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Ghazi Muhammad Qazi Mullah (Russian: Кази-Мулла, Kazi-Mulla, early 1790s–1832) was an Islamic scholar and ascetic, who was the first Imam of the Caucasian Imamate (from 1828 to 1832). He was a staunch ally of Imam Shamil. He promoted Sharia, spiritual purification, and facilitated a jihad against the invading Russians. He was also one of the prime supporters of "Muridism", a strict obedience to Koranic laws used by imams to increase religio-patriotic fervor in the Caucasus. Early life He was a close friend of Imam Shamil during his childhood in Dagestan. They both studied the Koran and Sufism together at Yaraghal, a Murid centre, and both disliked the loose customs of the mountain people that contradicted the laws in Koran. His mentor was Mullah Mohammed Yaraghi, a Naqshbandi Sufi scholar that brought the Mullah into the ulema. He preached that Jihad would not occur until the Caucasians followed Sharia completely rather than following a mixture of Islamic laws and adat (customary traditions). By 1828, Mullah began proselytizing and claiming that obeying Sharia, giving zakat, prayer, and hajj would not be accepted by Allah if the Russians were still present in the area. He even went on to claim that marriages would become void and children bastards if any Russians were still in the Caucasus. Qazi Mullah became one of the most prominent preachers of Islam in the Caucasus. His memorization of over four hundred ahadith allowed him to win many debates against rival preachers in the area. As his reputation grew, he was invited by many khanates and kingdoms loyal, indifferent, and hostile to the Czar. As a sign of humility and austerity, he refused to ride, but would walk. Popularity, reception, and rise During the early to mid 19th century Russian political strategy in Dagestan included supporting local, indigenous law, known as ‘adat. This was a careful and strategic investment against the growing religiosity and resistance founded on sharia law, which was championed by Ghazi Muhammad. The popularity and rise of Ghazi Muhammad has been attributed both to his charismatic personality and to an indigenous Dagestani population that had grown tired of Russian intrusion and reorganization of local land and resources. Due to conflicting local political, legal, and religious interests, the war led by Ghazi Muhammad has been characterized as a war in the name of Muslim resistance just as much as a war against Russian Imperial encroachment into the North Caucasus. While Ghazi Muhammad gained popular support for his religious policies and military tactics, he did not find widespread support among the region's other political leaders and indeed launched assaults both against local leaders who preferred to ascribe to ‘adat and against the encroaching Russians. As such, support for Ghazi Muhammad was not ubiquitous in Dagestan and his rise to power resulted in unrest among local political stakeholders. Holy war (For military details see Murid War.) In 1829, he was proclaimed imam in Ghimry, where he formally made the call for a holy war. He also decreed that all wine should be destroyed publicly. In 1830, Qazi Mullah and Shamil unsuccessfully tried to capture the Avar capital of Khunzakh from the khanum Pakkou-Bekkhe. Following the setback, Shamil prevailed upon him to bide his time for a while, until all the tribes became united in following shariat law. In 1831, after a few months of quiet, he attacked Northern Dagestan, and met with success there. His guerilla tactics caught the Russians unprepared. By 1832 he was able to menace Vladikavkaz, however, the Russians repulsed the Mullah's assault, and when they took Ghimry, according to legend, they found The Russians took his body to Tarku and gave it to the Khan, who had been loyal to them. The body was displayed in the marketplace for a few days, before being buried in the hills. Song A posthumous song was composed for him, Хьэтхым и къуэ к1асым Мыхьэмэт и уэрэд, Song for Qazi Mohamed. References The Russian empire: historical and descriptive.John Geddie. Oxford University, 1882 Caucasus Mountain Men and Holy Wars. Nicholas Griffin. Thomas Dunne Books, 2003. The Shade of Swords: Jihad and the Conflict Between Islam and Christianity. Akbar, M.J. Routledge, 2003. The Sabres of paradise Lesley Blanch. Carroll & Graf, 1984. Kaziev, Shapi. Imam Shamil. "Molodaya Gvardiya" publishers. Moscow, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2010 Notes Category:1832 deaths Category:Avar people Category:19th-century Islamic religious leaders Category:People of the Caucasian War

French Patent No. 2 667 979 describes a method for adjusting a thermal overload cutout having bimetallic strips, a pickoff system, and a cutout mechanism which has an adjustment device. The position of the bimetallic strips is first matched to the pickoff system, and a preadjustment of the cutout mechanism is performed by setting a predefined cutout distance, the bimetallic strips are then acted upon by a specific current. Adjustment methods and thermal overload cutouts of this kind are already known. Protective devices having delayed-action overload cutouts of this kind must, according to specifications, cut out within specific response limits (e.g. International Electratechnical Commission IEC 947-2, IEC 947-4-1). According to these specifications, a cutout must occur within 2 hours under a load equal to 1.2 times the preset current, and no cutout must occur within 2 hours of current application with 1.05 times the preset current. In devices having thermal overload cutouts, this is usually achieved by converting the current, via the electric heat, into a deflection of bimetallic strips, and adjusting to these bimetallic strips a mechanical system which contains a kickover function. The effective deflection of the bimetallic strips depends on a variety of influencing factors, for example the current path resistance of the thermal overload cutout, the specific deflection of the bimetallic strips, the cutout force and resilience of the mechanical system, etc. Individual deflections thus exist for each protective device. FIG. 2 shows a schematic sketch of a conventional thermal overload cutout. It contains three bimetallic strips 1, a mechanical pickoff system 2, and a cutout mechanism 3 having a compensation strip and an adjusting device 5. In the conventional adjustment method, it is assumed that protective devices of uniform design have an average effective deflection. This deflection travel is set as the distance y between the bimetallic strips and the mechanical shutoff point of the cutout mechanism (preadjustment), and the position of the bimetallic strips is then matched to the pickoff system (synchronization). The cutout time of the thermal overload cutout at a specific current is then measured. If the cutout time falls outside a predefined time window determined by the current response limits, the distance must be corrected based on the time deviation. The cutout time measurement is repeated after the protective device has cooled to ambient temperature. In order to ensure that response limits are within specifications, randomly sampled measurements of the response limits are made. If the results show a trend toward a change in the response limits, the latter are corrected toward the middle of the specified response limits by shifting the time window when the cutout time is checked.

Islamist insurgents have issued an ultimatum to northern Iraq’s dwindling Christian population to either convert to Islam, pay a religious levy or face death, according to a statement issued by the Islamic State (Isis) and distributed in the militant-controlled city of Mosul. The al-Qaida offshoot that led last month’s lightning assault to capture swathes of northern Iraq said the ruling would come into effect on Saturday . . . The Nineveh decree echoes one that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, the former name for the Islamic State, issued in the Syrian city of Raqqa in February, demanding that Christians pay the jizya levy in gold and curb displays of their faith in return for protection . . . The Mosul residents who saw the Islamic State announcement estimated the city’s Christian population before last month’s militant takeover at around 5,000. The vast bulk of those have since fled, leaving perhaps only 200 in the city. Wow. That is absolutely horrible! This truly is ethnic cleansing. I imagine that if they can afford to do so, they would pay the tax. But what if they are too poor to do so? Will they then be killed regardless of their ability to pay? I read a story a week or two ago when a family who was unable to pay had the wife raped by ISIS members. The husband then committed suicide because of the traumatic event. May he rest in peace. I tell you, I am getting pretty worried about the situation going on in Iraq because of what the Iraqi Christians are having to deal with. It makes me so sad to see that they are having to go through all of this horrific stuff but yet our government (United States) seems to be mum on the plight of Middle Eastern Christians who are persecuted by Islamists. I really haven’t even heard much information at all about anything being done to take Iraq back from ISIS.

Lack, I like the idea of mixing up settings. I think you should probably have a round limit for each game, but could change the level of the round limit. Other than that, I like that there is a mix of settings Would be real interesting to see an assassin game (OK, I just started going through the settings in my head and all of them would be cool). Any chance of speed BR's becoming a possibility? Maybe once a month at a scheduled time. I don't see them filling on a regular basis, but if you did it on like the 15th of every month or something, I bet you could find some takers. agentcom wrote:Lack, I like the idea of mixing up settings. I think you should probably have a round limit for each game, but could change the level of the round limit. Other than that, I like that there is a mix of settings Would be real interesting to see an assassin game (OK, I just started going through the settings in my head and all of them would be cool). Any chance of speed BR's becoming a possibility? Maybe once a month at a scheduled time. I don't see them filling on a regular basis, but if you did it on like the 15th of every month or something, I bet you could find some takers. Assassin? Are you kidding me?? After one or two rounds the game would be over!Team BR would be more interesting. AoG for President of the World!!I promise he will put George W. Bush to shame! The is always one Sequential and one Freestyle Battle Royale game open. The other game options are shuffled, so if you don't like the settings of an open Battle Royale just wait for it to fill and join the following one. Premium members can join one Battle Royale every 30 days. Player colours change each time you enter a Battle Royale game. If you have trouble figuring which player is which in the game, click on [colour codes]. It should start as "There" not "The" I'm assuming I wrote this previously: Gillipig wrote:I noticed a minor spelling error in the text describing battle roayales. Instead of "There is" or "There's" it say "The is".A little nail in the eye for the average spelling nazi lol. Still no change. AoG for President of the World!!I promise he will put George W. Bush to shame! The is always one Sequential and one Freestyle Battle Royale game open. The other game options are shuffled, so if you don't like the settings of an open Battle Royale just wait for it to fill and join the following one. Premium members can join one Battle Royale every 30 days. Player colours change each time you enter a Battle Royale game. If you have trouble figuring which player is which in the game, click on [colour codes]. It should start as "There" not "The" I'm assuming I wrote this previously: Gillipig wrote:I noticed a minor spelling error in the text describing battle roayales. Instead of "There is" or "There's" it say "The is".A little nail in the eye for the average spelling nazi lol. Thanks guys for all that you do to keep this site interesting. It is a great place to play risk type games and to meet others. Love the Battle Royale concept. Most of the changes have been very positive. The only thing that I could ever suggest would be to create the tournament trophy so that it can hold numbers higher than 30. I have noticed people who have won many tourneys but the trophy on profile only shows 30. just an FYI. Thanks for everything!!!! Pirlo wrote:damn.. the members of this community are too freaking demanding! =) Yeah but can we also have...... I would have done this before that..... I don't wanna play with cooks to protect my precious point stack.....(Like your odds of winning a battle royal are more than slim.)(Like it's not Terminator, and those cooks aren't little points crackers for the snacking.) HighlanderAttack wrote:Just make it that you can only be in one battle royal at a time --then the 30 day wait is not a factor I don't think this is cool though... your game may, and will probably, last months. Meanwhile, you wouldn't be allowed to get into your next game, and you may not even have a hope to win when it gets down to 5 players who just stack and wait for a suicider to make them a favor by attacking other opponents. It could also motivate some people to suicide in order to put an end to that painful game so they can get into the next one. It's better if you have the luxury to be in more than one BR game! HighlanderAttack wrote:Just make it that you can only be in one battle royal at a time --then the 30 day wait is not a factor I don't think this is cool though... your game may, and will probably, last months. Meanwhile, you wouldn't be allowed to get into your next game, and you may not even have a hope to win when it gets down to 5 players who just stack and wait for a suicider to make them a favor by attacking other opponents. It could also motivate some people to suicide in order to put an end to that painful game so they can get into the next one. It's better if you have the luxury to be in more than one BR game!

