text:
\section{INTRODUCTION}
Graphene sheets, which are effectively $2+1$ dimensional objects, have some interesting properties that are relevant to both experimental studies and theoretical interest. The electrons in graphene exhibit a linear energy momentum dispersion as if they were massless Dirac particles \cite{Jackiw}. Some experimental studies on graphene has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics \cite{Geim}, and this further encourages both experimentalists and theorists in studying various aspects of effectively $2+1$ dimensional electron systems. One can also find field theoretic approaches to graphene in the literature \cite{Fialkovsky}. In this work, a $2+1$ dimensional model system with an electrostatic backgroud is considered and the dimensionality of the system is undertood as constraining a $3+1$ dimensional system onto a $2+1$ dimensional curved hypersurface by making use of the electrostatic background, as in \cite{Burgess}.

In classical mechanics, there are certain types of problems in which geometrical constraints (which one may assume to be holonomic for present purposes) are imposed on physical systems. When dealing with such problems, the nature of interactions that generate those constraints are not generally taken into account directly, since the problems can be handled by other means (generally using the method of Lagrange multipliers). However, one does not deal with such cases in conventional problem sets of quantum mechanics, if, of course, one does not pay special attention to the issue. Beginning with Dirac, people tried to transpose that sort of problems to the framework of quantum mechanics (for example \cite{Dirac}, \cite{daCosta}, \cite{Ferrari}). Dirac developed a quantization procedure which involved handling the constraints within the commutation relations \cite{Dirac}, \cite{Ogawa}, \cite{Ikegami}. Other relevant works involved making explicit use of the geometrical relations arising from the existence of the constraints \cite{daCosta}, \cite{Ogawa}, \cite{Ferrari}, named as the \textquotedblleft thin layer" method by some authors \cite{Golovnev}.  However, the results obtained using those two approaches do not necessarily match with each other; and this is what one observes in the literature (see \cite{Ikegami}, \cite{Ogawatek}). There may be several possible solutions to this contradiction, which should eventually be verified experimentally. In any case, both approaches should be applied to a wider range of problems in order to be able to develop new ideas from the consequences.

In this work, the above mentioned geometrical approach will be applied to Dirac equation in $3+1$ dimensional Minkowskian spacetime $M^{4}$ to reduce it to a $2+1$ equation, which will be viewed as if written on a curved hyper surface of $M^{4}$. The problem has been previously considered by M. Burgess and B. Jensen \cite{Burgess}, whose results are partly discussed in this work. The reason for choosing this approach is that it relies on the equation itself, without searching for a more general quantization procedure, and is thus only a limit of the $3+1$ dimensional equation. This makes it slightly more reliable in the sense that if it succeeds in the task given, then an appropriate (effective) Lagrangian formulation and a quantization procedure may be developed beginning from the resulting equation. However, the nature of possible interactions/mechanisms that may generate geometrical constraints are not studied in detail, and a simple elctrostatic background is assumed as in \cite{Burgess}. The reader will notice that results presented in this work do not exactly coincide with the counterparts given in \cite{Burgess}.

\section{GEOMETRY}
Although the problem deserves a general treatment, we will choose a simple and specific geometry, which was also used by da Costa in \cite{daCosta} and Ferrari and Cuoghi in \cite{Ferrari}. We refer the reader to Mitchell's treatment \cite{Mitchell} which covers possibly the widest range of different geometries.

The above mentioned treatments \cite{daCosta, Ferrari} consider non-relativistic particles confined to move on a $2$ dimensional surface in $3$ dimensional Euclidean space, and the approach can be used to handle $N-1$ dimensional hypersurfaces of the $N$ dimensional Euclidean space directly. The geometry is expressed by the metric tensor transformed to a new basis via a general coordinate transformation. The curvilinear coordinates involved are expected to have no special properties, except that one of the coordinates is chosen to be orthogonal to the surface on which the particle will be constrained. Then, the relevant Schr\"{o}dinger equation is written in terms of these new coordinates, and the normal coordinate is squeezed so that one obtains an effective equation which involves only the surface coordinates. More explicitly \cite{tez}:
\begin{align}
& G_{\mu \nu} =\dfrac{\partial \mathbf{R}} {\partial q^{\mu}}\cdot \dfrac{\partial \mathbf{R}} {\partial q^{\nu}} \nonumber \\
& G_{i j} =\left(\dfrac{\partial \mathbf{r}} {\partial q^{i}}+q^{3}\dfrac{\partial \mathbf{N}} {\partial q^{i}} \right)\cdot \left(\dfrac{\partial \mathbf{r}} {\partial q^{j}}+q^{3}\dfrac{\partial \mathbf{N}} {\partial q^{j}} \right), \qquad i,j=1,2 \nonumber \\
& G_{i 3} =0, \qquad G_{3 3}=1.
\end{align}
Here, $\mathbf{r}$ is the position vector of a generic point $P$ on the surface, $\mathbf{R}$ is the position vector of a point $Q$ just above the surface, $\mathbf{N}$ is the unit normal of the surface at $P$, $q^{\mu}$ are the curvilinear coordinates and the inner product is taken using the Euclidean metric $\delta _{ab}, \; a,b=1,2,3$. Notice that this expression is indeed exact with the coordinates chosen, but one may well write a Taylor expansion of position vectors \cite{tez}. However, this task is a little bit more complicated, and for the present purposes, the above expression is perfectly useful.

In these coordinates, one obtains the following normalization integral for the wave function \cite{Ferrari, daCosta, tez}:
\begin{align}
& \int d^{3}x\Psi ^{*}(X)\Psi(X) =\int d^{3}q\sqrt{G}\Psi ^{*}(q)\Psi(q) \nonumber \\
&=\int d^{3}q\sqrt{g}\left (1+q^{3}Tr(\alpha)+(q^{3})^{2}det(\alpha)\right ) \Psi ^{*}(q)\Psi(q)=1,
\end{align}
where $X^{a}$ are the Cartesian coordinates, $G$ is the determinant of $G_{\mu \nu}$, $g$ is the determinant of the metric tensor $g_{ij}=\dfrac{\partial \mathbf{r}} {\partial q^{i}}\cdot \dfrac{\partial \mathbf{r}} {\partial q^{j}}$ induced on the surface, and $\alpha $ is the Weingarten matrix of the surface \cite{Ferrari} which is related to the extrinsic curvature of it and defined via \cite{daCosta, Ferrari, tez}:
\begin{align}
\dfrac{\partial \mathbf{N}}{\partial q^{i}}\equiv \alpha _{i}~^{j}\dfrac{\partial \mathbf{r}}{\partial q^{j}}.
\end{align}
Here, and in the following parts, Einstein summation convention is used.

The redefinition of the wave function within the normalization integral is crucial, because the factor coming in front of the new wave function carries the signature of the \textquotedblleft external world" when substituted into the equation. With this procedure, after taking the limit $q^{3}\rightarrow 0$, one may calculate any observable without giving any reference to the external world \cite{tez}.

In the treatment for Dirac equation, this geometry will be assumed to correspond to the spatial part of the spacetime, and will be taken as constant in time, therefore causing no coupling between temporal and spatial parts. The only difference will be that Dirac equation is first order in all derivatives, while Schr\"{o}dinger equation is second order in spatial derivatives, so we will use the above objects up to first order in $q^{3}$, which also means there will survive no exact expressions for the metric tensor and related quantities. Such an expansion will do the job.

\section{DIRAC EQUATION}
We consider an electron (or a spin half particle) in flat spacetime, but the use of general curvilinear coordinates requires writing the Dirac equation as if a curved spacetime is involved. This well known equation is written in curved spacetime in the following form \cite{Bertlmann}, \cite{tez}:
\begin{align}
(i\gamma ^{a}E_{a}~^{\mu}D_{\mu}-m)\psi =0,
\end{align}
where $\gamma ^{a}$ are the well known Dirac matrices satisfying:
\begin{align}
[\gamma ^{a},\gamma ^{b}]_{+}=2\eta ^{ab}
\end{align}
plus denoting the anti-commutator and $E_{a}~^{\mu}$ are known as the inverse vierbeins satisfying:
\begin{align}
G^{\mu \nu}=E_{a}~^{\mu}E_{b}~^{\nu}\eta ^{ab},\qquad \mu ,\; \nu ,\; a,\; b=0...3,
\end{align}
and $D_{\mu}$ is the appropriate covariant derivative which will explicitly be given below. Although the (inverse) vierbeins can be thought as coordinate transformation coefficients, this is not necessary in general. Indeed, these objects appear in the equation due to the requirement that Dirac equation should be written using an orthonormal basis of vectors or one-forms in order to be able to use the flat spacetime gamma matrices \cite{Bertlmann}. In addition, they are defined up to a local Lorentz transformation which leaves the relevant action invariant \cite{Bertlmann}.

In order to apply the thin layer method to this equation, one needs to expand the included objects in powers of $q^{3}$. This was performed before by Burgess and Jensen in \cite{Burgess}, but for surfaces having zero intrinsic curvature. When the surface has zero intrinsic curvature, one has the chance to use Cartesian coordinates in the vicinity of the surface \cite{Burgess}. However, this does not imply that the connection coefficients do not contribute to the geometric terms, contradicting with the statement of the authors. Indeed, making use of the algebra satisfied by the Dirac matrices, one observes that:
\begin{align}
\gamma ^{c}E_{c}~^{\mu}\omega _{ab\mu}[\gamma ^{a},\gamma ^{b}]=2\gamma ^{a}(\nabla _{\mu}E_{a}~^{\mu})
\end{align}
due to
\begin{align}
\gamma ^{a}[\gamma ^{b},\gamma ^{c}]=[\gamma ^{c},\gamma ^{a}]\gamma ^{b}-2\eta ^{ac}\gamma ^{b}+2\eta ^{bc}\gamma ^{a}
\label{usefulrel}
\end{align}
regardless of dimension of the spacetime.

