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The Supreme Court's Religious-Freedom Message: There Are No Second-Class Citizens
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Public programs must be open to all.
While there are many threats to religious liberty, few are more consequential over the long term than the state's ever-expanding role in private life. If the government is able to vacuum up tax dollars, create programs large and small for public benefit, and then exclude religious individuals or institutions from those programs, it has functionally created two tiers of citizenship. Secular individuals and institutions enjoy full access to the government they fund, while religious individuals and institutions find themselves funding a government that overtly discriminates against them.
That's the issue the Supreme Court addressed today in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer. By a 7–2 margin, the Court held that when a state creates a neutral program for public benefit — in this case, a program that uses scrap tires to provide rubberized safety flooring for playgrounds — it can't exclude a church from that program, even if that means state benefits flow directly to a house of worship. Justice Roberts, writing for the majority, was emphatic:
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has not subjected anyone to chains or torture on account of religion. And the result of the State's policy is nothing so dramatic as the denial of political office. The consequence is, in all likelihood, a few extra scraped knees. But the exclusion of Trinity Lutheran from a public benefit for which it is otherwise qualified, solely because it is a church, is odious to our Constitution all the same, and cannot stand.
The Court's holding, secured by my friends and former colleagues at the Alliance Defending Freedom, is significant for two reasons. First, it places another brick in a wall of precedent that stands for the proposition that once the state creates a neutral program — one designed neither to advance nor to inhibit religious practice — it can't exclude citizens or institutions from that program merely because they're religious. Under these precedents, churches are able to worship in government buildings, religious student groups may access student activity fees to fund their campus outreach, parents may send their children to religious schools with publicly funded vouchers, and hosts of religious organizations may participate in public–private partnerships to serve our nation's poorest and most vulnerable citizens. So entrenched is this precedent that it would have been a legal earthquake had the Court ruled against the church.
Second, seven of the nine justices concurred in the result of the case. This means that the principle of religious nondiscrimination in public programs has broad judicial support. Indeed, in recent years the Court has decided a number of significant religious-freedom cases unanimously or with overwhelming majorities. Yes, the Hobby Lobby case was a classically contentious 5–4 ruling, but other significant cases (such as Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC, which kept the government out of significant church-hiring decisions, and Little Sisters of the Poor) achieved consensus.
Constitutional doctrine is usually created not by a judicial grand slam but rather through a long series of singles, stolen bases, and walks. Even the biggest cases rarely come out of nowhere but are rather forecast through other, smaller decisions. This case represents judicial progress — a sharp single into center field — and is well worth celebrating.
There are, however, storm clouds on the horizon. Justice Sotomayor wrote a sharply worded dissent (Ruth Bader Ginsburg joined) claiming that the Court's decision "profoundly changes" the relationship between church and state "by holding, for the first time, that the Constitution requires the government to provide public funds directly to a church." But this is overwrought. Again, given existing precedent, the "profound change" would have been a ruling against the church. The Court would have sanctioned outright anti-religious discrimination in areas as benign as tire recycling and playground resurfacing. That would have pushed Establishment Clause jurisprudence back from its trending neutrality to the outright anti-religious hostility of the most far-left judicial activists.
This case represents judicial progress and is well worth celebrating.
Moreover, the case created consensus in part because it didn't touch on the hot-button cultural conflict between religious freedom and the sexual revolution. Just before the Supreme Court announced its ruling in Trinity Lutheran, it also announced that it would hear a Christian baker's appeal in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a case that could determine whether the state can compel citizens to lend their artistic talents to celebrate events they consider to be immoral. In this case, the question is whether a Christian baker can be required to help celebrate a gay wedding. It would be surprising indeed to see anything other than a 5–4 decision in that case, with Justice Kennedy likely providing the swing vote.
But that's tomorrow's concern. Today was a good day for religious liberty. Seven of nine justices took a hard look at a government program that explicitly discriminated on the basis of religion and rejected it out of hand. Today's message was clear. People of faith aren't second-class citizens, and their churches are entitled to equal treatment under the law.
In Trinity Lutheran, One Question Exposed Missouri's Historical Hostility to Religion
Do Safer Playgrounds 'Advance Religion'?
Editorial: Trump's Half Measure on Religious Liberty
— David French is a senior writer for National Review, a senior fellow at the National Review Institute, and an attorney.
David French is a senior writer for National Review, a senior fellow at the National Review Institute, and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.	@DavidAFrench
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Q: how to create empty parameter in in pytorch tensor variable from torch import FloatTensor

def new_parameter(*size): #1024
    out = torch.nn.Parameter(FloatTensor(*size), requires_grad=True)
    torch.nn.init.xavier_normal_(out)
    return out

at = new_parameter(1024, 1)
output is
Parameter containing:
tensor([[ 0.0203],
        [-0.0043],
        [-0.0386],
        ...,
        [-0.0084],
        [-0.0289],
        [-0.0188]], requires_grad=True)

similarway we can create
bt=torch.randn((1024,1),requires_grad=True)

output also same
tensor([[-1.5478],
        [ 1.5060],
        [ 0.1580],
        ...,
        [ 0.9754],
        [ 0.1699],
        [ 0.2062]], requires_grad=True)

are there any differences in a tensor variable the above two ways? please explain the above code in simply

A: The first method will initialize a random float tensor, then wrap it with nn.Parameter. Which is generally used to register than tensor as a parameter to a nn.Module (not seen here). A utility function nn.init.xavier_normal_ is then applied on that parameter to initialize its values.
The second method only initializes a random float tensor.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC — Certified sports nutritionist and world class stand up paddleboard competitor Victoria Burgess is joining the Paddle Monster team as its nutrition coach, starting February 1, 2019. Burgess has CISSN certification as a Sports Nutritionist and is pursuing a PhD in Health and Human Performance.
Paddle Monster will be offering three different monthly sports nutrition programs ranging from a basic level with monthly nutrition and supplement discussions and information to two more advanced, personalized 1-on-1 programs that include Macronutrient and/or supplement strategy and consultation sessions. Programs begin on February 1st. Paddlers interested in dialing in their nutrition for 2019 can get more information here and get on the waiting list.
Paddle Monster is a subscription-based paddlesports coaching and training platform that gives everyday, "Joe and Jane" paddlers access to the best coaching and training information available. The community of paddlers train with weekly programs, receive videos and articles on paddle topics, discuss issues, gear, and questions about all things paddling.
The paddle coaching platform was founded by Larry Cain, an Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist and Olympic Paddle Coach for Team Canada and John Beausang, publisher of The Distressed Mullet (distressedmullet.com)—one of the most popular paddling sites in the world. Paddle Monster coaches include Cain, multiple world champion, Travis Grant, world record holder Seychelle Webster, and former Team Canada olympic paddle strength coach Chris Chapman.


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Amazon reportedly planning holiday toy catalog, mimicking traditional retailers
Published Thu, Jul 5 2018 9:41 AM EDT Updated Thu, Jul 5 2018 12:04 PM EDT
Amelia Lucas
Amazon is planning to publish a holiday toy catalog, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.
The strategy would be the online retailer's latest move to mimic traditional retailers.
The failure of Toys R Us puts market share in toys up for grabs.
A Bratz doll sits on a shelf in the Amazon distribution centre.
Michael Crabtree | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Amazon is planning to publish a holiday toy catalog, following a strategy employed by traditional retailers, including Walmart and now-defunct Toys R Us.
People with familiar with the strategy told Bloomberg the catalog would be mailed to millions of U.S. households and distributed at Whole Foods locations. In 2007, the online giant published a hot-holiday toy list on its website, according to Bloomberg.
Amazon declined CNBC's request for comment.
The catalog represents another move from the online retailer to incorporate strategies used by brick-and-mortar stores. Having a wide selection of toys at good prices is a way to woo shoppers during the holiday season. Parents often begin buying toys for their children during the fall.
This year, many retailers will be looking to snatch up business that would have gone to Toys R Us. Party City, for example, plans to open temporary toy shops later this year.
Bloomberg reports that Amazon also considered acquiring Toys R Us locations earlier this year after the toy retailer filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to shutter U.S. operations.
Last year, the online giant bought Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, expanding its physical footprint.
Read more about Amazon's plans in Bloomberg's report.
Walmart Inc
Amazon.com Inc

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"Mission Accomplished" -- Premier Holding Corporation Completes Acquisition of Power Supplier Expanding Its Deregulated Power Enterprises
May 09, 2016 07:00 ET | Source: Premier Holding Corporation
TUSTIN, CA--(Marketwired - May 9, 2016) - Premier Holding Corporation (OTCQB: PRHL) announces that it has completed the terms of an LOI to purchase a FERC-licensed supplier of deregulated energy from WWCD, an Illinois LLC. The terms of the agreement were fulfilled on May 6th, and after final notifications and filings with regulatory agencies are complete, further details will be announced. This acquisition is designed to accelerate dramatic growth and long term stability.
The newly acquired supplier puts the company in a position to grow top line revenues 8 - 10 times higher over the next 18 to 24 months as well as increasing profits just by the integration of its current business of reselling or brokering power. Now the company will capture additional profits generated by buying power wholesale and selling at retail through this supplier. This growth does not include the recruitment of outside resellers that we anticipate will sell for the supplier as well. We believe we can provide services beyond the scope of many other suppliers by allowing them access to ESP (Energy Services Portal) which provides an end to end system for selling, tracking and accounting. This proprietary sales portal will streamline sales efforts, enforce compliance, and increase productivity.
PRHL's President and CEO Randall Letcavage stated, "This transaction indicates proof of fulfillment of the corporate mission and strategic plan to provide 'everything energy' to our nationwide clientele. Each customer we acquire adds approximately $500 in enterprise value to the company. We have sold nearly 200,000 customers in recent years through our subsidiaries and with our current marketing machine in place, it is not unreasonable to expect that we can provide energy to 100,000 or more customers over the next 18 months, which could increase our enterprise value by $50,000,000 or more. The completion of this major milestone serves as the 'anchor' for PRHL's business plan to increase revenue and generate profits from all of its various subsidiaries by offering and integrating its entire suite of products and services to its ever expanding database of satisfied customers."
The company expects to use this acquisition as a platform to expand operations and open additional corporate sales offices to support this supplier in four more states within the next 12 to 18 months. These are in addition to existing resellers it expects to recruit.
About Premier Holding Corporation
Under the corporate motto, "Everything Energy," Premier is an energy holding company focused on acquiring and integrating energy companies as synergistic subsidiaries. The Company accumulates residential and commercial clients in deregulated markets from all subsidiaries and cross sells energy and energy efficiency products and services, maximizing profit potential and minimizing cost of client procurement. In addition, Premier Holding provides top line management and financial support, which includes access to capital, financing, legal, insurance, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and management strategies. Additional integrated business offerings include direct energy services as power purchase agreements (PPAs), energy financing and leasing of generation programs in urban and rural real estate environments, lighting efficiency systems and refrigeration systems. For more information visit PRHL Investors Relations www.prhlcorp.com.
Premier Holding Corp. Safe Harbor
This press release contains certain statements that may include "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects," "anticipate," "optimistic," "intend," "will" or other similar expressions. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website at http://www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.
Megan Samson
msamson@prhlcorp.com
Premier Holding Corporation


