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Shania Twain Dishes on How Brad Pitt Inspired 'That Don't Impress Me Much'
Chris Trotman, Getty Images
It's nothing personal, Shania Twain says, but when Brad Pitt's nude photos sent the world into a frenzy two decades ago, she just wasn't that impressed. That lack of enthusiasm, though, gave birth to one of her biggest hits, "That Don't Impress Me Much."
One of Twain's late-1990s hits, "That Don't Impress Me Much" -- which was released in December of 1998, 20 years ago -- finds the country star dropping Pitt's name in one of its lines: "Okay, so you're Brad Pitt / That don't impress me much ..." As Twain explains to Billboard, she was inspired to use Pitt's name because of what was, at that time, a major scandal: Playgirl had published naked pictures of the actor and his then-girlfriend, Gwyneth Paltrow, leading Pitt to file a restraining order that forced the magazine to pull the issue.
"I remember I had a girlfriend visiting me, and it was near Christmas, and we were baking cookies," Twain recalls. "I was writing [for my album Come on Over], and there was a scandal of him and Gwyneth, where there was naked photos of him. And this was, like, all the rage. I just thought, 'I don't know what all the fuss is about' ... We see people naked every day."
"That Don't Impress Me Much" climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a Top 10 hit on the country, adult contemporary and Top 40 charts, and a major hit in numerous other countries.
"I wasn't picking on Brad Pitt. But that was just the association in that moment and things we make fusses about and whatever," Twain adds. "Of course, it could have been any gorgeous guy."
Twain's Come On Over album is the best-selling country album of all time and the best-selling studio album by a woman of any genre.
Learn Shania Twain + Other Country Stars' Real Names
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Source: Shania Twain Dishes on How Brad Pitt Inspired 'That Don't Impress Me Much'
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Fitness Trackers and Smart Pedometers/Accelerometers (488) Personal Health Records, Patient-Accessible Electronic Health Records, Patient Portals (423) mHealth for Wellness, Behavior Change and Prevention (2216) Wearable Devices and Sensors (638)
Published on 4.1.2019 in Vol 7 , No 1 (2019) :January
Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/12070, first published August 31, 2018 .
Impact of Personal Health Records and Wearables on Health Outcomes and Patient Response: Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial
Jeong-Whun Kim 1 ; Borim Ryu 2 ; Seoyoon Cho 2 ; Eunyoung Heo 2 ; Yoojung Kim 3 ; Joongseek Lee 3 ; Se Young Jung 2, 4 ; Sooyoung Yoo 2
Jeong-Whun Kim1*, MD, PhD ;
Borim Ryu2*, MS ;
Seoyoon Cho2, MS ;
Eunyoung Heo2, MS ;
Yoojung Kim3, MS ;
Joongseek Lee3, MS ;
Se Young Jung2,4, MD, MPH ;
Sooyoung Yoo2, PhD
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
2Office of eHealth Research and Businesses, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
3Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
4Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
Sooyoung Yoo, PhD
Office of eHealth Research and Businesses
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital
82 173rd Street
Gumi-ro, Bundang-gu
Seongnam, 13620
Email: [email protected]
Background: Although using the technologies for a variety of chronic health conditions such as personal health record (PHR) is reported to be acceptable and useful, there is a lack of evidence on the associations between the use of the technologies and the change of health outcome and patients' response to a digital health app.
Objective: This study aimed to examine the impact of the use of PHR and wearables on health outcome improvement and sustained use of the health app that can be associated with patient engagement.
Methods: We developed an Android-based mobile phone app and used a wristband-type activity tracker (Samsung Charm) to collect data on health-related daily activities from individual patients. Dietary record, daily step counts, sleep log, subjective stress amount, blood pressure, and weight values were recorded. We conducted a prospective randomized clinical trial across 4 weeks on those diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who had visited the outpatient clinic of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. The trial randomly assigned 60 patients to 3 subgroups including 2 intervention groups: (1) mobile app and wearable device users (n=20), (2) mobile app–only users (n=20), and (3) controls (n=20). The primary outcome measure was weight change. Body weights before and after the trial were recorded and analyzed during clinic visits. Changes in OSA–related respiratory parameters such as respiratory disturbance, apnea-hypopnea, and oxygenation desaturation indexes and snoring comprised the secondary outcome and were analyzed for each participant.
Results: We collected the individual data for each group during the trial, specifically anthropometric measurement and laboratory test results for health outcomes, and the app usage logs for patient response were collected and analyzed. The body weight showed a significant reduction in the 2 intervention groups after intervention, and the mobile app–only group showed more weight loss compared with the controls (P=.01). There were no significant changes in sleep-related health outcomes. From a patient response point of view, the average daily step counts (8165 steps) from the app plus wearable group were significantly higher than those (6034 steps) from the app-only group because they collected step count data from different devices (P=.02). The average rate of data collection was not different in physical activity (P=.99), food intake (P=.98), sleep (P=.95), stress (P=.70), and weight (P=.90) in the app plus wearable and app-only groups, respectively.
Conclusions: We tried to integrate PHR data that allow clinicians and patients to share lifelog data with the clinical workflow to support lifestyle interventions. Our results suggest that a PHR–based intervention may be successful in losing body weight and improvement in lifestyle behavior.
Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03200223; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03200223 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/74baZmnCX).
personal health record; lifestyle; sleep apnea, obstructive; delivery of health care; electronic health record; mobile health
Lifelog data or patient-generated health data, considered important for precision medicine initiative implementation, form the next frontier in patient engagement and customized health care [1,2]. Through the availability of numerous devices and compatible mobile apps, patients can collect their own health-related lifestyle data, which can be aggregated with their clinical data into their own personal health record (PHR) [3-6]. A lifelog is a detailed chronicle of a person's life involving large amounts of data. In recent years, the data are usually captured automatically by wearable technology or mobile devices. People who keep lifelogs about themselves are known as lifeloggers [7]. The purpose of lifelogging is to help users collect data for self-monitoring and reflection [8]. Technology has nearly reached the stage when all information, interesting or otherwise, generated in a lifetime by a single person can be assembled and queried relatively efficiently, creating a need for personal information management [9]. Lifelogging can be passive—one stores the by-products of the life one would have lived anyway—or active—one surrounds oneself with sensors and information capture tools to create as rich a picture of one's life as possible [10].
Clinical wearables can be defined as health technology that can be worn by the patient. The wearables contain sensors and use a wireless connection to pass data to a smartphone or similar devices. Wearables are being used in the health care industry to help health care practitioners collect, analyze, and leverage patient data for clinical trials while also significantly improving patient care and overall quality of life [11]. Recent technology advancements in health care have the potential to close the communication and information gap between patients and providers. This has created a mandate for more interactive, demand-responsive mobile health (mHealth) tools that empower consumers to actively manage their own health [12]. Currently, there is an increasing awareness of the health care system's responsibility to provide easily accessible ways for patients to be engaged in their own care by creating effective partnerships that lead to the patient's ability to make competent and well-informed decisions [13]. Although an electronic PHR tethered to an electronic health record (EHR), also known as a patient portal, is currently recognized as a promising mechanism to support greater patient engagement, questions remain about how health care leaders, policy makers, and designers can encourage adoption by both providers and patients and what factors might contribute to sustained utilization [14]. In addition to user-specific characteristics (eg, age, sex, and diagnosis), studies should be conducted on the modifiable factors that affect use duration, to facilitate activities that promote continued use [15].
In our previous study [16], we showed that patients with chronic diseases are more likely to use a PHR system that is integrated into a comprehensive EHR. We also showed that patients with more chronic diseases tend to use PHR more actively, employing the self-administration function. Furthermore, our other previous clinical trial study [17] primarily aimed to demonstrate the development of an EHR-tethered PHR system in which a comprehensive EHR system that can retrieve data from a wearable device has been operated successfully for over 12 years as well as the efficacy of such a system paired with a lifelog data–driven intervention modality [18].
Our clinical trial focused on patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is caused by complete or partial obstruction of the upper airway because OSA is closely related to individual lifestyle [19]. Obesity is the most important cause of OSA, and smoking and alcohol consumption are also important causes of OSA. Therefore, a better lifestyle can be a cornerstone of treatment for both obesity and OSA. The aim of the clinical trial was to help OSA patients to correct obesity through a healthier lifestyle and to obtain a better quality of sleep. Smartphone platforms (mHealth systems) are being considered as an innovative solution, thanks to the integration of the essential sensors to obtain clinically relevant parameters in the same device or in combination with wireless wearable devices [20,21]. A recent study from Cardiogram and the University of California, San Francisco, suggested that the Apple Watch can be used to test for OSA. This study indicates that wearable devices could provide an accessible, low-cost approach to evaluate OSA [22]. From the perspective of weight loss, there have been several studies trying to verify the effects of technology-based interventions. There were studies comparing in-person behavioral weight loss intervention with a technology-based system over a 3-month period in overweight adults [23,24]. A recent study tried a long-term observation with wearables during a 24-month study period [25]. The study stated that effective long-term treatments are needed to address the obesity epidemic and that numerous wearable technologies are unclear if these are effective in improving weight loss.
Our first clinical study was a preliminary study aimed at observing the weight loss impact for obesity patients of conventional care versus EHR-integrated PHR–based care after system development [17,23]. In particular, as a continuous development from previous studies, we aimed to reveal the effectiveness of a PHR–based health care app with 3 arms: mobile app and wearables, mobile app alone, and control. Furthermore, we examined the actual mobile lifelogs for each lifestyle categories: activity step counts, meals, sleep logs, and stress.
The primary objective of this more sophisticated 3-arm clinical trial design was to (1) explore the effect of a wearable device and mobile PHR app based on the patient's weight loss and sleep-related health outcome for a research reproducibility perspective, (2) observe patient response as a proxy measure for patient engagement in EHR-integrated PHR use, and (3) study health app usability based on patients' responses to automated lifestyle comments.
Design of Patient-Friendly Mobile Personal Health Record App
We designed a new mobile PHR app, MyHealthKeeper (Samsung Electronics Co, Seoul, South Korea), to be compatible with health data collection platforms of private companies and to be linked to our hospital EHR system. The user interfaces (Multimedia Appendix 1) were designed to be more patient-friendly when patients collect health-related lifestyle data on their own. A more sophisticated MyHealthKeeper PHR app to collect health-related lifestyle data was developed and tested in 2 different experimental patient groups (app and wearable user vs app-only user). The lifestyle data we tried to collect included weight, step counts as physical activity, food intake, sleep hours, and subjective strength of daily stress. The MyHealthKeeper app is largely composed of (1) logging according to the nature of the information and (2) screens registered in an accordion format, which can be used to navigate through the tabs. The app is composed of several subpages for recording daily meal, sleep log, stress, blood pressure, weight value, and synced activity step counts. When the user clicks the OK tab in the recording step, the objectives and guides, records, and daily span are presented, and the recording and modification functions are provided when each tab is clicked. The verification phase provides clinical advice that gives confirmation through weekly assessments. This clinician feedback comment is implemented on each page to improve communication between doctors and patients. The patient's response to automated comment logs as well as other usage logs was collected and analyzed for each group.
In particular, we designed our app to be compatible with the Samsung Health platform, which is one of the biggest worldwide mobile platforms, and to be linked to our EHR-tethered PHR system. This is the first approach to be aligned with a private company platform and a tertiary general university hospital PHR in Korea. Therefore, we could develop flexible data collection techniques that can leverage user lifestyle logs in both devices and smartphones from users (walking steps in this study). Samsung Health (originally S Health) is a free app developed by Samsung that tracks various aspects of daily life contributing to well-being such as physical activity, diet, and sleep [24]. The app was installed by default only on some smartphones of the brand. It could also be downloaded from the Samsung Galaxy Apps store. The app is obviously compatible with Samsung fitness trackers and smartwatches on Samsung phones. Users get health data from their preferred tools, reducing the burden of collection, and Samsung Charm (Samsung Electronics Co, Seoul, South Korea), which was developed by Samsung Electronics and was used to collect daily activity data in this study.
Design of a Clinical Trial
We conducted a prospective randomized clinical trial. Patients who visited the outpatient clinic of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) were recruited from July 1 to August 31, 2017. We set the following inclusion criteria for enrollment in the trial: (1) diagnosis with OSA; (2) no cardiopulmonary disease, cancer, or other acute diseases; (3) body mass index (BMI) over 23 kg/m2; and (4) provision of prior consent to comply with self-management. We excluded patients who would not be able to use a mobile app and a wearable device and those who were pregnant. Figure 1 demonstrates the overall clinical trial design in this study. The participants had to follow the instructions of the app and wearable for 4 weeks, but they could use the app and wearable after 4 weeks on their own.
The participants were randomized into 3 groups: (1) app plus wearable group, (2) app-only group, and (3) control group. The app plus wearable group used the PHR app and Samsung Charm wearable activity tracker band. The step counts of the app-only group were collected from the mobile phone itself and delivered to the Samsung Health platform. The app plus wearable and app-only groups were instructed to use the apps as per the guideline. On the contrary, the control group was managed ad libitum. The control group did not receive the PHR app or the wearable device, and they did not use any other intervention than the verbal advice to lose weight during their visit to the clinician. All the participants in the 3 groups underwent sleep WatchPAT tests twice at weeks 0 and 4 to measure an objective respiratory parameter (apnea-hypopnea index per hour) during sleep. WatchPAT is a Food and Drugs Administration–approved portable diagnostic device that uniquely uses finger-based physiology and innovative technology to enable simple and accurate OSA testing while avoiding the complexity and discomfort associated with traditional airflow-based systems [25]. Body weight and height were also recorded twice at weeks 0 and 4.
This study was approved by the SNUBH Institutional Review Board (B-1504-296-302) and registered at the United States National Institutes of Health clinical trial registry (ClinicalTrails.gov registration number: NCT03200223).
Figure 1. Clinical trial study design. BMI: body mass index; OS: operating system.
Personal Health Record–Based Patient Lifelog Data Collection
All study participants completed a paper-based survey at the first and last day of the trial. Subjective respiratory parameters during sleep in the survey questions included snoring frequency, snoring intensity, sleep apnea witnessed frequency, and daytime sleepiness. Snoring frequency, sleep apnea witnessed frequency, and daytime sleepiness were asked to answer by days in a week in the questionnaire (eg, How many days of sleep apnea a week is found by you or your family?). Snoring intensity, sleep apnea severity, and daytime sleepiness severity were asked to answer by 0- to 10-point scale in the questionnaire (eg, How loud is the snoring sound?; degree from 0 to 10). Furthermore, objective WatchPAT test was performed to examine deep and light sleep amount (percentage), Peripheral arterial tonometry Rapid Eye Movement (pREM; percentage), sleep latency (minutes), sleep efficiency, and number of wakes.
Meanwhile, the MyHealthKeeper app is designed and developed to collect manually recorded lifelogs and apply them to individual health management. Lifelog data collected by the app are categorized as weight, stress, meal, and sleep logs. Weight value, subjective stress, sleep time, and sleep satisfaction logs should be recorded once a day, whereas meal logs are recorded 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Each meal record includes the input time and the amount on a 5-point scale. Physical activity is concerned with daily step counts, which are easily synced and delivered from the Samsung Health platform. The control group did not receive the lifestyle modification app and the wearable device. They received conventional care pertaining to lifestyle modification for achieving weight loss goals during the 4-week study period.
With MyhealthKeeper app, we calculated the average value of collected data from each lifelog such as physical activity, food intake, sleep time, daily stress, and weight. We simply combined all data logging scores for each patient. For example, if a user recorded every lifelog in a day, total score of the day is 5. Therefore, we could derive a star-shaped pentagon plot with 5 types of lifestyle log data. The mean area value for each plot is a range of 0 to 1 by every user. On the basis of this area value score, patients could be divided into 2 subgroups according to the median score. We defined a compliant subgroup with a score over 0.4 and noncompliant subgroup with a score under 0.4.
Clinical Study Outcome Measure
The primary outcome of the trial was collection of lifestyle data and weight change. Any decrease in body weight during the study period (4 weeks) was defined as successful weight reduction. The secondary outcomes were changes in the subjective and objective respiratory parameters during sleep.
Body weights before and after PHR–based clinical intervention were recorded and analyzed. The BMI of each participant is defined as the body mass divided by the square of the body height and is expressed in units of kg/m2; the difference between BMI before and after the study was analyzed at the end of the study period. Any decrease in body weight during the study period (4 weeks) was defined as successful weight reduction. It is very important that the measurement be taken using the same method and in the same conditions to ensure uniformity between participants and in the same participant over time. In our study, a skilled nurse helped to measure the patient's body weight in the hospital health checkup center using the conventional health checkup process (place and dress).
Statistical Analysis Method
Results are presented as means (SD). Differences in various parameters between the PHR–based intervention group and the control group were analyzed using the chi-square test as appropriate. Paired t test was used to examine changes in primary or secondary outcomes in the groups. All statistical analyses were performed using R version 3.0.2 developed by R Core Team (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna 2013), and a P value of <.05 was considered statistically significant.
Architecture of New MyhealthKeeper Linked to Samsung Health and Hospital Electronic Health Record
Our new PHR app, MyhealthKeeper, was developed to be compatible with the Samsung Health platform, which is one of the biggest worldwide mobile platforms, and to be linked to our hospital EHR system, Bestcare (ezCaretech Co, Seoul, South Korea; Figure 2).
The MyHealthKeeper interface was designed to work in the accordion format, which can be used to navigate through the tabs. The app was composed of several subpages for recording daily meal, sleep log, stress, blood pressure, weight value, and synced activity step counts. Weight value, subjective stress, sleep time, and sleep satisfaction logs were recorded once a day, whereas meal logs were recorded 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Each meal record includes the input time and the amount on a 5-point scale. Daily step counts were collected through Samsung Health platform. Clinician feedback comments were implemented on each page to improve communication between doctors and patients (Figure 3). The patient's response to the comments as well as other subpage usage logs were collected and analyzed for each group.
General Characteristics of Clinical Trial Participants
Table 1 shows general characteristics of participants. A total of 60 patients (51 males and 9 females) were enrolled in this study. In addition, 43 patients (43 males) finished the study, whereas 17 patients (8 males and 9 females) were excluded because of withdrawal or incomplete follow-up sleep study. The analysis used a per-protocol methodology for the withdrawn patients. The mean age in app plus wearable, app-only, and control groups was 45.3, 41.5, and 40.5, respectively (P=.45). The BMI was 29.1, 30.8 and 28.7 in the app plus wearable, app-only, and control groups, respectively (P=.15). There were also no significant differences in demographics and smoking and drinking behaviors among the 3 groups.
Figure 2. MyHealthKeeper personal health record development.
Figure 3. Clinician's comment delivery on individual lifestyle.
Table 1. General characteristics of study participants.
Characteristics App + wearable (n=15) App-only (n=15) Control (n=13) P value
Age (year), mean (SD) 45.3 (9.5) 41.5 (11.8) 40.5 (7.4) .45
Weight (kg), mean (SD) 84.3 (5.6) 93.7 (22.3) 84.3 (12.1) .13
Body mass index (kg/m2), mean (SD) 29.1 (2.8) 30.8 (6.0) 28.7 (2.8) .15
Height (cm), mean (SD) 170.4 (6.7) 174.0 (5.7) 171 (7.0) .42
College or higher, n 13 12 13 .37
White collar, n 9 7 10 .36
Married, n 13 11 12 .44
Smokers, n 5 4 3 .77
Drink twice or more per week, n 5 6 6 .86
Changes in Health Outcome: Analysis of the Primary and Secondary Outcomes
Our clinical trial study results revealed a significant change in weight loss in both intervention groups (both wearable device users and PHR app–only users). Moreover, 2 PHR intervention group participants who used the MyHealthKeeper mobile app every day showed significantly larger changes in weight and BMI than those in the control group (Table 2; average: 1.4 kg and 2 kg; 95% CI: 0.9-1.9; P<.001) In this study, there were no statistically significant changes in subjective improvement of respiratory system test results (Table 3 and Figure 4).
Table 2. Primary outcome changes of each group.
Characteristics App + wearable (n=15) App-only (n=15) Control (n=13)
Pre, mean (SD) Post, mean (SD) P value Pre, mean (SD) Post, mean (SD) P value Pre, mean (SD) Post, mean (SD) P value
Weight (kg) 84.3 (5.6) 82.9 (5.6) 0.02 93.7 (22.3) 91.7 (22.9) 0.003 84.3 (12.1) 83.9 (12.6) 0.3
Body mass index (kg/m2) 29.1 (2.8) 28.7 (3.0) 0.02 30.8 (6.0) 30.1 (6.2) 0.002 28.7 (2.8) 28.6 (3.0) 0.34
Table 3. Subjective improvement of respiratory system.
Characteristics App + wearable (n=15) App-only (n=15) Control (n=13) P valuea
Pre, mean (SD) Post, mean (SD) P valueb Pre, mean (SD) Post, mean (SD) P valueb Pre, mean (SD) Post, mean (SD) P valueb
Snoring frequency (days/week) 5.9 (1.5) 4.7 (2.3) 0.11 5.4 (1.9) 4.2 (2.7) 0.04 6.2 (1.3) 4.3 (2.7) 0.02 0.79
Apnea witnessed (days/week) 3.7 (2.7) 2.9 (2.8) 0.36 3.9 (2.6) 3 (2.7) 0.25 4.2 (2.7) 2.8 (2.7) 0.11 0.92
Daytime sleepiness (days/week) 5.1 (1.9) 3.6 (2.2) 0.01 4.2 (2.4) 3.4 (2.4) 0.17 3.7 (2.7) 2.5 (2.4) 0.22 0.62
aP value: pre- and postcomparison among the 3 groups.
bP value: pre- and postcomparison within each group.
Figure 4. Pre- and postchanges in apnea-hypopnea index profile.
Patients' Response: Comparison of Step Counts Between App Plus Wearable and App-Only Groups
The average daily step counts (8165 steps) from the app plus wearable group were significantly higher than those (6034 steps) from the app-only group because they collected step-count data from different devices (P=.02). However, the diurnal hourly pattern of step counts was almost similar (Figure 5). Due to the nature of the collection devices, such as wrist wearable or mobile phone, the gait information was slightly different.
We assumed that each lifestyle data record is patient engagement reflection as patient response to PHR system and the clinician. The data collection record rate was calculated according to the records of 1 day. Study participants were moderately required to record daily weight, stress, snack, meal, and sleep logs. For daily diet records, which can be logged as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if any of the 3 records were recorded, we processed as 1 record for that day.
The average rate of data collection was not different in physical activity (49.82% vs 49.96%; P=.99), food intake (32.67% vs 32.82%; P=.98), sleep (32.01% vs 32.45%; P=.95), stress (30.11% vs 27.33%; P=.70), and weight (32.82% vs 31.87%; P=.90) in the app plus wearable and app-only groups, respectively.
We combined all the lifestyle data and data logging scores for each patient and derived a star-shaped pentagon plot with 5 types of lifestyle log data. The mean area value for each plot is a range of 0 to 1 by every user (Table 4). According to the composite lifestyle scores, we calculated the star-shaped pentagon plot area ranging from 0 to 1 (Table 4), and the plots were drawn as shown in Figure 6. Patients could be divided into 2 subgroups: compliant versus noncompliant, based on the average median value as 0.4 (Table 4), star plot square measure over 0.4 grouped as compliant. The percentage of compliant patients was 63.64% and 36.36% in the app plus wearable and app-only groups, respectively (P=.26). Figure 7 demonstrates lifelog records per each group: red color stands for recorded days by app plus wearable users, whereas blue color stands for recorded days by app-only users, and gray color is used to maintain period days without intervention.
Figure 5. Changes in daily steps per group.
Table 4. Star-shaped pentagon plot area calculation with meal, snack, stress, and sleep log records. The area value was normalized between 0 to 1. Each intervention group participant's minimum, first quartile, median, mean, third quartile, and maximum value was described below.
Indices Minimum First quartile Median Mean Third quartile Maximum
App + wearable (n=15) 0.06 0.17 0.37 0.33 0.45 0.66
App-only (n=15) 0.01 0.09 0.14 0.25 0.4 0.67
Figure 6. Star plot based on recorded lifelog per each group.
Figure 7. The number of recorded lifelog data for weight, stress, meal, and sleep logs (red: recorded days by app plus wearable users; blue: recorded days by app-only users; and gray: maintain period days without intervention).
Patients' Response: Usability Reflecting Patients' Response to Automated Clinician Comments on Daily Lifestyle
To study health app usability based on patients' responses to automated lifestyle comments, we analyzed usage logs for clinician comment feedback, which is depicted in Figure 3. Figure 8 demonstrates patients' response to clinician feedback comment per each group as a satisfaction score. When a patient responded satisfied, the response was scored as 1, and 0 otherwise. App plus wearable users tend to answer more than app-only users in detail. Furthermore, these 2 intervention group participants showed increased answers between both weeks 2 and 3. At this point, patients visited to see their clinician and anthropometric measurement was done in the hospital, these actions may influenced to motivate PHR usage.
Figure 8. Patient response to clinician feedback comment.
The mobile phone–based PHR system in this study has a flexible and unique platform architecture to collect patient-generated health data and deliver patient response to EHR for the following reasons. First, the user can use PHR service in this study only if he or she has a smartphone, regardless of whether he or she has a wearable device or not. It was available to record daily health logs with Android OS app, as one of the nation's largest market share, and to connect the data with the most popular Samsung Health platform. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the system that links EHR-tethered PHR with conventional health platform such as Samsung Health. Second, the 3-arm clinical trial design, which targeted to observe the impact of wearable device and mobile app, revealed that the reduction of weight was because of the use of our PHR system, not the use of the wearable. Given that the majority of mobile phones already have a health platform function such as activity tracking, using the mobile phone health platform itself might be enough for PHR health care service without wearables. We suggest that a long-term prospective study including a larger number of participants be warranted to show whether patients require a higher precision in step count to make weight loss decisions. Third, with EHR-tethered PHR system, clinicians are available to show their patient's daily lifestyle and to deliver coaching feedback. Conventionally, clinicians just ask the patients to recall their lifelog or lifestyle to identify their lifestyles. Therefore, it seems to be quite inaccurate. The patient recall basis system is not enough for both patients and clinicians to pay much attention to the importance of lifestyle. However, the EHR-tethered PHR system may allow doctors and patients to check the patients' lifelog information together on EHR screen and to prescribe lifestyle for patients. Therefore, clinicians can review these data on the PHR module interface on the EHR and provide health-related lifestyle management feedback to the patients during the patient's visit to the clinic. From the experience using this system, patients are more likely to be interested in their lifelog data because the lifelog can be objectively summarized on the EHR and shared with their own clinicians.
Wearable biosensors are noninvasive devices used to acquire, transmit, process, store, and retrieve health-related data [26]. Biosensors have been integrated into various platforms, including watches, wristbands, skin patches, shoes, belts, textiles, and smartphones. Patients have the option to share data obtained by biosensors with their providers or social networks to support clinical treatment decisions and disease self-management [27]. In our previous study, we aimed to demonstrate the development of an EHR-tethered PHR app called MyHealthKeeper, which can retrieve data from a wearable device and deliver them to a hospital EHR system, and to study the effectiveness of PHR data–driven clinical intervention with clinical trial results [17]. We gathered this patient-generated lifestyle-related health information with a mobile app and activity tracking device and transferred it to a PHR data server to create a summary view based on the practical needs of the clinicians. Our first clinical study was a preliminary study aimed at observing the weight loss impact for obesity patients of conventional care versus EHR-integrated PHR–based care after system development.
The related previous study examined the patient usage logs with the 5-year use of a mobile PHR system distributed by a tertiary hospital in South Korea [15]. On the basis of actual mobile PHR usage data, they investigated the usage pattern and characteristics of the users of patient-generated health data services. This was the first approach to analyze long-term usage data in mobile PHR research [15]. In addition to user-specific characteristics (eg, age, sex, and diagnosis), the study suggested that more research should be conducted on the modifiable factors that affect use duration, to facilitate activities that promote continued use.
In this study, we aimed to observe the effects of a PHR–based health care app with 3 arms: the mobile app and wearables, mobile app alone, and control in patients with sleep apnea. We also aimed at examining the impact of the use of PHR and wearables on health outcome improvement and sustained use of the health app that can be associated with patient engagement. As a primary outcome, we observed OSA patient's weight loss, BMI, and other sleep-related parameters to examine health outcome changes. Moreover, 2 intervention group patients showed weight loss and BMI change during the trial period. We also collected and analyzed lifelogs, which are dependent on health behaviors influenced by patient engagement (meal habits, weight control, diet, and exercise). Patient response was analyzed by mobile app records. To analyze usability and patient response, we assumed patient engagement by proxy through feedback logs from automated clinician comments on each lifestyle, which reflects patient activation.
This study is a unique approach rather than other studies based on the following characteristics. First, we collected 2 types of intervention group users' (app + wearable vs app-only) actual usage data to investigate the difference. Although we did not find a statistical difference in sleep-related health outcome between the groups, this study design is thoroughly concerned with lifestyle-related disease and can be further examined as a long-term observation. Second, our analysis found the continuous usage pattern, including without intervention period. This intervention-free observation reflects the actual user pattern in mobile PHR app without consciousness.
This study could not provide a longitudinal observation of the EHR-tethered PHR system because of the practical constraints. Due to the short clinical trial period and the small number of study participants, it was difficult to determine a causal relationship, and the study did not provide information about the precise improvement in the health outcomes of PHR users. Nevertheless, we tried to observe the effect of PHR system for OSA patients, which is closely related to personal lifestyle-related sleep factor. Furthermore, with this integrated PHR system, we also expect longitudinal follow-up and continuous patient engagement in future studies. We hope to derive and apply many PHR features of an EHR-tethered PHR system for a variety of lifestyle-related disease management in further studies based on this study protocol.
This study was supported by the Creative Industrial Technology Development Program (10053249, Development of Personalized Healthcare System Exploiting User Life-Log and Open Government Data for Business Service Model Proof on Whole Life Cycle Care) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Korea). This study was approved by the SNUBH Institutional Review Board (B-1706/405-301) and was registered at the United States National Institutes of Health clinical trial registry (ClinicalTrails.gov registration number: NCT03200223).
JWK and BR analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript as the first authors. SC contributed to data analysis, and EH and SYJ helped in conducting the clinical trial and contributed to data discussions. YK and JL contributed the user experience (UX)-based PHR interface design development. SY supervised the overall study.
Supplementary image describes MyHealthKeeper mobile interfaces.
PNG File, 590KB
CONSORT-EHEALTH checklist (V 1.6.2).
Camara MA, Castillo Y, Blanco-Almazan D, Estrada L, Jane R. Lifelog Health. Patient Generated Health Data URL: https://lifeloghealth.com/patient-generated-health-data/ [accessed 2018-12-06] [WebCite Cache]
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Zomorodi B. HIT Consultant. 2018 Sep 4. How do Clinical Wearables Impact Patient Care and Quality of Life? URL: https://hitconsultant.net/2018/04/09/clinical-wearables-revolutionizing-care/ [accessed 2018-12-06] [WebCite Cache]
Liquid State. 2018 Mar 2. The State of Patient Engagement: 4 Trends to Watch in 2018 URL: https://liquid-state.com/state-patient-engagement-trends-2018/ [accessed 2018-12-06] [WebCite Cache]
Kupchunas WR. Personal health record: new opportunity for patient education. Orthop Nurs 2007;26(3):185-191. [CrossRef] [Medline]
Irizarry T, DeVito Dabbs A, Curran CR. Patient portals and patient engagement: a state of the science review. J Med Internet Res 2015 Jun 23;17(6):e148 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
Park YR, Lee Y, Kim JY, Kim J, Kim HR, Kim Y, et al. Managing patient-generated health data through mobile personal health records: analysis of usage data. J Med Internet Res Mhealth Uhealth 2018 Apr 9;6(4):e89 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
Jung SY, Lee K, Hwang H, Yoo S, Baek HY, Kim J. Support for sustainable use of personal health records: understanding the needs of users as a first step towards patient-driven mobile health. J Med Internet Res Mhealth Uhealth 2017 Feb 23;5(2):e19 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
Ryu B, Kim N, Heo E, Yoo S, Lee K, Hwang H, et al. Impact of an electronic health record-integrated personal health record on patient participation in health care: development and randomized controlled trial of MyHealthKeeper. J Med Internet Res 2017 Dec 7;19(12):e401 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
Yoo S, Lee KH, Lee HJ, Ha K, Lim C, Chin HJ, et al. Seoul National University Bundang Hospital's electronic system for total care. Healthc Inform Res 2012 Jun;18(2):145-152 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
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Camara MA, Castillo Y, Blanco-Almazan D, Estrada L, Jane R. mHealth tools for monitoring Obstructive Sleep Apnea patients at home: Proof-of-concept. 2017 Jul 11 Presented at: 39th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC); July 11-15, 2017; Seogwipo, South Korea.
Villanueva JA, Suarez MC, Garmendia O, Lugo V, Ruiz C, Montserrat JM. The role of telemedicine and mobile health in the monitoring of sleep-breathing disorders: improving patient outcomes. Smart Homecare Technol TeleHealth 2017 Feb 3;4:1-11. [CrossRef]
Ballinger B, Hsieh J, Singh A, Sohoni N, Wang J, Tison GH, et al. DeepHeart: semi-supervised sequence learning for cardiovascular risk prediction. 2018 Presented at: Thirty-Second AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence; February 2-7, 2018; Louisiana, USA URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/8094275 [CrossRef]
Kim Y, Ji S, Lee H, Kim JW, Yoo S, Lee J. "My Doctor is Keeping an Eye on Me!": Exploring the Clinical Applicability of a Mobile Food Logger. In: Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2016 May 07 Presented at: CHI '16; May 07-12, 2016; San Jose, California, USA p. 5620-5631. [CrossRef]
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EHR: electronic health record
OSA: obstructive sleep apnea
PHR: personal health record
SNUBH: Seoul National University Bundang Hospital
Edited by G Eysenbach; submitted 31.08.18; peer-reviewed by JH Lee, SY Shin, H Feldman; comments to author 21.09.18; revised version received 14.11.18; accepted 22.11.18; published 04.01.19
©Jeong-Whun Kim, Borim Ryu, Seoyoon Cho, Eunyoung Heo, Yoojung Kim, Joongseek Lee, Se Young Jung, Sooyoung Yoo. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 04.01.2019.
Kim J, Ryu B, Cho S, Heo E, Kim Y, Lee J, Jung SY, Yoo S |
VIDEO: 10-Year-Old 'DJ Switch' From Ghana Will Melt Your Heart
By Malaka Gharib
"Forget all your worries and let's party."
It's an irresistible command from a 10-year-old girl standing on a box behind a DJ booth, tapping her feet and shaking her hips.
Her name is Erica Armah Bra-Bulu Tandoh, also known as DJ Switch, and she's the subject of a video released on Monday by BBC News Africa. It currently has 8.3 million views on Facebook and nearly 4.5 million views on Twitter.
According to her personal website, Tandoh is from Suaman Dadieso in the western region of Ghana. Even before the BBC video, she's had her share of fame. Last year, she won top prize on a TV program in Ghana called TV3 Talented Kids. In April, she dropped this music video collab with her mama (who has a lovely voice!) called "Deceiver." And in May, she deejayed at the Ghana DJ Awards, entering the stage on a horse and a pink-feathered jacket.
In addition to her DJ chops, she also raps, dances and plays trumpet and keyboards. She loves school and would like to be a gynecologist when she grows up "to help women," she told the BBC. Oh, and her favorite food, according to her website, is "rice ball with ground nut soup."
"I picked the name DJ Switch because I switch up people's happiness," she told the BBC.
She certainly made the editors at Goats and Soda smile. And we hope she'll make you smile, too.
Malaka Gharib
Malaka Gharib is the deputy editor and digital strategist on NPR's global health and development team. She covers topics such as the refugee crisis, gender equality and women's health. Her work as part of NPR's reporting teams has been recognized with two Gracie Awards: in 2019 for How To Raise A Human, a series on global parenting, and in 2015 for #15Girls, a series that profiled teen girls around the world.
See stories by Malaka Gharib |
At least 30 people killed in suicide blast in North West Frontier Province town.
"A restaurant and many shops have collapsed. It's chaos here. There's huge devastation," Ibn-e-Ali, a former judge and resident of the area, said.
"My house is 1km away but the blast was so huge it felt as if it was next door."
Police said that rescue workers were searching the rubble for any survivors.
Asmat Ullah, another police official, said that the Shia Muslim-owned Hikmat Ali Hotel, which was badly damaged in Friday's blast, could have been the target of the bombing.
However, Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from the capital, Islamabad, cautioned that any motive for the attack was unlikely to be "sectarian".
"[But] this was an indiscriminate attack against civilians in an open market and perhaps a warning by the militants who are trying to destabilise Pakistan."
It was the second attack in Kohat in two days after a bomb planted outside a shop injured six people on Thursday.
Pakistan's military launched a major offensive against the Taliban in North West Frontier Province in April.
Sporadic attacks continue to take place, despite Yusuf Reza Gilani, Pakistan's prime minister, saying that Taliban fighters had been "eliminated" in the region.
"The Pakistani troops have made substantial gains against the Taliban, but they will also tell you that it is virtually impossible to stop a suicide bomber," Al Jazeera's Hyder said.
"The fact that there has been less bombings since the military went on the offensive indication [of their success], but the other side still have the capacity to hit back." |
SMEs unhappy with the government's performance as global uncertainty reigns
Dominic Powell
Two recent surveys of SME owners across the country have revealed widespread dissatisfaction with the federal and state governments.
In a survey of over 1000 business owners in Australia, accounting software company MYOB found only 22% of SMEs are satisfied with the federal government's performance.
Thirty-three percent claimed they were dissatisfied, and the remaining 44% were on the fence, being neither satisfied or dissatisfied.
Read more: Trump speech gives Aussie dollar a boost, but market uncertainty remains
Those dissatisfied with state governments was at 40% overall, but opinions varied from state to state. Queensland SME operators were the most unhappy with their state politicians, with 51% being dissatisfied, while only 29% of Victorian business owners said they were displeased.
These results from MYOB echo results from a similar survey of over 500 SMEs from business management software company Sage. According to Sage, 46% of small business owners feel they are not adequately represented by politicians.
On top of this, 19% believed a lack of business infrastructure would be a challenge for Australian businesses in 2017, along with 12% claiming too much red tape to be an issue as well.
Nearly three-quarters of businesses surveyed felt they dedicated too much time to administration, wanting to focus on tasks to benefit growth instead.
Uncertainty contributing to lack of confidence
Chief executive of MYOB Tim Reed told SmartCompany a lack of confidence in government is generally tied to high levels of uncertainty.
"Lack of faith in our government is linked to a reasonably high level of uncertainty with business owners who typically like certainty," Reed says.
"Some of that uncertainty is global, but some is directed at the Australian political system. Although SMEs may like the policies put through by the government, they're often unsure if the bills will get through the senate."
Co-founder of contracting job platform ConX and Sydney subcontracting business Ocean Carpentry Keith Moore told SmartCompany uncertainty in politics both locally and globally is "really making people question the system".
Moore is calling for more support from the government surrounding payment security in the construction sector, calling the legislation "fragmented".
"Australia has fragmented legislation to deal with security of payments in the construction industry. We need to be better supported by the government, so we can focus on doing the job, and getting paid for it," Moore says.
Instant asset write-off a winner
Reed believes the government has been putting forward "great legislation" for SMEs, like the $20,000 instant asset write-off, implemented almost two years ago. Calls have been made to extend the scheme an additional 12 months, with small business minister Michael McCormack pushing for this in the lead up to the budget.
A massive 68% of business owners surveyed by MYOB supported keeping the asset write off as a permanent policy, a move Reed is also pushing for.
"Widespread support for the instant asset write-off has been in our survey's top findings since the policy was introduced, and it's easy to see why," he says.
"Business owners we speak to say the legislation makes perfect sense, and it shows the government understands the cashflow implications for businesses."
When it comes to other policies that help his business directly, Moore believes more action should be taken on workers' compensation and business insolvency rates.
"SMEs in the construction industry are under increasing pressure, with rising costs and increased operational risks," Moore says.
"The cost of workers' compensation is crippling small businesses, and the unacceptably high rate of business insolvency is impacting stakeholders from the top right down to solo-tradie."
Other key findings in MYOB's survey show significant support for government incentives to employ both older and younger workers. Fifty-nine percent of respondents supported incentive bonuses for hiring workers over fifty, and 51% supported offering a wage subsidy for getting younger workers on board.
"Jobs change, so there might be some reskilling needed for workers over 50 if they've been out of the workplace for a period of time," Reed says.
"A government-supported one off investment in their skills could deter businesses from hiring one worker over another."
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For contracts printing in Dallas TX, you need Kwik Kopy Printing Dallas. Contracts set the "terms and conditions" of a business arrangement and are indispensable for a wide range of businesses and service providers. Kwik Kopy Printing Dallas can help with the graphic design and layout of your contracts, and maintain them in a secure digital format so that they can be easily edited in the future if needed. We can print your contracts on regular paper or duplicating carbonless paper, an easy way to provide both parties with an instant copy of the contract that they just signed. Contact the helpful print experts at Kwik Kopy Printing Dallas for all of your contracts printing needs in Dallas TX! |
Starlight U.S. Multi-Family Fund continues push with Houston buy
The Starlight U.S. Multi-Family Core Fund concluded a busy five months with a US$14.35-million purchase of a 35 per cent interest in a Houston apartment complex, using up the $48 million in proceeds raised from its April initial public offering in the process.
