by Weyland Yutani

Dwarka, one of the best-studied underwater sites in India, has commanded much attraction, also because the site is considered as one of the four Dhamas (sacred place for pilgrimage) of the Hindu religion. According to ancient Sanskrit literature, Lord Krishna founded the holy city of Dwarka, which subsequently got submerged in the sea.

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dwarka sunken city According to ancient Hindu texts Dwarka was a skirmish ground for lord Krishna and king Salva. As the Mahabharata describes King Salva attacked Dwarka with a flying machine. It is the description of the battle that draws the attention of the ancient aliens theorists, as it seems to suggest it was fought with sophisticated technology and advanced weapons, potentially even with a craft attacking from the orbit. The space craft commenced an attack on the city with the use of energy weapons, which to the on-lookers resembled a discharge of a lightning, and it was so devastating that after the attack most of the city lay in ruins.

Lord Krishna counterattacked and fired his weapons on the ship. They looked like arrows yet they roared like a thunder and shone like rays of the Sun when released.

Until recently the very existence of the city of Dwarka was a matter of legends. Now, that the remains have been discovered under water, and with many clues seeming to suggest that this, indeed, is the legendary Dwarka, dwelling place of lord Krishna, could it be that lord Krishna and his aerial battle with king Salva were more than just a legend?

The implications of accepting the archeologists’ finds as proof that the sunken city is indeed the legendary Dwarka would be very significant for the understanding of what the Mahabharata is. It would no longer be merely a book of myths and legends, but in fact, at least to some extent, a genuine account of past events.

Dwarka, the Sunken City documentary:

Pls Report Broken Videos/Links (1 Star) Thx 🙂
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Wake The Sheeple!


Race di'zok

other resources
LootDB · EQ2LL · ZAM
EverQuest II Monster Information
Race: Di'Zok
Level: 84▲▲▲ Tier 9 Heroic Aggressive Social
Zone: Chardok
Location: ( 205, -72, 78 ) /waypoint 205, -72, 78

What does this information mean?

This mob drops 6x a Caroeth gate crystal every time it is killed, and has a very short respawn time.


INSPIRE% [07]: Let Go of Fear

By Michael Thomas

My name is Michael Thomas.  I am a labor and employment attorney with the law firm Ogletree Deakins in San Francisco.  My practice focuses on class actions and employment litigation.  I am also part of our Pay Equity group and I conduct workplace trainings on implicit bias and diversity.

2. Why did you choose to study law?

I grew up a poor, African-American male raised by a single mother.  At a young age, I knew that I was different because of my race and class.  I also know now that people often viewed me and I often viewed myself based on stereotypes and biases inherited through socialization and from prior generations.

Law is a powerful tool to guide society in changing perceptions and beliefs that are formed by stereotypes and biases.  Examples of this in practice include the legal battles to racially integrate the military and schools and legalize interracial marriage and same sex-marriage.  A more recent example is a set of laws designed to correct pay disparities based on race, gender and ethnicity.

3. What inspires you on a daily basis?

I am inspired each day by my ability to be curious about my potential.  I strongly believe that to take a step forward, we often have to step back and unlearn what prevented us from moving forward.

 Michael, bottom, with his brother.

Michael, bottom, with his brother.

I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  My grandfather was one of the first African-Americans to integrate the steel mills.  He had to fight racism to do that.  He was also one of the first African-Americans to purchase a home in a certain part of Pittsburgh.  He had to fight racism to do that too.  He spent so much of his life fighting against racism that he became a hard and unemotional man.  My grandfather expected my father to be the same way in order to function in a predominantly white world.  Influenced by my father’s family, I grew up in the same environment where the expectation was that the world was hostile because of my race and I could not show vulnerability.

I was also socialized to assume that “whiteness” was the norm and the standard to follow and strive towards.  I learned at an early age that if I wanted to function and to succeed in society, I had to learn how not to be seen as “black,” how not to reveal or recognize my authentic self, and how to not show vulnerability.

This strategy was effective at different points in my life.  However, as an adult, to get feedback on how to grow and mature in career, life, and love, I have to understand my authentic self and my needs.  I have had to step back and let go of false beliefs about myself to step up and step forward.  It all begins with being curious about my potential. Remaining curious inspires me.

4. What are three of your most influential projects and why?

My three most influential projects: 1) developing a Mindful Mentoring Program that connects adults with youth at risk via a mindfulness practice; 2) working with Inclusion Ventures to develop a comprehensive pay equity audit and implicit bias training; and 3) speaking at Inclusion 2.0 on “Diversity, Inclusion and Intergenerational Trauma.”   Why?  All three are creations of my authentic self.

Learning to let go of fear and beliefs that are limiting.

 Michael's depiction of himself, practicing yoga.

Michael's depiction of himself, practicing yoga.

I completed a yoga certification training with the Niroga Institute in Oakland, California. Niroga teaches Raja yoga, the yoga of mindfulness. In Raja practice, yoga poses and breathing techniques come together to prepare your body and mind for focus and moment to moment awareness.

Why do I consider this one of my greatest accomplishments?  During my practice of yoga, I stopped to observe my black skin and the physical and mental harm it receives from stereotypes and bias.  It was the first time I can remember that as I made those observations and my mind went into fight or flight mode and I wanted to escape the discomfort, I could not.  Instead, I had to stay in my posture and focus on my breath without reacting. In that experience I learned acceptance and forgiveness, and how to not respond to false thoughts or beliefs.  At that point I was able to direct my attention inward, without judgment or blame.

Focusing the mind on breathing and bodily sensations through gentle movement activates the prefrontal cortex, or the noticing part of the brain. The noticing part of the brain, when activated by my yoga practice, allows me to observe that I am not my fears or the biases projected by others and myself. It allows for more self-regulation and conscious decision-making in the moment.

Now, after my training in Raja yoga, I can show vulnerability and empathy towards others without fear.  Empathy and vulnerability allow for greater decision-making out of curiosity instead of fear.  Curiosity leads to discomfort.  Discomfort leads to growth and change.

At some point we have to stop blindly moving forward and stop and make courageous decisions to treat ourselves and each other differently even if it means embracing fear and the unknown.

Don’t be afraid.  You belong.

BK Bose is the Executive Director of the Niroga Institute.  He frequently asks the question, “What separates you from freedom?”  I think of that question if I feel I am making decisions out of fear and not love or kindness. It allows for better decision-making.

 Speaking at Tech Inclusion 2.0 on "Diversity, Inclusion and Intergenerational Trauma."

9. How do you see the law profession changing in the next 10 years? What would your role be in the future?

The most important characteristic for lawyers to cultivate will be empathy.  The practice of law focuses on logic and reason.  Both are important.  Both are also devoid of feelings and emotion.  As a result, lawyers often cause harm and lack creativity because we are not using the creative side of our brain.  Empathy is the pathway to creativity.  Creativity is the pathway to innovation.  Innovation will assist lawyers in being of greater service to our clients and to society.  It all begins with empathy.

10. We have heard that while the general public respects lawyers, they have little knowledge about what they do. Do you have any thoughts about how we can bridge the gap?

Law school should be more affordable and accessible.  When there are significant barriers to entry, the legal profession becomes exclusive and accessible only to a small portion of the population.  The law should be more accessible for people to either become a lawyer or for people to know a lawyer.

About our INSPIRE% Contributor:

Michael D. Thomas was a panelist for our EQxDisrupt Workshop in February 2017. His work as a Lawyer in equitable practice areas such as pay equity, mitigating bias in hiring and promotion processes and his thoughts on mindfulness and healing lead us to ask him to contribute to this series. Even though he is practicing in another field, we value advocates for equitable practice and the lessons that we can learn from their journey as well.

Michael is an Associate with the global law firm Ogletree Deakins in their San Francisco office.  He represents employers in all aspects of employment law.  He also works with employers on diversity and pay equity issues.  Michael has studied mindfulness, meditation and yoga with a focus on healing and self-regulation.  Recent publications include “Preventing Workplace Violence by Examining Trauma and the NFL” which incorporates mindfulness, meditation and body awareness in preventing workplace violence, and “How Employers Can Root Out the Influence of Unconscious Bias in Compensation Decisions.”  Recent speaking engagements include: Inclusion 2.0, “Intergenerational Trauma, Diversity and Inclusion;” Tech Inclusion Conference, “Awakening to Inclusion;” Association of Corporate Counsel event at Google, “Best Practices for Promoting Fair Pay;” Kaiser, Continuing Legal Education, “Implicit Bias” panel and lecturer, Berkley School of Law, “Mindfulness to Disrupt Suffering and Bias.”  He has a B.A. from Bucknell University and a J.D. from Boston College.

INSPIRE% [04]: Grit is what it takes… Lots of it

By Damaris Hollingsworth AIA, LEED AP (originally posted on January 28, 2016)

Grit (noun)
Google Dictionary:
courage and resolve; strength of character

Cambridge Dictionary:
courage and determination despite difficulty
couragebraverypluckmettlebackbonespirit, strength of character, strength of will, moral fiber, steelnervefortitude, toughness, hardinessresolveresolutiondetermination,tenacityperseveranceendurance; spunk

To go from a black girl growing up in the inner cities of Sao Paulo, Brazil to an accomplished Architect in the United States takes a good amount of grit.

 Damaris Hollingsworth (left) working with team members at  RSP Architects in Minneapolis.

