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Velvet Caravan, gypsy jazz
Home / Events / Velvet Caravan, gypsy jazz
Friday, October 4th, 7:30 pm
Doors and bar open at 7 pm
Velvet Caravan pours violin, acoustic guitar, upright bass, accordion, keyboard and percussion into a gumbo of acoustic swing jazz—seasoned with Latin and Gypsy.
The Band:
Ricardo Ochoa: violin
Ricardo uses a Tas d'ordures gypsy fiddle
Jimmy Grant: guitar
Jimmy uses Favino Guitars
Eric Dunn: upright bass
Eric uses Chadwick Folding basses and Upton Basses
Vuk Pavlovic: drums and percussion
Jared Hall: piano, organ, and accordion
Jared uses Hammond Organs
Since it's beginning, Velvet Caravan's journey has continued to gain momentum, as its reputation for top-notch virtuosity and unforgettable live shows has become the band's unique global brand. Praised for its "compositional whimsy and ferocious technique" (The Austin Chronicle), Velvet Caravan "brings together musicians from as close as Austin and as far away as Venezuela and Slovenia. The quintet's varied lineage contributes to its eclectic sound, as the group weaves thick threads of Latin and gypsy music into acoustic swing jazz" (The Austin Chronicle). Whether on the big stage with a full orchestra or in an intimate jazz club, the band remains "tight and vibrantly free. Velvet Caravan pours violin, acoustic guitar, upright bass, accordion, keyboard and percussion into a gumbo of lively swing music." (Creative Loafing, Atlanta)
As a national and international touring ensemble, the band still calls Savannah, Georgia it's home, bringing a bit of southern charm and coastal coolness to their music. If one were to name one Savannah-based musical act that most exemplifies this time-honored, eclectic and adventurous city, they'd be hard to find a more appropriate ambassador than Velvet Caravan.
This unorthodox, high-energy, acoustic-based quintet has, over the past few years, emerged as one of the shining lights of the Coastal Empire's burgeoning music scene. In that time, the band has grown to perform as an instrumental combo which routinely drew enthusiastic and loyal followers at raucous restaurants and jazz clubs to a respected and admired touring act that's comfortable in an attentive listening room or large concert hall. They have recently built their show to occasionally collaborate with vocalists, orchestras, and a variety of featured musicians.
Among the orchestral collaborations, the group has performed with the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, and the Jackson Symphony Orchestra. They have also performed in world-class jazz clubs such as The Iridium in New York City, The Jazz Corner in Hilton Head and in intimate listening rooms such as Eddie's Attic in Atlanta. Among many festivals and events, Velvet Caravan has enjoyed performing with many music festivals including the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX and the Rochester International Jazz Festival in Rochester, NY.
Velvet Caravan's unique ability to subtly shift musical gears without sacrificing their integrity as composers and performers is rare indeed. This has resulted in an envelope-pushing group that's just as successful at dazzling jaded cocktail drinkers as they are at commanding the rapt attention of serious music aficionados in whisper-quiet recital environments. Of late, the band has even taken things a step further, by mesmerizing and inspiring even the most finicky of schoolchildren through fun and engaging music educational programming.
www.velvetcaravan.com
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This year there will be quite a lot of workshops at PAF: you can observe sound with Gurun Gurun, try a workshop of one-second videos, and see the film-archeological 'Prejection Apparatus' and computer games with Golem. For children there are workshops of animation and a trip to a time before the construction of the cinematograph.
In order to experience film animation in an active way, visitors to PAF will be offered various workshops.
One workshop will be led by the renowned Czech musical producer Ondřej Ježek, in cooperation with his fellow musician from Gurun Gurun – Jaroslav Tarnovský (Sound Observation). A workshop devoted to the basics of developing a computer game will be led by the developers of the eagerly anticipated project Golem.
Jan Kulka will present his pre-film invention – Prejection Apparatus. It is a special projecting apparatus created in order to practically explore those areas of film that have, up to now, been unexplored. The prejection apparatus manages to project, for example, a roll of bandage, adhesive tape, bubble wrap and till rolls.
Adults can attend the workshop of one-second videos One Swallow with post-internet Kurzor Kolektiv. Its output will become part of the exhibition in the Internet gallery ScreenSaverGallery and will be presented at the festival before the selected screenings. 30th of November is the deadline for sending your own videos to the first preselection.
Workshops for children include The Funfair of Cinematic Inventions, which shows what the apparatuses looked like before the invention of the cinematograph, and two independent lessons of The Little Animators, traditionally led by Pavla Baštanová.
12:30 pm | AGD | The Insect from the Gurun Planet | workshop – Gurun Gurun | Why Look at Animals?


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Displaying documents 121-128 of 940, with best matches first:
121. WTTC Postpones Global Summit in Cancun, Mexico
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has confirmed that its 20th Global Summit, scheduled to take place in Mexico on 22-23 April, will now take place in the Autumn of 2020.
122. COVID19: AirAsia Adds Flexibility for Passengers to Change Tickets
AirAsia has extended the period for customers to obtain credit for their international flight bookings until 30 April to/from selected destinations, including China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
123. Stéphane Gras Appointed GM of Two Four Seasons Hotels in France
Stéphane Gras has been appointed General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Megève and Les Chalets du Mont d'Arbois, Megève, a Four Seasons Hotel. Born in Saint-Etienne, France, Stéphane Gras has a Bachelor's degree in International Hotel Management from the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland.
124. Mövenpick Hotel Apartments Downtown Dubai Opens Onsen Spa
Mövenpick Hotel Apartments Downtown Dubai has opened an Onsen Spa. The spa offers signature massage treatments as well as ancient therapies ranging from deep tissue massage to foot reflexology and warm stone massage.
125. Akaryn Hotels & Resorts Launches Travel Trade Promotion
Akaryn Hotels & Resorts has launched a special travel trade promotion. The Thai hotel company is offering 40% off its Best Available Rates to those who work in the travel industry, and giving them a complimentary THB 350 voucher per stay to spend at any outlets within the hotel or resort.
126. Vietnam Airlines to Reduce Flights to Europe
Vietnam Airlines has confirmed plans to temporarily reduce the frequency of flights between Vietnam and Europe, starting 25 March 2020. The airline will temporarily cut 14 flights per week on routes that connect Vietnam and Europe.
127. Okura Prestige Bangkok Launches Thai Residents Promotion
The Okura Prestige Bangkok has launched a promotion for Thai Residents. Available for stays between now and 30 June 2020, the promotion includes benefits such as:
128. Éric Martel to Return to Bombardier as President and CEO
Bombardier has appointed Éric Martel as President and Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Bombardier Board of Directors, effective 6 April 2020.
Documents 121-128 of 940 displayed.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


git config --global branch.autosetuprebase always git config --global pull.rebase preserve #(this is a very recent and useful addition that appeared in git 1.8.5) Not everyone likes to change the default behavior of core commands so you should only incorporate the above if you understand its implications.... Merging in Git is typically fairly easy. Since Git makes it easy to merge another branch multiple times, it means that you can have a very long lived branch but you can keep it up to date as you go, solving small conflicts often, rather than be surprised by one enormous conflict at the end of the series.
Conflict is the state where certain line(s) in a certain file have different changes in the commits in different branch and git can't decide which one is the right changes (also if both changes... When a conflict occurs, Git will modify your local files and it is up to you to manually fix the files with the conflicts. Tip: Use the git status command to see the status and merge conflict information.
Understanding Git (part 3) — Resolving Conflicts (stay tuned!) Practically every major software company and open-source project uses some type of "version control" to track changes over time. Version control can help you coordinate teamwork and hunt down software bugs.
$ git config --global alias.stash-unapply '!git stash show -p git apply -R' $ git stash apply $ #... work work work $ git stash-unapply Creating a Branch from a Stash If you stash some work, leave it there for a while, and continue on the branch from which you stashed the work, you may have a problem reapplying the work.


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Sie sind hier: About Us / Highlights
1: Mission.
2: Partners.
3: The Small Arms Survey Team.
4: Vacancies.
5: Maison de la Paix.
6: Events.
7: Highlights.
8: Contact.
Trade Update 2020: An Eye on Ammunition Transfers to Africa
New study on trafficking in the Burkina Faso–
Côte d'Ivoire–Mali Region
New study on the methods and techniques of North Korean sanctions evasion
Comments, queries, and download issues
The US Firearms Industry: Production and Supply
During the 25-year period from 1986 to 2010, US-based firearms manufacturers produced over 98 million pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns for domestic sale (excluding those produced for export).
The US Firearms Industry: Production and Supply—a new Small Arms Survey Working Paper—analyses economic aspects of the US firearms industry, specifically the civilian, private security, and law enforcement (i.e. non-military) markets for pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns, providing a focus on supply-side issues.
The US Firearms Industry's findings include:
The number of firearms tracked for this analysis (domestically retained firearms, plus imports) totals nearly 150 million units.
2,288 US-based producers of civilian firearms have been identified; providing possibly the most extensive public record to date.
These firms produced an average of around 4.24 million firearms per year, including those for export, during the period studied.
Firearms imports into the United States have risen from around 500,000 units in the early 1980s to about 3.5 million units by 2010.
The majority of producers are relatively small in scale, with only a small percentage of firms—between 1.3 and 7.5 per cent, depending on firearms category—producing more than 100,000 weapons per year.
Three brands (Sturm, Ruger & Co., Remington, and Smith & Wesson) each produced ten million or more weapons over the entire 1986–2010 period, accounting for about 41 per cent of all domestically produced firearms for domestic use.
The Working Paper also estimates firearms resales via licensed dealers and discusses recent merger and acquisitions activity in the industry.
The analysis is based on a data record drawn from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; US Customs and Border Protection; and the US Census Bureau.
Download The US Firearms Industry: Production and Supply
More on producers
More on importers and exporters
More Working Papers
Follow the Small Arms Survey on facebook and on twitter
Back to the highlights page


The Israel Defense Forces have gained much experience against hybrid opponents � Hezbollah and Hamas � in the recent conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza. The lessons from these Israeli experiences are relevant to understanding the capabilities the U.S. Army and the joint force will require in the future. Principal findings include the following. The basics of combined arms fire and maneuver are necessary for successful operations against sophisticated hybrid opponents who, like Hezbollah and Hamas, have a modicum of training, organization, and advanced weapons, particularly if they are operating �among the people.� Additionally, precision, standoff fires are critical, but not sufficient, to cope with sophisticated hybrid opponents. Furthermore, responsive and adequate air, artillery, and unmanned aerial system support are critical components of the combined arms fight against hybrid opponents. Finally, heavy forces � based on tanks and infantry fighting vehicles � are key elements of any force that will fight sophisticated irregular opponents, because they reduce operational risk and minimize friendly casualties.


