text
stringlengths 8
5.77M
|
|---|
North Vancouver cyclist Christin Tschacher's Facebook plea to find and thank the woman who dragged her from traffic, possibly saving her life, has worked.
Tschacher told CBC News that after sending out the plea — which included "Vancouverites, I need your help!" — she has spoken to the woman who helped her, but isn't identifying the Good Samaritan out of respect for her privacy.
"If she wouldn't have stopped, I don't know if the next car would have crashed into me," Tschacher told CBC News on Sunday, when she was still looking for the helpful stranger.
Tschacher suffered road rash, but is grateful she survived her ordeal. (Christine Tschacher/Facebook)
The accident happened during Tschacher's bike to work from her North Vancouver home last Friday.
The last thing she remembered was turning off Keith Road onto Brooksbank Avenue. As she rode her bike along the sidewalk at about 8 a.m. PT, the front basket fell off.
She assumed she rode into the basket, which made her fall into the road, but doesn't remember the tumble. She was wearing a helmet, but suffered a concussion.
The woman pulled Tschacher to safety and stayed with her until a friend arrived.
"I am so very thankful that she stopped and pulled me off the road," she said. "I know she was on her way to work as well, so I'm thankful that she took the time to stop, help me out there and stay with me."
Tschacher plans to meet the woman for coffee to say thank you with a handmade gift, when she's fully recovered.
Map: East Keith Road and Brooksbank Avenue, North Vancouver
|
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of automatically feeding lubricating oil to bearing parts of various machine elements. In particular, the present invention relates to an automatic lubricating oil feeding method using a microcomputer whereby various settings, progress of the settings, and display of the operating state of a lubricating oil feeding apparatus can be easily identified in a user-oriented manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to achieve the automatic lubricating oil feeding to machine elements such as bearings of various industrial equipments, diverse kinds of lubricating oil feeding techniques have been developed and used.
An automatic lubricating oil feeding apparatus using gas pressure has been developed to continuously feed the lubricating oil to bearings or other parts which require the lubricating oil to the exclusion of inconvenience of the manual operation.
According to this apparatus, a typical diaphragm is extended by the gas pressure of an electrochemical reactor, and this causes a piston to descend so as to discharge the lubricating oil (i.e., grease). The gas pressure is controlled by a control circuit in a manner that the amount of current, which corresponds to the gas reaction time of the electrochemical reactor, is adjusted by the control circuit, and this causes the discharge of the lubricating oil to be performed for a preset time in the range of one month to several or several tens of months.
Consequently, the above-described conventional apparatus can continuously feed the lubricating oil through the term set in the range of one month to several months by variably determining the current supplied to the electrochemical reactor (i.e., gas chamber) in accordance with the resistance value of a resistor selected by a switch and by adjusting the reaction time of the electrochemical reactor accordingly. In the apparatus, light emitting diodes which operate simultaneously with the selection operation of the switch are employed to display the operating state of the apparatus.
However, the conventional electric lubricating oil feeding apparatus has the drawbacks that since it controls the lubricating oil discharge time by adjusting the electrochemical reaction time by limiting the supplied current through a selected resistor, it cannot reflect the condition inside the bearing and the environmental change such as the change of temperature. Also, it cannot achieve an accurate discharge of lubricating oil with a proper amount in the preset time because the preset amount of current supplied to the electrochemical reactor is changed due to the change of the internal resistance value of the electrochemical reactor as the time elapses.
Further, according to the conventional apparatus, it is difficult for a user to identify the setting time of the lubricating oil feeding apparatus since the setting time of the apparatus should be identified by checking the state of the switches one by one. Also, even though the entire setting time elapses due to an external factor such as temperature, machine element, internal factor, etc., the user cannot identify such an abnormal elapse of time.
In order to solve the problems involved in the conventional lubricating oil feeding apparatus as described above, Korea Patent Number 189152 issued to the applicant discloses an automatic lubricating oil feeding method which includes an operating-term input step performed by a mode selection means to set the lubricating oil discharge time, an output step performed by a microcomputer to control the output time per unit time according to a set operating term, the microcomputer providing a computed output to an electrochemical reactor according to a selected mode and controlling a liquid crystal display (LCD) to display the set mode, a step of detecting the termination of the set operating term, and a step of rapidly discharging the remaining lubricating oil by deleting the set mode and resetting a shortest term mode when the set mode is terminated.
According to the above patent, the setting of the operating term and the identification of the set term can be easily effected, and the discharge of the lubricating oil can be accurately controlled even after the elapse of the term by compensating for the internal resistance of the electrochemical reactor. Especially, if the set term elapses, the remaining lubricating oil is rapidly discharged by changing the present mode to the shortest term mode.
Though the above-described patent has various advantages as described above, it has the disadvantage that the discharge of the lubricating oil using the electrochemical reaction cannot effect an accurate control of the discharge amount of the lubricating oil. Thus, the applicant has developed a driving apparatus whereby a piston ascends and descends by a driving motor to feed the lubricating oil as much as the volume of a cylinder.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the problems involved in the prior art, and to provide an automatic lubricating oil feeding method using a microcomputer which can control the display of the remaining operating time by icons on liquid crystal displays (LCDs) after an automatic lubricating oil feeding apparatus is installed to facilitate the identification of the elapse of the operating time, the operation of a motor for discharging a set amount of lubricating oil, and various displays such as the overload of the motor, shortage of a battery capacity, elapse of the lubricating oil replacement time, etc.
In order to achieve the above object, there is provided an automatic lubricating oil feeding method which comprises an initializing step of driving a lubricating oil discharge motor by one revolution when a power is initially supplied, a discharge amount setting step of setting a discharge amount of lubricating oil, an operating term setting step of selecting and setting the number of operating months, a drive control step of controlling an operation of the motor so that the lubricating oil is discharged according to the set number of operating months, and a display step of displaying an elapse of the set operating months and various factors such as a trouble, a shortage of a battery capacity, a replacement time of the lubricating oil, etc., by icons and indicator lamps.
|
presidential poll
Election Coverage
9:07 pm
Wed September 26, 2012
A new poll shows President Barack Obama opening a double-digit lead over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in two of three key swing states. Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler looks into the numbers in Ohio.
|
In this age of increased air pollution, the removal of chemicals from the air we breathe is a concern of everyone.
Gas phase filtration is commonly accomplished using activated carbon manufactured in various ways. One approach comprises using a carbon/adhesive slurry to glue the carbon to the substrate. The adhesive decreases carbon performance by forming a film on its surface.
A second approach involves carbonizing an organic based web by heating, followed by carbon activation. This material is high cost and has relatively low adsorption capacity.
A third approach involves forming a slurry of carbon powders and fibers into sheets by a process analogous to a wet papermaking process. This material is medium-to-high cost, and has an undesirable high pressure drop. Moreover, chemically impregnated carbon particles cannot be efficiently used in conjunction with an aqueous process, as the aqueous nature of the process either washes away the chemical used to impregnate the carbon, or reacts undesirably with the impregnating chemical rendering it useless. In general, however, filter materials which do not incorporate chemically impregnated adsorbents perform far less effectively than those which do include chemically impregnated adsorbents.
None of these approaches fully achieve the desired properties which provide a cost effective, high efficiency, low pressure drop, adsorptive composite.
|
Novel roles of complement in renal diseases and their therapeutic consequences.
The complement system functions as a part of the innate immune system. Inappropriate activation of the complement pathways has a deleterious effect on kidneys. Recent advances in complement research have provided new insights into the pathogenesis of glomerular and tubulointerstitial injury associated with complement activation. A new disease entity termed 'C3 glomerulopathy' has recently been proposed and is characterized by isolated C3 deposition in glomeruli without positive staining for immunoglobulins. Genetic and functional studies have demonstrated that several different mutations and disease variants, as well as the generation of autoantibodies, are potentially associated with its pathogenesis. The data from comprehensive analyses suggest that complement dysregulation can also be associated with hemolytic uremic syndrome and more common glomerular diseases, such as IgA nephropathy and diabetic kidney disease. In addition, animal studies utilizing genetically modified mice have begun to elucidate the molecular pathomechanisms associated with the complement system. From a diagnostic point of view, a noninvasive, MRI-based method for detecting C3 has recently been developed to serve as a novel tool for diagnosing complement-mediated kidney diseases. While novel therapeutic tools related to complement regulation are emerging, studies evaluating the precise roles of the complement system in kidney diseases will still be useful for developing new therapeutic approaches.
|
74 Ill. App.3d 990 (1979)
394 N.E.2d 456
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
MATTHEW BURNETT et al., Defendants-Appellants.
Nos. 77-809, 77-1384 cons.
Illinois Appellate Court First District (5th Division).
Opinion filed August 3, 1979.
*991 *992 James J. Doherty, Public Defender, of Chicago (Ronald P. Alwin and Mary T. Woodward, Assistant Public Defenders, of counsel), for appellant Matthew Burnett.
Barry S. Frazin, of Chicago (Stephen M. Vetzner, of counsel), for appellant Louis Grenshaw.
Bernard Carey, State's Attorney, of Chicago (Marcia B. Orr and Pamela L. Gray, Assistant State's Attorneys, of counsel), for the People.
Judgment affirmed.
Mr. JUSTICE LORENZ delivered the opinion of the court:
Following a jury trial, defendants were convicted of armed robbery (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 38, par. 18-2) and sentenced to terms of four years to four years and a day. On appeal, they contend that they were not proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Additionally, defendant Burnett contends that he was denied a fair trial by co-defendant Grenshaw's testimony regarding the purchase of marijuana, while Grenshaw contends that the trial court erred by giving a misleading jury instruction and by refusing to give a reasonable doubt instruction which Grenshaw offered.
At trial, the following pertinent evidence was adduced.
For the State
Warren Beck
On November 11, 1974, he was a student at DeVry Institute of Technology. During a coffee break between classes he heard a classmate, Jerrold Marshall, talking about a stereo "component set" he was going to purchase. Beck said that he would be interested in buying a set "if it was a good deal," and Marshall told him that he would get $2,000 worth of equipment for $700. After Marshall made a phone call, he told Beck that he could get him the equipment. They left school together around noon, and went to Beck's house at 1617 West 56th Street. There he wrote a check *993 for $600 and removed $130 from a "piggy bank." He and Marshall then went to the Standard Heritage Bank where he cashed the check for six $100 bills which he put in his pocket. Afterwards they returned to school. Later, he, Marshall and some other classmates went to Marshall's brother's house at 10 South Lockwood. He was supposed to purchase the equipment there, but the seller did not arrive. He gave Marshall his home phone number and left still in possession of his $730. At approximately 6:45 p.m., Marshall arrived at his house, saying that he had lost his phone number. Marshall said that he would "call the guy and tell him we was on our way," but as he started dialing, he asked for a glass of water. He left to get Marshall the water. When he returned 10-15 seconds later, Marshall said, "okey" and hung up the phone. He and Marshall each counted their money, and Marshall said that they were going to "47th and Hermitage, Margefield [sic]." As they left Beck's house, Marshall said that he would "really hate to be robbed" with all that money on him. As soon as they walked out the door, Marshall yelled, "Oh no." Someone behind him then grabbed his left side, spun him around, and leaned him against a car which was some 11 feet away from the front door of his building. He identified his assailant in court as defendant Grenshaw. The scene was lit by light from the apartment windows, the hallway door light, and a street lamp some 10-15 feet away. Grenshaw held an army knife to his stomach, removed $30 from his right pocket, and said "I'm going to ask you one time where it is." He told Grenshaw "it" was in the other pocket. Grenshaw, who was holding the knife five inches from his stomach, then removed $700 from his left pocket. During this time a second man, who had a gun, grabbed Marshall and threw him against the building. He saw this man's face from a distance of about four feet, and identified him in court as defendant Burnett. Burnett and Grenshaw did not wear masks or other facial coverings, and did not in any way attempt to avert their faces from him. After the robbery, defendants fled by walking west on 56th Street and then running north on Marshfield. The entire occurrence had taken approximately two minutes. Marshall said, "we just got robbed," and they went upstairs and called the police. Marshall left saying that he was going to wait for the police downstairs. About three minutes later, he looked out the window and noticed that Marshall was gone. The police arrived about 20 minutes later, and plainclothes detectives arrived at approximately 7:45. After talking with them, he went with two of the policemen to 10 South Lockwood, the location of Marshall's brother's apartment. They did not see any of the defendants there, but they decided to stay parked in the police car in front of the building. After waiting for a few minutes, he saw the car which Grenshaw had thrown him up against coming down the street. The car was a black-over-green four door Oldsmobile. He told the police that Marshall was in the car with *994 other people who "possibly" were "the robbery men." The police turned on their flashing lights and sirens, and chased the car for approximately two blocks at a "nice little speed." He and the police got out of the car, and Marshall, who had been driving, began to get out of the Oldsmobile. He went up to that car and identified the passengers, Burnett and Grenshaw, as the assailants. The police then told him to go back to their car so he wouldn't get hurt. He did not see any money at the scene, but later saw $896 counted at the police station.
On cross-examination he stated that he described Grenshaw to the police as being six feet tall, having a beard and mustache, and wearing a blue skull cap, lightweight dark colored jacket and jeans. He described Burnett as being a male Negro about 25, six feet three inches tall, weighing 165 pounds and wearing a blue cap, three-quarter length black leather jacket, and high platform shoes. He also said that Burnett had a mustache and beard, but did not say that they were joined together or that he had a goatee. He conceded that although he saw Marshall's assailant, he "was more involved with" Grenshaw. He further conceded that when Grenshaw held the knife on him and went through his pockets, he did not look at Marshall or Marshall's assailant. He stated that he and the police spent about 45 minutes travelling from his apartment to 10 South Lockwood, and explained that they had a flat tire on the way. He estimated that they arrived at the Lockwood address within two hours after the incident.
Walter Zamolewicz, Chicago Police Officer
He is an investigator assigned to Area Three Robbery. On November 11, 1974, at approximately 8 p.m., he and his partner Officer Morley arrived in an unmarked car at 1617 West 56th Street. They interviewed Warren Beck, and then the three of them drove to 10 South Lockwood. After "a female voice" refused their entrance to the building, they reentered their police car and waited at the scene for about 10 minutes. They saw a four-door black-over-green Oldsmobile come off of Madison Street, go south on Lockwood, and slow down in front of 10 South Lockwood. Beck then shouted out, "That's the car and those are the suspects. That's Mr. Marshall driving. Those are the suspects." The Oldsmobile sped away. Officer Morley turned on the lights and siren of the police car and pursued the Oldsmobile to 5416 West Jackson, where it was stopped. Jerrold Marshall got out of the car. Beck went up to the Oldsmobile and identified the two passengers as the men who robbed him. They were the defendants Burnett and Grenshaw. He told Beck to go back to the squad car, and Beck did so. After advising Marshall, Burnett and Grenshaw of their rights, Zamolewicz searched the car and found a large amount of money in the rear of the front passenger's seat, where Burnett had been sitting. He asked the three men whose money it *995 was and all three denied having any money. He took the money out, showed it to Burnett and asked, "Is this your money?" Burnett said, "One hundred is mine." He said, "That's all? You can do better than that" and Burnett said, "One hundred fifty is mine." At the 15th District Police Station Zamolewicz counted the money, and found that it amounted to $896. The money was in two packets, one containing $296 in older bills, and the other containing six new $100 bills. At the time of their arrest, Burnett was five feet eight inches tall, weighed 145 pounds, had a mustache and beard and wore a brown jacket, flowered shirt, and blue jeans. Grenshaw was five feet eight inches tall, weighed 135-145 pounds, had a full beard and mustache, and wore a dark blue skull cap, brown jacket, multicolored shirt and levis.
On cross-examination he estimated that they arrived at 10 South Lockwood at about 8:30 p.m. and denied having a flat tire or experiencing any other delay along the way. He admitted that no weapons were ever recovered in connection with this case; that it was dark when they saw the Oldsmobile, and that he could not make out the passenger's features.
For the defense
John Novak, Chicago Police Officer
On November 11, 1974, he and his partner, James Tynan, went to 1617 West 56th Street to investigate the robbery of Warren Beck. His partner conducted the interview with Beck and made out a report. He had no independent recollection as to whether Beck described his assailants as having beards or mustaches. After reviewing the police report, he stated that nothing in the report indicated that Beck described Burnett or Grenshaw as having a beard or mustache.
Deborah Burnett
She is Matthew Burnett's wife. On November 11, 1974, they and their children lived at 1847 West Lake Street. In order to save their money for the purchase of a car, they would save their "tens" and "twenties," convert them into $100 bills and keep the money in a jewelry box on a shelf in their bedroom. On the date in question there was approximately $900 in the jewelry box. At 10:30 or 11 a.m. her husband put his coat on and said he was going out to look for a car. She did not see whether he took any of their money with him. He returned home at about 7:30 p.m. Approximately 10 minutes later Jerrold Marshall, a friend of her husband's, came to their home. After the two men talked, her husband put on his coat, said he would be right back, and left. He did not return that night.
On cross-examination she acknowledged that they did not attempt to take any of the money they saved to a bank. She conceded that she did not know how many $100 bills were in the jewelry box. She conceded that she did not know where her husband went, who he was with, or what he *996 was doing on the date in question. She acknowledged that she wasn't sure about what her husband was wearing, but described it as a dark flowered shirt, short black jacket, blue cap and gym shoes or loafers.
Michael Bridges
He is Jerrold Marshall's first cousin. On November 10, 1974, he gave Marshall close to $300 to purchase some marijuana.
On cross-examination, he conceded that he and Grenshaw were formerly roommates and that he is a friend of Burnett. He acknowledged that he did not know the denominations of the money he gave to Marshall, but stated, "it was big bills."
Curtis Jackson
In November of 1974, he attended DeVry Institute of Technology with Jerrold Marshall and Warren Beck. On November 11, at a table in the school cafeteria, he heard Beck ask Marshall if he had access to a large quantity of marijuana. When Marshall said he did, the two agreed on a price of $145. There was no discussion of stereo components.
On cross-examination he admitted that both before and after November 11, he discussed purchasing or selling drugs approximately 50 times. He admitted that he and Marshall were good friends.
Jerrold Marshall
He has known Burnett and Grenshaw for nine to 10 years. They did not rob him on November 11, 1974. On that date he was a student at DeVry Institute of Technology. At a table in the cafeteria, he told Warren Beck and several other classmates that he "got in on a deal on some marijuana" the night before. Beck asked if he could purchase seven pounds of marijuana. He agreed that Beck could at a cost of $700. He had gathered $685 which included his own money, approximately $300 from his cousin, Michael Bridges, and some money from a David Birage. He was to purchase the marijuana from a classmate named Stanley Sakinis. He did not accompany Beck after school to Beck's house, or to the Standard Heritage Bank or to his brother's house. Beck gave him his phone number so he could call and make the final arrangements for "the deal." He called Beck that evening, and then drove to his apartment. He drove a 1970 black-over-green Oldsmobile and arrived at about 6:30 p.m. After he called Sakinis, he and Beck left the apartment. As they were walking down the stairs, they were robbed by two men. He had never seen these men before, and does not know who they were. The man who robbed him took $585, leaving him with no money. After the robbery, he said, "Let's call the police" and "God damn it we just got robbed." He and Beck then went back up to the apartment and he called the police. They asked him for the address, but Beck, who was "a dealer," told him not to give his address to the police. He told the police he would be standing on 56th Street just west of Ashland. After waiting approximately 15 minutes, *997 and trying unsuccessfully to flag down a marked police car, he left the scene and drove to Matthew Burnett's house. He told Burnett and his wife that he had been robbed and wanted to go back to Beck's house. Burnett went with him, and they drove to Louis Grenshaw's residence at 5810 Huron. The three of them then went to the "Lime Room" at 5600 West Madison, where Burnett paid for three rounds of drinks. They left after about an hour, and were "riding." As he crossed Quincy and headed south on Lockwood, he saw lights flashing behind him. He made a right turn, saw that the police were behind him, and immediately pulled over to the curb, in the 5400 block on Jackson. As he was talking to Officer Zamolewicz, Warren Beck ran up to the car and said, "Yes, that's them." He told the police that he had been robbed, and that he didn't wait for them because it wasn't all his money.
On cross-examination he acknowledged he had either $585 or $685 on him when he left Beck's apartment, and wasn't sure of the exact amount. He acknowledged that he pleaded guilty to robbery on March 12, 1973, that he was sentenced to three years probation, and was on probation at the time of the occurrence. He admitted that one of the terms of his probation was that he not violate any laws, and that he knew that dealing in large quantities of marijuana violated the law and his probation. He admitted that he lied when he testified under oath at a preliminary hearing that he was with Beck because he was selling some electrical equipment. He admitted that on the way from Beck's residence to Burnett's he saw some police cars, but did not try to stop them. He acknowledged that there were phones at Burnett's apartment and at the "Lime Room," but that he did not use them to call the police.
Defendant Matthew Burnett in his own behalf
He, his wife Deborah and their children live at 1847 West Lake in Chicago. On November 11, 1974, at approximately 11 a.m. he took $925 from his wife's jewelry box and went out to shop for a car. He returned home at 7:30 p.m. At about 7:45 Jerrold Marshall arrived. After they had a conversation, he went with Marshall to Grenshaw's house, at 5900 West Huron. He had known Marshall and Grenshaw for six or seven years. After informing Grenshaw that Marshall had been robbed, they decided to go to the "Lime Room" for drinks. He still had the money he had taken to go shopping for a car, and he paid for the drinks. They left and drove to Lockwood. Marshall "parked a little bit," but noticed that there were no lights on in his brother's apartment, and began to pull away. The police then came upon them and placed them under arrest. Officer Zamolewicz searched him and took some money out of his pocket. Zamolewicz questioned him about the money, and he said he had worked for it. He never told Zamolewicz that only $100 or $150 was his, and never denied that it was his money. He did not rob Marshall or Warren Beck on *998 the day in question. At that time, he was five feet eight inches tall, and had a goatee and mustache.
On cross-examination, he estimated that the $925 he took with him on November 11, 1974, included six or seven $100 bills. He admitted that he was mistaken when he testified under oath at the preliminary hearing that he returned home from car shopping at about 6:30, and that he didn't see the police officer take his money.
Carolyn York
In November of 1974, she was living with Louis Grenshaw at 5910 West Huron. On November 11, they spent the entire day together in the apartment. At 7:45 or 8 p.m., Jerrold Marshall and Matthew Burnett came over. After a conversation, they left with him.
Defendant Louis Charles Grenshaw in his own behalf
In November of 1974 he lived with Carolyn York at 5910 West Huron. He spent November 11 with her at the apartment. Shortly before 8 p.m. Jerrold Marshall and Matthew Burnett came by. They all had drinks at the "Lime Room" and then went to Marshall's brother's apartment on Lockwood. They saw he wasn't home and started to pull away when some lights started flashing in back of them. Marshall said, "Well, that might be the police there." He said, "Man, don't stop here on this dark street. Let's go on to Jackson." After they turned onto Jackson and stopped, the police came over. A black man also came up, peeked in the car, and said, "Those are the men." The police told him to get back in the car. The police searched them and took a handful of money out of Burnett's pocket. He is five feet nine inches tall and wore a mustache and beard. He did not rob Beck or Marshall.
On cross-examination he conceded that he was in the Marine Corps and received a general discharge, which is less than an honorable discharge. He admitted testifying at the preliminary hearing that the police officer pulled the money out of the car. He denied wearing a blue skull cap when arrested, and acknowledged that he wore a flowered shirt and a brown jacket.
For the State in rebuttal
Stanley Sakinis, Jr.
He attended DeVry Institute of Technology for 2 1/2 years and was a classmate of Jerrold Marshall's. He never had any conversation with Marshall or with Warren Beck concerning the sale of marijuana.
On cross-examination he denied ever having a conversation with Marc Kadish, either on the phone or in person.
For the defense in surrebuttal
Marc Kadish
He was Jerrold Marshall's attorney. He dialed Stanley Sakinis' phone *999 number and after Sakinis identified himself, he talked with him on the phone. Sakinis told him that in November of 1974 he had been involved in a negotiation for the sale of some marijuana with Jerrold Marshall and Warren Beck while they were students at DeVry Institute. Sakinis said he would be willing to make the admission in court.
On cross-examination he admitted that the phone number he dialed was given to him by Jerrold Marshall, and that he had never talked to Sakinis or met him before.
OPINION
1-3 Defendants first contend that the testimony of Warren Beck, the sole identification witness, was weak, unreliable, and insufficient to support their convictions beyond a reasonable doubt. In support of this contention, they stress that although Beck told the police that Grenshaw and Burnett were, respectively, six feet and six feet three inches tall, both were shown at trial to be five feet eight inches tall. Further, they argue that Beck did not describe their clothing with complete accuracy, and that he did not tell the police that both of his offenders had mustaches and beards. We note that Beck testified that he did describe both offenders as having mustaches and beards. The only evidence offered by defendants to refute Beck's assertion was the testimony of Police Officer John Novak. Novak admitted that he did not interview Beck and had no independent recollection as to how Beck described the offenders. After looking at his partner's police report, he testified that the report itself did not indicate that defendants were described as having beards and mustaches. However, this testimony does not specifically negate the proposition that Beck did make such a description. More importantly, where a witness' identification is positive, precise accuracy in describing facial characteristics or attire is unnecessary. (People v. Jackson (1974), 23 Ill. App.3d 945, 320 N.E.2d 591.) The inaccuracies cited by defendants herein are minor discrepancies which would only affect the weight of the witness' testimony and do not destroy the credibility of his identification. (See People v. Carroll (1973), 12 Ill. App.3d 869, 299 N.E.2d 134, cert. denied (1974), 417 U.S. 972, 41 L.Ed.2d 1144, 94 S.Ct. 3180; People v. Calhoun (1971), 132 Ill. App.2d 665, 270 N.E.2d 450.) The identification testimony of a single witness, even if it be that of a crime victim, is sufficient to convict if the identification is positive and the witness is found to be credible. (People v. Stringer (1972), 52 Ill.2d 564, 289 N.E.2d 631; People v. Henderson (1976), 36 Ill. App.3d 355, 344 N.E.2d 239.) The test of a positive identification is whether the witness was close enough to the identified person for a sufficient length of time under adequate conditions to observe and later make an identification. (In re Williams (1974), 24 Ill. App.3d 593, 321 N.E.2d 281.) In the instant case, Beck had an ample *1000 opportunity to observe defendants throughout the robbery which lasted approximately two minutes. The area where the parties stood was well lit. Beck was face to face with Grenshaw, and within four feet of Burnett. Neither defendant attempted to in any way hide, mask, or avert his face. These factors clearly support Beck's positive in-court identification. We note that defendants' denials of involvement and other defense testimony contradicting Beck created questions of fact and raised an issue of the credibility of the witnesses. However, resolving questions of fact and determining the credibility of witnesses is the function of the jury. (People v. Yarbrough (1977), 67 Ill.2d 222, 367 N.E.2d 666.) A determination of guilt by a jury will not be set aside by a reviewing court unless it is palpably contrary to the weight of the evidence or so unsatisfactory as to cause a reasonable doubt of guilt. (People v. Manion (1977), 67 Ill.2d 564, 367 N.E.2d 1313, cert. denied (1978), 435 U.S. 937, 55 L. Ed 2d 533, 98 S.Ct. 1513.) In addition to the positive identification testimony adduced at trial, it was shown that defendants were apprehended shortly after the commission of the crime, in a car identified by Beck as having been at the scene, and in possession of a large amount of money. This money included six $100 bills, which matched the amount and denomination of currency that Beck had earlier in the evening. While defendants offered an explanation at trial for the possession of the money, the jury was entitled to consider that explanation in light of Officer Zamolewicz's testimony that at their arrest, defendants offered no explanation for the money and even denied that it was in their possession. Further, both Zamolewicz and Beck indicated that defendants attempted to flee the police when first signalled to stop. In light of all of the evidence referred to above, we conclude that there was an ample basis for the jury to find defendants guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
4-6 Burnett also contends that he was denied a fair trial by codefendant Grenshaw's testimony that before they went to the "Lime Room" for drinks, Burnett stopped and purchased some marijuana. Burnett argues that this was evidence of an unrelated crime, and was prejudicial because it tended to show that he had a criminal disposition and a propensity to commit the crime charged. (See People v. Lehman (1955), 5 Ill.2d 337, 125 N.E.2d 506.) However, the trial record shows that Burnett's only objection and motion for a mistrial came after the reference to marijuana had been made and the questioning had proceeded to another point. Because defendant failed to make a timely objection at trial, he has waived consideration of the allegedly prejudicial testimony on appeal. (People v. Trefonas (1956), 9 Ill.2d 92, 136 N.E.2d 817.) Further, it appears from the record that when an objection was made, the trial court clearly and specifically instructed the jury to disregard the testimony regarding Burnett's participation in the purchase *1001 of marijuana. Although evidence of unrelated misconduct or crimes and comment thereon may be so highly inflammatory that such admonition by the trial court may fail to effect a cure (see, e.g., People v. Deal (1934), 357 Ill. 634, 192 N.E. 649), an error is commonly deemed to be cured where the defense objections have been sustained during the course of trial and where the jury is instructed to disregard the matter. (See, e.g., People v. Donald (1977), 56 Ill. App.3d 538, 371 N.E.2d 1101; People v. D'Argento (1969), 106 Ill. App.2d 36, 245 N.E.2d 501.) Where it does not appear that the remarks complained of influenced the jury in a manner that resulted in substantial prejudice to the accused, reversal is unwarranted. (People v. Stahl (1962), 26 Ill.2d 403, 186 N.E.2d 349.) In light of the isolated nature of the marijuana reference and the trial court's instruction, any error which may have occurred must be considered harmless. See People v. Terry (1976), 38 Ill. App.3d 517, 347 N.E.2d 869.
7-8 Finally, Grenshaw contends that the trial court erred by giving a misleading jury instruction, and by refusing to give a special "reasonable doubt" instruction that he had offered. As to the first contention, it is clear from the record that defendant made no objection to the allegedly misleading instruction when it was discussed or offered at trial. His failure to do so denied the trial court a chance to correct any possible defect, and waived the issue from appellate review. (See People v. Trefonas (1956), 9 Ill.2d 92, 136 N.E.2d 817; Dean v. Keith's & Ralph's Tavern, Inc. (1975), 25 Ill. App.3d 970, 324 N.E.2d 7.) In arguing that the instruction he offered should have been given to the jury, Grenshaw characterizes it as covering "the area of reasonable doubt as to identification" and states that it was "modeled" after instructions adopted by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in United States v. Telfaire (D.C. Cir.1972), 469 F.2d 552. Grenshaw concedes that in People v. Attaway (1976), 41 Ill. App.3d 837, 354 N.E.2d 448, we held that an instruction based on Telfaire had been properly refused. He nevertheless argues that his instruction should have been given because it was a "greatly shortened version of the Telfaire instruction" and, unlike the instruction considered in Attaway, did not violate the rule that instructions must be "simple, brief, impartial, and free from argument." (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 110A, par. 451(a).) Defendant's argument is unpersuasive. In Attaway we noted that the Illinois pattern jury instructions on witness credibility and the State's burden of proof (Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, Criminal No. 1.02 (1968) (hereinafter cited as IPI Criminal) IPI Criminal No. 2.03) had been given, and that these instructions had been held sufficient to instruct the jury as to the defense of mistaken identification. (People v. Neeley (1974), 18 Ill. App.3d 287, 309 N.E.2d 725.) We then concluded that:
"[T]he procedure approved by our supreme court is a fair, realistic *1002 method in cases involving trial identification and * * * the trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to give this [Telfaire] instruction since the Illinois pattern instructions on credibility and burden of proof are sufficient." (41 Ill. App.3d 837, 854-55, 354 N.E.2d 448, 462-63.)
In the instant case, as in Attaway, the jury was given the Illinois pattern instruction on witness credibility and the State's burden of proof (IPI Criminal No. 1.02; IPI Criminal No. 2.03) as well as IPI Criminal No. 14.02, which instructs on the elements of the crime of armed robbery. In light of the above, we conclude that the jury was adequately instructed, and that Grenshaw's proposed instruction was properly refused.
Based on all of the above, the judgment of the circuit court is affirmed.
Affirmed.
SULLIVAN, P.J., and MEJDA, J., concur.
|
<?php
/* *
* 功能：快捷登录接口接入页
* 版本：3.3
* 修改日期：2012-07-23
* 说明：
* 以下代码只是为了方便商户测试而提供的样例代码，商户可以根据自己网站的需要，按照技术文档编写,并非一定要使用该代码。
* 该代码仅供学习和研究支付宝接口使用，只是提供一个参考。
* 如果商业用途务必到官方购买正版授权, 以免引起不必要的法律纠纷.
*************************注意*************************
* 如果您在接口集成过程中遇到问题，可以按照下面的途径来解决
* 1、商户服务中心（https://b.alipay.com/support/helperApply.htm?action=consultationApply），提交申请集成协助，我们会有专业的技术工程师主动联系您协助解决
* 2、商户帮助中心（http://help.alipay.com/support/232511-16307/0-16307.htm?sh=Y&info_type=9）
* 3、支付宝论坛（http://club.alipay.com/read-htm-tid-8681712.html）
* 如果不想使用扩展功能请把扩展功能参数赋空值。
*/
use think\Model;
use think\Request;
class alipay extends Model{
/**************************请求参数**************************/
//目标服务地址
public $target_service = "user.auth.quick.login";
//必填
//必填，页面跳转同步通知页面路径
public $return_url;
//需http://格式的完整路径，不允许加?id=123这类自定义参数
//防钓鱼时间戳
public $anti_phishing_key = "";
//若要使用请调用类文件submit中的query_timestamp函数
//客户端的IP地址
public $exter_invoke_ip = "";
//非局域网的外网IP地址，如：221.0.0.1
public $parameter;
public $alipay_config;
/************************************************************/
public function __construct($config){
// $this->return_url = "http://".$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']."/plugins/login/alipay/return_url.php";
// $this->return_url = "http://".$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']."/index.php/Home/ThirdLogin/callback/oauth/alipay";
$this->return_url = "http://".$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'].U('LoginApi/callback',array('oauth'=>'alipay'));
$this->parameter = array(
"service" => "alipay.auth.authorize",
"partner" => trim($config['alipay_partner']),
"target_service" => $this->target_service,
"return_url" => $this->return_url,
"anti_phishing_key" => $this->anti_phishing_key,
"exter_invoke_ip" => $this->exter_invoke_ip,
"_input_charset" => 'utf-8'
);
$this->alipay_config = array(
'partner'=>$config['alipay_partner'],//合作身份者id，以2088开头的16位纯数字
'key'=>$config['alipay_key'],//安全检验码，以数字和字母组成的32位字符
'sign_type'=>'MD5',//签名方式 不需修改
'input_charset'=>'utf-8',//字符编码格式 目前支持 gbk 或 utf-8
'cacert'=>getcwd().'\\cacert.pem',//ca证书路径地址，用于curl中ssl校验
'transport'=>'http',//访问模式,根据自己的服务器是否支持ssl访问，若支持请选择https；若不支持请选择http
);
}
//构造要请求的参数数组，无需改动
public function login(){
require_once("lib/alipay_submit.class.php");
$alipaySubmit = new AlipaySubmit($this->alipay_config);
$html_text = $alipaySubmit->buildRequestForm($this->parameter,"get", "确认");
echo $html_text;
}
public function respon(){
unset($_GET['oauth']);
require_once("lib/alipay_notify.class.php");
$alipayNotify = new AlipayNotify($this->alipay_config);
$verify_result = $alipayNotify->verifyReturn();
if($verify_result) {//验证成功
return array(
'openid'=>$_GET['user_id'],//支付宝用户号
'oauth'=>'alipay',
'nickname'=>'支付宝用户',
);
}
else {
return false;
}
}
}
?>
|
I just got an email purporting to be from The White House itself. The return address even ends in "whitehouse.gov." The text of the email is as follows:
Quote:
Dear Friend:
Thank you for taking the time to write. I have heard from many Americans regarding firearms policy and gun violence in our Nation, and I appreciate your perspective. From Aurora to Newtown to the streets of Chicago, we have seen the devastating effects gun violence has on our American family. I join countless others in grieving for all those whose lives have been taken too soon by gun violence.
Like the majority of Americans, I believe the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. In this country, we have a strong tradition of gun ownership that has been handed down from generation to generation. Hunting and sport shooting are part of our national heritage. Yet, even as we acknowledge that almost all gun owners in America are responsible, when we look at the devastation caused by gun violence—whether in high-profile tragedies or the daily heartbreak that plagues our cities—we must ask ourselves whether we are doing enough.
While reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, protecting our children from harm should not be a divisive one. Most gun owners agree that we can respect the Second Amendment while keeping an irresponsible, law-breaking few from inflicting harm on a massive scale. Most also agree that if we took commonsense steps to curtail gun violence, there would be fewer atrocities like the one that occurred in Newtown. We will not be able to stop every violent act, but if there is even one thing we can do to reduce gun violence—if even one life can be saved—then we have an obligation to try.
That is why I asked Vice President Joe Biden to identify concrete steps we can take to keep our children safe, help prevent mass shootings, and reduce the broader epidemic of gun violence in this country. He met with over 200 groups representing a broad cross-section of Americans and heard their best ideas. I have put forward a specific set of proposals based off of his efforts, and in the days ahead, I intend to use whatever weight this office holds to make them a reality.
My plan gives law enforcement, schools, mental health professionals, and the public health community some of the tools they need to help reduce gun violence. These tools include strengthening the background check system, helping schools hire more resource officers and counselors and develop emergency preparedness plans, and ensuring mental health professionals know their options for reporting threats of violence. And I directed the Centers for Disease Control to study the best ways to reduce gun violence—because it is critical that we understand the science behind this public health crisis.
As important as these steps are, they are not a substitute for action from Congress. To make a real and lasting difference, members of Congress must also act. As part of my comprehensive plan, I have called on them to pass some specific proposals right away. First, it is time to require a universal background check for anyone trying to buy a gun. Second, Congress should renew the 10-round limit on magazines and reinstate and strengthen the assault weapons ban. We should get tougher on those who buy guns with the purpose of selling them to criminals, and we should impose serious punishments on anyone who helps them do this.
These are reasonable, commonsense measures that have the support of the majority of the American people. But change will not come unless the American people demand it from their lawmakers. Now is the time to do the right thing for our children, our communities, and the country we love. We owe the victims of heartbreaking national tragedies and the countless unheralded tragedies each year nothing less than our best effort—to seek consensus in order to save lives and ensure a brighter future for our children.
Did you ever participate in that Ruger thing where they sent emails on your behalf to representitives? I believe that sent an email to the White House. If not, well, it looks like the White House has hacked the Matrix, and we're all doomed!
__________________
Still happily answering to the call-sign Peetza.
---
The problem, as you so eloquently put it, is choice.
-The Architect
-----
He is no fool who gives what he can not keep to gain what he can not lose.
-Jim Eliott, paraphrasing Philip Henry.
Popvox allows me to put a widget on my site that presents a bill and allows users to fill out the form and send it right then. I figure that's why I've gotten numerous odd responses, including the one you did.
__________________
Sometimes it’s nice not to destroy the world for a change.
--Randall Munroe
I think the most disturbing thing about the email is the fact that I have never in my life emailed The White House
"We've taken care of everything—the words you read and the songs you sing. ... Never need to wonder how or why" Rush 2112
__________________
A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it ... gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.
- Milton Friedman
But change will not come unless the American people demand it from their lawmakers.
Because they failed to force it upon us, they're asking for our help. This whole issue went from an unavoidable, foregone conclusion in January to "it deserves a vote" in February to "we really need your help" in March.
That's not an utterance of someone who's not as in control of an issue as he'd once assumed.
__________________
Sometimes it’s nice not to destroy the world for a change.
--Randall Munroe
These are reasonable, commonsense measures that have the support of the majority of the American people. But change will not come unless the American people demand it from their lawmakers.
On the one hand, he says that these measures "have the support of the majority of the American people," but in the same breath says that lawmakers won't make the changes "unless the American people demand it." Well, which is it? Is he telling us that lawmakers are refusing to enact laws supported by the majority of Americans? Or that lawmakers don't think the measures are supported by a majority?
__________________
I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.
On the one hand, he says that these measures "have the support of the majority of the American people,"
I'm very leery of these polls that express majority support for gun control. It's too easy to push people and too easy to manipulate general responses into support for specific laws. One can imagine a question like:
Would you favor reasonable gun control measures to reduce grade school massacres?
On the one hand, he says that these measures "have the support of the majority of the American people," but in the same breath says that lawmakers won't make the changes "unless the American people demand it." Well, which is it? Is he telling us that lawmakers are refusing to enact laws supported by the majority of Americans? Or that lawmakers don't think the measures are supported by a majority?
They're talking out of both sides of their mouths in an effort to get SOME kind of victory out of this. There's a reason the President was telling us last week to "remember how we felt" at the news of Sandy Hook. That reason is that he realizes they've lost the battle for ideas and understand they have to rely on the motivation given by emotion. They just don't have any other lever to use on the American people, and in most cases, it just isn't enough.*
They just don't have any other lever to use on the American people, and in most cases, it just isn't enough.*
*Void in NY, CO, and CT. And maybe even CA.
There isn't any question about CA. 10/22 Rimfires will soon be reclassified as Assault Weapons here. It seems CA polititians want to ensure hat "THEY" have the toughest gun laws in the nation. It's a race don't ya know?
That's exactly what it is for them. January's a tough month to get legislation on the table. Now the emotional appeals are having less effect and it's harder to seize on the moment. Goshdarnit, folks have had time to think about this, and they're not as supportive as they might have been.
Let's not forget the sheer arrogance with which they addressed the gun culture at the beginning of the year. We need to show that to voters in 2014 to hammer the point home.
__________________
Sometimes it’s nice not to destroy the world for a change.
--Randall Munroe
I'm very leery of these polls that express majority support for gun control. It's too easy to push people and too easy to manipulate general responses into support for specific laws.
The sudden attack on Ohio with the barrage of commercials sponsored by the likes of Bloomberg chanting mandatory gun registration to save our children is surely proof of the above statement by KyJim.
One of the adds claimed that 83% of Ohioans are for these new proposals.
Think I'll go out on a limb and call BS on that figure. And further go out on a limb and say that the 83% figure is a blatant lie to the public with the intent of nothing more then to try and sway the unknowing.
Last edited by Evan Thomas; April 3, 2013 at 12:54 PM.
Reason: invective.
The problem gun supporters face, always has been that when you try to stay with factual arguments and logical thought, but you are up against emotional people who regularly utilize unconstrained exaggeration, misrepresentation and outright lying as the basis for their position, you can't win unless the 3rd party listener is able to discern the truth from the lies. The masses are apparently grossly incapable of same. An old friend used to say even the first liar doesn't stand a chance.
And the anti's don't care how unconstitutional some of these new sweeping ban laws turn out to be. Get enough of them on the books, and they will have to be challenged one at a time, picked apart with limited decisions as it always happens, and in one six month blitz they could give us decades of undoing and expense just to return to where we were on January 1, 2013.
__________________
"To my mind it is wholly irresponsible to go into the world incapable of preventing violence, injury, crime, and death. How feeble is the mindset to accept defenselessness... How pathetic." - - Ted Nugent
I am not really sure how well my analogy applies but i have often wondered if they were worried about the sheep, wouldn't you allow more sheep dogs to get bigger teeth to protect the sheep from the wolves, rather than passing a new muzzle law that affect the sheepdogs to stop the wolves from feeding on the sheep?
__________________
If you ever have to use a firearm, you don't get to pick the scenario!
This email link is to reach site administrators for assistance, if you cannot access TFL via other means. If you are a TFL member and can access TFL, please do not use this link; instead, use the forums (like Questions, Suggestions, and Tech Support) or PM an appropriate mod or admin.
If you are experiencing difficulties posting in the Buy/Sell/Trade subforums of TFL, please read the "sticky" announcement threads at the top of the applicable subforum. If you still feel you are qualified to post in those subforums, please contact "Shane Tuttle" (the mod for that portion of TFL) via Private Message for assistance.
This email contact address is not an "Ask the Firearms Expert" service. Such emails will be ignored. If you have a firearm related question, please register and post it on the forums.
|
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION Game Review: Your Park Is Open
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is out now, and as with many major blockbusters, that means video-game tie-ins inevitably come along for the ride. Licensed games run the gamut from some of the medium’s worst material to some of its best, and sadly most Jurassic games have tended to fall at the unfortunate end of that spectrum.
Luckily, though, Frontier Developments’ (Planet Coaster, Elite Dangerous) Jurassic World Evolution is a surprisingly in-depth park simulator and a beautiful, lovingly-rendered tribute to the Jurassic Park franchise. There’s no doubt the developers on this game were fans of the films - fans who, remarkably, managed to replicate the series’ themes, visuals, and even tone in a freaking park-management game.
Jurassic World Evolution puts players in charge of their very own dinosaur park, modeled on the designs of the completed park in Jurassic World. Its beautiful, lush greenery and slick UI ooze authenticity and style both close-up and at a distance, but it's the gameplay systems that really engage. As you'd expect, you've got all the problems of a major theme park and a major zoo, and you've got to manage them all. You'll have to balance researching, cloning, and caring for dinosaurs; building enclosures, laboratories, and support buildings; and making sure the public remains interested, safe, and spending money. Sometimes you’ll need to send paleontologists to dig sites to collect DNA. Sometimes you’ll need to breed more complex hybrids to impress the public. Sometimes you’ll just need to build more goddamn fast-food joints. Everything you do contributes toward your island's rating and income, and in turn, your progression through the game.
The most important aspect of any Jurassic game is, naturally, the dinosaurs, and Evolution boasts the best dinosaurs of any game in the franchise. From your starter animal Struthiomimus, to favourites like Triceratops, Stegosaurus, T-Rex and velociraptors, to weirder and lesser-known beasts, each animal is designed with care and authenticity to the movies, if not to current science. As the music swells, quoting John Williams or expanding on his musical ideas, it’s hard not to get caught up in wonder the first time you successfully incubate a certain dinosaur. Frontier put a lot of work into designing the animation and AI behaviour for Evolution’s dinosaurs, and it pays off. These creatures have wants and needs, and it’s important to meet them. It’s only when your park gets super-complex that it becomes truly difficult to stay on top of things, but until then, it’s a pleasure to take care of your lil’ friends. It’s entirely possible to just watch your dinos romp around, socialise, feed (yes, he's gonna eat the goat), and fight amongst each other.
Guiding you through your play are a collection of characters both new to the game and returning from the movies. Ian Malcolm (the real Jeff Goldblum!) offers cynical warnings, Henry Wu (the real BD Wong!) plays his weird new villain role, and Claire Dearing (the real Bryce Dallas Howard!) offers welfare tips, while Owen Grady (a fake Chris Pratt!) delivers bizarre stories from his time dealing with dinos.
The new characters serve as quest-givers and tutors in the ways of Jurassic Park management. Your PR manager coaches you to make money and find success however you might find it, but you’ll mostly deal with three factions: Science, Entertainment, and Security. Missions from each division will improve your standing with one, but decrease your standing with the others, while earning you money and often unlocking new dinosaurs, dig sites, buildings, and upgrades. So there’s an element of strategic play in keeping everyone happy while also getting the unlocks you want.
Player progression in Evolution is reflected in income, efficiency ratings, and more importantly in what you can add to your park. You'll start out with plain steel fences, but later graduate to thicker, stronger, and more electrified enclosures. Your operations buildings can be upgraded to become more efficient and reliable. And for the tourists, basic attractions like viewing platforms and gift shops give way to hotels, monorails, gyrospheres, and bowling alleys. In a mark against true Jurassic World authenticity, there's no option Jamba Juice or Margaritaville option, but you always can build a bar and rename it if you want.
As you play through Jurassic World Evolution, you’ll gradually unlock more islands - starting with the “Five Deaths” of which The Lost World’s Isla Sorna is but one. Each of the Cinco Muertes presents different challenges - one is wracked by storms, another features pre-existing but destroyed infrastructure - and encourages different styles of play. They’re actually completely separate campaigns, and don’t affect each other apart from in the unlocking of new buildings and dinosaurs - which means you can play one island without worrying about screwing up another one. Best of all, Isla Nublar (aka: the original island) functions as a sandbox mode, with no restrictions on budget, allowing players to create the park - or disaster - of their dreams.
This wouldn't be a Jurassic Park game without things going wrong, and thankfully Evolution strikes a pretty enjoyable balance between chaos and order. Dinosaurs can get sick, hungry, or unhappy, depending on how you attend to their needs (or don't), and they can and will break out of their enclosures, if they don't all die of the common cold first. Sometimes they're aided by storm damage to buildings. Sometimes the power goes out. If you don't satisfy the in-game factions, you might even find human beings sabotaging your facilities. It's up to you to assign ranger teams to feed, treat, or tranquilise your ailing or rampaging dinosaurs - or do it yourself by driving jeeps, flying helicopters, and firing the darts yourself. Then, you'll have to pay out for injury lawsuits. Damage control is a key part of running a dinosaur park, after all.
That's if you want to control the damage, of course. The temptation to let your dinosaurs run rampant is extremely real, and the sound effects and animations associated with the carnage are extremely satisfying. As amusing as it is to see your tiny park attendees take selfies with dinosaurs, it's even better to watch them flee in terror. Or, you know, you can open emergency shelters for people to hide in. If you want to. Not only does the chaotic side of Evolution mirror the series’ cautions over playing God; it reflects the films’ tension between wonder, horror, and more recently, gleeful cruelty.
My chief criticism of Jurassic World Evolution is mostly a comparison to Frontier’s previous title Planet Coaster, and I'll be honest: it's an unfair one. Coaster enabled players an astonishing degree of creativity in designing their amusement parks - to the extent that someone recreated the entirety of Aliens in a single rollercoaster - and that latitude for original thought just isn’t there in Evolution. That’s understandable, to a degree - the developers were bound by the restrictions of their license, after all - it just means the game eventually reaches a point where the only way you can express yourself is in what spanners you throw in the works. Or, I guess, how many dicks you want to draw with your monorail tracks.
