Published in the Oxonian Globalist.
Can Twitter truly transform how the political agenda is set?
Winston Churchill once told an audience, "I'm going to give a long speech today. I haven't had time to prepare a short one." Churchill's quip – itself consisting of 81 characters – begs the question of how well the great orator would have handled the rise of Twitter, the very popular social network that limits the length of posts, or 'tweets', at 140 keystrokes.
The argument that Twitter is revolutionising the political landscape is hard to deny. Twitter has permeated the highest echelons of the most elite of institutions: the Papacy and the British Monarchy, and even wars, seemingly, are now fought in part on Twitter: the Israeli Defence Forces' PR offensive during last November's conflict seemed almost as sophisticated as its missile defence shield.
So perhaps Sir Winston would, after all, have compressed some of his most famous wartime perorations into tweets. Certainly today's generation of political leaders has started to grasp the power of the platform. Of the 650 members of the House of Commons, 409 have accounts, and while some MPs treat it merely as an extension of their constituency website, others have made more innovative uses of the platform. Cambridge MP Julian Huppert even went as far as crowd-sourcing topics for a question to the Prime Minister in a recent debate.
Perhaps the most innovative use of Twitter by an elected official, however, comes from the other side of the Atlantic. Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker invites and routinely responds to all manner of comments and complaints from his constituents. These range from the mundane, such as fixing traffic lights and potholes, to the faintly heroic, as with the time he responded to a tweet reporting an injured dog by rescuing the animal himself. No matter what the issue, however, Booker is careful to interact in such a way that all his followers can see his diligence.
But politicians, even those like Booker who use Twitter to great effect, represent only the tip of the iceberg. Of greater importance for the democratic process, perhaps, is the novel form of fast-paced, shorthand political debate that Twitter has enabled, in which thousands of journalists, pundits and policy makers participate.
Thanks in part to Twitter's technical architecture, in which tweets are public by default and any user can freely follow any other, it can sometimes feel as if the doors to the old smoke-filled rooms of the press pack and political elite have been pulled slightly ajar. The process of agenda-setting, first articulated in 1922 by Walter Lippman as an explanation of the pervasive influence of the news media over public opinion, may therefore be changing radically.
Because all Twitter accounts are created equal, ordinary users, or what Jay Rosen has dubbed 'the people formerly known as the audience', can now, at least in theory, participate on a level playing field with political and media elites. New forms of interaction, such as the ability to 'mention' other users and 'retweet' their posts, has enabled a much more dynamic relationship between media elites and citizens at large. Whereas in the old media world, 'Letters to the Editor' columns were the only real outlet for interaction with readers, journalists now often find themselves defending their work and opinions on Twitter. In addition, the retweet system makes it easier for the thoughts of ordinary users to be spread far beyond their original audience.
In reality, however the pre-existing readership and renown that media personalities bring to Twitter offer a clear advantage in the fight to be heard. Many of the giants of old media have fought to consolidate their prominence on Twitter: Rupert Murdoch's 400,000 followers represent more than the circulation of his flagship Times newspaper, while Piers Morgan may well have as much influence over his 3.2 million Twitter followers as he did as editor of the Daily Mirror.
There is therefore certainly a distinction to be made between the ability to speak, which Twitter undeniably permits, and the ability to be heard, which is rather more difficult to achieve, a point made by Matthew Hindman in his book The Myth of Digital Democracy. For ordinary users with no pre-existing readership or huge networks of media contacts, tweeting with a small number of followers might feel like shouting off the edge of a cliff-face. Unlike 'friending' on Facebook, the system of 'following' on Twitter is asymmetrical, so if User A follows User B, User B is neither technically required nor socially obligated to reciprocate. With each unreciprocated act of following, then, the network becomes a little less equal and more skewed towards the most popular users. It would not therefore be surprising to see the hierarchical structures of the offline world gradually replicate themselves on Twitter. Some voices will always be louder than others, no matter the medium.
Nonetheless, the simple fact that relevant, well-crafted thoughts from members of the public can enter the public domain, by being retweeted or responded to by a more prominent user, certainly holds the potential for engendering a more engaged citizenry and a more responsive elite. The realisation of such potential depends largely on whether the platform will retain its informal, interactive flavour, or whether politicians, media barons and commercial actors will be capable of making such sophisticated use of it so as to stifle ordinary debate. In the meantime, those who deride Twitter as just a lot of chirping may be missing a fundamental change in how public opinion is formed.


text:
'I Am Legend' Movie Sequel Already In the Works?
August 2, 2007 By Allison
Despite the fact that the first I Am Legend film doesn't hit movie theaters until December 14, screenwriter Mark Protosevich is already thinking about a sequel. Well, that's positive thinking!
The LA Times states, "There is no word yet on how Protosevich plans to extend the story of lone military scientist Robert Neville's struggle to survive against a mutant populace. But it's a good bet that he's setting it at least 10 years in the future."
But of course, the idea of a sequel won't even hit script pages until we see how the original movie does in the theaters later this year. But if Will Smith has anything to do with it, I'll bet we're looking at a holiday blockbuster.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: SQL query with typical properties table Looking for help on building SQL query:
I have two tables:
Table1 - Object:
object_id    name       owner
1           Object1    Owner1
2           Object2    Owner2
3           Object3    Owner3

Table2 - Object Properties (each Object has exactly 3 properties)
object_id         property_name       Property_value
    1                   color              blue
    1                   shape              circle
    1                   inhouse            true
    2                   color              red
    2                   shape              rectangle
    2                   inhouse            false
    3                   color              green
    3                   shape              rectangle
    3                   inhouse            true

I would like to build a view like this:
name       owner      color       shape       inhouse
Object1    Owner1     blue       circle       true
Object2    Owner2     red        rectangle    false
Object3    Owner3     green      rectangle    true

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Lead the Charge into the Nexus with the officially licensed and exclusive Heroes of the Storm Gaming Mouse. SteelSeries and Blizzard® have teamed up to create the ultimate gaming mouse for Heroes of the Storm®. Choose your Hero, equip our weapon, and prepare for the glory that awaits you in the Nexus. Let the battle begin!
The core of the Heroes of the Storm mouse comes from our award-winning Sensei RAW. Equipped with a tournament-grade laser sensor and premium SteelSeries switches, the Heroes of the Storm mouse has everything a hero needs to win.
High-end performance starts with quality components. Our Heroes of the Storm mouse provides competition-grade performance powered by the ADNS-9500 laser sensor. With a CPI ranging from 90 all the way to 5670, the sensor meets and exceeds the demands of both low and high sensitivity players. A high IPS of 150 and 11,750 FPS, ensures accurate tracking during extremely fast and precise movements. Customizable. Fast. Precise. Everything you could ask for in the heat of battle.
Armed with our new SteelSeries switches, this mouse provides tactile and audible feedback with every click. We engineered these proprietary with switches with an exceptional 30-million-click lifetime. These were built to stand the test of time, and all the gaming you can throw at them.
The Sensei line was engineered for high performance. For years, SteelSeries has designed and crafted some of the best mice in the industry. The Heroes of the Storm mouse continues this legacy. Many professional gamers use the Sensei series, winning competitions around the world. We can't promise you that this mouse will make you as good as the pros, but we can arm you with best tournament-grade hardware to win.


STAMFORD (KDKA) — WWE Hall of Fame Broadcaster "Mean" Gene Oklerlund has died at the age of 76.
World Wrestling Entertainment made the announcement Wednesday morning, just days after appearing in Pittsburgh for WWE Smackdown Live.
Okerlund started his early days in the AWA before making the move to the WWE in 1984 where he interviewed some of the biggest names in professional wrestling. In addition to his interviews, he also provided ringside commentary and hosted multiple shows for the network.
In 1993, Oklerlund added WCW to his resume where he worked in the same roles before making a return to WWE in 2001.
WWE Smackdown Live returned to the PPG Paints Arena Dec. 29. The event featured AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan in a steel cage mage for the WWE Championship.


text:
Q: Pass variable from NSTimer method to selector I am a beginner with Objective-C, and unsure of how to pass a variable from my startTimer method to the selector. Why is my selector method not aware of the variable circleSize from starTimer? Thanks for the help.
- (void)startTimer:(int)circleSize
{

  self.clockTimer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:1
                                                     target:self
                                                   selector:@selector(timerFired:)
                                                   userInfo:nil
                                                    repeats:YES];
}

- (void) timerFired:(NSTimer *)clockTimer
{
  circleSize -= 1; // Error: Use of declared identifier

