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0.999671	Replace String: Path: G:\data\Public\allsites\learnenglishnowcom\dictionary\ File Mask: dictionary2.txt Regular Expression Processing file : G:\data\Public\allsites\learnenglishnowcom\dictionary\dictionary2.txt Acanthophorous (a.) Spine-bearing. Chinquapin (n.) A branching, nut-bearing tree or shrub (Castanea pumila) of North America, from six to twenty feet high, allied to the chestnut. Also, its small, sweet, edible nat. Hodograph (n.) A curve described by the moving extremity of a Homographic (a.) Employing a single and separate character to represent each sound; -- said of certain methods of spelling words. Microorganism (n.) Any microscopic form of life; -- particularly applied Monomorphous (a.) Having but a single form; retaining the same form throughout the various stages of development; of the same or of an essentially similar type of structure; -- opposed to dimorphic, trimorphic, and polymorphic. Benzonaphtol () A white crystalCentrosphere (n.) The nucleus or central part of the earth, forming most of its mass; -- disting. from lithosphere, hydrosphere, etc. Harvey process () A process of hardening the face of steel, as armor plates, invented by Hayward A. Harvey of New Jersey, consisting in the additional carburizing of the face of a piece of low carbon steel by subjecting it to the action of carbon under long-continued pressure at a very high heat, and then to a violent chilling, as by a spray of cold water. This process gives an armor plate a thick surface of extreme hardness supported by material gradually decreasing in hardness to the unalter> Hydrobiplane (n.) A hydro-aeroplane having two supporting planes. Manograph (n.) An optical device for making an indicator diagram for high-speed engines. It consists of a light-tight box or camera having at one end a small convex mirror which reflects a beam of light on to the ground glass or photographic plate at the other end. The mirror is pivoted so that it can be moved in one direction by a small plunger operated by an elastic metal diaphragm which closes a tube connected with the engine cylinder. It is also moved at right angles to this direction by a> Megascopical (a.) Enlarged or magnified; -- said of images or of photographic pictures, etc.
0.999639	I'm not certain about the order of events at the wedding reception. Could you please give a rough timeline of the following events: receiving line, cocktail hour, first dance, champagne toast, best man's and maid of honor's speeches, dinner and cake cutting? I'm so clueless! Absolutely, good question! Here's the basic order of wedding reception events. How long each event lasts depends on your party—is it a simple cocktail wedding reception or a seated dinner? (The average reception with full meal lasts for about four hours.) Keep in mind that you're not orchestrating the wedding reception alone—your banquet manager, caterer, bandleader (who might act as MC) and other wedding professionals are old hands at this stuff, so they know what's supposed to happen when. Remember too, that nothing is set in stone—there are always options, and if the timing of one thing or the other doesn't suit your style, you can always mix it up.
0.999556	Do you want to learn how to look better and choose more flattering clothing? I have some tips here to get you started. 1 Read some of the books that professional stylist's publish. You don't need to buy them just go to the library. When you find one that really works for you buy that one and read it more than once. There is a lot of detail in those books. 2 Look for the books with real women photo's. It will be much easier to find bodies with figure flaws similar to yours if you are not looking a fashion drawings or photo's of beautiful celebrities. 3 Look at celebrity women but not the ones who look like Charlize Theron. Look at people like America Ferrara (dressed as herself and then compare to her Ugly Betty persona), Oprah Winfrey or Hilary Clinton. These are women with real bodies who look good. 4 Remember that dark colours other than black can also be slimming and that they are not quite so drab. Consider navy, brown, dark green, charcoal and burgundy. 5 Notice that jeans come in different colours as well as shades. When you are choosing tops to wear with your jeans think about the complete outfit. Denim is a neutral but it's one that still calls for a little extra co-ordination. You can treat dark wash jeans as though they are navy for harmonious colour matching. You could also invest in black or white jeans to expand your wardrobe.
0.999995	The thought that one's effort, energy and expectations could become a smouldering pile of rubble is both sobering and humbling. Yet, as strange as it seems, failure is probably the best proving ground for great leadership. Qualities such as courage, resilience and determination, emerge in the face of obstacles and adversity not in the face of plain sailing. In addition, learning from our failure creates footprints to inspire and empower others. Against this backdrop, set out below are five leadership lessons to learn from failure. 1. contextualise your experience - to contextualise your experience is to recognise that failure is a experience not a judgement. The greatest journeys of success often require a detour through deep frustration, disappointment and despair. The key leadership lesson here is that failure represents a potential gold-mine of opportunity through which to re-think, re-focus and re-double your efforts. 2. confront your experience - people often want to put as much distance as possible between themselves and failure, but that is actually the worst possible thing that anyone can do. People run away or avoid the things that they are afraid of and fear of failure invariably results in an aversion to risk. The key leadership lesson here is: never let the possibility of doing something wrong, mean that you end up doing nothing right. 3. evaluate your experience - it's easy to forget that if you cannot learn from experience, you are destined to relive that experience. Let's be real, self-critique is one of the hardest things for anyone to do, not least because the act of poring over our own errors, exposes us to our own vulnerabilities and shortcomings. The key leadership lesson here is that learning from failure is one of the surest routes to achieving success. 4. be prepared to try again, but know when to try something different - 'if at first you don't succeed, try and try again' right? Well yes and no. Clearly, you need to use good judgement when assessing and evaluating failure. In many instances you may find that a change in attitude and more resolute application will produce the desired results. However, at other times the best thing to do is to call it quits and move on to something completely different. The key leadership lesson here is that learning from failure should make you wise, not stupid. 5. surround yourself with the right people - the impact of those that we surround ourselves with can often be seen in character traits that we develop. Nothing will equip you to overcome failure more than the words and actions of those whose company you keep. The right friends and relationships will encourage, inspire and empower you, whilst the wrong ones will hold you back. The key leadership lesson here is that the people we hang around with are also our most important 'investors'. If you want to be the recipient of good investments, you need to surround yourself with the right 'investors'. The extent to which we learn from failure has much to do with each person's attitude to experience. To make the most of failure, you must first see every experience (no-matter how difficult) as an opportunity to learn.
0.99978	Can BitTorrent traffic be encrypted? And how? Yes, you can encrypt the VPN traffic through a VPN. It's the most secure and convenient way because a VPN can be stable and fast. I would avoid using proxies because they're not stable and you don't know who manages them. However, you can buy VPN subscriptions from various websites. I do not recommend using the free ones because no torrent is supported and because of their speed. A private VPN with active subscription will always give you top speed and maximum connectivity. For example, there is CyberGhost that you can use with your torrent. These services provide their own desktop client to connect, then you can start the torrent client to download.
0.945658	such charges if a payment is delayed or mislaid on any future month? Isn't it just easier to set up a DD for either the minimum or the full balance? Same thing happened to me because I was on holiday and didn't then have mob ile banking! The problem exists because some of us like to feel we are in control, but i t only works as long as we are properly in control of events and we are all flawed. To make matters worse if, like me, I send an electronic payment by what sho uld be the faster payments service if it were to anyone else, Barclaycard d on't appear to accept the payment in 2.5hrs especially when you want it the re. My bank comes back to me with a message saying "the recipient cannot sa y when it will process the payment". ...and another thing with Barclaycard, everyone I know has a £30 contactl ess single transaction limit, but I have a £20 limit. Any idea what's tha t about?..or is that a Barclaycard thing? What do the T&C's say? Mind you, you can probably do it even if the T&C's say that you can't. This is certainly the case with my Halifax Clarity CC. I used mine to make some cash withdrawals while overseas, and then immediately transferred some funds into my account manually to avoid being charged interest. But Halifax - in true Magnus "I've started so I'll finish" fashion - went ahead with the full DD to pay off my balance, so I ended up in credit until I'd made enough subsequent purchases to use up the credit. The T&C's say that you can't have a credit balance and that if you try, they'll immediately refund it. In practice, they don't! On Tue, 19 Jan 2016 17:08:41 -0000, "tim....." I've set-up an auto direct debit with the card company which only comes into force when I don't make the payment by other means. So just the normal credit card DD, then? That's how you'd expect it to work, but my experience with Halifax is that they still go ahead with the DD for the full statement balance even if you've already paid some of it manually - thereby creating a (non-allowed!) credit balance. That's how I ended up with a positive balance on Barclaycard. I normally pay the minimum by direct debit, but this time I wanted to clear off the entire balance. I paid the entire balance by debit card on the Barclaycard web site after it told me they wouldn't be taking the DD payment if I did that. It turned out that they did actually take the DD payment as well, so the account ended up in credit. I think this happened because I made the payment only a couple of days before the DD was due, so the DD process was already underway. If I had paid a few days earlier, the DD may not have been taken. Would that not have been a case for invoking the DD guarantee? The company told you that the DD would not be taken, so when it was taken it was taken in error. Yes, but if you invoke the DDG it usually means that the DD is cancelled as well getting a refund. So if you want to continue using DD to pay for the same service, it has to be set up again. That's worth the effort if the error has been particularly egregious (such as when NTL-as-was managed to erroneously take an amount an order of magnitude greater than my regular monthly payment), but if it's only £25 on a card that you normally spend a couple of hundred on then it's easier to just let it go. Provided, of course, that you don't actually lose the money, it gets correctly assigned to your account. ME, of a whole RAFT of credit card firms and banks, is that only happens if you pay manually so close to the deadline that that it hasn't cleared before the DD date. I currently have a positive balance on my Barclaycard account, so it's definitely possible. All you need to do is transfer more money to the card than the balance. I've done it a few times. It's particularly amusing when you pay off a large card bill... to the wrong card. How to properly account for an eBay account? Spread Betting - metals - lowest deposit ? Is this the longest clearing time in the world? Leading LibDem warns Brown : "Britain is drowning in debt" Savings Account Withdrawal. Use what catagory?
0.999981	What is this survey about? We need to ensure that everyone has easier and more convenient access to GP services, which includes offering appointments at evenings and weekends. This means ensuring services are joined up, make the best use of the resources available and helps us to continue improving health and care for our patients. · Improving access to GP services i.e. 8am-8pm, weekend appointments, online appointments etc. If the majority of people who complete this survey tell us they wouldn’t be interested in seeing their GP on a Sunday, we may not offer Sunday appointments. This helps to ensure we offer more appointments at times that are convenient to you, have the people in place to deliver this care and that we don’t spend money on services that won’t be used. Please click on the link below to complete this short survey, it will take approximatly 10-12 minutes of your time.
0.945511	Compost additives work best on dry, woody compost piles. 1 Why Doesn't My Compost Get Hot? Compost additives contain combinations of fertilizer, bacteria or fungi that are designed to speed up the composting process. There are three basic types of compost additives: inoculants, starters and activators. A properly built and maintained compost pile rarely needs compost additives to create usable garden compost, but they can speed up the composting process if your compost pile is made from difficult-to-compost materials. Compost additives labeled as activators provide a source of food for the bacteria and fungi that break down your compost. Organic gardeners can speed up the composting process using fertilizers such as blood meal, manure or finished compost. Nitrogen-bearing chemical fertilizers are also a viable option for increasing the rate of decomposition in your compost pile. Activators are most useful in piles that are mainly made form bulky materials with little, such as wood chips, hay, sawdust or cardboard. Compost piles that have a significant concentration of these materials often take months to break down. Adding an activator can often shave weeks off of the composting of dry, porous materials. Inoculants supply dormant bacteria or fungi to your compost mix. In most cases the materials that are suitable for composting already contain the bacteria or fungi necessary for composting, and inoculants will provide little benefit to your compost pile. If you are planning on composting relatively sterile media such as cooked or processed fruits and vegetables, adding an inoculant will speed up the composting process. Additives that contain a combination of nitrogen, bacteria or enzymes are commonly known as compost starters. Starters are designed to provide the benefits of inoculants and activators in one package. These products are intended to provide a comprehensive supply of nutrients and bacteria to begin the decomposition process in your compost. In most cases you can supply your compost pile with the bacteria and nitrogen necessary to fuel its decomposition by adding garden soil or compost from a previous pile. A properly made compost pile should already contain an ample supply of the ingredients that compost additives provide. There are several alternatives to commercial compost additives that you can use in a home compost pile to speed up the composting process. If you want to ensure that your compost pile has the bacteria and fungi necessary to break down your compost, you can add garden soil, finished compost or manure to your compost pile. You can add any fertilizer that contains nitrogen to your compost pile at a rate of 2.4 ounces of nitrogen for every 3 3/4 cubic feet of compost to help speed up composting. In most cases the concentration of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in a bag of fertilizer is listed on the bag. Thompson, Daniel. "Define Compost Additives." Home Guides \| SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/define-compost-additives-78990.html. Accessed 25 April 2019. How Do I Turn Compost? What Is a Modular Thermophilic Composting System?
0.990254	How do I split multiple decisions into their separate processes and then join them at the other side? For example, my users requested 4 separate options that send out 4 separate messages, but, after the appropriate fields are filled in, the processes all join and continue. What does that approach offer you that you couldn't achieve with this? It still checks each of the fields, and still sends a message if appropriate upon each check, and would deal with every combination (the upper paths through the process being when the field value is 'NO' and the lower paths being when the field value condition is 'YES'). To use another logic I think would normally require or imply something additional needed that isn't being conveyed, because otherwise I think it would be just more complicated to implement for the same result. Step 1: separate process into "parallel optional steps" Step 3: Join parallel steps back into one process and continue workflow. How do I get the "parallel steps (1, 2, 3)" to only process which element is valid for that step? For example, Step 1 will test a field (field1) to see if it is set to "Yes". If so, then it will send out a message to the user: "Fill in fields (A, B, C)" Step 3 would test (field 3) to see if it is set to "Yes". If so, then it will send out a message to the user: "Fill in fields (G, H, I)" When you're building custom process, you need be clear about, really there are 'parallel activities' or maybe you will have decision point with different ways depending of the end-user action. These sound more like OR (XOR) decisions as you want 'one of the following things' to happen and not 'all of the following things' to happen (parallel split / AND). If we say for example that field1 is set to YES and field2 is also set to YES, and so you want messages to be sent out for A,B,C and also D,E,F (but because field3 is not YES, the message for G,H,I is not sent), then instead you would just want the process to flow through each decision one at a time. I.e. a XOG for step1 that checks field1 and if YES goes to the step to send a message before going to step 2, otherwise go directly to step 2, which checks field2 and if YES goes to the step to send a different message before going to step 3, otherwise go directly to step 3 skipping the message send, and so on. Could be a good approach, the unique key that you need to know very well, it's really will be parallel activity or will be point decision as Nick said before. Hope that our answers can guidance you in your final goal, if really was, please mark thread as answered. Hi Nick - What is the purpose of the "Parallel Split (AND)"? Can you provide an example of a use of the Parallel (And) use? I am having trouble picturing why you would want to run more than one step at the same time. Think that #A && #B are 2 different actions that even could be addressed by different departments, there are no restrictions or relationship in both actions, so in other words both actions can start at the same time, but could be that one complete before or at same time (will be relative), but it's mandatory/required that in order to continue moving forward, A & B must be completed. Note: check that 'A' looks completed (green color), while that 'B' is running yet (execution), and also notice that our process does not reach to finish step, because it's mandatory that 'A' & 'B' must be completed and our step 'Wait A & B' change color to sky-blue that represents that at least 1 step (in this case 'B') is pending yet, so after 'B' is completed, the process can continue according your business rules.
0.962821	Provide solutions that are high quality, reliable, durable and able to withstand harsh environments. Infineon's gate driver chip is your most professional choice. With Infineon's comprehensive product selection solution, consumers can quickly and efficiently design any system in the industrial field. Whether it's a charging pile, a low-speed electric car, or a service robot, drone, Infineon offers configurable half-bridge drivers and three-phase driver chips. Together with Infineon's power MOSFETs, it provides users with an efficient solution. In addition, Infineon also offers AEC-Q100 standard automotive grade gate driver chips for all types of electric vehicles. In battery-driven applications, energy conservation is a very important part. Infineon's gate driver chips help consumers achieve the highest levels of precision and energy efficiency. Silicon carbide MOSFETs offer excellent fast switching performance, and Infineon offers 1200 volt CoolSiCTM silicon carbide MOSFETs for customers to choose from. Infineon's isolated gate drive, based on coreless transformer technology, is known for its powerful drive and protection features, easily driving 1200 volt silicon carbide MOSFETs and providing reliable electrical isolation. These drivers have many key advantages in driving SiC MOSFETs, extremely short propagation delays, precise channel-to-channel matching and input filtering, ultra-wide output range and negative voltage drive capability, and excellent common-mode transient immunity (CM) TI).
0.95271	就像是我们已经讨论的，我们不希望在图像的每一列标注数据（这曾经被我们成为时间步）。神经网络的训练将会被 CTC 损失函数所指引。我们只需要把数据矩阵给 CTC 函数，以及对应的真实值即可。但是它是怎么知道每一个字符出现的呢？他不知道。相对而言，它尝试了图片中所有的真实文本，以及计算了所有的加和。通过这个方式， This way, the score of a GT text is high if the sum over the alignment-scores has a high value. 我们需要计算每一个损失值，这个损失值是由图像核真实文本给出来训练 NN 的。你已经知道 NN 输出一个矩阵，包含一个得分，为每个文本在每个时间步上。一个小矩阵在图三中展示：有许多的时间步（t0, t1），以及三个字符（”a”, “b”, 以及 blank “-“). 对于一个 alignment 的得分（或者 path；在文学中一般这么称呼）通过将相应的字符相乘。在上面的例子中，path”aa” 的得分是：0.40.4=0.16，”a-” 的得分是 0.40.6=0.24，”-a” 的得分是 0.6*0.4=0.24. 为了获得 GT 文本的得分，我们加和这个文本的所有 path 的得分。我们假设，GT 文本是 “a”，我们已经计算了所有长度为 “2” 的 path，分别是 “aa”，“a-”，“-a”，我们已经计算了这些 path 所有的得分，所以我们只需要把他们加起来，得到 0.4×0.4 + 0.4×0.6 + 0.6×0.4 = 0.64。如 GT 文本可能是 “”，我们可以看到只有一种相关的 path，那么就是 “–”，获得的得分是 0.6×0.6 =0.36. This should give you a good understanding of what is happening behind the scenes when you e.g. call functions like ctc_loss or ctc_greedy_decoder in TensorFlow. However, when you want to implement CTC yourself, you need to know some more details, especially to make it run fast. Graves et al. introduce the CTC operation, the paper also shows all the relevant math. If you are interested in how to improve decoding, take a look at the articles about beam search decoding . I implemented some decoders and the loss function in Python and C++, which you can find on github . Finally, if you want to look at the bigger picture of how to recognize (handwritten) text, look at my article on how to build a handwritten text recognition system .
0.999892	Comment peut-on unir les horizons? "Un baiser volé" (English translation: "A Stolen Kiss") was the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991, performed in French by Sarah Bray. The song is a plea for hope in the modern world, with Bray singing that something as simple as the titular "stolen kiss" can brighten a day. Bray also recorded an English language version of the song, "One Stolen Kiss".
0.999996	Alexa: Let’s practice for your upcoming astronomy quiz. You’ll listen to a short section, then answer questions to test your comprehension. Here we go. For thousands of years, even before we had the word 'astronomy', humans have been looking up at the sky. As early as 1054 A.D., astronomers in China and Japan observed the explosion of the supernova which is still visible as the Crab Nebula. […] Along with Japan, what country was the first to have observed a nebula in space? Alexa: Nice job. Let’s continue. ####Description In this listening quiz skill, listen to some text and answer questions about it. ####How to create 1. Write a passage and break it down into sections 2. Write custom questions and answers for each section 3. Name your skill ####How to use 1. Open your skill 2. Follow Alexa’s instructions and listen to the content 3. Pay close attention and answer questions correctly 4. Try again and beat your high score ####Tips This blueprint is great for practicing listening quiz and recall. Try customizing the content for different levels or topics.
0.996544	What is the B-Lite gel made of? The B-Lite gel is created by permanently bonding tiny hollow spheres within the standard medical grade silicone gel, which makes the implants up to 30% lighter. Microspheres are widely used in a range of applications. They are biocompatible and can be found in medical devices and cosmetics. The microspheres are integrated within the cohesive gel and their bonding to the gel remains intact even in the unlikely case of the implant rupturing. The B-Lite gel incorporates technology used by NASA and has an excellent safety profile and characteristics, offering significantly less weight while providing a natural look and feel.
0.998625	The upon which many systems now rely are examples of such statistical models. It seems to me that, given an infinitely fast computer with an infinite amount of storage space, and an infinite time to program the vocabulary, a state-machine parser would correctly interpret many sentences in the language by a sort of brute-force method. Given an input question, the agent would interpret it, search for the answer in the database, and generate output providing the answer. The actual context dependent sense, which ultimately must be considered after a semantic analysis, is the usage. There are some sophisticated systems, and even some less costly ones anybody can buy, that process spoken words more or less successfully to translate them into text form. Text analytics is used to explore textual content and derive new variables from raw text that may be visualized, filtered, or used as inputs to predictive models or other statistical methods. Multilanguage Enables you to easily analyze text in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese simplified and traditional , French, German, Italian, Korean, and Portuguese. Srihari explains the difference with an analogy: to identify an unknown speaker's language, generative approaches would apply deep knowledge of numerous languages to perform the match; discriminative methods would rely on a less knowledge-intensive approach of using differences between languages to find the closest match. First, as a method or set of rules for constructing sentences in a particular language, a grammar defines whether a sentence is constructed correctly maybe a purported sentence is not even a sentence if it doesn't follow the grammar. Obviously, probably it would be easier to get a computer to accomplish a task if you could talk to it in normal English sentences rather than having to learn a special language only a computer and other programmers can understand. The basic or primitive unit of meaning for semantic will be not the word but the sense, because words may have different senses, like those listed in the dictionary for the same word. Let's talk more about parsing methods. Actions are carried out by agents. Marcus, Claudia, Prolog Programming Reading: Addison-Wesley, 1986. I follow Allen's distinctions here. The language has its own grammar sense one , and the grammar sense two I am developing will or will not be a good one if it makes the right judgments corresponding to accepted sentences defined by the language's own grammar. In either case mentioned below, we're going to introduce some of the common notations that are used in discussing syntactic analysis. Because each of these components can vary among parsers, it seems there may be several different ways to classify parsers. This is the parsing algorithm. For example, the algorithm decides whether to examine the tokens from left to right or vice versa, whether to use a depth-first or breadth-first method, whether to proceed in a top-down or bottom-up method, etc. Another topic that is usually left out of the picture in discussing natural language processing in computers is machine level processing: the fact that, as the signal is processed, and syntactic, semantic, and pragmatics analysis are being accomplished, there is the continual translation into machine language, or even further, voltage signals. Caption Generation Caption generation is the problem of describing the contents of an image. Is this image about grief? Pragmatics So far we have discussed the processes of arriving at the syntactic representation of a sentence or clause and the semantic meaning, the logical form, or the sentence or clause. This finite-state grammar approach views sentence production and analysis as a transition through a series of states. Wikimedia Commons has media related to. Please help me by answering what I have to do? The impossibility of building just such a program and computer shows the unfeasibility of this approach. In some domains, an expert must create them, which limits the scope of frame-based approaches. It sits at the intersection of computer science, artificial intelligence, and computational linguistics. In this attempt to develop a computational model, there is the scientific goal or motivation of understanding natural language comprehension and production for its own sake. Given a sentence, determine the for each word. This mapping could be sequential or simultaneous. Then the result of the semantic analysis will yield the logical form of the sentence. Content classification Classify documents in 700+ predefined categories. If you are still not happy, you can ask for your assignment to be regraded by an instructor. An providing on a web page, an example of an application where natural language processing is a major component. Other referring expressions might be interpreted using pattern matching techniques that find syntactic similarities between the current clause and preceding ones. Master the latest skills, build amazing projects, and advance your career. We assume that people do not act randomly but have goals and their actions are part of a plan for reaching the goal. It seems to me that this type of parser pursues a bottom-up, breadth-first strategy. Deep learning has recently begun to have an important impact on this kind of task. An accessible reference is Culotta et al ; Sutton and McCallum is more mathematical. Some authors seem to think that this type of parser is based on a particular understanding of how humans produce sentences. Natural languages and include , a natural programming language for making interactive fiction, , a general-purpose language, , an natural programming language in the style of the plays of , and , a computational knowledge engine, using natural-language input. Like all other classes at Stanford, we take the student seriously. Keep in mind that I write as if the overall analysis proceeds in discrete stages, each stage yielding an output that serves as input for the next stage. The logical form language will be able to encode many forms of ambiguity by allowing alternative senses to be listed in cases where a single sense is allowed. It will not necessarily be able to resolve ambiguity, but it needs to be able to represent it.
0.871262	New York Approves Delayed Contract for Contactless Fare Collection, Clearing Way for Rides with NFC Wallets \| NFC Times – Near Field Communication and all contactless technology. The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved a contract to move to open-loop fare collection, after delays, clearing the way for riders to tap to pay with NFC phones. NFC TIMES Exclusive Insight – The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority board has approved a long-anticipated contract to enable riders to pay with contactless credit and debit cards, including cards loaded into NFC mobile wallets, by 2019–the largest transit authority to do so since Transport for London launched open-loop fare collection in late 2012. The MTA board approved a $539.5 million contract with U.S.-based Cubic Transportation Systems to implement the system to replace MTA’s more than 20-year-old mag-stripe MetroCard. Cubic also implemented open-loop fare collection systems in London and Chicago, the latter starting service in 2013. Cubic is working on other open-loop fare collection projects, including in Sydney, Australia. The contract award has additional options that could add up to $33.9 million and is pending finalization, Cubic announced Wednesday, adding that Transport for London–which was instrumental in developing the sophisticated back-office fare engine for its account-based ticketing service–will help on the New York project, as will Mastercard, which has built an authorization system targeted at open-loop transit fare collection. Article has about 740 words.
0.999998	The big brains on the Java team at Sun Microsystems have what Graham Hamilton, Sun's vice president and fellow for Java platform and architecture, calls "a secret obsession." "The Java developer base is large, and we're happy about that, but we want to grow that base even more," he says. "To do that, we believe that we have to simplify development to make it easier for all developers to write large, rich applications." The Java team took a significant step in that direction with what some regard as the most significant new feature of the recently released Java 2 Standard Edition 5.0 (code named "Tiger"). Called "annotations," the new feature brings a metadata facility to the core Java language. "We see annotations as a technology that will make things like EJB much more accessible to a much wider audience," he says. "It's the single most important feature of J2SE 5.0." Metadata can be used to create documentation, to track down dependencies in code, and even to perform rudimentary compile-time checking. Annotations is the metadata facility that has become a part of the Java language with the Tiger release. Annotations are modifiers that can be added to code and applied to package declarations, type declarations, constructors, methods, fields, parameters, and variables, explains Gilad Bracha, Sun lead architect and "secret mastermind" behind the recent changes in J2SE. Bracha was the spec lead for Java Specification Request (JSR) 175, known as "A Metadata Facility for the Java Programming Language," which led to the development of annotations. J2SE 5.0 includes built-in annotations and also supports custom annotations developers can write themselves, Bracha says. The feature allows classes, interfaces, fields, and methods to be marked as having particular attributes. Annotations actually evolved out of programming practices that were, to a large extent, already in place, says Graham. "When we began planning for Tiger, we started thinking about what we could change in the Java language that would really help developers in big ways," he says. "When we stepped back and looked at what programmers were actually doing, we found that they were marking things as having special attributes, and then our tools were doing work for them based on those attributes. The official story is that [Java] is an object oriented programming language; you've got objects and you've got methods. But here was this declarative style of programming Java. Developers were finding ways of marking things. We found a way to make that a part of the Java language." Officially launched in October, J2SE 5.0 is a set of specifications used primarily to develop Java applications for desktop computers. It is the technology underlying the Sun Java Enterprise System, the Sun Java Studio Enterprise tools, and the Sun Java Desktop System offerings. Version 5.0 comes with significant architectural changes and an up-to-date GUI for a new, "more modern" default look and feel for Java apps. The JCP is already working on the next upgrade, J2SE 6.0, codenamed "Project Mustang," Graham says. That release is expected sometime in 2006. The next version of Java 2 Enterprise Edition, Version 5, is expected in early 2006, and the Sun Java team is working on a common set of annotations for that platform. Annotations functionality is also expected to be added eventually to Sun's Java Studio Creator tool.
0.976574	Why is this area called Riverside? Because this area runs beside The Don River. Note the curving blue brick water line in the new sidewalk renovations and street upgrade that meanders through the Riverside area. These waves are in the Riverside logo design. First is the main 4 story tall, Romanesque architectural style Broadview Hotel at 704 Queen St. E Toronto, with Jilly's Restaurant and Bar, on the main floor at Queen and Broadview. This is the building with the tall bell tower and the ornate carving over the windows. Note the fancy brick work on the lower portion of the building at street level. This architecture was built from 1891 to 1893 and is now called New Broadview Hotel. Address: The side door of Jilly's is at: 106 Broadview , Toronto ON M4M2G1. Be sure to look up at carvings of the moon and faces. (Second) Nearby, closer to the Don River, is a three story hotel , The New Edwin Hotel at 650 Queen East at Carroll Street (M4M1G5), which is a building inspired by Italian architecture. This is a very handsome building in a warm buff tone brick, as can be seen on the upper level, past the street level, which sadly has been stuccoed. The windows in the building have curved tops, and the roof overhangs the main wall of the Carroll Street side of the building and also on the Queen Street side. Since this photo was taken the graffiti has been removed and a new tree has been added to the street-scape on the Carroll Street side of the New Edwin Hotel. In 2006 new black planters were added, the older 'Queen/Broadview Village" planters were removed and new street lamps were added. [Opposite The New Edwin is a new coffee cafe, 'There's Always Time F' Coffee' or 'F' Coffee', at 641 Queen Street East.. The owner is Rob. 'F Coffee' feels like you are sitting in an Edward Hopper painting of a cafe, with a simple quiet atmosphere, an easy going style, as great coffee smells fill the air as folks enjoy their fare. Steps away from F'Coffe is Dark Horse Espresso Bar, 682 Queen Street East, serving up teas by Tea in the Sahara. and super coffee, with a Barcelona, Spain style communal table; although twice when I shared this table no one spoke to say hello. Is this each Torontonian enveloped in their own space, or just native reserve? In Barcelona people speak up to say hello when someone new sits to share the communal table. Frank has yet to do a battle of the coffee shops, but don't miss the amazing funny burger review. no picture as yet - this link has a photo - Stephan Caras Design Inc. (Third) Then if you walk East the next building of note is a former CIBC Bank Building on the corner of Grant Street and 744 Queen Street East on the North side of Queen, It has a curved front facade with four imposing doric columns, a central door flanked by two symmetrical windows. Both these window and the door have a half circle carved ornamental above them. The upper row of windows are of a square shape and all in all the architecture is very pleasing to the eye. This building has a great sense of scale. The architects Darling and Peason are the same company that designed the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa and the ROM in Toronto. (Frank Darling and John Pearson) . Doors Open Toronto, guided behind-the-scenes tour of a fashion design studio. Stephan Caras Design Inc. 744 Queen Street East. A chance to see that the Caras family has made high quality improvements to this historic Riverside building. Absolutely beautiful. They have removed the prior awkward stairs and have replaced them with one beautiful spiraling curve staircase; also opened up the whole space. Upstairs is an extraordinary fabric wall that looks like a Jules Olitski large spray paintings done in the 1960's and 1970's that have atomizing color . [See for example: Olitski's 1968 'Twice Disarmed' in the Metropolitan Museum of Art - online.] - The soft gold and peach pink tones evade the vision, as one look across the curved wall interior, broken only by the three major upstairs windows. Thanks to Kyriako Caras of Stephan Caras Design Inc. for giving me a personal tour of their extraordinary landmark building once the 1905 Canadian Bank of Commerce, architects Darling & Pearson. I also love their fashion. (Fourth) The third major building in this vibrant area of Toronto is on the opposite side of street (south side), just half a block down at the corner of Saulter Street is the former post office (Postal Station G) was built in 1913. Later it was a Town hall and Cultural Centre, and local library. Currently used for the Queen/Saulter Library at 735 Queen St. East, Toronto, ON, M4M 1H3. (416-393-7723) The architect of this building was the same man who designed what is now the large late 19th century City Hall of Toronto, E.J. Lennox. Not the new City Hall designed by Viljo Revell with John B. Parkin Associates, 1965. A retrofit was done by Matsui, Baer and Vanstone Architects in 2002. The corner location affords a good view of the side of this building. Title:André Fauteux & Anna Maclachlan, writer and poet who is the wife of Joseph Drapell, inside Andre's rental studio at 'Queen Broadview Village' or 'Riverside', Poulton Block, 2 Boulton Avenue & 792 Queen Street East, Ontario, Toronto, Canada. This photograph show the arch windows with the circle motifs, and the steel column supports. (Fifth) From the Library building designed by Lennox, one can see across Queen Street, the major three story building with very tall windows and floor levels, that is the HISTORIC BUILDING, THE POULTON BLOCK, ORIENT HALL or Masonic Lodge, 1885-1886,, A FREEMASON LODGE, built in Toronto in 1885, by the architects Kennedy, Gaviller & Holland, at the NW corner of 792 Queen Street East and 2 Boulton Avenue. This building was adopted by City Council on December. 10, 1975, as an Historic Architecture building of Toronto. This is where André Fauteux and Carol Sutton were married and lived as tenants during the late 1970's. Famous artists André Fauteux and Carol Sutton lived in the historic building on the corner of 2 Boulton Avenue and 792 Queen Street East, called the "Poulton Block", originally built as "Orient Hall", a Freemasons lodge, built in Toronto in 1885, by the architects Kennedy, Gaviller & Holland, at the NW corner of 792 Queen Street East and 2 Boulton Avenue. This building was adopted by City Council on Dec. 10, 1975, as an Historic Architecture building of Toronto history.
0.999966	Debra Milke's little boy is murdered in the Arizona desert. A Phoenix detective testifies that she confessed to commissioning the crime for a $5,000 insurance payout. She denies it. Who will the jury believe? Debra Milke is sentenced to death for the murder of her four year-old son, Christopher.
0.999974	Itching to hit up the freshest new spots in Plano? From an Indian eatery to a steakhouse, read on for a list of the newest destinations to open their doors around town. Desi Ginger Indian Cuisine is an Indian spot. The new addition has garnered rave reviews thus far, with a 4.5-star rating out of four reviews on Yelp. David B., who reviewed it on Feb. 7, said, "Nice decor and ambiance. Very friendly service! I was craving biryani, so I got the spicy chicken biryani and an order of garlic naan. It was delicious! The biryani was flavorful and spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. The portion size was generous as well!" Jorge L. noted, "Very flavorful. Friendly service and reasonable prices. I highly recommend it." Swing on by to take a peek for yourself: Desi Ginger Indian Cuisine is open from 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 5:30–10 p.m. daily. Knife Steakhouse Plano is a new steakhouse. It's the second location for the restaurant, which first opened in Dallas in 2014. The new addition has made a strong impression thus far, with a four-star rating out of four reviews on Yelp. Tony R., who was the first Yelper to review the new spot on Jan. 7, wrote, "This place knows their meat and how to make their steaks melt in your mouth. I just had their regular bone-in ribeye and it was delicious. Their sides are good portions for two and very good." Intrigued? Stop in to try it for yourself. Knife Steakhouse Plano is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. on Sunday. Ascension Annex is a new coffee roastery, offering coffee and tea and more. The new spot is off to an uneven start with six reviews on Yelp, but it's still early days. Yelper Natalie N., who reviewed it on Jan. 19, said, "They have a great menu. I can see a lot of people complaining about the long wait, but I didn't think it was terrible after ordering a sandwich and chai tea. Both were good and I will use this spot to take a break in between my shopping. " Clara G. wrote, "My coffee was delicious and worth the wait. If it hadn't been for the unfriendly encounter I had, I would probably be back today for another one." Grab a cup of Joe from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.–6 p.m. on Sunday.
0.999902	Patient autonomy or patient confusion? Scanning the popular medical press over the past few months would only have added to Richard's confusion - with headlines such as: 'New analysis suggests whole diet approach to lower cardiovascular risk has more evidence than low-fat diets'; 'Butter is bad - a myth we've been fed by the "healthy eating" industry'. I would imagine that many doctors are confused - just think how your patients must be feeling. Along with the furore about possibly modifying 'healthy eating' guidelines (never mind the heated debate over fats v. carbohydrates), we have conflicting advice on the globally popular, bestselling cholesterol drugs - the statins - from: 'Taking statins to lower cholesterol? New guidelines provide opportunity to discuss options with your doctor' - Mayo Clinic; 'Low-dose statins good option for some heart patients, study finds' - Medical Xpress; to the confusing alternative: 'Cholesterol drug statins should be given to millions more, [National Health Service (NHS)] guidance says' - The Guardian. We live in an era of patient autonomy; the idea being to involve our patients more in their care. All well and good, and certainly better than the paternalistic attitude that was prevalent a few decades ago, but what is it that we are expecting patients to do? The Mayo Clinic, based on a commentary by three of their physicians published recently in JAMA on the 2013 American College of Cardiology and American Medical Association cardiovascular guidelines, informs the the reader - assumed to be a layperson - that 'clinicians and patients should use shared decision-making to select individualised treatments based on the new guidelines to prevent cardiovascular disease'. They add, 'Shared decision-making is a collaborative process that allows patients and their clinicians to make health care decisions together, taking into account the best scientific evidence available, as well as the patient's values and preferences.' The new guidelines recommend that anyone with a '10-year cardiovascular risk of 7.5% or higher' is offered statins. But, the article goes on to say, '[commentator! Dr Montori cautions that the risk threshold established by the guideline panel is somewhat arbitrary. Instead he recommends that patients and their clinicians use a decision-making tool to discuss the risks and benefits of treatment with statins'. This same learned gentleman adds that rather than routinely prescribing statins to the millions of adults who have at least a 7.5% risk of having a heart attack or stroke within 10 years, clinicians and patients should discuss the potential harms and burdens of statins to arrive at a decision that 'reflects the existing research and the values and context of each patient'. He goes on to say - very tellingly in my opinion - ' ... we move the decision-making from the scientist to the patient ... '. Conversely, the article in The Guardian, arguably read by fairly well-educated people, explains that new NHS guidance says that everyone who has only a low risk of heart disease or stroke should be offered statins, already taken by some 7 million people in England. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), itself rather a paternalistic outfit, is now telling British GPs that they should prescribe - not offer - statins to all those with a 10% risk of heart disease and stroke, dropped from the previous threshold of 20%, and different again from the US threshold of 7.5%. Many doctors find it difficult to interpret guidelines - all based on relatively complex statistical analyses derived from drug trials, many of which used different methods of analysis and all of which talk about percentage risk, relative risk, confidence limits, number needed to treat, hazard ratios, etc. - which, with the best will in the world, most of us cannot interpret easily. Yet, we are asking our patients to make decisions 'in consultation' based on tools developed using these statistics? In my opinion, we need to think again about exactly what patient autonomy means and make sure that we don't simply offer confusion.
0.99971	How do Psychology Students Learn about PTSD? Psychology majors can learn about post-traumatic stress disorder and its effects on individuals by studying PTSD at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. Undergraduate studies typically cover general information about the disorder including characteristics associated with PTSD; assessment and diagnostic techniques; the disorder’s impact on daily living activities; and current treatment protocols for PTSD patients. Additional in-depth studies can be expected to specialize a master’s, doctorate or professional certificate leading to positions as mental health counselors with expertise in post-traumatic stress disorders. PTSD was officially recognized in 1980 as a distinct anxiety disorder among individuals who experience exposure to many forms of psychological trauma. Though PTSD has historically been associated with military combat personnel, PTSD can affect anyone who experiences verbal or physical abuse, bullying or harassment, violent assaults, natural disasters, man-made catastrophes or serious accidents. Those affected can consequently exhibit a range of symptoms including flashbacks, severe mood swings, uncontrolled rage, addiction, depression, panic attacks or eating disorders. Over time, PTSD has become more widely accepted as a legitimate psychological disorder and accredited psychology programs now provide coursework that emphasizes therapeutic approaches designed to improve the quality of life for PTSD patients. Psychology graduates with at least a master’s are prepared to take certification exams and meet minimal licensing qualifications required by most states to work in clinical or therapeutic programs. Employment positions for those with PTSD specialization may be found across diverse public, private and government venues. These include mental health clinics, grief counseling centers, social work agencies, abuse prevention organizations, educational research facilities, military hospitals, veterans affairs groups, psychotherapy practices, disaster relief agencies or emergency preparedness management programs. Those who complete psychology degree requirements to work as mental health providers with PTSD patients can expect fulfilling careers helping people overcome psychological trauma that affects normal social interactions and daily living activities. Currently, jobs within the mental health counseling profession are in demand and expected to rise by 29% through 2022 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As a result, studying PTSD through accredited degree programs can offer graduates multiple career choices.