Now, let us write the equation explicitly. First, it should be noted that, the vierbeins and inverses satisfy the following \cite{Bertlmann}:
\begin{align}
e^{a}~_{\mu}E_{a}~^{\nu}=\delta ^{\nu}~_{\mu}, \; e^{a}~_{\mu}E_{b}~^{\mu}=\delta ^{a}~_{b},
\end{align}
and the covariant derivative is given as \cite{Bertlmann}, \cite{tez}:
\begin{align}
& D_{\mu}=\partial _{\mu}+\omega _{\mu};\nonumber \\
& \omega _{\mu}=\dfrac{1}{8}\omega _{ab\mu}[\gamma ^{a},\gamma ^{b}];\nonumber \\
& \omega ^{a}~_{b\mu}=-E_{b}~^{\nu}\nabla _{\mu}e^{a}~_{\nu},
\end{align}
where $\nabla $ is the covariant derivative in the so called coordinate basis \cite{Bertlmann}, which is not necessarily orthonormal, in other words:
\begin{align}
\nabla _{\mu}V^{\nu}=\partial _{\mu}V^{\nu}+\Gamma ^{\nu}_{\mu \lambda}V^{\lambda}.
\end{align}

Now, we introduce the following set of vierbeins \cite{tez}(somehow different than in the reference):
\begin{align}
& e^{a}~_{i}=\partial _{i} x^{a}+q^{3}\partial _{i}n^{a}=\partial _{i} x^{a}+q^{3}\alpha _{i}~^{k}\partial _{k}x^{a}, \nonumber \\
& e^{0}~_{0}=1, \; e^{a}~_{3}=N^{a}, \; a=1,2,3,\; \mbox{others}=0,
\end{align}
whose inverses are given by (to first order in $q^{3}$):
\begin{align}
& E_{a}~^{i}=\tilde{E}_{a}~^{i}-q^{3}\alpha _{k}~^{i}\tilde{E}_{a}~^{k}, \; E_{0}~^{0}=1, \; E_{a}~^{3}=N_{a}, \nonumber \\
& a=1,2,3, \; \mbox{others}=0,
\end{align}
where the over tilde implies that the quantity is evaluated on the surface and $x^{a}$ are the flat coordinates of the generic point $P$ lying on the surface. This notation implies:
\begin{align}
\tilde{e}^{a}~_{\mu}\equiv (\partial _{\mu}x^{a})_{0}.
\end{align}
We also redefine the spinor in the following way \cite{Burgess}, \cite{tez}:
\begin{align}
\chi \equiv \psi \sqrt{1+q^{3}Tr(\alpha )}.
\end{align}
where the geometrical relations give $Tr(\alpha )=\tilde{\Gamma }^{i}_{i3}, \, i=1,2$. Using these objects, one obtains the following equation near $q^{3}=0$:
\begin{align}
& i\Bigg(\gamma ^{0}\partial _{0}\chi +\gamma ^{A}\tilde{E}_{A}~^{i}\partial _{i}\chi +\dfrac{1}{4}\gamma ^{A}(\tilde{\nabla}_{i}\tilde{E}_{A}~^{i})\chi \nonumber \\
& -\dfrac{1}{4}\gamma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}Tr(\alpha )\chi +\gamma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}\partial _{3}\chi \Bigg)-m\chi =0,\nonumber \\
& A=1,2,3; \; i=1,2,
\label{curved1}
\end{align}
where the over tildes imply the object is evaluated at $q^{3}=0$, and $x^{c}$ are the flat coordinates as introduced before. In order to obtain this equation, one makes use of (\ref{usefulrel}) and:
\begin{align}
N^{a}E_{a}~^{i}=0.
\end{align}

Here, the term $-\dfrac{i}{4}\gamma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}Tr(\alpha )\tilde{\chi}$ appears due to the existence of an external world, that is, it is the residue of the constrained dimension within the equation. there are two contributions to this term: one from the redefiniton of the spinor and the other from the connection coefficients. This term is the  analogue of the geometric potential which appears in the Schr\"{o}dinger equation in \cite{daCosta, Ferrari}; however, while that geometric potential was a scalar function, this seems like a vector potential, but one which does not have a temporal component. This seems weird, of course; in the case of a specified interaction, the meaning of this term may become more clear.

Burgess and Jensen assume that their resulting equation is separable, and they consider two equations in \cite{Burgess}, one involving only the normal coordinate, and the other involving surface parameters. They conclude that the solutions behave like a shifted Gaussian along the normal direction. Though we proceeded in a somewhat different way, we may give an argument which is also in accordance with that of Burgess and Jensen; that is, we may assert that the solution to the $3+1$ dimensional equation in the same coordinates should have an extremum, more precisely a maximum at $q^{3}=0$, if it is really possible to constrain the particle to that surface. One may also take this argument in the following way: $\overline{\chi}(t,\mathbf{r})\chi (t,\mathbf{r})$ is the probability density for the particle to be found at time $t$ at the point $\mathbf{r}$ (remember that the spinor has been redefined so that the measure of the normalization integral involves only the determinant of the metric induced on the surface), and so, if the particle is constrained on a surface, then \textquotedblleft it is most probably on the surface\textquotedblright . So, the probability density should be maximum at $q^{3}=0$. These statements do not directly imply that $\chi $ has a maximum at $q^{3}=0$; however, it will be observed that a Gaussian distribution around the surface necessarily results in that. To see this, let us introduce an electrostatic potential as a background, and derive the consequences:
\begin{align}
& i\Bigg(\gamma ^{0}\partial _{0}+\gamma ^{A}\tilde{E}_{A}~^{i}\partial _{i}+\dfrac{1}{4}\gamma ^{A}(\tilde{\nabla}_{i}\tilde{E}_{A}~^{i})\nonumber \\
& -\dfrac{1}{4}\gamma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}Tr(\alpha )+\gamma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}\partial _{3}\Bigg)\chi \nonumber \\
& +\Big(e\gamma ^{0}A_{0}(q^{3})-m\Big)\chi =0, \; A=1,2,3; \; i=1,2,
\end{align}
where $e$ is the charge of the particle. Following the arguments of \cite{Burgess}, one can identify this electrostatic potential with some $\lambda $ times $q^{3}$, and expect that the behaviour of the spinor along the normal coordinate to be determined by the relevant derivative and the coupling term:
\begin{align}
(\gamma ^{0}e\lambda q^{3}-i\gamma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}\partial _{3})\chi =K\chi .
\label{normaleq}
\end{align}

Up to this point, every term but the normal dervative has been evaluated at $q^{3}=0$. However, there is an order $q^{3}$ term now. Here, one has to assume that $e\lambda q^{3}$ also has an $O(1)$ contribution, which is consistent with the physics of the problem \cite{Burgess}. But there is another issue here: components of the normal vector are functions of the surface coordinates, so how can one get rid of the dependence on these coordinates in this equation? One can simply expand the spinor in terms of the eigenvectors of the matrix $i\gamma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}$ and assume seperability of the equation for each term in the expansion. The eigenvalues of this matrix are $\pm 1$, and assuming a Gaussian-like dependence for all componentes of the spinor imply:
\begin{align}
\chi \equiv exp[-a(q^{3})^2+bq^{3}]\sum _{r=1}^{4}h_{r}(t,q^{i})V_{r}(q^{i}),
\end{align}
where $a>0$ and $V_{r}(t,q^{i})$ are the eigenvectors of $i\gamma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}$. If the equation is seperable, $K$ must be a constant matrix. It is a chance that one does not have to be that strict at all: $K$ can be a function of time and the surface coordinates only. Putting this expression into (\ref{normaleq}), one obtains:
\begin{align}
& exp[-a(q^{3})^2+bq^{3}]\sum _{r=1}^{4}\Big[e\lambda \gamma ^{0}\nonumber \\
& +c_{r}(-2aq^{3}+b)-k_{r}\Big]h_{r}(t,q^{i})V_{r}(q^{i})=0,
\end{align}
where $c_{r}$ and $k_{r}$ are the eigenvalues and corresponing seperation constants (or functions) respectively. Imposing that the probability distribution has a maximum at $q^{3}=0$ amounts to $b=0$, which also amounts to $k_{r}=0, \, \forall r$. This contradicts with the result in \cite{Burgess}, since in that reference the Gaussian distribution is shifted and the effect is interpreted as a contribution to the effective mass of the states after constraining the system. The solution is then a pure Gaussian with $a=-\dfrac{e\lambda }{2}$. The remaining (tangential) equation is then:
\begin{align}
& \sum _{r=1}^{4}\Bigg[i\Big(\gamma ^{0}\partial _{0}+\gamma ^{A}\tilde{E}_{A}~^{i}\partial _{i}+\dfrac{1}{4}\gamma ^{A}(\tilde{\nabla}_{i}\tilde{E}_{A}~^{i})\Big)\nonumber \\
& -\dfrac{c_{r}}{4}Tr(\alpha )-m\Bigg]\Big(h_{r}(t,q^{i})V_{r}(q^{i})\Big)=0.
\label{sontan}
\end{align}

The geometric term can still be interpreted as an effective contribution to mass \cite{Burgess}, and the equation can be written as a system of coupled $2\times 2$ equations for two 2-spinors. One expects that these equations should be decoupled for two linear combinations of those 2-spinors. Consider, for example, the following $4$ representation for the gamma matrices:
\begin{align}
\gamma ^{0}=\begin{bmatrix} 1 & 0 \\ 0 & -1 \end{bmatrix} , \; \gamma ^{A}=\begin{bmatrix} 0 & i\sigma ^{A} \\ -i\sigma ^{A} & 0  \end{bmatrix},
\end{align}
where all entries are $2\times 2$ matrices and $\sigma ^{A}, \, A=1,2,3$ are the well known Pauli matrices satisfying:
\begin{align}
[\sigma ^{A},\sigma ^{B}]_{+}=2\delta ^{AB}.
\end{align}

In this representation, after multiplying (\ref{sontan}) with $i\gamma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}$, the equations appear as the following:
\begin{align}
& i\Big(-c_{r}\sigma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}\partial _{0}+\sigma ^{A}\tilde{E}_{A}~^{i}\partial _{i}+\dfrac{1}{4}\sigma ^{A}(\tilde{\nabla}_{i}\tilde{E}_{A}~^{i})\Big)v_{r}(t,q^{i})\nonumber \\
& +\Big(\dfrac{c_{r}}{4}Tr(\alpha )+m\Big)u_{r}(t,q^{i})=0, \nonumber \\
& i\Big(c_{r}\sigma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}\partial _{0}+\sigma ^{A}\tilde{E}_{A}~^{i}\partial _{i}+\dfrac{1}{4}\sigma ^{A}(\tilde{\nabla}_{i}\tilde{E}_{A}~^{i})\Big)u_{r}(t,q^{i})\nonumber \\
& +\Big(\dfrac{c_{r}}{4}Tr(\alpha )+m\Big)v_{r}(t,q^{i})=0,
\end{align}
where $h_{r}(t,q^{i})V_{r}(q^{i})\equiv \begin{bmatrix}u_{r}(t,q^{i}) \\ v_{r}(t,q^{i})\end{bmatrix}$. Though the equations are still coupled, this representation in $3+1$ dimensions naturally suggest the follwing representation for the (coordinate dependent) gamma matrices in $2+1$ dimensions:
\begin{align}
\Gamma ^{0}=\pm \sigma ^{A}\tilde{N}_{A}, \, \Gamma ^{i}=\pm i\sigma ^{A}\tilde{E}_{A}~^{i}, \, A=1,2,3, \, i=1,2,
\end{align}
which clearly satisfy
\begin{align}
[\Gamma ^{\alpha},\Gamma ^{\beta}]_{+}=2g^{\alpha \beta},
\end{align}
and $g^{\alpha \beta}$ is clearly the induced metric on the $2+1$ dimensional hypersurface.

Here, there is one interesting fact: the charge of the particle does not appear in the reduced equations! This is interesting, because it suggests the idea that the electrostatic interaction in $3+1$ dimensions seems to mimic gravity in $2+1$ dimensions, since the considered geometry is curved and the extrinsic contributions can be absorbed into the mass term. This fact then brings a new question: how can one incorporate gravitation effectively in this picture? For sure, the answer will involve the complete set of conditions on the nature of the solutions to the tangential equation.