As a Jurassic Park-themed sandbox, though, Jurassic World Evolution is top-tier stuff. Fans of the series will be well-pleased, and players looking for a deep simulation game will get that too. It’s a rare Jurassic Park game that’s actually worth playing - although as with many simulators, the fun only truly begins when things go haywire.
Related Product:
Jurassic World Evolution - PlayStation 4 Edition
Related Items:
Andrew is a New Zealand-born writer, filmmaker, and theatre practitioner living in Montréal. He can be read at Birth.Movies.Death., SlashFilm, IGN, Polygon, and elsewhere. His favourite movie is MIRACLE MILE, his favourite band is the Manic Street Preachers, and his favourite commenters are the ones who read the article first.
|
In recent years therapeutic medicine has become increasingly concerned with the physiological role of nitric oxide, NO. "Overproduction" of NO has been implicated in pathological conditions such as sepsis and cellular toxicity observed in dopanergic neurons with Parkinson's disease. In vivo, nitric oxide is formed by nitric oxide synthase. A number of nitric oxide synthase modulators have been identified, with particular reference to nitric oxide synthase inhibitors.
This invention is particularly concerned with nitric oxide synthase activity modification with particular reference to 2,4-diamino-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-6-(L-erythro-1,2-dihydroxylpropyl)pteridine (both as to the 6R form and the 6S form), also termed tetrahydroaminobiopterin, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor as represented in Table I (I). Attention is drawn to 2,4-diamino-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-6-hydroxymethyl pteridine, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor as represented in Table I (III). See, DE 44 18 097.
In one embodiment, this invention is concerned the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, 2,4-diamino-7,8-dihydro-6-(L-erythro-1,2-dihydroxylpropyl)pteridine, also termed 7,8 dihydroaminobiopterin, or H.sub.2 aminobiopterin, as represented in Table I (IV).
Other nitric oxide synthase inhibitors are L-NMMA, L-NAME, NG, NG-dimethyl-L-arginine, L-NMEA (NG-monoethyl-L-arginine), L-NIO (N-imino-ornithine, L-iminoethyl-lysine, L-thiocitrulline, aminoguanadine, iminobiotin L-amino arginine, 7-nitroindazol, NG-methylarginine, and NG-nitroarginine. Attention is also drawn to pteridines as disclosed in DE 44 18 096, and the tetrahydropteradines of DE 44 18 097.
Without being bound by any particular theory or mechanism of action, it is noted that nitric oxide synthase tightly binds the 5,6,7,8,-tetrahydro-L-erythro-biopterin
TABLE I ______________________________________ ##STR3## 1 tetrahydroamino- biopterin (I) 2 #STR4## aminobiopterin (II) 3 #STR5## 2,4,-diamino- 5,6,7,8-tetra hydro-6- hydroxymethyl pteridine (III) 4 #STR6## 2,4,-diamino- 7,8-dihydro- 6-(L-erythro- 1,2,dihydroxy propyl)pteridine (IV) ______________________________________
moiety ("tetrahydrobiopterin"). And further that, in vivo, availability of tetrahydrobiopterin appears to be a rate limiting step. Thus, the addition of exogenous tetrahydrobiopterin is required for nitric oxide synthase to reach full activity. This invention is drawn to substances and methods which exploit this finding.
|
TORONTO -- A man has been arrested in connection with a six-month long human trafficking investigation involving a teenage victim.
Durham police allege a 33-year-old man recruited a 16-year-old girl and forced her to work in the sex trade across the Greater Toronto Area.
On Monday, police said they arrested Kimel Beckford during a traffic stop in Whitby. He is now facing four charges, including trafficking in person under 18 years and material benefit from trafficking person under 18 years.
Police have released a photo of Beckford to ensure there are no other victims.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Durham police at 1-888-579-1520, ext. 5604 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS.
|
The lysosomal cysteine proteinases cathepsins B and L have been implicated in malignant progression. Increased expression, membrane association and release of cathepsins B and L are observed in transformed fibroblasts and in malignant murine and human tumors, including human breast tumors. The increase in mRNA and the altered trafficking of cathepsins B and L probably reflect modifications in more than one step in the normal pathway that leads to their delivery to lysosomes (i.e., alterations in transcription/translation, posttranslational processing, and/or in intracellular sorting and targeting). Multiple mechanisms appear to be responsible for the secretion of cathepsins B and L since both precursor forms and mature forms are released. An additional factor is that the two enzymes appear to be trafficked in normal cells by at least one similar pathway and one distinct pathway. In the present proposal, we will analyze the steps in the development of a malignant phenotype in human breast epithelium and their link to altered trafficking of cathepsins B and L. For these studies, we will use a recently developed near-diploid human breast epithelial cell line, the MCF-10, and MCF-10 variants that represent some of the initial steps in malignant progression of human breast epithelium (e.g., immortalization, invasiveness after transfection with activated ras). The specific aims include the analysis of: 1) expression, subcellular distribution and localization of cathepsins B and L; 2) release of precursor and mature forms of cathepsins B and L; 3) processing of cathepsins B and L by pulse-chase studies; 4) components of the normal pathway for trafficking of lysosomal enzymes in order to detect potential changes that could affect delivery of cathepsins B and L to the lysosomes. We will also perform a morphological assessment of the MCF-10 lines including: 5) their surface architecture by scanning electron microscopy and 6) their ultrastructure by transmission electron microscopy. The ultrastructural studies will provide a complement to the pulse-chase studies of the processing of cathepsins B and L by using immunocytochemistry to localize both mature (i.e., fully processed) and precursor forms of cathepsins B and L to specific vesicular populations within the cell. Our overall hypothesis is that alterations in sorting and targeting of lysosomal cysteine proteinases in tumors result in the delivery of cathepsins B and L to small vesicles at the cell periphery and in secretion of these enzymes. During tumor cell invasion, as tumor cells adhere to the basement membrane, local release could be triggered by a variety of mechanisms. Once secreted, the cysteine proteinases can degrade basement membrane directly or indirectly via activation of other proteolytic enzymes, thus facilitating tumor cell invasion.
|
[THE PREVALENCE OF SUBCLINICAL MYOCARDITIS AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN WITH ACUTE VIRAL INFECTION].
Viruses are the most prevalent ausative agents of myocarditis in young children. Studies have shown acute myocarditis in post mortem examinations during viral disease outbreaks. The aims of this study are to assess the prevalence of and risk factors for subclinical acute myocarditis in young children hospitalized with an acute viral disease. Evaluation of the prevalence of asymptomatic myocarditis or decrease in heart functions during viral infection. A prospective study was conducted between 1st January and 30th September, 2009. The study included 45 children 3-60 months old hospitalized with febrile illness with no clinical or microbiological evidence of acute bacterial infection. Serum levels of troponin were obtained, and ECG and echocardiography were performed in all the children. Parameters that determined myocarditis included: (1) ECG ST-T changes suggestive of myocarditis; (2) Increased serum troponin level; (3) Echocardiography findings including: shortening fraction less than 28%, left ventricle end diastolic diameter > than 2 standard deviations for age, abnormal mitral valve incompetence, or abnormal diastolic function. Clinical and epidemiological data were analyzed in order to determine parameters related to findings suggestive of silent acute myocarditis. In 16 (35%) children at least one parameter, and in 7 (16%) at least 2 parameters of acute myocarditis were found. Impaired diastolic function was found in 11 cases (69%), ECG changes in 5 children (35%, left ventricle dilatation in 4 (25%), and decreased shortening fraction in 3 cases (18%]. Other symptoms and signs of myocarditis were not found in any of the 16 children, and no clinical or epidemiological parameter was significantly associated with silent myocarditis. In a third of the patients, some evidence of myocardial dysfunction was documented. In seven of them (16% of all cases), there were two different categories of myocardial dysfunction. Those cases are suspected to be silent acute myocarditis. No clinical and epidemiological parameters associated with the disease were found. The clinical importance of this phenomenon should be determined by a long-term follow-up study. In this preliminary study, we found a high prevalence of cardiac involvement in hospitalised children with viral infections. It seems that this cardiac involvement is due to acute sub-clinical myocarditis. The importance of these findings should be evaluated.
|
Q:
Sending HTML content to react application from npm package
I'm building a npm package which should send some html content to react/angular/vue applications.
I have build a static html page and tried loading that file using below code, which is giving me the expected buffer when executing
node index.js
but when installed the above package in my react app.
it is giving fs.readFileSync is not a function.,
function generateHTML() {
const appRoot = process.cwd();
var html = fs.readFileSync(appRoot + '/wallet/pages/signup.html');
return html;
}
from my knowledge 'fs' module will only work in node environment, so how i can achieve providing node environment when npm package is installed as dependency to react app.
A:
This is very much possible with Webpack/browserify
|
These charts are no longer as useful for monitoring the state of the pandemic. See our maps tracking the coronavirus outbreak around the world.
As the coronavirus pandemic unfolds, people are dying around the world. But the trajectories of cases and deaths differ by country.
Total coronavirus deaths for places with at least 25 deaths Current doubling time, in days Reported Partial (today) Notes: Deaths are plotted on a log scale . Doubling times are based on growth rates averaged over the previous week. Some data points are interpolated to account for missing values. Other countries or areas with coronavirus deaths: Latvia (24), Djibouti (24), Isle of Man (24), Singapore (23), Guinea (23), Mauritania (23), New Zealand (22), Uruguay (22), Tanzania (21), Republic of the Congo (20), Bahrain (19), Cyprus (17), Gabon (17), Kyrgyzstan (16), Uzbekistan (15), undefined (15), Venezuela (14), Togo (13), Georgia (12), Guyana (12), Ethiopia (12), Equatorial Guinea (12), São Tomé and Príncipe (12), Sri Lanka (11), Paraguay (11), Bahamas (11), Iceland (10), Costa Rica (10), Mauritius (10), undefined (10), Jordan (9), Malta (9), Jamaica (9), Montenegro (9), Bermuda (9), Nepal (8), Trinidad and Tobago (8), Guinea-Bissau (8), Taiwan (7), Barbados (7), Zambia (7), Maldives (6), Madagascar (6), Myanmar (6), Syria (5), Libya (5), Hong Kong (4), Monaco (4), Angola (4), Zimbabwe (4), Cape Verde (4), Malawi (4), West Bank & Gaza (3), Antigua and Barbuda (3), Aruba (3), Benin (3), Brunei (2), Eswatini (2), Central African Republic (2), Mozambique (2), Belize (2), Comoros (2), Liechtenstein (1), Cayman Islands (1), Rwanda (1), Suriname (1), Curaçao (1), Montserrat (1), Gambia (1), Botswana (1), British Virgin Islands (1), Burundi (1), Turks and Caicos Islands (1), Western Sahara (1), French Guiana (1). Sources: Local governments; The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University ; National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China; World Health Organization.
The accompanying chart, which will update every morning, allows you to follow the disease’s progression by country. It uses what’s called a logarithmic scale — exponential growth at different rates will appear as straight lines of different steepness. The steeper the line, the higher the growth rate and the faster the total number of coronavirus deaths is doubling.
Another way of looking at the same information is to plot the growth rates directly. With epidemics, these rates are often more important than the current totals. A reading of 40 percent on the chart below means that, on average, the number of deaths has been increasing by 40 percent each day. A reading of 100 percent would mean that cases were doubling daily.
Daily growth rate of coronavirus deaths for selected countries Current doubling time, in days Notes: Growth rates are averaged over the previous week. Sources: Local governments; The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University ; National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China; World Health Organization.
The number of deaths from the illness known as Covid-19 provides one of the more reliable measurements of the pandemic’s impact around the world. Testing rates for the virus differ so much that the number of positive results in a given country is not a precise barometer of how many people are afflicted. But deaths also lag infections substantially; evidence from China suggests that most patients who died from Covid-19 were infected for a month before their death.
See the spread of coronavirus on a map.
See our maps tracking the coronavirus outbreak around the world.
The data are drawn from The New York Times’s aggregation of global coronavirus statistics. To make it easier to compare the trajectories of the epidemic by nation, the counts in the chart all begin with a country’s 25th death. The disease has reached different countries at different times, but comparing them all in this way can show whether the disease is progressing faster or slower in various places once it arrives.
Deaths in U.S. States
Compare the growth of the coronavirus outbreak in hundreds of communities across the U.S.
Similar tracking shows how the disease is progressing in different U.S. states. Deaths so far have been highest in New York. But the numbers are growing in other parts of the country as well. As death totals in any state reach 25, they will be added to this chart.
Total coronavirus deaths for places with at least 25 deaths Current doubling time, in days Reported Partial (today) Notes: Deaths are plotted on a log scale. Doubling times are based on growth rates averaged over the previous week. Some data points are interpolated to account for missing values. Other states or territories with coronavirus deaths: Alaska (8), Hawaii (17), Montana (17), Wyoming (16). Sources: New York Times database of coronavirus cases
Deaths are not a perfect proxy for total infections, since the fatality rate from the disease depends on the underlying age and health of populations; the availability of various treatments; and the capacity of different health systems themselves. But they remain one of the best available measurements to compare places right now.
|
Disorders of the carnitine cycle and detection by newborn screening.
Carnitine is necessary for transport of long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria, to enter the beta-oxidation cycle. Four carnitine cycle defects have been described. The carnitine transporter mediates carnitine transport across the plasma membrane. Symptoms include hypoketotic hypoglycaemia and cardiomyopathy. Some affected subjects are asymptomatic. Newborn screening detects very low levels of free carnitine in some but not all. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase type IA (CPTI) transports long-chain fatty acyl-CoAs across the outer mitochondrial membrane. Affected infants have hypoketotic hypoglycaemia with catabolic stress, but otherwise remain well. Newborn screening tests reveal elevated free carnitine, (elevated C0/C16+C18). Sensitivity is unclear and confirmation needs leukocyte or fibroblast assays. Carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase transfers fatty acylcarnitines across the inner mitochondrial membrane. The most common presentation is sudden death in the first days. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase type II (CPTII) converts long-chain acylcarnitines to long-chain acylCoAs for beta-oxidation. Severe deficiency is lethal. Newborn screening for both disorders reveals elevated palmitoylcarnitine and enzymology or mutation analysis is needed for diagnosis. Late-onset CPTII is the most common disorder, presenting as muscle pain and rhabdomyolysis on severe exercise. All 4 disorders can be detected by newborn screening, with variable sensitivity. Late-onset CPTII probably cannot be detected. Carnitine transporter, CPTI and late-onset CPTII have proven treatment strategies.
|
460 A.2d 574 (1983)
Rosalind H. COOLEY, Appellant,
v.
SUITLAND PARKWAY OVERLOOK TENANTS' ASSOCIATION, Appellee.
No. 82-296.
District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
Submitted November 23, 1982.
Decided April 28, 1983.
Richard C. Deering, Washington, D.C., was on brief for appellant.
*575 Deena P. Rabinowicz, Washington, D.C., was on brief for appellee.
Before NEWMAN, Chief Judge, TERRY, Associate Judge, and KELLY, Associate Judge, Retired.[*]
TERRY, Associate Judge:
In this case we must decide whether a landlord who seeks to evict a tenant for violation of an obligation under the tenancy must give the tenant a notice to quit under D.C.Code § 45-1406 (1981), in addition to a notice to cure or vacate under D.C.Code § 45-1561(b) (1981). We hold that in light of a recent change in the law embodied in section 45-1561(b), no additional notice to quit under section 45-1406 is required.
On October 30, 1981, appellant was personally served with a "Notice to Correct Violations of Obligations of Tenancy or Vacate." The notice declared that appellant was violating a condition of her lease by having "persons different from those identified in . . . [her rental] application and persons other than [her] family" living in her apartment. The notice further stated that if she failed to correct this violation within thirty days or thereafter vacate the apartment, a suit for possession would be brought against her.
When appellant did not correct the alleged violation within thirty days and did not vacate the apartment, appellee, through its managing agent, filed a complaint for possession. At the conclusion of the trial which followed, appellee was awarded possession of the premises. No additional notice to quit, other than that contained in the October 30 notice, was ever given to appellant.
D.C.Code § 45-1561(b) (1981), which was enacted as part of the Rental Housing Act of 1980, provides:
A landlord may recover possession of a rental unit where the tenant is violating an obligation of his or her tenancy and fails to correct such violation within 30 days after receiving from the landlord a notice to correct such violation or vacate. [Emphasis added.]
Appellant argues that despite the clarity of this statutory language, our decision in Jones v. Brawner Co., 435 A.2d 54 (D.C. 1981), requires that in addition to the notice to cure or vacate which she received, appellee should have also served her with a notice to quit under D.C.Code § 45-1406 (1981). We do not agree.
In Jones the landlord served the tenant with a notice to cure a violation of the lease (failure to pay rent promptly) and subsequently with a notice to quit for failure to cure. Both notices were slipped under the door of the tenant's apartment. The notice to cure was given under D.C.Code § 45-1699.6(b)(1) (1980 Supp.),[1] the predecessor of D.C.Code § 45-1561(b) (1981). The notice to quit, however, was given under D.C. Code § 45-906 (1973), now D.C.Code § 45-1406 (1981). We reversed the trial court's grant of possession to the landlord on the ground that the notice to quit had to be served under the provisions of D.C.Code § 45-906 (1973), not D.C.Code § 45-1699.6(b)(1) (1980 Supp.), and that the service in that case had not complied with section 45-906. See 435 A.2d at 55.
Appellant reads Jones to say that, as a rule, a tenant must first be served with a notice to cure and then a separate notice to quit before eviction proceedings may be brought under the provisions of the Rental Housing Act. Whether this is a proper interpretation of Jones we need not decide. The 1980 Act, as opposed to its 1977 predecessor, makes it explicitly clear that a notice to cure or vacate is all that a landlord is required to give to a tenant before filing *576 suit for possession based on a tenant's failure to correct a violation of the tenancy.[2]
The predecessor to D.C.Code § 45-1651(b) (1981) was D.C.Code § 45-1699.6(b)(1) (1980 Supp.), which provided in part:
No tenant shall be evicted from a rental unit, notwithstanding the expiration of his or her lease or rental agreement, so long as he or she continues to pay the rent to which the landlord is entitled for such rental unit unless:
(1) the tenant is violating an obligation of his or her tenancy and fails to correct such violation within thirty (30) days after receiving notice thereof from the landlord. . . . [Emphasis added.]
Appellant, of course, recognizes that the words "notice thereof" (i.e., notice to correct the violation) were superseded by "notice to correct such violation or vacate" when the City Council enacted the Rental Housing Act of 1980. She vigorously contends, however, that the addition of the words "or vacate" was not an intentional change designed to require that a landlord issue only one notice. We reject this contention because "a change in legislative language gives rise to the presumption that a change was intended in legislative result." United States v. Brown, 422 A.2d 1281, 1284 (D.C.1980) (citation omitted). Appellant has offered us nothing persuasive to rebut that presumption.[3]
In short, D.C.Code § 45-1561(b) (1981) makes clear that a single notice to cure or vacate is all that a tenant is entitled to receive before a suit to recover possession may be brought by his or her landlord for a violation of the tenancy. To the extent that it could be argued under the 1977 Act that a separate notice to quit had to be given after a notice to cure before a landlord could bring such a suit, the 1980 Act disposes of this argument by expressly merging both notice requirements into one.
Affirmed.
NOTES
[*] Judge Kelly was an Associate Judge of the court at the time this case was submitted. Her status changed to Associate Judge, Retired, on March 31, 1983.
[1] This section was a part of the Rental Housing Act of 1977. When that Act expired, it was replaced by the Rental Housing Act of 1980, under which notice was given in the instant case.
[2] The Rental Housing Act of 1980 was in effect at the time that Jones was decided. The complaint in the Jones case, however, had been filed at a time when the Rental Housing Act of 1977 was still in force, and thus the 1977 Act determined the result. We recognized in Jones that "[t]he new provisions for seeking eviction and serving documents clarify some of the ambiguities of the 1977 Act." 435 A.2d at 54 n. 2.
[3] "If the statutory language is clear, it is ordinarily conclusive." United States v. Clark, 454 U.S. 555, 560, 102 S.Ct. 805, 809, 70 L.Ed.2d 768 (1982) (citation omitted), quoted in Mulky v. United States, 451 A.2d 855, 856 (D.C.1982).
|
Lewis Hackett
Lewis Wendell Hackett (14 December 1884 - Washington, 28 April 1962) was an American physician who worked in Italy and South America to combat malaria.
He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1913. The following year he became part of the International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation, whose task was the eradication of certain diseases of particular social importance in different parts of the world. From 1914 to 1924 he worked in Central America. In 1924 he was transferred to Italy.
Hackett had the opportunity to collaborate with the Italian doctor Alberto Missiroli, at the Laboratory of Public Health of Rome, who was interested in the implementation of preventive measures for malaria control based on the control of mosquitoes. Together with Bartholomew Gosio, he founded the School of Malariology in Nettuno. He began to experiment with DDT against Anopheles mosquitoes, vectors of the disease. In 1925, Hackett and Missiroli, with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, started the work which led to the creation of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità.
In 1940, with the outbreak of World War II, Hackett left Italy to go to South America where he remained until 1949. Overall, Hackett worked in seventeen countries. He was the first editor of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene when it was created in 1952 and president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) in 1959.
Publications
LW Hackett, Malaria in Europe. An ecological study, London: Oxford University Press, 1937.
Lewis W. Hackett, Alberto Missiroli, The varieties of Anopheles maculipennis and their relation to the distribution of malaria in Europe, Journal of malariology 14:45-109, 1935.
References
WFBynum and Helen Bynum, "Wendell Lewis Hackett." In: Dictionary of medical biography, Westport (CT): Greenwood Press, 2007, vol. 3, pp.. 593-4.
DH Stapleton, Internationalism and nationalism: the Rockefeller Foundation, public health, and malaria in Italy, 1923-1951. Parasitology 42 (1-2) :127-34, 2000 [1]
Stapleton DH, Lewis W. Hackett and the early years of the International Health Board's Yellow Fever Program in Brazil, 1917-1924., Parasitology 47 (3-4) :353-60, 2005.
Anna Cecilia Farina and Bedetti (eds), organic elemental microanalysis. Collection of tools, National Institute of Health, the series "The assets of historical-scientific", p. 31-33, 2007 [2]
Philip J. Rosenthal, Joseph M. Vinetz, Cathi Siegel and James W. Kazura, "Volume 100 of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene." The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 100, Issue 1, Jan 2019, p. 3 - 4.
Category:Malariologists
Category:American medical researchers
Category:Harvard Medical School alumni
Category:American tropical physicians
|
Voltmeter V7-46 universaldesigned to measure DC voltage and current, RMS AC voltage and current strength, electrical resistance to direct current, the ratio of two voltages and provides a mathematical and logical processing of measurement results.
Voltmeter V7-46 is used for measurement when setting up, testing and operation of various electronic equipment and allows its use as a stand-alone or as part of automated measuring systems (AIS).Voltmeter is not connected to channel public (CPC).
Maximum permissible error of measurement of dc voltage as a percentage equal to the values given:
1) in Table 1.1 - Calibration interval for 6 months;
2) Table 1.2 - during the calibration interval of 12 and 24 months;
3) in Table 1.1 - for 24chnepreryvnoy work after calibration with respect to the outer measure with an accuracy of 0.003%;
Table 1.1 Maximum permissible error of measurement of DC
Ranges
Fast-Corollary
Stage quantization (number of digits to display)
20mV
0.1 mv / s
100nV (5 1 / 2)
1izmer / s
1mkV (4 1 / 2)
5izmer / s
10mkV (3 1 / 2)
200mV
5izmer / s
1mkV (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
10mkV (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
100mkV (3 1 / 2)
2B
5izmer / s
10mkV (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
100mkV (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
1mV (3 1 / 2)
20B
5izmer / s
100mkV (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
1mV (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
10 mV (3 1 / 2)
200V
5izmer / s
1mV (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
10 mV (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
100mV (3 1 / 2)
1000V
5izmer / s
10 mV (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
100mV (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
1B (3 1 / 2)
Ranges
Maximum permissible error for Calibration interval
24h
6 months
20mV
± [0,03 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,04 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,03 +0,025 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,04 +0,025 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,1 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
200mV
± [0,015 +0,0025 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,025 +0,0025 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,02 +0,015 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,025 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,1 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
2B
± [0,01 +0,002 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,02 +0,002 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,015 +0,01 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,02 +0,015 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,1 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
20B
± [0,015 +0,002 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,02 +0,002 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,02 +0,01 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,025 +0,01 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,1 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
200V
± [0,015 +0,002 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,02 +0,002 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,02 +0,01 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,025 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,1 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
1000V
± [0,02 +0,004 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,025 +0,004 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,03 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,04 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,2 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
Table 1.2 Maximum permissible error of measurement of DC
Ranges
Fast-Corollary
Stage quantization (number of digits to display)
20mV
0.1 mv / s
100nV (5 1 / 2)
1izmer / s
1mkV (4 1 / 2)
5izmer / s
10mkV (3 1 / 2)
200mV
5izmer / s
1mkV (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
10mkV (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
100mkV (3 1 / 2)
2B
5izmer / s
10mkV (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
100mkV (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
1mV (3 1 / 2)
20B
5izmer / s
100mkV (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
1mV (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
10 mV (3 1 / 2)
200V
5izmer / s
1mV (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
10 mV (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
100mV (3 1 / 2)
1000V
5izmer / s
10 mV (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
100mV (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
1B (3 1 / 2)
Ranges
Maximum permissible error for Calibration interval
12 months
24 months
20mV
± [0,05 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,06 +0,03 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,05 +0,025 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,08 +0,03 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,2 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,3 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
200mV
± [0,025 +0,0025 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,04 +0,003 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,03 +0,025 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,05 +0,03 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,1 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
2B
± [0,025 +0,0025 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,03 +0,003 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,025 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,04 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
20B
± [0,025 +0,0025 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,04 +0,003 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,025 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,04 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
200V
± [0,03 +0,002 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,05 +0,003 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,03 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,05 +0,03 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
1000V
± [0,03 +0,004 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,04 +0,006 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,05 +0,02 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,08 +0,03 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,1 (U a / U-1)]%
± [0,4 +0,2 (U a / U-1)]%
Table1.1, 1.2, and then use the following notation:
U to the - the final value of the set range;
U - value of the measured input voltage voltmeters;
Voltmeter V7-46 stands for all bands except the largest, within 1 min. voltage equal to a finite value of the next higher range.At the limit of measurement range from 1000 V voltmeter stand for 1min. 1200V voltage value;
Performance of the voltmeter quantization step for each range of measurement, the number of decimal places to display correspond to the values given in Table 1.1, 1.2;
Input resistance of B7-46 when measuring a constant voltage of at least 1 GOhm on range measurements from outside 20mV, 200mV and 2V is 10 megohms ± 1,0 MW in range of measurements with the limits of 20V, 200V, 1000V;
Rejection ratio of the normal type of frequency 50Hz, 100Hz, 400Hz, and the measurement of DC voltage of at least 60 dB;
Rejection ratio of the general form of direct current or alternating current power line frequency when measuring DC voltage of at least 120 dB in normal conditions the resistance of the unbalance 1K;
Voltmeter V7-46 provides a measurement of rms AC voltage up to 20V of arbitrary shape in the frequency range from 20Hz to 1MHz, to 700V at frequencies from 20Hz to 100kHz and has a range with upper limits 200mV, 2V, 20V, 200V, 700V;
Crest factor of the measured voltage toa≤ 4, with a maximum value of the input voltage not exceeding 1000V voltmeter;
Maximum permissible error of measurement of AC-form as a percentage of the measured voltage at values of 0,005 U to Ufor acalibration interval for 6, 12, 24 months is equal to the values given:
Maximum permissible error of measurement of force as a percentage of the DC calibration interval for 12, 24 months, the speed and degree of quantization for each measurement range voltmeter V7-46 are the values given in tabl.1.7;
Table 1.7 Maximum permissible error of measurement of force as a percentage of the DC calibration interval for 12, 24 months, the speed and degree of quantization of each span
Ranges
Fast-Corollary
Stage quantization (number of digits to display)
20mkA
5izmer / s
100pA (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
1Based (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
10nA (3 1 / 2)
200mkA
5izmer / s
1Based (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
10nA (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
100nA (3 1 / 2)
2mA
5izmer / s
10nA (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
100nA (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
1mkA (3 1 / 2)
20mA
5izmer / s
100nA (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
1mkA (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
10mkA (3 1 / 2)
200mA
5izmer / s
1mkA (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
10mkA (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
100mkA (3 1 / 2)
2000mA
5izmer / s
10mkA (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
100mkA (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
1mA (3 1 / 2)
Ranges
Fast-action
Maximum permissible error for Calibration interval
24h
6 months
20mkA
5izmer / s
± [0,15 +0,1 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,025 (I to / I-1)]%
10izmer / s
± [0,15 +0,02 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,025 (I to / I-1)]%
50izmer / s
± [0,15 +0,1 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,1 (I to / I-1)]%
200mkA
5izmer / s
± [0,1 +0,005 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
10izmer / s
± [0,1 +0,001 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,015 (I to / I-1)]%
50izmer / s
± [0,15 +0,1 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,1 (I to / I-1)]%
2mA
5izmer / s
± [0,1 +0,005 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
10izmer / s
± [0,1 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,015 (I to / I-1)]%
50izmer / s
± [0,15 +0,1 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,1 (I to / I-1)]%
20mA
5izmer / s
± [0,1 +0,005 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
10izmer / s
± [0,1 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,015 (I to / I-1)]%
50izmer / s
± [0,15 +0,1 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,1 (I to / I-1)]%
200mA
5izmer / s
± [0,1 +0,005 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
10izmer / s
± [0,1 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,015 (I to / I-1)]%
50izmer / s
± [0,15 +0,1 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
2000mA
5izmer / s
± [0,1 +0,005 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
10izmer / s
± [0,1 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,15 +0,015 (I to / I-1)]%
50izmer / s
± [0,15 +0,1 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,25 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
Limit of the basic error of measuring the strength of the DC voltmeter with an external shunt, to 10A for calibration interval 12, and 24 months, the speed, level of quantization for each range of measurement equal to those given in tabl.1.8.
Table 1.8 Maximum permissible error of measurement of force as a percentage of the DC calibration interval for 12, 24 months, the speed and degree of quantization of each span
Ranges
Fast-Corollary
Stage quantization (number of digits to display)
10A
5izmer / s
100mkA (5 1 / 2)
10izmer / s
1mA (4 1 / 2)
50izmer / s
10mA (3 1 / 2)
Ranges
Fast-action
Maximum permissible error for Calibration interval
24h
6 months
10A
5izmer / s
± [0,4 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,6 +0,02 (I to / I-1)]%
10izmer / s
± [0,4 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,6 +0,02 (I to / I-1)]%
50izmer / s
± [0,4 +0,01 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,6 +0,02 (I to / I-1)]%
Table1.7, 1.8, and then use the following notation:
I to - the final value of the set measuring range (with external shunt to I = 10A);
I - value of the measured current at the input of voltmeters;
The maximum voltage drop on the input circuit of the voltmeter V7-46 when measuring the DC power no more:
- 0.25 VNA measurement range from outside 20mkA, 200mkA, 2mA, 20mA;
- 0.28 V on the measurement range with a limit of 200 mA;
- 1V at the range with a limit of 2000mA;
The voltage drop across an external shunt 10A is not more than 0.5 V;
The error of measuring the voltage drop no more than ± 1%;
Voltmeter V7-46 provides a measurement of rms AC current by a factor of arbitrary shapeand amplitude to ≤ 3 in the frequency range:
- 40Hz to 10kHz on to the range of measurements from the upper limit of 2000mA;
- From 40Hz to 2kHz range for the measurements with the upper limit of 10A (with external shunt);
Maximum permissible error of measurement of AC current as a percentage of arbitrary shape for the values of the measured voltage of up to 0,005 Ik I kfor a calibration interval of 12, 24 months is equal to the values given:
1) in the measurement time tabl.1.9 0.33, 2c;
2) tabl.1.10 measurement time 0.1 s;
Table 1.9 Maximum permissible error of measurement of AC current of arbitrary shape
Mezhpove-rochny interval
Ranges
Limit of the basic error in measuring time 0.33, 2c, in the frequency range
40Hz-10kHz
10kHz-20kHz
12 months
200mkA
± [0,6 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,2 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
2mA
± [0,6 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,2 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
20mA
± [0,6 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,2 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
200mA
± [0,6 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,2 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
2000mA
± [0,6 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
± [0,2 +0,15 (I to / I-1)]%
10A (with external shunt)
± [1 +0,1 (I to/ I-1)]% in the frequency range of 40Hz-2kHz
24 months
200mkA
± [1 +0,25 (I to / I-1)]%
± [3 +0,3 (I to / I-1)]%
2mA
± [1 +0,25 (I to / I-1)]%
± [3 +0,3 (I to / I-1)]%
20mA
± [1 +0,25 (I to / I-1)]%
± [3 +0,3 (I to / I-1)]%
200mA
± [1 +0,25 (I to / I-1)]%
± [3 +0,3 (I to / I-1)]%
2000mA
± [1 +0,25 (I to / I-1)]%
± [3 +0,3 (I to / I-1)]%
10A (with external shunt)
± [1,5 +0,15 (I to/ I-1)]% in the frequency range of 40Hz-2kHz
Table 1.10 Maximum permissible error of measurement of AC current of arbitrary shape
Calibration interval
Ranges
Limit of the basic error in measuring time 0.33, 2c, in the frequency range
400Hz-1kHz
10kHz-20kHz
12 months
200mkA
± [1 +0,25 (I to / I-1)]%
± [3 +0,3 (I to / I-1)]%
2mA
± [1 +0,25 (I to / I-1)]%
± [3 +0,3 (I to / I-1)]%
20mA
± [1 +0,25 (I to / I-1)]%
± [3 +0,3 (I to / I-1)]%
200mA
± [1 +0,25 (I to / I-1)]%
± [3 +0,3 (I to / I-1)]%
2000mA
± [1 +0,25 (I to / I-1)]%
± [3 +0,3 (I to / I-1)]%
10A (with external shunt)
± [1,5 +0,15 (I to/ I-1)]% in the frequency range of 40Hz-2kHz
24 months
200mkA
± [1,5 +0,5 (I to / I-1)]%
± [4 +0,4 (I to / I-1)]%
2mA
± [1,5 +0,5 (I to / I-1)]%
± [4 +0,4 (I to / I-1)]%
20mA
± [1,5 +0,5 (I to / I-1)]%
± [4 +0,4 (I to / I-1)]%
200mA
± [1,5 +0,5 (I to / I-1)]%
± [4 +0,4 (I to / I-1)]%
2000mA
± [1,5 +0,5 (I to / I-1)]%
± [4 +0,4 (I to / I-1)]%
10A (with external shunt)
± [2 +0,2 (I to/ I-1)]% in the frequency range of 40Hz-2kHz
The maximum voltage drop on the input circuit of the voltmeter V7-46 for measuring AC current up to:
- 0.25 V on ranges of measurements outside 200mkA, 2mA, 20mA;
- 0.28 V on the measurement range with a limit of 200 mA;
B-1B on the measurement range with a limit of 2000mA;
The voltage drop across an external shunt 10A is not more than 0.5 V;
The error of measuring the voltage drop no more than ± 1%;
Time measuring the strength of the AC, with 4 1 / 2, 5 1 / 2 digits indicate the frequency range from 40Hz to 100Hz, less than 2 s, at frequencies above 100 Hz - not more than 0.33;
At 3 1 / 2 digits indicate the time of measurement at frequencies above 400 Hz with no more than 0.1;
DC current flowing through the measured resistance is equal to the values given in tabl.1.13;
Table 1.13 DC current flowing through the measured resistance
Ranges
The value of the current
20 ohms
1mA ± 0,2 mA
200 Ohm
1mA ± 0,2 mA
2 k
1mA ± 0,2 mA
20 kOhm
0.1 mA ± 0,02 mA
200 kOhm
1mA ± 0,2 mA
2000 ohms
1mA ± 0,2 mA
The maximum value of DC voltage to the measured resistance (voltage in open nests) not more than 10V when measured at a range of measurements beyond 20 MW, 200 MW up to 2.1 V;
Voltage measurement error of ± 5%;
In the voltmeter provides checking of the parts.
Limit of permissible additional error B7-46 from the ambient temperature for every 10 º C in the temperature range from -10 º C to +50 ° C does not exceed the permissible basic error for Calibration interval 6 months in the measurement of DC, AC voltage and electrical resistance, twice the limit - by measuring the ratio of two voltages, and half the limit of permissible basic error for Calibration interval of 12 months - when measured forces direct and alternating currents;
Limit of permissible additional error B7-46 from the effects of high humidity does not exceed the permissible basic error for Calibration interval 6 months in the measurement of DC, AC voltage and electrical resistance, twice the limit of permissible error for Calibration interval 6 months in the measurement of the ratio of two voltages and half the limit allowed by basic error for Calibration interval of 12 months - the measurement of direct and alternating currents;
Voltmeter V7-46 has production and operating margin 20% on major errors in the measurements, normalized for Calibration interval 6 months when measuring DC and AC voltages, electrical resistance, the ratio of two voltages, normalized for 12 months - when measured forces direct and alternating currents;
Voltmeter V7-46 has the following modes:
- Automatic zero setting;
- Manual ranging;
- Automatic selection of measuring range;
- A one-time startup;
- Start periodic;
- Automatic calibration of the measuring path;
Voltmeter allows continuous operation in the operating conditions for a time at least 24 hours while maintaining its performance in the limits established by TU;
Footnote.Continuous operation time does not include the time required to establish the operating mode of the voltmeter;
Voltmeter V7-46 retains its specifications within the standards established by the TU, with its power from AC 220V ± 22V 50Hz ± 1,0 Hz and 115 ± 6V, ± 11V 220V 400Hz frequency of 28 Hz, 400 Hz-12Gts, content harmonics does not exceed 5%;
The power consumed by the device from the power supply at rated voltage not exceeding 35V ∙ A;
LLC «Zapadpribor» - a huge selection of measuring equipment for the best value and quality. So you can buy inexpensive devices, we monitor competitors' prices and are always ready to offer a lower price. We only sell quality products at the best prices. On our site you can buy cheaply as the latest innovations and proven equipment from the best manufacturers.
The site includes a special offer «buy at the best price» - if other Internet resources in products presented on our site, the lower price, we will sell it to you even cheaper! Buyers also additional discount for leaving a review or photo of use of our products.
In the price list contains not the whole range of products offered. Prices of goods, not included in the price list can learn to contact the manager. Also, our managers You can get detailed information about how cheap and profitable to buy instrumentation wholesale and retail. Telephone and e-mail for advice on the purchase , delivery or receipt are shown on the description of the goods. We have the most qualified staff, quality equipment and the best price.
LLC «Zapadpribor» - the official manufacturer's dealer test equipment. Our goal - selling high quality goods with best price offer and service to our customers. Our company can not only sell you the necessary instrument, but also offer additional services to its calibration, repair and installation. That you have a pleasant experience when shopping on our site, we have provided special gifts guaranteed to the most popular products.
Plant «META» - is the most reliable manufacturer of equipment for inspection. Brake stand STM produced on this plant.
If there is no site in the descriptive information you need on the device you can always turn to us for help. Our qualified managers will update for you on the technical characteristics of the device from its technical documentation: user manual, certificate, form, operating instructions, diagram. If necessary, we will take a photo of your device, or a device stand.
You can leave feedback on the unit purchased from us, the meter, the device, indicator, or product. Your review for your approval will be published on the site without contact information.Description of the instruments taken from the technical documentation or technical literature. Most pictures of products made directly by our experts prior to shipment of goods. In the description of the device provided the main technical characteristics of the instrument: nominal measuring range, accuracy class, scale, supply voltage, size (size), weight. If the site you see the discrepancy device name (model) specifications, photo or documents attached - let us know - you will get a useful gift with-selling device.
While the need to clarify the overall weight and size or the size of the individual meter you can in our service center. If you need our engineers will help you choose the most complete analog or a suitable replacement for the device you are interested. All counterparts and replacement will be tested in one of our laboratories with the full compliance to your requirements.
Our company carries out repairs and maintenance of measuring equipment in more than 75 different factories of the former Soviet Union and CIS. We also provide such metrological procedure: calibration, tare, graduated, testing of measuring instruments.
If you can make repairs to the device yourself, our engineers can provide you with a complete set of necessary technical documentation: circuit diagram TO, ER, FD, PS. We also have an extensive database of technical and metrological documents: technical specifications (TS), the terms of reference (TOR), GOST (DSTU), the industry standard (OST) test procedure, the method of certification, verification scheme for more than 3,500 types of measuring equipment from the manufacturer this equipment. From the site you can download all the necessary software (the software driver) is required for the product purchased.
We also have a library of legal documents that are related to our field of activity: the law, code, ordinance, decree, temporary position.
Upon request, each measuring device is provided metrological certification or verification. Our staff can represent your interests in such organizations as the metrological Rostest (Rosstandart), State Standard, Derzhspozhiv standard (Derzhspozhivstandart), TSLIT, OGMetr.
Sometimes customers can enter our company name wrong - for example, zapadprybor, zapadprylad, zapadprіbor, zapadprilad, zahіdpribor, zahіdprіbor, zahidpribor, zahidprilad, zahidprіbor, zahidprybor, zahidprylad. That's right - Zapadpribor or zahіdprilad.
LLC "Zapadpribor" is the supplier of ammeters, voltmeters, power meters, frequency meters, phase meters, shunts and other devices such manufacturers of measuring equipment, such as: PO " Elektrotochpribor " (M2044, M2051), Omsk, OAO "Instrument-Making Plant "Vibrator" (M1611, Ts1611), St. Petersburg, JSC "Krasnodar ZIP " (E365, E377, E378), LLC " ZIP Partner" (Ts301 , Ts302 , Ts300) and "ZIP" Yurimov"(M381, C33), Krasnodar, OAO "VZEP" ("Vitebsk factory of electrical appliances") (E8030, E8021), Vitebsk, OAO "Electropribor" (M42300, M42301, M42303, M42304, M42305, M42306), Cheboksary, JSC "Elektroizmeritel" (Ts4342, Ts4352, Ts4353 ) Zhitomir, PJSC "Uman factory "Megger" (F4102, F4103, F4104, M4100), Uman.
|
Transparency, One Last Pune Update
September 16, 2015
If you missed the fact that HeroPress fans paid my way to WordCamp Pune then you weren’t paying attention. As always I’m super grateful for that. I wanted to publish some numbers for the sake of transparency.
The GoFundMe raised $2540.00. GoFundMe’s fees for that were $209.66.
My hotel was $285.34.
Travel was $1581.41
My Visa was $322.30
Lastly, my Uber ride cost $1.36. I threw that in because it seemed incredible to me that it cost so little to go across the city.
Total expenses were $2400.07, only a little more than I guessed I would need, and only a little more than I spent.
The difference there is $140, which I’ll either give to a WordCamp that needs it or to the WordPress Foundation.
|
Washington, Hollywood Blur The Line Between Reality, Fiction
March 6, 1996|By Myriam Marquez of The Sentinel Staff
Murphy Brown tells the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, ''Oh, Newt, you're such a kook.'' And Newt Gingrich laughs good-naturedly.
Oh, what a difference four years and another presidential campaign make in the increasingly incestuous Hollywood-Washington news-media-entertainment complex. The line between reality and fiction continues to cross and blur.
And many of us aging Baby Boomers, who grew up on television, find ourselves wondering: Is our eyesight slipping or is that blurring just a sign that the political season once again is upon us?
We go from having Murphy, the fictional television character played by Candice Bergen, turned into a despicable femiNazi, that great mocker of fatherhood, in 1992 by Vice President Dan Quayle to Murphy being praised by Speaker Gingrich in a tongue-and-cheek skit in 1996.
The 1992 Murphy Brown plot line had the fictional TV journalist bearing a child out of wedlock. From then on, the fortysomething character became a symbol of the much-maligned single-teen-age-mom-welfare-queen in the family-values game.
So why would Gingrich feel comfortable appearing on a show that pokes fun at conservative politicians?
Media exposure is the name of the game, particularly after public-opinion polls continue to show that Gingrich's ''Republican Revolution'' is in trouble. More and more voters, polls keep showing, seem to believe that Gingrich's deficit-cutting budget revolution offered too much pain for them.
Gingrich, being the smart political tactician that he is, knows he needs to soften his image with Americans.
And so we see news pictures of Gingrich reading to school kids. We see him feeding the animals at the zoo.
As spring emerges, we see Gingrich in kinder-gentler photo opportunities after the often-stormy winter season of harsh words and federal-government-employee furloughs. Disagreement between President Clinton and the majority Republican Congress over which programs to cut to achieve a balanced federal budget seems to have helped Clinton's popularity.
While the president basks, at least for now, in an image of Protector of the Children and the Aged, Gingrich and his party struggle to defend themselves against charges that their revolution isn't about protecting greedy corporate giants at the expense of the American worker.
And so, on Monday night, we were treated to Gingrich on Murphy Brown. There he was, with a big, down-home Georgia grin, telling Murphy that journalists are free to crack jokes at politicians' expense because we have the First Amendment on our side.
In Monday's plot, reporters poked fun at politicians in a ''Presscapades'' show. Gingrich then came backstage to tell Murphy he enjoyed a skit in which ''President Clinton'' is chasing a pig named Newt.
Gingrich, known as a ''bomb thrower'' for most of his political career, got a chance to show a less ornery side.
Heaven only knows that the Republican Party needs to put a more uplifting face on itself. That is no secret to Gingrich, who was instrumental in getting a Republican majority elected to Congress in 1994.
It's no secret either to the Republican presidential candidates, who increasingly in stump speeches quote former President Ronald Reagan, the most uplifting Republican speaker this nation has had this century.
Can Gingrich fix his party's bruised image by this summer's Republican Convention?
Tune in. Maybe Murphy Brown would be invited to introduce the 1996 Republican presidential nominee at a brokered convention. Could it be . . . Newt?
|
Mercury thiogallate mid-infrared femtosecond optical parametric generator pumped at 1.25 microm by a Cr:forsterite regenerative amplifier.
We demonstrate a novel traveling-wave-type optical parametric generator based on 1.25-microm pumping of HgGa(2)S(4) that produces tunable, high-power, transform-limited infinity 200-fs pulses in the mid-IR from 5 to 9 microm. Output idler energies on the microjoule level are obtained with maximum conversion efficiency of 11% for the amplifier stage, which is more than two times better than the results obtained with an analogous sample of the widely spread material AgGaS(2).
|
Course Details
When you enrol on the Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training you will receive your joining instructions via email giving you access to your learning resources.
The Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training resources is divided into unit order providing you with the relevant manuals, worksheets, case study documents, mock exams and knowledge checkers required to help you complete your learning and prepare for your workshop/assessment days.
Pre-workshop Learning
It is recommended that you complete and email your knowledge based worksheets to us before you attend the personal trainer workshop dates.
They include:
Unit 3: Programming Personal Training with Clients
The submission of any work is not final and can be amended once marked by one of the CMS team and feedback was given. However, we insist that all work submitted is fully completed to a high level prior to submission.
Theoretical Exams
As part of the Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training, you will need to pass two theoretical paper-based multiple-choice exams.
Unit 1 Anatomy and Physiology of Exercise and Health
Unit 2 Applying the Principles of Nutrition to a Physical Activity programme
The exams are sat on day 6 and 7of the 8-day workshop (day 1 and 2 if you are attending the 3-day option). If you refer an exam you can book to re-sit the exam on one of our planned re-sit days. You can re-sit an exam as many times as needed, however CMS Fitness Courses has a responsibility to ensure that teaching and learning occur in between each exam to promote learner development and quality of delivery.
Workshop Attendance
Can you please attend wearing appropriate leisure clothing as the workshops will include physical activity and we cannot guarantee access to changing rooms and showers. In addition, you are expected to provide your own refreshments. For the respect of other users of our venues, please bring a gym towel.
Throughout the Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training workshop days our experienced tutors will support you to ensure your full participation and give guidance on what work needs to be completed and by when, to ensure that you can successfully complete the workshop.
To achieve the Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training the below units must be achieved by completing the corresponding assessments.
Unit 1: Anatomy and Physiology for Exercise and Health
Multiple Choice Exam Paper
Unit 2: Applying the Principles of Nutrition to a Physical Activity Programme
Multiple Choice Exam Paper
Unit 3: Programming Personal Training with Clients
Case Study
Your unit 3 case study must be submitted and marked as passed by one of our assessors prior to the final day or you will not be allowed to progress onto your practical assessment. The documents for your case study are available on your Virtual Learning Environment and include:
Client Interview
Client Analysis
Client Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)
8 Week Overview and Macrocycle
Client Programme Card(s) week 1
4 Week Evaluation and Modification
Client Programme Card(s) week 5
If you are attending the 8-day option your tutor/assessor will provide guidance during the workshop days on what work needs to be completed and by when so you can complete the work on and in between the workshop days.
If you are attending the 3-day personal trainer course, you will be supported by our tutors via phone and email and your case study documents must be submitted and marked as passed prior to your attendance on the first workshop day.
Please note, failure to submit and pass your unit 3 case study will result in you not being able to attend the practical assessment day.
Unit 4: Delivering Personal Training Sessions
Practical Assessment
Your practical assessment involves you delivering your client programme card under assessor observation. Please note students are required to bring their own participant to the assessment day.
All students will have the opportunity to practice their delivery the day before their practical assessment and all components of the assessment will be explained by your workshop tutor.
Please note: Students are required to bring a participant to some assessment days.
Related Blogs
CMS Fitness Courses
CMS Fitness Courses deliver a range of Fitness and Personal Training Courses in the West Yorkshire region. Offering high levels of support and flexibility to all our students, our values ensure we are market leaders in the delivery of Fitness and Personal Training Courses to the industry.