  NSLog(@"What is circle now?%i", circleSize);
}

A: The reason the selector is not aware of the circleSize argument is because it is called asynchronously at some point in the future. As a result it will not have access to the scope that the startTimer method was called within. Add a breakpoint in each method and look at the stack trace and local variables to confirm for yourself.
You need to use an instance variable or a property to the containing class to store this information:
@implementation MyClass {
   int _circleSize;
}

- (void)startTimer:(int)circleSize
{

  _circleSize = circleSize
  self.clockTimer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:1
                                                     target:self
                                                   selector:@selector(timerFired:)
                                                   userInfo:nil
                                                    repeats:YES];
}

- (void) timerFired:(NSTimer *)clockTimer
{
  _circleSize -= 1; // Error: Use of declared identifier

  NSLog(@"What is circle now?%i", _circleSize);
}

@end


text:
Mobility News / Opinion
Could the UK cope with a surge in EVs?
Several major European cities have laudably been playing the clean air tune for some time and now a growing number of voices here in the UK including London Mayor Sadiq Khan1, Go Ultra Low2 plus the BVRLA3 and its rental and leasing members are increasingly ratcheting up the case for ditching diesel in favour of less polluting vehicles.
Unfortunately not an April Fool's joke, the first day of next month will see VED rates shaken up whereby only pure electric vehicles will now be able to enjoy free road tax. Ultra-low emissions vehicles (ULEV) have long been a halfway house between conventionally-fuelled and priced petrol and diesel vehicles and traditionally much pricier EVs, but it's fair to say that few if any ULEV models are emotional choices. The Ampera, CT200h and Prius, for example, are hardly stunners. This is reflected by a recent YouGov poll commissioned by the SMMT, finding that 46% of motorists would consider ULEV models based primarily on their cheap or free car tax status – which will soon be a thing of the past.
The costs of switching to EVs
Skipping over the affordability of pure EVs for private and corporate retail and leasing customers, the basic ability of the UK's infrastructure to be able to cope with a surge in EV take-up is increasingly being questioned. Just a few weeks ago, a headline in The Times4 exclaimed rather gloomily that "electric cars will mean huge strain on power network", based on figures from Transport for London. Calor's Paul Blacklock told The Times that "everyone is saying that we need to go to a wholly electric vehicle future, but they aren't being honest about what the possible cost of this will be", whilst the AA's Edmund King5 cited: 'The three key barriers to electric car ownership are lack of public charging points, insufficient battery range and high initial vehicle cost."
EV custodianship is far from simple
The Guardian6 recently investigated the UK's preparedness for an EV revolution and described our domestic EV charging infrastructure as "disjointed and short-sighted", pointing to Boris Johnson's sale of London's charging network to a French firm that now charges for charging as decidedly unhelpful, as indeed are the trend for councils in London and further afield to make their own independent EV-charging arrangements, and the way that the nation's charging network is fragmented confusingly into umpteen different providers.
Charging times still a barrier
Sentiments like these certainly make it sound like much more investment is required to facilitate the hoped rise in EV adoption. An obvious starting point would be to rapidly expand the UK's 11,000 existing charging points, but we agree with certain voices who say that there's little point in out-of-town retail stores, for example, rushing into installing fee-incurring charging points when few customers will stick around for the four hours required for a typical charge.
Which charging network(s)?
People's wallets, purses and pockets are crammed to the hilt with all kinds of gubbins nowadays, so the last thing a fleet or private EV driver wants is to have to carry around several different membership cards, one for each network they may end up having to use depending on their location or remaining range. From Polar, Charge Your Car (CYC), ecotricity and POD Point, to GeniePoint, Zeronet and Tesla superchargers7, there is a bewildering amount of information for EV adopters to digest, and for some it may simply prove off-putting.
Charger-hogging
Even if lugging various charging cards around doesn't bother someone, Arval's David Watts points out that "the payment model itself makes little sense, with some charging on a fixed-cost, per-use basis rather than in pence per kWh used". Revealing another 'first world problem' associated with EV ownership, he then explains how this "inadvertently leads to 'charger hogging' with drivers taking their complete time allocation rather than simply what they need to get to their home or office." This is something we experienced at the Tesla supercharger in Stretton near Warrington during our week testing a Model S, whereby a gentleman had left his car connected to one of only two superchargers while he went to play 18 holes of golf. Judging by various forum threads8, this is a common occurrence for Tesla drivers at this charging location and others.
Which charger and cable?
It's also quite conceivable that the variety of different charging types and connections could easily baffle prospective EV converts, having to absorb information on slow, fast, rapid and rapid DC9 charging, along with a plethora of home chargers of varying speeds, plus cables and electricity tariffs to grapple with.
Predicting electricity demand
The Electric Nation project is doing good things with the aim of compiling charging data to aid electricity distribution companies to better manage demand to cope with the onset of EVs, providing between 500-700 eligible owners of new EVs with a free smart charger in return for their input in the trials10.
Investment pledges seem to be working
At the end of last year, transport minister, John Hayes, announced a £7.5 million workplace charging scheme11 with the purpose of rapidly growing the availability of EV charging points at all manner of locations, to reduce range anxiety and increase EV take-up.
Following the Government's more recent Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill, which involves heightened investment from the automotive industry, exchequer and oil companies, Venson Automotive Solutions12 reports that 85% of respondents to their recent poll say they are now "more seriously" considering buying or leasing an electric vehicle.
EV charging is becoming a money-spinner
We welcome initiatives such as EV Driver13, which incentivises retail and hospitality businesses, public sector organisations and other private enterprises to become 'hosts' and to install EV charging points in order to generate additional revenue, to keep paying customers and visitors on their premises for longer, to meet CSR objectives and to put themselves on the increasingly important EV map. To emphasise the bitty growth of the UK's EV network, though, it's got to be pointed out that EV Driver is currently only found in the east of England, although seven new charging points in East Anglia have just been announced14, which is of course welcome news.
Could lamppost chargers be a key answer?
Councils were told they'd be given an extra £2.5 million to install charging points on streets where residents don't have access to off-street parking, and this has since been bolstered by news that various UK councils and private companies are working on turning lampposts into EV charging points15. The need for reliable off-street charging facilities has traditionally proved a barrier to EV adoption, especially for private motorists, so such 'front door' solutions could prove to be a real game-changer.
While it's clear to see that the world of electric vehicles will still present itself as rather confusing to some private motorists and perhaps too expensive for many fleets to contemplate switching to until vehicle prices reduce and battery ranges increase, it's apparent that new initiatives, investment, funding and R&D are continuously springing up with the aim of enabling the UK to more practically embrace EVs. Despite concerns over how EV batteries are actually produced, this trend has got to be a positive thing, at least in the short to medium term.
1. https://cities-today.com/new-funding-electric-vehicles-london/
2. https://www.goultralow.com/
3. http://www.bvrla.co.uk/news/press-release/leasing-companies-drive-uptake-ultra-low-emission-vehicles
4. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/electric-cars-mean-uk-could-need-20-new-nuclear-plants-h80zlkcmv
5. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4215622/20-new-nuclear-power-stations-needed-electric-cars.html
6. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/09/not-enough-charging-points-for-electric-cars-fracking-in-scotland-economically-marginal
7. https://www.zap-map.com/charge-points/public-charging-point-networks/
8. https://speakev.com/threads/blocking-the-warrington-supercharger-p1nto.16588/
9. https://www.zap-map.com/charge-points/basics/
10. http://www.electricnation.org.uk/trial-details/
11. http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/fleet-industry-news/2016/11/01/fleet-industry-welcomes-workplace-charge-point-funding
12. http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/fleet-leasing/news/latest-fleet-leasing/2017/03/06/85-of-drivers-more-seriously-considering-ev-thanks-to-government-investment
13. https://www.evdriver.co.uk/why-be-a-host-ev/
14. http://www.greenfleet.net/news/28022017/seven-charge-points-added-ev-driver-network
15. http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/news/156230/why-not-use-lamp-posts-to-charge-electric-cars


text:
Q: startActivity() gets called by android system_process infinite times Problem:-
startActivity() gets called by android  system_process infinite times. so The code below opens the  MainActivity  but then the MainActivity get freezed/hanged and after several minutes android shut itself down.
I have two Activities:

*

*RegisterActivity

*MainActivity

After registeration process completed , i want to redirect the user to home screen (i.e.MainActivity) so i use this code to start the activity:--
Button btnSubmit = (Button) findViewById(R.id.btnSubmit);
btnSubmit.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
    @Override
    public void onClick(View v) {
        // TODO Auto-generated method stub
        Intent intent = new Intent(RegisterActivity.this,MainActivity.class);
        startActivity(intent);
    }
});

