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0.940381	I read this article and found it very interesting, thought it might be something for you. The article is called UPDATED: MISSING PERSON • Vanessa Raquel Brunaga • 31 Years of Age • Leduc, Alberta and is located at https://alberta.missing.report/vanessa-brunaga-leduc/. Please help spread the word about missing Vanessa Brunaga of Leduc, Alberta. UPDATE: We are pleased to inform that the Leduc RCMP has announced that Vanessa Brunaga has been located and is safe and sound. Thank you to all whom have assisted us in spreading the word about her disappearance. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The Leduc RCMP detachment is asking for the public’s assistance in locating missing 31 year old Vanessa Raquel Brunaga out of the Leduc, Alberta area. Vanessa was last seen on September 22, 2016. Her last known location is Leduc. Have any information? If you have any information in regards to Vanessa’s whereabouts, you are being asked to contact the Leduc RCMP at 780.980.7200. If you wish to remain anonymous with your helpful information, you are more than welcome to call Crime Stoppers at 416.222.8477 or submit your tip online at www.tipsubmit.ca. Thank you for your continued efforts in helping us spread the word about missing people like Vanessa across Alberta. We ask that you share these reports on all social media platforms in order to reach the broadest local user base as possible.
0.948733	The lobotomy is a type of neurosurgery, or surgery performed on the brain, known as psychosurgery. The idea behind psychosurgery is that severe forms of mental illness can be treated by changing the way that the brain works. Doctors believed that by severing the connections that the frontal lobes, or prefrontal cortex, had to the rest of the brain, they could calm patients' emotions and stabilize their personalities without doing away with their intelligence and motor functions. The prefrontal cortex serves a number of complex functions in the brain, usually called executive functions. (Higher-level decision making and planning, reasoning and understanding, personality expression, creativity and behaving in a socially acceptable way all fit under this category.) The prefrontal cortex is connected to many other regions of the brain, including the thalamus, which receives and relays sensory signals. The first lobotomies were performed in 1935 by Portuguese neurologists Dr. Antonio Egas Moniz and Dr. Almeida Lima. Initially, they drilled holes in the skull on either side of the prefrontal cortex and injected the connecting fibers with alcohol to destroy them. However, this procedure resulted in too many complications, including damage to other parts of the brain. Moniz then decided to use a tool called a leucotome. After drilling holes in the skull, the doctor pressed on the back of the tool, which extended a wire or metal loop inside. By extending and then retracting the leucotome, he could remove cores of white matter. In 1936, a neurologist and psychiatrist named Dr. Walter Freeman and his partner, Dr. James Watts, began performing lobotomies in the United States. Ten years later, Freeman perfected a new method. Moniz's technique, called a prefrontal lobotomy, required a patient to go under general anesthesia in an operating room. Freeman wanted to find a technique that was faster, more accessible and less expensive, so he decided to get to the prefrontal cortex through the eye sockets instead. Freeman first practiced on cadavers using an ice pick, which is how his method came to be known as the "ice pick lobotomy." When he began performing the transorbital lobotomy on patients, he used a stronger version of a leucotome that resembled an ice pick, called an orbitoclast. After going through the top of the eye socket, Freeman could enter the brain just by tapping lightly on the orbitoclast with a hammer to break through the thin layer of bone. Then he twirled it to cut through the fibers. After pulling out the orbitoclast, the procedure was repeated on the other side. The transorbital lobotomy took 10 minutes or less. Because it didn't require drilling through the skull, it could be done by rendering the patient unconscious via electroconvulsive shock. It could also be done by nonsurgeons. Since most mental hospitals didn't have operating rooms or surgeons on staff, this new method made it easier for a patient to get the procedure. Eventually Freeman performed lobotomies as outpatient procedures in his office, in addition to doing them in mental hospitals and teaching other doctors how to do them. So how well did lobotomies work? It all depends on who you ask. Next, we'll look at the different outcomes of patients who had lobotomies over the years.
0.980552	Explain what the world would be like. I'd love to hear your tips for elementary writing in the comment section below. I knew this because of the sheer volume of random writing I saw on these two topics, not because my students were skilled at writing opinion pieces. Which do you prefer: staying in one place or moving in search of another place? To do this, I printed the prompt strips on one colored piece of paper and a the sentence frames on another colored piece of paper. Use specific reasons and examples from your experience to explain your answer. Some think schools should embrace corporate advertising as budgets are very limited. Informative essays share information with readers, often citing external sources and giving students an opportunity to practice increasingly sophisticated organizational skills in their writing as well. Once you have completed your body, it is time for your conclusion. The organizer below is my favorite to use once the students are more familiar with the structure of opinion paragraphs. You could change these on the powerpoint to what is popular for your students. For example, if the topic is 'I got a great birthday present,' you can assist students by asking questions like 'When was your birthday? Monday: State an Opinion Goal: Introduce opinion writing and the concept of stating an opinion and supplying reasons This was our first day working with opinion writing formally this year. The organizer should be helpful for them to get their ideas on paper, but be sure to write words on the board or their desk slate to help with spelling. Individual Writing Since we had spend so much time on the whole group and partner practice today, I gave students an easy prompt: their favorite food. However, others feel keeping such pets creates a danger to other people and is harmful to the animals. An opinion paragraph, or a short opinion essay, is a type of short argumentative text that writers use to state their beliefs. To me, as the teacher, the process is more important than the topic. . I will be starting anew this upcoming Monday! They also had to use a different frame for each prompt. Others, however, feel as though allowing on campuses will only increase crime and the death toll. Writing opinions involves many skills, so I've picked a concrete topic and chose to have the kids write a one paragraph essay about their favorite dessert in this lesson. But does it actually help discipline children, or does it promote violence? One student had the brilliant idea to cross out the ones that were already used. The students get very good at knowing the format and being able to fill in the four square graphic organizer by the end of the year. Then they also need to have good examples, which, again, have to be relevant to the reason. They are used to writing longer essays, so writing ideas for only one paragraph did not take them very long. Assign each student the name of another student in the class. Others, however, believe handwriting is antiquated, and kids would be better served learning keyboarding. My third graders need to be able to write opinion pieces on topics or texts that state an opinion within a framework of an organizational structure that provides reasons that support the opinion and provides a concluding statement. The organizers made putting their thoughts into a clear paragraph with supporting reasons and examples very easy for most students. I wanted to make sure the opinion and reasons were solid before we worked on the intro and conclusion. I want a set of student work that we can refer back to and revise over the coming weeks as we delve deeper into opinion writing. It is rare for elementary school students to feel like experts, but it is important for them to experience this as they move through their education. I'd love to connect with you on and! We only focused on using academic language with the opinion statement. A good opinion essay might argue that kids should learn how to drive earlier, so they can take themselves to school. All of the resources are developed by professional educators and aim to make teaching simple and effective. It also gives the students a tool for organizing their thoughts. Should the government encourage a certain percentage of these jobs to be reserved for women? Simply click on each image to download and print your own copy. A highly motivating topic interests students enough to learn and use the process. Read different perspectives on the issue and write so that a reader can understand some of the information behind various perspectives on this topic. Your goal is to make it interesting and informative. Some people want a center for business research. There are others, however, who take advantage of the system. What item should not be left out? Although I have simplified this down into a one paragraph essay about dessert, the kids are ultimately learning how to create a powerful piece of writing that will be molded into longer pieces about more controversial topics in future grades. As you write about this place, make sure to use information from interviews with people who work or spend time there, historical and geographical information about the place, and your own opinion about why this place is especially important. Related Articles Use the Oreo Writing Strategy The Oreo writing strategy will help you write a well-balanced opinion text. Below is a simple organizer some of my students can also choose to use. But many workers argue raising the minimum wage is necessary to help low-income workers dig out of poverty. Revise Your Work As with any writing, be sure to look over your work and correct any errors in spelling and grammar that you see. Your only objective is to educate your reader about the topic and hopefully make it exciting. I think it might be a developmental issue with second graders or a language or poverty issue. Though most colleges offer orientation programs, many students feel that the college itself does not do enough to prepare them for the realities of college life.
0.91455	My 6-year-old seems to have a freckle on his lower eyelid, right along the lash line. He has not lost any eyelashes. Is this common? Pigmented lesions of the eyelid can occur on the lash line. Approximately one percent of infants have a pigmented lesion. This may be a congenital melanocytic nevus. The vast majority of these lesions are benign, or non-cancerous. Most congenital melanocytic nevi may be observed for change over time. However because of the extremely small risk of the lesion undergoing a malignant (cancerous) transformation, it is useful to follow these lesions for growth or change over the lifetime of the individual with digital photos. If there is change or growth in these lesions, uncertainty regarding the diagnosis, or cosmetic concerns, a biopsy is recommended. Your child should be evaluated by an ophthalmologist to help guide your decision process with respect to this lesion.
0.998412	The middle column ended with: "I'm not sure if the film is available - it is not listed on Amazon or sites like that. It's not showing anywhere I've seen. But were I running a film distribution company, I'd re-release it." So it happened two years later. As beautifully fatalistic as its title, the classic thriller "Elevator to the Gallows" is a consummate entertainment rich with the romantic atmosphere of Paris in the 1950s. Coming at a turning point in French cinematic history, it drew upon several major talents - director Louis Malle, star Jeanne Moreau, cinematographer Henri Decaë, musician Miles Davis - and achieved near-legendary results with all of them. Made in 1957, when first-time director Malle was only 24 years old, "Elevator" ("Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud") has the brisk craftsmanship and efficiency of classic French cinema and a breathless hint of the energy of the New Wave that was but a few years away. It made a major film star of Moreau, whose work remains completely bewitching. It called forth from Davis an improvised jazz score that, anchored by his piercing work on the trumpet, has become iconic in its own right. And in a pristine restoration by Rialto Pictures, the gold standard of reissue distributors, it showcases Decaë's luminous, adventurous cinematography. It's not something you want to miss. Turan gives a bit of the plot but concentrates mainly on the cinematography, and on Jeanne Moreau - how the performance works and what it did for her career. Anyway, while our flawed hero-murderer is stuck in the elevator, there's this problem with identity theft. His car is stolen by a young fellow who signs into a hotel with his girlfriend, under our hero's name. During the stay at the hotel the young dude shoots a German couple with a gun he found earlier in our hero's car, and the goes on the run. When our hero-murderer finally manages to escape from the elevator - he spends the weekend stuck - he is arrested by the police and charged with the murder of the German couple. His lover, Jeanne Moreau, manages to track down the real murders - rainy streets, very noir - and gets the evidence needed to clear him. But in so doing, well, she incriminates him in the murder of her husband. Oops. Black, French irony, of course. What still strikes me is an odd undercurrent here. The guy caught in the elevator, who shot the husband of the woman he loves, is an ex-paratrooper, a war hero, reduced to working for a wealthy, fat war profiteer who may or may not have collaborated with the Germans in the big war, and who now is rich from what he made in arms sales during the French wars in Indo-China (Vietnam) and now in Algeria. He loves the guy's wife and seems to think the fat-cat doesn't deserve her. She agrees. And he shoots the fat-cat with the guy's own gun. The dialog? "What is this, a joke? What do you want? Money? I'm not frightened of you, Tavernier. I'm too used to being unpopular to be frightened. Anyhow, you're not so foolish as to shoot. In war, yes, but not in more important things." A Halliburton moment? So the arms merchant is a bad guy - "Don't laugh at wars. You live off wars... Indo-China - now Algeria. Respect wars; they're your family heirlooms." Ah, well. The more things change, the more they…. As for the Miles Davis score, you can click on the item from two years ago and read about how he recorded the whole thing in one evening. How it sounds? The album is rather fine. Moody, "cool" and spare late fifties jazz. It holds up well. It's a lot freer and less mannered than the stuff on the Kind of Blue album that is so famous. It's better, and sounds just fine now. Odd that when I hear it I know this is what is known as the "West Coast Sound," born here in Los Angeles with The Birth of the Cool album. Recorded in Paris for a French film, this might just as well have been recorded at the old Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach. And for reference here's a recent photograph of the old Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach. A Rialto Pictures release. Director Louis Malle. Producer Jean Thuillier. Screenplay Louis Malle, Roger Nimier, based on the novel by Noël Calef. Cinematography Henri Decaë. Editor Léonide Azar. Music Miles Davis. In French with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 31 minutes. Exclusively at Laemmle's Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, (310) 477-5581, and Laemmle's Playhouse 7, 673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 844-6500.
0.939352	Yes, we are The Rats and we will do what rats would do: escape. and coffers and take what is ours! The Rats is a criminal organization of rat-like Reploids, led by the "Big Brother" Cave Bigrat. They are thiefs who make raids to loot weapons, information or technology to sell for other criminals. Bigrat is the leader of the group, his actions are very cautious as he fears the death of his companions by fighting with stronger enemies. He's ambitious for the money earnt by selling their stolen goods, but won't risk his life to make a sucessful trade. He does the best to remind his brothers to follow their code, as it was written by himself and says what basically is his life style: run for you life, so you can live to attack the enemy off guard another day. Cave rarely engages any combat, but uses all his brute force when it is necessary. Jailrat runs the hideout in the Iberian Castle Sewers, and is constantly berated by his brothers by proposing risky actions, which is contrary to their code. He is very confident of his plans and aways brings trouble to The Rats, getting desperate when he fails. Jailrat has the most variated fighting style: His tail transforms into a machine gun and is used to keep the enemies away, his arms can transform into drills for melee combat, and his own teeth for desperate situations. Labrat is the smallest of the brothers and strictly follows Bigrat's orders, always cursing his brother Jailrat for disrespecting him and his code. Labrat shoots "medical needles" from his syringe guns with the help of his head aim (head mirror) and carries a box with several tools and varied chemical potions, like the blue one he uses in Cat and Mice to make smoke so they could run away (not that it was necessary). Wildrat is the biggest of the three brothers and has the least varied fighting style, as he uses two knifes to attack, combined with his high speed. He obeys the Big Brother and doesn't question orders, since he trusts that Bigrat know well how to keep the family alive. The Lesser Rats are the other rat reploids or mechaniloids that don't have any influence on the group. The Rattombs make part of the Lesser Rats and are used as "mousetraps". They have boosters in their back so they can move faster towards the intruders and press the switch on their back with their tails, exploding right after. Mega Man X (character) and Zero fight a few Rattombs when trying to locate the jammers, and later Jailrat tries to trap X inside a waterway with several Rattombs. The Rats have various hideouts around the world, the only one shown until now is the Iberian Castle Sewers. To read the main article, check Iberian Castle Sewers. This content section may contain spoilers about the plot of the comic. The hideout run by Sewer Jailrat is built over the control center of the waterways below the Iberian Castle, also containing Ivory Labrat's storage of chemical products used to make his potions, and everything is poured into the water after the events of Cat and Mice, carrying the intoxicated water to the cities near the castle and putting thousand of lives in risk. The names Ebony Wildrat and Ivory Labrat are a reference to Dante's semi-automatic pistols Ebony & Ivory, from the Devil May Cry franchise. The Rattombs are based in the virus Ratty from the Mega Man Battle Network series.
0.961812	If a gentleman is looking for China brides, then he should consider China dating. Although the other Asian nations have been more popular with regards to foreign marriages, Chinese brides from mainland China are becoming more prevalent as the years go on. This is because Chinese brides from the mainland of China want opportunities that might not be afforded to them otherwise. It’s not strange for them to want to go into foreign marriages, because many of them are used to the idea of arranged marriages. Furthermore, a China bride might like the idea of being able to travel to a foreign country, particularly since many of them are poor, and they might not have the opportunity to do so on their own. Beyond this, they are trained for the time they are young on how to be great wives, and mothers. They understand that they must keep up the home, keep it clean, cook very good food, and take care of the children. Many of these Chinese brides are not interested in having a career. They are simply interested in being a good American or European wife to their husband. On the other hand, an arrangement with these type of China brides can work every well for the gentleman interested. Many men value Asian women as some of the most beautiful women in the world. They love their exotic looks, their long black hair, and their beautiful skin. If a man feels that Chinese dating is his cup of tea, then at the very least he can go to an online dating site, and Pick Out A Beautiful China Bride for himself. Something he should keep in mind is that he will have to get permission to travel to mainland China. There might be certain aspects that he needs to check out with the State Department before he travels to mainland China. He should also be prepared to pay for his flight. In China, it is customary to hold a marriage party for the bride, and this is the opportunity for the gentleman to get a chance to meet his bride and to pay his respects to the family. After this arrangement, he then goes back to his home country, where he gets the paperwork ready for her immigration.
0.974997	How do I convert 100 carrots to buy a gift card? I saw that I need to convert carrots. You can only get 49 or some other options. Just say "OK", it will convert it for you.
0.999308	Baltimore, 1849. Poet Edgar Allan Poe is dead. No one knows the cause of his death, until a private investigator, 100 years later discovers a person connected indirectly with the mystery of the dark poet's death. But, just before he publishes his findings, he disappears. You are in the investigator's office. Will you manage to discover in time what the detective found out about the mystery of Edgar A. Poe's death and why he went missing? You have 60 minutes before the police arrives to destroy the evidence with their incompetence.
0.955459	was a Scottish poet of labouring class origin. Known as the 'Weaver Poet', he wrote in the wake of Robert Burns and in the judgement of some is second only to him. Robert Tannahill's family had been weavers for several generations at Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. They moved to Paisley in 1756, which a that time had more than 1300 working looms and only about 4000 people. They did well, married, raised large families, served their church, and owned their houses. In 1786 James Tannahill, Robert's father, was chosen Deacon or Boxmaster of the Paisley Old Weavers' Society. Family connections have a bearing on Tannahill's work, not only because prosperity made possible both the education and the leisure to pursue the arts, but more specifically because his mother, Janet Pollick, was related to the Brodie family, which had produced several poets and actors among its farmers and weavers. One of her cousins, Robert Brodie, was a poet of some local renown, and a frequent visitor to the Tannahill home. Robert was the 5th child and 4th son, born June 3, 1774, and was sickly from the start. Through careful nursing, he survived, and "a slight bend in the right foot was straightened." His constitution remained delicate throughout his life, however, and he endured considerable pain and embarrassment from a lifelong limp. He wore extra stockings on his thin right leg to make it look more like his other leg, and all his life was bashful of meeting strangers. Both Robert's parents had had a liberal education, and the children were sent to school from the age of 6 to 12. Robert did not distinguish himself at school, though by age 10 he was entertaining his friends with verses about public figures in the town. After leaving school he bought a dictionary with a grammar included and continued to instruct himself in his chosen avocation. In 1786, aged 12, he was apprenticed to his father, working in the relatively light trade of muslin, linen and silk weaving. Apparently some biographers have asserted that this was a sign of family poverty, but Semple asserts it was the custom of the town for boys to go to work at that age, and that wages were good. Robert also spent a good deal of time walking, to strengthen his leg and his constitution, though it also increased his pain. The "woods of Craigielee" were but a 3 minute walk from his father's house, and the countryside around Paisley served as setting and material for many of his later songs. Robert's apprenticeship ended in 1791, the year Tam O'Shanter was published (expensively). It came out cheaply in 1794, and folks in Paisley felt especially attached to the story because of the reference to a "cutty sark o Paisley harn." Robert and his friends walked from Paisley to Alloway Kirk & spent six weeks in Burns' country.. In 1795, the poet met Jenny Tennant, a girl about 4 years older than himself, who had come with her mother to Paisley from Dunblane to seek employment. They "walked out together" for 3 years but she married another in 1798. How much this disappointment contributed to Robert's later despondency is of course a favourite topic of speculation. By the end of the century, the population of Paisley had ballooned to nearly 24,000, and when a widespread crop failure in 1799 caused a stagnation in trade throughout the UK, the town was thrown into a crisis. Provisions rose to famine prices and committees were formed to operate soup kitchens. Robert, then 26, and his youngest brother, Hugh, then 20, went to England looking for work, but found the "distress" there equally severe. In Bolton, Lancashire, they were taken in by a former Paisley weaver and through him were able to find work. They were called home, however, by the end of 1801, to attend their father's death bed. Robert moved back in with his mother and returned to his loom and his poems. The correspondence included in Semple's collection begins in the spring of 1802. Tradesmen of Paisley had been forming reading clubs and other societies for "mental culture" since about 1770. Robert and his friends formed a new one in 1803 devoted exclusively to music, poetry, and literature. Its 15-20 members "considered themselves the cream of the intellectual tradesmen of the town," and their meetings included the vociferous and detailed critique of various poems and publications, including Robert's poems. The proceedings were in general well lubricated, and Robert endured a lot of ridicule for abstaining from liquor--whether for moral or health reasons is not clear. Robert valued the opinions of these men (and at least one woman, who hosted them when they travelled from Paisley to meet with like-minded men in Kilmarnock) and continued to court their good opinion until the day of his death. He wrote "The Soldier's Return," a "dramatic interlude," on request from a local actor (who died before he finished it), and submitted it to the club for critique. They disliked it, and apparently told Tannahill the reasons in some detail, and with a deal of drunken enthusiasm, when he inquired. The poet was crushed by this reaction, and sullenly continued to believe the drama was his "complete masterpiece". The "interlude" did include some good songs, however. John Ross of Aberdeen had been employed to write the music for "Our Bonnie Scots Lads" (a song on the Paisley recruits) and "The Dusky Glen," and the performance of one of these songs brought Tannahill together with another composer, R.A. Smith, who, along with William McLaren became a close friend. (Smith was the son of an English weaver who relocated to Paisley. Unlike Tannahill, he had no aptitude for a weaver's life and hated the work.) McLaren wrote an early biography of Tannahill, and described him in these years as a staid, quiet, inoffensive man, about 5'4", with a halt in his walk, not a fine dresser (some of his siblings were the setters of fashion in Paisley), who spent most of his money on books, stationery, postage, and occasional traveling expenses". He was not strong, and had a permanent dry cough (He and the rest of his club were heavy smokers). Tannahill's first publication was in 1804 or 1805 in a literary magazine in Edinburgh -- its title has never (at least to 1876) been satisfactorily identified. His next publication seems to have been in another unidentified magazine in England. It seems logical that he must have published more extensively than this in 1804, as 17 of his poems were included in a pair of Glasgow publications of 1805 and 1806--"The Selector" and "The Glena," both of which, as their names suggest, were "gleanings" from other publications. In any case, from then on Tannahill was published regularly, in "The Paisley Repository", "The Nightingale", "The Caledonian Musical Repository" and other publications. Tannahill's fame and popularity were growing. Many of his poems had been put to music by Smith and by Ross, and their lyrics were easily memorised. Women singers were fond of his songs, and those from "The Soldier's Return" had an added patriotic appeal. But his first audience remained his most cherished one, and he continued to show new pieces to his club and to other friends--the careful saving of these copies by his acquaintance subsequently saved many poems from oblivion. In 1806 he was instrumental in opening a lending library for tradesmen in Paisley (there already was one for gentlemen), and he remained a working weaver and full member of his community. In May 1807 an edition of his poems was published, with an advance subscription of 900. The "interlude" and the songs received the same reception from critics as they had in Paisley--they hated the play and loved the songs--and once again the poet was cast into despair. The drama was his masterpiece, he insisted again, and his songs "commonplace", elevated to greater interest only by the music supplied by others. Still, the book made money, at least 20 pounds, and increased his fame. It allowed him to pursue his next desire, the collection of Irish airs--a project that proved far more problematic than his similar use of Scottish sources. Judging from one of his letters, he apparently collected unpublished songs from the Irish, had them translated or just talked to the singer about what the song was about, and then wrote verses in what he believed to be the same vein--often using people or events around Paisley as models for a song's situation. In 1808 a number of these new songs were rejected by George Thomson for publication, and in 1810 two other publishers refused a new edition of his poems. All was not discouragement in these years--in 1808 he wrote a comic song, "Caller Herrin," to the air of "The Cameronian Rant," and by 1810 six other new poems had been published in "Scots Magazine"-- but economic times were hard in Paisley, and the three major publication refusals were hard on Tannahill's spirits. In March, 1810, just before he received the second refusal on his new edition, Tannahill received a visit at Paisley from James Hogg. The visit was arranged by Smith, the composer, and the three of them spent a "convivial evening" with other friends in the club room of a tavern. This was the last great event of Tannahill's life. Shortly afterward, friends began to recognize symptoms of mental disturbance: he was despondent and sometimes incoherent. On several occasions he was escorted home by friends afraid to let him go into the streets alone. Wading through the Semple's elevated and euphemistic language, (the only direct phrase is "aberration of mind") one concludes that Tannahill probably suffered from an organic mental illness. On the night of May 16, 1810, he was seen to bed by his mother, but got up later and left the house. When his absence was discovered, a search party was organized and his watch and other effects were found by a canal. His body was recovered shortly thereafter. Thou bonnie wood o' Craigielea! Near thee I pass'd life's early day, And won my Mary's heart in thee. Blume bonnie o'er thy flowery lee, An a the sweets that ane can wish Frae Nature's han, are strewed on thee. The cushat croodles am'rously, The mavis, doon thy bughted glade, Gars echo ring frae ev'ry tree. Wha tear the nestlins ere they flee! They'll sing you yet a cantie sang, Then, oh! in pity let them be! Frae aff the Norlan hills sae hie, He lichtly skiffs thy bonnie bow'rs, As laith tae harm a flow'r in thee. Or o'er the wide Atlantic sea, The happy hours I'll ever mind That I, in youth, hae spent in thee.
0.953741	Charles "Charlie" Parker, Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer and, with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Miles Davis, among the most influencial figures in jazz history. Early in his career Parker was dubbed "Yardbird," later shortened to "Bird," which remained his nickname for the rest of his life. A founding figure of modern jazz, or bebop, Parker's innovative approach to melody, rhythm and harmony was enormously influential among his contemporaries, and his music has remained an inspiration and resource for later jazz musicians. Not only an innovator, Parker was a virtuoso instrumentalist. Parker also became an icon for the Beat generation, and was a pivotal figure in the evolving conception of the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual, rather than just a popular entertainer. The music was jarringly different from the familiar, melodic, danceable jazz of the Big Band era. Indeed, modern jazz provided a new vocabulary for blacks who had the migrated from the rural South into many northern cities. Like modernist art and literature, bebop saw traditional aesthetic approaches as confining and insufficient to answer to the complex experience of an urbanized, industrialized society. At various times, Parker fused jazz with other musical styles, from classical (seeking to study with Edgard Varèse and Stefan Wolpe) to Latin music (recordings with Machito). Parker's tragic, unconventional, and self-indulgent lifestyle became identified in the minds of many musicians in other popular genres with the kind of Bohemian experience considered a precondition for artistic creativity. Drug and alchol abuse in particular, which cut short Parker's life at 34, has been a scourge among musicians and other entertainers, and contributed to a host of social problems. Memorial to Charlie Parker at the American Jazz Museum at 18th and Highland in Kansas City. Charlie Parker was born in Kansas City, Kansas, and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He was the only child of Charles and Addie Parker. Parker's father presumably provided some musical influence. He was a pianist, dancer, and singer on the T.O.B.A. circuit, although he later became a Pullman waiter or chef on the railways. Parker began playing the saxophone at age 11, and then at age 14 he joined his school's band. Groups led by Count Basie and Bennie Moten were the leading Kansas City ensembles, and doubtlessly influenced Parker. He continued to play with local bands in jazz clubs around Kansas City, Missouri, where he perfected his technique with the assistance of Buster Smith, whose dynamic transitions to double and triple time certainly influenced Parker's developing style. In 1937, Parker joined pianist Jay McShann's territory band, and was able to tour with him to the nightclubs and other venues of the southwest region of the United Staes, as well as Chicago and New York City. Parker made his recording debut with McShann's band. In 1939, Parker moved to New York City. He pursued a career in music, but held several other jobs as well. One of these was as a bus-boy (dishwasher) making $9 a week at Jimmie's Chicken Shack, a restaurant where famous pianist Art Tatum was playing at the time. Parker's later playing was in some ways reminiscent of Tatum's, with dazzling, high-speed arpeggios and sophisticated use of harmony. In 1942, Parker left McShann's band and played with Earl Hines for eight months. The early history of bebop is difficult to document because of a strike by the American Federation of Musicians, which meant that there were no official recordings during most of 1942 and 1943. Nevertheless, it is known that Parker was one of a group of young musicians who congregated in after-hours clubs in Harlem, such as Minton's (Minton's Playhouse) and Monroe's. These young iconoclasts included trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pianist Thelonious Monk, guitarist Charlie Christian, and drummers Max Roach and Kenny "Klook" Clarke. It was Monk who summed up their approach in the famous quote, "We wanted a music that they couldn't play"—"they" being either the (mostly white) band leaders who had taken over and profited from swing music or unwelcome fellow musicians wishing to jam with Parker, Gillespie, and others. The group played in venues on the now famous 52nd Street, including Three Deuces and The Onyx. In his time in New York City, he also learned much from notable music teacher Maury Deutsch. By now, Parker was emerging as a leading figure in the nascent bebop scene. According to an interview Parker gave in the 1950s, one night in 1939, he was playing "Cherokee" in a jam session with guitarist William "Biddy" Fleet when he hit upon a method for developing his solos that enabled him to play what he had been hearing in his head for some time, by building chords on the higher intervals of the tune's harmonies. In reality, the birth of bebop was probably a more gradual process than this story reports. Early in its development, this new type of jazz was rejected and disdained by many older, more established jazz musicians, whom the beboppers in response called "moldy figs." However, some musicians, such as Coleman Hawkins and Benny Goodman, were more positive about its emergence. It wasn't until 1945 that Parker's collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie had a substantial impact on the jazz world. One of their first (and greatest) small-group performances together was only discovered and issued in 2005—A concert in New York's Town Hall on June 22, 1945 (now available on Uptown Records). On November 26, 1945, Parker led a record date for the Savoy record label, which was once marketed, during the Gramophone record or LP era, as the "greatest Jazz session ever." Although this may have been hyperbole, the Savoy sessions produced an astounding collection of recordings—in spite of Dizzy Gillespie having to deputize on piano for some of the tracks. Among the tracks recorded during this session are "Ko-Ko" (based on the chords of "Cherokee"), "Now's the Time" (a twelve bar blues incorporating a riff later used in the late 1949 R&B dance hit "The Hucklebuck"), "Billie's Bounce," and "Thriving on a Riff." Shortly afterwards, a trip to Los Angeles by the Parker/Gillespie band to fulfill an engagement at Billy Berg's club was less than successful. Most of the band soon decided to return to New York. Parker though, stayed in California, where his extravagant lifestyle was to catch up with him. As a teenager, he had developed a morphine addiction while in a hospital after an automobile accident, and subsequently became addicted to heroin, which was to plague him throughout his life and ultimately contribute to his death. Parker's heroin habit caused him many problems with missed gigs and getting fired for being high. In order to keep his "buzz" going he would frequently resort to "busking" on the streets. Parker's addiction is a prime example of the many connections between narcotics and jazz during this period. Although he produced many brilliant recordings during this period, Parker's behavior became increasingly erratic. Heroin was difficult to obtain after his dealer was arrested, and Parker began to drink heavily to compensate for this. A recording of "Lover Man" for the Dial record label from July 29, 1946, provides evidence of his condition. Reportedly, Parker could barely stand during the session and had to be physically supported by others in order to keep him positioned properly against the microphone. Some, including Charles Mingus, consider it among his greater recordings despite its technical problems. Nevertheless, Bird hated the recording and never forgave his producer Ross Russell for releasing the sub-par record (and re-recorded the tune in 1953 for Verve Records, this time in stellar form, but perhaps lacking some of the passionate emotion in the earlier, flawed attempt). A few days after the "Lover Man" session, Parker was drinking in his hotel room when he set fire to his mattress with a cigarette, then ran through the hotel lobby wearing only his socks. He was arrested and committed to Camarillo State Hospital, where he remained for six months. Coming out of the hospital, Parker was initially clean and healthy, and proceeded to do some of the best playing and recording of his career. Before leaving California, he recorded Relaxin' at Camarillo, in reference to his hospital stay. He returned to New York and recorded dozens of sides for the Savoy and Dial labels that remain some of the high points of his recorded output. Many of these were with his so-called "classic quintet" that included trumpeter Miles Davis and drummer Max Roach. The highlights of these sessions include a series of slower-tempo performances of American popular songs including "Embraceable You" and "Bird of Paradise" (based on "All the Things You Are"). Parker's soaring, fast, rhythmically asymmetrical improvisations could amaze the listener; nevertheless, close inspection shows each line to hold a complete, well-constructed phrase with each note in place. Parker's harmonic ideas were revolutionary, introducing a new tonal vocabulary employing 9ths, 11ths and 13ths of chords, rapidly implied passing chords, and new variants of altered chords and chord substitutions. His tone was clean and penetrating, but sweet and plaintive on ballads. Although many Parker recordings demonstrate dazzling virtuoso technique and complex melodic lines—the early Ko-Ko is a superb example—Parker was also one of the great blues players. His themeless blues improvisation Parker's Mood represents one of the most deeply affecting recordings in jazz, as fundamental as Armstrong's classic West End Blues, from only twenty years before. Despite many of the compositions which bear his name being based on earlier pieces from the American songbook, Parker's legacy as a deviser of jazz standards is significant. Such pieces include Anthropology, Confirmation, and Yardbird Suite, which have been performed by numerous other musicians. Like his solos, his compositions are characterized by long, complex melodic lines and a minimum of repetition. For example, an eight-bar segment will not contain any repeated motifs or sequences. By 1950, much of the jazz world was under Parker's sway. His solos were transcribed and copied as legions of saxophonists imitated his playing note-for-note. In response to these musical fans, Parker's erstwhile band mate Charles Mingus titled a song, "If Charlie Parker were a Gunslinger, There'd Be A Whole Lot of Dead Copycats," featured on the album Mingus Dynasty. In this regard, he is perhaps only comparable to Louis Armstrong. Both men set the standard for their instruments for decades, and very few escaped their influence. In 1953, Parker was invited to perform at Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada, where he was joined by Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Bud Powell, and Max Roach. Unfortunately, the concert clashed with a televised heavyweight boxing match between Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott and as a result was poorly attended. Thankfully, for the sake of posterity, Mingus recorded the concert, and the album Jazz at Massey Hall is often cited as one of the finest recordings of a live jazz performance. One of Parker's longstanding desires was to perform with a classical string section. He was a devoted fan of European classical music. Contemporaries reported that he was keenly interested in the music of Igor Stravinsky, and longed to engage in a project akin to what became known as Third Stream Music. This was a new kind of music, incorporating both jazz and Euro-classical elements as opposed to merely incorporating a string section into performance of jazz standards. When he did record and perform with strings, some fans thought it was a "sell out" and a pandering to popular tastes. Time demonstrated Parker's move a wise one. Charlie Parker with Strings sold better than his other releases, and his version of "Just Friends" is seen as one of his best performances. In an interview, he considered it to be his best recording to date. Parker was known for often showing up to performances without an instrument and borrowing someone else's at the last moment. At more than one venue, he played on a plastic Grafton saxophone. Subsequently, saxophonist Ornette Coleman used this brand of plastic sax in his early career. On one particular occasion before a concert in Quebec, he had sold his saxophone to buy drugs, and at the last minute, he, Dizzy Gillespie, and other members of Charlie's entourage went running around Quebec trying to find a saxophone, at which time the only saxophone he could have played was the plastic one. Parker died while watching Tommy Dorsey on television in the suite at the Stanhope Hotel belonging to his friend and patroness Nica de Koenigswarter. Though the official cause of death was pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, his death was doubtlessly hastened by his drug and alcohol abuse. The 34-year-old Parker was so haggard that the coroner mistakenly estimated Parker's age to be between 50 and 60. Parker left a widow, Chan Parker, a daughter, Kim Parker, also a musician, and a son, Baird Parker. Many jazz fans and musicians would agree with critic Scott Yanow's assessment that "Parker was arguably the greatest saxophonist of all time." An 1988 biographical film called Bird, starring Forest Whitaker as Parker and directed by Clint Eastwood, was released in 1988. A memorial to Parker was dedicated in 1999 in Kansas City at 17th Terrace and the Paseo, next to the American Jazz Museum featuring a ten-foot tall bronze head sculpted by Robert Graham. Parker's performances of I Remember You and Parker's Mood were selected by Harold Bloom for inclusion on his American Sublime short list of the best of the twentieth century. In 2005, the Selmer Paris saxophone manufacturer commissioned a special Tribute to Bird alto saxophone, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Charlie Parker (1955-2005). This saxophone will be built until 2010, each one featuring a unique engraving and an original design. In August each year, there is a Charlie Parker Festival at Tribes Gallery in New York (285 3rd Street, New York City, NY 10009) in celebration of his life and career. ↑ Biography pbs.org. Retrieved September 11, 2008. ↑ Charlie Parker Biography allmusic.com. Retrieved September 11, 2008. Charlie Parker Discography Project, Jazz Discography Project. "Thinking about Charlie Parker", Bird Lives. "Charlie Parker Licks", Your Guide to Jazz Guitar. "Charlie Parker", Find A Grave.