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Hunchback is een computerpuzzelspel uit 1983 ontwikkeld door Century Electronics en uitgegeven door Ocean Software. Het spel is een side-scrolling platformspel. Het doel van het spel is de defensie van de tegenstander te elimineren zodat de prinses bevrijd kan worden. Steven MacIlwee schreef het spel om voor de Atari 8 bit, maar deze versie kwam nooit verder dan een prototype.

Platforms

Ontvangst

Computerspel uit 1983
Actiespel
Platformspel
Arcadespel
Amstrad CPC-spel
BBC Micro en Acorn Electron-spel
Commodore 64-spel
Commodore VIC-20-spel
DOS-spel
MSX-spel
ZX Spectrum-spel

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Digestive Disorders /
Esophageal and Swallowing Disorders /
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Esophageal and Swallowing Disorders
Overview of the Esophagus
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Overview of Esophageal Obstructions
Abnormal Propulsion of Food
Dysphagia Lusoria
Esophageal Laceration (Mallory-Weiss Syndrome)
Esophageal Pouches (Diverticula)
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Anorectal Fistula
An anorectal fistula is an abnormal channel from the anus or rectum to the skin, usually near the anus, but occasionally near another organ, such as the vagina. Anorectal fistulas are common among patients with each of the following medical conditions EXCEPT:
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Kristle Lee Lynch
, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania
Last full review/revision Oct 2020| Content last modified Oct 2020
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Esophageal ruptures are tears that penetrate the wall of the esophagus.
Ruptures can be caused by surgical procedures, severe vomiting, or swallowing a large piece of food that becomes stuck in the esophagus, but some ruptures occur spontaneously.
Symptoms include chest and abdominal pain, fever, and low blood pressure.
Esophageal rupture can be fatal.
The diagnosis is based on the results of x-rays.
Treatment is surgical repair.
The esophagus Throat and Esophagus The throat (pharynx—see also Throat) lies behind and below the mouth. When food and fluids leave the mouth, they pass through the throat. Swallowing of food and fluids begins voluntarily and... read more is the hollow tube that leads from the throat (pharynx) to the stomach. (See also Overview of the Esophagus Overview of the Esophagus The esophagus is the hollow tube that leads from the throat (pharynx) to the stomach. Food does not just fall through the esophagus into the stomach. The walls of the esophagus propel food to... read more and Overview of Esophageal Injuries Overview of Esophageal Injuries The esophagus (the hollow tube that leads from the throat to the stomach) is rather difficult to injure but it can be injured gradually by backflow of acid from the stomach (gastroesophageal... read more .)
Rupture of the esophagus is a very serious condition that is usually caused during endoscopy Endoscopy Endoscopy is an examination of internal structures using a flexible viewing tube (endoscope). Endoscopy can also be used to treat many disorders because doctors are able to pass instruments... read more (examination of the esophagus with a flexible viewing tube) or other procedures in which instruments are inserted through the mouth and throat. Ruptures also may occur during vomiting, retching, or swallowing a large piece of food that becomes stuck in the esophagus. Such rupture is called Boerhaave syndrome. Some ruptures occur spontaneously, especially in people who have untreated eosinophilic esophagitis Eosinophilic Esophagitis Eosinophilic esophagitis is an inflammatory disorder in which the wall of the esophagus becomes filled with large numbers of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell. This disorder may be caused... read more .
An esophageal rupture allows air, stomach acid, and/or food to leave the esophagus, which causes severe inflammation in the chest (mediastinitis Mediastinitis Mediastinitis is inflammation of the mediastinum (the chest cavity, which contains the heart, the thymus gland, some lymph nodes, and parts of the esophagus, aorta, thyroid, and parathyroid... read more ). Fluid may collect around the lungs, a condition called pleural effusion Pleural Effusion Pleural effusion is the abnormal accumulation of fluid in the pleural space (the area between the two layers of the thin membrane that covers the lungs). Fluid can accumulate in the pleural... read more .
Symptoms of Esophageal Ruptures
Symptoms of rupture of the esophagus include chest pain, abdominal pain, vomiting, vomiting blood, low blood pressure, and fever.
Diagnosis of Esophageal Ruptures
X-rays of the chest and abdomen
Esophagography
To diagnose ruptures of the esophagus, doctors take x-rays of the chest and abdomen.
Doctors confirm the diagnosis by doing esophagography. In this test, doctors take an x-ray or video of the esophagus after the person swallows a liquid (a contrast agent Radiographic Contrast Agents During imaging tests, contrast agents may be used to distinguish one tissue or structure from its surroundings or to provide greater detail. Contrast agents include Radiopaque contrast agents... read more ) that makes the lining of the esophagus visible on the x-ray. They must use a special type of contrast agent that does not irritate the chest cavity.
Treatment of Esophageal Ruptures
Surgical repair
Surgical repair of the esophagus and drainage of the area surrounding it are done immediately. Before surgical repair, doctors give broad-spectrum antibiotics to prevent infection and fluids by vein (intravenously) to treat low blood pressure.
Even with treatment, the risk of death is high.
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Veterinary Edition


Criteriums are a special kind of racing. They require a broad variety of skills to be successful, least of which is nerves of steal. Since crits are the most prominent type of racing in the USA, it is arguably most important to prepare for this type of racing.
Cornering – Every spring I would practice this most basic of skills with my team. Even though we were all experienced racers, this tight and fast skill needs to be continually developed. The best teams would have a series of weekends that they worked on all the crit skills, with corning being at the core. Practicing entering corners from different angles, with riders on your inside, with riders crowding from the outside and setting up for the sprint through the last corner are all needed just to be in the mix of a criterium.
Sprinting – Folks often describe criteriums as a series of sprints out of corners. The truth is that you should only feel that way occasionally during the race. If you have developed good cornering skills, you should have enough speed to not have to push too hard out of most corners. Now, don't get me wrong. You will be sprinting out of corners or on the straights. These efforts should be timed around going after moves, moving up in the peloton and attacking the race. Working on sprints from a rolling start will be very helpful and I would encourage to work on them coming out of corners and on straights.
1 Min. Efforts – There are many times where the difference between success and failure in a crit is a 1 minute effort at full gas. Racers need to be able to repeat these efforts with very little recovery.
Positioning – At the end of the day, positioning might be the most important skill of all. Holding your position in the race, moving up when you need to and placing yourself in a positing to win in the last corner are all more or as important as fitness. I only say more important because you can be very fit and end up last place if you don't position yourself well. This is also the most difficult skill to work on. Ride in groups and work on moving yourself around in the peloton in different scenarios. This is also one of those things that you will have to work on during races and be very conscious of developing as a skillset.
Criteriums can be very intimidating for a racer. They can be extremely fun. The rush a racer gets from rolling though corners at 30+ mph amid 100 other competitors and finishing clean is amongst the biggest high a person can have. Every racer should try at least one and hopefully develop the knack to finish these strong with confidence. Good luck!


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Coca Cola Enterprises Seeks to Transform Consumer Behaviour Towards At home Recycling
Coca‑Cola Enterprises (CCE), which manufactures, bottles and markets Coca-Cola products in Western Europe, has commenced a ground breaking study with ten households in Great Britain to understand why recycling rates are so low despite people expressing strong beliefs towards environmental behaviours.
Preliminary research commissioned by CCE and carried out by YouGov, shows that 76 per cent of British consumers claim to "always" recycle plastic bottles at home and over 64 per cent view recycling as "a moral and environmental duty". However, actual at‑home recycling rates do not reflect such intentions and reveal a significant 'value‑action gap' as half of all plastic bottles are not collected for recycling. In addition to creating unnecessary waste, this also results in a critical shortage in the supply of locally available high‑quality recycled PET for manufacturers.
The release of the initial survey findings marks the next phase of a ground breaking six months study with a renowned research institute at the University of Exeter.
Supported by CCE's Recycle for the Future campaign, the study will observe ten GB households over a six‑month period, to explore the dynamics that drive waste and recycling behaviours in the home. Together with the participants, they will also explore solutions that could influence such behaviours and eventually improve at-home recycling rates. Results will be shared with local authorities, NGOs and other businesses who are trying to influence environmental behaviours in the home, with the aim of collectively developing solutions that will help improve recycling rates.
CCE has identified that packaging accounts for almost half of its carbon footprint. As part of its commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of its products by a third by 2020, the company has committed to recycle more packaging than it uses.
The study follows significant investment from CCE in a strategic infrastructure partnership to increase plastics reprocessing capacity in Great Britain.
UK Manufacturers Deliver Further Progress Towards Zero Food and Packaging Waste Sent to Landfill
Cargill Outlines Plan to End Cocoa Deforestation
FrieslandCampina's New Innovation Centre is Highly Sustainable


