, but not necessarily anything in groups related to, say, TV shows.\nAnother important factor will be having trust decay if the user stops participating in a community for a long period of time. Communities are always evolving, and if a user has been absent for months or years, it's very likely that they no longer have a solid understanding of the community's current norms. Perhaps users that previously had a high level of trust should be able to build it back up more quickly, but they shouldn't indefinitely retain it when they stop being involved.\nBetween these two factors, we should be able to ensure that communities end up being managed by members that actively contribute to them, not just people that want to be a moderator for its own sake.\n### Increased punishment effectiveness\nOne of the core reasons that platforms have so many issues with abuse is that their punishments have little impact. Banned users are often able to immediately create a new account that has identical capabilities to their previous one. Trying to remove persistent malicious users can be an endless game of whack-a-mole where it requires more effort to punish abusers than it does for them to circumvent it.\nBy having users gradually build up trust in individual communities, \"established\" accounts can be far more capable than brand new ones, which adds some actual weight to punishments. If implemented well, this should cause little inconvenience for regular users, but make it far, far more difficult for malicious users to cause trouble.\n### Concerns\nTo be clear, I recognize that this is a dangerous type of system to implement, with the distinct risk of creating \"power users\" that have far too much influence. However, all systems have similar risks&mdash;even if all users are equal, people can form groups or abuse multiple accounts to increase their influence. These types of issues are social and can only be solved with oversight, accountability, and a willingness to punish people that abuse the system, not technology alone.\nMany aspects of this system will need careful observation and tweaking to ensure it works as desired. We don't want to end up incentivizing the wrong types of behavior by creating systems that, for example, give more influence to the *most popular* users instead of the *highest quality* ones. It won't be a simple process, but I believe a system like this will be able to make a huge difference in maintaining the quality of a community as it grows.\nTitle: Mechanics\nSlug: mechanics\nModified: May 4, 2018\nSummary: Description of the basic mechanics on Tildes, and some reasoning behind them\nThis page is an (incomplete) description of the mechanics on Tildes. None of these mechanics are particularly original&mdash;Tildes is intended to be a refinement of community sites, not an entirely new type.\n## Groups\nThe different subject-oriented sections on Tildes are called \"groups\". They have a tilde symbol in front of their name&mdash;for example, the group related to music is \"~music\".\nIt's not being used yet in the alpha, but groups will eventually be organized *hierarchically*. That is, groups can have sub-groups, and be organized into a \"tree\". In the future, the ~music group could have sub-groups such as ~music.metal, and it could have its own sub-groups like ~music.metal.instrumental. This concept should be recognizable to anyone familiar with [Usenet](\nGroups are not \"owned\" by users, and (at least for now) can not be created by users. This may change in the future, but the lack of user-created groups initially will make it simpler to keep the hierarchy organized, as well as concentrate activity in fewer groups while the site is still small.\nA small set of active groups is far better than a large set of inactive ones, and the hierarchy will allow different subjects to easily split into more-specific groups as activity increases.\n## Topics\nThe posts made to groups are called \"topics\". There are two types of topics: link topics, which point to a specific url; and text topics, where the text is posted on Tildes itself by the author.\nUsers can vote on other users' topics, but there is only a positive vote, not a negative one ([see below for more about this](#lack-of-downvoting)).\n### Topic tags\nTopics can be tagged in order to categorize them. Currently, tagging can only be done by the same user that posted the topic, but other users will eventually be able to add/edit/remove tags as well.\nA topic can have any number of tags, and the valid characters in a tag are letters, numbers, and spaces.\nIt will most likely not be used very frequently, but tags also support a hierarchy. For example, a topic tagged `nsfw.gore` is using the hierarchy for a \"sub-tag\" of the `nsfw` tag. This has some interesting possibilities&mdash;someone filtering out all `nsfw` posts would also not see anything tagged `nsfw.gore`, but someone else could choose to filter *only* `nsfw.gore` and still see posts with other tags like `nsfw.nudity` or plain `nsfw`.\nIt's worth mentioning that the hierarchy and naming restrictions of topic tags match up exactly with how groups work. This is deliberate&mdash;there's a lot of potential here with the parallels between sub-groups and tags.\n## Comments\nTildes has nested comments, which form a tree structure. Similar to topics, other users' comments can be voted on, and there is no downvote ([see below for more about this](#lack-of-downvoting)).\n### Comment tags\nComments can also be tagged, which is separate from voting (you can vote on a comment, or tag it, or do both). Tags help to categorize comments and can have other effects. Currently, there are 5 options for tagging comments:\n* Joke - comments posted for humor purposes (actual jokes, puns, references, etc.)\n* Noise - comments that don't add anything to the discussion (\"lol\", \"I agree\", responses to the headline like \"finally!\", etc.)\n* Offtopic - comments talking about something unrelated to the actual topic\n* Troll - comments posted for the purpose of getting a reaction\n* Flame - comments attacking another user\nComment tags serve multiple purposes. Tildes has no downvoting, but some tags can effectively act as \"downvote with a reason\". Tags will also make it possible to support various methods of filtering comment threads, such as both \"show this thread without jokes\" and \"show *only* jokes from this thread\".\nThis concept is probably familiar to anyone who's used Slashdot. Those people have probably also noticed that the positive options from Slashdot are missing, specifically \"interesting\" and \"insightful\". In my opinion, tags like that don't add anything meaningful&mdash;I'd never open a comment thread and think, \"I'd like to read the interesting comments, but not the insightful ones.\"\nOverall, voting on a comment should mean something like \"this is a good comment and I think other people should read it\", while tagging a comment adds more information. With the combination of both, you can express things like \"this is a good comment, even though it's off-topic\", and \"this is a joke, but it's a good one\".\n## Lack of downvoting\nAs mentioned above, Tildes does not have negative votes for either topics or comments. The reason for this is that I believe we can implement different mechanics that replace the \"proper\" use of downvotes without also enabling all the misuses of them.\nThe ideal usage of a downvote is a generic way to express \"this doesn't contribute\", but in practice they tend to be used more as \"I disagree\" or \"I don't like this\". High-quality posts will often get downvoted because other users disagree with the opinion, and in taste-based communities (such as ones related to music), entire categories of valid posts might be unviable because they'll just be downvoted by users with different taste.\nOn Tildes, I want to find ways to accomplish those valuable uses through other mechanics. For example, the [comment tags](#comment-tags) described above can be used to communicate *why* you don't think a comment contributes. [Topic tags](#topic-tags) will allow users to simply filter out certain types of posts that they're not interested in, instead of downvoting them and hurting them for other users that *do* want to see them.\nTitle: Overall Goals\nSlug: overall-goals\nModified: May 11, 2018\nSummary: Some of the overall goals of Tildes\nIf you haven't already, please read [the \"Announcing Tildes\" blog post]( first. It goes over many of the major goals of the site, and this page mostly covers other aspects that aren't included in that post.\n## The Golden Rule\nThere are many variants of the [\"golden rule\"](, but the base idea is that you should act towards others as you'd like them to act towards you. That philosophy applies to various aspects of how I'm approaching building Tildes&mdash;in the end, I'm trying to build the community site that I wish existed, one that treats its users the way they want to be treated.\nFor example, [having low tolerance for people that consistently make others' experience worse]( Nobody (except trolls) hopes to get abuse in response to their posts, so there's no reason to allow that kind of behavior. If people treat each other in good faith and [apply charitable interpretations](, everyone's experience improves.\nThis sort of approach can also apply to decisions related to site mechanics and features. For example, when a feature has a privacy implication, we should consider how we would want our own data to be treated. If the idea of another site collecting similar data would make us nervous, we should try to figure out a way to adjust the feature to reduce or remove that anxiety.\n## Communicate openly and honestly\nRunning a community or platform that people enjoy being a part of is largely about trust. Without trust, every action or change is viewed with suspicion, as people try to figure out \"the real reason\" that it's being done.\nTrust is often lost due to a lack of communication, or a history (or perception) of being deceptive. It's not especially difficult to prevent this from happening, but it requires a willingness to communicate regularly, explain the true reasons behind what's being done, and solicit (and actually be willing to listen to) feedback.\nPart of this is avoiding \"PR-speak\", where companies utilize deliberately abstruse terminology as a mechanism for disseminating information to segments of their stakeholders. I'll always try to communicate in plain language&mdash;if I need to shut something down I'll tell you it's being shut down, not [\"sunset\"]( The [Privacy Policy]( and [Terms of Service]( for Tildes were written in this way as well, with as little legalese as possible.\n## Trust people, but punish abusers\nThe large majority of users on a site generally behave in good faith, and are only interested in legitimately participating and contributing. However, there is always a group of users actively trying to undermine others, and even though they are usually a tiny minority, sites often have to build in such a way to prevent these bad-faith users from being able to do much damage.\nThis tends to mean that many potentially powerful tools cannot be added to the site, since malicious use of them would be too dangerous. Instead of restricting capabilities by needing to design around the worst way any tool could be used, Tildes will default to trusting users to behave in good faith, and punish people that take advantage of that trust. Punishments may involve losing access to certain tools or capabilities, or being banned from communities or the site as a whole.\n## Recognize that users are people, not just metrics\nIn his talk, [\"Is Anything Worth Maximizing?\"](, Joe Edelman discusses the difference between making decisions based on metrics compared to basing them on the users' reasons for visiting the site. Too often, sites focus on increasing their raw numbers (pageviews, time on site, etc.) instead of thinking about *why* the users are there and trying to improve that experience. This is generally because the site's own goals don't align with the users'&mdash;for example, relying on advertising for revenue means that the site wants to show users as many ads as possible, while users would prefer to see none at all.\nBecause Tildes has been organized specifically to cater to its users' interests, this type of conflict isn't present, and we can focus solely on improving the user experience instead of obsessing over metrics that don't necessarily reflect how well the site serves its users.\nAs a specific example, many sites are constantly performing thousands of experiments (\"A/B tests\") on random sets of users to see how changes to the interface or behavior might affect their metrics. This can be a frustrating experience as a user, since elements move around, behave differently, or even disappear entirely from one day to the next. This is exactly what I want to avoid&mdash;regularly annoying users and degrading their experience solely because of an obsession with metrics.\n## Let users make their own decisions about what they want to see\nAnother recent trend has to been to rely heavily on machine-learning and \"personalization algorithms\" to determine what you see when you visit a site. These can work well, but they also often jump to wildly wrong conclusions. To quote [one of my favorite tweets on the topic](\nThese algorithms have largely replaced predictable and chronological feeds, instead [trying to addict users by turning the experience into a slot machine]( where we're never sure if we're \"done\" or what content we're going to be given.\nOn Tildes, I want to stick to predictable ways to view content, along with using additional information (such as metadata and [tags]( to give users flexible methods of deciding for themselves what they want to see (and not see). Once again, since Tildes doesn't need to prioritize growth or showing ads, it can stay away from manipulative mechanics and focus on just helping users find what they want as easily as possible.\n## In-depth content (primarily text-based) is the most important\nThis includes linking to articles on other sites, posting text topics on Tildes itself, and the comment discussions. In general, any changes to the site that will cause \"shallower\" content to gain an advantage should be considered very carefully.\nTitle: Tildes Privacy Policy\nSlug: privacy-policy\nModified: April 29, 2018\n## Scope\nTildes (\"the site\") is operated by Spectria (\"we\", \"us\"), a Canadian not-for-profit corporation. Legal issues will be governed by the laws of Canada and the province of Alberta.\nBy using Tildes, you accept and agree to the terms of this policy.\n## Security\nTildes runs on dedicated servers located in Canada and rented exclusively to Spectria.\nExcept when making a donation, third-party assets or scripts are never included on Tildes. Outside of those specific donation pages, using the site involves communicating exclusively with our servers.\nAll communications with Tildes are encrypted via the HTTPS protocol.\n## What information we collect\n### Functionality-related\nTildes collects information that you submit as part of using the site, in order to provide the relevant functionality. This information is generally stored indefinitely, and includes:\n* If you register an account, your username and a hashed representation of your password, as well as (if applicable) information about which user invited you.\n* Which groups you subscribe to.\n* The contents of any topics or comments (\"posts\") that you submit.\n* If you edit a post, the previous content is replaced and not retained.\n* If you delete a post, it is marked for deletion and hidden from the site, but the contents are not deleted immediately. The content of deleted posts is removed from our databases 30 days after deletion.\n* Your votes and/or tags on posts.\n* The contents of messages that you send to other users; and for any message conversations you are a part of, an indicator of whether you have viewed the conversation after the most recent message was sent.\nWhen we store data for functionality-related reasons, we generally also store the date and time that the action took place.\n### Logging\nWe automatically log all requests and the associated information (your IP address, user-agent, etc.) that your browser or device sends while using the site. This information may be associated with your user account, if you are logged in at the time.\nAll personal information logged this way is deleted in 30 days unless:\n* We are required to retain it for longer due to a legal obligation such as in response to a valid copyright claim (as required by Canada's *Copyright Act* &sect; 41.26(1)(b)).\n* We believe it is necessary to prevent sophisticated or egregious violations of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, or the law.\nAggregated, non-identifiable information and statistics derived from logs may be retained indefinitely.\n### Other\nIf you communicate with us through email, we collect your email address and the contents of the messages.\nIf you make a donation, we do not handle or have access to any of your sensitive financial information (such as credit card info), but do collect any transaction information sent to us by the relevant payment processor. Please check the privacy policy of the payment processor for details.\n## How we use and share your information\nYour information is used exclusively to operate Tildes. This includes providing the functionality of the site, analyzing usage, troubleshooting site issues, and investigating abuse.\nWe never sell your information and Tildes does not have advertising.\nYour information is not willingly shared with third parties, but we may disclose your information if we believe it is necessary to comply with a valid legal process or to prevent imminent harm (such as suicide).\n## Cookies\nCookies are small data files stored on your device and sent along with your requests while using the site.\nTildes uses cookies to support users being logged into their accounts, and we may also store user preferences in them (such as which display theme you are using), whether you are logged in or not.\nYou may configure your browser or device to reject cookies from Tildes, but by doing so you will be unable to log into an account, and some other site functionality may not function properly.\n## Do Not Track signal\nTildes does not alter its behavior based on whether your browser sends a Do Not Track (`DNT`) header or not.\n## Children\nTildes is not intended for use by children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone below that age. We will delete any collected information if we discover that it was provided to us by a child under age 13 without parental consent.\n## Your choices\n*To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, we may need to verify your identity or ownership of an account before we can give you access to, or change, information about you.*\nYou may request any of:\n* correction or deletion of any of your personal information\n* a full export of your personal information\n* deletion of your Tildes account (and all associated personal information)\nby emailing []( If we satisfy a deletion request, the information will be immediately marked for deletion (which removes its visibility from the site), and fully removed from the databases in 30 days.\nAny requests will be responded to within 30 days.\n## Data breach notification\nIf a data breach that includes personal data is discovered, it will be disclosed to the affected users through private messages if feasible. If notifying individuals is not feasible, the breach will be disclosed publicly on [the Tildes blog]( and/or in an official announcement location on the site.\nThis disclosure will happen as soon after discovery as we believe it is safe to do so (for example, after fixing the vulnerability that made it possible).\n## Backups\nTildes maintains backups of its data for up to 30 days. Therefore, any deleted or edited data may persist in its previous form inside backup archives during that period.\n## Changes to this policy\nThe date that this policy was last updated is visible at the top of this page, and you can view the entire change history by following the \"view history\" link.\nWe will make reasonable efforts to inform you if material changes are made to this policy (such as announcing the changes on [the Tildes blog]( and/or in an official announcement location on the site).\n## How to contact us\nFor questions about this privacy policy or other privacy-related concerns, please email [](\nThis diff is collapsed.\nTitle: Tildes Terms of Use\nSlug: terms-of-use\nModified: April 29, 2018\n## Scope\nBy using Tildes, you accept and agree to follow these terms. Please also see [our privacy policy]( for details of how we collect and use your information, and [our code of conduct]( for more general standards of behavior.\n## General\nYour use of Tildes is at your sole risk. The site is provided on an \"as is\" and \"as available\" basis without any express or implied warranty or condition.\n{: .conspicuous }\nAt any time, with no notice and for any reason, we may block your access to Tildes, terminate your account, or remove any of the content you have posted to the site. This is far more likely to happen if you violate these terms or the [code of conduct](\nAt any time, with no notice, we may modify the site's functionality, or disable the site entirely.\nContent posted on Tildes by users is not endorsed by us or verified in any way. Material that you find on the site may be inaccurate, misleading, or outright false. You should not make important decisions (medical, financial, etc.) based on information or advice you find on Tildes, and we are not liable if you choose to do so.\nTildes is not intended to facilitate purchases, trades, or any other transactions of goods or services. Any arrangements you make through the site are at your own risk.\nYou must be at least 13 years old to use Tildes.\n## Restrictions on use\nDo not attempt to damage the operation of the site. If you discover a bug, security issue, or privacy leak, please disclose it responsibly by emailing []( or report it through appropriate methods on the site itself.\nDo not use Tildes to break the law, including violating intellectual property rights. See the [\"Copyright infringement claims\" section](#copyright-infringement-claims) for more details.\n## Your Tildes account\nIf you register an account on Tildes, do not share your account with others; or sell, give away, or otherwise transfer access to your account.\nYou are responsible for keeping track of your login information and keeping your password secure. If you do not configure account recovery settings (or configure them improperly) and lose access to your account, we may be unable to restore it for you.\nYou are responsible for content posted from your account.\nDo not attempt to gain access to accounts that do not belong to you.\nYou may register and use multiple Tildes accounts, but [see the code of conduct]( for restrictions.\n## Content you post to Tildes\n*Please think carefully about what you post to Tildes. You should recognize that by submitting anything to the site, it may be archived, copied, or otherwise duplicated by any other user or automatic system that is able to access it. If you later choose to edit or delete this content, we will remove it from Tildes itself, but we will be unable to affect any external copies.*\nYou retain copyright and ownership of any of your own content that you submit to Tildes. However, you grant us a non-exclusive license to store, display and distribute that content in the context of operating the site, subject to our Privacy Policy.\n## Content restrictions\nDo not post content that breaks the law.\nDo not post spam, or send spam as unsolicited messages.\nDo not post links to viruses, malware, or other content that may damage the devices of people that follow the link.\nDo not post content that violates [the code of conduct](\n## Copyright infringement claims\nWe will act on legitimate copyright claims as described in Canada's *Copyright Act*. To report copyright infringement on Tildes, send a notice of claimed infringement to []( with the information required by the *Copyright Act* &sect; 41.25(2).\nAs required by the *Copyright Act*, properly-formed notices will be forwarded to the relevant user (if possible), and the claimant will be informed whether it was forwarded or why doing so was not possible. In addition, the relevant records for the user will be retained as required.\nTildes may choose to remove the infringing content in response to a valid claim, but we are not required to do so.\n## Changes to the terms\nThe date that the terms were last updated is visible at the top of this page, and you can view the entire change history by following the \"view history\" link.\nWe will make reasonable efforts to inform you if material changes are made to the terms (such as announcing the changes on [the Tildes blog]( and/or in official announcement locations on the site).\n## Entire Agreement\nThe Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy are the only operable agreements between Tildes and Tildes users. You may not assign any rights under this agreement. All prior communications or agreements are superseded by the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.\nAUTHOR = 'Chad Birch (Deimos)'\nSITENAME = 'Tildes'\nTHEME = 'theme'\nTIMEZONE = 'America/Edmonton'\n# \"articles\" are blog posts\nARTICLE_SAVE_AS = 'blog/{slug}.html'\nARTICLE_URL = '{slug}'\n# \"pages\" are docs pages\nPAGE_SAVE_AS = 'docs/{slug}.html'\nPAGE_URL = '{slug}'\n# generate an atom feed for the blog posts\nFEED_ALL_ATOM = 'blog/all.atom.xml'\n# specific template pages (not generated from markdown)\n'index.html': 'blog/index.html',\n'page_index.html': 'docs/index.html',\n'donate-stripe.html': 'docs/donate-stripe.html',\n# always delete the output and generate from scratch\n# default extension config + enable Table of Contents extension\n'extension_configs': {\n'markdown.extensions.codehilite': {'css_class': 'highlight'},\n'markdown.extensions.extra': {},\n'markdown.extensions.meta': {},\n'markdown.extensions.toc': {'title': 'Contents'},\n'output_format': 'html5',\n# sort the docs list by title\nPAGE_ORDER_BY = 'title'\n# urls for linking to page history\nGITLAB_HISTORY_BASE_URL = GITLAB_REPO_URL + '/commits/master/content/'\n# \"summary\" field is treated as markdown by default, disable that\n# don't autogenerate summary if one isn't specified\n# no index page for now\n# don't save any of the \"special\" archive/etc. pages at all\nTAG_URL = ''\n# disable extra feeds\n* {\nbox-sizing: border-box;\nhtml {\nfont-family: Georgia, \"DejaVu Serif\", serif;\nfont-size: 20px;\nbackground-color: #eee8d5;\ncolor: #586e75;\nbody {\nfont-size: 0.8rem;\nline-height: 1.4rem;\nmargin: 0;\nmin-height: 100vh;\n@supports (display: grid) {\nbody {\ndisplay: grid;\ngrid-template-rows: auto 1fr auto;\ngrid-template-columns: 1fr minmax(min-content, 40rem) auto 1fr;\n\". header header .\"\n\". main list .\"\n\". footer footer .\";\ngrid-gap: 0.4rem;\nheader {\ngrid-area: header;\npadding: 0.4rem;\npadding-bottom: 0;\nmax-width: 41rem;\nheader a {\ndisplay: inline-block;\nbackground-image: url(/theme/images/favicon-32x32.png);\nbackground-repeat: no-repeat;\npadding-left: 40px;\nline-height: 32px;\nfont-size: 1.2rem;\nfont-family: sans-serif;\nfont-weight: bold;\ncolor: #586e75;\nheader a:visited {\ncolor: #586e75;\nheader a:hover {\ntext-decoration: none;\nmain {\ngrid-area: main;\nmargin: auto;\npadding: 1rem;\nheight: 100%;\nwidth: 100%;", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9240639805793762}
+{"content": "Stellar is an open-source and distributed payments infrastructure. Stellar Core is the software that powers the backbone of the Stellar network and validates and agrees on transactions.\n\nStellar Ecosystem\n\n\nAPI: Horizon\n\nMost applications interact with the Stellar network through Horizon, a RESTful HTTP API server. Horizon gives you a straightforward way to submit transactions, check accounts, and subscribe to events. Because it’s just HTTP, you can communicate with Horizon using your web browser, simple command line tools like cURL, or the Stellar SDK for your favorite programming language.\n\nThe easiest way to install Horizon is by using the stellar/quickstart docker image. maintains JavaScriptJava, and Go-based SDKs for communicating with Horizon. There are also community-maintained SDKs for RubyPython, and C#.\n\nNetwork Backbone: Stellar Core\n\nBehind the scenes, every Horizon server connects to Stellar Core, the backbone of the Stellar network. The Stellar Core software does the hard work of validating and agreeing with other instances of Core on the status of every transaction through the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP). The Stellar network itself is a collection of connected Stellar Cores run by various individuals and entities around the world. Some instances have a Horizon server you can communicate with, while others exist only to add reliability to the overall network.\n\nThe easiest way to install Stellar Core is by using the stellar/quickstart docker image.\n\nYou might want to host your own instance of Stellar Core in order to submit transactions without depending on a third party, have more control over who to trust, or simply to help make the Stellar network more reliable and robust for others.\n\nBig Picture: The Stellar Network\n\nThe Stellar network is a worldwide collection of Stellar Cores, each maintained by different people and organizations. The distributed nature of the network makes it reliable and safe.\n\nAll these Stellar Cores—the network of nodes—eventually agree on sets of transactions. Each transaction on the network costs a small fee: 100 stroops (0.00001 XLM). This fee helps prevent bad actors from spamming the network.\n\nTell us about a new Kubernetes application\n\n\n\n\nDiscover and learn about everything Kubernetes", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9744842052459717}
+{"content": "Putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) can pay off for content marketers.\n\nUltimately, the goal of content marketing comes down to offering something valuable to your target audience.\n\nWriting an ebook gives you a great opportunity to reach potential customers and impress them with your industry knowledge, while helping them answer a question or solve a problem.\n\nWhile they certainly require more time and dedication than your run-of-the-mill blog post, ebooks can have huge benefits for brands and businesses. Here are eight of them.\n\n1. Cover an In-Depth Topic\n\nThere’s a time and a place for 10-second videos and short social posts, but when it comes to covering a complicated topic, ebooks are the perfect format.\n\nThe key to success for any long-form content is finding a way to communicate your ideas in a fun and creative way. The best ebooks contain a mix of clearly organized information and compelling visual support.\n\nPeople who download your ebook are likely already interested in at least some aspect of your service offerings; so if you can tell a better story than the competition, you up your odds of winning over prospective clients.\n\n2. Establish Authority\n\nEbooks generally include several pages, at the very least, of valuable information about a specific skill or concept.\n\nThe more value you provide, the more readers will associate your brand with the wealth of content they’ve absorbed.\n\nBy demonstrating your industry knowledge, you’re also establishing your brand as a trusted source for solving future dilemmas.\n\n3. Build Trust\n\nThe information in your ebook is important, but so is the language with which you convey your message.\n\nBy giving real-time examples and offering approachable explanations, you build a positive rapport with readers, maintaining their trust and cultivating long-term relationships with prospective clients.\n\n4. Generate New Business Leads\n\nWhen you’re offering something as valuable as an ebook, you can ask for something in return. Most ebooks are gated, meaning they require readers to supply their name and email address before downloading.\n\nbrand publishing ebook\n\nWhile you may think this kind of requirement could deter prospective clients from accessing your content, the most qualified leads are actively looking for the information that your ebook provides, and likely won’t mind being put on a list to receive similar content in the future.\n\n5. Repurpose Content\n\nEbooks contain a ton of (hopefully useful) information, giving you the opportunity to build a bank of content for repurposing.\n\nLater in the month or year, when you’re looking for resources to keep your content flowing, you’ll have everything you need right at your fingertips.\n\nSimply reformat it in a way that makes the most sense – whether as blog posts, white papers, or even a short video.\n\n6. Increase Traffic\n\nOffering a free book that covers all the hot topics and major concerns within your industry can really help drive traffic to your site.\n\nInclude links to corresponding landing pages on your site so readers can gain more insights about your brand and inquire about your services when they’re ready.\n\n7. Create a Company Manifesto\n\nEvery brand has a mantra, whether it’s publicly stated or not.\n\nWhat do you believe? What’s your inspiration for creating stellar products or services? What values drive and represent your brand?\n\nYour ebook can help set the tone for your brand’s voice and values, reaching consumers who relate to and support your mission statement.\n\n8. Sell Without Selling\n\nEbooks give you an opportunity to demonstrate your brand’s capabilities by weaving in your own case studies or positive client experiences to support your claims.\n\nSubtly demonstrating how your company overcomes industry challenges is a great way to show readers what you can offer without being pushy or aggressive.\n\ncase study\n\nAs a marketing professional, you already have the necessary tools and insights to create valuable content. The next step is organizing and communicating your industry expertise in a way that your target audience finds informative and compelling.\n\nLongneck and Thunderfoot offer premium content services, leveraging the talents of our team of editors, writers, designers, and researchers to craft authoritative guides, white papers, and infographics on the topics most relevant to your business. Learn more about premium content here.\n\nAuthor Ami Foote\n\n\nMore posts by Ami Foote", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.885560154914856}
+{"content": "Open ended: Creating Arrays\n\nIn this project, students attempt to create all of the possible array representations for each of the numbers smaller than a given number(which may depend on the amount of time they have to devote to this project).\n\nFor example 6 = 2 x 3 and 6 = 1 x 6, so two possible arrays for 6 are:\n\n\n\n\nThe objective after they have these arrays is to classify the numbers into groups based on whatever patterns they see in the structure of the arrays.\n\nWhat observations do you think students might have when doing this project?\n\n\nOpen ended investigation: Mathematical sequences as musical scores\n\n\n\nWhat would π sound like?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7836635112762451}
+{"content": "Landscape analysis\n\nUnfortunately, innovations in the telecommunications sector are significantly underdeveloped in Ukraine. Due to constant underfunding and lack of political will to prioritise the sector, Ukraine lags behind in implementing technologies that have long been implemented in the west, at best. A good example in this relation is the introduction of 4G Internet connection that has been postponed in Ukraine by years compared to when it appeared in the West.\n\nApart from that, Ukraine has been actively developing e-governance in recent years, it being the cornerstone of public administration reform. Extensive instruments have been introduced to Ukrainians to simplify their communication with the state as well as to reduce red tape in these relations. At the same time, as much know-how as has been invested in the sector, one can hardly say that these innovations amount to anything more than the implementation of western practices at their example.\n\nAn interesting tendency is the disparity between the number of patents obtained in the last decade and the practical impact it has had on Ukraine’s market. During the last ten years, international corporations, including Bayer, GE, Samsung, Qualcomm, and others, have obtained around 20,000 patents. The number of patents Ukrainians have had a hand in globally reached the stunning figure of 124,000. At the same time, in practice the above thrilling numbers translate into little progress. Several examples of the few success stories include Viewdle, face recognition software, and Looksery, specialising in modification of streamline videos in real time.\n\nOverall, innovation, as scarce as it is, is more prominent in civil engineering, pharmaceuticals, medicine, transport, and even agriculture rather than telecommunications which does not seem to be a priority at all. This may owe the two specific factors: First, as it has already been mentioned above, the sector requires significant amount of funding rarely available in Ukraine; second, Ukraine’s political background coupled with protracted conflict in the East of the country significantly reduce the will of foreign companies to enter the Ukrainian market.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9968699812889099}
+{"content": "7 Things that I wish I knew when I was younger\n\nThe best way to learn is from others faults. I’ve had the idea of creating a blog account because I want to spread my knowledge to the world. Also, I want you to avoid and be aware of what I didn’t know earlier.\n\n1- Programming\n\nWhen I graduated from college, I had no clue about what type of degree I want to pursue. I had no goals in my life. I have wasted one year before opting for electrical engineering, which wasn’t my choice also.\n\nIn my second semester, I have taken C++ programming which I hated and I barely passed. Despite detesting coding, I fell in love with programming in my third year at Uni, hence I wished I was a computer science instead of an electrical engineer. I would’ve graduated in 3 years and gained 2 years of experience in 5 years which is the amount of time spent to become an engineer.\n\nI don’t regret being an engineer after all, but my life would’ve been much easier if someone advised me back then and told me that there is something called computer science.\n\n2- Value of time\n\nI used to waste my time playing video games for countless hours while I should’ve been reading, browsing Youtube or planning my future.\n\nWhat I realised lately is that time is more important than money, since time passed is never recovered. Managing your time efficiently will grant you lots and lots of money which is not the case in the opposite situation.\n\nI always remind myself with this quote that motivates me:\n\n“work while they sleep,\n\nstudy while they party,\n\nsave while they spend, then\n\nlive like they dream\"\n\n3- Inspirational videos\n\nInspirational and motivational videos turned my life upside down. After listening to Dan Lok, Wes Brown, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet etc… I have chosen my life goal, which is: Stay alive when I die, just like Steve Jobs, Einstein and Tesla. I just set my goal and through time, I will learn how to reach it by overcoming all the obstacles.\n\n4- Failure is important\n\nI used to get depressed when I fail. One failure lead me to lose many other 'battles’. In fact, I used to give up early and get frustrated and angry when things just don’t work as it should be. My advice is: never give up, life will hit you as hard as it can but you should always stand up and fight again. What makes failure the twin of success is that when you stand up again, you become a better, stronger and more determined version of yourself.\n\nThat’s what programming tought me. I was so passionate about coding that I thought that if I want to become the best programmer, I should overcome this challenge and solve the problem in a way or another.\n\n5- Be the smartest in the room\n\nThis advise is really important and helpful at work. In your first couple of weeks, try to detect the man/woman that without him/her the company will fail. This person should become your temporary role model. You should compare yourself to him/her and see what he/she has better and more skills than you. Based on your analysis, you should make a list of skills that you should acquire and enhance in order to become his/her skill competitor. The next step is when you overcome that person, search for another 'target’. When you don’t find one then consider searching for a higher level company or job, or if you’re experienced enough and you have money, it would be a great idea if you create your own company.\n\n6- Own the place\n\nWhen you first enter to a place, act as if you’re the owner and the rest are your guests. This will drastically improve your confidence and personality.\n\n7- Turn fear into energy\n\nWes Brown always speaks about fear that prevents someone to achieve his/her goals. I didn’t understand fear until lately. In fact, what he meant is that when you are confident about a certain skill, you feel the fear to learn a new skill from 0 because you fear from failing.\n\nBeing comfortable with a skill makes you secure somehow. You should admit that you will suck while learning the new skill, but with time you will overcome fear and obstacles and finally master that skill.\n\nI faced that fear when I decided to learn web development which I literally had no clue about it. It was tempting and frustrating at first specially when I saw the instructor (from an online course) being so confortable coding lots and lots of lines. After 1 month of hard work, what the instructor seemed too difficult is now easy for me and I can code as much as he can without looking at the documentation.\n\nFinally, I hope that this article was helpful for at least one person, therefore, I would be happy that my time spent writing this article would be effective and not considered as wasted time.\n\nPlease like the article if it was helpful so that I continue to post new threads.\n\nFeel free to contact me for more guidance.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6157327890396118}
