text:
Mellichamp Elementary in Orangeburg Earns $5,000 School of Promise Award
South Carolina school among two honored in U.S. honored for early success with NIET initiatives that focus on high-quality instruction
Dr. Candice McQueen, CEO of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), surprised Mellichamp Elementary in the Orangeburg County School District today with a $5,000 NIET School of Promise Award. The award honors Mellichamp's early success implementing NIET's initiatives to improve teaching and learning. The award was announced during a virtual celebration with the school and district leaders.
Over the past two years, Mellichamp has shifted its school culture to re-focus on making data-driven decisions and leveraging high-quality instructional practices. Educators regularly collaborate and have a chance to grow as instructors, and the school culture models continuous growth. Since working with NIET in the 2018-19 school year, Mellichamp has improved in Academic Achievement, Preparing for Success, and Student Engagement, as determined by the South Carolina Department of Education. From 2018 to 2019, the school also increased its percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations on state assessments in English language arts, math, and science – and jumped 27.4 percentage points in social studies. Additionally, between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school year, Mellichamp retained all of its teachers – another mark of the positive culture established at the school.
Mellichamp Elementary is one of just two schools that NIET is honoring as a School of Promise this year. The second school is Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee, which was honored last week.
"Mellichamp's community is inspiring and shows us what is possible when educators collaborate and deepen their focus on high-quality instruction," Dr. McQueen said. "Mellichamp's leaders and educators have built their capacity around engaging teaching practices, and we look forward to continuing to work alongside them to take their work to the next level."
NIET has a 20-year history of working alongside more than 8,500 schools, districts, states, and universities to ensure that all students have effective educators. NIET's partner schools have shown success by both outperforming similar schools and having greater teacher retention.
"Mellichamp provides a model of excellence not only within the Orangeburg and surrounding communities, but also throughout the nation," Orangeburg's superintendent Dr. Shawn Foster commented. "High expectations, inspirational leadership and a collaborative spirit are the cornerstones of school transformations and are certainly evident in that school."
Recipients of the $5,000 NIET School of Promise Award are selected by NIET for their efforts to make instructional excellence the cornerstone of school improvement; plan for regular professional learning focused on daily needs of teachers and students; create a culture of collaboration and reflection; and create systems that maximize the talents of teacher leaders and administrators to drive student growth. Leaders are able to spend the money as they choose to support their educators.
What Sets Mellichamp Elementary Apart
Mellichamp is among 32 schools in the Orangeburg County School District and has the highest poverty rate at 91.5%. Years of consecutive "At-Risk" ratings by the South Carolina Department of Education motivated Mellichamp to implement a culture shift. Administrators, lead teachers and support staff began to recalibrate instructional priorities to focus on teacher and student needs. They earned their first Palmetto Silver Award from the state for general performance for the 2012-13 school year, but it wasn't until they "stopped buying programs and started building people" – as former Principal Hayward Jean put it – that they paved the way for continuous improvement through a partnership with NIET. Jean now serves as director of student services for the district, and new Mellichamp Principal Dr. Elrica C. Glover, former assistant principal, is continuing Mellichamp's commitment to educator effectiveness.
"NIET helped us build a culture of reflection, strength-based teaching, collaboration, student engagement, and student ownership," said Jean. "The opportunity to walk with NIET specialists in and out of classrooms and to discuss the areas of refinement and reinforcement has been empowering."
The daily motivation of Mellichamp's educators to "put the 'champ' in Mellichamp" is reflected in the positive state survey results from 2019, which show a 95% satisfaction rate among teachers toward Mellichamp's learning environment, and 92% among students. Overall, Mellichamp earned an "Excellent" rating for Student Engagement, indicating "school performance substantially exceeds the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the SC Graduate." These qualities include world-class knowledge, skills, and life and career characteristics of integrity, self-direction, global perspective, perseverance, work ethic, and interpersonal skills.
Mellichamp has continued its dedication to the future of Orangeburg's youth by developing partnerships with nearby Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Claflin University and South Carolina State University. This work aligns teacher preparation to the specific needs of the community and helps to strengthen the pipeline of talent to train generations of scholars.
For graphs and images of Mellichamp Elementary School, visit the NIET newsroom. The full Zoom recording of the celebration is located will be made available after the event. For interviews, please contact Jana Rausch at jrausch@niet.org or (310) 435-9259. For more information, visit www.niet.org.
Topics in this post:
Candice McQueen
Educator/Teacher Retention
Principals & Administrators
Somerset ISD, Texas, Earns $50,000 NIET Award of Excellence for Educator Effectiveness
Louisiana Offers Free Virtual Instruction Training to Support Teachers and Principals
NIET Rubric Recognized as One of the Best for Strong Training in Classroom Management


Pamela Oliver (University of Wisconsin) has an excellent and comprehensive article in The American Sociologist on the problems of peer review in sociology.
Of special note is the rate at which senior scholars are expected to review article submissions. Oliver says that she receives as many as twelve requests per month, and ends up writing as many as 24 reviews each year.
I have gone through both routes and have been well published. Peer review law journals are not efficient. Once I sent my draft to a UK journal the editor rejected it within an hour didn't even send it to peer review. Funny, the paper was given an offer a werk latet in a prestigious T14 specialty. I did publish different paper in a non US peer review - what a political game. Only after I realized these blokes wanted me to cite to their journal articles did I realize how superior our US student journals are. They kept urging me to look at this or that angle and after 2 or 3 times I realized they were the ones who espoused that position and I cited to their articles. Suddenly, my article was perfect. Yeh peer review...play the game cite to people who are the reviewers and get approved. What a joke.
In various fields,where citation counts are important, it has long been somewhat notorious that there is a lot of quid-pro-quo citing happening, and that is not limited to social sciences.
Yeah, MacK, like you know ANYTHING about this, busy globe-trotting lawyer you are.
My point is the euro centric peer review system is not better than the US system. In fact it is worse and we should not change. I have been to enough conferences where the UK and other euro professors have this air of superiority based on being published in a peer reviewed publication.
In some peer review journals, particularly narrowly focused, there is pretty obvious quid-pro-quo citation, it's not particularly a secret; scientists talk quietly about it and who does it. There are other ways in certain scientific fields to get high citation counts - certain types of articles get high citations because they produce a useful data point to use in other research, they establish or confirm hard but useful measurements.
Anon - how do I express this, anonymous snark suits your lack of substance.
As it happens I do read law journals, European and US. Generally European journals are of higher quality and much more useful. However, I woukd not necessarily ascribe this to the peer review system. Most European legal journals are commercial or published by legal professional societies focused in a field. The result is that their are fewer journals and they need to retain the interest of legal professionals so as to maintain subscriptions. So as a starting point, the need to get subscribers drives quality. Think of them as closer to the publications of the Bureau of National Affairs.
A second factor is that most of Europe lacks a proper court reporter system, and even the UK and Ireland's system is haphazard and lack good digesting. English case decisions, especially from the Court of Appeal and House of Lords/Supreme Court are often vague and hard to follow - the ECJ is better, but still it's decisions can be opaque. This offers fertile ground for publishing legal articles in a legal environment where necessity means that legal briefs regularly cite secondary sources such as treatises and articles; it also means that European legal academics can usefully dig out obscure legal issues and treatment in courts that in the US is readily available. When look at legal pleadings I have written and/or contributed to in Europe, international matters and the US, one thing that is striking is the amount of quotation of secondary sources outside the US, as compared to the almost complete dependence in the US in primary sources, i.e., court decisions.
In other words it is not just peer review that is the issue. I'd add that European legal academics are closer to practice, or indeed are also in practice than is typical in the US.
Written in an iPad - so please excuse typos.
I'd add a point, though there is an element of which came first, chicken or egg.
The fact that European lawyers and courts rely so heavily on secondary sources means that it is important that journals and books are peer reviewed - or perhaps they rely on them heavily because they are peer reviewed. In any even it is a different publishing environment for a different market.
At mack you raise interesting points regarding the 2 systems. But I am not sure that after all is said and done the euro law journals are better quality as you opine. I think the innovation and intellectual vigor remains an American characteristic. Indeed, I believe that the peer review can stifle fresh thinking.
I would not say that one is better than the other, and I do not think i said so - which is better depends on your point of view. European journals are heavily directed at practitioners, judges adjudicators adjudicators. As such they tend towards being conservative statements of what the law is, and they tend to be much less inclined to speculate as to what it should be. Because the target readership is expected to rely on what these journals publish - they are more rigorous as to what is the fact and the law and they seek out peer review, often by those who would use them. It is important to remember that in Europe you pay for most journals, they are published by various houses like Kluwer, Sweet & Maxwell/Thomson. OUP, etc. and the are ****ing expensive. If they were not useful the law firms would not subscribe. So yes, you are right, there is less "fresh thinking," but that is not what the readership wants, though it definitely wants to know of fresh thinking by the courts, the EU Commission, etc.
The target readership for US journals is US legal academia and the journals are essentially free, piled up outside the journal office door. What you describe as innovation and intellectual vigor means that the journals are not particularly useful to practitioners, judges or adjudicators, because they publish speculation, policy ideas and argument to a large degree and rarely provide usable conclusions of law that differ from what can be found in case reporters. Because they are not going to be relied upon as statements of the law, peer review is regarded as essentially redundant. I think it is debatable how much the US readership cares for the "fresh thinking" that you regard as so important - as far as I can tell the typical US law review/journal article as a readership consisting of not much more than the author's mother.
Would adopting peer review change the way US journals are viewed and used. That is a tougher question. European journals in part address a need that results from the opacity of European legal reporting - the same opacity is not present in the US. Try finding out about German litigation sometime, that is to say, has company A been sued in a German court for Y - short of touring the courthouses it is impossible - there is no PACER in Germany or the UK - you send a clerk to chancery land or the the Landgericht. So there is an inherent need and demand that peer reviewed European journals are fulfilling, that is largely fulfilled in the US by primary sources. The other issue is that European law professors are typically much close to practice than US - many are members of firms as well as teaching.