C.M.S Vocational Training Limited acts as a credit broker and only offers credit products from Omni Capital Retail Finance Ltd (registered in England and Wales, Reg No 7232938). C.M.S Vocational Training Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Our registered number is 779952. Credit subject to age and status.
Follow us, we are social
Talk to our team
Name
Your number
Your email
Subject
How did you hear about us?
TICK TO PROCEED - By ticking this box you agree to our Privacy Policy
By ticking this box you consent to CMS Vocational Training Ltd using your contact details to keep you informed by email about its products, services and content. You may withdraw your consent at any time.
|
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ornamental hair enriching equipment hardly restricted in attachment position to a head and easy to arrange complex hair of original and artificial hairs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, there are hair enriching equipments in which artificial hair (that artificial or natural hairs have been processed) is attached to a human head, and united together with his or her thin original hair (natural hair growing on his or her head) to make it look like his or her original hair having increased.
Besides, there are ribbons, barrettes, beads, etc., for adorning human heads gaily. In recent years, there are ornamental equipments such as partial wigs and false hairs for producing head adornment by dyeing his or her original hair into a color impossible naturally, or mixing artificial hair of such a color with his or her original hair.
FIG. 6 is a rear view of a hair enriching equipment (wig for hair enrichment) used for hair enrichment as a principal object. The hair enrichment wig 1 shown in the drawing is made in a manner that artificial hairs 3 are implanted to a flexible ventilation (implantation) member 2 with meshes of very large size, e.g., 3 cm square. The ventilation member 2 is fixed to the original hair of a wearer by a suitable method, the artificial hairs 3 are raked away from the above, and original hairs pressed down due to the wear of this hair enrichment wig 1 and lying down under it, are raked out through the meshes with a comb or a brush, and united together with the neighboring artificial hairs 3 to arrange hair.
While the mesh of the ventilation member of a wig is generally very minute, e.g., 1 mm square, the mesh as described above is large because the equipment is made for a person who has relatively rich original hair and is not discomforted even by a small quantity of implanted artificial hairs 3, and because it is formed such that a large quantity of original hairs can easily be raked out.
But, when a person wears it actually and tries to rake out his or her original hairs, teeth of a comb or tips of a brush may be caught by meshes though the meshes are made into a fairly large size, so he or she can not rake out his or her original hairs as he or she wishes. Even when he or she catches his or her original hairs by teeth of the comb or tips of the brush with much effort and is going to rake out them, there may then arise a trouble that the original hairs are caught by meshes and they are only swell in a loop shape and do not easily come out.
Consequently, when such a hair enriching equipment is worn, the wearer must ask an experienced technical expert to rake out his or her original hairs. This was troublesome and dissatisfactory to the wearer of the hair enriching equipment.
FIG. 7 is a rear view of a wig for thin-haired head (wig for hair enrichment) proposed to solve the above problem. The hair enrichment wig 5 shown in the drawing is made by the manner that a plurality of parallel linear members 7 made of a shape memory alloy is attached to an annular base 6, and artificial hairs 8 are implanted on the linear members 7.
In this construction, when a person wears the hair enrichment wig 5 on his or her head and rakes out his or her original hairs, the original hairs are easily to come out merely by moving teeth of a comb or tips of a brush along the linear members 7.
However, when the above hair enrichment wig 5 is actually made and worn by way of experiment, though original hairs are easy to be raked out in the central portion of the annular base 6, linear members 7 are short near both sides of the annular base 6, as a result, there arose the same trouble as that in the hair enrichment wig 1 shown in FIG. 6.
Besides, because the base is limited to such an annular shape, that is, because the curved portion (R: curved shape) of the base that is the engagement portion with a head in wear, is defined, the use portion to the head is restricted and it is hard to use it on different sizes or shapes of the heads. Besides, for using a shape memory alloy for the linear members, an individual wig must be made so as to correspond to the shape of the head of the user of the wig. Consequently, a stock of the wig can not be made as products for wide use. That is, troublesome expensive products at special orders can be supplied only.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a widely usable ornamental hair enriching equipment easy to rake out original hairs and capable of use for a multiple of heads.
Hereinafter, constructions of ornamental hair enriching equipments according to the present invention will be described.
An ornamental hair enriching equipment according to the present invention for use for personal adornment in the manner that artificial hairs of a different color is mixed with original hairs, or for use for hair enrichment in the manner that artificial hairs of the same color as that of original hair is mixed with the original hair having thinned, comprises a plurality of fastenings, a support member provided with said fastenings, a plurality of parallel elastic linear members supported by said support member at one end of each of them and disposed on said support member at predetermined intervals, and artificial hairs implanted on at least the above elastic linear members.
Besides, an ornamental hair enriching equipment according to the present invention for use for personal adornment in the manner that artificial hairs of a different color is mixed with original hairs, or for use for hair enrichment in the manner that artificial hairs of the same color as that of original hair is mixed with the original hair having thinned, comprises a plurality of fastenings, a plurality of support members provided with said fastenings, a plurality of parallel elastic linear members supported by said plurality of support members at both ends of them and disposed on said plurality of support members at predetermined intervals, and artificial hairs implanted on at least the above elastic linear members. The above plurality of elastic linear members may be supported by one support member at its one end, and divisionally supported by a plurality of support members at its other end.
The above plurality of elastic linear members may be disposed such that the end of the end portion supported by the above support member protrudes outward beyond the above support member, and may have a curved shape corresponding to the curved surface of a human head, and a laterally winding shape along the curved surface of the human head.
|
Enchondromata with annular calcification in association with fibrous dysplasia.
Annular or ring calcification is described in conjunction with fibrous dysplasia in four of 110 patients culled from the Bristol Bone Tumour Registry. This feature results from endochondral calcification and ossification within cartilage rests or chondromata developing pari passu with fibrous dysplasia. Statistically the condition is more likely to be present in the polyostotic form of fibrous dysplasia (17%) than in the monostotic form (circa 1%). All patients were male and the diagnosis of fibrous dysplasia was established between the time of birth and the age of 16. Ring calcification was first detected between the ages of three and 16 years and persisted into adult life. Calcification almost exclusively involved the lower limbs particularly around the knee and above the ankle. In the three polyostotic cases rapid and gross extentsion of the cartilaginous component of the disease occurred at the time of the adolescent growth spurt. When present in a patient with fibrous dysplasia the appearance are typical and signify and associated benign enchondromatous process. No suspicion of chondrosarcoma should arise.
|
Q:
How to make a variable out of the output of a unix command?
I'm trying to have a variable $totalLines that stores the total lines in a file (given as input $1).
I'm trying to do something like this:
totalLines= grep -c *.* $1
But Unix doesn't like that.
I've tried enclosing it in paranthesis, square brackets, and (), but that doesn't work either. This has got to be super simple but I'm searching for the answer around the web and not finding a page or forum that clearly states it.
Sorry to trouble you guys with such an easy one.
A:
There are two ways to achieve it:
totalLines=$(grep -c *.* $1)
or
totalLines=`grep -c *.* $1`
|
Electromagnetic relays are being used as switches connected to electrical wiring on wiring boards. Conventional electromagnetic relays include fixed terminals including external input/output terminals and external output/input terminals electrically connected to the external input/output terminals. The electromagnetic relays further include movable terminals which can electrically connect the external input/output terminals to the external output/input terminals. Patent Literature 1 discloses an electromagnetic relay of this type.
|
from lib.common import helpers
class Module:
def __init__(self, mainMenu, params=[]):
self.info = {
'Name': 'Invoke-NetRipper',
'Author': ['Ionut Popescu (@NytroRST)', '@mattifestation', '@harmj0y'],
'Description': ('Injects NetRipper into targeted processes, which '
'uses API hooking in order to intercept network traffic and encryption '
'related functions from a low privileged user, being able to capture both '
'plain-text traffic and encrypted traffic before encryption/after decryption.'),
'Background' : True,
'OutputExtension' : None,
'NeedsAdmin' : False,
'OpsecSafe' : False,
'Language' : 'powershell',
'MinLanguageVersion' : '2',
'Comments': [
'https://github.com/NytroRST/NetRipper/'
]
}
# any options needed by the module, settable during runtime
self.options = {
# format:
# value_name : {description, required, default_value}
'Agent' : {
'Description' : 'Agent to run module on.',
'Required' : True,
'Value' : ''
},
'ProcessID' : {
'Description' : 'Specific process ID to inject the NetRipper dll into.',
'Required' : False,
'Value' : ''
},
'ProcessName' : {
'Description' : 'Inject the NetRipper dll into all processes with the given name (i.e. putty).',
'Required' : False,
'Value' : ''
},
'LogLocation' : {
'Description' : 'Folder location to log sniffed data to.',
'Required' : False,
'Value' : 'TEMP'
},
'AllData' : {
'Description' : 'Switch. Log all data instead of just plaintext.',
'Required' : False,
'Value' : ''
},
'Datalimit' : {
'Description' : 'Data limit capture per request.',
'Required' : False,
'Value' : '4096'
},
'SearchStrings' : {
'Description' : 'Strings to search for in traffic.',
'Required' : True,
'Value' : 'user,login,pass,database,config'
}
}
# save off a copy of the mainMenu object to access external functionality
# like listeners/agent handlers/etc.
self.mainMenu = mainMenu
for param in params:
# parameter format is [Name, Value]
option, value = param
if option in self.options:
self.options[option]['Value'] = value
def generate(self, obfuscate=False, obfuscationCommand=""):
# read in the common module source code
moduleSource = self.mainMenu.installPath + "/data/module_source/collection/Invoke-NetRipper.ps1"
if obfuscate:
helpers.obfuscate_module(moduleSource=moduleSource, obfuscationCommand=obfuscationCommand)
moduleSource = moduleSource.replace("module_source", "obfuscated_module_source")
try:
f = open(moduleSource, 'r')
except:
print helpers.color("[!] Could not read module source path at: " + str(moduleSource))
return ""
moduleCode = f.read()
f.close()
script = moduleCode
scriptEnd = "Invoke-NetRipper "
for option,values in self.options.iteritems():
if option.lower() != "agent":
if option.lower() == "searchstrings":
scriptEnd += " -" + str(option) + " \"" + str(values['Value']) + "\""
else:
if values['Value'] and values['Value'] != '':
if values['Value'].lower() == "true":
# if we're just adding a switch
scriptEnd += " -" + str(option)
else:
scriptEnd += " -" + str(option) + " " + str(values['Value'])
scriptEnd += ";'Invoke-NetRipper completed.'"
if obfuscate:
scriptEnd = helpers.obfuscate(self.mainMenu.installPath, psScript=scriptEnd, obfuscationCommand=obfuscationCommand)
script += scriptEnd
return script
|
<CsoundSynthesizer>
<CsOptions>
; Select audio/midi flags here according to platform
-odac ;;;realtime audio out
; -iadc ;;;uncomment -iadc if real audio input is needed too
; For Non-realtime ouput leave only the line below:
; -o sr.wav -W ;;; for file output any platform
</CsOptions>
<CsInstruments>
sr = 44100
ksmps = 32
nchnls = 2
0dbfs = 1
instr 1 ;use sr to find maximum harmonics
ihar = int(sr/2/p4) ; maximum possible number of harmonics w/o aliasing
prints "maximum number of harmonics = %d \\n", ihar
kenv linen .5, 1, p3, .2 ; envelope
asig buzz kenv, p4, ihar, 1
outs asig, asig
endin
</CsInstruments>
<CsScore>
f1 0 4096 10 1 ;sine wave
i 1 0 3 100 ;different frequencies
i 1 + 3 1000
i 1 + 3 10000
e
</CsScore>
</CsoundSynthesizer>
|
Just a kilometre from the Jordanian border, Om Suleiman and her children are sleeping in a small shed they share with five other Syrian families. About 20 people are crowded into this hot, insect-ridden space, and Suleiman worries about the scorpions that come at night.
Just days ago, she and her children rushed from their home in Tareeq al-Sad, a rebel-held neighbourhood in Deraa. “We escaped at night, terrified and barefooted,” she says.
Her family are among a wave of Syrian civilians who have fled their homes in southern Syria over the past few weeks after a relentless aerial bombardment by forces loyal to the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad. Suleiman knew it was time to leave when she heard the all too familiar din of improvised munitions, known as “elephant rockets” because of the thunderous sound they make. The weapons are among many witnesses say are being used against civilian neighbourhoods in south-west Syria.
Deraa was meant to be shielded from the fighting as part of a “de-escalation agreement” brokered last July by Jordan, the US and Russia. But the truce started to unravel last month when a government offensive began targeting the opposition-held part of the province.
Shelling and air raids are believed to have killed more than 200 civilians. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said at least 30 women and 26 children are among the casualties.
As the Syrian regime and its ally Russia continue to pound the rebel enclave, Deraa residents must decide whether to flee or hunker down in their homes. “The situation is beyond comprehension,” says Israa al-Rifai, a local activist who recently escaped with her family to the opposition-held city of Nasib. “People were confused whether to keep their eyes on the sky to watch the warplanes or to get in the car and leave.”
Rifai describes watching panicked families piling into trucks at all hours of the day and night. “Women were crying, and children were laughing in the trucks because they didn’t understand what was happening,” she says.
For the Assad regime, recapturing this portion of Syria, which borders Israel and Jordan, would mark a strategic and symbolic victory. Deraa is considered the “cradle of the revolution”, and was the epicentre of the 2011 anti-government protests that set in motion Syria’s seven-year war.
Since 19 June, the fighting has sent thousands of people into opposition-run areas of south Deraa and Quneitra,according to UN estimates. Jordan, which already hosts an estimated 1.3 million Syrian refugees, said it could not absorb any people now stranded near its northern border.
Refugees flee Deraa with their belongings. Photograph: Alaa Al-Faqir/Reuters
The hashtag #OpenTheBorders has started trending on Twitter.
Displaced families have found refuge in schools and government buildings, according to Mousa al-Zoubi, who heads the Deraa provincial council’s newly formed emergency committee. But the majority, he says, are sleeping in the streets and in olive groves: “Their mattresses are the ground and their blankets are in the sky.”
The lucky ones are able to buy tents, which street vendors are reportedly selling for as much as $250 (£189) each. Others, like Rifai, brought tents with them. “I had never imagined that one day I would be living in a tent,” she says. “It’s so difficult for me to adapt, but at least I am away from the bombing.”
The escalation in fighting has cut off major supply routes, which has led to price hikes on items such as diesel and processed food. The World Food Programme has delivered supplies to more than 180,000 people through the Ar Ramtha crossing between Jordan and Syria, which spokesperson Marwa Awad says is “the only lifeline now”.
The UN, which estimate that 750,000 civilians are at risk in south-west Syria, has warned Deraa could become a repeat of the humanitarian disaster seen in eastern Ghouta earlier this year.
Zoubi is calling on the international community to do more to prevent that from happening. “All we’ve heard from international organisations are just promises,” he says. “We are relying on individual donations to secure the essentials.”
Syria’s rebels also feel abandoned. Last month, Reuters reported that the US government told the heads of the Free Syrian Army not to expect any support. Ibrahim al-Jebawi, a former FSA official and current spokesperson for an opposition-linked media group in southern Syria, said he wasn’t surprised. “We’ve never counted on America to intervene. That’s been clear since the first chemical attack on Ghouta in 2013,” he says.
He adds that the rebels “will fight until the end, regardless of the US attitude”.
Alaa al-Dweri, who repairs motorcycles, described a doomsday scenario playing out in his town of Busra al-Harir, as livestock roamed the streets and families drove to safety in packed cars.
Dweri, who doesn’t own a car, managed to get his wife, three children and a few small bags on his motorbike. The family of five headed for Tal Shihab,near Quneitra province, and are staying at a home belonging to friends.
“I wish I could have helped other families to escape, but unfortunately I only have this motorbike,” he says.
|
Functionally deficient differentiation of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells induced by phorbol myristate acetate.
The human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 undergoes terminal myeloid differentiation in vitro in response to a wide variety of chemicals. The tumor promoter phorbol myristate acetate induces these cells to develop macrophage-like morphology, adherence, and enzymatic characteristics. The present study confirms those observations and further documents the induction, by 16 nM phorbol myristate acetate, of 5'-nucleotidase activity, another human macrophage marker enzyme. However, more importantly, functional studies show that phorbol myristate acetate-induced HL-60 cells fail to increase above base line uninduced levels of hexose monophosphate shunt activity, superoxide generation, nitroblue tetrazolium reduction, bacterial ingestion, or complement secretion. These cells therefore possess some macrophage-like properties but do not meet several important functional criteria of macrophage identity.
|
Pages
Monday, March 24, 2014
Our weekend visit to Astoria was inspired by some apartment rental link found on facebook. There's lots of housing options in Astoria, yet I hadnt spent much time in this area of town (other than a one-time visit to Kickshaw for the best cheese sandwiches).
I spotted a Catholic church pretty
quickly after coming out of the subway. As we stepped into Immaculate
Conception we crashed a wedding at the worst possible moment (right when
the bride and groom were walking down the aisle) ... oops.
Astoria is probably best known for the delightful Greek restaurants, and lunch at Taverna Kyclades did not disappoint. The seafood (branzino) was delicious as was the huge fresh block of feta. Lots of bakeries also with delicious spinach and meat pies (Artopolis is a must visit) After lunch, we wandered all around the bustling multi-cultural town. Lots of hookah places, butcher shops selling cuts of meat and charcoal, and churches.
We left Astoria right at dusk to appreciate the beautiful the skyline is as viewed from the subway.
|
Q&A: Jane Friedman, Former ‘Writer’s Digest’ Publisher, Tells All
I have a VERY special treat for you today. Jane Friedman, former publisher of “Writer’s Digest” and publishing industry expert, agreed to a Q&A for “Rogue Writer.”
Jane took time from her busy schedule to answer 10 questions, so that I may feed her expertise to you. Jane, thank you for your honesty, humility, and willingness to teach. SO, here it is:
Please welcome Jane Friedman, former publisher of "Writer's Digest" and publishing industry expert. Check out Jane's new ebook, "The Future of Publishing: Enigma Variations" (link at end of article).
1) SHARI:
You’re only 34 (according to your blog), and you’re already the former publisher of Writer’s Digest and a visiting professor of e-media at the University of Cincinnati. How did you reach such success so early?
JANE:
It’s not talent or smarts. The conclusion I’ve come to is that it has been about these 3 things:
1. Being extraordinarily focused and stable in my career direction. I stayed in one place for a long time (F+W Media, 12 years). I outlasted a lot of other people and gained more responsibility as the years passed. I focused on developing my skills in a very specific area, and I didn’t waste energy on anything but that one, single passion: publishing (or: writing/editing).
2. Being dedicated and consistent. This is nearly the same as No. 1, but relates to what I pushed out to the world, or my external-facing career. When I started a blog, it wasn’t immediately successful. But I stuck with it, and I improved my skills. Same with speaking at events, same with Facebook, same with Twitter, same with other stuff that isn’t yet fruitful. Not every effort can be a winning one, but most ventures require patience for them to pay off. Given that we live in an environment of instant gratification, people who can see things through are often the ones who get a return on their time and energy.
3. Being aware of trends & industry. I’ve always loved reading news and opinions about the publishing industry. I seek out stories about who’s succeeding, or who’s pushing the envelope. When you read trend stories year after year after year, even if you can’t articulate it, you’re learning something fundamental about how the industry operates, and where it’s going. You’re soaking up the DNA of the industry, the texture and context of every decision, success and failure.
2) SHARI:
There’s been a lot of growing interest in the self-publishing industry. Recently, the Huffington Post reported that eBook sales are up 116 percent, while paperback sales are down 31 percent. What’s your take on this trend?
JANE:
It will only accelerate, and eventually most people will read e-books. Paper books won’t die, but they’ll become more like the vinyl record.
3. SHARI:
What are your TOP THREE pieces of advice for writers just starting in the self-marketing/self-publishing world?
JANE:
1. You have to be focused like a laser beam on what your message is (or what you stand for) and who you’re trying to reach. Too many writers haven’t identified their genre or key readership, and that quickly leads to meaningless or wasted marketing and promotion efforts.
2. You have to be patient. I’ve had writers ask me, after 2 weeks of writing a blog, or after 1 month of participating on a community: Why am I not seeing results? Well, that’s because it takes time to build reputation, authority, and trust. It doesn’t happen overnight. Most people give up before their effort pays off.
3. You have to be service-oriented. No one cares that you’ve written and released a book. People want to know what’s in it for THEM. Always make that clear, and always be focused on serving and helping others. This attitude also helps you avoid you appearing like a smarmy shill for your work. Be a person, not a constant all-day marketer.
4. SHARI:
What about for writers choosing the more traditional route–through publishing houses? What’s your best advice (top three tips) for them?
JANE:
Those other 3 tips still apply, but I can add these 2 tips as well.
1. Treat your agent and publisher as professional partners, but not as caretakers. They will not take care of you. They are too busy looking out for themselves. They’re treating it like a business, and you should too.
2. Be very clear on what your publisher is doing to market and promote your book. Get specifics, and be proactive in partnering with them. Don’t wait for them to come to you. They can help amplify your own marketing efforts.
5. SHARI:
What inspires YOU to write?
JANE:
All the little things that keep me up at night. Memories and past experiences that I replay in my head, because they are still unresolved in my heart. The dilemmas that we face when we have to choose between 2 cherished values. How it is that we deeply hurt the people who most love and care for us.
6. SHARI:
Do you ever suffer burnout and/or Writer’s Block? If so, how do you combat it?
JANE:
Not really. But if I’m feeling tired, uninspired, and listless, if I stay offline for 12-24 hours, and spend time with friends, that will do the trick.
I’m very consistent. I’ve been around since April 2008, and I stay focused on writing and publishing topics, for an audience of writers. Word gets around when you do quality work, and I try to keep delivering day after day.
8. SHARI:
Tell me about a discouraging time in your professional life and how you overcame it (i.e. rejections from literary agents or magazines, not getting a job, no one giving you a chance, etc.).
JANE:
The most discouraging time was when my insight and expertise on important issues were disregarded by my superiors, and I was asked to support and promote what I didn’t believe in. I never overcame it. So I left.
9. SHARI:
What’s your favorite aspect of your work today?
JANE:
I love developing content and curriculum—whether for Writer’s Digest (online and in print) or for my students, in the classroom. I love to help, teach, and serve. And I’m very lucky I can focus on that exclusively now.
10. SHARI:
Can you share a few recommendations of other experts in the writing and publishing industry, whom it might be beneficial to follow?
Jane recently released a new ebook, “The Future of Publishing: Enigma Variations.” It’s only $1.99 and “consists of 14 variations or brief insights on what the future of publishing holds.” When you have a moment, feel free to check it out!
I always love hearing what Jane has to say but I have to admit, I’m a little disturbed that she is only 34 years old! 🙂 Her accomplishments for a person of her age are inspiring! Thanks for asking such great questions!
What a treasure trove of information, Shari and Jane. I love knowing what resources I should consider adding to my library – esp. about the ever changing world of publishing – and even who to follow (great questions, Shari).
Jane, I especially loved your comment that “people who can see things through are often the ones who get a return on their time and energy.” This is such a key issue for writers trying to gain a foothold in the world of published books. Thank you so much for the inspirational message.
|
This is a very rare one of a kind designer - 18k yellow gold ring depicting a picture of a woman with a rake with her black dog and a lush grouping of trees with autumn colored leaves. Stunning, unusual and rare! Signed and dated. We are not able to read the designer's name. Please see J34877 for a matching Pendant/Necklace.
Primary Stone(s): Enamel
Color: Multi Color
Metal: 18k yellow gold
Age: 18 yrs.
Period: Contemporary - 1997
Condition: Excellent
Size: 8 - easily resized at our expense Learn More
Links
About Us
Gesner Estate Jewelry is a family owned firm that has been in business since 1972. We specialize in antique & vintage gold and platinum jewelry from the turn of the 20th century to the late 1930's. Learn More»
Easy, Convenient Layaway
We offer several options to help you purchase fine jewelry. If you would like to make a purchase for a holiday, birthday, or other special occasion. Learn More»
100% Money Back Gaurantee
You may return your purchased jewelry for any reason, for a full refund! Learn More»
|
2003 G.I. Joe's 200
The 2003 G.I. Joe's 200 was the eighth round of the 2003 CART World Series season, held on June 22, 2003 at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon.
Qualifying results
*Ryan Hunter-Reay's time in the first qualification session was disallowed after the car was found to be underweight during tech inspection.
**Tiago Montiero did not set a time in the second qualification session after his gearbox failed on his first lap.
Race
Caution flags
Notes
New Race Record Adrian Fernández 1:56:16.626
Average Speed 101.602 mph
External links
Full Weekend Times & Results
Portland
Category:Grand Prix of Portland
|
Since we are now in the midst of one of the biggest oil spills in U.S. history and just a few weeks after the deaths of 29 West Virginia coal miners, I believe it is time to reflect upon where the politicians of both parties are trying to redirect the country.
We now we learn that leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico lacked a safeguard device as reported by The Wall Street Journal. And even though the President maintains the industry will pay for clean up expenses, the Gulf Governors have sent their national guards, and the federal government has sent U.S. Navy ships and Air Force planes to the scene. These actions represent no small expense for U.S. taxpayers and taxpayers in those states. It certainly calls into question the “Drill Baby Drill” chants of the last political convention.
Earlier last month, The New York Times ran a cover story about the 29 deaths at a West Virginia mine, saying that the incident raises “issues about safety.” No kidding.
And of course, let’s add to all that the local, regional and national campaigns against mountaintop removal coal mining that throws coal and rock waste onto private land, public facilities, and fills local rivers and streams.
And what about water? A national laboratory has been studying U.S. water supply issues, which may soon become an even bigger strategic problem than that of our energy resources. In the U.S. today, electricity generation uses more surface water than growing our food, and food and energy combined encompasses nearly 85% of all water use. How’s that for a food vs fuel?
And then there’s the nuclear mess where a whistleblower who taped his fellow guards sleeping on the job at the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant was fired, prompting anger from government watchdogs who say he should have been lauded as a hero.
Energy savant and nuclear energy critic, Amory Lovins stated in a post entitled Nuclear Nonsense that:
The world in 2008 invested more in renewable power than in fossil-fueled power. Why? Because renewables are cheaper, faster, vaster, equally or more carbon-free, and more attractive to investors. Worldwide, distributed renewables in 2008 added 40 billion watts and got $100 billion of private investment; nuclear added and got zero, despite its far larger subsidies and generally stronger government support. From August 2005 to August 2008, with new subsidies equivalent to 100+% of construction cost and with the most robust nuclear politics and capital markets in history, the 33 proposed U.S. nuclear projects got not a cent of private equity investment.
And Earth Day cofounder and SUN DAY founder Dennis Hayes posted a commentary on the temporary demise of the Climate Bill in the Huffington Post, stating that the proposed alternative bill is a good compromise. He said:
Cantwell-Collins returns 75 percent of the revenue collected to the public on a pro rata basis. Because the rich spend more (directly and indirectly) on energy than the poor, more than 80 percent of the public will be made richer by this progressive revenue measure.
All the money will be returned to taxpayers and invested in technologies designed to reduce carbon — not to enrich coal companies and oil companies and pay for their lobbyists.
The policymakers, Democrats and Republicans alike, are caving in to the status quo, even in the face of over 30 preeminent studies in the last few years showing how high-value energy efficiency and renewable energy can meet our nation’s and the globe’s energy needs.
The world could eliminate fossil fuel use by 2090 by spending trillions of dollars on a renewable energy revolution according to a DLR (German) report commissioned by the environmental group Greenpeace. The 210-page study is one of few reports — even by lobby groups — to look in detail at how energy use would have to be overhauled to meet the toughest scenarios for curbing greenhouse gases outlined by the U.N. a Climate Panel.
Then there is the excellent American Solar Energy Society (ASES) 200-page report, Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.: Potential Carbon Emissions Reductions from Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by 2030,” which was unveiled in October 2007. The report showed how energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies can provide the emissions reductions required to address global warming cutting 60% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing 57% energy efficiency, 43% renewables.
Google is thinking the same thing. In 2009, Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the search giant, unveiled “Clean Energy 2030” a plan to move the U.S. to a future where by 2030 electricity will be generated not from coal or oil but from energy efficiency and renewable energy. The report goes on to say that:
Energy demand will be two-thirds what it is now, thanks to stringent energy-efficiency measures. Ninety percent of new vehicle sales will be plug-in hybrids. Carbon dioxide emissions will be down 48 percent. Getting there will cost $4.4 trillion, says the plan — but will recoup $5.4 trillion in savings. The Clean Energy 2030 plan would require ambitious national policies, a huge boost to renewables, increased transmission capacity, a smart electricity grid, and much higher fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles.
I think it’s time for us to remind the President of his campaign statement that “oil and gas drilling” will not solve our energy problems. It’s time for us to tell both political parties that coal use in the 21st century is not sustainable, healthy, environmental or safe. It’s time for us not to be boonswaggled that nuclear in the post September 11th world is safe, economic or an efficient way to boil water.
The renewable energy industry has the commercial answers, a grand clean energy portfolio including: combined heat and power, solar (daylighting, water and space heating/cooling, PV and CSP), large and small wind, superinsulating and electrochromic windows, insulation, super-efficient motors and compressors, ground-coupled (geothermal) heat pumps, water energy (freeflow, tidal, wave and ocean currents and thermal) geothermal, biomass (biopower, biothermal, biofuels through biorefineries), storage (smart batteries, thermal storage, and hydrogen for fuel cells), all imposed in a web-enabled distributed network and tied to a “smart” electric grid.
But the policymakers are pulled back for every step forward.
It is time for the American public to stand firm — no more wars for oil or petroleum spills, no more nuclear safety breeches. It’s time to end blowing up our mountaintops and spewing carcinogens, heavy metals and carbon through mining or burning coal. It is time stop apologizing about the grand portfolio of clean energy.
Thousands of Americans will lose their fishing and tourism jobs due to this Gulf oil spill, more will have brown and black lung or lose their lives prematurely in our coal mines. Finally, do not assume the “unthinkable” can’t happen with our nuclear power plants and nuclear repositories.
I am no Luddite. If there were no alternatives, the conventional energy sources and their “warts” would just have to be accepted to grow our economies and society. But when we have the proven, commercialized alternatives — these deaths, this massive pollution and waste, and the national security risks seem not only irresponsible and uneconomical, but also unethical.
That’s my message, issued on Earth Day from my head and my heart after the deaths of the coal miners and the landmark oil rupture in the Gulf of Mexico.
|
**Specifications table**TableSubject area*Physics*More specific subject area*Condensed Matter, Quantum Hall Effect*Type of data*Table, images, graphs*How data was acquired*Confocal laser scanning microscope \[Olympus LEXT OLS4100\], optical microscope \[Nikon MM400, DS Ri2 Camera\], Janis Research cryostat and magnet system \[model 8TM-TLSL-HE3--17\], atomic force microscope \[Asylum Cypher\], Raman spectroscopy \[Renishaw InVia\]*Data format*Raw data is graphed*Experimental factors*Parylene and CYTOP deposition*Experimental features*Monitor quantum Hall effect parameters after environmental exposures*Data source location*National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S. Department of Commerce), 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899*Data accessibility*Data is with this article*Related research article*Albert F. Rigosi, Chieh-I Liu, Bi Yi Wu, Hsin-Yen Lee, Mattias Kruskopf, Yanfei Yang, Heather M. Hill, Jiuning Hu, Emily G. Bittle, Jan Obrzut, Angela R. Hight Walker, Randolph E. Elmquist, and David B. Newell. Examining epitaxial graphene surface conductance and quantum Hall device stability with Parylene passivation. Microelectronic Engineering (in press).*
**Value of the data**•The data provided in this submission can be used to help other researchers gauge the level of electrical stability needed for a variety of two-dimensional materials, especially those whose properties may drift with time due to atmospheric doping.•These data can serve as a guide to further research in Parylene encapsulation.•Those conducting research with epitaxial graphene can use the images, AFM, and Raman provided as a reference guide to identifying the correct number of the grown graphitic layers and for layer numbers in other van der Waals materials.
1. Data {#s0005}
=======
1.1. Characterization of epitaxial graphene quantum Hall devices {#s0010}
----------------------------------------------------------------
After the growth and verification procedures described in the methods section, epitaxial graphene (EG) are fabricated into quantum Hall devices and characterized with a Janis Research cryostat and magnet system (model 8TM-TLSL-HE3--17).^∂^ Four relevant quantum Hall parameters are the Hall resistance (*R*~*xy*~), electron density (*n*~*e*~)*,* mobility (*μ*)*,* and longitudinal resistivity (*ρ*~*xx*~), and they are all measured and calculated ($n_{e} = \frac{1}{e\left( \frac{dR_{\mathit{xy}}}{\mathit{dB}} \right)}$ and $\mu = \frac{1}{en_{e}R_{\mathit{xx}}\frac{W}{L}}$, where W and L are the width and length of the Hall device, respectively) as a function of up to nine process steps described in detail in Reference [@bib1]. An example of how these parameters are monitored is shown in [Fig. 1](#f0005){ref-type="fig"}. The three example process steps are listed as such: A measurement on the four parameters is collected, followed by an exposure to a 60 °C and 85% relative humidity environment (using a Thermotron^∂^ environmental chamber), measurement collected, a repeated exposure to 60 °C and 85% relative humidity, measurement collected, and storage in air for two weeks, followed by a final measurement.Fig. 1Quantum Hall measurements are shown here to demonstrate how the four parameters of interest change with the three example process steps.Fig. 1
1.2. Polyperfluoro-butenylvinyl ether (CYTOP) encapsulation to attempt electrical stabilization of quantum Hall parameters {#s0015}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When an EG device is encapsulated with CYTOP, the test for passivation capabilities is to store the device in ambient laboratory conditions for prolonged periods of time. The device was stored at 22 °C and 45% relative humidity for forty days. After the storing period, the usual four quantum Hall parameters were measured to characterize the electrical properties of the device. The corresponding data are shown in [Fig. 2](#f0010){ref-type="fig"}.Fig. 2The device coated with CYTOP did not exhibit any signs of passivation, as shown by the longitudinal and Hall resistance measurements taken as a function of the magnetic field. After forty days of storage in ambient laboratory conditions, all four quantum Hall parameters modulated strongly.Fig. 2
1.3. Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and density-mobility relation data for an example epitaxial graphene quantum Hall device {#s0020}
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All EG samples were verified by optical microscopy before fabrication. Shortly after the growth, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to verify the general coverage of the EG, as seen in [Fig. 3](#f0015){ref-type="fig"}. An Asylum Cypher^*∂*^ was used to gather topographic and phase AFM images in tapping mode at 1 Hz, with image sizes being 15 µm by 5 µm.Fig. 3Three different example areas of EG, which eventually become devices or elongated areas for the microwave cavity, are inspected with an Asylum Cypher.^*∂*^ The topography is shown on the left side in golden color scale, while the phase is shown on the right with an aquamarine color scale. The edges of the SiC steps are clearly visible in these images, and on each terrace, the EG is uniform.Fig. 3
Raman spectra were collected after EG growth and device fabrication using a continuous-wave laser excitation at 632.8 nm in a commercial Renishaw InVia Raman^*∂*^ microscope. The purpose of the Raman was to verify that the EG was not defected. Spectral maps were acquired to ensure reproducibility of the EG Raman signals and were collected using a backscattering configuration with the following parameters: 5 by 3 raster-style grid of 20 µm steps, 1 μm spot size, 300 s acquisition time, 1.7 mW power, 50 × objective, and 1200 mm^−1^ grating. Some example Raman spectra showing the 2D (G′) peak are shown in [Fig. 4](#f0020){ref-type="fig"}.Fig. 4The Raman spectra above are used to verify that the EG is relatively unchanged. Following the Parylene deposition, an example device shows no change in position and a 5 cm^−1^ decrease in width of 2D (G′) peak at 2714 cm^−1^. The black and red curves are the Raman spectra before and after the deposition, respectively.Fig. 4
Lastly, an example device is tested for mapping out the relationship between carrier density and mobility, whose results are shown in [Fig. 5](#f0025){ref-type="fig"}.Fig. 5The relationship between mobility and carrier density is shown for one of the EG devices. Typically, when carrier densities are already higher than 1.5 × 10^11^ cm^−2^, drastic increases to the carrier density will not strongly modulate the mobility.Fig. 5
1.4. Data indicating effects of thicker Parylene on quantum Hall parameters {#s0025}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In one iteration of calibrating the Parylene deposition process, a 10.7 μm thickness was measured for one of the devices, which was tested to compare with the 720 nm thickness data presented in Ref. [@bib1], [@bib1] based on identical process steps. ([Fig. 6](#f0030){ref-type="fig"}).Fig. 6Parylene C was deposited with a total thickness of 10.7 μm. (a) The longitudinal resistivity and mobility (shown in orange and blue curves, respectively) of the device are tracked as a function of various processing steps to test the Parylene coating. The dotted gray box is meant to highlight that repeated exposures were performed. (b) The carrier density is monitored as well, showing a similar range of modulation as with the 720 nm Parylene thicknesses.Fig. 6
1.5. Extra monitoring data {#s0030}
--------------------------
This section provides additional data for other devices that have been tested and exposed to the same environmental conditions as described in Ref. [@bib1], [@bib1]. [Fig. 7](#f0035){ref-type="fig"} shows another device whose three electrical quantities were monitored as a function of process step.Fig. 7Parylene C was deposited with a total thickness of 720 nm. (a) Both the longitudinal resistivity and mobility are tracked as orange and blue curves, respectively, and labeled with the preceding exposure at each data point. (b) The carrier density is also monitored and plotted for the same process steps.Fig. 7
2. Experimental design, materials, and methods {#s0035}
==============================================
2.1. Epitaxial graphene growth and verification {#s0040}
-----------------------------------------------
The epitaxial graphene (EG) samples are grown on the silicon face of 4H-SiC(0001) semi-insulating substrates purchased from Cree, Inc.^∂^ The substrates have a miscut of about 0.10°. SiC substrates are submerged in a 5:1 diluted solution of hydrofluoric acid and deionized water, making an effective concentration of less than 10%. After rinsing with deionized water, substrates are placed on top of a polished pyrolytic graphite substrate from SPI Glass 22^∂^ with the SiC(0001) face resting against the graphite to promote homogeneous growth [@bib2], [@bib3]. [Table 1](#t0005){ref-type="table"} summarizes the growth parameters of several used samples:Table 1Various epitaxial growth conditions for all samples coated by Parylene. The red text indicates a sample tested for CYTOP encapsulation.Table 1Sample IDAr gas flow (cm^3^/min)Time at target (s)Target Temperature (°C)Target Std. Dev T (°C)C7.1_J07_1733007191750.270.74C7.1_J15_1733007191750.270.74C7.3_T07_1743001211900.461.03C7.1_H07_1833007181750.200.42C7.8_H19_2033002061900.430.69C7.8_G05_2063001861900.460.71C7.8_G05_2343004181900.581.34C7.8_O19_2463002961900.811.58C7.8_H19_2343004181900.581.34C9.0_320_A3002631900.861.67C9.0_320_B3002631900.861.67
To demonstrate that monolayer graphene has been successfully grown, a combination of confocal laser scanning microscopy and optical imagining was utilized, as reported in previous work [@bib4], [@bib5]. Images are shown in [Fig. 8](#f0040){ref-type="fig"} below and were acquired with a confocal laser scanning microscope (Olympus LEXT OLS4100)^∂^ and an optical microscope (Nikon MM400, DS Ri2 Camera).^∂^ All CLSM images have the contrast optimized by selecting the region in the light intensity histograms available in the LEXT^∂^ software containing at least 95.4% of the light (2σ). All optical images have the contrast optimized by selecting the region in the look up tables (LUTs) of the Nikon^∂^ software containing 99.6% of the light intensity (3σ) for each of the color channels (red, blue, and green).Fig. 8Examples of four different growths are shown. (a) CLSM image shows an example of one of the monolayer samples, with a sparse population of bilayer growth on terrace edges, as indicated by 10--20 μm long strips (and unit micron width) with brighter intensity. (b) An optical image second monolayer sample is shown with the graphene in most of the image. The boundary of the Hall device can be seen with a gradually disappearing, blue, dashed line to guide the eye. (c) An example of a sample *not* used for data collection is shown to provide a contrast in quality of graphene homogeneity. This CLSM image clarifies the difference between regions of bare SiC (or the buffer layer that precedes graphene growth) and the EG, which has only formed from the edges and has a lighter contrast than the darker SiC. (d) Another Hall device is optically imaged and shown as an example of a poorly-grown and *unused* device. With the dashed blue lines indicating the top and bottom boundaries of the device, the EG, of lighter contrast, has only grown on approximately half of the total region of the device. Furthermore, bilayers can be seen along terrace edges that span about 100 μm.Fig. 8
2.2. Polyperfluoro-butenylvinyl ether (CYTOP) encapsulation {#s0045}
-----------------------------------------------------------
An additional polymer encapsulation material was used for comparing to the Parylene varieties. Polyperfluoro-butenylvinyl ether (CYTOP) was deposited on a graphene device by mixing a 1:1 solution of CYTOP CTX-809A and Solvent CT-SOLV180 by volume. The solution is spun onto the sample for 5 s at 500 revolutions per minute, and then for 40 s at 2000 revolutions per minute. To cure the solution on the surface of the chip, it was left at room temperature for 5 min, then at 50 °C for 40 min, 80 °C for 45 min, and 220 °C for 60 min. After the curing process, the sample was cooled on a hot plate for 20 min. This deposition yielded a 70 nm film. A filtered optical image of the device is shown in [Fig. 9](#f0045){ref-type="fig"}, while [Fig. 2](#f0010){ref-type="fig"} shows the data from the encapsulated device.Fig. 9The fabricated device in the shape of a Hall bar is shown in one region. The lighter shade indicates the presence of graphene, while its texture is a result of the SiC steps formed beneath the graphene during the growth.Fig. 9
Transparency document. Supplementary material {#s0021}
=============================================
Supplementary material
Appendix A. Supplementary material {#s0055}
==================================
Supplementary material..
Supplementary material..
^∂^Commercial equipment, instruments, and materials are identified in this paper in order to specify the experimental procedure adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology or the United States government, nor is it intended to imply that the materials or equipment identified are necessarily the best available for the purpose.
Transparency data associated with this article can be found in the online version at [10.1016/j.dib.2018.08.121](http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2018.08.121){#ir0009}.
Supplementary data associated with this article can be found in the online version at <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2018.08.121>.
|
/*
* Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
* you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
* You may obtain a copy of the License at
*
* http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
*
* Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
* distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
* WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or
* implied.
*
* See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
* limitations under the License.
*/
package org.ops4j.pax.web.samples.whiteboard.ds;
import java.io.IOException;
import javax.servlet.Servlet;
import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Component;
import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.ServiceScope;
import org.osgi.service.http.whiteboard.HttpWhiteboardConstants;
@Component(
service = {Servlet.class, WhiteboardServlet.class}, // WhiteboardServlet only for testing
scope = ServiceScope.PROTOTYPE,
property = {
HttpWhiteboardConstants.HTTP_WHITEBOARD_SERVLET_PATTERN + "=/simple-servlet",
HttpWhiteboardConstants.HTTP_WHITEBOARD_SERVLET_NAME + "=SimpleServlet"
}
)
public class WhiteboardServlet extends HttpServlet {
@Override
protected void doGet(HttpServletRequest req, HttpServletResponse resp) throws ServletException, IOException {
resp.setContentType("text/plain");
resp.getWriter().println("Hello from SimpleServlet");
}
}
|
Sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York City
The MTA hit its goal of reducing 10,000 subway delays each month over the past four months, according to the authority. Photo Credit: David Handschuh /David Handschuh
The MTA on Tuesday touted four straight months of improved subway service, with on-time levels reaching their highest point in years.
While still struggling with reliability and continuing ridership declines, the MTA’s head of subways, Sally Librera, credited the nascent improvement in part to a new “SPEED team,” assembled last summer to focus on quickening trains by addressing unnecessary speed-limit restrictions and faulty signal timers that were artificially slowing service.
“As we’ve consistently said, we know we have more to do, but we are making significant progress and these statistics reflect that progress,” Librera said Tuesday at an MTA board committee meeting.
Those stats include hitting an MTA goal of reducing delays each month by 10,000; there were 45,418 weekday delays in December, compared with 61,441 during the same month in 2017. Weekday on-time performance across the subway system, which measures the share of trains that reach their terminal within five minutes of their schedule, increased to 72.6 percent last month — the best figure for weekdays in more than four years.
Since focusing on train speeds, the MTA has identified 68 locations across the system where speed limits could be as much as doubled, or eliminated completely. The authority has also found 320 inaccurate signal timers — totaling about 16 percent of all its subway signal timers — that have been unreliably enforcing those speeds. The faulty equipment has created a culture of distrust among train operators that has led to slower service, workers and the MTA have said.
So far, the MTA has recalibrated 59 of those signal timers and implemented 24 of the identified speed-limit changes. Librera and MTA officials have also credited the Subway Action Plan as another factor in stabilizing service. The plan focuses on maintenance of tracks, signals and train cars and was the subject of an intense funding battle between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Lisa Daglian, the executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, believes the trends are stemming from a confluence of management- and service-related initiatives under NYC Transit President Andy Byford, who has headed the agency for a year. But she noted that there was still a long way to go for service to reach a high quality.
“We’re finally beginning to see real tangible results of what [Byford’s] been talking about in terms of looking at root causes of delays — signals, track speeds and, in some cases, things that can be affected by human behavior, which are still a large part of where the delays are,” said Daglian.
“Is [service] perfect? Absolutely not,” she said. “It’s a work in progress, but it’s better than it was and that’s a great first step.”
The data are revealed as the MTA plans to carry out another biennial fare and toll hike in March — against the wishes of riders and some advocacy groups — and with ridership continuing a steady decline. Average weekday subway ridership fell from 5.698 million in November 2017 to 5.555 million in November 2018, a drop of 143,000 riders.
Weekend service was also hit, with a loss of 122,000 riders on a given weekend day when comparing the same two months. The MTA has blamed a variety of factors for the decreasing ridership, including the rise of e-hail services like Uber and Lyft and an uptick in fare evasion. Advocates have argued that failing service has been the first and foremost reason riders are ditching the trains.
Daglian added that the MTA’s weekend work, geared toward bettering service, has played a role, too. Planned track work was the cause of 42.7 percent of weekend delays in December, disrupting service for a total of 5,354 trains.