0.999981	determine if the garment is dry-clean only or wash only. Adhesive Tape, Chewing Gum, Rubber Cement - Harden surface with ice; scrape with a dull knife. Saturate with a prewash stain remover or cleaning fluid. Rinse, then wash with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Baby Formula - Pretreat or soak stain using a product containing enzymes; soak for at least 30 minutes or several hours for aged stains. Launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Beverages (coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine, alcoholic drinks) - Soak stain in cool water. Pretreat with prewash stain remover or a paste of Country Save Laundry Detergent powder and water. Launder with Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach. Note: Older stains might respond to treatment with an enzyme product, then wash with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Blood - Soak freshly stained garment in cold water for 30 minutes. Rub detergent into any remaining stain. Rinse, then launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Dried stains should be pretreated or soaked in tepid water with a product containing enzymes, then laundered. Note: If stain remains, rewash, using a bleach that is safe for that fabric. Candle Wax - Harden with ice, then remove surface wax with a dull knife. Place wax stain between clean paper towels and press with a warm iron. Replace paper towels regularly to absorb more wax and to prevent transferring the stain. Place stain face down on clean paper towels. Sponge remaining stain with a prewash stain remover or dry-cleaning fluid; blot with paper towels. Let dry, then wash with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Note: If any color remains, relaunder with a bleach that is safe for that fabric such as Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach. Catsup/Tomato Sauce - Rinse in cold water, then soak in cool water with 1/4 cup Country Save Laundry Detergent per gallon of water. Spray with a prewash product; launder with a bleach that is safe for that fabric such as Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach. Chocolate - Treat the stain with a prewash spray or pretreat with a product containing enzymes. If stain remains, relaunder with bleach that is safe for that fabric such as Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach. Collar/Cuff Soils - Rub area with a stain stick product and let remain for 30 minutes, or longer for heavy stains; launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Coffee, Tea (plain or with sugar/sweetener) - Flush stain immediately with cool water if possible; or soak for 30 minutes in cool water. Rub the stain with Country Save Laundry Detergent and launder with bleach that is safe for that fabric such as Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach. Coffee, Tea (with cream only) - Sponge stain with a dry-cleaning solvent. Air dry. Rub with Country Save Laundry Detergent, then launder in hottest water safe for that fabric (with bleach that is safe for that fabric). Pretreat or soak older stains with an enzyme product, then launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Cosmetics - Pretreat with stain stick, prewash stain remover or a paste of Country Save Laundry Detergent or laundry additive and water, or rub with bar soap. Work into dampened stain until outline of stain is gone; rinse. If greasy stain remains, soak in an enzyme product. Rinse and launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Crayon (few spots) - Treat the same as for candle wax, or rub dampened stain with bar soap. Launder with hottest water safe for that fabric. Washer load of clothes can be washed in hot water, using a laundry soap (not detergent) plus 1 cup baking soda. If colored stain remains, launder again, using chlorine bleach, if safe for the fabrics. Otherwise, pretreat or soak in a product containing enzyme or Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach using hottest water safe for fabric, then wash with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Dairy Products (milk, cream, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, cheese, cream soup) - Pretreat with stain stick or soak in an enzyme presoak product for 30 minutes if stain is new, or several hours for aged stains; launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Deodorants, Antiperspirants - Treat light stains with a paste of Country Save Laundry Detergent and then wash with same. Pretreat heavy stains with same paste and allow to stand 5 to 10 minutes. Launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent and Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach. Dye Transfer (white garment that has picked up bleeding dye from other garment) - Remove stains with a commercial color remover; launder. If stain remains, launder again with chlorine bleach, if safe for that fabric. For colored fabrics and whites that cannot be chlorine bleached, soak in Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach or an enzyme presoak product, then launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Note: Proper sorting before laundering and not allowing wet clothing to stay in washer after cycle is completed helps prevent this type of stain. Egg - Pretreat with an enzyme product for 30 minutes for new stain, or several hours for aged stains; launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Fabric Softener - Moisten stain and rub with bar soap. Rinse, then launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. If stain remains, sponge area with rubbing alcohol or dry-cleaning solvent. Rinse thoroughly and relaunder. Fingernail Polish - Try nail polish remover, but do not use on acetate or triacetate fabrics. Place stain face down on paper towels and flush with remover. Replace paper towels regularly. Repeat until stain disappears; rinse and launder. Some polishes may be impossible to remove. Fruit Juices - Soak garment in cool water. Wash with bleach that is safe for that fabric. Grass Stains - Pretreat with stain stick or soak with an enzyme product. If stain remains, and if safe for dye, sponge stain with alcohol (dilute alcohol with 2 parts water for use on acetate). If stain still remains, launder in hottest water safe for fabrics, with bleach that is safe for that fabric. Grease (motor oil, animal fat, mayonnaise, salad dressing, butter, cooking oil and car grease) - Light stains can be pretreated with a spray stain remover, liquid laundry detergent, or a detergent booster. Launder in hottest water safe for fabric. Place heavy stains face down on clean paper towels. Apply cleaning fluid to the back of stain. Replace towels frequently. Let air dry; rinse. Launder in hottest water safe for that fabric. Ink - Test stain with water or dry-cleaning solvent by placing a drop of each on stain. Use method that removes more of the ink. Ballpoint ink stains can be placed stain face down on white paper towels. Sponge with rubbing or denatured alcohol or dry-cleaning solvent, or rub detergent into stained area. Repeat if some stain remains. Rinse; launder. Drawing ink usually cannot be removed. Try flushing with cold water until pigments are removed; rub liquid detergent into stain; rinse. Repeat process. Soak in warm sudsy water to which 1 to 4 tablespoons of household ammonia per quart of water have been added. Rinse thoroughly. Launder in hottest water safe for that fabric, with bleach safe for the fabric. Felt Tip or India Ink - Usually cannot be removed. Try pouring water through the stain before it dries, until pigments are removed. Allow to dry. If you notice some reduction in stain, sponge with dry-cleaning solvent. Allow to dry. Rub liquid household cleaner into stain. Rinse. Soak stain (possibly overnight) in warm water to which 1 to 4 tablespoons of household ammonia have been added. Rinse and repeat treatment if necessary; launder. Iodine - Rinse from back side of stain under cool, running water. Soak in solution of color remover, or sponge with a solution of sodium thiosulfate crystals (available at drug store). Rinse and launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Lipstick - Place face down on paper towels. Sponge area with dry-cleaning solvent, or use a prewash soil and stain remover. Replace towels frequently; rinse. Rub moist paste of Country Save Laundry Detergent into stain until outline is removed; launder with same. Repeat treatment if needed. Liquid paper - Sponge the stain with amyl acetate (banana oil). Air dry. Repeat treatment if necessary. Rub gently with detergent, then launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Mercurochrome or Methyolate - Rinse out as much of the stain as possible under cool, running water. Soak for 30 minutes in a solution of 1/2 teaspoon ammonia per quart of water. Rinse; if stain remains, soak in a solution of 1 quart warm water and 1 tablespoon vinegar for one hour. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. Launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent and Non-Chlorine Bleach. For delicate fabrics, apply alcohol and cover with pad moistened with alcohol. Change pads frequently until stain is removed. Rinse; launder. Mildew - Launder stained items using chlorine bleach, if safe for that fabric. Otherwise, soak in Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach and hot water, then launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. If some stain remains, sponge with hydrogen peroxide. Rinse and relaunder. Dry in sunlight. Badly mildewed fabrics may be damaged beyond repair. Mud - Let dry, then brush off as much mud as possible; or rinse under running water and let soak overnight. For light stains, pretreat with a paste of Country Save Laundry Detergent and water, launder with same. Pretreat heavy stains by presoaking with Country Save Laundry Detergent; launder with same. Red clay can be rubbed with a paste of vinegar and table salt. Leave for 30 minutes. Launder with hottest water safe for that fabric and Non-Chlorine Bleach. Repeat if needed. Mustard - Treat with a prewash stain remover, or dampen with water and rub with bar soap. Launder using Country Save Laundry Detergent with Non-Chlorine Bleach. Paint - Water-based paint, such as latex acrylic stains, should be rinsed in warm water while stain is still wet; launder. This stain usually cannot be removed after it dries. For oil-based paints, including varnish, use the solvent listed on the label as a thinner. If label information is unavailable, use turpentine. Rinse. Pretreat with prewash stain remover, bar soap, or Country Save Laundry Detergent and launder. Perfume - Treat with prewash stain remover; rinse and launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Perspiration - Treat with prewash stain remover, or dampen stain and rub with bar soap. If the color of the fabric has changed slightly, apply ammonia to fresh stain or white vinegar to old stain; rinse. Launder in hottest water safe for that fabric. Stubborn stains may respond to pretreating with a product containing enzymes, then launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent and Non-Chlorine Bleach. Pine Resin - Sponge the stain with cleaning fluid; let air dry. Rub with Country Save Laundry Detergent and launder as usual. If stains persist, apply a few drops of household ammonia. Air dry. Pollen (tree or flower) - Sponge, then flush with dry-cleaning solvent. Let air dry. Rub gently with paste of Country Save Laundry Detergent. Launder as usual, using Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach. Shoe Polish - Pretreat liquid shoe polish with a paste of Country Save Laundry Detergent and water; launder using same. Use a dull knife to scrape residue of paste shoe polish from the fabric. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover or cleaning fluid; rinse. Rub Country Save Laundry Detergent into dampened area. Launder with Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach. Tar - Act quickly before stain dries. Use a dull knife to scrape excess tar from the fabric. Place stain face down on paper towels. Sponge with cleaning fluid. Replace towels frequently for better absorption. Launder, using hottest water safe for that fabric. Tobacco - Moisten stain and rub with bar soap; rinse. Pretreat with stain stick or soak in an enzyme solution; launder with Country Save Laundry Detergent. Note: If stain remains, launder again using Country Save Non-Chlorine Bleach. Urine, Vomit, Mucous, or Feces - Treat with prewash spray or pretreat with a product containing enzymes. Launder with chlorine bleach that is safe for fabric, or use an all-fabric bleach. Yellowing of White Cottons or Linens - Fill washer with hot water. Add twice the detergent as normal. Place items in washer and agitate four minutes on regular cycle. Stop washer and soak clothes for 15 minutes. Restart washer and agitate 15 minutes. Complete the wash cycle. Repeat process if needed. Yellowing of White Nylon - Soak garment overnight in an enzyme presoak or oxygen bleach. Launder, using hot water and twice as much detergent as usual with an oxygen bleach. Treat stains promptly. Fresh stains are easier to remove than old ones. If the stain is on a nonwashable fabric, take it to the dry cleaner as soon as possible. Tell the stain and the fiber content of the garment. Take nonwashable items to dry cleaner as soon as possible; identify stain and fiber content of garment. Country Save Corporation is happy to make these suggestions for cleaning up the tough stains in your life but is not responsible in any way, shape or form, financially or otherwise, for any problems that may arise from following these suggestions. If you need a second opinion - Consult your Mother!
0.94694	Suppose I have created 5 different users. Each user's have created their specific report. Now I want to include all those reports into my dashboard. Can I do that ? If Yes, how ? Here, I am the admin and others are users. Yes, you can do that. The users just need to share their respective reports to the admin. The Admin then can create the dashboard using all these shared reports.
0.840882	For centuries its has followed a succession of foreign occupation, dating back to about 1000 B.C. when the Phoenicians and Greek traders created a flourishing community rich in agriculture, animal farming, and metal mining. By 206 B.C. the region was occupied by the Romans who made it one of the wealthiest parts of their empire. They built roads, aqueducts, temples, amphitheatres, baths and, even then, luxury villas for holidaying. The evidence of their occupation is still quite visible today in many parts of Andalucia and in particular along the coast. Following the downfall of the Roman Empire and the invasion of the Visigoths, in 711 B.C. began four centuries of Muslim occupation, which stretched into Portugal. The Moorish built beautiful palaces, mosques, gardens, founded universities and established large markets, creating one of the most civilised societies in medieval Europe. The persecution of Christians by the Muslims came to a end with the last crusade, "La Reconquista" in 1482, led by Isabel and Fernando, the catholic monarchs of AragÃ³n and CataluÃ±a, who destroyed the last Muslim stronghold in Granada. Unfortunately this is when the infamous "Spanish Inquisition" came to being. Islamic books were burnt, Jews refusing baptism were expelled, the Arabic language was banned whilst any remaining Muslims were forced into conversion. The succeeding Hapsburg kings brought Spain into a decline waging too many European wars and, by the 17th century, epidemics and bad harvests killed thousands of people, seriously depleting AndalucÃa's population. Under the new Bourbon dynasty (still in place today); Spain made some degree of recovery in the 18th century.and trade through Andalucian ports (including MÃ¡laga) and CÃ¡diz flourished. But when Louis XVI of France (a cousin of Spain's Carlos IV) was guillotined in 1793, Spain waged war on France, and lost. The Spanish revolt against Napoleon's French occupation was successful and a new constitution asserting sovereignty for the people was drawn up in CÃ¡diz. This set the scene for a century of struggle between the liberals and the conservatives. During his reign King Fernando VII (1814-34) revoked the constitution, reinstated the Inquisition, and persecuted liberals; Spain entered a severe economic recession and the American colonies won their independence. The dichotomy between the rich bourgeoisie and the poor labourers was particularly marked in AndalucÃa. In 1873 a liberal government proclaimed the First Republic, but it was overthrown 11 months later when the army reinstated the monarchy. The misery of the poor continued and many Andalucian peasants migrated to Latin America. Others joined popular anarchist movements, staging uprisings and strikes that were quickly quashed. In 1923 general Miguel Primo de Rivera began a mild military dictatorship and the anarchists went underground. King Alfonso XIII dismissed him in 1930. Municipal elections in 1931 resulted in the Second Republic and King Alfonso fled to Italy. The Second Republic (1931-36) was headed first by a left wing government, then a right wing. Neither government included fascist or anarchist groups and by 1936 violence caused by these factions escalated into a brutal and bloody civil war. The Nationalists, supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, gradually took over AndalucÃa's cities, murdering thousands on their way. By 1936 General Franco had emerged as the undisputed Nationalist leader. After battles in Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid he declared this war won on April 1, 1939. Franco's rule (1939 -1975) was characterised by repression. Catholic orthodoxy was restored, army garrisons kept the people down and jails were full of political prisoners. Although he kept Spain out of World War Two, a United Nations trade boycott in 1940 hit poor areas, such as AndalucÃa, particularly hard. Between 1950 and 1973 around 1.5 million left AndalucÃa in search for work elsewhere. Franco's successor Prince Juan Carlos (Alfonso XIII's grandson) is largely responsible for the subsequent transition to democracy. Franco's party was abolished and a multi-party system introduced; divorce, homosexuality, and contraception were legalised. New relaxed legislation allowed the late-night bar and club scene to emerge. In 1982 Spain finally broke with the past by voting for the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), led by Felipe GonzÃ¡lez from Seville. The PSOE eradicated much of AndalucÃa's poverty through grants. In 1986 Spain joined the EC (now the EU), and in 1992 Seville hosted the Expo world fair. In 1996 the centre-right Partido Popular (People's Party) won the elections under the leadership of JosÃ© MarÃa Aznar. After four years of steady economic progress, Aznar and the PP won again in 2000. Although AndalucÃa still lags behind the rest of Spain, poverty is down, education is up whilst tourism and gradual industrial growth are giving the region a welcome prosperity. Yet even with all this new-found wealth, Andalucians remain loyal to and proud of their country, their region and their families. The memories of past struggles are still fresh.
0.934601	If salt kills plants then how do we have plants that live in sea water? Different plants have different degrees of tolerance for salt. Quite a high concentration of salt is required for it to function as a "herbicide", and there is no doubt that many plants are not adapted to live and thrive in water (whether fresh or salty). Sea plants e.g. "seaweed" are adapted to comparatively high levels of salt, and total immersion in salty water. This is no different really to the case with us humans - your body can tolerate low levels of salt in your food, but it is recommended that you do not ingest more than 6 grams of salt per day. If you were to try drinking only saturated salt solution, rather than fresh water (or other safe drinks), it would not be long before it killed you. But that does not stop you sprinkling a bit of salt on your food if you feel like it. For both plants and humans, salt is only dangerous if present in too high a dose. What are the signs of a dying lucky bamboo plant? How to make a sea shell frame? How do you stop water from entering a cellar? is there any way to get salt (from the plow trucks) out of shoes? What are the top 20 plants that require most water(can produce a lot of oxygen)?
0.963437	Is indexing a form of caching? A good amount of software engineering goes into an activity that people describe as “make code run fast“. What people usually mean by that statement actually is “make code run inexpensively“. The reason why I say this is performance improvements are usually attempts at better overall resource utilization. There are a few situations wherein the objective is to actually make the code run faster even at a higher cost but those are few and far between. The two most common techniques that comes to mind when trying to make code running better are (a) algorithmic efficiency, and (b) caching. What is usually not obvious is that these two feed off each other more often than one realizes. For example, memoization is a form of caching, but the classical case where one encounters it is while studying dynamic programming as an algorithmic approach. The idea of this article is to expand our outlook on caching beyond a term that gets flung around as pseudo-intellectual way of saying “let’s use memcached” (or redis if you are from a younger generation). The most obvious improvement that can be brought about in such situation is to avoid the expensive re-computation by retaining results after performing step #1 in the hope that the same operation would be requested again. We shall confine ourselves to solutions that also have an additional constraint of having to be less expensive (after amortisation) than, repeatedly performing step #1. The recognition of this aspect is critical in trying to understand the generalised problem, as most real world caching solution usually impose restrictions on cache sizes as a cost saving tactic. One should not confuse this with cache invalidation; as the need for invalidation arises when we are trying to cache mutable results. This article is just not about caching; it is about indexing. We start first try and establish their similarities despite the seeming differences between the two. Both caching & indexing can be thought of as solutions being implemented over a collection of items. Let us denote the abstract expensive operation as f(x) -> y. We commonly refer to the situation where “x” happens to be the identity of the object and “y” is the object in itself; as caching. Indexing on the other hand involves “x” being a value that one of the attributes of the object can take and “y” being the set of objects (or just their identities) that match it. Now, if we were to think of the universe of search results as the collection of objects with its associated search query being it identity, then indexing is identical to traditional caching. Trait #3 that a problem should posses to make it seem like a good candidate for caching (same operation requested multiple times) isn’t directly obvious in the case of indexing as it manifests itself slightly differently. One usually does not build indices unless there is an expectation of frequent access that would utilise the index, as there is non trivial cost in maintaining indices. The hard part of maintaining indices is identical to that of caching: being able to provide a consistent view if the underlying dataset is mutable. The first question that needs to be answered is in trying to understand the expectations around consistency of the indices when the underlying data mutates. While it is possible to have an internal index such as a tree based scheme for collections, thus trivially solving the consistency problem, this approach may not be viable when more than one index needs is needed on the dataset. All hell breaks loose the moment we concede to have a representation of the data in more than one place. Indices are usually managed by the same entity that acts as the sole gateway for mutating the collection. The update strategy is analogous to write-through caches i.e. both the primary store and the cache (index in this case) are updated as part of the same operation before signalling completion to the update initiator. It seems obvious to almost any cache designer (or user) that the entire universe of the underlying collection need not be represented in the cache. This is usually not equally obvious to both index designers and users. Put it another way, an index over attributes of items in a collection need not be exhaustive i.e. contain references to every item and every value of the chosen attribute in a given collection. This is well recognized in the case of textual indices over documents as it takes the form of stop words. Such a phenomenon is equally true even in the case of highly normalised collections such as RDBMS tables on even finite value types such as integers. The candidates for exclusion in such situations happens to be high frequency values. We shall not dive into the details of why this strategy is commonplace. What is of interest here is that the decision to include or exclude items in indexing in such cases stems from intrinsic properties of the contents of the collection and not the access pattern. Again, there is nothing that precludes an index implementation strategy that looks at access patterns as well. We can adopt a hierarchical indexing solution much like a hierarchical cache and also have the option to make the layers either inclusive or exclusive of each other. Both caching & indexing are data retrieval speed up techniques. Both caching & indexing need not be exhaustive. “Return on investment” acts as the driving force in helping to decide what stays in and what goes out. Caching usually means identity based full item/entity caching. If we are to throw that narrow definition away, then hopefully we can now see that the problem is very similar to that of indexing to the point wherein indexing can be considered as a specialised style of caching.
0.94604	What does a typical day as GM for Campanile Dartford entail? Starting early in the morning, putting my bag in my office and then walking the customer journey into reception and restaurant, catching up with the team. I have regular conversations with my Sales Manager too, he provides me with opportunities that could benefit the hotel and supporting areas. I sit down with the HOD’s and discuss issues or opportunities to change. Each day is very different – a task that could take 5 minutes one day could take me an hour the next. Distractions pop up that need to be completed urgently according to business needs or requests from Head Office. Before leaving for the day I ensure the team are set for a busy evening ahead and our guests are given great service. Describe a typical weekend exploring Dartford: Dartford is a town in Kent on the outskirts of London. The famous Brands Hatch racing track is situated just round the corner and is popular with our staff and guests. Favourite Dartford tourist hot-spot: The Dartford Bridge its what we are famous for. Other popular hot spots is Bluewater shopping centre. Favourite Cafe Campanile dish: Our Signature Burger, unique and tastes great! Strangest item someone has left behind in a hotel room: There are too many to mention and some I can’t mention! The most usual suspects are phone chargers and toothbrushes. Most rewarding/favourite part of the job: When our guests leave happy and praise the team and also when the hotel achieves the KPI’s set. Hobbies when I’m not working include: Golf, Golf & Golf! I play locally and throughout Europe on golf holidays with my mates each year. I love football, supporting Manchester United and spending time with my wife.
0.99994	In one of those "I can't believe I have to write this posts" - No, energy wonks, you can't just pretend that people hate fossil fuels. It's a strawman and a distortion of views. What's happening here is a speaker trying to convince the public that the opponent's views are actually some more extreme caricature of their actual views. Sure, there are some small minority of people who want to end fossil fuel use tomorrow, but the vast majority of people have a balanced view and understand both the positive and negative effects fossil fuels have had on society. Acknowledging our societal and personal use of fossil fuels, while advocating a sensible transition away from fossil fuels, is not being a hypocrite - it's having an adult conversation about energy policy.
0.998775	In my post: https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/the-essential-elements-of-any-contract/ I mentioned that auctioneers enter into contracts throughout their careers. Here, we explore the three basic types of auction contracts. I’ll talk about these three contracts in the sequence in which they normally occur. These three contracts always involve two of the four parties: auctioneer, seller, bidder and buyer. The “Right to sell at auction” or “Consignment” Contract: This contract is between the auctioneer and seller. It is normally in writing (should always be in writing). This contract engages the auctioneer to provide certain services, typically including marketing, advertising, inventory, arrangement, bid calling and settlement. It requires the seller to provide certain promises as well, including allowing the property to be sold, providing clear title, etc. The “Registration” Contract: This contract is between the auctioneer and the bidders. It typically involves allowing the bidders to participate, and confirming that they agree to the terms and conditions, such as necessary deposits, time of removal, closing date, etc. if they become a buyer. The auctioneer (on behalf of the seller) agrees to allow the bidders to participate and provide the property to the winning bidders on behalf of the seller. These types of contracts are often times only oral, but can be in writing. * It is important to note that at an absolute auction, the seller, upon the opening of the auction, enters into a collateral contract with all the bidders, agreeing to sell to the highest bidder. In regard to enforceability, oral contracts (not in writing) are almost always fully enforceable in court, although they lack the written documentation to make enforceability easier. The one exception is contracts for the purchase of real estate, which must be in writing to be enforceable per the Statute of Frauds. So, following, “Sold!” at a real estate auction, there is a contract between the buyer and seller, but not an enforceable one — that is, not until it is reduced to writing. Mike Brandly, Auctioneer, CAI, AARE has been an auctioneer and certified appraiser for over 30 years. His company’s auctions are located at: Mike Brandly, Auctioneer, Keller Williams Auctions and Goodwill Columbus Car Auction. His Facebook page is: www.face book.com/mbauctioneer. He is Executive Director of The Ohio Auction School. Good article. Can an online seller proclaim an item sold and send a congratulatory e-mail to the online bidder, but then accept a higher offer offline leaving the online buyer without their goods (even if they have not yet paid)? It would appear you are the owner. Further, it appears they had no right to take that additional bid.
0.944725	The sport evolved with sub-disciplines such as stadium events known as supercross and arenacross held in indoor arenas. Classes were also formed for all-terrain vehicles. Freestyle motocross (FMX) events where riders are judged on their jumping and aerial acrobatic skills have gained popularity, as well as supermoto, where motocross machines race both on tarmac and off-road. Vintage motocross (VMX) events take place - usually for motorcycles predating the 1975 model year. Many VMX races also include a "Post Vintage" portion, which usually includes bikes dating until 1983. The AMA Motocross Championship is an American motorcycle racing series. The motocross race series was founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1972. The series is the major outdoor motocross series in the United States and is managed by MX Sports Pro Racing. The series began in 1972 with the introduction of two classes based on 500 cc and 250 cc engine formulas. A 125 cc class was added in 1974. As motocross technology developed, 500 cc two-stroke motocross bikes became too powerful for the average rider and, faced with diminishing numbers of competitors, the A.M.A. discontinued the 500 cc class after the 1993 season. A women's national championship series was introduced in 1996.Due to the low relative power output of a four stroke engine, compared to the then-dominating two stroke design, the A.M.A. had increased the allowable displacement capacity for four-stroke engines. By 1994, the displacement limit of a four stroke power motocross bike was up to 550cc in the 250 class, to incentivize manufactures to further develop the design for use in motocross. In 2006, the 250 cc division was renamed the MX Class, with an engine formula allowing for 150–250 cc two-stroke or 250–450 cc four-stroke machines. The 125 cc class was renamed the MX Lites Class, allowing 0–125 cc two-stroke or 150–250 cc four-stroke engines. In 2009, the MX class was renamed the 450 Class and the MX Lites class was renamed the 250 Class, to reflect the fact that all the competing manufacturers had adopted four-stroke machinery. The AMA Supercross Championship is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from January through early May. Supercross is a variant of motocross which involves off-road motorcycles on a constructed dirt track consisting of steep jumps and obstacles; the tracks are usually constructed inside a sports stadium. The easy accessibility and comfort of these stadium venues helped supercross surpass off-road motocross as a spectator attraction in the United States by the late 1970s. Alpinestars is a manufacturer of clothing and protective gear for motorsports and action sports founded in 1963, and located in Asolo, Italy. Its lines include specialized products for MotoGP, motocross, motorcycling, Formula One, WEC and NASCAR, mountain Biking and surfing, and motorsports-themed, non-sports clothing, with fashion design centers in Italy and California. BMX racing is a type of off-road bicycle racing. The format of BMX was derived from motocross racing. BMX bicycle races are sprint races on purpose-built off-road single-lap race tracks. The track usually consists of a starting gate for up to eight racers, a groomed, serpentine, dirt race course made of various jumps and rollers and a finish line. The course is usually flat, about 15 feet (4.6 m) wide and has large banked corners that help the riders maintain speed. The sport of BMX racing is facilitated by a number of regional and international sanctioning bodies. They provide rules for sanctioning the conduct of the flying, specify age group and skill-level classifications among the racers, and maintain some kind of points-accumulation system over the racing season. There is a list of plates that are able to obtain the list is Gold Cup state Race of Champions roc N. A. G sport is very family oriented and largely participant-driven, with riders ranging in age from 2 to 70, and over. Professional ranks exist for both men and women, where the age ranges from 18 to 40 years old. Cagiva is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer. It was founded in 1950 by Giovanni Castiglioni in Varese, originally producing small metal components. Giovanni's sons, Claudio and Gianfranco Castiglioni went into the motorcycle industry in 1978. The name is a portmanteau derived from the founder's name 'Giovanni Castiglioni' and the founding location, i.e. CAstiglioni GIovanni VArese. Freestyle motocross (also known as FMX) is a variation on the sport of motocross in which motorcycle riders attempt to impress judges with jumps and stunts. Big Air (also known as Best Trick), in which each rider gets two jumps — usually covering more than 75 ft (22.8m) — from a dirt-covered ramp. A panel of judges evaluates the style, trick difficulty, and originality and produces a score on a 100-point scale. Each rider's highest single-jump score is compared; top score wins. Freestyle motocross, the older of the two events, in which riders perform two routines, each lasting between 90 seconds and 14 minutes, on a course consisting of multiple jumps of varying lengths and angles that generally occupy one to two acres (.4 to .8 hectares). Like Big Air, a panel of judges assigns each contestant a score based on a 100-point scale, looking for difficult tricks and variations over jumps.Notable freestyle motocross events include Red Bull X-Fighters, NIGHT of the JUMPs, the X Games, Gravity Games, Big-X, Moto-X Freestyle National Championship, and Dew Action Sports Tour. Freeriding is the original form of freestyle motocross which started in the hills of southern California; due to professional racers such as Jeremy McGrath and Phil Lawrence "play riding" in the hills of reche canyon. It has no structure, and is traditionally done on public land. Riders for natural jumps and drop-offs to execute their tricks on. Some freeriders prefer to jump on sand dunes. In many ways, freeriding requires more skill and mental ability. Notable freeriding locations include Ocotillo Wells and Glamis Dunes in California, Beaumont, California, and Caineville, Utah. Husqvarna Motorcycles GmbH (Swedish: [²hʉːsˌkvɑːɲa] (listen); marketed as Husqvarna) designs, engineers, manufactures and distributes motocross, enduro, supermoto and street motorcycles. James Stewart Jr. (born December 21, 1985), also known as Bubba Stewart, is an American professional motocross racer who competed in supercross riding the No. 7. Through his years of racing, he earned the nickname “The Fastest Man on The Planet”, due to his extraordinary talent, speed, athleticism and innovation. James is also known for innovating the "bubba scrub" or just "scrub", which revolutionized the sport and became a fundamental skill needed to compete in Professional Motocross. In 2008 he won every race and every moto of the AMA Motocross season. The only other person to do this is Ricky Carmichael. James is #2 in all time 450 Supercross wins(50), and #2 all time in Pro AMA wins(98). He was the first to bring major outside sponsorship to the sport (Nike), and the first to host his own television show "Bubba's World" which brought even more attention to the sport. He is arguably the most financially lucrative racer, bringing in endorsement deals paying him over $10M a year throughout his career. Known for his vibrant personality and big smile, James has been featured in news outlets like Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Maxim, ESPN The Magazine, GQ and many more. Additionally, Teen People named him one of “20 Teens Who Will Change the World”. He has the record for best rookie season, having won 10/12 Motocross races in 2002. James has 5 FIM World Champion titles from Motocross of Nations, and World Supercross. 4 AMA Supercross Champion titles, and 3 AMA Motocross Champion titles. He won the Redbull Straight Rhythm in both 2014 and 2015. He's a Motocross legend who battled the greats of multiple era's. This list of 2007 motorcycling champions is a list of national or international touring motorcycle sport series with a Championship decided by the points or positions earned by a driver from multiple races. This is a partial list of notable current and former motocross riders, many of whom have competed in the World Championships, National Championships, and supercross competitions. FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), currently divided into two distinct classes: MX1 and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus 2 laps per moto. The series runs 18 events with two motos at each round. The Motocross des Nations (in French) is an annual team motocross race, where riders representing their country meet at what is billed as the "Olympics of Motocross". The event has been staged since 1947, where the team of Bill Nicholson, Fred Rist and Bob Ray, representing Great Britain, took home the Chamberlain Trophy for the first time.The event as it stands today is an amalgamation of three separate events, the original Motocross des Nations, raced with 500cc motorcycles, the Trophée des Nations, raced with 250cc motorcycles, and the Coupe des Nations, for 125cc motorcycles. Before 1984, the three events were held in different locations on different weekends, whereafter they were combined into a single event with one rider per class. The scoring for the event works on the position system, i.e. first place is awarded one point, second place two, etc. Each class (currently MXGP, MX2 and Open) races twice, each time against one of other two classes, for a total of three races. The worst score of three races is dropped, and the lowest combined score wins. The event's name has been officially anglicised (as Motocross of Nations "MXON") since 2004, when Youthstream was awarded promotional rights for the World Motocross Grand Prix, although the general moniker Des Nations or MXDN is still very much in use. Historically Great Britain dominated the early years, before the competition became more fierce. With the rise of motocross in North America from the 1970s, the USA embarked on a famous winning streak, lasting 13 years from 1981 to 1993. Motorcycle boots are associated with motorcycle riders and range from above ankle to below knee boots. They have an outside of a typical boot but a low heel to control the motorcycle. Depending upon how form-fitting the boot is, to allow a rider to easily get the boot on or off, the shaft may be designed to open lengthwise. If so, Velcro or other hook-and-loop fasteners are typically used on the inner sides of the opening to allow the rider to close the boot over the foot, ankle and leg. This allows for some flexibility for the rider to control the boot's tightness. Some manufacturers also include an internal quick-lacing system between a soft inner leg and the harder outer shell of the boot shaft to further ensure a tight, but comfortable fit. The heel of a racing boot is typically very low: not more than 1/2-inch (13 mm), and sole of the heel and foot is typically rather smooth. A curved plastic or composite plate may be included to cover the shin of the boot to protect the rider's shin. Rick Ware Racing (RWR) is an American motorsports team which currently competes in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team has competed in NASCAR, the ARCA Racing Series, the WMA Motocross Series, AMA Arenacross, Motocross and Supercross Series, Summer X Games and Rolex Sports Car Series since 2008, and is owned by former driver Rick Ware. Since RWR's inception, the organization has won championships in the SCCA (1988), the WMA Motocross Series (2006, 2007) the AMA Arenacross Series (2007, 2008, 2009), in partnership with Tuf Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour at Bowman Gray Stadium (2009) in partnership with Tim Brown Motorsports, as well as "Top Performing Independent Team" in the Motocross and Supercross Series'. Ricky Carmichael (born November 27, 1979 in Clearwater, Florida) is a former motocross racer known for his success in motocross in the early 2000s, having won the AMA Motocross Championship 450cc class seven times and the AMA Supercross Championship 450cc class five times. His unrivaled successes in the sport of motocross have given him the nickname "The GOAT"; standing for Greatest of All Time. Travis Alan Pastrana (born October 8, 1983) is an American professional motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus, and previously competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing the Global RallyCross Championship for Subaru Rally Team USA, and the Monster Jam circuit, in his own Pastrana 199 truck. He last competed in NASCAR in the Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports. Pastrana replicated three of legendary daredevil Evel Knievel's most famous jumps without injury in record-breaking fashion while in Las Vegas. Česká zbrojovka (ČZ a.s.) is a Czech company producing components for the automobile industry and former firearms manufacturer also known for making ČZ motorcycles. ČZ was established as a branch of the Škoda Works Armament in Strakonice, Czechoslovakia in September 1919.
0.999476	The Stealth Hair Dryer is made with a pure ceramic grill, brushless motor, an integrated far infrared heat strip, three temperature settings, two speed settings, two detachable concentrators, and a cool shot button. The state-of-the-art quiet brushless motor offers maximum power, while far infrared heat breaks the bonds between water molecules for reduced styling time. The Stealth Hair Dryer also comes with two concentrators and is safe for all hair types. Integrated far infrared heat strip - sends heat directly into the hair follicle and out to the cuticle to protect strands over time. Brushless motor - supports over 5000+ hours of quiet and lightweight use - the maximum on the market. What type of motor is the Stealth Dryer made with? The Stealth Dryer is made with a brushless motor which supports over 5000+ hours of quiet and lightweight use. The Stealth Dryer comes with two attachments: 1 slim and 1 mid sized concentrator.
0.999997	If a manager is disrespectful, rude or mean to a subordinate, can the subordinate sue for defamation of character? Federal managers are immune from defamation lawsuits from comments they make about their subordinates, so long as the manager was acting within the scope of his or her employment. Based on the limited facts you describe, my believe is that your manager was probably within the scope of employment when the comments were made.
0.980797	Review: Florence + The Machine, Spark Arena - January 2019. Having taken to the stage just two nights prior to headline St Jerome’s Laneway Festival in Auckland, Florence + The Machine returned once again to Spark Arena last night to showcase her latest album ‘High As Hope’, proving her status as one of the most important artists of our generation. But before Florence and her band took to the stage, 19-year-old Yellow Days warmed up the crowd with his distinctive crooning voice. Real name George van der Broeck, the young British musician and his band (who also played Laneway on Monday) were slick, treating Florence fans to songs like ‘What’s It All For?’ and ‘Gap In The Clouds’, in what was their first ever show in an arena, and first ever opening slot. Half an hour later, Florence + The Machine were on - opening with ‘June’ and ‘Hunger’ from her latest album ‘High As Hope’. From the moment she arrived on stage, Florence Welch commanded attention as she twirled and threw herself around the stage, without ever missing a note, and imparting wisdom - from criticising toxic masculinity, to sharing her belief that "change and a revolution in consciousness starts with individuals". Throwing it back they launched into ‘Between Two Lungs’, before Welch paused to explain her shyness on stage when talking, and encouraged everyone to get up out of their seats - to which everyone happily obliged, to dance along to ‘Only If For A Night’. Despite having little production during the show, Welch managed to engage with the sold-out arena audience throughout - from making everyone hold hands with each other during ‘South London Forever’, getting everyone to put their phones away during the final part of ‘Dog Days Are Over’, and lighting up the arena with phone lights in ‘Cosmic Love’, to running up and down the arena. Returning for a three song encore, Welch started out with brand-new song ‘Moderation’, before coloured confetti rained down during the more sombre ‘Big God’. She closed it out with ’Shake It Out’, with the help of the audience choir singing along to every word - not wanting the show to end, but a final bow from Florence saw her farewell New Zealand for another time. MusicWatch: Florence + The Machine cover the Foo Fighters song 'Times Like These' at Glastonbury 2015. MusicWatch: Florence + The Machine performs 'Hunger' live on The Tonight Show. Music'The Great Gatsby' preview of new Florence + The Machine & Lana Del Rey songs! MusicWatch: Foals cover Florence + The Machine’s 'What Kind Of Man'. MusicWatch: Florence + The Machine's Glastonbury 2015 set. MusicFlorence + The Machine release 'St Jude’ music video. MusicFlorence + The Machine - 'Big God' music video.
0.949273	Late 2018, iconic physicist Stephen Hawking's last work was published posthumously in the Journal of High Energy Physics. In it, he and his Harvard collaborators concluded that black holes, the object Hawking spent most of his life researching, have "soft hairs". To understand this outlandish claim, one would need to steer away from human aesthetics but dive deep into the nature of black holes, the massive celestial bodies whose gravitational force is so strong that nothing close to their vicinity can escape. Physicists liken the characteristics of a black hole to the condition of "baldness", because of no other information about a black hole is available except for its mass, electric charge, and angular momentum. Matters that are drawn towards a black hole, anything from a neutron star to a speck of dust, eventually enter the event horizon, the "points of no return". There, they are stretched to near-infinite lengths, broken down and assimilated into the faceless, indiscernible black hole, losing all their distinct properties. But this very nature of black hole contradict the fundamental laws of physics. Quantum mechanics, the subfield of physics that deals with the world of very small, dictates that information can only be transformed but not destroyed. In another physics doctrine known as the second law of thermodynamics, entropy, or the degree of disorder, always increase. A black hole violates this by turning everything falling toward it into homogenous, characterless mass, reducing overall entropy. In their 2018 paper, Hawkings and co-authors proposed a solution to the famous "black hole information paradox". They described a way of calculating the entropy of black holes, essentially quantitative measures of a black hole other than its basic properties. Their solution points toward an alternative picture of what happens at the event horizon: the immensely strong gravitational force does not strip the unique properties of matters that fall toward a black hole; instead, these entities get transformed into photons and deposited at the event horizon. Therefore, those are the stretched, "soft hairs" covering the bare skin of black holes. The authors admitted that their deduction on the matter is not a true resolution of the information paradox, but they believe that "it provides some considerable insight" that would get us one step closer to the truth. Hawkings is often seen as a pioneer in modern physics, following the footsteps of another giant Albert Einstein. Einstein spent the second half of his life searching for a theory that unifies gravity and quantum mechanics but failed. Hawkings, who helped conceptualize the idea of a black hole, saw this otherworldly, paradoxical body of enormous mass as a perfect gateway to complete what Einstein started. With the tremendous contribution made by the late British physicist, scientists are confident that the quest to find a unifying theory will come to a fruitful end. With years of experience in biomedical R & D, Daniel is also very into writing. He is constantly fascinated by what's happening in the world of science. He hopes to capture the public's interest and promote scientific literacy with his trending news articles.
0.999997	We examine the spatial concentration and spatial stability of home burglary (N=46,684) on street segments (N=26,875) in the context of a substantial city-level burglary drop from 2005 to 2014 in Antwerp, Belgium. Longitudinal trends in spatial concentrations of burglary are considered using descriptive statistics, generalized Gini coefficients, local Getis-Ord statistics, and a longitudinal extension of Andresen’s non-parametric spatial point pattern test (SPPT). Home burglary is substantially concentrated on street segments. Burglary point patterns exhibit a moderate to high degree of spatial stability over time. About 87% of street segments with burglary experienced a net decrease in crime and less than 2% of street segments with burglary experienced a net increase. The citywide home burglary drop manifested itself rather uniformly across street segments and the majority of street segments that experienced burglary contributed relatively equally to the crime drop. In other words, we do not find strong evidence that the city-level crime drop can be tied to substantial decreases in a few specific places, nor do we find that the reductions in burglary are spatially concentrated.
0.999985	Map showing location of Indiana on the US map. As you can see on the given location map of Indiana state US, Indiana is located in the Great Lakes Region of USA. However, the Indiana state US shares its boundary with Michigan in north, Ohio in the east, Kentucky in the south and south-east, and Illinois in the west. The Small portion of northern part of the Indiana US makes coastline with Lake Michigan; the coastline with Lake Michigan facilitates the state with see route. Indiana is the 19th state that admitted to the Union. The state has many cities with the population more than 100,000 along with several small industrial cities and towns. As you can see on the Indiana map US, the capital city of state is Indianapolis. It is the largest city of the state. The state is special in terms of sports; it is more popularly known as home of many important sports including NBA’s Indiana Pacers, NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, and the Indianapolis 500 motor-sports race (surprisingly, it is largest single-day sporting event in the entire world). The state has humid continental climate with some percentage of agriculture land. However, the state is also important for the tourists and education. The cities like Indianapolis, Evansville, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Gary and many others are very much significant for the tourists. The locations of these cities, you can find on the Indiana state map. This is detailed map of Indiana US that comprises wide range of information including major and small cities, railways, and highways. It is very much beneficial for tourists, students, teachers, and other people who are interested in knowing about Indiana state US.
0.97849	Job Numbers likely to be less ugly? Stock futures are currently lower as the nation nervously awaits this month's jobs numbers due out at 8:30 AM EST. Economists are expecting that US employers likely slashed 370,000 jobs in July which would be an improvement of the prior month's figure of 467,000. But the unemployment rate, already at a 26-year high, is likely to creep upwards to 9.7% from the current 9.5% figure. The average workweek is likely to remain low at 33.0 hours signaling continued pressure on the pocketbooks of the American consumer. Since the recession began in December 2007, almost 6.5 million jobs have been lost. For more context, see Professor Mike Mish Shedlock's The Dismal State of Unemployment. From the Bull Pen: Despite the economic fundamentals, it's hard to be overly bearish with counterparty risks down to June 2008 lows and the Fed willing to backstop all toxic assets. Bulls can look to an energy play like Hess Corp (HES) as the stock filled its gap and is holding its 200 day moving average (a textbook technical setup). A sell stop can be set 2% below entry. From the Bear Cave: If you're in the camp that a correction in the S&P 500 is imminent, consider playing the downside in the SPY, or for a short term trade, the Ultrashort S&P 500 (SDS). Risk management is key, however, so set your stops. Also take into consideration that traders typically don't like to be short into the weekend. Asian trading closed with the Hang Seng -2.51%, India -2.28%, Shanghai -2.85%, Nikkei 0.23%, and Taiwan (Closed). As of 7:20 AM EST, S&P Futures are trading -3.25 to 991.75 and Nasdaq futures are -2.25 to 1599.25. Over in commodities, crude oil is trading -0.63 to 71.31 while gold is -0.400 at 961.10 this morning. Silver is -0.100 to 14.64 and copper -3.400 to 271.80. The dollar index is -0.0050 to 78.1500. Bacon, egg and cheese, pizza, and philly cheesesteaks today! Happy Fat Friday! Good luck!