However, in the case of a magnetic interaction, one may not be able to reduce the equation to $2+1$ dimensions. This is suggested even by non-relativistic spin-magnetic field interaction:
\begin{align}
\widehat{H}_{I}=-\dfrac{e}{2mc}(\nabla \times \mathbf{A}\cdot \mathbf{S})_{0}
\end{align}
where $\mathbf{A}$ is the electromagnetic vector potential. The cross product counts the number of spacetime dimensions, and a possible reduction scheme will most probably be gauge dependent \cite{tez}. Beyond speculations, one has to check what happens in this case.

\section{CONCLUSION}
In this work, the treatment of Burgess and Jensen has been generalized to surfaces having nonzero intrinsic curvature, and the arguments on the origin of the geometric term and the behaviour of the solutions along the normal direction have been corrected. However, there still are a number of unanswered questions for this case. First of all, solutions to the reduced equations should be derived and interpreted in a future work, and limitations on possible experimental realizations should be discussed. Secondly, one has to examine whether there are any geometrical constraints on the relevant surface, as done by Burgess and Jensen in their treatment. The last, and may be the most interesting unanswered question is, as indicated in the previous section, is the one concerning similarity with $2+1$ gravity.

One can think of more interesting but complicated scenarios in terms of the interaction constraining the system into $2+1$ dimensions. However, the treatments seem to be limited in the case of single particle equations. A more general, may be a field theoretic treatment can be studied in order to develop deeper, and experimentally verifiable ideas.

\section{ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS}
The author is grateful to Bayram Tekin who suggested this problem and helped throughout its solution. Detailed derivations that led to the discussion in this work can be found in our M. Sc. Thesis \cite{tez}. The author has special thanks to Ozgur Sarioglu for indicating new research directions initiating from the problem. The author would also like to thank T. \c{C}a\u{g}r{\i} \c{S}i\c{s}man for his aid in formatting issues.

\newpage

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


When it comes to rugged durability and supportive comfort, it doesn't get better than Chaco's men's shoes. Whether you require amphibious function, weather-ready protection, or all-day comfort for long days on your feet, Chaco's lightweight hiking shoes are constructed to perform no matter what you might encounter. All of Chaco's men's lightweight hiking shoes are built with our signature LUVSEAT™ footbed for all-day comfort and support, so you can go confidently towards adventure, travel, and the everyday.


text:
import Generator from '../_models/control';

export default class TemplateControlGenerator extends Generator {
    static aliases: Array<string> = ['ac'];

    constructor(options: any) {
        super(options, {
            type: 'AttributeControl',
            ext: 'ac',
            noLessOrHtml: true
        });
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This is another of our special collection made for Framed On Madison. The base of the frame is made of wood. A delicate layer of silver leaf is applied by hand in an exploration of light and dark. The frame is then hand rubbed to create an antique finish. The easel back is made by hand as well, with a neutral tan scroll design. The Art Deco design brings together the modern and the classic to enhance almost any photograph.


text:
Q: Understanding a simple proof about minimal polynomials
Let $T \colon V\to V $ be a linear operator, where $V$ is a vector space over $F$. Suppose that the minimal polynomial $M(t)$ of $T$ can be factored into the product of two coprime and monic polynomials: $M(t)=M_1(t) M_2 (t)$. Let $W_1=\ker M_1(T)$ and $W_2=\ker M_2(T)$. Prove that $W_1$ and $W_2$ are non-trivial $T$-invariant spaces.

I proved that $W_1,W_2$ are $T$-invariant. However, I don't understand the following proof of the fact that $W_1$ and $W_2$ are non-trivial:

Proof: Suppose $W_1=\{0\}$. Then $W_2=\ker M_2(T)=V$ (because $V=W_1 \oplus W_2$). Thus $M_2(T)=0$. Thus, there exists a polynomial, $M_2(t)$,
  such that $\deg M_2(t) < \deg M(t)$ and $M_2(T)=0$ which contradicts
  the fact that $M(t)$ is the minimal polynomial of $T$.

I fail to understand why $\deg M_2(t) < \deg M(t)$. What if $M_1(t)=1$? In this case $M_1(t)$ and $M_2(t)$ are still coprime an monic, yet $\deg M_2 (t)=\deg M(t)$.

A: Well, in the case of $M_1(t)=1$ the proof doesn't work, as you pointed out correctly. I would guess the conditions on the theorem are sloppy, as the polynomials probably weren't meant to be constant. The proof works when both polynomials $M_1(t)$ and $M_2(t)$ are nonconstant, as then $\deg(M_1(t))+\deg(M_2(t))=\deg(M(t))=\dim(V)$ and $\deg(M_1(t)),\deg(M_2(t))\geq 1$.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Quantity Discount Pricing - Save Big!
This high-quality graduated cylinder is accurate, easy to read and chemically resistant for all applications. Imported. Approximately 17 cm tall with 2.5 cm diameter.
NOTE: Actual product may vary from the one pictured due to differences in suppliers.


text:
Travel ideas, experiences, encounters and generally interesting stuff from Unique Provence by Philip Haslett
Immerse yourself in Les Carrières de Lumières
Just outside the village of Les Baux de Provence you can find the Carrières de Lumières. These old stone quarries were still in use back in the 1930's and it is the stone from these very quarries that was used to build the Château and the hilltop village of Les Baux de Provence. As a site to visit they are impressive enough the high ceilings carved out of the rock, witness to an industrious past, and in the heat of summer they are a great escape!
The Imposing entrance to the Quarry
Back in 1977 based on the experimental work by Joseph Svoboda whose use of projected images in his scenography had a stage unlike any other here and a unique light show was presented in the quarries for over thirty years. Then in 2011, the village of Les Baux de Provence handed over the management to Culturespaces, a private company dedicated to the development and promotion of monuments, museums and historical sites of several can be found in the South of France.
Culturespaces continued the light show, but with a technology that literally brought the quarries to life. The unique system they put in place uses 70 projectors with images on every surface whose resolution surpasses that of full HD thanks to the use of fibre optics to transmit the video signals. The spatial surround sound and the precise placing of the speakers allows the spectator to live the exact same audio experience wherever they find themselves. Culturespaces renamed the site "Les Carrières de Lumières" which translates as the Quarries of Light, reinforcing the specificity of what was on offer inside.
In 2012 the main light show is on Van Gogh and Gauguin whose paintings come to life, much, much larger than life, and their vibrant colours are reproduced exactly, and each brush stroke is minutely detailed.
For 2013 the theme will be the Mediterranean and the artists who found their inspiration there. A four part show starting with Joseph Vernet's view of Marseille as if arriving from the sea, and followed by the works of Renoir and Manet who left their habitual Paris and Giverny and found themselves under the spell of the Riviera. The next part highlights the light of the Mediterranean with works from the Italian Riviera to the Spanish border where the works of Cézanne, Braque, Cross and Signac in totally different styles take us on a geographical and historical journey with Impressionism, Pointillism and Cubism showing the diversity of the landscapes and artistic techniques. The final section continues on in the history of art with the exaggerated but so appropriate colours of the Fauvists and to the "Prophets of modern Art" Les Nabis.
After the main light show, a shorter show called metamorphosis, uses different colour lights to show the beauty of the quarries themselves.
The beauty of the quarries was also noticed by Jean Cocteau in 1959 who used them as a setting in his film "Le Testament d'Orphée", a film for cinephiles starring Cocteau himself and with a star studded cast of second roles and extras including Charles Aznavour, Jean Marais, Yul Brynner, Brigitte Bardot, Pablo Picasso and his wife, and Françoise Sagan to name but a few, all friends of the artist. As a rainy afternoon bit of family entertainment it's a bit heavy going, but as a testament to Cocteau's art and to the beauty of the Carrières it is worth seeing, and you can see the scenes shot on site when you visit in a projection area of the quarries.
To visit the Carrières de Lumière, just follow the signs from the village of Les Baux de Provence, it is just outside. In full season it's an experience trying to park your car, but once inside the sheer volume of the quarries and the magic of the show, makes you forget the people around you.
If however you would like to experience the spectacular sound and light show for yourself with no one else around to disturb you, then you will be requiring the services of Unique Provence who can secure the privatisation of the Carrières for just the sound and light show, or if you would like to go a step further we can organise a complete evening with a gourmet meal, string quartet and anything else that may take your fancy. Due to the immensity of the site the latter suggestion is more of a group product. But having said that a candlelight dinner for two could be very romantic indeed!
Take a look at the Unique Provence Travel website for our suggestions on privatising the Carrières de Lumières.
Labels: Artists, Cezanne, Les Baux de Provence, Les Carrières de Lumières, Mediterranean, Monet, Provence Tours, Provence Travel, Renoir
Absinthe: The Rebirth of the Green Fairy
If you believe the reputation given to Absinthe at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, it is better to stop reading this right now. The equivalent of this terrible alcoholic drink today would be Class A drugs. But that is IF you believe its past reputation.
"Alcohol, Here is the Enemy!" Poster by artist and missionary
Frédéric Christol in 1910
Absinthe was banned in 1915 due to its many dangerous properties, notably the causing of epilepsy, tuberculosis, fits of murderous rage and just plain insanity. All of these were clearly documented and verified by notable doctors and scientists of the time, who with hindsight were probably absinthe drinkers themselves!
Amongst the most famous Absinthe drinkers in France we can find Toulouse-Lautrec, Beaudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine and of course Vincent Van Gogh who though not officially French is artistically associated, and a self-declared madman, clearly due to the Green Fairy as absinthe was known. Other famous absinthe drinkers include Ernest Hemingway and his reckless, risk taking life style and Oscar Wilde whose loose morals and dangerous wit were obviously linked to the consumption of this appalling drink.
The alternative to absinthe after its ban was pastis another anise flavoured drink, which quickly gained in popularity especially in the South East of France. It too was banned in 1940 along with all alcohols over 17° but in 1944 was authorised again.
Still life with Absinthe by Vincent Van Gogh
Absinthe however was to wait a long time before being rehabilitated and it was officially allowed to return to the cocktail hall of fame in April 2011, requiring nearly 100 years to clear its name. So you can now rest assured that fits of rage, insanity and tuberculosis will not be unfortunate after effects, though if you drink too much the first two have been known to happen, as it will with all alcohols it turns out.
The Green Fairy working her evil spell!
The Absinthe Drinker by Victor Oliva (1861-1928)
Absinthe can be made in several different ways; by maceration of the herbs in a neutral alcohol, by using the essences of the herbs, a bit like mixing a cocktail or by maceration followed by distillation which is the superior method favoured by most Absinthe manufacturers. The main herbs used are Grande Wormwood (Grande Absinthe in French hence the name), Anise and Fennel. To these three essential ingredients are added petite wormwood, hyssop, angelica, lemon balm, star anise, sweet flag, dittany, coriander, juniper, and nutmeg in varying quantities according to the particular recipe. Not all are necessarily used. The resulting drink is a very strong (around 70° alcohol) but beautifully smooth, lemony, anise combination with the pleasant background bitterness of the Wormwood which gives it its unique identity. It can be drunk neat on a bed of crushed ice, or as a long drink with iced water. For the true aficionados you must take a lump of sugar which you place on a specially made Absinthe spoon, this is placed on the top of your glass already containing a dose of Absinthe, the water is then poured over until the sugar dissolves. Each method gives a different result, so I recommend trying them all!
An Absinthe fountain with the spoons and sugar lumps in place
(photo Distilleries et Domaines de Provence)
Yesterday I joined the old boys of Forcalquier for a distillation of Absinthe using the most remarkable Alembic Still you will ever see. The atmosphere is festive and patés, cheese and red wine are all presented on a table for all to share, which if like me you haven't even had a coffee to start your day, is tough to begin with but you soon get into the swing of things.
The seemingly innocuous shed where it all happens,
given away only by the tell tale chimney!
The Alembic hidden inside the shed
Janot
(Photo courtesy of the Distilleries et Domaines de Provence)
The master of ceremonies was Janot whose age is as great as his skill and his passion is readily shared with anyone that asks. His acolyte is Pâquerette and he was also aided by Yves. If anything went wrong, like the fire to heat the water dying down or no one noticing the end of the distillation the blame was automatically laid on Yves being the youngest, although it was not necessarily his fault. The accusations were loud and met with general hilarity from the others gathered around, who were used to this offloading of responsibility. Needless to say the old boys were always keeping their eyes on everything and the final product was perfect as always.
Janot keeping an eye on the proceedings
Inside the Alembic,
the macerated mix is heated by the copper tubes full of super heated steam.
This particular distillation was for the Distilleries et Domaines de Provence who also make the famous Pastis Bardouin, and a whole range of aperitifs using peaches, walnuts, oranges… Liqueurs using Thyme and Génepi and La Douce which is a combination of Cognac and pear liqueur and is easy to drink …too easy! They are the proprietors of the alembic and most of their alcohols are created using the same "savoir faire" of the old boys of Forcalquier, which once you have met them and experienced a distillation gives you a renewed respect each time you sip your Absinthe or Pastis.
Janot and Pâquerette emptying the Alembic of the macerated herbs before starting a new batch.
The final nectar flowing out.
The Distillers of Forcalquier.
Alain Gaubert (aka Pâquerette), Yves Rafattelli and Janot Augier
(Magnificent photo courtesy of the Distilleries et Domaines de Provence)
This had to be on my list of unique travel experiences, even if there are only a few distillations a year, usually starting around August and going on into October. It is a privileged insight into a time old tradition which will one day disappear in its present form to be replaced by something more modern, probably more efficient and definitely less picturesque, authentic and friendly.
The bottled result by the Distilleries et Domaines de Provence
If you would like to discover Absinthe, then I highly recommend the Distilleries et Domaines de Provence, you can visit their website here.
www.distilleries-provence.com
If you would like to discover the alembic, or join us on one of our unique travel experiences then you can contact me here.
Unique Provence Contact
Labels: absinthe, Alpes de Haute Provence, Distilleries et Domaines de Provence, fee verte, Forcalquier, green fairy, Haute Provence, herbs, Provence, Provence Tours, tourism, tours, Travel, wormwood
Unique Provence Travel
Kairos Travel
Other Travel Blogs and Links
wwwMyFrenchLife.org
France Frolic 2013
Fantastic Provence
Belle Provence
A Luxury Tavel Blog
Marseille-Provence The Insider's Guide
Follow Unique Provence Blog by Email
N° of visitors to the Unique Provence Blog
Aix en Provence (2) Alpes de Haute Provence (4) Banon (3) Forcalquier (7) Guided Tours (1) L'Occitane en Provence (5) Lavender (14) Lavender Tour (2) Les Baux de Provence (1) Luberon (2) Luxury (2) Provence (40) Provence Tours (7) Provence Travel (2)
Philip Haslett. Picture Window theme. Powered by Blogger.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Novonics Corporation has been a proud sponsor and evaluator for the Serious Game Showcase and Challenge since its inception. It's remarkable how the number of entries and quality of the Serious Games have increased over the last five years. The innovative ideas of the student entries are especially exciting. Our sponsorship helps to support awards for category winners and provides Novonics Corporation a great venue to align ourselves with our goal of providing innovative training solutions. Looking forward to continued sponsorship of this outstanding event.
MS&T magazine, and its publishers Halldale Media, are keen to continue their support of the Serious Games Showcase at I/ITSEC 2011. Games are a critical component of training and education plans for the future as we deal with an increasingly technology dependent workforce. This applies to our military as well as our schools and other industries and user groups. We began a serious focus on the use of games for training about 6 years ago and have since then helped spread the message to new user groups and those of a more traditional training mind – we will continue to do so and support the Serious Games Showcase in its effort to propagate this highly cost effective method of training.
Being a part of this experience has been quite rewarding on many levels. The enthusiasm is contagious and it's inspiring to see the number of people who value this form of education.


