Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nearly three years ago, our congregation celebrated its 50th anniversary. As our celebration on that special Fall afternoon came to a close, some of our members wondered, "Will there be a 100th anniversary? Or a 150th?" A hundred years from now, will there be a house of worship on this property anymore? Three hundred years from now, will there even be a Michigan or a United States anymore? Only the Lord knows those things, but we do observe that buildings fall down. Congregations disband or move. Everything in this life is like the flower of the field; the wind blows and it is gone.
Today, we will take a closer look at "the Church that lasts forever." We will see I) What it consists of, II) What it does not consist of, and, most importantly, III) The comfort and confidence which the existence of this everlasting Church gives to us in our daily walk.
The sanctified, who have been called out of the darkness of unbelief and set aside to be God's children.
The holy, who trust that the Lord Jesus Christ has suffered for their sin, covering them with His own righteousness, and are led by the Spirit to work against sin in their lives and pursue godliness.
In the Apostles' Creed we refer to this Church as the "Holy Christian Church" or the "Communion of Saints." Martin Luther in the Smalcald Articles wrote: "A seven-year old child knows what the Church is, namely, the holy believers and lambs who hear the voice of their Shepherd" (III, XII.2) . And in the confession of our own church body about the Church we say, "The Church, according to its inner nature and essence, is the total number of all those whom God recognizes as His dear children by faith in Christ Jesus" ("Concerning Church and Ministry," Thesis 1) .
This Church of all true believers everywhere is an invisible fellowship. We say it is invisible, because we cannot tell with certainty if those who say they are Christians truly believe in their hearts. Nevertheless, everywhere the word of God has been or is being preached in the world there are believers, for by the Gospel the Spirit does His work to grow this Church. Even in visible church organizations which teach error along with the truth, the truth that is taught there may still bring hearts to faith in Christ. Our Lutheran fathers confessed as we do: "We teach that this Church, which is the invisible communion of all believers, is to be found not only in those external church communions which teach the Word of God purely in every part, but also where, along with error, so much of the Word of God still remains that men may be brought to the knowledge of their sins and to faith in the forgiveness of sins, which Christ has gained for all men" (Brief Statement of 1932) .
This Church is everywhere, and this Church lasts forever because there will always be believers in Jesus. Christ's word will not pass away (Matthew 24:35) , therefore this Church will not pass away. There will always be Christians, and in heaven the Holy Christian Church will be gathered, praising God for all time.
Indeed, we know what the Church is, but our Lutheran fathers found it necessary also to confess what the Church is not. At the time of the Reformation in Germany, 500 years ago, Rome was teaching that the Church was not just where faith was found, but that human traditions as well as certain rites and ceremonies instituted by men also needed to be present. In other words, you would not be a part of the Holy Christian Church merely through believing in Christ, but you would also need to follow all the traditions and customs that pope and church councils had laid down. To Rome and her followers, the Church was the "supreme outward monarchy of the whole world" (Apology of the Augusburg Confession, Article VII.23) with authority to demand whatever it wished from the people before they could be considered members of the true Church.
But this is not what the Church consists of. "The Church is not only the fellowship of outward objects and rites, as other governments, but at its core, it is a fellowship of faith and of the Holy Spirit in hearts" (Apol, VII.5) . The Holy Christian Church is not recognized by its outward ceremonies or human traditions, but by the evidence of faith in Jesus, the preaching of the word of God, and the use of the sacraments.
"Many foolish opinions about traditions had crept into the Church. Some thought that human traditions were necessary services for earning justification…as though these observances were acts of worship and not outward and political ordinances. Such ordinances have no connection with the righteousness of heart or the worship of God…So the ignorant have imagined that faith (or the righteousness of the heart before God) cannot exist without these ceremonies." (Apol, VII.32).
We also need to be on our guard that we do not think of the Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints, as made up of those who follow certain human traditions or religious customs. Church history is littered with examples of those who have fought over human traditions such as when Easter should be celebrated. In modern church history, you find arguments over other traditions and customs such as which translation of the Bible should be used, which hymnal to put in the pews, which orders of service to follow, or what type of organizational structure a church should have.
Yet, Paul simply describes the Church as, "those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." There is no mention of customs regarding food and drink, festivals or Sabbaths, hymnals or worship orders, only faith in Christ. In areas where there is no conflict with the clear word of God, there is great freedom, and we find that the people of the Holy Christian Church exercise their faith in a variety of ways. The Church that lasts forever is not a Church consisting of those who follow particular human traditions, rites, or ceremonies.
We've been considering the "Church that lasts forever," what it is and what it is not. Let's turn finally to the comfort and confidence that the existence of this Church gives to us. For what good is it to know what the Church is, if it makes no difference to us today?
First, it must be said again that you are a member of this Church, the body of Christ, the fellowship of believers everywhere, the Communion of Saints. This ought to be a source of comfort and joy to each of you—to know that you are God's child by faith in Jesus, that your sins have been forgiven, and that heaven awaits you. What comfort and joy is yours to know that the Holy Spirit has captured your heart and brought you from the darkness of unbelief and eternal death into the light of faith and life. Christ continues to care for His Church, for you, now and into eternity.
Second, it is a comfort to be reassured that this Church will last forever. It will last, no matter what the world may throw at her. She will last, no matter how believers now or in the future may be despised or condemned. The devil will not overcome this Church. He will never wipe her completely away. There will always be those, along with you, who believe. And you will never be alone in your faith; even when you think you are, know that you are surrounded by a "great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) .
"This article has been presented for a necessary reason. We see the infinite dangers that threaten the destruction of the Church…the number of the wicked who oppress it is too high to count. Therefore, this article…shows us these consolations in order that we may not despair, but may know that the Church will remain until the end of the world. No matter how great the multitude of the wicked is, we may know that the Church still exists and Christ provides those gifts He has promised to the Church—to forgive sins, to hear prayer, to give the Holy Spirit" (Apol, VII.9) .
There is a Church that lasts forever!


text:
A personal look back at 25 years of the IPC
After working for the IPC for 25 years, Leen Coudenys, IPC Governing Board Executive Assistant, is the organisation's longest serving employee and knows the organisation better than most 22 Sep 2014
IPC Governing Board Executive Assistant Leen Coudenys is the IPC's longest serving employee.
ⒸIPC
When you look at the original objectives for the creation of the IPC, we certainly have achieved a lot when it comes to turning the focus on sport versus disability.
On Monday 22 September, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) celebrates its silver jubilee following its formation in Dusseldorf, Germany, in 1989.
One person who joined the IPC immediately after that famous meeting 25 years ago, and who still works for the IPC today, is Leen Coudenys, IPC Governing Board Executive Assistant.
Paralympic.org caught up with her to find out her views on how the organisation has changed over the last quarter of a century.
Paralympic.org: How did you get involved?
Leen Coudenys: I got involved with the 'Flemish League for sports for athlete with a disability' and volunteered at a wheelchair basketball competition.
In November 1989, the very first meeting of the Executive Committee took place in my hometown in Bruges and I helped out with the logistics of it and with taking the minutes.
What mattered to me in 1989 was overcoming a personal loss and finding a new meaning in life. The Paralympic Movement showed me the way, i.e., to focus on what you have rather than on what you lost; basically the same as for many Paralympic athletes.
When the IPC was formed 25 years ago, did you ever believe it would grow to the size it is today?
No, how could I? Back in 1989 I had no experience. For me at that time, engaging with the Paralympic Movement seemed the right direction to take because I believed in the values it represented. I had no clue what the IPC's destination would be. The 1992 Games in Barcelona however, were an eye-opener to me. They had a real 'wow' effect! Only then did I see the potential of the Games, how it could effectively change perceptions and change society for the better.
What was the hardest part about starting a new organisation?
The lack of resources was definitely the number one concern.
There was no money for professional staff. All elected officers and sports chairpersons were also the 'working force'. There was also no money to travel to meetings; either the persons themselves or the body that had nominated them paid for all expenses.
The IPC administration was supported by the 'Flemish League for Sport for People with a disability', which offered working space and equipment.
There were a couple of key challenges to address in the first two years. First of all the IPC had to agree with the International Co-ordinating Committee (ICC) on the handover of responsibilities and solve the dispute about who would be responsible for the 1992 Games in Tignes and Barcelona.
The IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch, put it as a condition for the ICC and IPC to agree on this point before the IOC would provide any financial support to the Movement. We also had to settle a dispute with the IOC over the use of the IPC logo (five tae-guks), which the IOC thought was too confusingly similar with the five rings, and developing the IPC trademarks was much needed to be able register the IPC and create a marketing programme.
A lot of energy needed to be put into the set-up of the governance structures and especially the sport specific technical structures that needed to combine the expertise of the various impairment groups. There was a lot of controversy around the development of the first functional classification systems to underpin the new sport specific approach.
In hindsight, if you could change anything from the last 25 years what would it be?
I find this a difficult question. Every step, every decision, along the way shaped the IPC as it is today. And yes, mistakes were perhaps made but decisions were taken based on the knowledge of that moment and within the resources available at that time.
There were many and strong differences in opinions. Often it was difficult to find consensus but there was one thing all officers had in common, i.e., the best interest of the athletes and a huge commitment. If there's one thing I would have wanted to be different, it's finding a better way to keep all those highly committed volunteers on board and continue to gain from their expertise.
Personally, what has been your favourite moment from the last 25 years?
I was given the honour of unveiling the new IPC logo during the closing ceremony of the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games. Having been so much involved in the creation of the old logo I was particularly proud to stand there in the middle of the stadium unrolling the flag with the Agitos while the IPC hymn was playing.
It was both symbolic and emotional for me; the organisation that I had known from 'standing in its baby shoes' had now matured. I still consider that moment as an absolute highlight in my life. Standing there in the middle of that stadium that was packed with people, I was given a glimpse of the pride and excitement an athlete must feel when receiving his/her medal.
What do you feel has been the most important moment in Paralympic history so far?
The signing of the first agreement with the IOC gave us the guarantee that the Paralympic Games would be held in the same city of the Olympic Games and with the same level of services as for the Olympic athletes. That was like a quantum leap for the IPC and we are still building on it today.
Where do you feel the Paralympic Movement can go from here?
When you look at the original objectives for the creation of the IPC, we certainly have achieved a lot when it comes to turning the focus on sport versus disability. The Games have changed people's perceptions; there is also more understanding and more appreciation for the hard work and achievements of the athletes. We have come a very long way but there is still a long way to go. We have not reached all parts of the world; there is still a lot of grassroots development needed. The IPC can only continue to be strong if that work is well undertaken. At the same time we will need to look into how new technologies will impact on the life and performances of athletes and then ensure that these technologies can become available to all. Infrastructures and services are good in the more 'sophisticated' cities or communities around the world but a lot remains to be done in other parts; and that counts also for those countries where para- sport is perceived as already being well developed.
"We should be proud of our achievements" says President as IPC turns 25
No. 1: London 2012: inspiring a generation, transforming a nation
2: Historic "One Bid, One City" agreement
3: Barcelona 1992: the benchmark for the future
4: Jonnie Peacock silences 80,000 people
5: Sydney 2000

