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Groundwater has been used in the UK as a source of drinking water for centuries. For example, certain springs have been used to supply small urban areas for more than a thousand years. However, extensive use of groundwater began during the industrial revolution that started in the eighteenth century. The technology from the industrial revolution provided the means to access greater quantities of groundwater. Nevertheless, probably the more important factor was the increasing urbanization, with industrial cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Nottingham expanding at a phenomenal rate. With the higher population came an increased demand for water, which could be provided from local aquifers.
The trigger for extensive exploitation was the 1848 Public Health Act that required local authorities to ensure a source of clean drinking water. From 1850 onwards, large red-brick Victorian pumping stations (Figs 1 & 2) started to appear on the outcrops of the principal aquifers in England, and abstraction steadily increased until the 1990s. In 2003, the use of groundwater in England and Wales was c. 6400 Ml/day (6 400 000 m3/day), of which c. 5000 Ml/day was for public supply (Environment Agency 2006), comprising about a third of the total drinking water supply in England and Wales. The abstraction is predominantly from the Chalk and Permo-Triassic Sandstone (Fig. 3), which account for 60 and 25% of total groundwater abstraction, respectively (Downing 1998). Outcrops of these two aquifers are located mainly in the SE and Midlands of England, where groundwater often accounts for over 40% of public supply and sometimes exceeds 70% (Downing 1998). Groundwater use in Scotland and Northern Ireland is much lower, at c. 60 and c. 110 Ml/day, respectively, representing 3 and 7% of public supply in those parts of the UK (Downing 1998).
The Bratch groundwater pumping station, built in Victorian gothic style by the Bilston Corporation, 1895 (courtesy of Friends of The Bratch).
Vertical triple expansion steam engine at The Bratch (courtesy of Friends of The Bratch).
A need to understand, quantify and predict groundwater flow in aquifers was a natural consequence of the onset of widespread exploitation of the principal aquifers in the mid-nineteenth century. The development of the science of hydrogeology in the UK over the last 200 years has been documented in detail in the excellent book by Mather (2004). Downing (2004), one of the papers in Mather (2004), describes the beginning of groundwater modelling in the UK in the late 1960s to early 1970s, both electrical analogues and numerical. The thread of this story is picked up by Rushton & Skinner (2012).
Since the early 1970s there has been a slow but steady increase in the use of groundwater models in the UK, and it is still increasing to the present day. Rushton and Skinner provide a brief review of the development in England and Wales, where the models were initially developed as bespoke computer programs by academics and research institutes. Now much work is done by consultants using standardized, widely available groundwater modelling codes such as MODFLOW (McDonald & Harbaugh 1988).
The development of groundwater models in the UK, as Rushton and Skinner describe, has been influenced by legislation and the organizations that have been responsible for groundwater management. In 1988, the possibility of competing groundwater models arose in England and Wales with the advent of a separate government water regulator (the National Rivers Authority, followed in 1996 by the Environment Agency) and privatized water suppliers.
The need for a national framework of groundwater modelling was in part a consequence of this split, which led the Environment Agency to embark at the end of the 1990s on a large programme to develop conceptual and numerical models of the principal bedrock aquifers of England and Wales and their associated superficial deposits. This programme consisted of eight regionally based sub-programmes (SW, Southern, Thames, Anglian, Midlands, Wales, NW and NE) covering the Chalk, Permo-Triassic Sandstone, Jurassic Limestone, Carboniferous Limestone, Permian Dolomites (Zechstein) and Lower Greensand (Fig. 3), described by Whiteman et al. (2012a). The work forthcoming from this programme over the period 1998–2009 forms the basis of this book. The case study and review papers in this volume that are partly or directly associated with this programme are: Black & Black (2012); Black et al. (2012); Daily et al. (2012); Gellatly et al. (2012); Hulme et al. (2012); Hutchinson et al. (2012); Ingram et al. (2012); Quinn et al. (2012); Shepley & Soley (2012); Soley et al. (2012a, b); and Taylor et al. (2012).
the models were commissioned for water resources purposes based on Environment Agency objectives focused primarily on groundwater quantity.
The last point in particular is important for understanding the raison d'être of the papers in this volume. As the work was commissioned based on regulatory need, the focus of the modelling is not on innovative science, but on applying sound science and delivering specific management results (or outcomes). These include water resources assessments, managing groundwater abstractions, estimating the impact of groundwater abstraction on river flows and wetlands and controlling saline intrusion. Consequently, the value of this work should be judged against the results in these areas as well as the science and the degree of innovation that has been generated. Some of the papers, such as Soley et al. (2012b) on the southern Chalk, provide broad overviews of the improvement in understanding that has been obtained from the modelling programme.
The driving forces for the modelling are discussed in Whiteman et al. (2012a), as well as the benefits forthcoming from the work. Hughes et al. (2012) provide examples of how non-expert stakeholders should be engaged to maximize the benefits.
As the Environment Agency has taken the lead on regional groundwater modelling, this is starting to open up the use of these regulatory tools by many other parties, principally the water companies for diffuse pollution issues and climate change predictions, but also environmental consultancies where the use is being extended to point source pollution. The use of MODFLOW for most Environment Agency regional models greatly facilitates this access, because it is freely available from the United States Geological Survey and widely used in the UK, and elsewhere internationally. However, water companies are in some cases still developing their own models for their specific purposes, as explained by Jones et al. (2012).
There is a strong contrast with Northern Ireland and Scotland where the equivalent government environmental regulators (Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) do not have similar programmes. Mansour et al. (2012) provide an account of the use of groundwater models in Scotland, where the British Geological Survey has had a prominent role.
The focus of the Environment Agency programme on groundwater quantity has been determined by the internal financial constraints of the Environment Agency, where the principle of financial ‘ring-fencing’ has, until recently, been applied to the water licensing income following the guidance of the UK government. In the Environment Agency the Water Resources function has been the main beneficiary of the charges raised from water licensing, which has consequently focused efforts on the water quantity aspects. Currently the most important water legislation is the Water Framework Directive (WFD) of the European Community (Council of European Communities 2000), for which Programmes of Measures are now being implemented through the 2009 River Basin Management Plans.
The WFD has a particular emphasis on water quality and its effects on ecology, and it is likely that groundwater models will be needed for the prediction of temporal trends in concentrations of pollutants in the aquifers in three dimensions. Currently of particular concern are diffuse pollutants, particularly nitrates; an extensive review is provided of the nitrate problem in the UK and the scientific understanding in a 2007 thematic issue of the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology (Gooddy & Besien 2007).
The present volume also contains research papers on groundwater modelling from the UK academic community. Two of these papers consider major pollution incidents on the Chalk aquifer and the simulation of contaminant transport at a regional scale (Cook et al. 2012; Watson et al. 2012). These papers form a useful contrast with the papers written by the practitioners, as they give some insight into the ways in which the regional models of the Environment Agency can be used, improved and/or adapted to assess future trends in water quality. In the case of Cook et al. (2012), the contaminant transport model has been partly based on the Environment Agency regional groundwater model. Some of the academic papers also provide an insight into the information exchange between practitioners and academics. For example, the work described by Butler et al. (2012) is based partly on the work forthcoming from the Lowland Catchment Research (LOCAR) programme of the National Environment Research Council (NERC) and was supported by the Environment Agency.
It is anticipated that the six-yearly River Basin Management Plans of the WFD will provide the legal driver for further investment, as the ‘status’ of the aquifers (groundwater bodies in WFD terminology) will have to be assessed from a water quantity and quality perspective. Review of conceptual and numerical models for each six-year cycle is an implicit requirement of this process (Council of European Communities 2009). It is particularly the realization of demonstrable benefits that will determine the amount of future investment in the models and uptake of research. Such future investment could be limited to the updating of time series, or might involve extensive improvement of the models as the conceptual understanding improves with time. Making the groundwater models accessible to the wider hydrogeological community could be a key step in this process. A start has been made in England and Wales with the development of a map-based, client–server system for holding groundwater models (the National Groundwater Modelling System, see Whiteman et al. 2012b), which facilitates the access and running of models. The future success of this system should see a continued trend of greater utilization and reliance on groundwater models for water resources management in the UK.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, PEST controlled: responsible application of inverse techniques on UK groundwater models, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 353–373.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Crossing boundaries, the influence of groundwater model boundaries and a method to join and split MODFLOW models, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 155–172.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Advances in modelling groundwater behaviour in Chalk catchments, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 113–127.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Modelling the influence of solution-enhanced conduits on catchment-scale contaminant transport in the Hertfordshire Chalk aquifer, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 205–225.
(2000) Directive on establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (2000/60/EC) Official Journal, L327.
(2009) Common Implementation Strategy for the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) – Guidance on Groundwater Status and Trend Assessment (Luxembourg) Guidance Document 18.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Simulation of a water transfer tunnel at catchment scale in the Permo-Triassic Sandstone aquifer, UK, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 319–332.
(1998) Groudwater – Our Hidden Asset (British Geological Survey, Keyworth).
(2004) in 200 Years of British Hydrogeology, Groundwater in a national strategy, 1964–1979, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, ed Mather J. D. 225, pp 323–338.
(2006) Underground, Under Threat – The State of Groundwater in England and Wales (The Environment Agency of England and Wales Report).
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Using and refining an existing regional groundwater model to assess the impacts of an abstraction on a nearby wetland, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 333–351.
(2007) Introduction to the nitrate papers. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology 40:333.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, How to get your model results used: a guide to stakeholder engagement, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 39–48.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, A rapid model for estimating the depletion in river flows due to groundwater abstraction, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 289–302.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, A successful model: 30 years of the Lincolnshire Chalk Model, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 173–191.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Catchment-scale water balance modelling in a Carboniferous Limestone aquifer, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 249–267.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Groundwater resource modelling for public water supply management in London, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 99–111.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, The role of numerical modelling in understanding groundwater flow in Scottish alluvial aquifers, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 85–98.
, ed (2004) 200 Years of British Hydrogeology, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 225.
(1988) A Modular Three Dimensional Finite Difference Ground-water Flow Model, US Geological Survey Techniques of Water Resources Investigations Report, 06-A1.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Recharge estimation methodologies employed by the Environment Agency of England and Wales for the purposes of regional groundwater resource modelling, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 65–83.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, A national approach to groundwater modelling: developing a programme and establishing technical standards, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 7–17.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, The use of groundwater levels and numerical models for the management of a layered, moderate-diffusivity aquifer, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 303–318.
(2012a) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Groundwater abstraction impacts on river flows: predictions from regional groundwater models, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 269–288.
(2012b) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Modelling the hydrogeology and managed aquifer system of the Chalk across Southern England, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 129–154.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Modelling the vale of St Albans: parameter estimation and dual storage, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 193–204.
(2012) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Re-evaluating dual-porosity effects at the site of a seminal groundwater modelling study: Tilamanstone, southern England, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 227–248.
(2012a) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, Start, development, and status of the regulator-led national groundwater resources modelling programme in England and Wales, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 19–37.
(2012b) in Groundwater Resources Modelling: A Case Study from the UK, The National Groundwater Modelling System: providing wider access to groundwater models, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, eds Shepley M. G., Whiteman M. I., Hulme P. J., Grout M. W. 364, pp 49–63.
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0.998704 |
How often does Bifen need to be reapplied around foundations for termites?
There is no standard time for reapplication other than to retreat or reapply whenever the above conditions exist. The option is to install a termite baiting system or to treat with a much longer lasting termiticide such as Termidor (15+ years lifespan).
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0.998151 |
Here are five scriptural ways to improve the quality of your relationships: 1) Always show appreciation. Who are the people that really matter in your life? Let them know you love them, and do it often. Practise the ten-to-one rule: ten compliments to every one criticism! Many of us think the best way to help people is to ‘straighten them out’. No, the best way to help others is to look for the best in them. Dr John Maxwell calls this ‘the 101 Percent Principle’. Look for one thing you admire in somebody, then give them 100 percent encouragement for it. That’ll help you to like them and vice versa. 2) Put others first. ‘Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men’ (Ephesians 6:7 NIV 1984 Edition). If you adopt that mindset in your dealings with others, you will go far in life. 3) Serve others gladly. Talking about how difficult it is to hire and train people, an airline executive said, ‘Service is the only thing we have to sell, but it’s the toughest thing to teach because nobody wants to be thought of as a servant.’ 4) Forgive it, resolve it, and move beyond it. If someone has hurt you and you need to address it, do it immediately. Then forgive it, resolve it, and move beyond it. And if it’s not worth bringing up, forget it and move on. 5) Make time for the people who matter. Don’t give away your time on a first-come-first-served basis. Don’t devote so much energy to ‘the squeaky wheel’ that you short-change the people in your life who matter most.
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0.940638 |
(CNN) -- Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States. Still, there's reason for hope: Overall, the death rate from all cancers fell 25% between its peak in 1991 and 2014, the most recent year for data, according to a report from the American Cancer Society published online Thursday in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
This decline translates to more than 2.1 million deaths prevented if peak rates had continued, according to Rebecca L. Siegel, lead author of the report and strategic director of surveillance and health services research at the American Cancer Society.
"Since the peak in 1991, cancer death rates have been declining by about 1.5% per year, not only because of the reduction in smoking, but also because of improvements in the early detection of cancer (through both screening and increased awareness) and advances in treatment," Siegel wrote in an email. "We anticipate that death rates will continue to decline."
However, Siegel and her co-authors project more than 4,600 new cancer diagnoses each day during 2017.
For the report, the American Cancer Society gathered data from the National Center for Health Statistics at the National Cancer Institute. Available data included cancer cases most recently reported in 2013 and deaths from cancer most recently reported through 2014. The new report also includes an estimate of the total number of deaths prevented, due to declining rates, over time.
"These are the most accurate statistics we have," said Geoffrey Kabat, senior epidemiologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Published annually, they are presented in an accessible way to provide a "statistical picture," and this year, "it is a positive picture," said Kabat, who was not involved in the research.
For children between 1 and 14 years old, cancer is the second most common cause of death, after accidents, according to the report. Leukemia (29%) accounts for nearly a third of all cancers within this age group, followed by brain and other nervous system tumors (26%).
Though childhood cancer incidence increased by 0.6% per year from 1975 through 2013, death rates have declined since the mid-1970s. The five-year survival rate for all childhood cancers improved from 58% in 1975-77 to 83% during 2006-12.
The most common causes of cancer death among adults continue to be lung, colorectal, prostate and breast cancers. These four account for just under half -- about 46% -- of total cancer deaths among men and women.
"The good news is that deaths from prostate cancer have decreased in the past 25 years by half," Kabat said. "Prostate cancer incidence is down due to screening, and that has translated into a big decline in deaths from prostate cancer."
This trend began about 1990, around the time when awareness of the prostate-specific antigen screening test increased, he said.
"Similarly, breast cancer is going down, and that decline is probably due more to improved treatment for breast cancer," Kabat said. This decrease can be attributed "maybe some small amount to screening mammography," but overall, "breast cancer treatment has improved, and that's saving lives."
"Smoking rates peaked in the 1960s and began declining with increasing knowledge and awareness of the health hazards associated with smoking," Siegel said. "However, because there is a lag of several decades between exposure and cancer diagnosis, cancer death rates didn't peak until 1991."
The decrease in smoking is one explanation for the overall decrease in cancer, Kabat said.
Women took up smoking in large numbers later and at older ages than men, the authors noted, and women were also slower to quit.
"Lung cancers rates are now beginning to go down in women. They reached a peak, and now they're going down," he said, adding that the rates in women "should continue to decline just as they have for men."
Still, more than a quarter of overall cancer deaths among men and women during the study period were due to lung cancer, according to the authors.
Siegel laments the slow advances in treatment of lung cancer as well as pancreatic cancers. The five-year survival rate is just 18% for lung cancer and 8% for pancreatic cancer.
"These low rates are partly because there aren't early symptoms for these cancers, and more than half of cases are diagnosed at a (late) stage," she said. When cancer has progressed far and is caught relatively late, the five-year survival drops to only 3% to 4%, she added.
Looking to the future, Siegel and her co-authors predict that 1,688,780 new cancer cases and 600,920 deaths from cancer will occur across the United States during 2017.
Among men, prostate, lung and colorectal cancer will account for 42% of all new cancers in 2017 among men, according to the report. Prostate cancer alone will contribute one diagnosis out of every five.
For women, the three most common cancers in 2017 will be breast, lung and colorectal. Combined, these will equal half of all new cases. By itself, breast cancer is expected to account for 30% of all new cancers among women, about 63,410 cases, according to the new report.
Siegel sees the obesity epidemic and possible disruptions in narrowing racial disparity in cancer death rates as potential obstacles to continued progress.
"The cancer death rate in black men was almost 50% higher than that in white men in 1990 but was just 20% higher in 2014," she said. Still, she believes this progress will be seen as accelerating in 2015 due to more people having health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Siegel said research is needed to improve early detection and treatment for all cancers. She added, "We also need creative new strategies to increase healthy behaviors and reduce obesity, which could prevent about 20% of all cancers from ever occurring."
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0.952344 |
Re (Ray) opened his eyes and abruptly stood up tripping on his own wires yet again.
Salvadore stared down at the ground feeling the same uselessness drown him as it did everyday. Would anyone ever want him? Was being an older model so horrible?
Salvadore looked up as someone came into the park. He sighed and swang back and forth lazily on the creaky swing.
Re shrieked slightly as anotherone of his wires tripped him somehow, "woah, oww><"
"are you okay??" questioned the little Ivy as she helped Re up to his feet brushing him off as if she were his mother. Ivy being a newer model had much more feelings than older models, she could also house a human soul if her operator were to obtain one for her.
Salvadore looked down at his arm and sighed. He was so fragile, so old, so destructable. Maybe that's why no one wanted him. Salvadore swung foreward and stared at the ground as it danced closer and farther.
"I wounder if i would break." he said aloud, another unwanted atribute most likely. Salvadore leaned foreward on the seat. Would he break if he jumped?
Salvadore blinked then the swing burst foreward once again and he leaned foreward and jumped off the swing.
A smaller boy with pink hair walked up to Re and looked up with dark grey eyes. "Hi," he started and looked down a little unsure, "Do you know where the cyborgs are here? I can't tell..." he looked back up and his looked utterly confused.
Then he paused and blinked down and took one of the unplugged wires between his fingers and then looked at Re. soon he found what he was looking for and plugged it into the right spot on Re, he smiled and looked up. "...you're...a cyborg."
As Salvadore jumped there was a small gasp, but before his fragile body hit the ground, he was caught, and landed softly on a human.
Salvadore blinked at the person in question. "sorry." he mummbled and pulled himself to his feet. He held out a fragile looking hand to the human.
Nio smiled and took Re's hand and examined it. "Wow, it's so cool." Nio looked up at him and smiled. "who's your operator?" he tilted his head to the side.
"No no, its alright" the person (dont remember his name right now) said whil standing on his own, gently holding the hand closer to his own face, "May I?"
your operator is Yuu^^)Salvadore tilted his head and blinked. "Sure." he said not really knowing what the man was saying.
"No operator? No way." Nio blinked. "Is your voice damaged?" Nio stepped foreward and stood on his toes to examine his neck.
Thank you lovie^__^ *hug*) Yuu examined the hand and arm carfully, "your a cyborg, correct?" he started, whispering, "beautiful"
yep) Salvadore sighed and nodded. "Yes, I am a Cyborg, but there are newer model's and one's that aren't broken sir." he told him as he was ordered to.
Nio frowned. "Hm..." he looked up at him. "How do I take you home?" he questioned and touched the damage.
Yuu (thats his name right?) smiled, "I wasnt really looking for a newer model, the older models-no offence- I believe need someone more than anybody"
Salvadore blinked. "Most of them are broken." he stated and rubbed his eye.
Salvadore sighed, "No...i'm old, broken, and useless." he looked down at the ground in sadness.
"Would you mind if i took you?" Nio asked tilting his head to the side.
Re shook his head with much effort, "I don-t mi-nt at a-ll"
"It's your loss, there are better cyborgs." he sighed looking down. "But you have permission."
Nio smiled and nodded taking the cyborgs hand. "I'll fix your throat, it won't be perfect but it'll be better. Okay?" he smiled brightly.
Salvadore blinked in confusion, that was another flaw by the way, he had confusion when he were supposed to know everything. How could this man take him, when he had already told him he was old and broken?
Nio smiled, "Don't worry, it's not problem ^^."
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0.999994 |
There are two distinct ways to create a String: use double-quotation marks or create a new object. Either put text on the same line in double quotation marks as if it was primitive datatype: String stringName = "hi"; or initialize them like this: String stringName = new String("hi");. Take a look below for examples on how we can initialize a String.
To create a new object, we use the Java reserved word new because String is a class within the java.lang package. However, Java has made the process of importing easier for programmers. As you see above, you can initialize the String without having to type out new. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide which method of creating a String works best for you.
Remember, it is possible to create an empty String by either leaving the parenthesis blank or omitting characters on the inside of the double-quotation marks.
Which statement below correctly declares and initializes the String value varOne?
String varOne = "Hello World!"
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0.999455 |
Every day is a great day to take a cruise or start planning your next one! Some destinations offer year round sailings - such as the Caribbean - while others may be limited to certain seasons, including Alaska, the Panama Canal and parts of Europe. Cruise lines offer a variety of departure dates and itineraries from a few days, a few weeks or even a few months.
Below are some tips to consider when planning to visit to some of the most popular destinations. Explore the options and find the one that's right for you!
The Alaskan cruise season begins in May and ends in September. The peak travel period occurs during the warmest part of the year - June through August. Many travelers consider the fall and spring to be Alaska's most beautiful seasons, and these months generally offer more opportunities for big cruise savings. May tends to be the driest month of the cruise season, providing optimal conditions for breathtaking excursions such as flightseeing tours and glacier walks.
Bermuda cruises sail from April through mid-November. Most people travel during the summer months, making those voyages pricier, but deals can often be found on spring and autumn departures (April through early June, and September through November). Bermuda has temperate weather year-round, though hurricane season traditionally affects the island at least once a year between late August and October.
Canada and New England sailings depart from May through October. The best chance for warm weather tends to be late June through early September. For cooler weather and beautiful New England fall foliage, late September to mid-October cruising is ideal. May and late-October sailings offer the lowest rates, while the summer months are ideal for exploring some of Canada's most intriguing cities in milder temperatures (usually in the 70s).
Caribbean sailings are offered year-round. The most popular months are December through April, which are also the driest months on the islands. Late June through August sailings tend to attract the largest crowds, along with school breaks when students and families are on vacation (late December, early January and March through mid-April). The best deals can usually be found in late summer and autumn during hurricane season, with frequent bargain sailings during the early weeks of December and in the spring.
Sailings to Cuba take place throughout the year, with the most popular months being December through March. During these months, typical Caribbean weather can be expected, with occasional afternoon showers. Summer and fall tend to be extremely humid, with the potential for diversions, as Cuba is situated in the hurricane zone.
Europe’s peak cruising season is May to October. Mild weather makes it easy to pack and travel light, and the attractions are easily accessible. Outdoor festivals and art shows make the summer popular with travelers. The late spring and early autumn have more pleasant temperatures and fewer crowds. You'll find the lowest cruise prices at the beginning and end of each season, while prices rise dramatically for the summer months.
High season in Hawaii is late December through April, but you can explore the islands year-round. Summer is most popular because of school holiday and honeymoon season, and it’s also when the island gets the least amount of rain. While hurricanes rarely affect the islands, September can bring hot, humid weather to the otherwise dry season. Good deals can be found during the less-traveled window between Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday. Late September and October tend to draw a large number of cruise ships to the island after the close of Alaska’s cruise season and before the transition to their next seasonal port.
Mexico offers year-round cruising options, either as part of a Western Caribbean itinerary or as a dedicated voyage. The best time to visit is during its dry season, November through May. Summer months, though rainier, still tend to be a popular time of year. February and March are prime months for whale-watching, and early spring attracts Northerners for a tropical escape. The best deals can be found in autumn, between the high seasons and hurricane season.
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0.956369 |
ARE WE ALONE ? Since mankind discovered what stars really are, a new question began to be asked. If the stars are suns, many just like our Sun, then do they have planets and can those planets support life. We know for sure that there is life on at least one planet because we are part of that life but Patrick Moore always says he wonders if there is 'intelligent' life even on this planet. It will be one of the most important if not the most important discoveries in the history of mankind if life is found away from Earth because that will mean we are not alone. Even the discovery of the most simple forms of life will raise the possibility that there are higher forms of life on other planets.
The is question of life is really a two part question, question one is, 'is there life on any of the other planets in our Solar System?' and question two is, 'is there life on planets orbiting other stars ?'.
Of course this poses yet a third question, 'are there planets orbiting other stars ? Recently there has been much debate and even arguments over the microscopic 'fossils' found in a meteorite from Mars. The jury is still out on that question but it seems that the evidence is pointing to it not being the remains of life.
There has also been a lot of debate about photographic evidence from Mars which appears to show gullies where water may have flowed in the last million years and possibly in the much more recent past. It is generally considered that water is probably essential for life, as we know it, to exist. Other fluids have been considered as the possible mixing agent for the chemicals required for life. However water is so much more efficient then anything else, life is almost certain to use water if it is available. A number of orbiters and landers are planned to survey the most interesting sites in the next few years. It is even hoped that samples of the Martian soil can be brought back to Earth for study.
Scientists are searching the most inhospitable regions of Earth to find the extremes in which life can survive. This will give an indication of how extreme a climate can be on another planet and yet be able to allow life to survive. So far almost everywhere scientists have looked they have found life. From the cold barren valleys of Antarctica to the scorching, driest deserts. Even in the deepest ocean trenches and the upper atmosphere and deep underground, life is always there. Life also appears to have started almost as soon as Earth was able to support it. At this time, life as we know it today, could not survive but the earliest forms of life could survive in the early poisonous atmosphere. Simple bacterial life has even been found surviving inside rocks.
None of the other seven solar system planets can be expected to have or had life because they are either too hot or too cold. Life as we know it needs liquid water which can only exist at a small range of temperature and pressure. Life also needs some sort of energy source like the light and heat from the Sun. However, there is the possibility of life on one of Jupiter's moons called Europa. Space probe surveys have indicated that Europa has a deep liquid salty water ocean under a thick layer of ice. Europa is heated by the enormous gravitational forces of Jupiter which stretches and squashes the moon causing powerful tidal forces. We know from deep sea studies on Earth that life can exist with no sunlight but can be driven by the heat from volcanic vents called 'Black Smokers'. Some people even think that life on Earth may have begun around Black Smokers. It is possible that Europa may also have Black Smokers and therefore may also have life in the great oceans under the ice. NASA has plans to send a probe to Europa to drill through the ice and search for life using a miniature submarine.
But what about other Solar Systems which may exist around other stars and could there be life on those planets ? Astronomers have only recently had access to telescopes powerful enough to identify planets orbiting other stars and a few have been found. It is not yet possible to see these planets directly because the star is millions of times brighter than any planet. The light from the star completely drowns out the light from any planet that may be orbiting that star. However large planets have been detected through the wobbling of the star due to the orbiting planets. Nearly all the planets identified so far, are large gas planets like Jupiter only larger and orbiting very close to the star. One has been found recently orbiting much further out so there might be smaller rocky planets like earth further in.
Another method of finding planets is to measure the brightness of a star and see if it dims periodically. In some cases this dimming may be caused by a planet passing in front of the star. Within the last couple of months such a star has been found. The amount of dimming is incredibly small and extremely hard to detect but it has been done. The planet appears to be about the size of Jupiter but very close to the star. This method has a bonus compared to detecting wobbles. It may be possible to detect light from the star which has passed through any atmosphere that the planet may have. As light from the star passes through the atmosphere around the planet the gases of the atmosphere leave an imprint on the light. By separating the light into its separate colours the imprint of the gases can be detected. If this can be done it is possible to separate the spectrum of this atmosphere and work out its composition. One nearby extrasolar planet has had its atmosphere analysed and Sodium gas has been detected.
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For hybrid cars, see Hybrid vehicle and Plug-in hybrid.
An electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using electrical energy stored in rechargeable batteries or another energy storage device. Electric motors give electric cars instant torque, creating strong and smooth acceleration.
Electric cars are typically easy to drive, perform well, and are significantly quieter than conventional internal combustion engine automobiles. They also do not emit tailpipe pollutants, giving a large reduction of local air pollution, and, in many cases, a large reduction in total greenhouse gas and other emissions (dependent on the fuel used for electricity generation). They also provide for independence from foreign oil, which in several countries is cause for concern about vulnerability to oil price volatility and supply disruption. But widespread adoption of electric cars faces several hurdles and limitations, including their current higher purchase cost, patchy recharging infrastructure (other than home charging) and range anxiety (the driver's fear that the electric energy stored in the batteries will run out before the driver reaches their destination, due to the limited range of most existing electric cars). Recharging can take a long time; however, for long distance driving, many cars support fast charging that can give around 80% charge in half an hour, using public fast chargers.
As of November 2014[update], sales are increasing and the battery price is coming down rapidly. The number of mass production highway-capable all-electric passenger cars and utility vans available in the market is limited to around 30 models, mainly in the United States, Japan, Western European countries and China. Pure electric car sales in 2012 were led by Japan with a 28% market share of global sales, followed by the United States with a 26% share, China with 16%, France with 11%, and Norway with 7%. The world's highest selling highway-capable electric car is the Nissan Leaf, released in December 2010 and sold in 35 countries, with global sales of over 165,000 units by early March 2015.
While an electric car's power source is not explicitly an on-board battery, electric cars with motors powered by other energy sources are generally referred to by a different name: an electric car carrying solar panels to power it is a solar car, and an electric car powered by a gasoline generator is a form of hybrid car. Thus, an electric car that derives its power from an on-board battery pack is a form of battery electric vehicle (BEV). Most often, the term "electric car" is used to refer to battery electric vehicles.
Thomas Parker, responsible for innovations such as electrifying the London Underground, overhead tramways in Liverpool and Birmingham, built the first practical production electric car in London in 1884, using his own specially designed high-capacity rechargeable batteries. Parker's long-held interest in the construction of more fuel-efficient vehicles led him to experiment with electric vehicles. He also may have been concerned about the malign effects smoke and pollution were having in London.
An alternative contender as the world's first electric car was the German Flocken Elektrowagen, built in 1888.
Electric cars were reasonably popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century, when electricity was among the preferred methods for automobile propulsion, providing a level of comfort and ease of operation that could not be achieved by the gasoline cars of the time. In 1900, 40% of American automobiles were powered by steam, 38% by electricity, and 22% by gasoline. The electric vehicle stock peaked at approximately 30,000 vehicles at the turn of the 20th century.
Advances in internal combustion engines, especially the electric starter, soon lessened the relative advantages of the electric car. The greater range of gasoline cars, and their much quicker refueling times, encouraged a rapid expansion of petroleum infrastructure, which quickly proved decisive. The mass production of gasoline-powered vehicles, by companies such as Ford, reduced prices of gasoline-engined cars to less than half that of equivalent electric cars, and that inevitably led to a decline in the use of electric propulsion, effectively removing it from the automobile market by the early 1930s. Out of the 568,000 vehicles produced by American automobile manufacturers in 1914, 99% were powered by internal combustion engines. Electric cars went out of production in the U.S. in 1920.
Electric battery-powered taxis became available at the end of the 19th century. In London, Walter C. Bersey designed a fleet of such cabs and introduced them to the streets of London in 1897. They were soon nicknamed "Hummingbirds" due to the idiosyncratic noise they made. In the same year in New York City, the Samuel's Electric Carriage and Wagon Company began running 12 electric hansom cabs. The company operated until 1898 with up to 62 cabs in service, until it was reformed by its financiers to form the Electric Vehicle Company.
In 1911, the New York Times stated that the electric car has long been recognized as "ideal" because it was cleaner, quieter and much more economical than gasoline-powered cars. However an article in the Washington Post in 2010, quoting that comment, asserted that "the same unreliability of electric car batteries that flummoxed Thomas Edison persists today."
Some European nations during World War II experimented with electric cars, but the technology stagnated. Several ventures were established to build electric cars, such as the Henney Kilowatt. In 1955, the U.S. Air Pollution Control Act helped address the growing emissions problems and this law was later amended to establish regulatory standards for automobiles. In 1959, American Motors Corporation (AMC) and Sonotone Corporation planned a car to be powered by a "self-charging" battery. It was to have sintered plate nickel-cadmium batteries. Nu-Way Industries also showed an experimental electric car with a one-piece plastic body that was to begin production in early 1960.
Concerns with rapidly decreasing air quality caused by automobiles prompted the U.S. Congress to pass the Electric Vehicle Development Act of 1966 that provided for electric car research by universities and laboratories. Meanwhile, the Enfield Thunderbolt, an electric car produced after a competition run by the Electrical Board, was won by Enfield Auto, and 100 cars were produced at their factory on the Isle of Wight. By the late-1960s, the U.S. and Canada Big Three automakers each had electric car development programs. The much smaller AMC partnered with Gulton Industries to develop a new battery based on lithium and use an advanced speed controller. Although a nickel-cadmium battery was used for an all-electric 1969 Rambler American station wagon, other "plug-in" vehicles were developed with Gulton that included the Amitron and the similar Electron.
The energy crises of the 1970s and 80s brought about renewed interest in the perceived independence that electric cars had from the fluctuations of the hydrocarbon energy market. In the early 1990s, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) began a push for more fuel-efficient, lower-emissions vehicles, with the ultimate goal being a move to zero-emissions vehicles such as electric vehicles. In response, automakers developed electric models, including the Chrysler TEVan, Ford Ranger EV pickup truck, GM EV1, and S10 EV pickup, Honda EV Plus hatchback, Nissan Altra EV miniwagon, and Toyota RAV4 EV. These cars were eventually withdrawn from the U.S. market.
The global economic recession in the late 2000s led to increased calls for automakers to abandon fuel-inefficient SUVs, which were seen as a symbol of the excess that caused the recession, in favor of small cars, hybrid cars, and electric cars. California electric automaker Tesla Motors began development in 2004 on the Tesla Roadster, which was first delivered to customers in 2008. As of March 2012[update], Tesla had sold more than 2,250 Roadsters in at least 31 countries. The Mitsubishi i MiEV was launched for fleet customers in Japan in July 2009, and for individual customers in April 2010, followed by sales to the public in Hong Kong in May 2010, and Australia in July 2010 via leasing. Retail customer deliveries of the Nissan Leaf in Japan and the United States began in December 2010, followed in 2011 by several European countries and Canada.
In the 2011 State of the Union address, U.S. President Barack Obama expressed an ambitious goal of putting one million plug-in electric vehicles on the roads in the U.S. by 2015. The objectives include "reducing dependence on oil and ensuring that America leads in the growing electric vehicle manufacturing industry."
The Smart electric drive, Wheego Whip LiFe, Mia electric, Volvo C30 Electric, and the Ford Focus Electric were launched for retail customers during 2011. The BYD e6, released initially for fleet customers in 2010, began retail sales in Shenzhen, China in October, 2011. The Bolloré Bluecar was released in December 2011 and deployed for use in the Autolib' carsharing service in Paris. Leasing to individual and corporate customers began in October 2012 and is limited to the Île-de-France area.
In February 2011, the Mitsubishi i MiEV became the first electric car to sell more than 10,000 units, including the models badged in Europe as the Citroën C-Zero and Peugeot iOn. Several months later, the Nissan Leaf overtook the i MiEV as the best selling all-electric car ever.
Models released to the market between 2012 and 2014 include the BMW ActiveE, Coda, Renault Fluence Z.E., Tesla Model S, Honda Fit EV, Toyota RAV4 EV, Renault Zoe, Roewe E50, Mahindra e2o, Chevrolet Spark EV, Fiat 500e, Volkswagen e-Up!, BMW i3, BMW Brilliance Zinoro 1E, Kia Soul EV, Volkswagen e-Golf, Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive, and Venucia e30. The Nissan Leaf passed the milestone of 50,000 units sold worldwide in February 2013, and the 100,000 unit mark in mid January 2014. In June 2014 Tesla Motors announced it was making its patents open source freely available to speed up production of electric cars and spur competition, at a time that electric cars comprised less than 1% of all automobiles sold in the United States.
An important goal for electric vehicles is overcoming the disparity between their costs of development, production, and operation, with respect to those of equivalent internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). As of 2013[update], electric cars are significantly more expensive than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles due to the cost of their lithium-ion battery pack. However, battery prices are coming down about 8% per annum with mass production, and are expected to drop further.
The high purchase price is hindering the mass transition from gasoline cars to electric cars. According to a survey taken by Nielsen for the Financial Times in 2010, around three quarters of American and British car buyers have or would consider buying an electric car, but they are unwilling to pay more for an electric car. The survey showed that 65% of Americans and 76% of Britons are not willing to pay more for an electric car than the price of a conventional car.
The electric car company Tesla Motors uses laptop -size cells for the battery packs of its electric cars, which are 3 to 4 times cheaper than dedicated electric car battery packs of other auto makers. Dedicated battery packs cost $700–$800 per kilowatt hour, while battery packs using small laptop cells cost about $200. This could drive down the cost of electric cars that use Tesla's battery technology such as the Toyota RAV4 EV, Smart ED and Tesla Model X which announced for 2014. As of June 2012[update], and based on the three battery size options offered for the Tesla Model S, the New York Times estimated the cost of automotive battery packs between US$400 to US$500 per kilowatt-hour.
A 2013 study, by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy reported that battery costs came down from US$1,300 per kilowatt hour in 2007 to US$500 per kilowatt hour in 2012. The U.S. Department of Energy has set cost targets for its sponsored battery research of US$300 per kilowatt hour in 2015 and US$125 per kilowatt hour by 2022. Cost reductions of batteries and higher production volumes will allow plug-in electric vehicles to be more competitive with conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. However, in 2014 manufacturers were already offering battery packs for about $300/kWh.
Several governments have established policies and economic incentives to overcome existing barriers, promote the sales of electric cars, and fund further development of electric vehicles, batteries and components. Several national and local governments have established tax credits, subsidies, and other incentives to reduce the net purchase price of electric cars and other plug-ins.
The Tesla Roadster, launched in 2008, has a range of Script error: No such module "convert". and ended production in 2011.
Electric cars have expensive batteries that must be replaced if they become defective, however the lifetime of said batteries can be very long (many years). Otherwise, electric cars incur very low maintenance costs, particularly in the case of current lithium-based designs. The documentary film Who Killed the Electric Car? shows a comparison between the parts that require replacement in gasoline powered cars and EV1s, with the garages stating that they bring the electric cars in every Script error: No such module "convert"., rotate the tires, fill the windshield washer fluid and send them back out again.
The cost of charging the battery depends on the price paid per kWh of electricity - which varies with location. As of November 2012, a Nissan Leaf driving Script error: No such module "convert". per week is estimated to cost US$600 per year in charging costs in Illinois, U.S., as compared to US$2,300 per year in fuel costs for an average new car using regular gasoline.
The EV1 energy use at 60 mph was about Script error: No such module "convert".. The 2011/12 Nissan Leaf uses Script error: No such module "convert". according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. These differences reflect the different design and utility targets for the vehicles, and the varying testing standards. The energy use greatly depends on the driving conditions and driving style. Nissan estimates that the Leaf's 5-year operating cost will be US$1,800 versus US$6,000 for a gasoline car in the US According to Nissan, the operating cost of the Leaf in the UK is 1.75 pence per mile (1.09p per km) when charging at an off-peak electricity rate, while a conventional petrol-powered car costs more than 10 pence per mile (6.25p per km). These estimates are based on a national average of British Petrol Economy 7 rates as of January 2012, and assumed 7 hours of charging overnight at the night rate and one hour in the daytime charged at the Tier-2 daytime rate.
The following table compares out-of-pocket fuel costs estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency according to its official ratings for fuel economy (miles per gallon gasoline equivalent in the case of plug-in electric vehicles) for series production all-electric passenger vehicles rated by the EPA as of January 2015[update], versus EPA rated most fuel efficient plug-in hybrid with long distance range (Chevrolet Volt), gasoline-electric hybrid car (Toyota Prius third generation), and EPA's average new 2013/14 vehicle, which has a fuel economy of Script error: No such module "convert"..
against EPA rated most fuel efficient plug-in hybrid, hybrid electric vehicle and 2013 average gasoline-powered car in the U.S.
Notes: All estimated fuel costs based on 15,000 miles annual driving, 45% highway and 55% city.
(1) Values rounded to the nearest $50. Electricity cost of $0.12/kw-hr (as of 26 January 2015[update]). Conversion 1 gallon of gasoline=33.7 kW-hr.
(2) Premium gasoline price of US$3.81 per gallon (used by the Volt), and regular gasoline price of US$3.49 per gallon (as of 30 March 2014[update]).
(3) The 2014 i3 REx is classified by EPA as a series plug-in hybrid, while for CARB is a range-extended battery-electric vehicle (BEVx). The i3 REx is the most fuel efficient EPA-certified current year vehicle with a gasoline engine with a combined gasoline/electricity rating of 88 mpg-e, but its total range is limited to Script error: No such module "convert"..
(4)The 2014 BMW i3 is the most fuel efficient EPA-certified vehicle of all fuel types considered in all years.
(5)The i3 REx has a combined fuel economy in all-electric mode of 117 mpg-e (29 kW-hrs/100 mi).
(6)Ratings correspond to both convertible and coupe models.
(8)Other 2013 models achieving 23 mpg include the Chrysler 200, and the Toyota Venza.
(9)Most fuel efficient PHEV capable of long distance travel. The 2013/14 Volt has a rating of 62 mpg-e for combined gasoline/electricity operation.
(10)Most fuel efficient hybrid electric car, together with the Prius c.
Most of the mileage-related cost of an electric vehicle can be attributed to electricity costs of charging the battery pack, and its potential replacement with age, because an electric vehicle has only around five moving parts in its motor, compared to a gasoline car that has hundreds of parts in its internal combustion engine. To calculate the cost per kilometer of an electric vehicle it is therefore necessary to assign a monetary value to the wear incurred on the battery. With use, the capacity of a battery decreases. However, even an 'end of life' battery which has insufficient capacity has market value as it can be re-purposed, recycled or used as a spare.
The Tesla Roadster's very large battery pack is expected to last seven years with typical driving and costs US$12,000 when pre-purchased today. Driving Script error: No such module "convert". per day for seven years or Script error: No such module "convert". leads to a battery consumption cost of US$0.1174 per Script error: No such module "convert". or US$4.70 per Script error: No such module "convert".. The company Better Place provided another cost comparison as they anticipate meeting contractual obligations to deliver batteries as well as clean electricity to recharge the batteries at a total cost of US$0.08 per Script error: No such module "convert". in 2010, US$0.04 per mile by 2015 and US$0.02 per mile by 2020. Script error: No such module "convert". of driving would initially cost US$3.20 and fall over time to US$0.80.
A 2010 report, by J.D. Power and Associates states that it is not entirely clear to consumers the total cost of ownership of battery electric vehicles over the life of the vehicle, and "there is still much confusion about how long one would have to own such a vehicle to realize cost savings on fuel, compared with a vehicle powered by a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE). The resale value of HEVs and BEVs, as well as the cost of replacing depleted battery packs, are other financial considerations that weigh heavily on consumers’ minds."
A study published in 2011, by the Belfer Center, Harvard University, found that the gasoline costs savings of plug-in electric cars over their lifetimes do not offset their higher purchase prices. The study compared the lifetime net present value at 2010 purchase and operating costs for the US market with no government subsidies. The study estimated that a PHEV-40 is US$5,377 more expensive than a conventional internal combustion engine, while a battery electric vehicle is US$4,819 more expensive. But assuming that battery costs will decrease and gasoline prices increase over the next 10 to 20 years, the study found that BEVs will be significantly cheaper than conventional cars (US$1,155 to US$7,181 cheaper). PHEVs, will be more expensive than BEVs in almost all comparison scenarios, and more expensive than conventional cars unless battery costs are very low and gasoline prices high. Savings differ because BEVs are simpler to build and do not use liquid fuel, while PHEVs have more complicated power trains and still have gasoline-powered engines.
Electric cars usually also show significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions, depending on the method used for electricity generation to charge the batteries.
Even when the power is generated using fossil fuels, electric vehicles usually, compared to gasoline vehicles, show significant reductions in overall well-wheel global carbon emissions due to the highly carbon intensive production in mining, pumping, refining, transportation and the efficiencies obtained with gasoline. Researchers in Germany have claimed that while there is some technical superiority of electric propulsion compared with conventional technology that in many countries the effect of electrification of vehicles' fleet emissions will predominantly be due to regulation rather than technology. Indeed electricity production is submitted to emission quotas, while vehicles' fuel propulsion is not, thus electrification shifts demand from a non-capped sector to a capped sector.
Many countries are introducing CO2 average emissions targets across all cars sold by a manufacturer, with financial penalties on manufacturers that fail to meet these targets. This has created an incentive for manufacturers, especially those selling many heavy or high-performance cars, to introduce electric cars as a means of reducing average fleet CO2 emissions.
Electric cars have several benefits over conventional internal combustion engine automobiles, including a significant reduction of local air pollution, especially in cities, as they have no tailpipe, and therefore do not emit harmful tailpipe pollutants such as particulates (soot), volatile organic compounds, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, ozone, lead, and various oxides of nitrogen. The clean air benefit may only be local because, depending on the source of the electricity used to recharge the batteries, air pollutant emissions may be shifted to the location of the generation plants. This is referred to as the long tailpipe of electric vehicles.
Nevertheless, introducing EV would come with a major environmental benefits in most (EU) countries, except those relying on old coal fired power plants. So for example the part of electricity, which is produced with renewable energy is (2014) in Norway 99 percent and in Germany 30 percent.
The amount of carbon dioxide emitted depends on the emission intensity of the power source used to charge the vehicle, the efficiency of the said vehicle and the energy wasted in the charging process. For mains electricity the emission intensity varies significantly per country and within a particular country it will vary depending on demand, the availability of renewable sources and the efficiency of the fossil fuel-based generation used at a given time.
Charging a vehicle using renewable energy (e.g. wind power or solar panels) yields very low carbon footprint-only that to produce and install the generation system (see Energy Returned On Energy Invested.) Even on a fossil-fuelled grid, it's quite feasible for a household with a solar panel to produce enough energy to account for their electric car usage, thus (on average) cancelling out the emissions of charging the vehicle, whether or not the panel directly charges it.
The following table compares tailpipe and upstream CO2 emissions estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for all series production model year 2014 all-electric passenger vehicles available in the U.S. market. Since all-electric cars do not produce tailpipe emissions, for comparison purposes the two most fuel efficient plug-in hybrids and the typical gasoline-powered car are included in the table. Total emissions include the emissions associated with the production and distribution of electricity used to charge the vehicle, and for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, it also includes emissions associated with tailpipe emissions produced from the internal combustion engine. These figures were published by the EPA in October in its 2014 report "Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends."
In order to account for the upstream CO2 emissions associated with the production and distribution of electricity, and since electricity production in the United States varies significantly from region to region, the EPA considered three scenarios/ranges with the low end scenario corresponding to the California powerplant emissions factor, the middle of the range represented by the national average powerplant emissions factor, and the upper end of the range corresponding to the powerplant emissions factor for the Rocky Mountains. The EPA estimates that the electricity GHG emission factors for various regions of the country vary from 346 g CO2/kWh in California to 986 g CO2/kWh in the Rockies, with a national average of 648 g CO2/kWh. In the case of plug-in hybrids, and since their all-electric range depends on the size of the battery pack, the analysis introduced a utility factor as a projection of the share of miles that will be driven using electricity by an average driver.
using electricity (in electric only and blended modes) by an average driver. (3) The EPA classifies the i3 REx as a series plug-in hybrid.
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) published in 2012, a report with an assessment of average greenhouse gas emissions resulting from charging plug-in car batteries considering the full life-cycle (well-to-wheel analysis) and the fuel used to generate electric power by region in the U.S. The study used the Nissan Leaf all-electric car to establish the analysis's baseline. The UCS study expressed the results in terms of miles per gallon instead of the conventional unit of grams of carbon dioxide emissions per year. The study found that in areas where electricity is generated from natural gas, nuclear, or renewable resources such as hydroelectric, the potential of plug-in electric cars to reduce greenhouse emissions is significant. On the other hand, in regions where a high proportion of power is generated from coal, hybrid electric cars produce less CO2 emissions than plug-in electric cars, and the best fuel efficient gasoline-powered subcompact car produces slightly less emissions than a plug-in car. In the worst-case scenario, the study estimated that for a region where all energy is generated from coal, a plug-in electric car would emit greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to a gasoline car rated at a combined city/highway fuel economy of Script error: No such module "convert".. In contrast, in a region that is completely reliant on natural gas, the plug-in would be equivalent to a gasoline-powered car rated at Script error: No such module "convert". combined.