Sturdy and convenient, the Tailgate N Go Big Johnson Package is the ultimate outdoor kitchen. Imagine having your stove, grill, cutting boards, bottle opener, food storage and many of the other luxuries you find in your kitchen at home in one portable box. The Grand Junction-based company offers a swing out hitch so you can easily access the TNG from your truck's tailgate, or you can simply lift and carry the box to your ideal location. You can choose from a variety of colors to personalize your TNG. Cost is $1,850. For more information, visit tailgatengo.com.


Dr. Martinook practices utilizing the Diversified and Activator technique and uses myofascial release.
"I had always wanted to work with people in a health care setting. It was when I consulted a chiropractor for my own long standing neck problem that I knew I had found my calling. I love the fact that the role of chiropractic is not to mask symptoms, but to actually correct the cause of the problem.
Dr. Martinook is a member of the Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors and Canadian Chiropractic Association.


All current students and employees are encouraged to sign up for Coed 6 vs 6 Indoor Volleyball. Games will be held at UWMC Gym from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 1, 8, 15 and 29.
Register online to create a team, join a team or become a free agent.


Financial emancipation of women is central to improving the family, society and economy. As a result of extant gender inequality wealth generation and investment management activities have so far eluded women, much until the last decade. Women have been a distant minority on the financial and investment ladder in the Nigerian society. We believe that creating holistic and sustainable financial and investment opportunities for women are, therefore, essential.
Nigeria has the largest percentage of women owned businesses in the world. This means that helping women grow their businesses is important to Nigeria's development. Women face many obstacles in growing their businesses from social and cultural barriers to funding. Therefore, Identifying and understanding the opportunities to help women navigate the business landscape is vital.
The main aim of the conference is to engage 100 women in career and businesses, teaching them how to attain financial freedom via managing and building wealth through effective investment choices, access to grants and loans for their start-ups and existing businesses. The conference presents the opportunity to advocate and educate for the positive socio-economic advancement of the woman.
Securing loans for expansion, Networking and lots more.


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Commuter students overlooked on campus
By Srdzan Lazarevski
As the old saying reminds us, "Far from the eyes, far from the heart." This applies to the way the University and the campus-resident majority perceive commuter students. Commuters face a variety of issues and problems that have not been properly acknowledged and addressed by the administration or the students who reside on campus. While it is true that commuter students make up an extremely small population at our University, they are nonetheless a group whose voice should be heard and integrated into campus life.
Commuters are people who cannot afford to live on campus because of financial issues or family obligations. Some commute to school for an hour or more each way, from as far as Northwest Indiana. These people juggle family responsibilities, jobs, and classes along with the trip. Commuting gets extremely difficult during winter. They came here with the desire to learn and obtain a world-class education, but with such pressures and busy schedules, it is tough for this small group of students to join campus life.
Unfortunately, commuting has a heavy price. On average, commuters' GPAs tend to be lower than those of their campus-residing peers. This is not surprising. Commuters lose hours out of their day on the road, with family obligations, work, early and late classes, labs, discussions, as well as not having the luxury of libraries and other campus resources close to them. Socially, the University has done very little for commuters to feel welcome.
Commuters have a lounge in the basement of Cobb Hall. It has an antiquated computer, replaced only after the elimination of Telnet last year, a TV, and a pool table. The couches and chairs are also in bad condition. The University offered to update them if commuters gave up some of their study spaces for T.A. offices. This was an unscrupulous offer because they were due for some improvement without such deals. Commuters have luncheons and outings every so often that they organize themselves, drawing a meager crowd from the small commuter population. Often, people barge into the commuter lounge to use the phone, eat, or play pool thinking it's public space for anyone to use as they please. No Student Government slate made any mention of commuters. This makes one wonder if commuters are really the equivalent of a house or just another RSO.
Making friends and developing a social life is extremely difficult for commuters at the U of C. The U of C lags behind other universities in social life anyway, and this hits commuters especially hard. They cannot make friends in classes to study with over the weekends, or go to parties because they need to drive home or take public transportation at less than safe hours. Commuters have trouble going to the esteemed Fall Formal, cultural shows, and other events the University prides itself on. They try to participate, but are rarely acknowledged--except when dorm people want to use their limited resources. At an O-Aide meeting, a question was asked about commuter O-Aides, and an ignorant person responded with another question: "What's a commuter?"
Most campus-residing students have a very condescending attitude towards commuters. They tend to feel sorry for these poor, pathetic, proletarian people who cannot afford to stay in a super-fun-happy-dorm, where they can drink or drug themselves stupid, and partake in sexual activities and dating, and instead whither away on the highways or public transportation. Yet not many of them--save a few noteworthy individuals--have reached out to commuters.
What's to be done? Here are a few suggestions to integrate commuters more, making the U of C friendlier for them. The administration needs to make a Commuter Office made up of administrators who will specifically help commuters with programming and academic issues. Commuters must be issued a U-Pass or monthly CTA passes. O-Week must become more commuter friendly and suit their needs better. There should be mixers each quarter where commuters can make friends interacting with others, as well as panels where the commuters can explain who they are. Now's the time to sta


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Q: Как сделать leaderboard с бд json? discord.py Я пытаюсь сделать топ 10 по монетам в своем боте. Я не знаю как это можно сделать, поэтому я обратился сюда, я не пытался что-либо писать просто я не знаю как и что. Так вот. У меня монеты юзера - это money["тут айди пользователя"]["тут кол-во монет"]. Кто не понял:
{"676744847844897979": 0, "5465756846894984": 10}
И мне нужно вывести топ 10 от самого большого до самого маленького.
Помогите пожалуйста, я новичок в этом деле.

A: Как вариант, можно произвести сортировку путем перебора элементов словаря.
Как итог, получим новый словарь top, значения и ключи в котором будут отсортированы.
import json

money = {
    "id0": 38,
    "id1": 128,
    "id2": 184,
    "id3": 32,
    "id4": 30,
    "id5": 16,
    "id6": 185,
    "id7": 146,
    "id8": 53,
    "id9": 196
}

top_values = []
top_ids = []
top = {}
for id in money:
    top_values.append(money[id])
    top_ids.append(id)

for i in range(len(top_values)):
    for j in range(len(top_values)):
        if top_values[i] > top_values[j]:
            temp = top_values[i]
            top_values[i] = top_values[j]
            top_values[j] = temp

            temp = top_ids[i]
            top_ids[i] = top_ids[j]
            top_ids[j] = temp

for i in range(len(top_values)):
    if i < 10:
        top[top_ids[i]] = top_values[i]

print(json.dumps(top, ensure_ascii = False, indent = 4))

Вывод:
{
    "id9": 196,
    "id6": 185,
    "id2": 184,
    "id7": 146,
    "id1": 128,
    "id8": 53,
    "id0": 38,
    "id3": 32,
    "id4": 30,
    "id5": 16
}