But the startActivity() gets called infinite times by android system. I figured out this by Logcat. The logcat output is:--
03-20 10:08:25.756: I/ActivityManager(63): Starting activity: Intent { cmp=com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving/.MainActivity }
03-20 10:08:25.826: W/InputManagerService(63): Starting input on non-focused client com.android.internal.view.IInputMethodClient$Stub$Proxy@44c7f1b0 (uid=10026 pid=316)
03-20 10:08:25.826: W/InputManagerService(63): Client not active, ignoring focus gain of: com.android.internal.view.IInputMethodClient$Stub$Proxy@44c4ef28
03-20 10:08:25.966: I/ActivityManager(63): Starting activity: Intent { cmp=com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving/.MainActivity }
03-20 10:08:26.036: W/InputManagerService(63): Starting input on non-focused client com.android.internal.view.IInputMethodClient$Stub$Proxy@44c7f1b0 (uid=10026 pid=316)
03-20 10:08:26.036: W/InputManagerService(63): Client not active, ignoring focus gain of: com.android.internal.view.IInputMethodClient$Stub$Proxy@44c28e48
03-20 10:08:26.176: I/ActivityManager(63): Starting activity: Intent { cmp=com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving/.MainActivity }
03-20 10:08:26.246: W/InputManagerService(63): Starting input on non-focused client com.android.internal.view.IInputMethodClient$Stub$Proxy@44c7f1b0 (uid=10026 pid=316)
03-20 10:08:26.246: W/InputManagerService(63): Client not active, ignoring focus gain of: com.android.internal.view.IInputMethodClient$Stub$Proxy@44c11b98
03-20 10:08:26.396: I/ActivityManager(63): Starting activity: Intent { cmp=com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving/.MainActivity }
03-20 10:08:26.437: D/dalvikvm(316): GREF has increased to 201
03-20 10:08:26.606: I/ActivityManager(63): Starting activity: Intent { cmp=com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving/.MainActivity }
03-20 10:08:26.676: W/InputManagerService(63): Starting input on non-focused client com.android.internal.view.IInputMethodClient$Stub$Proxy@44c7f1b0 (uid=10026 pid=316)
03-20 10:08:26.676: W/InputManagerService(63): Client not active, ignoring focus gain of: com.android.internal.view.IInputMethodClient$Stub$Proxy@44de2330
03-20 10:08:26.816: I/ActivityManager(63): Starting activity: Intent { cmp=com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving/.MainActivity }
03-20 10:08:26.826: E/SurfaceFlinger(63): createSurface() failed, generateId = -12
03-20 10:08:26.826: W/WindowManager(63): OutOfResourcesException creating surface
03-20 10:08:26.826: I/WindowManager(63): Out of memory for surface!  Looking for leaks...
03-20 10:08:26.826: W/WindowManager(63): No leaked surfaces; killing applicatons!
03-20 10:08:26.826: W/ActivityManager(63): Killing processes for memory at adjustment 0
03-20 10:08:26.826: W/ActivityManager(63): Killing for memory: ProcessRecord{44f32af0 316:com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving/10026} (adj 0)
03-20 10:08:26.826: I/Process(63): Sending signal. PID: 316 SIG: 9
03-20 10:08:26.836: W/WindowManager(63): Looks like we have reclaimed some memory, clearing surface for retry.
03-20 10:08:26.836: W/WindowManager(63): Due to memory failure, waiting a bit for next layout
03-20 10:08:26.856: I/ActivityManager(63): Process com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving (pid 316) has died.
03-20 10:08:27.176: I/WindowManager(63): WIN DEATH: Window{44fac7d8 com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving/com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving.MainActivity paused=false}
03-20 10:08:27.196: I/WindowManager(63): WIN DEATH: Window{44faa318 com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving/com.techdeedapps.fallonmoving.MainActivity paused=false}

MainActivity code:
     public class MainActivity extends Activity {
AlertDialog.Builder builder;
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.main);
    builder = new AlertDialog.Builder(this);

    Button btnEnter = (Button) findViewById(R.id.btnEnter);
    btnEnter.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {

        @Override
        public void onClick(View v) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub
            if (RegisterActivity.loggedIn) {
                startActivity(new Intent(MainActivity.this,
                        AddActivity.class));
            } else {
                Utility.showAlertDialog(builder, "Please Log In!");
            }
        }

    Button btnSettings = (Button) findViewById(R.id.btnSettings);
    btnSettings.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        @Override
        public void onClick(View v) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub
            startActivity(new Intent(MainActivity.this,
                    RegisterActivity.class));
        }
    });

}

RegisterActivity code:
    public class RegisterActivity extends Activity {
     protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.register);
    builder = new AlertDialog.Builder(this);
    etName = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.etName);
    etEmail = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.etEmail);
    Button btnSubmit = (Button) findViewById(R.id.btnSubmit);
    btnsubmit.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {

        @Override
        public void onClick(View v) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub
            Intent intent = new Intent(RegisterActivity.this,
                    MainActivity.class);
            startActivity(intent);

        }
    });
    }
}

this logcat output is continous till i close the emulator!And if i dont close the emulator then android restarts automatically. simply the system hangs cause it infinitely calls the startActivity()!

A: Actually its my fault ..! startActivity() gets called infinitely cause when i finish the activity i was again start it another activity!..But I appreciate all the responders for their kind help.Thank you very much..!


text:
METROHEALTH COVID-19 PROJECTIONS COMPARISON_040720-2
MetroHealth Releases COVID-19 Projections
Modeling done by The MetroHealth System suggests the peak for COVID-19 in Cuyahoga County may be significantly lower in the number of infections than originally expected, and that the county could see sustained impact driven by clusters of infection rather than a single large surge.
"The leadership from Governor DeWine, Dr. Acton and others has saved lives and radically altered the spread of coronavirus. The public distancing response is historic and has changed the trajectory of the infection from being driven by widespread communal transmission to infection in clusters of people in close contact." said MetroHealth CEO and President Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE.
The bell-shaped infection curves that people have seen numerous times, assume widespread contact and are not applicable to rigorous containment efforts. In contrast, the jagged sustained curve predicted by the MetroHealth models are based on network effect and contact limitation. The models were developed to help MetroHealth prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 epidemic in our community.
The MetroHealth models show new infections in Cuyahoga County gradually increasing until around late April, followed by irregular outbreaks in clusters throughout the year. A similar pattern is expected statewide, with Ohio having significantly lower number of daily new infections than previously expected and continuing at flat rate through the remainder of the year.
The importance of social distancing cannot be overstated. These models do not mean people can or should go back to life as normal. In fact, they assume people will continue to stay home if they have symptoms, frequently wash or disinfect their hands, not touch their face, and stay at least six feet apart when in public, Dr. Boutros said. If we were to become lax or immediately go back to numerous unprotected close contacts, the bell-shaped surge would return.
MetroHealth physicians and public health officials have already observed clusters of infection involving people who have attended funerals, after religious celebrations, in nursing homes, the Cuyahoga County Jail, and confined workspaces.
A lower number of infections obviously results in fewer deaths and hospitalizations than unfettered community-wide infection. He credits Ohio's leadership on social distancing practices for lowering the actual number of infections. He believes the models should be viewed in context of the overall health of Cuyahoga County and Northeast Ohio.
"The models have serious policy implications and raise important questions about how to best provide health care to our community," Dr. Boutros said. "If this scenario continues to play out over several months, one question we as health leaders must address is, at what point do should we resume preventive screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies? We will need to provide health care treatment that is now being put on hold, while at the same time containing the spread of coronavirus."
The State of Ohio ordered the cessation of elective surgeries and most preventive screenings in mid-March as part of an effort to reduce the number of people coming into the hospital and potentially spreading the virus. That decision also helped preserve personal protective equipment and blunted the spread of coronavirus.
"It is too early to declare victory, but this is a signal that here in Northeast Ohio we might be in a difficult, sustained campaign instead of a relatively short but intense war," Dr. Boutros said. "We will continue to prioritize the health and wellness of our patients, our employees and our community. We will get through this by working together."


