text:
Navajo casino serves up traditional frybread
By Alysa Landry
Hogback, New Mexico (AP) December 2010
Employees of Flowing Water Navajo Casino call her "Champion Frybread Maker." But Helen Moore, 70, has gone by many other names.
Moore, of Farmington, retired from both the Bureau of Indian Education and the United States Postal Service.
She also worked for eight years as a bilingual teacher at McCormick Elementary School in Farmington and did seasonal work at Navajo Agricultural Products Industry before taking a job at the second gaming facility to open on the Navajo Nation.
"I kept saying when I retire I want to work at a casino," Moore said. "And here I am."
Flowing Water Navajo Casino opened to the public last month. It employs 62 full-time workers, including two frybread chefs.
Moore spends eight hours per day doing something she learned six decades ago. It's also the last thing she pictured herself doing for a living.
"Ever since I was small I have been doing this," she said last week while mixing Bluebird flour with warm water in a heavy metal bowl. "I was the oldest in my family, and my dad was at war, so I made frybread for my brothers and sisters. Then I taught my daughter and son so they would know how to do it."
Dressed in an orange company shirt and traditional turquoise necklace and earrings, Moore measured the ingredients by sight and experience rather than with cups or spoons into a bowl while standing in the small kitchen off the casino's food court.
"This is who we are and what we do," she said, her fingers sticky with dough. Although Moore was referring to the frybread, a Navajo tradition stemming from the four years the people were in captivity during the Long Walk, she could say the same thing about the blossoming gaming business.
The casino, open from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days per week, serves a steady stream of patrons. Located next to the Hogback Chapter House and visible from U.S. 64, the casino houses 120 gaming machines in its 11,000-square-foot interior.
The constant tinny shifting of slot machines, the amusement park jingles and shimmering lights that promise big winnings provide the soundtrack to which Moore works. The juxtaposition of traditional and modern American Indian culture is not lost on the frybread chefs.
"We sell about 400 servings of frybread per day," said Alzado Gorman, acting food and beverage supervisor at Flowing Water Navajo Casino. More than half of those servings are sold with mutton stew, another staple in the traditional Navajo diet.
"We make frybread constantly," Gorman said. "That's what everyone wants."
Much of the casino clientele is American Indian, Gorman said. That's a given, considering the casino's location about five miles east of Shiprock in an isolated place near the hills in Hogback.
Other patrons wander off the main highway and travel the short, bottle-necked dirt road to the casino.
"Frybread goes with the stew," Gorman said. "We have a mostly Navajo clientele coming in, and this is what they are looking for."
That's fine for Moore, who makes an average of five batches of frybread dough per day. Each batch produces about 250 pieces of bread, and while she waits for the dough to rise, Moore responds to the near-constant demand from customers calling, "One frybread, please," over the counter.
Moore sells them for $1.04 each.
"It's our best seller," she said. "When we first opened, we were going at it left and right. We went through so many thousands we were running out of flour."
Demand decreased slightly after the initial rush, Moore said, but she still can work her way through three or four 20-pound bags of flour in a day.
The process of making frybread is deeper than clocking in for work every morning, however, Moore said.
"A lot of it is your mood," she said while stretching a ball of dough in preparation of dropping it into the deep fryer. "If you're angry or upset, the dough will not cooperate. If you come to work frustrated, the dough won't come out good. It's best if you're in a good mood. The dough will be soft."
Though working hand-in-hand to produce jobs and revenue in Hogback, casinos and frybread share an unappetizing history.
The Navajo people began making frybread when they were forced off their sacred land in the Four Corners in 1863 and were rationed government supplies of flour, salt, baking powder, lard and water.
Casinos also can be considered a response to the dictations of the dominant culture.
Indian gaming, which has gained momentum over the last two decades, began as a way to "preserve the general welfare of tribes striving for self-sufficiency through gaming enterprises in Indian Country," according to a statement released by the National Indian Gaming Association.
The association also seeks to maintain and protect sovereign governmental authority in Indian Country.
For Moore, however, her job at the casino is more about satisfying appetites as she serves up sizzling golden-brown frybread.
"It's all I do all day long," Moore said. "It's what I do."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Climate change is happening and it's dangerous, so at this point, science deniers should have no say in the discussion.
According to The Nation's Mark Hertsgaard, allowing climate change deniers to pose as cautious skeptics has sabotaged the US response to the global warming crisis. Hertsgaard, who's reported on climate change for over twenty years, joins The Real News Network to explain how the media has provided a platform for right-wing fringe groups to peddle a distorted ideology and a mercenary support for the coal and oil industries.
True skeptics, Hertsgaard says, are invaluable to the scientific process because scientific hypotheses must be tested. But those who claim that the science is mixed on whether climate change is occurring deserve the name "climate cranks." A genuine skeptic is driven by facts and open to changing their position, while the outright denial of overwhelming evidence that climate change is real, urgent and dangerous by this crop of conservatives does not warrant them the title of skeptics, he says.


