text:
layout: post
title: "The 'deadly board game' puzzle: efficient simulation in R"
description: "A simulation of a probabilistic puzzle from the Riddler column on FiveThirtyEight."
output: html_document
date: 2016-10-19 14:00:00 -0400
category: r
tags: [r, statistics, education, puzzle]
comments: true
---

Last Friday's ["The Riddler" column](http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/can-you-survive-this-deadly-board-game/) on FiveThirtyEight presents an interesting probabilistic puzzle:

> While traveling in the Kingdom of Arbitraria, you are accused of a heinous crime. Arbitraria decides who's guilty or innocent not through a court system, but a board game. It's played on a simple board: a track with sequential spaces numbered from 0 to 1,000. The zero space is marked "start," and your token is placed on it. You are handed a fair six-sided die and three coins. You are allowed to place the coins on three different (nonzero) spaces. Once placed, the coins may not be moved.

> After placing the three coins, you roll the die and move your token forward the appropriate number of spaces. If, after moving the token, it lands on a space with a coin on it, you are freed. If not, you roll again and continue moving forward. If your token passes all three coins without landing on one, you are executed. On which three spaces should you place the coins to maximize your chances of survival?

(There are also two variations offered, for which I present solutions afterwards).

Last year I took a look at [the "lost boarding pass" puzzle](http://varianceexplained.org/r/boarding-pass-simulation/) in R, and I found it a useful example of using simulation to answer probabilistic puzzles. Much like the boarding pass puzzle, this has recursive relationships between each round and the previous choices, making it nontrivial to simulate. And much like the other puzzle, performing simulations can be a way to gain insight towards an exact solution.

### Simpler version: one choice, 50 spaces

It's often good to start with a simpler version of a puzzle. Here, let's consider the case where:

* We have only **1** coin to place, not 3
* There are only 50 spaces, not 1000

Well, to sample a random roll we would use the `sample` function with `replace = TRUE`, and can turn those into positions with the `cumsum()` (cumulative sum) function:

{% highlight r %}
set.seed(2016-10-18)
cumsum(sample(6, 20, replace = TRUE))
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
##  [1]  4  7 10 12 13 16 18 23 29 30 35 40 45 46 52 58 59 63 66 71
{% endhighlight %}

In this simulation the player rolled a 4, then 3, then 3, getting to positions 4, 7, and 10. It's easy to perform this for many rolls and many trials with the `replicate` function. I'll sample 50 rolls in each trial.[^fifty]

{% highlight r %}
set.seed(2016-10-18)
num_rolls <- 50
max_position <- 50
trials <- 200000

# create a 50 x 10 matrix of cumulative positions
# Each row is a turn and each column a trial
positions <- replicate(trials, cumsum(sample(6, num_rolls, replace = TRUE)))
positions[1:6, 1:6]
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
##      [,1] [,2] [,3] [,4] [,5] [,6]
## [1,]    4    4    3    2    3    1
## [2,]    7    5    7    7    6    2
## [3,]   10   11   11    8    8    4
## [4,]   12   16   14   14   13    6
## [5,]   13   22   16   18   19    7
## [6,]   16   28   19   23   20    8
{% endhighlight %}

We end up with 50 rows (one for each roll) and 10 columns (one for each trial), each containing a random simulation. For example, the first player ended up in position 4, then 7, then 10, and so on. The next went from 4 to 5 to 11.

We want to place our one coin in the most likely position, which means we just have to count the number of times each space (up to space 50) is visited. We can use the (built in) `tabulate` function to do so[^tabulate]:

{% highlight r %}
count_per_position <- tabulate(positions, max_position)
count_per_position
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
##  [1] 33078 39284 45305 52811 61869 72038 50617 53673 55955 57916 58285
## [12] 58386 55987 56850 57528 57205 57107 57036 56925 57170 57446 57326
## [23] 57316 56875 57156 57101 57167 57046 57282 57183 57592 56723 57148
## [34] 57281 56971 57088 57274 57256 57543 56971 57217 57194 57186 57159
## [45] 56807 57286 57137 57242 57189 57066
{% endhighlight %}

I'm going to stick these results into a data frame for easy analysis later:

{% highlight r %}
library(dplyr)

position_probs <- data_frame(position = seq_len(max_position),
                              probability = count_per_position / trials)

position_probs
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
## # A tibble: 50 × 2
##    position probability
##       <int>       <dbl>
## 1         1    0.165390
## 2         2    0.196420
## 3         3    0.226525
## 4         4    0.264055
## 5         5    0.309345
## 6         6    0.360190
## 7         7    0.253085
## 8         8    0.268365
## 9         9    0.279775
## 10       10    0.289580
## # ... with 40 more rows
{% endhighlight %}

#### Interpreting the results

Let's start by visualizing the probability of landing on each space. (I'm using `theme_fivethirtyeight` from [ggthemes](https://github.com/jrnold/ggthemes) in honor of the source of the puzzle).

{% highlight r %}
library(ggplot2)
library(ggthemes)
theme_set(theme_fivethirtyeight() +
            theme(axis.title = element_text()))

ggplot(position_probs, aes(position, probability)) +
  geom_line()
{% endhighlight %}

![center](/figs/2016-10-19-board-game-simulation/position_probs_plot-1.png)

First, we notice that each position gets increasingly more likely up to 6, before diving back down. The pattern repeats itself more mildly up to 12, then basically stabilizes.

That the probabilities climb up to 6 makes sense, because there's only a 1/6 chance of landing on 1 (you have to get it on your first roll), but there are many ways of ending up on 6 (you could roll it directly, roll 1 then 5, two 3s, three 2s, etc). The drop to 7 then makes sense because there is no longer the 1/6 possibility of landing on it on your first roll. So what would be the best spaces to pick if you had only one coin to place?

