Using NGP VAN Technology Powered Platform to Fuel Progressive Campaign

For most campaign teams, end of quarter (EOQ) is the most demanding during electioneering period. This is because there are critical fundraisers that need to be successful the fact that piles pressures on both the digital and finance teams. According to NGP VAN, the following areas can make the EOQ tolerable and exciting.

The most exhausting task is having to send emails for a whole week consecutively since it drains ideas. It is better to have a back-pocket of ideas in case one runs out of some of them such as sharing statistics on your campaign strength. This includes things like how many people have joined your campaign shown by email subscribers, volunteers or Facebook likes.

NGP VAN recommends that since people want to feel involved, it is wise to share how much is raised and donations received in a quarter so far. Share how close you are to reaching your benchmark using a thermometer, share why other people support your campaign, and if you have a low average contribution, ask supporters to give in the average donation amount. When donors share why they support your campaign, it draws other people to join too. It is essential to remind targeted people who have not given towards your drive to make their contributions in helping the campaign team meet its benchmark target.

Recurring donors can be humbly asked if they stretch a little further at the EOQ. It is important to write and approve everything in advance, as this can be time-consuming. Preparing earlier makes the process easier. To save time, a great EOQ calendar is vital as it helps track emails that are sent and those approved, and sorts out the ones on the deck as well as those that need follow-up.

NGP VAN is a private company with a specialty in progressive campaigns through the use of technology to help organizations reach their objectives. Their services are a blend of best practices in social networking, fundraising, organizing, field, and compliance. They are working towards an integrated campaign platform that is driven by technology. NGP VAN clients include the Democratic Party campaigns and committees, labor unions and progressive non-partisan PACs.

Follow NGP VAN on Facebook for updates on campaign organizing and fundraising.

The Support that George Soros offeres to Minority Groups

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Betsy DeVos Hopes to Level the Playing Field

Betsy DeVos has been selected for the position of Secretary of State by President Donald Trump, and I think that this is an excellent choice. Betsy DeVos is someone that has been proven to be one of the most qualified people for a position such as this. She has been in politics for three decades, and she knows all of the different areas of education that are in needed for education improvement. Betsy DeVos is interested in education, and she has dedicated much of her life to contributing to the education system. She has done a lot on her own for giving to education. She has also done a lot a fundraising for education as well. I have a tremendous amount of respect for her and the way that she has killed herself over the years.

As the wife of Dick DeVos, Betsy has been in the spotlight for a long time. Her husband has ran for president at one time, and this has given her the chance to experience fundraising at the highest level. She knows about politics and the business world as well. I just believe that her qualifications are outstanding for the Secretary of Education position because she is a very well-rounded person. She was raised in a Christian home, and she was a high school graduate of a Catholic high school. She has always put God first and she believes that to which much is given much is required. That may be the reason that she has been so vocal about the school system. She believes that there’s a lot that can be done better, and she is making her way to the stands as the person that can make serious changes. Read more about their foundation at

The education system definitely is not perfect, but I certainly do believe that it could be much better with the help of Betsy DeVos. She has proven herself as a leader in this area, and there a few people there are going to be able to take the same type of road that she has taken and do more with it than she can. I think that was wise in choosing someone that actually had a passion about education. There were other politicians in place that could have filled this position, but these were obviously just politicians that were passing laws and passing time. There were few that had any real passion for education in the way that Betsy DeVos has shown her passion.

There is a large area of the education arena where there are gaps in the system. Poverty is the thing that creates a huge gap in the education system. What Betsy wants to do is level in the playing field.

Check this article from New York Post.

How George Soros Aims To Change The World

The Freedom Of Open Societies

Open societies offer people a chance to define their own path in life free from any marks placed on them in birth. In most traditional societies your position in life is already planned for you by a strict hierarchy on Forbes. George Soros understands this better than anyone else and he wants to create a world where the majority of us are able to decide are position in life and where we want to go. This is why he uses his own fortune to support the Left and progressive causes.

How Soros Plans To Create Them

George Soros’ supports the creation of open societies by doing everything he can to help foster environments where they can thrive. For example, he was key in the peaceful transition of his native Hungary from a communist dictatorship into a free market democracy. Over the course of decades he did everything he could to bring democracy and free trade to Eastern Europe. Once he was able to succeed and bringing about the change he wanted to see George Soros focused on protecting and advancing progressive values in the United States and Europe. Although he has seen some successes he has also had some disappointments.

Recent Disappointments In Politics

2016 was a year filled with disappointments for George Soros. He saw the rise of Donald Trump and increased support for nativism in the West. George Soros is a strong supporter of immigration so both of these trends are a negative for him. He invested heavily in efforts to oppose Donald Trump and efforts to support migrants in Europe, but it appears as if both were in vain.

How He Plans To Fix Things

George Soros plans to help the Left recover from the recent damage it has suffered. He understands better than anyone how to promote progressive values and he refuses to back down. In order to help the Left recover Soros is working with top Democrats and with progressive donors to find out what they can do to help improve the outlook for the Left in the upcoming mid term elections on Investopedia. As of now he is focused on doing everything he can to stop Trump’s agenda for his first 100 days.

About George Soros

George Soros is a hedge fund manager with a strong focus on speculative forecasts. His predictions are usually accurate and this quality has created a fortune for him exceeding $25 billion. As one of the 35 wealthiest people on Earth he is able to use his wealth to have a significant impact on politics in America, Europe, and abroad. This has allowed Soros to become a major voice for liberal causes on such as open societies and free trade.

George Soros Donates to Stop Trump

George Soros has Hungarian roots and was born in 1930 in Budapest. He managed to survive Nazi occupation during the Second World War and settled in England in 1947. He attended London school of economics and later moved to the United States where he accumulated large wealth through international investment funds on that he established and manages to date. Soros has a history of philanthropy giving for various causes such as funding black students to attend Cape Town University during the apartheid era.

Recently, Soros has emerged as the leading funder of Hillary Clinton campaign. He has been inactive politically since his failed attempt to stop George Bush re-election in 2004 when he had donated $27 million. According to the Federal Election Commission records, Soros has spent around $25 million to support Democratic candidates during this campaign. Soros has an estimated wealth of around $24.9 billion that is from risky currency trades. In 2005, Soros played an important role in the formation of the secretive club of liberal donors on Bloomberg known as the democratic alliance. The main aim of this organization is to build an intellectual infrastructure that will be responsible for long-term changes within the Democratic Party such as issues concerned to fighting climate change, dealing with income inequality among many others.

Soros, who is currently 85 years old has had a long-standing relationship with Hillary Clinton. They have known each other for 25 years. This year, Soros had planned to attend the Democratic convention to witness Clinton accept the party’s nomination. However, he could not attend the function as he felt he needed to look at his investments in Europe more closely. Soros is politically motivated this time round more than ever. People close to him attribute this to his faith in Clinton as well as the fear he has on GOP rival Trump. Soros believes that stakes are high during this year’s election as Republican nominees often touch issues close to Soros interests. Some of these issues include immigration reforms as well as the religious tolerance and criminal justice reform on Time. Soros success in financial markets has given him a greater degree of independence than any other investor. Soros can be able to take stands in controversial issues due to his status.

This year donations are similar to those he made in 2004 as he opposed Iraq war and other policies by the bush administration. He even compared Bush administration with the Nazi and termed defeating Bush as a matter of life and death. After the 2004 defeat, many thought that Soros would never donate again towards politics. However, Soros described this spending as an exception. Since then, he has focused on international foundations which have donated more than $ billion over the past 30 years. Often, these causes are geared towards human rights defense as well as shaping democratic processes in countries of Eastern Europe. He has also contributed towards the expansion of healthcare services and development of education in the USA.


Partner Vinicius Marques de Carvalho talks about dispute over streaming regulation in Brazil, in an article published by O Globo

In an article published by ‘O Globo’ newspaper, partner Vinicius Marques de Carvalho discusses the current dispute at the Brazilian Telecommunications National Agency (Anatel) over the regulation of streaming services.

Vinicius highlights that, as stablished on the recently published “Economic Freedom Provisional Measure”, the regulation must stimulate and allow the economic activity in various forms, and be able to comprehend the competition positive effects.

Full article available here.


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Quantum Physics

Title:Gauging classical and quantum integrability through out-of-time ordered correlators

Abstract: Out-of-time-order correlators (OTOCs) have been proposed as a probe of chaos in quantum mechanics, on the basis of their short-time exponential growth found in some particular set-ups. However, it has been seen that this behavior is not universal. Therefore, we query other quantum chaos manifestations arising from the OTOCs and we thus study their long-time behavior in systems of completely different nature: quantum maps, which are the simplest chaotic one-body system and spin chains, which are many-body systems without a classical limit. It is shown that studying the long-time regime of the OTOCs it is possible to detect and gauge the transition between integrability and chaos, and we benchmark the transition with other indicators of quantum chaos based on the spectra and the eigenstates of the systems considered. For systems with classical analogue, we show that the proposed OTOC indicators have a very high accuracy that allow to detect subtle features along the integrability-to-chaos transition.
Cite as: arXiv:1906.07706 [quant-ph]
  (or arXiv:1906.07706v1 [quant-ph] for this version)

Submission history

From: Ignacio Garcia-Mata [view email]
[v1] Tue, 18 Jun 2019 17:38:11 UTC (3,992 KB)


Fast Food: America, United Kingdom ahead

Fast Food America, United Kingdom ahead

Fall you are fond of fast food and if u live in Asia, maybe you will be glad to hear that obesity is growing in the rest of the world except in some countries of Asia.