0.93701	Greece, a country seriously economically damaged by the Global Financial Crisis, has been forced into an early election after the Greek Parliament failed to elect a President. Under the Greek Constitution, the President is expected to win three-fifths of the vote in Parliament, or 180 votes, to be elected. If no candidate wins 180 votes in Parliament, an election is held. My previous post on Greece provides some background. The term of office of the incumbent Greek President, Karolos Papoulias, has recently expired, and the Greek Parliament must therefore elect a replacement. The table below shows the current balance of power in the Greek Parliament. The government consists of the New Democracy and Panhellenic Socialist (PASOK) parties. This coalition has 155 seats in the Greek Parliament. This is 25 votes short of the majority needed to elect a president. One candidate was nominated for the presidency: New Democracy member Stavros Dimas. At the first ballot, Dimas recieved 160 votes. This is the votes from the coalition, plus 5 independents. The remaining members either voted 'present' or abstained. At the second ballot, Dimas recieved 8 more votes, but was still short by 12. At this point, government members were furiously lobbying members of potentially friendly parties, like Democratic Left. However, the third ballot resulted in a failure by Dimas to recieve 180 votes. Three ballots are allowed before an election is called. Who will win an election? At present, the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) is leading New Democracy in the polls by 4-6 points. Under Greece's electoral law, the party with the most votes wins a 50 seat bonus. This means that SYRIZA will be the largest party by a comfortable margin if these polls are correct. However, with undecided voters in polls included, they have a relatively low vote (below 30%), meaning that they may not win a majority, or even come close. Out of all the other parties, SYRIZA have few friends. New Democracy and PASOK think that they are too leftist and anti-establishment, they are hated by the far-right in Golden Dawn for being leftist, and the Communists hate them for some reason to do with ideology (it's complicated). As a result, there may be some effort by members of other parties to tactically vote for New Democracy to stop SYRIZA. This may also mean that even if SYRIZA are the largest party, they would be unable to form a government. It is worth pointing out that Golden Dawn's polling has recently dropped somewhat, and it has returned to the levels of the last election. The Independent Greeks vote has also dropped dramatically from the last election. Now, the New Democracy polling has stayed much the same from the last election. And there is no way of telling where the Golden Dawn and Independent Greeks vote is going (as far as I know). However, New Democracy's leader, Antonis Samaras, was very confident in nominating Dimas, a politically polarising figure, for the office of President. If he didn't want an election, it would be possible to nominate a consensus candidate with the support of the independents. Instead, he may have it all planned out. It still seems like an odd way to solve a governability crisis. After an election is held, a presidential candidate can be elected with a simple majority. This means that the government after the election will be able to chose the president. Golden Dawn appears to have peaked, and is unlikely to win more seats at this election. Independent Greeks will likely lose seats. PASOK will also probably lose seats, even if they do disguise themselves as the 'Olive Tree' like in the Euro-elections. Democratic Left will be wiped out. The River , a centrist liberal party formed by journalist Stavros Theodokrais, will gain seats, and may be useful in supporting a pro-Euro government. In short, this election is unlikely to improve Greece's political and economic stability. Any election will worry investors, and the possibility, however remote, of a SYRIZA victory will scare them even more. For those who found that depressing, here are some goats playing on metal sheeting. Have a happy new year, readers! Sweden has been a well-covered topic on this blog, and for those starting anew, here is my post on the 2014 election, and here is my post on the proposed 2015 election. Anyway, the proposed 2015 election has been called off, after a deal between the centre-left Social Democrat-Green coalition and the centre-right Moderate-Liberal-Centre-Christian Democrat alliance to pass a budget. In effect, it is a coalition agreement between the centre-left and centre-right. The centre-right, having more seats than the centre-left, will propose a budget. The centre-left will form government, and they will be permitted to change the budget somewhat. The centre-right will abstain on the budget. Both groups will have a common policy on pensions, military issues, and energy.This deal will last until 2022, remaining in force even after the next scheduled election in 2018. So, what does this mean for Sweden's future? The coalition will be able to control Parliament, but it will come at a price. The far-right Sweden Democrats will gain significantly in the polls after an event like this. People who voted for a centre-right party thinking that they would be helping to elect a centre-right government may feel betrayed by the deal, and may respond to the centre-right's behaviour by voting for the far-right. This idea is borne out by multiple cases. From 2005 to 2009, Germany was led by a grand coalition between Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democrats. Merkel became Chancellor, and the Social Democrats were perceived as sellouts. At the 2009 election, the Social Democrats lost 11% of the vote compared to 2005, with the Greens and Left parties gaining by about 3 points each. In Austria, the 2006 election was followed by a grand coalition between the centre-right Austrian People's Party and the Social Democrats. The Social Democrats got the prime ministership. When the Austrian People's Party pulled out of coalition, an election was called. At that election, both parties lost votes to the far-right, but the People's Party's losses were heavier. In short, it is probable that the 2018 Sweden election will result in losses for the centre-right and gains for the far-right. The current coalition will almost certainly control parliament from 2018 to 2022, but the tide of the Sweden Democrats will not be turned by this coalition, at least electorally. RESULT: Liberal Democrat-New Komeito coalition returned to power, with two-thirds majority. Well, it's all over, and the result has surprised no one. A comfortable win for Shinzo Abe, with 326 seats for his coalition in the House of Representatives. The result is a gain for the New Komeito-Liberal Democrat coalition of one on the current House and thirteen on the results of the last election. The Liberal Democrats recorded a big increase in their vote. Under Japan's mixed-member majoritarian electoral system, they won 33.1% of the proportional representation vote and 48.1% of the single-member district vote, up from 27% and 43% in 2012. A very good performance by Abe, given that his party has been in power for a year of relative stagnation. The party did not gain seats, but the consolidation of the opposition vote meant that they did not have the split of the vote between the opposition parties that helped them in 2012. The Democrats gained seats, in an entirely inevitable result. They won 73 seats in the 475 member House, a gain from the current House of 11 and from the last election of 16. This is a slight gain, but Democrats worried about a wipeout of their party can rest easy knowing that they appear to have a stable base of voters. The party won 18% of the proportional vote and 22.5% of the single-member district vote. The single-member district vote went down slightly from 23% in 2012, but the proportional vote went up from 15.5% in 2012. The Communist district vote went up, so perhaps leftist Democrats switched their district votes in safe Liberal Democrat seats. The Innovation Party did well. They won 41 seats, down one from the previous House. They won about 15.7% of the proportional vote and 8% of the single-member district vote. Some of this support probably came from Your Party, which was disbanded before the election. Innovation and the right-wing of Your have some common positions, and Innovation appears to have got the majority of the vote from the 2012 Restoration vote. New Komeito did well. I had expected them to lose seats as a backlash against militarist initiatives by the Abe government, but they gained 4 seats, and their vote went up slightly. They won all of the single-member seats that they contested off 1.5% of the single-member district vote, thanks to a non-competition agreement with the Liberal Democrats. The Communists had a good night. They won 21 seats, a gain of 13 from 2012. Attempts by the party to moderate its political stances and to shift away from doctrinaire Marxism appear to be working, and they managed to win a single-member seat for the first time since the introduction of the mixed-member majoritarian system in 1993. The party won 13% of the single-member district vote and 11.4% of the proportional vote. The Party for Future Generations did very poorly. The party attempted to trade off the personal popularity of 'spiritual leader' Shinataro Ishihara, but it flopped. They were unable to differentiate themselves from the much more popular Innovation Party, and lost most of their vote to them. They won 2 seats, 1.8% of the single member vote, and 2.65% of the proportional vote. The minor Social Democrats did poorly, winning 2 seats. However, with their 3 upper house members, they have exactly enough members to form a parliamentary party, giving them funding and status in the Japanese Parliament. Last, and almost certainly least, is Ichiro Ozawa's People's Life Party. This party, set up by former Democrat (and Liberal Democrat, and Liberal, and Japan New Party member, and New Frontier leader) was formed after poor results for the Tomorrow Party in the 2012 election. Ozawa was a key member of Tomorrow, and it has been speculated that his multiple scandals contributed to the downfall of the anti-nuclear Tomorrow Party. A lack of interest in the main issue for People's Life (nuclear power) and Ozawa's poor reputation meant that People's Life won 2 seats. So, where is Japan's political system headed? Well, the Democrats are unlikely to return to government any time soon, but the Democrats are unlikely to disappear, and they are going to be the main opposition to the Liberal Democrats. The Communists will be a problem for the Democrats, as they are required by party rules to contest every single-member constituency, which will split the left-wing vote. Unless something astonishing happens, the Liberal Democrats will rule Japan for a long time to come. Japan's snap election, which will take place in about 10 days, has already caused the premature end of one political party. Your Party, a right-wing libertarian party once considered to be a possible third force in Japanese politics, was dissolved by a vote of the party caucus on November 19. The party had been in disarray ever since half the caucus left to form the (you can't make this up) Unity Party. This party decided to merge into the Japan Innovation Party, itself a split from the nationalist Restoration Party. This month's NHK poll showed Your Party with 0% support. Given that 40% were supporters of 'no party', it seems unlikely that there is actually no support for Your Party, but given that they were at 3.7% after the 2012 election, it does show how poorly the party is regarded in the eyes of the public. 0% support rates in the NHK poll for certain parties are not an unusual phenomenon in Japan. The Green Wind party (sounds better in Japanese) managed a top percentage of 0.1% and 5 out of 7 polls in which the party were polled gave them 0%, while the New Renaissance Party managed to get 0% in all 7 polls in which they were included. The same poll had Ichiro Ozawa's People's Life Party on 0% and the Party for Future Generations (the Restoration members who didn't leave) on 0.2%. This election is not a referendum on Abenomics! The most common narrative about this election in the media is that it is a referendum on Shinzo Abe's economic plan. This is not acccurate. In a hypothetical referendum on Abenomics, there would be two options: yes or no. In this election, the Liberal Democrats are the yes option. There is, however, no coherent no option. There are many parties that claim to provide an alternative to Abenomics. While the Democrats are obviously the largest alternative, the Communists (the biggest issue for the Democrats) and the Japan Innovation Party are the other two parties likely to make an impact. The Liberal Democrats will be able to exploit this division. The Communist Party is bound by their constitution to run a candidate in each single-member district, which will split the anti-Abenomics vote. The Innovation Party do have the option of tactical nomination, but they will be unlikely to want to support a Democrat government. The small parties, like People's Life and Future Generations, will have no constructive role in this election other than one that distracts from the campaign of the large alternatives to Abenomics. To be totally honest, there is virtually no chance of a Liberal Democrat loss. The 2012 election has shown that even a small vote for the Liberal Democrats can give them a majority. The Democrats can make some inroads into the Liberal Democrat majority, but I do not think that there will be enough for them to win. Taiwan's largest ever local elections are scheduled to be held today, and, despite being a relatively minor election in terms of actual power over Taiwan, they are expected to be a useful barometer of public opinion in an island that has traditionally been a thorn in the side of the People's Republic of China. Taiwan is not really a 'country', as recognised by most of the world. As Taiwan lays claim to all of China, plus some bits of Mongolia and Central Asia, governments cannot diplomatically recognise 'Taiwan' as an independent country; they have to go for either recognising the People's Republic of China (the commies) as the government of all China (including Taiwan), or recognising Taiwan (the Republic of China) as the government of all China. Most countries go for the former, seeing that Taiwan is less economically powerful and that the People's Republic is no longer really 'communist'. Taiwan has the diplomatic allegiance of a few Pacific and Central American countries (international heavy hitters like Nauru, Palau and Panama), as well as the Vatican City, but most countries have a 'one China policy', although there are usually warm words for Taiwan's democracy from Europe and the United States. Taiwan was originally part of China, before being ceded to Japan in the dying days of the Empire. After World War 2, Japan handed Taiwan over to the Republican government who at that point controlled China. The civil war between the Republicans (Kuomintang) and the Communists broke out, and the Republicans were forced to retreat to Taiwan. The Republicans, led by noted egomaniac Chiang Kai-Shek (who had his portrait on Tiananmen Square before Mao) then proceeded to run Taiwan like a military barracks. The original National Assembly and Legislature elected after World War 2 were kept, and elections only took place to fill seats vacated by dying members of these assemblies. Only the three approved parties (Kuomintang, Chinese Youth Party, and Democratic Socialist) were permitted to contest these elections, although independents could also run. Advocating independence for Taiwan was punished by death, and most of Taiwan's small wealth was spent on military equipment, which was useless as Taiwan was too small to either defend attacks from the People's Republic or retake the mainland. Things were not much better under Chiang Chiang-Kuo, Kai-Shek's son, who took over in 1975. By this point, Taiwan had become an international pariah. Even the United States had cut off diplomatic relations with them, and they had relatively little international aid or military. China were too busy modernising to invade, but had they decided to, they would have squashed Taiwan like a bug. The economy was doing well, but Taiwan had become irrelevant. Ching-kuo, however, showed signs of softening in the late 1980s. He appointed a non-mainlander, Lee Teng-Hui, as Vice-President, removed martial law, and sent negotiators to the People's Republic over a hijacked aeroplane. When the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party was formed, he decided not to prosecute it, despite the fact that political parties were technically banned. After Ching-kuo's death in 1988, he was replaced by Lee Teng-Hui, his vice-president. Lee immediately began a policy of democratisation, introducing direct elections for the National Assembly, Legislative Yuan, and the Presidency. The Republicans won all of these, with the Democratic Progressive vote hovering around 20%-30%. Teng-Hui moved the Republicans away from their reunificationist policy towards a pro-independence policy. This did not go down all too well with the Republicans. In 1996, the New Party, a right-wing Chinese reunificationist party. contested the Legislative Yuan elections, winning 13% of the vote and 21 seats in the 164 member Yuan. In that election, the Kuomintang won 85 seats and the Democratic Progressives won 54. The New Party collapsed pretty quickly, though, and fell to 11 seats in the 1998 elections (in an expanded Legislative Yuan of 225). The 2000 presidential election was far more controversial. Reunificationist Kuomintang candidate James Soong was the most popular candidate for the Kuomintang nomination, but Lee Teng-Hui, worried by Soong's radicalism, used his power within the party to nominate Lien Chan, Vice President and a moderate. A jilted Soong ran as an independent, and split the reunificationist vote, electing pro-independence Democratic Progressive nominee Chen Shui-Bian. Chen won only 39.3% of the vote, with Soong winning 36.8% and Chan winning 23.1%. After the election, Soong formed his own reunificationist party, called the People First party. Teng-Hui, a hated figure within the Kuomintang for his effective election of Shui-Bian, was expelled from the Kuomintang, and formed his own pro-independence party called the Taiwan Solidarity Union. In the 2001 legislative elections, the Democratic Progressives won 87 seats out of 225, beating the Kuomintang, who only won 68. People First won 46 seats and the Taiwan Solidarity Union won 13. The New Party won just 1 seat, while 10 independents were elected. While the reunificationists did have a majority, enough Kuomintang and People First legislators were convinced into supporting the Democratic Progressive-Taiwan Solidarity coalition. Shui-Bian's term was very controversial. In his inaugural speech, he had laid out his "Four Noes and One Without" policy, saying that if the People's Republic of China did not take military action against Taiwan, they would not change their name to "Republic of Taiwan", declare Taiwanese independence, promote a referendum on either unification or independence, or promote special relations with the People's Republic. However, during his first term he made many controversial statements that contradicted this above sentiment. He won the 2004 presidential election against a Chan-Soong Kuomintang ticket, but only narrowly, and only after a controversial shooting incident. In his second term, allegations of corruption made him deeply unpopular. His wife was arrested; he had presidential immunity from prosecution and could not be arrested. His approval rating went down to 8%, and the Democratic Progressive Party was solidly defeated in the 2008 election, losing to the Kuomintang's Ma Ying-Jeou. Chen was arrested, and sentenced to 21 years in prison for corruption. At present, the Ying-Jeou government is supportive of accelerating the pace of unification with China. Free trade agreements have been pushed through the Legislative Yuan, direct travel to the mainland became legal, and meetings have been conducted between Taiwanese and People's Republic leaders. This was broadly accepted during Ying-Jeou's first term, with support for the Kuomintang remainin g high. In 2012, Ying-Jeou was re-elected against Democratic Progressive chairwoman Tsai Ing-Wen and James Soong, winning 51.6% to Ing-Wen's 45.6% and Soong's 2.8%. However, Ying-Jeou's support has quickly ebbed away. His approval rating has dropped significantly since his re-election, and a number of controversies regarding relations with China have dramatically reduced his popularity. Student protest movements have brought attention to perceived corruption and improper ties to China, and Taiwan's economy is still stagnating. The Democratic Progressive Party are relatively strong, but Taiwan's polarised political system creates something of a cap on their support. No matter how unpopular Ying-Jeou and his party are, there is a body of voters who will vote for them against the Democratic Progressives no matter what. Taiwan's new electoral system will have something of an impact, as well. Taiwan used to use the single non-transferable vote system, but a change in 2005 to the mixed-member majoritarian system means that the Taiwanese Parliament is less proportional. This means that if the Democratic Progressives become the largest party in terms of the vote, as they were in 2001, they will likely win a majority in the Legislative Yuan, and have significant power. Originally, the People's Republic's plans for unification of China involved the treatment of Taiwan as any normal province. However, Deng Xiopeng's "one country, two systems" proposal, that involved giving Hong Kong and Macau 'managed democracy' and 'regional autonomy'. After Taiwan's democratisation, this proposal was held up by pro-unification Taiwan politicians as a model for Taiwan's reunification. However, events in Hong Kong may have changed this view somewhat. I have no opinion polling on this, but surely the People's Republic's refusal to allow democratic elections for Hong Kong would erode popular confidence in reunification. Reunification is already unpopular; Hong Kong's protests cannot do anything to make it less so. The result of the election were fairly decisive. The Democratic Progressive Party won 4 out of 6 mayoralties; a fifth, the capital of Taipei, went to a pro-independence Independent supported by the Democratic Progressives. The only Kuomintang mayor to hang on was Sean Lien of New Taipei, who won by a tiny margin. Most councils and other local offices were won by the Democratic Progressive Party. If the Kuomintang lose the presidential election, there is a good chance that they will also lose control of the legislature, as even a small win in the popular vote will probably give the Democratic Progressives a comfortable majority. There is still no consensus on Taiwan's political future. The Kuomintang are far away from any collapse, and they have the ability to come back, even if they lose a presidential election. Taiwan's two-party system, created by the mixed-member majoritarian system, appears to be working. The polarisation of Taiwan's political system is well in place, and any party that is not either green (pro-independence) or blue (pro-unification) has little chance of any political success. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has recently announced that he will be dissolving the House of Representatives (the lower house of the Japanese Diet), and will be calling a general election for the 14th of December. The election only had to take place in 2016, and many questions have been asked about Abe's motives. Japan's Diet, or parliament, is bicameral. The two houses are the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. Both houses are elected by a mixed-member majoritarian electoral system. The Prime Minister is elected by the lower house, but bills must be passed by both houses. Recent Japanese politics has been rather complicated, but there are effectively two parties. There is the Liberal Democratic Party, which is a centre-right party, and the Democratic Party, which is a centre to centre-left party. The Liberal Democratic Party is old. It was formed as a merger of the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party (That name must have taken ages to think up). They were formed in 1955, and were consistently in power from 1955 to 1993. The Democrats are much newer. For the first 30-40 years of the Liberal Democrats' dominance, they were opposed mostly by the Socialist Party, which never even came close to government. There were three other parties, too. The Buddhist Komeito party, the centre-left Democratic Socialists, and the far-left Japanese Communist Party. However, in 1993, it all changed. The Liberal Democrats split, with many members leaving and forming parties with somewhat more creative names. The Japan Renewal, Japan New, and New Party Harbinger were all formed by Liberal Democrat dissidents. In the election of that year, the Liberal Democrats won only 223 seats, with 256 seats needed for a majority. The opposition won the rest of the seats; however, the Communists refused to enter government. The Communists had only won 15 seats, however, meaning that an 8-party alliance could be formed with the support of the Independents. However, the government's hold on power was tenuous. The coalition only had 258 seats, a majority of just 2, It consisted of parties that could agree on little, other than the evil of the Liberal Democrats. Japan New Party Member of Parliament Morihiro Hosokawa, a former Liberal Democrat, was elected Prime Minister. This government passed electoral and political reform, but was simply too fractured to survive. Hosokawa resigned, and was replaced by another former Liberal Democrat, Tsutomo Hata. Hata's premiership was cut short by the withdrawal of New Sakigake and the Socialists, who promptly entered into a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. This coalition was disastrous for the Socialists, but it threw the now-opposition parties into disarray. The opposition parties formed two new parties; New Frontiers, and the Democrats. New Frontiers, which was led by promising young backroom hack Ichiro Ozawa, ended up with 156 seats, while the Democrats won 52. New Frontiers collapsed between 1996 and 2000, and Ozawa formed the Liberal Party to contest the 2000 election. The Liberals won 22 seats, and the Democrats won 129. The merger of the two parties created great hopes of a two-party system, a political system that had never been seen in Japan. Hopes of this were dropped after the 2005 election, which was called by Junichiro Kozumi over postal privatisation. The Liberal Democrats won 296 out of 480, while the Democrats won only 113. This election was perceived as a disaster for the Democrats, and it was used as proof that they were unable to form government. The Global Financial Crisis changed everything. After the popular Koizumi's resignation, Shinzo Abe ascended to the premiership. Abe's focus on textbooks and patriotic education was unpopular with an economy-focused electorate. Abe lost the 2007 upper house election to a resurgent Democratic Party, a loss which crippled the Liberal Democrats. Abe resigned as prime minister, and was replaced by a series of unpopular and ineffective leaders who failed to do much for the Liberal Democratic Party. The Democrats, led by Yukio Hatoyama won the 2009 lower house election, with 308 out of 480. The Liberal Democrats, led by Taro Aso, collapsed to just 114, while no other party won over 25 seats. Hatoyama became Prime Minister with a record majority. However, the Democrats' joy was short-lived. In 2010, Hatoyama resigned, following a scandal over an American naval base. He was replaced by Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Kan was popular at first, but ruined his chances in the upper house election after announcing a hike in the sales tax from 5% to 10% before the election. (Little hint to politicians: announce unpopular policies after the election). The fractured nature of the Democratic Party caused serious problems for the party's stability. Ichiro Ozawa, upset at being forced to take the fall for a number of scandals, challenged Kan for the leadership. Kan comfortably beat Ozawa, but the damage was done. Following the 2011 earthquake, Naoto Kan resigned. Yoshikiko Noda replaced him, and inherited the difficult task of rebuilding both the country and the economy. Noda, despite shutting down power plants, was still supportive of nuclear power, and supported the sales tax increase. Here, Ozawa saw his opportunity. In 2012, he resigned from the Democrats, and formed the People's Life First party, an anti-sales tax rise, anti-nuclear party, taking 49 Democrat lawmakers with him. This cut into the Democratic majority, and the opposition introduced a vote of no-confidence in the lower house. Noda won the motion, thanks to the Liberal Democrats abstaining, but was massively weakened. Abe was elected leader of the Liberal Democrats, in preperation for the 16 December 2012 election. Noda's Democrats went to the election having won 308 seats at the last election, but only having 230 still in the party. Ozawa had teamed up with anti-nuclear governor Yukio Kada to create the Future Party, which held 61 seats. The Japan Restoration Party was formed by far-right Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara. The result of the election was disastrous for the Democrats. They only won 57 seats, while the Liberal Democrats won 294. The Restoration Party won 54, only just behind the Democrats, while Future crashed to just 9 seats. After the election, all but one Future members left to form People's Life (another tool of Ozawa's), and the party collapsed in May 2013. The Democrats elected former Industry Minister Banri Kaieda as leader. The Opposition still controlled the upper house, but this changed in 2013, when an upper house election gave the Liberal Democrats a comfortable majority, and gave the Democrats only 13.4% of the vote. The Liberal Democrats are currently fairly popular, but there are a number of political issues that can destroy a Japanese government, Abe is calling this election mostly to get a mandate for a sales tax increase, an issue that very much needs strong support from the electorate. A sales tax increase will take a long time to have a positive effect on the economy, and Abe needs the few extra years that an early election will give him. The election may also be somewhat of a housecleaning for the Diet. The right-libertarian Your Party, which won 18 seats at the election, has split, with 9 members leaving to form Unity (the most ironic name for a political party ever). The Restoration Party split, with Kyoto mayor Toru Hashimoto forming the Innovation Party (which was a merger with Unity) and Ishihara forming the Party for Future Generations. People First is also on life support, and will lose almost all of its seats. A clean parliament will be easier to manage for Abe. Given that Japanese opinion polling is utter nonsense, I will not attempt to predict seats shares. Rather, the table below demonstrates an approximation of how the parties will do. I won't write down justifications for all parties, as that would be overcomplicated, but any justification will be provided below in the comments. Personally, I think that the Liberal Democrats will be returned to office by a somewhat reduced majority. The Democrats, no matter how hapless their campaign is, will just have to gain seats, while the Communists will probably gain seats. Future Generations is too isolated and weak, while New Komeito (Buddhist) will lose seats, but will remain fairly strong. Parties with a focus on internet issues have become much more prominent recently. Like the wave of socialist parties in the 1910s, and the wave of green parties in the 1980s, internet parties have spread throughout the globe. However, so far most have met with little success. There are a few exceptions; the Icelandic Pirates have representation in the Althingi (Icelandic parliament), the Swedish Pirates won European Parliament seats, and the German Pirate Party has received some seats in state legislatures and in the European Parliament. The latter party is the subject of this post. After winning 9% of the vote and 15 out of 152 seats in the Berlin Parliament in 2011, the German Pirate Party shot to national prominence. The result put them above both the liberal Free Democratic Party and the far-right National Democratic Party, both parties with a long history in Germany. The Free Democratic Party had an especially bad time; they have been in the federal parliament since 1946. The Berlin elections were the last to be held in 2011, but the party managed to win seats in the state of Saarland in 2012, winning 4 out of 51 and 7.4% of the vote. They also won 20 seats out of 237 and 7.8% in North Rhine-Westphalia and 6 out of 69 and 8.2% in Schleswig-Holstein. By now. the media were treating the Pirates as a political party with an excellent chance of entering the Bundestag. The party were beginning to poll in the low teens. And while the temptation was to treat them as a joke, the traditionally close balancing of parties in the German Bundestag would mean that they would have to be taken very seriously by the German political establishment. The party was positioned to make a big splash in the German political system. The poor polling of the Free Democrats, a party with a somewhat similar political view, meant that they could attempt to attract other liberal-minded voters. With the Social Democratic Party moving further to the left and the Free Democrats becoming irrelevant, there was a space in the German political system, and the Pirates were poised to enter that space. However, just as the Pirates looked certain of entering the Bundestag (German federal parliament), the party began to lose support. It's hard to point to any single reason why they began to slide, but here are a few potential reasons. Voters not taking the Pirates seriously, especially liberal-minded voters who may have supported a party of that sort without the Pirate symbolism. Focusing on narrow issues that many voters do not care about, like online surveillance. As a result, the Pirates peformed poorly at the federal election. They only won 2.2% of the vote, which was below the 5% threshold required to enter the Bundestag. They fell further at the European Parliament election, winning only 1.45% of the vote in an election that is usually perceived as an opportunity to elect protest candidates. However, due to the abolition of the 3% threshold, the Pirates were able to elect 1 Member of the European Parliament out of 99. So, where is the German Pirate Party headed? Well, they have polled very, very badly in recent state elections. They have not managed to make any further impact, and while they may stick around in the Berlin parliament, they are unlikely to re-elect any other members of state parliaments. One may ask then, why has the Pirate experiment so far failed? New political movements have entered worldwide, and the internet is a huge change that surely should cause some change in personal voting habits. The simple fact is that voters have so far tended not to vote with the internet in mind. There are notable exceptions, but the internet may not end up creating a great political movement. Unlike the green movement, the Pirate candidates of 2014 do not have the issue of nuclear weapons to use for political purposes. The lack of diversification of the 1980s Greens was also aided by the economy not being a big political issue, while the Pirates' lack of an economic policy is poorly timed given that voters are viewing the economy as a big issue. Who knows, perhaps the Pirates will rise again. Perhaps, when the economic crisis is over, internet surveillance will hit the headlines once more, and the Pirates will suddenly become relevant. However, in times like these, the Pirate Party is unlikely to make a serious and long-term impact. Recently, the Russian Duma (parliament) approved a new, or rather old, electoral law. The law provides for a mixed-member majoritarian system, with half of the 450 seats being elected by single-member plurality, and half of the seats being elected by closed-list nationwide proportional representation with a 5% threshold. The system has not been widely discussed, but it has the potential to have a significant effect on Russia's political system. Russia currently uses regional closed party list proportional representation with a 7% national threshold. This system was introduced in 2005 on the initiative of President Vladimir Putin. It was designed to give United Russia control over the Duma, and to remove independents. As United Russia was comfortably over 50% of the vote, proportionality was not an issue. At the first election under party-list PR in 2007, the system had its desired effects. United Russia won 64% of the vote and 315 out of 450 seats. The far-left nationalist Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) won 11.6% of the vote and 57 seats. The far-right nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) won 8.1% of the vote and 40 seats, while the pro-Putin (at that point) centre-left Fair Russia party won 7.7% of the seats and 38 seats. The Agrarian Party (left-wing socialist) won 2.3% of the vote and no seats, while the centre-left liberal Yabloko party won 1.6% and no seats. The result was excellent for Putin. There was no serious opposition to his government, with the CPRF and LDPR both being fringe parties and Fair Russia being controlled by the Kremlin. A bit of political posturing could give United Russia the Duma support of the LDPR, and some populist-left posturing could do the same for the CPRF. However, under the presidency of Putin acolyte Dmitry Medvedev, United Russia lost support. The 2011 election (an election widely considered to be unfair) was relatively bad for United Russia, despite alleged fraud. United Russia fell to 49.32% of the vote, which gave them 238 seats. They narrowly won a majority thanks to Yabloko (who had won 4%) falling below the threshold, which meant that United Russia won 52.8% of the effective vote, and a majority of the seats. All the opposition parties had a vote increase. The CPRF won 19.2% of the vote and 92 seats. Fair Russia won 13.2% and 64 seats, beating the LDPR, which won 11.7% and 56 seats. This created a headache for Putin. At this point, the CPRF and LDPR were anti-Putin, while Fair Russia were growing more independent. A minority for United Russia would doom Putin to at least five years of horse-trading to pass his agenda. In 2013, Putin decided to change the law. A new electoral law was introduced into the Duma, providing for 50% of seats to be elected by party-list proportional representation with a 5% threshold and 50% of seats elected by single-member plurality. This law passed the Duma with wide support, with only the CPRF voting against. It is hard to pick any particular motivation for this vote other than blind Putin-hate on the part of the CPRF or Putinophilia (is that a word?) on the part of Fair Russia and LDPR, or both. The mixed-member majoritarian system has been used before in Russia. It was used for the first democratic election in 1993, and was used for the 1995, 1999, and 2003 Duma elections. As a result, there is some historical evidence for any claims. For a start, more parties will be represented in the Duma. Yabloko's vote has probably been depressed by liberals tactically voting for other parties rather than wasting their vote on a party with no chance of getting 7%. 5% is much more reasonable, and it is probable that Yabloko will re-enter the Duma, with approximately 20 members. There is room for other parties as well, and a liberalisation of the party registration law (passed concurrently with the electoral system change) may mean a wider variety of other opposition voices are represented. On the other hand, it could well mean that the liberal vote would become split, meaning that few liberals make it into the Duma. It will be good for United Russia. The divided opposition will be easily defeated in the single-member electorates, and they will win enough party-list seats to comfortably control the Duma. A widely reported characteristic of this system is its tendency to elect independents. And, as an independent candidacy is currently impossible in Russia, it is certain that we will see more independent members of the Duma. However, the high numbers of independents will not be repeated under the first mixed-member majoritarian election. This is because Russia's party system has developed significantly. In 1993, independents won 48.7% of the district vote and 30 seats. This was due to the complete lack of any large political parties. A local independent could win a seat and beat a candidate of a large party based on name recognition. Even in 1995, political parties were still weak. The CPRF was the largest party in both the list and constituency contests, which could be put down to good organisation left over from the Soviet era. The LDPR was the second largest party, but was far stronger in the lists which could be attributed to the vote-pulling power of leader Vladimir Zhirnovsky. The Kremlin-backed Our Home is Russia party (one of the predecessors of United Russia) won 45 seats on the list, but only 10 constituencies. Yabloko was the only reasonably balanced party, with 31 list and 10 district. Independents won 77 seats, all in districts. Independents reached their zenith in 1999, when 105 were elected. This could be attributed to a poor result for the Communists, who lost some district seats despite their national party vote rising. The Unity party, which was endorsed by then-Prime Minister Putin, was strong in the list but weak in the districts, while the only other party to do well in the districts was left-nationalist party Fatherland-All Russia, which won 31 seats. Much changed in the period leading up to the 2003 election. United Russia was formed from a merger of Unity and Fatherland-All Russia, while the new Rodina party was formed (left-nationalist). United Russia had the full backing of the Kremlin, and won comfortably, with 223 seats. With only 3 seats short of a majority, Putin had control (more or less) of the Duma during the 2003-2007 term, thanks to friendly minor parties and independents. However, the need for firmer control, and the irritant of having to negotiate with pesky independents, meant that Putin switched to party-list PR. While history shows that independents have done well under mixed-member majoritarian, Russians are now more used to powerful political parties. The existence of an obvious 'party of power' will help guide the voting intentions of Russians towards party-nominated candidates. Still, independents could be something of a pain for Putin if they get the balance of power. Okay, let's say that you are a civil servant in the Central Electoral Comission, and you have been asked to design an electoral system for Russia designed to be the best for United Russia. My personal proposal would be to introduce a proportional representation system, but with a fixed 60% majority for the largest party. This would be the best of both worlds: full control over Duma members, and a guaranteed majority for United Russia, as none of the split opposition parties could win. You could even lower the threshold to 5%, and it would make no difference to the United Russia majority. The results of the Duma elections using this system are below. On the 29th of November, the Australian state of Victoria will be holding an election. All 88 seats in the Legislative Assembly (the lower house) and all 40 seats in the Legislative Council (the upper house) will be up for election. The Assembly is elected by instant runoff voting in single member constituencies, while the Council is elected by the the single transferable vote with party tickets in 5 member electorates. Victoria is a two-party system. There is the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia and the centre-left Australian Labor Party. There is also the centre-right National Party, which is based only in rural areas, and is usually in coalition with the Liberals. There are a number of minor parties which have held seats in the upper house; the Greens (left-wing environmentalists) and the Democratic Labour Party (economically left, socially conservative). Independents have also been elected to the Assembly. Victoria is currently governed by a coalition of the Liberal and National parties. This coalition holds a majority of 1 in the Legislative Council, but is in a minority in the Assembly. The Liberal/National coalition came to power in 2010, defeating the Labor government of Premier John Brumby. At that point the Liberals were led by Ted Bailleu, who became Premier. The Liberal/National coalition won a narrow majority, with 45 seats to Labor's 43. This meant that the government needed the vote of every MP (Member of Parliament, the lower house) in order to win a vote. This became important later. The government performed well in the polls directly after the election. However, the party's support soon fell, and the Liberal/Nationals hovered around 52% two-party preferred in the opinion polls by early 2012. The numbers in parliament became precarious after allegations of misconduct with public money were levelled against Geoff Shaw, the MP for Frankston. Shaw, whose conservative Christian views have caused controversy, and whose relationship with his ex-wife has caused more controversy, was placed into a very powerful position after the 2010 election. As the Liberal Party elected a speaker (Ken Smith) who cannot vote, the Liberals only had 44 votes to 43 for Labor. Shaw, or indeed any other Liberal or National MP, could theoretically cause the defeat of the government. On 6 March 2013, events finally came to a head. Shaw resigned from the Liberal Party and became an independent. The following day, Bailleu resigned as Premier. His place was taken by Denis Napthine. At this point, Shaw said that he would probably continue to support the government. The point was academic, as even with Shaw's support, a no-confidence motion could not pass. Labor technically had 43 MPs, but the resignation of one MP in a safe seat meant that the government was temporarily safe. Labor had problems of its own. They had not expected to be even close to victory in 2014, and as such had installed former Health Minister Daniel Andrews as leader. Andrews had virtually no public profile, and at the start of his term only 16% of voters thought that he would make a better premier. Even in 2012, his better premier support was low. While Shaw made lots of noises about toppling the Liberals, it was perfectly clear that he had no intention of handing government to Andrews. Given that Victoria has fixed four-year terms, a no-confidence motion against Napthine with no positive majority for Andrews would open a constitutional can of worms. Anyway, Shaw is virtually guaranteed to lose his seat, so it is not in his best interests to get a quick election. The East West Link is a proposed road project running from (as implied by the name) the western suburbs of Melbourne to the Eastern Freeway. The project was originally proposed by Liberal premier Jeff Kennett in 1999, but was brought to prominence when it was recommended by a commission into transport in Victoria in 2008. The Liberal/National coalition made it a policy in 2010, and preparations have been made for a contract in the last four years. However, this project has had some opposition. For a start, some believe that the plan is bad for the environment, as it will encourage more driving. These people believe that the government should prioritise public transport over road projects. A number of protests around the issue polarised public opinion between supporters and opponents of the plan. The issue has only heated up recently, especially since Daniel Andrews has promised to halt any plans if he is elected. A number of claims have been made to the effect that the election is a referendum on the road program. However, this is unlikely. If you look at the most marginal seats in the state, most of them are in the outer suburbs. These places are generally away from the areas directly affected by the link. The seats that will be directly affected are all irrelevant, as they are mostly safe Labor. The East West Link is something of a sideshow, and any local backlash can only increase Labor margins. Since the 1980s, this has always been an issue in Victorian elections. The public transport system in Victoria has been run by private companies since the privatisation by Jeff Kennett. There have been multiple controversies about how public transport has been run, and what sort of developments should be prioritised. The Liberal/National coalition have a policy of prioritising two projects: removing level crossings, and building a rail line to Melbourne Airport. The Labor Party plans to remove level crossings, extend a number of railway lines, and purchase 30 more trains. The Liberal/National coalition government has been criticised as a 'do-nothing' government that has not done much with four years of control of both houses of Parliament. This is somewhat true; although the government has been somewhat hijacked by Geoff Shaw's antics. Napthine has been criticised as a bland leader, and most state Ministers are relatively unknown. The Liberal/Nationals are also in government at a federal level, and state governments tend to do poorly when their federal counterparts are in government. The Greens are unlikely to make any large gains. Leader Greg Barber is virtually unknown, and they will not be able to trade off personalities of candidates. They will hold their ground in the upper house, and may win a seat or two in the lower house, but they will not make a breakthrough. The other parties are small, but large in number. There are 21 parties registered to contest the election: excluding the above-mentioned 4, this effectively means that there are 17 small parties contesting, none of which is likely to make a significant impact. However, if the small parties stick together, and give each other preferences, it is possible that a number of minor candidates could be elected, even with small shares of the primary vote. In a finely balanced upper house, the votes of these members could be decisive. ABC election analyst Antony Green has more here. Kevin Bonham has done some useful analysis and modelling on his blog. The ABC's election guide is a useful resource for data. The Age newspaper has excellent coverage of the issues and events in the campaign. There are a number of electoral systems that do not comfortably fit into either the proportional or majoritarian classes. This post is intended to tie up these loose ends, and fully explain any unexplained systems. The Limited Vote is a relatively simple electoral system. It is similar to the multiple non-transferable vote, except voters have less votes than the number of seats to be filled. The number of votes is not fixed, but there must be more than one and less than the number of seats to be filled. The candidates with the most votes are elected. This system is used for the Spanish Senate election. The Single Non-Transferable Vote is similar, except voters have only one vote, and multiple seats are to be elected. The highest polling candidates are elected. Under mixed-member proportional, voters usually have two votes; one for a political party and one for a local candidate. The nation or region is divided into a number of single-member constituencies, but this number is less than the number of members to be elected to the legislature. In the local constituencies, the candidate with the most votes wins. With the party vote, all the votes are counted up nationwide and the seats in parliament are distributed proportionally (see previous post) amongst all the parties. These seats are first filled by elected candidates from constituencies. If further seats are to be filled, these are filled from a party list. This system is used in Germany and New Zealand. Under mixed-member majoritarian, voters usually have two votes; one for a political party, and one for a local candidate. Usually, the local candidate with the most votes is elected. The party votes are all counted up, and a specified amount of seats in the legislature are distributed amongst parties depending on these votes. This system is used in Japan and South Korea. These systems should really belong in the majoritatian section. But, for the sake of simplicity, I will put it here. Under a majority bonus system, voters vote for a party, and possibly for one or more candidates. Under one method, the party with the most votes automatically wins a percentage of seats ,usually above 50%, while the other seats are proportionally distributed amongst the parties. Another method uses normal proportional representation, but the largest party wins a set amount of seats on top of their proportional share. These systems are used in Greece and Italy. The second main type of electoral system is proportional systems. Proportional representation systems are designed to provide a close match between votes cast and seats won. Proportional representation systems are only used for legislatures, as a single office cannot be divided proportionally. There are two types of proportional representation. There are party list systems, which work by dividing seats between parties based on their vote shares and then electing members from lists of candidates, and the single transferable vote. The single transferable vote is slightly harder to explain, but it will be explained below. There are two basic elements to party list systems. The first is what sort of system is used to divide seats between lists (the method of seat apportionment) , and the second is how the party lists are composed. Largest remainder methods are one of two ways of distributing seats to parties. Under largest remainder methods, voters vote for a party list. The first step in seat allocation is to calculate a quota. There are a number of quotas. The Hare quota, invented by Thomas Hare, is total votes/seats. The Droop quota, invented by Henry Droop, is total votes/(seats+1) or total votes/(seats+1)+1. The Imperiali quota is total votes/(seats+2), and a quota used for Italian elections during the 1950s is total votes/(seats+3). The votes for each party are divided by this quota. A party receives one seat for each filled quota. If there are still unfilled seats, the party with the highest remainder is given one seat. This process continues, with no party being allocated more than one seat by highest remainders. The table below shows how the system works. In the election below, 5 seats are at stake, and 4 parties are competing. As you can see, three seats are allocated on full quotas: one each to parties A, B, and C. This leaves 2 seats unallocated. These are filled by parties A and B, as they have the 2 highest remainders. This system can be modified to only allocate seats on full quotas. Under this system, known as the remainder-transfer system, seats are allocated to parties for each quota that they win. Unused votes are transferred to a higher tier multi-member constituency, where all seats are allocated using quotas and largest remainders. The highest averages method is somewhat different. However, voters still cast votes for a party. These votes are tallied up. Under highest averages, a numerical sequence is decided on before the election. There are a number of different numerical sequences. There is the D'Hondt method, invented by Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt. This sequence starts at 1 and increased by 1 at each increase; it goes 1,2,3,4 and so on. The second system is the Sainte-Lague method. Invented by a French mathematician, this sequence consists of all positive odd numbers, starting at 1: it goes 1, 3, 5, 7 and so on. This system can be modified to increase the barrier for a first seat by changing the first divisor to 1.4. There is the Imperiali method, which starts at 2, goes up by 1 each time. There is also the Danish method, which goes 1,4,7,9 and so on. So, how do these systems translate votes to seats? Well, at the start, all votes are divided by the first number in the sequence. The party with the highest number is then awarded one seat, and their vote is divided by the next number in the sequence. At this point, the party with the highest vote wins a seat, and has their vote divided by the next number. This process repeats until all seats are filled. The table below shows a sample election, the same sample election as above. The D'Hondt method is used. As you can see, Party A has the highest vote, and it receives the first seat. Party A's vote is divided by 2 (the next number in the D'Hondt sequence). Because of this division, Party B wins the next seat. Party B's vote is then divided by 2 as well. Party C then wins a seat, and has their vote divided by 2. At this point. Party A has the highest vote, and they win another seat. Their vote is then divided by 3 (the next number in the sequence). This division makes Party B the largest, and they win the fifth and final seat. In order to fill these seats, parties need to create ranked lists of candidates. There are different ways of creating these lists. Under a closed list system, parties draw up a ranked list before an election. Voters vote only for a party, and the candidates on the list are elected in list order. Under a flexible list system, voters may vote for a candidate within a party. This vote counts as a vote for the party. If the vote for a candidate excludes a certain threshold, that candidate is elected. After all candidates with a personal vote over the threshold are elected, remaining seats are filled in party list order. This system is used in Sweden and the Netherlands. Under a free list system, voters have as many votes as there are candidates to be elected. Voters may cast multiple votes for a single candidate, or cast votes for candidates of different parties. Each vote for a candidate counts as a vote for the party that they are running with. Within parties, seats are filled by the candidates with the most votes. This system is used in Switzerland and Luxembourg. The Single Transferable Vote (STV) is one of the rarer voting systems. It is used only in Australia (for upper house elections in New South Wales, Victoria, South and Western Australia, for lower house elections in Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, and for the Federal Senate), Ireland (for all elections), Scotland (for local elections), India (for indirect federal upper house elections), and Malta (for all elections). Under the Single Transferable Vote, voters vote for candidates, not parties. Voters vote by numbering boxes next to candidates: a voter's most preferred candidate gets a 1, second most preferred a 2, and so on. At the start of the count, all number 1 votes are counted, and votes are tallied for each candidate. Following this, a quota is calculated. Under the first STV elections, the quota was the Hare quota (votes/seats), but this was abandoned, as this quota tends to increase the value of tactical voting (don't ask). Usually this quota is the Droop quota (votes/(seats+1)+1). Any candidate with more than the quota, or the same number of votes as the quota, is elected. If a candidate has the same number of votes as the quota, they are elected, and nothing needs to be done. However, if a candidate has more votes than the quota, then they have a surplus. Different STV methods differ on how to deal with this surplus; the Tasmanian STV system gives each surplus vote a value (number of surplus votes/total votes for elected candidate with further preferences), and distributes the votes at that value, while other systems take a random sample of surplus votes. Under most STV systems in use, all ballot papers are now treated as if that candidate never stood for election. If no candidate has a surplus, the lowest polling candidate is excluded. Their ballot papers are examined for further preferences: ballot papers are transferred to the next available preferences. If there are no further preferences on a ballot paper, that paper is marked 'exhausted', and is ignored for the remainder of the count. Again, all ballot papers are now treated as if the excluded candidate had never stood for election. This process repeats until all seats are filled. If, at the final stage, the number of candidates still in the count is equal to the number of seats unfilled, those candidates are elected, even if they have not reached the quota. Formerly for the Australian senate and for the Victorian, Western Australian, and South Australian upper houses, a modification is added. Parties have the option of lodging 'party voting tickets'. A party voting ticket is a list of candidates in an election ranked by a party. Under group ticket elections, voters either number every box for every candidate (only five in Victoria), or vote for a party ticket. Party tickets have been controversial for taking preference power out of the hands of the voters; this has resulted in anomalous results, like Ricky Muir getting elected to 1 of 6 Victorian Senate seats with 0.5% of the vote. In 2016, the Turnbull Liberal government made changes to the electoral law for the Senate. Group voting tickets were abolished. Ballot papers look the same, with voters having the option to vote for a parties above the line or individual candidates below the line. However, an above-the-line vote for a party has ceased to become an acceptance of a group voting ticket; it counts as a vote for the party's candidates in order of preference. For example, a person voting 1 above the line for the Labor Party (3 candidates) and 2 for the Greens (2 candidates) would have their vote go 1 to the first Labor candidate, 2 to the second, 3 to the third, then fourth to the first Green candidate, and fifth to the second. Onc but it would only go to Labor candidates. Voters can number multiple boxes above the line, and are told by the AEC to number six (though one is formal) but a vote exhausts when there is no remaining preference.