{% highlight r %}
position_probs %>%
  arrange(desc(probability))
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
## # A tibble: 50 × 2
##    position probability
##       <int>       <dbl>
## 1         6    0.360190
## 2         5    0.309345
## 3        12    0.291930
## 4        11    0.291425
## 5        10    0.289580
## 6        31    0.287960
## 7        39    0.287715
## 8        15    0.287640
## 9        21    0.287230
## 10       22    0.286630
## # ... with 40 more rows
{% endhighlight %}

6, 5, 12, 11, and 10 (the ends of those periodic cycles) were the only spaces that were better than the stabilizing probability that the later positions get stuck in.

What is that stabilizing state? Well, consider that the average roll of a six-sided die (the average of its six faces) is $$(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6) / 6=3.5$$. This means that in the long run, we'd expect the die to move about 3.5 spaces each round- which means it would hit one out of every 3.5 spots. So if it stabilized around any one number, it would make sense for it to be 1/3.5 (2/7), which looks right:

![center](/figs/2016-10-19-board-game-simulation/position_probs_6_12_hline-1.png)

In fact, on reflection it's fairly straightforward to calculate the exact probabilities for each space by defining a recursive relationship between each position and the previous ones. We could notice that:

* For each position, the probability is the average of the probabilities of the previous 6 positions
* We define the position 0 to have a probability of 1 (you always start there), and negative positions to a have a probability of 0.

We can execute this simulation with a for loop or a functional approach[^reduce]:

{% highlight r %}
# with a for loop:
exact <- 1
for (i in seq_len(50)) {
  exact <- c(exact, sum(tail(exact, 6)) / 6)
}
exact <- exact[-1]

# alternative version with purrr::reduce
exact <- purrr::reduce(seq_len(51), ~ c(., sum(tail(., 6)) / 6))[-1]

exact
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
##  [1] 0.1666667 0.1944444 0.2268519 0.2646605 0.3087706 0.3602323 0.2536044
##  [8] 0.2680940 0.2803689 0.2892885 0.2933931 0.2908302 0.2792632 0.2835397
## [15] 0.2861139 0.2870714 0.2867019 0.2855867 0.2847128 0.2856211 0.2859680
## [22] 0.2859437 0.2857557 0.2855980 0.2855999 0.2857477 0.2857688 0.2857356
## [29] 0.2857010 0.2856918 0.2857075 0.2857254 0.2857217 0.2857138 0.2857102
## [36] 0.2857117 0.2857151 0.2857163 0.2857148 0.2857137 0.2857136 0.2857142
## [43] 0.2857146 0.2857145 0.2857142 0.2857141 0.2857142 0.2857143 0.2857143
## [50] 0.2857143
{% endhighlight %}

We can compare this (in red) to our simulated values to confirm we got it right:

![center](/figs/2016-10-19-board-game-simulation/unnamed-chunk-5-1.png)

### Three coins to place

We'll now try the original version of the problem, where we place three coins. Why not just pick the three individually most likely spaces (5, 6, and 12) and call it a day? Because the probability of landing on these spaces is **not independent**. We need to maximize the chance we land on **any** space if we want to survive, and perhaps choosing 5, 6, and 12 includes "redundancies," where we are likely.

One common necessity in simulations is to rearrange your data into. Let's rearrange our simulated data `positions` into a **binary matrix** that I'm calling `boards`. Here instead of having one row for each turn, there will be one row for each **space on the board**. We'll then place 1s at all the spaces where you landed. To do this, we'll use a trick for using a two-column matrix as indices that we originally used in the [boarding pass post](http://varianceexplained.org/r/boarding-pass-simulation/).

{% highlight r %}
# create a two-column matrix of position and trial number
position_indices <- cbind(c(positions), rep(seq_len(trials), each = num_rolls))
position_indices <- position_indices[position_indices[, 1] <= max_position, ]

# create an empty integer matrix, set those positions to 1
boards <- matrix(0L, nrow = num_rolls, ncol = trials)
boards[position_indices] <- 1L

dim(boards)
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
## [1]     50 200000
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight r %}
boards[1:10, 1:6]
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
##       [,1] [,2] [,3] [,4] [,5] [,6]
##  [1,]    0    0    0    0    0    1
##  [2,]    0    0    0    1    0    1
##  [3,]    0    0    1    0    1    0
##  [4,]    1    1    0    0    0    1
##  [5,]    0    1    0    0    0    0
##  [6,]    0    0    0    0    1    1
##  [7,]    1    0    1    1    0    1
##  [8,]    0    0    0    1    1    1
##  [9,]    0    0    0    0    0    1
## [10,]    1    0    0    0    0    0
{% endhighlight %}

For example, we can see that the first simulation landed on 4, 7, and 10, and the second on positions 4 and 5.

Why construct it this way? Because *it makes it easy to evaluate a three-coin strategy.* For example, how well would we do if we choose spaces 1, 2, and 3? We can simply ask how many trials we landed in at least one of them:

{% highlight r %}
# get first three rows of boards
mean(colSums(boards[1:3, ]) > 0)
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
## [1] 0.500225
{% endhighlight %}

It looks like we'd win about half the time (which makes sense- we'd have to get a 1-3 as the first roll). What about choosing 4, 5, and 6?

{% highlight r %}
mean(colSums(boards[4:6, ]) > 0)
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
## [1] 0.79342
{% endhighlight %}

We'd do a good deal better, with an almost 80% chance of surviving.