+{"content": "Tag: What is a mole?\n\nHow To Remove Moles: Permanent Features & Mole Removal Cost?\n\nWhile I can’t say I’m personally a wearer of moles, I know a few people who are. For the most part, they’ve generally grown to accept these features as something that’s part of them. However, that’s not to say they’re pleased with them. Most of my friends would love the opportunity to remove them and I’ve approached them with the suggestion I’m about to outline. If you’re in the same boat as my friends, then I’d like for you to know that there is a way to remove moles if you’re dissatisfied with them. So, how can moles be removed? Let’s find out.\n\nWhat is a Mole?\n\nA mole is scientifically known as a melanocytic nevus. It is a dark, benign tumor that grows underneath the skin. The majority of moles will appear within the the first twenty years of a person’s life and at least one in every 100 babies are born with moles. Moles are sometimes confused for melanoma, but the overall majority of these skin lesions won’t cause any health problems for the person. Most of the unpleasantness associated with having moles are cosmetic reasons, if the person wishes to remove them and find them bothersome.\n\nWhat Causes Moles?\n\nThere are three primary reasons for the formation of moles: genetics, exposure to sunlight, and hormonal imbalances.\n\nThe majority of moles are caused by having a genetic predisposition to moles. Sometimes, a person may have a genetic variation that causes an overwhelming number of moles to grow. “Atypical mole syndrome” is a hereditary gene that is passed between birth parents and their offspring. Sometimes, this can cause individuals to grow up to and occasionally over 100 moles. This quantity also places the person at risk for the development of melanoma, a type of skin cancer.\n\nHowever, it is important to note that it is extremely rare for a benign mole to suddenly “become” cancerous. A melanoma will almost always grow as a new, independent growth. The reason it’s associated with mole growth is because of their similar appearances. Differentiation requires the opinion of an expert dermatologist, who will use specialty tools to see whether or not a mole is cancerous.\n\nExperts also believe that exposure to UV radiation plays a role in the formation of acquired moles later in life. Exposure to excessive sunlight is well-known to cause premature aging, skin damage, and is a favorable scenario for the growth of a melanoma. Likewise, hormonal imbalances during pregnancy and diabetic swings have also been shown to contribute to mole formation.\n\nHow Are Moles Removed?\n\nWhen exploring removal options, most are only familiar with the three forms of surgical procedures: traditional “knife” surgery, laser surgery, and electrocautery.\n\nIf individuals only want to remove one or two moles, they’re often candidates for traditional surgery. In this setting, moles are “shaved” after the surgeon has placed a local anesthetic on the mole being treated. This prevents the patient from feeling any pain or discomfort during the procedure. Laser surgery is also becoming a popular alternative to the shaving method as the unsightly scars associated with more traditional forms of surgery are greatly reduced and the procedure achieves a better cosmetic effect as a result.\n\nElectrocauterization is rarely used in a mole removal, but can be utilized when there is a risk for bleeding in the patient or the patient has iron deficiencies that would make any bleeding difficult to manage. In this method, a mole is effectively “burned” by a metal probe and electric current to be removed from the skin, which hardens the blood vessels in the process. It is not as sightly as laser surgery, but achieves similar results.\n\nRisks of Surgical Methods\n\nTraditional surgery carries risks and complications. Above all, many surgical procedures simply aren’t sightly as they leave behind skin irritations, blemishes, and scars. This completely defeats the purpose of cosmetic surgery in the first place! Fortunately, there are removal methods that don’t require the individual to leave his or her home. They’re also manufactured with the cosmetic result in mind.\n\nBest In-Home Solution\n\nNow, it’s time to reveal the best in-home solution for mole removal. No, it’s not a blade-based kit that seems to dominate much of the removal kit scene. It’s actually a cream that penetrates the mole to visibly reduce its appearance and gradually causes the mole to fall off of the skin.\n\nThis product is known as Dermatend and is the best home removal solution in my opinion. It is well-reviewed and is backed by a 60-day money back guarantee. Here are what two users have to say about Dermatend:\n\n\nMole Removal Cost?\n\nBelieve it or not the actual mole removal doesn’t cost as much as you think. We here at removemolesandtags.com have searched for the best products and advice on how to keep the cost to a minimum.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8645815849304199}
+{"content": "Tests, are they just a school thing?\n\n\nAs I sit in front of my computer mulling over recent student test data, I am finding myself surprised by some of the data. A few students who always seem to have the answers when we work in the classroom struggled. Some of those that never seem to be paying attention or have their work completed scored better than expected. Are my classroom observations off? Were my formative assessments not checking for the right understanding?\n\nExamining students’ work does show if understanding is happening, but this is different than a test. When students work in my class they can talk to each other. I have taught them how to help each other become better students by asking the right questions: How did you reach your answer? What process did you follow? Where did you find your information? Our class motto is: Working together to achieve higher. Collaboration is a key element in all students success, in life and in school. BUT when it comes to tests students sit alone. NO help, NO collaboration, NO resources just them by themselves. All alone. Many students worry about their grades. Saying “If I don’t get a good grade I will be grounded!” etc.\n\nIs an educational setting the only place where tests exists this way? YES, High Schools, Colleges, MCATs, LSATs, GRE, Medical and Legal Board exams all look this way. But where else. If I am a doctor do I face my patients alone, or can I call other medical experts for advice. When building a house do I work alone or part of a team? Obviously in most jobs tests occur but allow us to use the resources and our colleagues are available to find solutions.\n\nIn education we need to find a balance between the current high stakes testing world and the collaborative world that surrounds us. Our students are so much more than a multiple guess test score. Our students are unique makers striving to exist in a world that is not defined yet.\n\n\nDear Elected Officials on Election Day\n\n\nPlease listen to the teachers, Stop killing tomorrow by focusing on test scores and not students.\n\nHear are 3 articles I just read today that prompted this video.\n\n  1. Polk Teacher’s Resignation Letter Hits a Nerve\n  2. Standardized Testing: The Monster that Ate American Education\n  3. Jerry Oleksiak: Standardized tests toxic to culture of learning in schools\n\nIts time to state our beliefs\n\n\nIt is time for ALL in education to state their beliefs. Education is saturated with interest groups; ranging from teacher unions, administrative associations, to non-profit think tanks, parent groups and for profit companies. ALL of us know we can do better. Most of these organizations have similar belief systems, but we are running parallel paths attempting to arrive at the same location. Our message often gets blurred in the public eyes. When we disagree, rhetoric takes over our focus and progress is stifled. Stakeholders need to start to work together for our students or our PUBLIC education system we know, value and cherish in American will crumble.\n\nA few recent events have greatly impacted my thinking. First I saw the documentary Most Likely To Succeed, A must for ALL who care about education. It tells the story of what education SHOULD be instead of what it has turned into due to the unintended consequences of poor legislative policies.\n\nMost Likely to Succeed Trailer from One Potato Productions on Vimeo.\n\nIf the trailer peaks your interest find a viewing near you. Next viewing in Michigan is at Fraser HS Oct. 29 6:30 PM where I will be to discuss a plan for the next steps in education. Second I attended the Association Of Middle Level Education Conference in Columbus Ohio. AMLE base all of their work on their core beliefs which are clearly written down in their position paper: This We Believe. The belief statement guide every session at the conference and all that their organization focuses their work. In a conversation with a friend while reflecting that Michigan and the USA lack a clear belief statement, a friend pointed me toward Alfie Kohn’s recent post: To Change What We Do, Consider What We Believe.\n\nWhat do we collectively believe in education? \n\nWhat if all the stakeholder groups could come together and clearly state OUR collective beliefs in education. Our beliefs for students, educations, and community and their roles in education. We might not all agree int he same path to the belief, but I am sure we COULD create a common, collaborative, extensive belief statement. Sure some of my readers are saying this is a mission statement that districts have. Our beliefs have more depth. This collective belief statement would guide our policies. ANY educational policy introduced would have to address a CORE COLLECTIVE belief, not just be on someones agenda.\n\nHOW TO START: Write down our beliefs \n\nWe believe all students can learn. We believe they learn in different ways and at different rates. How do our policies reflect theses beliefs?\n\nWe believe that teachers should be highly skilled practitioners, the top of their class. Skilled and passionate about their profession. How do our funding policies make this happen?\n\nWe believe that community involvement in our schools will make them successful. In what ways is this encouraged by policy?\n\nWhat are your beliefs? Please use form to add them so we can make a belief statement for education!\n\nDancing out our Fridays\n\nPhoto by W. Janda\n\nHow does your school celebrate a successful completion of the week? At ours we have started a dancing tradition! Students work hard in classes to reach learning targets, their hard work needs to be celebrated as a community. Grades are individual accomplishments that show learning. Some families celebrate these grades by going out to dinner or reward grades by giving money for the number of A’s on a report card. These celebrations don’t happen at a high frequency, 4 time per year at most.\n\nOur new principal decided we needed more visible celebrations IN SCHOOL. After a hard weeks work we dance out the last 10 minutes of our Fridays.  On Wednesday a survey is posted and shared with students and staff to ask for a song to inspire our dance moves. At 3:00 PM announcements are made to remind students of coming events. Then the music comes on the PA, students and staff get up out of their seats and GROVE to the music. The hallways fill up with smiles and movement. Their is no better way for a student to end the day than dancing with a smile out the door.\n\n\nThis small celebration has breathed new life and spirit into our building. Office referrals are down and smiles are up! Maybe one of these days we will have live music or be on the Ellen Show, but for now we love moving to the tunes and having fun as a community!\n\nPhoto by D. Sikora\n\nSign for change\n\nEven a blind squirrel finds a nut, I never thought I would agree with an article written by Capital Confidential. They found a nut. Michigan’s Teacher evaluation system is broken! During the 2013-2014 school year Detroit Public Schools rated 79% of their teachers Highly Effective. There are many great teachers in Detroit Public Schools, but no quality teacher evaluation system of any district would rate 79% of their teachers at the highest level. These results are a symptom of a problem. Teacher evaluations are being used to rank and sort teachers. Administrators, scared of losing teachers who are effective are inflating teachers evaluations.\n\nWhen Michigan State legislature decided to change teacher evaluation laws to qualify for race to the top in 2011, they rushed to make changes failing to see the full consequences. Districts have implemented poor teacher evaluation programs due to lack of funding and training. Administrators lack the time to observe all of their teachers. It appears that in Detroit Public Schools Administrators have taken the stance that teacher that do their jobs are Highly Effective. Our students deserve better.\n\nIt is time for Lansing to revisit the Michigan Council Educator Effectiveness report from 2013. Create a model evaluation plan for the state of Michigan. Without a model evaluation plan situations like DPS will continue to arise. With this plan administrators and teachers will know what to expect. Our students will then have the education experience they deserve.\n\nTeachers aren’t the enemy\n\nFrom Chris Christie wanting to punch the teachers union in the face to John Kasich‘s desire to get rid of teachers unions the teaching profession is under attack by bullies. It isn’t just the politicians that want to use the teaching profession as a whipping post, non-profits like The 74 and The Mackinac Center regularly take jabs at teachers under the premise of educational reform. Teachers are becoming afraid to share their voice due to the constant attacks. Fewer teachers are now drawn to the profession. Teachers are afraid to share their voice due to abuse. Where will it end?\n\nTeachers are not the enemy to educational reform, we are the solution. Without high quality dedicated teachers, schools would not exist. Think tanks like to spend piles of money to break up teachers unions and belittle the profession. WHY? Wouldn’t their money be better spent in building up the teaching profession? How about opening a model school and see how their policies would make education better? It doesn’t happen because their solutions are short term, focused on saving money on teacher pay not creating a better system. The best educational systems exist where teachers feel valued and have a role in decision making.\n\nThe Mackinac Center under the pseudonym Capitol Confidential likes to constantly badger teachers sharing their voice. In a recent post “Teachers Making Over $80,000 need second job to pay bill” the center just wants to focus on pay of teachers. The article is quick to point out that teachers work 184.5 days and 7 hours per day. Lets start with the hours: NO teacher works bell to bell it is impossible to do so, most effective teachers work 3 to 4 hours beyond the bells. Next, no teacher only works the district calendar. Just stop by a school in the weeks before or after the school year and see who is there, most teachers. Sure, eighty thousand should like a good amount of money but few teachers make this salary. The state average is $57,000 and that number has been going down. Starting teachers make less, Average starting teachers salary statewide is $35,000. Remember these teachers have students loans to pay off, taxes, pensions, health care, homes and families to pay for. Yes, teachers are struggling just like many in our country.\n\nIf the Mackinac Center were a student in our schools they would be written up for bulling behavior under state bullying laws. It has been repeated and constant. Educators share their story, Mackinac Center attacks, in the name of school reform. Stop the bullying. Focus on being a positive voice not an attacking one. Focus on helping teachers not beating use up.\n\nWe are not the enemy you are looking for. Your public bullying behavior makes our job harder. If a public group like Mackinac Center can bully, why can’t our students?\n\nTeachers aren’t the enemy, they are doing the best we can in the world we live in. Schools are a reflection of our society. Education reform should be about making our society better, so our schools reflect it.\n\n7 Educational What ifs ….\n\n Educators need to start thinking outside the box; focusing on WHAT IF questions. Here are some society needs to tackle.\n\n  1. What if we funded education like we do sports? We spend billions on sports annually, do they add as much value to the world as our educational system?\n  2. What if we stopped bashing teachers and supported them? Teachers have been slammed everywhere they go lately. Just think if teachers felt valued and were treated like professionals.\n  3. What if all businesses had vested interests in their community schools? Businesses seem so disconnected with today’s school system, shouldn’t they be more involved.\n  4. What if there was more collaboration in education? Currently most educational models have schools competing for students, shouldn’t they be collaborating for students’ learning instead?\n  5. What if education was about sharing ideas instead of making capitalist profits? Many business models are set up to profiteer off of our public schools, should it be more about the common good!\n  6. What if teacher voice was valued more than special interest think tanks and politicians? Teachers are the experts, shouldn’t they be listened to more than all the so-called educational reformers with no classroom experience.\n  7. What if university schools of education worked with in school districts? Many schools of education are so disconnected with real schools. Need to make teaching schools, just like teaching hospitals for doctors.\n\nI am sure their are many more What if questions we need to be asking, be sure to add yours to the comments.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7103921175003052}
+{"content": "New toolkit makes it easy to drag and drop your own robot\n\nThe old song tells us that the leg bone is connected to the hip bone, but how are we to know if the articulated cam can connect to the brushless motor? There are, sadly, no songs designed to tell us how to build robots. Luckily CMU’s Ruta Desai has us covered.\n\nHis project, “Computational Abstractions for Interactive Design of Robotic Devices,” is essentially a robotics toolkit. You see a set of parts that you can drag and drop to connect together and a complex physics engine ensures that wheels go where they work the best and motors are connected properly. This means you can’t create a robot that will fall over as soon as it moves forward. The tool also recommends parts to add to your robot to make it work better or be more structurally sound.\n\n“The process of creating new robotic systems today is notoriously challenging, time-consuming and resource-intensive,” said co-creator of the project Stelian Coros. “In the not-so-distant future, however, robots will be part of the fabric of daily life and more people — not just roboticists — will want to customize robots. This type of interactive design tool would make this possible for just about anybody.”\n\nIn short this project makes it easier to put together the building blocks of real robotics and simulate what will happen when you activate the motors and sensors. In one test they created a robotic puppy that, after simulation, they “discovered could only walk forward and not sideways.” They tweaked it a bit and then built the project, finding they now had a puppy that could walk sideways.\n\nIt’s sort of like Scratch for robots, say the researchers.\n\n“Our work aims to make robotics more accessible to casual users,” said Coros. “This could accelerate the adoption of robots in everyday life.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8008120059967041}
+{"content": "Scrypt vs X11 vs SHA-256\n\nWith several thousand cryptocurrencies in existence right now, it is not surprising to learn a lot of coins use different mining algorithms. Whereas bitcoin uses SHA-256, other coins may use the likes of X11, Keccak, or Scrypt-N. All of these algorithms have their own benefits and requirements to keep mining competitive. Below are some of the different mining algorithms to be found today, and how they compare to one another.\n\n3. Scrypt\n\nQuite a few different alternative cryptocurrencies make use of the Scrypt mining algorithm. Scrypt was initially designed to make it costly to perform large-scale custom hardware attacks, as it requires large amounts of memory. However, cryptocurrencies such as Tenebrix and Litecoin use a simplified version of Scrypt  Even though this may be a simplified version, the mining process still requires significant computing memory resources.\n\nEven though the introduction of Scrypt meant dedicating bitcoin mining hardware – known as ASICs – could not be used, it did not take long for companies to start producing Scrypt ASICs. Moreover, powerful AMD graphics cards are more than capable of mining the Scrypt algorithm, even though they will draw a lot of electricity while doing so.  Over the past few years, several hundred altcoins using the Scrypt algorithm have popped up, including the aforementioned Litecoin and Dogecoin, to name a few.\n\nIt is worth noting there are other Scrypt mining algorithms, including Scrypt-N and Scrypt-Jane, each of which adds their own unique flavor. Scrypt-N for example, changes the memory requirement of the algorithm every set amount of time, this way even if ASICs are developed for the algorithm, a few years later they become obsolete as the “N” changes and creates the need for different circuits in order to mine the hashes. Furthermore, there is also the Scrypt-OG algorithm, which is 8 times less memory-intensive than Scrypt. In fact, the term “OG” stand for “Optimized for GPU”.\n\n2. X11\n\nA new mining algorithm started to make some waves in the altcoin community in the year 2014. X11, as this algorithm is called uses 11 different rounds of hashes (hence the 11), was well received due to this incredibly energy-efficiency while mining with a GPU or CPU. This algorithm is also capable of keeping mining hardware a lot cooler as there is a lower requirement for processing power. This effectiveness also translated into lower operation costs due to less electricity being used. Moreover, X11 prevented the use of existing ASICS – in 2014 – which allowed anyone with a semi-decent computer to mine X11-based cryptocurrencies.\n\nUnfortunately, the X11 algorithm did not prove to be ASIC-resistant for too long. Especially once popular cryptocurrency Dash – also known as XCoin and Darkcoin – embraced X11, it was only a matter of time until the first ASICs came to fruition. PinIdea and Baikal are two types of X11 ASIC miners which have become very common these days.Even though X11 ASICs have become more common, the algorithm remains a secure solution for cryptocurrency developers looking to thwart brute-force attacks.\n\nIt is worth mentioning the next iterations of this algorithm which are X13, X14, X15, and X17. As you might have guesses, X13 contains 13 rounds of hashes, X15 contains 15, and so forth. Through our research the highest X algorithm we found was X17 which was introduced back in 2014. Essentially if you look at the hash function below you will see the 17 hash functions that make up the X17 algorithm. It may seem like overkill – which it is – but new altcoins love boasting the fact that they use new algorithms in order to generate more profit and hype for the crypto.\n\nx17 algorithm\n\n1. SHA-256\n\nThe SHA-256 algorithm is used to mine bitcoin, generating new addresses on the network and support the network through proof-of-work. It is worth noting SHA-256 is part of the SHA-2 cryptographic hash function initially designed by the NSA. In the early days of bitcoin mining, it was feasible to use a powerful CPU. Once the mining software was modified to support graphic cards, GPUs became the new preferred form of mining hardware. Eventually, FPGAs and ASICs took over.\n\nBy making use of these application-specific integrated circuits, mining bitcoin has become a very expensive process. These machines require a lot of electricity, even though they have become more energy-efficient as of late. A different iteration of SHA-256, which goes by the name of SHA-256D, was conceived as well, which serves as a double SHA-256 cryptographic hashing algorithm\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9632185697555542}
+{"content": "Are We Crazy?\n\nTesting is dangerous. No, I don’t mean it’s hazard-pay dangerous or wear-your-helmet dangerous, but it is drive-you-crazy dangerous. We work in an industry that is constantly, deliberately, and effectively driving us nuts.\nWhy? Because testers have slipped into the obsessive role of Perfectionists. Whether due to our own ambition, organizational pressure or expectations from colleagues, Testing has become less about exploring quality and more about ensuring no flaws or defects get through. Failure to do this results in less than ideal consequences for us, again both by our organization and by ourselves.\nWhat I want to do is walk through what we do, why we do it and why we keep stumbling along the path and into dangerous territory. Join me in looking at the world as it is, not as how we’ve been indoctrinated into thinking it should be. Let’s review the difference between quality and expectations, dismiss the myth of perfection and open our eyes to the real world, full of wonderfully inept and sub-par quality items we either completely ignore or love deeply.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7646846771240234}
+{"content": "Can a direction in time be displayed by spatial signs?\n\nIt is common practice to assign left and right with sequential steps in processing. It might be surprising that these simple functions may cause problems, but it shows the relevance of psychological knowledge to usability.\n\nRedo and Undo are basic functions in almost every word processor. It is essential to be able to revisit your last actions, because human actions are error-prone. Simply using a function to go back and forth between actions is saving a lot of time and energy. The Tango and Oxygen icon sets use arrows pointing left or right. They are additionally colored yellow (Undo) and green (Redo). But these icons tend to get mixed up, as our Icon Test shows.\n\n\nThe results with 9.6, resp. 9.4 in both icon sets, prove that icons are fast and reliable accessed (read about the methodology of testing icons).\n\nTable 1: Results of the Icon-test.\n\n\nLooking at the assignment ratio cross table though, the difference between Undo and Redo becomes striking. With about 95% the function Undo is associated with the correct icon and only gets mixed up to 3-4% with the Redo icon. But vice versa the mismatch increases to ~14%. That means the term Redo is associated to a certain degree with the yellow left pointing arrow.\n\nTable 2: Cross-table of mutual associations.\n\n\n\nIntrospectively you might remember the short hesitation, when you wonder which icon to press for Redo. But why?\n\nLeft and right are known to be error-prone. At least with time pressure many people tend to confuse left and right. Asked for directions their hands point the correct way, but their words don’t. It needs concentration to sort it all out, and this effort can lead to mistakes. This explanation follows the idea of linguistic determination.\n\nOn the other hand and with ecological psychology in mind, a simple explanation based on real world behavior should be preferred. The physical event of going forward is found in reading, for instance. One puts a sheet from the right and turns it over to the left. An action that is just opposite to the direction of the forward / backward icons!\n\nLast but not least, the mental model should be taken into account. The functions Undo and Redo can be understood in two different ways. First in terms of an operation stack. All input is added to the first list and moved to a second list by undo (or back with redo). Alternatively, one can assume that redo just repeats the last operation, and undo works as comparative function. These two mental models are not the same. While the stack idea contains nothing but user input, the ‚repeat last operation‘ function could be used separately (like apply last formatting in former Microsoft Office via Ctrl+Y).\n\n\nLeft and right, as well as forward and backward are dual aspects of one feature and need differentiation when false access should be avoided. But the common idea to go back with left is not necessarily supported in real world and could possibly be improved. Better metaphors could be found on the basis of natural processing.\n\nDo you have any suggestions for a natural metaphor that represents Undo and Redo and does not rely on a direction?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9891710877418518}
+{"content": "Terms of Reference\n\nMountains cover one-third of the land surface of the earth. Mountains have been of special interest in the study of the earth's atmosphere because of their use as observing platforms, their effect on atmospheric dynamics, and the distinctive conditions associated with the meteorology of mountainous areas. The effect of mountains is felt on all scales of atmospheric motions and phenomena from microclimates produced by the terrain and associated vegetation in large-scale planetary circulations, with intermediate effects on mesoscale events and the development of severe storms. The effect of the atmosphere, and atmosphere-borne pollutants, on mountain ecosystems is emerging as an area of scientific interest.\n\nThe intent of the Committee on Mountain Meteorology is to serve as a nexus for those matters relevant to the meteorological community that are fundamentally affected by complex terrain. This definition implies that although the meteorology of mountainous areas shall be a central focus of the committee, the committee must expect to collaborate frequently on mountain-related matters of concern to other committees of the Society. Operations shall be guided by the basic intent of the committee and will include the following: \n\n  1. members will be drawn from a diverse array of atmospheric specialties but will demonstrate cognizance of aspects of those specialties related to mountainous terrain;\n  2. committee actions will be taken to encourage the exchange of information about mountain meteorology within the atmospheric sciences community and with other scientific disciplines;\n  3. sponsorship of scientific conferences that focus on a broad variety of mountain-meteorology-related issues and encouragement, through collocation and joint sessions, of interaction with allied disciplines;\n  4. nominate deserving individuals for AMS Awards and Fellows;\n  5. provision for extension of knowledge through publications, short courses, and assistance to educational institutions; and\n  6. service, within the committee's field of interest, to the Society and other committees of the Society as requested.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.917914092540741}
+{"content": "Multi-purpose detergent\n\nWe offer you a wide range of multi-purpose detergents. They are characterized by a high effectiveness with a minimum amount of product and thoroughly remove grease and pigment soilings. Last but not least an excellent whiteness is out of question.\n\n\nOzerna 1 Super\nPre-wash and single-purpose detergent.\nOzerna Classic Plus\nPhosphate-free multi-purpose detergent.\nOzerna Compact\nBleaching and enzyme intensified multi-purpose detergent - phosphate-free -\nOzerna Extra\nConcentrated multi-purpose detergent.\nOzerna Premium Neu\nPhosphate-free multi-purpose detergent of premium quality.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5698380470275879}
+{"content": "Skin Cancer\n\nSkin cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells in the skin.  Left untreated, these cells can spread to other organs and tissues, such as lymph nodes and bone.  Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States.\n\nThe number of skin cancer cases due to tanning is higher than the number of lung cancer cases due to smoking.\n\nBasal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer and squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form.  Actinic keratosis is the most common precancer.\n\nSkin cancers, including melanoma, basal cell, carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma, often start as changes to your skin.  They can be new growths or precancerous lesions, changes that are not cancer, but could become cancer, over a period of time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9534392952919006}
+{"content": "Safety / Injuries\n\nCould Your Shoes Be Giving You Shin Splints?\n\nCould Your Shoes Be Giving You Shin Splints?\n\nYou know that annoying pain in your lower legs that never seems to get better? This leg pain always seems to slow your training just when you are starting to make some real gains. This group of lower leg injuries commonly referred to as “shin splints” is one of the most commonly occurring injuries in active people.\n\nUnfortunately, the advice people get on the prevention and treatment of these injuries when shopping for athletic shoes is far from science. Most people end up with shoes that are not helping their condition, or are even causing it.\n\nThe good news is that with the proper shoe selection, shin splints can be prevented or reduced. This article will arm you with all you need to find the perfect athletic shoe and it focuses on the individual needs of you or your clients. The trick is to know the characteristics of your feet, and to be able to match them with the key characteristics of an athletic shoe. \n\nIt all begins with knowing your feet. Many of us have heard before that we have flat feet, or an abnormally high arch. Knowing this information is crucial because the truth is, most of what we need in an athletic shoe revolves around our arch type.\n\nA flat foot, commonly referred to as a pronated foot, is characterized by excessive motion. That means the foot is loose and “gives” too much under the weight of the body, thus appearing flat when bearing weight.\n\nA high arch foot, commonly called a supinated foot, has its own associated problems. A supinated foot is a rigid foot, and a poor shock absorber. As such, excess forces of movement get transferred up the leg to be absorbed by some other body part, in this case the bones of the lower leg.\n\nA neutral (normal) foot is a middle ground between the pronated and supinated foot. This foot type is the biomechanically correct foot and is not prone to either type of shin splint specifically, but symptoms may persist.\n\nChances are, if you have never heard one way or the other which foot type you have, you are neutral. Later in this article I will present an easy way to identify arch types that will work on anyone.\n\nSo, how do these foot types tend to cause shin splints? First let’s take a look at the pronating or flat foot. The tibialis posterior is the primary muscle responsible for maintaining the arch of the foot when you bear weight on the feet (see diagram).\n\nBut we already know that the pronating arch tends to collapse under load. So what’s happening is a tug-of-war between the collapsing arch and the tibialis posterior with each step. Over time, the collapsing arch wins the war. Due to the excessive forces in the tibialis posterior, the muscle’s origin begins to be pulled away from its attachment on the tibia.\n\nObviously very painful, a person experiencing this condition will generally feel discomfort on the distal medial (lower inside) aspect of the leg felt near the border of the tibia and the soleus muscle, near the midpoint of the leg. Keep in mind that the pain may not be isolated to one spot because of the origin of the tibialis posterior covers a large area.\n\nNow let’s look at the supinating (high arch) foot. Recall that this is a rigid foot and does not absorb shock well. As stated, this foot transfers more of the forces of impact up the leg. The tibia is the bone that suffers the most in this condition. Hairline fractures may begin to form in the bone. A person with this type of shin splint will feel pain in the anterior distal (lower front) of the leg, somewhere on the bottom half the shin.\n\nOne can distinguish this condition from the flat foot shin splints because this type will be most tender to touch directly on the tibia (shin), usually anterior (in front of) the tibialis posterior muscle. This condition can further be identified by visible swelling (lumps) on the shins. In either type of shin splint, the pain will be the worse during and immediately after exercise.\n\nNow that the kinesiology is out of the way, let’s get to the footwear because proper gear can help minimize injuries. If you are flat-footed, you want a shoe that controls the motion of your foot. Remember that a flat foot undergoes excessive motion. To combat this problem, you look for a shoe sole that is rigid from the base of the toes (usually the widest part of the sole) to the heel. You also want a good, solid heel cup. This is the region of the shoe the cups and stabilizes the heel above the sole. \n\nThis combination acts as a brace for the foot, holding it in the neutral position and preventing pronation. How do you check a shoe for these characteristics? You have to get your hands on it! Squeeze the heel cup area above the sole. Is it firm or spongy? With one hand, hold the rear of the sole and place the other on the widest part of the sole near the base of the toes. Give it a good twist! Bend it! Did it feel solid or spongy?\n\nNow compare it to other shoes in the store. I have found that Asics shoes with the motion control bar typically fare the best in this category. Do you agree?\n\nIf you have flat feet, you want the shoe to be firm in these key areas, but still flexible in the toes. This will maintain the integrity of the arch of the foot, thus reducing the forces on the tibialis posterior muscle during exercise. This will relieve the tendency for the tibialis posterior to begin tearing away from its tibial attachment (see above), saving a lot of pain and lost training.\n\nWhat if you have a high arch? You already have a rigid foot, so you have no need for motion control. What you need is shock absorption. If your tendency is for hairline fractures of the tibia because of excessive force transferred through the foot, then you need to absorb some of that impact force with your shoe.\n\nTry on some shoes! Jump around a little! You are looking for a shoe that cushions your impact with the ground. I have found that Saucony athletic shoes are usually the best in this category. What do you think? You may further benefit from an added athletic sole insert designed for shock absorption.\n\nWhat if you have a neutral or middle of the road foot? In your case, you are not specifically prone to either type of shin splint discussed in this article, although symptoms of either may still occur. Shoe selection is not as crucial for you. You want to look for a shoe that is a tradeoff between the two technologies discussed above. Look for a fair shock absorber, with decent stability in the sole (from the base of the toes back), and heel cup.\n\nThe one characteristic that ALL athletic shoes should possess is a flexible toe region. This prevents overworking the Gastro-soleus complex (the calf) during activity and opening yourself up to a whole different category of athletic injury.\n\nSo how can you find out what type of foot you have? Here is one of the easiest ways to find out. With no shoes or socks on, get your feet wet. Now take a few steps, and take a look at your footprints. Compare your footprint to the diagram given. Understand that most people are somewhere in between the two extremes. Use your best judgment to gauge where you fall on the bell curve.\n\nInterested in helping clients identify and correct movement dysfunctions? Sign up for ISSA's Corrective Exercise Certification course today!\n\nIt is important to keep in mind that this information is useful for ALL active people, and not just those who commonly experience shin splints. Following these principles of shoe selection will help prevent, not just cure these lower leg injuries to you or your clients.  Good luck with your training!\n\nDustin Parsons", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.830323338508606}
+{"content": "\n\nDiamond Buying Guide: The 4 C’s\n\nLearn About Diamond Color, Cut, Clarity, and Carat Weight\n\nIf you understand how diamonds are graded, you have a better chance of finding the right one for you. At Arden Jewelers, our gemologists are more than happy to answer any questions you have so please feel free to visit us anytime.\n\nCarat Weight\n\nDiamond carat size comparison on hand\nSee how diamond carat weight and shape relate to size\n\nDiamonds are small, so the scale that is used to describe diamond weights uses very small units. A carat equals 1/5 of one gram. A carat is divided into 100 points. A diamond can be described as 75 points or 0.75 carats or 3/4 of a carat. It is a good practice to know the exact weight of a diamond when buying or selling.\n\nThe weight of a diamond is often thought of in terms of its size. If you know that you like the look of a 1 carat, for example, you can use this C as the starting point for your diamond search. Once you know the carat weight and your budget, you can adjust the quality of the diamond to fit. Unless you work in the jewelry trade, it can be hard to know what size you want. The photo above shows some common diamond carat weights and how they look in comparison to each other.\n\n\nDiamond shape comparison image\nWhat shape do you like most?\n\nThe Cut of a diamond has two main components. First, cut refers to the shape of the stone. Round, marquise, pear, oval, square, princess all describe the shape of the diamond. Checkout the picture above to see examples of the most popular diamond shapes. There are many more shapes than we can list here and there are even variations on the common shapes with more facets or different facet patterns.\n\nWhen you are choosing a diamond shape, keep in mind that different shapes have different light properties. Some shapes, like round, are especially good at returning light to the viewer which makes them sparkle more than other shapes. The emerald cut, for example, gives a classic look with big flashes of light but very little sparkle or fire. Ultimately, it’s up to you to pick the shape that you like best.\n\nThe second component to diamond cut is the way the facets are positioned on the diamond. When a diamond is cut to quality proportions (regardless of its shape) the maximum light is returned through the top of the stone giving a great light show. Cuts that are too shallow or too deep allow light to escape resulting in loss of brilliance.\n\n\nDiamond color comparison actual diamonds with fancy yellow\nThese diamonds (except the fancy) are from our AGS Master Color set.\n\nJudging diamond color is actually looking for the absence of color or transparency (except fancy color). The color grading scale starts with D meaning totally colorless and moves down the alphabet subtly increasing in body color. As you can see from the picture, the difference between one or two color grades is quite small, but the price difference can be significant.\n\nWhen deciding on a color for your diamond, you may choose to go down a color grade to allow you to buy a larger diamond for the same price. Or, you may want to get the whitest diamond possible to outshine your friends when you put them side-by-side. It’s all about discovering what’s most important to you. Also, keep in mind that the color of the metal you set your diamond in will have a big impact on how it appears. If a diamond is in the colorless range (D-F), and it’s set in yellow gold, it may appear to be much more yellow than it is.\n\nFancy color diamonds are a fun, non-traditional option. While natural fancies can be very rare and extremely expensive, we now have the technology to permanently color a white diamond to almost any color you can imagine. You can read more about fancy diamond colors here.\n\n\nMost diamonds contain inclusions. Inclusions are natural birthmarks and useful as identifying characteristics. Clarity grading is done with 10 power magnification. The number, size, type, and location of inclusions determine the grade. The fewer inclusions, the more valuable the diamond.\n\nGrade Name Explanation\nFL Flawless No blemishes or inclusions\nIF Internally Flawless No inclusions,\nonly insignificant blemishes\nVVS1-VVS2 Very, very slightly included Minute inclusions\ndifficult to see\nVS1-VS2 Very slightly included Minor inclusions difficult to somewhat easy to see\nSI1-SI2 Slightly included Noticeable inclusions that are easy to see\nI1-I2-I3 Eye visible inclusions Obvious inclusions,\nI3 may threaten durability\n\nWhat do you think?\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5149787664413452}