The logic behind the reinstitution of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is too simple, too Dutertian, that it's not difficult to see why it's popular and widely accepted. Aligned with this administration's rhetoric of "kung wala kang masamang ginagawa, wala kang dapat ikatakot," ROTC railroads the active instruction for students to be subservient to the state. And, instead of fearing authority, cadets would be trained to be implementers of the law and hold a gun. Or, in our case, the ancient M1 Garand rifle.
The ROTC's primary aim is to prepare reserves—college students—for instances when the national defense needs more men and women in the armed forces.
So, considering that President Duterte concedes to pretty much everything that China wants to do, is bringing back the ROTC even necessary?
An inconvenienced Chinese national, Jiale Zhang, 23, threw her "taho" at PO1 William Cristobal, 39, on Saturday, causing a tidal wave of hate on social media. In the viral photo, Cristobal could be seen standing firmly, practicing maximum tolerance, while Zhang stood in front of him with both her hands on her hips.
National Capital Region Police Office Director Guillermo Eleazar was immediately ordered by Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde to take the necessary steps to have Zhang booked and possibly deported. Cristobal received a medal on Monday morning, and the PNP enjoyed more press time than the senatorial debates. The police, often framed as the villains in this time of "Tokhang," finally achieved some hint of heroism.
Online, many saw the incident as an opportunity to comment on the increasing presence of Chinese migrants in the Philippines. Others labeled the incident as a metaphor of our skewed relations with China. The comments have ranged from the racist and xenophobic to the profound. Cooped-up emotions about Mr. Duterte's impotent stand on the West Philippine Sea and Chinese laborers "stealing" the jobs meant for Filipinos finally found a crack in the wall and burst through.
But one of the revelations offered to us by this incident is how many of us are still pretty much racists, clueless of the forces of globalization, and unaware of ourselves and of the fact that millions of our fellow Filipinos work abroad. Zhang, who has resided here for six years as a fashion design student, likely traveled here to go to our cheaper, higher-quality schools than those they have in mainland China.
Were the moves made by Albayalde and Eleazar, for that matter, proportionate to the incident's gravity? Did Zhang's tantrums merit the attention of the institution's highest officials? Even harder to weigh, what is Zhang's taho-throwing compared to the murder of innocents perpetrated by the police? And why the lack of uproar and action toward the latter?
If the government would go to the trouble of reviving the ROTC "to instill discipline," I suggest we intensify as well, or prefer instead, the teaching of literature and the humanities. The way we reacted to Zhang's case shows us that what we lack is critical thinking skills. Unfortunately, critical thinking is precisely what the ROTC, or mandatory patriotism, hopes to erase. Should Zhang's case continue to snowball and the ROTC brand of "disciplining" pushes through, then we'd be raising fascists in no time.


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text:
oranges health benefits
Look up oranges health benefits in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
oranges health benefitsReplacing hardwood windows with aluminium took careful consideration, but the PURe® System looks fantastic and from a performance perspective, it has considerably surpassed my expectations. In fact we now intend to replace all of the windows in the house with PURe® windows!" When the UK government launched its Decarbonisation and energy efficiency roadmap 2050 project – working with the UK's eight most energy intensive manufacturing industries, including glass – British Glass saw an opportunity to develop a new type of relationship with policy makers. Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are devices consisting of glass or hard plastic lenses mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically using a bridge over the nose and arms which rest over the ears. Glasses are typically used for vision correction, such as with reading glasses and glasses used for nearsightedness. Safety glasses provide eye protection against flying debris for construction workers or lab technicians; these glasses may have protection for the sides of the eyes as well as in the lenses. Some types of safety glasses are used to protect against visible and near-visible light or radiation. Glasses are worn for eye protection in some sports, such as squash. Glasses wearers may use a strap to prevent the glasses from falling off during movement or sports. Wearers of glasses that are used only part of the time may have the glasses attached to a cord that goes around their neck, to prevent the loss of the glasses. The Method and Madness range includes four new Irish whiskeys. Each whiskey has its own twist; a single pot still Irish whiskey finished in French chestnut, a single grain Irish whiskey finished in virgin Spanish oak, a single malt Irish whiskey enhanced by French limousin oak and a 31-year-old single cask, single grain limited edition bottled at cask strength. Part of the reason for the surge in enquiries is that Euroglaze's website currently ranks on page 1 of Google searches for REHAU frames. This is attributed to the fact that the company's web partner has updated the website's architecture, switched the security protocols and kept pace with Google's changing algorithms on SEO.
1 unm health sciences library
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This allina health richfield page lists articles associated with the title Seo.
If an thomas chittenden health center led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Information & First Aid Zones
Duuuval's Bold City Bash
REVELxp
THE RIVALRY RETURNS IN
#UFvsUGA
LEARN THE
HISTORY BEHIND
The Georgia-Florida football rivalry is a yearly college football game between the University of Florida and the University of Georgia. It started in early 1900s, and it has been played every season since 1926. The annual game is one of the most prominent in college football, and it's been held in Jacksonville, FL since 1933.
Georgia - Florida Hall of Fame induction ceremony and luncheon
Georgia vs Florida Fall Exhibition baseball game
Georgia vs. Florida Football Game
Duuuval's
Bold City
GEORGIA VS
Tradition. Rivalry. Excellence.
Stay connected on Social Media for the latest updates and announcements!


I met my fiance at college. We fell in love with each other since 2012. And finally, we decided to get married. It is easier to make a decision than make a decision come true.
I started to search on different websites to try to figure out where should we start with the wedding. After several days searching, I make my mind to order my dresses first. You know, dresses may need more time for altering.
This is the beginning of my terrible experience. This is first wedding dress I get from a online shop.
My heart was broke when i try it on. It is too small on me. Of course, i know it is hard for a person who has the same pear shape like me to get a dress fit perfect. Fortunately, the dress is wonderful and good quality. So I contact the customer service to help solving this problem . And they promise to re-make a new one for me. However, I need to pay for the shipping fee. That is really nice and helpful.
So I am waiting for the new dress now. And i do not know what to do next. Hope everything will be fine. Even though i am looking forward to my perfect wedding. Hope can get suggestions from you guys.
That's all I can think of from the top of my head - I'm sure there may be other things I have missed but the biggest thing Ihave learnt is YOU CANNOT BOOK ANYTHING TOO EARLY, but you CAN book it too late.
Thank you soooooo much! Your information really helps. One more questions, I have to order 7 bridesmaid dresses. And I have no idea where to get cheap but good ones. Hope you can give me some advice.
I only have two bridemaids so not sure sure how helpful this will be but we got our dresses in the sale from House of Fraser online store, click and collect.
I recommend trying ASOS (huge selection and varying prices plus you can return them easily if the size/style isn't quite what you imagined) we tried a lot of dresses from here.
TK Maxx - you're not likely to get 7 the same in one store but if you find one that looks good (and fits etc) you can get them to call other stores to see if they have the same dress in stock and reserve them.
Any large department store John Lewis, Debenhams, House of Fraser etc - not always the cheapest but again very good with returns if something isn't quite right plus you're more likely to find 7 the same if you look online.
With 7 bridesmaids the same I'd probably do the dress shopping earlier rather than later.


Are you looking for Key_West___photography Wedding Photography or Videographers ?
McKL Photography can provide you with wedding photography services in Key_West___photography, we strive to give you the best in wedding photography. Whether is in Key_West___photography or in other parts of the country.At McKL Photography we only used certified camaramen, that's why we are the best in Key_West___photography producing wedding photography. We take pride of our work and we consider your day a very special moment in your life .
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Echidnopsis cereiformis is a small, snake-like succulent with thin tufted cylindrical branches. The stems are up to 12 inches (30 cm) long, reclining to upright, leafless, green, dull dark green, brownish-green or reddish. Tiny lovely flowers sprout out of the entire length of each stem but mainly toward the tip in autumn. They are typically pale to dull yellow.
Native to north east Africa (Ethiopia, Sudan and Eritrea).