You Are Naturally Short Housing Your house is not an asset. It is a hedge. You are born with a natural short housing position. For the rest of your life, you will need somewhere to live. Ideally, somewhere with a roof. To use a (slightly tortured) trading analogy, you are born with a short housing position. There are several ways to cover this short. In the beginning, your parents usually pay it for you. Once you are on your own, you have various options that can generally be divided up into two categories: A floating rate (e.g. a short-term lease) A fixed rate (e.g. a long-term lease or a house purchase) The best option for you will depend on many things e.g. the relative cost of renting v. owning, your need to be geographically flexible (i.e. your liquidity requirement), your ability to obtain credit etc. There is not necessarily a “correct” answer. I have done both at various times of my life. Whatever option you choose, however, you need to understand that you are only covering a short position. If you choose to buy a house, you are not going long the housing market. You are going flat the housing market using a fixed rate product to lock in your exposure. If house prices rise, the value of your house (the hedge) increases but so does the cost of shelter, which you are always going to need. If house prices fall, your home loses value, but the cost of shelter falls. Why does this distinction matter? Because if you purchase a house, you should not fall into the trap of getting excited when house prices rise. You should especially not fall into the trap of borrowing against the rising value of your house (your hedge) to fund increased consumption. Think about it this way. Imagine if a gold producer used the futures market to hedge future production and lock in a sales price. If the gold price fell (not that it ever will, of course. Fiat money and all that), then the producer would have a gain on its hedge. However, that gain would be offset by the fact that they can only sell their production at a lower price. If the producer borrowed against that gain in the hedge to buy jet-skis and a winter chalet in Vermont, it would be clear that they were taking a massive gamble. The same thing applies to your house. If you buy a house, you have covered a short rather than gone long. This means that you need to be very careful about borrowing against that hedge, and even about counting your house value as part of your total assets. This is hard to do, since a house is usually a large part of someone’s assets, and it is tempting to include it when counting up retirement assets. Except that you still have a natural housing short when you are 66. Sure, you can downsize your house, but then you are playing more of a big house/small house spread game. You are born naturally short shelter. Your house is not an asset. It is a hedge. Your second house makes you long housing. Your lake house makes you short weather volatility. Your Swiss chalet gives you a CHF exposure. Your Hamptons mansion legs your into a first spouse/second spouse spread…. 😉 From Wikipedia: A hedge is an investment position intended to offset potential losses/gains that may be incurred by a companion investment. In simple language, a hedge is used to reduce any substantial losses/gains suffered by an individual or an organization. A hedge is also a line of closely planted trees and shrubs, so I imagine there is a punny joke to be made about your back yard incorporating a “hedge”… SP Your assessment is entirely fallacious. Housing is a binary decision and rent is a sunk cost. Mortgage payments, by contrast, are investments that offer you partial ownership of an asset in the same way that purchasing equities offers partial ownership of a company. Your argument ignores these fundamental facts. SP, I agree that mortgage payments leave you with partial ownership of an asset. The point is what that asset purchase is for. I am arguing that buying a house (whether using a mortgage, cash or self-build) can be viewed as paying a fixed price to cover a long-term position. Once you have done that, you are largely unexposed to changes in the cost of shelter. Using a short-term lease leaves you open to pain if the cost of shelter goes up, or benefit if the cost of shelter goes down. Purchasing a partial equity stake is generally an outright long position: you benefit if the equity value rises, and suffer if the equity value falls. There is no offsetting “short” position. Unless, perhaps, you consume an extraordinary amount of bananas each day and buy shares in a banana company. Rent is a sunk cost. So are mortgage interests, property taxes, maintenance costs, and all other costs you never have to worry about as a renter. Not to mention the opportunity cost of being to able to pack up and leave on short notice. vinocat Well, two things about rent vs. mortgage… #1: in your example, your $3k rent has no residual value, i.e., when you move, all that rent money is gone. #2: with the $5k mortgage example, it’s a bit more complicated. Initially, it’s true that most of the payment is interest, but over the life of a 30-year note, only about half to 2/3 of the payments go toward interest, so it depends on where you are in the life of the loan. Either way, with the mortgage, when you sell the house and move, you get the proceeds, less any remaining mortgage balance, but you also get any appreciation that has occurred. True, in the 2008 meltdown, housing values declined sharply, but this is not the long-term norm — it was really a return to scale after several years of over-appreciation. The “normal” housing market appreciates at roughly 3-4%/year over the long run — pretty much in line with inflation. Absolutely agree with the sentiment, debt is a liability, plain and simple. But I like the way you’ve illustrated the ‘need’ for housing as a future liability. Which it clearly is also. By extension then we are ‘naturally short’ other things like food, access to clean water and sleep. The difference is that those items are hard-to store, relatively easy to obtain (for westerners) or intangible and so not prone to the same sort of effects as houses are. In Europe, for a long time, it was more common for average people to rent their homes than own them. Home ownership is a relatively new phenomenon, it’s quite simple but it keeps surprising us! I’ve been “short” on housing a few times in my life, no doubt about it. And I agree that housing is definitely a hedge – a hedge against dying from exposure! In all seriousness, I love the analogy here – your title immediately caught my attention – well done. I like your analogy – however it’s difficult to assess the value of this short position. you might add that being short in housing varies over time, since you acquire more stuff in your life and need the additional storage space or even a home for your family. so you might say it makes sense to not just cover your housing exposure as needed, but it might actually make sense to go long (renting out apartments which you don’t need and profit from the convenience yield), because the price to cover the underlying asset (ie. buying a house) will probably increase in the future. The only problem with your theory, is that it assumes that house prices on a whole will move up and down across the board. This is rarely the case, with only local house prices moving in line with the property you own. Even within the same country, one area of house pricing can be rising, while another is falling. Therefore the position would only be flat, if you plan to move to a house in the same location as your existing house. If however, you choose to relocate to another location, or perhaps even another country (with a completely different economy) then you may have gone long on your house in an area where house prices are rising and then you move somewhere later where the house prices were falling or flat, and make a profit. For example. In the south of England (London) house prices have still been rising over the last few years, where as the north of England house prices have been falling. If you factor in moving to a completely different country as an option, then it makes your house a bet not on house prices rising or falling, but rather your countries economy rising versus others. Ensuring that you can sell your property and move to an equal house in another cheaper country and make a long term profit. I do see your point though, that ultimately the rise in house prices assuming you will always stay in a similar location and expect a similar house is not a gain. Thanks for commenting. Several people have commented that I have assumed that the housing market is homogenous and that there are no regional variations etc. I don’t think I have, but I obviously need to clarify that somehow. Part of the answer is that you still have the risk of the difference in prices between where you live and where you might end up living. Excellent post! This is a great way to look at housing. I employ this thinking myself. One point to add to the equation though, typically we buy a house with leverage. In that respect buying a house if very much like futures trading or options trading. The leverage is very high. So if you own a house and the house price goes up, your investment increases at a scale much larger than the cost to rent. Quick example with fictitious numbers: I buy a house for 100k, I put 10k down payment, rent would cost me 1k per month. House goes up to 150k value in 5 years. I sell the house and get 40k return on my investment. Rent goes up to 1.5k per month. My net gain is 40k which is 40k / 1.5k = 26 months of rent. Contrast that to renting during the same time period. Great article none-the-less, this is how we should think about housing. “If house prices rise, the value of your house (the hedge) increases but so does the cost of shelter, which you are always going to need. If house prices fall, your home loses value, but the cost of shelter falls.” What exactly does this mean? What cost of shelter, the general cost of shelter? I live in Chicago where purchase prices are dirt cheap, and rent prices are sky high. The United States, as a whole, came out of period were rent was cheap and purchase price was through the roof. The market isn’t working as efficiently as it should because of the meddling by our fearless & too helpful overlords in Washington, among other issues. I feel that in your post there are sweeping generalizations — including the one about the gold hedge — that do not take into account transaction costs or leveraging for that matter. Maybe you were just looking to get stir up a little controversy. If so, I say: well done! I was trying, rather inelegantly, to describe how a hedge works. If you hedge something, the value of your hedge generally moves in the opposite direction to your underlying exposure, creating a net zero effect on your balance sheet. My arguement is a simplification, but I believe that it is a useful one. Notice that I never said that owning was better than renting, or vice versa. Whether one makes more sense than the other will vary with e.g. prices, time, geography (as you correctly observed) and your stage of life. My point was that if you do buy a house, then you should not be super-excited if house prices rise, because even if you sell your house at a higher price you will still need somewhere else to live. Can anyone explain this article to someone who is not an investor? Every single piece of jargon, including “born with a short position” is inscrutable to me, the layman, and I have the feeling there’s valuable information trapped in those words. Try this: – You are always going to need somewhere to live. – Your basic choices are between renting and buying. – If you choose to buy a home, you can think of it as paying a lifetimes’ worth of rent in advance. – That may or may not be a good idea: it will depend on how house prices change, how rents change, transactions costs, if you want to move, etc. It might work out, it might not. – If you do buy a house, then you should not be super-excited if house prices rise. – That is because even if you sell your house at a higher price, you still have to find somewhere to live. – You will either need to buy another house or go back to renting, and the costs of those two are likely to have gone up as well, leaving you no better off. Does that help? My arguement is obviously a simplification, but I believe it is a helpful one. John Galt Inflation tax. You buy a house for $100,000. The dollar inflates by 10%. You sell for $110,000. You now have $10,000 that is taxed as capitol gains. Inflation tax, it’s not just for those with cash assets. Gerry Bamberger Owning a house only hedges you insofar as it neutralizes the costs of housing yourself. In fact, in the real world, homeowners are taxed by government entities as well as monopolistic utilities, and therefore the hedge is a poor one. And it promises to get worse and worse, for all the following reasons: 2. Homeowners are viewed (correctly or otherwise) as wealthier than renters (many of whom are former homeowners) and populist sentiments will favor punishing homeowners to achieve some form of equalization; 3. Apartment complexes are better risk-spreaders and are better equipped than individual, unassociated homeowners to obtain favorable terms from taxing entities and utilities. Jason The size of your natural short position does change over time though. My natural short position was small as a bachelor, larger now that I have a family, and will be smaller when the kids are finally gone. However, when you die – you are no longer in need of housing – so your house becomes an asset at that point. If you can generate income on the house as well as extract value from the home to trade for other needs, such that when you die, the value of the house is now 0 (e.g. you’ve borrowed your equity and spent it), then it has performed just like an asset. I can imagine this is where the idea of reverse mortgages might come in. Is there any way I can buy into some kind of diversified residential housing fund to hedge this short position, rather than have to buy, like, a real house? Ideally it would still correlate well with local housing costs. Terry Omond The short analogy explains why a mortgage on a house you are living in is a poor strategy for wealth creation – a leveraged covered short. However, borrowing against the house you live in to purchase real estate is a leveraged long position, a much better exposure to a rising market. This is cold comfort to those that couldn’t make payments & lost their house early in the downturn. It’s hard to cash in the short unless you exit the market. The death dividend? These market analogies are getting strained. This is an excellent analogy for home ownership. Khan Academy has a couple videos running the numbers on renting vs. owning. A lot of people look at home ownership as an investment; yet, as you mentioned, the actual benefits are garnered from tax deductions and home equity loans rather than checks in the mail (rent). A mea culpa: I should not have said that your house is not an asset. Your house is an asset. My point is that the value of that asset is offset by a corresponding liability (your lifelong requirement for housing) that is not often acknowledged. Ira I remember when someone first explained a hedge to me as investing in futures. If I run a bakery and want to be sure that I can buy flour at a price that I need to make a profit, then I buy futures in flour at the price I need. If I buy a house and know what my annual housing costs are fixed except for re taxes, then I’ve bought futures in housing. A future is a hedge, hence “hedging your bets/” vinocat It’s an interesting way of looking at what housing means, but it’s also a fundamentally wrong analogy, and over-generalizing on a couple of other points. Any time you deploy capital in a way that you can recover some, all, or more than what you put in, that is an investment. Most beginner investors (and non-investors) fail to understand that investments can have a negative ROI, in capital terms; in terms of shelter, however, that is a necessary expense, so you don’t necessarily factor it into the notion of the capital investment’s ROI, but it is a benefit. To illustrate: owning may or may not turn out to have a positive capital ROI, and renting by definition has a negative ROI (-100%); but both have the same nominal shelter benefit. Your most valid point is that one shouldn’t carelessly borrow against one’s home value, lest the value go down, and you wind up underwater (and in a leveraged way). Doing so is the investing equivalent of counting your chickens before they are hatched. But frankly, calling it a short position is pretty misleading, and deeply inaccurate as an investment analogy. A short position in investing is where you sell an asset you don’t own (by borrowing it from somewhere else). For this sale, you *receive* money, which is where the analogy totally fails. Buying a house is buying a house (call it an asset, which is increasing or decreasing in value). If you don’t have the money to buy the house outright, you borrow the *money* (not the house) in the form of a collateralized loan called a mortgage. It’s your name on the deed, and the mortgage lenders claim a lien (but not ownership) on the property in the event you default on the loan. If the house loses value, you still own it, but you also owe the lender the amount you have borrowed. This is the exact opposite of short investing, in which you *want* the value of the asset you shorted to decline, so you can buy it back for less than you short-sold it, and close out your position with a profit. I was taught that you are “short” a market when you will make money/ be better off if the price falls. It is a wider concept than simply selling something you do not own. You do not necessarily have to borrow something you do not own in order to be short: in the futures and fx markets you can instigate a short position without borrowing. In equities, you can purchase a put option to get short. In cash equities you have to borrow stock you don’t own to sell and get short, but that is confusing how you get a short position with what it means to be short. In your final paragraph, you have misunderstood what I said. I did not say that buying a house was equivalent to shorting housing. Buying a house is a way of covering your pre-existing short, not the short itself. vinocat Well, fair enough to define being “short a market” in that way, but by that definition, you are only short in the housing market if you are homeless. And yes, I understand the intricacies of the different ways one can be “short” on an investment or market — I’ve been in and around the financial services world (including investment houses) for many years, and am an active portfolio manager of my own family’s accounts, trading equities, options, commodities and more… If you pay to live somewhere, you are by definition long in that market, not covering a short (in other words, you wouldn’t say you’re short the horse market simply because you don’t own or rent any horses). As a renter, your long (monthly) investment has -100% capital ROI, but you get the benefit of shelter. As a home owner, you have taken a long position as a result of your purchase (regardless of how you got the money to buy the house), and may wind up with a positive, negative or zero capital ROI, and you also get the shelter benefit. If the value of housing goes up, your investment as an owner goes up, not down as with a short position; if home prices go down, your investment declines, plain and simple. I’ll grant that you are inherently short the *benefit* of housing until you cover that benfit shortage by buying or renting someplace. But that is quite different from looking at it as a matter of capital investment. Lastly, one investment industry tenet you didn’t mention is the one that says that nothing matters until a transaction is executed. Until then, all those gains and losses, long and short positions, are just paper (or in one’s mind). This is where people who use(d) their home as an ATM went wrong, thinking that the notional value of their home was as good as gold, when in fact the true value turns out to be the value you receive from a real transaction at a specific time and place. Thanks for the reply. Imagine that you are 18 years old and about to head out in the world on your own. Would you prefer it if house prices and rents were high or low? Generally, such a person would want houses to be cheap and rents to be low. i.e. they would be better off if house prices and rents fall…. which is the definition of being short. It is only once people buy a home that they start thinking they are better off if prices rise. If you buy a house, then you are going long that market, but you cannot forget about your pre-existing short position. Long + short = net flat (in a simplifed model, where you don’t buy a bigger house than you need). Another way to think about it is that your house is an asset, but you have a corresponding liability that offsets it. The difference with the horse market is that I have no long-term need to buy horses, whereas I have a lifelong requirement for shelter. vinocat I suppose you can make the claim that you are short on anything that you *need* but don’t have (as opposed to electively want, like a horse). But I personally see that as a situational observation, not an investment analogy. You have many good and useful points in your original post that could benefit your readers, especially the less savvy ones. Ultimately, I think the analogy you chose undermines the strength of those good points, by being confusing at best (as witnessed by many of the other comments), or indefensible at worst. If you wanted a money analogy/metaphor in there for spice, perhaps you could have titled your post “shelter is a hedge against the elements, and your home is not an ATM”…! Alex “Imagine if a gold producer used the futures market to hedge future production and lock in a sales price. If the gold price fell (not that it ever will, of course. Fiat money and all that), then the producer would have a gain on its hedge. However, that gain would be offset by the fact that they can only sell their production at a lower price.” what do you mean they can only sell their production at a lower price? they hedged their price (i.e. locked in the higher pricer). that’s the whole point of hedging. have i missed smth here? If the gold price falls after they hedge, they will get less for their product in the physical market, but they will make a profit on their short futures position. Net, they will effectively have sold at the higher price. The “Fiat money and all that” was a flippant and sarcastic dig at the “end of the world” crowd.

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Tonight on an all-new Launch My Line, designers are brought to the Citizens of Humanity wash house, the largest in Los Angeles. Merle is already pissed about the upcoming challenge because she thinks denim is for farmers. Then when the designers start working on their outfits, none of them are immune to construction problems. Check out the following previews…

Snooki And Jwoww Snooki and JWoww is an MTV reality series starring Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jennifer "JWoww" Farley. The series is a spin-off from MTV's wildly popular Jersey Shore, where Snooki and JWoww first gained popularity. The first season followed them as roommates, but after Snooki became pregnant, the focus of the series changed to reflect her pregnancy and becoming a new mom.