Fast food is among the most popular in the UK and America is not too much behind. A survey of 9,000 people shows that there is a lot of difference between people in different countries and obesity and healthy diet.

In France, people look deeper on their weight but people do not care much in Singapore.
Due to fast food obesity is increasing and only few Asian countries are protected from its effect. The survey was conducted in thirteen countries.

Most logos believe obesity growth is the fastest food availability available. People in Britain and America say they were unable to stop themselves by looking at fast food and about 25 percent of the two countries had said that it is not possible for them to leave fast food.

But the situation is not everywhere. Low-fat foods are preferred in Saudi Arabia and UAE. And also in the region, we are very interested in purchasing weight loss courses, Jimensium membership or home appliances.

Read Also: Mental weakness is related to age

The survey shows that many people are worried about their weight, but they are not seen by Patza or Hamburgers, they eat fast foods with Diet Cook to seduce.

A recent survey on Motopy was found that in the past two thousand, in the past two thousand sixty-three people were oblivious to the third half of the population.

According to experts, the main reason for growing obesity is people’s lifestyle, which is not focused on exercise and causes obesity due to obesity in many countries of the world.

Obesity is called global mass body measuring index which covers the height and weight of human beings. If this index is more than twenty, then the human is counted thick and if the index is greater than thirty, it is considered ‘Obis’ or very thick.

Read Also: Why sleep full, Field Martial Mingumery


Past Event! Note: this event has already taken place.

Making the Most of Office Hours: An Exploration

August 21, 2019 at 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Location:422 Dunton Tower

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Facilitators: Morgan Rooney (EDC), Mat Schatkowsky (EDC)

In this session, participants will have an opportunity to discuss why some students attend office hours while others do not. Participants will also have a chance to explore not only why it is important for students to attend office hours, but also the benefits to the instructor of having students engage in these meetings. Participants will leave the session with a list of ideas they can use to encourage more office hour participation.

  1. Discuss the purpose, rationale, and benefits of holding office hours, and the reasons students don’t attend them
  2. Describe a series of strategies you can employ to boost the use and effectiveness of your office hours
  3. Develop a plan for revising/updating your approach to office hours for the coming year


Project Body:

1.1 Background to the study

Maize is a cereal crop grown in various agro-ecological zones, as a single crop or in mixed cropping. It is the third most important cereal in the world, next to rice and wheat and with highest production potential among the cereals (Prathyushaet al., 2013). It is the most heavily cultivated cereal crop globally, and one of the main cereals crops of West Africa and the most important cereal food in Nigeria (Onuket al., 2010). Maize is high yielding, easy to process, readily digested, and cheaper than other cereals (Valencia J.A. et al, 1999). It is also a versatile crop; growing across a range of agro ecological zones (Valencia J.A. et al., 1999). Every part of the maize plant has economic value: the grain, leaves, stalk, tassel, and cob can all be used to produce a large variety of food and non-food products (IITA, 2009).

Nigerians consume maize as a starch in a wide variety of porridges, pastes, grits, and beer. Green maize (fresh on the cob) is eaten raw, baked, roasted or boiled; playing an important role in filling the hunger gap after the dry season (IITA, 2009). The crop has established itself as a very significant component of the farming system and determines the cropping pattern of the predominately peasant farmers, especially in the Northern states (Ahmed, 1996). Research shows that Nigeria is the tenth largest producer of maize in the world, and the largest maize producer in Africa, followed by South Africa. While maize is grown in the entirety of the country (both yellow and white varieties), the north central region is the main producing area. (Oyelade and Awanane, 2013). Maize in Nigeria is usually intercropped, with yam, cassava, guinea corn, rice, cowpea, groundnut, and soybeans. (Oyelade and Awanane, 2013).

1.2 Problem Statement

The importance of agriculture and cereal crop to the Nigerian economy cannot be over emphasized. Fabunmi and Agbonlahor (2012), reported that agriculture is the single largest contributor to the well-being of the rural poor in Nigeria, sustaining about 86 percent of rural households in the country and a major source of domestic food consumed, contributing about 46 percent to the gross domestic product of the economy with the main staple food produced in large quantities which include maize, sorghum, rice, millet, et cetra. Maize is one of the most important cereal crops in Nigeria where over 150 million people consume an average of 43 kilogrames per year (Oyelade and Awanane, 2013). Maize consumption is widespread across the country and among households of different wealth (Cadoni and Angelucci, 2013). Among different income generating crops, maize is an important cash crop to smallholder farmers which constitute a major source of calories for the poorer proportion of consumers, who cannot afford more expensive foods such as bread, milk or meat (Oyelade and Awanane, 2013).

Given the importance of maize to individual household, industries and the economy as a whole, research has shown that it has not been produced to meet the level of food and industrial needs of the country. Also yields have increased only marginally over the last two decades, where most of the increase in production has come from expansion in the area harvested rather than from increases in yield (FARA, 2009). This depicted a short fall in the overall production and given that maize production, apart from its role in improving food security, is a source of employment and income for farmers and other entrepreneurs, there is therefore the need to increase productivity so as to meet up with the increase in the demand for the crop. Though there are many literatures on maize production, there is also the need to update the research and findings on the crop so as to sustained growth and development of the economy.

Therefore, this study intends to provide answers to the following research questions:

i. What are the socio-economic characteristics of maize farmers in the study area?

ii. How profitable is maize production in the study area?

iii. What are the technical, allocative and economic efficiencies of maize production in the study area?

iv. What are the determinants of technical, allocative and economic efficiencies in maize production in the study area?

v. What are the constraints associated with maize production in the study area?

Useful Links:


The “Caveman Brain” Amygdala: How Meditation Relieves Anxiety, Fear

How Meditation Deactivates The Brain's "Fear & Worry Center" Amygdala

Does The Human Mind Love Fear?

Why Meditation Is A Natural Remedy For Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

A recent study by the Media Research Center analyzed the ratio of "good" to "bad" news broadcasts for three mainstream networks: ABC, NBC, and CBS.

What did they find? A surprise to few, up to 85% of the stories aired were categorized as — negative.

We know that all humans require food, warmth, water, and sleep. But, is it also built into human DNA to crave doom and gloom?

Is focusing our attention on natural disasters, war, terrorism, crime, incompetence, scandals, and corruption a function of our biology or did we get here through conditioning?

Is being afraid and worrying all the time human nature or did we get here through nurture?

How Our Brains Are Programmed To Worry

Feeling Anxious? Controlling Generalized Anxiety Disorder With Mindfulness

According to John Cacioppo, Director of the University of Chicago Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, you can blame it on the brain.

Even from an early age, when we watch bad news, our brain scans light up, suggesting a built-in "negativity bias." What happens when we watch good news? The opposite, the brain's electrical activity is quiet.

It is we, the readers and viewers, the owners of the eyeballs "glued to the screen," who are biologically programmed for a steady diet of doom and gloom. We need it like vitamin D and calcium.

So, what’s the leading culprit behind this phenomena?

The Culprit Is Our Brain's Fear Center: Amygdala

From High Anxiety To No Anxiety Using Meditation

The list topper would be our "fear center" amygdala, an almond shaped group of nuclei buried deep within the temporal lobes of the brain.

Legendary NY Times bestselling author and founder of the "X-Prize," Peter Diamandis, may have said it best, "Bad news sells because the amygdala is always looking for something to fear."

While there are no guarantees in life, too much activity within your primitive "fear center" amygdala 100% certifies a lifetime supply of worry.

What if there was a way to healthily and naturally upgrade this caveman-like brain region? You can, through meditation!

How Meditation Deactivates This Anxious Caveman Brain Region

Treating The Physical Symptoms Of Anxiety

Researchers from Boston University and Harvard Medical School fMRI brain-scanned participants before and after a series of mindfulness meditation classes — with staggering results.

In only 8 weeks, along with far fewer "distress signals" transmitted throughout the brain, the meditators' brain imaging for "fear center" electrical activity had gone silent.

What surprised the scientists the most, however, was that their "anxiety engine" amygdalae somehow managed to physically shrink! This discovery has monumental implications.

Knowing that it is indeed possible to, like the light switch in your bedroom, turn off our primitive caveman brain hardware (amygdala), we can put a variety of stress related physical, emotional, and mental disorders in our rearview-mirror.

Freshly minted meditators often report drastic anxiety relief as the very first tangible benefit, the first step on a never-ending staircase of incredible transformations.

The first stop on the mindful "highway to happiness" will quickly dump your truck-load of fear and worry, no matter how full.

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What You Should Know About SRC Energy Inc.'s (NYSEMKT:SRCI) Financial Strength

Simply Wall St

While small-cap stocks, such as SRC Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT:SRCI) with its market cap of US$1.0b, are popular for their explosive growth, investors should also be aware of their balance sheet to judge whether the company can survive a downturn. Understanding the company's financial health becomes vital, as mismanagement of capital can lead to bankruptcies, which occur at a higher rate for small-caps. The following basic checks can help you get a picture of the company's balance sheet strength. However, these checks don't give you a full picture, so I suggest you dig deeper yourself into SRCI here.

SRCI’s Debt (And Cash Flows)

SRCI's debt levels surged from US$539m to US$741m over the last 12 months , which includes long-term debt. With this growth in debt, the current cash and short-term investment levels stands at US$57m , ready to be used for running the business. Additionally, SRCI has generated US$554m in operating cash flow in the last twelve months, resulting in an operating cash to total debt ratio of 75%, indicating that SRCI’s debt is appropriately covered by operating cash.