text:
China Navy, Air Force to Conduct Free Air-Combat Confrontation Drill
by Chinese Government News
in Air Force News, Navy News
A free air-combat confrontation drill between an aviation detachment equipped with several fighters assigned by the aviation unit under the East China Sea Fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and a troop unit under the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) will be conducted, the first of its kind in the history of aviation troops of the PLAN and the PLAAF, according to the leading organ of the PLAN on August 18, 2014.
The free air-combat confrontation drill will be conducted on the one-to-one and two-to-two basis respectively among the two sides' third-generation fighters.
The drill will focus on studying how to deepen the joint operations and improve the joint-combat capability by carrying out the air-combat confrontation at various altitudes according to their tactical needs to lay a foundation for the PLA to organize its different military services for normalized joint training.
The PLAN's troops to participate in the drill are from the "Naval Air Eagle Regiment" which established the first "Blue Army" detachment equipped with the third-generation fighters under the aviation force of the PLAN.
The PLAAF's troops to participate in the drill are from a regiment which was the first regiment equipped with the third-generation fighters under the PLAAF. The regiment has made outstanding achievements for many times in the "Gold Helmet" air-combat competitions of the PLAAF.
The aviation force of the PLAN, as the main force in safeguarding China's maritime rights and interests, will take this rare opportunity to strengthen the experience exchange and upgrade its capability of performing diversified military missions, according to a leader of the aviation unit of the East China Sea Fleet of the PLAN.
Tags: chinachina air forcechina navychinese air forceexercisePLAPLAAFPLANtraining
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text:
Taubman Center to revise polling methods
Center has been criticized for not using voting records, which identify likely voters
By Emma Jerzyk
Ashley So / Herald
The Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions will overhaul its polling methods with the aim of being ready by November.
Under the new leadership of Director James Morone, professor of political science, public policy and urban studies, the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions plans to change its polling methodology in time for the November general election, said Shankar Prasad, the center's new deputy director.
Morone, who was appointed July 1, said the center plans to organize "a close overhaul" of its polling methods, The Herald previously reported.
The center's polling techniques have faced criticism in the past for not utilizing voting records, Matt McDermott, a field director at Lake Research Partners from Warwick, told WPRI in April. Greater accuracy comes from collecting responses from likely voters based on their voting record, he added.
"If you're trying to poll in a primary election, you're talking about a significantly reduced turnout compared to general elections," said Scott Keeter, director of survey research at the Pew Research Center. Though campaign pollsters tend to use voter histories, the quality of voting records can vary heavily from state to state, Keeter said, adding that it is easier to poll voters in New England due to the relatively high amount of landline phone numbers in state voting records.
The center currently uses "voter lists provided by the Secretary of State's office," according to its website. The sample of voters surveyed is drawn proportionally according to the population distribution of Rhode Island, and does not sample more than 500 or 600 people. Though the sample size is small, it yields an acceptable margin of error for a state as small as Rhode Island, according to the center's website.
In August, the center released its poll results from a survey it conducted in April 2014 among likely Rhode Island voters on the gubernatorial primaries, the legalization of marijuana, the economy and approval ratings of current elected officials. The center made predictions for the Republican primary based on "just over 13 percent" of the 600 respondents who indicated they were "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to vote in the Republican gubernatorial primary, according to a University press release. Marion Orr, the former director of the center, was unable to provide the gender ratio of the 86 respondents, WPRI reported.
In states that lean significantly towards one political party — such as majority-blue Rhode Island — it can be challenging to poll the minority party for primaries, Keeter said.
The University of Minnesota received similar criticism when it predicted Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton would win by 12 points, though he won the actual 2010 election by a slim 1.5-point margin, MinnPost reported.
"There were no systematic mistakes in the polling," said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, who directed the University of Minnesota's poll.
"Doing polling is not just a methodology challenge," Jacobs said. "The pollster becomes a part of the political process."
"Campaigns have a tried and true practice on how to deal with polls where they don't do well," Jacobs said. Campaigns will try to discredit polls with unfavorable results by claiming that there were not enough young people or cell phone numbers, or they will try to invalidate computer-assisted polling techniques, he said. "What's happening is a casualty of political warfare in the 21st century."
This marks an opportunity to evaluate and possibly change polling at the University, Jacobs said, adding that even though certain critiques may be biased, this situation lets the University evaluate its own methodology.
In their new roles at the center, Prasad said he and Morone are "exploring innovative and creative ways to think about the study of public policy … (and) play a role in measuring the public opinion."
The center is also looking to expand its reach by playing a role in regional and national policy issues in addition to local politics, Prasad said.
"One of the reasons I joined here and (Morone) joined here is that we really want to engage students as a pedagogical tool," Prasad said, adding that the center hopes to employ its polls as a way to educate people about the political process.
Prasad said he is hopeful that the polls will be ready for the November general election. "We're trying to redefine the polling center for this next wave, so we want to engage different communities through this process," he said.
Though experts waver back and forth about how polling may or may not affect voter and donor behavior, Prasad said he believes polls engage voters in political activity. "I don't think polls ever replace the democratic process or engagement in general. The difficulty with polls is that they're an instance in time, and participation is an evolution."
Though campaigns and private firms also conduct polls, University polls serve the critical purpose of adding more voices to the discussion, Prasad said.
"Our job is to provide information, and in this day and age, that is a valuable resource to our community," Jacobs said.


I want to know how to calculate salary breakups like Basic, HRA, EA, etc from take home salary of a candidate (not from CTC of a person). For example if a candidate's Take home salary has been fixed as Rs. 10000 PM, how to frame salary break up from that? Salary breakup is a critical part of... 5/10/2017�� Break is not meant to be literal THIS ISN'T MY IPAD AT ALL!!! I just made this short video for fun. Thanks For Watching!
5/10/2017�� Break is not meant to be literal THIS ISN'T MY IPAD AT ALL!!! I just made this short video for fun. Thanks For Watching!... Have you ever wanted to do a warm-up with your calculator (lol, corny joke there!) Or do you hate all math so much that you just want to explode a calculator?
This same formula can be used to calculate hours worked for the day shift. When used with the SUM function, it can be used to calculate the number of hours worked minus an hour for lunch break�... 5/04/2009�� quick question, please delete after answered, and yes, i tried searching.. Can anyone tell me where I can find the break even calculations? As in the actual formula that is applied?
5/10/2017�� Break is not meant to be literal THIS ISN'T MY IPAD AT ALL!!! I just made this short video for fun. Thanks For Watching!


text:
US in WW2
How many football players are on the football field when playing?
Q: How many football players are on the football field when playing?
How many players are on the field at a time when playing football?
Answer11 players from each team.
How many players on a in side soccer field?
Each football team that is playing will have a total of eleven players on the field at one time.
How many players can be on the field per football team?
There can be 11 players per team on the football field
How many football players on the field?
If you mean football as in soccer, then there are 11 players on the field for each team. In total there are 22 players.
How many players on defense in football on field?
How many players in Canadian football on the field?
12 players can be on the field at one time.
How many on the football field?
There are 11 players per team on the field at once. 22 players total. 1 football.
How many players are on the field on a football team in Mexico?
I was watching Mexican football, and the winning team had 12 players on the field.
How many officials and football players together are on the football field?
There are 11 football players on each team and there is to teams. So all together there are 22 football players on the field and 4 referees.
How many football players can be on a football field at the same time?
The answer may vary, but 350-500 football players can fit on the field at one time.
In football how many players are on the from each team?
In regular football the is only eleven players on the field.
How many football players have died playing football?
...too many. :(
Created By Laury Bergnaum
Authors, Poets, and Playwrights
Created By Giovanny Medhurst
Created By Laurine Lueilwitz
Created By Anya Kub