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Paris UN climate conference 2015: As the summit starts, islanders consider life on the move
Meet Micah. Is he a climate change refugee?
By Adam Morton and Tom Arup
November 28, 2015 — 11.57am
Scroll to the bottom to see Solomon Islands in Pictures
Micah Puia lives in a shanty town on a dirty beach in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. He is 11 years old, and has lived here all his life.
He sleeps in a raised fibro hut with his grandparents and several cousins, attends second grade at a local school and swims in the mouth of the Mataniko River, alongside the community's cotes of pigs and chooks, and where the waterway dumps into the Pacific Ocean.
According to some here, Micah has spent his whole life as a climate change refugee. And he will soon be forced to move.
Expect plenty of debate in coming years over whether this label is justified for Micah and millions of others like him across the globe. But whatever you call those affected by extreme weather and rising seas, displacement of people from developing countries due to natural disasters – particularly in Australia's backyard in the Pacific – is an issue the world has yet to come to grips with.
Micah Puia at Lord Howe Settlement in Honiara. Is he a climate change refugee? Credit:Penny Stephens
The community at what is known as Lord Howe Settlement (not to be confused with the Australian island) is small, but has expanded dramatically in recent years. There are now more than 1000 people, crowded in a labyrinth of small buildings that spreads from the city's main road to the water.
The people are Polynesian, hailing from Ontong Java – an outlying atoll about 400 kilometres to the north. What was about half a dozen shacks in the early 1970s, mostly home to people needing to visit the capital for medical treatment, gradually grew into a permanent settlement. Now, in the wake of a storm and flood that last year brutalised Honiara, community leaders are questioning its future.
Some, such as Father Nigel Kelaepa (above), say both the growth and expected end of the settlement can be linked to climate change triggered by wealthy countries' greenhouse gas emissions.
"I believe the people here are climate change refugees," the Church of Melanesia priest says ahead of attending the United Nations climate summit starting in Paris on November 30, in part to speak about his on-camera role in a World Vision funded documentary, Fading Sands.
"On Ontong Java, gardens are struggling with salt intrusion from the sea, so crop yields are getting smaller and smaller, and on top of that you have more mouths to feed – one of the factors that has exacerbated climate change is population growth.
"Put those together and you have a situation where people are finding it really hard to survive back home. It's not because they are losing their homes and land – it's because they can't find enough to eat. Here, they can.
"But then last year was a new experience for us."
Flooding in April 2014 killed 23 and forced more than 50,000 from their homes. At Lord Howe Settlement, it washed through the community, knocked down buildings and frightened locals.
Walking along the beach near his home at dusk, as dozens of children swim and play ball games around us, Kelaepa says: "There was a time when people thought this was going to be a permanent place for us, but we're beginning to be aware that floods of this magnitude are going to be more common, and they're going to be more dangerous than the ones we experienced in the past."
Few would argue that Lord Howe Settlement will need to move at some point. But what the future holds for this community, and others like it, will be touched on only at the margins of the Paris summit.
Estimates of how many people could be displaced due to human-induced climate change are notoriously and necessarily rubbery – in part because warming exacerbates weather events caused by natural factors and, as Kelaepa suggests, population growth is an interacting factor.
But it is accepted on average that more than 26 million people a year were displaced by disasters between 2008 and 2014.
According to the Nansen Initiative – a bid, led by Norway and Switzerland, to build a "protection agenda" for the people displaced by disasters and climate – more than 22 million of these left their homes due to weather and climate-related events. Others had to move due to sea level rise, spreading desertification or environmental damage that made their land uninhabitable.
A Nansen Initiative statement endorsed in Geneva last month by more than 110 countries, including Australia, warns there is "high agreement among scientists that climate change, in combination with other factors, is projected to increase displacement in the future".
What will this mean for Australia?
In a recent visit to Kiribati that mostly won attention at home for Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's awkward dad dancing, Labor immigration spokesman Richard Marles said he believed Canberra must start thinking about the prospect of one day taking in displaced people from the region.
"We are in a part of the world where Australia has obligations," Marles said. "We are the largest aid donor, for example.
"It is clear when you tour these islands, and you see how precarious it is here, that it is obvious there are questions about the future of this country.
"This is a discussion and debate that we need to be aware of and alive to."
For the government's part, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says it recognises that its Pacific neighbours are vulnerable and need practical support to deal with climate change now.
She points to $50 million dedicated to climate resilience projects, and Australia's new-won role helping lead the global Green Climate Fund, which she says will help island countries in the region get better access to the billions being dedicated to help the poor cope.
While Pacific leaders welcome these steps – and the recent shift in tone in the debate under new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who on Friday announced a goal of Australia being emissions neutral by 2050 –some remain sharply critical of ongoing bipartisan support for an expanded coal industry.
Anote Tong (above), the outspoken Kiribati president, says the evidence still suggests his country could become uninhabitable. On some islets and atolls, freshwater tables have already been inundated with salt, and erosion is forcing people to move. In the over-crowded capital – years of migration from outer islands has led to a population density greater than Hong Kong – a new road in south Tarawa is being swamped by the ocean before it is finished.
Tong says his small, impoverished country is ill-equipped to deal with what it faces. "We have to build very expensive sea walls and, quite frankly, we don't even know if the design we are doing is the right one and is sustainable," he says.
Heading further north, flying into the Marshall Islands' capital of Majuro (above), you are reminded of the tiny margin of error in these countries. At its widest, the land is no more than 300 to 400 metres across. For the most part it is about 100 metres, if not a bit less.
Recent surveys of Pacific islands found some atolls were actually increasing in size, or at least staying stable, as they gathered sediments from coral reefs and adapted to the swell. It triggered headlines questioning claims about the impact of rising seas.
But while the atolls are maintaining total mass, they are also changing shape - mostly eroding on their ocean facing side, while gaining land on the lagoon side. The result has been the loss of crops and infrastructure that can not easily be shifted to the new land, which is often little more than coral sand and not arable.
And there is doubt over whether the atolls will continue to hold their size if, as projected, sea levels rise and a warming ocean damages and kills the coral reefs that cough up new sand.
Piloting a boat towards Majuro's outer atolls – one of which, Anebok, recently disappeared into the ocean – Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Tony de Brum says those who argue that the islands are not sinking are "the equivalent of people running around saying coal is the future of the world".
"The islands will reshape, but I will show you trees in the water where there used to be land. People need to wake up to that," he says.
Some countries have begun to make contingency plans. Kiribati, for instance, last year bought a 20-square-kilometre piece of land in Fiji. The previous Maldives government considered a similar step. And there are cases where people have felt forced to move within countries because of climate-related disasters.
Do they qualify as climate change refugees? Legally speaking, no. Recent court cases in New Zealand brought by citizens of Kiribati and Tuvalu seeking asylum on the grounds they were fleeing climate change were rejected as they were not being persecuted for their race, religion or nationality. (Some people from Tuvalu were allowed to stay on humanitarian grounds for family reasons.) And it is a term that some Pacific leaders have themselves rejected.
Professor Jane McAdam, director of the Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at the University of NSW, says the term has "no legal sense or meaning", but adds: "Really, what that exposes is the limits of existing legal frameworks."
McAdam says there is an argument for the use of different visa categories, which Tong has said would allow "migration with dignity" by letting people move before they were forced into a position where they require humanitarian help.
She notes that two of the most vulnerable countries in Australia's region, Kiribati and Tuvalu, have a combined population of just 110,000 – less than the annual permanent migration intake of 190,000. It could take them all over time and barely notice.
Citing the work of the Nansen Initiative, McAdam says countries could take several steps to avoid people being displaced and to respond more effectively when they were. Beyond adjusting migration intake, they include introducing policies that help reduce the impact of disasters in advance, and assisting with evacuation or short-term humanitarian visas.
On Santa Ana, a small island at the southern end of the Solomon Islands, adaptation is under way. The people in its two major villages of Ghupuna and Nataghera have reported over recent years changes in weather events and seasonal patterns that make life difficult in a part of the world where many are subsistence farmers. Some crops that used to be staples no longer grow to the size and quality expected.
A World Vision program, funded by the Australian Foreign Affairs Department, is helping improve the harvest for these and other villages by introducing crops (such as swamp taro) that are better able to cope with changing conditions, teaching crop management and rotation techniques, and helping devise evacuation plans should big seas hit.
Local committees take responsibility for explaining both the basics of climate science and steps that can help people adapt to the changes they are witnessing.
At both Ghupuna (above), sheltered by a bay, and Nataghera, an exposed community shoe-horned between a steep rocky cliff and a rough ocean swell, locals have moved crops to higher ground to prevent them being killed by salt. This is a response to tsunami warnings and, in Nataghera, also to what community members say are wilder seas that increasingly threaten the community during storms. Satellite data suggests sea levels are rising more than twice as fast around Honiara than the global average.
Matthew Mohoa (below, with his grandson Lloyd, 5), a former Shell worker in Honiara who returned to Nataghera after retiring, is among those now planning to move his two-room home away from its precarious position by the beach, behind a small rockwall 10 metres from the high tide line, to the safety of the steep hill behind him.
"With the bad weather, I am getting scared - and the tide is getting higher," he says.
Back at the Solomon Islands' Lord Howe Settlement, young Micah Puia has little concept of climate change, but has high hopes. His goal is to be a doctor so, he says, "when my mother gets sick I will look after her".
Father Nigel Kelaepa dares to dream his is the sort of story that will resonate in Paris. "This is a real-life case where people probably in the next decade or so will have to move out, will probably lose their homeland. It is no longer safe for us here," he says. "I'm hoping that this will generate awareness for us, as a people, on the world stage."
SOLOMON ISLANDS IN PICTURES: PENNY STEPHENS
Flying into the island of Santa Ana, Makira-Ulawa province.
Village life: children play at Ghupuna, on Santa Ana.
Off the Ghupuna coast.
On the beach, Ghupuna.
And at home, Ghupuna.
At Ghupuna. Changing weather patterns has made the wet season harder to predict.
The walk from Ghupuna to Nataghera, Santa Ana.
Snail on the trail.
Minister Eddie Rox, Nataghera.
Swimming off the Nataghera coast.
At Nataghera.
Preparing a feast at Ghupuna. Annie and Allan Rafeasi are putting on the feast to thank the community for Allan's father's funeral.
Washing the meat before cooking.
Playing with a toy created from pig intestines.
Waiting to board a plane in cleared jungle, Santa Ana.
Returning to Honiara from Makira-Ulawa.
Fairfax Media travelled to the Solomon Islands with World Vision Australia. World Vision's climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction work in the Solomon Islands is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Follow Adam Morton on Twitter.
Follow Tom Arup on Twitter.
Follow Penny Stephens on Twitter.
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text:
Q: How to ignore \n while indexing I got a file with the following text:
with open("file1.txt", "w") as file1:
    file1.write("Thou blind fool, Love, what dost thou to mine eyes\n"
                 "That they behold, and see not what they see\n"
                 "They know what beauty is, see where it lies\n"
                 "Yet what the best is take the worst to be")