0.999929	Everything, from an individual person to Earth as a whole, emits energy. Scientists refer to this energy as radiation. As Earth absorbs incoming sunlight, it warms up. The planet must emit some of this warmth into space or increase in temperature. Two components make up the Earth's outgoing energy: heat (or thermal radiation) that the Earth's surface and atmosphere emit; and sunlight (or solar radiation) that the land, ocean, clouds and aerosols reflect back to space. The balance between incoming sunlight and outgoing energy determines the planet's temperature and, ultimately, climate. Both natural and human-induced changes affect this balance, called the Earth's radiation budget. Clouds affect the radiation budget directly by reflecting sunlight into space (cooling the Earth) or absorbing sunlight and heat emitted by the Earth. When clouds absorb sunlight and heat, less energy escapes to space and the planet warms. To understand how clouds impact the energy budget, scientists need to know the composition of cloud particles, the altitude of clouds and the extent to which clouds at different altitudes overlap each other. Both natural processes and human activities produce aerosols. They either reflect or absorb energy, depending on their size, chemical composition and altitude. The haze layer that is commonly seen in the summertime is one example of an aerosol that primarily reflects sunlight. Soot emitted by diesel engines is an example of an aerosol that absorbs sunlight. The reflection and absorption of energy by aerosols act in a direct way to change the balance between incoming and outgoing energy. These effects are called direct aerosol radiative forcing. Aerosols also can affect the Earth's radiation budget indirectly by modifying the characteristics of clouds. Cloud particles almost always form around aerosols such as natural sea salt particles or human-made sulfate particles. The presence of additional aerosols can change the way clouds radiate energy and the length of time they stay intact. A good example is the way that exhaust particles emitted into the atmosphere by ships can increase the brightness of clouds along their course.
0.997911	What are the advantages of being a female anthropologist in the field? According both male and female anthropologists, there are both advantages and disadvantages of being either gender. The following is an essay about some of the issues of being a female or male anthropologist studying gender roles in the field (Part I), and the feminist dilemmas in fieldwork (Part II). According Margaret Mead she didn’t experience any drawbacks for being female because she was studying her same gender: adolescent girls in the traditionally gender-segregated culture of Samoa. Because she was both a cultural outsider and presumed to be of very high status by the Samoans, her access to her informants were assured through her gender and association with the local admiral (Mead 1993:79). Hortense Powdermaker, an early feminist anthropologist with Mead, notes that the only drawbacks she experienced being a female during her fieldwork on the island of Lesu in the south Pacific, was her lack of access to the “casual social life” of men (Hortense 1993:85). However, even though the “sexes were quite separated” on the island, and she didn’t go to the men’s activities unless she was invited, she was “invited to everything” by her male informants (Hortense 1993:85). According to David Gilmore, the disadvantage of being a male anthropologist studying power in domestic relationships between male and female farm workers in southern Spain was the lack of access to women informants in the machismo culture. Gilmore notes his experiences as a male anthropologist working in a tradition-bound culture where the genders are almost totally segregated in “Men and Women in Southern Spain: ‘Domestic Power’ Revisited” (Gilmore 1993:185). He studied the political relationships between men and women farm workers to see which gender held more “domestic power” in two small rural towns in southwestern Spain (Gilmore 1993:186). He felt it was the biases of previous male anthropologists that discounted the superior power women held in their domestic relationships. Gilmore claims that the gender-segregated culture he studied in southern Spain was “equally repressive for both sexes” (Gilmore 1993:187). A “good man” is not expected to be involved in domestic activities such as wedding planning and household concerns which are considered the domain of “good women” (Gilmore 1993:187). A man is “expected to remain outside of the home” or his masculinity is questioned (Gilmore 1993:187). Gilmore noted that men are expected to be either at work or at the neighborhood tavern– even if he is unemployed. Mari Womack and Joan Barker noted both the disadvantages and advantages of being female researchers studying male-dominated sub-cultures in “Adventures in the Field and in the Locker Room” (Womack 1993:99). Womack studied the sport rituals of professional hockey players and spent much of her time doing research in traditional all-male arenas such as their game rinks and locker rooms. Barker studied the culture of the Los Angeles Police Department. The sole disadvantage they reported of being female was the tendency of women for becoming a scapegoat when things go wrong. Both believe that because their gender, they were permanent outsiders to male groups and “viewed as polluting by many groups, including professional sports teams” (Womack 1993:111). Womack notes that the customary barring of women from male rituals of solidarity. This is because the “female-male pair bonding threatens the male-male group bond” (Womack 1993:111). From my own experiences as a minority female in male-dominated sports, I haven’t experienced the “women ‘viewed as polluting” phenomenon mentioned by Womack. However, it may well apply in other cultures where there is more emphasis on symbolic purity and pollution. After doing an informal poll about the “polluting” theory with a few men (n=3) who played team sports such as hockey, football and soccer, they agreed. The “pollution,” they felt was not due to Womack’s gender, but was due to her “outsider” status in general. A male outsider would be construed just as threatening to the team’s solidarity and esprit de corps–especially in situations where there are high stakes and a real risk of failure. David Siemens focused on the “women’s viewpoint” when he conducted fieldwork for 19 months in Southern Sudan, about five miles from Evans-Pritchard’s field site (Siemens 1993:91). From his experiences, he found out that it was his assumptions about being a male studying women, and his informants’ assumptions about his gender that initially inhibited his “gaining access to “women’s (and men’s) knowledge” (Siemens 1993:92). “As a white male educated outsider, I was given the treatment accorded to high status males” (Siemens 1993:92). Descendents of the informants of Evans-Pritchard associated him with Evans-Pritchard who gave them elaborate feasts like a chief and separated him as was their custom from low-status individuals and women. However, unlike Evans-Pritchard who “spoke mainly to men and found no reason to spend time with women,” Siemens contested the local custom to separate him from women and was able to conduct his research of womens’ roles in Azande society freely. “Zande men and women have authority over different aspects of social life. Men are concerned with political offices, litigation and oracular procedures. Women are concerned with birth, bringing children into society, and mourning,” Siemens says (Siemens 1993:92). From Zande women he learned about “rites of passage” for babies and it became the focus of his research. Siemens said it was his high social status and not his gender that ultimately inhibited his access to low status males and females at the field site. In Zande culture high-status individuals were usually isolated from low-status individuals. Once the status issue was sorted out with the help of his wife, his high status actually aided his access to women’s knowledge as his female informants vied to be included in his kinship surveys and other research. Annette Weiner analyzed the different ways social structure was reproduced on the Trobriand island of Kiriwina during her fieldwork there in the early 1970s. Weiner lived in her informants’ village of Kwaibwaga and participated in many of their activities, like Malinowski and the previous ethnologists who studied the Trobriander society. However, unlike her predecessors, Weiner “saw Kiriwina women as active participants in the exchange system” and she accorded them an equal place in society beside Kirwina men (Weiner 1976:11). And, as a female, Weiner had greater access to the women’s work and the production of village and had greater opportunities to understand its processes and symbolic meanings by being able to participate in women-only rituals and craft-production. Both Womack and Barker report that being female gave them advantages as cultural outsiders who were not obligated to abide by each groups’ norms of behavior and membership when researching their male-dominated groups. As female cultural outsiders, they were less threatening to the solidarity of each group than male cultural outsiders since they could never be insiders due to their gender. “As Mary Douglas (1966) has noted, it is ambiguity and mixing of cultural categories that is particularly threatening (Womack 1993:104). Another advantage of being a female studying a male-dominated group was that as females, they were perceived to be empathetic listeners. The “empathy factor” was a big advantage (Womack 1993:107). Finally, as women anthropologists, the men considered their interest as “flattering” and it gave them a chance for male display (Womack 1993:107). “Males who are part of a machismo culture often seem to view it as incumbent upon them to please a woman by giving her what she wants or what they think she wants. Therefore, they feel an obligation to answer questions posed by woman in a one-on-one context,”they say (Womack 1993:110). However, they warn that their gender advantage is lost if there are other males around. According to David Gilmore, the advantages that male anthropologists bring to the study of a culture would be their inclusion in male-dominated group activities and casual life in a gender-segregated culture where “men ‘belong’ in the streets, women in the home” (Gilmore 1993:185). Feminist anthropologists study gender differences, female subordination and feminine roles of childcare, reproductive rights, female sexuality, control of resources and social inquality (Bratton 1998) They did this by including the female perspective and through their representations of women as significant actors in their socieites. However, feminism has historically been a movement to change culture by advocating for less female repression. Anthropology, on the other hand, is a social science has historically been to study and even salvage endangered traditional cultures. Both disciplines have been representative of the hegemonic values of its founders: middle class and white. As such, there have been ideological dilemmas for self-described feminist anthrologists when studying non-middle class and non-white cultures. These feminist dilemmas are described in Part II of this post. Abu-Lughod, Lila 1991 Writing Against Culture In Recapturing Anthropology: Working in the Present. RichardFox, ed. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press, Pp.137-161. Castañeda, Xochitl and Patricia Zavella 2003 Changing Constructions of Sexuality and Risk: Migrant Mexican Women Farmworkers in California. The Journal of Latin American Anthropology 8(2):126-151. Editor 2012 Faculty Bio: Lila Abu-Lughod. Department of Anthropology, Columbia University. Electronic document: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/anthropology/fac-bios/abu-lughod/faculty.html accessed February 27, 2012. Gilmore, David D. 1993 Men and Women in Southern Spain: “Domestic Power” Revisted. In The Other Fifty Percent: Multicultural Perspectives on Gender Relations. Mari Womack and Judith Marti, eds. Pp. 185-200. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Gordon, Robert, Andrew P. Lyons, and Harriet D. Lyons 2011 Fifty Key Anthropologists Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. Mead, Margaret 1993 Samoa: The Adolescent Girl. In The Other Fifty Percent: Multicultural Perspectives on Gender Relations. Mari Womack and Judith Marti, eds. Pp. 69-83. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Powerdermaker, Hortense 1993 A Woman Alone the Field. In The Other Fifty Percent: Multicultural Perspectives on Gender Relations. Mari Womack and Judith Marti, eds. Pp. 84-90. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Siemans, Stephen David 1993 Access to Women’s Knowledge: The Azande Experience. In The Other Fifty Percent: Multicultural Perspectives on Gender Relations. Mari Womack and Judith Marti, eds. Pp.91-111. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Weiner, Annette B. 1976 Women of Value, Men of Renown. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. Wolf, Diane L., ed. 1996 Feminist Dilemmas in Fieldwork. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Womack, Mari and Joan C. Barker 1993 Adventures in the Field and in the Locker Room. In The Other Fifty Percent: Multicultural Perspectives on Gender Relations. Mari Womack and Judith Marti, eds. Pp. 69-83. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. 2012 Comprehensive Exam Question: What drawbacks based on gender can males and female anthropologists face in the field? And, what advantages or strengths does each bring to the study of a culture? Draw on the writings of Mead, Powdermaker, Gilmore, etc. What are perceived as feminist dilemmas in fieldwork? Draw on the writings of Mead, Siemans, Zavella, Wolf. This entry was posted in Cultural Anthropology, Feminism & Gender Studies, Fieldwork by arkirwin. Bookmark the permalink.
0.632654	Established as A.L.F.A. ("Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili" aka (Anonymous Lombard Automobile Factory), June 24, 1910, in Milan — and active in auto racing since 1911. The organization was owned by Italian state holding organization Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale from 1932 and 1986, when it became a member of the Fiat group. In February 2007, the Alfa Romeo label became Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A., a part of Fiat Group Automobiles, now known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Italy. The organization that became Alfa Romeo was established in 1906 as Società Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID) by the French auto firm of Alexandre Darracq, with local Italian investors. In late 1909, the Italian Darracq autos were selling very slowly and the Italian partners of the organization contracted Giuseppe Merosi to design new autos. On June 24, 1910, a new organization was established named A.L.F.A., still in association with Darracq. The initial non-Darracq auto delivered by the organization was the 1910 24 HP, a Merosi design. The first non-Darracq car produced by the company was the 1910 24 HP, designed by Merosi. A.L.F.A. ventured into auto racing, with drivers Franchini and Ronzoni contending in the 1911 Targa Florio with a pair of 24-hp models. In August 1915, the organization went under the leadership of Neapolitan business person Nicola Romeo, who changed over the production line to deliver military equipment for the Italian and Allied war endeavors. In 1920, the name of the organization was changed to Alfa Romeo with the first car to be badged was the the Torpedo 20-30 HP. In 1921, the Banca Italiana di Sconto, which sponsored the Ing. Nicola Romeo and Co, became bankrupt and the government was expected to support the industrial organizations involved, among which was Alfa Romeo, organized through the "Consorzio per Sovvenzioni sui Valori Industrial". In 1925, the railroad activities were isolated from the Romeo organization, and in 1928, Nicola Romeo left. During 1933, the state ownership was reorganized under the the Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI) banner by the Benito Mussolini government administration, which then had effective control. The organization attempted to return to profitability soon after the Second World War, and switched to mass-producing little vehicles as opposed to hand-building luxury models. In 1954, the company developed the Alfa Romeo Twin Cam motor, engine stayed in production until 1994. Amid the 1960s and 1970s, Alfa Romeo created several sports cars, however the Italian government parent organization, Finmeccanica, struggled to become profitable, so in 1986 it sold the brand to the Fiat Group. Alfa Romeo has successfully competed in Grand Prix racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring auto racing, and rallies. It has competed as both a manufacturer and a supplier of engines, by means of works entries (normally using the name Alfa Corse or Autodelta), along with private entries. Their race car was created in 1913, three years after the establishment of the organization, and Alfa Romeo won the inaugural world championship title for Grand Prix cars in 1925. The organization gained a good reputation in motorsport, which provided a sporty image to the entire brand. In 1929, Enzo Ferrari established the Scuderia Ferrari racing team as an Alfa Romeo racing team, before turning independent in 1939. The company holds the world's title of the most wins of any brand in the world. The ALFA 24 HP is 4.1-litre four-cylinder passenger car, the first model produced by ALFA (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili), which in 1919 would become Alfa Romeo. It was introduced in 1910, the year ALFA was founded, and produced until 1914 in ALFA's Portello factory near Milan. The model's name comes from its tax horsepower rating, then frequently used as vehicle designation. The ALFA 40/60 HP is a road car and race car made by ALFA (later to become Alfa Romeo). This model was made between 1913 and 1922 and was designed by Giuseppe Merosi, as were all other Alfas at that time. The 40/60 HP has a 6082 cc straight-4 engine with overhead valves, which produced 70 bhp and its top speed was 78 mph. The race model 40-60 HP Corsa had 73 bhp (54 kW) and a top speed of 137 km/h (85 mph), and it also won its own category in the Parma-Berceto race. The ALFA 20/30 HP was almost identical to the 24 HP of 1910 and could be called HP 24 Series E. The engine was same as used in 24 HP but now the camshaft with side chain, to reduce noise. The maximum power was increased to 49 bhp at 2400 rpm and the top speed was 71 mph. The vehicle was available in two body variants: berlina and torpedo. The Alfa Romeo RL was produced between 1922-1927. It was Alfa's first sport model after World War I. The car was designed in 1921 by Giuseppe Merosi. It had a straight-6 engine with overhead valves. Three different versions were made: Normale, Turismo and Sport. RL total production was 2640. The RLTF (Targa Florio) was the race version of RL - it weighed half of normal versions, the engine had seven main bearings instead of four and double carburetors. In 1923 Alfa's race team had drivers like Ugo Sivocci, Antonio Ascari, Giulio Masetti and Enzo Ferrari. Sivocci's car had green cloverleaf symbol on white background and when he won Targa Florio 1923, that symbol was to become the Alfa team's good luck token. Alfa Romeo RM was produced between 1923�1925, it was based on RL model. Car was introduced first time in 1923 Paris Motor Show and total production was around 500 cars. RM had 2.0 L straight-4 engine, which produced between 40 bhp to 48 bhp. As most of Alfa Romeo cars this was also used in racing purpose. Three versions was made: Normal, Sport and Unificato. Sport had raised compression ratio and Unificato had longer wheelbase and slightly bigger engine. RM top speed was around 56 mph. The Alfa Romeo 2000 (officially known as Tipo 102, Italian for Type 102) is a luxury car produced by Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo between 1958 and 1962, as a successor to the 1900 Super. It was replaced in 1962 by the Alfa Romeo 2600. In the mid-1920s, Alfa's RL was considered too large and heavy, so a new development began. The 2-liter formula that had led to Alfa Romeo winning the Automobile World Championship in 1925, changed to 1.5-liter for the 1926 season. The 6C 1500 was introduced in 1925 at the Milan Motor Show, production started 1927, with the P2 Grand Prix car as a starting point. Engine capacity was now 1487 cc, against the P2's 1987 cc, while supercharging was dropped. First versions were bodied by Young and Touring. The more powerful 6C 1750 (1752 cc actual) was introduced in 1929 in Rome. The car featured a top speed of 95 mph, a chassis designed to flex and undulate over wavy surfaces, as well as sensitive geared-up steering. It was produced in six series between 1929 and 1933. The base model had a single overhead cam. Super Sport and Gran Sport versions had a double overhead cam engine (DOHC). The Alfa Romeo 6C 1900 was the last derivative of the original 6C 1500, produced in 197 examples during 1933, as a transitional model before the new 6C 2300 was introduced the following year. Only made in Gran Turismo guise with a 115.0 in wheelbase, the 6C 1900 replaced the corresponding 6C 1750 model. Besides the larger displacement, other notable mechanical changes were aluminum cylinder heads, an improved frame and a new transmission. The 6C 2300 (2309 cc) was designed by Vittorio Jano as a lower-cost alternative to the 8C. In 1934 Alfa Romeo had become a state-owned enterprise. This year, a new 6C model with a newly designed, larger engine was presented. Chassis technology, however, had been taken from the predecessor. One year later, a revised model, called the 6C 2300 B was presented. In this version the engine was placed in a completely newly designed chassis, with independent front suspension and rear swing axle, as well as hydraulic brakes. The 6C-2300 was produced in 760 copies with rigid axles and 870 copies of the B-model. Introduced in 1938, the 2500 (2443 cc) was the last 6C road car. World War II was coming and car development was stopped, but a few hundred 6C 2500s were built from 1940 to 1945. Postwar, the first new Alfa model was the 1946 6C 2500 Freccia d'Oro (Golden Arrow), of which 680 were built through 1951, with bodies by Alfa. The 2500 had an enlarged engine compared to the predecessor model; this Vittorio Jano designed double overhead cam engine was available with either one or three Weber carburetors. The Alfa Romeo 6C name was used on road, race, and sports cars produced between 1927 and 1954 by Alfa Romeo; the "6C" name refers to six cylinders of the car's straight-six engine. Bodies for these cars were made by coachbuilders such as James Young, Zagato, Touring, Castagna, and Pininfarina. Starting from 1933 there was also a 6C version with a factory Alfa body, built in Portello. The Alfa Romeo 8C was originally a range of Alfa Romeo road, race and sports cars of the 1930s The first model was the 1931 '8C 2300', a reference to the car's 2.3 L (2336 cc) engine, initially designed as a racing car, but actually produced in 188 units also for road use. While the racing version of the 8C 2300 Spider, driven by Tazio Nuvolari won the 1931 and 1932 Targa Florio race in Sicily, the 1931 Italian Grand Prix victory at Monza gave the "Monza" name to the twin seater GP car, a shortened version of the Spider. The Alfa Romeo factory often added the name of events won to the name of a car. The Alfa Romeo 1900 was produced by Alfa Romeo from 1950 to 1959. Designed by Orazio Satta, it was an important development for Alfa Romeo as the marque's first car built entirely on a production line and first production car without a separate chassis. It was also the first Alfa Romeo offered with left-hand drive. The car was introduced at the 1950 Paris Motor Show. The 1900 was offered in two-door or four-door models, with a new 1,884 cc 3.3 in bore, and 3.5 in stroke, 90 bhp, 4-cylinder twin cam engine. It was spacious and simple, yet quick and sporty. The first Giulietta (Type 750 and 101) was a rear-wheel drive car made from 1954 to 1965, in 4-door saloon/sedan, coup�, spider and estate forms. It was replaced by the Alfa Romeo Giulia. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta (Tipo 750 and Tipo 101, meaning "Type 750" and "Type 101") was a family of automobiles made by Alfa Romeo from 1954 to 1965 which included a 2+2 coup�, four-door saloon, estate, spider, Sprint, and Sprint Speciale. The 2+2 was Alfa Romeo's first successful foray into the 1.3-litre class. From 1954 to 1965 a total of 177,690 Giuliettas were made, the great majority in saloon (Berlina), Sprint coup�, or Spider body styles, but also as Sprint Speciale and Sprint Zagato coup�s, and the rare Promiscua estate. The second Giulietta (Type 116), a rear-wheel drive 4-door saloon/sedan related to the Alfa Romeo Alfetta and made from 1977 to 1985. The Alfa Romeo 2000 (officially known as Tipo 102, Italian for Type 102) is a luxury car produced by Alfa Romeo between 1958 and 1962, as a successor to the 1900 Super. It was replaced in 1962 by the Alfa Romeo 2600. The Dauphine is a rear-engined economy car manufactured by Renault in a single body style � a three-box, 4-door saloon � as the successor to the Renault 4CV; more than two million were manufactured during its 1956-1967 production. Along with such cars as the Citro�n 2CV, Volkswagen Beetle, Morris Minor, Mini and Fiat 500, the Dauphine pioneered the modern European economy car. The Alfa Romeo 147 (Type 937) is a small family car produced by Alfa Romeo from 2000 to 2010. The 147 was voted European Car of the Year in 2001. The 147 was launched at the Turin Motor Show in June 2000 as a replacement for the Alfa Romeo 145 and 146 hatchbacks, and is based on the running gear of the larger 156 saloon. The Alfa Romeo GTV (Type 916) and Alfa Romeo Spider were two sports cars produced by Alfa Romeo from 1993 to 2004. The GTV is a 2+2 coup�, and the Spider is a two-seater roadster version of the GTV. Around 39,000 Spiders and 41,700 GTVs were built. The GTV's name (Gran Turismo Veloce�English: Fast Grand Touring) placed it as the successor to the long-discontinued Alfetta GTV coup�, whereas the Spider was effectively the replacement for the then 30-year-old 105-series Giulia Spider. The GTV was available until the launch of the Brera in 2005, while the Spider lasted another year until the launch of its Brera-based successor in 2006. The Alfa Romeo 4C (Type 960) is a mid-engined, lightweight, rear-wheel drive sports car. Available in coup� and spider body style, it uses a carbon fiber tub, front and rear crash box, and hybrid rear subframe mainly out of aluminum to keep weight at ,973 lb and 2,315 lb in the United States. The 4C is Alfa Romeo's first mass-produced vehicle of the 21st century to re-enter the North American automotive market. The Stelvio was unveiled at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show. The Stelvio is Alfa Romeo's first production SUV that competes in the same category as the Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-Pace, Audi Q5 and BMW X3. Pininfarine made two concept cars based on 2600, 2600 Cabriolet Speciale two-seat spider presented at the Turin Motorshow 1962 and 2600 Coupe Speciale, two-seat coupe presented at the Brussels Motorshow 1963. Initially planned as a mass production models, but production never started.
0.999827	A city is served by a number of fire stations. Residents have complained that the distance between certain houses and the nearest station is too far, so a new station is to be built. You are to choose the location of the new station so as to reduce the distance to the nearest station from the houses of the poorest-served residents. The city has up to 500 intersections, connected by road segments of various lengths. No more than 20 road segments intersect at a given intersection. The locations of houses and fire stations alike are considered to be at intersections. Furthermore, we assume that there is at least one house associated with every intersection. There may be more than one fire station per intersection. The input begins with a single line indicating the number of test cases, followed by a blank line. There will also be a blank line between each two consecutive inputs. The first line of input contains two positive integers: the number of existing fire stations f (f<=100) and the number of intersections i (i<=500). Intersections are numbered from 1 to i consecutively. Then f lines follow, each containing the intersection number at which an existing fire station is found. A number of lines follow, each containing three positive integers: the number of an intersection, the number of a different intersection, and the length of the road segment connecting the intersections. All road segments are two-way (at least as far as fire engines are concerned), and there will exist a route between any pair of intersections. For each test case, output the lowest intersection number at which a new fire station can be built so as to minimize the maximum distance from any intersection to its nearest fire station. Separate the output of each two consecutive cases by a blank line.
0.999729	Create a global community of dedicated Single Pot Still Whiskey drinkers. To create a community we needed to understand why people are so passionate about Single Pot Still Whiskey and what content they would value. The community are information thirsty. They love to learn about Whiskey and indulge themselves in its detail. We quenched this thirst by creating engaging content across a number of digital channels.
0.998947	Consider the following scenario: You are a school superintendent very interested in expanding pre-K in your district. You review the literature on the subject and find it inconclusive. A veteran school board member tells you that the district did have a pre-K program 25 years ago; it lasted for three years and then was discontinued. You wonder how those children did, including after they left school. And you ask the state for help. The state should know lots about those students: their standardized-test scores, whether they voted, their criminal records, their income, etc. The state replies that it does not have this information collected in a manner that is accessible. And, to add insult to injury, the state explains that it would not release the information anyway because of privacy concerns. You decide to proceed with pre-K in your district regardless, but, so that future researchers can learn something, you ask the state if you can assign pupils to the pre-K class through a random lottery given that there will not be enough spots for everyone. The state refuses. A local education researcher asks if you can work together to at least keep track of key administrative data for the children within and without the program. To do that, you need help from the state, but again the state refuses. That scenario is neither fanciful nor uncommon. Despite some improvements, many states do not maintain the data in a usable manner that education researchers need, much less do they use program rollouts as a regular opportunity to conduct controlled experiments. On the one hand, this failure makes sense. Organizing and managing administrative data is not costless, especially if privacy concerns are properly taken into account. Furthermore, as a matter of practical politics, not much of a constituency exists for the collection of good data that will yield conclusions many years in the future—a time frame that for most politicians or administrators makes no sense. If education research is not to be left behind, states need to devote resources to collecting the data and making those data available to researchers. There are models for doing so. In some Nordic countries, each citizen is given an administrative-record number that is used throughout the government. When a researcher requests data, the government provides the data, but using a different set of numbers to protect privacy. That arrangement has enabled education research that would be difficult or impossible to carry out elsewhere, such as studying the effect of publicly provided day care on labor-market outcomes decades later—just the question our hypothetical superintendent was hoping to answer. "If education research is not to be left behind, states need to devote resources to collecting the data and making those data available to researchers." The policy prescription is clear: States should aim to collect and disseminate first-rate educational data. A good place to start on this project is with the checklist provided by the nonprofit Data Quality Campaign, which emphasizes the record-keeping arrangements needed to track students over time and across administrative databases. States should also organize themselves so that opportunities for controlled experiments are not squandered. In many cases, states already roll out programmatic changes in pieces; it would not cost much more to do so in a manner that enables credible inferences about the reform's effects. What if a state refuses to take reasonable steps to assess the effectiveness of its biggest outlay? Can the states be forced into self-reflection? We think the answer is yes. Virtually every state constitution provides for a system of free public schools. Most states have been sued under those provisions, with the plaintiffs claiming that states are not distributing funds equitably or just not spending an adequate amount. Plaintiffs have a mixed record in such suits, though it should be noted that many states changed their educational system because of the threat of such a lawsuit. As a result, there are many states where the constitutional provision concerning education has been litigated and in which the courts have held that the state has a legally enforceable "duty of care" with respect to education. We argue in a forthcoming law review article that if this duty of care means anything, it must at least mean that states take reasonable efforts to enable the assessment of how their public education systems are performing. That is, leaving aside whether states must spend more money or spend more fairly, they must at least have some reasonable system in place to assess their compliance with the constitutional command to provide a decent public education. Especially in states with courts that have proven willing to impose dramatic solutions, such as spending and other mandates, we think that even the threat of litigation should motivate state officials to provide education researchers the data they need. To be clear, our vision of states' duty of care with respect to education wouldn't turn children into lab rats. States would still have to protect student records from privacy-compromising disclosures, and state officials—not researchers—would continue to set priorities. But whatever else the states may owe to disadvantaged children in particular, at least the states must make it possible to learn whether their efforts to better educate those children are doing any good. Chris Elmendorf and Darien Shanske are both professors of law at the University of California, Davis. “Are Student-Privacy Laws Getting in the Way of Education Research?,” August 11, 2017. “Six Secrets to Private Schools' Success, and How Public Schools Can Steal Them,” August 2, 2017. “Four Education Priorities Democrats and Republicans Can Agree On,” May 10, 2017.
0.999894	Records of the City of La Crosse Park and Recreation Department, 1860-2008, with the bulk of the documents dating from 1908-2000. These materials include Board of Park Commissioners records (1908-2006), Park and Recreation Department records (1924-2008), Recreation (1963-1972), and Sites (1860-2007). The Board materials include correspondence (1911-1999), director’s reports (1960; 1962-1963), a land records book (ca. 1900-1938), meeting minutes (1908-2006), an index and abstracts meeting minutes (1908-1979), and board policies (n. d.). The Park and Recreation Department records are arranged in subject files, and include anniversary celebrations, financial data, flooding, planning, surveys, trees and planting, Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association, and miscellaneous materials. Materials created by the recreation arm of the department consist mainly of photographs (1963-1972) and are largely unidentified. These are arranged by sport or activity. Lastly, sites include information and some photographs about land controlled by the Park department and constitute the bulk of the collection. Sites that have the most information include Cameron Park, Campbell Cemetery, Copeland Park, Country Club grounds, Grandad Bluff, Hixon Forest, Myrick Park and zoo, Pettibone Park and Riverside Park. La Crosse (Wis.). City Park and Recreation Dept.. On May 15, 1908, the La Crosse Common Council passed an ordinance creating two park districts in La Crosse. The area of the city south of the La Crosse River was named the first district and the area of the city north of the La Crosse River was named the second district. The ordinance also provided for the establishment of a Board of Park Commissioners. This ordinance, initiated by Dr. Wendell A. Anderson, then mayor of the city of La Crosse, marked the first significant official interest in the city’s few parks. Mayor Anderson appointed J.M. Hixon, L.F. Easton, E.L. Colman, and Henry Gund as the first to serve on the Board of Park Commissioners. The Board selected Mr. John Nolen, a noted landscape artist and advisor, to design a park system for the city. A public meeting was held on November 18, 1908, to give information about the plans and to gather support from citizens. Nolen presented his plan for a park system, which included improving existing parks as well as developing new ones in La Crosse, and proponents of the system gave speeches endorsing the plan. Nolen and the plan’s supporters convinced those in attendance that a good park system could permanently influence the welfare of a city and the plan was adopted. Parks to be improved or developed in the plan were Copeland, Levee, Grandad Bluff and Miller’s Coulee, West Avenue Playfield, Adams Street Playground, a block at George and Livingston Streets, La Plume Island, forty acres at the south end of West Avenue, Main Street Square, Reservation viaduct between the north and south sides of La Crosse, and the Interstate Fair grounds. Many of the parks identified in this plan still exist today in some form. Despite this ordinance establishing a Board of Park Commissioners in 1908, parks in the city of La Crosse actually started with Burns Park, platted as public square in 1852 and continued with Myrick Park (then Lake Park), bought in 1873. These and other parks were taken care of by a small amount of money appropriated to the Public Works Department for the trimming of trees and grass. One major park established before the 1908 ordinance was Pettibone Park. It was donated by A.W. Pettibone and placed under the administration of a special parks commission, to be used as a public pleasure ground. At that time, the Pettibone Park land was part of the state of Minnesota, but the boundaries were later changed to include the land within the state of Wisconsin and city of La Crosse. After waiting more than fifty years for an established system of park lands and facilities, it only took about six months from the November 18, 1908, public meeting for enough money to be raised to start work on John Nolen’s plan. Twenty thousand dollars was raised through an extra one mill tax and seventy thousand dollars was raised through city bonding, both of which were approved at the public meeting. This money allowed the work started with the Public Works Department to continue as the Park and Recreation Department and the Board of Parks Commissioners and for the parks started with such parks as Burns and Pettibone to evolve into the beautiful parks system La Crosse has today. Over the years, La Crosse’s park system has grown to fit the needs of the growing city. Boasting over 1300 acres of beautiful and useful park and recreational land, La Crosse’s park system and Park and Recreation Department continue to be an important asset to the city. Records of the City of La Crosse Park and Recreation Department, 1860-2008, with the bulk of the documents dating from 1908-2000 include Board of Park Commissioners records (1908-2006), Park and Recreation Department records (1924-2008), Recreation (1963-1972), and Sites (1860-2007). The Board materials include correspondence (1911-1999), director’s reports (1960; 1962-1963), a land records book (ca. 1900-1938), meeting minutes (1908-2006), an index and abstracts meeting minutes (1908-1979), and board policies (n. d.), including the park naming policy. The meeting minutes make up a substantial part of this collection and tell much of the history of the board as well as the Park & Recreation Dept. as a whole. The PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT records are widely varied in subject content. Beginning with the Park department’s fiftieth and one hundredth anniversaries (1958 and 2008), these materials cover finance (1924-1979) which contain a smattering of monthly expenditures, bill and payroll reports and various yearly reports. Also included are flooding (2001), planning (1978-1979) which consists mostly of two project reports and project suggestion forms; surveys (1972; 1975), trees and planting (1971-1973) which contain items regarding Dutch elm disease and flower planting, but considering that the Park and Recreation Department controls most of the trees and planting in the city, there is very little information found here. Also included in the PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT records are Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association materials from 1974, when their annual conference was held in La Crosse and a miscellaneous (1971-1980) file. The RECREATION series consists mainly of photographs (1963-1972) and are largely unidentified. These are arranged by sport or activity and include baseball/softball, basketball, drama and music, fishing and fishing derbies, horse shoes, ice hockey, and ice skating including the annual speed skating event on Pettibone lagoon sponsored by the Park and Recreation Department. Lastly, SITES include information and some photographs about land controlled by the Park department and constitute the bulk of the collection. Sites that have the most information include Cameron Park, Campbell Cemetery, Copeland Park, Country Club grounds, Grandad Bluff, Hixon Forest, Myrick Park and zoo, Pettibone Park and Riverside Park. Cameron Park (1965-2005) includes many newspaper clippings about the Ten Commandments Monument. Campbell Cemetery (1860-1992) became under the jurisdiction of the Park Dept. in 1932. The material is divided into burial permits (1897-1979), financial journals (1860-1932), indexes, maps, and miscellaneous (1916-1992). Burial permits contain permits for burial and disinterment. Finance, which is contained in two volumes, has very early meeting minutes as well as information on who bought burial plots. There are several different indexes: deeds sold (alphabetical), tombstones read and tombstones read (alphabetical), and burial permits (alphabetical and chronological). Both maps plat the cemetery differently. One of the maps, dated 1931 and marked void is completely different from the others. It shows two circles containing burial plots in the middle of the cemetery. It has been determined that there are many more burials than stones. Miscellaneous materials contain some genealogical inquiries and information and some copies of burial permits. Copeland Park (1951-2006) contains information about the Clinton Street bridge relocation and road widening project, 1977-1983; Logger Field, 2002-2006; shelter, 1963-2003; steam locomotive and caboose, 1958-2004; West Copeland Park/North La Crosse landfill site/North Side Dump/Veterans Freedom Park, 1971-2006. The Country Club grounds/La Crosse Country Club/Bluffs Country Club/Forest Hills Golf Course (1913-2003) consists of newspaper clippings and information about the golf course and swimming pool. Grandad Bluff materials (1909-1999) include general files, information about erosion control, flag pole, McLoone’s Addition, memorial plaque and the pump and well. Hixon Forest materials (1965-2005) include general files, Luxford property exchange (Experimental Forest), McBain property, Nature Center, restrooms, rifle range, and trails. Myrick Park materials (1932-2007) include general files as well as information o the gun club, Kids Coulee playscape, tennis courts and zoo. The Myrick Park Zoo operated from 1929-2007 and records include materials of the La Crosse Zoo Development Association (1949-1953), a non-profit group, which consist of articles of incorporation and by-laws (1949), and the meetings of directors’ minutes (1950-1953). Much of the history of this association can be found in the meeting of directors’ minutes. Other materials include correspondence (1951-1953), finance, which includes general (1949-1953) finance of the association and ticket sales (1951-1953) information, and some miscellaneous (1949-1953) items including brochures, contracts and newspaper items. Concessions also constitute a good portion of this file, 1975-2003. The Myrick Zoo was replaced by the Myrick Hixon Ecopark exhibits due to open in 2010 or 2011. Pettibone Park (1912; 1932-2002) contains general files as well as information on the bath house, beach, lagoon, South Pettibone Island, wing dam light and Wisconsin Telephone Co. cable. Lastly, Riverside Park (1930-2007) includes information on the Anderson Memorial Band shell, Arata sculpture, boardwalk, Hiawatha statue and Riverfest in addition to general files. (Accession no. 1993.019) Transferred by Robert Berg, Park and Recreation Department Director, and Garland Amunson, Park Superintendent, October 1993. (Accession no. 2007.086, 2008.026, 2008.054, 2009.002, 2010.066) Transferred by Gar Amunson, Park Department Superintendent, Oct. 2007, June 2008, Aug. 2008, Jan. 2009, and Nov. 2010. Processed by Carrie Seib, October/November 1993, as part of the 1993/94 Local Records Grant awarded to the City of La Crosse and administered by the Archives and Local History Room at the La Crosse Public Library. Additions from 2007-2010 processed by Anita Taylor Doering, Bill Doering & Margaret Donndelinger, Jan.-Feb. 2010; and Katie Alderman Oct. 2011. Campbell Cemetery (La Crosse, Wis.). Board of Park Commissioners records include correspondence (1911-1985), director’s reports (1960; 1962-1963), and meeting minutes (1908-1979). The meeting minutes make up a substantial part of this collection and tell much of the history of the board as well as the Park & Recreation Dept. as a whole. Most of the bulk of the other records within this collection fall within the date span of the minutes. An index to abstracts of these minutes is available. The Park and Recreation Department records are numerous and widely varied. Beginning with the Park department’s fiftieth anniversary (1958), these materials cover finance (1924-1979), planning (1978-1979), recreation (1963-1972), and trees and planting (1971-1973). The fiftieth anniversary materials include the official sticker and a picture of the 1958 Board of park Commissioners as well as program information and other items. The financial materials contain monthly expenditures, bill and payroll reports and various yearly reports. The planning information consists mostly of two project reports and project suggestion forms. Recreation records contain a few community and youth activity programs. The materials in trees and planting contain items regarding Dutch elm disease and flower planting, but considering that the Park and Recreation Department controls most of the trees and planting in the city, there is very little information found here. Also included in the Park and Recreation Department records are Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association materials from 1974, when their annual conference was held in La Crosse. The miscellaneous (1971-1979) file contains lease information, several undated resolutions, parks and playgrounds naming policy, as well as other materials. The rest of the Park and Recreation Department materials consist of site information. Most of the eighteen sites listed have very little information about them, except for Hixon Forest, Pettibone Park, and Riverside Park, which have a little more information than others. The single site with the most information is Campbell Cemetery (1860-1992). The cemetery information is divided into burial permits (1897-1979), financial journals (1860-1932), indexes, maps, and miscellaneous (1916-1992). Burial permits contain permits for burial and disinterment. Finance, which is contained in two volumes, has very early meeting minutes as well as information on who bought burial plots. There are several different indexes: deeds sold (alphabetical), tombstones read and tombstones read (alphabetical), and burial permits (alphabetical and chronological). All three maps plat the cemetery differently. One of the maps, dated 1931 and marked void is completely different from the others. It shows two circles containing burial plots in the middle of the cemetery. It could not be determined if the circles were actually still there or how that specific plat map fit into the mapping of the cemetery. Miscellaneous materials contain some genealogical inquiries and information and some copies of burial permits. Plat of cemetery, n. d. Materials of the Zoo Association, a non-profit group, include administrative materials, which consist of the articles of incorporation and by-laws (1949) of the association and the meetings of directors’ minutes (1950-1953). Much of the history of this association can be found in the meeting of directors’ minutes. Other materials include correspondence (1951-1953), finance, which includes general (1949-1953) finance of the association and ticket sales (1951-1953) information, and some miscellaneous (1949-1953) items including brochures, contracts and newspaper items.