The study found that for 45% of the U.S. population, a plug-in electric car will generate lower CO2 emissions than a gasoline-powered car capable of a combined fuel economy of Script error: No such module "convert"., such as the Toyota Prius. Cities in this group included Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, and Salt Lake City, and the cleanest cities achieved well-to-wheel emissions equivalent to a fuel economy of Script error: No such module "convert".. The study also found that for 37% of the population, the electric car emissions will fall in the range of a gasoline-powered car rated at a combined fuel economy between Script error: No such module "convert"., such as the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Lexus CT200h. Cities in this group include Phoenix, Arizona, Houston, Miami, Columbus, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia. An 18% of the population lives in areas where the power supply is more dependent on burning carbon, and emissions will be equivalent to a car rated at a combined fuel economy between Script error: No such module "convert"., such as the Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus. This group includes Denver, Minneapolis, Saint Louis, Missouri, Detroit, and Oklahoma City. The study found that there are no regions in the U.S. where plug-in electric cars will have higher greenhouse gas emissions than the average new compact gasoline engine automobile, and the area with the dirtiest power supply produces CO2 emissions equivalent to a gasoline-powered car rated Script error: No such module "convert"..
In September 2014, the UCS published an updated analysis of its 2012 report. The 2014 analysis found that 60% of Americans, up from 45% in 2012, live in regions where an all-electric car produce fewer CO2 equivalent emissions per mile than the most efficient hybrid. The UCS study found two reasons for the improvement. First, electric utilities have adopted cleaner sources of electricity to their mix between the two analysis. Second, electric vehicles have become more efficient, as the average 2013 all-electric vehicle used 0.33 kWh per mile, representing a 5% improvement over 2011 models. Also, some new models are cleaner than the average, such as the BMW i3, which is rated at 0.27 kWh by the EPA. In states with a cleaner mix generation, the gains were larger. The average all-electric car in California went up to Script error: No such module "convert". equivalent from Script error: No such module "convert". in the 2012 study. States with dirtier generation that rely heavily on coal still lag, such as Colorado, where the average BEV only achieves the same emissions as a Script error: No such module "convert". gasoline-powered car. The author of the 2014 analysis noted that the benefits are not distributed evenly across the U.S. because electric car adoptions is concentrated in the states with cleaner power.
One criticism to the UCS analysis and several other that have analyze the benefits of PEVs is that these analysis were made using average emissions rates across regions instead of marginal generation at different times of the day. The former approach does not take into account the generation mix within interconnected electricity markets and shifting load profiles throughout the day. An analysis by three economist affiliated with the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), published in November 2014, developed a methodology to estimate marginal emissions of electricity demand that vary by location and time of day across the United States. The marginal analysis, applied to plug-in electric vehicles, found that the emissions of charging PEVs vary by region and hours of the day. In some regions, such as the Western U.S. and Texas, CO2 emissions per mile from driving PEVs are less than those from driving a hybrid car. However, in other regions, such as the Upper Midwest, charging during the recommended hours of midnight to 4 a.m. implies that PEVs generate more emissions per mile than the average car currently on the road. The results show a fundamental tension between electricity load management and environmental goals as the hours when electricity is the least expensive to produce tend to be the hours with the greatest emissions. This occurs because coal-fired units, which have higher emission rates, are most commonly used to meet base-level and off-peak electricity demand; while natural gas units, which have relatively low emissions rates, are often brought online to meet peak demand.
A study made in the UK in 2008, concluded that electric vehicles had the potential to cut down carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40%, even taking into account the emissions due to current electricity generation in the UK and emissions relating to the production and disposal of electric vehicles.
The savings are questionable relative to hybrid or diesel cars (according to official British government testing, the most efficient European market cars are well below 115 grams of CO2 per kilometer driven, although a study in Scotland gave 149.5 gCO2/km as the average for new cars in the UK), but since UK consumers can select their energy suppliers, it also will depend on how 'green' their chosen supplier is in providing energy into the grid. In contrast to other countries, in the UK a stable part of the electricity is produced by nuclear, coal and gas plants. Therefore there are only minor differences in the environmental impact over the year.
In a worst-case scenario where incremental electricity demand would be met exclusively with coal, a 2009 study conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature and IZES found that a mid-size EV would emit roughly Script error: No such module "convert"., compared with an average of Script error: No such module "convert". for a gasoline-powered compact car. This study concluded that introducing 1 million EV cars to Germany would, in the best-case scenario, only reduce CO2 emissions by 0.1%, if nothing is done to upgrade the electricity infrastructure or manage demand. A more reasonable estimate, relaxing the coal assumption, was provided by Massiani and Weinmann taking into account that the source of energy used for electricity generation would be determined based on the temporal pattern of the additional electricity demand (in other words an increase in electricity consumption at peak hour will activate the marginal technology, while an off peak increase would typically activate other technologies). Their conclusion is that natural gas will provide most of the energy used to reaload EV, while renewable energy will not represent more than a few percent of the energy used.
Volkswagen conducted a life-cycle assessment of its electric vehicles certified by an independent inspection agency. The study found that CO2 emissions during the use phase of its all-electric VW e-Golf are 99% lower than those of the Golf 1.2 TSI when powers comes from exclusively hydroelectricity generated in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Accounting for the electric car entire life-cycle, the e-Golf reduces emissions by 61%. When the actual EU-27 electricity mix is considered, the e-Golf emissions are still 26% lower than those of the conventional Golf 1.2 TSI.
In 2014 in Germany 28 percent of whole electricity was renewable energy produced in Germany.
In France and Belgium, which have a many nuclear power plants, CO2 emissions from electric car use would be about 12 g per km (19.2 g per US mile). Because of the stable nuclear production, the timing of charging electric cars has almost no impact on their environmental footprint.
Several reports have found that hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars generate more carbon emissions during their production than current conventional vehicles, but still have a lower overall carbon footprint over the full life cycle. The initial higher carbon footprint is due mainly to battery production. As an example, the Ricardo study estimated that 43 percent of production emissions for a mid-size electric car are generated from the battery production.
A paper published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology named "Comparative environmental life cycle assessment of conventional and electric vehicles" begins by stating that it is important to address concerns of problem-shifting. The study highlighted in particular the toxicity of the electric car's manufacturing process compared to conventional petrol/diesel cars. It concludes that the global warming potential of the process used to make electric cars is twice that of conventional cars. The study also finds that electric cars do not make sense if the electricity they consume is produced predominately by coal-fired power plants.
Electric motors can provide high power-to-weight ratios, and batteries can be designed to supply the large currents to support these motors. Electric motors have very flat torque curves down to zero speed. For simplicity and reliability, many electric cars use fixed-ratio gearboxes and have no clutch.
Although some electric vehicles have very small motors, Script error: No such module "convert". or less and therefore have modest acceleration, many electric cars have large motors and brisk acceleration. In addition, the relatively constant torque of an electric motor, even at very low speeds tends to increase the acceleration performance of an electric vehicle relative to that of the same rated motor power internal combustion engine.
Electric vehicles can also use a direct motor-to-wheel configuration which increases the amount of available power. Having multiple motors connected directly to the wheels allows for each of the wheels to be used for both propulsion and as braking systems, thereby increasing traction. In some cases, the motor can be housed directly in the wheel, such as in the Whispering Wheel design, which lowers the vehicle's center of gravity and reduces the number of moving parts. When not fitted with an axle, differential, or transmission, electric vehicles have less drivetrain rotational inertia. Housing the motor within the wheel can increase the unsprung weight of the wheel, which can have an adverse effect on the handling of the vehicle.
For example, the Venturi Fetish delivers supercar acceleration despite a relatively modest 220 kW (295 hp), and top speed of around Script error: No such module "convert".. Some DC-motor-equipped drag racer EVs, have simple two-speed manual transmissions to improve top speed. The Tesla Roadster 2.5 Sport can accelerate from Script error: No such module "convert". in 3.7 seconds with a motor rated at Script error: No such module "convert".. The Tesla Model S Performance currently holds the world record for the quickest production electric car to do Script error: No such module "convert"., which it did in 12.37 seconds at Script error: No such module "convert".. And the Wrightspeed X1 prototype created by Wrightspeed Inc is the worlds fastest street legal electric car to accelerate from Script error: No such module "convert"., which it does in 2.9 seconds. The electric supercar Rimac Concept One can go from Script error: No such module "convert". in 2.8 seconds using Script error: No such module "convert"..
Internal combustion engines are relatively inefficient at converting on-board fuel energy to propulsion as most of the energy is wasted as heat. On the other hand, electric motors are more efficient in converting stored energy into driving a vehicle, and electric drive vehicles do not consume energy while at rest or coasting, and some of the energy lost when braking is captured and reused through regenerative braking, which captures as much as one fifth of the energy normally lost during braking. Typically, conventional gasoline engines effectively use only 15% of the fuel energy content to move the vehicle or to power accessories, and diesel engines can reach on-board efficiencies of 20%, while electric drive vehicles have on-board efficiency of around 80%.
Electric vehicles generate very little waste heat and resistance electric heat may have to be used to heat the interior of the vehicle if heat generated from battery charging/discharging cannot be used to heat the interior.
While heating can be simply provided with an electric resistance heater, higher efficiency and integral cooling can be obtained with a reversible heat pump (this is currently implemented in the hybrid Toyota Prius). Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) junction cooling is also attractive for its simplicity — this kind of system is used for example in the Tesla Roadster.
To avoid draining the battery and thus reducing the range, some models allow the cabin to heated while the car is plugged in. For example, the Nissan Leaf, the Mistubishi i-MiEV and the Tesla Model S can be pre-heated while the vehicle is plugged in.
Some electric cars, for example the Citroën Berlingo Electrique, use an auxiliary heating system (for example gasoline-fueled units manufactured by Webasto or Eberspächer) but sacrifice "green" and "Zero emissions" credentials. Cabin cooling can be augmented with solar power, most simply and effectively by inducting outside air to avoid extreme heat buildup when the vehicle is closed and parked in the sunlight (such cooling mechanisms are available for conventional vehicles, in some cases as aftermarket kits). Two models of the 2010 Toyota Prius include this feature as an option.
Lithium-ion batteries may suffer thermal runaway and cell rupture if overheated or overcharged, and in extreme cases this can lead to combustion. Several plug-in electric vehicle fire incidents have taken place since the introduction of mass-production plug-in electric vehicles in 2008. Most of them have been thermal runaway incidents related to their lithium-ion battery packs, and have involved the Zotye M300 EV, Chevrolet Volt, Fisker Karma, BYD e6, Dodge Ram 1500 Plug-in Hybrid, Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Outlander P-HEV. As of November 2013[update], four post-crash fires associated with the batteries of all-electric cars—involving one BYD e6 and three Tesla Model S cars—have been reported.
The first modern crash-related fire was reported in China in May 2012, after a high-speed car crashed into a BYD e6 taxi in Shenzhen. The second reported incident occurred in the United States in October 1, 2013, when a Tesla Model S caught fire after the electric car hit metal debris on a highway in Kent, Washington state, and the debris punctured one of 16 modules within the battery pack. A second reported fire occurred on October 18, 2013 in Merida, Mexico. In this case the vehicle was being driven at high speed through a roundabout and crashed through a wall and into a tree. On November 6, 2013, a Tesla Model S being driven on Interstate 24 near Murfreesboro, Tennessee caught fire after it struck a tow hitch on the roadway, causing damage beneath the vehicle.
In the United States, General Motors ran in several cities a training program for firefighters and first responders to demonstrate the sequence of tasks required to safely disable the Chevrolet Volt’s powertrain and its 12 volt electrical system, which controls its high-voltage components, and then proceed to extricate injured occupants. The Volt's high-voltage system is designed to shut down automatically in the event of an airbag deployment, and to detect a loss of communication from an airbag control module. GM also made available an Emergency Response Guide for the 2011 Volt for use by emergency responders. The guide also describes methods of disabling the high voltage system and identifies cut zone information. Nissan also published a guide for first responders that details procedures for handling a damaged 2011 Leaf at the scene of an accident, including a manual high-voltage system shutdown, rather than the automatic process built-in the car's safety systems.
Great effort is taken to keep the mass of an electric vehicle as low as possible to improve its range and endurance. However, the weight and bulk of the batteries themselves usually makes an EV heavier than a comparable gasoline vehicle, reducing range and leading to longer braking distances. However, in a collision, the occupants of a heavy vehicle will, on average, suffer fewer and less serious injuries than the occupants of a lighter vehicle; therefore, the additional weight brings safety benefits despite having a negative effect on the car's performance. They also use up interior space if packeaged ineffectively. If stored under the passenger cell, not only is this not the case, they also lower the vehicles's center of gravity, increasing driving stability, thereby lowering the risk of an accident through loss of control. An accident in a Script error: No such module "convert". vehicle will on average cause about 50% more injuries to its occupants than a Script error: No such module "convert". vehicle. In a single car accident, and for the other car in a two car accident, the increased mass causes an increase in accelerations and hence an increase in the severity of the accident.
Some electric cars use low rolling resistance tires, which typically offer less grip than normal tires. Many electric cars have a small, light and fragile body, though, and therefore offer inadequate safety protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in America had condemned the use of low speed vehicles and "mini trucks," referred to as neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) when powered by electric motors, on public roads. Mindful of this, several companies (Tesla Motors, BMW) have succeeded in keeping the body light, while making it very strong.
At low speeds, electric cars produced less roadway noise as compared to vehicles propelled by internal combustion engines. Blind people or the visually impaired consider the noise of combustion engines a helpful aid while crossing streets, hence electric cars and hybrids could pose an unexpected hazard. Tests have shown that this is a valid concern, as vehicles operating in electric mode can be particularly hard to hear below Script error: No such module "convert". for all types of road users and not only the visually impaired. At higher speeds, the sound created by tire friction and the air displaced by the vehicle start to make sufficient audible noise.
The Government of Japan, the U.S. Congress, and the European Parliament passed legislation to regulate the minimum level of sound for hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles when operating in electric mode, so that blind people and other pedestrians and cyclists can hear them coming and detect from which direction they are approaching. The Nissan Leaf was the first electric car to use Nissan's Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians system, which includes one sound for forward motion and another for reverse. As of January 2014[update], most of the hybrids and plug-in electric and hybrids available in the United States, Japan and Europe make warning noises using a speaker system. The Tesla Model S is one of the few electric cars without warning sounds, because Tesla Motors will await until regulations are enacted. Volkswagen and BMW also decided to add artificial sounds to their electric drive cars only when required by regulation.
Several anti-noise and electric car advocates have opposed the introduction of artificial sounds as warning for pedestrians, as they argue that the proposed system will only increase noise pollution.
Presently most EV manufacturers do their best to emulate the driving experience as closely as possible to that of a car with a conventional automatic transmission that motorists are familiar with. Most models therefore have a PRNDL selector traditionally found in cars with automatic transmission despite the underlying mechanical differences. Push buttons are the easiest to implement as all modes are implemented through software on the vehicle's controller.
Even though the motor may be permanently connected to the wheels through a fixed-ratio gear and no parking pawl may be present the modes "P" and "N" will still be provided on the selector. In this case the motor is disabled in "N" and an electrically actuated hand brake provides the "P" mode.
When the foot is lifted from the accelerator of an ICE, engine braking causes the car to slow. An EV would coast under these conditions, and applying mild regenerative braking instead provides a more familiar response. Selecting the L mode will increase this effect for sustained downhill driving, analogous to selecting a lower gear.
Prototypes of 75 watt-hour/kilogram lithium-ion polymer battery. Newer lithium-ion cells can provide up to 130 W·h/kg and last through thousands of charging cycles.
While most current highway-speed electric vehicle designs focus on lithium-ion and other lithium-based variants a variety of alternative batteries can also be used. Lithium-based batteries are often chosen for their high power and energy density but have a limited shelf life and cycle lifetime which can significantly increase the running costs of the vehicle. Variants such as Lithium iron phosphate and Lithium-titanate attempt to solve the durability issues with traditional lithium-ion batteries.
Other battery types include lead acid batteries which are still the most used form of power for most of the electric vehicles used today. The initial construction costs are significantly lower than for other battery types, but the power to weight ratio is poorer than other designs, Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) which are somewhat heavier and less efficient than lithium ion, but also cheaper. Several other battery chemistries are in development such as zinc-air battery which could be much lighter, and liquid batteries that might be rapidly refilled, rather than recharged, are also under development.
The range of an electric car depends on the number and type of batteries used. The weight and type of vehicle, and the performance demands of the driver, also have an impact just as they do on the range of traditional vehicles. Range may also significantly be reduced in cold weather.
The Tesla Roadster can travel Script error: No such module "convert". per charge; more than double that of prototypes and evaluation fleet cars currently on the roads.
Electric cars are virtually universally fitted with an expected range display. This takes into account many factors, including battery charge, the recent average current use, the ambient temperature, driving style, air conditioning system use etc. and comes up with an estimated driving range. However, factors associated with the route including the topography and road speeds are usually not included, and the estimate can vary from the actual achievable range. People can be concerned that they would run out of energy from their battery before reaching their destination, a worry known as range anxiety.
The display allows the driver able to make informed choices about driving speed and whether to, perhaps briefly, stop at a charging point en route to ensure that they have enough charge that they arrive at their destination successfully.
Most cars with internal combustion engines can be considered to have indefinite range, as they can be refueled very quickly. Electric cars often have less maximum range on one charge than cars powered by fossil fuels, and they can take considerable time to recharge. However, they can be charged at home overnight, which fossil fueled cars cannot. 71% of all car drivers in America drive less than Script error: No such module "convert". per day,.
However, most vehicles also support much faster charging, where a suitable power supply is available. Therefore for long distance travel, in the US and elsewhere, there has been the installation of DC Fast Charging stations with high-speed charging capability from three-phase industrial outlets so that consumers could recharge the 100-200+ mile battery of their electric vehicle to 80 percent in about 30 minutes. Although charging at these stations is still relatively time consuming compared to refueling, in practice it often meshes well with a normal driving pattern, where driving is usually done for a few hours before stopping and resting and drink or eating; this gives the car a chance to be charged.
The Tesla Roadster can be fully recharged in about 3.5 hours from a 220-volt, 70-amp outlet which can be installed in a home. But using a European standard 220-volt, 16-amp outlet a full charge will take more than 15 hours. However, the more common Tesla Model S can be fast charged from a proprietary DC rapid-charging station that provides up to 135 kW of power, giving 85 kWh vehicles an additional Script error: No such module "convert". of range in about 30 minutes.
As of December 2013[update], Estonia is the first and only country that had deployed an EV charging network with nationwide coverage, with fast chargers available along highways at a minimum distance of between Script error: No such module "convert"., and a higher density in urban areas. A nationwide fast charging infrastructure is currently being deployed in the US that by 2013 will cover the entire nation. DC Fast Chargers are going to be installed at 45 BP and ARCO locations and will be made available to the public as early as March 2011. The EV Project will deploy charge infrastructure in 16 cities and major metropolitan areas in six states. Nissan has announced that 200 of its dealers in Japan will install fast chargers for the December 2010 launch of its Leaf EV, with the goal of having fast chargers everywhere in Japan within a 25-mile radius.
Another way to extend the limited range of electric vehicles is by battery swapping. An EV can go to a battery switch station and swap a depleted battery with a fully charged one in a few minutes. In 2011 Better Place deployed the first modern commercial application of the battery switching model, but due to financial difficulties, the company filed for bankruptcy in May 2013.
Tesla Motors designed its Model S to allow fast battery swapping. In June 2013, Tesla announced their goal to deploy a battery swapping station in each of its supercharging stations. At a demonstration event Tesla showed that a battery swap operation with the Model S takes just over 90 seconds, about half the time it takes to refill a gasoline-powered car. The first stations are planned to be deployed along Interstate 5 in California where, according to Tesla, a large number of Model S sedans make the San Francisco-Los Angeles trip regularly. These will be followed by the Washington, DC to Boston corridor. Each swapping station will cost US$500,000 and will have about 50 batteries available without requiring reservations. The service would be offered for the price of about Script error: No such module "convert". of gasoline at the current local rate, around US$60 to US$80 at June 2013 prices.
A similar idea is that of the range-extension trailer which is attached only when going on long trips. The trailers can either be owned or rented only when necessary.
BMW i is offering a built-in gasoline-powered range extender engine as an option for its BMW i3 all-electric car. The range-extender option will cost an additional US$3,850 in the United States, an additional €4,710 (~ US$6,300) in France, and €4,490 (~ US$6,000) in the Netherlands.
Battery life should be considered when calculating the extended cost of ownership, as all batteries eventually wear out and must be replaced. The rate at which they expire depends on the type of battery and how they are used — many types of batteries are damaged by depleting them beyond a certain level. Lithium-ion batteries degrade faster when stored at higher temperatures.
A full replacement battery is relatively costly. With technological advances there are now recycle options available (“Maintenance and Safety of Electric Vehicles”), and a battery that is no longer capable of delivering sufficient range nevertheless has significant trade-in value.
Although there are times when batteries do fail the electric vehicles batteries are designed to last for the expected life of the vehicle. Failure rate of some electric vehicles batteries already on the road are as low as 0.003%. There is also high mileage warranties on the electric vehicle batteries. Several manufactures offer up to eight year and one hundred thousand mile warranties on the batteries alone.
The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is one of the largest known lithium reserves in the world.
Many electric cars use a lithium-ion battery and an electric motor which uses rare earth elements. The demand for lithium, heavy metals, and other specific elements (such as neodymium, boron and cobalt) required for the batteries and powertrain is expected to grow significantly due to the future sales increase of plug-in electric vehicles in the mid and long term. Some of the largest world reserves of lithium and other rare metals are located in countries with strong resource nationalism, unstable governments or hostility to U.S. interests, raising concerns about the risk of replacing dependence on foreign oil with a new dependence on hostile countries to supply strategic materials. It is estimated that there are sufficient lithium reserves to power 4 billion electric cars.
Solar cars are electric vehicles powered completely or significantly by direct solar energy, usually, through photovoltaic (PV) cells contained in solar panels that convert the sun's energy directly into electric energy.
Charging station at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This station is run by Petrobras and uses solar energy.
Batteries in BEVs must be periodically recharged (see also Replacing, above).
Unlike vehicles powered by fossil fuels, BEVs are most commonly and conveniently charged from the power grid overnight at home, without the inconvenience of having to go to a filling station. Charging can also be done using a street or shop charging station.
The electricity on the grid is in turn generated from a variety of sources; such as coal, hydroelectricity, nuclear and others. Power sources such as roof top photovoltaic solar cell panels, micro hydro or wind may also be used and are promoted because of concerns regarding global warming.
As part of its commitment to environmental sustainability, the Dutch government initiated a plan to establish over 200 recharging stations for electric vehicles across the country by 2015. The rollout will be undertaken by Switzerland-based power and automation company ABB and Dutch startup Fastned, and will aim to provide at least one station every 50 kilometres (31 miles) for the Netherlands' 16 million residents.
Newer cars and prototypes are looking at ways of dramatically reducing the charging times for electric cars. The BMW i3 for example, can charge 0-80% of the battery in under 30 minutes in rapid charging mode. The superchargers developed by Tesla Motors provided up to 130 kW of charging, allowing a 50% charge in 20 minutes. Considering the size of the battery, that translated to approx. 212 km of range.
Around 1998 the California Air Resources Board classified levels of charging power that have been codified in title 13 of the California Code of Regulations, the U.S. 1999 National Electrical Code section 625 and SAE International standards. Three standards were developed, termed Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 charging.
IEC 62198-2 Type 3 colloquially known as "Scame"
* or potentially 208 V × 37 A, out of the strict specification but within circuit breaker and connector/cable power limits. Alternatively, this voltage would impose a lower power rating of 6.7 kW at 32 A.
More recently the term "Level 3" has also been used by the SAE J1772 Standard Committee for a possible future higher-power AC fast charging standard. To distinguish from Level 3 DC fast charging, this would-be standard is written as "Level 3 AC". SAE has not yet approved standards for either AC or DC Level 3 charging.
As of June 2012[update], some electric cars provide charging options that do not fit within the older California "Level 1, 2, and 3 charging" standard, with its top charging rate of 40 Amps. For example, the Tesla Roadster may be charged at a rate up to 70 Amps (16.8 kW) with a wall-mounted charger.
For comparison in Europe the IEC 61851-1 charging modes are used to classify charging equipment. The provisions of IEC 62196 charging modes for conductive charging of electric vehicles include Mode 1 (max. 16 A / max. 250 V AC. or 480 V three-phase), Mode 2 (max. 32 A / max. 250 V AC or 480 V three-phase), Mode 3 (max. 63 A (70 A U.S.) / max. 690 V AC or three-phase) and Mode 4 (max. 400 A / max. 600 V DC).
Most electric cars have used conductive coupling to supply electricity for recharging after the California Air Resources Board settled on the SAE J1772-2001 standard as the charging interface for electric vehicles in California in June 2001. In Europe the ACEA has decided to use the Type 2 connector from the range of IEC_62196 plug types for conductive charging of electric vehicles in the European Union as the Type 1 connector (SAE J1772-2009) does not provide for three-phase charging.
Another approach is inductive charging using a non-conducting "paddle" inserted into a slot in the car. Delco Electronics developed the Magne Charge inductive charging system around 1998 for the General Motors EV1 and it was also used for the Chevrolet S-10 EV and Toyota RAV4 EV vehicles.
More electrical power to the car reduces charging time. Power is limited by the capacity of the grid connection, and, for level 1 and 2 charging, by the power rating of the car's on-board charger. A normal household outlet is between 1.5 kW (in the US, Canada, Japan, and other countries with 110 volt supply) to 3 kW (in countries with 230 V supply). The main connection to a house may sustain 10, 15 or even 20 kW in addition to "normal" domestic loads—although, it would be unwise to use all the apparent capability—and special wiring can be installed to use this.
As examples of on-board chargers, the Nissan Leaf at launch has a 3.3 kW charger and the Tesla Roadster can accept up to 16.8 kW (240 V at 70 A) from the High Power Wall Connector. These power numbers are small compared to the effective power delivery rate of an average petrol pump, about 5,000 kW.
During blackouts, as an emergency backup supply.
Short-range battery electric vehicles can offer the hobbyist comfort, utility, and quickness, sacrificing only range. Short-range EVs may be built using high-performance lead–acid batteries, using about half the mass needed for a Script error: No such module "convert". range. The result is a vehicle with about a Script error: No such module "convert". range, which, when designed with appropriate weight distribution (40/60 front to rear), does not require power steering, offers exceptional acceleration in the lower end of its operating range, and is freeway capable and legal. But their EVs are expensive due to the higher cost for these higher-performance batteries. By including a manual transmission, short-range EVs can obtain both better performance and greater efficiency than the single-speed EVs developed by major manufacturers. Unlike the converted golf carts used for neighborhood electric vehicles, short-range EVs may be operated on typical suburban throughways (where 60–80 km/h / 35-50 mph speed limits are typical) and can keep up with traffic typical on such roads and the short "slow-lane" on-and-off segments of freeways common in suburban areas.
Faced with chronic fuel shortage on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian electrical engineer Waseem Othman al-Khozendar invented in 2008 a way to convert his car to run on 32 electric batteries. According to al-Khozendar, the batteries can be charged with US$2 worth of electricity to drive from Script error: No such module "convert".. After a 7-hour charge, the car should also be able to run up to a speed of Script error: No such module "convert"..
Japanese Professor Hiroshi Shimizu from Faculty of Environmental Information of the Keio University created an electric limousine: the Eliica (Electric Lithium-Ion Car) has eight wheels with electric 55 kW hub motors (8WD) with an output of 470 kW and zero emissions, a top speed of Script error: No such module "convert"., and a maximum range of Script error: No such module "convert". provided by lithium-ion batteries. However, current models cost approximately US$300,000, about one third of which is the cost of the batteries.
In 2008, several Chinese manufacturers began marketing [[lithium iron phosphate battery|lithium iron phosphate (Template:Chem/atomTemplate:Chem/atom) batteries]] directly to hobbyists and vehicle conversion shops. These batteries offered much better power-to-weight ratios allowing vehicle conversions to typically achieve Script error: No such module "convert". per charge. Prices gradually declined to approximately US$350 per kW·h by mid-2009. As the Template:Chem/atomTemplate:Chem/atom cells feature life ratings of 3,000 cycles, compared to typical lead acid battery ratings of 300 cycles, the life expectancy of Template:Chem/atomTemplate:Chem/atom cells is around 10 years. This has led to a resurgence in the number of vehicles converted by individuals. Template:Chem/atomTemplate:Chem/atom cells do require more expensive battery management and charging systems than lead acid batteries.
Electric drag racing is a sport where electric vehicles start from standstill and attempt the highest possible speed over a short given distance. They sometimes race and usually beat gasoline sports cars. Organizations such as NEDRA keep track of records world wide using certified equipment.
At the Formula Student competition at the Silverstone Circuit in July 2013, the electric powered car of the ETH Zurich won against all cars with internal combustion engines. It is believed to be the first time that an electric vehicle has beaten cars powered by combustion engines in any accredited motorsport competition.
Formula E, officially the FIA Formula E Championship, is a class of auto racing, sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and is the highest class of competition for one-make, single-seater, electrically powered racing cars. The series was conceived in 2012, and the inaugural championship started in Beijing on 13 September 2014.
Electric vehicles provide for less dependence on foreign oil, which for the United States and other developed or emerging countries is cause for concern about vulnerability to oil price volatility and supply disruption. Also for many developing countries, and particularly for the poorest in Africa, high oil prices have an adverse impact on their balance of payments, hindering their economic growth.
As of mid 2014, the GEM is among the world's top selling neighborhood electric vehicle, with more than 50,000 units sold since 1998.
As of October 2014[update], the number of mass production highway-capable all-electric passenger cars and utility vans available in the market is over 30 models. Most electric vehicles in the world roads are low-speed, low-range neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) or electric quadricycles. Pike Research estimated there were almost 479,000 NEVs on the world roads in 2011. The two largest NEV markets in 2011 were the United States, with 14,737 units sold, and France, with 2,231 units. The Renault Twizy all-electric heavy quadricycle, launched in Europe in March 2012 and with global sales of 9,020 units through December 2012, became the best selling plug-in electric vehicle in Europe for 2012. As of December 2014[update], global Twizy sales totaled 14,536 units. Just in China, a total of 200,000 low-speed small electric cars were sold in 2013, most of which are powered by lead-acid batteries. As of mid 2014, the GEM neighborhood electric vehicle is the market leader in North America, with global sales of more than 50,000 units since 1998.
The Nissan Leaf is the world's all-time best selling pure electric car. Global sales passed the 150,000 unit milestone in November 2014.
As of September 2014[update], more than 356,000 highway-capable all-electric passenger cars and light utility vehicles have been sold worldwide since 2008, out of total global sales of over 600,000 plug-in electric vehicles. The Renault-Nissan Alliance is the leading electric vehicle manufacturer with global sales of 217,365 all-electric vehicles delivered up until December 2014, representing a 56% share of the global light-duty all-electric market segment. Ranking second is Tesla Motors with about 70,000 electric cars sold between 2008 and March 2015. Mitsubishi Motors is the third best selling all-electric vehicle manufacturer, with global sales of over 50,000 all-electric vehicles between July 2009 and early March 2015, including the rebadged variants Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero sold in Europe; and over 6,200 Mitsubishi Minicab MiEV all-electric utility vans and trucks sold in Japan through December 2014.
classified as a neighborhood electric vehicle. (2) Out of production by early 2014.
through 2012, and almost 10,000 units of the third generation sold through 2014.
The world's top selling highway-capable electric car ever is the Nissan Leaf, released in December 2010 and sold in 35 countries, with global sales of over 165,000 units by early March 2015. Ranking second, is the Tesla Model S, with global deliveries of 56,782 units up until December 2014. The Renault Kangoo Z.E. utility van is the leader of the light-duty all-electric segment with global sales of 16,794 electric vans delivered through December 2014.
As of December 2013[update], the United States and Japan are the world's largest highway-capable electric car markets, followed by China and several Western European countries. A total of 72,028 all-electric cars have been sold in the U.S. since December 2010, while in Japan, 43,817 all-electric cars have been sold since July 2009. Cumulative sales in China totaled 31,558 pure electric vehicles since 2011. In Western Europe, the all-electric segment is led by France with 28,560 highway-capable all-electric vehicles registered since 2010, including all-electric delivery vans, which represent almost 40% of the French segment sales. During 2012 pure electric car sales were led by Japan with a 28% market share of global sales, followed by the United States with a 26% share, China with 16%, France with 11% and Norway with 7%.
Since 2010, a total of 75,951 highway-capable all-electric passenger cars have been sold in Western European countries through December 2013, with annual sales climbing from 1,614 all-electric cars in 2010, to 11,563 electric cars during 2011. During 2012 electric car sales totaled 24,157 units, and the segment sales climbed to 38,617 units in 2013, up 60% from 2012. The market share of the electric segment rose from 0.09% of all new car sales in the region in 2011 to 0.21% in 2012, and 0.34% in 2013. Despite the region's relatively low EV market share, several countries achieved significant growth in their PEV market shares. Norwegian pure electric car sales reached 5.6% of new car sales, up from 3.1% in 2012; the Dutch plug-in electric car share was 5.37%, up from an average of 0.57% during 2011 and 2012, and the result of a surge in sales of plug-in hybrids at the end of the year, with a total of 20,164 units registered during 2013; French sales of all-electric light-duty vehicles captured a 0.65% market share, which falls to 0.49% if all-electric utility vans are excluded; and Sweden had a PEV market share of 0.57%, up from an average of 0.19% during 2011 and 2012, with plug-in hybrids representing 72% of the segment sales in 2013. During the first half of 2014, five countries achieved plug-in electric car sales with a market share higher than 1% of new car sales, Norway (14,49%), Netherlands (4,58%), Iceland (2,20%), Sweden (1,52%), and Estonia (1,05%).
The Opel Ampera was the top selling plug-in electric car in Europe for 2012.
As of December 2012[update], the countries with the highest EV penetration among the registered passenger car stock were Norway with four electric cars per 1,000 automobiles, Estonia with one electric car for every 1,000 cars, and the Netherlands with a penetration of 0.6 electric cars per 1,000 registered cars. During 2013 Norway kept the leadership in market penetration with 20,486 plug-in electric vehicles registered out of 2.49 million passenger cars registered through December 2013, representing an EV penetration of 8.2 plug-in electric cars per 1,000 cars registered in the country. It is expected that sometime in April 2014 Norway will become the first country with a market penetration where 1 in every 100 registered passenger cars is all-electric.
The top selling electric cars in the region in 2011 were the Mitsubishi i-MiEV (2,608) followed by its rebadged versions the Peugeot iOn (1,926) and the Citroën C-Zero (1,830). The Opel/Vauxhall Ampera was Europe's top selling plug-in electric car in 2012 with 5,268 units representing a market share of 21.5% of the region's electric passenger car segment. The Nissan Leaf ranked second with 5,210 electric cars sold 20.8. In 2013 the top selling all-electric car was the Leaf with 11,120 units sold, followed by the Renault Zoe with 8,860 units. Plug-in hybrid sales were led by the Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV with 8,197 units. Accounting for cumulative sales since 2010, the Leaf is the top selling plug-in electric car in the European market with over 18,000 units delivered, and the Renault Kangoo Z.E. is the top selling utility van with 12,461 units.
The following table presents the top ranking countries according to market share of total new car sales in 2013 for overall plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales, including plug-in hybrids, and all-electric or battery electric vehicles (BEV).
as percentage of total new car sales in the country in 2013.
U.S. plug-in electric vehicle cumulative sales by month by type of powertrain from December 2010 up to December 2014. Cumulative plug-in car sales since 2008 reached the 250,000 unit milestone in August 2014.
As of September 2014[update], the United States has the largest fleet of highway-capable plug-in electric vehicles in the world, with over 250,000 plug-in electric cars sold since 2008, with California accounting for 40% of nationwide total sales. As of June 2014[update], the U.S. is the world's leader in plug-in electric car sales with a 45% share of global sales.
Accounting for sales from December 2010 to June 2014, a total of 97,872 all-electric cars have been sold in the country, in addition to 124,718 plug-in hybrid electric cars. Plug-in car sales climbed from 17,800 units in 2011 to 53,200 during 2012, and reached 97,100 units delivered in 2013, up 83% from the previous year. During the first half of 2014 plug-in electric car sales totaled 54,973 units, up 35% year-on-year. Plug-in car sales during 2013 represented a 0.62% market share of total new car sales, up from of 0.37% in 2012, and 0.14% in 2011. During the first half of 2014 plug-in electric car sales totaled 54,973 units, representing a 0.67% market share of new car sales. The best monthly PEV sales volume on record ever was achieved in May 2014, with over 12,000 units delivered, representing a market share of 0.78% of new car sales. October 2013 achieved the best-ever market share for plug-in vehicles at 0.85% of new car sales.
The Nissan Leaf (left) and the Tesla Model S (right) are the two best selling pure electric cars in the U.S.
As of June 2014[update], cumulative plug-in car sales are led by the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid with 63,167 units, followed by the Nissan Leaf electric car with 54,858 units. Both PEVs were released in December 2010. Launched in the U.S. market in February 2012, the Prius PHV ranks as the third top selling plug-in electric car with 34,138 units; followed by the all-electric Tesla Model S, released in June 2012, with about 27,900 units delivered; During 2013 sales were led by the Chevrolet Volt with 23,094 units, followed by the Nissan Leaf with 22,610 cars, and the Tesla Model S with almost 18,000 units. Sales during the first half of 2014 sales were led by the Nissan Leaf with 12,736 units, followed by the Prius PHEV with 9,300 units, the Volt with 8,615, the Model S with an estimated 7,400 units, and the Fusion Energi with 6,235 units.
California, the largest United States car market, is also the leading plug-in electric-drive market in the country. About 40% of the segment's nationwide sales during 2011 and 2012 were made in California, while the state represents about 10% of all new car sales in the country. As of August 2014[update], California still accounts for 40% of total plug-in electric car sales in the U.S. with over 100,000 plug-in cars sold. From January to May 2013, 52% of American plug-in electric car registrations were concentrated in five metropolitan areas: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York and Atlanta.
The Nissan Leaf is the top selling plug-in electric vehicle in Japan.
As of December 2013[update], a total of 43,817 all-electric cars have been sold in Japan since July 2009 The Nissan Leaf is the market leader with over 34,465 units sold since December 2010, followed by the Mitsubishi i MiEV, launched for fleet customers in Japan in late July 2009, with cumulative sales of 9,402 i-MiEVs through December 2013. In addition, 5,249 all-electric light utility vehicles have sold through December 2013, including 4,695 Mitsubishi Minicab MiEV utility vans and 554 units of its all-electric mini truck version. The Japanese plug-in electric-drive stock rises to over 74,100 plug-in electric vehicles, when accounting for 15,400 Toyota Prius PHVs and 9,608 Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEVs sold through December 2013. As of December 2013[update], pure electric vehicles represent 66.3% of cumulative sales of the plug-in electric vehicle segment, with 49,116 all-electric cars and light-utility vehicles sold.
During 2012, global sales of pure electric cars were led by Japan with a 28% market share of total sales, followed by the United States with a 26% share. Japan ranked second after the U.S. in terms of its share of plug-in hybrid sales in 2012, with a 12% of global sales. A total of 29,716 highway-capable plug-in electric vehicles were sold in 2013, representing a 0.55% market share of the 5.3 million new cars and kei cars sold during 2013. During 2013 sales were led by the Nissan Leaf with 13,021 units, followed by the Outlander P-HEV with 9,608 units.
As of early March 2014, the new energy vehicle stock in China was estimated at about 50,000 units. As of March 2013[update], about 80% of the plug-in electric vehicles on the roads were used in public transportation, both bus and taxi services. The share of all-electric buses in the Chinese autobus market climbed from 2% in 2010 to 9.9% in 2012, and was expected to be closed to 20% for 2013. According a report by Mckinsey, electric vehicle sales between January 2009 and June 2012 represented less than 0.01% of new car sales in China. Accounting for new energy vehicle sales between January 2011 and December 2014, a total of 113,355 units have been sold in the country, of which, 76,606 units (67.6%) are all-electric vehicles, including buses.
A total of 8,159 new energy vehicles were sold in China during 2011, including passenger cars (61%) and buses (28%). Of these, 5,579 units were all-electric vehicles and 2,580 plug-in hybrids. Electric vehicle sales represented 0.04% of total new car sales in 2011. Sales of new energy vehicles in 2012 reached 12,791 units, which includes 11,375 all-electric vehicles and 1,416 plug-in hybrids. New energy vehicle sales in 2012 represented 0.07% of the country's total new car sales. During 2013 new energy vehicle sales totaled 17,642 units, up 37.9% from 2012 and representing 0.08% of the nearly 22 million new car sold in the country in 2013. Deliveries included 14,604 pure electric vehicles and 3,038 plug-in hybrids. In addition, a total of 200,000 low-speed small electric cars were sold in 2013, most of which are powered by lead-acid batteries and not accounted by the government as new energy vehicles due to safety and environmental concerns.
New energy vehicle sales in China during 2014 totaled 74,763 units, of which, 71% were passenger cars, 27% buses, and 1% trucks. A total of 45,048 all-electric vehicles were sold in 2014, up 210% from a year earlier, and 29,715 plug-in hybrids, up 880% from 2013. The plug-in electric segment market share reached 0.32% of the 23.5 million new car sales sold in 2014.
The Chery QQ3 EV was the top selling new energy car in China between 2011 and 2013, with 2,167 units sold in 2011, 3,129 in 2012, and 5,727 in 2013. Cumulative sales since January 2011 through March 2014 reached 13,039 units. The BYD Qin plug-in hybrid, introduced in December 2013, ranked as the top selling plug-in electric car in China in 2014, with 14,747 units sold, followed by the all-electrics Zotye Zhidou E20 with 7,341 units and BAIC E150 EV with 5,234.
Since January 2010, a total of 28,560 highway-capable all-electric vehicles have been registered in France through December 2013, of which, 17,256 are electric cars and 11,304 are electric utility vans. Electric car registrations increased from 184 units in 2010 to 2,630 in 2011. Sales in 2012 increased 115% from 2011 to 5,663 cars, allowing France to rank 4th among the top selling EV countries, with an 11% market share of global all-electric car sales in 2012. Registrations reached 8,779 electric cars in 2013, up 55.0% from 2012, and the EV market share of total new car sales went up to 0.49% from 0.3% in 2012.
In addition to battery electric cars, 5,175 electric utility vans were registered in 2013, up 42% from 2012, representing a market share of 1.4% of all new light commercial vehicles sold in 2013. Sales of electric passenger cars and utility vans totaled 13,954 units in 2013, capturing a combined market share of 0.65 of these two segments new car sales. Combined sales of pure electric cars and light utility vehicles positioned France as the leading European country in the all-electric market segment in 2012 and 2013.
The Renault Zoe led electric car sales in France in 2013, and became the country's best selling all-electric car accounting for registrations since 2010.
In the French market plug-in hybrids or rechargeable hybrids are classified and accounted together with conventional hybrid electric vehicles. Almost 1,500 plug-in hybrids were registered during 2012 and 2013. Of these, a total of 666 plug-in hybrids were registered during 2012, and 808 units in 2013. When plug-in hybrids sales in 2013 are accounted for, a total of 14,762 plug-in electric vehicles were registered in France in 2013, positioning the country in 2013 as the second largest European plug-in electric market after the Netherlands, where 28,673 plug-in electric vehicles were registered during 2013.
During 2012, all-electric car registrations in France were led by the Bolloré Bluecar with 1,543 units, the C-Zero with 1,409, and the iOn with 1,335, together representing 76% of all electric car sales that year. The Renault Kangoo Z.E. was the top selling utility electric vehicle with 2,869 units registered in 2012, representing a market share of 82% of the segment. The Renault Twizy electric quadricycle, launched in March 2012, sold 2,232 units during 2012, surpassing the Bolloré Bluecar, and ranking as the second best selling plug-in electric vehicle after the Kangoo Z.E.
During 2013, registrations of pure electric cars were led by the Renault Zoe with 5,511 units representing 62.8% of total electric car sales, followed by the Nissan Leaf with 1,438 units. Registrations of all-electric light utility vehicles were led by the Renault Kangoo Z.E. with 4,174 units, representing 80.7% of the segment sales. With a total of 7,826 Kangoo ZEs registered in the country through December 2013, the electric van is the French leader in the all-electric vehicle segment accounting for sales since 2010. Total registrations of all-electric cars since January 2010 through December 2013 are led by the Renault Zoe, with 5,559 units, followed by the Bolloré Bluecar, with 2,600 units, and the Peugeot iOn, with 2,256 units.
During 2014, Toyota, together with several partners, is participating in a 3-year verification project involving ultra-compact EV car sharing in the city of Grenoble, France. Through this project Toyota i-Road, urban mobility is hoped to become much smoother and traffic congestion will be alleviated.
As of December 2013[update], a total of 20,486 plug-in electric vehicles have been registered in Norway, including 19,799 all-electric cars and 687 plug-in hybrids. Out of the total all-electric stock, over 1,440 units are heavy quadricycles, such as the Kewet/Buddy and the REVAi. Registrations include more than 2,450 used imports from neighboring countries, of which, 2,159 were imported in 2013. The Norwegian fleet of electric cars is also one of the cleanest in the world because almost 100% of the electricity generated in the country comes from hydropower. Due to its population size, Norway is the country with the largest EV ownweship per capita in the world, reaching 4.0 plug-in electric vehicles per 1,000 people in 2013, a market penetration nine times higher than the U.S., the world's largest plug-in electric car market.
Also, Norway was the first country in the world to have electric cars topping the new car sales monthly ranking. The Tesla Model S has been the top selling new car three times, twice in 2013, first in September and again in December; and one more time in March 2014. The Nissan Leaf has topped the monthly new car sales ranking twice, first in October 2013 and again in January 2014. Both the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model S were listed among the Norwegian top 20 best selling new cars in 2013, with the Leaf ranking third and the Model S ranking 20th. The Norwegian plug-in electric vehicle market share of new car sales is the highest in the world, its market share rose from 1.6% in 2011, to 3.1% in 2012, and reached 5.6% in 2013. Only the Netherlands has achieved a similar market share for the plug-in electric drive segment (5.37% in 2013). During the first quarter of 2014 all-electric car sales reached a record 14.5% market share of new car sales.
Electric cars have access to bus lanes in Norway. Shown a Nissan Leaf, the top selling plug-in electric car in the country since 2012.
Plug-in electric vehicle registrations totaled 10,769 units in 2013, mostly all-electric cars, and used imports represented 20% of registrations during 2013. This total includes 387 plug-in hybrids and 355 all-electric light commercial vans, together representing 6.9% of total 2013 registrations, and reflecting the continued dominance of pure electric vehicles in the Norwegian market. The plug-in electric drive segment in Norway grew 129% from 2012 to 2013, achieving one of the highest EV rates of growth in the world, second only to the Netherlands (338%).
During 2013, the Leaf continued as the top selling plug-in electric car, with 4,604 new units sold during the year, which represent 58.4% of plug-in electric car sales in 2013. The Tesla Model S ranked second with 1,986 units (25.2% share), followed by the Volkswagen e-Up! with 580 units (7.4% share). Since September 2011, a total of 7,275 new Leaf cars have been sold in the country through December 2013. Accounting for used Leafs imported from neighboring countries, of which, 1,608 units were registered during 2013, a total of 9,080 Leafs have been registered in Norway through December 2013, representing 9.4% of the 96,847 Leafs delivered worldwide through December 2013.
In March 2014, with 26,886 plug-in electric vehicles registered in the country, Norway became the first country where over one in every 100 registered passenger cars is plug-in electric, out of a fleet of over 2.52 million registered passenger cars. Also in March 2014 the Tesla Model S also broke the 28 year-old record for monthly sales of a single model regardless of its power source, with 1,493 units sold, surpassing the Ford Sierra, which sold 1,454 units in May 1986. The Model S, with 2,056 units sold during the first quarter of 2014, is Norway's best selling new car during 2014 (CYTD), capturing a 5.6% market share of new car sales during this period. During the same quarter, the Nissan Leaf ranked as the best third selling new car with 1,559 units, capturing a 4.3% market share of new car sales.