"We are fully deployed, we have invested all the proceeds that we raised in our first fund," said fund president Evan Kirsh. "We are just trying to figure out where we go going forward, but we would like to grow."
That will likely see the Starlight fund going back to the market to raise more money for investors. The fund is traded on the TSX Venture exchange (TSX.V: UMF.A, UMF.U).
Riding the U.S. recovery
Starlight's philosophy is similar to two Canadian-traded REITs (Milestone Apartment REIT and Pure Multi-Family REIT) which have targeted the Southern U.S. multi-res market: there are plenty of properties to buy and prices look attractive compared to Canada, and rents look like they have room to rise in an improving U.S. economy.
Where the Starlight vehicle is a bit different is in just how choosey it is about what it buys.
"Our strategy is we buy Class-A garden style," said Kirsh. "It tends to be suburban and we only buy properties that are stabilized – which means they are fully occupied – and properties that are built within the last five years.
"We don't do fixer-uppers. We are kind of new to the U.S. and that is a little ambitious for us to start and our view is the simplest thing to start with is properties that are fully occupied (and new)."
A typical purchase
Starlight Multi-Family's Houston purchase is fairly typical of what it wants to buy: The Alexan Eagle Creek property is a 412-unit, garden-style, Class-A apartment complex built in 2009 in a rapidly growing area of North Houston (picture on left).
The fund took the minority stake because Daniel Drimmer, a director and the chief executive officer of Starlight U.S. Multi-Family, purchased the remaining 65% interest.
Eagle Creek consists of 19, three-storey walk-up buildings on a 22.13-acre site made up of one- and two-bedroom suites with high-end features.
It's a multi-res property type that simply does not exist in Canada and stands to benefit from the economy recovery, facts which have prompted the likes of Pure Multi-Family, Milestone and Starlight to buy a piece of the action.
"There you have the clubhouse, the pools, the fitness centres and a big piece of land," said Kirsh. "You have a big piece of land; generally the properties we are buying are 10 acres or 20 acres. You don't really have a lot of 20-acre sites in Toronto or Calgary."
With the acquisition of Eagle Creek, the Starlight Fund now operates and owns interests in a portfolio made up of 1,368 multi-family real estate suites located in Dallas-Fort Worth and in Houston.
Starlight's universe
The Starlight fund is part of Starlight Investments Ltd., which was created in 2011 by real estate investor Daniel Drimmer. He founded TransGlobe Property Management Services Ltd. in 1995 and grew its portfolio from only a few residential real estate assets to the third-largest multi-family owner in Canada.
Drimmer also founded TransGlobe Apartment REIT (TSX: TGA) and completed its initial public offering in May 2010. In 2011, TransGlobe REIT was privatized in a $1-billion deal and many of its properties were acquired by Starlight.
Today, Starlight includes:
• a joint venture partnership with a major Canadian pension fund
• publicly traded real estate investment trusts
– True North Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust
– True North Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust
• publicly traded real estate investment funds
– Starlight U.S. Multi-Family Core Fund
• assets owned by private investors
Kirsh hinted more news will be coming soon: "You may see something soon. Keep checking the website."
Paul is a writer, editor and media trainer based in Toronto with over 25 years of experience as a business reporter. He has written for Canada's major news services on… |
M&S wins 13-year dispute with tax man over tea cakes
Marks & Spencer has finally won a 13-year battle with the taxman over the status of the seemingly innocuous marshmallow tea cake.
The M&S milk chocolate teacake Photo: PA
By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor
7:00AM GMT 05 Feb 2009
After an estimated £2 million in legal fees, £3.5 million in damages, eight trips to court, and a referral to the European court of Justice, the retailer won the final stage of its tortuous dispute against HM Revenue & Customs in the House of Lords on Wednesday.
The row between the retailer and the taxman originally centred on whether the marshmallow tea cake was a cake - as M&S contended - or a chocolate-covered biscuit.
Under complex VAT rules, cakes are zero rated while chocolate-covered biscuits are not. The theory is that most 'food', including cakes and plain biscuits, should be free from tax, while 'snacks', including chocolate-covered biscuits, are considered a luxury and incur VAT.
The rules have led to complex, and often absurd, cases with food companies challenging the tax man over flapjacks, smoothies, cereal bars and Pringles crisps.
McVities won a famous victory more than ten years ago when it successfully argued a Jaffa Cake was a cake, rather than a biscuit.
Ready salted crisps knocked off perch by cheese and onion
Judges: Pringles are potato crisps
McVitie's ups cuteness stakes with baby animal Christmas advert
Sainsbury's delivery drivers told to whisper
Aldi chocolates named product of the year, beating Green & Blacks
M&S won its central point back in 1994 – that a tea cake was indeed a cake – but since then has been fighting the tax man for the right to claim the tax all the way back to 1973, when VAT was introduced by Edward Heath's administration. The retailer said it was owed £3.5 million.
Since then HM Revenue & Customs has argued that it should not pay back such a large amount, pointing out that M&S shoppers, rather than the company, had picked up the tab for the higher price of the tea cakes during the period.
On Wednesday, three Law Lords affirmed last year's decision by the European Court of Justice that M&S was entitled to a full refund.
It is understood that M&S will be submitting a claim for its costs, which one source said, "would be surprising if they were under the £2 million barrier, considering they used the top VAT barrister in the country as well as the best solicitors".
M&S's final victory this week means it will not only receive the full £3.5 million, it will also win back interest and, probably, costs.
Paddy Behan, a VAT specialist at accountants Vantis, said: "This will end up being a very valuable judgement for M&S."
A spokesman for the retailer would not comment on the how much the case had cost the company over the years, but said: "After 13 years of litigation we're pleased this matter has finally concluded."
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Cape York Peninsula parks Tropical North Queensland
Cape York Peninsula features landscapes of unsurpassed beauty and immense diversity, rich with Aboriginal traditions and customs and European history. Parks throughout the peninsula protect diverse landscapes including river systems, rainforests, beaches, grasslands and wetlands. Travelling in this vast and remote area requires detailed preparation and planning. See links to each park for more detailed information.
National parks, national parks (Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal land (CYPAL)) and regional parks are scattered over eastern and central parts of the peninsula, from the iconic Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park (CYPAL), 340km north of Cairns, to the northern-most parks, Jardine National Park and Heathlands Resources Reserve, 900km north of Cairns.
Park alerts for Cape York Peninsula parks are published on individual park pages 2 April 2019 to 30 September 2021 |
The Mityaev have new rivals. The Russian marriage will not be the only one to compete at the Ultramarathon of the Transvulcania Naviera Armas 2019 with real options of winning the race. The Dutch runner Ragna Debats and the Catalan Pere Aurell will also participate in the next edition of the Transvulcania, becoming both of them real candidates for the win.
Debats, two times World Champion, has an amazing curriculum, which makes her one of the favourites in the women's category. Some of her results are being the Skyrunning World Champion, as well as being the Skyrunning World Champion in the modality of SkyExtra. The Dutch runner, who lives in Spain, has dominate with authority the last season, finishing her best sporting year ever.
On the other hand, Pere Aurell, the Spanish athlete, already knows what a winner of the Transvulcania feels, as he won last year's edition, where he fought until the end with Dmitry Mityaev. The "bajada del Time" was the decisive point where Aurell broke away from his rival to win the race. Aurell completed a magnificent year, after winning the Pirin Ultra, finishing in the second place in the Tromso Skyrace, and ending up third in the Trofeo Kima. Consequently, Aurell finished the season in the first position of the Migu Run Skyrunner World Series, beating his rival of the Transvulcania, Dmitry Mityaev, who finished second in the rankings.
"We are very proud to announce the participation in the Transvulcania Naviera Armas 2019 of Debats and Aurell, as both of them had incredible results last season in a very hard discipline like the mountain races", said the sports counsellor of La Palma, Ascensión Rodríguez. "It is very pleasant to count with Aurell, who will ensure his desire and passion to win as we saw in last year's edition, and with Debats, who is a double World Champion and is one of the references in this sport". |
Game Design Concepts, gameplay, Gamer Culture, Player Behavior, Role Playing
The playthrough paradox: why we play games multiple times
Posted by Andrew Mantilla on November 10, 2016 November 9, 2016
What's in a playthrough?
A playthrough is considered starting a fresh game and completing the main objective or at least the critical path of progression. For some, known as completionists, it is about finishing every single game task before reaching an end condition such as the final boss. For others playthroughs are simply means of experimentation, they never tire of the same story, the same missions, for those players they are interested in understanding every mechanic and strategy. Lastly, and this is a bit of a sore point for the video game industry, a majority of players never complete a playthrough, they play a game for a while and if they get through to the end great, but if they only ever spend a few dozen hours enjoying the mechanics within the game world, that's fine too.
I for one have had my fair share of games in which I lost interest when the difficulty spiked and I didn't feel like grinding my way through the challenge, or others which gave me all of the gameplay mechanics I wanted early on, removing the desire to progress beyond what I had unlocked and enjoyed.
I have fallen somewhere in between those who just want to complete a playthrough if possible, and those who focus not on completing playthroughs but on experimenting with different mechanics and playstyles, even if that means starting 20 different characters and taking them all to level 10 instead of one to level 200.
(My main character within Fallout 4 , you can read my full article about that playthrough experience in my article The world that he wants: the aftermath of siding with Shaun)
Rethinking playstyles and playthroughs
When I started writing about video games, I began to use up my well of game design knowledge and gameplay experiences that I had accumulated over a lifetime of playing games. This meant that I needed to start playing new games, playing games I had never played before, and even returning to old favorites and playing them in ways that were contrary to my typical playstyle.
Although I felt it necessary to be topical and knowledgeable with the gaming trends by playing all of the latest and greatest titles released, there was something personally satisfying about discussing my gameplay experiences in depth, in hopes that they would resonate with other gamers.
(I spent some time roleplaying as a normal person in GTA obeying traffic laws and walking from place to place, you can read my full article about that playthrough experience in my article GTA RPG: the joy of roleplaying as a normal person)
Intimate knowledge of a gameplay experience stems from the player's immersion and enjoyment of said experience. I have found those stories to come from the games I spent weeks playing, as opposed to hours analyzing. As I returned to some of my old favorites with an analytical eye I began to see the games differently, I had a foundation of deep understanding of the game due to my time spent playing it, but there were also new opportunities for me to explore.
This change in perspective was partially due to the expansion of games I was playing and the exploration into, and questioning of, my own personal playstyle. In playing different games I approached each new system with an interest in discovering how different games awarded players using strategies that were not the most powerful or viable, i.e. peaceful / diplomatic means of victory as opposed to combat, as can be seen in my articles Peaceful victory: why more games should feature diplomacy, Forge of Empires: progression and maintaining culture, and my character series Pom Pom the Illusionist.
(Pom Pom is a peaceful character, who throughout my playthrough with her has developed into a pacifist protection mage who focuses on calming enemies to pacify them and healing and buffing her allies)
As I experimented with different playstyles that were not an expression of my personality but expressions of my investigation into the design of games, and whether or not they limited the player, I began to see different sides to my favorite games which I never would have seen without a different approach.
After returning to my favorite games with this perspective in mind I was surprised at how much more these games had to unpack, some of my favorites include Skyrim Special Edition, GTA V, and Fallout 4, which have endless ways of playing them and interacting with the world that create unique outcomes.
Since then I have enjoyed the process of thinking up playthroughs and playstyles much more. Now, they serve as spaces to commit to ideas that are strange or quirky, which I would never commit to if I were looking to only have a single playthrough, but can commit to if it is with the understanding that I am using each playthrough to investigate the systems of a game, to unearth the possibility of playing it in an unconventional manner, and to discover more about myself.
What do you focus on in your playthroughs? Are you a completionist, a one and done kind of player, or is completing a playthrough not that important to you? Have you ever played a game wildly different from your typical playstyle? Was it out of boredom with your usual MO, or curiosity in what a game had to offer? I welcome discussion on this topic and if you have experiences of your own you wish to share please do so in the comments below, or write in to [email protected].
Andrew Mantilla is a ludologist and video game journalist for Play Professor. You can check out more of his content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.
Andrew Mantillacompletecompletionistcritical pathendexperimentationexplorationgamegameplaygamesnarrativeplayplay professorplayerplaystyleplaythroughprofessorreplayreplayabilitystoryvideo games
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Home » NEWS » TRAI extends last date for selecting TV channels till March 31
TRAI extends last date for selecting TV channels till March 31
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday extended the deadline for selection of TV channels by both cable and Direct-to-Home (DTH) subscribers till March 31. The decision comes after the regulator held a meeting with DTH operators and multi-system operators (MSO) on Monday, the TRAI said in a statement.
The new framework came into force on February 1 and several consumers who did not migrate to the new tariff norms complained about paid channels being deactivated. The TRAI also told the operators to design a "best fit plan" for the subscribers who have not migrated to the new framework, the statement said.
"The 'best fit plan' shall be designed based on consumers' usage pattern, language spoken and popularity of channels. It should preferably be a blended combination of various genres. While making 'best fit plan' for a subscriber, DPOs (distribution platform operators) should ensure that payout per month of the 'best fit plan' generally does not exceed the payout per month of existing tariff plan of the subscriber," it said. Subscribers will be free to change their "best fit plan" until July 31, 2019.
All network operators and broadcasters are required by TRAI to have a base package with 100 standard definition channels. Customers can choose these free-to-air (FTA) channels from a list of several bouquet offers. This will cost the viewers a maximum of Rs 130, excluding Goods & Service Tax (GST).
There are 330 pay TV channels and 535 FTA channels……Read More>>
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Senior music student Ashlyn Christensen will present a degree horn recital with faculty artist Polina Khatsko, piano. This event is free and open to the public.
Join us for a Spotlight Series Concert! These featured performances highlight the best of the best in our robust music program. For more information click here. |
Samsung Themes latest APK 4.2.28.81212 (422881212) comes with best themes to apply on device. There are also icon pack, material design dashboard, and more too. You don't have to stare at the same looking Android forever if you don't want to. It is boring after all and people would wish to see something new from their phone. Well, you don't need to buy new Android either. After all, you can change the look of your Android with theme app.
In order to beautify your Android in style, it is not just about the theme that we need. You can consider changing your app icons as well. You can rely on this app for that, so rest assured. This app has icon pack for Launcher to offer. Not to mention, they are all that of HD quality. Even when you want to apply them, this app makes things easy and quicker by single click only. Now, you can change the look of Android anytime anywhere you want in a flash. Don't you think it is convenient?
Of course, we can't leave out the theme here. We need the best themes for the best looking Android after all. Without doubt, this is what Samsung Themes for Android can promise to give for you. All you need to do is to pick the one you wish to have on your Android.
Also, there is this material design dashboard coming with the app as well. By applying them all, your Android would look way different than when you first bought it. You would want to look at it more often then. |
The Landon wood coffee table combines style and modern simplicity. Featuring four wooden rectangles being held together by a center frame. The minimalist legs and beautiful wood create an airy and light piece that is perfect for smaller spaces. Part of the Landon collection includes a matching end table, sold separately. |
On asteroids, the moon and in space station labs, interstellar research is increasingly performed by private companies. In this issue, we look at how these off-world innovators are bending the rules of IP. Back on planet earth, we delve into diplomacy's dark arts, where IP is leveraged in geopolitical disputes from Saudi Arabia to Peru. And critics of President Trump say his combative trade policy with China is damaging US interests, but is he legitimately using all the tools in his arsenal? |
Virginia's 81st House of Delegates district elects one of 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, the lower house of the state's bicameral legislature. District 81, in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, Virginia, has been represented by Republican Barry Knight since 2010.
District officeholders
References
External links
Virginia House of Delegates districts
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Chesapeake, Virginia |
The HDP02 technology demonstrator is a remote controlled eVTOL aircraft that does not carry any test pilot (only dead weight simulating a pilot) with eight propellers, eight electric motors and uses only battery packs for its power source. The HDP02 flew until the end of January 2021 which provided valuable data to the team. The flight time for the technology demonstrator is approximately 15 minutes.
This prototype is the second in a line of the company's full-scale working prototypes. The HDP02 is an open framed aircraft made out of light weight aluminium (6061-T6) with the VTOL propellers in the four corners of the aircraft. A seat is in the middle of the aircraft where dead weight is placed during test flights and the demonstrator has fixed skid type landing gear.
The inventor is also developing some eVTOL subsystems such as a web-based flight panel, a ground station, joystick flight control and a visual computing system for future autonomous flying. Safety features for this prototype include distributed electric propulsion (DEP) and redundancy in its sub-systems.
HDP02 eVTOL technology demonstrator before assembly with inventor Marcelo Lavrador
Piloting: Remote control
Capacity: No passengers, only dead weight simulating a person's weight
Fuselage: Open-framed aluminium 6061-T6 with TIG welding
Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers (or ducted fans) and motors on the aircraft so if one or more propellers (ducted fans) or motors fail, the other working propellers (or ducted fans) and motors can safely land the aircraft. There are redundancies built into the sub-systems of the aircraft.
Video: The Human Drone Project - The (unmanned) flight of the second prototype, Marcelo Lavrador, Feb. 1, 2021
Video: The Human Drone Project - 2nd Prototype: Quick tests to check controllability with 40" propellers., Marcelo Lavrador, Dec. 23, 2021
Video: The Human Drone Project - 2nd Prototype: Another quick test with 32" propellers and lower CG., Marcelo Lavrador, Dec. 23, 2021
Video: Finding the right parameters for the Human Drone, Marcelo Lavrador, Dec. 23, 2021
Video: Human Drone flying test with a 40 kg payload., Marcelo Lavrador, Dec. 23, 2021 |
Leopoldov (před rokem 1948 Mestečko; maďarsky: Lipótvár, později Újvároska; německy: Leopoldstadt) je slovenské město ležící v Trnavském kraji v okrese Hlohovec. Žije zde obyvatel a je důležitým železničním uzlem. V povědomí Čechů ulpělo díky tomu, že je zde věznice Leopoldov, v níž byli v 50. letech komunistickou vládou vězněni a likvidováni političní vězni.
Historie
Leopoldov byl založen v roce 1664 z iniciativy Leopolda I., po němž dnes nese jméno. Založení pevnostního města (městský status udělen zároveň se zprovozněním pevnosti v roce 1669) bylo součástí císařových snah zastavit pronikání Osmanské říše do hloubi Horních Uher. Leopoldovská pevnost začala postupně ztrácet svůj vojenský význam na konci 17. a počátku 18. století po sérii zdrcujících porážek, které Habsburkové Osmanské říši uštědřili a které způsobily, že se hranice posunuly daleko na jih. Pevnost pak našla uplatnění jen jako méně významná vojenská základna při vzpourách proti Habsburkům. V roce 1855 byla vlastní pevnost přestavěna na věznici, která smutně proslula zejména v 50. letech 20. století, kdy v ní českoslovenští komunisté věznili a likvidovali politické vězně. Věznice byla zdrojem proslulosti města i po roce 1989 – např. díky vzpouře vězňů z roku 1990 a útěku 7 vězňů doprovázeném vraždou 5 dozorců (1991).
Památky
Leopoldovská pevnost (dnes věznice pro těžké zločince)
kostel sv. Ignáce z Loyoly
Odkazy
Reference
Související články
Věznice Leopoldov
Externí odkazy
Oficiální stránky města
Informace o městě na mesto.sk
Železničná stanica Leopoldov na Rail.sk
Města na Slovensku
Obce v okrese Hlohovec
Města v regionu Dolní Pováží
Sídla nazvaná po osobách
Sídla na Váhu |
Problem set 14 | Business & Finance homework help
Petersen & Peterson Company is a 6-year-old company founded by Jackson Peterson and Mary Peterson to exploit metamaterial plasmonic technology to develop and manufacture miniature microwave frequency directional transmitters and receivers for use in mobile Internet and communications applications. The technology, although highly advanced, is relatively inexpensive to implement and their patented manufacturing techniques require little capital in comparison to many electronic fabrication ventures. Because of the low capital requirement, Jackson and Mary have been able to avoid issuing new stock and thus own all the business shares. Because of the explosion in demand for its mobile Internet applications, the company must now access outside equity capital to fund its growth and the couples have decided to take the company public. Until now, Jackson and Mary have paid themselves reasonable salaries but routinely reinvested all after-tax earnings in the firm, so dividend policy has not been an issue.
However, before talking with potential outside investors, they must decide on a dividend policy. Your supervisor at the consulting firm Ernst Young & Associates, which has been retained to help the company prepare for its initial public offering, has asked you to make a presentation to Jackson and Mary in which you plan to review the theories of dividend policy and discuss capital structure decisions.
1. Explain to the Petersons the term a "distribution policy"?
2. Describe the following theories of dividend payout preferences and how they will affect dividend policy of Peterson & Peterson Company:
i. dividend irrelevance theory
ii. bird-in-the-hand theory
iii. tax effect theory, and
iv. information content hypothesis (signaling theory)
3. Define clientele effect and explain how it affects dividend policy.
4. Peterson & Peterson Company plans to undertake a massive capital expansion project next year that will require $10 million investment. The company's target capital structure consists of 60% debt and 40% equity. Peterson has 1million shares of stock outstanding. If net income next year is $6 million and the company follows a residual distribution policy with all distributions as dividends, determine the following:
i. the company's dividend per share for next year
ii. the company's forecasted dividend payout ratio
iii. the amount of equity financing and long-term debt needed to finance the project
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the company's residual policy? (Hint: do not neglect signaling and clientele effects.)
6. Peterson Company plans to repurchase some of its own outstanding stock in the future if it sees that its stock price is undervalued in the market and more specially to reorganize its capital structure. Identify three advantages and three disadvantages of stock repurchases.
7. Boehm Corporation produces satellite earth stations that sell for $150,000 each. The firm's fixed costs are $1.5 million, 20 earth stations are produced and sold each year. Profits are $400,000 and the firm's assets (all equity financed) are $5million. Due to technological advances in the industry the firm estimates that it can change its production process by adding $10 million to assets and $500,000 to fixed operating costs. This change will reduce variable costs per unit by $5,000 and increase output by 30 units. However, the sales price on all units must be lowered to $140,000 to permit sales of the additional units. Boehm Corporation has tax carryforwards that render its tax rate zero, its cost of equity is 18% and it has no debt in its capital structure. Thus, the company's profit is equal to earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT)
i. Determine the company's variable cost per unit and break-even quantity under the initial plan.
ii. Determine the company's variable cost per unit and break-even quantity under the proposed plan.
iii. Another firm Cruz Corporation has fixed operating costs of $100,000 and variable costs of $4 per unit. If the company sells its product for $6 per unit, what is the break-even quantity?
Submit your answers in a Word document.
https://customhubwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Untitled-1-Recovered-300x75.png 0 0 CustomhubWriting https://customhubwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Untitled-1-Recovered-300x75.png CustomhubWriting2023-01-23 08:58:052023-01-23 08:58:05Problem set 14 | Business & Finance homework help
Sensing theory | Psychology homework help What about fathers? or teen sexuality discussion |
This is a beautiful, decorative and ornate cross to hang on the wall of your home. The cross features the words "The Lord bless you and keep you" distributed on the ends of the four arms of the cross sending a lovely message to anyone who reads the prayful words. This Lord bless you cross is made of antiqued pewter and designed after the fashion of the Jerusalem or Crusader'j;s cross as seen in particular by the ornate smaller cross in the center. The smaller size of the Lord bless you cross allows it to be hung in just about any area no matter how small while adding an ornate and decorative touch to the area. The Lord bless you cross will make a lovely wedding or housewarming gift and is sure to be received with pleasure. The Lord bless you cross would also give comfort to someone who is ill if the cross is placed and displayed in their room. Whether for yourself or to give as a gift, this unique Lord bless you cross is a thoughtful gift that will be treasured for years to come. |
WB De Lane Lea moves home after 47 years, expands offering
Audio post production house, Warner Bros. De Lane Lea is moving to a brand new home in Soho after 47 years at its current Dean Street address and is significantly growing its offer with new colour grading suites among other changes.
The company, bought by Warner Brothers Studios five years ago, is working in partnership with Soho Estates and will develop a new "world class" sound and picture post facility within Ilona Rose House, a new development currently under construction in Greek Street.
From its new address, the company will create a "cutting-edge", 25,000 sq ft facility which will offer a wide range of creative talent and services. "This purpose-built facility, along with our world class talent, will open up a new level of creativity and client servicing for the UK post production community," said Dan Dark, SVP and md, Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. "This is a rare opportunity to take a new site in the heart of Soho."
John James, MD of Soho Estates said: "We at Soho Estates see this as a worthwhile contribution to the legacy of the film industry in Soho which, without such investment, could be lost to Soho forever."
The new location will include four sound re-recording stages, one of which is on a scale that "rivals those operated in Hollywood." Additional facilities will be colour grading suites for feature films and TV, 40 picture cutting rooms and an ADR stage all complemented by client lounges and a cafe/bar.
Kim Waugh, SVP Worldwide Post Production Services, Warner Bros. Studio Facilities said: "This marks a significant growth in our business as we take this opportunity to expand our services for television and feature clients with the introduction of new colour grading facilities thus ensuring we can offer our clients a full range of post-production creative services. As we celebrate our 70th anniversary, it's fitting that we have secured the future of the company in the heart of Soho, for many years to come. Under the leadership of Cara Sheppard we will continue our heritage of creative excellence by attracting and retaining award winning talent."
Philip Thompson, Investment and Development Director of Soho Estates added: "This has been a genuinely collaborative partnership and we are delighted that the resulting facility will be an exceptional addition to our portfolio."
WBDLL is expecting to move in 2021 when Ilona Rose House opens and will continue to operate in its current location at 75 Dean Street until that time.
Haque in as interim BBC3 channel editor
BBC commissioning editor, Nasfim Haque, has joined BBC Three as Channel Editor until the summer as the channel gears up for a return to broadcast TV on February 1st. Fiona Campbell is currently overseeing the Factual, Arts >>> |
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Significant UPGs
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For up to date blogs, visit https://globalgatesinfo.wordpress.com/. Muslims in Metro New YorkI recently completed a fresh research update on the Muslim population of Metro New York. There are nine separate blogs complete with... read more
An open door
Fifteen years ago, the relationship between Saudi Arabia, homeland of Islam, and the United States was cool at best. Opportunities for Christians to live there were... read more
A whole new Perspective
The Colombian man works a late shift washing dishes in a busy restaurant surrounded by Bengali people. He has picked up a few words of... read more
Unreached People Group Communities
As a follow-up on the ethNYcity people profiles below, we have identified 69 unreached/least-reached people group communities in Metro New York. These communities are often "hidden" from Christian interaction and engagement. Please consider printing off the .pdf version and regularly praying for these communities in your home, small group, or church. 69 Most Significant Unreached People Group Communities in Metro New York. For more information on regularly praying for specific people group communities, visit globalgates.info/prayer.
The ethNYcity people profiles below (and on our app and widgets) feature the most significant ethnic groups in Metro New York. As a result, not all of these are unreached, but the ones that have a significant Christian presence can play a vital role in reaching out to unreached peoples in Metro New York.
Germans in Metro New York
Place of Origin: Germany
Location in Metro New York: Queens (Ridgewood); Brooklyn (Gerritsen Beach); Manhattan (Washington Heights, Yorkville); Westchester (White Plains)
Population in Metro New York: 1,754,074 (ACS 2010 Total Ancestry Reported); 57,127 (ACS 2010 Born in Germany)
Population in New York City: 256,797 (ACS 2010 Total Ancestry Reported); 19,841 (ACS 2010 Born in Germany)
Primary Religion: Christianity (Roman Catholic, Lutheran)
Secondary Religion: Nonreligious, Judaism
Status of Christian Witness: Greater than or equal to 2% evangelical. Less than 5% evangelical.
Primary Languages: German, English
Bio: On a sunny Wednesday in June 1904, 1,300 church members of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Manhattan's Little Germany, mostly mothers and children, boarded the steamship The General Slocum to travel to their annual Sunday school picnic. Forty minutes into the trip, fire broke out, and the ship burned to the water line. Just over one thousand were killed. It was the deadliest disaster in New York City's history until the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and it devastated New York's German community. At the time, many believed New York to be the third-largest German-speaking city in the world after Berlin and Vienna. Following the disaster, shattered families fled the German enclave on the Lower East Side, trying to escape sad memories. In the next few decades, the role of Germany in the two World Wars and the Holocaust brought further pain and shame upon German-Americans. Although Metro New York has the largest concentration of people of German descent in the US, currently estimated to be 1.8 million (ACS 2010), the German population has steadily declined as few newcomers arrive and the older generation passes away. Between 2000 and 2008, the number of German-born residents decreased by 17,500. Pastor Muenich, who recently retired from a German Lutheran church in Manhattan, saw this firsthand. "In the 1990s, we had fifty to sixty people coming to our German services. It shrank to only ten to fifteen in the last few years," he explained.
When Did They Come to New York? Germans have been coming to Metro New York since colonial times. Those who died on The General Slocum were part of the massive influx of nearly six million Germans who arrived in the US between 1820 and 1920. The last major wave was in the 1950s and '60s, when over 750 thousand came to the US to escape bleak post-war Germany. With Germany's current prosperity, few are immigrating to the US although thousands come on temporary work assignments with German or multinational corporations.
Where Do They Live? It is difficult to find a German enclave in Metro New York today, as most Germans are fully assimilated. After their exit from the Lower East Side following The General Slocum disaster, many Germans settled along 2nd Avenue in Yorkville on the Upper East Side. Others migrated out to Ridgewood, Queens, joining a large community of Germans who worked in Brooklyn's breweries. Around the same time, German Jews left the ghettos of the Lower East Side for Washington Heights. Ridgewood soon became the new German center of Metro New York, remaining seventy percent German until the 1960s. Today, Gerritsen Beach in Brooklyn and White Plains in Westchester, home to the German School of New York, have small concentrations of Germans.
What Do They Believe? "In the past, going to church and believing in God was just second nature for Germans," explained Pastor Wasserman, who serves one of the remaining German Lutheran churches in New York. "But younger Germans are very secular and materialistic, they have no need for church in their lives." Since the Reformation, the German population has been evenly divided between Protestants and Catholics, plus a small Jewish minority, but Pastor Muenich believes one-third of Germans in Metro New York today adhere to no religion. A few churches hold German services and reach out to the German community, including St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Yorkville and the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Paul on West 22nd Street.
What Are Their Lives Like? Most New Yorkers know at least one German word, "Oktoberfest!", the annual celebration of German food, beer, and music. Metro New York still has dozens of German cultural clubs, even though many are fading from lack of interest. "Germans who came in the fifties and sixties really needed these clubs to stay connected. The younger generations don't need it as much," said Pastor Wasserman. Fewer families enroll children in German language and dance classes, and most of these activities are viewed as recreational rather than intense training in language and culture.
Significant Notes:
One in seven Americans claims German ancestry.
Included in Pope Benedict XVI's New York itinerary in 2008 was a visit to St. Joseph's Church, established in 1873 to serve the German community.
In the mid-1800s, German Jews started the Reform movement, the most liberal form of Judaism.
The German-American Steuben Parade is held each September in Manhattan. The parade honors General von Steuben, a German who fought alongside the Americans in the Revolutionary War.
How To Pray: Although Germans such as Martin Luther played a pivotal role in restablishing biblical Christianity, Germans today are disassociating themselves from the Christian faith. Pray that the spirit of the Reformation would be rekindled and draw many Germans back to Christ.
copyright 2012 ethNYcity
website by LiveTree Creative |
News Airports
Ripple effects from airport delays
June 8, 2022 By Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal
THUNDER BAY, ONT. — Landing in Toronto on a flight after an effortless tour of Europe, Erika and Edward Maki sat on their plane for 30 minutes before they could disembark and head through Canadian customs.
"Everything was going well and then they flagged my passport with a pink sticker for a random COVID test," Edward said.
With a few minutes to spare, they arrived at the boarding gate to learn the flight will only take half of the passengers because there is bad weather in Thunder Bay. Minutes later, they were told the plane will take everyone.
"I remember looking out the window and noticed the suitcase buggy sitting by the plane with all our luggage . . . and it drives away, with our luggage, then arrives back a few minutes later," Edward said.
"They start loading about six pieces of the luggage and stop. The worker listens to his radio and they start taking the luggage back off the plane. That's when everybody's phone started going off with the message saying that they were cancelling the flight to Thunder Bay."
Edward noticed the departure and arrival board and said, "It was just red — all flights cancelled — and I'm guessing I don't think there are storms everywhere."
By 8:30 p.m., they learned they were flying out of Toronto the next day and began to search for a hotel room. The only room available near the airport cost $1,000 and up so they decided to rent a vehicle to drive further from the airport.
"We went to every car rental place in the airport, and they had no cars available and we thought, `what do we do?"'
The Maki couple jumped on a bus and went to Brampton where friends put them up for the night.
Flight cancellations and lengthy delays in Canada's largest airports are causing plenty of anxiety for travellers. With many COVID-19 pandemic restrictions still in place, there isn't enough personnel to receive the large capacity of people who are once again travelling.
Charla Robinson, president of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, says there is a domino effect that develops around the delays that strand travellers across the country, particularly in Canada-U.S. border airports. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has been working with the standing committee in Parliament on transportation infrastructure trying to find ways to make air travel work better.
"There have been major delays and then that's delaying the folks trying to get the connecting flights to smaller communities like Thunder Bay," Robinson said. "You could be sitting on a plane for an hour waiting to disembark because of the long lines (inside) going through the various checks that are in place."
She says the multiple checks now required at all the security points are causing major gridlock in the airport, which is restricting the planes that are coming in and out because there just isn't capacity to have that many passengers in the terminal.
"The chamber is pushing the government to look at what restrictions are still required and what can be removed. A lot of other countries have removed a variety of these restrictions that are now creating a barrier to travel in our country," she said.
More challenges arise with the new COVID-19 security requirements that have added time to process passengers.
Robinson said perhaps technology can play a bigger part in alleviating long lineups by expediting travellers automatically through the screening system.
Adjusting COVID-19 restrictions or even developing a trusted traveller program for frequent flyers might help with the problems.
Lines, delays eased at Pearson airport
International flight delays at Pearson airport jump by factor of 275
UK airport warns COVID related delays could last months
German airport strike causes flight cancellations, delays
Chartright Air Group
Lebanon to launch tender for $70 million airport terminal
Runway work begins at Thunder Bay Airport |
Finca Mangüeiro is located in Sta. Cristina de Cobres, City Council of Vilaboa, in the Rías Baixas, province of Pontevedra.
It is a rural, full-rent, traditional house on the ground floor, renovated in 2003. It has three double rooms with bathroom and a double room with bathroom attached to the house, fully equipped kitchen cozy living room with fireplace.
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\section{Introduction\label{sec:intro}}
It has been known for some time that the broad band structure of optical and
near infrared (NIR) extinction curves varies with location in the Galaxy
\citep[see][for a review]{2016ApJ...821...78S}. Likewise, spatially-variable
narrow band extinction features, called diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs),
have also been studied extensively \citep[e.g.][]{1995ARA&A..33...19H}. In
contrast, weak structure in optical and NIR extinction curves over
intermediate wavelength intervals (i.e., several hundred to $\sim$1000~\AA)
is known to exist, but has received far less attention. This structure was
first reported by \cite{1966ApJ...144..305W} and termed ``very broad
structure'', or VBS. The VBS is typically identified as a broad depression
(i.e., reduced extinction) in extinction curves over the region $1.5 \lesssim
\lambda^{-1} \lesssim 2.0$ \invmic\ \citep{1976MNRAS.177..625W,
1977AJ.....82..337S, 1980PASP...92..411W}. However, \cite{1971ApJ...166...65Y}
and \cite{1973IAUS...52...83H} recognized that it could also be a minimum
associated with larger, more complex structure. In this paper, we
collectively refer to these features, including the VBS, as intermediate scale
structure, or ISS. Interestingly, there is little evidence for DIBs or ISS in
the UV or far UV \citep[e.g.][]{2003ApJ...592..947C, 2009ApJ...705.1320G}.
Recently, \citet[][hereafter Paper VII]{2019ApJ...886..108F} have constructed
\defcitealias{2019ApJ...886..108F}{Paper VII}
a set of high signal-to-noise spectrophotometric extinction curves which are
ideal for studying the nature of the relatively weak ISS. In this paper,
we utilize the \citetalias{2019ApJ...886..108F} data to examine the nature and
variability of the ISS in detail. We do this using two distinct
approaches. The first is purely empirical and does not rely on any
assumptions about the form of the structure. The second approach uses a
parameterization of the curves in order to quantify the features
identified in the empirical analysis.
Section~\ref{sec:sample} describes our sample of stars and the data used in
the analysis. Section~\ref{sec:measure} presents our empirical measurements
of the ISS. Section~\ref{sec:modeling} utilizes a simple, {\it ad hoc}
model for the structure in order to derive physically meaningful
measurements. Finally, section~\ref{sec:summary} summarizes our findings.
\section{The Sample}\label{sec:sample}
We begin with the sample of 72 early-type stars described in
\citetalias{2019ApJ...886..108F}. These stars all have HST/STIS G430L and
G750L spectra, covering the wavelength range $2900 \leq \lambda \leq
10270$~\AA, with a resolution ($\lambda/\Delta\lambda$) ranging from 530 to
1040. Additionally, all have been observed previously by the {\it
International Ultraviolet Explorer} {\it IUE} satellite, providing
ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometry. The stars range in spectral type from B9
to O6 and luminosity class from V to III. They have color excesses spanning
the range $0.12 \leq E(B-V) \leq 1.11$ mag. \citetalias{2019ApJ...886..108F}
derived extinction curves for each star using a procedure that matches stellar
lines to model atmospheres. The method is similar to the one employed by
\cite{2007ApJ...663..320F} except that it concentrates on the optical spectrum
\citepalias[see][for details]{2019ApJ...886..108F}. We excluded
GSC03712-01870 from this original sample because it lacked an {\it IUE}\/
long wavelength spectrum and, thus, information on the strength of its
2175~\AA\/ extinction bump. This left a sample of 71 stars.
For our analysis, we rebinned all of the optical curves for these stars
onto a uniform wavelength scale, covering $3010 \leq \lambda \leq 8000$~\AA\
and sampled at 5~\AA\ intervals. Wavelengths longer than 8000~\AA\ were
ignored since the available TLUSTY model atmospheres \citep{2003ApJS..146..417L}
used to produce many of the curves do not include the upper Paschen lines.
The final data set thus consists of 71 normalized extinction curves. These
curves are expressed as color excesses relative to the monochromatic flux at
5500~\AA, $E(\lambda -55)$ and normalized by the excess between 4400 and
5500~\AA, $E(44-55)$, i.e.,
\begin{equation}
k(\lambda -55) \equiv E(\lambda -55)/E(44-55)
\end{equation}
sampled at $M_\lambda = 999$ evenly spaced wavelength points. These
monochromatic excesses and curves are nearly identical to those expressed
in the usual photometric $B$ and $V$ bands. The major difference is that
the monochromatic expressions are immune to the magnitude of the reddening
\citepalias[see][for further details]{2019ApJ...886..108F}. Nevertheless,
we will often use ebv\ or $R(V)$ as general measures of the color excess
and the ratio of total to selective extinction.
Figure~\ref{fig:mean_quartic} shows the mean of the 71 rebinned, normalized
optical extinction curves, along with a quartic fit to the mean (smooth blue
curve). To demonstrate the magnitude of the features to be studied in this
paper, we also show the difference between the mean curve and the quartic
fit, magnified by a factor of ten. These residuals reveal the ISS.
\begin{figure*}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=1.0\linewidth, angle=180]{figSTRUCTURE.pdf}
\end{center}
\vspace{-0.75in}
\caption{Mean of 71 MW curves determined by \citetalias{2019ApJ...886..108F}
and described in detail in \S \ref{sec:sample}, along with a quartic fit
(blue curve) to the mean and $10\times$ the mean of the residuals. The
residuals for individual curves in the sample can be nearly twice as large
or almost nonexistent. The vertical dotted lines give the positions of the
strong DIBs listed in Table~\ref{tab:ism} (given in \S~\ref{sec:measure}).
\label{fig:mean_quartic}}
\end{figure*}
\section{Empirical Measurements of the ISS}\label{sec:measure}
In this section, we fit the curves with a low order polynomial. We then
examine the residuals of the polynomial fits, i.e., the ISS. We analyze the
variability of the residuals in two ways. First, we quantify its strength
and demonstrate that it is related to the amplitude of the 2175~\AA\ bump
\citep[a result anticipated by][]{1980PASP...92..411W}. Second, we analyze
variations in the shape of the ISS and show that most of it can be captured
by only three parameters.
To begin, we interpolate the curves over the locations of interstellar
lines and those DIBs from the list given by \cite{1995ARA&A..33...19H} that
we could identify in our spectra. This allows our analysis to concentrate
only on ISS features. The interstellar features removed are listed in
Table~\ref{tab:ism}. The curves were then smoothed by a Gaussian with a
FWHM of 100~\AA. Smoothing accomplishes two things: 1) it suppresses
features with characteristic widths less than 100~\AA\ (eliminating any
residual influence of DIBs) and, 2) it reduces the ``offset error''
described below.