Chapter 11 – Mr. Clean “Fine! You can touch them!” Sookie finally conceded, hoping it would end this continual perusal of her, or more frustratingly, her chest, which was making her feel things she didn’t want to know she could feel, especially in the chest area. His continued silence only unnerved her further, “One squeeze, Mister. That’s it!” “Very well,” Eric grinned excitedly, his tongue tracing his top lip hungrily, forgetting all about the clusterfuck of traffic they were stuck in and the room full of people awaiting them. “And no kissage after!” “I’ll hold you to that,” he smiled while releasing the buckle of his seat belt, successfully unsettling her even further while he stretched out his entwined hands before him with a crunch, as if in preparation for something far more daunting than a simple fondling of flesh. She breathed heavily, her eyes somewhere between scrunching and closing as his fingers neared, crying out with the suddenness of it all in the next moment. “You purple-eyed piece of shit!” Miraculously her boobs had remained untouched, if you discounted the hold the seat belt already had on her. The rest of her body was a different matter altogether. While Eric was brushing the shattered glass of the windshield from his hair and set to inspect the damage to his favourite girl, the car, her door opened while she remained in a confused haze at the sudden turn of events. “You okay, Babe?” a deep voice asked while all she could do at this point was blink in reply. “Do not fucking touch her or I’ll use that fugly ass hide of yours as the upholstery for my new car!” Eric roared, scaring Sookie with the intensity of it, causing her to whimper and cower towards the other man. “Are you his, Babe?” the subdued voice asked her again, seemingly unimpressed by the testosterone display and successfully keeping Eric from access with his position at her door. There was something so gentle and kind about the shiny bald headed man, she really only was able to focus on one thing at a time as her head seemed to be ringing in a relentless echo from the impact with the dashboard. “Are you?” She shook her head. She wasn’t even quite sure what she was answering or whom, for whatever reason she wanted to call him Mr. Clean. He seemed nice enough though. “Wanna be mine, Gorgeous?” he grinned with a wink. Oh my God, it is Mr. Clean! “He is NOT your boyfriend!” Eric roared with perhaps a little too much vigour, scaring her in the process. “Well, I sure hope it’s not you, Mr. Grumpy!” she yelled back, groaning in pain with the sudden strain. “Fuck!” he growled, falling to his knees and looking her over carefully. “Sookie, what’s my name?” Her eyes searched him warily, “I… I don’t know.” “She needs a hospital, man.” “Shut your face, Captain Obvious! This all your fault,” Eric growled, warning the Were to a safe distance while loosening Sookie’s safety belt. “Can you stand?” he asked in a gentle whisper, aiding her out. “I feel dizzy,” she complained with a whimper. “All these noises, they’re only getting louder in my head. It hurts.” “Come here,” he instructed, pulling her close, remembering the relief he had provided her during Jason’s bachelor party when she’d looked about as haggard as she did now. “Hold me tight.” “OK,” she agreed begrudgingly, at least he seemed to be nice to her now, and the invading noises appeared to magically disappear in his embrace. Mr. Grumpy wasn’t too bad to look at either. “I’m going to fly us out of here, okay?” “Mmmkay,” she murmured, then a mild panic set in, “Wait, fly?” He hovered them slowly above the ground, testing her reaction, assuring he wasn’t adding to her injuries. Instead she cried out in shock, struggling against his hold with the sudden sensation. “What are you?!” “A vampire,” he answered with a grin, proudly flashing his fangs. “Let me go!” she screamed, frightened by the sudden physical change, struggling against him so much he feared she’d fall to the ground if he didn’t let her go and set her back on the ground safely. “Sookie!” he tried, chasing after her as soon as they were down again, her tiny form moving much smoother between the jam packed cars than he could, honking noisily. “You have to go to the hospital!” “He’ll take me,” she whimpered, struggling against the pain of her resurging telepathy, yet unaware of it cause, inching herself closer to Mr. Clean who eagerly encouraged the turn of events with inviting arms. “He’s a fucking tiger!” Eric spat, her face only scrunching up in confusion. “No, he’s not!” she protested, reaching for the clearly human arm, only to be confronted with a whir of growls and snarls in her mind with the barest touch, forcing her to cry out in shock and jump back into the safety of Eric’s arms instead. “Believe me now?” he chuckled, enjoying her eager scramble onto his body, latching on like a leach. “Ready to go?” “You won’t bite me?” “No,” he said with a shake of his head. “Unless you ask.” A small giggle escaped her, “Maybe another time.” Fuck where was this Sookie hiding all along? He briefly wondered how much Dr. Ludwig would charge for a personality transplant, because, well, the Tits of Terror were fabulous after all and those were the type of implants money couldn’t buy. He shifted her, careful not to harm her further and keep her head steady in his hold. Frustratingly, he knew vampire blood was too much of a gamble with brain injuries, more likely to make it worse than better, the legend of Bubba all too fresh in his mind. Not to mention the wrath of Niall, along with the extortionate cost the faery prince would demand for another transgression. He didn’t waste time flying her to the Emergency Room where Dr. Ludwig stood ready and waiting with an eager set of dollar signs in her eyes. “She has no memories,” Eric explained with worry while the little doctor examined her. “She’ll need a scan or two,” she concluded. “Call her great-grandfather.” “I’ll pay,” he insisted. “Get it done NOW!” “This isn’t about money, fanger,” she scowled. “She’s his favourite and I’d like to live another day.” “Fine,” he growled. “Make sure she gets in there before anyone else.” She hopped down off her stool and with a nod, wandered off with more haste than he’d ever seen in the little doctor’s step. “Calm down!” Eric growled, continuing in a clipped tone, “We were in a car accident, not my fault, she doesn’t know who she is. Or who I am for that matter. She needs some scans, Ludwig won’t do them without your permission.” “She’s lucid?” he asked with worry, popping into the room and causing Sookie to cry out with sudden fright again, scrambling into Eric’s side. “Yes,” Eric replied tersely, a soothing arm moving over her back, fucking hell she was naked under that frumpy hospital gown, stupid gown was supposed to be his friend covering all her best bits and keep his mind clear, there wasn’t supposed to be nudity involved, damn it, “Give Ludwig the go ahead.” He nodded immediately, “I’ll find her! How dare she make my great-granddaughter wait!” The doctor shrugged in reply, addressing Eric with amusement over the nickname, “Well, it’s not like the radiation will kill you, I think?” “You think?” he posed dubiously. “Pretty sure, but there’s a first for everything.” “Fine,” Eric replied tersely, Sookie’s worried look making him comply instantly and wonder what was left of his otherwise impeccable survival skills. Death by radiation for a pair of tits, it is. With a big grin, her bed was rolled to the scanning room, and while helping Sookie into the machine, once more at her insistence after being exposed to the attending nurse’s thoughts, he managed to catch a glimpse of her bare behind that he would have to add to his mental map of Sookieland. Well, that was almost worth bursting into a million pieces for from the radiation. Almost. He was beginning to like those hospital gowns more and more. With a grave face he followed her into the control room. Eric couldn’t quite hear their conversation, but he noted with some amusement the nervous sweat present on Ludwig’s brow while watching Niall lose his shit. First time I ever heard the word ‘please’ come from that tiny mouth. He couldn’t wait until Niall sunk his claws in the oversized, purple-eyed pussy next. “Eric?” Sookie whispered. “I’m scared.” “You’ll be fine,” he replied with assurance while the machine started to whir around her. “You’ll be a pain in my ass again before you know it.” She smiled back nervously, exhaling a deep breath and doing her best to stay as still as possible per the doctor’s repeated instructions over the speaker. It went quicker than she expected and before she knew it, Eric was helping her up again, the second sighting of her ass leaving him in pain, indeed. “Thank you,” she spoke softly, placing a soft kiss to his cheek, barely reaching him on her tippy toes. An orderly returned her to the hospital’s best suite available, filled with several bouquets of her favoured daisies where they awaited the news from Niall and Dr. Ludwig. “Don’t worry,” he said when it appeared she’d be chewing her lips off. “They wouldn’t take their time like this if it was really bad.” “What if it’s so bad they don’t know how to tell me?” “Then you don’t know Ludwig,” he grinned with an assurance that, thankfully, seemed to ease the worst of her worry. She shifted to her side, facing him and pulling the hand that rested on the bed towards her, “You have nice hands,” she noted as if seeing them for the first time. “Strong, but gentle.” “Don’t tell anyone,” he winked, a small snort escaping her. “Will you lay with me?” Sookie asked shyly, the nerves escaping her to look him in the eyes, adding lamely, “It doesn’t hurt my head so much when you’re close.” “Very well,” he agreed, toeing off his shoes, taking up the narrow space left on the bed, and repositioning them both carefully, her head cradled against his chest. “But you want to be?” she whispered, her lips suddenly very close to his, her breath heavy and warm. “Wouldn’t object to the thought,” he smiled back. “You’re not really yourself though, are you?” “I don’t care,” Sookie replied, tentatively pressing her lips against his and letting out a whimper of relief when he kissed her back ever so gently, an altogether different sensation to the frantic ones previously shared. Lost in the other for a moment, she couldn’t help but smile when they disengaged. “You can stop pretending now.” “What?” she gasped, her eyes narrowing. “How did you know?” “Got it back just before the scan, didn’t you?” he hazarded correctly. “Knew my name out of nowhere. I believe I was a ‘Mr. Grumpy’ earlier.” “Damn,” she huffed. “Like you like this though, wouldn’t have minded pretending a little longer,” he grinned, caressing her cheek for emphasis. “I won’t stop you if you want to carry on for a few more days. I can be your nurse, give you a sponge bath or two.” “Pervert,” she replied with a poorly contained smile. “Besides, as I recall, you were passed over for Mr. Clean when my brain checked out.” “Mr. Clean?” “Captain Obvious,” she explained, remembering his nickname for the were-tiger. “If you ever cleaned a thing in your life you’d know exactly who Mr. Clean is.” “In that case,” he grinned, making a mental note to research this Mr. Clean, “it’s good to have you back.” “Ms. Stackhouse,” Dr. Ludwig interrupted with a gruff tone, “You should be fine in a few hours, no haemorrhage, no bleeds, just a bump to the head. Your memories should recover soon enough. Your great-grandfather however, is insisting on ten different second opinions, but you have mine.” “Thank you, Doctor,” she smiled. “My memories are back already, though the accident is a little woozy, but I remember everything else.” Dr. Ludwig eyed her curiously, then proceeded to run a series of tests to assess the scope of her brain function. “Can I go home?” Sookie asked impatiently, no matter how nice her hospital room was, she wanted out of there as soon as possible. It was only bearable now due to Eric’s presence. “Ask the Prince,” she huffed. “It’s not like my medical opinion seems to matter to him.” “I’ll tell him you did a good job,” Sookie offered, softening Ludwig’s scowl with a minute increment. “How’s the telepathy?” she asked, resuming her task. “Scrambled, it helps when he’s near.” “Figured as much, all those dead brainwaves, must be a delight,” she mused while making the last of her notes. “The dead have their uses now and then.” “Of course,” she replied evenly, wondering if people would wait that long on him, hours had passed since the accident. “Tell them I’m sorry I couldn’t make it.” He nodded, opening the door only to be replaced by a worried Gran, Godric, Jason, and Pam piling in, not giving her a chance to carry the look of disappointment on her face for long as she put on her best smile to alleviate the worry of her grandmother. “You have a visitor,” Claudine announced cheerfully. “Let them in,” she sighed, the forced enthusiasm with the prospect long lost on her. There wasn’t much variation in her visitors, and they either worried too much about her, Gran, Godric, and Niall, or were completely obsessed with their own lives, Pam, Jason, Claude and Claudette. Eric had been noticeably absent. The grumpybastard. “Hey,” interrupted her thoughts, forcing her to look up quite high into the room at the man carrying a large bouquet of her beloved daisies. Speaking of bastards. “Hi,” she returned shyly. “I wanted to apologise for what happened,” he said gently, his free hand scratching the back of his neck. “Should probably have come sooner.” “You came now,” she said, sitting upright in her sickbed that Niall had insisted on while she insisted, like Dr. Ludwig and the ten other doctors, that she was perfectly fine. “That’s something right?” “Something’s better than nothing, I guess,” he shrugged, taking the seat she gestured at. “How’ve you been?” “Okay, I guess. How’s your car?” “A wreck,” he replied unaffected. “I’ll get a new one.” “And you?” “I heal quick.” “Was it the boyfriend stuff?” she asked with a hint of insecurity, eyes peeking out seductively from beneath her lashes. “Is that what made you stay away? I probably shouldn’t have said anything.” He laughed, easing her nerves, “Hardly, wouldn’t mind being that at all to you. Needed to get my act together first, that’s all. I’m sorry for what happened, that you got hurt.” She smiled, “Well, Mr. Clean, that’s awfully nice of you, but I never did catch your name.” “OUT!” Eric roared in interruption, Claudine hot on his tail, and unsuccessfully deterring him from reaching Sookie’s bedroom in a fit of rage, fangs out, and his hands already around the were-tiger’s throat. “Eric!” Sookie cried out angrily. “LET HIM GO!” “Fine,” he growled, dropping the large hunk of flesh to the floor where it wheezed pathetically. A well-aimed kick to the behind was accompanied with an enunciated, “Now out!” Sookie was out of the bed, face flushed full of anger ready to deliver an aggravated set of pokes to his chest to punctuate her sentences, “Listen to me, Eric Northman! You don’t get to barge in here and commandeer MY guests, especially when I’ve heard hide nor hair from you in days! Then you conveniently show up when someone else comes over here to apologise?!” “Sooki-” “Shhh! I wasn’t done yet,” she replied angrily, turning to Claudine, “Is he OK?” her cousin nodded, easing the were-tiger’s ability to breathe with a soothing touch to his back. “You better have something of importance to tell me because your face is the last one I want to see right now!” “Do not be fooled by Mr. Clean over there,” he growled. “He’s anything but clean. The tiger’s always working an angle, he’s not to be trusted!” “Leave.” “Sookie!” “I said, leave,” she warned. “Don’t make me repeat it a third time.” “I’m sorry, okay,” he whispered, trying desperately to make her follow him to a secluded spot away from her bedroom and out of the were-tiger’s hearing range, which thankfully, she did. “I suddenly smelt him and lost it with the stench, I meant what I said. He’s not to be trusted.” “I’m not an idiot,” she scowled, her voice equally low. “I know he works for de Castro and I know he’s been trying for a hostile takeover here for years.” He could only stare back dumbfounded. “You really have to stop undermining my telepathy.” “You’re helping me? Why?” “We’re family,” she shrugged. “We take care of our own. You were there for me in the hospital, I owe you.” He grinned, “So we’re good?” “Define good?” she returned sceptically, really not in the mood to be felt up in that moment. Her boobs were rather black and blue from the accident and she knew he’d bring it up eventually. Eric Northman never seemed to forget a debt or a promise. “This good,” he whispered, taking her hand in his and brushing her knuckles with his lips, depositing a soft kiss. “Yeah,” Sookie smiled back, failing miserably at staying mad, “We’re good. Now get out of here.” A/N: Feel free to wipe that nervous sweat from your brow, that ‘Oh no, not *bleep*’ moment wasn’t what it appeared to be. I detest the were-tiger so much I a.) won’t even contemplate anyone who says Babe as even a pathetic potential side interest for anyone let alone Sookie and b.) sully my writing with the man’s name, Mr. Clean suits him much better, though Purple-Eyed Pussy has a certain ring to it too… Much thanks to msbuffy as ever! Happy New Year to those just joining back, now I did the writing bit you all do the comment bit! Thank god Mr Clean is gone, I hate the term babe as well. I really like Sookie with no memories, she was here only for a short time. That girl was funny, maybe I liked her with Eric. But then again it wouldn’t be real. Eric should have stopped by more, that rascal. I’m glad they are good. Babe, baby, they both make me cringe but CH really made my skin crawl with ‘Babe’. Ha well Sookie without memories may be funny, she was also a bit of an idiot. Eric was busy… he has things to do, companies to run, you know and it’s not like they’re anything but pains in each other’s asses. That was a close shave! (Apparently closer than the close shave Mr. Clean has) –at least the amnesia was very temporary –and it allowed some of Eric’s shields to fall when he showed that he sincerely cared how she was doing….. Love this smart Sookie! Cracked up about her trying to tricking Eric into thinking she hadn’t gotten her memories back. At least the little time without them got them both to leave their walls behind show some of their true feelings. And a kiss to boot! Glad she is onto to the Purple Eyed Pussy! (I too hate ‘Babe’ and his character) Hoping next update comes quickly! loved the update and how she played him for a while… i think these two will be great friends once they get past all the BS they dish out to one another… yeah Mr Clean needs his clock cleaned and i am sure Sookie has a plan, looking forward to it. KY What friendship is left if they can’t annoy the hell out of each other? It’s their entire purpose of being 😀 Crap I nearly read clock as something else and I couldn’t figure out why you’d want that cleaned on the giant pussy… Oh Sookie, don’t try to bullshit a bullshitter, especially one with a 1000 years of experience at it! I thought they made a lot of good progress here. I’m happy this Sookie is smart and uses her telepathy, especially on douchebags like Quinn!

Principles of Crisis & Disaster Management Course Subject Course ID Course Name Grade Level Homeland Security HS102 Principles of Crisis & Disaster Management College HS102 Principles of Crisis & Disaster Management (3 Credit Hours) This course is designed to enable students to identify and explain the emergency management system and process. Students will recognize preparedness, response and recovery issues and will conduct an in-depth analysis of the All-Hazards Approach and various mitigation techniques. Additionally, students will become NIMS certified in the IS-230.a Fundamentals of Emergency Management FEMA training course.

Q: How to reset the Redux state in all browser sessions (tabs) So lets say a user has multiple tabs open, each would have a its own redux session (state). I am saving user's access token in Redux and Local Storage. Because I dont want to check Local Storage every time if the access token exists in Redux. But on Logout, it deletes from Local Storage and from the current Redux session. But if the user has multiple tabs open, the access token persisted in other tabs until refreshing the page. How can I remove something from all the Redux states in all the different tabs? So that if you logout from one tab, you will be logout from all. A: You can use redux-state-sync https://github.com/AOHUA/redux-state-sync to fix this issue. This broadcasts event which will be caught by other tabs and state will remain same across tabs. See the docs for more details.

January 17, 2012 The Travis Process Learning About You We want to communicate your passion and excitement when we talk to candidates, so we begin by learning about you and your business. During our first meeting, we will meet with you and other key people at your company who will be involved in the recruiting process. Armed with in-depth knowledge your business, we strive to sell opportunities to prospective candidates as well as you would yourself, and to provide deep and meaningful assessment of candidates. Specification Development During the initial meeting we discuss details of the target position and what you are looking for in candidates. We then draft a detailed position description and candidate specification based on your input. We work with you to ensure that key stakeholders at your company agree on the specification before we begin the search. Candidate Recruiting We identify target companies and individuals who may be candidates or sources of candidates. This is accomplished through original research, networking with our contacts, search of our database, and use of other appropriate sources. Our research staff then contacts potential candidates to determine their suitability and interest. It’s important to note that our small size means we can source candidates with a free hand, unconstrained by client blockages, to deliver the best candidates for every job. Interviewing & Assessment The principal interviews qualified and interested candidates by phone, and interviews the best candidates in person. After face-to-face interviews, we present the best candidates as finalists, along with insightful and objective assessment of their strengths and weaknesses in relation to your needs. Referencing We take referencing seriously. We conduct detailed reference checks focused on supervisors, peers and subordinates who have had a meaningful relationship with the candidate. We keep talking to people until we have built a consistent and detailed story of the candidate. The resulting reference report provides the hiring manager with important information on how best to manage the new hire. The Offer We often play an important role in negotiations. The negotiating process may involve a series of sensitive issues including compensation, relocation and details of the assignment. After the Hire We follow up with both client and candidate during the year after completion of the assignment to make sure both parties are satisfied. Contact Us “What differentiates Mike from the average executive recruiter is his effort to understand the role and the company before he starts the search. This gave Mike the insight to represent our company to the talent market that attracted qualified and interested candidates. He did a fantastic job keeping me and our CEO aware of his progress along the way. Most importantly the search was a success.”David Lester VP, Global Human Resources – Taconic Biosciences

Q: Nginx conditional redirect to https I have a situation where although all the traffic should redirect http to https except when the context is /publish http{mydomain.com/*} should force redirect to https{mydomain.com} but not in case if the url is http{mydomain.com/publish}, no redirect needed. Thanks in advance A: The best way to do redirect in nginx is using multiple server{} blocks. You should be fine with something like that: server { server_name mydomain.com; listen 80; location / { return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri; } location /publish { # Here goes your usual request handling, with proxying and so on # Nested location can be used if needed } } server { server_name mydomain.com; listen 443; ssl on; # Here goes all your request handling }

Increased adoption of energy efficient technologies as well as cogeneration and waste heat recovery systems will reduce energy use by an additional 4.7 quadrillion BTUs from business-as-usual. These and other changes (energy changes due fuel switching or transformation in other sectors) can reduce projected primary energy use by 27% in 2050. In Reinventing Fire, non-cropland biomass provides 16 quads of primary energy in 2050. That’s six times today’s biomass consumption and 60% higher than U.S. government projections extrapolated to 2050. There are different types of biofuels as well as processes to create them. RMI analysis uses the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s cellulosic ethanol process from corn stover as the basis for processing biofuels for the transportation sector. Considering budding technologies that could be commercially available in the future, the potential U.S. generation capacity from renewables is overwhelming. Wave and tidal generators, offshore deep-water wind farms, and enhanced geothermal power (which uses the Earth's heat but doesn’t require a natural steam source) are all in development and represent a huge potential energy resource.

The Guardian reported that a panel at the National College of Teaching and Leadership heard that Muslim pupils were told that women who refused to have sex with their husbands would be “smited” and go to hell. Boys were allegedly deliberately not taught how to put on condoms, because "within Islam you only have sex with your wife as a good Muslim that is what you do [sic]". According to witnesses, sex education was only taught within the context of marriage, and school prefects who were party of a so-called “Morality Squad” were instructed to spy on pupils, reporting any who appeared to be in a relationship. Allegedly the punishment for this was a day in the school's isolation unit. Two teachers, Akheel Ahmed, 41, and Inamulhaq Anwar, 34, are accused of trying to force extreme Muslim teaching onto the school’s agenda. Ahmed and Anwar are part of the “Park View Brotherhood”, which was involved in a larger Trojan horse plot to promote conservative Islamic practices within state schools. The Trojan horse saga began with an anonymous letter in early 2014, alleging widespread conspiracy by hardline Muslims. Following lengthy investigations, management changes and rebranding (Park View is now known as Rockwood Academy), the current disciplinary hearings are expected to continue into 2016. Many more teachers will appear before the NCTL panel, including Lindsey Clark, Park View’s former headteacher, who was awarded an OBE for services to education, and Hardeep Saini, who was the school’s executive head at the time the anonymous Trojan horse letter was published. Clark and Saini, neither of whom are Muslim, are accused of allowing other staff members and governors to exert "undue religious influence". Before the scandal, Park View's Ofsted rating was "outstanding". Despite the controversy, the school remains a popular choice, with seven applications received for every available place. The school’s 2014 GCSE results placed it in the national top 10 for value-added improvement.

Penn CS Theory Research Group Welcome Researchers in the University of Pennsylvania's's Department of Computer & Information Science focus on a broad array of research areas in theoretical computer science. The CS Theory Research Group has active projects spanning the domains of algorithms, combinatorial optimization, complexity theory, machine learning, algorithmic game theory, communication complexity, cryptography, and coding theory.