Transformer Industry is one of the key segments of the 'Electrical' capital goods industry. This industry is also considered as the bell weather industry for many other Electrical products markets such as Capacitors, Switchgears and Insulators etc. So, from an Electrical industry perspective, it is very important to assess the state of the Transformer industry for one to get a sense of the overall Electrical Products market.
The Transformer industry in India is a highly fragmented industry with over 250+ players and the industry estimates from various bodies and experts put this estimate to be around 300-400 players depending on who is one talking with. From, our research perspective of this industry, we consider over 250+ players to be active in this industry. It is estimated that the industry capacity in India is estimated to be over 1000 GVA.
This industry has been under a rough weather over the last 2 years with a demand stagnation in India. This industry is estimated to be stagnating between 250,000 to 280,000 MVA for the last 2 years and recently showing some signs of growth.
In terms of sales by products, the Power Transformers in MVA terms is clearly over 70% of this market while Distribution Transformers account for over 30% of the market in MVA terms but could show a reverse trend when we talk in terms of number of Units. The industry is governed by mostly the Oil Filled Transformer industry and Dry Type of transformers (only in DTR space) have not yet gained full acceptance due to their high costs. Copper windings still account for a major portion of the industry, while Aluminum windings are mostly limited to < 250 kVA levels.
As a nation our overall transformation norm stood at 7MVA/MW levels in 2008 and the policy makers had a plan to reach the levels of 11MVA/MW levels in the 12th plan. But, due to various factors and the state of DISCOMS largely, we are still hovering around the 8 to 8.5 MVA/MW levels.
Our research on this industry over the years shows that Utilities demand for Transformers is a highly important one and accounts for over 90% of the industry's output. The remaining being the Industrial requirement of Transformers for their projects.
Over the last 2 years, the lack of new Transmission project orders, poor state of the DISCOMS and the tepid industrial activity had kept the industry in a low performing state with demand stagnation. This also led to an increased price pressure and smaller players losing out closing down operations.
The opening up of new transmission projects and the de-bottlenecking of old stuck projects has led to order wins by many firms in the recent past for the Power Transformers.
The upcoming new transmission projects and the Green Energy Corridors will see more uptick in the Power Transformer Segment going forward.
The announcement of UDAY and the participation of 15 states already in the program has given many players some hope that the fiscal conditions of DISCOM's would improve and this would lead to more aggressive DTR purchases in the next few years to reduce the losses.
Even though the Government had announced 2 major schemes of Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS for the Urban areas) and Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY for the Rural areas), nothing of note till now has been seen on ground from these schemes. But now, with UDAY being implemented in many states, this will provide a framework for most utilities to absorb the additional investments in IPDS and DDYGJY programs and implement them on the ground more effectively.
The revival of investment in manufacturing and new CAPEX investments due to 'Make In India' has not yet happened but most industry players are cautiously optimistic about the same.


text:
Le programme Avion Léger de Surveillance et de Reconnaissance (sigle : ALSR) est un programme d'armement mené par le ministère des Armées français. Il consiste à développer un avion de reconnaissance à hélices à partir d'un avion d'affaires civil.

L'armée de l'air française opèrera huit de ces aéronefs, commandés au titre de la LPM 2019-2025.
Le premier a été livré le 31 juillet 2020, les livraisons suivantes s'étalant jusqu'en 2030.

Conception
La base du système ALSR est un avion Beechcraft King Air 350 modifié par la société Sabena Technics afin d'intégrer un équipement de mission développé par Thales.
Ces missions sont essentiellement le renseignement, la reconnaissance et la surveillance.
La base Beech King Air 350, très répandue, en simplifie la mise en œuvre et la maintenance, ce qui rend ce système particulièrement adapté aux théâtres sub-sahéliens.

Les avions sont initialement dotés de boules optroniques fournies par le groupe américain Teledyne Technologies. Les performances de ce système sont jugées insuffisantes par le Centre d'expertise aérienne militaire de l'Armée de l'Air. Son remplacement par un système de meilleure qualité retarde de plusieurs mois son entrée en service opérationnel, qui n'intervient qu'en mars 2022, au sein de l'Escadron électronique aéroporté 1/54 Dunkerque.

Commandes
La Loi de programmation militaire 2019-2025 prévoit un parc de 8 aéronefs en service au sein de l'Armée de l'air et de l'espace à l'horizon 2030.

Les deux premiers ont été réceptionnés respectivement le 31 juillet et le 3 décembre 2020 et ont été mis en service en mars 2022.

Dans le cadre du plan de soutien à l'aéronautique mis en œuvre à la suite de la crise du Covid-19, un troisième exemplaire a été commandé en vue d'une livraison en 2023 contre 2027 prévu initialement.

Utilisation
Dans l'Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace l'ALSR est appelé VADOR, pour Vecteur Aéroporté de Désignation Observation et Reconnaissance.