Let's brute force this by trying all possible three-coin strategies between 1 and 20. (Since the per-space probability, it looks very unlikely that the best strategies will need to go past 20 spaces. A strategy of picking 5, 6 and 20 isn't going to be that different than picking 5, 6, and 500). The [combn](https://stat.ethz.ch/R-manual/R-devel/library/utils/html/combn.html) function is useful for this, creating a matrix with one row for each of the 1140 three-coin choices:

{% highlight r %}
strategies <- combn(20, 3)

dim(strategies)
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
## [1]    3 1140
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight r %}
strategies[, 1:6]
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
##      [,1] [,2] [,3] [,4] [,5] [,6]
## [1,]    1    1    1    1    1    1
## [2,]    2    2    2    2    2    2
## [3,]    3    4    5    6    7    8
{% endhighlight %}

For each of these strategies (each column in the matrix), we do the same "probability-of-winning" calculation as before.

{% highlight r %}
calculate_success <- function(choice) mean(colSums(boards[choice, ]) > 0)

# use apply to perform this function on each column of strategies
probabilities <- apply(strategies, 2, calculate_success)
{% endhighlight %}

This is by far the slowest step of the simulation, and it gets slower still if you consider more than 20 spaces. (See the Appendix for a faster matrix-based method when working with two coins).

Which three-coin strategies maximized your probability of surviving?

{% highlight r %}
# Restructure the strategies matrix into a three-column data frame
strategy_df <- as_data_frame(t(strategies))

# now add in the probabilities and sort:
best_options <- strategy_df %>%
  mutate(probability = probabilities) %>%
  arrange(desc(probability))

best_options
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
## # A tibble: 1,140 × 4
##       V1    V2    V3 probability
##    <int> <int> <int>       <dbl>
## 1      4     5     6    0.793420
## 2      5     6     7    0.759905
## 3      3     5     6    0.755580
## 4      5     6     8    0.755060
## 5      5     6     9    0.744740
## 6      5     6    13    0.735625
## 7      5     6    14    0.731195
## 8      5     6    10    0.730910
## 9      5     6    15    0.728470
## 10     5     6    19    0.727695
## # ... with 1,130 more rows
{% endhighlight %}

We notice that most of the top strategies include 5 and 6 in them, which were the two best choices for our "choose one" version of the game. However, the version that beat everything else (and not by a small amount) was to choose 4-5-6: and even though 4 on its own was not a particularly high probability space.

We can visualize the 25 best choices to see what else they have in common:

![center](/figs/2016-10-19-board-game-simulation/best_options_plot-1.png)

We notice that 5 and 6 dominate most strategies, and when we move away from them we tend to focus on consecutive triplets (like 10-11-12 or 9-10-11).

This makes sense in terms of interdependence among choices. Once you're already picking 5 and 6, you should pick ones that are less likely to co-occur with those two to maximize your chances of hitting at least one. This includes ones that are immediately adjacent (4 or 7).

To review, here's all the code we used to solve the puzzle, in one place:

{% highlight r %}
set.seed(2016-10-18)
num_rolls <- 50
max_position <- 50
trials <- 200000

positions <- replicate(trials, cumsum(sample(6, num_rolls, replace = TRUE)))

position_indices <- cbind(c(positions), rep(seq_len(trials), each = num_rolls))
position_indices <- position_indices[position_indices[, 1] <= max_position, ]

boards <- matrix(0L, nrow = num_rolls, ncol = trials)
boards[position_indices] <- 1L

calculate_success <- function(choice) mean(colSums(boards[choice, ]) > 0)
probabilities <- apply(strategies, 2, calculate_success)
{% endhighlight %}

### Variations

The Riddler offered a few variations on the puzzle. One of the advantages of the simulation approach to puzzle-solving is that it can be easy to extract the answers to related questions.

#### Can't pick adjacent spaces

> Suppose there's an additional rule that you cannot place the coins on adjacent spaces. What is the ideal placement now?

This is straightforward with our simulation setup:

{% highlight r %}
best_options %>%
  filter(V2 - V1 > 1,
         V3 - V2 > 1)
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
## # A tibble: 816 × 4
##       V1    V2    V3 probability
##    <int> <int> <int>       <dbl>
## 1      6     8    10    0.714270
## 2      4     6     8    0.711690
## 3      4     6    11    0.704025
## 4      4     6     9    0.701600
## 5      6     9    11    0.701550
## 6      4     6    13    0.700615
## 7      6    10    13    0.699085
## 8      4     6    14    0.697805
## 9      6    13    15    0.697280
## 10     4     6    15    0.696115
## # ... with 806 more rows
{% endhighlight %}

It looks like the best positions are typically those two or three apart, and that include 6.

#### Worst spaces

> What about the worst squares — where should you place your coins if you're making a play for martyrdom?

Simply sort your strategies in ascending rather than descending order:

{% highlight r %}
best_options %>%
  arrange(probability)
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
## # A tibble: 1,140 × 4
##       V1    V2    V3 probability
##    <int> <int> <int>       <dbl>
## 1      1     2     7    0.475250
## 2      1     2     8    0.500095
## 3      1     2     3    0.500225
## 4      1     3     7    0.501830
## 5      1     2    13    0.516585
## 6      1     7    13    0.520955
## 7      1     2    14    0.522480
## 8      1     2    19    0.523455
## 9      1     2    18    0.523985
## 10     1     2    17    0.524350
## # ... with 1,130 more rows
{% endhighlight %}

It looks like both 1-2-3 and 1-2-8 offer about fifty-fifty odds, but that 1-2-7 beats them out for the worst combination.