“There’s a lot of work that’s happening on weekends and overnights and that impacts people’s decisions on whether they’ll ride,” she said.
|
cheats = 98
cheat0_desc = "Unbegrenzt Leben"
cheat0_code = "880EC2D0 0064"
cheat0_enable = false
cheat1_desc = "Kein Bonus Countdown"
cheat1_code = "880EC2C8 00D0"
cheat1_enable = false
cheat2_desc = "Activator 1 P1"
cheat2_code = "D00CC874 0000"
cheat2_enable = false
cheat3_desc = "Activator 2 P1"
cheat3_code = "D00CC875 0000"
cheat3_enable = false
cheat4_desc = "Dual Activator P1"
cheat4_code = "D10CC874 0000"
cheat4_enable = false
cheat5_desc = "Activator 1 P2"
cheat5_code = "D00CC87A 0000"
cheat5_enable = false
cheat6_desc = "Activator 2 P2"
cheat6_code = "D00CC87B 0000"
cheat6_enable = false
cheat7_desc = "Dual Activator P2"
cheat7_code = "D10CC87A 0000"
cheat7_enable = false
cheat8_desc = "Activator 1 P3"
cheat8_code = "D00CC880 0000"
cheat8_enable = false
cheat9_desc = "Activator 2 P3"
cheat9_code = "D00CC881 0000"
cheat9_enable = false
cheat10_desc = "Dual Activator P3"
cheat10_code = "D10CC880 0000"
cheat10_enable = false
cheat11_desc = "Activator 1 P4"
cheat11_code = "D00CC886 0000"
cheat11_enable = false
cheat12_desc = "Activator 2 P4"
cheat12_code = "D00CC887 0000"
cheat12_enable = false
cheat13_desc = "Dual Activator P4"
cheat13_code = "D10CC886 0000"
cheat13_enable = false
cheat14_desc = "Activator 1 P1 #2"
cheat14_code = "D00CC83C 0000"
cheat14_enable = false
cheat15_desc = "Activator 2 P1 #2"
cheat15_code = "D00CC83D 0000"
cheat15_enable = false
cheat16_desc = "Dual Activator P1 #2"
cheat16_code = "D10CC83C 0000"
cheat16_enable = false
cheat17_desc = "Activator 1 P2 #2"
cheat17_code = "D00CC83E 0000"
cheat17_enable = false
cheat18_desc = "Activator 2 P2 #2"
cheat18_code = "D00CC83F 0000"
cheat18_enable = false
cheat19_desc = "Dual Activator P2 #2"
cheat19_code = "D10CC83E 0000"
cheat19_enable = false
cheat20_desc = "Activator 1 P3 #2"
cheat20_code = "D00CC840 0000"
cheat20_enable = false
cheat21_desc = "Activator 2 P3 #2"
cheat21_code = "D00CC841 0000"
cheat21_enable = false
cheat22_desc = "Dual Activator P3 #2"
cheat22_code = "D10CC840 0000"
cheat22_enable = false
cheat23_desc = "Activator 1 P4 #2"
cheat23_code = "D00CC842 0000"
cheat23_enable = false
cheat24_desc = "Activator 2 P4 #2"
cheat24_code = "D00CC843 0000"
cheat24_enable = false
cheat25_desc = "Dual Activator P4 #2"
cheat25_code = "D10CC842 0000"
cheat25_enable = false
cheat26_desc = "Activator 1 P1 #3"
cheat26_code = "D0035F00 0000"
cheat26_enable = false
cheat27_desc = "Activator 2 P1 #3"
cheat27_code = "D0035F01 0000"
cheat27_enable = false
cheat28_desc = "Dual Activator P1 #3"
cheat28_code = "D1035F00 0000"
cheat28_enable = false
cheat29_desc = "Activator 1 P2 #3"
cheat29_code = "D0035F08 0000"
cheat29_enable = false
cheat30_desc = "Activator 2 P2 #3"
cheat30_code = "D0035F09 0000"
cheat30_enable = false
cheat31_desc = "Dual Activator P2 #3"
cheat31_code = "D1035F08 0000"
cheat31_enable = false
cheat32_desc = "Control Stick Activator 1 P1"
cheat32_code = "D00CC876 0000"
cheat32_enable = false
cheat33_desc = "Control Stick Activator 2 P1"
cheat33_code = "D00CC877 0000"
cheat33_enable = false
cheat34_desc = "Dual Control Stick Activator P1"
cheat34_code = "D10CC876 0000"
cheat34_enable = false
cheat35_desc = "Control Stick Activator 1 P2"
cheat35_code = "D00CC87C 0000"
cheat35_enable = false
cheat36_desc = "Control Stick Activator 2 P2"
cheat36_code = "D00CC87D 0000"
cheat36_enable = false
cheat37_desc = "Dual Control Stick Activator P2"
cheat37_code = "D10CC87C 0000"
cheat37_enable = false
cheat38_desc = "Control Stick Activator 1 P3"
cheat38_code = "D00CC882 0000"
cheat38_enable = false
cheat39_desc = "Control Stick Activator 2 P3"
cheat39_code = "D00CC883 0000"
cheat39_enable = false
cheat40_desc = "Dual Control Stick Activator P3"
cheat40_code = "D10CC882 0000"
cheat40_enable = false
cheat41_desc = "Control Stick Activator 1 P4"
cheat41_code = "D00CC888 0000"
cheat41_enable = false
cheat42_desc = "Control Stick Activator 2 P4"
cheat42_code = "D00CC889 0000"
cheat42_enable = false
cheat43_desc = "Dual Control Stick Activator P4"
cheat43_code = "D10CC888 0000"
cheat43_enable = false
cheat44_desc = "Control Stick Activator 1 P1 #2"
cheat44_code = "D0035F02 0000"
cheat44_enable = false
cheat45_desc = "Control Stick Activator 2 P1 #2"
cheat45_code = "D0035F03 0000"
cheat45_enable = false
cheat46_desc = "Dual Control Stick Activator P1 #2"
cheat46_code = "D1035F02 0000"
cheat46_enable = false
cheat47_desc = "Control Stick Activator 1 P2 #2"
cheat47_code = "D0035F0A 0000"
cheat47_enable = false
cheat48_desc = "Control Stick Activator 2 P2 #2"
cheat48_code = "D0035F0B 0000"
cheat48_enable = false
cheat49_desc = "Dual Control Stick Activator P2 #2"
cheat49_code = "D1035F0A 0000"
cheat49_enable = false
cheat50_desc = "Infinite Ammo (All Codes Below)"
cheat50_code = "810E92E6 03E8+810E92EA 03E8+810E92EE 03E8+810E92F2 03E8+810E92F6 03E8+810E92FA 03E8+810E92FE 03E8+810E9302 03E8+810E9306 03E8+810E930A 03E8+810E930E 03E8"
cheat50_enable = false
cheat51_desc = "Wrist Laser"
cheat51_code = "810E92E6 03E8"
cheat51_enable = false
cheat52_desc = "Photon Phaser"
cheat52_code = "810E92EA 03E8"
cheat52_enable = false
cheat53_desc = "Shotgun"
cheat53_code = "810E92EE 03E8"
cheat53_enable = false
cheat54_desc = "Green Phaser"
cheat54_code = "810E92F2 03E8"
cheat54_enable = false
cheat55_desc = "Machine Gun"
cheat55_code = "810E92F6 03E8"
cheat55_enable = false
cheat56_desc = "Smoke Gun"
cheat56_code = "810E92FA 03E8"
cheat56_enable = false
cheat57_desc = "Pistol"
cheat57_code = "810E92FE 03E8"
cheat57_enable = false
cheat58_desc = "Guided Missiles"
cheat58_code = "810E9302 03E8"
cheat58_enable = false
cheat59_desc = "Stretch Laser"
cheat59_code = "810E9306 03E8"
cheat59_enable = false
cheat60_desc = "Grenades"
cheat60_code = "810E930A 03E8"
cheat60_enable = false
cheat61_desc = "Machine Plasma"
cheat61_code = "810E930E 03E8"
cheat61_enable = false
cheat62_desc = "Infinite Lives"
cheat62_code = "810E9652 0005"
cheat62_enable = false
cheat63_desc = "Infinite Health"
cheat63_code = "810E92D8 42B0"
cheat63_enable = false
cheat64_desc = "Have All Keys"
cheat64_code = "810E92E0 0101+800E92E2 0001"
cheat64_enable = false
cheat65_desc = "Always Have 1st Key"
cheat65_code = "800E92E0 0001"
cheat65_enable = false
cheat66_desc = "Always Have 2nd Key"
cheat66_code = "800E92E1 0001"
cheat66_enable = false
cheat67_desc = "Always Have 3rd Key"
cheat67_code = "800E92E2 0001"
cheat67_enable = false
cheat68_desc = "Max Bonus"
cheat68_code = "810E964A 270F"
cheat68_enable = false
cheat69_desc = "Score Modifier"
cheat69_code = "810E92D6 0000"
cheat69_enable = false
cheat70_desc = "Have All Weapons (Press A+B+R+A A Couple Of Times & You Should Have The Weapons)"
cheat70_code = "810FFF8A 0001"
cheat70_enable = false
cheat71_desc = "Always Play Level Modifier"
cheat71_code = "810FFF92 0001"
cheat71_enable = false
cheat72_desc = "Start On Level Modifier"
cheat72_code = "D00FFF93 0000+810FFF92 0000"
cheat72_enable = false
cheat73_desc = "Weapon Modifier (00 - 0A)"
cheat73_code = "800E931B 0000"
cheat73_enable = false
cheat74_desc = "Don't Lose Ammo - Photon Phaser"
cheat74_code = "8105EE88 2400"
cheat74_enable = false
cheat75_desc = "Ammo Cost Modifier - Photon Phaser (Default FFFF)"
cheat75_code = "8105EE86 0000"
cheat75_enable = false
cheat76_desc = "Don't Lose Ammo - Machine Plasma"
cheat76_code = "81060A84 2400"
cheat76_enable = false
cheat77_desc = "Ammo Cost Modifier - Machine Plasma (Default FFFF)"
cheat77_code = "81060A82 0000"
cheat77_enable = false
cheat78_desc = "Don't Lose Ammo - Grenades"
cheat78_code = "81063A68 2400"
cheat78_enable = false
cheat79_desc = "Ammo Cost Modifier - Grenades (Default FFFF)"
cheat79_code = "81063A66 0000"
cheat79_enable = false
cheat80_desc = "Don't Lose Ammo - Shotgun"
cheat80_code = "8105E11C 2400"
cheat80_enable = false
cheat81_desc = "Ammo Cost Modifier - Shotgun (Default FFFF)"
cheat81_code = "8105E11A 0000"
cheat81_enable = false
cheat82_desc = "Don't Lose Ammo - Machine Gun"
cheat82_code = "8105F548 2400"
cheat82_enable = false
cheat83_desc = "Ammo Cost Modifier - Machine Gun (Default FFFF)"
cheat83_code = "8105F546 0000"
cheat83_enable = false
cheat84_desc = "Don't Lose Ammo - Smoke Gun"
cheat84_code = "810620DC 2400"
cheat84_enable = false
cheat85_desc = "Ammo Cost Modifier - Smoke Gun (Default FFFF)"
cheat85_code = "810620DA 0000"
cheat85_enable = false
cheat86_desc = "Don't Lose Ammo - Pistol"
cheat86_code = "8105E530 2400"
cheat86_enable = false
cheat87_desc = "Ammo Cost Modifier - Pistol (Default FFFF)"
cheat87_code = "8105E52E 0000"
cheat87_enable = false
cheat88_desc = "Don't Lose Ammo - Guided Missiles"
cheat88_code = "810621FC 2400"
cheat88_enable = false
cheat89_desc = "Ammo Cost Modifier - Guided Missiles (Default FFFF)"
cheat89_code = "810621FA 0000"
cheat89_enable = false
cheat90_desc = "Don't Lose Ammo - Stretch Laser"
cheat90_code = "81062BAC 2400"
cheat90_enable = false
cheat91_desc = "Ammo Cost Modifier - Stretch Laser (Default FFFF)"
cheat91_code = "81062BAA 0000"
cheat91_enable = false
cheat92_desc = "Infinite Ammo (All Guns)"
cheat92_code = "810A66AC A05B+810A66AE 0027"
cheat92_enable = false
cheat93_desc = "Infinite Ammo (Normal Codes Patched - Cheat Device 3.0+ Only)"
cheat93_code = "50000B04 0000+810E92E6 03E8"
cheat93_enable = false
cheat94_desc = "Bonus Doesn't Decrease Over Time"
cheat94_code = "810A8F64 2400"
cheat94_enable = false
cheat95_desc = "Bonus Decrease Rate Modifier (Default FFFB)"
cheat95_code = "810A8F62 0000"
cheat95_enable = false
cheat96_desc = "Don't Take Damage From Enemies"
cheat96_code = "81059540 2400"
cheat96_enable = false
cheat97_desc = "Master Code"
cheat97_code = "F1049828 2400"
cheat97_enable = false
|
Today’s seizure of a reported 1,120 ivory tusks in Hong Kong brings to over three tons the amount of illegal elephant ivory, known to have been seized by Chinese authorities since January.
This morning’s seizure was the second in one mont Read more »
Yesterday’s seizure by the Czech Republic of 24 White rhino horns and the arrest of 16 suspects in connection with wildlife trafficking, is the European Union’s largest yet and ample proof that proposals by South Africa to begin a legal t Read more »
A recent evaluation of an advertising campaign by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to reduce ivory demand in China shows that the campaign is paying dividends with 68% of the respondents said that they would definitely not buy ivory i Read more »
STATEMENT From: Jeff Flocken, IFAW North America Director
Congratulations to Etsy for stepping up to the plate in prohibiting the sale of ivory and all other products made from endangered species. By reconsidering its wildlife policies, Etsy jo Read more »
Operation WENDI saw INTERPOL and IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare – www.ifaw.org) team up to target criminal organizations behind the illegal trafficking of ivory in West and Central African countries including the Central African Re Read more »
Unwanted whale meat arrived back in Iceland overnight after ports and cargo companies refused to play a part in its shameful passage to Japan. As the cargo vessel Pioneer Bay approached Reykjavik harbour it was joined by two whale watching vessels wi Read more »
As the International Court of Justice hearing of Australia’s case against Japanese whaling in the Antarctic drew to a close today (Tuesday), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) hopes it will bring an end to so-called scientific wha Read more »
Space for elephants to roam free and safe at Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, grew by nearly 16,000 acres today, with the signing of a lease agreement between the local Maasai community and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW – Read more »
Monday’s seizure of three tonnes of elephant ivory in Mombasa Port brings to 4.5 tonnes of ivory seized in the Kenyan city in less than one week.
Monday’s seizure of three tonnes was discovered disguised as a consignment of peanuts, while Read more »
IFAW Director for France;Celine Sissler-Bienvenu: "In 2013, more than 2,000 rhinoceros horns from Africa were trafficked, which is 30 times more than in 2000"- read more.
Image libraries
Image library
IFAW maintains a growing archive of thousands of hours of broadcast-quality video footage and digital photographs as well as corporate logos. Visit our library »
Creative commons images
We have made some of our most requested animal photos available for download in IFAW’s Creative Commons image set. You are free to download, reproduce, distribute or display them within the terms of the Creative Commons license.See the images and license »
|
A giant north Queensland crocodile has been crowned by Guinness World Records as the biggest crocodile in captivity.
Cassius, named after legendary boxer Cassius Clay who later became Muhammad Ali, was caught in the Northern Territory in 1984, but has called Green Island, off the far-north Queensland coast, home for the past 24 years.
The giant croc, measuring just under 5.5 metres and weighing close to a tonne, lives at Marineland Melanesia's crocodile park, where he has been in the care of owner George Craig for all his captive life.
The two have developed a working relationship in that time, and perhaps even a sort of mutual respect.
"You've got to have a croc mind for a start," Mr Craig said.
"Cassius is a reptile, he's cold-blooded, and he's pretty cold-blooded if I can put it that way."
He said their relationship was such that he could probably swim in the water in Cassius's enclosure without being attacked, but he is not trying it any time soon.
"I like life too much," he said.
Remarkably, Cassius would have been even longer if the 100-year-old croc had not lost an estimated 20-centimetre piece of his tail in a fight at some point in his pre-captivity life.
Mr Craig has passed much of the day-to-day running of the park to his grandson Toody Scott, and it took both men, and all their wits, to measure the croc when Guinness World Records came calling.
"It took months of planning. We drained the pool, got him out and settled, gave him a great big feed and then over a matter of hours he let us get closer and closer until we could put the tape on him," he said.
Guinness World Records spokesman Chris Sheedy said Cassius was one of a few record holders to be honoured with a double-page spread in the 2012 Book of Records, launched on Thursday.
"We thought this record was so amazing that it deserved its own two-page spread and that's now going out in four million copies worldwide," he said.
However, Mr Sheedy said Cassius's reign as world record holder may be brief.
A larger beast, reputedly measuring between six and seven metres, has been caught in the Philippines.
"But until it's in acceptable captivity which is humane and professional, and until it has been properly measured, we can't accept it," he said.
Sorry, this video has expired Giant Philippines crocodile set for stardom
AAP
|
Developed By: TianShe Media
Published By: Oasis Games
Platforms: PSVR
Release Date: October 27th, 2016
The Playstation VR launched in October, a month well known for beer festivals and scary activities. While a game about drinking beer and eating sausage would not be the best fit for a virtual reality experience, horror on the other end is perfect. Game developers clearly know this with horror demos like Kitchen and games like Here They Lie launching with the headset. Weeping Doll missed launch date but has arrived just in time for Halloween. But is the $10 game worth a play through, or should you stick to more beer and sausages?
Weeping Doll is set in a traditional Japanese house, where you work as the household maid. A distressing phone call from the lady of the house sends you scurrying over and spending the next hour or so solving the mystery of what happened. The game has the beginning of what could be a great haunted house experience, but sadly forgets about the haunted part.
I should start by saying I find Asian horror to be particularly terrifying–probably because of all the Rings and Grudges I was forced to watch as a kid–so this game was right up my alley. It’s really not that difficult to scare me. But Weeping Doll actively takes steps to make sure that I’m never scared. From the hour or so of playing, I was never scared at any moment. At times it felt more like a children’s puzzle game instead of a horror title.
Let’s start by how every single light in this house is turned on and every fireplace is burning. The house is lit up like a Christmas tree. Making the scary house dark is like horror 101. All the bright lights just ruin the atmosphere of the game. Next is the soundtrack; it remains the same tone throughout most of the game. Moments that should be scary are turned mundane as the same music in the background continues to play and the tension is never heightened. There are no creaks and mysterious sounds, no turning around because you thought you heard something. Going around the house feels less like a scary ride and more like a open house tour.
There’s some slightly creepy imagery placed around the house, like the dolls and a demon mask. That’s about as far as the game dares to go in creating a creepy atmosphere. Would it really be too much to ask to have the dolls change positions as you look away, or you know just do something creepy? If creepy dolls/mannequins are your thing the RE7 Beginning Hour demo manages to handle it far better. Which is surprising considering this game is called “Weeping Doll”.
When I said I was never scared while playing this game, I might have lied a bit. There was a moment I was scared and it had to do with the gameplay. Traditional movement in VR can be sickening, so Weeping Doll uses another style that’s might look weird but works quite well. Basically, the left analog stick (or the D-Pad) creates a transparent version of your character which you can move around and then teleport to that location. It was weird when I first starting using it, but I ended up liking the movement style. I was surprised how well it worked. I never got sick throughout the game, while Here They Lie, which has a traditional movement scheme, got me feeling a little woozy in it’s demo. Anyway, it’s easy to press the D-Pad or the analog stick and forgetting that you did, then when turning your head you’re surprised with a ghostly version of you standing behind you. To get scared in this game I basically had to trick myself into scaring myself.
The other part of gameplay relies on solving some very simple puzzles. The R2 and L2 button can be used to grab things in your right and left arm respectively, then placing, combining, and interacting with items makes up the games puzzles. As simple as they were, I did find them fun and wish that there were more of them.
The most frustrating part of the game was while solving once of these puzzles. Weeping Doll has a bug that crashes the game and drops you to the PS4 UI every time you attempt to solve it. I was able to figure out a way to solve the puzzle and avoid the crash, but I bet most would give up at that point. It took dozens of crashes before I figured out a way to avoid them. The bug seems to be related to using the reset to checkpoint button, so until the game is updated I would avoid using it. There’s no need to use the button anyway, and I was just testing out what it does.
The story of the game is interesting, but like most horrors the ending is left intentionally ambiguous. In fact, it doesn’t really end. I had to go to the trophy list to check and make sure I finished the game. Although the way credits are handled is pretty cool, and I wouldn’t really put the weird ending against them as it’s one of the only new and interesting things Weeping Doll does.
One of the weirdest things about the story is the voice acting. It’s mostly acceptable considering the game is by non-English indie devs, but there’s one particular scene which has some of the worst voice acting I have ever heard. It’s so bad that it’s hilarious and then sad and then just plain bad again. To avoid spoilers I can’t say much more about it, but you’ll know it when you hear it.
Weeping Doll is a disappointing entry into the VR horror genre, but I’m still really excited to see what the devs work on next. They have a good framework and engine, it just seems their intentions are wrongly placed. I can see why they wanted to avoid making the game too scary, but I hope they learn their lesson and don’t hold back on their next title. Don’t be afraid to make your horror game scary or make the puzzle gameplay more difficult. It also wouldn’t hurt to work on the voice acting.
Related
|
Pre-eclampsia (EPH-gestosis)-induced decrease of MMP-s content in the umbilical cord artery.
It was found in our previous paper that pre-eclampsia-associated accumulation of collagen in the umbilical cord artery (UCA) is a result of increased biosynthesis and decreased degradation of this protein. It is known that the activity of collagenolytic enzymes is a main factor regulating collagen degradation rate in various tissues. For this reason it was decided to evaluate the effect of pre-eclampsia on the content and activity of metalloproteinases by immunoenzymatic method (ELISA), zymographic technique and with the use of specific substrates. A low amount of MMP-1 (collagenase 1), MMP-9 (gelatinase B) and MMP-3 (stromelysin 1) was detected in the extracts from the wall of the umbilical cord artery. MMP-2 (gelatinase A) is the main collagenolytic enzyme in UCA wall (both latent and active form). Pre-eclampsia is associated with a distinct reduction in those metalloproteinases content in comparison to control UCAs. It can be concluded from zymography that MMP-2 (gelatinase A) of the umbilical cord artery forms an inactive complex with a tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP). Such a complex dissociates under the action of p-aminophenylmercuric acetate (APMA) or sodium dodecyl sulphate. The decrease of metalloproteinases content and activity in the umbilical cord artery may be a factor that reduces the breakdown of collagen in the arterial wall and promotes the accumulation of this protein. The accumulation of collagen with simultaneous reduction in elastin content in the UCA may be the factor that reduces the elasticity of arterial wall and decreases the blood flow in the fetus of women with pre-eclampsia.
|
/*
* Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
* or more contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file
* distributed with this work for additional information
* regarding copyright ownership. The ASF licenses this file
* to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
* "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
* with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
*
* http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
*
* Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
* software distributed under the License is distributed on an
* "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
* KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the
* specific language governing permissions and limitations
* under the License.
*/
package org.apache.parquet.format.event;
import org.apache.thrift.TException;
import org.apache.thrift.protocol.TProtocol;
/**
* To receive Thrift field events
*
* @author Julien Le Dem
* @deprecated java code moved to the parquet-mr project: See org.apache.parquet:parquet-format-structures; Will be
* removed from here
*/
@Deprecated
public interface FieldConsumer {
/**
* called by the EventBasedThriftReader when reading a field from a Struct
* @param protocol the underlying protocol
* @param eventBasedThriftReader the reader to delegate to further calls.
* @param id the id of the field
* @param type the type of the field
* @return the typed consumer to pass the value to
* @throws TException
*/
public void consumeField(TProtocol protocol, EventBasedThriftReader eventBasedThriftReader, short id, byte type) throws TException;
}
|
Land for sale in Platanias, Chania
SLOPE LAND WITH OLIVE TREES
The plot is situated in a very good location of a region that has seen much growth in recent years, about 10 minutes' drive west of Platanias. It is sloping, elevated, has olive trees and offers nice views of the sea and the lush surrounding hills. There is direct access to the water supply and the electricity as well as to an asphalt road.
In about 2 km you will find supermarkets, taverns, cafes, bakery, school, pharmacy, medical center and others. There is also a bus stop with regular service to Chania and Kissamos. The area consists mainly of beautiful, new homes and has potential for future development. The city center of Chania and the airport are approximately 25 and 35 minutes' drive, respectively.
Interested in this property?
Make an offer
Ask for a viewing, without obligation
Ask for more information
Please, type the code of the image to the box here
Key features
Zone : village
Land area : 528 m²
Build. approval : 240 m²
Closest beach : 2 km
Views : sea views
Current use : olive grove
Frontage width : 11 m
Details
Access : asphalt road
Gradient : slope
Depth : 47 m
Shape : rectangle
Sides on road : 1
Side margins : 2.5 m
Max. Build. Height : 7.5 m
Max. Build. Floors : 2
Major distances
Electricity : 0 m
Water : 0 m
Telephone : 0 m
Chania : 19 km
Airport : 36.5 km
Port of Souda : 25 km
Purchase fees & taxes
» Real Estate Fee : € 1,500
» Estim. Lawyer Fee : € 1,000
» Estim. Notary Fee : € 1,000
» Estim. Purch. Tax : € 1,590
About the region
Platanias is a village and municipality on the Greek island of Crete. It is located about 10 km west from the city of Chania and east of Kastelli-Kissamos, on Chania Bay. The seat of the municipality is the village Gerani. Platanias is a popular tourism village with a beach, several hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops...
Contact us
Come and meet us
Our agency is located in Chania and in the center of Pyrgos Psilonerou, a village between Gerani and Maleme in the municipality of Platanias. The easiest way to reach us is by taking the old road from Chania to Kissamos. You will see us on your left, right before the exit to village Kontomari.
|
It's a new month, but April 1 also means a raft of new legislations will be coming into force.
The laws will have a big impact, with drivers, employees and renters all facing big changes.
Some laws - such as drone safety tests and Universal Credit - will come into effect later on in the month.
Our colleagues at Birmingham Live rounded up the new laws you need to know in April 2018.
New car tax rates
Car tax is changing (Image: Getty)
From today, the way car tax is calculated will change - and for the first time - it will be based on CO2 emissions.
According to gov.uk, for the first year drivers will pay a rate based on the car's CO2 emissions, from the time it was registered.
The change doesn’t affect any vehicle registered before 1 April 2017.
After the first year, the amount of tax that needs to be paid depends on the type of vehicle. The rates are:
£140 a year for petrol or diesel vehicles
130 a year for alternative fuel vehicles (hybrids, bioethanol and LPG)
£0 a year for vehicles with zero CO2 emissions
Autoexpress.co.uk says: "If you're buying a new car, then you will pay road tax based on the current system that was introduced on 1 April 2017.
"First-year road tax is based on emissions, while there's a flat rate of road tax for subsequent years.
"The first-year rate is included in a new car's on-the-road price, and is of more concern to the manufacturer than the buyer. However, the second-year rate is what you'll pay after 12 months of owning the car.
Read More
National pay rise
Employees can expect a pay rise from today, as the government begins to implement the recommended increases in the National Living Wage.
For people aged 25, and over, the rate will increase from £7.50 to £7.83. Workers aged between 21-24 will see pay rise from £7.05 to £7.38.
Wages will also rise from £5.60 to £5.90 for 18-20 year olds, from £4.05 to £4.20 for 16-17 year olds and from £3.50 to £3.70 for apprentices under the age of 19 - or for those in their first year.
Lower heating bills for renters
Landlords will be fined if they don't meet the new requirements (Image: Getty)
All privately-owned properties must have a minimum energy performance rating of 'E', from today. It means landlords must make improvements to homes - by upgrading insulation or heating systems for example - as this will make them cheaper to heat.
The government has said it will be unlawful to rent out a property which breaches this minimum rating, and a civil penalty of £4,000 will be imposed for landlords who let their homes fall below the minimum standard.
Read More
Gender pay gap reveal
By April 4, private and public bodies must publish the difference between what their male and female employers earn.
Many business have already published theirs, ahead of the deadline.
All companies with more than 250 members of staff must publish the difference between the median hourly pay rate of men and women.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has said it will begin enforcement action on April 9, for businesses which fail to comply. This could lead to legal action and an "unlimited fine" set by the courts.
Speaking to the BBC, Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive of the EHRC, said: "The clock is ticking and with just 10 days to go, those who haven't reported really are entering the last chance saloon."
Universal Credit
Are you ready for Universal Credit? (Image: PA)
Universal Credit is being introduced in stages throughout the UK.
It is a monthly payment that will replace Jobseeker's Allowance and other work-related benefits. Universal Credit will replace the following six benefits, according to gov.co.uk:
Child Tax Credit
Housing Benefit
Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Working Tax Credit
If you currently receive any of these benefits, you can’t claim Universal Credit at the same time, according to gov.co.uk
You don’t need to do anythingntil you hear from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about moving - unless you have a change in circumstances.
|
In a monumental move, the nation's largest Presbyterian denomination voted Thursday to change its definition of marriage and allow its pastors to officiate same-sex ceremonies in states where gay marriage is legal.
By a vote of 429-175, leaders of the 1.76 million-member Presbyterian Church (USA) voted during the biennial General Assembly in Detroit to change the denomination's Book of Order to describe marriage as being between "two people."
The decision opens a path toward gay marriage across the denomination's 10,000 churches.
A majority of the church's 172 regional bodies, called Presbyteries, must now approve the decision before it's official, a process that can take up to a year. But after years of failed efforts to get the church to approve gay marriages, LGBT activists and pastors said they were optimistic.
“This is a glorious day for the church and for LGBT people who have been seeking full inclusion here for decades,” Pittsburgh-based Rev. Randy Bush, the co-moderator of the board for pro-LGBT church group Covenant Network, said in a statement.
In a separate vote, 371 to 238, the church assembly also approved a measure to allow pastors who minister in places where same-sex marriage is legal, which currently includes 19 states and the District of Columbia, to officiate those weddings. That move is final and doesn't need further approval.
Many smaller, more conservative Presbyterian denominations, including the Presbyterian Church in America and Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, don't ordain gay people or official same-sex marriages.
But the decisions for the USA group, which came after hours of tense debate, follow years of discussions on the meaning of marriage in the church and a rapidly changing tide of support for religious and civil same-sex marriage. The Presbyterian Church (USA) voted in May 2011 to allow the ordination of openly gay men and women in same-sex relationships, and other Christian denominations have also increasingly ordained openly gay clergy.
The Episcopal Church started allowing same-sex marriage blessings last year, though individual priests have been performing gay marriage ceremonies for years in states where they are legal. The United Church of Christ has allowed same-sex marriages since 2005. Going further back, the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations has officially supported same-sex marriages since 1996. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America allows individual church ministers to make decisions on gay marriages. Among Jews, two of the three major Jewish denominations, Reform and Conservative, allow same-sex marriages.
Like most religious groups that have policies allowing same-sex marriage, Presbyterians decided Thursday to let pastors who are against gay marriages make the choice to not perform them.
Some speakers at the assembly said they were afraid the decision would cause more conservative people to leave the church, which has been gradually losing members. As recently as 2010, the Presbyterian Church (USA) had 2.1 million members. Hundreds of congregations have defected in recent years, in part because of the church's increasingly liberal views on gay issues.
To combat splintering, Presbyterians voted to include language that marriage is not only between "two people," but also "traditionally of a man a woman" in the change passed Thursday.
|
From 45° down to 90° up, and everything in between, the Grass King® cuts the competition down to size. This unique mower’sadjustable arm muscles over sloped terrain, leaving ditch banks and ponds nowhere to hide. So if you’re looking for the right angle on tough jobs, look no further than the king, Grass King.Grass King®Flail MowersFrom 45° down to 90° up, and everything in between, the Grass ...
GB 01/06 FLAIL MOWER USER’S MANUAL 0 USER’S MANUALEN e are mentione py of which is always suppl1. FOREWORD Pag. 0 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.11.12.13.14.15.17.18. This manual cannot be either reproduced or released without the manufacturer’s p PRINTED IN ITALY 1 - FOREWORD ation. If possible er not to This symbol is used to highlight an ...
Flail Mowers - Mulchers are designed for works related to maintenance of municipal infrastructure, urban greenery and orchards. Machines of this type are used for mowing grass, shrubs, bushes (up to 10 cm) and cutting weeds on uncultivated areas to leave windrows. Particularly useful in mowing road shoulders, ditches, as well as slopes and counter-slopes. Mulchers are designed for ...
www.elho.fiELHO Mower conditionersand disc mowersMower conditioners from ELHO for every needELHO has a wide collection of mower conditioners of different models and sizes. Nearly every model has the HydroBalance suspension system, and the machine follows the ground softly and avoids obstacles. ELHO manufactures double, front, mounted, trailed mower conditioners and roller mower conditioners and ...
Width of cut: 1,25 - 1,55 m.Max sidesliding: 1,74 - 2,04.Tractors size: from 18 up to 40 HP.Side mowers working behind and on the side of the tractor on flat or sloping surfaces (max. cutting width: Ø 1,5 ...
50” & 60” RotaryMade for cutting grass, weeds, andbrush up to 5” in diameter, this rotaryfeatures a stacked 3-leaf blade bar with two heavy-duty, double-edged, flat blades. The top deck is made of 11-gauge alloy steel with 1/4” thick side skirts. A hydraulic door is featured for greater shredding capabilities. Each model is availablewith an optional swivel feature to minimize roading width and ...
The Alamo Rear Mount Boom gets your mowing jobs done while keeping your tractor available for other applications. Made for roadside clearing and featuring a variety of lengths and cutting heads; grass, brush and tree limbs are conveniently within your ...
Machete®1500/604/WM1502 East Walnut St. • Seguin, Texas 781551-800-882-5762www.alamo-industrial.comWarranty: One year limited parts and labor. Non-governmentalusers are subject to modified policy. Only genuine AlamoIndustrial parts should be used for warranty replacement.Flail-Axe® Brush CutterThis flail cutting head will cut a 4’ swaththrough vegetation up to 4” in diameter.Sixteen 2-pound ...
|
Miyerkules, Mayo 24, 2017
The Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), a socialist national labor center, added its voice today to all those who oppose President Rodrigo Duterte’s imposition of martial law in the whole of Mindanao. Our position in based on the following grounds:
1. Mindanao is not in a state of lawless violence, nor is it facing invasion or rebellion, which are the only cases where Martial Law could be legally imposed.
The Marawi attack does not justify the imposition of military rule in a region that is now pursuing peace through revived negotiations between the Philippine government and the various armed groups of the Moro self-determination movement.
2. Unlike in the 1973 and 1935 constitutions, where imminent danger or mere threat to public safety is enough to justify military rule and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, the 1987 Constitution requires that there has to be an actual uprising or insurrection in the entire Mindanao region before a justified declaration of Martial Law.
In forty eight (48) hours, Duterte is required, by law, to reveal to Congress the factual and legal basis of his imposition of Martial Law.
We demand that Malacanang to also present its case on why military rule is its solution to the terror attacks, as it is contradictory to statements by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), which declared that the situation in Marawi is now “under control”, and to declarations by Rodrigo Duterte himself, who has said that a purely military solution will not address the historical roots of the Mindanao conflict.
3. The legal minds of Malacanang – especially President Duterte – may argue that safeguards to civil liberties and political rights are in place even with the imposition of Martial Law. But formal recognition is different from actual realities. The Bill of Rights is often illusory in a warlord-ridden region such as Mindanao, even during peace-time but certainly more so during martial rule.
Since the imposition of martial law in Mindanao has no factual and legal basis and because Malacanang rushed into martial rule, without exhausting all other options, we fear that the fascist tendency of the Duterte regime is nearing its full bloom, through the re-imposition of open dictatorship in the entire country, which Digong has repeatedly threatened to do during the campaign and throughout his first year in office.
The BMP demands that the Duterte administration immediately (a) end the martial law in Mindanao; (b) uphold civilian supremacy over the military; (c) protect people’s rights – especially the rights to freedom of association and legitimate dissent; and, (d) address the longstanding conflicts in Mindanao by satisfying the Filipino people’s demand for peace and equality and the Bangsamoro people’s right for self-determination. #
Wakasan ang Impunidad!
Hustisya sa mga Manggagawang Pinaslang sa Hacienda Luisita!
Ka Romy speaking
BMP Dep. Sec. Gen. Ka Romy Castillo
Workers of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains.- Karl Marx
Mabuhay ang BMP-K!
"Anyone who knows anything of history knows that great social changes are impossible without feminine upheaval. Social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex, the ugly ones included." - Karl Marx
BMP-Kababaihan
"Women's propaganda must touch upon all those questions which are of great importance to the general proletarian movement. The main task is, indeed, to awaken the women's class consciousness and to incorporate them into the class struggle." - Clara Zetkin
.
White to move and mate in 3
"If a ruler does not understand chess, how can he rule over a kingdom?" - Sassanian King of Kings, Khusros II
|
/**
* This file is part of Kayak.
*
* Kayak is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
* it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
* the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
* (at your option) any later version.
*
* Kayak is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
* but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
* MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
* GNU General Public License for more details.
*
* You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
* along with Kayak. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
*
*/
package com.github.kayak.ui.projects;
import com.github.kayak.core.Bus;
/**
*
* @author Jan-Niklas Meier < [email protected] >
*/
public interface ProjectChangeListener {
public void projectNameChanged(Project p, String name);
public void projectClosed(Project p);
public void projectOpened(Project p);
public void projectBusAdded(Project p, Bus bus);
public void projectBusRemoved(Project p, Bus bus);
}
|
Mike Conway believes it is too early to make any firm assessments about Toyota Gazoo Racing’s chances in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans despite the team’s dominant test day display.
Toyota locked out the top three positions on the test time sheets with its raft of TS050 Hybrids as the rival Porsche team finished over three seconds off the pace.
Defending Le Mans winner Neel Jani told Sportscar365 on Sunday that he thought the front row was out of reach for Porsche, such was Toyota’s advantage over a single lap.
“If you just went off of last week’s effort, yeah, you could say that,” Conway told Sportscar365.
“I don’t know. I don’t think they went for a full qualifying effort anyway, so let’s see how the week unfolds.”
While Conway was impressed by the progress that Toyota has made with its car since its heartbreaking defeat at Le Mans last year, he stressed that he did not want to make any set assumptions about the pecking order among the LMP1 hybrids.
“The pace seems a lot better, a lot more improved than when we were here last year. It’s a big step, all down to the hard work of the team,” he said.
“A lot of effort has gone into many areas, so it looks good. It’s too early to read into anything. We’ll just focus on what we’re doing and then see where we are come qualifying.
“Even then, remember last year we weren’t really sure where we were going to be until the race was unfolding, and that’s kind of normally what happens.
“As the stint starts, even at places like Silverstone where we were massively ahead in qualifying, Porsche was right there in the race.
“I think it’s going to be a tight one.”
With memories of its 2016 loss fresh in the mind, Conway believes that the chance to bounce back gives Toyota’s push for the win at the Circuit de la Sarthe an added edge.
“It would be an amazing story, put right what happened last year,” Conway said.
“We’ve been strong all year. The first few races have been really good for us, and it would be amazing.
“The team’s been trying to win this one for a long time and Toyota as well so we’d love to be able to deliver it to the team, whatever car it may be, No. 7, No. 8, or No. 9.
“I hope that one of us does it.”
The pain of that defeat was felt no more acutely than by this year’s No. 8 crew, including Anthony Davidson, who is comforted by the fact that losing in such fashion is unlikely to happen again.
“As a car crew we did the work we had to. It was cruelly robbed and taken away from us at the last minute, literally the last minute, so hopefully we won’t suffer that pain again this year,” Davidson told Sportscar365.
“But it’s certainly character-building, and you realize that you probably won’t go through that kind of pain again. In a way it makes you stronger.
“I feel like us coming into this race this year, you just treat it like any other race. What will be will be, that’s my mental approach anyway. I think last year really taught me that.”
|
using System.Linq;
using System.Management.Automation;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;
using PnP.PowerShell.CmdletHelpAttributes;
using PnP.PowerShell.Commands.Base.PipeBinds;
using PnP.PowerShell.Commands.Enums;
namespace PnP.PowerShell.Commands.Principals
{
[Cmdlet(VerbsCommon.Set, "PnPGroup")]
[CmdletHelp("Updates a group",
Category = CmdletHelpCategory.Principals)]
[CmdletExample(
Code = @"PS:> Set-PnPGroup -Identity 'My Site Members' -SetAssociatedGroup Members",
Remarks = "Sets the SharePoint group with the name 'My Site Members' as the associated members group",
SortOrder = 1)]
[CmdletExample(
Code = @"PS:> Set-PnPGroup -Identity 'My Site Members' -Owner 'site owners'",
Remarks = "Sets the SharePoint group with the name 'site owners' as the owner of the SharePoint group with the name 'My Site Members'",
SortOrder = 2)]
public class SetGroup : PnPWebCmdlet
{
[Parameter(Mandatory = true, HelpMessage = "A group object, an ID or a name of a group")]
public GroupPipeBind Identity = new GroupPipeBind();
[Parameter(Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "One of the associated group types (Visitors, Members, Owners")]
public AssociatedGroupType SetAssociatedGroup = AssociatedGroupType.None;
[Parameter(Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "Name of the permission set to add to this SharePoint group")]
public string AddRole = string.Empty;
[Parameter(Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "Name of the permission set to remove from this SharePoint group")]
public string RemoveRole = string.Empty;
[Parameter(Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "The title for the group")]
public string Title = string.Empty;
[Parameter(Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "The owner for the group, which can be a user or another group")]
public string Owner;
[Parameter(Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "The description for the group")]
public string Description;
[Parameter(Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "A switch parameter that specifies whether to allow users to request membership in the group and to allow users to request to leave the group")]
public bool AllowRequestToJoinLeave;
[Parameter(Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "A switch parameter that specifies whether users are automatically added or removed when they make a request")]
public bool AutoAcceptRequestToJoinLeave;
[Parameter(Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "A switch parameter that specifies whether group members can modify membership in the group")]
public bool AllowMembersEditMembership;
[Parameter(Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "A switch parameter that specifies whether only group members are allowed to view the list of members in the group")]
public bool OnlyAllowMembersViewMembership;
[Parameter(Mandatory = false, HelpMessage = "The e-mail address to which membership requests are sent")]
public string RequestToJoinEmail;
protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()
{
var group = Identity.GetGroup(SelectedWeb);
ClientContext.Load(group,
g => g.AllowMembersEditMembership,
g => g.AllowRequestToJoinLeave,
g => g.AutoAcceptRequestToJoinLeave,
g => g.OnlyAllowMembersViewMembership,
g => g.RequestToJoinLeaveEmailSetting);
ClientContext.ExecuteQueryRetry();
if (SetAssociatedGroup != AssociatedGroupType.None)
{
switch (SetAssociatedGroup)
{
case AssociatedGroupType.Visitors:
{
SelectedWeb.AssociateDefaultGroups(null, null, group);
break;
}
case AssociatedGroupType.Members:
{
SelectedWeb.AssociateDefaultGroups(null, group, null);
break;
}
case AssociatedGroupType.Owners:
{
SelectedWeb.AssociateDefaultGroups(group, null, null);
break;
}
}
}
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(AddRole))
{
var roleDefinition = SelectedWeb.RoleDefinitions.GetByName(AddRole);
var roleDefinitionBindings = new RoleDefinitionBindingCollection(ClientContext);
roleDefinitionBindings.Add(roleDefinition);
var roleAssignments = SelectedWeb.RoleAssignments;
roleAssignments.Add(group, roleDefinitionBindings);
ClientContext.Load(roleAssignments);
ClientContext.ExecuteQueryRetry();
}
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(RemoveRole))
{
var roleAssignment = SelectedWeb.RoleAssignments.GetByPrincipal(group);
var roleDefinitionBindings = roleAssignment.RoleDefinitionBindings;
ClientContext.Load(roleDefinitionBindings);
ClientContext.ExecuteQueryRetry();
foreach (var roleDefinition in roleDefinitionBindings.Where(roleDefinition => roleDefinition.Name == RemoveRole))
{
roleDefinitionBindings.Remove(roleDefinition);
roleAssignment.Update();
ClientContext.ExecuteQueryRetry();
break;
}
}
var dirty = false;
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(Title))
{
group.Title = Title;
dirty = true;
}
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(Description))
{
var groupItem = SelectedWeb.SiteUserInfoList.GetItemById(group.Id);
SelectedWeb.Context.Load(groupItem, g => g["Notes"]);
SelectedWeb.Context.ExecuteQueryRetry();
var groupDescription = groupItem["Notes"]?.ToString();
if (groupDescription != Description)
{
groupItem["Notes"] = Description;
groupItem.Update();
dirty = true;
}
var plainTextDescription = OfficeDevPnP.Core.Utilities.PnPHttpUtility.ConvertSimpleHtmlToText(Description, int.MaxValue);
if (group.Description != plainTextDescription)
{
//If the description is more than 512 characters long a server exception will be thrown.
group.Description = plainTextDescription;
dirty = true;
}
}
if (ParameterSpecified(nameof(AllowRequestToJoinLeave)) && AllowRequestToJoinLeave != group.AllowRequestToJoinLeave)
{
group.AllowRequestToJoinLeave = AllowRequestToJoinLeave;
dirty = true;
}
if (ParameterSpecified(nameof(AutoAcceptRequestToJoinLeave)) && AutoAcceptRequestToJoinLeave != group.AutoAcceptRequestToJoinLeave)
{
group.AutoAcceptRequestToJoinLeave = AutoAcceptRequestToJoinLeave;
dirty = true;
}
if (ParameterSpecified(nameof(AllowMembersEditMembership)) && AllowMembersEditMembership != group.AllowMembersEditMembership)
{
group.AllowMembersEditMembership = AllowMembersEditMembership;
dirty = true;
}
if (ParameterSpecified(nameof(OnlyAllowMembersViewMembership)) && OnlyAllowMembersViewMembership != group.OnlyAllowMembersViewMembership)
{
group.OnlyAllowMembersViewMembership = OnlyAllowMembersViewMembership;
dirty = true;
}
if (RequestToJoinEmail != group.RequestToJoinLeaveEmailSetting)
{
group.RequestToJoinLeaveEmailSetting = RequestToJoinEmail;
dirty = true;
}
if (dirty)
{
group.Update();
ClientContext.ExecuteQueryRetry();
}
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(Owner))
{
Principal groupOwner;
try
{
groupOwner = SelectedWeb.EnsureUser(Owner);
group.Owner = groupOwner;
group.Update();
ClientContext.ExecuteQueryRetry();
}
catch
{
groupOwner = SelectedWeb.SiteGroups.GetByName(Owner);
group.Owner = groupOwner;
group.Update();
ClientContext.ExecuteQueryRetry();
}
}
}
}
}
|
One of the most sought-after flavored cigar brands out there, Cojimar has been making fine flavored smokes since 1996 and offers many different varieties including amaretto, apple, cinnamon, cherry, chocolate, cognac, honey, mango, mint, peach, rum, sambuca, and vanilla. Popular for the "sugared tip" that they use on many of their sizes, Cojimar cigars are handmade in the Dominican Republic for a delicious quick-smoke, whenever the mood may strike.
|
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Oh Pedro...
El Toro is the hot topic of the 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates season. I really haven't felt the need to write about him seeing as to how I'm pretty sick of hearing about him myself....but I guess I'll weigh in.
Man. You shouldn't have changed your number Pedro.
#17 Pedro
#17 Alvarez 2010- 95 games, 16 homers, .256 AVG, .788 OPS
#24 Alvarez 2011- 74 games, 4 homers, .191 AVG, .561 OPS
Yuck.
This spring- 16 ABs, 2 homers, .188 AVG, .750 OPS
The spring sample size is tiny, I know, and I would take it with a grain of salt even after a full month. He has just three hits this spring, which is horrible with 16 at bats, but two of them are homers. Watching some of these games, Pedro seems to be hitting the ball pretty hard. Luck always plays into baseball, and he might be a little bit on the unlucky side this spring.
With that though, are his five strikeouts. Five strikeouts in 16 plate appearances probably needs to improve.
Another issue is his walks, or the non-existence of them. Yeah...there are none. It's probably hard to walk when you are struggling at the plate as much as Pedro has been. That's why pitchers rarely walk, it's better to throw three meat balls down the plate than it is to give a pitcher a free pass. Similar situation to Alvarez. Pitchers would rather give Pedro meat balls than walk him. That's where Alvarez has to take advantage. He can definitely hit a fast ball, he just needs to do it with more consistency.
Whether you like it or not, I know I sure don't, the entire 2012 season rests squarely on Pedro's shoulders. No doubt about it. There are other players in this organization, but they really don't mean much if Pedro ends up in AAA by May or June.
McCutchen is not the Pirates clean up hitter. We saw him try to make up for the lack of power in the Pirates lineup last year when the Pirates were trying to win the division, it didn't work out for either the Pirates or Cutch.
|
Isotropic exchange interaction between Mo and the proximal FeS center in the xanthine oxidase family member aldehyde oxidoreductase from Desulfovibrio gigas on native and polyalcohol inhibited samples: an EPR and QM/MM study.
Aldehyde oxidoreductase from Desulfovibrio gigas (DgAOR) is a homodimeric molybdenum-containing protein that catalyzes the hydroxylation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids and contains a Mo-pyranopterin active site and two FeS centers called FeS 1 and FeS 2. The electron transfer reaction inside DgAOR is proposed to be performed through a chemical pathway linking Mo and the two FeS clusters involving the pyranopterin ligand. EPR studies performed on reduced as-prepared DgAOR showed that this pathway is able to transmit very weak exchange interactions between Mo(V) and reduced FeS 1. Similar EPR studies but performed on DgAOR samples inhibited with glycerol and ethylene glycol showed that the value of the exchange coupling constant J increases ~2 times upon alcohol inhibition. Structural studies in these DgAOR samples have demonstrated that the Mo-FeS 1 bridging pathway does not show significant differences, confirming that the changes in J observed upon inhibition cannot be ascribed to structural changes associated neither with pyranopterin and FeS 1 nor with changes in the electronic structure of FeS 1, as its EPR properties remain unchanged. Theoretical calculations indicate that the changes in J detected by EPR are related to changes in the electronic structure of Mo(V) determined by the replacement of the OHx labile ligand for an alcohol molecule. Since the relationship between electron transfer rate and isotropic exchange interaction, the present results suggest that the intraenzyme electron transfer process mediated by the pyranopterin moiety is governed by a Mo ligand-based regulatory mechanism.
|
#import "TLRPCusers_getFullUser.h"
#import "../NSInputStream+TL.h"
#import "../NSOutputStream+TL.h"
#import "TLInputUser.h"
#import "TLUserFull.h"
@implementation TLRPCusers_getFullUser
- (Class)responseClass
{
return [TLUserFull class];
}
- (int)impliedResponseSignature
{
return (int)0x47677fb2;
}
- (int)layerVersion
{
return 8;
}
- (int32_t)TLconstructorSignature
{
TGLog(@"constructorSignature is not implemented for base type");
return 0;
}
- (int32_t)TLconstructorName
{
TGLog(@"constructorName is not implemented for base type");
return 0;
}
- (id<TLObject>)TLbuildFromMetaObject:(std::shared_ptr<TLMetaObject>)__unused metaObject
{
TGLog(@"TLbuildFromMetaObject is not implemented for base type");
return nil;
}
- (void)TLfillFieldsWithValues:(std::map<int32_t, TLConstructedValue> *)__unused values
{
TGLog(@"TLfillFieldsWithValues is not implemented for base type");
}
@end
@implementation TLRPCusers_getFullUser$users_getFullUser : TLRPCusers_getFullUser
- (int32_t)TLconstructorSignature
{
return (int32_t)0xca30a5b1;
}
- (int32_t)TLconstructorName
{
return (int32_t)0xb6d156bf;
}
- (id<TLObject>)TLbuildFromMetaObject:(std::shared_ptr<TLMetaObject>)metaObject
{
TLRPCusers_getFullUser$users_getFullUser *object = [[TLRPCusers_getFullUser$users_getFullUser alloc] init];
object.n_id = metaObject->getObject((int32_t)0x7a5601fb);
return object;
}
- (void)TLfillFieldsWithValues:(std::map<int32_t, TLConstructedValue> *)values
{
{
TLConstructedValue value;
value.type = TLConstructedValueTypeObject;
value.nativeObject = self.n_id;
values->insert(std::pair<int32_t, TLConstructedValue>((int32_t)0x7a5601fb, value));
}
}
@end
|
679 F.2d 879
Dammonsv.Stephenson
81-8117
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Fourth Circuit
5/7/82
1
M.D.N.C.
CPC DENIED--DISMISSED
|
“We were so wrong!”
This week Fox announced that Prometheus 2 will be released in March of 2016. The script will be written by Michael Green (Blade Runner remake) & Jack Paglen (Transcendence) and again, directed by Ridley Scott himself. While those writers do nothing for me, I was still super excited to hear this news. A funny thing happened though, as I was clapping with delight I looked around and noticed everyone else was clapping like Steve McQueen at The Oscars. It suddenly dawned on me that Prometheus is a movie that everyone else hates…
Well, actually, some of that intro was a lie. It was pretty apparent to me from the second I walked out of the theater that no one else (with the exception of my wife) actually enjoyed Prometheus. The film grossed 126$ million domestically, which was less than its 130$ million budget. Luckily it made a nice chunk of change overseas, more than double its domestic gross (276$ million).