+{"content": "Web Results\n\n\nA traditional unit of measure used with rotating mechanical devices is revolutions per minute, abbreviated r/min or rpm. 60 rpm equals one hertz. Period versus frequency. As a matter of convenience, longer and slower waves, such as ocean surface waves, tend to be described by wave period rather than frequency.\n\n\nIn computers, most central processing units (CPU) are labeled in terms of their clock rate expressed in megahertz (10 6 Hz) or gigahertz (10 9 Hz). This specification refers to the frequency of the CPU's master clock signal.This signal is a square wave, which is an electrical voltage that switches between low and high logic values at regular intervals.As the hertz has become the primary unit ....\n\n\nWhat Is Frequency Measured In? Home Science Measurements The most common unit used to measure frequency is hertz (Hz), which refers to cycles per second; however, there are some other ways to measure frequency, such as revolutions per minute (RPM) for a motor or beats per minute (BPM) for a person's heartbeat.\n\n\nFrequency is, in general, measured on an oscilloscope by looking at the display and making a small calculation. By determining the number of \"units\" a cycle of an observed wave takes up on the ...\n\n\nThe SI unit for frequency (of vibration) is hertz (Hz). The measurement in hertz has the same number as the cycles completed in 1 second. For example, musical [math]a^1[/math] has a frequency of 440 Hz, which means the string, etc. vibrates 440 times every second. For higher frequency, there are kilohertz and megahertz.\n\n\nThe unit for frequency in the International System of Units is hertz, which is abbreviated as Hz. One hertz is defined as a frequency of one cycle per second. The clock rate of computer central processing units are measured in megahertz or gigahertz, which allow consumers to compare CPU performance.\n\n\nWhere a single, wide frequency band vibration measure- ment is made, the choice of parameter is important if the signal has components at many frequencies. Meas- urement of displacement will give the low frequency components most weight and conversely acceleration measurements will weight the level towards the high fre- quency components.\n\n\nThe S.I. unit for this is meters. Frequency is defined as the number of oscillations happening in one second. It is measured in Hertz. ... It is a measured in meters. Wave speed is defined as the number of waves happening in 1 second. Hence, the unit to measure this property is meters/second. Loudness of a sound is the measurement which ...\n\n\nFigure 1. Waveforms with Frequency Increasing from Top to Bottom. Frequency is usually represented as angular frequency ω in radians/second, or as ƒ in seconds-1, also known as the unit hertz (Hz).You also can use beats per minute (BPM) and revolutions per minute (RPM) to represent frequency.\n\n\nAnswer Frequency speaks to the number of oscillations per unit of time. Oscillations or cycles per unit of time is a concept applied to some kind of repeating or harmonic motion or wave, and it ...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000035762786865}
+{"content": "Web Results\n\n\nGlossary for the Lesson. note - a pitch produced by a musical instrument.(Also a mark written on a page to represent such a pitch.) octave - a range of notes from one letter name up to the next highest (or down to the next lowest) pitches by the same letter name.. natural notes - notes represented by the seven letters of the music alphabet with no sharp or flat symbols.\n\n\nMusical note and rest values are not absolutely defined, but are proportional in duration to all other note and rest values. The whole note is the reference value, and the other notes are named (in American usage) in comparison; i.e., a quarter note is a quarter of the length of a whole note.\n\n\nThe notes used in music are named with a system of letters and symbols called the musical alphabet. We need the musical alphabet so everyone can describe the exact same notes when talking about music. These musical note names are the same for bass, guitar, piano, violin and all other musical ...\n\n\nIn music, a note is the pitch and duration of a sound, and also its representation in musical notation (♪, ♩). A note can also represent a pitch class. Notes are the building blocks of much written music: discretizations of musical phenomena that facilitate performance, comprehension, and analysis.\n\n\nMusic Symbols. Lists of music symbols with their Alt Code and Unicode values. Here you can find all the music symbols, music emojis and learn how to use them. Music Note Alt Code. There are two representations of the music notes by an Alt Code value. You can easily type a music note just by using Alt key, and the numeric pad on your keyboard.\n\n\nWonder how to type text music symbol note character from a keyboard? Guides for Microsoft Windows (with Alt codes), Mac, Linux, put music note text symbols on Facebook, Myspace, YouTube or any website. Or just copy-paste them and more symbols.\n\n\nThe ABC’s of the Musical Alphabet A New Alphabet. Play the note on the first fret of the B string. This note is C, a wave that vibrates at a frequency that you hear as pitch. Pluck the same string at the thirteenth fret. Again, you hear what sounds like the same pitch, but it’s higher. That’s because the sound wave is vibrating twice as fast.\n\n\nGolee Throw Blanket Clef Music Notes and Symbols Bar Treble Score Bass Whole 50x60 Inches Warm Fuzzy Soft Blanket for Bed Sofa. 1.0 out of 5 stars 1. $39.90 $ 39. 90. FREE Shipping. Bhbuy Fashion Cool Musical Note Key Ring Keyfob Keyring Music Symbol Keychain Gift New. 3.6 out of 5 stars 28.\n\n\nThe music note symbols are similar in shape and easy to recognize. We need to start with some basic symbols to be able to work with rhythm. We start with only showing symbols for music notes here. We will further define relationships in Music Math Theory.\n\n\nAlphabet Octave, a font using musical notes as a style. This become a gorgeous work of art when you see the letters form words close up. Octave, a font using musical notes as a style. Journal, hand lettering, alphabet, font Easy hand drawn lettering great for journaling scrapbooking wedding invitations", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9751186966896057}
+{"content": "Panic! At The Disco are known for their pop sound, but frontman Brendon Urie says the band wants to expand their sound to other genres.\n\nUrie told Rocksound.TV that, “I always feel as though I need to be more diverse. Yes, all of the Panic! albums do sound different and have their own vibe, their own aesthetic and imagery, but I still feel like I can do more.” He adds, “Even from song to song within one album I feel like things could change even more drastically, and maybe that’ll happen as time goes on. I still have so many different things that I want to do, particularly in terms of genres.”\n\nHe continued saying, “I want to do a metal project in particular. I actually just played something for my bandmates recently – we have an old song called ‘The Calendar’ and I made a metal version of it from years back. It’s like 90 seconds long and is really fun. Who knows, I might even put that out on SoundCloud on a whim some time soon!” Take a listen to the original 2011 track below.  \n\nPanic! At The Disco released their sixth album��Pray For The Wicked in June and will embark on a winter tour in 2019.\n\nFiled under: Brendan Urie, Panic! At The Disco", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6494362354278564}
+{"content": "Salary for\nLogistics Manager in the United States\n\nHow much does a Logistics Manager earn in the United States? The average Logistics Manager salary in the United States is $109,953 as of March 28, 2019, but the range typically falls between $97,287 and $121,737. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, helps you determine your exact pay target.  View Cost of Living in Major Cities\n\nRecently searched related titles: Logistic Supervisor\n\nJob Description\n\nManages and plans for logistics policies, objectives, and initiatives. Creates procedures for logistics management to optimize product workflow and minimize cost. Has responsibilities for vendor selection and negotiation, distribution, transportation, and inventory control. Typically requires a bachelor's degree. Typically reports to a senior manager. Manages subordinate staff in the day-to-day performance of their jobs. True first level manager. Ensures that project/department milestones/goals are met and adhering to approved budgets. Has full authority for personnel actions. Extensive knowledge of department processes. Typically requires 5 years experience in the related area as an individual contributor. 1 to 3 years supervisory experience may be required.\n\n\nSalary range for a Logistics Manager\nCustomize your search to determine an exact salary target\nStep of 3\n\nUnderstand the total compensation opportunity for a Logistics Manager, base salary plus other pay elements\n\nAverage Base Salary\n\nCore compensation\n\n\nAverage Total Compensation\n\nIncludes bonus, healthcare, and retirement\n\nThese charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total compensation for the job of Logistics Manager in the United States. The base salary for Logistics Manager ranges from $97,287 to $121,737 with the average base salary of $109,953. The total compensation, which includes bonus, health and retirement, can vary anywhere from $102,680 to $133,763 with the average total compensation of $118,315.\nStep of 3\n\n\nHow much should you be paid?\n\n\nYour Salary\n\n\nStep of 3\n\nRecalculate your target pay based on your unique skills and experiences\n\nCareer Path for this job\n\n  1. Down a level:\n\n    Logistics Analyst IV\n\n    7 + years experience\n    Associate's Degree\n\n  2. This Job:\n\n    Logistics Manager\n\n    5 + years experience\n    Bachelor's Degree\n\n  3. Up a level:\n\n    Logistics Director\n\n    Bachelor's Degree\n\nSalary for\n\n\n  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions\n  • Job and employee pricing reports\n  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.\nLearn about CompAnalyst\nJob Openings for Logistics Manager", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7791692614555359}
+{"content": "what dating sites do kändisar använder\n\nand launch Google Photos. Advertising and research services on their behalf For example, advertisers may upload koppla upp webbplats som faktiskt fungerar data from their loyalty-card programs so that they can better understand the performance of their ad campaigns. Wir nutzen Cookies.B. Ao usar os serviços do Twitter, voc concorda com nosso. For example, unique identifiers stored in cookies help sites display content in your browser in your preferred language. Learn more about how Google uses cookies. If you use Googles Location services, your device sends information to Google about its location, sensors (like accelerometer and nearby cell towers and Wi-Fi access points (like MAC address and signal strength).\n\nWe use various technologies to collect and store information, including cookies, pixel tags, local storage, such as browser web storage or application data caches, databases, and server logs. If you dont want this level of search customization, you can search and browse privately or turn off signed-out search personalization.\n\nSvar på online dating exempel, Ekonom online dating,\n\nChrome browsing history youve synced with your Google Account, if you use our services to make and receive calls or send and receive messages, we may collect telephony log information like your phone number, calling-party number, receiving-party number, forwarding numbers, time and date of calls. The information we collect includes unique identifiers, browser type and settings, device type and settings, operating system, mobile network information including carrier name and phone number, and application version number. You may also get customized search results even when youre signed out. Vi bruker blant annet informasjonskapsler til statistikk, personlig tilpassing og annonser. Ved å bruke Twitters tjenester godtar du bruken av informasjonskapsler. A typical log entry for a search for cars looks like this: - 25/Mar/2003 10:15:32 - m/search? Basic Account, instant Access, premium Account, our services. When you create a Google Account, you provide us with personal information that includes your name and a password.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5251726508140564}
+{"content": "Business Service Management Jobs In Indonesia, Job Vacancies\n\nBusiness ServiceMarlin is the preeminent provider of credit products and services to small businesses nationwide, delivering exceptional value and service to our customers, creating a rewarding environment for our employees and generating superior returns for our shareholders. Helping businesses get plugged in to a new neighborhood comes easy for office-relocation-service entrepreneurs who, as “locals,” know who’s who in providing such services as printing, restaurant delivery and equipment repair. As Dickson, a veteran entrepreneur, has found, determining if there is a market for your idea is essential before you roll it out. Otherwise, it’s easy to waste a lot of time and money on a product or service that no one wants.\n\n\nWhatsApp began testing verified accounts for businesses a week ago. Conversations with businesses are encrypted and they can be blocked. Interestingly, if a business isn’t already in your phone number contacts, its name will appear as whatever they register themselves as instead of their number. This could allow WhatsApp to create a business search engine with optional sponsored results, or let businesses cold-message people, possibly for a fee.\n\nWe have found Tricor to be a professional and dynamic group. Their knowledge and value added services truly benefit the client. We first started out relationship with Tricor in year 1996. It is reassuring to know that we can count on the helpful and experienced staff to ensure our secretarial works are always in order and prepared on time. They have been quick and efficient in answering all our technical queries.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9076669216156006}
+{"content": "In the middle of difficulty\nlies opportunity. (A. Einstein)\n\n\ncanis cornutus PRODUCTIONS is not a company in the usual sense of the word. We do not have permanent employees.\nThus we do not have ongoing expenses, too.\n\nWhat we do have: Experience.\nPractical knowledge in the implementation of fictional live and film productions.\nThe creative network was established under the direction of Christian Döbler and can meanwhile look back on a large number of successful productions. With great complexity of creativity and connectivity, canis cornutus Productions is eager to carry out especially those projects which are probably rather untypical for usual German productions.\nCoined by the attention to detail and the striving for excellence, the most important question, that keeps us going on and on, is: if and in what way it is possible to produce something in a creative way without losing the realistic and commercial point of view at the same time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9973734617233276}
+{"content": "Kadir Amigo Memis\n\nKadir Amigo Memis defines himself as an Urban Nomad, a wandering collector of gestures, smells, colours, and sounds, a painter of ink and acrylic improvisations of the lights and shadows from the city.\n\nHe is an urban choreographer and calligrapher; a writer of movement, drawing from his childhood memories, of being a shepherd on a small Turkish farm before being transplanted as a fifteen year old into the city of West Berlin, being unable to speak the language nor understand its culture.\n\nHis artistic activity contain personal symbols reflecting the spiritual movements upwards out of the ground through the middle of the canvas into the heavens. The overlapping memories and the mixing of techniques of structured layers of ink and acrylic paint are components reflecting displacement and identification where the sum is always greater than the parts that have given source to expression.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9912081360816956}
+{"content": "The ultimate goal - to improve the overall sustainability of industrial processes from an economic, environmental and social point of view - cannot be achieved only through the classical scheme of competition. Indeed, the cooperating management of resources (including energy, waste and by-products) and the consequential integration of processing activities, by means of a nature-inspired industrial symbiosis, has to become a major driver in the transition to truly sustainable process industries. Many motivations exist for pursuing this type of industrial symbiosis, either directly or indirectly as a result of trying to meet other objectives.\n\nIndustrial clusters are groups of inter-related industries that drive wealth creation in a region, primarily through export of goods and services, while Industrial Symbiosis (IS) can be considered a way to handle activities among companies in the same Industrial cluster. Inside decisions are related to the single plant and they can be related to the single Production Units (PUs) within each plant. These decisions are optimized respect to own KPIs. We de\u001cny the PUs as the atomic decision units within an industrial cluster and we treat each of them as a single decision maker. Indeed, when dealing with a symbiotic cluster, the moment we have to take some decisions we have also to consider what is happening at cluster level. For this reason, we can introduce the concept of outside decisions. They are optimized respect to cluster-level KPIs, which in turn have a twofold purpose: from one side they have to increase the wealth related to a symbiotic approach at cluster level, on the other to maintain the single PU decision autonomy.\n\nWe introduce the concept of cluster coordinator, namely an organization that coordinates the cluster. This can be a physical organization or, more easily, a virtual platform, and this depends on the working context as well. At Company-level, each Industry performs its Supply Chain Optimization (SCO) to gain a high e\u001efficiency at operative level optimizing its short-term and long-term decisions. These decisions do not take into account any of the decisions of the other industries in the cluster or, in other words, are completely independent. To govern the whole cluster performance we introduce the Cluster-level optimization, whose aim is the increasing of the global cluster e\u001efficiency.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8066112399101257}
+{"content": "CogenerationThe simultaneous generation of electricity and thermal power (cogeneration) represents a very effective use of hydrocarbon fuels in a carbon constrained world. Cogeneration systems, when compared to the separate generation of heat and power offer an even significantly higher energy efficiency, and thus represent a key option for leading the world towards a more rational development.\n\nThe combined heat and power generation, indeed, can enhance the global efficiency up to more than 80% and, consequently, can lead to lower fuel costs, polluting emissions and green house gases.In its simplest layout a cogenerative plant is made up of a prime mover (gas or steam turbine, internal combustion engine) and an electric alternator. For a microturbine the air is compressed by the compressor, then it passes through a recuperator, where it gains heat from the turbine exhaust. After that, the air is introduced in the combustion chamber, where there is the mixing with the fuel and the high pressure gases expand in the turbine, directly coupled to the alternator. Being the exhaust gases still very hot, their thermal energy is used for civil or industrial applications.\n\n\nAMP promotes tPipinghe adoption of cogeneration in the industrial, commercial but also small residential sectors. As an independent and trustable partner, AMP continuously surveys the market for newly available technologies and power capabilities. As a result, optimal power plant configuration as well as all the available economic incentives can be assessed by our engineers, according to the desired electric power to heat load ratio, system peak load and hourly load profile.\n\nIn order to reach this target it is necessary to use advanced tools for thermo-economic simulation of power systems. AMP staff has gained a wide experience in this field and it can help customers to choose the best suited cogeneration solution to reduce fuel expenditure and increase energy efficiency.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.668059229850769}
+{"content": "Australia Car Rental Tips & Requirements\n\nAustralia Car Rental Tips-ft\n\nGuide to a car rental in Australia\n\nIf you plan to rent a car in Australia then getting familiar with the rules of the land is a sensible idea.\n\nRenting a car in Australia requirements\n\nAge- 19 is the minimum driving age in Australia whereas the minimum rental age varies according to suppliers, generally, it is 21 years. Car renters below the age of 24 years might have to pay a young driver’s surcharge. The car rental age varies according to the car category.\n\nDriving license- In Australia, driving licenses in English are acceptable but provisional license are not accepted. If you are a tourist then the maximum time frame for which you can use your driving license which is in English is 3 months. In case, the license is not in English then the renter needs to carry an International Drivers Permit (IDP). In any situation, carrying an IDP along with your native driving license always benefits if you wish to drive in a foreign country.\n\nShould I rent a car in Australia?\n\n1. ) Driving in Australia is sheer pleasure as the panorama is broad and extremely beautiful.\n\n2. ) Moreover, Australian drivers are well-mannered and drive safely.\n\nWhat are the popular locations where I can rent a car in Australia?\n\nSydney, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Cairns are the most popular car rental locations in Australia but there are many more locations where you can rent a car in Australia.\n\nRoad trip Attractions\nMelbourne to Adelaide (Great Ocean Road) The Shipwreck Coast, the Twelve Apostles & Naracoorte caves\nSydney to Melbourne Mimosa Rocks National Park, Mornington & Philip Island\nBrisbane to Cairns Noosa, Fraser Island, Airlie Beach & Mission Beach\n\nOne-way car rental in Australia\n\none-way-Australia Car-Rental\n\nYou can go for one-way rentals in Australia by paying an extra charge, applied by most of the suppliers. The most-popular one-way trips in Australia are Hobart to Launceston and Melbourne to Adelaide.\n\nBooking a cheap car rental in Australia\n\n\nWhere to book from? – A wise way to book a rental is through a website where you can get deals from multiple suppliers and can compare them easily using helpful filters. One such website is which lets you book comfortable rental cars in any part of Australia.\n\nCar rental suppliers- The most popular and reputed brands operating in Australia are Ace Rental Cars, Alamo Rent A Car, Apollo Car Rentals, Atlas Car Rental, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Europcar and National Car Rental.\n\nPayment- Book early to get better quality vehicles at a cheaper price. Just like most of the other locations, car rental suppliers in Australia ask you to pay via credit cards. In case you obtain a fine for speeding then it will be charged to your credit card by the car rental suppliers and your details will be submitted to the law enforcing agencies.\n\nMost of the car rental suppliers expect you to return the car with a full tank, failing to do so can result in extra charges to your card. This charge usually comprises of the cost of the petrol plus service charge.\n\nRule of the road- Australia drives on the left-hand side of the road while most of the cars have their steering wheel towards the right-hand side. Make sure you follow the speed limits: 50 km/h (crowded city areas), 70-90 km/h (open roads) and 100-110 km/h (highways). All the distances and the like are measured using metric units in Australia i.e. meters, kilometers and km h.\n\nDriving to the Outback\n\n\n1. ) Distances can be overwhelming especially on the Outback so always carry ample of drinking water, snacks and first-aid kit while travelling in this region of Australia.\n\n2. ) Keep your car equipped with fuel as the fuel stations are usually shut in the night.\n\n3. ) As a precaution, always inform your hotel or friends before heading out on a road trip as the networks are weak in most of the areas.\n\n4. ) The Outback can turn out to be nightmarish if you aren’t well-prepared with precautions like a spare tyre, enough of drinking water and snacks.\n\nAlso, the internet coverage is pretty bad in many regions of Australia, especially, the Outback so make sure that you have all the needed information available offline.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6091364026069641}
+{"content": "Collaborative Law\n\nWhat is Collaborative Law?\nCollaborative law is a method which enables couples to resolve all the issues arising from their separation or divorce outside of the adversarial court process.\n\nBoth parties are represented by a collaborative lawyer who has been specifically trained in this method of dispute resolution. The entire case is dealt with in meetings between the couple and their respective collaborative lawyers (often referred to as “four ways”). The court’s only involvement is to approve an agreement reached by the parties.\n\nBy its nature collaborative law is flexible and creative, enabling a couple to tailor-make solutions.  The process is regarded as a dignified and respectful way for couples to resolve issues.  The approach is team based and the focus a problem solving one.\n\nAt the beginning of the process the couple and their collaborative lawyers sign an agreement to undertake to provide full disclosure of their finances, negotiate in good faith and to confirm they agree to opt out of going to court. If either party subsequently decides to end the collaborative law process and/or issue court proceedings, then the process ends and both the collaborative lawyers will have no further involvement in the case.\n\nThe collaborative law process can also by used by couples who want to enter into a pre-nuptial agreement.\n\nCollaborative law is worth considering if:\n\n  • You want to have control over the decisions reached in respect of the children and finances, rather than hand these over to someone else (a judge/arbitrator)\n  • You want to have the guidance of your own lawyer at meetings and during the entire process\n  • You want to have the benefit of other professionals to advise you and your partner jointly, so they can consider all options with you together\n  • You want to avoid the adversarial nature and potentially high costs of using the court process\n  • Your want to maintain a good relationship with your partner in the future, particularly where  you will be continuing your role as parents.\n\nFor more information please see what the collaborative law process involves article in Resources.\n\nHow long does the Collaborative Law process take?\n\nThe process is dependent on your own and your partner’s timetable and requirements. You can set up meetings as you both require. Unlike the court process there is no set timetable imposed.\n\nWhat are the differences between Collaborative Law and Mediation?\n\nIn mediation the mediator is a neutral third party who does not give either of you legal advice and will not take sides. The mediator helps couples to explore and examine the issues which arise for them when they separate or divorce, with a view to finding solutions. Mediators will recommend you each take separate legal advice, during and after the process Usually lawyers do not attend mediation sessions.  Mediation is not a binding process. After couples have received legal advice on their proposals their solicitors can convert them into a legally binding document. The mediator cannot however prepare the court documents for you, or put the proposals into effect.\n\nThe collaborative process involves the couple each having their own lawyer throughout the process advising them and being present with them during meetings. The lawyers can also prepare any necessary paperwork to make any agreements reached binding, and deal with putting the agreement into effect.\n\nIf you are concerned that you will feel uncomfortable in the sole presence of your partner, or are unsure about financial matters, collaborative law may be a better option for you than mediation.\n\nFor more information about the collaborative law process or to arrange a session contact Kim Finnis on 01483 539100.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.928643524646759}
+{"content": "Venus and Sun Spots\n\n6 Nov 2012\n\nAn interesting post for one and all at Tall Bloke's Talk Shop - see ... sun spots appear to grow on the face of the Sun according to the positions of the planets Mecury and Venus as they orbit the Sun. Balfour Stewart was head of solar research at Kew Observatory in the late 19th century and the paper itself dates to 1872. Why does Venus in particular play a leading role in the production of sun spot activity?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8778573274612427}
+{"content": "Cricket Blitz\n\nFrequently Asked Questions\n\nAnswers to (hopefully) all your questions!\n\n\nWhat is Cricket Blitz?\n\nCricket Blitz is a modified version of cricket played with 8 players who bat in pairs for 4 overs each regardless of the amount of times someone gets out.\n\nWho can play Cricket Blitz?\n\nCricket Blitz can be played by anyone from Year 5-13. There are 6 categories; Year 5/6 Mixed, Year 7/8 Boys, Year 7/8 Girls, Year 9/10 Boys, Year 9/10 Girls and Year 11-13 Boys. Cricket Blitz is for the social to semi-competitive person who wants to have fun with their school mates in a safe environment.\n\nHow long is Cricket Blitz?\n\nCricket Blitz is 16 overs per side, games lasting no longer than 1 hour 30 minutes. The length of the competition willl be determined by the number of entries in your area.\n\nWhat gear do I need to play Cricket Blitz?\n\nNone, as all gear is provided. Boys from Year 7 upwards must wear a groin protector and may choose to wear their own.\n\nCan I use my own gear to play?\n\nYes, players can bring along their own gear to use if they wish. However it is not a requirement to have your own gear as all equipment is provided.\n\nHow many teams can my school enter?\n\nSchools can enter an expression of interest for as many teams as they like. Depending on entries schools maybe limited to only 1 team per grade.\n\nWho umpires and scores the games?\n\nA teacher/parent or senior student can umpire and score. Some schools have formed links with their local cricket club to assist with the running of their team. Scoring/Umpiring is only done when your team is fielding.\n\nCan we have more than 8 players?\n\nEach game is played with 8 players. However you can rotate your players around from week to week.\n\nDoes everyone have to bowl?\n\nAll players (with the possible exception of the wicketkeeper) are to bowl a minimum of two overs and a maximum of three overs. Underarm bowling is acceptable.\n\nHow long is the wicket?\n\nThe wicket length is 18m for Year 5/6 Mixed and full size, 20m, for Year 7-13.\n\nWhat are extras and do they have to be re-bowled?\n\nAn 'extra' is a either a wide or a no ball and these only have to be re-bowled in the 16th over of the game. Each extra is worth 2 runs to the batting team.\n\nAre there LBW's?\n\nNo there are no Leg before Wicket (LBW) dismissals.\n\nWhat happens if I get out?\n\nIf a batsmen gets 'out' then they lose 3 runs from their total and have to swap ends, unless it is the last ball over the over. Each batting pair bat for a total of 4 overs regardless of the amount of times they get out.\n\nHow much does it cost to play Cricket Blitz?\n\nCricket Blitz is free for schools to play.\n\nWhat do I have to wear to play Cricket Blitz?\n\nFor every team that enters Auckland Cricket will give your school 8 Cricket Blitz t-shirts to play in and a Cricket Blitz polo for your coach. It's important that everyone who plays also wears sports shoes.\n\nWhere will games be played?\n\nGames will be played regionally to limit the distance required to travel.\n\nGot another question? \n\nThen send us an email and we will get back to you with an answer as soon as possible.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9501265287399292}
+{"content": "Joe Creek Coaching\n\nHolistic Health & Fitness\n\nChest Press -Bench or Ball ?\n\nSo whats the most common movement I see in the gym? The bench press!! Unfortunately when you think about it the most dysfunctional movement performed in  the gym would be lying on a bench performing a bench press. The functional carry over to everyday life or a sports situation is literally zero. When would you actually be pressing anything laying down? Also during sports if you are lying on the back you are out of the game! Learn about common injuries and how to prevent them! Learn the importance of scapular retraction during a push pattern and how suing the swiss ball could prevent a shoulder injury and make the movement pattern more functional!……\nTherefore you can clearly see that anyone performing a bench press are simply chasing vanity and muscle mass and not functional conditioning their body. In my opinion, the human body has changed genetically over thousands of years but has never needed to strengthen a push pattern laying on our backs. Functionally we push things standing up, and using our whole body in a integrated movement. Therefore, building strength in a push pattern laying with your back on a bench would create a dysfunctional neurologically imprint on your nervous system, that would decondition your body away from a integrated standing push pattern into a push pattern laying down isolating your chest muscles.\n\nOne of the most common injuries associated with weight lifting is a shoulder capsule injury as a result of too much bench press.\n\nTraditional teaching shows that typically when performing a bench press the bar is lowered until it touches the chest. The problem with this exercise is that it requires a greater range of motion (ROM) than is found within the shoulder joint of most people. It is very important to work within the ROM of you shoulder joint in order to prevent injury. On top of this because a bench press is performed on a flat bench the normal movement of the shoulder blades is restricted, this will overtime causes shoulder impingement and leads to pain.\n\nSo what is the answer?\n\nAlways perform a push pattern for example a bench press within your shoulder range of movement. As a rule if you have shoulder pain and still wish to chest press, lying on the floor would restrict the range of movement, making the exercise safer. But ideally using a Swiss ball allows your scapula to retract and move in the correct way in relation to your shoulder joint. Also pressing on a Swiss ball integrates the whole body within the push pattern, working your legs, arms and abs as well as all the muscles you would use in a standard bench press. When performed with correct form and proper shoulder range of motion, a standing cable chest press would be the most functional movement, integrating the whole body and allowing the scapula to work correctly. Please book the Initial Consultation session with myself if you require more information on shoulder biomechanics, exercise techniques or would like me to perform a shoulder range of motion test.\n\nBack to Health Tips", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8140504956245422}
+{"content": "Creating glacier inventories from remote sensing data: Challenges and solutions\nConvener: Frank Paul  | Co-Conveners: Bruce Raup , Tobias Bolch \nOral Programme\n / Mon, 04 Apr, 10:30–12:00  / Room 5\nPoster Programme\nRecent efforts by the GLIMS community and projects like GlobGlacier (ESA) and ice2sea (EU FP7) aim at generating a globally complete inventory of glaciers and icecaps (vector outlines with topographic attributes) from remote sensing data. Due to the high variability of glacier types and characteristics in different parts of the world, this is still a challenging task. This session is intended to present and discuss the challenges related to the creation of a glacier inventory from optical remote sensing data (e.g. Landsat or ASTER) and the related change assessment (length, area). The focus will be on the technical and methodological challenges (e.g. debris cover, seasonal snow, orographic clouds) as found in different parts of the world, and potential solutions to these challenges. The questions to be presented and discussed might include (among others):\nWhich algorithm(s) should be used to map glaciers? Is manual digitization more accurate? What is the best method to map debris-covered glaciers efficiently? How can we assess the accuracy of the generated glacier outlines? Which DEM should be used to create topographic inventory parameters or drainage divides? Should an icecap or compound glacier be divided into separate entities, e.g. as required for a hydrological purpose of the inventory? What is the impact on the inventory parameters or glaciological calculations in these cases? What are the best methods for merging scenes from different years in the case of local cloud cover or seasonal snow? What are the challenges and uncertainties for the change assessment from inventory data based on different sources?\nThese are only some examples of questions that typically occur during data creation or application and are difficult to solve in most cases. Contributions that also present answers to the above questions as realized in practice are welcome. The session aims at bringing together all scientists confronted with the numerous practical challenges of glacier inventory work and might have a discussion section within the oral session. A more detailed discussion of specific topics is planned for the poster session and/or a dedicated splinter meeting.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9718937277793884}
+{"content": "Event Calendar FAQs\n\n1. May I use this to schedule a room for my event?\n\nNo.   This version of the VCU Events Calendar is NOT designed for scheduling facilities. In the future, this may be possible. Until then, you must go through your normal channels to schedule a facility.\n\n2. How long does it take for my event to appear in the calendar?\n\nIt takes two business days for a previously scheduled event to appear in the VCU Events Calendar.\n\n3. What kind of events will appear in the VCU Events Calendar?\n\nThe calendar is designed for non-course-related events that are sponsored by a University department or registered student organization.\n\n4. What happens to my event request once I hit submit?\n\nYour event request goes into the VCU Events Calendar as a pending request. Email is sent to an Event Reviewer who either accepts or rejects your request.  You will receive Email when your event has been either approved or rejected.\n\n5. Why would my request be rejected?\n\nYour event request would be rejected if (1) the facility was not properly scheduled, or (2) your request was not a University-sponsored event, or (3) someone else has already submitted a similar request.  The reason the event was rejected appears in the Email sent to you.\n\n6. Why do some events have links to web pages and others do not?\n\nWhen events are submitted, the author has the option of entering URL's (WWW addresses). Therefore, some events will contain links to other web pages while others will not.   It should be noted that the links to the campus maps are done automatically by the calendar.\n\n7. How do I modify a previously submitted event.\n\nTo modify an event, you click the \"Submit an Event\" and login to the calendar by entering your ID and password.  A list of all your current events displays.  You can then click on the title of any event to make any necessary modifications.  If you change the time or location of an event, an Email is sent to the appropriate reviewer who must review the modifications and either approve or reject.  If your modifications that do not include either time or location, the event information is automatically updated.\n\nNote: If you have no current or archived events, then you will automatically be transferred to the \"Enter a New Event\" screen.\n\n8. How long will archived events be available and what is the purpose for doing so?\n\nApproved events are automatically archived the day after the event has ended.  These archived events will be viewable for one year.  This allows event submitters to create a new event based on previously submitted information.  For example, if you hold an annual open house all you may need to do is change time and location.  Hopefully, this will require less time to do data entry.\n\n9. Where are Academic Calendar events, such Spring Break, located?\n\nTo locate a beginning or ending date of a semester or find out the date of spring break, please visit the VCU Academic Calendar web site located at URL:  http://www.vcu.edu/academiccalendars.\n\n10. What is an RSS keyword?\n\nRSS keywords are used to group like events together. Common keywords include majors, specialties, and particular audience focus.\n\n11. My event is off campus. Can it be listed?\n\nYes, as long as it is a VCU sponsored event. When submitting the event request form, set the \"Campus\" drop down menu to \"Off-Campus\". A list of common buildings will pop up. If your building is not listed, enter the building name and address in the form field below the drop down.  \n\n12. I am not hosting the event, can I register the event under someone else's name?\n\nYou must have a valid eID to enter an event, however, you may change the \"Submitter's Information\" by typing over your default information on the registration page. Please note: you will be the \"owner\" of this event. If the event needs to be updated, you will need to login with the eID that created the event.\n\nAsk a different question:\n\nIf you have a question that was not answered on this page, then please fill out the following form and submit your question.\n\n\nEmail Address:\n\nYour Question:\n\nThis article was updated: 07/10/2013", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7033666372299194}