what I have to do is to create another file and rewrite this text but:
if a string ends with a vowel than I have to put "way" after this string
and if a string ends with a consonant, I have to rewrite the last letter and add "ay" to it.
My code is:
def change_str():
    with open("file1.txt", "r") as file1, open("file2.txt", "w") as file2:
        lines = file1.readlines()
        for line in lines:
            if line[-1] in "aiueoy":
                file2.write(line + " " + "way")
            else:
                file2.write(line + " " + line[-1] + "ay")

So it has only 1 correct output line. It's the last one because it has no "/n". In other strings line[-1] == \n and my question is how to ignore it and check the last letter.

A: with open("file1.txt", 'r') as file1, open("file2.txt", 'w') as file2:
  lines = file1.readlines()
  for line in lines:
      if line.strip()[-1] in 'aeiouy':
          file2.write(line.strip() + " " + "way" + '\n')
      else:
          file2.write(line.strip()[:-1] + "ay" + '\n')

How about something like this? Uses strip and then adds the newline char back onto the end.

A: Instead of readlines, you can use:
file1.read().splitlines()

That way you don't have to strip any endline characters off of the string.


Based in Rotorua, QE delivers assessment and rehabilitation planning services for clients late effects of Polio QE Health, in partnership with the Duncan Foundation, is offering a residential five-day course run by a multidisciplinary team to aid clients with post-polio syndrome.
QE Health began in 1942 as the Services Convalescent Hospital providing rehabilitation to soldiers returning from World War II. A daily programme of therapy included exercise, counselling, recreation, occupational and physiotherapy plus balneotherapy or spa treatments. Today QE Health is a treatment centre for people with all forms of arthritis and chronic pain.


text:
Query json data made simple in salesforce using apex.

I know there are many solutions out there in many programming languages to query or select json data using an xpath type of queries with some variations (you can search on github or even on google and you'll get some), but, i could not find something for me to use in apex for salesforce.com.

JPath is an attempt to create an useful tool for this purpose, the query pattern should be simple and as apex has many limitations will try to keep that in mind when processing and querying the json data. For now we are just traversing thru the properties.

### Install

##### Deploy to Salesforce Button

##### Manual Install

You may manually create the class within your org and copy paste the content of JPath class as for the JPath_Test.

### Usage
_____
Querying Json where Root element is an Array

```sh
string rawJson = '[ {"results":[{"aField":"Avalue"},{"aField":"Avalue"}],"another":{"somef":"somed"}},{"second":"object"},{"second":"objecty"},{"second":"objectz"},{"second":"objectm"},{"third":"objectx"} ]';

         object result = JPath.get(rawJson, '/results');

         system.assert(result instanceof List<object>,'should be a list');

         List<object> results = (List<object>)result;

         system.assert(results != null && results.size() == 2 ,'Should bring 2 results '+ results.size());

```
The variable "result" will contain a list of any value or object in a property located at the top level of the json array, in this case "results", but the type of the variable "listOfResults" is an object as that's what you get from the "get" method, it should be casted to either a List<object> or Map<string,object> (for now maybe), depending on the actual json content.

```sh
  string rawJson = '[ {"results":[{"aField":"Avalue"},{"aField":"Avalued"},{"listOfFruits":["apple","green apple","Red Apple","yellow apple"]}],"another":{"somef":"somed"}},{"second":"object"},{"second":"objecty"},{"second":"objectz"},{"second":"objectm"},{"third":"objectx"} ]';

          JPath jpathExec = new JPath(rawJson);

          object result = jpathExec.get('/results/aField');

          system.assert(result instanceof List<object>,'should be a list ' + result);

          List<object> results = (List<object>)result;

          system.assert(results != null && results.size() == 2 && results[1] == 'aValued' ,'Should bring 2 result ' + results + ' '+ results.size());

```
In this example, the values "Avalue" and "Avalued" are selected, both values were in a property called "aField'.

```sh
 JPath jpathExec = new JPath(rawJson);

 object result = jpathExec.get('/results/aField');
  ```
  Another variation is to create an instance of JPath and just call get, pretty much doing the same thing as if you call the static get method.
____
Querying Json where Root is an Object

```sh
 string rawJson = ' {"results":[{"aField":"Avalue"},{"aField":"Avalued"},{"listOfFruits":["apple","green apple",[1,2,5,4],"yellow apple"]}] }';

          JPath jpathExec = new JPath(rawJson);

          object result = jpathExec.get('/results');

          system.assert(result instanceof List<object>,'should be a list ' + result);

          List<object> results = (List<Object>)result;

          system.assert(results != null && results.size() == 3,'Should bring 3 result ' + results);

```
So the root element of the json data can also be an object not an array, the query will perform the same and the selection will be the same. In this example the root object containing a property called "results" which value is an array with three items.

#### JPath Class
##### Instance Methods
###### get
Returns an object type which is the resulting value from the selection.

###### arguments
**path**
Type of string, the well formed path or selector to get the json from the rawJson.

###### Example
```sh
 JPath jpathExec = new JPath(rawJson);

 object result = jpathExec.get('/results/aField');
  ```
##### Static Methods

###### get
Returns an object type which is the resulting value from the selection.

###### arguments
**rawJson**
Type of string, Raw json data.
**path**
Type of string, the well formed path or selector to get the json from the rawJson.

###### Example
```sh
 string rawJson = '[ {"results":[{"aField":"Avalue"},{"aField":"Avalue"}],"another":{"somef":"somed"}},{"second":"object"},{"second":"objecty"},{"second":"objectz"},{"second":"objectm"},{"third":"objectx"} ]';

         object result = JPath.get(rawJson, '/results');
  ```

#### JPath Supported Selectors
| JPath Selectors Types | Usage | Description |
|:---------------------:|:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:|:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:|
| property |

/propertyName

/propertyName/AnotherProperty

 | Gets any value from the propertyName in any json record of the current path |
| index predicate |

/[1]

/propertyName[1]

/propertyName[3]/[4]

/propertyName/[4]/someMore/[1]

and so on..

 | It is not zero based index, 1 means first record. Gets only a single element from the specific path of the json record.  |
| conditional predicate |

/[aField="aValue"]

/property[aField="aValue" ||  aField="aValue2"]

/property[aField="Avalue"]/property2

/property[aField="aValue" && Afield2="AValue"]/[aField="aValue"]

 | Simple filters to norrow down the elements selected, operators supported are : &&, ||, <, >, <=, >=, =, != |
|  |  |  |

### Issues
Please refer to the Issues section.

### Pending
1. Code is ugly and not optimal and undocumented, need to improve it so that its better and faster.2.
2. To do a good documentation, update the readme file to provide more explanation and create a wiki page.
3. Not completed yet.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Abby Kasowitz-Scheer Appointed Head of Learning and Academic Engagement
Abby Kasowitz-Scheer, Head of Learning and Academic Engagement
Abby Kasowitz-Scheer was recently appointed head of Syracuse University Libraries' department of Learning and Academic Engagement. Kasowitz-Scheer has been with the Libraries for twenty-one years, serving as head of Instructional Services and then Learning Commons librarian (later called Reference and Academic Engagement Librarian). In her various roles, she developed an information literacy program, provided training and support for instruction librarians, offered reference and instruction to students, coordinated the Libraries' participation in virtual reference services, trained and mentored student employees, planned collaborative events for the University community, and served as liaison to the Honors Program, Office of Veterans and Military Affairs and the Office of Student Living. She received her Master's in Library Sciences from the School of Information Studies and her Master of Science in Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation from the School of Education at Syracuse University.
In her role as head of Learning and Academic Engagement, Kasowitz-Scheer will lead a department that provides in-person and virtual information, reference and patron technology support services, user experience initiatives, displays and activities in Bird Library's Miron Learning Commons, and library student success and outreach programs and initiatives.