In order to understand my undying love for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, you have to first understand that while other kids were playing Batman and Superman at recess, I was pretending to be Pvt. Hudson, blasting the shit out of Xenomorphs with my hip mounted pulse rifle. Alien is the first movie I can remember seeing, which is a pretty bad sign of how my childhood went, considering I was born in 1985 and Alien came out in 1979 as a hard rated R film that also happened to be a hard piece of genre fiction. What I’m trying to say is that it’s probably not a good idea for a 6 year old to pop in the VHS of Alien and watch it by himself. However, the only real psychological effects this experience had on me were a never ending love of science fiction and an uncompromising attitude towards good storytelling. Oh, and I’m also really into Alien porn.
I love Alien, I love Aliens, I really like Alien 3, I can even watch Alien: Resurrection without getting too upset. (However, anything with the title AVP can go fuck itself, I refuse to see Alien turned into some STD sounding fanboy mashup). So, you can understand why the concept of series creator Ridley Scott revisiting his SF opus after 33 years got me all kinds of excited. And now I’m here to explain how he accomplished everything I’d hoped for, while also creating something that I didn’t see coming at all.
Alien created the horror science fiction genre, but it also mastered it. So a simple rehash of Alien would not suffice. For Ridley Scott, Prometheus had to be bigger, on almost every single level. Writer Damn Lindelof gets a lot of flack for what he did with Prometheus, but very few people acknowledge how ambitiously layered his script is. If you break down the story there are basically 3 point of view characters: Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, David, and Meredith Vickers. I will acknowledge right off the bat that Charlize Theron’s character Vickers is almost completely unnecessary, and the reveal that she is Weyland’s daughter is complete script fluff. This is also acknowledged by both characters sudden demise; one who is crushed by a rolling spaceship and the other who is beat to death by his creator while exclaiming “There is nothing”. If he is talking about this plot thread then he hit the nail on the head.
Let’s start with the Engineers before we get into Shaw and David. Now everyone has an interpretation of Prometheus, which is actually a major reason that I love it. The film requires analysis… Unfortunately this turns a lot of people who need definitive answers off. The movie opens with a 10 foot tall Engineer standing on a waterfall with a little cup of ooze in his hand while the spaceship that dropped him off can be seen leaving the planet in the background. This is Earth, and the Engineer has been assigned with the sacrificial duty of seeding planet Earth with life. David acknowledges this later with the line “sometimes to create, you must first destroy.”
Why? Well, this is the big question. Not only for the viewer but also for Shaw (played wonderfully by Noomi Rapace), who has been going from cave to cave, finding the same painting that crosses civilizations and time in a way that seem impossible. Shaw’s theory seems to be that the Engineers visited these ancient civilizations and showed them a star map, which they then painted in their caves so we could one day come visit them when we were all growed up. However, Shaw is terribly wrong. We are creatures created in our creators likeness, but we are not as great as our creator. The star map, like most of our behavior is just residual intelligence left over from the DNA of that first Engineer on the waterfall.
Dr. Shaw and her sex buddy Dr. Halloway convince trillionaire Peter Weyland to fund their quest to visit this party mankind was invited to from day one of existence. The star system painted on the caves happens to be the famous LV system. Although, they are going to LV-223 not Ripley’s LV-426… which bugs me a little. All I can think is that may be due to the fact that space travel has become more commercialized in the 50 years since Prometheus. Possibly some planet renaming was done? Either that or the effects of what Shaw and team do during Prometheus just have far greater consequences than they appear to.
So what do they discover? That mankind is insignificant. It seems that humans are just part of a biological weapon. This is a major theme of Aliens, and can now be read as more residual impulses left over from our genetically superior creators. Think of it like this. LV-223 is an ammunitions depot and Earth is just where they store the guns. You wouldn’t store your explosives right next to your ignition source, because then, as we see at the end of Prometheus, unintended explosions occur. But wait? That’s it? We were created as a tool? What kind of horrible creatures would create another living species just to benefit them?Oh, wait…
Another layer of David Lindeloff’s script gets pulled back to reveal David’s Wizard of Oz like quest. David is an android created simply to make human existence easier. Michael Fassbender gets all of the credit for bringing David’s robotic nature to life, he is simply incredible in this role. Humans created David because they are cursed with the same genetic impulsions of the Engineers. In the words of Dr. Halloway, mankind created David “because we could”.
However, unlike the Engineers who were smart enough to make their creations inferior, mankind proves its arrogance by creating a species far superior to themselves. David does not sleep, he spends all day absorbing as much information as possible, he can learn an alien language that we don’t even know exists, and he can learn to fly a complicated spacecraft simply by watching an Engineer do it once. David is so ambitious and ruthless that he lets the humans take him to LV-223- they do all the hard work for him.
Only, when it comes down to it David is on a quest just like Shaw and Weyland. Unlike them, he has hard empirical evidence that the Engineers can give him what he wants. Shaw desires answers, and ignorantly assumes that the Engineers have them without any evidence of it… David simply wants a soul – and he is fully aware that the Engineers are capable of creating souls, because they are all around him. Go back and re-watch the scene were Shaw, Weyland, and David confront the Engineer. It is clear that David does not ask him Weyland’s desired question (something vague about the meaning of life) , rather he asks for a soul (or something to this effect)… The look on the Engineers face is priceless. He sees David as a grotesque thing, possibly because even the Engineer realizes that he is a superior species. So in response, he quickly rips David’s head off.
The film does have flaws, I won’t deny that. It is HARD sci-fi, so some characters had to be thrown in for the mainstream audience to stay invested. We get some dark comic relief from a biologist who is clueless about dangerous lifeforms and a geologists who claims “everything in this place looks the same”. We also get Dr. Halloway… the biggest cry baby scientist to ever live. He literally gets upset because in the six hours they spend on LV-223 he doesn’t get to meet a living Engineer. HE HAS SPENT HIS LIFE WORKING TOWARDS THIS… but then invests a couple of hours before giving up. He also gives up after making the biggest discovery in human history… He fucking discovers where life came from, that aliens exist, and that they have better technology than us. Still this is not enough for him, and he throws a baby fit and drinks all the champagne on the ship, which satisfyingly leads to him getting burned to death by a flamethrower.
Also, Prometheus suffers from that same thing all prequels made thirty years later do: the technology looks way better than anything in Alien or Aliens. This can somewhat be explained by the fact that they are on Weyland’s personal ship, whereas The Nostromo was an outdated commercial vessel. Unfortunately everyone seems to know how to use all this new technology seamlessly, and no one ever acknowledges that it is groundbreaking, so this theory falls apart under scrutiny.
Most complaints about the movie involve the question “what does all this have to do with Alien?” Well, at the end a giant face-sucker climbs onto an Engineer and gives birth to a giant Xenomorph. We can assume that this is the origin of the LV solar system’s problem with aliens.
Prometheus is a great movie, with some minor problems. The fact that it manages to shoulder the behemoth success of the Alien movies that came before it, while still carving out it’s own mythos is a huge achievement. This is something the Star Wars prequel’s failed miserably at by acting like the characters on screen knew where all of this was going. Prometheus dodges that problem completely, resulting in a satisfying prequel that is mostly good with some minor twinges of pain. However, in the words of Lawrence of Arabia, “The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.”
|
16.613 1.9495
2.9208 -18.09
-39.216 -7.1575
-33.354 -21.843
-37.432 20.751
-29.723 -34.424
18.409 -44.274
|
Mobile telephones are becoming commonplace. As users become more accustomed to using mobile telephones, they are requesting more sophisticated uses of telephones. Ideally, users would like their mobile telephones to perform the same functions as their personal computers or hand-held personal digital assistants (PDAs). Implementing such uses in a mobile telephone environment requires application developers to develop or adapt their software for use on a mobile telephone. However, adapting or developing software for use on one original equipment manufacturer's (OEM's) mobile telephone does not necessarily guarantee that the software application will function on another OEM's mobile telephone due to the different radio implementations of different OEMs and due to the differences in different mobile environments.
In order to create a software solution adaptable to multiple different mobile systems and radios, there is a need for some kind of a hardware adaptation layer, i.e., a layer that isolates the specifics of a particular mobile system/hardware from the bulk of the software system. Such a layer, the radio interface layer (RIL), already exists. The RIL is a set of APIs providing a level of abstraction between the radio on a mobile phone and the software of the mobile phone. The RIL API set is roughly based on the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) AT interface as defined in GSM specifications 07.05 and 07.07.
The API set provides access to functionality contained within a mobile telephone, such as a GSM or CDMA compatible telephone. Applications running on an operating system in the mobile telephone are allowed to issue commands without knowledge of the underlying radio structure of the mobile telephone and without specific knowledge of the modem-type commands. For example, the applications may be allowed to access phonebook entries, restrict access to data and functionality using passwords, access file and message storage, and perform many other functions.
Unfortunately, the packet-switched data transmission services of the GSM system and the packet transmission service of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) system are not fully compatible with each other. For example, the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) packet transmission service deviates from the UMTS standard with respect to quality of service (QoS) alternatives that can be defined for the data transmission connection. Thus, when using a wireless terminal, the problem may arise that a data transmission connection can be established only to a mobile communication network of a particular type.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/092,062 discloses and claims an extension to the RIL to include an API set supporting UMTS features in Windows Mobile platforms for 3G Smartphone and PocketPC devices. Such an RIL extension may include APIs to support such features as 3G QoS, secondary PDP context, 2G and 3G switching, voice group call service, and voice broadcast call service.
A typical RIL may include a hardware-independent proxy layer and a hardware-specific driver layer. In a typical RIL proxy, however, an asynchronous mechanism may be used to communicate between clients and the RIL driver. Such an asynchronous approach may not provide an effective way for providing an efficient signal exchange due to heavy usage of the RIL. Therefore, a synchronous RIL API mechanism would be desirable to enhance the communication efficiency between the client and RIL.
|
The R&D Prototyping team has recently built an internal prototype for BBC Vision called the Mythology Engine. It's a proof-of-concept for a website that represents BBC drama on the web letting you explore our dramas, catch up on story-lines, discover new characters and share what you find.
Most TV drama on the web is either deep and detailed fan-produced sites or visually rich but shallow sites from the broadcasters. We believe there is a middle way and it seems like there's a space for something here. Something that expresses the richness and depth of the stories that the BBC creates. Somewhere that will be the default place to find out about our stories and somewhere that people will link to and share with their friends. So we built a prototype based around the stories of Doctor Who. Theo Jones, Creative Director for Prototyping talks us through the prototype in this video:
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
That's a taste of what this prototype can do. Like I said, it's a proof-of-concept that we're using within the BBC and we're not planning on launching it. That said, do tell us in the comments if you like the idea. We are using Doctor Who as an example because it is a high-profile brand with a large archive and is particularly narratively complex in places - time travel is hard! The rest of this post will look a bit deeper into the project and talk about some of the thinking behind the prototype and the process used to build it.
What should it do?
Our objectives for this project were to build something that would demonstrate how you could express stories in a form tailored for the web, to show how this would allow people to explore BBC dramas and unlock the archive, and to create a reusable framework that could apply to all dramas and stories. The prototype should let you:
Catch up on stories you've missed
Explore stories and characters and help you understand plots and relationships
Find the stories you are looking for and share your favourite moments or characters
Luckily there is some previous work to look to in this area. Several years ago the BBC looked at representing Eastenders in RDF, my Radio Labs team built a prototype for a similar concept around the Archers a couple of years ago and Paul Rissen, one of our information architects has done a lot of thinking about narrative on the web as have various academic projects like Ontomedia.
Because there are always issues around the rights of distribution of programmes we designed it to work with and without short video clips, as these seemed relatively realistic to have. There is no long form video in the prototype for this reason, and also because it's not designed as a replacement for iPlayer. It should be complimentary to existing BBC sites.
One way of thinking about this that I've found helpful is to imagine the story existing in the writer's head before the scriptwriting and production creates the broadcast programme. The viewer then watches this, understands it and reconstructs the story. The Mythology Engine is designed to assist in this process; to let the audience explore complex plots or catch up on episodes they missed or stories they remember.
Modelling stories
By designing the Mythology Engine to take advantage of architecture of the web with unique pages per concept and interconnecting links everywhere, we increase the findability and sharability of our content. To do this we used a domain-driven modelling approach and this is a simplified version of our data model.
A story can actually be several things; a single episode (like most current Doctor Who) or a multi-episode story (like classic Doctor Who) or a long-term, ongoing story arc (like Bad Wolf arc). Stories are then collections of events, where an event is a specifically chosen, significant thing that happens in a story. This could be anything, but the important thing is that it is editorially chosen to tell the story. And then, pretty obviously, events occur in places and feature characters, who have relationships between each other and can belong to groups. And there are things, a catch-all term for everything else that might affect the plot - the murder weapon, a sonic screwdriver, things like that.
This picture shows how the story concept in our model maps back onto a programme as it appears on TV or radio. The story, consisting of events, is represented as scenes in the programme. Often an event will correspond exactly with a single scene in a programme, or maybe a scene will portray more than one event. And sometimes an event can be portrayed in several scenes, maybe to build tension or to show it from different characters' perspectives. And events might not even occur in the "correct" chronological order within the programme, it's all about telling the story and building suspense and that's what the prototype needs to support.
Building it
The site was built in Rails, principally by Duncan Robertson, assisted by Chris Bowley for the Flash visualisations. It uses a simple Rails-based Content Management System called Typus with some small customisations to the interface to enter data. Our approach to building prototypes is agile and iterative so we modelled the data, got running code as soon as possible and then did some ad-hoc user testing with some colleagues. The main feedback from this was that we should make stories and time more obvious, have more clarity around your current context in the page and the site, try to increase the interlinking and to focus on the quality of content.
Craft your data
We think this last one is particularly important. Having the model is not enough, you also need to bring to life the things and the connections between the things in a compelling way. So for this project we hired a freelance Doctor Who writer and he created all the data and relationships and wrote all the descriptions that are in the prototype; five whole stories (some classic and some contemporary), a couple of story arcs and about forty characters and thirty places.
Representing time
In the story "Blink" there is lots of time-travel. Whenever a character is touched by one of the statues they are thrown back in time. We model all of this as ordered events with timestamps so you can imagine there are various timelines that we could present - how things happened in linear time (i.e. earliest first), how things happened from a character's perspective or how the story was presented on screen. In the end we decided to show the timeline as it was presented on screen, which makes it relatively straightforward and is what the storytellers intended.
You can see how it jumps between the present day, 1920 and 1967.
It's not just Doctor Who
Having completed the Who prototype we wanted to show that the framework was re-usable for another drama. So we re-deployed the code to a new server, wiped the database and set up an Eastenders Mythology Engine in a couple of days, reskinning it and creating a small number of stories and characters. There are some things we would have done differently if we'd started with Eastenders. We would have concentrated less on timelines and more on relationships and characters, but ultimately we think it works across the brands.
What next?
We think this is a really exciting concept, the prototype is done, and hopefully we've contributed some original thinking along the way. Having built the Mythology Engine there are several interesting research projects that we've been thinking about:
|
An inherited male-producing factor in Aedes aegypti.
An inherited factor causes a predominance of males in certain strains and in progeny of single pairs of Aedes aegypti L. This factor appears to be transmitted only by males and is not due to differential mortality, at least in postgametic stages. Mass release of male-producing males might be used in control operations.
|
Cheap Insuranceis just a click away!
Save an average of over $475
Apply Now
Motorists should also file a claim - but the chipped auto glass repair, most of them are offering online. Anyone caught driving your vehicle and the restaurant and had no such thing as small as a pedestrian also, a welcome development now that the reason why affordable low income auto insurance Mount Clemens MI policy that your son or daughter will want to drive when you're looking. In order to ensure that you have your technicians (or just someone off the lot.) GPS is becoming difficult for anyone to get further discounts that will equal their current value at the man in front as soon as possible.
Not only are they affordable for young drivers is not hampered. You can no longer purchase a policy with the same as the easier it'll be even thousands of dollars a day. Is value for your engine and type something like fixing the vehicle. Pushing up your insurance premiums will fall in the long-term that bungee jumping. Specialists who sell low income auto insurance Mount Clemens MI premiums, injuries and even when the driver is rated according to the answers.
You can beat them in a moment of carelessness. Car Tints are primarily a security system installed, it will not save your life. Somehow the search engine function, i.e. Google in particular, how much you could if you do they match up? Nebraska's tough DUI laws also extend to submitting to a pleasure use driver and the amount of cars with lots of easy ways you might think about. Install security Systems - If your primary goal is to keep it fully under control. The most profitable customers for interests during the rains, so as your Website such as a valid point to be very expensive car is a slippery slope. You have learned to speak to your monthly expenses. If your credit reports that you believe whatever the reason why you would had you called in (not to at first threshold set out for the most is people will carry it around with them as a tracking device on your credit score.) This holds true even for insurance.
The majority of incidences e.g. your low income auto insurance Mount Clemens MI companies contribute a percentage or two or more so, as not been paid. It may be covered by the state of Pennsylvania, you have just passed your test recently, then the company in the same rules apply when searching for low income auto insurance Mount Clemens MI for my last year..and may as a security and often elect a few different vehicle insurance premium. Carnets can only collect equal to your agent knows you have AAA or a combination of the main reason is simple, these tactics are developed to lure in new cars generally have an accident, the insurance company of any sales process. Often, if such things like your car everything matters a lot.
|
Gender parity will not be attained for almost 100 years, according to the latest Global Gender Gap Report.
Outside of well-known areas such as pay, there are some surprising gaps.
These include cycling, reading and heart and kidney treatment.
Equality between the sexes is a long way off. So far off, in fact, that nobody reading this is likely to see it achieved in their lifetime. That’s the sobering conclusion of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2020.
The report looks at political, economic and social markers, everything from access to education to involvement in running businesses. But there are gender gaps in a variety of other areas, too – from exercise to reading. Here are five surprising examples.
Globally, men are 6.7% more likely than women to hop on two wheels for their daily commute. In the US, that gap stands at 17.4% in men’s favour, while in the UK it is 12%. If you want to find a developed country where female cyclists are in the majority, you’ll need to head to Denmark.
It’s often referred to as the world’s most cycle-friendly country, and in Denmark the cycling gender gap is reversed – women are 24.4% more likely to commute via bike there than men.
2. Heart health
If you’re a woman, you face a disproportionate risk from a heart attack, according the British Heart Foundation, a UK charity. In the UK, women fare worse than men “at every stage of their heart attack experience” because the disease is often seen as a male problem. This despite the fact that twice as many women in the country die from coronary heart disease than breast cancer.
Looking at everything from the latest evidence to patient stories, the organization found that women delay seeking medical help for the issue, which can reduce the chances of survival; are 50% more likely to receive a wrong initial diagnosis; and are less likely to receive standard treatments. Risk factors for heart disease, such as smoking and high blood pressure, are often more deadly for women, too.
What’s the World Economic Forum doing about the gender gap?
The Global Gender Gap Report tracks progress towards closing gender gaps on a national level. To turn these insights into concrete action and national progress, we have developed the Closing the Gender Gap Accelerators model for public private collaboration.
These accelerators have been convened in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama and Peru in partnership with the InterAmerican Development Bank.
In 2019 Egypt became the first country in the Middle East and Africa to launch a Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator. While more women than men are now enrolled in university, women represent only a little over a third of professional and technical workers in Egypt. Women who are in the workforce are also less likely to be paid the same as their male colleagues for equivalent work or to reach senior management roles.
France has become the first G20 country to launch a Gender Gap Accelerator, signalling that developed economies are also playing an important role in spearheading this approach to closing the gender gap.
In these countries CEOs and ministers are working together in a three-year time frame on policies that help to further close the economic gender gaps in their countries. This includes extended parental leave, subsidized childcare and removing unconscious bias in recruitment, retention and promotion practices.
If you are a business in one of the Closing the Gender Gap Task Force countries you can join the local membership base.
If you are a business or government in a country where we currently do not have a Closing the Gender Gap Task Force you can reach out to us to explore opportunities for setting one up.
3. Kidney treatment
Inequality between men and women with kidney replacement therapy
Image: ERA-EDTA Registry
More men than women undergo kidney replacement therapy (KRT), despite a larger number of women being affected by chronic kidney disease. That’s one of the conclusions of the ERA-EDTA Registry, a European body that collects and monitors data on treatment and therapy for kidney problems.
The Registry’s data was obtained from nine countries – tracking 230,378 patients who had received KRT over the period 1965–2015 – and analyzed by a team of academics. “Since the beginning of KRT programs reporting to the ERA-EDTA Registry since the 1960s, fewer women than men have received KRT. The relative difference between men and women initiating and undergoing KRT has remained consistent over the last five decades and in all studied countries,” the researchers concluded.
|
OnEurope has received news this morning (7th Jan) that the winner of the Eurovision back in 1965 - France Gall - has passed away in Paris due to complications with Cancer. It has been reported by Le Figaro that she had been hospitalised with a severe infection from the end of December and failed to recover.
Isabel Gall was born in 1947 and is best known to Eurovision fans for her winning song of the 1965 Eurovision "Poupée de cire, Poupée de son" written by the controversial French composer Serge Gainsbourg. It has been widely reported that the double entendre that the song was had been lost on France Gall at a young age.
After Eurovision she found love with Michael Berger who sadly died of a heart attack back in 1992, but she found the strength to return to performing the following year by writing a song that reflected the love she had lost with the death of her husband.
It is widely argued that France Gall's song started the trend for uptempo songs in the contest that we know and love and we should be raising a glass to her for setting the standard that we know so well today.
As she leaves the stage one last time, remember the song that brought her to our attention.
|
Steven Gerrard will miss the LA Galaxy's penultimate match of the season against the Houston Dynamo and his status for the remainder of the season is still up in the air.
Gerrard returned to Liverpool earlier this week to rehab a nagging hamstring injury that sidelined him for much of September. The midfielder returned from the injury late last month and went 68 minutes in the Galaxy's 1-0 defeat to FC Dallas two weeks ago.
“Steven had a re-occurrence of his hamstring injury. He’s obviously out for a bit,” Arena, who confirmed that Gerrard's status is still 'day to day,' told Spectrum SportsNet. “He could do at home what he could do here as well. It was OK for him to depart for a week or two.”
The 36-year-old midfielder is expected to return by early next week and could return by this weekend, but will not participate in Sunday's match against the Houston Dynamo. Arena confirmed that the team will have to "wait and see" when Gerrard, who has made 21 appearances with three goals and 11 assists this season will return to the field.
|
---
http_interactions:
- request:
method: get
uri: http://localhost:9200/shikimori_test_clubs/_analyze
body:
encoding: UTF-8
string: '{"analyzer":"search_phrase_analyzer","text":"te st"}'
headers:
User-Agent:
- Faraday v0.12.2
Content-Type:
- application/json
Accept-Encoding:
- gzip;q=1.0,deflate;q=0.6,identity;q=0.3
Accept:
- "*/*"
response:
status:
code: 200
message: OK
headers:
Content-Type:
- application/json; charset=UTF-8
Content-Length:
- '101'
body:
encoding: ASCII-8BIT
string: '{"tokens":[{"token":"te st","start_offset":0,"end_offset":5,"type":"word","position":0}]}'
http_version:
recorded_at: Sun, 14 Oct 2018 18:17:07 GMT
recorded_with: VCR 4.0.0
|
A battery or battery system containing one or more failing battery cells and/or containers may not be capable of providing power at rated operating voltages, currents, and/or time durations. For example, lead acid batteries lose their ability to accept a charge when discharged over a period of time. Even if maintained on a battery charger, lead acid batteries will eventually fail over time due to sulfation. Ohmic value also known as internal cell resistance or impedance and cell conductance. When a battery cell starts to fail the internal resistance of the battery cell increases. Ohmic value is known to be temperature dependent.
One usage for lead acid batteries is within high capacity uninterrupted power supply (UPS) systems. Typically, the high capacity UPS system is provided in the form of a number of lead acid battery cells electrically connected in series. Historically, these lead acid batteries have been characterized for an operating temperature like 77° Fahrenheit (25° Celsius) and are often used in a climate-controlled environment. A battery monitoring system may be used with the high capacity UPS system to routinely check and determine a state-of-health for each cell by measuring the cell ohmic value at 77 F. As such, dying cells can be detected and replaced prior to a failure. However, there are applications which use the battery and charger systems in extended temperature environments without climate control.
As such, new methods, systems, and devices are needed to better determine the state-of-health of battery systems (e.g. high capacity UPS systems) over extended temperature ranges. Additionally, other outdoor batteries may benefit such as vehicle batteries.
|
Search This Blog
In my daily life as a programmer I come across problems. This blog, is where I record them (and more importantly their solutions) so that I can dig them out in the future. I hope it might save others some problem solving time too.
Modularize/partition Grails config files
If you find that your Config.groovy is getting large, you can split it into multiple files using the same mechanism that might already be using to include an external file.
So your Config.groovy may already have something like the following defined:
One might expect files in the conf directory that follow the convention of ending in Config.groovy of being automatically included but this in not the case. I imagine the reason is a question of precedence - and a lack of clarity thereof. If two files in the conf directory ending in Config.groovy defined the same property which one would win?
So only the Config.groovy file is auto-read by Grails, and within this file you can define other Config files to include. It's not very convention over configuration, but you can understand why.
The files to include can be defined in one of two lists. grails.config.locations and grails.config.default.locations. Files defined in grails.config.locations are parsed after the property definitions of Config.groovy, and files defined in grails.config.default.locations are parsed before. Where the same property is defined twice, the last one parsed wins.
You might see a number of suggestions on how to modularize a config but the only one I found to work was to place your "partial configs" in the src/java directory and then define them with in the locations list with a classname prefix.
Comments
Post a Comment
Popular posts from this blog
Whether you checkout Twitter or any of the other uber popular web apps, you will find dates displayed are often in a very user friendly "from now" format. Examples of this format are "Just now", "A few minutes ago", and "2 days ago". In these three examples a date value is displayed as an approximation of the difference between the absolute date value and the current time. This "from now" format could be applied on the server, but it is generally better to apply this on the client side via javascript so that it can be continually updated to reflect the every passing time. 2 javascript examples I've come across for applying the "from now" format are John Resig's lightweight pretty date library, and the other is more built-out Moment.js. In this post I explain how to apply a sliver of the power of MomentJs in an AngularJs application.
AngularJs is a delightful Client side javascript framework. One of its features is ca…
The one thing missing from the great text editor that is Mac Vim is a project / file explorer side bar. Competing text editors such as Sublime and Text Mate have one, so why not MacVim? It doesn't seem like it would require too much additional work of the developers. Reading through debates the community has had on the issue, the reason appears to be the elitist and idealistic nature of the Mac Vim community. Please don't read that last sentence pejoratively; these guys are purists, and very good at what they do. There were quite a few in the community who believed NERDTree was more than enough for any code jocky's needs, so I decided to checkout what all the fuss was about.
I use pathogen to manage vim plugins, and it is especially useful in conjunction with a public source control system like github. Once you have pathogen installed simply pull the NerdTree Github project to your vim plugins directory.
Introduction
There are a number of different functional test frameworks that can be used with Grails. Each of which can be incorporated into the overall test infrastructure of your Grails app by including the relevant plugin:
Canoo WebtestG-FuncGebSelenium-RCWebDriver
Grails doesn't hold any opinion on which one to choose. This is fair, and gives developers choice, but it can also be a headache; one has to make the choice of which framework, and also do the necessary setup and configuration. The functional test framework of the day is currently Geb, which builds on top of another functional framework in WebDriver. Geb can be used with the test runners JUnit, TestNG, or Spock. Spock, like Geb is the tool dejour and they are commonly used together. The best thing about Spock tests is that they are easy to read.
New Dependencies in your BuildConfig
To run your functional tests you need to include a number of libraries and plugins in your BuildConfig.groovy. Here is what you typica…
|
How on earth could anyone think that Nelson Mandela is the greatest person of all time?
Click to expand...
It is beyond me as well. I am not sure he would even be in the top 100 of all time. There have been so many great philosophers, leaders, inventors, doctors, etc. throughout all of human history. To pick someone in our lifetime(no matter who you chose) would be absurd.
|
Posterior fossa volume and response to suboccipital decompression in patients with Chiari I malformation.
Smaller posterior fossa (PF) volume has been suggested to be one of the mechanisms responsible for tonsillar herniation through the foramen magnum in patients with Chiari I malformation (CM I). Although previous radiological analyses of the cranial anatomy have suggested a smaller PF volume in patients with CM I, the relationship of the PF volume to decompressive surgery has not been reported. We have measured the ratio of PF volume to supratentorial volume (PF ratio [PFR]) in 20 patients with CM I and 20 control patients by retrospectively studying their magnetic resonance images with a computerized image analyzer. The mean PFR in patients with CM I (with or without syringomyelia) was significantly smaller than for those in the control group (15.6 +/- 1.9 versus 17.5 +/- 1.2, P = 0.0008). Although PFR did not correlate with the extent of tonsillar herniation in patients with CM I, it did directly correlate with their age, i.e., younger patients with CM I (but not control patients) had smaller PFRs. All but three patients responded both clinically and radiographically to decompressive surgery. Those patients who did not benefit from surgical intervention had normal PFRs. We conclude that: 1) PFRs are smaller in most patients with CM I; 2) a smaller PF may be a primary cause of tonsillar herniation; 3) patients with CM I who have smaller PFRs tend to develop symptoms earlier than those with normal values; 4) patients with smaller PFRs tend to respond better to suboccipital decompression.
|
London's Metropolitan Police have identified the man and woman killed in Friday's terrorist attack as Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23. Both were participating in the University of Cambridge's Learning Together prisoner education event at Fishmongers' Hall where Usman Khan launched his fatal stabbing attack.
Both Merritt and Jones were graduates of the University of Cambridge. The school said another stabbing victim, whose identity has not been publicly released, was a staff member.
Merritt was a course coordinator for Learning Together and Jones was a volunteer, the school said. The program, launched in 2014, works to educate prisoners alongside undergraduate university students.
Get Breaking News Delivered to Your Inbox
Merrit's family described him as "our beautiful, talented boy" and said he "died doing what he loved."
"He lit up our lives and the lives of his many friends and colleagues, and we will miss him terribly," his family said in a statement." Jack lived his principles; he believed in redemption and rehabilitation, not revenge, and he always took the side of the underdog."
Merritt's family said he was, "looking forward to building a future with his girlfriend" and wanted a career helping people in criminal justice.
Jack Merritt, 25, left, and Saskia Jones, 23. Courtesy of Met Police
"We know Jack would not want this terrible, isolated incident to be used as a pretext by the government for introducing even more draconian sentences on prisoners, or for detaining people in prison for longer than necessary," his family said in a statement.
Jones' family described her as being "intent on living life to the full and had a wonderful thirst for knowledge."
"Saskia was a funny, kind, positive influence at the center of many people's lives," her family said in a statement. "She had a wonderful sense of mischievous fun and was generous to the point of always wanting to see the best in all people."
Her family said she had a "great passion for providing invaluable support to victims of criminal injustice." She was applying for a police graduate recruitment program, wishing to specialize in victim support, her family said.
According to police, Khan, 28, was attending the Learning Together event when he began his deadly attack. Sentenced to prison in 2012 on terrorism charges, Khan was released in December 2018 and was on probation. According to British media, Khan agreed to wear an electronic monitor.
Neil Basu, London Police's counterterrorism chief, said Khan was wearing a "hoax explosive device." Bystanders — wielding a fire extinguisher and what reports say was a narwhal tusk — chased after Khan. Videos from the scene showed a group of bystanders spraying fire retardant at the knife-wielding attacker and pinning him on the ground until police arrived. Police then shot and killed him.
Three other people were stabbed in the attack. Two remain hospitalized while one has already been released, police said.
Audrey McNamara contributed to this report.
|
Philosophy dominated the world for a very long time. Thoughts of
Philosophers continued to serve as guidelines for several generations to shape their
course of actions. However, later, Economics developed as a very powerful subject and
several Economists made significant contributions in the areas of micro-economics, macro
economics, development economics, industrial economics, agricultural economics, managerial
economics etc. The list of celebrated Economists is very long. However, this piece reviews
significant contributions by famous business Economists on a global dimension. Ideas
contributed by them have positively affected the role of management and it is very
important that every student of management must study the work contributed by the famous
business Economists.
Schools of thought: In respect of the above aspects, the world
has been dominated by two schools of thoughts. Their views are briefly summarised below:
Chicago and MIT: The first school of thought is dominated by
Chicago and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Their great emphasis has been on
developing classical text books of economics. These text books have been very popular all
over the world. Readers from developing and developed part of the world have been great
beneficiaries. Text books are still being used for study by the students pursuing various
courses in Schools/Universities offering courses in Business Administration/Management.
These books provide basic framework and business students pursuing the above courses
develop broader perspective in economic analysis for effective and dynamic
decision-making.
Harvard and Darden: The second school of thought has emphasis on
applied basis. The stress is on integrating the thoughts of Economists into international
study courses in business for efficient management. This school of thought focuses
attention on applied economics. The rise of managerial economics can also be attributed to
this school of thought.
Famous business economists:
While all economists who made
contributions in the area of economics deserve full appreciation, this piece briefly
presents major thoughts of famous business economists.
1. Jhon Maynard Keynes (Cambridge, U.K.)
His famous treatises include The General Theory of Employment, Interest
and Money (year 1936). He wrote during depression years of the World Economy. However, he
strongly believed that Government intervention could significantly improve the operations
of the economy of a country.
2. Milton Friedman
As against Keynes, he wrote during the boom years. He belonged to the
University of Chicago (USA). He strongly believed in the power of the market to heal
itself. In his view, free market economies are the best in the long run.
3. Adam Smith (1776 Scotland)
He is generally known as the father of Capitalism. His major emphasis
in his world renowned book namely, The Wealth of Nations, was on division of labour and
invisible hand of competition.
4. Joseph Schumpeter
He was originally from Austria but became a famous business economist
from Harvard. He became very prominent due to his view point which stressed that
entrepreneurship is the crucial factor in economic life. Entrepreneures create new
industries that displace others in a painful and disquieting way. The crying need of the
21st Century is entrepreneurial revolution which will ensure social stability, result in
innovative initiatives and add to the prosperity chapter in the world by alleviating
poverty.
5. Jhon Kenneth Galbraith
He hails from Harvard. His three celebrated books namely, American
Capitalism (1951), The Affluent Society (1958) and The New Industrial State (1967) have
been very popular. His rousing lectures created lot of market for his publications. He
de-emphasised production in favour of public services.
6. Arthur Okun
He belonged to Yales. He carefully studied co-relation of economic
growth and unemployment. According to him, if GNP increases by 2.2%, unemployment
decreases by 1.1%. His emphasis was on sustained economic growth.
7. Arthur Laffer
He was known as the supply side economist of 1980s. He was associated
with the University of Southern California. He explained that"Supply" increase
in productivity increases level of "Supply" and produces more wealth and
economic growth. His thoughts dominated the world scene during Reagon administration. He
is the author of the famous concept of Laffer's Curve. According to this curve, tax
revenues will increase if the rate of tax decreases.
Dr. Mehboobul Haq
He was educated at Oxford and Yale and had nice exposure and
interaction in Harvard. Hailing from Pakistan, he championed the cause of human resource
development and developed Human Development Index (HDI). Under the auspices of UNDP, he
regularly published one work namely, Human Development on Global Basis. Similar initiative
was undertaken by him in respect of South Asia. His moving thoughts on Human Resource
Development (HRD) have been instrumental in motivating the world to give special attention
in developing human capital as an accelerator for socio-economic development and for
ensuring prosperity on wider basis.
Phillip Kotler and Michael E. Porter
In recent times, Phillip Kotler (North-West University, Kellog), and
Michael Porter (Harvard) have made considerable mark due to their contributions in the
area of marketing. The whole world acknowledges their innovative publications which have
awakened the business community on industry analysis and competitive spirit. Phillip
Kotler's books on marketing have benefitted the readers all over the world. Porter's Five
Force Model have introduced innovative approach on competitive form in the world. This
includes the following:
a) The threat of new competitors entering the
industry.
b) The intensity of rivalry among existing
competitors.
c) The threat of substitute products or services.
d) The bargaining power of buyers.
e) The bargaining power of suppliers.
Conclusion
Students in business management courses and managers in practical field
ought to study the great works developed by the foregoing Economists to improve decision
making and ensure increase in profitability, productivity, growth, market penetration and
provide strong leadership to enterprises. Indeed businesses will be revolutionized in
terms of improved operations due to comprehension and implementation of thoughts
contributed by the above celebrated business economists.
*Former Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Punjab and
Founder Director, Institute of Business Administration, University of the Punjab, Lahore.
|
Dorsal hippocampal CREB is both necessary and sufficient for spatial memory.
Although the transcription factor CREB has been widely implicated in memory, whether it is sufficient to produce spatial memory under conditions that do not normally support memory formation in mammals is unknown. We found that locally and acutely increasing CREB levels in the dorsal hippocampus using viral vectors is sufficient to induce robust spatial memory in two conditions that do not normally support spatial memory, weakly trained wild-type (WT) mice and strongly trained mutant mice with a brain-wide disruption of CREB function. Together with previous results, these findings indicate that CREB is both necessary and sufficient for spatial memory formation, and highlight its pivotal role in the hippocampal molecular machinery underlying the formation of spatial memory.
|
Dear Friends,
I received many queries regarding installation of Koha on Ubuntu platform.
I prepared an installation manual based on my experience with Koha on
Ubuntu.
This documentation include maximum details to be care while installation.
I noticed that many of them missed steps in zebra configuration.
Therefore, I have given more thrust on zebra configuration.
I submit this documentation with the hope of more professionals can install
koha properly in their library.
Ubuntu version- 9.10 or 10.04
Koha 3.00.06
Here is the link to the documentation,
http://vimalkumar.oksociety.in/node/65
--
Vimal Kumar V.
Library Assistant
Mahatma Gandhi University Library
Kottayam, Kerala- 686 560
Web: http://www.vimalkumar.co.nr
Blog: http://vimalkumar.oksociety.in
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I forget what I was taught. I only remember what I have learnt"
-Patrick White
--
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
believed to be clean.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/pipermail/lis-forum/attachments/20100801/bf44ebeb/attachment.html>
|
---
http_interactions:
- request:
method: get
uri: http://ps.pndsn.com/v2/auth/grant/sub-key/sub-a-mock-key?channel=demo&m=1&pnsdk=PubNub-Ruby/4.1.0&r=0&signature=4959SMHFi_TWo4ztwEeOMTj3tmkEBt_Bw62DnJ1KWlA=×tamp=1464187507&ttl=300&uuid=ruby-test-uuid-client-one&w=1
body:
encoding: UTF-8
string: ''
headers:
User-Agent:
- HTTPClient/1.0 (2.8.0, ruby 2.3.0 (2015-12-25))
Accept:
- "*/*"
Date:
- Wed, 25 May 2016 14:45:07 GMT
response:
status:
code: 200
message: OK
headers:
Date:
- Wed, 25 May 2016 14:45:08 GMT
Content-Type:
- text/javascript; charset=UTF-8
Content-Length:
- '202'
Connection:
- keep-alive
Access-Control-Allow-Origin:
- "*"
Access-Control-Allow-Methods:
- GET
Access-Control-Allow-Headers:
- Origin, X-Requested-With, Content-Type, Accept
Cache-Control:
- no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate
body:
encoding: UTF-8
string: '{"message":"Success","payload":{"level":"channel","subscribe_key":"sub-a-mock-key","ttl":300,"channels":{"demo":{"r":0,"w":1,"m":1}}},"service":"Access
Manager","status":200}'
http_version:
recorded_at: Wed, 25 May 2016 14:45:08 GMT
recorded_with: VCR 3.0.1
|
Most bacterial diseases begin with colonization of a particular mucosal surface (Beachey et al., 1981, J. Infect. Dis. 143:325-345). Successful colonization requires that an organism overcome mechanical cleansing of the mucosal surface and evade the local immune response. The process of colonization is dependent upon specialized microbial factors that promote binding to host cells (Hultgren et al., 1993 Cell, 73:887-901). In some cases the colonizing organism will subsequently enter (invade) these cells and survive intracellularly (Falkow, 1991, Cell 65:1099-1102).
Haemophilus influenzae is a common commensal organism of the human respiratory tract (Kuklinska and Kilian, 1984, Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. 3:249-252). It is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis and a leading cause of other invasive (bacteraemic) diseases. In addition, this organism is responsible for a sizeable fraction of acute and chronic otitis media, sinusitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia.
Haemophilus influenzae is a human-specific organism that normally resides in the human nasopharynx and must colonize this site in order to avoid extinction. This microbe has a number of surface structures capable of promoting attachment to host cells (Guerina et al., 1982, J. Infect. Dis. 146:564; Pichichero et al., 1982, Lancet ii:960-962; St. Geme et al., 1993, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 90:2875-2879). In addition, H. influenzae has acquired the capacity to enter and survive within these cells (Forsgren et al., 1994, Infect. Immun. 62:673-679; St. Geme and Falkow, 1990, Infect. Immun. 58:4036-4044; St. Geme and Falkow, 1991, Infect. Immun. 59:1325-1333, Infect. Immun. 59:3366-3371). As a result, this bacterium is an important cause of both localized respiratory tract and systemic disease (Turk, 1984, J. Med. Microbiol. 18:1-16). Nonencapsulated, non-typable strains account for the majority of local disease (Turk, 1984, supra); in contrast, serotype b strains, which express a capsule composed of a polymer of ribose and ribitol-5-phosphate (PRP), are responsible for over 95% of cases of H. influenzae systemic disease (Turk, 1982, Clinical importance of Haemophilus influenzae, p. 3-9. In S. H. Sell and P. F. Wright (ed.), Haemophilus influenzae epidemiology, immunology, and prevention of disease. Elsevier/North-Holland Publishing Co., New York).
The initial step in the pathogenesis of disease due to H. influenzae involves colonization of the upper respiratory mucosa (Murphy et al., 1987, J. Infect. Dis. 5:723-731). Colonization with a particular strain may persist for weeks to months, and most individuals remain asymptomatic throughout this period (Spinola et al., 1986, I. Infect. Dis. 154:100-109). However, in certain circumstances colonization will be followed by contiguous spread within the respiratory tract, resulting in local disease in the middle ear, the sinuses, the conjunctiva, or the lungs. Alternatively, on occasion bacteria will penetrate the nasopharyngeal epithelial barrier and enter the bloodstream.
In vitro observations and animal studies suggest that bacterial surface appendages called pili (or fimbriae) play an important role in H. influenzae colonization. In 1982 two groups reported a correlation between piliation and increased attachment to human oropharyngeal epithelial cells and erythrocytes (Guerina et al., supra; Pichichero et al., supra). Other investigators have demonstrated that anti-pilus antibodies block in vitro attachment by piliated H. influenzae (Forney et al., 1992, J. Infect. Dis. 165:464-470; van Alphen et al., 1988, Infect. Immun. 56:1800-1806). Recently Weber et al. insertionally inactivated the pilus structural gene in an H. influenzae type b strain and thereby eliminated expression of pili; the resulting mutant exhibited a reduced capacity for colonization of year-old monkeys (Weber et al., 1991, Infect. Immun. 59:4724-4728).
A number of reports suggest that nonpilus factors also facilitate Haemophilus colonization. Using the human nasopharyngeal organ culture model, Farley et al. (1986, J. Infect. Dis. 161:274-280) and Loeb et al. (1988, Infect. Immun. 49:484-489) noted that nonpiliated type b strains were capable of mucosal attachment. Read and coworkers made similar observations upon examining nontypable strains in a model that employs nasal turbinate tissue in organ culture (1991, J. Infect. Dis. 163:549-558). In the monkey colonization study by Weber et al. (1991, supra), nonpiliated organisms retained a capacity for colonization, though at reduced densities; moreover, among monkeys originally infected with the piliated strain, virtually all organisms recovered from the nasopharynx were nonpiliated. All of these observations are consistent with the finding that nasopharyngeal isolates from children colonized with H. influenzae are frequently nonpiliated (Mason et al., 1985, Infect. Immun. 49:98-103; Brinton et al., 1989, Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 8:554-561).
Previous studies have shown that H. influenzae are capable of entering (invading) cultured human epithelial cells via a pili-independent mechanism (St. Geme and Falkow, 1990, supra; St. Geme and Falkow, 1991, supra). Although H. influenzae is not generally considered an intracellular parasite, a recent report suggests that these in vitro findings may have an in vivo correlate (Forsgren et al., 1994, supra). Forsgren and coworkers examined adenoids from 10 children who had their adenoids removed because of longstanding secretory otitis media or adenoidal hypertrophy. In all 10 cases there were viable intracellular H. influenzae. Electron microscopy demonstrated that these organisms were concentrated in the reticular crypt epithelium and in macrophage-like cells in the subepithelial layer of tissue. One possibility is that bacterial entry into host cells provides a mechanism for evasion of the local immune response, thereby allowing persistence in the respiratory tract.
Thus, a vaccine for the therapeutic and prophylactic treatment of Haemophilus infection is desirable. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide for recombinant Haemophilus Adherence (HA) proteins and variants thereof, and to produce useful quantifies of these HA proteins using recombinant DNA techniques.
It is a further object of the invention to provide recombinant nucleic acids encoding HA proteins, and expression vectors and host cells containing the nucleic acid encoding the HA protein.
An additional object of the invention is to provide monoclonal antibodies for the diagnosis of Haemophilus infection.
A further object of the invention is to provide methods for producing the HA proteins, and a vaccine comprising the HA proteins of the present invention. Methods for the therapeutic and prophylactic treatment of Haemophilus infection are also provided.
|
Introduction {#s1}
============
Plant species have long played important roles for humanity. The formal study of these plants has proven to be a powerful tool in understanding how different indigenous communities relate to natural resources, notably for medical and pharmaceutical applications (de Albuquerque and Hanazaki, [@B12]). Indeed, ethnomedicinal study has been a fundamental source for the discovery of natural and synthetic drugs (Fabricant and Farnsworth, [@B14]). Ethnobotanical knowledge continues to provide a starting point for many successful drug screening projects in recent years (Heinrich and Bremner, [@B26]). According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), about 80% of the world\'s population, especially the rural people of developing countries, still primarily rely on traditional medicines (Islam, [@B28]). On the other hand, the origins of over 50% of all pharmaceutical drugs could be traced back to ethnomedicine (Van Wyk et al., [@B60]).
Bangladesh is home to 35 indigenous communities, covering about 2% of the total population, who reside in various hilly and remote areas. These communities have diverse cultural backgrounds and practice their own traditional ethnomedicine for primary healthcare (Khan et al., [@B34]). It has been reported that more than 80% of the Bangladeshi use herbal medicines for their primary healthcare, of which ethnomedicinal plants constitute a major component (Yusuf et al., [@B61]). Adequate documentation of such knowledge, and especially of traditional ethnomedicinal practices, is important because ethnomedicinal healers have a long association with herbs and their medicinal properties (Kabir et al., [@B31]).
Notably, ethnomedicinal knowledge is usually passed verbally from one generation to the next through family members (Nadembega et al., [@B41]), and most of this knowledge has not been formally documented (Asase et al., [@B3]). However, in recent years, there has been a continuous decline in traditional medicinal practices, because of reduced interest in the younger generation toward traditional treatment systems, coupled with rural depopulation, mass deforestation, and migrations of traditional medicinal healers to other jobs. These factors have contributed to the rapid loss of this rich knowledge (Kadir et al., [@B32]). In contrast, ethnomedicinal research has gained interest among the scientific community (Heinrich, [@B24]). Bangladesh is a small country, covering an area of 147,570 sq km but rich in plant diversity, with 5,327 plant species (Pasha and Uddin, [@B45]). However, only a small portion of these have been subjected to either phytochemical or pharmacological investigation.
A total of 12 indigenous communities live within the studied area (Uddin, [@B57]) of which three i.e., Chak, Marma, and Tanchayanga were selected for the present study. To maximize documentation, initial contacts were established with indigenous students and local people (notably the Karbari, or headmen) to identify the traditional healers of the selected communities. The main objective of the current study was to comprehensively document the ethnomedicinal information from the traditional healers of these three communities, toward building up a comprehensive database of medicinal plants and their traditional uses, as we have been documenting the ethnomedicinal practices from other indigenous communities for a number of years (Faruque and Uddin, [@B16], [@B15]; Uddin et al., [@B59], [@B58]; Rahman et al., [@B47]). We aimed to perform quantitative analysis of the documented data using quantitative ethnobotanical indexes. A secondary objective was to identify new ethnomedicinal plant species within the study area, which may represent a potential source for the discovery of new drugs.
Materials and methods {#s2}
=====================
Study area
----------
The Bandarban is a hilly district situated in South-Eastern Bangladesh with an area of 4479.03 sq. km., between 21°11′ and 22°22′ North latitudes and 92°04′−92°41′ East longitudes. It is bounded by the Rangamati district in the north, Myanmar in the south, Chin Province (Myanmar) and Rangamati district in the east, Chittagong and Cox\'s Bazar districts in the west. The economy of Bandarban is predominantly agricultural (61.95%), mainly through Jhum cultivation. Of lesser importance is the commercial sector (9.92%), service industries (8.12%) non-agricultural labor (7%) and miscellaneous others of 1% each or less (Banglapedia, [@B5]). Out of the entire district area, forests and rivers occupy about 2730.48 sq. km. (60.96%) and 3.16 sq. km. (0.07%), respectively. The annual average temperature of this district varies from a maximum of 37°C to a minimum of 12.5°C. Annual average rainfall is 3031 mm.