0.999952	Create an app that displays the gravity force for any location on Earth. Grab data about gravity around the world on a gravity map, or geoid, and use positioning data to show gravity at any location. You also could add information about the GOCE mission or other missions, and extend the capabilities to include magnetic field data from the SWARM mission. The geoid is a smooth but highly irregular surface that corresponds not to the actual surface of the Earth's crust, but to a surface which can only be known through extensive gravitational measurements and calculations. Missions such as GRACE and GOCE have measured gravitation from Space and allow a precise description of the geoid, or in other words: produce a gravity map of Earth. Recently the SWARM mission has been launched to also map the magnetic field around our Earth. - You can show variations in gravity based on the location of the moon on a specific date and time.
0.968215	Bingeclock, how long does it take to watch every episode of Teen Wolf (2011)? 469 people have binge-watched this. Teen Wolf (2011) is the #4 most popular drama binge-watch on Bingeclock.
0.999999	You are a detective, and you arrive at the crime scene. One of the following items has been stolen: jewelry, laptop with important information, expensive present, gold bullion. There are three suspects: clown, cook, disk jockey, magician. The stolen item is hidden in one of the following places: in ancient vase, in briefcase, inside safe, inside telephone box. Suspect left by one of the following: red cabriolet, police car, yellow tow truck, helicopter. Please select your questions for the first witness. What item has been stolen? Where the stolen item is hidden?
0.919833	Dom Francisco de Almeida (Portuguese pronunciation: [fɾɐ̃ˈsiʃku dɨ aɫˈmɐjðɐ]), also known as "the Great Dom Francisco" (c. 1450–1 March 1510), was a Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer. He distinguished himself as a counsellor to King John II of Portugal and later in the wars against the Moors and in the conquest of Granada in 1492. In 1505 he was appointed as the first governor and viceroy of the Portuguese State of India (Estado da Índia). Almeida is credited with establishing Portuguese hegemony in the Indian Ocean, with his victory at the naval Battle of Diu in 1509. Before Almeida could return to Portugal, he lost his life in 1510. His son Lourenço de Almeida was also killed in the Battle of Chaul. Almeida was born at Lisbon. As was customary for men in his social circle, he joined the military at an early age. In 1476 he took part in the Battle of Toro. Then he fought in conflicts in different parts of Morocco and in 1492 participated in the Christian conquest of Granada on the side of the Castilians. In 1505 King Manuel I of Portugal appointed Almeida, then in his mid 50s, as the first viceroy of Portuguese India (Estado da Índia). With an armada of 22 ships, including 14 carracks and 6 caravels, Almeida departed from Lisbon on 25 March 1505. The armada carried a crew of 1,500 soldiers. The flagship was the carrack São Rafael captained by Fernão Soares. The mission's primary aims were to bring the spice trade under Portuguese control, to construct forts along the east African and Indian coasts, to further Portuguese spice trade through alliances with local chieftains, besides constructing trading posts. In 1505, Francisco d’Almeida arrived with eleven heavily-armed ships that destroyed Kilwa, Barawa and Mombasa, a coastal port further north. The city with a population of about 10,000 was conquered in heavy combat against the troops of the local Arab sheikh. The city was plundered and torched. The Portuguese were assisted in this attack by a Mombasa enemy, the Sultan of Melinde. The same month a caravel of Almeida's fleet captained by John (João) Homere captured Zanzibar island and claimed it for Portugal. The Zamorin of Calicut prepared a large fleet of 200 ships to oppose the Portuguese, but in March 1506 his son Lourenço de Almeida intercepted Zamorin's fleet in a sea battle at the entrance to the harbour of Cannanore, the Battle of Cannanore, and inflicted heavy losses. Hereupon Lourenço de Almeida explored the coastal waters southwards to Colombo, modern Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the Zamorin succeeded in convincing the Kōlattiri of Cannanore of the true imperialistic motives of Portuguese in Kerala. The Kōlattiri was already annoyed and angered with the Portuguese for their violation of the safe conduct guaranteed to the ships of Muslim merchants of Cannanore. The Kōlattiri put up a common fight against the Portuguese besieging Fort St. Angelo at the Siege of Cannanore. Afonso de Albuquerque arrived at Cannanore at the close of 1508 and immediately made known an hitherto secret commission he had received from the King empowering him as governor to replace Almeida at the end of his term as viceroy. Almeida, determined to avenge the death of his son and free the Portuguese prisoners taken at Chaul, refused to recognize Albuquerque's credentials immediately, and later arrested him. In 1509, Almeida became the first Portuguese to arrive by ship in Bombay. He sought Meliqueaz, to whom he had written a menacing letter, and the Mameluk Mirocem, fiercely engaging them at the naval Battle of Diu on 3 February 1509 commanding a fleet of 23 ships near the port of Diu. He inflicted a decisive defeat on a joint fleet from the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, the Zamorin of Calicut, and the Sultan of Gujarat, with technical naval support from the Republic of Venice and the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik), that feared for its eastern trade links. His victory was decisive: the Ottomans and Egyptians left the Indian Ocean, enabling Portuguese trade monopoly over Indian waters for over 100 years, into the 17th century when it was ended by the Dutch and English. Albuquerque was released after three-month confinement, on the arrival of the grand-marshal of Portugal with a large fleet, in November 1509. Almeida sailed for Portugal in December 1509 and reached Table Bay near the Cape of Good Hope, where the Garcia, Belém and Santa Cruz dropped anchor late February 1510, to replenish water. There they encountered the local indigenous people, the Goringhaiqua Khoikhoi clan. After friendly trade with the Khoikhoi some of the crew visited their nearby village, situated in modern-day Observatory where they tried to steal some of the locals' cattle. Almeida allowed his captains Pedro and Jorge Barreto to return to the village on the morning of 1 March 1510. The village's cattle herd was raided with the loss of one man, while Almeida awaited his men some distance from the beach. As the flagship's master Diogo d'Unhos moved the landing boats to the watering point, the Portuguese were left without a retreat. The Khoikhoi and some Xhosa allies sensed the opportunity for an attack, during which Almeida and 64 of his men perished, including 11 of his captains. Almeida's body was recovered the same afternoon and buried on the shore front of the current Cape Town. Some historians contend that de Almeida was the victim of an assassination plot by his own men. Almeida was the son of the 1st Count of Abrantes and one of a number of highly distinguished siblings including two bishops, an ambassador to the Holy See and the Portuguese head of the Order of Malta. His son, Lourenço, was killed in battle in Sri Lanka, but he was survived by a daughter, Leonor, who married Rodrigo de Melo, Count of Tentúgal, precursors of the Dukes of Cadaval. Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães) accompanied Almeida to the east, but was promoted to captain and only returned in 1512 after losing that commission. ^ Guilmartin, John E. (1995). "The Military Revolution: Origins and First Tests Abroad". In Rogers, Clifford J. (ed.). The Military Revolution Debate: Readings on the Military Transformation of Early Modern Europe. San Francisco: Westview Press. pp. 299–333. ISBN 0-8133-2053-4. ^ "Invaders received a lesson in warfare". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2019-03-08. ^ "5. First encounters, lasting legacies—part two". Retrieved 2019-03-08. Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Almeida, Dom Francisco de.
0.932335	"He was looking at his watch." OK, but those are basically always necessary in English, while it's often redundant to use a possessive in Polish. As "zegarek" is usually something worn on one's wrist, it seems most probable that this was his own watch, although it can also be "the watch" or "a watch", of course. But if it really was "his watch", there's no need to call it "swój zegarek" in Polish, but there is in English. Shouldn't it be patrzeł, according to the link below? What is the difference between patrzeć and patrzyć? Additionally, I used zobaczył. Why couldn't I use this verb? What is the difference between zobaczyć and patrzyć/patrzeć? both verbs mean the same, but for some reason infinitive "patrzyć" is more popular, while "changed" forms patrzyłam/patrzyłeś/patrzył/patrzyli etc are more popular. also widzieć/zobaczyć mean "to see"- zobaczyć is perfective so it is more about "effect", but with those two it is hard to tell the difference. Both "patrzeć" and "patrzyć" are correct and mean the same, but while the infinitive form "patrzeć" is much more often used than "patrzyć", in past tenses it's more common to choose the patrzyć conjugation. Patrzeć - patrzałem/am, patrzałeś/aś, patrzał/-ła/-ło, ... (a little old-fashioned) Patrzyć - patrzyłem/am, patrzyłeś/aś, patrzył/-ła/-ło, ... Zobaczyć (kogoś, coś) - to see (sb, sth), patrzeć/patrzyć (na) - to look (at).
0.999474	Provenance: I've subscribed The New Yorker recently. I read the magazine sporadically in the late 70's when it was laying out on the lobby tables in my dorm at Purdue, but it never really caught.It felt at the time to be dry and bloodless and unconnected with my Midwest Engineering Life, even down to the cartoons (and I was a big fan of Chas Addams work growing up). In my most recent stab at East Coast culture, I now find the magazine deep, engaging, and with a lot going on. Cartoons have improved a bit as well. There is usually some huge article (Anthony Bourdain, the Mosul Dam, Russian cyber-policy) which I find worth plowing throw in detail. In any event, the most recent issue found its way to my mailbox, with a lovely cover by Tomer Hanuka I found nice, but that my friend Stan! asked to have after I was done with the magazine, and my Lovely Bride declared "That would be worth the subscription". The magazine contains a "lost work" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Written for Harper's Bazaar but never published, The I.O.U. is a short piece about, well, let's leave the summary for the review section. In any event, there is a book of unpublished stories from Fitzgerald coming out in a single volume, which includes this one, and so the promotional nature of publishing lays it at our doorstep. Which is amusing, since the story is about publishing. Review: This is a humorous story about publishing, ts characters larger than life, its resolution as straightforward as a punchline. Our narrator is a publisher who has unleashed his most recent bestseller - a book of spiritualism in which a noted psychologist and psychic researcher communicates with the spirit of his nephew who died in the Great War. The publisher goes into great detail about the process of preparing the book for launch, and upon a successful release, sets out by train, a case of books under his arm, to meet with the author in Ohio. And on the train he meets someone who will completely blow the gaff and doom his publication. To say more is to reveal too much. Our publisher is set up for the fall from the onset, and we get to see him scrambling faster and faster to keep all the balls in the air. Heck, just go read the thing. The story was written and published in 1920, around the time Fitzgerald's first novel This Side of Paradise, showed up up to great acclaim and suitable sales. Yet this period was also one where Fitzgerald was getting published mightily for his short works - magazine pieces that paid surprisingly well, yet today live in the shadow of The Great Gatsby. And Fitzgerald's language is firing on all cylinders, particularly when he it is laying out litanies, be it towns in which the books with be distributed or reporters calling out their representational papers.It is, at heart, a good read. This could be Wodehouse with only a few more malaproped allusions. Bertie could be saddled with this mess with some ally in the Drone's club in the publisher's role, Jeeves directing the final shatterer of their plans in the proper direction. Psmith could serve equally well with just a bit more trimmings. The female lead, Thalia (Goddess (well, Muse) of Comedy - shall F. Scott put a lampshade on all this for us?) is one of those drippy dedicated young maidens that populate Wodehouse's work. Happenstance weighs heavy in the plotting and the resolution. Fitzgerald can be a funny writer, and Gatsby itself is filled with comic bits that get glanced over in the seriousness of being a "great novel". The Owl that Nick encounters in the library is one such moment, as is the comparison of the names of East Egg and West Egg cognoscenti. Yet we breeze past these, and I wonder if we think of Gatsby as a comic novel with a bleak ending, it holds together better. I'm sure there is some doctoral dissertation out there on "Uses of Humor is F. Scott Fitzgerald's Canon", and if there isn', there should be. Perhaps Fitzgerald, like God, is ultimately a comedian playing before an audience that is afraid to laugh.
0.997874	There are schools offering culinary programs in Utah! Approximately 0.1% of graduates in of Utah receive culinary arts degrees every year. In other words, every year an estimated 113 chefs graduate from Utah's 8 culinary schools. Mountainland Applied Technology College, which is located in Orem, is the top-ranked school in Utah that has a culinary program. It received a ranking of 62nd in the country in 2010. In 2010, Mountainland Applied Technology College graduated 36 students from its culinary program. Bridgerland Applied Technology College, which was ranked 75th nationwide in 2010, is the second-ranked school in Utah that has a culinary program. It is located in Logan. In 2010, 3 students graduated from Bridgerland Applied Technology College culinary program. The third-ranked school in Utah with a culinary program is Snow College, which is located in Ephraim. In 2010, it was ranked 75th nationwide. 3 students graduated with degree in culinary from Snow College in 2010. Tuition at Snow College was $2,542 per year. A culinary degree from an Utah school... what next? The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2018, an estimated 640 chefs will be working in Utah state. This would require the number of chefs to grow by 13%. For more data regarding a career in culinary arts in Utah and to compare salaries with various related fields such as pastry or culinary, take a look at the graphs and charts below.
0.998729	The eighteenth century: origins of the British MuseumThe origins of the British Museum lie in the will of the physician, naturalist and collector, Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753). The nineteenth century: expansion and discoveryIn the early part of the nineteenth century there were a number of high profile acquisitions. These included the Rosetta Stone (1802), theTownley collection of classical sculpture (1805), and the Parthenon sculptures (1816). By 1857, both the quadrangular building and the round Reading Roomhad been constructed. The twentieth century: providing a public serviceThe twentieth century saw a great expansion in public services. The first summary guide to the Museum was published in 1903 and the first guide lecturer was appointed in 1911. Founding collectionThe British Museum's founding collection was the 71,000 books, antiquities and natural specimens bequeathed to the nation by Sir Hans Sloane in 1753. In 1772, the first major collection of classical antiquities was added to the Museum when the Greek vase collection belonging to Sir William Hamilton was acquired. Early to mid nineteenth century: classical antiquitiesInterest in the classical antiquities determined how the collection developed during the beginning of the nineteenth century. Throughout the century, more classical antiquities became part of the collection including sculptures from the Temple of Apollo at Bassae(1815), the Parthenon sculptures (1816), the Nereid monument(1842) and the remains of the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos (1856–7). Late nineteenth century: British and medieval antiquitiesDuring the latter half of the nineteenth century, there was a shift in the focus of acquisitions. Objects Franks was responsible for acquiring included a uniquewhalebone casket from Northumbria (1867), the Royal Gold Cup(1892) and 10,000 items from the Christy collection of prehistory and ethnography, including a collection of Mexican turquoise masks. Twentieth century: developing today's collectionThe twentieth century saw the reorganisation of the Museum’s collection and the opening of a number of new galleries in which to display the collection to visitors. Collecting for the futureThe Museum is committed to sustaining and improving the breadth of its collection for the benefit of people today and in the future. Aided by gifts and funding from public bodies and private individuals the Museum is able to continue to build its collection.
0.984894	psychological health was due mainly to healthy communication between people. "I accept the fact that I am non-assertive and allow people to manipulate me." "I accept the fact that I have difficulty coping with stress." identify with some of them and thus make self acceptance easier. accept the fact that I have difficulty coping with stress, and that's O.K."
0.999998	Where Is The Brooks Range? The Brooks Range is a mountain range located in the northern part of North America. The Brooks Range is located entirely within the Arctic Circle. The Brooks Range is a mountain range in the northern part of North America. The mountain stretches about 700 miles from east to west, across the northern portion of the US state of Alaska and into Canada's Yukon Territory. Additionally, the Brooks Range is situated entirely within the Arctic Circle and is considered the highest mountain range in the polar circle. The range is separated from the Alaska Range tablelands and plains of the Porcupine and Alaska river systems. The range has a maximum width of 200 miles, and its highest point, Moiunt Isto, has an elevation of 8,976 ft. The Brooks Range was named in 1925 by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BNG) in honor of American geologist Alfred Hulse Brooks, who served as the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) geologist for Alaska during the early part of the twentieth century. The range is estimated to be 126 million years old, and the Canadian portion of the range is officially referred to as the British Mountains. The Brooks Range is considered the highest range in the Arctic Circle. Its western peaks have an average elevation of 3,000 ft, while the eastern and central peaks have average elevations of 5,000 ft. The highest peaks, which reach elevations of nearly 9,000 ft, and are primarily located near the Alaska-Yukon border. Mount Isto is the highest peak in the Brooks Range, which has an elevation of 8,975 ft and is located in the eastern side of the range, about 5 miles from Mount Hubley, the second-tallest peak, which has an elevation of 8,914 ft. The range contains three other peaks with elevations greater than 8,000 ft: Mount Chamberlin (8,898 ft), Mount Michelson (8,855 ft), and Mount Igikpak (8,276 ft). Other notable peaks include the Gates of Kiev (7,775 ft), which is also the highest peak in the central portion of the range, Mount Doonerak (7,457 ft), and Cockedhat Mountain (7,410 ft). The Brooks Range forms North America’s extreme northern drainage divide, separating the drainage basin that feeds into the Arctic Ocean from the basin that feeds into the North Pacific. It slightly delineates the summer position of the Arctic front and represents the northern extent of the tree line. Tree species that grow in the northern part of the range include the white spruce and trembling aspen, although they are confined to areas impacted by human activity, while the southern slopes are covered by black spruce. The mountains provide undisturbed habitats and protect some of the richest and most ecologically diversified wilderness areas in the world. For example, the area serves as a habitat for more than 200 bird species and roughly 35 species of land mammals, including wolves, wolverines, musk oxen, and bears. Notable parks within the Brooks Range include Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Reserve, and Ivvavik National Park. The Prudhoe Bay area, located at the northern base of the Brooks Range, contains significant oil reserves, as well as the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska, which encompasses an area of about 36,500 square miles in western and northern Alaska. The range is crossed by the Trans-Alaska Pipeline at Atigun Pass, which carries oil from Prudhoe Bay to a terminal in Valdez, Alaska. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge also contains large reserves of oil, and has become a source of conflict between proponents of oil drilling and environmentalists.
0.999802	Delete the paragraph on page 34 and 35 regarding a reduction of car parking standards, starting with "The car parking standards set out in Table 16.1 of the development plan shall…" and ending with "… Will consider the relaxation of car parking standards when assessing the type and nature of the development proposed." Reason: There should not be any relaxation of car parking standards for Ballymun, otherwise we will be wasting valuable land for surface car parking and we won't be able to provide quality environment for walking and cycling. The LAP states that there is more active travel in the Ballymun areas than other areas of Dublin, and so there is less need for extra car parking. The LAP is also on the proposed Metro North route, another reason for reducing and not increasing car park provision. Nearby developments in Fingal such as the Gullivar's retail park have very large car parks that are empty and a waste of space. Section 5.4.6 of the Draft LAP references the car parking standards and policies as set out in the Dublin City Development Plan 2016-2022. The LAP references in particular, Section 16.38 of the Development Plan which permits the provision of car parking in excess of the maximum car parking standards. The Development Plan states this is allowable in exceptional circumstances, for example in areas adjoining different local authorities or to facilitate the sustainable development of a regeneration area. The LAP is noting that Ballymun adheres to the ‘exceptional circumstances’ for this policy relaxation. Such relaxations should apply until such time as a similar accessibility based parking policy and parking standards as applicable to the City Council area are adopted by the adjoining planning authorities in the Dublin metropolitan area. This is of particular importance for the LAP area as it borders Fingal County Council to the north, and there are significant variances between the car parking requirements of the two authorities, with Fingal’s car parking standards in excess of the City’s. In this regard, given the regeneration policies contained within the Development Plan, the importance of building on the existing investment in the area, making it easier to do business and attracting new investment into the area, the Draft LAP notes that the City Council, may consider the relaxation of car parking standards for Ballymun when assessing the type and nature of the development proposed. Such relaxations are not considered to be permanent measures, but are considered important tools in attracting business and commercial activity into the Ballymun area, which is needed to stem the retail seepage and spend out of the area. The top three locations for convenience retail spend are identified in the ‘Retail Study for Ballymun’ as (i) Aldi, Santry Avenue, (ii) Dunnes, Charlestown Shopping Centre and (iii) Tesco, Omni Shopping Centre; with all three of these centres having significant levels of free parking to attract consumers. Ballymun needs to compete with these centres in attracting convenience retail providers. Until such a time as the optimised Metro North is approved and on site, omitting this text and this provision would put Ballymun at a distinct commercial disadvantage. The text regarding the relaxation of car parking standards is per the Dublin City Development Plan (Chapter 16, Section 16.38) ensuring compliance with the planning hierarchy and national legislation. Further to the above, it is noted that submissions were received by Lidl and B4B supporting the general provision of car parking in the area for visitors and customers.
0.995111	How close is the US to a "Minsky moment" in the financial cycle? You mean a "Mises/Hayek" moment. Minsky fraudulently ignores the reason for the excessive debt: Fiat money loans created out of nothing and which have nothing to do with "capitalism". ALL money is created out of nothing. So Austrians would ban fractional reserve lending? Austrians don't propose any legislation. However, they blame fractional reserve lending as the cause of the boom/bust cycle. How can a bank lend something it does not have? Most libertarians would ban it as fraudulent. The fact that Minsky and Steve Keen suppress this aspect of Austrian analysis that has been around for a century is also fraud. Austrians are acolytes of Ayn Rand. And Ann Coulter.
0.998245	If you wanted a great cup of coffee in the 17th century, you would have to grind your beans with a mortar and pestle, or with a spice mill. This time-consuming process meant that getting a great cup of coffee was no easy task. Coffee aficionados know that the freshest, tastiest coffee comes from beans that you grind yourself. A coffee grinder grinds beans into smaller pieces so that the surface area is increased, which allows for more efficient extraction. As a general rule of thumb, the finer the bean is ground, the faster extraction occurs. So how fine do you want the bean to be? That depends upon the type of brewing you are doing, as well as the type of brewing equipment being used. Hand mills are still available and can grind surprisingly uniformly, but they are very time consuming. Most hand mills are adjustable, allowing particles to be ground coarse, medium, and fine. However, hand mills are not capable of grinding finely enough for certain coffee beverages, such as espresso. Most people who grind their own coffees opt for electric grinders, due to their convenience and versatility. The two basic kinds of electric coffee grinders are blade grinders and burr grinders. The blade grinder is the most economical of the electric coffee grinders, and is comprised of a blade, motor, and receptacle for catching the ground beans. With this type of grinder, beans are ground into smaller particles by the rotating blade. Coarse grounds can be achieved by running the grinder for a shorter amount of time, while finer grounds can be achieved by running the grinder for longer periods of time. One concern with blade coffee grinders is that it is often difficult to achieve uniformity in grind size. If the grind size is not even, the extraction will also be uneven, and can cause bitterness, sediment in the coffee, and clogged coffee brewers. The other kind of electric grinder, the burr grinder, has two metal discs or cones that grind the bean between them. Conical burrs are often found on more-expensive, commercial coffee grinders. As a rule, burr grinders can achieve a more uniform grind size than blade grinders. Burr grinders are differentiated by features such as timers, the number of speeds and adjustments, and automatic switch-offs. Some burr grinders have specialty settings to grind beans for espresso and Turkish coffee drinks that require very fine particles. Bunn - commercial coffee grinders. Capresso - burr ginders and blade grinders. DeLonghi - burr and blade coffee grinders. Krups - burr and blade coffee grinders. La Pavoni - espresso burr grinders.
0.986357	Conducting a literature review has many different purposes. In some instances, a literature review is done in order to give background information to a research paper. In scientific papers, it serves the purpose of letting readers know what type of similar research has already been conducted on a specific topic, and why new research is necessary. Regardless of the purpose, a literature review can add to the credibility of a paper, and as a stand-alone document, it can be a valuable resource to professionals who wish to keep abreast in their field of expertise. Learn what a literature review is. Many people mistakenly think that a literature review is simply a review of a text. This is not true. A literature review refers to a collection of material on a specific topic, generally written within a specific time frame. While a literature review is occasionally meant to stand on its own, it is more often done in effort to provide background information for a research or scientific paper. Decide what type of literature review you will be conducting. If the literature review is meant to stand by itself, choose a topic of interest and a time frame to review. This type of literature review is generally meant to keep professionals in a particular field up to date on what is currently being written in their area of expertise. If the literature review is meant to accompany a scientific or research paper, choose the best literature available on the particular topic you are studying, as a literature review used in this capacity is meant to give credibility to the author of an academic paper. Determine the scope of the reviews you will be composing. A review can simply be a summary of a source that gives all of the important information highlighted by a specific text. It can be an evaluation of the sources available on a particular topic, offering recommendations as to which sources are the best. It can also be an interpretation of old material with new ideas or new information, as well as the tracking of intellectual progression in a certain field of study. The scope of your reviews will be determined by the type of literature review you have chosen to write. Obtain the texts required to conduct the literature review. Ensure that the credibility and quality of the sources are high. Use scholarly and academic sources whenever possible. Consult with a librarian if you need assistance finding or obtaining quality information sources. Read and review sources. The style, breadth and scope of your literature review will be determined by your reasons for conducting it and the purpose it serves. Allison, Kara. "How to Conduct a Literature Review." , https://penandthepad.com/conduct-literature-review-2308844.html. Accessed 20 April 2019. Kara Allison received her bachelor's degree in English and comparative literature from the University of Cincinnati and her master's degree in library and information science from Kent State University. She is currently employed as an academic librarian in Cincinnati, Ohio. Allison has been a contributing writer for various websites since 2007.
0.97848	What is the True Islam? Recently British PM David Cameron called on the BBC not to use the phrase 'Islamic State' when referring to the group operating in Iraq and Syria. Like many other non-Muslims, the PM views the actions of ISIS as not being representative of the True Islam which is the religion of peace. To me, this view presents a logical puzzle. I can well understand how a Muslim who believes in divine origins of his religion may think that it has one and only one correct interpretation. Thus, for instance, the belief of the Shia Muslims that the Sunni interpretation of Islam is wrong is at least logically consistent. But how can a non-Muslim reasonably conclude that some interpretations of Islam are correct while others are not? Obviously, some interpretations may sound a lot nicer to the Western ear than others. Some interpretations may be more mainstream (though these might still significantly differ from Cameron�s interpretation). But unless one believes that Islam (or any other religion for that matter) is indeed directly based on divine revelations, can one logically call any interpretations of it �untrue�? Speaking as an outsider, there can be no "true' or "false" in any religion. Everyone is free to pursue whatever interpretation of whatever religion they choose, and no one has the monopoly on the "true" version of the religion, or on the decisions of who to call a "true" Muslim/Jew/Christian etc. This is of course especially so if you don't belong to the said religion. I think such statements are not meant to be taken as literal statements about religious doctrines, but rather as saying that the version of Islam practiced by the vast majority of Muslims is not violent. It is a bizarre choice of words when a non-Muslim states that something is or isn't "true Islam", or some people are or aren't "true Muslims", but I doubt they are meant to be interpreted literally. Most likely they choose this as the most straightforward way to convey their (more nuanced) message. I'll be somewhat less charitable. "It isn't true Islam" is an applause light. It doesn't actually convey any content about what is true Islam and isn't meant to; it's something that you say to prevent your statements about Islamic terror to be interpreted as "boo Islam". I don't, in fact, think that the people who say this would stop saying it if it was found that 51% of Islam is violent. It's not a statement about which faction has the majority, but about which faction they like. I think saying "to me this is not true Islam, and a person doing x is not a true muslim, because these don't concur with the way I interpret the religion" makes sense, even if you don't believe in the religion. But of course no one gets to decide what is or isn't true Islam or any other religion. This was surely some sort of political trick with political goals. 1) What do most Muslims believe? It makes a lot of sense to call those believes "true Islam" and not call beliefs hold by a small subject of Muslims "true Islam". 2) There a war of propaganda. Daesh/ISIS profits from being called the "Islamic state". It makes it easier for Daesh to recruit. Calling it that way is helping the terrorists in the war of ideas. The West does profit in the war of ideas from labeling moderate Muslims as "true Islam". The fight against Daesh won't be won on the battlefield but in the hearts and minds. As a result the war of ideas is very important. What do most Muslims believe?It makes a lot of sense to call those believes "true Islam" and not call beliefs hold by a small subject of Muslims "true Islam". Wouldn�t it be better to call this the �mainstream Islam�? Otherwise Shia�s religion is no longer �true� Islam, Lutheranism is no longer �true� Christianity etc. Also, the meanings of �true� Islam and Christianity would continuously change over time. There is a war of propaganda� The West does profit in the war of ideas from labeling moderate Muslims as "true Islam". It is reasonable that in a war of propaganda sticking to the truth is not a top priority. But on whom exactly the Western propaganda is working? Most ISIS recruits do not watch the BBC. It is the western public who will be misled by the incorrect labelling. The fight against Daesh won't be won on the battlefield but in the hearts and minds. I don't think I can recall previous cases where aggressors were defeated not on the battlefield but in the hearts and minds. Can you give me an example? Also, the meanings of �true� Islam and Christianity would continuously change over time. What do you want to achieve by distinguishing "true Muslims" from "false Muslims", other than motivating people you label "false Muslims" but who want to be "true Muslims" to follow the criteria you lay out for "true Muslims"? I don't think I can recall previous cases where aggressors were defeated not on the battlefield but in the hearts and minds. Why doesn't the IRA bomb British targets anymore? It has nothing to do with British military victories but a lot to do with winning hearts and minds. It's no coincidence that this is said by the British premier and not a Swedish one. The British intelligence community is the strongest in regard of being conscious about language use. The only way to win against against guerilla warfare is to make the guerrilla groups lose local support. The years the US spend in Iraq didn't allow it to destroy the predecessor of Daesh because they didn't win the population's hearts and minds. The Soviet Union didn't fall by the sword. India didn't gain independence by the sword. It is the western public who will be misled by the incorrect labelling. For practical purposes the Western public has to understand what being a Muslim means for those Muslims who live in the West. It doesn't help at all to focus on radicals if you want to understand the Muslim next door and integrate him. There nothing misleading at all about calling ISIS Daesh. It just a decision to disallow Daesh to spread it's propaganda that not dissimilar to Twitter blocking Daesh's accounts. I mean basically, if anybody gets to determine preferred usage of 'Islam' it is those who claim the label. If, as is the case with Cameron, all but a statistically negligible minority of those who fall under 'Islam' in his country say "we would prefer that IS are denied the label 'Islamic'", then sure, why not? I do believe, btw, that this statement was in response to request from Islamic community leaders and not just Cameron language policing of his own accord. all but a statistically negligible minority of those who fall under 'Islam' in his country say "we would prefer that IS are denied the label 'Islamic'" According to polls about half of the UK muslims might be supporters of ISIS . Do you also have trouble figuring out the "true meaning" of the sentence "The earth is flat"? How is this related? "The earth is flat" is a sentence that only has 1 interpretation. Do you mean an that we should just take a completely literal reading of everything that's in the Koran, and this and only this can be called "true Islam"? In this case we'll probably reach a conclusion that there is no such thing as a "true Muslim". "The earth is flat" is a sentence that only has 1 interpretation. That's because there hasn't been a movement that has motivation to reconcile professing to believe the truth of the sentence "The earth is flat", with believing that it isn't. Do you mean an that we should just take a completely literal reading of everything that's in the Koran, and this and only this can be called "true Islam"? Something like that, with possibly the Hadith. Basically take the Koran the way it was meant to be interpreted. In this case we'll probably reach a conclusion that there is no such thing as a "true Muslim". I'm not sure about that, granted I haven't read the Koran, but I'm guessing you haven't either. In any case, it should certainly be possible to figure out who is more or less a true Muslim. Encountered in meme context I stumbled upon a video that started with a flag with a cross on it with "Christian state of Jerusalem" or something to that effect. It followed with a building being attacked with an explosive with the voices of multiple people saying "ave maria" as if in support of the actions. It is much more easier to say that is not a good representation of a christianistic stance on what to do. Religious militants are like that and it is much more about being militant than being religious. If you are a christian militant you tend to be called out for militantism. If you are a muslim militant you are much more likely to be called out on being religious. This refers back on the issue about using minimal feasible stereotyping. We are much more familiar how a christian ideology impacts a persons behaviour, thus we are very comptent in calling out the troublesome types from the harmless ones. However christians are much less familiar with muslims. We tend not be able to subdivide them into meaningful categories. One doesn't significantly change their mind about rightists being violent for the existence of Breivik. The difference between right extremist and right is easier to understand than muslim extremists and muslims. The deal with ISIS is much like Holy Roman Empire. It was neither holy, roman or empire. You don't need to know what the real flag looks like to know that it's a false flag operation. christians are much less familiar with muslims. We tend not be able to subdivide them into meaningful categories. If you feel that you are not sufficiently familiar with Muslims, how can you be confident that you can distinguish the �real� Muslims from the �false flag� ones? More generally, how can you decide which interpretation of religion that is not yours (Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism etc.) is the �real� one? If you divide christians into lutherians and catholics if lutherians are found somehow to be bad the issue of whether christians are bad because lutherians are bad doesn't that much rise up or it is moot. You don't need to decide whether lutherians represent christians because you can sort things out without the umbrella term "christians". For example the conflict in Ireland it is prety hard to tell which one is the "real christian faith". We are content with not identifying one or can understand christianity as encompassing both mutually contradictory systems (and even understand that one of the component facets protestantism has its own mutually contradictory facets). Somehow it is harder to concieve that islam might have similar structure. Like most christians are not lutherans, designating that work-for-its-own-sake (as contrast to reward or result) is a property of the ... read more If you divide christians into lutherians and catholics if lutherians are found somehow to be bad the issue of whether christians are bad because lutherians are bad doesn't that much rise up or it is moot. You don't need to decide whether lutherians represent christians because you can sort things out without the umbrella term "christians". For example the conflict in Ireland it is prety hard to tell which one is the "real christian faith". We are content with not identifying one or can understand christianity as encompassing both mutually contradictory systems (and even understand that one of the component facets protestantism has its own mutually contradictory facets). Somehow it is harder to concieve that islam might have similar structure. Like most christians are not lutherans, designating that work-for-its-own-sake (as contrast to reward or result) is a property of the subdivision and not the general class we can expect non-lutheran christians to not exhibit it even if we lack any positive description of what the other subdivisions are like. That is when we say that work-for-its-own-sake might make people do needless busy work and feel good about it, we might want to emphasise that when we are saying these people do a bad thing that we criticise the subgroup and not christianity as a whole (ie christian workethic isn't automatically tainted by critisising lutheran work-ethic). Similarly when we critisise ISIS for things that uniquely the ISIS subgroup does we don't critisise them for being muslims. If you interpret resisting temptation as trying to kill people that do bad things that doesn't mean that resisting temptation is bad as such. But the details on what that means in practise do matter. Martin Luther found that having a market of "buying your soul" a way into heaven was not properly connected to christian beliefs. Similarly beheading people for the slightest mistake is likely to be a disproportionate punishment in islamistic terms. Thus there is likely to be valid islamistic reasons to critisise ISIS. The question of the validity of the fundamentals doesn't even come up when the connection is at best shaky. There is a difference in the degree of the lenght of the argument chain. While religion might require to take some things on faith, it doesn't require to take everything on faith. That is if you try to use islam to back up some belief there are standards where you can fail to back the claim with it, ie islam has a meaning and you can fail to use its correct meaning. That is, it is possible to distinguish between orthodoxy and heterodoxy (atleast most of the time).
0.999598	Renting a Car During a Vacation Whenever you have the chance to take a vacation, you are going to want to get the most out of the time you get. When you are on your vacation, there are a lot of attractions you are going to want to be able to experience. But when you are in a large city, you could have a hard time getting to all of the things that you want to do. If you are going to rely on public transportation in a city you are not familiar with it can end up consuming a lot of your time and being very confusing. If you are going to rely on taxis to get around you could end up paying much more for transportation than you would expect. However; you are going to want to consider renting a car if you want to have the freedom to do whatever you want during your vacation. When you are thinking about renting a car, you are probably concerned with how much it is going to cost. However; it really is not that expensive to get one, you could get one that costs less than twenty dollars a day. There are a couple of things that are going to affect the cost of the car that you are thinking about renting. The type of a car is a major factor, as a compact sedan is going to cost a lot less to rent than a luxury SUV. If you are traveling during peak season it is also going to impact the cost of renting a car. When you are renting a car it is going to be a smart move to get the extra insurance the rental company will offer you. The car insurance you have on your car is not going to cover you if you are in an accident in a different car. The insurance does not cost you much, and if you are in an accident it could end up saving you a fortune. When looking at renting a car you could save some money on your rental by bundling it with the flight or hotel you book. Rental companies offer hotel and airlines these discounts as a way to make sure more of their cars are in use. Plus, this is an easy way to make sure your rental car is at the airport you land in. When you are going to go on vacation, you want to get the most out of the limited time you have. Being able to get around will make it so you are able to do more. This is why you are going to want to look at renting a car.