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes

 Beechcraft King Air 350
 Avion de reconnaissance

Avion militaire français
Avion de reconnaissance
Avion de détection et de commandement aéroporté
Avion de guerre électronique
Avion à hélices
Avion bimoteur
Avion à ailes basses

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Langanja and the girls hanging out with Miley Cyrus after the MTV Video Music Awards.
If you somehow missed Miley Cyrus' performance on the MTV Video Music Awards last week, you must be living in some sort of insulated yurt community for music snobs. The performance of Cyrus' "Dooo It " — a song off Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz, which was released shortly after the VMAs — was memorable for a couple of reasons that don't include her being called out and made to look like a fool by Nicki Minaj. In addition to her head full of terrible white girl dreadlocks, Cyrus was joined by more than 30 drag queens from Logo's RuPaul's Drag Race, three of whom hail from Dallas.
The Haus of Edwards is a drag collective helmed by Mesquite native Alyssa Edwards. Edwards is joined by Paris, Texas, native Shangela (née D.J. Pierce) and Carrollton's own Laganja Estranja. All three queens have made appearances on various seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race, but they were quickly thrust into mainstream pop culture last week when they were asked to perform with Cyrus, who hosted the VMAs this year.
In fact, Cyrus' production of the "Dooo It" number started that night, with heavy involvement from the Haus of Edwards. Cyrus served as her own artistic director for the VMAs performance, and asked Laganja Estranja to work with her as co-choreographer for the live number. "[Miley] started learning the choreography that we did at the Drag Race show, and that's where the dance breakdown in the performance came from," says Pierce.
The performance itself has been cheered and jeered — whether or not you like it seems to depend on whether or not Cyrus's brash, nouveau-hippie, pothead aesthetic appeals to you — but it was no doubt a feat. Thirty drag queens in coordinated costumes performing an intricate dance number on one stage is impressive enough, more so when you consider that the group of performers only had one week to rehearse together. Fortunately, according to Pierce, Miley was the consummate professional, and enjoyable to be around.
"I live in Hollywood, and you work with celebrities. I've performed in Lady Gaga videos and performed for Nicki Minaj, but working with Miley Cyrus was different," Pierce says. "She was one of the most down-to-earth, approachable, sweet and professional people. She's a little drag queen, indeed. Miley Cyrus is a little drag queen." According to Pierce, Cyrus showed up to rehearsal one day playing Pierce's single, "Professional," in her car, and would frequently wear merch the queens gifted to her to the next day's rehearsals.
Later, Cyrus asked the Haus of Edwards to perform at her afterparty that followed the Awards at The Roosevelt in Los Angeles. Of the 30-plus queens who had been on stage earlier in the night, only the three Dallas-born performers were asked to follow Cyrus to the weed-scented wonderland that no doubt followed the VMAs. On stage, Shangela, LaGanja Estranja and Alyssa Edwards twerked with Miley Cyrus, and inducted her as an honorary member of the Haus of Edwards.
Fortunately, Dallas will soon have a chance to see the Haus of Edwards in real life. On September 19, Pierce's fabulous alter-ego Shangela will be joined by LaGanja Estranja and Alyssa Edwards for a performance at The Brick for Dallas Pride. During the actual parade, the Haus of Edwards will regally ride a float before hosting a meet-and-greet for VIP fans at the Ilume Dallas. If you missed out on that VMAs performance — or loved it beyond belief — you might want to go ahead and get your tickets now.


text:
Der Olympic Laurel Award ("Olympischer Lorbeerkranz") ist eine im Jahr 2016 geschaffene Ehrung des Internationalen Olympischen Komitees, die Sportler für Verdienste um Bildung, Entwicklung, Kultur und Sport auszeichnet. Damit wurde eine Empfehlung der Olympic Agenda 2020 umgesetzt. Der Preis soll jeweils während der Eröffnungsfeiern der Olympischen Spiele überreicht werden.

Als erster Preisträger wurde der frühere Leichtathlet Kipchoge Keino aus Kenia bei der Eröffnungsfeier der Olympischen Sommerspiele 2016 in Rio de Janeiro für seine Verdienste geehrt.

Preisträger

Einzelnachweise

Olympische Auszeichnung
Olympische Sommerspiele 2016
Erstverleihung 2016


Color wheel kids make cool clock craftwhack is one images from step inside 24 unique how to make a clock for school project concept of CoRiver Homes photos gallery. This image has dimension 550x565 Pixel and File Size 77 KB, you can click the image above to see the large or full size photo. Previous photo in the gallery is make paper plate clock mum madhouse. For next photo in the gallery is make wall clock ice sticks pendulum. You are viewing image #6 of 24, you can see the complete gallery at the bottom below.


Check out my book trailers and interviews on the My Videos page. Updated fairly regularly.
Magic and technology are very appealing vehicles for moving a story along; but what bothers me is that magic is either fanciful, mythical, or demonic, and technology is impersonal.
Jesus, on the other hand, is the Creator: real, powerful, and very personal--a force to be reckoned with, rather than a Force to be used any way a character chooses, for good or ill.


text:
Watchdogs to IRS: Reject Rove Group's Tax Application
Crossroads GPS said it would stay out of elections. Then was one of 2012's biggest outside spenders.
— By Justin Elliot, ProPublica
JD_WMWM/Flickr
This story first appeared on the ProPublica website.
Two watchdog groups are calling on the IRS to reject Crossroads GPS' request to be recognized as a social welfare nonprofit.
Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center, nonpartisan outfits that favor tighter campaign finance regulations, wrote a letter to the tax agency today citing ProPublica's recent reporting on Crossroads' 2010 IRS application. The application said that the group's activities seeking to influence elections would be "limited in amount, and will not constitute the organization's primary purpose."
In today's letter, Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center called those statements by Crossroads GPS "simply not credible, in light of the actual practices of the organization and the tens of millions of dollars Crossroads GPS spent on campaign ads since then."
Conceived by Karl Rove, Crossroads GPS was one of the biggest outside spenders in the 2012 elections, reporting more than $70 million in expenditures to the Federal Election Commission.
Recognition as a social welfare nonprofit is important for Crossroads because it allows the group to shield the identity of its donors. Under tax rules, such groups are allowed to spend money on political campaigns but must be primarily engaged in promoting social welfare.
Campaign Legal Center Executive Director Gerald Hebert said in a statement accompanying today's letter, "The application filed with the IRS by Crossroads GPS is laughable in the face of the growing body of evidence against the pretense that Crossroads GPS is a 'social welfare' organization."
Crossroads GPS spokesman Jonathan Collegio responded: "This sounds like the 25th identical letter that the partisans and ideologues at the Campaign Legal Center have sent to the IRS, and it doesn't merit anyone's attention."
We've inquired with the IRS as to whether Crossroads' has been recognized as a social welfare nonprofit—as of mid-December it had not—and we will update this post if we hear back.
Dark Money Group Promised the IRS it Would Stay Out of Politics, Then Didn't
LISTEN: Rove's Crossroads GPS Attacks Elizabeth Warren in New Robocalls


text:
Q: Calling a method from an object at the START of a Queue Within my Driver class:
for (systemClock = 0; systemClock < 200; systemClock = (systemClock + 1)){
        if(((inputQueue.query()).arrivalTime()) == systemClock)
            System.out.println(((inputQueue.remove()).removalTime()));
    }

Within a Job class:
public int arrivalTime()
{
    return arrivalTime;
}

My problem is within the second line of code.
if(((inputQueue.query()).arrivalTime()) == systemClock)

In class we made a basic QueueObject, with a method query() which returns the object found at the FRONT of the queue. Each object is a job, which has various variables and methods within them (all that matters in this case is the "Arrival Time" of this object). I'm trying to get this line of code to return the object, and call the arrivalTime() method / find out the arrival time from this specific object.
Edit: I'm getting a compile error "cannot find symbol - method arrivalTime()"
Solution Edit:
Sorry for the confusion / bad post guys. I apologize. Here is the solution I got to work. I had to cast the object being pulled off the queue as a Job object.
if((((Job)inputQueue.query()).arrivalTime()) == systemClock)

A: Try to remove the extra parenthesis,and (just in case), use an inequality:
if (inputQueue.query().arrivalTime() >= systemClock) {
    // ...
}

I'm assuming that your query() method returns a Job object (if it doesn't, then there's a problem with your Queue design).

So, your problem is that the symbol is not found.
Some tips:

*

*is the method arrivalTime() marked as private? If it is, it should be public.

*Which is the type returned by the method? It must have the same type as systemClock, and remember you can only use == with numbers (int, long, double,...). If the type is not comparable with == you'll need to create a compareTo() or equals() method


Throughout recent years, social media has seen a number of viral challenges that have been targeting audiences, oftentimes the vulnerable children and young adults, to engage in dangerous activities, and record them online. From the tide pod viral video dares, to the fire challenge, to the choking challenge, the cinnamon challenge, and the latest MOMO challenge, concerns are high among parents and families trying to navigate how to keep their kids safe. Recent reports indicate that even apps that have been created to help families better monitor their children's online activities like YouTube Kids may have been hacked by unknown sources.
The Momo challenge is shockingly alarming, a disturbing image of a woman with distorted features, asking kids to increasingly pass challenges that intensify in nature, encouraging them to harm themselves or others.
Sexting: keep your teen aware of the consequences.
With the increase in cell phone usage, technology and mobile apps our world is getting smaller and more connected every day. A form of flirting with technology and cell phones?
Students, welcome back! A social media reset is in order for all college students.
Printable handout for making smart connections on social media.
Printable Handout for students to protect online privacy.
Smart Girl is excited for Maha!
This year at Maha Festival, we are joining the fun! We even have a fun activity planned for our booth.