Damaris Hollingsworth (left) working with team members at  RSP Architects in Minneapolis.

When I was seven years old, my dad hired an architect to design and handle the city approvals for our house. That alone was something out of the ordinary. In the inner cities of Brazil, the land is often “taken,” the houses are built without city approvals, and there is no such a thing as the reinforcement of master plans, city zoning or code regulations. My dad, though an unsophisticated labor worker, has great character and refused to take anything that was not legally his or do anything that was not approved by the city. He and my mom notified us that for a few years there would be no birthdays or Christmas gifts. We would all collaborate to save money, so we could purchase the land and build a house. Once the land was purchased, it was time to hire an architect. Rosana, the woman my dad hired, came to our house for the first meeting on a Saturday afternoon. Up to that point, I honestly did not know that women could work outside of the house. My mom worked, she worked a lot, but she worked at home - sewing clothes for her clients, so she could keep a close eye on me and my two older siblings. In my seven year old mind it was the norm that moms stay home with the kids and dads go to work outside of the house. That was what all our neighbors and church friends did.

 Hollingsworth's family home in Sao Paulo, Brazil (left). When she met the architect of her family home, Rosana, she knew she wanted to be an architect. Her family saved for years to buy the land, hire an architect and build a home. She lived there from 10 to 28 before moving to the United States.

    When I saw Rosana around our dinner table meeting with my parents, I thought she looked powerful, intelligent and beautiful. I decided right there and then that I wanted to be whatever she was when I grew up. I asked my parents who she was. They told me she was our architect. I told them that I was going to be an architect too. My dad said that to be an architect I would need to attend college and colleges were not for people like “us.” I did not give him too much attention. I was going to be an architect.

The years passed and it was time to talk about going to college and becoming an architect. My dad reminded me that our family could not afford to send me to college. Architectural schools were full time which meant I would not be able to continue to work full time and take classes only in the evenings as I had done through high school. My dad said the only option would be for me to go the University of Sao Paulo because it was free, even though it was the best school in the country and even in the Latin America. But that also was not for people like “us.” Now I was confused. I could understand why expensive was not for people like us, but I could not understand why free was also not for people like us. I asked questions and my dad explained that the selective process for that university benefitted kids who had been going to the best private schools all their lives. My inner city public school background would not cut it.

He was partially right. It took me three failures before I succeeded. The academic content that I had learned did not cover one third of the exams that I had to pass. I had to quit my job and take full time complementary classes, for which I got scholarships, for two full years before I was fairly competing with, what my dad used to call, the rich kids. The selective system did not benefit people like me, but I decided that I would find a way to get into that school. I was four years older than most kids when I started college. For two years, I baked cakes and sold them every day to make money for lunch and school supplies. In my third year I got an internship at the university planning department as an Urban Designer Intern. I did not have to bake cakes every day any more.

 Hollingsworth (left) at the University of Sao Paulo where she studied Architecture and Urban Design.

Getting into the university and graduating after six years was hard. I had all types of hurdles to jump. From textbooks only in languages other than Portuguese (and back then I could only speak and read Portuguese) to the constant reminder that my background education did not prepare me enough for the university, or even to simply carry on a culturally rich conversation with my peers and professors. That feeling of not belonging in a group nagged me almost every day. But little did I know that while those had truly required a lot of determination and hard work, the hardest was yet to come. When the hardship in front of you depends on your efforts and resilience only, as demanding, unfair and difficult as it may be, it will only take you. It may take me three failures before I succeed, but I will get it done. By the time I earned my Architect and Urban Designer degree in Brazil, I had broader plans. I wanted to be an architect in the US. (Very) long story short, I moved to the US right after earning my degrees and started working as an intern at an architectural firm. The IDP hours were not a problem. My supervisor was pretty awesome and gave all the opportunities I needed to meet the hours and type of work requirements. A few years later I decided to stop avoiding the AREs. Once my mind was set on that, it took me nine months to pass all seven exams. This short summary may make it sound like this phase of my journey was easy. It was not. It was physically and emotionally draining. I thought about giving up and going back to Brazil where I was already a registered architect. But I held my ground and kept on pushing. Again, I was convinced that the hardest part was done.

“That was when I first sensed the infamous glass ceiling and invisible walls. They frustrated me more than any of the barriers I had previously faced because overcoming them was not something my grit alone could do. I needed my peers, my leadership and the community to acknowledge their existence, and then work with me to remove them. ”

What I soon realized is that there was a lot of ground to conquer if I wanted to climb the ladder, reach for leadership and be an accomplished architect. That was when I first sensed the infamous glass ceiling and invisible walls. They frustrated me more than any of the barriers I had previously faced because overcoming them was not something my grit alone could do. I needed my peers, my leadership and the community to acknowledge their existence, and then work with me to remove them. The first big frustration was the fact that most people around me would not even believe that there was such a thing as a resistance to women, and more specifically to women of color in leadership roles. To be quite honest, at first, I did not recognize it myself. I would sense the resistance, the lack of acknowledgment to my leadership and the lack of respect for my position, and I always assumed that it was probably because I did not know how to answer that specific question, or because I had an accent, or because I looked young. I blamed myself for years. Only when I started to have dialogues with other women, especially women in leadership roles, I understood that the problems that I had been facing were far from being “my” problem.

When I had only two out of seven exams left to pass, I asked my then leaders for a conversation. I had been consistently requesting feedback and talking about my goals since the very beginning of my journey with the firm. At that time I had new managers, and I wanted to make sure they were aware of my professional development progress, my goals and of my dedication. The meeting started with them going over a summary of all my previous reviews and the recommendations from my past managers. They seemed quite impressed with the comments, the compliments and with my professional development, personal growth and how, year after year, I had met and surpassed the goals that myself and my managers had set for me. Then they asked me what I was looking for, what was my long term goal. I told them that my goal was to be a principal at the firm some day and that after so many years being as dedicated and truly committed to the firm, I believed that my next step was a promotion to an associate position. The stares I received were filled with a mix of disbelief, shock, sarcasm and pity. It was like I had said something completely out of the ordinary. I reminded them that all my (white male and some white female) peers that had shown the type of work quality, work ethic and commitment that I had were already associates. After a couple of hours of conversation, I was told that maybe, in my case, it would be best if I left the firm, went somewhere where people did not know me since when I was an intern, so that they would be able to see past the inexperienced girl I once was. It broke my heart. I loved that firm. They took me in when I was fresh out of Brazil, they sponsored me through the immigration process, they taught me a great deal of skills. I had dreams and goals for myself in that firm and that conversation shattered my dreams. An awesome large firm hired me as a Higher Education Client Leader to oversee project staff, work with clients to ensure their goals are met, guide program development and facilitate vital documents during the design and construction phases; In other words, everything I had told my former managers I could do and was already doing.

    The reason I told the short version of my life story in the beginning is to say that, though going from inner city black girl to a registered architect in the US seems like a lot of hard work and determination (and it was), going from a registered architect to a senior leader architect as a woman and a person of color will take me much more than that. And in many workplaces, hard work and determination will not matter at all. It may get you pats on your back, “great job”s, high fives, mediocre bonuses and safe promotions. But the real progression toward the C suite will depend on the decision makers valuing the professional for their values, their talent (current and potential) and their loyalty and collaboration to the firm, nothing else.

    At this point you may be asking what I am doing to promote change and make our profession truly an equal opportunity profession. I am an active member of the AIA MN Diversity Task Force, and I have collaborated with writing the Diversity Task Force Report that was issued in October 2015. As a group, we talk about the initiatives that we need to take, both as individual professionals and as an organization, to significantly improve the representation of underrepresented groups in the architectural profession. When watching a lecture by Dr. Heather Hackman last November, I learned that diversity is the end goal, not the solution. When we add diversity into a broken system that benefits the dominant group, diversity will not last. Women and people of color will eventually be pushed out of the profession, which according to the data shared during the AIA Women in Leadership Summit in Seattle last year, has been the case for decades. I have just recently committed to private coaching with Dr. Hackman to truly educate myself on the subjects of unconscious bias and social justice. I believe that education is the mandatory first step for change to happen. As the new elect 2016/2017 co-chair for the AIA MN Women in Architecture Committee, I have had the opportunity to engage in conversations with the decision makers of the industry in the Twin Cities, along with the other co-chairs Amanda Aspenson and Maureen Colburn, to identify the problem, educate ourselves and the professional community on the roots of the problem and then create strategies for the solution and ways to implement it.

I know my story alone can inspire many to keep on pushing toward their goals and dreams, but the truth is, this journey should not have to be so difficult. I want the results of my work as a professional, as a member of the DTF and as a co-chair for the AIA MN WIA to be a not so bumpy road for the younger professionals and generations to come. If we accomplish the structural changes that we as a committee and as a task force are aiming for, the path toward senior leadership for women and people of color will  not be so painful, stressful, unfair and for some, too hard to stay on.

INSPIRE% [03]: If at first you don't succeed, try again - Meghana Joshi shows resilience.

We are excited to get back to our INSPIRE% blog series. This post highlights Meghana Joshi's perseverance in light of her divergent journey to Licensure; thru the Recession, expired NCARB exams, and work/life challenges.