Several countries have established grants and tax credits for the purchase of new electric cars depending on battery size. The U.S. offers a federal income tax credit up to US$7,500, and several states have additional incentives. The UK offers a Plug-in Car Grant up to a maximum of £5,000 (US$7,600). The U.S. government also pledged US$2.4 billion in federal grants for the development of advanced technologies for electric cars and batteries.
40x40px Wikimedia Commons has media related to Electrically powered automobiles.
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^ a b Renault (2013-01-18). "Ventes Mensuelles" [Monthly Sales] (in French). Renault.com. Retrieved 2013-01-18. Click on "Ventes mensuelles (décembre 2012) (xls, 294 Ko)" to download the file, and open the tab TWIZY.
^ Eric Loveday (2013-02-15). "Video: Twizy Twists Its Way Through Renault’s Indoor Technocentre". InsideEVs.com. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
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^ a b c d e f Jiang Xueqing (2014-01-11). "New-energy vehicles 'turning the corner'". China Daily. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
^ Jeff Cobb (2014-12-02). "Nissan Sells 150,000th Leaf In Time for Its Fourth Birthday". HybridCars.com. Retrieved 2014-12-03.
^ Jeff Cobb (2014-10-22). "Global Plug-in Car Sales Now Over 600,000". HybridCars.com. Retrieved 2014-10-22. Cumulative global sales totaled 603,932 highway legal plug-in electric passenger cars and light utility vehicles through September 2014, consisting of 356,232 all-electric cars and utility vans and 247,700 plug-in hybrids. Accounts for sales only in the top ten world's markets.
^ "Renault-Nissan Alliance Sales Rise For Fifth Straight Year In 2014 To 8.5 Million Vehicles" (Press release). Paris: Nissan Motor Corporation. 2015-02-04. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
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^ "His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visits Nissan" (Press release). Sunderland: Nissan Europe. 2015-01-20. Retrieved 2015-02-04. The Nissan Leaf is the world's all-time best selling highway-capable electric car, with global sales of over 158,000 units through December 2014.
^ a b Jeff Cobb (2015-02-11). "2014's Top-10 Global Best-Selling Plug-in Cars". HybridCars.com. Retrieved 2015-02-11. Global cumulative sales since June 2012 totaled 56,782 units by the end of 2014.
^ Andreas Grimm (2014-08-06). "E-Auto aus Japan für 11.000 Euro" [e-Car from Japan for 11,000 euros]. KFZ-betrieb (in German). Retrieved 2014-08-06.
^ "BMW Group sells more than 2 million vehicles in 2014" (Press release). Munich: BMW Group PressClub Global. 2015-01-09. Retrieved 2015-02-07. A total of 16,052 i3s and 1,741 i8s were sold in 2014.
^ Kandi Technologies Group (2015-01-07). "Kandi Technologies Announces the Expansion of Micro Public EV Sharing Program to Nine Chinese Cities With 14,398 Pure EVs Delivered as of the End of 2014" (Press release). Jinhua, China: NASDAQ. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
^ a b c Henry Lee, Sabrina Howell, and Adam Heal (June 2014). "Leapfrogging or Stalling Out? Electric Vehicles in China". Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School. Retrieved 2015-01-18. Download EVS in China (full report). See Table 2: Chinas's EV Sales by Brand, 2011-2013, pp. 19.
^ a b China Auto Web (2014-05-20). "6,853 PEVs Were Sold in China in Q1 2014". China Auto Web. Retrieved 2015-01-18. 2,016 QQ3 EVs were sold during the first quarter of 2014.
^ Jeffrey N. Ross (2012-10-03). "Smart ForTwo Electric Drive will be cheapest EV at $25,000*". autoblog.com. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
^ Jose Pontes (2014-01-30). "World Top 20 December 2013 (Special Edition)". EV Sales. Retrieved 2014-02-06. A total of 4,130 third generation Smart EDs sold worldwide in 2013.
^ Jose Pontes (2015-01-31). "World Top 20 December 2014 (Special Edition)". EV Sales. Retrieved 2015-02-07. A total of 5,824 Smart EDs were sold worldwide in 2014.
^ "Nissan says Leaf battery packs are nearly bulletproof". Autoblog.com.
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^ a b c d "三菱 i-MiEVなどの2013年12月度 販売実績" [Mitsubishi i-MiEV sales results for December 2013] (in Japanese). Electric Vehicle News. 2014-01-29. Retrieved 2014-02-06. Cumulative i-MiEV sales in Japan through December 2013 totaled 9,402 units, and Minicab sales totaled 4,695 vans and 554 trucks.
^ a b c d Mark Kane (2014-01-30). "Nissan LEAF Sales In Japan Up 17% in 2013". InsideEVs.com. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
^ a b c d Mark Kane (2014-01-14). "Sales Of Mitsubishi MiEV in Japan Fell Off Sharply in 2013; Battery Production Constraints Probable Cause". InsideEVs.com. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
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^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Jeff Cobb (2014-01-16). "Top 6 Plug-In Vehicle Adopting Countries". HybridCars.com. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
^ Justin Aschard (2012-11-30). "Inmatriculations VP et VUL Europe 18 à fin Oct. (2010–2012) 2012" [Registrations of passenger cars and utility vehicles in Europe 18 through October 2012 (2010–2012)] (PDF) (in French). France Mobilité Électrique. Retrieved 2012-12-06. Only pure electric cars are reported.
^ a b c Neil Winton (2012-02-06). "Europe's electric car sales stutter and stall; will 2012 be much better?". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
^ a b c Neil Winton (2014-02-06). "Electric Car Sales In Western Europe Spurt, But From Miniscule Base". Automotive Industry Data (AID) (Forbes). Retrieved 2014-03-17. AID sales figures (38,617 units) include all-electric cars and range-extenders vehicles in Germany.
^ Hans Håvard Kvisle (2014-02-11). "Oppgang i europeisk elbilsalg" [Increase in European electric vehicle sales]. Automotive Industry Data (AID) (in Norwegian). Norsk Elbilforening (Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association). Retrieved 2014-03-17.
^ a b c "Over 10.000 ladbare biler på norske veier" [Over 10,000 plug-in cars in Norwegian roads] (in Norwegian). Grønn bil. 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2013-02-10. A total of 2.298 new Leafs and 189 used-imports were registered in Norway during 2012.
^ Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) (March 2014). "Cijfers elektrich vervoer - Aantal geregistreerde elektrische voertuigen in Nederland" [Figures electric transport - Number of registered electric vehicles in Netherlands] (in Dutch). RVO (Dutch National Office for Enterprising). Retrieved 2014-03-16.
^ Zachary Shahan (2014-02-26). "Top European Countries For 100%-Electric Car Sales & Plug-In Hybrid Electric Car Sales (Charts)". Clean Technica. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
^ Bil Sweden (2014-01-02). "Nyregistreringar december 2013 prel" [New registrations in December 2013 prel] (in Swedish). Bil Sweden. Retrieved 2014-01-03. Download file "Nyregistreringar december 2013 prel.pdf" see table "NYREGISTRERADE SUPERMILJÖBILAR DECEMBER 2013" with summary of PEV sales by model for 2013 and 2012.
^ Jose Pontes (2014-07-27). "Markets Roundup June 2014". EV Sales. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
^ a b c d e Mat Gasnier (2013-02-10). "Europe Full Year 2012: Now with Top 350 models & Top 60 brands". Best Selling Cars Blog. Retrieved 2013-02-13. During 2012 a total of 5,268 Amperas and 5,210 Leafs were sold in Europe.
^ Lannin, Patrick (2013-02-20). "Estonia goes electric with new car charger network". Reuters. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
^ a b c d e f Staff (2014-01-08). "Over 20.000 ladbare biler på norske veier" [Over 20,000 rechargeable electric cars on Norwegian road] (in Norwegian). Grønn bil. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
^ Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) (January 2014). "Statistikk-Ladbare biler i Norge" [Vehicle population in 2013] (in Norwegian). OFV. Retrieved 2013-03-12. As of 31 December 2013[update], there were 2,487,353 passenger cars registered in Norway.
^ Sidsel Overgaard (2014-02-01). "Norway Takes The Lead In Electric Cars (With Generous Subsidies)". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2014-03-12.
^ a b Nissan Newsroom Europe (2014-02-12). "Nissan LEAF the best-selling EV in Europe in 2013". Green Car Congress. Retrieved 2014-02-13. A total of 11,120 Leafs were sold in Europe in 2013.
^ Mark Kane (2014-01-20). "8,197 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Sold In Europe In 2013; Almost All In Netherlands". InsideEVs.com. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
^ HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. "HybridCars Dashboard". HybridCars.com. Retrieved 2015-01-11.
^ a b Jeff Cobb (2014-09-09). "Americans Buy Their 250,000th Plug-In Car". HybridCars.com. Retrieved 2014-10-04.
^ a b Cobb, Jeff (2014-07-09). "Plug-In Car Sales Cross Global Half-Million Mark". HybridCars.com. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
^ "Mercedes-Benz-BMW Battle Shifts To Plug-In Electric Vehicles In The U.S.". Forbes. 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
^ Stacy C. Davis, Susan W. Diegel, and Robert G. Boundy (July 2014). "Transportation Energy Data Book Edition 33" (PDF). Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved 2014-09-02. See Table 6.5: Hybrid and Plug-in Vehicle Sales, 1999-2013, pp. 6-9.
^ a b c Jeff Cobb (2014-07-02). "June 2014 Dashboard". HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. Retrieved 2014-07-10. A total of 54,973 plug-in electric cars were sold during the first half of 2014, consisting of 25,844 all-electric cars and 29,129 plug-in hybrids. See sections: "U.S. Battery Electric sales for June 2014" and "June 2014 Plug-In Hybrid Car Sales Numbers"
^ a b Jeff Cobb (2013-01-08). "December 2012 Dashboard". HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. Retrieved 2013-01-14. See the section: December 2012 Plug-in Electric Car Sales Numbers. A total of 53,172 plug-in electric vehicles were sold during 2012. Sales of the Fisker Karma, Coda and Wheego are not included, as these carmakers does not report monthly sales on a regular basis.
^ Jeff Cobb (2014-01-06). "December 2013 Dashboard". HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
^ Jay Cole (2014-06-04). "Electric Vehicle Sales In The US Hit All-Time High In May". InsideEVs.com. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
^ Jeff Cobb (2014-06-04). "May 2014 Dashboard". HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. Retrieved 2014-06-04. A total of 43,144 plug-in electric cars were sold during the first five months of 2014, consisting of 20,256 all-electric cars and 22,618 plug-in hybrids. See sections: "May 2014 Battery Electric Car Sales Numbers" and "May 2014 Plug-In Hybrid Car Sales Numbers"
^ Jeff Cobb (2013-11-04). "October 2013 Dashboard". HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. Retrieved 2013-11-10. See the section: October 2013 Plug-in Electric Car Sales Numbers: A total of 77,965 plug-in electric cars were sold in the U.S. between January and October 2013, of which, 10,191 were delivered in October.
^ a b Cole, Jay (2014-01-03). "December 2013 Plug-In Electric Vehicle Sales Report Card". InsideEvs.com. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
^ Domenick Yoney (2013-02-20). "Tesla delivered 2,650 Model S EVs last year, Musk confident of profit in Q1 and beyond". autoblog.com. Retrieved 2014-01-04. Around 2,650 Model S cars were delivered by Tesla during 2012, mostly in the U.S. and some units delivered in Canada.
^ a b Mark Rogowsky (2014-01-16). "Tesla Sales Blow Past Competitors, But With Success Comes Scrutiny". Forbes. Retrieved 2014-01-17. Almost 18,000 units were sold in the U.S. in 2013.
^ a b Cole, Jay (2014-07-01). "June 2014 Plug-In Electric Vehicle Sales Report Card". InsideEvs.com. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
^ California Energy Commission (2013-03-01). "California Energy Commission awards $4.5M to ARB for more clean vehicle rebates". Green Car Congress. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
^ Alan Ohnsman (2014-09-09). "Californians Propel Plug-In Car Sales With 40% of Market". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
^ David C. Smith (2013-08-07). "Scrappage Rate Hits Historic High, Bodes Well for Future". Wards Auto. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
^ a b Toyota News (2014-01-15). トヨタ自動車、 ハイブリッド車のグローバル累計販売台数が600万台を突破 [Toyota cumulative global sales of hybrid vehicles exceeded 6 million] (in Japanese). Toyota. Retrieved 2014-02-20. As of December 2013[update], cumulative sales in Japan totaled 15,400 units and global sales reached 48,600 units.
^ a b International Energy Agency, Clean Energy Ministerial, and Electric Vehicles Initiative (April 2013). "Global EV Outlook 2013 - Understanding the Electric Vehicle Landscape to 2020" (PDF). International Energy Agency. Retrieved 2013-04-20. See pp. 4, 6-8, and 11-12.
^ a b Jose Pontes (2014-01-30). "Japan December 2013". EV Sales. Retrieved 2014-02-19. Excludes sales of Nissan NMC units (45), which is a low-speed neighborhood vehicle.
^ a b c China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) (2015-01-14). "The sales and production of new energy vehicles boomed". CAAM. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
^ Jack Perkowski (2013-06-24). "The Reality Of Electric Cars In China". Forbes. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
^ Jiang Xueqing (2013-08-05). "New energy vehicles await fuel injection". China Daily. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
^ Xinhua News Agency (2014-02-01). "Experts eye Tesla to spur China's electric vehicle market". Xinhua English News. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
^ Wang Chao (2012-10-26). "Electric vehicle industry in the slow lane". China Daily Europe. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
^ Philippe Crowne (2012-11-23). "China To Sell Over 4 Million Electrified Vehicles in 2020". HybridCars.com. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
^ China Daily (2013-02-28). "China needs electric cars more than hybrid". China Economic Net. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
^ Staff (2014-01-10). "Plug-in EV Sales in China Rose 37.9% to 17,600 in 2013". China Auto Web. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
^ China Auto Web (2013-03-25). "Chinese EV Sales Ranking for 2012". China Auto Web. Retrieved 2013-04-19. 2,485 units were sold in 2012.
^ a b Staff (2015-01-14). "2014 EV Sales Ranking". China Auto Web. Retrieved 2015-01-15.
^ a b c d e Autoactu.com. "Chiffres de vente & immatriculations de voitures électriques en France" [Sales figures & electric car registrations in France] (in French). Automobile Propre. Retrieved 2013-10-12. See "Ventes de voitures électriques en 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010" It shows all electric car registrations between 2010 and 2013 CYTD.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k AVERE-France (2014-01-08). "Baromètre AVERE-France Janvier 2014" [Barometer AVERE-France January 2014] (in French). France Mobilité Électrique - AVERE France. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
^ a b Justin Aschard (2012-11-07). "Novembre 2012 - Ventes de véhicules électriques (CCFA)" [November 2012 - Sales of electric vehicles (CCFA)] (in French). France Mobilité Électrique. Retrieved 2013-02-16. See table Bilan annuel des ventes de véhicules électriques (Annual sales of electric vehicles) for detailed sales by category during 2010 and 2011.
^ AVERE-France (2015-01-05). "Le marché du véhicule électrique maintient sa progression en 2014" [The electric vehicle market continues to grow in 2014] (in French). AVERE France. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
^ a b c d France Mobilité Électrique - AVERE France (2013-01-07). "Bilan des Immatriculations pour l'Année 2012" [Record Registrations for 2012] (in French). AVERE. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
^ Laurent Meillaud (2012-01-14). "2630 voitures électriques immatriculées en 2011" [2630 electric cars registered in 2011] (in French). MSN France. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
^ a b Yoann Nussbaumer (2013-01-16). "+115% pour les ventes de voitures électriques en France pour 2012" [Electric car sales in France increased 115% in 2011] (in French). Automobile Propre. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
^ a b Mark Kane (2014-01-15). "Sales of Battery Electric Cars In France Rose By 50% in 2013". InsideEVs.com. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
^ a b "2012, une année record pour les véhicules électriques" [2012 a record year for electric vehicles] (in French). Atlante & Cie. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
^ a b Michaël Torregrossa (2013-01-15). "Voitures hybrides – Le bilan des immatriculations 2012 en France" [Hybrid Cars - The balance of 2012 registrations in France] (in French). Association pour l'Avenir du Véhicule Electrique Méditerranéen (AVEM). Retrieved 2013-01-15.
^ a b c Michaël Torregrossa (2014-01-19). "Hybride rechargeable – Le marché français stagne en 2013" [Rechargeable hybrids - The French market stagnated in 2013] (in French). Association pour l'Avenir du Véhicule Electrique Méditerranéen (AVEM). Retrieved 2014-01-19.
^ a b c Jose Pontes (2014-01-24). "France December 2013 (Updated)". EVSales.com. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
^ Michaël Torregrossa (2013-01-09). "Voitures électriques – Le bilan des immatriculations 2012 en France" [Electric Cars - The balance of registrations in France 2012] (in French). Association pour l'Avenir du Véhicule Electrique Méditerranéen (AVEM). Retrieved 2013-02-16.
^ Justin Aschard (2012-11-30). "Inmatriculations VP et VUL France à fin Oct. 2012 (2010–2012)" [Registrations of passenger cars and utility vehicles in France through October 2012 (2010–2012)] (PDF) (in French). France Mobilité Électrique. Retrieved 2012-12-13. 14 units were registered in 2010 and 768 in 2011.
^ "Ha:mo service in Grenoble, France". Toyota Global Site (in French with Japanese subtitles). Toyota. 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
^ Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) (January 2015). "Bilsalget i 2014" [Car sales in 2014] (in Norwegian). OFV. Retrieved 2015-01-13. A total of 23,390 plug-in electric vehicles were registered in Norway in 2014, consisting of: 18,094 new electric cars, 3,063 used imported all-electric cars, 1,678 new plug-in hybrid cars and 555 new all-electric vans.
^ "Ladbare biler i Norge des 2013" [Recahrgeable cars in Norway December 2013] (in Norwegian). Grønn bil. January 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-19. Click on the bar graph "Salgstall pr. 2013" (Sales figures 2013) for registrations for each year (including new and used imports) and "Utvikling" for sales split between all-electric and plug-in hybrids by year.
^ Norsk Elbilforening (2013-10-22). "Så mange elbiler er det i Norge nå" [So many electric cars are in Norway's reach] (in Norwegian). Norsk Elbilforening (Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association). Retrieved 2012-10-27.
^ Alister Doyle and Nerijus Adomaitis (2013-03-13). "Norway shows the way with electric cars, but at what cost?". Reuters. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
^ Agence France-Presse (2011-05-15). "Electric cars take off in Norway". The Independent (London). Retrieved 2011-10-09.
^ AVERE (2012-06-07). "Norwegian Parliament extends electric car initiatives until 2018". AVERE. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
^ Mat Gasnier (2013-10-05). "Norway September 2013: Tesla Model S in pole position!". BestSellingCars.com. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
^ Mark Kane (2014-01-04). "Tesla Model S Again #1 in Overall Sales in Norway in December!". InsideEVs.com. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
^ a b c d Ståle Frydenlund (2014-04-02). "Tesla knuste 28 år gammel rekord" [Tesla broke 28 year-old record] (in Norwegian). Norsk Elbilforening (Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association). Retrieved 2014-04-06.
^ Reuters (2013-11-01). "Nissan Leaf tops Norway Oct. car sales, beats Toyota Auris, VW Golf". Automotive News Europe. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
^ Mat Gasnier (2013-11-02). "Norway October 2013: Nissan Leaf new leader!". Best Selling Cars Blog. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
^ Mark Kane (2014-02-10). "Nissan LEAF Is Best Selling Car In Norway Again In January!". InsideEvs.com. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
^ Mat Gasnier (2014-01-05). "Norway Full Year 2013: VW Golf #1, Nissan Leaf on podium!". Best Selling Cars Blog. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
^ Ståle Frydenlund (2014-01-02). "7.882 nye elbiler registrert i 2013" [7882 new electric cars registered in 2013] (in Norwegian). Norsk Elbilforening (Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association). Retrieved 2014-02-23.
^ Mat Gasnier (2013-01-09). "Norway Full Year 2012: VW Tiguan and Nissan Leaf impress". BestSellingCars.com. Retrieved 2013-02-15. A total of 373 new units were sold in 2011 and 2,298 units in 2012.
^ Ståle Frydenlund (2014-01-02). "7.882 nye elbiler registrert i 2013" [7882 new electric cars registered in 2013] (in Norwegian). Norsk Elbilforening (Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association). Retrieved 2014-01-20. Sales during 2013 totaled 4,604 new Leafs.
^ Padraic Deane (2014-02-07). "Renault-Nissan Alliance a strong partnership". Auto Trade (Ireland). Retrieved 2014-03-08.
^ a b Staff (2014-04-02). "Elbilsalget i mars slo alle rekorder" [Electric vehicle sales in March broke all records] (in Norwegian). Grønn bil. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
^ Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) (January 2014). "Statistikk-Ladbare biler i Norge" [Vehicle population in 2013] (in Norwegian). OFV. Retrieved 2013-04-06. As of 31 December 2013[update], there were 2,487,353 passenger cars registered in the country.
^ a b Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) (April 2014). "Bilsalget i mars" [Car sales in March] (in Norwegian). OFV. Retrieved 2014-04-06. A total of 36,492 new passenger cars were registered in Norway during the first quarter of 2014.
^ John D. Stoll (2014-04-02). "Tesla Breaks Norway's All-Time Sales Record". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
^ Paul Hudson (2010-02-28). "£5,000 grant to buy plug-in electric cars". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
^ Paul Hockenos (2011-07-29). "Europe’s Incentive Plans for Spurring E.V. Sales". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
^ "Overview of Purchase and Tax Incentives for Electric Vehicles in the EU" (PDF). European Automobile Manufacturers Association. 2011-03-14. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
40x40px Look up electric car in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Plugging In: A Consumer’s Guide to the Electric Vehicle by the Electric Power Research Institute.
When Will Electric Cars Compete in the Mainstream Market?, John Briggs, August 2014.
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In spring 2017, baseball became the first Knights athletics team to win an SSAC championship.
Three years ago this fall, Middle Georgia State accepted an invitation to join the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. While the Knights initially struggled on the playing fields and courts, which was to be expected, MGA's student-athletes began accumulating academic awards from the beginning, including several who were named NAIA Scholars and others named to All-Academic teams. The overall athletics program earned an NAIA Champions of Character Silver Award its first year in the association. The NAIA gives Champions of Character awards annually to institutions based a scoring system that measures the community involvement, academic success, and conduct and character of athletes.
Knights teams became more competitive after the first NAIA year. Women's soccer became MGA's first ranked team in the NAIA. Knights baseball became the first MGA team to win a conference championship, while men's and women's tennis both ranked in the top 25. In all three years, the percentage of student-athletes making the President's or Dean's lists on the basis of grade point average was more than double that of the general student population.
"Overall, our move to the NAIA has resulted in more recognition for the athletics program and the University as a whole," said James Hagler, associate director of Athletics and Recreation, who played a key role in the transition. "One of the most significant changes has been the number of opportunities we can now give to student-athletes. In earlier years we had a total of about 100 student-athletes playing on various teams. Now we have more than 180 competing in 10 sports. They come from 10 different states and represent 19 different countries."
What is now Middle Georgia State University was created in January 2013 when Middle Georgia College, a two-year school in Cochran, consolidated with Macon State College, a baccalaureate institution. Unlike Macon State, Middle Georgia College had an athletics program that competed in the National Junior College Athletics Association. Middle Georgia College athletics had a long record of competitive success at the junior college level, especially in baseball. So an essential part of Middle Georgia State's growth was figuring out how to maintain that tradition as part of a university-level athletics league.
As a first step, students of the previous institutions chose a new mascot - Knights - and school colors - purple, black and silver/gray. About a year later, in fall 2014, Middle Georgia State joined the NAIA, which is the governing body of small athletics programs that "are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics." Shortly afterward, Middle Georgia State joined the Southern States Athletic Conference, one of the NAIA's 21 conferences.Knights baseball captured the SSAC championship earlier this year.
In other significant moves, Knights athletics added teams in women's volleyball and cross-country. The program again earned the Champions of Character Silver Award in 2016. Just recently, MGA hired a new athletics director, Chip Smith, who has served in various capacities with the athletics departments of University of North Carolina Charlotte, Western Carolina University, Morehead State University, Eastern Kentucky University, and Virginia Military Institute.
Smith said his goals for the coming year include helping Knights teams improve competitive performance in the SSAC and in NAIA post-season play. He is working to raise revenue for the program though the newly formed Knights Athletic Association and through advertising and sponsorship packages.
"We're also working to earn status as a Gold Star institution in the NAIA Champions of Character program," Smith said. "The most important job we have is working to instill character and build values among student-athletes."
This article was originally published in the fall 2017 issue of MGA Today magazine.
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Restylane-L and Lyft are FDA approved for the treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds such as the lines from your nose to the corners of your mouth (nasolabial folds). Restylane-L has also been FDA approved for use in the lips. It consists of hyaluronic acid which is a natural component of skin. Restylane-L and Perlane-L also contain a numbing medicine that dramatically improves the comfort of the procedure.
How are Restylane-L and Lyft administered?
Restylane-L and Perlane-Lyft are administered as an injection to restore youthful and natural contours to areas of volume loss like the cheeks, nasolabial folds, marionette lines, and lips. This results is a very natural correction that is immediate and can last up to 6-9 months.
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That was a very interesting and informative article about sour dough bread. Please write an article about eggs. I noticed that most of the eggs I buy at the store don’t look or cook like the ones that are raised in a chicken coup. Also, have you heard the rumor that the $1.99 eggs and the $4.99 eggs that we buy in store come out of the same chicken?
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Can you solve mystery scene? Solve mysterious puzzle and find all secret spot. This search and find games are very easy to play with. For example, look at the screen, tap on the object and complete the scene you are investigating. Seek and find the object and you will unlock the next level for more hidden object fun.
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A question about a recipe: Spatchcocked Roast Chicken. Won't 425 degrees cause the fat to splatter all over the oven and roasting dish?
"When you’re ready to make dinner, heat the oven to 425 degrees and remove the chicken from the fridge. Roast for 20 minutes, then baste and decrease heat to 375. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, basting once again in the middle, until cooked. Let the chicken sit for a few minutes before carving; serve with the pan juices and some crusty bread or roasted potatoes for sopping them up."
Also, it's only at 425 for the first 20 minutes, when the fat hasn't had a lot of time to melt (and drip into the pan) yet.
Worry about global warming, not chicken.
Yes, it will splatter, but it will be worth the mess, as the others have mentioned!
Probably. But the chicken will be so wonderful that it's worth every spatter.
It might splatter. But hey, it's a mean old world. Roasting a chicken means hot fat. No way round it, and you want that sizzling fat to flavor the meat.
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Question: Who are the three guardians shown in the shrine?
Chosen answer: They are members of the Chinese zodiac. Mushu (the dragon) is also a member. It is assumed that the other eight animals are present.
Question: In all respect, was a woman allowed to hug the emperor at that time?
Chosen answer: Nobody was allowed to hug the emperor.
Question: When Shang finds out Mulan is a woman, Chi-fu (council guy) stops Yao, Ling and Chien from saving her from execution, and says "you know the law." Was there a certain rule back in Ancient China allowing women to get in the army, why was need for Mulan to be executed (almost executed), couldn't they just send her home, why was it a big deal?
Chosen answer: While it was not common for women to serve in the military (depending on the dynasty), they were never put to death. Disney just made this is as a plot device to develop the love interest. The movie is partly based on the ancient poem, "The Ballad of Mulan" and in none of the ancient versions was she ever threatened with execution. In fact, the poem may be based on Fu Hao, a woman who not only served in the Chinese army, but was a military general.
I think that it was an issue, because according to what the emperor said, she basically stole an identity; she "deceived the captain" and "impersonated a soldier."
Question: Shang's voice actor B.D. Wong is an accomplished singer, why was Donny Osmond brought in to sing Shang's song instead?
Chosen answer: Name recognition. Donny Osmond's popularity had recently resurged at the time this film was produced, and Disney wanted to cash in.
Question: Why does the general really appoint Li Shang as the new captain?
Answer: For the reasons stated. He believes him to be a highly competent soldier and trainer. While this opinion is probably influenced by Li Shang being his son, it does prove to be correct, as Li Shang's training is what allows the small group to succeed in battling the Huns.
Question: When Shang mourns for his father's death, Mulan approaches to him and says "I'm sorry" in her normal voice. How come Shang didn't tell she was female because of her voice?
Chosen answer: He just isn't paying that much attention to her voice at that moment. Think about it like this: If you had just lost your father to war, are distraught that you never got to say goodbye, and a male friend you had been training with for some time spoke two words to you in support and they sounded somewhat feminine, would you automatically assume they were actually a woman disguised as a man?
Question: Whatever happened to Mulan's father's sword? The last we see of it is when Shang throws it at the ground in front of her on the mountains. Did she leave it up there?
Chosen answer: When Mulan realizes the Huns are still alive, she can be seen re-sheathing the sword on her horse before mounting it.
Question: Did Mushu really kill the great dragon guardian?
Chosen answer: No, he destroyed the statue. The spirit of the guardian survived, but now had no way to manifest itself physically. Presumably, once a new statue was created, the guardian would be able to embody it and come to life.
Question: When Mushu is using the panda for a horse, he says something along the lines of "Have you never seen a black and white before?" What does that mean?
Chosen answer: In the US a lot of the police vehicles have traditionally been black and white. That is what Mushu is referring to.
Question: In the scene where Mulan is watching her father practicing with the sword, he cries out in pain and drops the sword, I don't get it...What happened?
Chosen answer: He's old, ill, and weakening. He can no longer do the fighting he once could, those moves now cause him more pain.
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Prime Minister Stephen Harper: "We are not going to ever defeat the insurgency"
Harper says he supports President Obama's "renewed commitment to Afghanistan"
(CNN) -- U.S. and NATO forces are engaged in a futile war against the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, Canada's prime minister said.
Canadian leader Stephen Harper says he backs President Obama's "renewed commitment to Afghanistan."
"We are not going to ever defeat the insurgency," Stephen Harper told CNN's Fareed Zakaria in an interview that aired Sunday. "Afghanistan has probably had -- my reading of Afghanistan history -- it's probably had an insurgency forever, of some kind."
Harper's blunt assessment comes as nearly 2,800 Canadian forces are fighting in Afghanistan. The country's parliament has voted to pull them out by 2011.
Harper spoke with Zakaria last week after a visit by President Obama, who made Canada his first foreign trip since taking office in January. Obama has said Afghanistan is the central front to the U.S.-led war on terror.
The Pentagon is in the process of sending an additional 17,000 troops to Afghanistan, bringing the total there to 55,000.
Harper told CNN that he supports Obama's "renewed commitment to Afghanistan" but said he would not recommit any more Canadian troops until there is a clear plan for leaving Afghanistan.
"What has to happen in Afghanistan is, we have to have an Afghan government that is capable of managing that insurgency and improving its own governance," Harper said.
"If President Obama wants anybody to do more, I would ask very hard questions about what is the strategy for success and for an eventual departure."
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The 2009 Campeonato Brasiweiro Série A was de 53rd edition of de Campeonato Brasiweiro Série A, de top-wevew of professionaw footbaww in Braziw. It was contested by 20 cwubs starting on May 9 and ending on December 6. The 2009 edition was won by Fwamengo.
The first goaw of de tournament was scored by Igor on de 13f minute of de match between his team, Sport and Barueri, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Howders São Pauwo had a bad start wosing to Fwuminense 1–0.
Internacionaw wed de tournament from round 2 to 6, when Atwético Mineiro took de wead. In de 9f round, Internacionaw regained de wead but one round water Atwético Mineiro managed to come back to de top of de tabwe after defeating deir city rivaws Cruzeiro 3–0. The cwub from Bewo Horizonte hewd de wead untiw round 15, when Pawmeiras reached de top. In de middwe of de championship, Fwamengo was onwy on de 10f position, uh-hah-hah-hah.
Pawmeiras managed to stay in de top untiw round 34, when dey wost 1–0 against Fwuminense, which was struggwing to avoid rewegation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Four days earwier, São Pauwo had tied 1–1 wif Grêmio after having dree pwayers sent off.
Round 37 saw severaw changes in de standings. São Pauwo couwd have won deir sevenf titwe, and fourf in a row, if dey had defeated Goiás, exactwy as it had happened wast season, uh-hah-hah-hah. However, dis time Goiás 4–2 win sent São Pauwo from de top of de tabwe to de fourf pwace. Fwamengo defeated Corindians and took de wead for de first time in de tournament. Internacionaw advanced to second pwace and in de wast round, had not onwy to defeat Santo André but awso count on deir city rivaws Grêmio to at weast tie against Fwamengo in de wast match. Despite rumors dat Grêmio wouwd not pway as hard as dey couwd, Fwamengo had to come back from a 0–1 score to win de tournament. Internacionaw 4–1 win was wordwess.
Pawmeiras awso came to de wast round of de championship wif chances to end in de top position, uh-hah-hah-hah. For dat, dey had to beat Botafogo, which wouwd be rewegated if did not win de wast match. The resuwt was tragic for Pawmeiras: 0–2 defeat dat combined wif Cruzeiro 2–1 over Santos weft de team outside de top four and, derefore, out of 2010 Copa Libertadores. Botafogo, togeder wif city rivaws Fwuminense, managed to avoid rewegation, uh-hah-hah-hah. After spending 37 rounds in rewegation zone, Fwuminense, which managed to weave de bottom four positions one match earwier, hewd a 1–1 draw away against Coritiba and sent de team from Curitiba to Série B exactwy when de cwub was cewebrating 100 years of foundation, uh-hah-hah-hah.
The 2009 edition of de Brasiweirão marked de professionaw debut of pwayers such as Neymar Santos.
For de sevenf consecutive season, de tournament wiww be pwayed in a doubwe round-robin system. The team wif most number of points wiww be decwared de champion, uh-hah-hah-hah. The bottom-four teams wiww be rewegated for de fowwowing season, uh-hah-hah-hah.
The Série A wiww serve as a qwawifier to CONMEBOL's 2010 internationaw tournaments. The top-dree teams in de standings wiww qwawify to de Second Stage of de 2010 Copa Libertadores, whiwe de fourf pwace team wiww qwawify to de First Stage. The next eight-best teams wiww qwawify to de 2010 Copa Sudamericana. Shouwd de winner of de 2009 Copa do Brasiw finish better dan 13f, de next best team(s) wiww earn de berf(s) it wouwd have qwawified for in de weague standings.
Like in 2008, twenty teams wiww compete in dis year's Série A. Defending champion São Pauwo wiww have a chance to extend two records in Braziwian footbaww shouwd dey win dis year: first cwub to win four titwes in a row, and first cwub to win seven titwes overaww. Of de four teams promoted from de 2008 Série B, one is new to de Série A. Barueri wiww be competing in de Série A for de first time since turning professionaw eight years ago. Four-time champion Corindians returns after spending a singwe season in de Série B. The oder teams promoted are Santo André (first return since 1984) and Avaí (first return since 1979). As is becoming common in Braziwian footbaww, one of de country's most important cwubs has been rewegated after de previous season, uh-hah-hah-hah. For 2009, Vasco da Gama, champion in 1974, 1989, 1997 and 2000, wiww pway de 2009 season in de Série B.
1 Marcewo Rospide was interim manager since Cewso Rof was sacked after Grêmio's ewimination in de Campeonato Gaúcho 2009 on Apriw 5.
2 Match pwayed for de 2009 Copa Libertadores.
3 Interim coach Jorginho Cantinfwas managed de team for 7 matches, untiw de 14f round.
^ Corindians qwawified as de 2009 Copa do Brasiw champion, uh-hah-hah-hah.
Updated as of November 8, 2009.
^ GwobeEsporte.com Tabewa de cwassificação. http://gwoboesporte.gwobo.com/Esportes/Futebow/Cwassificacao/0,,ESP0-9827,00.htmw Retrieved Dec. 7 2009.
^ "Libertadores: Gremio cwaim qwarter-finaw berf". ESPN.com. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
^ "Newsinho Batista deixa o Sport" (in Portuguese). Gwobo.com. 28 May 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
^ "CBF reconhece títuwo do Fwa ("CBF recognizes Fwa titwe")". CBF. 2011-02-21. Archived from de originaw on 2011-02-24. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
This page was wast edited on 22 March 2019, at 18:32 (UTC).
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Can I replace my rear fan PSU with a top fan PSU?
How should I mount my top fan PSU?
In the past few years, power supplies with top fans have kind of taken over the market and replaced the traditional rear fan power supply and there's been a lot of concern over whether it's safe to replace a rear fan unit with a top fan unit; in short the answer is: yes, it's perfectly safe.
A lot of the concern comes from confusion about airflow within power supplies. With rear fan power supplies there's venting on the side opposite of the fan. Air flows in through the venting and is then exhausted out by the fan.
On the other hand, with top fan power supplies there's venting on the rear of the PSU. Air is pulled into the power supply by the fan and then flows out through the venting.
1. Top fan power supplies have bigger fans.
RPM for RPM, a bigger fan will generally be able to move more air than a smaller fan. This means that a top fan power supply can run its fan at a lower rpm than a rear fan power supply and produce the same level of cooling, as a result it makes far less noise.
2. Depending on your case you can separate a top fan power supply's airflow from the rest of the case.
Many cases now include vents for top fan PSUs. These vents enable the power supply to draw in cool air from outside of the case rather than warm air from the case interior. Since the PSU is not taking in warm air its fan won't have to work as hard and can run at a lower RPM which once again helps with noise reduction. The PSU's longevity is also benefited by the cool air - the life span of electronic components is often a function of heat, so the cooler things stay the longer your unit will keep running.
If your case has a vent for your top fan PSU we recommend mounting it so that the fan is pointed towards the vent, otherwise we recommend mounting the PSU so that the fan is pointed towards the interior of your case. For more details and reasoning please see the question above.
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"So, Victor, Lance, who has been ripping us off? All of us, because now we are partners. A team, as it were. Four brothers."
Armando Mendez is a character in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. Armando and his brother Diego serve as the secondary antagonists.
In 1984, Armando and his brother, Diego, are the two most powerful drug kingpins in Vice City, but are also well known for their philanthropist views. The brothers, who are of Bolivian descent, also control their own crime organisation.
In GTA Vice City Stories, Armando and Diego are first mentioned by Jerry Martinez in Brawn of the Dead, when he informs Victor Vance that the cocaine shipment that he and his brother Lance had stolen from Martinez actually belonged to the Mendez Brothers.
Because of this, Lance and Victor are summoned by the Mendez brothers to explain the disappearance of their cocaine. The Vance brothers pin the theft on Martinez, and provide fake evidence to prove this. Victor and Lance continue to work for the brothers, including taking over a local biker empire site and killing rival drug dealers. Eventually, the Vance brothers outlive their usefulness to Armando and Diego, who order the Vance brothers to surrender their businesses to the Mendezs and leave the city in exchange for their own safety. Victor refuses to do so, so the Mendez brothers attack the Vance brothers and leave them at a fuel depot in Viceport. A Mendez hitman accidentally starts a fire at the depot, but the Vance brothers manage to escape.
With their ties severed, some Mendez Cartel members unsuccessfully try to take over Victor's businesses. Victor, with the help of Ricardo Diaz, hacks a Domestobot owned by the brothers and uses it to destroy the contents of their safe. In retaliation, the Mendez Cartel kidnap Victor's girlfriend Louise. The Vance brothers chase some Cartel members through the city to the Mendez Mansion. Victor forces his way inside, where he confronts and kills a flamethrower-wielding Armando. Following this, Victor finds that both Lance and Louise have been injured by Armando. Lance survives but Louise later dies. Victor would later kill Diego, wiping out the Mendez Cartel in the city.
Of the two brothers, Armando is the more "charismatic" of the two. According to Armando, both he and his brother are utilitarians, with Diego being a fan of Plato's work and Armando being a fan of Aristotle's work. Utilitarism is the theory that mankind should always look towards finding pleasure, which is highlighted by both brothers becoming drug dealers for personal gain.
Armando seems to be based on Scarface's Alejandro Sosa, as he bears a striking resemblance to him both in appearance and personality.
Louise Cassidy-Williams - Kidnapped and killed to lure Lance and Vic to a trap.
Interestingly, if the player uses the flamethrower against Armando in the mission "Light My Pyre", he will not take any form of damage; this may simply be a glitch .
In the beta version of Last Stand, Vic originally also had to kill Armando, not just Diego Mendez and Jerry Martinez.
Gilberto Rodriguez, who ran the Cali Cartel with his brother Miguel, may have been a source of inspiration for Armando Mendez. Both Gilberto and Armando were leaders of their respective cartels, both were charismatic, both were the brains behind their cartels and both had brothers who they ran their businesses with.
Diego Mendez - Armando's brother.
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0.954392 |
Reach consensus while maintaining positive, sustainable relationships.
Negotiation is a collection of several skills, including influence, communication, self-awareness, and conflict resolution. Competence in all these areas and in others will help you reach consensus on a specific question, ironing out agreements, and otherwise bringing diverse interests together to support a specific goal. That’s what it’s all about. Negotiation isn’t always about winning but about creating sustainable value for all sides.
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0.929425 |
As a Cloud Platform Interaction Designer, you will define the way the next generation of software development is done. Your efforts will result in useful, usable products that delight and empower a broad spectrum of users around the world—from the first-time user to the sophisticated expert. Achieving this goal requires collaboration with teams of Designers, Researchers, Engineers and Product Managers throughout the design process. Depending on the project, you may be involved in all aspects of design: from early explorations through concept prototyping and pixel-level specification. Your day may involve designing interfaces, mapping out user journeys, creating visual assets, brainstorming in a large group, or prototyping interactions. You have a strong interest in technology and have worked alongside engineers and product managers.
The Team: This UX Team consists of Interaction Designers, User Experience Researchers, UI Engineers, and a UI Writer who focus on the user experience for all products on this specific platform and in the Developer Infrastructure organization.
Purpose: Provide design & research that leads to useful, usable, consistent, scalable Cloud-based products that set industry standards and empower internal and external developers to build websites, apps, and services on the same robust infrastructure that powers this company's own products.
Mission: Transforming external developer tools into a cutting-edge, unified, beautiful, and usable cloud platform for the architects of tomorrow’s web.
- Help define the user experience for new and existing services.
- Collaborate with researchers, other designers, product managers and software engineers.
- Balance product, development and user-centered goals to help shape overall product experience.
- Develop storyboards, mockups and prototypes to communicate interaction and design ideas.
- 2 years relevant work experience with a BA/BS in Graphic Design, Product Design, Human-Computer -- Interaction or similar; or 4 years relevant work experience.
- Familiarity with cloud computing or data center technologies.
- Familiarity with software development.
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0.94738 |
How can I use the API to make an Android app??
I want to design an app for android which uses the data of Comic Vine to display comic and manga information.
I am also an App Developer, I have a question about your Comic Vine 's Dat how it's Application Program Interface ( API) can help in developing a outclass mobile app for comic lovers for Google and App store as well.
I'm pretty sure the api terms are no commercial use..
none the less, you'd probably want to use Cordova to build the app, so you can take advantage of web technologies such as ajax. Ajax will allow you to send a request asynchronously then loop over the items in the response.
API Level is an integer value that uniquely identifies the framework API revision offered by a version of the Android platform. The Android platform provides a framework API that applications can use to interact with the underlying Android system. The framework API consists of: A core set of packages and classes. Being a Web Developer I adopt all this.
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0.999998 |
Sometimes I feel like I am on a soap box preaching about the importance of Self Defense Products. However, in today’s world, it is very important to keep talking about it.
Although people tend to adopt a more reactive approach to self-defense, it is time to be a little more proactive. Rather than waiting to be assaulted in order to appreciate the importance of having a self-defense product handy, it is important to be prepared as of today, and to be armed with non-lethal self defense tools that can deter attackers away from you.
In an increasingly violent and dangerous world, it is instrumental for everyone to be aware of available non-lethal and approved self defense products that can be used to defend people against potential attackers. Also, it goes without saying that women are at a higher risk than men, which is why it is especially important for them to learn about self-defense strategies and products that they can use to defend themselves against assaulters.
Crime takes place more frequently during the evenings, which is why it is important to carry self-defense products with you when you go out at night, and especially when you are alone.
It is best to walk in busy and well-lit areas and streets, and to avoid dim and empty roads.
It is also highly advisable to leave expensive jewelry and belongings at home or in safety deposit boxes, and to wear comfortable shoes if you are walking to make it easier for you to run if need be.
Moreover, it is recommended to avoid talking on your cell phone or listening to your iPod since they may distract you from potentially dangerous situations.
Having said that, although these tips can make you less likely to be a target for criminals, it is still advisable to carry around handy and pocket-sized self defense products. Not only are they easy to carry and use, but also, more importantly, they will protect you from any potential attackers and assaulters on the streets. Fortunately, there are various types of self defense products available in the market, including stun guns, tasers and pepper sprays. Personal alarms are also available, which emit a loud noise once they are switched on, which in turn attract a lot of attention. Most self-defense products are small, so you can easily slip them into your pocket or purse. They also come in fun shapes and colors, making them rather attractive to carry with you almost anywhere.
Pepper sprays are also available in many forms, ranging from key chains, pens and lipsticks.
They are especially popular for women, and are even designed to be used by women, hence their attractive pink, red and blue colors that make them fun to carry. So not only are they fashionable, but they also protect you against any danger.
Although there are other means of exercising self defense, including physical and sportive means, buying a self defense product is far less work, and is a foolproof means of defending yourself against any attacker. This is due to the fact that attackers are usually rather big and strong, so no matter how hard you try to learn kickboxing or any other self defense sport, you are will most likely be unable to beat your attacker.
Pepper sprays and stun guns are impossible to beat, making them a far more popular self-defense option people choose to adopt these days.
Just remember that self defense products keep women from being completely helpless and at the mercy of an attacker. They give you the precious minutes to get away.
Does Pepper Spray Have a Shelf Life?
When Making the Right Self Defense Choice Matters!
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0.951155 |
"El Cajon" redirects here. For other uses, see El Cajon (disambiguation).
Location of El Cajon in San Diego County, California.
El Cajon (/ɛlkəˈhoʊn/; Spanish: [elkaˈxon]) is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, 17 mi (27 km) east of Downtown San Diego. The city, located in a valley surrounded by mountains, has acquired the nickname of "The Box." Its name originated similarly, from the Spanish phrase "el cajón," which means "the box" or "the drawer."
El Cajon, Spanish for "the box," was first recorded on September 10, 1821, as an alternative name for sitio rancho Santa Mónica to describe the "boxed in" nature of the valley in which it sat. The name appeared on maps in 1873 and 1875, shortened to "Cajon," until the modern town developed in which the post office was named "El Cajon."
In 1905, the name was once again expanded to "El Cajon" under the insistence of California banker and historian Zoeth Skinner Eldredge.
El Cajon is located at 32°47′54″N 116°57′36″W / 32.79833°N 116.96000°W / 32.79833; -116.96000 (32.798300, -116.960055). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37 km2), all land. It is bordered by San Diego and La Mesa on the west, Spring Valley on the south, Santee on the north, and unincorporated San Diego County on the east. It includes the neighborhoods of Fletcher Hills, Bostonia, and Rancho San Diego.
Under the Köppen climate classification system, El Cajon straddles areas of Mediterranean climate (CSa) and semi-arid climate (BSh). As a result, it is often described as "arid Mediterranean" and "semi-arid Steppe". Like most inland areas in Southern California, the climate varies dramatically within a short distance, known as microclimate. El Cajon's climate has greater extremes compared to coastal San Diego. The farther east from the coast, the more arid the climate gets, until one reaches the mountains, where precipitation increases due to orographic uplift.
El Cajon's climate is warm during summer with mean temperatures averaging 70.1 °F (21.2 °C) or higher and cool during winter with mean temperatures averaging 55.4 °F (13.0 °C) or higher.
The average high in the summer ranges from about 80 to 90 °F (27 to 32 °C), with temperatures reaching as high as over 105 °F (41 °C). The coldest month of the year is December with an average maximum temperature of 63 °F (17 °C) and an average minimum of 47 °F (8 °C), occasionally reaching below 39 °F (4 °C).
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate with an average difference of 24 °F (13 °C) during the summer, and an average difference of 26 °F (14 °C) during the winter.