We can also use the smoothed and unsmoothed data to derive a measure of
the mean error affecting the data. First, we subtract each 999 point
spectrum with the ISM features removed from the version of itself
convolved with the 100~\AA\ FW Gaussian. This difference should capture
most of the high frequency, random noise in the data. Next, the RMS of
these differences at each wavelength for all of the observations is
used to provide a representation of the wavelength dependence of the
errors for the entire sample. Finally, the RMS of this wavelength
array is used to derive a ``representative'', mean error affecting the
data. The value that results from this process is $\sigma_{obs} = 0.0373$.
\begin{table}[h]
\begin{center}
\caption{Interstellar Features}
\begin{tabular}{lcc}
\label{tab:ism}
Type & $\lambda$ (\AA) & $\lambda^{-1}$ (\invmic)\\ \hline
Ca II & 3933.66 & 2.54 \\
Ca II & 3968.47 & 2.52 \\
Na I & 5889.95 & 1.70 \\
Na I & 5895.92 & 1.70 \\
K I & 7664.91 & 1.30 \\
K I & 7698.97 & 1.30 \\ \hline
DIB & 4428.00 & 2.26 \\
DIB & 4882.00 & 2.05 \\
DIB & 5450.30 & 1.83 \\
DIB & 5487.50 & 1.82 \\
DIB & 5535.00 & 1.81 \\
DIB & 5780.45 & 1.73 \\
DIB & 6283.86 & 1.59 \\ \hline
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
\end{table}
\subsection{Magnitude of the ISS}
We assume that the curves can be represented by a set of $N_f$ feature
profiles, $\phi(\lambda -55)_i$, whose shapes are unspecified, and a
background continuum that can be characterized by a polynomial of order
$N_p$. In this case, an extinction curve can be expressed as
\begin{equation}
k(\lambda -55) = \sum_{i=1}^{N_f} a_i^0 \phi(\lambda -55)_i +
\sum_{j=0}^{N_p} b_j^0 \lambda^j
\label{eq:flux}
\end{equation}
Without model profiles for guidance, weak, broad structures, such as the
ISS, are difficult to quantify. Unlike sharp features, such as DIBs,
choosing continuum points is problematic. It is difficult to decide where
the ``continuum'' begins and ends and whether a perceived continuum point
is actually affected by the overlap of nearby features. In the end, any
such procedure becomes highly subjective. Because of these difficulties, we
begin our analysis with a different approach for measuring the ISS. Instead
of attempting to fit the features with a set of profiles or to determine the
underlying continuum, we examine the magnitudes of the residuals of the
curves after they are fit by low order polynomials. Specifically, the
residuals, $r(\lambda-55)$, are given by
\begin{equation}
r(\lambda -55) = k(\lambda-55) - \sum_{j=0}^{N_p} b_j \lambda^j
\label{eq:resid}
\end{equation}
where the $b_j$ differ from the $b^0_j$ because they are fits to the entire
curve, including the ISS. Consequently, they are affected by the ISS at
some level. Experimentation showed that a fourth order polynomial (a
quartic) adequately captures the overall shape of the curves and that higher
order polynomials do not improve the fits.
After the smoothing and the removal of a quartic continuum,
the features in the residuals have full widths between about 100 and 1200~\AA,
where the upper limit is the total wavelength interval divided by 4 (for
the 4 zeros of a 4-th order polynomial). Features larger than 1200~\AA\
are captured by the polynomial coefficients, while features less than
100~\AA\ are lost, but should stand out in the raw spectra (the ISM lines
and DIBs). As expected from \citetalias{2019ApJ...886..108F}, the
coefficients of the linear and quadratic terms are correlated with $R(V)
\equiv A(V)/E(B-V)$, and we return to this correlation in \S~\ref{sec:relations}.
Figure~\ref{fig:kperps} shows the individual residuals and
their mean. The dotted curves are for stars with $E(44-55) < 0.5$ mag,
where the effect of mismatches between the observations and the best
fitting model atmospheres used to create the curves are exaggerated
\citep[see][for a discussion of mismatch errors]{1983ApJ...266..662M}.
A few things are immediately apparent. First, the general structure is
repeatable and present at some level in all of the well defined curves.
Second, the broad depression in the extinction between $1.5 \lesssim x
\lesssim 2.0$ \invmic (where $x \equiv \lambda^{-1}$), which is normally
associated with the VBS, is clearly present. Third, the VBS depression is
actually a minimum surrounded by at least three distinct peaks, near $x =
1.6$, 2.05, and 2.25 \invmic ($\lambda = $4400, 4800 and 6600~\AA). This
is the same general structure first reported by \cite{1973IAUS...52...83H}.
Finally, we note that the three distinct peaks in the ISS occur in the
vicinity of the three strong DIBs at 4428, 4882 and 6384~\AA\ (see
Table~\ref{tab:ism}).
The repeatability of the features validates the approach used in
\citetalias{2019ApJ...886..108F} to construct the curves, since the same
features appear in curves derived from stars with very different physical
parameters and a wide range in color excesses -- indicating that these
features are not a result of spectral mismatch between observed spectra
and model flux calculations. The large scatter between $x = 2.7$ and 2.9
\invmic\ results from small mismatches between the models and the
observations in the vicinity of the Balmer Jump, which are amplified in
curves produced from stars with smaller $E(B-V)$\ values. It appears that
the models or our fitting procedures may need to be refined in this region.
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=1.0\linewidth]{all_mean.pdf}
\end{center}
\caption{Individual $r(\lambda-55)$ curves (black) and their mean (red)
plotted against inverse wavelength. Dotted and solid lines are used to
denote curves derived from stars with $E(44-55)$ less than or greater than
0.5 mag, respectively.
\label{fig:kperps}}
\end{figure}
We now require an objective means to measure the strength of the ISS. For
lack of a better measure, we adopt the root mean square (RMS) of the
residuals to measure its total strength. This is given by
\begin{equation}
RMS[r(\lambda-55)] \equiv \sqrt{\frac{1}{M_\lambda}\sum_{k=1}^{M_\lambda}
r(\lambda_k-55)^2}
\label{eq:meas}
\end{equation}
where $M_\lambda = 999$. Note that $RMS[r(\lambda-55)]$ is also influenced
by random, point to point measurement errors which create an additive term
under the radical. This term creates an ``offset error'' (referred to above),
in the sense that the measure can never be exactly zero, due to the random
contribution. Further, in very noisy data the random errors can dominate
the measurements. This was the motivation for aggressively smoothing the
data with a 100~\AA\ Gaussian, which should minimize the random contribution.
Without the smoothing, there would be an additional term under the
radical in equation~(\ref{eq:meas}) of order $\sigma_{obs}$. This term
would introduce considerable scatter in Figure~\ref{fig:bump} and prohibit
curves with no features whatsoever from approaching zero.
We next examine correlations between $RMS[r(\lambda-55)]$ and $R(V)$
and properties of the 2175~\AA\ bump. \cite{1986ApJ...307..286F}
parameterize the 2175~\AA\ bump with a constant, $c$, times a Drude profile
of the form
\begin{equation}
D(x, x_i, \gamma_i) = \frac{x^2}{(x^2 - x_i^2)^2 +x^2\gamma_i^2}
\label{eq:drude}.
\end{equation}
The maximum value, or amplitude, of the term is $a(2175) = c/\gamma^2$ and
its area is $\pi c/(2 \gamma)$ \citep[see][]{1986ApJ...307..286F}.
Figure~\ref{fig:bump} shows the relations between $RMS[r(\lambda-55)]$ and
$R(V)$\ (top) and $a(2175)$ (bottom). Values of $a(2175)$, and $R(V)$ are
from \citetalias{2019ApJ...886..108F}. It is clear that $RMS[r(\lambda-55)]$
is poorly correlated with $R(V)$. In contrast, our measure of the ISS
structure is strongly correlated with $a(2175)$. Considering the crudeness
of our current measure, this seems rather remarkable.
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{rms_rv.pdf}\vfill
\includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{rms_bump.pdf}
\end{center}
\caption{$RMS[r(\lambda-55)]$ plotted against $R(V)$ (top) and bump
amplitude, $a(2175)$\ (bottom). Large, filled symbols are for values
derived from curves with $E(44-55) \geq 0.5$ mag, which should be most
accurate.
\label{fig:bump}}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=1.0\linewidth]{pcs.pdf}
\end{center}
\vspace{-0.2in}
\caption{The effects of the three largest principal components of
$r(\lambda-55)$ on the sample mean plotted against inverse wavelength. Each
pair of curves shows the effect of adding (black) and subtracting (red) the
PC to the mean. The zero point of each set of curves is shown by the large
tick marks and the curves are arranged with the largest PC at the bottom.
The variations caused by the PCs are scaled by the magnitude of their
variances.
\label{fig:pcs}}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure*}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=1.0\linewidth]{stacks_2.pdf}
\end{center}
\vspace{-0.3in}
\caption{Plots of the $r(\lambda-55)$ at 5~\AA\ sampling for the 10 most
reddened stars in our sample as functions of inverse wavelength. The name
of the star and its $E(B-V)$\ are given for each curve. The red curves are
approximations using the sample mean and the first three PCs. The sample
mean (dotted blue) is over plotted on each curve for comparison and the
dashed lines indicate the zero point for each curve. The sharp peaks are
due to the interstellar features listed in Table~\ref{tab:ism}.
\label{fig:stacks}}
\end{figure*}
\subsection{Wavelength dependence of the ISS variations}
We next examine the systematic variations in the ISS using principal
component decomposition \cite[see][for a discussion of the use of component
analysis to characterize extinction]{1980AJ.....85.1651M}. In this analysis,
the data were binned even further, to 50~\AA, which is the minimum possible
sampling for the data, which are smoothed by a 100~\AA\ Gaussian. The
result is a set of 99 point spectra. These were used to construct a
covariance matrix of excesses. We use excesses, $E(44-55) r(\lambda-55)$,
because they give larger weight to the more well defined curves, derived
from stars with larger reddenings. The covariance matrix is given by
\begin{eqnarray}
S_{ij} & = & \frac{1}{N-1}\sum_{n=1}^{N} [r(\lambda_i -55)^{(n)} -\langle
r(\lambda_i -55)\rangle] E(44-55)^{(n)} \nonumber \\
& & \times [r(\lambda_j -55)^{(n)} -\langle r(\lambda_j -55)\rangle]
E(44-55)^{(n)}
\end{eqnarray}
where $N = 71$, the number of stars in the sample, $i$ and $j$ vary from 1
to $N_\lambda = 99$, the number of wavelength points, and
\begin{equation}
\langle r(\lambda_i -55)\rangle = \sum_{n=1}^{N} r(\lambda_i -55)^{(n)}
E(44-55)^{(n)}/\sum_{n=1}^N E(44-55)^{(n)}
\end{equation}
is the weighted mean. The $N_\lambda$ eigenvalues, $e_i$, and eigenvectors
(or principal components, PCs), $v(\lambda)_i$, of this matrix give the
magnitudes and shapes of the variations, in order of the magnitudes of the
variances. We note that the matrix $S_{ij}$ is singular, since there are
more wavelength points than objects in the sample. However, this simply
means that the $N_\lambda -N = 32$ smallest eigenvalues are zero.
A given residual, $r(\lambda-55)^{(n)}$, can be approximated in terms of
a specified number, $N_{pc}$, of PCs as
\begin{equation}
r(\lambda-55)^{(n)} \approx \sum_{i=1}^{N_{pc}} \alpha_i^{(n)} v(\lambda)_i
\end{equation}
where the relation is exact when $N_{pc} = N_\lambda$, and the coefficients
are given by
\begin{equation}
\alpha_i^{(n)} = \sum_{k=1}^{N_\lambda} v(\lambda_k)_i r(\lambda_k-55)^{(n)}
\end{equation}
For any criterion of the significance of the principal components, some
estimate of the observational errors is required. For this purpose, we
adopt $\sigma_{obs}/\sqrt{10} = 0.0118$, where the numerical radical
accounts for the rebinning to 99 points. This value can be compared to
the magnitudes of the eigenvalues derived from the sample covariance
matrix. The ratio of the square roots of the 5 largest eigenvalues to
this value are: 4.92, 3.93, 2.26, 1.57 and 1.34. Consequently, we see
that the variance along the first 3 components are larger than twice
the expected mean error, and these are considered significant.
Furthermore, if we define the fraction of the total variance due to a
particular component, $e_i$, as $e_i/\sum_1^{N_\lambda} e_n$, the first
three components account for 44, 31 and 10\% of the total variance,
respectively, for a total of 85\%. In contrast, the fourth component
accounts for less than 4\%, a value more representative of the expected
random errors. Figure~\ref{fig:pcs} shows how the three largest PCs
affect the mean residual. The effect of each PC has been scaled by the
magnitude of its associated eigenvalue. The first PC appears to describe
the relative strength of the two peaks near 2.1 \invmic\ relative to the
minima near 1.8 and 2.8 \invmic. The major effects of the second PC are
changing the relative strengths of the two peaks near 2.1 \invmic\ and
making the minimum near 2.8 \invmic\ weaken in concert with the short
wavelength 2.1 \invmic\ peak. The dominant effect of the third component
is to change the relative strengths of the two minima, weakening the one
near 1.8 \invmic\ while strengthening the one near 2.8 \invmic. It is
difficult to interpret the variability at the shortest wavelengths. It
could be due to the wing of another feature with a peak at $\lambda <
3000$~\AA, or an artifact of the continuum fitting.
Figure~\ref{fig:stacks} shows the residuals of the 10 most reddened stars
in our sample. For each star, the plots show: the unsmoothed residuals, the
representation of the residuals given by the mean and the three largest PCs
and, the sample mean residual for comparison. Note that the first three PCs
produce excellent fits to all of the curves, except for the interstellar
lines and DIBS listed in Table~\ref{tab:ism}. This suggests that there may
be no more than three parameters influencing the ISS. As expected from
Figure \ref{fig:kperps}, the features can vary significantly in strength
(compare HD~29647 and HD~199216), and the strengths of all three peaks vary
relative to one another (compare HD~147889 and HD~228969). The feature
widths also vary, with the feature near 1.6 \invmic\ (which could have
more than one component) showing the largest variation (compare
BD$+44^\circ 1080$ and CPD$-59^\circ 2591$). The position of the broad
minimum near 1.8 \invmic, which is normally attributed to the VBS, appears
to shift depending on the relative strengths of the three peaks. This
leads us to believe that its position is influenced by the wings of the
surrounding absorption peaks.
\section{Modeling the ISS}\label{sec:modeling}
In this section, we describe an {\it ad hoc} model which enables us to
isolate and quantify the major features seen in the residuals. Unlike the
previous section, we use the resampled, but unsmoothed curves. Inspection
of the mean residual curve shown in Figure~\ref{fig:kperps} and the
individual residuals shown in Figure~\ref{fig:stacks} suggests that the most
prominent aspects of the curves can be represented by a smooth background
extinction and 3 distinct features centered near the strong DIBs at 4428,
4882, and 6383~\AA. The upswings in the residuals at each end of the
wavelength interval are most likely artifacts of the polynomial background
fit. We also search for correlations among the parameters used to fit the
data, and discuss how such correlations might arise.
\subsection{Fitting the curves}
Each of the three strongest features are modeled as a Drude profile of the
form given by equation~(\ref{eq:drude}). Drude functions are appealing
because they have a solid physical basis and have been shown to provide
excellent representations of dust extinction \citep{1986ApJ...307..286F}
and emission \citep[e.g.][]{2001ApJ...551..807D}. As previously stated,
a quartic adequately describes the overall shapes of the curves.
Consequently, we fit each curve with the following function
\begin{equation}
k(\lambda-V) = \sum_{i=1}^3 c_i D(x, x_i, \gamma_i) + \sum_{j=0}^4 d_j x^j
\label{eq:fit}
\end{equation}
Altogether, this model contains 9 free parameters to describe the features:
three $c_i$, $x_i$, and $\gamma_i$. These, along with the five $d_j$, were
determined by non-linear least squares, using the Interactive Data Language
(IDL) procedure MPFIT developed by \citet{2009ASPC..411..251M}.
We also use the notation $a(\lambda_i) = c_i/\gamma_i^2$, where $\lambda_i
= x_i^{-1}$, to denote the amplitude (maxima) of the profiles. Because all
of the stars have been fit in the UV as well \citepalias[][]{2019ApJ...886..108F},
parameters for the 2175~\AA\ Drude profile are available for each.
Consequently, we were able to remove the contribution to the curves of the
long wavelength tail of the 2175~\AA\ Drude profile (although this had
little influence on the results). The regions of interstellar lines and
the strong DIBs listed in Table~\ref{tab:ism} were given zero weight. In
contrast, the regions near the Drude peaks were given 9 times the weight of
the surrounding regions. This restrains the fitting routine from using the
tails of the Drude profiles to help the overall agreement of purely
continuum regions and emphasizes the influence of the positions and widths
of the profiles \footnote{The regions emphasized by the weights were $1.45
\leq \mu^{-1} \leq 1.75$ for the position of the long wavelength feature
and $1.9 \leq \mu^{-1} \leq 2.45$ for both short wavelength positions.
The values determined by the fitting procedure were well within these
limits in all cases.}. We also constrained the $\gamma_i$ to be $\leq
0.5$ \invmic. This constraint keeps the Drude profiles from getting so
wide that they become entangled in the continuum fitting.
We note that equation~(\ref{eq:fit}) is, in fact, an approximation. The
observed curves actually have the form
\begin{eqnarray}
k(\lambda -55) & = & \frac{E(\lambda-55)_D +E(\lambda-55)_B}{E(44-55)_D +
E(44-55)_B} \label{eq:excess} \\
& \simeq & \left[\frac{E(\lambda-55)_D}{E(44-55)_B} +
k(\lambda-55)_B \right] \nonumber \\
& & \times \left[1 -\frac{E(44-55)_D}{E(44-55)_B} \right] \label{eq:final}
\end{eqnarray}
where the subscripts $D$ and $B$ refer to the Drude and background
contributions, and equation (\ref{eq:final}) follows since $E(44-55)_D <<
E(44-55)_B$. The term inside the first set of brackets in
equation~(\ref{eq:final}) can be rewritten as
\begin{eqnarray}
\frac{E(\lambda-55)_D}{E(44-55)_B} +k(\lambda-55)_B & = & \sum_i \frac{c^0_i
}{E(44-55)_B} D(\lambda -55)_i \nonumber \\
& & + k(\lambda-55)_B
\end{eqnarray}
which has the same form as equation (\ref{eq:fit}). We see that the
second term in this equation cannot affect the Drudes and that the
$c_i$ determined from the fits to equation (\ref{eq:fit}) are actually
proportional to $c^0_i/E(44-55)_B$. The second bracketed term in equation
(\ref{eq:final}) is a multiplicative constant for each line of sight which
is $\lesssim 1$. Consequently, it can rescale everything but it cannot
affect the $x_{0i}$, $\gamma_i$, or the ratios of the $c_i$.
Consequently, equation (\ref{eq:fit}) is a good approximation, but we need
to keep in mind that the $c_i$ derived from the fits are actually
$\simeq c_i^0/E(44-55)_B$, where the $c^0_i$ can be directly related to
physical parameters described in \S~\ref{sec:relations}.
Table~\ref{tab:params} lists some properties of the fit parameters for the
24 stars in our sample with $E(44-55) \geq 0.5$ (values for the entire
sample are very similar). For each parameter listed in the first column,
the Table gives: mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, and range,
defined as $100\times$(max--min)/mean. It is immediately apparent that the
$x_i$ values are quite robust and that their total ranges vary by only a
few percent. Consequently, we refer to them as the 4370, 4870 and 6800~\AA\
features hereafter. In contrast, all of the other parameters have ranges
that vary by more than a factor of 2.
\begin{figure*}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=1.0\linewidth]{profiles_2.pdf}
\end{center}
\vspace{-.4in}
\caption{Plots of the profile fits for the 10 most reddened stars in our
sample as functions of inverse wavelength. The name of the star and its
$E(B-V)$\ are given for each curve. The thick red curves are the Drude fits,
the dotted blue curve is the sample mean fit, the black curve is the data
and the dashed lines give the zero point for each profile. The arrows
show the positions of interstellar absorption lines (which appear as
excess extinction) and the vertical dotted red lines show the positions of
the strong DIBs listed in Table~\ref{tab:ism}.
\label{fig:fits}}
\end{figure*}
\begin{longrotatetable}
\begin{deluxetable*}{lllllllllllllll}
\tablecaption{Fit Parameters\label{tab:fitparams}}
\tablewidth{700pt}
\tabletypesize{\scriptsize}
\tablehead{\colhead{Star} & \colhead{$a_l \times 10^3$} & \colhead{$a_2
\times 10^3$} &
\colhead{$a_3 \times 10^3$} & \colhead{$\gamma_1$} & \colhead{$\gamma_2$} &
\colhead{$\gamma_3$} & \colhead{$x_{10}$} & \colhead{$x_{20}$} &
\colhead{$x_{03}$} & \colhead{$b_0$} & \colhead{$b_1$} & \colhead{$b_2$} &
\colhead{$b_3$} & \colhead{$b_4$}
}
\startdata
BD+44 1080 & 4.608 & 3.005 & 4.009 & 0.300 & 0.230 & 0.262 & 1.636 & 2.065 & 2.285 & 9.408 & -27.801 & 14.10 & 18.91 & -17.21 \\
BD+56 517 & 2.140 & 6.139 & 6.854 & 0.176 & 0.209 & 0.251 & 1.569 & 2.057 & 2.290 & 5.270 & -4.389 & -34.87 & 63.59 & -32.06 \\
BD+56 518 & 8.050 & 7.058 & 8.537 & 0.300 & 0.231 & 0.300 & 1.577 & 2.052 & 2.301 & 6.000 & -7.353 & -31.61 & 63.44 & -32.85 \\
BD+56 576 & 1.664 & 6.462 & 3.377 & 0.151 & 0.205 & 0.195 & 1.564 & 2.057 & 2.285 & 5.071 & -2.996 & -37.72 & 65.43 & -32.17 \\
BD+69 1231 & 0.423 & 3.985 & 1.087 & 0.083 & 0.182 & 0.109 & 1.573 & 2.068 & 2.281 & 12.913 & -54.559 & 86.42 & -63.74 & 16.75 \\
BD+71 92 & 11.018 & 10.219 & 1.806 & 0.300 & 0.256 & 0.158 & 1.609 & 2.068 & 2.273 & 6.851 & -8.928 & -40.25 & 87.38 & -48.11 \\
CPD-41 7715 & 0.228 & 2.048 & 1.225 & 0.086 & 0.171 & 0.148 & 1.571 & 2.052 & 2.290 & 3.684 & 4.846 & -51.30 & 72.90 & -32.61 \\
CPD-57 3507 & 7.548 & 0.543 & 0.304 & 0.275 & 0.088 & 0.056 & 1.585 & 2.058 & 2.305 & 2.203 & 15.575 & -78.23 & 100.73 & -42.57 \\
CPD-57 3523 & 0.937 & 1.057 & 10.445 & 0.148 & 0.108 & 0.300 & 1.668 & 2.069 & 2.307 & 4.789 & -2.619 & -35.72 & 61.84 & -30.92 \\
CPD-59 2591 & 0.439 & 0.791 & 3.192 & 0.121 & 0.114 & 0.218 & 1.569 & 2.056 & 2.289 & 1.918 & 15.054 & -72.46 & 92.24 & -39.88 \\
CPD-59 2600 & 0.277 & 1.113 & 4.024 & 0.085 & 0.118 & 0.216 & 1.579 & 2.053 & 2.307 & 3.477 & 4.449 & -46.34 & 64.44 & -28.96 \\
CPD-59 2625 & 7.622 & 4.809 & 0.015 & 0.300 & 0.232 & 0.010 & 1.621 & 2.040 & 2.236 & 3.714 & 8.139 & -67.51 & 98.29 & -45.67 \\
HD13338 & 2.480 & 9.761 & 8.707 & 0.174 & 0.230 & 0.271 & 1.561 & 2.059 & 2.284 & 5.317 & -5.032 & -33.28 & 62.44 & -32.01 \\
HD14250 & 1.869 & 13.452 & 8.031 & 0.162 & 0.268 & 0.278 & 1.561 & 2.049 & 2.296 & 5.512 & -5.677 & -33.09 & 63.22 & -32.53 \\
HD14321 & 1.147 & 4.361 & 4.823 & 0.139 & 0.187 & 0.232 & 1.565 & 2.056 & 2.288 & 6.718 & -14.099 & -9.58 & 34.12 & -19.36 \\
HD17443 & 0.003 & 0.218 & 2.180 & 0.006 & 0.073 & 0.192 & 1.664 & 2.084 & 2.265 & 15.595 & -70.847 & 124.15 & -103.36 & 32.81 \\
HD18352 & 1.682 & 5.501 & 13.092 & 0.154 & 0.194 & 0.300 & 1.563 & 2.054 & 2.285 & 7.070 & -17.966 & 1.55 & 21.90 & -14.74 \\
HD27778 & 6.604 & 1.408 & 3.910 & 0.300 & 0.152 & 0.224 & 1.622 & 2.072 & 2.269 & 6.868 & -11.659 & -25.22 & 61.91 & -34.78 \\
HD28475 & 6.932 & 4.309 & 1.314 & 0.300 & 0.178 & 0.127 & 1.570 & 2.061 & 2.286 & 3.113 & 9.944 & -69.94 & 100.94 & -46.48 \\
HD29647 & 2.711 & 0.249 & 0.656 & 0.300 & 0.100 & 0.142 & 1.628 & 2.093 & 2.314 & 8.650 & -26.976 & 24.81 & -7.42 & -1.38 \\
HD30122 & 10.780 & 3.551 & 12.304 & 0.300 & 0.169 & 0.300 & 1.578 & 2.072 & 2.289 & 2.382 & 14.026 & -80.90 & 115.66 & -53.95 \\
HD30675 & 9.493 & 0.307 & 11.180 & 0.300 & 0.092 & 0.288 & 1.625 & 2.079 & 2.302 & 3.324 & 8.898 & -69.30 & 102.72 & -48.55 \\
HD37061 & 0.080 & 0.060 & 0.048 & 0.056 & 0.035 & 0.051 & 1.545 & 2.050 & 2.306 & 2.082 & 14.118 & -66.36 & 78.32 & -30.74 \\
HD38087 & 0.468 & 13.017 & 0.331 & 0.101 & 0.300 & 0.085 & 1.565 & 2.005 & 2.281 & 1.108 & 24.079 & -103.18 & 133.32 & -59.14 \\
HD40893 & 6.185 & 3.415 & 14.550 & 0.255 & 0.160 & 0.300 & 1.593 & 2.053 & 2.294 & 4.220 & 2.928 & -56.07 & 91.87 & -45.83 \\
HD46106 & 1.137 & 5.244 & 5.596 & 0.132 & 0.200 & 0.229 & 1.566 & 2.051 & 2.291 & 5.836 & -9.891 & -15.82 & 36.12 & -18.25 \\
HD46660 & 3.057 & 2.170 & 8.377 & 0.237 & 0.146 & 0.275 & 1.585 & 2.054 & 2.304 & 5.574 & -7.491 & -24.70 & 50.10 & -25.77 \\
HD54439 & 5.813 & 1.690 & 10.967 & 0.288 & 0.119 & 0.300 & 1.594 & 2.062 & 2.308 & 6.653 & -14.204 & -8.62 & 32.39 & -17.83 \\
HD62542 & 5.204 & 0.590 & 2.163 & 0.300 & 0.116 & 0.253 & 1.679 & 2.057 & 2.280 & 7.013 & -10.168 & -32.61 & 72.73 & -40.38 \\
HD68633 & 0.569 & 4.630 & 0.607 & 0.118 & 0.280 & 0.115 & 1.555 & 2.014 & 2.301 & 2.569 & 13.145 & -72.42 & 95.08 & -41.13 \\
HD70614 & 1.230 & 8.159 & 1.201 & 0.137 & 0.237 & 0.150 & 1.562 & 2.034 & 2.287 & 1.234 & 22.737 & -100.07 & 130.06 & -56.67 \\
HD91983 & 2.926 & 0.521 & 10.432 & 0.247 & 0.076 & 0.300 & 1.642 & 2.080 & 2.281 & 8.464 & -29.332 & 34.71 & -18.44 & 2.71 \\
HD92044 & 3.435 & 2.221 & 11.762 & 0.251 & 0.163 & 0.300 & 1.597 & 2.069 & 2.292 & 6.795 & -19.126 & 13.28 & -1.02 & -1.94 \\
HD93028 & 0.344 & 1.130 & 1.966 & 0.087 & 0.108 & 0.146 & 1.562 & 2.055 & 2.283 & 5.167 & -5.312 & -27.06 & 50.09 & -26.23 \\
HD93222 & 0.002 & 0.842 & 4.427 & 0.004 & 0.108 & 0.222 & 1.593 & 2.061 & 2.308 & 5.783 & -15.826 & 14.78 & -11.54 & 4.41 \\
HD104705 & 0.113 & 0.776 & 8.002 & 0.049 & 0.104 & 0.281 & 1.594 & 2.062 & 2.289 & 6.839 & -18.225 & 7.30 & 11.19 & -9.15 \\
HD110336 & 4.604 & 0.476 & 2.660 & 0.264 & 0.111 & 0.182 & 1.580 & 2.092 & 2.294 & 6.591 & -15.057 & -2.17 & 20.12 & -11.60 \\
HD110946 & 8.130 & 4.056 & 6.718 & 0.300 & 0.188 & 0.300 & 1.567 & 2.057 & 2.267 & 4.475 & 1.333 & -48.36 & 76.06 & -35.86 \\
HD112607 & 0.255 & 1.595 & 1.861 & 0.081 & 0.158 & 0.146 & 1.566 & 2.072 & 2.278 & 7.202 & -18.444 & 3.87 & 17.13 & -12.11 \\
HD142096 & 0.488 & 0.189 & 0.015 & 0.085 & 0.045 & 0.010 & 1.550 & 2.055 & 2.295 & 4.061 & 3.028 & -47.11 & 67.80 & -30.44 \\
HD142165 & 0.034 & 0.386 & 0.243 & 0.023 & 0.060 & 0.054 & 1.550 & 2.055 & 2.288 & 15.724 & -78.050 & 159.93 & -162.83 & 64.44 \\
HD146285 & 0.146 & 7.655 & 0.214 & 0.070 & 0.283 & 0.067 & 1.561 & 2.033 & 2.285 & 7.644 & -20.264 & 7.74 & 11.79 & -9.42 \\
HD147196 & 1.997 & 0.004 & 4.262 & 0.158 & 0.007 & 0.300 & 1.655 & 2.073 & 2.171 & 10.089 & -39.121 & 61.55 & -56.01 & 22.40 \\
HD147889 & 6.211 & 0.592 & 13.005 & 0.300 & 0.129 & 0.300 & 1.583 & 2.076 & 2.305 & 1.700 & 13.447 & -63.59 & 78.67 & -33.07 \\
HD149452 & 0.332 & 6.188 & 7.209 & 0.093 & 0.239 & 0.277 & 1.575 & 2.034 & 2.308 & 3.698 & 5.096 & -54.50 & 80.27 & -37.41 \\
HD164073 & 1.019 & 6.958 & 0.012 & 0.114 & 0.295 & 0.011 & 1.592 & 1.950 & 2.325 & 4.140 & 4.783 & -55.60 & 80.46 & -37.24 \\
HD172140 & 3.504 & 0.706 & 8.434 & 0.226 & 0.087 & 0.231 & 1.577 & 2.058 & 2.303 & 4.687 & -6.024 & -16.05 & 26.81 & -10.86 \\
HD193322 & 0.378 & 6.065 & 1.764 & 0.099 & 0.230 & 0.154 & 1.563 & 2.038 & 2.294 & 5.682 & -3.931 & -42.85 & 78.98 & -41.00 \\
HD197512 & 3.506 & 7.942 & 6.571 & 0.207 & 0.224 & 0.253 & 1.562 & 2.064 & 2.276 & 5.575 & -6.276 & -31.69 & 62.14 & -32.22 \\
HD197702 & 0.910 & 7.500 & 16.113 & 0.112 & 0.222 & 0.300 & 1.601 & 2.074 & 2.285 & 9.736 & -36.463 & 47.57 & -26.77 & 3.71 \\
HD198781 & 0.192 & 1.661 & 8.966 & 0.077 & 0.140 & 0.300 & 1.553 & 2.050 & 2.274 & 6.670 & -17.209 & 5.45 & 10.85 & -7.69 \\
HD199216 & 6.576 & 11.963 & 12.661 & 0.278 & 0.272 & 0.300 & 1.562 & 2.069 & 2.295 & 7.772 & -22.748 & 12.66 & 10.66 & -10.44 \\
HD204827 & 3.547 & 1.745 & 10.317 & 0.300 & 0.183 & 0.300 & 1.591 & 2.079 & 2.307 & 10.212 & -37.766 & 48.84 & -28.49 & 5.28 \\
HD210072 & 7.334 & 2.680 & 4.819 & 0.300 & 0.169 & 0.251 & 1.616 & 2.048 & 2.269 & 10.181 & -33.035 & 27.94 & 1.98 & -9.11 \\
HD210121 & 0.088 & 0.452 & 1.629 & 0.059 & 0.108 & 0.164 & 1.546 & 2.079 & 2.286 & 14.630 & -64.916 & 112.03 & -94.18 & 30.96 \\
HD217086 & 0.605 & 5.127 & 11.475 & 0.113 & 0.204 & 0.300 & 1.573 & 2.052 & 2.297 & 5.083 & -4.333 & -32.83 & 59.93 & -30.56 \\
HD220057 & 5.044 & 1.226 & 1.557 & 0.241 & 0.121 & 0.141 & 1.566 & 2.064 & 2.293 & 6.119 & -9.277 & -21.49 & 45.39 & -22.93 \\
HD228969 & 1.390 & 15.484 & 5.905 & 0.162 & 0.300 & 0.300 & 1.577 & 2.033 & 2.304 & 4.088 & 8.469 & -78.76 & 123.01 & -59.90 \\
HD236960 & 10.749 & 5.502 & 13.059 & 0.300 & 0.206 & 0.300 & 1.591 & 2.058 & 2.293 & 4.703 & -1.371 & -41.20 & 69.07 & -33.43 \\
HD239693 & 10.237 & 3.043 & 10.555 & 0.300 & 0.174 & 0.299 & 1.569 & 2.064 & 2.294 & 3.735 & 5.604 & -59.06 & 88.99 & -41.62 \\
HD239722 & 9.571 & 1.526 & 14.170 & 0.300 & 0.147 & 0.300 & 1.619 & 2.077 & 2.298 & 5.025 & -1.484 & -46.51 & 81.58 & -41.37 \\
HD239745 & 1.359 & 7.758 & 10.689 & 0.153 & 0.245 & 0.300 & 1.561 & 2.057 & 2.294 & 5.649 & -8.412 & -22.11 & 47.34 & -24.92 \\
HD282485 & 3.507 & 2.253 & 9.103 & 0.222 & 0.166 & 0.249 & 1.616 & 2.085 & 2.303 & 6.738 & -15.299 & -7.34 & 34.74 & -21.25 \\
HD292167 & 0.387 & 2.690 & 14.033 & 0.081 & 0.158 & 0.300 & 1.588 & 2.053 & 2.297 & 5.649 & -10.217 & -13.57 & 34.76 & -19.09 \\
HD294264 & 3.908 & 7.970 & 0.006 & 0.300 & 0.300 & 0.012 & 1.605 & 1.989 & 2.290 & -2.057 & 43.472 & -144.91 & 171.47 & -72.25 \\
HD303068 & 10.141 & 7.196 & 5.626 & 0.300 & 0.260 & 0.248 & 1.651 & 2.061 & 2.323 & 2.078 & 21.228 & -107.95 & 152.48 & -71.17 \\
NGC 2244 11 & 1.543 & 2.904 & 10.803 & 0.148 & 0.151 & 0.280 & 1.565 & 2.056 & 2.298 & 5.715 & -10.921 & -9.84 & 27.09 & -13.89 \\
NGC 2244 23 & 8.349 & 2.255 & 5.931 & 0.300 & 0.156 & 0.247 & 1.594 & 2.058 & 2.292 & 2.755 & 13.427 & -80.73 & 114.42 & -52.42 \\
Trumpler 14 & 0.666 & 0.530 & 7.158 & 0.122 & 0.097 & 0.300 & 1.604 & 2.065 & 2.289 & 3.506 & 3.749 & -43.21 & 59.35 & -25.85 \\
Trumpler 14 & 1.215 & 1.883 & 5.946 & 0.181 & 0.167 & 0.300 & 1.599 & 2.068 & 2.309 & 4.253 & 0.117 & -37.12 & 55.30 & -25.09 \\
VSS VIII-10 & 7.541 & 6.278 & 3.586 & 0.300 & 0.300 & 0.300 & 1.678 & 1.960 & 2.194 & 6.582 & -6.723 & -40.22 & 77.67 & -40.98 \\
\enddata
\end{deluxetable*}
\end{longrotatetable}
Figure~\ref{fig:fits} shows the profile portion of the fits, i.e., the fit
minus the quartic contribution, for the 10 most reddened stars in our
sample. The overall quality of the fits is good, but it is also apparent
that some aspects of the curves are not fit particularly well by our simple
model (e.g., the blue edge of the curves and the blue wing of the 4370~\AA\
profile). While all the features are, in general, rather weak, their
strengths vary significantly, from $\lesssim 0.05$ in HD~29647, to $\gtrsim
0.20$ in HD~199216 and HD~239722, where the first has a very weak 2175~\AA\
bump and the latter two quite strong ones \citepalias[see][]{2019ApJ...886..108F}.
Plots of correlations among the individual fit parameters show that the
amplitudes of the features, $a(4370)$ and $a(4870)$, correlate well with
$a(2175)$, but that $a(6300)$ does not. Figure~\ref{fig:fitbump} shows the
correlation between $a(4370) + a(4870)$ and $a(2175)$. Although there is a
clear correlation between these two quantities, the relation is not quite
as strong as the one between the RMS of the residuals and $a(2175)$ shown
in Figure~\ref{fig:bump}. This is, no doubt, because our simple model does
not capture all of the more complex structure that is related to $a(2175)$
and because the derived parameters may be influenced by the continuum fit.
\subsection{Relations among the fit parameters\label{sec:relations}}
Since 3 PCs can explain 85\% of the variability, there should be several
constraints among the 9 fit parameters used to fit the three profiles.
Three constraints can be found by fixing the central positions of the three
$x_{0i}$, since their variance is so small. When this is done, the quality
of the fits is hardly affected. We searched for additional relations
among the other parameters and noticed that the scale factors, $c_i$ and the
widths, $\gamma_i$ are related. Figure~\ref{fig:llall} shows the $c_i -
\gamma_i$ relations for all three features. A different constant for each
feature has been added to the $\log \gamma$, vertically shifting the points,
so that each feature can be seen to follow a simple linear relation, which
has a slope 3. Notice that several of the points for the 6630~\AA\ feature
and a few for the 4370~\AA\ one, form horizontal lines near $\log \gamma
\simeq -0.6$. This is due to the constraint enforced on $\gamma_i$
in the fitting routine described above. Nevertheless, over most of the
range, the vast majority of the points fall along a line, which implies that
there are constants, $A_i$, such that
\begin{equation}
c_i = \frac{c_i^0}{E(44-55)_B} = A_i \gamma_i^3 \;\;,
\label{eq:relate}
\end{equation}
where $A_i = 0.35, 0.70,$ and 0.45, for the 6300, 4870, and 4370~\AA\
features, respectively. These relations can be used to eliminate the $c_i$,
leaving the $\gamma_i$ as the only free parameters in the fits. When this
was done, the fits degraded significantly. However, when the constraints
were only applied to the 4870 and 4370~\AA\ features, and both $c$ and
$\gamma$ were allowed to be free for 6300~\AA, the quality of the fits
became comparable to that obtained when no constraints are applied. As a
result, we can find 5 constraints, implying that only 4 free parameters are
needed to fit all three optical features.
The question that naturally arises is whether the parameters of the 2175~\AA\
bump follow the same relation. Figure~\ref{fig:plus2175} extends the
range shown in Figure~\ref{fig:llall}, to include the 2175~\AA\ bump. In
this case, $A = 4.0$. Although there is considerable scatter, it appears
that the lower envelope of the 2175~\AA\ parameters also follows a line of
slope 3.
We now consider what the $c \propto \gamma^3$ relations might imply. To
begin, we adopt a very simplistic model which consists of one grain size
of Drude absorbers and one grain size of background absorbers along each
line of sight. For a single population of Drude particles, $N_D \propto
c^0/\gamma$, where $N_D$ is the number of absorbers \citep[see][]{1983asls.book.....B}.
We also assume that $N_B \propto E(B-V)_B$, where $N_B$ is the number of
background absorbers. As a result, equation(\ref{eq:relate}) becomes
$N_D/N_B \propto \gamma^2$. In the Drude model, $\gamma \propto 1/r_D$,
where $r_D$ is the radius of the absorbers and their geometric cross
section is $a_D \propto r_D^2$. This gives $N_D/N_B \propto a_D^{-1}$.
If we also assume that $N_B$ is fixed, then the previous relation implies
that when the Drude grains are small, there are relatively more of them
along the line of sight compared to background absorbers and when they are
large, there are relatively fewer. In addition, the total mass in Drude
grains, $M_D$, is related to $r_D$ by $M_D \propto \rho N_D r_{D}^3$.
Utilizing the previous result, that $N_{D} \propto r_D^{-2}$\ implies that
$M_D \propto r_D$, i.e., there is less mass in the Drude grains when they are
smaller. Thus, the empirical relations given by eq.\ (\ref{eq:relate})
imply that the relative number of Drude absorbing grains may be similar
along all Milky Way lines of sight, but that less total mass resides in the
Drude grains when they are smaller. We emphasize that this model is
extremely simplistic and only meant to illustrate how the constraints could
influence a more comprehensive grain model.