0.999999	Complete the following sentences using appropriate words. 1. In the …………………………………… we could see those greenish hills towering over the city. 2. The ancient Indian science of Yoga is very …………………………………. for controlling stress. 3. The cause of her ……………………………….. remains a mystery. 4. Her ………………………….. book is selling like hot cakes. 6. She is …………………………………. of her sister’s success. 7. I spent much of my ……………………………. in a beautiful village. 8. The ……………………………….. will triumph in the end. 9. Her daughter is her ……………………………….. 10. In all …………………………………, she will win. 11. It was a ………………………….. success. 12. It takes weeks or even months for a new website that start becoming ………………………………. in search results. 1. In the distance we could see those greenish hills towering over the city. 2. The ancient Indian science of Yoga is very beneficial for controlling stress. 3. The cause of her death remains a mystery. 4. Her latest book is selling like hot cakes. 5. He is full of confidence. 6. She is jealous of her sister’s success. 7. I spent much of my childhood in a beautiful village. 8. The truth will triumph in the end. 9. Her daughter is her weakness. 10. In all likelihood, she will win. 11. It was a grand success. 12. It takes weeks or even months for a new website to start becoming visible in search results.
0.999425	"Pretor" redirects here. For the village in Macedonia, see Pretor (village). Praetor (Classical Latin: [ˈprajtoːr], also spelled prætor) was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army (in the field or, less often, before the army had been mustered); or, an elected magistratus (magistrate), assigned various duties (which varied at different periods in Rome's history). The functions of the magistracy, the praetura (praetorship), are described by the adjective: the praetoria potestas (praetorian power), the praetorium imperium (praetorian authority), and the praetorium ius (praetorian law), the legal precedents established by the praetores (praetors). Praetorium, as a substantive, denoted the location from which the praetor exercised his authority, either the headquarters of his castra, the courthouse (tribunal) of his judiciary, or the city hall of his provincial governorship. The Classical-era authors do not describe the events leading to the origin of the title Praetor, but the writings of the late Republican statesman and attorney Cicero explored the philosophy and uses of the term praetor. The prefix prae provides a good indication that the title-holder was prior, in some way, in society. Livy mentions that the Latini were led and governed in warfare by two of them and the Samnites by one. A dictator was called the praetor maximus. The use of the adjectives (praetorius, praetoricius, praetorianus) in a large number of circumstances testify to a general sense. The leadership functions of any corporate body at Rome might be termed[by whom?] praetorial. This etymology of praetor became and remains the standard. Cicero considers the word to contain the same elemental parts as the verb praeire (praeeo: "to go before, to precede, to lead the way"). In exactly what way a praetor goes before did not survive. Livy explains that in the year 366 BC the praetura was set up to relieve the consuls of their judicial duties. The first man to be elected to the new praetura was the patrician Spurius Furius, the son of Marcus Furius Camillus, in exchange for the election of Lucius Sextius, plebeian leader, as one of the consuls for the year. Partisan politics greatly influenced the outcome of elections. The praetor was, in an English sense, the chief justice, and yet more than that. The consuls were his peers; he was elected by the same electorate and sworn in on the same day with the same oath. (The Comitia Centuriata elected consuls and praetors.) Until 337 BC the praetor was chosen only from among the patricians. In that year eligibility for the praetura was opened to the plebeians, and one of them, Quintus Publius Philo, won the office. From then on, praetors appear frequently in Roman history, first as generals and judges, then as provincial governors. Beginning in the late Republic, a former Praetor could serve as a Propraetor ("in place of the Praetor") and act as the governor of one of Rome's provinces. The elected praetor was a magistratus curulis, exercised imperium, and consequently was one of the magistrati majores. He had the right to sit in the sella curulis and wear the toga praetexta. He was attended by six lictors. A praetor was a magistrate with imperium within his own sphere, subject only to the veto of the consuls (who outranked him). The potestas and imperium (power and authority) of the consuls and the praetors under the Republic should not be exaggerated. They did not use independent judgment in resolving matters of state. Unlike today's executive branches, they were assigned high-level tasks directly by senatorial decree under the authority of the SPQR. Livy describes the assignments given to either consuls or praetors in some detail. As magistrates, they had standing duties to perform, especially of a religious nature. However, a consul or praetor could be taken away from his current duties at any time to head a task force, and there were many, especially military. Livy mentions that, among other tasks, these executive officers were told to lead troops against perceived threats (domestic or foreign), investigate possible subversion, raise troops, conduct special sacrifices, distribute windfall money, appoint commissioners and even exterminate locusts. Praetors could delegate at will. The one principle that limited what could be assigned to them was that their duties must not concern them with minima, "little things". They were by definition doers of maxima. This principle of Roman law became a principle of later European law: Non curat minima praetor, that is, the details do not need to be legislated, they can be left up to the courts. In 246 BC, the Senate created a second Praetura. There were two reasons for this: to relieve the weight of judicial business and to give the Republic a magistrate with imperium who could field an army in an emergency when both consuls were fighting a far-off war. By the end of the First Punic War, a fourth magistrate entitled to hold imperium appears, the praetor qui inter peregrinos ius dicit ("the praetor who administers justice among foreigners"). Although in the later Empire the office was titled praetor inter cives et peregrinos ("among citizens and foreigners", that is, having jurisdiction in disputes between citizens and noncitizens), by the time of the 3rd century BC, Rome's territorial annexations and foreign populations were unlikely to require a new office dedicated solely to this task. T. Corey Brennan, in his two-volume study of the praetorship, argues that during the military crisis of the 240s the second praetorship was created to make another holder of imperium available for command and provincial administration inter peregrinos. During the Hannibalic War, the praetor peregrinus was frequently absent from Rome on special missions. The urban praetor more often remained in the city to administer the judicial system. The praetor urbanus presided in civil cases between citizens. The Senate required that some senior officer remain in Rome at all times. This duty now fell to the praetor urbanus. In the absence of the consuls, he was the senior magistrate of the city, with the power to summon the Senate and to organize the defense of the city in the event of an attack. He was allowed to leave the city for no more than ten days at a time. He was therefore given appropriate duties in Rome. He superintended the Ludi Apollinares and was also the chief magistrate for the administration of justice and promulgated the Praetor's Edict. These Edicts were statements of praetor's policy as to judicial decisions to be made during his term of office. The praetor had substantial discretion regarding his Edict, but could not legislate. In a sense the continuing Edicts came to form a corpus of precedents. The development and improvement of Roman Law owes much to the wise use of this praetorial discretion. The expansion of Roman authority over other lands required the addition of praetors. Two were created in 227 BC, for the administration of Sicily and Sardinia, and two more when the two Spanish provinces were formed in 197 BC. Lucius Cornelius Sulla successfully transferred administration of the provinces to former consuls and praetors, thus increasing the number of ordinary praetors to eight. Julius Caesar raised the number to ten, then fourteen, and finally to sixteen. Augustus made changes that were designed to reduce the Praetor to being an imperial administrator rather than a magistrate. The electoral body was changed to the Senate, which was now an instrument of imperial ratification. To take a very simplistic view, the establishment of the principate can be seen as the restoration of monarchy under another name. The Emperor therefore assumed the powers once held by the kings, but he used the apparatus of the republic to exercise them. For example, the emperor presided over the highest courts of appeal. The need for administrators remained just as acute. After several changes, Augustus fixed the number at twelve. Under Tiberius, there were sixteen. As imperial administrators, their duties extended to matters that the republic would have considered minima. Two praetors were appointed by Claudius for matters relating to Fideicommissa (trusts), when the business in that department of the law had become considerable, but Titus reduced the number to one; and Nerva added a Praetor for the decision of matters between the Fiscus (treasury) and individuals. Marcus Aurelius appointed a Praetor for matters relating to tutela (guardianship). Roman court cases fell into the two broad categories of civil or criminal trials. The involvement of a Praetor in either was as follows. In an actio, which was civil, the Praetor could either issue an interdictum (interdict) forbidding some circumstance or appoint a iudex (judge). Proceedings before the praetor were technically said to be in iure. At this stage, the Praetor would establish a formula directing the iudex as to the remedy to be given if he found that certain circumstances were satisfied; for instance, "Let X be iudex. If it appears that the defendant ought to pay 10,000 sesterces to the plaintiff, let the iudex condemn the defendant to pay 10,000 sesterces to the plaintiff. If it does not so appear, let the plaintiff absolve him." After they were handed over to the iudex, they were no longer in iure before the Praetor, but apud iudicem. The iudicium of the iudex was binding. By the time of Diocletian, however, this two-stage process had largely disappeared, and the Praetor would either hear the whole case in person or appoint a delegate (a iudex pedaneus), taking steps for the enforcement of the decision; the formula was replaced by an informal system of pleadings. During the time of the Roman Republic, the Urban Praetor allegedly issued an annual edict, usually on the advice of jurists (since the Praetor himself was not necessarily educated in the law), setting out the circumstances under which he would grant remedies. The legal provisions arising from the Praetor's Edict were known as ius honorarium; in theory the Praetor did not have power to alter the law, but in practice the Edict altered the rights and duties of individuals and was effectively a legislative document. In the reign of Hadrian, however, the terms of the Edict were made permanent and the Praetor's de facto legislative role was abolished. The Praetors also presided at the quaestiones perpetuae (which were criminal proceedings), so-called because they were of certain types, with a Praetor being assigned to one type on a permanent basis. The Praetors appointed judges who acted as jurors in voting for guilt or innocence. The verdict was either acquittal or condemnation. The last three were added by the Dictator Sulla in the early 1st century BC. When the Praetor administered justice in a tribunal, he sat on a sella curulis, which was that part of the court reserved for the Praetor and his assessors and friends, as opposed to the subsellia, the part occupied by the iudices (judges) and others who were present. In court, the Praetor was referred to as acting e tribunali or ex superiore loco (lit. from a raised platform or from a higher place) but he could also perform ministerial acts out of court, in which case he was said to be acting e plano or ex aequo loco (lit. from the flat ground or from an equal or level place). For instance, he could in certain cases give validity to the act of manumission when he was out-of-doors, such as on his way to the bath or to the theatre. By 395 AD, the praetors' responsibilities had been reduced to a purely municipal role. Their sole duty was to manage the spending of money on the exhibition of games or on public works. However, with the decline of the other traditional Roman offices such as that of tribune the praetorship remained an important portal through which aristocrats could gain access to either the Western or Eastern Senates. The Praetorship was a costly position to hold as praetors were expected to possess a treasury from which they could draw funds for their municipal duties. Like many other Roman institutions, the praetor (Greek: πραίτωρ, praitōr) survived in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565) undertook a major administrative reform beginning in 535, which involved the reunification of civil and military authority in the hands of the governor in certain provinces, and the abolition of the dioceses. The Diocese of Thrace had already been abolished by the end of the 5th century by Anastasius, and its vicarius became the new praetor Justinianus of Thrace, with authority over all the former Thracian provinces except for Lower Moesia and Scythia Minor, which became part of the quaestura exercitus. Similarly, the governors of Pisidia and Lycaonia, as well as Paphlagonia (enlarged by merging it with Honorias) were upgraded to praetores Justiniani, and received the rank of vir spectabilis. In addition, in Constantinople he replaced the praefectus vigilum, who was hitherto responsible for security, by a praetor populi (in Greek πραίτωρ [τῶν] δήμων, praitōr [tōn] dēmōn), with wide-ranging police powers. In the early 9th century, the praitōr was a junior administrative official in the themata, subordinate to the governing stratēgos. Gradually however, the civil functionaries assumed greater power, and by the late 10th century, the praitores (or kritai, "judges") were placed at the head of the civil administration of a thema. This division of civil and military duties was often abandoned in the 12th century, when the posts of civil praitōr and military doux were frequently held in tandem. The provincial post fell out of use after the collapse of the Empire in 1204. According to Helene Ahrweiler, Emperor Nikephoros II (r. 963–969) reinstituted a praetor in Constantinople, as a high-ranking judge. He is possibly identical to the Palaiologan-era post of the praitōr tou demōu, whose holders are attested until 1355. According to the Book of Offices of pseudo-Kodinos, compiled around the same time, the praitōr tou demōu occupied the 38th place in the imperial hierarchy, between the megas tzaousios and the logothetēs tōn oikeiakōn, but held no official function. His court uniform consisted of a gold-brocaded hat (skiadion), a plain silk kabbadion tunic, and a plain, smooth wooden staff (dikanikion). Classical Latin Praetor became medieval Latin Pretor; Praetura, Pretura, etc. During the interwar period the 71 counties of Romania were divided into a various numbers of plăşi (singular: plasă), headed by a Pretor, appointed by the Prefect. The institution headed by the Pretor was called Pretură. Currently, this office has survived only in the Republic of Moldova, where praetors are the heads of Chişinău's five sectors. In Italy, until 1998, Praetor was a magistrate with particular duty (especially in civil branch). The Italian-speaking Swiss canton of Ticino has preturi (singular: preture) which is the chief magistrate (civil branch) of a district, heading a pretura (a court). The preturi are appointed by the canton's parliament. In the Star Trek franchise, Praetor is the usual title of the leader of the Romulan Empire. In the 2016 game Doom, the armor worn by the protagonist is called the Praetor suit. In the 2017 game Xenoblade Chronicles 2, one of the central antagonists Amalthus holds the title of Praetor in the Praetorium of Indol. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: George Long (1875). "Praetor". In Smith, William (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. London: John Murray. pp. 956–957. ^ In the Latin language, the ending of the adjective agrees with the case, gender, and number, of the noun, which is why the ending of praetori- varies in the phrases given. ^ Most moderate-size Latin dictionaries list the praetorial nouns and adjectives, and uses and major sources. ^ "praetor". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2000. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. ^ Harper, Douglas. "praetor". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2018-01-19. - "Latin praetor 'one who goes before'". ^ a b Livy, Ab urbe condita 7.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Livy7.1" defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). ^ Livy, Ab urbe condita 8.12. ^ T. Corey Brennan, The Praetorship in the Roman Republic (Oxford University Press, 2000), p. 604 (online. ^ Alan Watson, Law making in the later Roman Republic (Oxford University 1974) at 31–62. ^ In the late Republic the census was discovering a population of the city of Rome numbering in the millions. ^ Capitolinus, Vita Marci Antonini Chapter 10. ^ Approximately "remedy", the seeking of restitution of property taken illegally by a magistrate and conviction of the perpetrator. Example: an illegal confiscation. ^ "Canvassing", an attempt to influence voters illegally. Example: buying votes. ^ Against the "majesty" of the people; that is, treason. Example: plotting the murder of a magistrate. ^ "Embezzlement", the theft of public property. Example: the misappropriation of public money. ^ "False witness"; i.e., against perjurers. ^ "Concerning stabbers and poisoners"; i.e., against professional assassins and their collaborators. ^ "Patricide", extended to the murder of relatives, presumably for property. ^ Bury, J.B. History of the Later Roman Empire, Volume 1, Chapter 1. ^ a b Wesenberg 1954. ^ Bury 1923, pp. 339–341. ^ Bury 1923, p. 338. ^ a b c ODB, "Praetor" (A. Kazhdan), p. 1710. ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 182. ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 161. Bury, John Bagnell (1923). History of the Later Roman Empire: From the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian. II. London: MacMillan & Co. ISBN 0-486-20399-9. McCullough, Colleen (1990). The First Man in Rome. Avon Books. ISBN 0-380-71081-1. Wesenberg, Gerhard (1954). "Praetor". Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft. Band XXII, Halbband 44, Praefectura-Priscianus. cols. 1582–1606. Smith, William, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, Praetor. Livy, Books 1–5, English, University of Virginia searchable etext. Livy, Books 6–10, English, University of Virginia searchable etext. Livy, Books 40–45, English, University of Virginia searchable etext. Cicero, de legibus, Book 3, Latin. The Latin Library site.
0.999998	26 weeks and i look like i am 14 weeks can that be healthy??? There are so many factors when a woman is pregnant: Her height, weight, if your uterus is tipped forward/back, and even if your own mother carried a certain way. All of these can make you look smaller or bigger than you "should" look. If this is your first pregnancy, then there's a good chance you'll look smaller than you actually are until you hit your late 2nd trimester or even the beginning of your 3rd trimester. Most importantly: Taking good care of yourself & the baby by regular visits to your OB. If your doctor says the baby is healthy & measuring good, then try to relax & enjoy your pregnancy.
0.963569	Exact Audio Copy database format? I've got a project in development, in which I aim at providing a website that recommends cds to users, and I'm just hacking away at the EAC database-format right now. The file 'cddb.dat', that is. What I hope some might be able to tell me, is the format of the "Unknown" expression. It appears to me that this section can hold quite a lot of data, so just to make a shortcut, I'd like to hear from anyone who might have any ideas as to the format. Also, I suspect the hex following the CDDB_ID is some kind of composite, in which case I expect I will have trouble figuring it out. It extracts the data correctly for a cddb.dat-file having 307 cds, with only one error, which may or may not be due to EAC itself, so I'm satisfied with that. 0000e20: 73a6 5ebb f5b3 a3a4 a3b5 b9a7 dab6 dc3f s.^............? 0000e50: bff4 0000 2f8c 0100 b25c bff4 0000 22aa ..../....\....".
0.957645	Audio crossovers are a type of electronic filter circuitry used in a range of audio applications, to split up an audio signal into two or more frequency ranges, so that the signals can be sent to drivers that are designed for different frequency ranges. Crossovers are often described as "two-way" or "three-way", which indicate, respectively, that the crossover splits a given signal into two frequency ranges or three frequency ranges. Crossovers are used in loudspeaker cabinets, power amplifiers in consumer electronics (hi-fi, home cinema sound and car audio) and pro audio and musical instrument amplifier products. For the latter two markets, crossovers are used in bass amplifiers, keyboard amplifiers, bass and keyboard speaker enclosures and sound reinforcement system equipment (PA speakers, monitor speakers, subwoofer systems, etc.). Crossovers are used because most individual loudspeaker drivers are incapable of covering the entire audio spectrum from low frequencies to high frequencies with acceptable relative volume and absence of distortion. Most hi-fi speaker systems and sound reinforcement system speaker cabinets use a combination of multiple loudspeaker drivers, each catering to a different frequency band. A standard simple example is in hi-fi and PA system cabinets that contain a woofer for low and mid frequencies and a tweeter for high frequencies. Since a sound signal source, be it recorded music from a CD player or a live band's mix from an audio console has all of the low, mid and high frequencies combined, a crossover circuit is used to split the audio signal into separate frequency bands that can be separately routed to loudspeakers, tweeters or horns optimized for those frequency bands. Active crossovers are distinguished from passive crossovers in that whereas passive crossovers split up an amplified signal coming from one power amplifier so that it can be sent to two or more drivers (e.g., a woofer and a very low frequency subwoofer, or a woofer and a tweeter), an active crossover splits up audio signal prior to amplification, so that it can be sent to two or more power amplifiers, each of which is connected to a separate driver type. Home cinema 5.1 surround sound audio systems use a crossover which separates out the low-frequency signal, so that it can be sent to a subwoofer, and then sends the mid- and high-range frequencies to five speakers which are placed around the listener; in a typical application, the signals sent to the surround speaker cabinets are further split up with a passive crossover into a low/mid-range woofer and a high range tweeter. Active crossovers come in both digital and analog varieties. Digital active crossovers often include additional signal processing, such as limiting, delay, and equalization. Signal crossovers allow the audio signal to be split into bands that are processed separately before they are mixed together again. Some examples are multiband dynamics (compression, limiting, de-essing), multiband distortion, bass enhancement, high frequency exciters, and noise reduction such as Dolby A noise reduction. Comparison of the magnitude response of 2 pole Butterworth and Linkwitz-Riley crossover filters. The summed output of the Butterworth filters has a +3dB peak at the crossover frequency. The definition of an ideal audio crossover changes relative to the task and audio application at hand. If the separate bands are to be mixed back together again (as in multiband processing), then the ideal audio crossover would split the incoming audio signal into separate bands that do not overlap or interact and which result in an output signal unchanged in frequency, relative levels, and phase response. This ideal performance can only be approximated. How to implement the best approximation is a matter of lively debate. On the other hand, if the audio crossover separates the audio bands in a loudspeaker, there is no requirement for mathematically ideal characteristics within the crossover itself, as the frequency and phase response of the loudspeaker drivers within their mountings will eclipse the results. Satisfactory output of the complete system comprising the audio crossover and the loudspeaker drivers in their enclosure(s) is the design goal. Such a goal is often achieved using non-ideal, asymmetric crossover filter characteristics. Many different crossover types are used in audio, but they generally belong to one of the following classes. Loudspeakers are often classified as "N-way", where N is the number of drivers in the system. For instance, a speaker with a woofer and a tweeter is 2-way. An N-way speaker usually has an N-way crossover to divide the signal among the drivers. A 2-way crossover consists of a low-pass and a high-pass filter. A 3-way crossover is constructed as a combination of low-pass, band-pass and high-pass filters (LPF, BPF and HPF respectively). The BPF section is in turn a combination of HPF and LPF sections. 4 (or more) way crossovers are not very common in speaker design, primarily due to the complexity involved, which is not generally justified by better acoustic performance. An extra HPF section may be present in an "N-way" loudspeaker crossover to protect the lowest-frequency driver from frequencies lower than it can safely handle. Such a crossover would then have a bandpass filter for the lowest-frequency driver. Similarly, the highest-frequency driver may have a protective LPF section to prevent high frequency damage, though this is far less common. Recently, a number of manufacturers have begun using what is often called "N.5-way" crossover techniques for stereo loudspeaker crossovers. This usually indicates the addition of a second woofer that plays the same bass range as the main woofer but rolls off far before the main woofer does. Remark: Filter sections mentioned here is not to be confused with the individual 2-pole filter sections that a higher order filter consists of. Crossovers can also be classified based on the type of components used. A passive crossover circuit is often mounted in a speaker enclosure to split up the amplified signal into a lower-frequency signal range and a higher-frequency signal range. A passive crossover splits up an audio signal after it is amplified by a single power amplifier, so that the amplified signal can be sent to two or more driver types, each of which represent different frequency ranges. These crossover are made entirely of passive components and circuitry; the term "passive" means that no additional power source is needed for the circuitry. A passive crossover just needs to be connected by wiring to the power amplifier signal. Passive crossovers are usually arranged in a Cauer topology to achieve a Butterworth filter effect. Passive filters use resistors combined with reactive components such as capacitors and inductors. Very high performance passive crossovers are likely to be more expensive than active crossovers since individual components capable of good performance at the high currents and voltages at which speaker systems are driven are hard to make. Inexpensive consumer electronics products, such as budget-priced Home theater in a box packages and low-cost boom boxes use lower quality passive crossovers. Expensive hi-fi speaker systems and receivers use higher quality passive crossovers, to obtain improved sound quality and lower distortion. The same price/quality approach is used with sound reinforcement system equipment and musical instrument amplifiers and speaker cabinets; a low-priced stage monitor, PA speaker or bass amplifier speaker cabinet will typically use lower quality, lower priced passive crossovers, whereas high-priced, high quality cabinets will use better quality crossovers. Passive crossovers may use capacitors made from polypropylene, metalized polyester foil, paper and electrolytic capacitors technology. Inductors may have air cores, powdered metal cores, ferrite cores, or laminated silicon steel cores, and most are wound with enamelled copper wire. Some passive networks include devices such as fuses, PTC devices, bulbs or circuit breakers to protect the loudspeaker drivers from accidental overpowering (e.g., from sudden surges or spikes). Modern passive crossovers increasingly incorporate equalization networks (e.g., Zobel networks) that compensate for the changes in impedance with frequency inherent in virtually all loudspeakers. The issue is complex, as part of the change in impedance is due to acoustic loading changes across a driver's passband. On the negative side, passive networks may be bulky and cause power loss. They are not only frequency specific, but also impedance specific. This prevents interchangeability with speaker systems of different impedances. Ideal crossover filters, including impedance compensation and equalization networks, can be very difficult to design, as the components interact in complex ways. Crossover design expert Siegfried Linkwitz said of them that "the only excuse for passive crossovers is their low cost. Their behavior changes with the signal level dependent dynamics of the drivers. They block the power amplifier from taking maximum control over the voice coil motion. They are a waste of time, if accuracy of reproduction is the goal." Alternatively, passive components can be utilised to construct filter circuits before the amplifier. This is called passive line-level crossover. An active crossover contains active components in its filters. In recent years, the most commonly used active device is an op-amp; active crossovers are operated at levels suited to power amplifier inputs in contrast to passive crossovers which operate after the power amplifier's output, at high current and in some cases high voltage. On the other hand, all circuits with gain introduce noise, and such noise has a deleterious effect when introduced prior to the signal being amplified by the power amplifiers. a frequency response independent of the dynamic changes in a driver's electrical characteristics. reduction in power amplifier output requirement. With no energy being lost in passive components, amplifier requirements are reduced considerably (up to 1/2 in some cases), reducing costs, and potentially increasing quality. Active crossovers can be implemented digitally using a DSP chip or other microprocessor. They either use digital approximations to traditional analog circuits, known as IIR filters (Bessel, Butterworth, Linkwitz-Riley etc.), or they use Finite impulse response (FIR) filters. IIR filters have many similarities with analog filters and are relatively undemanding of CPU resources; FIR filters on the other hand usually have a higher order and therefore require more resources for similar characteristics. They can be designed and built so that they have a linear phase response, which is thought desirable by many involved in sound reproduction. There are drawbacks though—in order to achieve linear phase response, a longer delay time is incurred than would be necessary with an IIR or minimum phase FIR filters. IIR filters, which are by nature recursive have the drawback that if not carefully designed they may enter limit cycles resulting in non-linear distortion. This crossover type is mechanical and uses the properties of the materials in a driver diaphragm to achieve the necessary filtering. Such crossovers are commonly found in full-range speakers which are designed to cover as much of the audio band as possible. One such is constructed by coupling the cone of the speaker to the voice coil bobbin through a compliant section and directly attaching a small lightweight whizzer cone to the bobbin. This compliant section serves as a compliant filter, so the main cone is not vibrated at higher frequencies. The whizzer cone responds to all frequencies, but due to its smaller size only gives a useful output at higher frequencies, thereby implementing a mechanical crossover function. Careful selection of materials used for the cone, whizzer and suspension elements determines the crossover frequency and the effectiveness of the crossover. Such mechanical crossovers are complex to design, especially if high fidelity is desired. Computer aided design has largely replaced the laborious trial and error approach that was historically used. Over several years, the compliance of the materials may change, negatively affecting the frequency response of the speaker. A more common approach is to employ the dust cap as a high frequency radiator. The dust cap radiates low frequencies, moving as part of the main assembly, but due to low-mass and reduced damping, radiates increased energy at higher frequencies. As with whizzer cones, careful selection of material, shape and position are required to provide smooth, extended output. High frequency dispersion is somewhat different for this approach than for whizzer cones. A related approach is to shape the main cone with such profile, and of such materials, that the neck area remains more rigid, radiating all frequencies, while the outer areas of the cone are selectively decoupled, radiating only at lower frequencies. Cone profiles and materials can be modeled in FEA software and the results predicted to excellent tolerances. Speakers which use these mechanical crossovers have some advantages in sound quality despite the difficulties of designing and manufacturing them, and despite the inevitable output limitations. Full-range drivers have a single acoustic center, and can have relatively modest phase change across the audio spectrum. For best performance at low frequencies, these drivers require careful enclosure design. Their small size (typically 165 to 200 mm) requires considerable cone excursion to reproduce bass effectively, but the short voice coils required for reasonable high frequency performance can only move over a limited range. Nevertheless, within these constraints, cost and complications are reduced, as no crossovers are required. Just as filters have different orders, so do crossovers, depending on the filter slope they implement. The final acoustic slope may be completely determined by the electrical filter or may be achieved by combining the electrical filter's slope with the natural characteristics of the driver. In the former case, the only requirement is that each driver has a flat response at least to the point where its signal is approximately −10dB down from the passband. In the latter case, the final acoustic slope is usually steeper than that of the electrical filters used. A third- or fourth-order acoustic crossover often has just a second order electrical filter. This requires that speaker drivers be well behaved a considerable way from the nominal crossover frequency, and further that the high frequency driver be able to survive a considerable input in a frequency range below its crossover point. This is difficult in actual practice. In the discussion below, the characteristics of the electrical filter order is discussed, followed by a discussion of crossovers having that acoustic slope and their advantages or disadvantages. Most audio crossovers use first to fourth order electrical filters. Higher orders are not generally implemented in passive crossovers for loudspeakers, but are sometimes found in electronic equipment under circumstances for which their considerable cost and complexity can be justified. First-order filters have a 20 dB/decade (or 6 dB/octave) slope. All first-order filters have a Butterworth filter characteristic. First-order filters are considered by many audiophiles to be ideal for crossovers. This is because this filter type is 'transient perfect', meaning it passes both amplitude and phase unchanged across the range of interest. It also uses the fewest parts and has the lowest insertion loss (if passive). A first-order crossover allows more signals of unwanted frequencies to get through in the LPF and HPF sections than do higher order configurations. While woofers can easily take this (aside from generating distortion at frequencies above those they can properly handle), smaller high frequency drivers (especially tweeters) are more likely to be damaged since they are not capable of handling large power inputs at frequencies below their rated crossover point. In practice, speaker systems with true first order acoustic slopes are difficult to design because they require large overlapping driver bandwidth, and the shallow slopes mean that non-coincident drivers interfere over a wide frequency range and cause large response shifts off-axis. Second-order filters have a 40 dB/decade (or 12 dB/octave) slope. Second-order filters can have a Bessel, Linkwitz-Riley or Butterworth characteristic depending on design choices and the components used. This order is commonly used in passive crossovers as it offers a reasonable balance between complexity, response, and higher frequency driver protection. When designed with time aligned physical placement, these crossovers have a symmetrical polar response, as do all even order crossovers. It is commonly thought that there will always be a phase difference of 180° between the outputs of a (second order) low-pass filter and a high-pass filter having the same crossover frequency. And so, in a 2-way system, the high-pass section's output is usually connected to the high frequency driver 'inverted', to correct for this phase problem. For passive systems, the tweeter is wired with opposite polarity to the woofer; for active crossovers the high-pass filter's output is inverted. In 3-way systems the mid-range driver or filter is inverted. However, this is generally only true when the speakers have a wide response overlap and the acoustic centers are physically aligned. Third-order filters have a 60 dB/decade (or 18 dB/octave) slope. These crossovers usually have Butterworth filter characteristics; phase response is very good, the level sum being flat and in phase quadrature, similar to a first order crossover. The polar response is asymmetric. In the original D'Appolito MTM arrangement, a symmetrical arrangement of drivers is used to create a symmetrical off-axis response when using third-order crossovers. Third-order acoustic crossovers are often built from first- or second-order filter circuits. Fourth-order filters have an 80 dB/decade (or 24 dB/octave) slope. These filters are complex to design in passive form, because the components interact with each other. Steep-slope passive networks are less tolerant of parts value deviations or tolerances, and more sensitive to mis-termination with reactive driver loads. A 4th order crossover with −6 dB crossover point and flat summing is also known as a Linkwitz-Riley crossover (named after its inventors), and can be constructed in active form by cascading two 2nd order Butterworth filter sections. The output signals of this crossover order are in phase, thus avoiding partial phase inversion if the crossover bandpasses are electrically summed, as they would be within the output stage of a multiband compressor. Crossovers used in loudspeaker design do not require the filter sections to be in phase: smooth output characteristics are often achieved using non-ideal, asymmetric crossover filter characteristics. Bessel, Butterworth and Chebyshev are among the possible crossover topologies. Such steep-slope filters have greater problems with overshoot and ringing but there are several key advantages, even in their passive form, such as the potential for a lower crossover point and increased power handling for tweeters, together with less overlap between drivers, dramatically reducing lobing, or other unwelcome off-axis effects. With less overlap between adjacent drivers, their location relative to each other becomes less critical and allows more latitude in speaker system cosmetics or (in car audio) practical installation constraints. Passive crossovers giving acoustic slopes higher than fourth-order are not common because of cost and complexity. Filters of up to 96 dB per octave are available in active crossovers and loudspeaker management systems. Series and parallel crossover topologies. The HPF and LPF sections for the series crossover are interchanged with respect to the parallel crossover since they appear in shunt with the low & high frequency drivers. Parallel crossovers are by far the most common. Electrically the filters are in parallel and thus the various filter sections do not interact. This makes two-way crossovers easier to design because, in terms of electrical impedance, the sections can be considered separate and because component tolerance variations will be isolated but like all crossovers, the final design relies on the output of the drivers to be complementary acoustically and this in turn requires careful matching in amplitude and phase of the underlying crossover. Parallel crossovers also have the advantage of allowing the speaker drivers to be bi-wired whose benefits are hotly disputed. In this topology, the individual filters are connected in series, and a driver or driver combination is connected in parallel with each filter. To understand the signal path in this type of crossover, refer to the "Series Crossover" figure, and consider a high frequency signal that, during a certain moment, has a positive voltage on the upper Input terminal compared to the lower Input terminal. The low pass filter (LPF) presents a high impedance to the signal, and the tweeter presents a low impedance; so the signal passes through the tweeter. The signal continues to the connection point between the woofer and the high pass filter (HPF). There, the HPF presents a low impedance to the signal, so the signal passes through the HPF, and appears at the lower Input terminal. A low frequency signal with a similar instantaneous voltage characteristic first passes through the LPF, then the woofer, and appears at the lower Input terminal. or both. In case (a), above, the usual situation is that the derived low pass response attenuates at a much slower rate than the fixed response. This requires the speaker to which it is directed to continue to respond to signals deep into the stopband where its physical characteristics may not be ideal. In the case of (b), above, both speakers are required to operate at higher volume levels as the signal nears the crossover points. This uses more amplifier power and may drive the speaker cones into non-linearity. Professionals and hobbyists have access to a range of computer tools which were not available before. These computer based measurement and simulation tools allow for the modeling and virtual design of various parts of a speaker system which greatly accelerate and improve the quality of a speaker. These tools range from commercial to free offerings. Their scope also varies. Some may focus on woofer/cabinet design and issues related to volume and ports (if any) while others may focus on the crossover and frequency response. Some tools for instance only simulate baffle step response. In the period before computer modeling made it affordable and quick to simulate the combined effects of drivers, crossovers and cabinets a number of issues could go unnoticed by the speaker designer. For instance, simplistic three-way crossovers were designed as a pair of two-way crossovers: the tweeter/mid-range and the other the mid-range/woofer sections. This could create excess gain and a 'haystack' response in the mid-range output, together with a lower than anticipated input impedance. Other issues such as improper phase matching or incomplete modelling of the driver impedance curves could also go unnoticed. These problems were not impossible to solve, but required more iterations, time and effort than they do today. ^ a b Hughes, Charles. "Using Crossovers in the Real World". Excelsior Audio Design and Services. ^ Linkwitz, Siegfried (October 2009). "Crossovers". Retrieved March 31, 2010. ^ See, Crawford, D., Constructing a Room Equalizer, Audio Magazine, Sept. 1972 p. 21, in which the slopes are symmetrical, and The Audio Pages, Subtractive Crossover Networks. http://sound.whsites.net/articles/derived-xovers.htm Retrieved August 11, 2007. Lenard Education on crossovers illustrated overview of audio crossovers. diyAudioAndVideo.com – DIY Audio site with information on building crossovers. Includes a crossover calculator for 15 different types of crossovers.