text:
NextWisconsin utility We Energies looks to recover $2 million in annual membership dues from its customers
APS political spending soared under Don Brandt. Will that change with a new CEO?
APS reported spending over $182 million between 2013 and 2018 on lobbying, marketing, grants, and political campaigns – $152 per customer.
Joe Smyth • August 30, 2019
Over the last few months, some of the secrecy surrounding Arizona Public Service's spending on political campaigns has been lifted. APS' responses to Arizona Corporation Commissioner Sandra Kennedy's subpoena have provided new details about how the company sought to influence its customers, regulators, elections, and politics in Arizona – as well as how much money APS spent in the process.
A review of APS filings in response to the subpoena shows that between 2013 and 2018, APS reported spending more than $182 million on lobbying, marketing, grants, and political spending. With 1.2 million customers, that amounts to $152 per customer. That figure doesn't account for the full impact on ratepayers of APS' spending, which helped the company to elect regulators who approved of rate increases.
APS reported spending more than $72 million on political campaigns, by giving money to a variety of 501(c)(3) and (4) groups, political action committees, and other organizations. That doesn't include other political spending that was not included in APS' responses to the subpoena, such as contributions to candidates for US Congress, and to state legislators and other elected officials in Arizona.
Will new CEO Jeff Guldner pursue a different approach?
The retirement of APS CEO Don Brandt has raised questions about whether incoming CEO John Guldner will change the company's direction by embracing clean energy and ending its efforts to dominate Arizona politics. Opinions seem mixed on that question. Former Arizona Corporation Commissioner (ACC) Kris Mayes said: "I actually expect Jeff Guldner to stop the political spending and dramatically ramp up the amount of renewable energy that this utility does. He's got an enormous mess to clean up."
But responding to Phoenix New Times reporting that Guldner himself actively participated in APS' political campaigns to influence Arizona Corporation Commission elections in 2014 and 2016, ACC Commissioner Sandra Kennedy asked: "Will Mr. Guldner continue on the same path that Don Brandt did? It's in the back of my mind, trust me."
And columnist Laurie Roberts encouraged Guldner and the APS board to ask themselves: "Is it appropriate for a regulated utility to secretly spend millions on political campaigns to elect its own regulators who then promptly grant the utility a rate hike?"
The chart below details APS spending by category, and shows how APS has shifted its methods of influencing political affairs in Arizona. It also shows how APS spending has increased during election years, and soared in 2018 as APS fought to defeat a ballot initiative that would have required APS and other utilities in Arizona to generate 50% of their power with renewable energy.
Background: Commissioner Kennedy's subpoena revealed new information about APS' political spending
In February, ACC Commissioner Sandra Kennedy directed Commission staff "to prepare subpoenas to Arizona Public Service and Pinnacle West Capital Corporation seeking the information listed below," including details about the company's spending on lobbying, marketing, political campaigns, and 501(c)(3) and (4) groups.
ACC Commissioners Bob Burns and Boyd Dunn also asked APS to provide information about its political spending, and made clear: "If there is no response, the Commissioners are prepared to issue the subpoena."
In March, APS responded to the commissioners with some of the information Kennedy had requested, including overall spending on advertising and marketing by APS and its parent company Pinnacle West, overall spending on grants by APS and the APS Foundation, and some details about APS political spending from 2013 to 2017. In a later response, APS also provided some information about its political spending in 2018.
But as the Phoenix New Times reported, APS did not include key details requested by Commissioner Kennedy, such as which organizations received money from APS, and for what purposes. Commissioner Kennedy requested that APS provide those details in April, and again in early May.
On May 9, APS provided details about the organizations that received funding from APS, as well as from the APS Foundation. And on June 17, APS provided more details about its spending on outside lobbying and marketing and advertising, as well as spending by APS parent company Pinnacle West on 501(c)(3) and (4) groups, and a list of Pinnacle West's marketing and advertising partners. Those later responses also revised some of the figures in APS' earlier responses, such as the amount APS spent on outside lobbying and charitable donations.
Between 2013 and 2018, APS spent more than $4.5 million on outside lobbying and on payments to trade associations "used for lobbying-related activities." That figure does not represent all of APS' spending on lobbying. APS spending on "outside lobbying" refers to lobbying firms that APS hires, but does not include the salaries of APS employees that are involved in lobbying efforts. And trade associations like Edison Electric Institute often classify a small portion of their spending as lobbying, even though much of their spending aims to influence politics.
Lobbying 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Totals
APS outside lobbying spending $704,204 $718,406 $558,085 $800,807 $515,871 $380,789 $3,678,162
APS spending on trade associations, for lobbying not provided not provided $279,057 $170,073 $213,116 $209,830 $872,076
Totals $704,204 $718,406 $837,142 $970,880 $728,987 $590,619 $4,550,238
Source for APS outside lobbying spending: APS June 17 response (which revised the March 29 figures).
Source for APS payments to trade associations used for lobbying: APS March 29 response for 2015, 2016, and 2017, and APS April 24 response for 2018.
Between 2013 and 2018, APS and Pinnacle West spent more than $59 million on marketing and advertising, with significantly higher amounts in 2014 and 2018 than in other years.
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Totals
APS marketing $5,251,189 $8,907,475 $3,999,925 $3,816,198 $3,739,082 $8,891,357 $34,605,226
Pinnacle West marketing $3,677,013 $3,723,946 $3,896,234 $3,981,946 $4,004,028 $5,137,983 $24,421,150
Totals $8,928,202 $12,631,421 $7,896,159 $7,798,144 $7,743,110 $14,029,340 $59,026,376
Source: APS March 29 response.
Grants and corporate giving
Between 2013 and 2018, APS Foundation spent over $15 million on grants, while APS itself spent nearly twice that amount, over $30 million, for a combined total of more than $46 million. While the organizations that received money from APS Foundation had been disclosed in 990 forms filed with the IRS, the larger amounts that APS itself gave had not been made public until APS' responses to the subpoena.
APS corporate giving $4,845,597 $5,662,943 $5,104,161 $5,452,990 $4,896,260 $4,903,191 $30,865,142
APS Foundation grants $3,023,685 $2,583,840 $2,921,300 $1,648,100 $2,780,700 $2,946,495 $15,904,120
Totals $7,869,282 $8,246,783 $8,025,461 $7,101,090 $7,676,960 $7,849,686 $46,769,262
Source for APS Foundation grants: APS March 29 response.
Source for APS corporate giving: APS May 9 response (which revised the March 29 figures)
APS' May 9 response also listed the organizations that received money from APS, which had not previously been disclosed. A spreadsheet of that data, sorted by organization, is available here.
A spreadsheet of APS Foundation grants, also sorted by organization, is available here.
APS responses to Commissioner Kennedy's subpoena reveal a variety of ways that APS and Pinnacle West have sought to influence elections and political affairs in Arizona. Most prominently, the disclosures revealed what had long been suspected – that in 2014, APS had secretly funded groups to help elect its own regulators. APS reported that it gave $10.7 million to three organizations that participated in the 2014 ACC elections, including Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Save Our Future Now, and the Arizona Cattle Feeders Association, as well as $4.2 million to the Arizona Coalition for Reliable Electricity, which participated in the 2016 ACC elections.
Political campaigns 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Totals
527 groups not provided $723,500 $290,000 $728,500 $155,500 $262,500 $2,160,000
501 (c) (3) and (4) groups $513,250 $11,680,500 $1,332,500 $5,253,000 $900,000 $410,350 $20,089,600
Independent political expenditures not provided $471,700 $48,550 $4,749,500 $4,357,500 $40,305,300 $49,932,550
Totals $513,250.00 $12,875,700 $1,671,050 $10,731,000 $5,413,000 $40,978,150 $72,182,150
Sources for 2013-2017: APS March 29 response
2016: 527 groups, 501 (c) groups, independent political expenditures
Source for 2018: APS April 24 response
Direct links: 527 groups, 501 (c) groups, independent political expenditures
Posted in: Arizona Public Service
Tagged in: APS, Arizona Corporation Commission, Arizona Public Service, Don Brandt, Jeff Guldner, Sandra Kennedy
Posted by Joe Smyth
Joe Smyth is a Research and Communications Manager for the Energy and Policy Institute.
Who says buying politicians won't help APS? | Arizona Capitol Times November 30, 2021 at 5:53 pm
[…] APS had spent a staggering $182 million between 2013 and 2018 on political spending, marketing, grants, and […]
Who says buying politicians won't help APS? – Arizona Digital News November 30, 2021 at 5:56 pm
Who says buying politicians won't help APS? | Arizona Land and Lots November 30, 2021 at 9:45 pm
Arizona regulator investigation unveils Arizona Public Service Company's political spending – Energy and Policy Institute – New Bharat June 15, 2022 at 5:04 pm
[…] efforts of trade associations like the Edison Electric Institute. Along with the details that APS provided to Commissioner Kennedy in 2019, the response expands the public record of the utility's political spending over the last nine […]
Arizona utilities funding GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake October 31, 2022 at 12:43 pm
[…] subpoena, Pinnacle West revealed how the utility sought to influence prior ACC elections. One disclosure showed that in 2014, Pinnacle West gave $12.9 million to 16 different political groups. The company […]
In Louisiana, an electoral upset could mean a breakthrough for renewables – Green Energy News December 13, 2022 at 6:50 am
[…] state where utilities have spent big to sway public service commission elections. For example, a 2019 probe found that the largest electric utility in Arizona spent millions of dollars in past elections to […]
In Louisiana, an electoral upset could mean a breakthrough for renewables - iNFO Vi December 13, 2022 at 7:13 am
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Davante Lewis' victory in Louisiana is a big deal for clean energy – airnewshubb December 13, 2022 at 9:35 pm
Davante Lewis' victory in Louisiana is a big deal for clean energy - Insta Original December 14, 2022 at 2:02 am
In Louisiana, an electoral upset could mean a breakthrough for renewables - Wishesda December 14, 2022 at 4:41 am
Wisconsin utility We Energies looks to recover $2 million in annual membership dues from its customers
DTE executive tells lawmakers battery storage is not suitable for Michigan as advocates slam its resource plan


Jeff Malpas is Distinguished Professor at the University of Tasmania and Visiting Distinguished Professor at Latrobe University. He is the founder and first Director of the University of Tasmania's Centre for Applied Philosophy and Ethics (now the Inglis Clark Centre). He is also the author of 20 books and more than 100 scholarly articles on topics ranging from philosophy and art to architecture and geography.
He is currently working on topics including the ethics of place, the failing character of governance, the materiality of memory, the topological character of hermeneutics, the place of art, and the relationship between place, boundary, and surface.