The annual average precipitation at El Cajon is 19 inches (48 cm), nearly twice the average of San Diego, and similar to Pasadena and the San Francisco Bay Area. Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the winter months, but rare in summer. The wettest month of the year is December with an average rainfall of 3.80 inches (9.7 cm).
The record high temperature was 113 °F (45 °C) on June 14, 1917; September 1, 1955; July 22, 2006; and September 27, 2010. The record low temperature was 19 °F (−7 °C) on January 8, 1913. The wettest year was 1941 with 28.14 inches (71.5 cm) and the dryest year was 1989 with 1.51 inches (3.8 cm). The most rainfall in one month was 11.43 inches (29.0 cm) in January 1993. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 5.60 inches (14.2 cm) on January 27, 1916. A rare snowfall in November 1992 totaled 0.3 inches (0.76 cm). Three inches of snow covered the ground in January 1882.
During Spanish rule (1769–1821), the government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English word ranch is derived. Land grants were made to the Roman Catholic Church which set up numerous missions throughout the region. In the early nineteenth century, mission padres' search for pasture land led them to the El Cajon Valley. Surrounding foothills served as a barrier to straying cattle and a watershed to gather the sparse rainfall. For years the pasture lands of El Cajon supported the cattle herds of the mission and its native Indian converts.
It was not until the Mexican era (1821–1846) that titles to plots of land were granted to individuals. The original intent of the 1834 secularization legislation was to have church property divided among the former mission Indians. However, most of the grants were actually made to rich "Californios" of Spanish background who had long been casting envious eyes on the vast holdings of the Roman Catholic missions. In 1845 California Governor Pio Pico confiscated the lands of Mission San Diego de Alcala. He granted eleven square leagues (about 48,800 acres or 197 km2) of the El Cajon Valley to Dona Maria Antonio Estudillo, daughter of José Antonio Estudillo, alcalde of San Diego, to repay a $500 government obligation. The grant was originally called Rancho Santa Monica and encompassed present day El Cajon, Bostonia, Santee, Lakeside, Flinn Springs, and the eastern part of La Mesa. It also contained the 28-acre (0.11 km2) Rancho Cañada de los Coches grant. Maria Estudillo was the wife of Don Miguel Pedrorena (1808–1850), a native of Madrid, Spain, who had come to California from Peru in 1838 to operate a trading business.
With the cession of California to the United States following the Mexican–American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho El Cajon was filed by Thomas W. Sutherland, guardian of Pedrorena's heirs (his son, Miguel, and his three daughters, Victoria, Ysabel and Elenain) with the Public Land Commission in 1852, confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the grant was patented in 1876. In 1868, Los Angeles land developer Isaac Lankershim bought the bulk of the Pedrorena's Rancho El Cajon holdings and employed Major Levi Chase, a former Union Army officer, as his agent. Chase received from Lankershim 7,624 acres (30.9 km2) known as the Chase Ranch. Lankershim hired Amaziah Lord Knox (1833–1918), a New Englander whom he had met in San Francisco, to manage Rancho El Cajon. In 1876, Knox established a hotel there to serve the growing number of people traveling between San Diego and Julian, where gold had been discovered in 1869. Room and board for a guest and horse cost $1 a night. The area became known as Knox's Corners and was later renamed. By 1878 there were 25 families living in the valley and a portion of the hotel lobby became the valley post office with Knox as the first postmaster.
El Cajon was incorporated as a city in 1912. Until the 1930s, El Cajon was known for its grape and citrus agriculture.
In the 1960s and 70s, Frontier Town, Big Oak Ranch, was a tourist attraction, featuring a typical frontier-town theme park and a periodic simulated shootout. The park closed around 1980 and is being used for residential housing.
The 2010 United States Census reported that El Cajon had a population of 99,478. The racial makeup of El Cajon was 43,746 (41.6%) White, 6,306 (6.3%) African American, 835 (0.8%) Native American, 3,561 (3.6%) Asian (1.7% Filipino, 0.5% Chinese, 0.4% Vietnamese, 0.2% Japanese, 0.1% Indian, 0.1% Korean, 0.6% Other), 495 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 26,498 (26.6%) from other races, and 6,832 (6.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31,542 persons (30.4%).
Approximately one-third of El Cajon residents are foreign-born. In particular, the city has a large Iraqi immigrant population, consisting of both Arabs and Chaldean Catholics; both groups are among the largest such communities in the country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2008-2010 Estimate, 7,537 residents are Arabs (7.6%; mainly Iraqi), and 6,409 (6.4%) are Chaldean Catholic. In 2017 a spokesperson for the city of El Cajon estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 Chaldean Catholics live in the city.
In 2010 El Cajon had the highest poverty rate in San Diego County among adults, at 29.7%, and children, at 36.5%.
As of the census of 2000, there were 94,869 people, 34,199 households, and 23,152 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,510.6 inhabitants per square mile (2,514.0/km²). There were 35,190 housing units at an average density of 2,415.0 per square mile (932.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 42.9% White, 5.4% African American, 1.0% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 24.1% from other races, and 6.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 29.2% of the population.
There were 34,199 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the city, the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,566, and the median income for a family was $40,045. Males had a median income of $32,498 versus $25,320 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,698. About 13.5% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
According to estimates by the San Diego Association of Governments, the median household income of El Cajon in 2005 was $47,885 (not adjusted for inflation). When adjusted for inflation (1999 dollars; comparable to Census data above), the median household income was $38,884.
Until 2012 El Cajon was a general law city operating under a council-manager system. In June 2012 the voters adopted a city charter, changing its status to chartered city. El Cajon is governed by a mayor and a five-member city council.
On October 24, 2013, Mayor Mark Lewis resigned his position after coming under criticism for remarks he made about El Cajon's Chaldean community. Many notable figures including Congressman Juan Vargas and Neighborhood Market Association President Mark Arabo called for his resignation. Lewis resigned shortly after due to health issues. On November 12 the city council appointed Councilman Bill Wells, who had been serving as interim mayor, as the new mayor.The vote of the council was 4-0; Wells recused himself. He was elected to a full four-year term as mayor in November 2014. His term will expire in November 2018.
In the California State Legislature, El Cajon is in the 38th Senate District, represented by Republican Brian Jones, and in the 71st Assembly District, represented by Republican Randy Voepel.
In the United States House of Representatives, El Cajon is split between California's 50th congressional district, represented by Republican Duncan D. Hunter, and California's 53rd congressional district, represented by Democrat Susan Davis.
Parkway Plaza is located in El Cajon.
Cajon Valley Union School District operates public elementary and middle schools. Grossmont Union High School District operates public high schools.
On a Saturday in May the city celebrates its diversity with a free family-friendly event called "America on Main Street". The festival replaces a previous city-sponsored event called the International Friendship Festival which ran from 1991 to 2003. Both festivals highlight the city's identity as a "mini-United Nations", with 30% of its population being immigrants from Iraq, Somalia, Syria, Turkey, and other countries.
El Cajon's annual Mother Goose Parade has been held on the Sunday before Thanksgiving every year since 1946. Organizers claim it is the largest parade in San Diego County. It features more than 100 entries including "motorized floats, marching bands and drill units, equestrians, clowns, performing artists, giant helium balloons, specialty vehicles and Santa Claus."
Visitor attractions in El Cajon include the Water Conservation Garden and Butterfly Garden at Cuyamaca College, Sycuan Casino, Summers Past Farms, and the Parkway Plaza Mall.
^ "City Council: Overview". City of El Cajon. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
^ "El Cajon". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
^ Gudde, Erwin G. (2004). California place names : the origin and etymology of current geographical names (4th ed., rev. and enl. ed.). Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. pp. 58, 119. ISBN 978-0-520-24217-3.
^ El Cajon Monthly Climate Summary; El Cajon Yale Ranch Monthly Climate Summary. Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
^ City of El Cajon, text of plaque on the Memorial Arch at intersection of Main and Magnolia Streets, 2009.
^ Hellmann, Paul T. (2005). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Taylor & Francis. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-203-99700-0.
^ Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration (16 April 2013). San Diego in the 1930s: The WPA Guide to America's Finest City. University of California Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-520-95465-6.
^ a b c "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau.
^ a b c Vore, Adrian (May 28, 2017). "Number of immigrants didn't seem correct for El Cajon - The San Diego Union-Tribune". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
^ El Cajon Sees Rise In Iraqi Refugee Population, ABC10 News, September 28, 2010.
^ "Presidential Primary Election, Tuesday, June 5, 2012" (PDF). San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^ "Elected officials". City of El Cajon. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^ Pearlman, Karen (November 13, 2013). "Council names Wells El Cajon's new mayor". San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
^ Pearlman, Karen (October 24, 2013). "El Cajon Mayor Mark Lewis resigns". San Diego Union Tribune.
^ Alford, Abbie (November 12, 2013). "El Cajon appoints mayor before packed crowd". CBS-8. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
^ "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
^ "Communities of Interest - City". California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
^ Home. Foothills Christian Schools. Retrieved on March 8, 2018. "Foothills Christian Preschool 315 W Bradley Ave El Cajon, CA 92020" and "Foothills Christian Middle School 350 Cypress Lane Suite C El Cajon, CA 92020" and "Foothills Christian High School 2321 Dryden Road El Cajon, CA 92020"
^ Pearlman, Karen (May 1, 2017). "America on Main Street May 20 in El Cajon". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
^ Pearlman, Karen (November 11, 2016). "Mother Goose Parade marches into El Cajon Nov. 20". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
^ "Things to Do in El Cajon". TripAdvisor. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
^ Zwerin, Mike (1993-12-08). "Zappa's Talent for Fun". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to El Cajon, California.
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0.952571 |
How do you design a coil for lifting a steel ball? There's no clear design rules, but I can offer tips and suggestions!
Do you have suggestions of your own? Please e-mail your ideas to me. I'll update this page with whatever I get. Thanks!
You need to produce a magnetic field which primarily extends downward from the lifting coil. So consider these ideas.
Short and fat coils are better than long and skinny. They reduce the leakage flux that would otherwise escape outward from the sides.
An iron hat (such as a flatwasher) on the top is a good idea. It helps hold windings in place, and helps magnetic flux spread out from the top.
A nylon washer on the bottom (or other non-ferrous washer) is a good idea. It helps hold the windings onto a fat coil, without shielding any magnetic flux from going downwards.
An iron core will greatly increase the coil's strength.
Put the coil itself as low as possible. Closer to the ball is better.
You need to be able to adjust the coil's position. (Or the detector's position.) The usable magnetic effect extends for only about a centimeter or so, so adjustability is important.
Don't make the coil windings more than two inches thick. It won't have enough surface area to remain cool, and will overheat.
A coil resistance of 5 - 50 ohms driven with up to 2 amps has worked well. A couple of published designs operate in this range, so this would be a good target to shoot for.
Wind some tape around the bolt before winding the coil. This keeps the threads from cutting the insulation.
You can wind a coil on a carriage bolt. (Use one layer of tape first to protect the wire.) The threads can provide adjustability by screwing it in (or out) of your wooden frame.
The size of the carriage bolt is not critical. I used a common carriage bolt 4 inches long and 3/8 inches thick, chosen merely for convenience. Click on the photo at left to see two examples.
The bottom of your steel core (coil form) should taper to a point. This gives a point source of flux going downward. I found a flat-bottomed steel core gave too many places for the ball to attach itself to, and allowed too much side-to-side motion.
File off any roughness to ensure the bottom of your steel core is pointy and smooth.
Here's the coil I used. Click on the picture at left for a full size image. It shows a closeup of how it is screwed into the wooden frame above it. The whole bolt/coil assembly can be turned to raise and lower it. You can see a nut which fastens the top washer in place. This also helps eliminate vibration and hum.
This coil has 7.0 ohms of resistance. Driven by a 15v source, it carries about 2 amps of current. Unfortunately it tends to get pretty warm, if left full on for ten minutes. However, testing has found it works fine left on overnight holding up a small bolt. But I am still concerned about how hot it may get if left on without an object under it.
The coil is energized by a 2N3055 pnp power transistor on a heat sink. The heat sink doesn't seem to be required, but keep an eye on it! Some other people have reported they just put it into the breadboard without any heat sink. But two people said the transistor ran boiling hot, even with a heat sink (but they had a transistor bias problem).
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0.999992 |
Claude Monet was born on 14 November 1840, death on 5 December 1926, french painter. Who was the initiator, leader, and unswerving advocate of the Impressionist style. Monet's ambition of documenting the French countryside led him to adopt a method of painting the same scene many times in order to capture the changing of light and the passing of the seasons. At his home in Giverny, Monet created the water-lily pond that served as inspiration for his last series of paintings. His popularity soared in the second half of the 20th century, when his works traveled the world in museum exhibitions that attracted record-breaking crowds and marketed popular commercial items featuring imagery from his art.
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0.998069 |
Develop a software system with which employees can get information about the traffic in their company’s canteen.
Where hundreds of people share a canteen for lunch each day the question is: “When should I go for lunch?” There might be patterns like “Before noon it’s empty” but this might not hold every day due to vacations, trainings, visitors. It would be useful to quickly get an impression of how “canteen traffic” is developing each day.
It could be displayed how throughput at the cash register changes over time. The x-axis on the diagram would represent time. The y-axis would show e.g. how many people paid their lunch within the past minute. There could also be red/green/yellow bands in the diagram to signify throughput considered low (with long queues) or high.
Instead (or in addition) of measuring the throughput at the cash registers employees could notify the system when they leave their workplace and start heading for the canteen (including the size of the group). This would add some predictive value to the display.
Users could be notified if the throughput falls below a customizable threshold.
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<edition> parrot edition of the kernel.
we now decided to further improve this convention as we are preparing to roll out parrot 5 LTS.
# TL;DR ``` convention: linux-image-<major>.<minor>.<patch>-parrot<revision>.<true patch><edition> example for linux 4.19.13 linux-image-4.19.0-parrot1.13t <major> major version of the upstream kernel (ie. 4) <minor> minor version of the upstream kernel (ie. 18) <patch> patch version of debian (always 0 in debian) <revision> parrot revision number (incremental index that counts how many times a kernel update was released for that parrot kernel) <true patch> true upstream patch version <edition> parrot edition of the kernel. t for testing s for stable ``` # background for the upstream linux 4.18.12, the name of the debian kernel would look like linux-image-4.18.0-2, with the patch always set to zero (why?) and an incremental index at the end representing the debian release version for that branch because of this strange behavior in handling the patch number, we used in the past to append the true patch version to the abiname string (i.e. linux-image-4.18.0-parrot20 for linux 4.18.20) we now decided to further improve this convention as we are preparing to roll out parrot 5 LTS.
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0.95985 |
The 2010 Pepsi Max 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on October 10, 2010, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 200 laps, it was the 30th race of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and the fourth race in the season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup. The race was won by Tony Stewart of the Stewart-Haas Racing team, while Clint Bowyer finished second, and Jimmie Johnson clinched third.
The Pole position driver Jamie McMurray maintained his lead on the first lap to begin the race, as Elliott Sadler, who started in the second position on the grid, maintained second behind him. Throughout the race, some of the Chase participants (such as Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle) retired due to part failures. After the final round of pit stops, Tony Stewart was the leader of the race, ahead of Johnson and Bowyer, but with less than two laps remaining, Bowyer passed Johnson to secure second position. Stewart maintained the first position to win his second race of the season.
There were nine cautions and twenty-four lead changes among fourteen different drivers throughout the course of the race. It was Stewart's second win in the 2010 season, and the thirty-ninth of his career. The result moved him up to fifth in the Drivers' Championship, one hundred seven points behind Jimmie Johnson and fifty-one ahead of Kurt Busch. Chevrolet maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, forty-one points ahead of Toyota and seventy-nine ahead of Ford, with six races remaining in the season. A total of 70,000 people attended the race, while 4.072 million watched it on television.
Auto Club Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races; the others are Daytona International Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway, and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Auto Club Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2 miles (3.2 km) long. The track's turns are banked at fourteen degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at eleven degrees. The back stretch has three degrees of banking. The racetrack has seats for 92,100 spectators.
Before the race, Jimmie Johnson led the Drivers' Championship with 5,503 points, and Denny Hamlin stood in second with 5,495. Kevin Harvick was third in the Drivers' Championship with 5,473 points, twenty-three ahead of Carl Edwards and twenty-eight ahead of Jeff Gordon in fourth and fifth respectively. Kurt Busch (with 5,433 points) was ten points ahead of Kyle Busch, as Greg Biffle (with 5,418 points) was sixteen ahead of Jeff Burton, and forty-two in front of Tony Stewart. Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer were eleventh and twelfth with 5,354 and 5,251 points. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with two hundred twelve points, thirty-seven points ahead of their rival Toyota. Ford, with one hundred thirty-five points, was nineteen points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third. Johnson was the race's defending champion.
Jamie McMurray (pictured in 2007) won the pole position, after having the fastest time of 38.859 seconds.
Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—one on Friday, and two on Saturday. The first session has held before qualifying and lasted 90 minutes, while the second session was held after qualifying and lasted 45 minutes. The third and final session lasted 65 minutes. During the first practice session, Jamie McMurray of the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team was quickest ahead of A. J. Allmendinger in second and Greg Biffle in the third position. Kyle Busch was scored fourth, and Mark Martin managed fifth. Juan Pablo Montoya, David Ragan, Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Elliott Sadler rounded out the top ten quickest drivers in the session.
During qualifying, forty-five cars were entered; due to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, only forty-three would be allowed to race. McMurray clinched his second pole position during the 2010 season, with a time of 38.859. He was joined on the front row of the grid by Sadler. Matt Kenseth qualified third, Montoya took fourth, and Kasey Kahne started fifth. Kevin Harvick, one of the drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, qualified twenty-first, while Denny Hamlin was scored thirty-fourth. The two drivers that failed to qualify for the race were Mike Bliss and Patrick Carpentier. Once qualifying concluded, McMurray stated, "I think the ECR engines have a lot of power, and you're able to show that on Friday more than even in the race, because you're really able to put the power down in qualifying. A little bit is cars, a little bit is engines, a little bit is the team putting maybe a little more focus – our guys work really hard, not necessarily on the qualifying setup, but everything that goes into qualifying, making the cars as light as you can and so many little tricks that you're able to do. Not all the teams do that to the fullest level."
On the next morning, Biffle was quickest in the second practice session, ahead of Kenseth and David Reutimann in second and third. McMurray was fourth quickest, and Jeff Gordon took fifth. Hamin, Allmendinger, Martin, Kahne, and Tony Stewart followed in the top-ten. Other drivers in the Chase, such as Johnson, was twenty-third, and Kurt Busch, who was thirty-second. During the third, and final practice session, Johnson, with a time of 40.092, was quickest. Gordon and McMurray followed in second and third with respective times of 40.098 and 40.114 seconds. Biffle managed to be fourth fastest, ahead of Harvick and Kyle Busch. Martin was scored seventh, Kahne took eighth, Hamlin was ninth, and Kenseth took tenth.
The race, the 30th out of a total of 36 in the season, began at 3:00 p.m. EDT and was televised live in the United States on ESPN. Prior to the race, weather conditions were sunny with the air temperature around 81 °F (27 °C). Jeff Hammond and Motor Racing Outreach began pre-race ceremonies, by giving the invocation. Next, soft rock singer Kenny Loggins performed the national anthem, and Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate for Governor of California, gave the command for drivers to start their engines. On the pace laps, Denny Hamlin had to move to the rear of the grid because of a transmission change.
McMurray accelerated faster than Sadler off the line, getting ahead of him down the front straightaway. Kenseth took over second, as Sadler fell to fifth. Montoya passed Kenseth for second on lap 2. Sadler continued to lose positions, while Johnson passed Kahne for the fourth position, after starting eighth. Clint Bowyer gained five positions to eighth by lap 5. After starting from the rear of the grid, Hamlin had moved to 27th in six laps. On lap 7, the frontrunners included McMurray in first, ahead of Montoya, Kenseth, and Johnson. Two laps later, Montoya collided with the wall, resulting him to fall to fourth. Bowyer moved to tenth, after passing Greg Biffle on lap 10. Hamlin continued to move toward the front, passing both Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards for twenty-fifth. Kenseth took the lead ahead of McMurray, becoming the second leader of the race.
On lap 19, Johnson passed McMurray for the second position. In less than twenty laps, Kyle Busch had moved to tenth, after starting 16th. Mark Martin took over seventh, ahead of Biffle, as David Reutimann passed Joey Logano. Regan Smith gained six positions to move into thirteenth by lap 22. By lap 24, Kenseth had a one-second lead over second placer Johnson. Bowyer overtook Sadler for 4th two laps later. On lap 27, Bowyer moved into third, ahead of McMurray. On the following lap, Hamlin moved into 22nd, after beginning the race in 42nd. Jeff Gordon had been as high as fifth on the grid but after 29 laps, he fell to seventh. McMurray had fallen to that position by lap 31, after starting in the poles. On lap 33, Bobby Labonte drove to the garage for transmission repairs. Hamlin moved into twentieth, ahead of Logano one lap later. On that same lap, Martin passed Sadler for fourth. On lap 35, Gordon took over the fifth position.
Kenseth made a pit stop on lap 37, giving the lead to Johnson, who went to pit road on the following lap for four new tires. After the pit stops, Kenseth was the leader once again, ahead of Bowyer and Johnson in second and third places. On lap 40, Kenseth's lead over Bowyer was reduced to nothing, as the caution was given when Biffle's engine failed. During the caution, most of the front runners did not pit, but Hamlin, Busch, and Kevin Harvick made pit stops each for two tires. Kenseth fell to third on the restart after Gordon and Johnson both passed him. On the following lap, Johnson took over the first position after passing Gordon. On lap 49, Hamlin moved to fourth, as Kyle Busch moved into second. Brad Keselowski collided into the wall on lap 51; on the same lap, Martin moved into third.
The second caution came on lap 54, when Marcos Ambrose spun sideways in the second corner. The front runners made pit stops during the caution, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not which resulting in him being the leader. On the restart, Earnhardt led Johnson, Martin, and Kyle Busch, but Busch immediately passed them all to become the leader. Also on the restart, Edwards' car stalled, prompting the third caution of the race. During the caution, a safety vehicle pushed Edwards' car to the garage for repairs. Busch led Johnson on the restart but before the lap was over, Johnson reclaimed the lead. Three laps later, Gordon took over the second position after passing Busch. By lap 68, Busch had fallen three positions to fifth. On the following lap, Martin passed Gordon for the second position.
On lap 72, Edwards returned to the race, only fourteen laps down. One lap later, Martin became the leader ahead of Johnson. Kenseth moved to sixth on the seventy-fourth lap after falling to tenth earlier in the race. Tony Stewart took over the eighth position behind Ryan Newman on lap 78. Kenseth managed to pass Busch for fifth on the following lap. Harvick moved into the eighth position after he passed Newman on lap 82. Eight laps later, Earnhardt Jr. drove to pit road for tires and fuel. Meanwhile, Stewart was able to pass Kenseth for fifth. Afterward, Busch fell two positions to ninth when Harvick and Newman passed him. Hamlin and Jeff Burton made a pit stop on the following lap, two laps ahead of Stewart and Bowyer. On lap 97, the rest of the frontrunners made pit stops, giving the lead to David Gilliland. One lap later, pit stops concluded, as Martin reclaimed the lead, ahead of Johnson, Gordon, Bowyer, and Stewart. Also during the pit stops, Harvick received a drive-through penalty for speeding on pit road.
On lap 102, Truex passed Newman for the ninth position. Reutimann passed Kyle Busch for seventh two laps later. On the following lap, Gordon passed Johnson for second, while Martin had a five-second lead. Reutimann took sixth shortly after Gordon passed Johnson. Truex passed Busch for eighth on lap 110. Three laps later, Truex took over seventh, as Martin's lead of five seconds reduced to nothing when debris caused the fourth caution. During pit stops, Gordon claimed the lead, as Martin fell to sixth. The restart happened on lap 119, with Gordon as the leader. After restarting fourth, Bowyer had passed Truex and Stewart to clinch second. On lap 123, Martin had moved up three positions to third, after the recent caution. Afterward, Bowyer moved to the lead, while Martin claimed second position. Stewart passed Gordon for third on lap 131, while Hamlin took over fifth four laps later.
Tony Stewart (pictured in 2007) won the race earning his second victory of the season.
On lap 137, the fifth caution was given because Ambrose spun for the second time during the race. All the front runners made pit stops under the caution. Bowyer led on the restart one lap after Travis Kvapil gave up the lead to pit. Four laps after the restart, debris prompted the sixth caution of the race. The front runners did not pit during the caution, which resulted in Bowyer maintaining the lead. On lap 149, Stewart became the new leader. Five laps later, Newman took over second, as the seven caution came out after Kyle Busch's engine failed. Kvapil stayed out to lead a lap when the front runners made pit stops; Montoya became the leader after Kvapil came to pit road. On the restart, Stewart reclaimed the lead from Montoya. On the following lap, Bowyer passed Montoya for the second position two laps before Martin claimed third. Montoya continued to fall backwards, as Newman passed him for fourth. On lap 168, Bowyer reclaimed the lead.
On the two laps following the lead change, Hamlin dropped to the ninth position after Kahne and Montoya passed him. On lap 172, Johnson passed Newman for fourth and Martin claimed second. By lap 178, Bowyer had a half-second lead over second place. Three laps later, Johnson took over third after passing Stewart. On lap 183, debris prompted the eighth caution to be given. Paul Menard and Smith were the two leaders on the restart. Smith was able to become the leader one lap later but after leading one lap, Stewart reclaimed the lead. On the following lap, Kahne moved to the second position, as Bowyer clinched fourth. On lap 192, Johnson moved to second, while Smith fell to ninth after the restart. Two laps later, Kurt Busch and David Ragan collided, prompting the final caution. With two laps remaining, Stewart led on the restart ahead of Johnson and Bowyer. Stewart crossed the finish line on lap 200 to take his second win of the season, less than a second ahead of Bowyer. Johnson was third, ahead of Kahne, Newman, Martin, Harvick, and Hamlin. Jeff Gordon, who struggled to recover from a drive through penalty late in the race, took ninth on the line, ahead of Reutimann.
"We're doing everything we can do. We're going to need some help, but we're doing everything we can do. I'm proud of these guys, and just so thankful ... they refuse to give up, they refuse to back down. We'll just keep doing what we're doing here."
Stewart appeared in victory lane to celebrate his second win of the season in front of 70,000 people who attended the race. Stewart also earned $262,598 in race winnings. After the race, Bowyer expressed mixed emotions after his second-place finish: "A good run was crucial for our race team after what had happened with our win, and we got that [Sunday]. But I was frustrated I didn't get a win. ... We're capable of winning races, and if we keep doing what we did [Sunday], we're going to win another one." Johnson added to his points lead with a third-place run, describing the race as a "great day overall," and saying, "We certainly wanted to be in Victory Lane, but if can finish in the top three week in and week out, you're going to have a shot."
Hamlin, who finished eighth, remained optimistic about his championship chances: "All in all, it's a decent day. Can't be too disappointed with it, especially from where we started. It's somewhat uplifting that we got out of here with a top-10 day." Smith was also pleased with his twelfth-place run after briefly holding the lead: "We had a good car early on and got back in dirty air and bad traffic. It's so tough back there. When we took the two tires, the car was really good up there. I was just lacking a little bit of grip to hold it for more than that one lap. To still maintain 12th was pretty good." All three Roush Fenway chasers, meanwhile, finished 30th or worse, damaging their position in the point standings. Biffle said his engine failed with "no indication" and added, "It's unfortunate for us. This was our opportunity to get back in the Chase and it doesn't look like it's going to happen. It's disappointing, but what can you do? It broke. Everybody is giving this program 110 percent, so you can't blame anybody. We were trying hard to win the title and it isn't going to happen this year."
The race results saw Johnson maintain his lead in the Drivers' Championship with 5,673 points. Hamlin was thirty-six points behind in second, followed by Harvick, Jeff Gordon, and Stewart. Kurt Busch was in sixth with 5,533 points, with Edwards, Burton, Kyle Busch, Biffle, Kenseth, and Bowyer rounding out the top twelve. In the Manufactures' Championship, Chevrolet maintained their lead with two hundred twenty points. Toyota followed in second with one hundred seventy-nine, while Ford and Dodge remained third and fourth with one hundred forty-one and one hundred nineteen points respectively. 4.072 million people watched the race on television.
Jimmie Johnson (pictured in 2007) remained the points leader after finishing third in the race.
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Is it possible to build a device in which the forward motion turns a wheel that turns a propeller which provides enough wind propulsion to accelerate the device forward? Physics and common sense would say: "absolutely not." Yet some investigators appear to have accomplished just this.
Take a look at some of the videos below, and if you don't believe it, build one, and report your results. If this really works, it would make a great toy.
The most astonishing video is the one showing a treadmill set on an incline, yet the gizmo is proceeding up the treadmill against gravity, propelled by the fan which is propelled by the forward motion of the gizmo on the treadmill.
The effect seems to work better at higher speeds than lower speeds (probably due to the cubed relationship between increased wind speed versus increased power).
: I just got off the phone with Spork33, the person featured in several of the videos below.
: He is convinced that existing laws of aerodynamics can explain this phenomena, and he is in process of composing a scientific paper for publication in a refereed journal that will detail the mechanics involved.
: Bear in mind that you will not be able to just plop this on a flat surface such as a gym floor, give it a good push, and it take off accelerating. The device on the treadmill is analogous to a cart going along with a tail wind of the same speed, and the mechanism makes it go faster than the tail wind.
: He said he has been assembling about 20 of these to ship out to a few people (primarily skeptics) from various forums who have asked to replicate the effect. He said that in doing several at once, the parts run around $40.00 USD. He asks another $5.00 for shipping. So at this juncture he's only doing it on a limited basis for scientific advancement. At that price, he's not willing to make very many.
: Until the thing is mass produced, it will be fairly expensive. We () are in discussion with him about entering into an agreement to build and ship kits with adequate mark-up to make it worth our while, e.g. $80 retail. If you are interested (customer side or business side), please send an email to [mailto:ddwfttw.kit@pureenergysystems.com?subject=DDWFTTW%20interest DDWFTTW.kit@pureenergysystems.com].
: Because the gadget won't accelerate across a flat surface but will only move forward on a treadmill, the number of people wanting one will probably be fairly low, and the practical aspects perhaps lower yet.
: It certainly is a scientific curiosity. Perhaps the principles underlying it may eventually spur some significant aerodynamic advancements in efficiency.
"Over a year ago there was an article in Make magazine by Charles Platt inspired by a YouTube video [below] of a propeller-driven cart that allegedly could go down wind faster than the wind that was pushing it…. Everyone’s first instinct is to think “free energy”, or “perpetual motion machine”. I was convinced that this was not the case, and that the cart could work. I had seen a similar cart presented by Paul MacReady, founder of Aerovironment."
http://makezine.com/11/windpower/ - The Little Cart That Couldn't Wind-powered vehicle claims look like hot air.
:"The treadmill test is scientifically sufficient to prove that, once at wind speed, the cart can exceed it. If a cart is going down a road at x miles an hour in x mile-per-hour winds, then the wind speed relative to the cart is zero and the ground speed relative to the cart is x. Thus the cart on the treadmill at x miles per hour is exactly the same situation. If the cart can move up the treadmill, or add tension to an anchor rope, as is the case in our tests, then that means that there is positive net thrust, that is, the thrust exceeds the friction and thus the cart can accelerate. The treadmill cannot simulate what happens after that (the relative wind goes from zero to against the cart) or before (when the wind is going faster than the cart). However, the first point is inconsequential, because we are not looking for the terminal velocity, just knowing that it is greater than wind speed. As for the second point, there are numerous ways to get the cart to wind speed if its own drag is not enough: imagine, for example, a set of hinged sales that open flat like a book when the wind blows from the aft and close into a “double flag” when the wind blows from the front.
:If the speed at station 2 is larger than that at station 1 (meaning the cart has accelerated past wind speed), then the quantity on the right side must be positive. That is, http://projects.m-qp-m.us/donkeypuss/wp-content/plugins/latexrender/pictures/49eabcd21f2002eacdbaee843ea71e26_2.49998pt.gif.
:Note that if our losses are small relative to our drag, the lift to drag ratio need only be greater than 1—an easy task. Either the losses must be minimized (good bearings, low rolling friction, etc.) or the drag on the propeller must be increased. As bad as that sounds, what this really says is “or the propeller must be made bigger”, or “the propeller must be made to generate more thrust”, keeping a constant lift to drag ratio, of course."
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The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small prison or dungeon in Fort William where troops of Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, held British prisoners of war for three days on 20 June 1756.
John Zephaniah Holwell, one of the British prisoners and an employee of the East India Company, said that, after the fall of Fort William, the surviving British soldiers, Anglo-Indian soldiers, and Indian civilians were imprisoned overnight in conditions so cramped that many people died from suffocation and heat exhaustion, and that 143 of 164 prisoners of war imprisoned there died.
Fort William was established to protect the East India Company's trade in the city of Calcutta, the principal city of the Bengal Presidency. In 1756 India, there existed the possibility of imperial confrontation with military forces of the Kingdom of France, so the British reinforced the fort.
Meanwhile, Siraj ud-Daulah, the ruler of Bengal, was unhappy with the Company's political interference in the internal affairs of his province; the British merchants were undermining his political power. As the Nawab, Siraj perceived a threat to Bengali independence and himself. He ordered the immediate cessation of the reinforcement of Fort William, but the Company paid no heed to the ruler's orders.
In consequence to that British indifference to his authority, Siraj ud-Daulah organised his army and laid siege to Fort William. In an effort to survive the losing battle, the British commander ordered the surviving soldiers of the garrison to escape, yet left behind 146 soldiers under the civilian command of John Zephaniah Holwell, a senior bureaucrat of the East India Company, who had been a military surgeon in earlier life.
Moreover, the desertions of allied Indian troops made ineffective the British defence of Fort William, which fell to the siege of Bengali forces on 20 June 1756. The surviving defenders who were captured and made prisoners of war numbered between 64 and 69, along with an unknown number of Anglo-Indian soldiers and civilians who earlier had been sheltered in Fort William.
The English officers and merchants based in Kolkata were rounded up by the forces loyal to Siraj ud-Daulah and inserted into a dungeon known as the "Black Hole".
The incident that took place was a direct violation of the human rights of the prisoners.
Holwell wrote about the events that occurred after the fall of Fort William. He met with Siraj-ud-Daulah, who assured him: “On the word of a soldier; that no harm should come to us”. After seeking a place in the fort to confine the prisoners (including Holwell), at 8.00 p.m., the jailers locked the prisoners in the fort’s prison — “the black hole” in soldiers' slang — a small room that measured 4.30m. × 5.50 m (14 feet × 18 feet). The next morning, when the black hole was opened, at 6.00 a.m., only about 23 of the prisoners remained alive.
The dungeon was a strongly barred room, and was not intended for the confinement of more than two or three men at a time. There were only two windows, and a projecting veranda outside, and thick iron bars within impeded the ventilation, while fires, raging in different parts of the fort, suggested an atmosphere of further oppressiveness. The prisoners were packed so tightly that the door was difficult to close.
One of the soldiers stationed in the veranda was offered 1,000 rupees to have them removed to a larger room. He went away, but returned saying it was impossible. The bribe was then doubled, and he made a second attempt with a like result; the nawab was asleep, and no one dared wake him.
By nine o'clock several had died, and many more were delirious. A frantic cry for water now became general, and one of the guards, more compassionate than his fellows, caused some [water] to be brought to the bars, where Mr. Holwell and two or three others received it in their hats, and passed it on to the men behind. In their impatience to secure it nearly all was spilt, and the little they drank seemed only to increase their thirst. Self-control was soon lost; those in remote parts of the room struggled to reach the window, and a fearful tumult ensued, in which the weakest were trampled or pressed to death. They raved, fought, prayed, blasphemed, and many then fell exhausted on the floor, where suffocation put an end to their torments.
About 11 o'clock the prisoners began to drop off, fast. At length, at six in the morning, Siraj-ud-Daulah awoke, and ordered the door to be opened. Of the 146 only 23, including Mr. Holwell [from whose narrative, published in the Annual Register & The Gentleman's Magazine for 1758, this account is partly derived], remained alive, and they were either stupefied or raving. Fresh air soon revived them, and the commander was then taken before the nawab, who expressed no regret for what had occurred, and gave no other sign of sympathy than ordering the Englishman a chair and a glass of water. Notwithstanding this indifference, Mr. Holwell and some others acquit him of any intention of causing the catastrophe, and ascribe it to the malice of certain inferior officers, but many think this opinion unfounded.
Afterwards, when the prison of Fort William was opened, the corpses of the dead men were thrown into a ditch. Moreover, as prisoners, Holwell and three other men were transferred to Murshidabad.
The remaining survivors of the Black Hole of Calcutta were freed after the victory of a relief expedition commanded by Sir Robert Clive. After news of Calcutta's capture was received by the British in Madras in August 1756, Lieut. Col. Robert Clive was sent to retaliate against the Indians. With his troops and local Indian allies, Clive recaptured Calcutta in January 1757, and went on to defeat Siraj ud-Daulah at the Battle of Plassey, which resulted in Siraj being overthrown as Nawab of Bengal and killed.
The Black Hole of Calcutta was later used as a warehouse.
In memoriam of the dead, the British erected a 15-metre-high obelisk; it now is in the graveyard of (Anglican) St. John's Church, Calcutta. Holwell had erected a tablet on the site of the 'Black Hole' to commemorate the victims but, at some point before 1822 (the precise date is uncertain), it disappeared. Lord Curzon, on becoming Viceroy in 1899, noticed that there was nothing to mark the spot and commissioned a new monument, mentioning the prior existence of Holwell's; it was erected in 1901 at the corner of Dalhousie Square (now B. B. D. Bagh), which is said to be the site of the 'Black Hole'. At the apex of the Indian independence movement, the presence of this monument in Calcutta was turned into a nationalist cause célèbre. Nationalist leaders, including Subhas Chandra Bose, lobbied energetically for its removal. The Congress and the Muslim League joined forces in the anti-monument movement. As a result, Abdul Wasek Mia of Nawabganj thana, a student leader of that time, led the removal of the monument from Dalhousie Square in July 1940. The monument was re-erected in the graveyard of St John's Church, Calcutta, where it remains.
The 'Black Hole' itself, being merely the guardroom in the old Fort William, disappeared shortly after the incident when the fort itself was taken down to be replaced by the new Fort William which still stands today in the Maidan to the south of B. B. D. Bagh. The precise location of that guardroom is in an alleyway between the General Post Office and the adjacent building to the north, in the north west corner of B.B.D. Bagh. The memorial tablet which was once on the wall of that building beside the GPO can now be found in the nearby postal museum.
"List of the smothered in the Black Hole prison exclusive of sixty-nine, consisting of Dutch and British sergeants, corporals, soldiers, topazes, militia, whites, and Portuguese, (whose names I am unacquainted with), making on the whole one hundred and twenty-three persons."
Of Counsel — E. Eyre, Esqr., Wm. Baillie, Esqr., the Rev. Jervas Bellamy.
Gentlemen in the Service — Messrs. Jenks, Revely, Law, Coales, Valicourt, Jeb, Torriano, E. Page, S. Page, Grub, Street, Harod, P. Johnstone, Ballard, N. Drake, Carse, Knapton, Gosling, Bing, Dod, Dalrymple, V. Ament Theme.
Military Captains — Clayton, Buchanan, Witherington.
Lieutenants — Bishop, Ifays, Blagg, Simson, Bellamy.
Ensigns – Paccard, Scot, Hastings, C. Wedderburn, Dumbleton.
Sergeants, &c. — Sergeant-Major Abraham, Quartermaster Cartwright, Sergeant Bleau (these were sergeants of militia).
Sea Captains — Hunt, Osburne, Purnell (survived the night; died on the morn), Messrs. Carey, Stephenson, Guy, Porter, W. Parker, Caulker, Bendall, Atkinson, Leech, &c., &c.
Messrs. Holwell, John Zephediah, Court, Secretary Cooke, Lushington, Burdett, Ensign Walcott, Mrs. Carey, Captain Mills, Captain Dickson, Mr. Moran, John Meadows, and twelve military and militia (blacks & whites).
Thomas Pynchon refers to the Black Hole of Calcutta in the historical novel Mason & Dixon (1997). The character Charles Mason spends much time on Saint Helena with the astronomer Nevil Maskelyne, the brother-in-law of Lord Robert Clive of India; themes of colonialism and racism are discussed in relation to the event. Later in the story, Jeremiah Dixon visits New York City, and attends a secret "Broad-Way" production of the "musical drama", The Black Hole of Calcutta, or, the Peevish Wazir, "executed with such a fine respect for detail. . . ." Pynchon satirically refers to it in the long-running musical revue Oh! Calcutta!, which was played on Broadway for more than 7,000 performances.
Edgar Allan Poe makes reference to the "stifling" of the prisoners in the introduction to "The Premature Burial" (1844).
The Black Hole is mentioned in Looking Backward (1888) by Edward Bellamy as an example of the depravity of the past.
In the science-fiction novel Omega: The Last Days of the World (1894), by Camille Flammarion, The Black Hole of Calcutta is mentioned for the suffocating properties of Carbonic-Oxide (Carbon Monoxide) upon the British soldiers imprisoned in that dungeon.
Eugene O'Neill, in Long Day's Journey into Night, Act 4, Jamie says, "Can't expect us to live in the Black Hole of Calcutta."
Patrick O'Brian in The Mauritius Command (1977) compared Jack Aubrey's house to the black hole of Calcutta "except that whereas the Hole was hot, dry, and airless", Aubrey's cottage "let in draughts from all sides."
Diana Gabaldon mentions briefly the incident in her novel Lord John and the Private Matter (2003). The Black Hole is also compared with the evil miasma of Calcutta as a whole in Dan Simmons's novel The Song of Kali.
Stephen King makes a reference to the Black Hole of Calcutta in his 2004 novel Song of Susannah.
In Chapter V of "King Solomon´s Mines" (H.R. Haggard. 1885) the Black Hole of Calcutta is mentioned: "This gave us some slight shelter from the burning rays of the sun, but the atmosphere in that amateur grave can be better imagined than described. The Black Hole of Calcutta must have been a fool to it..."
In John Fante's novel "The Road to Los Angeles" (1985), the main character Arturo Bandini recalls when seeing his place of work: "I thought about the Black Hole of Calcutta."
In "Vanity Fair" W. M. Thackeray makes a reference to the Black Hole of Calcutta when describing the Anglo-Indian district in London, (Chapter LX).
In the period drama Turn: Washington's Spies, the character of John Graves Simcoe claims in Season 4 that he was born in India and that his father died in the Black Hole of Calcutta after being tortured. (In historical reality, Simcoe was born in England and his father died of pneumonia).
In an episode of the Britcom Open All Hours Mr.Arkwright orders his assistant Granville to clean the outside window ledge. He attempts to say "There's enough dirt there to fill the Black Hole of Calcutta" but his extensive stuttering when trying to say 'Calcutta' causes him to change it to "There's enough dirt there to fill the Hanging Gardens of Babylon".
In an episode of The Andy Griffith Show; S. 6 Ep. 11 The Cannon Deputy Warren is place in charge of security at the Mayberry Founders Day ceremony and he becomes obsessed with the town decorative cannon. He peers into the fuse breach and claims "It is darker than the Hole of Calcutta in there".
According to Hong-Yee Chiu, a long-time astrophysicist at NASA, the Black Hole of Calcutta was the inspiration for the term black hole referring to regions of space-time resulting from the gravitational collapse of very heavy stars. He recalled hearing physicist Robert Dicke in the early 1960s compare such gravitationally collapsed objects to the infamous prison.
^ Little, J. H. (1916) ‘The Black Hole — The Question of Holwell's Veracity’ (1916) Bengal: Past and Present, vol. 12. pp. 136–171.
^ a b c d e Wolpert, Stanley (2009). A New History of India (8th ed.). New York, NY: Oxford UP. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-19-533756-3.
^ a b Holwell, John Zephaniah; Friends (1764). "A Genuine Narrative of the Deplorable Deaths of the English Gentlemen, and Others, who were suffocated in the Black-Hole in Fort-William, at Calcutta, in the Kingdom of Bengal; in the Night succeeding the 20th Day of June, 1756". India Tracts (2nd ed.). London, Great Britain: Becket & de Hondt. pp. 251–76. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
^ D. L. Prior, Holwell's biographer in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, reports figures of 64 prisoners and 21 survivors.
^ Pychon, Thomas, Mason & Dixon, pp. 562–564.
^ "The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 2". Retrieved 25 December 2015.
Partha Chatterjee. The Black Hole of Empire: History of a Global Practice of Power. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2012. 425p. ISBN 9780691152004. Explores the incident itself and the history of using it to expand or critique British rule in India.
Urs App (2010). The Birth of Orientalism. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press (ISBN 978-0-8122-4261-4); contains a 66-page chapter (pp. 297–362) on Holwell.
Dalley, Jan (2006). The Black Hole: Money, Myth and Empire. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-670-91447-9.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Black Hole of Calcutta.
Partha Chatterjee and Ayça Çubukçu, "Empire as a Practice of Power: Introduction," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol 10, Issue 41, No. 1, 9 October 2012. Interview with Chatterjee.
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Calcutta" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 981–983.
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meaning of $\mathcal O(-1)$ in algebraic geometry?
In quantum field theory, multi-loop Feynman integrals are basic ingredients of calculating high order corrections. Recently, I have come across the paper A Feynman integral via higher normal functions. It seems that Feynman integrals have some relations to algebraic geometry. Since I am physics-oriented, I don't know much about algebraic geometry. Could anyone provide some explanations or expository articles on this topic? Thanks a lot!
This is somewhat of a borderline question for the forum. Generally "tell me about stuff" requests don't do very well. It might make sense to start a meta thread where you could refine your question beforehand.
I think that Ryan has a point, although I'd be very interested in what answers show up!
You should look at the book "Feynman motives" by Marcolli.
@DanPetersen: To me, having seen your MO activity, it would be great to read any comments you could give on the subject.
There are many resources where information can be found. For example, look at the slides here and the references therein. Also see these notes and perhaps just look at this proceeding. If you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me.
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Mark Smith was born in 1946 in Lima, Ohio. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on February 10, 1964, and after completing basic training at Fort Ord, California, and Wheeled Vehicle Maintenance training, he was assigned to the 85th Ordnance Battalion in West Germany from May 1964 to August 1965, during which time he completed jump school in Germany. Sgt Smith returned to the U.S. in August 1965, and participated in the Occupation of the Dominican Republic before deploying to Southeast Asia with 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division in December 1965. After being wounded, he was hospitalized in Japan for several months, and then returned to South Vietnam where he served with 2nd Battalion of the 28th Infantry Regiment from June 1966 until returning to the U.S. in May 1968. On February 22, 1968, SSG Smith was given a battlefield commission to 2nd Lt. Lt Smith then attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, from May to July 1968, followed by service as an instructor with the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning from August to October 1968. He attended the Military Assistance Training Advisors course with the U.S. Army Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from October to November 1968, and then completed Vietnamese language training at Fort Bliss, Texas, from December 1968 to January 1969. His next assignment was as an advisor with U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam from February to December 1969, followed by service as commander of a counterinsurgency unit with the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division from December 1969 to September 1970. Capt Smith served as an instructor in the Ranger Department at Fort Benning from October 1970 to September 1971, and then returned to South Vietnam where he served as an advisor with Military Assistance Command Vietnam from November 1971 until he was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War during the Battle of Loc Ninh on April 7, 1972. After spending 312 days in captivity in Cambodia, Capt Smith was released during Operation Homecoming on February 12, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries, and then served as Battalion S-3 (Air) for 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea from September 1973 to October 1974, followed by service as a Refugee Coordinator at Fort MacArthur, California, from November 1974 to July 1975. After completing Pathfinder School and the Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Capt Smith served as Executive Officer and then Company Commander of Company B, 1st Battalion of the 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg from August 1976 to July 1978. His next assignment was as a Psychological Operations Officer with the 7th Special Forces Group from July 1978 to March 1979, followed by service as a Training Officer and Reserve Special Forces Evaluator with Headquarters 6th Army at the Presidio of San Francisco, California, from May 1979 to July 1981. Maj Smith's final assignment was as Commander of the U.S. Army Special Forces Detachment in South Korea from July 1981 until his retirement from the Army on June 1, 1985. Mark Smith has lived in Thailand since his retirement from the Army, and has remained active in POW/MIA Issues in Southeast Asia.
For extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force while serving as the Senior Battalion Liaison Officer to the 9th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam, during the period 5 April 1972 to 7 April 1972. On 5 April 1972, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched a major offensive with the objective of capturing Binh Long Province in Military Region Three. The 5th Viet Cong Division was targeted against Loc Ninh, the capital of Loc Ninh District in northern Binh Long Province. The 5th Viet Cong Division launched a massive coordinated ground attack against Loc Ninh beginning early in the morning of 5 April 1972. The attack was supported by artillery and tanks. Captain Smith skillfully directed tactical airstrikes and helicopter gunships in support of the 9th Infantry Regiment and other South Vietnamese forces in the area. To inflict the maximum casualties on the enemy and to bring the fires as close as possible to the friendly forces, he left the safety of his bunker and moved throughout the area seeking strategic vantage points from which he directed friendly fire. Time and time again he directed the fighters, bombers, gunships, and artillery fire on top of his own position to drive off the attacking enemy. The combination of Captain Smith's courage and professional skills coupled with all available firepower kept the numerically superior enemy at bay for more than two days. Captain Smith's extraordinary heroism was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflected great credit upon himself and the military service.
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Hohfeld's writings, from 1913 and 1917, delve into the distinctions between such legal concepts as privilege and duty, and right, immunity and liability, etc.
English summary: One of the consequences that developed in a paradigm based on the theory of a social contract is that distributive justice (iustitia distributiva) has almost no relevance in contract law. Stefan Arnold engages this paradigm and shows that distributive justice permeates contract law and shapes the subsequent communal justice (iustitia commutativa). Arnold therefore presents a theory of distributive justice as a legal perspective which looks beyond exchange relationships and considers the regulative capacity of contract law. In this way, contract is able to contribute to the public good in such areas as behavioral control, protection of the weak or the realization of the public interest. When distributive justice is joined by principles of contract law, the results are positive for autonomy and self-reliance. This work demonstrated the value of distributive justice for social laws such as laws dealing with tenancy, consumer protection and discrimination. German description: Einem vertragstheoretischen Paradigma zufolge ist die iustitia distributiva im Vertragsrecht nahezu ohne Bedeutung. Stefan Arnold greift dieses Paradigma an und zeigt, dass die iustitia distributiva das Vertragsrecht ebenso durchdringt und pragt wie die iustitia commutativa . Dazu entwickelt er eine Theorie der iustitia distributiva als Gerechtigkeitsperspektive, die uber das Austauschverhaltnis hinausblickt und die regulative Kapazitat des Vertragsrechts berucksichtigt. So kann das Vertragsrecht etwa zur Verhaltenssteuerung, zum Schwacherenschutz oder zur Verwirklichung von Allgemeinwohlbelangen beitragen. Die iustitia distributiva wird vom Postulat der Vertragsfreiheit flankiert, das Autonomie und Eigenverantwortung einfordert. Die Arbeit illustriert die Bedeutung der iustitia distributiva unter anderem anhand des sozialen Mietrechts, des Verbrauchervertragsrechts und des Diskriminierungrechts.
A classic work in the anthropology of law, this book offered one of the first ambitiously conceived analyses of the fundamental rights and duties that are treated as law among nonliterate peoples (labeled "primitive" at the time of the original publication). The heart of the book is a description and analysis of the law of five societies: the Eskimo; the Ifugao of northern Luzon in the Philippines; the Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne tribes of the western plains of the United States; the Trobriand Islanders of the southwest Pacific; and the Ashanti of western Africa. Hoebel's lucid analysis reveals the variety and complexity of these societies' political and legal institutions. It emphasizes their use of due process in adjudication and enforcement and highlights the importance of general explicit standards of conduct in these societies. In offering these detailed case studies of societies studied by other anthropologists, and in outlining an influential approach to the subject, it remains an illuminating book for both scholars and students.
English summary: Without the concept of agency, an economy based on the division of labor would not be possible. The Principles of European Contract Law, the Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts and the Draft Common Frame of Reference have each made separate proposals for harmonizing the regulations pertaining to agency. Dominik Moser studies these regulatory models, exploring the extent to which the existence of an agency relationship must be revealed to the other party and the legal consequences of that agency. The author bases his study on the law in Germany, representing the continental European legal tradition, and the law in England, as a representative of the common law. He then compares the proposals for regulations, evaluating them according to their potential to solve practical legal problems while still balancing the interests of all the parties concerned. German description: Ohne die Stellvertretung ware eine arbeitsteilig organisierte Wirtschaft nicht moglich. In jungster Zeit erschienen mit den Principles of European Contract Law, den Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts und dem Draft Common Frame of Reference drei unterschiedliche Vorschlage fur vereinheitlichte Stellvertretungsregelungen. Dominik Moser untersucht diese Modellregelungen hinsichtlich der Fragen, inwieweit das Vorliegen einer Stellvertretung der anderen Partei offenbart werden muss, und welche Rechtsfolgen sich hieraus ergeben. Dabei nimmt der Autor die Regelungen des deutschen und des englischen Rechts als Vertreter der kontinental-europaischen Rechtstradition einerseits und des Common Law andererseits zum Ausgangspunkt. Er vergleicht die Regelungsvorschlage und bewertet sie danach, ob sie interessengerechte Losungen fur die in der Rechtspraxis auftretenden Probleme bieten.
Unter Geltung des Trennungsprinzips droht der Erwerb des Grundstückskäufers in der Schwebephase zwischen Vertragsschluss und Übereignung an der Insolvenz des Verkäufers, an Zwangsvollstreckungsmaßnahmen in das verkaufte Grundstück oder an vertragswidrigen anderweitigen Verfügungen zu scheitern. Zur Kompensation dieser Risiken haben deutsches, englisches, schottisches und spanisches Recht vielfältige Sicherungsmechanismen entwickelt, die eine interessengerechte und funktionsfähige Erwerbsabwicklung gewährleisten sollen. Wiebke Voß analysiert, kategorisiert und bewertet rechtsvergleichend die Modelle der Erwerbssicherung und lotet aus, wie die Rechtsposition des derart geschützten Käufers in die Dichotomie der Vermögensrechte einzuordnen ist: Hat er noch ein Schuldrecht oder schon ein Sachenrecht inne oder handelt es sich bei der Erwerberstellung gar um eine hybride Zwischenrechtsform?
Intellectual property is a vital part of the global economy, accounting for about half of the GDP in countries like the United States. Innovation, competition, economic growth and jobs can all be helped or hurt by different approaches to this key asset class, where seemingly slight changes in the rules of the game can have remarkable impact. This book brings together diverse perspectives from the fields of law, economics, business and political science to explore the ways varying approaches to intellectual property can positively and negatively impact our economy and society. Employing approaches that are both theoretically rigorous and grounded in the real world, Perspectives on Commercializing Innovation is well suited for practising lawyers, managers, lawmakers and analysts, as well as academics conducting research or teaching in a range of courses in law schools, business schools and economics departments, at either the undergraduate or graduate level.
A close study of the main Lockean texts revises our understanding of Locke the individualist.
The present study which I have subtitled A Study in Law and Logic was prompted by the question of whether an investigation into law and legal systems could lead to the discovery of unrevealed fundamental patterns common to all such systems. This question was further stimulated by two interrelated problems. Firstly, could an inquiry be rooted in specifically legal matters, as distinct from the more usual writings on deontic logic? Secondly, could such inquiry yield a theory which would nevertheless embrace a strict and simple logical structure, permitting substantive conclusions in legal matters to be deduced from simple rules governing some basic concepts? Before the development of deontic logic, W. N. Hohfeld devoted his efforts to this question at the beginning of this century. However, with this exception, few jurists have studied the interrelation between law and logic projected in this way. Nevertheless, two great names are to be found, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Jeremy Bentham-both philo sophers with legal as weIl as logical training. Bentham's investigations of logical patterns in law have only recently attracted attention; and as for Leibniz, his achievements are still almost totally unexplored (his most important writings on law and logic have not even been translated from Latin). My initial interest in the question was evoked by Professor Stig Kanger. Although primarily a logician and philosopher, Stig Kanger has been interested also in the fundamentals of legal theory.
The legal essays by Michael Bayles in this collection display his commitment to utilitarianism both as a moral theory and an analytical device. A utilitarian must choose between the best of all possible alternatives and so must lay out the alternatives and thus their consequences carefully and completely. As it happens, there is no better way of understanding why something is as it is in the law, and no better way to lay the foundations for criticism and improvement, than to lay out what the alternatives are, carefully distinguishing them, their justifications, and their implications for changing other areas of the law and for changing our relation to the law. Bayles was a master at such work, and each essay thus repays careful study for anyone concerned about the law. The essays cover a wide variety of topics, from contract law to the criminal law, from torts to theory, and form a natural set. Laying out the alternatives in one area makes it much clearer how and why alternatives in other areas are acceptable or required. Interconnections within the legal system as a whole not readily visible when studying one area of the law become obvious when several are laid out side-by-side using the analytical skill required by a good utilitarian.
In the last years of his life, Gerald C. MacCallum, Jr., defied illness to continue his work on the philosophy of law. This book is a monument to MacCallum's effort, containing fourteen of his essays, five of them published here for the first time. Two of those previously published are widely admired and reprinted: "Legislative Intent," certainly one of the best papers ever published on its topic, and "Negative and Positive Freedom," which offered a new way of looking at a distinction that had been canonical for the last two centuries. To complete MacCallum's unfinished pieces, Marcus G. Singer and Rex Martin painstakingly consulted MacCallum's notes for planned revisions. MacCallum discusses legal reasoning, the application of rules, the interpretation of statutes and constitutional provisions, and the relation of these matters to morality and justice. In the last decade of his working life, he became greatly concerned with the interrelated themes of integrity, autonomy, conscience, and violence. He wished to relate competition to morality and justice to adversarial systems of law. These themes are woven together in Legislative Intent and constitute the main subject of some of the essays. MacCallum was engaged in a constant search for truth and understanding, and in his life and work lived up to Emerson's vision of the "American Scholar" as a "human being thinking." These essays are informed by the author's deep curiosity, penetrating intelligence, wide knowledge, and outstanding character. They will be treasured wherever these characteristics and true philosophy are treasured.
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I think this article would be a good one to file in the memory banks. The next time American experts say there is no drug research being done in Canada, here's an example that contradicts that statement.
Bayer AG halted worldwide sales Monday of its anti-bleeding drug Trasylol at the request of U.S. and foreign health officials pending further analysis of a Canadian study that suggests it's linked to a 50 percent higher risk of death than the other drugs in the clinical trial.
The Food and Drug Administration asked the company to stop selling the drug, used to prevent excessive bleeding during heart bypass surgery, until it could receive and review further results from the study. The study comparing the safety and efficacy of the drug with two others was recently halted.
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What is the meaning of trust?
A trust exists where a person (called a trustee) holds, as owner or has vested in him property transferred to it by the settlor, under an obligation to deal with that property for the benefit of persons (called the beneficiaries), whether or not yet ascertained or in existence. The settlor may also be one of the beneficiaries or the sole beneficiary.
The trust property constitutes a separate fund held and owned legally by the trustee which is distinct and separate from the personal property of the trustee. Creditors of the trustee have no claims over trust property.
The trustee has the duty to administer the trust property in accordance with the terms of the trust deed and the laws applicable to trusts.
Once property has been placed in trust, the settlor loses legal ownership of the property and it is up to the trustee to manage, administer, acquire or dispose of any trust assets.
It is important when setting up a trust that there is certainty of intention, certainty of assets and certainty of beneficiaries.
Both movable and immovable property may be placed in trust (eg. Cash, real estate, cars, shares etc). It is also possible to settle an immovable property in trust whereby the asset ie. the immovable property is placed for the benefit of one person and the income on that asset for example the rent is for the benefit of another person.
A trust may continue until the 125th anniversary from the date in which it came into existence unless terminated beforehand.
A trust may be varied or revoked subject to the trust deed and the provisions of the law.
Trusts can either be set up as fixed interest trusts or discretionary trusts which in turn can serve to act as maintenance trusts, protective/spendthrift trusts, charitable trusts etc. It is also possible to set up a testamentary trust which would kick in on the death of the settlor.
Fixed Interest Trust: a trust where the trust deed itself normally provides for the manner in which income and capital are to be distributed, on specific dates, to the beneficiaries identified therein and according to the ratios specified in the trust deed. In such types of trusts, the trustee does not exercise any discretion over the trust’s management or distribution. The main characteristic of this type of trust is that it is created in favour of pre-determined beneficiaries or classes of beneficiaries having a fixed pre-determined share of the identified trust property.
Discretionary Trust: a trust where the trustee is given the discretion as to the manner in which the trust property is distributed and/or the people to whom that property is distributed. The trustee may be given the power to appoint beneficiaries, power to remove, the time and the manner in which assets are to be distributed and other powers relating to the appointment of advancement of the trust property. It is also possible for the settlor to identify a number of beneficiaries and empower the trustee to appoint the remainder. This type of trust offers flexibility.
A settlor may opt to have a protector appointed. Typically a protector is appointed so that the trustee would be obliged to obtain the protector’s approval prior to taking certain decisions or exercising certain discretions. This means that the protector’s job is to ensure that the trustee is in fact acting in the interests of the beneficiaries of the trust. The appointment of the protector goes some way to ensuring that the settlor’s wishes are in fact regarded.
A beneficiary is entitled to disclaim his interest.
A beneficiary may subject to the terms of the trust, sell, charge or transfer is interest to third parties.
The trustee may either be a person that is in possession of a license to act as trustee from the MFSA or otherwise a natural person who qualifies to act as a ‘private trustee’.
Private Trustee: the trustee in such case is either related to the settlor or has known the settlor for a minimum period of 10 years and is not remunerated, does not promote himself as a trustee to public and does not habitually act as a trustee. In such a case, the trust must be created by a notarial trust deed and all decisions, accounts and material events must be delivered to the depository notary. All such documents shall be confidential.
Where a Maltese trust is created, succession rights, testate and intestate and especially the indefeasible share of the spouses, ascendants and descendants, will prevail over the terms of the trust.
Although a trust can be used for succession purposes it may not be used to defeat the institute of legitim.
The beneficiaries under a trust have the right to be made aware of their interest under a trust and to be provided information as to the state of the trust. However, it is also possible for restrictions to be set up in the trust deed whereby the trustee would not be permitted to provide information for a specific period of time.
The overall tax treatment may vary significantly depending on the manner in which the relationship is structured or administered. It is also essential that each subsequent step is carefully considered and evaluated before the trust is set up, since sometimes, resort to a trust may not necessarily be the most cost effective option in a given situation.
The settlement of property on trust shall constitute a deemed sale at fair market value, that is the price which that asset would fetch if sold on the open market at the time of the transfer. The difference between the cost of acquisition to the settlor and the fair market value will be the chargeable gain to the settlor who will pay tax at his applicable rate of tax.
where the settlor is the sole beneficiary and has an irrevocable vested right to receive trust property.
Fiscal implications may arise in other circumstances.
Where a trustee acquires or transfers property during the administration of a trust, fiscal implications may arise in accordance with fiscal legislation.
There are some exemptions which relate mainly to income arising outside Malta and beneficiaries who are not resident in Malta.
Where a trustee distributes the trust property to the beneficiaries, it shall be deemed that no transfer took place in the cases where settlement was made in accordance with the manner above described provided such beneficiaries were not settlors. Property which was settled in accordance with (c) above shall be treated as though a donation was effected. Where a beneficiary was also a settlor, it shall also be treated in the same manner as a donation.
Where property reverts back to the settlor it shall be deemed that the property was never settled in trust.
Income Tax: a transfer of a beneficial interest will not attract tax unless the trust includes taxable property.
(b) Upon the transfer of a beneficial interest where the trustee holds property for the purpose of a designated commercial transaction.
Duty on Documents: The inter vivos transfer or any change in beneficiary of a trust for immovable property or a trust for marketable securities constitutes a chargeable event.
The trust is a flexible instrument and estate planning tool and therein lies its appeal. Setting up a trust in Malta would offer peace of mind that one’s estate is being properly managed and administered whether during one’s lifetime or after one’s demise. It can also prevent heirs from frittering away the hard earned money they may inherit and reduce frivolous claims. If used properly it may also ease the burden of hefty estate taxes.
[i] This does not constitute a fiscal opinion and your fiscal affairs should be confirmed by your financial advisors.
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Who was King James and why is there a Bible version named after him? I think it's kind of ironic that Protrestants give Catholics grief for honoring saints and yet they have a Bible named after someone.
Haha, good point! I guess I never thought of it that way. To have a Bible named after you is a tremendous honor, isn't it! King James received this honor because he was the one who initiated the endeavor to create a new English translation of the Bible. He did this in 1603 (almost as soon as he became king) at the Hampton Court Conference, which was convened to ease tensions between various factions of the Church of England. You can read more about the King James Version at the Bible Researcher website and, of course, Wikipedia and New Advent.
How did the set number of prayers in the rosary come about? 10 Hail Mary's, 1 Our Father etc.
For the answer to this question, see Q&A #9 from my parish website: "What is the history of the rosary?"
Why do we have both the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed? Both prayers are similar, why didn't the early church just modify the already existing prayer?
192 Through the centuries many professions or symbols of faith have been articulated in response to the needs of the different eras: the creeds of the different apostolic and ancient Churches, e.g., the Quicumque, also called the Athanasian Creed; the professions of faith of certain Councils, such as Toledo, Lateran, Lyons, Trent; or the symbols of certain popes, e.g., the Fides Damasi or the Credo of the People of God of Paul VI.
194 The Apostles' Creed is so called because it is rightly considered to be a faithful summary of the apostles' faith. It is the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome. Its great authority arises from this fact: it is "the Creed of the Roman Church, the See of Peter the first of the apostles, to which he brought the common faith" (St. Ambrose, Expl. symb. 7).
The statement of faith from the Council of Chalcedon is another prominent creed (more on that here). The Apostles' Creed is the most ancient one. We find remnants of it from as far back as the middle of the second century, and reference to it from even earlier. The Nicene Creed came later, at the councils of Nicaea (325 AD) and Constantinople (381 AD), out of the need to respond to various heresies and make clarifications about the divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit that are not present in the Apostles' Creed.
For more information, see New Advent: Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed.
Why isn't embalming someone desecrating the body? There is removal and destroying of organs.
I'm not really sure. Perhaps since the intention is to preserve the body, to perform a good service toward it, embalming would not be considered desecration.
Are exorcists the only ones that can perform exorcisms?
I should say right off that I am no expert on this, and I feel a little out of my league in addressing it. But, from what I understand, we have to first make a distinction between major and minor exorcisms.
The actual expulsion of a demon takes place through a major exorcism. Normatively speaking, this is the faculty only of priests who have received special training and permission by the bishop to perform major exorcisms. A minor exorcism, which is basically a prayer for protection from sin and temptation, can be performed by any priest or, outside of a liturgical setting, by any Christian. Minor exorcisms are performed, for example, at a person's baptism, and for the catechumens during the Catechumenate stage of the RCIA process. They are much more common than major exorcisms are.
I said that the normative minister of a major exorcism is a properly delegated priest because one can't deny that exceptions exist within the Body of Christ. There are instances of many very holy saints of the Church who were not priests but who had the power to expel demons. Even some non-Catholic Christians have been known to possess this power. But, God gave this power first and foremost to His Church, specifically His priests, and so it is them that we should always turn to first if we have reason to believe that a major exorcism is needed.
I should state again that this is how I understand it based on my reading of the subject. But, I am not an authority on the matter, and I invite correction from anyone more knowledgeable than myself on this subject.
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do they have an elevator for upper floor(s)? Thank you.
No, they don’t have an elevator.
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Imagine this scenario: Your teenage daughter casually announces that she and her best friends are taking off on a weeklong road trip for Spring Break. You listen in horror as she waxes euphoric about "the freedom of the open road." She's dreaming of a road trip movie: an exciting odyssey with a cast of new friends, a thrillingly handsome leading man and no parents in sight. You, on the other hand, are thinking Freddy Krueger. You can't shake the idea that your lovely daughter will never return home.
Stop right there, and remember this truth about road trips: Many are dreamed, but few are taken. This is true not only for teenagers lusting for independence, but for would-be adventurers of all ages. Who hasn't had the delicious idea of jumping behind the wheel and leaving all cares behind?
So before you panic, wait and see if your teen's road trip is just a passing fantasy. If, instead, it seems that a genuine, tire-on-pavement plan is emerging, consider the following strategies to preserve your teenager's safety -- and your own sanity.
Whose car would you take?
How would you pay for the trip?
When would you be back?
What are your goals for this adventure?
Planning a road trip is a lot more work than showing up for a school field trip, and this realization may soon diminish its appeal. It will certainly bring the trip down from the stratosphere to a more realistic plane.
2. Follow a progression plan. Like any other skill, independent traveling is best learned in steps. Teenagers who have been given independence incrementally are far more capable of taking a safe road trip than those who have never traveled without their parents or been responsible for any travel planning.
A reasonable progression plan works something like this. First the parents take a few short overnight trips without the teenager to see whether she can handle herself without adult supervision. Next, the parent and child take a daytrip together and the child does most or all of the driving. The parent can observe whether the driving skills of the child are up to the task of an extended trip. (It can be useful to have any other would-be drivers participate in this driving exercise as well.) In the next stage, the teen goes on solo overnight trips to visit family or friends who live out of town. After that, she takes a couple of weekend trips. From there, it's fairly easy to progress to longer excursions with a mutual comfort level.
As part of any progression plan, make sure your teen learns basic road trip skills like how to read maps, how to make motel reservations and how to call for roadside assistance. When you take family road trips, make sure your teen helps plan the itinerary and helps decide what sights to see. Then, when he sets out on his first trip without you, have him take the Road Trip Compatibility Quiz and encourage him to discuss the results with his would-be travel mates.
3. Set up communications. I generally recommend that you call your road tripper at a specified time each day. Alternatively, you can arrange for your teen to call home every time she fills up the gas tank (on most road trips this happens at least once a day).
Cell phones make keeping in touch easy in some ways, but frustratingly problematic in others. It's all too easy for a kid to ignore your ring tone when he doesn't want to report on his day's escapades. For this reason, it's wise to obtain the cell numbers of some of your teenager's friends - i.e., kids who are not on the trip. If you think you're being ignored and you really must get in touch with your teen, have one of these friends place the call. Unless your kid really is incommunicado, this technique should work -- at least once!
4. Put safety first. Make sure that your teen has access to the American Automobile Association (AAA) or another emergency roadside service and that he knows how to obtain the services. Make sure that everyone on the trip accepts and uses the buddy system and that no one goes anywhere alone without at least one other person knowing his plans.
Introduce the idea of "safety notes." Safety notes are two or three sentences written on an index card or in a designated notebook that briefly state the group's plans whenever they are away from the car for a couple of hours or more. For example, "Joe, Dean and I are meeting Jill and Larry at the Handlebar restaurant and will be back at 10 p.m. Jill: 213-555-4378, Larry: 818-555-5675." The notes are left in the glove compartment of the car. In the unlikely event that the road trippers do not return to the car, law enforcement officers have an idea where to start looking for them. I recommend that everyone -- whether they are 17 or 99 -- leave a safety note when leaving a vehicle to go hiking or biking in the backcountry.
5. Decide where to stay. Since the cost of any trip is always a concern, I generally recommend that roadtrippers of all ages plan a mix of motel rooms and camping for their overnight stays. But I would also suggest that you encourage young road trippers to have motel reservations for at least a couple of nights so you can make sure they are progressing as planned and that everyone is getting along. If they are under 18 years old, it can be challenging for them to rent a motel room. These younger travelers may fare better by staying with relatives or friends.
6. Brush up on the law. Just about every state and province in North America has rules and regulations that affect young travelers. Some municipalities enforce stringent curfews and have varying definitions of the term "responsible adult." Nearly every state prohibits underage individuals from driving other youngsters during certain times of the day and night. Further, many states are adopting laws that impose penalties on parents if their children are involved in vehicular accidents. It is critical that parents be aware of the differences in such rules when their children cross state lines. Since most children are protected under their parents' car insurance umbrella policies, it is important to ensure that these policies will be enforceable if an accident occurs when the parent is not on the trip.
7. Check your equipment. Make sure the road trip vehicle has been checked out by a mechanic and that it is equipped with a full complement of road trip essentials. These items can be placed in plastic containers and labeled as "Sanitary Supplies," "Food," "Safety Supplies," "Automotive Tools," etc., to make them easy to find in a hurry.
Also ensure that there are current and accurate maps in the vehicle, and consider having the kids take a CB radio and GPS receiver. Make sure the road trippers know how to change a tire and make them do it in the driveway before they leave. Ditto for tire chains if snowy weather is possible.
Finally, consider whether to equip the vehicle with an embedded GPS device that would allow you to track the vehicle's position in real time. I have field tested some of these units, and they are remarkably accurate. But if you feel you must monitor your child in this way, it may be better to veto the trip in the first place. Knowing exactly where your teenager is at every moment does not actually promote safety, and it can easily heighten suspicion and increase anxiety. In my opinion, it's better to wait until a child is ready for independent travel and then keep in touch by traditional methods.
When I was a kid, I thought that every other kid took road trips all the time. As an adult, I know that the actual incidence of teenage road trips is very low. While parental anxiety is understandable, preparing your teenagers to take independent road trips can be a wonderful and memorable part of their journey to independence.
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Please note this website is currently being updated and the information currently available is historical information. None of the information contained within this website, or the form in which it is presented is intended to be, or should be, taken as a recommendation, either implied or expressed, to make any particular financial decision. The data is provided as neutral factual information only to assist anyone interested in generally surveying the market in ethical funds or other ethical financial products. The information in this website is not, and should not be treated as any form of financial advice or recommendation and no investment decisions should be based upon it without consideration of the financial aspects of the decision including (but not limited to) considerations of returns, risk, charges, product and other suitability of the investment to the investor concerned. EIRIS strongly recommends that investors take independent financial advice from a qualified adviser before entering into any investment decision The information presented in this site should be seen only as providing information in relation to some of the many considerations that should be taken into account in that process. No prospective investor should take any action on the basis of this information. It is intended to assist in an investor moving to sources of more specific and detailed information for further investigation, advice and analysis. If a prospective investor wishes to apply ethical criteria to their choice of investment this should not be, wholly or partly, to the exclusion of a full consideration of their investment needs and of all relevant financial and other non-financial factors and the full range of alternative investments in the same (and other) classes.
Please note this website is in the process of being updated and current information is historical. None of the information contained within this website, or the form in which it is presented is intended to be, or should be, taken as a recommendation, either implied or expressed, to make any particular financial decision. The data is provided as neutral factual information only to assist anyone interested in generally surveying the market in ethical funds or other ethical financial products. The information in this website is not, and should not be treated as any form of financial advice or recommendation and no investment decisions should be based upon it without consideration of the financial aspects of the decision including (but not limited to) considerations of returns, risk, charges, product and other suitability of the investment to the investor concerned. EIRIS strongly recommends that investors take independent financial advice from a qualified adviser before entering into any investment decision The information presented in this site should be seen only as providing information in relation to some of the many considerations that should be taken into account in that process. No prospective investor should take any action on the basis of this information. It is intended to assist in an investor moving to sources of more specific and detailed information for further investigation, advice and analysis. If a prospective investor wishes to apply ethical criteria to their choice of investment this should not be, wholly or partly, to the exclusion of a full consideration of their investment needs and of all relevant financial and other non-financial factors and the full range of alternative investments in the same (and other) classes.
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Agnosticism Atheism Catholic Church Atheism Beliefs Philosophy Atheism Against Atheism What are offers?
Not very much is known about Muhammad's early life, although he is widely believed to have been born in 570 C.E. in Mecca. The earliest accounts we have of him date to 750 C.E. with the book Life by Ibn Ishaq, more than one hundred years after Muhammad's death. Although this is the first and most basic source for information about the life of Muhammad for all Muslims, it does not present a very flattering portrait of him.
Even then, we don't have any original copies of Ibn Ishaq's work - we only have a later recension by Ibn Hisham (a recension is a critical revision of a text which incorporates plausible elements which can be found in varying sources). Because Hisham died in 834 C.E., that means that our earliest sources appear two hundred years after Muhammad died. Not even the evidence we have from the Sufyandi period, 661-684, makes any mention of Muhammad.
Surviving papyri of that era say nothing, and the coins invoke only Allah, not his Prophet. As late as the second century of the Muslim era, scholarly opinion on Muhammad's birth date differed by as much as 85 years, demonstrating that even at that point there was a great deal of variation in what people knew about Muhammad.
The focus on Mecca is also questionable. Muslim tradition teaches that Mecca was an important crossroads for trade caravans, but the location of Mecca today is not a natural stopping place for the incense route from south Arabia to Syria. Contemporary non-Muslims sources also don't make any mention of such a city, which is very strange if Mecca was indeed important for commerce and religion.
By and large, it appears that the Muslim belief that we have accurate eyewitness reports for every aspect of Muhammad's life is not unlike similar beliefs among Christians regarding Jesus and Orthodox Jews regarding Moses. The motivation lies more in a need to believe than in a sound foundation based on confirmed historical evidence.
Given that, the following description of Muhammad's life is based almost entirely upon the traditional beliefs of adherents and not upon historically confirmable fact. However, where such confirmations exist, they will be noted.
By the time of Ibn Hisham's writings, Islam had entered into extended contact with Christianity, and some scholars suggest that Muhammad's biography was deliberately constructed in an effort to offer a contrast to the gospel stories of Jesus. Indeed, for the first two hundred years of Islam, the Arab conquerors were a minority ruling a non-Muslim majority. Some scholarship estimates that by the middle of the eighth century, Muslims constituted only eight percent of the subject populations, vastly outnumbered by Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and others.
The accounts we do have suggest that Muhammad was an honest and moral man because, for example, the rich widow fifteen years his senior who had put him in charge of her trade business offered herself to him in marriage. Whatever his early life might have been like, tradition has it that as he grew older, he became more distressed at the state of society around him and regularly retired to the cave Hira' outside of Mecca. Here he would sometimes spend days at a time, contemplating life.
During one of these retreats in the year 610 C.E., at about the age of forty, Muhammad experienced "the Call," a common event for religious reformers and revolutionaries. According to his own reports, he was in a dream or dream-like state when he received instruction from God (through the angel Gabriel) on what he must believe and what he must do. These instructions were not a one-time event, however, and lasted throughout his life.
The first instruction was that there existed only one god, and that strict monotheistic belief was required of all people. The second involved socioeconomic justice for all, and the third involved the existence of a final judgment for both the just and the unjust.
Muhammad's preaching of his new revelations was not especially welcome among his fellow citizens of Mecca. Muslims today believe that this was due largely to the fact that Muhammad emphasized economic and social justice too much for the rich and greedy traders there. Even if that is true, and the preaching of these ideals did impede his efforts at first, the doctrine of zakat, or alms for the poor, was important in the development of a tightly knit community of believers - and, ultimately, of Islam's success.
After thirteen years of preaching, the small band of followers he gathered was simply not powerful enough to take control of the city of Mecca. Nevertheless, even if his standing among the city's leaders was not especially good, he must have had a good enough reputation for the city of Medina (located 200 miles north) to approach him and offer him the position of ruler there.
He thus moved his group to Medina in 622, an event which is called the hijra and marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. In Medina he established a charter which guaranteed freedom of religion for the local Jews - but evidently he expected them to quickly convert to Islam once they heard what it had to offer, and he was disappointed when they didn't.
It is at this point where we have the only really secure date for early Muslim history, 622 C.E., which has been confirmed on coins as a the beginning of a new era. What exactly this new era meant is unclear, and there is no indication that it is the hijra of tradition. The only information that we have about it is from documents 676 and 680 C.E., two Nestorian documents which refer to 622 as the year of "the rule of the Arabs."
At this time, then, Muhammad changed the nature of the salat, the daily prayers which each Muslim must recite. Previously all Muslims had faced Jerusalem when saying the prayers, but now they all faced Mecca. This was surely connected to his disappointment with the Jews, but it may have also been connected to his hope of eventually winning over the city to his new religion. Some scholars also take this as a sign of his desire to create a national/ethnic religion for Arabs.
There are normally three reasons offered for Muhammad's interest in taking Mecca. The first was that it was supposed to be an important religious center for Arabs at the time - for his new religion to become widespread, he needed that city. Second, it was supposed to be the seat of Muhammad's own tribe, the Quraysh. If they could be won over, he could use them and their allies to further spread his message.
The third was that the Meccans simply didn't like him very much and continued to harass him and Medina in an effort to repress his efforts. The property and possessions of all of those who left with him had been seized, and a genuine state of war existed between Mecca and Medina.
Various skirmishes eventually lead to a major battle at Badr, where 300 Medinians are supposed to have defeated one thousand Meccans. Because of this, Muhammad was able to sign a treaty with several Bedouin tribes and gain their aid; but he lost it again after a defeat to the Meccans the next year.
During all of this, Muhammad accused local Jewish tribes of conspiring to aid Mecca. After Badr, the Medinese Jews were attacked and forced to emigrate to Syria. After the defeat at Uhud, the Nadir tribe of Jews received the same fate. Two years later, after a failed Meccan siege of Medina was over, the Qurayza tribe of Jews was attacked and all the men were killed.
Eventually, eight years after the hijra, Mecca was forced to negotiate a peaceful surrender to Muhammad and almost all citizens became Muslims. Thereafter Mecca would remain a center of devotion for Muslims all over the world. During the next two years, Islam swept across Arabia with most cities voluntarily joining, but a few remained stubborn and had to be brought in by force.
On June 8, 632 (eleven years after the hijra), Muhammad died. By the 640s, Arabs possessed most of Syria, Iraq, Persia, and Egypt. Thirty years later they were conquering parts of Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia.
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Here are some chess puzzles taken from the games of Alexander Alekhine.
Alekhine Puzzles: Part II. White to move and win except where noted.
Alexander Alekhine: Top 14 Chess Sacrifices of all time!
Alekhine Puzzles: Part III. White to move and win except where noted.
Alekhine Puzzles: Part IV. White to move and win except where noted.
Alekhine Puzzles: Part V. White to move and win except where noted.
Alekhine Puzzles: Part VI. White to move and win except where noted.
Alekhine Puzzles: Part VII. White to move and win except where noted.
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Talk about a cross-cultural event.
No, I am not talking about the fact that Sen. Bernard Sanders spoke at a convocation at Liberty University, which must have been educational both for the speaker and for those in the congregation. I'm talking about the efforts of mainstream reporters to cover this unlikely scene early in the race for the White House.
If you watch the video of the Sanders speech, it is pretty apparent that the socialist from Vermont did his homework and was prepared to seek -- as best he could -- common ground with faculty, students and staff on the campus founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. And reporters, as a rule, did a solid job of handling what Sanders had to say.
Before Sanders entered the campus’ Vine Center to an introduction by Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr., a campus band played Christian rock songs about the resurrection, including one with the refrain: “I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back.” Not the typical introduction for a Jewish socialist from Vermont during Rosh Hashanah.
Unlike when conservative Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas appeared at the same venue earlier this year to launch his Republican White House bid, there were no real disruptions for outbursts of applause or standing ovations. But neither were there abundant boos or signs of ridicule.
There's quite a bit of background in that passage. However, I think it was interesting that the reporter thought "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" was some kind of trendy "Christian rock song," since that folk hymn from India originated in the 19th Century and became popular at crusades led by the Rev. Billy Graham in the 1950s.
But, hey, like I said, this was a cross-cultural experience for everyone involved. For elite political reporters, this must have been like visiting an exotic foreign land.
Sen. Bernard Sanders received a cordial welcome at Liberty University, even if the independent from Vermont seeking the Democratic presidential nomination faced a crowd where the most raucous applause came when he was asked why his concerns for children didn’t extend to those in the womb.
So the socialist tried to go libertarian conservative when speaking to an audience of populist cultural conservatives? Bravo to Roll Call for catching that.
Interesting. I would think that this exchange will lead to some interesting discussions in political science classes at Liberty in the days ahead, which might be worth a follow-up story. As a pro-life Democrat, may I note that it would have been interesting if someone had asked him why he consistently defends the use of constructive government power to protect the rights of the needy and defenseless, but not, as Pope Francis keeps noting, the most needy and defenseless humans among us -- the unborn?
This would be a good time to recommend, to journalists and others, the classic 1995 George McKenna essay in The Atlantic entitled "On Abortion: A Lincolnian Position." This piece always provokes interesting discussions when I assign it to students who are covering political and debates about divisive social issues. It's a classic piece that shows the limits to simplistic labels.
As the U.S. prepares for the arrival of Pope Francis, Sanders said he agreed with the pope's views that the financial crisis "originated in a profound human crisis" that saw too many people place a greater emphasis on the pursuit of wealth than faith.
The New York Times story, in particular, seemed remarkably tame, in terms of reporting the unusual context for this political speech. The Washington Post? You can skip this one.
Part of the news, after all, was that Sanders was invited to speak at Liberty in the first place. Or did he make the offer and the university accept it? Either way, this encounter was interesting in and of itself.
It was also crucial that Sanders was, apparently, welcomed with great respect -- much like the welcome Falwell and Liberty offered the Sen. Ted Kennedy back in 1983.
And Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of the university, which was founded by his father, seemed to echo a similar statement of recognizing the issues, but differing on the solutions.
All in all, this appears to have been a calm and constructive event. Would the press have found a similar exchange if Sen. Marco Rubio or Sen. Ted Cruz had been invited to speak to an all-but-mandatory assembly at, let's say, Wellesley College or the University of Vermont?
Newer PostLas Vegas churches love coffee, except for maybe -- hmmmm -- can you think of anybody?
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A summary of what Pierre has to offer.
Searchable list of Pierre tour companies, guides and outfitters, rental companies and more.
Searchable listings of Pierre hotels, motels, resorts, bed & breakfast, and more.
Searchable listings of Pierre RV parks and campgrounds.
Transportation companies, driving directions and more for Pierre.
Searchable lists of Pierre tourism offices and other helpful government agencies.
Tourist destinations to consider near Pierre are listed below. Click on any name for complete information.
Aberdeen is the third largest city in South Dakota, home to Northern State University, and a healthy agricultural hub. There are more than 70 restaurants that make wining and dining a sublime experience, countless retail stores that cater to every whim, and nightlife that is sparked with excitement. Fourteen parks offer a plethora of different amenities. The 210-acre Wylie Park has a swimming beach, nature trails, and camping.
The 244,000-acre Badlands National Park is a wilderness of buttes, pinnacles and prairie with fossil beds dating back 35 million years. Hiking trails are plentiful, offering a variety of lengths and challenges. When following the proper precautions, the Badlands are a beautiful and exciting part of American history and geography that are thrilling to see.
Mitchell is a small town with a healthy choice of retail variety, family restaurants, and plenty of places to call it a night. One of the most interesting sights is the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village, a cultural salute to the Native American society that played a pivotal role in the history of South Dakota. At Lake Mitchell, there are excellent facilities for camping, as well as paddleboating, canoeing, swimming, and fishing.
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Climatic change means developing increase in the average temps of your global weather habits. The increase is followed generally during the oceans and seas in past times fifty years. Although oceans engage in an important role in storing the earth’s energy, the phrase ‘global warming’ also denotes the rise in air and ocean temperature conditions within the surface of the earth.essay helper We have seen a perpetual increase in the water area and air flow temperature ranges considering the fact that the start of the 20th century. Research workers have cautioned the fact that triggers and consequences of climate change happen to be increasing by the day. Even so, inspite of the apparent alerts that time to the fact that climate change is a simple fact that must be addressed, everybody is even now from the point of view that it must be merely one one of many numerous imaginations of your man competition. Therefore, we have a heated debate which includes kept folks at crossroads about the subject of global warming. The conflicts nearby the main topic of climate change are anchored on many issues much more commonplace from the social networking than in technological scripts and encompass the character, leads to, and results climate change. The pushed concerns include the causes of the rising typical oxygen temperature ranges, regardless of if the heating up structure is unpredicted or in endurable versions, if mankind has already established a large donation to the rise in the temperatures, and whether the escalation is wholly or partly a worry of bad controlled dimensions. Further controversies problem forecasts for the future additionally warming and estimation of climatic sensitivity. In between 1990 and 1998, by way of example, classic thinkers in the US united to contest the perception of climate change as a reliable problem. They rebutted evidence provided by experts, argued that climatic change will be of help, and taken care of that advisable methods would be even more dangerous than great.
Even though green businesses and categories are making concerted hard work to inform humanity on the likely will cause and effects of climatic change, some people however believe that the issue is thought possible. An instance in reason for such people is Jerry Falwell, a famous Us evangelist. Based on Falwell, climate change is “the maximum deception in controlled record.” He believes that way of thinking was developed to steer the opinions of trustworthy fans of Christ from the their machine, The lord. He is quoted as praoclaiming that once the entire world shall be looking towards climate change, “global cooling” takes position preferably. Others disapprove the scientific discipline of weather alter. Surprisingly, some companies and institutions have gone to your point of financing scientists who concern the scientific unanimity on global warming, and shown their future valuations from the economic charges of recommended interventions.
In a study carried out by Gallup, many of the highest possible ordinary temperatures in history are noted from the survive 10 years. It truly is reasonable that climatic calamities such as amazing swings of dry up spells combined with wet months that induce floods are saved to the upsurge not too long ago. The irregular alteration of climatic styles is one of the most tragic general public health hazards that guy is contending with, with all the most at risk communities getting the aged, poor residential areas, and youngsters. In addition to, the erratic changes in climatic styles experienced a significant impact on the globe liquid resources. Lots of nations facial area higher risks of water scarcities resulting from climatic change.
To determine, there are actually divergent vistas regarding climate change. Even though some people keep that it is a real possibility, other individuals demand that it must be an thought possible phenomenon. Even so, for almost any observant and informed man or woman, the handle climate change needs to be that of taking it as a true risk to mankind. Climatic change will be the leading the environmental and humanitarian catastrophe of this era.
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1. El 22 de enero de 2010, el Relator Especial sobre los derechos humanos y libertades fundamentales de los indígenas, James Anaya, junto con el Relator Especial sobre los efectos nocivos para el goce de los derechos humanos del traslado y vertimiento de productos y desechos tóxicos y peligrosos, Okechukwu Ibeanu, y el Relator Especial sobre el derecho de toda persona al disfrute del más alto nivel posible de salud física y mental, Anand Grover, llamó la atención del Gobierno de Argentina a información recibida en relación con las repercusiones de los supuestos desechos tóxicos producidos por la actividad minera sobre el pueblo indígena kolla y otras personas en Abra Pampa, en la provincia de Jujuy. El Gobierno de Argentina respondió mediante cartas con fecha de 12 de febrero de 2010, 25 de marzo de 2010 y 12 de mayo de 2010.
9. El 19 de enero de 2010, el Relator Especial sobre los derechos humanos y libertades fundamentales de los indígenas, James Anaya, llamó la atención del Gobierno de Argentina a la información recibida con respecto a la situación de desalojo y conflictividad territorial en la comunidad indígenas mapuche de Paisil-Antreao (también conocida como “Paichil Antriao”), Villa la Angostura, provincia de Neuquén. El Gobierno de Argentina respondió mediante una carta con fecha de 5 de febrero de 2010. Con base en este intercambio de información, el Relator Especial ha elaborado unas observaciones con una serie de recomendaciones, que fueron enviadas al Gobierno mediante una carta con fecha de 1 de abril de 2010. Posteriormente al envió de las observaciones del Relator Especial, el Gobierno proporcionó información adicional en tres distintas comunicaciones.
37. In a letter dated 5 March 2010, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, James Anaya, together with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Phillip Alston, called the attention of the Government of Bangladesh to information received in relation to alleged attacks against indigenous peoples in 14 indigenous villages in Sajek Union, in the Rangamati district, Chittagong Hill Tracts.
30. The Special Rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, James Anaya, issued a report with his observations on the Northern Territory Emergency Response (“NTER”), which is presented to the Human Rights Council this year (A/HRC/15/37.Add.4, Appendix B). The NTER is a suite of legislation and related government initiatives implemented in 2007, which are aimed at addressing conditions faced by indigenous peoples in the Northern Territory, but that contain several problematic aspects from an indigenous human rights standpoint.
54. In a letter dated 6 April 2010, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, James Anaya, called to the attention of the Government of Brazil information received in relation to two development projects that significantly affect indigenous peoples in the country: the construction of the Belo Monte dam in the state of Pará (addressed in the previous section) and the planned transposition of the São Francisco River. This communication followed the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Indigenous peoples in Brazil (A/HRC/12/24/Add.2), made public in 2009, which made reference to these two situations. The Government of Brazil responded to the 6 April letter in a communication dated 8 June 2010. Additionally, the Special Rapporteur met with the President of the Brazilian National Foundation for Indigenous Issues (FUNAI) during the session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in April 2010, during which he received further information on the issues raised in his letter. The following provides the content of the information exchange in relation to the São Francisco River project.
60. In a letter dated 15 March 2010, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, James Anaya, called the attention of the Government of Brazil to information received in relation to the alleged deteriorating human rights situation of indigenous peoples in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. This communication followed the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of indigenous peoples in Brazil (A/HRC/12/24/Add.2), made public in 2009, which made reference to the situation in Mato Grosso do Sul. As of the completion of this report, there is no record of a response from the Government of Brazil.
65. In a letter, dated 7 September 2009, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, James Anaya, called the attention of the Government of Cambodia to information received in relation to development activities, including road construction and land concessions, in and around the Prey Lang Forest in Korripon Thom Province, Preach Vihear, and Kratie Provinces. This communication from the Special Rapporteur followed earlier ones addressing a sub-decree on registration of indigenous communal lands issued by the executive authority of Cambodia. The contents of these earlier letters, dated 19 May 2009 and 22 July 2008, were included in the Special Rapporteur’s 2009 Report to the Human Rights Council Report (A/HRC/12/34/Add.1, paras. 12-23).
96. In a letter dated 12 February 2010, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, James Anaya, called the attention of the Government of Canada to information received in relation to the increased Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA) security at the Akwesasne Port of Entry to Canada and the United States located within Mohawk Nation Territory. The Government of Canada responded in a communication dated 14 April 2010. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur discussed this case with representatives of the Government of Canada during the 9th session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in April 2010.
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This is a topic that I usually discuss in support groups around this time of year, but this year I decided to write a blog entry to share my thoughts and ensure that more people are able to read it and learn from it. First, I want to debunk a holiday weight gain myth. Media suggests that the average person gains between 7- 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and the New Year, but several studies suggest that the average weight gain is only about a pound. With that being said, don’t go into this season already assuming that you are going to be gaining a ton of weight and/or going up one clothing size. Further, if you go into the holiday season thinking that, then you just may do that. This can be explained by the self-fulfilling prophecy, which is a belief that comes true because we are acting as if it is already true. In other words, if you are expecting to gain weight during the holidays, you will most likely change your behaviors in a way that will be in line with that belief and therefore gain weight. So, first, know the facts. You are most likely going to gain only about a pound so don’t tell yourself you will, or you will. Instead, be positive and realistic. Accept the fact that most people gain a pound or so.
Now you may be asking yourself why should I expect to even gain a pound, or better yet, why are we even talking about this? By knowing this information you can start planning and learn tips to help you stay on track. The reason is that it is truly difficult for anyone to not gain weight during this time of year. Holidays typically include a lot of social gatherings, which include office parties, family and friend gatherings. These gatherings may include alcohol or other liquid empty calories, including sugary beverages. When there are social gatherings there are typically also finger foods and appetizers, snacks, sugar cookies, chocolates, pies, and other desserts. You can see how those calories just start adding up. Holidays can also be stressful for many reasons, including being around family, needing to buy gifts, decorating, and traveling. Further, when we are traveling, that also means that we are not home and not in our normal routine (both in terms of food and physical activity). This can also be quite stressful.
To summarize and name just a few things that happen around this time of year, we have the holidays, more food readily available, potential stress, and traveling. Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise you why it is hard to not gain weight, but it is also important to know that it is NOT easy to lose weight during this time either. With that being said, I urge you to not even try to lose weight during this time. Also, be good to yourself. Go into the holiday season telling yourself that you are NOT going to beat yourself up IF you do gain some weight. Now, with a few tips, the hope is that you will stay on track and have an easier time beating that holiday stress and NOT eating it. The goal is for you to come out of this season, NOT starting a diet on January 1st (which will be the topic of a future blog) but also acknowledging that you did the best you could during this not so easy time.