text:
How to tell if you're Chinese
The authors are the English class at the Suzhou branch of Agile Software Co. They are an active, high-efficiency team of twelve software engineers whose interests may include any of the following: fighting software bugs, smoking Cuban cigars, eating American chocolate, trying out new hairstyles on each other, playing badminton and ping pong, holding majiang competitions, drinking large bottles of Tsingtao, and watching TV. And, of course, not speaking Chinese during English class.
--M.R.
[ More culture tests ]
If you're Chinese...
You don't believe in God. You accept everything claimed by teachers and "experts." If you find errors in their thinking, you will complain, but next time you will still believe them.
You are familiar with Qín Shīhuáng, Sūnzǐ, Confucius, Zhōngshān Sūn, Xùn Lǔ, Chairman Máo, Prime Minister Zhōu, GuānYīn bodhisattva, Wùkōng Sūn, the Spring Festival, dumplings, fire crackers, and the Great Wall.
You know how table tennis and badminton are played. You know how to do at least some Gōngfu (Wūshù). If you are female, you played "Chinese jump rope" as a child; if you are male, you knew how to use a slingshot.
You get seven days vacation every Spring Festival, National Day and Labor Day, during which you can travel to other cities or go home to stay with your family.
You're likely to believe in Buddha. If not, you probably believe you will be reborn in the future, and the species of your reincarnation will depend on your behavior in your current life.
You don't think of McDonald's, KFC, and Pizza Hut as tasty, healthy, or cheap food-- everybody knows that Chinese food is the most delicious in the world. Somehow, when you do go to McDonald's or KFC, you have trouble finding a seat because there are so many people eating there.
You probably have a telephone and a TV at home. If you live in northern China, your place is heated in the winter, but it isn't if you are in the south. It has its own bathroom. Unless you live in a developed city, you do your laundry by hand, and no matter where you live, you hang it out to dry. You eat at a table, sitting on chairs
Who knows where that bear's paw has been?
You eat almost anything, which, especially if you are in Guangdong, includes a variety of mammals, reptiles, and insects. However, feasting on one-time delicacies such as monkey brain and bear paws is now prohibited and widely frowned upon.
A bathroom in a house has a good shower and a good toilet in it; the toilet in a public bathroom will quite likely be a hole in the ground with the ability to flush.
The train system is acceptable. But there are too many people on the trains. Taking a plane, if you can afford it, is a better way to travel.
You find a one-party system natural. You expect the Chinese Communist Party to be responsive to business, strong on defense, and concerned with the poor. You find the People's Congress Systems efficient
You don't expect to hear socialism, Communism and such boring things discussed.
You think of all the races in China as a big family, or that's what you've been told (see the first item on the list).
You think most problems could be solved if only people would work hard together.
You'd respect someone who speaks a foreign language, but, although you most likely studied English for at least ten years in school, you very likely don't speak well enough to communicate with a monolingual foreigner. In Hong Kong and Taiwan--which are certainly China--you think the schools should teach kids Chinese. And that means Mandarin, none of that Yuèyǔ.
Despite this, the importance of learning English has been emphasized to you. Not that you're likely to travel to an English-speaking country, but if you want a high salary, you'll probably look for a position with a foreign company in China.
A wàn-year life to you!
You think a tax level of 10% is very high.
School is free through middle school; high school and college aren't, unless you get a scholarship.
College is (normally, and excluding graduate study) four years long.
Mustard comes in jars, but nobody buys it. Shaving cream comes in cans. Milk comes in plastic jugs or bags, cardboard boxes, and sometimes in bottles.
The year comes first: 1949/10/01. (And you know what happened on that day.)
If you use a comma as a decimal point, your math teacher will punish you.
Higher numbers go by groups of four digits. Above a thousand, you go from wàn (1 0000 or ten thousand) to yì (1 0000 0000 or one hundred million).
World War II was eight years long for the Chinese, and we fought with Japan the whole time. It was a miserable period for the Chinese, but since then there has been no major tragedy in China.
You expect most marriages to be made for love, although your parents might arrange your marriage. And a man cannot have more than one wife at a time--legally--even if he wants to. For everybody besides the bride and groom, the wedding is a burden--they have to prepare the "red envelope."
If a man has sex with another man, he's "a gay," and he cannot get a marriage certificate.
Once you're introduced to people, you can call them by their full name, but depending on their social status, you can call them by their family name plus their title. You can also call them Xiǎo (young) or Lǎo (old) plus their family name.
If you're a woman, you don't go to the beach topless.
A hotel room has a private bath and a toilet.
You'd rather a film be subtitled than dubbed (if you go to foreign films at all).
If a politician has been cheating on his wife, you would never know unless he told you in person.
Credit cards are popular only in the big cities, although they are becoming more widely used even in the smaller cities.
A company can mostly fire whom it wants. In most cases a month salary will be offered as compensation.
Labor Day is on the first of May, but the holiday lasts for seven days.
To add to your Amazon wish list
You've probably seen ShaoLin Temple, Red Jowar, East Bubai, Telephone, and Hero. If you are under forty, add Dàhuà Xīyóu, Bet Deity, Story of Policeman, Fēihóng Huáng, New Longmen Inn; otherwise, add Love Story on Lu Shan, Guest from Ice Mountain, Grazier, and Lightning Storm.
You know Yōnglín Tán, Guóróng Zhāng, Xuéyōu Zhāng, Déhuá Liú, Fēi Wáng, Xiùwén Zhèng, Yīlín Cài, and Jiélún Zhōu. If not, you know Huān Liú, Nán sūn, Yū Quán, Yīng Nà, Hóng Hán, and Míng Chén.
Since medical fees are so high, you generally exercise and pray that you don't fall ill. If you're rich, you can access high-quality medicine to delay your death, but if not, you just wait for the inevitable.
Your country has been conquered by foreign nations, and you'd rather not talk about it.
You're used to a wide variety of choices for almost anything you buy.
You still measure things in Chinese units sometimes; otherwise, you use centimeters, grams, and liters.
You may be a farmer. But if you are, you're probably not reading this.
You drive on the right side of the road. You may or may not stop at red lights whether or not anybody's around. When you're riding a bicycle or walking on the road, you will trust your eyes over the stoplights. You may still drive a car on the road after you've had a drink.
You consider the Volkswagen Santana to be a medium-sized car as well as the vehicle of taxi drivers. Volkswagen Beetle? What's that?
The police are armed, but in most cases, don't use weapons.
If a woman is plumper than average, it doesn't improve her looks. And "average" in China is much thinner than in most Western countries.
The biggest meal of the day is in the evening.
There's parts of the country you definitely want to avoid, period.
And what did he do to his nose?
You would probably prefer to work for a foreign company, because you can get a higher salary and more valuable work experience.
You usually prefer to buy foreign products, because you believe they're of better quality. If you have the opportunity to publicly display your indulgence in foreign products, by, say, eating in a Häagen-Dazs restaurant, all the better.
However, you're very unlikely to buy Japanese products. This is due mostly to the tension between China and Japan that's existed since World War II and continued as a result of their refusal to acknowledge the atrocities they committed during that time. You generally feel that Japanese look down on the Chinese and don't want to interact with them as a group or individually. Frankly, you don't want to say you hate them, but... Then you read what the Japan culture test says about Chinese, and your animosity is revived.
Korea, on the other hand, is a very good neighbor, who you think China has historically had a very good relationship with. You don't have much opinion one way or the other about any of the remaining countries that neighbor China.
You would find a foreign son-in-law unacceptable. It would be good if the family's financial situation of your son in law is almost the same as yours.
You think of Michael Jackson as the greatest dancer; however, he's kind of crazy for changing his complexion from black to white.
The secret to our success: no lawyers
You feel that you aren't considered as important as the people living in Beijing.
You tend to save most of your salary in the bank. And though credit cards are not very common, nearly everybody has an ATM card or three.
The normal thing, when a couple dies, is for the elder or the poorer among their children to get a larger piece of the estate.
Spring Festival is in the winter. You spend it with your family, visit your relatives and friends, and have a delicious meal together.
You may think a temple is a holy place. But you don't want to live in it.
You'd be hard-pressed to name the capitals or the leaders of all the nations of Asia.
You will never leave a message at the beep. Most of the time, in fact, there is no beep.
Villas are built for wealthy men and foreigners.
You are distrustful of welfare. You want the government to improve social security and health care.
If you want to be a doctor, you need to get a doctor's degree. Otherwise, you can't get a job in a good hospital.
You don't think you will need a lawyer during your lifetime.
If you are male and your girlfriend is late for a meeting, you must wait there and be patient, and when she arrives, you should still smile. If you are female and your boyfriend arrives late, you will be very angry, and you will accuse him of not loving you. But after you are married, the above will be reversed.
The things you expect to bargain for are houses, cars, consumer electronics, clothing, food... If possible, you will haggle for just about anything. Haggling is to prevent you from being cheated or ripped off.
You will feel uncomfortable if a stranger--with the exception of a good-looking member of the opposite sex--is talking to you from closer than a meter away. If you are in a crowded supermarket, train, bus, queue--just about anywhere, as a matter of fact--you will have no choice but to bump into and push other people. In this case, comfort or discomfort is irrelevant: your only concern is for your personal belongings.
Once you're past college, you very rarely simply show up at someone's place. But you and your classmates/roommates will plan a meeting every few years to talk about your life and have a meal together.


INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, May 15, 2018) – The welcome sight of Indy cars turning left on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval ushered in the official start of practice for the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on Tuesday, in preparation for the 102nd running of the iconic race on May 27.
Team Penske's Simon Pagenaud led the way as all 35 entered drivers completed laps on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. The driver of the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet ran a best lap of 225.787 mph in the two-hour session that started the day. Teammate Helio Castroneves, in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet, was fastest in a three-hour end-of-day session at 224.665 mph. Castroneves' lap ranked second overall to Pagenaud.
"The (No.) 22 Menards car is looking really, really fast," said Pagenaud, the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series champion whose best Indy 500 finish in six tries was eighth in 2013. "It was a very productive day, so, yeah, (I) felt pretty happy.
In between the two open practices, a two-hour session allowed Dale Coyne Racing's Zachary Claman De Melo – named early Tuesday to replace the injured Pietro Fittipaldi in the No. 19 Paysafe Honda – to complete his Indy 500 rookie orientation program and one-off veterans James Davison, Oriol Servia and Stefan Wilson to finish refresher programs.
The day also featured the official return to Verizon IndyCar Series racing for Danica Patrick, who's looking to complete the "Danica Double" and end her racing career in the Indianapolis 500 after racing in NASCAR's Daytona 500 in February.
Patrick ran 91 laps and was 20th on the overall speed chart with a lap of 222.728 mph in the No. 13 GoDaddy Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing.
"I felt like it was a really solid day," said Patrick, the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500 (19 laps in 2005) and highest female finisher in race history (third in 2009). "I feel like the car has a lot of good natural speed in it. It was very smooth. We tried a handful of things and found some stuff that worked.
Castroneves likewise made his official return to the IMS oval. After 20 years driving Indy cars for a living, the 43-year-old Brazilian moved full time to Team Penske's new sports car program this season, but is back this month in search of a record-tying fourth Indy 500 triumph.
Patrick's teammate, ECR owner/driver Ed Carpenter, logged the fastest lap of the day without benefit of a tow from a car in front, 221.564 mph, in the No. 20 Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet. In total, 2,261 laps were turned by the 34 drivers without incident. Practice was stopped twice for a total of 71 minutes for light rain and lightning at the track.
Practice resumes from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. ET Wednesday through Friday, with a live stream available each day on RaceControl.IndyCar.com, youtube.com/indycar and the INDYCAR Mobile app.
Qualifying to determine the 33-car field takes place Saturday and Sunday. ABC will broadcast the climactic two hours of qualifications each day, from 4-6 p.m.
The 102nd Indianapolis 500 airs live beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 27 on ABC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.