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Cocktails in the garden- what fun! But for a midweek party do you simply serve a nibble and a drink or do you offer up something a little more substantial? When you're having a larger group for cocktails it's sometimes hard to navigate how much food to serve.
The answer came to me on a recent trip to a party supply store. As I was looking for summery napkins I stumbled upon these rather classy-looking plastic shot glasses, adorable square cups and little silver forks.
I figured I would expand my appetizer menu with a sip of cold soup and bite-sized portions pasta. This way those who wanted to make a light supper of the evening could.
Cold curried zucchini soup is one of my all time favorites.
When when cool pour into a large pitcher and refrigerate for up to two days.
For the garnish mix together one quarter cup of sour cream with two to three tablespoons of half and half, until it is thin but not watery. This can be made a day ahead of time.
Before your guests arrive carefully pour the soup into the shot glasses.
Cut off the corner of the Ziploc bag.
Garnish each with a small squiggle.
Pistachio pesto is a summer staple.
I often quadruple the recipe, portion it out and freeze it.
Earlier in the day cook some fusilli pasta until al dente, toss with the thawed pesto and store in the refrigerator in large Ziploc bag.
Portion into the small cups and serve the petite plastic forks. The great thing about this recipe is that it is best served room temperature.
Many times you'll find it's the small things that make the biggest impression.


text:
Q: Python floating point and Decimal lost precision I've run into the floating point issue, and I hoped to attack it using the decimal module. Unfortunately, to my surprise, simply passing the floats to the Decimal constructor does not seem to generically solve the problem. A simple illustration of a broader issue below. Please, can someone explain this? Is converting to strings before passing to the Decimal the only way forward?
Please note, my question is not about this specific division of the two numbers, it's a general issue/concept that I'm trying to address.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Why Governments Want a Central Bank-Issued Digital Currency
Parasite-Induced Sickness
The Making of Mythidia
Knut Hamsun's Eulogy for Adolf Hitler
14 Reasons IQ Race Gap is Genetic
Our First Murder
Debate in Canada: Destroy and Replace Whites?
Canadians, Serve Your New Masters: Accept Your Dispossession With a Bow, a Scrape, and a Servile Smile
Jewish Firm Provides Phony "Rent-a-Crowds" for Politicians
Bradford Hanson 2015-06-24
by Ian Cioffi
DID YOU LISTEN to Jeb Bush make his announcement yesterday? Did you hear loud cheers from a crowd that seemed excited at the prospect that there could be another Bush as President? Was I the only one confused? I don't know one person who doesn't threaten to leave the Country if it's Bush vs Clinton for President again. Can't imagine folks actually excited and cheering for Jeb.
It got me wondering, would someone like Jeb, or another candidate that's been struggling like he has, hire a crowd? Pay people to attend their rallies to make them seem like they're gaining in popularity? We have seen Hillary Clinton stage appearances, knowing ahead of time the people she'd interact with. Would a staged rally be out of the question for a struggling GOP candidate? According to "Crowds On Demand", not at all.
Crowds on Demand is an American publicity firm. It claims to be the only "rent a crowd" service, providing its clients with the ability to hire actors to pose as fans. I decided to contact them, pretending to be an employee of a GOP candidate running for office. Their Founder/CEO, Adam Swart (pictured), responded. Here is our exchange…
Me: I saw your case study on foreign candidates but has your system proven to work in U.S. politics?
Adam Swart: We have worked with dozens of candidates in the US primarily but not exclusively Republican. Mostly they are candidates who suffer from lack of enthusiasm/turnout at rallies and in need of a 'game change' (sorry, that's a loaded term now!). The candidates have been primarily congressional/senate candidates. We've only worked with one (serious) presidential candidate thus far. I have found our approach has led to increased poll numbers and, in many case made the margin of victory for a few reasons:
A) Photo-ops at rallies. Having a diverse group of people (race/gender/age) around the candidate is critical especially for those who are constantly followed by reporters but even for those who only get a couple pieces per day.
B) Enthusiastic crowds bring more media attention and shift the narrative onto grassroots supporters. Press always want to understand why people support candidate x or candidate y. Giving them great footage of enthusiastic supporters speaking about their love for the candidate provides great quotations
C) Gives a sense of legitimacy for the candidate among their existing supporters. When they see lots of enthusiastic folks at rallies, they feel like they're backing the right horse.
D) Bolsters the candidates' self-confidence. Some candidates knew about the paid crowds and other times we have been hired by outside organizations. In both cases, seeing more supporters gave them the confidence to up their game on stage.
Me: what reassurances do you offer that the crowd does not leak the fact that they were paid to arrive?
Adam Swart: We have all crowd members sign binding non-disclosure agreements. Our crowd members work for us on a regular basis and understand we value discretion given the sensitive nature of the business. The 'leak' issue has only happened on one occasion over the past three years. (end)
I sent Adam some more questions, but he has not responded. Apparently I'm not very good at this undercover stuff.
Adam didn't mention which election cycle he was talking about when he said "We've only worked with one (serious) presidential candidate thus far". However, his website was only founded September, 2012. I can't imagine he was up and running in time to get involved with Romney or Obama before the November election. So one would presume he's talking about this election cycle. But who?
One clue Adam gave us was when he stressed the word "serious" to describe the Presidential candidate they've worked with. We don't know how he defines "serious" when talking about a candidate, but people who don't follow politics too closely, might consider Clinton & Bush to be the only "serious" candidates, since they're talked about most by the media.
Regardless of who it is, the fact that this is apparently effective, is sad. As Adam said "they feel like they're backing the right horse". People would rather pick the perceived winner than the person who's best for our country.
At the next Jeb rally, someone should see if Barbara was paid by Crowds on Demand. After all, she did say we've had enough Bushes in the White House. Why suddenly change your mind?$?$
Source: Libertychat.com
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Golden Dawn Distributes Literature at Greek Toll Booths
Facts and Observations About the Same-Sex Family Study in Australia
The Vesting of Authority
2016 Politics: Requiem For America
Tags:JEB BushPolitics
Orthodox Rabbi Appointed to US "Heritage" Commission
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Judging People Based on Their Political Views
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Why Did All of Biden's Children Marry Jews?
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text:
Feb. 14, 2019 / 3:00 AM
Famous birthdays for Feb. 14: Carl Bernstein, Renee Fleming
UPI Staff
Carl Bernstein arrives on the red carpet at the 42nd Chaplin Award Gala at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City on April 27, 2015. He turns 75 on February 14. File Photo by Dennis Van Tine/UPI | License Photo
Freddie Highmore attends the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on January 7. The actor turns 27 on February 14. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius.
-- Statesman/abolitionist Frederick Douglass in 1818
-- Suffrage leader Anna Howard Shaw in 1847
-- Comedy legend Jack Benny in 1894
-- Actor Thelma Ritter in 1902
-- Football Coach Woody Hayes in 1913
-- Labor leader Jimmy Hoffa 1913
-- Broadcaster Hugh Downs in 1921 (age 98)
-- Actor/singer Florence Henderson in 1934
-- Entrepreneur/former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 1942 (age 77)
File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
-- Writer Carl Bernstein in 1944 (age 75)
-- Dancer/actor Gregory Hines in 1946
-- Magician Raymond Joseph Teller of Penn and Teller in 1948 (age 71)
-- Radio host Terry Gross in 1951 (age 68)
-- Opera star Renee Fleming in 1959 (age 60)
File Photo by Pat Benic
-- Actor Meg Tilly in 1960 (age 59)
-- Actor Simon Pegg in 1970 (age 49)
-- Musician Rob Thomas in 1972 (age 47)
-- Actor Danai Gurira in 1978 (age 41)
-- Actor Brett Dier in 1990 (age 29)
-- Actor Freddie Highmore in 1992 (age 27)
-- Actor Alberto Rosende in 1993 (age 26)
File Photo by David Silpa/UPI
Reports: Danai Gurira leaving 'Walking Dead' next season
Beyonce, Donald Glover attend 'The Lion King' premiere


text:
The Handicraft Club Activity ~Halloween costume
Halloween is upon us. These statues of three boys who are called "Zukkoke Sannin Gumi" stand in front of Nishi-Hiroshima station. They are dressed in Halloween costumes now. The costumes were made (続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The science club)
The science club The science club does experiments about physics and chemistry. In the first term, we did experiments about flame reaction, liquid nitrogen and so on. We ourselves do research to find(続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The calligraphy club)
The calligraphy club We usually practice for a Shodo (calligraphy) contest. We write on paper larger than normal Japanese writing paper and we write printed style characters, not only line style char(続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The string music club)
The string music club The string music club members play the violin, the viola, the cello or the contrabass. We practice on Monday and Saturday. Recently, some members played in the project "Nichibei (続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The classical guitar club)
The classical guitar club We are the members of the classical guitar club. We are united in the nearly 100 staff. We always have fun activities. There are many types of guitars. We also have to practi(続きを見る)
Sports Festival Part 3
The sports festival was held on September 17th. Today's post is about the third-year senior high school students' performance. They had a fancy-dress parade. In this program, teachers disguise themse(続きを見る)
The soft tennis club Part2
We are the soft tennis club. Seniors who are 9th grade students retired this summer, so we 7th and 8th grade students have been active as a new team. There are 28 members. We have more members than a(続きを見る)
The sports festival was held on September 17th. Today, we tell you the performance of the 1st year students in the senior high school. They played a cavalry battle game. But it's different from a comm(続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The koto club)
The koto club We are the members of the koto club. We play the koto, a Japanese musical instrument. We play a variety of songs, such as Japanese nursery rhymes. Because many of us beginners, we are en(続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The earth science club)
The earth science club We usually make models of the islands and make a planetarium in earth science club. We made a model of Awajishima and won a prize last year. We are making a model of Yakushima(続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The handicraft club)
The handicraft club We belong to the junior high school section of the fancywork club. We bring material and make our favorite handiwork in order to exhibit it at the school festival. Moreover, in May(続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The kendo club)
The kendo club Kendo is one of the traditional arts of Japan. We use bamboo swords "shinai" and protectors "bougu". Kendo is one-to-one martial art. But it isn't merely to defeat the opponent. There a(続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The track and field club)
The track and field club Our track and field club has 20 members, and we have fun activities. We usually practice in the ground or in the gym. We strive for each member to set a personal best. We prac(続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The mountaineering club)
The mountaineering club This club is very exciting! We usually study maps on Mondays, and run around the school on Wednesdays to built up our strength. Climbing is very hard, but the scene which we ca(続きを見る)
The Beautification Committee
Hello!! We are the members of the Beautification Committee. We have various duties. Daily work: ・Wash the inside of the blackboard eraser cleaning machine. ・Water flowers ・Check the tools for cleaning(続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The soft tennis club)
The soft tennis club We, 43 students, practice in our tennis courts on Mondays, Wednesdays,Thursdays, and Saturdays. We intend to cooperate with our members of the team in making progress. We alway(続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The ping pong club)
The ping pong club Our club has thirty-five members.We practice four days a week. The matches, which are held three times a year, give us good chances to do our best.The senior members coach their ju(続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The volleyball club)
The volleyball club This club consists of seventeen students. We have club activities 5days a week, Mon., Wed., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. To get good results, we usually have strength trainings, drills a(続きを見る)
The Homeroom Committee
The main work at HR Committee to take roll quickly at various events held in Seishin Junior and Senior High School, and get the number accurate number of people. Moreover, to make a good class, it (続きを見る)
Introduction of our club activities (The basketball club)
The basketball club Our basketball club practices almost every day except Fridays. We usually practice with high school students on Tuesdays,Thursdays and Saturdays. We also do basic training on the (続きを見る)