+{"content": "What I Believe: Cosmology\n\nMy form of the cosmological argument for the existence of God would be as follows.\n\nThe universe did not exist and then came into existence but not in its present form. It came as a complex amalgamation of energy, space and time governed by rules governing its development, including those for entities that did not yet exist.\n\nThe universe is teleological. It was created to become what it is and to serve as a platform for what has occurred. To do these things it neither needed to be infinite as space or eternal in time to accomplish what was intended for it.\n\nDue  to the immense complexity and, if you will still existing mystery concerning the universe, nothing in space, time, energy, matter and the laws governing these things is sufficient in itself to explain the existence of the universe.\n\nTherefore, the existence of the universe requires a Creator who must have an existence outside the universe, though not excluded from acting on it and in it, the ability to foresee and direct what it is to become, and when it will end, and the power to make it happen.\n\n\nWhat I Believe: The Holy Spirit\n\nPneumatology is the study of the Holy Spirit. It might also be defined, if we take on the mood of the writer of Ecclesiastes, as a chasing of the wind. However, there is much written about the Holy Spirit in Scripture to help us understand the nature and role of this third person of the Trinity. Despite all the information, we still do not seem to be given a concrete image for our minds except that of, occasionally, a dove.\n\nThe word Holy signifies that the Holy Spirit is divine. The words used in the original languages for Spirit have various meanings and always refer to something invisible. Some of these meanings are wind, life, energy or power. All of these meanings designate something outside human control or capture. In other words, the Holy Spirit goes where he will and does what he chooses as far as our wills are concerned, just as the other persons of the Trinity do. At the same time, just as the Son serves the purposes of the Father so the Holy Spirit moves to shape creation, history and people to the will of the Father and Son.\n\nWhat I Believe: Continuing Creation\n\n\n\n\nWhat I Believe: Original Creation\n\nLet me begin with this. I believe the creation poem that begins the Bible was a special revelation, traditionally given to Moses, that gives a true picture of the creation of the heavens and the earth as far as it goes in describing things. In it God painted with a very broad brush as he took us from the beginning of earth as an entity to the apex of his original creation—us.\n\nI do not have a natural affinity for poetry so I have read books to help me better understand and appreciate it. One of the books made a very good point. That was that reading poetry literally was, in most cases, going to cause problems for the reader. You know where I am going with this: the problem of the days and nights.\n\nFirst, I think that framing the creation account in terms of days and nights gives us a realistic feel for the way the heavens and earth were created in stages. Each of the stages is founded on a previous one and this is the way things occurred. All of physical creation, except at the very beginning, is dependent on something else that existed before it.\n\nSecond, I think setting the poem in a seven-day week enhanced the liturgical quality of the poem. This in turn kept it in the Tabernacle and Temple services so that it would come down to us as a suitable praise of God’s original works of creation.\n\nWe have, of course, many additional testimonies to God’s creation throughout Scripture, both of his original creation and of his continuing creation.\n\nWhat I Believe: Works of God\n\nSince God’s original work of creation of the physical realm, which brought into being what had not previously existed, he has continued to work out his purposes in what he created. (This is contrary to some people’s idea that God wound up the universe like a clock and left it to run by itself.) This active working can be designated as continuing creation, providence, and miracles. Though this is more for our own thinking than something we are obliged to believe or necessarily as the Trinity thinks of it.\n\nContinuing creation is God using things that do exist to create new things. For example, God uses two cells from our parents to create us who had no previous physical being, although we did receive the ancestry contained in our parent’s genetics.\n\nIn providence God uses what exists and shapes matter, energy and events in accordance with the way he has created them to accomplish his purposes.\n\nMiracles involve actions we do not understand. Many people believe miracles are impossible as they seemingly require the violation of natural laws. However, we can think that if God intended miracles he would create a universe that could be used in ways that are beyond the usual. For instance, I do not believe that when Jesus started doing miracles he surprised anybody in heaven (only people on earth). It was just part of God’s original plan.\n\nWhat I Believe: Sufficiency\n\nEven verses, even short passages, even chapters, even individual books are sufficient to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ, as was the Ethiopian. (I once met a man who said he came to faith in Jesus Christ by reading the book of Job.) I am sure some people have come to faith through less than perfect translations into indigenous languages. The inspired Word and the work of the Holy Spirit make whatever we may have of the written revelation of God sufficient for our needs.\n\nYou might ask why if a little bit of Scripture is sufficient for redemption there is so much of it in the Bible. Here I think we need to go back to the idea of Scripture being a creation of the Holy Spirit. Like physical creation the Bible has depth beyond the understanding of any single human mind and in its total richness is deeper than the collective mind of humanity is able to understand.\n\nThis is the other side of sufficiency. You may have noticed that serious Bible commentaries take up a good part of a bookshelf or even more. This is because the immense content of the Bible is sufficient to provide material for endless study for even the most diligent Bible scholar. The Scriptures are, I believe, a well of wisdom that never goes dry.\n\nWhat I Believe: Creation\n\nCreation is a very complex subject. I believe God did create the heavens and the earth (and everything else) but not in six twenty-four hour days. I think creation required a long line of incremental steps and also time for created objects to mature to the state needed to make the earth suitable for human habitation. Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3 tells us of God setting the stage for the story. It should not be over-interpreted as a description of all of creation. It is after all a rather short poem and I believe that it, like most poetry, cannot be interpreted literally. That said, there are two significant aspects of it. One is that everything physical in it is real and we have either experienced them or know about them. This led Isaac Newton to think that the passage was a description of end points of God’s creative actions. The second aspect is more subtle. I believe that breaking up the account of creation into days reflects the reality of the world we know coming into existence by stages.\n\n\nThis does not mean that I believe in evolution in any way, shape or form. Éttienne Gilson, a French philosopher, wrote in 1975, “Evolution is bad science and worse philosophy.” Since then, the science of evolution has gotten worse due to the vast increase of knowledge in the field of microbiology and the ideology of evolution has gone down several different paths.\n\n\nThe evolutionists have one thing, I think, that keeps them in the arena of evolutionist/creationist controversy. That is that life on earth has a long history. This is true even if some of the past and present scientific ideas about the age of the earth and how we got to the present will probably end up some day on a “blooper reel.”\n\n\nWe are told many times in Scripture about God’s propensity for creation What we are not told is how he does it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7663006782531738}
+{"content": "Diese Website ist auch in Ihrer Sprache verfügbar\n\nWhat is Ayahuasca?\n\nAyahuasca is a powerful medicine from the Amazon and is not addictive. It is not a drug and should be treated with great respect. The indigenous people around the Amazon often give this powerful medicine to their children from a very young age.\n\nAyahuasca is one of the greatest teachers in the world and has huge potential for healing the psychological levels as well as the physical.\nA master plant, she is also refrred to as Mother Ayahuasca because of her teaching and healing effects.\n\nSince Ayahuasca has been used for healing purposes, one does not know exactly but there is some evidence that the knowledge has existed for millennia and handed down by master shamans to their students.\n\nAyahuasca is a vine (Banisteriopsis Caapi) which grows in the Amazon Rainforest and has mainly no psychotropic effect. To produce the powerful medicine and to achieve a hallucinogenic effect, the vine has to be boiled together with leaves of the Chacruna shrub (Psychotria virdis). For this purpose, the vine is pulled apart into thin strips. Then cook these Ayahuasca strips together with the Chacruna leaves in a pot with water for several days and thicken the liquid.\n\nThe resulting potion is then the medicine and has a strong, bitter taste. Depending on the tradition of the shaman, other leaves of medicinal plants are also fed to the potion.\n\nThe medicine is then taken at night in a ceremony conducted by a shaman. The shaman sings medicine songs, so-called Icaro chants during the ceremony. Thus, a shaman can connect with the Spirit of Ayahuasca, asking them for peace in the world, healing of the sick or healing of the world.\n\nA shaman can also influence the intensity of feeling someone has during contact with the medicine and can intervene if it becomes too much for someone. As a rule, a ceremony takes about 5 hours, with the effect of Ayahuasca occurring after about half an hour and the peak of the effect after 2 to 3 hours is exceeded.\n\nWe strongly advise anyone who does not have experience with Ayahuasca not to take this medicine alone. In addition to the effects, such as vomiting and diarrhea, strong visions can also occur, which can lead to anxiety if one does not know how to deal with it. Therefore, it is extremely important that the ceremony be carried out with a skilled shaman, who can intervene and help in such a case.\n\nWhether you vomit, have diarrhea or get visions depends on the individual person and therefore it is impossible to tell someone what will happen to them during a ceremony. In the right setting and under the right guidance, however, the medicine can be taken without hesitation and without any risk.\n\nSo that you are properly prepared and have the best benefit for you, you should start a week before your ceremony with the Ayahuasca diet. This means that your food should be prepared and eaten without salt, sugar, pork, red meat, dairy products, spices, citrus fruits, coffee, alcohol and any other drugs, including prescription! For the last 3 days before the ceremony, you should also abstain from sexual intercourse and masturbation.\n\nIf you have any questions or want more information, send us an email or use the contact form.\n\nContact form\n\nSign up for our newsletter:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9327510595321655}
+{"content": "Posts tagged lights\nA Love of Lighting\nLaundry Luxe\nStyling, Interior Designbeth lindseycustom, petdesign, inspiring, home improvement, farmhouse modern, sophisticated, light, stainless, accents, farmhouse sink, trends, detailsmatter, laundrydecor, beach home, navy blue, remodel, houstondesigner, luxury, customdesign, hgtv, washer, open shelves, stainless steel, ceramic, houston designer, utilityroom, texasstyle, paint, basket, construction, colored tile, cream, rooms, Beth lindsey interiors, cementtiles, texas, decorating tips, interior designer, lights, decortips, asid, decorating, dogbath, renovation, designer, counter, stacked washer, interiors, beach house, Galveston, HGTV, organizing, tv, décor, neutral, tilework, floatingshelves, sink, Beth Lindsey Interior Design, neutral color, laundry room, floating cabinet, lighting, remodel decorating, drew scott, open shelving, houston, redesign, hexagon, layered lighting, beth, utility room, tilefloor, architect, faucet, renovate, tips4design, architecture, laundry, finishing, shelving, contractor, decorating with baskets, Brother vs. Brother, custom cabinetry, decorator, chic, backsplash, decor remodel, painted, hurricane harvey, laundryroom, decor, baskets, vintage, dogshower, inspiration, after the hurricane, style, counters, neutrals, styling, trend, organized, design, beach decor, beth lindsey, Houston, colorinspo, mudroom, floor, traditional, ideas, organization, idea, accessories, classicdesign, tile, nostalgia, classic, bethlindsey, texasdesign, luxurious, color, glam, ASID, glamorous, Texas, colors, interior design, tilewall, room, color combos, interior, shelves, apron front sink, painting, cleanup, Interior design, countertops, subway tile, tips, dogs, countertop, petsComment\nBlinging in the Holidays\nInterior Design, Stylingbeth lindseyinspiration, cabinets, maximalist decor, faux, sconces, remodel, floral, tips, guest bedroom, gold, interior designer, ASID Showhouse, renovate, bathroomdecor, beth, color, fabulous, custom cabinetry, decor, shell, painted, goldleaf, sophisticated, décor, robert couturier, design, pewter, interior design, bathroom decor, plaster, vanity, guest bath, bathroom, antique, inspiring, renovation, homedecor, interior, colors, gingko, decorating for the holidays, christmas decor, mirror foxing, Interior design, bathroomdesign, metallics, idea, texas, sconce, maximalist, hardware, abstract, interiors, architecture, mirrored wall, lights, ASID, gold mirror, handpainted, Houston, beth lindsey, gilt, Beth lindsey interiors, room, lighting, silver-leaf, walldecor, walls, accents, style, powderbathroom, trends, silverleaf, artistry, architect, modern, ideas, stunning, houstondesigner, tilework, luxurious, custom, decorating, luxe, guest suite, asid, elegant, handmade, powder room, powderbath, guest bathroom, houston, decortips, elegance, renovations, powderroom, gingko leaf, gold leaf, seashells, maximilism, floral patterns, bethlindsey, drama, maximilist, guest, color combos, details, shades, burnished metal, rooms, metallic, restroom, paint, luxury, antiqued mirror, wall art, chic, gold fixtures, arabesque, houston designer, artist, tile, glo spa, Beth Lindsey Interior Design, silver, maximalism, trend, customdesign, glass art, designer, tilewall, cabinetry, mirror, chandelier, decorator, patina, sheen, gilded, family room, commercialComment\nBehind the Scenes: The Masterbath\nTrends and Ideas from High Point Market\nInterior Design, Productsbeth lindseyTexas, patterns, abstract, chair, furniture design, bethlindsey, birdsofinstagram, light, bold, interiordecor, textile, patina, denise mcgaha, wallcovering, seating, living, artistry, interiors, furniture, interior designer, ideas, houston designer, designer, texture, blog, tabledecor, dining room, glam, wall art, hpmkt2018, cranes, interiordesign, lights, luxurious, detailsmatter, wallart, flowers, decortips, upholstery, details, antique, chairs, diningroom, hpmkt, burnished metal, maximalist decor, design, frenchaccent, metallic, Beth Lindsey Interior Design, pattern, idea, chocolate, ginko, classicdesign, peacock, livingroom, luxe, seating area, florals, motif, accents, lounge, redesign, 2018, bronze, fabrics, birds, trend, visual comfort, decorator, botanical motif, stunning, texasdesign, rooms, french, gold fixtures, feminine, artanddecor, fabricwalls, wallpaper, artist, denisemcgahafordesignlegacy, floral, sconces, metal, pewter, chandelier, bernhardt, sconce, interior design, textiles, bernhardt furniture, interior, coffee table, lamp, ASID, décor, decor, abstract art, lighting tips, layered lighting, goldleaf, Beth lindsey interiors, living room, silver-leaf, greenery, tropical, trends, walls, fabric, glass, homedesign, style, floral patterns, metals, silverleaf, credenza, lounge chairs, nature, beth, gold leaf, maximilist, Houston, magnolia, gingko, metallics, beth lindsey, inspiring, glass art, couch, chairdesign, maximilism, luxury, lighting, brutalist, room, finishing, glamorous, houston, maximalism, gingko leaf, inspiration, homedecor, maximalist, frenchdesign, decorating tips, accessories, club chairs, decorating, acrylic, high point market, art, Chinoiserie, classic, silver, roses, cowhide rug, sculpture, furnituredesignComment\nBedside Lighting\nNew Design Books I'm Craving\nInterior Designbeth lindseylivingroom, san francisco, sconce, decorating tips, outdoor living, beach home, idea, interiordesign, apartment, glamorous, kitchendesign, bedrom, bedrooms, color trends, wallart, inspiration, exterior, instagood, master bathroom, custom cabinetry, drapery, home library, detailsmatter, lighting tips, texasdesign, colorful kitchens, interiordecor, open floor plan, designbooks, entryway, remodel decorating, accents, painting, textiles, neutrals, custom drapery, cosy interiors, redesign, coastal design, décor, Houston, guest bedroom, window, mantels, house tour, house, custom upholstery, painted, fabric, decorator, interiors, bookshelves, hallway, master suite, hardwood floors, guest bathroom, design books, wallcovering, mantel, calming, readingroom, props, paint, sitting room, lifestyleblogger, beachdecor, refresh, lounge chairs, textile, gold mirror, freestanding tub, wallpaper, conversation area, artistry, renovation, entry way, details, neutral color, retreat, drama, dining, sconces, guest room, beth, texture, rug, houston designer, sophisticated, kitchens, lifestyle, seating area, abstract art, beachhouse, instadecor, trend, condo, booksilove, shelving, luxury, coastaldesign, masterbath, colors, hardwood, luxurious, Grant K. Gibson, grasscloth, confidence, throw, Paloma Contreras, beachdesign, luxurylifestyle, runner, Interior design, mantle, remodel, palette, renew, entry, coastalstyle, furniture, eyecandy, tabletop, flowers, en suite bath, bathroom, home office, homedecor, homelibrary, outdoor living space, beth lindsey, fundecor, rugs, homestyle, designer, closet, room, sofa, trends, interior design, soaking tub, couch, livingwell, reimagine, shelves, bath, living, rooms, bedroom, wall, interior designer, kitchendecor, architecture, Beth Lindsey Interior Design, master bath, instahome, dining area, interiorstyle, outdoor seating area, vacation home, design history, vaulted ceilings, Greg Natale, accessories, furniture design, modern, pillow, architect, living room, beach house, bethlindsey, beach decor, freestandingtub, walls, wall art, drapes, Beth lindsey interiors, chair, decorating, interior, ceiling detail, guest suite, hall, halls, texas, family room, houston, houstondesigner, upholstered headboard, library, renewal, chaise, traditionaldesign, tablescape, instareading, bookjackets, ideas, traditional, coastal decor, coastaldecor, homedesign, bathtub, outdoor dining area, ceiling, foyer, lights, cabinets, upholstery, showhouse, tub, breakfast room, chaise lounge, pillows, table, decor remodel, draperies, seating, home improvement, master bedroom, powder room, front door, cabinetry, classicdesign, floor, table lamp, floral, fabulous, dining outside, lounge, homepersonality, vacationhome, window treatments, hallway decor ideas, roomgoals, chandelier, luxe, calm, casual, headboard, dining room, lighting, grant gibson, paloma contreras, greg natale, new booksComment\nLet There Be Light!\nLooking Up\nOutdoor Spaces", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6569012403488159}
+{"content": "\n\nCreated by “New Girl” writer Josh Malmuth and executive produced by uber-producer (and unabashed “Cheers” superfan) Mike Schur, “Abby’s” therefore makes a few key choices in order to differentiate itself as its own entity. The most immediately obvious difference is that “Abby’s” is the first multi-cam sitcom to be filmed outdoors. Taking advantage of Los Angeles’ generally static weather (recent rain deluge aside), the backyard setting creates a more casual, warm vibe. Outside of the quirky characters who fill it — played by capable comedic actors like Neil Flynn, Nelson Franklin, and Jessica Chaffin — the show imbues the bar itself with a personality and living mythology all its own, which makes for an easy way in to weirdo shenanigans.\n\nMost unique is Abby herself, the central bartender who rules her illegal bar with an iron fist and around whom everything, and everyone, orbits. She’s spiky, wary, and fiercely protective of the space she’s created. Abby is also a bisexual, Cuban-American Army veteran, all of which the show divulges casually in conversation as would be the case in real life. (Significantly, Morales is the first Cuban-American actor to anchor a broadcast network comedy since Desi Arnaz, and playing the first openly bisexual lead of a broadcast network comedy since…well, ever.) Morales is long overdue a leading role like this, and in her hands, Abby delivers jokes in a dry, deliberate deadpan that keeps scenes grounded as her regulars bounce off the (figurative) walls.\n\nAfter watching three episodes of exposition and hijinks, it’s clear that “Abby’s” needs a bit more time to get acquainted with itself. This makes sense; most comedies, especially those getting their sea legs while also performing in front of a live studio audience, do. The real question will be if the able actors and writers will lock into a more unified, distinctive groove going forward. In the early going, the jokes are generally fun, but rarely surprising. They also tend to lean a little too hard on the “we’re all here to get drunk” of it all, which could get tired quick if they’re not careful to build out aspects of everyone’s personalities beyond their shared disdain for fruity drinks.\n\nIt’s not hard to imagine that “Abby’s” could become a welcome regular on NBC’s blossoming comedy schedule given its promising cast and crew. But as it stands right now, show just needs some more time, inventive punchlines, and commitment to what makes it different from what’s come before in order to truly get there.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5999977588653564}
+{"content": "World’s Swiftest Hydrogen Sensor Could Usher For Clean Hydrogen Energy\n\n\nHydrogen is an unsoiled and sustainable energy carrier that can propel vehicles with water as the sole emission. Regrettably, hydrogen gas is extremely combustible when blended with air, so very productive and effectual sensors are required. At the present moment researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, dispense the premiere hydrogen sensors constantly to satiate the impending future performance targets for application in hydrogen-powered vehicles.\n\nThe discovery is an optical nanosensor enclosed in a plastic material. The sensor functions which are based on optical occurrence, a Plasmon which takes place when material nanoparticles are irradiated and seize visible light. The sensor purely alters colors when the aggregate of hydrogen in the environment alterations.\n\nThe plastic encompassing the minute sensor is not just for preservation but operates as a main constituent. It raises the sensor’s answer time by expediting the consumption of the hydrogen gas molecules into the metal particles where they can be perceived. Simultaneously the plastic behaves as an impactful barricade to the environment prohibiting any alternative molecules from infiltrating and decontaminating the sensor. The sensor can, therefore, function both distinctly adeptly and tranquility engendering it to convene with the conscientious wants of the automotive industry to be effective of discerning 0.1 percent hydrogen in the atmosphere within a second.\n\nFerry Nugroho a researcher said that they have been successful in advancing the world’s swiftest hydrogen sensor, and it also very secure over a time span and does not deactivate.\n\nRecommended For You\n\nCeline Machando\n\nAbout the Author: Celine Machando\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9631119966506958}
+{"content": "When to stop feeding?\n\n\nHi everyone,\n\nI’m a new beekeeper, I’ve had my first hive since december. I’ve been filling their feeder with 1:1 sugar syrup since I got them and last week their population has suddenly exploded. Previously on inspections I’ve been able to see comb between bees but this time the frames were completely covered, and the comb beneath was almost completely full of eggs, larvae, and capped brood.\n\nMy concern is that with this population growth, and the lack of stored honey on the account of it all being used by brood, there won’t be any food for winter. Should I stop feeding? I’ve also added a super a few weeks ago but they haven’t built it out at all.\n\n\nYou dont feed bees all the time like a cat or dog. Feeding is strategic and to a certain extent is done to fix a situation. ie you feed when they run out of supplies when there is no pollen and nectar around as in winter or after a fire etc. You might give a late winter early spring feed to provide a boost for brood production if they are a bit weak.\n\nDon’t feed whenever there are supplies around, bees can sometimes be great free loaders. Which is probably what is happening in your situation.\n\nOn the issue of adding supers I note there is a tendency for people to put on supers because they should. A super shoud be added when or rather just before it is needed. If there is blossom around which mostly all the time in all seasons except winter and your hive is full of brood and supplies then add a super. I think you always need to be just ahead of the bees and push them always with new space otherwise they just become lazy and this can feed all the way back to the queen who slows laying. Conversely in winter boxes should be removed as they become clear or there is more space in lower boxes otherwise the queen moves up to where it is warmer,", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7639043927192688}
+{"content": "INTERSTITIAL inters totvol\n\nThe construction of interstitial potential and density may be changed by using this card. inters = ipot + 2*irav + 6*irmt. ipot=1 might be useful when only the surroundings of the absorbing atom are specified in ‘feff.inp’. irav and irmt are described only for completeness and nonzero values are strongly not recommended.\n\npotential index. ipot defines how to find the interstitial potential: ipot=0 (default): the interstitial potential is found by averaging over the entire extended cluster in ‘feff.inp’. ipot=1 : the interstitial potential is found locally around the absorbing atom.\nalso changes how interstitial potential is found. irav=0 (default): equation for Vint is constructed at rav=r_nrm. 1 : at rav=(r_mt+r_nrm)/2 , 2 - at rav=r_mt\nirmt=0 (default): Norman prescription for mt radii. irav=1 : Matching point prescription for mt radii (do not use)\nis the volume per atom normalized by ratmin3 (totvol=(volume per atom)/ratmin3), where ratmin is the shortest bond for the absorbing atom. This quantity defines the total volume (needed to calculate interstitial density) of the extended cluster specified in ‘feff.inp’. If totvol \\leq 0 then the total volume is calculated as a sum of norman sphere volumes. Otherwise, totalvolume = nat * (vtot * ratmin3); where nat is a number of atoms in an extended cluster. Thus totvol=1.0 is appropriate for cubic structures, such as NaCl. The INTERSTITIAL card may be useful for open systems (e.g. those which have ZnS structure.\n* improve interstitial density for ZnS structures.\n* totvol = (unit_cell_volume/number_of_atoms_in_unit_cell)/ratmin**3)=1.54\ndeveloper's resources", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8517686128616333}
+{"content": "Mar 062017\n\nLesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) high school students are at higher risk for suicide than their heterosexual peers. The reasons are complex. The facts are simple. In the US in 2015, 29% of LGB youth report attempting suicide in the past year compared to 6% of their heterosexual peers. LGB youth also have higher rates of depression, anxiety, and non-suicidal self injury. Why? One of the main culprits is stigma.\n\nIt is still not a “good” or “normal” thing to be LGB in the United States. LGB people are very much in the minority. They are targets for discrimination and violence. All of this is part of stigma. There are different types of stigma. Structural stigma is policy, rule, and law based discrimination. Marriage inequality was one of the most talked-about forms of structural stigma.\n\nIf poor mental health outcomes like suicide attempts are partially because of stigma then we would expect changes in those mental health outcomes after a change in stigma. In other words, if marriage inequality is one way that society says “LGB is bad” and drives adolescents toward suicide, then when marriage inequality goes away adolescents should have fewer suicide attempts.\n\nAnd that’s what the researchers in this week’s study looked at. They asked: Did youth suicide attempts go down after legalization of marriage equality?\n\nThe Study\n\nThe researchers looked at data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). The YRBSS is a survey done by the Centers for Disease Control every 2 years. It’s conducted in 47 of the 50 United States.Among other things, the YRBSS asks about number of suicide attempts in the past 12 months.\n\nThey looked at data from 1999-2015. 2015 is before country-wide marriage equality. So instead of looking at national data, they looked state by state. They compared suicide attempts before and after legalization in that state. They also compared suicide attempts in states that legalized and in states that did not legalize in the same year.\n\nIn addition they compared straight suicide attempts to LGB suicide attempts. Only 25 states were actually asking about sexual orientation by 2015, so this part of the study was limited.\n\nIn total there were data from roughly 760 thousand adolescents. 12.7% of students in states that asked about sexual orientation identified as LGB. 2.3% were gay/lesbian, 6.4% were bisexual, and 4% were uncertain.\n\n8.6% of all students had attempted suicide in the past year before marriage equality. That dropped by 0.6% to 8.0% after same-sex marriage was legalized. If we extrapolate out, that’s roughly 134 thousand adolescents who did not attempt suicide after marriage equality.\n\nFor LGB students the difference was even more impressive. Out of 231 thousand adolescents, 28.5% had attempted suicide in the past year prior to legalization. After marriage equality it dropped by 4.0% to 24.5%. That’s a relative reduction of 14%.\n\nAnd for the statistically nerdy folks among us, those results were statistically significant at the p = 0.05 level.\n\nNice data, but what does it mean?\n\nHere’s the bottom line. There were fewer suicide attempts in all high school students after marriage equality. This was especially true among LGB youth, but the effect was seen in all youth.\n\nThere’s a very important lesson in these results. Legal policies and the message those policies convey have very real effects on health. And it’s not just as simple as policies like mandatory vaccination and the resulting drop in infectious diseases. Denying same sex couples the right to marry and all the legal protections associated with marriage sends the message that LGB people are inferior. And our youth hear that. It has very real effects on their health. It’s behooves us as a society to examine other policies like employment and school protections to see if they send the same message.\n\nFrom a personal perspective, these results are not surprising. While the Defense of Marriage Act was still law, even as a teenager I was very aware of what that meant for my legal rights. I knew about, and was distressed by, the lack of hospital visitation rights and insurance coverage. As an adult the knowledge that I have the legal right to make medical decisions for my wife without question is immensely comforting. We have a long way to go on other matters, but this one small step makes a difference.\n\nLastly, never underestimate suicidality. If you or someone you love is in crisis, the Trevor Project is an LGBT friendly suicide hotline for youth. Adults who need assistance can find the right hotline for them here.\n\n\nFeb 202017\n\n“Brain tumor” are two words that strike fear into most hearts. They conjure images of thin patients with heads shaved and large fresh scars on their heads, of rapid neurological deterioration, and of sick children. Not all brain tumors are the same, however. Some are aggressive malignant cancer. Those are the bad actors like medullablastoma. They grow and spread quickly, and are very difficult to treat. Others are benign. These grow slowly, and either don’t spread or are very slow to spread. Benign brain tumors include meningioma, which we’re talking about today.\n\nMeningioma is a tumor of the meninges, a thin layer that covers the brain. Meningiomas are benign. They don’t tend to metastasize (spread to other areas of the body). Instead, they grow and can grow enough that they squish parts of the brain. This causes headaches, loss of vision, and changes in thinking and mood.\n\nBrain tumors are rare. So are meningiomas. They affect roughly 97/100,000 people. We don’t yet know exactly what causes them. But by looking are who tends to get them, we have some guesses. Exposure to radiation of the head seems to increase the risk. So does having a condition called Neurofibromatosis II. And meningiomas are more common in cisgender women than in cisgender men. Why? Because of hormones. Like breast cancer, meningioma can grow in response to estrogen or progesterone. Cis men who have been treated for prostate cancer (involving androgen deprivation therapy) are at higher risk. And perhaps trans women are too.\n\nToday’s Paper\n\nAnd that’s what brings us to today’s paper. We’ve covered meningiomas in trans women once before, but it’s time to take another look now that we have more data.\n\nToday’s paper discusses three new cases of meningioma in trans women. In total now, 8 cases have been discussed in the medical literature. It’s a very small number, but enough to start seeing some patterns.\n\nOf these three new cases, all were over the age of 45, were post-vaginoplasty, and were on cyproterone acetate along with an estrogen. All had surgery to remove the tumor, and they did well. The decision to continue hormone therapy was made on a case-by-case basis.\n\nThe authors noted a previous paper that found that cyproterone acetate was associated with meningioma. This was particularly true with doses above 25mg a day. Among the eight cases of meningioma in trans women in the literature, only one was not on cyproterone acetate. Doses ranged from 10mg to 100mg, with most being on 50mg or 100mg. The authors also found reports of higher rates of meningioma among people who use progesterone-like medications. Removing hormone therapy (especially cyproterone acetate) frequently helps to shrink the tumor.\n\nWhat should you do with this information?\n\nFirst, don’t panic about meningioma. It’s rare and benign.\n\nThere is no screening for meningioma. Instead, if you have any unusual symptoms like changes in your vision or headaches, talk with your doctor.\n\nIf you are a trans woman, consider taking the smallest dose of hormones possible. In general, high doses increase side effects and don’t help with transition. If you are diagnosed with a meningioma, have an honest conversation with your doctors about your hormone therapy.\n\nAnd, of course, be sure to live as healthy a life as you can. Don’t go jumping into volcanos or nuclear power plants. Eat a balanced diet, get some exercise, avoid most drugs, and take care of yourself.\n\n\nJan 092017\n\n\n\nA nicotine patch, one of the main aids in quitting smoking\n\nA nicotine patch, one of the main aids in quitting smoking\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Data\n\nGood news, everyone!\n\n\n\n  • The poor: 26.1% vs 13.9%\n  • People with disabilities: 21.5% vs 13.8%\n  • Men more than women: 16.7% vs 13.6%\n\n\n\nBut why?\n\nWhy is there this difference in smoking rates?\n\n\n  • Lack of targeted anti-smoking campaigns and resources\n\nAnd likely there are many other reasons.\n\nWhat can we do about smoking?\nOne LGBT-targeted ad to quit smoking\n\nOne LGBT-targeted ad to quit smoking\n\nFirst, and most importantly, is to quit smoking yourself if you smoke. Resources specific to LGBT communities include and If you don’t smoke but a loved one does, support them in their efforts to quit.\n\n\n\n\n\nDec 192016\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat did they find?\n\n\n\n\nWhat does this mean?\n\n\n\n\n\nDec 052016\n\n\n\nWhich all brings me to today’s article!\n\nLiterature Review\n\n\n\nHIV treatment 101\n\nDiagram of an HIV particle\n\n\nTrans women and HIV\n\n\n\nHAART and hormones\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7941662073135376}
+{"content": "Kamakura Italian Restaurant\n\nSurrounded by Japanese gardens on both sides, Rans is a rustic lodge-inspired restaurant serving delectable Italian cuisine and luscious wines. Located just off the busy Komachi Shopping Street, Rans offers a tranquil environment to relax and enjoy a sumptuous feast.\n\nRans, the owner, lived in Canada for many years and knows how to showcase Kamakura’s famous vegetables  with intoxicating  sauces and international accents. The handiwork of his chefs also include many seasonal Japanese ingredients and flavors as well.\n\nThe lunch courses are affordable, filling, and memorable!\n\nOfficial Website\n\n Daily:  11:00 am – 11:00 pm (Last Order: 10:20 pm)\n\nAddress: Yukinoshita 1-5-38 , Komorebi Rokugan No.2 Bldg. 1Floor\n\n0467-23-1196 (in Japanese) Map", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9920462965965271}
+{"content": "Did you know that feed water with high alkalinity will substantially raise the medium Ph in the rhizopshere no matter what the Ph of the input water is???\n\n\nI would think this info to be more useful to those of us that rely on groundwater aquifers or well water supplies that dont get tested or get treated to adjust total alkalinity.\n\nRecently, some growers have expressed concern about the \"high pH\" of their irrigation water and its potential adverse effects on plants. The purpose of this article is to allay some of these concerns by pointing out the difference between \"high pH\" and \"high alkalinity\".\n\nAlkalinity and pH are two important factors in determining the suitability of water for irrigating plants. pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in water or other liquids. In general, water for irrigation should have a pH b etween 5.0 and 7.0. Water with pH below 7.0 is termed \"acidic\" and water with pH above 7.0 is termed \"basic\"; pH 7.0 is \"neutral\".\n\nSometimes the term \"alkaline\" is used instead of \"basic\" and often \"alkaline\" is confused with \"alkalinity\". Alkalinity is a measure of the water's ability to neutralize acidity. An alkalinity test measures the level of bicarbonates, carbonates, and hydroxides in water and test results are generally expressed as \"ppm of calcium carbonate (CaCO3)\". The desirable range f or irrigation water is 0 to 100 ppm calcium carbonate. Levels between 30 and 60 ppm are considered optimum for most plants.\n\nFor More Details\n\nElectronic Product Marketing Examples", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9764533638954163}