Код можно улучшить или сократить, но эта версия тоже неплохо работает

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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\section*{Introduction}
Van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) offer multitude of design opportunities with diverse degrees of freedom such as choice of materials with required properties and functionalities from the vast 2D family, stacking angle, tunable interlayer interactions and heterogeneous integration with mixed dimensional systems. These design advantages coupled with the strong light-matter interactions, realization of pristine interfaces, inherent immunity to lattice mismatch, and easy prototyping render unprecedented opportunities for implementing novel device functionalities for electronics and optoelectronics\cite{song2018,zhou2018,liu2016}. These atomically sharp junctions along the vertical direction allow probing and manipulation of electronic properties in atomic length scale.
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With closest possible physical spacing between two layers in a vdWH, Coulomb interaction enables strong interlayer dipole-dipole coupling and results in nonradiative energy transfer (NRET) from one layer (donor) to another (acceptor). The efficiency of NRET essentially depends on the physical separation and the relative orientation of the dipoles between the donor and the acceptor, the acceptor oscillator strength and the spectral overlap between the donor's emission and the acceptor's absorption\cite{guzelturk2016}. Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (1L-TMDs) possess large excitonic oscillator strength facilitated by strong binding energies due to confinement in the ultra-thin layer and reduced dielectric screening. The physical proximity and the in-plane orientation of the transition dipoles in each layer provide the ultimate near field coupling  generating strong NRET as proven from recent studies on photoluminescence (PL) enhancement \cite{dandu2019,gu2017,kozawa2016}.
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Raman spectroscopy is a widely used rapid and non-invasive technique to probe light-matter interactions in vdWHs. Peak position and linewidth of Raman modes are useful probes of strain, defects and electron-phonon coupling (EPC) in 2D materials\cite{carvalho2015,chakraborty2016,das2008}. Ultra-low frequency(ULF) Raman spectroscopy reveals new Layer Breathing (LB) modes as signatures of the interlayer coupling in a vdWH\cite{lui2015,puretzky2015}.   Raman studies on vdWHs also help to probe EPC across different layers\cite{lin2019,chow2017}. Along with fundamental studies, Raman spectroscopy on 2D/molecular hybrids has recently attracted a lot of attention for analytical applications like bio-chemical sensing. 2D materials\cite{ling2014,zhang2016,miao2018} and vdWHs\cite{tan2017} have emerged as potential platforms to engineer Raman enhancement techniques such as Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates for strong Raman enhancement through charge transfer interaction.
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Motivated by the strong NRET efficiency in vdWHs, here we study the prospect of Raman enhancement in a heterojunction of 1L-TMD and multilayer SnSe\tsub2 through NRET. We experimentally demonstrate NRET driven $10$-fold Raman enhancement using two different stacks, 1L-WS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 and 1L-MoS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 and also when 1L-TMD and SnSe\tsub2 are separated by a barrier layer like hBN. Interestingly, while Raman enhancement through NRET has been theoretically predicted for some systems (for example, molecules adsorbed on semiconductors through excitonic excitations in the semiconductor to the intermediate states of Raman scattering in the molecules\cite{ueba1983,dandrea1986}), to date, NRET driven Raman enhancement has not been demonstrated on any material system. Rather, NRET is commonly attributed to the quenching of the fluorescence background of molecules adsorbed on SERS metallic substrates\cite{xie2009,lee2019}.
\section*{Results and discussion}
WS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 (J\tsub1) and MoS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 (J\tsub2) samples are prepared by dry transfer method\cite{castellanos2014} on a pre-cleaned Si substrate coated with $285$ nm thick SiO\tsub2 (see \textbf{Methods}). The thickness of SnSe\tsub2 in both J\tsub1 and J\tsub2 is about 11 nm (see Figure S1 in \textbf{Supporting Information} for optical image and AFM characterization). Raman and PL measurements are carried out on these samples at $293$ K with $633$ and $532$ nm excitations. Figure 1a-b show the Raman intensity mapping images with $633$ nm excitation for J\tsub1 and J\tsub2 corresponding to $A\textsubscript{1g}$ mode of 1L-TMD ($419$ cm\textsuperscript{-1} for WS\tsub2 and $405$ cm\textsuperscript{-1} for MoS\tsub2). Both the samples exhibit strong Raman intensity enhancement on the junction area. Figure 1c-d show the representative $633$ nm Raman spectra from the isolated 1L-TMD and junction regions of both J\tsub1 and J\tsub2 depicting strong and similar enhancement of all the Raman modes on the junction, namely, $E^{1}_{2g}(\Gamma)$, $A\textsubscript{1g}(\Gamma)$ and $2LA(M)$ while the Si Raman peak intensity remains relatively unchanged. Note that, $E_{1g}(\Gamma)$ and $A\textsubscript{1g}(M)-LA(M)$ modes which are not visible on the isolated region appear on the junction\cite{zhang2015}.
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However, with $532$ nm excitation, both J\tsub1 and J\tsub2 exhibit intensity quenching of all Raman peaks of 1L-TMD on the junction as shown in Figure 1e-f. The observation of such Raman intensity quenching with $532$ nm excitation can be correlated with the charge transfer across the junction\cite{campion1985}.  Figure 1g shows the type-I junctions formed by both MoS\tsub2 and WS\tsub2 with multilayer SnSe\tsub2. $A\textsubscript{1s}$ exciton peak of MoS\tsub2 and WS\tsub2 lies at 1.9 eV and 2.02 eV at $293$ K respectively while SnSe\tsub2 has a direct band gap absorption at about 2 eV\cite{li2019,evans1969,murray1973,garg197,el1992,manou1996}. SnSe\tsub2 is a degenerately doped n-type semiconductor\cite{krishna2017,aretouli2016,murali2018} with indirect band gap of 1.1 eV. On $532$ nm ($\sim2.33$ eV) excitation, carriers are excited to higher order states of 1L-TMD above $A\textsubscript{1s}$ as shown in Figure 1h. These excited carriers quickly relax to lower energy states available in SnSe\tsub2 at its indirect band gap through charge transfer. In vdWHs, such charge transfer occurs in the timescale of sub-ps\cite{jin2018,zhu2017}. On the other hand, the time scale of Raman process in 1L-TMD can be estimated to be tens of ps from the linewidth of Raman peaks. So, the carriers from 1L-TMD can quickly transfer to SnSe\tsub2 before scattering with a phonon mode quenching the Raman intensity on the junction. With a similar charge transfer argument, the Type-I 1L-TMD/SnSe\tsub2 junction should ideally exhibit PL intensity quenching as well. In contrast, both J\tsub1 and J\tsub2 exhibit a strong PL enhancement on the junction (Figure 1i-j) due to fast NRET process\cite{dandu2019,gu2017,kozawa2016}. Thus, despite the possibility of charge transfer induced quenching, the observed Raman enhancement in Figure 1a-d under 633 nm excitation indicates a non-trivial role of other mechanisms such as NRET and optical interference effects.
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The intensity of the Raman scattered light of a material is governed by the radiation characteristics of the Raman dipole and can be modified either by the Raman polarizability or by the surrounding electric field\cite{ding2017}. Any electromagnetic contribution to the change of Raman intensity ($I_{Ram}$) through electric field can be modeled by considering $I_{Ram}$ to be proportional to the product of square of amplitudes of electric field of incident ($E_{in}$) and Raman scattered ($E_{sc}$) light \cite{ramsteiner1989}, $I_{Ram}\propto |E_{in}|^{2}|E_{sc}|^{2}$. Any non-electromagnetic contribution from mechanisms such as excitation resonance, charge transfer and energy transfer, which modify the Raman polarizability, can be modeled by considering $I_{Ram}\propto |\alpha_{Ram}|^{2}$.
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In order to decouple the extent of the roles of optical interference, excitation resonance, charge transfer and energy transfer in Raman enhancement on 1L-TMD/SnSe\tsub2, we carry out Raman measurements with $532$ and $633$ nm excitations on multiple samples of MoS\tsub2 stacked on two different materials - hBN and SnSe\tsub2, of various thicknesses (see Figure S2, S3 and S4 of \textbf{Supporting Information} for sample details). We choose hBN as a reference due to its high band gap of $\sim$ 6 eV\cite{watanabe2004,han2008} which forbids any charge or energy transfer interaction with MoS\tsub2. In order to analyze the Raman intensity modulation due to optical interference effects, we first simulate (see \textbf{Methods} for simulation details) the Raman intensity ratios for different samples from the calculations of $E_{in}$ and $E_{sc}$ on the junction ($E^{jun}_{in}$, $E^{jun}_{sc}$) and on the isolated 1L-TMD ($E^{iso}_{in}$,$E^{iso}_{sc}$) as depicted in Figure 2a.
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To estimate the Raman intensity ratio from experimental data across different samples, we consider the ratio $\bigg(\dfrac{I^{jun}}{I^{iso}}\bigg)$ of $A\textsubscript{1g}$ intensity of 1L-TMD on the junction ($I^{jun}$) to that on the corresponding isolated 1L-TMD ($I^{iso}$). $A\textsubscript{1g}$ is chosen over $E^{1}_{2g}$ for data analysis as $A\textsubscript{1g}$ is relatively less sensitive to any possible strain\cite{yagmurcukardes2018}. Figure 2b shows the experimental (solid symbols) and the field simulated (open symbols) Raman intensity ratios for MoS\tsub2 as a function of hBN thickness with $532$ nm excitation, suggesting strong monotonic quenching with an increase in hBN thickness. On the other hand, the Raman intensity ratio with $633$ nm excitation exhibits a non-monotonic trend with increasing hBN thickness as shown in Figure 2c. As the trends of the experimental and simulated ratios closely follow each in both cases, we infer that Raman intensity modulation on MoS\tsub2/hBN is mainly due to interference effects. Although the field simulation matches closely with the trend of the experimental ratios, note that, for $633$ nm excitation, there is a small disparity between the two in terms of the absolute values. The origin of this disparity could be due to a possible difference in optical quality of MoS\tsub2 on hBN, doping effects\cite{wan2016}, or permanent dipole-dipole coupling between 1L-TMD and hBN due to its polar nature \cite{ling2014}.
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On the contrary, in the MoS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 samples, the experimental values of Raman intensity ratio are significantly higher than the field simulation results, for both $532$ (Figure 2d) and $633$ nm (Figure 2e) excitations. In particular, for $633$ nm, the Raman intensity exhibits an overall enhancement on the junction compared to isolated MoS\tsub2 for lower SnSe\tsub2 thickness, while for $532$ nm excitation, the Raman intensity of MoS\tsub2 remains quenched on the junction for all values of SnSe\tsub2 thickness. Nonetheless, the experimental Raman intensity ratios for both excitations remain well above the field simulation predictions at any SnSe\tsub2 thickness. However, considering possible charge transfer effects due to type-I band alignment, one would rather expect a lower experimental value of Raman intensity ratio at the junction compared to the field simulation.  This contradiction, coupled with the strong light absorption properties of SnSe\tsub2 \cite{li2019}, indicates a fundamentally different mechanism, namely, NRET at play.
\\
\\
\textbf{Effect of energy transfer on Raman Intensity of 1L-TMD}:
Note that the experimental Raman intensity is $\propto |E_{in}|^{2}|E_{sc}|^{2}|\alpha_{Ram}|^{2}$, and the field simulated intensity is $\propto |E_{in}|^{2}|E_{sc}|^{2}$. By assuming that NRET only modulates the Raman polarizability $\alpha_{Ram}$ (that is, NRET and interference effects are decoupled), to quantify the Raman enhancement originating entirely from NRET mechanism, we define `NRET Raman enhancement' ($\eta^{}_{_{NRET}}$) of MoS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 junction as
\begin{equation}\label{eq:eta_NRET}
\eta^{}_{_{NRET}} = \dfrac{\bigg(\dfrac{I^{MoS_{2}/SnSe_{2}}}{I^{MoS_{2}}}\bigg)_{experiment}}{\bigg(\dfrac{I^{MoS_{2}/SnSe_{2}}}{I^{MoS_{2}}}\bigg)_{simulation}}
\end{equation}
and plot in red triangular symbols in the right axes of Figure 2d-e.
Such decoupling assumption is well valid in our context since the experimental data suggests that the Raman scattering by incident absorption in 1L-TMD is much weaker relative to NRET driven Raman scattering. Also, considering the possible charge transfer induced Raman intensity quenching, $\eta^{}_{_{NRET}}$ provides an estimate of the lower limit of the Raman enhancement due to NRET. The influence of other effects such as doping and strain on the Raman enhancement can be safely ignored as we do not observe any significant shift or broadening of the $E^{1}_{2g}$ and $A\textsubscript{1g}$ peaks on the junction relative to the isolated 1L-TMD (see Figure S5 of \textbf{Supporting Information}).