I am an "Intern Project Manager". With silver strands in my jet black hair and signs of life on my face, I am not the typical twenty-year old architectural intern.  But according to NCARB’s guidelines, to call myself a registered architect, I have to complete the grueling Intern Development Program as well as the Architectural Registration exams. Post recession, I have been working on retail and light industrial projects in California.

 One word to describe myself would be "Resilient".

2. Why did you choose to study Architecture?

History of Architecture. Growing up in a city filled with architectural treasures influenced by the Mughals and Ottomans, the intricate details on the walls and ceilings, as well as the stories of passion and power that shaped these buildings always fascinated me. I read Percy Brown's book on Architecture as a teenager, and all I wanted to do was to design buildings that were shaped by society; and in turn help shape the society they were built in.

3. What Inspires you on a daily basis?

As much as I want to say design, I want to say life safety and accessibility inspires me more. The design of a building is only an outward influence to the community it's built in, but to know that my design is universally accessible and safe inspires me to stay focused at work.

A-1 Self Storage, Alhambra. This project marked a new beginning for me. During the recession, I had given up any hope of returning to architecture full-time. Even if I did return, I had absolutely no hope of being a part-time consultant on 100,000 S.F. projects that needed extensive inter-office collaboration and coordination. But, one day I received a call from the architect working on the project to join the team. (The team of two). It was my first project coming out of the Recessesion and It was my first project that exceeded 100,000 SF and with a basement. In California, we don't usually get a chance to build basements. The project is still in construction, and will be ready for occupation in the beginning of 2015.

Longs Drug Store, Pasadena. After working on eight Longs Drug Stores in southern California from design to punch list, I did a tenant improvement in Pasadena when they acquired a closed Blockbuster space. It was the most challenging project; from getting basic permits for tenant improvement to acquiring conditional use permits to sell alcohol. Until then, adding awnings with the store's logo had never been an issue. No one was probably more happy to read the store opening piece in the local newspaper.  But two years later, when the Longs Drug Store was acquired by CVS, this store was closed. One afternoon I turned my head compulsively to check "my store" , and there it was, empty with orphaned awnings. This served as a stark reminder that nothing was permanent, and it was never "mine" no matter how much ownership I took in designing it.

Upgrades: Hangar 1, NASA Ames. During my tenure at NASA Ames, I worked on a lot of office space and wind tunnel renovations, but I still remember that day when the construction manager opened up Hangar One for me to verify record drawings. I was in awe of the volume of the building. My daughter would point out at the light that shone on the hangar at night and call it "mommy's office". But to go inside the hangar, measure it, and work on updating the exiting requirements to help them use the hangar for large gatherings was an experience of a life time. Recently when my friends shared pictures of the Hangar during an open house hosted by NASA, I couldn't help but say there was a shell on that Hangar.

Exactly two years ago, as I left for a vacation, I received a white envelope from NCARB. From the time I qualified for the ARE examinations, NCARB has been feeding white envelopes through the mailbox; sometimes notifying me of exams and sometimes a newsletter about future proposed changes to the exams. I didn’t think I needed to open it right at that moment. I left it on the table, and when I returned, there was a pile of bills stacked on top of that letter. Opening the letter slipped my mind completely, and a few months later, as I was purging the mail basket, I realized it was a letter advising me to take a test before December to keep my rolling clock status active, without enrolling into IDP program.

I had let my rolling clock expire.

I am an immigrant. I have a foreign degree. It was not easy for me to establish my credentials the first time I applied for candidate status. My parents had to visit my university and spend a considerable amount of time and effort to get the paperwork formatted suitably for IERF to verify the authenticity of degree and transfer my credits.

One architect that I had worked for retired since then. Two companies that I worked for had merged with other companies, and changed names. I had no clue if they still had my employment information, or if I would be able to find a contact to get the paperwork started for verifying my employment.

I let months pass by, sometimes wondering why I let this happen.

Right after I got qualified to take the ARE exams, I had two children, moved three times within the state, tied myself to a mortgage, and made meeting deadlines at work more important than brushing up on my knowledge for the test. Work-life balance meant scheduling the tests at a time I thought would work conveniently with the project deadlines, with my family commitments, and later postponing or canceling the test because things didn't work as planned. There was never the right time, and never the right opportunity. I didn't manage to pass a single test or keep myself motivated. Then hit the Great Recession.

One fine afternoon, unemployed and hopeless during the Recession of 2010-2011 period, I decided that it was time to move on from Architecture, and licensing might not be worth pursuing, what with the highest rate of unemployment and lowest billing index in the field of construction. I took on roles in other unrelated industries to keep the cash flow stable. Once the industry showed signs of recovery, I started out as a consulting project manager, mostly part time in the beginning. Back on the drawing board, the first question that I asked myself was, where was my license?

Responsibilities were growing two fold with family and work becoming more stressful than before. I wondered what exactly happened at that moment when I trivialized the goals I had set for years and sabotaged all my preparation.  Burning the midnight oil while in school, and dedicating weekends at work to fine tune the set of drawings for construction, and all it took was one irrational decision at a very weak moment. I had to move on, stop pondering over what had happened and why it happened. I decided to pick up where I left that afternoon, and navigated through the maze of NCARB and CAB to re-establish my candidacy and activate my test taking status.

The decision to work on my licensure. I have always believed that life goes on, challenges redefine and goals reset. My moment of pride happened that day when I called the California Architects Board (CAB) and re-established my status as an active candidate. Fast forward three months after chasing CAB and NCARB, I am done with 68% of my IDP, and passed one ARE test, and I have two more scheduled over the holidays. There are still deadlines that magically move closer to my test date no matter how much I plan well on both fronts. There is still the elusive work-life balance that tips a little to the right.

 This time, there is no quitting.

Don't stay up at night worrying if you made the right decision to go back to work after the baby. Sure everyone around you is asking how you can leave a child so small with your mother, or mother-in-law, or the baby sitter? But if you and your partner trust them, and trust your instincts, don't ever have second thoughts. A big hug for leaning in. Stay focused.

Gene Naval, my Manager and Project Architect at the peak of the Recession shared his career stories during the last recession in the 80s and how he ended up coming back to his first love, architecture after working in jewelry design for almost a decade. "I made a lot of money, earned respect from the people I worked with, but I was not happy. Even if it meant less money, buying my own pencils and erasers for a while, I jumped back in to Architecture at the first chance once the industry started hiring again".

I heard him then, but I listen to him now. Happiness cannot be measured by the amount of money you make. It's derived by the work you do.

Julia Morgan finally got her due and in the next ten years we will see a lot of women architects take on full fledged roles in influencing the community through their design. Men are taking on equal opportunity partner roles in families that will help women lean in more and give their best to what they love most. I think it's a great time to be a woman and an architect. There are still challenges, but compared to how things were two decades ago, we have accomplished a lot, and things should hopefully get easier for the coming generation of young architects.

Technology has changed so much and will continue evolving in the next decade, thereby influencing architecture. Every building we design will soon be a smart building. Sustainability will be large influence on building design and construction.  The next decade should make it easier to have access to sustainable materials, and to recycle/ upcycle construction waste. In the future, my role will evolve with time and responsibilities, but the underlying sentiment of design will be the same. To design for ease of use and purpose.

First of all, the skyline dress Architect Barbie with a blue print tube is not helping.  No, we don't look like that at all, and we don't rearrange furniture in a room as seems to be another common misconception. Well written articles about everyday role models in architecture and their designs will help the public understand what an architect does. Presence in media will help, not just in documentaries about great buildings, but as roles in sitcoms.

Ted Mosby shouldn't be the only architect everyone knows from TV shows.

INSPIRE% [02]: Juggling Work & Family - Jaya Kader, AIA

This week, INSPIRE% features Jaya Kader, AIA LEED AP, who shares her amazing journey of resilience: juggling the roles of sole practitioner and mother/wife very early on in her career. Today, Jaya Kader runs a her own successful practice in Miami and is a sponsor and attendee of Equity by Design.

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Smart Ideas: Businesses Revisited

Health & Fitness

Benefits of Going to a Chiropractor

People experiencing physical pain should try the services of a chiropractor Alabama. The benefits of having regular chiropractic care is given below. Residents of Alabama can either go to Chiropractor Huntsville AL or Chiropractor Madison AL for chiropractor care.

The chiropractor will be able to find out what is wrong by examining the health of your nervous system. The balance of your body will then be restored by your chiropractor. Many of those who have gone for chiropractic care have reported that their stress levels have been reduced and their energy increased after their spinal health was restored. Chiropractic care patients have achieved proper spinal health which has reduced their stress levels and increased their energy. Chiropractic health also addresses unwanted impairments, allowing patients to get physical exercise that further contributes to a stress free state of mind.

Chiropractor’s say that headaches are caused by spinal misalignments like vertebral sublaxations. When the chiropractor makes adjustments the pressure on the nerves that are causing this discomfort will be lessened. With this, your nervous system will function effectively as a whole.

Adjusting your lifestyle to boost your immune system and prevent sickness will be advised by your chiropractor. If you immune system is stronger then you will be less susceptible to colds, the flu, pneumonia, cancer, and other forms of sicknesses.


29 December 2013

Author Interview: C.P. Lesley

This week, we're pleased to welcome author C.P. Lesley with her latest novel, THE GOLDEN LYNX. The author will offer a free copy of The Golden Lynx to a lucky blog visitor. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments for a chance to win. Here's the blurb.

Or is he a man?