Focus on weight management and not weight loss during the holidays. Set realistic goals for the holiday season, including a goal to maintain your weight (not to lose weight!).
Make a plan. It’s easier to deal with a situation if you have planned ahead.
Plan on NOT dieting or skipping meals before the holiday meal. Eat regularly throughout the day to limit the chances of binging or overindulging. Remember it’s a LIFESTYLE. Also, make a plan to NOT diet after the New Year. Anticipation of food restriction could set you up for binge type eating over the holidays.
Anticipate stressful situations and develop a list of how you will handle these challenges. (i.e. if you eat out of emotion and know you will have family stressors at the dinner table).
Eat something small and healthy before you go to a party or holiday gathering so you don’t show up starving and then end up eating with your eyes.
If you are at a holiday meal (especially buffet style) don’t just pick up a plate and get in line. This will lead to a full plate of food and overeating. Instead, take a few minutes to scan the room and see what is there. Walk around and look at the food. Come up with a strategy.
Choose wisely – ask yourself “What do I really want and enjoy?” Don’t waste calories on things you do not really enjoy, even if they look good.
Make the healthier choice. The healthiest choice may not be available, but there is always a healthier choice.
Create new routines and traditions. Get Moving and stay active. Maybe include your family or friends and go for a walk while the food is cooking, or afterwards to get fresh air. Other great activities are: signing up for a walk/run, or playing a sport together.
Remember: Celebrations are really about family, friends, and traditions – not food.
Please feel free to comment, add additional tips, as there are many more we can discuss, ask questions, etc. We are all in this together and something that works for you may also work for someone else.
To a healthy holiday season and being Healthie 4 Life!
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0.995958 |
Johann Hari: Modern-Day Democritus or Aristotelian Mythologos?
For those who do not know Greek, the word mythologos is a disparaging term used by Aristotle in his critique of Herodotus' work. Indeed, the philosopher claims that Herodotus fabricated quotations and narratives to suit mythological patterns. The pre-Socratic thinker Democritus, in contrast, strove for accuracy and objective truth, as reflected in a later paraphrase, which attributes to him the sentiment that he would rather discover one cause than gain the kingdom of Persia (Diels-Kranz 68.B118). So, is Johann Hari more like Aristotle's Herodotus, or Democritus?
Amid all the controversy regarding whether Hari has committed plagiarism (in my view, the accusation against him is correct. Hari's defense that he takes quotations from elsewhere to make clearer what his interviewees are trying to say without misrepresenting them cannot be accepted, for misrepresentation is not the same thing as plagiarism), it is perhaps worth noting that Hari appears to be guilty of outright fabrication in quoting others.
For example, in his article "Thirty years on: Thatcherism is bankrupt," Hari claims that General Augusto Pinochet- the former dictator of Chile who overthrew Allende in a coup in 1973 and stepped down after being rejected by a popular referendum in 1988- was a "self-described 'fascist'." Now, I despise Pinochet and think it is a shame that he was not put on trial for the detention, torture and murder of thousands of Chilean dissidents, but I have never found any reference to Pinochet supposedly describing himself as a "fascist."
A Google search likewise reveals that the only sources for this alleged self-description are Hari's own writings. In fact, it would not be accurate to characterize Pinochet and his rule as fascist. "Ultra-right-wing" might be better, because he implemented neo-liberal economic policies that differ greatly from the corporatist and broadly Keynesian economics of fascist regimes like Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany (none of this is to be taken as a condemnation of Keynesianism per se). One must therefore ask what is Hari's source for his claim vis-à-vis Pinochet, and why he has never revealed it, if it exists. As much as I dislike Thatcherism and the former prime minister's friendship with Pinochet, Hari's agenda seems to be to depict Margaret Thatcher as a fascist through smear-by-association.
"I support compulsory transfer … The Arabs will have to go, but one needs an opportune moment for making it happen, such as a war."
"It is true that Ben-Gurion in 1937-38 supported the transfer of the Arabs out of the area of the Jewish state-to-be – which was precisely the recommendation of the British Royal (Peel) Commission from July 1937, which investigated the Palestine problem. The commission concluded that the only fair settlement was by way of partition, with the Jews receiving less than 20 per cent of Palestine, but that, for it to be viable, the 20 per cent should be cleared of potentially hostile, disloyal Arabs. Neither Ben-Gurion nor the Zionist movement 'planned' the displacement of the 700,000-odd Arabs who moved or were removed from their homes in 1948. There was no such plan or blanket policy. Transfer was never adopted by the Zionist movement as part of its platform; on the contrary, the movement always accepted that the Jewish state that arose would contain a sizeable Arab minority."
In other words, the Peel plan that Ben-Gurion briefly supported was no worse than, say, the population exchange between Greece and Turkey after the 1919-1922 Greco-Turkish War. In the case of Greece and Turkey, the latter began the hostilities by instigating massacres of Greeks in Anatolia, Pontus and Lydia, inter alios locos, with the onset of the First World War, such that the events have now been recognized since 2007 as genocide by the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
"Hari's quote and take on Ben-Gurion and transfer is only half-true."
That is, the Independent conveniently omitted the Israeli historian's point about Hari's use of fabricated words in attributing a quotation to Ben-Gurion.
Thus, with regret, I must say that the evidence points to Hari the modern-day mythologos, not the enduring truth-teller. I have truly enjoyed reading many of Hari's articles- especially his recent essay on why we need paper books more than ever in the computer age- but his apparent record of fabrication seriously puts into doubt his integrity as a regular columnist for one of Britain's leading newspapers.
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0.995902 |
Can the United States successfully impose democracy by force without resorting to the same level of total warfare it waged on Germany and Japan in the Second World War? The hypothesis for this research is that the U.S. can successfully force democracy on an undemocratic state without resorting to total war, but it can only do so through a comprehensive plan that includes the coordinated and integrated application of all instruments of national power and influence. This is an important question for operational and strategic planners and policy makers, because the United States has embarked on a series of actions since the Second World War to impose democracy by force, but has been reluctant to wage total war in order to achieve that goal. The evaluation criteria for this research are drawn from two main sources. The first source is Dr. Eva Bellin's article in Political Science Quarterly (Volume 119, Number 4, 2004-2005) titled "The Iraqi Intervention and Democracy in Comparative historical Perspective." In that article, she posits seven factors that significantly contributed to the success the U.S. experienced with Japan and Germany: Economic development, ethnic homogeneity, effective state institutions, prior experience with meaningful democracy, leaders of national stature capable of sponsoring the democratic process, the psychology of utter defeat as a result of total war, and the level of commitment by the U.S. in terms of money, manpower and diplomacy. The second source for the evaluation criteria is the Center for Strategic and International Studies'(CSIS) Winning The Peace: An American Strategy for Post conflict Reconstruction, edited by Robert C. Orr, in which Orr posits four "pillars" for successful post conflict reconstruction: security, governance and participation, social and economic well-being, justice and reconciliation.2 Combining elements of the two sources produces the evaluation criteria for this monograph. Those elements are security, the level of U.S. commitment, governance and participation, social and economic wellbeing, justice and reconciliation, and the psychology of defeat. The research studies U.S. efforts in post World War II Germany and Japan, Grenada in 1983, Panama in 1989, and the recent operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The study screens and evaluates each of the case studies against the research criteria. However, the research for this study shows that security is not merely one of several pillars of post-conflict reconstruction. Security is actually the foundation for the post-conflict reconstruction effort upon which all other pillars must anchor in order to have success. All other elements of the evaluation criteria are necessary for success in imposing democracy, but they are not sufficient. Only security is the element that is both necessary and sufficient. The concluding analysis of the case studies during the research finds that the U.S. can impose democracy in the absence of total war, but it can only do so by committing the resources necessary to establish the foundation of a secure post-conflict environment that enables reconstruction and transformation.
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0.962734 |
All animals have associated microbial communities called microbiomes that influence the physiology and fitness of their host. It is unclear to what extent individual microbial species versus interactions between them influence the host. Here, we mapped all possible interactions between individual species of bacteria against Drosophila melanogaster fruit fly fitness traits. Our approach revealed that the same bacterial interactions that shape microbiome abundances also shape host fitness traits. The fitness traits of lifespan and fecundity showed a life history tradeoff, where equal total fitness can be gotten by either high fecundity over a short life or low fecundity over a long life. The microbiome interactions are as important as the individual species in shaping these fundamental aspects of fly physiology.
Gut bacteria can affect key aspects of host fitness, such as development, fecundity, and lifespan, while the host, in turn, shapes the gut microbiome. However, it is unclear to what extent individual species versus community interactions within the microbiome are linked to host fitness. Here, we combinatorially dissect the natural microbiome of Drosophila melanogaster and reveal that interactions between bacteria shape host fitness through life history tradeoffs. Empirically, we made germ-free flies colonized with each possible combination of the five core species of fly gut bacteria. We measured the resulting bacterial community abundances and fly fitness traits, including development, reproduction, and lifespan. The fly gut promoted bacterial diversity, which, in turn, accelerated development, reproduction, and aging: Flies that reproduced more died sooner. From these measurements, we calculated the impact of bacterial interactions on fly fitness by adapting the mathematics of genetic epistasis to the microbiome. Development and fecundity converged with higher diversity, suggesting minimal dependence on interactions. However, host lifespan and microbiome abundances were highly dependent on interactions between bacterial species. Higher-order interactions (involving three, four, and five species) occurred in 13–44% of possible cases depending on the trait, with the same interactions affecting multiple traits, a reflection of the life history tradeoff. Overall, we found these interactions were frequently context-dependent and often had the same magnitude as individual species themselves, indicating that the interactions can be as important as the individual species in gut microbiomes.
Figure 1. Microbiome induces a life history tradeoff between lifespan and reproduction. (A) Experimental design. The multicolor pies indicate which species are present in a given combination, along with the corresponding binary code. Each species abbreviation (Lp, Lb, Ap, At, and Ao) is indicated above its corresponding locus in the binary string. Both notations, colored pies and binary codes, are used consistently throughout the paper. The color code is included redundantly in the figures to aid the reader. (B) Single bacterial associations decrease the fly lifespan. (B, Inset) Microbiome diversity decreases the fly lifespan. Error bars show SEM. (C) In agreement with prior reports, higher total fecundity is associated with a shorter lifespan. This tradeoff is apparent for average daily fecundity, as well as for total fecundity per female. SEMs are provided in SI Appendix, Table S1. (D) Fitness calculations using a Leslie matrix reveal roughly constant fitness across different microbiomes. Error bars are SE of the estimate. (E) Lifespan/fecundity tradeoff can be broken by putting flies on antibiotics after their peak reproduction (red circles represent gnotobiotic flies treated with antibiotics; Materials and Methods) after 21 d, which encompasses the natural peak fecundity (SI Appendix, Fig. S5). Note the shifts in lifespan between the regular treatment, the antibiotic treatment, and the late-life bacterial inoculation treatment. The lifespan was significantly extended, whereas total fecundity stayed high. Shifting germ-free (GF) flies to gnotobiotic treatment after 21 d posteclosion decreased the lifespan without increasing reproduction (blue circles represent GF flies made gnotobiotic 21 d posteclosion) (n = 100 flies per treatment for the standard and antibiotic-treated experiments and n = 60 flies per treatment for the GF switched to gnotobiotic experiment). Error bars show SEM.
Figure 2. Microbiome interactions impact host lifespan and bacterial load. Mean fecundity per female per day was measured concomitantly with development time and adult survival over the flies’ lifespans. (A) Variation in fecundity decreases as gut diversity increases. Median (n = 65) vials measured per bacterial treatment. (B) As described in SI Appendix, Math Supplement, section 9, daily fecundity in multispecies bacterial combinations can be predicted by averaging either the corresponding phenotypes of the single-species associations or the corresponding phenotypes of the pairwise species associations. Error in the predictions (averaging prediction minus measured trait value) is displayed. Single-species averaging predictions are shown in gray, and species pair averaging predictions are shown in black. Error bars are 95% confidence intervals (SI Appendix, Math Supplement, section 9). (C) Number of days to adulthood was measured as the first pupa to emerge from an individual fly vial during the lifespan experiment. Median (n = 24) per bacterial treatment (SI Appendix, Fig. S2). (D) Averaging models as in Bapplied to development data. (E) Lifespan decreases as gut diversity increases. Median (n = 100) flies per bacterial treatment. (F) Averaging models as in B applied to lifespan data. (G) Mean bacterial load averaged over 48 replicates per combination. (H) Averaging models as in B applied to bacterial load. Error bars for all plots are 95% confidence intervals. Colored pies on the x axis of B, D, F, and H indicate bacteria combinations and are consistently ordered with A, C, E, and G.
Figure 3. Microbiome abundances correlate with some host physiology traits. (A) Gnotobiotic flies were associated with defined bacterial flora for 10 d before washing, crushing, and CFU enumeration. (B) Mean microbiome load (log10scale) and relative abundances of the different species (linear scale) for all 32 possible combinations of the five species (n = 24 replicate flies from two independent biological replicates were measured per combination). (C) Total bacterial load increases as the number of species increases, but Lb abundance drops. Mean abundances were calculated from B as a function of the number of species present (complete data are provided in SI Appendix, Fig. S6). The black line indicates mean total bacterial load per fly computed over all combinations with the given number of species. (D) Lp abundance (from B) correlates with increased female fly fecundity (from Fig. 1C). (E) Aoabundance (from B) correlates with decreased fly lifespan (from Fig. 1C). (F) Development time from embryo to adult is accelerated by live bacteria. The development assay from Fig. 2B was repeated with variation in food preparation and source of embryos. The term “standard” indicates data from the fitness experiment in Fig. 2B; “germ-free” indicates embryos from germ-free females placed directly on fresh food inoculated with defined bacteria; and “heat-killed” and “non–heat-killed” indicate vials from the fitness experiment cleared of flies and either seeded directly with germ-free embryos (non–heat-killed) or placed at 60 °C for 1 h and checked for sterility (heat-killed) before being seeded with germ-free embryos. The number below the x axis indicates the number of replicate vials assessed. Complete bacterial combinations and individual replicates of F are provided in SI Appendix, Fig. S10. All error bars show SEM.
Figure 4. Microbiome interactions change host physiology. (A) Coded bacterial combinations correspond to the vertices the 5D cube. For daily fecundity (B), development (C), lifespan (D), and bacterial load (E), we calculated interactions for standard tests (pink dots) and contextual tests (blue dots) using means and propagated SEs for all phenotype traits (SI Appendix, Table S1). The P values of all standard and contextual tests were pooled and adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini–Hochberg method (dark fill color, significant; open circles, nonsignificant). Standard tests with species identities are provided in SI Appendix, Fig. S12.
Figure 5. Interactions between bacteria that impact the fly lifespan depend on the context of bystander species. (A) For the fly lifespan trait, the pairwise interaction was calculated between each pair of species for each set of possible bystander species. For each test (e.g., 11***), the 1’s indicate the species for which the interaction test is calculated and the asterisks indicate the possible bystander species. The binary code (e.g., 101) in the legend indicates which of the three possible bystanders is present. For instance, 000 indicates no bystanders and is shown by a black square. Note that the interactions change depending on the bystanders present. (B) For the fly lifespan trait, the four different three-way interactions were calculated with each possible set of bystander species. Interactions between sets of three species [equations: g = square, i = circle, k = triangle, m = ex (x), n = *, u111 = diamond; SI Appendix, Math Supplement, sections 5 and 6] are compared to determine (i) whether the context of other species changes interactions and (ii) whether additive contextual tests can describe cases of nonadditive standard tests. Each of the 10 combinations of three species (denoted in panel titles as k, l, and m) is compared, along with the four variants of bystander species (denoted in the panel titles as * and shown by the different colored symbols). The differences between the colors for a given interaction test indicate that bystanders change interactions. Error bars indicate propagated SEM.
Figure 6. Microbiome interactions stabilize diversity in the fly gut. (A) Pairwise correlations in abundance for the five species of bacteria in fly guts with totals of two, three, four, and five species present. More positive correlations are apparent at low diversity, whereas more negative correlations occur as diversity increases (P = 0.03; SI Appendix, Math Supplement, section 10.4). Direct calculation of interaction strength (34) at low (B, one to two species) and high (C, four to five species) diversity based on CFU abundance data (Fig. 3B and SI Appendix, Fig. S6) revealed asymmetrical interactions that decrease in strength at higher diversity (SI Appendix, Math Supplement, section 10.1 and Fig. S15). Consistent with the correlations in A, more negative interactions occur in more diverse guts.
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0.996521 |
When did something almost happen? In this paper, we investigate what brings counterfactual worlds close. In Experiments 1 and 2, we find that participants' judgments about whether something almost happened are determined by the causal proximity of the alternative outcome. Something almost happened, when a small perturbation to the relevant causal event would have been sufficient to bring it about. In contrast to previous work that has argued that prior expectations are neglected when judging the closeness of counterfactual worlds (Kahneman & Varey, 1990), we show in Experiment 3 that participants are more likely to say something almost happened when they didn't expect it. Both prior expectations and causal distance influence judgments of "almost". In Experiment 4, we show how both causal proximity and beliefs about what would have happened in the absence of the cause jointly explain judgments of "almost caused" and "almost prevented".
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0.931156 |
You have to have good eyes to spot flowers while in flight. The anatomical structure of the eyes of hummingbirds is similar to that of other birds. It includes visual cones and retinal rods, but in addition to cones that are sensitive to red, green and blue, hummingbirds have a fourth type of visual cone that is sensitive to ultraviolet rays. A lot of flowers emit ultraviolet rays in certain phases of their maturation. It appears that hummingbirds use these signals when looking for food; this explains why they are so adept at finding flowers with lots of nectar.
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0.999868 |
This article is about the men's league. For the women's league, see Baloncesto Superior Nacional Femenino.
The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first tier level professional men's basketball league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation.
The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, which is played under FIBA rules, currently consists of 8 teams, of which the most successful have been Leones de Ponce, Atléticos de San Germán and Vaqueros de Bayamón with 14 titles each. The league has produced players that have distinguished themselves in the NBA, EuroLeague, Spain's ACB, and other tournaments throughout the world. Among them, NBA players Butch Lee, José Ortiz, Ramón Rivas, Daniel Santiago, Carlos Arroyo and José Juan Barea started their careers playing for BSN teams.
The league began in 1930, and is noted for having had several head coaches who went on to achieve international recognition later in their careers. Among those are Basketball Hall of Fame members Tex Winter and Red Holzman, who coached the Leones de Ponce in the 1960s, and Phil Jackson, who coached the Piratas de Quebradillas and Gallitos de Isabela in the late 1980s. Others notable coaches who have worked for BSN teams include Gene Bartow, Lou Rossini, Del Harris, P.J. Carlesimo, Bernie Bickerstaff and Herb Brown.
During the 1980s, notable players followed in the footsteps of players such as Juan "Pachin" Vicens (1959 Santiago Chile FIBA World Championship's All-Tournament Team) and Butch Lee, the first Puerto Rican and BSN player to enter the NBA. Among those are: Mario 'Quijote' Morales, Raymond Dalmau, Jose 'Piculin' Ortiz, Ramón Rivas, Jerome Mincy, Georgie Torres, Angelo Cruz, Angel Santiago, the late Federico 'Fico' Lopez, Rolando Frazer, Mario Butler, and Rubén Rodríguez, who showcased their talents to all of Puerto Rico's TV viewers and game goers.
On October 8, 2015, the BSN team owners selected Fernando Quiñones Bodea to succeed Carlos J. Beltrán as president of the league.
The BSN tournament is played under the regular FIBA basketball rules. The teams regularly play a total of four games amongst them. For the 2017, the regular season will extend to 36 games. Of the 10 participating teams, the top 8 move on to the postseason.
Rubén Rodríguez established most of the early long-standing record in the BSN. He broke both the single-season points record with 810 in 1978 and the most career points record with 11,549. The current holder of the career mark is Georgie Torres, who broke it before retiring in 2001 with 15,863 points in 679 games, playing his entire career after the establishment of the three-point line. Rodríguez also holds the mark for most rebounds in a career with 6,178. He also held the single-season rebound record with 380 in 1978, which stood until Lee Benson broke it in 2008. Currently, Neftalí Rivera holds the record for most points in a game in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional when he scored 79 points on May 22, 1974. In that game he achieve the record by making 34 field goals(all of them 2-pointers as the 3-pointers where not adopted back then) and 11 free throws. In 1989, Pablo Alicea of the Gigantes de Carolina established a record for most assists in one game with 25. The record stood for over two decades until May 1, 2012, when Jonathan García of the Caciques de Humacao broke it recording 33 assists against the Brujos de Guayama. García's mark is an unofficial world record pending the approval of Guinness World Records, since there is no higher number recorded in any amateur or professional international league or in FIBA competition. During this game, the Caciques also established the team points record for a single game with 130 and for most scored during a single (10-minute) quarter with 46. The Vaqueros de Bayamón hosted the game with most assistance in the league, with 17,621 fans attending a home game against Río Piedras on September 8, 1969. This bested the previous top of 16,564 in a game between Ponce and Santurce. The Vaqueros also hold the record for most consecutive championships, winning five from 1971-75.
^ "BSN tiene nuevo presidente". El Nuevo Dia. 9 October 2015.
^ NotiCel (9 October 2015). "BSN tiene un nuevo presidente". NOTICEL.
^ "40 años de la increíble gesta de Neftalí Rivera". El Nuevo Día. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
^ "Jonathan García: nuevo rey de asistencias". Primera Hora. 3 May 2012.
^ "Estadísticas : Campeonatos - Baloncesto Superior Nacional Puerto Rico". bsnpr.com.
^ "Estadisticas : Lideres - Baloncesto Superior Nacional Puerto Rico". bsnpr.com.
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0.949693 |
located IN THE southwest of Africa, the Republic of Angola gained its independence from the Portuguese in 1975, and the civil war that followed lasted until 1991. The country covers 481,354 sq. mi. (1,246,700 sq. km.), with a population of 15,941,000 (2005 est.) and a population density of 34 people per sq. mi. (13 people per sq. km.).
Because of current upwelling, one of the salient feature's of Angola's geography is the very cold surface water along its coast on the south Atlantic Ocean. The largest concentration of people in the country remains Luanda, the capital, which has nearly a quarter of the entire country's population. The soil in Angola has always been poor, with only 2 percent arable land, and no permanent cultivated crops. Some 23 percent of the land is used as meadows or pasture, with large cattle herds adding to the increasing desertification of the country.
The result is an economy heavily dependent on the sale of petroleum, which contributes about 40 percent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product. This reliance on oil contributes to the high use of fossil fuels for electricity production, with 40.3 percent of Angola's electricity coming from fossil fuels, and 59.6 percent from hydropower.
The major hydroelectric electricity generation takes place at the Cambambe (Capanda) Dam located on the Cuanza River, with further production at the Biopio and the Lomaum dams located along the Catumbela River. In addition, there are other hydroelectric power generation plants, such as that at Luachimo used by the diamond mining works. The war led to the damaging of places such as the Ruacana Falls dam, which was out of action for a long period.
All these factors have helped reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from Angola, which is only 0.4 metric tons per capita, although it rose to 0.9 metric tons per person in 1995, and then fell to 0.57 metric tons per person. The government has also tried to further reduce the already relatively low level of emissions from sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide.
The Angolan government of José Eduardo dos Santos took part in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change signed in Rio de Janeiro in May 1992, and the government also accepted the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on May 8, 2007— the 171st country to do so. The Angolan government has argued that dealing with climate change should accompany a global political framework for reducing world poverty.
sEE ALso: Desertification; Oil, Production of; Portugal.
BIBLioGRAPHY. Communications and Hydraulic Development in Guinea, Angola and Moçambique (General Overseas Agency, 1961); Emmanuel Kreike, Re-Creating Eden: Land Use, Environment and Society in Southern Angola and Northern Namibia (Heinemann, 2004).
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0.999563 |
What is an electric car and how does it work?
To put is simply, an electric car or an electric vehicle (commonly abbreviated as EV) is a car that is powered exclusively by an electric motor instead of a conventional gasoline engine.
The electric motor is powered by a controller and the controller is powered by an array of rechargable batteries.
EV stores its energy in rechargable batteries (or battery packs), which can either be recharged either at home by using ordinary household electricity or at designated charging stations. They are installed inside the car and power other things beside the motor as well, like lights or wipers.
Just by looking at an EV, most people couldn't tell it apart from the conventional car. What gives it away immediately is the fact that it runs very silently. EVs don't have exhaust systems, simply because they don't need them, nor do they require petrol tanks.
What happens, when you switch on an electric car? The battery gives power to the controller, which converts the 300V DC into a maximum of 240 volts AC and passes the 2 phase power on to the electric motor. What makes the car move, is the mechanical energy, converted from the electrical energy, distributed by the controller.
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0.998931 |
Are you interested in learning more about personal finance but not sure where to begin? There are a number of good books on the subject; however, I’m sure many of you don’t find the idea of spending the tiny bit of free time you have reading books on personal finance particularly enticing. Perhaps an audiobook or radio show podcast that you can listen to during your commute or while you’re working in the yard would be a better alternative. I can recommend a few that I have found to be better than most at providing good information about personal finance without being overly technical, unbearably boring, or too focused on selling their particular products or services.
My first recommendation is The Ray Lucia Show podcast. The Ray Lucia Show can be heard live in the Bay Area on AM1220 (KDOW) every weekday from 9am-12pm, but it can also be downloaded as a podcast through iTunes or at www.businesstalkradio.net .
Note: While you can learn quite a bit about personal finance from listening to The Ray Lucia Show, keep in mind that the information is general in nature and may not be appropriate for your specific circumstances. Always consult your tax and/or investment advisor before acting on any of the advice given on the show.
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0.999999 |
Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is commonly used as a pain reliever for minor aches and pains and to reduce fever. It is also an anti-inflammatory drug and can be used as a blood thinner.
People with a high risk of blood clots, stroke, and heart attack can use aspirin long-term in low doses.
Aspirin contains salicylate, which derives from willow bark. Its use was first recorded around 400 BCE, in the time of Hippocrates, when people chewed willow bark to relieve inflammation and fever.
It is often given to patients immediately after a heart attack to prevent further clot formation and cardiac tissue death.
Here are some key points about aspirin. More detail is in the main article.
Aspirin is one of the most widely used medications in the world.
It comes from salicylate, which can be found in plants such as willow trees and myrtle.
Aspirin was the first non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to be discovered.
It interacts with a number of other drugs, including warfarin and methotrexate.
Aspirin has a range of uses, including the treatment of pain and inflammation and reduction of blood clotting.
Non-steroidal means they are not steroids. Steroids often have similar benefits, but they can have unwanted side effects.
As analgesics, NSAIDs tend to be non-narcotic. This means they do not cause insensibility or stupor. Aspirin was the first NSAID to be discovered.
Salicylate in the form of willow bark has been used for over 2,000 years. Some people still use willow bark as a more natural remedy for headaches and minor aches and pains.
Aspirin in its present form has been around for over 100 years. It is still one of the most widely used medications in the world. It is estimated that around 35,000 metric tons of aspirin is consumed annually.
Aspirin is a trademark owned by the German pharmaceutical company, Bayer. The generic term for aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid (ASA).
Aspirin is one of the most commonly used drugs for treating mild to moderate pain, migraines, and fever.
Common uses include headaches, period pains, colds and flu, sprains and strains, and long-term conditions, such as arthritis.
For mild to moderate pain, it is used alone. For moderate to severe pain, it is often used along with other opioid analgesic and NSAIDs.
Aspirin is not usually suitable for those aged under 16 years, because it can increase the risk of Reye's syndrome, which can appear after a virus, such as a cold, flu, or chicken pox. It can lead to permanent brain injury or death.
However, a specialist may prescribe aspirin for a child under supervision if they have Kawasaki disease, and to prevent blood clots from forming after heart surgery.
Acetaminophen (paracetamol, Tylenol) and ibuprofen are generally used instead.
A low dose of aspirin, at 75-81 milligrams (mg) per day, can be used as an antiplatelet medication, to prevent blood clots from forming.
In all these cases, the individual will normally continue to take low-dose aspirin daily for the rest of their life.
Aspirin is not given during a stroke, because not all strokes are caused by a clot. In some case, aspirin could make the stroke worse.
Anyone who is preparing to have a surgical operation should tell their doctor if they are taking regular aspirin. They may need to stop taking the aspirin at least 7 days before the operation.
Patients who are pregnant or breast-feeding may take low-dose aspirin, but only under a doctor's supervision. High-dose aspirin is not recommended.
Sometimes, one drug can make another medication less effective, or the combination can increase the risk to the patient. This is called a drug interaction.
Anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as diclofenac, ibuprofen, indomethacin, and naproxen. These can increase the risk of stomach bleeding if taken in combination with aspirin.
Methotrexate, used in the treatment of cancer and some autoimmune diseases. Aspirin can make it harder for the body to eliminate methotrexate, resulting in high and potentially dangerous levels of methotrexate in the body.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants, such as citalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, venlafaxine, and sertraline. Taken with aspirin, these can increase the risk of bleeding.
Warfarin, an anticoagulant drug, or a blood thinner, which stops the blood from clotting. If aspirin is taken with warfarin, it can reduce the drug's anticoagulant effects and increase the risk of bleeding. In some situations, however, a doctor may prescribe aspirin together with warfarin.
These are not the only drugs that cannot be used with aspirin. Anyone who is taking aspirin should inform their doctor, as other drugs can also interact.
An rare side effect of low-dose aspirin is hemorrhagic stroke.
Aspirin can help prevent and treat a range of conditions, but anyone who is taking aspirin should first speak to a doctor. Anyone under 16 years should not normally take aspirin, except in rare cases and under medical supervision.
There is a selection of aspirin available for purchase online.
Nordqvist, Christian. "Uses, benefits, and risks of aspirin." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 18 Dec. 2017. Web.
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Java Example that generates General exceptions Like NullPointerException etc.
Write a program that generates exceptions of type NullPointerException, NegativeArraySizeException, and IndexOutOfBoundsException. Record the catching of each exception by displaying the message stored in the exception object and the stack trace record.
int result = 0; // Somewhere to store a result.
int badSize = -1; // A negative size to generate NegativeArraySizeException.
int array = null; // Define an integer array variable.
result = array; // Generates a NullPointerException.
array = new int[badSize]; // Generates a NegativeArraySizeException.
result = array[arraySize]; // Generates an ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException.
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0.99723 |
Dancing with the Stars Halloween Night was a chilling evening full of frights, delights, and spooky surprises! From Frankenstein's Monster to Egyptian royalty to undead reunions, the routines embraced the whimsy of this inventive holiday. (And, as host Tom Bergeron remarked, the night also featured a whole lot of neck-snapping.) Here's a recap of Halloween Night, including the scores and what judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli had to say about all the ghoulish performances.
Milo & Witney: Milo and Witney opened the show with a truly chilling Contemporary routine. Their dance completely impressed the judges, even Len, who called it "spellbinding." The judges awarded Milo and Witney three 10s for a perfect 30 out of 30!
John & Emma: Bruno was impressed with John's passion for the dance but pointed out there were lots of mistakes. Carrie Ann called it one of his roughest performances! Len thought everything they did in hold was fantastic, but also had some constructive criticism. The pair received a 6, a 7, and a 6 for a total of 19 out of 30.
DeMarcus & Lindsay: "You lit up the ballroom tonight with that," said Carrie Ann. She loved DeMarcus's lifts, as always. Their scary cemetery Salsa earned them an 8, a 9, and a 9 for a total of 26 out of 30.
Evanna & Keo: Evanna and Keo turned up the intensity this week with their Tango performance. "The lines were absolutely beautiful," said Bruno. "Evanna's on fire!" cheered Carrie Ann. Evanna and Keo received a 10, a 9, and another 10 for a total score of 29 out 30.
Bobby & Sharna: "That was your best dance so far," Carrie Ann told Bobby. Bruno and Len would have liked more Argentine Tango in the dance, but both liked the performance and the storytelling. They received an 8, a 7, and another 7 for a score of 22 out of 30.
Mary Lou & Sasha: Mary Lou and Sasha's dreadful detention dance suffered a little from her emotional week, but Bruno and Len liked that there was a lot of solid Tango content. Mary Lou and Sasha got three 8s for a total of 24 out of 30.
Alexis & Alan: "Well candy is dandy and so was that performance," Len said. "You really are an all-American dancing beauty," added Bruno. The judges gave them three 9s, for a total of 27 out of 30.
Grocery Store Joe & Jenna: "For me, Joe, that was your best dance! Well done," Len said. Carrie Ann and Bruno were also impressed with the improvement he showed this week, after a particularly frightening visit to the Haunted Hayride which made him want to commit to his Frankenstein character. Joe and Jenna received their highest scores yet with an 8 and two 7s, for a total of 22 out of 30!
Juan Pablo & Cheryl: "That was just sheer perfection," said Carrie Ann. Len also loved it, and approved of the balance between the theme and the dance. "Perfection all the way through!" added Bruno. The duo received their second perfect score of the competition, 30 out of 30!
Catch weekly video highlights and watch full episodes of Dancing with the Stars on ABC.com or the ABC app and don't miss Dancing with the Stars LIVE Mondays 8|7c on ABC!
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I believe you have seen the word “accreditation” mentioned in many online education guides and articles. It’s the most important factor to consider when comparing online universities. If you earn a degree from an online university with regional accreditation, your degree will be accepted widely in the job market, and it helps you to have easier time finding jobs after graduation. You may want to continue to a higher education in the future, which you most probably will use your degree to apply for graduate programs, and a degree from an accredited online university will enable you to transfer your credit easier because these online degrees are accepted by most schools.
Not all online degree programs are offered 100% online, some universities requires their online students to attend a certain hours of physical classes on campus; others may require once a week for group meeting among students on group coursework discussion, or perform their lab work at school. Hence, when comparing online universities, you need to consider the residency requirements that best fit your schedule especially if you are a working individual or traveling to campus is a concern to you.
Although one of the key features of online education program is “flexible schedule”, but not all online universities allow you a full flexibility to study at your own pace, you may need to meet strict deadlines, or you are required to logon to the online classes at a fixed time to attend real-time learning sessions. If you are a working individual who have un-fixed working hours or a frequent traveler for job assignment, then you may prioritize on the online universities that allow you to study fully at your own pace.
There are online universities allow students to complete course exams entirely online, with open-book tests, while others may require their students to attend the exams at a proctored testing center. If you prefer to take open-book examination, then online universities that need you to attend closed-book tests might not be the best option for you.
Each online university has it own admission requirements; some schools have a very lengthy application process that require you to attend interviews, writing an essay or get a recommendation letter for your admission application, while others may have simple and easy admission process. When comparing these online universities, you need to ensure you are able to meet the admission requirements before you submit your application.
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How can I move domains between Portfolios?
To move domains between portfolios, click on the 'Move Domains' button on the 'Domain Management' page.
Select the destination portfolio using the dropdown and paste the domains in the text box provided. Click on 'Submit' button and your domains will be moved to the destination portfolio.
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Bradford City beating Arsenal will without a doubt go down in both club’s histories for drastically contrasting reasons. The primary reason being that Bradford were no less than 65 places below Arsenal in the English league pyramid at the start of play (Bradford 4th in league 2, Arsenal 7th in the Premier League).
In the build up to this match there was a strange feeling between the home fans that something magical was on the cards. Not many fans were willing to rule their team out.
I was reminded of the scale of this quarter-final Capital One Cup clash by the presence of Sky Sports; a sight Bradford fans almost never see. The gulf in resources was also made apparent by the temporary shack-like structure that had been erected for Sky to work in. Whereas the Emirates stadium possesses an area specifically designed for TV.
From the outset of this match, Arsenal fans felt they were here to pick up a routine win. These feelings were enhanced when the announcement of the starting line-ups was made, revealing that manager Arsene Wenger had gone with his strongest possible line-up.
When the game kicked off, explicit chants from the 4,000-strong Arsenal following filled the stadium as Gunners fans mocked the city, citing their overwhelming urges at wanting to leave.
The fans followed these chants with “You only came to see the Arsenal” chants. In part these chants had substance as the stadium had all but met its capacity with a match featuring an attendance of 24,000. The club’s usual attendance is 10,000, which is impressive for a League Two side. But this game’s attendance was their record attendance for 60 years, surpassing any of their Premier League attendances.
The final score was, without a doubt, a resounding victory for Bradford’s team, which cost approximately £7,500. Arsenal’s team cost £65 million to build.
Bradford’s victory against Arsenal shows the true romance of the English game and what is possible for any underdog in any sport.
Well-written article. While I’m an Arsenal fan, I must admit that this result did shine a new light onto football. Hope more of the same continues to happen, especially in the Premier League. Then, I’m sure it would become much more enjoyable to watch.
Fantastic. What it’s all about and shows there’s life beyond the Premier League. Here’s one for all the Arsenal knobs. There was a Bradford player on the pitch who took a 50% pay cut to play for Bradford to £225 a week. Compare that to wasters like Chamakh and Arshavin. No wonder you’re angry!
great article this is why we watch and this is why the matches are played because anything can happen.i thought i read the Bantams starting XI cost 7700 and AFC starting XI cost 65 million.a Bantam/Swans final would be epic their would be no loser in that final.
WELL WELL WELL……..Mr Wengar…….we wooped your boys, we wooped your boys.
Im hoping for a city home draw next, against chelsea or l33ds….however a home draw against the swans would be cool…then a final against either chelsea or l33ds.
In my excitement I forgot the semis are a 2 game decider.
Giant killing is what keeps this game alive. Not the pampered superstars with their handbags crying every time someone touches them, but grit and hard work, week in week out in the lower reaches of the game. Well done Bradford! Outstanding stuff.
Excellently said. Could not agree more.
I wish the US would institute such cups for College Sports. Imagine a Division III side playing home to a Duke or UNC for a College Basketball Tourney. Sure, they’d probably lose, but the chance is what makes it so inviting.
Credit to Bradford but excuse me while I nitpick. Arsenal were sadly bound to lose. Underdogs Bradford were, but ‘true romance’ of the game? Regrettably we aren’t playing with the dominance of United.. An upset, yes. I’m not delusional, but Bradford were bound to win. You faced a very soft and very beatable Arsenal side, not the Invincibles. THAT would truly be underdogging/romantic.
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Create a work structure for yourself along with a schedule that you follow.
Create a separation between your work and home lives; get dressed in the morning and "go to work" during set hours.
Find convenient ways to communicate with your co-workers, whether it's phone, email, instant messaging, or the occasional lunch.
To succeed in a job while working from home, it’s critical to go about your day just as you would in a traditional office.
For example, you should wear neat attire as opposed to, say, pajamas or sweatpants while you’re on the job. Work-from-home veterans say donning a business-casual outfit makes it easier to stay focused and maintain a professional composure.
You should also have a home office that you only use for work and is off limits from family. Make sure everyone in your household understands that when you’re on the clock, you aren’t available to hang out or run errands. Maintaining regular hours can help make this clear.
Meanwhile, keep tabs on what’s happening at your company. Check in regularly with your supervisor to make sure you’re meeting expectations and aren’t missing out on important career opportunities. Use the phone as often as possible, rather than email, to maintain a conversation that flows in real time. Also, ask a trusted co-worker or mentor to keep you up-to-date on office news and politics. And if it’s geographically feasible, try to have lunch with a colleague at least once a month.
Lastly, look for ways to avoid feeling isolated. For example, consider going to a health club every morning or making weekly plans to meet a friend for coffee.
Women for Hire. This company offers numerous recruitment services targeted at women. It also recommends legitimate work-from-home positions.
Better Business Bureau. This organization allows consumers to research companies and can help in identifying work-from-home scams.
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0.999764 |
Giants Win! Giants Win! Down 20-10 in the second half, the Giants found a way to score 17 unanswered points. The come from behind victory improves the Giants record 2-7.
The reason why the Giants won: 1. they won the turnover battle. Two BJ Goodson interceptions pushed the Giants overall turnover differential to a NEGATIVE 3 on the season. 2. The much maligned Giants offensive line played their best game of the season. Giants quarterback Eli Manning was sacked only ONCE. They were able to get some semblance of a running game. Overall on the evening, the Giants gained 97 yards on the ground, 3. The Giants defense did not give huge plays. The 49ers longest play from scrimmage was 26 yards.
To put the game in context, this was a match up of two poor teams devoid of talent. The 49ers playing with their THIRD string quarterback Nick Mullens almost defeated an equally pathetic Giants team. 49ers outgained the Giants on offense 374 yards to 277. With this loss, the 49ers fall to 2-9 on the season.
Eli Manning: Or shall I say Inconsistent Eli Manning. Yes, with the aid of penalties, Manning lead his team on a 2 minute drive to get the go ahead touchdown. His numbers on the night were pedestrian 19-31 for 188 yards 3TDS and Zero interceptions. He was a function of better line play. After 3 piss poor performances, Eli played good enough for the Giants to snap a FIVE game losing streak.
Giants are now 5-20 in their last 25 games. 2-17 versus NFC opponents.
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0.987304 |
There are two artists with the name Meiko: 1) an American singer/songwriter 2) the first Japanese-language Vocaloid 1) Meiko (pronounced MEE-ko) (born February 25, 1982), is an American singer/ songwriter, born and raised in Roberta, Georgia and currently residing in Los Angeles, California. She independently released a self-titled album on September 1, 2007. All of the tracks from the LP have been featured in major network TV shows. Her second full-length album, entitled The Bright Side, was released through Fantasy Records on May 15, 2012.
1) Meiko (pronounced MEE-ko) (born February 25, 1982), is an American singer/ songwriter, born and raised in Roberta, Georgia and currently residing in Los Angeles, California. She independently released a self-titled album on September 1, 2007. All of the tracks from the LP have been featured in major network TV shows. Her second full-length album, entitled The Bright Side, was released through Fantasy Records on May 15, 2012.
Raised by her father in the small town of Roberta, Georgia, Meiko first stepped in front of an audience at the age of eight, singing ?White Christmas? for parishioners of a Southern Baptist church. At eighteen, Meiko left her hometown to showcase her talents to a wider audience. After a brief stop in Miami, she set down in Los Angeles and began her career in earnest, playing venues all over Southern California and writing at a prolific pace. She performed (and bartended) at Hollywood's Hotel Caf? (where she still performs regularly).
Meiko is one-quarter Japanese, on her maternal grandmother's side; in an attempt to get in touch with their Japanese heritage, she and her sister, designer Kelly Nishimoto, adopted the nicknames Meiko and Keiko.
2) The name of the first Japanese-language Vocaloid released by Crypton Future Media, released in 2004. Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer application software developed by the Yamaha Corporation that enables users to synthesize singing by just typing in lyrics and melody. Numbered Crypton Vocaloid 00, Meiko was the first female Vocaloid, counterpart to Kaito. Her voice is based on a Japanese female singer Haig? Meiko (?? ???). Her voice is noted to be steady, straightforward, and suitable for any musical genre. She is fit to sing anything from pop, rock, jazz, R&B to children's songs. Since Vocaloid has some functions that Vocaloid 2 do not have, such as Resonance. Different users can utilize the voicebanks offered very differently and she can produce a wide range of different results from the same few voicebanks.
On July 24, 2003, an CCCD album "HISTORY OF LOGIC SYSTEM", which included a song using Japanese vocaloids commercially for the first time, was released. It was a duet song of "Ano Subarashii Ai wo Mou Ichido (That Wonderful Love Once More)" and it was covered by prototype version of Meiko and Kaito before their release. Meiko has been confirmed to have an Append on the way, but no data has been released on its progress.
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0.998779 |
Fisher-Price has recalled 4.7 million sleepers after the product was linked to over 30 infant deaths.
In early April, Fisher-Price issued a joint alert with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) related to the Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play Sleeper.
They recommended parents stop using the Rock 'n Play as soon as a baby starts to roll over, or at three months, whichever comes sooner.
However, 32 infant deaths have since been linked to the Rock 'n Play since 2009, and mounting pressure from the likes of American Academy of Pediatrics lead to a recall of 4.7 million sleepers.
For safe sleep, babies should be put to bed on their backs, on a firm surface, in a crib or bassinet with a tight-fitting sheet and nothing else.
Update, 4/12/2019: According to the CPSC, Fisher-Price has officially recalled all models of the Rock 'n Play Sleeper due to reported infant fatalities after "the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances." Consumers should visit service.mattel.com and click "Recalls and Safety Alerts" or call 866-812-6518 for more information.
Original, 4/9/2019: When Fisher-Price and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently issued a joint safety alert about the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper, parents everywhere shared a collective gasp. The alert warned families that they should discontinue use of the Rock ‘n Play as soon as a baby starts to roll over, or at three months, whichever comes first.
Since 2015, at least 10 known infant deaths in babies over 3 months can be attributed to infants rolling over from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained in the popular product. Consumer Reports then published that an additional 22 infant deaths are linked to the Rock 'n Play, though the cause of these may be unrelated to the product itself.
Is the Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play safe?
There's been debate around this product since it was introduced in 2009, centering around two key questions: 1) Is it safe for babies to sleep on an inclined product as opposed to a flat surface? 2) Is it safe for babies to sleep while restrained? Part of the reason for the controversy is an ongoing dialogue around the safety of infants sleeping while inclined or restrained as some studies have show these can lead to an increased risk of accidental strangulation or suffocation.
Are You Putting Your Baby to Bed Safely?
On top of that, when the Rock 'n Play was launched it was excluded from infant sleep product safety standards set forth by ASTM (an international organization whose members decide on which voluntary consensus standards to pursue and develop for products and services). At the time ASTM infant sleep standards only existed for flat sleep products, like traditional cribs and bassinets. ASTM subsequently introduced a standard for inclined infant sleep products in 2015, which only added fire to the safety debate. Many opponents to inclined sleep products for infants asked, "Why even create a standard for something that may not be safe? It could create a false sense of security for parents."
Rock 'n Plays currently sold in the U.S. meet the ASTM standard and are certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). The recent alert reinforces Fisher-Price's long-standing warning that consumers should stop using the Rock 'n Play when an infant can roll over. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) along with Consumer Reports are calling for Fisher-Price to upgrade the safety alert to a product recall.
The engineers in the Good Housekeeping Institute recommend that parents considering an inclined sleep product for their baby, even one that meets safety standards, always consult their doctor first. Furthermore, we advise that inclined infant sleep products never be used for routine sleep, and your child should always be attended to while using it. Like the AAP, we recommended that babies sleep on a flat, bare, firm surface.
If you have a Rock 'n Play at home (and your child is under three months old and can't roll over yet), follow all product instructions.
Make sure that every time you place your child in the rocker you use the restraint system.
Do not add or use any pad other than the one included in the package.
Do not add any additional items in the system like a blanket or pillow that could potentially cause a suffocation or strangulation hazard.
The CPSC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that a baby always be placed to sleep on her back, on a firm sleep surface (i.e. crib or bassinet) with a tight fitting sheet. The sleep environment should be devoid of blankets, pillows, stuffed toys, or any other items that could possibly cause injury. The AAP also recommends, if possible, that your baby share a room, though not a bed or other sleep surface, with you for at least the first six months of life — ideally up to one year — to help reduce the risk of SIDS. Make sure whatever sleep surface your baby is in is up to all of the latest industry standards.
What other safety steps can I take as a parent?
If you are ever concerned about a potentially dangerous product or have experienced an injury from one, you can visit saferproducts.gov or call CPSC’s hotline at 800-638-2772; you can also sign up for general baby-related recalls through the CPSC website. It's also recommended that you get product-specific alerts and updates by filling out the registry card — or registering online — when you purchase a new product. This way, if any recalls or notices are issued you will be alerted.
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Although certain paranormal activities are a confirmed and undoubted reality (e.g. Bermuda triangle), the fact is that a lot of seemingly paranormal activity can actually be explained in perfectly normal and understandable conventional ways.
I provide the following information not to debunk or to 'explain away' the alleged presence of ghosts, ESP, remote viewing or UFO's/aliens but, rather, in order to help people understand better how to establish a difference between parapsychology/parascience and actual paranormal phenomena.
A person's expectations can inaccurately enhance their perception of events. Think about that statement for a minute. Due to this fact, we believe it is important for a subject or researcher to be a real skeptic - neither a believer or a disbeliever.
Whilst it is important to approach an investigation with relevant theories and valuable background knowledge, approaching the field with strong beliefs swayed either one way or the other leaves the researcher open to the danger of misinterpreting events according to his/her individual set beliefs.
It is just as damaging to over-explain events as having conventional explanations as it is to blindly believe that a phenomenon must be a result of a paranormal cause.