\\
\\
Figure 3a shows a schematic depiction of resonant Raman scattering driven by NRET across 1L-TMD (MoS\tsub2 or WS\tsub2) and SnSe\tsub2. The excitation resonantly excites $A\textsubscript{1s}$ exciton states in 1L-TMD and e-h pairs at the direct band gap in SnSe\tsub2. Because of the screening due to degenerate doping in SnSe\tsub2, it does not exhibit any excitonic features (see Figure S6 in \textbf{Supporting Information}). PL was not observed from SnSe\tsub2 even at 4K due to its indirect band gap nature\cite{li2019}. With resonant excitation, $A\textsubscript{1s}$ exciton in 1L-TMD undergoes exciton-phonon scattering and emits out stokes Raman scattered light\cite{dresselhaus2005}. Because of energy resonance between SnSe\tsub2 and 1L-TMD as shown in figure 1g, NRET from SnSe\tsub2 to 1L-TMD effectively enhances the exciton density and thereby enhances the intensity of Raman scattered light. Such NRET prevails even in the case of 532 nm excitation with its effect subdued due to dominant charge transfer in the type-I junction and destructive interference effects. However, the efficiency of NRET in enhancing PL and Raman is quite different as shown in Figure S5c of \textbf{Supporting Information} with PL enhancement being stronger than Raman enhancement at any SnSe\tsub2 thickness. This difference is due to the faster timescale of radiative recombination in 1L-TMD ($\sim$ sub-ps\cite{gupta2019,zhang2019,robert2016,palummo2015}) compared to the Raman processes.
\\
\\
To further validate the NRET mechanism in Raman enhancement, we introduce a spacer layer of $\sim$ $10$ nm thick hBN between MoS\tsub2 and SnSe\tsub2 as illustrated in the top panel of Figure 3b. Due to its large bandgap and thickness, hBN layer blocks any possible direct charge transfer but allows Coulomb interaction through it facilitating dipole-dipole coupling. In the bottom panel of Figure 3b, we plot the MoS\tsub2 $A\textsubscript{1g}$ Raman intensity ratio obtained from MoS\tsub2/hBN/SnSe\tsub2 junction ($I^{MHS}$) with MoS\tsub2/hBN ($I^{MH}$) as the control under 633 nm excitation. The experimental values are well above the field simulation results, validating NRET driven Raman enhancement arising from long-range Coulomb interaction. Raman intensity ratio from MoS\tsub2/hBN/SnSe\tsub2 junction is lower than that from MoS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 at similar SnSe\tsub2 thickness, because of reduced efficiency of NRET due to increased separation with hBN\cite{guzelturk2016,dandu2019}.
\\
\\
\textbf{Modulation of NRET driven Raman enhancement through spectral overlap tuning}:
The Raman enhancement across 1L-TMD/SnSe\tsub2 junction can be modulated by tuning the spectral overlap between 1L-TMD and SnSe\tsub2 as it is one of the key factors governing the NRET efficiency. Here, we achieve this spectral overlap tuning by means of shifting the exciton peak of 1L-TMD with a change in the sample temperature from $243$ to $453$ K, keeping the excitation wavelength fixed at $633$ nm ($1.96$ eV). Figure 4a shows the position of WS\tsub2 $A\textsubscript{1s}$ peak on isolated WS\tsub2 and junction extracted as a function of temperature using $532$ nm excitation. Isolated WS\tsub2 and junction follow a similar trend in $A\textsubscript{1s}$ peak position with temperature change and resonance occurs between $A\textsubscript{1s}$ and $633$ nm excitation around $\sim 423$ K. Similar trend is also verified from temperature dependent differential reflectance measurements (see Figure S7 in \textbf{Supporting Information}). The shift in the exciton peak of WS\tsub2 relative to the direct band gap of SnSe\tsub2 modulates the spectral overlap across 1L-TMD/SnSe\tsub2.
\\
\\
We collect  Raman spectra (at $633$ nm) from isolated WS\tsub2 and WS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 junction of sample J\tsub1 at different temperatures from $243$ K to $453$ K in steps of $10$ K. Figure 4b shows the plot of $A\textsubscript{1g}$ intensity of isolated WS\tsub2 (blue symbols) as a function of $A\textsubscript{1s}$ peak position where intensity goes up as exciton peak moves closer to the excitation energy with increasing temperature. To verify this trend, data in Figure 4b (blue symbols) is modeled as $I_{Ram(\omega)}\propto|\alpha_{Ram}(\omega)|^{2}$ where
\begin{equation}\label{eq:model1}
\alpha_{Ram}(\omega)= \dfrac{\lambda M_{exc}}{(\omega-\omega_{exc}-i\gamma_{exc})(\omega-\omega_{exc}-\Omega-i\gamma_{exc})}
\end{equation}
Here, $\omega$ is the excitation energy, $\omega_{exc}$ and $\gamma_{exc}$ are the energy position and the broadening of the exciton peak respectively and $\Omega$ is the $A\textsubscript{1g}$ phonon mode energy\cite{ueba1983,dresselhaus2005}. $\omega_{exc}$, $\gamma_{exc}$ and $\Omega$ are taken from the experimental data at the corresponding temperatures (see Figure S8 in \textbf{Supporting Information}). $\lambda$ is the electron-phonon coupling constant and $M_{exc}$ describes the matrix elements of $A\textsubscript{1s}$ transition in WS\tsub2 which are used as fitting constants. The peak observed in the Raman intensity profile in Figure 4b corresponds to the pole of  $\alpha_{Ram}(\omega)$ at $\omega=\omega_{exc}$ ($1.96$ eV) broadened by the influence of $\gamma_{exc}$.
\\
\\
However, Figure 4c shows the WS\tsub2 $A\textsubscript{1g}$ peak intensity profile on the WS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 junction which exhibits a completely different trend from the isolated WS\tsub2. As the isolated WS\tsub2 and the junction exhibit very similar exciton peak position (Figure 4a) at any given temperature, the difference in their Raman intensity profiles implies a change in $\alpha_{Ram}$ on the junction through interlayer coupling in the form of NRET. Any role of charge transfer in the change of $\alpha_{Ram}$ can be neglected as charge transfer process is weakly affected by the temperature. $\eta^{}_{_{NRET}}$ on the junction is modulated with temperature as highlighted in red symbols of Figure 4c along the right axis which exhibits a broad peak around $293$ K. To verify sample integrity under heating, we also sweep the temperature in the reverse direction (from $453$ to $243$ K) and similar results as forward sweep are obtained. Another WS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 sample, J\tsub3 (see Figure S9 of \textbf{Supporting Information}) also exhibits a very similar trend of $\eta^{}_{_{NRET}}$. Conforming to the modulation of NRET efficiency by spectral overlap tuning, PL enhancement on the junction also peaks around $293$ K (see Figure S8d in \textbf{Supporting Information}).
\\
\\
The mechanism of $\eta^{}_{_{NRET}}$ with spectral overlap tuning is schematically illustrated in Figure 4d. Left panel of Figure 4d shows representative PL spectra of WS\tsub2 on the junction at four different temperatures delineating the exciton (X) and the trion (T) peaks. The position of excitation energy ($1.96$ eV) is highlighted along the red line across these different spectra. The extreme right panel of Figure 4d represents the spectral overlap between $A\textsubscript{1s}$ exciton of WS\tsub2 and direct bandgap of SnSe\tsub2 at four different temperatures with $T_{1}<T_{2}<T_{3}<T_{4}$. We denote the strength of NRET between WS\tsub2 and SnSe\tsub2 by $V$ which is modulated by spectral overlap. The middle panel of Figure 4d illustrates the process of Raman scattering in WS\tsub2 on the WS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 junction at different temperatures. At temperature $T_{1}$ ($\approx$ $243$ K), $A\textsubscript{1s}$ is at higher energy above the excitation and direct gap of SnSe\tsub2. With increase in temperature to $T_{2}$ ($\approx$ $293$ K), resonance occurs between WS\tsub2 and SnSe\tsub2 resulting in strong $\eta^{}_{_{NRET}}$.  When temperature is further increased to $T_{3}$($\approx$ $423$ K) where excitation is resonant with $A\textsubscript{1s}$ of WS\tsub2, Raman intensity from isolated WS\tsub2 becomes maximum. However, as $A\textsubscript{1s}$ lowers below the band gap of SnSe\tsub2, V decreases resulting in a suppressed Raman intensity enhancement on the junction. As the NRET weakens, destructive interference in the stack starts dominating quenching the Raman intensity on the junction at $T_{3}$, despite the excitation being resonant to WS\tsub2. With further increase in temperature from $T_{3}$ to $T_{4}$ ($\approx$ $453$ K), $V$ lowers further due to further decrease in the spectral overlap. Note that, the Raman scattering is shown only from exciton states despite the overlap of trion states with the $1.96$ eV excitation. Any trion-phonon scattering is considered to be negligible due to stronger contribution of exciton-phonon scattering from a doubly resonant Raman process. This is indicated by the absence of any peak in the isolated WS\tsub2 $A\textsubscript{1g}$ intensity profile (Figure 4b) around trion resonance with $1.96$ eV.
\\
\\
To quantify $\eta^{}_{_{NRET}}$, we adopt a model\cite{ueba1983} by considering the photon-field interaction with the coupled Hamiltonian of the junction interacting through energy transfer. With a restriction to the first order in the displacement associated with vibrational mode of energy $\Omega$, and neglecting the dispersion of exciton states, the ratio of Raman polarizability of the junction to that of the isolated 1L-TMD is expressed as\cite{ueba1983}
\begin{equation}\label{eq:R}
R(\omega) = \bigg(\dfrac{1}{1-V^{2}g_{f}(\omega)g_{exc}^{0}(\omega)}\bigg)^{2}\bigg(1+\dfrac{M_{f}}{M_{exc}}Vg_{exc}^{0}(\omega)\bigg)^{2}
\end{equation}
$M_{exc}$ and $M_{f}$ describe the matrix elements of exciton transition and e-h transition at the energies $\omega_{exc}$ and $\omega_{f}$ in WS\tsub2 and SnSe\tsub2 respectively as illustrated in the middle panel of Figure 4d. $g_{exc}^{0}=\dfrac{1}{\omega-\omega_{exc}-i\gamma_{exc}}$ and $g_{f}=\dfrac{1}{\omega-\omega_{f}-i\gamma_{f}}$ where $\gamma_{exc}$ and $\gamma_{f}$ are the broadening of exciton and e-h transition in WS\tsub2 and SnSe\tsub2 respectively. $\eta^{}_{_{NRET}}$ shown in Figure 4c is modeled with expression of $|R(\omega)|^{2}$ from equation \ref{eq:R}. Newton-Raphson method is employed to extract $V$ by considering $\dfrac{M_{f}}{M_{exc}}$ as a constant value $M$. Due to broadband absorption in SnSe\tsub2, $M_{f}$ would not change significantly with temperature. $M_{exc}$ can also be considered to be unchanged in the experimental range of temperature as differential reflectance spectra do not show any significant change in the strength of reflection minima (see Figure S7d of \textbf{Supporting Information}). The other parameters used are $\omega=1.96$ eV, $\omega_{f}=2.02$ eV, $\gamma_{f}=0.05$ eV while $\omega_{exc}$ and $\gamma_{exc}$ are used from the experimental data. The extracted values of $V$ with two different values of $M$ shown in Figure 4e match well with the trend of $\eta^{}_{_{NRET}}$ as expected. The agreement between the experimental data and the model is remarkable in the entire temperature range. This clearly proves that the change in $V$ brought out by the spectral overlap tuning with variation in temperature modulates the Raman intensity of WS\tsub2 on its junction with SnSe\tsub2, establishing the pivotal role of NRET in Raman enhancement.
\\
\\
Such NRET driven Raman enhancement technique can also be extended to other combination of layers besides 1L-TMD and SnSe\tsub2 used here by ensuring a strongly absorbing donor material and the required spectral overlap between the donor and the acceptor for efficient energy transfer. Along with the distinct advantages of restricted in-plane momentum matching and subnanometer-scale separation between two layers in vdWHs, the thickness optimization of the layers is also essential to avoid detrimental effect of interference on the net Raman enhancement.
\\
\section*{Conclusion}
To summarize, we demonstrated nonradiative energy transfer driven $10$-fold enhancement in Raman intensity from a 1L-TMD when placed on a multilayer SnSe\tsub2. We corroborate the evidence for this mechanism by decoupling NRET from other effects of optical interference, excitation resonance and charge transfer using systematic experiments and modeling. We also demonstrated the tunability of Raman enhancement through spectral overlap modulation across 1L-TMD and SnSe\tsub2 by varying the sample temperature. Observation of such non-local energy transfer driven Raman enhancement has not been demonstrated previously on any material system and opens new ways to engineer sensing mechanisms using Raman spectroscopy in molecular systems integrated with 2D materials. This method can also be a powerful spectroscopic technique to access very weak Raman modes which are otherwise imperceptible. The technique provides uniform enhancement over a large area and thus advantageous over plasmonic nanostructure or tip enhanced based localized enhancement methods. The technique is easily integrable with other existing Raman enhancement techniques to provide additional sensitivity and functionality.