0.999867	Futures for the Nasdaq-100 index climbed 30.25 points, or 0.5%, to 6,372, setting the Nasdaq Composite Index on track for a third straight session of gains. The tech-heavy index on Thursday closed 0.5% higher , trimming its weekly loss to 0.5%. That means the benchmark could erase its weekly loss, if the optimism in the futures markets persists. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 52 points, or 0.2%, to 24,299, while those for the S&P 500 index added 6.55 points, or 0.3%, to 2,648.75. Both benchmarks logged gains of 0.3% on Thursday. As of yesterday's close, the Dow average was on track for a 0.1% weekly loss and the S&P 500 was set for a 0.2% slide for the week. The rebound in tech stocks that started on Wednesday looked set to continue on Friday. Analysts noted that after the selloff earlier in the week, the sector doesn't look that expensive, as long as earnings continue to grow. The tech sector is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S. and the Nasdaq is up 27% year-to-date, outpacing the S&P and Dow. Investors on Friday also welcomed news that both the Senate and House late Thursday approved a two-week funding bill , staving off a threatened government shutdown this weekend. The bill now moves to President Donald Trump to sign, which he is expected to do on Friday. The bill buys Trump and congressional leaders more time to hammer out a longer-term deal. In Europe, investors cheered a breakthrough in Brexit talks between the U.K. and European Union. After days of tense negotiations, Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, said early Friday that "sufficient progress" has been made for talks to move on to the second phase, which will cover trade agreements and a potential transition period. European stocks rallied on the news, with the Stoxx Europe 600 index up 0.9% at 390.03. European markets were also propped up by a rally in bank stocks, which came after a long-awaited agreement on banking rules by global finance officials highlighted that most lenders hold a sufficient amount of capital. The pound pound initially spiked to an intraday high of $1.3521, but has since slipped back to $1.3474. What's coming up in economics? The ICE Dollar Index was up 0.2% at 94.002 ahead of the release. "The big event today is of course the U.S. nonfarm payrolls. They're expected to continue bouncing back, as more people laid off because of the hurricanes come back to work," said Marshall Gittler, chief strategist at ACLS Global. "The 'whisper' number on Bloomberg is significantly higher than economists' forecasts at 221k. This suggests that if anything, investors are braced for a higher figure than the market consensus. This leads me to think that there may be more downside potential to the figure than upside, at least with regards to the NFP figure itself," he added in his note. Shares of American Outdoor Brands Corp.(>> AMEN OUTD) tumbled 17% ahead of the bell after the gun maker late Thursday reported a drop in profit and forecast continued struggles amid "challenging market conditions." United Natural Foods Inc.(>> United Natural Foods, Inc.) could also move in Friday's session. The food distributor late Thursday reported stronger-than-expected sales and raised its full-year forecasts. Asian stocks closed firmly in positive territory , with Japan's Nikkei 225 index staging a 1.4% rally. Crude oil prices rose 0.7% to $57.10 a barrel, while gold prices dropped 0.4% to $1,247.80 an ounce. Bitcoin briefly slipped back below $15,000 , just hours after blasting through the $17,000 milestone. Stocks mentioned in the article : AMEN OUTD, American Outdoor Brands Corp, United Natural Foods, Inc.
0.936502	Is the Internet a public service? As soon as you answer no, and say that it’s a private enterprise where companies should be free to try to take advantage of their customers with impunity (under the vigilant protection of competition, you understand), then the issue is settled. This is how it’s been settled with healthcare for most on the right as well: Healthcare is an opportunity to make money for companies—not a public service. That’s why it costs $40,000 to have a baby in the United States in 2014. So, that’s one way to go. Alternatively, we can declare that the Internet is a public service, and then say that any sort of bungling about with it is unethical because it violates the principle of freedom and equality that it represents. In other words, you can become a crazy leftist. Those seem to be our options, and I choose the latter.
0.999894	In this problem, we introduce two abnormal kinds of winning hand different from the normal winning hand, which consist of four melds and one eyes. Now, given a hand with 14 tiles, can you answer this hand is which kind of abnormal kind of winning hand? For each case, if the hand is Seven Pairs, output "Seven Pairs". If the hand is Thirteen Orphans, output "Thirteen Orphans". If the hand is neither Seven Pairs nor Thirteen Orphans, output "Neither!".
0.980966	The Hourglass Nebula is a tenuous cloud of gas formed by a Sun-like star undergoing 'death tremors' at the end of its life. The star had difficulty in getting enough fuel to keep up its nuclear furnace, and has now shed off some of its surface material in two directions. About 10 thousand million years after they are born, stars like the Sun become cooler, larger, and redder, becoming what are known as 'red giant' stars. As red giants age, they eventually cast off the outer layers of their surfaces. Ultraviolet light from the remaining stellar cores makes the surrounding material glow, producing what are known as 'planetary' nebulae, like the Hourglass Nebula, MyCn-18. This nebula is some 8000 light-years away and was photographed by the joint NASA-ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It has a unique ring formation which has long baffled astronomers. However, a close examination reveals several forces at work to create this beautiful cosmic object. At the centre is a dense stellar object, which emits a high-energy solar wind and has a massive heavy-element core responsible for an extreme magnetic field. The flattened rings are caused by particles being trapped in complex magnetic fields and emitting light as their energy levels shift from an elevated to a static state. Why are things in space the shape that they are?
0.997397	The White House has admitted error for its false claim President Donald Trump created three times as many jobs for African-Americans than President Barack Obama. It was a rare acknowledgment of fault for an administration that frequently skews data and overstates economic gains. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Twitter late Tuesday that she had been wrong earlier that day when she told reporters that Obama created only 195,000 jobs for African-Americans during his tenure compared to Trump's 700,000 new jobs in just two years. That claim is false. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy added about 3 million jobs for black workers under Obama.
0.943519	Bogotá is the capital of Colombia and the second largest capital of South America. Medellín is known as "the City of the Everlasting Spring". Cali, "the World Capital of Salsa". The top of a mountain called the Nevado del Tolima volcano. Colombia (officially called Republic of Colombia), is a country in South America. It is in the northwest part of that Continent and it has an area of 1.141.748 km² (440,839 sq mi). It is the only South American country with coasts on both oceans (Pacific and Atlantic). Colombia has an extension of 928.660 km² in those oceans. The full name of the country in Spanish is República de Colombia; in English, it would be "Republic of Colombia". The name "Colombia" is pronounced /kəˈlʌm.bɪ.ə/. It is different from Columbia, the name of many places in United States of America. The countries that have borders on the continent with Colombia are: Venezuela (east), Brazil (southeast), Peru (south), Ecuador (southwest) and Panama (west). The countries that have borders with Colombia on the sea are: Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Haiti and Dominican Republic. 42,888,592 people live in Colombia. It is the third most populated country of Latin America after Mexico and Brazil. The word "Colombia" is named after Christopher Columbus, the explorer who discovered the Americas. In 1819, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama declared independence from Spain, and formed a country called "Gran Colombia". Venezuela and Ecuador separated in 1830. The official language is Spanish, but there are many dialects spoken by minorities. Colombia's temperature changes with the altitude, and the temperature is different by region. The regions around the Andes are colder than the coast, which is lower. Because of the many altitudes, Colombia has many different fruits, vegetables and kinds of animals. It has many valleys, beaches, plains, mountains and forests like the Amazon Rain Forest. The top of some of the mountains in Colombia are so cold that people can ski over the equator. The lower mountains have warmer climates. The seashores are cooled by ocean breezes. At sea level near the equator it is hot. Rivers are important as waterways in the land for shipping things. One of the most important rivers in Colombia is the Magdalena-Cauca. The Magdelena River divides the eastern and center mountains. It makes a fertile valley. The Cauca River divides the center mountain range and the western ridge, making another great valley. The Cauca is really a part of the Magdalena. However, the two do not meet until a few miles before the Magdalena goes into the Caribbean Sea. Up to 49.6% of the population is living below the poverty line. There are terrorist groups in Colombia, the FARC being the most powerful, a Marxist-Leninist group responsible for kidnappings, murders, attacks, and drug-dealing. Drug dealing is a problem the government has been trying to fight. This creates violence in the cities. With Operation: Jaque, Ingrid Betancourt, three Americans, and 11 soldiers were rescued from the FARC. Most parts of Colombia are modern and the country has many roads. All major Colombian cities have airports and there are many ports on both oceans (Pacific and Atlantic). Because Colombia is a huge country and there are many mountains, airports are very important in the country. There are some regions like the Amazon Forest and Dariend, where the most important way of transportation is by the rivers. Roads: The Pan American Highway in South America begins in Colombia. You can go as far as Tierra de Fuego in Chile using that road. Most of the Colombian cities are connected by road in Colombia. The most important roads are the Bogotá-Medellín Highway, the Bogotá-Cali Highway, the Bogotá-Cucuta Highway, the Bogotá-Barranquilla Highway and many others connecting big cities like Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla and Cartagena de Indias with other important centers. You can go by road from Bogotá to Caracas, Venezuela and Quito, Ecuador. The major cities have bus stations. Airports: They are very important in Colombia and all the main cities have their own airports. The El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá is the most important. The Palmaseca International Airport in Cali is the second most important. Other important airports are the ones of Medellín, Barranquilla, San Andrés and Cartagena de Indias. The Colombian airports have international connections with most of the South American capitals, North America and Europe. The main Colombian airline is Avianca and it is the second oldest world airline and one of the most important in Latin America. Ports: Colombia has coasts on both oceans - Atlantic and Pacific - and it is one of the first world water reserve because it has many rivers and lakes. The longest rivers are the Amazon, Magdalena, Cauca, and the Atrato. The main ports on the Atlantic coast are Barranquilla, which was the first Colombian port, Cartagena de Indias and Santa Marta. There are other ones like Rioacha and Turbo. The ports on the Pacific coast are Buenaventura and Tumaco. The port of the San Andres Island is also one of the most important for the country in the Caribbean and Antillean Sea. The city of Leticia is a very important river port on the Amazon river. Train: The National Train was very important to Colombia during the 20th century, but it was forgotten when roads and airports were developed. Today the railways in Colombia are used more for tour visits, and they are not modern. Transportation in the cities: The major Colombian cities have a very good system of transportation. There are public buses that connect the suburbs to the center of the cities. There are many taxi companies in Colombia. There are also very modern urban transports in the main cities like Transmilenio in Bogotá, the Metro in Medellín, and similar proposals in Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena de Indias and many others that are being developed. Colombia also has some very well known cities. Bogotá is the second largest capital city of South America after Buenos Aires and the third largest city after Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo. It is also one of the highest capital cities of the world, 2640 meters above sea level. It has a very active cultural, political, industrial and commercial life. Bogotá also has many international meetings, seminars, NGOs, organizations, universities, telecommunication centers and conventions. It is in the Andes. Many famous Colombians come from Bogotá like Juan Pablo Montoya. Medellín is the second largest city of Colombia. At the end of the 20th Century it was known as the "most violent city of the world" because it was the hometown of Pablo Escobar, the leader of the Colombian Mafia. Now Medellín is safer and has become a very beautiful city. It is a very important industrial center, the first commercial area of the country and a leader in health care and medicine. Many foreigners come to Medellín for health services. It is in the Andes and it is known as the "City of the Eternal Spring" because it has nice weather. Many famous Colombians come from Medellín like the singer Juanes, the soccer player René Higuita, the artist Fernando Botero and many others. Cali is the third largest city. It is very famous for its plantations of sugar cane. Cali is known as the "World Capital of Salsa". In Cali there are many skillful salsa dancers and very important Salsa groups. Cali is also a very modern city. It is an industrial city and its airport is the second in Colombia. Near Cali is the port city of Buenaventura in the Pacific Ocean. Cali is in a valley of the Andes. The name of the Valley is Cauca because it is crossed by the Cauca River. Barranquilla is the fourth largest city and it was the first city in Colombia on the Caribbean Sea. Barranquilla is famous for its trade and international connections because it has a big port. The Colombian singer Shakira is from Barranquilla. Cartagena de Indias is the most important tourist center in Colombia on the Caribbean Sea. It is also a very beautiful city. Many tourist come to visit the city. Bucaramanga is near the Colombian border with Venezuela. This city is a great destination for travelers due to its Spanish history and its technological & urban development; it is a very popular city. Eje Cafetero (Coffee Growing Axis) is the name of the region where coffee is grown in Colombia. There are three important cities: Pereira, Manizales and Armenia. Coffee is the most important industry in Colombia. Colombia has made many advances in medicine. Many foreigners come to the country to get health services, such as organ transplants or plastic surgery. Doctor Manuel Elkin Patarroyo of Colombia discovered a medicine against malaria. He donated his discovery to be used in Africa and Latin America. He did not want to make business of it, instead he wanted to use it to help people. Christopher Columbus discovered America leading the Spaniards. He gave the name of "Colombia" to what is today "America". The land where Colombia now stands has been home to people for more than 20,000 years. The first people had many groups, cultures, and languages. There are many tools, caves, and things of those peoples. In Colombia, the peoples were similar to those of Asia, because the scientists say that the first men came to America from Siberia or South East Asia more than 50,000 years ago. The peoples of Colombia were called Arawak, Caribe, and Chibcha. But they have many other groups. The most famous were the Muiscas. El Dorado legend comes from the Muiscas: the king of the Muiscas used to bath in the Guatavita Lake and he used a lot of gold for it. The Spaniards heard about and the people told them that there was a great golden city somewhere. Since then they started to look for El Dorado. The International Airport of Bogotá is called El Dorado International Airport, because the legend was born in Colombia. The descendants of the first peoples of Colombia live integrated with others. Some groups live in the forest, but many live in countryside and in the cities. The Spaniards lead by Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. Columbus saw the coasts of Venezuela, Colombia and Panama and he gave them his own name. But it was Alonso de Ojeda the first to do an exploration in the area of Gulf of Darién. After that the Spaniards founded the first European cities in the American continent: Santa Marta in 1525 and Cartagena de Indias in 1533. It was from Colombia that the Spaniards conquered the Incas of Peru. They founded the city of Popayán in 1536 and they conquered the Confederation of the Muiscas. In Bacatá, the capital of the Muiscas, the Spaniards founded the city of Santa Fe in 1538. In 1550 the Spaniards declared the territory as a colony and its capital was Santa Fe de Bogotá, but in the first decades it depended from Peru. Soon after, it was declared a Viceroyalty. Antonio Nariño was one of the most important persons to lead a movement for the independence of Colombia. He was a politician, journalist and soldier. Simon Bolivar was also another one of the most important person to lead a movement for the independence of Colombia. He was a president and a colonel. On November 11, 1810, the city of Cartagena de Indias declared its dependence from Spain. In May 2006, President Álvaro Uribe was re-elected. His term lasted until 2010. Uribe was the first President in Colombia to win a second election in over 100 years. Colombia is divided into 32 departments and one capital district. The capital district is treated as a department. Departments are divided into municipalities. Municipalities are divided into corregimientos. Each department has a local government with a governor and assembly directly elected to four-year terms. Each municipality is headed by a mayor and council. Each corregimiento by an elected corregidor, or local leader. Colombia is known for its coffee, coal, and emeralds. It is also the biggest supplier of plantains to the United States. There are a few armed conflicts in Colombia. Most rebel groups finance their operations with the trade of illegal drugs (mostly cocaine). ↑ CIA world fact book. "Colombia". CIA. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/co.html. Retrieved 28 March 2009. ↑ Forero, Juan (2010-08-08). "Juan Manuel Santos takes oath as Colombia's new president". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post Company. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/07/AR2010080702709.html. Retrieved 2010-08-13. ""I will preside over a government of national unity that will bring social prosperity for all Colombians"" RODAS, Albeiro, Bogotá, the Gate and Hall of South America, Colombia Passport: Economics, Society and Culture in Colombia, Sihanoukville, Cambodia, 2007. This page was last changed on 23 October 2014, at 17:04.
0.99994	Everyone at some point in life manages a project, whether or not they realize it. While most use ad hoc methods, it is important to note that the various processes in formal Project Management can generally be identified at some level. This leads me to believe that learning Project Management basics would be beneficial to most people, as they plan event in their daily lives. Project Management planning would help to provide structure, and offer ways to improve time, quality, and price, while managing the risks and scope of the project. Now who wouldn’t want that? All these examples fit in the definition of temporary and unique. Furthermore the five processes of Project Management (initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing) are typically utilized at some level. Let’s use creating a new menu as an example and walk through the steps for this project. Initiating:- This is when you, or someone else, decide that a new menu is needed and have access to resources to make it happen. Planning:- You gather information on the objectives and to determine the appropriate type of menu that will meet the objectives. Once that is established, a plan and goals are set. Executing:- This is where you begin to utilize resources. In this case it could be money, people, kitchen, etc. Controlling:- Here is where the project is monitored, comparing activities to the plan and making adjustments accordingly to ensure objectives are met. This is an iterative process throughout the project. Closing:- Finally, the menu is tested, delivered and accepted as meeting objectives. Can you see how simple events fit the project definition? Formal process planning can provide efficiency to the process? Project managers around the world have recognized the benefits of utilizing formalized methods, instead of applying ad hoc means to attacking projects. Imagine having to work on complex projects like merging two companies together. Not so easy, huh! That is why formal Project Management knowledge, skills and abilities are important. Project Management training allows everyone to work from the same set of rules and it helps to formalize roles, and expectations. In fact, at the beginning of some projects, it is recommended that project team members go through short series of training to ensure understanding, as well as to set goals and expectations. This is critical to holding everyone accountable for delivery.
0.993652	Japan is set to host a series of mega events, such as the Rugby World Cup 2019 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. Set in the stadiums and arenas that will serve as the core of the sports infrastructure, Panasonic and Japanese ticketing service company PIA have partnered up to launch efforts "to enhance the user experience by means of electronic ticketing." A new worldview is being brought about by technologies condensed into stadium solutions. - With an aim to develop a 15 trillion yen market by 2025, sports are attracting more attention in Japan than ever before. - On the other hand, smartification of stadiums and arenas in response to the demands of the times has become a challenge. - To resolve this challenge, Panasonic has partnered with PIA Corporation to launch demonstration experiments "to enhance the user experience by means of electronic ticketing." - The aim is to complete a service platform that can satisfy all visitors, administrators, organizers and sponsors. Currently in Japan, sports are attracting more attention than ever. In the "Japan Revitalization Strategy 2016" released by the Cabinet Office, the sports industry was positioned as a growing market, and the target market size was determined to be 15 trillion yen by 2025. This figure is more than three times the size of 2015. As if to build momentum, a series of international mega events, such as the Rugby World Cup 2019, the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, and the World Masters Games 2021 Kansai will be held in Japan. The growth of the market signifies that even more people can engage in sports than before. This is included in the Japanese government's policy, but in order to achieve it, "maximizing the value of sports" is a crucial step. One of the most intimate points of contact for maximizing its value is sport spectating. Led by the traditional sport of baseball, many professional sports, including soccer, basketball, golf and boxing, are played in Japan, and a big reason why is because the country is equipped with suitable environments for full-fledged sports competitions throughout the seasons. The next obstacle is figuring out how to achieve "multi-stage progress." Diligently conducting conventional methods, such as strengthening promotion and educating from childhood are important, but recently attention is being paid to smartification of stadiums and arenas in response to the demands of the times. Adopting digital technologies that support efficiency will enable visitors to experience a new world that was not possible in analog form. The services that will be introduced today were developed from these efforts. Panasonic will form a partnership with PIA, a leader in the ticketing service industry, and with the cooperation of Gamba Osaka, will carry out large-scale demonstration experiments to "enhance the value of the stadium experience by means of electronic ticketing." The stage is set for November 24, 2018, the day of the match between Gamba Osaka and V-Varen Nagasaki at Panasonic Stadium Suita. A supervisor discussed the background of the development of these efforts, the outline of the solutions and the vision for the future. In some cases, sporting events can attract tens of thousands of people. These events share the common challenges faced by the stadiums. For visitors, some of these challenges include smooth entering and exiting and reducing congestion when purchasing goods, food and beverages inside the venue. For stadium operators and organizers, the difficulty of investing in new facilities, improving planning capabilities to attract visitors and strengthening marketing and sales forces for sponsor expansion are sources of concern. In order to solve these problems, Panasonic and PIA focused on the "tickets" that serve as the initial access point. The following is from a discussion with Mr. Naoto Ohshitamoto of PIA Corporation about what served as the catalyst for this project. Next, Mr. Hiromasa Tatara of Panasonic looks back on the origin of the idea. These efforts were named the "Stadium Service Platform." First, taking a look at the flow on the day of the demonstration experiment, visitors holding paper tickets will exchange them with contactless wearable-type electronic tickets at a special section near the entrance gate. In addition to paper tickets, visitors will enter using IC card annual passes, QR code-compliant paper ticket annual passes or smart tickets (QR,) so at this point everyone's tickets will be electronic. Next, as a countermeasure that does not rely on stadium facilities, the ticket information reading will be centralized using highly portable compact terminals. By adopting Panasonic's rugged "Toughbook FZ-N1," reading various activities including the gate authentication, ticket checks, coupon distribution and present lotteries, as well as seating route guides can be consolidated regardless of the visitors' devices. This high mobility will lower the hurdles on the facility side to introduce a fully electronic ticketing platform. The turning point will be the provision of multi-cashless services. All of the stores inside Panasonic Stadium Suita, which just recently opened its doors in 2016, support electronic money, so the transition to a cashless system has already been in motion. However, the wearable-type electronic tickets that will be distributed this time will use a credit card touch payment (NFC payment) mechanism with few case examples in Japan, and will enable visitors to make purchases at the stores inside the stadium with one touch using a smartphone. Mr. Tatara expects this type of innovative user experience to boost cashless actions. The benefits obtained from electronic ticketing are immense. Visitors can "smartify" congestion when entering or purchasing goods to improve the convenience of actions inside the stadium. The operators and organizers can grasp the attributes of the visitors and understand what kinds of actions they're engaging in within the stadium, which can lead to providing new services to customers and business activities to obtain sponsors. Sponsors can then be aggressive with their marketing based on the information provided to them. In addition, a regional partnership solution using the collected data is assumed with this platform, placing the activation of the stadium surroundings in the field of view. The expected number of visitors on the day is 30,000. This will be quite a large scale for a demonstration experiment, but Mr. Tatara discussed the importance of being conscious of the real thing. On the other hand, Panasonic used their comprehensive strengths to achieve the solutions. Mr. Ohshitamoto places a great deal of trust in the service, noting that, "The advantage of the Stadium Service Platform is the one-stop collection of ticket purchasing, admission, behavior and purchase history within the stadium. There are other fragmented solutions, but there are no other cross-sectional services like this." Read ticket information issued with IC, QR codes and wristbands with a single "Toughbook." Possibilities will expand if the base is completed. Mr. Tatara stated that, "upgrading seats in real-time is no longer a dream," and Mr. Ohshitamoto listed specific experience value improvements, adding that, "It will become easier to hand out presents to customers who enter as a designated round number, and service options will increase when entering the venues." The launch of the full-scale provision was aimed for 2020, but that date may be moved ahead of schedule if this demonstration experience is successful. Both parties provided their insight as they envision the future of electronic ticketing. "All of the visitors must be able to imagine the benefits of using electronic tickets to enter the venues. Just like we saw a shift from paper tickets to IC cards at ticketing gates in train stations, I think that it is important for the organizer to provide a vision of "what kind of worldview they want to provide" and operations as a set. For example, I'm sure that awareness will change if the entrance gates are exclusively digitized over time. - This article was reproduced from an article published on the website "Mirai-kotohajime" on November 6, 2018, by courtesy of Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.
0.995316	Historically, only until recently have Mormons wanted to be called Christians, preferring not to be included with Christian denominations, which Joseph Smith said were, "all wrong ... all their creeds were an admonition in his sight, and that those professors (Christians) were all corrupt" (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, 2:18-19). Mormons have preferred to be called "saints"; however, in the recent years the LDS church has spent millions in an intense "PR" campaign aimed at moving the church into the mainstream of Christianity. The political and economic benefits of Mormons being included in the mainstream of Christianity are obvious. Further, for Mormons to be accepted as traditional Christians would greatly aid in proselytizing the members of Christian denominations into the LDS church. This is why the LDS church is trying so hard to present itself as Christian and is trying to overcome the stigma of being a cult. The answer to the question, "Are Mormons Christians," is simple. They are not Christians for several reasons, and their unbiblical doctrines show them to be a "Christian" cult. The name Christian was first used, as Acts 11:26 records, to identify the disciples of Jesus Christ. The word "Christian" is the Greek word "christianos," and it means an adherent of Jesus Christ. It literally means "Christ ones" (Acts 11:26, 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16). The correct definition of the word is one who is a follower of the Jesus Christ of the Bible. For almost two thousand years it has never had a reference to anyone other that the historical Jesus Christ of the New Testament. Why Mormons Are Not Christian. First: Mormons do not follow or believe in the historic Jesus Christ of the Bible, but rather in a difference Jesus. This is why most Biblical Christians emphatically insist that Mormons are not Christians. Let me explain. The god of the Mormons is not the God of the Bible. To the Mormons, Jesus is the firstborn son of an exalted "man" who became the god of this world. The man-god of Mormonism was made the god of this world because of his good works on another planet somewhere out in the universe. He "earned" godhood, and was thus appointed by a counsel of gods in the heavens to his high position as the god of planet Earth. The Mormon god of this world was a man, like all men, who became a god. This is what the celestial marriage and the temple vows are all about. LDS men, by doing their temple work, are striving for exaltation by which they, too, shall one day become gods. Their wives will be the mother goddesses of "their" world and with their husband will produce the population of their world. This is the Mormon doctrine of "eternal progression." "Remember that God, our heavenly Father, was perhaps once a child, a mortal like we ourselves, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome, until He has arrived at the point were He is." "As Abra'm, Isaac, Jacob, too, babes, then men--to gods they grew. As man now is, our God once was; As now God is, so man may be,-- Which doth unfold man's destiny. . ." The God of the Bible is not an exalted man. The God of the Bible is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. The Bible says He is the only God and there are no other Gods. He had no beginning or end and he is a spirit being and never was a man. Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" Psalms 102:26-27, "They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end." Isaiah 43:10-11, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour." Isaiah 44:6, "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." Isaiah 44:8, "Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any." Isaiah 45:21-22, "Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." Jeremiah 23:24, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD." Malachi 3:6, "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." John 1:16-18, "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." Romans 1:22, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." Colossians 1:15, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:" 1 Timothy 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Timothy 6:16, "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." Clearly, Mormonism's god is not the God of Christianity who is the God revealed to us in the Bible. The Mormon god is a god formed from the imaginations of Joseph Smith, and in truth is a false, non-existent god or idol. Second: The Jesus Christ of Mormonism is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible. The Mormon Jesus is the son of this man-god. The Mormon Jesus is the brother of Lucifer, and according to LDS teaching, he married several of the Marys of the New Testament. He is not, to the LDS church, "God incarnate" as the Bible plainly states. Clearly, the Mormon god and Jesus are not the true. Orson Hyde, the Mormon Apostle said, "We say it was Jesus Christ who was married in the marriage of Cana of Galilee" (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, page 80). Brigham Young, said, "When the Virgin Mary conceived the Child Jesus ... He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who is His father? He is the first of the human family" (Journal of Discourses, pages 50-51). Compare this with the Word of God, "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). Mormons teach that Jesus Christ suffered for sin in the Garden of Gethsemane when He sweat "as it were" great drops of blood. Mormons totally avoid the Biblical teaching of Christ's atonement for sin which was accomplished on the Cross. "Christians speak often of the blood of Christ and its cleansing power. Much is believed and taught on this subject, however, it is utter nonsense and so palpably false that to believe it is to lose one's salvation." It goes further to say that salvation is "conditional on faith, and repentance, and baptism and keeping the commands of God." "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrew 9:14). "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Revelations 1:5). The ejection of this Biblical truth by the LDS church shows again it is not a Christian church. I am aware that the L.D.S church has several definitions of salvation and several degrees of glory. A good discussion of the problem is found on the Internet at http:CastYourNet.com/LDS-Shock. John 3:18, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Hebrews 1:5, "For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?" John 10:30 "I and my Father are one." Jesus claimed to be one with the Father. In John 14:9, Jesus said to see him is to see the Father. In John 8:25, 56-59, 18:6,8 Jesus used the Jehovistic "I AM," identifying Himself as God. In Matthew 22:42-45, Jesus claimed to be the Old Testament "Adonai." In Mark 2:5-7, Jesus forgave sin, a prerogative belonging only to God. In Matthew 14:33; 28:9; and John 20:28-29, Jesus asserted Himself as God by allowing men to worship Him. John 1:3 states that Jesus is the Creator, and Genesis 1:1 states that God was the Creator. Only those who believe in the real Biblical God and Jesus Christ have the right to use the name "Christian." The Mormon prophets historically have openly ridiculed those who believe in the God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit that the Bible reveals. One question that I would ask all Mormons is this: "If I accept you as a Christian, will you accept me as a Mormon?" Would you accept me as a Mormon if I reject Joseph Smith and all the LDS prophets as being prophets of God. If I do not believe in the Book of Mormon or the LDS Scriptures, baptisms for the dead, the temple endowments, the LDS gospel, would you accept me as a Mormon? The answer is obviously, you would not. In like manner, when Mormonism denies the Bible and every Christian doctrine do you think that Biblical Christians should accept Mormons as Christians? Again the answer is very obvious, no we will not. You cannot legitimately claim to be Christians when you refuse to accept what the Bible teaches and what a true Christian believes. I would implore Mormons to honestly and openly examine their teachings about God and Jesus Christ and examine who the Bible defines as being a Christian. There is no benefit in calling yourself a "Christian" when Biblically you are not. Because we love the souls of men and want to see them, too, spend eternity in Heaven with our Savior, we strongly object to anyone proclaiming to the world a false Jesus Christ. We do not want to see anyone miss having their sins forgiven and receiving eternal life, because they were deceived. Jesus said that He alone was the truth, the way and the life. Belief in the real Jesus Christ is the only way a man can receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life. The LDS, church in presenting a false Christ is, in fact, leading souls away from salvation and the real Jesus. They reject God's truth and substitute another Jesus who does not exist and cannot save. Only those who believe in the Biblical Jesus Christ will go to heaven when they die. Those who put their trust in a false Christ will be eternally lost. Every true Child of God knows this, and that is why we try so hard to point men away from false churches, prophets, gods and Christs, that they may find God's true Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved. Let God speak for Himself by His Word. Matt. 24:24, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 14:10-12).
0.556448	Henri Markarian, better known as Marc Aryan, was a singer, songwriter, and record producer born as a French citizen, who also acquired Belgian citizenship after a long residency in the country. Marc Aryan was born to Lebanese Armenian parents coming from Malatya, Turkey. He studied music and piano in Valence, and started writing his own songs. In 1957, he left Valence to Paris for better musical opportunities. In 1963, he went to Belgium where one of his sisters ran a nightclub in Knokke-le-Zoute on the coast. He tried his songs on the dance routines at the club gaining great favour. Marc Aryan initially released materials under the personal label Markal. He then changed the name of the label to Malatya where his parents came from. He recorded several songs for an album released in Brussels. With initial success, Henri Markarian decided to adopt the stage name Marc Aryan (derived from pronunciation of his Armenian family name). His singles became very popular in Belgian francophone market and in France. His single "Katy" that was released in 1964-1965, topped both Wallonia and Flanders Singles Charts becoming one of the top selling singles for 1965. He made sold-out concerts throughout Belgium. Other successful singles by him included "Volage Volage" (20 weeks in the Belgian Top 10), "Un Petit Slow" (again a #1 hit), "Angelina", "Giorgina", "Parce que je t'aime", "Si j'etais sur..", "Quand je te prends dans mes bras", "Qu'un peu d'amour", "Mon petit navire", "La chanson du viel aveugle" and "Tu es numéro 1 au hit-parade de mon cœur". After the successful years 1964 and 1965 locally, the years 1966 and 1969 proved to be his most prosperous years internationally. Marc Aryan enjoyed great popularity in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon and Syria, where he also sang some songs in Armenian language and in Eastern Europe and Latin America. He had some commercial success in Quebec, Canada's predominantly francophone province. Marc Aryan visited Turkey where his parents originated from. His success was huge after his release of the oriental-themed "Istanbul", one of his best known hits that became an instant classic in Turkey. He also released a number of re-arrangements of his biggest hits in Turkish language, following the example of famous European artists who had done the same like Salvatore Adamo, Johnny Hallyday, Sacha Distel, Enrico Macias and Peppino di Capri. Turkish language versions in his album Istanbul'da include 9 songs including "Yalancısın", "Dünya Dönüyor", "Kalbin Yok Mu?" and others. The Turkish lyrics were mostly written by Fecri Ebcioğlu. In 1968, he also visited the Soviet Union where he sang for tens of thousands of fans in Moscow and other cities filling stadiums. Marc Aryan also eventually visited his homeland Armenia for very successful concert tour insisting to sing some songs in Armenian including the famous "Yerevan" dedicated to the Armenian capital. Upon his return in 1969, he established a music studio he named Katy after his successful single "Katy". His best songs were released in a double CD collection in 1974 again hitting the Top 10 of sales. In 1997, a tribute concert entitled "Hommage à Marc Aryan" was held in Schaerbeek, in which his most well-known songs were interpreted by contemporary singers including Marka, Perry Rose, Dominique A, Jean-Luc of Sttellla, Be Plouvier, Zop Hophop and actor Benoit Poelvoorde.
0.948951	Has there any been thought to deploying ArcGIS Server as a Docker container? Any plans to curate an official Docker image? There are no current plans to enable ArcGIS Server to support the Docker platform at this time. If you can petition for such a step, that would be great. Those deploying in a continuous deployment environment are increasingly turning to such container-driven technologies to increase the reliability of these deployments. Having Server work in this world would be great. With Microsoft supporting Docker inside Windows Server, this should become easier and easier. That was me, I would love to hear feedback from others. I managed to get AGS working using that Dockerfile, but I forked the repo and made a few changes to make it easier to use. For one, I added a startup script so that AGS starts with the container and so that signals are handled properly. Also, I rewrote some of the RUN statements in the Dockerfile related to dependency installation. I am currently working on a Docker solution. I started with 10.5, now am working with 10.5.1. I have ArcGIS Server, Portal For Server, Web Adaptor, and ArcGIS Datastore running now in Docker containers. I am working on the myriad details but things are already limping along. I have to do a little hand waving (like what you see in conference live demos :-) but I can get them all spun up and hooked together. All software is installed, licensed, and configured automatically. More or less. I know that it can be done and am trying to get everything going before worrying about polishing each part. You can see the work on github, look here: geo-ceg/docker- You will see some incomplete open source dockers for things like geoserver and geogig there. Ignore those for now! The ones I am working on are docker-arcgis-server, docker-portal-for-arcgis, docker-web-adaptor, and docker-arcgis-datastore. ArcGIS Enterprise is an onion, you knew that already if you have tried to install it! I keep peeling off another layer saying "once this layer is done, I will write a splendid blog posting to tell everyone about it"... then I discover another required layer inside... currently I am trying to set up Datastore with an RDBMS so that I can connect it to a Site and then create a Hosted Server and then connect that to Portal... I think I said that correctly. Microsoft provides SQL Server in a Docker, I plan on trying that as the RDBMS. Sometimes I read and attempt to follow ESRI docs only to try something and discover some things are fundamentally wrong. For example, they say Web Adaptor is an optional accessory, (maybe it was in earlier releases?) but when I try to use a reverse proxy instead, Portal firmly says "WHERE IS YOUR WEB ADAPTOR? I NEED ONE." So -- I added the Web Adaptor layer. Maybe somehow there is a workaround but creating the Docker for it was pretty straightforward... once I learned how to automate creation and installation of self-signed certificates for Tomcat. And also that Tomcat HAS TO RUN on ports 80/443 - the installer scripts die if you don't set it up that way. And that required learning about authbind, such fun! The stickiest part right now is that every time I spin up an ArcGIS Server container, I have to create a new site. Per the documentation, I can persist the files in config-store/ and directories/ but it matters not! When I start a container the best I can get is "I see those files you persisted and you must delete them or I won't start!". Such petulant software! I thought I would try using the official backup/restore scripts. I made a backup, spun up a new container, tried to do a restore and it said "I can't do a restore until you create a site." To me, this says ESRI has a very whimsical notion of "backup" and "restore". ANYWAY I will continue pushing my changes up to github and these dockers will get stronger and stronger. So far, so good. It's a roller coaster ride! Whee! Excellent work! Hopefully, we start seeing esri employees contributing to this open source effort. I have combined the 4 separate repositories into one, I am at the point where I want to start composing the separate dockers so that they work together. They are now in https://github.com/Geo-CEG/docker-arcgis-enterprise. The old separate repos now just direct you to the new one. I wrote a python script that uses the REST API to do the initial site configuration for ArcGIS Server, so now it comes up pretty much automatically. Today I add a similar script to the Portal container. It's just about working. Once that's done I can finish the bit that registers the Web Adaptor to Portal. I am also setting up SQL Server as the back end datastore, using this Docker container from Microsoft that runs SQL Server 2017 in an Ubuntu Linux container. SQL Server running on Linux. Who ever would have thought that would happen?
0.96632	What is the City of Luxor? Luxor means in Arabic as “The Palaces” and during ancient times used to be known as “The city of Hundred Doors“. It is considered by many to be the globe’s greatest open-air museum for the fact that on an area on 417 sq km (161 sq mi) lies some of the most majestic temples such as the Valley of the king, the Karnak temple, Queen Hatshepsut temple, Luxor temple that holds some of the most extraordinary ruins and artifacts. Luxor located at the south of Upper Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile River and part of the ancient city of Thebes. Luxor was considered to be a very important city in Egypt old kingdom and the capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom. The city has millions of visitors from all over the world to witness this incredible wonder. The city still has an active population of over half a million people that depend almost entirely on tourism. The climate in Luxor is quite sunny and hot with average temperatures of 40 C (104 F) in the summer months and 22 C (71.6 F) during the winter months. The history of Luxor shows us that the city had a deeply religious nature as it was known to be the city of Amun and later in Egypt new kingdom as the city of the gods where the Karnak temple is the official place for worship as each god had a shrine-like Amun-Re, Mut and many more. The importance of the city grows in the beginning on the 11th dynasty during the early middle kingdom leading to the new kingdom where the city became the capital and a universal hub for all the political, religious, and military aspects in Ancient Egypt. From the 18th to the 20th Dynasty, many kings and Queens established many temples to honor the gods as king Amenhotep the third constructed the temple of the deity Amon, his consort the goddess Mut and their son Khonsu the moon good A.K.A Luxor temple in the late 18th dynasty, soon the power of Amon grow stronger as he was merged with the sun God Ra to Form Amun-RA who was worshipped in his temple in the Karnak Complex. During the new kingdom a new set of constructions took place as many kings and Queens desired to immortalize their legacy as it became a custom for any king or queen during the new kingdom to be buried there as it holds 20 royal tombs such as the tomb of Ramses the great, Tutankhamen, Thutmose III, Nefertiti and many more. Luxor is quite famous for the glorious temple of Hatshepsut that reflects the true artistic design and classical architecture of that era. One of the last characters to add something new to the city was Alexander the great as a granite shrine of him was added to the Luxor temple. The ancient Egyptian nature of Luxor hasn’t changed even when the Greek, Roman, Coptic and Islamic Era came to Luxor and many churches and mosques were built near or even on some of the temples, Luxor still remained a window to Ancient Egyptian History. The city of Luxor with all its monuments was designated into the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and it keeps surprising us as new discoveries every single day. Egypt has wonderful sights so if you prefer to witness them, you can explore our best Egypt tour packages, Nile Cruise and book the tour most suitable for you. Or if you are in Luxor city and prefer to explore the most famous archaeological sites in Luxor you can visit our Luxor Excursions.