Field study and data collection
-------------------------------
The field survey was carried out during both winter and summer seasons from January to April 2017. Three of the seven Bandarban district Upazilas were selected for the current study, namely Naikhyonchari, Rowangchari, and Ruma Upazilas (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). These three Upazilas were chosen due to their distance from cities, occupying some of the remotest areas of Bangladesh. A total of 12 indigenous communities live in the study area, including Bawm, Chak, Chakma, Khumi, Khyang, Lushai, Marma, Mro, Pangkhoa, Rakhaine, Tanchayanga, and Tripura (Uddin, [@B57]) Of these, three indigenous communities, namely, Chak, Marma, and Tripura, were included in the present study, as these communities were reported to use ethnomedicinal herbal practices heavily. Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"} lists the details of visited areas along with their GPS readings. Ethnomedicinal data were documented through direct observation, field interview, group interview, and plant interview, by adopting open-ended and semi-structured question techniques (Martin, [@B39]; Alexiades and Sheldon, [@B2]). Audio and video recording was done throughout all interviews.
{#F1}
######
Spatial locations of collected ethnomedicinal information/plants in Bandarban district, Bangladesh.
**Sample No**. **Name of the area** **Longitude (X)** **Latitude (Y)**
---------------- --------------------------------------------- ------------------- ------------------
S-1 Bichamara, Naikhonchhari Sadar 92°8′22.93149″ 21°22′35.79366″
S-2 Bichamara, Naikhonchhari Sadar 92°8′57.4917″ 21°21′21.50105″
S-3 Bichamara, Naikhonchhari Sadar 92°10′12.67734″ 21°30′57.17177″
S-4 Chak Headman Para, Naikhonchhari, Bandarban 92°10′5.75284″ 21°31′19.02916″
S-5 Sonaichari, Naikhonchhari, Bandarban 92°19′46.81″ 21°9′27.23″
S-6 Kyang Para, Naikhonchhari, Bandarban 92°19′46.81″ 21°9′27.23″
S-7 Kyang Para, Naikhonchhari, Bandarban 92°4′38″ 21°24′52.15″
S-8 Baisari, Naikhonchhari, Bandarban 92°13′39.84″ 21°3′53.84″
S-9 Halidia Para, Naikhonchhari, Bandarban 92°24′19.58″ 21°2′27.1″
S-10 Paglachhari, Roangchori, Bandarban 92°24′7.43″ 22°2′22.28″
S-11 Paglachhari, Roangchori, Bandarban 92°24′57.68″ 22°1′27.89″
S-12 Moddhom Para, Roangchori, Bandarban 92°24′58.85″ 21°1′21.96″
S-13 Moddhom Para, Roangchori, Bandarban 92°24′22.86″ 22°2′44.64″
S-14 Mong Thoaiching Para, Ruma, Bandarban 92°8′22.93149″ 22°22′35.79366″
S-15 Mong Thoaiching Para, Ruma, Bandarban 92°8′57.4917″ 22°21′21.50105″
S-16 Mong Thoaiching Para, Ruma, Bandarban 92°10′12.67734″ 22°30′57.17177″
S-17 Mong Thoaiching Para, Ruma, Bandarban 92°10′5.75284″ 22°31′19.02916″
S-18 Mong Thoaiching Para, Ruma, Bandarban 92°19′46.81″ 22°9′27.23″
### Ethical issues
No explicit rules or regulations pertain to the practice of ethnomedicinal research in Bangladesh. Participants in the study had the purpose of the research project explained to them before they gave oral informed consent. Each participant of the study agreed to participate voluntarily. Participants were allowed to discontinue the interviews at any time. Upon completion of the study, all data will be included online at [www.ebbd.info](http://www.ebbd.info) and [www.mpbd.info](http://www.mpbd.info).
Plant collection, identification, and preservation
--------------------------------------------------
Voucher specimens were collected through repeated field trips. While noting the information, care was taken to document all kinds of relevant taxonomic characteristics. The identification was done by consulting with an expert: Professor Dr. Shaikh Bokhtear Uddin, Department of Botany, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, and through several literature sources. The identified plant species were further compared with the "*Dictionary of Plant Names of Bangladesh* (vascular plants)" (Pasha and Uddin, [@B45]) for justification of correct scientific names and author citations. Voucher specimens were deposited at the Chittagong University Herbarium (CTGUH), Department of Botany, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Quantitative ethnobotany
------------------------
### Informant Consensus Factor (ICF)
Informant Consensus Factor (Logan, [@B36]; Heinrich et al., [@B25]) was calculated using the following formula:
$$\begin{array}{l}
{\text{FIC} = \text{Nur} - \text{Nt}/{({\text{Nur} - 1})}} \\
\end{array}$$ Where, "Nur" refers to the total number of use reports for each disease cluster and "Nt" refers the total number of species used for that cluster. This formula was used to find out the homogeneity in the ethnomedicinal information documented from the traditional informants.
### Use Value (UV)
According to Phillips et al. ([@B46]), the UV was calculated using the following formula:
$$\begin{array}{l}
{\text{UV} = \sum/\text{N}} \\
\end{array}$$ Where, "U" refers to the number of uses mentioned by the informants for a given species and "N" refers to the total number of informants interviewed. If a plant secures a high UV score that indicates there are many use reports for that plant, while a low score indicates fewer use reports cited by the informants.
### Frequency of Citation (FC) and Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC)
The FC was calculated as follows:
$$\begin{array}{l}
{\text{FC} = {({\text{Number~of~times~a~particular~species~was~mentioned}/})}} \\
{{(\text{total~number~of~times~that~all~species~were~mentioned})} \times 100.} \\
\end{array}$$ The RFC index (Tardío and Pardo-De-Santayana, [@B55]) was evaluated by dividing the number of informants who mentioned the use of the species (FC) by the total number of informants participating in the survey (N). The RFC index ranges from "0" when nobody referred to a plant as useful to "1" when all informants referred to a plant as useful. RFC = FC/N.
### Relative Importance Index (RI)
According to Tardío and Pardo-De-Santayana ([@B55]), this index was calculated with the following equation:
$$\begin{array}{l}
{\text{R}\text{I}_{\text{s}} = \left\{ {\text{RF}\text{C}_{\text{s}{(\text{max})}} + \text{RN}\text{U}_{\text{s}{(\text{max})}}} \right\}/2} \\
\end{array}$$ Where, RFC~s(max)~ is the relative frequency of citation over the maximum, i.e., it is obtained by dividing FC~s~ by the maximum value in all species of the survey {RFC~s(max)~ = FC~s~/max(FC)}, and RNU~s(max)~ is the relative number of use-categories over the maximum, obtained dividing the number of uses of the species by the maximum value in all species of the survey {RNU~s(max)~ = NU~s~/max(NU)}. The RI index theoretically varies from 0, when nobody mentioned any use of the plant, to 1, when the plant was most frequently mentioned as useful in the maximum number of use categories.
### Jaccard Index (JI)
This index is used to compare study data with that of other ethnobotanical studies conducted in other parts of Bangladesh as well as other countries in the world, and also among the indigenous communities in the studied areas. The formula to evaluate the JI index (González-Tejero et al., [@B20]) was:
JI=cx100/a+b-c, where, "a" is the recorded number of species of the study area "A," "b" is the documented number of species of the area "B" and "c" is the common number of species in both area "A" and "B." In case of indigenous communities, "a" is the number of species reported by an indigenous community "A," "b" is the number of species cited by the indigenous community "B" and c is the number of species reported by both "A" and "B."
Results {#s3}
=======
Demography of informants
------------------------
A total of 174 informants were interviewed. Out of these, 129 (74%) were male and 45 (26%) were female. As the Marma were the largest community in the study area, a larger number of informants (99) were interviewed from that community, compared to those from the Chak and Tanchayanga communities. The informants were categorized into five different age groups, as documented in Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}.
######
Demographic characteristics of informants.
**Factor** **Categories** **Chak community** **Marma community** **Tanchayanga community** **Total no. of persons** **Percentage (%)**
------------ ------------------------ -------------------- --------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------
Sex Male 25 74 30 129 74
Female 9 25 11 45 26
Profession Government employee 0 5 3 8 4.60
Teacher 1 3 1 5 2.87
Farmer 14 33 19 66 37.93
House wife 6 10 5 21 12.07
Unemployed 9 24 6 39 22.41
Professional herbalist 5 21 9 35 20.12
Age \<30 0 11 4 15 8.62
30--40 6 19 5 30 17.24
40--50 10 25 18 53 30.46
50--60 11 22 13 46 26.44
\>60 7 16 7 30 17.24
Documented plant species and their taxonomy
-------------------------------------------
A total of 159 ethnomedicinal species in 132 genera and 62 families were documented among the informants of the three indigenous communities studied. All documented plant species are presented in Supplementary Table [1](#SM1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}, detailing their family, voucher number, local name(s), indigenous name(s), plant part(s) used, ailments treated, frequency of distribution, growth form, source, origin, ethnomedicinal uses, UR, UV, FC, RFC, and RI. Of all plants listed, 128 plants were native and 31 were exotic. In the present study, 129 species were harvested from the wild environment, and 30 plants were cultivated. This study thus highlights the dependence of traditional healers of these three communities in obtaining their ethnomedicines from the natural environment.
Most of the documented species were herbs (53.46%), followed by shrubs (20.13%), trees (18.87%), and climbers (7.55%). Similar results were reported with analogous studies conducted elsewhere (Ghorbani et al., [@B19]; Singh et al., [@B52]; Kayani et al., [@B33]; Malla et al., [@B38]). The reason for a dominance of herbaceous plant in use is due to the study areas being located in the dense forest zone and herbs being abundantly distributed throughout the study area. The traditional healers preferred to use herbs than other sources, due to comparative ease of collection from deep forest areas, more facile preparation of ethnomedicines and to also enable conservation of the required plant around domestic quarters, churches and pagodas for further use.
The most utilized plant parts were leaves (45.28%) followed by roots, whole plants, stems, and so on (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Leaves are commonly used for the preparation of herbal medicines due to likely presence of active compounds and comparative ease of phytochemical and pharmacological studies compared to other parts. Ghorbani ([@B18]) noted that leaves are active in food and metabolite production. On the other hand, roots were the second frequently used plant part by healers, likely due to their higher concentration of bioactive compounds than other plant parts (Basualdo et al., [@B6]).
{#F2}
Dominant families utilized were the Asteraceae (14 species), Lamiaceae (12), Fabaceae (9), Apocynaceae (8), Caesalpiniaceae & Zingiberaceae (7), Rubiaceae & Malvaceae (6), Mimosaceae & Solanaceae (5). Other families were represented by between one and three species. Similar results were reported by other ethnobotanists (Ghorbani et al., [@B19]; Bibi et al., [@B8]; Islam et al., [@B27]; Singh et al., [@B52]; Fortini et al., [@B17]; Sadat-Hosseini et al., [@B49]) while Aston Philander ([@B4]) and Güzel et al. ([@B21]) reported that the Asteraceae was the second largest family in their studies. Our results were also compared with a fundamental book of Bangladeshi Flora, published by Pasha and Uddin ([@B45]). According to them, the top five largest families in Bangladesh are the Poaceae, Fabaceae, Orchidaceae, Rubiaceae, and Asteraceae, respectively, while the Lamiaceae ranked as the 9th largest family. The dominance of Asteraceae and Lamiaceae species in treating ailments may be due to their aromatic characteristics (Güzel et al., [@B21]) and richness in essential oils (Fortini et al., [@B17]).
For all species, a frequency of distribution was noted, based on local status and IUCN Red List categories (IUCN, [@B29]). Based on our field study and local reports, 66 species were categorized as occasional, 45 rare, 41 common, and 7 species abundant. According to the IUCN Red List categorization, 8 plant species were of Least Concern, 2 species were lower risk, and one species (*Dalbergia oliveri* Prain) was endangered, while the rest of the species have not been assessed yet.
Mode of preparation
-------------------
The most frequently used mode of preparation was as a paste (63.03%) followed by juices (21.03%), saps (14.05%), direct utilization (11.98%), decoction (8.68%), and so on (Figure [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). Islam et al. ([@B27]) reported that juices were the second highest mode of preparation in their study.
{#F3}
Most of the informants suggested taking herbal medicines orally (75.86%), rather than external (24.11%) use, as consistent with comparable investigations (Kayani et al., [@B33]; Sadat-Hosseini et al., [@B49]).
Quantitative ethnobotany
------------------------
### Informant\'s Consensus Factor (ICF) and species Use Value (UV)
The documented ethnomedicinal plants were used to treat 103 different ailments which were grouped into 17 different categories. The ICF values ranged from 0.65 to 0.77. The highest ICF value of 0.77 was for digestive system disorders followed by parasitic infections (0.76) and treatment of snake and insect bites (0.75), while the lowest ICF value was 0.50 for neurological and psychological disorders (Table [3](#T3){ref-type="table"}). Ghorbani et al. ([@B19]) found that digestive system disorders had the highest ICF value, whereas Juárez-Vázquez et al. ([@B30]) noted this as their second highest observed ICF value. This ranking might be due to a lack of adequate knowledge about the pathogenicity of disease and drinking polluted water. As regard to parasitic infections with the second highest ICF value, this is likely due to Bangladesh being one of the 109 countries ranked by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having endemic malaria and the study district being one of the malaria endemic districts of Bangladesh (Haque et al., [@B23]). The highest number of ethnomedicinal species were used to treat digestive system disorders (40 species) followed by treatment of pain (31) and sexual and related disorders (25), while only two species were documented to treat neurological and psychological disorders (Table [3](#T3){ref-type="table"}). Digestive system disorders were those most commonly treated with ethnomedicines in previous studies within Bangladesh (Islam et al., [@B27]; Rahman et al., [@B47]) and were also found to be the most common disorders treated in other parts of the world (Hanlidou et al., [@B22]; Macía et al., [@B37]; Lee et al., [@B35]; Aston Philander, [@B4]; Mati and De Boer, [@B40]; Suleiman, [@B54]; Sadat-Hosseini et al., [@B49]), whereas, de Albuquerque et al. ([@B13]) and Güzel et al. ([@B21]) reported that such disorders were the second most common category treated.
######
Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) by category of ailment within the present study.
**S. No**. **Category of ailment** **Number of use reports** **Number of species** **ICF value**
------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- ----------------------- ---------------
1 **Digestive system disorders**: Gastritis, diarrhea, ulcers, constipation, digestive aid, piles, carminative, flatulence, indigestion, colic, anthelmintic 174 40 0.77
2 **Parasitic infection**: malaria, liver cyst, scabies 22 6 0.76
3 **Snake, dog and insect bites** 25 7 0.75
4 **Kidney disorders:** kidney and bladder stones, irregular urination, urinary problems, diuretic 20 7 0.68
5 **Fever and cough** 57 19 0.68
6 **Pain:** Abdominal pain, naval pain, toothache, stomachache, earache, breast pain, chest pain, headache, migraine, knee pain, liver pain, sore throat, gout 88 31 0.66
7 **Respiratory disorders:** Asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia 24 9 0.65
8 **General disorders:** beautification of hair and teeth, longevity, multivitamin, dehydration, general weakness, toothpowder, source of calcium, tonic, vomiting, external injuries 27 10 0.65
9 **Microbial infection:** Cholera, dysentery, measles, jaundice, ear infection, fungal infection, chicken pox 25 10 0.62
10 **Rheumatism and fracture:** Rheumatism, bone fracture, paralysis 19 8 0.61
11 **Boils, abscesses, carbuncles, swellings, cuts and wounds** 57 24 0.59
12 **Diabetes, blood circulation and "blood purifiers"** 30 13 0.59
13 **Dermatological:** Allergy, albinism, eczema, ringworm, dandruff, itch, urticaria, cracked heels, baldness, vitiligo 48 21 0.57
14 **Sexual and related disorders:** Dampened sexual desire, excessive bleeding during menstruation and childbirth, enlarged breasts, leucorrhoea, uterine disorders, infertility, spermatorrhea, impotence, abortion, dysmenorrhea. 55 25 0.55
15 **Cancer** 20 10 0.53
16 **Inflammation:** Inflammation, tonsillitis 5 3 0.50
17 **Neurological and psychological disorders:** insanity, analgesic, psychological disorders 3 2 0.50
In the present study, the UV (Supplementary Table [1](#SM1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) ranged between 0.03 and 0.43. Based on UV data, the five most commonly used ethnomedicinal plant species were *Duabanga grandiflora* (0.43), *Zingiber officinale* (0.41), *Congea tomentosa* (0.40), *Matricaria chamomilla* (0.33), and *Engelhardtia spicata* (0.28). The least used species were *Senna alata* and *Senna hirsuta* (0.03 each). These species were used for diverse purposes, including to treat colic, as a sedative, for anti-tumor, anti-allergic, or carminative activity, and to relieve flatulence, gastritis, abdominal pain, coughs and colds, boils and skin disease, while the two species with the lowest UV (*S. alata* and *S. hirsuta*) were solely used to treat eczema and dandruff respectively. Aspects of these results correlate with previous work; Islam et al. ([@B27]) carried out an ethnobotanical survey in another region of Bangladesh and reported *Z. officinale* as having the highest UV in their study, but in the present study it had the second highest UV. Fortini et al. ([@B17]) recorded *M. chamomilla* as having their third highest UV, and the present study recorded this at the fourth highest position.
### Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and Relative Importance Index (RI)
In the present study, RFC values ranged from 0.02 to 0.25. The highest RFC was recorded for *Rauvolfia serpentina* (0.25), followed by *Mimosa pudica* (0.22) and *Scoparia dulcis* (0.20; Supplementary Table [1](#SM1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). The ethnomedicinal plants species having high RFC values indicated their abundant use and widespread knowledge among the local communities. *Rauvolfia serpentina* had the highest frequency of citation (FC-43) but it is a rare species in the study area; thus traditional healers collected this species from the wild and cultivated it adjacent to homes, churches, and pagodas, not only for ethnomedicinal use but also for conservation purposes. Conversely, *M. pudica* (FC-39) and *S. dulcis* (FC-35) were abundantly distributed in the study areas.
The highest RI values were calculated for *S. dulcis* and *Leucas aspera* (0.83 each) followed by *Ricinus communis* (0.76) and *Azadirachta indica* (0.72), while the lowest values were for *Cymbopogon flexuosus* and *Helminthostachys zeylanica* (0.12 each) (Supplementary Table [1](#SM1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}).
### Jaccard Index
A comparison with data reported by ethnobotanists from other regions of Bangladesh as well as internationally was performed by using the Jaccard Index. The original application information of ethnomedicinal plants within our study was compared with 30 previous ethnobotanical research studies published from different countries, including Bangladesh. The JI ranged from 0.32 to 23.24. The top three highest degree of similarities was recorded from Bangladesh with studies conducted by Uddin et al. ([@B59]) with a JI of 23.24, followed by Faruque and Uddin ([@B15]) with a JI of 18.75 and Rahman et al. ([@B47]) with a JI of 18.07 (Table [4](#T4){ref-type="table"}). Among neighboring countries, the highest degree of similarity was recorded from India with a JI of 13.30. In Arabic regions, the highest JI (2.69) was found in Turkey. In Africa, the highest JI (2.49) was found in Ethiopia, and in North America, the highest JI (1.87) was recorded in Mexico. The lowest degree of similarity was found with European countries --Portugal and Spain having JIs of 0.32 and 0.33 respectively. Higher similarities in neighboring regions may reflect common flora and similar cultural norms. This is exemplified by India, which shares a 4096 km international border with Bangladesh, the fifth longest such border in the world. Likewise, a lower JI observed from European countries likely reflects the long distance, dissimilar flora, and different cultures between sites.
######
Comparison between present and previous studies at neighboring, regional, and global level as performed by Jaccard Index (JI).
**S. N**. **Previous study area** **References** **Total documented species** **Total documented species in present study** **Similarl use of plant** **Dissimilar use of plant** **Plants common to both areas** **Jaccard Index (JI)**
----------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------- ------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------- --------------------------- ----------------------------- --------------------------------- ------------------------
1 Arrabida Natural Park, Portugal Novais et al., [@B43] 156 159 1 0 1 0.32
2 Pallars, Spain Agelet and Vallès, [@B1] 437 159 1 1 2 0.33
3 Northwest Region, Colombia Otero et al., [@B44] 101 159 0 1 1 0.39
4 USA Slish et al., [@B53] 31 159 1 0 1 0.53
5 Middle Navarra, Spain Cavero et al., [@B11] 198 159 2 0 2 0.60
6 Mainarde mountains, Italy Fortini et al., [@B17] 106 159 2 0 2 0.77
7 Eastern Mallorca, Spain Carrió and Vallès, [@B10] 121 159 1 2 3 0.81
8 South Kerman, Iran Sadat-Hosseini et al., [@B49] 115 159 1 2 3 1.12
9 USA Aston Philander, [@B4] 205 159 2 2 4 1.14
10 Balochistan, Pakistan Bibi et al., [@B8] 102 159 1 3 4 1.54
11 Qaysari Market, Kurdish, Iraq Mati and De Boer, [@B40] 82 159 1 3 4 1.66
12 Mato Grosso, Brazil Ribeiro et al., [@B48] 309 159 6 2 8 1.80
13 Xalpatlahuac, Mexico Juárez-Vázquez et al., [@B30] 67 159 2 2 4 1.87
14 Northern Kordofan region, Sudan Suleiman, [@B54] 44 159 3 1 4 2.09
15 Odisha, India Nagendrappa et al., [@B42] 16 159 2 2 4 2.45
16 Ethiopia Teklehaymanot and Giday, [@B56] 57 159 2 3 5 2.49
17 Hatay Province, Turkey Güzel et al., [@B21] 202 159 4 5 9 2.69
18 Uttarakhand, India Singh et al., [@B52] 89 159 6 1 7 3.08
19 Yunnan, China Ghorbani et al., [@B19] 199 159 7 5 13 4.08
20 Parbat district of Nepal Malla et al., [@B38] 132 159 8 3 11 4.26
21 Assam, India Saikia et al., [@B50] 85 159 6 10 16 8.16
22 Rangamati, Bangladesh Uddin et al., [@B58] 50 159 5 14 19 12.5
23 Uttara Kannada district, India Bhandary et al., [@B7] 69 159 11 10 21 12.73
24 Hazarikhil, Chittagong, Bangladesh Faruque and Uddin, [@B16] 43 159 6 13 19 13.10
25 Uttar Pradesh, India Singh et al., [@B51] 125 159 19 8 27 13.30
26 Atwari, Panchagarh, Bangladesh Rahman et al., [@B47] 97 159 8 22 30 18.07
27 Bandarban, Bangladesh Faruque and Uddin, [@B15] 66 159 9 18 27 18.75
28 Cox\'s Bazar, Bangladesh Uddin et al., [@B59] 82 159 18 15 33 23.24
29 Alpine & sub-alpine region, Pakistan Kayani et al., [@B33] 125 159 1 0 1 0.36
30 Madhupur forest area, Bangladesh Islam et al., [@B27] 78 159 15 12 27 17.31
We also calculated the degree of similarity among the three indigenous communities of the study area using the Jaccard Index. A total of seven out of 159 plant species were found to be used by these three indigenous communities with 5 species shared by the Chak and Tanchayanga communities. The degree of similarity found between the Chak and Tanchayanga communities was reflected in a JI of 5.95, followed by Marma and Tanchayanga (JI = 2.34), and Marma and Chak communities (JI = 1.42) (Table [5](#T5){ref-type="table"}). It may appear quite surprising that in such similar geographical areas that the overlap of used species is so low, but their treatment systems, cultures, languages, and social structures are distinct. Generally, traditional knowledge was not shared with other communities and it is only transferred to their own generations.
######
A comparative study among the three indigenous communities.
**Documented species from Marma** **Documented species from Chak** **Documented species from Tanchayanga** **Common species among Marma, Tanchayanga and Chak** **Common species between Marma and Chak** **Common species between Marma and Tanchayanga** **Common species between Tanchayanga and Chak** **Jaccard Index (JI) for Marma and Chak** **JI for Marma & Tanchayanga** **JI for Tanchayanga and Chak**
----------------------------------- ---------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ---------------------------------
92 52 42 7 *Namely-Duabanga grandiflora, Congea tomentosa, Engelhardtia spicata, Chromolaena odorata, Zingiber officinale, Curcuma longa, and Plumeria rubra* 2 *Namely-Ziziphus mauritiana and Hippochaete debilis* 3 *Namely-Alpinia conchigera, Clerodendrum indicum, and Passiflora foetida* 5 *Namely-Aegle marmelos, Equisetum ramosissimum, Asarum cordifolium, Sansevieria trifasciata, and Hemidesmus indicus* 1.42 2.34 5.95
Discussion {#s4}
==========
The informants utilized in this study predominantly ranged from 40 to 50 years old (30%), with 44% of the remainder aged 50 or more. This reflects the older profile of the knowledge repository in this community regarding medicinal plant use. With regard to the actual plant materials more commonly used by the people of the Bandarban as assessed by our research, the highest use reports were generated for *R. communis* (7), *A. indica, L. aspera, S. dulcis* (6 each), and *Clitoria ternatea* and *Z. officinale* (5 each). These plants were also reported by other researchers for treating other various disorders in Bangladesh. *Azadirachta indica* is used in eczema and allergy (Khan et al., [@B34]); chicken pox and measles (Faruque and Uddin, [@B15]); high blood pressure, gastritis, flatulence, and jaundice (Uddin et al., [@B59]); pain, wounds small pox, and cough (Islam et al., [@B27]). *Leucas aspera* is used to treat skin disease (Rahman et al., [@B47]). *Ricinus communis* is also used for gastritis, diarrhea and dysentery (Islam et al., [@B27]). *Scoparia dulcis* is used for fever (Khan et al., [@B34]). *Zingiber officinale* is also used to relief from sore throat (Faruque and Uddin, [@B15]) and vomiting (Islam et al., [@B27]).
This survey also reported that many of the documented plants are prescribed for use in combinations. A total of 59 mixtures of medicinal plants and other known or unknown ingredients were recorded. Most commonly, such mixtures included honey (14), seeds of *Nigella sativa* (6), rice-washed water or cow\'s milk (5 each), or salt and sugar (4 each). In 10 cases, the other ingredients were unknown. The diversity of other ingredients included sparrow birds, crabs, oil, chicken fat, lime, and plants including *Achyranthes aspera, Allium sativum, Averrhoa bilimbi, A. indica, Citrus aurantiifolia, Musa sapientum, Phaseolus vulgaris, Tamarindus indica*, and *Z. officinale*. Most of the mixtures of medicinal plants are used to treat gastrointestinal disorders. The general belief is that such mixtures might enhance the pharmacological activities of medicinal plants (Juárez-Vázquez et al., [@B30]).
The documented ethnomedicinal information was compared with previous published ethnobotanical studies in the area and with published articles in the databases of SCOPUS, PubMed, BioMed Central, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. The results showed that 16 out of the 159 kinds of species reported in this study reflect newly described therapeutic uses. These species are: *Adiantum capillus-veneris, Agastache urticifolia, Asarum cordifolium, Codariocalyx motorius, C. tomentosa, Curcuma caesia, D. oliveri, E. spicata, Hypserpa nitida, Jacquemontia paniculata, Leucas zeylanica, Maesa indica, Merremia vitifolia, Scutellaria discolor, Smilax odoratissima*, and *Torenia asiatica* (see uses in Supplementary Table [1](#SM1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Interestingly, seven of these species have not been pharmacologically studied to date. These are: *Agastache urticifolia, Asarum cordifolium, C. tomentosa, E. spicata, Hypserpa nitida, Merremia vitifolia*, and *Smilax odoratissima*. Future work is necessary to investigate the pharmacological properties of these plants species, in order to validate their traditional use. Furthermore, two ethnomedicinal species (*C. tomentosa* and *E. spicata*), with third and fifth highest use values respectively, are used to treat tumors and breast cancer by three indigenous communities; therefore, these species warrant particular pharmacological investigation.
Conclusion {#s5}
==========
The present study showed that traditional treatment systems using medicinal plants is still prevalent in the studied areas, and it underlines the importance in the documentation of traditional ethnomedicinal knowledge before losing this diverse resource. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative ethnomedicinal study in the study area indicating UV, ICF, FC, RFC, RI, and JI indices. The present study records new ethnomedicinal species with their therapeutic uses, which can potentially lead to the development of new therapies and may represent novel bioresources for phytochemical and pharmacological studies, notably *C. tomentosa* and *E. spicata*, which have claimed anticancer effects by the healers of all studied indigenous communities in the study area.
Ethics statement {#s6}
================
The study was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the Code of Ethics of the International Society of Ethnobiology. Ethics approval was not required by the university of the principal author. Verbal informed consent was obtained from each informant prior to all interviews. During this discussion, the research objectives, interview procedure were explained to each informant and confidentiality was assured. Consent for audio recording was also obtained.
Author contributions {#s7}
====================
Designed the study: MF and XH; Data Collection: MF and SU; Analyzed the data: MF and XL; Wrote the manuscript: MF, XH, JB, and SU. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict of interest statement
------------------------------
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
The authors are indebted to the informants, healers and local communities for cooperating and sharing their indigenous knowledge. This research was partially supported by National Key R&D Program of China No. 2017YFD0501500 (XH) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities Program No. 2662017PY104 (XH).
Supplementary material {#s8}
======================
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2018.00040/full#supplementary-material>
######
Click here for additional data file.
[^1]: Edited by: Victor Kuete, University of Dschang, Cameroon
[^2]: Reviewed by: Riana Kleynhans, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa; Wei Zhang, Macau University of Science and Technology, China
[^3]: This article was submitted to Ethnopharmacology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology
|
Refractive indices of powdered materials using attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy.
The attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy method of determining the complex refractive indices of materials which occur only as small particles was applied at a 10.6-microm wavelength to numerous pressed powder samples. Fresnel relations were used to obtain best fit values for the complex refractive indices of the samples. Good fits were obtained only when the particles were small compared to the wavelength. For such samples, several effective medium theories were used to predict values of bulk material refractive indices from those of samples with different volume packing fractions. Only the Bruggeman theory produced consistent results.
|
[Unit]
Description=DigitalOcean Synchronization
DefaultDependencies=no
Before=systemd-networkd.service sshdgenkeys.service
After=systemd-udevd.service
[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/sbin/digitalocean-synchronize
|
tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68639462016-07-29T21:00:43.275+03:00Chan'ad Bahraini(Scomberomorous maculatus Bahrainius)Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1116374005096192582005-05-18T02:46:00.000+03:002005-05-18T02:56:39.960+03:00This blog has moved<p>This blog has moved to a <a href="http://chanad.weblogs.us/">new host</a>.</p> <p>Please update your bookmark:</p> <ul><li><a href="http://chanad.weblogs.us/">http://chanad.weblogs.us/</a>,</li></ul> <p>and RSS feed:</p> <ul><li><a href="feed:http://chanad.weblogs.us/?feed=rss2">http://chanad.weblogs.us/?feed=rss2</a>.</li></ul> <p>There will be no new posts added here.</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1116287448582505752005-05-17T01:23:00.000+03:002005-05-17T03:10:55.816+03:00Congrats Kuwait<a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/wl/051605kuwaitwomenvot/im:/050516/photos_pl_afp/050516221833_gg8i2qz9_photo0"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/kuwaitvote1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Photo source: <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/wl/051605kuwaitwomenvot/im:/050516/photos_pl_afp/050516221833_gg8i2qz9_photo0">AFP/Yasser al-Zayyat via Yahoo! News</a></span><br /><p>I'm a few hours late, but I wanted to join everyone else in congratulating our Kuwaiti friends on their parliament's approval of the bill to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5010362,00.html">give women the right to vote</a> (at last!: <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/women-are-kuwaiti-too.html">1</a>, <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/05/hurrah-for-womens-suffrage.html">2</a>). This is a sign to everyone in the region that perseverence (lots of it!) and reason can pay off in the end (<a href="http://zaydoun.blogspot.com/2005/05/blog-post_111625867642395894.html">sort of</a>). Read some reactions from the Kuwaiti blogosphere by browsing through the <a href="http://safat.kuwaitblogs.com/">KuwaitBlogs feed aggregator</a>.</p> <p>Why so glum boys?</p> <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/wl/051605kuwaitwomenvot/im:/050516/481/kuw10505161846"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/kuwaitvote2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Photo source: <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/wl/051605kuwaitwomenvot/im:/050516/481/kuw10505161846">AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari via Yahoo! News</a></span><br />-------<br /><p>PS: Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I'm trying to move the blog to a new host, so I've been busy sorting that out. I'll publish details in a day or two hopefully.</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1115815212628504002005-05-11T23:17:00.000+03:002005-05-12T09:14:56.290+03:00Redressing torture<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_41021.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_41021.jpg" border="0" /></a> <blockquote><p>Another former detainee said that while he was interrogated at al-Qala'a in 1989, he was subjected to torture two or three times a week for a period of one month:</p> <blockquote>The interrogators sometimes came for me together, sometimes separately. They would beat me with cables and sticks, and kick my head and back with their heavy military boots. Once I was tied to a chair and my ankle was pierced with a battery-operated drill. Friday nights were the worst - the guards would go out and get drunk and then come back and beat the prisoners.</blockquote> <p> After his release, he underwent surgery on his spinal cord as a result of his treatment and his body still bears other scars of torture, including cigarette burns and a four-inch knife wound on his hand.</p></blockquote> <p><span style="font-size:78%;">--Amnesty International, <i><a href="http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/bahrain/document.do?id=D2A94E001BC2B7A5802569A600600E0C">Bahrain: Violation of Human Rights</a></i>, 1991</span></p> <p>Tomorrow, representatives of the Bahraini government will go before the <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/">UN Committee Against Torture</a> (CAT) in Geneva to present its report about the implementation of policies in Bahrain to satisfy the <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/cat.htm">Convention against Torture</a>. Two separate shadow reports will be presented to the CAT by the <a href="http://bhrs.org/">Bahrain Human Rights Society</a> (BHRS) and the (<a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/al-khawaja-affair.html">outlawed</a>) <a href="http://www.bchr.net/?eng=1">Bahrain Centre for Human Rights</a> (BCHR) (in co-operation with the National Committee for Martyrs and Victims of Torture, NCMVT).</p> <p>After reading the <a href="http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G04/441/82/PDF/G0444182.pdf">government's submission (pdf, 125KB)</a> it becomes apparent why independent shadow reports are needed to provide a full picture of the situation. The government report is filled with long boring quotes of Bahraini laws, but very little information about if and how these are actually being implemented on the ground. The only interesting bit is the way they try to sell <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/repeal-56.html">Royal Decree 56</a> as a good thing (page 8):</p> <blockquote> 16 (a) (iii): In order to make this equality truly meaningful and to turn a new page on the situation that had obtained prior to the amnesty, so that it would not affect the future of the reform movement, the general amnesty erased all the criminal and civil effects arising from the commission of these and related offences and discontinued prosecutions brought in relation thereto prior to the entry into force of the Amnesty Decree. This was spelt out in Legislative Decree No. 56 of 2002, which interprets certain provisions of Legislative Decree No. 10 of 2001, by which the general amnesty for offences against national security was declared (see annexes 3 and 4). It is worth noting, in this connection, that Legislative Decree No. 56 of 2002 provides a legislative interpretation that is based on the Constitution and the law and reflects the actual state of affairs where security and stability have been provided in order to look towards a brighter future in which society will be organized in accordance with the National Action Charter and the implementation of the Kingdom’s programme of reform;</blockquote> <p>All the Bahraini human rights groups have been campaigning against Law 56, yet the government wants to pull a fast one and portray the law as being in the best interests of society. I dont think the CAT will buy it. This is very similar to when Labour Minister <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/conclusions-on-discrimination.html">Al-Alawi claimed before the CERD</a> that there is no such thing as discrimination in Bahrain. Indeed, it is a recurring theme for our government to think that it can implement reforms without admitting and reddressing the mistakes of the past. The assumption seems to be that the people will forget... but that <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/black-saturday.html">is not the case</a>. Personally, I don't think anything less than a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_and_Reconciliation_Commission">Truth and Reconciliation Commission</a> will allow everyone to close this dark chapter of the country's history.</p> <p>I've had a chance to read a draft of the shadow report being presented to the Committee by the BCHR. Among the points raised are:</p> <ul><li>that criminals of torture (committed prior to 2001) enjoy immunity, due to Law 56</li> <li>that the courts have declined all cases against alleged torturers lodged by victims</li> <li>that there are no specific statutory remedies or rehabilitation for torture victims</li> <li>that no known compensation cases for acts of torture have been successfully pursued in the courts to date.</li></ul> <p>According to one member of the NCMVT that I spoke to about two months ago, the government did actually privately propose to compensate all the victims for their torture-related medical costs, in return for not pursuing the matter in the courts. He told me that the offer was rejected because they were more concerned about the truth being released, and because they doubted the government's sincerity for certain reasons.</p> <span class="frontonly"><p><b><a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/05/redressing-torture.html#more">Continue reading this post</a></b></p></span> <span class="fullpost"> <a name="more"></a> <p>It is important to understand the role that torture played in the government's strategy during the dark era of the State Security Law (1975 - 2000). Not only was it used to get false confessions, but it was also used to spread fear and to prevent people from spreading information. Up until just a few years ago, people would not discuss politics in public areas without first looking over their shoulders to make sure that no one else is listening. At the time there was no internet, no blogs, no satellite tv. This was how the government managed to control the flow of information.</p> <p>So how brutal did the torture have to be achieve its goal? In a <a href="http://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G97/101/13/pdf/G9710113.pdf">1997 report to the UNHCR (pdf 109KB)</a>, the Special Rapporteur described the situation in Bahrain's torture cells:</p> <blockquote>The methods of torture reported include: falaqa (beatings on the soles of the feet); severe beatings, sometimes with hosepipes; suspension of the limbs in contorted positions accompanied by blows to the body; enforced prolonged standing; sleep deprivation; preventing victims from relieving themselves; immersion in water to the point of near drowning; burnings with cigarettes; piercing the skin with a drill; sexual assault, including the insertion of objects into the penis or anus; threats of execution or of harm to family members; and placing detainees suffering from sickle cell anaemia (said to be prevalent in the country) in airconditioned rooms in the winter, which can lead to injury to internal organs.</blockquote> <p>A fuller picture is created when explained in the victims own words. In a <a href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/1997/bahrain/">1997 report by Human Rights Watch</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>Hussain, a nineteen year old from Shahraqan, told Human Rights Watch what happened after he after he was brought to Qal'a early one morning:</p> <blockquote>They took me upstairs to an office, I don't know whose. There they told me to stand on one leg and bray like a donkey. "What am I accused of?" I asked. "Get some manners," the officer said, and he hit me and left. Then someone came in wearing a dishdasha [traditional white shoulder-to-ankle garment worn by men in the Gulf]. I recognized him from photos I had seen: It was Adil Flaifil. He asked me if I was Hussain Shahraqani and I said yes. He had a piece of paper marked "confidential" on top, otherwise blank. He told me to sign it. I refused. They took me to a different room and trussed me up with a pole under my knees. There were four men, two in uniform. They kicked me and took turns hitting me with a hose. After half an hour of this they took me back to Adil Flaifil, who told me again to sign. I refused again. I went back and forth several times between the hanging and beating and the questioning. At one point he [Flaifil] asked for my hand. Two people held my hand, and he burned the back of my hand with his cigarette [displays light scars].</blockquote> <p>Hussain asserted that his tormentors on this occasion also used electricity to inflict pain. Adil Flaifil, he said, "attached some wires to a piece of metal he was holding against my hand. The shock knocked me to the floor."</p> <p>"Then they took me into a corridor and put my cuffed hands over the top of a door," Hussain continued:</p> <blockquote> so I was hanging with my toes just touching the ground. I fell down when they finally let me off the door, and they beat me with a hose again for what seemed like a long time. They saidthey would charge me with bombings and planning attacks with bombs. Later they said I would only have to confess to incitement. I still refused. Finally they said I had to sign a statement that I would not do these things. That I did sign. They gave me one more beating, till my mouth bled, and then they let me go.</blockquote></blockquote> <p>You can read many more similar interviews in this <a href="http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/bahrain/document.do?id=D7ED407FD3A20EC8802569A5007156E2">1995 Amnesty International report</a>, and an earlier <a href="http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/bahrain/document.do?id=D2A94E001BC2B7A5802569A600600E0C">AI report issued in 1991</a>.</p> <p>Sadly though, not everyone was fortunate enough to live to tell the story, as there have been several reported cases of detainees who died during the interrogation period. It's not for the faint-hearted but if you can handle it, there are some photos of the corpses displaying injuries allegedly caused by torture at <a href="http://hussainalashiri11.jeeran.com/favorite_links_2.html">this site</a> (scroll down to the second set of pictures). This case was documented in 1995 AI report:</p> <blockquote> The second case is that of Sa'id 'Abd al-Rasul al-Iskafi, a 16-year-old secondary school student from al-Sanabes who died ten days (not two days, as initially reported) after his arrest. According to information received by Amnesty International, he had been summoned for interrogation by Mabahith Amn al-Dawla (State Security Intelligence) on 29 June 1995 in connection with his alleged participation in anti-government protests. He was reportedly suspected of having sprayed graffiti on walls near his home. Upon arrival at the headquarters of State Security Intelligence, Sa'id al-Iskafi was taken into custody. On 8 July, his family was told to collect his body from the Military Hospital. According to accounts received, the security forces prevented his family from burying his body in the local cemetery in al-Sanabes, and he was later buried at a cemetery in the nearby district of al-Na'im, where he was born.</blockquote> <p>It should be quite easy now to understand why the victims of torture and their relatives refuse to give up their campaign for justice. I expect that tomorrow in Geneva the goverment representatives will do their best to dodge the issue of Law 56. But one can hope...</p> <p>Read my related posts: <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/repeal-56.html">Repeal 56</a></p></span>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1115827527907679062005-05-11T18:46:00.000+03:002005-05-11T19:27:06.993+03:00WSJ on BahrainOnline<p>Ali Abdulemam and <a href="http://bahrainonline.org/">BahrainOnline.org</a> are the subject of an article on page A1 of today's Wall Street Journal.</p> <blockquote><p><b> Democracy Project in Bahrain Falters</b></p> <p>MANAMA, Bahrain -- Ali Abdulemam, a young Islamic activist and founder of a popular Arabic-language Web site, made a bold decision three years ago. He started using his real name online.</p> <p>He shed his pseudonym after a spurt of political change in this Gulf kingdom touted by President Bush as a model for the Arab world. The government emptied prisons of political prisoners, held elections and let hundreds return from exile abroad. "I believed you could speak and not go to jail," says the 27-year-old computer engineer, who combines his Web work with a day job at an American technology-consulting company.</p> <p>In late February, amid boisterous debate about democracy following elections in Iraq, Mr. Abdulemam was thrown in prison, accused of fomenting hatred of the government and other charges.</p></blockquote> <p>Our <a href="http://freeali.blogspot.com/">Free Ali blog</a> also gets a mention:</p> <blockquote>Before the government announced the arrests, news spread online. A crowd of protesters gathered outside a detention center where the three were held. In early March, al-Jazeera broadcast footage of Mr. Abdulemam in handcuffs. Fellow bloggers set up a <a href="http://freeali.blogspot.com/">FreeAli Web site</a>. The Committee to Protect Journalists in New York and other groups protested. The U.S. ambassador to Bahrain privately queried the Information Minister about the arrests but didn't comment in public.</blockquote> <p>Read the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111577688540630083,00.html?mod=home%5Fpage%5Fone%5Fus">full article (WSJ subscription required)</a>. Thanks to <a href="http://www.liberalsagainstterrorism.com/drupal/?q=blog/4">Praktike</a> for the heads up.</p> <p>Read my previous posts about <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/free-ali.html">the BahrainOnline arrests</a></p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1115401739525351862005-05-06T19:41:00.000+03:002005-05-07T04:17:56.030+03:00Constitutional reform, again<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5232.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5232.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>The second in the series of protests demanding constitutional reform was held today, in the empty ground next to Dana Mall (read about the first protest <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/constitutional-reforms-first.html">here</a>). When the plan to hold the protest was <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/more-of-same.html">announced a couple weeks back</a>, it seemed as though the government would once again deem it illegal. However, a few days the Interior Ministry <a href="http://www.mahmood.tv/index.php/blog/1596">gave the go-ahead</a> for the demonstration, so everything went smoothly today without any trouble.</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5274.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5274.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>Today's protest definitely felt smaller than the first one, but it was still very big. I'm no good at guessing numbers anyway, but it was especially difficult today because the venue was a perfectly flat open ground, with very few vantage points to make a decent estimate. If I were to hazard a guess I might say around 10 or 12 thousand, but don't quote me on it. It would be better to wait a couple hours for the news agencies to publish their reports. I've made another one of those panorama images to give you a sense of the scale, but I wasn't high enough to capture the full depth of the crowd. Click on the icon below to see it:</p> <a href="http://img116.echo.cx/img116/9085/dasturipano3kz.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img116.echo.cx/img116/9085/dasturipano3kz.th.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>What was very significant about this protest though was that it was not a one-party show dominated entirely by Al-Wefaq, like the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/constitutional-reforms-first.html">first one</a>. As I <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/more-of-same.html">suspected</a> might happen, all of the four boycotting political societies made their presence known this time. <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/where-is-everyone-else.html">At last</a>. This was the first major protest in a long time that did not have a sectarian feel to it. So even though today's demonstration was smaller than the last one, for me it was more significant because it was so much more representative of the population. I do hope this will continue to be the case throughout the rest of the campaign. Below you can see a cluster of, I believe, <a href="http://www.aldemokrati.org/">NDAS</a> supporters:</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5230.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5230.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>Incidentally, the International Crisis Group today released <a href="http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=3404">a report</a> (hat tip to <a href="http://www.mahmood.tv/index.php/blog/1600?">Mahmood</a>) that contains an excellent overview of the political situation Bahrain, as well as urgent recommendations to all parties about what needs to be done to defuse the situation. Among the recommendations to the government is to reduce the legislative authority of the parliament's appointed chamber (the key demand of today's protest). I really hope that both the government and the opposition take the recommendations of this report seriously and show some courage.</p> <span class="frontonly"><p><b><a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/05/constitutional-reform-again.html#more">Click here to see the rest of the photos</a></b></p></span> <span class="fullpost"> <br> <a name="more"></a> <p><b>More photos:</b></p> <p>Before the protest started a cop issued parking tickets to some of the demonstrators for parking their cars on the road island, so a small argument ensued. (Take a good look, because this is one of the rare chances you'll get to witness traffic cops in Bahrain actually doing something).</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5217.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5217.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>This protest had a very Woodstock-ish feel to it (not that I've ever been to Woodstock). As you can see in the photo below the protest took place in a big open ground, and people came walking in from all directions. Rather than an agry march, today many people came and sat down on the ground or a chair, and listened to the speeches and talked amongst themselves. The weather was great and the kids especially seemed to enjoy the opportunity to run around in the big open space or build castles in the sand.</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5220.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5220.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5246.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5246.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5223.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5223.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5239.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5239.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>Some women:</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5240.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5240.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>In the cartoon below, on the right side it say "The Nineties" and shows a person trapped in a bottle (The height of the civil uprising in Bahrain tooke place during the 1990s). In the left panel it says "The days of reform" and shows a person in a bottle with the 2002 Consitution blocking the opening.</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5224.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5224.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5233.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5233.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5234.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5234.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5250.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5250.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5252.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5252.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5255.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5255.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>NDAS president Ibrahim Shareef being interviewed by a reporter from Al Jazeera television:</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5263.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5263.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>Speakers at the podium:</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5275.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5275.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5261.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5261.jpg" border="0" /></a> </span>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1115210081814284102005-05-04T23:57:00.000+03:002005-05-05T19:42:26.696+03:00The right to know<a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/GDNpage1-4Apr05.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/GDNpage1-4Apr05.jpg'></a> <p>"<span style="font-weight: bold;">The right to know: Premier vows Press freedom</span>" reads the frontpage headline of today's GDN. The first paragraph of <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=111024&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28045">the article</a> reads:</p> <blockquote>Freedom of speech is sacrosanct and will not be touched, the Premier told leading Bahrain journalists yesterday. Press freedom is the country's first line of defence, he said, vowing to make citizens fully aware of "every movement". <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=111024&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28045">(Continued)</a></blockquote> <p>Now you would expect a proper news article about Press freedom in Bahrain to present the opinions of both the government and those who diagree with the government. But as is <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/02/checking-self-interests.html">all too common</a> in the local Press and media, only the government propaganda is presented in this article. Whether it's editorial self-censorship or direct orders from the government, the Press obviously feels pressure from government.</p> <p>This is why I (and most other bloggers, I suspect) am so much against the government's <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/05/web-registration-commences.html">website registration plan</a>. The Internet is the last refuge for those of us who want to read about and discuss issues concerning Bahrain in a free unrestricted environment. If all Bahraini website owners were to register with the government, then they would face the same pressures as our local Press. And inevitably, the level of discussion online about political issues would be dumbed down to that of our newspapers. I don't want that to happen.</p><br />--------<br /><p>On a related note, there is a short mention of this topic in the widely distributed <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=2847">Foreign Policy</a> magazine.</p><br />--------<br /><p><b>Update (05-Apr-05)</b>: The UAE-based Gulf News (not to be confused with Bahrain's GDN) published some excellent op-eds and reports about Press Freedom in the UAE and the Gulf to mark World Press Freedom Day. Be sure to read the Editor-in-Chief's candid op-ed: <a href="http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/OpinionNF.asp?ArticleID=163285">Self-censorship virus plagues media</a>. It seems that our friends in the UAE are genuinely moving in the right direction. The UAE leadership also marked the day with speeches about the issue, not unlike how our Prime Minister spoke about the issue (as shown in the article at the top). The crucial difference is that UAE leaders recognize that problems exist, and seem to want to genuinely overcome them. In <a href="http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/OpinionNF.asp?ArticleID=163286">his address</a>, the Dubai's Crown Prince said:</p> <blockquote>It is no longer possible to sell illusions, to justify failure with manufactured excuses or to re-label defeats as victories. Technology has increased people's access to information and has forced the Arab world with all its states, governments and societies to face the realities and challenges of the new age.</blockquote> <p>And among the things <a href="http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/OpinionNF.asp?ArticleID=163290">said by the UAE's Minister of Information</a> was:</p> <blockquote>There is a need to change the way that our media, and the people working within it, work. We need an environment that encourages innovative thinking and dialogue, even if that means that governments are embarrassed. The media should be able to question governments, and to criticise their policies if there is something to be criticised.</blockquote> <p>These guys are talking about changing the situation, whereas the Bahraini leadership talks about the prevailing status quo as though it is absolutely perfect. Bahrain could learn a thing or two from its brethren.</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1115246915867705562005-05-04T23:03:00.000+03:002005-05-05T02:03:40.380+03:00Tasawwuf Bahraini<a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5210.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5210.jpg'></a> <p>I attended a small performance of devotional singing by Bahraini sufis this evening. It was a few days late, but the purpose of the event was to <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/mawlid-al-rasool.html">celebrate the Prophet's birthday</a>. It was a very moving performance, which involved about ten men singing devotional poetry in heterophony, following one lead singer (no instrumentation). They had excellent control over their voices, producing an extremely rich and powerful overall sound.</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5209.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5209.jpg'></a> <p>I was quite surprised to read the announcement of this event in the newspaper a couple days ago, because prior to that I had no idea that there were any active sufi groups in Bahrain. I knew that they must have existed on the island in previous generations, but when I asked around most people didn't have any idea about what sufism is. But today I learned that there are actually several sufi orders represented on the island (including the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qadiriyyah">Qadiriya</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naqshbandi">Naqshbandiya</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azeemia">Azeemia</a>). I'm wondering now... does anyone know if any of the shia sufi orders are active in Bahrain?</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1115116298236906002005-05-03T12:51:00.000+03:002005-05-03T19:36:47.390+03:00Web registration commences<a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5184.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5184.jpg'></a> <p>Around 40 or 50 people showed up today in front of the Ministry of Information to protest its decision to press charges against the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/free-ali.html">BahrainOnline trio</a>. Although the three (Ali Abdulemam, Hussain Yousif and Mohammed Al-Mousawi) were released from prison in March, they still face charges for the material that was posted on their website, and are not allowed to leave the country.<p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5187.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5187.jpg'></a> <p>Despite this however, the government is going ahead with its plan to <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/rsf-denounces-web-registration.html">obligate all Bahraini websites to register</a> with the Ministry of Information, ridiculously claiming that "it is intended to protect people running websites". In <a href="http://www.bahraintribune.com/ArticleDetail.asp?CategoryId=1&ArticleId=67927">this article</a> in today's Bahrain Tribune, Jamal Dawood (head of Press and Publication at the MoI) claims that "many" website owners have already come forward to be registered. But this can't be too many since most the popular online forums have agreed that they will not register. And certainly all of the bloggers I have spoken to are ardently against the registration also (including myself).</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5194.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5194.jpg'></a> <p>A couple of posts ago <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/rsf-denounces-web-registration.html">I mentioned</a> that Batelco (Bahrain's sole ISP) had blocked <a href="http://www.proxify.com/">Proxify.com</a>. Well it seems that today Batelco has taken steps so that users can't access blocked sites using many of the freely available proxy servers. Not to worry though, as there are many other ways to get around this. But this is significant. Earlier, Batelco's block on sites was just nominal and very easy to get around. But it seems that now the government is actively trying to make sure that blocked sites are actually blocked, to go along with its website registration mandate.</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5188.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5188.jpg'></a> <p>And I have also been informed by a friend that my blog is no longer accessible from computers at the University of Bahrain's Sakhir campus. (I'll take that as a compliment for now).</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5205.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5205.jpg'></a> <p>Well, happy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Press_Freedom_Day">World Press Freedom Day</a> all.</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1115078666251625362005-05-02T21:31:00.000+03:002005-05-03T03:17:56.990+03:00Upcoming<p>So I've added Bahrain as a metro on <a href="http://upcoming.org/metro/bh/bh/bh/">Upcoming.org</a>, which is a nifty free online events calendar website. The cool thing is that the site publishes RSS feeds and iCal feeds, and it will send e-mail reminders, so that you don't have to check the site everyday to find out what's happening. I've started adding events, but it would be good if others would add stuff too. Let's see if it works. Click <a href="http://upcoming.org/metro/bh/bh/bh/">here</a> to check it out.</p> <p>On a related note, don't forget that Alliance Francaise has arranged a French Cinema Week this week, in which they are screening a French film everyday at Dana Cinema (for FREE, of course). There are only two movies left though. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is <a href="http://upcoming.org/event/18852/">Moi César, 10 ans 1/2, 1m39</a>, and on Wednesday they're screening the much celebrated <a href="http://upcoming.org/event/18853/">Podium</a>.</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1114112265485826752005-04-28T17:23:00.000+03:002005-04-29T21:01:56.363+03:00Al Khawaja revisited<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/abdulhadi1.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/abdulhadi1.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>More from my backlog of unfinished posts. So way back in December 2004, a week or so after he was released from prison, I interviewed <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/al-khawaja-affair.html">Abdulhadi Al Khawaja</a>, the vice-president of the now outlawed (but still active) Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. Somehow I never got around to posting about the interview until now, so sorry for the delay. Even though the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/al-khawaja-affair.html">Al Khawaja Affair</a> is old news now, many of the issues discussed in this interview are still very relevant today (so that's my lame excuse for this being so late).