text:
Die Verfassung des Königreichs Ägypten von 1953 war die provisorische Verfassung Ägyptens von 1953 bis 1956. Die Verfassung gilt als Übergang von der konstitutionellen ägyptisch-sudanesischen Monarchie der seit 1805 regierenden Dynastie des Muhammad Ali zur Republik Ägypten. Sie wurde vom seit der Revolution vom 1952 regierenden Militärregime der Bewegung der Freien Offiziere unter dem Vorsitz von Muhammad Nagib und Gamal Abdel Nasser am 10. Februar 1953 erlassen.

Die Verfassung von 1953 war die elfte und letzte Verfassung unter der Herrschaft der Muhammad Ali-Dynastie. Sie besaß formal auch im britisch-ägyptischen Kondominium Sudan Gültigkeit, verankerte aber nicht die ägyptischen Ansprüche auf das Gebiet.

Vorgeschichte
Am 23. Juli 1952 wurde der ägyptisch-sudanesische König Faruq in einem unblutigen Militärputsch gestürzt. Das neu an die Macht gekommene Militärregime begann als Teil seines revolutionären Programms mit dem Umbau des ägyptischen Staates von einer pluralistischen konstitutionell-parlamentarischen Monarchie zur Einparteien-Militärdiktatur. Am 26. Juli 1952 musste Faruq zu Gunsten seines minderjährigen Sohnes Fu'ād II. abdanken, Beamte und Gefolgsleute des alten Regimes wurden entlassen oder verhaftet und im August 1952 alle politischen Parteien und monarchistischen Vereine zwangsaufgelöst. Viele der vom Militärregime nach dem Putsch erlassenen Gesetze, Verordnungen und Dekrete hatten verfassungsdurchbrechenden Charakter. Beispielsweise konnte die Militärregierung Dekrete mit Gesetzeskraft erlassen und war formal nur gegenüber dem den Monarchen vertretenden Regentschaftsrat unter der Führung des Prinzen Muhammad Abdel Moneim verantwortlich. Am 10. Dezember 1952 wurde die alte Verfassung von 1923 außer Kraft gesetzt und eine dreijährige Übergangsperiode proklamiert. Am 10. Februar 1953 wurde nach einer mehrmonatigen Ausarbeitungszeit die neue Übergangsverfassung erlassen und verkündet.

Aufbau
Die Verfassung trug offiziell den Titel Verfassungserklärung. Ihr Ziel war es die verfassungsrechtlichen Grundlagen während der Übergangsperiode zu etablieren und die Rechte und Pflichten aller Bürger zu organisieren. Hinzu kam die Regierungsform.

Viele Grundsätze der Verfassung wurden nicht umgesetzt oder missachtet.

Monarch
Die Verfassung definierte Ägypten als parlamentarische Monarchie mit einer starken Regierung. Viele Rechte des Monarchen wurden dem neu geschaffenen Amt des Führers der Revolution als Vorsitzenden des Ägyptischen Revolutionären Kommandorat beziehungsweise dem Premierminister übertragen. Dem Monarch wurde der Oberbefehl über die Streitkräfte entzogen. Zudem wurde der Premierminister künftig vom Revolutionären Kommandorat ernannt. Die Souveränität übte ebenfalls nicht mehr der Monarch, sondern der Führer der Revolution aus (Art. 8.).

Regierung
Artikel 9 und 10 übertrugen der Königlich Ägyptischen Regierung (offiziell nun Ministerrat genannt) die gesetzgebende und exekutive Gewalt. Diese sollte in gemeinsamen Konferenzen mit dem Revolutionären Kommandorat die allgemeine Politik des Staates und verwandte Themen behandeln (Art. 11).

Parlament
Ein Parlament als Volksvertretung war in der Verfassung nicht vorgesehen.

Judikative
Die Judikative wurde als unabhängig definiert und hatte keine andere Autorität als das Gesetz. Ihre Rechtsprechung erfolgte nicht mehr im Namen des Königs, sondern im Namen der Nation (Art. 7). Der Kommandorat hatte aber gegenüber allen Urteilen ein Vetorecht und ein Begnadigungsrecht (Art. 8)

Status der Religion
Die Verfassung bekräftigte die Glaubens- und Gewissensfreiheit. Der Islam war im Gegensatz zur Verfassung von 1923 nun auch offiziell nicht mehr Staatsreligion. Ihm wurde aber eine besondere Stellung zuerkannt. Neue Gesetze wurden deswegen nur unter Einhaltung der Scharia verabschiedet.

Ablösung
Am 18. Juni 1953 wurde in Ägypten die Republik ausgerufen. Sämtliche Bezüge zur Monarchie wurden aus der Verfassung gestrichen und die Kompetenzen des Monarchen dem neuen Amt des Präsidenten von Ägypten übertragen. Am 16. Januar 1956 wurde von Gamal Abdel Nasser nach einem Referendum eine neue Verfassung aufgesetzt.