The Tunze switched socket outlet allows you to utilize any pump with your Osmolator ATO. While the included pump is great for a vast majority of users, there are some instances where you may need a slower pump or one with more head pressure. This is where the switched socket outlet comes in.
-Locate the end of the wire coming out of the connector.
-Loosen the small screws to remove the terminal block and expose wire.
-Ensure all component are unplugged from the wall, or any energized electrical connections, and unscrew the control box.
-Locate the potentiometer, which is a small dial, used to set the power anywhere from nano to max.
Note: the instructions state the max setting is required when using the switched socket outlet, presumably because to maximize the signal.
Your Tunze Osmolator is now configured to control the AC outlet rather than the included DC pump and you are ready to plug in any basically aquarium pump up you like!
FYI for the rest of you that are using the standard DC pump that comes with the Osmolator; this dial will change the speed and height at which the Osmolator pumps water. The nano setting has a max pumping height of 1 meter, medium of 2.8 meters and the max will pump water as high as 3.8 meters.


Gidday all – Who is ready to do it all again? What a fantastic week! From all the smiles I saw throughout it was pretty obvious that everyone had a "Phat" time. I can't wait to get into next years' Trek.
As this will be my last last newsletter I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your support during my time as Director – I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in this role and have taken great satisfaction from seeing you all have a great time, and of course seeing the $$$ benefits for your hard work.
Thanks to Michelle and the committee for accepting the responsibility of planning next years trek and guiding Trek4Kidz in what seems to be a promising future.
Organising the Trek is a big job and as the saying goes "Many hands make light work", so if you able to offer any assistance with any planning etc – please do not hesitate to contact Michelle or anyone else on the committee and discuss your thoughts. The more that can help the easier it becomes for everybody.
Can I please remind you all to continue to check out the web page – especially the photos (I am slowly getting them all up) and also the sign on page for the 2011 trek. It is such an enormous help to get these details in ASAP.
The reunion date has been set – March 12 in Goulburn and surrounds – please put this date in your calendars and keep an eye out for more information in the coming months via newsletters and the website.


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Q: Randomizing balanced experimental designs I am writing some code to generate balanced experimental designs for market research, specifically for use in conjoint analysis and maximum difference scaling.
The first step is to generate a Partially Balanced Incompleted Block (PBIB) design.  This is straight-forward using the R package AlgDesign.
For most types of research such a design would be sufficient.  However, in market research one wants to control for order effects in each block.  This is where I would appreciate some help.
Create test data
# The following code is not essential in understanding the problem,
# but I provide it in case you are curious about the origin of the data itself.
#library(AlgDesign)
#set.seed(12345)
#choices <- 4
#nAttributes <- 7
#blocksize <- 7
#bsize <- rep(choices, blocksize)
#PBIB <- optBlock(~., withinData=factor(1:nAttributes), blocksizes=bsize)
#df <- data.frame(t(array(PBIB$rows, dim=c(choices, blocksize))))
#colnames(df) <- paste("Item", 1:choices, sep="")
#rownames(df) <- paste("Set", 1:nAttributes, sep="")

df <- structure(list(
  Item1 = c(1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 1, 2),
  Item2 = c(4, 4, 2, 5, 3, 2, 3),
  Item3 = c(5, 6, 5, 6, 4, 3, 4),
  Item4 = c(7, 7, 6, 7, 6, 7, 5)),
  .Names = c("Item1", "Item2", "Item3", "Item4"),
  row.names = c("Set1", "Set2", "Set3", "Set4", "Set5", "Set6", "Set7"),
  class = "data.frame")

** Define two helper functions
balanceMatrix calculates the balance of the matrix:
balanceMatrix <- function(x){
    t(sapply(unique(unlist(x)), function(i)colSums(x==i)))
}

balanceScore calculates a metric of 'fit' - lower scores are better, with zero perfect:
balanceScore <- function(x){
    sum((1-x)^2)
}

Define a function that resamples the rows at random
findBalance <- function(x, nrepeat=100){
    df <- x
    minw <- Inf
    for (n in 1:nrepeat){
        for (i in 1:nrow(x)){df[i,] <- sample(df[i, ])}
        w <- balanceMatrix(df)
        sumw <- balanceScore(w)
        if(sumw < minw){
            dfbest <- df
            minw <- sumw
        }
    }
    dfbest
}

Main code
The dataframe df is a balanced design of 7 sets.  Each set will display 4 items to the respondent. The numeric values in df refers to 7 different attributes.  For example, in Set1 respondent will be asked to choose his/her preferred option from attributes 1, 3, 4 and 7.
The ordering of items in each set is conceptually not important.  Thus an ordering of (1,4,5,7) is identical to (7,5,4,1).
However, to get a fully balanced design, each attribute will appear an equal number of times in each column.  This design is there imbalanced, since attribute 1 appears 4 times in column 1:
df

     Item1 Item2 Item3 Item4
Set1     1     4     5     7
Set2     2     4     6     7
Set3     1     2     5     6
Set4     3     5     6     7
Set5     1     3     4     6
Set6     1     2     3     7
Set7     2     3     4     5

To try and find a more balanced design, I wrote the function findBalance.  This conducts a random search for better solutions, by randomly sampling across the rows of df.  With 100 repeats it finds the following best solution:
set.seed(12345)
dfbest <- findBalance(df, nrepeat=100)
dfbest

     Item1 Item2 Item3 Item4
Set1     7     5     1     4
Set2     6     7     4     2
Set3     2     1     5     6
Set4     5     6     7     3
Set5     3     1     6     4
Set6     7     2     3     1
Set7     4     3     2     5

This appears more balanced, and the calculated balance matrix contains lots of ones.  The balance matrix counts the number of times each attribute appears in each column.  For example, the following table indicates (in the top left hand cell) that attribute 1 appears twice not at all in column 1, and twice in column 2:
balanceMatrix(dfbest)

     Item1 Item2 Item3 Item4
[1,]     0     2     1     1
[2,]     1     1     1     1
[3,]     1     1     1     1
[4,]     1     0     1     2
[5,]     1     1     1     1
[6,]     1     1     1     1
[7,]     2     1     1     0

The balance score for this solution is 6, indicating there are at least six cells unequal to 1:
balanceScore(balanceMatrix(dfbest))
[1] 6

My question
Thank you for following this detailed example.  My question is how can I rewrite this search function to be more systematic?  I'd like to tell R to:

*

*Minimize balanceScore(df)

*By changing row order of df

*Subject to: already fully constrained

A: OK, I somehow misunderstood your question. So bye bye Fedorov, hello applied Fedorov.
The following algorithm is based on the second iteration of the Fedorov algorithm :

*

*calculate all possible permutation for every set, and store them in the C0 list

*draw a first possible solution from the C0 space (one permutation for every set). This can be the original one, but as I need the indices, I rather just start at random.

*calculate the score for every new solution, where the first set is replaced by all permutations.

*replace the first set with the permutation giving the lowest score

*repeat 3-4 for every other set

*repeat 3-5 until score reaches 0 or for n iterations.

Optionally, you can restart the procedure after 10 iterations and start from another starting point. In you test case, it turned out that few starting points converged very slowly to 0. The function below found balanced experimental designs with a score of 0 in on average 1.5 seconds on my computer :
> X <- findOptimalDesign(df)
> balanceScore(balanceMatrix(X))
[1] 0
> mean(replicate(20, system.time(X <- findOptimalDesign(df))[3]))
[1] 1.733

So this is the function now (given your original balanceMatrix and balanceScore functions) :
findOptimalDesign <- function(x,iter=4,restart=T){
    stopifnot(require(combinat))
    # transform rows to list
    sets <- unlist(apply(x,1,list),recursive=F)
    nsets <- NROW(x)
    # C0 contains all possible design points
    C0 <- lapply(sets,permn)
    n <- gamma(NCOL(x)+1)

    # starting point
    id <- sample(1:n,nsets)
    Sol <- sapply(1:nsets,function(i)C0[[i]][id[i]])

    IT <- iter
    # other iterations
    while(IT > 0){
      for(i in 1:nsets){
          nn <- 1:n
          scores <- sapply(nn,function(p){
             tmp <- Sol
             tmp[[i]] <- C0[[i]][[p]]
             w <- balanceMatrix(do.call(rbind,tmp))
             balanceScore(w)
          })
          idnew <- nn[which.min(scores)]
          Sol[[i]] <- C0[[i]][[idnew]]

      }
      #Check if score is 0
      out <- as.data.frame(do.call(rbind,Sol))
      score <- balanceScore(balanceMatrix(out))
      if (score==0) {break}
      IT <- IT - 1

      # If asked, restart
      if(IT==0 & restart){
          id <- sample(1:n,nsets)
          Sol <- sapply(1:nsets,function(i)C0[[i]][id[i]])
          IT <- iter
      }
    }
    out
}