text:
In the polyclinic, and with occasional assistance in terms of hospital capacity, it is possible to treat a whole specter of movement disorders, which can occur in ranges from overly slow moves (hypokinetic) or the occurrence of involuntary movements (hyperkinetic).
The main movement disorders include the following:
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by symptoms such as tremor, slow movement and stiffness of the arms and legs. It is a progressive disorder which can lead to swallowing and speech impairment.
Dystonias are painful conditions where muscle cramps occur, muscles shake or become stiff, leading to abnormal positions of body parts.
Huntington's chorea is a hereditary disease which leads to progressive degeneration of certain neurons in the brain, which results in abnormal body movements and mental deterioration.
Benign essential tremor is a disorder which is usually characterized by arms shaking, or in some cases, head and arm shaking.
Tourette's syndrome is a disorder characterized by tics, which manifest as sudden involuntary and repeated movements. Motor techs can occur in ranges from winking to jumping, and vocal tics from coughing to speaking socially unacceptable words.
Cerebral palsy is a chronic condition which leads to movement disorders. Symptoms of this disorder, which is not considered progressive, typically occur in the age of three or less. They include development disorders such as late occurrence of walking, trouble doing tasks which require fine motor control, weak or stiff muscles and speech problems.
Spasticity is an involuntary continuous muscle contraction which occurs as consequence of brain or spinal cord damage. Muscle contractions interfere with basic body functions such as walking or speech.
Centre for neurology
NeuroAIDS
Neurological Tumors
Neuromuscular Diseases
How to prepare for the examination


text:
32-bit Google Chrome will mechanically switch to 64-bit on Windows
Ankita Shah Google May 3, 2017, 2:12 pm
On Tuesday, Google announced that the 59th version of its widely known browser, Chrome is entering into beta channel. It has been made available on various known platforms namely Android, Chrome OS, Linux, Mac and Windows. The technology giant announced plans to mechanically upgrade the version of Chrome from 32-bit version to the 64-bit version.
According to Google, "In order to improve stability, performance, and security, users who are currently on 32-bit version of Chrome, and 64-bit Windows with 4GB or more of memory and auto-update enabled will be automatically migrated to 64-bit Chrome during this update. 32-bit Chrome will still be available via the Chrome download page."
The main reasons for upgrading Google from 32-bit version to 64-bit are to improve stability, performance and security. However, in order to run it, you will need a compatible computer with a 64-bit processor, at least 4GB of RAM, and 64-bit version of Windows installed. If your computer does not fulfill these requirements, then it becomes impossible for Chrome to migrate.
This new beta version of Chrome also provides some additional features as it supports animated PNGs, which are a new format but similar to normal GIFs. This new file format is also referred as APNGs and packs support for both 24-bit images and 8-bit transparency.
The last feature of beta release is Headless Chromium – though it is, meant for developers only. It benefits the developers by running the browser from a command line window, which further leads them to start automated testing for environments where no UI is needed. This feature is not currently present on the beta release.
Google says that its 32-bit version will continue to be available, so those who are in need will be able to access it. But what if you do not wish to migrate to 64-bit version? If you don't desire to migrate to migrate then Google provides an alternative solution. You simply disable Chrome updates, which gets installed mechanically by default.
AndroidGoogle ChromeiOSNews
Google is about to separate new Emoji from the OTA update
Google has confirmed that the Manual Action Glitch is resolved
Malware found in Google Play Store affected millions of devices
Google "Hum to search" will help you to find the song stuck in your head
Google Sheets: new autofill option for Google Workplace


Tails, scales and sails will float down Asbury Park's boardwalk this weekend for the first annual mermaid parade. Brought to New Jersey by Sacramento's Promenade of the Mermaids, this procession calls for all mermaids, sea creatures, pirates and even landlubbers to participate. Prizes will be given out for the best dressed adults and kids. Registration is only necessary to be considered for the competition--everyone is welcome to walk. The promenade kicks off Saturday at noon starting on the North End.
The Ocean County fair has entertained guests from Brick to Beach Haven and everywhere in between for over six decades. Entertainment includes Bwana Jim's Wildlife Show, Steven Michael's Comedy Hypnosis show, a magical comedy and variety act, an open horse show and pig racing. After the Reign, a country band that calls Ocean County home, will be returning to the stage Friday. The fair runs Wednesday and Thursday 5 to 11 p.m. and Friday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Free admission for children under 10 and $7 for adults. 24 Germania Court, Toms River.
What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow? The capital of Assyria? Find out at Monty Python's Spamalot, performed by the Open Air Theatre in Washington Crossing State Park. A nonsensical parody of Arthurian legend, this three time Tony award-winning musical comedy is an adaptation from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The playhouse will also be showing Alice in Wonderland for children. Performances are Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 355 Washington Crossing Pennington Road, Titusville. Tickets start at $5. Click here for dates, times and other productions.
The coast is your canvas at Wildwood Crest's third annual Sand Sculpting Festival. Friday, the island will be hosting yet another amateur contest showcasing the waterfront artistry of beachgoers from across the state. The competition is free and will be hosted by Matt Long, former Sand Masters cast member on the Travel Channel. The Mango Men and other musical acts, along with beach games, are also on the agenda. Free registration for the competition begins at 9 a.m. and the event runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Located at Wildwood Beach Pier on Heather Road and Ocean Avenue.
Watch barbecuers from all over the state "grill" for the gold at this this three-day open-air festival and competition. In addition to sampling some of New Jersey smokiest eats, guests can also watch live demonstrations, participate in cooking classes, cool off with craft beer and enjoy the sounds of the Anglesea Blues Festival. Over $10,000 in prizes will be given out to the 67 competitors, along with a chance to compete at the World Food Championships in Kissimmee, Florida. The family-friendly event runs Friday to Sunday and takes place on Olde New Jersey Avenue in North Wildwood. Click here for full run-down of the festival.
No, not the music festival--this is the real thing. Friday and Saturday Duke Farms will be hosting nature's light show in Hillsborough Township. Headlining will be the firefly (or is it lightning bug? A debate settle that) on a 1.5 mile trail. Other activities include arts and crafts, story time and learning about glowworms. This free event begins at 8 p.m. and ends at 11. Duke Farms suggests guests bring comfortable shoes, flashlights and insect repellent--mosquitoes are also sharing the game. Register here. 1112 Dukes Parkway West, Hillsborough Township.
Peanuts and crackerjacks are a thing of the past. Instead, enjoy a baseball game with booze and paint. Saturday, BlueClaws Stadium in Lakewood will be holding a paint party, food and ballgame with pay as you go beer and wine. The $40 admission fee gets you a ticket to the game, all the supplies needed to be the next Jackson Pollock and some light refreshments. Painting begins at 4 p.m. and the game--BlueClaws v. Hickory Crawdad--starts at 7 p.m. Tickets can be bought here. 2 Stadium Way, Lakewood.


Comes with (from left to right of main picture). Carrycot with rain cover, safety bar, mattress and mattress cover.
Stroller with rain cover (cloudy, common to iCandy raincovers), 5 point harness, safety bar, cup holder, black-out sleep cover and elevator adapters. Recaro Privia car seat (includes the headhugger, chest pads, newborn insert and sunshade) with adapters for iCandy frame. Stroller seat can be turned to be rear and forward facing. Found the elevator adapters really useful if eating out as they bring the stroller seat up to table level.
Fits into VW Polo boot (once the parcel shelf is removed). Some wear on wheels and small scratches to frame (please see pictures), as to be expected, but loads of use left. The item "ICandy Peach 3 Truffle grey pram pushchair with car seat 3 in 1 travel system" is in sale since Monday, January 22, 2018. This item is in the category "Baby\Pushchairs, Prams & Accs.
The seller is "battered_cod" and is located in Ruislip. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom.


text:
Home Lube Report Americas May 1, 2019
Adrian Brown - May 1, 2019
With all the public holidays taking place around the world, business has been disjointed and difficult to conclude. The shipping market has suffered as a result, with all regions reported to be slower.-by Adrian Brown
Heavy-duty Market Shifts to Genuine Oils
Will Beverina - May 1, 2019
Global demand for heavy-duty motor oils shrank slightly over the past four years, but consumption of genuine heavy-duty oils rose during that period and now accounts for 13 percent of the market, according to Kline & Co. consultancy.
Q1 Profits Up, Sales Down for Afton
George Gill - May 1, 2019
Afton Chemical reported a higher operating profit and lower sales for the first quarter, compared to 2018s first quarter results.
Headwinds Cloud Lubricant Outlook
Mark Townsend - May 1, 2019
Large potential disruptions loom on the horizon for the global lubricants industry - from electric vehicles to shared mobility, evolution in metalworking processes and changes in the materials used to make products such as automobiles. Speakers at a recent conference in Dubai said they expect big changes that will yield winners and losers.
Palmer Holland, which already distributed Lanxess additives products in North America, will now carry base stocks, additives and finished fluids from Lanxess, including brands it gained as part of its 2017 acquisition of Chemtura.Indianapolis, Indiana-based Calumet Specialty Products Partners appointed Valentina Serra-Holm as vice president of global product marketing, effective May 6. Her most recent position was director of global marketing and technology for Nynas. San Antonio, Texas-based VP Racing Fuels Inc.opened its first-ever quick lube center, VP Fastlube, in Fredericksburg, Texas.


text:
\section*{Background}
Producer Households are the smallest entrepreneurial entities in the European Union. According to the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010), Producer Households are distinguished from Non-Financial Corporations since they are limited to informal partnerships, de facto companies and sole proprietorships with up to five employees. The relevance of this subset in Italy can be appreciated by observing that, in the period 1996-2013, Producer Households have grown from 27\% to 43\% of all non-financial entities reporting to the Central Credit Registrar and the total credit used has grown by 300\% vs. 150\% in Non-Financial Corporations.\\

As far as households are concerned, in Italy researchers initially observed a phenomenon of declining \textit{savings} but not a growth of \textit{debt}. In 1990 Modigliani and Jappelli (Modigliani, 1993) and in 1995 Rossi and Visco (Rossi and Visco, 1995) explained such decline in life-cycle saving propensity in terms of an increase of social security wealth and mandatory severance payments.\\

In 2007 (Bank of Italy, 2007) and 2010 (Bank of Italy, 2010) the Bank of Italy has began to address household debt for the specific purpose of explaining the observed variations in net wealth.\\

In 2008 Barba and Pivetti (Barba and Pivetti, 2008) analysed the causes and long-term macroeconomic implications of a \textit{rising} household debt by addressing the contradiction in the coexistence of low-wages with high levels of aggregate demand in the United States in the period 1993--2005. \\

In 2012 Chmelar and the European Credit Research Institute (Chmelar, 2012) introduced the variable of high unemployment in the analysis, and estimated the potential double-dip danger for the economy of a rapid households debt deleveraging and \textit{decline} in peripheral European economies characterised by a high sovereign debt such as Italy.\\

In 2013 the European Credit Research Institute Research Report 2013 on Household Debt and the European Crisis (Chmelar, 2013) identified Households debt \textbf{"rapid increase and abrupt retrenchment"} between 2003 and 2012 among the causes of enduring macroeconomic instability in the European Union (Chmelar 2013, p.3, Figure 1 and p.16, Figure 9).\\