0.966409	Can Europe offer any borderless lessons to help Southeast Asia with its own migrant crisis? When the dry season brings calmer seas to Southeast Asia, scores of Rohingya Muslims are likely to take to rickety boats to flee oppression in their homelands. As this sailing season looms again in the region, so does a refugee crisis that follows with equally seasonal regularity. The Rohingya are a distinct, Muslim minority in Southeast Asia, whose presence in the region stretches back some 1,000 years. Since 2012, over 100,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar due to religious discrimination, typically fueled by Buddhist agitators. Many have been shut out of nearby countries where they sought shelter. Today, there are sizeable Rohingya communities in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Despite their historical roots in the region, the Rohingya are largely viewed as foreigners and denied basic rights. Looking back, 2015 could be summed up as the year of the global refugee crisis. Civil war in Syria has increased the global rate of displacement due to persecution and war to the highest recorded levels in history. Europe has yet to develop a coordinated, region-wide response to refugee floods. While Europe’s refugee crisis has taken center stage in global politics, Asia has long been home to the largest number of asylum seekers and refugees on the planet. The United Nations estimates that the number of displaced persons in Asia skyrocketed by over 30 percent in 2014. Though there is an obvious need for leadership and strategies for supporting refugees, there remains a policy vacuum in the region. Few Asian countries have signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, which defines who qualifies as a refugee, the rights guaranteed to refugees, and the responsibilities that states have to them. The agreement could be beneficial in Southeast Asia, both for states and for refugees. By signing, states receive guidelines on how to address refugee inflows, and if they abide by the definition of who qualifies as a refugee, they also get political cover for rejecting individuals who do not fit the decades-old definition. Refugees, in turn, are guaranteed at least some basic rights. In 2015, The New York Times described China and India, Asia’s two top-league powers, as “sitting out” of the Rohingya refugee crisis. This inaction was largely the result of putting moral concerns second to political calculus. Countries see no positive outcome in the short-term for touching a tinderbox issue. If strong leadership cannot be found in Asia’s most powerful countries, the best tool to address the crisis might be the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Southeast Asia’s most inclusive intergovernmental organization. In 2012, after much debate, ASEAN adopted a Human Rights Declaration that explicitly enshrined the right to asylum. Ironically, however, human rights activists are wary that this declaration may actually undermine human rights gains in the region, because it states that “the realization of human rights must be considered in the regional and national context.” This clause can be interpreted as allowing states to use their national context – i.e. religious background– as a pretext to reject certain refugees. The declaration will likely not encourage a sense of shared responsibility. With hopes of a regional approach waning, the Rohingya may benefit from the approach recently adopted by France and other European countries working to address the root cause of migration. Fearing that it can’t take another year of heavy migrant influx, Europeans are leaning toward a retooled refugee strategy, one that devotes key resources to quelling the war in Syria to stem refugee flows at the source. In Southeast Asia, fostering reconciliation, especially in Myanmar, between the Rohingya and their oppressors would be a serious step forward. Recent fieldwork conducted by Anthony Ware and Ronan Lee suggests that domestic compromise can be attained. Both minority Rohingya Muslims and majority Rakhine Buddhists in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, where some 800,000 Rohingya Muslims live, believe that peace could be achieved if the government would provide the political leadership and resources necessary to ensure each community’s human rights. Following a thumping victory by the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar’s historic November election, all eyes have turned to NLD chairwoman Aung Sang Suu Kyi to bring attention and action to the plight of the Rohingya. Regrettably, the democracy icon has so far fallen short on addressing the widespread discrimination against the Muslim community, drawing criticism for what many see as bowing to political pressure from the country’s overwhelmingly Buddhist voters. Regional leaders have a chance to prevent the next chapter of Southeast Asia’s refugee crisis. ASEAN nations may be able to solve their refugee problem by using a judicious combination of carrots and sticks to entice governments to dismantle the anti-Muslim frameworks that have made the Rohingya one of the most persecuted minority groups in the world. Working toward a solution to the region’s substantial refugee challenges will require a bold response at the regional level to address the large numbers of refugees and the root causes of displacement. One or more regional governments must take up the mantle to support these efforts and funds must be provided to ultimately integrate Rohingya refugees into their new host countries or back into society in Myanmar. 2015 has taught us that there is no silver bullet for refugee crises. If 2016 is to be different, and if fewer Rohingya are to lose their lives in the pursuit of safety, ASEAN countries must accept their responsibility and work together toward a sustainable solution.
0.957856	Some theorists consider Karl Marx's thought to be divided into a "young" period and a "mature" one. There is disagreement to when Marx's thought began to mature, and the problem of the idea of a "Young Marx" is the problem of tracking the development of Marx's works and of its possible unity. The problem thus centres on Marx's transition from philosophy to economics, which has been considered by orthodox Marxism as a progressive change towards scientific socialism. This positivist reading has however been challenged by Marxist theorists, like members of the New Left. They pointed out the humanist side in Marx's work, and how he in his early writings focused on liberation from wage-slavery and freedom from alienation, that they claimed was a forgotten element of Marx's writings and central to understanding his later work. Étienne Balibar claims that Marx's works cannot be divided into "economic works" (Das Kapital), "philosophical works" and "historical works" (The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, the 1871 Civil War in France, etc.). Marx's philosophy is inextricably linked to his critique of political economy and to his historical interventions in the workers' movement, such as the 1875 Critique of the Gotha Program: the problematic is also related to Marx's rupture with university and its teachings concerning German Idealism and his encounter with the proletariat, leading him to write, along with Engels, The Communist Manifesto a year before the Revolutions of 1848. Marxism's philosophical roots were commonly explained (for example by Lenin) as derived from three sources: English political economy; French utopian socialism, republicanism and radicalism; and German idealist philosophy. Although this "three sources" model is an oversimplification, it still has some measure of truth. The Young Marx is usually still considered part of humanist "bourgeois" philosophy, which Marx later criticized, along with German Idealism, on behalf of "social relations" which primed over individual consciousness, a product of ideology according to him. Marxist humanists stressed the humanistic philosophical foundations of Marx's thought by focusing on the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 (first published in 1932, and largely suppressed in the Soviet Union until the post-Stalinist "Thaw"). Marx there expounds his theory of alienation, adapted from Feuerbach's The Essence of Christianity (1841). Althusser opposed himself to this movement, arguing that the young Marx couldn't be read while presupposing "fully-developed Marxism". He thus posed the philosophical problem of Marx's evolution as the question of how may one conceive the transformation of Marx's thought without adopting an idealist perspective which would mark a return to Hegel's spiritualist dialectics and its teleological perspective (the hen is in the egg as mature Marx would be in the young Marx, the "contents" of his dialectical materialist philosophy expressed in his earlier works under the "words" of Feuerbach's idealism). For Jahn, for example, although they 'still ' contain 'a whole series of abstract elements ' the 1844 Manuscripts mark 'the birth of scientific socialism '. For Pajitnov, these manuscripts 'form the crucial pivot around which Marx reoriented the social sciences. The theoretical premises of Marxism had been laid down .' For Lapine, 'unlike the articles in the Rheinische Zeitung in which certain elements of materialism only appear spontaneously, the 1843 Manuscript witnesses to Marx's conscious passage to materialism ', and in fact 'Marx's critique of Hegel starts from materialist positions ' (it is true that this 'conscious passage ' is called 'implicit ' and 'unconscious ' in the same article). As for Schaff , he writes squarely 'We know (from later statements of Engels ) that Marx became a materialist in 1841 '. I am not trying to make an easy argument out of these contradictions (which might at little cost be set aside as signs of an 'open' investigation). But it is legitimate to ask whether this uncertainty about the moment when Marx passed on to materialism, etc., is not related to the spontaneous and implicit use of an analytico-teleological theory. Louis Althusser popularized the conception of an "epistemological break" between the Young Marx and the mature Marx, that is the point where Marx broke with ideology to enter the domain of science, a point generally considered to consist in his break with Feuerbach. However, the epistemological break, a concept which Althusser drew out of Gaston Bachelard, is not to be conceived as a chronological point, but as a "process", thus making the question of the distinction between a "Young Marx" and a "mature Marx" a problematic one. To discomfit those who set up against Marx his own youth, the opposite position is resolutely taken up: Marx is reconciled with his youth -- Capital is no longer read as On the Jewish Question, On the Jewish Question is read as Capital ; the shadow of the young Marx is no longer projected on to Marx, but that of Marx on to the young Marx; and a pseudo-theory of the history of philosophy in the 'future anterior' is erected to justify this counter-position, without realizing that this pseudo-theory is quite simply Hegelian. A devout fear of a blow to Marx's integrity inspires as its reflex a resolute acceptance of the whole of Marx : Marx is declared to be a whole, ' the young Marx is part of Marxism ' — as if we risked losing the whole of Marx if we were to submit his youth to the radical critique of history, not the history he was going to live, but the history he did live, not an immediate history, but the reflected history for which, in his maturity, he gave us, not the ' truth ' in the Hegelian sense, but the principles of its scientific understanding. "Capital is an ethical theory, the silent philosophy of which is openly spoken in Marx's Early Works. Thus, reduced to two propositions, is the thesis which has had such extraordinary success. And not only in France and in Italy, but also, as these articles from abroad show, in contemporary Germany and Poland. Philosophers, ideologues, theologians have all launched into a gigantic enterprise of criticism and conversion : let Marx be restored to his source, and let him admit at last that in him, the mature man is merely the young man in disguise. Or if he stubbornly insists on his age, let him admit the sins of his maturity, let him recognize that he sacrificed philosophy to economics, ethics to science, man to history. Let him consent to this or refuse it, his truth, everything that will survive him, everything which helps the men that we are to live and think, is contained in these few Early Works. So these good critics leave us with but a single choice: we must admit that Capital (and 'mature Marxism' in general) is either an expression of the Young Marx's philosophy, or its betrayal. In either case, the established interpretation must be totally revised and we must return to the Young Marx, the Marx through whom spoke the Truth. This is the location of the discussion: the Young Marx. Really at stake in it: Marxism. The terms of the discussion : whether the Young Marx was already and wholly Marx. Marxist humanists do not argue that Marx's thought never developed but criticise the dichotomy presented ‘young’ and ‘mature’ as being too rigid and not recognising the continuity in Marx‘s development. One piece of evidence used by Marxist humanists to highlight the importance of Marx's early works is that Marx himself in 1851 tried to have two volumes of his early writings published. François Châtelet denied the existence of a rupture in 1857 between the young Marx and a mature Marx who would have discarded his errors and assume "mastery of his thought." Instead, he considered that the tensions in his thought continued on until his death in 1883. This thesis, concentrating itself on the tensions in Marx's thought instead of an alleged maturity of his thought, would also be upheld by Étienne Balibar (1993). Others contended that Althusser's "epistemological break" between The Economic-Philosophical Manuscripts (1844) and The German Ideology (1845), in which some new concepts are forged, is a bit too abrupt, although almost no one contests the radical shifts. In fact, though Althusser steadfastly held onto the claim of its existence, he later asserted that the turning point's occurrence around 1845 was not so clearly defined, as traces of humanism, historicism and Hegelianism were to be found in Capital. He even went so far as to state that only Marx's Critique of the Gotha Programme and some notes on a book by Adolph Wagner were fully free from humanist ideology. In fact, Althusser considered the epistemological break to be a process instead of a clearly defined event, the product of the incessant struggle against ideology: Althusser believed in the existence of class struggle in theory itself. This struggle marked the division point between those philosophers who contented themselves with providing various ideological "interpretations" of the world and those who endeavoured to "transform" the world, as Marx had put it in his Theses on Feuerbach (1845). Furthermore, other important shifts in Marx's thought have been highlighted (e.g. Étienne Balibar), in particular following the failure of the 1848 revolutions, in particular in France with Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's December 2, 1851 coup d'état, and then after the crush of the 1871 Paris Commune. This would lead him to substitute, in the first chapter of Das Kapital (1867), his theory of commodity fetishism for the theory of alienation expounded in the 1844 Manuscripts.
0.967696	The dad of the player was killed treacherously when he was making a drug dealing deal. One of the player's friend told him his dad's best friend knows everything about his dad, and he must go to Violet Compound in Violet City to ask him about how his dad was killed. Then the player went there, and the game will be started with it, then his dad's best friend asked him to do some work. Then after finishing those work, he will tell him his dad was a drug dealer and he was killed when he was making a deal and then he will tell him about the killer. Can you drive in the mountains?So, prove that. Thank you for your comment and your interest to make the game better. The purpose of the expensive cars that make the enthusiasm for the game. The AI car isn't fast its like the last car (car #4). And again thank you for your interest to make the game better.
0.934588	What's the best way to map a hospital department? I've had a look in the wiki and there's surprisingly little. If it has a speciality I can use healthcare:speciality for that of course, but how to say "this is a department of a hospital" ? Can anyone point to hospital departments that have already been mapped? Would a spatial relation suffice? E.g., in my area a hospital department would be a building in the hospital campus; the campus would be a closed way tagged as a hospital and the building would be tagged with healthcare:specialty and reside within the campus. Yes, York District Hospital. The hospital building itself is http://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/916106#map=16/53.9702/-1.0840 and I've so far added some departments as e.g. http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/4785109291 , but without any tagging of them beyond a "name" it's difficult to do much with them. How can I create my own tags using JOSM? How do you tell if a minor service road is access=private, destination, or permissive? How do I tag ways with partial access? How do I stop rivers from rendering where the riverbanks are mapped? How can I get a list of all objects with a certain tag? How do I map a road that has traffic lights only in one direction? [UK road] was detrunked; why does OSM still have it tagged highway=trunk?
0.999057	If you suffer from frequent blood clots, here are a few simple lifestyle changes you should consider. Your blood naturally clots to prevent from excessive bleeding. Unfortunately, some clots can become so large that they constrict your veins allowing pressure to build up, which can cause significant damage to your circulatory system. If a clot enters the bloodstream, it can result in more serious complications, including deep vein thrombosis, stroke, or pulmonary embolism. While most blood clots don’t pose an immediate threat to your health, if you experience frequent clotting, there are a number of simple lifestyle changes that you can make to help alleviate your symptoms. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration causes your blood to thicken, thereby increasing the likelihood that it will clot. Drink moderate amounts of red wine or grape juice. In addition to eating five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables a day, studies have shown that purple grapes, kiwis, and virgin olive oil help prevent blood clots from forming. Incorporate natural blood-thinners such as garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, and cayenne peppers into your diet. Limit your consumption of animal fats, which can increase inflammation and have a generally negative effect on cardiovascular health. If your job involves remaining seated for long periods of time, be sure to get up and move around at least once every two hours. Perform foot and leg exercises in the morning to encourage blood flow through the legs. Walk, jog, bike, swim, or perform some other kind of moderate exercise on a regular basis. A predisposition to blood clots is certainly inconvenient, but with the proper lifestyle choices and medical guidance, it’s a condition that can be easily managed. If you’re struggling with blood clots and would like to learn more about your treatment options, contact a specialist today.
0.965749	nvidia AO doesnt give you wallhacks/outlines of players if you were to see them through transparent/translucent surfaces like smoke/foliage, it doesnt work like chams. no idea if its possible, but what if that bonus was simply experience boost? so you get X amount of bonus XP for dropping Y player on certain killstreak? Epic store is both good and bad for a bunch of reasons: the good: - first real competition to Steam, this forced Valve to up their game by lowering their 30% cut for devs who made it over certain treshold to 25% and then 20% - developers get 88% cut from sales the bad: - yet another goddamn launcher for games - taxes arent included in game price for most regions so you pay more in the end - exclusivity is never a good for customer, only for the one who owns the platform: see Sony or Apple the ugly: - developers dont get many of the tools steam provides, being steamworks API, workshop, community hubs, forums etc. - Epic is paying developers for exclusivity, which would be fine if developers didnt have preorders on steam earlier, like in case of Metro: Exodus - as far as I know, there is no key reselling from sites like g2a or fanatical as you can do it with steam, uplay and origin gotta wait another year or so to see where Epic finds themselves, fortnite stopped growing and bad publicity is biting their assess, denuvo is no longer uncrackable so piracy is an option for annoyed customers, if they dont play it carefully they may end up just like Origin, irrevelant to the market. "Time Diver: Eon Man", or as we knew it in Eastern Europe "Time Diver: Avenger" had some really sick music, really nice game that came at end of NES lifecycle, so it didnt really get any traction but it has some really nice gameplay to it, I recommend you check it out on emulator or actual machine if you can hunt down the cart.
0.999996	What Does a Market Analyst Do? The job of a market analyst is to collect, analyze, interpret, manipulate and visualize data to help companies plan successful sales strategies and marketing campaigns. They are sometimes also known as marketing analysts. The market analysis and research remit of a market analyst involves analyzing, interpreting, manipulating and visualizing various types of sales-related data, including consumer demographics, pricing policies, distribution channels, sell in/sell out performance for sales outlets, performance of promotional and marketing activities, and market penetration. Market analysts are also responsible for preparing market research solutions, involving surveys, questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, with the aim of assessing the preferences of consumers, their needs and buying habits, as well as to obtain feedback from customers. Analysts also collect statistical data and analyze market reports to identify market trends and potential new target customers/markets/channels. They also constantly monitor the activities and strategies of competitors in order to create competitive benchmarks for the industry/sector. The general aim of the analytical work done by a market analyst is to obtain information that can help a company achieve its business objectives. For instance, an analyst may be required to identify the most profitable types of product or service, customer preferences, the most effective channels of distribution or specific target markets for communication and marketing initiatives, or to produce projections of sales volumes. Market analysts produce reports and presentations illustrating the qualitative and quantitative results of their analyses to the directors of the marketing and sales departments, or else directly to company management. Their goal is to provide the company with the data required for effective strategic planning, i.e. in order to drive and inform the design and development of its products and services, to define its sales and marketing strategies, plan effective communication initiatives and organize its sales networks as efficiently as possible. Market analysts typically work with marketing managers and their team in devising and coordinating advertising campaigns, on the launch of new products and other promotional activities, as well as with budget planning. They help companies to identify the most suitable communication tools and channels for the specific target market, analyze product positioning and plan sales strategies. Subsequently they monitor initiatives to ensure they are conducted in line with the agreed business objectives and measure the return on investment of campaigns. In performing their data analysis and interpretation functions, Marketing analysts regularly make use of databases, statistical software and Business Intelligence tools to mine the data gathered for relevant information and to reach conclusions with regard to markets, trends, competitors, potential customers and campaigns. Marketing analysts typically work as employees of medium to large sized companies or multinationals with in-house market analysis functions or, alternatively, for consultancy firms offering marketing, consumer insights and market research services. Additionally, some marketing analysts may work on a self-employed basis. The skills of a marketing analyst can be applied in a strategic and operational marketing function within any industry or sector. The typical workplace of a marketing analyst is the marketing department of the company they work for or, in the case of an external consultant, the offices of their client. Working hours are generally standard full-time hours. To become a market analyst usually requires a degree in Marketing, Economics or Statistics. The ideal candidate will have prior experience in marketing or in market research, while essential skills include collecting, analyzing, interpreting and synthesizing data, creating market research questionnaires and surveys, a knowledge of data collection methods and the ability to perform statistical analyses. Job adverts for marketing analysts typically request an in-depth knowledge of statistical tools and an ability to use databases, analytics software and business intelligence applications, as well as a familiarity with basic computer applications. Market analysts also need to be able to summarize their findings and illustrate them to management and clients using charts, graphs, tables and presentations, in order to help them make informed decisions when conducting product launches or marketing campaigns. A career as a market analyst may develop in a number of different directions. Starting from a position as a Junior Marketing Analyst, an analyst may, with experience, progress to more senior roles and from there to managerial positions in a company’s marketing or sales department. Alternatively, an analyst may choose to specialize in a specific sector, for example, becoming a digital marketing analyst, i.e. an expert at analysing and interpreting data to help companies plan and implement their online marketing strategies. Another option is to move into a self-employed role, providing companies with marketing consultancy services as a freelance consultant. Working as a market analyst is a dynamic, stimulating and challenging job, in which an ability to work with numbers and data plays an important role, making it an ideal position for candidates with strong analytical skills and reasoning abilities. Marketing analysts typically enjoy a good degree of autonomy and work in contact with a number of other company departments, including design and development, sales and marketing and communications. The work of a market analyst influences a company’s strategic choices in terms of the design, sale, and distribution of its products and services and therefore plays a key role in the success of its business. Additional reasons to choose a career as a market analyst include the competitive salaries that marketing roles generally offer as well as attractive career prospects in a dynamic environment that is rapidly evolving.
0.948153	Could it be a subtle homage to the science fiction series' 50th anniversary by writers? CORONATION Street fans were left baffled after watching tonight's episode, which seemed to feature Izzy Armstrong wearing Star Trek "fancy dress". That is, a jumper that looked remarkably similar to the one worn by William Shatner as Captain Kirk. The machinist, played by Cherylee Houston, was at work in Underworld when a number of eagle-eyed viewers spotted the similarity. Considering the fact that it was Star Trek's 50th anniversary earlier this month, the reference could be a homage to the science fiction series. Many questioned whether she was about to audition for a new series of the sci fi franchise. One tweeted: "Izzy trying her best to look like an extra out of Star Trek - The Original Series. #Corrie" While another simply wrote: "Izzy's dressed like she's about to audition for Star Trek!" Another joked: "Has Izzy got a side job on the Star Trek enterprise #corrie". Others were convinced that the character was about to go off to a convention. A fan commented: "Is Izzy going to a star trek convention in tonight's #Corrie she has the uniform on! @itvcorrie" And some were just bemused as to why she had "turned up to work dressed as a character from Star Trek". Coronation Street's Vinny Ashford to KILL Todd Grimshaw? Another exclaimed: "Why does Izzy look like she just filmed an episode of Star Trek?! #Corrie #thisis2016 #badfashion". This isn't the first time fans have thought that they have spotted an "ode" to Star Trek by Corrie writers and producers this year. Back in July, a number of Corrie viewers spotted David Platt (Jack P Shepherd) donning a Star Trek-like mustard jumper as he sipped on a mug of tea.
0.987631	How much do movers in El Paso charge? The moving cost depends on the size of your home and how far you're moving. For example, moving a 2 bedroom home to Houston costs $1480 - $1810, to San Antonio costs $1400 - $1710, to Dallas costs $1500 - $1830, to Austin costs $1440 - $1760, to Fort Worth costs $1450 - $1780, etc.
0.999974	South Africa is one of the most widely recognised and established new world wine regions, and the UK is the country’s biggest export market. Explaining all of the wine regions of South Africa would take an essay, considering there are at least 24 recognised Wine of Origin production areas, so we have chosen our favourite ones here. Leafy Constantia is where South African wine making began, thanks to Simon van der Stel (first Governor of the Cape Colony) who was granted 763 hectares of land and subsequently planted vines. His original farm was Groot Constantia, which is the oldest wine producing estate in the area. Other famed wine estates include the optimistically named Buitenverwachting (translates to ‘beyond expectations’), Steenberg, High Constantia, Constantia Uitsig and Klein Constantia – which produces its famed Vin de Constance, it is said to have been a favourite of Napoleon, and was also mentioned by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. A much warmer environment for making wine, the Swartland area can be found 50km north of Cape Town and is largely a farming community. The wine from this region has a reputation for being quite bold in flavour, so Sauvignon Blancs aren’t as widely grown here – instead, you’ll find grape varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, and red and white blends. Organic wine farming is becoming more and more popular, particularly in this region with Org du Rac producing some of the finest organic Merlot, as well as its signature olive oil. The bigger and more established outposts, Swartland Winery and Riebeek Cellars, are always worth a visit, with some of the widest ranges of wine in the area. The towns of Hermanus and Stanford, within the Walker Bay region, produce some of the finest wines in the country. It's one of the more unusual wine routes, surrounded by jagged mountains and choppy seas, however, it goes back 40 years to when the Hamilton Russel family established their vineyard. Famed for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, you will also find some very fine Sauvignon Blancs, Southern Right’s is one of the best. Some other favourites include Bouchard Finlayson, Newton Johnson, Hermanuspietersfontein and Creation – many of these wine estates also have award-winning restaurants on site. With at least 50 wine farms for you to see, Franschhoek is a must-visit destination for wine lovers and foodies – some of the country’s top restaurants are in this small town. The wine estates here are particularly famed for having incredibly beautiful grounds, as well as stunning natural scenery. Some, such as Delaire Graff and Boschendal have rooms as well, providing the option of staying for a couple of nights and really delving into this region. Some of our favourites include La Motte, which also has an extensive art collection and an award winning restaurant, Moreson which specialises in unusual Chardonnays, Haute Cabriere and much more. We would recommend hiring a local guide who can take note of your particular interests and tailor a Winelands tour to make the most of your experience. Intrigued by the varieties of wine that can be found in South Africa, why not come and explore the regions for yourself? Our experts can arrange tours of all the wine regions mentioned above and the many others on offer in South Africa. Book your holiday today with Africa Travel by calling us on 020 7843 3500.
0.999901	Say Happy Holidays With This Tannenbaum Swizzle! Mix up this cocktail by Christy Pope for a perfect celebratory drink. Step 1: Measure ingredients into a Collins glass and top with pellet (crushed) ice. Step 2: Swizzle with a long spoon to mix drink. Step 3: Add two dashes of Angostura bitters. Step 4: Top with more pellet or crushed ice in the shape of a cone. Step 5: Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a few cranberries. Tip: Pope suggests serving it in an etched glass for extra panache and using mason jars, filled with extra toppings, so people can make the drink exactly how they like it.
0.993576	What is a Buddhist Stupa? In my opinion Jetavanaramaya Stupa is the most wonderful and charming place in Anuradhapura. This mesmerizing building makes you doubt the conception that human is the top of the pyramid. Any human with his average 1.70 m can't even dare to be the top. It was afterwards, when I started reading about this dagoba, and my complexes retreated. According to different sources Jetavanaramaya dagoba is nearly record-breaking in different "nominations". At the moment of its construction Jetavanaramaya was the 3rd highest building (122 m) in the world after the pyramids of Khufu (the Great Pyramid) and Khafre in Giza. However despite its former titles and after many reconstructions its height is 70 m now. 93.3 million bricks were used during the construction. The depth of the foundation is 12 m. The dagoba itself covered an area of 3 hectares, and the territory of the whole complex, where 10 000 monks dwelled - 5.6 hectares. Among this variety of numbers only one, a very important one is missing: there is no certain date of construction: it is only certain that the construction began during the reign of king Mahasena (ruled in 275-301) and was completed during the reign of his son, Maghavanna I. Thus, the construction is most likely to refer to III-IV centuries A.D. Jetavanaramaya is significant for one more fact: it symbolizes the hostility between two monk orders – Theravada (orthodox) and Mahayana (heterodox). The hostility between them was so severe that king prohibited providing the Theravada monks living in Mahavihara monastery with means and food. Soon their monastery was abandoned and everything that remained there was robbed by pillagers. Soon the king regretted for his deeds and ordered to reconstruct the monastery and bring monks back there. According to the legend piece of Buddha's sash is kept here. However no data is available concerning when it appeared here and how. Taking into account the period when the dagoba was built, the used technologies are amazing. The gaps between bricks were filled with earth; the ideal elliptic form of the building made it possible to construct such a big structure. When making the foundation the cracks were filled with stones, and elephants beetled bedding with their legs. The bricks used in this dagoba show the significant level of Sri Lankan architecture achievements: they consisted 60% of sand and 35% of clay, thus they could handle great weights. After the end of the construction the building was covered with lime plaster. The plaster also contained seashells, sugar syrup, egg whites, coconut juice, oil, resin, sand, clay, pebbles. The plaster protected the roof from the water, insects and plant intrusions. Now after another reconstruction the dagoba hasn't been covered with the plaster yet, which makes it very different from the others. In 1860 "colonial secretary" of Ceylon James Emerson Tennent wrote in his diary, that there were enough bricks in the dagoba to build a 3 m high and 25 cm thick wall from Edinburgh to London (650km). Sacred city of Anuradhapura, along with it's historical monuments, is listed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
0.932662	Buenos Aires in 1580. The initial settlement, founded by Pedro de Mendoza, had been abandoned since 1542. Buenos Aires managed to endure the whole Spanish American wars of independence without falling again under royalist rule. Buenos Aires Cathedral by Carlos Pellegrini, 1829. Casa Rosada became the seat of the president. Health conditions in poor areas were negative, with high rates of tuberculosis. Public-health physicians and politicians typically blamed both the poor themselves and their ramshackle tenement houses (conventillos) for the spread of the dreaded disease. People ignored public-health campaigns to limit the spread of contagious diseases, such as the prohibition of spitting on the streets, the strict guidelines to care for infants and young children, and quarantines that separated families from ill loved ones. Buenos Aires became a multicultural city that ranked itself with the major European capitals. The Colón Theater became one of the world's top opera venues, and the city became the regional capital of radio, television, cinema, and theatre. The city's main avenues were built during those years, and the dawn of the 20th century saw the construction of South America's then-tallest buildings and its first underground system. A second construction boom, from 1945 to 1980, reshaped downtown and much of the city. Obelisk of Buenos Aires on the 9 de Julio Avenue, 1936. Diego Santilli as deputy. In these elections, PRO was stronger in the wealthier neighbourhoods of northern Buenos Aires, while ECO was stronger in the south of the city. Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve, the Boca Juniors (football) Club "sports city", Jorge Newbery Airport, the Puerto Madero neighborhood and the main port itself; these were all built on reclaimed land along the coasts of the Rio de la Plata (the world's widest river). The region was formerly crossed by different streams and lagoons, some of which were refilled and others tubed. Among the most important streams are Maldonado, Vega, Medrano, Cildañez and White. In 1908 many streams were channelled and rectified, as floods were damaging the city's infrastructure. Starting in 1919, most streams were enclosed. Notably, the Maldonado was tubed in 1954, and runs below Juan B. Justo Avenue. Buenos Aires has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with four distinct seasons. As a result of maritime influences from the adjoining Atlantic Ocean, the climate is temperate with extreme temperatures being rare. Because the city is located in an area where the Pampero and Sudestada winds pass by, the weather is variable due to these contrasting air masses. Summers are hot and humid. The warmest month is January, with a daily average of 24.9 °C (76.8 °F). Heat waves are common during summers. However, most heat waves are of short duration (less than a week) and are followed by the passage of the cold, dry Pampero wind which brings violent and intense thunderstorms followed by cooler temperatures. The highest temperature ever recorded was 43.3 °C (110 °F) on 29 January 1957. Río de la Plata mostly used in the summer in Buenos Aires. Argentina in almost 30 years, severe snowfalls and blizzards hit the country. It was the first major snowfall in the city in 89 years. Spring and autumn are characterized by changeable weather conditions. Cold air from the south can bring cooler temperatures while hot humid air from the north bring hot temperatures. The city receives 1,236.3 mm (49 in) of precipitation per year. Because of its geomorphology along with an inadequate drainage network, the city is highly vulnerable to flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. Buenos Aires also elect 25 national deputies to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies. Las Cañitas and Palermo Viejo, among others. A newer scheme has divided the city into 15 comunas (communes). Buenos Aires is higher than in other parts of the country, with about an 18.0% of the porteños declaring themselves as either atheist or agnostic. Catholic church in the city. Puerto Madero is the prime business and commercial centre of the city. Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, the main stock exchange and financial center of Argentina. Buenos Aires Underground. It represents a typical scene from the city and several of its icons, such as singer Carlos Gardel, the Obelisco, the port, tango dancing and the Abasto market. Santiago del Estero, the first important urban settlement in Argentina), who wrote prose and poetry. They were partly inspired by oral aboriginal poetry—in particular, according to Carlos Abregú Virreyra, by the lules, juríes, diaguitas and tonocotés. A symbiosis emerged between the aboriginal and Spanish traditions, creating a distinct literature, geographically limited (well into the 18th century) to the Argentine north and central regions, with the province of Córdoba as its center, due to the foundation of the National University of Córdoba. Two names stand out from this period: Gaspar Juárez Baviano, and Antonia de la Paz y Figueroa, also known as "Beata Antula". Gradually, with the economic prosperity of the port, the cultural axis moved eastward. The letters of the colonial age (Viceroyalty-neoclassicism, baroque and epic) grew under the protection of the independentist fervor: Vicente López y Planes, Pantaleón Rivarola and Esteban de Luca. El Ateneo Grand Splendid placed it as the second most beautiful bookshop in the world. Alberto Ginastera "began to espouse a cosmopolitan and modernist style, influenced by twelve-tone techniques and serialism"; while avant-garde music thrived by the 1960s, with the Rockefeller Foundation financing the Centro Interamericano de Altos Estudios Musicales, which brought internationally famous composers to work and teach in Buenos Aires, also establishing an electronic music studio. Argentina Sono Film released ¡Tango! Luis Sandrini and Niní Marshall. The popularity of local cinema in the Spanish-speaking world played a key role in the massification of tango music. Carlos Gardel, an iconic figure of tango and Buenos Aires, became an international star by starring in several films during that era. Panorama of downtown. On the left is the Congressional Plaza, and the river and skyscrapers are far in the back of the panorama. Plaza de Mayo Since being the scene of 25 May 1810 revolution that led to independence, the plaza has been a hub of political life in Argentina. Plaza San Martín is a park located in the Retiro neighbourhood of the city. Situated at the northern end of pedestrianized Florida Street, the park is bounded by Libertador Ave. (N), Maipú St. (W), Santa Fe Avenue (S), and Leandro Alem Av. (E). Argentina during the late 19th century and would establish the important Cervantes Theatre in 1921. Argentina in the Palermo neighbourhood. Buenos Aires Underground (locally known as subte, from "subterráneo" meaning underground or subway), is a high-yield system providing access to various parts of the city. Opened in 1913, it is the oldest underground system in the Southern Hemisphere and oldest in the Spanish-speaking world. The system has six underground lines and one overground line, named by letters (A to E, and H) and there are 100 stations, and 58.8 km (37 mi) of route, including the Premetro line. An expansion program is underway to extend existing lines into the outer neighborhoods and add a new north-south line. Route length is expected to reach 89 km (55 mi) by 2011. Line A is the oldest one (service opened to public in 1913) and stations kept the "belle-époque" decoration, while the original rolling stock from 1913, affectionately known as Las Brujas were retired from the line in 2013. Daily ridership on weekdays is 1.7 million and on the increase. Fares remain relatively cheap, although the city government raised fares by over 125% in January 2012. A single journey, with unlimited interchanges between lines, now costs AR$7.50, which is roughly USD$0.45. Marcos Maidana are five modern-day world champions as well. Buenos Aires are golf, basketball, rugby and field hockey. Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti is one of the most important Olympic stadiums on the continent. Known as "El Monumental", it hosted the final game of the FIFA World Cup Championship in 1978. Yerevan Municipality Official Website. © 2005—2013 www.yerevan.am. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013. ^ "Intercity and International Cooperation of the City of Zagreb". 2006–2009 City of Zagreb. Retrieved 23 June 2009. ^ "Declaración de Hermanamiento múltiple y solidario de todas las Capitales de Iberoamérica (12–10–82)" (PDF). 12 October 1982. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2015. ^ "Les pactes d'amitié et de coopération". Mairie de Paris. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007. Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic and Regional Survey. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 385–415. ISBN 978-0-470-38773-3. Kreimer, Alcira; Arnold, Margaret (2000). Managing Disaster Risk in Emerging Economies (PDF). Disaster Risk Management Series No. 2. Washington D.C: World Bank. ISBN 0-8213-4726-8. Lewis Nouwen, Mollie (15 September 2013). Oy, My Buenos Aires: Jewish Immigrants and the Creation of Argentine National Identity. UNM Press. ISBN 978-0826353504. Rojas-Mix, Miguel (1991). Los cien nombres de América: eso que descubrió Colón (in Spanish). Lumen. p. 57. ISBN 978-8426412096. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
0.925633	What kinds of products are made from recycled items? How are recycled items sorted for processing? If your city allows you to throw all of your recyclable materials in the same bin, then your city uses a process called “single-stream recycling." Single-stream recycling means there is no need to separate different materials such as paper, plastic, and glass into separate bins. Instead, all recyclables can be tossed into the same bin. They are then collected by a truck and hauled to a sorting center where the real magic begins. The separation process starts when the truck arrives at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). The process may vary from place to place, but each MRF has one goal: to separate and recycle different materials so they can be made into new products. Step 1: The recycling truck unloads materials. Materials are carried along a conveyor belt to a v-screen separator. The v-screen separator divides out newspaper, cardboard, and other paper items. Heavier materials like plastic, metal, and glass fall through the separator to a conveyor belt below. The collected paper products are bundled to get ready for processing. Plastic, metal, and glass items continue their journey onward. Step 2: Next, metals are recovered from the recyclables using a two-step process. First, giant magnets attract ferrous metals. These items include iron, tin, and steel. The magnets remove ferrous metal products from the belt and place them in a bin where they can be prepared for a metal mill. Can you name some items made of iron, tin, or steel that may end up on the magnet during this phase of the metal recovery process (e.g., tin cans, tools, automobile parts, etc.)? Step 3: Since aluminum products, such as soda cans, are not magnetic, they continue along with the plastic and glass recyclables toward an eddy current rotor. Eddy currents create strong fields of energy around nonmagnetic materials. Now it's time for physics to step in to lend a hand. The eddy current causes the aluminum items to shoot away from the other items on the belt and into a collection bin. Step 4: By now paper, ferrous metals, and nonmagnetic metals have been sorted from the bunch. That leaves plastic and glass to continue along the belt. During the next step, an optical scanning system recognizes plastic materials and pushes them off the belt into a bin using a blast of air. Step 5: Having said goodbye to all the other types of recyclables, only glass remains on the belt. The heavier glass items reach the end of the belt and are collected in a bin. This step completes the recycling process. Now that you know how the collection process works, let's tag along with paper, metal, plastic, and glass to find out what happens beyond the conveyor belt. When paper arrives at the mill, it is loaded into a “de-inker." This machine removes ink from paper fibers through a chemical washing process. After de-inking, the paper is mixed with water and solvents in a giant blender called a “pulper." The resulting product is called pulp slurry. The pulp slurry is then moved to a giant washing machine that spins it at high speed, removing any unwanted particles such as string or glue. After washing, the clean pulp continues on to a press and is wound onto giant rolls. Unlike some other recyclables, paper degrades each time it is recycled, so it can't always be used to make new paper. It can be used to make insulation for homes and even toilet paper, though! Can you think of other recycled paper items you have used? Some examples may be picture frames, paper towels, and books. After leaving the MRF, metals are sent to a metal mill. Using extremely high heat (up to 2800° F or about 1538° C!), the recycled metals become a molten liquid. The molten metal is cast into molds, becoming metal bars called "ingots." The ingots are then shipped to manufacturers who use them to make everything from aluminum cans to file cabinets, tin foil, and even bridges! If you look on the bottom of most recyclable plastic items, you will see a number. Each type of plastic is given a number from one to seven. When recyclable plastic arrives at a reclaiming facility, it needs to be divided according to its number. The most common type of plastic is #1. This is the plastic used to make soda and water bottles. Once sorted, the plastic moves along a belt and is fed through a grinder. Here it is chopped into little bits, kind of like plastic flakes. The flakes are fed into a furnace and melted down into a polymer. The polymer can then be used to make new products such as lawn furniture, garbage cans, and carpets! Recycled glass may arrive at the reclaiming facility in all sorts of sizes and shapes, but that doesn't last for long. The first step is to crush all the glass into tiny pieces called "cullet." Cullet can either be sent directly to manufacturers or placed in a furnace where it is heated into molten glass for repurposing into new products. Some products made from recycled glass include glass doorknobs, floor tiles, garden ornaments, and even jewelry beads. We hope tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day brings you good luck! Did you know you can turn a paper flower into a real flower? It's true! The fun Plantable Seeded Paper Flowers activity will teach you how to bring a little bit of spring into your home this winter using recycled paper! These paper roses are beautiful (and environmentally friendly) works of art that last all winter long. When spring comes, you can plant the paper flowers in your garden and watch as the seeds grow into real flowers! Do you recycle at home? If not, now is the time to start! First, check with an adult to see if your local trash pick-up service accepts recyclable items. If so, set up a new bin to collect recyclables at home. If not, you will need to inquire about local recycling facilities where you can drop off recyclable items you collect. Keep track of how much less trash you produce when you recycle items that can be repurposed! What types of recyclable materials do you have around the house? Check your cupboards and the refrigerator. Do you use plastic containers that can be recycled? Do you get a daily newspaper? What about aluminum cans and other types of metal food cans? Do any of the food items you use regularly come in glass jars? Make a list of all the types of recyclable materials you use regularly and share the list with your family members. This will help all of you remember which items to recycle instead of throw in the trash! Hi, Jeff! Thanks for WONDERing with us! Hello, I love your site, the information and the Wonder words. Today, for this particular article, I can not get the wonder words to drag to their definitions. The entire text becomes highlighted rather than the individual word moving over to the correct definition. Can you please help me? Thank you! Thank you so much, Teacher N.! We did check on the Wonder Word Challenge, which seemed to work for us. It may be a browser issue. Perhaps try to open this Wonder in a different browser and see if that helps. If not, please let us know! Thanks! We're glad you enjoyed this Wonder, YEAAHHHH BOIIIIIIIIIIIIII! I read an article recently that indicated much of recycled materials had previously been sent to China for recycling, but that China is no longer accepting this material. Is this true, and if so, what is happening to all of the recyclables that no longer go to China? Hi Dennis, Most of our recycled material does go to China. Prices they were paying for our "garbage" dropped but still continue to be sent there. They make products that we buy from shoes to toys. Part of the agreement they have with us includes certain environmental rules which I find worrisome that either end will enforce. Hopefully we are not adding to China's landfills. The video was so cool. I have always wondered what happens to the recycled items that we use. I learned many interesting things like that paper can be turned into picture frames. I now know where my recycling goes! It goes to Keens a really cool place. I never knew that my recycling goes into different categories! Hi Wonderopolis, this is McKenna from Mrs. Caplin's class. This was a phenomenal WONDER I learned so many new facts that I plan to use in my persuasive writing piece for digital literacy. When I found these facts I was very excited because if we find a WONDER on our topic we get extra credit points. Some of the interesting facts I learned were some paper cannot be reused based on how it degrades, metal turns into a sort of liquid after it is heated at up to 2800 degrees, glass is the last recyclable item to be sorted, plastic products have a number from one to seven on the bottom of them, and that glass is cut into pieces called cullets. My topic for persuasive writing is that people should recycle more. If you have any facts that could add on to my project, I would be happy to include them in my writing. Lastly, I have a few questions, like always. What is the material that is best to reuse and make a new product out of? What does each number mean on the bottom of a plastic item? and How many Materials Recovery Facilities are in each state? I love Wonderopolis. It gives a lot of information of how to recycle water bottles. Which of the following is NOT a recyclable item? Cullet is made up of tiny pieces of which material? Which of the following is NOT a ferrous metal?