+{"content": "Featured post\n\nThe Case for Solar Energy\n\nTake a look up in the sky on a sunny day and you’ll witness the most amazing, powerful, and incredibly renewable source of energy known to man. The Sun. Of course, don’t stare directly at it or you’ll risk going blind. It’s just another reminder of how powerful the Sun really is.\n\nAs a species, we’ve been using solar energy for quite some time. Man has used it since ancient times to dry everything from clothing to animal hides. But we’ve been slow to adopt solar energy on a significant scale, primarily because in the 20th century, we lacked the technologies to efficiently capture and store it.\n\nOn a sunny day, each square meter on Earth receives approximately 160 watts of power from the sun over a 24 hour period. That means the entire planet receives about 84 terrawatts of power in a day. That’s a tremendous amount of power. Of course, we lack the means to capture and harness sunlight over every square meter of the globe, but you can quickly get a sense of solar energy’s potential.\n\nThe biggest obstacle to widespread adoption of solar energy is the relative inefficiency of converting raw sunlight to usable power. Solar technology has come a long way in just the last 20 years, but significant and costly obstacles remain preventing widespread adoption. Still, if you take the long view–something we should be doing a lot more of when it comes to energy and environmental issues–you’ll soon discover that solar energy is the best long-term solution for much our needs.\n\nThink of it this way. Most of the inhabitants of our planet got along just fine for 4 billion years relying almost entirely on solar energy. Power and warmth from the sun was so important that our ancestors quite literally worshiped it, creating several gods who represented the power and life that the sun brought to their lives. I was reminded of this while my son was playing an adventure called Time Tangled Island on Poptropica. In this quest, you need to retrieve a piece of a sun stone mask belonging to an Aztec tribe. Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec sun god, was the most important god of all. He was the god who told the Aztecs where to build their city, and it was to him that human sacrifices were often made.\n\nCan we adapt our approaches to energy consumption to do the same? The answer is yes and while the road to get there is long, it’s possible. We need smart and innovative approaches, an assessment of all the possible choices, and a well-thought action-plan to move to solar, but it’s possible and absolutely can be done.\n\nYoga Upward Salute\n\nSun Salutation – A Yoga Pose\n\nI’ve been doing a lot of Yoga lately after reading up on the benefits of this exercise. I like it a lot better than lifting weights or doing heavy cardio work at the gym. I also like the spirtual benefits as well. Many of the poses are grounded in ancient traditions. One of my favorites, of course, is the Sun Salutation Pose, which I learned about on YogaSimple.net. Here’s a little history behind the pose.\n\nAlso known as Surya Namaskara, the sun salutation is an older form of Indian exercise that’s usually practiced as a means of honoring the sunshine. The pose combines worship, motion, and prayer. It has 12 poses which are done jointly as a way to reach the desired outcomes.\n\nSun Salutation at the Dead Sea\n\nsource: flickr.com\n\nYou can do the pose as a warm up exercise. When you are in a yoga class or you also can take action as the key exercise. When employed as a warmup exercise, it helps in creating internal “electricity” hence warming up the physique.\n\nTo prepare the physique, this pose generates energy that increases blood circulation in the muscles thus establishing a rhythm for the complete yoga practice. When you are doing the pose for warm-up goals, you simply do it for just a small amount of time.\n\nDoing the pose as the main exercise allows you to build flexibility and body strength. The pose also helps you to exercise major body muscles such as the respiratory program muscles. As a consequence of this you breathe better and be appropriate.\n\nIn addition to these advantages, other benefits include:\n\nWeight-loss: this is the widely known benefit of the pose. The pose brings about weight loss by augmenting the rate of metabolic process. Fat sediments in the body are combusted, When the speed of metabolism increases and consequently you shed weight.\n\nPeace of mind: when done at an effortless pace, the sun salutation has been demonstrated find a way to provide you much needed peace of mind. As a result of the peace of mind, you’re feeling relaxed and without tension. As a result of this, you become more productive as there is an optimistic approach towards life.\n\nPhysical benefits: other than the pose assisting you to have peace of mind, it also helps in making you physically fit.\n\nThe sun salutation is a rather easy to execute model also it could be practiced by nearly every man, woman and child, regardless of age. To enjoy all the advantages of the pose, you should practice day-to-day. You should also possess an optimistic attitude towards it.\n\nSolar Energy on House Roofs\n\nSolar Energy for Home Use\n\n\n\n\nSolar Panel\n\nSolar panels at work for energy.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nScience Fair\n\nA Fun Solar Energy Science Project\n\nOne of the best experiences I ever had was when I participated in a local solar energy science fair. Despite my professional experience, as it turns out when I was a kid, I was never very good at science, so I saw this as a challenge. I enjoy doing new things, especially activities that I don’t have a lot of experience in. I initially thought it wouldn’t go very well, but then I thought of something that I had seen on a camping trip years ago, and decided to make one. Instead of creating something with solar panels like everyone else was, I decided to focus on what I enjoy the most: food! That’s when I decided to make my very first solar cooker. To be honest, I didn’t win the contest, but I did have a lot of fun and I figured out how to make one with really simple steps. Let me tell you what I did, and maybe you can do the same.\n\nThe first thing you need are a couple boxes. They don’t have to be very big, but one has to be a little smaller than the other. That’s because in between the gap created by the different box sizes, you have to insert shredded newspaper. This will be a makeshift insulator that is necessary for the solar oven to work. Another thing you will need are pieces of black construction paper that you put inside the smaller box. Outside of the solar oven, you need to have reflective panels that can focus the light, at 45 degree angles, into the box where the food will be cooked. What I did was wrap tinfoil around four square pieces of cardboard, and propped them up with dowels so I could adjust the angle.\n\nThe last part of the process is the easiest: put your food in the center of the box! Depending upon what you’re cooking, and the time of year that you make the box, it could take several hours for the sun to cook your food. You can literally make anything in this solar cooker including soup, appetizers, salads, casseroles, desserts and even bread. There are also lots of recipes on the Internet that you can access for free, so no matter what type of food you would like to cook, there is probably a recipe for it on the Internet. It was a very exciting project for me, and I’m glad I took the time to try it out. Hopefully this little experience that I had making a makeshift solar cooker for a solar energy science fair project will inspire you to try to make one yourself.\n\nMethane is an Organic Alternative\n\nMethane from Cattle\n\nCattle are a viable source of methane gas.\n\nGot cows? Got plenty of cattle fencing in place to keep them separate and organized? A lot of cattle farmers and ranchers are turning to methane gas production as a viable secondary source of income and by and large it seems to be working. Methane gas is a common chemical compound known by the formula CH4, and it is the simplest alkane in the environment.\n\nIt occurs naturally and is often extracted from large natural gas fields but can also be extracted relatively efficiently from solid waste landfills. Increasingly, methane is obtained through the fermentation of organic matter, including cow manure. It’s the ideal scenario for a large-scale cattle farmer because in addition to providing a secondary income stream, it helps to deal with another problem that all cattle ranchers face: dealing with all the cow manure on their property.\n\nLearning How Solar Cells Work\n\n\n\n\n\nHotblack Desiato and Disaster Area\n\nOne of my favorite book series is Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, an uproariously funny collection of books by the late, great Douglas Adams who sadly passed away at a much too young age. One of the best scenes, apart from the mattress creatures of Squornshellous Alpha, is the scene from the third book, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, when the lead characters become trapped on a spaceship belonging to Hotblack Desiato and his rock group, Disaster Area. In the scene, the spaceship has been programmed to crash into the sun in an effort to create a solar flare. It’s all part of the elaborate stage theatrics of the band, which plays so loud that the audience must usually listen from a distance of thirty-seven miles away.\n\nBut could a spaceship crashing into a sun really cause a solar flare? Well, not likely. Science, which isn’t always as imaginative as fiction, tells us that solar flares are caused when electrons interact with the plasma medium of the sun. A curious phenomenon of magnetic reconnection is involved, and while we don’t know precisely how solar flares come about, we do know that they’re generally not set off by space ship crashes involved in theatrics from rock bands.\n\nSolar Water Heater\n\nI attended a seminar about solar water heater last weekend and it interest me quite a bit! I want to share all the facts that I’ve gathered from that seminar. I hope I will be able to convey the message to you clearly and keep you interested not bored!\n\nUsage of solar-powered water heaters is really taking off throughout different hotels and establishment where comfort really matters. Typical domestic uses of hot water are for cleaning, cooking, bathing, and space heating.  Water heaters powered by electricity typically use 4500 watts, which puts them out of reach for many.\n\nWell, here comes the solar power heater. Solar energy is a great way to free yourself from electric monthly bill. In order to heat water using solar energy, a collector, often fastened to a roof or a wall facing the sun, heats working fluid that is either pumped or driven by natural convection through it. The collector could be made of a simple glass topped insulated box with a flat solar absorber made of sheet metal attached to copper pipes and painted black, or a set of metal tubes surrounded by an evacuated glass cylinder. It will the one to deliver and store the hot water into the household or an establishment. If you’re not sure of where to begin, try talking to your neighbors or reaching out to vendors through your neighborhood association.\n\nThe device is kind of not so cheap when you purchase it but to if you’re going to think about the monthly bill that you are going to pay when you use an electric water heater you may as well agree with me that this one will work efficiently and it eliminates monthly frustrations!\n\nSolar Power for Heat\n\nCritics of solar power are quick to point out that its currently horribly inefficient. And to a point, they’re somewhat correct. We’re still not at a point where the technology for solar power conversion has advanced to the point where it’s practical or economically feasible to convert solar power into electricity and use it to power most of modern society’s power needs. Mass-produced cheaper solar panels only convert solar power to electricity with 15% efficiency.\n\nBut the other day I was reminded of something while sitting outside in the hot summer sun. I went to pick up my black computer bag which had become hot to the touch after just a short while of sitting in the sun. Too often we criticize solar power for its inefficiency in conversion to electricity. But when all we want to do is to capture the heat from the sun, solar becomes a very viable and economically sound choice. It makes sense for countries all over the world that get sun, whether that in the high mountains of Peru or the sun splashed beaches of Thailand.\n\nTake water heaters, for example. Solar powered water heaters make a lot a sense in most of the United States, and apart from the initial installation and plumbing work, don’t require much ongoing energy costs. And they also don’t need expensive photovoltaic cells. When you compare them to the ongoing costs of powering a water heater throughout the year on normal electrical power coming from a coal plant or other traditional power source, it wouldn’t take you long to recoup your initial investment and of course, you’d be doing yourself and the planet a favor.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7682327032089233}
+{"content": "Page MenuHomeSolus\n\nClosed, WontfixPublic\n\n\nName: Ibus-table\nOpen Source: yes\nDescription: Ibus-table is a framework for table based input methods using IBus. Ibus-table is mostly used for Chinese, table based input methods like ZhengMa, WuBi, ErBi, and CangJie. But it can be used for other languages as well and some tables are available for other languages.\n\nDataDrake triaged this task as Low priority.Apr 5 2017, 9:20 PM\nJoshStrobl closed this task as Wontfix.Jun 25 2018, 12:36 PM\nJoshStrobl added a project: Needs Maintainer.\nJoshStrobl claimed this task.\nJoshStrobl added a subscriber: JoshStrobl.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8232937455177307}
+{"content": "słownik niemiecko - angielski\n\nDeutsch - English\n\nfertig po angielsku:\n\n1. finished finished\n\nHave you finished?\nWe import raw materials and export the finished products.\nDo you have any ideas on how we can make sure Tom sticks around until the job is finished?\nTom eagerly finished up what was left of the champagne and chicken pie.\nIf he hadn't wasted time, he'd be finished by now.\nThe bus had left by the time my wife finished dressing.\nIt was not until she finished reading the book that she noticed who had written it.\nWhen the program finished, we switched the radio off.\nHe finished his dinner because he didn't like to waste food.\nA student raised his hand when the teacher finished the reading.\nThe roadblock is only temporary. It will be removed when the construction is finished.\nIt was a victory for the whole country when he finished first in the race.\n\nAngielskie słowo \"fertig\" (finished) występuje w zestawach:\n\nFlashcards aus dem Buch - \"Tip Lewis and His Lamp\"...\nFlashcards aus dem Buch - \"Poems\" (Jamie Harris Co...\nFlashcards aus dem Buch - \"Little Prudy's Sister S...\nFlashcards aus dem Buch - \"Gutta-Percha Willie\" (G...\nFlashcards aus dem Buch - \"The Dorrington Deed-Box...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.959367036819458}
+{"content": "Tag Archives: History\n\nHunger History Lesson – Celebrity fundraising during the 1980s famine in Ethiopia\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nALL Lives Matter\n\nALL Lives Matter\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA Brief History of Welfare in America\n\nbrief history of welfare\n\nThis week I listened to another audiobook courtesy of the Overdrive app and my local library. If you have a smart phone, tablet, or e-reader, I highly recommend you ask your local library if they have the Overdrive app available. There are tons of audiobooks and e-books you can check out for free.\nAnyway, when I was scrolling through audio titles recently, I came upon a book called $2.00 A Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn Edin and H. Luke Shaefer. My first response to the cover material and introduction was skepticism. For as much as I know about poverty and hunger, I still did not believe that this extreme level of poverty was possible in America. Between SNAP, Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security Disability, welfare, WIC, private charities, and private donations, I could not believe that there were people with no job AND who were turned down from these social security nets.\n\nAs the authors, a sociology professor and a social work professor, began to unwrap their research, I could see the pockets of this level of destitution that exist here in the United States. I still had trouble finding sympathy for some of the subjects because of their terrible life choices. The authors did not go digging for the most innocent victims of poverty, to be sure. I am also not completely sold on some of their conclusions. Their plan involves a lot of expansion in government services and job creation, yet they offer few if any suggestions about how to fund such programs.\n\nBut feelings and solutions aside, the most valuable part of this book in my opinion was the historical context it gave to American welfare programs. So using this book as my source, today’s post is a review of that history.\n\nThe Great Depression\nPrior to the Great Depression in the 1930s, government welfare programs were virtually unheard of in the United States. But when things got desperate, President Franklin Roosevelt enacted several pieces of legislation aimed at putting Americans back to work and providing for those who were unable to care for themselves. Many of the programs (such as the Works Progress Administration which put Americans to work on public works programs) expired or were discontinued when the Depression ended. Others continue even to this day, including Social Security for the elderly and disabled, Medicare and Medicaid health insurance. One of the programs that came out of the Depression era was Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), commonly known as welfare. AFDC provided a cash safety net for families with children who found themselves in a desperate situation.\n\nThe Great Society\nIn the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson greatly expanded social service programs, including AFDC, as part of his “Great Society” initiatives. Johnson’s goal was to eliminate poverty and racial inequality in America through a series of legislation which expanded existing social programs like Social Security, AFDC, food stamps, and Medicare/Medicaid. It also created Head Start, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).\n\nThe 1970s and 1980s\nReaction to the Great Society programs were mixed. While it provided tremendously for struggling Americans, many felt that it rewarded indolence and unwed procreation. Edin and Schaefer argue that welfare was widely unpopular after the Great Society because it was at odds with deeply held American values like self-sufficiency, the primacy of family, and the value of hard work. They site a study where the majority of Americans in a survey group stated that they believed that the government was not doing enough to help the poor, and in the same survey they responded that welfare was too expensive. Americans were concerned that welfare was trapping people in a cycle of dependency, and they complained of costly abuses of the system. Ronald Reagan made welfare reform a campaign issue in the late 1970s, and the popular support for welfare reform helped get him elected.\nAlso during this time, the food stamps program was renamed SNAP, and a program using an Electronic Balance Transfer (EBT) card rather than paper food stamps was instituted to cut down on the (illegal) sale of food stamps, a popular survival strategy for people with no cash income.\n\nWelfare Reform\nFor all the rhetoric, Reagan was not able to push though significant welfare reform. The issue continued to be a popular campaign topic but difficult to enact. In 1991/92, Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Clinton took up the mantle, promising to “end welfare as we know it.” Once elected, President Clinton set out to reform the welfare system using aspects of a plan proposed by Harvard professor Dr. David Ellwood. Elwood’s plan proposed a system that encouraged work through a combination of cash welfare and job training, with limits on welfare that would encourage individuals to wean off the system and guaranteed jobs in government if nothing was available in the private sector. As the various welfare bills made their way through committees, the House, the Senate, and onto the President’s desk (where two welfare reform bills were vetoed), the legislation looked less and less like Ellwood had imagined. The final result was the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which virtually eliminated welfare as we knew it and instituted a new work-based program. It replaced AFDC with Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), a program that supplied cash welfare with strict time limits and work requirements designed to prevent long-term welfare dependence. The results have been mixed. Proponents are quick to point out that the welfare rolls have shrunk dramatically, but opponents point out that the number of families suffering from lack of resources, and the strain on private charities have increased as a result of the reforms.\n\nThe System Today\nThe TANF program was reauthorized in 2005 with slight adjustments. Following the advent of the Great Recession in 2008, Congress enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a temporary addition to TANF designed to get Americans through the recession. It provided a temporary TANF emergency fund (2009-10) as well as jobs programs aimed at stimulating the economy and improving American infrastructure through public works programs.\nIn 2010 the TANF program was reauthorized for a second time.\n\nIt’s not easy to tell the whole story of American welfare in 1000-ish words. I know this does not cover every argument for and against the programs. But it does provide you with a basic understanding of how we got to where we are today. Edin and Schafer argue that the old system was out of sync with American values and full of holes, but they also argue that the current system leaves many people with few legal options. They propose further reforms that focus on wage and workplace protections, and work opportunities, among other ideas.\n\nThis feels a bit scary, like opening Pandora’s Box, but if we agree to be civil I think we can have this discussion. What POSITIVE changes would you like to see in the way the federal government treats the poor? More mental health services? An increase in the minimum wage? Leave a comment!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8399538397789001}
+{"content": "Ce diaporama a bien été signalé.\nrganisations are struggling to\ncope with two obvious forces:\nthe need to maintain trust, and\nthe reality of cyber breach...\n60%expect an attack\nfrom inside the\nbeing managed effectively, leaving the\norganisation vulnerable to compro...\nRegarding the internal threat, consider\nthis common scenario: a company hires a\ncontractor for a three-month project, with...\ninquiry. 20% said adoption of new technology\nwould lead them to review access levels, and\nthe same proportion would do it ...\nProchain SlideShare\nChargement dans…5\n\nThe Trust Paradox: Access Management and Trust in an Insecure Age\n\n540 vues\n\nPublié le\n\nThis white paper discusses the results of a CIO UK survey on a“Trust Paradox,” defined as employees and business partners being both the weakest link in an organization’s security as well as trusted agents in achieving the company’s goals.\n\nPublié dans : Technologie\n  • Soyez le premier à commenter\n\n  • Soyez le premier à aimer ceci\n\nThe Trust Paradox: Access Management and Trust in an Insecure Age\n\n  1. 1. O rganisations are struggling to cope with two obvious forces: the need to maintain trust, and the reality of cyber breaches: the fact that a serious attack on the organisation is a daily possibility. With this as the backdrop, we pose the fundamental question: do you really know who has access to your company’s most important assets, and do you really trust them? Trust is a prerequisite of business; it always has been. For markets and industries to function, there needs to be a high level of trust between businesses and their employees - whether temporary, permanent or contracted - as well as partners and suppliers. However, managing and protecting information and access continues to be a thorny issue for many CIOs, who have to operate in an increasingly exposed and porous security environment. With technologies such as BYOD and the internet of things, businesses are actively enabling a growing number of people to access data from a wide variety of devices. This has created a greater number of attack vectors for cybercriminals, whilst making core business systems more vulnerable than ever before. The Trust Paradox Access Management and Trust in an Insecure Age Nevertheless, the vast majority of CIOs are certain they are securing their organisations sufficiently, and have control of their access. You might be one of them. In an exclusive CIO UK survey, 122 Senior IT Decision Makers in organisations with 500+ employees expressed great confidence in their organisations’ security. Most of them (94%) told us they have an information security strategy in place, with just 5% of respondents feeling their organisation is not well protected against today’s security threats. However, the business headlines tell a different story. In 2014, there were high-profile data breaches in every major business sector including retail, finance, technology, communications, entertainment and health. The big question is: if leading corporations can be breached - ones that you would expect to have the tightest security and access controls - are we really as secure as we believe? Furthermore, how can we be more secure whilst enabling, rather than not limiting the business? Other questions we need to ask ourselves are: if organisations believe they are protected against cyber crime, which comes from within and the outside, then why are so many companies being hacked? What are organisations missing, and what controls are needed to have an impact on People, Process, and Technology? Many large enterprises struggle to stay on top of access control, and to meet the stringent regulatory and industry compliance demands. It gives rise to a range of problems: employees might have access to information without needing approval; there could be many accounts still present without active owners; and users could be keeping hold of unnecessary access. Constant personnel moves can pose other problems: there could be an influx of users after mergers and acquisitions, making access control a complex operation. Alternatively, it could be that internal and external moves are not 94%have an information security strategy in place\n  2. 2. 60%expect an attack from inside the organisation. being managed effectively, leaving the organisation vulnerable to compromise from the inside. This is the reality of business, and this is the security landscape in which we now operate. So, are we really as secure as we believe? EMPLOYEE ACCESS MANAGEMENT AND TRUST T rust is a cornerstone of corporate computing, and this is reflected in the survey results. The CIOs surveyed displayed high levels of confidence regarding their protection, with 95% saying they are adequately protected. 94% of UK organisations have an IS strategy in place, and 93% feel they are either very effective or effective at governing employees’ access. It is also clear that access management is high on the security agenda, with almost all the CIOs saying it will be on their agenda during the next 12 months. On the surface, these results are excellent. They exude confidence, and paint a very encouraging picture of enterprise security today. But are things really that straightforward? We suggest that there is a ‘Trust Paradox’ here. In other words, you need to trust your employees and business partners in order to get anything done. (99% of respondents agree that trust is important – or very important - when securing organisation assets, and very few said it was not very important.) However, at the same time, 60% of respondents expect an attack to come from inside the organisation, with far fewer, 39%, saying a security breach would come from an external source. Together, these results pose an interesting conundrum: trust is vitally important, but organisations don’t necessarily trust their employees when it comes to security. There are several reasons why this may be the prevailing perception. Firstly, CIOs and senior IT and security leaders need to display high levels of confidence, both in the organisation’s security and its employees. They also need to convince business heads that the organisation is secure. Security and trust are a matter of perception as well as reality. We know from recent, high- profile security breaches that they can rock consumer confidence, as well as making employees uneasy, not to mention business partners and investors. Secondly, media coverage tends to focus on big, external hacker attacks and not internal breaches. Perhaps this helps to play down the internal threat in peoples’ minds. CIOs in the survey rightly identify the potential for an internal security breach, but other findings in the research suggest they are not being proactive enough in managing employee access. Thirdly, there may be a false sense of security amongst UK organisations. Just because your company hasn’t been hit yet, it doesn’t prove you’re secure: an attack is always imminent. Security analysts have noted an almost 100% increase in targeted internet-based attack campaigns between 2013 and 2014. Furthermore, internet security breaches rose by almost two thirds year on year, and a high proportion of major web sites have been found to contain critical vulnerabilities. 99%agree that trust is important.\n  3. 3. Regarding the internal threat, consider this common scenario: a company hires a contractor for a three-month project, with HR and IT departments involved. They need to give them access to information, and work with the hiring manager to review their access. So far, so good. But what happens when the contractor leaves? Who updates their access? What audit controls are in place? For many, this can be a point of weakness in the organisation. For situations like these, tools are available to mitigate risk. Malcolm Marshall, KPMG’s global head of cyber security, says, “These solutions are often seen as blockers to a company, restricting access and making it harder to do a job, but, by combining software such as RSA IMG with consultancy services to enhance people and process changes, you can affect increased security with improved efficiency and transparency.” “With this in mind, KPMG work closely with RSA to provide an offering that drives the business forward, whilst reducing the risk of uncontrolled access. The effect is a justifiable confidence in the systems in place, which whilst not infallible will reduce the risk and decrease the required level of trust.” 100%increase in targeted internet-based attack campaigns Another area of the survey that prompted questions is around how frequently organisations review their employee’s level of access. A third of respondents said they did this annually, 14% bi-annually, and just under a third quarterly. Surprisingly, 16% review their access less frequently, with some of them not reviewing access at all. It may be worth asking: is it really enough to review employee access so infrequently? A lot can happen in a year! Are we at risk of being more reactive than proactive? Surely if CIOs are expecting the attack to come from within, then they need to continually, or at least more regularly review things like levels of access? The survey also revealed a lack of expectation of a threat from competitors, with just 2% saying that if they were to have a security breach, the most likely source would be the competition. In reality, IP theft is a hidden and unreported crime. Estimates have put the cost of IP theft from US corporations at around £200bn per year, with a large proportion of the attacks coming from China. REGULATION AND COMPLIANCE C ontrolling employee access and achieving governance has grown more complicated over time, due to the diverse mix of applications and access scenarios that have developed to date. Consequently, identity and access management can be extremely complex and time-consuming for IT leaders and their teams. Although some companies may have implemented comprehensive and agile tools to control user identity and access, and thereby manage their internal risk effectively, many do not. Access management remains patchy for many companies, with a lack of linkage between access controls and governance polices. Access management and auditing is also a costly affair for many organisations: both financially and in terms of hours, because it can be a heavily manual process. Consider your own organisation. Do you have a clear path to governance, with unified, enterprise-wide, and policy-based visibility and control? Are your access management processes sufficiently dynamic, and do they cover applications, unstructured data, privileged accounts, and access to information by contract and temporary staff as well as permanent employees? According to our survey, 83% of CIOs said they can prove to the regulators or auditors they are in control of their employees’ access (11% weren’t sure and 6% said they could not). Interestingly, 27% said an audit finding would trigger a review of their employees’ level of access, with over a fifth saying they would carry one out on the back of a regulator request or “Whereverthethreatcomesfrom, information and IP is arguably the most important asset within an organisation. At a base level, the IP thefts are following some form of exploitation of trust, so reducing the footprint of trust reduces the likelihood of theft.” Matt White, Senior Manager at KPMG in the UK\n  4. 4. inquiry. 20% said adoption of new technology would lead them to review access levels, and the same proportion would do it after mergers and acquisition activity. Considering the high risk of an insider threat to the organisation, is it sufficient to be this reactive, rather than proactive in monitoring and reviewing employees’ level of access? We suspect that the financial and time costs of auditing access control and management can be very high for most organisations, keeping in mind that many of the respondents only review their employees’ level of access annually (32%) or quarterly (29%). White says, “Reporting for auditors and regulators often requires the collating of multiple information sources, usually across many departments and geographies. Frequently a manual process, requiring input from a number senior employees, the end to end process is both time consuming and costly.” “Once more by combining process improvement with technology you can increase efficiency and reduce staff overhead. KPMG Access Manager brings together industry leading technology from RSA and the award winning consultancy from KPMG to simplify the management of access and subsequently streamline the reporting for auditors and regulators.” So, what does it cost your organisation to provide information to audit or regulatory authorities? In addition, do you have controls in place today that allow you to support a dynamic environment: one that puts you in charge of employee access and means you can proactively combat attacks from inside or outside the enterprise? If the answer is that the financial and time costs are higher than they should be, or the security environment is not sufficiently dynamic, automated or integrated, then perhaps it’s time for a change. CONCLUSION A lmost all the CIOs we surveyed said they think trust is important in securing their assets. They felt their business was adequately or very well protected, but if there were a security breach, the most likely source would be inside the organisation. Regardless, a fifth of respondents are not confident their employees have the right level of access to assets, and the majority chooses to review levels of access annually or twice a year, rather than continually. This points to a Trust Paradox: people are, as is often the case, the weakest link in the chain. Perhaps we need to focus more closely on the trusted relationship between the organisation and its people, rather than relying on blind trust and false confidence in current IS systems and strategies. There is clearly room for improvement, and eight in 10 senior IT decision-makers we asked seem to be aware of this: putting access management on their agenda over the next 12 months. The Trust Paradox needs to be mitigated rather than eliminated with the right blend of trust, processes and technology. Enterprises can become more secure if they implement Processes that are more proactive, ongoing and analytical, and Technologies that feature automated, end- to-end, integrated security. These tools and methodologies are available today to mitigate the business risks outlined in this paper. By improving employee access management and security, you can raise trust levels across the organisation. Moreover, by putting the right tools and methodologies into place, you will be able to change culture in your organisation to keep up with advances in technology and the changing nature of the workforce, as you continue to digitise your operations. This whitepaper is brought to you by CIO UK in association with KPMG and RSA.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.851567268371582}
+{"content": "My Scene: Jammin' in Jamaica\nMy Scene Jammin&#039; In Jamaica DVD Movie\nRelease dates May 15, 2004\nRunning time 56 minutes\nMovie Crew\nDirector Eric Fogel\nProducer(s) Rob Hudnut\nWriter(s) Elise Allen\nFilm Series My Scene Webisodes\nFollowed by My Scene: Masquerade Madness\nMy Scene: Jammin' in Jamaica is a My Scene film released in May 2004 in the US. It was sold together with the My Scene \"Jammin' in Jamaica\" dolls, and is only 56 minutes long. When Madison and Urban Desire go to Jamaica for a contest, Barbie, Nolee and Chelsea raise money to go there to support their friends.\n\n\nMadison is manager of a band called Urban Desire, which is made up of the four male characters. When the band wins a contest, they make a trip to Jamaica for the finals, but Barbie, Nolee, and Chelsea are left behind so they decide to raise the money to travel to Jamaica. After all the characters arrive in Jamaica, Barbie feels left out as her boyfriend, the lead guitarist, begins spending more time with Madison. This causes a rift between the friends but is eventually resolved.\n\n\nJammin' In Jamaica Trailer\n\nJammin' In Jamaica Trailer\n\n\nUrban Desire, a band which consists of River, Sutton, Hudson and Ellis, and managed by Madison, get through to the finals of the Beat to Beat competition. The finals are taking place in Jamaica, so the band and Madison travel there. When they are gone, Barbie, Nolee and Chelsea raise money and go to Jamaica to surprise Madison and the band. Barbie loves Jamaica, but she gets upset when River, her boyfriend and lead guitarist of Urban Desire, starts spending more time with Madison than her, even though it's just about work. She sees them hugging and mistakes it for something more. After reconciling with Madison, Barbie sets up an after-party concert, since Urban Desire had been disqualified from the Beat to Beat. A record producer decides to produce the band's demo and the movie ends on a song.\n\n\n\nUrban Desire cover two songs: \"Spontaneous Combustion\" by The Fuzz, and \"Going Down In Flames\" by Hidell. Both songs were censored at times to make them more child appropriate for the film. There are also two songs by Leslie Mills in the film, which are \"Radiowave\" and \"Making My Way\". \"Making My Way\" was also in Barbie and The Three Musketeers, which was released in 2009.\n\nIn addition, there are two songs heard in the background. One plays during the gang's montage around Jamaica, and the other plays when everyone is dancing at the Guava Gulch. Neither one of these songs are credited in the end, nor can they be found anywhere.\n\nTrivia Edit\n\n  • There were three lines featuring the Jammin' in Jamaica movie: Jammin' in Jamaica, Jammin' in Jamaica Surfriders and Jammin' in Jamaica Cruisin the Boardwalk.\n\nNext episodeEdit\n\nSk8er Girl\n\n\nS-l225 (1)\n\n\nMy Scene Jammin' In Jamaica\n\nMy Scene Jammin' In Jamaica", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5367971062660217}
+{"content": "Librarians Need to Show Up\n\nMany libraries conduct traditional outreach like tables in front of Starbucks, storytimes at the local parks, or showing up at community meetings. These are great ways to get out of the library and into the community at large. But, what if we extended these traditional outreach programs into opportunities for networking with community leaders, politicians, professionals, and entrepreneurs? How would we develop relationships and what could we do with them?\n\nWhile working for EveryLibrary on political campaigns for libraries I’ve noticed that the better connected a library is to these groups, the better funded they are, the better positioned they are to win their campaign, and the better supported they are in their community. Often, this level of influence in a community is due to only one or two well-connected employees. Typically, this is the library director or assistant director who has spent time and energy building relationships with city council members, attending Kiwanis or Rotary Club meetings, or some other social group. Through these relationships the library is able to gain access to grants and funding opportunities, or establish partnerships to provide bigger and better services, and enjoy the benefits of pro-library political climates. Also, by extending the sphere of influence of the library, there are simply more opportunities all around.\n\nIf your library doesn’t have a well-connected administrator, one of the ways to begin is to start providing more services to those with money and power and influence in their communities. Libraries do a good job providing and marketing their services to children, community members in need, the middle class, and many marginalized communities. These services are outstanding and terribly, and unfortunately, much needed across the country and in every town and city. But we also need to reach start-ups, entrepreneurs, unmarried men and women in their late 20s and early 30s, build relationships with local businesses, and maybe even create partnerships with other non-profits and influence politicians. Some people might argue that those people don’t need libraries, and that might be true, but I would argue that libraries need them. I would suggest that libraries need these kinds of community members in order to continue to have the resources and social capital we need to survive.\n\nBecause they don’t come into the library, and because we don’t always do a very good job doing outreach in their networks, many libraries might not know how to reach them. In fact, there are only a few ways to get into these networks. The most important and most impactful way is to show up and librarians should always show up. There are few places that librarians can show up, and I’ll just talk about two of them.\n\nIf there are any community meetings happening, a librarian should show up. These are opportunities to meet the influential people even if the community meeting has very little to do with the library. There are almost always a wide range of people who attend these meetings and many of the people who show up are the ones who are most committed to the community as well as many local politicians or people with political aspirations. These are some of the few people who actually show up to the city council meetings and speak on behalf of a local issue. The librarian can make many connections with the most politically active community members by showing up to these community meetings and introducing themselves, hearing about their issues, and discussing ways that the library aligns with their beliefs. The best part about working in a library is that there is almost always some way that the library aligns with every local issue even if it just providing books and collections that deal with that issue.\n\nnetwork-after-work-85310445Besides community meetings there are almost always networking events and social engagements throughout the area or nearby. If you live in or near a larger city, one of my favorite networking events is called Network After Work and has large networking events happening across the country at very low prices. I always tried to attend as many as I could or send my librarians to the ones happening nearby. If you don’t have a Networking After Work nearby, try looking for events on Facebook,, or even Craigslist. These kinds of events are filled with people working in start-ups, entrepreneurs, bankers, and new or early professionals who want to work on projects. One of the big things I always came away with where a handful of cards of people who wanted to do something in the library like debut their documentary, host a financial literacy fair, or provide some other program. But, the most important outcome was the opportunity to talk about the services that the library can provide to these kinds of individuals who don’t usually use the library as well as find people who want to help the library through donations, volunteerism, or other engagement like speaking or writing in support of the library when you need them to.\n\nMy biggest issue is that I’m an introvert. This is something that I wanted to be able to work around so I have spent a lot of time learning how to be social in these situations and I’ve spoken and written about how to fake being an extrovert until you get the hang of it. You can watch the talk in the video below.\n\nBlogged: Libraries and Online Social Capital in a 2.0 World\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7707568407058716}
+{"content": "S3E12 - Chatting With Martin Lotze\n\n\nManage episode 228999522 series 165911\nToday I chat with Martin Lotze, neuroscientist at the University of Greifswald, about his research into the brains of writers. Martin has researched how the minds of writers and non-writers operate, using fMRI scans to observe which areas of the brain are activated during the writing process. His fascinating work demonstrates that wholly different parts of the brain are used by experienced writers and novices when undertaking creative writing. I ask him about how he came to study this area, discover many of my assumptions are wrong, and ask him the implications of his findings for writers like us. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to know: - can writing be taught? - what happens in our brains when we write? - does writing change the brain? - how can I train myself to be a better writer? If you'd like to support me, the podcast and all the things I'm putting out into the world, if you like what I do and would like me to do more of it, and if you'd like to be the first to read my brand new novel, please help me by pre-ordering a copy of THE ICE HOUSE. It's got an old lady pulled out of retirement for one last job, a 400-year-old forensic pathologist field medic battle nun looking to bring down an empire, psychedelics, dungeon crawls, jungle adventures, a locked-room murder mystery, intrigue, romance, minotaurs, a secret testing facility, giant sentient beetles, immortal mutant aristocrats, knife fights, an angel, larceny and ancient menaces rising from the depths. You're going to dig it and it helps me so much. Here are some places you can order now: Mr B's Emporium are an indie bookstore who deliver worldwide - I'll sign all pre-ordered copies from here: mrbsemporium.com/shop/books/the-ice-house/ Wordery: https://wordery.com/the-ice-house-tim-clare-9781786894816#oid=1908_1 Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ice-House-Tim-Clare/dp/1786894815/ Or ask at your local bricks and mortar bookshop. If you'd like to read a story about a 13 year old girl investigating a secret society in 1930s Norfolk, grab a copy of my novel, THE HONOURS: https://wordery.com/the-honours-tim-clare-9781782114765#oid=1908_1 If you'd like to sign up to my free Weekly Writing Workout, here's the sign up form: eepurl.com/gbmfcP Here's my author page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/timclarepoet/ Here's my Twitter page: twitter.com/TimClarePoet And here's my website where you can submit your first pages or just get in touch and say hello: www.timclarepoet.co.uk And if you'd like to support the podcast, here's my Ko-fi page: www.ko-fi.com/timclare\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5294927954673767}