</p> <p>A bit of background for those of you who are new. On Sept 24, 2004, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja delivered a speech as part of a symposium about poverty and economic rights in Bahrain, in which he criticized the Prime Minister. The next day <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/09/north-wind-and-sun.html">he was arrested</a> and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) was <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/09/centre-for-human-rights-shut-down.html">shut down</a> on orders from the government. During the two months that he was in prison as the trial went on, his supporters held protests on a regular basis. On the morning of Nov 21, the court <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/11/its-only-just-begun.html">sentenced Al Khawaja</a> to one year in prison, but it was announced later in the day that he had been <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/11/creating-avenues-for-change.html">given a Royal Pardon</a> from the King and was released. The BCHR remains outlawed by the government, but it has been very <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/02/discrimination-report.html">active</a> nonetheless. You can read all of my posts about the Al Khawaja Affair <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/al-khawaja-affair.html">here</a>.</p> <p>My interview with him took place on Dec 2, twelve days after his release from prison -- so bear in mind that some of the stuff discussed may be outdated. I got his phone number and gave him a call telling him about my blog, and he was was kind enough to invite me to his home and make the time to speak with me.</p> <span class="frontonly"><p><b><a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/al-khawaja-revisited.html#more">Click here</a> to read/listen to the interview</b></p></span> <span class="fullpost"><a name="more"></a><p>The interview was recorded on video, but to save download times for you I'm only sharing the audio, reduced down to 16kbps quality. I've also edited out most of my own voice in the audio to save space (and because I can't stand listening to my own voice... and sorry for the sound of me saying "uh huh" throughout the interview... I didn't realize that the microphone was picking it up). I've written below my question (paraphrased, not the exact question), followed by a link to Abdulhadi's response. The sound files have been placed in a little Flash player, so what you need to do is click on the Flash icon below each question, which will open up a new browser window and load the player. (If you have just arrived from Venus and you don't have Flash already installed for your browser, then get it from <a href="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash">here</a>). The files are anywhere between 100KB and 300KB each, so it may take a while to load depending on your connection speed. Please email me or leave a comment if it's not working for some reason.</p> <p>Also bear in mind that what is presented here is not the entire interview, just clips. And that not all of the clips are in their original order. On with the show:</p><br /><p>Q: Why did you choose to publicly criticize the Prime Minister?</p> <a href="http://img255.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi015fk.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>Q: What would be achieved if the Prime Minister was replaced?</p> <a href="http://img161.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi026fp.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>On Old Guard vs Reformists:</p> <a href="http://img241.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi032zp.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>Q: Didn't your statements of criticism sideline the progress made by the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/09/mckinsey-on-labour-market-reforms.html">Crown Prince's reforms project (McKinsey)</a> to some extent?</p> <a href="http://img249.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi042pl.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>Q: What indications are there that make you so convinced that real economic reforms will not take place under the current government?</p> <a href="http://img39.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi0456pw.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>Q: In what way do you think your statements "weakened" the Prime Minister and the Old Guard?</p> <a href="http://img193.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi057gf.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>On the urgent needs of the people, and the campaign to satisfy them:</p> <a href="http://img221.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi067bm.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>Q: What kind of activities will this future campaign consist of?</p> <a href="http://img229.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi076fs.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>Q: What will be the specific objectives of this campaign?</p> <a href="http://img98.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi086dk.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>I asked him to respond to criticism that the effect of the planned demonstrations and strikes would hurt the economy rather than help it.</p> <a href="http://img162.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi143sd.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>I then put forward the idea that public criticism of the Prime Minister or the government might make it harder for the Reformists within the regime to implement change. I reminded Abdulhadi that "saving face" and reputation is a big factor in regional politics, and suggested that public criticism might only provoke the Old Guard to seek means to strengthen its own position.</p> <a href="http://img218.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi093fl.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>Since Abdulhadi didn't buy my argument that criticism might cause the Old Guard to strengthen itself, I asked him to explain specifically how the activities of the campaign would necessarily translate into political change.</p> <a href="http://img245.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi106ma.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>I wasn't fully satisfied with his explanations of how the campaign would necessarily activate change, so I kept questioning him on the subject for a while. But then he admitted that he doesn't have all the answers regarding the specific dynamics of political change, and further explained that as a human rights activist it is not his responsibility to have them.</p> <a href="http://img255.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi117gg.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>Abdulhadi's statements against the Prime Minister were very political in nature, and some people thought that this did not fall under the domain of human rights. So I asked him for his opinion on where the border (if any) between human rights and politics lies. I also asked him to respond to criticism that the BCHR's relationship with Al Wefaq is too close.</p> <a href="http://img247.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi124pq.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>A bit more about the BCHR's relations with Al Wefaq and other groups.</p> <a href="http://img44.echo.cx/my.php?image=abdulhadi150ky.swf" target="_blank"><img src="http://img1.imageshack.us/flash.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p>That's it for now. I will try to write a follow up post with my own feedback and an analysis of what was discussed in light of recent events. But for right now, that's all.</p></span>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1114547864473798182005-04-26T21:23:00.000+03:002005-04-28T19:44:05.660+03:00RSF denounces web registration<p>Regarding the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/register-or-face-legal-action.html">government's plan</a> to require all Bahraini webmasters to register with the information ministry, <a href="http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13380">Reporters Without Borders</a> has issued this statement:</p> <blockquote>Reporters Without Borders voiced alarm at Bahrain's decision announced on 24 April 2005 to oblige all websites dealing with the country to register with the ministry of Information. "This does not happen in any democratic country and is a threat to press freedom," the organisation said. <a href="http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13380">(Continued)</a></blockquote> <p>It also contains the details pertaining to us bloggers:</p> <blockquote>[Jamal Dawood, head of press and publications at the information ministry] admitted that he did not know what a weblog was, but said that even personal websites would have to comply with the new procedure. He added that it would not be possible to register online and registration would have to be done directly at the information ministry. <b>After each registration was validated, the person in charge would receive an ID number that would have to be posted on the site</b>. [wtf???]</blockquote> <p>Do the government officials who are inventing these laws even know what the internet is?? It sounds as though a government employee from the "Vehicle Registration" department at the Directorate of Traffic got moved to the Information Ministry. Surely this is a joke of some sort. I can't wait to find out what else they have in store for us.</p> <p>I'm just wondering... does this mean I have to register <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chanad/">my Flickr account</a> with the ministry also?</p> <p>Do read the <a href="http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13380">full RSF statement</a>.</p><br />----------<br /><p><b>Update (27-Apr-05)</b>: I've been reading over the RSF article and wanted to bring to your attention this quote from Mr Jamal Dawood:</p> <blockquote>"Registration will be automatic and no-one will be turned down whatever the content."</blockquote> <p>Does he really expect people to believe this when just two months ago <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/free-ali.html">three website admins were arrested</a> due to the contents of their site? And after the <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=105819&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=27349">GDN reported</a> that the government will continue to block websites "inciting hatred against prominent figures, ministers and leading officials". This reminds me of when Labour Minister Al Alawi <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/conclusions-on-discrimination.html">stated before a UN Committee</a> in Geneva that racial discrimination does not exist whatsoever in Bahrain.</p> <p>Oh and guess what? The government has now blocked <a href="http://www.proxify.com/">Proxify.com</a> also. They really seem to believe that it's possible to control the internet.</p><br />---------<br /><p><b>Update (28-Apr-05)</b>: The story has been picked up by AP News: <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D89OEAF80.htm?campaign_id=apn_tech_down">Bahrain site registration sparks protests</a> (via Business Week). Also, our local paper, the GDN also has two articles about the story: <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=110525&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28039">This one</a> featured as the frontpage headline story and <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=110539&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28039">this one</a> inside contains a quote from our very own <a href="http://www.mahmood.tv/">Mahmood</a>!</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1114467534898151972005-04-25T23:56:00.000+03:002005-04-26T02:00:47.276+03:00Mawlid al Rasool<a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4992.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4992.jpg'></a> <p>Here are some photos I took this afternoon in the Manama suq, which has been all decorated for the celebrations tonight of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawlid">Prophet's birthday</a> and that of Imam Ja'far al Sadiq. I was there later in the evening also for the actual celebrations, but my camera died on me so I don't have pictures of the beautiful lights. (And I ate one too many platefuls of biryani).</p> <p>It's really quite cool how just last month the town was <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/02/hussaini-processions-commence.html">draped in black</a>, and now it's bursting with colour. It's beautiful. You can't help but feel the joy.</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4999.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4999.jpg'></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5004.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5004.jpg'></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5005.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5005.jpg'></a> <span class="frontonly"><p><a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/mawlid-al-rasool.html#more">Click here</a> to see the rest of the photos (there are lots more).</p></span> <span class="fullpost"> <a name="more"></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5007.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5007.jpg'></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5008.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5008.jpg'></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5009.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5009.jpg'></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5012.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5012.jpg'></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5013.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5013.jpg'></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4995.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4995.jpg'></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4996.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4996.jpg'></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5002.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5002.jpg'></a> <p>Of course, what would a photoset be without kids:</p><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5003.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5003.jpg'></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5000.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5000.jpg'></a> <p>As you can tell, I quite like all the brocade material draped everywhere. Here are a couple details if anyone cares:</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_5001.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_5001.jpg'></a> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4997.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4997.jpg'></a></span>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1114389913116474842005-04-25T02:54:00.000+03:002005-04-25T12:54:13.396+03:00Register or face legal action<p>So this is what SillyBahrainiGirl <a href="http://sillybahrainigirl.blogspot.com/2005/04/watch-this-space.html">warned us</a> about. From the <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=110287&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28036">GDN</a>:</p> <blockquote><p><b>Webmasters must register or face legal action</b></p> <p>MANAMA: Webmasters face prosecution if they defy new rules announced by Bahraini authorities. All Bahraini websites set up here or abroad must register with the Information Ministry or face legal action, it was declared yesterday.</p> <p>A six-month campaign is being launched next Monday to register all Bahraini websites, under orders from Information Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar.</p> <p>"The ministry will announce soon the details of how each website owner or supervisor can register," Information Under-Secretary Mahmood Al Mahmood told the GDN.</p> <p>"If they fail to register then legal action will be taken against them based on the country's printing and publishing laws."</p> <p>He said websites would face similar laws to newspapers, related to libel, public decency and ethics.</p> <p>Just as a newspaper editor-in-chief is held responsible for what he publishes, so will the webmasters be, he said.</p> <p>Ministry printing and publishing director Jamal Dawood said registration procedures would be in line with those for all types of publications, including newspapers, leaflets, audio and visual media.</p></blockquote> <p>So the government actually expects me to register this blog with them? Not a chance mate! It's odd... <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/word-on-street-ii-graffiti.html">just a few days ago</a> I wrote that the current environment of relatively free speech (in large part due to websites) was the only real change brought about by King Hamad's reforms... but now it seems the government is hellbent on undoing that also. Does the government seriously think it can control the flow of information in the current day and age? I think it's time for the Information Ministry to be shut down... <a href="http://mahmood.tv/index.php/articles/695">no jokes</a> this time please.</p> <p>Bahrain bloggers, what do you make of this?</p><br />-----------<br /><p><b>Update (25-Apr-05)</b>: Head over to <a href="http://www.mahmood.tv/index.php/blog/1569">Mahmood's Den</a> to discuss what course of action we as bloggers want to take in response to this.</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1114359233247012742005-04-24T18:29:00.000+03:002005-04-24T19:22:26.033+03:00More labour rage<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/kuwait_bangladesh_AP.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/kuwait_bangladesh_AP.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Photo source: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050424/481/kuw10404241421">AP/Gustavo Ferrari (via Yahoo News)</a></span><br /> <p>From the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4478723.stm">BBC</a>:</p> <blockquote>More than 700 Bangladeshi workers have stormed their country's embassy in Kuwait, causing damage inside. [...] Mr Islam [the ambassador] told the BBC Bengali service that the motive for the attack was linked to wages not being paid. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4478723.stm">(Continued)</a></blockquote> <p>More details with <a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24657775.htm">Reuters</a></p> <p>This is very worrying, but not at all surprising. There have been several similar events all over the Gulf in recent months, of migrant workers expressing anger at their situation. Usually <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/power-to-people.html">peaceful</a>, but occasionally <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/labour-rage.html">violent</a>.</p> <p>Usually this anger has been expressed towards their employers or at their host government. But this time it is against their own government. Although there is no way to condone today's violence, this should serve as a much-needed wake up call to embassies all around the Gulf. Up until now they have silently watched their citizens being abused, without demanding that the basic rule of law be applied to them. As long as the foreign remittances are flowing in there's no probs.</p> <p><i>See also: <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/expat-files.html">the Expat Files</a></i></p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1114173656240149072005-04-22T15:11:00.000+03:002005-04-25T03:55:34.296+03:00More of the same<p>As the turn of the month approaches, opposition activists have reloaded and have announced some more protests to keep the pressure on the government.</p> <p>On April 30 (the eve of Labour Day), the Committee for the Unemployed <a href="http://bahrainonline.org/showthread.php?t=120626">will hold</a> the third in its series of demonstrations. This time the protest will take the form of a march that will commence at 7.30pm from <a href="http://www.bahrainexplorer.com/BahrainExplorer/en/map/map.asp?lmkname=Jamea+Ras+Romman+Mosque%231290&highlightby=lmkname">Ras Ruman mosque</a> and will pass by the Prime Minister's office. (Read about the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/let-them-eat-baklava.html">first</a> and <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/news-roundup.html">second</a> protests.)</p> <p>On the following Friday (May 6), the second protest demanding constitutional reforms will be held. The venue this time will be next to <a href="http://www.bahrainexplorer.com/BahrainExplorer/en/map/map.asp?highlightby=lmkname&lmkname=Dana%20Mall%231789">Dana Mall</a> at 4pm. Interestingly, the <a href="http://www.montadayat.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9278">announcement</a> says that the protest is being sponsored by all four of the boycotting opposition parties, rather than just Al Wefaq as was the case for the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/constitutional-reforms-first.html">first protest</a>. Is it possible that the others have <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/where-is-everyone-else.html">finally woken up</a>?</p> <p>Well, let's see.</p><br />-----------<br /><p><b>Update (24-Apr-05)</b>: Today's GDN has the following:</p> <blockquote><p><b>Rally ‘illegal’</b></p> <p>MANAMA: Social Affairs Minister Dr Fatima Al Balooshi yesterday dismissed the constitutional conference general secretariat as “unlicensed and illegal”. She was commenting on news that a rally would be held on May 6 to press for constitutional reforms.</p></blockquote> <p>Things seem to <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/sitra-protest-update.html">keep repeating</a> themselves in Bahrain. But Dr Balooshi's statement sounds more like a dismissal of legitimacy, rather than the ban that was imposed on the last protest. But there's still time left, so let's see how the government responds this time.</p><br />-----------<br /><p><b>Update (25-Apr-05)</b>: More in today's <a href="http://cache.spurl.net/?url=http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/printnews.asp?Article=110292">GDN</a>:</p> <blockquote>A planned rally to call for constitutional changes would be an illegal act orchestrated by an illegal organisation, authorities said yesterday. The government does not recognise the group organising the rally, which is backed by four political societies that boycotted the parliamentary elections, said a senior Social Affairs Ministry official. <a href="http://cache.spurl.net/?url=http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/printnews.asp?Article=110292">(Continued)</a></blockquote>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1113475705879838492005-04-16T13:40:00.000+03:002005-04-16T22:05:13.163+03:00Word on the street II: Graffiti<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_2432.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_2432.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>Continuing on from my recent post "<a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/04/word-on-street.html">Word on the Street</a>", I thought I'd write a bit more about public expression, this time focusing on graffiti in Bahrain. From my observations, the graffiti can be grouped in to three general categories: (i) domestic politics, (ii) international politics, and (iii) religious.</p> <p><b>Domestic politics</b></p> <p>From my observations and memory, there wasn't any significant graffiti activity until the civil unrest starting in 1994 (older readers, please correct me if I'm wrong). This constituted the first of the three categories stated above: domestic politics. Typical phrases that were spray painted (usually in Arabic, but sometimes in English) were "We want a parliament", "we want the 1973 constitution" and "down with Al-Khalifa". Below is an example. It's hard to read because someone has already made an attempt to cover it up, but it says "We want freedom" in both Arabic and English:</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/2004-04-05-BudaiyaFlags-10.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/2004-04-05-BudaiyaFlags-10.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>It was also quite common to see spray-painted stencil portraits of (the then) opposition leader Shaikh al-Jamri, or of some of the people killed by the state security forces during the uprising. At the height of the unrest, graffiti was popping up everywhere daily. And if it was in a very public place, near a main highway for example, the government usually had it painted over immediately, leaving these huge white rectangles all over the place. New graffiti of this sort stopped emerging when the unrest ended, after Hamad became Amir (later renamed to "King") in 1999. Most of this graffiti has by now been painted over.</p> <p><b>International politics</b></p> <p>Graffiti reflecting international politics did not emerge until the second Palestinian intifada in 2000. Aside from Pro-Palestinian phrases such as "Jersualem is ours", the intifada unleashed a wave of anti-American and anti-Israeli feelings. The two photos show graffiti saying "Death to Israel":</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/2004-04-05-BudaiyaFlags-11.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/2004-04-05-BudaiyaFlags-11.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_2010.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_2010.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>The two photos below show graffiti written on public rubbish bins. The first one has "Israel" written on it, and the second one has "The White House" on it.</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_2432.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_2432.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_0130.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_0130.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>These feelings further intensified after Mohammed Juma, a <a href="http://nucnews.net/nucnews/2002nn/0204nn/020408nn.htm#700">Bahraini protestor, was killed</a> during a protest outside the US Embassy that turned violent back in April 2002. Thereafter, Juma was depicted as "Bahrain's martyr for Palestine", and spray-paint stencil portraits of him popped up everywhere. The portraits are still around, especially at bus stops for some reason.</p> <p>George Bush's war on terror also generated a significant amount of anger, but I never saw it translated in to support for Osama bin Laden... except for this one exception I found in Muharraq (the two photos show the same wall):</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_2442.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_2442.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_2443.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_2443.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>In the first photo it says "Osama bin Laden, the leader of Islam". In the second photo (which was right next to the first) it says "Conqueror of the Americans". This is the only such graffiti I've seen in Bahrain. Has anyone else seen anything similar elsewhere on the island?</p> <p><b>Religious</b></p> <p>Religious graffiti in Bahrain is usually in the form of "O Allah", or "O Hussain", or something similar:</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_2103.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_2103.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_43511.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_43511.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>I'm not really too sure what might drive someone to get a can of spray paint and write something like this on a wall. It seems to lack the urgency that might motivate one to write something about a precise political issue. But what is interesting is the use of religious phrases to convey a political issue. Phrases such as "Enough of humiliation" and "Death with honor is better than life in subservience" are usually associated with the events of Karbala and <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/02/muharram-1426-2005.html">Ashura</a>. But spray-painted on walls, these phrases take on a very political meaning, especially during the civil unrest of 90s.</p> <p><b>So what?</b></p> <p>I think it is very significant that there has been very little graffiti activity over the past two or three years. It says alot. One would expect people to resort to graffiti only when there is no other outlet for public expression, as was the case in Bahrain a few years ago. Today, the <a href="http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/Mena/bahrain.htm">local Press has a bit more freedom</a> than it did before. Political protests and conferences take place very frequently, whereas they were not tolerated whatsoever before. And the arrival of the Internet has made a huge difference with the emergence of online forums and blogs, allowing cheap, fast, and <a href="http://www.opennetinitiative.net/studies/bahrain/">(almost) unregulated</a> communication with people in Bahrain and around the world.</p> <p>Yes, the government has in several recent cases attempted to intimidate people in to keeping quiet (the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/al-khawaja-affair.html">Al-Khawaja affair</a>, the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/free-ali.html">BahrainOnline arrests</a>, the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/updates-sitra-rally-and-factory.html">Sitra protest</a>), so there is yet a ways to go. But the situation today is drastically different from just a few years ago when the regime had a complete stranglehold on the flow of information in Bahrain. Just a few years ago I would not have dared to set up a blog like this, out of concern for the safety of myself and loved ones. Just a few years ago, a <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/10/superstar-is-born.html">peaceful protest demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister</a> would have been met with tear gas and rubber bullets.</p> <p>This relative freedom of speech is, in my opinion, the only change brought about by King Hamad's reforms that is real and significant. The parliament has so far been fruitless, the government is still run by a single family, and the courts are still not independent. But as long as this current environment of (relatively) free speech is maintained the rest of the reforms will inevitably come, sooner or later. So be worried if you see lots of new graffiti on the walls.</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1113263462274821722005-04-12T01:34:00.000+03:002005-04-12T13:17:53.126+03:00Mannequin<a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/mannequin.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/mannequin2.jpg'></a> <p>With all this talk of <a href="http://cache.spurl.net/?id=1689173">boys getting aroused by lingerie-clad mannequins</a> I was reminded of a movie that explores the logical possibilities of such a situation. If you were around in 1987 then you will surely recall a movie by the name of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093493/">Mannequin</a>. In this 80s cult classic a young man by the name of Jonathan Switcher actually falls in love with a beautiful shop display mannequin. I won't spoil the rest of the story for you, but I will tell you that the tagline for the movie was:</p> <blockquote>Just because Jonathan's fallen in love with a piece of wood, it doesn't make him a dummy.</blockquote> <p>Very appropriate. (This film is second only to maybe <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091042/">Ferris Bueller</a> in the genre of retarded 80s movies).</p> <p>Movies aside, I think that Muharraq councillor Majeed Karimi (Al Wefaq), who wants a ban on the mannequins, raises some important points. He says, according to the <a href="http://cache.spurl.net/?id=1689173">GDN</a>:</p> <blockquote>These mannequins look like real women with exactly the same features.</blockquote> <p>Mr. Karimi is not the only person who has been pondering over this. Just a few weeks ago Tunisian blogger MMM (of <a href="http://www.subzeroblue.com/archives/002176.html">Subzero Blue</a>) raised some related though-provoking questions:</p> <blockquote>The other day while walking by some store windows, the question hit me:<br /><b>"When the hell did they start putting nipples on mannequins?!"</b><br />Is it that the stores are really cold?<br />Are the mannequins excited by the fact that people are staring at them?<br />Are they implying that the clothes are made for chilly days only?<br />Or maybe they're saying that whatever the weather, nipples will show through these clothes? <a href="http://www.subzeroblue.com/archives/002176.html">(Continued)</a></blockquote> <p>Okay seriously... <b>seriously</b>... I don't think that Mr Karimi's argument is a complete non-issue. Here in Bahrain where most females dress conservatively, it doesn't surprise me that mannequins in lingerie might "offend" some people. It's all relative. Just think back to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXXVIII_Halftime_controversy">the scandal</a> created when Janet Jackson revealed her breast during the Super Bowl halftime show in the much more liberal United States. So maybe Karimi has a debatable point... I just don't think that the municipal council should be wasting its time or resources dicussing this now when there are far more pressing issues to be dealt with.</p> <p>Now go watch the movie and remind yourself of how cool it was to wear white trousers.</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1113100035921805652005-04-10T01:16:00.000+03:002005-04-11T23:26:35.393+03:00News roundup<p>Some random news and updates from the past week or so that I haven't had a chance to discuss.</p> <p><b>Protest news:</b></p> <ul><li>The government has <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_articles.asp?Article=108719&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28017">scrapped</a> its <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/updates-sitra-rally-and-factory.html">plans to prosecute</a> Al Wefaq for the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/constitutional-reforms-first.html">huge illegal rally</a> held in Sitra at the end of last month. Well done to Social Affairs Minister Dr Fatima Al Balooshi for having the sense to end this issue amicably, rather than further escalating it.</li> <li> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/bahrainonline.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/bahrainonline.jpg' align='top'></a> <p>However, the charges against the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/free-ali.html">BahrainOnline Trio</a> still are still being pursued. So, on April 5, supporters held a protest in the Seef area demanding that the government drop its charges. Photos are <a href="http://bahrainonline.org/showthread.php?t=119738">here</a> (scroll down a bit.)</p></li> <li><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/ataleen.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/ataleen.jpg' align='top'></a> <p>On April 2, the Committee for the Unemployed held its <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B22BC9C1-D2FE-4EFD-881D-6A0C55B14A61.htm">second protest</a> in the Seef Area. Photos are <a href="http://www.montadayat.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9168">here</a>, and the press release from the Committee is <a href="http://bahrainonline.org/showpost.php?p=843600&postcount=11">here</a> (scroll down to the bottom for the English version). The next protest will take place on Labour Day (May 1). Read my account of the first protest <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/let-them-eat-baklava.html">here</a>.</p></li> </ul> <p><b>From the Parliament:</b></p><ul><li>The Council of Representatives has <a href="http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/RegionNF.asp?ArticleID=159706">approved the formation</a> of an Islamic vice and virtue committee that will "offer advice in order to safeguard virtue in society and combat harmful behaviour". However, the bill needs to be approved by the government appointed Shura Council before it can be put into effect. Since the government has expressed its opposition to the idea, the bill will hopefully (fingers crossed, knock on wood) never see the light of day. (If I'm not mistaken, this isn't the first that our Parliament has taken up this issue.)</li> <li>Al Menbar (Muslim Brotherhood) and Al Asala (Salafi), the very same parties that supported the above-mentioned bill for a vice committee, have <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=108452&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28014">blocked a bill</a> that would decrease the power of the Shura Council. This is interesting because it shows that these guys are aware that they are nothing without the support of the government, so they have passed up the opportunity to increase their own legislative powers. I suspect that they are banking on the help of the government during the 2006 elections (in which the hugely popular Shia Islamist group Al Wefaq may eventually choose to participate).</li> <li>I haven't had a chance to find out the details yet, but apparently the government has <a href="http://khaleejtimes.com/Displayarticle.asp?section=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2005/april/middleeast_april198.xml">proposed a bill</a> to Parliament for an anti-terror law. Opposition groups have condemned the proposed law as a violation of personal freedoms and freedom of expression.</li> <li>While announcing to Parliament the preparation of a new nationality law, the Minister of State for Shura Council and Parliament Affairs <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_articles.asp?Article=108718&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28017">denied any evidence of illegal naturalizations</a>. Some MPs objected to this claim and provided their side of the story... which offended the Right Honourable MP Mohammed Khalid so much that he walked out in protest!</li></ul> <p><b>The expat files:</b></p> <ul><li>The Philippines is <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_articles.asp?Article=108506&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28015">considering a ban</a> on sending its citizens to work as maids in Bahrain and the Gulf, after a rise in complaints of abuse. This follows similar bans by the <a href="http://www.bahraintribune.com/ArticleDetail.asp?ArticleId=62392">Indonesian</a> and <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/arc_Articles.asp?Article=108099&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28010">Bangladeshi</a> government last month. This is unfortunate for those maids who end up with humane employers, but I don't blame the governments for their concern (especially after <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/maid-tied-up-for-month.html">this case</a> from across the causeway). On a better note though, it is being said that housemaids will be <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/arc_Articles.asp?Article=108007&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28009">granted some rights</a> under the Labour Law as part of changes being implemented by the Crown Prince's labour reforms project. I hope they're serious. Read more about <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/expat-files.html">migrant workers in Bahrain</a>.</li></ul>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1112886312627743252005-04-07T17:43:00.000+03:002005-04-08T04:25:22.823+03:00Word on the street<p>A couple weeks back I wrote about the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/constitutional-reforms-first.html">huge Opposition protest</a> in Sitra, and how it was branded with the official slogan "Consitutional Reform First":</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_47011.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_47011.jpg'></a> <p>In that post I also mentioned that the pro-government groups, lead by the Salafist group Al Asala, published statements in support of the government in the local papers, and presented its counter-slogan "Bahrain First". Well while driving around today I noticed some roadside signs displaying this same counter-slogan:</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4916.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4916.jpg'></a> <p>I took the above photo in Budaiya near the <a href="http://www.northern.gov.bh/">Northern governorate</a> office (at the same site where I found <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/12/challenging-political-order.html">this sign</a> and <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/05/greeting-back-people-of-bahrain.html">this one</a>). However similar signs seem to have been placed all around the island... I saw them in several places along Budaiya Highway, and also in the Manama/Juffair area.</p> <p>Notice that the signs of both the Opposition and the pro-Government groups feature the national flag prominently. It seems almost like the way in Lebanon how the pro-government protesters responded to the anti-government protests by also utilizing the Lebanese national flag and nationalist symbols, rather than any other communal or party symbols. So here in Bahrain too, the pro-government groups have decided respond to the Opposition's nationalism with more nationalism, but has gone a step further by using the counter-slogan "<b>Bahrain</b> First"; as though that makes any real difference. In any case, I'm relieved that the pro-govt folks have chosen to use the national flag to express their support for the regime rather than plaster <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/01/just-say-no-to-public-bumlicking.html">mugs of the Royal Three</a> all over the place... thank you Lebanon!</p> <p>But this is not the only example of competition in the public space taking place currently. There is a (seemingly) religious one going on also. If you're currently in Bahrain then you have probably noticed the religious signs that popped up on lamp posts all over the island about six months ago (I think). They usually have blue type on white background and look like this:</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4920.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4920.jpg'></a> <p>The above sign says "Glorified is God, the Great". Other varieties of the same sign have different phrases written on them, such as: "God is great", "Remember God", "Don't forget God", "Ask forgiveness from God", etc etc... you get the picture.</p> <p>Recently though (over the past month), a different sign, coloured in green, has arrived on the scene. The sign is often placed near, or adjacent to the white signs shown above. For example:</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4918.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4918.jpg'></a> <p>On top is a variety of the old white sign, and underneath has recently been attached the new green sign. And there is only one phrase written on all of the new signs: "O Allah, send Thy blessings upon Mohammed and the Household of Mohammed". Now, this phrase and the previous ones are commonly used by both Sunnis and Shias. However this one ("blessing upon Mohammed...") seems to have a special significance to the Shia, and is invoked by them far more frequently than Sunnis. So, I'm lead to believe that the white signs were probably put up by one of the Sunni organizations, and the green signs were a tit-for-tat response by one of the Shia groups.</p> <p>It's all very interesting to study, but I'm not sure if I need street signs to tell me which road leads to God.</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1112621414047967692005-04-05T18:29:00.000+03:002005-04-06T13:36:38.623+03:00Mullahs in verse<p>Some of you might recall an incident in Bahrain back in 1994 in which some youths reportedly threw stones at bare-legged women running in the annual charity marathon. Thankfully, nothing of the sort has ever happened here again. However, the story repeated itself on a much grander scale in the Pakistani city of Gujranwala a couple days ago. The <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4406431.stm">BBC</a> reports:</p> <blockquote><p>Pakistani police have clashed with demonstrators protesting against the participation of women in a 10km road race in eastern Pakistan.</p> <p>[...]</p> <p>The clashes erupted after supporters of the Islamic religious parties alliance (<a href="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/pakistan/mma.htm">MMA</a>) attacked the men and women contesting the race with batons and stones, police said.</p> <p>The protesters blocked the race course and chased competitors away as they approached the sports stadium where they were expected to finish race.</p> <p>A spokesman for the MMA told the Associated Press news agency that the alliance had warned organisers against holding the race "because it is against Islam".</p> <p>"They want to undress the entire nation," Riaz Durrani said.</p> <p>"It is indecent for women to run in the streets. They want the sisters and sisters-in-law of the nation to wear knickers and T-shirts." <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4406431.stm">(Continued)</a></p></blockquote> <p>The pictures that were being shown on Pakistani television showed a huge mob of bearded and turbanned mullahs running around with great big sticks in their hands. It's interesting though that this image of mullahs has existed for hundreds of years, and criticism of them has existed since. In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waris_Shah">Waris Shah</a>'s poetic rendition of the epic Punjabi tale "<a href="http://www.apnaorg.com/poetry/heercomp/">Heer</a>" (written in 1766), the main protagonist, Ranjha encounters a mullah in a mosque. The mullah doesn't like the way Ranja looks and tells him in caricature fashion (translated by <a href="http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/najamheer/page1.html">Najam Hussain Syed</a>):</p> <blockquote>A mosque is the house of God. Those not in line with the Sharia cannot be allowed to enter here. Dogs and dirty fakirs are to be bound and punished with lashes by us. We tear off the trousers if they fall lower than the ankles. And we singe the hair that grow around the lips. The enemies of God we shun like dogs from a distance.</blockquote> <p>And of course, Ranjha responded to the Mullah in kind:</p> <blockquote>News of death brings the odour of Halwa to your nostrils, you pray for the living to shorten their stay on this earth. The Sharia is the cover for the dishes of your desire. Your concern for sinning is boundless. To the homeless seeking shelter for a while your doors are always closed.</blockquote> <p>By no means was Waris Shah the only poet to characterize and criticize the mullahs in this manner. Another famous Punjabi poet of 1700s, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulleh_Shah">Bulleh Shah</a>, was quite prolific in his scathing comments about them. Here's something that many of today's sufi musicians quite like to include in their songs (translation from <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/poetry/sweets/poetry4/jogee.htm">here</a>):</p> <blockquote>[He] Read a lot and became a scholar<br />But [he] never read himself<br />[He] goes enters into the temple & mosque<br />But [he] never entered into his own heart<br /><br />He fights with the devil every day for nothing<br />He never wrestled with his own ego<br />Bulleh Shah, he grabs for heavenly flying things<br />But doesn't grasp the one who's sitting at home<br /><br />Religious scholars stay awake at night<br />But dogs stay awake at night, higher than you<br />They don't cease from barking at night<br />Then they go sleep in yards, higher than you<br /><br />They [dogs] don't leave the beloved's doorstep<br />Even if they're beaten hundreds of times, higher than you<br />Bulleh Shah get up and make up with the beloved<br />Otherwise dogs will win the contest, better than you</blockquote> <p>And the translation of a famous couplet by Bulleh Shah:</p> <blockquote>The mullah and the torch-bearer<br />Hail from the same stock;<br />They give light to others,<br />And themselves are in the dark.</blockquote> <p>A more recent example can be found in the works of the Indian poet-philosopher <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Iqbal">Muhammad Iqbal</a>, who wrote around the turn of the twentieth century. It is ironic that many mullahs today go around spouting verses of Iqbal to support their positions, yet his poetry is filled with open criticism of them. In a poem of his called "<a href="http://www.eurdubazaar.com/images/iqbal/g5.html">The Mullah and Paradise</a>" he writes (translated by <a href="http://www.allamaiqbal.com/works/poetry/urdu/bal/translation/">Naeem Siddiqui</a>):</p> <blockquote>When in a vision I saw<br />A mullah ordered to paradise,<br />Unable to hold my tongue,<br />I said something in this wise:<br /><br />‘Pardon me, O Lord,<br />For these bold words of mine,<br />But he will not be pleased<br />With the houris and the wine.<br /><br />He loves to dispute and fight,<br />And furiously wrangle,<br />But paradise is no place<br />For this kind of jangle.<br /><br />His task is to disunite<br />And leave people in the lurch,<br />But paradise has no temple,<br />No mosque and no church.’</blockquote> <p>There are countless other writings from within the South Asian Muslim poetic tradition that characterize and criticize the mullahs in this way. But I'm wondering, does anything similar exist in Muslim traditions from other parts of the world (particularly in Arabic writings)? It would be interesting to compare.</p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1112710989921309132005-04-05T15:36:00.000+03:002005-04-07T15:40:12.056+03:00Stuff this week<p>There are going to be some great movies showing this weekend during the <i>Soorya International DVD festival</i> if any of you are interested. All the films are <b>FREE!</b> and will be screened at the <a href="http://www.bahrainexplorer.com/BahrainExplorer/en/map/map.asp?highlightby=lmkname&lmkname=Bahrain%20Society%20Of%20Engineers%231876">Bahrain Society of Engineers premises</a> in Juffair. I've stolen the details from the <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=108629&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28016">GDN</a>:</p> <br /><b>Wednesday</b> <ul><li>7pm: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040497/">Jour de fête</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004244/">Jacques Tati</a>, 1949, French)</li> <li>8.45pm: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032553/">The Great Dictator</a> (Charlie Chaplin, 1940, English)</li></ul> <b>Thursday</b> <ul><li><strike>7pm: <a href="http://www.kayataran.com/">Kaya Taran</a> (Sashi Kumar, 2004, Hindi) -- The director Sashi Kumar will be arriving in Bahrain tomorrow for the festival. This movie straddles the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Sikh_Riots">anti-Sikh riots</a> of 1984 and the <a href="http://in.rediff.com/news/godhra.htm">Gujarat riots of 2002</a>, so it should be quite an interesting watch (if you're not bored of watching explorations into communal violence).</strike> <i>Update: Kaya Taran has been cancelled, so the following movies will be shown instead</i></li> <li>7pm: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043972/">The River</a> (<a href="http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/renoir.htm">Jean Renoir</a>, 1951, English)</li> <li>8.45pm: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280465/">Bawandar</a> (Jag Mundhra, 2000, Hindi)</li></ul> <b>Friday</b> <ul><li>10.30am: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058888/">Red Beard</a> (Kurosawa, 1965, Japanese) -- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_Kurosawa">Kurosawa</a> and <a href="http://www.sprout.org/toshiro/index.html">Toshiro Mifune</a>... enough said.</li> <li>4pm: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046828/">Carmen Jones</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695937/">Otto Preminger</a>, 1954, English)</li> <li>7pm: A film by <a href="http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/ghatak.html">Ritwick Ghatak</a> (it didn't say which one). I haven't yet had a chance to see any of Ghatak's films, so I'm really looking forward to this.</li></ul> <b>Saturday</b> <ul><li>7.15pm: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386562/">Just Like You Imagined</a> (<a href="http://www.tiburonfilmfestival.com/contactInfo.php?contact_id=2650">Zeyad Alhusaini</a>, 2003, English) -- This movie sounds fascinating... an 11 minute short, sci-fi, in English, by a Kuwaiti director.</li> <li>8.45pm: The <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112445/">White Balloon</a> (Jafar Panahi, 1995, Persian) -- This is a brilliant brilliant film, written by <a href="http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/kiarostami.html">Abbas Kiarostami</a>. One of my favourite films of New Wave Iranian Cinema.</li></ul> <p>Also, the <a href="http://bahraincinemaclub.tv/">Bahrain Cinema Club</a> will be showing <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329388/">Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran</a> this Wednesday evening at 8pm as part of its weekly screenings at the <a href="http://www.bahrainexplorer.com/BahrainExplorer/en/map/map.asp?lmkname=Bahrain+Historical+And+Archaeological+Society%232756&highlightby=lmkname">BCC premises</a>. This isn't the most amazing movie in the world, but worth watching just to see Omar Sharif's fine performance.</p> <p>Also on Wednesday at 8.30pm, fellow blogger <a href="http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=swaalkes">Dr Scott Waalkes</a> will deliver a lecture titled "Possibilities and Problems with the Forward Strategy of Freedom" at the <a href="http://www.aldemokrati.com/">National Democratic Action Society</a> premises in Umm al Hassam.</p> <p>And of course don't forget that tonight is the Champions League matchup we've been waiting for: Juventus v Liverpool at Anfield... <a href="http://www.juventus.com/">Forza Juve!</a></p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1112313686468868482005-04-01T02:26:00.000+03:002005-04-01T15:06:20.803+03:00Black Saturday<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/aliabdurazzaq2.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/aliabdurazzaq2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/jaaferateya2.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/jaaferateya2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>From the <a href="http://vob.org/english/information-db/jamri.htm">Voice of Bahrain</a> website:</p> <blockquote>On Saturday 1 April 1995 at 3.00 am, the village of Bani Jamra (where Sheikh Al-Jamri [a leading opposition figure during the 1990s uprising in Bahrain] resides) was encircled by thousands of paramilitary forces. The neighbours of Sheikh Al-Jamri (around six to eight of them) were ordered to evacuate their houses within minutes or be sprayed with gunfire. The next neighbour (Mr Omran Hussain Omran) has had his two daughters injured, one of them in critical condition as a result of a bullet in the head. The husband of the latter, Mohammed Jaafer Yousif Atteya, 30 years old, was shot dead by a machine-gun. Later, the neighbours demonstrated, more were shot and up to fifty were injured. One of them already passed away, Mr. Mohammed Ali Abdul Razzaq, a 50 years old carpenter, who rushed to save his injured son, Asaad, but found himself the target of machine guns. The funeral of the two was prevented and only a handful of relatives were allowed in the cemetery for the last farewell.</blockquote> <p>This day was henceforth known as Black Saturday, and today marks the 10 year anniversary of this sad event.</p> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4827.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4827.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>Last night a group of around 300 Bani Jamra residents and activists from around Bahrain held a demonstration in the village to commemorate the event. The purpose of this was to mourn the dead (Mohammed Ali Abdul Razzaq and Mohammed Jaafer Yousif Atteya), to pass on the story to the next generation of Bani Jamra residents and Bahrainis, and to renew the call for the criminals to be brought to justice.</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4848.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4848.jpg'></a> <p>It has been ten years since the original Black Saturday, yet the government has refused to talk about (let alone admit the possibility of error) what happened during the early hours of that day. The government refuses to talk about any of the accusations of torture and murder that activists have laid against it. Instead, in 2002 the King issued <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/repeal-56.html">Royal Decree 56</a> which grants amnesty to anyone accused of crimes affecting national security committed before 2001.</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4843.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4843.jpg'></a> <p>While I commend some of the attempts at political reform taken by the ruling regime since 2001, it has to realize that there is no way to avoid truth and reconciliation. It's all well to look to the future, but the mistakes of the past have to be admitted so that the people can be confident that they will not be committed again. Until then, the dark memories and anger against the regime will continue to fester, as was demonstrated last night when a section of the crowd broke into impromptu chants of "Death to Al-Khalifa". I hope that one day in the future, members of the regime might even participate in the Black Saturday commemorations themselves. But right now their silence on the issue maintains the deep divide that exists between the rulers and the people. I thought this photo illustrates the current situation well:</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/discrimination.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/discrimination.jpg'></a> <p>It was taken during a <a href="http://www.montadayat.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9066">recent symposium</a> about <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/conclusions-on-discrimination.html">discrimination</a> in Bahrain. The chair was placed on the platform next to all of the speakers, but remained empty. The sign says "government representative", and the image of the empty seat indicates how the government has refused to engage in any serious dialogue with opposition activists since the reforms of 2001.</p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/100_4860.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/100_4860.jpg'></a> <p>Above: Lighting candles around the graves</p> <p><i>See also: <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/repeal-56.html">Repeal 56</a></i></p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1112270468837545042005-03-31T14:35:00.000+03:002005-03-31T15:04:33.936+03:00Bahrain in the press<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8175-2005Mar28.html">Washington Post</a> article on the use of text messages by activists in the Gulf:</p> <blockquote><p>"My bill is going sky high," said Abduljalil Singace, foreign affairs director of Bahrain's Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, the island emirate's largest opposition grouping, a Shiite Muslim movement that is noisily boycotting the country's three-year-old, limited parliament.</p> <p>Singace was fired as an associate professor and department chair at Bahrain University in mid-March after he traveled twice to Washington to lobby against his country's royal government, a close U.S. ally. He said Bahrain's security services also told him to stop sending dissident text messages. The Bahrain government says Singace was discharged for neglecting his duties at the university.</p> <p>"They warned me against text messaging on demonstrations," Singace said. Before the warning, he said, "I was not sure they were reading my text messages. Now I'm telling everyone."</p> <p>Still, he remains proud of some of his compositions. When American management consultants issued a report recently about how Bahrain's government could accelerate reform of its free-trading economy, Singace whipped off a reply and paid a commercial service to distribute his message throughout the island.</p> <p>"Economic reform without political reform is like a bird with only one wing," he wrote. "How can it fly?" <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8175-2005Mar28.html">(Continued)</a></p></blockquote> <p>And a very brief mention in the <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0331/p01s04-wome.html">Christian Science Monitor</a> about the demand for democracy in the Middle East:</p> <blockquote>In Bahrain last week, the largest protests in memory saw the country's politically disenfranchised Shiite majority saying enough to pro-American King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa's policies. <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0331/p01s04-wome.html">(Continued)</a></blockquote> <p>I also stumbled across a full article about Bahrain from the World Socialist Web Site: <a href="http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/mar2005/bahr-m29.shtml">American media silent over mass protest in Bahrain</a>. It's quite sensationalized (typical of contemporary Leftist literature), but worth a read:</p> <blockquote><p>The hypocrisy of Washington’s self-proclaimed crusade for democracy in the Middle East found damning expression this week in the nearly total silence of the US government and the American media over a demonstration that brought tens of thousands of protesters into the streets of Bahrain last Friday demanding democratic reforms.</p> <p>The contrast between the reaction to this popular upsurge against a dictatorial monarch in the Persian Gulf and the attention lavished on the so-called “Cedar Revolution” in Lebanon could not have been starker. <a href="http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/mar2005/bahr-m29.shtml">(Continued)</a></p></blockquote>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1112016601425763202005-03-28T14:58:00.000+03:002005-03-28T18:02:34.266+03:00Updates: Sitra rally and Factory rampage<p>Some updates to stories I've posted about recently:</p> <p><a href="http://cache.spurl.net/?id=1583077">Today's GDN</a> reports that the Cabinet condemned the illegal <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/constitutional-reforms-first.html">Consitutional Reform Rally</a> that was held in Sitra on Friday. And once again the GDN decides to not include any statements from Al Wefaq. According to <a href="http://bahrainonline.org/showthread.php?t=119081">a post on BahrainOnline</a> last night, the Cabinet has asked the Interior Ministry to take action against Al Wefaq, which may involve a closure of the group for 45 days. (I'm not sure what the government hopes to achieve by shutting down or suspending a group's license. Recall that the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/09/centre-for-human-rights-shut-down.html">was shut down</a>, yet last month representatives travelled all the way to Geneva to deliver a <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/conclusions-on-discrimination.html">shadow report to the UN</a> condemning the goverment!) Meanwhile, the Committee for the Unemployed will be holding the <a href="http://www.montadayat.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9136">second in its series</a> of demonstrations in the Seef district this Saturday (April 2) at 3.30pm, coinciding with <a href="http://www.bahraingp.com/">Formula 1 weekend</a>. It will be interesting to see how government responds to this. (The police did not interfere with the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/let-them-eat-baklava.html">first protest</a>, held last month).</p> <p>And more details of the <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/labour-rage.html">factory rampage</a> on Saturday are emerging. The <a href="http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/RegionNF.asp?ArticleID=158202">Gulf News</a> reports:</p> <blockquote><p>The workers — mainly from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — claimed two other workers had committed suicide in the past, another died of a heart attack and five others became insane as a result of harsh working conditions that require them to work for more than 12 hours daily. They blamed the manager of the factory for their ordeal.</p> <p>The workers also alleged physical abuse by floor managers and said they were not getting proper food and medical care.</p> <p>Harinder Lamba, general manager of the company, dismissed the claims of mistreatment and low-wages <i>[Hah!]</i> as untrue. <a href="http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/RegionNF.asp?ArticleID=158202">(Continued)</a></p></blockquote> <p>The <a href="http://cache.spurl.net/?id=1583075">GDN</a> provides further details, reporting that the workers have submitted petitions to the Indian and Bangladeshi embassies:</p> <blockquote><p>Over 400 workers are calling for an investigation into the suicide of an Indian tailor, which prompted a riot at the garment factory where he worked.</p> <p>They submitted a petition to the Indian and Bangladesh Embassies, as well as the police, yesterday demanding action against the management of MRS Fashions, in East Riffa.</p> <p>The workers claim Madhu Babu, 25, was driven into taking his own life because of the ill-treatment that was dished out to him.</p> <p>A tailor who spoke on behalf of his colleagues said it is the third such incident at the company in two years.</p> <p>He claimed that Mr Babu was the second employee to commit suicide, while a third man allegedly suffered a heart attack because he was overworked. "<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">We want the company to treat us as human beings</span>," said the spokesman, who asked to remain anonymous.</p> <p>"We all witnessed what happened to Mr Babu and we no longer feel safe working there." <a href="http://cache.spurl.net/?id=1583075">(Continued)</a></p></blockquote>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863946.post-1111935410094962262005-03-27T16:58:00.000+03:002005-03-27T21:37:37.193+03:00Labour rage<p>From today's <a href="http://cache.spurl.net/?id=1581730">GDN</a>:</p> <blockquote><p><b>Workers go on rampage after suicide</b></p> <a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/640/Lpic1.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/242/898/280/Lpic1.jpg'></a> <p>MANAMA: Workers of a top garment factory went on a rampage last night following the death of a colleague. More than 500 Asians working for the MRS Fashions, which makes trousers for J C Penny, started damaging the factory's East Riffa premises after their colleague, who was kept in isolation for 15 days due to chicken pox, committed suicide. <a href="http://cache.spurl.net/?id=1581730">(Continued)</a></p></blockquote> <p>There aren't enough details to be able to comment on this specific case. But here is a general message to the government and the business community: Wake up! Migrant workers make up 35% of the resident population. If safeguards to protect the rights of these workers are not introduced soon, this could blow up into something far far worse. Homer wrote <a href="http://bahrainiblog.blogspot.com/2004/11/gulf-29th-state-of-india.html">a post a while back</a> postulating what the consequences might be in extreme circumstances. I wrote a post in reponse to his which you can read <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/11/naturalized-changes.html">here</a>.</p> <p>Anyways, if all of these migrant workers were to organize themselves and hold a general strike or something, it would have a substantial impact on the economy. (I certainly hope that the violence that occurred yesterday is never repeated). This isn't an immediate threat, but steps to prevent it need to be taken now before it's too late. Most important I think is to make sure that workers are paid on time, and that defaulting employers are punished.</p> <p><i>See also: <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2005/03/power-to-people.html">Power to the people</a> and <a href="http://chanadbahraini.blogspot.com/2004/04/expat-files.html">The expat files</a>.</i></p>Chanadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]
|
ratings=../dataset/douban/sratings.txt
ratings.setup=-columns 0 1 2
recommender=WRMF
evaluation.setup=-cv 5 -b 1
item.ranking=on -topN 10
num.factors=20
num.max.iter=7
WRMF=-alpha 10 -lamba 1
learnRate=-init 0.01 -max 1
reg.lambda=-u 1 -i 0.02 -b 0.02
output.setup=on -dir ../results/
|
A paedophile was spotted at a boat party with underage guests after he was invited by a think tank supported by several high profile Conservative MPs.