### What if you need to get all three?

My own variation- what if you needed to land on all three coins to win?

{% highlight r %}
# change > 0 to == 3 in our simulation
calculate_success_all <- function(choice) mean(colSums(boards[choice, ]) == 3)
probability_all <- apply(strategies, 2, calculate_success_all)

strategy_df %>%
  mutate(probability_all) %>%
  arrange(desc(probability_all))
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
## # A tibble: 1,140 × 4
##       V1    V2    V3 probability_all
##    <int> <int> <int>           <dbl>
## 1      6    12    18        0.047035
## 2      6    12    17        0.040835
## 3      5    11    17        0.039325
## 4      6    11    17        0.038795
## 5      6    12    20        0.035380
## 6      6    14    20        0.035085
## 7      8    14    20        0.034615
## 8      6    12    16        0.034585
## 9      5    11    16        0.034475
## 10     4    10    16        0.034210
## # ... with 1,130 more rows
{% endhighlight %}

The best way to get all three is to pick 6-12-18. In retrospect this makes sense: if you need to hit every coin, this is equivalent to playing the single-choice version **three times** and needing to win all three. Since 6 is the best choice for each "subgame", you place your coins 6 apart.

### Lessons

What can we learn from this example simulation?

* **Start with a simpler version**: In this case we started with a one-coin version of the puzzle, and explored the results with visualization and mathematical reasoning. This gives you an intuition for the problem and help design the full simulation.

* **Add restrictions to your solution space**. The Riddler offered a board with 1,000 spaces. There are 166 million (`choose(1000, 3)`) possible three-coin strategies in a board that large, which would have made it almost impossible for us to brute-force. But since we'd already started with a simpler verison and knew that the probabilities stabilized around the 15th space, we figured that we didn't need to use more than the first 20 spaces to find the best strategy. (Exercise for the reader: what is the best strategy that requires a space beyond the first 20, and how highly is it ranked?)

* **Know your built-in functions in R**. The `combn` function is an easy way to generate possible coin-placing strategies, and the `tabulate` function is an extremely efficient way of counting integers in a limited range (far faster than the more commonly used `table`). The [Vocabulary chapter of Advanced R](http://adv-r.had.co.nz/Vocabulary.html) gives a pared-down list of built-in functions that's worth reviewing. (Though amusingly, the list skips `tabulate`!)

### Appendix: Matrix-based approach for two coins

If you're experienced in matrix multiplication and sets, you may spot a fast way we can find pairs of "or" combinations.

The number of events in the union of A and B ($$A\cup B$$) can be found with:

$$|A\cup B|=|A|+|B|-|A\cap B|$$

(where $$A\cap B$$ means the number of times A and B happen together). Luckily, from our binary matrix it is computationally easy to get both $$A+B$$ and $$A\cap B$$ as matrices:

{% highlight r %}
# 50 x 50 matrix of A + B
per_position <- rowSums(boards)
position_plus <- outer(per_position, per_position, "+")

# 50 x 50 matrix of A and B
position_and <- boards %*% t(boards)

# 50 x 50 matrix of counts of A or B
position_or <- position_plus - position_and
{% endhighlight %}

Thanks to optimizations in R's matrix operations, this is far faster than the `apply` method we use in the main post. We can examine the best strategies using `melt` from the reshape2 package:

{% highlight r %}
library(reshape2)

melt(position_or) %>%
  tbl_df() %>%
  filter(Var2 > Var1) %>%
  mutate(probability = value / trials) %>%
  arrange(desc(probability))
{% endhighlight %}

{% highlight text %}
## # A tibble: 1,225 × 4
##     Var1  Var2  value probability
##    <int> <int>  <dbl>       <dbl>
## 1      5     6 123477    0.617385
## 2      4     6 114663    0.573315
## 3      6     8 111676    0.558380
## 4      6     9 111578    0.557890
## 5      6    10 110953    0.554765
## 6      6     7 110841    0.554205
## 7      6    13 109681    0.548405
## 8      6    14 109502    0.547510
## 9      6    15 109249    0.546245
## 10     6    31 108944    0.544720
## # ... with 1,215 more rows
{% endhighlight %}

We can then see that the best two-coin strategies include 5-6 (which are the two best single-coin strategies), as well as 4-6 and 6-8.

I don't yet have an effective method for extending this matrix approach to three coins. Can you find one?

[^tabulate]: If you're familiar with R you may have expected me to do `table(positions)`: but `table` is **very slow** for large integer vectors relative to other counting methods, taking about two seconds on this data. (Among other reasons, it converts it to a character vector before counting). `count` from the dplyr package gets about a 10x improvement, and data.table a greater improvement still. But in the very special case of counting occurences of integers from 1 to 50, tabulate is by far the fastest: about a 150x improvement above `table`.
[^fifty]: We don't really need to sample 50 rolls for the 50-space version since the chance of needing all fifty (rolling all 1s) is effectively impossible- I include it only for simplicity.
[^reduce]: Why did I use reduce from the `purrr` package rather than the built in `Reduce`? I like the conciseness of defining each step as `~ c(., sum(tail(.)) / 6)` rather than `function(x, y) c(., sum(tail(.)) / 6)`. Note also that while this step builds up a vector incrementally, which is normally a performance hit in R, this calculation takes about a millisecond so it's not really worth optimizing.