Does SRCI’s liquid assets cover its short-term commitments?

At the current liabilities level of US$327m, the company may not be able to easily meet these obligations given the level of current assets of US$204m, with a current ratio of 0.63x. The current ratio is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities.

AMEX:SRCI Historical Debt, July 16th 2019

Is SRCI’s debt level acceptable?

SRCI is a relatively highly levered company with a debt-to-equity of 45%. This is a bit unusual for a small-cap stock, since they generally have a harder time borrowing than large more established companies.

Next Steps:

Although SRCI’s debt level is towards the higher end of the spectrum, its cash flow coverage seems adequate to meet debt obligations which means its debt is being efficiently utilised. However, its lack of liquidity raises questions over current asset management practices for the small-cap. This is only a rough assessment of financial health, and I'm sure SRCI has company-specific issues impacting its capital structure decisions. I recommend you continue to research SRC Energy to get a better picture of the stock by looking at:

  1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for SRCI’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for SRCI’s outlook.
  2. Valuation: What is SRCI worth today? Is the stock undervalued, even when its growth outlook is factored into its intrinsic value? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether SRCI is currently mispriced by the market.


Socialism Is Inherently Evil, Says Justin Haskins of the Heartland Institute

August 7, 2019 Updated: August 9, 2019

Socialism is inseparable from tyranny, and even if it were to work economically it would still be evil by nature, according to Justin Haskins with the Stopping Socialism Project at the Heartland Institute.

Haskins is the author of “Socialism Is Evil,” and as the book’s name suggests, he explains the moral problems that socialism unavoidably brings to a society. By its nature, he explained, socialism tramples on individual beliefs and values.

A problem people often have when trying to understand socialism, Haskins said, is that it’s often discussed from an economic and historical perspective, and not from a moral perspective.

“One of the things that we found is when you started talking to people about socialism, and you would say things like, well, look at Venezuela, look at the Soviet Union, and look at China, look at Zimbabwe, look at all these places where it’s failed,” he said.

Yet, the individuals they speak with often respond by claiming their visions of socialism are different, and believe they can do it better, or that the numerous failed examples were caused by bad leaders and not by the system itself. This same logic has allowed socialism to continue its cycles of destruction as history repeats itself.

To get through to people who believe this, Haskins said, they took a jump in logic: imagining that socialism in full practice would work, and explaining the impact of its proposed rules.

“Even if it works, and it never works—but even if it could work—there’d be all these moral problems. And so that’s when we started focusing on this idea that socialism is evil,” he said.

Socialist Oligarchy

A main concern among many people who believe in socialism is on the centralization of power in big corporations. Yet, while socialism does aim to “seize the means of production,” it doesn’t do away with big business or factories—it merely puts these institutions under government control, and denies the average person the ability to produce or trade. Socialism was the “dictatorship of the proletariat,” or what Lenin called the “state-capitalist monopoly.”

Meanwhile, many problems the world now sees with big corporations and monopolies come from interventionist policies and government subsidies—both of which are part of socialism. Tight regulations eliminate mid-level business, and government subsidies create surpluses that drive down prices and shut down small businesses. It’s for these reasons, and others, that even when lightly practiced socialism leads to oligarchy.

Socialists going back the Karl Marx focus their narratives on how society is giving small groups too much power, and the centralization of power with big corporations is among their key narratives today.

“Bernie Sanders talks about all the time that the wealth is concentrated in the hands of this small group of people,” Haskins said. Yet, he noted socialism doesn’t get rid of this problem: it merely centralizes power with another small group, and inevitably gives them even more power over the lives of others than the big corporations had.

“Their solution is to take that power away from the old Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, and people like that, and put it in the hands of the government, which is another relatively small group of people where they’re centralizing all of the power,” he said.

“All they’re doing in their own minds is taking one small group of people and exchanging it for another small group of people,” he said.

Yet there is a key difference between centralizing power in business, and centralizing power in government. Haskins explained that the worst companies like Amazon can do to a person is cancel their Amazon subscription.

“But what can the government do?” he said. “The government can throw you in prison. The government can take away your rights. The government can tax you, and target you, and do all kinds of terrible things to you.”

And history has shown socialism has this trait: destructive dominance over individual will, and a willingness to kill or imprison anyone who resists.

“What’s worse? Having some wealth controlled by a relatively small group of people—but you have all of your other freedoms—or having the government in charge of everything, which is essentially what they’re all calling for,” he said.

Haskins noted that many socialists are duped to trust government with their rights more than regular people.

Mistaken Charity

Many people who believe in socialism mistake it for a form of charity, without taking into account that its seizing of wealth from others cannot exist without the threat and use of force.

Haskins said many people are told that socialism represents the fight against big powers, “when in reality it is the opposite of what it says it is. It represents that big centralized power.”

“I think for so many people, socialism is basically—in their minds—it’s charity,” he said. Many people who believe this come to see people who oppose their system as heartless people who don’t care about helping the poor, he said.

“But in order for it to be charity, there has to be voluntary choice. I have to choose to help these people,” Haskins said. “I don’t have any choices under this current system. The way it works is they come in. They take my money away from me. They decide what to do with the money. They decide who to help, and most of it ends up going into the bureaucracy, and it gets lost, and it doesn’t end up helping anybody, anyway.”

“So it’s not charity,” he said. “It’s always forced coercion and manipulation no matter what. No matter how you structure it, that’s what it is.”

Haskins noted that he’s very much in support of charity, and in helping people in need, but socialism eliminates even this choice since high taxes are seized automatically to subsidize socialism’s ineffective bureaucracy.

The ‘Nordic Model’

Among the major talking points used by today’s socialist leaders is the claimed “Nordic Model,” yet this narrative is based on untruths.

“Many people have been convinced that Scandinavian countries are perfect little socialist utopias,” Haskins said. The point is often brought up by socialists when confronted with facts about the numerous systems of socialism that led to economic collapse, state slavery, mass starvation, and democide, he said.

“We can talk about it all day long—all the failures,” he said. “But then the left has pointed to these five or so relatively small countries that exist in a part of the world that basically nobody ever goes to. No one knows anything about these countries. And then they call them socialist countries.”

Yet, these alleged socialist countries maintain free market economies, and many leaders in these countries continue trying to explain that they are not socialist countries.

Haskins noted that in world freedom rankings, the Scandinavian countries rank close to the United States every year, many have fewer regulations than the United States, some offer school choice, and some had corporate tax rates even lower than in the United States—until President Trump adopted similar corporate tax policies.

“They have balanced budgets. They have a trillion dollar sovereign wealth fund in Norway that they got from drilling oil,” Haskins said. “Does that sound like the modern Democratic Party’s platform right now? Balanced budgets, less regulations, having $1 trillion sitting in the bank? I mean, of course not.”

For many of these countries, their prosperity came before they began bringing in socialist policies, and those that did bring in socialist policies have already seen they don’t work and began rolling them back.

“They’ve actually reversed many of the policies that they started putting into place 40 to 50 years ago or so,” he said. “And once they started reversing those policies, their economies started to improve again.”

In light of this, he noted that when socialist advocates use the “Nordic Model” as their talking point, “it’s a lie.” Haskins noted that the Scandinavian countries have adopted some socialist policies, but so have nearly every country in the world—including the United States. The talking points, however, are used to promote more complete forms of socialism that the Nordic Model does not represent.

The Moral Question

Yet, there’s something still deeper to the problems of socialism that go beyond the surface talking points, and into what socialism means in practice.

“It’s a highly immoral system. And the reason for that is predominantly because in socialism you cannot have freedom of conscience or freedom of religion. It is impossible,” Haskins said, and noted that socialist writings make clear its intentions to eliminate moral and religious society.

“If you have a collectivist society where decisions are being made by the collective … you don’t have any options,” he said.

Under single-payer health care, he noted that if the collective decides it wants things like abortion, then people whose values oppose financing abortion will be forced to violate their values.

“The same is true for almost anything. Anything you’re socializing,” he said.

When it comes to agriculture, which he noted is historically a very common area for socialism to control, people such as Hindus who oppose killing cows, or vegetarians who oppose killing animals, can be forced to finance policies that violate their values—if the collective decides on it.

If people such as Muslims oppose consuming alcohol, they can be forced to finance the production of alcohol.

And if people decide they will refuse to pay or refuse to participate in the socialist programs that violate their values, then the socialist collective will either force them or persecute them. This train of events has repeated itself under the various systems of socialist tyranny.

By forcing people to participate in various programs that violate religious belief and personal values, socialism opposes tolerance and diversity.

Haskins noted that socialism has been tried in all parts of the world over the last 100 years, and continues to fail. He said, “If it was going to work, it would have worked by now.”

“More than 167 million people have been exiled in prison or killed by socialist and communist parties of the past 100 years on every continent where there are human beings,” he said. “There’s a reason for that, and we’re seeing that same tyranny crop up again.”

Yet, even aside from its history of failure, he said, “even if somehow magically we could defy all of history and logic and make that work, it would still be highly immoral.”

“You’re still imposing your beliefs on the beliefs of other people. You’re still forcing other people to violate their deeply held ethical beliefs, whether those are religious or not religious. And that’s an essential part of any socialist model.

“It has to be that way. You can’t get around it because getting around it would mean there’s choices. You can’t have choices and a socialist model—that’s the whole point.”

Follow Joshua on Twitter: @JoshJPhilipp


The Reason Most Women Second-Guess Themselves

The reason most women don’t trust their intuition, gut feeling or connection isn’t because it is not there or unavailable to her.