text:
NYC Spring 2012 Ska Calendar Update #20
Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 8:30 pm
The Rudie Crew, Brave New Girl, Pocket
The Local 269
269 East Houston Street (between Avenues A & B)
Saturday, May 12, 2012, starting at 7:00 pm
Version City Party presents "Stubborn Records 20th Anniversary Party" with Skinnerbox, Hub City Stompers, Rocker T (with The Snails), The Radiation Kings, King Django Septet, The Rudie Crew, The Reggae Lords, The Heavy Beat
The Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Doors at 7pm
Live Music all night long, beginning promptly at 7:30
$15/advance or $17/day of show
$15 advance tickets available here.
The Aggrolites w/Old Man Markley, Brothers of Brazil
Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Jewel
Boards: 7:00 pm/Departs: 8:00pm
East 23rd Street & FDR Drive
Advance: $25/Day of Show: $30
Lee "Scratch" Perry, Subatomic Sound System
Gramercy Theater
$35 ($25 ticket price + $10 in fees)
Friday, May 25, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Reggae in the Slope
Forte featuring Kevin Batchelor (Skatalites) & Rocksteady Freddie Reiter (New York Ska Jazz Ensemble) *DEBUT GIG!* 12am
Top Shotta Band featuring Mush 1 (ex-Slackers) 11pm
The Attractors featuring Rich Graiko (Westbound Train) 10pm
+ Crazy Baldhead & Deadly Dragon selecting the big tunes and reggae rarities all night!
B LOUNGE
837-839 Union Street (under 'Tea Lounge'), between 6th & 7th Avenues
20s Virginia Avenu
6 Crannell Street,
Vibe Lounge
60 North Park Avenue
Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29, 2012
The Slackers (with selector 100dBs!)
Rocks Off Concert Cruise Aboard The Harbor Lights
$30 advance/$35 day of show (for each night)
Labels: Hub City Stompers, Lee Scratch Perry, Rocker T, Skinnerbox, The Aggrolites, The Heavy Beat, The Rudie Crew, The Skatalites, The Snails, The Toasters, Version City
Duff Review: The Rudie Crew "This is Skragga"
Megalith Records/Rootsey Records
When you hear The Rudie Crew's powerhouse amalgamation of hard-edged, aggressive, and minor-key (but definitely catchy) ska and reggae and wonder why it's like nothing else on the NYC ska scene--everything registers when you trace the band's lineage to King Django's fearlessly eclectic ska band Skinnerbox (established in 1989), which (hey!) included The Rudie Crew's saxophonist/songwriter El "Wood" Husey and trumpeter/songwriter Dan Dulin (both were also in the more traditionally-minded Stubborn All-Stars). The Rudie Crew's sound strongly reminds one, but not in a throwback way, of the late 80s/early 90s NYC ska scene (still heavily influenced by 2 Tone, post-punk, and New Wave), when ska music wasn't so rigidly defined or dominated by traditional ska and rocksteady forms. Top bands like The Toasters, The NY Citizens, Urban Blight, Bigger Thomas, Mephiskapheles, and Skinnerbox mixed their bluebeat with doses of hardcore, funk, 50s rock, Stax R&B/soul, calypso, dancehall and more--all of which gave the music space to expand, mutate, and stay vital.
Lyrically, The Rudie Crew have some interesting things to say (actually, a lot to say--most songs clock in around 4 or 5 minutes, and Roy Radics works overtime, oftentimes toasting/singing what seems like several hundred words a minute). "TRNC" is in support of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus's independence--something I was vaguely aware only because I was briefly in Cyprus as a kid in 1974 ("TRNC, you've got to set them free/TRNC, they need the economy/TRNC, go back to the EEC/ TRNC, they need to exist!"); "S.U.V." promotes an anti-greed, pro-environmental message ("SUV, this is not a necessity"); "Propaganda" blasts W's use of it to dupe the nation into a needless and disastrous war in Iraq (and includes an "Inspector Gadget" riff); all the real and imagined horrorshow anxieties of the post-9/11 decade are manifest in "Uneasy Feeling" ("The whole world is reeling!"); and the almost psalm-like "Dem Never Know" (with P-Dub) is about the struggle against oppression and adversity in Babylon: "Dem never know/There's no way they can stop me/'Cause everywhere I go/It's only Jah Jah a guide me/In each and every thing I do/Me keep him love there beside me..."
But the Crew isn't all seriousness and righteous fury. The magnificent "Tottenham Flow" is about the band's love for the Tottenham Hotspurs football club; "Pretty Girl" poses the key question, "If I give you my heart/Would you give me your world?"; and "Crisp Biscuit" celebrates The Rudites' musical prowess. Plus, the CD includes a slew of dubs, including a sweet one for "S.U.V." made by Crazy Baldhead.
The Rudie Crew know what they're doing--and they do it extremely well. Live on stage or captured in digital bytes, The Rudie Crew are not to be missed.
Labels: Duff Review, King Django, Megalith Records, Skinnerbox, Stubborn All-Stars, The Rudie Crew
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Top Shotta Band
Sunny's
253 Conover Street
Red Hook, Brooklyn
Free/21+
(F train to Carrol Street and/or B61 bus to the very end.)
Across the Aisle (band goes on at 7:00pm)
Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 10:00 pm
Dub is a Weapon w/Buford O'Sullivan (Easy Star All-Stars/Huffers) and vocalist Rob Symeonn (plus Selector 100dbs)
258 Wythe Avenue
Thursday, April 26, 2012 (2 sets: 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm)
NY Ska Jazz Ensemble
Club NuBlu
62 Avenue C
Labels: Across the Aisle, Buford O'Sullivan, Dub is a Weapon, Forte, King Django, NY Ska Jazz Ensemble, Rob Symeonn, Skinnerbox, The Aggrolites, The Radiation Kings, The Rudie Crew, Top Shotta Band
Duff Review: The Void Union "Higher Guns"
LP (also available as a digital download from the band)
Editor's note: I had originally planned to include this review in a huge "Best Ska and Reggae LPs of 2011" wrap-up, but never got around to finishing it, as I started a new job at the beginning of 2012. So instead of letting it languish in my to-be-published someday folder, I've decided to overcome my embarrassment about posting this so late and to share it with the world...
Hands down, The Void Union's Higher Guns is one of the best traditional ska albums of 2011. Side A is all ace Skatalites-inspired original jazz-Jamaica instrumentals (see "In Like Flynn," "Song for Lester" or the spaghetti Western-ish "Higher Guns"). The flip side features "Aiming," a song about trying to drink your troubles away, but only creating more (with King Django and Obi Fernandez); "Tea Party Girl," which is probably the first ska song about the ridiculous Tea Party ("Angry girl having the time of her life/Tea Party Girl hold the knife/Angry man hold the sign/Tea Party Man hold the line"); the sweet, bubbling toaster "Rock the Junction" (with Craig Akira Fujita of Pressure Cooker); the angry and defiant "Garden of Eden," which features the amazing lyrics, "tie my hair up in barbwire and bows/top it off with a red, red rose/doesn't matter where I'm going/I'll be there by tomorrow/entertaining faces, that's where my place is/I've been here to find what's left of humankind" (guest vocalist Haley Jane is spectacular on this cut); and "Fear of Flying," a hilarious monologue (with music) about that condition by Fishbone's Angelo "Dr. Madd Vibe" Moore, that will do nothing to alleviate your pteromerhanophobia (can't you fix it, Doc?!).
Labels: Angelo Moore, Craig Akira Fujita, Duff Review, Fishbone, Haley Jane, Jump Up Records, King Django, Obi Fernandez, Pressure Cooker, The Void Union
Duff Review: The (English) Beat "John Peel BBC Radio Sessions"
The Beat Fan Club via Jump Up Records
Red vinyl LP
Editor's note: I had originally planned to include this review in a huge "Best Ska and Reggae LPs of 2011" posting, but never got around to finishing it, as I was starting a new job at the beginning of 2012. So, I thought it would be appropriate to run this short write-up on the heels of the news of a new five-disc English Beat box set ("The English Beat: The Complete Beat") and single-CD compilation ("Keep The Beat: The Very Best Of The English Beat"), both of which will be released on July 10, 2012 from Shout Factory. Rare and unreleased material is promised (though from a cursory look, there's not loads of stuff that hasn't already been available in some form here or in the UK--and the box set includes the Peel sessions that are reviewed below)--but new Beat fans would be well-served by tracking down both the US and UK versions of the 1983 "What is Beat?" comp (which have very different track lists).
It's fantastic to hear the live, in-the-BBC-radio-studio versions of these beloved and enduring songs and revel in the even bolder arrangements of the album tracks from Just Can't Stop It and Wha'ppen (check out that wickedly fast and impossibly precise rhythm section in overdrive on cuts like "Too Nice to Talk To," "Psychedelic Rockers," and "Walk Away"--I really wish I had caught the Wha'ppen tour, as the band sounds like it was in its absolute prime). And while I love the almost perfect pop-reggae/ska of Special Beat Service, the relatively straight-forward performances (for The Beat, at least) from this era portend the split then soon to come.
Ranking Full Stop
Mirror In The Bathroom
Too Nice To Talk To
Psychedelic Rockers
Monkey Murders
Spar Wid Me
She's Going She's Gone
Save It For Later
Pato And Roger A-Go Talk
Sole Salvation
Labels: Duff Review, Jump Up Records, The Beat Fan Club, The English Beat
Duff Interview with Stubborn Records' King Django on 20 Years of Ska and Reggae!
Editor's note: With Stubborn Records' 20th Anniversary Show coming up on May 12th at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn (see details on the poster below), we thought we'd better check in with musician, songwriter, engineer, producer, and label-head King Django (AKA Jeff Baker) and pick his mind regarding all that has gone down over the past two decades at Stubborn. (Thanks and respect to King Django for taking the time to answer all of our questions!)
The Duff Guide to Ska: When you created "Rude Awakening," the first skazine in NYC back in 1984, could you ever have imagined that you'd be here all of these years later, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Stubborn Records?
King Django: Actually, no! Looking back and realizing that at that time, I was not even a musician, I definitely could never have imagined the wild ride that was to come. I feel pretty lucky and blessed having been able to learn so much from some really great musicians including my contemporaries and many of the artists who were my heroes in my youth.
DGTS: The label's first release, "Tales of the Red," was from your own band Skinnerbox. So, part of your motivation to get the label up and running was to put out your own records, but what was the label's driving mission for its first decade of existence? What were your initial plans for the first few years and how many of them were you able to realize?
KD: To be honest, I never really had much of a long-range plan. The label was started because we had been jerked around so much trying to get the first Skinnerbox record out. We had a cool offer from a good label and were ready to go with it, but got stars in our eyes due to smoke blown up our collective proverbial orifice by some "industry" types and in the end wound up with nothing. Prince Buster and Coxsone had always been heroes of mine, so I decided we ought to just start putting the records out on our own. All of my "plans" really only involved what projects I wanted to release, and in that light, they were all realized. That being said, there's still a lot of irons in the fire, plenty of tunes here awaiting release.
DGTS: When I was at Moon, I have to admit we were definitely jealous--in an admiring way--of some of the releases that you were putting out. But we also viewed Stubborn's competition as healthy for the scene (and us)--and there were certainly more than enough good bands around to work with (and certainly no single ska label had the resources to put out records for all of them). At the time, how did you view Moon Records--and which of the label's successes did you emulate and which of their missteps did you learn from?
KD: I don't think I actually directly emulated any specific aspects of Moon Records, but I defiinitely do have to give props here to Rob "Bucket" Hingley, who was definitely a big inspiration and an early mentor of mine back in the days before he was called "Bucket." Having been around him from the inception of Moon Records when I was still very young, Rob was really a very direct inspiration for me. He was very helpful and forthcoming, sharing his knowledge of the business at that time.
By the time Stubborn Records was founded, I'd already been working with and around him for about six years. I have a deep respect for what Rob and you all were able to accomplish with Moon. My impression is that because of the rapid growth of the label and the realities of independent distribution at that time there arose a necessity to "fill the pipeline" with product. To meet the quantity requirements, I think the quality control became lax, which of course translated to lower sales at the end of the day, and possibly a ripple effect for the entire genre here in the States. I suppose the main things I took away from that situation were to take it slowly, keep a close watch on the scale of things, keep it real and realistic, and never to make records just for the sake of having more releases. I was really never motivated by trying to get "big" or make loads of money, I just wanted to make good records.
DGTS: What were some of the biggest challenges to running an independent label during the 90s (when people still bought recorded music in physical formats)?
KD: I think the single biggest challenge was navigating the independent distribution network, as mentioned above. Everyone who had an independent label at that time has essentially the same horror stories, just in different sizes. It was pretty easy to get your product into the distribution channels, but actually getting it sold through and collecting any money for it was impossible. It's too much for me to go into the sordid details here, but there were a load of classic tricks and scams perpetrated on the labels during that time.
DGTS: You and I have talked a bit in the past about the difficulties of trying to keep a label going in this era of rampant music piracy (i.e., music "file sharing"). Any thoughts about this that you want to share publicly? And what do you think might be the emerging business model, the way forward for independent record labels and bands to be paid for the fruits of their labor?
KD: I really don't know! I just hope people realize that if they want to continue hearing good, quality music, they should support artists they enjoy. If you have no need for a CD, buy a T-shirt, buy some stickers, anything, spend a few bucks. Heck, buy a CD and give it to someone. Buy an album download from iTunes or another legal outlet. It's so important, especially nowadays, that we support our arts communities! For some reason, it's very easy for people to spend $14 on two admittedly enjoyable pints which they drink down very quickly at the corner bar, or $10 to $15 for a crappy, indigestion-inducing, poison dinner at a horrid, corporate, national chain restaurant, yet it seems difficult to convince people to cough up a measly $10-12 for an album which will bring them joy and upliftment repeatedly for years to come.
DGTS: What were some of Stubborn Records' greatest achievements (and disappointments, such as bands that you wanted to work with, but who got away)?
KD: I think just sticking around this long and having maintained a pretty good level of quality in our catalog is probably the label's greatest achievement. They're not all the same or even similar, and they all have different strengths (and even weaknesses!), but I'm pretty proud of all of our releases in one way or another. Again, my goal was never to release loads of records, or be a huge label. I just want to put out good music that my friends and I enjoy making and listening to. At this point, I think I'm a musician, singer/songwriter, recording artist first, a producer and recording engineer second, and a label owner third. The single greatest sadness in the history of the label was the loss of my close friend and Jamaican music business mentor Mr. Bertram Brown. He was instrumental in the establishment and success of the Version City Jamaica vinyl label, and he will never be replaced. There was also a planned album with Derrick Morgan which had to be scrapped when Profile Records shut down. I was also really looking forward to doing some work with Cedric Brooks before his health took an ill turn.
DGTS: Which Stubborn Releases are your personal faves?
KD: I am working on music all the time, so I think whichever I am working on at the moment is my favorite. To be honest, I don't go back and listen to the catalog often. By the time the record goes out for reproduction, I usually know it more intimately than anyone else and have heard it more times and in more broken-down detail than most people ever will. I put the love and attention into the project at hand and try to do my best. The delicious enjoyment part is then for the listeners!
DGTS: Which ones were the best-sellers for the label?
KD: If you include all of our licensed or contracted output, Stubborn All-Stars Open Season is far and away the biggest record Stubborn's been involved in. The best-selling release on Stubborn label proper would hands-down be my own Roots & Culture album, which has been continually reprinted in CD and vinyl formats, more recently as a "Special Edition" version, remixed and remastered with bonus tracks. Following that, the other King Django material, the other Stubborn All-Stars stuff, Vic Ruggiero and Hub City Stompers would be our top performers. Even recently, all of the Version City 45s have sold very well, in fact I have sold out of multiple pressings of most of those titles as well.
DGTS: What's the latest on the Stubborn Records 20th anniversary show at The Knitting Factory Brooklyn? Can you give us any hints about unannounced "special guests"?
KD: I guess by now I have announced the full line-up, so I don't know if there will or will not be any special guests...
DGTS: Apart from the anniversary show, do you have other Stubborn Records 20th anniversary-related events/releases in store?
KD: We've just put out the King Django and Ari Up 45s in cooperation with Ska In The World Records from Tokyo, Japan. I'm sending Victor Rice's Dub Discoveries from Version City to print today! And I'm hoping to finish at least the next HCS album and at LEAST one new King Django album before the end of the year. We were cranking out loads of new titles in Kingston, JA when I was working with Mr. Brown, and I'd like to continue that line of 45s, too, so I am trying to re-establish a mechanism for steady 45 releases.
Labels: Ari Up, Bucket, Derrick Morgan, Duff Interview, King Django, Moon Records, Skinnerbox, Stubborn Records, Victor Rice
Duff Review: Ari Up "Forward" b/w "Rescue Mission"
Ska in the World Records/Stubborn Records
Limited-edition 7" vinyl single
This stellar single from the late Ari Up (of The Slits) is the second co-release from Ska in the World Records and Stubborn Records that is being issued in celebration of the latter's 20th anniversary (the other is King Django's "Anywhere I Roam" b/w "Career Opportunities"). King Django co-wrote (as well as played/programmed and produced) the two tracks here with Ari, which were recorded at the Version City Studios in April 2003. Anyone expecting Django's usual traditional ska/rocksteady sounds should have their head checked--this is the spectacularly unique post-punky-reggae musician Ari Up (AKA Madussa, which was the name she used when performing dancehall reggae in the mid-2000s) we're talking about here (though it won't surprise anyone who's aware of Django's forays into contemporary reggae and has picked up the dancehall singles on Stubborn imprint Version City Records from Prince Alla, Johnny Osbourne, Pampidoo, and others). This single is trippy electro-dancehall--and while I'm no expert in this sub-genre, I know what I like and know that this is damn good.
"Forward" is a personal and political plea-cum-directive for sexual/romantic partners to cut the crap and posturing in favor of honesty, transparency, and trust (the not-so-subtle subtext is to practice safe sex and be tested for HIV): "Let's go forward/I tell you not reverse/Me check for you/but I must love you first/But for to love you/me have to know you/Just like you should love me and know me, too...Me must take time/and think twice/Rush into things/don't want to pay the price/The price me might pay might cost my life..." In other words, wrap that rascal (and know your status) or there's no action. Sound public health advice, indeed.
"Rescue Mission" seeks to save the citizens of Jamaica, Ari's adopted (and true) home country, from its nation's grinding poverty and dependence on America's foreign aid handouts (with its many thorny strings attached): "Prices going up and we going down/If we don't protest and make some sound/Soon there be no left around...We raise, we raise the whole of Jamaica/We grow, we grow/with everyone there-a/Resurrect the dead and kill the living/When them a hear this bad boy riddim!" Kingston calling for Occupy Jamaica almost a decade before it breaks out in NYC...
I'm not really going out on a limb with this, but it's worth stating the obvious: Ari Up was one of the truly fearless and boldly unique musicians and personalities in the punk and reggae scenes--and this single is terrific way to remember and honor her talent and legacy.
Labels: Ari Up, Duff Review, King Django, Ska in the World Records, Stubborn Records, The Slits
Duff Review: King Django "Anywhere I Roam" b/w "Career Opportunities"
One of the ways that King Django is marking the momentous occasion of Stubborn Records' 20th anniversary (!) is the release of this fantastic single--done in collaboration with Ska in the World Records in Japan. Side A is an excellent reworking of "Anywhere I Roam" (where King Django playfully boasts of his supreme musical prowess over Jack Wright's riddim), which originally appeared on the B side of The Forthrights' "Other People" single (on Stubborn Records), though this remix has even more verve, bite, and cheekiness than its predecessor (my favorite line: "Don't need no bourbon/neither no spliff/when you climb aboard my musical skiff/and catch a whiff of my keyboard riff!"--how many musicians claim that their music itself will give you a contact high?!).
Side B has to be one of the better Clash covers I've ever heard, a ska version of "Career Opportunities" (with New Orleans jazz-like breaks that Americana-lovin' Joe Strummer surely would have appreciated) that alters the lyrics to reflect our Great Recession, 99% vs. 1%, post-9/11 end-of-days (which aren't too dissimilar from the UK in the late 70s, are they?):
The offered me the office, offered me the shop
They said I'd better take anything they'd got
Do you wanna make coffee for NBC?
Do you wanna be, do you really wanna be a cop?
Career opportunities, the ones that never knock
Every job they offer you is to keep you out the dock
Career opportunity, the ones that never knock
I hate the army and I hate the Marines
I don't wanna go off fighting in the desert heat
I hate the civil service, too
And I won't open anthrax letters for you
They're gonna have to introduce conscription
They're gonna have to take away my prescription
If they wanna get me making toys
If they wanna get me, well, I got no choice
Ain't never gonna knock
As always, with this single King Django produces some of the finest ska/reggae you could hope to find. And it serves as yet another example of the extraordinarily good music that his label has been consistently putting out for the past two decades.
Labels: Duff Review, Joe Strummer, King Django, Ska in the World Records, Stubborn Records, The Clash, The Forthrights
Little Roy Mentioned in the NY Times!
Little Roy's magnificent album of reggae Nirvana covers, Battle for Seattle, gets a nice, prominent mention in The New York Times' Travel Section today in an article by Joe Levy called "Rockers at Sea" about music cruises (essentially glorified booze cruises for Gen Xers and Boomers with Weezer, Kiss, Kid Rock, Kool and the Gang, Frankie Avalon, etc.):
Things were a little weird from the moment I stepped onto the Weezer Cruise. Like a lot of my fellow passengers — indie-rock fans who had signed up for a three-day voyage full of bands and beverages — I'd never been on a cruise before. So I don't know whether most of them begin with a staff member high-fiving each and every person who comes off the gangway. But I'm relatively certain most don't have a welcome center with a D.J. playing a reggae version of Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box."
"I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black," Little Roy sang while I tried to figure out where my cabin was. Welcome aboard!
Check out The Duff Guide to Ska review of Little Roy's Battle for Seattle here.
Labels: Little Roy, Nirvana, Prince Fatty
Duff Review: The (English) Beat "John Peel BBC Rad...
Duff Interview with Stubborn Records' King Django ...
Duff Review: Ari Up "Forward" b/w "Rescue Mission"...
Duff Review: King Django "Anywhere I Roam" b/w "Ca...