Full-time employment is on the rise in the UK. Photograph: SolStock/Getty Images The pressure on employers to find skilled staff appeared to push up wages by more than expected in November as UK job vacancies reached a new peak. City economists had expected the uncertainty surrounding the Brexit talks to limit wage rises, excluding bonuses, to 2.3%, the same rate as in October, but they increased to 2.4% in the three months to November. The figure rose to 2.5% when bonuses were included. Brexit helped push down living standards in 2017 – experts debate the data Read more Vacancies hit the highest level since comparable records began in 2001, up 60,000 on a year earlier at 810,000. Further indications that the labour market remained in rude health could be found in figures for the total number of people in employment, which hit 32.2 million, the highest on record. The Office for National Statistics also said the employment rate, which measures the proportion of 16- to 64-year-olds in work, reached 75.3%, a figure that was higher than for a year earlier and the joint highest since comparable records began in 1971. On Friday the ONS will publish its first estimate of GDP growth covering the last three months of 2017 and it is likely to show that the buoyant jobs market has helped the UK achieve at least 0.4% growth. Some economists said the Bank of England could react to the expectation that wages growth would jump to between 3% and 4% in 2019 by increasing interest rates several times this year. But pay growth continued to lag behind November’s inflation rate of 3.1%, indicating that Britain’s workforce still lacks the bargaining power to prevent living standards slipping. Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, said the figures showed the UK labour market displayed signs of strength late last year, with employment rising and pay growth “creeping higher”. He said: “The data corroborates business survey evidence which indicated that the economy maintained a solid pace of expansion towards the end of 2017. Pay growth nevertheless continues to run below inflation, squeezing consumer spending power and dampening households’ views on their financial wellbeing in January. Under such conditions, it seems likely that the recent disappointing consumer spending trend will persist into 2018, restraining economic growth.” Debbie Abrahams, Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary, said that despite the small increase in wage growth millions of people remain trapped in low pay and insecure work “while the cost of basic essentials soars”. She said: “These figures mask both regional inequalities and the employment gap faced by women, disabled people and BAME groups, who have too often borne the brunt of austerity cuts.” A measure of wages that uses one month’s figures, and not the three-month rolling measure preferred by the ONS, shows that the growth in total wages including bonuses declined in November and October compared with September. The month-on-month figures are notoriously volatile, but they indicate that despite rising vacancy rates, employers are not using higher wages as a recruitment tool. Frances O’Grady, the TUC general secretary, said: “The government must raise the minimum wage to £10 as quickly as possible. And hardworking teachers, midwives and other public servants must get a proper pay rise after years of artificial pay restrictions.” Most of the increase in employment came from a rise in full-time employment at the expense of self-employment. The ONS said 2017 marked a turning point in self-employment, which had risen every year since 2000, as employers sought to put workers on full-time contracts. Self-employment fell slightly to 4.77 million. However, the rise in job recruitment since the summer has not been fuelled by the private sector. In the period from June to September, much of the rise in employment came from a increase in hiring by the public sector and in particular a recruitment drive by the National Health Service. Follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk, or sign up to the daily Business Today email here.

If you really want to see a good example of the auteur theory and how much difference a director makes, see this. Robert Lorenz (producer and assistant director of many of Eastwood's films for the past decade) directs, using most of Eastwood's regular crew. The difference between this and an Eastwood-directed film: Night and day. Eastwood would've found a way to BS his way though this (not very good) screenplay, and probably would've come up with something fairly enjoyable. As it is, it's an unfocused mess--it's a baseball movie, when it's not Grumpy Old Men, when it's not a father-daughter drama, when it's not a romantic comedy, when it's not the anti-Moneyball--and it never comes together as anything interesting or memorable. There are some good moments, but some truly risible ones as well (where we see a flashback of why Eastwood sent Amy Adams away when she was young.) The real bottom line is that Lorenz just doesn't have the natural filmmaking ability that Eastwood has. You can dislike Eastwood, but I don't think anyone who knows anything about film would argue that he's inept. Lorenz though seems to have no clue where to place his camera at some points--one scene between Eastwood, Timberlake, and Adams at the bar is just ineptly shot, and the way it's edited is beyond jarring. (Same for the scene where Timberlake and Adams are walking down the street on their date.) It's edited by Eastwood's regulars, Cox/Roach, but you never see editing like this in an Eastwood directed film, ever. Editing in Eastwood films isn't exactly invisible, exactly (and isn't meant to be), but it's rhythmic, and there's no rhythm to the way some of these scenes are edited. Just a phony, poorly constructed movie. Eastwood, Adams, and Timberlake are fine. John Goodman is really excellent as a decent guy who tries to do right by everyone in the movie. I think Damien would've really liked that performance. Trouble with the Curve: Film Review10:25 AM PDT 9/16/2012 by Todd McCarthy The old pro scores with another hit right up the middle. Clint Eastwood's first film as an actor for a director other than himself since In the Line of Fire in 1993, Trouble with the Curve is a corny, conventional and quite enjoyable father-daughter reconciliation story set mostly in the minor league baseball world of the South. Playing a sort of PG-13-rated version of his ornery coot in Gran Torino, Eastwood is vastly entertaining as an old-fashioned scout who disdains computers and fancy statistical charts in favor of his own time-tested instincts. Making his directorial debut, Eastwood's longtime producer Rob Lorenz knows just how to pitch the story to take advantage of the humorous side of his star's obstinate crankiness and Amy Adams makes a good match as the career-driven daughter with festering resentments. The Warner Bros. release looks to score well with Eastwood's bedrock Middle American fans, the great majority of whom were likely unphased by Eastwood's co-starring role at the recent Republican convention. As in Gran Torino four years ago, Eastwood does not hesitate to spotlight the debilitations of old age, in fact doing so right off the bat as his Gus Lobel patiently coaxes out a morning piss, struggles with vision problems and stumbles banging into a coffee table at his modest home. A legendary baseball scout responsible for discovering some major stars in his day, Gus is one of the last of the cigar-chompers, a guy who relies on what he sees, hears and intuits but, with just three months left on his contract with the Atlanta Braves, “may be ready for pasture.” Anybody who's seen Moneyball will know which side of the table he sits on. His only kid, conspicuously named Mickey (Amy Adams), is a high-powered young Atlanta lawyer on the verge of becoming a partner at her firm. Still stewing over having been palmed off on relatives when her mother died young so Gus could continued to troll the minors for talent, Mickey has commitment issues with men and the last thing this workaholic could imagine is accompanying her dad through southern backwaters on what could be his final swing. But her old man's pal (John Goodman) talks her into it, suggesting that it could be a last chance to patch things up. First-time screenwriter Randy Brown puts his players on base and then comes through with what feels like a solid hit through the infield that scores a couple of runs. When Mickey joins her dad in North Carolina, their nearly every exchange almost immediately turns into an argument that ends with her stomping out and him telling her to go home. But good sense and some interesting developments keep her around: A former recruit of Gus's, Johnny Flanagan (Justin Timberlake), who made it to the bigs, then threw his arm out and is now a Red Sox scout, starts hound-dogging Mickey. She has great baseball sense herself and, alongside Gus, evaluates the season's top prospect, Bo Gentry (Joe Massingill), a beefy slugger who hits it out nearly every time he comes up to the plate. Filming in a charming old minor league park and peppering the stands with veteran baseball guys provides nice echoes of the game the way it used to be, and it feels good when director Lorenz also brings his star back to the sort of working class settings—Southern honkytonks, pool halls, cheap motels, cut-rate sports facilities—where his characters used to spend a good deal of time. In a modest, appealing way, Trouble with the Curve is another last-stand-of-the-old-timers movie, which might include Gran Torino, Space Cowboys and In the Line of Fire, with Eastwood as actor and sometimes director, in which experience, intuition and character get to carry the day against technology, numbers and other newfangled developments. Even though he's still in the minors, the outsized Gentry amusingly carries on as if he already knows he's the new century's Babe Ruth, refusing to low-five his third base coach when he hits homers and boasting of glories to come. But despite his deteriorating vision, Gus has suspicions, as suggested by the film's title, that Gentry has a fatal weakness. It's a conviction he shares with Mickey, who herself contributes to her father's cause in a surprising, if somewhat far-fetched, way. Having begun with Eastwood as a second assistant director on The Bridges of Madison County in 1995 and working as a producer or executive producer on his films since 2002, Lorenz knows well his collaborator's strengths as an actor and doesn't stray far from the style and tone customary at Malpaso. This is a handsomely directed film; there's a nice crispness to the pacing and images, as Lorenz keeps things moving briskly and has had house cinematographer Tom Stern move away from his recent darker, more subdued look to a brighter, fuller palette, which suits the vibrant characters and settings. Adams scores as the career woman who's a tomboy at heart and discovers some new horizons by breaking with her routine. Timberlake is energetic but too puppy-doggish as her eager suitor; given Johnny's background as a failed would-be baseball player, some shades of regret and disappointment would have deepened characterization. Distinctive character actors such as Goodman, Matthew Lillard, playing a Braves scouting executive contemptuous of Gus's antiquated ways, and Robert Patrick, as the team's hardnosed g.m., are hardly tested but lend weight to the supporting cast. But, of course, the show belongs to Eastwood. In just his third acting gig in a decade, the star has a role not dissimilar to the old crank he played to such great success in Gran Torino and provokes similar laughs with his blunt assessments and pissed-off comments. But despite living alone and his remoteness from his daughter, Gus Lobel is not retired but still engaged in life, carrying on with what he's always done well despite the disparagement of young rivals and the obvious physical encroachments of age. Still physically fit enough to pitch to his daughter for fun (Eastwood reveals himself to be a southpaw on the mound), Gus may be an anachronism but, like the actor who plays, him, he remains a force to contend with. And despite his hard-headedness, he's also able to see that it's never too late to open up to Mickey. His medical issues are unrealistically shoved aside at the end, which might have benefited from a melancholy undercurrent, but the result is satisfying in an old-fashioned way, which also might be part of the point. This doesn't sound like the Oscar vehicle some were touting (and Eastwood's recent political foray was obviously no help in that regard), but it's a likely audience-pleaser. Trouble With the Curve By Justin Chang Playing a somewhat milder, creakier but no less stubborn curmudgeon than he's tackled in recent years, Clint Eastwood makes a trusty one-man mascot for all things old-fashioned and dependable in "Trouble With the Curve." A defiantly analog rejoinder to last year's tech-savvy baseball drama, "Moneyball," Robert Lorenz's square but sturdy directing debut rests on the wonderfully spiky chemistry between Eastwood and Amy Adams as a testy old scout and his equally strong-willed daughter, thrown together on a conventionally well-carpentered journey of reconciliation. Eastwood's recent political kerfuffle notwithstanding, Warners should have little trouble fielding an audience, especially in heartland states. If "Moneyball" wryly observed the rise of sabermetrics as a depersonalized system of player evaluation, then "Trouble With the Curve" pointedly tells the story from the perspective of the old guard, those hardened pros who scorn computer-based mumbo-jumbo to assess things with their own well-trained eyes. One of those insistently old-school types is veteran Atlanta Braves scout Gus Lobel (Eastwood), who's introduced in the bathroom, grumpily dealing with one of old age's many indignities. More inconvenient professionally is Gus' failing eyesight, visualized in blurred p.o.v. shots, and what many around him perceive as a waning sense of judgment. Concerned that the old man may be on his way to retirement, his colleague Pete (John Goodman) asks Gus' daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams), to constructively intervene. A whip-smart attorney about to make partner at her firm, Mickey has some heavy emotional baggage clearly stemming from her strained relationship with her father. Still, feeling a sense of responsibility, she puts a major case on hold and joins Gus on his latest scouting trip to North Carolina, a decision he initially greets with spluttering protests. But as they hang out in the bleachers -- where they're occasionally joined by Johnny (Justin Timberlake), a young Boston Red Sox scout who clearly has a thing for Mickey -- their comfortable old dynamic, itself forged on past daddy-daughter scouting trips like this one, begins to re-emerge. With his familiar rasp and usual array of grunts and scowls directed at the audience with the subtlest of winks, Eastwood strikes a limited but appropriate range of notes. As conceived, the role is a broad and obvious one, as Gus snorts about the "Interweb" and at one point tells someone to "Get outta here before I have a heart attack trying to kill you!" (It's not quite "Get off my lawn," but it'll do.) But it's a part that fits Eastwood, ahem, like a glove, and his performance is sharpened and energized at every step by Adams' engaging turn as a woman who's sympathetic but tough as nails, and just as comfortable shooting pool in a seedy bar as she is dressing down a rival at work. The actors' effortless interplay is full of tetchy, bickersome humor, but also believably steeped in the characters' shared history, the defining incident of which will be unpacked in somewhat heavy-handed flashbacks. Fortunately, the film frequently shifts its focus from Mickey's daddy issues toward her slowly blossoming relationship with Johnny, an expected but winning development that affords no shortage of charming moments between Adams and the ever-appealing Timberlake. Lorenz has served as a producer and/or assistant director on numerous Eastwood-helmed pictures dating back to "The Bridges of Madison County," and the apprenticeship seems to have taught him well. Availing himself of the talents of such seasoned Eastwood collaborators as cinematographer Tom Stern, editors Gary D. Roach and Joel Cox, and production designer James J. Murakami, Lorenz works in the same clean, aesthetically conservative register as his mentor, evincing a style of restrained classicism, no-nonsense craftsmanship and subdued but quietly enveloping emotion. It's an apt approach for the screenplay by Randy Brown (another first-timer), which unapologetically embraces the people, places and traditions that modern society has deemed obsolete and decries the relentless drive to technologize and commodify everything in life, including but not limited to baseball. This is a picture that aims to teach young 'uns a thing or two about respecting their elders, turning off their smartphones and listening to the people around them for a change. The work done by Lorenz and his estimable cast and crew here is solid enough to make the medicine go down smoothly. Harder to accept are some of the overly tidy, black-and-white formulations of the script, which saddles both Gus and Mickey with backstabbing corporate nemeses (Matthew Lillard and James Patrick Freetly, respectively), and conveniently turns minor characters, including a key MLB draft pick (Joe Massingill), into easy villains -- all of whom exist to be taken down a peg as the film moves toward its upbeat conclusion. "Trouble With the Curve" will obviously have particular appeal to baseball fans, as Gus, Mickey and Johnny frequently spout statistics and drop references to everyone from Sandy Koufax to Albert Pujols; the title's literal if not thematic meaning is carefully explicated for the viewer's benefit. Tastefully shot and scored, the picture was lensed primarily in Georgia, with extensive access to Atlanta's Turner Field.