HTH
EDIT : fixed small bug (it restarted immediately after every round as I forgot to condition on IT). Doing that, it runs a bit faster still.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Is it fair to question the PERSONAL JUDGMENT of people in office or running for office? We think so.
We do not vote anymore. We consider the system completely broken. And we do not pay particularly too much attention to politics. We think politics is a big playpen to keep many millions of people busy and entertained and pouring their money and energy into activities that will never actually benefit them. We also consider that politics keeps a much smaller number of people EMPLOYED off of these many millions who don't actually benefit.
Image from The Guardian.
Before people consider voting, we think they should make some effort to DISCERN the judgment of those seeking power.
Are they weak? Are they corruptible? Are they narcissistic? Are they sociopathic? If so, why vote for them? If you can't find someone worth voting for, why vote? Voting affirms the system, and the system is totally broken. Do you patronize businesses that abuse you as a customer?
Do you want change? Stop voting. Stop giving your attention and time and money to corrupt politicians. Stop watching teevee. Reclaim that time to do your own research. Use your Google-fu.* Get a grip on what's really going on.
Only a person of strong character can have a chance at standing up to the MASSIVE SYSTEMIC CORRUPTION endemic in our society. If you don't understand the scale of corruption, you won't see the problem. That is why the controlled media does not talk about the true scope of corruption. They prefer to keep as many people in the playpen as possible. People stay in the playpen as long as they think that voting will make a difference in their lives.
That is why we write about ORGANIZED CRIME -- to reveal the scale of the problem. If you don't understand that the entire system is MASSIVELY, SYSTEMICALLY CORRUPT, you won't understand that politics is a complete waste of time. Organized crime means that there are corrupt politicians, and corporate executives, and bankers, and judges, and priests, and doctors, and social workers, and military people, and police officers, and intelligence operatives, and customs agents, etc. who work together to conduct human trafficking, and drug trafficking, and weapons trafficking, and organ trafficking, and money laundering, etc.
See: spectacular unforeseen disaster
If you don't understand the scale of the corruption, you won't understand that powerful people don't want anyone with good character ANYWHERE NEAR their control centers. A person of good character might blow a whistle. Therefore, any person who makes any political progress must be completely controllable, or else they will be taken down, or if necessary, taken out.
Therefore, we assume there is some spectacular dirt on EVERY SINGLE SENATOR, and probably on EVERY SINGLE REPRESENTATIVE who has been in office for a few years. Compromise = control.
We assume that anyone new to the system will also be either already corrupt or else readily corruptible. Otherwise, they won't BE ALLOWED to get very far.
Anyway, what draws people to run for political office in the first place?
To HELP other people?
Or to HELP themselves?
We think people SELF-SELECT for a life in politics. We think they tend to be legends in their own minds. We think they tend to be easily corruptible.
Christine O'Donnell. We wrote about Christine before. See: process of analogy.
Christine O'Donnell has a familiar face and a nice smile.
Aangirfan calls to our attention that the Tea Party seems to be run by the CIA?
And we learn more disturbing things about Christine O'Donnell.
Not so smiley this week.
"I had a one-night stand with Christine O'Donnell" ~ We will spare the details, but there are many photos to back the story up.
Christine O'Donnell responds:
Wilmington, DE – Communications Director Doug Sachtleben stated in response to the universal condoning of the Gawker story:
"This story is just another example of the sexism and slander that female candidates are forced to deal with. From Secretary Clinton, to Governor Palin, to soon-to-be Governor Haley, Christine's political opponents have been willing to engage in appalling and baseless attacks — all with the aim of distracting the press from covering the real issues in this race. ...
The National Organization for Women (NOW) on Thursday condemned the tabloid website Gawker for publishing an anonymous account: NOW issued a statement late Thursday stating that "sexist, misogynist attacks against women have no place in the electoral process, regardless of a particular candidate's political ideology."
"NOW repudiates Gawker's decision to run this piece. It operates as public sexual harassment. And like all sexual harassment, it targets not only O'Donnell, but all women contemplating stepping into the public sphere," said NOW president Terry O'Neill.
Talk about changing the subject. Christine's campaign would like people to see her as a victim of sexism. They would like you to think that the question of her character is a DISTRACTION from the real issues.
But in fact, character is all that matters, whether male or female, young or old.
Foolish and easily corruptible people will never bring about change in the system.
If you want change, don't vote for silly people.
If they are all silly, don't vote.
*All credit to Gallier for Google-fu (in comments).
aferrismoon said...
The New Woman Order is a useful vehicle - Should anyone disagree they're a woman-hater.
This from Da Black Whole:
'Sarah Palin is blaming gender bias for the controversy over $150,000 worth of designer clothes, hairstyling and accessories the Republican Party provided for her, a newspaper reported Thursday.
Like her countrywomen and their emascuthugs, Sister Sarah only makes war on those who aren't allowed, or able, to fight back . . . like male mooses (sp?). Anyone notes her hypocrisy, well, obviously they're misogynists. Criminal misogynists.'
If Hill wants to attack Iran u can bet it'll be for TeamWoman and TeamEffeminatedMan.
Real men and women will be used as cannon fodder. All dissent will be met with a rerun of the Zapruder film.
Women will be forced to wear Jimmy Choo heels and men will be issued with Justin Bieber's forthcoming line of Nail polish
so depressingly true ferris.
Save gas and stay at home away from the polls. Buy yourself a cup of coffee and think of it as a conservation effort.
Interesting video HERE
Hillary will be the next Prez. Bill is already out campaigning for her in this video.
The zombie tee vee heads are still drinking the politicians and MSM kool aid, as seen in this video.
Notice Bill clinton's expression @ 3:40 when "end the fed" is yelled at him.
The thugs call him(the "we are change" videographer) faggot!! :P
If they only knew Bill & Hill's puppeteers were faggots.
Ignorance is strength.
Good post AP!!
nobody said...
Yeah, I've long since quit voting. It's compulsory here you know. I suspect that somewhere, at some ancient address, is a letter asking if I had a good reason for not voting.
Dear Australian Electoral Office,
I did not vote because with a choice consisting of I promise to uphold the independence of the Reserve Bank candidate A, and I promise to uphold the independence of the Reserve Bank candidate B, by voting I would be lending my imprimatur to what is effectively a usurious system of impoverishment and enslavement.
Mayer Amschel Rothschild's declaration Give me control over a nation's currency and I care not who makes its laws is one thing, and me giving it the big thumbs up is another. I'm sure you understand.
PS Should a candidate stand up who is prepared to disband the Reserve Bank and put monetary policy back in the hands of people who are not untouchable please get in touch because then I would be only too happy to vote.
The Realist Report said...
Good call. These people are all compromised, in one way or another. Ultimately, the entire political, economic, and legal system needs to be purged of these criminals. By continuing to participate in the absolutely corrupted "political process", we are giving it legitimacy, which it has clearly lost many moons ago (at least to those who are actually paying attention...).
dubs -- i'm on it...
Peter -- really good video. it shows how brainwashed the people participating in politics still are. they have no idea who their enemies are.
and the irony of calling someone a faggot who is for ending the fed, the fed which is giving it to us up the backside... i mean seriously....
and clinton mentioning haiti.... it's criminal.
nobs -- your letter is too polite mate. channel your nasty pirate.
john friend -- have you read dave mcgowan yet?
the pedophocracy
there's something about henry
http://www.whale.to/b/mcgowan_h.html
gosh that poor woman AP, she is a victim, we as women should stick up for her.
Dontcha think?
Isn't that what you should think?
I guess we should only attack men who whore around?
something like that.
i mean, the guy is a total cad. i'll give her that. but if she didn't hunt him down and get drunk and throw herself at him, none of this would have happened.
and she's no teenager. this happened three years ago.
poor judgment. simples.
and total weirdness about her "perpetual virginity."


text:
Grizzly-UCLA men's basketball game in LA canceled
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Montana's men's basketball game at No. 23 UCLA, originally scheduled for Wednesday evening, has been canceled because of the wildfires affecting the state.
UCLA made the announcement Wednesday afternoon: "The health and safety of student-athletes, staff and fans is our top priority. Due to concerns stemming from area wildfires, tonight's men's basketball game versus Montana has been canceled. All other team workouts and practices scheduled for today also have been canceled."
Multiple wildfires broke out early Wednesday, including one just miles from UCLA's campus that shut down parts of the 405 freeway. Montana's game was originally scheduled to be the second of three against Pac-12 opponents.
The Grizzlies will now fly to Atlanta, Georgia, where they will take on the Georgia State Panthers Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for noon, Mountain Time, and will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
Massive smoke plumes from southern California fires can be seen from space
Winds from hell: Notorious 'Santa Anas' fuel ferocious California wildfires
Santa Ana winds expected to intensify in Thomas Fire area
Homes burn as wildfires rage in ritzy Los Angeles neighborhoods
Penn State defeats Grizzly men