She doesn’t trust her connection because she doesn’t trust herself. She second-guesses her intuition because at one point or another, because someone said that she was wrong. She was told how she felt was wrong. She was told that how she looked was wrong. She was told that her body wasn’t good enough. She was told that whom she loved was wrong. And she was told that what she thought was wrong.

Then when life “proved” that “they” might have been right, more self-doubt filled in. All of this led to low self-worth, very little self-esteem and a disconnection from her inner being.

Over time, she slowly conformed to what others felt was right because of her innate desire for love and acceptance.

>> The way you felt was never wrong. You can never feel the wrong way.

>> Your thoughts are not wrong. You are a brilliant woman.

>> Your body is not wrong. It’s your divine temple, and part of your team. You are a freakin goddess.

None of it was wrong. Not the career, not the marriage, not your decision to move or to buy a new fridge. Neither was your deciding to work or to stay home and anything else that you did or didn’t do. None of it was wrong. You were not wrong. You were just figuring it out along the way. It was any judgments that were made along the way that were wrong. This is why you feel disconnected.

When you take care of yourself energetically you reconnect to your inner being, your authentic self. Your self-love, self-worth, self-respect and confidence expands. How does this serve you and your intuitive abilities?

You begin to love, honor and trust yourself again.

>> You “trust your gut.”

>> You feel confident and secure with your decisions.

>> You receive guidance with clarity.

>> You feel good and you will care about when you don’t.

>> You receive more abundance.

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Split Verse is a mixed reality production company, specializing in making videos for VR games and experiences. Their one pager needed to match their branding, so I went with a “split” look to the website, using their cyan and deep red anaglyph color palette as well as their brand font.

Hero image wireframe
Hero video wireframe
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Hero image mockup
Hero video mockup


Inhumans Casts Game Of Thrones Alum As Maximus The Mad

"Marvel's Inhumans" has cast its first member of the Royal Family. "Game of Thrones'" Iwan Rheon is the first actor cast in the upcoming ABC/Marvel live-action series. Rheon will play the Inhuman Maximus, also known as Maximus the Mad in the comics. Deadline described the character as described as "a clever and charming Inhuman that is fiercely devoted to the people of Attilan, especially his brother, the King – although he harbors an intense desire to wear the crown himself."

RELATED: Marvel’s Inhumans Production Details, Working Title Revealed

Maximus debuted in the comics back in 1966's "Fantastic Four" #47 and has played a consistent, lead role in the Inhumans' stories over the past 50 years. Maximus is a character of great intellect who possesses a variety of mental powers, although his own mental instability affects how he uses the powers. As indicated in the character description, Maximus is often times an adversary of Black Bolt and the other members of his family.

Additionally, showrunner Scott Buck spoke to the character and Rheon's ability to embody him. “Maximus is a complex character," said Buck. “Likable, charming, tragic and villainous all in the same moment, and I’m very excited to have someone of Iwan’s considerable talent.”

“Iron Fist” executive producer Scott Buck has joined “Inhumans” as showrunner. After debuting in IMAX theaters on or around September 1 and running for two weeks, “Inhumans” will premiere on ABC on Tuesday, September 26, 2017. “Inhumans” is also expected to air all eight episodes of its first season uninterrupted on the following Tuesdays. The first two episodes of “Inhumans” will air as one IMAX presentation, lasting approximately 80 minutes. The first two episodes of “Inhumans,” which will be shot entirely with IMAX cameras, will screen in 1,000 IMAX theaters across 74 countries. Additionally, select sequences from subsequent episodes of “Inhuamns” will also be shot using IMAX cameras.

Created in 1965 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Inhumans are a race of super-humans with “diverse and singularly unique powers,” as described in the official announcement. The group of heroes have recently seen a higher profile at Marvel on the comics page and on the small screen, as “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” has introduced the concept and included many new Inhumans in its cast.

Batgirl Birds of Prey
Arrow Co-Star Has Pitched a Birds of Prey Arrowverse Series to The CW

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Post-Construction Controls for New Developments

The goal is making sure new buildings, parking lots and other developments don’t create future stormwater headaches. Activities include adopting procedures to ensure structural stormwater management practices are installed and maintained properly after construction, and encouraging developers and builders to install low impact development practices or LID. LID examples include setting aside sensitive lands, like woods and stream buffers, so they can act as stormwater infiltration areas and implementing source control practices, like a street-sweeping program, to capture stormwater pollutants before they get washed away.

 If you have any question regarding the maintenance of your communities stormwater structures, please email

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Science Story

Study Concludes Coyotes Help Manage Deer Population in Southeast U.S.

Diane Banegas
Forest Service Research & Development
October 7th, 2015 at 6:00PM

The wily canine thrives in its adopted region but questions remain about its impact on other species

Forest Service Research Wildlife Biologist John Kilgo with a fawn Coyotes have become a force in the southeastern U.S. that can no longer be ignored in deer management, said John Kilgo, a Forest Service research wildlife biologist. He and his colleagues arrived at that conclusion after spending the last decade studying coyote-deer interactions in South Carolina.

Coyotes, a species native to the western U.S., gradually colonized the southeast during the latter half of the 20th Century. Their migration coincided with a decline in overabundant deer populations in some areas.

“Coyotes generally do not prey on adult deer in the southeast, but they were known to prey on fawns,” Kilgo said. “We wanted to know if this predation had become a big enough force to regulate deer populations.” His research results will help natural resource managers maintain deer populations at levels beneficial to ecosystem health and deer hunting, an economically important activity in the southeast.

The scientists began studying fawns in 2006 at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in Aiken and Barnwell counties, South Carolina. The study was a cooperative effort between the Forest Service’s Southern Research Station, South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources, and the Savannah River Site. The scientists attached radio collars to fawns and monitored them for several months to find out how many succumbed to the coyotes and whether the total number killed could explain the declining deer population.

Vaginal implant transmitters, or VITS, in the does signaled fawn births, allowing the scientists to find newborn fawns and put radio-collars on them. They tracked about 40 fawns each year for several years. The collar transmitters emitted a “mortality signal” when the collar was immobile for four hours. When the scientists arrived at the scene, they determined the cause of death and in cases of predation, collected DNA from saliva found on the fawn to determine if the predator was a coyote or another species such as a bobcat.

The scientists tracked 216 fawns over seven years. The number of fawns killed by coyotes was much higher than expected, and the predation level was high enough to affect deer populations but not high enough to control populations by itself.

“The combination of fawns killed by coyotes and deer taken by hunters together caused the downward trend,” Kilgo said. “Before coyotes arrived in the area, hunting was barely able to keep up with expanding deer populations. In that respect, the coyotes are a good thing. If populations decline so much that managers have to suspend or shorten a deer season, it won’t be considered a good thing, especially by hunters.”

Asked why hunters couldn’t simply start hunting coyotes to help deer, Kilgo replied that coyotes can be hunted and trapped but in addition to being wily, they are highly prolific and very adaptable to their new region. Coyotes eat almost anything, vegetation as well as meat. They eat everything from roadkill to rabbits to wild fruits. Hunting and trapping usually aren’t very effective at controlling their numbers.

Coyotes began migrating eastward throughout the latter half of the 20th Century. Once restricted to the western plains, they now occupy most of the continent and have invaded farms and cities, where they have expanded their diet to include squirrels, household pets and discarded fast food. Land-use changes in the U.S., a growing human population, and a remarkable ability to adapt to new environments and conditions encouraged coyotes to expand into new habitats and thrive, while other predators faced with similar pressures dwindled and faced extinction.

Humans transporting coyotes to the southeast as hunting stock also sped up coyote establishment in the region. Coyotes were trapped in western states, illegally transported to the southeast, and released into pens for hounds to chase; inevitably, some escaped into the wild where, in typical coyote fashion, they adapted and thrived in the new habitat. The practice has pretty much stopped, but the coyote is here to stay. The coyote nuisance factor is a real one: crops and livestock are destroyed or damaged, household pets are killed, people even worry about their children, although coyotes in the Southeast have no record yet of attacking humans, as they have in some western states like California.

Some biologists have suggested that beefing up the undergrowth in southern forests would make it more difficult for coyotes to find fawns, thereby allowing more to survive. On the contrary, Kilgo’s research showed that fawns living in areas with dense understories were even more likely to be taken by coyotes. “It seems that dense undergrowth may just serve as a message to the coyotes that the brush is hiding something,” Kilgo said. The scientists also extensively trapped coyotes to see if fawn survival was any better, but the results were mixed. They concluded the practice would be too expensive and labor intensive for most private landowners to adopt, given such uncertain benefit to fawns.

“The best way to ensure that more fawns survive is to shoot fewer does during hunting season because that means more fawns will be born the next spring,” Kilgo concluded.

He and his research colleagues are now studying coyote populations themselves to get a handle on their population density. They extract DNA from coyote dropping, or scat, collected from across the area to identify how many individual animals were sampled and model their findings to determine population size.

The Savannah River Site, a national laboratory, is 300 square miles and managed by the Forest Service for the Department of Energy. Such protected sites become a haven for wildlife. The coyote population there increased throughout the 1980s-1990s, but it has remained stable since then. “They’ve reached the carrying capacity of the area,” Kilgo said.

The scientists may have answered their questions about coyote-deer interactions in the southeast, but Kilgo’s coyote research is far from done. He plans to study how they interact with other species in the region; in particular, he wants to know if wild pigs, which are also not native to the southeastern U.S., are influencing coyote populations. Pig carcasses typically remain in the woods when they are killed for population control, and this food source may increase carrying capacity for coyotes.