**Author Interview with C. P. Lesley**

What makes 16th-century Russia a good setting for a novel?
From 1450 to 1600, Russia came roaring back after two centuries of domination by the descendants of Genghis Khan, known as the Tatars. The princes of Moscow took over the other Russian principalities and established the autocratic system that has provided the template for Russian power ever since. At the same time, Tatar rule fragmented, leading to the decline and, eventually, the conquest of the former conquerors. A situation rife with cultural conflict and power struggles is like mother’s milk to a novelist. At the time when I set my Legends of the Five Directions series, all that trouble was heightened by the enthroning of the three-year-old who would become known as Ivan the Terrible (ruled 1533–84). With no strong ruler to moderate the fierce competition among the great aristocratic clans, the normal consensus among the elite fractured.

As a writer, 16th-century Russia is also a natural fit for me. It’s a time and place I have spent decades studying but about which most people know little or nothing, so I thought it would be a fun way to put all that reading to good use.

How does Nasan, your heroine in The Golden Lynx, fit into this setting?
Nasan is a Tatar princess living in Kasimov, which was a Russian town given over to this or that Tatar prince—mostly to keep potential troublemakers in line. At sixteen, she is confronting the constraints imposed on women in most traditional societies. Her mother spends every minute preparing her for marriage—and as was typical at that time, her father, not Nasan, will decide whom she marries. But Nasan is a tomboy. She wants to emulate the heroines of legend she has read about in books. With her younger brother, she sneaks into the woods to practice archery and swordsmanship, until her younger brother dies in an ambush during one such excursion. To settle the interfamily feud that follows, Nasan’s father agrees to marry her into the family of her brother’s murderer. Her underlying desire to define the terms of her own life is threatened.

Can’t she just say no?
That’s her first instinct, but if she refuses the match, in effect she condemns every male member of her family to death. And because her community defines her clan as including the dead and the unborn, she risks being cast out for eternity if she refuses to cooperate. Her commitment to her family binds her. However admirable in itself, it is her main obstacle to achieving her goal.

Her second obstacle is her new husband, Daniil. So long as he is around, Nasan has to toe the line as defined by their two families. That creates a difficult situation for her, as the marriage thrusts her into an unfamiliar culture with a language she barely speaks and rules on the behavior of women every bit as restrictive as the society she has left behind. She has no friends: her mother-in-law criticizes and instructs her; her sister-in-law detests her; and Daniil seems more interested in the servant girls than he is in her.

So where does the Golden Lynx come in?
Without intending to, Daniil makes it possible for Nasan to solve her problem. His main goal is to prove that his own brother did not kill Nasan’s. When he takes off to discover what actually happened on the day of the murder, his absence frees Nasan to slip out of the house at night, dressed in boys’ clothes. As she helps one person after another, stories of her exploits spread throughout Moscow and beyond. People don’t know her name, so they call her the Golden Lynx because of the pendant she wears around her neck for good luck. After a while, she runs into the man who really did kill her younger brother, and her desire for revenge drives the rest of the story.

Is this a book about vengeance, then, or about self-realization?
Both. It’s a journey of self-discovery for Nasan and Daniil, a coming-of-age tale. But the novel’s underlying story problem addresses how different people respond to injury. Some characters endure and adapt; some forgive; some repay violence with violence; some seek revenge but in the end find the solution in justice rather than mindless response. I leave it to the readers to decide which reaction proves most rewarding.

Where is the series going from here?
I have a complete rough draft for The Winged Horse (2: East), which looks at life on the steppe through the story of Nasan’s older brother and his attempt to take over a nomadic horde. The big idea there is to explore the complicated family relationships established in a polygamous society, especially one where politics is governed by ties of kinship, real and imagined. The Swan Princess (3: North) returns to Russia, where Daniil goes missing on the Lithuanian front and Nasan sets off to find him, only to encounter several nasty characters from book 1. The Vermilion Bird (4: South) sees Nasan’s annoying sister-in-law, Maria, get her comeuppance; and The Shattered Drum (5: Center) rounds out the series with a resolution for Grusha, the servant girl whose interest in Daniil ratchets up the conflict in The Golden Lynx and The Swan Princess.

C. P. Lesley, a historian, is the author of The Not Exactly Scarlet Pimpernel and The Golden Lynx, both published by Five Directions Press in 2012. She is currently working on The Winged Horse, the first of four planned sequels to The Golden Lynx—a series set during the childhood of Ivan the Terrible. When not writing, dancing, reading, or working, she hosts New Books in Historical Fiction.

You can find out more at Ms. Lesley’s website and blog. The website includes a link to her Amazon.com author page.


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Teilnehmer des Projektpraktikums präsentieren das Projekt zur Erstellung einer FirefoxOS-Anwendung zur Verbindungssuche im Koblenzer Nahverkehr.

12.03.2015 - 10:15 h
Kerstin Lorig

Entwicklung einer iOS-Schnittstelle zur interaktiven Mitgestaltung von Vorlesungen durch Studierende.

05.03.2015 - 10:15 h

In a delegative democracy, voters can delegate their vote to any other voter in the system and can change their delegations at any point in time. We look at the impact of delegations on an online delegative democracy platform.

05.02.2015 - 10:15 h

29.01.2015 - 10:15 h

Word segmentation can be considered as a fundamental task in natural language processing. The process to tokenize a given text is the rst step in further analyzing it using for example POS-Tagging, semantic analysis or automated translation mechanisms.

23.01.2015 - 10:15 h

In recent years, answering keyword queries on graph-structured data has emerged as an important research topic. There are two main reasons behind that. On one hand, at the beginning of their search process, many users are uncertain what exactly they are looking for, or which terms should be used to express their query.

22.01.2015 - 10:15 h

In order to leverage to potential for connected education unfree alternatives like coursera, udacitz, iversitz an many more are entering the market. Those platforms offer a great user experience while consuming and creating content. Typical Learn management systems like OLAT do not have such a great user experience. Both platforms do not really support creating courses in a collaborative way. Mediawiki a software used for wikipedia but also for the german ZUM-Wiki is a spread alternative for learning materials. The problem is that the main purpose of media wiki is to build an encyclopedia and lack user experience for creating and consuming courses.

15.01.2015 - 10:15 h

There is an increasing availability of data encoded in the W3C standard Resource Description framework (RDF). In a near future, this may pose severe problem to classical approaches for query answering based on a single computing node. A natural approach to tackle this challenge is to resort to distributed RDF stores that combine several computing nodes in one virtual system. In general, distributed RDF stores splits an RDF graph into several partitions that are assigned to computing nodes. Hence, the partitioning strategy influences the efficiency of query execution. This is true as the computation of one single result can require triples stored on several different computing nodes.

11.12.2014 - 10:15 h

Detection of bus lines from GPS data, captured by mobile phones, has many applications in urban transportation. Traditional approaches use distance measures between bus route data and the GPS history to identify the most likely bus lines that a user is traveling in. In the talk I am going to present a Markov model approach that allows to exploit precise detection of the "waiting at bus stop"-event in a natural way. This is joint work with Sven Milker, who is currently writing his master's thesis on this topic.

04.12.2014 - 10:15 h

The Semantic Web aims at converting the current web into a web of data. All data in the Semantic Web - be it Linked Data or publicly available Triplestores - adhere to the same data model. They are also both queryable through an either Link-Traversal based query approach or through SPARQL.

27.11.2014 - 10:15 h


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FANtastic parents: ultimate family goals

Whether it be loud cheering, post-game snacks, pom-poms, or being the team chauffeur, parents are essential to any sports team. The support and dedication of parents complement the hardwork and determination of an athlete.  From peewee sports, to high school athletics, and even the Olympic Games, parental support is critical to the success of their children.

First Interview: Joseph’s Mom, Eileen Galego

Kaylee Rodriguez: What draws you to support the team at every game? Why do you enjoy cheering for the game?

Mom’s name: The great group of determined boys that make up the MAST JV and Varsity teams is what draws me to support them. Watching the boys go from tryouts, practices, and games has been a journey and a pleasure to watch. It makes us proud of these boys! The canmaredie the boys share is seen off and on the court. We enjoy cheering at the games b/c we know how much hard work has gone into the practices and games.

R: How important do you think parental support is to a child?

M: I think parental support is most important in any child’s life. It gives them a sense of self worth and self confidence. I wouldn’t miss a single game!

R:What’s your interaction with the other parents of the team?

M: To be in the stands at every game with the other parents, cheering and screaming for the teams, has been an awesome experience. All of us fanatic fans have a common thread: a respectful, confident, persistent, and determined son on the team.

Mikey Clavijo: Elizabeth Clavijo, Mom

R:How important do you think parental support is to a child?

M: I think it is important for children to feel the support of their parents in all they do. In a way we as parents are building their self esteem for the future. We won’t always be there as they grow up. I think it is essential to their future to know that their parents are there for support, guidance, or just to listen.

R:Why do you enjoy cheering/showing your support at the games?

M:I love to cheer for my kids and their teammates. Whether it is a win or a loss on the scoreboard, when they all play together and give it their all for each other, it is always a win.

R:Having three children that played/are playing on the soccer team, how much of an impact does their sport have on your life?

M: All three of my children have been playing soccer since they were four years old. For a few years they were all doing travel soccer at the same time. It has been a big sacrifice both on family time and financially. It has been worthwhile so far. We have created life long friendships along the way which we would not have otherwise. We always try to make it to games as a family when work, game, and social schedules allow.