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{a2175-a4430-a4880.pdf}
\end{center}
\vspace{-0.1in}
\caption{Combined amplitudes of the 4370 and 4870~\AA\ features plotted
against the amplitude of the 2175~\AA\ UV bump. Large, filled symbols are
for values derived from curves with $E(44-55) \geq 0.5$ mag, which should
be most accurate.
\label{fig:fitbump}}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=1.\linewidth]{test_optical.pdf}
\end{center}
\vspace{-0.2in}
\caption{Log-log plot of the $\gamma$s versus the scale factors for all of
the features. Symbols are: crosses for 4370~\AA, filled circles for 4870~\AA\
and open circles for 6300~\AA. The line has a slope of 3, which represents a
cubic. To align the data, a single constant was added to all of the $\log
\gamma$ data for each wavelength. Note that a few of the $\gamma$s for the
6300 and 4870~\AA\ fits ran into the upper limit in the non-linear least
squares routine, causing a horizontal row of points near $\log \gamma =
-0.65$.
\label{fig:llall}}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=1.\linewidth]{allgammas.pdf}
\end{center}
\vspace{-.2in}
\caption{Log-log plot of the $\gamma$s versus the scale factors for all of
the features {\it including} the UV 2175~\AA\ bump. Symbols for the optical
features are the same as in Figure \ref{fig:llall} and the triangles
represent the 2175~\AA\ data. As in Figure \ref{fig:llall}, the line has a
slope of 3 and the a single constant was added to all of the $\log \gamma$
data for each feature.
\label{fig:plus2175}}
\end{figure}
We also performed principal component analysis on the continuum polynomials
derived for each curve. The two largest PCs account for nearly 90\% of the
continuum variation, 51 and 37\%, respectively. The upper plot in
Figure~\ref{fig:cont} shows the wavelength dependence of the two largest
PCs, as well as a scaled version of the mean polynomial fit. The lower plot
shows the relationship between the coefficients of the largest PC and $R(V)$.
The excellent correlation should not be surprising, since it is well known
that curves which ``roll over'' in the optical, i.e., are strongly
influenced by the shape of the largest PC, are typically associated with
large $R(V)$ values. We note that the maximum of the largest PC lies very
near the maximum in the $d k(\lambda-55)/d R(55)$ curve given by
\citetalias{2019ApJ...886..108F}. However, it is shortward of the maximum
in the second PC derived by \cite{2016ApJ...821...78S}. This difference is
most likely the result of the very different wavelength baselines used.
\vfill\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{cont-pcs.pdf}\vfill
\includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{cont-pc-rv.pdf}
\end{center}
\vspace{-0.2in}
\caption{Top: The largest (solid) and second largest (dashed) principal
components of the continuum fits, compared to a scaled version of the
mean curve (dotted). Bottom: The components of the largest PC plotted
against $R(V)$. Large, filled symbols are for values derived from curves
with $E(44-55) \geq 0.5$ mag.
\label{fig:cont}}
\end{figure}
\begin{table
\begin{center}
\caption{Parameter properties}
\begin{tabular}{cccllr}
\label{tab:params}
Name & Mean & $\sigma$ & Min & Max & Range\\ \hline
& (mag) & (mag) & (mag) & (mag) & (\%) \\
$a(4370)$ & 0.102 & 0.043 & 0.018 & 0.188 & 166 \\
$a(4870)$ & 0.107 & 0.046 & 0.030 & 0.194 & 153 \\
$a(6300)$ & 0.077 & 0.037 & 0.023 & 0.170 & 190 \\ \hline
& ( \invmic) & ( \invmic) & ( \invmic) & ( \invmic) & (\%) \\
$x_1$ & 2.288 & 0.012 & 2.26 & 2.31 & 2.2 \\
$x_2$ & 2.054 & 0.013 & 2.08 & 2.01 & 3.6 \\
$x_3$ & 1.587 & 0.027 & 1.66 & 1.55 & 6.7 \\
$\gamma_1$ & 0.243 & 0.011 & 0.019 & 0.400 & 156 \\
$\gamma_2$ & 0.179 & 0.007 & 0.030 & 0.288 & 144 \\
$\gamma_3$ & 0.243 & 0.148 & 0.080 & 0.400 & 132 \\ \hline
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
\end{table}
\section{Summary}\label{sec:summary}
We have verified the reality of ISS features in extinction curves by
demonstrating two properties. First, its strength is independent of the
physical parameters of the star used to create a curve. This can be seen
by comparing the features for HD~147889 (B2 V), and HD~149452 (O8 V) in
Figures~\ref{fig:stacks} and \ref{fig:fits}. Second, the strength of the
ISS correlates with an interstellar feature, the strength of the 2175~\AA\
bump. Further, as with the 2175 \AA\ feature, curves of stars in the same
region tend to have the same ISS strength. We then proceeded to determine
the magnitude, wavelength dependence and variability of the ISS in two
different ways.
In the first approach, we examined the residuals of the extinction curves
relative to a smooth background that is modeled by a quartic. It was shown
that the residual curves have three strong peaks whose relative strengths
and widths vary substantially from one sight line to another, but whose
central positions are relatively stable and located near the strong DIBs at
4428, 4882 and 6284~\AA, suggesting a possible relation. It was also
apparent that the VBS is actually a local minimum between absorption
features. Next, we demonstrated that the magnitudes of the root mean square
of the residuals -- which give a crude measure of the strength of the ISS
-- are poorly correlated with $R(V)$, but strongly correlated with the strength
of the 2175~\AA\ bump. Finally, principal component analysis was used to
reveal that most of the ISS variations can be captured by the first three
PCs of the residuals, suggesting that as few as three physical parameters
might be able to explain the variations.
In the second approach, we modeled the ISS with three Drude profiles in
order to quantify its major structures. This simple model provides a
reasonable fit to the ISS, although it has some small inadequacies. The
fits showed that the feature locations are very stable, near $\lambda =
4370$, 4870 and 6300~\AA\, and that the features contribute anywhere from a
few percent to 20\% of the extinction in those regions. Further analysis
showed that the strengths of the 4370 and 4870~\AA\ features correlate with
the strength of the 2175~\AA\ UV bump, but the 6300~\AA\ feature does not,
and that none of the features correlate with $R(V)$. We found relations among
the model parameters which can reduce them from 9 to 4, without a major
loss of accuracy. Interpretation of these relations in terms of a simple
dust model suggests that the density of dust producing the ISS is similar
along all lines of sight, but distributed in different grain sizes. In
addition, we verified that the strongest variation in the continuum
extinction is the curvature, and that its strength is related to $R(V)$.
While it is hoped that our results will be useful for developing physical
models of dust grains, they also have practical importance. Although the
ISS is small, it should be taken into consideration if one wishes to achieve
accurate fits to the SEDs of reddened stars. Also, the relation between
the ISS features and the strength of the 2175~\AA\ bump could be useful for
estimating the strength of the 2175~\AA\ bump in objects whose optical SEDs
are either intrinsically smooth or well modeled but whose UV SEDs are poorly
determined.
\acknowledgments
Support for program \#13760 was provided by NASA through a grant from
the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association
of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS
5-26555. We also thank the referee for a thorough and insightful review of
the manuscript, which improved the final version of the paper.
\bibliographystyle{aasjournal}
|
Arab Parliament Concludes Meeting in Cairo
Published On - June 19, 2019 Category - Education
Cairo, Under the Chairmanship of Arab Parliament President Dr. Mishaal Al-Salami, the Arab Parliament concluded its fourth session here today.
Following the session, the Arab Parliament issued a decision regarding 'the terrorist attack on civilian installations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels in the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates and the Sea of Oman'.
The Arab Parliament classified Houthi militia as a terrorist group, calling on the Arab League and the United Nations to classify the militia as a terrorist group for its deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian installations.
The Arab Parliament condemned in the strongest terms the attack by Houthi militia targeting two oil pumping stations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Abha International Airport.
The Arab Parliament also denounced the direct or indirect Iranian interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries.
The Arab Parliament appreciated the leading and pivotal role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as the great efforts exerted by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in hosting the Arab and Gulf extraordinary summits held in Makkah on May 29, 2019, to protect the Arab national security and defend the interests of Arab countries.
اقتراح من محمد علي وأملاك لإنشاء الهرم الأدرياني المتوسطي ليكون موقعًا للمعرفة يربط أوروبا بأفريقيا
ارتفاع تصنيف الجامعات الرائدة في المنطقة العربية في آخر إصدار من QS World University Rankings (تصنيف QS العالمي للجامعات) 2020
King Abdulaziz University, Malaysian Petronas University Discuss Framing Research-relating Cooperation, Technology Transfer Ways
Closure of the June 2019 Issuance under the Saudi Arabian Government SAR-denominated Sukuk Program
In line with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Directive: HRH Crown Prince Leads KSA Delegation to G20 States' Leaders' Summit, in Japan, Royal Court Announces |
mA-style Architects have designed the Outotunoie House in Fujieda, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
Normally, We make a plan in rural area that have large land compare with urban. It tend to make us feel small about the site in scenery. Therefore, we have to think borderless architectural style that well matched around it. We felt serene from its atmosphere when we saw the surroundings first. Although here is residential area, there are some vacant land and sounds quiet. In the north from the site, we can see large paddy field.
Also, the mountain range extended western and eastern in the distance. For a local people, these are familiar site but it's so beautiful and can not help feeling generous nature. We thought we have to make a plan that harmonize each other house and sight. To do so, we tried to remove the border between inside and outside. By encountering architecture and nature, I tried to find the possibility to bring out both attraction.
The reason why the client chose this site is the scenery extending all over the north.The answer to bring out the attraction of this architecture was making the space that enable to see the whole scenery.To do so, we planned to set the space on purpose. Some place squeezes, and other place opens, and so on. First, we created plane construction that place 2 boxes on the side of the road. These 2 boxes is connected by slab. Then parking space was settled between the boxes. In the 2 boxes, we placed the entrance, children's room, bedroom and wet area that includes kitchen and bath room.
We kept in mind that play the role each other by checking line of flow that easy to live.In addition it, we created panoramic space by protruding cantilever that is supported by 2 boxes. Also, we made big opening as we could for getting wide view. It looks conversely, we made on south side by hollowing slab. Then, courtyard which sunlight and winds are going to and fro, was born. The panoramic space that can see whole direction enabled to feel the nature in daily life.Our client was warred about the water level of the river that flow close to the site.So we lifted up the level of ground line of 2 boxes. The approach is skip floor to panoramic space.
Visit the mA-style Architects website – here. |
It's the same as setting up any business while you're setting up UK based childcare business or daycare business. So, we're here to help you if you're going to start the child care services anytime. What you need first to this business is your wish to establish the visibility. Also, you need suitable people with childcare qualifications and you have access to suitable premises. Moreover, if the service you are planning is the service required by the public, you may also wish to carry out market research to check. But, you can't go without a child care business plan, which plays a vital role to make you successful.
What is UK Based Childcare Business?
In general, UK based childcare business is to care for children under the age of eight on non-domestic location. That is where the period on the premises exceeds two hours in any day during which the children have looked after.
Child care services have many different types, such as full-day care, seasonal care, out of school care; crèches etc. it's to ensure that the setting gives children the best care possible, childcare provides work with carers and parents. It means that if you're doing childcare, you have to do a variety of creative activities. These include making sure they are having fun whilst they are learning and taking them out on trips. From childminders to day nurseries, there are all kinds of settings.
As it's important to know how much demand there is in your area for a new business or service, so you have to do market research. This is also important because all area is not suitable for all type of business. As a result, it's one of the must-to-do things for the UK based childcare business.
Non-domestic premises childcare: This is the type where is not used as a home. Here use a playgroup, pre-school, day nursery, after-school club or breakfast club, and crèche at a gym or shopping center.
Domestic premises childcare: On domestic premises, four or more people looking after children on domestic premises along with childminders and supporting persons.
Childminders: It's not the home of any of the children being cared for where individuals are looking after children on domestic premises.
Home childcarer: It's being cared by a nanny or au pair at home of one or more of the children.
It's important to decide on the age range that you're going to care for the children or young people. Also, different age groups have different requirements of Ofsted. You'll need a good framework if you're caring for children aged between birth and five years old. It sets out the learning requirements, education, and welfare. You can visit the EYFS website for more information. You may want to offer free early education if you're caring for children aged between two and four years old. It's a great benefit to parents because this entitles some two-year-olds and every three and four years old to free part-time early education.
You'll need to get budgets and cash flow forecasts for the business plan. Besides, you have to prepare a good child care business plan along with financial management.
You're legally and financially liable for the decisions you or your organization make if you're starting a business, either as a voluntary management committee or a sole trader, partnership. Also, your personal assets and money could be at risk when you take out insurance that may not cover you completely. So, if you change the legal status of your business to a limited company, you can limit your liability.
It'll depend upon the usable space inside your premises, the number of children you can look after. So, depending on their ages, the "EYFS" framework document tells you how much space is needed for each child. You'll need plenty of storage space for your equipment and enough toilets and washbasins for the children and you should ensure that access is available for those with physical disabilities. Also, they need to play each day in an outside play area. You might like to set up a forest school if your premises have access to nearby woodland.
Besides, you may want to hire a hall for a playgroup or preschool. The list of the halls and venues that are available to hire, will available in the local "District or Borough Council". You'll also find the conditions and the costs there. As it's often available during the daytime because they are often nonprofit making enterprises, you can consider properties including sports pavilions and uniformed youth organizations HQ buildings. Moreover, your hire fees will benefit the whole community and help them as well.
In addition, you can try a local estate agent who deals with commercial properties or tries searching online when you're thinking about buying a property to use. But, remember you may have pay VAT on top of the rent before you rent a commercial property. You may need to apply for planning consent for change of use because commercial premises need to have a D1 Business use classification.
You have to make an estimate of how many staff you need to employ. It depends on how old they are and how many children you look after. For details see EYFS from page 22, section 3.31. Besides, except in a small number of circumstances, your businesses offering childcare must register with Ofsted. If you want to learn details, follow the website of the Ofsted. This organization manages two registrations, such as Childcare Register and the Early Years Register. There are the Compulsory Childcare Register and the Voluntary Childcare Register in the Childcare Register.
If you want to market your business effectively, you must think of the good ways. This is because the marketing of any business draws the attraction of customers. And without customers, you can't run your business anymore. For the startup costs, you may need a lot of money to cover things like staff costs, equipment, premises, and marketing when you're setting up a business. If you need, you can apply for our start-up grant for the childcare business.
When you're thinking of starting a new the UK based childcare business, you have to consider a lot of things. We have made a good arrangement of them as above. If you follow them, you'll get success definitely. So, starting a childcare business is easy if you can do these correctly. Also, let us know if you need anything more to know. And share your experience by commenting in the comment section below. Till then Good Luck! |
Who does not know Yoplait and its policy to ensure that it enables its customers to afford just about every of its commodities? They have done it again with their Yoplait smoothie coupons. These coupons have got several features that make them very adorable and ones to look out for. The truth is that smoothies are liked by many young ones and the elderly. Sometimes parents may shun passing by places where smoothies are sold openly for fear of being pressured into buying some for their kids. Of course, they know that their kids will not agree to be told that they can only eat the smoothies next time; what they see now is what they should get. Such are the rules for children and rules of this nature really frustrate parents. But the time for frustrations is over; it is now time to turn to Yoplait smoothie coupons.
These coupons will save you from those headaches you have over spending too much on smoothies for your kids. When you buy these coupons you will be entitled to buy any flavor of the smoothie at a reduced price. Smoothies come in different flavors and all these flavors will be yours at a giveaway price for as long you have the coupon right at your finger-tips.
Yoplait smoothie coupons are usually printable. This means that you can print them out from any website that has the coupon print icon. If you are wondering about how to find the coupon, then you can go to the internet and simply type the coupon in any search engine of your choice. Several locations or websites offering the coupon will be revealed to you and it will be up to you to choose the coupon of your choice.
If you are looking for more Yoplait smoothie coupons, then do no worry. All you have to do is go to any coupon website and search for Yoplait coupons. This is because the coupons are one of the most renowned, so finding them is not an issue. Besides, the coupons have got very inviting offers for every customer out there. For example, using these coupons a customer is entitled to a saving of up to $1 for every frozen smoothie that they buy. The direct meaning of this offer is that if you want to purchase 20 smoothies, you will walk away with $20 worth of extra money.
Some people may not come to an understanding of why the Yoplait smoothie coupons are important. But this is because they do not know the nutrition value that is associated with the frozen smoothies. The truth is that a single smoothie is as good as a serving of a full fruit. Since they come in three flavors, it is entirely up to you to take your pick. Whether you like it or not, smoothies are a great substitution for ice cream of any kind. From the smoothies, you can get a lot of Vitamin C; which is good as an antioxidant. |
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Two wrongs don't make a right
Ghassan Khatib
The horrible murder that took place in the Israeli settlement of Itamar in the West Bank and the killing of a family, including three Israeli children, by an unknown assailant was condemned in the strongest possible language by many Palestinian officials, opposition and opinion leaders and journalists.
The exploitation of the deaths of those children for a political agenda, however, is terrible.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the rest of his right-wing government launched a further expansion of settlements as a response to that murder. They used this human tragedy to justify further building illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, which is simply another wrong.
The other Israeli response to this murder was to accuse the Palestinian Authority of incitement, which Israel said was responsible for such an act. In fact, this is not a responsible attitude as much as it is itself a form of incitement against Palestinians by the Israeli government–incitement that has been leading to the increased settler violence that has marked the last two or three months.
The Palestinian Authority has shown a firm and long-standing commitment to non-violence. It has achieved a sustained period of stability, one acknowledged by the international community and, in many cases, by Israeli officials themselves. In addition, the Palestinian Authority has acted against incitement in ways mentioned by commentators in the international community.
Israelis need to be reminded that the most obvious and effective form of incitement for the Palestinian people is the Israeli occupation and its daily practices. The capricious Israeli control regime, the humiliation of the Israeli army, the continuous killing of innocent Palestinian civilians, the ongoing burning and uprooting of trees and other forms of restrictions and violence is the real contributor to increasing hostility and hatred.
There are two choices in front of the Israeli people and its leadership. One is to continue consolidating the occupation and encouraging and facilitating growing racism in Israel and among Israeli settlers in the occupied territories. This path means legitimizing the illegal and violent activities of the settlers, which will definitely contribute to further deepening the hostilities between the two sides and encourage both Israelis and Palestinians to pursue illegal and violent activities, attitudes and expressions.
The other choice is to adopt a strategy of rolling back the occupation and reeducating Israelis on the basis of the two-state solution and the need for mutual respect and recognition between Israelis and Palestinians. This means telling the Israeli public that Israel can have peace only within its own borders, not while infringing on the basic rights of the Palestinians.
Bilateral relations and negotiations have so far failed in this direction. And the tolerance of the international community for Israel's attitudes has contributed.
Incitement, a charge periodically raised by Israelis, is one example. The Israelis have their own definition of incitement that is applied to Palestinians without any acknowledgment of obvious Israeli policies and practices that incite Israelis (particularly settlers) and encourage aggressive and violent tendencies.
The Palestinian leadership has responded by challenging Israel to agree to the establishment of a committee that would include a third-party representative of the international community, with the task of developing incitement definitions and applying it equally to both sides.
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Ghassan Khatib is minister of labor in the Palestinian Authority cabinet and has served for many years as a political analyst and media contact. He is featured on Media Monitors Network (MMN) with the courtesy of "Bitter Lemons."
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Archiproducts is the Archipassport group portal dedicated to Design and Architecture. Over 3,500 international brands have already chosen to publish their catalogs on Archiproducts for them to be available to a qualified audience and make contact with professionals and enthusiasts throughout the world. The community of Archiproducts has over 1.7 million registered users looking for the perfect product to use in their projects or, more simply, something to acquire to complement the décor of the home or professional environments. With a series of specials on the most important international trade fairs, a magazine updated daily with the latest news from the world of design and architecture and product selections curated by a team of experts, Archiproducts is an online reference for those who want to be inspired, plan and purchase only 100% original design.
What can I do on Archiproducts?
On Archiproducts you can: Browse and download online catalogs of over 3,500 international brands, buy the product you desire directly on Archiproducts Shop, find out about the latest news from the world of Design and Architecture by consulting the Magazine and Trade Fairs sections, creating your own personal wish-list in MyProducts and be inspired by the selections chosen by an international team of professionals.
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To stay updated on the latest news from the world of Design by browsing within the Magazine and Trade Fairs sections you don't need to be a registered user. To purchase, request information, download company catalogs and BIM product models and take advantage of special offers and discount codes in the Archiproducts Shop, however, you must be a registered user on Archiproducts. You can create your own profile free of charge at any time by clicking Sign In.
Archiproducts is the Archipassport group portal dedicated to Design and Architecture. Over 3,500 international brands have already chosen to publish their catalogs on Archiproducts to make them available to a qualified audience and make contact with professionals and enthusiasts throughout the world. The community of Archiproducts has over 1.7 million registered users looking for the perfect product to use in their projects or, more simply, something to acquire to complement home décor or professional environments. With a series of Specials on the most important international trade fairs, a magazine updated daily with the latest news from the world of Design and Architecture and product selections curated by a team of experts, Archiproducts is an online reference for those who want to be inspired, plan and purchase only 100% original design.
What does the Archiproducts membership include?
The Archiproducts Membership includes annual publishing of an unlimited number of product sheets, realization of your 3D models, translation of content and visibility in 10 languages, editorial coverage, focus signaling, the ability to directly sell your products on Archiproducts Shop, creation of your own virtual showroom, references and tagging of your products in projects posted on Archilovers and periodic updates with statistics and relative data on the performance of your brand and your products. To activate an Archiproducts membership and discover all the benefits of your subscription please contact our team.
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Copy-pasting of data between different formats is extremely resource-intensive work. At 3SPL, we provide cost-friendly copy paste services and other data-processing services. Our trained and qualified teams, strong process methodologies, security measures and quality assurance processes assure you of accurate and reliable copy-paste services. Stop spending time, money and staff on data copy-paste services when there is an easy, cost-effective way to do it!
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Our story began like many of yours. We are Millennials born between 1980 and 2000 into a world full of futuristic technological advances, a labor market that values intellectual over physical prowess, and psychological climate that emphasized the importance of high self-esteem and sharing our feelings to resolve conflicts.
Our parents, many of whom are Baby Boomers, grew up during a time of significant social turmoil and began rejecting the norms their parents had instilled in them. Although they still value hard work and loyalty to an organization, Boomers also raised their children to value creativity and independence, and to believe in their own sense of specialness. For the younger members of our Millennial cohort with Gen X parents, these parenting values are especially common.
So by the time we reach adulthood, we have a firm subconscious belief that we can achieve anything and (due to the instant gratification culture we grew up in) that instant success is a real thing we deserve and can expect in our lives.
We are idealistic, creative, and greatly value meaningful work. Many of us are driven by our passions and our dreams, but because we have often been protected from failure by our folks or our educational system via "participation trophies" and grading curves, we subconsciously find ourselves giving up on our dreams because we interpret failure as a bad thing.
In online communities, the persistent social comparison in which we engage simultaneously inflates and demolishes our sense of "specialness," leaving us feeling both validated and wanting more. The truth is, in many ways the human desire to be liked and feel community is exacerbated by our ability to connect with millions of people of over the world. Expending energy pursuing an overabundance of potential connections can ironically leave us feeling deprived of meaningful community and relationships.
While social media can be used as a beautiful tool, the quantification of our popularity and the rise of internet stardom further distort our sense of true self-worth, self-love and self-compassion.
The good news is, there is hope! Honestly, when we are asked to describe the Millennial generation, the characteristic we highlight is hope. Many of us came of age through 9/11 and the economic downturn, which left us with a desire to serve, to make the world a better place, and to forge ahead in the face of financial adversity.
This means many of us are willing to take low-paying jobs so we can pursue our creativity, our dreams, or whatever gives our lives purpose and meaning. Millennials have a foundation for success, in large part because we believe it is possible!
This is where the story of Motivational Millennial begins. We (Ivy and Blake) left stable careers in the pursuit of our dreams and over the course of time have come up against struggles for which we were totally unprepared.
The worst challenges of all have been internal. Being told our whole lives "You can achieve anything!" gave us a firm sense of idealism but also left us subconsciously believing that achievement should be easy. Let's face it: members of our generation often feel that if something is hard it means we aren't meant to do it, and we end up changing our paths dozens of times.
What we weren't taught often enough is that failure is a part of the process. Every single successful person has experienced failure before reaching their goals, and most of the time they've experienced it more than once! When you have a dream and a firm understanding that the path will be harder than you expect, you are more capable of maintaining the emotional resilience and fortitude that result in true success.
At Motivational Millennial, we want to foster the bravery and idealism that Millennials already have and provide tools to help them figure out what gives them a sense of purpose in life. We also want to guide them in designing and achieving their dreams, no matter what obstacles they face.
As personal development professionals, we value personal growth, authentic self-reflection, community, and the courage to move forward in the face of fear. On our journey to build and grow successful companies, we have learned many insights and strategies, and we will only continue to acquire more!
Join us and other Millennials who are living life with a sense of purpose and achieving their goals! |
UG Parliament: Majority Caucus petitions Speaker over academic, residential fees increment
Published by admin on December 8, 2022
The Majority Caucus of the University of Ghana's Parliament has petitioned the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana to intervene in a proposed 50% increment in academic and residential fees in public universities for the 2022/2023 academic year.
In a letter to the Parliament of Ghana, they said the timing of the fees increment is unfortunate and unfavourable taking into consideration the prevailing harsh economic condition in the country.
They noted among other things that, "the 40.4% inflation rate for October 2022 has contributed negatively to the standard of living of families whose wages are not meaningful. An increment in academic and residential fees by 50% will mean that these families will have to crack the nut to be able to fend for the academic needs of their wards in public universities in Ghana."
They are thus calling on the Parliament of Ghana to engage the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission on the proposed fees increment.
"That even if there is still the need for an increment in academic and residential fees for the 2022/2023 academic year, it should not be anything more than a 10% to 15%," the petition added.
See the full petition below;
Source: JoyOnline |
Q: Hive error TSocket read 0 bytes and TTransportException I am busy upgrading our AWS EMR cluster to a newer version and I have started running into issues.
The errors are only occur on the newer version (Hive 3.1.3).
All my queries run fine on the older version (Hive 2.8.5)
The error I get when trying to insert into or insert overwrite is:
Could not connect to any of [('IP', port)] (code THRIFTTRANSPORT): TTransportException("Could not connect to any of [('IP', port)]",)
AND
TSocket read 0 bytes
I use Hive to do some ETL.
We host an EMR cluster that uses Hive, Hue, Tez, Pig.
The tables are build as external tables on parquet files stored in S3.
Some of these tables are partitioned.
On the current version, these are the sets I use before running the queries:
SET hive.vectorized.execution.enabled = true;
SET hive.vectorized.execution.reduce.enabled = true;
SET hive.vectorized.execution.reduce.groupby.enabled = true;
SET hive.cbo.enable=true;
SET hive.compute.query.using.stats=true;
SET hive.stats.fetch.column.stats=true;
SET hive.stats.fetch.partition.stats=true;
SET hive.execution.engine=mr;
SET hive.exec.parallel=true;
SET hive.exec.dynamic.partition.mode=nonstrict;
SET hive.exec.max.dynamic.partitions=10000;
SET hive.exec.max.dynamic.partitions.pernode=10000;
SET hive.exec.max.created.files=500000;
SET hive.metastore.sasl.enabled = true; --Newly add this but still getting these errors
On the later version this set no longer works:
SET hive.stats.fetch.partition.stats=true;
Current Version:
Release label:emr-5.27.0
Hadoop distribution:Amazon 2.8.5
Applications:Hive 2.3.5, Hue 4.4.0, Tez 0.9.2, Pig 0.17.0, Hadoop 2.8.5
Wanted version:
Release label:emr-6.7.0
Hadoop distribution:Amazon 3.2.1
Applications:Hive 3.1.3, Hue 4.10.0, Tez 0.9.2, Pig 0.17.0, Hadoop 3.2.1
Are there SET's that I am missing or is there something else I am missing?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
|
Jake Cuenca did a proposal prank on Kylie Verzosa.
Jake Cuenca reacts to netizen who was not amused by his proposal prank on Kylie Verzosa
PUSH TEAM
Photo credit: @juancarloscuenca Instagram
Jake Cuenca did a proposal prank on girlfriend Kylie Verzosa.
In the video that Jake posted on his Instagram page on Thursday, February, 25, Kylie can be seen waiting for Jake at a dinner table set up in a garden.
Jake then can be heard saying, "So they prepared this because just wanted to ask you one thing so here it goes... kumain ka na ba?"
The prank video received various reactions from netizens including from their celebrity friends.
A post shared by Jake Cuenca (@juancarloscuenca)
"Bwiset! Naka-antabay ako eh!" Angel Locsin commented.
"Shucks!!! Kala ko!!!" Bianca Manalo.
While some netizens took it as a joke, others were not amused by what Jake did.
One particular netizen said, "For most ladies, that was a bad joke. Don't do that again please!"
The said comment prompted a reaction from Jake. The actor replied, "Yes but we are not like most. We get each other and we get the timing of things."
He added, "When the time is right and the timing is [right] I will not hesitate to ask."
The video has already amassed more than 300K views as of this writing.
Jake and Kylie confirmed it in an interview in Tonight with Boy Abunda in September 2019.
LOOK: Jake Cuenca, Kylie Verzosa reunite after two months
When asked if they already have talked about marriage, Jake said in the interview, "We're taking it a day at a time. But for me, for the first time in my life, I can see it on the horizon."
He added, "Now with Kylie and with where I am in my life, I can definitely see it on the horizon."
Jake Cuenca Kylie Verzosa |
Time machine is een studioalbum van Steve Jolliffe. Het album bestaat uit een Cd-r en een dvd. Het album bevat een tweetal tracks met elektronische muziek waardoorheen enige nieuwsfragmenten uit het verleden. Onder meer komt de moord op president Kennedy voorbij.
Musici
Steve Jolliffe – synthesizers, elektronica
Muziek
Muziekalbum uit 2012
Muziekalbum van Steve Jolliffe |
(San Diego, CA – May 25, 2017) – The STEM Learning Ecosystems Initiative, launched by the STEM Funders network, has grown to encompass 54 regional Ecosystems that are making a significant impact on STEM education and workforce development. Seventeen Ecosystems joined the group today, as announced at the U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference.
In just two years, the STEM Learning Ecosystems Initiative has become a thriving network of hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals joined in regional partnerships. The Ecosystems have the objective of collaborating in new and creative ways to increase equity, quality and STEM learning outcomes for all youth.
Learn more about the initiative at stemecosystems.org. Address specific questions to [email protected]. Join our online conversations on Twitter @STEMecosystems and #STEMecosystems and on Facebook. |
Q: Use of ol.source.BingMaps culture parameter I have noticed that even though openlayers 3 include the culture parameter when requesting the Bing maps layer, Bing maps itself does not support imagery for other languages except English (supported codes).
Is there a way to set the display language of Bing maps roads and places in openlayers 3 other than English and if so, how? I am interested in the Greek language
Here is a fiddle to try your coding.
A: The fiddle you posted is working as expected. If you specify a culture: 'en-GB' option, then OL3 will load the following image:
https:// ecn.t0.tiles.virtualearth.net/tiles/r03311.jpeg?g=5413&mkt=en-GB&shading=hill
If you change the value of the culture option, then different tile URLs are requested:
https:// ecn.t0.tiles.virtualearth.net/tiles/r03311.jpeg?g=5413&mkt=es-ES&shading=hill
That answers your question of "Is there a way to set the language of the placenames in the map tiles?". However, if you want to try that for the greek locale (el), the result is... the default tiles.
Now, if you have a look at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh441729.aspx , you'll see that MS only offers localization of map tiles ("imagery") for a certain subset of cultures, and greek is not on the list. Unfortunately, you're out of luck.
A: The link you provided is for the static imagery service and not for the Bing Maps tiles. Bing Maps supports a massive number of languages. Here is an exhaustive list: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn306047.aspx
|
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Oriental Art was founded prior to the Second World War by Dr William Cohn in Oxford, UK. The quarterly was associated with Asian Art presently in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum and was the first journal to pioneer publishing on research and discoveries in Asian art history.
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Reports: Alfanar Energy signs PPA for 50MW solar plant in Egypt
By Danielle Ola
May 09, 2017 9:22 AM BST
Source: Flickr/Dennis Jarvis.
Saudi Arabia's Alfanar Energy has signed a PPA with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) for the development of a 50MW solar plant in Egypt, according to local reports.
The PPA was signed as soon as the 50MW project, under the country's feed-in tariff (FiT), reached financial closure. The plant will be located at the proposed 1.8GW Benban solar complex in the Aswan province.
The US$100 million project is being financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), and is one of Egypt's first utility-scale solar plants.
In a Daily News Egypt report, director of Alfanar's renewable energy projects in Egypt, Mohamed Abdel Karim, said the Saudi firm paid the third installment of the cost-sharing agreement after an increase of its value by about 35%.
Alfanar has reportedly allocated US$200 million towards two new renewable energy projects in Egypt, with a total capacity of 100MW through the second phase of the FiT.
Follow all PV Tech's coverage of the Egyptian solar market here
Tags: egypt, feed-in tariff, utility-scale, solar pv, pv power plants, alfanar energy, ebrd, idb, finance, emerging markets
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Invenergy's 23MW Illinois project lands refinancing
German developer breaks ground on 50MW Kazakh plant
EU-backed fund to channel millions into Southern European PV |
The everyday logo tee, updated for cooler weather. You know the one: easy fit. Long sleeves. Lightweight cotton with the perfect hint of stretch. Layers easily under a jacket, sweater, hoodie, etc. Translation? Cold-weather dressing, solved.
Machine wash cold with similar colors on gentle cycle. Only non-chlorine bleach when needed. Tumble dry low. Warm iron as needed on reverse of garment. Do not dry clean. |
16 lunes (Beautiful Creatures en version originale) est un roman du genre Southern Gothic écrit par les auteures américaines Kami Garcia et Margaret Stohl et qui raconte l'histoire d'Ethan, un jeune adolescent, qui tombe amoureux d'une jeune fille mystérieuse arrivée depuis quelque temps dans son petit village, Gatlin.
Le livre a connu un très grand succès chez les adolescents lors de sa sortie et a été adapté au cinéma en 2013 sous le nom de Sublimes Créatures.
Résumé
Ethan Wate, un jeune lycéen, mène une existence ennuyeuse dans une petite ville du sud des États-Unis. Mais des phénomènes inexplicables se produisent, coïncidant avec l'arrivée d'une nouvelle élève : Lena Duchannes.
Malgré la suspicion et l'antipathie du reste de la ville envers Lena, Ethan est intrigué par cette mystérieuse jeune fille et se rapproche d'elle.
Il découvre que Lena est une enchanteresse, un être doué de pouvoirs surnaturels et dont la famille cache un terrible secret.
Malgré l'attirance qu'ils éprouvent l'un pour l'autre, ils vont devoir faire face à une grande épreuve : comme tous ceux de sa famille, Lena saura à ses seize ans si elle est vouée aux forces bénéfiques de la lumière, ou à la puissance maléfique des ténèbres…
Livre de la série
Le deuxième tome de cette saga, qui est sorti le , est intitulé 17 lunes (Beautiful Darkness en version anglophone). Cette fois-ci, pendant l'année, Ethan verra, impuissant, Lena s'éloigner de plus en plus de lui, à cause de l'évènement tragique survenu lors de son anniversaire.
Le troisième tome de cette saga, qui est sorti le , est intitulé 18 lunes (Beautiful Chaos en version anglophone). Cette fois, ce sera Gatlin et ses habitants qui subiront un changement post-apocalyptique, dû à l'autre évènement du dix-septième anniversaire de Lena.
Le quatrième et dernier tome est sorti le et s'intitule 19 lunes (Beautiful Redemption en version originale).
Une nouvelle, Sublimes Lunes, est sortie le 2 mai 2013. Elle raconte la transformation de Link en Incube et se situe chronologiquement entre les tomes 2 et 3.
Le premier film n'ayant pas été bien accueilli par la critique, les suites n'ont pas été adaptées au cinéma.
Personnages
Ethan Lawson Wate est un lycéen de 16 ans vivant dans la ville fictionnel de Gatlin, en Caroline du Sud.
Lena Duchannes est une enchanteresse. Elle apparait dans un rêve d'Ethan avant son arrivée à Gatlin.
Wesley Lincoln, un humain surnommé "Link", est né à Gatlin. Il est le meilleur ami de Ethan Wate depuis le jardin d'enfant. Ils partagent ensemble une passion pour le basket.
Sarafine Duchannes, mère de Lena, est l'une des plus puissantes enchanteresse des ténèbres. Son pouvoir consiste à changer de corps. Autrefois, elle s'appelait Izabel et était une enchanteresse de lumières. Cependant, lors de la nuit de son appel, elle fut victime de la malédiction pesant sur sa famille et fut alors appelée par les ténèbres.
Macon Melchizedek Ravenwood, l'oncle de Lena, est un incube. Il vit reclus dans sa demeure à l'écart de la ville. Il est surnommé Le Vieux Fou de Ravenwood.
Genevieve Duchannes, l'ancêtre de Lena, est une enchanteresse de la Lumière puis des Ténèbres. Elle s'est fiancé en secret avec Ethan Carter Wate.
Ethan Carter Wate, l'ancêtre d'Ethan Lawson Wate, a été fiancé en secret avec Genevieve Duchannes.
Ridley Duchannes, est une enchanteresse Sirène des Ténèbres. Elle a grandi auprès de Lena, sa cousine chez sa grand-mère Emmaline.
Mitchell Wate est le père d'Ethan Lawson Wate.
Amarie "Amma" Treadeau est une voyante qui peut faire appel aux esprits de ses ancêtres. Elle est également la nounou d'Ethan Wate.
Marian Ashcroft est la meilleure amie de la mère d'Ethan Wate. Elle dirige la bibliothèque de la Lunae Libri. À la mort de Lilia Evers Wate, elle en devient la gardienne.
Références culturelles
Les écrivaines font de nombreuses références à des livres ou des personnages connus à travers les lignes :
Harry Potter, le célèbre personnage de J.K Rowling, est un exemple plus que parfait de ces fameuses références. Abby Porter, ancienne étudiante au lycée Jackson, très vaguement mentionnée dans l'histoire, a été considérée par les fans comme un clin d'œil évident au jeune sorcier, car leurs noms se prononcent presque de la même façon. La mère d'Ethan, Lila Evers, a un nom très semblable à celle d'Harry, Lily Evans. D'autre part, Link est un personnage que l'on peut juger assez proche de celui de Ron Weasley : meilleur ami du protagoniste, qui ne peut s'empêcher d'être drôle même dans la pire des situations. On trouve également une référence à la célèbre saga quand Ethan raconte que la mère de Link, la très sévère Mrs Lincoln, avait lancé une campagne d'interdiction contre ladite saga après avoir surpris son fils et Ethan en train de regarder les films, sous prétexte que Harry Potter prône la sorcellerie.
Le très célèbre Twilight de Stephenie Meyer est une autre source de références visibles de l'histoire. Dans la scène où Macon Ravenwood est pris en flagrant délit de fuite dans la chambre d'Ethan en pleine nuit, celui-ci lui demande s'il est un vampire. Outré, Macon se défend avec indignation, qualifiant les vampires de « clichés » et de manque d'imagination de la part des Mortels.
Ne tirez pas sur l'oiseau moqueur, le fameux roman d'Harper Lee, est une autre de ces références. En effet, le chien de Lena est nommé Boo Radley, en hommage au personnage reclu de cette auteure. De plus, Ethan étudie ce livre au lycée, et le mentionne à plusieurs reprises. Enfin, Gatlin n'est pas sans rappeler Maycomb, ces deux petites villes du Sud des États-Unis ont de nombreux points communs
Adaptations
Adaptation cinématographique
La Warner Bros a acquis les droits de la saga pour en faire un film. Il a été réalisé par Richard LaGravenese et produit par Erwin Stoff. Les deux auteures, Kami Garcia et Margaret Stohl, ont annoncé sur le réseau social Twitter qu'elles allaient rencontrer le futur réalisateur. Le tournage a commencé le à La Nouvelle-Orléans, soit près de deux ans après l'acquisition des droits par la Warner. Les protagonistes Ethan Wate et Lena Duchannes sont joués respectivement par l'acteur américain Alden Ehrenreich (vu dans Twixt de Francis Ford Coppola et dans Solo: A Star Wars Story) et l'actrice néo-zélandaise Alice Englert, fille de la réalisatrice Jane Campion.
Le film Beautiful Créatures est sorti dans les salles américaines le puis en France sous le titre Sublimes Créatures le .
Livre
16 lunes est disponible en livre audio sur l' iTunes Store. En anglais uniquement, l'histoire est narrée par Kevin T. Collins et dure 77 minutes et 34 secondes.
Voir aussi
Musique
La chanson "Seize Lunes" ("Sixteen Moons" en version originale) a été officiellement reproduite par une chanteuse américaine sous la direction des deux écrivaines. Il n'en a cependant pas été de même pour "Dix-Sept Lunes" ainsi que "Dix-Huit Lunes".