Siehe auch
 Verfassung der Republik Ägypten

Literatur
 Dolf Sternberger, Bernhard Vogel, Dieter Nohlen, Klaus Landfried (Hrsg.): Die Wahl der Parlamente und anderer Staatsorgane / Band II: Afrika: Politische Organisation und Repräsentation in Afrika De Gruyter, 1978, ISBN 978-3-11-004518-5.

Einzelnachweise

Verfassungsgeschichte (Königreich Ägypten)
Historische Verfassung (Ägypten)
Rechtsquelle (20. Jahrhundert)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Melana al'Cairera
Melana is an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah. She is bonded to Janos Audron and Toral Delvar.
Real Name Victoria
Location The Netherlands
Birthday March 18
Affiliation Green Ajah
Join Date Nov 19, 2001/Mar 26, 2007
Bonded to Janos Audron and Toral Delvar
2.4 Other Recognition
Joined TarValon.Net: March 26, 2007
Raised Accepted: August 1, 2007
Raised Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah: November 2, 2007
Joined TarValon.Net: November 19, 2001
Joined Tower: November 19, 2001
Raised Accepted: December 2, 2001
Aspired to the Blue Ajah: December 14, 2001
Raised Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah: January 18, 2002
Retired: June 25, 2006
Sitter for the Green Ajah: Fall 2013
Director of Moderators: November 17, 2007 - May 2, 2009
Mistress of the Watch: June 2007 - November 17, 2007
Mistress of Novices: July 12, 2005 - May 9, 2006
Sitter for the Blue Ajah:
July 1, 2005 to July 16, 2005
Head of the Blue Ajah: March 6, 2003 - August 6, 2004
Tower Voice: January 21, 2002 - March 9, 2003
Library Articles
Library Editor
Amyrlin's Award: Member of the Year - 2011
Members' Choice Award: Best Membership Admin - 2003 and 2004
Members' Choice Award: Silliest Member - 2006
Members' Choice Award: Most Likely to Take Over the Tower - 2008
Other Recognition
Green Most Likely To Take Over The Tower Award - Annual Green Awards - 2010
Bonded to Janos Audron, Gaidin of Dai M'Hael: December 20, 2007 - present
Bonded to Toral Delvar, Gaidin: June 8, 2009 - present
Bonded to Janos Audron, Gaidin of Dai M'Hael: April 12, 2002 - June 25, 2006
Eleyan Teyal Al'Landerin, Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah
Mellyn al'Baya, Accepted
Sarai Aelthas, Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah
Lyoness al'Thorn t'Morsin, Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah
Eveanyn al'Grace, Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah
Euro Party 2003 - Brandon, UK
Euro Party 2011 - Much Wenlock, Shropshire, UK
Why did you choose Green?
It just fit. The temperament of the group resembles my own, and I feel comfortable there.
Are you like the Greens in the books? Do you like to have fun with men? Are you a fierce warrior?
I don't really remember much what the Greens in the books were like so I don't know. I guess I haven't really thought it over much. As for 'fun with men,' I guess that depends on the definition. I do like them else I wouldn't have bonded two awesome Warders, right? Fierce warrior... I've a high color belt in Tae Kwon Do, does that count?
Do you have a favorite Green Ajah character from the novels?
Yes, I always loved Elayne. I remember that she always amused me a lot when reading the books.
I started reading them in 1994 and once I got past the dreadful prologue (that's how I felt about it at age 13 anyway) and the walk through the woods , I was hooked.
The cover. *cough* The (translated) first book was on the shelf at the grocery store we always went to, and I liked the cover, so eventually I went to the library and picked it up.
Moiraine. I mostly kept reading the books because of her character, actually.
THE DARK ONE. I mean, the dude gets to talk in all caps and without punctuation marks, ya know?
Favorite book: New Spring. They're all so naive and young and you just feel like you wanna pick'em up and squish'em cuz they are SO CUTE! Favorite scene: The one in The Great Hunt where Moiraine and Lan are at Vandene and Adeleas' house, and she confronts him about his feelings for Nynaeve, and then the whole incident with the pond is brought up. Love that scene!
The Dark One succeeding in taking over the world is who I would see myself as.
At the moment, I study languages, digital media and information technology.
WoW and writing, I guess. I used to do a lot of other things too, like knitting and crocheting and cross-stitching and coding and drawing and readng and tons of other stuff, but the days are too short nowadays to fill it all in.
Right now my favorites are Lady Gaga and Rihanna. But I also love Pink, David Bowie and Johnny Cash, and I can play Alice Cooper's Poison over and over and over and over and over.
I absolutely ADORE Legend of the Seeker; I've written like over 50 fanfics for that show alone! I also love Dexter, Buffy, Futurama, Silk Stalkings and Silent Witness. Movies would be Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Kill Bill vol I and II, most things by Hayao Miyazaki, Cruel Intentions, Taran and the Black Cauldron, Mulan, Finding Nemo, the three first Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Sleepy Hollow, The Fifth Element and the Harry Potter movies.
Most things by Anne Bishop, especially her books that are set in the world of the Black Jewels. Also, the Harry Potter books, Lord of the Rings, Sword of Truth, the Hunger Games, many books by Margit Sandemo (like The Legend of the Ice People), many books by Stephen King and many of the children's books written by Roald Dahl and Astrid Lindgren.
Princess, firewoman, doctor, policewoman, veterinarian and prime minister. In that order.
Retrieved from "http://library.tarvalon.net/index.php?title=Melana_al%27Cairera&oldid=168970"
Dutch Members
Europe Members
Green Ajah Interviews
Absent Green Ajah Aes Sedai
Absent Dai M'Hael Bondmates
Former Blue Ajah Aes Sedai


A simple example of how to make a html table from a json list.
Good stuff! I used a slightly modified version (I had nested JSON), but the general idea was the same. Thanks!
Do u mind sharing ur version of the code?