I went back and reread the SLATER SIGNALS from November a year ago. Seems that last year about this time I was writing the sad story of Captain Greg Krawczyk in Korea. Having nothing to do in his spare time, he spent all his idle hours stripping parts off an old Korean APD, the USS CAVALLARO, hauling them back to his apartment, and preparing to ship them to us. Well, a year has come and gone for Greg. Quite happily, I might add, Greg has since gotten married to a fine girl named Lynn. Barry Witte, Joanne and Scott McFadden and I attended their wedding party in the Officer's Club at Newport, Rhode Island. A beautiful affair. Greg, true to form, left the wedding recepti on to hand deliver us a bag of fragile vacuum tubes that he had carried all the way from Korea, for fear of them getting damaged in shipment. We, in turn, gave Greg what every sailor wants most; a set of four navy officer's plates and soup bowls. About the only thing he didn't find on the CAVALLARO. A fair exchange for two tons of DE electrical parts. We're sure Lynn was thrilled with the pattern. The only downside for Greg and Lynn is that Greg still has five months of duty to do in Korea. The time he picked to be there has not been the most relaxed billet of his career. He and Lynn are returning to Korea to his apartment that has been cleaned out of all the ship parts, just in the nick of time I might add. As for the parts, we found that the Government will forward the shipment from Ft. Belvior Virginia to Albany for $430.00. The cheapest rental truck we could find was a minimum of $500.00 not including gas and road expenses. And the best quote we got to motor freight the items up here was $1,500.00. This time somebody negotiated a good government contract. When I told Greg the shipping story at his wedding, his response was, "So, I suppose you want me to pay the $430.00 too?" I had an amazingly uncharacteristic response and said, "Don't worry Greg, we can handle that part." We still have another ton or so of parts in Chin Hae that were flooded out in a typhoon including lighting transformers, a "K" gun roller loader and the whole L.P. air compressor. He's still working on getting this stuff military airlifted from Korea. As for the CAVALLARO, the story isn't so happy for her. After serving the US and Korean Navies for over sixty years, and several years of target service, she was finally put under this fall for good. She will live on in the spirit of the SLATER. The last reunions of the season were the USS MCNULTY and the USS INCH. We were especially honored at the USS MCNULTY reunion when one of her shipmates, Bud Lovett, presented us with a beautiful builders-quality model of the ship. Everyone was surprised when our area Congressman, whose name just happens to be Mike McNulty, showed up at the reunion with his father and spoke at their memorial service. While the Congressman wasn't directly related to the ship's namesake, in talking with members of the McNulty family who were present, they all found out that they were from the same county in Ireland There must be a connection there somewhere. It was suggested that we loan the MCNULTY model to the Congressman to display in his office, and he seemed very excited about the prospect. Our thanks go to Tessa Gillespie and her dad who worked so hard to organize the event. Later that same day USS INCH DE146 crew joined us. On 11 June, the ship, along with sister ships, made a contact and proceeded to attack and destroy U-490. The entire crew of 60 German sailors was rescued by the escorts. Fiete Barhahn, a survivor of U-490, joined INCH's reunion and participated in their Memorial Service. The USS INCH crew happened to get interviewed by a reporter from the Albany Business Review on the economic impact the SLATER is having on our town, so they too played an important role in getting us more recognition. Also thanks to Gina Mintzer from the Convention Bureau for all the kind things she said about us. All in all, it was a good Saturday for the SLATER. We had an emissary from the Naval Historical Center in Washington D.C. visit. Karen French, a uniform curator, was in town for a conference on textile preservation. She spent an afternoon with Pat Perrella sharing advice and was quite impressed with Pat's sense of organization and how well she has set up the museum exhibits. The museum exhibit in C-203L continues to receive more and more artifacts from your destroyer escorts and has become the national center for the preservation of our artifacts and documents. The whaleboat is back aboard for the season. The crew came down on Saturday November 1st to hoist it aboard. The weather was unusually warm and sunnzy. Not like the cold and rain we usually experience on such evolutions. Rocky, Royand Dennis tried a new trick. They hoisted the boat up backwards, so that the starboard side is now facing inboard and will be easier to paint and caulk next spring. This led to a lot of jokes about who doesn't know forward from aft, or, "The whaleboat is okay, the SLATER is backwards!" And then the inevitable confusion on the windlass crew when they said "Hold the stern and raise the bow!" "You mean the whaleboat bow that's facing aft or the stern that is now facing forward?" Anyway, we learn a little every year and this year she came up with a minimum of kibitzing and without any trouble. The cover is on and the engine has been winterized for the season. We pulled the water from the ship, drained the heads and disconnected the shoreline. It's back to bottled water that we haul from home for the coffee and the good old Port-a-Johns for everything else. I guess winter must be just around the corner. The crew continues their familiar cycle of maintenance, repair and hosting visitors. The deck force, Smitty, Chris, Ed, Peter, Erik, Stan and Earl, are finishing up their outside work. They've been chipping, priming and painting under the gun tubs and director tubs to get that last bit of outside work done before it gets too cold to spread paint. Rafael Suarez is back with us and has begun restoration of the bosun's locker with a vengeance. We got all the gear stowed below so he has room to work, and the paint chips have been flying ever since. Shipfitters Doug, Tim, Clark, Gene and Chuck continue work on the chocks and the never ending odd welding jobs that come up for their shipmates. Gunners Dave and Andy are back to chipping in the ordnance shack. Rich Pavlovick has pulled in all the MK14 and three inch gunsights for the winter. Erik Collin has developed an obsession with the depth charge projectors, and is disassembling all the breech mechanisms; getting them in working order and putting them back together so they are "factory new." Electricians Barry, Gary, Mike,Bob, Ken, Don Shattuck and Larry have been working on sound powered phone circuits, fire alarms and the cease fire alarms to the 40mm gun mounts. Larry and Don Bulger have the engine order annunciators working throughout the ship. The Radio guys, Jerry, Don, Stan, Walt, Joe, and Dick are aboard every Monday and Saturday, tweaking their equipment, connecting more antennas, making more contacts and sending out QSL cards. It's very satisfying to work in my office right around the corner from them and hear the chirp of Morse code and the sounds of big band music. Down below the engineers plug along, Larry Lachance and his apprentices getting the fire and bilge pump back together, and Gus Negus maintaining the emergency diesel. And a big thank to all the guides, without whom we couldn't function. We have several new faces aboard who have joined the crew since September. Our intern from last year, David McGarrigle, is back with us for another semester. His expertise is diesel engines, but since none of the other engineers are aboard when he's here, he's become a mainstay on the boat crew, and is getting tired of me saying, "Hey David, why don't you clean out the shop today." MacDonald Smith is retired from AMTRAK, and has joined us as a welder taking his place on the infamous "Chock project." Maybe it will move a little faster now. Mac served out his Navy days as a seaman aboard the EDSON DD946. Texan Les Yarborough started his Navy career as a corpsman. When he got out, he went to veterinary school and then to the Army where he retired as a major. Not having much need for veterinary services aboard, he joined Rafael chipping paint in the bosun's locker. And we have two new interns aboard, Seth Siegel and Guillermo Trujillo. They are aboard Wednesdays and Fridays and have both learned the ropes of being tour guides and have done a great job helping keep the ship clean. The Great Coffee Crisis of 2003 We were approaching a coffee crisis. For the last four years donations of coffee have been so plentiful that we have never had to make a purchase. Dave Floydand Earl Gillette, in particular, have been most generous with their donations of the fuel that keeps the crew running. Now, this may make a lot of people who have been contributing to the coffee fund suspicious, about just where that money has been going. Well, the coffee fund continues to serve as a back up change fund for the gift shop, has paid for the cream, sugar (these guys use a hell of a lot of sugar), the annual volunteer breakfast, and a bunch of small maintenance purchases by the volunteers over the years. We have a bag of receipts to show for it if you ever want to do an audit. But this month we got down to our last five pounds of coffee, and it looked like we were going to finally have to use the coffee fund for it's intended purpose. Just as things were looking desperate, in came Earl Gillette from Connecticut with enough to last us for another month. We'll keep you posted if the crisis develops further. We accomplished a lot this past year. We completely restored forward berthing space A-205L, the upper sonar shack, the sickbay and after officer's stateroom. We repainted the entire superstructure port and starboard, the entire starboard side main deckhouse, and got deck blue nonskid on the whole main deck. We repainted all the three-inch mounts and all three 40mm mounts. The gunners also completely disassembled and restored 20mm mounts 23 and 26. The ship fitters completed installation of the new gangway amidships, the fabrication and installation of the rangefinder platform and rangefinder, and rebuilt three more chocks and the wasted decking underneath them. The engineers replaced the plastic cooling piping on the emergency diesel generator with copper and successfully ran the engine on a six-hour test run. The radio gang restored all the insulators on the superstructure deckhouse and participated in the national emergency response drills. We took delivery of 3,000 pounds of scarce destroyer escort electrical parts salvaged from CAVALLARO in Korea before she was sunk as a target. Shore side, we put the new visitor center into operation for the first year. We completely furnished and equipped it with gift shop shelving and library shelving, installed gutters, put down carpeting, and scrounged furniture. The electricians ran 220 volt power to the trailer, got the heating system restored, wired in the lights, PA system, speakers telephones and two computer work stations, and networked all these systems to the ship. We installed a high-speed Internet hookup to free up our second phone line, stocked the gift shop, and installed the furniture. We built benches, developed a presentation for the classroom and stained the deck. We lifted the old ticket booth onto the deck, and completely rebuilt it as a restroom facility and completed the fresh water and sewerage hookups. And finally we moved our tent to the deck so visitors have a place to wait out of the rain, and the crew has a place to relax out of the sun. This winter we plan to refurbish the mess deck, chipping out the wire ways and lockers that we never got to when we did the initial restoration in 1999. We plan to replace the wasted deck on the reefer decks and continue restoration of that area. We will restore the anchor windlass room and the passageway leading up to it. We also hope to restore the laundry and the chemical warfare locker aft. Other projects include the installation of a grinder pump in the sewerage tank, and continuing to rebuild the wasted chocks on the portside, while we are tied starboard side to the pier in Rensselaer. What this, of course, is leading up to is my "Winter Fund Appeal." This keeps us from eating up our precious savings during that time of the year when we have no ticket income, but are still working hard to keep the restoration going. I went back and read over my previous appeals looking for inspiration. Alas, I found none. What's worse is that I found that every catchy tear-jerking line I had planned to use this year, I had already used in years past. I even bored myself. One might ask how I can keep up this incessant begging year after year? The answer is that I possess those two characteristics that are vital to the director of any not-for profit--a total sense of commitment to the ship, and a total lack of personal dignity. So please give again! This past year we made a total of $270,190 in operating income, grants and contributions. During that same period we spent a total of $274,444. However, during the time we put an additional $89,882 into the endowment fund, making the total endowment donations $476,826. as of October first. I just paid a quarterly insurance bill that was $6,000. Our electric bills average $1,200 and heating oil runs $500 a month, when I let them turn on the heat. So, on behalf of all the volunteers who will be working through the winter, and sitting on that cold Port-a-John seat, if you are in a position to help us out, please send in an extra hundred bucks to the winter fund. If you can afford to send more we certainly appreciate it. If you can only afford to send less, or can't afford to give at all, we appreciate that, too. We are equally devoted to saving the SLATER for all of you, regardless of your ability to contribute. Once again, I missed the mark on being the first contributor, but my hundred bucks has gone to the fund, and we hope yours will, too. Enclosed you'll find a little envelope with a freezing cold sailor on it to help inspire you. Also, if you're not getting this monthly newsletter, SLATER SIGNALS, in the mail, it's available on line at our website at www.ussslater.org. Email me at [email protected] to get on our notification list. If you're not a computer geek, and you want to be on our monthly mailing list, drop me a note with your contribution and we'll be glad to put you on the snail mail list. The last big event of the year will be the Pearl Harbor memorial service scheduled for Sunday December 7th, to begin at 12:45 p.m. so the service will coincide with the time of the actual attack in Hawaii. You are all invited. The following Monday we will pull the gangways and make preparations for getting underway. We hope to move that second week in December depending on the availability of the tugs. Then we'll button up the trailer and pull the camels soon thereafter. We hope the weather is kinder to us this year. It's always kind of a shame. Right now, at the end of the season, the ship looks better than she ever has. The result of a lot of hard work. You can all be proud, because you're a part of it. See you next month. Here is a PDF form for donating to the Winter Fund. Download it, fill it in, make check payable to DEHM and mail it to:

Beaphar Toothbrush and Toothpaste Kit €8.95 Notify me when this product is available: Contains one tube of toothpaste, as well as a toothbrush, to offer cost-effective, easy to use protection for your dog or cats teeth. Early plaque formation must be brushed away in order to prevent bad breath and tooth decay.

[0] BioSequences = "2" FASTX = "1.1.0-1" ["0.2-0.3"] julia = "1.1.0-1" ["0.4-0"] julia = "1"

TensorFlow RNN Regressor model. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.__init__(rnn_size, cell_type='gru', num_layers=1, input_op_fn=null_input_op_fn, initial_state=None, bidirectional=False, sequence_length=None, attn_length=None, attn_size=None, attn_vec_size=None, n_classes=0, batch_size=32, steps=50, optimizer='Adagrad', learning_rate=0.1, clip_gradients=5.0, continue_training=False, config=None, verbose=1)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.__init__} Initializes a TensorFlowRNNRegressor instance. ##### Args: * <b>`rnn_size`</b>: The size for rnn cell, e.g. size of your word embeddings. * <b>`cell_type`</b>: The type of rnn cell, including rnn, gru, and lstm. * <b>`num_layers`</b>: The number of layers of the rnn model. * <b>`input_op_fn`</b>: Function that will transform the input tensor, such as creating word embeddings, byte list, etc. This takes an argument x for input and returns transformed x. * <b>`bidirectional`</b>: boolean, Whether this is a bidirectional rnn. * <b>`sequence_length`</b>: If sequence_length is provided, dynamic calculation is performed. This saves computational time when unrolling past max sequence length. * <b>`attn_length`</b>: integer, the size of attention vector attached to rnn cells. * <b>`attn_size`</b>: integer, the size of an attention window attached to rnn cells. * <b>`attn_vec_size`</b>: integer, the number of convolutional features calculated on attention state and the size of the hidden layer built from base cell state. * <b>`initial_state`</b>: An initial state for the RNN. This must be a tensor of appropriate type and shape [batch_size x cell.state_size]. * <b>`batch_size`</b>: Mini batch size. * <b>`steps`</b>: Number of steps to run over data. * <b>`optimizer`</b>: Optimizer name (or class), for example "SGD", "Adam", "Adagrad". * <b>`learning_rate`</b>: If this is constant float value, no decay function is used. Instead, a customized decay function can be passed that accepts global_step as parameter and returns a Tensor. e.g. exponential decay function: ````python def exp_decay(global_step): return tf.train.exponential_decay( learning_rate=0.1, global_step, decay_steps=2, decay_rate=0.001) ```` * <b>`continue_training`</b>: when continue_training is True, once initialized model will be continually trained on every call of fit. * <b>`config`</b>: RunConfig object that controls the configurations of the session, e.g. num_cores, gpu_memory_fraction, etc. * <b>`verbose`</b>: Controls the verbosity, possible values: * 0: the algorithm and debug information is muted. * 1: trainer prints the progress. * 2: log device placement is printed. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.__repr__()` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.__repr__} - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.bias_` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.bias_} Returns bias of the rnn layer. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.config` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.config} - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.evaluate(x=None, y=None, input_fn=None, feed_fn=None, batch_size=None, steps=None, metrics=None, name=None)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.evaluate} Evaluates given model with provided evaluation data. See superclass Estimator for more details. ##### Args: * <b>`x`</b>: features. * <b>`y`</b>: targets. * <b>`input_fn`</b>: Input function. * <b>`feed_fn`</b>: Function creating a feed dict every time it is called. * <b>`batch_size`</b>: minibatch size to use on the input. * <b>`steps`</b>: Number of steps for which to evaluate model. * <b>`metrics`</b>: Dict of metric ops to run. If None, the default metrics are used. * <b>`name`</b>: Name of the evaluation. ##### Returns: Returns `dict` with evaluation results. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.export(*args, **kwargs)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.export} Exports inference graph into given dir. (deprecated arguments) SOME ARGUMENTS ARE DEPRECATED. They will be removed after 2016-09-23. Instructions for updating: The signature of the input_fn accepted by export is changing to be consistent with what's used by tf.Learn Estimator's train/evaluate. input_fn (and in most cases, input_feature_key) will become required args, and use_deprecated_input_fn will default to False and be removed altogether. Args: export_dir: A string containing a directory to write the exported graph and checkpoints. input_fn: If `use_deprecated_input_fn` is true, then a function that given `Tensor` of `Example` strings, parses it into features that are then passed to the model. Otherwise, a function that takes no argument and returns a tuple of (features, targets), where features is a dict of string key to `Tensor` and targets is a `Tensor` that's currently not used (and so can be `None`). input_feature_key: Only used if `use_deprecated_input_fn` is false. String key into the features dict returned by `input_fn` that corresponds toa the raw `Example` strings `Tensor` that the exported model will take as input. Can only be `None` if you're using a custom `signature_fn` that does not use the first arg (examples). use_deprecated_input_fn: Determines the signature format of `input_fn`. signature_fn: Function that returns a default signature and a named signature map, given `Tensor` of `Example` strings, `dict` of `Tensor`s for features and `Tensor` or `dict` of `Tensor`s for predictions. prediction_key: The key for a tensor in the `predictions` dict (output from the `model_fn`) to use as the `predictions` input to the `signature_fn`. Optional. If `None`, predictions will pass to `signature_fn` without filtering. default_batch_size: Default batch size of the `Example` placeholder. exports_to_keep: Number of exports to keep. Returns: The string path to the exported directory. NB: this functionality was added ca. 2016/09/25; clients that depend on the return value may need to handle the case where this function returns None because subclasses are not returning a value. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.fit(x, y, steps=None, monitors=None, logdir=None)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.fit} Neural network model from provided `model_fn` and training data. Note: called first time constructs the graph and initializers variables. Subsequently, it will continue training the same model. This logic follows partial_fit() interface in scikit-learn. To restart learning, create new estimator. ##### Args: * <b>`x`</b>: matrix or tensor of shape [n_samples, n_features...]. Can be iterator that returns arrays of features. The training input samples for fitting the model. * <b>`y`</b>: vector or matrix [n_samples] or [n_samples, n_outputs]. Can be iterator that returns array of targets. The training target values (class labels in classification, real numbers in regression). * <b>`steps`</b>: int, number of steps to train. If None or 0, train for `self.steps`. * <b>`monitors`</b>: List of `BaseMonitor` objects to print training progress and invoke early stopping. * <b>`logdir`</b>: the directory to save the log file that can be used for optional visualization. ##### Returns: Returns self. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.get_params(deep=True)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.get_params} Get parameters for this estimator. ##### Args: * <b>`deep`</b>: boolean, optional If `True`, will return the parameters for this estimator and contained subobjects that are estimators. ##### Returns: params : mapping of string to any Parameter names mapped to their values. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.get_tensor(name)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.get_tensor} Returns tensor by name. ##### Args: * <b>`name`</b>: string, name of the tensor. ##### Returns: Tensor. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.get_variable_names()` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.get_variable_names} Returns list of all variable names in this model. ##### Returns: List of names. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.get_variable_value(name)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.get_variable_value} Returns value of the variable given by name. ##### Args: * <b>`name`</b>: string, name of the tensor. ##### Returns: Numpy array - value of the tensor. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.model_dir` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.model_dir} - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.partial_fit(x, y)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.partial_fit} Incremental fit on a batch of samples. This method is expected to be called several times consecutively on different or the same chunks of the dataset. This either can implement iterative training or out-of-core/online training. This is especially useful when the whole dataset is too big to fit in memory at the same time. Or when model is taking long time to converge, and you want to split up training into subparts. ##### Args: * <b>`x`</b>: matrix or tensor of shape [n_samples, n_features...]. Can be iterator that returns arrays of features. The training input samples for fitting the model. * <b>`y`</b>: vector or matrix [n_samples] or [n_samples, n_outputs]. Can be iterator that returns array of targets. The training target values (class label in classification, real numbers in regression). ##### Returns: Returns self. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.predict(x, axis=1, batch_size=None)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.predict} Predict class or regression for `x`. For a classification model, the predicted class for each sample in `x` is returned. For a regression model, the predicted value based on `x` is returned. ##### Args: * <b>`x`</b>: array-like matrix, [n_samples, n_features...] or iterator. * <b>`axis`</b>: Which axis to argmax for classification. By default axis 1 (next after batch) is used. Use 2 for sequence predictions. * <b>`batch_size`</b>: If test set is too big, use batch size to split it into mini batches. By default the batch_size member variable is used. ##### Returns: * <b>`y`</b>: array of shape [n_samples]. The predicted classes or predicted value. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.predict_proba(x, batch_size=None)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.predict_proba} Predict class probability of the input samples `x`. ##### Args: * <b>`x`</b>: array-like matrix, [n_samples, n_features...] or iterator. * <b>`batch_size`</b>: If test set is too big, use batch size to split it into mini batches. By default the batch_size member variable is used. ##### Returns: * <b>`y`</b>: array of shape [n_samples, n_classes]. The predicted probabilities for each class. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.restore(cls, path, config=None)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.restore} Restores model from give path. ##### Args: * <b>`path`</b>: Path to the checkpoints and other model information. * <b>`config`</b>: RunConfig object that controls the configurations of the session, e.g. num_cores, gpu_memory_fraction, etc. This is allowed to be reconfigured. ##### Returns: Estimator, object of the subclass of TensorFlowEstimator. ##### Raises: * <b>`ValueError`</b>: if `path` does not contain a model definition. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.save(path)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.save} Saves checkpoints and graph to given path. ##### Args: * <b>`path`</b>: Folder to save model to. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.set_params(**params)` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.set_params} Set the parameters of this estimator. The method works on simple estimators as well as on nested objects (such as pipelines). The former have parameters of the form ``<component>__<parameter>`` so that it's possible to update each component of a nested object. ##### Args: * <b>`**params`</b>: Parameters. ##### Returns: self ##### Raises: * <b>`ValueError`</b>: If params contain invalid names. - - - #### `tf.contrib.learn.TensorFlowRNNRegressor.weights_` {#TensorFlowRNNRegressor.weights_} Returns weights of the rnn layer.