City Market is the place to go for entertainment, dining, art and shopping in Historic Savannah. The heart of Savannah since the 1700s, City Market was once a gathering place to buy and sell groceries, services and other essential goods. Today, the four blocks of Historic Downtown that make up City Market are home to some of the most popular restaurants, art galleries and shops in Savannah. Both locals and visitors flock to City Market to experience over 50 working artists' studios, delicious cuisine at some of the city's best restaurants and a nightlife that never quits.


On Saturday, March 9 at 9:00 am, Osaka University announced the successful applicants of the February Individual Achievement Examinations, Entrance Examination for Applicants Graduating from Overseas High Schools (former expatriates), and Special Entrance Examination for Privately-funded International Students (Undergraduates).
Congratulations to all of the successful applicants. Osaka University will offer its full support in making the new life awaiting all of you this spring truly brilliant.


daughters of God. In Jesus, we can all claim God's favor.
doorstep of the Gentile Cornelius.
end to our status as chosen and beloved people of God.
forever among those on whom God's favor rests.
the whole world—even non-Christian countries.
even though it is different than the civil calendar.
Calendario Juliano, no del Calendario Gregoriano.
estrellas. Por eso, una reforma fue necesitada.
promulgado, reemplazando el calendario Juliano.
one. . .that the world may believe: (John 17:21).
Next Class January 13, 6:00-7:30pm.
Christ. For more information go to: www.geii.org.
unanse a nuestra oración con el Señor Jesucristo.
Helen Lencyk & Rose Richards.
May she be greeted in heaven with joy and celebration.
passed out over the Christmas Holiday.
Catedral a las 10:30am en liturgia. Todos estan invitados.
de las Ovejas en la frontera entre Argentina y Chile.
revitalizar esta fiesta por varios motivos.
Reconciliation (Confession):(By appointment with a priest).
are scheduled during Advent and Lent each year.
and who want to be anointed.
the Diocese) for information on becoming a priest or deacon.
O'Malley at parish office (330) 755-4141.
to or learning more about the Catholic Faith to attend R.C.I.A.
Call the parish office for details.
tiempo de Adviento y Cuaresma cada año.
ser un sacerdote o diacono.
arreglos con la parroquia 6 meses antes de la fecha escogida.
matrimorio. Favor llamar la oficina para más detalles.
a Marge O'Malley at (330)755-4141or (330) 755-3633.
favor llamar la oficina para más detalles.


Minnesota Vikings: A New-Look Offense for 2009?
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We can serve all your junk removal, demolition, clean out services, and more around the New Jersey area. We are able to provide equipment, labor, and assurance to know the job will get done. Don't worry about anything other than allowing us to serve you with our classy service in a trashy industry! Contact us with your information and details!


Tightrope Media Systems has supplied a dynamic and interactive digital signage network to Choice Hotels for its new corporate headquarters.
With various conference spaces and thoroughfares to communicate across, Choice Hotels turned to systems integrator Human Circuit to design a complete professional AV system with a dynamic and interactive digital signage network from Tightrope Media Systems.
Choice Hotels is the corporate parent of several well-known US hotel chains, and recently relocated its headquarters to six floors of a newly built 10-storey building in Rockville, a suburb of Washington, DC. The company has a second corporate location in Phoenix, Arizona.
Tightrope's Carousel solution was selected for its interactive capabilities and ease of use, allowing Choice Hotels to customise outputs depending on the nature of the message for each location. The network serves three main corporate communication purposes: interactive wayfinding, historical education, and general information for visitors and personnel. The open nature of Carousel has also made it easy to incorporate business operations, such as Outlook integration for real-time schedule of meetings and events.
The main business operation is centred on the fourth floor, and is naturally the most visible part of the network. The main conference centre and several reconfigurable meeting rooms rotate a variety of engaging content, but the interactive elements of the network are spread throughout the building. The wayfinding displays are found at elevator lobbies and stairwells along a staircase spanning all six floors. Visitors can view a floor map, daily schedule and page through an alphabetical staff directory to pinpoint floor, room and other pertinent information. The historical education displays also incorporate interactive elements, engaging both visitors and staff.
According to Filano, the installation process was unusual as his team was working in tandem with general contractors and architects as the building was raised. This had the benefit of cleanly integrating the entire technology infrastructure, including the digital signage, into the overall architecture. However, there was no downtime to create punch lists and program systems, which made Tightrope's professional services that much more critical to the signage network's success.
The overall Carousel architecture for Choice Hotels is clean and network-friendly, using a virtual server cluster with intelligent software to drive content instead of a central computer. The robust network now extends to the Phoenix corporate location, with similar content created, managed and driven from the Rockville headquarters, where Carousel's remote capabilities also enable network-wide troubleshooting from a central location. The scalable Carousel backbone ensures that Choice Hotels can expand to additional displays at the Phoenix location without significantly driving up costs, labor or operational complexity.


Arguably THE street style staple at every Fashion Week, the trench coat has had a makeover this season, and it couldn't be chicer.
Tailoring is more masculine – think wide shoulders, balloon sleeves and loose fitting – as we steer away from the classic fitted look (though there will always be room for that, don't you worry).
There is one high street hero that we've spotted several times on the cobbles this LFW, and it comes courtesy of M&S (yep, of the famous checked trench, seriously killing it).
Extremely versatile, it can be worn with an oversized jumper, jeans and heels, a fitted top, maxi skirt and trainers, or shirt, PVC culottes and biker boots. Anything goes really, though for a masculine take, we like it teamed with loose silhouettes, a la Rejina Pyo.
Get yours before the rest of the fashion editors get their hands on it.


text:
Michael - The Music
Without a doubt Michael is The Thirsting's best album to date. If you enjoyed Companions of the Lamb and Universal Youth, then you will LOVE Michael. That being said, let me share with you how the album came to be and a little about each song.
It was around June of 2017, that I contacted producer/engineer Justin Abel who ran a small and humble studio in Gresham, OR known as ToneLab. I knew I was ready to record this album, but was still searching for the right studio and the right engineer/co-producer for the album. After searching for studios in the Portland/Vancouver area, I was recommended Justin Abel by a fellow musician. So I called Justin up, and right away I had a sense that he and I were going to make an incredible album together. After checking out his studio and discussing drum tones (something we both loved to do!) I placed my deposit and we set a date to begin the recording: July 24th, 2017.
We began recording actually with the acoustic songs "Dreams" and "Alone" (in my opinion, these are 2 of the best songs I have ever written). These songs just flowed in the studio. Justin and I immediately connected musically and understood each other. More importantly though, Justin began to see my vision of making great Catholic music.
On the third day, we brought in Thirsting band member Alec Maier to play drums for the rock songs. Justin supplied a TRUTH drum kit that was out of this world and a dream to record. Meanwhile, Alec showed up with coffee and donuts and went to work! And boy did he ever! Alec Maier is one of the best drummers I have ever worked with and he is a delight to be around. He nailed all the songs in a little over 2 days!
After hammering out the drums, we then recorded all the electric guitars, bass and lead guitar parts. Thirsting lead guitarist, Wyatt Kane supplied the lead lines and local bass player, Eric Macias laid down the bass. Throughout all this, I supplied all the vocals along with Justin, who makes a vocal appearance on "Holy Angels."
The songs sounded amazing. They had a Green Day sound with delicacy and hope. They were simple yet complex in their lyrics. Forceful, yet gentle… Everything you want in a record. And best of all, as with past Thirsting albums, full of great hooks. After all the tracking and producing, I enlisted Justin to finalize the album by mixing it and sending it off for mastering.
Below is a short summary of each song.
Running - This is the first song on the album, and the one that kept me up at night the most. I had spent years producing this song in my mind but was never satisfied until I added a short pre-chorus and Justin added an elongated ending. This is a driving rock song that sets the tone and pace of the album. Lyrically it seems vague, yet from a Catholic point of view, very clear. God is running after each of our hearts.
Tonight - Lyrically and structurally, I think this is one of the strongest songs on the album. It is a true rock anthem. I wrote it in conjunction with my good friend Mike Jackson over many years. The intro lick at the beginning was his creation and I added the rest. This song ROCKS!
Michael - The title track of the album. Take the Ramones and Green Day and make them Catholic with devotion to St. Michael the Arch Angel, and you get "Michael!!!" This song is a serious spiritual warfare song. When I wrote it, I couldn't believe the lyrics that came out of my mouth. Honestly it didn't even feel like I wrote the lyrics... they just came out of my mouth and made sense. You will see when you listen to it...
Ocean - I really wanted to re-record Ocean of Mercy, which had originally been recorded on Companions of the Lamb in 2008. So I did! Justin added some amazing ideas to it and we really modernized the song. I think you will enjoy this fresh new take on a Thirsting classic.
Alone - This song along with "Dreams" are the most touching songs to me personally. I am very vulnerable in this song. Lyrically, I think you will be able to relate with the pain and struggle that I was going through. I wrote it during a hard time in my life when my wife and I were living in California. At the time, I felt very far from my family in Washington. It's a very simple acoustic song. We added strings to it and it took on a life greater than I could have ever imagined. I think everyone who listens to this song will be able to relate in someway.
Holy Angels - This was almost the title track for the album because it is SUCH A GOOD SONG!!! I wrote it while setting up for a school concert at Holy Angels, Catholic Church in Dayton, Ohio back in the winter of 2014. The verses are based off of the mass. The song sounds a little like an older Cold Play song with Catholic Lyrics.
Doing Nothing - Punk meets Catholic reality.
Seamless - If I had to listen to one song over and over for the rest of my life it would be this one. Truly, this song could have been the title track of the album. It's a gem that I didn't expect. When we began recording the album, I thought it was the weakest song, but was blown away when I heard the final mix. The drums especially sound amazing. This song is a throwback to my 90's roots. Imagine Tom Petty and R.E.M. get together and write a Catholic song. I LOVE this song... and I know you will to.
Dreams - This was one of the first songs that Justin and I recorded. I cried as I was singing the lyrics in the studio because I realized where I had gone and how God had rescued me. This song really summarizes the story behind Michael. I wrote this song in Florida back in December, of 2014 at Fort Walton beach in the middle of the winter. My wife had flown out with the kids to finish the tour with me and we were taking a few days off in a hotel over looking the Ocean. For some reason I grabbed my guitar as I looked out at the beach and this song wrote itself. Jesus spoke these words to my heart. I wanted my dreams to be his now.
This time - I wrote this song in my basement garage studio. Mike Jackson supplied some of the riffs and we knew we had a keeper.
One Faith - My good friend Jerry Usher (EWTN, Voaction Boom) invited us to be a part of the One Faith conference in St. Louis. He said he wanted a theme song. So I wrote him one and then realized it was awesome! A fitting end to an album that I believe will touch many souls. It will probably end up being most peoples favorite song... Lets just say... "It's the the Catholic Church!"
That's it my friends. Remember the album will be released Friday, 12/15/17.
Michael - The Story