Due to some of the unusual circumstances that researchers find themselves in, (e.g. it is unusual for anyone to sit motionless in the dark attending to any slight sound or feeling during their normal daily life) it can be easy to mis-perceive what are usually benign and common events.
An often reported phenomenon is the sense of ghostly fingers running through a person's hair. Whilst we must remain open to the possibility that this is indeed what is happening, we must also bear in mind that a common physiological process could also be at play.
It has been noted on numerous occasions that a researcher has sat down in a darkened room and removed an item of headgear (e.g. a baseball cap or woolly hat) to make themselves more comfortable.
Human hairs actually have touch receptors associated with them and these are stimulated when the hair is bent. When the hat is removed, the hair, which has been bent over against the head, gradually resumes its normal shape.
This stimulates the touch receptors, and produces a sensation which can easily be misinterpreted as invisible ghostly fingers.
One of the most commonly reported paranormal phenomena is the sense of presence - the feeling that there may be someone or something in the room that cannot be seen.
This can simply be due to expectation - in an alleged haunted house the researcher or subject expects, and sometimes almost wills, a presence to appear.
Combined with a state of heightened suggestibility - and being aware of the haunted reputation of the building - a sense of presence can be induced quite easily. The beliefs of the subject's mental set can affect his/her behaviour and perceptions.
If the subject believes that he/she will experience paranormal phenomenon, they may unconsciously perceive events according to that belief. These beliefs can cause them to mis-percieve events, even if in reality this appears illogical.
Environmental conditions of quiet and darkness allow the subject to detect faint stimuli that are ordinarily masked - these are interpreted in accord with a person's expectations and fears - in an environment with a reputation for invisible presences the subject's worries may transform innocuous sights, sounds, and feelings into hints of hidden paranormal activity.
As an example, a simple draught through a room has been mis-perceived as a ghost passing through a subject. If the same draught was felt in more innocuous surroundings, it would either not be perceived at all, as an unimportant stimulus, or it would be assumed to have a more conventional cause, such as an open window.
The fact that the draught was felt with no visual stimulus only increases the feeling of unease. An example of these factors influencing perception occurred some years ago during an investigation when a sound subsequently discovered to be a bilge pump at a dock was actually reported as being the "sound of a body being dragged".
Expectation and belief transformed an innocent sound, whilst unusual and outside the subject's previous experience, into something far more fanciful and sinister.
There are also physiological explanations for the experience of a sensed presence. Experiments by Michael Persinger in laboratory situations have shown that individuals with greater than normal metabolic activity in the temporal lobe region of the right hemisphere of the brain are more likely to report encountering invisible beings.
It has been suggested that aspects of a person's own sense of self are generated in this region; when it becomes unusually active, the self-image of the right hemisphere intrudes upon the left hemisphere, which interprets it as the presence of an unseen external entity.
Another physiological cause that has been suggested for producing the sense of presence are extremely low frequency sound waves - or infrasound. Exposure to infrasound has been proven to cause various physiological effects on the human body, including anxiety, shivering, breathlessness, and a feeling of an unseen presence.
If a wave of 18Hz is presented, the human eyeball can start to resonate with the wave, in turn causing a person to experience hallucinations in their peripheral vision.
These sound waves can be produced by electrical equipment, but may also be produced as a result of, for example, wind blowing through a window and down a corridor.
Another way that external stimuli can be mis-perceived is a phenomena termed pareidolia. A common example is when we see faces and patterns in the clouds or the moon.
The human brain tries to make sense of the world around it and when presented with a stimulus it will try to match it to something it has encountered before, again with respect to the person's beliefs and expectations (i.e. searches the subconscious).
Often during ghostly investigations, participants are sitting in conditions of near sensory deprivation, with low light levels and no sound. An effect commonly seen is the autokinetic effect - the mis-perception of movement in a stationary object or source of light.
When light enters the eye the lens focuses the light into an image of the light source, projected onto the retina at the back of the eyeball. This image changes its position on the retina if either the object or the eyeball moves.
Under ordinary conditions, it is easy to tell what sort of movement has occurred. If the eyes are moved, all the images on the retina move, when an object moves, its retinal image changes location relative to the other objects being focused on the retina.
The eye contains two types of photosensitive cells, rods and cones, which convert light energy into signals that are carried to the brain by the optic nerve.
Rods are very light sensitive and give us black and white vision but they produce quite a low-resolution image. Cones, on the other hand, give very high resolution, colour images, but they are not as sensitive to light.
In the middle of the retina is a small dimpled region called the fovea. This contains only cone cells, so in ordinary light we would look straight at an object to produce the best picture. In low lighting, the rod cells are better for imaging, and the largest concentration of these occurs near the outer edge of the eye.
This means that we can see objects in low light better out of the corner of our eyes These cells also give us the best motion detection, so we can see movement best out of the corner of our eyes.
The subject sitting in a darkened room might perceive a small point of light, perhaps from an item of technical investigation equipment. It can be seen more clearly out of the corner of the eye, but no detail can be perceived.
To compensate for this, the subject attempts to look straight at the object to try and resolve it. But when we constantly focus on one point of light, we begin to lose a proper perception of it as the chemical in the cone cells, iodopsin, becomes bleached out.
To try and overcome this, our eyes do what is called saccadic scanning, which basically means our eyes make small rapid movements, of which we are unaware.
This saccadic movement is misinterpreted as movement of the light source, rather than movement of the eye, as there are no other objects visible to relate the movement to.
This is called the autokinetic effect, and differs between individuals - some people see small movements, whereas others see the light source moving up to 8 inches.
So a small stationery point of light has suddenly turned into a moving ball of light - is this a ghost manifestation occurring?
It is important to remember also that, just as when we focus on a point of light in a darkened room the eye needs to keep moving to keep perceiving it, the same is true of the rods and our peripheral vision - we will no longer be able to perceive a stationery object at the periphery of our vision unless we keep moving our eyes.
This describes the phenomenon of flashes of light or colour that may appear in the field of vision in the absence of sensory stimulation.
They can cover a wide range of optical phenomena, from simple lines and patterns, through so-called "wallpaper patterns", right up to full scenes.
These effects are a form of entoptic phenomena.
Entoptic phenomena are sensations produced by the structure of the visual nervous system. They can relate to perception of objects actually within the structure of the eye, a common example being "floaters" - bits of debris floating in the vitreous body of the eye.
The vitreous humour is a jelly like substance that fills the eyeball. As we move our eyes, this jelly "sloshes about" within them, and as a consequence of this movement, and also the fact that the jelly shrinks with age, cells and fibres within the eye can break off.
These cells and fibres cast a shadow on the retina, and as the eyes are moved they can be seen as semi-transparent, irregular lines floating across the vision - hence the name "floaters".
If these cells break off from around the optic nerve, they can form a circular shape with a clear middle, reminiscent of the "orbs" and "lightballs" reported on digital photographic images.
These floating objects can be mis-perceived as external objects, seen as outside the eye rather than within it.
Light passes through several layers of retinal cells to reach the light-sensitive receptor cells - these layers are nourished by a capillary network of blood vessels.
If a bright, steady light enters the eye (for example a light source in a dark room), it is sometimes possible to see streaking points of light and shimmering webs of light in the field of vision, caused by the blood flow in front of the receptors.
Because the eyes are constantly in motion, either voluntary or saccadic scanning, a sense of motion may be imparted to these entoptic effects.
Imagery is the phenomenon of visual experiences in the absence of any visual stimulus from the outside world. An example of this is day-dreaming.
If you can try and imagine a white, sandy beach, with clear blue skies, a beautiful blue sea with waves lapping at the shore. You should have been able to produce quite a clear mental image of this scene.
There is some evidence to suggest that we use these sorts of mental images all the time. Think of when you have been driving a car and need to make a decision - should I overtake the car in front?
You will use imagery to construct a mental picture of the consequences - you will not actually stop seeing the road, but your brain has created a mental image.
We are unaware that this is happening - we wouldn't be able to function without it, but we also wouldn't be able to function if we were constantly aware of it. In the scenario of mild sensory deprivation (quiet and dark), it is possible to become aware of this imagery as there is nothing else to focus the conscious attention on.
Because it is something not normally consciously perceived, it is possible to externalise this imagery and interpret it as something occurring external to the body, rather than produced within the mind.
There is a difference between these two phenomena - an illusion is a mistaken perception of an object, there is something to be perceived but it is perceived incorrectly.
A hallucination is a perception-like experience in the absence of any external stimuli. It can be difficult to separate the two - an illusion (a flapping curtain is misperceived as a ghost) can turn into a hallucination (the ghost is heard to speak).
It can also be difficult to separate illusions from ordinary perceptions - we assume we are perceiving the world as it actually is, whereas in reality we perceive it according to our beliefs, expectations and prior experience.
The ideal situation for illusions to occur is again the mild sensory deprivation conditions commonly encountered during the "ghost hunt" - dim lighting, an object that is not clearly viewed and is only seen briefly, an observer with impaired perceptual functioning (tired, excited or both), and observer with a suitable mental set.
If the observer is accompanied by other witnesses, a collective illusion is possible. If the group share a common expectation, for example that a ghost will appear, and the people in the group communicate with each other either during or after the experience, they can unintentionally fine tune their mutual interpretations, and therefore create a closely matched illusory perception.
Human speech consists of a combination of frequencies and rhythms. The sounds of letters - t, k, f, sh, p, s - are combinations of clicks, swishes, hisses, squeaks and a myriad of other noises.
All these sounds exist in the world outside of human speech. Because of this, and the fact that speech is so important to human beings, it is possible to mis-perceive sounds such as the creak of a door, as a human voice.
This phenomenon can be quite marked in a noisy environment, also if the observer is expecting to hear a ghostly voice it is far easier to misinterpret natural sounds as speech.
Assuming an observer has witnessed an event, how sure can we be that it will be reported accurately?
Perception is not just a process that is carried out in the eye, ear, nose etc., the important bit happens in the brain. Most of the information we use in the process of perception is not consciously recognized.
It is also possible to look straight at an object, so an image is formed on the retina, but it isn't actually perceived. Think how many road accidents have occurred where the driver says "I didn't see him".
He might have looked straight at the person he has just run over, but his brain did not perceive it.
This phenomenon is called selective attention - we have to function this way as there is too much information available for us to be aware of it all.
During an ordinary day we can carry out daily tasks such as leaving the house and getting in the car to go to work, without consciously noticing the colour of the path, the make of car, the colour of the front door.
If, however, a large oil stain has appeared on the path we might consciously perceive this, as something has changed from the normal course of events, and also it may be quite important to register this information - the car may have a large oil leak.
We are quite good at recognizing familiar cues - an example would be the "cocktail party" effect - in a large group of people, all of whom are having conversations, these separate conversations are not normally consciously perceived.
However, as soon as someone mentions your name, you immediately become aware of hearing it - it is something quite important to you and is flagged up as such in the brain, and you notice it.
Even when an observer is sitting in a dark and quiet room, they may still be filtering out anything that the brain does not perceive as important. If the observer is then presented with two unusual stimuli, only one may be perceived and not the other.
If both events are perceived, the order in which they occurred may be mis-perceived - if two events happen simultaneously, the event the observer paid the most attention to will be perceived as happening first.
An earlier unattended event may even be recalled as occurring after the attended event. The opposite to this effect is a situation where the brain perceives something that is not actually there.
On being presented with an incomplete object, the brain automatically fills in the missing pieces according to our previous memory and experience. There are many examples available of common optical illusions to illustrate this.
Perceptual memory is unreliable. The human eye can distinguish between thousands of different colours, but studies suggest that we can only distinguish between 17 in memory.
The images in our mind are never as clear as the actual scene, if you imagine a room in your house you can probably picture everything in it and where everything is, but the picture is markedly less detailed than the actual image.
Memory also stores perceptual information in a verbal form, rather than as a picture, so if an observer sees a pink elephant he will retain the words pink and elephant rather than a picture of the actual elephant.
On being asked to recall it, the picture of the elephant would be reconstructed in the mind, and any gaps in the information would unconsciously be filled in.
If the observer has talked to other witnesses, information from them may also be unconsciously incorporated into the image.
What Is Remote Viewing & How Does It Work?
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##What is it?## The Twitter Sentiment Extraction project is a tool that, given a tweet, will tell you whether it is positive or negative. Most of my testing has been in the area of tweets about positive and negative customer service.
One great application of the tool would be for a company to watch for tweets containing their name and alert for negative customer service experiences. Then someone from the company could investigate and try to track down the user and fix the problem.
##When## In late 2010 I had been researching Natural Language Processing (NLP) and how I could apply it. I’ve been reading the NLP with Python Book and it has been giving me some great ideas.
One of the really interesting parts of NLP for me is sentiment classification. I wanted to know how accurate classification of sentiment could be.
##Success?## So far with only 300 tweets of training data I was able to achieve about a 81% accuracy of classify sentiment. I think with more training data the accuracy would increase.
##Improvements## I think the biggest issue with my tests was the limited amount of training data. I had to manually classify the tweets for the training data and 300 was enough for my patience.
My next step is to get more training data, perhaps using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to get much more training data.
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0.933357 |
Which do you prefer; sweet or savory oatmeal?
Oatmeal is a breakfast staple in many households, and it’s the perfect base for a variety of toppings and flavor combinations. There’s also different types of oats; quick cooking, old fashioned and steel cut. The possibilities are endless.
It’s very common to see oatmeal sweetened with brown sugar and topped with fruit and maple syrup. However, savory toppings are equally as tasty and still a great option for breakfast. Check out these two recipes, one savory and one sweet, to see which you prefer.
A sweet combination of blueberries and coconut make for the perfect bowl of oatmeal to jumpstart your day. If you don’t have any blueberries in your fridge, enjoy this oatmeal with raspberries or diced strawberries for an equally delicious breakfast treat. Check out the recipe here.
The classic combination of bacon, eggs and cheese add the perfect savory flavor to your morning bowl of oatmeal. Serve with hot sauce on the side for a spicy kick. Check out the recipe here.
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The typographical symbol developed in the 18th century as an abstraction from arrow projectiles. Its use is comparable to that of the older (medieval) manicule (pointing hand, 👈). Also comparable is the use of a fleur-de-lis symbol indicating north in a compass rose by Pedro Reinel (c. 1504).
An early arrow symbol is found in an illustration of Bernard Forest de Bélidor's treatise L'architecture hydraulique, printed in France in 1737. The arrow is here used to illustrate the direction of the flow of water and of the water wheel's rotation.
At about the same time, arrow symbols were used to indicate the flow of rivers in maps.
A trend towards abstraction, in which the arrow's fletching is removed, can be observed in the mid-to-late 19th century.
In a further abstraction of the symbol, John Richard Green's A Short History of the English People of 1874 contained maps by cartographer Emil Reich, which indicated army movements by curved lines, with solid triangular arrowheads placed intermittently along the lines.
Use of arrow symbols in mathematical notation originates in the early 20th century.
David Hilbert in 1922 introduced the arrow symbol representing logical implication. The double-headed arrow representing logical equivalence was introduced by Albrecht Becker in Die Aristotelische Theorie der Möglichkeitsschlüsse, Berlin, 1933.
In Unicode, braille is represented in a block called Braille Patterns (U+2800..U+28FF). The block contains all 256 possible patterns of an 8-dot braille cell, thereby including the complete 6-dot cell range.
Produce the symbols using a text editor or word processor rather than a graphics editor.In order to display or print these symbols, one has to have one or more fonts with good Unicode support installed on the computer, and the document (Web page, word processor document, etc.) must use one of these fonts.Unicode version 12.0 has allocated a whole character block at 0x1FA00 for inclusion of extra chess piece representations. This standard points to several new characters being created in this block, including rotated pieces and neutral (neither white nor black) pieces.
Emoji (Japanese: 絵文字（えもじ）, English: ; Japanese: [emodʑi]; singular emoji, plural emoji or emojis) are ideograms and smileys used in electronic messages and web pages. Emoji exist in various genres, including facial expressions, common objects, places and types of weather, and animals. They are much like emoticons, but emoji are actual pictures instead of typographics. Originally meaning pictograph, the word emoji comes from Japanese e (絵, "picture") + moji (文字, "character"); the resemblance to the English words emotion and emoticon is purely coincidental. The ISO 15924 script code for emoji is Zsye.
This is a list of Unicode characters. As of version 12.0, Unicode contains a repertoire of over 137,000 characters covering 150 modern and historic scripts, as well as multiple symbol sets. As it is not technically possible to list all of these characters in a single Wikipedia page, this list is limited to a subset of the most important characters for English-language readers, with links to other pages which list the supplementary characters. This page includes the 1062 characters in the Multilingual European Character Set 2 (MES-2) subset, and some additional related characters.
The Phoenician alphabet, called by convention the Proto-Canaanite alphabet for inscriptions older than around 1050 BC, is the oldest verified alphabet. It is an alphabet of abjad type, consisting of 22 consonant letters only, leaving vowel sounds implicit, although certain late varieties use matres lectionis for some vowels. It was used to write Phoenician, a Northern Semitic language, used by the ancient civilization of Phoenicia in modern-day Syria, Lebanon, and northern Israel.The Phoenician alphabet, that the Phoenicians adapted from the early West Semitic alphabet, is ultimately derived from Egyptian hieroglyphs. It became one of the most widely used writing systems, spread by Phoenician merchants across the Mediterranean world, where it was adopted and modified by many other cultures. The Paleo-Hebrew alphabet is a local variant of Phoenician, as is the Aramaic alphabet, the ancestor of the modern Arabic. Modern Hebrew script is a stylistic variant of Aramaic. The Greek alphabet (with its descendants Latin, Cyrillic, Runic, and Coptic) also derives from Phoenician.
In the Unicode standard, a plane is a continuous group of 65,536 (216) code points. There are 17 planes, identified by the numbers 0 to 16, which corresponds with the possible values 00–1016 of the first two positions in six position hexadecimal format (U+hhhhhh). Plane 0 is the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP), which contains most commonly-used characters. The higher planes 1 through 16 are called "supplementary planes". The very last code point in Unicode is the last code point in plane 16, U+10FFFF. As of Unicode version 12.0, six of the planes have assigned code points (characters), and four are named.
The limit of 17 planes is due to UTF-16, which can encode 220 code points (16 planes) as pairs of words, plus the BMP as a single word.. UTF-8 was designed with a much larger limit of 231 (2,147,483,648) code points (32,768 planes), and can encode 221 (2,097,152) code points (32 planes) even under the current limit of 4 bytes.The 17 planes can accommodate 1,114,112 code points. Of these, 2,048 are surrogates (used to make the pairs in UTF-16), 66 are non-characters, and 137,468 are reserved for private use, leaving 974,530 for public assignment.
Planes are further subdivided into Unicode blocks, which, unlike planes, do not have a fixed size. The 300 blocks defined in Unicode 12.0 cover 25% of the possible code point space, and range in size from a minimum of 16 code points (fourteen blocks) to a maximum of 65,536 code points (Supplementary Private Use Area-A and -B, which constitute the entirety of planes 15 and 16). For future usage, ranges of characters have been tentatively mapped out for most known current and ancient writing systems.
The tilde ( or ; ˜ or ~) is a grapheme with several uses. The name of the character came into English from Spanish and from Portuguese, which in turn came from the Latin titulus, meaning "title" or "superscription".The reason for the name was that it was originally written over a letter as a scribal abbreviation, as a "mark of suspension", shown as a straight line when used with capitals. Thus the commonly used words Anno Domini were frequently abbreviated to Ao Dñi, an elevated terminal with a suspension mark placed over the "n". Such a mark could denote the omission of one letter or several letters. This saved on the expense of the scribe's labour and the cost of vellum and ink. Medieval European charters written in Latin are largely made up of such abbreviated words with suspension marks and other abbreviations; only uncommon words were given in full. The tilde has since been applied to a number of other uses as a diacritic mark or a character in its own right. These are encoded in Unicode at U+0303 ◌̃ COMBINING TILDE and U+007E ~ TILDE (as a spacing character), and there are additional similar characters for different roles. In lexicography, the latter kind of tilde and the swung dash (⁓) are used in dictionaries to indicate the omission of the entry word.
UTF-8 is a variable width character encoding capable of encoding all 1,112,064 valid code points in Unicode using one to four 8-bit bytes. The encoding is defined by the Unicode Standard, and was originally designed by Ken Thompson and Rob Pike. The name is derived from Unicode (or Universal Coded Character Set) Transformation Format – 8-bit.It was designed for backward compatibility with ASCII. Code points with lower numerical values, which tend to occur more frequently, are encoded using fewer bytes. The first 128 characters of Unicode, which correspond one-to-one with ASCII, are encoded using a single octet with the same binary value as ASCII, so that valid ASCII text is valid UTF-8-encoded Unicode as well. Since ASCII bytes do not occur when encoding non-ASCII code points into UTF-8, UTF-8 is safe to use within most programming and document languages that interpret certain ASCII characters in a special way, such as "/" in filenames, "\" in escape sequences, and "%" in printf.
The Universal Coded Character Set (UCS) is a standard set of characters defined by the International Standard ISO/IEC 10646, Information technology — Universal Coded Character Set (UCS) (plus amendments to that standard), which is the basis of many character encodings. The latest version contains over 136,000 abstract characters, each identified by an unambiguous name and an integer number called its code point. This ISO/IEC 10646 standard is maintained in conjunction with The Unicode Standard ("Unicode"), and they are code-for-code identical.
Characters (letters, numbers, symbols, ideograms, logograms, etc.) from the many languages, scripts, and traditions of the world are represented in the UCS with unique code points. The inclusiveness of the UCS is continually improving as characters from previously unrepresented writing systems are added.
The UCS has over 1.1 million possible code points available for use/allocation, but only the first 65,536 (the Basic Multilingual Plane, or BMP) had entered into common use before 2000. This situation began changing when the People's Republic of China (PRC) ruled in 2006 that all software sold in its jurisdiction would have to support GB 18030. This required software intended for sale in the PRC to move beyond the BMP.
The system deliberately leaves many code points not assigned to characters, even in the BMP. It does this to allow for future expansion or to minimize conflicts with other encoding forms.
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How can you avoid getting sick when your kids are?
Viruses spread quickly, yet it’s possible to treat sick kids while avoid getting sick as well. If you boost your immune system, keep the house germ-free, and eat and drink properly, you can minimize your chances of catching the illness.
First stop the flow of germs by constantly washing your hands and your sick child’s hands. Encourage your sick child not to touch common household objects, such as doorknobs, which will spread his germs to others. Let the sick child have separate kitchen utensils and bathroom towels until he recovers. In addition, use tissues, instead of hands, whenever possible to shield a cough or sneeze, making sure to discard used tissues immediately. Furthermore don’t share food or drinks with a sick child since viruses can be transferred via saliva as well.
Certain foods and teas are naturally beneficial for boosting the immune system and fighting infection. Chicken soup, for example, reduces the mucus in your nose and relives congestion, plus it contains plenty of healthy vitamin-rich vegetables. Another example of an effective remedy for fighting colds, nausea and vomiting is ginger tea. Place one teaspoon of grated ginger root into a cup of hot water, wait a few minutes and drink. In general, staying hydrated, deliberately eating nutritious foods and getting enough quality sleep can prevent illness. A study by the Archives of Internal Medicine says that those who get less than seven hours of sleep a night triple their chances of catching a cold.
It’s important to separate the sick child from the rest of the household, keeping the germs contained in one place. Make your sick child’s room as child-friendly as possible so he or she doesn’t feel punished for being sick. Be sure to sanitize the toys he plays with as soon as he’s done.
Should you really feel a cold?
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0.952922 |
We know diabetes affects your blood sugar, kidneys, other organs, and overall health, but how does it affect your mouth?
If your blood sugar is uncontrolled, oral health problems become more likely. Uncontrolled blood sugar impairs your white blood cells, which are the body's main defense against bacterial infections. Bacteria that reside in the mouth due to plaque or tartar buildup can be more serious if you have diabetes. People with diabetes are at special risk for gum disease, an infection of the gum and bone that hold the teeth in place. Periodontal disease can lead to painful chewing difficulties and even tooth loss.
It's essential to follow good dental hygiene habits and to pay close attention to any changes in your oral health when you have diabetes. Make sure you keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible, and that you keep your dentist informed about the status of your diabetes at each visit. Your diabetes doctor should also be kept informed of any changes in your oral health.
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About The Author: Robin (Robert Brian) Cook, the master of the medical thriller novel, was born to Edgar Lee Cook, a commercial artist and businessman, and Audrey (Koons) Cook on May 4, 1940, in New York City. Cook spent his childhood in Leonia, New Jersey, and decided to become a doctor after seeing a football injury at his high school. He earned a B.A. from Wesleyan Univ About The Author: Robin (Robert Brian) Cook, the master of the medical thriller novel, was born to Edgar Lee Cook, a commercial artist and businessman, and Audrey (Koons) Cook on May 4, 1940, in New York City. Cook spent his childhood in Leonia, New Jersey, and decided to become a doctor after seeing a football injury at his high school. He earned a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1962, his M.D. from Columbia University in 1966, and completed postgraduate training at Harvard before joining the U.S. Navy. Cook began his first novel, The Year of the Intern, while serving on a submarine, basing it on his experiences as a surgical resident. In 1979, Cook wed Barbara Ellen Mougin, on whom the character Denise Sanger in Brain is based. When Year of the Intern did not do particularly well, Cook began an extensive study of other books in the genre to see what made a bestseller. He decided to focus on suspenseful medical mysteries, mixing intricately plotted murder and intrigue with medical technology, as a way to bring controversial ethical and social issues affecting the medical profession to the attention of the general public. His subjects include organ transplants, genetic engineering, experimentation with fetal tissue, cancer research and treatment, and deadly viruses. Cook put this format to work very successfully in his next books, Coma and Sphinx, which not only became bestsellers, but were eventually adapted for film. Three others, Terminal, Mortal Fear, and Virus, and Cooks first science- fiction work, Invasion, have been television movies.
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Cold temperatures can cause hypothermia, frostbite, and even death. Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat. Normal body temperature is 98.6 Fahrenheit (F) and hypothermia occurs when the body temperature falls below 95 F.
Symptoms of hypothermia are: shivering, drowsiness, very low energy, weak pulse, lack of coordination, slurred speech, confusion, shallow breathing, and loss of consciousness or memory. If left untreated, hypothermia can lead to heart or respiratory failure, and even death.
If you suspect someone is hypothermic, call 911 immediately.
Frostbite is another complication that can result from being outdoors for long periods of time during the winter. At a temperature of 0 degrees Fahrenheit with a 15 mile per hour wind, frostbite can begin in as little as 30 minutes, and even faster if you are wet.
Frostbite is caused by the freezing of the skin and underlying tissues. The skin becomes very cold, red, hard, pale and numb. The most common areas affected are the extremities, including fingers, toes, the nose, ears, the chin and cheeks.
6. Increased pain swelling, discharge in the area that was frostbitten, or even fever.
If you or someone you know has any of these symptoms, you should seek medical attention immediately. Remember, when going outdoors during the winter months, wear several layers of loose fitting clothing, including gloves, scarfs, hats, coats, socks, and waterproof insulated boots. Avoid staying outdoors for long periods of time, drink warm beverages, and get out of wet clothes immediately.
Visit https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr076.pdf , or call the fire department near you, for additional information.
Las bajas temperaturas pueden causar hipotermia, congelación e incluso la muerte. La hipotermia es una emergencia médica que ocurre cuando su cuerpo pierde calor más rápido de lo que puede producirlo. La temperatura corporal normal es 98.6 Fahrenheit (F) y la hipotermia ocurre cuando la temperatura corporal cae por debajo de 95 F. Los síntomas de la hipotermia son: Temblores, somnolencia, muy poca energía, pulso débil, falta de coordinación, dificultad al hablar, confusión, respiración superficial y pérdida de conciencia o memoria. Si no se trata a tiempo, la hipotermia puede provocar insuficiencia cardíaca o respiratoria e incluso la muerte.
Si sospecha que alguien tiene hipotermia, llame al 911 inmediatamente.
Las lesiones por congelación es otra complicación que puede ocurrir por estar al aire libre en temperatura de 0 Fahrenheit y con vientos de 15 millas por hora. La congelación en algunas partes del cuerpo puede ocurrir en tan solo 30 minutos, e incluso más rápido si estás mojado. La congelación es causada por daños a los vasos sanguíneos y a los tejidos subyacentes. La piel se vuelve muy fría, roja, dura, pálida y entumecida. Las áreas más comunes afectadas son las extremidades como los dedos de las manos y de los pies, nariz, orejas, mentón y mejillas.
6. Dolor por causa de la hinchazón, secreción en el área que estuvo congelada o incluso fiebre.
Si usted o alguien tiene alguno de estos síntomas, debe buscar atención médica de inmediato. Recuerde que cuando salga al aire libre durante los meses de invierno, use varias capas de ropa holgada, guantes, bufanda, gorra, abrigo, calcetines y botas impermeables con aislamiento.
Evite permanecer al aire libre durante largos períodos de tiempo, beba bebidas calientes y quítese la ropa mojada inmediatamente.
Para obtener más información, vaya a https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr076.pdf o llame al departamento de bomberos más cercano.
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The music of Dallas, Texas is dominated by country and smooth southern sounds. However, this socially conservative city is certainly not above some hard rock and heavier sounds. The mix of music and performance in the city is certainly an eclectic one.
I would guess that if you were to pick one instrument for Dallas the guitar would the first on your mind. The image of cowboy boots and long rimmed hats is almost certainly a factor to why. In the performance arena there are many large venues in the city that almost certainly center around the "Gee-tar". The sound of the guitar just blends in well with the sounds of this diverse city in Texas.
What are your favorite places in Dallas for some great tunes? I would love to hear what music in this city really drives it home for you.
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0.903694 |
Let’s start this recap in the same way I might start any article on this site: Harden was outrageous.
He scored 61 points on 62.2% true shooting. He grabbed 15 rebounds, six of which were offensive and many of which were highly contested. He had five steals to go with his typical strong post defense. He joined Michael Jeffrey Jordan as the only other guard in the history of the game to score 60 and grab 15 boards. He is in rarefied air and seems to have no intention of leaving.
And he had better not. As outrageous as Harden was, the rest of the team might be the ones deserving of outrage. Harden took 38 shots to get to his 61 points. The rest of the Rockets scored 53 points on 52 shots. Harden finished with 4 assists, which despite what you heard from Rebecca Lobo, is uncharacteristically low for him. But his passes were crisp. His drives sucked in the defense, and he passed willingly out of the double teams. Unfortunately, as has been the developing trend, his teammates are throwing bricks like Craig did at Deebo.
Other than Eric Gordon’s 20 points and three for five from the three point line, no one on the team shot better than 25% from behind the arc. That’s a good ten percent beneath league average. And again, almost none of these shots were strongly contested. D’Antoni has always said it’s a make or miss league. Your Rockets (they’re my Rockets when they’re playing well, you see) were lucky to win this one, because they were resoundingly on the “miss” side of that binary.
The game itself should have been a foregone conclusion and an easy night for the Rockets, even without Capela and CP3. It was not. The Rockets went into the half down five, having given up 63 points to the 26th rated offense in the league (26th out of 30, lest you had forgotten). But they came out in the 3rd quarter and held the Knicks to 15 points and doubled that themselves. After that they mostly coasted into what was supposed to be an uneventful win. And then P.J. Tucker had the strangest minute of basketball I’ve seen him play (and I was a student in the stands at UT when he was a Longhorn).
With 59 seconds left and the Rockets up 107-101, Tucker fouled Allonzo Trier on a three point attempt. Okay. It happens. Trier hits all three free throws, and we’re up 3 with the ball. Gordon takes the ball out of the hoop and steps out of bounds to pass it in. He hands the ball off to Tucker, who doesn’t grab it, but rather boxes out and waits for someone else to grab it as if he had just re-entered from out of bounds and couldn’t touch the ball. Gordon yelled at him three times to pick up the ball, but he didn’t. Eventually the nearest Knick decided that he might as well pick it up and made an easy layup. It was honestly bizarre. Tucker looked like he was trying to allow a football punt to roll to the goal line before stopping it.
The Knicks and Madison Square Garden were understandably energized by this, the most costly of brain farts. They were suddenly within one point without any time coming off the clock. From there, a few fouls, Trier crossing Tucker out of his fancy kicks, and a huge Eric Gordon three pointer left us with 9 seconds on the clock, up two, Knicks ball. Gordon and Harden swarmed Noal Vonleh, stole the ball, and Harden slammed down the dagger tomahawk to end it. I have no idea what happened to Tucker down the stretch, but thank goodness Harden did not go gentle into that goodnight. It seems clear that he will run through a brick wall to bring these Rockets to victory. Even if his own teammates built it.
Tonight’s Eye Test is all about Kenneth Faried. He got the start as Nene sat out, and played well enough. He scored 11 points and pulled down 8 rebounds in 26 minutes. The intriguing wrinkle he brings to these Rockets has to do with his vertical spacing. He plays at and above the rim fairly often, and perhaps he and Harden (or dare I say Christopher “Our Point God and Savior” Paul) will develop alley-oop chemistry. But even without a that connection, Faried’s timing on put backs seems much more natural than any recent Rocket. He had a couple missed attempts tonight, and the long rebounds from the three point clankfest aren’t helping him, but his timing looks almost as clean as a rookie year Chandler Parsons or one Kelvin T. Cato. Look for tip dunks and put backs soon, if not against the Raptors, then definitely against the Magic this Sunday.
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Read the easy-to-follow instructions at the bottom of each worksheet and explain to your child how to follow the directions correctly. Remember to keep it clear and simple and always keep in mind the main objective of the worksheet.
Since each worksheet addresses different skills, we provide you with a benefits guide so that you can help your child accomplish the worksheet’s goal.
Encourage your child to trace the letter at first with their index finger, or simply help them print the letter in the air to reinforce their pre-writing and pre-reading skills.
This will help your child become skilled at directional sequences and movements by improving eye-hand coordination. Gradually, try it with a pencil or crayon, making sure your child holds it between their thumb, pointer and index finger.
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Mixing Drugs and Alcohol | What Are the Dangers and Risks?
Alcohol can be a dangerous substance. When it’s consumed responsibly, the risks are low. When it’s taken with other substances, it can cause serious side effects or death.
Many people know that mixing alcohol with illicit drugs or prescription drugs is risky, but drinking after taking over-the-counter medicines or supplements can also cause health problems. The side effects of mixing alcohol with other substances aren’t limited to coordination loss or drowsiness.
Combining alcohol with some illicit drugs can cause long-term organ damage, and mixing alcohol with certain prescription pills can make a person stop breathing. Even some over-the-counter supplements can cause major health problems when mixed with alcohol.
One of the riskiest ways to drink alcohol is with illicit drugs. Drugs can worsen side effects of alcohol. They can also conceal the effects of alcohol, making people believe they’re sober. When people combine alcohol with other drugs, they’re more likely to partake in risky behaviors, such as driving under the influence.
Unfortunately, alcohol addiction commonly co-occurs with drug addiction. People addicted to multiple substances — referred to as polysubstance use disorder — may be more likely than people addicted to a single substance to experience negative consequences.
Cocaine worsens certain side effects of alcohol, such as impaired coordination, motor function and memory. Mixing alcohol and cocaine increases heart rate, causing stress on the heart. When the substances are combined, a toxic byproduct called cocaethylene is formed, according to a medical review published in the journal Addiction. Cocaethylene can cause significant damage to the heart and liver.
Marijuana can also increase impairment when consumed with alcohol. Some small studies have found that combining the drugs can hamper the ability to drive even more than taking either drug alone. Other studies have found that the detriments are similar regardless of whether the drugs are combined or taken alone. A 2015 review of these studies was published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, can conceal the effects of alcohol when individuals consume both drugs. A small study published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics found that people who combined MDMA with alcohol felt like they were sobering up, but they did as poorly on motor skills and other performance tests as individuals who consumed only alcohol. Another small study published in Psychopharmacology analyzed driving performance and found similar results in individuals who combined the drugs.
Answer this simple 11 question quiz to find out.
Many pill bottles warn that individuals taking the medication should limit or avoid alcohol intake. Most medications cause minor side effects on their own, but alcohol can amplify the effects. For example, a medication like Tylenol is safe for most people in low doses. But when it’s combined with alcohol or taken in high doses, Tylenol can cause serious liver damage.
Alcohol and benzodiazepines, such as Xanax and Valium, combine to cause a synergistic effect that can make you pass out and stop breathing. A synergistic effect is when two substances are more powerful when combined than the sum of their individual effects. Side effects of mixing alcohol with Xanax include drowsiness, dizziness, memory loss, loss of consciousness and death.
Alcohol and opioids, such as oxycodone or hydrocodone, can combine to reduce respiration to the point that a person stops breathing. The illicit opioid heroin causes similar effects when combined with alcohol. Alcohol can also make extended-release opioids release their entire dose at once, a phenomenon called dose dumping, according to a 2014 article published in Postgraduate Medicine. This increases the risk of overdose.
Drinking while on antibiotics can weaken your immune system, decreasing your ability to fight illness. Alcohol also interacts dangerously with certain antibiotics, such as Flagyl (metronidazole) and Tindamax (tinidazole), causing dizziness, anxiety, chest pain and heart problems. In some situations, mixing alcohol with antibiotics can cause organ damage.
Combining alcohol and sleeping pills is also dangerous. Sleep aids such as Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata slow activity in the brain to help a person fall asleep. When the sleep aids are combined with alcohol, they can severely impair coordination, disrupt memory and make a person pass out.
Medications used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder help people with ADHD concentrate. When alcohol is mixed with Adderall and similar drugs, people taking the medications therapeutically may struggle to focus. The substances can also cause heart problems and liver problems when they’re combined.
Several ingredients in cold and allergy medications can interact dangerously with alcohol. Cough medicines that contain dextromethorphan or codeine can cause drowsiness, dizziness and overdose if taken with alcohol. Antihistamines, such as brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine or Claritin (loratadine), can cause similar symptoms when mixed with alcohol.
DayQuil contains both dextromethorphan and acetaminophen. That means mixing DayQuil and alcohol can cause liver damage, drowsiness and dizziness.
Most NyQuil products contain dextromethorphan, acetaminophen and doxylamine. The latter ingredient is used to treat cold or allergy symptoms and short-term sleep problems. Combining it with alcohol can cause extreme drowsiness, slowed breathing, impaired motor function and memory problems. Overall, taking NyQuil and alcohol is risky and should be avoided.
Mucinex products that contain guaifenesin and no other medications are unlikely to cause dangerous interactions with alcohol. However, some Mucinex combination products also contain dextromethorphan and acetaminophen. Mixing alcohol and Mucinex products that are designed to treat cold, flu or allergy symptoms can cause liver damage and other serious side effects.
In general, you shouldn’t drink alcohol with substances that change the way you feel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns Americans to avoid combining alcohol and caffeinated products because caffeine can mask the effects of alcohol. As a result, people may become more impaired than they realize. Additionally, other types of over-the-counter products or supplements may contain untested ingredients that interact dangerously with alcohol.
In addition to high amounts of caffeine, many energy drinks contain chemicals that can boost energy levels and mask the effects of alcohol, including guarana, taurine, ginseng and sugar. This can increase the risk of reckless and dangerous behavior when a person mixes energy drinks and alcohol. One study on mice suggested that repeated exposure to alcoholic energy drinks at a young age could increase the risk for substance abuse later in life.
Over-the-counter supplements have become popular products for a variety of ailments. Herbal supplements claim to treat a variety of health issues, including weight gain, cosmetic issues and mood problems. Many diet pills have addictive properties and can cause a variety of health problems when combined with alcohol.
Supplements that are marketed as mood enhancers may also interact dangerously with alcohol. Some people have reported blacking out or having seizures after combining alcohol with 5-HTP, a supplement that may improve symptoms of depression.
It’s important to be cautious when you drink alcohol. Always follow instructions on medication labels. If you take any type of supplement, talk to your doctor before drinking alcohol. You should always avoid illicit drugs and other hazards. If you decide to misuse illicit drugs, it’s best not to mix multiple substances, including alcohol.
If you or someone you know is dealing with drinking problems, call an alcohol hotline. These toll-free services can help you understand the dangers of alcohol, recognize signs of alcohol addiction and locate a nearby treatment center.
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0.998582 |
how and where I can find whether a dataset is a file or a table with only the dataset name information in hand. Also would like to know if there is any way in metadata to find which connection a dataset points to.
Depending on which kind of use case (e.g. from inside DSS, like in a Python recipe, or from outside DSS), you may want to use the DSS Public API for this (for instance via its Python client).
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0.998618 |
Remember this phrase and when you want to know the speed of light, count the letters in each word of the sentence.
This stands for: Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere.
The Colors of the Rainbow This is an excellent way to remember the colors of the rainbow.
Here is a mnemonic to remember the order of the planets – starting from closest to the sun to furthest. Pluto is included.
Giving us: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (my favorite).
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0.995586 |
In a recent speech at a literary event, former librarian of the British Library Frances Wood recollected how former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, during a visit to Britain in 2011, said he read Shakespeare in his younger years and wanted to pay homage to the Bard's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon. Wood wondered why no British Prime Minister had requested to see the homes of the authors despite early exposure to Chinese classics such as Journey to the West or Dream of the Red Mansion.
That reminded me of President George H.W. Bush and Pearl S. Buck.
The senior Bush was among the favorite US presidents for the Chinese. As the second director at the US Liason Office in China after the normalization of US-China relations, Bush wandered around Beijing on a bike with his wife and had fried dough sticks and bean curd soup for breakfast like a Beijing resident. Later, as US president, he adopted a pragmatic and constructive approach to Sino-US relationship, actively engaging China in the world economy and politics. Without exaggeration, Bush Sr. contributed most to decades of goodwill between the two countries and the two peoples as a US president.
Although often criticized for a lack of vision, he did have a grand one. In the foreword to his China diaries, he wrote: "I love the Chinese people. One of my dreams for our world is that these two powerful giants will continue working toward a full partnership and friendship that will bring peace and prosperity to people everywhere."
His dream has come true: Today, the relationship between China and the United States is the most important of all bilateral relationships in international politics.
Having gone through the Cold War and decades of separation, more people may tend to see other people living in a different system with indifference or hostility as they continue to use the lens of gross generalizations. Where did Bush's goodwill come from?
We got a glimpse into the formation of his goodwill on Oct 17, 1998, when Bush Sr. visited my alma mater Nanjing University in Jiangsu province to receive an honorary doctoral degree. Nanjing University was also home of the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies. Founded in 1986 during the Reagan-Bush administration, the center actively promotes cultural understanding between the two countries.
It was during his visit to Nanjing that Bush Sr. requested to see Pearl S. Buck's house, the house where Buck, then a missionary and a professor of English at the university, wrote The Good Earth, which demystified the Chinese farmers that constituted the majority of the Chinese people during Buck's time.
According to Haiping Liu, a Pearl Buck scholar and former dean of the School of Foreign Studies at Nanjing University, the request came as a surprise for the event organizers who did not see the visit on the agenda. Few would have known that Bush Sr. was aware of the existence of Buck's house in Nanjing University when even some university administrators and professors didn't know anything about it. Liu, then a professor at the university, had written to Bush about Pearl Buck's connection with Nanjing University, but even he was not expecting the former US president to really visit the little-known house.
Bush Sr. told the event organizers that he had read Pearl Buck's works in his younger years, and declared himself to be a fan of Buck, a Nobel laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, who dedicated much of her life to promoting to the world, through her prolific writing and social activism, what the Chinese people were like. Her work must have given Bush Sr. an appreciation of China and the Chinese people with a nuance that today's crude representations on social media could never approximate.
It is sad to see the recent setbacks in US-China relations because trade and other conflicts, which make us all the more nostalgic about the paths that people like Pearl Buck and Bush Sr. had blazed for mutual understanding and appreciation. It requires an open mind and an empathic heart to get to know a different people, and it takes effort to write and read about them to gain useful insights. When one truly knows another, he or she is less likely to misinterpret or misjudge another person.
Today, American expatriates still read Pearl Buck's works as an orientation to China, as literature sometimes presents as much truth about a society as history could, if not more.
Chinese publishers are translating both major and minor works by American authors, causing an imbalance in understanding due to the lack of American interest in importing works from China. There is a deficit of translation, which has widened the gaps of knowledge. When was the last time you saw a Chinese book translated into English at a US airport bookstore?
I am more than happy to know that President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart President Donald Trump have reached an agreement to bring Sino-US relations back on track by suspending the tariffs war. This decision coincided with the death of Bush Sr. at the age of 94. As people across the Pacific remember him and his engagement policies with China, I would suggest that one way to remember Bush Sr. is to invest time and effort in understanding the "other", people not like us. If we do not, someone else will smuggle myths and hearsay into our discourse which we will eventually regret.
The author is a US-based English-Chinese literary translator who has translated two biographies of Pearl S. Buck.
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0.993731 |
You have been traveling around the world for months, and now you are on your way back home. You have landed at the airport and collected your luggage. You are mentally and physically tired, and the long wait for your chauffeur at the terminal is only going to frustrate you more.
You keep on looking at your phone to see if there are any missed calls or messages by chauffeur service provider, to inform you that there will be a delay in picking you up from the airport.
After waiting for an hour, you hire a taxi from the airport, and rush back home. As soon as you reach home, you get a call from the chauffeur that the cab is waiting at the airport. Such things happen with people quite often.
Thus, you need to avoid making some common mistakes while hiring an airport transportation service.
Not booking chauffeur service in advance: Not booking chauffeur service in advance could get in trouble. There are chances of not finding cabs in the peak hours, and you will have no choice but travel on your own.
Booking with unreliable service providers: Before making your bookings online, try to research a bit about the company, and then make an informed choice. Make sure that you book your cabs only with the companies that are known for their professionalism.
You would not want any hassles in the last part of your travel.
Choose a company that you are already familiar with. If you do not know any reliable car rental company, then check on the net for reviews.
Select companies having online booking system, so that you can book your travel anytime from anywhere.
Before booking your ride online, do not forget to read the company's customer feedbacks.
Go with a company using modern technologies such as proper navigation and traffic notification system.
Try to learn about the quality of vehicles used by the company. You can also choose vehicles with various luxury features for a more comfortable ride.
Lastly, do not forget to check original car and driving license documents, before sitting in your airport ride.
Professional drivers: Reputed limo companies hire only educated and experienced drivers. Their drivers will know all the routes very well, and they also know which routes can be taken to avoid rush hour traffic and bad roads.
Pollution and traffic are the major problem everyone faces while traveling, but these professional drivers choose the shortest possible routes to drive you to your destination on time.
Personalized service: Companies always try to develop long term business relationships with their customers, which is why they provide personalized services.
Their drivers are well mannered, and they drive their passengers across the city with all due courteousness. They also help customers with their luggage.
Avoid mistakes while choosing your limo services in order to enjoy a safe, stress-free, and comfortable ride.
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0.999968 |
Are domestic public resources able to meet the needs of the poorest people?
The proportion of people living in extreme poverty worldwide has more than halved since 2000, yet progress is varied across countries. Although domestic public resources are an important resource to drive efforts to end poverty, they remain scarce in many countries where poverty is high.
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0.92188 |
According to a centuries-old legend set in Hamelin, Germany, the Pied Piper was hired by local residents in 1284 to rid the town of rats, which he did by charming them with music and leading them to the river to drown. When the citizens refused to pay him the agreed upon price, he exacted his revenge by charming away their children. Famous versions of the legend were immortalized by Goethe, Robert Browning, and the Brothers Grimm. What historic events may have inspired the tale?
California English is a dialect of English spoken in the state of California, which has one of the largest and most diverse populations in the US. California English is not uniform across the entire state—there are many variations in accents and dialects, particularly between northern and southern Californians—nor is it confined only to California. Even so, there are certain linguistic features that can be identified as either originally or predominantly Californian. What are some examples?
Buck was raised in China by her American missionary parents and left the country but a few times before she was 40. She drew upon her experiences there in her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Good Earth, which describes the struggles of a Chinese peasant and his slave wife. Together with Sons and A House Divided, it forms a trilogy, part of the body of work that earned Buck the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. Buck also wrote five novels under what pseudonym?
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0.999998 |
what does it really mean? According to dictionary.com it is "the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the result of deliberate effort". I happen to be a big fan of this definition because of the term 'deliberate effort'. I have come to realize that deliberate effort requires three things: 1. Ownership 2. Knowledge/Awareness 3. Conscious Choice.