\section*{Methods}

\textbf{Heterojunction fabrication:} Different samples of vdWHs studied in this work are prepared by dry-transfer method using visco-elastic stamping with the help of a micromanipulator. The first layer, SnSe\tsub2 (from 2D Semiconductors) is either exfoliated or transferred using a PDMS substrate on a pre-cleaned surface of $285$ nm SiO\tsub2 deposited Si substrate. The thickness of SnSe\tsub2 flake is confirmed with AFM measurements. The subsequent layer of 1L-TMD (from 2D Semiconductors) is transferred from the exfoliated flake on PDMS substrate attached to a glass slide. Samples of 1L-TMD/hBN/SnSe\tsub2 are prepared with the transfer of hBN layer\cite{taniguchi2007} on to the SnSe\tsub2 leaving some portion of hBN on SiO\tsub2 before 1L-TMD transfer.  Monolayer nature of transferred 1L-TMD is confirmed from Raman and PL measurements. All the measurements at $293$ K are carried out without annealing the samples. However, measurements taken with heating the stack during or after its preparation did not show any significant change from the measurements on non-annealed samples.
\\
\textbf{Raman and PL measurements:} All the Raman and PL measurements along with Raman mapping at $293$ K on different heterostructure samples are carried out with $\times 100$ objective. $532$ and $633$ nm excitations are used at $50$ and $85$ $\mu$W of laser power respectively for exposure time of $10$ s. Temperature dependent Raman measurements are performed on a liquid nitrogen controlled temperature stage (HFS600 from Linkam Scientific) with $\times 50$ objective in nitrogen ambience.
\\
\textbf{Simulation of interference effects:} For each sample, we simulate the net incident field ($E_{in}$) at the surface of the stack without 1L-TMD on top, using the structures of the junction and the isolated regions as represented in the left panel of Figure 2a from transfer matrix reflection (TM) approach under normal incidence to calculate ($E_{in}^{jun}$) and ($E_{in}^{iso}$) respectively. To simulate the net field of scattered light ($E_{sc}$), we simulate the structures as in the right panel of Figure 2a with FDTD simulations to compute $E_{sc}^{jun}$ and $E_{sc}^{iso}$. As $A\textsubscript{1g}$ mode has relatively smaller Raman shift from the incident wavelength, both TM and FDTD simulations are performed at the wavelength of incident excitation. Raman intensity ratio from simulation is estimated by the product of incident field ratio, $R_{in}$ = $\frac{|E_{in}^{jun}|^2}{|E_{in}^{iso}|^2}$ calculated from TM method and scattered field ratio, $R_{sc}$ = $\frac{|E_{sc}^{jun}|^2}{|E_{sc}^{iso}|^2}$, calculated from FDTD simulations. While doing so, similar electron-phonon coupling is assumed in 1L-TMD on the junction and the isolated regions. We obtain the values of $R_{in} \sim R_{sc}$ that verifies the usual approximation $I_{Ram}\propto |E_{in}|^{4}$. Refractive index ($n$) and extinction coefficient ($k$) of Si and SiO\tsub2 exhibit wavelength dispersion and the corresponding values are taken from literature\cite{palik1998}. $k$ of hBN is assumed to be zero for $633$ nm and $532$ nm with $n$ of 1.85\cite{golla2013}. Wavelength dispersive complex refractive index values of SnSe\tsub2 are taken from the report by M. M. El-Nahass\cite{el1992}.

\section*{Associated content}
\subsection*{Supporting Information}
\begin{itemize}
	\item [] Optical images and AFM of samples used in this work
	\item [] Raman characterization from MoS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 samples
	\item [] Temperature dependent Raman, PL and differential reflectance spectroscopy characterization of WS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 sample J1.
	\item [] Raman enhancement characteristics of WS\tsub2/SnSe\tsub2 sample J3.
\end{itemize}
\section*{Author information}
\subsection*{Corresponding Author}
*E-mail: kausikm@iisc.ac.in.
\subsection*{ORCID}
\begin{itemize}
\item[] Medha Dandu: 0000-0002-5548-2882
\item[] Kenji Watanabe: 0000-0003-3701-8119
\item[] Takashi Taniguchi: 0000-0002-1467-3105
\item[] Kausik Majumdar: 0000-0002-6544-7829
\end{itemize}
\subsection*{Author contributions}
K.M. and M.D. conceived the experiment. M.D. prepared the samples and performed the
measurements. K.W. and T.T. grew the hBN crystals. M.D. and K.M. analysed and interpreted
the results with contribution from A.K.S. M.D. and K.M. wrote the paper with input from all
authors.
\subsection*{Notes}
The Authors declare no Competing Financial or Non-Financial Interests.
\begin{acknowledgement}
K. M. acknowledges the support a grant from Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO),
grants under Ramanujan Fellowship, Early Career Award, and Nano Mission from the Department
of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and support from MHRD,
MeitY and DST Nano Mission through NNetRA. K.W. and T.T. acknowledge support from the
Elemental Strategy Initiative conducted by the MEXT, Japan and the CREST (JPMJCR15F3),
JST.

\end{acknowledgement}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


More than three quarters of people are 'fearful' about their data when it comes to connected homes.
The cyber fears are revealed in a Moneysupermarket survey of 2,000 people, that found 76% fearful of their data being collected and misused in relation to the connected home.
Other concerns include being hacked by criminals (51%), the home being frozen by a virus (43%) and illegal recordings (41%).
The boost to insurers came when it emerged that 58% of people said they would still buy smart home devices if it saved them cash on their home insurance.
CFC Underwriting's phishing simulation tool aims to educate staff before the point of a breach.
Lloyd's broker Endeavour launches technology and cyber facility and announces new head.


text:
Rhapsody of the Seas completes $54 million renovation
After a month-long $54 million dry dock, Royal Caribbean-operated Rhapsody of the Seas has emerged from Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore as a virtually new ship.
The revamped ship will offer guests a host of new dining options, entertainment and unique features after the ship's bow-to-stern transformation.
Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy all of Rhapsody of the Seas new features onboard the ship in Alaska this summer or Australia in the autumn.
"Rhapsody of the Seas' dry dock is part of Royal Caribbean International's multi-ship enhancement and revitalisation strategy to deliver the world's most innovative cruise ships and exciting itineraries to our guests," said Betsy O'Rourke, senior vice president, marketing, Royal Caribbean International.
"With every inch of Rhapsody of the Seas renewed, five new restaurants added, the evolution of entertainment in our iconic Centrum, plus an array of new touches, guests will be wowed by what is virtually a new ship."
The comprehensive make-over introduces a range of guest features and experiences, including the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, a Diamond Lounge for Crown & Anchor Society loyalty members, a Concierge Lounge for suite guests and top-tier loyalty guests and completely refreshed staterooms.
Guests will also find staying connected at sea easier with Wi-Fi availability throughout the ship and will be able to enjoy a host of technology enhancements.
These include flat-panel televisions in all staterooms and an outdoor LED movie screen on the pool deck, as well as a digital way-finding system all of which debut on Royal Caribbean International's latest and world's most innovative sister ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.
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The brand new Centrum features enriching daytime activities, nighttime entertainment and a new high-flying performance which includes aerialists gliding through the five-story atrium.
Guests can enjoy a cocktail in the 60's inspired R Bar, a new bar concept first introduced onboard Splendour of the Seas.
International Airlines Group expresses interest in re-floated JAL
EVA Air set for Star Alliance membership