“We already know when it comes to canines such as wolves, coyotes, and foxes, the big dog wins,” Kilgo said, citing the example of coyotes leaving Yellowstone Park after wolves were reintroduced there.

“Management strategies need to accept coyotes as a permanent presence in the southeast because we can’t eliminate them. Instead, we need a better understanding of their effects on other species and the surrounding habitat,” Kilgo said. “When it comes to coyotes, our questions still exceed our knowledge.”

For more information, see these related publications:


<![CDATA[Metairie Louisiana Maritime Law Blog]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2013-03-21:/blog/77646 2019-08-14T15:54:47Z Movable Type Enterprise <![CDATA[Medical errors the nation’s third-most-common cause of death]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3810994 2019-08-14T15:55:47Z 2019-08-14T15:54:47Z When you visit your Louisiana doctor or hospital, you probably do so with the hope that your physician will recognize what is ailing you and tell you what you need to do to make it better. At Gennusa, Piacun & Ruli, we recognize that doctors, like everyone else, make errors from time to time, but we also recognize that the mistakes doctors make can have gravely serious consequences.

Just how common are medical mistakes? According to CNBC, medical errors are alarmingly common in the United States, and so much so that they are now the third-most-common cause of death among Americans. To put this in perspective, only cancer and heart disease kill more Americans annually than medical errors. It is not, however, entirely clear just how many Americans lose their lives each year because of medical mistakes, though current estimates suggest that this number falls somewhere between about 250,000 and 440,000.

]]> Medical mistakes can take on any number of different forms. In some cases, medical mistakes involve surgical or anesthesia errors, both of which can lead to serious medical hardships and potentially even death. Other medical mistakes involve medical misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, both of which can have a significant impact on a patient’s prognosis.

Other medical mistakes, yet, result from clerical or administrative errors, while some occur because doctors, nurses or other health care professionals administer too much, too little or the wrong type of medication to a patient. Others happen when doctors incorrectly estimate the gestational age of an infant in utero. You can find more about medical malpractice on our webpage.

<![CDATA[3 tips for sharing the road with larger vehicles]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3810237 2019-08-12T23:31:35Z 2019-08-12T23:30:35Z As a resident of Metairie, you are probably used to seeing large commercial trucks transporting heavy loads. In addition, you probably know how devastating a wreck with one of the large vehicles can be. A collision with a semi truck can be fatal, cause a catastrophic brain injury or cause any number of serious injuries. This is why it is vital to practice safe and defensive driving techniques when you are sharing the road with large vehicles.

Whether you are commuting for work, out for an afternoon drive or leaving town for a weekend road trip, the chances are high that you will find yourself in close proximity to a semitruck. Here are a few tips to help you stay safe in such a situation.

]]> Keep your distance

Extra space is important when it comes to sharing the road with a semitruck or other large vehicle. In fact, you should always give semis much more space than you would to other passenger vehicles. Not only will this allow you room to maneuver in case something unexpected happens, it will also help you stay out of the trucks' blind spots. To ensure that you have put plenty of space between the truck and your vehicle, keep yourself in a position where you can see the driver's face in the truck's side mirrors. This usually means that the driver can see you.

Use proper passing techniques

Passing a semi, especially when the lanes are narrow, can be a bit terrifying. It is often just as nerve-racking for the truck driver. This is why it is important to use proper passing techniques. Use your signal, check your mirrors and don't move in front of the truck until you have checked that you are far enough ahead to safely return to the lane. Moreover, never pass on the right or cut anyone off. The truck driver might even flash their headlights to signal that it is safe for you to come back in the lane.

Take your time

In many cases, semitrucks are moving slower than other traffic because of the loads they are carrying in addition to the weight of the truck itself. This can cause drivers to become frustrated and do things that could potentially cause an accident. By taking your time and keeping plenty of distance between your vehicle and the truck, you might be able to avoid an accident caused by a reckless driver.

While the above tips can reduce your risk of an accident with a semitruck, sometimes it is impossible to avoid a collision. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a truck accident, you might be able to file claim for damages and fight for the compensation you deserve.

<![CDATA[The dangers behind electronic medical files]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3806792 2019-08-07T04:33:09Z 2019-08-07T04:32:09Z In this day and age of advanced technology, electronic medical records have taken the healthcare field by storm. Not only does this technology save doctors from filing papers and organizing patient charts, but it speeds up certain processes, such as transmitting electronic prescriptions to the pharmacy. Electronic medical records are designed to minimize errors medical professionals may make due to hard-to-read handwriting, disorganization and other clerical issues. Yet, medical record technology may not be as safe as some may believe.

In fact, glitches and errors in electronic healthcare records have led to injuries and deaths of many across the country. Instances have occurred where lab orders are not transmitted properly to the lab, and certain screening tests are not performed as a result. Lab results may not get back to the physician, and patient notes may be populated under the wrong patient. One faulty software program used in a long-term care facility involved errors with the start and stop dates of medication and patients were getting other residents’ medication as a result of the errors.

]]> A woman who was suffering from consistent migraines later died of an aneurysm. Her doctor had ordered a brain scan prior to her death; however, the order did not transmit properly to the lab and the test was not conducted. In another case, a young girl who suffers from a severe dairy allergy was given a medication containing milk, sending her into complete respiratory distress.

It is critical that patients be aware of these potential errors so they can possibly avoid a deadly medical mistake.

<![CDATA[Mild brain injuries can have serious consequences]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3794727 2019-07-23T13:23:56Z 2019-07-23T13:22:56Z

Whether you are involved in a minor fender bender or a catastrophic collision, you run the risk of receiving a traumatic brain injury as a result of the impact. A sudden jolt to the head can cause the soft tissue of the brain to smack into the hard skull bone. This can cause brain bleeding, bruising and swelling that may lead to immediate signs or can sometimes take several days to appear. While many people fully recover from a mild brain injury or concussion, studies show that even mild injuries can result in long-term brain damage that may have permanent consequences.

]]> The study, published in the medical journal Neurology, found that mild brain injuries can affect people’s cognitive abilities, and some may not be fully repairable. Previously, researchers were unable to study mild brain injuries as they often when undetected on traditional screening devices used to find injuries in the brain. However, researchers discovered that the use of diffusion tensor imaging allowed doctors to see damage done to the white matter of the brain. This is where mild brain injuries occur. The cells of normal white matter appear very structured on the scan, but the cells in a brain injury patient are not.

Researchers studied patients with mild brain injury and charted their damaged areas, as well as their score on the Glasgow Coma Scale, which measures cognitive abilities. They found that mild brain injury patients scored 25% lower on the GCS when compared to people without injuries. Furthermore, a 12-month scan of the patients indicated that some brain damage had not fully healed and patient’s were still experiencing cognitive impairments because of this. This research may be helpful in evaluating treatment and long-term care of mild brain injury patients in the future.

<![CDATA[You have rights when a drunk boater causes you injury]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3789776 2019-07-12T14:51:35Z 2019-07-12T14:50:35Z Drunk driving isn't just an issue that effects large motor vehicles on the land. It can also be an issue for people who want to operate a vehicle on the open ocean. In fact, quite a few people may be under the mistaken impression that it is impossible to commit a crime when you are on a boat on the ocean.

People often hear all kinds of misinformation about how governments enforce laws on the ocean. While individual governments may not be able to take action over crimes that occur in international waters, most people who boat in Louisiana or on the Atlantic off the shore of Louisiana do so in either state or federal waters.

]]> That means that they break the law by boating while impaired by alcohol. It also means that you may have the right to seek compensation for your injuries under either state or maritime laws.

Your options will vary depending on who is responsible for enforcement

Some places where you go boating will be subject to Louisiana state laws, which means that state enforcement agents will likely be the ones patrolling those waters and making arrests or writing citations for boaters who violate Louisiana statutes.

Other waters, especially those farther from shore, will be under the watch of federal officers, typically the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has the authority to arrest people in boats who violate federal statutes. They can also intervene if a boater who chooses to drive while impaired causes a crash with another boat or injures somebody swimming because of their impairment.

Depending on whether you interact with Louisiana state officials or members of the Coast Guard, you will have different options for pursuing compensation after a boating accident caused by a drunk boater. In both cases, you should obtain copies of the accident report and the names of the officers involved.

Civil action is often necessary after boating accidents

When people get into car wrecks, liability insurance policies typically protect the individuals involved in the collision from property damage or medical bills. However, Louisiana does not have a state requirement for boating insurance. People can buy or rent a boat without protecting themselves or others from the liability that the boat could cause in the event of an accident or other unpredictable event.

Thankfully, when it is clear that the other driver was in violation of the law by boating under the influence, you will likely have grounds to bring civil action against them to recoup the damages you suffered. Talking with a Louisiana attorney who understands not only personal injury cases but also more complex maritime law cases can help you figure out what options you have in your specific situation.

<![CDATA[How likely is medical misdiagnosis?]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3787007 2019-07-10T12:28:56Z 2019-07-10T12:27:56Z When you go into an outpatient clinic or the emergency room, you rely on medical professionals to determine what is wrong and provide the proper treatment to get you back on your feet. However, there is a chance that you may leave the clinic with the wrong diagnosis or without a proper diagnosis at all. Misdiagnosis occurs at an alarming rate in the United States.

BMJ Quality & Safety published a study that found an alarming one in 20 patients are misdiagnosed in outpatient clinics and emergency rooms across the country. That equates to approximately 12 million patients every year. In at least half of those cases, patients face significant harm because of the physician’s failure to provide an accurate diagnosis.