One bead and bezel set round brilliant cut diamond, measuring 5.48 - 5.46 x 3.70mm (depth est.) approximate weight of 0.72ct. Graded in the setting.
Eighty-eight bead set round brilliant cut diamonds approximate total weight of 88 Stones = 0.73ct. Graded in the setting.


Join the #DonnyFrauenhoferBand AKA #DFB once a month at Buffalo's coolest new creative space, The Tabernacle at Sweet_ness 7 Cafe! Featuring a rotating cast of Buffalo's most talented musicians forging a path of originality to explore and create a new age of "the Buffalo sound".
Join us every #FirstThursday for 2 sets of original music, ranging from jazz and funk to pop and electronic genres. Featuring members of Intrepid Travelers, Folkfaces, Mosswalk, GRAVY, Witty Tarbox, RADARADA, and many others.
"Donny Frauenhofer is a virtuosic multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger, and educator from Buffalo, NY that has been making big waves both regionally as well as nationally in several genres since the start of his professional career. Dipping his toes into multiple scenes, Frauenhofer has become a recognizable name as keyboardist/vocalist with nationally touring act Intrepid Travelers (dubbed "Improvisation Kings" by The Buffalo News Gusto) and their performances at festivals such as Summer Camp Music Festival, Night Lights Music Festival, Some Kind of Jam, Woodhenge Sustainability Festival, among others.
Regionally, Frauenhofer can be found performing all over New York State and beyond, playing in too many projects to count. Truly a rarity, Frauenhofer has shown the versatility as a pianist/keyboardist to perform as a side man in both musically complex academic settings with classical and jazz vocalists, as well as being the first call for local and regional tribute projects such as Allman Brothers' Band, Phish, Steely Dan, Grateful Dead, Herbie Hancock, Prince, Frank Zappa, Weather Report, James Brown, John Williams, as well as plenty more.
Endlessly in the pursuit of growth as an artist, Donny Frauenhofer takes these diverse influences and puts them on full display in DFB, or Donny Frauenhofer Band. Essentially a supergroup, DFB consists of a rotating cast of some of Buffalo's best young musicians and takes the tight, rhythmic complexity of Frank Zappa's music, adds a harmonic layer largely influenced by jazz traditions, and provides an open improvisational approach akin to the traditions of the modern jam band.


Stock Control - Firman Financial Solutions Ltd.
Michael prepared the required forecasts and supported me through various meetings and negotiations. He was always on hand to explain the process from application through to the implementation of the new arrangement.
Michael has been retained to maintain a positive relationship between the company and its funders. I would recommend Michael to any company that requires advice and support when raising finance.
Managing stock effectively is important for any business because without sufficient stock, production and sales will eventually grind to a halt. Stock control involves careful planning to ensure that the business has sufficient stock of the right type and quality at the right time.
Raw materials and components from suppliers.
Work in progress or part finished products.
Finished goods manufactured or bought.
Consumables and materials used by service businesses.
All of these areas need to be managed and controlled. Stock control safeguards stock from loss or theft but also protects the business from the risk of additional costs due to deterioration and obsolescence.


This post is about Munroe Island Kerala and my wonderful homestay experience with Vijeesh and his family that showed me the most beautiful place to see Kerala's backwaters.
Travelling always gives you welcoming surprises, sometimes in the most unexpected remote places in this world. While looking for ways to explore the backwaters of Kerala I stumbled upon a place called Munroturuttu, or in English: "Munroe Island".
Most people explore the backwaters from Allepey, Kollam or Cochin. However, after reading all the positive reviews about Vijeesh's homestay I decided to go to Munroe Island Kerala. It turned out to be one of the highlights of my South India trip.
Even though most people get to Munroe Island by taxi from Kollam I took the train. Not something a lot of people do and I was the only foreigner in the ladies wagon. There was a lot of staring and giggling, but the woman were all friendly and told me when I was at the right station.
It's these moments that I cherish most in India. Some people get annoyed by all the attention or misunderstand people's intentions. In the end most people are just curious.
With all signs in Malayalam, Kerala's own language that has its own script, I would not have known were to get out. Munroturuttu train station was nothing more than a single platform and a tea shop surrounded by palm trees.
The tea shop owner already seemed to know where I was going. I received a cup of tea and he gestured for me to sit down. Another thing that I love about India is that once people adopt you they go out of their way to make sure you are fine.
He made a phone call to my homestay and in half an hour Vijeesh turned up on a motorbike. While driving through Munroe island I could only be amazed with the scenery. This truly was paradise on earth.
After lunch Vijeesh gave me a small walking tour through the island explaining me everything about the biodiversity of the area. It is here that I developed a love for birds and birdwatching. We saw plenty of playful kingfishers, impressive Brahminy kites and elegant egrets that Vijeesh pointed out for me.
The island is also rich in spice plantations, coconut farms and rubber manufacturers. We ended our walk with a refreshing dip in the local river wattching the clouds turn yellow, red and pink. By 7 PM it was pitch dark and hundreds of stars appeared in the sky.
The next day Vijeesh showed me Kerala's backwaters. Most people visit the more famous Allepey, but I am so glad I choose to visit a different place that is less known.
The large and busy waterways in Allepey were nothing compared to the beauty of the narrow and quiet palm fringed canals of Munroe Island. With his small canoe Vijeesh could navigate the most narrow canals.
It was such a peaceful and serene experience and its beauty was astounding.
It turned out I planned my trip to Munroe Island exactly at the time the local temple had its festival. Together with Vijeesh I watched the temple celebrations with the elephants as the main stars of the show.
The real festival was only to start during the night at 3 am when the elephants were going through town in a procession with dance and music. Families had lit their homes with candles waiting for the elephants to pass to give them flowers and bananas. At last, everyone went to the temple for the final rituals with gigantic fireworks.
It was a great goodbye to a wonderful place that was hard to leave the next morning. Not only because of my lack of sleep.
I am not sure if there are any other places to stay at Munroe Island, but I can recommend with all my heart Vijeesh Homestay. He was also mentioned by the Guardian as one of India's local heroes.
If you want to explore more of Kerala backwaters I can recommend my post on the best backwater destinations in Kerala.
The nearest city is Kollam from where you can either take a taxi or a train. The journey takes less than 20 minutes.
From Kollam there are 4 trains in the morning (07:45 – 08:35 – 08:50 – 11:10) and 3 trains in the evening (17:10 – 18:43 – 19:05).
You can also go directly to Allepey for more backwater experiences. There are two trains a day from Munroe island taking less than 2 hours. One in the morning at 09:09 and one in the evening at 18:55. From Allepey to Munrotoruttu there are trains at 13:40 and 17:05.
Unfortunately the future of Munroe Island in Kerala is very uncertain and it is better to visit sooner rather than later. Experts still disagree whether it's the effects of the tsunami in 2004 or a dam nearby, but the island is sinking.
In 2018 heavy monsoon rains caused flooding throughout Kerala and Munroe Island was affected as well. Unfortunately floods are becoming a regular problem. With climate change it is unlikely that a sustainable solution can be found.
That pic of the river with the palm trees…no words…other than OUTSTANDING!! That picture has to be one of the best pictures that I have ever seen. It is so beautiful that it looks like a painting done by a great artist. I just kept staring at it! It should be in National Geographic…seriously.
Ugh, I need to prioritize my bucket list with climate change into account. Thanks for sharing this beautiful island!