[Clinical and construction of combined fixed and removable prostheses in the lacunar set of teeth]. Decisive for a long-term maintenance of the structure of the oral tissues for the prosthetic providing by combined fixed and removable prosthesises are the preparation of the residual set of teeth according to the therapy, the periodontally supported coupling by suitable connecting elements, and the scaffold construction corresponding to a suitable saddlekinematies. The basis for all that are a rather fixed connection with the residual set of teeth and simultaneously the consideration of perioprosthetic constructive principles. The coupling may be done by casting cramps, telescopes or debris, having a different valency.

2321 (Mention this number should you need to contact us about this logo) Status Sold (This logo has been sold and we cannot resell it to you - and you can't bribe us either!) Title Logo with a Horse and Semi-Circle Tags red blue horses stallion ranch stables head mane Upload Date 2012-02-17 Logo Collection pre-designed-17 Text Description Something caught the attention of this horse. The logo design indicates the horse's attentiveness. The head, neck and back is designed. The ears of the horse are standing upright and turned to the fore. A small portion of its mane is visible.

The IT Salary ‘Wave’: Skills, Salaries, and the Coming Reckoning - nealabq http://switchon.eaton.com/plug/article.aspx/the-it-salary-wave-skills-salaries-and-the-co?utm_source=End_User_Outbrain&utm_medium=Content_Distribuition&utm_campaign=Plug&utm_content=The-IT-Salary-?Wave?-Skills-Salaries-and ====== bencollier49 What a misanalysis! Those "top skills" closely mirror the size of the departments which are hiring for them. Of course "service desk" is in demand, they need a lot of people. Am I going to rush out and brush up on my call handling skills? Nope, I don't want to work on the service desk right now. They could at least have looked at growth trends by area, rather than just size. ------ mathattack It seems strange that they talk about 2.3% raises. 2.3% may be the mean, but it's probably not the median or mode. Very few people actually get 2.3% raises. The good people do a lot better. The less skilled folks get downsized, replaced with cheaper resources and forced to get pay cuts.

Animal collars having expandable and contractable characteristics already known in the prior art. Such collars are commonly made of elastic material which inherently expands and contracts, and in some instances the expansion permits the collar to be slipped over the animal's head without opening the collar. Also, the prior art is aware of elasticized animal collars which have identification tags attached thereto. U.S. Pat. No. 2,810,368 is acknowledged herein as showing an expandable and contractable animal collar. Likewise, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,539,098 and 2,648,150 are acknowledged as showing animal collars with identification tags attached. In the present invention, the animal collar is made of an expandable and contractable material to accommodate the pressures such as those exerted by the neck of the animal wearing the collar or by any object pulling on the collar. However, the free-body configuration of the collar, that is, when there is no force on the collar, is such that the collar will be confortably snug on the neck of the animal even though it can be slipped off over the head of the animal in even unusual circumstances, such as when the collar is inadvertently attached to an object which would otherwise restrain the movement of the animal. That is, if the animal had its collar caught on a fence or on vegetation or the like, then the animal would not be restrained, but instead could actually pull its head out of the collar and release itself without being unduly restrained or injured. Still further, in an example of utilizing the collar for sheep, the growth of wool underneath the collar could cause an ordinary collar to become tight on the sheep's neck. However, in this invention the collar will automatically expand to accommodate the undergrowth of wool and will therefore not choke or otherwise annoy the sheep wearing the collar. Still further, the collar of this invention can be made basically in one size such that the overall circumference of the collar when it is disposed in a circle will accommodate the various neck sizes of animals without actually being too loose or too tight, but instead only always assuming a snug fit on the animal's neck. This objective is achieved through the combined flexibility and elasticity possessed by the collar of this invention. Still further, the collar of this invention is arranged such that an identification tag can be attached to the collar, and, in fact, the tag itself can serve as a fastener for presenting and holding the collar in a restrained circle on the animal's neck. Again, as with sheep or the like, and in the context mentioned above, collars commonly are not used because of the expansion and contraction requirements of the collar, and therefore the animal usually has an identification tag placed on its ear which is therefore pierced. If that ear tag becomes entangled with a foreign object, then the animal is inclined to pull away to a consequence of where the animal injures its own ear where the tag was attached. Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings.

DNA Database FAQs Does the DNA collection card need to be dried after sampling and prior to mailing? No, but it must be mailed in the paper envelopes provided. What if the pink sampling area does not change color? Sometimes only a slight color change will occur if the arrestee has a dry mouth but the DNA is still present. If possible, the arrestee can rinse their mouth out with water prior to collection. Why can't I just submit the DNA collection swab? The procedure in place allows the CBI to easily extract DNA directly from the card and to store it at room temperature. Does our agency have to perform the DNA collection at the same time fingerprints are taken? Collecting the DNA at the same time fingerprints are taken in the booking process helps ensure that the DNA was collected from the individual identified on the 10 print card. Why do we have to collect DNA from an individual for convicted offender submission when we know they were collected as an arrestee? Currently, the CBI is not allowed to change arrestee samples to a convicted offender status upon conviction. Because the arrestee law could be challenged and overturned we want to ensure these individual’s DNA profile stays in CODIS. Why does our agency not collect the DNA if we do not upload or mail the arrestee's fingerprints for CCIC entry? If your agency were to collect and submit the DNA sample to the CBI and then take this same arrestee to be booked at a different agency for the same arrest a duplicate DNA submission will be created. This causes confusion if charges are filed because two PCN numbers will reference one arrest. Why do we need to put the barcodes provided in the kit on the 10-print card(s)? These barcodes link the arrestee’s fingerprints with the DNA sample on the FTA card which helps to properly identify them. For agencies that submit inked cards, barcodes must be on all 10-print cards (including those for CCIC entry) because a PCN number is not generated by the submitting agency. Who do we contact to order more arrestee collection kits? Please contact the CBI to order more collection kits. These kits will then be shipped to your agency by the manufacturer, Tri-Tech Forensics. DNA Phone: (303) 463-7128. Email:[email protected] Can we use the convicted offender kits for arrestee collection or vice versa? No, while the DNA collection procedures are similar, the process as a whole is not the same. Also, the arrestee samples will be mailed to our Grand Junction laboratory and cannot be processed until charges are filed. The convicted offender samples are mailed to our Denver laboratory and are processed immediately. What is the lead time for ordering more arrestee collection kits? Please allow at least a two to three week lead time for ordering more kits. If our agency has questions about the statute will the CBI be able to help? We can only help with questions about the DNA collection process but cannot answer any legal questions. Please contact your legal authority regarding any legal concerns you may have.

class Networks(object): def __init__(self, session): super(Networks, self).__init__() self._session = session def getNetwork(self, networkId: str): """ **Return a network** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!get-network - networkId (string) """ metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'getNetwork', } resource = f'/networks/{networkId}' return self._session.get(metadata, resource) def updateNetwork(self, networkId: str, **kwargs): """ **Update a network** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!update-network - networkId (string) - name (string): The name of the network - timeZone (string): The timezone of the network. For a list of allowed timezones, please see the 'TZ' column in the table in <a target='_blank' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones'>this article.</a> - tags (string): A space-separated list of tags to be applied to the network - disableMyMerakiCom (boolean): Disables the local device status pages (<a target='_blank' href='http://my.meraki.com/'>my.meraki.com, </a><a target='_blank' href='http://ap.meraki.com/'>ap.meraki.com, </a><a target='_blank' href='http://switch.meraki.com/'>switch.meraki.com, </a><a target='_blank' href='http://wired.meraki.com/'>wired.meraki.com</a>). Optional (defaults to false) - disableRemoteStatusPage (boolean): Disables access to the device status page (<a target='_blank'>http://[device's LAN IP])</a>. Optional. Can only be set if disableMyMerakiCom is set to false - enrollmentString (string): A unique identifier which can be used for device enrollment or easy access through the Meraki SM Registration page or the Self Service Portal. Please note that changing this field may cause existing bookmarks to break. """ kwargs.update(locals()) metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'updateNetwork', } resource = f'/networks/{networkId}' body_params = ['name', 'timeZone', 'tags', 'disableMyMerakiCom', 'disableRemoteStatusPage', 'enrollmentString'] payload = {k.strip(): v for (k, v) in kwargs.items() if k.strip() in body_params} return self._session.put(metadata, resource, payload) def deleteNetwork(self, networkId: str): """ **Delete a network** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!delete-network - networkId (string) """ metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'deleteNetwork', } resource = f'/networks/{networkId}' return self._session.delete(metadata, resource) def getNetworkAirMarshal(self, networkId: str, **kwargs): """ **List Air Marshal scan results from a network** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!get-network-air-marshal - networkId (string) - t0 (string): The beginning of the timespan for the data. The maximum lookback period is 31 days from today. - timespan (number): The timespan for which the information will be fetched. If specifying timespan, do not specify parameter t0. The value must be in seconds and be less than or equal to 31 days. The default is 7 days. """ kwargs.update(locals()) metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'getNetworkAirMarshal', } resource = f'/networks/{networkId}/airMarshal' query_params = ['t0', 'timespan'] params = {k.strip(): v for (k, v) in kwargs.items() if k.strip() in query_params} return self._session.get(metadata, resource, params) def bindNetwork(self, networkId: str, configTemplateId: str, **kwargs): """ **Bind a network to a template.** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!bind-network - networkId (string) - configTemplateId (string): The ID of the template to which the network should be bound. - autoBind (boolean): Optional boolean indicating whether the network's switches should automatically bind to profiles of the same model. Defaults to false if left unspecified. This option only affects switch networks and switch templates. Auto-bind is not valid unless the switch template has at least one profile and has at most one profile per switch model. """ kwargs.update(locals()) metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'bindNetwork', } resource = f'/networks/{networkId}/bind' body_params = ['configTemplateId', 'autoBind'] payload = {k.strip(): v for (k, v) in kwargs.items() if k.strip() in body_params} return self._session.post(metadata, resource, payload) def getNetworkSiteToSiteVpn(self, networkId: str): """ **Return the site-to-site VPN settings of a network. Only valid for MX networks.** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!get-network-site-to-site-vpn - networkId (string) """ metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'getNetworkSiteToSiteVpn', } resource = f'/networks/{networkId}/siteToSiteVpn' return self._session.get(metadata, resource) def updateNetworkSiteToSiteVpn(self, networkId: str, mode: str, **kwargs): """ **Update the site-to-site VPN settings of a network. Only valid for MX networks in NAT mode.** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!update-network-site-to-site-vpn - networkId (string) - mode (string): The site-to-site VPN mode. Can be one of 'none', 'spoke' or 'hub' - hubs (array): The list of VPN hubs, in order of preference. In spoke mode, at least 1 hub is required. - subnets (array): The list of subnets and their VPN presence. """ kwargs.update(locals()) if 'mode' in kwargs: options = ['none', 'spoke', 'hub'] assert kwargs['mode'] in options, f'''"mode" cannot be "{kwargs['mode']}", & must be set to one of: {options}''' metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'updateNetworkSiteToSiteVpn', } resource = f'/networks/{networkId}/siteToSiteVpn' body_params = ['mode', 'hubs', 'subnets'] payload = {k.strip(): v for (k, v) in kwargs.items() if k.strip() in body_params} return self._session.put(metadata, resource, payload) def splitNetwork(self, networkId: str): """ **Split a combined network into individual networks for each type of device** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!split-network - networkId (string) """ metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'splitNetwork', } resource = f'/networks/{networkId}/split' return self._session.post(metadata, resource) def getNetworkTraffic(self, networkId: str, **kwargs): """ ** The traffic analysis data for this network. <a href="https://documentation.meraki.com/MR/Monitoring_and_Reporting/Hostname_Visibility">Traffic Analysis with Hostname Visibility</a> must be enabled on the network. ** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!get-network-traffic - networkId (string) - t0 (string): The beginning of the timespan for the data. The maximum lookback period is 30 days from today. - timespan (number): The timespan for which the information will be fetched. If specifying timespan, do not specify parameter t0. The value must be in seconds and be less than or equal to 30 days. - deviceType (string): Filter the data by device type: 'combined', 'wireless', 'switch' or 'appliance'. Defaults to 'combined'. When using 'combined', for each rule the data will come from the device type with the most usage. """ kwargs.update(locals()) if 'deviceType' in kwargs: options = ['combined', 'wireless', 'switch', 'appliance'] assert kwargs['deviceType'] in options, f'''"deviceType" cannot be "{kwargs['deviceType']}", & must be set to one of: {options}''' metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'getNetworkTraffic', } resource = f'/networks/{networkId}/traffic' query_params = ['t0', 'timespan', 'deviceType'] params = {k.strip(): v for (k, v) in kwargs.items() if k.strip() in query_params} return self._session.get(metadata, resource, params) def unbindNetwork(self, networkId: str): """ **Unbind a network from a template.** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!unbind-network - networkId (string) """ metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'unbindNetwork', } resource = f'/networks/{networkId}/unbind' return self._session.post(metadata, resource) def getOrganizationNetworks(self, organizationId: str, **kwargs): """ **List the networks in an organization** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!get-organization-networks - organizationId (string) - configTemplateId (string): An optional parameter that is the ID of a config template. Will return all networks bound to that template. """ kwargs.update(locals()) metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'getOrganizationNetworks', } resource = f'/organizations/{organizationId}/networks' query_params = ['configTemplateId'] params = {k.strip(): v for (k, v) in kwargs.items() if k.strip() in query_params} return self._session.get(metadata, resource, params) def createOrganizationNetwork(self, organizationId: str, name: str, type: str, **kwargs): """ **Create a network** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!create-organization-network - organizationId (string) - name (string): The name of the new network - type (string): The type of the new network. Valid types are wireless, appliance, switch, systemsManager, camera, cellularGateway, or a space-separated list of those for a combined network. - tags (string): A space-separated list of tags to be applied to the network - timeZone (string): The timezone of the network. For a list of allowed timezones, please see the 'TZ' column in the table in <a target='_blank' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones'>this article.</a> - copyFromNetworkId (string): The ID of the network to copy configuration from. Other provided parameters will override the copied configuration, except type which must match this network's type exactly. - disableMyMerakiCom (boolean): Disables the local device status pages (<a target='_blank' href='http://my.meraki.com/'>my.meraki.com, </a><a target='_blank' href='http://ap.meraki.com/'>ap.meraki.com, </a><a target='_blank' href='http://switch.meraki.com/'>switch.meraki.com, </a><a target='_blank' href='http://wired.meraki.com/'>wired.meraki.com</a>). Optional (defaults to false) - disableRemoteStatusPage (boolean): Disables access to the device status page (<a target='_blank'>http://[device's LAN IP])</a>. Optional. Can only be set if disableMyMerakiCom is set to false """ kwargs.update(locals()) metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'createOrganizationNetwork', } resource = f'/organizations/{organizationId}/networks' body_params = ['name', 'type', 'tags', 'timeZone', 'copyFromNetworkId', 'disableMyMerakiCom', 'disableRemoteStatusPage'] payload = {k.strip(): v for (k, v) in kwargs.items() if k.strip() in body_params} return self._session.post(metadata, resource, payload) def combineOrganizationNetworks(self, organizationId: str, name: str, networkIds: list, **kwargs): """ **Combine multiple networks into a single network** https://developer.cisco.com/meraki/api/#!combine-organization-networks - organizationId (string) - name (string): The name of the combined network - networkIds (array): A list of the network IDs that will be combined. If an ID of a combined network is included in this list, the other networks in the list will be grouped into that network - enrollmentString (string): A unique identifier which can be used for device enrollment or easy access through the Meraki SM Registration page or the Self Service Portal. Please note that changing this field may cause existing bookmarks to break. All networks that are part of this combined network will have their enrollment string appended by '-network_type'. If left empty, all exisitng enrollment strings will be deleted. """ kwargs.update(locals()) metadata = { 'tags': ['Networks'], 'operation': 'combineOrganizationNetworks', } resource = f'/organizations/{organizationId}/networks/combine' body_params = ['name', 'networkIds', 'enrollmentString'] payload = {k.strip(): v for (k, v) in kwargs.items() if k.strip() in body_params} return self._session.post(metadata, resource, payload)