+{"content": "Workers and the State: the music of the Russian Revolution\n\nWednesday, January 3, 2018 - 15:08\n\nVoices of Revolution: Russia 1917 is a classical musical series from the Philharmonia Orchestra, exploring the music inspired by the formation of the Soviet Union.\n\nIn this piece, written to accompany the Orchestra’s Workers and the State concert, musicologist and Russian music expert Marina Frolova-Walker looks at the composers who shaped the musical landscape of the Soviet Union’s formative years.\n\n\nBy 1924, Russia’s wounds from the Revolution and the Civil War had started to heal. Trading with the West was tentatively resumed, and cultural exchanges became possible once more. In 1925, Russian music lovers were able to hear Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto for the first time, three years after it had conquered Paris. The encounter was enough to turn Russian composers and critics away from Alexander Scriabin, their previous idol, and they now embraced Sergei Prokofiev.\n\nHis concerto offered them all they wanted: it combined the bold dissonances of modernism with a reassuring classicism, and even found a place for some nostalgic Russian lyricism in the manner of Sergei Rachmaninov. Both Prokofiev and Rachmaninov were, of course, emigres at this point, but the Soviet government now put out feelers to see if they could be enticed back.\n\nIgor Stravinsky was also invited, but neither he nor Rachmaninov were interested. Prokofiev, however, gave a positive reply, and in 1927, he returned to his homeland for the first time in almost a decade. This was only for a concert tour, but he was welcomed with great warmth and even adulation from the Russian public. This visit set in motion a chain of events that led to Prokofiev’s permanent return ten years later.\n\nThe intense musical life of 1920s Russia also produced some new stars, including Alexander Mosolov, who came to fame for his great modernist novelty, The Iron Foundry (1926-27), which had originally been intended as part of a ballet score. ‘Machine music’ was all the rage in Europe thanks to Arthur Honegger’s Pacific 231 (1923), named after the steam engine that it portrayed, but Mosolov’s Foundry was still more extreme, and also more gripping with something of a heroic ‘hymn to labour’ in the horns.\n\nPhilharmonia Orchestra credit Benjamin Ealovega\n\nComing just before the first Five-Year Plan - which made industrialisation the priority - and we might expect that Mosolov’s piece would be hailed as a kind of theme tune for these titanic efforts. Even so, it received a barrage of criticism for its rootedness in Western musical trends, and the critics accused the composer of being interested only in machines at the expense of the ‘liberated’ workers who operated them.\n\nMosolov’s harsh modernism soon made him an outcast, and in 1932, he even wrote a blunt letter to Stalin (now a rather grand figure), asking him either to silence his critics or to let him leave the country (The Iron Foundry was now making waves in Paris). For various independent reasons, the critics were indeed told to shut up, but so was Mosolov himself. He began to curry favour with the authorities by trying to write more conservative music, but in 1937, he received a sentence of eight years (reduced to eight months) in a labour camp (for reasons unconnected to his music). His highly original modernist voice never resurfaced.\n\nIn the end, it was a relatively conservative stylistic spectrum that was deemed fit for ‘music of the people’. One composer who flourished in this atmosphere was Reinhold Gliere, who was already a mature composer in his forties at the time of the Revolution.\n\nGliere had several ambitious works behind him, the most famous being his epic Third Symphony, Ilya Muromets, but even then, his gifted private pupil, Prokofiev, was threatening to overshadow him. Gliere was happy to comply with whatever demands the state would issue on musical matters: ‘just tell us what to do’, he said at one official meeting.\n\nIn the mid 1920s Gliere even pre-empted later trends when he wrote one of the first ballets on a Soviet theme: The Red Poppy, on a fictitious plot foretelling the spread of revolution to China. Staged at the Bolshoi in 1927, this became a classic despite its clunky plot and rather conventional ballet music. Gliere modernised his score by including a popular street song Yablochko (Little Apple), which was choreographed as a lively ‘Sailors’ Dance’.\n\nThe Red Poppy - Soviet Ballet\nA special edition Soviet stamp commemorating Gliere's The Red Poppy\n\nGliere’s conservatism and his willingness to please won him many awards and honours, although he still remained in the shadows of Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich, whose greater artistry was duly recognised in spite of their risk-taking and individualism.\n\nOne of Gliere’s most unusual hits is his Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra (1943), which is in a genre of its own. This work won Gliere a Stalin Prize, even though it must have seemed ill-starred: he used the voice without words, passing up the chance of using a stirring Soviet text, and the vocal writing was of the sort associated with Italianate frivolity rather than Russian seriousness. Despite these disadvantages, the mournful first movement captured well the sombre wartime mood, while the joyful finale seemed to look ahead to the better days that would follow victory. In any case, the concerto had become a safe and sure Soviet genre, not least because the state was eager to showcase virtuosos, such as David Oistrakh and Emil Gilels, on the international stage.\n\nAs Soviet music entered its darkest period during Stalin’s final years, Prokofiev and Shostakovich were denounced for their formalism (that is, the vestiges of modernism that remained part of their music). Mosolov had shrunk to the margins of musical life, while Gliere continued to win awards for his innocuous ballets and quartets, which were always melodious and written with impeccable technique.\n\n‘The people’ were offered music that was beautiful without any hint of excess or provocation – just the kind of music that had been denounced as ‘bourgeois’ in the West. And because a desire for the beautiful and heart-warming never fades, works like Gliere’s concerto seem to have stood the test of time and crossed borders much more easily than many of the abrasive modernist masterworks of the period.\n\nVoices of Revolution Trailer (Philharmonia Orchestra)\n\nWorkers and the State, music influenced by Bolshevik Russia, is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra, here at Southbank Centre on 22 March.\n\nbuy tickets\n\nThis performance is part of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s series Voices of Revolution: Russia 1917 exploring the themes of idealism, propaganda and repression which permeated the music of the time.\n\nmore on the series", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7593883275985718}
+{"content": "What is Flexibility Training?\n\nMany times this fitness component gets left behind. Here’s why you should take this part of your exercise routine seriously.\n\nFlexibility refers to our joints’ ability to move through their complete range of motion. This is very important to our fitness level because it allows us to perform the movements we want to do. If you are an athlete you’ll want to have the ability to move through full range so you are at the top of your game. If you are moving for health you’ll want to train for flexibility because supple joints allow you to move well.\n\nInadequate range of motion is the cause of many injuries. Lower back pain is often associated with tight abdominals, hip flexors, or hamstrings, and the more you hurt the less you move. The less you move the more tight your muscles become and the less you move. See where this leads?\n\nAs a component of fitness, flexibility training should be done after a workout, when the muscles are warm. Stretching after a workout allows your muscles to learn. They remember how far they stretch, which is how our flexibility grows. Performing flexibility training when the muscles are warm allows them to capitalize on the blood they have, creating more stretch safely.\n\nFlexibility does have limits. We are genetically programmed to be more or less flexible, but not an excuse for not training. You will build upon what you have. Remember fitness is about where you are, not where you think you should be or where your neighbor is. It is all about you.\n\nFeel like you need a tool to help you reach your flexibility goals? Try foam rollers.\n\nWho Are You Changing For?\n\nMany of us decide it’s time to do something different in our lives. But is this decision truly ours? Or has someone else put the idea we need to change into our head? When deciding to change honestly answer these two questions.\n\nOnce you have convinced yourself you are ready for change you must determine who you are changing for. The obvious answer may not be the real answer. Deeply look at your motivation, are you the reason for the change, or is a parent, spouse, doctor, sibling, friend, etc. Is it someone else’s idea or voice you hear?\nIf it is not you; commitment is likely to wane. Next determine why you want to change. As with the question of who, why is a critical factor in realizing a goal. Determine your why. Get passionate about it. Taste it, feel it, begin to live it.\n\nImmersion into an idea is supported by research and will lead to change. In other words, find as many ways to support your new lifestyle, new activities, new thoughts, rewards, support, new ideas about how you could change your habits to support your new direction.\n\nThe more pathways you create in your brain to support this change the more likely you are to succeed. Believe with every cell in your body and it will manifest.\n\nChange Is Hard\n\nBut that doesn’t mean you can’t make it happen. You can and why not start today.\n\nChange is hard. It is very hard. The truth is, changing is harder than staying the same, regardless of how I might beat myself up for failing to change. It is easier to continue smoking, eating poorly, or being sedentary even when I know these things are bad for me. Our food choices are based on their ability to fuel our bodies, release “feel good” hormones, and satisfy us, and we seek out activities that provide us pleasure. Pleasure is a personal choice which may not have anything to do with what is best for us.\nIf you are going to make a change in your life you have to be ready for discomfort – at least for a short while. In the beginning it will seem easier to go with your old routine rather than try a different activity. It will also feel better (comfortable) to stick to the old. Starting something new usually requires a little risk, a little uncertainty, and a little discomfort. The key is to be ready for this discomfort and accept it. Deal with it and use it to your advantage.\n\nBe Accountable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Motivation Game\n\n\n\n\nChoosing Your Ideal Body\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCharting Your Fitness Without Using Body Weight\n\n\nDo your clothes fit better\nHave I lost inches\nDo I feel better\nIs my stress level down\nAm I sleeping better\nDo I have more energy\n\n\nWhen to Weigh In\n\n\n\n\nWhat is Body Fat?\n\n\n\n\n\nFailing To Success\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7783409357070923}
+{"content": "Ainefield is an affiliate of Amazon which implies that we make some percentage of each sale we refer to them. So if you buy a product using the Amazon link on this website, we would be able make a commission.\n\nThis does not affect our placement of products nor affect the price of the product(s) for you but by using the affiliate links, you are helping support the Service we offer here, and we genuinely appreciate your support.\n\nWe get advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6277691125869751}
+{"content": "2018 MMA fight – TJ Dillashaw vs Cody Garbrandt 2 – full fight Video UFC 227\n\n3 Star RatingReview by AllTheBestFights.com: 2018-08-04, nice exchanges between TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt 2: it gets three stars (UFC Performance of the Night).\n\nThe current Ufc Bw champion TJ Dillashaw entered this fight with a professional mma record of 15-3-0 (67% finishing rate) and he is ranked as the No.1 bantamweight in the world. He lost to Dominick Cruz in 2016 (via split decision, Dillashaw vs Cruz), but then he has beat Raphael Assuncao (Dillashaw vs Assuncao 2), John Lineker (Dillashaw vs Lineker) and Garbrandt in their first fight (Cody Garbrandt vs TJ Dillashaw I).\nHis opponent, the former Ufc Bw champ Cody Garbrandt, has an official record of 11-1-0 (82% ko/tko victory rate – he has never won via submission) and he entered as the No.3 in the same weight class. Before losing to Dillashaw in 2017, he had fought four times in 2016 winning over Augusto Mendes (Garbrandt vs Mendes), Thomas Almeida (Almeida vs Garbrandt), Takeya Mizugaki (Garbrandt vs Mizugaki) and Dominick Cruz (Cruz vs Garbrandt). Dillashaw vs Garbrandt 2, main event of UFC 227, is valid for the Ufc bantamweight title (Dillashaw’s first defense). Watch the video and rate this fight!\n\n\n\nEvent: UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2\n\nDate: 2018-08-04\n\nWhere: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, USA\n\nDivision: bantamweight (135 lbs, 61 kg)\n\nTitle: UFC Bantamweight Championship\n\nResult: Click here to show the fight’s result\nTJ Dillashaw def. Cody Garbrandt (TKO at 4:10, round 1)\n\n\nUFC 227 fight card (main fights):\nTJ Dillashaw vs Cody Garbrandt 2\nDemetrious Johnson vs Henry Cejudo 2\nCub Swanson vs Renato Moicano Carneiro\nThiago Santos vs Kevin Holland\nPedro Munhoz vs Brett Johns\n\nTheir previous fight: Cody Garbrandt vs TJ Dillashaw I\n\nDillashaw’s next fight: Henry Cejudo vs TJ Dillashaw\n\nGarbrandt’s next fight: Cody Garbrandt vs Pedro Munhoz\n\n\n\nDillashaw vs Garbrandt 2 Fight Video:\n\nOfficial video\n\nOfficial highlights", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9077774882316589}
+{"content": "local variable\n\nA variable with lexical scope, i.e. one which only exists in some particular part of the source code, typically within a block or a function or procedure body. This contrasts with a global variable, which is defined throughout the whole program.\n\nCode is easier to understand and modify when the scope of variables is as small as possible because it is easier to see how the variable is set and used. Code containing global variables is harder to modify because its behaviour may depend on and affect other sections of code that refer to that variable.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9992833733558655}
+{"content": "\n\nWAB services and the accessible bus stops to PIWs.\nWhy does the Bus Captain drive so slowly?\n\nSelect the MRT Line and Station to find out which services bring you to another MRT Station.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9811275005340576}
+{"content": "'Ballers,' starring Dwayne Johnson, returns to HBO for Season 4 on Sunday.\n\nBy Khadrice Rollins\nAugust 08, 2018\n\nWhen Ballers returns for its fourth season this Sunday at 10 p.m. ET, the show will pick up right where it left off in a semi-fictional world that very closes resembles the actual current state of the NFL.\n\nThe HBO original has found a way to touch on almost every pressing issue in today’s NFL while also addressing common troupes that play out every year within the league. From working in a storyline about the Raiders moving to Las Vegas to showing how veteran players deal with free agency at the end of their careers, the show has attempted to provide insight into many of the most interesting topics surrounding the game.\n\nThere has also been a consistent effort to present all parts of NFL culture, including the ugly ones. Like showing the damage football takes on the body and examining how former players deal with treating old injuries and the potential issues that can come from that, such as an addiction to painkillers.\n\nMarijuana was another topic of discussion on the show, as it looked at the potential medical benefits and the booming economic market that is being created as the substance slowly gets legalized across the country in contrast to how NFL players are still prohibited from using marijuana for any reason and could face suspension.\n\nIf Season 4 wants to really separate itself from the rest of the series though, it is time for the show to examine the most political issue in the NFL right now: the national anthem.\n\nIt’s been two full regular seasons since Colin Kaepernick first kneeled to protest police brutality and racial injustice in the United States, and it will be interesting to see what aspects of that protest and its backlash get more of a focus in this upcoming season.\n\nWhether its players like Kaepernick and Eric Reid potentially getting blackballed from the league for protesting, the President condemning players who protest and pushing for them to lose their jobs, or just the general team dynamics that can come into play such as the Cowboys saying that no players are allowed protest or stay in the locker room during the anthem, there are plenty of intricacies within the conversation that can be brought to light and explored further.\n\nMaybe there could be a subplot that looks at the way NFL players are responding to the protests and dissects all the factors guys think about and discuss before deciding if they would want to join in. Or maybe it could be about how fans have reacted to the form of protest and the new rules created around it, and the show could delve into how the protests impacted the popularity of the game and how they could potentially dampen or aid the popularity of individual players. The show could also explore how athletes across sports are reacting to the controversy surrounding the anthem in relation to how NFL players are forced to deal with it.\n\nIt is a polarizing topic that just about everybody in the United States has weighed in on, including other television shows. The writers have had tons of time to think about what would be the best and worst ways to approach the subject, and now that it has become arguably the biggest story in the NFL, it will be telling to see how they decide to address it.\n\nYou May Like\n\nEagle (-2)\nBirdie (-1)\nBogey (+1)\nDouble Bogey (+2)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9050469994544983}
+{"content": "Industry Voices - Healthcare Industries are Underinvesting in AI Patenting\n\n\nDirector Michelle K. Holoubek authored the article, \"Industry Voices - Healthcare industries are underinvesting in AI patenting,\" published in FierceHealthcare. \n\nThe article discusses the growth in patents for Artificial Intelligence (AI) related technologies and hypothesizes why health-related entities are under-represented in the AI patenting landscape. Holoubek also wonders whether the new guidance the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued in January will bring more consistency to the examination of software- and IT-related patent applications.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000073909759521}
+{"content": "Superhero as Shaman\n\nBy Keith Varnum\n\n\n\nWho are we talking about? Superman, you say? Yes … and someone else!\n\nWe’re talking about you! … Who? Yes, you\n\nWho is your favorite superhero?     \n\nSuperman and Superwoman. Batman and Batwoman. X-men and Wolverine. Cat Woman and Wonder Woman. The Flash. Spiderman. Green Lantern. Captain Marvel!\n\nWhat superpowers would you like to possess?\n\nExtraordinary strength, speed and flexibility. Instant healing. Hyper-accentuated senses. X-ray vision. Omniscience. Omnipresence. ESP, telepathy, precognition, premonition and clairvoyance. Inter-dimensional travel. Time trekking. Invisibility. Invulnerability. Immortality. Flying. Levitation. Teleportation. Telekinesis. Transmutation. Shapeshifting.\n\nWell, you do possess these powers … and many more!\n\nHow Silly!\n\nWe’re all taught that we should “outgrow” our interest in superheroes and superpowers before we turn twenty. And we do. … That’s the problem! As we “grow up” and become adults (adulterated), we lose contact with our childhood shamans.\n\nOur superheroes are the modern day shamans of Western society. They’re our culture’s wise elders, our medicine men and women. They’re our treasure. A goldmine of example and opportunity for each of us!\n\nWe’re attracted to the superpowers of our superheroes because the truth is that we inherently possess the same super abilities as they have. Forgotten perhaps. Dormant for the most part. (except in emergencies!) Yet these powers are our inherent nature nonetheless!\n\nAbsorb that Morphic Field!\n\nOur superheroes act as morphic fields (models) for us to recapture our natural spiritual (super) powers. The abilities of our superheroes act as fields of energy and experience that we can tap into in order to re-activate our own inherent abilities—in order to exercise the same powers!\n\nIn the same way we might put on the cape of Superman as a child, we can take on the mantel of Superman’s powers as an adult. When we connect to the morphic (form) field of energy as our favorite superhero, we automatically trigger the abilities woven into the vibration (frequency field) of that space.\n\nWhy don’t most of us use our natural spiritual (super) powers?\n\nIn my experience with thousands of people as clients, I’ve discovered a common theme (decision) in most people’s soul story:\n\nBefore we came into this lifetime, most of us promised ourselves that we would not use our natural spiritual powers until we develop the deep compassion and understanding necessary to use these abilities with real love and wisdom.\n\nThe archetype of Superman provides a good example of this phenomenon of “Superhero as Shaman.”\n\nSuperman is seen as both an American cultural icon and as the first widely admired comic book superhero. His adventures and popularity have established the character as an inspiring force within the public psyche. The spirit of Superman still serves as inspiration for all our culture’s mythmakers—writers, filmmakers, teachers, musicians and public speakers.\n\nIronically, one of the most socially accepted denials of our true supernature is the declaration, “Well, you know. I’m not Superman!” Ironic because, in fact, we are a superhuman!\n\nAs an influential archetype of the superhero genre, Superman possesses extraordinary powers.\n\nAs a closeted archetype of the superhero genre, we possess the same extraordinary powers!\n\nSuperman’s famous arsenal of powers includes x-ray, heat-emitting, telescopic, infra-red and microscopic vision. He possesses super-hearing and super-smell. He has incredibly tough skin that cannot be pierced by even an exploding artillery shell. He can lift cars over his head, hurl mountains, withstand nuclear blasts, soar into the sun unharmed, and survive in the vacuum of outer space without oxygen. He can fly with ease to other worlds, galaxies and even across universes!\n\nGuess what? We have at our disposal the same arsenal of powers!\n\nSuperman as metaphor—and model for us—goes deep into his character:\n\n1. Superman is vulnerable to green Kryptonite, mineral debris from Krypton transformed into radioactive material by the forces that destroyed that planet. Exposure to green Kryptonite radiation nullifies Superman’s superpowers and immobilizes him with pain and nausea. Prolonged exposure will eventually kill him.\n“Green Kryptonite” is also our human Achilles’ heel. In our culture, the color “green” symbolizes human greed, jealousy and envy. These human emotions get in our way of realizing our true human potential as kind, wise—and powerful—beings!\nCulturally, the color “green” also represents being a novice, being inexperienced—that is, not developed, not ready: our underdevelopment of universal love and understanding keeps us from using our natural super (spiritual) powers.\n2. Superman is a hero in the mythic tradition, inspired by such popular and admired archetypal characters as Samson and Hercules. We can join the tradition of heroic feats of legendary figures and exceed the commonly held limitations in all our human endeavors.\n3. The term “Superman” was initially coined by the 19th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. His name for Superman was “Übermensch” in German (“Overman” in English).\nNietzsche challenged the dogmatic aspects of Christianity and traditional religious rigid morality. He believed in expressing our inherent creativity, vitality and divine potential here and now on earth—rather than waiting for our glorious true nature to emerge in an afterlife in heaven.\nCentral to his philosophy of “life-affirmation” is an honest questioning of all doctrines that drain our natural human aliveness and potential, however socially prevalent those views might be.\nNietzsche envisioned the “Übermensch” as a liberated person who has transcended the limitations of society, religion, and conventional morality while still being fundamentally human. We too can make the choice to reveal out true “Overman” wondrous nature.\n4. As Clark Kent, Superman’s secret identity, Superman, lives among humans as a “mild-mannered reporter” for the “Metropolis Daily Planet” newspaper. In a similar way we typically camouflage ourselves as ordinary, “mild-mannered truck drivers and homemakers.” Just as Superman pretends to be ordinary Clark Kent, we deny having any special or superhuman abilities.\n5. Superman also fought for social justice and against tyranny. This is, of course, part of everyone’s true soul purpose. And it’s our collective cause once we develop our love and wisdom to a degree that we feel safe to employ our natural superpowers.\nSo, when, where and how each of us decides to reveal our true superhuman nature is up to our free will and soul destiny.\nUnfortunately there aren’t many phone booths left on American streets in which to take off our outer disguise! But, hey, that was just Superman’s thing. Whenever you decide to come out of your spiritual closet, you’ll find an easy, graceful way.\nYour decision to begin to own and use your true natural spiritual powers may come from intuitive inspiration—or dire necessity (crisis, emergency). Either way, your favorite superhero is a valuable resource and model for your budding superhuman adventure.\nIn a very fun, easy way, our superheroes have paved the way for us to move into the space of our true super power, passion and play!\nYou can recover the use of your Superhero powers with a Matrix Energetics session with Keith!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7396198511123657}
+{"content": "Pins and Needles exhibit integrates dual artistic visions\n\nOpening at the Lederer gallery this past Thursday was Pins and Needles, a show by Maggy Rozycki Hiltner and Melissa Haviland. The two are radically different artists: Hiltner primarily manipulates embroidery and Haviland draws and sculpts her works. This contrast creates a dynamic playing of one set of works against the other, though the two shows present a united message that things in art and reality are never as simple as they appear.\n\nHiltner's works are \"a response to antique embroidery.\" The idea first came to her when she looked at old embroidery patterns and Dick and Jane books and thought \"that's not really what's going on.\" Her images on display are false realities, showing only part of the story or glossing over what was actually happening. Hiltner says the images are somewhat \"autobiographical\" but they \"transcend the personal stories\" and become something much more.\n\nHiltner's newest set of wo-rks, the \"Mad Mom\" series, was inspired by a friend's six-year-old boy. \"It was my first time using adult figures,\" said Hiltner. Her friend's son had drawn pictures of his mother when she was mad \"and using those outrageous angry 'v' eyebrows.\" Hiltner was inspired by the drawings, so the series features embroidered bodies of typical 1950s women with the angry faces designed by the six-year-old, making them into something totally different.\n\nA lot of Hiltner's works may at first glance appear mundane, but when looked at more closely create a disconcerted feeling. \"Playtime,\" for example, features a little girl surrounded by animals, and appears pleasant, until the viewer notices that the girl is scowling and one of the dogs is sniffing up her skirt. \"Playing with Bears\" is another strange scene. There are bear cubs stitched in with sleeping children, with no way to tell if the children are actually asleep or hurt by the bear cubs.\n\n\"Fourth Grade Patriot\" also has an eerie feeling, with several children singing in front of the Statue of Liberty, and a single girl who looks like she's having stomach pains off to one side.\n\nWhen asked about the meaning of her pieces, Hiltner suggested that each person who looks at the work needs to find their own meaning in it.\n\nHaviland's works include several charcoal drawings and a pair of sculptures. The sculptures include an impressive collection of huge pins crafted out of metal and ceramics scattered on the floor. It's a bright, colorful display that looks very much like someone just dropped it on the floor then let it lie. The other sculpture, \"Seam Stress\" is a large piece of red fabric pinned elegantly by another large pin, this one with a pearly teardrop top. The colors compliment each other, and the fabric falls on the ground like water, making it a visually stunning piece.\n\nHaviland's charcoal works are \"examples of the allure and pitfalls of typical feminine roles in our society,\" she said. \"Arm Yourself,\" and \"Ready for Battle,\" a two-work set, each show nude females covering themselves with everyday objects, reflecting Haviland's idea that \"we use habits and daily rituals... to arm ourselves and protect our fragile identities.\" Her other works also reflect these ideas, but she adds a little color to the charcoal for an even more unusual presentation. Haviland prints out massive patterns on large pieces of paper, and then uses the charcoal on top of them, giving the pictures extra depth.\n\nThe exhibit is an interesting and poetic one, and will be hosted in the Lederer Gallery until Feb. 19.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6234601736068726}
+{"content": "What is christmas eve called in spanish\n\nChristmas Eve, which is the day before Christmas Day, is celebrated in many countries worldwide. It is a Christian observance that falls on December 24 in the Gregorian calendar. 24th December – Christmas Eve is called Nochebuena in Spanish (Goodnight) and it is the most important family gathering of the year.\n\nIn the evening people often meet early for a few drinks with friends then return home to enjoy a meal with the family. how do say christmas eve in spanish?\n\ni know that christmas is navidad in spanish but what about christmas eve? The Spanish Christmas continues for a few weeks after Dec. 25th. On the Eve of Epiphany, January 5th, children place their shoes on the doorstep, and in the secret of the night, the Three Wise Men pass leaving gifts. French Translation of “Christmas Eve” | The official Collins English-French Dictionary online. Over 100, 000 French translations of English words and phrases.\n\nIt is called this because a rooster is supposed to have crowed the night that Jesus was born. Christmas Eve is known as Nochebuena. In the days before. Christmas in Spain. Most people What is christmas eve called in spanish Spain go to Midnight Mass or 'La Misa Del Gallo' (The Mass of the Rooster). It is called this because a rooster is supposed to have crowed the night that Jesus was born. Christmas Eve is known as Nochebuena. Christmas is called La Navidad. Nochebuena is Christmas Eve.\n\nBut the holiday season doesn’t end there! January 6 is a very important holiday in Spain called el Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (known in English as Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day). Christmas in Spanish Although Christmas Eve isn’t until December 24, Christmas always comes. SpanishDict is devoted to improving our site based on user feedback and introducing new and innovative features that will continue to help people learn and love the Spanish language.\n\nHave a suggestion, idea, or comment? Send us your feedback. Dec 17, 2017. Discover how they celebrate Christmas in Spain, with lots of info on typical.\n\nwhere each year a lovely ceremony called los Seises is celebrated in front of the. Christmas Eve or La Nochebuena is a family-oriented festivity. Introduction: The principle difference between a Spanish Christmas and the Anglo Saxon version is the importance of the 6th January.\n\nIn Spain this is when presents are given and the three\" magic\" kings give the presents not father Christmas. Called La Navidad in Spanish, Christmas Day is a fairly quiet day to spend with family members and recuperate from the big celebration the night before.\n\nDay of the Sainted Innocents — December 28th December 28th, or Dia de los Santos Inocentes, originally marked the day when King Herod ordered the killing of all newborn boys in the village. In Spanish, the Christmas Eve is known as\" Noche Buena\" (Night Good), which is a special night that has a great festive atmosphere with small oil lamps in.\n\nA Spanish Christmas. Christmas Presents - Regalos Típicos. Spanish tradition has it that the Three Kings. The main meal takes place on Christmas Eve, la Nochebuena. Spanish Christmas recipes that have been passed down through the generations are the main event.\n\nThe holiday season starts with a huge dinner on Christmas Eve and doesn’t let up until the final slice of Roscón de Reyes cake is finished on Three Kings Day on January 6. Translate Christmas.\n\nSee authoritative translations of Christmas in English with example. We always have dinner with our whole family on Christmas Eve.\n\nNew Year’s Eve in Spain is called Nochevieja and it literally means Old Night. Find out about the christmas traditions in Spain. In Spanish, New Year’s Eve is. Starting in December, many homes, businesses and other buildings are decorated with poinsettias, which are called\" noche buena\" (from the Spanish phrase that means\" good night\" referring to Christmas Eve).\n\nChristmas Eve n noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc. (Christianity: 24th December) Nochebuena nf nombre femenino: Sustantivo de género exclusivamente femenino (\" mesa\"\" tabla\" ). What Is Christmas Eve Called In Spanish What is christmas eve called in spanish State of Florida apartamentos olano c b madrid discount on p and o cruises all inclusive kid friendly st lucia.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8429846167564392}
+{"content": "\n\nEstablished & Sons has supported, developed and produced works by some of the leading practitioners of our time and nurtured the careers of many young designers. A willingness to provide freedom to the artists and craftsmen it works with delivers original pioneering ideas that evolve into exceptional furniture and lighting collections.\n\nThe company presents designs that have the power to shock, challenge and widen accepted parameters. Chosen by collectors to provide a feature and talking point, some designs push material technology and even the laws of physics. Others contain elegance, humour, and a story to be told, a tale of multiple creative disciplines and dialogues uniting as a designer experiments and further develops their creative language.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9813908934593201}
+{"content": "What does yule mean in arabic\n\nYule - Arabic meanings: عيد ميلاد المسيح - Definition & Synonyms English to Arabic dictionary gives you the best and accurate Arabic translation and meanings. Originally a derogatory or disrespectful arabic word used to get someone's attention, Top definition damn Yuleh's are in the car park again. Meaning of yule, Definition of Word yule in Almaany Online Dictionary, searched domain is category, in the dictionary of English Arabic. A comprehensive.\n\nthere isnt such words in Lebanese Arabic estructurasbarba.com leb though. Miss Baydoun · 1 It means YULE \"COME ON\" LEN means \"where were you\". yule - Meaning in Arabic, what is meaning of common in Arabic dictionary, audio Timbre (جرس):: How did these women match their pitch vibrato and timbres. Translation for 'Christmas' in the free English-Arabic dictionary and many other Arabic translations.\n\nYule definition: 1. Christmas 2. Christmas. Learn more. Yule definition is - the feast of the nativity of Jesus Christ: christmas. expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. An alternative explanation is offered by Yule who was of the opinion that be an attempt to give meaning in Arabic to a local South Indian name; however.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7682204246520996}
+{"content": "Browsed by\nTag: trails\n\nStowe Trail Permit\n\nStowe Trail Permit\n\n\n\n\nQ1. What is the age required to obtain a permit?\n\n\n\n\nQ3. What are the ramifications of going off the trail?\n\n\nQ4. How do I know the boundaries of the trail?\n\n\nQ5. What is the helmet policy?\n\n\n\n\nQ7. What forms of transportation are authorized on the trail?\n\n\nQ8. Are there canine restrictions?\n\n\nQ9. Can my permit be revoked?\n\n\nQ10. Are items prohibited from being on the trail?\n\n\nQ11. Are trail improvements and maintenance allowed?\n\n\nWhat in the World is a Tarantula Hawk?\n\nWhat in the World is a Tarantula Hawk?\n\nWhen you hear of a tarantula hawk the first thing that comes to mind is that it is a hawk that eats tarantulas.   But you’d be wrong.  It is a spider wasp which hunts tarantulas.\n\nTarantulas have earned a deadly reputation as a predator capable of killing mice, lizards and small birds.  But the spiders are known to run in fear from the tarantula hawk.   The tarantula hawk wasp preys on its namesake, engaging in a ferocious battle that leads to the spider being paralyzed with a highly painful sting.   Once stung, the tarantula becomes paralyzed within seconds. The condition will last for the remainder of its life.   The tarantula hawk wasps then drag the sleeping spider – which can be up to eight times their weight – to a burrow, lay an egg on the tarantula and seal up the tunnel. The young wasp devours the tarantula in order to develop into an adult, eating the non-essential organs first to keep it alive for as long as possible.\n\nTarantula hawks have not only worked out how to successfully attack a predatory spider but also to reserve the best meals for their most valuable offspring. The wasps are able to decide the sex of their baby by choosing whether to fertilize the egg or not, fertilized eggs produce females while males come from unfertilized eggs.   Males, unlike females, do not have to find and battle tarantulas, they simply seek flowers and a mate and as a result they are not required to grow as large as females.\n\nFemales are not very aggressive, in that they are hesitant to sting.  So you don’t really stand a chance of being bitten by the fearless wasp, unless you do something incredibly stupid like handle the wasp… but the sting is extraordinarily painful.  The sting has been described as beyond imagination.  It only lasts about 2 to 3 minutes, but it is unsurpassed in intensity by any other stinging insect.\n\nAnd if you do get bitten…\n\n\n\nInformation courtesy of the BBC and\n\nThe photo below is of a Mexican Tarantula Wasp (Pepsis mexicana)\n\n8 Tips for How to Hike with a Dog in County Parks\n\n8 Tips for How to Hike with a Dog in County Parks\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKnow how to how to hike with a dog.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9731189608573914}
+{"content": "Forex Technical Analysis based on experience and research.\n\nUsing the ATR in your advantage\n\nThis article will mention the strategy based on taking long positions. All the information can also be interpreted for taking short positions.\n\nIn this article I will explain how I look towards the ATR in my trading. If you don't know what the ATR indicator is then it is best that you do a search on the web to find out. There is a lot of information available and if you understand the basics then please continue to read this article.\n\nThe ATR does not tell anything about the direction but it helps to determine for how many pips you should go over a period of time. The indicator is lagging and if you want to take this into account and be on the safe side you can always deduct a certain percentage. However, because it is lagging it can work both ways, in your advantage or not depending on the current price movements.\n\nI use a method that I trust upon and it does not matter so much that the ATR is lagging. I got to this method after research, reading and seeing on YouTube many ways of people using the ATR. The basic way can be found everywhere and is simply based on a part or multiple times an ATR. I will explain here how I believe you can use the ATR in the best way.\n\nTo make things simple we take a currency pair with a weekly ATR(14) of 100. We also assume that we would like to make weekly profits when positions are taken there where the price action is.\n  • If you take a long (short) position and the pair is not going anywhere then the chances are high that it may move around 1/2 ATR, so 50 pips, in both ways.\n  • If the pair has a certain direction, let's assume it goes up, then the chances are higher that the high of the week will be more than 1/2 ATR, 50 pips, from the previous close.\nTaking a profit of 1/2 ATR, so 50 pips, seems to be the right choice and in the last case it will more than compensate the fact that the ATR is lagging because the price may move up to 1 ATR, 100 pips, in that direction or in a bad case a bit less based on the current price movements.\n\nThe clue is that if you got the direction correct and you go for 1/2 ATR your chances are higher to make profit in one week. In theory this should be a chance of 66%, 2 out of 3.\nPrice can go:\nUp(1) and the profit can be 100 Pips\nNeutral(2) and the profit can be 50 Pips\nDown(3) and the loss can be up to 100 Pips depending on your stop loss.\n\nThe roughly explained method here is a part of the strategy that I am currently using for the FxTaTrader system. This method is not used on its own because e.g. money management also plays an important role in the whole. The risks can be high depending on the stop loss placed and experience determining the direction. Although the explanation may seem simple and clear there is always risk involved. I added a disclaimer to my blog for this purpose.\n\nIf you would like to use this article then mention the source by providing the URL www.FxTaTrader.com or the direct link to this article.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9963700175285339}