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Q: Local variable referenced before assignment (don't want to use global) I'm learning Python using "Learn Python the hard way" and am currently making a simple game
Following the book's guidelines, each "room" is to be it's own function and herein lies my problem, I have some variables that need to be accessed by all functions. e.g. Current_health, armor, strength stat.
I have looked at the previous questions on here (that I actually understood) and the only solution seems to be to declare it as a global variable within the function, but as I'm going to have 20+ rooms (functions) it seems a bit silly to declare them all every time
The other option is to pass the variable when calling the function, but as I need to put through 8 variables each time that also seems impractical. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'll paste the code below in case it helps (the game is far from finished so some may not make sense)
Right now the start() works because of my global variables but I'll run into the error as soon as it tries to run shadow_figure() because of the wep_dam reference
from sys import exit

str = 0
wep_dam = 0
dam = str + wep_dam
cha = 0
sne = 0
arm = 0
max_life = 10
points_remaining = 0

def shadow_figure():
    print "\n\nYou approach the figure, who remains silent."
    print "As you get closer you realise he has bag at his feet."
    print "Mysterious figure: \"You may choose only one.\""
    print "You look into the bag, and see a shiny sword on top of a large steel shield."
    ans = raw_input("Do you: \n1. Take the sword \n2. Take the shield \n3. Take the whole bag and run \n4. Walk away without taking anything\n> ")
    if ans == "1":
        print "The sword gives you an extra 3 damage"
        wep_dam += 3
        exit_beach()
    elif ans == "2":
        print "The shield gives you 3 armor, but it's so heavy it reduces your sneak by 1"
        arm += 3
        sne -= 1

def beach():
    print "\n\nYou wake up on a beach with no idea how you got there. \nYou see a shadowy figure close to the water."
    ans = raw_input("Do you: \n1. Approach him \n2. Go the other way\n> ")
    if ans == "1":
        shadow_figure()
    elif ans == "2":
        exit_beach()
    else:
        print "Please enter either 1 or 2"

def reset_stats():
    str = 0
    wep_dam = 0
    dam = str + wep_dam
    cha = 0
    sne = 0
    arm = 0

    max_life = 10

    points_remaining = 10
    print "\n\n\n\nGame Reset\n\n\n\n"

def start():
    global str
    global wep_dam
    global dam
    global cha
    global sne
    global arm
    str = 0
    wep_dam = 0
    dam = str + wep_dam
    cha = 0
    sne = 0
    arm = 0

    max_life = 10
    points_remaining = 0

    print "You are an adventurer, your stats are currently:"
    print "Strength:  %d \nCharisma:  %d \n  Sneak:   %d" % ( str,  cha,  sne)
    print "Strength determines your damage, charisma determines your chance of pursuasion, \nand sneak determines whether or not you can go get past enemies without being detected"
    print "you have 10 points available to spend, to spend a point, simply type the number which corresponds\nwith the skill and hit enter"
    print "\n\n1. Strength \t2. Charisma \t3. Sneak\n"
    points_remaining = 10
    while points_remaining > 0:
        ans = raw_input("Choose a skill: ")
        if ans == "1":
            str += 1
            points_remaining -= 1
            print "Strength is now  %d" % ( str)
            print "%d  points remaining\n" % ( points_remaining)

        elif ans == "2":
            cha += 1
            points_remaining -= 1
            print "Charisma is now %d" % ( cha)
            print "%d points remaining\n" % ( points_remaining)

        elif ans == "3":
            sne += 1
            points_remaining -= 1
            print "Sneak is now %d" % ( sne)
            print "%d points remaining\n" % (points_remaining)
        else:
            print "Error, please enter a number from 1 to 3\n"

    print "Your stats are now: "
    print "Strength:  %d \nCharisma:  %d \n   Sneak:  %d\n\n" % ( str,  cha,  sne)
    print "Is this OK? Or would you like to restart?\n"
    ans = raw_input("1. Continue \n2. Restart\n> ")
    if ans == "1":
        print "Game will now begin...."
        beach()
    elif ans == "2":
        ans = raw_input("Are you sure? Yes/No\n> ")
        ans = ans.lower()
        if ans == "yes":
            reset_stats()
            start()
        else:
            beach()
    else:
        print "Error, please enter 1 or 2"

start()

A: You may wrap your globals in class:
class Player:
    str = 0
    wep_dam = 0
    dam = str + wep_dam
    cha = 0
    sne = 0
    arm = 0
    max_life = 10
    points_remaining = 0

and access its fields in rooms like this: Player.arm += 3


text:
CargoTel was founded in 2000 and has been a leader in software solutions for automotive logistics. Our products will help you control and grow your business
2809 Boston St #107
About Baltimore
Baltimore ( BAWL-tim-or, locally: BAWL-mər; colloquially known simply as B'more) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the 30th most populous city in the United States, with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was designated an independent city by the Constitution of Maryland in 1851, and today is the largest independent city in the United States. As of 2017, the population of the Baltimore metropolitan area was estimated to be just under 2.802 million, making it the 21st largest metropolitan area in the country. Baltimore is located about 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Washington, D.C., making it a principal city in the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area (CSA), the third-largest CSA in the nation, with a calculated 2018 population of 9,797,063.Prior to European colonization, the Baltimore region was used as hunting grounds by the Susquehannock Native Americans, who were primarily settled further north than where the city was later built. Colonists from the Province of Maryland established the Port of Baltimore in 1706 to support the tobacco trade with Europe, and established the Town of Baltimore in 1729.
Neighborhoods in Baltimore, MD
Arlington, Ashburton, Barclay, Barre Circle, Beechfield, Berea, Brewers Hill, Broadway East, Brooklyn, Callaway-Garrison
Things to do in Baltimore, MD
AVAM - Anita Roddick Tall Sculpture Barn & Wildflower Garden
Art Gallery of Fells Point
B&O Railroad Museum
Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum
Baltimore Ghost Tours
Baltimore Museum of Art
Baltimore Museum of Industry
Baltimore Phoenix Shot Tower
Baltimore Visitor Center
Baltimore's Historic Charles Street: Maryland Scenic Byway
Lake Macquarie, New South Wales
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For any of you out there who would like to take a look at a pair of albatross bringing up their chick, you can view it live any time of the day This is taking place at Tairoa Head in Dunedin, New Zealand and is being live streamed and I am hoping it is available to people outside of New Zealand. It is the most fascinating thing to watch. You can google Albatross chick Dunedin live stream and hopefully you can watch this amazing experience.
gregorylagrange.org If Amazon had it's drone idea working, I'd order that albatross a windbreaker.
I know what you mean. That wind is wicked. So glad you popped in to have a look. I love watching the parents feeding the chick and the rangers weigh it a couple of times a day. It's such a fascinating insight into the lives of albatross.


text:
Home MMO News Help Take Your Club to the Top in Trove's Club Focused Update
Help Take Your Club to the Top in Trove's Club Focused Update
Clubs are about to become even more important in Trove. According to a letter posted today by Senior Producer Ricky White, the game's latest update — titled "Adventures" — will add a variety of updates to the club system that will make them a more central part of game life.
To begin with, clubs will now be able to level up using experience earned from players taking part in the new Adventure system. The Adventure system is accessible via something known as the Adventure Fixture which allows admins of the club to spawn NPCs ready to issue Adventures to players in that club. Fixtures are a new type of structure that offers Clubs a selection of perks like boosts and bonuses — or in the case of the Adventure Fixture, the ability to summon adventure offering NPCs.
In addition to Fixtures and the Adventure system, the new update also introduces a new Eastern-themed biome to the game and removes the cap from the mastery system. Of course, these are the highlights of the update and a short summary of other features being added alongside them can be found in the full Producer's Letter on the Trove site.
DarkForsh October 23, 2017 at 4:36 am
wanna see their faces when they decided to ban all the botting players to see that nearly the whole population was bots.
It shame that trove has less population for support this game.