\section*{Research Idea and Research Question}
The research idea behind this paper originates from an intuition by Franco Modigliani and Tullio Jappelli (Modigliani and Jappelli, 1998, p.169) where they analysed Italy's savings life-cycle idiosyncrasies with respect to \textit{discretionary wealth}: they introduced the concept, not further investigated in their paper or other papers to the present knowledge of the authors, of \textbf {households business debt}.\\

Coherently with this research idea, this paper restricts its investigation to \textbf{producer households} debt and \textbf{tests the hypothesis of "rapid increase and abrupt retrenchment"} proposed by the European Credit Research Institute Research Report 2013 \textbf{for this subset in Italy for the period 1996-2013}.\\

\section*{Methods, Replicability of the Datasets and Reproducibility of the Findings}
In this research:

\begin{enumerate}

\item we subset the European System of Accounts sector \textit{Households} (ESA 2010 -- S.14) (ESA, 2010) into the Bank of Italy's Italian Financial Accounts (Bank of Italy, 2003) sub-sectors \textit{Households} and \textit{Producer Households};

\item we analysed the \textit{stability} of Producer Households debt in Italy in the period 1996-2013 in terms of its Variation Coefficient $VC=\sigma / \mu$ relative to Non-Financial Corporations;

\item we added the analysis of bad debt and;

\item we analysed the trend of the ratio between per capita Producer Households and Non-Financial Corporations debt and bad debt.

\end{enumerate}

For the purpose of replicability and reproducibility, we accessed the Bank of Italy Online Statistical Database (BIP ON-LINE) Information on Customers and Risk - Default Rates for Loan Facilities and Borrowers for Producer Households (PH--SETCON 7010) and Non-Financial Corporations (NFC--SETCON 7006) with R Sweave (version 3.0.2) open access statistical software, which makes both our analysis and findings freely reproducible by other researchers.

\begin{itemize}
\item Raw data have been downloaded from URI:\\ \url{http://bip.bancaditalia.it/} -- Information on Customers and Risk -- Default Rates for Loan Facilities and Borrowers -- Choose option: 2. Data: whole table (*) -- TDB30486\_ENG\_ALL

\item The raw TDB30486\_ENG\_ALL comprises 11,196 rows and 5 column variables :
\begin{knitrout}
\definecolor{shadecolor}{rgb}{0.969, 0.969, 0.969}\color{fgcolor}\begin{kframe}
\begin{alltt}
\hlkwd{head}\hlstd{(raw.data)}
\end{alltt}
\begin{verbatim}
##   SEGMENT PHENOMENA SIZE_CLASS       DATE VALUE
## 1       1  35120163       1004 2013-03-31 0.037
## 2       1  35120163       1004 2012-06-30 0.047
## 3       1  35120163       1004 2011-09-30 0.047
## 4       1  35120163       1004 2011-06-30 0.048
## 5       1  35120163       1004 2009-12-31 0.096
## 6       1  35120163       1004 2009-09-30 0.045
\end{verbatim}
\begin{alltt}
\hlkwd{tail}\hlstd{(raw.data)}
\end{alltt}
\begin{verbatim}
##       SEGMENT PHENOMENA SIZE_CLASS       DATE  VALUE
## 11191    7015 351122141       9904 1997-06-30 180845
## 11192    7015 351122141       9904 1997-03-31 164303
## 11193    7015 351122141       9904 1996-12-31 161447
## 11194    7015 351122141       9904 1996-09-30 162397
## 11195    7015 351122141       9904 1996-06-30 158706
## 11196    7015 351122141       9904 1996-03-31 512619
\end{verbatim}
\end{kframe}
\end{knitrout}

\item The raw TDB30486\_ENG\_ALL dataset has been subset for Producer Households (SETCON 7010) and Non-Financial Corporations (SETCON 7006) (See Appendix A.1: Variables used);

\item The dataset in .csv format (TDB30486\_EURO\_ENG.csv) and the R codes utilised for data analysis are available at the public repository GitHub \url{https://github.com/SAO65/IRMC2014/};

\item The output of the analysis and the database of the plots are available at the public repository GitHub \url{https://github.com/SAO65/IRMC2014/blob/master/ProdHouse_Output.csv}.

\end{itemize}

\section*{Findings}

We found that Producer Households debt (bad debt) has been more stable with a lower Variation Coefficient of 10.3\% (14.2\%) versus 13.2\% (20.1\%) in Non-Financial Corporations.\\

\begin{knitrout}
\definecolor{shadecolor}{rgb}{0.969, 0.969, 0.969}\color{fgcolor}\begin{kframe}
\begin{alltt}
\hlstd{variationCoefficient.debt.PH}
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## [1] 0.1035
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\hlstd{variationCoefficient.debt.NFC}
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## [1] 0.133
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\begin{alltt}
\hlstd{variationCoefficient.baddebt.PH}
\end{alltt}
\begin{verbatim}
## [1] 0.1425
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\begin{alltt}
\hlstd{variationCoefficient.baddebt.NFC}
\end{alltt}
\begin{verbatim}
## [1] 0.2027
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\end{kframe}
\end{knitrout}

We also found that the time series of the ratio of debt granted to Non-Financial Corporations versus Producer Households is best described (Multiple R\textsuperscript{2} 0.95) by the \textit{concavity} of the 5\raisebox{0.1em}{th} degree coefficient (slope -1.22; 95\% CI -1.52 -- -0.91) of a 5\raisebox{0.1em}{th} order polynomial linear regression and by the \textit{convexity} of the 2\raisebox{0.1em}{nd} degree coefficient (slope 4.26; 95\% CI 2.53 -- 5.99) for bad debt (Multiple R\textsuperscript{2} 0.47), with this \textit{concavity} of debt (Figure 2 -- Appendix A.2: Tables 2.1 and 2.2) and \textit{convexity} of bad debt beginning with the Italian crisis in the second trimester of 2008 (Figure 1 -- Appendix A.2: Tables 1.1 and 1.2).

\subsection*{Figure 1: Relative stability in terms of the ratio between debt of Non-Financial Corporations and Producer Households in Italy in the period 1996-2013 -- SOURCE: Authors' elaborations on data from the Bank of Italy}
\begin{knitrout}
\definecolor{shadecolor}{rgb}{0.969, 0.969, 0.969}\color{fgcolor}
\includegraphics[width=\maxwidth]{chunk-7}

\end{knitrout}

\newpage
\subsection*{Figure 2: Relative stability in terms of the ratio between bad debts of Non-Financial Corporations and Producer Households in Italy in the period 1996-2013 -- SOURCE: Authors' elaborations on data from the Bank of Italy}
\begin{knitrout}
\definecolor{shadecolor}{rgb}{0.969, 0.969, 0.969}\color{fgcolor}
\includegraphics[width=\maxwidth]{chunk-8}

\end{knitrout}

\section*{Intepretation}
We reject the hypothesis ($p < 0.001$) of "rapid increase and abrupt retrenchment" of debt for the subset Producer Households in Italy in the period 1996-2013. We generate the hypothesis that Producer Households could represent a prospective source of stability relative to Non-Financial Corporations.\\

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Karl Ernst von Baer (Piibe, tegenwoordig in de gemeente Väike-Maarja, 28 februari 1792 - Tartu, 28 november 1876) was een Baltisch-Duits wetenschapper. Hij deed baanbrekend onderzoek op uiteenlopende wetenschappelijke gebieden, in het bijzonder binnen de embryologie en de vergelijkende anatomie.

Leven en werk
Baer stamde uit een oud-adellijk geslacht en was bij geboorte gerechtigd de titel van ridder te dragen. Hij studeerde aan de Universiteit van Dorpat en later aan de universiteiten te Berlijn, Wenen en Würzburg, waar hij kennis maakte met het toen nieuwe vakgebied van de embryologie. In 1817 werd hij professor aan de Universiteit van Konigsberg. In 1834 ging hij naar Sint-Petersburg en werd lid van de Russische Academie van Wetenschappen, waarvoor hij werkte als fysioloog en anatoom. Lange tijd zou hij er gelden als "ziel van de academie". Later werd hij wel de Alexander von Humboldt van het noorden genoemd.

Baer was een breed georiënteerd wetenschapper. Hij was actief op het terrein van de biologie, de zoölogie, de natuurlijke historie, de meteorologie, de geografie en bovenal de embryologie, binnen welk vakgebied hij baanbrekend werk verrichtte. Hij staat bekend als de ontdekker van de menselijke eicel (ovum) en de chorda dorsalis. Ook formuleerde hij een theorie (feitelijk een voorloper van de recapitulatietheorie) waarin hij stelde dat embryo's van gewervelden steeds moeilijker van elkaar te onderscheiden zijn naarmate ze dichter bij de conceptie staan. Baers wetten van embryologie luiden:
 algemene kenmerken van een soort waartoe het embryo behoort, ontwikkelen zich eerder dan de specifieke kenmerken;
 eerst worden de algemene structurele relaties gevormd, de meest specifieke komen als laatste;
 elk embryo van een bepaalde soort doorloopt niet alle stadia van andere soorten, maar scheidt zich en ontwikkelt zich los ervan;
 het embryo van een hogere soort lijkt nooit op een volwassen stadium van een lagere soort, alleen in de embryologische fasen lijken ze op elkaar.
Samen met Heinz Christian Pander beschreef hij verder het principe van de kiemblad-ontwikkeling, waarmee hij de basis legde voor de vergelijkende anatomie. Op dat laatste domein bestreed hij aan het einde van zijn leven nog de theorieën over natuurlijke selectie van Charles Darwin.