text:
Robot Ethics Won't Clean Up Combat
Peter W. Singer Sunday, February 5, 2012
Today, a new technology has emerged in war. The U.S. military has more than 7,000 unmanned systems in the air (commonly called drones) and another 12,000 on the ground. And, so we shouldn't be surprised that the same arguments of how technology can make war easier, safer and cleaner are emerging once more.
Politicians have taken to describing drone strikes as "costless" or "judicious," and too often fail to recognize the consequences and complications that come with any use of force. But the same problem extends back to the lab. For instance, there has been research, largely funded by the military, on how to create an "ethical governor" for unmanned weapons. Think Watson, the Artificial Intelligence program that won Jeopardy, given a law degree and dropped into war. Software would program robotic weapons to act ethically, such as only being able to fire in situations that conform to the Geneva Conventions.
The argument is that while soldiers sometimes let emotions of anger or hate get the worst of them and commit atrocities, an emotionless machine would only follow its program and war crimes would be less likely with robots than humans. As one professor at work on an ethics governor project for warbots put it, ''Some robots are already stronger, faster and smarter than humans. We want to do better than people, to ultimately save more lives.''
Such a vision is appealing, but also seductive. Unfortunately, while armed robotics are real, any true ethics governor for them remains ''vaporware,'' — all design concept, but no reality. But even if such programs were to come to fruition, we need to understand there would still be problems.
Too frequently, there is the argument that the ''"fog of war can be lifted'' (as the technophile thinkers who once surrounded former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld argued), by either the perfection of our technology or the perfection of our souls. Instead, war in the 21st century shares the same qualities with past centuries: It is a terrible, awful mess.
So, whenever some politician or scientist asserts confidently that some new war technology will lead to less bloodshed or greater compliance with the law, we should look through a different, dirtier lens — war as it is, rather than how we wish it to be. Take these situations, all of which have happened in wars in the last decade: A sniper shoots at you from between the legs of two kneeling women, while four children sit on his back. Does a living suit of non-combatant armor mean you can't shoot back?
A nine-year-old boy, abducted from his family and hopped up on cocaine, comes towards your checkpoint carrying an AK-47 rifle. Do you shoot the kid or wait for him to shoot you first?
An ambulance is being used to move both wounded civilians and reloads of RPG grenade rounds for insurgents. Take it out or not?
A farmer is being blackmailed into shooting a rocket set on his farm at a nearby city. If he doesn't pull the trigger, his family will be killed. Do you shoot at him? If so, do you have to wait for him to fire first, knowing it will kill more civilians?
By Martha Crenshaw and Gary LaFree
By William B. Quandt
The Future of Land Warfare
By Michael E. O'Hanlon
None have easy answers, and military officers, lawyers, and philosophers literally fill pages arguing what is the right thing to do in these real world situations. So to argue that such problems will are going to be easily solved by plugging in some bit of software is a bit of a stretch. It isn't just that precious few ethical situations translate into the simple zero vs. one language of computer programming. It is that in the mess of modern war, the laws themselves are often unclear about what to do, and even more, being taken advantage of in a way their original writers didn't anticipate.
I am not opposed to new technologies like robotics, and indeed support the US military efforts to buy more of this needed next generation of weaponry for our national security. I even support efforts to try to introduce more thinking about ethics into the fruits of our science. But we shouldn't be seduced into thinking this or any advanced technology can make war something it isn't. Whether it's being fought with sticks and stones or Predator drones, war is still a story of humans: our causes, our decisions, our losses, and our ethics. And, just the same, our problems of war are not going to be easily solved by any silver bullet solution.
Peter W. Singer
Former Brookings Expert
Strategist and Senior Fellow - New America


text:
Q: Scala multi-level pattern matching I'm stuck with multi-level pattern matching, in the code below I want to match one particular case which is checked at several levels "cfe is Assignment, assignmentCfe.getRight is BinaryExpression, and so on", the solution looks ugly and I hope there is something better Scala can offer me. :)
  def findAll(cfg: Cfg, consumer: Consumer[Violation]): Unit = {
    val fa = new FlowAnalyzer
    val states = fa.analyze(cfg)

    states.foreach { case (cfe, state) => cfe match {
      case assign: Assignment => assign.getRight match {
        case expression: BinaryExpression => expression.getOperator match {
          case Operator.Div | Operator.Rem => processDivisions()
          case _ =>
        }
        case _ =>
      }
      case _ =>
    }
    case _ =>
    }
  }

How to get rid of these empty default cases in the end?
Another approach would be using nested conditions, but IntelliJ IDEA offers me to replace these conditions back to pattern matching
states.foreach { case (cfe, state) => if (cfe.isInstanceOf[Assignment]) {
      val assignment = cfe.asInstanceOf[Assignment]
      if (assignment.getRight.isInstanceOf[BinaryExpression]) {
        val expression = assignment.getRight.asInstanceOf[BinaryExpression]
        if (expression.getOperator == Operator.Div || expression.getOperator == Operator.Rem) processDivisions()
      }
    }}

A: Are Assignment and BinaryExpression themselves case classes? Or do they have corresponding unapply methods? If so, then you can nest pattern matches and ignore fields you don't care about. For example, something like:
def findAll(cfg: Cfg, consumer: Consumer[Violation]): Unit = {
  val fa = new FlowAnalyzer
  val states = fa.analyze(cfg)

  states.foreach {
    case (Assignment(_, BinaryExpression(_, _, Operator.Div | Operator.Rem)), _) => processDivisions()
    case _ =>
  }
}

This will at least cut the number of default matches down to 1.
If these are not case classes or don't have extractors, then you could consider writing your own if this is a common enough (anti)pattern in your code: http://docs.scala-lang.org/tutorials/tour/extractor-objects.html

A: One other idea is you could use the "pimp my library" pattern to define an implicit conversion from any object into a class that can do a kind of partial matching:
class PartialMatcher[A](a: A) {
  def partialMatch(f: PartialFunction[A, Unit]): Unit = if (f.isDefinedAt(a)) f(a)
}
implicit def makePartialMatcher[A](a: A) = new PartialMatcher(a)

Then just replace all of those matches with partialMatch:
  def findAll(cfg: Cfg, consumer: Consumer[Violation]): Unit = {
    val fa = new FlowAnalyzer
    val states = fa.analyze(cfg)

    states.foreach { case (cfe, state) => cfe partialMatch {
      case assign: Assignment => assign.getRight partialMatch {
        case expression: BinaryExpression => expression.getOperator partialMatch {
          case Operator.Div | Operator.Rem => processDivisions()
        }
      }
    }}
  }

Note that there are other reasons why you might avoid this kind of thing... overusing implicit conversions can make understanding code a lot more difficult. It's a stylistic choice.

A: Use .collect:
def findAll(cfg: Cfg, consumer: Consumer[Violation]): Unit = {
  val fa = new FlowAnalyzer
  val states = fa.analyze(cfg)
  states.collect { case (assign: Assignment, _) =>
    assign.getRight
  }.collect { case expression: BinaryExpression =>
    expression.getOperator
  }.collect { case Operator.Div | Operator.Rem =>
    processDivisions
  }


Sunday, March 10, 2013 ratings — New episodes: America's Funniest Home Videos, Once Upon A Time, Revenge, Red Widow, The Celebrity Apprentice, 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, The Good Wife, The Mentalist, The Cleveland Show, The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, and American Dad. Episode reruns: The Celebrity Apprentice.
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10pm – The Mentalist: 1.6 in the demo (+7% change) with 9.43 million.
7pm – Bob's Burgers: (rerun) 0.9 in the demo with 2.14 million.
7:30pm – American Dad: 1.6 in the demo (-16% change) with 3.29 million.
8pm – The Simpsons: 2.2 in the demo (0% change) with 4.86 million.
8:30pm – The Cleveland Show: 1.8 in the demo (0% change) with 4.06 million.
9pm – Family Guy: 2.6 in the demo (+8% change) with 5.24 million.
8:30pm – Bob's Burgers: 1.8 in the demo (+6% change) with 3.86 million.
7pm –Celebrity Apprentice: (rerun) 0.8 in the demo with 2.54 million.
9pm – Celebrity Apprentice: 1.7 in the demo (0% change) with 4.97 million.
What were you watching last night? The return of Revenge, other original episodes, or something else?
I enjoy watching Revenge, so I do hope this show sticks around for awhile. The twists are very intriguing at times which brings us back each week. ABC is not my channel to watch, CBS is as is TNT, USA and Life mostly.
I love Emily Vancamp. This show still has some twists and surprises up it's sleeve! But I'm really concerned about Red Widow. Radha Mitchell makes a strong female lead, but I don't know if they've written her strong enough. The numbers vs The Mentalist don't look good; 1.5 million sets of eyeballs is a lot to lose from 9 to 10.
Revenge is on the downslide. They finally knocked off the fake Amanda, thank you writers. But then bring in a foster brother, dumb move writers. How low can this show go?


Satin and point d'esprit, two fabrics are better than one!
This Sherri Hill stunner is perfect for the girl who likes the best of both worlds. Featuring a spaghetti strap satin bodice with a straight neckline and sheer side panels dress is truly feminine and beautiful. Teamed with a point d'esprit polka dot skirt this dress will cinch your waist and highlight and all your best features. This dress is perfect for all special occasions and will make you look as amazing as you deserve to for your event, we especially love this piece in the red and pink.