A film and an exhibition focus on the interaction between the Bauhaus and Japan, based on two houses in the suburbs of Tokyo - Migishi Atelier and Bunzo Yamaguchi House.
Both houses were designed in the 1930s/40s by Japanese architects, Iwao Yamawaki (1898-1987), a student at the Bauhaus, and Bunzo Yamaguchi (1902-1978), who worked in Walter Gropius' practice at that time, and are privately owned. The film documents the buildings' architecture and tells the story of their inhabitants, providing glimpses of their current lives in and with the buildings.
A project of the Chair of Design and Housing, funded by the Thüringer Staatskanzlei and the Alumni Office at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.


text:
Home More Features THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT
THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT
Ravi V S
"T was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong"
John Godfrey Saxe
The above two stanzas are from the poem " The blind men and the elephant" by John Godfrey Saxe, which is based on an old Hindu parable dating back to 500 BC, about six blind men attempting to describe an elephant. Each of them had caught hold of a particular part of the elephant's anatomy. The one who caught hold of the tail concluded that the elephant was like a rope. The one that had touched the elephant's body opined that the elephant was like a wall. The man who touched the knee said it was like a tree. The one who had felt the trunk concluded that the elephant was like a snake. The one who had touched the tusk said it was like a spear. The man who had touched the ear said it was like a fan.
There are of course different versions of the same story, anyway, the main point in the parable was that each of the blind persons had attempted to describe the elephant on the basis of the evidence he could gather. It was only John Godfrey Saxe who wrote a poem on the parable. Some critics feel that Saxe used the elephant as a metaphor for God and the blind men as a metaphor for the various religions.
According to the eminent Science writer Isaac Asimov, this parable can be used to describe scientists who according to him look at a human being from different angles, depending upon their own particular scientific discipline but the view of each of them would not obviously represent the whole picture. He feels that if ten scientists are asked to define a "human being" we will most certainly receive ten different answers. Each will look at the human being from a different angle based on his own perception of the nature of the physical universe and of the human body.
Let us first take the physicist. As Asimov observes he would most probably define a "human being" as a decreaser of entropy. It is known that all changes in the universe are powered by transfer of energy and in all cases, the final result is a more even distribution of energy i.e higher entropy-if the system is taken as a whole. This is the second law of Thermodynamics, one of the most famous laws of classical Physics. But within the system, there are smaller systems, in which in a relatively limited sense, the process gets reversed and the entropy is decreased. The enormous and steady increase of entropy of the Sun's centre produces energetic radiation that constantly bombards this planet. A tiny fraction of that radiation produces changes that locally and temporarily reverse the tide of entropy to produce life, a subsystem that is particularly efficient in continuing the process of reversal.
It would, therefore, appear that all living organisms have the ability to increase order at the expense of disorder-i.e. to reverse the natural process of entropy. Among them is the human being.
A Chemist as Asimov says would define a "human being" as a product of the Carbon atom.
In the beginning, the earth was barren with an ocean and an atmosphere consisting of relatively small simple molecules; methane, ammonia, water, hydrogen- sulfide, and nitrogen. These simple molecules were bathed in energy, radiation from the sun, heat from the earth, lightning discharges from the electrified atmosphere, and more subtle radiation from a crust twice as rich in radioactive materials as it is now.
The simple molecules were fused into more complex molecules by these various forms of energy. Carbon atoms, among the smallest atoms of all, formed particularly stable carbon-carbon bonds. No fewer than four such bonds are possible for each carbon atom, consequently, those molecules that include carbon atoms – "organic molecules" – quickly outstripped all others in size and complexity. Eventually, organic molecules became sufficiently large, complex, delicate and versatile enough to possess the essential properties we associate with life. All life on earth – including human life – is based on them.
The biochemist would regard a human being as a nucleic acid enzyme interactor Molecules can never be regarded as "alive" as long as they do not have the capacity to replicate themselves, to increase their own numbers at the expense of simpler molecules in the environment and to impose their order on less orderly surroundings.
Nucleic acid enzyme interactor Molecules
As molecules became more complex during our planet's infancy organic substances able to self replicate were produced. These were probably the type we now know as nucleic acids. Other equally complex types of organic molecules like proteins were also formed, including enzymes that had catalytic properties-that is on their surfaces certain chemical reactions could take place more easily and rapidly than they would elsewhere. Somehow nucleic acids and enzymes joined forces with the nucleic acids serving as blueprints for the formation of specific enzymes; a number of different nucleic acids could each lead to the formation of a number of different enzymes catalysing a whole series of chemical changes. Thus life grew steadily more complex. Among the forms of life that developed was the human being.
A Biologist as Asimov observes would define a "human being" as a cell conglomerate.
Once self-replicating molecules appeared in the early stage of our planet's history, they competed with one another for the non-living molecules surrounding them in the primeval Oceanic soup. Such of those self-replicating molecules that could most efficiently use the simpler molecules as raw material for duplicating themselves, multiplied at the expense of the less efficient ones; the process of natural selection had begun. Occasionally changes were introduced in self-replicating molecules through random processes; molecules experiencing changes that increased their efficiency survived and flourished at the expense of others. Evolution thus proceeded through a process of natural selection.
Human Egg Cell
It this way whole systems of molecules gradually evolved and were marked off from the outer environment by a membrane that let through some portions of the outer world and kept others out. These were cells. The more efficient the cells, the better they thrived. Different kinds of cells came to flourish in different kinds of environment. Finally, some cells developed the ability to cling together co-operate and specialise forming multicellular organisms that grew in variety and complexity. The most complex of the organisms that thus formed is the human being, in Asimov's view.
As Asimov observes the Astronomer would regard the human being as a child of the star cores, the end product of the supernova explosions, light-years away, from whose element- rich interstellar debris planets were born. A light-year is a distance travelled by light for a whole year at the velocity of 186000 miles per second
To the Anthropologist the human being represents the slow accumulation of characteristic properties; bipedal posture, acute vision, a grasping hand and an expanded brain.
To the Archaeologist the human being is the accumulator of culture, the builder of great cities, the maker of pottery, the planter of grain, the deviser of writing.
To the Psychologist, the human being is the possessor of an extraordinary complex brain with the power of thought and abstraction that no computer can match- even though Deep Blue defeated Kasparov in chess, it has no consciousness as we understand. So it is not even aware that it had defeated Kasparov!
To the Theologian according to Asimov, the human being is a humble participant in a grand drama of sin and redemption;
To the sociologist, a human being is a moulder of societies that in turn have domesticated him.
It would be erroneous if at the end of our discussion we conclude that any one of the ten scientists has the correct viewpoint in respect of man and that all the other scientists have wrong ideas. Each of the scientists is right in his own ways like the blind men who felt the elephant and described it as a spear, or wall, or a rope and so on
Each of the ten Scientists would reach a different verdict depending upon the part of the elephant he feels( i.e which again leads him to reach a conclusion based on own speciality) and so would not get the true picture. On the contrary, if they pool their conclusions, the aggregate would enable them to reach the correct verdict.
After all, Scientists are all intellectuals going on a long journey on different roads but seeking a common goal, the secrets of the universe with their discoveries. Only if the roads merge and form a single wide road, will they be able to illuminate the paths of darkness to reach the ultimate goal of truth?
As Shakespeare rightly said in one of his sonnets
"There is no darkness but ignorance".
But Pope is also right in observing
" A little knowledge is a dangerous thing" as in the parable about the blind men, and the elephant.
Cyber Psychologist
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V.S.Ravi is a distinguished and highly decorated IPS officer having served both the Government of AP and the Government of India, for 35 years. He retired in 1998. He is a grandson of the Late Sir Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, one of the Chief Architects of the Constitution of India. Though a student of Physics, Ravi is one of the foremost authorities on Shakespeare in the country. He has also kept in touch with the latest developments in Science and Technology and has written five highly acclaimed books on Science
Rescuing People Addicted and Caught in Today's Messy Web
Is There Life Outside Earth? Nasa has discovered seven earth-like planets
ROLE OF A POSITIVE ATTITUDE IN FIGHTING THE EMPEROR OF MALADIES...
Intellect, courage and truth – A tribute to Stephen J. Gould
A Painless Way of Treating Diseases
THE CHEMISTRY OF STARS


Summer is an amazing time of the year; many love to soak in the vitamin D and work on their glowing tans. During the summertime, it is important to stay active and Zion National Park has amazing and refreshing ways of helping visitors stay healthy.
One of their unique trails involves the renowned river, The Virgin Narrows, where people can hike/swim through the cerulean water. The river is flanked with towering canyons which holds a really powerful energy to an already innovative hike. Comfortable clothing is a must-have on a trail like this. Light-weight sports bras and spandex shorts dry easily in the Utah sun and allow mobility during the hike. Bandanas hold back hair and soak up sweat which makes it easier to focus on the natural beauty around you while becoming a healthier you.
In this look... Danskin sports bra, Under Armour spandex shorts, & a thrifted bandana.