Baer deed ook belangwekkende ontdekkingen op andere wetenschappelijke terreinen. Zo beschreef hij als eerste het corioliseffect: het fenomeen dat erosie op het noordelijk halfrond zich altijd voordoet op rechteroevers en op het zuidelijk halfrond op de linkeroever. Hij geldt als een pionier in de formulering van het principe van de biologische klok. Meermaals nam hij deel aan geologische expedities naar Nova Zembla, Finland en Noord-Rusland, tijdens welke hij diverse nieuwe dieren en planten beschreef en ook -wederom als eerste- systematisch de visstand beschreef. Ook deed hij tijdens zijn reizen belangwekkend antropologisch onderzoek.

Baer wordt gezien als een van de belangrijkste wetenschappers van zijn tijd. Hij was medeoprichter van het Russisch Geografisch Genootschap en de eerste voorzitter van het Russisch Entomologisch Genootschap. In 1867 werd hij door de Londense Royal Society onderscheiden met de Copley Medal. De laatste tien jaar van zijn leven woonde hij in Dorpat, waar hij in 1876 overleed, inmiddels geheel blind, 84 jaar oud. Hij ligt begraven op de Raadi-begraafplaats in Tartu. In Dorpat, thans Tartu, staat ook zijn standbeeld.

Literatuur
 Jane Oppenheimer: "Baer, Karl Ernst von". Dictionary of Scientific Biography 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970, pag. 385-389.

Externe links
 Biografische gegevens
 Korte biografie en belangrijkste werken

Noten

Estisch wetenschapper
Baltische Duitser


text:
LG's crazy Wing Phone will be presented later this month
Phone News September 9, 2020 by Admin
LG Electronics is teasing its new Explorer Project with a 30-second invitation video hinting at the first smartphone under this new lineup. The video appears to confirm leaks from last week that point to a dual-screen smartphone with a unique hinge. It looks insane!
The Explorer Project is both an initiative and a new product category. LG says it will include devices that deliver "distinctive and yet unexplored usability experiences", hence the striking form factor. The South Korean firm says it wants to tackle uncharted territory in the mobile industry.
LG has already delved into the world of dual-screen smartphones, of course, but the solution we saw first on last year's LG G8X and continued on this year's LG Velvet and V60 ThinQ, was more of an accessory to a regular phone. The teasers and leaked footage of this new Explorer Project phone lead us to believe that LG is taking things to the next level now.
LG says it created the Explorer Project in response to the diverse usage needs of today's smartphone customers and "to deliver much-needed curiosity and excitement to the mobile sector". Much needed indeed, and we salute the mission here. The initiative aims to explore and inject new life into untapped areas and reshape and expand the current user experience. LG says that the Explorer Project will focus solely on new usability that is discovered with innovative designs. LG's new Universal Line will be the company's lineup of regular phones that focus on consumer lifestyles, such as the LG Velvet.
LG is collaborating with industry partners Rave, Ficto, Tubi, and NAVER to develop these new features that aim to change the mobile viewing experience on Explorer Project devices. "Rave gives users wherever they may be the ability to communicate and enjoy streaming content together while Ficto, which pioneered revenue sharing for mobile content, aligned the global launch of its streaming service with the Explorer Project," states the official press release.
Tubi, the ad-supported free streaming service, is also an early partner of the Explorer Project. South Korean search provider, NAVER, which worked with LG on its Dual Screen accessory, is developing a version of its Whale browser with unique browsing features for Explorer Project devices. Qualcomm is also on board and will be supplying the chipsets for the new LG devices.
"LG and platform partners feel it is vitally important to demonstrate to consumers new and differentiated user experiences in the smartphone space," said Morris Lee, president of LG's Mobile Communications Company. "LG has always been a pioneer in pushing the envelope of smartphone form factors, the only way to bring about much-needed innovation in the mobile market."
Details of the Explorer Project will be officially announced on September 14 at 10:00 (EDT) on LG Mobile's official YouTube channel and Facebook page. Interestingly, it seems LG is opting not to officially reveal this new project at the IFA 2020. The company will hold a press conference on Thursday, September 3rd, in Berlin but it looks likely that it will simply tease Explorer Project further ahead of the unveiling later this month.
Google testing option to subscribe to apps without installing them
What Samsung's event invitation reveals about the new Galaxy Note 20
Indian smartphone brand Lava announces customizable phones with upgradable RAM, storage
US Government will ban the download of TikTok, and WeChat starting September 20


text:
Scholar Spotlights
Bensolo Ken
In October 2017, Bensolo came to Cambridge to undertake an MPhil in Conservation Leadership, having been awarded a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship by the Cambridge Trust and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. Talking about the course he was to undertake, directed by Dr. Chris Sandbrook, a University Senior Lecturer and Fellow of Darwin College, Bensolo commented "I believe that taking this course will further strengthen my understanding of the myriad of conservation challenges including threats to biodiversity loss and that it will enable me to design sound approaches and play a proactive role in supporting conservation in a fast-changing economy such as that in Papua New Guinea".
Bensolo studied at the University of Papua New Guinea for his BSc Hons in Biology (Biological Sciences Division) gaining a distinction in 2008.
Following graduation, Bensolo worked with Papua New Guinea's Climate Office for a year before taking up post as Policy Officer for the Wildlife Conservation Society, a US-based non-governmental organisation with a programme being undertaken in Papua New Guinea, where he spent 7 years working with a particular interest in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, including activities which enhance carbon stocks ('REDD+'). His duties included supporting national, provincial and local level governments on the review and development of policy measures on environmental management, with a particular focus on climate change.
Speaking about his role, Bensolo said "I view the REDD+ mechanism as a vehicle which could potentially drive biodiversity conservation whilst meeting local and national needs, maintaining forest integrity and helping to mitigate climate change. There is still more work to be done but it looks promising, especially in actively addressing drivers of forest loss".
This work experience was essential in Bensolo applying for the Master's course in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge; the course is aimed at graduates of leadership potential who must have three to five years of relevant professional experience, and aims to train students to address the challenges of biodiversity conservation in an integrated and interdisciplinary manner.
The first event Bensolo attended following his arrival was the Cambridge Trust's welcome event for the 430 newly-arrived students to whom it awarded scholarships for the academic year 2017-18.
Speaking about his arrival, Bensolo said "whilst I was excited about arriving in Cambridge, it was a little daunting to be in a completely new environment, climate and culture, and with so many new challenges. But I was made to feel welcome by my College, Hughes Hall, by the staff of the Trust and by teaching staff and course colleagues".
During his studies at Cambridge, Bensolo undertook a period of fieldwork in Papua New Guinea as part of a Professional Placement with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a leading international conservation organization. His placement project explored the feasibility of IUCN's Green List Standard of Protected and Conserved Areas in Papua New Guinea, his home country.
About his time in Cambridge, Bensolo said "since coming to study here, I have developed critical thinking skills and have a much broader perspective on conservation than before I began the course. The course is intense, but very interesting and unique because it places leadership as the fundamental underpinning for effective conservation through a multi-disciplinary approach that reconciles conservation action by all sectors and not just a science-led field". He added "I have much appreciated the support of so many here in Cambridge: the course director Dr. Chris Sandbrook, my College tutor, Dr. Carole Sargent, my academic supervisor, Dr Evangelia Apostolopoulou and the Cambridge Trust/Commonwealth Scholarship Commission who provided my scholarship'".
Bensolo is now undertaking a three month internship with The Biodiversity Consultancy, spending one month in Cambridge and two months back in Papua New Guinea. He will be looking at topics ranging from stacking biodiversity offset credits and carbon credits, effective protected area outcomes and costs in Papua New Guinea, and defining an appropriate free, prior and informed consent model for biodiversity offsets work in the country.
Bensolo is expected to make a real difference to wildlife conservation in Papua New Guinea; in his words "I intend to utilise the knowledge, skills and experience gained while at Cambridge to further advance conservation and influence sustainable development approaches and action at local, regional and national levels".
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Bensolo and for his country.
Photography: Helen Kirkby
Guidelines for Scholars
Scholarships Awarded