Julia Ugan on her mother Beatrice Ugan

R:What does your mother’s support mean to you?

U:Having my mom come to my games means the world to me. She has never missed one club tournament or high school game. No matter what she has on her plate, she has always managed to make it on time and cheer on, not just myself, but the whole team. Having my mom’s support brings us closer together now that we can share a love I have for the game.

R:What has your mother done to go above and beyond just coming to the games?

U:My mom has done a lot of planning for the events that we have. Without her we probably would not have had our team dinners, senior night, or snack for the games. She works with other moms as well to make this happen and I could not be more grateful to know that, additional to her personal work, she is able to squeeze me in and help out as much as she can.

A lot of people believe that having a parent show up to a game might be embarrassing or “uncool” but honestly, it brings such a great feeling to know that they are there for you. Some parents are busy with work and cannot come, but I believe that if they can make it you should not convince them not to.


"Low-brow" artist David Choe's work adorns city streets and major art institutions alike. RJ, Flickr CC

Friends in Low Places

Feeling inauthentic? Publicly displaying your appreciation for “lowbrow” art might be the answer. According to Oliver Hahl and colleagues, writing in American Sociological Review, some high-status people love lowbrow culture because it makes them appear more authentic—to others and to themselves.

In general, we detect authenticity in others when we see an apparent consistency between their public-facing self and their internal motives. We expect people to be what they say they are: dancer, doctor, musician, sociologist. This is why the “authentic” musician is the one who strives to be an excellent musician, while the “inauthentic” one is seen as striving for fame.

High-status people may be especially susceptible to claims of inauthenticity (or “status denigration”), because they are successful and may appear to be motivated by success. Many high-status people are aware of this suspicion and experience “authenticity-insecurity.” To counter this feeling, high-status people may turn to lowbrow culture, seen as more authentic because it is produced by or for low-status people, without the promise of status, fame, or fortune. By showing appreciation for lowbrow culture, high-status people can signal to others that they appreciate authenticity—with the implication that they, too, are authentic.

Hahl and colleagues conducted two experiments, looking for evidence of this authenticity-by-association effect. In the first experiment, participants evaluated two paintings, one produced by a fictional artist they were told was high in status but low in authenticity and the other a lowbrow piece produced by a fictional artist low in status but high in authenticity. Participants who were made to feel high-status (through association with a high-status social type) and inauthentic (because their social type was portrayed as status-driven) favored the lowbrow art more than participants who were made to feel authentic. In the second experiment, high-status, inauthentic people were deemed more authentic by study participants when they were presented as preferring the lowbrow art.

The authors ultimately conclude that consuming lowbrow culture can reduce status denigration. But can you consume your way to authenticity? Not quite. As the authors point out, any effort to appear authentic, if detectable, might be taken as evidence of inauthenticity.


Education & Reference's questions - German iziqna

Whats a word to describe someone who is ignorant/arrogant?

9 answers · Words & Wordplay · 17 hours ago
Arrogant is the wrong word, theyre not full of themselves but they have their own way of thinking. You can try to convince them of something and they can genuinly try to understand you but they just dont. They just dont get it. Their mind just cant grasp it because they were not raised like you.

Best answer: Golf course maintenance.

Why is the Madonna shown as being "white?"?

11 answers · Other - Education · 2 days ago

That seems to be the norm

Is this sentence correct?

9 answers · Words & Wordplay · 2 days ago
Best answer: There are several grammatical problems Ways that you can write it correctly: - J. K. Rowling’s "Harry Potter" brand has made her a billionaire. - J. K. Rowling’s "Harry Potter" series has made her a billionaire.

Best answer: An apple

Does knocking have any sexual connotations?

9 answers · Words & Wordplay · 2 days ago
Best answer: I would guess masturbating somebody else or giving them head, since the motion done with your hand during these acts resembles knocking.

BLACK WOMEN WITH MASTER DEGREES. are they really smart?

18 answers · Higher Education (University +) · 6 days ago
Best answer: yes. the problem is less than 10% of black women age 25 and up have it and less than 20% age 25 and up have a bachelors. so most are without

Best answer: You're a winner!! Stupidest Question of the Day

Do you fish carps in a pond?

8 answers · Words & Wordplay · 1 day ago
Is this English sentence grammatically correct? If so, is it natural?

I'm extremely jealous of other college kids my age?

7 answers · Higher Education (University +) · 1 day ago
Hi. My names Linka and I'm 18 years old. I fooled around in high school, did a bunch of drugs and got into a coma for two weeks. My grades were awful and due to this, I go to a community college. Im sober now. I live at home and have no friends or social live and am literally craving a social life. I have... show more

Best answer: New Mexico

What does it mean if a person calls you timid?

6 answers · Words & Wordplay · 19 hours ago


Is there any sort of law restricting sole custody to one parent if there is a history of bi-polar disorder with that parent? She is going through a divorce and now will be the only “responsible” adult responsible for the primary care of my 3 step-kids all under the age of 10.

No, custody cases are determined on a case by case basis. The judge will certainly consider mental illness as part of making a ruling in the best interests of the children, but a diagnosis alone is not enough for a custody determination.


7 Ways AI Will Be Closer to Science Than Science Fiction in 2018

Artificial intelligence has pushed our world into the future

There’s no dispute that 2017 was the year of artificial intelligence. In fact, AI has greatly enhanced our world this year.

For instance, we’ve seen AI make huge strides in the medical community, and have even seen technology predict the outcome of court cases. Companies have also benefited from AI’s ability to predict whether or not a business deal will go sour.

Despite the huge advances in technology and the benefits our world has gained, there are plenty of naysayers who feel that AI will be the downfall of our society. After all, the ethics of robots are still a gray area that can complicate the conversation tremendously.

While the world still feels a little confused over the role AI is expected to play in 2018, as well as through the next decade, there are still some things we can predict.

Outsourcing Will Get Easier

One of the ways AI has proven its worth is in the outsourcing of menial tasks. Robots can now manage our calendars, schedule our appointments, file customer complaints, balance our finances and even make phone calls for us.

Gone are the days when we could complain that administrative tasks are being outsourced to Asia. AI is expected to almost completely replace humans in this area over the next year.

The number of apps that can perform unwanted human tasks for a mere monthly subscription or on a pay-by-task basis will also increase exponentially.

Empathy Can Be Learned

The one thing humans believe separates them from robots is expected to disappear in 2018. AI will more closely resemble humans in the future by developing the use of empathy. Machines will be able to read body language, tonal changes and facial expressions, then respond in an appropriate manner.

In fact, machines might even become better at empathy than humans.

For example, studies have shown that being proven wrong only reinforces the wrong-doer’s decisions. That’s because humans often show extreme empathetic difficulty in pointing out someone else’s mistakes. Robots, on the other hand, are not hindered by emotions like pride. This means that AI will be able to make convincing arguments using emotional appeals.

Language Barriers Will Be Broken

One of the disappointments in the AI world has been translation and language barriers. So far, AI has not enabled humans to seamlessly understand each other regardless of language. Google Translate, for instance, has been one of the biggest disappointments in AI technology since it is still unable to translate as accurately as many consumers and tech experts have hoped.

However, all of that is expected to change in 2018. For instance, one of the most anticipated technologies coming out next year is a language translation earpiece. This will allow individuals to seamlessly communicate with each other, even if they don’t understand the other person’s language. Although there’s plenty of AI barriers still to overcome in language translation, the foundation has been laid.

Big Data Will Get Even Bigger

The line between AI and Big Data is extremely thin, and is expected to all but disappear in 2018. For example, the tech world expects AI to continue to analyze large amounts of data to help CEOs and board members make big decisions. This will allow companies to analyze data faster. AI will also be able to predict weak investments and poor performance funnels.

Companies will begin utilizing Big Data and AI for measuring performance, as determining an employee’s success will become a task for computers in the coming year. Meanwhile, human resources departments will also make use of AI and Big Data to recruit employees with the greatest potential and least amount of risk.

AI might even be able to help companies avoid the type of harassment scandals that rocked the world in 2017, such as the one that brought down Harvey Weinstein.

Failure Is an Option

One of the biggest predictions for 2018 is that we’re not as far along in AI technology as we want to believe. In fact, we’re a long way from complete dependency on AI intelligence. Though we’ve made huge strides toward a complete AI-dependent lifestyle, experts estimate all this is still in the realm of science fiction.

Instead, 2018 will prove just how far we are from robots ruling the world. For instance, scientists will continue to roll out tech that makes great advancements toward the future of AI, but that won’t completely replace humans in every role.

AI Might Save Us

Plenty of skeptics have voiced concerns over AI being the downfall of humanity. After all, we all have our own fears when it comes to the safety of AI technology. With technology this powerful, what if it can hurt humans? This can raise some scary questions, like who would be responsible for the death of a human at the hands of a robot, or should AI systems be protected from sexual harassment in the same way that humans are?

Fortunately, recent advances in AI are all about its beneficial aspects. For instance, the tech world expects AI to help medicine in ways humans only dreamed of. Everything from curing cancer to surgical procedures to predicting heart attacks will change the way we look at healthcare.

The End Is Not Neigh

According to Venture Beat, there’s no need to worry about end-of-the-world scenarios just yet. As much as we’d like to think we have the tech to create killer robots that lack empathy, we just don’t.