The discipline gap, was the Saints' intentional injury system really so bad, a gun bill veto at night, the misery of the long-distance runner, and the science of ear worms.
Why are African American students disciplined at such high rates? A new Department of Education study says black students, who made up only 18 percent of those enrolled in the schools sampled, make up 39 percent of all expulsions, and 46 percent of those suspended multiple times.
The statistics are numbers the Bush administration didn't want you to have, the New York Times reports, but now that you have it, what's next?
The data will be released this afternoon. It will also show that schools with large numbers of black and Hispanic students have the lowest-paid and least-experienced teachers.
Dropout Nation also notes that teachers are more likely to give minority students lower scores on tests than they score on standardized tests.
2) IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME?
Was destroying Bret Favre, denying Vikings fans a Super Bowl appearance, and making a few extra bucks doing so really that bad? Associated Press sports columnist Jim Litke writes today that the New Orleans Saints' " bounty" program that rewarded players for injuring opposition players isn't that unusual; it's just that the defensive coach who institute the plan kept good records. He hints that fans who "ooh" and "ahh" on the big hits probably should pipe down.
The NFL's biggest problem isn't Williams, or even the informal bounty schemes or side bets hatched between players whose lockers happen to be next to each other. It's not the quiet discussions that circulate on occasion in film rooms or even the over-the-top motivational speeches that loudmouth coaches like Williams deliver. The problem is the game itself.
Contact isn't a byproduct of football, it's the point. If cash makes a few players more willing to take crazy risks, or more purposeful in how they target an opponent, there are still plenty of guys who simply think of it as part of the job. The league already has its hands full trying to determine intent when there's no evidence that money changed hands, reviewing games from every weekend and occasionally applying penalties and fines after the fact. That's only going to get tougher as players get bigger and stronger.
How's this playing in New Orleans? Not surprisingly, different than it's playing in Minnesota. On NOLA.com, the fans are also wondering what's the big deal?
I think this is a very disappointing situation that we as Saints fans must endure. Over the past three seasons no opponent that the Saints have played lost anybody, was carted off or suffered a devastating injury. I think most of this is being blown out of proportion because of the language that was used and the amount of money used for different types of hits. When the league looks over this and see that there was no player(s) seriously injured because of the bounty program, they may take that into consideration. Also because these players are a fraternity and have families, I don't believe they would intentionally try and seriously injure anybody. The league should fine the coaches and players that were involved, but one good thing about it is they won't rush into an emotional decision. The media caught wind of this and broke the news and lots of responses were based off of emotions. They will take a really long look at this and determine the course of action, but right now since it's fresh its being Magnified!
A good indication of just how politically sensitive the "castle doctrine" expansion bill was for Gov. Mark Dayton is that he waited until after working hours to veto the bill. Extending self-defense rules for gun owners, however, isn't the type of veto that can go unnoticed.
MPR's Tom Scheck has the veto letter and all of the reaction.
Do you agree with Gov. Dayton's veto of the 'castle doctine' gun bill?
Last month, 135 bikers, runners, and skiers headed out in the pre-dawn darkness on the Ultra 135 in International Falls. It's a race organizers said is about "you, the wilderness, your inner dogged spirit and self-sufficiency." No support crews are allowed.
FUN IN FROSTBITE FALLS from Ron Rogers on Vimeo.
Got a song stuck in your head? Not surprisingly, it's probably because you heard it recently. But it also may be because you're stressed out or something you saw reminded your inner DJ about a long-ago song's existence.
Modern humans have been around for some 200,000 years, but written language may have been invented only around 5,000 years ago, Levitin says. So through much of human history people memorised important information through songs.
That practice continues today in cultures with strong oral traditions.
Levitin says the combination of rhythm, rhyme, and melody provides reinforcing cues that make songs easier to remember than words alone.
The website, Earwormery, is collecting the names of songs stuck in your head.
Lawsuits and other sanctions may follow an NFL investigation that found the New Orleans Saints paid its players to injure members of opposing teams. In particular, the Saints allegedly targeted Brett Favre during the game that ended the Vikings' drive toward the Super Bowl in 2010. Today's Question: What's your reaction to the scandal involving bounties and the New Orleans Saints?
Daily Circuit (9-12 p.m.) – First hour: Residents in 10 states cast votes and over 400 delegates are up for grabs. Guests: Jeff Greenfield, host of PBS's Need to Know; Henry Gomez, politics reporter for The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer; Aaron Gould Sheinin, staff writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and Kristen M. Daum, government & politics reporter, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
Second hour: When non-profits get too big.
MPR News Presents (12-1 pm): Live news conference by President Barack Obama.
Talk of the Nation (1-3 p.m.) – First hour: Iran, Israel and President Obama. Plus: the parent's perspective, on caring for elderly parents.
Second hour: The science of pet therapy.
Minnesota stats are higher than national average for students of color being suspended, etc. Sobering stats… Racism is alive and well while being ignored and excused.
@Minnwhaler – Racism may be "alive and well", but I don't think you get to brand teachers racist because black students are punished more. Do you have some actual arguements to support your assertion?
How about the situation is made worse because of a higher number of single parents. Or economic hardships? etc.
There are a ton of studies on these topics that could debate the "That's racist" assertion.
This is a complicated topic and I doubt there that there is one given factor. It may be anecdotal, but I know many teachers and they care deeply about kids of all color.
As one whose weekend is Sunday-Monday, Tuesdays are rarely super. Especially when it comes to election contests.
It's not about 'Racism' at all. It has more to do with ethnic upbringing i.e.. how we teach our children. Just because one may live in poverty does NOT become an excuse to commit crimes against each other.
If Mitch Berg thinks Dayton's veto can drive a wedge on gun rights, guess again. Other than some NRA hardcores (who likely voted for Emmer anyhow), no one is really getting uptight over his veto of a bill that nobody but the gun lobby wanted.
Exactly, white collar crimes (the ones commited by the uber rich and ivy league) are much more difficult to detect with the advancement of technology. They seem to have the resources and power (money) to undermine competitors whether it is business or social…and sadly even religious.
About the suspensions and expallsions, racism plays a part as well as the environment at home.
I could come up with a ba-jillion citings with statistics that support both those statements.
It's time we bulldoze the System and re do it.
Saints fans can say what they want. There were some incredibly ugly hits during the Vikings/Saints game that were unwarranted, and refereeing staff were implicit.
The deep intellect and voice of Neil DeGrasse Tyson, astounding photography, and "To Build a Home by Cinematic Orchestra" in the background (from the Ma Fleur disc, not the Live Current Volume Four disc). Beautiful. Thank you.
RE: 2) IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME?
I agree with Tyler. As usual the NFL is going to project the blame and not own any responsibility. Those Refs were terrible.
Of course, everyone knew N.O. HAD to win. Does anyone believe that the terrible reffing wasn't in some way at the behest of the NFL Org?
Every black American comes from a tradition of being kidnapped, enslaved, and treated as less than human.
And guess what – racism still exists. Rage against personal and societal injustice is normal.
While individual bad behavior should not be excused, compassion – ie don't judge me until you've walked a mile in my shoes – is the only path to healing.
What to do to help make schools a safe place of learning for everyone is above my pay grade, but God bless the teachers and administrators who do their damnedest with love in their hearts. And get rid of the bad ones.
Speaking of racism in school, I was shocked at the bias displayed at a recent school math team competition. Students with family from India were represented at a much higher rate than in the Minnesota school population.
It is unfair for teachers and the school system to place elevated rewards and pressure on that minority population.
Well, that's just not true. In Minnesota we have huge numbers of African immigrants. Our president is a black American who's family were never slaves. While I agree with your sentiment, your statement is wrong.
I wasn't referring to the teachers as racist I was referring to our society as a whole. As Mr. Collins stated the data "will also show that schools with large numbers of black and Hispanic students have the lowest-paid and least-experienced teachers." That isn't the teachers' fault either.
Unfortunately this problem belongs to everyone of us.
Touche'. Maybe one of the keys to Obama's success is that he isn't burdened by that history. That said, he has his own childhood race-based challenges that he has – to a great extent – overcome.
Actually, our president is half black and half caucasian. Even if HE negates his caucasian mother's contribution to who he is, I'm not going to do so.
How soon y'all forget. In 2002, outstate DFLers who voted against the MN Personal Protection Act got un-elected in droves. It contributed heavily to the GOP's majorities, especially outstate, between 2002 and 2006. The Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance (GOCRA) mobilized one of the most amazing grass-roots campaigns in MN history to turn that issue around. And we're getting mobilized to do it again.
Y'all can feel free to keep forgetting it, for all I care.
BTW, Bob, thanks for the piece on ear worms. Gotta read more.
Oh, yeah – the first "Bob" in my previous was Moffitt; the second (in re the earworm) was Collins.