These courses are offered on a restricted basis to advanced students to become dharma teachers and leaders. Students must apply directly to Khenpo.Drimed.Dawa@gmail.com with a detailed description of previous empowerments, teachings, and practices. The courses are primarily self-guided with opportunities for personal guidance as needed. Students who complete all courses will be offered the Ger Gen (Dharma Teacher) certificate.


text:
UPMC, Highmark Reach Deal On Highmark Access To UPMC Facilities In 2015
By Jon Delano June 25, 2014 at 6:38 pm
Filed Under:2015, Allegheny Health Network, Deal, Health Care, Healthcare, Highmark, Hospitals, In-Network, Jon Delano, UPMC
(Photo Credit: KDKA)
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — UPMC and Highmark have agreed to a transition plan, sources tell KDKA-TV money editor Jon Delano.
That plan was required when UPMC announced that, effective Jan. 1, many of its facilities would no longer be available to Highmark customers at lower in-network rates.
READ MORE: Cooking With Rania: Seafood Pasta
The region's medical giant says now that Highmark has its own health system, Highmark customers should go to Allegheny General, West Penn Hospital, and other Allegheny Health Network facilities.
Under the deal — negotiated by Gov. Tom Corbett, Attorney General Kathleen Kane, the insurance commissioner, and the state's health secretary – UPMC facilities still open at higher "out-of-network" prices but no longer "in-network" include UPMC Presbyterian, Shadyside, Magee Women's, Mercy, Passavant, McKeesport, East and St. Margaret.
Still in-network and available to all are UPMC Altoona, Bedford, Hamot in Erie, Horizon in Sharon and Northwest in Venango.
Not part of the deal and always open to all are Children's Hospital and Western Psychiatric Hospital.
If you are currently insured by Highmark, it's not cold turkey on Jan 1. The transition plan does provide some access to UPMC facilities under certain conditions.
Those now under the care of UPMC for a serious illness or pregnancy can continue that treatment at UPMC as long as Highmark agrees, and more special arrangements are expected to be announced.
Health benefits consultant Jim McTiernan says customers can switch to other insurance companies like Aetna, Cigna and United.
"Aetna, Cigna and United would be the Highmark of old with access to both UPMC and Allegheny West Penn," says McTiernan.
Those covered by Medicare and Medicaid also have access to all health facilities.
READ MORE: PTL Links: Jan. 19, 2022
Even though both Highmark and UPMC have signed off on this deal, there are plenty of Highmark customers who are not happy with it.
"Unfortunately, still not putting patients first, and it's not giving us access to the hospitals that we helped to build and create here," says Casey Swartz of Swissvale.
Swartz dashed this letter off to Gov. Corbett: "There's only one plan that put's patients first — affordable in network access to all hospitals for every resident regardless of the color of our insurance card."
Under the agreed plan, Highmark customers can continue their current UPMC treatment in 2015 for serious illness or pregnancy, as long as Highmark signs off.
Will Highmark sign off?
"I think they definitely will in the short run in a transition period when it would not be appropriate to interrupt care with certain providers," says McTiernan. "Long run, I don't think they will be signing off on that."
Even if Highmark agrees, customers worry what qualifies as serious.
"Is a broken leg going to be considered serious?" asks Ruth Anne Ford of Butler. "A major fracture? You can go into detail. They'll have to come up with a whole list of things and even still, it's not good enough. It has to be in network, all of it, no matter what your condition is, in network."
One part of the deal everyone will like — a pledge by both not to engage in any unclear or misleading advertising.
More UPMC News
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More Reports by Jon Delano
MORE NEWS: Free COVID-19 Tests Provided By Federal Government Available Now, Some Issues Reported
Jon Delano
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Diplotaxodon är ett släkte av fiskar. Diplotaxodon ingår i familjen Cichlidae.

Kladogram enligt Catalogue of Life:

Källor

Externa länkar

Abborrartade fiskar
Diplotaxodon

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
[Update]Canada: Toronto police issue 'public alert' after man with HIV, tried in 2010 for alleged HIV non-disclosure and accused again in 2013, is arrested for breaching bail conditions
Ontario Canada Alleged sexual exposure Heterosexual men
Man arrested in aggravated sexual assault investigation
Source: Toronto Police
Toronto police are alerting the public after a man previously charged for not disclosing his HIV status to a sexual partner allegedly broke his bail conditions. Toronto police say another police service charged the man with aggravated sexual assault in 2013 after he allegedly had unprotected sex without disclosing his HIV status to his partner.
In a news release issued Saturday, police said they became involved in an investigation on April 9 which led to them to believe the man had breached his bail conditions in February 2015. Police did not specify which bail condition they believe he violated.
In their release Saturday, police said the man had been arrested. X, 34, of Toronto has been charged with two counts of fail to comply recognizance.
He made a court appearance April 21.
Police have released a photo of X and say they believe there may be more victims. They are advising anyone who has had a relationship with X to seek medical attention and to contact police.
Police seek HIV+ man's partners
Source: The Star
Toronto police have charged a man with aggravated assault after he allegedly had unprotected sex with a woman without telling her he had been diagnosed with HIV.
The man met the victim through the online chat site meetmeinto.com and they corresponded for four years before meeting, said Det. Mark Charuk.
Police said they are worried there may be more victims.
The man was diagnosed with HIV in 2005.
X, 28, of Toronto faces one count of aggravated assault, two counts of failing to comply with probation and one count of common nuisance.
Police are releasing X's photo and urging anyone who has had sexual contact with him to seek medical advice and contact police.