"My new favorite sustainable, vegan, nontoxic fragrance brand Phlur just came out with body lotion, and I am l-i-v-i-n-g for it. Hypnotic (but not cloying) scent? Check. Leaves my skin insanely soft? Check. Non-greasy and fast absorbing? Check, check."
"I recently received a treatment from this amazing facialist named Matthew Miller who used all Cosmedix products, and I was so impressed with how glowy and dewy its serums left my skin. The antioxidant serum, made with ingredients like resveratrol, witch hazel, and vitamin E, was my favorite. It left my freckly skin stupidly bright."
"You know when you think you've met The One, and then something comes along and changes everything? This cleansing balm has made me feel that way. I'm honestly mad at myself that it's taken me so long to try it, especially since it was created by my friend, K-beauty expert Charlotte Cho. Knowing her skincare prowess, I should have known she wouldn't settle for anything short of incredible for her first product. This olive oil–based cleansing balm looks and feels like butter. Unlike a lot of other cleansing balms, it somehow instantly melts into the most luxurious-feeling oil the second it touches your ski.
Hence the 'sorbet-soft' effect. The smell isn't overpowering, but lightly fragrant, and more important, it removes all traces of makeup and leaves my skin feeling so soft and clean. I follow with the Then I Met You Gel Cleanser, and my skin has never been happier. Charlotte, never stop making this product. Please."
"I've been alternating between a face oil and this grapefruit-scented moisturizer at night to keep my combination skin in check during the winter. It's chock-full of antioxidants and something called the Triple Turmeric Complex, which is made with turmeric root and has proven anti-inflammatory benefits), green tea, grape seed, and licorice for brightening. The texture is velvety and sinks in instantly, and I always wake up with skin that looks and feels glowy and balanced."
"Ceramides are the building blocks of your skin—someone once described them as the mortar between the bricks—so it's important to use products with them if your skin is feeling dry and dehydrated. This moisturizer from Dr. Jart has become my go-to daytime moisturizer for winter. It sinks in instantly and is the perfect base for makeup, and my skin doesn't feel dry and tight anymore because of it. Plus, the ingredients are soothing enough for people with sensitive skin."
"Blue Cocoon has become a staple in routine, both morning and night, as it melts in my skin like the decadent, anti-inflammatory butter I've always wanted. Once warmed between your fingertips, the blue balm turns into an oil, letting organic, feel-good ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter, marula, and baobab oils absorb into your skin. Instantly, you feel warm, soothed, and it even has properties to ease anxiety and stress. Skincare-wise, it plumps, smooths, hydrates, and calms irritated skin (which is why it's so good for wintertime).
It's like magic and my very favorite part of my morning and nighttime routines."
"It's no secret Eve Lom is one of my very favorite brands, offering up a cleansing balm I use twice daily without fail. Now, it's launched an essence, a skincare step I hadn't yet incorporated into my usual routine. It's brimming with AHAs (my skin's favorite) made from five botanical extracts to keep your skin smooth, even, and bright. The formula blends those ingredients with encapsulated retinol to properly anti-age and nix any fine lines. Altogether, it's a product that incorporates almost every single one of my favorite active ingredients and the stuff my skin responds best to.
I just pat it on post-cleanse and continue with my usual routine, making sure to apply only at night as the retinol can cause sun sensitivities."
"I'd heard such rave reviews about this lip mask, and as someone who suffers from perpetually chapped lips, I couldn't order it fast enough. My first impression is that the jar is quite big, a must for someone who applies product all day long. (I use it as a daytime treatment rather than an overnight balm so my lips can reap its benefits while I'm awake when my lips need it most.) Second, the consistency is a creamy balm that melts on contact and sinks deeply into skin. It's packed with fruit extracts like strawberry, blueberry, cranberry, and raspberry to nourish and protect the lips, and a hydrating film of hyaluronic acid to keep lips feeling moist for hours on end.
Usually, I'm reapplying balm every hour on the hour, but with this mask, I'm covered for extended periods of time."
"Another balm is topping my list this month. As mentioned before, I'm not a fan of balms that wear off quickly, but this variation created by celebrity dentist Michael Apa is just the long-lasting remedy I need. It's minty, non-sticky, and rich in natural oils to restore my lips and keep them feeling soft and plump."
"Cue the gasp, but for the most part, I'm not a big fan of sheet masks. That said, French skincare brand Talika has always gifted my skin with exceptions. (I love its Bio Enzyme Brightening Mask so much I wrote a review on it.) However, the brand has truly outdone itself with this four-piece SOS Party Kit, which is honestly the most ingenious idea ever—especially this time of year when parties, booze, stress, and the overall need for skin TLC are rampant. Each pack is equipped with the Bio Enzyme Mask I love so much in addition to its Eye Therapy Patches (technically, you're meant to pregame with these first two), followed by its Eye Decompress and Bubbly Detox Mask (for your post-game).
The quad is only $22 and a total steal."
"I've always sworn my daily dose of collagen has worked wonders on my skin, so I was bummed, and a little concerned, when my recent venture into veganism left me unable to consume my previous go-to collagen sources. Luckily, Moon Juice's brand-new Beauty Shroom Vegan Collagen Protection couldn't have landed on my desk at a better time. Essentially, it's a vegan blend of skin-protecting superfoods (hyaluronic acid, Silver Ear Mushroom, and tocotrienols) which are expertly melded with the intent of preserving the skin's natural collagen stores while encouraging increased hydration and a plump, dewy, complexion.
I've been adding one to two tablespoons into my coffee and smoothies every day and swear I've already begun to notice a difference in the clarity and brightness of my skin."
Did you miss our top picks from last month? Take a look at our November favorites here.