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Idle sugar estates have great tourism potential
The sugar cane industry in Jamaica had been a source of tremendous wealth for its owners in its heyday; however, after more than 400 years, it has become less attractive. And, in some ways it has become a liability to Jamaica and its people, resulting in the industry being progressively closed down. Several factories have ceased operation over the years, several houses, equipment, and other once-useful assets on many plantations are being allowed to deteriorate, and thousands of acres of Jamaica's most arable land have now gone idle.
There is a Jamaican saying that "dirty water out fire", and this to me is enough guidance by our ancestors for us to put these seemingly useless assets to productive alternative uses. Among the uses that can be made of aspects of our idle sugar production facilities is tourism.
Many sugar factories have an interesting history, and other fascinating things about them that I am sure could be packaged and used to attract tourists. Most sugar factories have great houses, once used by planters and later by plantation staff, and which could be renovated and used in several ways as a part of the tours. Some plantations have several houses that can be conditioned to provide rooms for tourists and others who wish to overnight, or stay for longer periods. I believe the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, and Fisheries should collaborate with the Ministry of Tourism to transform aspects of the idle sugar production facilities in Jamaica into a valuable tourism product, which I have no doubt a large enough sector of the tourism market would be interested in.
Given the expanding tourism in the northern section of Jamaica and the need for more attractions and diversity in the offerings, I believe the Long Pond and Hampden sugar estates are prime facilities to be considered for such ventures.
Long Pond and Hampden have interesting histories, and several great houses which could be reconditioned, in addition to several houses that were once used for staff accommodation, and idle factories that have several features that could be a part of a significant tour. Areas around the factories could continue to be used for some amount of sugar cane production to be used for making cane juice on-the-spot — either pure or flavoured with several kinds of local fruits — to be sold to tourists while they are on tour at the facility. The sugar and rum-making processes on a small scale could also be done as a part of the tour, at the end of which the syrup, wet sugar, rum, other alcoholic drinks, and foods, along with other items that can be made from sugar cane could be packaged and sold to local and international tourists.
The houses on these estates could also be renovated to be used as bed and breakfast offerings, and could increase the number of rooms available to tourists in the north of the island, and which could appeal to a particular sector of the market.
Exploiting the tourism potential of these facilities could diversify the tourism product available to cruise ship passengers who come to the Falmouth port, and other tourists with interest in this kind of experience. This venture would also provide jobs and economic improvements for the residents of Trelawny and its environs. Further, there would be tremendous spin-offs with wide-reaching economic benefits locally and for tourism on the whole. These idle facilities offer great opportunities that we need to exploit to improve our circumstances. Remember, "Dirty water out fire."
Winston Foster
irieproducers@hotmail.com
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One year after the Nepal earthquake - millions of survivors remain homeless
Kathmandu - One year after a 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal on 25 April, 2015, an estimated four million people are still living in sub-standard temporary shelters in conditions that pose a threat to their health and well-being.
More than 800,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake and shelter remains the paramount humanitarian priority. But despite achievements in many areas of earthquake recovery efforts, little progress has so far been made in helping survivors to rebuild permanent homes.
"We are hoping that the government's priorities and perspectives on reconstruction will soon be clear so that we can help people to rebuild and get their lives back on track as quickly as possible", said Max Santner, Head of Nepal Country Office, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
In the months after the earthquake, the Red Cross gave more than 130,000 families emergency shelter including, tents and tarpaulins.
"Living under plastic sheeting was never intended as a permanent solution", said Dev Ratna Dhakwa, Secretary General of the Nepal Red Cross Society. "Our aim is to restore the dignity of survivors who have endured massive personal loss. To do this, they need to be reassured that they will have the security of a real home in the near future".
In recent months the Red Cross has been training stone masons, carpenters and community members in earthquake-resistant building techniques and is ready to support families to start rebuilding once the guidelines are clear.
In the first six months after the earthquake, the Nepal Red Cross Society, supported by Red Cross and Red Crescent partners from around the world, reached more than three million people with emergency help which included the distribution of emergency shelter and relief items, the provision of safe water and healthcare and the distribution of cash grants to help families re-establish their livelihoods. In 2016 and 2017, the Red Cross will continue its efforts to support the longer term recovery needs of 500,000 people across 14 of Nepal's earthquake affected districts
Singati, Dolakha, Nepal 2016. Families together with neighbours are helping each others to rebuilding their homes after the earthquake 2015.


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Venera Zinurovna Zaripova (; born 5 April 1966 in Tashkömür, Kyrgyz SSR, USSR) is a former individual Soviet rhythmic gymnast. She is a two-time all-around silver medalist and 4-time gold medalist in the USSR Championships.

Career
Venera was the 5th and last child of a Tatar family. Her mother was a housewife, her father worked as a miner. Soon after, the family moved to Uchkuduk, Uzbekistan. At 5 years old Zaripova started ballet, then began gymnastics. Her first coach in rhythmic gymnastics was Olga Tulubaeva. To pursue gymnastics, Venera had to drop out of the music school.

At 9 years of age, she met with then head coach of Uzbek rhythmic gymnastics Irina Viner, Zaripova would soon be under Viner's tutelage and would become her first successful rhythmic gymnastics student. In 1978, Venera relocated to Tashkent and began training with the sport under Viner's class.

At age 14, she became a member the USSR team. Venera won the all-around silver at the 1981 USSR Championships beating Irina Deriugina who took the bronze medal. She won another all-around silver at the 1983 USSR Championships behind Dalia Kutkaitė. Zaripova made the Soviet team with (Galina Beloglazova and Dalia Kutkaitė) who competed at the 1983 World Championships, Zaripova finished 13th in all-around after a drop out of carpet from her hoop, she qualified to 2 apparatus finals finishing 4th in ribbon and 7th in clubs. In 1984, Zaripova began to struggle with injury, she competed in her last USSR Championships in 1986 and won the gold in hoop.

In 1988, during the end of her gymnastics career, Venera graduated from Tashkent State Institute of Law. In 1990, she was invited to coach in rhythmic gymnastics in Israel. In 1993, she married an Israeli businessman David Levy, they have a daughter named Irina and two sons. She now resides in Eilat, Israel and annual international rhythmic gymnastics competition is held called the "Venera Cup". She still occasionally performs in galas in international meet invitations and in Moscow, Russia.

References

External links
- Venera welcome
Rhythmic Gymnastics Results

1966 births
Living people
People from Jalal-Abad Region
Tatar sportspeople
Uzbekistani rhythmic gymnasts
Soviet rhythmic gymnasts
Uzbekistani people of Tatar descent
Uzbekistani emigrants to Israel

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Tyler Perry lived on this street before he was homeless. A nearby highway sign now bears his name
Published 1:56 AM EDT, Sat August 31, 2019
Tyler Perry hasn't forgotten his roots in Atlanta, Georgia.
PHOTO: Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Tyler Perry is a mega-millionaire now, but he hasn't forgotten where he came from.
The Atlanta filmmaker was driving to work this week when he noticed a sign on Georgia State Route 166 had changed. A green exit sign that once read "Fort McPherson" now says "Tyler Perry Studios."
Then Perry realized something else.
His name was next to the exit sign for Sylvan Road, the street where he lived before he was evicted in the late '90s. Before he made it big, he struggled to make his rent payments and lived out of his car for about three months.
"My eyes filled with water knowing what God has allowed to happen in my life," Perry shared in a Facebook post. "Atlanta has truly been the promised land for me. I came here with nothing, lived off Sylvan Road, ended up homeless and starving, but I was always praying and believing."
Driving into work today I saw these signs on the highways being changed. My eyes filled with water knowing what God has...
Posted by Tyler Perry on Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Perry's dream didn't come true overnight. It took years of determination and hard work before he got to where he is today.
Here are some reasons why Perry is so beloved.
He broke ground with his character Madea
PHOTO: Lionsgate Films
The making of the character Madea helped make Perry the successful mogul he is today.
For more than 20 years Perry wore a dress, wig and makeup to portray the elderly, no-nonsense black woman.
He first debuted Mabel Earlene "Madea" Simmons on stage in the play "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" in 1999.
Madea later moved to the big screen, where her movies have grossed hundreds of millions of dollars despite some criticism that the character stereotypes black women.
In March, Perry finally said goodbye to Madea, who he played for 11 films.
"I'll be 50 this year and I'm just at a place in my life where this next 50 I want to do things differently," he told CNN before "A Madea Family Funeral" hit theaters. "This character has been amazing. So many people have loved her. It's been a great franchise."
He gave a powerful speech about Hollywood politics
Perry earned a wave of applause from celebrities like Lena Waithe and Lizzo at the 2019 BET Awards as he received the Ultimate Icon Award.
His roughly three-and-a-half-minute acceptance speech was an oral argument demonstrating his influence over a community's representation in media.
He told the crowd of how he created his own movie and TV projects that depicted black people, rather than fighting for acceptance in a predominantly white industry.
"While everybody was fighting for a seat at the table talking about #OscarsSoWhite, #OscarsSoWhite, I said, 'Y'all go ahead and do that,'" he said. "But while you're fighting for a seat at the table, I'll be down in Atlanta building my own. Because what I know for sure is that if I could just build this table, God will prepare it for me in the presence of my enemies."
He also shared how his mother and her friends became the inspiration for his first few projects.
"My first 10 movies were all about her, subconsciously wanting her to know that she was worthy — wanting black women to know you're worthy, you're special, you're powerful, you're amazing," he said.
His studio could become one of the largest of its kind
PHOTO: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Tyler Perry Studios has a story of its own.
It's situated on 330 acres of the decommissioned Fort McPherson, a land that comes with a controversial history.
"The studio was once a Confederate Army base," Perry said at this year's BET Awards. "And, I want you to hear this, which meant that there was Confederate soldiers on that base, plotting and planning on how to keep 3.9 million Negroes enslaved. Now that land is owned by one Negro."
Perry purchased the land in 2015. Tyler Perry Studios is poised to become one of the largest motion picture studios in the country, according to its website.
Fans have been beyond eager to get a shot at appearing in one of Perry's productions. Some have even taken out billboards trying to get hired.
Auhhh.... soooooo...... here's the deal. This is not the way to get my attention if you're looking for a role in one of my shows. Please DON'T DO THIS, SAVE YOUR MONEY!! This is the third time that someone has done this.. continued: https://t.co/GC22lmohif pic.twitter.com/9lYYdQXNl5
— Tyler Perry (@tylerperry) June 5, 2019
"This is not the way to get my attention if you're looking for a role in one of my shows," he tweeted. "Please DON'T DO THIS, SAVE YOUR MONEY!!"
His compassion for others is a reflection of his life
PHOTO: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images North America/Getty Images for People's Choice Awards
Perry's desire to give back to others is seen in so many examples.
He has paid off people's Walmart layaways. He saw a CNN report about a church that was in need and donated to help.
It's who he is, and his upbringing played a big role in that.
Born Emmit Perry Jr., Perry changed his name to distance himself from his father who beat him and his mother. Perry forgave him in his mid-20s after learning about his father's abusive childhood.
"If you do not forgive, you hold on to this thing inside of you that can change your life and take you in the wrong direction," he told Piers Morgan in 2012.
He remembers what it's like not to have food and a roof over his head.
"It was character building," he told Larry King in a 2009 interview about being homeless.
It wasn't until his sold-out gig at the House of Blues in Atlanta in 1998, the seventh year of trying to make a name for himself as a playwright, did his career turn around.
"I always believed that it would work," he said. "No matter what happened, it would work. No matter what, one day it would come to pass."
CNN's Lisa Respers France and Chloe Melas contributed to this report.