Journalist Kati Marton's memoir touches on her life-long romance with the City of Light.
When I was an 18-year-old student, to spend a year studying at the legendary Sorbonne. I lived in the Latin Quarter in those days — as I do again. I was blown away by the beauty and the fact that you collide with history on every block.
I vowed I would come back when, at age 18, I fled the city as it was literally going up in smoke from student rioting in my Latin Quarter neighborhood. I also wanted to come back and live in Paris as a grown up, savoring all the things that I didn't have time to do as a student and later on as a foreign correspondent. So now I am fulfilling that adolescent fantasy.
The Places des Vosges, just before sunset. This lush green square surrounded by beautiful pink Renaissance buildings is a world away from the bustle of the city and, best of all, you can sprawl on the grass — something that is forbidden in other Parisian parks.
Pavillon de la Reine in the Places des Vosges, a rustic yet elegant hideaway where my husband Richard Holbrooke and I spent our first night in Paris.
La Closerie des Lilas, a restaurant where at every stage in my life — with my parents, with the father of my children, Peter Jennings, and with my late husband — I have dined. And now that I'm on my own, I love to come with friends and bask in an atmosphere that has not changed since Ernest Hemingway pronounced it his favorite place. It has an ineffable Parisian atmosphere that is impossible to replicate.
One of my favorite shops is Hartwood, on the Rue de Bac, because of its elegant and timeless pieces. I have suits I bought a decade ago that are still perfect. For shoes I go to La Chausserie off the Buci Market.
I began my Parisian makeover as an adolescent when I discovered the bargain bins on the Rue St. Placide. Those bargain bins are still there. Twice a year in January and late June there are breathtaking reductions in all the shops and that's when I buy a year's worth of Parisian frocks.
Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, Proust's In Search of Lost Time, especially "Swann's Way," and now I have to add Paris: A Love Story — my own new work about living in Paris and the healing powers of the city, which nourishes all your senses.
I am inspired by Marcel Proust, Michel de Montaigne, Adam Gopnik and Ernest Hemingway.


text:
package com.github.ckwen.je.spring.boot.security;

import org.junit.Test;
import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
import org.springframework.boot.test.context.SpringBootTest;
import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.AbstractJUnit4SpringContextTests;
import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringRunner;

@RunWith(SpringRunner.class)
@SpringBootTest(classes = Application.class)
public class SpringBootSecurityTest extends AbstractJUnit4SpringContextTests {

    @Test
    public void test() {
        int beanDefinitionCount = applicationContext.getBeanDefinitionCount();
        System.out.printf("共有%d个bean定义\n", beanDefinitionCount);

        String[] beanDefinitionNames = applicationContext.getBeanDefinitionNames();
        for (String string : beanDefinitionNames) {
            System.out.println(string);
        }
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
Gen Kayihura: I didn't snub court; I wasn't just served with summons
by watchdog
By Watchdog reporter
The Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihra has denied ever receiving summons to appear before any court to answer charges related to police brutality.
On Wednesday the country waited for the police chief to appear at the Makindye court where he was expected to appear in person to answer charged related to the beating of Dr Kizza Besigye fans.
However, three witnesses in the case represented by Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago's law firm, pulled out of the case on the eve, rendering the case without anyone to testify.
However, the magistrate in Makindye went ahead with the case just as court was surrounded by demonstrators challenging the IGP being summons in court. The IGP himself didn't show up.
On Thursday, through the Force's director of legal, Twaruhukwa Erasmus, Kale Kayuhura denied ever snubbing court summons saying he didn't receive the summons as required by law.
"I want to make it categorically clear that the Inspector General of Police has not been served with criminal summons or any other summons requiring his attendance in court as alleged by the lawyers pursuing the private prosecution," Twaruhukwa Erasmus wrote .
He said the "procedure for service of summons is clear. The summons must be received by the person summoned of which receipt must be acknowledged. While substituted service is provided for, it is resorted to after attempts to serve have failed. In this case no attempt to serve has been made at all. Neither has any other person received the summons on his behalf. I am challenging those claiming to have served the Inspector General of Police to prove service.
Twaruhukwa Erasmus added that "It is unfair, and not tenable in our criminal justice system to expect a person to respond to a summons he has not been served. The public should know that the Inspector General of Police has not snubbed any court process but is a law abiding citizen of this country who upholds the rule of law, not only as a law enforcement officer, but also in his individual capacity."
India's forgotten Africa's tribe
The real meaning of the woman's 'ooh yeah' during sex
The real meaning of the woman's 'ooh yeah' during sex


The court of grave crimes in Baku found leading Azeri activists, 59-year-old Leyla Yunus and her 60-year-old husband, Arif, guilty of swindling and tax evasion yesterday, and sentenced them to eight and seven-and-a-half years in prison respectively. I was in that courtroom as the verdict was read, and when the judge announced the sentence my first thought was that this was actually a death sentence. They are so ill and frail, several years in prison will surely kill them.
I remember Leyla Yunus from numerous international conferences – a handsome, middle-aged woman with a proud bearing. The woman sitting in the glass cage not far from me was a shadow of her former self, emaciated, worn out, her face pale and yellow. I could not see her husband as Arif Yunus was unable to sit up. He spent that 90 minutes that the verdict was being read out lying on a bench in the glass case, with his head cradled on his wife's lap.
The crowded courtroom was growing increasing stifling as the air-conditioner could not cope with mid-August heat. Leyla Yunus was fanning her husband, leaning close to him, whispering to him. It was clear she was paying no attention to the proceedings and was completely focused on her husband, who had collapsed twice during closing arguments.
Arif Yunus suffers from hypertension and recently had two strokes. Leyla Yunus has diabetes and hepatitis C. The health of both Yunuses has gravely deteriorated over the year they've already spent in custody.
I wasn't there to witness Arif Yunus collapsing in the courtroom. The guards would not let me in when the hearing started yesterday morning – just like they wouldn't let in the media, observers from local and international rights groups and French and Norwegian diplomats who showed up bright and early and crowded by the doors of the court building.
By the time I was admitted the judge was droning on about "unregistered" grants, unpaid taxes, forged signatures, misappropropriated and embezzled funds of foreign donors, and property purchased abroad, allegedly with that money.
The word "Armenia" and "trips to Armenia" were mentioned repeatedly. The Yunuses are also being investigated for high treason and spying in the interests of Armenia, and could be tried separately on those charges.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a seven-year war over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily ethnic Armenian-populated autonomous enclave in Azerbaijan. Despite a 1994 ceasefire, the conflict has not yet reached a political solution. The references to Armenia do not seem accidental – it appears that the authorities aim to demonise the Yunuses by portraying them not only as swindlers but also as enemies of the nation. No wonder that Leyla Yunus, in her last statement, described the proceedings as reminiscent of Soviet repression.
It is clear why no journalists were allowed in the courtroom and officials were so adamant that diplomats and international observers had to give up their cellphones and cameras.
The officials did not want the public to see how sick and broken those supposed enemies were, and how much of a mockery of justice the trial was.
No one who saw the couple in their glass cage could help but be shocked by their condition. And could not help but see them as victims of the political manipulation of justice - independent activists punished for their work.
They also appear to have been punished for bringing the international community's attention to the plight of dozens of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, where over the past three years the government has been relentlessly harassing, intimidating, and throwing behind bars leading human rights defenders, opposition politicians, journalists, and bloggers.
No matter what technical and legalistic pretexts the authorities are now using to lock up and destroy the Yunuses, one glance into that courtroom leaves you with no shadow of a doubt – this is a political trial and the supposed perpetrators are in fact victims of a vicious repression campaign against independent critics.