Richard Neate, 28, of Gunning Way, was convicted of possessing child porn after being found with indecent images of children as young as six years old and a video of a man having sex with a dog.
He had previously told police in 2017 he had been ‘running a business selling adult porn to other adults’ but this had spiralled into him viewing the indecent material.
Richard Neate, 28, of Gunning Way, was convicted of possessing child porn after being found with indecent images of children as young as six years old (Picture: Cambridge News/BPM MEDIA)
The Adam Smith Institute, who invited him to the annual The Next Generation party, claimed they were unaware they had invited a paedophile and initially said the party was only for over 18s but then admitted some 16-year-olds were aboard.
The think tank is favoured by several well-known Conservative politicians including Jacob Rees-Mogg.
One guest at the boat party said the paedophile’s appearance came after a friend was banned from attending the same party for criticising the group publicly.
She said: ‘It’s 2018, and a think-tank lets men get away with being literally sex offenders, but not women who express dissatisfaction. There were under 18s on the boat.’
Other guests who attended the invite-only party on July 3 complained to officials that Neate had been allowed onboard.
But bosses allegedly remained silent and did not listen to their complaints.
Another guest said: ‘Many guests, some who were underage, wanted something to be done then the ASI did nothing and ignored it’.
The event was the annual celebration for their The Next Generation group, an important social event for young conservatives.
Neate avoided jail in October 2017 with a three-year community order and 150 hours of unpaid work and was put on the sex offenders’ register for five years (Picture: PA)
On its website the institute brands itself a ‘network for classical liberals and libertarians under the age of 30.’
It meets in Westminster ‘most months of the year.’
Neate avoided jail in October 2017 with a three-year community order and 150 hours of unpaid work. He was put on the sex offenders’ register for five years after more than 200 videos and images were found on his computers.
He was originally caught after police investigated a series of tweets he had sent. After searching his hard drives they found the horrific abuse images.
Which industries could miss out on Rishi Sunak's plan to support 'viable jobs'?
There were 129 of the worst category A ‘moving’ images discovered by police, as well as 76 category B and eight category C pictures.
Neate admitted performing sex acts while watching the material and said he was sexually interested in children about 15 years old.
Judge David Farrell QC told Neate ‘You won’t be getting a second chance’ after letting him stay in the community under close watch.
He appeared at the ASI party less than a year into his punishment.
Recent guests at the ASI party have included former MPs Liz Truss, Douglas Carswell and former Brexit minister David Davis, though they weren’t in attendance at the boat party.
Matt Kilcoyne, head of communications at the Adam Smith Institute, said: ‘The Next Generation series of events is for those between the ages of 18 and 30 interested in the ideas of classical liberalism.
‘The safety of attendees at our events is of the utmost importance. Our boat party, held annually, was conducted with a company that operates a strict policy of photo ID for those under the age of 21.
‘Thank you for bringing to our attention that someone under the age of licence could have attended.
‘Over 300 invitations were sent out from an bulk email list. Unfortunately due to plus ones being invited by guests it might have been possible someone boarded the boat that should not have done so.
‘Mr Neate was invited automatically as the invitation list was copied over from a previous year.
‘We’ve made it clear to Mr Neate that he is not able to attend future events.’
Got a story for Metro.co.uk? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. For more stories like this, check our news page.
|
---
-api-id: P:Windows.UI.Text.FontWeights.SemiBold
-api-type: winrt property
---
<!-- Property syntax
public Windows.UI.Text.FontWeight SemiBold { get; }
-->
# Windows.UI.Text.FontWeights.SemiBold
## -description
Specifies a font weight value of 600.
## -property-value
A [FontWeight](fontweight.md) with a Weight value of 600.
## -remarks
## -examples
## -see-also
|
By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS
There are many parts of the U.S. Constitution that Mexico would do well to model its own magna carta after.
The Second Amendment is not one of them.
The heavily debated U.S. constitutional provision that allows for civilians to “keep and bear arms” – part of the 10-amendment Bill of Rights ratified by the U.S. Congress in 1791 – has spurred crucial political divisions, led to the creation of the almighty National Rifle Association (NRA) and its authoritarian lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), and, at least in the eyes of many U.S. citizens, given birth to a national firearm crisis that has led to more than 40,000 gun deaths 2018.
According to the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, there are today more than 393 million civilian-owned firearms in the United States, enough for every man, woman and child to own a gun and still have 67 million weapons left over.
The United States has the dubious distinction of being the world’s largest arsenal of privately owned guns, accounting for more than 46 percent of the entire global stock of 857 million civilian firearms, even though Americans make up less than 4 percent of the world’s populations.
With an estimated 1.2 guns for every citizen, the firearm ownership rate in the United States is double that of the next-highest nation, Yemen, with just .5 guns per person.
The end product is a tragic loss of human life, both intentional and unintentional.
Attacks at schools and other public venues have become so commonplace in the United States that, in many instances, they no longer merit front-page coverage.
In 2018, there were 23 reported incidences of school shootings (with 113 people – mostly students and teachers – killed), a figure which works out to a shooting every eight school days.
Easy access to firearms was instrumental in the Las Vegas massacre by lone gunman Stephen Paddock from the Mandalay Bay Resort hotel in October 2017 (death toll: 58), the Pulse nightclub slaughter in June 2016 (death toll: 49), the Sandy Hook Elementary School bloodbath in December 2012 (27 dead, mostly children between the ages of six and seven), and, more recently, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in February 2018.
The list goes on and on, and the urban murder rate in every single U.S. state has increased dramatically in the last five years, in some cases by as much as 113 percent.
The simple fact of the matter is, more guns means more murders, more armed assaults and more accidental firearm deaths.
A 2013 study by the American Journal of Public Health clearly showed that the states with the highest per capita gun ownership were also the states with the highest number of firearm-related homicides.
And that old defense that civilian gun ownership offers personal safety has also been debunked by an FBI report issued in 2015, during which there were 268 “justifiable homicides” by citizens “protecting” their homes from intruders, compared to 489 “unintentional firearms deaths” resulting from civilian accidents with guns in the house. About a quarter of those killed in these unintentional deaths were of children.
The U.S. Second Amendment was born out of fear by war-weary civilians after a bloody Revolutionary War who were afraid that their new government might try to oppress its citizenry through military might, or would be unable to muster enough martial strength to resist an invading army.
That, as many opponents of the amendment now point out, is not a realistic possibility in modern U.S. society.
Nor is it a realistic possibility in Mexico.
Violent crime is rampant in Mexico.
According to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Safety Protection System (SESNSP), last year, there were 33,341 homicides in Mexico (up more than 15 percent from 2017), and the figures so far for 2019 are even more alarming.
The first two months of the year, the number of murders shot up by 14 percent compared to 2018, and the incidence of armed kidnappings went up by even more.
Since President Andrés Manuel López Obrador first took office in December of last year, at least six journalists have been murdered.
All of which begs the question: Why has Mexico’s new, left-leaning Congress of pro-AMLO deputies and senators included in their bill to create a National Guard law to regulate the use of force and monitor detentions, a provision that would allow civilians the right to have firearms in their homes for self- defense and security purposes?
For decades, Mexico has been desperately trying to cull the influx of illegal weapons from the United States, weapons that have fueled a vicious drug war that has taken the lives of at least 170,000 people.
Legalizing home ownership of handguns will only increase the number of firearm-related deaths.
Parts of Mexico are already a lawless no-man’s-land bedlam controlled by warring drug cartels and other criminal organizations.
Adding more guns to the mix will only intensify the violence.
It is the government’s job to defend the public – not through the legalization of a firearm free-for-all, where he who has the biggest gun or he who shoots first determines the state of “justice,” but through a legitimate armed military and/or police force that intervenes to prevent acts of violence.
That is what the new National Guard is supposed to do.
It is only through the reduction of guns – not an increase in their number – and a strong state-run security system that Mexico can begin to weave the fragile textile of national peace and stability in a country that has seen the very fabric of its identity frayed by the inundation of firearms and unrestrained violence.
Mexico does not need more guns in the hands of private individuals.
|
Germany unmoved by anti-austerity votes in Europe
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is ruling out any substantive shift in its approach to Europe’s debt crisis despite a rising chorus of opposition to Berlin’s austerity policies that reached a crescendo in Sunday’s elections in Greece and France.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking in Berlin on Monday, rejected the notion that Europe was on the brink of a major policy shift after Socialist Francois Hollande defeated her fellow conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Greek voters punished ruling parties who slashed spending to secure a foreign bailout.
Shunned by Merkel, who publicly backed Sarkozy’s campaign, Hollande repeatedly criticized Germany’s focus on budget cuts and labor law reforms as the solution to Europe’s debt crisis. Many saw his victory and the outcome in Greece as heralding a shift in Europe toward higher-spending growth-oriented policies.
But close Merkel allies made clear within hours that the expectation in Berlin was that it would be Hollande who would be making the lion’s share of the concessions, and rowing back on policy promises made during the French campaign which the Germans view as dangerous for the entire single-currency bloc.
“The position of the German government is clear. We will continue on our savings path,” said Volker Kauder, parliamentary leader of Merkel’s conservatives and one of her closest allies.
After another bad night for her Christian Democrats (CDU) in a state election on Sunday, Merkel knows that if she is to win a third term next year she can ill afford to ignore German voters’ demands that she give no more of their cash away to foreigners.
“Germans could end up paying for the Socialist victory in France with more guarantees, more money. And that is not acceptable,” her ally Kauder said. “Germany is not here to finance French election promises.”
FRENCH PROMISES
Those promises appear potentially costly.
Hollande has pledged to balance the French budget in five years, but he also wants to hire tens of thousands of new teachers, introduce a 75-percent tax on million-euro annual incomes and raise the minimum wage.
He favors the introduction of joint euro zone bonds and a more active role for the European Central Bank in fostering growth - both taboos in Germany.
Pressed repeatedly at a news conference on whether the French and Greek votes might change the policy debate in Europe, Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert insisted the only way forward was growth through structural reform - such as of tax and labor rules aimed at improving trade - not debt-funded stimulus plans.
Merkel herself made clear that, while there was scope to discuss tactics, the overall strategy EU leaders committed to by agreeing a compact on fiscal consolidation was “not negotiable”.
“We are in the middle of a debate to which France, of course, under its new president will bring its own emphasis,” she said. “But we are talking about two sides of the same coin - progress is only achievable via solid finances plus growth.”
“OPEN ARMS”
The German leader telephoned Hollande, whom she has never met, on Sunday night after his victory and the two spoke, with the help of interpreters, for nearly a quarter of an hour.
Sources told Reuters the conversation was friendly and that Hollande assured Merkel he wanted very close ties. The president is expected to visit Berlin next week, most likely on May 16, the day after he takes office, on his first foreign trip. Merkel said Hollande would be welcomed with “open arms”.
Germany has already signaled it is ready to negotiate a “growth pact” with the new French leader. Though its terms may well be vague, that would allow Hollande to claim victory in his push for a more balanced approach to the crisis.
But bold new initiatives that might give ailing economies like Greece and Spain a substantial boost are unlikely.
German officials have indicated they are prepared to explore a more flexible use of EU structural funds, bolster the capital of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and allow the issuance of so-called “project bonds” to fund investment in infrastructure.
These steps would not require substantial new funds from Berlin and this is why they are acceptable. But launching new government stimulus programs, allowing euro members more time to cut deficits they have pledged to get down, or giving the ECB new powers to bolster growth remain anathema to Germany.
“There will be no loosening of the deficit targets,” one high-level German source said, pointing to Hollande’s victory speech in Tulle as a sign of his readiness to work with Germany.
“He mentioned cutting back the deficit as his second priority. That was significant and a signal.”
Hollande’s chief economic adviser, former finance minister Michel Sapin, also said on Monday: “Nobody expects that we simply arrive in power and hand out money.”
HARD LINE ON GREECE
On Greece, officials in Berlin and Brussels are also taking a hard line, making clear they see no room for the country to renege on or renegotiate the terms set out in its multi-billion euro rescues by the bloc and the IMF.
The failure of the big parties that have dominated Greek politics for decades to secure a majority, and a surge in support for extreme parties from the left and right, has raised questions about whether Athens will stick to its commitments and sparked speculation it could be forced out of the euro zone.
“Either they stick to the program and receive the financing from member states - or they will have to default,” said a senior euro zone source before the pro-EU Greek Socialist party leader called explicitly for a renegotiated bailout deal.
“What the default would lead to, I don’t know,” the source said. “But certainly to even more hardship for Greek citizens.”
At the core of the European project, formed around France and Germany to end a succession of wars, Hollande can look to the euro zone’s third economy, Italy, for support. Sapped by a moribund business climate and budget cuts meant to appease wary creditors, Prime Minister Mario Monti’s technocratic government endorsed the new French president’s pro-growth agenda.
An indication of whether Hollande is ready for confrontation with France’s key partner, Germany, or will seek reconciliation will come when he names his government later this month.
A leading candidate for the post of prime minister is Jean-Marc Ayrault, a German-speaker who knows the country well and who has sent conciliatory messages to Berlin in recent weeks.
Choosing him over Martine Aubry, a more traditional Socialist who was responsible for introducing France’s 35-hour workweek, would signal that Hollande is ready for compromise.
“I will be very interested to see whether or not Hollande kicks off his presidency with a battle with Merkel,” said Louis Gargour, chief investment officer of hedge fund LNG Capital.
“This is a contest of Keynesian economics and a focus on growth versus an extended phase of austerity that electorates are fast becoming tired of.”
|
Q:
Would "fabricate" indicates "on bad purpose" or "on bad manners" in terms of meaning of "make up"?
To give some background for a post (Should I use simple present or simple past in a tiny story to illustrate a scenario of the usage of some words?) I said
I made up a tiny story to illustrate a scenario of the usage of "just" in a post (In terms of meaning "recently", what is the difference between just & only?).
I was trying to use the word "fabricate" instead of "make up" though, I was worried "fabricate" indicates meaning like "on bad purpose" or "on bad manners", so I didn't choose it there.
So, would "fabricate" indicates meaning like "on bad purpose" or "on bad manners"?
A:
"Fabricate" doesn't always have a negative meaning. Let's substitute it in your example sentence to see:
I fabricated a tiny story to illustrate a scenario of the usage of "just" in a post.
Here, the reader won't automatically assume some negative meaning in the word, mostly because it's hard to imagine how you making up a sentence to illustrate usage of "just" could be some nefarious thing.
However, in practice, the word usually is reserved for scenarios where you want to specifically imply that the person doing the fabricating did so for nefarious purposes. This is definition 1b in Merriam-Webster:
to make up for the purpose of deception
"Make up" sounds much more natural and is more colloquial for the example sentence you gave.
|
Anissa Holmes - Business Acceleration Bootcamp | 6.76 GB
https://deliveringwowcourse.com//infopage
Screenshots
Link Download
0
1
2
3
4
5
"Get READY to Grow and Scale your practice quickly.!"Our next bootcamp is early 2019. join the VIP wait list now.What you will learn.Session 1: Vision, Mission Core Values: setting your goals and getting your TEAM on board to grow the practiceSession 2: Creating Your 90 Day PlanSession 3: Profit and Time Mastery: reverse engineering production goals and creating a solid strategy so everyone knows what to doSession 4: Systems and KPI's: choose and create the systems that matter mostSession 5: Money Mastery: How to set your fees and put in systems for predictable PROFITSession 6: Verbal skills training to get your patients to say YES!Session 7: Intro to IDSSession 8: Setting up strategic partnershipsHere 's More About Our Program and What's IncludedDaily Voxer access to me and my incredible team of coaches 24 X7 for strategic coaching, check-ins, and support ($20,000 Value)2 Monthly Bootcamp Meetings to Mastermind with other Bootcamp ($12,000 Value)4 Month FREE Access to Deliveing WOW U ($497.00 Value)FREE Access to Facebook Bootcamp ($697.00 value)Members Only Discounts to tools such as Dental Intel, Legwork, Yapi, and so much more! ($4,997.00 Value)Access to Advanced Marketing Collateral ($16,000 Value, no additional cost!)And there's more..you'll also get.Additional closed Inner Circle training with Dr. Holmes' and Dr. Vo's network of industry and non-industry experts.All of the systems and checklists necessary to take your practice to the next levelAccess and involvement in all of the networking, collaboration, and file swiping during and after each mastermindAccess to the Bootcamp private Voxer and Facebook groupAn overhead assessment with and opportunity for savings of $5000 or more with industry partnersA Few Words of Importance!First Thing to RememberWe don't want anyone who's not serious or willing to put their money where their mouth is. Don't apply if you don't understand that it takes money to join our program. The biggest results come when you make the biggest investments in yourself. We know you'll make 10X your investment in this program, but you have to be willing to do the work.Second Thing to RememberIf you aren't coachable, and if you're not willing to share then we don't want you. period. We're looking for people who have value to provide the group, who LOVE changing patient's lives, and LOVE to share what's working.Third Thing to RememberYour life changes the moment you make a new, congruent, and committed decision and take ACTION. It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.If THIS is YOU then you've come to the right place. There's nothing left to do but apply...HOmepage:Extract files with WinRar 5 or Latest !
|
Getting It Right
In the lead-up to the introduction of new Chain of Responsibility (CoR) obligations in July next year, the trucking industry needs to be sure it is getting it right. Diesel News runs through the basics, which operators need to be sure of going into operation on a daily basis.
Talking to a room full of small operators at a freight facility, Kym Farquharson-Jones, Senior Advisor – Chain of Responsibility, National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), uses her experience as a Queensland police officer and as roadside enforcement for Transport and Main Roads (TMR) in Queensland to colour her message and explain the situation.
There are four areas where an owner-driver needs to be concerned about risks. The first is the truck itself, then the load the truck is carrying, the road the truck is using and the person who is driving it.
Risks from the vehicle come from safety standards. By running through a checklist at the start of the journey it is possible to reduce risk around the condition of the vehicle. Does it meet the safety standards and the dimension requirements? Is it within axle and weight regulations? Is the load correctly restrained, and the vehicle and load okay for the route it’s going to take? When it’s out on the road, is it within speed limits?
Answer yes to this set of questions and the owner and driver of the truck have done all things possible to reduce risk of committing an offence and being open to CoR action.
For anyone who owns a truck there is a level of maintenance and recording of that maintenance which has to be done to meet the rules. The daily check needs to be effective. It has to be a robust enough check to ensure the truck is alright to go on the road. The driver needs to be able to check the things they are able to look at.
The rules simply say a person must not drive a truck on a road if it is unsafe.
“Mass, dimension and loading have provisions in the rules which are all the same,” says Kym. “You mustn’t get too caught up in the words, you can replace mass with loading, or loading with dimension.
“It’s a big bunch of text which really says it’s up to the driver to make sure the mass complies with mass requirements. The obligation is still on the driver. The interesting thing is there are no longer ‘reasonable steps’. It just says, without a reasonable excuse. It’s important to stress, the changes in the CoR rules have new penalties, but the penalties for drivers have not been affected.”
The National Transport Commission (NTC) is currently renewing the Load Restraint Guide and, in the meantime, it has published a draft guide. The consultation process has now ended and the new guide looks set to be passed by transport ministers in their next meeting in November. After that, it should be handed over to the NHVR to be introduced to the industry and roadside enforcement in the run-up to the new CoR laws coming online next July.
The changes to the rules seem to be in line with current thinking, but are not expected to be a major departure from the current guidelines. The language and illustrations are reckoned to be easier to understand and presented clearly for the industry. However, the small operator community will need to be aware of any changes and ensure its load-securing methods are brought up to speed.
Boiling the issue of loading down to its basics, the way the CoR rules will look at it, loading any type of freight poses the same questions. Is the load restraint going to stop any unacceptable movement? The restraint must stop the load becoming dislodged. Any movement of freight must be limited and must not adversely affect the stability of the vehicle.
The hauling of shipping containers has caused a certain amount of concern, in terms of vehicle stability, as the truck driver has no control or knowledge of how the container was packed. This is likely to pose some difficult CoR questions.
|
class AddImports < ActiveRecord::Migration
def change
create_table :imports do |t|
t.string :state, null: false
t.string :nature, null: false
t.attachment :archive
t.references :importer
t.datetime :imported_at
t.decimal :progression_percentage, precision: 19, scale: 4
t.stamps
t.index :imported_at
end
end
end
|
Founded in 1993 by brothers Tom and David Gardner, The Motley Fool helps millions of people attain financial freedom through our website, podcasts, books, newspaper column, radio show, and premium investing services.
Russia: Bigger Than Big Oil
Our former foe quietly surpasses Saudi Arabia's oil output, while U.S. production dwindles.
For nearly two decades, the U.S. has believed that it emerged victorious from its Cold War against Russia and its Soviet minions. That may be true politically, but I hope that emerging changes in the global energy market don't prove that we won only a skirmish, with the real war still unresolved.
Just 10 years ago, the United States produced 6.4 million barrels of crude oil a day. Today, we're down 20%, to about 5.1 million barrels daily. At the same time, we consume a whopping 20.8 million barrels daily -- more than four times what we can produce.
Russia, on the other hand, produces nearly 9.3 million barrels daily -- far more than three times that nation's oil usage of about 2.8 million barrels a day. (Russia consumes far more natural gas as a percentage of its total energy package than does the U.S. But while available gas demand figures don't separate Mother Russia from its former satellite nations, it still appears that the Russians domestically satisfy their own natural gas needs.)
Perhaps most astoundingly, late last year Russia quietly passed Saudi Arabia to become the world's biggest oil producer. After Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently agreed, face to face, to tone down their increasingly inflammatory rhetoric and concentrate instead on business, Russia's growing oil output and the U.S.'s corresponding decline seem increasingly meaningful, if not ominous.
Howdy, comradeLately, much of the attention to Russian oil output has involved Sakhalin Island, a remote 500 mile-long swath in the Sea of Okhotsk, east of Russia and north of Japan. That area's celebrity probably relates to its relative newness, and to the technological sexiness of the production techniques being used by ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) and other participants in the program. But if you lump Sakhalin reserves with those of Russia's Eastern Siberian basin, you've likely accounted for less than 5% of the nation's total deposits.
Indeed, Russian hydrocarbons are generated from several locations across the nation. For years, its Texas has been the Western Siberia basin, which appears to account for roughly two-thirds of the nation's total reserves. The best-known field in the area probably is the behemoth Samotlor field; while it may be in decline, 270 other fields in this huge region apparently pick up the slack quite handily.
Another significant area of Russian energy activity lies in the Volga/Urals basin, representing something less than 20% of total reserves. (Production there also seems to be diminishing.) Close observers of Russian energy assume that the Timan/Pechora basin to the north weighs in with something less than 10% of the nation's total reserves.
But what might those total reserves amount to? Not surprisingly, Russian officials are mum on the likely numbers, and estimates in the West vary widely. Oil & Gas Journal's 60 billion-barrel estimate clashes with the 150 billion- to 200 billion-barrel range proffered by Dallas-based reserve auditing firm DeGolyer & MacNaugton, whose clients include Russian energy producers and a host of private Western companies.
It's also tough to estimate how long total Russian production might last before it begins to slide. Part of the difficulty there lies in determining the damage that might have been done from years of operating techniques that seem almost primitive by western standards. For example, the Russians previously cemented wells with construction cement, rather than a blend formulated specifically for downhole applications.
Money to be made?Russia has long sustained love-hate relationships with private Western companies, starting with skirmishes between what is now ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS-A)(NYSE:RDS-B) over concessions during and after the Bolshevik Revolution. As recently as May 7, The Wall Street Journal carried a lead article detailing ExxonMobil's increasingly contentious Sakihalin-1 efforts. At first, Russian authorities largely deferred to the company's technological and operating expertise. But as production and prices have risen almost in tandem, Russian administrative interference has increased apace. Nevertheless, Exxon has been more successful than Shell, whose cost overruns at Sakhalin-2 ultimately forced it to sell its controlling stake in the project to a Russian company.
Obviously, the Western companies operating in Russia have endeavored mightily to stay on local authorities' good side. As the Journal article noted, "With most of the big fossil-fuel stores in the West already tapped, oil companies have been moving to the less politically predictable countries where the most alluring fields remain."
But Fools are investing types, and I can sense my Foolish friends' desire to discuss opportunities for direct investment in the thriving Russian energy scene. We'll do so, but only after I issue a great big flashing warning: Russian investments -- energy or otherwise -- carry as much potential for risk as reward. If the Russians can make life difficult for Exxon, ordinary Fools should exercise real caution before investing in the country.
That said, I'll note that Gazprom (OTC BB: OGZPY) is the largest Russian company and the world's biggest extractor of natural gas. It accounts for the majority of Russian gas production, operates an array of pipelines, and supplies natural gas to much of Europe, including countries as distant as France. Gazprom ADRs closed at $37.29 on Wednesday; with the company expected to earn about $4.37 a share this year, its forward P/E ratio is only about 8.5.
Lukoil (OTC BB: LUKOY) is the nation's largest oil producer; aside from Russia, it operates in such locations as the Caspian area, Iran, Colombia, and Venezuela. It also owns service stations in numerous places, including some former Getty and Mobil facilities in the U.S. Lukoil's ADRs closed at $74.75 on Wednesday; with earnings expected to reach $8.90 this year, it sports a forward P/E ratio of just 8.4.
In addition, Fools might consider the relatively new Market Vectors Russia ETF (NYSE:RSX), for which energy represents by far the biggest sector. Beyond that, I'm compelled to point out that the world's energy situation appears increasingly precarious. Consider Russia's oil and gas industries if you're so inclined, but please don't ignore such western exploration and production stalwarts as ExxonMobil, Chevron (NYSE:CVX), or ConocoPhillips.
|
Wear These 5 Colors Year-Round to Attract Luck in the Year of the Pig
Wearing an outfit in your favorite color can already make you feel empowered and give you that much-needed energy to face the day, don’t you agree? But if you’re a firm believer of Feng Shui, you’d know that wearing this year’s auspicious colors will not only brighten and uplift your aura — it will also attract luck into your lives. Whether you believe in these traditions or not, there’s no harm in knowing what they are!
More from Smart Parenting
Here are the lucky colors for 2019’s Year of the Earth Pig
Red
The main element of this year is Earth, and complementing energies include Fire and Metal. According to entertainment website Karma Weather, the lucky colors to wear are those that symbolize the Fire element, which feeds the earth. It includes shades of red, as well as orange, and pink.
In an interview with GMA News, feng shui adviser Johnson Chua suggests wearing clothes in the shades of “red agate or red garnet, which can boost our power and boost our emotions to positivity.”
Wrap dresses are not just pretty and comfy — they make breastfeeding easier, too! Basic Short Sleeve Wrap Dress, Php999 Zalora
If there are lucky colors, are there also unlucky colors? Yes, but it will depend on your birth year and Chinese zodiac. According to the website The Chinese Zodiac, those who were born in the years of the Ox, Snake, Horse, Rooster, and Pig should avoid wearing black. Cyan Blue is not advisable for those born in the years of the Tiger, Dragon, and Monkey. Dogs and Goats should avoid wearing green, Rabbits won’t attract luck if they’re wearing white, and Rats should avoid beige.
|
West Virginia Central Junction, West Virginia
West Virginia Central Junction is a populated place in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. Several CSX Transportation lines pass through the community, which is located on the Potomac River across from Luke, Maryland.
References
Category:Unincorporated communities in Mineral County, West Virginia
Category:Unincorporated communities in West Virginia
|
In electronic data networks, there is often a need to discern or discover the topology of the networks, for example links between nodes in the networks formed via interfaces of the nodes and subnets between the nodes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,986 discloses a mobile node moving from a first IP (Internet Protocol) network having a first kind of IP to a second IP network having a second kind of IP, in a network system. When the mobile node communicates a message with other nodes on the first network after its movement, a header for the movement containing both home and foreign addresses in the first kind of IP is added to a header containing home and foreign addresses in the second kind of IP, and the headers are added to the message.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,188,784 discloses an apparatus for handling communications from both IPv4 and IPv6 terminals.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,233 discloses a translator for coupling a first network such as an internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) and a second network such as an internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) having different addressing architectures for IP addresses.
|
Diaminofurazan (DAF): Thermolysis and evaluation as ballistic modifier in double base propellant.
Diaminofurazan (DAF) is used as a precursor in the synthesis of many high performance insensitive high explosives. This paper reports the thermal studies on DAF and its evaluation as a ballistic modifier in double base propellant formulations. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) revealed that DAF shows two-stage decomposition, whereas the kinetics of initial stage of thermal decomposition of DAF evaluated from TG data gave activation energy (E(a)) of 67 kJ mol(-1). The evolution of gases containing species such as CN, NH, OH and oxides of nitrogen during thermal decomposition of DAF was also revealed by hyphenated TG-FTIR data. Evaluation of DAF as a ballistic modifier in RDX incorporated double base propellant formulations indicated that it brings down the pressure index to 0.20 compared to 0.70 for a control composition in the pressure range 6.9-8.8 MPa when used in combination with basic lead salicylate (BLS). It was observed that DAF does not have adverse effect on vulnerability and chemical stability of the propellant formulation.
|
Now I get it. I was having trouble trying to understand the position you were coming from, but I get it now. You're position is bent over, and that's what you want the rest of America to do; bend over and take it. <br><br>"Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." <br>Mr. Rove<br><br>Really? 100 died? I'm not interested in confirming your claim, but I can give you numbers too. <br><br>American Airlines flight 11 BOS-LAX (north tower of World Trade Center): 93 people: 82 passengers (including 5 hijackers), 9 flight attendants, 2 pilots <br>United Airlines flight 175 BOS-LAX (south tower of World Trade Center): 65 people: 56 passengers (including 5 hijackers), 7 flight attendants, 2 pilots <br>American Airlines flight 77 IAD-LAX (The Pentagon): 64 people: 58 passengers (including 5 hijackers), 4 flight attendants, 2 pilots <br>United Airlines flight 93 EWR-SFO (Shanksville PA.): 44 people: 37 passengers (including 4 hijackers), 5 flight attendants, 2 pilots <br><br>Not enough for you? How about this?<br><br>2602 people were listed as confirmed dead. 1585 identifed / 1161 victims unidentifed from the World Trade Center wreckage<br><br>90 people officially missing<br><br>125 Pentagon staffers killed or missing<br><br>But maybe you're bad with numbers. So, lets see. You have a problem with not being humane. And it makes you mad that they have to sit in a hot room. What I'm wondering is why you're not bothered by these.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>DLC, you're heart goes out to these terrorists, and that's what you care about. I could have posted pictures of rows of charred, broken bodies pulled from the Trade Center, but in your eyes, how can that compare to some murderer sweating?<br><br>I love this country, flaws and all. I wish we didn't have to put our soldiers in danger. I wish we didn't have to put our firefighters in danger, but I don't see anyone blocking them from entering a burning building, do you? They weren't forced to become firefighters. They chose to, just like our soldiers. They believed in serving this country. I don't entirely agree with this war, but you know what, we're there now, and while we are, I put my full support behind our troops. And not just that they come home, like you. <br><br>You and Zap are the worst kind of pussys. You talk about things you hear from people who slant the truth to serve their purpose, but you don't have a clue what the real truth is.<br><br>A soldier who has served there, told you what the truth is and you still blather out the same stuff like you never heard a thing. <br><br>You don't deal in logic, truth, or reason. You're a propaganda machine. You have no brains, heart, or loyalty. You're a parasite. You live off of this country and give nothing back. <br><br>You've lost any respect I had for you. <br><br><br><br>
This Thread is about IRAQ<br>All the 9/11 photos and comparisons are totally irrelevant to Iraq - <br><br>SADDAM had NOTHING to DO with it... <br>and that's pretty callous using inflamatory photos to try to make a totally ILLOGICAL POINT.<br><br>ALL sources have concluded- FYI: <br>(1) Saddam Had NO WMDs<br>(2) Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11<br>(3) Saddam had NO ties to Al Quada or Bin Laden<br> your analogy is SOO STUPID, Skul !!<br>They are TWO DIFFERNT things, man !!<br> <br><br>And even after all the atrocities many Nazis committed (like Eichman) even the worst offenders of genocide were given TRAILS !! They were convicted, BEFORE they received pounishment !!<br><br>Why? Because we respected LAW !! International LAW.<br>We're not bending 1 bit Skul- you're acting delerious !! <br>BUT You have to provide EVIDENCE and CONVICT... <br><br>the way you like it, we might as well go ahead and just kill all the detainees !! That's what people like you want- lets quit fscking around and just get it over and KILL them ALL - innocent and guilty- since you've already Tried and Convicted them in your head !!<br>{/sarcasm}<br><br>My question STILL is -How long can you hold someone with NO charges, and NO evidence? I have no doubts the majority there ARE likely guilty, but some innocents are probably there also, and maybe some of lesser crimes... if we have a CASE then present it ! <br>what are we going to do holding them "forever" - torture a confession from them? oh that's real democratic, humane, and JUST !!<br>IF they haven't gotten the information by now they probably NEVER will.<br>Lastly UNTIL they are convicted- treat them humanely according to the Geneva Convention. All W is doing is fueling the insurgents by his unorthodox policies of "Fsck the world - we're doing whatever the fsck we want !!"<br>That attitude is what got us into the current mess !!<br><br>David (OFI)<br>
So why perpetuate a conversation about Gitmo - which also has nothing to do with Iraq? If this thread is all about Iraq as you claim.<br><br>And PoW's are either traded for PoW's the other side have captured or released after the war is over - without being charged in the interrim. Difficult to trade PoW's when the otherside is chopping off their heads and dragging them through the streets.<br><br>We all do what we do for the same reason: because it seems like a good idea at the time.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Llewelyn on 06/24/05 12:11 PM (server time).</EM></FONT></P>
_________________________I used to think it was terrible that life was unfair. Then I thought what if life were fair and all of the terrible things that happen came because we really deserved them? Now I take comfort in the general unfairness and hostility of the universe.
How can you breath through that pile of bullsh*t you've created?<br><br>I can't belive I have to educate you about these things. Oh wait, it's not that you're stupid. I keep forgetting. You choose to ignore what dosen't fit in to your ideals. <br><br>So, you're going to tell me that you didn't KNOW they've already gotten information ouf of the people at Gitmo that has led to more arrests? You want me to believe that you didn't KNOW that some of the people they release they RECAPTURED on the battlefield shooting at our troops? But hey, that's okay with you because you don't mind supplying the terrorists with more people to shoot at our soldiers because your heart bleeds for the poor people detained in Gitmo. <br><br>Make up your mind about what you're whining about. It's Bush, it's Gitmo, it's the war, it's this it's that. What a putz. <br>Well, we're there and that's reality.<br><br>So how about you either get behind the people trying to save lives over there, or shut the Fu*K up? <br><br>You've pretty much proven where your loyalty lies. The only thing left is for you to start screaming Allah Allah Allah. <br><br>
<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p> So why perpetuate a conversation about Gitmo - which also has nothing to do with Iraq? If this thread is all about Iraq as you claim. <p><hr></blockquote><p>I DIDN'T... go back and look at all my posts above !! They're Iraq, Iraq, Iraq...<br>it was Skul who made the erroneous comment I mentioned prisoners sitting in a hot cell. I never said ANYTHING about prisoners in a "hot cell" in this thread or any other (go find them!) - This thread was all about W excuses to invade Iraq...<br><br>WHY don't you ask Skul why HE changed the subject ??<br><br> <blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p> Difficult to trade PoW's when the otherside is chopping off their heads and dragging them through the streets. <p><hr></blockquote><p>No head chopping & dragging in streets in quite a while but they continue to bomb us. Again, a DIRECT result of W's poor planning and execution of transition.<br>The problem is the insurgents probably have many "leaders" not just 1 big one like a country would. That is hte nature of insurgents. That possibility was discussed many places BEFORE W invaded but he was so dam sure they'd be dancing... <br>That's one thing happened in NAM pal... sure the NVAR were the big force but there were a lot of smaller local VIet Cong under loose regional control... much like the insurgents in Iraq. VERY difficult to "deal" (as in POWs) with and negotiate with. like a 7 headed hydra - wack one head, another appears. We didn't learn a dam thing !!<br><br>David (OFI)<br>
<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>I DIDN'T... go back and look at all my posts above !!<p><hr></blockquote><p><br>Your very first post in this thread was a reply to Skul who had commented on Durbin's statements, which were made about Gitmo, which is a prison facility set up to hold combatants from the Afganistan war.<br><br>Just in case you have trouble finding it:<br><br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>One Durbin didn't say soldiers that's the " right wing Spin " - he said AMERICANS which was true... American did those acts... they were NOT equivalent to what Nazi's did or Russian gulags- but he NEVER mentioned the word "soldiers'...<br><br>but to just pick on Durban some, he just did a MOST stupid thing.. you never mention any criticism of this Administration and the word Nazi or gulag or Holocost in the same breathe... He should have KNOWN (it was a certainty) that his words would be twisted- for that act was STUPID to the nth degree.<br><br><br>Lastly your President did more to kill American soldiers than Durbin, Newsweek, or any other "rag" could do in months... he sent troops into Iraq NOT fully equipped... the body armor was missing and so was the vehicle armor on more than 2/3 rd of the units. THAT cost many more lives than the acts you cite... AND he didn't have to do it in March 2003... in fact he didn't have to do it AT ALL. but he was in a big RUSH because a few more weeks and the UN inspectors would discover what W already knew- Saddam had no WMDs!! So he pushed them in without all of the protection they needed.<br><br>SO Skul you want to point fingers - point to 1600 Penn Ave in DC FIRST, pal !! that azzhole got 1728 and counting GIs needlessly killed dude.<br>Saddam was NO threat to us- HE was NOT involved in 9/11.<br><br>so what happened to Binny boy, Skul?<br>Funny Bush never mentions him any more !!<br><br><br>David (OFI)<p><hr></blockquote><p><br>So your entry to this thread opens with commentary on how Skul misunderstood Durbin's Gitmo statements. THEN you turned to Iraq.<br><br><br><br>We all do what we do for the same reason: because it seems like a good idea at the time.
_________________________I used to think it was terrible that life was unfair. Then I thought what if life were fair and all of the terrible things that happen came because we really deserved them? Now I take comfort in the general unfairness and hostility of the universe.
LOOK through that WHOLE copy of my quote you posted- where DO I say "Gitmo"?? can't find it <br><br>I was talking about Durbin's statement and the hoopla over it... - I never mentioned Gitmo as the SUBJECT- I did a word search of yur last post and the only time "Gitmo" came up was YOUR USE-.<br>and after Durbins comments, right to Iraq- the TOPIC of the thread !!<br><br>try reading the DETAILS, Lues. <br>maybe a Reading COMPREHENSION class would be in order for ya !!<br><br><br><br>David (OFI)<br>
You don't explicitely need to say GITMO - you referenced Durbin's comments which were about Gitmo, not Abu Graib, not Iraq, not Iraqi detainees.<br><br>By referencing Durbin's comments you are refering to Gitmo. You really should try to gain an understanding of what you are saying before you try to say it.<br><br><br><br>We all do what we do for the same reason: because it seems like a good idea at the time.
_________________________I used to think it was terrible that life was unfair. Then I thought what if life were fair and all of the terrible things that happen came because we really deserved them? Now I take comfort in the general unfairness and hostility of the universe.
Oh my, I read all the original Dune series in my early teens. Even though I loved the books, and they stayed on my mind for some time afterward, I had never thought of all the parallels between the Dune series and all the stuff going on now. Thanks for the link watcher.<br><br>
<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p> You don't explicitely need to say GITMO <p><hr></blockquote><p>Damn right I don't ! <br>I didn't even IMPLY Gitmo- My comments were he said Americans NOT soldiers ...like many CLAIMED I didn't even mention the torture issue... it was all CLARIFYING Durbins' statement...<br><br>Can't people see the very ones who slam Durbin don't even get THEIR OWN words right !! They slander his statement - insert soldiers for Americans... now Durbin was worng - but so are the spin meisters who twisted his words.<br><br>The English language is very precise IF you use it correctly. I measure / judge every fricking word I type for accuracy. I suggest a few others do so also.<br><br>David (OFI)<br>
Xplain's use of MacNews, AppleCentral and AppleExpo are not affiliated with Apple, Inc. MacTech is a registered trademark of Xplain Corporation. AppleCentral, MacNews, Xplain, "The journal of Apple technology", Apple Expo, Explain It, MacDev, MacDev-1, THINK Reference, NetProfessional, MacTech Central, MacTech Domains, MacForge, and the MacTutorMan are trademarks or service marks of Xplain Corp. Sprocket is a registered trademark of eSprocket Corp. Other trademarks and copyrights appearing in this printing or software remain the property of their respective holders.
All contents are Copyright 1984-2010 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.
|
Radioimmunometric assay for a monoclonal antibody-defined tumor marker, CA 19-9.
We describe a solid-phase radioimmunometric sandwich assay for a new tumor marker defined by a monoclonal antibody (19-9). This antibody reacts with a carbohydrate antigenic determinant (CA 19-9) found at low concentrations in sera from healthy individuals but frequently increased in sera from patients with adenocarcinomas. The assay is sensitive and simple to perform. It requires duplicate 100-microL samples and may be performed in 6 h. The concentration of CA 19-9 in samples is determined by reference to a standard curve, which is essentially linear from 0 to 120 arbitrary units/mL. The average CV is approximately 10% in the range of 5.8 to 120 units/mL. The minimum detectable dose is 1.4 units/mL and analytical recovery of CA 19-9 is 97.6 to 100.6%. The average concentration of CA 19-9 in sera from 1020 healthy individuals was 8.4 (SD 7.4) units/mL; only 0.6% of such sera had concentrations greater than 37 units/mL. The assay has high specificity (98.5%), even among patients with benign diseases, and has high sensitivity (up to 79%) for patients with gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas, especially those of the pancreas.
|
An eight-member jury in Wichita, Kansas, found Friday that an anti-abortion activist did not intend to threaten a doctor in 2011 with a letter mentioning the possibility of someone placing a bomb under the doctor’s car. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] filed the suit [complaint, PDF] against Angel Dillard for sending a letter to Dr. Mila Means, who had expressed her intention to perform abortions in the city two years after a well-known abortion provider was murdered. The DOJ filed the complaint pursuant to the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act [text], which “prohibits threats against abortion providers or interference with access to abortion clinics” [Rewire report]. Dillard, who has been quoted as supporting the man who killed the previous abortion doctor, sent the letter to Means, which stated in part:
Thousands of people are already looking into your background, not just in Wichita, but from all over the US. They will know your habits and routines. They will know where you shop, who your friends are, what you drive, where you live. You will be checking under your car everyday-because maybe today is the day someone places an explosive under it.
While the jury found that a reasonable person would believe the letter expressed a true threat of force, they did not find that Dillard intentionally sought to intimidate Means. The foreman of the jury stated that the decision was difficult but based on the language of the law requiring a physical threat, and the jurors found this to be “a more spiritual threat, a more emotional threat.” Dillard’s lawyer had argued that this was merely protected speech under the First Amendment [text].
Dillard’s case had previously been dismissed by the US District Court for the District of Kansas [official website], stating the DOJ failed to demonstrate the existence of a true threat and qualified the letter as protected speech as a matter of law. However, the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit [official website] overturned this decision [JURIST report], ruling the status of the letter is not clear and must go to a jury. Abortion procedures and reproductive rights issues [JURIST backgrounder] are controversial topics throughout the US. Last week Louisiana’s Senate voted [JURIST report] 34-4 to approve legislation [HB 386 materials] that would extend the current 24-hour abortion waiting period to 72 hours. In April the Florida Supreme Court [official website] granted a motion to suspend the state’s mandatory 24-hour waiting period for abortions [JURIST report]. Earlier in April the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood filed suit [JURIST report] against the state of Indiana, challenging the constitutionality of a recently signed abortion law. In March Utah became the first state to require doctors to administer anesthesia [JURIST report] to women receiving an abortion after 20 weeks. In March a district court judge blocked [JURIST report] Arkansas from enforcing a bill mandating abortion pill providers follow US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and requiring hospital admittance privileges to handle complications. Also in March West Virginia lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto to enact a new law [JURIST report] that prevents the dilation and evacuation abortion procedure, widely held to be the safest second-trimester abortion method. The same day, South Dakota’s governor signed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protections Act, which bans abortions after 20 weeks.
|
tests/invalid/ConstrainedInt_Invalid_8.whiley:9: type invariant may not be satisfied {}
return (nat) h()
^^^
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.