The Verve star announced as "special guest"
It has been confirmed that Richard Ashcroft will support Liam Gallagher at a pair of shows this summer.
The former Oasis frontman will embark on a series of outdoor gigs later this year, playing Malahide Castle and Gardens in Dublin on June 15, before Belsonic at Ormeau Park, Belfast on June 16.
The Verve's Richard Ashcroft joins the bill of both gigs as a "special guest", with Liverpool singer-songwriter Louis Berry also opening both dates.
It is not currently known whether Ashcroft will also support Gallagher at his other summer shows.
Earlier this month, Gallagher teased one of the support acts for his upcoming Finsbury Park show in the summer, describing the artist in question as a "biblical brother".
Recently, Richard Ashcroft hit back at Noel Gallagher over his claim that he has an "an army of songwriters" writing his music.
Responding to Noel's comments on Twitter, Ashcroft fired back: "I don't write my own songs? You want to qualify that NG".
Liam Gallagher will be presented with this year's Godlike Genius award at the VO5 NME Awards 2018. The ceremony takes place at London's O2 Academy Brixton on February 14.
Voting for the VO5 NME Awards is now open. You can see the nominations here.


text:
Popular Korean drama shows now on HOOQ
September 16, 2018 ·
There is no doubt that the Korean wave or hallyu is one of Korea's biggest exports. These days, KDrama is very much an important part of Filipino pop culture.
Before the current wave of popular Korean dramas, there were the classics such as Autumn in my Heart, Jewel in the Palace, Winter Sonata, Dong Yi, Queen Seon Deok and Full House.
These dramas, which helped pave the way for the Korean wave, can be streamed in their Tagalized versions on HOOQ, including Full House which will premiere on HOOQ on September 20.
Autumn in my Heart and Winter Sonata are bittersweet love stories while Dong Yi and Queen Seon Deok go back in history to tell two very interesting stories.
Jewel in the Palace is one of the highest rated Korean dramas of all time. It was later exported to 91 countries, including the Philippines, and has earned $103.4 million worldwide. It is the story of a woman who was orphaned and became a cook and later on,
the king's first female physician.
Aside from Korean titles, HOOQ also has content from Indonesia, Thailand and India, including The Teacher's Diary, Pee Mak, Ong Bak and Critical Eleven.
Sheila Paul, HOOQ Philippines Country Manager, said, "Korean dramas have captured a global audience and we see it resonate deeply with the Filipinos. This is the reason we are
bringing the Korean titles that started the craze in the Philippines to our HOOQ subscribers, dubbed in the language closest to their hearts."
How to get HOOQ
It's easy to get HOOQ'd. Customers can simply download the HOOQ app from Apple Store or Google Play, sign up or log in, to access HOOQ's extensive library of Hollywood and Asian hits. Watch shows on HOOQ via Chromecast, Roku, and Android TV. Smart, TNT and Sun
users can enjoy a 30-day free trial. Globe mobile users can enjoy a 45-day free trial. Find out more and sign up today for a complimentary trial at www.hooq.tv.
Filed Under: People Tagged: autumn in my heart, full house on hooq, HOOQ, HOOQ Philippines, jewel in the palace


text:
VA Death Sentences: Policy, Not Incompetence
THE REAL SCANDAL …
By Rick Manning || President Barack Obama just fired/accepted the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki in the hopes of quelling the budding political problem he faces over the VA health scandal, but the truth is that the real scandal is that denial of health services is actually government policy, not administrative incompetence.
Need proof?
Last week, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney spoke very carefully when he indicated that Obama knew about the denial of veterans' health services scandal that is engulfing his Administration.
Clarifying the question before he answered, Carney said: "If you mean the specific allegations that I think were reported first by your network out of Phoenix, I believe we learned about them through the reports. … [T]hat's when, as I understand, Secretary Shinseki learned about them."
That initial narrowing of the scope of the question to just the Phoenix VA center is both disingenuous, and instructive.
It is disingenuous because it would have the public believe that CNN was working on a story involving veterans being denied service, resulting in deaths, and incredibly, the cable news giant never contacted the VA public affairs office in Washington for a comment. Since this presumption is not believable on any level, the public must then assume that a highly explosive allegation from a major news network that has been supportive of the president never percolated to either the secretary's office or the White House.
For an administration which has developed a reputation for riding herd on reporters trying to spin and suppress any story that might put them in a bad light, campaign-style crisis management is the one thing Team Obama is really good at. Yet, somehow Carney is selling that the CNN story on the localized Phoenix scandal somehow never made it to anyone's attention until the president and his now former BFF, Shinseki, learned about it from watching TV. Anyone who buys this line has simply not been paying attention.
(To continue reading this piece, press the "Read More …" icon below).
Rick Manning is communications director of Americans for Limited Government. This column – which originally appeared on The Hill – is reprinted with permission.
Related Topics:Barack ObamaEric ShinsekiVA scandal
Slenderman: WTF Is Up With Kids Today?
Ron Paul: On Mental Health Screening For Firearm Purchases


fill-pointer, new-fill-pointer - a valid fill pointer for the vector.
Accesses the fill pointer of vector.
Should signal an error of type type-error if vector is not a vector with a fill pointer.
There is no operator that will remove a vector's fill pointer.


If you don't think that guests with mobile phones, tablets and cameras are a bit OTT at modern weddings, findings from a new poll might change your mind.
UK online phone retailer Mobiles.co.uk polled 1,015 recently married or engaged couples and 1,015 recent wedding guests to ask them questions about the role of photography at a wedding.
They found that, on average, a bride and groom are photographed more than 3,000 times throughout the wedding day. This means when you add in the professional photographer's images, couples are being snapped once every six seconds on their big day.
More than three-quarters of guests who were polled (77 per cent) said they will use their phone to capture special moments on the day.
Of the guest photos that are taken, around a third (29 per cent) are out on social media while 39 per cent are shared with the bride and groom.
Less than a third (29 per cent) of guests print the photos they take. One in ten said they will turn the wedding photos they take into a wedding gift.
If this many people taking photos on your wedding day seems overwhelming, you can always opt for an unplugged wedding – especially during the ceremony – to allow your professional photographer to do their job unhindered and to encourage your guests to be truly present in witnessing your marriage.
Next ArticleThe 20 biggest wedding faux pas committed by guests!


…founding of 30 Lutheran schools, 35 Lutheran congregations, and Concordia College Alabama. An advocate for children, she touched the lives of more than 2,000 students in Alabama alone. First published in 1930, Rosa Young's autobiography is a story of faith, courage, labor, and perseverance.
…matter what the circumstances, we proclaim Jesus Christ. This is a powerful yet easily learned anthem. Let light shine out of darkness What we proclaim is not our own but Jesus Christ. Let light shine in us, O Lord, through Jesus Christ. Let light shine out of darkness through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God sent His own Son, Jesus, to die and rise again to save us. This lantern craft reminds children to share the good news that Jesus has risen! His light shines in the darkness. Contains uncolored paper lanterns only. Pack of 12. Pairs with Lesson 4 of Miraculous Mission VBS.


text:
Many of the most important Yiddish writers of all time turned at least a hand to playwriting. For some it was their primary focus, for others it played second fiddle to writing fiction, poetry, reportage, or in other genres. Yiddish drama runs the gamut from hastily written hack work to some of the greatest masterpieces of Yiddish literature, and of world drama.
copy 4 Created with Sketch.
Sixty years ago thoday, the Yiddish playwright, actress, theatre company founder, and salonnière Tea Arciszewska (c. 1890 – 1962) died in Paris.
Bella Bellarina was born in Warsaw on July 15, 1898, into the legendary Rubinlicht family, known for the intellectual and cultural accomplishments of its worldly children.
Tsipe (Tsipoyre) Abelman trained as a factory seamstress before performing in popular musical works on the Yiddish stage.
We're pleased to launch Women on the Yiddish Stage: Primary Sources.
Interview with Nahma Sandrow, translator and editor
Joel Berkowitz
Joel Berkowitz and Nahma Sandrow in conversation about her new anthology, Yiddish Plays for Reading and Performance.
What was the "trouser role"?