We had looked forward to this visit because of St. Augustine's reputation as a fine stop along the ICW. In the end, as a destination it has both highs and lows.
Our visit to St. Augustine started with a big happy knock on the hull. We were just settling into our slip at the Municipal Marina and thinking about how to spend our time when we had that unmistakable knock-knock-knock. Who's there? Total strangers! It's that Facebook thing again… Tim and Diane off the Kadey Krogen Acadia had come to visit, bearing gifts no less. SPAM! and Key Lime Pie!!! How on earth did they know??
We have had enormous fun on this trip getting to know new friends through Facebook groups. Who knew? As we post our adventures — actually Bruce is the one doing most of the posting — to the Trawler Living and Cruising Facebook page, folks have come to know who we are and now look for us when we are in port. Great fun, such a terrific new angle to cruising in the internet era. Friends from inside my computer.
Anywhooo, Tim and Diane proved to be great entertainment. Through them we met Scott and Teri on Miller Time. Then we re-connected with Dwight and Amanda from Toronto & Jamaica (who we had actually met in Amelia Island when they had their power cord stolen) aboard their Hanse 41. At some point during our stay we also met Paul & Janet from Seattle aboard their Nordic Tug 37 New Freedom, Gino & Carolyn (friends of Bob and Carol Hazleton), sailors from RI aboard their Brewer 44 Andiamo, and Susie and Ron of the Flemming 65 Bee Haven. Thus St. Augustine proved to be a delightful melting pot of nomadic like minds. This is one of the best parts of cruising: new friends who just make life better and more interesting.
The Castillo de San Marcos, built from 1672 to 1695, is the oldest masonry fort in the continental U.S.
St. Augustine, founded in 1565 by Florida's first Governor, Spanish Admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement within the continental United States. The city served as the capital of Spanish Florida for over 200 years. It was designated as the capital of British East Florida when the colony was established in 1763 until it was ceded to Spain in 1783. Spain ceded Florida to the United States in 1819, and St. Augustine was designated the capital of the Florida Territory in 1821. Since the late 19th century, St. Augustine's distinct historical character and Spanish influence has made the city a major tourist attraction.
St. Augustine pulls out all the stops for its Nights of Lights festival, which runs from mid-November to early February.
As it was early December, we had arrived at the height of St. Augustine's "Nights of Lights" festival. Since St. Augustine is a tourist mecca already, add the holidays and "Nights of Lights" to the mix and it is downright overrun. I was a little dismayed. We had heard stories about what a delightful destination it is, a wonderful town. True, yes, but I was unprepared for the tourist-centric atmosphere.
Esmeralde at the Municipal Marina in front of the Ponce de Leons bascule bridge.
Homeless are everywhere in St. Augustine, including along the waterfront by the marina and throughout the historic old town.
St. Augustine is not without its issues. The tourists. And the homeless.
As a destination by boat St. Augustine has lots to offer, but in a number of ways it also falls short. It's one of those towns that has no basic services within walking distance.
Tourists overwhelm the Old Town.
Need a grocery store? Forget it. A pharmacy? Walk seven miles round-trip. It is all about the tourists. There is ice cream and taffy and donuts and pizza. There are souvenir shops, pirate shops and countless restaurants. Busloads descended each morning.
This tourist focus was disappointing, as we tend to like stops that have real community to them and we found little of that in St. Augustine. We fortunately we did not need much in the way of groceries. I finally purchased milk at a bakery that sold me a large cupful.
The St. Augustine Light Station, completed in 1874, is a private-aid to navigation and an active, working lighthouse.
So we adapt! Walking the dogs around town early — before the tourists stumble out for souvenirs and ice cream — was good fun. Some of the old homes and buildings are truly interesting and impressive, and wandering the neighborhoods beyond the reach of tourists was very gratifying. I found some wonderful running routes out over the Ponce de Leon Bridge where I payed a quick visit to the historic St. Augustine Lighthouse, then cruised around the historic old town dating back to the 1700s, and through the Lincolnville neighborhood which was established by former slaves after the civil war and is now on the National Register.
We enjoyed a somewhat raucous tour-and-tasting with our new boat-friends at the St. Augustine Distillery, which started life in 1907 as an ice house. Our guide was a hoot, and the spirits were interesting enough that we bought a couple of bottles. I'm not convinced the quality would impress die-hard bourbon drinkers, but then, what do I know about that?
Nearby architecture includes Flagler College, the Lightner Museum (an 1887 Spanish Renaissance Revival-Style building on the National Register, built as the Hotel Alcazar to attract wealthy tourists), the Villa Zorayda Museum, (built in 1883 by the eccentric Boston millionaire Franklin W. Smith as his winter home, inspired by the 12th-century Moorish Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain), the Governor's House and the Cathedral Basilica. All these, and more, are impressive and worth exploring.
The evenings were spectacular with "Nights of Lights". We enjoyed a couple of dinners out, once with a childhood friend of Bruce's who drove in to meet us for the evening and took us to the funky and fun Prince of Wales Pub (can you say fish 'n chips?). John was a wealth of knowledge about St. Augustine and we enjoyed his commentary immensely. Better than any tour guide. We had two meals at Gauffres and Goods, featuring simple but excellent polish and greek food. and Bruce couldn't pass up a stop at Pizza Time, rumored to be the 2nd best pizza in the country.
The Christmas Boat Parade is a HUGE event for the city.
We also happened to be there the night of the Christmas Boat Parade. There was huge build-up to the event and we felt like everyone in northeastern Florida was going to be there. They expect something like 50,000 visitors to descend on the town for the event. In the end, the town was spectacularly-lit-up, and the crowds did indeed descend. There was a truly festive atmosphere, very fun and family-friendly.
The best show was a boat right across from our slip at the marina.
And trying to get a seat in a restaurant that evening was impossible. By the time the parade started, we were fried. Bruce retired to the boat. I took the dogs for a walk among the mob and we did see the lighted boat parade, but in the context of the hype it was (in my view anyway) a total bust. Maybe a dozen boats. Perhaps two that were elaborately-decorated, and the other ten were lame. But the mobs seemed to enjoy it and now I've been-there-done-that-don't-need-to-see-it-again.
While in St. Augustine we finally received our new Stidd flybridge seat. This long-awaited shipment, which had been shipped-returned-re-shipped-re-returned several times, finally found us. It was worth the wait. Bruce carted it down the dock, we used the crane to lift it to the flybridge, and after some frustrating head-scratching, Bruce finally got it installed. It was time for a celebration: the first of many Flybridge Evenings in our comfy new throne. A little St. Augustine bourbon was in order. Tah-dah!
It was in St. Augustine that Bruce finally declared our diesel-fired hydronic heater Finally Working. This was a momentous occasion and we will document the drama in detail at a later date.
We did enjoy our stay in St. Augustine in spite of the ups-and-downs. For the first time on this trip, we finally felt like we were "in Florida". Although we did see some nighttime temps in the upper 30s, we also saw it hit 70 one afternoon. The smell of the morning hair, the warmish temperatures, the palm trees. It was a good omen.
Fish 'n Chips at the Prince of Wales Pub, a nod to St. Augustine's British era in the late 1700s.
Previous PostFinally FloridaNext PostCatching Up: Where Have We Been?
Glad to see you are back with the blogs…such great reading. Hope you are enjoying Key West for a while.
I agree with you that the numbers of tourists and homeless in St. Augustine – including a small homeless camp right by the marina – were a bit disconcerting, but I also agree that there are several surprising architectural and historic gems scattered around the town. For us that included the St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine (who knew?) and the many historic Spanish homes and churches. We really liked St. Augustine overall, but it somehow didn't fully live up to all the hype we'd read from other transient boaters.


Everyone is welcome to join us for an afternoon of implementing joy as an act of resistance. Bring your slogans and sayings of kindness and positivity and we'll incorporate them onto buttons, stickers and shrinky dinks. Make some for yourself, make more to pass along to family and friends. Come spread the love.
Kids 8 and above may be unattended, those aged 7 and younger should be accompanied by a caregiver.
Inspired by the 2019 Vermont Reads book March.


text:
Езоп Спіценбург (Malus cv 'Esopus Spitzenburg') — старовинний сорт яблуні. Був виявлений на початку XVIII століття поблизу Езопус, Нью-Йорк, і має репутацію улюбленого яблука Томаса Джефферсона, який вирощував декілька таких яблунь у Монтічелло.

1922 року Юлісс Гедрік охарактеризував Езоп Спіценбург як "один із провідних американських сортів... можливо один із найкращих для споживання у свіжому вигляді, а також у кулінарії". Яблука особливо придатні для приготування пирогів. Плоди досить великі, довгасті, мають червону шкірку і хрусткий м'якуш. Подібно до багатьох пізніх сортів, їх смак покращується і наповнюється через декілька тижнів зберігання в холоді. Гедрік хвалив ці яблука за їх привабливість і здатність зберігатись у холоді, але бачив недоліки в слабкості дерев і їх вразливості перед паршою. Також вони цінуються як сидрові яблука.

Сорт придатний для вирощування в зонах морозостійкості 4—7 і любить багато сонця.

Примітки

Сорти яблук
XVIII століття в США
Американські яблука

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Former Ferrari chief Stefano Domenicali describes the "pain" of losing an F1 title race. Domenicali was the Sporting Director through Ferrari's "Golden Years" with Michael Schumacher.
Former Scuderia Ferrari chief Stefano Domenicali has been talking about the pain that an F1 title defeat can inflict on a team and a driver following Sebastian Vettel's recent loss to Lewis Hamilton.
Domenicali was the Sporting Director through Ferrari's "Golden Years" with Michael Schumacher dominating Formula One.
He was subsequently promoted to Team Principal in 2008; with Ferrari winning the Constructors' Championship – but suffering the narrowest of defeats to long-serving rival Hamilton, who just beat Felipe Massa.
This season, it wasn't as close, but that doesn't mean there is no pain there for Scuderia and Vettel. Domenicali was reminiscing on the 2008 World Championship and *that* final lap in Brazil.
"Twenty-three seconds. I remember it like it was yesterday!" the former Ferrari boss said. "Everyone was already screaming but I was watching the GPS and I saw Lewis approaching and when I noticed that in the penultimate corner he was getting closer, I said… well I cannot say exactly what I was thinking!
"But I turned around and on the screen, Felipe's family were cheering. I said: please tell Antonio (Felipe's father) that unfortunately, we have lost, it was really tough.
"But if you look back at the image of the podium, Felipe was so proud of what he was able to achieve. I was really impressed by his reaction.
"I remember later on we were in the room where he was changing. His wife and family were there and we didn't say anything because… what can you say? When you lose this way it hurts a lot!
"You come out very strong after these things because it hurts physically," concluded the now-Lamborghini boss.
Nov 3, 2018 Scuderia Fans
F1 Ferrari, 2019: la scuderia di Maranello si presenta con una nuova denominazioneSebastian Vettel: 'Key' to work together with Leclerc at Ferrari in 2019
F1, Ferrari: two main reasons behind dire F1 weekend for F1-75 in Mexico City
Ferrari: rivals have F1 token advantage in 2021
4 years ago NewsScuderia Ferrari, Stefano Domenicali591