Notes et références
Roman fantastique américain
Roman américain paru en 2009 |
G-7 agree on Russian oil price cap to deplete Moscow's war chest
KYODO NEWS - Sep 3, 2022 - 03:28 | All, World
Finance chiefs from the Group of Seven advanced economies agreed Friday to cap Russian oil prices in their latest effort to squeeze Moscow's revenues for its war in Ukraine while preventing global energy prices from surging by keeping crude flowing.
The measure will take effect on Dec. 5 for crude oil and Feb. 5 for petroleum products, Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki told reporters after the virtual meeting that also involved Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States, plus the European Union.
The initial price cap will be set "at a level based on a range of technical inputs," the G-7 finance chiefs said in a statement, noting that its impact will be closely monitored and the price level will be revisited as necessary.
"I stressed the importance of the G-7 forming a united front in resolutely coping with Russia," Suzuki said, adding that Japan remains committed to phasing out Russian imports as pledged.
While the exact price has yet to be determined, oil from the Sakhalin 2 energy project involving Japan will be excluded from the cap, a senior Japanese Finance Ministry official said.
Under the envisioned mechanism, the provision of services which enable maritime transportation of Russian crude oil and petroleum products would only be allowed if the products are purchased "at or below a price determined by the broad coalition of countries adhering to and implementing the price cap," according to the G-7 statement.
Many of the services for the shipping of Russian oil, such as insurance, are provided in G-7 countries, a U.S. official said. Over 90 percent of the world's ships are insured via the International Group of P&I Clubs, a London-based association of insurers, European think tank Bruegel said in a blog post in July.
The G-7 also called on other countries to join the move to maximize the effectiveness of the price cap, apparently taking into consideration that countries which have close ties with Moscow, notably China and India, have continued to import Russian oil.
After pushing for such a price cap, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hailed the G-7 agreement as an action that will "help deliver a major blow for Russian finances and will both hinder Russia's ability to fight its unprovoked war in Ukraine and hasten the deterioration of the Russian economy."
The price cap will help maintain supplies to global energy markets by keeping Russian oil flowing at lower prices and will be "one of the most powerful tools" to fight inflation and protect businesses in the United States and globally from future price spikes caused by global disruptions, she said.
Further details are expected to be worked out before the start of a sanctions package by the European Union, which includes a Russian oil import ban.
The G-7 has been seeking to impose "severe and immediate costs" on Russia to end its war that began in late February. The group of major developed countries is reducing its dependence on Russian energy as part of its sanctions against Moscow.
The sanctions include a U.S. embargo on Russian oil imports and a phase-out by the European Union and Japan.
Russia is among the top three oil producers, along with Saudi Arabia and the United States. Before the war began, it accounted for around 3.6 percent of total Japanese oil imports last year, according to government data.
The G-7 has imposed a slew of punitive steps against Russia, including a freeze on assets held by President Vladimir Putin and the exclusion of Russian banks from the SWIFT international payment network.
The G-7's expansion of its sanctions regime to the energy sector marked a significant step, given that Russia is a major supplier of crude oil and natural gas to Europe.
The virtual meeting took place at a time when Japan is staying vigilant against the yen's rapid depreciation after the currency fell to a fresh 24-year low against the U.S. dollar.
Surging inflation, partly driven by higher energy prices, has prompted major central banks, excluding the Bank of Japan, to raise interest rates. A weak yen boosts the prices of imported energy, raw materials and food for resource-scarce Japan.
The finance chiefs did not talk about recent moves in currency markets, the Japanese minister said.
Suzuki told reporters ahead of the talks that Japan will communicate closely with other nations and take "appropriate action" when needed based on a G-7 agreement that excess volatility and disorderly movements in currency markets can undermine economic and financial stability.
Sep 3, 2022 | KYODO NEWS |
Rhytidoponera chalybaea
AntWiki: The Ants --- Online
Tribe: Ectatommini
Genus: Rhytidoponera
Species: R. chalybaea
Emery, 1901
Specimen labels
Ectatomma cyrus Forel, 1910
At a Glance • Polygynous
1 Identification
2.1 Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
2.2 Distribution based on AntMaps
2.3 Distribution based on AntWeb specimens
2.4 Elevation Range
3.1 Life History Traits
4 Castes
4.1 Male
5 Nomenclature
5.1 Type Material
5.2 Description
5.2.1 Karyotype
5.3 Worker Morphology
7 References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Australasian Region: Australia (type locality), New Zealand.
Indo-Australian Region: Solomon Islands.
Distribution based on AntMaps
Distribution based on AntWeb specimens
Check data from AntWeb
Elevation Range
Occurrence at collecting sites during elevational surveys of rainforest in the Eungella region, Queensland, Australia (Burwell et al., 2020).
Elevation (m asl)
Rhytidoponera chalybaea 90-100 80-90
Shading indicates the bands of elevation where species was recorded.
Numbers are the percentage of total samples containing this species.
Life History Traits
Queen number: polygynous (Ward, 1983; Frumhoff & Ward, 1992)
Queen mating frequency: single (Ward, 1983; Frumhoff & Ward, 1992)
Castes
The following images are provided by AntWeb
Head view
The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.
chalybaea. Rhytidoponera impressa var. chalybaea Emery, 1901a: 51 (w.) AUSTRALIA (New South Wales).
Type-material: holotype worker.
Type-locality: Australia: New South Wales (Staudinger).
Type-depository: MSNG.
Wheeler, G.C. & Wheeler, J. 1971b: 1201 (l.); Imai, Crozier & Taylor, 1977: 347 (k.).
Combination in R. (Chalcoponera): Emery, 1911d: 39.
Subspecies of impressa: Emery, 1911d: 39.
Status as species: Brown, 1954g: 4; Brown, 1958g: 202; Ward, 1980: 478 (redescription); Taylor & Brown, 1985: 41; Taylor, 1987a: 67; Bolton, 1995b: 378; Don, 2007: 77; Sarnat, et al. 2013: 69.
Senior synonym of cyrus: Brown, 1954g: 4; Ward, 1980: 478; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 41; Taylor, 1987a: 68; Bolton, 1995b: 378.
Distribution: Australia.
cyrus. Ectatomma (Rhytidoponera) cyrus Forel, 1910b: 13 (w.q.) AUSTRALIA (New South Wales).
Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated), 1 syntype queen.
Type-locality: Australia: New South Wales, Ballina, 1897 (Froggatt).
Type-depositories: ANIC, MHNG.
Combination in Rhytidoponera (Chalcoponera): Emery, 1911d: 39.
Status as species: Emery, 1911d: 39; Emery, 1912a: 77 (in key); Forel, 1915b: 14.
Junior synonym of chalybaea: Brown, 1954g: 4; Ward, 1980: 478; Taylor & Brown, 1985: 41; Taylor, 1987a: 68; Bolton, 1995b: 379.
Ectatomma (Rhytidoponera) cyrus Forel, 1910: Syntype, 3 workers, Ballina, New South Wales, Australia, Froggatt,W.W., ANIC32-011933, Australian National Insect Collection.
Ectatomma (Rhytidoponera) cyrus Forel, 1910: Syntype, 1 worker, Ballina, New South Wales, Australia, Museum Victoria, Melbourne.
Rhytidoponera impressa chalybaea Emery, 1901: Holotype, worker, New South Wales, Australia, Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa.
Karyotype
2n = 42 (Australia) (Imai et al., 1977).
Worker Morphology
Caste: monomorphic
Source: Ward, 1983
Brown, W. L., Jr. 1954g. Systematic and other notes on some of the smaller species of the ant genus Rhytidoponera Mayr. Breviora 33: 1-11. (page 4, Raised to species, and senior synonym of cyrus)
Burwell, C.J., Nakamura, A. 2020. Rainforest ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) along an elevational gradient at Eungella in the Clarke Range, Central Queensland coast, Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 125: 43-63.
Emery, C. 1901b. Notes sur les sous-familles des Dorylines et Ponérines (Famille des Formicides). Ann. Soc. Entomol. Belg. 45: 32-54 (page 51, worker described)
Emery, C. 1911e. Hymenoptera. Fam. Formicidae. Subfam. Ponerinae. Genera Insectorum 118: 1-125 (page 39, Combination in R. (Chalcoponera))
Imai, H. T.; Crozier, R. H.; Taylor, R. W. 1977. Karyotype evolution in Australian ants. Chromosoma (Berl.) 59: 341-393 (page 347, karyotype described)
Ward, P. S. 1980a. A systematic revision of the Rhytidoponera impressa group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Australia and New Guinea. Aust. J. Zool. 28: 475-498 (page 478, see also)
Wheeler, G. C.; Wheeler, J. 1971b. Ant larvae of the subfamily Ponerinae: second supplement. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 6 64: 1197-1217 (page 1201, larva described)
References based on Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics
Brown W. L., Jr. 1954. Systematic and other notes on some of the smaller species of the ant genus Rhytidoponera Mayr. Breviora 33: 1-11.
Emery C. 1901. Notes sur les sous-familles des Dorylines et Ponérines (Famille des Formicides). Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 45: 32-54.
Forel A. 1915. Results of Dr. E. Mjöbergs Swedish Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910-13. 2. Ameisen. Ark. Zool. 9(16): 1-119
Nakamura A., C. P. Catterall, A. P. N. House, R. L. Kitching, and C. J. Burwell. 2007. The use of ants and other soil and litter arthropods as bio-indicators of the impacts of rainforest clearing and subsequent land use. Journal of Insect Conservation 11: 177-186.
Taylor R. W. 1987. A checklist of the ants of Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Division of Entomology Report 41: 1-92.
Ward P. S. 1980. A systematic revision of the Rhytidoponera impressa group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Australia and New Guinea. Aust. J. Zool. 28: 475-498.
Retrieved from "https://antwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Rhytidoponera_chalybaea&oldid=575262"
Polygynous
Need species key
ANIC specimen
Extant species
Ectatomminae
Ectatommini
Rhytidoponera
Ectatomminae species
Ectatommini species
Rhytidoponera species
Need Overview
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About Antwiki
Distribution & Diversity
Ant Societies
Morphology & Terminology
Biochemistry, Genetics & Evolution
Human Culture & Ants
People & History
Fossil Ants
Cargo Data |
Halloween is a time for elaborate costumes, collecting sweet treats, bobbing for apples, telling ghost stories by the light of a jack-o-lantern and watching a scary movie or two. In recent years, Halloween has become even more of an event as people decorate their homes and neighborhoods for the annual fall celebration.
Coming just before the onset of winter weather in many parts of North America, Halloween is also a great time for a cruise vacation. The good news is that you won't necessarily miss out on your favorite traditional Halloween activities.
Some cruise ships celebrate Halloween with costume contests, treats and activities for all ages. For example, Royal Caribbean ships decorate for the holiday and host costume contests, parades and dance parties. Halloween-themed movies are shown and families can enjoy "scary story time" together. Passengers are welcome to bring their own costumes, but if you forget to pack yours, you can also make one on board.
Royal Caribbean ships also have some Halloween activities just for kids, such as making Halloween crafts, trick-or-treating around the ship and exploring a spooky haunted house.
In the past, some cruise lines have even offered murder-mystery cruises that coincide with Halloween.
For more information on how you can enjoy a spooky good Halloween on a cruise ship, talk with Cruise Holidays. |
I'm going to take off my citizen blogger hat and don my work cap for this post. Read this as if it were a (TED) talk I would be giving to a group of Italian winemakers, hopeful exporters and importers, and young people looking to get into the Italian wine business in the United States.
As I look around the room, I see all manner of folks who are either devoting their life to Italian wine or who aspire to do so as a career. As one who had spent the last forty years doing just that, let me share some thoughts with you regarding the future and how you place your piece of the puzzle into it.
Italy and Italian wine, during my professional life, has been an arduus ad solem. It has so possessed me that I fear that I am like the Japanese soldier holding up in the Philippines who continued to fight 29 years after the end of WWII. At other times, more recently, I have felt the task to be more arare litus, in that the waves would come and wash away much of the hard work. It could be very simple to just walk into that ocean and keep walking, to disappear in time and space. But that will inevitably happen anyway, to all of us. Better to retreat to my highland post and keep fighting, even if the war has been won (or lost). And to the homeland, for which I have been fighting: look upon all these years, where thousands of men and women have been laboring and pursuing Italian wine's ascension as some of the great wines of the world. How not so long ago it seemed we were all fighting for our place on the stage as a legitimate wine. That battle has been won. Let us give thanks.
If you could find a window into a world, where time hasn't moved so rapidly, where things are like they were a year, five or even 50 years ago, would you climb up and through it? And if so what would you expect to find?
Basilicata is one of those places on the wine trail in Italy that has kept some of the old ways, not discarding them for the latest iPhone or Windows upgrade. There's something about the ancient in this place that has rooted, moored and isn't going away anytime soon. And that's a very good thing for Italian wine lovers.
Here we are – November 5, 2017 – for the most part the Italian wine harvest is over. And while we're months and years away from practically determining just how successful (or disastrous) the 2017 harvest was, that hasn't kept journalists, bloggers, winemakers, even P.R. wonks, from shouting claims from their respective vantage points. Like nervous hens, tut-tutting over every oeuvre, we have heard that it is a "disaster," a "perfect storm," a "vintage the likes of which we haven't seen since the end of World War II" and "Hey, it wasn't all that bad!" So how bad (or good) was it? What happened? How about a 3-point harvest report pop quiz - let's see what the experts say? |
Beyond Solitaire
Solo Reviews
Solo Gaming Links
Interesting Kickstarters (Week of 2/25/2019)
It's almost March already, and Kickstarter has several interesting projects running right now. Let's round a few of them up!
1. Xerxes
From the publishers who brought you Argonauts comes Xerxes, in which you are playing a satrap trying to earn the most favor from the Persian king, Xerxes. It's a race for victory points, which you'll earn through effective resource management. Can you generate resources, build, and tax to be the first one to 25 points? The game includes solo tiles that allow you to pit yourself against an AI player, and you can adjust the level of difficulty for an easier or more challenging game. There are only a couple of days left in this campaign, so look fast!
2. Terror Below
Renegade Games is giving off a sci-fi/Western vibe with Terror Below, a game set in an alternate-universe Nevada desert that is infested with giant killer worms. Mostly it looks like a pick up and delivery game in which you transport worm eggs in exchange for bounties. But you can also acquire weapons and go hunting for the beasts. Like Xerxes above, this game is a race for victory points—first one to 20 wins.
3. Tiny Epic Tactics
This one is definitely tempting me. Tiny Epic Tactics looks a lot like Final Fantasy Tactics, which is a great thing in my book. Up to four players can battle it out for dominance over a 3-D map... or you can play a solo/cooperative game that involves exploring the terrain and defeating AI opponents. I really like that the game includes heroes with different powers, movements, and attack types. Plus, the price is right at $25 for the base game. (More if you want some expansions.) Although there is a solo playthrough up now, I am still interested in seeing some polished solo rules for this one before I commit.
My name is Liz Davidson, and I play solo board games. A lot of solo board games...
@beyondsolitaire |
André-Marie or André Marie is a French compound given name. Notable people with the name include:
André Marie, French Radical politician.
André Marie Constant Duméril (1774-1860), a French zoologist
André Marie Jean Jacques Dupin (1783-1865), a French advocate
André-Marie Ampère (1775-1836), a French physicist
André-Marie Mbida (1917-1980), the first Prime Minister of pre-independent Cameroon
See also
André-Jean-François-Marie
Jean-Marie André
Marie-Andrée
French masculine given names
Compound given names |
package org.kuali.rice.kns.rule;
import org.kuali.rice.krad.bo.PersistableBusinessObject;
import org.kuali.rice.kns.document.MaintenanceDocument;
import org.kuali.rice.krad.rules.rule.BusinessRule;
/**
* @deprecated Use {@link org.kuali.rice.krad.rules.rule.AddCollectionLineRule}.
*/
@Deprecated
public interface AddCollectionLineRule extends BusinessRule {
/**
* This method allows business rules to be called whenever a new object is added to a maintainable collection in
* the UI layer.
*
* @param document
* @param line
* @return
*/
public boolean processAddCollectionLineBusinessRules(MaintenanceDocument document, String collectionName, PersistableBusinessObject line);
}
|
Demand may rise further in the medium term, given the seasonality of the construction business.
Greater pricing power should favor manufacturers that have been recording either stagnant or declining operating profit or earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) over the past three years. More importantly, if prices in these pockets were to sustain until mid-February, other regions may also report higher retailing rates.
In February this year, all-India average cement prices increased by about 4.5 percent to Rs 330 per 50 kg bag. Cement prices in the northern, western and central regions have been stable, in the range of Rs 290-350 per 50 kg bag.
Since late 2015, cement manufacturers have been following the strategy of garnering volumes to raise utilization in an industry dogged by overcapacity. The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data of eight core industries showed that cement output expanded 11 percent in December last year.
In recent months, analysts point out that there has been a slight improvement in cement demand from the real estate sector. The housing sector generates about 65 percent of cement demand, of which 35 percent comes from rural housing and the remaining from the urban areas. Infrastructure and commercial segments form 35 percent of cement demand.
Ramco Cements, Dalmia Bharat, Sagar Cements, Ambuja Cements, and UltraTech Cement is expected to show better realizations in the coming quarters. Given these factors, analysts have raised their earnings estimates for these companies. According to Bloomberg, for FY20, these players are expected to see earnings growth in the range of 18-55 percent. |
Jose Altuve
Houston Astros T-Shirts
Keeping up with the Houston Astros prospects: Justin Ferrell
By Eric Huysman
Astros prospect interview: Justin Ferrell
Photo courtesy of @QCBanditPhotog.
Many Houston Astros fans may hear the name Justin Ferrell, and think about Riley Ferrell, who the Astros drafted in the second round of the 2015 MLB draft. However, Justin Ferrell is a totally different person. The Houston Astros drafted Ferrell in the 36th round of the 2014 draft, which is a polar opposite of his counterpart. However, Justin Ferrell has had a strong start to his minor league career in his first two seasons in the Astros organization.
Ferrell pitched last season with the Gulf Coast League Astros and was successful in his time there. The six-foot-seven-inch pitcher had a 1-3/ 3.67 ERA/ 39 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings with the GCL Astros.
This season, Ferrell was starting to find his groove. With the 85-46 Quad Cities River Bandits in 2015, he has been a big part of the success of the team in the rotation and as part of the tandem system as the second starter. This season he got off to a late start but made up for it with an impressive 4-3/ 1.95 ERA/ 37 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings. You might have noticed the drop in the ratio of strikeouts to innings pitched, but he will address it later in the interview.
Ferrell is another player to add to the lists of the Tyler White type of players who are not top prospects because of how late they were drafted, but have played like top prospects. Before I get into the interview, since Ferrell and I have talked, he has been placed on the seven-day DL list with an arm injury. I hear he might be getting it looked at soon, so good luck to Justin, I hope it is not anything serious.
Quad Cities River Bandits placed RHP Justin Ferrell on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to August 26, 2015. #Astros
— Astros Transactions (@astrosactions) August 31, 2015
Let's see what Justin Ferrell has to say. If you were looking for Riley Ferrell, this is the wrong post, but you are welcome to continue reading.
Next: The Justin Ferrell interview |
Voter-fraud task force raids office backing Obama
By S.A. Miller - The Washington Times - Wednesday, October 8, 2008
A Nevada voter-fraud task force Tuesday raided the state headquarters of a Democrat-allied organization that works to get low-income people to vote, setting off a skirmish over efforts to expand the electorate on behalf of Sen. Barack Obama.
Authorities searched the Las Vegas office of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, which is accused of submitting multiple voter registrations with duplicate and false names, including names of former Dallas Cowboys players.
Bob Walsh, a spokesman for Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller, a Democrat, whose office leads the task force, stressed that ACORN was not charged with a crime but served with a search warrant as part of an ongoing investigation.
"We went in and seized computer equipment and documents," he said.
Republicans accused the Obama campaign of associating with a group known for signing up unqualified voters, and which has been accused of submitting fraudulent or inaccurate voter registrations in Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Wisconsin.
The Obama presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee declined to comment on the raid.
But Bertha Lewis, ACORN's interim chief organizer in Las Vegas, called it a political hit job and said the organization for months had tried in vain to work with Nevada elections officials to identify potentially fraudulent voter applications.
"Today's raid by the secretary of state's office is a stunt that serves no useful purpose other than discredit our work registering Nevadans and distracting us from the important work ahead of getting every eligible voter to the polls," she said.
The Republican Party has long clashed with ACORN, including successfully fighting Democratic efforts to include $20 billion for the group's homeownership program from the $700 billion economic rescue approved last week.
Republicans say the group is a partisan player that engages in unscrupulous election practices. They point to 12 ACORN members convicted of voter fraud in Missouri in 1986 and to the organization's entry into a 2006 consent decree in Washington state to refrain from improper voter registration activities or else face criminal prosecution.
"Our calling it quasi-criminal organization, we don't say that lightly," said Sean Cairncross, chief counsel to the Republican National Committee. "When you have your office raided by law enforcement agencies, it is not an indication that you are in compliance with the law."
The Las Vegas office was raided the same day Republicans were complaining about ACORN's activities in northwestern Indiana, where news reports say local elections officials think the group submitted hundreds of bad voter applications.
Voter registration is key to the Democrats' election strategy. First-time voters - especially students and minorities - helped fuel Mr. Obama's primary wins, and his campaign is looking for the same results to capture swing states such as Nevada on Nov. 4.
In the swing state of Pennsylvania, which is a must-win on the electoral map for Mr. Obama, a record 8.6 million have registered for the presidential election with the number of Democratic voters up 13 percent compared with Republican ranks shrinking by 1 percent, according to early totals released by state election officials.
While Democrats have focused on expanding turnout, Republicans have put their efforts into trying to prevent election fraud. They have pushed measures to clean the rolls of voters who have died or moved, and to require voters to show identification at the polls.
ACORN recently concluded its Project Vote registration drive that signed up more than 1.3 million voters in 21 states, which was the most successful drive in the group's 38-year history.
On Tuesday, Sen. John Ensign, Nevada Republican, called for the suspension of federal payments to ACORN as part of an affordable housing fund run by mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
"With the government takeover of Fannie and Freddie, the government will be taxing itself to create a backdoor slush fund, and we must prevent these taxpayer dollars from going toward ACORN," Mr. Ensign said. "With the recent news tying ACORN with voter fraud, suspending these funds is even more urgent."
The day after the 2006 congressional elections Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, asked the Internal Revenue Service to consider suspending ACORN's tax-exempt status. He cited the indictments of four ACORN employees in Kansas City, Mo., on charges they submitted false voter registrations. "Engaging in voter fraud is not a charitable activity," Mr. Grassley said at the time. |
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|
Data Security › Breach Notification Rule
Nota Bene Episode 39: Doing Business with the U.S. Government in an Era of Cybersecurity, Espionage and Executive Orders with Townsend Bourne
Jones Day Talks: Trump's Artificial Intelligence Initiative: Implications, Impact, and Industry Reactions
Jones Day Presents: Data Privacy Threats to Blockchains
Jones Day Presents: Considerations in Implementing Blockchain Technology
Jones Day Presents: Does Blockchain Technology Work?
Are You Prepared for the California Consumer Privacy Act? Get Ready for European-Style Privacy in the U.S.
Straight Talks: Data privacy and cybersecurity in the age of rolling smart devices
What to Consider On Day One of a Data Breach
Cybersecurity in the investment management industry
ITAR for Government Contractors - New Developments for 2018
Government data mining leads to more aggressive investigations
Across the Board-Episode 7, Brad Davis on the Board's Role in Data Security Oversight
China's new cybersecurity law
Compliance into the Weeds-Episode 39, Disclosure of Ransomware Attacks
FCPA Compliance Report-Episode 326, Paula Long On The Intersection Of Data Security And Compliance
FCPA Compliance Report-Episode 304-Brad Davis on Data Security, Data Privacy and Information Governance
BakerHostetler Partner Alan Friel Talks Big Data and Data Collection
Oregon Amends Data Breach Law With New Requirements, and Enacts IoT Security Law
by Lane Powell PC on 5/29/2019
This May, Oregon's legislature passed a set of amendments to the state's already relatively robust data breach notice statute (ORS §§ 646A.600 – 646A.628). The most significant changes are around service providers, who will...more
UNITED STATES - Regulatory—Policy, Best Practices, and Standards - NIST Director Discusses Future Development of Cybersecurity Framework - On March 4, the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology...more
HHS to Start Randomly Selecting Health Plans for HIPAA Compliance – Are You Ready?
by Snell & Wilmer on 4/23/2019
The CMS Division of National Standards, on behalf of HHS, is launching the Compliance Review Program (the "Program") to ensure compliance among covered entities with HIPAA Administrative Simplification rules for electronic...more
Some HIPAA Happenings
by Steptoe & Johnson PLLC on 4/1/2019
Proposed Modifications to HIPAA Regulations under Consideration - On December 14, 2018, HHS issued its Request for Information on Modifying HIPAA Rules to Improve Coordinated Care as part of its Regulatory Sprint to...more
European Data Protection Board's Priorities for 2019/2020
by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP on 3/26/2019
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has released its priorities for 2019/2020 in its two-year "Work Program." The EDPB is charged with issuing guidelines and opinions about GDPR, advising the European Commission about...more
Washington D.C. Attorney General Seeks Stronger Data Security And Breach Notification Requirements
by Jackson Lewis P.C. on 3/22/2019
Add Washington D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine's recent data security legislative proposal – the Security Breach Protection Amendment Act of 2019 – to the growing list of states and jurisdictions across the country...more
HIPAA breach notification deadline is March 1
by Thompson Coburn LLP on 2/12/2019
Did your organization discover a HIPAA breach in 2018 that affected fewer than 500 people? If so, you have until March 1 to report the breach to the Office for Civil Rights ("OCR")....more
Amendments to Massachusetts Data Breach Law Impose New Requirements
by White and Williams LLP on 1/15/2019
Effective April 11, 2019, new amendments to Massachusetts's Data Breach Notification Act go into effect. The amendments impose additional requirements on covered companies that sustain a data breach involving personal data of...more
Ohio Moves On Insurance Cybersecurity
by Carlton Fields on 12/31/2018
Ohio has joined South Carolina in becoming the next state to adopt a variation of the NAIC Insurance Data Security Model Law ("MDL-668"). This legislation makes a number of changes to Ohio's insurance law...more
HHS Seeking Input on HIPAA Changes
by Hogan Lovells on 12/18/2018
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a Request for Information (RFI) regarding how the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules could be modified to reduce regulatory burdens and to...more
Data Breach in Brief: Knowing the Risks and Protecting Your Company
by Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,... on 12/17/2018
Data breaches continue to be an unfortunate risk that companies face with increasing frequency. In this podcast, Rebecca Bennett, Stephen Riga, and Justin Tarka discuss data breaches from both a U.S. and EU perspective,...more
Interactive Map Offers Easy Access to Data Breach Laws by State
by BakerHostetler on 9/20/2018
An enhanced resource for analysis of data breach notification laws for all 50 states is now just a click away. BakerHostetler combined two of its state breach notification law resources (a summary of the laws and a guide to...more
State Legislative Action on Data Breach Laws
by Locke Lord LLP on 8/14/2018
The changes keep coming! In 2018, state legislatures have been active in enacting and amending data breach notification laws. With Alabama's recent enactment, all 50 states now have data breach notification laws....more
Updates to State Data Breach Laws
by McGuireWoods LLP on 7/20/2018
Personal information has become the prey of relentless poachers. In light of the influx of data breaches, state legislatures are taking action. Not surprisingly, now every state has enacted data breach notification laws,...more
First Europe, Now the States: Big Changes Coming to State Data Privacy Laws
by Foley Hoag LLP - Privacy & Data Security on 6/27/2018
With legislative activity last month in Louisiana, South Carolina, Vermont, and Colorado adding to activity in South Dakota, Arizona, Oregon, and Alabama earlier in the year, it appears that 2018 could be a significant year...more
Colorado Passes Far Reaching New Privacy and Cybersecurity Law
by Mintz - Privacy & Cybersecurity Viewpoints on 6/7/2018
Recently, a new bill was signed by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, creating far reaching new requirements for entities that collect or maintain personal identifying information of Colorado residents. These requirements,...more
What is GDPR and how does it impact American businesses?
by Butler Snow LLP on 6/6/2018
On May 25, 2018, the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect. Although EU laws typically don't have a worldwide impact, the GDPR will impact business across the globe. The GDPR has an extremely...more
Mintz Matrix Updated – Data Breach Laws in All 50 States
With the recent enactment of data breach notification laws in South Dakota and Alabama, all 50 US states now have laws regulating data breach notification. We've updated the Mintz Matrix (maintained by the Mintz Privacy Team...more
ICYMI in Cybersecurity and Data Breach
by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP on 4/30/2018
Senators Introduce Bipartisan Internet Privacy Bill - Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) on Tuesday introduced a bipartisan internet privacy bill intended to give users more control over what websites...more
Massachusetts Case Against Equifax Survives Motion to Dismiss
by Goodwin on 4/17/2018
On April 2, 2018, the Superior Court of Suffolk County, Massachusetts denied Equifax, Inc.'s motion to dismiss the Commonwealth's case against it related to the company's widely publicized 2017 data breach. Although the...more
Alabama Becomes 50th State to Enact Data Breach Notification Law
Alabama has joined the "crazy quilt" of state data breach notification laws with the governor's signature of the Alabama Data Breach Notification Act of 2018. Things to take note of under the Alabama law...more
Alabama Becomes The Final State To Enact A Data Breach Notification Law
by Jackson Lewis P.C. on 4/4/2018
On March 28th, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) signed into law the Alabama Data Breach Notification Act, Act No. 2018-396, making Alabama the final state to enact a data breach notification law. South Dakota Governor Dennis...more
Alabama Rounds Out the Roster with New State Data Breach Notification Law
by Balch & Bingham LLP on 4/4/2018
On Wednesday, March 28, 2018, the Alabama Data Breach Notification Act of 2018 (SB318) was signed into law by the Governor, making Alabama round out the roster of 50 states with data breach notification laws. (South Dakota's...more
South Dakota Becomes 49th State to Enact a Data Breach Notification Law
One of two remaining states without a data breach notification law has finally enacted one of its own. On March 21, 2018, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard signed South Dakota Senate Bill 62 into law, creating the newest...more
What Law Firms Need to Know about the GDPR
by Epiq on 3/26/2018
Beginning May 25, the EU Data Protection Directive will be replaced with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In a nutshell, the purpose of GDPR is to improve the protection and privacy of all personal data...more
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Data BreachCybersecurityPersonally Identifiable InformationData ProtectionPopularHIPAAData PrivacyCyber AttacksPHIPersonal DataFTCOCRFCCHackersCovered Entities |
Par Aide's regulation golf flags are engineered to maintain their good looks despite long exposure to wind and sunlight.
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Golf Flag Set - Red and White Flag #'s 1-9 14 in. x 20 in. |
Dr. Duane Spencer pens the newsletter as founder and headmaster of Grace Bible Preparatory School, which would later become San Antonio Christian Schools.
Another year of academic progress has come and gone with such great rapidity it hardly seems possible that our second graduating class is a reality. We have five 1971 Seniors, compared to two of last year. We pray for many more in '72.
It is my personal hope that it will be possible for the board of regents to find a full-time headmaster to direct the academic life of the school by next fall. My many church-oriented duties are making greater demands than ever before, and I feel that the school should have someone who can be 'on the job' all day, with energies toward building that important segment of our institution. Pray about that, too, if you will. Of course I shall look forward to continuing as the school chaplain, and regular chapel speaker. |
Dana Nowak practises civil litigation with a focus on commercial bankruptcy and insolvency, personal property security law, construction law, suretyship, and real property disputes.
Dana has represented clients before the Alberta Provincial Court, the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, the Court of Appeal of Alberta, Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench, the Yukon Supreme Court and the Yukon Court of Appeal.
"Annual Cross-Canada Update", Canadian Bar Association National Insolvency Conference, co-presenter (September, 2017).
"Managing Difficult Players", Annual CAIRP Forum, co-presenter (May, 2017).
"High Income Tax Debtors in Bankruptcy", Edmonton CPA Club, presenter (September, 2016).
"La négociation des créances fiscales: un art", Conférence Annuelle de L'ACPIR, co-présentatrice (août, 2016).
"Builders' Liens and Surety Bonding as Options to Secure Payment from Insolvent General Contractors", Edmonton Construction Association, presenter (May, 2015).
"Bankruptcy Discharge Applications", University of Alberta, Faculty of Law, Bankruptcy Law Class Seminar, co-presenter (October, 2015).
"Risk Allocation in Construction Contracts", Alberta Colleges Symposium 2015, co-presenter (October, 2015).
"Advocacy in the Insolvency Context", University of Alberta, Faculty of Law, bankruptcy and insolvency class, guest lecturer (October, 2015).
"Surety Bonds", Canadian Bar Association, Alberta North Construction Law Subsection (January, 2015).
"Director's Liability", University of Alberta, Faculty of Law, bankruptcy and insolvency class, guest lecturer (March, 2015).
"The Laws of Competitive Bidding", Edmonton Construction Association (October, 2014).
"Builders' Liens and Surety Bonding as Options to Secure Payment from Insolvent General Contractors", Saving Companies from Distress (Edmonton Construction Association, 2014).
"Mid-Market Technical Update", Insolvency and Restructuring Forum (Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals, 2013).
"A Review of Landlord Issues, Rights, Remedies, and Best Practices in Managing Issues Related to Tenant Insolvency", co-author and presenter, BOMA Legal Series (2011; 2012; 2013).
"Landlord Rights on Tenant Default", BOMA Legal Series (2012; 2013).
"Recruiting Foreign Students: Risks and Implications", co-author, CASS Connection 2009. |
Imagine that summer taste explosion of sweet, ripe apricots, straight from the tree. There's nothing quite as special as a beautiful and productive apricot tree in the garden, and even one tree can supply enough fruit for your family to eat fresh and preserve.
Apricots are one of the most delicious and exotic of the deciduous fruits, with a rich, sweet and tart summery flavour that you just won't find anywhere else. They are wonderful to eat fresh, but also cook well in cakes and puddings, and it's a snap to capture that rich summer flavour for eating in winter by drying, bottling (canning), jam, chutney or freezing the fruit.
But apricots can also be one of the most problematic and tricky fruits to grow—they're vulnerable to frost, they prone to a number of diseases (some of which can completely wipe out your crop) and pests just love 'em. Of all the fruit trees, apricots are the most likely to flower but not produce fruit. Plus, the trees are often big and hard to prune, especially if they've been a bit neglected.
In this course you'll learn how to prune your apricot tree (regardless of its size or age), how to recognise and prevent common fungal diseases, how to stop pests like earwigs from helping themselves to your fruit, correct picking and storage techniques, and scrumptious recipes and preserving techniques. Warning: after completing this module you may become the neighbourhood apricot fruitologist and will be expected to answer endless apricot questions at family events! |
Il ghiacciaio Polar Record è un ampio ghiacciaio situato sulla costa di Ingrid Christensen, nella Terra della Principessa Elisabetta, in Antartide. Il ghiacciaio, il cui punto più alto si trova a circa s.l.m., fluisce verso nord scorrendo tra i nunatak Meknattane e l'isola Dodd fino ad andare ad alimentare la parte centrale della piattaforma glaciale Pubblicazioni, a est del ghiacciaio Lambert.
Storia
Il ghiacciaio Polar Record fu mappato e battezzato nel 1952 dal geografo americano John H. Roscoe che effettuò un dettagliato studio dell'area basandosi su fotografie aeree scattate durante l'operazione Highjump, 1946-47. Roscoe diede alla formazione il nome di "ghiacciaio Polar Record", in onore della rivista inglese Polar Record, pubblicata dallo Scott Polar Research Institute, dell'Università di Cambridge.
Note
Voci correlate
Ghiacciai dell'Antartide
Collegamenti esterni
Polar Record, Ghiacciaio
Polar Record, Ghiacciaio |
Seized violin will soon be played again
Leave a Comment / News / By / September 3, 2022 September 3, 2022
A valuable violin seized during searches in Berlin is intact and should soon be able to be used again by a musician. "A violin maker examined the instrument and confirmed to us that it is ready to play," said a spokeswoman for the German Foundation for Music Life on request.
The foundation manages valuable string instruments, most of which are owned by the federal government, and makes these highly talented musicians available. This was also the case with the instrument by violin maker Nicolo Gagliano, which was stolen from a student at the Hanns Eisler Music Academy in Berlin in March 2019.
More than three years later, the violin from the 18th century was seized during searches in the apartment of an elderly woman in Kreuzberg in mid-July, according to the public prosecutor. The woman's son is said to have bought the instrument from the thief for only 200 euros. The actual reason for the raid was an investigation into another case of bodily harm, deprivation of liberty and threats.
The public prosecutor's office stated that the violin was worth at least 275,000 euros. According to the foundation, the instrument has meanwhile experienced an increase in value. Obviously, however, the thief did not know what treasure he had. According to the authorities, the investigation into the case is ongoing.
"Only lend to the gifted"
The instrument is now back in the hands of the Hamburg-based foundation. In February 2023, a competition will then be held to determine which musical talent will now receive the violin on loan.
"We lend our instruments exclusively to the highly gifted," explained the spokeswoman. New applicants initially receive a valuable musical instrument for one year, but longer periods are also possible afterwards. "Our goal is to promote the cultural landscape of the violin in the long term," explained the spokeswoman.
[Wenn Sie alle aktuellen Nachrichten live auf Ihr Handy haben wollen, empfehlen wir Ihnen unsere App, die Sie hier für Apple- und Android-Geräte herunterladen können.]
The project started with an inventory of 16 instruments, but the fund now has more than 200 valuable violins, violas, cellos and double basses, some of which are over 300 years old. "Fortunately, there are people who don't want their instruments to gather dust in the closet," said the spokeswoman.
However, once the musicians have reached the age of 30, they must return their instrument to the foundation. This also applies to the student whose valuable violin was stolen in Berlin. He is now 30 years old. The musician is very happy that the instrument is back, said the spokeswoman. (dpa) |
LaGrange Fire Department to hold 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Challenge
by: Tom Ingram
Today marks the 18th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. To commemorate the lives lost on that tragic day, the LaGrange Fire Department will hold their annual Stair Climb Challenge from 8 a.m. until noon at Callaway Stadium in LaGrange.
Participants will run 110 stadium flights up and down the stadium to represent the 110 flights of stairs in the Twin Towers. Radio traffic from 9/11 will be played during the event.
2nd memorial held for 9/11 firefighter after remains found
Public schools in NY State will hold moment of silence on 9/11 anniversary
"We are just grateful that we can honor those brave mem and women that gave their lives bravely on that tragic day," said Lagrange Fire Department Chief John Brant. "Doing this stair climb is just a small gesture to ensure their sacrifices are never forgotten.
The public is invited to participate. Entry fee is $25 and includes a 9/11 tribute t-shirt. Those who register at the event will receive their t-shirts at a later date.
"Brave men and women risk their lives every day to ensure the safety of others," said Chief Brant. "I believe this is one of the many events in which we can show our gratitude."
More Uncategorized Stories
by MK Burgess / Jan 15, 2021
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) - When you think about the nickname 'The Terminator', everyone thinks about Arnold Schwarzenegger standing there, guns blazing, saying "I'll be back." Much like that man destroyed everything in his path, Aaron Donald, two-time winner of the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award, and aptly nicknamed after Schwarzenegger's character, is the player that haunts many a coach's offensive play calling nightmares.
"He's a freak," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said with a grin to reporters on Tuesday. "He's a once in a lifetime type of player. I don't think you truly appreciate him until you have to game plan against him."
Home severely damaged after morning fire in Bath |
The Computer That Stores and Processes Information At the Same Time
The human brain both stores and processes information at the same time. Now computer scientists say they can do the same thing
The human brain is an extraordinary computing machine. Nobody understands exactly how it works its magic but part of the trick is the ability to store and process information at the same time.
That's entirely unlike conventional computers which store information in random access memory or on hard disc and shuttle it back and forth as required to a central processing unit.
The time and energy all this takes is the thing that ultimately limits conventional computing performance, the so-called von Neumann bottleneck. Essentially, it is this that prevents conventional computers from approaching the performance of biological ones.
All that may be about to change. Today, Max Di Ventra at the University of California, San Diego and Yuriy Pershin at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, outline an emerging form of computation called memcomputing based on the recent discovery of nanoscale electronic components that both store and process information at the same time.
At the heart of this new form of computing are the memristor, memcapacitor and meminductor, fundamental electronic components that store information while operating as resistors, capacitors and inductors respectively.
These devices were predicted theoretically in the 1970s but only manufactured for the first time in 2008, so they are new kids on the electronics block.
Physicists immediately recognised the ability of so-called memelements to mimic biological computing and various groups have designed and built chips to exploit this idea, here for example .
But the properties of memelements that make them so good at biological computing has been hard to pin down. Which is where Di Ventra and Pershin come in. These guys have distilled the essential properties that ought to allow memelements to match the brain's performance.
They say these properties include the ability to store information over long periods; the ability to act collectively so that the state of a memdevice as a whole depends on the states of all its memelements; a robustness against noise and small imperfections; and so on.
Perhaps the most important, however, is the ability to store and process information at the same time, a property that is entirely alien in the conventional computing world
This is an interesting approach that attempts to crystallise the best way to approach memcomputing. And it has huge potential. Memcapacitors and meminductors essentially consume no energy and so ought to allow very low energy applications. That should make it possible for them to approach the energy efficiency of natural systems for the first time.
"An important milestone in this field would be the demonstration of a memcomputing device with computing capabilities and power consumption comparable to (or better than) those of the human brain," say Di Ventra and Pershin.