In fact, this idea is shared by many experts. AI tends to be a flashy term that carries more hype than it’s worth. In 2018, experts agree that the world will have a stronger idea of what AI actually entails as this technology continues to shift from science fiction to the reality of science.


Cognizant struck its largest deal to date, $2.7 billion in cash to buy US-based TriZetto from primarily owned by private equity group Apax. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and Cambria Health Solutions, both minority shareholders, will also sell their stakes. Cognizant intends to finance the transaction through a combination of cash and debt and has secured $1 billion of committed financing in support of the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2014

TriZetto Corp. is based in Englewood, Colorado. TriZetto, a provider of healthcare information technology software and solutions, was owned primarily by private-equity firm Apax Partners. TriZetto Corporation provides world-class information technology and service solutions that help payers and providers work more efficiently and collaborate to deliver better health. Working with more than 350 health plans, TriZetto solutions reach nearly 245,000 care providers. TriZetto helps healthcare organizations enhance administrative efficiency; improve the cost, quality, and delivery of care; address compliance; and compete to win in an emerging retail market. Payer solutions include benefits administration, care management, network management and portal platforms, as well as consulting, application management and business management services. Provider solutions include real-time eligibility assurance, claims editing, revenue cycle management technology, and services that help providers get paid quickly and accurately. Currently, serves more than 200 clients including 16 of the top 20 US health plans and four of the top five pharmacy benefit management companies. TriZetto was built up through about 16 acquisitions in the last 15 years.

  1. Cognizant and TriZetto have had a long-term relationship, having jointly served a number of healthcare clients to date, so the integration will be easily accomplished;
  2. A combined entity will have more healthcare revenue while serving 245,000 health-care providers and payers who cover about 180 million people in the U.S. and it will also serve about 350 healthcare plans which will enable Cognizant to differentiate itself in the US healthcare market;
  3. It expects the deal to be immediately accretive to earnings (excluding one-time costs and adjustments);
  4. The companies are looking to integrate an array of services, with three core focuses: traditional information technology services; businesses such as consulting and IT infrastructure; and delivery models still in development and expect about $1.5 billion in potential revenue synergies over the next five years;
  5. Healthcare accounts for 26% of Cognizant’s revenue. Adding on TriZetto will help the company build up its revenue in the healthcare sector even further. Positions Cognizant to cash in on an industry that currently represents 17% of U.S. gross domestic product;
  6. To integrate across traditional IT services; high-growth businesses such as management consulting, business process services and IT infrastructure services and emerging delivery models;
  7. Trizetto has 3,700 workers which will join Cognizant’s existing healthcare information technology business;
  8. TriZetto already runs a streamlined organisation; so this acquisition is all about opportunity and growth, not cost reduction. As such, there are no layoffs planned
  9. The acquisition will enable a lot of cross-selling in business process outsourcing and software and will make Cognizant a strategic healthcare services vendor to many more clients
  10. The acquisition is timely for Cognizant, coming as it does in the aftermath of the landmark legislation known as Obamacare. The company provides services such as claims processing, billing and call center operations to insurers, hospitals and some state-run healthcare exchanges set up under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

The valuation of TriZetto looks “quite inflated”, such a valuation is not uncommon in the products and platform space for a company targeting a niche segment. If Cognizant was paying such a high valuation for a pure-pay services company, it would have been worrisome. But a four to five times valuation 2013 revenues of an estimated $676 million for an intellectual property (IP) -related company in the US is normal and also much lower when compared current TCS which gives 6 times of the revenue of the healthcare (i.e. TCS current Market cap for Healthcare business comes to $57million for revenue generated from healthcare of $9million) Whereas TriZetto was acquired by Apax, a London-based private-equity firm, for $1.19 billion in 2008 and exit by them is at the good value.

And Cognizant will borrow for the first time ever to fund the buyout, so the management is quietly confident that the acquisition will create much higher value than it paid to the Apax.

Comparatively, India’s largest IT services provider Tata Consultancy Services Ltd ( TCS ) reported 6.3% of its June quarter revenue as coming from healthcare and life sciences, out of total revenue of Rs. 22,111 crore in the same period. HCL Technologies Ltd reported 0.9% of its June quarter revenue of Rs.8,424 crore from life sciences and healthcare. Wipro Ltd said 10.8% of its total June quarter revenue came from healthcare, life sciences, and services. Its revenue for the quarter ended 30 June was Rs.11,136 crore. Infosys Ltd reported 1.9% of its revenue as coming from healthcare in the same period on total revenue of Rs.12,770 crore.

The US healthcare market has been a target for all the major IT services exporters, which has been triggered by Obamacare and the huge opportunity for digitizing health records. This acquisition will help Cognizant gain a sizeable foothold in the US healthcare market, where it already holds a dominant position compared to its peers. Cognizant’s grip on the segment will increase further, leaving behind peers like Wipro, Infosys, and Tata Consultancy Services.

Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. rose $1.33, or 3 percent, to $46.09 in premarket trading.

With this acquisition Cognizant has a stronger footprint in the US IT healthcare market, tipped to touch $22.6 billion by 2017, driven by opportunities from Obamacare. This acquisition will give it a cutting edge in the healthcare vertical, where it competes with global biggies like IBM and Accenture, at a time healthcare corporations are keen to cut costs and also help to grow revenue which is struggling. Cognizant move to acquire Trizetto is a good move and it will create value for all the stakeholders.


PHOTO BY JR PARACHINI - Westfield is on a 37-game winning streak, including 3 straight North 2, Group 5 state championship wins over Bridgewater-Raritan.


McDonald's menu restriction resolved

As the largest restaurant chain by revenue (>$22b) and second by number of outlets (>37,000), McDonald's is a market leader. To maintain its market success, the company pays close attention to customer preferences and regularly updates its menu.

All-Day Breakfast

One of the most popular menu developments was the All-Day breakfast, a move that lifted the morning-only restriction on breakfast items for a select few items. It was a success, boosting revenue by as much as 3.5%, and the company resolved to further expand availability. They would seek to increase both the number of All-Day Breakfast items available and the number of restaurants offering them. This would require overcoming several difficulties.

To implement the expansion, McDonald's needed to purchase additional equipment, optimize kitchen space, and hire new employees. Furthermore, the implementation of these changes across a whole nation would not be straightforward. As a result, McDonald's sought to make informed decisions and consulted with HAVI, AnyLogic specialists.

HAVI modeled a typical McDonald's restaurant and made allowance for the proposed changes. The flexibility of the model allowed engineers to change the layout, the type and size of the new equipment, as well as customer demand volumes. This meant the developers could simulate the different restaurant configurations throughout the country and qualitatively evaluate the changes. Built-in metrics included: customer service time, product freshness, wastage, and more. Together, these metrics influence a restaurant’s financial performance and are included in the model’s statistics.

Model of the McDonald's test kitchen

Model of the McDonald's test kitchen.

Based on the simulation results, the engineers made recommendations for each restaurant in the country: how to reduce costs and optimally balance staff and equipment while introducing the changes.

Find out more about the project in the full case study.

HAVI explain the simulation model

⭐ There are more videos, check out the AnyLogic YouTube channel, there are how-to videos, webinars, and many others.

❔ While simulation modeling oriented comments should definitely be made, please indulge our curiosity: McDonalds offers many regional variations — What are the best you have found?


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Vascular Emergencies

Vascular Emergencies

Alain Branchereau, Michael Jacobs (Editor)

ISBN: 978-1-405-10387-9

Mar 2003, Wiley-Blackwell

372 pages

Select type: Hardcover

In Stock

Approximately 40% of vascular surgical practices are determined by vascular emergencies, hence a major volume on this subject is a valuable addition to the literature. As a multi-contributor project, this text is able to draw on the expertise of a wide number of internationally renowned practitioners, providing a comprehensive compilation of urgent and emergency vascular problems, the majority of which will be applicable to every vascular surgical practice.

The text provides extensive coverage of the more common vascular pathologies such as acute limb ischemia, venous emergencies and arterial occlusion, while also devoting considerable space to less frequent, yet equally challenging situations, such as blunt trauma of the carotid artery and stab wounds to the base of the neck. A number of new insights are provided, for example, the utility of endovascular approaches to the rupture of the abdominal aorta as opposed to the traditional surgical intervention. Authors also explore the contribution of underlying pathologies such as peripheral aneurysms and diabetes to emergency situations. A range of surgical, endovascular and thrombolytic therapies are covered, alongside an appreciation of the wider bioethical concerns relevant to vascular emergencies.

Section 1: Carotid Arteries.

Emergency reconstruction of the ICA.

Blunt trauma of the internal carotid arteries.

Stab wounds at the base of the neck.

Section 2: Aorta.

Acute occlusion of the abdominal aorta.

Rupture of AAA. Why is mortality the same since 30 years?

AAA: should endovascular treatment be the first choice?

Urgent open surgery after endovascular AAA repair.

Type B dissection: indications and strategies.

Aortic type B dissection: endovascular treatment. Techniques and results.

Acute complications following coelioscopic surgery.

Traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta.

Section 3: Upper Limbs.

Acute ischemia of the upper limb.

Acute complications of the AV fistula for hemodialysis.

Section 4: Lower Limbs.

Arterial emboli of the lower limbs.

Acute arterial thrombosis of the lower limbs. Mechanisms, diagnosis and treatment.