text:
Game piece gone due to road construction
By IDOT1, May 3, 2013 in Midwest
IDOT1 0
Hey guys. I work for IL DOT and we're working on some bridges on US 20 between Galena and East Dubuque. We found this "Game Piece #18" behind a guardrail that's getting ripped out. I wasn't sure where to post this. As of 5/01/13, it isn't there anymore. We wanted to let people know as a courtesy so people won't be wandering around there looking for it.
Also want to add that this is a poor location to place these due to safety. The shoulder is not somewhere you want to be hanging out unless you have to. This location is a four lane freeway and is on a curve. People are going 70 mph out there. There has to be better places to put these.
The pill bottle the paper was in has a hole in it and moisture got on the paper but it's still ok. There are many dates and signatures on it. If somebody wants this, it's available for pickup for a while in Galena,IL. Let me know here if you want it.
+Chief301 4
Chief301 4
Interfering with natural selection since 1989
I've checked out the route of I-20 from East Dubuque and Galena and I don't see any cache by that name. Is there any other info on the log sheet? A code number starting with "GC", or the owners name perhaps? Rough GPS coordinates or even the name of someone who logged it recently might help.
And for the record, there's a fairly large percentage of the caching community who would agree with you...a freeway guard rail is a lousy place for a cache (for aesthetic as well as safety reasons). Some folks still put them out there, though....
Even knowing who the previous finders were, may help. I was guessing with a name like "Game Piece #18", it was something like a Multi. Otherwise, a cache called "Game Piece" that is a wet-log pill bottle in a guard rail? I mean, Duuude, that pretty much achieves Geocaching Nirvana!
+markcase 0
markcase 0
Education Forum Moderator
Moving this topic to the Midwest Forum.
Mark Case
All that was in the pill bottle was a long strip of paper full of names and dates. It was full on both sides. Somebody apparently tore off a new strip of paper and left it in there to start a new one.
It's been fairly active recently. People have been showing up to sign it 5 to 7 times a month. There was another one left down the road at one of the bridges we did last year too. Our consultants have spotted people out wandering around looking for them on several occasions. Does anybody think the original owner can be contacted? Does anybody think somebody will want the thing?
Today's Saturday and I'm at home. I'm not sure if I'll be going to that office Monday or not. If I do I can post a few usernames off of it when I'm there.
fbingha 49
It is highly doubtful that the owner will want the container. Cache owners generally don't hide pill bottles if they are of the mindset that the container is important.
If you post the latest names and dates, then the cache can be found online, and if still active, can be archived.
Does anybody think the original owner can be contacted?
It's possible. Most likely, people will be seen wandering farther for a while, then when enough "Did Not Find" or "Needs Maintenance" logs occur, you'll stop seeing people drop by. If it's clear on the cache page (or satellite photo) that it's on a guard rail, and new construction causes no guard rail, that cache might even be archived. If this info were on the specific cache page, things would happen faster.
+CYBret 0
CYBret 0
MR. GEOCACHING!
I'm guessing it was probably this cache: http://coord.info/GC3D9R2
Here are the latest names. Some are not legible:
6/27/12 JDLC1936
8/11/12 Team Heilay?
9/3/12 Kampling
10/4/12 JMDAY
10/28/12 THC
11/18/12 CAVICLAN
Hope that helps. If somebody sees this and wants it, you can call my cell at 815-677-2756 to arrange for pickup. We are in the Galena to E.Dubuque.
Edited May 8, 2013 by IDOT1
+dprovan 1129
dprovan 1129
These names confirm CYBret's guess of (18 of) 29 for 29. That cache was archived by the owner -- i.e., abandoned -- last November, so you've just found the trash the cache owner shouldn't have left behind. You can throw it out.
Unfortunately, this suggests that there are 28 other pieces of trash he left out there along that highway hidden in exactly the same way. The good news is that they've all been archived, so at least no one will be stopping in dangerous places to look for them.
But thank you so much for thinking about us and trying to locate the owner. I think it's so cool when DOTs support the game. I hope your comment -- and any future comments? -- about poor cache placements are heard and followed, although in this case it sounds like most of us reading this forum would have already thought that was a stupid place to hide a cache.
Great. Thanks for the update dprovan. That's good to know. It really just comes down to the individual people at the site for anything to be reported. A few people here had some concern. I didn't want people to have to show up on a wild goose chase either. What I'm saying is this is a rare instance of notification. Most jobs it would've been left, destroyed and nobody would have known or said anything about it. Another reason why the highways aren't the greatest place to stash them.
Understood. It's the individual effort that I appreciate.


Saffron poached pear served with orange marmalade mousse and a sesame and hazelnuts crunch.
For the fruit: peel the pears. Cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Place the white wine, water, sugar, saffron, cinnamon and star anise in a large saucepan. Cut the orange and the lemon into wedges and add to the pan. Add the vanilla and the pears to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for at least one hour until the pears are soft. Once the pears are cooked, use a melon baller to remove the core.
For the orange marmalade mousse: peel the oranges and the lemons and cut the peel into thin strips. Segment the fruits. Place the peel and the segments in a saucepan and add the sugar. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook over a low heat until the mixture resembles jam. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once completely cooled, whip the double cream and fold through the orange marmalade.
For the hazelnuts: whisk together the egg whites and the sugar. Fold the sesame seeds into the mixture and then fold in the hazelnuts. Spread the mixture on to a baking sheet, transfer to the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool and then break into small pieces.
To serve: cut a thin slice from the bottom of the pear and stand it in the centre of the plate. Sprinkle the hazelnuts onto the pear and finish with two quenelles of the marmalade mousse.


Description Distortion: A simple but still versatile distortion with 4 different modes.
29 Oct 2017 New "Cannon" mode. I recommend setting the bass behavior somewhere in the middle for this mode to work better.
22 May 2016 Fixed a click bug that was especially audible in modes 1, 2 and 3.
10 Sep 2015 Two new FM based algorithms added: Crunch and Shatter. These two algorithms typically work better on less complex signals with not too much treble.
08 Feb 2009 A simple but still versatile distortion which now features 10 different modes, treble and bass control. Many of the algorithms are now a bit more intense than the previous versions of Mars.
17 Dec 2006 A simple but still versatile distortion which now features 8 different modes, treble and bass control.
02 Mar 2004 A simple but still versatile distortion which now features 6 different modes, treble and bass control.
28 Feb 2004 A bug fixed version of Joachims Mars Filter v1.0. A simple but still versatile distortion with 4 different modes.
26 Feb 2004 A simple but still versatile distortion with 4 different modes.


"Takamichi Doi" was born on May 20, 2007.
His sire, "Takazakura" is one of the most well known of sires . The paternal grandsire, "Takaei" was very popular at the time being an early son from the great "Yasufuku". His official proof of DG 0.92 kg, BMS +3.7, and REA of 45 cm2 made him an appealing sire and he was heavily used in Japan.
His dam, FB5768 – Misako is the #1 Genomic Marbling cow of the breed (with numerous progeny in the top 50 for marbling) and being sired by the famous FB1615 – Michifuku.
His second dam, FB5767 – Hisako was born on September 9, 1996 and was purchased from WKS Group. She was to be one of their foundation donors for the next generation of animals being produced in WKS Australia.
Sired by FB2101 – "JVP Fukutsuru", a sire renowned for his great meat qualities as reflected in all of the progeny tests done in the United States. He hails from one of the most famous cow families in Japan known as "Kikutsuru" – both his sire and dam are both from this cow family making Fukutsuru an extremely line bred animal.
Every generation of Fukutsuru's maternal line have produced sires for A.I. in Japan. Countless animals from this cow family have made an impact on the breed – "Dai 2 Yasutsuru Doi", "Tanifuku Doi", "Kamifuku", "Yasutsuru Doi", "Fukutsuru", and "Shichifukujin" to name a few.
The third dam, "Kanetani" was imported in WKS second shipment in 1994 and has very similar breeding to both Suzutani and Rikitani, therefore it comes as no surprise that her granddaughter, FB5768 – Misako is the #1 Genomic marbling animal in the breed.
Hisako currently has a number of sons coming up through the ranks including FB6198 – Michihisa, FB6197 – Michitsuru 1, and WKS Michishige.