A significant factor in all this is that "mem-behaviour" is a natural property of nanoscale systems. That's why the experimental discovery of memelements took so long after the theoretical prediction—it had to wait until physicists had developed the capability to make components this small.
And with electronic components getting ever smaller, chip manufacturers are going to have to deal with these new properties themselves as a matter of course.
That will offer all kinds of new opportunities. Biological systems, such as neurons, naturally work on this scale and so must be or have memelements. That's not lost on Di Ventra and Perhsin: "All these features are tantalizingly similar to those encountered in the biological realm, thus offering new opportunities for biologically-inspired computation."
An area worth watching.
Ref: arxiv.org/abs/1211.4487: Memcomputing: A Computing Paradigm To Store And Process Information On The Same
Physical Platform |
A Penny Wedding
(Sir David Wilkie)
Duncan Gairdner's wedding was an event of quite some note. He was a shy, bashful, thin man, rather weak physically and with a retiring disposition. He never stood out or took a lead position and, although only a working man always had an eye to the main chance and every penny he could put together became his prisoner. In time he was able to amass a comparative fortune amounting to £40.
Although shy and bashful and timid in the company of women there were several of the faire sex who were of a different stamp and "Muckle" Jenny Macfarlane was one of these. She was quite the opposite of Duncan being tall and stout as well as physically strong. In fact it was said that she was as strong as an elephant!
It was rumoured that they had been seeing each other, even having been seen walking out together, and this caused some concern to Duncan's friends who advised against any form of liaison. One of his friends suggested an alternative candidate - a lady who was more couth and appropriate. However, after some deliberation Duncan mentioned that, "Ah, but she hisna' earnings and that's spoiled her chances."
Shortly thereafter, and against all advice, the Banns were posted and it was put about that it was to be a Penny wedding. In other words all were welcome. The day came around and everyone showed up in their "Sunday" best, the weather was beautiful and an oft repeated phrase was, "Happy is the bride that the sun shines on."
It had been arranged that the wedding would take place in the Manse in Dalginross and the bridegroom, having arrived at the house of his intended met her, gathered the wedding party together and went in procession to the Manse hand in hand. They were preceded by two pipers who played, "Hey, bonnie lassie, we'll bundle and go," and in the middle of the happy throng two fiddlers played away. Many of the young men carried pistols and guns with blanks and they would fire them into the air on either side of the procession...so it was quite a noisy procession.
On arriving at the Manse, and as it was a beautiful day, it was decided that the ceremony should be held outside on the lawn with Duncan and Jenny taking their places. The minister conducted the service and then proclaimed them man and wife and suggested that Duncan kiss his new wife. Poor Duncan froze on the spot mortified but Jenny didn't and quickly stooped down and grabbed him in a bear hug and kissed him with such a smacker that poor Duncan almost faded away. He swooned and became quite faint, obviously aware of the future yet to come!
The happy crowd then engaged in dancing with the Minister having the first reel with the new wife. Reels were followed by country dances followed by more reels and further country dances so all danced to their hearts content. After the dancing the party reassembled in procession form and with the pipers at the head playing, "Woo'ed an' married," they walked down Dalginross to the Brigend Hotel which was instantly filled. Orders were passed about to ensure that all glasses were charged to drink to the health and happiness of the bride and groom. Standing in the lobby at the top of the stair, the best man with the throng below him looked around for the bridegroom to respond, but he had disappeared. Looking out the window one of them saw Duncan standing in the middle of the street looking lost and abandoned and probably wondering what all the noise was about. He was brought in and launched up the stair, a toast was said but before Duncan could get to his feet Jenny answered for him...the shape of things to come!
As there were no applicable licensing hours the party went on all night long and, in the wee sma' hoors, Jenny and Duncan were escorted to the nuptial bed. There, and before they did anything else, Jenny demanded that Duncan give her the £40 and drawing herself up to her full height she towered over Duncan. With great and deliberate reluctance Duncan resisted but was no match being mere putty in her hands, did as he was told....and the night rolled on.
Sometime later she started a grocery shop with the money converting most of it into stock and, because of this Duncan had to resume working for someone else at his trade. After a short period of time she was unable to reconcile the accounts and had to close it down. Duncan was dumbfounded with this turn of events and asked her what she had done with his fortune. The answer came back swiftly and sharply, "You have had your own good share of it." Duncan bravely replied, "I didn'a get my share o' what you and the baker's wife drank in the closet, Jenny!" Jenny stamped her foot on the floor, ordering him to "haud his tongue" and he scurried off.
Duncan worked away and did the best he could but the grey mare was the better horse and Jenny always wore the breeks. They had no children but Jenny adopted a boy called Tam Fleming or Fleeman and she was very fond of him. In fact her affection was much greater for Tam than it ever was for Duncan who, to a large degree, had to fend for himself. In time, as he had never been physically robust, he fell ill and it was not long after that he went to meet his maker.
When Duncan died she was very sore to live with taking the blow very hard, however, she took a grip on herself and worked harder than she had ever done before. She was devoted to Tam and she lost no opportunity to make an honest penny. One harvest day she and a number of other women went along to the Carse of Strowan farm to the shearing leaving Tam alone at home. Tam had gone out of the back door and climbed a drystane dyke and when part of it gave way he fell over on to some glass which had been strewn on the other side. He found that he had been bruised and had cut himself rather badly on the hands and some of the neighbours bandaged him as best they could.
The doctor came around later and said that Tam would recover in a few days, but, in the meantime word had been sent out to Jenny at Strowan. Hearing from the messenger that Tam was "all covered in blood and sure to be dead" she leapt upon a ready, barebacked horse and galloped to the village with her long grey hair and her white linen sooback streaming behind her.. She raced up Lednaig (Drummond) street and flung herself off the horse at the front of her house and entered. Finding Tam in a weak condition but still alive and the injuries not as bad as she had been told she was greatly relieved.
Staying with him for a couple of days and seeing that he was on the mend she returned to her job at Strowan and at the noonday break sat apart from the others. All at once she let out a series of piercing yells and stood up dancing about and beating herself. The other folk thought she had gone mad and, before they could rise to assist her, she was off running like a hare letting out frightful screams. Several of the men ran after her and caught her but she wriggled free of their grasp continuously beating herself. Some of the women started looking at the spot she had run from and saw a stream of angry wasps coming from the ground. Jenny had been sitting on a wasp's nest and the wasps finding that they could not access their nests had started crawling under her dress and stinging whatever obstacle they could find. The women took her to a nearby house and stripped her and put her to bed as by this time she was quite sick. The farmer's wife produced a bottle of whisky and all got a dram as they picked the wasps from her clothes. By the evening she had got over the worst of her adventure and was able to accompany her fellow workers back to Comrie. The shearers latterly enjoyed a good laugh about it and who knows maybe the incident sparked the ditty, "A bumbee stung me weel above the knee!"
Jenny and Tom carried on with their lives and he grew up to be a hard working chap and able to hold down a job in a local farm and Jenny was very proud of him. One night he, along with a few others, went to a market and afterwards on to a local hostelry where they had a few jars and were not feeling a lot of pain. During the evening a recruiting party called in at the tavern. They were in a very affable mood joining the Comrie lads and recounting tales of the grand life that was offered in the army. Tam had had one too many and was attracted by the ready "siller" and the flashing medals and when a piece of paper was casually thrown on the table he signed it and was hooked. Returning to the village he told Jenny the next day about what he had done and she was mightily saddened and as she was short of the "ready" she was unable to buy him out.
They parted with great sadness and although he said he would write frequently there was hollowness, as she knew her time was short, because she was getting on a bit. He was posted overseas and when he returned to Comrie, Jenny had joined Duncan in the "happy land." |
An artist with a camera, incorporating a blend of storytelling and an artistic eye to capture the raw beauty of people and places. Denny ventured into the world of photography after he discovered his affection for creating visually appealing art. Denny is now a traveling/adventure photographer, with other various expertise such as portraiture. He enjoys being behind a camera in any capacity.
Personality wise, Denny is outgoing and friendly, he is easy to work with and empathetic. All in all, Denny is passionate about his work, has an easy-going personality, and is detailed orientated.
If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
We had the honor of having denny record our wedding for us. He was dependable, showing up on time, and even stayed the entire day with us to capture it all. Turnover for the final video was about 3 weeks, which was reasonable seeing that he had to go through a lot of clips. Denny also had impeccable equipment, from a stabilizer to a drone! Would recommend !! |
02 Jan Col. Charles Brumfield Gulley "Headed West" July 12, 2018
Posted at 05:51h in 2018, Headed West by MB Barrett
Charles Brumfield Gulley, 83, of Montgomery passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on July 12, 2018, at Angels for the Elderly after a long, courageous battle with Alzheimer's.
Charles was born on August 31, 1934, in Brookhaven, MS. He attended Brookhaven High School and McCallie Military School in Chattanooga, TN where he graduated Cum Laude. After graduating from Tulane University, he entered the United States Air Force where he became a fighter pilot and did two tours of duty in the Vietnam War. He served his country in the USAF for 23 years before retiring as a decorated veteran. He worked as a stockbroker with Robinson-Humphrey for 16 years. In 1994, Charles was ordained a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church. A great man of faith, he loved serving God and spending time with his family.
Charles was preceded in death by his parents, George Hoke Gulley Sr. and Kathryn Brumfield Gulley, his brother George H. Gulley Jr., and his son, Michael Allen Gulley.
Charles is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Joan Ritchey Gulley; children: Patrick Russell Gulley (Melissa), Laurie Gulley, Kathy Gulley McNabb (Rick), and Kiki Gulley Smith (Michael); grandchildren: Amanda, Allison, Ryan, Hannah, and Sarah Gulley; Molly, Megan, Emma, and Bennett McNabb; Katie, Drew, Grant, and John Russell Smith; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Visitation was held on Saturday, July 21, 2018, in the St. Bede Family Life Center followed by a rosary in the Church. Funeral Mass was with Most Reverend Thomas J. Rodi, Archbishop of Mobile celebrating. Charles was laid to rest at St. Margaret's Cemetery with military honors.
The family is very grateful to the staff and volunteers of the Respite Ministry at FUMC and everyone at Angels for the Elderly for the loving care and support offered to him. We especially want to thank his "best friend."
Memorials may be made to St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church or to the Respite Ministry at First United Methodist Church.
(source: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/montgomery-al/charles-gulley-7932032) |
Adjusting to college life often means dealing with many things for the first time — all at the same time: learning to live with roommates, handling finances, taking care of household chores, interacting with people from other cultures with other beliefs, trying out romantic partnerships. This, in addition to new academic demands, learning how to study effectively, getting work done on time, and navigating the bureaucracy of a big institution.
Through these tasks, college students learn how they respond to life's daily challenges and find the social and emotional support they need from the campus community, friends, and you — their family — to make their way.
Most students' initial concerns are about forming friendships. When new students look around, it may seem that everyone else is self-confident and socially successful, when in reality, everyone has similar concerns.
Your child should find that within just a couple of weeks, some regular patterns — walking the same route to classes, eating at the same time with certain people — start to set in, making connections easier.
Still, sometimes those first friendships don't happen as quickly as your child would like. Assure them that meaningful, new relationships do not develop overnight. Discuss ideas for connecting, such as leaving the dorm room door open when "hanging out," inviting people to join them for a meal, or getting involved in campus activities. Help them understand that all freshmen are new to campus life; people they reach out to will most likely be relieved to have someone talk to them. While they're sorting it out, don't underestimate the restorative qualities of a care package from home, including notes and pictures from siblings, home-baked treats and popcorn they can share with dorm mates. |
Images of the Journey in Dante's Divine Comedy, Charles H. Taylor & Patricia Finley, 1997
I selected the following quotes from this remarkable offering by the two analysts referenced above. Some of the material is directly quoted from the Divine Comedy. Much comes from a collection of essays supporting understanding the psychological meaning of the work from a Jungian perspective. The last few paragraphs offer a remarkable description of what it might look like to be truly transformed. What is missing here are any of the inspired images collected by the authors for the purposes of illustrating and amplifying the depth psychological processes present in the work. Enjoy.
"The Dark Wood at the Beginning… Dante opens his poem with an image of himself as a person stuck in the middle of his life – he was 35 in the year 1300 – in the midst of a dark and terrifying wood… this wood may be seen as the personal depression that accompanies a midlife crisis, a fearful sense of meaninglessness that forces one to reassess everything. Of this condition Dante observes, 'Death is hardly more severe', and it is indeed the psychological condition from which either suicide (or perhaps a substitute, such as death-in-life of alcoholism or drug addiction) or rebirth earned through conscious suffering may ensue."
He hopes to climb the sunny hill within sight, but is turned back by a leopard, lion, and she-wolf. Virgil lets Dante know what he knows: "it is not in the nature of the situation for him to be able to make the direct ascent; first he must descend through Hell. Virgil understands that the dark examination of personal pathology and the shadow side of human nature is a required part of the healing journey. 'It is another path that you must take…if you would leave this savage wilderness.'
…At the Gate of Dis, at circle six, images of fire begin. Below the heretics, who burn in their tombs, the Violent Against Others, Self, and Nature suffer eternally in boiling blood, in bleeding trees, in fiery rain, or on burning sands. Between the bloody river and the fiery rain there is the second, more terrible dark wood of the suicides. … there are pits of boiling pitch or excrement, heads are set backwards on bodies, disease erupts in constant sores – when there are enforcers of the torments, they are demons."
The Gate of Dis Facing Despair …Whereas the poem opened in the Dark Wood of depression, the descent has now brought the pilgrim face to face with the danger of being immobilized by despair. … It is that time in a soul's journey when the encounter with the deeper reaches of the shadow realm may be too much to bear; a personality as yet insufficiently strong must turn away from too direct a confrontation with the knowledge of the darker powers that lie beneath the selfish appetites. … we resist the depressing journey into our personal and collective shadow, for a life may be lost unless there is help from the concerned Other. The danger of psychic paralysis and suicidal despair must be met with a force that is equal and opposite to the more than human destructive powers by which we can be seized."
Violent Against Others: Plate 41 Guttuso; Plate 42 Florentine illumination of ca 1400
Violent Against Themselves or Their Possessions and the 'Wood of the Suicides'
Vecchietta Plate 44; Blake Plate 46
"As they disordered nature in life, so they sprout confusion as weed trees in Hell; as they denied their human mobility and fixated on despair, so they take a vegetative form, planted in place … In their retreat into wooden and irretrievable self-pity, the Suicides reveal the consequences of being unable to bear the tension between the opposites of hope and despair. The image even conveys its potential antidote, the capacity in life to express one's distress and weigh it in the valance with the urge to live. In therapy, the detailed imagined exploration of one's suicidal impulses is often precisely what discloses their one-sidedness and restores a commitment to life with all its suffering."
"Della Vigna tells the pilgrim: 'My mind, because of its disdainful temper/ believing it could flee disdain through death/ made me unjust against my own just self'.
Guttuso, Plate 90 (p. 91)
The Sowers of Discord – religious, social, and political – are repeatedly wounded by a demon warder's sword. They heal only to be split again on each round. Their torment conveys the consequences of a fanatical insistence on distinctions of partisan ideology or theology or creed that fail to recognize the larger need for wholeness. (p. 89)
Vecchietta, Plate 108; Pisan Illuminator, Plate 109 (p. 106-109)
The Traitors Against Their Benefactors: …The betrayal of one's master or benefactor is the deepest evil of all, like that of Dis (as Dante calls Satan) himself, because the pledge of love and loyalty is the most deliberate, or conscious, of human and sacred commitments. … 'Dis … wept out of six eyes; and down three chins,/ tears gushed together with a bloody froth./ within each mouth – he used it like a grinder -/ with gnashing teeth he tore to bits a sinner, so that he brought much pain to three at once'. (p. 104)
Depths of Despair: … In the ice of Dis, at the very bottom of Hell, we again find immobilization, this time of those who are frozen at various depths in accord with the denial of warmth, loyalty, and love that their betrayals, have represented… Here is the most grievous consequence of despair: violation of the bonds of attachment to those persons and values to which we owe especial loyalty. To breach these attachments is to declare life hopeless at the core, to deny the sacredness of love, which in Dante's view is the motive energy of both the human and the more than human worlds. … 'Dis' comes from Latin meaning 'away from,' the root for two, apart, split-off, or separated, as in 'divided' or 'disease.' The figure at the center of the realm of darkness symbolizes what is most split of from consciousness, separated into opposites the ego does not conjoin, giving rise to the psychological splitting and the paranoia that are at the core of destructive pathology. (p. 111)
On Torment and Atonement – Two kinds of suffering: (pp. 158-160)
"There is profound psychological meaning in the sometimes excruciating pain of purgatorial suffering: the crushing stones borne by the proud, the choking smoke enveloping the wrathful, the fire hotter than molten glass searing the lustful. Those who are saved are not sinless – far from it. Rather, they are those who have come in time to know and take responsibility for the shadow qualities that split their personalities and cause them to act destructively toward themselves and others.
The secret of salvation in Dante's world … is insight into the nature of who one is, how one injures, what it feels like to be oneself the victim and to make others the targets of one's desirousness, rage, pride, and deceits. Those who make it to Purgatory are not less shadow-driven, narcissistic, obsessed, or pathological than others, but they have not refused to make conscious what they are, to bear the burden of themselves, and to come in time to take full responsibility for their own natures. By coming to know what operates in us behind appearances, whether driven by unconscious instinct and aggression or by more deliberate betrayals we can choose to take a stand against whatever in our personal character moves us to wound others and our larger selves. (My bold)
Atonement, the poet says in many ways takes time; the passage of time is central to the work of purgation. … It is psychologically true that a new level of self-awareness can be achieved only with sustained effort over an extended time, but how much time depends in part… on the attitude of those who are central in our lives. Taken objectively, this expresses the reality that the caring concern of those who love us can accelerate our growth and act as a catalyst for inner healing. Taken subjectively – in terms of what we can do for ourselves – prayerful engagement by the ego with the inner figures of parent, beloved, or child, as a means of reaching out to the larger powers that seek our development, often moves the process more swiftly."
The Wood of the Earthly Paradise (pp. 183-187)
…Dante…has suffered the Woods of Depression and Despair and now earned access to the pleasing wood that forms the summit of the Mountain of Purgatory…
…The emotional atmosphere is one of joy, to which a singing woman gathering flowers gives chastely erotic voice. … Matilda…volunteers to help him understand: 'I have come ready/ for all your questions till you're satisfied'. …Matilda represents the lure of a soul mate who calls us inwardly to the Quest, the promise of loving connection to soul and spirit that encourages the depth of humiliating confession and self-acceptance required before the deepest transformation can take place. … She evokes in him (and the reader) a passionate aspiration that he will sorely need when at last he does stand before Beatrice.
…Beatrice … Beginning to recognize her veiled presence, the poet feels 'the mighty power of old love'…and turns to share his tremulous joy with Virgil, only to discover that Virgil, his task completed, has quietly departed. Grief dispels his joy and brings tears to his eyes. To this Beatrice responds – as her initial greeting – with unexpected fierceness:
'Dante, though Virgil's leaving you, do not yet weep, do not weep yet; you'll need your tears for what another sword must yet inflict….'
'Regal and disdainful', she chides him mercilessly for having failed live up to the potential inherent in his devotion to her… She accuses him of betraying her and of following 'counterfeits of goodness' in the secular world instead. She tells the angels, who would be more compassionate of her exasperation and says that …I'm more concerned that my reply be understood by him who weeps beyond, so that his sorrow's measure match his sin…'
The 'sin' to which she refers is not so much the specific moral failures…but rather…from Beatrice's transpersonal perspective, 'the refusal of the responsibility of joy and freedom on the threshold of a new awareness,' … Approaching such joy is difficult for the ego to 'deign' to do…and it is only fully valuing all that Beatrice stands for that makes it possible.
When the pilgrim bursts into tears and Beatrice wrings from him confession that 'Mere appearances/ turned me aside with their false loveliness/ as soon as I had lost your countenance' it softens her fierceness momentarily, for
…when the charge of sinfulness has burst from one's own cheek, then in our court the whetstone turns and blunts our blade's own cutting edge….
But soon she returns to the attack….
Overwhelmed with remorse, Dante can only look down in silence, while Beatrice tells him to 'lift up/your beard, and sight will bring you greater tears'…
In response, remorse and 'self-indictment' so overwhelm the pilgrim that he faints. Beatrice has achieved her intention that he discharge the debt of penitence in full. …
"The Self, as Jung remarked, cares not for our comfort but only for our wholeness; it often requires us to undergo a suffering, which its feminine element here forces upon Dante, that is most unwelcome to the ego." (p. 185)
In his swoon of distress with himself we feel how deeply affected the pilgrim is by regret for his past behavior. But in accepting full responsibility, he shows that he is no longer the man he was then and so is prepared for the release from a fixation on his guiltiness. Maltilda, as the agent of divine forgiveness, plunges him into Lethe to free him from morbid preoccupation with his sins and his despairing shame. He is ready now to forget the sins he would no longer commit, and so he can die to his former self in this second baptism.
Dante uses the Eden-like image of Earthly Paradise to convey the possibility of renewal through return to a kind of innocence: not the innocence of ignorance before the Fall, but the innocence earned by conscious awareness of and atonement for the greedy, hurtful, and treacherous elements in each of us. With the growth of ego strength that enables us to examine and bear the bad news about ourselves comes the equally necessary capacity to let go of the resentments, bitterness, and guilts of the past, so that we may move forward into a new and more conscious association with the transpersonal powers. … Man has received from heaven a nature innately good, to guide him in all his movements. By devotion to this divine spirit within himself, he attains an unsullied innocence that leads him to do right with instinctive sureness and without any ulterior thought of reward and personal advantage…
This is the meaning of immersion in the second river, Eunoe, the river of 'good mind' … From here, the pilgrim may be born into a gradually deepening ability to perceive and relate to the divine power directly. …This is the river of transformation where one is forgiven and forgives oneself. After immersion in Eunoe, one remembers – literally, re-members the personality dismembered by life's sufferings, or in reductive analysis – rather than forgetting. One remembers but doesn't dwell upon the failures of nurture, the woundings and the betrayals, given or received in an earlier time. One remembers who one is.
When the personal past has been sufficiently worked through, one can go on to another level with a 'good mind.'"
I have a couple of projects in mind:
1: Create a community ritual process play enactment to support couple's entering into the exchange between Beatrice and Dante as she calls him into consciousness;
2. Explore the bridge between this archetypal world of sin and dismemberment and the realities of death and dismemberment in war. While waiting for my copy of Images of the Journey to arrive, I received an unsolicited invitation to order War Surgery in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Series of Cases, 2003-2007. With great trepidation, I ordered it. The overlapping of imagery is startling to say the least. |
package sqs
import (
"context"
awsmiddleware "github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/aws/middleware"
"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/aws/signer/v4"
"github.com/aws/smithy-go/middleware"
smithyhttp "github.com/aws/smithy-go/transport/http"
)
// Adds a permission to a queue for a specific principal
// (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/glos-chap.html#P). This allows
// sharing access to the queue. When you create a queue, you have full control
// access rights for the queue. Only you, the owner of the queue, can grant or deny
// permissions to the queue. For more information about these permissions, see
// Allow Developers to Write Messages to a Shared Queue
// (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSSimpleQueueService/latest/SQSDeveloperGuide/sqs-writing-an-sqs-policy.html#write-messages-to-shared-queue)
// in the Amazon SQS Developer Guide.
//
// * AddPermission generates a policy for you.
// You can use SetQueueAttributes to upload your policy. For more information, see
// Using Custom Policies with the Amazon SQS Access Policy Language
// (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSSimpleQueueService/latest/SQSDeveloperGuide/sqs-creating-custom-policies.html)
// in the Amazon SQS Developer Guide.
//
// * An Amazon SQS policy can have a maximum of
// 7 actions.
//
// * To remove the ability to change queue permissions, you must deny
// permission to the AddPermission, RemovePermission, and SetQueueAttributes
// actions in your IAM policy.
//
// Some actions take lists of parameters. These lists
// are specified using the param.n notation. Values of n are integers starting from
// 1. For example, a parameter list with two elements looks like this:
// &AttributeName.1=first&AttributeName.2=second Cross-account permissions don't
// apply to this action. For more information, see Grant cross-account permissions
// to a role and a user name
// (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSSimpleQueueService/latest/SQSDeveloperGuide/sqs-customer-managed-policy-examples.html#grant-cross-account-permissions-to-role-and-user-name)
// in the Amazon SQS Developer Guide.
func (c *Client) AddPermission(ctx context.Context, params *AddPermissionInput, optFns ...func(*Options)) (*AddPermissionOutput, error) {
if params == nil {
params = &AddPermissionInput{}
}
result, metadata, err := c.invokeOperation(ctx, "AddPermission", params, optFns, c.addOperationAddPermissionMiddlewares)
if err != nil {
return nil, err
}
out := result.(*AddPermissionOutput)
out.ResultMetadata = metadata
return out, nil
}
//
type AddPermissionInput struct {
// The Amazon Web Services account numbers of the principals
// (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/glos-chap.html#P) who are to
// receive permission. For information about locating the Amazon Web Services
// account identification, see Your Amazon Web Services Identifiers
// (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSSimpleQueueService/latest/SQSDeveloperGuide/sqs-making-api-requests.html#sqs-api-request-authentication)
// in the Amazon SQS Developer Guide.
//
// This member is required.
AWSAccountIds []string
// The action the client wants to allow for the specified principal. Valid values:
// the name of any action or *. For more information about these actions, see
// Overview of Managing Access Permissions to Your Amazon Simple Queue Service
// Resource
// (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSSimpleQueueService/latest/SQSDeveloperGuide/sqs-overview-of-managing-access.html)
// in the Amazon SQS Developer Guide. Specifying SendMessage, DeleteMessage, or
// ChangeMessageVisibility for ActionName.n also grants permissions for the
// corresponding batch versions of those actions: SendMessageBatch,
// DeleteMessageBatch, and ChangeMessageVisibilityBatch.
//
// This member is required.
Actions []string
// The unique identification of the permission you're setting (for example,
// AliceSendMessage). Maximum 80 characters. Allowed characters include
// alphanumeric characters, hyphens (-), and underscores (_).
//
// This member is required.
Label *string
// The URL of the Amazon SQS queue to which permissions are added. Queue URLs and
// names are case-sensitive.
//
// This member is required.
QueueUrl *string
noSmithyDocumentSerde
}
type AddPermissionOutput struct {
// Metadata pertaining to the operation's result.
ResultMetadata middleware.Metadata
noSmithyDocumentSerde
}
func (c *Client) addOperationAddPermissionMiddlewares(stack *middleware.Stack, options Options) (err error) {
err = stack.Serialize.Add(&awsAwsquery_serializeOpAddPermission{}, middleware.After)
if err != nil {
return err
}
err = stack.Deserialize.Add(&awsAwsquery_deserializeOpAddPermission{}, middleware.After)
if err != nil {
return err
}
if err = addSetLoggerMiddleware(stack, options); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = awsmiddleware.AddClientRequestIDMiddleware(stack); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = smithyhttp.AddComputeContentLengthMiddleware(stack); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = addResolveEndpointMiddleware(stack, options); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = v4.AddComputePayloadSHA256Middleware(stack); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = addRetryMiddlewares(stack, options); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = addHTTPSignerV4Middleware(stack, options); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = awsmiddleware.AddRawResponseToMetadata(stack); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = awsmiddleware.AddRecordResponseTiming(stack); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = addClientUserAgent(stack); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = smithyhttp.AddErrorCloseResponseBodyMiddleware(stack); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = smithyhttp.AddCloseResponseBodyMiddleware(stack); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = addOpAddPermissionValidationMiddleware(stack); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = stack.Initialize.Add(newServiceMetadataMiddleware_opAddPermission(options.Region), middleware.Before); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = addRequestIDRetrieverMiddleware(stack); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = addResponseErrorMiddleware(stack); err != nil {
return err
}
if err = addRequestResponseLogging(stack, options); err != nil {
return err
}
return nil
}
func newServiceMetadataMiddleware_opAddPermission(region string) *awsmiddleware.RegisterServiceMetadata {
return &awsmiddleware.RegisterServiceMetadata{
Region: region,
ServiceID: ServiceID,
SigningName: "sqs",
OperationName: "AddPermission",
}
}
|
After 18 years of receiving rave reviews about his "pillow-soft" gnocchi, Chef Dan decided it was time for patrons to bring a tavola's Italian old world flavor to their homes… And what a better way than offering its famous gnocchi in packaged portions ready to be cooked & served at home in less than 5 minutes?
Each bag serves a dinner for two. Just boil the gnocchi bag in water 4 minutes, cut open and serve with your favorite sauce. It's that simple!
Orders are available for pickup only. Just give us a call at 773 276 7567 or place your order here. Your bags of gnocchi will be at a tavola waiting for you! |
<archimate:SystemSoftware
xmlns:archimate="http://www.archimatetool.com/archimate"
name="Server"
id="id-d2f68eab61dc47d6a6a11c68bf690f4a"/>
|
AIM Solder Adds Brazilian Manufacturer Alfatec
IPC Hand Soldering Competition Winner Crowned in UK
by Chelsey Drysdale
WARWICKSHIRE, UK — The IPC Hand Soldering Competition took place this month here, where first prize went to Justyna Mikolajczyk, Zettlex.
Mikolajczyk completed a functional board in 52 minutes and 42 seconds, earning 440 points out of 445, taking home £300 in cash and new soldering stations from JBC and Hakko.
Twenty competitors demonstrated their soldering skills. Participants were tasked with building a functional electronics assembly with more than 400 components within a 60-minute time limit. The completed assembly was judged not only on speed of completion, but on workmanship, overall functionality and compliance with IPC-A-610G Class 3 criteria.
Second place went to Phillip Smith, CIL, who completed his board in 60 minutes, earning 421 points. Smith, a former UK champion in hand soldering, received a cash prize of £200.
Third place went to Przemyslaw Marzalek, MSF Technologies, who completed his board in 56 minutes, 30 seconds, earning him 405 points and a cash prize of £100. Przemyslaw was the UK Champion last year and competed for the world championship at IPC Apex Expo earlier this year.
"It was evident the best hand soldering talent in the United Kingdom came to compete at What's New in Electronics Live," said David Bergman, IPC vice president of standards and training. "The competition was tough, but each competitor rose to the challenge. We look forward to hosting more hand soldering competitions across the globe."
Regional winners are eligible to compete at the IPC Hand Soldering World Championship at Productronica this November. |
2020 Lexus RX 350 Redesign, Interior And Price – 2020 Lexus RX 350 can come from the new manufacturer from Lexus. Although, this kind has been unveiled in each and every calendar year this kind will nonetheless fulfill individuals with its enhancements. With some upgrades in certain requirements including from the exterior and interior as well as inside the engine performance, the business thinks that the car can contend with another automobile within its class.
The exterior design is, first of all, is demonstrated through this automobile. The design is often more present day. The grille will come with the far more elaborate design. The guided technique is also used for the headlamps. The body of this automobile will be even bigger for around 5inches. Then, relocating for the interior on this car, the cabin will probably be larger. It is because the body of this car is bigger too. It will allow the travelers to get a lot larger car seats together with their lots.
The car seats will come in 3 outlines in-front. Other features added or improved are definitely the safety features including the urgent braking systems, alert products for the event, and safety bags. There are the automated climate handle, pre-crash process, and Gps system. According to the firm, the changes within the 2020 Lexus RX 350 have concerns more about the safety and also the convenience of the driver and travelers by getting much more changes inside the safety features and the cabin size.
The engine operated 2020 Lexus RX 350 will be the RX 350 badges with the hybrid version. Another engine can be the V6 engine along with the hybrid version as well. The engine will likely be accomplished with the entrance-engine and port and primary fuel shot. The transmission used would be the 8-pace changing setting transmission process. Then, it really is accomplished using the 4-wheel or top tire drive system too. This vehicle is believed to be less expensive in energy usage by having 22 miles per gallon gasoline utilization within the city and 27 mpg on roadways.
The brand new form of this auto will probably be you can find in about 1 / 2 of 2020. The price with this car is distinct depends on what type which is selected. The basic variety it will price from $40.000 approximately $45.000. For the greatest or even the different kind of this 2020 Lexus RX 350, it is going to price better as much as $58.000. |
Dr. Mykletun is a distinguished alumnus of the College of Liberal Arts. He received his master's degree in 1972 and his doctorate in 1975, both in the fields of international relations and political science.
He has had a distinguished career as a professor, scholar, researcher, director of several organizations inside and outside Norway, science counselor to the Norwegian mission to the EU in Brussels, and science counselor at the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has focused his career on advancing science and technology in our world.
He is currently the deputy director general of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which allows him to work at the international cross-roads of higher education, science, technology, innovation, commercialization, industry, and business. One of the most important outcomes of Dr. Mykletun's career has been the signing of the U.S.-Norway bilateral science and technology agreement in December 2005. This agreement will result in a stronger relationship between the two countries. He also played an integral role in structuring and obtaining funding for "The Norwegian Centennial Interdisciplinary Chair" at the University of Minnesota.
Earlier in his career, he held senior management positions in a variety of major scientific organizations, including the Norwegian Research Council for Science and the Humanities in Oslo and the European Science Foundation in Strasbourg. He has been elected to the Norwegian National UNESCO Commission, the Nordic Association for Social Science Research Councils, the Christian Michelsen Research Institute in Bergen, and the Centre for Alternative Future Research in Oslo. He is a member of the Oakley Caucus, which is a consortium of social science research councils in the U.S., Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, and Norway.
He has served as the head of the Washington Science Diplomats Club, which brought together embassy science counselors in Washington D.C. Under his leadership the organization developed collaborate programs and partnerships and facilitated broad communication about U.S. actions and policies that impacted the international science community, such as the response to the 2004 Asian tsunami, education reforms, and homeland security directions. He has been called "one stop shopping" for international outreach.
During the past four years Dr. Mykletun has worked to foster relationships between U.S., Canadian, and Norwegian researchers and academic institutions as science counselor of the Norway-U.S. Forum on Higher Education, Research, and Technology. The Forum's objective is to stimulate joint research in the areas of biotechnology, energy, climate, and healthcare.
In naming Dr. Mykletun as a recipient of the Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals, the committee cited his impact on the University, his accomplishments in promoting international cooperation, and his recognized international leadership. |
A Packet Buffer Evaluation Method Exploiting Queueing ... node packet buffer size and maximize the performance
DOI: 10.2298/CSIS110227057Q
A Packet Buffer Evaluation Method Exploiting
Queueing Theory for Wireless Sensor Networks
Tie Qiu1,2, Lin Feng2, Feng Xia1 * , Guowei Wu1, and Yu Zhou1
1 School of Software, Dalian University of Technology, 116620 Dalian, China
[email protected]; [email protected] 2 School of Innovation Experiment, Dalian University of Technology,
116024 Dalian, China [email protected]
Abstract. In large-scale wireless sensor networks (WSNs), when the consumption of hardware is limited, how to maximize the performance has become the research focus for improving transmission quality of service (QoS) of WSNs in recent years. This paper presents a new evaluation method for packet buffer capacity of nodes using queueing network model, whose packet buffer capacity is analyzed for each type node, when it is in the best working condition. In order to evaluate congestion situation in the queueing network, and to get real effective arrival rates and transmission rates in the model, holding nodes were added in the queueing network model, and equivalent queueing network model is expanded. We establish an M/M/1/N type queueing network model with holding nodes for WSNs and design approximate iterative algorithms. Experimental results show that the model is consistent with the real data.
Keywords: wireless sensor networks, queueing network model, blocking, packet buffer capacity, node utilization.
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are successfully applied in intelligent transportation, monitoring environment, location and other fields. They consist of tiny sensing devices that have limited possessing and computation capabilities, and can collaborate real-time monitoring, sensing, collecting network distribution of the various environments within the region or monitoring object information [1,2,3]. WSNs of distribution regions are composed of sink nodes [4,5,6], transmission nodes and boundary nodes [7]. The performance of each type node will affect the overall network performance in WSNs. Throughput and utilization [8,9,10] of the nodes in the lifetime [11,12] are the main evaluation performance indicators of WSNs. The
*Corresponding author
Tie Qiu, Lin Feng, Feng Xia, Guowei Wu, and Yu Zhou
ComSIS Vol. 8, No. 4, Special Issue, October 2011 1028
packet buffer capacity of nodes is an important factor in utilization of network nodes [13]. If a node of WSNs is blocked, and packet buffer set too small, the entire network data transmission and processing efficiency is not high. Therefore, when the consumption of hardware is limited, how to optimize the node packet buffer size and maximize the performance for WSNs has become a research focus for improving the Quality of Service (QoS) of WSNs transmission in recent years.
In this paper, we consider that packet buffer capacity corresponds to the length of the waiting queue in the established limited capacity of the queueing network model. When the length of the waiting queue reaches the maximum, the node is blocked in the queueing network model. Therefore, a typical WSN is modeled by M/M/1/N type queueing network model. The method of modeling based on topology of nodes in WSNs and performance analysis of the packets buffer capacity have been proposed. According to the topology of WSNs and operational characteristics, arrival, transferring and leaving relationships of transmission nodes, boundary nodes and sink node are analyzed, and data flow balance equations are obtained. In order to evaluate the congestion situation in the queueing network, and get real effective arrival rates and transmission rates in the model, holding nodes were added in the queueing network model and equivalent queueing network model is expanded. By analyzing the queueing model with blocking probability, to obtain the performance index of system when it is in steady state, approximate iterative algorithms are designed. The performance parameters of nodes model in the WSNs are calculated using limited iteration times. The optimal values for packets buffer sizes settings are obtained for transmission nodes, boundary nodes and sink nodes.
The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. The related work and problem statement are introduced in Section 2 and Section 3. Section 4 describes the modeling of WSN and analysis. Section 4.1 describes the modeling method of using open queueing network model for WSNs; the balance equations of data flow are established. In Section 4.2, the equivalent queueing network model is obtained, that holding nodes are added in the may be blocking nodes. The model parameters of blocking probability of data packets, the arrival rate and node transfer rate, all are analyzed in Section 4.3 using the equivalent queueing model. Section 5 designs iterative approximation algorithms for total arrival rate of nodes and effective arrival rate and transfer rate of nodes with blocking probability. Section 6 gives the numerical calculation and analysis of experimental results. The performance parameters of WSN nodes are calculated using iterative algorithms given in Section 5. According to the relationship curves between utilization and buffer size, the packets size of the optimal buffer settings are obtained for transmission nodes, boundary nodes and sink node, respectively. The correctness of modeling and analysis method is verified by experimental data of the WSNs. Section 7 contains the conclusion and future work.
A Packet Buffer Evaluation Method Exploiting Queueing Theory for Wireless Sensor Networks
2. Related Work
When the hardware has been implemented, it is difficult to adjust the node's hardware resources in accordance with specific needs. Therefore, researchers have proposed the need for large-scale WSN nodes modeling method [14]. Through performance evaluation of pre-setting nodes, optimal parameters of allocation for the hardware nodes are obtained. The current modeling method based on Petri nets [15,16,17] is suitable for macro- modeling, but it is not a specific modeling technique for large-scale WSNs. Queueing network is an effective system-level modeling method, which is widely used in the modeling and performance analysis of computing and communication systems [18,19]. It has many advantages that include a highly abstract and rich theory for modeling.
In recent years, researches have made some progress on analyzing and improving network performance in the application of finite capacity queueing networks. Bisnik et al. [20] modeled random access multi-hops wireless networks as open G/G/1 queueing networks and used diffusion approximation in order to evaluate closed form expressions for the average end-to-end delay. In [21,22], Kouvatsos and Awan described the priorities and blocking mechanisms with open-loop queueing network performance analysis, and queueing network parameters on the approximation and error estimates. Özdemira et al. [23] presented two Markov chain queueing models with M/G/1/K queues, which have been developed to obtain closed-form solutions for packets delay and packets throughput distributions in a real-time wireless communication environment using IEEE 802.11 DCF. Mann et al. [24] developed a queueing model for analyzing resource replication strategies in WSNs, which can be used to minimize either the total transmission rate of the network or to ensure that the proportion of query failures does not exceed a predetermined threshold. In [20], Liehr et al. introduced enhancements to the standard of extended queuing network models, which allow the modeling and the simulation of inter-process communication and highlight the benefits granted by their enhanced EQN approach. However, these researches don't address the packet buffer capacity of nodes and how to set the buffer size to derive the optimal performance of the nodes in WSNs.
3. Problem Statement
Data packets are transmitted and processed in collaboration by the sink nodes, transmission nodes and boundary nodes. For a large scale WSN, a queueing network model can be used to analyze its performance [25, 26]. But how to configure resources to find the best value hardware using trends of changing the parameters of performance is an important reference for node design. The definition of the threshold of node buffer capacity is given below:
Definition 1. When the queueing network system is stable, node's hardware buffer capacity just accommodate the maximum length of the queue
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V13-4KCXJ74-1&_user=2307323&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F2006&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000056859&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=2307323&md5=043dc7b651b539f84b854876ddc33ac7&searchtype=a#implicit0#implicit0
to be processed. Buffer size value at the moment is called the node threshold, denoted by NT.
Boundary Node
Transmission NodeSink Node
(a) A typical topology of WSN
2
(b) Relationship of arrival and leaving between the nodes
Fig. 1. To
Multi-Resource Fair Queueing for Packet P Traditionally, for...
APPENDIX A: ELEMENTS OF QUEUEING APPENDIX A: ELEMENTS OF...
Programmable Packet Scheduling - Stanford University...