0.995248	In what is a shocking example of how the 'New Navy' is not the same wartime Navy of the past, the New York Post is reporting that sailors aboard the ship captured back in January by Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrol boats, quickly capitulated and gave up much more information than was previously reported. They gave up laptop passwords, cell phones and some technical information about the ship and it's capabilities. All in violation of the Navy code to only reveal name rank and serial number. They then bent over, were handcuffed and made to make incriminating statements, including the Captain reading an apology, all of which was later broadcast on Iranian TV. The sad part is, they did all of that AFTER their release had already been negotiated by the Pentagon. I have always enjoyed listening to Dennis Prager, as he is the closest thing to a reasoned and extremely well educated, articulate professor as there is on Talk Radio. His ability to think critically, to reduce obfuscation and find the essence of debate is beyond reproach. Please look at his essay regarding education and what America needs to do to get back to the basics, to actually serve our youth, and in turn, to produce a generation of young adults capable of managing the future of America. Therefore the crime would fall under the purview of the military and prosecuted by a tribunal. It would allow for a relaxation of normal civil liberties where terrorists and theiir cohorts often exploit our liberal restrictions on investigations and prosecutions. It would not remove a single gun from anybody, but it would change the implications of using an assault weapon, a rocket launcher or any war weapon in the commission of any crime. And when an AR-15 is used in a massacre such as Orlando, the new law allow our military to get involved, as they should be. Would such an act be possible? Only if all Americans decide we are at war, and when it is happening in our own backyard we need to respond appropriately. Once again, our President wags his finger and lectures his political opponents like Nurse Ratched: Take your medicine! Only gun control will reduce the number and frequency of 'Lone Wolf' attacks on our citizens! Please! When will your totally dishonest and disproven dogma about gun control get out of the way so Americans can start seeing some progress towards winning this war against barbarians? Mr. Obama, look at Chicago! In 2016 there have been over 1500 shootings, with at least 250 people shot dead. On Memorial weekend alone there were 63 shootings and 6 murders! All despite an assault weapons ban, a violence tax, and strict limitations on gun dealers and purchases, after legislation driven by liberal politicians, none of which have shown any positive effects on the dramatic and uncontrolled gun violence in your hometown! As former Utah Jazz President Frank Leyden once asked of one of the players, "...what is it with you, is it just ignorance or is it apathy?"
0.999991	…and need to be removed from pertinent Wikipedia pages ASAP. Why? Because he has a clear anti-Hungarian bias and agenda. Tonight, while I was lost in a Wikipedia hole about Hungarian history, I came across some of Thomas Hodgkin’s thoughts on Hungarian language and anthropology from 1892, printed as gospel on the Wikipedia page. Not the famous British scientist mind you, but his nephew, who was a Quaker minister and banker. Just like his uncle, Hodgkin’s hobby was also that of an armchair historian. The writings of both Hodgkins were trusted, printed and widely circulated. Besides being outright offensive, this is a false equivalence. The Hungarian traditions Hodgkin writes of were written by Hungarian scholars and writers living in Hungary, in the Carpathian Basin, where Atilla the Hun had a capital city. One of the texts in question, the medieval Gesta Hungarorum, was written in the 12th century, incorporated oral history motifs and made mention of minstrels rhymes and tales from peasants. The book of Mormon claiming ancestry with the Jews was written in the late 1800’s, in America, by a wealthy man who had visions in his backyard. They are not the same thing. Hodgkin dismisses Hungarian traditions in his book because, he says, most were written 500+ years after Attila existed. His reasoning is people could have embellished stories, and this makes their tales problematic and unfit to be used. Fine. I understand this. The same argument can be used on Christianity too but whatever. However, reading further, Hodgkin was more keen to entertain stories of Attila, also written 500 years later, if they came from countries that were not Hungary, but say France or Norway. Wait, so Hodgkin thinks texts written about a person by people living where said person lived are not to be trusted or considered, at all? He summarizes Priscus’ detailed account of ambassadors from Constantinople traveling to meet Attila. They have to go through what Hodgkin calls the “recesses of Hungary,” to “meeting in a dingy little village in Hungary” to get to Attila’s palace. For more than 2,000 years, the Great Hungarian Plain (known as the Alföld in Hungarian) has been home to a rich cultural tradition of pastoral living and animal husbandry techniques – from ancient nomadic tribes who left behind stone burial mounds known as kurgans, to the fierce Magyar warriors who arrived in the late 9th Century and founded a network of settlements along the Tisza River. TL;DR: Historian Thomas Hodgkin clearly hates Hungary, as evident by how he describes the country, and dismisses all texts written by Hungarians. Maybe a Hungarian woman was mean to him once?
0.957678	One of the most inspiring books that I've ever read has to be The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The story of the struggle of a very typical American farmer family in the 1930s, faced with varying degrees of contempt and starvation, provides a lot of strength of motivation within my life. The trials and terrible situations that the family has to go through (while at first being very naïve about it all), is an eye opener to many of the people who had never really encountered the kind of situation that the family was in their every day lives. It gives you a lot of inspiration to try and survive in a world where many people dislike you for who you are. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck portrays a very intriguing story about the suffering of an American family due to the laws set up by the fortunate people in life, but it also shows that life can still persist even in the harsh environment.
0.999939	Amitabh Bachchan was born on October 11, 1942 in Allahabad, India. In 1969, he debuted in Saat Hindustani. His role in 1972's Zanjeer made him an action movie star. In the 1980s, Bachchan held a seat in the Indian Parliament. In the '90s, he started his own production company. He returned to acting in 1997, with Mrityudaata. In 2000, he began hosting the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. Amitabh Bachchan (pronounced born 11 October 1942) is an Indian film actor, film director, film producer, music composer, television host and former politician.
0.999919	How can I foster a relationship with my guardian angel? To start, it's a good idea to greet them and ask for their assistance during the day. Lose your keys? Want a good laugh? Catholics know to turn to the saints.
0.981292	You wake up with a sore throat and the sniffles; is it an excuse to roll over and catch an extra hour of sleep, or should you lace up your shoes and go for a jog? That depends. Learning to tune in to your symptoms will help you discern whether exercise is going to help or hurt. The “neck check” is a general rule of thumb regarding exercise and illness: if your symptoms are above the neck, it’s generally considered safe to exercise; if your symptoms are below the neck, however, it’s best to rest. Below the neck: Symptoms that are below the neck include chest congestion, hacking cough, body aches, chills, diarrhea, and upset stomach. Regardless of what you uncovered during the neck check, a fever trumps all. If you have a fever, refrain from exercising until your temperature returns to normal. A fever is a sign that your body is fighting an infection. You want to provide your body with the rest it needs to do this important work. Reduce intensity. Studies have shown that exercising at a low-to-moderate intensity level will not compromise the immune system or exacerbate the symptoms of a cold. High-intensity exercise, however, can have a negative impact on the immune system. Say yes to an easy walk or jog, but say no to weightlifting and high-intensity aerobic exercise. Get more sleep. Allow more rest time than you normally would. Exercise plus illness is a double whammy for your body, so give it time to recover by getting extra sleep. Drink water. Hydration is always important, but it’s even more critical when you’re ill. Drink more water than you normally would. If you have a daily exercise habit, it’s inevitable that at some point you’ll encounter the exercise/illness conundrum. Sometimes exercise can relieve nasal congestion and provide an energy boost; other times it leads only to a downward spiral. You are the best judge of what your body needs. Use exercise wisely to get well and stay well.
0.998985	This article was published as a guest post on fluentcpp.com. Function poisoning is an interesting option to prevent the usage of a function in a codebase, but it is not always available. In some environments, your code is immune to poison. The pragma is also compiler-specific, as for now it only works with gcc and clang. That’s why I would like to present alternative approaches: deprecate and delete. This article was published as a guest post on fluent cpp. What does it mean to poison a function? The gcc compiler has an interesting pragma that I’ve rediscovered after four years since I’ve noticed it the first time: #pragma GCC poison. It works as follow: If there is an identifier that you want to prohibit in your source code, you can "poison" it, in order to get a compile error if that identifier appears in your codebase. Using regex for validation might cause more harm than good. The introduction to this article series can be found here, whereas here you can find all posts. In the last article I mentioned how there are many algorithms for solving ODE’s, but showed only the implementation for explicit and implicit Euler. The reason behind my decision was that those algorithms, and many others as well, are part of a larger family of algorithm: The Runge-Kutta methods. Again, Wikipedia does a great job by describing how to put up such a system.
0.953234	Steam engines are mechanisms that use heat to create steam, which in turn performs mechanical processes, known generally as work. While several inventors and innovators worked on various aspects of using steam for power, the major development of early steam engines involves three inventors and three principal engine designs. The first steam engine used for work was patented by the Englishman Thomas Savery in 1698 and was used to pump water out of mine shafts. The basic process involved a cylinder that was filled with water. Steam was then delivered to the cylinder, displacing the water, which flowed out through a one-way valve. Once all of the water was ejected, the cylinder was sprayed with cool water to drop the cylinder's temperature and condense the steam inside. This created a vacuum inside the cylinder, which then pulled up additional water to refill the cylinder, completing the pump cycle. Another Englishman, Thomas Newcomen, improved on Slavery's pump with a design he developed around 1712. Newcomen's engine included a piston inside of a cylinder. The top of the piston was connected to one end of a pivoting beam. A pump mechanism was connected to the other end of the beam so that water was drawn up whenever the beam tilted up on the pump end. To propel the pump, steam was delivered to the piston cylinder. At the same time, a counterweight pulled the beam down on the pump end, which made the piston rise to the top of the steam cylinder. Once the cylinder was full of steam, cool water was sprayed inside the cylinder, quickly condensing the steam and creating a vacuum inside the cylinder. This caused the piston to drop, moving the beam down on the piston end and up on the pump end. The cycle then repeated automatically as long as steam was applied to the cylinder. Newcomen's piston design effectively created a separation between the water being pumped out and the cylinder used to create the pumping power. This greatly improved on the efficiency of Slavery's original design. However, because Savery's held a broad patent on his own steam pump, Newcomen had to collaborate with Savery to patent the piston pump. Scotsman James Watt significantly improved and developed the steam engine over the second half of the 18th century, making it a truly viable piece of machinery that helped start the Industrial Revolution. The first major innovation of Watt's was to include a separate condenser so that the steam didn't have to be cooled in the same cylinder that contained the piston. This meant the piston cylinder remained at a much more consistent temperature, greatly increasing the fuel efficiency of the engine. Watt also developed an engine that could rotate a shaft, rather than an up-and-down pumping action, as well as a flywheel that allowed for smooth power transfer between the engine and the workload. With these and other innovations, the steam engine became applicable to a variety of factory processes, and Watt and his business partner, Matthew Boulton, built several hundred engines for industrial use. The early 19th century saw major innovation of high-pressure steam engines, which were much more efficient than the low-pressure designs of Watt's and the others steam-engine pioneers. This led to the development of much smaller, more powerful steam engines that could be used to power trains and boats and to perform a wider range of industrial tasks, such as running saws in mills. Two important innovators of these engines were American Oliver Evans and Englishman Richard Trevithick. Over time, steam engines were replaced by the internal combustion engine for most types of locomotion and industrial work, but the use of steam generators to create electricity remains an important part of electrical power production today.
0.999964	Editor's Note: Kathy Carter has played soccer since childhood, including for the College of William and Mary. She was a founding member of Major League Soccer in 1996 and served as vice president of corporate marketing for MLS for six years. She has also been the US representative on FIFA's Committee for Women's Football and the FIFA Women's World Cup. Carter was most recently the president of Soccer United Marketing, where she managed the business operations for MLS' commercial subsidiary. The views expressed here are solely the author's. (CNN)-Since the first day I walked onto the soccer field, when I was 7 years old, I have been questioned and doubted. I was asked: Do you have what it takes to play this sport? Are you tall enough to be a goalkeeper? Are you quick enough? Is your skin thick enough for you to take a loss and bounce back stronger? At every stage, I heard questions -- some spoken aloud, some whispered -- about me, my talent, my body, my character. This line of questioning starts at a young age for girls. Unfortunately, it doesn't end when we leave the soccer field, or as we become adults. Just the opposite, in fact. For women, it becomes our norm as we enter the workplace. Soccer gave me the confidence to work through the added pressure, prove the doubters wrong, and resolve to clear a smoother path for future generations of women. I was fortunate to have played for supportive coaches and with tremendous teammates. Not every young woman is so lucky. My dad was one of my first coaches; he did this job with a "how to" book in his hands and baseball cleats on his feet. In high school, I was named an All-American, and I went on to start for a nationally ranked team at the College of William and Mary. When I was finishing my final college season in 1990, there was no professional pathway for female players in the United States. No pro leagues to join, no National Women's Soccer League to aspire to, and no post-collegiate female players to look up to. So I continued to play in amateur adult leagues. My career as a soccer player came to an end not because I wanted it to, but because there was no option for women to make a career out of playing the best sport in the world here at home. I didn't always know my future was in soccer, but what I did know was that I loved the game. Then, good fortune struck when a friend from an opposing team introduced me to members of the 1994 World Cup Organizing Committee and I was given a shot to make the game my profession. I've never looked back. I'm very proud of my playing career and my career as an executive in the game. But I have news for anyone reading this: The doubting questions have never stopped. As I made the transition from player to executive, the questions just changed. Would men take a woman as president of US Soccer seriously? Would people listen to her? Could she lead such a large and high-stakes organization? I've answered these questions in business and plan to do so in a new role: I am now running for another leadership position in soccer, that of president of the US Soccer Federation. Before I began this effort, my journey was, like most people's, outside the glaring lights. Now that I'm in the race, even though I bring both soccer and relevant business experience to the table, questions abound. Does she have enough soccer experience? Is her business experience the right kind? Is she her own person? Has she done enough as a woman in the game? In the international soccer community, out of FIFA's 211 member associations, there are only a few female leaders. In the United States, there are several women serving as leaders of their respective sports, but it is not nearly enough. Kids dream of representing our country on the global stage as players, coaches, referees, executives or administrators. I want to show them, especially young girls, that any of these options are within their grasp. If elected, I'll be the first female president of US Soccer, but I'll fight for all the things any good leader wants, confronting challenges, such as rebounding from the failure of our men's national team to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and remedying our confusing youth soccer landscape. I'm optimistic about the future because the American soccer community is talented, committed and ready to deeply assess what's wrong and work together -- plus our women's national team is heading to France in 2019 to defend our world championship. It is a time of change and we must focus on unity and collaboration to drive progress. This work starts with changing the federation's culture, prioritizing improvements in youth soccer, growing the adult game, building a new technical department to support all our national teams, and going all-in on the women's game. I know the doubts I've faced throughout my career are faced by many women -- most women. I know because a lot of them tell me. Like them, I have responded the only way I know how: I've worked harder to be more prepared, to see every angle, to avoid every error possible. I've learned through successes and yes, sometimes through failures, the importance of listening, working constructively, setting ambitious goals, and helping everyone succeed together. Inside me is still the 5-foot-5 goalkeeper about whom no one ever said at first glance, "Wow, she's going to be great." I had to earn everything I got and I am extremely proud of that. I'm also proud of the female teammates I've had in business, another lesson from the game. Throughout my career, I've mentored, supported and counseled hundreds of young women building their own careers in sports. Today, these women are part of a growing network of successful women who are rising through the ranks of professional sports leagues, front offices, sports apparel companies, TV networks and sports marketing agencies. And, I have benefited from their wisdom, support, hard work and professionalism. Among the things that excite me most about the possibility of leading US Soccer is the opportunity to address diversity and equality head on. I want treatment of our girls and women to be equal across the sport and from top to bottom -- from pay to training staff to field conditions and beyond. I want to take all that I've learned from my own experiences and from these female teammates and use it to invest in helping all our national teams continue to inspire the country and the world. I want generations of young girls and boys to have soccer -- and the lessons from soccer -- running through their veins.
0.998389	Augusto Pinochet attended a military college, and served with distinction in Chile's Army. He was rapidly promoted, and continued his studies at the Chilean war academy, Academia de Guerra, where he also taught. In the early 1950s, Pinochet was involved in Chile's arrests and imprisonment of communists, suspected communists, and union leaders. For about two years, Pinochet commanded a concentration camp for commies. Times change, and in 1970, a Socialist, Salvador Allende, was elected President of Chile. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency secretly spent millions of dollars funding Chilean opposition groups, to "create pressures, exploit weaknesses [and] magnify obstacles" for Allende. Within a few years the Chilean economy was in chaos, and the CIA spent at least $11 million more to plan and fund a coup that would put Pinochet in power. Almost comically unaware, Allende gave Pinochet complete command of the Army. On 11 September 1973, the coup toppled Chile's government, and Allende was either killed or committed suicide. Pinochet promptly appointed himself President, suspended the Constitution, closed Parliament, banned opposition political activists, illegalized trade unions, and initiated media censorship. Soccer stadiums and military bases were converted into prisons, while new prisons were rapidly constructed. "Liberal" judges were fired, and suspected leftists were rounded up, imprisoned, tortured, and killed. At least thousands of people (some say many more) who spoke out against Pinochet were arrested, and never heard from again. They were called "the disappeared". During this time, the head of Chile's secret police was on the CIA payroll. The U.S. was one of the first nations to recognize Pinochet's presidency as "legitimate", and restored foreign aid that had been stopped while Allende was President. In short, Pinochet was America's man in Chile. Pinochet gave his country a new Constitution in 1980 which, among other things, gave him the absolute power to arrest, imprison, or exile any citizen for any reason with no recourse, solely on his say-so. The new Constitution, however, also established that he would face a plebiscite (yes/no vote) in 1988. As that date approached, opposition forces united and risked their lives by campaigning for a no vote, and "no" won. Pinochet stepped down as President in 1990, but under the terms of the Constitution he'd written, he remained commander of the Army until 1998. Not surprisingly, there were no prosecutions against high-ranking officials of the Pinochet Presidency during this time. When he resigned as commander of the Army, he became a Chilean Senator-for-life -- another stipulation of Pinochet's Constitution. He was arrested in England in 1998, under a Spanish warrant for crimes against humanity. Due to his frail health, however, Pinochet was allowed to return to Chile, where his health seemed to improve quickly. In 2003, the United States came the closest it's ever come to apologizing for all this: A reporter asked Secretary of State Colin Powell about Allende and Chile, and he answered, "it is not a part of American history that we're proud of".
0.999965	Elijah Roy Osborne was 36 years old when John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas; hours later, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in aboard Air Force One as the 36th President of the United States. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, commonly referred to by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. He served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his presidency dealt with managing relations with the Soviet Union. As a member of the Democratic Party, Kennedy represented the state of Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate prior to becoming president. Elijah Roy Osborne was 3 years old when Great Depression: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposes a $150 million (equivalent to $2,197,000,000 in 2017) public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy. The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; in most countries it started in 1929 and lasted until the late-1930s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the world's economy can decline. Great Depression: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposes a $150 million (equivalent to $2,197,000,000 in 2017) public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy. The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; in most countries it started in 1929 and lasted until the late-1930s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the world's economy can decline. Elijah Roy Osborne was 12 years old when The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz. The Holocaust, also referred to as the Shoah, was a genocide during World War II in which Nazi Germany, aided by its collaborators, systematically murdered some six million European Jews, around two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe, between 1941 and 1945. Jews were targeted for extermination as part of a larger event involving the persecution and murder of other groups, including in particular the Roma and "incurably sick", as well as ethnic Poles and other Slavs, Soviet citizens, Soviet prisoners of war, political opponents, gay men and Jehovah's Witnesses, resulting in up to 17 million deaths overall. The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz. The Holocaust, also referred to as the Shoah, was a genocide during World War II in which Nazi Germany, aided by its collaborators, systematically murdered some six million European Jews, around two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe, between 1941 and 1945. Jews were targeted for extermination as part of a larger event involving the persecution and murder of other groups, including in particular the Roma and "incurably sick", as well as ethnic Poles and other Slavs, Soviet citizens, Soviet prisoners of war, political opponents, gay men and Jehovah's Witnesses, resulting in up to 17 million deaths overall. Elijah Roy Osborne was 30 years old when Space Race: Launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. The Space Race refers to the 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US), for dominance in spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the missile-based nuclear arms race between the two nations that occurred following World War II, aided by captured German missile technology and personnel from the Aggregat program. The technological superiority required for such dominance was seen as necessary for national security, and symbolic of ideological superiority. The Space Race spawned pioneering efforts to launch artificial satellites, uncrewed space probes of the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and human spaceflight in low Earth orbit and to the Moon. Space Race: Launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. The Space Race refers to the 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US), for dominance in spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the missile-based nuclear arms race between the two nations that occurred following World War II, aided by captured German missile technology and personnel from the Aggregat program. The technological superiority required for such dominance was seen as necessary for national security, and symbolic of ideological superiority. The Space Race spawned pioneering efforts to launch artificial satellites, uncrewed space probes of the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and human spaceflight in low Earth orbit and to the Moon. Elijah Roy Osborne was 49 years old when Star Wars is released in theaters. Star Wars is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first film in the original Star Wars trilogy and the beginning of the Star Wars franchise. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew, the film focuses on the Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia (Fisher), and its attempt to destroy the Galactic Empire's space station, the Death Star. Star Wars is released in theaters. Star Wars is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first film in the original Star Wars trilogy and the beginning of the Star Wars franchise. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew, the film focuses on the Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia (Fisher), and its attempt to destroy the Galactic Empire's space station, the Death Star. Elijah Roy Osborne was 55 years old when Michael Jackson's Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, was released. Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he was one of the most popular entertainers in the world, and was the best-selling music artist during the year of his death. Jackson's contributions to music, dance, and fashion along with his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. Michael Jackson's Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, was released. Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he was one of the most popular entertainers in the world, and was the best-selling music artist during the year of his death. Jackson's contributions to music, dance, and fashion along with his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. Elijah Roy Osborne was 66 years old when The Rwandan genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down. The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, was a genocidal mass slaughter of Tutsi in Rwanda by members of the Hutu majority government. An estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans were killed during the 100-day period from 7 April to mid-July 1994, constituting as many as 70% of the Tutsi population. Additionally, 30% of the Pygmy Batwa were killed. The genocide and widespread slaughter of Rwandans ended when the Tutsi-backed and heavily armed Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) led by Paul Kagame took control of the country. An estimated 2,000,000 Rwandans, mostly Hutus, were displaced and became refugees. The Rwandan genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down. The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, was a genocidal mass slaughter of Tutsi in Rwanda by members of the Hutu majority government. An estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans were killed during the 100-day period from 7 April to mid-July 1994, constituting as many as 70% of the Tutsi population. Additionally, 30% of the Pygmy Batwa were killed. The genocide and widespread slaughter of Rwandans ended when the Tutsi-backed and heavily armed Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) led by Paul Kagame took control of the country. An estimated 2,000,000 Rwandans, mostly Hutus, were displaced and became refugees.
0.999983	State the properties of rhombus. Does the digonals of rhombus are equal and bisect each other. Rhombus is a parallelogram with sides of equal length. (1) All properties of a parallelogram. (2) Diagonals are perpendicular to each other. Since, rhombus is a parallelogram, its diagonals bisect one another.
0.999951	Generate descriptive words to inform the mood boards and visual direction of the project. Prior to working on the visual design for a product, project or website, you often need the entire product team and stakeholders to agree upon a common terminology for the look and feel of things. This exercise provides a space for everyone to explore what a successful and effective design might be. This is also a great opportunity to decide what just feels right for this specific design opportunity. This method can be done as part of the Visual Design Workshop. The workshop is most effective when done as a kickoff to the visual design phase(s) of a project. This can happen well before the ux direction of the project is defined and/or the design of wireframes is finalized. Because remote or not co-located meetings can be extremely draining, consider breaking this workshop into a few sessions - with each session no longer than 90 minutes. The actual scheduling will depend on the client, the availability, the timeline, etc. Designers and stakeholders. These should be done collaboratively. The bonus of collaborating and working openly is that there is a shared understanding and valuable conversations that arrive through the process. Place tons of different images on a board in a matrix. To do this remotely, use a tool such as BoardThing. Explain to participants that they are able to vote on 10 images: 5 that feel right and 5 that don’t feel right. As a group, review the project brief and personas (if there are any). Think about the users of the product or project. What do they like? What appeals to them? One way to do the activity is to assign participants to play the role of one of the personas. They must answer questions posed to the group from the personas viewpoint. Give participants 20 minutes to study the pictures, and vote (if you are using BoardThing it’s called voting). Break the vote into two 10 minute sessions - vote once for images that feel wrong and another time for those that feel right. (Remind participants that there’s no right answer here. It’s the conversation that arises that’s important). While participants talk about why they chose the images, try to spend time on images that evoke differing opinions - this will help to develop a certain nuanced vocabulary. Capture the adjectives that they are using during this conversation on a spectrum using sticky notes or digital stickies. These adjectives are your experience attributes. If you have more than 3 - 5 words, you can do a vote to slim the list down.
0.999393	Are you interested in exploring a tropical rainforest? Do you want to know the important characteristics of a tropical rainforest? Read this article to explore and know more about the rich biodiversity and other unique features of tropical rainforests. A tropical rainforest is the richest biome in the world and is one of the most diverse and productive biomes on Earth. It is rich in biodiversity and lies in a broad equatorial belt of Earth typically between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. The largest tropical rainforests of the world are found in the equatorial regions of South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. One of the distinctive features of the tropical rainforest is its climatic conditions that include rains, humidity and temperature. These forests experience equatorial climate with average day temperature of 27oC. The temperature and rainfall of tropical rainforests supports the greatest biodiversity on Earth. These are rich in lush green vegetation due abundant moisture and sunlight. Tropical rainforests experience only wet and dry seasons. Tropical rainforests are characterized by rainfall and evergreen species. The forests are located in the tropical wet / humid regions with an average annual rainfall of around 200-225 cm. Transpiration from the evergreen trees results in increased humidity and cloud formation in these forests. The high levels of rainfalls in these forests are evenly distributed throughout the year. Tropical rainforests receives maximum insolation (meaning: the amount of solar radiation received by a given area) due to geographic location. As a result, the rate of evaporation subsequent condensation and eventual precipitation are high. The weather turns stormy during late afternoon as a result of intense heating during the daytime. These tropical rainforests help in maintaining the rains and weather patterns on Earth. The high levels of rainfall in these forests along with the temperature create an incredibly humid environment and a year-round growing environment for the plant kingdom. The rainforests are home to half of the Earth's plant and animal species. The ecosystems in these forests contain the greatest biodiversity in the world with over 15 million species of plants and animals living within the biome. The hot and humid conditions make the forest suitable for the growth of a wide variety of plants and animals including bacteria and other microorganisms and thus promote biodiversity. The microbes (decomposers) remain active throughout the year and help in the quick decomposition of organic matter on the forest floor which helps in rapid plant growth. The tropical rainforest has some great diversity of orchids, birds, mammals and plants. Nearly 50% of the living organisms on Earth are found in these forests. There may be many more species of plants, insects and microorganisms still undiscovered in tropical rain forests. Due to the rich biodiversity tropical rain forests are called the 'Jewels of the Earth'. The rich biodiversity of these forests provide the most beautiful wilderness on Earth. The tallest trees of the forest that make the emergent layer. These giant trees receive the most sunlight. The thick branches of the tall trees that provides a coverage forms the canopy. This layer provides shelter and plenty of food to most of the animals in the forest. The layer between the forest floor and canopy form the under-canopy which is hot and dark with very less sunlight. Shrubs and smaller plants grow in this layer. Varieties of moss, algae, ferns and climbers flourish in this layer. The ground of the forest with a carpet of dead organic matter forms the forest floor. Sunlight hardly reaches the floor and it makes a perfect habitat for many insects and fungi. Latosol is one of the typical soils of the tropical rain forest. The deep soil is formed as a result of weathering of rocks due to high rainfall in the region. The soil is mostly red in color due to rich iron content. The lower layers of the soil are poor in nutrients due to leaching of the soil by rain water. The hot and damp conditions on the forest floor allow the rapid decomposition of organic matter / leaf litter which leads to the formation of a thin layer of humus. Thus there is plenty of nutrients available for the plant growth which are easily absorbed by the plants. However, there is a high demand for nutrients in these forests due to fast growth of plants and high competition for survival. If the vegetation is lost, the soil is highly vulnerable to erosion and becomes infertile. The tropical rainforest supports rich biodiversity. The forests are rich in wide varieties of flora and fauna. There are several species of plants and animals that have adapted to survive in trees. Insects, ants, mosquitoes and butterflies are in abundance in these forests. Birds like parakeets, toucans and other colorful birds are seen in these forests. Due to canopy, the sunlight does not penetrate and there is a constant fight for sunlight among the plants which is needed for photosynthesis. It results in competition among the living organisms for resources for their survival and thereby interdependence of one organisms on the other. The ecosystem of these forests is based on the most complex interdependence of living organisms. The slightest disturbance in the ecosystem will have a great impact of the food web. Tropical rainforests are home for certain indigenous groups of tribes. Kayapo is one such tribes in Brazil that is living in the forests for generations in harmony with the nature. The other distinct features of tropical rainforests include abundant presence of microorganisms and soil fauna, abundantly flowing rivers in the damp, warm and sunny areas of the forest that contribute to the delicate balance of ecosystem in the forest. The forests are rich resources of medicinal plants with high medicinal values.
0.999998	How does stab and puncture resistant body armor work? Helps to prevent fatal/harmful injury caused by a severe cut and/or tear by a sharp object such as a knife. Stab and puncture resistant armors are made from a variety of materials. The most commonly used materials are made from extremely strong fibers, which can be either woven or laminated together. Other materials used are metals and composites. As the threat impacts the armor, the materials either deflect the threat, or due to their very high level of cut and/or tear resistance, they 'stretch' and the impact forces are dissipated over a larger area of the armor.
0.999048	How can I start building credit the right way? Before you can start building credit, you need to understand what a credit score is and why it’s important. A credit score is a three-digit number, typically between 300 to 850, which the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and Trans Union) calculated based on information in your credit report. Although the three credit reporting bureaus use similar methods to determine a credit score, the formulas they use are not exactly the same and your credit score will vary from bureau to bureau, which is why it’s important to check your credit score with each of them to get a fuller overall picture of your overall creditworthiness and how you look to your potential lenders. Continue reading more at RBFCU.org.
0.999931	A solution is defined as a means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation; the state of being solved: a particular instance or method or solving; an explanation or answer. May these quotes inspire you to be a solution orientated individual so that you may live your dreams. How about this quote. The best way to solve a problem is to work to find a solution.
0.999998	What does it mean to dream of Lacquer, varnish? 1. To dream that you polish anything, means you will try to fix relations with a colleague or relative to help, but in vain. 2. To dream that another one uses the varnish, means you will thank someone for the good work. 3. To dream you lacquered your nails, means you expected a dangerous adventure with unpleasant consequences.
0.939844	Baja California ( /ˈbɑːhɑː kælɨˈfɔrnjə/, ), officially Free and Sovereign State of Baja California (Spanish: Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California, literally: Lower California), is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico, but before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California. It has an area of 70,113 km2 (27,071 sq mi), or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises the northern half of the Baja California peninsula, north of the 28th parallel. The state is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by Sonora, the U.S. State of Arizona, and the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez), and on the south by Baja California Sur. Its northern limit is the U.S. state of California. The state has a population of 2,844,469 (2005 census), and estimated 3,165,776 (June 2009) much more than the sparsely populated Baja California Sur to the south, and similar to San Diego County, California on its north. Over 75% of the population lives in the capital city, Mexicali, or in Ensenada and Tijuana. Other important cities include San Felipe, Rosarito and Tecate. The population of the state is composed of Mestizos, mostly immigrants from other parts of Mexico, and, as with most northern Mexican states, a large population of Mexicans of European ancestry, and also a large minority group of East Asian, Middle Eastern and indigenous descent. Additionally, there is a large immigrant population from the United States due to its proximity to San Diego and the cheaper cost of living compared to San Diego. There is also a significant population from Central America. Many immigrants moved to Baja California for a better quality of life and the number of higher paying jobs in comparison to the rest of Mexico and Latin America. Baja California is the twelfth largest state by area in Mexico. Its geography ranges from beaches to forests and deserts. The backbone of the state is the Sierra de Baja California, where the Picacho del Diablo, the highest point of the peninsula, is located. This mountain range effectively divides the weather patterns in the state. In the northwest, the weather is semi-dry and mediterranean. In the narrow center, the weather changes to be more humid due to altitude. It is in this area where a few valleys can be found, such as the Valle de Guadalupe, the major wine producing area in Mexico. To the east of the mountain range, the Sonoran Desert dominates the landscape. In the south, the weather becomes drier and gives way to the Vizcaino Desert. The state is also home to numerous islands off both of its shores. In fact, the westernmost point in Mexico, the Guadalupe Island, is part of Baja California. The Coronado, Todos Santos and Cedros Islands are also on the Pacific Shore. On the Gulf of California, the biggest island is the Angel de la Guarda, separated from the peninsula by the deep and narrow Canal de Ballenas.
0.952401	A partial U.S. government shutdown over President Donald Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border entered its 34th day on Friday, January 25th, making it the longest shutdown of federal agencies in U.S. history. Yet, there is good news on the horizon. Reportedly, President Trump has agreed to reopen the government for three weeks until February 15th. What started this though? Democrats say Trump shut down the government in a “temper tantrum” by refusing to sign bipartisan funding legislation last year that did not include money for his wall. The closure, which began on December 22nd, broke the record held by a 1995-1996 shutdown under former president Bill Clinton that lasted 21 days. Roughly 800,000 Federal workers have missed their paychecks for the last five weeks every Friday, introducing the prospect of financial pressures on employees like air traffic controllers and airport security officials who continue to work without pay. Unfortunately, some have resorted to selling their possessions or posting appeals on online fundraising sites to help pay their bills. Every week that passes, the shutdown is costing the US economy more than $1 billion. Trump is reportedly considering a national emergency declaration that would end the shutdown and allow him to obtain his wall funding by circumventing Congress. However, on Friday the 11th, he said he would not take such a step “right now.” The next day, Trump urged his 57.2 million Twitter followers to contact Democratic lawmakers and “tell them to get it done!” Democrats, who call a wall an ineffective and outdated answer to a complex problem, have passed several bills in the House of Representatives to reopen the government without funding Trump’s barrier. But the legislation has been ignored by the Republican-controlled Senate. Trump originally pledged Mexico would pay for the wall, which he says is needed to moderate the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs, but Mexico has refused. A national emergency would allow Trump to divert money from other projects to pay for the wall, which was a central promise of his 2016 campaign. That, in turn, could prompt him to sign bills that restore funding to agencies that have been affected by the shutdown. With neither party coming to the table to end the shutdown, a lasting effect on the federal workers and the economy has been set into action. Governments should not shut down, but if they do the problem should be resolved quickly and not be dragged on for over a month!
0.999681	Is Your Laundry Detergent Giving You Cancer? Did you know most of the leading brands of laundry products often contain toxic chemicals that can potentially harm you, your family and the environment? That’s because many of these laundry detergents contain toxic chemicals and even carcinogens. You may be exposing yourself to these cancer-causing chemicals every time you wash and wear your clothes. One of the most common carcinogens found in everyday laundry detergents is known as 1,4-dioxane. 1,4-dioxane can also be found in paints and varnishes which is pretty disturbing. As a matter of fact, according to the EPA's own website, they consider this solvent to be a human carcinogen. In their findings, they noted the side affects from acute (short-term) exposure to high levels of 1,4-dioxane has caused symptoms such as headaches, vertigo, drowsiness, allergies, skin irritation, anorexia and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs in humans. Here are some of the most common carcinogens in everyday laundry detergents: Nonylphenol Ethoxylate, petroleum distillates, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Phosphates, Alkyl Phenoxy Ethanols artificial colors, Quaternium 15, artificial fragrances, stabilizers (not considered high risk) and Alcohol Ethoxylates, just to name a few. If you wear clothing, sleep in a bed that has sheets or use a towel after taking a shower, you are being exposed. Here are few things you can do to minimize your risk of being exposed. Wear your clothes longer before laundering them. Lastly, you can reduce the amount of detergent you use per load. The manufacturer’s goal is to sell as much product as possible. You might find your clothes get just as clean with half the recommended amount plus you’ll even save some money. There are also ways to clean your clothes without using detergents such as the WaterLiberty system here. I use Bio-Degradable products. There is a difference between laundry soap and detergents. It's detergents that are the problem. the use detergents generates more money for the manufacturers of detergents. To boost the effectiveness of my Bio-degradable laundry product, I add a couple tablespoons of baking soda with my wash load. The water is softened by the baking soda and the rinse is also more effective in getting rid of any remaining laundry product. I never use softening sheets in the dryer or any softening products.