2014 NFL Draft Re-Draft Part 3 If you’ve read the first two parts of my 2014 NFL Draft Do-Over and have thought to yourself, “With all these references to string theory and parallel universes, Adam, is there any way you could write about your improved picks from three drafts ago in a nerdier way?” Oh. Oh yeah. In the second season episode of Star Trek the Original Series entitled, “Mirror, Mirror.,” a transporter malfunction sends Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, Communications officer Nyota Uhura, Chief Medical Officer Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy and Captain James Tiberius Kirk to a parallel universe where the United Federation of Planets has been replaced by the evil Terran Empire. Needless to say, Kirk, Bones and the gang figure out their predicament from the beginning and work to get back to their original timeline and escape the madcap insanity that was the Mirror Universe. Sulu had a scar, for God’s sake! Spock, a goatee! Kirk, a serious girlfriend! It was madness. Hopefully my new, improved 2014 draft and peak into an alternate universe butting up against ours isn’t quite so jarring. You can check out part one by clicking here. Read part two by clicking here. Fun fact: The Mirror Universe with Goateed Spock and the Evil Terran Empire would show up again in the Star Trek mythos about 30 years later. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine set five episodes in that same Mirror Universe and Star Trek Enterprise had probably two of its best episodes showing how the Terran Empire got so far ahead of every other warp enabled civilization and took over the Alpha Quadrant of the Milky Way Galaxy (that’s where we live). And this will blow your mind. The current Star Trek movies since the 2009 J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto all take place in yet another alternate universe. The Giants take a hit in the worst way, losing the NFL’s best wide receiver and one of its most marketable stars in Beckham Jr. It didn’t change the need for New York and Benjamin fits the bill over Sammy Watkins, Jarvis Landry and a few other legitimately fantastic receivers nabbed in this draft. He gives Eli Manning the big outside target he needs. Benjamin obviously doesn’t have the super human athleticism OBJ has, but he’s knows how to use his body, especially when he has his weight in the correct range. In his two healthy years, he’s caught a combined 1,949 yards worth of passes, has 263 catches and has scored 16 touchdowns. The Rams absolutely stole Aaron Donald at this spot in 2014. But he’s off the board and long gone. Los Angeles (then St. Louis) got a nice selection at No. 2 in Clowney, but picking Jake Matthews here fixes the biggest problem in that original Rams draft; Greg Robinson. While Matthews has had his issues at left tackle, he’s an NFL starter and potential star. He’s just now entering his fourth season in what will likely be a 15-year-plus career. Only now, four seasons later, did the Rams actually fix their problem at left tackle by signing Andrew Whitworth. Matthews will only get better for the Falcons and has already been a key contributor in a Super Bowl run. Fuller was not a bad pick here at all and actually came into the league on fire. He started every game he was healthy but two, but missed all last season with a knee injury. Fuller should be back to full strength this season, even though the Bears have signed plenty of insurance at his position. The reason I made the switch here is the Bears had quality corners in 2014. What the didn’t have was a legitimate middle linebacker. They had brought in D.J. Johnson from the Denver Broncos the year before to replace Brian Urlacher and the guy couldn’t stay healthy. It took another two years and a coaching chance for Chicago to field solid interior linebackers with free agents Danny Trevaithan and Jerrell Freeman. Mosley gives them a day one star and tackle machine from the minute he steps on the field. When the Ravens drafted him, they wanted a Ray Lewis replacement and while that might seem a lofty goal, Mosley might be on his way. He has 360 tackles, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 23 passes defended and six interceptions in his first three seasons. Back when I ran this mock draft in 2014, I actually made this pick for the Steelers, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix. They ignored me then and went with Shazier. Shazier has been a star for Pittsburgh when he’s on the field and is, legitimately, one of the fastest players in the NFL. But he also gets hurt a lot. Shazier has missed seven games over the last two seasons and only played in nine as a rookie. Clinton-Dix should have been their pick then because they were losing Troy Polamalu at the end of the 2014 season and that left a gaping hole at safety the team has yet to satisfactorily fill. Right now they’ll probably be starting Mike Mitchell, who they brought in as a free agent in 2014 and last year’s second round pick Sean Davis, who honestly could turn into a real star eventually. But Clinton-Dix has blown past all of them to become one of the best safeties in the game. In three years he has 284 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 19 passes defended and eight interceptions. They should have listened to me. To be continued in Part 4. To make a wager on any sport, go to the world famous Diamond Sportsbook by clicking here. Summary Event ​2014 NFL Draft Description If you've read the first two parts of my 2014 NFL Draft Do-Over and have thought to yourself, "With all these references to string theory and parallel universes, Adam, is there any way you could write about your improved picks from three drafts ago in a nerdier way?" Check Also Somewhere lost in the euphoria of the New England Patriots being denied another Vince Lombardi Trophy, the news that the Washington Redskins were considering using the franchise tag on Kirk Cousins even after trading for Alex Smith and signing him to a four-year extension didn't get a lot of play. Never has taking a loss in my straight up picks felt so good. I woke up this morning with a spring in my step. The air never smelled so sweet. The New England Patriots fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII and all is right with the world.

We are always ordering at NY pizza since a year almost every week. However since the last month every order was delivered with delays and with mistakes (not the right pizza). We had to call multiple times to get finally a pizza after more than an hour.

Below is the most recent list of political and “security risk” prisoners in Gohardasht which was obtained through a confidential and reliable source in Iran. Many of the prisoners named above are “forgotten” and lesser known prisoners who have been in the Islamic Regime Prisons for many year and have lengthy prison sentenced due to their political activities. Gohardasht (Rajaishahr) Prison which is located in Karaj is one of the worst prisons for political prisoners as it is a facility which houses extremely dangerous offenders who have been convicted of serious criminal offences such as murder and drug trafficking. In many instances political prisoners are put into same sections and same cells as individuals who have been convicted of serious criminal offences and risk being assaulted and abused by these convicted criminals. Gohardasht Prison also has a notorious torture section also called Section 1, “the dog house” and “the end of the road” where prisoners are tortured on a regular and systematic basis with electric batons, prisoners are handcuffed at all times while in their cells and are only allowed to use the washroom facilities 3 times a day. They are allowed to bathe once every few weeks, and the quality of food is much worse than the rest of the prison. Prisoners are given enough food just to survive and are not allowed any medical treatment or any medication while in Section 1 of the Prison. It must be noted that the conditions in other parts of Gohardasht is not much better, and according to news received from confidential and reliable sources the water at the prison has been shut down for the past 3 days. Prior to that the water used by the prisoners for drinking, bathing and cooking was contaminated which has caused infections and various other illnesses among the prisoners. The medical clinic in the prison has refused to treat the prisoners or give them the necessary medications to treat their infections and other illnesses. List of Political and “Security Risk” Prisoners currently in Gohardasht Prison (This is not a complete list and the names of other prisoners will be added as they are received) 1. Mr. Ali Saremi- Sentenced to death- has been in prison for more than 3 years 2. Mr. Mansour Radpour- Sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment- has been in prison for more than 3 years. 3. Mr. Ali Mansouri- sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment- has been in prison for more than 3 years. 4. Mr. Sadegh Kohandel- sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment- has been in prison for more than 4 years. 5. Mr. Saeed Masouri- sentenced to life in prison- has been in prison for more than 8 years 6. Mr. Hod Yazarlou- sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment- has been in prison for 3 years 7. Mr. Misagh Yazdan-Nejad- sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment- has been in prison for more than 2 years. 8. Mr. Ali Moezi- sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment-has been in prison for one year 9. Mr. Afshin Beymani-sentenced to life imprisonment- 10. Mr. Reza Joshan-His current situation is unknown, has not received his sentence. 11. Mr. Karim Merfazez- sentenced to life imprisonment 12. Mr. Mehdi Fetrat- his case has not been dealt with- has not been sentenced 13. Mr. Mansour Osanlou- sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment 14. Mr. Arjang Davoudi 15. Mr. Alireza Karimi Kheyrabadi 16. Mr. Behrouz Javid Tehrani- has been sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment 17. Ms. Kobra Banazadeh- sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment 18. Ms. Zahra Joshan- her case has not been dealt with, the status of her case is unknown 19. Mr. Naser Yousefi-has been sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment 20. Mr. Hashem Shahin Niya- sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment 21. Mr. Saeed Sahghalei- sentenced to life in prison 22. Mr. Khaled Hardani-sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, has never been able to benefit from prison leave which is given to some prisoners, is not given permission to go to a hospital for treatment, even though the prison doctor has written to the prison officials stating Mr. Hardani must go to the hospital for treatment. 23. Mr. Farhang Pourmansouri- sentenced to life in prison 24. Mr. Shahram pour mansouri- sentenced to life in prison 25. Mr. Masoud Bastanei 26. Mr. Ahmad Zeydabadi Down with the Islamic Regime in IranLong Live Freedom in Iran 0 Comments: About This Writer Sayeh Hassan is a criminal defense lawyer with Walter Fox & Associates and an Iranian Pro-Democracy activist. She is the author of the shiro-khorshid-forever blog (www.shiro-khorshid-forever.blogspot.com) which focuses on the pro-democracy movement and Regime Change in Iran. Through her pro-democracy activities she stays in close contact with activists in Iran as well as retaining contacts with various human rights and pro-democracy organizations abroad. She regularly speaks at conferences, has appeared on television and radio programs and her writing has been published by publications such as National Post, Toronto Star & Ottawa Citizen. She can be contacted at [email protected]

David Casale of clean tech-focused merchant bank Turquoise International argues that solar power could revolutionise the global energy market With PV prices falling, efficiencies increasing and global installations doubling in volume every year, has a clear winner emerged in the race to find an economic low carbon energy source for the next 100 years? Whilst recent statistics released by the International Energy Agency have stated that renewable power has reached nearly 15 per cent of worldwide energy generation include traditional hydroelectric generation they hide the true scale of the dash for solar. Combine this with international targets in 66 countries to substitute more than a quarter of non-renewable global energy consumption before 2020 and we see that solar is at the start of what could become a very material and disruptive run for everyone else. The revolution is coming Over the past decade, the global impact of solar power has increased dramatically. Although previously considered a minority solution due to its perceived high costs and intermittent production capabilities, ongoing research and technological development has seemingly turned such preconceptions upside-down. The latest research from America, for example, has identified a notable fall in installation prices. Homeowners are now, on average, paying 80 per cent less for the installation of PV panels, compared to the same period in 2008. With every set-up generating significant long-term returns and typically taking less than a day to fully install, the technology has not only changed the way in which we view environmental alternatives, but also provided a cost-effective tactic to minimise reliance on mains supply. But it's not just consumers who are seeing the light. Earlier this year, Wal-Mart announced a group-wide eco initiative to substitute its entire energy consumption with renewable alternatives before 2020. Partner this with the announcement of similar strategies by almost every single top 50 global company and we start to see the enormous impact solar is making worldwide. The facts are simple. Solar is sexy, straightforward and delivers superb results. What's more, it's getting cheaper than, for example, nuclear power, it's far quicker to build than any other energy technology, the public like it and, best of all, it's fuel is delivered at home reliably and completely free! Solar seems to tick all the boxes and, for that reason, is taking the global energy market by storm. Innovative influence For the first time in solar's history, the technology is quickly overtaking more traditional reserves as an effective and sustainable global resource. In some markets, the renewable alternative is surpassing fossil fuels and can account for more than half of consumption. Germany, for example, has already installed more than 35GW of solar in the past 10 years, while the US and UK are each targeting significant consumption goals before 2020. Notoriously sunny countries, like Saudi Arabia, are taking the benefits even further, using the technology as an economic driver - creating a significant volume of new jobs in the sector and using the free power alternative to preserve oil for export. Storage companies, like Isentropic and Moixa in the UK, are driving innovation to meet this trend, developing ingenious ways to store solar at scale and in the home. Although some way off domestic use, considerable R&D into further developing technologies has already shown massive breakthroughs and many storage prototypes are already being trialled in large commercial solar sites. It seems, therefore, that solar is racing ahead - overtaking traditional resources and changing the face of the energy market. However, a few hurdles remain before the renewable resource can cross the finish line. A thorn in the side Whilst in sunnier climates and where no grid currently exists the economics are competitive without subsidy, to encourage the uptake of renewable technologies in North West Europe, many countries have introduced subsidy initiatives to sweeten the deal of switching to solar. These financial incentives counterbalance the initially high installation costs and provide ongoing motivation to maintain a high-volume of self-generated energy. In the UK, for example, homeowners and businesses can benefit from the Feed-In Tariff (FIT), Green Deal and Renewable Heating Incentive (RHI) to name but a few. These financial support programmes provide a cost-effective way to switch to green alternatives, as well as providing ongoing return for generating renewable energy. However, despite the promises of ongoing support and continued financial backing, falling installation costs have made home generation more cost-effective than ever before. Many countries, therefore, are now debating the requirement for these programmes and looking to reduce or disband subsidies going forwards. In practice, this could make little overall financial difference, as the cost of solar panels continues to drop; however, a loss of incentives has the potential to dampen the current demand for installing eco-solutions. There is a significant challenge therefore, not only to maintain the momentum of solar, but also to retain demand through an uncertain period of change in the energy sector. How does solar slot in to the future? Despite a few small barriers on the solar horizon, its influence is reaching far beyond the panels installed to date. The technology is being deployed at rates faster than any other renewable technology and in many cases being used in preference to more traditional resources. In Europe, the balance sheets of the major utilities are decimated and fossil plants are becoming obsolete. Utilities will also find their cost of capital increasing as they no longer own the demand increase from consumers. Home generators look like highly efficient users to a traditional utility. Although subsidies may not last forever, the cost of panels will fall further as manufacturing capacity increases and economies of scale take further effect. Customers left out of the energy market by tired and grey utilities born in an age of coal and pylons will emerge as self-generators lowering carbon emissions by 80 per cent - proud and engaged advocates of new companies, rather than neglected customers of the big six. The stage is therefore set for the continued march of solar and the emergence of effective storage technologies to revolutionise the way energy is used, generated, owned and distributed. In short, the race isn't won, but there is a horse coming up fast on the rails and it looks set for a very strong finish. David Casale is a chartered engineer and director at London-based Cleantech merchant bank Turquoise International, which specialises in energy and the environment

Hotel Details Property LocationLocated in Madikeri, Leisure Vacations Woodstock Villa is convenient to Gaddige - Raja's Tomb and Madikeri Fort. This hotel is within the region of Raja's Seat and Abbey Falls. RoomsMake yourself at home in one of the 12 guestrooms featuring minibars and LCD televisions. Bathrooms have showers and hair dryers. Conveniences include phones, as well as safes and coffee/tea makers. AmenitiesMake use of convenient amenities, which include wireless Internet access (surcharge) and tour/ticket assistance. You must present a photo ID when checking in. Your credit card is charged at the time you book. Bed type and smoking preferences are not guaranteed.Your reservation is prepaid and is guaranteed for late arrival. The total charge includes all room charges and taxes, as well as fees for access and booking. Any incidental charges such as parking, phone calls, and room service will be handled directly between you and the property. Laundry Dry cleaning service Note: It is the responsibility of the hotel chain and/or the individual property to ensure the accuracy of the photos displayed. Getaroom.com is not responsible for any inaccuracies in the photos. The room rates listed are for double occupancy per room unless otherwise stated and exclude tax recovery charges and service fees.