]]> Patients who receive the wrong diagnosis often go unnecessary treatments for a condition they do not have while the underlying condition may actually get worse. People may take medication they do not need or even undergo procedures and have to go through the recovery process all for nothing. The additional medical costs can also be troubling.

Short interaction times with patients may be to blame. Doctors in these settings are rushed from one patient to the next. In some instances, patients fail to provide a complete medical history, making it hard to reach a diagnosis. Wrong lab tests are ordered, and in some cases, the results are misread once they come in. It is important that you always get a second opinion when seeking medical treatment to ensure you get a proper diagnosis.

<![CDATA[How does the Jones Act help you?]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3776239 2019-06-24T14:16:13Z 2019-06-24T14:15:13Z If you work in the shipping industry in Louisiana, the Jones Act covers your medical costs, lost wages and daily living expenses in the event you become ill or injured, even if you are not onboard a vessel when your injury occurs. The Jones Act is a 1920 federal statute that applies the Federal Employer’s Liability Act to you.

SeaHistory.org explains that the Jones Act serves as your version of workers’ compensation, allowing you to file a claim against your employer. But unlike workers’ compensation, you can file a claim even if your injury or illness is unrelated to your job. In addition, your employer must pay your claim even if you were partially or wholly responsible for your own accident.

]]> Maintenance and cure

Under the Jones Act, maintenance means your daily living expenses and cure means your medical costs. Your employer must pay you both. (S)he can, however, stop paying once you attain “maximum medical improvement,” even if you incur further medical expenses thereafter.

Unearned wages

The Jones Act likewise makes your employer liable for your unearned wages while you recover from your illness or injury. You need to understand, though, that how long your employer must pay your unearned wages depends on the period of employment covered in your employment agreement. For instance, if your employer hired you for a specific voyage, (s)he can stop paying your unearned wages as soon as that voyage ends.

While you should not take this information as legal advice, it can help you understand the Jones Act and how it can help you if you become ill or sustain an injury while working as a seaman.

<![CDATA[Were you injured in a ferry boat accident?]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3767020 2019-06-15T21:53:03Z 2019-06-13T22:40:34Z Maybe you take a ferry boat to and from work everyday. Or maybe you take a ferry boat ride when you're looking to enjoy a peaceful afternoon in Louisiana.

While there is no denying the fun and convenience of a ferry boat ride, it's critical to keep your safety in mind at all times. There are many common causes of ferry boat accidents, including the following:

  • Operator negligence, such as taking the boat out when weather conditions are too severe
  • Improper safety equipment, such as a lack of life preservers
  • Too many people on the boat
  • Improper storage of cargo
  • Negligent maintenance
  • Boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Mechanical failure
  • Reckless driving, such as operating at an excessively high speed
]]> If you're involved in a ferry boat accident, the first thing you should think about is your safety. Do whatever it takes to get out of the water and receive the appropriate medical treatment in a timely manner.

Is it possible to file a lawsuit?

Once you're stabilized, you can review the cause of the accident as you turn your attention to your legal rights.

It doesn't matter if you were a passenger on the ferry boat or a crew member, you should at least consider if you're in position to file a lawsuit to obtain compensation for your injuries and other damages.

As a crew member, for example, you're protected under The Jones Act. This federal legislation is designed to protect any seaman who develops an illness or suffers an injury as the result of their employment.

Before filing a lawsuit, you must be clear about who was responsible for the accident. For example, it's typically the operator or owner of the ferry boat company that acted in a negligent manner.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a ferry boat accident, work with your medical team to implement a treatment strategy that will help you make a fast and full recovery.

As time allows, learn more about your legal rights with the idea of filing a lawsuit to receive compensation for your injuries and other damages.

Visit our website and read our blog for more information on boating accidents, The Jones Act and related subject matter.

<![CDATA[Interview your surgeon to protect yourself against trouble]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3767018 2019-06-13T22:31:34Z 2019-06-13T22:30:34Z If you find that you require a surgical procedure to improve your health, you're sure to have a variety of questions and concerns. While it may not be the first thing you think about, it's critical to implement a system for finding the best surgeon.

Once you make the right decision on who will do the surgery, it's easier to proceed with a clear mind and confidence that they'll do everything in the appropriate manner.

]]> Here are several questions you should ask a surgeon before making a final decision:

  • Is there more than one way to conduct the procedure? For example, minimally invasive surgery is becoming more and more common with each passing year. There are many benefits, including a smaller incision site, less bleeding and a shorter recovery period.
  • What are the complications I should be aware of? Every surgery, even a minor one, has potential complications. Knowing about these up front allows you to protect yourself to the best of your ability.
  • How many of these surgeries have you performed in the past? Some surgeons have many years of experience with the type of procedure you require, while others are just getting involved. An experienced surgeon is one who has experienced almost everything. This is the type of person you want in the operating room.
  • What can I do to prepare for the surgery? Work with your surgeon and their team to prepare in the appropriate manner. There are things you should and shouldn't do in the days leading up to your procedure.
  • Is there an alternative to surgery? Before you schedule your procedure, talk to your surgeon about alternate treatments. This doesn't mean you'll go down another path, but it's good to understand your options.

When you choose an experienced and knowledgeable surgeon, you'll have fewer concerns about medical malpractice and other related issues. Unfortunately, there is no way to completely protect yourself against a mistake in the operating room.

If you or a loved one is the victim of medical malpractice, turn your immediate attention to stabilizing your health. From there, you can protect your legal rights in Louisiana by seeking compensation from the negligent party.

Review our website and blog for more guidance on all aspects of a medical malpractice case.

<![CDATA[When must small boats carry fire extinguishers?]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3762890 2019-06-07T13:03:10Z 2019-06-07T13:02:10Z Fire can be very dangerous if it breaks out on a boat on the water. If you are on board, you risk smoke inhalation, fire burns or injury from a fuel explosion, and since you are not on land, it is harder to seek emergency aid from Metairie first responders. This is why state law requires small boats, under certain circumstances, to have a fire extinguisher on hand.

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries website explains that state law necessitates boats that are less than twenty-six feet in length to carry one B-1 U.S. Coast Guard approved fire extinguisher should one or more of a number of conditions exist. Living spaces are one such issue. If a small boat contains an enclosed living space, a fire extinguisher needs to be available on the vessel.

]]> Many requirements involve the presence of fuel on the boat. Some boats house permanent fuel tanks. Fuel tanks are considered permanent if they cannot be moved in the event of a fire or other emergency situation. Tanks are also considered permanently installed in a boat if they are so heavy that people on board the vessel are not able to move it.

Smaller amounts of fuel or combustible material also necessitate the presence of a fire extinguisher. Some boats maintain flammable substances, such as portable fuel tanks, inside closed stowage compartments. Some boating crews keep small fuel tanks underneath seats. Even if these tanks can be moved, their presence still requires that approved fire extinguishers be kept on board.

There are other circumstances that require Louisiana small boats to carry a fire extinguisher, such as when a boat possesses inboard engines or double bottoms that are not moored to the hull of the vessel or if the bottoms are not fully filled with flotation substances. A failure to do so can risk severe personal injury in the event of a fire and legal repercussions for the owner of the boat.

This article is written to educate readers on maritime law and is not intended as legal advice.

<![CDATA[Understanding different types of comas]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3744424 2019-05-23T14:20:23Z 2019-05-23T14:19:23Z The ramifications of a brain injury can severely impact the life of a person in Metairie. After sustaining a head trauma, a person may enter a state of unconsciousness known as a coma. Comas vary in their severity, and unfortunately some people never emerge from one. WebMD explains the different types of comas that exist and their levels of severity.

In some instances, a head trauma may deprive the brain of oxygen for a few minutes, which can result in a coma. This condition is known as an anoxic brain injury. When the brain loses access to oxygen, brain tissues start experiencing cell death and can result in serious disability, persistent coma or even death. This type of injury can also result from a heart attack, poison, or a drug overdose.

]]> Some brain injuries put a person into a persistent vegetative state, where a patient has no awareness of surroundings at all and cannot make independent movements. Someone in a vegetative state may breathe, have regular cycles of sleep and being awake, and also maintain circulation. However, even if the patient is awake, there is no higher brain activity to generate consciousness.

Sometimes doctors will have to induce a coma on purpose. In some instances of brain injury, a patient may be at risk for deadly brain swelling. To prevent this from happening, doctors may administer an anesthetic that puts the patient into a medically induced coma. The patient is carefully monitored in an intensive care unit for signs of recovery.

Brain death involves the termination of all brain function. In this scenario, the brain will have likely sustained widespread or permanent injury, with no chance of healing or treatment to reverse the damage. The How Stuff Works website explains that by this point, the patient is no longer in a coma and has no chance of recovery. Even progressing into a deep coma is not considered possible.

Depending on the nature and severity of a brain injury, it is possible to recover from a coma that may result, though a long period of recovery will likely be necessary, and some people never regain full motor function after awakening from a coma. The medical expenses for treatment and recovery are usually factored into any compensation a person may receive if they can receive damages from a party who caused the injury in the first place.

<![CDATA[Parasailing accidents: A summer vacation hazard]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3734834 2019-05-14T20:11:35Z 2019-05-14T20:10:35Z It's summer, and many Metairie families will be flocking to the Gulf Coast beaches from Biloxi to the Florida Panhandle. There's much fun to be had, from golfing to surfing and lying poolside drinking umbrella cocktails.

But there may be one beach activity to which your and your children should give a definite pass - parasailing.