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Artist creates Joe Biden portrait using only grains and rice
Business owners filing new lawsuit against state of Michigan and Governor Whitmer
Lansing Catholic's Ahern steps away after nearly six decades of coaching
Mexico to name education secretary as new US ambassador
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday he will nominate current Education Secretary Esteban Moctezuma as Mexico's next ambassador to the United States.
The choice of Moctezuma was seen as another sign of strong ties between López Obrador and business magnate Ricardo Salinas Pliego, Moctezuma's former boss. Moctezuma once ran Salinas Pliego's charitable foundation.
Local media reported that Salinas Pliego was the main beneficiary of a bill submitted recently by López Obrador's Morena party to make the central bank buy up U.S. dollars that private banks can't get rid of. Salinas Pliego's bank reportedly has the biggest problem with U.S. cash it cannot get rid of due to heightened sensitivity about money-laundering.
López Obrador said Wednesday that Moctezuma would take over from current Ambassador Martha Bárcena, who is retiring. Moctezuma's nomination goes to the Senate for confirmation.
The Cambridge-educated Moctezuma has held a number of government posts but has little diplomatic experience, and thus was not the most obvious choice for what is by far the country's most important ambassadorship.
by FARAI MUTSAKA, Associated Press / Jan 20, 2021
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo, who gained prominence in 2017 as the military general who announced the coup against then-president Robert Mugabe on television, has died from COVID-19, the government announced Wednesday. He was 61.
Moyo, previously little known to the public, became the face of the coup when he announced that the military had placed Mugabe under house arrest as the military's armored vehicles rolled into the capital, Harare. The coup ended Mugabe's 37-year rule in Zimbabwe and he later died in Sept. 2019.
by NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press / Jan 20, 2021
ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte worked to solidify his majority in parliament Wednesday after narrowly winning a Senate confidence vote after a junior coalition ally yanked his support over Conte's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Conte was expected to brief President Sergio Mattarella on his prospects to keep governing, though the timing was uncertain. With a reduced majority, Conte will have to cobble together support from outside the current coalition to pass legislation, including aid to help Italy's pandemic-battered economy.
Michigan State Police, Truckers against Trafficking promote Human Trafficking Awareness month
Jane Doe identified in 54-year-old cold case
As mobile sports betting grows, so does the need for gambling addiction treatment
Michigan High School gets K-9 counselor


Sample follow-up letter after a phone call Keep the conversation going after a successful phone interview by sending a personal letter. Monster staff. Follow a phone interview with a personal letter. An introductory phone call or interview is extremely common in today's job market. But just because the process may seem less formal than a face-to-face interview, the protocol is just as serious... This would be used as a follow up to the above email (either the next day or the following week), and I would recommend the subject line: "Sorry I Missed You." We often see 30% to 40% open rates with this email. You�ll also want to introduce a case study at this point.
Well, if you have been in such a situation, the best thing to do is to send a follow-up email to remind the client of your previous encounter or email. It is not enough to assume that someday the customer would reply. You should be proactive. How long to wait before sending a follow-up email is a subject of debate. But what is not debatable is that you would need to send a follow-up email and... This would be used as a follow up to the above email (either the next day or the following week), and I would recommend the subject line: "Sorry I Missed You." We often see 30% to 40% open rates with this email. You�ll also want to introduce a case study at this point.
How to write an email that will get you in front of potential clients Sending an email to a stranger is like making a cold call so how you approach it will determine your success.
Sending follow-up messages is inevitable part of searching for potential customers and keeping in touch with those you have today. Of course, it is very important and desirable getting a response when you send a follow-up.
Instead, send a follow-up email a day after the missed action item, and inquire when the meeting can be rescheduled. Similarly, the frequency of emails can also vary depending on the time duration between different milestones/action items.


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Memories of the Lafayette Escadrille at the American Cathedral in Paris
They were fighting as volunteers in a war their own nation had not even entered. They flew aircraft of wood and canvas thousands of feet above the ground. They struggled to avoid machine gun bullets fired at them by other airmen and deadly shells hurled at them by artillery batteries on the ground. If their frail planes were hit, the pilots could not parachute to safety, for bureaucrats – not themselves at risk – had decided that these men needed no parachutes.
View of World War I Biplanes
Drawing by Cecily Moon for American Realities
This, in short, is the story of the Americans fighting for France in the Lafayette Escadrille during World War I. They began volunteering in 1915 and served in a separate unit from 1916 until the United States entered the war in 1917.
American Cathedral (Photo by BY)
Many of them worshipped at the American Cathedral in Paris (pictured above) one of the focal points of their lives in France. And many attended funeral services at the cathedral for fallen comrades.
American Cathedral Interior (Photo by BY)
Today a cloister at the cathedral has engraved text and images honoring the pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille and other Americans who fought in World War I.
American Cathedral Cloister (Photo by BY)
Cloister Wall: Inscription begins: "To the Memory of Our Dead…." (Photo by BY)
On the wall a plaque and an image recognize the contributions of the Lafayette Escadrille.
(Photo by BY)
Indian Head Image on Cloister Wall (Photo by BY)
This image was painted on the canvas of the Lafayette Escadrille planes, a symbol of their squadron.
Here is a description of the death of Victor Chapman, the first pilot to die fighting in the Lafayette Escadrille:
Chapman, though recently wounded himself, decided to join three comrades on a morning patrol. He fell behind the others and four Germans attacked him, damaging his plane so badly that it fell apart as it plummeted toward the ground. This first death in the ranks of the Lafayette Escadrille shocked the other pilots. "We could read the pain in one another's eyes," wrote one. At a ceremony on July 4, 1916, the French prime minister took note of Chapman's death, calling him and his squadron "the living symbol of American idealism." The prime minister was aware of the value of Victor Chapman's sacrifice as an example to other Americans, perhaps to the United States as a whole. "France will never forget this new comradeship," he said, "this evidence of a devotion to a common ideal." After the funeral ceremony, most of the American airmen went to Lafayette's grave for a July Fourth commemoration of the Frenchman's contribution to the American Revolution." (from American Realities, Volume II, Chapter 7, "American Volunteers in World War I: The Lafayette Escadrille")
Learn more about the Lafayette Escadrille with materials on this site based on the chapter in American Realities on the squadron: click here.
View more entries on the American Realities blog...
(You know you want to!)
This current post is one of a growing number of historically-themed entries on americanrealities.com. To see a list of other posts, click here.
Jean Vimeux
Très intéressant ! Belles photos, belle illustration de Cecily Moon .
Summary of Blog Posts
Some years ago, while writing a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt I jotted this note in my journal: "I want to tell the stories of American History as though I were among friends, sitting beside a fire." In this web site and blog I aim to tell some of those stories in words, images, films -- and with other media marvels.


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Urban Wire Immigrants and ImmigrationRSS
Molly M. Scott
Prinicipal Research Associate
A Promise Kept -- Maryland nonprofit brings Promise Neighborhood planning grant to Langley Park
As it turns out, the third time is the charm. After applying in 2010, 2011, and again in 2012 for the highly competitive Promise Neighborhood planning grant, CASA de Maryland (CASA) finally received a $500,000 U.S. Department of Education award. The grant will help CASA design a system of family, school, and community supports to support children's education from cradle to career in Langley Park, Maryland.
Langley Park, a 0.8 square-mile census-designated place just inside the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County, is home to more than 18,000 largely immigrant residents, among them 4,100 children. Seventy-seven percent of residents are of Latin American heritage and nearly three of every four people speak a language other than English at home, as opposed to only one of six Maryland residents and one of five in the United States as a whole. Langley Park families also struggle to stay afloat in this economy. About 18 percent of households live in poverty in the neighborhood, 3 times the rate in Maryland and nearly twice that of the US.
Despite these challenges, many families in Langley Park are either un- or under- served by traditional federal safety-net programs because of their immigrant status. Consequently, families often rely heavily on institutions like schools and nonprofits like CASA to meet their needs. Aligning these resources through the Langley Park Promise Neighborhood represents a tremendous opportunity to build an innovative system that comprehensively supports immigrant families and children and helps build a pathway to economic mobility and social integration.
In order to build this system, CASA will convene many partners, including Prince George's County and Prince George's County Schools, as well as community residents throughout the planning year and engage them in a community needs assessment, scan of available resources, and decision-making about the solutions that will work best for Langley Park's families. Lessons learned from this process could inform approaches to serving first and second generation Americans in many communities across the country. The Urban Institute will be there to support this effort.
Creative Financing Could Help Cities Like Portland, Maine, Integrate Asylum Seekers and Tackle Other Challenges
Five Ways the "Public Charge" Rule Is Affecting Immigrants in America


The chair of this colloquium will be Paolo D'Imporzano (VU).
Imaging Ancient Chinese Ivory Puzzle Balls: Deducing the Make Process.
Art objects often contain many hidden traces that can relate the object to the tools and techniques used to make them. With the rise of sophisticated 3D imaging techniques, these traces can now be revealed, raising the question whether the operations applied by the maker, the tools and their parameters, can be reconstructed from the final object.
In this talk, we study the example of ancient Chinese ivory puzzle balls, which are known for their beauty, finesse and their ability to arouse the curiosity of the viewer. In the 18th century, ivory balls were crafted starting from a single block of ivory using only a lathe and a collection of sharp knives and L-shaped scalpels. We have made 3D CT scans of various ivory puzzle balls and used advanced pattern recognition techniques to obtain their morphological properties. We show how these properties can be used to deduce the make process.
Robert van Liere is a senior scientist in the Computational Imaging group at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in Amsterdam. He is also a full professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the field of virtual reality. Previously he earned his bachelor's degree in Industrial Design at Eindhoven University of Technology.
Although a large number of wall paintings from different periods is present in the Netherlands, these paintings don't get the attention that paintings on canvas get. Little is known about the materials used. The Rijksakademie is the oldest institute teaching artists how to paint wall paintings. What exactly were they taught about techniques and materials? And what modern paints where used for wall paintings? An RCE research project is looking into these matters.
Rutger Morelissen is a Researcher Conservation & Restoration at RCE, specializing in public art and monumental art. He and Bernice Crijns are now finishing a research project on conservation of modern wall paintings.