0.93855	Do publishers and conversion houses really make use of the advantages of outsourcing? My answer for the above question will be no. Most of the publishers and conversion houses around the world outsource their project based on the vendor’s size, marketing potential and mostly their long relationship with them. They generally hesitate to try out new options fearing time consumed for it by which they miss out the real advantage of outsourcing. For example when most publishers and conversion houses outsource the project to a large vendor A for an approximate cost of 100 $, the A vendor in turns outsource it to their suppliers to a cost of 50 $ . In turns they do have other suppliers who will be doing this project for 25 $. This is because of the bulk orders getting locked into a limited number of suppliers around the word some of the disadvantages of it are as follows. The actual cost of production is much higher than what is should be. Time of production is much slower since multiple vendors are involved. And the biggest data security. Best ways to identify a good supplier. Check out for references from their existing clients and the credibility of their clients. Sign out an NDA to make sure that they are not using any other external suppliers. Do a demo job with them to check their quality and turnaround. Compare the quote with their competitors.
0.99356	Assume you just purchased a new car and have decided to sell your old vehicle yourself. What is the first thing you would do? You would determine the value of the vehicle and a reasonable sales price, right? How opening up your forest can benefit your deer herd. Oak trees are known to be attractive to deer. Extension professional Jordan Graves has some facts and tips to help you better manage oak trees on your hunting property in these two videos. These best management practices help loggers, foresters, and landowners reduce erosion potential during and after timber harvesting activities. Topics include forest soil erosion and logging impact on water quality. Timber production is the second-largest agricultural commodity in Alabama. Understanding the factors related to market and price trends is essential for landowners and producers of timber products.
0.998175	Juventus have a two goal advantage but can’t afford to take any chances when they host Porto in the second-leg of the Champions League last 16. It’s been a controversial few days in Italy (and beyond), so a return to the ‘calmer waters’ of the Champions League almost feels like a blessing in disguise. The victory over Milan on Friday came in controversial fashion with the typical accusations of pro-Juve referees and a clear bias from the FIGC – Of course without the controversy, how would those headlines get written? Excuse my cynical tone, but the headlines in Italy and in other parts of the world have been vile and in another time and place, perhaps the club would have justification to take legal action against the likes of BeIN Sports and their ‘presenters’. Putting aside the bile spewed forth by the journo’s, there was plenty to like about Juve’s approach against Milan and lots of positives to take from the game. We had 26 shots (12 on target) in comparison to Milan’s 6 (2 on target), dominated the possession for large periods, controlled the game from the off and kept the pressure on them until the last minute. Higuain was kept at bay by the heroics of Gigi Donnarumma, but even more impressive was the attacking workrate of young Marko Pjaca, who, despite not scoring, tested the young Milan keeper at least 4 times and should have ended the night with at least one goal to his name. He still has a way to go but there are encouraging signs from the young Croat who may finally have turned a corner and earned a starting place in Allegri’s team. The other positive was Dani Alves, deployed in a more attacking role – Without the added pressure of tracking back to defend, the Brazilian was much improved, playing with freedom and providing the assist for the Juve opener. At times, he marauds forward with gusto but neglects the defensive side of his game, so seeing him with the shackles off was fun to watch. I like the 4-2-3-1 precisely because it gives us the freedom to make slight alterations and adjustments to change shape, depending on if we’re attacking or defending. 4-2-3-1 can become a more rigid 4-4-2 or even make way for 3-5-2 with just a single substitute and no let up in pressure. It’s a step forward for us at exactly the right time as we enter the business end of the season and hope to progress to the draw for the last 8 this Friday. So much is resting on this game, the tie is far from over, and it’d be foolish to think the job is done. Since last we met, Porto have played 3 league games, winning each match comfortably and without conceding; They put 7 past Nacional and 4 past Arouca last Friday and judging by the way their players have spoken in recent days, theres a real belief among their team that they can get a result in Turin. No room for complacency or sitting back. Speaking in his press conference today, Max Allegri dropped a few hints on his starting XI and who may miss out the match. “Everyone is fine apart from Sturaro who will be back with the squad in the coming days, I think he’ll be available for the match in Genoa against Sampdoria. We have these two games and then we have to try and manage our strength better, because we expended a lot on Friday. We’re coming from an intense period and we can’t afford to let our energy levels drop. Gigi Buffon will start between the sticks and it seems unlikely that we’d deviate from a 4-man back line so Stephan Lichtsteiner and Alex Sandro will probably be the full-backs with Leo Bonucci and Chiellini in the centre of defence. Marchisio will start and Pjanic seems the more likely to play alongside him with Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Gonzalo Higuain completing the starting XI.
0.958484	The United States is the largest economic partner to Egypt since the late seventies, while Egypt ranked 52nd in the list of major US trade partners. The volume of trade exchange between Egypt and America is estimated at $ 8 billion, $ 6 billion in American exports to Egypt, and $ 2 billion in Egyptian exports to America. From January, 2010 to April, 2013, the volume of trade rose, especially in Egyptian exports, while it was not affected by the political and security events that the country witnessed in the past years. In 2010, the volume of trade between the two countries reached $ 3586 million, including Egyptian exports that reached $ 1696 million. While in 2011 reached $ 8290 million, including Egyptian exports that reached $ 1819 million. In 2012, the volume of trade hit about $ 7284 million, including Egyptian exports that reached $ 2009 million. Finally in the first quarter of 2013 it reached about $ 2230 million, including Egyptian exports that reached $ 423 million. The Egyptian exports had increased the United States Qualified Industrial Zones System from $ 285.3 million in 2005 to $ 637.2 million in 2006, and from $ 688.9 million in 2007 and reached $ 558.8 million in the first , second and third quarters of the year 2008. Egypt could export products for $ 2.171 billion to the United States, since the beginning of the QIZ Protocol in December 2004 until the end of September 2009. The geographical scope of the QIZ has been expanded twice, first to include the governorates of the Delta and the Canal, and the second in January 2009, to include the governorates of Beni Suef and Minya. Oil and petroleum products represent the biggest portion of Egyptian exports to the US, especially in the period 2005-2006 reaching about $1 billion. They decreased 50% in 2011; rising up in 2012 to reach $1.6 billion. Textile and clothes represent more than half of Egyptian exports to the US, reaching $1062 million in 2010, $1105 million in 2011, decreasing in 2012 to reach $921 million and standing in the last quarter of 2013 at $316 million. Agricultural products and industrial machinery represent a largest slice of US imports to Egypt, where Egypt represents a largest market for US agricultural exports in the Middle East and North Africa. Progress has been made in bilateral trade from 2000 to 2008, with a 267% increase in Egyptian exports and 180% in Egyptian imports from the United States. The institutional framework governing the economic relations between the two countries is the Framework Agreement on Trade and Investment TIFA, which held its last meetings in Washington late November and early December 2005 at ministerial level (Minister of Trade and Industry and U.S. Trade Representative). The Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ) Agreement between Egypt and the United States of America and Israel signed on December 14th, 2004. Convention on Judicial Assistance on Criminal Matters between the Governments of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America. Convention on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on income, between the governments of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America. Convention on Agricultural Exports & Rural Incomes between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America. Convention on the Strategic Objective of improving Health and Family Planning between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America. Convention on the Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments and the Supplementary Protocol between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America. Convention on the Participatory Rural Appraisal and Planning between Egypt and the United States of America. Cultural Agreement concluded between the United Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America.
0.999924	What are the most common relationship situations that cause distress, and how can they be fixed? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. In my clinical experience working with individuals and families, the common underlying theme in relationship-related issues is the presence of avoidance and reassurance-seeking behaviors. Both of which are intended to prevent or ameliorate distress, but often do more harm than good. For example, one partner may not want to bring up a problem because it calls attention to the fact that something is wrong and could, in turn, 'make a mountain out of a mole hill'. However, just because there is an issue to address does not mean that the relationship is doomed or even headed down the wrong path. Conflict resolution can often be one of the best ways to grow closer to your partner and prevent future problems. So avoiding broaching the topic actually does the relationship a disservice. Overcoming the tendency to 'let sleeping dogs lie' and avoid potential turmoil is easier said than done - many don't know where to start and question their ability to handle the situation effectively. There is a simple communication strategy to help guide couples away from an argument and toward a resolution - especially when discussions are emotional in nature. First, describe (the problem/situation) without any interpretations or personal opinions. Use a 'just the facts' approach to ensure objectivity and, if helpful, your can even pretend you are describing the event on the news/in a police report. Second, express your emotional reaction in this situation using "I" statements. Finally, assert what you want in terms of the outcome and reinforce why it will be good for both parties by offering up the potential benefits to motivate your partner to converge on a solution (i.e., "dangle the carrot"). Above all else, be willing to compromise and express genuine interest in the other party's input regarding their ideas and alternative options.
0.999975	If the Red Sox win the World Series, will you skip school to attend the victory parade? Yes, how often does that happen? No, it's more important to be in class.
0.98793	Tasmania's estimated resident population grew by 1,100 people to reach 513,200 in the year ending June 2013, an increase of 0.2%. This was the lowest growth of all states and territories. Between 2012 and 2013, the population increased in three of the four Tasmanian SA4s. The largest growth was in Hobart (up by 1,100 people), followed by Launceston and North East (80) and South East (50). The population of West and North West fell by 120 people. Hobart also had the fastest growth in the state over the year, increasing by 0.5%. Of all the states and territories, Tasmania had the highest proportion of its population residing outside of the Greater Capital City (58%) at June 2013. The largest-growing Tasmanian SA2s in the year to 2013 were located in Hobart. In Hobart's south, Margate - Snug had the largest growth (up by 140 people), followed by Howrah - Tranmere (130) and Rokeby (110), both on Hobart's eastern shore. Within Hobart, the fastest-growing SA2s were Rokeby (up by 2.0%) and Margate - Snug (1.9%), followed by Old Beach - Otago (1.8%) on Hobart's eastern shore. The largest and fastest declines were in Bridgewater - Gagebrook, down by 70 people (1.0%), and New Norfolk, down by 60 (1.0%). Within Launceston and North East, the largest growth from 2012 to 2013 was north-west of Launceston, in the SA2 of Legana (up by 110 people). This was followed by Summerhill - Prospect to the west of Launceston, and Kings Meadows - Punchbowl to the south, which both grew by 70 people. Legana was the fastest-growing SA2 in the state, increasing by 2.7%. Kings Meadows - Punchbowl and Summerhill - Prospect also had fast growth, up by 1.6% and 1.5% respectively. The largest decline was in Newnham - Mayfield (down by 50 people), and the fastest decline was in Invermay (down by 1.2%). Between 2012 and 2013, the largest and fastest growth in West and North West was in the SA2 of Latrobe, which grew by 100 people (2.2 %). This was followed by Port Sorell and Sheffield - Railton, which both grew by 80 people, or 1.5% and 1.3% respectively. The population of West Coast, which contains many of Tasmania's mines, had the largest and fastest decline, down by 90 people (1.9%), followed by Acton - Upper Burnie on the north-west coast, down by 60 (1.7%). Within South East, the largest and fastest growth was in the SA2 of Huonville - Franklin, up by 100 people (1.2%), followed by the Huon Valley areas of Geeveston - Dover and Cygnet, which both grew by 30 people (0.7% and 0.6% respectively). The population of Forestier - Tasman had the largest and fastest decline, down by 80 people (3.2%), partly reflecting the impacts of the January 2013 bushfires. At June 2013, the population density of Tasmania was 7.5 people per square kilometre (sq km). The capital city SA4 of Hobart had the highest population density in the state, at 130 people per sq km, followed by Launceston and North East (7.2), West and North West (5.1) and South East (1.6). The most densely-populated SA2s within Hobart were West Moonah (2,100 people per sq km), Moonah (1,900) and Sandy Bay (1,700). Outside of Hobart, South Launceston (1,700 people per sq km), Acton - Upper Burnie (1,600) and Devonport (1,400) had the highest population densities. The largest increase in population density in Tasmania in the year to 2013 was in the SA2 of West Hobart, up by 21 people per sq km, while the largest decrease in density was in Acton - Upper Burnie, down by 27 people per sq km. Tasmania's centre of population at June 2013 was on the banks of Woods Lake, in the Central Highlands SA2. In the ten years to 2013, the centre moved 2.0 kilometres south-east, reflecting continued population growth in Greater Hobart. For Greater Hobart, the centre of population at June 2013 was in the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, in the suburb of Queens Domain.
0.999997	What is a halogen atom? Atoms that are placed in group 17. In the image below, atoms (i.e elements) that are highlighted in yellow are halogens (group 17 atoms).
0.999984	Is it a good idea to go to graduate school? Deciding whether or not to attend graduate school can be a huge decision in ones life. Attending graduate school is a great commitment of both time and money. It is very important to think this decision through before doing anything hastily. A graduate school guide is a great tool which can help you decide if graduate school is right for you. A graduate school guide asks some key questions of you in order to determine if and when attending is appropriate. Those key questions are outlined below in a quick assessment graduate school guide! Why are you interested in obtaining a graduate degree? Before jumping into things ask yourself what it is about a graduate degree that is appealing to you. Do you need it to obtain your long term career goal (doctors and lawyers)? Are you looking to make a career change in which a graduate degree would help aid your transition? A lot of people who obtain graduate degrees are looking to change career fields, and find it helpful to obtain a graduate degree to ease the transition. Lastly, many people love their current job, but are not making enough money. Studies have shown that employees with a graduate degree command a much higher salary than those with just an undergraduate degree. When should you obtain a graduate degree? This is a tricky question that has been greatly debated. The question is, should you go directly after earning your undergraduate degree, or get a full-time job and then work towards your graduate degree? There are advantages and disadvantages to both. If you go to graduate school directly after earning your undergraduate degree you are already in the swing of things, you are used to studying, and you do not have many obligations. On the opposite end of the spectrum if you go to work first you can gain a better understanding of career goals, as well as obtaining financial stability. Again, this is a very subjective decision that differs in every graduate school guide. Some of them will tell you to continue with your current degree. For example if you obtained an undergraduate English degree, continue in that direction for your graduate degree. Others will tell you that you should expand your horizons such as obtaining a graduate degree in English Literature if your undergraduate degree is in English. This is based purely on personal preference. It is very important to look at this aspect of graduate school. A couple of questions to keep in mind are: Do I already have loans from my undergraduate degree? What is the total cost going to be? Do I qualify for any financial aid, etc.? All of the above are very important questions. A graduate school guide can help to outline the financial difficulties that you may run into, but you need to take your personal situation into account in order to figure out if you can afford to continue your education. Those are just a few of the questions that you should ask yourself regarding a graduate degree. Locate a graduate school guide for anymore questions that you may have!
0.998399	Where is Navi Mumbai, India? Location of Navi Mumbai on a map. Navi Mumbai is a city found in Maharashtra, India. It is located 19.04 latitude and 73.02 longitude and it is situated at elevation 14 meters above sea level. Navi Mumbai has a population of 2,600,000 making it the 3rd biggest city in Maharashtra. It operates on the BURT time zone, which means that it follows the same time zone as Mumbai.
0.999273	My kids and I are lucky to be living just outside Vancouver, Canada, which is (though I am biased) one of the most beautiful places on Earth. If you're traveling in this part of the world, and visiting Vancouver, there are lots of fun things to do around the city with your kids. Here are some of my family's favorite places and activities. A visit to Stanley Park is a must for anyone in Vancouver, whether you're a local or tourist. There's so much to do: beaches, playgrounds, walking the seawall, renting a bike and riding around the park, seeing the gardens... My kids love going there, and for more ideas on what to do, check out this post: 13 things to do in Stanley Park. Science World is one of the best places to take your kids for hands-on, educational fun. You can learn about electricity, alternative energy sources, the human body, animals and insects, and much much more. It's walking distance from the downtown core, or you can take the Skytrain to the Main Street/Science World Station. Together with Science World, the Aquarium is my kids' favorite destination if they get to pick one themselves. The Aquarium is located inside Stanley Park, so it's a perfect spot to visit if you're already there. It's fun for kids, it's educational, and it's just a tremendous experience for adults and kids to see some fantastic creatures up close and personal. This is another place my kids love to visit. There's a lot to do here: shop for one-of-a-kind arts and crafts in the stores, buy some local produce, take a walk around the island, have some ice cream or baked goods at a cafe, spend some time at the playground, have a meal at a restaurant, or just people-watch, listen to the buskers, or chase some pigeons around. For some tips about what to do if you visit, you can read: 12 fun things to do with kids on Granville Island. For a cheap and easy way to see Vancouver from the water (and this is a city where the water is everywhere), grab your kids and hop aboard one of the little bright-colored ferries that travel around the city. False Creek Ferries and Aquabus go to many destinations, including Granville Island, Yaletown, Science World, and the Maritime Museum.
0.963402	Highlight the Advantages and Disadvantages of TNCs for the Investing Country. Following advantages to investing country. Lower Cost: The home country can obtain raw materials and labor at comparatively lower cost. TNCs help in acquiring a steady supply of raw materials from abroad. Wider Market: The home country can export components and finished products and thereby market is widened. More Revenue: The home country can earn huge revenue by way of dividends, royalty, licensing fees etc. Increase in Domestic Employment: The home country is benefited by increase in domestic employment due to higher scale of operations. Expertise: The home country can acquire technical and managerial expertise of foreign nations. Foreign Exchange Reserves: TNCs export components and finished goods in foreign markets and strengthen the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Following disadvantages to investing country. Diversion of Resources: TNCs divert resources available in the home country to host countries without paying adequate taxes. Marketing practices of TNCs may create scarcity of goods in the home country and home country does not get the benefit of availability of goods at cheaper rates. Unemployment: TNCs established production centers in those countries where labor is relatively cheap. This may create unemployment in the home country. Blow to Environment: TNCs do not follow environmental standards. This creates environmental problems in the home country. Transfer of Technology: TNCs export their technology abroad to combine with. other foreign factors. This is done to maximize corporate profits. The technological superiority of the home nation is, thus, undermined. Loss of Tax Revenue: TNCs shift their operations to lower tax nations and, thus, reduce the tax revenue of home country. There is substantial loss of tax revenue to the home country if the companies are operating abroad.
0.999789	"Escape in Iraq: The Thomas Hamill Story" Title: "Escape in Iraq: The Thomas Hamill Story" When civilian truck driver Thomas Hamill was captured by Iraqi rebels in April 2004, he spoke briefly to a television camera that recorded the event. As Hamill was held in Iraq, Paul Brown saw the tape re-play over and over on the news back home in Mississippi. "My impression of Mr. Hamill ... was that he was fuming mad, tough as nails and had a resolve that would be difficult for his captors to conquer," Brown says. As Hamill's story played out, he established himself as a prime example of the old adage that God uses ordinary men to do extraordinary things. Brown, an award-winning author and wildlife photographer, admits he became obsessive about the Hamill story. After all, Hamill lived in Macon, not too far up the road from Brown's Brandon hometown. When the Hamill story reached a climax with his miraculous escape, Brown knew he wanted to write about Hamill. However, when Hamill returned to his Macon home, he didn't want publicity, didn't want to write, didn't want people to write about him. He only wanted to run his dairy farm and enjoy life with his wife Kellie and their son and daughter. He tried hard to avoid the media. "But God wouldn't let me," he said in an exclusive interview. "A lot of people told me, 'God brought you through this. He doesn't want you to ... not tell people why you're here.'" So he agreed to talk with Paul Brown, and the two men went to work on "Escape in Iraq" (Stoeger, 2004). The result is a story that is at once entertaining, informative and inspiring. The book chronicles Hamill's captivity in makeshift "personal prisons" (small rooms, mud huts, remote cabins) held by rebels who avoided both Iraqi and U.S. officials. Brown was right – Hamill was mad, tough and resolved. But Hamill's exterior toughness had been tempered by his Christian faith. He had become a Christian only about two years before his ordeal in Iraq. His story also reveals a man of integrity, courage – "guts" they call it in Mississippi – and boldness, plus a level of maturity rare for a man who had so recently accepted Christ. Among all of those qualities, he emerges as humble and genuine – the real deal. Integrity? Hamill went to Iraq as a civilian truck driver so he could avoid bankruptcy and save his family dairy farm. In the interview, Hamill said, "I could have taken the easy way out and filed bankruptcy. But that's not me. It's my debt and it's my responsibility." Guts? Hamill watched while Iraqi doctors did a makeshift surgery (with local anesthetic) on his right arm. Doctors and his captors were amazed that he would not look away. One man asked, "... you are not afraid of what he is going to cut on your arm?" Hamill replied, "No, I am not afraid. I have put this in God's hands." Boldness? Again and again, Hamill took opportunity to talk about his faith (as above), explaining to his captors that it was his God who gives him peace, courage and hope. Maturity? Hamill wrote, "I felt blessed to ... pick up on the manners and behavior of all the captors who had guarded me. Just a little bit of good judgment enabled me to know whom I could talk to." At one point, he even had access to a gun and could have killed his guards. But he was confident that God had other plans. Through it all, Hamill says he never really felt fearful. God gave him extra measures of strength and peace. In addition to the gripping story itself, the writing style flows easily, propelled by frequent down-home phrases and figures of speech one would expect from a truck driver. As the professional writer in the duo, Brown is careful to retain that flavor. Hamill describes the attack on the convoy in which his truck had been hit and he would be taken prisoner: "... trucks on the freeway were passing us; bullet holes riddled the huge tanks, literally unloading the fuel on the road. The trucks looked like water-sprinkler systems wetting down the pavement, which was slick with the oily diesel fuel. The trucks slid through like hogs on ice." Hamill even uses driving images to describe some of the small prisons where he was held: "Apparently this shack had been prepared for me. It smelled of fresh mortar and reminded me of the way a concrete highway smells after a summer rain." He might be called a patriot, a hero, a man of character, but he still doesn't relish the spotlight. He relishes the farm, running the dairy, loving his family. He relishes being an ordinary man who trusts his life to an extraordinary God. "I'm just a tool that God used," he said. "All I am is a tool." He's unquestionably the kind of tool God can use. ©2004 AgapePress. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
0.999998	Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) is one of the more remarkable periods in Japan’s storied past. For more than two-and-a-half centuries, Japan enjoyed peace and a steady advance in economic and technological spheres. Its political system consisted of three branches. The emperor resided in Kyoto and provided legitimacy by granting titles to officials and aristocrats. The second, and most powerful of the three branches was the shogun. The shogun and his advisors made Edo (now known as Tokyo) the realm’s military capital. Just as the emperor bestowed titles on the aristocracy, the shogun chose military personnel to act as governors of semi-independent domains. These military bureaucrats, also known as daimyo, ruled from castles within the boundaries of their allotted lands. Eventually there came to be over 250 daimyo and each oversaw the inhabitants within their territory. Of the three political branches in Tokugawa Japan, it was the daimyo that had the greatest contact with the rank-and-file samurai, merchants, artisans, and farmers. The Tokugawa era is so rich in historical documentation that there are detailed studies of the myriad of activities between 1600 and 1868. For example, visual art during this period rose to unprecedented heights as it encompassed subject matter beyond the heretofore predominantly religious content. Woodblock printing began during the era as did the kabuki theater. Tokugawa Japan’s society evolved to the point that it became one of the most literate and urbanized countries on the planet. Religion also played a crucial role in shaping Tokugawa culture. This essay explores the role of religion during this important period. To present this subject, it is helpful to review the four main religions that were part of Tokugawa Japan: Confucianism, Buddhism, Shinto, and Christianity. Each of these belief systems played a role in shaping Tokugawa society. Before exploring each of these faiths, however, an examination of the historical context of religion just prior to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate is in order. Tokugawa Japan emerged from a period of extreme chaos. Known as the Sengoku period (1467-1603), the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in Japan were filled with continual upheaval. Japanese termed the chaos as “the warring states age,” which echoed back to a similar period in China where civil war toppled state after state (475 B.C. – 221 B.C.). What is of significance for this article is that the process of reunifying Japan (1560-1603), which was led by three successive military leaders, had a great deal to do with religion. In short, religion’s influence was simultaneously feared, disregarded, and then finally embraced by Japan’s putative leaders. Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), the first unifier, was hostile toward religion, particularly Confucianism and Buddhism. He ignored the Confucian precepts of deferring to authority, choosing rather to live by the philosophy that might makes right. He toppled the existing shogun authority, and followed the Machiavellian idea that it is better to be feared than loved. Nobunaga especially despised Buddhist institutions in Japan. Many Buddhist monasteries had grown into large semi-autonomous temple towns during the Sengoku era as thousands of people sought protection against marauding armies sweeping through the land. These temple towns enjoyed tax free status and were protected by armies of monks. Nobunaga feared the power of these religious institutions and set out to destroy them, even killing ten thousand monks in just one battle. For Nobunaga, religion was a major impediment to Japan’s reunification. Following Nobunaga’s assassination (1582) Japan was subsequently unified by two of his generals, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and then Tokugawa Ieyasu. Like Nobunaga, each of them feared the nefarious power of religion, this time Christianity. Yet at the same time, both Hideyoshi and Ieyasu were attracted to aspects of all four religions noted above; in fact, Ieyasu became deified following his death. Thus, from the very outset of Tokugawa Japan, religions were paradoxically distrusted and embraced by its leaders and their subjects. Confucius (551 B.C. - 479), a scholar from northeast China, is given credit for establishing China’s dominant worldview. But as he noted in his day, his teachings were not original in nature; rather, he transmitted the works from China’s ancient sages. These doctrines made their way over to Japan and became integrated into its social and political system, and were included in Japan’s seventh century Seventeen Article Constitution. While Confucianism was a major thread running through the fabric of Japan’s pre-modern religious system, it truly came to prominence during the Tokugawa era. Its first shogun had a lot to do with this. Tokugawa Ieyasu fought in over a dozen major battles, and rose to establish the most impressive shogunate in Japan’s history. As Tokugawa Japan’s first shogun, Ieyasu was drawn to neo-Confucianism. It eventually became the established orthodox social/political doctrine of Tokugawa Japan. The neo-Confucianism embraced by Ieyasu and subsequent Tokugawa shoguns was best articulated by the twelfth century Chinese scholar, Zhu Xi (1130-1200). In short, the teachings of Zhu Xi emphasized the rationality of the observable universe rather than the Buddhist notion of matter’s impermanence and illusion. Neo-Confucianism asserts that everything we see in this world can be reduced to its simplest essence, which is called li. There is a purity in everything that we see. But that purity—whether it is the essence of a tree or the essence of an individual—is oftentimes diluted by things in the world that we cannot see, an invisible energy which is called qi. Thus the goal of one’s life is to get beyond the qi that might adulterate one’s true essence and come to a true realization of the purity and simplicity of our nature, the li. One very important aspect of neo-Confucianism was an emphasis on a heaven-mandated system of reciprocal relationships that must remain in place for the continuance of social harmony. The five prescribed relations were those between ruler-subject, father-son, husband-wife, older brother-younger brother, and friend-friend. In each of these relationships there is a dominant figure, and the inferior party must always live in deference to that superior individual. At the same time, the superior in the relationship must act with benevolence toward the lesser party, and serve as a guide toward virtue. The Tokugawa officials used this paradigm to divide Japan’s society into four groups, from the superior to the inferior. They were identified as samurai, farmer, artisan, and merchant. The creation of a very schematized social system in Tokugawa Japan allowed the samurai, which represented about six percent of the population to rule over the rest of Japan. For two-and-a-half centuries, farmers labored to pay for the samurai to live in urban settings—many of whom had no real jobs and lived off of the farmers’ taxes. Neo-Confucianism legitimized a state of martial law that lasted almost three hundred years, though there was no immediate military threat. Unlike the other three religions noted in this essay, Shinto was not a foreign faith imported to Japan and is not a world religion. As an indigenous religion, Shinto dates back to the very beginning of Japan’s history. It is a belief system that evolved rather than having an identifiable individual founder. There are deep strains of animism in early Shinto, with an emphasis on fertility, physical cleanliness, mythical origins of Japan’s imperial family, and innumerable deities inhabiting or representing nature’s objects and phenomena, such as Mount Fuji and annual typhoons. While the formation of State Shinto did not come into full expression until the Meiji era (1868-1912), during Tokugawa times Shinto evolved a bit due to three different developments. First, the noted rigidity placed on social class distinction also physically separated the farmers from the rest of Japan’s social structure. For the most part, samurai were forbidden to live in rural areas among the peasants. Villages became a world unto themselves, often with a Shinto shrine dedicated to the village’s mythic founder. The number of shrines in Edo Japan numbered almost 111,000, which meant that if they were equally divided among the rural areas, there would be two shrines per village. The neo-Confucian dictate that legitimized separation of social classes made it so that villagers identified with their local shrine and dealt with the need for spiritual purification at that shrine. These local shrines also served as entertainment centers where young virgin women performed ceremonial dances. Noh plays, sumo matches, and archery contests also occurred in areas adjacent to the local shrine. The final development of Shinto during Tokugawa Japan was an increase in visitations to prominent shrines, that might even be labeled “national shrines.” While Tokugawa Japan was certainly not a unified country, the increased visitations to notable shrines such as the Ise Grand Shrine in Mie prefecture and Izumo Taisha in Shimane prefecture kept the notion of a national history alive throughout the realm. The more numerous visits to these shrines developed because of increased availability of literature and literacy throughout Japan’s social classes. Combined with a rising economy in many rural areas, a pilgrimage became more than a daydream for many Japanese farmers as greater information and resources facilitated journeys to Japan’s most famous shrines. Increased visits to prominent shrines also occurred toward the end of Tokugawa times when increasing economic hardship combined with external threats created anxiety for many Japanese. In 1830, for example there were five million visitors to the Ise shrine—an astounding number given that the population of Japan at the time was around 35 million. The Tempo era (1830-1844) was one of Japan’s worst periods for unprecedented internal and external crises, and so we see that at the very outset of that dark period, millions gathered at Japan’s most famous Shinto shrine looking for guidance. The dominant religion in Tokugawa Japan was Buddhism. This faith originated in northern India around 500 BCE. It reportedly came to Japan through Korea around 540 CE and was eventually adopted by members of Japan’s imperial family. As noted earlier, Buddhism became such a powerful religious institution that wholesale slaughter of its priests became part of Oda Nobunaga’s strategy in reunifying Japan. But Tokugawa Ieyasu restored the fortunes of the Buddhist clerics with his devotion to the Tendai sect of Buddhism. Ieyasu was posthumously deified as an avatar of the Buddha of Healing and given the name Tosho Daigongen. In 1614, Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered every Japanese family to register at a Buddhist temple, in essence becoming part of the Buddhist sangha (church). As noted further below, this was to help eliminate Christianity from Japan. In essence, every Japanese during Tokugawa Japan was a Buddhist and every funeral was a Buddhist ceremony. There were three main Buddhist sects practiced during Tokugawa Japan: Zen, Nichirin, and Jodo. Zen, also known as Chan Buddhism was a branch of Buddhism developed in China around the sixth century CE and eventually came to Japan via Korea. A key doctrine in Zen is discovering one’s Buddha nature through intense, disciplined meditation. There is not a great emphasis placed on outward worship or memorizing sacred texts among Zen practitioners; rather, the focus is on the inner life and self-discipline. Followers of Zen often have a mentor to help them along the path to self-realization. During Tokugawa times, Zen Buddhism was most popular among the samurai. The emphasis on discipline and a contemplative life played well with a military class known for its dedication to physical and mental toughness. This branch of Buddhism also set the samurai apart from the rank-and-file Japanese. The peasants did not have the luxury of time for meditation; theirs was not a life of contemplation but of back-breaking work in the rice fields. A second important branch of Buddhism in Tokugawa times was Nichirin. The doctrines emphasized in this sect centered on a particular sacred text in Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra, which included numerous sermons by the Buddha. Nichirin was more exclusive in nature than Zen or Jodo. In fact, proponents of Nichirin believed that any other sect of Buddhism was spiritually harmful and led people astray. The Lotus Sutra emphasized reverence for the Buddha along with commands to defer to the sovereign, government, teachers, and parents. This code of behavior also fit with the neo-Confucian ideal of a relationship-based political and social system. Tokugawa Japan’s most popular branch of Buddhism was Jodo Shinsu. Founded by Shinran (1173-1263) this faith provided the greatest opportunity for salvation to the poor and disenfranchised. Labeled “the devil’s Christianity” by the European priests who arrived in Japan during the sixteenth century, there are elements of Jodo that sound a lot like Christianity. A quick overview of Jodo teachings include the story of the Buddha Amida, who in ancient history lived a perfect life on this earth. His accumulated righteousness was so great that he vowed that anyone who would call on his name and trust in the goodness provided through Amida’s righteous life would go to “heaven” or the pure land immediately following death. Accompanying this belief was the notion that humanity had fallen into such a state of wickedness that enlightenment from one’s own goodness was impossible. This creed was attractive to farmers who did not have the opportunity to develop their minds and could not economically contribute to Buddhist institutions and yet could still have eternal bliss based on faith and calling upon the Buddha Amida. While the Japanese followed various forms of Buddhism during Tokugawa Japan, the Buddhist temple served as the center of culture in urban and rural settings. Education was largely promulgated at temple schools with priests serving as instructors. Prior to Tokugawa times almost all art was religious-based. Hence the temple stored the art collection as well as local reports and registers. The temple also served as a place of refuge where abused wives could receive a valid divorce from a rogue husband. There was also an aspect of entertainment to Buddhism and art during Edo Japan. Religious scrolls depicting pictures from various sacred texts including scenes of heaven and hell were part of temple art collections. It was not uncommon for Buddhist nuns to travel with these scrolls. For a fee, they would unroll the scrolls as villagers, mostly children and women, would listen as the nuns told stories using the art as illustrations. In 1691 Engelbert Kaempfer (1651-1716) one of the few Westerners that traveled in Tokugawa Japan observed the nuns telling their stories and he noted that the crowd grew most excited when the nuns showed pictures of a burning hell and described the tortures awaiting some in the next life. The most important aspect of Buddhism during Tokugawa Japan was the role of the funeral. Ceremonies for the dead were almost exclusively Buddhist in nature. These Buddhist rituals included bathing the corpse, shaving the deceased’s head, dressing the body in a white cotton kimono and then cremating the dead. A posthumous name was given to the dead along with the creation of two tablets. One of these was placed where the ashes were buried and the second was placed in the deceased’s home. Other rituals included particular prayers and commemorations on certain days and years that marked the anniversary of one’s death. One of the more intriguing, and lesser known aspect of religion in Tokugawa Japan is the Hidden Christian movement. Adherence to Christianity was punishable by death for almost the entire Edo era, yet there remained a remnant of Christianity, albeit a very syncretized form of Catholicism. The reasons for the ban of Christianity and the Hidden Christians round out this essay on religion in Tokugawa Japan. The arrival and influence of Christianity in sixteenth century Japan is a fascinating tale. Part of the West’s Age of Discovery included the desire to spread Christianity throughout the globe. An added motive for the spread of the Catholic faith was that the Age of Discovery coincided with the Protestant Reformation. Christopher Columbus’ first trek across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 came just 25 years before Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, which helped launch the Reformation. The Catholic Counter Reformation was led by a new religious order known as the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Founded in 1540, this order was characterized by an emphasis on academic prowess, physical discipline and world evangelism. One of the Jesuit founders, Francis Xavier (1506-1552) was the first Western missionary to arrive in Japan. Landing in Kagoshima in 1549, the Basque Jesuit began the task of spreading Christianity throughout Japan. Xavier was soon joined by more Jesuit brothers from Europe. Their strategy was to focus their efforts on conversion of Japan’s leaders, believing that there would be a trickle-down effect if military governors (daimyo) embraced this foreign religion. Christianity arrived in Japan during the islands’ warring states period, which actually facilitated the conversion of hundreds of thousands of Japanese. The Jesuits were mostly Portuguese and they brought along with them Western goods for trade. These included guns and cannon, which many of the daimyo coveted to assist in their military campaigns. In 1563 a leading daimyo on Kyushu, Omura Sumitada, was baptized into the Catholic faith; this practice was passed down to his samurai and the farmers under his protection. The faith became known as Kirishitan. Between 1563 and 1620, 82 daimyo were baptized along with 300,000 Japanese. This was somewhat surprising in that the three great sins that the foreign priests railed against were idolatry, homosexuality, and infanticide. The idolatry was directed toward those that had any type of Buddhist or Shinto art in their homes. Homosexuality was practiced by samurai and Buddhist monks. Finally, infanticide was the method by which the poor farmers controlled the population so as to have enough food for subsistence. In 1580 the town of Nagasaki was actually given to the Jesuits and this became the center of Jesuit activity on Kyushu. In fact, it was this southern island that was most influenced by Catholicism due to its distance from Edo and Kyoto. It was also the location most frequented by Western traders, allowing for a greater Western interaction on Kyushu compared with the rest of Japan. The first overt turn against Christianity in Japan came in 1587 when Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the second of Japan’s three great unifiers ordered the expulsion of all foreign missionaries. He gave them just twenty days to leave his islands. It is probable that this proclamation was based on the Buddhist monks’ growing disdain for this foreign faith which challenged the prevailing religious pluralism enjoyed by most Japanese. This faith’s message included an exclusive claim of truth demanding that baptized Japanese denounce all other religions. But this 1587 law was largely ignored. Just two years later the Catholic priests baptized 10,000 new Japanese converts. The much more serious move against Christianity in Japan occurred in 1596 due in part to the San Felipe incident. In 1593 Spanish Franciscan priests entered Japan to spread the Christian faith. Unfortunately, bitter rivalries between the Jesuits and Franciscans that had its roots in European politics and ethnic enmity spilled over into Japan. Furthermore, the Franciscans’ method of evangelizing was identifying with the poor and disenfranchised while the Jesuits worked with the elite and were more accommodating in allowing Japanese to practice traditional ceremonies that the Franciscans deemed as antithetical to the Catholic faith. The Spanish had already established much of Central and South America along with the Philippines as part of their empire. Japanese officials were aware of these rivalries and of Spain’s expanding empire. Thus in 1596 when the San Felipe, a Spanish galleon full of Asian goods was on its way to the Americas, it crashed on to Japan’s shores during a typhoon. Its captain protested the way he and his crew were treated and suggested that Spain would colonize Japan just as it had Central America and the Philippines. Hideyoshi responded by confiscating all of San Felipe’s cargo and ordering the execution of Spanish priests. In 1597, 26 Christians, including six Franciscan priests and three Jesuits were marched to Nagasaki where they were crucified. The following year Hideyoshi died and in 1603 Tokugawa Ieyasu was made shogun. He continued the policy of suppressing Christianity: in 1614 he ordered the expulsion of all missionaries and declared the practice of Christianity illegal in Japan. In 1619, 52 Christians in Kyoto were burned at the stake; four years later 50 more were killed in Edo. In 1628 suspected Christians were ordered to visit their local Buddhist temple and publicly step on an image of the Virgin Mary and/or an image of Jesus. This practice, termed fumi-e greatly reduced the number of practicing Christians in Japan. Then in 1637 a rebellion broke out in Shimabara, just northeast of Nagasaki, against the unjust treatment of a cruel daimyo. Though not a religious rebellion, because it was a stronghold of Christianity the shogun equated this rebellion with the Christian religion. When the rebels’ castle fell in 1638 an estimated 37,000 were massacred by the shogun’s forces. The following year an order from Edo expelled all foreigners save for the Dutch who were allowed to live (with many restrictions) on the man-made island of Dejima in Nagasaki Bay. The Protestant Dutch promised not to possess any religious literature or spread their faith in Japan. Japan closed its doors to the world from 1640 until the middle of the nineteenth century. Yet even for those two hundred years there remained a small underground Christian movement, known as Hidden Christians. Three features characterized this movement. First, it was dominated by poor farmers, as no samurai or official dared to openly or secretly adhere to the faith that would cost them and their families their lives. Second, the Hidden Christians were centered in the extreme western portion of Japan in places like the Urakami Valley (close to Nagasaki) and the Goto and Amakusa islands. The Hidden Christians’ third feature was that their faith was highly Japanized. Some of the main emphases in their practice included disguised dolls that represented the Virgin Mary, an emphasis on prayers of contrition following their denial of their faith due to the practice of fumi-e, and the practice of baptism. The syncretism of their faith is seen in the only Hidden Christian book of instruction that survived the Tokugawa persecution. It is titled Tenchi Hajime no Koto (The Beginnings of Heaven and Earth). In the document the Virgin Mary is actually identified as a twelve-year-old Filipina and the three kings who visit Jesus at his birth are from America, Asia and Europe. In 1859 a French Catholic priest, Bernard Thadee Petijean from the Paris Foreign Mission Society was allowed to establish a church for the increasing number of Westerners living in Japan. A Catholic Church was built in Nagasaki. Then in 1865 Father Petijean was approached by a woman from Urakami who let him know that there were a good number of Hidden Christians in her village. The foreign priest was stunned by this news, and upon investigation he found that there were a good number of Christians in Urakami, meaning that the Hidden Christians had kept the faith alive for several centuries though they had to do this in secret. When Pope Pius IX heard of this, he called it a miracle. There was great diversity of religion during Tokugawa Japan. Yet there were common elements in the four major faiths noted above. First, all four had the doctrine that there was a supreme being who gives humans help and care based on the deity’s benevolent nature. For the Confucian follower that being echoed back to Shangdi or the Lord on High; for the Shinto there was Amaterasu the sun goddess from which sprung Japan’s imperial line; for the Buddhists it was Amida; and for the Christians it was deus or God the Father. Also, the four faiths all pointed back to a golden past. For the Christians this was the Garden of Eden; for Buddhists it was the days of Amida; for the Confucian adherents it was the era of the sage kings; and for the Shinto it was the time when Amaterasu sent her grandson to govern Japan’s inhabitants, and subsequently led to Japan’s first reported reigning emperor, Jimmu (660 B.C. – 585 B.C.). Despite these similarities there was not enough room in Tokugawa Japan for all four religions to co-exist. Christianity was outlawed, not because it was a foreign religion—Confucianism and Buddhism were also foreign in origin—but because of the exclusive nature of the Christian message and the fear that the West would incorporate Japan into their nascent Western empires.