Children with neuromuscular disorders often manifest fixed knee flexion deformity as a consequence of muscle weakness or imbalance. They tend to develop a crouch gait pattern that may prove refractory to physical therapy, bracing, or spasticity management (Botox/baclofen)  ; for those children, surgical management may be indicated.
In addition to hamstring recession for contracture, fixed deformities may require posterior capsulotomy or supracondylar osteotomy. Alternatively, or in addition to these procedures, some surgeons have resorted to external frame distraction. A more recently developed approach is to utilize guided growth of the anterior distal femur to achieve safe and gradual correction of the crouch pattern.
The image below depicts chronic fixed knee flexion deformity (FKFD).
The lateral radiograph best demonstrates the open physes and the stigmata of chronic fixed knee flexion deformity. This patient has avulsion "fractures" of the superior pole of the patella and of the tibial tubercle.
There may eventually be other methods of temporary physeal restraint. The allure of biodegradable implants or remote-control techniques by electronic or radiofrequency methodology will undoubtedly spur further research.
Normal sagittal alignment permits the knee to lock in full extension, aided by powerful quadriceps and an intact extensor mechanism. The ground reaction force passes anterior to the "center of rotation" of the knee, while the PCL, posterior capsule, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius provide a tension band effect.
Fixed knee flexion deformity. The knee is chronically bent, obligating the patient to walk with a crouch gait. The ground reaction force passes posterior to the center of rotation of the knee, where it overcomes the resistance of the weakened extensor mechanism. Secondary effects, including patella alta and fragmentation, are relatively common and painful.
Normal sagittal alignment includes the ability to lock the knee in full extension, stabilized posteriorly by the cruciate ligaments, posterior capsule, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius. This permits the child to bear full weight without pain, instability, or fatigue, because the ground reaction force is slightly anterior to the extended knee, allowing the child to lock the knee in extension during stance.
In cerebral palsy, spastic hip flexors and hamstrings combine to flex the knee, causing the ground reaction force to pass behind it and produce a flexion moment. With compromise of the hip extensors and quadriceps, gravity and fatigue force the child into a progressive crouch gait pattern. [3, 4, 5, 6] Knee pain is a frequent complaint, which may reflect fatigue of the quadriceps, tension failure of the patellar ligament or its bony attachments, or both. Ankle or hindfoot valgus will contribute to lever arm insufficiency and further decrease the extensor moment at the knee.
Children with spina bifida often have intrinsic weakness of the quadriceps, combined with sparing or (if tethered) spasticity of the hamstrings. This puts them at risk for the same problem of FKFD and progressive crouch gait.  Compounded by ankle valgus, and perhaps planovalgus of the foot, they too have lever arm dysfunction with loss of push-off strength.
Children with arthrogryposis, pterygium syndrome, and other teratologic conditions may manifest fixed knee flexion at birth, with or without congenital lateral dislocation of the patella. They often present unique challenges for the surgeon, and treatment must be individualized accordingly. The deformity may be oblique plane, including valgus or, less commonly, varus of the knee. Concurrent dislocation or stiffness of the hip and clubfoot or vertical talus may have to be addressed as well.
A number of relatively common conditions, especially cerebral palsy and spina bifida, may lead to progressive FKFD, despite appropriate physical therapy and bracing. Congenital FKFD, with or without fixed lateral dislocation of the patella, may be evident on perinatal ultrasonography.
Knee flexion contractures due to hamstring contractures or quadriceps weakness are prevalent in growing children with neuromuscular conditions, such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and arthrogryposis. A subset of these patients will develop FKFD; the frequency of FKFD is not known. This condition is a component of bilateral, multilevel deformities that may literally be the rate-limiting step with respect to functional ambulation.
The natural history of FKFD is one of insidious progression despite bracing, therapy, and even repeated surgical intervention. The goal of treatment is to maintain standing and, it is to be hoped, walking ability while minimizing complications and encumbrance.
One must weigh the risk-to-benefit ratio of any invasive treatment, recognizing that it may need to be repeated. Like so many conditions, it is appealing to consider early intervention, before the onset of secondary problems such as patellar migration or fragmentation. With this in mind, repeated guided growth may be the pathway of least harm and maximum benefit.
In a clinical series of 18 patients with 29 cases of FKFD, the rate of correction was 1.74º per month; the highest rate noted was nearly 4º per month. Without the need for immobilization, these children have experienced rapid recovery with minimal setbacks from the surgical treatment.
van der Krogt MM, Bregman DJ, Wisse M, Doorenbosch CA, Harlaar J, Collins SH. How crouch gait can dynamically induce stiff-knee gait. Ann Biomed Eng. 2010 Apr. 38(4):1593-606. [Medline].
Drefus LC, Hafer JF, Scher DM. Simulated Ankle Equinus Affects Knee Kinematics During Gait. HSS J. 2016 Feb. 12 (1):39-43. [Medline].
Arnold AS, Anderson FC, Pandy MG, Delp SL. Muscular contributions to hip and knee extension during the single limb stance phase of normal gait: a framework for investigating the causes of crouch gait. J Biomech. 2005 Nov. 38 (11):2181-9. [Medline].
Delp SL, Arnold AS, Piazza SJ. Graphics-based modeling and analysis of gait abnormalities. Biomed Mater Eng. 1998. 8(3-4):227-40. [Medline].
Wren TA, Rethlefsen S, Kay RM. Prevalence of specific gait abnormalities in children with cerebral palsy: influence of cerebral palsy subtype, age, and previous surgery. J Pediatr Orthop. 2005 Jan-Feb. 25(1):79-83. [Medline].
Williams JJ, Graham GP, Dunne KB, Menelaus MB. Late knee problems in myelomeningocele. J Pediatr Orthop. 1993 Nov-Dec. 13(6):701-3. [Medline].
Thompson NS, Baker RJ, Cosgrove AP, Saunders JL, Taylor TC. Relevance of the popliteal angle to hamstring length in cerebral palsy crouch gait. J Pediatr Orthop. 2001 May-Jun. 21(3):383-7. [Medline].
Dias LS. Surgical management of knee contractures in myelomeningocele. J Pediatr Orthop. 1982 Jun. 2(2):127-31. [Medline].
Wright JG, Menelaus MB, Broughton NS, Shurtleff D. Natural history of knee contractures in myelomeningocele. J Pediatr Orthop. 1991 Nov-Dec. 11(6):725-30. [Medline].
McNee AE, Shortland AP, Eve LC, Robinson RO, Gough M. Lower limb extensor moments in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Gait Posture. 2004 Oct. 20(2):171-6. [Medline].
Thomson JD, Segal LS. Orthopedic management of spina bifida. Dev Disabil Res Rev. 2010. 16(1):96-103. [Medline].
O'Sullivan R, Walsh M, Kiernan D, O'Brien T. The knee kinematic pattern associated with disruption of the knee extensor mechanism in ambulant patients with diplegic cerebral palsy. Clin Anat. 2010 Jul. 23(5):586-92. [Medline].
Palocaren T, Thabet AM, Rogers K, Holmes L Jr, Donohoe M, King MM, et al. Anterior distal femoral stapling for correcting knee flexion contracture in children with arthrogryposis--preliminary results. J Pediatr Orthop. 2010 Mar. 30(2):169-73. [Medline].
Sung KH, Lee J, Chung CY, Lee KM, Cho BC, Moon SJ, et al. Factors influencing outcomes after medial hamstring lengthening with semitendinosus transfer in patients with cerebral palsy. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2017 Aug 14. 14 (1):83. [Medline].
Rodda JM, Graham HK, Nattrass GR, Galea MP, Baker R, Wolfe R. Correction of severe crouch gait in patients with spastic diplegia with use of multilevel orthopaedic surgery. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2006 Dec. 88(12):2653-64. [Medline].
Raja K, Joseph B, Benjamin S, Minocha V, Rana B. Physiological cost index in cerebral palsy: its role in evaluating the efficiency of ambulation. J Pediatr Orthop. 2007 Mar. 27 (2):130-6. [Medline].
Gannotti ME, Gorton GE 3rd, Nahorniak MT, Masso PD, Landry B, Lyman J, et al. Postoperative gait velocity and mean knee flexion in stance of ambulatory children with spastic diplegia four years or more after multilevel surgery. J Pediatr Orthop. 2007 Jun. 27(4):451-6. [Medline].
Nene AV, Evans GA, Patrick JH. Simultaneous multiple operations for spastic diplegia. Outcome and functional assessment of walking in 18 patients. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1993 May. 75(3):488-94. [Medline].
Gaurav K, Vilas J. A new approach to the management of fixed flexion deformity of the knee using Ilizarov's principle of distraction histogenesis: a preliminary communication. Int J Low Extrem Wounds. 2010 Jun. 9(2):70-3. [Medline].
Hoffinger SA, Rab GT, Abou-Ghaida H. Hamstrings in cerebral palsy crouch gait. J Pediatr Orthop. 1993 Nov-Dec. 13(6):722-6. [Medline].
van der Krogt MM, Doorenbosch CA, Harlaar J. Muscle length and lengthening velocity in voluntary crouch gait. Gait Posture. 2007 Oct. 26(4):532-8. [Medline].
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Kramer A, Stevens PM. Anterior femoral stapling. J Pediatr Orthop. 2001 Nov-Dec. 21(6):804-7. [Medline].
Muthusamy K, Recktenwall SM, Friesen RM, Zuk J, Gralla J, Miller NH, et al. Effectiveness of an anesthetic continuous-infusion device in children with cerebral palsy undergoing orthopaedic surgery. J Pediatr Orthop. 2010 Dec. 30(8):840-5. [Medline].
For flexion contracture, spasticity management (onabotulinomtoxinA/phenol/baclofen) or hamstring recession may offer some improvement, but these measures cannot overcome fixed knee flexion deformity.
A posterior capsulotomy with or without PCL release can address fixed knee flexion deformity, albeit with some risks, including neurovascular stretch injuries. Even with prolonged bracing following cast or frame removal, recurrent deformities are common.
Locking KAFO may support the patient for standing but cannot adequately address fixed knee flexion deformity. When the deformity exceeds 20º, braces are poorly tolerated.
This child with arthrogryposis underwent unsuccessful posterior capsulotomies at age 3 years.
Starting at age 4 years, this patient subsequently underwent bilateral extension osteotomies 4 times, with recurrence each time as expected. Perhaps this sequence could have been abbreviated with guided growth, which, even if repeated, requires no casts or delay in weight bearing.
This ambulatory 15-year-old boy with arthrogryposis has never had an osteotomy; he was managed with stapling, followed by eight-plates, when he developed a recurrence. He has full extension on the right and 7º residual fixed knee flexion deformity on the left. The eight-plates are still in situ (on the left) pending further growth.
The efficacy of floor reaction braces is compromised in the presence of fixed knee flexion deformity. However, they may be continued following guided growth, pending correction, whereupon bracing may be unnecessary, provided the quadriceps are sufficiently strong.
Part 1 of 5. This 5-year-old boy presented with a congenital knee flexion deformity. His only prior surgery was a Symes disarticulation for fibular absence and a rigid teratologic foot deformity. He was ambulatory in a prosthesis.
Part 2 of 5. This patient underwent a supracondylar extension osteotomy of the femur.
Part 3 of 5. Because of a relatively rapid recurrence of fixed knee flexion deformity, this patient underwent anterior stapling of the femur; unfortunately, the staples migrated, but the physis is still open.
Part 4 of 5. The staples in this patient were retrieved and replaced with a pair of eight-plates.
Part 5 of 5. If we could turn back the clock, perhaps guided growth would have been sufficient to correct the problem in this patient, without an osteotomy or cast. The effective gain in limb length would occur gradually, without risk to the neurovascular structures.
This girl born with a teratologic knee flexion deformity and absent quadriceps had previous posterior capsulotomy, supracondylar osteotomy, and attempted stapling. Subsequently, she had a spatial frame applied to gradually extend the ankylosed knee; however, she fell and sustained a Salter I fracture of the proximal tibia.
Guided growth permits one to address the fixed knee flexion deformity at or close to the level of the CORA (center of rotational axis of deformity). This is efficient and prevents the need for translocation, such as is required in an osteotomy. The gradual correction poses no risk to the neurovascular structures.
For fixed knee flexion deformity, an eight-plate is placed on either side of the patellofemoral sulcus, through a small arthrotomy. Though intracapsular, the plates are nonarticular; synovitis has not been observed.
Depending on the etiology and the growth rate of the individual child, correction occurs fairly rapidly.
With the C-arm in the lateral, horizontal position, the physis is localized. A Keith needle is placed in the physis, and two 1.6-mm guide pins are inserted: one medial and one lateral to the sulcus. The cannulated 4.5-mm screws are then inserted. They need not be parallel, but they should not transgress the physis, joint, or posterior cortex.
(Images 21 and 22) This 4-year-old girl, born with congenital lateral dislocation of the patella compounding fixed knee flexion deformity (FKFD), underwent a posterior capsulotomy and patellar relocation with quadricepsplasty at age 2. By age 4, she had an oblique plane FKFD of 50º with 25º valgus. She had placement of a single anteromedial eight-plate. Eighteen months later, the valgus had corrected and the residual FKFD was 24º.
(Images 21 and 22) This patient underwent the addition of an anterolateral eight-plate to avoid varus and assist with correction of the residual fixed knee flexion deformity.
This 12-year-old boy with spina bifida had previous stapling. It was felt that, with wide open physes, he would be better served by exchanging the loose staples for eight-plates rather than resort to an osteotomy.
(Images 24 and 25) A 12-year-old girl with evolving fixed knee flexion deformity and patella alta, refractory to onabotulinumtoxinA, serial casts, therapy, and bracing.
(Images 24 and 25) This patient underwent bilateral supracondylar extension osteotomies with patellar tendon advancement. Because of limited space and compromised bone stock, fixation was lost on the left, and she presented with increased deformity. A revision osteotomy was required.
(Images 26 and 27) This patient has symptomatic and painful crouch gait due to fixed knee flexion deformity.
(Images 26 and 27) This patient underwent guided growth with eight-plates and no "down time"; his fixed knee flexion deformity corrected nicely during the ensuing 12 months, whereupon the plates were removed.
Disclosure: Received royalty from Orthofix Inc for independent contractor; Received royalty from Orthopediatrics, Inc for independent contractor; Received honoraria from Orthopediatrics, Inc for speaking and teaching. for: Orthodox, Orthopediatrics.