Every Tuesday, I spend my afternoons cooking with a group of kids for their after school activity. I enjoy having little helpers in the kitchen who are always eager to peel carrots, beat eggs, mash potatoes and do almost any kitchen task that would usually seem boring. The recipes that we use are often simple and of course, child friendly (meaning, something that the kids would actually like to eat, so no green leafy salads). What they don't realize is that I like incorporating vegetables into my recipes and often camouflage the taste with cream or cheese. Hee hee.
This week, inspired by the unexpected rain, we made a big pot of tomato basil soup, paired with a Monte Cristo sandwich (which is basically a french toast style ham and cheese sandwich). I got a lot of eeeews when I mentioned the word tomato. One seven year old girl even said she was 'not a fan.' But thanks to the wonders of all purpose cream, the kids devoured the soup and even asked to take some home. Unlike the soup, the sandwiches didn't need any campaigning. The kids were sold once they saw the Cheeze Wiz.
What recipes do you like cooking with kids?


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Top 10 Literary Spots To Visit In Oxford
Posted by Martin on 24 Apr 2018
Having nurtured some of the world's most famous authors it should come as no surprise the the City of Dreaming Spires has one of world's most vibrant and robust literary cultures. Because of the scale of it all it can be slightly difficult for a casual fan to wrap their head around. That's why we decided to put together this concise list of introductory sightseeing spots that fans of Tolkien, Lewis, Carroll and more are sure to enjoy.
July Discount | Use code JUL195 (all caps) at checkout and get 5% off any activity for any date in 2019.
1) Merton College:
Address: Merton Street, Oxford OX1 4JD.
Merton College is where author JRR Tolkien held the post of 'Merton Professor of English Language and Literature'. While the hall and residential areas are normally off limits to the public the rest of this renowned institution open to visitors. Entrance fees are £3.00 per person and this includes a brochure/map of the college.
Merton College | Photo Credit: Phillip Capper.
2) J. R. R. Tolkien's Former Home:
Address: 20 Northmoor Rd, Oxford OX2 6UR.
Tolkien lived at 20 Northmoor Road from 1930–47, and it was here that he wrote The Hobbit and a large part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. A blue plaque commemorating the author now crests the gable facing the main street, so you should have no problem spotting the right house.
3) The Eagle and Child Pub:
Address: 49 St. Giles, Oxford OX1 3LU.
The Eagle and Child was where the 'The Inklings' used to meet, a writers group consisting of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and friends. Here they'd debate various issues and read excerpts from their latest literary projects. Consider dropping in for a pint and a classic English pub lunch at some point during your visit to Oxford.
4) Wolvercote Cemetery:
Address: Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8EE.
Take a journey up the length of Banbury Road until you reach this quaint and leafy graveyard. Wandering amongst the interred it won't be long until you stumble across a humble little headstone bearing the names 'Beren' and 'Lúthien'. Anyone who's familiar with the lore of Middle Earth will recognise this as the burial site of JRR Tolkien and his wife Edith.
As simple as the memorial is it does serve as an exceptionally touching tribute to this private yet hugely influential couple.
5) St. Mary's Passage alongside University Church:
Address: University of Oxford, St Mary's Passage, Oxford OX1 4AJ.
Its design provided C.S. Lewis with inspiration for various elements in the 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe'. The engraved fauns are reminiscent of Mr. Tumnus, the nearby gas lamppost harkens to the one outside the entrance to Narnia, and the door into the church often reminders passers-by of the wardrobe itself.
St Mary's Passage, Oxford | Photo Credit: Sturla Berg-Olsen.
6) Magdalen College:
Address: Oxford OX1 4AU.
C.S. Lewis was a fellow here for 29 years. As well as being the place where he conducted his academic research it was also where he penned his most famous works. Refer to the link above for details on visiting Magdalen College as a tourist.
7) Christ Church College:
Address: St Aldate's, Oxford OX1 1DP.
Travelling in a group of 10 or more? You might want to check out one of Christ Church's interactive guided tours. Lewis Carroll studied here during his academic years and remains one of the institution's most notable alumni. Each tour is conducted by an experienced custodian and offers fascinating insights into key areas throughout the buildings and grounds.
You'll encounter the cloisters, quads, main hall stairway, stunning gardens, and more. Most importantly your guide will shine a light on every area synonymous with the Alice In Wonderland author.
He/she will also point out shooting locations from the Harry Potter films, and for a small additional fee the group will be shown around the Picture Gallery. Follow the link here for information on how to book and pricing.
8) St. Margaret's Well:
Address: Binsey Lane, Binsey, Oxfordshire OX2 0EX.
Take a half-hour or so walk from central Oxford and visit the little village of Binsey. At its heart sits the Parish church of Saint Margaret, alongside which you'll find St. Margaret's Well, a Grade II Listed Building that served as the model for the 'Treacle Well' in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.
9) Bodleian Library:
Address: Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BG.
Besides the fact that it 'is' a library, the Bodleian has a number of interesting features that are sure to charm sightseeing bibliophiles.
Following a 2009 school design competition organised by the Oxford Preservation Trust and the library itself the building's outer walls now sport 9 carved figures inspired by various children's novels. Take a stroll around the Bodleian's exterior and see if you can spot Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Aslan, The Green Man, Three Men in a Boat and more.
Once inside the library you'll be faced with two options. If you're interested in the building's heritage you might like to take one of their daily guided tours. If your interest is more casual then you might prefer to wander the Old Schools Quadrangle at your own pace. Whatever you choose to do, however, don't miss a chance to see the old reading rooms, marvellous spaces where the likes of Oscar Wilde and Tolkien once studied.
10) University of Oxford Botanic Garden:
Address: Rose Lane, Oxford OX1 4AZ.
Given the vibrant scenery alluded to in some Oxford writers' stories it's safe to assume that they drew inspiration from equally impressive sources. Well the University of Oxford Botanic Garden is one such place. Situated between Magdalen College and Christ Church Meadow this 2 hectare green space is compact yet dazzling in its floral diversity and elegance.
It used to be the site of a gigantic black pine tree that JRR Tolkien greatly admired and would often relax beneath. Sadly it had to be felled because of age related damage in late 2014.
You can, however, still see the bench that Will and Lyra promise to visit in Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass.
If you're thusly inclined then note that the Botanic Garden is another Oxford institution with its own guided tour.
Port Mahon Pub:
Once you're satisfied with your exploration of the Botanic Gardens why not take a short walk down St. Clement's Street towards the Port Mahon Pub (82 Saint Clement's Street, Oxford OX4 1AW). This comfy gastropub serves home cooked meals every day of the week and bares a wonderfully authentic old-school nautical atmosphere.
They even have a large summer terrace and a real log fire for the winter months. Welsh poet Dylan Thomas was once a Port Mahon regular, so consider dropping in for pint or one of their Sunday night quizzes.