0.999714	Where does Winnie the Pooh live? Winnie the Pooh lives by himself in a tree in Hundred Acre Wood under the name of Sanders. "It means he had the name over the door in gold letters, and lived under it."- the book said. This is the Pooh from the book. The real Winnie the Pooh and his five friends live now in the New York Public Library, located near Bryant Park in midtown New York. The stuffed bear was made at the J.K. Farnell factory, which made bears exclusively for Harrod's department store in London in the 1920's. English writer Alan Alexander Milne the author of the book) bought the bear, originally known as Edward Bear, in 1921 when his son Christopher Robin was one year old. Christopher had named his toy after Winnipeg, a bear which he and his father often saw at London Zoo. During the first World War, troops from Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) were being transported to eastern Canada. When the train stopped at White River, Ontario, a lieutenant Harry Colebourn bought a small female black bear cub for $20 from a hunter who had killed its mother. He named her 'Winnipeg', after his hometown of Winnipeg, or 'Winnie' for short. Winnie went to Britain with the unit. Colebourn, now a Captain, took Winnie to the London Zoo for a long loan. He formally presented the London Zoo with Winnie in December 1919 where he became a popular attraction and lived until 1934. Eeyore was brought for Christopher as a Christmas gift in 1921, Piglet was a gift from a neighbor of the Milne family in Chelsea. Kanga and Roo appeared in the nursery in 1925, while Tigger didn't show up in the nursery until 1927. Owl and Rabbit have never been never real toys. Elliott Macrae, the American publisher of the Pooh series, visited A.A. Milne at his house in Sussex in 1947 , and sees the original toy animals in the corner of the living room. Mr. Milne gave Mr. Macrae the toys as a gift, and with Mr. Milne's permission, he took the toys on a promotional tour of the United States. Milne provided a 'birth certificate' to travel with the toys. Dutton Publishing, American publisher, insured the toys for $50,000, a vast amount of money in those days. The real Pooh and friends were on a tour for ten years and in 1956 were put on display at E.P. Dutton & Co. Publishers in New York City. The stuffed animals made their last trip to England in 1976 to participate in the 50th birthday of Winnie-the-Pooh. In 1987, the owner of the five toys gave them to the New York Public Library, with the blessing of Christopher Milne, on the sole condition that they be publicly displayed. For the next decade, the original Winnie-the-Pooh and his four friends associates, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga and Piglet, have resided in a climate-controlled display case in the children's room of the New York Public Library's Donnell Library Center on West 53d Street. In the beginning of the 1998 Ms. Dunwoody, a member of the British Parliament, decided that the toys were being held against their will. ''I saw them recently and they look very unhappy indeed,'' Ms. Dunwoody said , ''I am not surprised, considering they have been incarcerated in a glass case in a foreign country for all these years. ...Just like the Greeks want their Elgin Marbles back -- so we want our Winnie the Pooh back, along with all his splendid friends,'' she said and asked the British Government to secure the release of the bear and his friends and to return them to England. Today you can see the beloved toys in a bulletproof climate and light controlled glass cube with its own alarm system at the NYPL Children's Center, room 84. For centuries, artists have understood the benefits of painting with north light which has helped produce some of the greatest paintings in history. In the northern hemisphere the sun moves across the southern sky. As the sun moved, the light would be constantly changing, in both direction and intensity if the artist studio has a south exposure. The window on the north side of the studio would not be subjected to the direct light of the sun but would, rather, receive only a soft diffused light reflected off the northern sky. Studious with the large windows to the north were always in great demand in New York. I already wrote about Rodin Studios (200 West 57th) in one ofmy posts. Several minutes by foot from Rodin studious there is another example of the artists coop built at the beginning of the 20th century- Gainsborough studious on Central Park South. Central Park South was a perfect location for the intended studio. Facing the park, the artists were guaranteed that their northerly light would never be blocked by construction. The posh Plaza Hotel was completed in 1907, giving the neighborhood added prestige; and the American Fine Arts Society Building was a mere two blocks to the south. West 59th Street did not become Central Park South until 1896, by action of the city council. The name came from August Franzen, portrait painter and the president of the Gainsborough Corporation, who admitted that Thomas Gainsborough’s work was a model for his own. The cooperative purchased and demolished the home of millionaire Walter E Delabarre at 222 Central Park South in 1907. To design this special type of Architecture the members of the corporation hired architect Charles Buckman, who was very interested in the design of duplex apartments. Because the northern light was available only on one side of the building there were smaller apartments located to the rear of the house. According to the tenement house law of this tome apartment building could not be more than one and half times as high as the width of the street In order to avoid the legal problems, Gainsborough studios were classified as a hotel with communal kitchen and dining room on the first floor an minimalist kitchenettes in the apartments. There were 18-foot ceilings, mahogany and oak woodwork, built-in cabinets with leaded glass doors and art tiled fireplaces. The building had package and telephone room , a central vacuum cleaner system, laundry room and storage room . Perhaps the most striking future the building is the frieze that separates the first floor from the others. Konti's "festival Procession" terra-cotta frieze show people of all ages carrying gifts to the altar of arts. There is a bust of Thomas Gainsborough in the niche that rises to the third story level. This is one of those places in the city where you realize how amazing NYC really is. The floating restaurant on the Hudson with amazing views from all angles of wherever you sit is locates at the very end of West 26 street in Chelsea. My friend and I came here for a short break on a sunny Thursday afternoon a week ago after walking the High Line(elevated freight rail line transformed into a public park on Manhattan's West Side). I fall in love with this place, and we ended up hanging here for almost three hours . I felt like I was on vacation - the wind, the faint scent of salt in the air... The view was incredible! And the history behind this place is really interesting. In 1929 the lightship name just " Lightship No. 115 " was built in Charleston, South Carolina for Cape Fear, North Carolina. Since the late 1800s lightships had been used to guide other ships around harbor entrances and dangerous shallow sandbars. The Frying Pan ship was moved to an old oyster cannery on the Wicomico River in the Chesapeake Bay where she spent next ten years. She sank due to a broken pipe and was underwater for three years before being raised by salvers. John Krevey, an electrical contractor and businessman from New York City bought the ship for $8,000. Krevey installed a truck diesel engine and started and started a coastal sea voyage to the Hudson River in 1983. By 1991, he had it docked temporarily at Pier 59 on the Hudson River at 18th Street. Until the early 1970s, railroad cars used to float into Manhattan by barge, then link up with railroad tracks at the waterfront, and finally to warehouses located nearby. In 1996, Krevey acquired an old railroad barge that formerly carried railroad boxcars across the Hudson River, and tied it up on the north end of Pier 63, at W. 23rd St. In 2000, Krevey and friends bought the John J. Harvey, a decommissioned fireboat. Built in 1931, MV John J. Harvey, is among the most powerful fireboats ever in service. Her pumps are powerful -- enough so that when she and the George Washington Bridge were both brand new, she shot water over the bridge's roadway. On Sept. 11, 2001, the ship helped evacuate Battery Park City residents and after that under radio direction from the Fire Department, trained its powerful water pumps on the blazing towers. In 2008 Krevey rented a tugboat and moved the Frying Pan, the barge and John J. Harvey to Pier 66 (3 city blocks north). Three years later in 2011 John Krevey died at age 62 while on a vacation with his son in Santo Domingo. The cause appeared to be a heart attack. Today Pier 66 is a part of Hudson River Park and includes a former Lackawanna railroad barge, the Pier 66 Maritime Bar & Grill, the Lightship Frying Pan, a historic rail float bridge, and an authentic 1900′s caboose. While the outside of the Lightship Frying Pan has been restored to her original appearance, the inside retains the barnacle-encrusted, sunken-ship motif that acknowledges her storied past. Pier 66 is open 7 days a week from May 1 to October 1, and in October only when weather is 65 F (18 C) degrees or over. The house that Tweed built: A symbol of municipal corruption. The Old New York County Courthouse-"Tweed Courthouse" , located on the north side of City Hall Park, behind City Hall, on Chambers Street, is one of New York’s greatest civic monuments. The Courthouse was built between 1861 and 1881 and is the costliest public building that had yet been built in the United States. Its construction cost nearly twice as much as the purchase of Alaska in 1867. Tweed Courthouse is known as the greatest single thievery project of 'Boss Twed'. You cannot understand New York without understanding its most corrupt politician -- William 'Boss' Tweed (1823-1878), who led a group of corrupt politicians who gained power in the Democratic party in 1863. Tweed started working at a brush factory, and moved into management after marrying the owner's daughter. By the late 1850s Tweed and his associates controlled the group, and in 1863 he was elected Chair of Tammany Hall, the behind-the-scenes group that had make-or-break power over local Democratic Party nominations. "Boss Tweed" was himself appointed a Deputy Street Commissioner, and began putting cronies on the city payroll for doing no work. Tweed bought several companies which were promptly awarded city contracts. He was elected to the State Senate in 1867, and within months had charmed and cajoled his way to similar near-absolute control over the state's capitol. It has been estimated that during his reign of corruption, William Magear Tweed, the “Tiger of Tammany,” and his political cronies stole $200 million (the equivalent of about $3.5 billion in today’s money) from the citizens of New York. In an era in which all of the land for Central Park cost New York City $5 million, and the elaborate St. Patrick’s Cathedral cost $2 million to build, the Tweed Courthouse wound up costing New York’s taxpayers $12 million (equivalent to about $200 million today). The Tweed courthouse was not completed until 1880, two decades after ground was broken. By then, the courthouse had become a symbol of public corruption. "The whole atmosphere is corrupt," said a reformer from the time. "You look up at its ceilings and find gaudy decorations; you wonder which is the greatest, the vulgarity or the corruptness of the place." Building bills were wildly inflated in order to provide generous sums for kickbacks. Enough carpet was ordered to cover all of City Hall Park three times, and many of the companies billing for carpeting did not even exist. The final costs for brooms for the courthouse, $250,000, matched the total originally budgeted for the entire building! The immediate cause of Tweed's downfall was the publication in the New York Times of evidence of wholesale graft revealed by M. J. O'Rourke, a new county bookkeeper. In famously barbed caricatures, Thomas Nast, cartoonist for Harper's Weekly, was one of the few prominent voices to speak against Tweed. Tweed was tried for felony, but the jury could not reach a verdict. In a second trial he was convicted and given a 12-year prison sentence; this, however, was reduced by a higher court, and he served one year.He was arrested once more on other charges, but escaped from the prison and fled to Cuba, then Spain. In Spain he was recognized from Nast's political cartoons and was turned over to an American warship which delivered him to the authorities. Tweed died in prison two years later. "William Tweed had left enormous footprints on his city; he had built as grandly as he’d stolen. His monuments dotted every corner of Manhattan – the new Brooklyn Bridge rising across the East River, the opulent new County Courthouse by City Hall, the widened, paved streets up Broadway and around Central Park. Just as striking were shadows of his huge crimes- the huge debt and ruined credit that would haunt city finances for a generation, the broken lives and shattered trust of former friends. Tweed had defined a grimy reality of American politics, perfecting forms of graft and voting-box abuse mimicked by political bosses for the next century, but never on so grand a scale. His fall had created a new role for a free, skeptical press in the public arena, and his legal persecution had set a tone for political scandals lasting generations." In the spring of 1999 Tweed house was restored. Archaeologists from Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc., hired to test for archaeological resources during the restoration, found 23 intact skeletons, mostly in front of the building and just inches below the sidewalk. The restoration firm carefully removed as much as 18 layers of paint to reveal the original brick walls and cast iron in order to recreate the original paint colors. The Guide to New York City Landmarks characterizes the building as containing "some of the finest mid-19th century interiors in New York." Today the building serves as the headquarters of the Department of Education. Tours of Tweed Courthouse are offered by reservation on select Fridays at 12:00 PM. The Feast Day of San Gennaro is the most important religious festival in Naples, Italy. San Gennaro, the Bishop of Benevento and martyr was persecuted for being a Christian and finally beheaded in 305 AD. According to legend, some of his blood was collected by a woman who took it to Naples where it liquefied 8 days later. A San Gennaro festival is held in September in many Italian communities outside Italy, including New York and Los Angeles. In New York the Feast was celebrated for 88 years , starting from 1926. It is held annually on the streets of historic Little Italy, the lower Manhattan neighborhood which served as the first home in America for many thousands of Italian immigrants. The newly arrived immigrants from Naples congregated along Mulberry Street, between Canal and Houston Streets that is now the center of the festival. The most important day of the feast every year is September 19, the official Saint Day, in which the Statue of San Gennaro is carried from the Most Precious Blood Church through the streets of Little Italy. There are two Processions in the festival, each featuring the Statue of San Gennaro. The Religious Procession will start on Friday, September 19 at 7PM and the Grand Procession happened on Saturday, September 13. New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio served as Grand Marshal of the Feast's Grand Procession. There were five parade floats, an authentic gondola wheels, a FIAT convertible with Miss Italia USA and Miss Italia New York, and five marching bands. Honored guests included elected officials and show business celebs, including actor Gianni Russo who Gianni starred in "The Godfather" , as Carlo Rizzi, Don Corleones wife-beating/double-crossing son-in-law. The Feast of San Gennaro was featured in The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III. In Part II it is during the religious procession associated with the festival that Vito stalks and assassinates Don Fanucci. In Part III, Vito's grandson (and Michael's nephew) Vincent Corleone (née Mancini) assassinates rival Joey Zasa during the festival in public, causing widespread panic throughout Little Italy. A furious Michael Corleone orders that nothing like that ever be done again. For 11 days and nights the streets of Little Italy are filled with happy people, eating fabulous Italian cuisine, listening to great live entertainment and just having a wonderful time. The streets are decorated with festive banners and arches in green, white and red and reach Times Square-level crowdedness. Restaurants, many of them New York City landmarks, roll out the red carpet for Feast visitors and offe a lot of food like pizza, sausage and peppers, fried twinkies, fried oreos, zeppole, paella, gellato etc. Ferrara's Café and Bakery is going to try and set the world record by creating a giant cannoli - the biggest one ever made. The giant cannoli will be unveiled to the public on Saturday, September 20, at 3PM in front of Ferrara's on Grand Street between Mott and Mulberry Streets. The giant cannoli is reportedly 12 feet long and nearly 300 pounds! September 11th, 2001 is remembered as one of the most tragic days in modern American history. Thirteen years ago the WTC’s North Tower was hit by Flight 11 at 8:46 a.m. and the South Tower was hit by Flight 175 at 9:03 a.m. The South fell at 9:59 a.m.; the North at 10:28 a.m. The terrorist attacks also destroyed an important segment of America's cultural and historical legacy. Public spaces and private offices of the World Trade Center were filled with works of art by hundreds of artists, including Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró,Auguste Rodin and Le Corbusier. The only work of art in or around the World Trade Center that survived the inferno of September 11, 2001, is the monumental fountain sculpture “The Sphere”. The sculpture was built by the German sculptor Fritz Koenig, professor of art at the Technical University of Munich. Koenig had been working on the sculpture in his barn in Bavaria from 1967-1971 while the WTC was in the planning stages. The sculpture, 25 feet tall and weighing 45,000 pound, was oofficially titled Große Kugelkaryatide (Great Spherical Caryatid). The artwork was meant to symbolize world peace through world trade, and was placed at the center of a ring of fountains. The Sphere had been in the center of the World Trade Center Plaza for three decades. Thirteen years ago the sculpture was damaged by debris from the airliners that were crashed into the buildings and from the collapsing skyscrapers themselves. A month after, in October 200,1 Koenig booked a flight to New York City. ''I came to New York to say farewell,'' he said, to pay a last visit to what he calls ''my biggest child." ''A German poet once wrote that you don't know the meaning of a person's life until his death,'' -Koenig continued: "That is also true of art. The meaning of this artwork is that art, like civilizations, are not immortal. They are just as fragile and vulnerable as human beings....But what can you say about this disaster that took so many lives? Sometimes it is better not to talk.'' Koenig is the author of the monument to the victims of the terrorist attack at the Olympic Games in 1972 that was erected in the Munich Olympiapark in 1995. He also designed memorials to those who died at the Nazi death camp at Mauthausen in Austria. In 2002, when the prospect of a proper memorial at "Ground Zero" was still a long way away, following a documentary film about the sculpture, the sculpture was moved to Battery Park where it became a memorial with an eternal flame. Almost 13 years after the World Trade Center attacks, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum opened on May 21. The very first display in the new museum's exhibition is dedicated to the Sphere, with photos of it before and after 9/11. They show it gleaming in the center of the plaza between the two towers, and, in a photo dated September 27, 2001, they show it standing alone and damaged in the ruins. On the eve of the anniversary of the terror attacks by Al Qaeda there are additional terror threats being pursued by the president, the NYPD commissioner and other security professionals working for New York’s safety. The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 47 percent of Americans say the country is less safe now than before the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Today politicians, families of those who died in the attacks and other dignitaries will gather near 9/11 museum to observe moments of silence and hear recitations of nearly 3,000 victims' names. The only ceremony open to the general public is at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, which marks the site where one of the four airliners crashed. But the Battery Park with “The Sphere” is open for everybody. Governors Island, the car-free oasis in Upper New York Bay. There are more than two dozen islands around the five boroughs of New York City, excluding the big three—Manhattan, Staten Island and Long Island. The 172-acre Governors Island—just off the southern tip of Manhattan is one of the largest and most historical of these islands. Governors Island, approximately 800 yards (732 m) from the southern tip of Manhattan, has it all: historic mansions, fort and castle, beautifully landscaped gardens, children's play area, amazing views, concerts and other events.Photo ops literally around every corner. The island is ranked N 45 among 855 New York Attractions by Tripadvisor. It is a perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the downtown for just 2 dollars in 10 minutes! I visited the island a week ago and was really amazed how beautiful it is! The Wall Street Journal wrote several days ago:"Its reclamation and transformation are being hailed as a grand experiment, and it is an upbeat story as long as both current and future administrations commit to the long view in addressing the very real challenges to its continued success and integration into the life of the city". The history of the island is really fascinating. In 1513 1524, Giovanni de Verrazzano saw the island, becoming the first European to do so. At that time it was called Paggank (Island of Nuts). The New York State Senate and Assembly have recognized Governors Island as the birthplace, in 1624, of the state of New York. In 1664 ( New York was New Amsterdam before this year) the English took the Island, which had been left unfortified by the Dutch. In 1784 the island was renamed Governors Island -in early times it was reserved by the British colonial assembly for the exclusive use of New York's royal governors. From 1783 to 1966, the island was a United States Army post. Before the early 20th century the size of the island was less than one third of the modern size. About 100 acres were added by 1912 using and dirt from the excavations for the Lexington Avenue Subway. From 1966 to 1996 the island served as a major United States Coast Guard installation. Governors Island has served as the backdrop for a number of historic events. In 1986, the island was the setting for the relighting of the newly refurbished Statue of Liberty by President Ronald Reagan. In 1988, President Reagan hosted a U.S.-U.S.S.R. summit with Mikhail Gorbachev on Governors Island, and in 1993, the United Nations sponsored talks on the island to help restore democratic rule in Haiti. On January 19, 2001, two of the island's three historical fortifications, were proclaimed a National Monument, and on the same month 150 acres (61 ha) of the island was transferred to the State and City of New York for $1. Today, the northern part of the island is a historic district with 52 landmark buildings, including stately officers' quarters known as Colonels Row built in the 19th century, a 350,000-square-foot barracks, an infirmary and a stockade. The island is accessible by the ferry located in downtown to left from the Staten Island ferry in The Battery Maritime Building. The Beaux-Arts building was built in the beginning of the 20th century and was used by ferries traveling to 39th Street in Brooklyn till 1938. In 1956, the U.S. Army began use of the terminal to provide service to an Army post, Fort Jay on Governors Island. Starting from 1966 till 1996 the United States Coast Guard used the terminal. Between 2001 and 2005, in a 36 million dollar renovation, the building was restored. Ferry run all seven days from 10 AM till 6 PM. There is also a ferry from Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 on Saturdays, Sundays, Memorial Day and Labor Day. If you plan to visit the island on a weekend- try to take the first ferry- lines could be really long! If you plan to visit the Governors Island on a weekday and plan to spend the whole day on the island, you can park your car on a Brooklyn Army Terminal for free, then take a ferry at 10 AM to Pier 11/Wall street. There is a nice 10 minute walk from Pier 11 near Wall street to the Governor Island ferry. If you are an early bird and are lucky to be free on a weekday you may enjoy Free Bike Mornings, a new program this year that allows visitors to borrow a bike for free for up to one hour every weekday between 10 AM and noon.
0.944608	The 1st Cavalry Division ("First Team") is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army, as well as the other four branches of the U.S. military.[not in citation given] It is based at Fort Hood, Texas. It was formed in 1921 and served during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, with the Stabilization Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the Iraq War, and in the War in Afghanistan (2001–present). As of 2013, the 1st Cavalry Division is subordinate to III Corps and is commanded by Major General Michael Bills. During the Korean War, there were disparaging rumors about the 1st Cavalry Division's fighting abilities, including a folk song of the time called "The Bug-Out Ballad". The series of engagements that are rumored to have given rise to the song were due (at least partly) to the myth that the division lost its unit colors. Other Army and Marine units disparagingly described the division shoulder insignia as representing 'The horse they never rode, the river they never crossed, and the yellow speaks for itself'. Another version goes: "The shield they never carried, the horse they never rode, the bridge they never crossed, the line they never held, and the yellow is the reason why." The incident that apparently gave rise to this rumor appears to be the Battle of Unsan, which took place on 1–2 November 1950 at Unsan, Korea. In that battle, the 8th Cavalry regiment, a component of the 1st Cavalry Division, was pushed back from positions in and around the town of Unsan by superior Chinese forces. The regiment was severely battered, experienced heavy casualties, and lost a considerable amount of equipment. This was one of the first major Chinese operations in the Korean War and, like the Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir Battle of this same period, it took the United Nations Command by surprise. On 12/15/2001, elements of the 1st Cavalry Division deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The 1st Air Cavalry is currently providing aerial operation in Afghanistan as part of their year-long deployment. They will soon be replaced by the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade. 2d BCT is currently deployed to South Korea as of June 2015, relieving 1ABCT / 2 ID, which is inactivating. 20px2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Black Jack" 20px8th Brigade Engineer Battalion "Trojan Horse" 20px215th Brigade Support Battalion "Blacksmiths" 20px615th Aviation Support Battalion "Cold Steel" The 1986 film Platoon are extrapolations of director (and 1st Cavalry Division veteran) Oliver Stone's experiences in Vietnam. The characters of Sgt. Juan Elias (Willem Dafoe) and S/Sgt. John Barnes (Tom Berenger) were real soldiers. Juan Angel Elias died in combat in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, on 29 May 1968, serving with the 2nd Platoon, Company E, 52nd Inf. (LRP), and John Barnes, served in the same platoon at the same time and retired from the Army as a SGM. In the film, Elias wears the 1st Cavalry Division's unit insignia as his combat patch (the unit depicted in the film is: B Co, 3-22IN, 3d BDE, 25th ID—Stone having served with both divisions). In the 2008 film Gran Torino, Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) belonged to the 1st Cavalry Division in the Korean War. This page was last modified on 12 January 2016, at 09:57.
0.97353	Hi: I have been following examples listed in section 3.5.1 of "Bioinformatics and Computational Biology using R and Bioconductor", which deals with quality diagnostics of affy arrays using PLM. I am trying to produce a composite plot displaying per chip residuals from the PLM model using my own data. Following the example, starting with the AffyBatch object, MyDat.AffyBatch, which contains 40 arrays, MyDat.plm <- fitPLM(MyDat.AffyBatch) par(mfrow=c(4,10)) image(MyDat.plm, type="resids", which=1) image(MyDat.plm, type="resids", which=2) image(MyDat.plm, type="resids", which=3) . . . image(MyDat.plm, type="resids", which=40) The problem is that the par(mfrow=c(4,10)) is ignored and I get 40 new plots. I tried setting 'add=TRUE' to the argument list above-- still no luck. The example in the text makes it appear that this works. What's going on? -- output of sessionInfo(): R version 2.14.0 (2011-10-31) Platform: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu (64-bit) locale: LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 LC_NUMERIC=C LC_TIME=en_US.UTF-8 LC_COLLATE=en_US.UTF-8 LC_MONETARY=en_US.UTF-8 LC_MESSAGES=en_US.UTF-8 LC_PAPER=C LC_NAME=C LC_ADDRESS=C LC_TELEPHONE=C LC_MEASUREMENT=en_US.UTF-8 LC_IDENTIFICATION=C attached base packages: stats graphics grDevices utils datasets methods base other attached packages: hgu133plus2cdf_2.9.1 AnnotationDbi_1.16.10 limma_3.10.0 affyPLM_1.30.0 preprocessCore_1.16.0 gcrma_2.26.0 affy_1.32.0 Biobase_2.14.0 loaded via a namespace (and not attached): affyio_1.22.0 BiocInstaller_1.2.1 Biostrings_2.22.0 DBI_0.2-5 IRanges_1.12.5 RSQLite_0.11.1 splines_2.14.0 tcltk_2.14.0 tools_2.14.0 zlibbioc_1.0.0 -- Sent via the guest posting facility at bioconductor.org. Just testing this out to see how replies work On Monday, June 25, 2012 06:19:36 PM you wrote: > Hi: > I have been following examples listed in section 3.5.1 of "Bioinformatics > and Computational Biology using R and Bioconductor", which deals with > quality diagnostics of affy arrays using PLM. I am trying to produce a > composite plot displaying per chip residuals from the PLM model using my > own data. Following the example, starting with the AffyBatch object, > MyDat.AffyBatch, which contains 40 arrays, > > MyDat.plm <- fitPLM(MyDat.AffyBatch) > par(mfrow=c(4,10)) > image(MyDat.plm, type="resids", which=1) > image(MyDat.plm, type="resids", which=2) > image(MyDat.plm, type="resids", which=3) > . > . > . > image(MyDat.plm, type="resids", which=40) > > The problem is that the par(mfrow=c(4,10)) is ignored and I get > 40 new plots. I tried setting 'add=TRUE' to the argument list above --still > no luck. > > The example in the text makes it appear that this works. What's going on? > > > > > > -- output of sessionInfo(): > > R version 2.14.0 (2011-10-31) > Platform: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu (64-bit) > > locale: > LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 LC_NUMERIC=C > LC_TIME=en_US.UTF-8 LC_COLLATE=en_US.UTF-8 > LC_MONETARY=en_US.UTF-8 LC_MESSAGES=en_US.UTF-8 > LC_PAPER=C LC_NAME=C > LC_ADDRESS=C LC_TELEPHONE=C > LC_MEASUREMENT=en_US.UTF-8 LC_IDENTIFICATION=C > > attached base packages: > stats graphics grDevices utils datasets methods base > > other attached packages: > hgu133plus2cdf_2.9.1 AnnotationDbi_1.16.10 limma_3.10.0 > affyPLM_1.30.0 preprocessCore_1.16.0 gcrma_2.26.0 > affy_1.32.0 Biobase_2.14.0 > > loaded via a namespace (and not attached): > affyio_1.22.0 BiocInstaller_1.2.1 Biostrings_2.22.0 > DBI_0.2-5 IRanges_1.12.5 RSQLite_0.11.1 > splines_2.14.0 tcltk_2.14.0 tools_2.14.0 > zlibbioc_1.0.0 > > > -- > Sent via the guest posting facility at bioconductor.org.
0.938738	Volodymyr Petrovych Kuts (Russian: Владимир Петрович Куц, Ukrainian: Володимир Петрович Куц, 7 February 1927 – 16 August 1975) was a Soviet long-distance runner. He won the 5000 and 10000 m races at the 1956 Olympics, setting Olympic records in both events. Kuts wining the 5000 m Olympic final in 1956. Kuts was born in Oleksyne, Ukraine, USSR. His father died due to alcoholism when Kuts was five years old. During World War II he falsified his age and served two years with the Soviet Army as a courier. He took up running after the war, while continuing his military service as a navy sniper. In 1951 he won his first national titles, in the 5000 and 10000 m, an achievement he repeated in 1953–1956. His first international success came in 1954, when he defeated the favourites – Emil Zátopek and Christopher Chataway – in the 5000 m at the European Championships, setting a new world record. He lost the world record months later to Chataway (who beat him narrowly), only to take it back 10 days later. Having lost his world record again in 1955, Kuts was still one of the favourites for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. His chief opponent in the 5000 m was British runner Gordon Pirie, who had broken the world record earlier that year. However, Kuts had set a new 10,000 metres world record shortly before the Games. In the first final, the 10,000 m, Kuts – as always – led from the start, finally breaking Pirie's spirit 4 laps from the end and winning by a wide margin. He broke away from Pirie with a final, desperate sprint, and admitted later that had Pirie stayed with him on that sprint, he might have dropped out due to fatigue. The 5,000 m final 5 days later ended in a similar fashion, with Kuts leading from start to finish. His winning margin of 11 seconds was the largest ever for this event in Olympic history. Kuts improved the 5000 m world record in 1957 to 13:35.0 minutes, a time which would remain unbeaten until 1965, when it was bettered by Australia's, Ron Clarke. Although he was only beaten on a couple of occasions, Kuts retired at the age of 32 in 1959. He had often suffered from pains in his stomach and legs, which he once froze while serving in the Navy. These problems severely hindered his training in 1957–1959 and followed him for the rest of his life. After retiring from competitions Kuts worked as an athletics coach. He suffered a stroke after a traffic accident in 1972, and hence was not allowed to accompany his several trainees at the 1972 Olympics. He died in 1975, in an apparent suicide from mixing sleeping pills and alcohol. Near the end of his life he weighed about 120 kg, approximately 50 kg heavier than usual. Kuts was married twice, first to Raisa Andreyevna Kuts and then to Raisa Tomofeyevna Kuts. He met his first wife in 1953, when she was taking his interviews as a journalist. She later taught him Russian grammar, as Kuts completed only six years of school before the start of World War II, and often mixed up Russian and Ukrainian languages. They had a son Yuri, who became a scientist. After a second divorce in 1973 Kuts lived alone. Vladimir Kuts (1962). From a Newbie to Master of Sport (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat. ^ Vladimir Kuts (Soviet athlete). Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved on 2014-08-08. ^ "Athletics at the 1956 Melbourne Games: Men's 5000 metres". sports-reference.com. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
0.93835	In his book, Maddie: The Truth About The Lie, Amaral had blamed Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, for her disappearance. Britons, including a group of policemen, have raised around £50,000 ($71,795) for Goncalo Amaral, 57, a Portuguese detective, who claims to know the truth behind Madeleine McCann's disappearance. In his book, Maddie: The Truth About The Lie, Amaral had blamed Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, for her disappearance. He claimed that the parents of the three-year-old had murdered her and then faked her abduction. After the publication of his book in 2008, Amaral was sacked as head of the investigation and was asked to pay £395,000 to Madeleine's parents in libel damages. However, in April this year, Portuguese judges overturned the payout after his appeal. The McCanns are planning to contest the overturn and will now take the case to the country's Supreme Court. In an online post, Amaral, thanked his supporters after he won his appeal, and said he felt "extremely humble", adding, "None of this would have been possible without you." The fundraising page for Amaral on GoFundMe was started by Leanne Baulch, a student of psychology from Birmingham, in April 2015. "I set up the page to help him [Amaral] with his appeal because I felt he had suffered an injustice. His assets had been frozen so he had no way to defend himself," the mother-of-one told the Daily Mail, adding: "I'm not anti-Kate and Gerry McCann, I don't know what happened and I don't claim to know. But I do believe there are hard questions that need to be answered." In May 2007, the McCanns were on a family holiday in Algarve, Portugal, when on the night of 3 May Madeleine went missing from her bed, as her parents dined at a restaurant with friends. The search for the missing girl went on for almost a year. In 2008, the case was officially closed by the Portuguese authorities and the couple were given a clean chit.