I'm use this blog post to keep track of progress on my O. W. L.s for the Magical Readathon.
For each of the prompts below, I'll add a thumbnail of the book I'm reading (that links to Goodreads) and update my reading status throughout the month. I'll also color code the prompts to correspond with the prompt status. Green will mean done. Orange is in-progress. Normal text color (I think this is grey?) means that I haven't started yet.
I haven't picked a career yet… If you have any thoughts or suggestions, let me know in the comments.


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RE2 Remake: 'Oh God, a zombie?!' at every noise or shadow.
My heart loves it so far but it also can't handle the spooks, bless it. Great fun though.
Killing Eve sounds great and I love Sandra Oh from her time on Grey's Anatomy, so I may have to give it a watch eventually.
I recommend checking it when you get the chance. It's really grounded which I appreciated. The way co-workers speak is really realistic and it's just a good show to binge. I've only seen Sandra Oh in a few minor things in the past but she's fantastic in this. Fully a fan and will be keeping an eye on her next projects.


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Q: extractFeatures() from the NMF package in R returns empty list for microRNA data I am using the NMF package in R to perform non-negative matrix factorization on RNAseq/microRNAseq data.
My first attempt was with RNAseq data (FPKM data matrix) that has been logged,empty rows removed and converted to fit the non-negativity requirements. This worked beautifully. The extractFeatures() function returned a list of indices which I was then able to use to list the genes in each feature and perform functional (GO-based) analysis on. Yay!
Then, I decided that I'd try the same trick with microRNA data (again FPKM data matrix) treated exactly the same way as RNAseq data.
Data looks something like this
                   SampleA      SampleB     SampleC     SampleD     SampleE
hsa-let-7a-2-3p    0.000000    0.000000    0.000000   0.8858701    0.000000
hsa-let-7a-3p      8.723701   10.169876    8.041837   8.3992046    8.109053
hsa-let-7a-5p     14.996682   12.861308   13.739875  14.0245517   13.901233
hsa-let-7b-3p      4.911069    0.000000    5.399995   5.7433124    5.553784
hsa-let-7b-5p     11.758403   10.788349   11.648344  12.0864421   11.909324
hsa-let-7c        10.480125    6.378711   11.214152  10.2060951   10.852412

I have run through the rank-optimisation steps and found optimal rank (here 4). Following this, I ran the nmf function like so (simplest version possible).
res.mir <- nmf(data,4)

Then, I tried to extractFeatures from this object and I get this....
> s<-extractFeatures(res.mir)
> s
[[1]]
<NA>
  NA

[[2]]
<NA>
  NA

[[3]]
<NA>
  NA

[[4]]
<NA>
  NA

attr(,"method")
[1] "kim"

The only time I have managed to get feature indices are when I use
s1<-extractFeatures(res.mir,method="max")
> s1
[[1]]
<NA>
  NA

[[2]]
[1] 923

[[3]]
[2] 258  20 308 561 591

[[4]]
<NA>
  NA

attr(,"method")
[1] "max"

But, in this case, I only get indices for some of the features not all 4. Bizarre given I can see 4 features!
Questions

*

*Does anyone have any advice as to how to get the features out of an NMFfitX1 object ?

*Alternatively, does anyone know why I'm being returned an empty list ?

Thank you so much for your time!

A: try  extractFeatures(res.mir, 30), which mean top-30 features in each component. But I didn't find out why it returns NAs default.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Staying the course
WANG YANGYANG/FOR CHINA DAILY
China will continue to forge ahead with fortitude, which is good news for the world
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China concluded with a positive message of openness to the world, and countries have since been weighing ways to better interact with the world's second-largest economy.
The event underscored the achievement of China becoming the major trading partner of over 140 countries and regions, leading the world in the volume of trade in goods which accounts for about 18.5 percent of the global total, up about 7.2 percentage points over the past decade. The report delivered at the 20th CPC National Congress stated that "we must keep to our path and not sway in our commitment. We must not return to the isolation and rigidity of the past, or veer off course by changing our nature or abandoning our system". It was the recognition of the successful path adopted by China, which echoes with such concepts as multilateralism and global development.
The CPC's confidence in leading the country to achieve modernization is its continued capacity to deliver and produce concrete results. China declared it had eliminated extreme poverty in 2021, with nearly 100 million rural villagers lifted out of that state during the past decade, against the whole background of more than 800 million people lifted out of extreme poverty in the past 40 years in China. Also, by the end of the past decade, several cities and rural areas were clearly closing the gaps of life expectancy with advanced countries. More recently, in September 2022, the life expectancy of China passed that of the United States.
In view of the above-mentioned facts and figures, China can play a role in international development beyond zero-sum games competition. The inclusive Belt and Road Initiative, since it was first proposed in 2013 by China, has been open to all countries willing to join hands to build a cooperative platform to connect continents along the routes through cooperation programs that boost their economies and promote people-to-people exchanges. It has, in effect, contributed to transforming the concept of an "international community" -- which until recently meant a handful of countries in the Northern Hemisphere -- by giving the Global South countries broader development opportunities and choices, and offering developed countries greater interconnective potential.
In more practical terms, the Belt and Road Initiative sets out to fill a vacuum, regionally and globally, in tandem with parallel organizations such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Together, both have contributed dramatically to expanding connectivity and exchanges. In fact, both have triggered synergies primarily through networks with other initiatives across Asia, such as the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the Greater Mekong Subregional Economic Cooperation Program, among others.
Taking Africa as another example, among many other projects, China has participated in the construction of Sudan's Merowe Dam, a pipeline and a railway from South Sudan to the Indian Ocean, and rebuilt Kenya's railway to Lake Victoria, originally laid but subsequently abandoned in colonial times.
Beyond Asia and Africa, the Belt and Road Initiative's impact is also apparent in Latin America, and expected to gain greater visibility in the current decade in both the Andes and the Amazon regions through infrastructure deployments already underway. Trade with China, having increased about 17-fold since 2001, also reflects their closer bilateral ties.
In view of the above-mentioned successful interactions, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. The initiative's main goals coincide with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
China is prepared to push the Global Development Initiative forward. One of the more recent indicators, the 2022 Global Innovation Index released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, shows China in 11th place among 132 economies, up one place from its 2021 ranking. The trajectory shows its elevation in rank for 10 consecutive years. Sci-tech innovation is a driving force for global development and China attaches great importance to innovation. And the main elements already mentioned contribute to a sense of a shared future for humankind and to a new kind of multilateralism.
In view of the path followed by the world's most populated country, which contributes one-third of the global growth and is the author of several kinds of development initiatives over the past decade, and which is intent on continuing to be a powerful engine of intercontinental economic traction in the coming decade, the future outlook for the world is positive.
The author is a professor of the Esade Educational Institution in Ramon Llull University and the director of the Dialogue with China Project, Spain. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.