Competitive Buffer Management with Packet Dependencies
Approximate Fair Queueing: A Low Complexity Packet ......
Packet Switch Architecture hy534/16a/s5_fabrics_sl.pdfآ ..... |
After dousing most of the kitchen with Ant Death™ (I don't know the real name, but that is pretty much what the result is), we still had the little darlings strolling around on the counter.
OUR FOOD IS makes me CRAZY.
This has been occupying FAR too much of my time and attention this week.
Anyhow, I know, you are just thrilled to go through this with me.
I seem to have accidentally hit upon a solution.
It appears that if you smash said ants and leave their dead little corpses the other ants no longer have any interest in meandering around your counter.
You know, it is kind of like how people get the heebie jeebies around graveyards or the morgue? I don't, but other people do. Let's not forget, I am the Wednesday Addams wannabe that was reading Edgar Allen Poe in Fourth grade, so I am probably not the standard.
Anyhoo, I have only seen TWO ants that were capable of motion today, so there has been MAJOR progress on that front.
Perhaps now I can do something productive?
Hey, while I was maintaining my crazy ant lady vigil, I redesigned my blog header!
With major help from pshero.com (who by the way, is like the BIGGEST Photoshop rockstar there is). You should check out his stuff, if you are a gigantic ant-obsessed loser like myself.
My next post will have no mention of ANTS! |
Keeping drivers and cargo safe, as well as reducing risks on the road, are a top priority for fleet owners. Vision equips your drivers with an event-triggered video recording and replay to help them self-manage poor driving habits. In-cab audio assistance is also available for real-time coaching while driving.
We connect to every vehicle! Our devices are equipped with a variety of cables that suit every vehicle type to ensure our customers are set up faster. |
Donald Young Jr.shockedAndy Murrayin the second round at Indian Wells, but he hasn't been able to build any momentum from the biggest victory of his career. Ranked 120th — compared to a career-high 73rd in 2008 - the former No. 1-ranked junior had to try to qualify here, only to run intoIvo Karlovic, who aced him 12 times in a 6-4, 6-4 victory.
But the 21-year-old Young did advance in doubles. He and Denis Kudla beat Brazilians Franco Ferreiro and Andre Sa 6-4, 6-3 in the final match of the day.
The Rockets' Luis Scola, undeterred by the rain showers, came out to watch the tennis Monday afternoon and visit with his friend Guillermo Cañas, a fellow Argentine and former touring pro. Cañas is coaching these days.
The 6-9 Scola wasn't the tallest man on the grounds. He was spotting Ivo Karlovic an inch. Scola posed for a picture with Karlovic, who attended the Rockets' game Sunday night, as well as the 6-6 Sam Querrey.
Michael Russell made his fifth appearance in the Clay Courts' main draw in Houston.
Tickets for the U.S.-Spain Davis Cup quarterfinal tie July 8-10 at Austin's Frank Erwin Center will be available to USTA members starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday. Any remaining tickets will be sold to the general public starting at 10 a.m. Friday. Prices for the three-day package range from $90 to $500. Call 888-484-8782 to purchase or go to texasboxoffice.com.
The tie, it's hoped, will mark Rafael Nadal's first visit to Texas, and it will be the fifth time the Davis Cup has come to Texas. Most recently, the Americans beat the Spaniards in the quarterfinals in 2002 at Westside Tennis and Fitness.
The U.S. hasn't played at home since the first round in 2009.
50 Aces hit byIvo Karlovicin three qualifying victories.
2 Former champions in the draw after Karlovic (2007) made it through. He joinsMardy Fish (2006).
15 Age difference in years between first-round opponentsGrigor Dimitrov, 19, andRainer Schuettler, 34.
555 Ranking held byTihomir Grozdanov, the second-highest Bulgarian on the ATP computer behind the No. 70 Dimitrov.
Tickets for this afternoon's session are available, but Monday evening's, with a lot of area juniors attending, were virtually sold out as of late Sunday. Today's evening session is wide open, however.
For information, call 713-527-0345 or go to www.mensclaycourt.com.
The tournament asks fans who won't be using their tickets to return them to the River Oaks box office, where they will be resold for face value with the entire sum being donated to the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital.
Day-session parking is limited to the streets around the club, with pedi-cab transportation available to the grounds. Night-session fans can park on the streets or at Lamar High School on Westheimer at River Oaks Boulevard. There will be free shuttle service to the club. |
If you haven't figured it out, I'm an InstaGram junkie lately...even my husband comments that I can't put it down.
And on InstaGram there have been lots and lots of quilters starting out the New Year making a Scrappy Trip Around the World quilt...simple, colorful, and uses up your scraps/stash...seamed perfect to me.
So I went to my stash to pull a few things out...and instead of scraps came out with two old jelly rolls...colorful and bright...just what the cold, rainy days here in Southern California needed.
However, there was no backing fabric anywhere near those colors in my stash...nor was there anything close to a binding fabric...those colors were a bit out of my colorway back then.
Scoured the internet for a bit provided some yardage, but I will be doing the scrappy back as I only found enough for the binding and two pillowcases with a bit left over for the back.
Scrappy Hearts...check! Wait...how did that get in here?
Can you say unexpected inspiration? Valentine's Day block + Pellon's Quilter Grid made it easy to put together...thinking either a pincushion or a throw pillow...haven't decided yet.
Now that everything's settled I'll start working on the quilt blocks...want to join in?
I was thinking, today night be a good day to join you :) I have a box of scraps on my floor and I'm just going to pull from there and go with it! Love your colors!
I do and it's first on the list! I'm still staring at my fabric. It was Seattle Seahawks football morning. We lost :( I'm glad you are an IG addict, cause I see you all the time there! Looking forward to seeing your finish.
I love that fabric. I love polka dots! I sure wish it wasn't 'old' fabric. Love the colors. I don't have an Iphone but I do have an Ipod. I've got the instagram app and don't know what to do with it. I need to figure it out. Guess I'll add that to my list. Can't wait to see what you have when you're done!
I think I am going to have to jump into this project.
I too am an IG junkie. I love your trip along; I must do another and make it truly scrappy! |
On Friday, May 31st, 2013, Management Career Services will be hosting the annual All-Inclusive Career Success Workshop. This is an interactive 3-hour presentation filled with activities, discussions and live demos designed to help students successfully land a job.
Great work Amani on being involved and building your resume!
Third year Commerce Student, Kyli Lane has been involved in the Accounting Society since her first year in 2010. Since joining the Accounting Society she has taken on the role of President and has participated in several accounting events. The most significant event during her term was the Accounting Week Kick-off event, held the second week of September 2012. This event offered Kyli and other students an exciting opportunity to network with various employers and to make some valuable connections.
Fourth year Commerce Student, Darcy Plant pursued his entrepreneurial work term in the summer of 2012 as the owner and operator of Plant Fuels Inc. Darcy knew that an entrepreneurial work term would provide him with the opportunity to test run exciting business ideas and operate his own company. After performing some research in sustainability Darcy discovered a need for biodiesel production in Nova Scotia. His idea came to life during his entrepreneurial work term, where he started out in his own kitchen by building a small processor for making biodiesel fuel. He then supplied customers all around Nova Scotia.
In celebration of National Co-op Education Week, Management Career Services is proud to announce 3rd year Commerce student, Melissa Mackie as the recipient of Dalhousie's 2012 Co-op Student of the Year Award.
Thus far Melissa has completed two work terms as part of her Commerce degree; firstly as a Human Resources Co-ordinator at LED Roadway Lighting Limited and secondly as a Marketing and Communications Intern at 2nd Act Innovations. It was Melissa's supervisor, Leslie Flemming of 2nd Act Innovations who nominated Melissa for the award; but it was Melissa's extensive volunteer experience that made her a recipient of Dalhousie's Co-op Student of the Year Award. Melissa will now move forward to compete on a national-level, in hopes to be named the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE) Co-op Student of the Year. Congratulations Melissa!
Next week, (March 18 – 22) marks National Co-op Education Week; a nationwide celebration presented by the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE). National Co-op Education Week allows us to recognize the learning opportunity and achievements made possible through a work term experience. During National Co-op Education Week, we invite you (students, alumni, staff, faculty and employer partners) to take pride in the 662 work terms our undergrad and graduate students held across Canada (and internationally) through 2012. Management Career Services is a proud to have advanced both students and organizations in reaching their career and business goals. We look forward to celebrating National Co-op Education Week next week and for years to come!
Fourth year Commerce student, Malissa Skara was hired by Ernst & Young for her first co-op work term in 2011. Being an extremely valuable work experience and impressed by her abilities, Ernst & Young continued to employ Malissa for her remaining two work terms. With an eye for retaining talent found among-st co-op student hires, Malissa has been offered a full-time position with Ernst & Young upon graduation.
Each year Dalhousie's Management Career Services (MCS) sends over 650 students on work terms with employer partners across Canada and internationally. Concluding the work term we ask each student if they'd like to nominate their employer for an appreciation award.
Nominations are plentiful and all responses clearly identify their employer's contributions to personal career development. After reviewing nominations, MCS is proud to announce PwC as the 2013 Employer of the Year.
PwC has been an employer partner with Dalhousie University for over a decade. During this time, PwC has extended more than 84 four-month employment opportunities to students from Dalhousie's Bachelor of Commerce program. Students are typically hired into auditing, as well as tax and advisory positions. Proving that students truly value their work experience with PwC, since 2004, more then 38 students have returned to PwC for two or more co-op work terms. Clearly PwC's recruiting objective is to retain talent found amongst student hires, in hope that they will return to PwC upon graduation. Approximately 90% of those students who completed all three co-op work terms with PwC did indeed find full-time employment with PwC upon graduation.
Participated as panelist / judges in the January, 2013 'You're Hired' Interview Competition.
Sponsored and participated in the September, 2012 Accounting Kick-off Week.
Participated as a guest speaker during career development workshops.
Management Career Services would like to sincerely thank PwC for their ongoing support of the Dalhousie Commerce co-op program and their ongoing contributions to student's overall career development. Congratulations PwC, the 2013 Employer of the Year! |
Queen duvet cover (88" x 88") featuring the image "Fishing Boat Emma Rose In Winter Cape Cod" by Matt Suess. Our soft microfiber duvet covers are hand sewn and include a hidden zipper for easy washing and assembly. Your selected image is printed on the top surface with a soft white surface underneath. All duvet covers are machine washable with cold water and a mild detergent.
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The fishing boat Emma Rose is stuck in ice in Orleans Harbor in Cape Cod, Mass. |
Q: running a php script from mssql trigger How can I run a php script ( to run a REST) command from within an MSSQL trigger?
I need this to run a REST command from a remote webservice just after a user logged in.
A: Are you sure you want to do this in the database layer?
Do you want your DB transaction to wait (and hold locks) while your REST request comes back? What happens if your web service is running slowly and times out after 1 minute?
It's possible but again, use with caution.
In SQL Server, there is an extended stored procedure called XP_CMDSHELL which will allow you to run scripts on the command line.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms175046.aspx
It's disabled by default but you can enable it like so:
EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1
GO
EXEC sp_configure'xp_cmdshell', 1
GO
Then in your trigger, you can call your script:
xp_cmdshell 'C:\path\to\php\php.exe -f C:\Path\to\your\script.php'
If you must do this in the database, I would strongly suggest just porting your php script to a .net language and executing it as a CLR stored procedure. That would be much more secure and less likely to cause problems.
|
Sculpture in Kiev – photos, description, authors of sculptures
Kiev – most beautiful city in Europe, an important role in creating the unique atmosphere of the city are its monuments and sculpture.
The ancient history of the Ukrainian capital is rich in events and personalities. Among the historical monuments stand out two: the monument to Saint Vladimir and Bohdan Khmelnytsky.
The monument to the Baptizer of Rus ' was created in collaboration of three talented sculptors. The author of the project and bas-reliefs of the base became Demuth-Malinovsky, the pedestal is completed the Tone, and the sculpture of the Prince – Klodt. The monument was in the middle of the 19th century. The Prince is depicted with a large cross in his hands, thoughtfully looking at the other side of the Dnieper. At night the cross is illuminated by electricity. Lighting was installed in 1895.
A monument to Hetman Khmelnytsky in Sophia square was installed in the late 19th century, the installation was timed to coincide with the 900th anniversary of the baptism of Rus. The original project has undergone many changes. The first project created by Mikeshin, different anti-Polish and anti-Jewish fury. Then the Commission on the creation of the monument decided to simplify the project by removing all the additional pieces. Funds for the monument were gathered listlessly in the project had greatly simplify the base of the monument.
Hetman is depicted on horseback, at the time of communication of the decision to join the Russian Kingdom. Creating a sculpture, the authors consulted with historians of the University of Kiev in order to accurately convey the clothes and the appearance of the hero.
In the 90-ies of XX century in Kiev was installed a few new monuments to historical figures, of which special attention should be paid to the sculpture of Yaroslav the Wise near the symbolic notation "the Golden gate of Kiev." The author of the monument of Ivan Kavaleridze. The Prince sits on a rock, holding a model of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. Yaroslav dynamic pose, he seemed ready to get up and go to do new exploits for the glory of his power.
The monument to Princess Olga, Apostle Andrew, enlighteners Cyril and Methodius was a gift from Emperor Nicholas II to Kiev in 1911. Create a symbolic multi-figure composition was entrusted to the Kiev group of young sculptors, among whom were Ivan Kavaleridze. After the revolution, the monument was dismantled and restored only in the 90-ies. The sculptural group became a symbol of the beginning of Christianity in the Russian lands.
"Literary" monuments
Shevchenko monument in front of one of the University buildings became one of the symbols of Kiev. The sculpture was made by Matvey Manisero in the mid 30-ies. A great poet depicted while walking. The look is pensive and focused.
In Kiev, there are several monuments Nikolai Gogol. one of them is on Rusanivska embankment of the Dnieper. The author of the sculpture Skoblikov.
On Andreevsky descent is a monument to "the Nose" Gogol, performed by Oleg Dergachev.
The sculpture of Mikhail Bulgakov installed near the "House of Turbins" in the historical centre of the city. The author of the sculpture Nikolay RAPI represented the writer sitting on a bench, watching pedestrians.
Very precise portrait likeness distinguishes the statue of Sholom Aleichem in the metro area. The monument was installed in the late 90-ies, the funds for its creation were collected by the Jewish community of Kiev.
Don't forget that we have a section with the museums of Kiev. Be sure to follow the link and read.
Posted in Sculpture
Sculpture of the city of Krasnoyarsk
Monuments and statues city Moscow |
R410A Refrigerant has replaced R-22 Refrigerant as the preferred refrigerant for residential and commercial air conditioners in South Africa. Unlike alkyl halide refrigerants that contain bromine or chlorine, R-410A Refrigerant (which contains only fluorine) does not contribute to ozone depletion and is therefore replacing ozone-depleting refrigerants like R-22. However, it has a big impact on global warming (1700 times the effect of carbon dioxide), similar to that of R-22 Refrigerant.
Although R22 refrigerant is still available to replenish older systems that have refrigerant leak, the cost of that repair is on the rise. Because R410a refrigerant requires different air conditioner components than R22, you cannot replenish a system that uses R22 refrigerant with R410a refrigerant.
In order to reap the efficiency, performance and environmental benefits of R410a refrigerant, you will need to install a new system that is designed to use the refrigerant. If your air conditioner is nearing the end of it's life span, R410a refrigerant might be a good reason to replace your system sooner rather than later so that you can avoid the rising costs of repairing a refrigerant leak with R22 refrigerant. |
Bawandar
Producer: Jagmohan Mundhra
Director: Jagmohan Mundhra
Starring: Nandita Das, Rahul Khanna, Gulshan Grover, Govind Namdeo, Raghuvir Yadav, Lillette Dubay
Music: Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt & Daan Singh
Lyrics: Dr. Hariram Acharya
Recommended Audience: General
Approximate Running Time: 2 hrs
Reviewed by: Rakesh Budhu - Rating: 9.0 / 10
Let us know what you think about this review
Public Rating Average: 5.08 / 10 (rated by 413 viewers)
Give your Rating: 1 / 10 2 / 10 3 / 10 4 / 10 5 / 10 6 / 10 7 / 10 8 / 10 9 / 10 10 / 10
Somehow it seems that it may lack that certain ´extremely fabulous´ chr('8211')chr('8216')perfect filmchr('8217') punch. Known for making erotic films, Jagmohan Mundhrachr('8217')s critically acclaimed Bawandar is slowly being released around the world, some parts in cinemas, some parts at charity events, some parts at Film Festivals, and others, like New York, straight to the DVD. Bawandar is not erotic (for the most part), much, much more serious than Monsoon, one of Mundhrachr('8217')s previous films, and is quite worth a watch.
Yet the mood isn´t as dark as 1947 Earth; isn´t as solemn as Godmother, and somehow it takes a little away from the film. Never the less, Nandita Das´ excellent performance (yes, she is definitely in reckoning for a critic´s award this year), a good musical score and a sincere output makes this indeed another great film of 2001, thankfully, it joins the lengthy list (that is not quite finished yet).
Bawandar- Sandstorm started out with an aspiration by Mundhra to make a film based on his homeland Rajasthan. Unfortunately, on his journey for a subject matter, he encountered a sad story from a reporter of a newspaper titled The Guardian. He read from this newspaper the tale of Bhanwari Devi, a worker in a group known as Saathin, who was raped by men of an upper caste. Bhanwari was raped because she protested child marriages, the men supported it.
Mohan introduces the story through first party narration. The party however, is not Sanwari (Nandita Das); it is Amy (Laila Rouass). Amy is a reporter from overseas who was attracted to Sanwari´s tale when she read it in the paper. She doesn´t go to India to investigate her matter specifically, but the issue of women and child marriages in general. Together with her beau, Ravi (Rahul Khanna) she arrives in Rajasthan and encounters a rubbish old man (Raghuvir Yadav), one of the many in the village. The villager helps them on their way to another village where they encounter Sanwari´s rapists of the upper caste. The man helping them along their way is none other than Sanwari´s husband; he then tells Amy and Ravi the sad tale of Sanwari´s rape. We are then taken through a second narrative of Sanwari´s husband, who was right next to Sanwari during the horrible rape. He then tells the horrible tale of Sanwari´s journey.
What follows is what makes Bawandar a must see film, the boldness, that has been seen previously in Chandni Bar, Satya etc. Sanwari´s journey is what has won this film awards, the introductory scenes, especially between Amy and Ravi, are only ok. They aren´t like your average Bollywood films however, that´s quite clear from the start. Yet, though Mundhra doesn´t show a single sign of attempting to please the masses in the film, the introduction is the least inviting portion of the film.
Sanwari´s journey turns out to be her true rape, much more brutal than the real thing. She encounters a lavish styled female inspector who questions her complaints with the factor of satisfaction (that is- sexual satisfaction), the police officer who practically strips her himself, another inspector (portrayed masterfully by Govind Namdeo) who questions the rapist´s satisfaction during the incident, and much, much more. The one standing out the most is the doctor whose examination would prove just as bad as the rape. Naturally, one would expect from this theme that the film is not suitable for children. It´s not. There are certain scenes that are heavily influenced with a sexual theme, and in Mundhra´s defense, they are rightfully done that way. Many of these films are not aimed at pleasing the masses, which includes children and adults alike, Bawandar is no different. Topics such as masturbation, semen counts, and sex itself are included, in detail at times, in the film.
You may be thinking these are your typical stereotyped characters. Yet since the film is based on the real incident, and the characters are real, you´re left with a certain feel in which you can´t call this film "typical". Furthermore, the casting does their job accurately without displaying faux emotions and blatantly insulting the audience´s intelligence.
Even the help is typical. For the common weakness in the society displayed here, and existing almost everywhere, is the feel that once an incident has occurred nothing much can be done to over come it. That proves true with the women who try to help Sanwari, naturally, to no avail. Again, realistically portrayed, and realistically presented.
Sanwari finds legal help in a lawyer portrayed by Gulshan Grover. The trial realistically takes some time and goes through a number of changes in the process. She is still waiting for justice- and that doesn´t change in the end of the film. Whatever so-called "justice" she achieves during the case, which is the only portion consisting of positive elements in this film, will clearly not benefit her in her endeavors to come.
Gulshan Grover naturally excels in his role. We rarely see him in positive roles, and this one shows us that he can act superbly in that field as well. Gulshan will also be seen positively in Tanuja Chandra´s up coming film, Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar.
The best, absolutely spectacular aspect of this film is Nandita Das. For those who don´t know who she is, watching this film, you will know her. You will know that this is not her first portrayal of a character. While the rape scene is explicit, and excruciating, Nandita doesn´t scream loudly (as Rekha in Lajja), her cries and her facial expressions seem much, much, more real. Her voice is quite attractive and real. Her accent blends absolutely perfect with the film considering the backdrop. A true ´based on the true story´ film is where the protagonist can be passed as the real person, and you will absolutely feel Nandita is Sanwari. While she has already won some awards for her performance internationally, she joins a long list of excellent performances in Hindi Cinema this year.
Rahul Khanna and Laila Rouass are the least concocting characters in the film. While their portrayals are decent, they don´t draw to the audience. Rahul Khanna does a good job here but the portrayal doesn´t require much, is short, and his role in 1947 Earth was lengthier. Lillette Dubay and Deepti Naval are also good in their roles, but their roles are short and don´t leave an impact with the viewer. They do help the narration but are sidelined in the relative flow of the movie. Raghuvir Yadav as Sanwari´s husband is probably the next best thing. One wonders, considering his role in 1947 Earth, if he is really acting, or if this is just his natural self. Quite the support, and quite a positive aspect of the film.
The exterior aspects of the film are not forgotten, which is a must when making a perfect film. This is what adds to the power of this sandstorm. Aside from the locales true to form, the music is well interspersed throughout the film and doesn´t interrupt the flow. Ab To Jagna Ki Hoga is probably the best pictured tune and Paangath stands out with it. There are no exotic locales here folks, simplistic, as in real life. This all adds to the dramatic tale. You can have traditional song and dance and a meaningful film as well.
For a film that has won many awards, this sandstorm is something that provokes thought. For a woman who laudably has sought justice despite horrible factors testing her faith and a woman who has taken the challenge to portray that woman so succesfully both Sanwari and Nandita deserve an award for this. So it´s not as dark, brisk, and pessimistic as 1947 Earth. It may lack that grayness which stings the viewer constantly throughout the film, but that alone pales in comparison to the fact that you are left with once the film is over, that is, that she is still waiting for justice.
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If you are moving from one location to another and you want to take your aquarium fish with you, there is a safer way that you can do to minimize stress on your fish while maximizing its survival rate. Moving to a new home with your fish is quite challenging. Every aquarium has its own unique ecosystem that will keep your fish happy and healthy.
The aquarium must be empty before transporting because it may break, aside from being heavy, while in transit. A safer way is to transfer the fish to another container (smaller) and then refill it at your new home, while you take the aquarium with you without the water. This article will help you on how to transport fish easily and safely without harming the fish. Consequently, we have 3 basic steps on how to do it, read along.
These are the few things that you will need when you go on transporting your fish to another home. Following this tutorial, there is no elaborate tools needed. Just these 3 tools will do, and add some enthusiasm and lots of caution.
Transporting fish in short distances that will take only less than an hour does not require them to be out of the tank. But for journeys that will take more than an hour, they are supposed to be out of the tank while the tank must be empty. Here are the safest ways to transport fish easily and keep them alive and happy along the way.
Replace 20% of the water in your aquarium 5 days before your expected move.
Feeding your fish 24 to 48 hours before the actual date of moving is a big no-no, but be sure that the fish are well-fed prior to moving. Don't be afraid, fish can survive a couple of days without food.
Just an important reminder: In case your journey would last a week or longer, you should contact your pet store and let them make the transport for your fish. Make a signed agreement stating the pet store's responsibilities on transporting your fish. Other pet stores will transport your fish by air-shipping them to your new home.
Transfer the fish to your prepared fish bags. You can buy these bags from your pet store or any aquarium supplies store like Amazon. Fill a third of a bag and use the water from the tank, so that the chemistry of the water is still intact and other remaining food is present. Don't forget to allow enough air in the bag to give the fish enough oxygen during the trip.
Take also enough plants from the tank and put them inside the bag together with the fish. This will make good bacteria in the bag alive.
Empty the tank of water and remove the remaining devices, substrate, decorations and other ornaments. Then clean the tank with scrubbing pad (without soap or detergent). Place these other ornaments in plastic bags filled with water also from the tank to keep the beneficial bacteria that has grown on the decorations. Make sure that the tank is free from any hard objects that may damage it during transit.
If your move will take only about a couple of hours, do not clean the filter, just put it in a container (pail or bucket), also filled with water from the tank. For long moves, clean it by using running water and a scrubbing pad. While packing the heater, pump, and other add-on and treat them like you are packing fragile items.
It is better to move the tank while it is empty to avoid breaking. Do not either attempt to put any object in the tank while in transit.
It is only proper that you set up the tank as the same way you have done when you first set it up. It is essential for the fish's survival and their acclimation with their new environment. Follow these simple steps to assure of happy and healthy fish.
Return carefully all decorations and ornaments inside the aquarium.
Pour the water you have saved prior to your moving.
Set up properly (on the same spot) your devices (heaters, pumps, filters).
Place the alive plants inside the tank.
In adding the fish from the plastic bag, let the bag float for a while inside the tank to balance the temperature between the water in the tank and in the bag. At the moment the water temperature is on the proper range, you can now pour the fish and the water it used to swim to.
Did you enjoy this tutorial? Learning the basic knowledge in moving fish will save their lives, as the proper steps on how to transport fish is very crucial for their survival. Write to us about your comments if you find this tutorial very interesting, like and share this article with your friends and love ones, especially those who often move to another place of residence, you can surely help them to keep their fish alive and well. |
Home Uncategorized The Interview: Jason McCormick
The Interview: Jason McCormick
Cars on display before auction | McCormick Auctions Photo
McCormick's Palm Springs Collector Car Auctions celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Its auction February 26-28 in Palm Springs will be its 60th (the company does two sales a year, one in the spring and one in the fall).
The company is run by Jason McCormick, who was 14 when his father, Keith, started doing classic car auctions.
CCN: How did your family get started in the collector car auction business?
Jason McCormick
Jason McCormick: My father was in the classic car business in England before we moved here [Palm Springs, California]. He owned three car dealerships and a vintage Rolls-Royce dealership. [Our involvement in car auctions] started 30 years ago when my father and I went to a classic car auction in Woodland Hills, California; My father took up the idea to do one at that time. I think it was part of my father's nature to do something with classic car business.
CCN: What are some milestones or surprising moments you have seen over past 30 years?
Jason McCormick: We have sold a lot of celebrity cars. One of the most significant was when O.J. Simpson got arrested for that murder, we had his Ferrari in the auction and we actually sold the Ferrari. We had to hire an armed guard to protect the car because at the time O.J. Simpson had such negativity associated with him and we didn't want someone to come by and kick the doors in or damage the car. We gave all the proceeds from that sale to a battered woman's charity.
A little bit after that we also sold the white Bronco from the O.J. Simpson chase. It was bid up to $170,000. We didn't think it would sell and a typical white bronco at the time was probably worth $6,000, but because of what it was associated with it, the Bronco sold for $170,000.
We have sold cars from Elvis Presley, Liberace, and we sold a limo that was owned by Howard Hughes — it had a flushing toilet in the back, which was bizarre.
Over the past 30 years our auctions just keep outgrowing the one before and we keep outgrowing our locations. The very first auction took place in a Palm Springs hotel, what is now the Hard Rock hotel, with 100 cars. Now its 30 years later and we are averaging 600 cars at each auction and selling between $7 million and $8 million worth of cars.
CCN: Have you had to overcome any major challenges?
Jason McCormick: Most recently we changed locations. For the past 10 years we have been at a casino in Palm Springs which is on tribal land and the next one is at the Convention Center, on city land, so we have been dealing with the challenges of dealing with a city fire marshal and making sure everything fits the fire marshal's regulations. In the past we dealt with the tribal fire marshal. Overall, not to many challenges until recently with moving locations.
CCN: During Arizona Auction week we saw some trends indicating price corrections. What are your thoughts on the "stable prices" in the market?
Jason McCormick: I definitely saw the correction going on and I am noticing what I think a lot of classic car dealers would agree is that European cars are very strong. The old Porsches' prices have doubled over the past few years and all the old Volkswagens have shot up in value while the muscle car market, I believe, has leveled out, which I think is good. The average person sits at home watching the auction and then says, "oh my gosh I could never afford a '69 Camaro," because they saw it sell on TV for $160,000. I think there is a correction being made and the average car they had during high school or wanted in high school, they can now get without having to pay a ridiculous amount.
CCN: Given the current trends, what are your expectations for your sale this month?
Jason McCormick: I think it will be one of our strongest auctions to date because of the really highly desirable cars we have, like a 1964 Rolls-Royce limousine… [and] a lot of desirable high-end Europeans cars. We are also at 60 percent pre-registered bidders. All the trends are contributing to potentially having a record breaking auction this year.
CCN: Where do you see the auction in the next 30 years?
Jason McCormick: We will definitely still be in Palm Springs. We live here in Palm Springs, just two miles from where we do the auction and are a family business. We get all sorts of requests to do auctions out of town, different states, and even have someone who wants us to go to Europe and do an auction in Germany, but we are very bent on staying in Palm Springs and will probably keep it around the same amount of cars but weed out some of the lower-end cars. We will also probably stick to two auctions a year — you just can't do an auction in the middle of summer in Palm Springs because it is 116 degrees. It's too hot, so we will stick to auctions in November and February.
Jay Champigny February 17, 2016 At 3:25 PM
I have been attending the Palm Springs classic-car auctions for about 20 years, and have found the show put on by the McCormick family to be second to none.Selling ,and especially buying (really,who doesn't prefer buying ?Lol ),is always a pleasant experience.After attending the Arizona circus a few weeks ago,I can hardly wait to be back in the Coachella valley.
The Scottsdale crew lacks something significant,that the McCormick family excels in ; it's called CLASS !
5 or 600 cars,and banging on the door of fifteen million in annual sales,and they still treat people with respect.
Best of luck for the next 30 years,God willing,I will be there !
Btw,thats my Red/white 70 Buick consigned at the bottom of the picture above.
Walt Bratten February 17, 2016 At 7:34 PM
This month will be the 57th (out of 60) of the McCormick Auctions that I have attended. Why? Because they run an honest and exciting show. It is one of the few auctions around where the average person can still buy a classic car without a 30 year FHA loan. At almost very auction I buy & sell. McCormick's rates & commissions are probably the lowest in the business, which makes for a much better experience. I have also consigned many of my cars to their showroom with great selling success. My wife & I look forward to every November & February as it is a 6 day vacation for us!! Best of luck to their next 30 years.
Cheers, Walt Bratten |
Greyscale Records Showcase @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Not even single-digit temperatures could keep Melburnian heavy music lovers away from the Corner Hotel on Saturday night. The Greyscale Records Showcase is the first event of its kind, bringing together a night of music with bands from the label. Since their formation in August 2016, Greyscale Records have become known for being an incubator for stellar bands in the world of Australian heavy music. Their love for their bands and the label's ethos of humility and hard work is something worth celebrating, and it was a pleasure to be part of the sold out "Greyscale Day".
Fitting for Greyscale's nurturing of great bands, they'd had a competition to choose the opener band for their showcase. Ballarat based Anticline were the winners of the competition, and kicked off proceedings at the Corner. Though I just missed their set, Depth writer Alec Wilson was there and loved it.
Similar to my observations last time we'd caught the band, guitarist William Baker was a standout for Alec; enthusiastic and intense the entire way through the set, and with complimentary low vocals opposite vocalist Dylan Volk's higher tones. Alec noticed the crowd getting into the Anticline set in a big way and appreciated the killer rhythms and tight drumming. Alec felt that the band "knew what they were doin" and ended their set with some massive breakdowns that seemed to make the ground shake.
I was absolutely stoked to learn that Brisbane based Deadlights would be part of the showcase. They had some technical issues to start off and it made for an erratic and scattered start, but they managed to find their way quickly. Deadlights offered up a blend of tight rhythms and playful energy, as well as earnestly and passionately sharing the messages in their music. All smiles and clearly having a good time on stage with each other and in sharing tunes from their Mesma album, there were plenty of opportunities for the crowd to join in in movement or voice – we obliged! It was very cool to be amongst so many Deadlights fans and see the guys on the Corner Hotel stage!
Containing three of the best vocalists of our scene, the Deadlights set didn't disappoint with sky high notes hit by guitarist/vocalist Tynan Reibelt and bassist/vocalist Sean Prior, and wild roars from frontman Dylan Davidson. I'm never going to turn down an opportunity to hear "Bathed In Venom" live, with its vibe of urgency, sawing and sharp guitar lines, and steady bass. It was a great finish to the set, with punters circling the famous Corner Hotel pole and Dylan dancing around the stage. The four piece also shared an unreleased song, which seemed more punishing/heavy than "Bathed In Venom", and contained huge choruses and intense and fast verses. Keen for that when it comes!
Attention then turned to the little stage in the Corner Hotel bandroom, where Stuck Out's frontman Josh Walker had the tough task of playing sweet tunes to a chatty and excited crowd. With the on-stage vibe chilled and casual, Josh shared songs from Stuck Out's You Won't Come Home EP, What We've Come To Be EP and the band's newest single, "Everything You Wanted". The combination of the two stages gave the event a cool festival vibe and punters could use the main stage changeover time to catch up with friends, drink, or take in the music.
Aburden's set had the red curtains closed in preparation, which added a sprinkle of hype. Once curtains opened, their lighting and visual setup was impressively revealed, before the opening notes of "Sorry." filled the room. Frustratingly for Aburden, there was something that went awry with their backing track or similar which impacted their timing. They sounded huge nonetheless with their soaring guitar and yearning vocals, and worked to persist as best they could, like the professionals that they are.
Crowd favourite "They Say" inspired more crowd participation with Aburden, and carried a beautiful atmosphere, despite the anguish in what is shared in the song. As a nice surprise, Christopher Vernon took to the stage for his vocal feature for the song, and it seemed like Aburden were back on track, timing wise. As an apparent theme of the night, Aburden also shared a new song! I loved the vocal rhythms of the unreleased track, as well as its bouncy urgency and great chorus.
Adding to my 'best vocalists in the scene' statement, maybe it's a Greyscale thing, because Kyle Burrows stunningly and impressively nailed every note with no issues, all the way from the sombre start of "To The Sky" through to its lofty peaks. In the meantime, instrumental layers and percussive strikes seemed custom designed to extract feels from us present. Not complaining at all. Mason Forster worked overtime and kept the crowd engaged; energetically joining them at the barrier or gliding between his place at the piano and the mic. Aburden are such an underrated band and it was a pleasure to see them in action again!
The little stage then had Matt Doherty of former Greyscale Records band Our Past Days (RIP) share some mellow tuneage. Noisy as shit in the Corner Hotel bandroom (to put it bluntly) it was still a treat to see Matt with his eyes closed and lost in his music. The sweet and hopeful but sad "Bloom Where You're Planted" from the Keep Safe album was a standout. Matt also celebrated the Greyscale guys and the way in which they give bands the chance to succeed.
Every time I see Gravemind play live, I'm wowed by the hold they seem to have over the crowd as well as how they own the stage; seeming so controlled while at the same time monstrous in sound and energy. Is it to do with how they practice? Is it some kind of sorcery? Regardless, the Gravemind magic was there at the Corner Hotel too, with only a brief introduction/warning before the intense ride began with "Volgin". The Melbourne band's Conduit album has been impressing since its release less than a month ago, and it was a pleasure to take in some of the album's songs in a live setting.
Turbulent and heaving, the crowd was fully into the Gravemind experience and screaming lyrics back at their band. It was incredible watching Gravemind's guitarists fully focused on their craft, with stunning songs like "Reveal" coming at us like an instrumental feast and vocalist Dylan Gillies-Parsons feeling fittingly menacing on stage.
"Phantom Pain" was a stand-out for me; heart-wrenching and just as beautifully moving as I'd hoped. Watching Gravemind, I thought to myself how this was a band hitting a majestic stride in their music, and finding a beautiful sweet spot of sound and emotion. This band can do no wrong at the moment! The wild and hectic "Reading;Steiner" was also noteworthy with it's fat breakdowns. The set finished on a high with "Lifelike".
The little stage should have been done for the night, but the Greyscale guys had some surprises up their sleeve. Sydney based Whatever, Forever were not only there to play music, they were there as the newest signing to Greyscale Records! Congratulations, Whatever, Forever! They thoroughly rocked the tiny stage with more energy than you'd think it could hold, and shared their wild melodic punk with an attentive crowd. I loved hearing "Bridges" in the flesh, and it sounded amazing live, on all fronts.
Setting an introductory tone of letting the homophobes, racists etc know that they're not welcome, Antagonist AD took to the main Corner Hotel stage in a big way with "No Justice". With high energy and presence, it was so good to hear "I AM MY OWN KING!" screamed by a full crowd. Steady and strong, the set proved to be a great opportunity for a mosh from the outset and circle pits, crowd surfing, and other wild scenes in the pit were a mainstay of the Antag set.
I'm always struck by how much heart and passion comes from the stage when I've seen Antagonist AD play. The Greyscale Showcase was no different, and songs like "For Anyone Who Hurts" are part of that heart; where ridiculously pummelling beats, hefty riffs, and relentless fury and fire come wrapped up with an unwavering desire for things to improve. Literally in my notes: "The fire for living a good life in your own way coming from the stage is infectious."
Sharing that "There is always someone who loves you", the set was a connective one, and vocalist Sam Crocker frequently joined the crowd at the barrier. (He apparently also fell off the stage too!) The band's love and gratitude to Greyscale Records extended to coercing both Josh Merriel and Ash Hull to crowd surf.
Leaving no scrap of energy in the reserves, Antagonist AD kept it coming with a wild and unrelenting pace. For the last song of the set, people were invited to do their best to come up on stage, with flailing limbs and bodies keeping the security guards busy.
Headliners Alpha Wolf then took to the stage, kicking things off with "Sub Zero". The aggressive song sounded incredible with its bending riffs, stuttery rhythms, and drum outro. This flowed straight into "#104" which was huge and strong and kept hype and energy high and had a room full of voices joining in.
Blending songs from their Fault EP and Mono album, Alpha Wolf delivered an incredible set with flawless sound quality. With a substantial discography now, they have a bunch of stellar songs to choose from, which made for a setlist that was chock full of… well… bangers, basically! Despite the dark subject matter at times, these songs are a joy to move with and sing along to. Even the bouncy and hectic "Nail Biter" had a turn.
As an energetic frontman, Lochie Keogh kept things moving and kept the vibe high, with vocals reinforced by the screams, roars, and singing from bassist John Arnold. Guitarist Sabian Lynch stalked and lurched on the stage, fitting the dark themes. Throughout the set, with songs like the grooving/punching/solemn "Golden Fate; Gut Ache" or the punchy and persistent "No Name", drummer Mitch Fogarty never missed a beat, and Scottie Simpson just quietly got the job done and nailed it! Alpha Wolf are a class act that are 100% all on the same page with their music, and it shows.
Sharing their appreciation for Greyscale Records and refusing to do a shoey (thank God!), Alpha Wolf played "Black Mamba" to end the set. With stunning guitar tones and every member nailing it, there's really not much else to add to this heaping of praise. These songs go down easy, feel great, and definitely ended the Greyscale Showcase on a high.
Though Depth is a relatively small music website, we've appreciated the kindness from the guys of Greyscale Records and their openness to whatever ideas we've thrown their way when it comes to supporting their bands. It was great to be there to celebrate Ash and Josh and their efforts over the last three years, and see all the love and appreciation coming at them from their musical Greyscale 'kids'.
So TL;DR, this was a blast. When's the next one?! 🙂
[Photos courtesy of Liam Davidson. If you dig Liam's work, feel free to leave him a tip here.]
Tags: Aburden, Alpha Wolf, Antagonist AD, Anticline, Deadlights, Gravemind, Liam Davidson, Our Past Days, Stuck Out, Whatever Forever
Shangrila - Fade Away (New Music)
Architects: Holy Hell Tour @ Festival Hall, Melbourne
Kel Burch August 12, 2019 |
Homosexuality – Right or Wrong?
In today's world, the homosexual agenda has taken over and turned wrong into right. Television and the media have placed this sin ever before us. Worldly teen girls find it the "thing to do" nowadays. But the Bible stands firmly on what God considers an abomination.
Just what is an abomination? It's not a word we use every day. But it's a word that is used in 69 verses in the entire Bible: 65 verses in the Old Testament and four verses in the New Testament. I don't know about you, teen girl, but when a word is used this much in the Bible, I pay attention to it.
2. The object of detestation, a common signification in scripture.
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Prov 15.
3. Hence, defilement, pollution, in a physical sense, or evil doctrines and practices, which are moral defilements, idols and idolatry, are called abominations. The Jews were an abomination to the Egyptians; and the sacred animals of the Egyptians were an abomination to the Jews. The Roman army is called the abomination of desolation. Mat 24:13. In short, whatever is an object of extreme hatred, is called an abomination.
This gives you an idea as to what the word actually meant at the time the Bible was translated into the English language in the King James Bible. Today's modern English waters down definitions but when you read what the initial definition was at that time, you begin to realize just how much God hates the sin that is called an abomination. Sit up and pay attention to it! God never changes – He's the same as He was yesterday and will be the same in 1,000 years from now. If He finds homosexuality a sin in Leviticus, it is a sin in the New Testament and will be a sin in 500 years from now.