+{"content": "\n\nIf you have never worked in a shared office before, it may take some getting used to. Having a plan to work in the open office with co-workers as well as being able to work alone sometimes is the balance that most workers are looking for.\n\nHere are some ideas to help with productivity if you are having difficulty getting things done in an open office floor plan or open collaborative office.\n\n\n#1. Create a Quiet Zone\n\nCreate a Quiet Zone\n\nCreate a virtual space or imaginary wall that allows work to get done without giving in to distractions. It’s not an actual wall, so it only exists as long as you need it to. One easy way to do this is by using headphones. With today’s noise cancelling technology, it’s possible to block out all surrounding noise by using the right set of noise cancelling headphones. Noisy neighbor? Problem solved.\n\n\n#2. Create a Do Not Disturb Attitude\n\nCreate a Do Not Disturb Attitude\n\nIt’s not that you want to block out all your co-workers and be anti-social. If you collaborators know you are working and don’t like to be disturbed at certain times or while working on specific tasks, they will learn to respect your serious attitude about getting things done. Who knows, it might be contagious. It also helps to learn when the office may be quieter at certain times of the day, or days of the week. Perhaps avoiding the times when the most talkative people are socializing at the office might be the way to go.\n\n\n#3. Have a Shared Collaboration Space\n\nHave a Shared Collaborative Space\n\nInstead of having an open collaboration space of anyone’s desk that might be available, create a shared space that is meant for collaboration, such as a table or small conference room. It’s important to continually share ideas in a open office, but it doesn’t have to mean all of your work time is spent in collaboration. It’s good to have a shared space meant just for sharing ideas, which can keep time at the desk less interrupted.\n\n\nThe design of the open office space looks like it’s here to stay. For companies that thrive in a shared or cooperative environment, such as technology or creative ventures, being able to easily share ideas is essential. But, the open office environment comes with challenges as well, such as having time to focus in solitude.\n\nLet these 3 tips be your guide as you start to navigate the open-office environment.\n\nNeed Help?\n\n\nSearching for Office, Warehouse, or Retail Space for Rent?\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8780825138092041}
+{"content": "A plant growth chamber is on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Dragon capsule. The technology could allow astronauts to enjoy fresh food during their time in space.\n\nThe chamber will be the beginning of an expandable plant growth facility called Veggie that will include \"plant pillows,\" a NASA news release reported.\n\nThe project will focus on \"Outredgeous\" lettuce seeds.\n\n\"Veggie will provide a new resource for U.S. astronauts and researchers as we begin to develop the capabilities of growing fresh produce and other large plants on the space station,\" Gioia Massa, NASA payload scientist for Veggie, said in the news release. \"Determining food safety is one of our primary goals for this validation test.\"\n\nThe low cost chamber employs a flat-panel light bank including red, blue and green LEDs for plant growth. It can accommodate up to a foot and a half of plant growth.\n\n\"The internal growing area is 11.5 inches wide by 14.5 inches deep, making it the largest plant growth chamber for space to date,\" Massa said.\n\nThe plant chamber was altered to accommodate the limited space aboard the ISS. During the prototype testing phase at Kennedy's Space Life Sciences Laboratory researchers successfully grew a crop of lettuce and radishes.\n\n\"\"I am thrilled to be a member of the Veggie and Veg-01 team and proud of all the work we have done to prepare for flight,\" Massa said. \"Our team is very excited to see the hardware in use on the space station.\"\n\nThe researcher hopes the technology will be able to be used for astronaut consumption in the near future. It could also be used for recreational gardening aboard the ISS during long space missions.\n\n\"The system may have implications for improving growth and biomass production on Earth, thus benefiting the average citizen,\" the news release reported.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993205666542053}
+{"content": "OpenLD - eine deutsche OpenLD Demo\n\nTitel College graduation Gifts\nLink Besitzer Kerstin Treat\nKategorie ID 47\nKategorie Sport\nEintragsdatum 2012-11-20 21:30:51\nID 1347\nBeschreibung Graduation is among the most momentous landmarks within our lives. It's the culmination of numerous years of effort and conviction. This can be a mark of accomplishment after having lasted a lot of rigorous education as well as training, rising victorious inspite of the trials. Just about everybody has experienced away from school at the very least two or about three times.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6230533123016357}
+{"content": "Time to create new history\n\nAugust 21, 2015\nSatyaki Roy\n\nWorkers Stand Up To Make 2nd Sept Strike A Success\n\nTime to create new history : History has not been written by capital alone. The dynamics of capitalism is an expression of unplanned antagonism between labour and capital. The neoliberal milieu sometimes make us believe that it is the whims and fancies of the capitalist class that go unchallenged and hence capital can make the world of its own image. It had never been so and would not be in the future as well. Discourses that perceive capitalist logic as identical to that of human civilization is ideologically loaded. However capitalism has so far succeeded in imposing a facade of naturality over the rule of exploitation. This is precisely the reason why fall in stock prices has been of so much concern to people who matters whereas sharp decline in the share of wages during periods of high growthremains consciously unnoticed in a society that is increasingly becoming insensitive to the cause of labour. This is the moment of strike, a moment of political intervention for the workers toraise their voice when silencing their claims has become the most important qualifier of a proactive government. The government's recent push towards labour reforms is nothing but a war against the working class meant to dismantle existing protective institutions and push workers' share further down in the name of flexibility in production.\n\nThink of country that aspires for world class physical infrastructure, smart cities, seamless movement of global finance and so on but maintains uncanny silence on the question of elevating the standard of living of the labouring population. Let us make one global comparison: the world average percentage of workers earning less than 2$ per day (PPP) is 28 while in case of India it is 59 per cent. Out of the total number of 472 million workers in India 436 million that is more than 92 per cent are workers who are not covered under labour laws or social security schemes. How can one justify the precarious nature of the labour market in India where the share of regular wages and salary earners out of total workforce is only 17.9 per cent? Incidence of poverty is very high for those who are employed. How ridiculous it is that 36 per cent of the casual workers, 24 per cent of the self-employed and 9 per cent of the regular workers in India earn an income which is less than the already very low poverty line.\n\nThe labour reforms suggested would provide greater freedom for the employers to hire and fire and also to increase the share of casual and contracted workers within the workforce. Already in the organized manufacturing the share of contract workers has increased from 10 per cent in 1992-93 to 34 per cent in 2011-12. Within non-agricultural employment, more than 68 per cent of the workforce is in the informal sector which means theirwork is non-permanent casual and contract-based. But is this to attain higher flexibility as a response to fluctuating global demand? If that had been the case then only functional flexibility would have been proposed that requires flexibility in job structure and multi-tasking. Given the fact that this is also a means to increase control over the workforce nevertheless if we accept this for the sake of argument one would expect higher wages for contract workers compared to regular workers because wages in that case should factor in other benefits related to social security and so on that would not be paid as it is done for longer term employment. But this is not the case. Rather, a regular worker gets an average daily wage of Rs. 392 and casual worker's average wage is Rs. 143. Therefore the implicit benefit of casualisation that the employers derive in the name of flexibility is basically reducing wages to roughly one-third of what has to be paid to a person employed on regular basis.\n\nAre the workers in India really paid so much that they are eating out the profits of the capitalists? Certainly not, as the following data confirms. First of all the workers share in value added considering total emoluments has come down from 47 per cent in 1981-82 to 25 per cent in 2010-11. In the organized manufacturing considering only wages the fall is from 25.9 per cent to 9.9 per cent during the same period meaning for every 100 rupees worth of value created in the economy workers share in terms of wages is only 9.9 rupees.Secondly despite high growth in labour productivity during the second half of 2000s at about 6.4 per cent, the growth in real wages was only 1.4 per cent on an average. So workers are low paid not because their productivity is low, on the contrary given their growth in productivity they are paid less than what they deserve. Thirdly, employers are keen to replace workers by machines, because it is always easy to handle machines those are products of past labour or 'dead labour' than 'living labour' and also driven by the imperative of following technology standards in a globalized market. The outcome is obviously a rise in capital intensity and that has resulted in this astonishing fact that the cost of labour in total output in the organized manufacturing has come down to 2.17 per cent in 2012-13. Therefore not only production requires less number of workers but also workers are paid less.\n\nIn view of the starvation wages being given, and in view of the increased work and productivity, the workers are justifiably demanding a better wage – Rs.15,000 per month. This is one of the key demands for which the 2 September 2015 strike is being organized. Bureaucrats at the Labour ministry have tried to mislead the workers through media planted stories that the Modi government is planning to raise the minimum wage. This was perhaps an attempt to puncture the growing support for the strike. However in no official forum, not even in the Labour Conference has this issue been addressed by the government. After all Modi has been ‘marketing’ India all over the world as a country with ‘cheap’ labour!\n\nHaving experienced the wilful destruction of the labour law implementation machinery in the past two and a half decades, the refurbishing and strengthening of this machinery is also a key demand. Needless to say that the implementation of statutory minimum wages has always been a problem. 73 per cent of agricultural workers, 37 per cent of rural non-farm workers and 54 per cent of urban workers do not receive the stipulated minimum wages. But the implementation battle will be fought subsequently, in the streets if necessary.\n\nHistories are created in moments of crisis and the working class of our country need to rise on such occasions so that interventions can deflate future trajectories that are grossly anti-people.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6728106737136841}
+{"content": "\n\nI was working in Paris and I decided to move to Asia 6 years ago .  I had job opportunity in Singapore so we decided to move here. I coordinated the setup of the regional treasury for a large organisation.\n\nSingapore is such a thriving hub of activity and there are a lot of opportunities to seize! I thought “why not step out my comfort zone?” and I chose to leave the corporate world. I wanted to dive in the startups’ landscape, where innovation happens. I joined several network and organised events to gather startups and investors from Australia and ASEAN.\n\nDown the path, I joined a Singaporean RegTech startup where I led the sales & strategy activity.\n\nBeyond that I am also a founding member of Live With AI, a think tank on Artificial Intelligence.\n\nWhat is “Live with AI”?\n\nWe created Live with AI as an independent initiative during the France Singapore year of Innovation in 2018.\n\nIt is a think tank that gathers thought leaders, academics, startups and corporates. Artificial intelligence can have a positive impact on society as a whole and we want to show how. We drive several work streams and research projects to investigate these aspects.\n\nLast year we published a report to propose 14 recommendations to leverage artificial intelligence in our daily lives, and how we can prepare ourselves.\n\nA “Live with AI” delegation went to Viva Technology 2018 in Paris  to launch this report, and it has been downloaded 3700 with zero advertising. You can get your copy here.\n\nWe address several use-cases in the white paper, like the need for continuous training models or how to move toward greater financial inclusion thanks to AI.\n\nWe hear everything and anything on AI. How do you define it?\n\nSome say “AI could eventually have god-like capabilities”. Others say that “AI is a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization”.\n\nLet’s take a more standard definition. Artificial Intelligence refers to the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence such as speech recognition, problem-solving, learning and planning.\n\nIndeed it is a very popular subject that is widely discussed in technology and business circles. What’s interesting is that it’s not a futuristic technology, it is already all around us. From Siri and drones to virtual assistants and software that translate or invest, or even algorithms used to predict our cultural interests on Netflix…it’s everywhere!\n\nWhere do you see applications of Artificial Intelligence?\n\nPotential applications are huge and offer great opportunities.\n\nIn Singapore, AI has already taken a strong foothold in healthcare. As an example, a mobile application can help nurses to assess chronic wounds and presents a preliminary assessment. This can empower the nurses, to get insights faster to then provide a more accurate diagnosis. By saving time in their research they can also spend more time with their patients and taking care of them.\n\n“Smart agriculture” programs have been developed to help farmers to monitor crops more effectively and make better predictions to then reduce the water and pesticides consumption.\n\nThe manufacturing sector strongly benefits from Artificial Intelligence. Studies show that unplanned downtime costs manufacturers an estimated $50 billion annually. Thanks to predictive maintenance using machine learning and neural networks, asset malfunction can be predicted before the assets break down, which reduce the costs related to the slowdown in production for example.\n\nWhat are the main challenges of the adoption of Artificial Intelligence?\n\nFor a broad adoption of artificial intelligence, there are various challenges to address. These include building trust, by ensuring fairness and explainability of the outputs. We can not use a tool at a large scale for loans application for instance if there is no transparency on how we get the results and if the outputs can’t be explained. This black box problem is not new, and the more the model becomes complex the more it’s difficult to explain. We need also to be careful of the historical data used to feed the model that may reflect the past unfairness in the system, like promoting a specific group of the population.\n\nIn this regards, the Monetary Authority of Singapore has released a set of guidelines, FEAT, Fairness Ethics Accountability and Transparency in the use of AI and data analytics in finance.\n\nThis highlights that even if we can delegate some of our tasks, we do need to have a human in the loop to assess the results from the AI systems.\n\nDo you think gender diversity could help?\n\nRecently, Amazon tested a system for automating the recruitment process. The input data where biased: males have been dominant in these technical roles over the last decades.\n\nMen and women won’t necessarily think to ask the exact same questions of the data, because they may define problems and possibilities in quite different ways. That’s why it’s important to have diverse profiles who look into the data and the algorithms designed to use Artificial Intelligence.\n\nAnd it’s not only about gender diversity but also ethnicity, race, language, skin color and age. Otherwise, this may lead to having a pigeonhole view of society.\n\nJoy Adowaa Buolamwini is a Ghanaian-American computer scientist and digital activist based at the MIT Media Lab. She is working to compel organizations (such as IBM) to make facial recognition software more ethical and inclusive since she realized that facial recognition software can be bad at assessing darker male and female faces.\n\nA final word?\n\nOne of our mandate with Live With AI is to gather a diverse community of thought leaders. We have various professional backgrounds, age range and nationalities. But we are still looking for more female experts in Artificial Intelligence and I am sure there are! So feel free to contact me if you would like to contribute and share more about your work.\n\nLinkedin: Eleonore Ferrerol\n\nLeave a Reply", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9507772922515869}
+{"content": "Customer Logins\n\n\nCustomer Logins\n\nImpact of passing through rebates at the POS for diabetes medicines\n\n11 May 2018 Wayne Su\n\nDiabetes imposes a significant economic burden on Medicare, at a cost of more than $100 billion annually. Adherence to prescription medicines to treat diabetes is associated with better disease management and lower overall health care spending, yet high beneficiary out-of-pocket (OOP) costs are a common barrier to proper adherence. Passing through a share of negotiated manufacturer rebates to patients at the point of sale (POS) is a recently debated approach to lower patient OOP costs, but little attention has been paid to its potential to improve adherence and generate downstream savings.\n\nTo fill this critical data gap, we modeled the effects of passing through rebates at POS on Medicare Parts A and B spending as a result of improved adherence. This is the first research to quantify these effects. We estimate that for each beneficiary using brand diabetes medicines in the Part D coverage gap or catastrophic phase, passing through a portion of rebates at the POS would reduce overall per beneficiary healthcare spending by $1,352 and lower patient OOP spending by $367 in one year. Over the next 10 years, we project that passing through rebates at the POS for diabetes medicines could reduce total medical spending by approximately $20 billion. These findings highlight the capability of passing through rebates to not only improve access to recommended medicines, but also to improve health outcomes and reduce overall healthcare spending.\n\nThese results suggest that the adherence improvements resulting from passing through a portion of rebates could generate substantial savings across the entire Medicare program.\n\n\n\nFollow Us\n\nFilter Sort", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8504080772399902}
+{"content": "Public Release: \n\nFlockmate or loner? Identifying the genes behind sociality in chickens\n\nLinköping University\n\nFive genes that affect sociality-related behaviour in chickens have been identified by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden. Several of the genes have been previously linked to nervous system function or behaviour. The new study, which is published in Genetics, is the first that assigns these genes a role in sociality.\n\n\n\"By identifying the genes responsible for the variation in such sociality we can understand how sociality is formed and how social behaviour is controlled at a genetic level. Why some people or animals are more gregarious by nature and others more independent is just one such example,\" says Dominic Wright, senior lecturer at the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), who has led the study.\n\nTo assess this, the researchers used a cross between wild and domestic chickens. The AVIAN research group at Linköping University is one of the few groups in the world with a breeding population of Red Junglefowl, the wild ancestor of the domestic fowl. For 8,000 years, humans have selected the individuals that have desirable traits and bred them, a process known as domestication. As a result, today's domestic fowl and the original wild fowl differ strongly in their social behaviour. For example, Red Junglefowl typically take longer to approach other birds, but spend more time with them when they do. By crossing the domestic and the wild fowl for several generations, the researchers obtained chickens that exhibited a large range of social behaviour.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe article: \"Genetics and genomics of social behavior in a chicken model\", M. Johnsson, R. Henriksen, J. Fogelholm, A. Höglund, P. Jensen and D. Wright, (2018) Genetics, published online 1 May 2018, doi: 10.1534/genetics.118.300810\n\nFor more information, please contact: Dominic Wright, senior lecturer,, +46 13-28 12 42\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9047030210494995}
+{"content": "The Appeal: Witness Memories Have Always Been Fallible. New York Is Starting To Remind Jurors Of This\n\nSarah Lustbader and Vaidya Gullapalli\nMarch 28, 2019\n\nMost Americans are familiar with the basics of a trial: opening statements, cross examinations, objections, verdicts. But most don’t know what jury instructions are. Even some who have served on a jury don’t remember the jury instruction. That’s because there is nothing particularly exciting about jury instructions. After both sides have given closing statements, before the jury begins deliberating, the judge instructs jurors on how to evaluate the evidence: what are the elements of each charge, how certain they have to be, what kinds of considerations are acceptable, etcetera. The prosecutor and defense lawyer have spent the trial doing everything they can to get the jury’s attention by telling the most compelling story possible. The judge, while giving instructions, usually reads legalistic words off a page for an hour or more. Sometimes people fall asleep. Perhaps you are already bored simply reading about jury instructions. Maybe you’ve forgotten what they are.\n\nWe know memories aren’t perfect, and research continually shows just how unreliable they are. Hugo Münsterberg, who taught at Harvard in one of the first American psychology departments, wrote a book in 1908 called “On the Witness Stand.” In it, he argued that because people could not know when their memories had deceived them, the legal system’s safeguards against lying—oaths, penalties for perjury, and so on—were ineffective. Based on that research, he expected people in all fields to be eager to reform their practices. “The lawyer alone is obdurate,” Münsterberg wrote. [Paul Kix / The New Yorker] Indeed, eyewitness identification is the leading cause of wrongful convictions and yet it is still a cornerstone of the legal system.\n\nIronically, New York’s highest court has turned to the highly forgettable jury instruction to help remedy misidentification. Last year, it ruled that defendants who are identified by someone of a different race are entitled to a jury instruction explaining that people generally have greater difficulty accurately identifying someone of a different race than their own. That decision sent a conviction back to a lower court in Brooklyn, and this month, after a retrial, an innocent man was finally acquitted. Jurors said it took them five minutes to reach their decision, and afterward waited in the courtroom to hug the defendant and his family.\n\nOtis Boone, who is Black, was arrested when he was 19 and spent seven years in prison, during which he steadfastly insisted on his innocence. Two white people had mistakenly identified him as a person who had robbed them of cell phones at knifepoint in Brooklyn. There was no physical evidence pointing to his guilt, but he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison based on the two eyewitness accounts. At his second trial last month, public defenders presented evidence that Boone was a mile away from one of the robberies five minutes before it occurred. “Boone’s ordeal illustrates a shift in how the state’s criminal justice system handles witness identifications,” writes Ashley Southall for the New York Times. “They were once considered strong evidence of guilt, and they remain a persuasive tool for prosecutors.” [Ashley Southall / New York Times]\n\n“One thing that was encouraging was that during jury selection it seemed like people got it,” Bess Stiffelman of the Legal Aid Society, who represented Boone on his retrial, told The Daily Appeal. “It used to be that identification testimony, pointing to someone and saying ‘That’s the guy who did it!’ was the most powerful evidence people could hear. And I think that people can understand that witnesses can be mistaken, despite confidence.”\n\nStiffelman was surprised that the Brooklyn DA’s office, which prides itself on having the largest dedicated conviction review unit, and on being “progessive” in general, never seemed to consider the possibility that her client was not guilty. According to the office’s website, the Conviction Review Unit takes a “fresh look at all the evidence,” consulting with experts and using the most up-to-date science to reevaluate the evidence. This includes “social science research on issues like faulty eyewitness identification.” But they fought the case aggressively.\n\nIt turned out, if the lead detective on Boone’s case had looked at the file before she administered the lineups, she would have seen notes from interviews with one of the complainants, who said on the night he was robbed that he wouldn’t be able to identify the offender if he saw him again. Five days later, an officer wrote that the complainant said he “couldn’t remember what the person looked like only described him as a tall male black.”\n\nThe Daily Appeal asked Stiffelman what changes she would like to see as a result of her client’s acquittal, apart from the jury instruction. “What I would really like to see is that the prosecution and the police department don’t think that just because you have a lineup identification that your case should be closed. The DA’s office and the NYPD never seem to doubt an identification,” she said. “They have to shift their thinking on that. Maybe look in your file to see whether there are reasons why this might be a bad ID. Just look a little bit, just look a little bit closer.”\n\nIt’s natural for people to trust their own memories and trust a person who points his finger in the courtroom and shouts, “He did it! I’m 100 percent certain! I’ll never forget that face!” But the power of that kind of statement makes it dangerous. Our legal system has relied on eyewitness testimony for centuries, but that doesn’t mean we should cling to it, regardless of how many innocent lives we destroy. We know better. And hopefully, despite the fallibility of human memory, jurors won’t forget that new jury instruction.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5175639390945435}
+{"content": "camera tripod for nature photography\n\nTripods for Nature Photography\n\nDid you know know there was a fee associated with getting a tripod when you first get into photography?  There is and it is usually paid when you find a great deal for $25.00 which includes the legs and a head.  The reason it is a fee is because you will soon, and by soon I mean that day, realize your mistake.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7207690477371216}
+{"content": "Karl Marx was a political economist who studied and shared beliefs on the sociological effects of society and how it would eventually lead to the creation of the ultimate utopia. More »\n\nKarl Marx's primary contribution to economics was a new framework that described economics as a struggle for power between different classes. His critiques of capitalism have been accepted by many economic theorists. His... More »\n\nÉmile Durkheim was a French sociologist whose major contribution was establishing sociology as a major science. Along with Max Weber and Karl Marx, Durkheim is responsible for establishing social science and social psych... More »\n\nOne of the strengths of Karl Marx's theories is his sociological observation that a capitalist and industrialized society can become divided by the class struggle between the owners of production and those who provide th... More »\n\nKarl Marx believed that history unfolded in distinct phases, the last of which would see the overthrow of capitalism by the world's working classes. After this revolution, history would enter a Utopian phase of economic,... More »\n\nKarl Marx was a philosopher who believed that capitalism was flawed and that socialist economic approaches would yield better results. His work influenced a wide range of later economists and philosophers. The merit of h... More »\n\nKarl Marx was highly influential in the founding of sociology and is regarded as the founder of the sociopolitical theory known as Marxism. His socialist work as a journalist got him exiled from the countries of Belgium ... More »", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9795085191726685}
+{"content": "Private Chef in Gros Islet\n\n\nWith our Private Chefs in Gros Islet, St. Lucia you will enjoy an unforgettable experience at home, header\n\nHow does it work?\n\nEnjoy a unique experience at home with a Private Chef\n\nToday I do not feel like cooking and I have to prepare dinner for my friends'. I'm sure you've thought that one time. Imagine night falls in Gros Islet and stars come out. Your friends come home and then a Private Chef calls your doorbell. Comes with the purchase made. You will create a personalized menu in your kitchen, you will serve all the dishes and then clean. So at first glance, does not it? Well, it's better if you live in the first person. Choose a Private Chef in Gros Islet. Choose Take a Chef.\n\nOur Private Chef in Gros Islet\nDish cooked by a Private Chef in Gros Islet\n\nBest Private Chefs go to your home in Gros Islet\n\n\nHaute cuisine in the comfort of your home\n\nThe best of gastronomy in Gros Islet\n\n\nA Private Chef experience in Gros Islet\n\nMore than 80,000 people have already enjoyed the experience\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9956219792366028}
+{"content": "Scientist May Have Discovered Massive Crater Under Greenland Ice Sheet\n\nIn a rare find, geologists say they may have identified a 22-mile-wide crater buried almost two miles beneath glacial ice in northwest Greenland. It would be only the second “impact crater” ever discovered and was likely caused by a meteor crashing into the earth before Greenland’s glaciers were formed. The gigantic depression was discovered using two NASA satellites and 25 years of aerogeophysical data collected on Greenland. The researchers note the possible crater is too circular to have been caused by volcanic activity, and that it was likely caused by an ancient space rock crashing into the earth’s surface. The first subglacial crater discovered is under the Hiawatha glacier, which is also in Greenland and only 114 miles away. But the puzzling thing is, it seems these two giant craters may have been created by different meteor storms. The ice covering today’s discovery is older than the ice covering the Hiawatha crater. Researchers analyzed the chances of that happening, and called it “improbable, but not impossible.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9007954597473145}
+{"content": "Psychology and Neuroscience Faculty Database\nPsychology and Neuroscience\nArts & Sciences\nDuke University\n\n\nPublications [#255884] of Linda K. George\n\nsearch PubMed.\n\nPapers Published\n\n  1. Liu, G; Dupre, M; George, L; Peterson, E (2012). The Cumulative Impact of Unemployment on Risks of Acute Myocardial Infarction. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172(22), 1731-1737. [23401888], [doi]\n    (last updated on 2019/04/22)\n\n    BACKGROUND: Employment instability is a major source of strain affecting an increasing number of adults in the United States. Little is known about the cumulative effect of multiple job losses and unemployment on the risks for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: We investigated the associations between different dimensions of unemployment and the risks for AMI in US adults in a prospective cohort study of adults (N = 13,451) aged 51 to 75 years in the Health and Retirement Study with biennial follow-up interviews from 1992 to 2010. Unadjusted rates of age-specific AMI were used to demonstrate observed differences by employment status, cumulative number of job losses, and cumulative time unemployed. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the multivariate effects of cumulative work histories on AMI while adjusting for sociodemographic background and confounding risk factors. RESULTS: The median age of the study cohort was 62 years, and 1061 AMI events (7.9%) occurred during the 165,169 person-years of observation. Among the sample, 14.0% of subjects were unemployed at baseline, 69.7% had 1 or more cumulative job losses, and 35.1% had spent time unemployed. Unadjusted plots showed that age-specific rates of AMI differed significantly for each dimension of work history. Multivariate models showed that AMI risks were significantly higher among the unemployed (hazard ratio, 1.35 [95% CI, 1.10-1.66]) and that risks increased incrementally from 1 job loss (1.22 [1.04-1.42]) to 4 or more cumulative job losses (1.63 [1.29-2.07]) compared with no job loss. Risks for AMI were particularly elevated within the first year of unemployment (hazard ratio, 1.27 [95% CI, 1.01-1.60]) but not thereafter. Results were robust after adjustments for multiple clinical, socioeconomic, and behavioral risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Unemployment status, multiple job losses, and short periods without work are all significant risk factors for acute cardiovascular events.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9696958661079407}
+{"content": "PROOFREADING AND EDITING material on website including full text novels (fantasy, SF and military SF), short stories (horror, fantasy and SF), writing advice, autobiographical material and blog entries on eg Islam. Site also includes full text of medical memoir CANCER PATIENT. This website by professional author Hugh Cook, aka Hugh Walter Gilbert Cook, author of the CHRONICLES OF AN AGE OF DARKNESS etc. Site also includes poetry and flash fiction. This site features PROOFREADING AND EDITING material about the art of writing: plotting, getting characters to act, proofreading and editing. Concise how-to-write advice by an expert. Read free online.\n\n\n\nAdvice on elements of writing, including plot, some mechanical issues and the business of proofreading and editing. A compact guide to the art of writing fiction.\n\nThis section on PROOFREADING AND EDITING is incorporated in the literary miscellany THIS IS A PICTURE OF YOUR GOD: A HUGH COOK READER.\n\n        Here are some suggestions on editing and proofreading, which flow from my experience with proofreading my war on terror alternative reality novel, the suicide bomber fantasy novel TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER, set in the city state of Oolong Morblock. This very long fantasy novel is about 199,000 words long and, as a printed book, runs to over 700 pages.\n        My suggestions for facilitating accurate proofreading are as follows:-\n         If possible, print out the text and study the printout rather than attempting to proofread material on a computer screen. For some reason, viewing a text on a computer screen tends to encourage hastiness. Proofreading benefits from being taken slowly. That said, I confess that I did not print out my novel, but, instead, proof read it while it was displayed, bit by bit, on the computer screen.\n         If proofreading a text on a computer screen, consider bumping up the font.\n         While proofreading TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER, I had two copies of the book open on the computer at the same time, and switched between them using alt-tab (hold down the ALT key and, while holding it down, press the TAB key, and you can go from one open computer file to another).\n        The Word file that was for publication (I was aiming at publishing this book myself as a print-on-demand book via lulu.com, so needed a Word document which could be used as the basis for the published book) was given the name dreamer.doc.\n        Since this document was going to be the basis for my published book, I displayed it on the screen using the VIEW -> PRINT LAYOUT option, so I could easily check paragraphing and page layout.\n        I had open, simultaneously, a duplicate copy of the document to which I gave the title junk.doc — I routinely give the title junk.doc or junk.txt to disposable files which are garbage, so I can later delete them without worrying about whether they might or might not be important — and this I displayed using VIEW -> WEB LAYOUT, and bumped the ZOOM right up to 500%.\n        Displaying the typeface at 500% of normal might seem like overkill, but in my case I had a technical problem to deal with. I was proofreading this book in the days following cataract surgery on both eyes, and, in addition to cataract surgery, I had undergone a vitrectomy (a jelly-removal operation) on the right eye. Following a vitrectomy, it is best to allow two months for the eye to settle down before going to get a prescription for spectacles.\n        In my case, then, I was working with somewhat blurred vision, so I needed to bump up the font so I could read it efficiently, and worked with a magnifying glass beside me so I could read pull-down menus.\n        However, even for someone whose vision is in the normal range, I would recommend displaying the font on the screen in letters which are large rather than small. The larger the letters, the easy the proofreading is.\n        By keeping two copies of the text open at one and the same time, and by switching between them, it is possible to proofread both for minor proofreading errors on the \"their/there\" level and, also, for any layout problems, such as unintended gaps between paragraphs.\n         Work with the text in some way. While proofreading the text of TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER, the first thing I did was to make an HTML page out of each chapter. At that stage, I ran a spell-checker over each chapter, which catches a lot of errors (but will not catch an error such as a wrong choice between the options of \"there\" and \"their\"), then converted the chapter to an HTML page, and proofread that.\n        I also adapted part of the text of this very long book to make a short story, to which I gave the title SHOOT TO KILL, and, in the course of adapting part of the text to make this short story, I picked up a couple of glitches.\n        Another way to work with a text is to read it aloud.\n        On the subject of reading aloud, I note that I once saw, at a newspaper office, proofreaders at work. I find that I cannot remember exactly how they worked, but I do remember that the method involved two people, sitting side by side, both working on the same text. One of these people read the text aloud. I think that the job of the second person was to check that what was being said matched what had been printed out. Presumably if someone says \"The cat chased the dog\" and you read \"The cat chased the the dog\", the fact that you are hearing \"the\" and seeing \"the the\" makes it easier to catch the error.\n        The point I make about reading aloud is that newspapers at one stage (and maybe now, for all I know) used this as a method of working toward textual accuracy. And they were in the business to make money. They would not have done this unless it got results.\n         Read your own work as a reader. Start at the beginning and read it right through. I was not able to read the whole of TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER like this, so I ended up reading most of it as a proofreader rather than as an ordinary reader, but the more familiar you become with your own work the better.\n        With a long piece of work, such as a novel, it is easy to lose track of the beginning of the book by the time you have got to the end.\n        A novel of about 200 printed pages will probably have a length of about 60,000 words, so a reasonably solid novel of 400 pages or so will be somewhere in the vicinity of 120,000 words, and when you get up to 199,000 words and over 700 pages then it can be a problem to hold all the details in your mind.\n        Working through the final draft of TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER I found that, in the early stages of the text, it was specified that the number of missing nuclear weapons was nine, but, later in the text, this had somehow evolved to six. I standardized the number at six.\n        Worse, and more noticeable, I found that toward the end of the book it is specified that President Olive Valise had a habit of daily prayer — this is relevant because the book is partly about a war between religions — whereas earlier in the book it was specified that she had completely lost her religious faith. Those two things had to be reconciled.\n         Maintain a reference file while you build a project of any length, and refer to it while proofreading.\n        This is something I have done religiously for many years now, and it has been of immense benefit. TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER is not my longest book. The longest was my sword and sorcery novel THE WITCHLORD AND THE WEAPONMASTER which weighs in at a massive 250,000 words or thereabouts, and, as a Corgi paperback, comes to 716 printed pages set in 9/10 point Linotype Melior. (For TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER I'm using 12 point Garamond with a small section set in 11 point Courier New).\n        For a book which runs to hundreds of pages, it is humanly impossible (or, at least, impossible for me) to keep track of all the details. So, to help me, for every project I've made a file with the title rem.txt (REM standing for REMARKS), and, in this, I've kept an alphabetical list of everything.\n        Each entry starts with the mark \">>\" so I can easily search through the list by just searching from one occurrence of \">>\" to the next.\n        Note that one problem with keeping a reference file is that you may end up using it to store snippets of someone else's work. There have been times when people have been caught using sentences, paragraphs or even larger chunks of work sourced from someone else's writing, and the lame excuse that \"I remember this as being my own work\" doesn't wash. This kind of mistake can not only get you into legal trouble but also trash your reputation, particularly when people get the impression that it's an \"accidentally on purpose\" kind of error.