It's hard to come out of this episode feeling anything other than discomfort because it was an exhilarating, entertaining hour from start to finish on one hand, but equally frustrating on the other. And the worst part is knowing that literally ANYTHING can happen on the next episode of Gotham.
While other shows definitely benefit from this unpredictability, this show just can't seem to be consistent. A Barbara-centric hour was going to be terrific this season no matter what the writers decided to do with the story because Barbara (and Erin Richards by proximity) has gone through a massive change this year. Turning the iconic character into a crazy, badass villain certainly helped the show in the short-term because Richards absolutely nails every single menacing scene she gets. Her perfect dose of vulnerability and creepiness is an awesome welcome change that's done wonders for this season. But it does make you wonder where in the world they're taking this character if she's ever supposed to become the future commissioner's wife that everyone loves.
The best parts of Tonight's The Night happen when Jim and Bullock are in the police car with a chained Barbara in the back leading the way. Everything suddenly feels well-structured and developed because Barbara knows that Jim doesn't trust her anymore and she's already crafted her plot to capture him. The car crash literally gave me chills and I'm willing to call that the most shocking thing that's happened on this show thus far, especially as it leads to Babs (wedding dress and all) locking Jim and Lee up in a church (even if questions like where and how Barbara was able to capture Leslie are up in the air). In fact, this was such an outrageously shocking episode that I thought the show was even willing to kill Barbara for the sake of the story, but she survived that dreadful fall (thank goodness).
Sadly, I haven't been enjoying much of Bruce lately because the writing is absolutely horrendous on this show. This character has become the dullest one alive (next to Selina Kyle of course) and it didn't help to see him squirm under Galavan's little ploys. Plus, the envelope that contains the name of the Waynes' killer was so contrived, it hurt to watch a little. What a cheap subplot that only ended even worse than it started: Bruce screaming at the envelope burning on fire.
The Nygma stuff was as detached from the rest of the show as always, but the final scene certainly has potential. The Riddler and Penguin teaming up is exactly what this season needed to up the stakes a little more and add some game-changing tactics to a suffering show. I'm indeed hopeful, for once, but I surely know better than to expect anything spectacular from Gotham anymore. Let this show die as painfully as it started; there's no way it can ever be as good as it wants.
– I'm hate-watching this show so much, it hurts to write "bat bits" because this show just doesn't deserve it.
– How epic was the teaser? Yes, it was obviously a dream sequence, but what a fantastic way to start an episode!
– So why did Jim kiss Barbara in the interrogation room, knowing that Lee was on the other side of that window?
– Speaking of which, how creepily awesome was Barbara when she stood up and stared at Lee in the face from across a two-way mirror?
– The part where Jim looks at Barbara through the rear view mirror of the car was sloppy and clearly fake.
– I just wish Tabitha was with her in that church, causing even more trouble for Jim and Leslie.
– The way Bullock discovers where Jim and Lee are held captive is cringe-worthy.
– Leslie has been extremely sidelined this season, it's a true shame. Everything she said and did when Babs had her imprisoned was lame.
– Hysterical: Barbara also capturing Father Callahan and a bunch of other witnesses.
– I actually kind of felt bad when Barbara told Jim she loved him as she fell off the building.
– Anyone else notice Nygma's license plate "RIDL LOVR"?
– Galavan gets locked up in the final 5 minutes, but there's no way we've seen the end of this character. Who else bets on Tabitha and Barbara breaking him out?
Bullock: No one's ever accused me of getting sucked into mind-games.
Alfred: Wayne Enterprises isn't Thomas and Martha Wayne's legacy. That legacy is standing right here, with me.
Barbara [to Leslie]: Hey, girlfriend. We really need to talk about this bad boy.
Barbara: I'm gonna prove that I love him more. I am going to carve your pretty face off your skull. And then you will both understand what true love is.
Even with all of its many faults, this show can still produce a gripping hour of television.
I highly doubt this Barbara is meant to be Commissioner Gordon's future wife unless they plan on giving her an extensive rehabilitation arc in which she climbs her way out of insanity and makes up for the terrible things she's done. That would take several seasons to be successfully carried out.
Right? Redeeming Barbara seems absolutely impossible at this point. She's too far gone I guess.
I certainly hope the show doesn't last several seasons!!! It doesn't deserve it AT ALL.
Hahah Chris u killed me! Perfectly written review!
Chris, I know which is one of the reasons why I doubt Barbara will become Gordon's future wife.