Now this is the kind of America I grew up in, an America that wasn't scared and wimpy, but rather one in which her people looked after one another. While Obama's Department of Defense cowardly demands recruiting centers to remain unarmed and unguarded, even telling recruiters not to wear their uniforms, in the wake of the Chattanooga Islamic jihad attack, American citizens are standing up for those who have stood for them. These Americans are arming themselves and keeping watch over recruiting offices across the nation.
"Security at military recruiting and reserve centers will be reviewed in the aftermath of the deadly shooting in Tennessee, but it's too early to say whether the facilities should have security guards or other increased protection, the Army's top officer said Friday.
"A day after a gunman shot and killed four Marines and wounded three other people in Chattanooga, Gen. Ray Odierno, chief of staff of the Army, told reporters that arming troops in those offices could cause more problems than it might solve.
…"In the wake of previous shootings at military facilities, the services have reviewed and strengthened security precautions at the centers. But most of those involve safety precautions and the need to be aware and watchful of surroundings.
The Gateway Pundit reported, "On Friday evening ABC News Pentagon reporter Luis Martinez reported on Twitter the Marine Corps ordered recruiters to not wear their uniforms at work.
However, in Georgia, armed citizens, who aren't under the stupid and unconstitutional orders of the Department of Defense were not acting cowardly, but standing guard outside an Army recruitment office in Hiram, Georgia.
The watch was organized as a way to honor the fallen Marines in yesterday's attacks, and to protect the lives of those who serve and are unable to defend themselves in their offices.
Approximately 30 people answered a call to come and provide at least a one hour watch. However, Georgia wasn't the only place where American's were being vigilant.
In Virginia, one man took it upon himself to guard a US Armed Forces recruitment center.
At 8 a.m. Friday morning, one man decided to spend his day off standing guard outside of a military recruitment center in Winchester, Virginia.
He is not worried about another attack like Chattanooga here. But he is making a statement.
"People need to call their congressman, they need to call their senators and they need to change these laws that are on the books so these guys can protect themselves so a regular old citizen doesn't have to go out and do it," he told us.
Those under the insane orders to remain unarmed even though they are qualified to carry their arms not only by training, but also under the Second Amendment's protection of the very lives they stand to protect, showed their gratitude for the Virginia man.
He then added by reminding his fellow Americans of one thing.
Not only are these civilians demonstrating a true love for their fellow man (1 John 3:18), but so are those who have served in our military honorably, like Marine Sergeant Jeremey Knauff and Marine veteran Nick Powers.
Well done Mr. Unnamed American! May God bless your efforts and multiply them 100 fold!


Last Friday (May 9th), after writing a short blog post about gamification based on the book The Gamification Revolution: How Leaders Leverage Game Mechanics to Crush the Competition by Gabe Zichermann, I came across a MOOC (Massively Open Online Course) on Gamification being taught by Kevin Werbach, a Professor at the Wharton School. Unfortunately the class had actually begun five weeks earlier on April 1st, and was to be completed by May 12th. Over the course of three days, I listened to the six weeks worth of lessons (generally about six ten-minute lessons per week). The course was fantastic and I highly recommend taking it. Gamification will likely be offered again on Coursera.org in September. Professor Werbach, thank you. I can genuinely say that I enjoyed Gamification as much as I did classes on campus twenty years ago.
Professor Werbach mentioned a book he had written with Dan Hunter, For The Win: How Game Thinking Can Revolutionize Your Business. The book was not needed for the course, but it is a fantastic read. I picked up the book after I finished the last MOOC lesson, and read through it in about four days. It is a must read for any current marketer. You have probably already used game-elements in campaigns already and if you haven't, you will almost certainly use a variety of game-elements in upcoming campaigns.
Engagement is your competitive advantage. Game-design techniques provide your means to achieve it.
Successful gamification involves two kinds of skills. It requires an understanding of game design, and it requires an understanding of business techniques.
At its core, gamification is about finding the fun in the things we have to do. Making business processes compelling by making them fun is the coolest thing we can think of.
The motivational dynamics of gamification must interact with the firm's existing management and reward structures.
Gamification is the process of manipulating fun to serve real-world objectives.
Sid Meier, legendary designer of the Civilization series of games, defines a game as simply "a series of meaningful choices".
Games are a process, not an outcome.


text:
Tre ragazzi per un bottino è un film del 2004 diretto da Bart Freundlich, remake del blockbuster danese Klatretøsen

Trama
Maddy è terrorizzata all'idea che il padre possa perdere l'uso delle gambe dopo essere caduto mentre si arrampicava. L'unico modo per evitare ciò è pagare un intervento molto costoso ma la famiglia non può permetterselo. Decisa ad aiutare il padre, Maddy e i suoi due amici (entrambi innamorati di lei), Austin e Gus decidono di rapinare una banca.

Collegamenti esterni

Film commedia
Film per ragazzi
Film remake

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
/*
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except
 * in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License
 * is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express
 * or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under
 * the License.
 */
/*
 * This code was generated by https://github.com/googleapis/google-api-java-client-services/
 * Modify at your own risk.
 */

package com.google.api.services.container.v1beta1.model;

/**
 * LoggingComponentConfig is cluster logging component configuration.
 *
 *
 This is the Java data model class that specifies how to parse/serialize into the JSON that is
 * transmitted over HTTP when working with the Kubernetes Engine API. For a detailed explanation
 * see:
 * https://developers.google.com/api-client-library/java/google-http-java-client/json
 *

 *
 * @author Google, Inc.
 */
@SuppressWarnings("javadoc")
public final class LoggingComponentConfig extends com.google.api.client.json.GenericJson {

  /**
   * Select components to collect logs. An empty set would disable all logging.
   * The value may be {@code null}.
   */
  @com.google.api.client.util.Key
  private java.util.List<java.lang.String> enableComponents;

  /**
   * Select components to collect logs. An empty set would disable all logging.
   * @return value or {@code null} for none
   */
  public java.util.List<java.lang.String> getEnableComponents() {
    return enableComponents;
  }

  /**
   * Select components to collect logs. An empty set would disable all logging.
   * @param enableComponents enableComponents or {@code null} for none
   */
  public LoggingComponentConfig setEnableComponents(java.util.List<java.lang.String> enableComponents) {
    this.enableComponents = enableComponents;
    return this;
  }

  @Override
  public LoggingComponentConfig set(String fieldName, Object value) {
    return (LoggingComponentConfig) super.set(fieldName, value);
  }

  @Override
  public LoggingComponentConfig clone() {
    return (LoggingComponentConfig) super.clone();
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Overview The STC-GE33A is part of Sentech's Standard GigE camera line. It features a 1/3" monochrome VGA sensor, 90fps and communication over a 6 pin Hirose or Ethernet connector. The STC-GE33A boasts precision housing with accurate CCD alignment, a DC Auto Iris Lens Driver, a user-programmable Area of Interest (AOI) and a Gamma Table that can be imported. This camera meets all industry standards for GigE Vision® and GenICam™.