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Parabolična antena je antena koja koristi parabolični reflektor, površina čiji je poprečni presjek parabola, za usmjeravanje radio valova u jednu točku žarišta. Glavna prednost je visoka usmjerenost, slično kao reflektor projektora ili džepne baterije. Parabolična antena ima jedan od najvećih radnih učinaka od svih vrsta antena. Koristi se za radio, televizijske i druge informatičke komunikacije, te za radar, decimetarske radio valove (300 MHz – 3 GHz) i centimetarske mikrovalove (3 GHz – 30 GHz). Relativno male valne duljine omogućuju najoptimalnije veličine reflektora, da bi se dobio zadovoljavajući signal. S otkrićem prijema satelitskih televizijskih programa, parabolične antene su sveprisutni dio modernog izgleda naselja. Koristi se i za mikrovalni prijenos, radarske antene na tlu i u avionu, bežične WAN/LAN veze, komunikacije za satelitske i svemirske letjelice, te za radio teleskope.

Povijest
Ideja korištenja paraboličnih reflektora za radio teleskope je došla iz optike, gdje korištenje paraboličnih ogledala za fokusiranje svjetla, potiče još iz antike. Konstrukcija nekih tipova paraboličnih reflektora, kao što su Cassegrian i Gregorian tip, dolazi od sličnih reflektirajućih teleskopa, koja su otkrili astronomi u 15. stoljeću.

Njemački fizičar Heinrich Rudolf Hertz je konstruirao prve parabolične reflektorske antene 1888. To je bio cilindrični parabolični reflektor, napravljen od cinkovih metalnih limova, koji je imao drvenu konstrukciju i imao je dipole pobuđen s iskričavim razmakom u žarištu. Objektiv je bio širok 1,2 m, žarišna udaljenost 0,12 m i radio je na frekvenciji od 450 MHz. S dvije takve antene, jedne za slanje, a druge za primanje signala, Hertz je dokazao postojanje radio valova, koje je predvidio James Clerk Maxwell prije 22 godine. Prva parabolična antena za satelitske komunikacije je proradila 1962. u Velikoj Britaniji, za komunikaciju sa satelitom Telstar.

Vrste
Parabolične antene se razlikuju prema svom obliku:
Paraboloidne ("tanjuri") – oblik reflektora je kružni paraboloid. To je najčešća vrsta. Ulazni signal se pretvara u točku.
Reflektor sa zavjesom – ponekad se na obod reflektora učvrsti cilindrična metalna zavjesa, koja smanjuje smetnje sa strane, koje nastaju od zemaljskih mikrovalnih valova. Na zavjesi se stavlja sloj koji upija zvuk i moguće je smanjiti smetnje za 10 dB.
Cilindrične - reflektor se savija samo u jednu stranu, tako da radio valovi dolaze u žariste kao linija, a ne točka, pa se za unos signal koriste bipolne antene.
"Narančina ljuska" – to su vrlo dugi i uski reflektori, liče na slovo "C". Često se koristi za radarske antene.

Parabolične antene se razlikuju isto prema unosu signala:
Aksijalni prednji unos – to je najčešća vrsta unosa signala, kada je antena za unos signala smještena u žarištu. Nedostatak je da nosač za unos signala ometa jedan dio zraka da se reflektira od reflektora, pa je stupanj efikasnosti 55 – 60 %
 Bočni prednji unos – reflektor je nesimetrični dio paraboloida, tako da je žariste i unos signala s jedne strane reflektora. Namjena te vrste je da se smanji ometanje ulaznih signala. Često se koristi kod reflektora za satelitske antene, jer su vrlo male i da bi se povećao stupanj efikasnosti
Cassegrain reflektor – kod tih reflektora, unos signal se nalazi iza reflektora, a konveksni hiperboloidalni drugi manji reflektor je u žarištu. Prednost je da se stupanj efikasnosti povećava na 65 – 70%, pa se često koristi za satelitske komunikacije i radio teleskope.
Gregorian reflektor – sličan je Cassegrain reflektoru, s tom razlikom da je drugi reflektor konkavnog oblika (elipsoidalan). Stupanj efikasnosti se može postići viši od 70%.

Konstrukcija
Ideja paraboličnih antena je da se ulazne paralelne zrake pretvore u točkasti ulazni signal ili obratno. Reflektor je obično metalni lim koji oblikuje kružni paraboloid i često ima porubljen vanjski rub, što i čini promjer reflektora. Da bi se ostvario maksimalni radni učinak, veoma je važno da oblik reflektora bude točan, da bi zrake s različitog dijela reflektora, bile u žarištu u fazi. Veliki reflektori često zahtijevaju i strukturu s profilima (trokutasti nosači), koja ukručuje oblik. Za primanje ulaznih signala, u žarištu je oprema koja može primiti i prenijeti ulazni signal do prijemnika, uz pomoć koaksijalnih kabela (suosnika) ili vodiča valova.