Tewkesbury's twice-weekly retail market is set to move to a smaller site.
The company that runs it, Cotswold Markets Limited, says it has fewer traders than in previous years and the time is right for it to move to a smaller location.
It has therefore submitted a planning application to the borough council to move away from Spring Gardens Car Park, where it has been for more than 40 years, to the nearby Oldbury Road Car Park.
That is a much smaller car park, next to the Spring Gardens one. The council runs both of them.
Dave Joynes, the company's managing director, said he hoped the move would happen in May because the present site was "far too big" for the market's requirements.
He said: "Markets over the last decade have changed dramatically due to the likes of Primark, Poundland and Matalan coming into our shopping centres. Therefore we have lost a lot of the big clothing, footwear and household stalls.
"In Tewkesbury, we have managed to keep a couple of large traders but not enough to fill that area. The traders replacing them only take a single trading unit.
Mr Joynes said he had been involved with the market for more than 38 years and in that time it had moved across Spring Gardens Car Park three times, the last time being to the area it uses now.
He added: "This move will be a new beginning for us and we will be introducing some of our new three metre pop ups for new traders and existing traders to work from, giving the market a new smart identity.
The market takes place every Wednesday and Saturday, between 9am and 3.30pm.
Tewkesbury Borough Council is considering how it might regenerate the town centre.
In October last year, it said it had appointed Mace as its regeneration advisor.
The council said it wanted to see how the town could grow, with Spring Gardens beinga key site.
The Oldbury Road Car Park used to be the site of the Warners Bus Depot and has been targeted by developers in recent years.


I just installed Josh Gerdes' SimpleFlickr Plugin to display Chinese restaurant photos from Flickr and it was breathtakingly easy. When I saw the line of code I was suppose to drop into the page, I thought, "Is that it? That can't be it." It took maybe 10 minutes and it comes back with this beautiful interface (takes a few seconds to load, but it's worth it).
About 2.5 years ago, I randomly created a group called Chinese Restaurants on Flickr, and didn't check in on it again. (I don't think I even uploaded any files). Last week, I checked and found that people had uploaded over 600 photos. But it had become rather random ("My General Tso's chicken in Iowa" type thing. Another user named "ribarnica" created a more specialized group, Chinese Restaurant Signs, writing, "I just created a new group for Chinese Restaurant Signs. It will be a little more specialized, so that I won't keep mucking up your group with my photos of signs." Interestingly, those types of exterior shots is what I had intended from the beginning.


text:
Lederer Sándor (1842–1903) biztosítótársasági elnök
 Lederer Sándor (1852–1927) közgazdasági író
 Lederer Sándor (1854–1924) műgyűjtő, mérnök, nagybirtokos


text:
MLUI / Articles from 1995 to 2012 / Friends & Neighbors
Ralph and Jeanne Graham: Growing the Institute's grassroots organizing efforts
April 5, 2005 | By Jim Dulzo
Jeff Dworin
Ralph and Jeanne Graham
Ralph and Jeanne Graham are great supporters of environmental causes and organizations across Michigan, often through the Clannad Foundation, the family philanthropy they founded 10 years ago. Two of the Institute's dearest friends, Ralph and Jeanne have been crucial to our growth over the past decade, both through Clannad (Scottish for "family") and as private citizens. Now the Grahams are making a five-year challenge grant to expand the Institute's Grassroots Support Center.
Institute: How did you discover the Institute?
Ralph: We read about the Institute during the drilling controversy in the Jordan Valley in 1995. We live in Bloomfield Hills, but have property near the valley and love hiking there. When we came home, we sent the Institute a check because it was working to clean up that whole industry in terms of how it gets into both state and private land.
Institute: What convinced you that supporting the Institute is a wise investment?
Jeanne: It was the first time we saw an organization using a really effective message to help stop the countryside from going down the tubes.
Ralph: We had been contributing to environmental causes for 20 years, but the Institute's approach was so pro-active, so involved in the local community. It wasn't buying land, but it was protecting land without trying to own it or take it off the tax rolls. It really marked the beginning of our sense of the power of grassroots movements. Prior to that we had been very involved in social issues through our church, so it was an extension into the environment that was pretty comfortable.
Jeanne: As we got to know the staff, we liked them and trusted them. And it didn't hurt that, after we sent our first check, Keith Schneider showed up at our door asking, "Who are you guys?"
Institute: What most encourages you about Smart Growth efforts in Michigan?
Ralph: I grew up on a farm by Lansing, so seeing farmland eaten up at such a rate is painful. So I see your farm program as a massive good thing. It slows down the amount of farmland being converted into housing and industrial parks. And now there's some potential for our Kafkaesque township system to get a little more cooperative; according to a directive from the governor, townships are urged to work together more closely, but we will see. And we're glad about the governor's work to re-establish the importance of downtowns.
Institute: What discourages you?
Ralph: The polarization in Lansing reflects the polarization on the national scene, although it's not quite as bad. And in Detroit, while the infrastructure changes there are promising, with a lot of people building and investing in ways that are totally positive, the poverty and racial divide and lack of transit simply must be overcome.
Institute: What do you tell friends about the Institute when you ask for support?
Ralph: As a board member, I am always looking for more supporters. I simply give people a litany of the things the Institute has accomplished, quite often its grassroots work. I tell them that it is a profoundly skilled journalism organization and does an incredible job of communicating. I try to make a connection between good communication and positive action by politicians, officials, and average citizens. I urge them to support the Institute because they can get directly involved with it. People almost always respond positively.
Institute: What convinced you that the Grassroots Support Center proposal was worth such a major investment?
Jeanne: Seeing how well it's worked over the years. Power can come from individual groups learning to be effective in their communities.
Ralph: We want the support center to be a teaching tool, rather than just for crisis management, and develop programs that get communities to be smarter before they face coal burning plants or Wal-Mart threats. There is an attitude we could put out there that makes it cool to complain, to stand up, to go to city council meetings, to become more public citizens.
Institute: What would you like to see us work harder on?
Ralph: Getting more influence on the ground. It is good to get Detroit News and Free Press editorials, but if we couch our membership slightly differently, we could energize a lot of the people to contribute and get involved at the grass roots.


text:
Alexander Rives Asks James Madison for Advice about Nullification and Secession
Date(s): December 28, 1832 to January 12, 1833
Location(s): ALBEMARLE, Virginia
Tag(s): Government, Law, Politics
Course: "America, 1820-1890 (2007)," Furman University
Rating: No votes.
In the early 1830s two of the most pressing questions in the nation were the issues of nullification and secession. A common trend among politicians was to use the ideas of the founders to argue both for and against these ideas, hence it is not surprising that on December 28, 1832 Alexander Rives, a Virginia lawyer, wrote to James Madison, one of the last surviving Founding Fathers, seeking council on this issue. Rives and Madison had never met, but Rives felt the matter so pressing that he forewent the usual formalities apologizing for his forwardness and the disruption of Madison's retirement. Of greatest concern to Rives was the fact that secessionists often referred to the writings of Madison in defense of their position, particularly the Virginia Resolution of 1798. Rives thought this to be a misinterpretation and hoped to be able to, "Lay before my acquaintances some public evidence of what I conceive a fatal and insidious error," and thereby prove that Madison's writing did not endorse secession.
The main conflict arose due to Madison's argument in his Virginia Resolution that ultimate authority lay within the state and not the national government. Madison had always been a champion of the union, but political turmoil near the turn of the century caused him to endorse ideas that were more states rights oriented. The Virginia Resolution was a response to the Alien and Sedition Acts which Madison found to be extremely unpalatable and in direct conflict with the Constitution. He argued that in such cases states were obliged to nullify these laws for they were so unconstitutional that they threatened the rights of the citizens in those states. As Kevin Gutzman explains, "Madison's document asserted that the state had a 'duty' to maintain its 'rights and liberties' within its boundaries." But Madison made clear that such actions were not to be taken without careful deliberation and only when the government overstepped the powers granted to it by the Constitution.
Rives believed that these words did not grant the states the power to arbitrarily secede nor did he believe that this was Madison's intention. He stated, "That the opinions of the chief architect of our political systems should not be misconstrued or perverted to sinister purposes." Rives hoped that Madison could clarify his intentions and in doing so dissuade any improper use of his ideas.
In his response Madison agreed with Rives sentiments. He stated that, "I do not consider the proceedings of Virginia in '98-99 as countenancing the doctrine that a State may at will secede from its constitutional compact with other states." The grievances of 1832, Madison felt, were not dire enough to constitute secession. Moreover, Madison argued that secession required the consent of the other states and not simply the whim of a single state. This confirmation made Rives's interpretation all the more legitimate in the eyes of the people this time. Thus, Rives letter to Madison portrays a desire of the people of the 1830s to qualify their political actions with the intentions of the founders who still held great authority in the people's minds.
Alexander Rives, "Alexander Rives to James Madison, December 28, 1832", Library of Congress: American Memory, http://memory.loc.gov (accessed October 17, 2007).
James Madison, The Writings of James Madison, comprising his Public Papers and his Private Correspondence, including his numerous letters and documents now for the first time printed (New York, N.Y.: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1900).
Kevin R. Gutzman, "A Troublesome Legacy: James Madison and "The Principles of '98"," Journal of the Early Republic Vol. 15, No. 4 (1995): 569-589.
Neal Riemer, "The Republicanism of James Madison," Political Science Quarterly Vol. 69, No. 1 (March 1954): 45-64.