In the 2014 FIFA Men's World Cup, United States forward Clint Dempsey put the U.S. soccer men's national team on top early against Ghana with a left-footed blast that found the back of the net after less than a minute into the game. The Ghanaians tied the game with less than 10 minutes to play with a late goal from midfielder André Ayew.
But the Americans would respond.
After winning a U.S. corner in the 86th minute, midfielder Graham Zusi served a cross into the box and found defender John Brooks who headed the ball home for a game-winning goal. From the Londoner, a two-story Baton Rouge soccer pub, fans watching exploded with excitement.
The American Outlaws is a U.S. soccer supporters group established in 2007 in Lincoln, Nebraska, and has expanded to 187 chapters located throughout the country.
Jones founded Baton Rouge's chapter in 2011 after seeing interest in soccer spike during the 2010 World Cup. He posted on TigerDroppings.com, a sports-focused Baton Rouge area message board, to inform people of the club, and found 25 members, the number required to officially start the group.
Throughout the past five years, Jones and club Vice President Jason Bordelon have hosted watch parties for every U.S. match. That time and effort has grown the club from its founding 25 members into a passionate support group of more than 200 members.
After Dempsey's goal, The Londoner co-owner Luke Betts experienced firsthand the club's growth.
Fans in the upstairs bar burst with excitement, shaking the first floor ceiling. As a result, they added additional wooden support downstairs to prevent the second floor from caving in.
The atmosphere and support are what draws members into the group, according to American Outlaw member Cleve Hardman.
Hardman became an Outlaw shortly after the founding of the group and has been with the chapter ever since. He said he has loved soccer since he was a child.
As a student at Southern Methodist University, he was a trainer for the school's varsity soccer team and was there at the same time as former U.S. Women's National Team coach Greg Ryan, who played for SMU in the '70s. Hardman lived in Europe for nearly six years, and he said the nationalism of soccer across the pond is something unique to the sport.
The unique aspects of the sport were attributes Jones wanted to bring to Louisiana.
The president wanted one thing since the club was founded – to attend a U.S. match in Louisiana. On Dec. 16, 2015 he got his wish.
The USWNT was set to play a friendly against China in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Americans ultimately fell 1-nil, but Jones said he relished the experience.
Despite the growth of the club, Jones' tenure as president is coming to a close. He was waiting for Copa America, a soccer tournament between North and South American countries, to conclude before establishing an election procedure, because the group has never had one before.
Jones is the father of a newborn baby, and his work life has led to his need to step down.
The president, founder and co-founder of the Baton Rouge American Outlaws. Photo by Brandon Ore.
The national anthem plays at The Londoner. Photo by Brandon Ore.
The U.S. scores a goal while fans watch the game. Photo by Brandon Ore.


Helmut Lang has evolved since its 90s star turn as the de facto embodiment of streamlined, utilitarian cool. Still functional but decidedly more feminine and youthful, the label is looking towards a refresh on its irreverent New York attitude. Casually edgy and decidedly versatile, the current collections feature main line signatures like draping, asymmetry and semi-sheer jersey. Body-con basics in monochrome hues and ultra-soft cashmere, leather and wool make Mark Howard Thomas's Helmut Lang a natural go-to for downtown polish coupled with effortless chic.


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You are here: Home / News / Students hit hole-in-one with golf course construction
Students hit hole-in-one with golf course construction
December 3, 2018 by Breven Campbell
Engineering students showcased golf course construction projects on Nov. 29 after weeks of planning and building.
For two years, students taking Introduction to Engineering and Physics have been assigned a class project that divides them into groups of three to construct a golf course. Each team is given a budget of $150 and an Arduino kit to control motors and lights.
To begin construction, each team chose a theme for their course. Themes included recent movies such as "James Bond", "Frozen", "The Hobbit" and "Spider-Man." Each theme won an award.
Ally Brant, Jared Mayfield and McKenna Towell with their Frozen themed golf course
There were four awards groups could win. Those categories include: best incorporation of electronics, judges choice for best hole, best presentation and people's choice for best hole.
The James bond theme was awarded the best incorporation of electronics, Frozen won judges choice for best hole, Hobbit won best presentation and Spider-Man won the peoples choice for best hole.
Evan Smith, sophomore math major from Saginaw, was on a team that chose a theme of a winterized Skee-Ball.
"Our thought process was about how to make the course challenging, fun and memorable," Smith sad. "I would definitely change the par. We made par much harder to attain than the average for the course by approximately two strokes."
"From the very start, my team and I always knew we wanted to do a golf hole from some sort of Disney movie," said Ally Brant, a member of the team whose theme was "Frozen".
Brant said the team though of multiple plans during their brainstorming process to incorporate a movie.
"Our deciding factor came down to how much fun we thought each hole would be," Brant said. "In our chart we made, it showed that the 'Frozen' theme was the winner of how fun the hole would be. Meaning that we would build the 'Frozen' golf course we designed."
This project was a chance for students to work in a group and practice what they learned in their introduction class and put it into work.
"During the whole process, my team and I had to learn how to communicate with each other and had to learn how to learn how to get along during late nights trying to work on the hole," Brant said.
About Breven Campbell