\n        Note that if your work is appearing under your name and yours alone then the fallout is only going to impact on you and your publisher. If, however, your perceived plagiarism ends up forming part of a book by multiple hands — a collection of essays by various authors, or a collection of stories by various authors, for example — then your misdoing may have the effect of contaminating the reputation of anyone who has the misfortune of being associated with you by appearing in the same published volume.\n        To avoid this kind of error, if I quote anything in my reference files then I clearly mark it with two sets of quote marks, not \"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps at this petty pace\" but \"\"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps at this petty pace\"\". I also do this with handwritten notes.\n        I've been doing this for years now, with the result that, if I stir to life some ancient archive, I know what is original and what is not.\n        I make the point here that I've benefited from standardizing my work practices and following the same procedures down through the years. For example, in the year 2005 I decided to publish the books of a fantasy trilogy, OCEANS OF LIGHT, which I wrote back in the 1990s. When I found my old computer files from the 1990s, I discovered that, sure enough, for each of the three books I had made a rem.txt file. Obviously, this was going to be of assistance to me when I came to prepare the texts for publication (something I was not going to do in 2005 itself because I was under too much time pressure).\n        When making my rem.txt file, if a character's name is \"John Smith\" then I make one entry for \">> John Smith\" and also a second entry for \"-> Smith: see John Smith\" to cover both the \"Smith\" and the \"John\" option.\n        Characters get their listings, and so to do place names. And, for each character and each place, I generally cut and paste part of the manuscript text where that element originally occurs, so, when I look at the reference files, I remember how this material was used.\n        The rem.txt file for TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER ended up being 74,818 words long.\n        Here are some sample entries from the rem.txt file for TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER:\n\n        >> Acarigua Cantaura:\n        \"The three meter condom went by the name of Damascus, and was the familiar of Acarigua Cantaura, a human female eighteen years of age.\"\n        >> Aesthetic Hotolortics:\n        >> Aesthetic Hotolortics cont'd:-\n        \"What, exactly, was Aesthetic Hotolortics? The tear-out coupon did not say. But it did feature a full-color photograph of a woman who did not seem to have enough money in her budget to go out and buy all the clothes she needed to be decently clad.\"\n        >> police: include Citywatch, based at Luanda Hill; Tolstaple, aka the Inner Police. Each island has its own police force. Police forces: the Conflux Constabulary. See Octavalus Heights (police building at Hoover). The Baton Force is the Glud Hurgus police outfit. Enforcers Zisperchilp police Zisperhaven-Chilp.\n\n        Note that I made a special entry for \"police\" under which I put some police-related information to help me remember to look at other police-related entries, such as the entry for Enforcers Zisperchilp.\n        Not only does the rem.txt file have a special entry for \"police\", but it also has entries for \"food\", \"drink\", \"music\" and \"nukes\".\n        A rem.txt file is an easy way to keep track of facts and figures. How many people live in the city state of Oolong Morblock? About twenty million. How many thermonuclear devices are missing? Officially, none, but, in actuality, six. That kind of data.\n        This kind of alphabetically organized file can also help you figure out how well your key entities are spaced out along the alphabet.\n        When I was about twelve years of age I got into a horrible muddle while reading J.R.R. Tolkien's book LORD OF THE RINGS, gulping the whole thing down far too quickly, and taking not nearly enough time to digest it all.\n        Part of my problem, as a reader, was Tolkien's fault. He cooked up two very similar characters and gave the both similar names, Sauron and Saruman. They are both men, both dark lords and both masters of magic. They are both bad guys. Both of them live in fortified stronghold and each is served by evil orcs.\n        If one of these guys had been called Sauron and the other had been called Lushpuppy, then this book would have been a lot easier to follow. Similarly, if one had been served by evil blood-drinking orcs and if the other had been served by evil penguins which were addicted to intravenous marmalade, then the distinction would have been a lot clearer.\n        When I came to cook up my own two evil guys for TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER, the names I chose were Beria Dag and Don Trash. Actually, \"Dag\" and \"Don\" both share the letter \"D\", so this is not optimal. However, in the book they are referred to not as \"Don and Dag\" but as \"Don and Beria\".\n        Note that the letters \"D-o-n\" do not occur in \"B-e-r-i-a\", whereas \"Sauron\" and \"Saruman\", which are not particularly long names, share the letters \"s\", \"a\", \"r\" and \"n\".\n        I take this differentiation of names pretty seriously, and I am not the only one who does so. During the Second World War, the British found themselves facing military contingencies relating to two similarly-named countries, \"Iraq\" and \"Iran\", both in the middle east, both states with oil, both Muslim countries — a lot of similarities here, and no easy way to tell them apart.\n        So someone (I'm not sure who, but I think it may have been the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill) said, the hell with it, this Iraq/Iran business is a recipe for confusion and error, so we're going to rename \"Iran\" and call it \"Persia\" (which is historically what it was).\n ��      (If by chance I've got this story wrong and this renaming never happened, that makes no difference. The principle still holds good: it was appropriate, for the purposes of keeping the war straight in everyone's mind, to rename one of those countries.)\n        I make a point of making sure that my names are spread out across the whole alphabet, so TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER contains, for example, the name Xgadriver (a big incineration complex), Zisperhaven (an island) and House Qorbethalmace (home of the City Exorcist, Gelbert Protctor Tosterburger).\n        I take the differentiation of names fairly seriously, as exemplified by a change that I made to the text of TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER during proofreading.\n        While proofreading, I realized that in one chapter, chapter 70, I had a reputation manager named Dali  Figueras and a great gong called Dalai Pastoosh. Nothing wrong with either name. But \"Dali\" is almost \"Dalai\", and I wanted the names to be differentiated from each other as clearly as possible. So I changed \"Dali Figueras\" to \"Salvador Figueras\".\n         The last of my practical hints is to try to proofread something at least four times, if it is important.\n        In the case of TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER I wrote the original draft using a program called UltraEdit, a plain text editor which is optimized for the use of computer programmers, but which I have been using for years for my creative writing. (It is one of the very few programs that I have actually paid for, as I mostly use free software.)\n        Having made the plain text file, I checked it with my spellchecker (part of the UltraEdit package). Then I converted each chapter to HTML format. And, each time I made an HTML file, I proofread the finished result, and made any necessary changes in both the plain text file and the HTML file.\n        Then I used the corrected plain text file to make a Word document. (I don't know if it's possible to get Word's \"intelligent quotes\" when you do this. If it is possible, well, I made do without them.)\n        I then checked the Word document.\n        So, by the time I had a complete draft of TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER, everything had been checked at least three times.\n        I then sat down and worked through the whole text a fourth time, and at this point I picked up a whole slew of errors, including the business of \"nine\" missing nuclear weapons  at one point in the text and \"six\" at another.\n        I don't imagine that I caught all the mistakes, but I did give it a decent shot.\n        Each day I would sleep for a few hours, then wake up, sometimes as early as four in the morning, and, sitting up in bed with my knees raised and with my laptop computer propped up on my knees — which, since I did not have the spectacles I needed, was the best way to get the computer screen at an optimal distance — worked on proofreading until the middle of the day.\n        I made a point of doing something different in the remaining part of the day, such as working on a different project, and always went for a reasonably substantial walk each day.\n        The point I make about this setup is that I was able to work on the task of proofreading without distractions. It is work that requires concentration, and it is not compatible with any kind of multitasking.\n        Obviously, when proofreading, we have to catch bloopers. If there are nine missing thermonukes at one point in the plot, there had better not be only six later on. The two numbers have to be made to match.\n        While I was proofreading TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER, I found that in one chapter the day was specified as being Saturday. Right? No, wrong. In the chapter before, it was Friday. And, what's more, in the following chapter it was still Friday. I had made a big boo-boo which a reader would quite possibly have noticed — hey, it's Friday, isn't it, so why has it suddenly become Saturday? — and my spellchecker did not pick up on the error.\n        Some errors you can only detect by reading the whole book in an intelligent manner, and thinking about the context. If it's Friday at the start of the day then it had better be Friday on the afternoon of the very same day, unless you have a very good excuse for it being otherwise. Similarly, if you have the full moon rising on Friday, you'd better be sure you don't have the full moon rising all over again on Friday week.\n        Bloopers will spoil the story for the reader.\n        So, when we're proofreading, and doing any light editing associated with the proofreading, we have to think carefully both at the sentence level (catch \"the the\" and deal with it) and also at the contextual level.\n        For example, in TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER there are three consecutive chapters featuring TV journalist Sable Tauranga. In Chapter A, she is wearing a polka dot bikini. In Chapter B, she is doing a TV interview with Ibrahim Chess. We are told nothing about what she is wearing. In Chapter C, which takes place on the following day, she meets Ibrahim again.\n        In the original draft of Chapter C we are told:-\n\n        \"Hello,\" said a bright blonde voice, Sable Tauranga in person, emerging from nearby undergrowth, dressed not in her polka dot bikini but in bright green vinyl strutgirl boots, stonewashed jeans and a leather buffalo-shooter's jacket with so many pockets that any boy would have envied it. \"Am I interrupting something?\"\n\n        I checked that through three times, and it looked just fine to me. Never occurred to me that there might be a problem. Only later, when I was doing a final read-through, did I see the glaring error.\n        In Chapter A, Sable was on a boat wearing her bikini. But then, in Chapter B, she interviewed Ibrahim on TV. Surely she wasn't still wearing the bikini. She must have changed into something. But the text reads as if Ibrahim had perceived a transition from bikini to jeans. That won't do. We have to either delete the clothing references or else establish what she was wearing in Chapter B.\n        So what was she wearing?\n        Personally, I am a zero when it comes to tailoring. At the age of five, I was enormously upset when someone gave me a pair of walk shorts for a Christmas present. The thought that went wailing through my mind was \"That's not a present!\" And I haven't changed.\n        One of the things that surprised me about my first seven years of life in Japan was all the clothes that I ended up acquiring. How can this possibly be me? How can I possibly own these tailor-made suits cut from high-quality English cloth? And all these pairs of shoes in the shoe cupboard, how can all these possibly be mine?\n        So, as a writer, I'm a zero on the clothes front, and, if I seriously wanted to write a thoroughgoing girl's life novel, I'd have to go buy myself some women's magazines, and make a habit of leafing through them during my coffee breaks.\n        (The first novel I ever wrote, \"Plague Summer\", featured a guy who rides a motorbike, something I've never done. While writing that novel, I always had, right beside me, a photo of a particular motorbike. The photo was on a page I'd cut from a magazine, advertizing a certain model of motorbike. For the duration of the book, that, if I needed to imaginatively refer to it, was the motorbike featured in the novel, documentation substituting for a gap in my own ideation kit.)\n        After years of practice, cooking up imaginative monsters or organizing fight scenes with high body counts comes really easily to me, but figuring out what Sable Tauranga might have been wearing for her TV interview, that was a bit of a struggle, and initially I drew a blank.\n        However, I got there in the end, and the final result was as follows:-\n\nThis morning, Sable was not wearing the polka dot bikini in which she had displayed herself on the previous afternoon. Nor was she accoutered in the severely formal high-collared dress of imperial blue which she had worn for their evening interview. Instead, she was dolled up in bright green vinyl strutgirl boots, stonewashed jeans and a leather buffalo-shooter's jacket with so many pockets that any boy would have envied it. How does that phrase go? Doll cute and viper vicious.\n\"Am I interrupting something?\" said Sable.\n        Didn't hear her creeping. No outboard motor warning. Must have rowed ashore.\"\n\n        The other thing I added was the \"Didn't hear her creeping\" paragraph. Earlier, it had been established that Sable used an outboard motor when using the inflatable boat to which she had access. Ibrahim is in a very quiet place, so how come he is not cued to her approach by the noise of the outboard motor? That was another thing I did not think about when I initially wrote the scene.\n        Probably most readers would just have registered the story development, which is that \"Sable Tauranga shows up without warning and takes Ibrahim Chess by surprise\". But there is bound to be the occasional person who thinks, \"Hey, but wait a minute. She must have got to the island by that inflatable boat we read about earlier, and that thing had an outboard motor, and those things are noisy!\"\n        The reader who notices this might think, \"Well, I suppose the writer has some excuse for this\". But, ideally, the reader will not have to exercise this kind of tolerance. If you build a boat, then the boat should not have leaks in it, even if the leaks are not big enough to sink the  boat.\n        In catching logical bloopers, it helps to think carefully about the logic of the situation. How many people does this scene require? In TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER there is an interview between Sable Tauranga and Ibrahim Chess. At the end of the interview, Sable chats privately with Ibrahim. But are they private?\n        In writing this scene, I wrote it as if there were only two people in the room. But, logically, given that it's a TV interview, there has to be at least one other person, the cameraman. So, when editing the text, I spliced in the cameraman, as follows:\n        \"Exiting the scene, Sable's cameraman banged shut one of the tug's heavy steel watertight doors, leaving Ibrahim and Sable alone.\"\n        Logically, there must have been a cameraman present at the interview, so I want to explicitly delete him so, when Sable starts chatting privately with Ibrahim, no reader suddenly thinks, \"But, hey, wouldn't there be at least a cameraman in the room?\"\n        I have had nothing to do with TV, apart from being a member of a TV studio audience, once, many years ago, so remembering that there must, logically, be a cameraman, did not come naturally to me.\n        (In an ordinary TV setup, of course, there would be people on hand in addition to a cameraman, but this is an improvised studio on a tug which is presently remote from civilization. That said, if I'd focused more on the TV activity, I'd have had to research the question of what kind of people make up a TV team, and would have had to put in more effort to present the TV broadcasting activities realistically.\n        Key point: do a simple headcount from time to time, and be sure you haven't missed someone. It's easy to overlook a necessary person, as I, initially, overlooked the necessary cameraman. Remember the story of the seven brothers who, having gone fishing, did a count and found they were missing one person. Problem? The person doing the count was neglecting to count himself.\n        Obviously, the further you go beyond your natural range, the more of a problem this \"who's there?\" question becomes. Someone who routinely worked with TV would automatically think of the cameraman (and, doubtlessly, a bunch of other peoples as well) but, as I've already indicated, for me, the TV world is well out of my natural range.\n        In 2005, the year in which I wrote TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER, I think I probably watched no more than about twenty hours or so of TV in the course of the whole year, and that was in the \"family room\" at hospital, when I was staying in for days at a time while receiving chemotherapy. I spent the year 2005 with my parents, who do not have television.\n        Looking back at the words about the cameraman exiting, note that the tug is described in passing. Minimally described. We don't need five thousand words of tug description here, and the plot wouldn't benefit if the description was expanded. We just need the flavor of reality. A smear of tomato sauce, not the whole barbecue. Hence the key words \"steel\", \"heavy\", \"watertight\" and \"banged\". This is tug-flavored tomato sauce. The reader can build the rest of the tug in his or her mind.\n        (If the reader can't do that, then the book needs a different reader. Can't build human civilization from scratch for the benefit of a reader who doesn't have a properly developed concept of human civilization, complete with Internet sites, battle tanks, machineguns and tugboats.)\n        The key to efficient descriptive writing, then, is to aim to capture the flavor rather than serve up the whole barbecue, and to describe things while the plot progresses forward, while action is taking place, rather than bringing the whole book to a crunching halt so the reader can endure a description.\n        Descriptions are static, and a novel needs to aim at being dynamic, a machine constantly in the process of self-evolution.\n        Things to avoid, then, include basic bloopers on the \"the the\" level; mistaken choices concerning, for example, \"their\" versus \"there\", and, of course, spelling mistakes.\n        It also helps to think about clarity. Is this going to be clear to your reader?\n        Sometimes, coming to my own work after a gap of years, I find something in an old draft which quite simply does not make sense. It made sense to me when I wrote it, but now, having forgotten the context, it doesn't make sense at all.\n        One of the Roman writers, I believe, recommended keeping a piece of work on hand for seven years before publishing it to the world. Seven years might be impractical, but at least try for seven days.\n        In terms of clarity, I focus in on pronouns, sentence length (shorter is better) and sentence complexity (simpler is better).\n        Let me expand on those points.\n        During the first seven years that I spent teaching in Japan, I did a certain amount of editing work. In particular, for some years I taught e-mail writing. Students would get their writing assignments from a web site and would send me their efforts to be checked and corrected.\n        One persistent problem that I found was that the topic would become confused or lost entirely. In Japanese grammar, topic is explicitly marked with the topic marker, \"wa\". However, in the English language, topic is typically implicit rather than explicit, although it is possible to explicitly identify the topic if we really want to, by saying, for example, \"Now, at this point I would like to discuss X\" or \"This brings us to X\", which plainly marks X as the topic of the moment.\n        In the worst case, when Japanese students attempt to write complex English, the result can be a horrifying syntactic slurry in which four or five nouns are bubbling around in a discordant grammatical soup, with no way for any English-wired intellect to tell which noun is supposed to be in a relationship with which verb.\n        In response to this kind of apocalyptic grammatical breakdown, my standard advice was to work with short sentences and simple structures. And, when I'm editing my own work, and hit something which seems a bit murky, or is a little tricky to parse, I follow my own advice.\n        I also advise my students to be careful with words such as \"it\" and \"they\" and \"he\" and \"she\". If there's any distance between the antecedent and the pronoun, then, as a rule, it's a good idea to restate the antecedent.\n        On occasion, while editing the text of this long novel of mine, TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER, I chose to lubricate the reading process by restating the antecedent anyway. What follows is an example.\n\nOriginal text:-\n\n        \"Would probably only have taken him ten minutes, given that he could guess at the probable location in advance. Maybe less.\"\n\nRevised text:-\n\n        \"Would probably only have taken him ten minutes, given that he could guess at the probable location in advance. Ten minutes? Maybe less.\"\n\n        There is absolutely no need to restate \"Ten minutes\" as the reader hitting \"Maybe\" will only need a microsecond to think back and find \"ten minutes\". And restating the antecedent like this could very easily become irritating, the danger being that the author will end up seeming to be accusing the reader of brain damage. So it's a judgment call. How I approach it is this: does the adjusted text read more smoothly to me? And does the adjustment make for a text which reads naturally, or does it result in something which seems ugly and forced?\n        If in doubt, go for clarity and simplicity. Do not be afraid to shorten, simplify and restate.\n        That said, there is nothing wrong with a long and complex sentence, providing it is properly organized and reads smoothly. Here, for example, from the text of TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER is a single lengthy sentence, to my mind harmonious, which is so long (it sums to 120 words) that it wins itself a paragraph all to its own:\n        \"When the time for divorce draws near, it often happens that both husband and wife realize that their marriage has served as an engine for doing something which they did not plan to do, that being to create the person whom they hate more than any other living human being, the person with whom they are now at war on a take-no-prisoners basis, the person who is bitterly contending with them over, amongst other things, the question of which of them will walk away with the larger piece of the family cat, Tiddums, who, five years old and still innocent, has no idea what is in store for her, and does not understand why dinner is somewhat delayed.\"\n        You want to know why I claim to be able to write? I'll base my claim on that sentence. That's my circle drawn freehand, if you're asking for a sample of my work.\n        Rule: if in doubt, simplify.\n        To wrap up, I'm going to give a few examples of some edits that I did for stylistic reasons. Stylistically, I don't think it's a good idea to repeat the same word, for example \"guy\". It's better to use a variety of words, for example, \"guy\", \"person\", \"individual\" and \"citizen\".\n        Searching for new words for the same thing does two things. First, it helps make the writing lively. Second, the quest for the new words helps focus the writer on the situation, which may assist in the production of a text which more exactly specifies the situation.\n        With that preamble, what follows are some examples of stylistic edits.\n        The huge / hugeness / huge sequence is unsatisfactory in the following:\n\n        As Ibrahim came up onto the roof, a snake stirred in the darkness, a python, black, huge, its hugeness picked out by the scattered glitter of its luminescent green scales. It was huge, five times Ibrahim's length.\n\n        This was modified to make the following:\n        As Ibrahim came up onto the roof, a snake stirred in the darkness, a python, black, huge, its massive coils picked out by the scattered glitter of its luminescent green scales. It was enormous, five times Ibrahim's length.\n\n        Thinking more carefully about \"hugeness\" takes the text in the direction of exactitude, toward \"massive coils\". It's a snake, and it's lying in coils.\n        To my sensibility, the \"think\", \"thought\", \"thinking\" sequence is not stylistically optimal in the following:\n        \"Good think,\" said Ibrahim. \"I hadn't thought of that.\"\n        And he went to work, thinking to himself: just how the hell did this happen? How did I end up sitting on the roof of the presidential palace, cooking in the sun, sharing the roof with an out-and-out lunatic religious nutter who happens to be my brother, with a thermonuclear device armed and ready to go, with a bunch of extremely deceased guys who got slaughtered dead in a firefight, and with the living incarnation of Toralina Soubliette, who is my partner in crime, the crime in question being organizing a drug deal so major that it's surely worth not just the ruin of my reputation but fifty years in a concrete box? How did this happen?\n        Because I didn't like the thing/thought/thinking sequence, when I did the final edit I modified \"And he went to work, thinking to himself\" to \"And he went to work, wondering to himself\".\n              You might or might not agree with this approach: your sense of style may not be mine. What I would say, however, is that style is worth thinking about at this level of nuance. After you have sorted out the dynamics of the plot. Once again, keep the main point in mind: if you haven't gone and built a decent table, then there's no point in fooling around with the varnish.\n        While I was busy proofreading this very long novel of mine, TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER, I used some small fractions of the text as the basis of a short story, SHOOT TO KILL, as mentioned above.\n        While I was at work on the short story, I found an error which needed to be corrected at the proofreading stage. It concerned the TV news journalist Esmeralda Arizona. The error is as follows:\n        \"Breaking news,\" said Arizona.\n        What is the error? Your spell-checker will not be able to tell you, and neither will your English teacher. The error is that Esmeralda has been labeled with her surname, Arizona, and the standard for this particular novel is, as has been previously indicated, that characters are referred to by their personal names, where these are known. For example, the head of the secret police, Beria Dag, is referred to as \"Beria\", not as \"Dag\" or as \"Mr. Dag\".\n        By referring to Esmeralda Arizona as \"Arizona\", then, I was breaching my own style book. The point here is that a text should be stylistically consistent. Should you use surnames or personal names for your characters? Doesn't matter, as long as you're consistent. Should there be one space after a period (that is, after a full stop) or two? Well, if you work for an organization, it may have its own style book, which may quite possibly lay down the law on this point, one way or the other. If you're being your own editor, however, you have to make a choice. Choose one or the other, and then be consistent about how you apply it.\n        Ideally, the reader should perceived the story and not the text. The text should be so polished, so exquisitely lacquered, that it slides into the mind without meeting resistance. And anything that it stylistically wrong — any eccentric alteration in the way in which you handle the mechanical details, as exemplified above — creates a distracting sense of friction which forces the reader to acknowledge the fact that this \"story\" is actually a bunch of words on a page.\n        When we are proofreading, we have to read at the letter-by-letter level, in order to catch bloopers such as \"the the\", which will usually be read simply as \"the\" — the mind tends to see on the page what it is expecting to see there, not what actually is there.\n        But that is not how we read a book when we are reading as readers rather than as proofreaders. We read for meaning. And anything which throws the reader out of \"reader\" mode and into \"proofreader\" mode is disruptive to the reading experience and, especially in the case of reading fiction, spoils the reader's experience.\n        Moving on, to close out this selection of actual proofreading edits that I made while working my way through the text of TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER, here is one more example of a stylistic error, the mindless repetition of the word \"track\":\n        Another grin, very blonde. This talkback show needed theme music, and an appropriate track would be the famous dance track by the group Metrotrash Jumble, Dancing on the Edge of Hell.\"\n        The sequence of \"track\" followed by \"track\" is not stylistically fatal, and probably the average reader would skip right over it without noticing. However, it leaves me unsatisfied, and the first reader I have to satisfy is myself. So, in the course of doing the final edit, I changed \"dance track\" to \"dance tune\".\n        I very firmly believe that doing this kind of highly nuanced tweaking is something that should be left until the editing phase.\n        Writing and editing are two different things, and it is not a smart idea to combine them.\n        When the text is actually in the process of being forged from the molten steel of the mind, then the focus should be on the overall shape of the whole, on the controlling dynamic which masters the book into a unity. In a word, plot.\n        In my concept of fiction writing, then, plot is supreme. The storyline is the mnemonic device which holds the complexities of the novel together in the human mind.\n        Writing, then, as I see it, is not about producing the elegantly turned sentence but, rather, about mastering the parts into a whole. A final edit which attends to nuanced is like varnishing a table. If you don't know how to make a table, and how to make sure that all four legs are exactly the right length, then an eternity of effort spent varnishing the table is really a waste of time. You should really smash down what you've built into firewood, and start over.\n        It's my impression that the academic world tends to sneer at the vulgar business of \"story\", of action B following action A and, logically, provoking action C. Snobbery values the varnish rather than the table. But, when we're talking about the novel, plot, in my mind, is what it's all about. What the hell is the story here?\n        And the main reason why I was happy to pour in the hours on a final edit of TO FIND AND WAKE THE DREAMER, the main reason why I was content to lie on my bed for days at a time, going through the text line by line, was that it's one hell of a story.\n        Also, in an act of supreme intellectual arrogance, an unashamed affirmation of my self-acclaiming ego, I had the temerity to put the words \"The Ultimate Fantasy Novel\" on the title page. And, once you've gone that far out on a limb, you'd better not deliver to the world a book which contains too many miscues and outright bloopers.\n        So, being supremely confident of the quality of what I had produced, I was happy to spend the hours required to polish and varnish it to the best of my ability. But it has to be stressed, once again, that the pretty work done on the shiny surfaces is not the important thing. The important thing is the basic table, and, if you don't have that, you're wasting your time.\n        Remember that a work of fiction is not just a bunch of words. It is a situation. It is important to visualize the situation and to figure out how this works on the level of perceptual dynamics.\n        I'm writing this in New Zealand where, as you drive along the road, you will sometimes see an idiot sign painted on the road, saying:\n\n\n        This actually means:-\n\n\n        However, some brain-damaged moron, generations ago, decided that, as you drive along the road, you see the word \"give\" before you see the word \"way\". According to this theory of reading, if we are approaching a sign that is painted on the road then we read it by starting with the word which is nearest to us and proceeding to words which are more remote.\n        In point of fact, this is a nonsense. Nobody's eye goes creeping along the road like a brush poking out in front of the car, sweeping up words one by one, and there would be an enormous number of traffic accidents if the art of reading (and, more generally, the art of seeing) was that inefficient.\n        This institutionalized \"WAY GIVE\" error seems to be unfixable, since it has been perpetuated down through the years for as long as I can remember, and so we're talking about decades rather than years.\n        The writer should be smarter than the person who came up with the \"WAY GIVE\" idea, and should have a better idea of how humans actually grasp reality. In part, this is an ordering problem, as shown by the following proofreading example:-\nWith that, Sable reached into one of the pockets of her buffalo-shooter's jacket and pulled out a piece of paper. A computer printout, dark purple text on a white background. She unfolded it and passed it across to Ibrahim.\n        Our viewpoint character is Ibrahim Chess, who, logically, does not know that it is a computer printout until it has been unfolded and passed to him. So, to best capture the flow of events the word order should be rearranged as follows:\nWith that, Sable reached into one of the pockets of her buffalo-shooter's jacket and pulled out a piece of paper. She unfolded it and passed it across to Ibrahim. A computer printout, dark purple text on a white background.\n        Ibrahim Chess, a political representative who is speaking on behalf of the minority community from which a certain number of terrorists has surfaced, is doing talkback, and is in a dialog with a girl of eleven who has already been introduced to him as Prissy Colorful. The original text reads as follows:\n\n        Prissy: \"But you want to explode us.\"\n       ��Ibrahim: \"I love you. And I wish you long life and happiness.\"\n        If self-humiliation came any worse than that, he didn't want to go there.\n        Nothing wrong with the passage shown above. It's functional and moves the book forward. But Ibrahim is a politician, and is characterized as being a fairly effective political communicator. So, when I reread this, thinking about the situation from Ibrahim's, one adjustment seemed logical. Ibrahim, as a politician, and as someone who is reasonably media savvy, should be a habitual name-user. So I adjusted the text to read not \"I love you\" but \"I love you, Prissy Colorful.\"\n        In summary, then, proofreading has to cover a bunch of different things. Data has to match. If it's Monday when the viewpoint character wakes up, the writer must have a good excuse if it is suddenly Tuesday by the time the viewpoint character reaches the breakfast table.\n        Errors such as the choice between \"there\" and 'their\" have to be hunted for. Style has to be checked, to avoid the mindless repetition of terms.\n        And we have to think about the realities of this situation. About the order in which information is processed emdash for example, first you unfold a computer printout and THEN you see what is written on it. And about how long things take to happen. Was there time enough for this conversation? We have to live through the scene, imaginatively, and make sure that the words match the scene.\n        The last thing I would say is that proofreading is important. Blunders at this level have a tendency to wreck the reading experience.\n        Point: the writer is one person and the work of proofreading, however long it takes, is the work of one person and of one person only. Readers, all going well, are many. The work of the one, the writer, benefits the many, the readers. And if you're not prepared to do the job of proofreading, then why are you setting up as a writer?\n        (I do not aim this point at you, gentle reader, but offer this piece of rhetoric to you so that you may use it as a hammer with which to hit your students, assuming that you have students to hit.)\n        Bad-tempered academic type, character warped by years of frustration caused by laws which, unfairly and unreasonably, forbid the use of high-voltage electricity in academic situations:\n        \"You! Yes, you, you bunch of idle layabouts! If you're too lazy to put in the effort to proofread, then why are you setting up as a writer?\"\n        Answer: to have an excuse for drinking more liquor than is good for human health and to avoid the responsibility of forging a responsible and remunerative career in the cement industry. But let's not publicize that!\n\n\nTough, brutal SF fantasy novel: an alternative reality novel about\nreligious fanatics, suicide bombers and the excesses of the war on terror.\n\nClick here to read first 30 chapters free", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6720279455184937}
+{"content": "Xrp coin stocktwits amazon\n\nAMEX Partners With Ripple For Blockchain Payments. especially in light of recent problems with legal issues after a dispute over a huge number of XRP coins with.Cryptocurrency Cost Predictions Playlist: Big Crypto BOUNCE.\n\nCaptain Altcoin is made up of investors and digital currency enthusiasts.\n\nThinking Crypto - Home | Facebook\n\nYahoo Finance.Thinking Crypto was created to help folks learn about cryptocurrency.Speculation on the future price of XRP is not short in supply.\n\nI was thinking about it but it is a privacy coin that lacks.\n\nHow big can Ripple XRP get? | Virtual Currencies - Quora\n\nRipple CEO Garlinghouse: Bitcoin Price Won’t Correlate\n\nAmazon getting into banking great for XRP - Alt-Coins and\n\nThe Ripple technology has given various sectors the confidence that is missing from other coin and that is why Amazon is.It seems incredible that when Amazon. but they do care if the value of the XRP changes suddenly while they own the coin. XRP.\n\nXRP Price Jumps On Coinbase Speculation | PYMNTS.com\n\nE-commerce giants like Amazon can adopt Ripple thanks to its faster and cheaper transactions.\n\nRipple (XRP) Can Emerge As A Universal Standard Currency\n\nRipple XRP is the third-largest. space largely revolve around fraudulent activity and initial coin.\n\nAMEX Partners With Ripple For Blockchain Payments\n\nDESIGN-You can show your Ripple XRP Coin with pride for those non.The Ripple coin (XRP). companies such as Apple and Amazon are already spending billions across borders. Alex is the Editor-in-Chief of CoinCentral.Disclaimer: This is a beta version of bittrex.com, which is in the process of being tested before official release.\n\n$XRP Ripple Price Prediction For 2018 - Craig Beck\n\nAmazon and Ripple (XRP). would open the currency to hundreds of millions of web clients and would most likely increase demand for the coins.XRP is having decent July 10th. by this drop, and we know that having your coins preserve. to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.\n\nXLM and XRP coins are lowly priced which is ideal for mass. (THETA) Big Warning to Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) and Amazon.Ripple was made by the Ripple company,. and the ability to its coin as a bridge currency.So why compare TRX and XRP to Apple and Amazon stock in the 90s.It is essential to learn what exactly is Ripple coin and its potential in a long run before you buy some for investment.\n\nPress Center | Ripple\n\nRipple (XRP) and 4 Other Coins Buffet Would Buy - The\n\nBitcoin ethereum litecoin bch technical analysis chart 7\n\nRelated Article: Ripple (XRP) and Amazon partnership quite likely in 2018.\n\nFor Investors - Grayscale\n\nSpeculation that Amazon To Start Accepting Ripple ($XRP\n\nXRP Price Chart (XRP/INR) | CoinGecko\n\nRipple (XRP) & Amazon Collaboration Could Be HUGE for\n\nReal-time trade and investing ideas on XRP.X from the largest community of traders and investors.Real-time trade and investing ideas on XRP-X from the largest community of traders and investors.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9708724617958069}
+{"content": "vision, missionand Values\n\nAxis Bank Foundation's vision is to reach out to the most-in-need communities in some of the poorest regions of the country.\n\nIn the first phase of the mission (2011-17), ABF has worked with the communities from the poor districts of India and reached out to more than a million participants taking them to a path of transformation, both economically and socially. In the new phase (2018-25), ABF is committed to work with Two Million households in their journey towards better livelihood means that can be sustainable and will lead to the next level of social transformation. This will be achieved by building strong community institutions, producer organisations, market linkages, etc. and thereby building resilience.\n\nABF places significantly high focus on women and their role in its livelihood strategy, as a way to address gender balance and empowerment.\n\nThe programs encourages creation and support of women Self Help Groups (SHGs), improving their capability in financial management, asset creation, healthcare awareness, micro enterprise management and awareness on government schemes. Women are also supported with opening of bank accounts in their name, linked with markets or supply chains to help them in their enterprises. While ABF through its interventions provides considerable economic prosperity to the targeted households, it also works towards setting measures to increase the welfare quotient (quality of life) of the households for it to be commensurate with the economic prosperity achieved.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9841123819351196}