0.999943	Create the most delicious slices of hard cheese with the Parmesan Cheese Slicer Monaco+. This stainless steel slicer is suitable for very hard cheeses, but also for truffles, mushrooms, and other vegetables. You can determine the thickness of the slice yourself, and the flat handle provides you with an extra firm grip. This slicer is part of the Monaco+ line: a collection created using over 120 years of experience in making cheese tools. This ensures that the slicer has the best qualities to make slicing as easy as possible. This cheese slicer has a flat handle, providing an extra firm grip. With this slicer, you can choose how thick you want to slice your cheese. All you have to do is adjust thickness setting on the slicer. This way, you can create delicious slices or flakes of very hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, to top off a pasta or salad. You can also slice truffles, mushrooms, and other ingredients. As the cheese slicer is made entirely of stainless steel, it's dishwasher safe. That way, it'll be clean and ready to go again in no time.
0.999163	They did a great job. The blinds fit perfectly and they were easy to install. I was amazed at the great service and the professional people. The customer service is great.
0.962644	Track was in Wye Street, off York Road, Battersea. The Aces lost only one match in two years, and that was against Hellingly Lions(East Sussex) by 2 points. Stan "Rory" Blackwell represented England on many occasions. Jean Blackwell(1940s) was possibly the first ever girl rider. "Rory" Blackwell was a World Record Drummer, and appeared in the 1989 Guinness Book of Records, stating: 'Four hundred separate drums were played in 31.78 seconds by Rory Blackwell at Finlake Country Park, Chudleigh, Devon on the 30th May 1988'. Prior to this he was a talented boxer, reaching the finals in the old Empire/Commonwealth Games as a welterweight. Unfortunately he developed a medical condition in one of his eyes, and his promising boxing career came to an abrupt end, resulting in the start of Rory's musical career. Rory Blackwell was a British rock and roll musician, founding Rory Blackwell and the Rock 'N' Rollers(which he fronted with the drums & vocals), before changing their name to The Blackjacks. He founded the first British rock and roll band, and put on rock and roll at Studio 51 in September 1956, and at the 2i's Coffee Bar(where Tommy Steele was discovered), and on 24th January 1957 gave his very first job to Terry Dene(then Terry Williams), fronting him at the Razzle Dazzle Club. Rory and his Blackjacks starred in the 1957 film 'Rock You Sinners', this alongside Art Baxter, Jackie Collins and Tony Crombie. In 1959 Rory discovered a 16 year old pianist, Clive Powell(Georgie Fame) in a summer holiday camp in Wales, where he offered him a job as a piano player in his group. After the season ended, Powell left to seek new opportunities. Amongst his recordings was "Bye Bye Love", later recorded by The Everly Brothers. Other successes included "Bony Moronie", "Red Roses", "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast", "Great Balls of Fire", and "Rory's Rock". He then toured the UK and Europe with stars from the US. Rory had a very lucky escape on February 3rd 1959 when Buddy Holly, Big Boppa and Richie Valens were killed in an air crash. He should have been with them, but his tour was cancelled at the very last minute. In 1968, 'Rory Blackwell's 1968 Rock'n'roll Show Live' was released, with the tracks being: "Lets Have a Party", Rock Around the Clock", "Great Balls of Fire", "Be Bop a Lula", "Shake Rattle and Roll", "Hound Dog", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", "Bony Moronie", "Heartbreak Hotel", and "Rory's Rock". After the launching of the Apollo 11 in 1969, Rory wrote and released the orchestral piece 'Apollo 11: Sea of Tranquility'. In 1978 another album was released, 'The Two Sides of Rory Blackwell', with tracks including "Bony Moronie", "Amarillo", "Teddy Bear", Beatles Medley" and "Wipe Out". His appearances on television included the Six-Five Special, Cool For Cats, and Oh Boy!, where he acted with Lord Rockingham's X1. Later Rory toured as drummer with the Beach Boys and John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band. During the 1960s, Rory worked with a young bassist, Nick Simper, who later joined Johnny Kidd's band and went on to become one of the founding members of Deep Purple. Retired to Devon, becoming involved with the Manadon Lightnings CSC.
0.948795	A Galileo thermometer (or Galilean thermometer) is a thermometer made of a sealed glass cylinder containing a clear liquid and several glass vessels of varying densities. As the temperature changes, the individual floats rise or fall in proportion to their respective density. It is named after Galileo Galilei because he discovered the principle on which this thermometer is based—that the density of a liquid changes in proportion to its temperature—and he also invented a thermoscope based on this principle. Although named after Italian physicist Galileo Galilei, the thermometer described in this article was not invented by him. Galileo did invent a thermometer, called Galileo's air thermometer (more accurately termed a thermoscope), in or before 1603. The so-called 'Galileo thermometer' was invented by a group of academics and technicians known as the Accademia del Cimento of Florence, who included Galileo's pupil, Torricelli and Torricelli's pupil Viviani. Details of the thermometer were published in the Saggi di naturali esperienze fatte nell'Academia del Cimento sotto la protezione del Serenissimo Principe Leopoldo di Toscana e descritte dal segretario di essa Accademia (1666), the Academy's main publication. The English translation of this work (1684) describes the device ('The Fifth Thermometer') as 'slow and lazy', a description that is reflected in an alternative Italian name for the invention, the termometro lento (slow thermometer). The outer vessel was filled with 'rectified spirits of wine' (a concentrated solution of ethanol in water); the weights of the glass bubbles were adjusted by grinding a small amount of glass from the sealed end; and a small air space was left at the top of the main vessel to allow 'for the Liquor to rarefie' [i.e. expand]. The device now called the Galileo thermometer was revived in the modern era by the Natural History Museum, London, which started selling a version in the 1990s. The Galilean thermometer works on the principle of buoyancy. Buoyancy determines whether objects float or sink in a liquid, and is responsible for the fact that even boats made of steel float in water (while a solid bar of steel sinks). The only factor that determines whether a large object rises or falls in a particular liquid is the object's density relative to the density of the liquid. If the object is denser than the liquid then it sinks, as it is heavier than the liquid it displaces. If the object is less dense than the liquid then it begins to sink until the weight of the displaced liquid becomes equal to the object's weight; then it floats at that depth. Suppose there are two objects, each with a volume of Script error: No such module "convert".. The mass of water displaced by an object of this size is Script error: No such module "convert".. The brown object on the left is floating because the mass of water it would displace if completely submerged (Script error: No such module "convert".) is greater than the mass of the object. It floats half submerged because that is the point where the mass of the water displaced (Script error: No such module "convert".) is equal to the mass of the object. The green object on the right has sunk because the mass of water it is displacing (Script error: No such module "convert".) is less than the object's mass (Script error: No such module "convert".). All objects made of the green material above will sink. In Figure 2, the interior of the green object has been hollowed out. The total mass of the object is now Script error: No such module "convert"., yet its volume remains the same, so it floats half way out of the water like the brown object in Figure 1. In the examples above, the liquid in which the objects have been floating is assumed to be water. Water has a density of Script error: No such module "convert"., which means that the mass of water displaced by any of the above objects when fully submerged, is Script error: No such module "convert".. Galileo discovered that the density of a liquid is a function of its temperature. This is the key to how the Galileo thermometer works: as the temperature of most liquids increases, their density decreases. Figure 3 shows a Script error: No such module "convert". hollow object made of the green material. In the left hand container, the density of the liquid is Script error: No such module "convert".. Since the object weighs less than the water it displaces, it floats. In the right hand container, the density of the liquid is Script error: No such module "convert".. Since the object weighs more than the mass of the water it displaces, it sinks. This shows that very small changes in the density of the liquid can easily cause an almost-floating object to sink. In the Galileo thermometer, the small glass bulbs are partly filled with different-coloured liquids. The composition of these liquids is not important for the functioning of the thermometer; they merely function as fixed weights and their colours are only for decoration. Once the handblown bulbs have been sealed, their effective densities are adjusted by means of the metal tags hanging from beneath them. Any expansion due to the temperature change of the coloured liquid and air gap inside the bulbs does not affect the operation of the thermometer, as these materials are sealed inside a glass bulb of fixed size. The clear liquid in which the bulbs are submerged is not water, but some organic compound (such as ethanol) the density of which varies with temperature more than does water’s. This change of density of the outer clear liquid, with temperature change, causes the bulbs to rise or sink. Figure 4 shows a schematic representation of a Galileo thermometer at two different temperatures. In some models, if there are some bulbs at the top (Figure 4, left) and some at the bottom, but one floating in the gap, then the one floating in the gap (green Script error: No such module "convert".) tells the temperature. If there is no bulb in the gap (Figure 4, right) then the average of the values of the bulb above and below the gap gives the approximate temperature. In other models, the lowest floating bulb gives the approximate temperature. The bulbs and weights are sized so as not to jam with each other, either by being at least half the size of the tube diameter to retain their stacking order or, as an alternative, much less than the tube diameter to freely pass each other in the tubes. 40x40px Wikimedia Commons has media related to Galileo thermometer. ^ Peter Loyson, Galilean Thermometer Not So Galilean, Journal of Chemical Education 2012, 89 (9), pp.1095-1096.
0.964795	More animal plankton after iron fertilisation? In the wake of a controversial iron fertilisation 'experiment' off the coast of Canada, plankton scientists have noted a higher than average abundance of copepods - crustaceans that form an important food source for many marine creatures higher up food chains, including fish. During the summer months of 2012 a large scale iron fertilisation experiment took place across a patch of sea west of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, in contravention of international agreements. Beginning with 90 tons of iron sulphate in July and followed by 10 tons of iron oxide in August and some days later a further 10 tons of iron sulphate and 10 tons of iron oxide, the three part iron fertilisation experiment was carried out with a view to improving salmon catches which had been dwindling in recent years. Iron fertilisation has been proposed as a way of mitigating climate change through capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere as phytoplankton (microscopic plants near the sea's surface) capture the CO2 for their growth, much as land plants use CO2 in photosynthesis to build tissues, so sequestering atmospheric CO2. The idea at Haida Gwaii was that, in addition to CO2 sequestration, the added iron would cause the plankton to bloom over a large area providing food for small animal plankton (zooplankton), which in turn would be eaten by larger zooplankton and eventually fish, such as the salmon; so increasing stocks. Such experiments are highly controversial, and the Haida Gwaii fertilisation has come in for much criticism, to the point of being subject to investigation by Environment Canada. However, the experiment did take place and coincidentally the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) was carrying out routine plankton collections using its towed Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) in the area before and after the iron was spread across the sea. This enabled comparisons of pre- and post-fertilisation plankton catches, as well as a look back in time to previous years' results. Sure enough the results differed significantly from previous surveys across the same routes in previous years. Satellite images showed that a strong phytoplankton bloom followed the iron fertilisation in August and September 2012. What the satellites couldn't spot, but the CPR could sample, was that later in the autumn larger zooplankton - namely copepods - were recorded at levels higher than ever before in the CPR time series for this time of year, while both large phytoplankton and microzooplankton were the lowest recorded. This would likely be because the copepods and other crustaceans had been feeding on the glut of phytoplankton and smaller zooplankton. Whilst lead scientist Dr Sonia Batten of SAHFOS cautions that there could be other factors at play in this complex area of the Northeast Pacific, she remains confident that the unusual plankton community was caused by an unusual event - probably the iron fertilisation. But she keeps an open mind on whether iron fertilisation could lead to increased fish stocks: "This was not the subject of our research and whilst there was an increase in copepods, which salmon feed upon, the relatively small area as well as other factors of salmon life histories has to be considered." "What it does show, however", she continued, "was that the CPR, which follows regular routes and times from year to year, can pick up changes that satellites cannot, or would be missed by short term research cruises. The CPR's strength is the time series it builds and the consistency of its sampling and this event has proven its reliability providing an intriguing set of observations." Professor Nicholas Owens, SAHFOS Director agrees: "This just goes to show that the CPR can build a baseline of data which can illuminate specific events while also contributing to a wider understanding of our ocean globally. Satellites can provide a broad overview, but only if there is no cloud cover, and cannot provide information about zooplankton; research vessels are expensive and limited in the time they can remain in one location; the CPR can collect data year in, year out over long periods. This event has really underpinned its value." Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) is an international charity that operates the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey. The Foundation has been collecting data from the North Atlantic and the North Sea on biogeography and ecology of plankton since 1931. More recently, as the Foundation has become more involved in international projects, work has been expanded to include other regions around the globe. The results of the Survey are used by marine biologists, scientific institutes and in environmental change studies across the world. The CPR team is based in Plymouth, England and consists of analysts, technicians, researchers and administrators, who all play an integral part in the running of the Survey. The Foundation is a charity and company limited by guarantee. It depends on voluntary cooperation of the international shipping community. A consortium of agencies from nine countries, the EU and international organisations provide financial support.
0.953659	The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert Mugabe, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land redistribution campaign, which began in 1997 and intensified after 2000, caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, Mugabe rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection. In April 2005, the capital city of Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition. President Mugabe in June 2007 instituted price controls on all basic commodities causing panic buying and leaving store shelves empty for months; a period of increasing hyperinflation ensued. General elections held in March 2008 contained irregularities but still amounted to a censure of the ZANU-PF-led government with the opposition winning a majority of seats in parliament. MDC-T opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the most votes in the presidential polls, but not enough to win outright. In the lead up to a run-off election in late June 2008, considerable violence enacted against opposition party members led to the withdrawal of Tsvangirai from the ballot. Extensive evidence of violence and intimidation resulted in international condemnation of the process. Difficult negotiations over a power-sharing "government of national unity," in which Mugabe remained president and Tsvangirai became prime minister, were finally settled in February 2009, although the leaders failed to agree upon many key outstanding governmental issues. Mugabe was reelected president in June 2013 in balloting that was severely flawed and internationally condemned. As a prerequisite to holding the elections, Zimbabwe enacted a new constitution by referendum, although many provisions in the new constitution have yet to be codified in law. Nationality: noun: Zimbabwean(s), adjective: Zimbabwean. Ethnic groups: African 99.4% (predominantly Shona; Ndebele is the second largest ethnic group), other 0.4%, unspecified 0.2%. Languages: Shona (official; most widely spoken), Ndebele (official, second most widely spoken), English (official; traditionally used for official business), 13 minority languages (official; includes Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Shangani, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa). Religions: Protestant 75.9% (includes Apostolic 38%, Pentecostal 21.1%, other 16.8%), Roman Catholic 8.4%, other Christian 8.4%, other 1.2% (includes traditional, Muslim), none 6.1%. GDP: $ 13 740 000 000.00 (2014). Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ). Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river; South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration. Zimbabwe is transit point for cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines en route to South Africa. Location: Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia. Landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water; Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi). 20 00 S, 30 00 E. border countries: Botswana 834 km, Mozambique 1,402 km, South Africa 230 km, Zambia 763 km. Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals.
0.974841	Fatty liver syndrome and ketosis are metabolic disorders that result from intense fat mobilization during hormonal changes and negative energy balance associated with the transition period. The liver is an extremely important metabolic organ in transition dairy cows. The starch content of a dairy ration, how fermentable this starch is in the rumen and the total tract starch digestibility have a huge influence on many facets of a dairy operation. Feed cost, income-over-feed cost, feed efficiency, milk production, microbial protein production, peak milk, lactation persistency, ketosis, fatty livers, displaced abomasums, colostrum quantity, butter fat, milk protein, weight loss in fresh cows, weight gain in late-lactation cows and heifer growth are all partially influenced by the level of starch in the diet and its level of digestibility. Most hay producers want to produce hay as profitably as possible. Establishing economic goals is the first step towards profitability. Once goals are established, farmers benefit by developing a management mindset centered on a business approach. Severe winter cold coupled with little or no snow cover can result in poor hay and pasture stands in spring. Plants may be killed or weakened, leaving barren areas in the field or thinning of the stand, depending on the severity of winter injury. When growing alfalfa, variety selection is only one key to maximizing yield and forage quality. Even the best seed genetics will never allow a crop to reach its full potential unless growers also take the necessary steps to identify their specific, individual needs prior to planting and establishing a successful stand. You may be wondering why winter would be a good time to discuss a hay management program. My experience is that a key to a successful hay program is planning.
0.994939	My wife and I have been married for nearly a year and I'm ready to call it quits. My mother-in-law is a meddler and my father-in-law an alcoholic, although he would never admit it. They seem to have nothing nice to say, nit-picking everything. My wife does nothing to stop them. She acts like nothing happened after they leave and I'm totally disgusted. It sounds like your wife has suffered from an upbringing of emotional abuse. Your wife has learned to desensitize herself from her parent's mistreatment. It's hard for a daughter to break away from such demanding parents. It would be best for both of you to seek guidance from a marriage counselor to figure out coping strategies in order to deal with her parents and to help build a strong and supportive marriage. In the meantime, keep being cordial, but keep your distance from her parents. Best of luck.
0.999993	TL;DR: A science slam transforms citizen science into an entertaining competition of informing the audience about interesting scientific findings. The stage is set, today in a science museum. The hands on science experiments have been moved out of the way to make room for 200 guests. The low cieling, sloped off to one side, gives the room a homey feeling. There is a buzz in the air. The guests have arrived and taken their seets. The attendents have to inform speculative guests that the venue has been sold out. “Come back in six months” is the answer they receive. Back on stage, the host of the evening, André, enters to enthusiastic applause. He begins with a quick explaination of the rules, followed by passing out the scoring sheets to the audience. He then welcomes the evening’s slammers onto the stage to introduce them to the audience. The order of the four slams will be determined by a round of quartet. The quartet’s theme, female dictators. Each slammer picks a card face down and the audience decides the category. Tonight the total attributed deaths is chosen. As luck would have it, yours truley won the round thanks to card with a Gregorian female dictator with 100,000 attributed deaths \s. This meant being the evening’s opening slammer. This is how all slams start. The slammers, one after the other, come onto stage and within 10 minutes have to present their research in an entertaining fashion. The science has to be broke down into layman’s terms with enough entertaining value to keep the audience’s attention. Some slammers use poems to enchant the audience, others take plots of popular films as a base narative while all use absurd analogies and stipulations to tickle out a laugh. It is often situational comedy, conjured up by the weird comparisons that wins their heart’s over. In between the comedy employed by the slammers are founded scientific findings, educating the public on the research dear to their hearts. It is this unconventional matremoney, between science and comedy, that draws in crowds throughout Germany. People are intrinsicly currious, but there exists a significant hurdly of learning about the research performed by society’s scientists. The research is published in journals, in terms often requiring years of study to understand the latest break throughs. Despite scientists disseminating their research at conferences, it is directed to their fellow peers. This creates a gap between the potentially insightful findings and the general public. By breaking down research with helpful analogies and a light hearted touch bridges this gap and allows the audience to peak into the world of cutting edge science. In the same vien, I attempt to convey the importance and inner workings of hydroponics. Put succinctly, hydroponics is a method of growing plants with a closed loop water cycle. This allows water consumption to be drastically reduced in comparison to conventional farming techniques. My slam’s protagonists are Lilli a pyromaniac and Olaf the potato. This unlikely duo tell of the potential afforded by hydroponics with dramatic misfortunes and weird comparisons. In this sense, if the concept of a science slam has piqued your interest, checkout when one will be held in your area. If you are unfortunate enough to live in a region without science slams, enjoy some of the best on YouTube or organize your own.
0.916327	I had a fabulous idea yesterday: what if I paint one 30-minute portrait a day for a...week? I would have 7 paintings, 3.5 hours of painting practice, and possibly an unnoticeable improvement in my work. What if I do a month? 30 days x 30 minutes gives me 15 hours and 30 paintings! Tangible, eh? You can even do a show with 30 portraits. And then I was looking for a good number of days to commit to, between a month and a year. I found the number 206 - which is the number of bones in the human body. It ties nicely to my focus on portraits and will also remind me to turn to my anatomy book more often. Here is the math (and prepare to be impressed :) : 206 days x 30 minutes x 1 painting = 6180 minutes, or 103 hours of painting, and 206 portraits to show for it! So here is the project: I will paint 1 portrait every day for the next 206 days! 3. I can paint the same person more than once, use any technique and any size. If taking pictures is your thing, I welcome photography, too. 4. I intend to spend 30 minutes plus/minus 10 on each painting. I found that for watercolor, it makes sense to break the 30 minutes in 10-minute intervals to let the painting dry in between - and to give me an opportunity to step away and take a look at my work from a distance. Plus, I can rarely have 30 minutes straight of uninterrupted me-time. So, the idea is to spend 30 minutes total a day. Depending on how it goes, I might post other people's submissions here or include links, or maybe create a Flickr group. I also intend to take an occasional video of the painting process and post a mini-lesson on anatomy for artists.
0.994059	What's your country's purpose or mission?Mission: To create a country that can support its citizens and other countries at the same time. *Just getting by is not an option; cash must come into the system at the beginning. This country will prove that there is power in the numbers and everyone forms a major piece of this puzzle from the top to the bottom to the top. I've been approached by several to just take the best, but to have an extraordinary country, you need people at all levels, with all kinds of experience to really excel which will maximizes everyone's efforts and gifts. A country needs to be diverse, for there's a role for everyone. At the start, it may be a little slow, but over time, this country will outperform every other country due to passion and sheer numbers of people working together. A country needs to help its citizens identify where they fit so that they can share their experiences, resources, connections, and be rewarded. The country will invest 5-10% of all revenue back into the training, coaches, adapting the structure that empowr has built for the country to maximize its ability to support its citizens and their ability to earn more. Join This Country One way is invest in distribution centers around the globe where everyone in that physical country can send their items to one location to be combined with others to be shipped to other distribution centers around the world. This service will be provided to other countries to generate extra cash revenue.What are the shared beliefs and core values?Citizens shall have the right and necessity to support others with their empowr earnings to help them advance. Citizens bringing in outside cash shall be rewarded as empowr will match those funds for the country. Citizens with no money will have opportunities to earn cash in order to receive the same rewards. Resources to bring in outside cash into the system right now: Global Seed Project, Commission real estate and tourist agents, increasing the value of your coins by a 1000% Every citizen will have the right to sell these coins within empowr and outside of empowr so that a percentage of those sales come right back to support the strengthening of the country. The country/marketplace will have rules, caps, and safety checks preventing people from draining the cash out of the country such as teaming up with others to pay $1000 for an item that cost $1 just to drain cash from the system. * every sale within the marketplace shall be paid in coins, plus safety checks on listings that make sure they’re valid. **Incentives will be used to encourage people to invest and stay for the long haul. People who have no choice but to withdraw their coins for cash, shall receive extra training so that they can rise above their challenges. Join This Country, www.empowr.com/JoinThisCountryWhy should people join your country?1) To Be Successful so that you can help others 2) To let us help you? 3) To follow your passion, your drive to do more 4) To get the tools, resources and the training that you can use in any country, and within your own life. 5) To be successful so that you can pay it forward and it will keep coming back to you again and again. Join right now to add your input, your passion for what you'd like to see. It's going to be a democracy so you get to vote on your future. Next, I’m Trever McGhee, leading the drive to build this country with you. I’m a coach and have been one on empowr. Now I am creating an ideal country that will not only support its citizens, but help others create their best country. It's all about working together as everyone has a gift to share. On a mission to inspire 1 billion students in 2020 through our seed project that I hope to use to bring cash to empowr so that it can do more to help you. *I have been featured on ABC, CTV, The Discovery Channel, Daily Planet, National Geographic Magazine, and Guinness World Records for the Fire Walking records I've set to prove that together we can make a difference. I've dedicated my life to helping children and adults for free but have personally only been able to reach about a million people which I think is not enough to help reverse what's happening in the real world. GO beyond what you thought was possible and you'll have our 2020 project that will help people, animals, nature, this planet on all levels. Take2seconds 2growit4ward project will be connecting 1.12 Billion students and their teachers around the world together to support one another. Likes: Olayide Jamiu, Heraclea Jayectin, Люба Климкина, Dubere Emilia, and 181 others like this. Everyone has a purpose, everyone forms a piece of this puzzle we call life. We're on a mission to prove it. Join us today, it's only a matter of time before you do. Together, we have the power to change the world in todays digital world with a simple click of a button. Decide to take2seconds today to help us prove it. That's it, just two seconds of your time to help us send life-changing seeds of hope to one billion students and their teachers with the Take2seconds 2Growit4ward 2020 seed project. Likes: Youkali, Fahad Ahmed, Olayide Jamiu, Heraclea Jayectin, and 171 others like this. Likes: Rahayu Sari, Youkali, Olayide Jamiu, BIJENDER SINGH, and 198 others like this. Tom Feeney Today I placed 50 orders to sell Empowrs at 0.00025 which is around five cents a coin. I think we can establish a trading range for the coin around five cents instead of the fraction of a penny that it is now. If enough of us support that price I t... hink the lower sellers will disappear and all our coins will be worth a nickel each. This would be the first step toward a one dollar and higher price. We need to get the value of the coin up to where it belongs. It will take enough of us who care to buy some coins at a price much higher than the Exchange thinks they are worth. Remember how good it felt when the coin was more than 5 dollars? All our work was worth it. Let`s not accept giving people who did not do the work a chance to get in at 1/10 of a penny.
0.999997	The following information will be used to help plan safe and effective massage sessions. Please answer the questions to the best of your knowledge. Where you will be receiving your initial service at. In order to plan a massage session that is safe and effective, I need some general information about your medical history. PLEASE EXPLAIN IN DETAIL! I understand that the massage I receive is provided for the basic purpose of relaxation and relief of muscular tension. If I experience any pain or discomfort during this session, I will immediately inform the therapist so that the pressure and/or strokes may be adjusted to my level of comfort. I further understand that massage should not be construed as a substitute for medical examination, diagnosis, or treatment and that I should see a physician, chiropractor or other qualified medical specialist for any mental or physical ailment that I am aware of. I understand that massage therapists are not qualified to perform spinal or skeletal adjustments, diagnose, prescribe, or treat any physical or mental illness, and that nothing said in the course of the session given should be construed as such. Because massage should not be performed under certain medical conditions, I affirm that I have stated all my known medical conditions, and answered all questions honestly. I agree to keep the therapist updated as to any changes in my medical profile and understand that there shall be no liability on the therapist’s part should I fail to do so.
0.93099	Why Do Companies Incorporate in Delaware? You may incorporate in any state, regardless of where your company does business or where its principal business office is located. Many companies choose to incorporate in Delaware because the state offers certain advantages to its corporations. In fact, the Delaware Division of Corporations states that more than half of the nation's Fortune 500 corporations are incorporated in Delaware. State corporate law typically places many restrictions on the structure of the corporation and the procedures it must follow. A state may, for example, require boards of directors to be of a certain size or require the corporation to submit certain decisions to shareholders rather than allowing the board of directors to make them. Although Delaware law is not completely free of these restrictions, it is far more flexible than the corporate law of most states when it comes to allowing its corporations to choose its own structure and operational procedures. For example, it allows shareholders to shield directors from personal liability for their actions by inserting appropriate language in corporate bylaws. In the event of litigation, a Delaware corporation need not face a hostile jury with little understanding of corporate law. Corporate law issues are handled by the Court of Chancery, with a judge rather than juries deciding cases. Generally, judges rule on many different areas of law and have various degrees of expertise in these different areas. As a consequence of the large number of corporations incorporated in Delaware, however, Delaware judges have gained unprecedented experience in dealing with issues of corporate law. Courts in common law nations like the United States rely heavily on precedent established in prior cases. This can make it difficult to know exactly what the law is or to predict how to comply with it. State also only publish written court decisions when the case is resolved by a judge rather than a jury. Since Delaware corporate litigation is all resolved by judges, all court decisions are published together with the judge's reasoning and commentary, allowing corporate counsel to gain a clear understanding of the state of the law. This legal transparency can help a corporation avoid litigation in the first place. As of the time of publication, the fee to incorporate in Delaware can be as low as $89, depending on the dollar value of the shares issued by the corporation. Delaware corporations must also pay an annual franchise tax of as low as $125, depending on the dollar value of the corporation. Both of these fees are among the lowest in the nation. Large corporations, however, can expect to pay considerably more. Delaware corporations need not list the names of their officers and directors in their incorporation documents. This prevents executive search firms (also known as "headhunters") from raiding the corporation for talent and provides officers and directors with the option to keep their affiliation with the corporation private. Corporate governance is one of the law's most intensely regulated fields. This is because corporations are privately owned but are treated as independent legal entities, rendering their assets vulnerable to a variety of potential abuses. Corporate governance is generally governed by state law, although the federal government has also enacted legislation to curb abuses. An S corporation is a qualifying corporation that has elected to be taxed under Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code. Corporate operating agreements, commonly known as bylaws, specify how the corporation is to be governed. To draft corporate bylaws you must research state law and familiarize yourself with the issues at stake. Do LLCs Have to File Corporate Minutes? Although S corporation, or S corps, provide the same limited liability protection and the same pass-through tax treatment as limited liability companies, or LLCs, many startup businesses choose the LLC form over incorporation and filing under Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code. One reason for the LLC's popularity is its relatively simple documentation requirements. Where Is a Corporation Domiciled?