Men\'s health as an issue warranting specific attention has begun to attract more notice as growing evidence emerges of differential epidemiological trends between men and women ([@B1]), particularly with respect to men\'s premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and morbidity linked to poor health-seeking behaviors, mental health and violence, including homicide and injuries. In almost every country of the world, men are more likely than women to die before age 70 ([@B2]--[@B4]), and data from the World Health Organization (WHO) ([@B5]) suggest that approximately 52% of all NCD deaths worldwide occurred among men. Across the life course, mortality is higher in men than in women, and overall life expectancy for men is universally shorter. Compared with women, men have a mortality rate 4 times greater due to external causes and a 7 times greater risk of dying from homicide. The probability of men dying from cardiac ischemic diseases is 75% higher compared with women. Furthermore, 36% of deaths in men are preventable, compared with 19% in women. Unhealthy diet and lifestyles, tobacco use, and harmful use of alcohol are well known to be the major risk factors for NCDs ([@B5]), and underutilization of primary health care services by men has been identified as a problem in many countries around the world. The reasons why these risk factors disproportionately affect men are often related to the ways in which society educates us to understand our identities and roles as men and women -- whether in relation to family responsibilities, working life, leisure time activities, or the need to access health services ([@B6]). In other words, men\'s risk-taking behaviors and their underutilization of health services are strongly linked to gender differences and predominant norms of masculinity -- what it means to be a "man." Across the life course, the way men learn to think about and project an image of themselves is often an inextricable part of the explanations of men\'s premature death due to stress and unhealthy behaviors such as reckless driving, alcohol consumption, and drug abuse as well as risky sexual behaviors, high-risk sports and leisure activities ([@B7]). These gender norms vary according to social and cultural contexts but are often consistent across countries in terms of health behaviors ([@B8]). Socioeconomic inequities also play a role in determining how these norms affect health, as beliefs and expectations about men\'s behavior -- for example, that men should be the sole provider of family income -- can become risk factors when exacerbated by lack of economic opportunities and social marginalization, thereby contributing to men\'s poor health behaviors and high rates of morbidity from preventable diseases, particularly suicide ([@B9]). To date, little systematic research has examined the relationship between masculinity and men\'s health ([@B10]). While some studies have focused on the hazardous influences of male behavior, many of these have been criticized for seeming to assume that women and men have innate psychological traits and needs governing their behavior ([@B11]). Gender analyses of health have examined the ways in which social constructions of gender identity affect health. However, such studies have tended to focus on the negative effects of gender inequalities and "toxic masculinities" on women and their health ([@B12]) and the need to empower women in order to guarantee their right to health. Much less attention has been paid to the relationship between the gendered nature of men\'s identities and aspects of men\'s ill health. More gender-sensitive health research and practice, along with integrated approaches, are urgently needed to better understand the relationship between masculinities and different aspects of men\'s health ([@B13]). This improved knowledge base could help health policy makers and practitioners to address some of the health-related beliefs and behaviors and work with men to improve their health to accelerate progress toward universal health. Promoting a more diverse understanding of what it is to be a man and addressing how these beliefs influence health can also address the often negative relationship between masculinity and other structural drivers of health -- such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, income, etc. Such efforts clearly have benefits for men\'s health and well-being but also contribute to gender equality and women\'s empowerment, as combatting "toxic masculinities" is likely to reduce various forms of violence, STIs, unwanted pregnancies, absent fatherhood, and lack of shared unpaid caring responsibilities ([@B14]). In these and other ways, increased attention to the issue of masculinities and men\'s health could potentially contribute to a number of Sustainable Development Goals, including those related to NCDs, gender inequality, and reducing inequalities in physical and mental health and well-being. For the Pan American Health Organization, addressing masculinity and men' s health is a priority to advance universal health and the gender equality agenda. We at PAHO are convinced that efforts to improve public health must include attention to both men\'s and women\'s health, reducing gender inequality, and improving well-being across the life course ([@B15]). The articles in this special issue of the *Pan American Journal of Public Health* provide valuable evidence to inform health policies in the Region that will support this transformative agenda for gender equality and universal health going forward. **Suggested citation** Etienne CF. Addressing masculinity and men\'s health to advance universal health and gender equality Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2018;42:e196. <https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.196>

Girl In The Mirror – The Anushka Knitted Boot Since taking the rather large step to introduce more fashion onto Anoushka Loves, I have become a woman obsessed. I’ve always taken a keen interest in fashion and prefer to pick up key pieces to introduce into my rather neutral based wardrobe, with classic shapes and basics that will last for seasons. As fashion changes so quickly, it’s sometimes hard to keep up with trends, so being selective with fashion does have it’s advantages. I’m more of a seasonal shopper, and tend to choose things ready for the weather changes, although I have to take into consideration that I may need floaty beach kaftans in December for work, and a thick winter coat for when I land home. Lately, I’ve started to update my shoe wardrobe, and selecting pieces that will take me from this late Indian Summer that we are expecting, into Autumn and the early stages of winter. Keeping fast fashion in mind, the Anushka knitted boot from Ego Official was chosen not just for the name, but for their ease of transitioning throughout the seasons. With the weather being a rather tropical 20 degrees recently and expected to hit the mid twenties (we are so lucky), it’s been quite nice to wear outfits without having to think about the need for an umbrella. A classic black jersey midi dress was my choice of the day. Not too tight fitting, with room to move around, and although plain and simple in style, it can be dressed up or down. Teaming the dress with my favourite denim jacket, which I’ve had for an age, I feel smart yet not over dressed and prepared for the British weather. Keeping my jewellery simple, I’ve worn a DanFrank Jewellery original beaded necklace with tassel detail and a ChloBo Hamsa Hand Rose Gold Bracelet. The Hamsa Hand is a protective sign and symbolises happiness, luck, health and happiness. I’ll be wearing this every day as it’s just what I need right now. As this is my first ChloBo bracelet, I am really looking forward to adding to my collection and wearing these as stackable bracelets, with each charm representing something important in my life. Onto the boots. Oh, I adore these boots so much. Knitted, beige and with a high heel, they aren’t for someone who shies away from wearing heels. The Ego Official Anushka Knitted Boot is gorgeous and versatile. The heel is around 5 inches, and with no platform on the shoe, I was expecting some discomfort when walking, yet there was none. As the material of the boot sits snugly around the foot, it holds the foot in place with no sliding around inside the shoe. They’re actually one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes, aside from my slippers, that I’ve owned. The mid calf length did give me cause for concern with my muscular calves causing issues when it comes to boots, but I had no need to worry. With the colour and the shape of the boot, I found them to be really flattering on my leg, as well as making my legs look even longer. Although I’ve worn them with a midi dress to show them off today, they also look great with leggings and an oversized t.shirt, as well as an ultra glam LBD. I’m really looking forward to bringing my wardrobe into the Autumn season. What key pieces will you be looking for to update your wardrobe?

This fan-made Leica instant camera is the best of all worlds It isn’t quite like Leica to foray into instant-cameras. It doesn’t coincide with their philosophy of producing only the finest, most premium cameras ever, backed by superior lensmaking and finesse, all bound together in a beautifully minimal packaging. An instant camera doesn’t fall within those parameters. They’re meant for instant gratification, for capturing images that are often filtered/distorted for flair, and aren’t high-resolution, given that they’re developed on a tiny canvas and subsequently forgotten about. It is, however, a designer’s job to explore uncharted territories, often imagining scenarios that don’t exist, or aren’t even thought about. So here’s Daniel Huang’s self-made Leica Instant M, a minimalist camera featuring a viewfinder display of 1:1 ratio to film, designed to mount Leica’s M Lenses… or as he calls it, a premium instant photo camera. Huang believes Leica’s first and only instant model, the Sofort failed to capture the Leica spirit. It based itself on Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 90 and even used Instax film. “Traditionally, Leica lens and cameras are highly treasured collectibles. Their manual lenses produce a recognizable “Leica look” –Notilux lens continue to increase its resell value. Leica camera bodies are prized for its build quality, although they don’t have the highest specs. Their entry-level TL camera bodies, each hand polished for 40 minutes, became a minimalist icon. On the contrary, Leica Sofort’s plastic body and fixed lens feels like an unjustifiably expensive rebadge.”, Huang says. Huang’s Leica Instant M takes advantage of a hybrid digital and analog system to reduce its flange focal length, effectively allows the camera to mount full-frame lens for the first time. The camera would sport an interchangeable lens system, allowing you to mount and use any of Leica’s lenses on it, something that’s innately Leica-esque in quality. The camera comes in a simple box-shaped design that definitely exudes a quality of seriousness, unlike the playful nature of the Instax Mini 90. You’ve got the M-Mount on the front that sits atop Leica’s sensor (the hybrid arrangement), and a 1:1 ratio viewfinder on the back that lets you compose your shots and gives you a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) sort of deal. The Instant M is stripped of digital adjustments and post-processing, and analog controls like aperture and focus are done via the manual lens. The viewfinder is slightly inset, giving you a curved surface to dig your fingers into for better grip, and the shutter button on the front lets you click the picture you see in your viewfinder, before the film slowly ejects off the top of the camera. The Instant M isn’t an official Leica camera, but is, on the other hand, a brilliant interpretation of what Leica’s instant cameras (if they ever decided to re-enter the market) should look like. Clean aesthetics, a design that feels pure and precious, and integrates into it the ability to use all of Leica’s M-mount lenses… the Instant M is the Leica instant-camera that should have been but never was!

Content: (RoRo, B, LLL, V, S, NN, AA, D, M) Romantic worldview, with some moral elements, including a positive father figure, but a really bad message favoring premarital sex; about 17 mostly light obscenities, one strong profanity regarding Jesus and 12 mild profanities; mild violence such as fighting in bar, girl teaches her friend how to punch, girl punches man in face, and girl falls down stairs; implied fornication between young adult couple, pregnant woman talks about the rape that made her pregnant & nearly naked high school graduate invites his friend in bra and panties to fornicate but they decide against it; partial male nudity & women in skimpy costumes or underwear; alcohol use, underage alcohol use and underage girls perform at karaoke bar; smoking; and, tattoos and high school graduate ignores her father’s wishes. Summary: In CROSSROADS, pop music star Britney Spears plays a bright high school graduate who goes on the road with two friends and a young man with a questionable background, in order to meet the mother who abandoned her when she was three. The sexual message in this movie is not appropriate for the teenagers and pre-teens most likely to see this movie, although Dan Aykroyd does play a somewhat positive father figure. Review: Women singers and songwriters are big these days in the pop music world. And, there’s no bigger woman in pop music today than Britney Spears. Spears already has become a popular figure in TV commercials, where she’s managed to parlay her nubile tanned body and beautiful blonde hair to sell soda pop. Now, she’s decided to try taking Hollywood by storm by appearing in her first movie, CROSSROADS. In CROSSROADS, Britney Spears plays Lucy, a high school valedictorian in Georgia. After rejecting her nearly naked, nerdy lab partner’s amorous intentions in the bedroom on graduation night, Lucy takes off on a road trip west with two old girlfriends and a handsome young rock and roller, Ben, with a questionable background. One girlfriend, Mimi, is pregnant after being raped. Mimi and Ben are headed for a rock audition in Los Angeles. Lucy’s other girlfriend, Kit, intends to surprise her fiancé who’s going to school at UCLA. Lucy wants to see her estranged mother in Arizona, who abandoned Lucy and her father when Lucy was three. Needless to say, not everything goes as planned, but Lucy gets discovered as a talented new singer – after losing her virginity, of course. Britney Spears has come under attack for the sleaziness and sexual innuendo she often incorporates into parts of her concerts and her commercials. In this respect, Spears seems to be following in the footsteps of Madonna. The same thing happens with CROSSROADS. In fact, the movie actually opens with Lucy, dressed only in her panties and a loose-fitting blouse, lip-synching to a song by Madonna. Although Lucy eventually rejects her lab partner, that rejection doesn’t come until he strips down to his underwear and she appears in a sexy red bra and panty outfit. Later, however, Lucy has no second thoughts about losing her virginity to Ben. The sexual immorality in Spears’ act and her first movie, CROSSROADS, is terribly unfortunate, especially since she seems to be such a popular star for young teenagers, and even pre-teens. In fact, at the press screening for CROSSROADS, many parents brought their pre-teen children. Happily, however, CROSSROADS is not much of a movie, so, hopefully, not many pre-teens or teenagers will see it. This will increasingly become true, hopefully, as word gets out that the movie is not very good. Although Spears does not fare as badly as Mariah Carey in her movie debut, GLITTER, the CROSSROADS filmmakers have saddled Britney with a poorly structured story that lacks focus. The story meanders in the middle and isn’t all that entertaining or energetic in the other parts. It is clear, however, that Spears has a good singing voice and may develop her acting talent as she gains more experience. In addition to the movie’s bad message about premarital sex, CROSSROADS has a Romantic worldview. Follow your dreams, no matter what your parents say, is the primary message of this movie. Thus, even though Dan Aykroyd plays a positive father figure in CROSSROADS, the movie’s worldview leads to false, immoral conclusions. In Brief: In CROSSROADS, Britney Spears plays Lucy, a high school valedictorian in Georgia. After rejecting her nerdy lab partner’s amorous intentions in the bedroom on graduation night, Lucy takes off on a road trip west with two old girlfriends and a handsome young rock and roller, Ben, with a questionable background. One girlfriend, Mimi, is pregnant after being raped. Mimi and Ben are headed for a rock audition in Los Angeles. Lucy’s other girlfriend, Kit, intends to surprise her fiancé who’s going to school at UCLA. Lucy wants to see her estranged mother in Arizona, who abandoned Lucy when she was three. Needless to say, not everything goes as planned, but Lucy gets discovered as a talented new singer – after losing her virginity, of course. Britney Spears fares better here than Mariah Carey did in GLITTER, but the filmmakers saddle her with a poorly written, meandering story that should have been more entertaining and energetic. The sexual message in CROSSROADS is not appropriate for the teenagers and pre-teens most likely to see this movie, although Dan Aykroyd does play a somewhat positive father figure. The movie’s Romantic worldview also dilutes the movie’s positive moral qualities

Mini nuclear reactor could power apartment blocks New Scientist A nuclear reactor designed to generate power in the basement of an apartment block is being developed in Japan. In the past few months government-backed researchers have been testing a fail-safe mechanism for the reactor, which will close down automatically if it overheats. The Rapid-L reactor was conceived as a powerhouse for colonies on the Moon. But at six metres high and only two metres wide this 200-kilowatt reactor could relatively easily fit into the basement of an office building or apartment block, where it would have to be housed in a solid containment building.

If I Ruled The League Table of Contents Nov. 11, 2013 David Ortiz is brute October force, inarguably one of the greatest postseason sluggers ever, but there is a Tao of Papi that goes beyond the raw power and three rings. As a study in resilience and in seizing big moments, his story is the story of Boston itself If I Ruled The League I'm Richard Sherman. I'm a guy who plays cornerback for the Seahawks, who makes $550,000 a year to control a small sliver of one of 32 NFL fields on any given Sunday. But let's imagine, for a moment, I'm a much more powerful man, one who earns a salary—$30 million—higher than the best-paid player in the league. I'm the man who, for better or worse, holds the future of pro football in his palm. It's a difficult job, I'm sure, working for the owners while looking out for the welfare of the players. It always seems like a happy balance is being struck in late April, when a parade of draftees crosses the stage at Radio City Music Hall, each one giving commissioner Roger Goodell a handshake and a hug after his name is called. But for the rest of the year it's clear that the interests of the 1,700 players pale in importance to those of the 32 owners. But I, Commissioner Sherman, am here to fix that, so let's get started. The first thing I would do is give up some of my power. I'd leave the whole fine system for on-field actions to a committee of former players and former coaches. I'd create a system of checks and balances, something like a democracy. (Crazy, right?) If I were commissioner, I'd listen to Brandon Meriweather because he's expressed something that many players think but are afraid to say. When the Redskins safety said he was going to start targeting the ACLs of offensive players, his message was understood by his peers but confusing to fans and media. The defenseless-receiver rule is forcing tacklers to target knees. Offensive players bend down to protect their knees, and if we target the waist, we collide with their heads and get fined. If we target the knees, we don't get fined, and sometimes they don't get up. If I were commissioner, I'd listen to Hamza Abdullah, too. He's the former pro who just blasted the league on Twitter for several things, including its handling of retiree benefits. I'd streamline the system to make it easier for players who need disability money to get it. Many ex-players would rather suffer than jump through the NFL's hoops. They have to file paperwork, wait several months, go see this doctor on this day, a specialist on that day, and if they miss a deadline, they're ineligible. That's just how the league is, but not the way it has to be. If I were commissioner, I wouldn't ask a player to take a pay cut to play for a championship. Players are now paid postseason bonuses that are usually less than their standard regular-season game check. The compensation should consistently mirror the profits, regular season or not. If I were commissioner, I'd be very transparent about where fines end up. In my regime all the money from helmet-to-helmet fines would go directly to fund treatment for players suffering from injuries from head trauma. If I were commissioner, I'd give the players back their individuality. I wouldn't pretend that knee and thigh pads prevent injuries. I'd never fine players for wearing the wrong length socks or cleats with too much or too little of one team color. I'd let them wear whatever they want for interviews at their own lockers. Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch would be free to promote his Beast Mode merchandise—which supports his charity—in any way he chooses, as long as he doesn't do it during a game. I'd understand that this league is not all about "the Shield" and all the name brands this commissioner has sold it to. The NFL is nothing without the players, individuals whose creativity should be celebrated. If I were commissioner, I'd actually care about my players. I'd recognize that most of them don't spend more than three years in the NFL, and when they're done, many of them are broken in mind and body, and I'd do everything I could to genuinely help them in their transition from athlete to retiree. And if that were too difficult, if I found it was impossible to do the job asked of me by NFL owners and still do right by players, I'd do those incoming rookies the favor of not offering a hug they'll soon regret. The first thing I'd do is give up some of my power. I'd create a system of checks and balances, something like a democracy. (Crazy, right?) The MMQB When he's not shutting down opposing receivers, Richard Sherman writes a regular column for The MMQB. Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything

James Gunn Reveals Who David Bowie Would Have Played in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ 2016 was a sad year when it comes to celebrity’s deaths. One that arguably hit the hardest however was the untimely passing of singer David Bowie. Before his death, it was revealed that James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy, had planned to include Bowie in the highly anticipated sequel, but never said who he’d be playing. Now, in a Q&A on Facebook, Gunn has finally settled the mystery of who Bowie was going to be. A ravager. When asked by a fan, Gunn had this to say: “I wanted David Bowie to play a member of Yondu’s original crew.” Yondu’s original crew appeared twice during Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Their first appearance was from Sylvester Stallone and Michael Rosenbaum’s characters. Both blacklist Yondu and his current crew from the Ravager clan due to their constant breach of the Ravager code. However, following Yondu’s heroic sacrifice near the end of the film, Stallone’s Stakar Ogord lifts the exile on Yondu and gives him the Ravager funeral he deserves. The funeral brings Yondu’s entire original crew back together for the first time in years and they all agree to work together once more. The crew had Michael Rosenbaum, Ving Rhames, Michelle Yeoh and Miley Cyrus playing the roles of Martinex, Charlie-27, Aleta Ogord and Mainframe and now it looks Bowie would have played one of these characters. It’s a shame that Bowie passed before being able to play a role in the MCU film. While the film was not short on its celebrity cameos, including Seth Green returning as Howard the Duck and Sons of Anarchy’s Tommy Flannagan as a member of Yondu’s current crew, it would have been an incredible sight to see Bowie as an out-of-this-world, cosmic Marvel character. What do you think of David Bowie being in the MCU? What other singer’s do you want to appear in a Marvel film? Let us know in the comments and on social media! The next Marvel Cinematic Universe film to hit theatres is Thor: Ragnarok which will be released on November 3, 2017. Share this: Published by Talkies Network Three friends talking about movies, video games, comic-books and anime. We do videos and articles. Be warned, you chose this. Site created by Nick Poulimenakos, Artur Galvao and Mathew 'JJ' Simoes. View all posts by Talkies Network Advertisements Follow Our Website via Email Enter your email address to follow this website and receive notifications of new posts by email.