]]> Parasailing is popular, but possibly unsafe

An mostly unregulated industry

In 2014, Florida passed Senate Bill 320 into law. It's known as the White-Miskell Act and is named for two women who lost their lives in separate parasailing accidents. But this law only requires weather logs to be kept and an insurance policy maintained and does little to cover equipment inspections. It also leaves the other states along the Gulf of Mexico unregulated.

Where the danger lies

Be smart about summer beach activities

<![CDATA[Brain injuries in the workplace]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3724979 2019-05-04T14:01:28Z 2019-05-04T14:00:28Z People sustain brain injuries in countless ways, whether their brain is injured as a result of medical malpractice or they are involved in a motor vehicle collision. In this post, we will look into some of the issues surrounding brain injuries that occur in the workplace, from the ways in which these injuries can take place to the options that may be available to victims afterward. If you recently sustained a brain injury while working, it is imperative to take advantage of any resources that are available to help you move on.

]]> Regardless of how a worker sustains a brain injury, the consequences can be significant. They may be unable to work for a certain period of time or for the rest of their lives. Moreover, their relationships may suffer due to changes to their personality and they may have other problems in their personal lives. Regrettably, many brain injuries occur because of other peoples' negligence, and in these instances, it may be important to file a lawsuit.

<![CDATA[Family sues hospital after mother collapses in waiting room]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3720532 2019-04-29T16:32:35Z 2019-04-29T16:31:35Z The healthcare system in the United States is recognized as being among the best in the world. The quality of care that the system produces may mandate that it be costly. The high cost of healthcare may often serve as a deterrent from people in Metairie seeking treatment when it is needed (as they may worry about being able to afford it). Yet lawmakers realize that this should not happen, especially in situation where emergency care is needed. Thus, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act was established so that patients who present to the emergency room or labor and delivery unit receive the treatment they need.

According to EMTALA, such care should be stabilizing treatment. A patient's ability to pay should not be a factor in delivering such care. Yet a California family is claiming that is was in a medical malpractice lawsuit filed against a local facility. The family claims that their mother collapsed in the hospital emergency department waiting room after presenting the facility with difficulty breathing. The family's lawsuit details how diagnostic testing on the woman indicated that she was suffering from a potentially life-threatening case of heart failure. Still, the ED staff simply offered her medication and discharged her. After collapsing, the woman slipped into a coma, which doctors now believe she is unlikely to ever wake up from.

]]> In their lawsuit, the family claims that the hospital's ED staff failed to deliver quality care to the woman due to her being on the state's Medicaid program. In cases like this where financial motivations may have impacted the delivery of care, victims and their families may be justified seeking compensation. The path to earning such compensation may be made much more clear if one has the experience of an attorney to rely on.

<![CDATA[What is a “never event,” and what are its implications?]]> tag:www.gprlawyers.com,2019:/blog//77646.3717822 2019-04-24T17:28:58Z 2019-04-24T17:27:58Z When medical industry participants in Louisiana or elsewhere reference a “never event,” they’re spotlighting something that flatly never occurs, right?

Not exactly. They are actually referring to medical outcomes that do happen, but never should because they are so egregious.

]]> We know that many our readers can easily conjure up some quick qualifiers for any never-event list. Health care outcomes that should never materialize include things like the retention of a sponge or surgical tool in a patient’s body following an operation. Operating on the wrong patient or body part, failing to respond to a patient’s clear distress, staff abuse of a patient, patient falls amidst inattentive surgical teams – all these things make the grade on the dubious Top-10 never-events list periodically compiled by the Joint Commission.

The JC is the nation’s chief accreditor of American hospitals, and it is clearly concerned with never events. Health regulators’ alarm over such outcomes is compounded by a most gnawing fact, namely, that never events just don’t occur absent human negligence.

Put another way: They are preventable.

Given that, their recurrence in medical facilities underscores this inconvenient reality for the health care industry: the same mistakes are made time and again. And that sad repetition persists despite clear pathways that prevent such errors when followed (e.g., routine adherence to guidelines and checklists).

Medical malpractice yields crashing downsides for legions of individuals and families across the United States each year.

Questions or concerns regarding medical treatment or a related outcome can be addressed to a proven legal team of pro-victim medical malpractice attorneys.


Spark Catchers: The Matchgirls Festival

-1The match girls  and women of Bow in East London took strike action and marched  into Trade Union History  125 years ago to the day. They were mainly Irish immigrants.  The first Matchgirls Festival celebrates them.  The provenance of this inspiring festival  is the poem  Spark Catchers  (commissioned by Sara Weir of ODA) written on a transformer in  The Olympic Park  where it remains on a structurefor the next  100 years.  In 2012 the writer contacted  UNITE the union to inform them of the Olympic poem's subject matter.  This  is why The  Matchgirl Festival was born, through two workers at UNITE -  Catherine Whittaker and Stephen Rowlatt - who wre inspired to action. The Matchgirls factory is next to the olympic site. The call to write the poem was found by the writer  in the research of The Matchgirls Factory.  The writer  found   an article in support of the striking women  written by Annie Besant over one hundred years ago. At the end of her impassioned piece she said-1"Failing a poet to hold up their conduct to the execration of posterity, enshrined in deathless verse, let us strive to touch their consciences, i.e. their pockets, and let us at least avoid being "partakers of their sins", by abstaining from using their commodities."The arts, the olympics, the union, the poetry,  the community of  past present and future, the workers   are united in  Spark Catchers.  The writer attended Matchgirls The Musical and performed his poem there.  The accompanying brochure is classy. It includes everything about the musical and the festival and the union and the matchgirls and the players and the theatre companies and even the poem (by permission) is printed in its entirety: Nothing is spared an explanation except this provenance which is why the writer asked me to record it here..[embed][/embed]


ASK MIKE MONDAYS - 1) Mike, when buying a CLASS C apartment, what is the largest CAP X expenditures you can expect? 2) What are the biggest mistakes when buying older apartments?

Upfront physical due diligence is critical when purchasing any apartment building. Have your engineer/ general contractor review all components to the apartment. Not reviewing deficiencies with your electrical, plumbing and sewer, foundation and roof can be the iceberg that sinks the investor’s ship.


Emperor Akihito to abdicate throne on Tuesday

TOKYO, April 30 (Xinhua) — Japan’s Emperor Akihito will abdicate at the end of Tuesday marking the end of the three-decade long Heisei Era and the first time a monarch here has left the Chrysanthemum Throne within their lifetime in more than 200 years.

Akihito, 85, who performed his last rituals at the Imperial Palace earlier in the day, including reporting his abdication to his ancestors, will make his last speech to the public later in the day.Prior to this, he will receive words of appreciation from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as representative of the general public.Crown Prince Naruhito, 59, will accede to the throne on Wednesday.

Some members of the public gathered in front of the Imperial Palace to pay their respects, offer gratitude and messages of good will to the out going emperor.They gathered despite the inclement weather, with many wishing to mark the last day of the Heisei Era under the current emperor, which will formally end at midnight when the emperor steps down.

Era names, or “gengo” as they are known in Japanese, are used in Japan for the length of a monarch’s reign.The new era name, Reiwa, meaning beautiful harmony, was announced by the government on April 1.New era names are usually announced after the accession of the new monarch, but the government decided to announce the new name in advance of the accession of the new emperor.

This was so companies and the general public had time to prepare for the change and disruption would be kept to a minimum.the Japanese premiere at the time said that the government wanted to select a name that conveys the heralding of a “new era full of hope.”Abe said the new era name was decided upon as it connotes “people’s hearts coming together beautifully to nurture a culture.

“”The name Reiwa means that culture is born and grows when people come together and care for each other beautifully,” Abe said.He also said he hoped the new era ahead would be one that held great promise for the younger generations.”Heisei,” the name of the current era, means “achieving peace” and began on Jan. 8, 1989, the day after Emperor Hirohito, the current emperor’s father died.

Emperor Akihito was the first monarch enthroned under Japan’s post-war Constitution that defines the role of the monarch as a merely a “symbol of the State.” Japan’s 85-year-old emperor, Japan’s 125th according to the traditional

order of succession, expressed his desire to step down, however, in a rare video message broadcast in 2016.During the video message he expressed his concern that owing to his age he might not be able to fulfill his official duties. A year later, the parliamen passed a one-off bill enabling him to do so.

प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्


Each lessons employs all three modes of learning – visual, auditory, and kinesthetic through manipulative materials – to open up the world for all students. The children follow though with their studies individually and in small groups proceeding at their own pace of learning.

Preschool Curricula

Preschool students are learning to become a member of a larger community, learning to communicate, participate, and cooperate with peers and teachers. Children three to five years old are in a period of intense language development and are exploring and ordering their world. The classroom is designed to provide activities to expand their vocabulary and guide their development of number concepts.

Kindergarten Curricula

Kindergarten is a year of leadership. Kindergarten students are models for younger children and assist them in becoming members of the community. Academically, the Kindergarten year is the culmination of their work. They use the skills and concepts that they have been building to move to the next level of language and math. They become readers and develop numeracy.

Elementary Curricula

Elementary students have mastered their environment in the Primary class and now will embark on a journey to master their world. In the Elementary class, children are learning to plan and organize their work, manage time, and cooperate with others, while developing self-confidence, self-discipline, and responsibility. They are improving and expanding their language and math skills and are using these skills as tools to explore the world of geography, science, and history.

For class specific curriculum, go to Our Programs.


Semiconductor IP core implements complete ISO/IEC 15444-1 standard JPEG2000 encoder

MARCH 1--Amphion Semiconductor Ltd. (San Jose, CA; claims to have developed the first entirely hardware-accelerated wavelet-transform-based JPEG2000 encoder core for advanced still and motion image-compression applications.