0.968243	This article is about the warlord, not to be confused with the merchant Feng Yuxiang who helped construct Ningbo's Tianhou Palace. Feng Yuxiang (traditional Chinese: 馮玉祥; simplified Chinese: 冯玉祥; pinyin: Féng Yùxíang; Wade–Giles: Feng Yü-hsiang; IPA: [fə́ŋ ỳɕi̯ɑ́ŋ]; 6 November 1882 – 1 September 1948) was a warlord and leader in Republican China from Chaohu, Anhui. He served as Vice Premier of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1930. He was also known as the Christian General for his zeal to convert his troops and the Betrayal General for his penchant to break with the establishment. In 1911, he was an officer in the ranks of Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army but joined forces with revolutionaries against the Qing Dynasty. He rose to high rank within Wu Peifu's Zhili warlord faction but launched the Beijing coup in 1924 that knocked Zhili out of power and brought Sun Yat-sen to Beijing. He joined the Nationalist Party (KMT), supported the Northern Expedition and became blood brothers with Chiang Kai-shek, but resisted Chiang's consolidation of power in the Central Plains War, and broke with Chiang again in resisting Japanese incursions in 1933. He spent his later years supporting the Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang. As the son of an officer in the Qing Imperial Army, Feng spent his youth immersed in the military life. He joined the Huai Army when he was 11, as a deputy soldier (Fu Bing, 副兵), the lowest rank in the army who only received uniform and food, but no salary like regular soldiers. By the age of 16, Feng had proved himself and became a regular. Unlike other soldiers who gambled away their pay, Feng saved his salary and used a portion of it to help out other soldiers in need, especially those deputy soldiers (Fu Bing, 副兵), and hence he was popular among his comrades-in-arms. Feng was hard working and motivated, and in 1902, he was reassigned to Yuan Shikai's newly established Beiyang Army. During the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, Feng joined the Luanzhou Uprising against the Qing Court and supported the revolutionaries in the South. The Uprising was suppressed by the Beiyang Army and Feng was imprisoned by Yuan Shikai. In 1914, he regained military rank and spent the next four years defending Yuan's regime. In July 1914, as brigade commander, he participated in the suppression of the Bailang Peasant Uprising in Henan and Shaanxi. During the National Protection War of 1915-16, he was sent to Sichuan to fight the Anti-Yuan National Protection Army, but secretly communicated with revolution leader Cai E. In April 1917, he was stripped of his military rank but still led his old troops in the campaign against Zhang Xun and was restored to his rank. In February 1918, he was ordered to suppress the Constitutional Protection Movement, but proclaimed his support for peace talks in Hubei and was stripped of titles but permitted to stay in command of his forces. The capture of Changde in June earned him back his titles. By August 1921, he was promoted to command a division and was based in Shaanxi. Feng, like many young officers, was involved in revolutionary activity and was nearly executed for treason. He later joined Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army and with the help and advice of Chinese diplomat Wang Zhengting, converted to Christianity in 1914, being baptised into the Methodist Episcopal Church. Feng's career as a warlord began soon after the collapse of the Yuan Shikai government in 1916. Feng, however, distinguished himself from other regional militarists by governing his domains with a mixture of paternalistic Christian socialism and military discipline. He forbade prostitution, gambling and the sale of opium and morphia. From 1919, he was known as the 'Christian General'. The contrast between Cromwell's Ironsides and Charles's Cavaliers is not more striking than that which exists in China to-day between the godly and well-disciplined troops of General Feng and the normal type of man who in that land goes by the name of soldier... While it is too much to say that there are no good soldiers in China outside of General Feng's army, it is none the less true that the people generally are as fearful of the presence of troops as of brigand bands. He was reputed to have liked baptizing his troops with water from a fire hose. But no such incident is mentioned in Sheriden's detailed biography, or in Broomhall's account. Both Broomhall and Sheriden say that baptism was taken very seriously and that not all of Feng's troops were baptised. Journalist John Gunther, in his 1939 book Inside Asia, specifically denied that such mass baptisms took place. Feng Yuxiang, Chiang Kai-sek and Yan Xishan, 1928, erstwhile allies prior to the outbreak of the Central Plains War. In the early 1920s, Feng rose to prominence in the Zhili clique of warlords, named so because their base of power was centred around Zhili Province. This Zhili clique defeated the Fengtian clique, headed by Zhang Zuolin, father of Zhang Xueliang, in the First Zhili-Fengtian War in 1922. It was at this time that Feng also began to move closer to the Soviet Union. Within the Zhili clique, Feng was demoted by Wu Peifu and sent to guard the southern suburbs of Beijing. In 1923 Feng was inspired by Sun Yat-sen and secretly plotted with Hu Jingyi and Xue Yue to overthrow Wu Peifu and Cao Kun who controlled the Beiyang Government. When the Second Zhili-Fengtian War began in 1924, Feng was in charge of defending Rehe against the Fengtian clique. But he switched sides and seized the capital in the Beijing Coup on October 23, 1924. This turnabout prompted the Shandong warlord Zhang Zongchang to join the Fengtian and led to a decisive defeat of the Zhili forces. Hence, Feng's coup brought far-reaching political changes in China. Feng imprisoned Zhili-leader and president Cao Kun, installed the more liberal Huang Fu, evicted the last Emperor Puyi from the Forbidden City, and invited Sun Yat-sen to Beijing to resurrect the Republican government and reunify the country. Despite being severely ill already, Sun came to Beijing and died there in April 1925. Feng renamed his army the Guominjun or the National People's Army. To counter pressure from the Zhili and Fengtian factions, he invited Duan Qirui to take on the presidency. Nevertheless, Feng was defeated by a Zhili-Fengtian alliance in the Anti-Fengtian War in January 1926. He lost control of Beijing, and retreated to Zhangjiakou where his army became known as the Northwest Army. In April 1926, Sun Yat-sen's successor, Chiang Kai-shek, launched the Northern Expedition from Guangzhou against the northern warlords. Feng threw his support behind the Nationalists in the Northern Expedition and merged his Guominjun with the National Revolutionary Army. The Nationalists vanquished the Zhili faction in the south, and Feng asserted control over much of north-central China. Zhang Zuolin was forced to withdraw the Fengtian forces back to Manchuria. In August, Feng went to the Soviet Union and returned in September. By early 1929, Feng grew dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government in Nanjing. He joined Yan Xishan and Li Zongren to challenge Chiang's supremacy. He was defeated by Chiang in the Central Plains War. Chiang then incited anti Yan Xishan and Feng Yuxiang sentiments among the Chinese Muslims and Mongols, encouraging them to topple their rule. Stripped of his military power, Feng spent the early 1930s criticizing Chiang's failure to resist Japanese aggression. On May 26, 1933, Feng Yuxiang became commander-in-chief of the Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army Alliance, with Ji Hongchang and Fang Zhenwu as frontline commander. With a strength claimed by Feng to be over 100,000 men, Ji Hongchang's army pushed against Duolun, and by July 1933, drove the Japanese and Manchukuoan troops out of Chahar Province. By late July, Feng Yuxiang and Ji Hongchang established, at Zhangjiakou, the "Committee for Recovering the four provinces of the Northeast". Chiang Kai-shek, fearing that Communists had taken control of the Anti-Japanese Allied Army, launched a concerted siege of the army with 60,000 men. Surrounded by Chiang Kai-shek and the Japanese, Feng Yuxiang resigned his post, and retired to Tai'an in Shandong province. Between 1935 and 1945, Feng Yuxiang supported the KMT and held various positions in the Nationalist army and government. In October 1935, Chiang invited him to Nanjing to serve as the vice-president of the National Military Council. He held the nominal position until 1938 and remained a member of the Council until 1945. During the Xian Incident, when Chiang Kai-Shek was held prisoner by rebellious warlords, he immediately called for Chiang's release. After the Second Sino-Japanese War began in 1937 he was Commander in Chief of the 6th War Area. After World War II, he traveled to the United States where he was an outspoken critic of the Chiang regime and of Truman administration’s support for it. While there he came to General Stilwell's house in California, as he admired Stilwell. Barbara Tuchman tells the story (Stilwell and the American Experience in China 1911-1945, pp. 82–3): "a few days after her husband's death, Mrs. Stilwell was upstairs at her home in Carmel when a visitor was announced with some confusion as 'the Christian.' Mystified, she went down to find in the hall the huge figure and cannonball head of Feng Yu-hsiang, who said, 'I have come to mourn with you for Shih Ti-wei, my friend.'" Although he was never a Communist, he was close to them in his final years. According to descendants whose father was raised as a young boy by Feng Yu-hsiang in his household, and was inspired by the elder Feng's example of service to country and countrymen to join and serve in the military, Feng Yu-hsiang also visited and lived for several months in Berkeley, California during his stay as visiting scholar. Tomb of Feng Yuxiang at the foot of Mount Tai in Shandong. He died in a shipboard fire on the Black Sea while en route to the Soviet Union in 1948, along with one of his daughters. Some believe he was murdered; others deny it. The same descendants also learned from their father that many believed Feng was murdered by political adversaries; and that those who knew details of the shipboard fire and its circumstances had reported that Feng and his daughter perished in the middle of night behind their cabin door(s) that had been locked from the outside. The Chinese Communists classified Feng as a 'good warlord,' and his remains were buried with honors in 1953, at the sacred Mount Tai in Shandong. His tomb is located immediately to the east of Tianwai Village square (36°12′25.86″N 117°6′7.95″E / 36.2071833°N 117.1022083°E / 36.2071833; 117.1022083). His widow Li Dequan served as Minister of Health of the People's Republic of China. Generals of the "Feng Clique" Many of Feng Yuxiang's former subordinates joined or merged into KMT's National Revolutionary Army and fought with distinction in the Second Sino-Japanese War. They include Song Zheyuan, Tong Linge, Zhao Dengyu, Sun Lianzhong, Liu Ruming, Feng Zhian, Yang Hucheng, Ji Hongchang, and Zhang Zizhong. Notable exceptions were Sun Liangcheng and Qin Dechun who collaborated with Japanese. Other generals, who after serving a lengthy term in the warlord era, retired to live a life of pleasure. Sir Richard Evans, author of Deng Xiaoping and the Making of Modern China, described Feng as "an honest man" in his book. Peter R. Moody wrote in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science "Many of Feng's allies might dispute this, since he betrayed every one of them." ↑ John Powell (2001). John Powell, ed. Magill's Guide to Military History: Cor-Jan (illustrated ed.). Salem Press. p. 507. ISBN 0-89356-016-2. Retrieved 2011-05-28. ↑ Marshall Feng: A Good Soldier of Jesus Christ, 2nd edition, page 19. ↑ Marshall Feng: A Good Soldier of Jesus Christ, 2nd edition, page 1. ↑ "Foreign News: Chiang's Cabinet". TIME. Oct 29, 1928. Retrieved May 22, 2011. ↑ Suisheng Zhao (1996). Power by design: constitution-making in Nationalist China. University of Hawaii Press. p. 112. ISBN 0-8248-1721-4. Retrieved 2011-05-28. ↑ Guoqi Xu (2005). China and the great war: China's pursuit of a new national identity and internationalization. Cambridge University Press. p. 231. ISBN 0-521-84212-3. Retrieved 2011-05-28. ↑ Hsiao-ting Lin (2010). Modern China's Ethnic Frontiers: A Journey to the West. Taylor & Francis. p. 22. ISBN 0-415-58264-4. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 1 2 Moody, p. 213. Broomhall, Marshall (Marshall Broomhall); Marshall Feng: A Good Soldier of Jesus Christ; London: China Inland Mission and Religious Tract Society, 1923. Sheridan, James E. Chinese Warlord: The Career of Feng Yu-hsiang. Stanford University 1966. Feng Yu-hsiang (Feng Yuxiang) 馮玉祥 from Biographies of Prominent Chinese c.1925. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Feng Yuxiang. "Private Slice". Time Magazine. 1933-07-24. Retrieved 2008-08-14. Jul 31, 1933 TIME magazine, "Toward Righteousness!" "Arm Band Profits". Time Magazine. 1933-08-14. Retrieved 2008-08-14. "Triumphant Bumpkin". Time Magazine. 1933-08-28. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
0.999783	Energy in all systems is subject to the Laws of Thermodynamics. According to the First Law of Thermodynamics: Energy is neither created or destroyed. What this really means is that the total energy in any system including the entire universe is constant all that can happen is that the form the energy takes changes. This first law is often called the law of conservation of energy. In the food chain above the energy enters the system as light energy, during photosynthesis it gets converted to stored chemical energy (glucose). It is the stored chemical energy that is passed along as food. No new energy is created it is just passed along. Even if we look at the sunlight falling on Earth not all of it is used for photosynthesis. 30% is reflected, around 50% is converted to heat, and most of the rest powers the hydrological cycle - rain, evaporation, wind, etc. Less than 1% of incoming light is use for photosynthesis. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the entropy of an isolated system not in equilibrium will tend to increase over time. what this really means is that the energy conversions are never 100% efficient: When energy is transformed into work, some energy is always dissipated as waste heat. If you examine the food chain again in terms of the second law then: when the lion chases the zebra, the zebra attempts to escape changing the stored chemical energy in its cells into useful work. But during its attempted escape some of the stored energy is converted to heat and lost from the food chain. This process can be summarized by a simple diagram showing the energy input and outputs. So what does the term ENTROPY mean? Entropy refers to the spreading out or dispersal of energy. Using the above example the energy spreads out - the useful energy consumed by one level is less than the total energy at the level below - energy transfer is never 100% efficient. Depending on the plant their efficiency at converting solar energy to stored sugars is around 2%. Herbivores on average only use around 10% of the total plant energy they consume the rest is lost in metabolic processes and a carnivores efficiency is also only around 10%. This means the carnivore only uses 0.02% of incoming solar energy that went into the grass. The rest of the energy is dispered into the surrounding environment.
0.999991	Are you a senior transactional attorney interested in a contract job opportunity in San Francisco, CA? We especially want to hear from you if you have legal experience with commercial transactions and technology! You will be responsible for drafting, structuring, and negotiating commercial agreements, including licensing, customer, technology development, partnerships, and general commercial agreements; legal counselling regarding consumer law, technology, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, and digital media; assisting with negotiations; performing analysis to combat potential risk and compliance issues; and other tasks as assigned. Strong academic credentials from a nationally recognized school are required, along with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
0.987292	Do you want to take a scientific approach to major medical problems like spinal cord injuries and the battle against cancer? The Biomedical Sciences program is a medically-oriented program for scientists that combines veterinary medicine and engineering. The program emphasizes biomedical approaches to diagnose and treat various troublesome human diseases.
0.999999	What is a portion of fruit or veg? Can I actually eat 10 portions a day? One portion is 80g of a particular fruit. This works out as somewhere between a slice and half of a large fruit, such as a melon or grapefruit. It could also be one medium sized fruit, such as an apple. Or it could be two small fruits, such as two plums or satsumas.
0.826219	Not to be confused with International Rugby Hall of Fame. The World Rugby Hall of Fame (formerly the IRB Hall of Fame) recognises special achievement and contribution to the sport of rugby union. The World Rugby Hall of Fame covers players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals. The Hall of Fame recognises the history and important contributions to the game, through one or more induction ceremonies that have been held annually except in 2010. The permanent physical home of the Hall of Fame has been based at the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum in Rugby, Warwickshire since November 2016. The Hall of Fame was introduced by the International Rugby Board (as World Rugby was then known) during the 2006 IRB Awards ceremony in Glasgow, Scotland. The inaugural inductees were William Webb Ellis, who apocryphally caught the ball during a football game and ran with it, and Rugby School, which has left a huge legacy with the game in a number of ways. The second induction to the Hall of Fame took place in Paris on 21 October 2007, the night after the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final. The next induction was in London on 23 November 2008. The third induction, in which nine figures entered the Hall, was held on 27 October 2009 at Rugby School. The voting process for the class of 2009 was geared toward the history of British and Irish Lions tours to South Africa, the most recent of which took place in that year; all of the candidates were either Lions or Springboks. For 2011, induction ceremonies were held at various locations around the world, with the year's final ceremony taking place as part of the 2011 IRB Awards on 24 October in Auckland, the day after the Rugby World Cup Final in that city. The inductions at the Auckland ceremony, according to the IRB, were "under the theme of Rugby World Cup founders, visionaries and iconic figures," and were made in three groups—first for the founders of the RWC, then all World Cup-winning captains and coaches through the 2007 World Cup (minus John Eales, inducted in 2007), and finally other iconic players of the World Cup. The pattern begun in 2011 was repeated in 2012, with six induction ceremonies being held in six different countries. As in the two previous induction cycles, the 2012 inductions had an overriding theme; "Rugby - A Global Game". According to the IRB, it "celebrates Rugby’s expansion to become a global sport played by millions of men and women worldwide." On 31 July 2014, the IRB announced that its Hall would merge with the separate International Rugby Hall of Fame later in 2014. The merger will see the 37 members of the International Hall who had not already been honoured by the IRB formally enter the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2015. The 2014 class of inductees also included six women. On 19 November the IRB rebranded as World Rugby, and the Hall of Fame became known as the World Rugby Hall Of Fame. The 2014 class of inductees included six women. There were five names added to the Hall of Fame in 2017. There were five names added to the Hall of Fame in 2018. ^ a b c d e f g h i j This inductee is a woman. ^ "World Rugby Hall of Fame: Jonny Wilkinson attends launch". BBC News Coventry and Warwickshire. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2017. ^ Rugby News Service (21 October 2007). "Habana named IRB Player of the Year". International Rugby Board. Retrieved 21 October 2007. ^ "IRB Hall of Fame Welcomes Five Inductees". International Rugby Board. 23 November 2008. Retrieved 23 November 2008. ^ "Nine inductees to join IRB Hall of Fame" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009. ^ "Five French legends into IRB Hall of Fame" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 19 March 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011. ^ "Hancock and Cardiff inducted to Hall of Fame" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011. ^ a b "Stars set for glittering finale at IRB Awards" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011. ^ "RWC legends inducted into IRB Hall of Fame" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011. ^ "Chilean Rugby greats added to IRB Hall of Fame" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 2012-05-26. Retrieved 12 June 2012. ^ "Rugby greats to join definitive Hall of Fame" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014. ^ Pengelly, Martin (4 November 2017). "Meet Phaidra Knight: free radical flanker in World". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2018. ^ "Ronan O'Gara: Former Ireland and Munster fly-half earns Hall of Fame honour". British Broadcasting Corporation. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
0.999518	What Quvenzhané provides for the Oscarcast is what every ceremony needs: A compelling human interest story on the side. Her film, "Beasts of the Southern Wild," plays the same role in the overall field. A first film, shot on location in the Louisiana Bayou , it shows us a small community surviving in poverty in the years after Hurricane Katrina, and expecting another storm still more devastating. It's the sort of film Oscar used to ignore. Made for $1,800,000 by first-time director Benh Zeitlin, himself now an Oscar nominee, it shouldered past many blockbusters not only because it deserved to, but because some Oscar voters might have thought Quvenzhané would add great human interest to the show. She utters an incredible scream in "Beasts," a cry like an elemental force of nature, and if that cry echoes through the Dolby Theater on Feb. 24, it will be a moment for history. Not that it is likely to. Let's face it: The nomination is the award, and Best Actress this year is more likely to go to Jessica Chastain ("Zero Dark Thirty"), Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook"), Naomi Watts ("The Impossible") and Emmanuelle Riva ("Amour"). Riva, a French legend, is 85, which creates story interest of its own. She'll soon be asked to pose for publicity photos with a child from Houma, La., more than she could ever have anticipated. I offer these musings because they reflect the way I think of the Oscars. Ever since one of my earliest Oscar experiences, when "Bonnie and Clyde" failed to win, I've learned that the gold statuettes are unlikely to go to my personal favorites. I feel snubbed.When the nominees were announced Thursday at the crack of dawn, indeed, all of the coverage led with the "snub" to Kathryn Bigelow, director of "Zero Dark Thirty." To be sure, her film was nominated as Best Picture, but she did better with her previous nominee, "The Hurt Locker," and so this year she has been snubbed, you see. Also "snubbed" were Ben Affleck ("Argo") or Quentin Tarantino ("Django Unchained). Yes, but they also got Picture nominations, and who won one of the five nominations instead of them? Michael Haneke ("Amour") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"). That shows the voters did a little thinking outside the box. The field was led with 12 nominations by Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln." It's a great film, in my opinion, but in the context of Oscar nominations it also represents the kind of film the Academy loves to nominate: An important drama on a big subject by an industry veteran. The industry spends all year churning out product like last weekend's box office winner "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D," and then puts on its evening wear and poses as humanitarians. If "Lincoln" was a worthy front-runner, however, consider that it barely escaped being tied with Ang Lee's "Life of Pi," which had 11 nominations. 'Lincoln" is drawn from history. "Pi" is a film created entirely from the imagination. Both presented daunting challenges for their makers. Now consider the range of the other Best Picture nominees: "Silver Linings Playbook," a dark comedy about a father and son who are both obsessed sports fans, and "Les Misérables," based on the hit musical set before the French revolution. Right behind them are "Argo," about a scam to free some Americans from Iran under cover of a fake movie production, and "Amour," a French-language film about a long-married couple now facing death together, and "Django Unchained," Quentin Tarantino's violent epic about slavery in the pre-Civil War South. For years, movie critics would mount on their soapboxes and decry the Academy's deplorable taste. Then we critics started writing about how the Academy membership was growing younger, and more "independent" films were being nominated. Then the rules were changed to allow up to 10 Best Picture nominees, which had the effect of allowing a broader range of nominees. Looking at this year's list, I can say: The Academy did pretty well by itself. Yes, I can find room for complaints ( Boo! No best actor for Richard Gere!). But the fact is, the members of the Academy did a pretty good job this year. My taste is only personal, but it's all I have. Looking at the nine films nominated for Best Picture, I find only one that I flatly don't believe was a good film, the near-unbearable "Les Miserables." Victor Hugo's superbly entertaining novel has been transformed into a lumbering musical of dirges that rise and fall, with the occasional relief of a little rinky-dink tune. Not only do you fail to come out humming the songs, you almost don't realize they are songs. Hugo's set piece about the escape through the sewers of Paris is one of the great passages in fiction, and although the film indeed shows it, it doesn't bring it to life. A small hip fracture prevented me from reviewing "Les Mis" on its opening date. Now I suppose I'll do my duty and write a review. That elephantine film aside, this year's list is a good one. I met young Quvenzhané Wallis and heard her explain how at her audition she released her famous scream without even being asked to. It is now in the film, a cry for her absent mother. "They didn't even know about it; they were kinda surprised," she said. "They said, 'WOW, YOU ARE VERY LOUD!' And I was just like, 'I know, that's why I didn't do it.' And when they came to the scene where I had to burp, I had to secretly act like I drank some water and I burped and then they asked me, 'how did you burp?' And I said, 'cause I know how to do it on command,' and they said, 'do it,' so you know? I burped and they was like, 'WOW, you should have told us before.' So it was really funny to see them react to what I did and they didn't even know about it." "They learned more about you every day." "Thank you. Anybody calls for Quvenzhané, I know they're calling me, cause that's one of a kind." So is she. And so are this year's Oscar nominees. Next Article: Some of the year's best documentaries Previous Article: Faster, Quentin! Thrill! Thrill!
0.999844	Relax on sandy beaches, stroll along the scenic Virginia Beach Boardwalk and explore local attractions in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Kids will love the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, the Military Aviation Museum and the Ocean Breeze Waterpark. Best things to do in Virginia Beach for couples include the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, the Adam Thoroughgood House and a romantic picnic on the ocean's edge. The Virginia Beach Boardwalk is the heart and soul of the area and provides a range of fun entertainment and activities for visitors and locals alike. Stretching for three miles along the oceanfront, the boardwalk has an energetic mix of restaurants, shops, entertainment, and laid-back beach vibes. The boardwalk features a separate bike path with vendors offering bike and surrey rentals, making it ideal for strolling, rollerblading, and biking. The boardwalk is also a center for performing arts, including live musical acts, summer concerts, and a range of nautical sculptures such as the famous bronze statute of King Neptune. The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art is dedicated to encouraging and fostering the exploration and understanding of contemporary and modern art. Located at 2200 Parks Avenue, the museum is housed in an award-winning building designed by Boston architect E. Verner Johnson and boasts over 6,000 square feet of exhibition space. The museum features a range of ever-changing exhibitions spanning a variety of art forms and genres, from painting, drawing, and sculpture, to photography, video, and glass. Named after the landing of the first English colonists in 1607, First Landing State Park is a beautiful oasis in the heart of Virginia Beach, and it is the region’s most-visited state park. Built in the early 1930s, the park is a National Natural Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It offers an array of recreational and educational activities, including over 20 miles of hiking and biking trails and uninterrupted views over Chesapeake Bay. A variety of diverse habitats ranging from maritime forests and lush lagoons to marshy cypress swamps serve as the home to myriad fauna and flora. Meanwhile, the visitor-friendly Chesapeake Bay Center features historical and educational exhibits, as well as a pavilion and amphitheater that can be rented for special events. Located just south of Rudee Inlet, the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is home to over 12,000 animals representing over 700 species. The animals are cared for in a variety of habitats, including the Bay & Ocean Pavilion, which features animals from oceanic marine environments, and the Marsh Pavilion, which hosts a variety of river and marsh creatures. The two pavilions are connected by a lovely outdoor hiking/walking trail that runs alongside Owls Creek Salt Marsh. If you are looking for fun things to do in Virginia Beach with kids, this is a great place to visit. The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center also offers a range of educational programs and workshops that aim to encourage and inspire the preservation of the marine environment through research and sustainable practices. Explore the waterways of Virginia Beach through a variety of fun and exciting tours and activities with Beach Eco Tours. The company’s primary focus is on Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) and offers a range of different tours to suit every need, from leisurely cruises, private SUP lessons, and wave-riding lessons to dolphin and moonlight tours. Explore the tranquil waters with ease and take in the beautiful natural surroundings along with the local marine and wildlife. Beach Eco Tours also sells and rents SUP boards so you can explore and enjoy the waters of Chesapeake Bay on your own time. Alternatively, you can join a Tag Along Tour with your own SUP board. A minimum age of 12 years is required for tours. The former home of Native Americans, False Cape State Park is situated between Back Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, and it is one the last remaining undeveloped areas along the Atlantic coast. The park is home to a diverse range of wild and untamed ecosystems and offers excellent outdoor activities such as hiking and biking opportunities through various trails, kayaking trips, beach combing, and camping. The park is also home to the historic Wash Woods community where visitors can explore the old church and cemetery, as well as take an enjoyable round-trip tram ride through the park from the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The park is open from dawn until dusk and has no public vehicular access – it is only accessible by foot, bicycle, beach transport, tram, or boat. The Atlantic Military Aviation Museum is located at the Virginia Beach Airport and is home to one of the largest collections of World War I and World War II military aircrafts in the world. Spanning a vast complex of four hangars and an exclusive museum space for the collection’s non-flying pieces, this fascinating living history museum grew from a passion for World War-era aircraft. It features an impressive selection of meticulously restored aviation treasures. Examples of World War I bi- and triplanes include a Bleriot XI and an Albatross DVA, and World War II pieces include a Spitfire and a MIG. Enjoy guided tours of Master Jet Base NAS Oceana on a special double-decker bus and get up close views of F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet fighter jets. You will have the exciting opportunity to watch Naval Aviators and ground crews at work. Located on Upton Drive in Virginia Beach, Blue Seafood & Spirits is a chef-owned and operated restaurant dedicated to serving high quality, fresh seafood accompanied by a range of signature cocktails, wines, and beers. Ocean Breeze Waterpark is a family-friendly water park and entertainment center in the heart of Virginia Beach. The Caribbean-themed Park features more than 30 exciting rides and exhilarating water slides, river adventures, a pirate ship, and a massive wave pool, as well as other fun attractions. Popular rides include the Log Rolls, Walk the Plane, and Jungle Falls. Smaller children can enjoy themselves on a real pirate ship, and adults might enjoy spending a few hours browsing the shops. The park has several restaurants and cafés that serve a variety of food, snacks, and drinks, and the park offers free sunscreen and inner tubes for all visitors. Situated just north of Back Bay Wildlife Refuge in Sandbridge, Little Island Park is a lovely beach park that provides the public with a variety of outdoor activities. The park is home to a 400-foot fishing pier, which is a great place to surf, as well as a pristine beach where visitors can swim, beach comb, and fish. There are also sheltered picnic and barbecue sites throughout the park for family fun days in the sun. The brackish lake of Back Bay is ideal for kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and crabbing, while lighted tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts provide extra entertainment for more energetic individuals. The Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum is a small museum dedicated to showcasing the history and migratory patterns of Atlantic Wildfowl that pass through Eastern Virginia. Located in the historic de Witt Cottage on the Virginia Beach oceanfront, the museum is home to a variety of exhibits and displays showcasing wildfowl and shorebirds and their migratory movements, as well as an array of artworks with this particular subject matter, from contemporary lifelike carvings to traditional decoys. Other interesting exhibits include a diorama of the surrounding Back Bay habitat and wildlife, a mural of the Atlantic Flyway, and a modern, interactive computer that gives immersive lessons about the local wildfowl. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, Braise, owned by local restaurant veterans Bobby Huber and Mei Ling Perkins, offers an eclectic menu of quasi-American food with a twist. The menu boasts classic surf and turf favorites such as seared scallops and shore clams, braised lamb shank, and bacon-wrapped filet, and it changes according what is in season. The restaurant has a relaxed, laid-back ambiance with a large dining space and an inviting bar where visitors can enjoy half price drinks during Happy Hour every day. Located in the luxury Hilton Hotel on the Virginia Beach oceanfront, Salacia Prime Seafood and Steaks is Virginia’s only AAA 4-Diamond steakhouse. In this elegant space with its soaring ceilings, opulent furniture, and wonderful outdoor dining area, Salacia’s Executive Chef Kyle Woodruff offers an extensive menu of exquisite appetizers, first-class prime steaks, fresh seafood, and a superb wine list. The elegant ambience is a perfect background for delicious appetizers such as mini lobster rolls, best Chesapeake Bay oysters or beef carpaccio, or entrees of wagyu beef with interesting sides such as parmesan parsley potatoes or fire-roasted mushrooms. Let the experienced sommelier choose the right wine for your feast. If you can, try to get the spot outside in one of luxurious white booths overlooking the beach. Just a short walk from the famous boardwalk of Virginia Beach, Terrapin offers diners an intimate dining experience with a menu of award-winning contemporary American Cuisine made from seasonal, farm-fresh ingredients. Chef Rodney Einhorn has created an innovative menu of farm-to-table fare that features dishes such as truffle mac-and-cheese, fresh sea scallops, and rib eye steak. The evolving menu is paired with an interesting list of signature cocktails, boutique wines, and craft beer. The recently renovated restaurant that can accommodate 50 patrons is warm and inviting with an elegant wooden bar, floating lanterns, and an open kitchen. A stylish terrace is ideal for outdoor dining during the warmer months. Named after an apprenticed servant who made a fortune in tobacco farming, the Adam Thoroughgood House is a National Historic Landmark and is said to be the oldest surviving colonial home in Virginia Beach. Built in the 1680s and later restored to its former glory in 1957, the small farmhouse is located in a quiet neighborhood near the banks of the Lynnhaven River. It features an incredible collection of late 17th and early 18th century English furniture and beautifully manicured gardens. Guided tours of the house are conducted by costumed staff members, and the museum offers a range of interactive educational programs for children to learn about the life and traditions of the past. The Bagel Baker is a friendly bagel and coffee shop located in the Great Neck area of Virginia Beach. Established in 2011, this family-owned and operated bakery brings a taste of New York to Virginia Beach with freshly baked bagels with delicious toppings, breakfast sandwiches, soups, salads, and home-brewed coffee. Bagels are made daily in the traditional way – they are kettle-boiled, stone baked, and preservative free. Visitors can choose from a variety of fillings such as cream cheese, hummus, butter, and jelly for their bagels. A range of other sandwiches, breakfast rolls, deli salads, and soups are also available. Gourmet coffee is freshly brewed throughout the day to accompany the deli’s range of meals and snacks. Sandbridge Beach is a beautiful beach paradise and secluded hideaway just 15 miles south of the main resort area of Virginia Beach where you can escape the crowds. Stretching for five miles along the coastline and featuring pristine sand dunes and waving sea oats, this seaside oasis is home to breathtaking natural landscapes and a diverse range of wildlife. Explore the thick marshes and mercurial backwaters of Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in search of wildlife, venture along the Seashore to Cypress Birding Trail to find some fantastic birds, or head into the False Cape State Park to enjoy hiking, kayaking, or fishing. The Lake Lawson/Lake Smith Natural Area, a natural preserve situated in the Bayside Borough, boasts over 12,000 feet of shoreline and a variety of diverse habitats. The area offers locals and visitors alike a range of fun water-based and beach activities, including fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boating. There are several walking trails, a pedestrian bridge, and picnic areas families can use, as well as a newly built playground for young children. The 42,000-acre reserve offers several fishing and overlook platforms, formalized boat and trailer parking, and a new boat ramp for fishing and boating enthusiasts. Explore the Virginia Beach coastline and see dolphins in their natural habitat on a fun-filled cruise aboard the Rudee Flipper. Renowned as one of the longest running and most experienced dolphin cruise companies in the region, Rudee Tours offers unforgettable tours that allow you to experience the beauty of the coastline and watch dolphins frolicking in the bay. Tours are conducted on the Rudee Flipper, a classy cruise boat with upper and lower sightseeing levels and interior windows that boast 360-degree views so you don’t miss a thing! The boat is manned by a professional crew who will share their knowledge and passion about the area and help you find the best locations to sight dolphins. The Rudee Flipper is equipped with modern amenities for comfort, including two restrooms, climate control, and a snack bar that serves hot and cold beverages and freshly made snacks.
0.997947	A decimal is a way of writing a number that is not whole. Decimal numbers are 'in between' numbers. For example, 10.4 is in between the numbers 10 and 11. It is more than 10, but less than 11. Take care when reading the values of decimal numbers. 4.2 means 4 and 2 tenths. 4.20 means 4 and 2 tenths and 0 one-hundredths. The last zero does not need to be there. 4.02 means 4 and 0 tenths and 2 one-hundredths.
0.933451	When was the last time you were with some friends and someone told a joke that caused you to snort your drink through your nose? When did you last laugh so hard your stomach hurt, and you couldn’t stop laughing, and you waved your hand soundlessly at your friend – who was also doubled over – hardly able to take a breath, and all that came out was a little wheeze, as you gasped for breath? Believe it or not, laughter is terrific medicine! Activates and relieves your stress response, while increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. After your stomach stops hurting, you feel great, physically. Causes you to take in a lot of extra oxygen, which stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles, and increases blood flow to your brain. Increases your endorphins. Those are the brain and nervous system hormones that relieve pain and increase feelings of pleasure and euphoria. Reduces your stress hormones, which, if left unchecked, leave your body unbalanced and unable to fight off infection, as well as leaving you constantly feeling stressed. So reducing them is a good idea. Boosts your immune system by stimulating antibody cells – or T-cells – that fight off infection. Stimulates your circulation and helps your muscles relax, both of which reduce physical symptoms of stress. Lowers your blood pressure, which reduces your risk of stroke and heart attack. Changes your thoughts and mood from negative to positive, even from depression to exhilaration. This turns into chemical reactions that change your body from stressed to relaxed which helps you stay healthy over time. Increases brain blood flow which improves your memory. In addition, emotional connection to something that you’re learning – such as finding something funny and laughing about it – helps you retain that memory better because you create more neural connections to the information. Fights cancer by increasing levels of IFN in your body. IFN stimulates cells that are the first defense against cancer and abnormal growth of tumors. Makes you feel happier and more satisfied with life. When you’re happier, it’s easier to connect with other people, both those you already know and love, and those who are new to you. Being in a good mood leads to choosing healthier foods… and you can guess what THOSE benefits are! Helps you be more creative, as a result of several of the above: reduced stress hormones, increased endorphins, increased oxygen levels in the brain. In short, laughter is great for your body, great for your brain, and great for your spirit, or mind. And you don’t even have to laugh for real! Your brain doesn’t actually care whether you’re laughing at something funny, or if your body is just going through the motions. You still benefit, physically. And before long, you also benefit mentally. Try it now. Try smiling and feeling terrible. I dare you. You can’t do it! When you smile, it immediately changes your body chemistry, which changes your feelings and emotions. Now I challenge you to laugh heartily for the next minute, and see how you feel. Start by adding humor to your life every day – funny cartoons, videos, recordings, etc. – and if you don’t feel like laughing, do it anyway. Give out a great big guffaw and follow it up with giggles and chortles. And if you try it in public, you’ll probably get others laughing with you!
0.999998	How does a ground-based solar telescope work? The optics and detectors of a solar telescope are similar to telescopes that are used primarily at night. What is different is that solar telescopes must be constructed to account for the intense brightness and heat they experience. One way to keep the telescope components and instruments cooler is to direct the light into an underground chamber first. Another way is to maintain a vacuum around the telescope, because in a vacuum no air molecules are present to absorb and transfer the heat. Whereas most nighttime telescopes are designed to have as large a primary mirror as possible, but otherwise be light and maneuverable, the primary mirrors of solar telescopes are not particularly large—the Sun is, after all, close by and very bright! The equipment and building structures associated with solar telescopes, though, are often huge.
0.999991	Which is the best and quickest way to acquire a green card is a question that presents itself to every foreigner who wishes to remain in the US to work and live. One option is employment-based immigration, of which there are three basic categories for professional workers: First Preference (EB-1), Second Preference (EB-2) and Third Preference (EB-3). EB-1 is for aliens of extraordinary ability in areas such as science, art, education or business; outstanding researchers or professors; and management personnel of multinational companies. This category does not require a US employer or labor certification. For EB-2 and EB-3, meanwhile, a job offer from a US employer is required, and one must apply to the Department of Labor for labor certification before submitting an immigration petition. If you do not meet the requirements for EB-1, however, there is also path within the EB-2 category which avoids the labor certification process �C that is, the National Interest Waiver (NIW). The advantages of NIW are that you do not need a job offer from a US employer or to go through the tedious labor certification process, and also, the processing time is a bit faster than for the other categories. Even though you can't submit an immigration petition and adjust status at the same time �C that is, you can't submit an I-140 and I-485 at the same time �C NIW does have an advantage. You won't have to spend a lot of time and money on the labor certification process. Because of this, NIW is the path to immigration of choice for professionals holding a master's degree or higher. US immigration laws do not set out a clear or detailed definition or standard for the NIW category. Instead, the requirements for NIW petitions have been gradually shaped by a series of legal cases. In the past, NIW cases were decided based on standards set out in the case of New York State Dept. of Transportation (NYSDOT), 22 I&N Dec. 215 (Comm. 1998). After NYSDOT, in order to successfully petition for NIW classification, the applicant had to meet the following requirements: 1) The applicant's work had to be of intrinsic merit; 2) The applicant's work had to be in the national interest of the United States, and had to be national in scope; 3) The applicant had to prove that if he or she were required to undergo labor certification, it would be contrary to the US national interest. The United States would benefit "on balance" if the job offer and permanent labor certification requirements are waived. As a result, applicants no longer have to prove their work is "national in scope," but it must have "national importance" (i.e. it must be very important to academia, government, and/or industry, etc.) and the applicant must be "well positioned" for the work, for instance through having special skills or a record of success. Instead of showing that the national interest would be harmed if the applicant has to undergo labor certification, the applicant must show that the US national interest will benefit from having the job offer and labor certification requirements waived. Which kinds of professionals are eligible for the National Interest Waiver? Improves working conditions or salaries for US workers. Although these factors may seem very simple, their scope in fact includes quite a few areas including economy, medicine, biology, environment, housing, technology, and education. A professional who has achievements in any of these areas which contribute to the national interest may apply for NIW. Many people don't understand which fields and types of work are eligible for NIW, or whether they themselves meet the standards for NIW, and therefore waste a lot of valuable time before applying. In fact, all that matters is whether the applicant's work is related to some area of national interest to the United States and that you have documentation to back it up, even if it's in a usually overlooked area of work. Among the NIW cases we've handled in the past, there are a few very popular fields such as medicine and life sciences, but there is also no lack of other fields, such as computer programming and financial analysis. One of our clients, a Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, conducted research on low-income housing. Although this is not a well-known field, through our well-reasoned case showing that her work met the NIW requirements, her petition was approved. The key to whether a case will succeed or not is the amount of documentation, as well as the attorney’s experience and reasoning in your case. If the attorney handles the case properly, then even a professional in an area that seems only distantly related to the national interest can be successful. Recommendation letters are one of the most important parts of the NIW petition, and also a crucial basis for USCIS to evaluate your case. The quality of the recommendation letters affects the success of the whole case. The important thing about the letters is not their length, but whether the content is relevant, substantial, and can convince the immigration officer that the applicant really is beneficial to the US national interest. Two to three pages is the recommended length for NIW recommendation letters. The recommendation letters should be concise and emphasize the main points, strongly presenting the applicant's contributions and how his or her work has affected the US national interest. The documentation for an NIW petition should be as strong and complete as possible in order to be approved at once, and not receive a Request for Evidence (RFE, also called a kickback notice). Cases which receive an RFE can generally be divided into two types: the first type is petitions with weak documentation, where the applicant's qualifications are actually far from the standard for NIW; the second type is petitions where the applicant is strongly qualified, but because of inadequate organization or reasoning, the petition receives an RFE. If your petition falls under the second type, there are remedial measures which can be taken. After receiving an RFE, you should consult an experienced attorney to find out if there is any way to fix the situation. We've encountered many cases of professionals applying for NIW on their own and receiving an RFE. Through the combined efforts of the applicant and our office, we are usually able to save the case. In one case, the client was a software developer for satellite communications whose H-1 visa had already been extended for 6 years and whose labor certification application had been waiting for 4 years without results, therefore he decided to apply for NIW on his own, and received an RFE. After looking over his case, we determined that although his documentation was not particularly strong, based on our experience, he still had a chance of being approved. The problems were that his documentation was rather average, his wording was not appropriate and didn't capture the essence of the NIW requirements, and his references were not suitable. With our help, he gathered supplementary materials and we sent the case back to USCIS, and to our surprise, it was approved in 12 days. His I-485 was also quickly approved, since his priority date was fairly early. The client was overjoyed, and we were also gratified that through our hard work, the client's problem was resolved and he was able to settle down in the US.