Acute thrombosis of peripheral arterial aneurysms. Rare causes of acute ischemia of the limbs.

Acute problems of the diabetic foot.

Endovascular treatment of arterial blunt injury of the limbs.

Endovascular approach of acute arterial occlusions.

Section 5: Veins.

Acute thrombosis of iliocaval veins.

Acute thrombosis of axillary and subclavian veins.

Acute treatment of aortocaval fistula.

Traumatic injury of the vena cava and its major branches.

Section 6: Miscellaneous.

Acute occlusion of the renal arteries.

Acute intestinal ischemia.

Gunshot arterial injury.

Abdominal compartment syndrome.

Rupture of visceral artery aneurysms.

Thrombolysis for occlusion of bypass grafts.

Bioethical concerns of vascular emergencies.


30 Aug 2018

UP STATE :- Fresh orders issued to install speed governors in vehicles

BAREILLY: Fresh directions to enforce installation of speed regulators in public transport vehicles and heavy vehicles have recently been issued by the UP transport commissioner and Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) managing director P Guruprasad to Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across the state.

RTOs have been directed to launch enforcement drives to check for speed regulators. Vehicles not complying with the rule for a genuine reason will not be allowed to carry passengers or goods and the words “vehicle lacks an SLD” will be painted on it in red on the front and the rear.

As per RTO officials, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers, fire brigade vehicles, ambulances and police vehicles will be exempted from the rule, while dumpers, trucks, roadways buses, city buses, school buses and tankers, will have to be fitted with a speed limit device (SLD) with a fixed speed limit of 60km per hour at the earliest.

Speaking to TOI, assistant regional transport officer (ARTO) Bareilly, RP Singh said, “Fresh directions have been issued to ensure that public transport vehicles such as mini buses, roadways buses and heavy vehicles such as dumpers, tankers, trucks, etc, are fitted with speed limit devices. Though the rule is already in place and vehicles are randomly checked for the installation of the device in vehicles by Bareilly RTO, fresh directions have again been issued to check non-compliance and strictly go by the rule. Besides, officials have been asked to launch enforcement drives to identify vehicles flouting the norm.”

The letter issued by transport commissioner to regional transport offices, a copy of which is with TOI, reads, “The vehicles that lack the device will be restricted from plying on the roads and drivers of both public transport as well as goods transport vehicles are not allowed to ferry passengers or transport goods until the device is installed in the vehicle. Also, till the time the device is not installed, the vehicle’s operator or driver will have to mention “vehicle lacks speed governor” or the fact that they are not fitted with an SLD on the front and rear side of their vehicle in red.”

ARTO Bareilly Singh added, “A contract with a private company, which will be given the task of installing SLDs in the vehicles, is currently underway and as soon it gets finalized, work of fitting speed governors in vehicles will be initiated.”


WVU Professor Awarded $13 Million to Study Treatment For Rural Depression Patients

Sep 7, 2018

A West Virginia University researcher has been awarded a $13.3 million from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to compare three treatment strategies for rural depressed patients.

Rates of depression tend to be higher in rural areas, and accessing treatment is more difficult.

WVU professor Robert Bossarte will compare three treatment options: prescribing antidepressants alone, antidepressants combined with unguided online cognitive behavior therapy, and antidepressants combined with guided online cognitive behavior therapy.

Cognitive behavior therapy is a way of training your brain to react differently to stressful triggers, using tools like breathing and muscle relaxation.

Unguided therapy provides online instruction designed to determine what makes patient symptoms worse, and to change how they respond to those triggers.

During guided therapy patients will check-in with a cognitive behavior coach.

The study will include 8,000 West Virginia depression patients.


Turtle Nesting Season

Beachfront Vacation Rentals » Turtle Nesting Season

Turtle Nesting Season

2018-05-03T07:59:01+00:00By |Categories: Things to Do on Longboat Key|

Sea turtle nesting season begins on May 1 and ends Oct. 31.
The first local sea turtle nests of 2018 were discovered Friday on Longboat on Friday.

Sea turtles play a critical role in maintaining the balance of the ocean that we depend on. Each sea turtle species has a different purpose in preserving the ocean’s ecosystem.

Without species like leatherbacks, for example, a bloom of jellyfish happens, and the number of fish eggs decreases because jellyfish eat fish eggs. This chain reaction wreaks havoc on the ecosystem which in turn affects us in the long run.

Loggerheads keep the ocean floor maintained by prevents the sediments from compacting and changing the distribution of nutrition necessary for other marine life. Hawkbills are responsible for taking care of the coral reefs and ridleys forage for crab which keeps their population in check.

Sea turtles jobs are never done so without them; our ecosystem would perish.

Nesting Turtles on Longboat Key

Once a hatchling is born, it takes them about 30 years to return to nest as adults. Interestingly enough, female loggerhead turtles return to their island of birth to nest.

Female sea turtles and their hatchlings find water by heading toward the brightest horizon on the natural beach because the ocean horizon is brighter than the shore. However, on a developed beach, you will find that the light from waterfront properties can disorient sea turtles and their hatchlings and draw them in the opposite directions, putting them at risk because of the roads, swimming pools, yards, and other dangerous locations.

If you notice a hatchling wandering away from the ocean, you should notify the local environmental protection agency as soon as possible. Usually, these hatchlings need to be taken to a darker portion of the beach so they can find the surf on their own. In some rare occasions, they may need to be placed in the water and allowed to swim away. You should always contact the local resources first before doing anything.

Here are some turtle-friendly tips on what to do if you encounter a turtle nest on Longboat Key:

  • Remain quiet and at a distance, if you encounter a nesting turtle or hatchlings.
  • Keep the outdoor lighting to a minimum during turtle nesting season.
  • Close your drapes when it gets dark during turtle nesting season.
  • If you see any holes on the beach that might entrap hatchlings, fill them.

Do Not:

  • Approach the nests while being loud with any type of lights.
  • Avoid using any flashlights or fishing lamps when you’re on the beach
  • Try and get a turtle to move while nesting or pick up hatchlings while they are trying to head out to water.
  • Avoid using any fireworks on the beach.

Baby Loggerhead Turtles

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DUBAI (AFP) - Bahraini police clashed overnight with Shia demonstrators who took to the streets in protest at jail sentences against prominent opponents, witnesses and the opposition said on Wednesday. Security forces used tear gas and shotgun fire to disperse masked protesters who burned tyres and rubbish bins at the entrances of Shia villages west of Manama, and hurled petrol bombs and rocks at security forces, witnesses said. One protester was seriously wounded in Karrana after receiving a "direct shot in the middle of his body," the main Shiite opposition grouping Al-Wefaq said in a statement. "Doctors have expressed deep concern over the condition of the wounded man," it said.The interior ministry said on its Twitter page that a "wounded man was taken to Salmaniya Hospital and that authorities were investigating the situation.""Your verdicts against our revolutionary figures are unjust!" protesters chanted of an appeal court's decision on Tuesday to uphold jail sentences against 13 leading activists, including seven facing life in prison.The Sunni-ruled kingdom, home to the US Fifth Fleet and strategically situated across the Gulf from Iran, has continued to witness sporadic Shiite-led demonstrations, mostly outside the capital, since it crushed the protest movement in March last year.Amnesty International on Tuesday called the verdicts "another blow to justice," adding that they showed "once more that the Bahraini authorities are not on the path of reform but seem rather driven by vindictiveness."


NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has found yet another peculiar rock on the Red Planet's surface — and this one has a distinct Earth-like flavor.

Lying out in the open, the slab looks like a patch of dried-out mud you might find in the basin of a parched river or lake bed. And, as it turns out, that's exactly what this might be.

Nicknamed "Old Soaker" by the rover team, and photographed by Curiosity on Dec. 31, this fascinating-looking rock is yet another piece of stunning evidence that the rover is exploring materials that were formed out of the sediment at the bottom of a lake.

"Mud cracks are the most likely scenario here," said Nathan Stein, of the Curiosity science team and a graduate student at Caltech in Pasadena, Calif. "Even from a distance, we could see a pattern of four- and five-sided polygons that don't look like fractures we've seen previously with Curiosity."

If confirmed, these polygonal shapes will be the first fossilized mud cracks (formally known as desiccation cracks) found by the mission. Discovered on the lower slopes of Mount Sharp, Old Soaker lies above minerals that are known to form in wet conditions and, according to satellite observations, there's more mudstone further up the mountain.

A top-down view of Old Soaker, as imaged by Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

To form the rock Curiosity sees today, several processes have taken place. Three billion years ago, mud from a lake bed was exposed and dried; it then cracked and was covered with more layers of sediment, filling the cracks. This layering formed stratified rock. Over time, the upper layers of rock became eroded away by Martian winds, revealing the ancient cracked mud layer as a system of raised ridges.

Raised ridges in rock have been found in numerous occasions by the rover. Usually these ridges are formed by the accumulation of minerals that solidify inside cracks. As these minerals form, they become more resistant to erosion than the rock they form in. Over time, the softer rock erodes away, producing interwoven veins of bright minerals that can be used by geologists to understand when and how the rock formed.

In addition to desecration cracks, Old Soaker appears to also have fractures that were infilled with veins of other minerals through processes involving a plentiful supply of liquid water, creating an open geological book for eons of formation process.