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0.99998 |
What follows is an experiment in a trustless smart contract based buy order for tokens. The contract source code can be used for any token contract that conforms to EIP20.
This contract has been configured for the recently live MKR token.
The contract deployed @ 0xE197529709D7cBaf31756C6d9B8742718E17FCA5 represents a buy order for MKR tokens @ 6.9 ETH per MKR. The contract has been funded with 7 ETH, enough to purchase a bit more than a single MKR token.
If you are interested in participating int his experiment by selling me MKR using this contract you can do so by following these steps.
Step 1: Approve the transfer.
Via the MKR Token contract @ 0xC66eA802717bFb9833400264Dd12c2bCeAa34a6d make an approval for 0xE197529709D7cBaf31756C6d9B8742718E17FCA5 in the amount of MKR tokens you wish to sell.
Because MKR is divisible up to 18 decimal places, if you would like to sell 1.5 MKR then you would need to give an approval in the amount of 1500000000000000000 (1.5e18).
Step 2: Trigger the fillOrder function.
Once the token transfer has been approved you will need to tell the order contract @ 0xE197529709D7cBaf31756C6d9B8742718E17FCA5 to fill the order. This will execute a transferFrom call from the MKR token contract, transfering the tokens to my ethereum address @ 0xd3CdA913deB6f67967B99D67aCDFa1712C293601 and tranfer the coresponding amount of ETH to the ethereum address that the MKR tokens were transferred from.
This can be done with any of the following 4 functions.
fillOrder(address _from, uint numTokens): pays ether to and transfers numTokens tokens from the _from address.
fillMyOrder(uint numTokens): pays ether to and transfers numTokens tokens from the msg.sender address.
fillTheirOrder(address who): queries the MKR token contract for the pre-authorized allowance and transfers that amount to the who address.
fillOrderAuto(): queries the MKR token contract for the pre-authorized allowance and transfers that amount to the msg.sender address.
You can also trigger filling of the order by just sending an empty transaction to the order contract, which will execute the fillOrderAuto function by default.
I would recommend using the Ethereum Wallet application to execute the transactions as it provides a user friendly interface for executing these transactions.
I've attached the contract ABI, Runtime Bytecode, and Source. The source was compiled using solc 0.3.0-1f9578ce and I have verified that browser solidity produces the same bytecode as my locally compiled version.
The constant getter function weiPerToken() can be used to query the amount that will be paid in WEI for each MKR token that is transferred. Note that this amount is the amount for 1 whole MKR token, which is not the same as the smallest divisible MKR unit.
The constant getter function numTokensAbleToPurchase() can be used to query the number of MKR tokens that the contract can currently affort to purchase in units of the smallest divisible MKR unit. For example if the contract has exactly enough ether to purchase a single whole MKR token then this function would return 1e18.
// Fills or partially fills the order.
// Simpler call signature that defaults to the account allowance.
// Even simpler call signature that tries to transfer as many as possible.
// Cancel the order, returning all funds to the owner.
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0.999998 |
When reading about dangerous products or defective over-the-counter drugs, you may come across the phrase “black box warning” or “black label warning.” But what does this phrase mean, and how can it help protect you from dangerous side affects and adverse drug reactions?
Black box warnings are often located on over-the-counter medications and medical products as well as prescription drugs. They are called “black box” warnings because they are often located in boxes with a think dark border in hopes that those using the product will see the warnings. While pharmaceutical companies can choose to put whatever information they would like in black boxes, the Food & Drug Administration can require that drug companies include certain safety information on products that pose specific dangers to consumers.
Generally, all of the dangers and warnings associated with a drug can be found in the black box warning label of a drug, and the black box warning is the strongest warning that the FDA requires of drug companies selling goods in America.
Black box warnings are based on extensive scientific studies and research that links the drug with dangerous side effects, dangerous drug combinations, and possible drug reactions. A black box warning may list complications that come with the prescription drug use, possible chronic conditions that could develop with drug use, and dangerous side-effects such as heart attacks, stroke risk, bone density loss, suicide risk, or even the formation of dangerous behaviors such as gambling addictions.
Before taking any drug, be sure to carefully read the black box warning and discuss any concerns you may have with your doctor. Also, be aware of any changes or side effects you may feel when you begin taking any new medication.
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0.979428 |
I realize why plagiarism is morally wrong and punishable. This is not a question about why it is wrong.
This question is about why plagiarism is dealt with so harshly compared to other violations. This might be because I'm uninformed but as per this question and what I've often read plagiarism can easily mean being expelled or suspended.
At my university (NYU, where discipline is handled through the housing staff), physically hitting someone would result in a combination of warnings/sanctions/being moved with the harshest outcome being kicked out of housing. This is definitely an odd system, but I wouldn't be surprised if other universities had a similar imbalance between the punishments for violence vs. plagiarism.
I'm sure you could add a lot more to this list.
Plagiarism is essentially fraud + stealing, but I've always found it strange that the gut reaction many people have towards it seems to be worse than for getting punched in the face. We definitely don't expel people the first, second, or even third time they get in a fight.
Plagiarism is not always punished severely: a first offense or minor case may be treated leniently. However, the rules allow severe punishments because there are no courts to fall back on. By contrast, universities don't need to have special rules for how to punish a truly dangerous student.
An important part of the answer to your question is lurking in the "can" in your statement "plagiarism can easily mean being expelled or suspended." In fact, a first offense in plagiarism is likely to result in warnings, zero marks, and/or failure of a class rather than directly in the expulsion of a student, except for particularly egregious violations (e.g., plagiarizing one's thesis). Note, however, that particularly egregious theft or violence can get a student kicked out for a first offense as well (drugs aren't as good a comparison because many are dubious about considering them a significant offense in the first place).
So why is plagiarism considered an offense on the same scale as violence against another student? Like violence, it strikes at the foundation of the entire academic and scientific enterprise. The foundation of academia is production and dissemination of knowledge. Plagiarism undermines both, particularly since discovering one instance of plagiarism can cast doubt on all of a student's other work as well---is it original, or have they merely failed to yet find the source from which it was stolen? Likewise, since it is such a foundational and corrosive problem, an institution can be badly damaged by tolerating it or by gaining a reputation for tolerating it.
Thus, the zero tolerance policies and the potentially draconian punishments: one serious case of plagiarism can cast doubt on the entire history of a student's work, and tolerating plagiarism can form an existential threat to an academic or scientific institution.
One factor that I don't see in the other answers so far is that plagiarism is usually very hard to detect: if a student copies an answer from an obscure internet website or book, only a tool such as TurnItIn might be able to detect it; if they copy from a student in another section or from a previous year, they may only be caught if the same TA graded both sections; if they paid another student or TA to write an answer for them, it might be entirely undetectable unless someone confesses. A student may also plagiarize in multiple classes, and might get off because each of the teachers who catch them decide to let them off with a warning.
If punishment for plagiarism was lenient, students would be likelier to risk cheating, knowing that on the off chance they're caught, they'd only receive a minor punishment. Therefore, the punishment has to be harsh enough that students acting rationally realize that, even with a small chance of getting caught, the resulting punishment is severe enough to deter them from attempting it at all. (See Psychology of Academic Cheating, pg. 144 for a possibly clearer description of this problem).
My own approach to this is to scare my students at the start of the semester by telling them how seriously I take the slightest attempt at plagiarism, but then evaluating them on a case-by-case basis, and only sending the severest cases to my school's Honor Code Council.
First, I think it's debatable whether the premise of your question is correct. Some instances of plagiarism are punished more harshly than some instances of the other offenses you listed, but I'd have to see some hard data justifying the claim that as a general rule plagiarism is punished more harshly than violent behavior or theft. Until I see such data, I'll remain skeptical.
Second, with regards to your statement that "I've always found it strange that the gut reaction many people have towards it seems to be worse than for getting punched in the face," I think there is another questionable premise there, namely that violent bad behavior is by its nature worse and more reprehensible than non-violent bad behavior. At the abstract level I don't think that's true. To take a much more extreme example, Bernard Madoff perpetrated a non-violent financial scam that is estimated to have cost a total of $18B to thousands of investors, including leading to some people losing their entire retirement and life savings. I'm sure some of those people would absolutely prefer being punched in the face to what happened to them. Madoff is serving a prison sentence of 150 years, which suggests that the courts also think what he did was much worse than most violent crimes.
Going back to the subject of plagiarism, the answers by jakebeal and Anonymous Mathematician already do a good job of explaining why it is harmful and deserves to be punished (and you yourself said in your question that you understand and agree with that part). Now, some plagiarism cases are much more egregious than others, and certainly expulsion can be an appropriate response in some cases, whereas in other cases a warning and a failing grade in the assignment may be enough. The same is true for fighting, drug- or alcohol-related transgressions, or petty theft: all of these types of offenses can come in very mild varieties that would represent little more than a sign of typical late-teen immaturity and not warrant a severe punishment, but can also escalate to very serious levels where they even warrant a criminal prosecution. So the bottom line is, it all depends on the precise details of the offense. I strongly doubt it would be correct to generalize and say that plagiarism is either worse than, or not as bad as, other typical types of student misconduct.
I think a key point to understand is that the value system of academia is different from the value system of the rest of society, and that that makes perfect sense. I don't mean that academia and everyone else disagree on what's moral behavior and what isn't -- I think by and large, in a qualitative sense, they agree on those things -- but they have quantitative disagreements on the extent to which certain behaviors are moral or not (and therefore how severely they should be punished).
Specifically, in academia, honesty and honest behavior (in a professional context) are much more prized than outside academia. That is because this type of honesty is essential to the mission of academia, which is to advance human knowledge. So, for a professor to cheat on his wife is seen by other academics as not good in exactly the same way, and to the same extent, as it would be seen by anyone else. But for a professor to copy a section of a paper written by someone else and publish it in his own paper without attribution, would be viewed by other academics much more severely than it would be viewed by most people outside academia, because it is not just "ordinary" dishonesty, it is a special kind of dishonesty that discredits and harms the entire profession and its mission.
To summarize, although in my first answer I argued that it's not necessarily the case that plagiarism is punished more severely than any other offenses, here I want to argue that even if it is punished more severely, that could be rational and based on the unique value system of academia, which holds certain values, and in particular professional honesty and integrity, as much more cherished and important than the rest of society does. When viewed in this way, I think this situation makes perfect sense and is precisely what you'd expect to happen.
Colleges, above all, are institutes of higher education, and the standing of each college in academia hinges upon the perceived academic rigor and integrity of the said college. Since plagiarism, compared to the other offences, is especially damaging to the quality and image of a college, it is dealt with most harshly.
It has to be handled extremely harshly because of how massively advantageous to the student it is to plagiarize, and how massively unrepresentative it is of the student's abilities.
If it were not handled extremely harshly it would be more advantageous to plagiarize than not to, even with the possibility of getting caught (they probably won't get caught every time...probably not even much of the time). If it's more advantageous to plagiarize then not then it will be rampant (because people aren't dumb...they'll do what they need to do to be the best...which in this scenario would mean plagiarizing constantly in order to compete with the others that do and they will recognize that).
If plagiarizing is rampant then it means the university is putting out people that don't actually know the things the university is giving them accredited documents saying they know.
If a university is handing out degrees to people that can't do the stuff the degree says they can...the university's prestige is what takes the hit...leading to it getting less students and being able to charge less as an institution...leading to all sorts of problems up to and including actual failure of the university.
It is literally a matter of survival for the university itself to punish plagiarism so harshly. That way the punishment is so harsh that no advantage from the act is worth even the minute possibility of getting caught.
If they put out someone that does drugs and punches people...but knows their degree inside and outside then that's a hit on the person, not the university. But if they're putting out sweet angels that are never high on anything but life and take care of elderly people trying to cross streets in their spare time, but don't know their degree, the university suffers greatly for that.
So it's not so much that the punishment reflects the crime as the punishment reflecting how much the crime affects the entity handing down the punishment.
Plagiarism is contrary to the academic ideals, goals and aspirations. To put it bluntly, it is also contrary and damaging to the business model. In an ideal world, plagiarism should not be present in academia.
There are also cultural elements at play. Some cultures are also more adverse than others to underhanded manouvers, lying and in consequence plagiarism. While some cultures only worry about face and being caught in the act, others have better morals ingrained in the society as a whole.
In general, I would say the harsher punishments for this offense work as a detterrent and as an example for less scrupulous students.
Stealing is sometimes hard to prove. It becomes one person's word against another.
Violence is generally a "heat of the moment" result of a situation in which others may also share a large part of the blame.
Drugs are mostly a safety concern - and the more common ones, while they can be harmful to the user, do not directly impact the safety of others in most situations.
Of course, where those scenarios do become "serious enough" - they can have penalties just as great as plagiarizing. The point is, there are more "arguable" situations in which someone might be accused of stealing, violence, or drugs, but not have actually done it or just doesn't warrant the full harshest punishment.
As colleges and universities are often considered institutions of "higher education", where the mind is meant to flourish and whatnot, it shouldn't come as much as a surprise.
As someone has mentioned, a legal system is already in place to deal with things such as physical violence and theft. These crimes are usually passed forward to local law enforcement, assuming the deed was indeed enough to fall outside of the boundaries of the law. It's simply out of the scope of the institution to focus on these matters. However, that is not to say that they should ignore them and action should definitely be taken if it becomes a problem.
Ultimately, as the law is meant to protect those in society from physical violence, these institutions are meant to protect academic integrity. An offence such as breaking and entering frequently causes jail-time. Plagiarism could be viewed as the breaking and entering of the academic world, which should cause the suspension/expulsion to be reasonable.
It's like cheating in a video game. You can get to the top very easily by cheating, but once you get there, everyone likely knows you've been cheating. If not, they will soon find out. Your skill level(s) will obviously not match what your previous work has displayed.
Plagiarism can be very costly to other students both past, current and future.
Plagiarizing allows a student to get a better grade; this lets them get a “good” job that they then fail at due to not understanding what they claimed to have studied. This lead to the university getting a bad name and the given employer not trusting the grading of anyone form that university, so hence, not even interviewing students of the given university.
Plagiarism can be of great benefit to the student.
For example they get a better job, due to the better grade. A 1% difference in grade an effect if someone gets an interview to train with a top company. Having trained with the top company, it can increase someone income by $50K per year for the next 30 years!
Plagiarism is hard to detect.
Firstly it is hard to define plagiarism, what if a computer student asks a question on StackOverlow, gets an answer in C#, then rewrites it as Java…..
As to checking if a student asked someone else to do the work, we all know it is very hard to detect and only people unskilled at plagiarism get detected.
Given the high benefit, and the low likelihood of detection, the punishment must be great enough for a student not to take the risk. If the risk of being detected is just having to redo the work, then a student has lots of chances of learning how not to be detected with little cost to the learning - hence even in the 1st year there must be a real cost to getting detected.
Stealing form anther student for example, will not give the same long term benefit as getting a better grade, therefore does not need as high a punishment to prevent it.
What to do about a student whom I suspect of having plagiarized but who claims not to have?
I Plagiarised, what punishment can I expect?
What's the deal with grade inflation?
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Many argue that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is humanity’s biggest threat. This has generated a growing fear on the use of AI.
There are things that are easy for machines to do but very difficult for humans to do and vice versa. It’s easy for machines to make sense of vast amount of information. This is as a result of incredible computer power and algorithms humans provide. Machines can make sense of a lot of knowledge that our limited brains cannot assimilate. On the contrary, there are also things that are very easy for humans to do but difficult for machines. An example is figuring how to manipulate an object if a machine has never seen it before especially physical ones like robots.
Even with these differences, the complementary nature that exists between humans and machines allows collaboration in a synergistic way that makes life better.
The world is generating more data than ever. However, in Africa there is the need to shift ways of harnessing data. Africa needs its own narrative to engage in decision making for development and this is where my passion lies. I am particularly interested in advancing the data revolution in Africa by utilizing AI. AI is great at making statistical guesses based on enormous data sets although it has no real understanding of the tasks performed. Humans apply insights from data to improve the quality of life. For example, smart sensors are used in healthcare to track and interpret health conditions as well as the use of drones in transporting medical aid to remote sites quickly and safely. Additionally, educational resources have become widespread with the introduction of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and advanced mechanics in agriculture and so much more.
For many individuals, advancement in AI raises some ethical concerns such as singularity, security issues and prominently, the displacement of jobs. To comment on these I believe advancement in AI comes with unintended consequences and a greater responsibility. In reference to job displacement, I have no doubt it will replace workers. It will also provide new forms of employment. A typical example was the introduction of the Automated Teller Machine (ATM). The role of bank tellers has not become redundant. Rather bank operations have skyrocketed. Employees' roles have shifted to more complex tasks. In the long run, more locations were opened leading to an increase in the total number of banking jobs. The concern here should be the access to constant education and training. There should be a system of education to re-skill individuals to take on the new roles AI presents.
From my perspective, human intelligence and AI, complement each other. The future is a collaboration of human and artificial intelligence. Humans and AI will work productively and more efficiently to make the world a better place.
From an IT Student to a Business woman: “the Story of Neema"
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In most cases, human activity recognition (AR) with smartphones and smartwatches has been done offline due to the limited resources of these devices. Initially, these devices were used for logging sensor data which was later on processed in machine learning tools on a desktop or laptop. However, current versions of these devices are more capable of running an activity recognition system. Therefore, in this paper, we present SmokeSense, an online activity recognition (AR) framework developed for both smartphones and smartwatches on Android platform. This framework can log data from various sensors and can run an AR process in real-time locally on these devices. Any classifier or feature can easily be added on demand. As a case study, we evaluate the recognition performance of smoking with four classifiers, four features, and two sensors on a smartwatch. The activity set includes variants of smoking such as smoking while sitting, standing, walking, biking, as well as other similar activities. Our analysis shows that, similar recognition performance can be achieved in an online recognition as in an offline analysis, even if no training data is available for some smoking postures. We also propose a smoking session detection algorithm to count the number of cigarettes smoked and evaluate its performance.
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Sold Out DISNEY ON ICE: MICKEY & MINNIE'S MAGICAL JOURNEY Tickets Online - Get Your Tickets Online In Minutes.
The following events and venues match your search for "DISNEY ON ICE: MICKEY". To sort the list, click on the column header. To find tickets for the given event, date & time, click the tickets link in that row. To find events taking place at a matching venue, click that venue name.
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The Tet Offensive was a series of battles in the Vietnam War. It was a major offensive by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC or NLF) beginning on the night of January 30-31, 1968, T?t Nguyên Ðán (the lunar new year day). It involved military action in almost every major city in southern Vietnam and attacks on the US firebase at Khe Sanh. The NVA suffered a heavy military defeat but scored a priceless propaganda victory.
The Communist forces had taken a series of military defeats. the US/ARVN forces had pacified much of the south by the end of 1967 (222 out of 242 provinces). Operation Junction City (February-March 1967) and other sweeps had seriously disrupted NLF activity in the south and forced the COSVN into Cambodia.
At a July 1967 meeting the Communist Party leadership recognised their failures and decided to re-orientate their operations to target two key political weaknesses. Firstly, the deep gulf between the US public and the US government over support for the war and its actual progress. Secondly, the tensions existing between the US military and their Vietnamese allies.
The leadership decided to concentrate on a few high profile operations, that would take place in the public (and the US media) eye rather than fighting the conflict away from major urban centres. This would bolster Northern moral, possibly inspire uprisings in the South and provide the impression, and hopefully the reality, that the US/ARVN were not winning the war and it was likely to be a long time before they did. The new policy also marked a victory for the 'hawks' over the 'doves' in the Communist Party leadership, in late 1967 around 200 senior officials were purged.
The overall planning of the operation to match the policy was headed by the commander of the NVA, Vo Nguyen Giap. He planned a series of audacious, prominent raids across the south, involving every significant city and utilising almost every unit to hand in almost forty major attacks and countless smaller incidents. In pure military terms this was almost madness, but Giap was pursing the overall policy and was acutely aware that the weaknesses in US military policy could produce success in the longer term from a short term disaster. He also strongly hoped that the NLF and NVA efforts would provoke a general popular uprising in the south.
Tet had traditionally been a truce during war in Vietnam, the NLF had had some form of truce since fighting began against the French. With the need for surprise paramount the NLF and the NVA announced that they would respect a seven day cease-fire from January 31. This unusually long period was designed to comfort the US military, who would interpret it as the action of a force in real need of a break, and also encourage ARVN commanders to give their troops home leave. The NVA was aware of the resentment attacking at Tet would cause amongst civilians.
As another part of the NVA deception they opened tentative peace talks with the US military. They hoped to foster the impression of their weakness and also hoped that the US would try to force concessions from the South Vietnam government in response to NVA conditions.
The most significant and costly deception was to offer the US a major threat away from the urbanised south. Two major US bases to the north, near the border, were targeted. With the memories of Diên Biên Phû it was hoped that the attacks on isolated outposts would draw heavy US military (and media) attention. The two bases were at Dak To and Khe Sanh. Dak To was attacked over November and the Khe Sanh attack would begin a few days before the other operations in the south.
The similarities between Diên Biên Phû and Khe Sanh were intended to beguile US advisors. Khe Sanh was near the Ho Chi Minh Trail, only 20 km from the north-south border and 8 km from Laos, in high and difficult terrain resupply could be impossible in poor weather and the base sprawled over a wide area. The nearby Special Forces base at Lang Vei also looked vulnerable. Khe Sanh was defended by two regiments of the USMC commanded by Colonel Lownds and a numerically similar ARVN force.
In the face of all the intelligence the US military response was uneven. The belief that Khe Sanh was about to be a major battle was well established, MACV staff became certain that a decisive clash was imminent. The base was reinforced and thousands of UGSs were scattered in the surrounding jungle in Operation Niagara. US intelligence identified at least 15,000 NVA troops in the vicinity.
The fighting was most intense around Khe Sanh. There were three divisions of NVA regulars around Khe Sanh, possibly 25,000 men. Action began there around ten days before Tet, with probing attacks and exchanges of artillery fire. Two hill positions were captured on January 20, cutting the base from land routes. Attention in MACV and Washington was obsessed with Khe Sanh and other indicators of trouble were overlooked or down-graded. The main assaults did not begin until February 5. Lang Vei was over-run on February 7 and the lines at Khe Sanh were very heavily attacked, the camp only being preserved by massive airstrikes and artillery barrages (over 30,000 sorties were flown in defence of the base). After this the tempo slowed, the battle became more of a siege, although there were further NVA assaults on the 17-18th and the 29th. Khe Sanh was officially relieved on April 6 and fighting ended around April 14. Possibly 8,000 NVA soldiers died around Khe Sanh.
Two Marines take shelter against incoming shells in Hue during the Tet offensive.
To the south the fighting began on January 29 as a number of NLF units began their attacks prematurely in four provincial towns. The rest of the NLF/NVA attacks began on the night of 30-31st. All but eight provincial capitals were attacked, five of the six autonomous cities, and 58 other major towns. Major attacks were aimed at Ban Me Thuot, Quang Nam, Dalat, My Tho, Can Tho, Ben Tre, Nha Trang, and Kontum. It was only in Hué, the ancient capital, and Saigon that the NVA had any significant success. The hoped for popular uprising (khnoi nghai) almost completely failed to occur, many South Vietnamese demonstrated stronger support for the ARVN.
North Vietnamese soldiers in Hue guard a position with Chinese-made AK47 rifles. To photograph NVA units, French photographer Catherine Leroy worked her way behind Communist lines during the battle.
Hué was attacked by ten battalions, the city was almost completely over-run and thousands of civilians were chosen for execution. The city was not recaptured by the US and ARVN forces until the end of February. The historical and cultural value of the city meant that the US did not apply the air and artillery strikes as widely as in other cities, at least at first. There was a tough street-by-street battle (all caught by the US media), heading towards the Citadel, the imperial palace, which was cleared of NVA troops after four days of struggle. The US and the ARVN had lost 482 men and the NVA around 7,500.
Americans hastily drag away the body of a comrade killed during a VC attack near Tan Son Nhut Airport on January 31, 1968. The VC made a direct hit on a truckload of MPs, then raked the area with automatic fire as survivors dived for cover.
There were a number of attacks in and around Saigon, around five battalions of NLF had infiltrated the city. Tan Son Nhut airbase, the headquarters of the ARVN and MACV, was attacked by around 700 men and there was heavy fighting but only 110 American casualties. Bein Hoa airbase was also attacked and twenty aircraft were destroyed. The Vietnamese casualties in these two assaults and other actions in Saigon were over 1,100 men but they took control of large parts of the city. Fighting lasted almost a week and some sections of the city were badly damaged by US airstrikes and artillery, the suburb of Cholon was very badly damaged as fighting there lasted into mid-February. One especially potent assault was on the US Embassy by twenty NLF commandos, while quickly contained it became a highly symbolic assault producing memorable images.
The NLF and the NVA lost around 35,000 men killed, 60,000 wounded and 6,000 POWs for no military success. The US and ARVN dead totalled around 3,900 (1,100 US). But this was not the conflict as the US public saw it. Without there being an active conspiracy the US media reports were extremely damaging and shocked the American public and politicians. Apparently the depth of the US reaction even surprised the North Vietnamese leadership, as well as delighting them.
The heavy US shelling of Ben Tre produced the famous quote, "it became necessary to destroy the town in order to save it."
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Mike McMahon (born September 12, 1957 in New York, New York) currently serves as the Democratic U.S. Representative from New York's 13th congressional district, covering Staten Island and neighborhoods of Brooklyn. He currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
McMahon graduated from New York University and earned a law degree from New York Law School. He was elected to the New York City Council in 2001 and to the House of Representatives in 2008 after incumbent Republican Vito Fossella retired after a drunk driving arrest in Virginia and allegations of an extramarital affair. He was handedly elected with 61% of the vote, despite Republican John McCain edging out Obama in the conservative-leaning 13th district 51%-49% in the 2008 Presidential Election.
In November 2009, McMahon was one of 38 House Democrats who voted against the Affordable Health Care for America Act, the only member of New York City's congressional delegation to do so.
McMahon caused controversy in July 2010 when his reelection campaign distributed a list titled "Grimm Jewish Money Q2", against his Republican opponent Michael Grimm. McMahon's communications director Jennifer Nelson was quoted saying "Where is Grimm's money coming from? There is a lot of Jewish money, a lot of money from people in Florida and Manhattan, retirees." Nelson was fired from the campaign.
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Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all his prophets to every people. For a fifth of the world's population, Islam is both a religion and a way of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness.
One billion people from a vast range of races, nationalities, and cultures across the globe - from the southern Philippines to Nigeria - are united by their common Islamic faith. About 18% live in the Arab world; the world's largest Muslim community is in Indonesia; substantial parts of Asia and most of Africa are Muslim, while significant minorities are to be found in Russia, China, North and South America, and Europe.
Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God; in the angels created by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in the Day of Judgment and individual accountability for actions; and in God's complete authority over human destiny and life after death. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Eias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them (PBUT). But God's final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message was revealed to the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (PBUH), through Gabriel.
Why does "Islam" seem strange to Westerners?
Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion does not dominate everyday life in the West today, whereas Muslims have religion always uppermost in their minds, and make no division between secular and sacred. They believe that Divine Law, the Shari'a, should be taken seriously, which is why issues related to religion are still so important.
No. Together with Judaism, they go back to the prophet and patriarch Abraham, and their three prophets are directly descended from his sons - Muhammad (PBUH) from the eldest, Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus from Isaac (PBUT). Abraham established the settlement which today is the city of Makkah (Mecca), and built the Ka'ba towards which all Muslims turn when they pray.
The rites of the Hajj, which are Abrahamic in origin, include circling the Ka'ba seven times, and going seven times between the mountains of Safa and Marwa as did Hagar during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand and join in prayer for God's forgiveness. Millions go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe providing a unique opportunity for people of different nationalities to meet one another.
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What are Sampling Rate and Bits per Sample?
Sample rate: The rate at which the samples are captured or played back, measured in Hertz (Hz), or samples per second. An audio CD has a sample rate of 44,100 Hz, often written as 44 KHz for short. This is also the default sample rate that Audacity uses, because audio CDs are so prevalent.
Sample format or sample size: Essentially this is the number of digits in the digital representation of each sample. Think of the sample rate as the horizontal precision of the digital waveform, and the sample format as the vertical precision. An audio CD has a precision of 16 bits, which corresponds to about 5 decimal digits.
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Can I use hybrid irons instead of short irons to improve my golf? Now hybrid golf clubs are a fantastic combination between a fairway wood and an iron, and as such they offer kind of the best of both worlds, the forgiveness and the actual height that you should get off a fairway wood, but then the playability and the distance control that you get off an iron. Now if you’re struggling to hit your short irons, going for the hybrid option could be a fantastic way to go, because they do offer so much more forgiveness. The other combination like we say of an iron and a fairway wood and have a very wide sole and lots and lots of perimeter waiting around the outside, now this combination allows the club to get underneath the ball, lift it very, very high but also toe and heel strikes are kind of mitigated by the perimeter waiting and they become such an easy and forgiving club to use. Probably the biggest advantage as well of a hybrid club, is you don’t have to with actual technique, you can still use your short iron technique. I’ve got my kind of 5 replacement here, but I can just use it exactly the same as I would an iron striking down and through, and getting a much higher, a much more forgiving ball flight. So if you are struggling with your short irons and you want to try and replace them with hybrids, give them a go; you never know what might happen and you might improve your game.
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Several blocks of ice from Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Iceland, were removed from the glacial lake Jökulsárlón, into which Vatnajökull flows. Part of the ice is thought to have been formed around AD 1200. Weighing 6 tonnes in all, the blocks were transported to the Berlin gallery neugerriemschneider, where they were exhibited in a refrigerated space.
'It is a challenge to verbalise time itself, even though, paradoxically, talking takes time. Describing time in conversation tends to take away the duration from it, as it is mostly described as an idea or concept. For me, the idea of time becomes especially abstract when we consider the history of our universe, the vast time of deep cosmology, the geological time in the history of the planet, the history of the atmosphere, the history of mountains. Vatnajökull, the glacier from which the blocks of ice in Your waste of time come, formed some 2,500 years ago; the oldest ice that still exists in it is from around AD 1200. This span of time lies at the limits of comprehension.
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The scope and structure of a portfolio should always begin first with a plan. In order to know where you want to go you need to figure out where you want to end up and then work backwards. I believe this strategy should be used in all aspects of life, not just investing. In simple terms, you need a goal.
Most people have no goal in mind or know where they want to end up, and if they do have a goal they give very little thought on how to get there or the potential road blocks that may occur along the way (something that I try to help with here). I cannot tell you what your goals should be because you could be someone that is in their early 60's with $2 million saved for retirement, or you could be someone in your mid 20's with $15,000 saved for retirement, and the ultimate desired finishing point for each person could be starkly different.
Therefore, I have to talk in generalities when discussing actual investments, and you always need to speak with both a professional financial advisor and a tax specialist before making any investment decisions.
We live in a world today where almost everything feels overvalued. The dangers in the global economy and financial markets have been masked by the temporary illusion of artificially low interest rates. Investors have once again become drunk on liquidity and credit. There is a belief now that even if something goes wrong that the central banks can immediately "fix" the situation. This simple and incorrect assumption, when it is proven to be false, will trigger a massive dislocation across all assets.
During periods of severe complacency to borderline euphoria the first and foremost strategy is capital preservation. This means that you want your capital out of harms way when the euphoria fades. Markets have a tendency to climb slowly over long periods, pulling as many people as possible into the madness of the crowd, before reversing quickly and crushing those caught off guard.
99.9% of investment advisors tell you that you should have 100% of your investments in a diversified portfolio composed of these three asset classes. Maybe you own a $200,000 home and have your 401k, which contains $400,000, in a "retire in 2035" fund." That fund may contain 50% bonds and 50% stocks to give you $200,000 (33%) in real estate, $200,000 (33%) in stock mutual funds, and $200,000 in bonds. This is a dream portfolio for most advisors.
If someone I knew was in the situation above and asked me what percentage I thought they should have in each of the three categories, it would be 0% in all three. Based on where they lived in the world, the economic environment, the supply/demand statistics, and the rent/own data I would most likely tell them to sell their home. The 401k situation becomes a bit more difficult and needs careful consideration. Some 401k plans allow you to move money over to an IRA type fund where you can invest in whatever you like (which occurs automatically if you ever decide to change jobs). If you cannot move your funds you must decide if you should sell and incur the taxes and penalties or if you should try and locate the safest possible fund type within your options. I cannot give advise on how to proceed there, only let you know that if you are in a "retire in 20XX" fund you are most likely in the maximum amount of danger.
The safest possible fund in a 401k would be one that has a description like "prime money market fund" that has treasury bills or investments with very short term maturities as its primary holding. The return on this fund will be close to 0% annually.
Let's now look at a strategy if you have freedom outside of a 401k.
After you have your final investment goal in mind, we can now look at strategies on how to get there. The first thing you want to do is remove as much risk as possible from your portfolio (the assets listed above). Then you want to make sure you have cash available when buying opportunities emerge.
"Safe cash" would be a fund that invests only in short term t-bills rolling about every 3 to 6 months (or less). The best fund I know available for this strategy is the American Century Capital Preservation Fund. This type of fund will protect you on interest rate risk (the bonds can just be rolled over at a higher yield), but while you wait you will earn close to 0% on your money. There is a price to pay for safety, the short term return you miss out by not investing in longer dated, higher yielding bonds or stocks, that I believe will be well rewarded as we move through this storm.
The second part of protecting your portfolio is through the purchase of physical precious metals: gold and silver. I believe you should start your investment in this area with physical coins in your possession that you can either keep at home or in a safety deposit box. My favorite option to purchase physical coins is through the Northwest Territorial Mint. When you feel comfortable with your initial physical ownership then you can begin to accumulate metals through services that will store physical metals for you. My favorite option for this is through Goldmoney, which allows you to purchase physical metals electronically and then store them in different vaults around the world. You can then sell them at any point and have the funds transferred back to you or you can request physical delivery of your metals. I will provide a link to goldmoney at the bottom of this page.
Your "safe cash" and "precious metals" part of your portfolio should make up the lion's share of your total investments based on the current economic environment. How much of your portfolio should be allocated to metals? It depends on your personal situation, but I would recommend that everyone have at least 10% of their total net worth in precious metals to start, which can be considered an insurance policy.
I check in with these asset groups and specific stocks/ETFs within each group every day. I recommend you create your own list and when an asset goes on sale, which usually coincides with a massive drop off in sentiment, it will create a buying opportunity and the ability to exchange some of your safe cash for that asset.
For example, which asset or assets on my list currently have the two most important determinants I need before making the purchase?
The only two on my list as I write this morning are gold mining shares and rare earth stocks. Right now gold mining shares are hated by by investors who do not like gold, and they are disliked by investors that do like gold. They have performed miserably over the last three years. As gold has recently risen, gold shares have fallen by 30%. The fundamentals are fantastic, the prices are low, and the sentiment is a rock bottom. I love them. Rare earth stocks currently share the same traits.
Once you have determined that an asset group is on sale then you need to dig a little deeper to determine the best possible investment options within that category. In order to do this I use the service of professionals that study that specific category on a full time basis (I don't have the time or ego to think I can personally track the fundamentals or management of every individual stock on the planet nor would I ever want to).
For gold stocks I subscribe to John Doody's Gold Stock Analyst newsletter. If you are thinking about making a purchase in this area I would recommend using his excellent research. I also invest in the Tocqueville Gold Fund managed by John Hathaway. These two men have decades of experience tracking gold stocks. I wait for stocks to go on sale and then I invest in their specific recommendations.
For rare earth stocks I use the services of James Dines and his monthly Dines Letter, which has been tracking the market and the participants within the rare earth industry for over a decade. His newsletter provides a monthly analysis of the top rare earth stocks and the story behind each choice.
I'm not recommending that you invest in gold mining shares or use any of the services just discussed, I'm only trying to walk you through the process I use for investing.
Gold stocks could be a bad investment for me personally this afternoon or tomorrow (prices and sentiment rise), and another asset on the list could become a buying opportunity (prices and sentiment fall).
If oil were to go on sale and sentiment were to plunge, I would then use the resources of a specialist in that field to determine the best stocks to purchase within that asset class. The same with agriculture or water or Chinese stocks.
I used the example in the previous section of this outlook of how I felt Chinese shares went on sale a few months ago and I recommended readers look at it as a buying opportunity. The shares since then are up close to 20%, sentiment is rising, and investors are starting to pay attention to their market again. Do I want to purchase shares now? Definitely not. If prices crash again and sentiment falls then I'll make another purchase. If they don't then I'll just hold on to my shares.
It is important to note that buying when prices fall and sentiment is low sounds easy at first blush, but it is pyschologically one of the most difficult things for an investor to do. People move subconsciously in a herd behavior and if you are not focused on it every day you will automatically begin to drift mentally back in line with the herd.
I can't tell you what I will purchase (or not purchase) this afternoon or tomorrow because I don't know where prices or sentiment will be. Maybe silver prices will crash tomorrow and everyone will hate silver. That would be amazing. I would be buying with both hands. Over time, if you make strong purchases within an asset class that has long term positive fundamentals, if you buy when everyone is afraid and hold when everyone is euphoric, then you will be rewarded in full.
People get upset when their favorite assets fall in price. I cannot figure out why. Their reaction should be the exact opposite. Would you get upset if the television or computer you wanted to buy went on sale? Your portfolio should be prepared (with the safe cash just discussed above) for market sell offs and they should be greeted with a welcome smile.
I will continue to update you as we move forward when specific asset groups have gone on sale and sentiment has reached levels that I believe warrant an investment.
Let me re-state that 99.9% of financial advisors you speak with tell you to do the exact opposite of what I am recommending here. I fully understand that, and you need to take that into consideration before making any investment decisions.
I don't know if the coming change, the paradigm shift, discussed in this outlook will occur in 2013, 2014, or 2015, but I know that it is coming. I really don't care when it occurs. I have my plan on where I would like to end up and I have my vision on how the world will change as I move toward that destination. I work relentlessly every day to prepare myself to be ready to invest in asset classes that will be on sale in this future world, after the dislocation has occurred.
I will elaborate on my personal preparation more in the future, and the opportunities that will emerge after the coming shift in interest rates, but that is looking further ahead than the scope of this outlook.
That's an excellent question. From what you are asking it sounds as if you are interested in purchasing a retail commercial building with Home Depot, Fedex, and Walgreens as tenants. Each of these tenants plus potentially others of equal or greater financial strength would sign a 15 year triple net lease. What would be your risk?
First let me say that if you are thinking about such a purchase you will need a significant down payment, or a financial partner who can provide a significant down payment. You will also need to have an understanding of how to manage such a building or have a strong management company handle those details for you (perhaps this has already been factored in to your analysis to bring you to a 7% cap rate purchase price).
Let me also say that all things being equal, income producing real estate is by far the best asset class in the world based on the tax advantages, leverage, and ability to purchase an asset far under market value if you have an understanding of what you are doing (unlike stocks and bonds and even commodities where professional and high frequency traders destroy even the most knowledgeable market participants).
I think that if interest rates were to just normalize, not taking into account that the US government is bankrupt or the possibility of inflation actually impacting assets, just NORMALIZE up to the 5 to 7 percent range, it would have a dramatic impact on your 7 percent cap rate.
Let's say that in 5 years an investor can purchase a 10 year U.S. government bond at 7 percent. Your building has 10 years remaining on the leases and those leases provide an investor a 7 percent return (a 7 cap).
Do you think someone will pay you a 7 cap for the building if they can get a risk free rate from the government at 7 percent? I don't think they will, and I think cap rates will rise.
Let's say that under this 5 years later scenario your building is now valued at a 10 cap. If your annual NOI is $100,000 at a 7 cap your building is worth $1,428,571. At a 10 cap this building is now worth $1,000,000 meaning you have lost $428,571 over the 5 year span.
Now, many people say that it is impossible for US government debt to move to the 7 percent range (the 10 year treasury rate was above 7 percent almost the entire time span between 1968 and 1996). That makes it seem possible to me, but my views are considered crazy.
I would rather wait until rates rise, cap rates on commercial real estate fall, and THEN make the purchase (I spend most of my personal working hours during the weak preparing to buy commercial real estate for when this time comes).
If you had followed this and invested in gold in Feb 2013 - you would now have lost 35%.
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During her confirmation hearings, Sonya Sotomayor wanted to dodge the negative label "activist judge." When asked if she held to the idea that the Constitution was a "living document," she gave the answer that the Constitution does not change but that society changes.
A key element to the classical liberal world of the Founders that produced the Constitution was their commonsense approach to logic. The Founders received a distilled version of the Aristotelian tradition (The Port Royal Logic, etc.) that seemed to preserve the best in western thought without the divisiveness that kept Westerners at each other's throats throughout the Dark Ages.
"The severity of self-consuming dialectics was tempered by a more varied range of study and a wider sphere of sympathy. Metaphysics and physics, philosophy and science, were pursued harmoniously together; and, as the natural result, there appeared a spirit of freedom, a love of truth and tone of health, in philosophical writings to which they had previously been strangers."
The love of liberty comes from an appreciation of rationality and a love of truth.
The modern tradition (Kant, Hegel, Marx, Dewey, Moa, Chomsky, etc.) realized that if one changes language and logic; then one can effectively change the interpretation of the artifacts at the foundation of society. This tradition elevated Plato, Sun Tsu, Machiavelli, Rouseau, Voltaire and others to the forefront of discourse. The modern tradition placed dialectics, paradox and conflict at the foundation of reasoning. The modern thinker created a new paradigm where manipulation in the grub for power is central.
The difference between classical liberalism and modern liberalism is largely an approach to reason.
The American Revolution was the Classical Liberal Revolution. It led to a Constitutionally limited government and a free market that produce a leap in prosperity.
To preserve the Constitution, one must preserve the classical liberal approach to reasoning.
Unfortunately, the defenders of liberty seem to be dominated by people like Bill O'Reilly who has apparently accepted modern dialectics by positioning himself as a Sun-Tsu general in a "culture war," or by Glen Beck who pounds the drum that the exceptionally elegant appreciation of reason that occurred at or nation's founding is "Common Sense."
If the freedom granted by the Constitution were common sense, then it would have evolved naturally in most societies. The historical truth is that the freedom that modern liberals are eager to toss aside for promises of free health care was one the greatest exceptions in history.
It was the product of unique circumstances which distilled out a very solid system of reasoning.
The distillation of logic that we call common sense is an exception. It is not the rule.
The rule is a class society with a contemptuous ruling class driven by political expediency and the majority tolling away as slaves hoping not to be crunched by the Machiavellian machinations of the elite.
Conservatives lament that activist judges are systematically destroying our Constitution. In reality, the nasty work was done in the highly partisan public education system which yanked the study of logic from the curriculum last century.
Sotomayor's approach to law--along with content free confirmation hearing--are simply the fruits of the deep capture of the education system long ago.
Without an understanding of informal logic, Americans systematically lose their appreciation for reason. Without an appreciation of reason, one can neither appreciate the reasoning behind the Constitution, nor figure out how to apply the principles therein to life.
Yes, there is a large number of conservatives who publish books listing sets of principles. But if we don't know how to apply prinicples, then the stated principles mean little. Even worse, the logically inconsistent principles in the self help literature simply feed the modern belief that everything is paradox.
By yanking the study of logic from the classroom some half century ago, the left won the war. To a world weaned on dialectical materialism taught in our nation's schools, the Constitution is nothing but a bizarre artifact of a "failed" bygone era. We know it failed because our leader lays on the label "failed" in just about every speech.
In a world trained to react to images, the struggles of the founders are nothing but a remote and quaint image competing with sexier modern images.
Our Constitution is a relic because our public education made it a relic. Regardless of whether our rulers are Republicans (who start wars without declaring war) or Democrats who seek to socialize medicine, the Constitution is a relic so long as our schools hold to dialectical mateerialism in lieue of classical logic.
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0.999384 |
Welcome to the post! Pattern recognition is nearly synonymous with machine learning. This branch of artificial intelligence focuses on the recognition of patterns and regularities in data. In many cases, these patterns are learned from labeled “training” data (supervised learning), but when no labeled data are available other algorithms can be used to discover previously unknown patterns (unsupervised learning).
Here, I would like to tell you about how to recognize/identify pattern of different samples and how to use this in form of features/attributes to train various supervised learning models to predict their class labels. Here we are going to recognize pattern of earth rock images and classified them using supervised classification algorithms.
Lets give some idea about earth rock : Rocks are the major composition of most planets like earth, moon ,Mars and they are indication of evolution of planets.Analysis and interpretation of earth rocks are mostly applicable to the rocks of other planets and meteorites.Rocks are geologically classified according to characteristics such as mineral and chemical composition, permeability, the texture of the constituent particles, and particle size.
1) Feature Extraction of earth rock images using image processing algorithm.
2) Computational Intelligence algorithm for classification.
Let us start with first part.
Rock surface parameters are color, grain, and texture. These parameters are related with digital imaging.The combined feature extracted from each of this parameter is used to uniquely identify rock type or to recognize its signature.
For rock sample recognition we are taking earth rock surface images with USB microscope.. Here we are taking 24 bit digital image with 1600×1200(JPEG) resolutions. This system provide algorithms for features extraction using image histogram of wavelet based data compression and neural network based feature classification.
Color analysis : Color feature is often broadly used to describe the image. Rock’s color tells us much about its mineralogical makeup and overall composition. Color is one of the physical properties most commonly used to describe rock’s minerals. Most of the rocks are identifying by its minerals color information. It contains light and dark minerals. So we can identify rock by looking its minerals color information and as per that feature extraction extraction algorithm is developed.
Texture analysis: Texture refers to the degree of crystalline, grain size, and fabric (geometrical relationships) among the constituents of a rock. Image texture is a combination of similar patterns with a regular frequency. It is an attribute that represents a spatial pixel arrangement in a region. Textural features are probably the most important aspect of rock because they are necessary aid in understanding the conditions under which rock crystallized.
Grain analysis: Rock grains refer to its mineral relationship with other nearest minerals. So it need more magnified grain images of rock surface than rock colour images. Here 100x magnification is used to captured rock grain images with mobile microscope.
Here we are not discussing more details about color, grain and texture analysis algorithm.
The overall process is as shown in below figure, this figure shows the flow of rock image classification using image processing and computational intelligence algorithms.
In this section we are discussing about which classifier of supervised learning algorithms is suitable for this kind of complex problem.
In rock pattern identification problem we are taking 1600X1200 JPEG resolution images using digital microscope. So total 19, 20,000 image pixel features are used for classifying rock signature. Here we want one powerful flexible classifier with multilevel non liner decision boundary. We are using 1,00,000 to 19,20,000 random image samples depending upon accuracy and speed of recognition.
Neural network provide multilevel architecture with non-linear complex decision boundary .Neural network learn feature by itself in hidden layer and as per them they used to build non-linear complex hypothesis.
Three sets of rock surface feature colour, grain and texture are separately classified using multilayer Neural Network (NN) with back-propagation training algorithm to identify rock type..
In this experiment we are taking five different earth rock, 100 training images and 50 testing images.
Configuration of each NN used is three layer feed-forward consists of input, hidden and output layers.
Here in NN for color parameter we uses 180 input neurons, 10 hidden neurons and 5 output neurons. The other two NN for texture and grain parameters are similar and uses 235 input neurons, 10 hidden and 5 output neurons. All inputs are normalized before applying to NN. We decide the input and hidden neurons with using trial and error. Each output corresponds to a rock type. Only one output is high at any time. Network is trained by computing the output error with respect to the desired output. Here as an activation function we use Sigmoid function.
The Input, hidden and output layers are Yi, Yj and Yk respectively. Desired output for training is dk. Xn and Yn are inputs and outputs of neurons. Output of NN is computed using the following equation. Neural network architecture is shown below.
Network is trained using error function given in equation 5. Error Sensitivity E/W of weights is calculated to reinforce the weights as shown in equation 6 and 7. Here two Sigmoid activation function is used. One is in hidden layer and other is in output layer.
Here we implement this rock pattern recognition system in java based desktop system. Pixel Histogram data of rock image and multilayer feed forward neural network is used to successfully analysing and classifying earth rock with 98% of average accuracy of trained samples and 90% average accuracy of new untrained samples for rock pattern recognition system.
Tunnels, roads, Construction material and Bedrock Investigations.
In pattern recognition system we are like to implement different real world complex problem with learning algorithm. In the next blog post, I will discuss more in detail about mobile based microscope used for pattern recognition and how to use trained neural network model in android and java(J2ME) based mobile phones for testing.
Please do post your comments and feedback. Your comments are very much valuable for us.
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