0.803045	Carpathian Mountains (Карпати; Karpaty). (Map: Eastern Carpathians.) Folded, young mountains of medium elevation, stretching in an arc about 1,500 km long (with a chord of almost 500 km) from the city of Bratislava in the northwest to the Iron Gate on the Danube River in the southeast and covering an area of about 200,000 sq km. The Carpathians are part of the Alpine mountain system and border on the old Czech, Polish, and Ukrainian massifs and Dobrudja, being separated from them by a band of young depressions—along the Morava River and Vistula River, the Sian Lowland and Dnister Lowland, the Subcarpathian Depression, and the Wallachian Depression. The Pannonian Basin, which cuts north into the mountains along the Tysa River and Bodrog River and their tributaries, occupies the central part of the arc. Orography. The Carpathian Mountains consist of three geologically distinct bands: the outer flysch, the central crystalline, and the inner volcanic. Only the flysch band is continuous, connecting the Carpathians into one whole. The crystalline band is interrupted in the middle for a distance of over 200 km. Thus, the Carpathians are divided into three parts: the Western Carpathians and the Southern Carpathians, both of which consist of three bands, and the Eastern Carpathians, which are only 100-120 km in width and consist only of the flysch and volcanic bands. The Western Carpathians are settled mostly by Slovaks and Poles (with Czechs, Hungarians, and Ukrainians at the fringes), the Eastern Carpathians are settled by Ukrainians, and the Southern Carpathians, by Romanians. Sometimes the Carpathians are divided into two parts only: the Western and Eastern Carpathians are called the Northern or Slavic Carpathians, as distinguished from the Southern or Romanian Carpathians. The Eastern Carpathians extend from the Biała River, Tylych Pass, and Toplia River in the west to the Tysa River, Prislop Pass, and Suceava River in the southeast. Sometimes the western limit of the Eastern Carpathians is defined by the Oslava River, Laborets River, and Sian River. In Soviet texts the Moldavian Carpathians are included in the Eastern Carpathians, which extend as far south as the Predeal Pass. The Eastern Carpathians (excluding the Low Beskyd) are known as the Forested or Ukrainian Carpathians. They consist of the flysch band (the Beskyds) and the volcanic band (the Volcanic Ukrainian Carpathians). In the southeast the Beskyds meet the crystalline Maramureş-Bukovynian Upland. With the Low Beskyd the Eastern Carpathians cover an area of almost 40,000 sq km and, without it, an area of 32,000 sq km. Ukrainian ethnic territory in the Carpathians up to 1946 covered 24,000 sq km and had a population of 1.7 million. Today 22,500 sq km of the Carpathians, with a population of approximately 1.2 million, belong to Ukraine. The Carpathian Mountains, particularly Transcarpathia, are important to Ukraine from a geopolitical viewpoint. The Carpathian watershed defined for many centuries the political border of Ukraine, but not the ethnic border, since the mountain passes allowed Ukrainians to penetrate the southern slopes. Thus, the Carpathian region, along with the adjacent edge of the Transcarpathian Lowland, connects Ukraine with Hungary and Slovakia, which lie in the Pannonian Basin (for more detail see Transcarpathia). Geological structure. The Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains lie on the border of the East European Platform and the Mediterranean Geosynclinal Province. Their geological structure is the result of successive periods of sedimentation, orogenesis, and denudation. The basic pattern in the structure of the Ukrainian Carpathians is their distinct division into longitudinal structural-lithological zones. The mountains were principally formed in the Tertiary period and, therefore, Cretaceous and Lower Tertiary rock formations are most widespread in the Carpathians. The older Paleozoic and Precambrian rocks are quite rare and are found mostly in the Rakhiv Mountains and the Chyvchyn Mountains, which are part of the Maramureş-Bukovynian Upland. Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene deposits appear in dislocated layers of flysch—interbedded sandstones, marls, and schists. Late Tertiary strata are common in Subcarpathia and Transcarpathia. Quarternary formations such as glacial deposits, alluvial deposits, and loess in the depressions are widespread. Zonation is characteristic of the tectonic structure of the Ukrainian Carpathians. They consist of four longitudinal structural zones, which extend from the northwest to the southeast: (1) the outer or overthrust fold zone, 40 km wide, built of Cretaceous and Paleogene flysch (mostly sandstone) formed into anticlinal folds that were broken and thrust towards the southeast (at the edge of the Carpathians they often cover the Miocene strata of Subcarpathia); (2) the central synclinal zone, 30–40 km wide: at its surface intensely folded Upper Oligocene strata of soft, sand-clay sediment are most common; (3) the core of the inner anticlinal zone, consisting primarily of crystalline rock formations—crystalline schists, gneiss, quartzite, and crystalline limestones—and, to a lesser extent, of Triassic and Jurassic strata—limestones, sandstones, porphyrites, and conglomerates—which emerge to the surface only in the Maramureş-Bukovynian Upland; however, this basic core is often overthrust with flysch strata from the Cretaceous and Lower Paleogene periods, folded, frequently dissected, and in places pushed towards the north; (4) a zone of volcanic deposits—trachytes, andesites, rhyolites, and tuffs—separated from the rest of the Carpathians by the Inner Carpathian Valley and the Maramureş Basin, which are covered by horizontal layers from the Miocene period. The outer high belt of the Beskyds, which corresponds to the outer anticline, rises steeply beginning at 300–400 m above Subcarpathia. The lower parts of this belt have a well-developed banded structure with a trellised drainage pattern: the longitudinal ridges, with steeper northeastern slopes and gentler southwestern slopes, are built of limestones and are separated by parallel wide valleys carved out of soft marls and clay. In the higher parts ridges forming a feathered pattern with transverse valleys predominate; clearly defined peaks, rock fields, and weak traces of glaciation are evident. Several groups can easily be distinguished in the outer Beskyds: (1) the lowest range—the Middle Beskyd—which lies between the bend of the Sian River and the Turka-Boryslav line; (2) the High Beskyd, which rises above the Middle Beskyd by 300–400 m and extends to the east of it as far as the Mizunka River (its peaks are Mount Parashka, 1,271 m, and Magura Ridge, 1,368 m [see Magura mountains]); (3) the Gorgany Mountains—the highest (Syvulia, 1836 m) and most continuous part of the Outer Beskyds, which stretches to the Prut River; and (4) the lower Hutsul Beskyd, sometimes known as the Pokutia-Bukovynian Carpathians (Hordyi Peak, 1,478 m), which stretches to the Suceava River in the east. The Middle-Carpathian Depression is a basin of gently contoured, low-mountain topography with an elevation 200–600 m below that of the two high sandstone zones. The main Carpathian watershed runs along this belt on a line from the source of the Sian River to the source of the Prut River, as do the main mountain passes such as Uzhok Pass (889 m), Veretskyi Pass (839 m), and Yablonytskyi Pass (931 m). The central part of the depression (25–30 km wide) borders on the High Beskyd and is the most developed part. The Polonynian Beskyd is the highest and most blocklike part of the Eastern Carpathians. In the past it was the main watershed. Its broad and gentle tops are covered with meadows, the remnants of former peneplains, and provide a sharp contrast with the narrow valleys, which are almost 1,200 m deep. Postglacial cirques, some of them filled by lakes, appear on the mountain slopes. West of the Uzh River the ridges of the Polonynian Beskyd form a banded pattern and in a few places rise above 1,200 m. Farther east it consists of the high massifs Rivna (1,482 m). Borzhava (1,679 m), Krasna (1,568 m), Svydivets (1,883 m), and Hoverlia (2,061 m). Even farther to the east the Polonynian Beskyd narrows and splits into several longitudinal, broad ridges, which press closely to the Maramureş-Bukovynian Upland. In eastern Bukovyna the flysch zone shrinks to 40 km in width, and the division between the flysch belts disappears, forming the East Bukovynian Beskyd. The Maramureş-Bukovynian Upland is more picturesque than other parts of the Ukrainian Carpathians because of its varied geological structure, its deeply incised rivers, and landscapes resulting from former glaciation. This applies particularly to the Hutsul Alps (1,961 m). The lower Chyvchyn Mountains, which are built mostly of crystalline schists, and the Bukovynian part of the range have gentler outlines, which are not much different from those of flysch mountains. The Inner Carpathian Valley (400–500 m deep and 1–6 km wide) runs between the Polonynian Beskyd and the Volcanic Volcanic Carpathians. Its absolute elevation is 150–300 m; it can, however, reach 450 m in passes. Formed out of volcanic strata, the valley has gentle outlines and contains a series of terraces. Small longitudinal streams flow along it into the right-bank tributaries of the Tysa River. To the east the valley widens into the broad (30 km) Maramureş Basin, which lies flat along the Tysa River and becomes hilly farther from the river. The basin has an elevation of 200–600 m and is covered with thick layers from the Miocene period, with saline strata. The last belt of the Ukrainian Carpathians consists of the Volcanic Ukrainian Carpathians, which rise steeply for 600–900 m above the Tysa Lowland and attain an elevation of 900–1,100 m. These mountains consist mainly of effusion centers joined by lava streams. The landscape is defined by massive, broad ridges, picturesque volcanic rings (the remains of craters), and cones. The transverse valleys, containing the tributaries of the Tysa River, divide the Volcanic Carpathians into the following massifs: Vyhorlat, Makovytsia Massif, Syniak, Velykyi Dil, Tupyi, and the Hutyn Mountains. A narrow band of gentle foothills stretches below this range. West of the Laborets River, Oslava River, and Sian River the Carpathians consist only of a low flysch belt, 30–40 km wide, on both sides of the main watershed. This is the Low Beskyd. It is preceded by low foothills 300–400 m in elevation, which broaden out in the north and encompass the large, flat Gorlice-Sianik Basin (a continuation of the Middle Carpathian Depression). The highest peaks of the Low Beskyd hardly reach 1,000 m, and the passes lie at an elevation of 500–700 m (the Tylych Pass [688 m], Duklia Pass [502 m], and Lupkiv Pass [651 m]). Climate. The climate of the Carpathians is determined by the climate of the adjacent plateaus, the height of the mountains, and the relief. Seasonal variations (which also affect the Danube Lowland) in barometric pressure from the winter maximum to the summer minimum have an important influence. The mountains protect southern Transcarpathia from the flow of cold air from the north. However, warm air masses from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean bring cyclones and heavy rainfall to the southern and western slopes. The July temperature varies with altitude from 20°C at the southern edge of the Carpathians and 18°C in the north to 6°C on the highest peaks. The variation is smaller in winter—from -3°C to -10°C. The number of days with temperatures above 0°C fluctuates between 290 and 100 per year, and the number with temperatures above 10°C varies from 180 days in the south to 80–100 days at the upper limits of grain cultivation and to 50 days in the lower meadow belt. Annual precipitation varies from 600 to 1,600 mm and is usually 900–1,200 mm, depending on altitude and local conditions, such as the position of the slopes. The basins of the upper Teresva River and Tereblia River receive the largest amount of precipitation, while the intermontane depressions are relatively dry. The southern slopes get 100–200 mm more precipitation than do the northern slopes at the same altitude. Most of the precipitation occurs in June and July; the least, in January and February. In general, almost two-thirds of the precipitation comes in the warm half of the year; hence summers are quite cloudy, and winters are sunny. Generally, the summer temperature rises towards the southeast by 1–2°C as the climate becomes more continental and the mountains more massive. Like all mountain climates, the climate of the Carpathians is subject to many local variations: the weather of the northern slopes differs from that of the southern slopes, gentle Foehn winds visit some parts, and temperature inversions occur in wintertime when the air is warmer on the slopes than in the valleys, which are filled with heavier, cold air. Rivers. The Carpathians are rich in rivers. The Dnister River with its numerous tributaries (the Stryi River, Svicha River, Limnytsia River, Bystrytsia River, etc), the tributaries of the Danube River, including the Tysa River with its tributaries (the Teresva River, Tereblia River, Rika River, Borzhava River, Bodrog River and its tributaries [the Liatorytsia River, Uzh River, Laborets River], etc), the Prut River (with the Cheremosh River), and the Seret (Siret) River, as well as such tributaries of the Vistula River as the Sian River (with the Wisłok River) and the Wisłoka River, and others all originate in the mountains. The rivers are fed mostly by snow and rain. Flash floods are common in the spring and summer. Soils. In the Carpathians the soils are determined by the type of parental mountain rock, elevation, and vegetation cover. The brown podzol forest soils are the most common, but they are not homogeneous. They vary from areas covered with beech woods to areas of fir-tree forests and are different still in deforested, farming areas (which have light-brown forest soils). The brown soils are acidic and of low fertility; hence, lime and mineral fertilizers are required for their improvement. The peat podzolic soils on the southern slopes of the Volcanic Ukrainian Carpathians are more fertile. Various meadow soils are found in the valleys. Above the timberline there are mountain podzol soils, mountain meadow soils, and peat soils, often containing many rock fragments. Flora. The vegetation of the Ukrainian Carpathians belongs to the Central European province. Except for that of the Low Beskyd, the flora here is much richer than in the Western Carpathians and includes many Balkan and Transylvanian species and a number of endemic forms. At one time all the Carpathians were covered with forest and topped with meadows and rock fields. Even today about one-half of the region is forested. All the mountain vegetation belts are represented in the Ukrainian Carpathians. The lowest belt, up to an altitude of 500–600 m, consists of deciduous and mixed forests, which contain mostly oak and some hornbeam, maple, linden, elm, birch, and pine. In Transcarpathia, up to an altitude of 400 m, there are also some warm-climate species such as the chestnut and walnut. This belt has been modified by humans more than any other, and today the forests form only small islands among the farmlands. Above 500–600 m lies the belt of mountain forests. In Transcarpathia (apart from its northeastern and eastern parts) and in the upper Sian River basin beech forests occur exclusively; in other parts of the Ukrainian Carpathians mixed and coniferous forests predominate. Some oak is found at the lower levels of the beech forests, as well as maple, birch, and ash. The undergrowth includes elder, mezereum, raspberry, currant, honeysuckle, and willow. Grass cover is rare. The upper limit of the beech forests is rather well defined, at 1,100–1,200 m. Above 1,000 m the beech trees are somewhat shorter. Other mountain forests in the Carpathians form two belts: a lower, mixed belt, which reaches an altitude of 900–1,200 m and consists mostly of beech, spruce, and fir, with an undergrowth similar to that of the beech forests; and a higher, spruce belt, with an admixture of fir, pine, larch, cembra pine, and ash. The grasses are poorly developed. The upper limit of the forests is 1,450–1,600 m. This zone is a transitional belt, about 100 m wide, consisting of individual trees, brush, and meadow. Above the forests runs a belt of highland pastures—meadows and brush with subalpine (up to 1,750–1,850 m) and alpine vegetation. The typical plants of the subalpine belt are mugho pine, green alder, rhododendron, and dwarf juniper, which often form a large, hardly penetrable brush, particularly in the Gorgany Mountains and the Maramureş-Bukovynian Upland. Grasslands cover all the higher ridges except the Gorgany. In the beech-forest belt they completely cover the ridges above 1,100–1,200 m, while in the pine-forest belt their lower limit is 100–150 m higher and they are partly taken over by brush, mainly by dwarf pines. In the Gorgany Mountains meadows are rare. By lowering the upper boundary of the forests, humans have increased the area of grasslands, but excessive pasturing has reduced the variety of plant forms. The mountain meadows are overgrown with sedge (Carex curvula, C. rupestris), hard rush (Juncus trifidus), sheep fescue (Festuca ovina), and smallreed (Calamagrostis). Low-quality grasses such as matgrass (Nardus stricta) and tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa) predominate to an altitude of 1,500–1,600 m, while such valuable grasses as common meadow grass (Poa pratensis) and white dutch clover (Trifolium repens) are rare. In general, the variety of plants growing in the meadows increases towards the east. The variety is greatest on chalky soils. Fauna. The vertical zoning of the vegetation in the Carpathians is reflected in the distribution of animals. Some high-mountain species are restricted to the subalpine zone; for example, the alpine snow vole and the alpine shrew. Some taiga species—the capercaillie, hazel grouse, woodcock, black grouse, rare lynx, and others—live only in the mountain forest zone. Most of the fauna consists of species typical of the Central European forests, and they can be found in the higher and the lower regions of the Carpathians; these include the brown bear and wildcat (both rare now), red deer, roe deer, wolf, fox, forest marten, ermine, Carpathian squirrel, dormouse, mole, and bat. Among the common birds are the berkut eagle, hawk, owl, woodcock, black stork, rock pupit, and white-throated blackbird. Many of the birds visit the Carpathians only in summer. There are quite a few species of amphibians and reptiles, particularly on the southern slopes, including the Carpathian newt, western bullfrog, spotted salamander, and smooth snake. Mink and otter reach the high regions by means of streams. The mountain streams contain trout, grayling, and Balkan barbel (Barbus meridionalis). The huchen (Hucho hucho) is endemic to the Cheremosh River and Tysa River. A network of national parks and nature reserves (see Carpathian protected areas) has been established with the aim of protecting the biological and landscape diversity of the Ukrainian Carpathians. Population. All of the eastern Carpathians are Ukrainian ethnic territory except for the Low Beskyd, where, until 1946, Ukrainians occupied only a narrow strip on both sides of the watershed known as the Lemko region. Thereafter the Lemkos who lived in Poland were resettled, and only the Lemkos in Czechoslovakia were left in their homeland. The ethnic boundaries between the Ukrainians and other nationalities in the Carpathians are fairly distinct, except in the case of the Slovaks. The mountains did not attract foreigners; hence, non-Ukrainians are few. Until the beginning of the 1940s the Jews were the largest minority (10 percent), while the Slovaks, Hungarians, Romanians, Czechs, Poles, and Germans together accounted for 12 percent of the population. Today less than 10 percent of the population is non-Ukrainian (see also Bukovyna, Galicia, Transcarpathia, and the Prešov region). The Ukrainian highlanders are divided into several ethnographic groups: the Lemkos, in the Low Beskyd and the western part of the Middle Beskyd (almost all of them were resettled by the Polish authorities); the Boikos, up to the Bystrytsia Solotvynska River in the east; and the Hutsuls in the east. The central part of Transcarpathia is settled by the Zahoriany (tramontanes) or Dolyniany (lowlanders), who are related to the Boikos and speak a central Transcarpathian dialect. There are two forms of settlement and farming in the Carpathians, and they appear to be independent of the natural environment. The first is the Hutsul form; the second is practiced by all other highlanders. The Lemkos, Boikos, and Zahoriany are basically agricultural people. They cleared the forests to obtain arable land and built their elongated villages in the valleys. Their settlements are at low altitudes. The basic occupation of the Hutsuls is animal husbandry. Their land is used for pastures and hayfields. Their homesteads are attached to their fields; hence, their settlements are scattered and extend to considerable altitudes. Almost 30 percent of the population lives in towns that are located at the intersection of longitudinal and transverse highways. The largest towns are at the foot of mountain ranges or at some distance from them (Subcarpathia) and in the Maramureş Basin. There are only small towns in the mountains, the largest of them being Sianik and Turka. These towns are industrial, trade, and administration centers. The upper boundary of permanent settlement coincides usually with the upper limit of grain growing. Both rise as the mountains become more massive, but they also depend on the form of settlement and farming. On the southern slopes of the Carpathians, where corn is grown, the boundary dips below 600 m. It rises above 1,000 m only in the Hutsul region. Seasonal settlements exist at much higher altitudes. These are used only in the summer, when sheep and cattle are pastured in the remote mountain meadows. Herding is not practiced in the Low Beskyd, Middle Beskyd, or the Volcanic Ukrainian Carpathians. Only non-dairy cattle and horses are pastured in the meadows of the High Beskyd and Rivna. Herding is widely practiced in the Polonynian Beskyd, the Gorgany Mountains, and the Hutsul region: in the 1930s it involved about 5,000 herders, 9,000 horses, 55,000 head of cattle (including 8,000 cows), and 190,000 sheep and goats, which amounted to almost one-quarter of all cattle and two-thirds of all sheep in the Carpathians. The pasturing season lasts two and one-half to four and one-half months. It is extended even beyond this duration, especially in the Hutsul region, by the feeding of sheep in winter enclosures (zymarky) until the hay runs out. Herding in the meadows was generally backward, particularly in Galicia and Bukovyna. Under the Soviet regime the old forms of pastoral life were disappearing; only pastoral artels existed. Economy. Economic activity in the Carpathians was determined by the natural environment, folk customs, tribal relations, and the economic policies of the governments that had control of the region. As in the past the economy today is based on farming, which is closely associated with animal husbandry, and on the forest industry. Compared to that of neighboring plateau regions, the economy of the Carpathians is backward and quite primitive. Agriculture plays a greater role in the economy of the Lemko region and Boiko region. Yet, even here the production is insufficient to feed the population. Much of the arable land is left fallow. In the Boiko region the more elevated fields are fertilized by means of sheep grazing. Traces of the tree-clearing system of farming can still be found. The main crops are potato and oats, which until the beginning of the 20th century was the main bread-baking grain. In the lower parts rye and wheat are grown, and corn is the main crop on the southern slopes. Much animal feed is produced. The trend is to grow more potatoes and feed and less oats. The fertility of the soil is low. In the 19th century animal husbandry specialized in non-dairy cattle raising in the Lemko region and Boiko region and dairy cattle in the Hutsul region, where sheep raising and horse breeding (of the famous Hutsul horse) were well developed. Since the second half of the 19th century these differences between the various regions of the Carpathians have diminished somewhat. As a result of the impoverishment of the peasantry, horse raising replaced ox raising, since the horse was useful in lumbering. Sheep raising declined in the western areas. In the 1950s the structure of animal husbandry in the Carpathians was as follows (proportion of the Ukrainian SSR production in parentheses): cattle, 80 percent (75.5 percent); hogs, 9 percent (18.8); sheep and goats, 11 percent (6.7). The per capita supply of domestic animals is somewhat higher here than in other parts of Ukraine. The forest, which for centuries supplied the highlander with food (berries, mushrooms, animals), pasture, fuel, and materials and energy for small-scale industries, became the main source of exports and a very important economic factor in the second half of the 19th century. The exploitation of the Carpathian forests intensified at the end of the 19th century when a network of narrow-gauge railroads was built to transport lumber from remote mountain areas. Because of inadequate protective measures, the forests have sometimes been excessively exploited, particularly under the Soviet regime. Although the Carpathian Mountains possess only 22 percent of Ukraine's forests, in the 1950s they yielded over 60 percent of the lumber produced in Soviet Ukraine. Today young forests and deforested areas constitute over 50 percent of the forest land, while mature forests account for scarcely 11 percent instead of the expected 25 percent. Reforestation measures are inadequate. In the Gorgany Mountains alone, 1,470 ha of rocky slope have appeared. Floods have increased, and the importance of the mountains as a source of moisture has declined. Industry in the Carpathians is insignificant. The hydroelectric resources of the mountains are unused. The Tereblia-Rika Hydroelectric Station (1956) is the only large hydroelectric station in the region. Larger hydroelectric plants can be found in Transcarpathia. In Galicia the woodworking industry is located at some distance from the mountains, in Subcarpathia. The largest woodworking complexes are located in Svaliava, Velykyi Bychkiv, Perechyn, and Skole. Salt is mined in Galicia at the foot of the mountains—in Dobromyl, Deliatyn, and Kosiv. In Transcarpathia a huge salt field is being developed at Solotvyna. The Carpathians are a source of valuable building materials: andesites, basalts, rhyolites, tufas, and marble in the Volcanic Ukrainian Carpathians and hard sandstone in other regions. The petroleum industry, located at the foot of the mountains, has a national importance. The main oil fields are Boryslav–Skhidnytsia, Dolyna (which is today the most important field), and Bytkiv. Ripne, Sloboda-Rungurska, and Kosmach have now lost their former significance. Gas fields are found in Subcarpathia. Since the 19th century the iron industry, based on small deposits of mud ores, and coal have had a slight importance. Because of the abundance of mineral springs, a healthy climate, and natural beauty, the Carpathians are the main resort and recreation area in Ukraine after the Crimea. Various mineral springs—carbonic acid, salt, iodine salt, bitter, and petroleum—occur. The most famous springs are in the Lemko region, which today lies beyond Ukrainian territories: in Krynytsia (Krynica), Bardejov, Iwonicz, Rymanów, Vysova, Zhegestiv, etc. At the foot of the mountains are found the Truskavets, Morshyn, Deliatyn, and Kosiv springs. Transcarpathia is rich in mineral springs, mostly in the Volcanic Ukrainian Carpathians. These include the Poliana, Kvasova, and Syniak springs, near Uzhhorod. Summer resorts are even more important. Before 1914 the Prut River Valley was the main summer-resort area. In the interwar period vacationers visited all parts of the Carpathians. Under Soviet rule the resort area was limited again. The most popular resorts are located in the Prut River Valley (Vorokhta, Yaremche [including the former villages of Yamna and Dora], etc) and the Opir River Valley. Smaller resorts are found in Transcarpathia. Cottage industry has lost its importance except in the Hutsul area, which specializes in folk art. For a long time traveling craftsmen such as wiredrawers were important. Traveling salesmen sold tar to the Lemkos and fruit and salt to the Boikos. Common workers found seasonal work on the farms during harvest time and in the forests. Emigration, which began at the end of the 19th century, was vigorous. Generally, the economic resources of the Carpathians under all regimes (except for the Czechoslovak to some extent) were poorly developed. The population was poor and could not find enough employment. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the main natural resources, the forest industry, petroleum industry, resorts, and trade were foreign-owned (mainly by Jews, Poles, Hungarians, and Czechs). The economic conditions in the mountains are still bad and have become worse with the destruction of the forests. The communication lines in the Carpathians have run in two directions since ancient times: longitudinally and transversely. The longitudinal lines are of greater importance locally; the transverse have connected Ukraine with Hungary for centuries. The Austrian government developed these old routes to connect Galicia with the other parts of the empire and built a number of railroads. From 1918 to 1945 these highways lost their importance, because the state border ran along the ridges of the Carpathians. However, when Transcarpathia was annexed to the Ukrainian SSR, these routes regained their importance. Since the Carpathians are narrow, the longitudinal railroad lines usually run parallel to the ridges: in the north, in Subcarpathia, there is the Peremyshl–Khyriv–Sambir–Stryi–Ivano-Frankivsk–Chernivtsi line; the Michalovce–Chop–Vynohradiv line is in the south, in the Tysa Lowland and the Maramureş Basin. Both of the longitudinal lines are intersected by four transverse lines that run through the mountain passes: the Peremyshl–Michalovce, Sambir–Uzhhorod–Chop, Stryi–Mukachevo–Vuzlove, and Ivano-Frankivsk–Syhit lines. The whole railway network was built before the First World War. Paved highways run the same way as the railroads. The important highways used for regular motor transportation are the Snina–Perechyn–Svaliava–Khust highway, which runs along the Inner Carpathian Valley and through the Duklia Pass, and the Nyzhni Vorota–Mizhhiria–Khust highway. A referral to this page is found in 171 entries.
0.99933	As someone who plays poker regularly, I'd like to think that I have a good understanding of why luck is important in our lives. It's NOT because the world is completely random and we have no influence over what outcomes will materialize for us - actually, it is the very fact that we do make meaningful decisions in the face of uncertainty that generates luck. Let me try to explain what I mean with an analogy to the game of poker. Poker is a game of skill, which means those players with superior skills (patience, discipline, memory, critical/logical thinking, mathematical analysis) have a long-term edge over the less skillful among them. It is a very simple game with simple rules governing what each player can do (fold, call, bet, raise), what order they can do it in, how much they can bet at any given time, which hands rank higher than others, etc. So those players who are the best at incorporating all sources of information and making the most profitable decisions at any given time have a clear advantage in the game and should make plenty of money in the long-run. But they will still lose A LOT of hands, regardless of how skilled they are, because they can never know exactly what cards will come out and they rarely ever know exactly which cards other players are holding (unless they are cheating). Even the best poker players in the world are required to have losing hands and losing sessions. That is what luck really means - natural variance in a probabilistic setting. For example, a very good player will get his/her money in the middle with AA (the best starting hand in Hold Em') before the flop, have an 80% advantage over another player with a lower pair, and will still lose that hand - it is inevitable to occur, and most likely will happen many times. The following graph illustrates the concept of variance in poker. It shows the expected winrate of a certain poker player that has an edge over the players he is up against, and then graphs his actual winnings on top of that. We can assume that this player maintains a consistent style of play, always plays the same stakes against very similar opponents and never deviates from his basic strategy of maximizing value with his winning hands, and minimizing losses with his losing hands. As you can see, the inherent variance (luck) involved led him outperform his expected winrate for almost 80,000 hands, and lost almost 50% of his max winnings accumulated over 60,000 hands after playing another 30,000 hands. Eventually, we can expect his actual winrate to converge near his expected rate, but there is no way to predict how it will take before that happens. Now, what happens when we stop talking about poker and start talking about life in general? The latter is obviously a much more complex "game" with many more rules, many more players and, therefore, many more combinations of "starting hands" and possibilities for how the action will unfold in the future. What that really means is that the variance (luck) involved in life is much higher, regardless of how talented or skilled a person happens to be. This variance, which, in poker, is eventually smoothed out after enough hands are played, could last the better part of a person's entire lifetime, or even across multiple lifetimes (parents, children, grandchildren, etc.). That is especially true for those who are born into conditions of extreme poverty, since they are dealt hands that have very little chance of winning in the first place. While every player at a poker table has an equal chance of being dealt AA in any given hand, that is not true for the players in the game of life. The potential hands a person can be dealt in life depend on where they were born, when they are born, who they were born to, what race they are and a multitude of other factors. They may learn certain specialized skills over the years, and become very good at utilizing those skills in various settings, but that still doesn't mean they are guaranteed to be long-run monetary winners. In fact, they still have to avoid an abundance of variance for those skills to ever shine through. They must find a way for almost every single decision they make to work out favorably, such as decisions on where to live, how much official "education" to get, what jobs to apply for, what hours to work, what types of insurance to buy, what type of car to drive, etc., etc. Even if they make all of the most optimal decisions at the time, new circumstances could render those decisions completely worthless. Are Poor People Lazy? Or Just Lucky? Somewhere along the line, everything got turned upside down. It used to be that we envied the rich for their wealth, but now we pity them. For it seems that no one works harder than a millionaire (except perhaps a billionaire), which is why we must do everything in our power to help them keep every penny that comes their way. At the same time, we envy the poor, those lazy lucky ducks who just sit around all day, collecting unemployment, avoiding taxes and living it up on food stamps. Read Ruben Bolling’s latest cartoon starring Lucky Duck. It wasn’t always this way. Once, not so very long ago, people saw the world as it really was. We all knew that the rich have it easy while the poor have hard times. Indeed, that’s the main reason people want to be rich instead of poor. Plowing fields is work. Caring for children is work. Building houses is work. Studying is work. Mopping floors is work. Brain surgery is work. Waiting for the bus that will take you and the kids to day care before catching the other bus that will take you to your job is work. Cashing your dividend check is not work. We pretend to honor hard work, but our policies deny it. If we honored work, we’d remember that most of the hardest-working people in our society are also the lowest paid. Many of the hardest jobs come with no paycheck at all. Conversely, some of the best-paid people hardly work at all. Most investors, for instance, don’t work hard (unless you count unproductive sleepless nights), because their money does the work for them. Many highly paid professionals — investment bankers, doctors, lawyers, athletes and corporate managers — do work hard, but do they work any harder than the people who pick the crops, or who work on the assembly line, or sit up with a sick kid all night? Poor people — with few exceptions — are not lazy. Many of them have retired after a lifetime of hard work. Many of them are children, with a lifetime of hard work ahead of them, if they can learn the necessary skills and habits. Many of them work a job, or even two, but a minimum-wage paycheck isn’t enough to pull them out of poverty. And many of them work hard in exactly the same sense that Ann Romney has worked hard her whole life. It’s not effort that separates them from Mrs. Romney; it’s luck. There’s no doubt that success rarely comes without hard work. But there’s also no doubt that luck plays a large part in our successes and failures. The poor are indeed lucky ducks. It’s just that all their luck is bad. Indeed, luck (variance) works both ways. A poker player who is getting his/her money in bad almost every hand will eventually go on a "hot streak" and win most of those hands. Poor people who are severely disadvantaged from the beginning will eventually be at the right place, at the right time and in the company of the right people who help launch them into material prosperity (or perhaps they will just hit the mega-million lotto numbers). Those are exceptions to the rule, though, and, in the long-run, the system makes sure that a large majority of otherwise talented people are kept somewhere between a range of heavy losses and barely eking out a profit. The rules of the financial capitalist game make it so that only those players with a very narrow set of skills will be guaranteed success over and over again, which just so happens to be skills geared towards bending and breaking the rules whenever it is convenient, and escaping any punishment for doing so. A person caught cheating in a poker game will be banned from the game, at best, and beaten into a bloody pulp, at worst. Not so much for the tiny group of elites who cheat the other players on a daily basis. They have privileged access to a wealth of information about other players, and many times they can even dictate exactly what cards will come out. Well, that last statement isn’t entirely true. Our complex and evolutionary "game" that comprises the totality of human material experience is a system that is ultimately unpredictable, probabilistic and filled with imperfect information, just like any old poker game. Even the most powerful elite cannot predict exactly what outcomes will result from their decisions; exactly how others will think and react; exactly how lucky others will get. There is a moment in time at which every poker player, and especially those who have been winning for so long that they scarcely remember how to lose, will confront the inevitably of bad luck. It is usually at this moment when they lose all psychological composure and are led down a winding path towards their eventual undoing. © 2012 Copyright Ashvin Pandurangi to - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.
0.999849	The Chinese philosophies of Legalism, Confucianism, and Taoism all emerged for the first time during __________. The Chinese philosophies of Legalism, Confucianism, and Taoism all emerged for the first time during the rule of the Eastern Zhou. This period of time also coincided with the Warring States Period (476 to 221 B.C.E.) and the Hundred Schools of Thought period. The Byzantine Empire was formed from the __________ Empire, but modeled its culture on __________. The Byzantine Empire emerged from the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century. However, the Byzantines were fascinated with ancient Greek culture and viewed themselves as the inheritors and continuation of both the Roman Empire and the Hellenistic world. Much of Byzantine law, philosophy, science, and society was modeled on that of Ancient Greece. The Han Feizi is a central text in which of these philosophical traditions? The Han Feizi is the central text of legalism. It is a collection of essays written by Han Fei in the third century B.C.E. Most of the essays are concerned with government authority and the proper administration of a state. Ancient Spartan society is primarily remembered for __________. Sparta is a prominent and noteworthy city-state in the history of Ancient Greece. Spartan society is primarily remembered for its emphasis on combat aptitude and its successful military campaigns. The Spartan army was instrumental in fending off Persian invasion during the Persian Wars. It is was also responsible for the destruction of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War. Epicureans were primarily concerned with __________. Epicureanism is an ancient Greek system of philosophy that was first developed by Epicurus in the fourth century BCE. Epicureanism was centered around the pursuit of pleasure through modesty, knowledge, self-control, and study. Stoicism, an ancient Greek philosophy, was often contrasted with __________. Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy that was founded in the third century BCE. It maintains that the highest virtue in life is the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. For this reason it is often contrasted against Epicureanism (with its emphasis on the pursuit of pleasure), but this contrast is somewhat unfair and is based on a modern interpretation of Epicureanism as a debauched hedonistic philosophy. Which of these ancient Greeks was a teacher of Alexander the Great? Alexander the Great was raised in the wealthy Macedonian court of Philip II (his father). Philip II of Macedon was an extremely capable and ambitious ruler, he expanded the size and power of Macedonia and paved the way for the later conquests of Alexander the Great. He was also determined that his son Alexander should receive an exemplary education and so the famous philosopher and teacher Aristotle was summoned to the Macedonian court. Which of these philosophies did not emerge during the Hundred Schools of Thought period of Chinese history? The Hundred Schools of Thought period of Chinese history occurred concurrently with the Warring States Period of Chinese history, from the fifth to the second century BCE. This was a time of great turbulence in China, but also of great innovation and philosophical development. The Chinese philosophies of legalism, Taoism, and Confucianism all arose in this time period. Buddhism, however, developed in India during the first millennium BCE. What was the primary goal of legalism? The primary goal of the Chinese philosophical tradition known as legalism was to strengthen the power and authority of the central state and encourage obedience to the government. Legalism was highly effective at supporting the growth of the power of Qin Shi Huangdi in the immediate aftermath of the Warring States Period, but became unpopular due to its disregard for Chinese traditional values. Which of these groups was most likely to be critical of the rule of Qin Shi Huangdi? The Qin Dynasty rose to power during the Warring States Period of Chinese history. It became powerful as a result of a series of legalism reforms enacted in the fourth century BCE. But, the Qin’s strict adherence to legalism made them extremely unpopular once in power. All of these groups (with the obvious exception of advocates for legalism) might have been critical of the rule of Qin Shi Huangdi, but Confucian scholars definitely would have been. Confucianism and legalism were rival schools of thought and Confucian scholars would have been appalled by the Qin’s strict adherence to legalism. University of California-Los Angeles, Bachelor in Arts, History. Bard College, Master of Arts, Teaching. Florida State University, Bachelor in Arts, Philosophy.
0.999517	An Iranian actress has caused uproar in the Islamic Republic after revealing what appeared to be a tattoo of a "woman power" symbol, which drew criticism from the country's hardliners. Taraneh Alidoosti, 32, who has been described as the "Natalie Portman of Iran", was at a press conference in Tehran following a visit to the Cannes Film Festival to promote her film, The Salesman, when she reached towards the microphone revealing the tattoo on her upper arm. It provoked quite a reaction on social media, where users speculated the tattoo showed Alidoosti was a feminist who was against family values and supported abortion. Responding to the furore on Twitter, Alidoosti wrote: "Keep calm and YES I'm a feminist," although she did not confirm whether or not the tattoo was genuine. She also shared a picture of the women power symbol, which featured the caption: "Feminist; a person who believes in the social, political and economical equality of the sexes." Alidoosti, who has 29,000 followers on social media, has spoken out at a time when women in Iran are facing a crackdown from the country's morality police, with more than 7,000 new officers policing women's attire and behaviour while they are in public. Women in the Islamic Republic are required to cover their heads while in public, although increasingly women are choosing to ignore the strict rules, sharing photos of themselves without their veils on sites such as My Stealthy Freedom, whose creator is campaigning for the right of women to choose whether or not they wear the veil. Keep calm and YES I'm a feminist.
0.999902	What is well-being? What is well-being? There are several interpretations and definitions for "wellbeing", including but not limited to: emotional, spiritual, psychological. Obstacles to wellbeing are often stress, mental health, a physically unhealthy lifestyle. Overall, it's a very personal and abstract concept. Attainment of emotional wellbeing, as with all other kinds, ultimately depends and varies with each individual person. In the words of the illustrious bell hooks (in the context of the need for black women to protect their personhood and emotional well-being, but still applicable here) “What does it mean to have optimal, emotional well-being? Because when you have optimal, emotional well-being, you can be whole; you can be the diversities of who ‘yourself’ is.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on the other hand, states that "Emotional well-being encompasses how you feel about yourself, your ability to successfully manage your feelings as you deal with life's challenges, and the quality of your relationships. Being emotionally balanced can contributes greatly to your overall mental and physical health." Spiritual well-being is not defined by the presence of religion in one's life, but rather an internal connection with nature and the people around one. Psychological well-being is slightly more complex.
0.983845	Article summary was the task. i read Greene & Lidinsky 120-138 (ch. 6) and wrote one page summary. secondly, i read Greene & Lidinsky 73-98 (ch. 4) and wrote one page summary. Chapter four of this book is meant to help the reader to identify multiple issues and then make an evaluation of the issues with the help of questions. There are various steps of identifying and solving issues. 1 Make a reflection of your personal experiences with various issues. To do this, you must identify something that is important or puzzles you in one way or another. You can then use other sources to support the argument. 1 Recheck the topic from different perspectives to narrow down the process of solving the problem. For example, what causes homelessness and what are the consequences of homelessness? Do Culture and Environment Influence One's Life?
0.947536	(CNN) After spending more than 20 hours testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is still answering questions. Although his hearing was gaveled out Friday, Democrats are following committee rules and sending Kavanaugh pages and pages of so called "questions for the record." One source notes the extraordinarily large volume of follow-up questions for Kavanaugh. They cover such issues as Kavanaugh's take on constitutional issues, his opinions, his personal finances and the Mueller investigation. Kavanaugh's responses are due Wednesday by 6 p.m. ET. Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, for instance, submitted 14 pages with 36 questions, many with several sub-questions. Whitehouse's inquiries include some related to hot button topics such as abortion, LGBT rights and labor law. "Did you work on, provide advice on, or otherwise have involvement in litigation designed to undermine or limit the holding in Roe v. Wade?" Whitehouse asked in one question. "Did you work on, provide advice on, or otherwise have involvement in the decision to allow the assault weapons ban expire?" he asked in another. Whitehouse also pressed the nominee to explain his own financial records and how he was able to afford membership in a prestigious Washington country club, and asked whether Kavanaugh has a gambling history. Nominees traditionally answer written questions after their hearings -- a final opportunity for senators to have answers to questions they did not get to, or did not believe were sufficiently answered in the hearing itself. In Kavanaugh's case, with all of the Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee expected to oppose his nomination, it also provides a final opportunity to put the nominee on the record in areas of their concern as they continue the uphill battle to sink his nomination. As it stands, all eyes are on two moderate Republican senators -- Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine -- as well as a handful of red state Democrats who have yet to announce how they will vote. Some of the questions in Whitehouse's request include elements Kavanaugh answered during his testimony. But in the written format, Whitehouse asks for more detail. One question relates to Kavanaugh's opinion of whether a sitting president can be indicted. In his hearing Kavanaugh had pointed out that the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel had concluded that a sitting president cannot be indicted. "What weight do courts afford OLC opinions and guidance?" Whitehouse asked. "You referenced during your testimony that you had overlapped with former FBI Director Robert Mueller during your time in the George W. Bush (White House). What is your opinion of Robert Mueller's character and work ethic? Do you believe that the investigation he is currently overseeing as Special Counsel is a 'witch hunt?'"
0.99962	Defining technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship! Technology is solutions to problems and needs. Technology represents human being’s aspiration and desire to control nature and ones own environment and circumstances, and unwillingness to accept and be content with status quo. Innovation is a novel solution to a problem that has been implemented successfully. Entrepreneurship is a vehicle to deliver innovations in a scalable and sustainable manner. Social entrepreneurship is a form of entrepreneurship that focuses on solving the most pressing problems of society and leverages goodwill to ensure scalability and sustainability.
0.999965	Everybody knows that casinos have an edge on bets they book against players. To some folks, this is enough reason to forego gambling altogether. To others, it's an incentive to find games and learn strategies that minimize the bite. And to a third group, arguably the largest, what or how people play makes no discernable difference in their chances of success or failure. Edge matters. It's how the casinos win. So, by extension, it's how solid citizens lose. But the effect is a long-term phenomenon involving small influences on huge numbers of decisions. Like nearly imperceptible grains of sand, borne on prevailing breezes, that mold mountains over the eons. Few bettors focus on the long haul. Most set their sights on a session, a few days' casino vacation, or maybe even a month or year. During such intervals, the inherent volatility of the games tends to swamp the edge. This, masquerading as luck, can put a person over the top or decimate a stake far more completely than the "expected loss" the experts invoke to evaluate options. An example can afford some intuition about the relative impacts of edge and volatility. Compare $10 on one spot at a double-zero table with $1 on each of ten spots at the same game. Assume you have a $500 stake, want to win $500, and will be piqued at fate so foul as to deny you at least two hours of action ?? 100 spins. For either alternative, edge is the same 5.26 percent. On $1,000 handle, 100 spins at $10 each, this gives the house an expected profit of $52.60. But you don't actually expect to lose $52.60. You hope to win $500 and fear you might drop the same amount. Volatility, the mechanism that drives you to one or the other, is greater with the concentrated than the dispersed wagers. As a result, $10 on one spot yields 46 percent probability of doubling your money without first going broke, while $1 on each of ten spots offers only 11 percent likelihood of achieving this goal. What if you bet $10 on one spot in a single-zero game? The edge shrinks roughly in half, to 2.7 percent. Expected loss in 100 spins is $27. Volatility stays almost the same. The chance of doubling before losing a $500 stake rises from 46 to 48 percent. The lower edge improves your short term lot, albeit marginally. Does this imply that raising volatility can obviate edge over reasonable periods? Yes, but there's a catch. Higher volatility makes you more apt to bust any bankroll within a given time. At a double-zero game, switching from ten spots at $1 to one at $10 lowers the likelihood $500 will last for 100 spins from 99.5 to 58 percent. Halving the edge with $10 on one spot at single-zero roulette helps a bit, raising chances of survival to 59 percent. Extending the perspective from 100 to 5,000 spins ?? from two to 100 hours ?? demonstrates how edge overtakes volatility in importance as the number of trials grows. Betting $1 on each of ten spots at a single-zero table offers an 8 percent shot at weathering 5,000 spins without a bankroll fix. Survival rate is low because edge alone projects a $1,350 loss (2.7 percent of $50,000), demanding an extraordinary compensatory upswing. A similar double-zero player has under one percent possibility that the original bankroll will last. Here, edge anticipates losing $2,630 (5.26 percent of $50,000) and relying on volatility for an even more phenomenal upswing. Neither outlook is promising, but fighting half the edge does lift prospects of survival tenfold. You can see the problems. 1) Edge is only negative. You can check it, short term, with volatility. But volatility works two ways ?? the increasing fluctuations that overcome house advantage can also drive fortunes far below losses predicted by edge alone. 2) The effect of edge grows faster than that of volatility with extended play, so normal upswings ultimately aren't enough to surmount expected the downtrend. How to find a balance that's right for you? Of gambling is to play, and learn its lessons.
0.999859	During your first consultation with a chiropractor, ask them about their estimate for a treatment plan upfront. A good chiropractor will work with you to make sure that you get the care you need, without the added expense of unneeded visits. Chiropractors are doctors who use hands-on spinal manipulation and other alternative treatments, the theory being that proper alignment of the body’s musculoskeletal structure, particularly the spine, will enable the body to heal itself without surgery or medication. Manipulation is used to restore mobility to joints restricted by tissue injury caused by a traumatic event, such as falling, or repetitive stress, such as sitting without proper back support.
0.940626	Several years after building a large house alongside a formidable mountain range in northeast Mexico, its owners decided they wanted a small house nearby to accommodate visitors. The original house, however, had consumed all the available convenient building area on the site. In order to create a location for the new small house, its structure was placed on top of a jagged cliff looming above. In contrast to its complicated perch on the edge of a jagged rock, the new small house contains just a few simple spaces. One bedroom & bathroom serve a common living/dining/kitchen space that is as tall as it is wide. An elevated exterior deck extends from the common living space, as does a smaller porch cantilevered from the bedroom. These interior & exterior spaces are oriented to the dramatic views. As a foil for these views, the house is rendered minimally. Its white vertical surfaces contrast with the varied textures of the landscape. Similar but conversely, the texture of wood ceiling planks contrasts with the open sky beyond the high windows. From ground level a series of stairs circuitously wind their way up the cliff face, some with wood treads supported by steel, others comprised of stone treads built into the stone face of the hill. Additionally, a steel/glass & wood bridge spans the gap and connects back to an upper level of the main house. The structural system consists of concrete walls resting directly on the stone face of the hillside. Additional steel framing is attached to the concrete for lightweight structure where needed. Exterior and interior wall surfaces are smooth stucco/plaster. Some portions of the foundations, where they intersect with the rocky terrain, are clad in rough stone leaving the white walls to float above the rough ground plane. Ceilings are mostly wood planks, Floors are cut stone slabs set on the concrete structure. Decks, stairs, and the bridge are wood planks with glass railings.
0.928208	Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer and actress. Clarkson won the first season of the television series American Idol. Clarkson has recorded four albums. Clarkson has sold over 10.6 million albums in the United States, becoming the highest-selling American Idol winner. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Clarkson is also ranked on the top 200 album sellers of the Nielsen SoundScan era at number 187. Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas,. She is the third and youngest child of Jeanne Rose, a first grade teacher, and Stephen Michael Clarkson. Clarkson's parents divorced when she was six years old, after having been married for seventeen years. The family then moved to Burleson, where her mother remarried. She is of Greek (from a maternal great-grandfather), English, Irish, German, and Scottish ancestry. Her mother is a descendant of Republican state senator Isaiah Rose, whose life story was discussed on Clarkson's episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, in 2013. Clarkson went to Pauline G Hughes Middle School and Burleson High School. She originally wanted to be a marine biologist, but changed her mind after she saw the movie Jaws. In seventh grade, one of her teachers overheard her singing in a hallway and asked her to audition for the school choir. In high school, Clarkson performed in musicals such as Annie Get Your Gun, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Brigadoon. She sang at her high school talent show, after which an audience member shared some inspiring words with her: "God has given you this gift. You've got to sing. You're destined to sing." Clarkson continued singing and soon started classical training, hoping that music would be her ticket to a college scholarship. After finishing high school, Clarkson was offered full scholarships to The University of Texas at Austin, the University of North Texas, and the Berklee College of Music. However, she decided against college to pursue a career in music saying, "you're never too old to go to college." On September 4, 2002, Clarkson won the first season of American Idol, beating Justin Guarini by a margin of 58% to 42%. After the results were announced, Clarkson performed the song "A Moment Like This", which was written for the winner of American Idol and would be released on her first CD Thankful. When it was released as a single in October of 2002, it set a record on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when it rose from number 52 to number one. Thankful sold 236,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. On 19 November 2013, Clarkson said on her Twitter that she is pregnant. ↑ Shawver, Sam. "Singer Kelly Clarkson visits the area – NewsandSentinel.com \| News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information – Parkersburg News and Sentinel". NewsandSentinel.com. Retrieved 2013-11-09. ↑ Snierson, Dan.Stupid Questions with Kelly Clarkson ew.com. August 26, 2005 (issue #837 September 02, 2005). Retrieved 2009-08-13. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Kelly Clarkson - Single-Minded: Cords of Steel - Artists - Reader's Digest". ↑ The Amazing Kelly Clarkson. Angelfire.com. Retrieved February 12, 2006. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kelly Clarkson. This page was last changed on 11 February 2019, at 18:44.
0.999921	I'v read the batmanga 本 but thats about it other than bob canes version, i need to know what else is out there. There are almost too many great バットマン comics out there to list. I would recommend あなた start with Batman: 年 One によって Frank Miller & David Mazzuchelli. Follow that up with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns also によって Frank Miller. Then there's Alan Moore & Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke, Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale's Batman: The Long ハロウィン and storylines like Knightfall and No Man's Land which are によって various writers and artists and are available in trade paperback collected editions. New stuff Paul Dini's Detective Comics, he wrote like 20 issues. All good, and most of them one shots. あなた can buy the trades. Old stuff: バットマン Chronicles, Vol. 1: Bill Finger, Bob Kane.
0.999928	Many students in most colleges are usually faced with financial challenges and difficulties that prevent them from completing their education successfully. As a result of an increasing number of college dropouts, former U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell saw it wise to found or initiate a program that would enable needy and poor students to finish their college education by giving them financial aids and grants. As a consequence, the Pell Grant was created for college students in the U.S. Pell Grant refers to a financial aid provided to students in colleges by the federal government in the United States of America. The grant is usually given to needy students in order to cater for their tuition fees. Pell Grant is usually given to college students who have not earned their first bachelor's degree. The grant is administered and managed by the United States Department of Education. Despite being very helpful and beneficial to many students in colleges, it has been observed and realized that many college students do not use the monies received from the grant effectively. Therefore, there is an urgent need for colleges to oversee how their students use the money and to help the students use them effectively in order to enable them to graduate and minimize wasting the grant. This forms the basis for the argument of this essay. Thus, the thesis of this essay is to determine how the college can become more responsible and ensure that students use the Pell Grant efficiently and effectively without wasting it in order to enable the students to finish their studies and graduate. The college can achieve this by closely monitoring and supervising how students use or spend the Pell Grant, guiding, advising and training students on effective financial management and ensuring that students clear their tuition fees first immediately they receive their Pell Grant remittances. Firstly, closely monitoring and supervising how students use or spend their Pell Grants would enable the college ensure that students do not waste their monies on irrelevant and extraneous things or spend their money received from the Pell Grant on worthless things such as entertainment, luxuries and holiday tours or other things that are not related to their college education. Monitoring and supervising how students spend their Pell Grant would also enable the college to ensure that the grant is not misused by the students or spend on items that it is not intended for. For my part, close monitoring and supervision of the expenditures of the students in relation to the Pell Grant would also enable the college to identify students who might have mismanaged or misused their grants. The college may punish such students by ensuring that they do not receive further funding from the United States Department of Education. Monitoring and supervising the usage of the Pell Grant by students in the college would help in ensuring that monies from the grant are used aptly and appropriately. Secondly, guiding and providing advice to students on effective financial management would help students in the college to spend their monies wisely. This would help in improving their financial positions or statuses, hence reduce their need to apply for the Pell Grant. The college should also train the students on proper financial management techniques and how to reduce and manage personal expenditures. In my view, the college should guide and provide financial management advice to all students in order to enable them to become better spenders. This would help the students during both their stay in college as well as in their future lives after finishing college. Thirdly, the college should ensure that all students clear their tuition fees first immediately they receive their Pell Grant remittances or at the beginning of every semester. This would help in ensuring that no student remains with balances of college or tuition fees. As a consequence, the students would study smoothly and without financial challenges, hence graduate upon completion of the studies. Moreover, making sure that all students pay their college fees first before starting to spend on other items such as boarding or accommodation fees and setting aside money for personal upkeep would help in ensuring that the Pell Grant is not wasted or spent on other things which it is not meant for, hence reducing chances of wasting the grant by the students. In my view, the college has an important role to play in order to ensure that students effectively use their Pell Grants. The intervention of the college in the usage of the Pell Grant by students is very significant and would make easy the education of poor and needy students in the college. In addition to the ways discussed above, the college may also pursue other ways or means of ensuring that students complete their studies and effectively use the Pell Grant.

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