(PRLEAP.COM) January 20, 2016 - "Memories: Just Memories," a new book by Carl Baker, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.
Most of us will never be materially rich; however, all of us have the opportunity to be rich in life's memories. This is especially true as we grow older. That is what this little book is about: life's memories. Some of the stories are personal and true. Some are not, but all might have been.
After retiring, Carl Baker and his wife, Beverly, spent many winters in the Rio Grande Valley in an RV park for "Winter Texans," as they were christened by the natives. Within a setting such as this, they met many interesting people from all walks of life. It was due to conversations and experiences with these people that he decided to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a published author. Carl has found it to be a very challenging but satisfying experience. Currently he and Beverly make their home in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, and are enjoying the people and history of the area.
"Memories: Just Memories" is a 52-page hardcover with a retail price of $27.00. The ISBN is 978-1-4809-2612-7. It was published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, or to request a review copy, please go to our virtual pressroom at www.dorrancepressroom.com or our online bookstore at www.dorrancebookstore.com.


text:
package org.apache.pinot.controller.api;

import org.apache.pinot.controller.util.SegmentCompletionUtils;
import org.testng.Assert;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;

public class SegmentCompletionUtilsTest {

  @Test
  public void testGenerateSegmentFilePrefix() {
    String segmentName = "segment";
    Assert.assertEquals(SegmentCompletionUtils.getSegmentNamePrefix(segmentName), "segment.tmp.");
  }

  @Test
  public void testGenerateSegmentLocation() {
    String segmentName = "segment";
    String segmentNamePrefix = SegmentCompletionUtils.getSegmentNamePrefix(segmentName);
    Assert.assertTrue(SegmentCompletionUtils.generateSegmentFileName(segmentName).startsWith(segmentNamePrefix));
  }
}


Victor Jara (9 /23/32 - 9 /16/73) has been an extremely important influence on the music and culture of Chile. He was an essential part of the great Latin American musical movement known as 'Nueva Canción' or New Song. This musical current has been traditionally involved with the revolutionary movements in Latin America. After the Military Coup in Chile, led by Pinochet, hundreds of people were arrested, tortured and killed by the military. Many others "just disappeared" in clandestine jails or mass graves. Victor Jara was detained in the infamous Chile Stadium, tortured and assassinated. Witness recalled that his fingers were cut and his hands broken and then he was taunted to play his guitar and sing a song. Victor Jara is a symbol of the resistance and the revolutionary ideals of Latinoamérica. And still holding true is the call, Today for Today!
La Casa de Arte y Cultura Calles y Sueños is a collective of artists and cultural activists who work to provide an alternative arts space for exhibition, the performing arts, music, film, and cultural workshops for the Latino Arts community.


text:
local M = {
  db_file = "layla.sqlite",
  caching = true,
  new_db = true,
  _order = 2,
  _token_cache = {},
  _expr_cache = {},
  _link_cache = {},
  _sth = {},
}
local M_mt = { __index = M }
local sqlite3 = require "lsqlite3"
local D = require "serpent".block
math.randomseed(os.time())

M._schema = [[
  CREATE TABLE info (
    attribute TEXT NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
    text      NOT NULL
  );
  CREATE TABLE tokens (
    id      INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    spacing INTEGER NOT NULL,
    text    TEXT NOT NULL
  );
  CREATE TABLE exprs (
    id        INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    token1_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES tokens(id),
    token2_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES tokens(id)
  );
  CREATE TABLE links (
    id           INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    prev_expr_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES exprs(id),
    next_expr_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES exprs(id),
    count        INTEGER NOT NULL
  );
  CREATE UNIQUE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS get_token_id on tokens (text, spacing);
  CREATE UNIQUE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS get_expr on exprs (token1_id, token2_id);
  CREATE UNIQUE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS get_link ON links (prev_expr_id, next_expr_id);
  CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS get_link_by_next ON links (next_expr_id);
  CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS get_expr_by_token2 on exprs (token2_id);
]]

--[=[
-- speeds up learning (with a non-empty DB) and replying
M.create_learn_idx = [[
  CREATE UNIQUE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS get_token_id on tokens (text, spacing);
  CREATE UNIQUE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS get_expr on exprs (token1_id, token2_id);
]]

M.drop_learn_idx = [[
  DROP INDEX get_token_id;
  DROP INDEX get_expr;
]]

-- speeds up replying
M.create_reply_idx = [[
  CREATE UNIQUE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS get_link ON links (prev_expr_id, next_expr_id);
  CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS get_link_by_next ON links (next_expr_id);
  CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS get_expr_by_token2 on exprs (token2_id);
]]
M.drop_reply_idx = [[
  DROP INDEX get_link;
  DROP INDEX get_link_by_next;
  DROP INDEX get_expr_by_token2;
]]
--]=]

M._statements = {
  add_token     = "INSERT INTO tokens (spacing, text) VALUES (?, ?)",
  token_spec    = "SELECT spacing, text FROM tokens WHERE id = ?;",
  token_id      = "SELECT id FROM tokens WHERE spacing = ? AND text = ?;",
  add_expr      = "INSERT INTO exprs (token1_id, token2_id) VALUES (?, ?)",
  get_expr      = "SELECT id FROM exprs WHERE token1_id = ? AND token2_id = ?;",
  add_link      = [[INSERT INTO links (prev_expr_id, next_expr_id, count)
                    VALUES (?, ?, ?);]],
  inc_link      = [[UPDATE links SET count = count + ?
                    WHERE prev_expr_id = ? AND next_expr_id = ?]],
  similar_token = [[SELECT id, spacing FROM tokens
                    WHERE text = ?
                    ORDER BY random()
                    LIMIT 1;]],
  random_token = [[SELECT id, spacing, text FROM tokens
                   WHERE rowid = (abs(random()) % (
                     SELECT seq+1 FROM sqlite_sequence
                     WHERE name = 'tokens'));]],
  random_expr  = [[SELECT * FROM exprs
                   WHERE token1_id = :id OR token2_id = :id
                   ORDER BY random()
                   LIMIT 1;]],
  prev_expr    = [[SELECT id, token1_id, token2_id FROM exprs
                   WHERE exprs.id = (
                     SELECT prev_expr_id FROM links
                     WHERE next_expr_id = :last_expr_id
                     LIMIT 1
                     OFFSET abs(random()) % (
                       SELECT count(*) FROM links
                       WHERE next_expr_id = :last_expr_id))]],
  next_expr    = [[SELECT id, token1_id, token2_id FROM exprs
                   WHERE exprs.id = (
                     SELECT next_expr_id FROM links
                     WHERE prev_expr_id = :last_expr_id
                     LIMIT 1
                     OFFSET abs(random()) % (
                       SELECT count(*) FROM links
                       WHERE prev_expr_id = :last_expr_id))]],
}

function M:new(args)
  args = args or {}
  return setmetatable(args, M_mt)
end

function M:init()
  local db = sqlite3.open(self.db_file)
  self._db = db
  db:execute("PRAGMA synchronous=OFF;")
  db:execute("PRAGMA journal_mode=OFF;")

  local result = {}
  for a in db:rows("SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type ='table' AND name='tokens'") do
    table.insert(result, a)
  end
  if #result == 0 then
    db:execute(self._schema)
    if db:error_code() ~= sqlite3.OK then
      print("bar: "..db:error_message())
    end
  end

  for name, statement in pairs(self._statements) do
    self._sth[name] = self._db:prepare(statement)
    if self._db:error_code() ~= sqlite3.OK then
      print("baz: "..self._db:errmsg())
      break
    end
  end

  self._end_token_id = self:_get_or_add_token(0, '')
  --print("id: "..boundary_token_id)
  self._end_expr_id = self:_get_or_add_expr({self._end_token_id, self._end_token_id})
  --print("hlagh: "..db:errmsg())

  --if self.caching and self.new_db then
  --  db:execute(self:_create_)
  --end
end

function M:begin_transaction()
  self._db:execute("BEGIN TRANSACTION;")
end

function M:end_transaction()
  if self.caching then
    self:_flush_cache()
  end
  self._db:execute("END TRANSACTION;")
end

function M:_flush_cache()
  for link_key, count in pairs(self._link_cache) do
    local prev_expr = string.match(link_key, '^%d*')
    local next_expr = string.match(link_key, '%d*$')
    --print(prev_expr.." and "..next_expr.." with "..count)
    if self.new_db then
      self:_add_link(prev_expr, next_expr, count)
    else
      self:_inc_or_add_link(prev_expr, next_expr, count)
    end
  end
  self._link_cache = {}
  self._token_cache = {}
  self._expr_cache = {}
end

function M:learn(tokens)
  if #tokens < self._order then
    return
  end
  local token_cache = {}
  if self.caching then
    token_cache = self._token_cache
  end
  local expr_cache = {}
  if self.caching then
    expr_cache = self._expr_cache
  end
  local token_ids = {}
  local expr_ids = {}
  local db_ops = 0

  -- resolve token ids
  for _, token_spec in pairs(tokens) do
    --print("token: "..token_spec[2])
    local key = table.concat(token_spec)

    local cached_id = token_cache[key]
    if cached_id then
      --print("got cached token "..cached_id)
      table.insert(token_ids, cached_id)
    else
      db_ops = db_ops + 1
      local new_id
      if self.caching and self.new_db then
        new_id = self:_add_token(unpack(token_spec))
      else
        new_id = self:_get_or_add_token(unpack(token_spec))
      end
      --print("new token id: "..new_id)
      token_cache[key] = new_id
      table.insert(token_ids, new_id)
    end
  end
  --print(D(token_cache))
  table.insert(token_ids, 1, self._end_token_id)
  table.insert(token_ids, self._end_token_id)

  --print(D(token_ids))
  -- resolve expr ids
  for i = 1, #token_ids - self._order+1 do
    --print("foo: "..i)
    local ids = {}
    for j = i, i + self._order-1 do
      table.insert(ids, token_ids[j])
    end
    --print("token_ids: "..D(ids))

    local key = table.concat(ids, '_')
    --print(key)
    local cached_id = expr_cache[key]
    if cached_id then
      --print("got cached expr "..cached_id)
      table.insert(expr_ids, cached_id)
    else
      local new_id
      if self.caching and self.new_db then
        new_id = self:_add_expr(ids)
      else
        new_id = self:_get_or_add_expr(ids)
      end
      db_ops = db_ops + 1
      expr_cache[key] = new_id
      --print("expr: "..key, new_id)
      table.insert(expr_ids, new_id)
    end
  end
  --print(D(expr_cache))
  --print("expr_ids: "..D(expr_ids))
  --for _, expr_id in pairs(expr_ids) do
  --  print("expr_id: "..expr_id, expr_cache[expr_id])
  --end

  table.insert(expr_ids, self._end_expr_id)
  table.insert(expr_ids, 1, self._end_expr_id)

  -- create/update links
  --print("count: "..#expr_ids)
  for i = 1, #expr_ids - 2 do
    --print(expr_ids[i], expr_ids[i+2])
    --print("foo")
    if self.caching then
      --print("bar")
      local link_key = expr_ids[i]..'_'..expr_ids[i+2]
      if self._link_cache[link_key] then
        self._link_cache[link_key] = self._link_cache[link_key] + 1
      else
        self._link_cache[link_key] = 1
      end
    else
      self:_inc_or_add_link(expr_ids[i], expr_ids[i+2], 1)
    end
    db_ops = db_ops + 1
  end
  --inc_or_add_link(boundary_expr_id, expr_ids[2])
  --db_ops = db_ops + 1
  --inc_or_add_link(expr_ids[#expr_ids-1], boundary_expr_id)
  --db_ops = db_ops + 1
  --print("db ops: "..db_ops)
end