MARCH 1--Amphion Semiconductor Ltd. (San Jose, CA; claims to have developed the first entirely hardware-accelerated wavelet-transform-based JPEG2000 encoder core for advanced still and motion image-compression applications, such as 'dual-mode' still/movie-clip multimegapixel digital cameras, medical imaging, and surveillance. The Amphion CS6510 JPEG2000 hardware-accelerator core interfaces with any embedded host processor to construct a complete JPEG2000 encoding system on a single chip.

The CS6510 core is fully compliant with the ISO/IEC 15444-1 standard JPEG2000 image-coding system and carries out computationally intensive tasks such as wavelet transform, entropy coding, quantization, and data scheduling. It allows the system processor to handle simple tasks such as managing the user interface and output data formatting. When implemented in 180-nm CMOS process technology, the CS6510 delivers data encoding rates up to 60 MS/s on 8-bit samples with real-time `lossy' image-compression ratios up to 50:1. The core also handles arbitrary image sizes, standard `lossless' compression, flexible image input formats, and a variety of grayscale and color-imaging formats such as RGB, YUV, YCrCb, and CMYK.

Amphion can configure the performance and power consumption of the reference CS6510 JPEG2000 core to cover a variety of applications. For example, for medical-imaging applications where real-time high-resolution images are vital, the performance can be boosted to 480 Mbits/s.

"The CS6510 off-loads computationally intensive JPEG2000 algorithms from the embedded system processor," explains John McCanny, Amphion chief technology officer. "In dual-mode digital cameras, for instance, that enables the processor to take on other value-add functionality in the system. Hardware-accelerated compression is also necessary to take full advantage of the new high-color resolution, 16-Mpixel CMOS image sensors entering the market."

The reference Amphion JPEG2000 encoder core balances between high-quality compression and low-power consumption with sustained data rates greater than 100 Mbits/s, enabling the compression of full-motion, full-color video images at frame sizes in excess of standard-definition TV (720 x 480 pixels). This makes the CS6510 a candidate for dual-mode still/video digital cameras and for surveillance systems.

"Amphion's encoder core has successfully overcome the memory management issue in wavelet-transform blocks. That's one of the main challenges in JPEG2000 implementation," remarks Stephen Farson, Amphion vice president of engineering. "Most of the power consumption occurs in memory management of wavelet-transform data. Amphion's line-based implementation performs complex wavelet-transform algorithms using 5/3 and 9/7 filters for real-time lossy and lossless compression of JPEG2000 Profile-0 with minimal memory usage. The result is an overall decrease in power consumption."

JPEG2000 is the new wavelet-based, digital imaging-compression standard and is the successor to the widely used JPEG standard. It's a flexible and elegant coding system that permits users to store more images in less memory. JPEG can only best support compression ratios up to 25:1. JPEG2000 also enables users to control image quality without reprocessing. For example, digital images can be downloaded with low quality first, and then the quality and resolution of a selected image can improve progressively without reprocessing.

The JPEG2000 standard offers enhanced compression and features superior to the original JPEG standard, such as improved compression performance, improved image quality, especially at compression ratios above 25:1; higher resolution without noise and blocking artifacts, even at high compression; resolution and quality scalability to deliver compressed images at a variety of resolution and quality levels from lossy to lossless in the same file; real-time lossy and lossless compression--vital in applications such as medical imaging--JPEG cannot support both at the same time; superior rate control to supply higher image quality for a prespecified file size; and error resilience--essential for transmission of images in noisy environments.

For more information about the JPEG2000 and JPEG standards, visit

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image description

Laaziz Kadiri

Head of the Economic Diplomacy Committee, Africa and South-South

General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises

Laaziz Kadiri serves as President of the Economic Diplomacy, Africa and South-South Committee of the CGEM - Confédération Générale des Entreprises Du Maroc. He graduated in Finance and started his career as an entrepreneur and consultant in Morocco and various countries of Africa and Middle East.  He is the founder of LK Invest and cooperates with many African countries to implement structuring projects.


During the recent HackerRank’s competition 101 Hack 53 I stumbled upon a very nice »problem« which involves solving a DP recurrence, at which point I got stuck and couldn’t do it fast enough. It turns out that the recurrence is solvable using the Divide and conquer optimisation technique, which I now describe in detail. (»TLDR«)

For illustrative purposes, I will elaborate throughout on the competition problem (optimal one-dimensional clustering):

Consider a given set of points . We would like to find a partition of into at most clusters/intervals , such that the sum of the within-cluster distances is minimised, where is the mean of the cluster to which belongs.

The divide and conquer optimisation is applicable to dynamic programming problems of the form:

where the cost function satisfies a certain property which we will describe later (Or equally well for the case of maximisation). Let’s straight away verify that our problem is indeed of this form. First of all, consider the points to be in sorted order. We observe that there must an optimal clustering which will consist of consecutive intervals of these points (otherwise, we could swap two points between two clusters and improve the error term ). Let denote the minimal possible when partitioning into exactly clusters. We can then recurse on the size of the (last) cluster, to which the point belongs to. This gives .

Before we dive into optimising the computation of , let’s quickly give a fast way of computing the cost term . We can rewrite:

After precomputing the consecutive sums of s and their squares (which takes linear time), we can obtain any cost(k + 1, l) in constant time.

S_1, S_2 = [0], [0]
for x in xs:
    S_1.append(S_1[-1] + x)
    S_2.append(S_2[-1] + x * x)

def cost(k, j):
  d = (S_1[j] - S_1[k]) * 1.0
  return S_2[j] - S_2[k] - d * d / (j - k)

It is not hard to solve the DP problem (1) in time (where I is the range of i and J range of j); it suffices to simply loop over i, j, k. This gives us a first, naïve solution to our clustering problem.

dp = [[float('inf') for _ in range(N+1)] for _ in range(K+1)]
dp[0][0] = 0
for i in range(1, K+1):
    for j in range(1, N+1):
        for k in range(j):
            dp[i][j] = min(dp[i][j], dp[i-1][k] + cost(k, j))

Let’s see what the property for divide and conquer applicability is. Define be the smallest index in the DP recursion (1) which minimises . We can use the divide and conquer optimisation if, for a fixed , the sequence is monotonic (that is, non-increasing or non-decreasing). The idea behind optimisation is that this will narrow the range which we need to check for computing .

We now prove that that our clustering problem satisfies this property. In particular, that \[ \alpha(i, 0) \leq \alpha(i, 1) \leq \dots \leq \alpha(i, n) \]

Proof. As we will see, a sufficient condition for the above monotonicity is that the cost function satisfies the so-called Quadrangle inequality: For all the following holds:

\[cost(a, c) + cost(b, d) \leq cost(a, d) + cost(b, c) \]

In our case, this is equivalent to (Assuming that ; in the case of some inequalities being equalities, the statement of quadrangle inequality holds more obviously):

where we made the appropriate substitutions for the sums, as well as . Moreover, the fact that the sequence is ordered constraints us with (these are just means of the three parts). Now, a black magic insight allows us to make two further assumptions. First, notice that in our case, the inequality was invariant under shift of (we may add the same fixed number to each term without changing the inequality) and we thus may assume that the sum . This immediately entails and . If we had , the inequality (2) would hold trivially and hence we consider only .
Moreover, notice that the inequality (2) is homogeneous (it holds for if and only if it holds for multiples ). Thus we may further assume that . So putting our assumptions together (), the inequality (2) is equivalent to:

The given inequalities on the right immediately give the inequality on the left. Following the equivalences upwards, the quadrangle inequality is proven.

Now only one question remains - why is the Quadrangle inequality on the cost function sufficient to assert ?
Proof. We need to show that for all we have . Suppose it was otherwise. Then there would be two indices which minimise and respectively, such that . But this directly gives us two relations and , which we can sum to obtain

\[cost(b, j + 1) + cost(a, j) < cost(a, j + 1) + cost(b, j) \]

This directly contradicts the Quadrangle inequality which states .

Anyhow, how do we use the fact that to divide and conquer? In the same way as in the binary search! That is, we will check the value in the middle and then conquer on left and right. Suppose that we first compute the value and it is minimised at index . Then for anything on the left of j, , to compute we only need to check indices smaller or equal to . Similarly, for anything on the right of j, we only need to check indices greater or equal to . Notice that we can indeed compute the values in arbitrary order, as they only depend on the previous row . This reduces the runtime of our program from to .

Revisiting our clustering problem, we can write a faster, using this.

dp[0][0] = 0
for i in range(1, K+1):
    stack = [(1, N, 0, N)]
    while stack:
        l, r, alpha_l, alpha_r = stack.pop()
        if l > r: continue
        mid = (r + l)//2
        alpha = alpha_l
        # compute the dp value in the middle
        for k in range(alpha_l, min(mid, alpha_r + 1)):
            here = dp[i - 1][k] + cost(k, mid)
            if here < dp[i][mid]:
                dp[i][mid], alpha = here, k
        # conquer
        stack.append((l, mid-1, alpha_l, alpha))
        stack.append((mid+1, r, alpha, alpha_r))

Full source code that passes the problem at HackerRank (at the very least using PyPy 2) is below:

If your DP relation of the form satisfies the Quadrangle inequality \[ \text{For all } a \leq b \leq c \leq d .\ \ \ cost(a, c) + cost(b, d) \leq cost(a, d) + cost(b, c) \] you can compute the values of the -th row in a divide and conquer order (start in the middle, conquer on the left and right) to obtain a solution.