text:
Home > Child Support (C.S.S.A.) > $400,000 Combined Parental Income Cap Imposed by Second Department when Determining Father's Child Support Obligation
$400,000 Combined Parental Income Cap Imposed by Second Department when Determining Father's Child Support Obligation
By Neil Cahn on August 19, 2013
Posted in Child Support (C.S.S.A.)
Two published decisions last week ruled on the whether to award child support upon combined parental income in excess of the base child support amount. In the first, the Second Department in Beroza v. Hendler, found it was an improvident exercise of discretion for the trial court to have capped the parties' combined parental income at $255,000.00. On appeal, the Second Department increased the cap to $400,000.00 and awarded the mother the father's pro rata portion of that capped amount.
In the second case, A.C. v. J.O. (to be the subject of Wednesday's blog post), Acting Kings County Supreme Court Justice Debra Silber, determined that although the parents had net combined parental income of $423,100.00, the father's child support obligation would be limited to his pro rata share of the $136,000.00 cap.
In Beroza, the father had commenced this divorce action in 2001 after 11 years of marriage. At that time the oldest of the parties' three children was 4½ years old and their twins were 18 months old. The parties were both educated professionals. The father was a veterinarian with a private practice devoted to horses and a related horse-boarding business and the mother was a partner in a group anesthesiology practice. Both parties worked throughout the marriage. the family enjoyed an affluent lifestyle in Laurel Hollow.
Underlying the parties' 2008 divorce judgment, Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Ira Warshawsky imputed gross annual income to the father of $259,100.00. The father's base annual child support obligation was fixed at as 29% of $200,000.00, or $4,833.33 monthly.
On the husband's appeal from the 2008 judgment, the Second Department agreed with amount of the father's imputed annual gross income, but remitted the matter to the Supreme Court because it had failed to properly set forth the parties' pro rata shares of child support. Additionally, the lower court failed to adequately explain its application of the "precisely articulated, three-step method for determining child support'" pursuant to the Child Support Standards Act (Beroza v Hendler, 71 AD3d 615, 617, 896 N.Y.S.2d 144 [2010]).
On remittitur, Justice Warshawsky re-determined the parties' respective annual net C.S.S.A. incomes to be $248,721.00 for the father and $487,693.00 for the mother, for net combined parental income of $736,414.00. However, for the purpose of determining the plaintiff's child support obligation, the court capped combined parental income at $255,000.00.
Justice Warshawsky found that $255,000.00 adequately reflected a support level that met the needs and continuation of the children's lifestyle, as dictated by the past spending practices of the parties. Justice Warshawsky applied the 29% statutory percentage to combined parental income capped at $255,000.00 ($73,950.00 total support obligation), and the calculated that the husband's 33.7% pro rata support obligation at $24,921.00, annually, or $2,076.75, monthly.
The Second Department modified. Although he had articulated his analysis pursuant to the three-step method for determining child support embodied in the C.S.S.A. guidelines, Justice Warshawsky, the appellate court held, improvidently exercised his discretion in capping the parties' combined parental income at $255,000.00.
Proper consideration of the D.R.L. §240(1-b)(f) factors did not support the lower court's finding that a monthly support obligation of $2,076.75 "adequately reflects a support level that meets the needs and continuation of the children's lifestyle, as dictated by the past spending practices of the parties."
Instead, the Second Department deemed it appropriate to conduct its own review of the record, which it found sufficiently developed, and to recalculate the father's child support obligation for his three children.
Under the first of the three-step analysis, the court determined the parties' combined parental income. Here, net combined parental income of $736,414.00 was not in dispute.
The appellate court determined the father's pro rata share at the more precise 33.77% (dividing $248,721.00 by $736,414.00), not the rounded percentage of 33.7% applied by Justice Warshawsky.
Under the second step of the analysis, the appellate court multiplied so much of the combined parental income up to $80,000.00—which was the "statutory cap" in effect on the date of the 2008 judgment by the applicable statutory child support percentage, or 29% for the parties' three children. The court, then, allocated the resulting amount of $23,200.00 between the parties according to their pro rata shares of the combined parental income. The plaintiff's share of the basic annual support obligation was 33.77% of $23,200.00, or the annual sum of $7,834.64.
The third step in the analysis was also to be applied as the combined parental income exceeded the applicable statutory limit of $80,000.00. In this situation, "courts [have] the discretion to apply the [sub]paragraph (f)' factors, or to apply the statutory percentages, or to apply both in fixing the basic child support obligation on parental income over $80,000." As applicable here, the subparagraph (f) factors include a consideration of the financial resources of the custodial and noncustodial parent, and the standard of living the child would have enjoyed had the marriage or household not been dissolved.
These factors further the objectives of the CSSA, which include "the assurance that both parents would contribute to the support of the children" and that the court consider "the total income available to the parents and the standard of living that should be shared with the child."
Here, it was a provident exercise of discretion to apply the statutory child support percentage of 29% to the amount of the combined parental income it considered in excess of $80,000.00, but it was an improvident exercise of discretion for Justice Warshawsky to have capped the amount of combined parental income at $255,000.00, an amount which was only marginally higher than the plaintiff's net annual income of $248,721.00. The capped amount, in effect, improperly excluded consideration of the mother's net annual income of $487,693. This was contrary to the cost-sharing scheme directed by the C.S.S.A.
Considering the relevant subparagraph (f) factors, including the affluent lifestyle which the children undisputedly enjoyed during the parties' marriage, commensurate with the parties' education and net combined annual parental income of $736,414.00, the Second Department found that $400,000.00 was an appropriate cap to the parties' combined annual parental income for purposes of calculating the plaintiff's support obligation pursuant to the statutory percentage.
Thus, under step three, the Second Department applied the child support percentage of 29% to the amount of the cap in excess of $80,000.00, or $320,000.00. That yielded the annual amount for both parents of $92,800.00. The father's 33.77% share of the excess was $31,338.56. Adding that amount to the father's basic annual support obligation of $7,834.64 yielded an annual obligation of $39,173.20, or $3,264.43 per month.
Stephen Gassman and Rosalia Baiamonte of Gassman Baiamonte Betts, P.C., of Garden City, represented the mother. Amy S. Nord, of Valley Stream, represented the father.
Tags: Cap, Combined Parental Income, Discretion, Improvident, Justice Debra Silber, Justice Ira Warshawsky, Net Combined Parental Income, Pro Rata Share, Provident, Statutory Cap
Man using calculator
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Terminating Child Support While Child Away at College
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The DC Super Hero Girls™ action dolls are dressed in their masquerade best to attend a very special ball! Twelve-inch Wonder Woman™ doll wears a costume inspired by her Signature Super Hero Look. And no ball attire is complete without accessories, so Wonder Woman™ doll is also outfitted with a purse, necklace, gauntlets, belt and a proper masquerade mask to hide her true Super Hero identity! Extra fun touches like sparkles and shimmer help this Super Hero shine! Also ready to attend the ball are Harley Quinn™ doll and Starfire™ doll (sold separately, subject to availability). Collect all three to be ready for exciting nights of imagination at the masquerade! Colors and decorations may vary.
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Wonder Woman™ doll is all decked out for a masquerade ball.
12-inch Super Hero doll wears a costume featuring colors and design details inspired by her Signature Super Hero Look and comes with accessories, like purse, gauntlets, necklace, belt, and themed mask.
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Also available are Harley Quinn™ doll and Starfire™ doll (sold separately, subject to availability). Collect all three to be ready for fabulous, imaginative nights at the masquerade!


He jolted awake, his world unfamiliar, and to that unfamiliarity he sat and stared. Thunder rattled the windows, dark smeared the lines of the world outside. One breath, another, memory returned, and his fear slowed. Unfisting clenched hands he pushed back from the table. Periodicals and books tumbled from the edge. The order he'd meticulously enforced upon the mundane was broken in a pseudo flight of broken spines and unfurled folds.
They were there. In baggy blue uniform. Thunder rumbled, lightning split the darkness whose scent he was beginning to savor. Swift, sweet, fleeting. The sour reek of antiseptic and fear was a poor trade.
He stared at them, sorted them from height and location as their impassive facades and unmarked attire blurred them in his eyes. Scrubs, misplaced surgeons, save no surgeon was that bulky, no doctor need to be that scarred. Nor did they need to travel in packs that covered all the exits. He'd seen them once (at least he recalled once) before, knew why they were here.
Unarmed, it was simply for a move. A placement to one place he disliked for one he'd despise.
Armed… if they were armed… he'd fight. Fight to the death.
Because in the depths of his soul, in those violated places least warped, he knew that he would not survive another "cleansing". Didn't want to, truth be told.
Tracing sleeves, backs, belts, he sought bulges and folds. There were none. Save the closest, that one had a watch if the whisper of ticking was anything to go by.
Wrinkling his nose, he grimaced. Painfully aware of all the scents, most sour, that lingered in the public place.
"What do you want?" He finally bit out, flicking his animosity rimmed eyes from one to the other. If one went, for gun or stunner he'd… he didn't know what… But he waited, waited in the chancy light for they'd taken all the lights in their coming.
And killed all the cameras.
Ironic that… considering they were agents of the light and all.
"Are you coming peacefully?" The shortest, the farthest, gruffed back.
left cheek went numb. It always did in a storm, still their jumping at his shift nearly summoned a smile. Something like memory teased him then. It's coming and going teased and tightened his eyes, killed his good humor, and left his eyes thinned to slits.
The "I promise" was left unsaid, but not unheard. Familiar with the nature of false promises the traitor looked from one to the other. Combing them from first to last he sighed.
Who was he kidding, he'd never get away….
Still, breathed a whisper of discontent the heart of Before, that didn't mean he had to make it too easy.
Cracking a smile meant to reassure, he stood, lingered at the table. Piles, some disturbed, others not, some relevant others not. He looked down at his efforts, then plucked his notebook and its cryptic question and answers from the organized chaos. Tucking it under his arm, he set one hand under the table. One push affirmed the wooden island was not nailed down.
They leapt, like loosed dogs all baying and backing (orders, always orders), at the tables fall. Grappled him, though he didn't resist. Arms wrenched about, shoved behind his back, he held the notebook despite their damndes. That near loss woke him to violence, limited as it was with an arm pressed to his side with such tenacity it might aw well have been stone. The one who almost loosed it received a bite for his efforts.
Pain, a pin prick, than warmth flooded over his shoulder… under the skin.
Damn them, damn the bastards! He snarled, surged, but they had him by then. All he could do was make the burly one flinch under a glare that was surly glazing.
He opened his mouth, futile spite wanting release.
It wasn't curses that he uttered, there was little air in him, hardly enough to voice all his hate.
The dark behind his eyes felt hollow, but the fall was real for the impact bruised.
Bewildered, the squadrans leader would comb through his men. With queiies and questions, he'd repeat the redundant "What'd he say?" and think 'what did it mean?', and get no answer for either.
Save there were answers. One notebook's worth. A book of questions (who won the Struggle Tournament in 218 AD?), and it's answers that should have been mundane were not.
For the trivia was encrypted.
Except for the first six.
"I died, how can a man die more than once?
"Who are the sixth, the fifth, the fourth, the ninth, the thirteenth?"
Then, under that, the last line on the sixth page, segregated by distance and a frantic, frusterated, spikiness, that spoke of words jotted down in a rush.
There are no answers, no truths, not for these six. For these are foundations, these are truths. That which I am always denied.
Thirteen thones in a white room, where breathing is forbidden. The grey is a scythes sweep away. The reaper adorns himself in roses, the assasins are aflame, the nympth adores the storm that sheers branch from birch, and we who know nothing always no nothing.
The last that very last, slurred by sleeps coming perhaps.
The heart of the world beats colors, thier fading is magnificent, brilliant, and nothing is left, nothing at all, substantial, sweet, stable void.
The void is a room, rememberance is a spire, this is where nothingness gathers.


Beautiful vintage circa 1960 gold wedding band, that would be cherished for years to come.
Dimensions: Width 4.5mm, depth 1mm.
Finger size M. NB Ring size can be altered free of charge but limitations may apply. Please specify ring size required.
Full English Hallmark for 22 carat gold, London, 1965.
Be the envy of your friends when you wear this stunning ring.