-- TODO: use an expression cache?
function M:reply(tokens)
  local token_cache = self:_resolve_input_tokens(tokens)
  --print("token_cache: "..D(token_cache))

  local pivots = {}
  for token_id, _ in pairs(token_cache) do
    table.insert(pivots, token_id)
  end
  if #pivots == 0 then
    random_tokens = self:_get_random_tokens(1) -- TODO: pick a number
    for _, token in pairs(random_tokens) do
      table.insert(pivots, token[1])
      token_cache[token[1]] = {token[2], token[3]}
    end
    --table.insert(pivots, 7172)
    --token_cache[7172] = {0, teryaki}
  end

  if #pivots == 0 then
    return("I don't know enough to answer you yet!")
  end
  --print("pivots: "..D(pivots))

  -- TODO: scoring
  --for _, reply in pairs(self:_generate_replies(pivots)) do
  local reply = self:_generate_replies(pivots)[1]
  local final_reply = {}
  --print(D(reply))
  --print("reply: "..D(reply))
  -- TODO: make this a method
  for _, token_id in pairs(reply) do
    local token_spec = token_cache[token_id]
    if not token_spec then
      --print("lookup")
      token_spec = self:_get_token_spec(token_id)
      token_cache[token_id] = token_spec
    end
    --print(D(token_id))
    --print(D(token_spec))
    table.insert(final_reply, token_spec)
  end
  return final_reply
  --end
end

function M:_generate_replies(pivots)
  local replies = {}
  for _, pivot_id in pairs(pivots) do
    local reply = {self:_get_random_expr(pivot_id)}
    --print(D(reply))

    --print("reply is: "..D(reply))
    --print("making prev")
    while reply[1][2] ~= self._end_token_id do
      local prev = self:_get_connected_expr(reply[1][1], "prev")
      table.insert(reply, 1, prev)
      --print("adding "..D(prev))
      --print("reply is: "..D(reply))
    end
    --print(D(reply))
    --print("making next")
    while reply[#reply][3] ~= self._end_token_id do
      local next = self:_get_connected_expr(reply[#reply][1], "next")
      --print(D(next))
      table.insert(reply, next)
      --print("adding "..D(next))
      --print("reply is: "..D(reply))
    end
    --print("reply is: "..D(reply))

    local token_ids = {}
    for _, expr in pairs(reply) do
      --print("expr is: "..D(expr))
      table.remove(expr, 1)
      for _, token_id in pairs(expr) do
        if token_id ~= self._end_token_id then
          table.insert(token_ids, token_id)
        end
      end
    end
    table.insert(replies, token_ids)
  end
  return replies
end

function M:_get_connected_expr(expr_id, direction)
  local stmt
  if direction == "prev" then
    stmt = self._sth.prev_expr
  else
    stmt = self._sth.next_expr
  end

  stmt:bind_names({last_expr_id = expr_id})
  local status = stmt:step()
  if status == sqlite3.ROW then
    local expr = stmt:get_values()
    stmt:reset()
    return expr
  end
  stmt:reset()
end

function M:_get_random_expr(token_id)
  local stmt = self._sth.random_expr
  stmt:bind_names({id = token_id})
  local status = stmt:step()
  if status == sqlite3.ROW then
    local expr = stmt:get_values()
    stmt:reset()
    return expr
  end
  stmt:reset()
end

function M:_get_token_spec(token_id)
  local stmt = self._sth.token_spec
  stmt:bind_values(token_id)
  local status = stmt:step()
  if status == sqlite3.ROW then
    local token_spec = stmt:get_values()
    stmt:reset()
    return token_spec
  end
  stmt:reset()
  return tokens
end

function M:_get_random_tokens(amount)
  local tokens = {}
  local stmt = self._sth.random_token
  stmt:bind_values()
  for i = 1,amount do
    local status = stmt:step()
    while status == sqlite3.ROW do
      table.insert(tokens, stmt:get_values())
      status = stmt:step()
    end
    stmt:reset()
  end
  return tokens
end

function M:_resolve_input_tokens(tokens)
  local token_cache = {}

  if #tokens == 1 then
    -- When there's just one token, we'll be a bit more lax and settle
    -- for any token which matches that text, regardless of spacing.
    local text = tokens[1][2]
    local token_info = self:_get_similar_token(tokens[1][2])
    if token_info then
      local id, spacing = unpack(token_info)
      token_cache[id] = {spacing, text}
    end
  else
    for _, token_spec in pairs(tokens) do
      local spacing, text = unpack(token_spec)
      local id = self_:get_token_id(spacing, text)
      if id then
        token_cache[id] = token_spec
      end
    end
  end

  return token_cache
end

function M:_get_similar_token(text)
  local stmt = self._sth.similar_token
  stmt:bind_values(text)
  local status = stmt:step()
  if status == sqlite3.ROW then
    local token_info = stmt:get_values()
    stmt:reset()
    return token_info
  end
  stmt:reset()
end

function M:_get_token_id(spacing, text)
  local stmt = self._sth.token_id
  stmt:bind_values(spacing, text)
  local status = stmt:step()
  if status == sqlite3.ROW then
    local id = stmt:get_uvalues()
    stmt:reset()
    return id
  end
  stmt:reset()
end

function M:_add_token(spacing, text)
  local stmt = self._sth.add_token
  stmt:bind_values(spacing, text)
  stmt:step()
  stmt:reset()
  return self._db:last_insert_rowid()
end

function M:_get_or_add_token(spacing, text)
  local token_id = self:_get_token_id(spacing, text)
  if token_id then
    return token_id
  end
  return self:_add_token(spacing, text)
end

function M:_get_expr(token_ids)
  local stmt = self._sth.get_expr
  stmt:bind_values(unpack(token_ids))
  local status = stmt:step()
  if status == sqlite3.ROW then
    local id = stmt:get_uvalues()
    stmt:reset()
    return id
  end
  stmt:reset()
end

function M:_add_expr(token_ids)
  local stmt = self._sth.add_expr
  stmt:bind_values(unpack(token_ids))
  stmt:step()
  stmt:reset()
  return self._db:last_insert_rowid()
end

function M:_get_or_add_expr(token_ids)
  local expr_id = self:_get_expr(token_ids)
  if expr_id then
    return expr_id
  end
  return self:_add_expr(token_ids)
end

function M:_add_link(prev_expr, next_expr, count)
  local stmt = self._sth.add_link
  stmt:bind_values(prev_expr, next_expr, count)
  stmt:step()
  stmt:reset()
end

function M:_inc_or_add_link(prev_expr, next_expr, count)
  local stmt = self._sth.inc_link
  stmt:bind_values(count, prev_expr, next_expr)
  stmt:step()
  stmt:reset()
  if self._db:changes() == 0 then
    self:_add_link(prev_expr, next_expr, count)
  end
end

return M


Cerebral meningioangiomatosis (MA) is a rare pathology, described as a proliferation of meningothelial cells that are wrapped around small cortical blood vessels in young people who suffer from refractory epilepsy as a principal clinical manifestation. Few cases of MA reported in the literature are associated with cortical dysplasia classified as type IIIc by the International League against Epilepsy (ILAE). In the following report we describe the first documented diagnosis of MA in Colombia, of a nine-year-old boy with medically refractory epilepsy who responded positively to surgical treatment.
APONTE, FERNANDO VELANDIA, CAMILO MORENO, CESAR BUITRAGO, DANIELA VILLEGAS, YULIANA CUELLAR, Jorge. Meningoangiomatosis Associated with Taylor Cortical Dysplasia, type IIIc: Report on a Case in Bogota, Colombia. Global Journal of Medical Research, [S.l.], jan. 2019. ISSN 2249-4618. Available at: <https://medicalresearchjournal.org/index.php/GJMR/article/view/1669>. Date accessed: 24 apr. 2019.


text:
Q: How to configure number localization for knockout validation? I'm working on a web application with knockout.js and knockout validation.
I have one view model like this:
var viewModel = {
    prop1 : ko.observable().extend({number:true}),
    prop2 : ko.observable().extend({number:true}),
    prop3 : ko.observable().extend({number:true}),
    save : function () {
        var vmValidatable = ko.validatedObservable(viewModel);
        if (!vmValidatable.isValid())
            return false;
    }
}

On front-end if I try to save one number with decimal separator comma instead of a point my save function return false.
For example: if prop1 have "1.2" value the save function work correctly else if prop1 have "1,2" value the save function return false.
Can you help me please?
Thank you a lot

A: Here's the source for the number extender you're using:
// https://github.com/Knockout-Contrib/Knockout-Validation/blob/master/src/rules.js#L221
ko.validation.rules['number'] = {
  validator: function (value, validate) {
    if (!validate) { return true; }
    return ko.validation.utils.isEmptyVal(value) ||
      (validate && /^-?(?:\d+|\d{1,3}(?:,\d{3})+)?(?:\.\d+)?$/.test(value));
  },
  message: 'Please enter a number.'
};

I'm no regexp expert, but it looks like "," separated numbers are only supported when they separate 3 digits. I.e.: you cannot use commas to mark a decimal point.

console.log(/^-?(?:\d+|\d{1,3}(?:,\d{3})+)?(?:\.\d+)?$/.test("100,000"))
console.log(/^-?(?:\d+|\d{1,3}(?:,\d{3})+)?(?:\.\d+)?$/.test("100,000.00"))
console.log(/^-?(?:\d+|\d{1,3}(?:,\d{3})+)?(?:\.\d+)?$/.test("1,2"))
console.log(/^-?(?:\d+|\d{1,3}(?:,\d{3})+)?(?:\.\d+)?$/.test("1,200"))

You could add another extender to remove , characters if entered values are tested to not match the pattern. Not sure if it's a good idea though.

var test = function(val) {
  if (!val) return true;

  return /^-?(?:\d+|\d{1,3}(?:,\d{3})+)?(?:\.\d+)?$/.test(val);
};

ko.extenders.removeCommas = function(target, option) {
  var result = ko.pureComputed({
    read: target,
    write: function(newValue) {
      var current = target(),
        valueToWrite = test(newValue) ? newValue : newValue.replace(/,/g,
          ".");

      if (valueToWrite !== current) {
        target(valueToWrite);
      } else {
        if (newValue !== current) {
          target.notifySubscribers(valueToWrite);
        }
      }
    }
  }).extend({
    notify: 'always'
  });

  result(target());
  return result;
};

var ViewModel = function() {
  this.input = ko.observable().extend({
    removeCommas: true
  });
}

ko.applyBindings(new ViewModel());
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/knockout/3.2.0/knockout-min.js"></script>

<input data-bind="textInput: input" />