According to Noah Webster's definition, God detests and has an extreme hatred for the sin which involves lying with mankind as one lays with womankind. There's no mincing words here, teen girl. Modern Christianity will have you believe that a homosexual can be saved and still be a homosexual. If that person is truly saved, they will fall under extreme conviction and will remove themselves from that temptation.
God considers homosexuality a sin – period! No if's, and's or but's about it. He loves the sinner and He died for sinners such as this.
Notice the last sentence: "And such were some of you:" – the Christians who used to be abusers of themselves with mankind and effeminate, were no longer this way. Jesus saves the sinner from their sin. He loves them! But they do not stay in their sin. There is a change in their hearts when they get saved.
So back to what the world believes. The world will believe the opposite of what the born-again Christian believes. The world calls evil good and the Christian calls it evil, period! Where do you stand, teen girl? Before you accept the sin of homosexuality into your life, or accept a friend who is a practicing homosexual as a friend, dig deeply into God's Word and see what He says. They will not inherit the kingdom of God! Plain and simple.
In closing, before you think you're off the hook because you're not a homosexual, look at the rest of the sins listed in verses 9-11. There are a few there that you may be guilty of as well. It is best to look at your own heart and make sure you are right with God before you begin to point a finger. Amen?
Disrespect comes in many forms. When you respect someone, you don't show anger toward them, you don't cuss at them, you listen closely to what they have to say, and you give them a special place in your life. We should respect God even more than we do a human being. That includes the time we spend with Him in reading the Bible and praying. That also includes the time we spend in church and what comes out of our mouth.
Do you know what euphemism means? It's when you use one word in place of another. I hear Christians use the word darn a lot. It's really another word for damn. OMG is a euphemism. Even if you think the "G" stands for gosh, gosh is a euphemism for God just as geez is a euphemism for Jesus. There's no difference between the euphemism and the actual word – you know in your heart that you are actually referring to the real word but you're just "cleaning it up" to make it "more Christian"! Or maybe you're one of those Christians that doesn't think of the real word when using a euphemism. Other people are listening to you and they know the intended word.
Euphemisms are idle words, teen girl. They are just as much cussing as using the real words that the world uses. Training the tongue is a very difficult job in a Christian's walk. We use these euphemisms out of habit and don't stop to think that God considers them just as much of a curse word as the real words. It's a bad habit and it's hard to kick. I've been there.
If you love the Lord but you are upset at this post, I pray that you will ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. I would not want to offend the Lord, would you? I would not want to be disrespectful to Him, would you? What if you called your Dad, "Dude"? Would your Dad allow you to address him this way? Of course not! He deserves your respect. Our Heavenly Father deserves even more respect than our earthly parents.
Today's post is a follow-up to the post from July 30th. If you haven't read it yet, you can read it here Modesty. I received comments both positive and negative comments on this post. But today's follow-up is written in hopes that we reach out to those young ladies who have the wrong impression of modesty.
I challenge you, teen girls, to look for God's direction in this area of clothing. Remember, it's not just what you wear but how you wear it that matters. A girl can dress in a burlap sack but if she acts provocatively toward a boy, she has produced the same results as a girl who has exposed her body.
So with that said, I want to take this opportunity to share comments from a dear Christian brother, who has a teenage daughter of his own. His comments come from a boy/man's perspective and I hope and pray that it will open your eyes to the need for modesty.
As a man, I can attest to the truth of this devotional. Men are visual; they are stimulated by what they see. I can assure you that if a woman (or girl) dresses in a way that reveals her shape (or more), men will look at her and thoughts of lust will IMMEDIATELY begin. This is true for men of all ages, and it's a battle that men must fight to keep their minds pure, especially in the day in which we live.
You'll attract nice guys, and you'll attract bad guys.
You'll attract young men, and you'll attract old men.
You'll attract athletes, and you'll attract introverts.
You'll attract the brothers of girls your age, and you'll attract the fathers of girls your age.
You'll attract those who may seem nice, cute, and have a great personality. But in reality, it's a facade, because they only want one thing.
Also be aware, you'll attract drug addicts, drug dealers, felons, rapists, thieves, murderers, perverts, and pedophiles.
Yes, you will attract guys by how you dress, but you will attract much more than you intended. Many of those whom you attract will take the way that you dress as a cue to pursue you. Yes, you'll attract guys, but you'll attract those you don't want to attract also. When they see you dressed in a way that shows your shape (or more), you would be sickened to know what is going through their mind and hearts, including the bad guys, old men, introverts, fathers, drug addicts, drug dealers, felons, rapists, thieves, murderers, perverts, and pedophiles.
Sadly, as a man, I know what goes through the mind of men when they see women dress in a way that shows too much. I shudder to think what would go through the minds of men if they saw my wife and daughter dressed that way. I can't even begin to imagine what I would do if I could hear the thoughts of their hearts while lusting after my wife and daughter.
Let me end by saying this, if you are dressing a certain way because it's what you want, or if it's so that you'll be attractive to guys, you're doing it for the wrong reason. From my heart, let me remind you that you belong to God if you're a Christian, and everything you do should be done for his glory, not yours or for anyone else.
Does how you dress bring glory to God or does it bring glory to you? Does how you dress aid in stirring lust in the hearts of men? From the bottom of my heart, I humbly ask you to honestly consider those questions.
What kind of friends do you surround yourself with, teen girl? Do your friends love you at all times as the above verse says? How about when there are troublesome times? Do your friends stick it out with you? Today's verse tells us that when friends do stick it out, they grow closer to you – the Bible compares that friendship like the relationship you have with your brother or sister. It's a greater bond than a mere acquaintance.
A true friend doesn't drop you one minute and take you back the next. If you have friends like this, RUN far from them. You be the one to drop them and keep your distance. These are not true scriptural friends at all. They will bring heartache to you just as the latter part of Proverbs 27:6 states. Their "kiss," their friendship, is deceitful. They don't love you for who you are. They want to be with you for what you can give to them – what they can get out of you.
True friends are not selfish. They prefer to give of themselves rather than take from you. They go the extra mile for you and don't care what they have to do. The Bible says that the ultimate display of friendship is laying down your life for that friend. That's what Jesus did for you!
So, teen girl, if you do not have the kind of friends who stick by you and love you for who you are and not what you have, then you need to find yourself a new line of friends. You need to find girls who truly love the Lord! Those are hard to find but they are out there.
Yes, it hurts when someone discards your friendship like dirty laundry. It's also humbling because you didn't catch it early. But that's where wisdom comes in. If you stop for a moment and think about that friendship, did your parents tell you they didn't like that girl? There's a good possibility they did and you didn't want to listen. Or maybe they didn't but you didn't like some of the things that friend did early on in the relationship but you just shrugged it off. It could be the Lord was trying to tell you something.
When looking for a friend, make sure that she is saved – that's the #1 priority. Then watch her in church and around other kids your age. Is she worldly? Does she strive to be the center of attention with boys? These are areas that will bring you heartache later on. Your right choices now will be worth the effort later on.
I have a dear friend that I have known since I was three years old. The Lord used her 22 years later to lead me to Him! She has been by my side, spiritually speaking, ever since! I pray you find such a friend and that you seek the Lord's guidance when you choose that friend.
When you are discouraged and sad, how do you encourage yourself, teen girl? Do you surround yourself with "positive" friends? Do you look for help from your parents? As good as both of these sources are, they are not a permanent solution. Your friends and your parents are human and may let you down some day.
God commanded Joshua to be strong and of good courage. Not only did God command it but He provided the reason: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest. God would be there along every step of the way!
We have to seek God when we become discouraged. Contrary to popular belief, God is our hope and should be our only source. It is His strength that encourages our weary hearts. God provides us with everything we need to be encouraged. The devil is the one that brings discouragement and fear. But God is the opposite – He is Good – He is love – He loves you!
Staying encouraged can only happen if you seek the Lord to encourage you. You have to go to the right source in order to get what you need. If you need gas for the car, you go to the gas station, don't you? You don't turn to your friends for it. It's the same for when you need spiritual gas to fuel your spirit!
1 Sam. 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
Psalms 121:1 – (A Song of degrees.) I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Motivation – just what is it? The current Webster's dictionary defines it as: the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.
If you love someone, you want to do nice things for that person. The motivating factor there is love, which causes you to behave in that way. But love comes and goes, doesn't it? You can love a best friend one day and then, bam! That love is replaced with dislike because your best friend has betrayed you.
But when you look at a good Christian marriage, what do you see, other than love? What motivates that couple to stay married? I truly believe it is that couple's steadfast dedication to the Lord and His Word. That steadfastness motivates them to continue in their marriage, whether good or bad things happen.
1. Fast fixed; firm; firmly fixed or established; as the stedfast globe of earth.
2. Constant; firm; resolute; not fickle or wavering.
So this verse speaks of a rebellious and stubborn people whose hearts were not right with God and their spirit was not steadfast with God. This means that they didn't continue in the faith. They didn't read their Bibles every day. They didn't "walk the walk" of their salvation but merely played the Christian.
Motivation is a result of being steadfast. If you are doing what you know to be right according to God's Word, teen girl, you will be motivated to do what is right. This will be the gentle "shove" that you need to move forward for the Lord. One who is lazy and unmotivated is one that doesn't take her walk with God seriously – the Word of God does not consistently dwell in her. When it does, it produces motivation, wisdom and joy!
Genesis 19:14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said , Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
If you read about Lot's account in Genesis 19, you will see several areas that should cause your eyebrows to raise in disbelief. First of all, he tried to offer his daughters in Genesis 19:8.
Secondly, when the angels tried to get him out of the city before it would be destroyed, the Bible says that Lot "lingered"!!
Why do you think the Bible says that Lot lingered? What do you think God is telling us here? Do you think it's because Lot didn't want to leave behind all that he had worked for? Do you think he didn't want to leave his friends and his family? Do you think that anything would have been important enough for him to lose his life over, let alone his soul? Maybe he hesitated because he knew what a poor testimony he had been and all his friends and family would go to Hell once their cities were destroyed.
As a result, I think the worse thing about Lot's account is that Lot lost his testimony with his family and friends. Even when he was trying to save his sons in law from perishing, the Bible says that they mocked him (made fun of him). Wow! Have you heard the saying, "Your walk is louder than your talk"? This is exactly what happened to Lot and his sons in law saw right through it.
When you compromise God's word and live an unholy lifestyle, your "walk" (testimony) is ruined to those unbelievers who have been watching you. This is a dangerous place to be, teen girl. You are literally encouraging the unsaved to continue to spit in God's face because you are not showing them how a person can have victory over sin through salvation. Then when you finally straighten out your life and try to be a testimony to them once again, they will laugh at you. Just as what happened in today's text.
How's your walk today, teen girl? Have you ruined your testimony to those unsaved friends you come in contact with, day-to-day? Start over – ask the Lord's forgiveness – go to those friends and ask their forgiveness and try to win them to Christ again. If they mock you, move on and pray that you will be able to have another opportunity to be a testimony to them or that God would send someone else to witness to them. |
För Stephan Mendel-Enks roman med samma namn, se Tre apor (roman).
De tre aporna, (japanska: 三猿, san'en eller sanzaru, eller 三匹の猿, sanbiki no saru) är ett gammalt motiv i japansk konst. Det föreställer tre apor, varav en håller för sina öron, en annan sina ögon, och en tredje sin mun. Motivet förknippas med det japanska mottot att "inte se (något ont), inte höra (något ont), inte säga (något ont)". Den mest kända, och kanske äldsta, plats där motivet med de tre aporna återges är i ett snideri från 1600-talet över en port i Shintohelgedomen Tōshō-gū i den japanska staden Nikkō. I dag förekommer motivet över hela världen. Till exempel inkluderades de tre apornas emojivarianter år 2010 i den industriella teckenstandarden Unicode: 🙉🙈🙊.
Mottots betydelse och ursprung
Mottot att "inte se (något ont), inte höra (något ont), inte säga (något ont)" ger uttryck för en buddhistisk tanke om att den som inte exponeras för ondska inte heller kommer att reflektera denna ondska i sitt tal och sina gärningar.
Tanken att den som inte exponerats för oönskade tankar inte heller kommer att tänka sådana på egen hand är levande i Östasien idag. Den kinesiska regimen bedriver omfattande censur för att förhindra att det egna landets invånare kommer i kontakt med pornografi och oönskade politiska budskap.
I en djupare mening anses det enligt olika skolor inte finnas någon ondska. Det finns bara kärlek och oförmåga eller okunskap. Det innebär att någon som nått riktigt djup insikt om livet inte ser en medmänniska som ond. Medmänniskan saknar bara förmågan att vara kärleksfull. Det innebär också att det inte finns något ondskefullt att säga om någon. Personer kan sakna insikter och förmågan att vara/uttrycka sin kärlek till andra. Det innebär också att när man lyssnar på andra hör man inget ondskefullt utan i värsta fall bara bristande insikter och oförmåga att uttrycka kärlek.
Egentligen kan ingen höra ondska om den inte finns. Ingen kan se ondska om den inte finns och ingen kan säga ondskefulla saker om de inte finns. Allt ligger hos betraktaren.
Ordspråket kan också uppfattas mer jordnära som en påminnelse om att inte lyssna på eller aktivt bidra till exempelvis skvaller och förtal. Uttrycket kom troligen från Indien via Kina till Japan på 700-talet, där den så småningom också anammades av shintoismen.
Förvrängd betydelse i västerlandet
I västerlandet har ordspråkets och motivets betydelse ofta tolkats annorlunda, och förknippats med mentala skygglappar och önsketänkande: att inte vilja se eller erkänna missförhållanden och faror. Detta gäller inte minst i den anglosaxiska världen, där mottots översättning "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" är ett levande uttryck. Ett exempel är Keith Harings allusion på motivet, vilket var en kritik mot samhällets ovilja att hantera aids-frågan.
Motivet och dess koppling till mottot
Att det är just apor som får illustrera mottot kan förklaras som en japansk ordlek. På klassisk japanska lyder ordspråket "mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru" (見ざる, 聞かざる, 言わざる) Negationen –zaru, som avslutar alla de tre orden, låter likadant som det japanska ordet för apa, saru, skulle göra som efterled i en sammansättning (-saru). Mizaru skulle alltså kunna betyda 'inte se' eller 'se-apa'.
De tre orden i mottot används också som namn på respektive apa:
Mizaru eller Minai (jap: "inte se"), som håller för ögonen.
Kikazaru eller Kikanai (jap: "inte höra"), som håller för öronen.
Iwazaru eller Iwanai (jap: "inte säga"), som håller för munnen.
Motivet med de tre aporna förknippas också med en myt om hur gudarna sände tre spejare till jorden för att rapportera människornas fel och brister. Bilden av de tre aporna som låter bli att höra, se respektive tala blir i det sammanhanget ett uttryck för förhoppningen om att gudarnas informanter ska ha en förlåtande inställning och inte rapportera människornas synder.
En fjärde apa
I moderna avbildningar av motivet förekommer ibland en fjärde apa, Shizaru, som sägs representera principen att inte göra något ont. Den återges ibland med humoristiska eller ekivoka förtecken och håller sig mellan benen. Apan kan antas vara ett sentida tillägg av turistindustrin.
Referenser
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Information kompilerad av samlare
Konstnären Max Magnus Normans inverterade versioner av de tre aporna
Österländsk filosofi
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Japansk konst
WP:Projekt Japan
Tretal
Fiktiva apor |
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Relations between the U.S. and Madagascar began with the establishment of a consulate in the port city of Tamatave in 1867. Relations were strained during the 1970s, when President Ratsiraka expelled the U.S. Ambassador, closed a NASA tracking station, and nationalized two U.S. oil companies. In 1980, relations at the ambassadorial level were restored.
After the 2009 coup d'état, the U.S. suspended direct assistance to or through Madagascar's governmental authorities as well as all non-humanitarian activities. However, the U.S. continued to provide assistance in health and food security through nongovernmental organizations, community associations, and other private groups. All sanctions were lifted following the election of President Rajaonarimampianina. The U.S. is one of the largest bilateral donors to Madagascar, which is a priority country for the President's Malaria Initiative. Additionally, 154 Peace Corps Volunteers serve in Madagascar.
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Ingevity to increase carbon activation capacity in Covington, Virginia
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C., May 16, 2018 – Ingevity Corporation (NYSE: NGVT) today announced that it will expand its carbon activation capacity at its Covington, Virginia, facility to meet growing global demand for pelletized carbon products primarily for use in gasoline vapor emission control systems in cars, trucks, motorcycles and boats.
The expansion will feature new processing, activation, purification and finishing equipment. Once completed, the facility's total activation capacity will increase by approximately 20 percent. Representing an investment of $35-40 million, the project is expected to be operational by the fall of 2019.
"We continue to invest in our Performance Materials segment's production and technical capabilities to meet our customers' requirements," said Michael Wilson, Ingevity's president and CEO. "This project is within our previously disclosed investment and cash flow guidance and the organic growth opportunity in automotive applications continues to be our highest capital allocation priority. This capital-efficient expansion of our Covington plant is one of the key elements of our strategy and multi-year capital investment plan for this segment, which we began implementing in 2014 with the construction of a greenfield carbon activation plant in Zhuhai, China."
He added that the company is also currently constructing an activated carbon extrusion facility in Changshu, China, which is expected to be operational by this fall. In addition to the two carbon activation plants in Covington and China, Ingevity has an activation facility in Wickliffe, Kentucky, a "honeycomb" scrubber joint venture plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, and extrusion facilities in Covington and Wujiang, China.
"We are anticipating a substantial increase in global demand for our world-leading activated carbon products and technologies driven by the introduction of more stringent regulations for automotive gasoline vapor emissions control in China, Europe and potentially other countries," said Ed Woodcock, executive vice president and president, Performance Materials. "More stringent emission standards require more advanced technology, which continues to increase the content of our activated carbon products on a per vehicle basis."
Ingevity has produced and sold activated carbon for more than a century, including over 40 years in the automotive market. With over 900 million units installed globally, they are the global leader in the automotive application.
Ingevity: Purify, Protect and Enhance
Ingevity provides specialty chemicals and high-performance carbon materials and technologies that purify, protect and enhance the world around us. Through a team of talented and experienced people, Ingevity develops, manufactures and brings to market products and processes that help customers solve complex problems. These products are used in a variety of demanding applications, including asphalt paving, oil exploration and production, agrochemicals, adhesives, lubricants, publication inks and automotive components that reduce gasoline vapor emissions. Headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina, Ingevity operates from 25 locations around the world and employs approximately 1,600 people. The company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: NGVT). For more information visit www.ingevity.com.
Laura Woodcock
Ingevity reports third quarter 2018 financial results
Ingevity invests approximately $15 million to upgrade DeRidder, Louisiana, facility
Ingevity's pine-based Evotherm® chemistry helps rebuild hurricane-damaged roads |
Album Review: Weezer - 'Weezer' (Teal Album)
Ben Province
Responding to a Twitter handle dedicated to convincing Weezer to cover the Toto classic "Africa," the Los Angeles alt-rockers released their version in May 2018. (The art for the single even features one of the account's tweets to Rivers Cuomo.) What I assumed to be a standalone release has become the lead track of the band's Teal Album.
Unlike Weezer's previous four self-titled albums, this one is made up entirely of covers. And despite its "Miami Vice"-inspired artwork, it's not made up entirely of '80s songs, and Cuomo doesn't sing lead on all of them, leaving one to another member of the band.
It's Brian Bell, guitarist, who does his best Ozzy Osbourne impression on a true-to-form interpretation of "Paranoid." Rather than bringing out the the fuzz and power-pop that Weezer's known for, Cuomo and Bell are happy to channel guitarist Tony Iommi.
That's a reoccurring theme. The band doesn't try to drastically reinvent arrangements on the majority of the songs re-imagined here. Still, there's something new to take away from most of these remakes. Cuomo's voice has become so distinct. Simply adding his voice to a song like Eurthymics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" separates Weezer's version from the Annie Lennox-fronted original, despite the similarities of the backing tracks.
Another example is "Mr. Blue Sky." As iconic as Jeff Lynne's vocals are on the ELO classic, it's interesting to hear Cuomo's enunciation. The lyrics sound clearer than ever. While I love the original, it's nice to hear it in a different way, especially because the quality of musicianship compares well with ELO.
Also, it's nice to hear updated technology on synth-heavy selections like A-ha's "Take on Me." Cuomo's vocal performance is compelling. Instead of taking a sing-along, cover band approach, the frontman seems to show care to convey the lyrics' original intention. There's an element of sincerity in his voice.
One of the songs that stands out the least is the Tears for Fears cover, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." It's a solid performance, like every other song on the album, but Relient K covered the song eight years ago, and there's was better. Given the bands' similarities (especially being from roughly the same era), it's hard not to compare the two versions.
The most current song to get a Weezer makeover is TLC's 1999 hit "No Scrubs." And it's the song that (albeit briefly) strays stylistically from the original the most. Around the halfway mark of the track, it cuts into the heavy fuzz, reminiscent of "My Name Is Jonas." And what's interesting about this, is for those 20-plus seconds, it sounds more like a classic Weezer song than anything from the band's last LP of originals, "Pacific Daydream."
In some respects, "Stand By Me" also takes a different approach than Ben E. King's 1961 classic. And given it's the oldest song tackled on the Teal Album, that makes sense. While they don't come in initially, the band's power-poppy guitars (as well as the synth break) were obviously absent from the original. And while "Billie Jean" features the strings and beat of Michael Jackson's version, it would be hard to believe that Chris Cornell's version didn't influence Weezer, at least in part.
I'm certainly not calling for "Weezer" (Teal Album) to win a Grammy, but it's considerably better than it has any business being. For a surprise cover album, it seems to have been put together with an exceptional amount of care. The production and performances are great. And while it would have been easy for Weezer to add "Rosanna," the b-side of their "Africa" single, to cut corners, they didn't do that.
This record, which is only available digitally for now, should serve its purpose of getting fans excited for the March 1 release of the Black Album. |
Capturing the historic and picturesque qualities of one of France's most popular architectural towns, here we have this stunning Shabby chic Wardrobe. Expertly hand crafted and carved from high quality mahogany, both the attention to detail on the magnificent features and the overall caliber of the Bordeaux collection is of the highest order.
As the pictures here the shabby chic Bordeaux collection is finished with a subtle distressed ivory paint, giving off a vibe of wonderful exuberance in your bedroom. These qualities resonate and make this Wardrobe and the Bordeaux collection as a whole one of the most popular bedroom collections.
Inside the wardrobe contains 1 hanging rail, and 2 shelf. |
Reabastecimento em voo, ou REVO, ou Reabastecimento aéreo é o processo de transferir combustível de uma aeronave (o tanque) para outra (o receptor) durante o voo. Isto permite ao receptor permanecer em voo mais tempo e, mais importante, estender sua autonomia e portanto a de suas armas e o alcance de sua missão. Uma série de reabastecimentos aéreos pode dar alcance limitado somente pelo cansaço da tripulação e fatores técnicos, como por exemplo consumo de óleo do motor.
Devido ao fato da aeronave receptora poder ser preenchida com combustível extra, o reabastecimento aéreo pode permitir uma decolagem com uma carga maior, que pode ser de armas, carga ou pessoal: sendo o peso máximo de decolagem mantido pela substituição do combustível por mais carga. Alternativamente uma decolagem pode ser feita de pistas mais curtas, com um peso mais leve que possibilite a decolagem, e o reabastecimento ser realizado após a aeronave estar no ar (como com a aeronave de reconhecimento aéreo SR-71 Blackbird da Força Aérea dos Estados Unidos).
Normalmente a aeronave que provê o combustível é projetada especialmente para esta missão, entretanto o reabastecimento pode ser instalados em projetos existentes de aeronaves se o sistema de reabastecimento utilizado for o "sonda e cesto". O custo do equipamento de reabastecimento em ambas a aeronave tanque e receptora, além da manuseio especializado da aeronave a ser reabastecida, necessitando voo em formação muito próximo faz com que esta atividade seja somente utilizada em operações militares. Não é conhecida nenhuma atividade regular de reabastecimento em voo civil. Em operações militares de larga escala o reabastecimento aéreo é usado extensamente. Como por exemplo na Guerra do Iraque em 1991 e em 2003, quando todas as missões aéreas foram realizadas com reabastecimento em voo, exceto algumas poucas missões de curto alcance na área do Kuwait.
História e desenvolvimento
Os primeiros experimentos de reabastecimento aéreo foram realizados na década de 1920, com duas aeronaves, voando em formação, uma passando à outra uma mangueira que conectava seus respetivos tanques de combustível. Um biplano DH-4B permaneceu em voo, com reabastecimento aéreo, por 37 horas em 2 de junho de 1923.
O desenvolvimento foi rápido. Em 1929, um grupo de pilotos da força aérea americana, liderados pelo major Carl Andrew Spaatz, bateu o recorde de autonomia, com mais de 150 horas, voando um Question Mark em Los Angeles. Em 1930, os irmãos Hunter fixaram um novo recorde de 553 horas e 40 minutos, sobre Chicago. O reabastecimento aéreo permaneceu um processo perigoso até 1935 quando Fred e Al Key inventaram o primeiro bocal de reabastecimento sem vazamentos, projetado por A. D. Hunter. Eles excederam o recorde anterior por mais de 100 horas em um avião Curtiss Robin, permanecendo no ar por mais de 27 dias.
No Reino Unido, Alan Cobham foi pioneiro no método de sonda e cesto e realizou demonstrações públicas do sistema. Em 1934, fundou a Flight Refueling Ltd e em 1938 tinha um sistema automático para reabastecer aeronaves como o hidroavião Short Empire Cambria a partir de um Armstrong Whitworth AW.23. Aviões Handley Page Harrow foram utilizados para reabastecer hidroaviões Empire em voos transatlânticos regulares.
Atualmente, aviões de reabastecimento são especialmente projetados para a tarefa de transferir combustível para uma aeronave receptora, baseados projeto de Hunter, até mesmo na altas velocidades necessárias para que os aviões a jato permaneçam em voo.
Em 1949, de 26 de fevereiro a 3 de março um B-50 Superfortress norte-americano, "Lucky Lady II", voou sem escalas ao redor do mundo em 94 horas e 1 minuto, um feito somente possível através de 3 reabastecimentos aéreos de 8 tanques KB-29M. O voo saiu e retornou da Carswell Aéreo Force Base em Fort Worth, Texas, com os reabastecimentos sendo feitos na África Ocidental, o Oceano Pacífico, perto de Guam e entre o Havaí e a costa oeste dos Estados Unidos. Esta primeira circum-navegação non-stop do globo mostraram que barreiras geográficas e vastas distâncias não eram mais obstáculos ao poder aéreo militar, graças ao reabastecimento aéreo.
Sistemas de reabastecimento aéreo
Os dois sistemas mais utilizados de reabastecimento entre duas aeronaves são o sistema de lança e receptáculo e o sistema sonda e cesto. Menos popular os sistema asa-asa não é mais utilizado.
Lança e receptáculo (O "Lança Voadora da Boeing")
No final da década de 1940, o general norte-americano Curtis LeMay, pediu à Boeing que desenvolvesse um sistema de reabastecimento que transferisse combustível numa vazão maior que a possível com mangueiras flexíveis – dali surgiu o conceito do sistema da "Lança Voadora".
O B-29 foi o primeiro a utilizar estes sistema, e entre 1950 e 1951, 116 B-29s, designados KB-29Ps, foram convertidos para como tanques no fábrica da Boeing em Renton.
A Boeing prosseguiu e desenvolveu a primeira aeronave de reabastecimento aéreo especialmente dedicada, o KC-97 Stratotanker, um Boeing Stratocruiser (C-97 StratoFreighter) com a lança desenvolvida pela Boeing e querosene extra alimentando a lança. Os motores do KC-97 eram movidos a gasolina, um sistema combustível misto gasolina/querosene não era a melhor solução, portanto era necessário desenvolver um jato reabastecedor, com um tipo de combustível único para ambos os motores, do tanque e do abastecido. A força aérea solicitou à Boeing que desenvolvesse tanques baseados na plataforma do Boeing 367-80 (Dash-80) Aéreoframe. O resultado foi Boeing Model 717, designado militarmente como KC-135 - 732 foram construídos.
A lança voadora da Boeing consiste em um eixo longo e rígido conectado à traseira da aeronave tanque. A fixação do eixo é flexível, possibilitando à lança o movimento de 25 graus para cada lado, e de alinhado com parte inferior da fuselagem até 50 graus para baixo. Na parte interior do eixo está um tubo rígido dentro do qual passa o combustível. A ponta do tubo possui um bocal fixado numa junta bola. O bocal se encaixa no receptáculo da aeronave a ser abastecida durante o processo de transferência de combustível. Uma válvula no final do bocal evita o vazamento de combustível até que seja feito contato entre o bocal e o receptáculo, permanecendo travado durante o abastecimento.
Montado sobre o eixo estão pequenas asas estabilizadoras - os ruddevators visíveis na figura, com um formato "V" - ou alternativamente quatro superfícies, similares à montagem feita no jato da Segunda Guerra Mundial Heinkel He 162. superfícies permitem o controle aerodinâmica da lança. O tubo de combustível estende-se e retrai-se hidraulicamente, e também absorve o movimento relativo entre o tanque abastecedor e a aeronave sendo abastecida.
O receptáculo abastecedor é normalmente instalado no linha central da aeronave, mas considerações de projeto podem levá-la a ser instalada em outros locais.
Para iniciar o reabastecimento aéreo, o piloto da aeronave receptora inicia um voo em formação, diretamente abaixo da aeronave, aproximadamente 50 ft (17 metros) abaixo da lança. Quando autorizado o piloto move a aeronave à frente para a posição de contato, auxiliado por comandos de rádio ou visuais (luzes em baixo do tanque) do tripulante operador da lança o "boom operator" ou "boomer". No KC-135 a posição do boomer é deitada, enquanto no KC-10 é sentada. Em ambos os tanques a posição é na traseira do avião, de frente para trás. Uma vez que o receptor atinge a posição de contato o piloto permanece na posição, procurando manter o mínimo de movimento relativo entre as aeronaves. Utilizando o controle do ruddevator e a extensão/retração da lança, o boomer consegue posicionar a lança tridimensionalmente, assim alinhado o bocal com o receptáculo e estendendo o tubo de maneira a fazer contato entre ambos. Após o engajamento (travando a lança na posição) bombas são ligadas, forçando o combustível através da lança para o recipiente.
Enquanto em contato, os indicadores de direção (duas fileiras de luzes sob o tanque) auxiliam o piloto da aeronave sendo abastecida a manter-se dentro do envelope de reabastecimento aéreo. Este envelope – uma aérea em formato aproximado de um cubo – dentro do qual o bocal e o receptáculo devem permanecer durante o contato – é razoavelmente diferente dependendo da aeronave abastecida. Seus limites são baseados nas limitações de movimento da lança, ou para prevenir o movimento para uma área qualquer porção da lança toque a aeronave abastecida fora do receptáculo. Os limites mecânicos da lança vêm ou de limitações estruturais do sistema de abastecimento ou da máxima deflexão do bocal flexível. Em caso do movimento da aeronave sendo abastecida em qualquer direção, fora do envelope, o bocal de abastecimento pode permanecer travado na aeronave (como ao tentar retirar uma chave da fechadura puxando a chave para o lado, e não diretamente para trás) prevenindo o desengajamento do sistema. O boomer segue o movimento da aeronave abastecida, movendo os ruddevator para manter o alinhamento entre o tubo de combustível interno e o eixo externo. Ele também monitora a posição da aeronave abastecida, através de três indicadores de posição, e comanda o desengajamento do bocal caso a aeronave abastecida sai do envelope de abastecimento.
Quando o abastecimento é completado o boomer comanda a desconexão. O desengajamento pode acontecer também em caso de enchimento inadvertido da aeronave receptora. Após a desconexão o boomer retrai o tubo de combustível do receptáculo e move a lança para longe da aeronave abastecida. Enquanto não está em uso a lança é alinhada com a parte de baixo do tanque, através dos ruddevators, ou puxada através de cabo e bomba hidráulica, para diminuir o arrasto. A aeronave abastecida se desloca para trás e para baixo, livrando o tanque e segue em sua missão.
A principal vantagem da lança é a grande vazão de combustível (até 1000 galões por minuto em um KC-135). Isto porque o diâmetro do tubo de combustível numa lança é maior que o do sistema rival "sonda e cesto". Uma alta vazão de transferência de combustível foi considerada vital pelo comanda aéreo norte-americano para abastecimento da frota de bombardeiros por causa da preocupação com fadiga dos pilotos durante a operação de reabastecimento. Os pilotos da aeronaves em abastecimento necessitam de um alto nível de concentração para voar em formação durante o procedimento de reabastecimento. Outra questão do sistema com lança é o custo de treinamento do boomer – estimativas da década de 1990 colocam o custo em aproximadamente um milhão de dólares.
Além da força aérea norte-americana o sistema de lança é utilizada nas forças aéreas da Países Baixos (KDC-10), Israel (Boeing 707 modificado) e Turquia (KC-135R norte-americanos). Provavelmente a maior aeronave de reabastecimento, o Irã, recebeu tanques de reabastecimento baseados no Boeing 747 com uma lança e três cestos em 1976, nomeados pelo Irã como IRIAF B747. Pelo menos um deles ainda sobrevoa Teerã com frequência sob a matrícula 5-8107. O Japão e a Itália encomendaram à Boeing aeronaves de reabastecimento baseadas no Boeing 767.
O grupo europeu EADS desenvolveu uma lança de reabastecimento usando o sistema de controle "fly-by-wire", compatível com outros sistemas de lança. Este sistema é oferecido nos Airbus modificados que são configurados como tanques.
Atualmente a Boeing e EADS estão competindo por um contrato para suprir a força aérea norte-americana com um novo tanque, para substituir a envelhecida frota de KC-135. Este contrato está estimado em 40 000 milhões de dólares, considerando a substituição de toda frota de 500 KC-135 pode chegar a mais de 100 000 milhões de dólares – fazendo dele o maior contrato de programa militar da história.
Sonda e cesta
O sistema mais simples e barato de sonda-e-cesta é utilizado por várias organizações militares incluindo a marinha e os fuzileiros navais norte-americanos e várias forças aéreas ao redor do mundo. Este sistema pode ser facilmente instalado em tanques existentes, entretanto possibilita uma menor vazão de combustível por causa da menor pressão e menor diâmetro da mangueira quando comparado com a lança de abastecimento. Entretanto isto não é um problema para aeronaves menores, que consomem pouco combustível.
A cesta (ou drogue, em inglês), é uma conexão que lembra uma peteca plástica, presa a sua extremidade mais estreita, está uma válvula, e uma mangueira flexível, que vai até carretel instalado no avião tanque. A aeronave a ser abastecida possui uma sonda, que é um braço rígido instalado no nariz da aeronave, ou na lateral do nariz. Na ponta da sonda está uma válvula que permanece fechada até encaixar com a cesta, quando então abre e permite a passagem de combustível do tanque até o receptor. A válvula utilizada nos sistema de cesto e sonda normalmente utilizado é um padrão OTAN e foi originalmente desenvolvido pela companhia Flight Refuelling Limited. Aeronaves tanque equipadas com cesto de diferentes países podem abastecer aeronaves com sonda de outros. O sistema padrão de sonde possui rebites de cisalhamento entre a ponta da válvula e a sonda. Em caso de uma carga lateral ou ascendente excessiva, enquanto em contato com o cesto, os rebites quebram a válvula de combustível, liberando-a, em lugar de deixar danificar o braço de abastecimento. Como o a sonda está fortemente presa à fuselagem da aeronave, isto também previne eventuais danos à própria fuselagem. A quebra da sonda (ou da válvula de combustível) ocorre devido à erros de pilotagem ou à turbulência. Às vezes a válvula quebrada permanece presa na cesta da mangueira de abastecimento, evitando que outras aeronaves sejam abastecidas.
Técnica de voo
A aeronave tanque voa reto e nivelado, com a cesta presa à mangueira de combustível esticada e livre atrás e abaixo dele. O piloto da aeronave a ser abastecida deve então utilizar seus controles de voo para encaixar a sonda de reabastecimento diretamente na cesta, de modo que as válvulas da cesta e da sonda prendam-se juntas, assim permitindo o fluxo de combustível de uma aeronave para outra. Isto requer que ambas as aeronaves mantenham uma velocidade relativa menor que dois nós, de modo a evitar, em caso de velocidade menor, um contato leve (em que a as válvulas não travem juntas), ou em caso de maior velocidade, deixar um arco na mangueira, produzindo uma carga lateral na válvula da sonda, quebrando-a e eventualmente provocando o fim da missão. A melhor aproximação é por trás e por abaixo, alinhado com a direção da mangueira. Uma boa regra para o piloto da aeronave a ser abastecida é posicionar-se de modo a alinhar a cesta com a unidade do carretel da mangueira (em inglês, Hose Drum Unit - HDU).
Aeronaves tanque por sistema de reabastecimento
Lança e receptor
KB-29P (fora de serviço)
adaptado do bombardeiro B-29 Superfortress
KC-97 Stratotanker (fora de serviço)
derivado do C-97 Stratofreighter
KC-135 Stratotanker
similar ao Boeing 707 comercial, mas com fuselagem de menor diâmetro e outros sistemas
também utilizado pelas Forças Aéreas Francesa, de Singapura e da Turquia.
a lança pode ser instalada antes do voo com um adaptador cesta. Os KC-135 Stratotankers da Forças Aéreas Francesa usam um sistema sonda e cesto
modelos MPRS possuem dois sistemas de cesto nas pontas da asa.
Tanques Boeing 707 modificados incluem as Forças Aéreas da Austrália, Venezuela, Israel, Itália e África do Sul.
KC-10 Extender
adaptado do McDonnell Douglas DC-10
possui também um sistema sonda e cesto que pode ser utilizado em voo
pode ser utilizado com dois sistemas sonda e cesto embaixo das asas (similar ao KC-135 MPRS) capaz de reabastecimento simultâneo de duas aeronaves.
A Força Aérea dos Países Baixos opera dois KDC-10s – antigas aeronaves civis modificadas para um padrão similar ao KC-10
KC-767
adaptado do Boeing 767
recém entregue à Força Aérea da Itália e Japão.
se encomendado pelos Estados Unidos, todos os modelos terão adaptadores para MPRS
Airbus A330 MRTT
desenvolvimento do Airbus A330-200
a aeronave da Força Aérea Australiana será equipada com ambos os sistemas lança voadora e sonda-e-cesto para acomodar tanto os F-111s como os F/A-18s. Será conhecido como KC-30B.
as aeronaves britânicas serão sonda-e-cesto somente.
Sonda e cesto
Airbus A330
Força Aérea Real, a entrar em serviço em 2008.
Airbus A310 MRTT
4 para a Luftwaffe
2 para a Força Aérea Canadense (como CC-150 Polaris)
Airbus A400M, futura aeronave de transporte estratégico e tanque, a entrar em serviço em 2009.
Avro Lancaster (fora de serviço)
Reabastecia Gloster Meteors na década de 1940
Avro Lincoln (fora de serviço)
Reabastecia Gloster Meteors na década de 1940
Avro Vulcan (fora de serviço)
especialmente modificado para operações durante a Guerra das Malvinas
Blackburn Buccaneer (fora de serviço)
Equipado para abastecimento mútuo
Boeing 707
Utilizado pela FAB, Força Aérea da Austrália, África do Sul e outra .
KC-135 Stratotanker da Força Aérea Francesa usa o sistema sonda e cesto.
A Força Aérea do Canadá utilizou CC-137 (Boeing 707) para reabastecimento. Foram aposentados no final da década de 1990.
KB-29M (fora de serviço)
adaptado do B-29 Superfortress
KB-50 (fora de serviço)
adaptado do B-50 Superfortress, um modelo melhorado do B-29 Superfortress.
HC-130 Hercules e KC-130 Hercules, especialmente nos Fuzileiros Navais dos Estados Unidos, como KC-130s na FAB, Força Aérea Argentina, Força Aérea de Israel, Singapura, Canadá e Espanha.
variantes do C-130 Hercules
Lockheed L-1011 Tristar
K1 e KC1 utilizados pela RAF
Vickers Valiant (fora de serviço)
Vickers VC-10
Handley Page Victor (fora de serviço)
KA-3 (fora de serviço)
A-4 Skyhawk
KA-6 (fora de serviço)
KA-7 (fora de serviço)
F/A-18E/F
Ilyushin Il-78 Midas
Tanque padrão russo, adaptado do Ilyushin Il-76
Variantes desta aeronave foram utilizadas nas forças aérea da Argélia, Índia e República Popular da China
Myasishchev M-4-2
adaptado do bombardeiro M-4
Myasishchev 3MS-2
adaptado do bombardeiro 3M
Tu-16N (e Tu-16Z com sistema asa-asa)
Sukhoi Su-24 M
Su-33
Manifestações na cultura popular
O filme The Starfighters possui várias cenas com jatos F-104 Starfighter em reabastecimento.
O filme Dr. Strangelove de 1964 tem uma cena genuína de uma operação "lança e receptáculo" entre um KC-135 Stratotanker e um B-52 Stratofortress, durante turbulência.
O filme The Final Countdown de 198 tem uma cena genuína de operação "sonda e cesto" entre um KA-6 Intruder e um F-14 Tomcats.
O filme Air Force One mostra uma animação computadorizada de um KC-10 reabastecendo Boeing presidencial
Ligações externas
Aéreoborne rearming - A comprehensive article including a video.
Official KC-30 Tanker website
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