0.993821	Bit shifting involves moving bits one or more steps in either the left or right direction. When the bits are shifted one step the bit that is located furthest in the shift direction will fall away and a new bit will be added at the opposite end. The value of the new bit depends on what type of shift operation is used. With logical shifts the new bits that are shifted in always get the value zero. It's commonly used with unsigned integers (i.e. integers that can't be negative) or when more interested in the actual bits than the value that they represent. For positive integers, a step with logical left shift is the same as multiply by two, and a step with logical right shift is the same as integer division by two, so by doing multiple steps it is possible to multiply and divide by 2^n, where n is the number of steps, as long as the result fits in the number of bits that is being used. If a multiplication or a division can be replaced with a shift operation it is often slightly faster for the computer to calculate. Arithmetic shifts are suitable for signed integers (i.e. integers that can be both positive and negative) that uses two's complement representation for negative numbers. Arithmetic left shift is identical to logical left shift and can be used in the same way to multiply, both positive and negative values, by two. With arithmetic right shift new bits get the same value as the sign bit (the leftmost bit). This ensures that the sign (+/−) remains the same before and after. One step with arithmetic right shift is almost the same as integer division by two. The difference is that the result is always rounded down (towards minus infinity) instead of towards zero. Circular shifts, also called rotations, use the bit that got shifted out at one end and inserts it back as the new bit value at the other end. Circular shifts are often used for cryptographic applications and are suitable when it is desirable to not lose any bit values. The value of the last bit that got shifted out is normally stored in a carry flag. A special type of circular shift, called rotate through carry, uses the old value of this flag for the bit that is shifted in. Rotate through carry can be used to shift larger values than the computer can normally handle. For example, if a computer can only perform shifts on 32 bits at a time, but we want to perform an arithmetic right shift on a 64-bit value, we can do the calculations in two steps. First we perform an arithmetic right shift on the half containing the most significant bits. The bit that got shifted out will be stored in the carry flag. To finish the calculation we then perform a rotate through carry operation on the second half.
0.948017	Øystein Sevåg (born March 19, 1957) is a Norwegian classical musician. Øystein Sevåg is a Norwegian composer, pianist and music producer. He was born in Bærum in 1957, beginning piano lessons at age five. As a teen he played bass in a rock band but returned to his classical roots in time to study piano, flute and composition at a private Music Conservatory in Oslo; by the 1980s, however, Sevåg had become fascinated by the possibilities offered by the development of the synthesizer, and he plunged into electronic music with his self-released 1989 debut LP Close Your Eyes and See. The product of five years in the studio, the album slowly crept into Billboard's New Age charts in the USA, and it landed Sevåg on the Windham Hill label to issue the follow-up, 1993's Link. He returned two years later with Global House, a record reflecting a newfound interest in acoustic sounds and worldbeat textures, including didgeridoo and string quartet; the ambient album Visual, a collaboration with guitarist Lakki Patey, followed in 1996. Signing to Hearts of Space Records, Sevåg resurfaced in 1997 with the acclaimed Bridge, with the London Philharmonia Orchestra, winning the Indie Award in USA for the best new age recording of the year. From 1999 to 2005, he lived in Freiburg, South Germany, where among other things he worked on music therapy together with Maria Sevag and the psychologist Katharina Martin. In April 2005, Sevåg's new album Caravan was released, 8 years after his previous album Bridge. The new material was introduced on a concert in Oslo in March. In June one of his new compositions in the classical area - a string trio - had its first performance on Casa dei Mezzo Music Festival on Crete, Greece, and in April 2006 in Madrid. In October 2005 he had two concerts in Norway with his "Global House Band" - followed up by ten small solo concerts at the Vigeland Mausoleum in Oslo. In the spring 2006 Øystein Sevåg moved to Oslo. He produced singer/songwriter Eliksir's debut album Earthly Things, released in 2007. His latest album Based on a True Story was released in 2007. In February 2006 he met the singer/songwriter Benedicte Torget, and worked with her as a co producer, arranger and piano player on her debut album After a Day of Rain, released in August 2008. In April 2010 he released his studio album The Red Album collaborating with Peter Wettre, Bendik Hofseth, Andreas Bye, Paolo Vinaccia, Ole Marius Melhuus, Zotora Nygard, Sara Övinge, Audun Erlien and Eivind Aarset. In March 2012 Øystein Sevåg released album Space For a Crowded World - as mentioned on his official website, the "most ambient album since Visual." ^ "Space for a crowded world by Øystein Sevåg". sevag.com. ^ "Bridge". Valley Entertainment-Hearts of Space Records. Retrieved 23 June 2010. This page was last edited on 5 February 2019, at 21:21 (UTC).
0.966766	My schoolbag recently broke and I'm stuck- which backpack should I get for my school days? It's a tough decision, as I need something super strong, waterproof and able to withstand the harsh winter weather in the UK. Most of the leather bags that I've encountered on the market are bulky or too heavy, and not really suitable for women. In fact, I used to own many faux leather bags because they are smaller and lighter than the real leather ones. However, they all broke down after a few months of heavy use as they're simply too weak! I recently saw this amazing brand called Babak, this lovely shop that manufactures leather accessories and backpacks for men and women. They are an Etsy shop and you can find lots of different items on their site! A bit about the brand- Babak is a family business which specialises in crafting leather bags, totes, handbags, clutch bags, crossbody and messenger bags, purses, backpacks, rucksacks, knapsack, packsack, laptop bag, wallets and other full grain leather bags. Their brand began in 1995 from a small workshop. Their craftsmanship are highly valued by their customers for more than 20 years. Their items are all handmade and lovely, and their handiworks are in-demand with many people thanks to the quality and usage of exclusively natural materials. It's simply one of the best brands that I've seen! I recently replaced my old schoolbag with this Black Leather Handmade Unisex Backpack. The bag arrived in a beautiful package with a lovely box, and the backpack looked even more amazing than the photo. In terms of the size, this backpack is suitable for men and women, so it's quite a decent size. It's 14.6 inches in height and it's pretty sturdy and solid. The size means that I can fit my laptop perfectly, as well as several textbooks and my clothing all in one go without carrying an extra bag. I just hate carrying different backpacks around, and this backpack is the optimal size for me. As for the quality, I'm extremely happy with Babak's lovely black backpack. The backpack is made from full grain "pull up" leather, which is a type of leather that has additional oil added to it during manufacture and then sprayed on the surface together with wax as part of the finish operation. The result is a smooth, shiny finish that is designed to lighten when stressed or stretched which results in an interesting worn in effect. The design is beautiful and the colour is absolutely stunning- a heirloom that I can pass on to my children! In terms of the style and design, the backpack is absolutely stylish and one of the most fashionable backpacks that I've ever seen. The backpack does not have zips, but it has a really strong size strap, lovely inner pockets and front pockets. The backpack also has strong,thick straps and the inner compartments are unlined, which makes the backpack really beautiful to use as it's natural and quite "organic". The quality of Babak's bag is definitely better than any high-street brand that I've seen, as well as those designer brands that tend to be a disappointment for me. The design is really beautiful and timeless. The fact that the backpack doesn't have a lining adds to the lovely, rustic feel of the backpack. The backpack also has an easy-to-carry top handle for handling, and their there's a lovely compartment on the outside. This means that I can carry the bag around using my arms easily, and it's really convenient for students like me. I want to mention the quality of the leather. The leather is spectacularly beautiful, as the black colour is hand dyed using a lovely finish, which utilizes only natural materials and doesn‘t contain harmful chemicals. The backpack is shiny, lovely and is semi-waterproof as it can resist light drops of offer. It's so breathtaking and I'm so happy to be able to style it with my autumn clothing. The bag goes so well with my winter clothing, but will look equally stylish with summer clothes! Overall, I love the Babak bag that I got this year. The brand's bags are excellent, impeccably designed and made using the best quality leather. It's suitable for men and women, and I'm able to wear it anywhere with my outfits. Best of all, it's a perfect size and can fit my essentials without overflowing! How amazing is that? Please visit Babak's Etsy shop and let me know what you think!
0.999801	Easy step by step guide on how to replace windshield wiper blades, though each application is slightly different it follows the same process. Begin with the vehicle on level ground with the parking brake on, while the transmission is in park. Step 1 - Locate the wiper blade for replacement. Step 2 - Once the wiper is ready for replacement, lift the wiper arm into its service position away from the windshield. Some vehicles are designed with the wipers below the hood level. for this, turn the wiper switch "ON", then while the wipers are in the "UP" position on the windshield, shut the key "OFF", this will stop the wipers on the windshield in most cases. If the wipers return to the park position, lift the hood to gain access. Step 3 - After the wiper arm is in the parked position, locate the release tab. Step 4 - Using a small screw driver or your finger, release the wiper tab. Step 5 - With the tab released, thrust the wiper arm downward to disconnect the wiper from the arm. Step 6 - When the wiper has been disconnected, lift the wiper blade away from the arm to complete the blade removal. Caution: Never Allow the wiper arm to strike the windshield, this could cause the Windshield to break. Step 7 - Once the wiper has been removed, compare the new replacement wiper to the used wiper. Step 8 - After comparing wipers, position blade over the arm located near the clasp. Step 9 - Pull the wiper blade over the wiper arm to align the wiper clasp. Step 10 - Then, align the wiper clasp with the arm mount and push the wiper into place, this action will be accompanied by a slight click. Step 11 - Once the wiper has been installed, pull down on the wiper to ensure proper installation. Step 12 - Return the wiper arm to its original position. Once the job has been completed, check the wipers to confirm proper operation. Inspect and replace any other wipers that show signs of wear. The method in which the wiper blades are attached can vary slightly. A wiper blade can "chatter" across the windshield if the blade is not balanced. (Lip of the wiper must rock back and forth as the wiper changes direction.) If wiper is not balanced, slightly bend or tweak the wiper arm to adjust the blade. A vehicles wiper blades are mandatory to clear water and obstacles that obstruct the vision of the driver, windshield washer solvent can be used to help clean the windshield. Wiper blades are subject to severe weather conditions which can cause wiper blades to become cracked or dilapidated. Some vehicles are equipped with dual or triple action wiper blades that designed to give additional cleaning action. Beware of wiper blades that show signs of wear as they can scratch the windshield while in use if the metal frame of the wiper is exposed. If the blade on the mounting pin is not completely attached it can allow the wiper arm to become dislodged and possibly cause damage to the windshield.
0.999964	Sorin, Romania The location is awesome and can you repeat that? we had nearby as well. You be able to spend the mornings cooling down at the beach or at the Aqua Magic Common, located at the very entrance of the resort, and the afternoons taking in the view of the Black Sea by riding the Telegondola Cable Car. The building was formally and finally closed all the rage The nearby museum Open: Nearby Attractions The Romanian Black Sea Resorts The Romanian Black Sea coast is home to a wide range of summer resorts tailored en route for suit most tastes and ages, from diminutive children to those seeking health-spa treatments. A narrow stretch of fine-sand beach between the Black Sea and Lake Siutghiol Lake of Milk in Turkish , Mamaia boasts abundant hotels, a casino, sporting facilities water aerobics instruction, biking, tennis, beach games , and a la mode nightclubs and restaurants located within feet of the sea. The beach is in the front of the hotel, there are a load of parking spaces around it, so yeah. The room was clean and spacious. Allocate shares He initially hoped to pay deference to the country's artistic traditions, but scrapped those plans to instead erect an Ability Nouveau palace for the Belle Epoque. Altogether details were considered, right down to the unique shell-shaped windows and 18th century Decorative accents. At Capul Dolosman, to the east of Jurilovca, you can admire vestiges of a 6th century BC Greek colony, the oldest antique habitat on Romanian territory, mentioned for the first time by Hecateus as of Millet 6th -5th centuries BC. Location has a beautiful view of the harbour after that the sea. Razvan, Romania I liked the fact that the hotel is near the sea. Conceived of as an Art Nouveau palace, the casino has many impressive execution chandeliers Several grand ballrooms, complete with complex wall designs and stunning ceiling accents, be able to be found A sweeping staircase would accost the wealthy as they entered the disco during its glory days The structure was first commissioned by King Carol I all the rage and was built between and Massive windows offer stunning views from the building's coveted cliffside position overlooking the Black Sea Afterwards its opening inthe building came to be a symbol of the important seaside city The casino eventually came to be a symbol of the seaside city and a similar building was built in Monte Carlo, Monaco. If in town, we shall charge again. All in all, we we're blissful with the expericence so we stayed designed for 2 more nights.
0.957165	At the end, there was (E-Z) Ed Pinckney standing atop the scorer's table, arms outstretched, the world spread out before him. Dwayne McClain sat at center court, his palms together in prayer. Their teammates, meanwhile, sought out the coach in the post-game madness. And finally Rollie Massimino, Villanova's long-denied cherub-with-a-whistle, emerged above the crowd, lifted to the net. In fact, Sunday's celebrating had begun minutes before, with the game still in progress, with North Carolina vainly scrambling around the court, as if trying to correct some stupid mistake, as if it still weren't too late to retrieve customary victory. The Wildcats would pass-hug, pass-hug, to the Tar Heels' ultimate frustration. Gary McLain, like Pinckney and McClain, could hardly believe that this time, in the seniors' third try, they had advanced to the Final Four. He dribbled in and out, killing the clock, his eyes as big as dinner plates, a silly smile on his face. Villanova had won, 56-44, to capture the NCAA's Southeast Regional, to finally overcome the stigma of tournament failure. Villanova's three seniors, of course, had been this way before, or part of it anyway. But in two previous tries, they had never gotten beyond the final eight. And against North Carolina! Describe that. "There aren't any words for that," Pinckney said. The emotion in this victory may have been especially keen in that Villanova (23-10) had been stopped short of this same milestone by this same North Carolina team (27-9). That was in 1982 and North Carolina went on to win the NCAA Tournament. Though still in high school at the time, Villanova sophomore savior Harold Jensen even remembers the game. "We held off high school practice to watch it on TV." Imagine how the three seniors recall it. The amazement of Villanova finally reaching the Final Four is only surpassed by the amazement of Villanova coming back from one of the all-time worst first halves to beat North Carolina. It was only the luck of a three-point play at the buzzer that the Wildcats trailed by just five at the half. Up to that point, they had made just 5-of-25 shots from the field and 4 of 8 from the free throw line. Their adventures on offense were near comic and baskets seemed more a result of the physics of random particles in collision than aim. If a ball went in, it was probably just luck. But a spirited halftime talk by Massimino and a whim to start the second half with Jensen in the lineup, seemed to change all that. The Wildcats made 12 of their first 17 shots, behaved like madmen on defense (stealing the ball eight times in the second half) and even made all but one of their free throws. North Carolina Coach Dean Smith wondered if his team wasn't just out of it, mentally. On offense, North Carolina just wasn't clicking. "They felt like, after the tough games to get here, 'Hey, we got it,' " Smith said. "Just misfiring on things. Threw a couple of passes I just couldn't believe we threw." North Carolina, the second-best shooting team in the country couldn't make even half of its shots; only 6-10 Brad Daugherty was effective, scoring a game-high 17 points. But the way Villanova played in the second half could put anybody in a strange frame of mind. Jensen, who only averages 15 minutes a game, certainly helped, coming out firing. Massimino said he started him on a whim. "I hadn't done that all year. It was just an intuition." Jensen sank five-of-six shots, all but one from the wing, to give intuition a good name. "I was just looking to get open," he said. "I was very surprised." Massimino's halftime talk helped, too. Harold Pressley, who led his team with 15 points after a five-point first half, said the coach didn't finesse the pep. "He yelled at us," Pressley said. "He told us we were throwing it all away. He couldn't believe it was happening." Said Dwayne McClain: "A lot of truth there." Massimino agreed. "I never did what I did in halftime before," Massimino said. But, he downplayed the psyching of Villanova. To him, it was a matter of restoring a rhythm to the game, to making the four passes before each shot. "In the first half, we'd shoot and their big guys would get the rebound. Just gave us one shot." The second half should best be remembered for Villanova's defense, one "more active than I'd seen on tape," according to Dean Smith. The Wildcats actually went ahead, 27-26, while on defense, scoring on two fast breaks (one on a steal). Nobody fast breaks on North Carolina. Even though the Tar Heels are big, they get back faster than anybody. Villanova's lead mounted, 37-31, when Gary McLain knocked the ball away, leading to another of Jensen's 20-footers. Later, a Villanova player tipped a pass away and North Carolina players stood watching it go, apparently out of bounds. "The ball was only 5 or 10 feet away," said Jensen, "and they were just standing there." So Jensen darted for the ball and raced down the court for an uncontested layup to make it 47-36. The only Villanova breakdown occurred earlier when Pinckney stole the ball and got it downcourt to McClain under the basket. Well, that's where McClain thought he was until he rose up to dunk the ball and couldn't find the hoop. He twisted this way and that, finally attempting to jam backwards. Didn't work. "I more or less miscalculated," said McClain afterward. His coach, barely visible in a haze of his own cigar smoke, reacted on the overstatement of the day and laughed and gave his player a noogie rub. Once Villanova got it to 43-33, it spread out the court, making North Carolina chase. The Tar Heels press is an amazing thing to see and it worked to recover the ball on several occasions. But they couldn't recover that much that quick. North Carolina could afford to foul at first. But finally after the six team fouls, the Wildcats were going to the line. And making their shots. They made seven of eight in the final three minutes to keep the game out of sight. So now Villanova goes to Lexington to play Memphis State in the Final Four and Massimino, frankly, doesn't care about his opponent one way or another. Just getting there is the big thing, after being denied two times in the past three years. "We're over the hump now," he said, "we busted the bubble." Not that Massimino is on any champagne high. "We've played in Lexington before," he said. "Got beat by 40, I think." But he was laughing when he said it. North Carolina's 6-10 Joe Wolf can't get off his shot against an overreacher, Villanova's Gary McLain. Villanova players Harold Pressley (left) and Brian Harrington give Coach Rollie Massimino a victory ride after beating North Carolina.
0.992364	↪ Rightwards Arrow With Hook Emoji - Copy & Paste - EmojiBase! The 'rightwards arrow with hook' emoji is a text-based symbol that has been around since Unicode V1.1, and should be supported by just about every device and browser. As a standard symbol, you should also be able to copy and paste the 'rightwards arrow with hook' symbol (or the HTML entity ↪) in your browser or on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. On many devices, you can use the shortcode :arrow_right_hook: to add the rightwards arrow with hook emoji to your messages. Different devices may have different versions of the rightwards arrow with hook emoji. The chart on this page shows how this emoji is displayed on Android, iOS, and other platforms. To use 'rightwards arrow with hook' on social media like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, you can copy the emoji character on the left. This is a special character, not an image, so it can be used anywhere. How does the Rightwards Arrow With Hook emoji look across different devices? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and most other social networks have built-in support for standard emojis that can be accessed through a menu. You can also copy and paste the text version of the rightwards arrow with hook emoji (↪) into your social media posts. Keep in mind that not everyone sho sees your post may have support for these emojis, and Twitter and Facebook limit the emojis you can use in your name and description.
0.856653	1) Research on parapsychological phenomena (psi) is being carried out in various accredited universities and research centers throughout the world by academics in different disciplines trained in the scientific method (e.g., circa 80 Ph.D.s have been awarded in psi-related topics in the UK in recent years). This research has continued for over a century despite the taboo against investigating the topic, almost complete lack of funding, and professional and personal attacks2. The Parapsychological Association has been an affiliate of the AAAS since 1969, and more than 20 Nobel prizewinners and many other eminent scientists have supported the study of psi or even conducted research themselves . 2) Despite a negative attitude by some editors and reviewers, results supporting the validity of psi phenomena continue to be published in peer-reviewed, academic journals in relevant fields, from psychology to neuroscience to physics e.g., [4-7]. 3) Increased experimental controls have not eliminated or even decreased significant support for the existence of psi phenomena, as suggested by various recent meta-analyses , [8-16]. 4) These meta-analyses and other studies suggest that data supportive of psi phenomena cannot reasonably be accounted for by chance or by a “file drawer” effect. Indeed, contrary to most disciplines, parapsychology journals have for decades encouraged publication of null results and of papers critical of a psi explanation [18-19]. A psi trial registry has been established to improve research practice . 5) The effect sizes reported in most meta-analyses are relatively small and the phenomena cannot be produced on demand, but this also characterizes various phenomena found in other disciplines that focus on complex human behavior and performance such as psychology and medicine [21-22]. 6) Although more conclusive explanations for psi phenomena await further theoretical and research development, they do not prima facie violate known laws of nature given modern theories in physics that transcend classical restrictions of time and space, combined with growing evidence for quantum effects in biological systems [23-24]. With respect to the proposal that “exceptional claims require exceptional evidence,” the original intention of the phrase is typically misunderstood25. Even in its inaccurate interpretation what counts as an “exceptional claim” is far from clear. For instance, many phenomena now accepted in science such as the existence of meteorites, the germ theory of disease, or, more recently, adult neurogenesis, were originally considered so exceptional that evidence for their existence was ignored or dismissed by contemporaneous scientists. It is also far from clear what would count as “exceptional evidence” or who would set that threshold. Dismissing empirical observations a priori, based solely on biases or theoretical assumptions, underlies a distrust of the ability of the scientific process to discuss and evaluate evidence on its own merits. The undersigned differ in the extent to which we are convinced that the case for psi phenomena has already been made, but not in our view of science as a non-dogmatic, open, critical but respectful process that requires thorough consideration of all evidence as well as skepticism towards both the assumptions we already hold and those that challenge them.
0.998063	No, Thank You is an Adventure, Visual Novel, and Single-player video game created and published by Parade for Microsoft Windows. The game offers an exciting gameplay and its storyline revolves around a young man who recently recovers from a brutal car accident where he was hit to defend a bystander. After having lost his memory, the player is taken in by the man he rescued. But as the protagonist slowly gets his feet under him, working at the bar of the man, he comes to know the place in the scene of some shady goings-on. Most of his time the player spends on reading the dialogues between two characters. The game puts the player in the role of the protagonist, who lost his memory, and found himself in a strange place. During the gameplay, the player needs to find out the secrets about his past, reveal the secrets related to car accident, and advance through the game. There are several endings, depending on the decisions made by the player. With an immersive gameplay, beautiful cast of characters, and countless dialogues, No, Thank You is an awesome game to play.
0.743863	(CNN)A member of the West Virginia House of Delegates is facing bipartisan criticism for a string of anti-LGBT statements, but the Republican lawmaker doesn't appear to be backing down. Delegate Eric Porterfield, who represents West Virginia's 27th district, has a history of anti-LGBT stances. But things came to a head last week during a House meeting over a proposed amendment to an anti-LGBT-discrimination bill. "The LGBT is the most socialist group in this country," he continued, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail. "They do not protect gays. There are many gays they persecute if they do not line up with their social ideology." "West Virginia has no room for someone who expresses such hate," WVDP Chairwoman Belina Biafore wrote. But Porterfield took the opportunity to double down on his statements. On Friday morning, he called the offices of the Gazette-Mail, which had published an article on the Democratic backlash to his statements. In the phone call, the news outlet reported, Porterfield called his critics "brutal monsters" and called the LGBT community a "terrorist group." He also compared them to the KKK. "The LGBTQ is a modern-day version of the Ku Klux Klan, without wearing hoods, with their antics of hate," he reportedly said. Porterfield's office has not responded to CNN's calls and e-mails requesting comment. A few days later, the lawmaker continued his line of commentary. During an interview with local TV station WVVA, Porterfield, wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, gave an odd answer when asked what he would do if he had a son or daughter who was gay. "Well, I will address my daughter first. I would take her for a pedicure, I'd take her to get her nails done, and see if she could swim," Porterfield said while smiling. "If it was my son, I would probably take him hunting, I would take him fishing, then I'd see if he could swim." "I just want to make sure they could swim," he said when asked to clarify his comments. Several of West Virginia's Republican leaders have criticized his statements, and on Monday, the West Virginia GOP officially denounced Porterfield's words. "These comments are unacceptable and we denounce them," West Virginia Republican Party Chairwoman Melody Potter said in a statement. "They have no place in America." Porterfield took office last month, succeeding retiring Republican delegate Marty Gearheart. The 44-year-old is a Baptist missionary and has been blind since losing his vision in an altercation in 2006. During his campaign, Porterfield vociferously criticized the Youth Mental Health Protection Act, a bill that failed to pass the state legislature in 2018 despite bipartisan support. Porterfield said the bill, which would have banned conversion therapy for LGBT minors, was a violation of free speech and called its supporters "bigoted and discriminatory." (2019-02-13, 11:29 AM)Ululator Wrote: Republican? Not surprising. This guy thinks homosexuality is a sin and wrong and will not support anything which prevents him from saying so. Current time: 2019-04-24, 07:24 AM Enhanced By CloudFlare.
0.999994	"All Shook Up" is a song that topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1957. Who was the singer? More information: Elvis Presley was known as "The King of Rock and Roll" and had other famous songs like, "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Heartbreak Hotel".
0.935297	Jangle Pop is a genre of Alternative Rock that first appeared at the tail end of The '70s/the beginning of The '80s. It's characterized by jangly guitars (often, though not always, 12-stringed), simple melodies and often enigmatic lyrics (and sometimes Indecipherable Lyrics as well). The sound can be bright and upbeat, moody and mysterious or downright trippy at times, but the aforementioned elements are pretty much always present. Essentially a derivative of Power Pop, the genre was also quite heavily influenced by Folk Rock (especially The Byrds and Simon & Garfunkel) and (of course) The Velvet Underground (particularly that band's quieter, folkier songs). The genre was heavily influenced by New Wave and Post-Punk, and Jangle Pop bands can be seen as Power Pop or Post-Punk bands with Folk and Country Music influences, in a nutshell. Jangle Pop's most immediate antecedent was Television, who are cited by both of the bands mentioned at the top of the page as a key influence. Many of the early bands hailed from either the American west coast (particularly L.A.) or the upper South (with Athens, Georgia being a particular hotbed). The west coast scene was often referred to as the Paisley Underground (due to its heavy Psychedelic Rock influence and the obvious Velvet Underground connection) and was typified by bands like The Bangles, Dream Syndicate and Rain Parade; the Southern scene was rootsier (often influenced by Country Music) and included bands like R.E.M., The dB's, Pylon, and The Connells. In addition, other bands formed all around the country, with key examples being 10,000 Maniacs, The Replacements, Throwing Muses and Camper Van Beethoven. Scenes also existed in Australia (The Church, Hoodoo Gurus, The Go Betweens) and New Zealand (The Chills, The Bats, The Clean), and in England, The Smiths became massively popular and spawned many soundalike bands, effectively changing the sound of British Alternative Rock and influencing many later generations of British bands. The bands were sometimes influenced by genres outside of the usual Folk Rock, Post-Punk, New Wave and Power Pop influences- Psychedelic Rock (most common in the Paisley Underground bands, but found elsewhere as well), Country Music (particularly some of the Southern bands), Punk Rock and even weirder things like Ska and Funk. The genre's heyday was in The '80s, and it was mostly dead (with a few exceptions, such as The Church, Throwing Muses and of course R.E.M.) by the time Grunge happened, having been largely superseded on College Radio by harder-edged Alternative Rock genres. However, newer bands did pop up sometimes, and the genre influenced later genres, most obviously Alternative Country, Slowcore and many of the less aggressive Indie Rock bands.
0.968851	Like many bands in the then-burgeoning alt-rock movement of the mid-'90s, Better Than Ezra enjoyed their period of greatest chart success immediately following their debut major-label release (Deluxe), which spawned their highest-charting hits. At least commercially (and in terms of mainstream radio play), the band has experienced slightly diminishing returns with each successive release; however, unlike the majority of their contemporaries, Better Than Ezra's extremely loyal fan base has kept the group from dropping off of the musical map. Ezra's followers, who refer to themselves as Ezralites, have never cared whether radio stations play the band or not–in fact, many fans follow the band religiously, attending scores of their performances. It is Ezra's loyal fans and a relentless touring schedule which has allowed them to continue to produce new music, remain extremely viable in the music world, and out-live their projected shelf life. Additionally, Better Than Ezra's independence and survival in a business that has chewed up and spat out many bands who they used to jockey for chart position seems to indicate that the band will be around to satisfy their fans' rapacious appetite for their music for many years to come. In addition to vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin from Monroe, Louisiana, the current members of Better Than Ezra are bass guitar player Tom Drummond and drummer Travis McNabb. Original drummer, Cary Bonnecaze, left the band after the release of Deluxe. Original lead guitarist, Joel Rundell, committed suicide in 1990. Multi-Instrumentalist James Arthur Payne also from Monroe, Louisiana tours with the band, fills in vocal, keyboard, guitar, and harmonica parts, and is a fan favorite. Who or what Ezra might be is a mystery that the band members have no interest in clearing up. Drummond once told a reporter that the meaning of the band's name is "so lame you wouldn't even want to print it." However, it has also been said that the name came into being when the then nameless band entered a battle of the bands in competition with a group named Ezra. Needing a name to register they simply said that they were better. In 2005, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry used the band's song "Juicy" as the background music for the second season of the show's promotional advertisement. The band is slated to headline A Taste of Fort Collins in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2009 there were line-up changes and a new album released. Drummer Travis McNabb left to tour with the Country music group Sugarland. The split was friendly and McNabb still serves on the Ezra charitable organizations. McNabb was replaced by Michael Jerome as touring and ?future? drummer, with Blair Sinta filling in on parts of the album Paper Empire and 2 dates of the bands summer 2009 concert tour. Travis McNabb played his last show with Ezra on Feb. 15, 2009 in Metairie, Louisiana. Paper Empire was released on May 12, 2009.
0.999999	Explain the definitions of magnetic declination,magnetic dip and horizontal component of earth's magnetic field? 1. Magnetic declination (?): At a point on earth the magnetic meridian makes an angle with the geographic meridian. This angle is known as the magnetic declination or just declination. 2. Angle of dip (?): It is the angle made by the direction of the earth�s total magnetic field with the horizontal direction. 3. Horizontal component of earth�s magnetic field (BH): It is the component of earth�s magnetic field along the horizontal direction. So the angle of dip is the angle between earth�s magnetic field i.e. B and the horizontal component i.e. BH.
0.959063	Denoting the relative time spent foraging as ''T'',,''it'',,, measured such that the rate of effective search during any model time step can be predicted as ''a'',,''jit'',, = ''T'',,''it'',,'' a'',,''ji'',, for each prey type'' j'' that ''i'' eats. Further, we assume that time spent vulnerable to predation, as measured by'' v’'',,''ij'',, for all predators j on i, is inversely related to ''T'it'', i.e., v’,,ij,,t = v’,,ij,, / T,,it,,. An alternative structure that gives similar results is to leave the ''a'',,''ij'',, constant, while varying the ''v'',,''ij'',, by setting ''v'',,''ijt'',,'' = T'',,''jt'',,'' · v'',,''ij'',,' in the numerator of Eq. 52 in [wiki:EwEugPredictingConsumption Predicting Consumption] and ''v'',,''ijt'',,'' = T'',,''it'',,'' · v'',,''ij'',, in the denominator.
0.999999	What date will this deed of release (this "Deed") be signed? Insert the date that this Deed will be signed. If one party is signing on one date, and the other party is signing on another date, then the date that the Deed is signed by the final party should be entered here. If the person preparing this Deed does not know what date it will be signed, this option can be left blank, but the date should then be entered by hand when the Deed is signed by the final party. (1) The Lender lent a sum of $________ (________) to the Borrower ("the Loan") under a Loan Agreement dated ________ a copy of which is attached and marked ________ ("the Agreement"). (2) The Borrower has complied with the Borrower's obligations for repayment of the Loan and any accrued interest under the Agreement. (3) The Lender intends to release the Borrower from any of the Borrower's obligations under the Agreement. "Agreement" means Loan Agreement dated ________ a copy of which is attached and marked ________. "Loan" means the loan of $________ (________) from the Lender to the Borrower under the Agreement. In consideration for the full payment of the Loan and any accrued interest by the Borrower, and the agreements and covenants set out in this Deed, and except as otherwise required by law, the Lender hereby irrevocably and unconditionally releases and discharges the Borrower, together with any officers, employees, directors, agents, contractors, assignees, successors or other representatives of the Borrower, from any and all claims, debts, demands, suits, actions, proceedings or other liabilities whatsoever (including any costs whether legal or otherwise) which the Lender may have or may at any time incur against the Borrower or any officers, employees, directors, agents, contractors, assignees, successors or other representatives of the Lender (whether directly or indirectly) in connection with the Loan or the Agreement. The Lender hereby acknowledges the receipt of and the sufficiency of the Borrower's repayment of the Loan as consideration. The Parties hereby expressly agree that this Deed may be pleaded as a full and complete defence to any claims, debts, demands, suits, actions, proceedings or other liabilities that any other Party to this Deed (or any officers, employees, directors, agents, contractors, assignees, successors or other representatives of any other Party to this Deed) may pursue at any time in relation to the Loan or the Agreement. (a) the Warranting Party fully understands the terms of this Deed. (c) the Warranting Party has not been induced to enter this Deed by any representation(s) made by the other Party or by any officer, employee, director, agent, contractor, assignee, successor or other representative, except as provided in this Deed. In relation to the subject matter of this Deed, this Deed constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties and supersedes any prior or contemporaneous understandings, whether written or oral. (h) 885855828855: 5588 8225 252 82 25285225 82 825222525528, 588 22 85885 85588 8228282522 5 882282 525222222. 52 252 55228 822 22525 52 252 225 22 2588 52852222 552 582225222, 2588 8225 88 22 82 8228852525 222282882 58 22 252 5522 2552 8225 2552828 5582 882225 252 525222222, 85885 252 82 252 85225 5522. (i) FORCE MAJEURE/EXCUSE: Neither Party is liable to the other for any failure to perform due to causes beyond its reasonable control including, but not limited to, acts of God, acts of civil authorities, acts of military authorities, riots, embargoes, acts of nature and natural disasters, labour or transportation disputes, and other acts which may be due to unforeseen circumstances. (j) FURTHER ACTS: Each Party must, and must ensure that its directors, employees, officers, agents, representatives and contractors do all things and sign, execute and deliver all documents, agreements and instruments as reasonably required in order to give effect to this Deed and to the rights and obligations of the Parties created under this Deed.
0.9675	A prominent Democratic consultant resigned Tuesday after being accused of sexual assault, HuffPost reported. Jim Walsh, who founded DSPolitical and Rising Tide Interactive, announced Tuesday he was leaving both consulting firms. His decision came after a woman said Walsh assaulted her when she was 21 years old and looking to get into politics. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee told HuffPost that it had received a complaint against Walsh and was launching an investigation. DSPolitical and Rising Tide Interactive told HuffPost in a statement the organizations are “deeply saddened” by the allegations. "There is no place in our movement — or in our firm — for the kind [of] behavior alleged in the article. This article, and work like it, helps shine a light on unacceptable sexual behavior in many industries, including ours," the groups said in the statement. The political world has been rocked in recent months by a wave of sexual misconduct allegations against high profile men. Accusations have led to the resignation or retirement of numerous state and federal lawmakers, including former Sen. Al Franken Alan (Al) Stuart FrankenWinners and losers from first fundraising quarter Election analyst says Gillibrand doesn't have 'horsepower to go the full distance' Gillibrand campaign links low fundraising to Al Franken backlash: memo MORE (D-Minn.), former Rep. John Conyers John James ConyersMembers spar over sexual harassment training deadline Reparations bill wins new momentum in Congress Overnight Health Care: Pelosi asks how to pay for single-payer \| Liberal groups want Dems to go bigger on drug prices \| Surprise medical bill legislation could come soon MORE Jr. (D-Mich.), Rep. Blake Farenthold Randolph (Blake) Blake FarentholdMembers spar over sexual harassment training deadline Female Dems see double standard in Klobuchar accusations Lawmaker seeks to ban ex-members from lobbying until sexual harassment settlements repaid MORE (R-Texas) and Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.).

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