"If these are indeed mud cracks, they fit well with the context of what we're seeing in the section of Mount Sharp Curiosity has been climbing for many months," said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity Project Scientist of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. "The ancient lakes varied in depth and extent over time, and sometimes disappeared. We're seeing more evidence of dry intervals between what had been mostly a record of long-lived lakes."

Since landing in 2012, Curiosity has added an incredible amount of information to our knowledge of the Red Planet's once wet and potentially habitable past — this very Earth-like discovery of cracked mud is yet another strangely familiar geological find that proves liquid water persisted for long periods on ancient Mars. But did water and the chemicals necessary for life persist long enough for a basic Martian biology to evolve? That tantalizing question remains unanswered, for now.

Quelle: Seeker


Topic: Mergers are better than acquisitions because the owner can retain some of his rights and ownership in the company or organizationOrder DescriptionIntroduction:Writing a research paper gives you an opportunity to explore a topic of special interest, research that topic, and organize your research findings in writing for anacademic audience.In this task, you will write the final draft of your paper. Aim for a polished, error-free submission. The writing tone for your research paper should be formal andappropriate for academic writing. The information in the essay should be based on credible source material.The paper must follow APA documentation guidelines, and any sources that you cite in the paper must be included in the reference list. Likewise, any source in thereference list must also be cited in your paper.Note: An abstract is not required for this task, but including a title page is recommended.Requirements:A. Write a cohesive, argumentative research paper (suggested length of 12 pages) in which you do the following:1. Provide an effective introduction.2. Provide an appropriate thesis statement that previews two to four main points.3. Develop each of the main points in effective paragraphs with support from a variety of sources.4. Provide an effective conclusion.B. Include at least 12 academically credible sources in your essay.1. For your sources, include all in-text citations and references in APA format.Note: For definitions of terms commonly used in the rubric, see the Rubric Terms web link included in the Evaluation Procedures section.Note: When using sources to support ideas and elements in an assessment, the submission MUST include APA formatted in-text citations with a corresponding referencelist for any direct quotes or paraphrasing. It is not necessary to list sources that were consulted if they have not been quoted or paraphrased in the text of theassessment.Note: No more than a combined total of 30% of a submission can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from outside sources, even if cited correctly. For tips onusing APA style, please refer to the APA Handout web link included in the APA Guidelines section.

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RPS Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Buying a useless piece of rock

“Expert Liu, didn’t you say that this ore would definitely give out jade?”

As Ye Zichen looked at the grey and white face that had been cut, Ye Zichen revealed a mocking smile.

“No one will know what the result will be until the very end.”

Elder Liu replied forcefully. Meanwhile, Director Bai had also started the second cut.

It was still showing a grey and white face without a single hint of green.

“He lost, definitely lost.”

“Cut again!”

It was still a grey and white face.

“Cut again!”

During the second cut, the many experienced people already knew that he had definitely lost the bet on this ore.

However, Director Bai didn’t believe it, he couldn’t believe that such a promising ore was actually a piece of useless rock.

After six cuts, the huge ore fell into pieces.

Only at this moment did Director Bai looked at the pieces on the floor with a dark expression without saying anything.

“Director Bai is truly bold, actually spending several tens of millions to buy a useless piece of rock. He definitely is a prime example for our industry.”

When Xiao Yumei saw that the rock really didn’t give out any jade, she did not forget to verbally attack Director Bai, that one who had been opposing her everywhere, who was being shocked about Ye Zichen’s ability.

“Heh, Xiao Yumei, don’t be so full of yourself. I did lose when gambling on this stone, but I can afford it. But you? If you don’t manage to buy good jade, then your jewelry chain can sit and wait for its closure.”

Director Bai snorted, then left from the crowd. Due to his words, Xiao Yumei’s originally good mood was ruined.

True, if she doesn’t manage to buy some good rocks, then…

“Expert Liu, why did the rock not give out any jade?”

Ye Zichen didn’t know why, but he just didn’t like the look of this expert, so walked in front of him and mocked him a little when the rock had been completely cut…

“Stone gambling relies on luck, by the appearance of that rock, it should gave given out jade, but who could have known that it was just on the surface and that it tricked everyone.”

“Don’t find so many excuses if you just aren’t educated enough. Why did this rock not trick me?” Ye Zichen twitched his mouth. “Just now I said that the rock would not give out jade, I wonder who it was that retorted against me so angrily!”

“Young man, this old man had been in the circle for ten-odd years, I’ve seen more ores than the number of grains of rice you have eaten. You only got it right once, don’t be so cocky.”

Elder Liu replied with the tone of a senior teaching a junior a lesson. Ye Zichen shrugged, then looked around at the different ores.

A piece of black and square ore caught Ye Zichen’s eye. This rock wasn’t small and was at least a hundred kilograms.

However, it had no patterns and did not show any greenness. It had clearly become a useless rock in the eyes of everyone.

“What does Elder Liu think about this rock?”

“A mere piece of useless rock.”

Elder Liu replied with a careless glance.

“Director Xiao,” Ye Zichen waved towards Xiao Yumei.

“Zichen, I didn’t manage to thank you yet. It was fortunate that you told me not to buy that piece of rock, otherwise, I really would have lost everything.”

“Director Xiao is too courteous.”

“Stop calling me Director Xiao. It seems like I’m a bit older than you. If you don’t mind, then call me Mei-jie.”

Ye Zichen truly had helped her out a lot, she only had a bit more than forty million in liquid assets, if she bought and lost the bet on that rock, she might have already committed suicide.

Ye Zichen wasn’t a fool, other people couldn’t even begin to wish for such a beautiful older sister.

“Ha, look and see if there is any ores you like here. Older sister will buy one for you.”

“Sis, buy this one.”

Ye Zichen pointed at that square and black rock.

“This one?” Xiao Yumei frowned. Although she didn’t know how to select rocks, she did understand some of the basics.

This rock was clearly an useless piece of rock. If they bought it, they would definitely lose on it.

“That rock is clearly an useless piece of rock. How about sis helping you pick another one? Don’t worry, sis will pay for you,” Xiao Yumei said in goodwill. Ye Zichen helped her out many times, and had refused money in return, so she wanted to repay him through other means.

“No need, it looking promising doesn’t mean that it will give out jade. Wasn’t the one just now a good lesson?”

The moment Ye Zichen said that, Director Bai and Elder Liu, who were not far away clearly tensed up.

Xiao Yumei also nodded with a smile. Since Ye Zichen wanted to buy this one, then she’d buy it.

“I’ll take this piece of rock.”

Xiao Yumei handed the card over. When Elder Liu saw that, he couldn’t help but shake his head.

“It would be weird the company doesn’t go bankrupted when you don’t use money in the right places.”

“Elder Liu, watch your tongue,” Xiao Yumei said coldly. She didn’t have time to deal with this old man yet.

His random picking nearly caused her to lose everything. However, she didn’t cause trouble for him, she never would have thought that he would say these sort of depressing things in front of her again.

Director Bai, who had lost a lot of money just now from stone gambling, also laughed coldly.

“Director Xiao, the jewelry stores couldn’t have given you too much pressure, causing you to go mad, right? You are actually buying a piece of useless rock?”

“Director Bai, right?” Ye Zichen glanced at Director Bai and said. “Director Bai was quite right in the head just now, you used several tens of millions to buy a useless piece of rock. Truly bold!”

“Say that again?”

Since Ye Zichen mentioned his sore spot, Director Bai nearly coughed up blood due to his anger.

He raised his finger and pointed at Ye Zichen’s nose, but then he heard a cold laugh beside him.

“If you don’t want your finger to leave your hand, then take your hand back.”

“Young-Young Master Su!”

The person that spoke up for Ye Zichen just now was of course Su Yiyun. When Director Bai saw him, it was like a mouse seeing a cat, since his entire forehead was quickly covered in sweat.

“My bro can buy whatever he wants to buy, how is it any of your business? You think you have a good judgement after using several tens of millions to buy a piece of useless rock? I’m telling you, even if my bro bets wrongly, I can afford the loss!”

“Young Master Su is right!”

“F*ck off!”

Su Yiyun chased Director Bai away. Seeing that, Xiao Yumei was still in shock as she looked at Su Yiyun, who was walking towards them, and said.

“Young Master Su.”

“Director Xiao!”

Su Yiyun’s attitude towards Xiao Yumei was also very friendly due to Ye Zichen.

“I didn’t think that Zichen was actually Young Master Su’s friend, it seems like older sister was stupid, I actually wanted to help you buy an ore. You could easily buy the ore yourself.”

Xiao Yumei took a step back, but Ye Zichen shook his head.

“Mei-jie, I’m just a poor student. I definitely cannot afford such a large piece of ore. You buy it for me.”

A strange look flashed across Su Yiyun’s eyes. He did understand Ye Zichen.

Although Ye Zichen liked to con people, he definitely wouldn’t do it to people he was familiar with.

What’s more, he had at least five million in his card, this unpromising looking rock was at most four thousand per kilogram, he could easily afford it.

Yet, Ye Zichen chose to get Xiao Yumei to buy this rock. Could it be that this rock would give out jade?

“Alright, then older sister will buy it for you.”

Xiao Yumei did not hesitate and directly bought the ore for Ye Zichen.

“I think that you deliberately came to con Director Xiao’s money.”

Elder Liu said darkly once again. Ye Zichen merely smiled in reply and called the stonecutter over.

“Cut the rock!”