Radni učinak
Kvaliteta paraboličnih antena se mjeri bezdimenzionalnim parametrom, koji se naziva radni učinak, koji je omjer snage koju prima antena u odnosu na teoretsku idealnu izotropsku antenu. Tako je radni učinak antene (ili radio teleskopa):

gdje je :
A - površina objektiva reflektora, a to prednja ulazna ravna ploha paraboličnog reflektora
d - promjer reflektora
λ - valna duljina radio valova
eA je bezdimenzionalni parameter nazvan stupanj efikasnosti objektiva, koji je za tipičnu paraboličnu antenu 0,55 do 0,60.

Očito je što je veći objektiv ili promjer paraboličnog reflektora, to je i veći radni učinak, s obzirom na istu valnu duljinu. On se povećava s kvadratom promjera reflektora. Najveći parabolični reflektor u svijetu, Arecibo radio teleskop u Portoriku, promjera 305 metara, ima radni učinak 10 000 000, ili 70 dBi, kod 2,38 GHz. Stupanj efikasnosti objektiva eA ovisi o mnogim čimbenicima, a najviše o kvaliteti izrade i ugradnje radio teleskopa.

Izvori

Vanjske poveznice
 WiFi: Parabolic Dish with BiQuad feeder
 Online Satellite Finder Based on Google Maps
 Antenna types: Parabolic Antenna for WiFi
 Antenna types: Parabolic Dish Antenna  from Educypedia
 Online pointing utility using google maps, and each satellite channel list: http://www.dishpointer.com/

Elektronika
Navigacija
Radio astronomija


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7 Surprising Things About Universal Orlando from a First Timer
By Allison Keene | October 10, 2022 | 3:45pm
Main and lead image by Allison Keene, other photos courtesy of Universal Studios Travel Lists Universal Orlando
Greetings fellow travelers (or would-be travelers), it is I, a Universal Theme Parks newb! Since I had been to Walt Disney World a few times, it was finally time to cross the interstate over to Universal Orlando. Despite a very detailed guide put together by a close friend who has been frequenting Universal Orlando for years (including a rating of the rides for scaredy cats, of which I am one), there were still plenty of things that surprised me. Seasoned visitors may be well aware of everything I discovered below, but for those considering or already planning a trip to Universal, hopefully a couple of these notes will help you on your journey. (Of note: We did not visit Volcano Bay because it was surprisingly chilly over the weekend we were there.)
1. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Spans Two Parks
Universal Orlando has three parks: Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida, and Volcano Bay. They all offer different experiences, although Volcano Bay is essentially a water park. It's important to note that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (which was, by far, the most impressive part of the trip) spans two: Islands of Adventure (IOA) and Universal Studios Florida (USF). Though this is explained many places, there were plenty of people who were upset to learn they could not ride the Hogwarts Express between the two sides of Wizarding World because they only had a single-park pass. Don't be those people!
It's really impossible to choose, if you had to, which of the Wizarding Worlds you would want to prioritize with a single park pass. Hogsmeade (located in IOA) has three thrill rides and Hogwarts castle, but the restaurant and shop area is much smaller. Diagon Alley (located in USF) is more immersive in terms of the shops, restaurants, and experience, but it only has one thrill ride. And, without a two-park pass you will miss out on the Hogwarts Express, an actual train with video story elements on screens inside the cars along the way that are different depending on which direction you go.
Also, go ahead and buy your wand first so you have time to hit all of the interactive spots. While you're heading around Diagon Alley, be sure you don't miss the turn off to Knockturn Alley—there's a lot more to explore there, including a secondary pathway leading around the Borgin and Burkes store (which you should definitely go in) that has even more interactive wand fun (there are also spotlights very high up in this dark area that help you read your wand map). Also, while you're outside Diagon Alley at USF you'll want to use the prop pay phone to call the Ministry of Magic, and keep a close eye on what's happening at 12 Grimmauld Place….
2. The Studio Sets Truly Are Immersive
I was really blown away by the level of detail at Wizarding World, especially in Diagon Alley, but those details were also on display in Universal's other park areas. There are uncanny elements of Los Angeles and New York spanning city blocks of replica store fronts at USF that really feel like you are on a working set, not to mention some truly epic jungle and mountainous backdrops at IOA (the set for the Kong ride, in particular, made my jaw drop). Though some of the areas could use some sprucing up and a fresh coat of paint (looking at you, Seuss World—including the Sneetches that had fallen over in the lake display—and the hodgepodge randomness of Toon Lagoon), the experience is still charming. The Marvel Heroes Island area, for example, is an homage to the brand's '90s comics, which fans of that era will be delighted by.
While the city skylines or massive Grecian sets adorned with waterfalls make you feel like you're in a fantasy world, I have to reiterate that all of its pales in comparison to the Wizarding World. My face hurt from smiling while we were there among the snow-capped peaks of Hogsmeade or the twisty cobblestones of Diagon Alley. It's truly a special place, and far more interactive than I was expecting it to be (not only because of the areas where you can use your wand to cast spells with actual effects, but in that you can enter into many of the themed stores from the books or just window-shop the sets. Plus, there's a fire-breathing dragon atop Gringotts that is just awesome). Of note, the parks (especially WW) look completely different in the day versus night, so it's worth retracing your steps at your favorite stops.
3. Universal Loves 3D Rides
When I went to Disney two years ago, I couldn't stop talking about the Avatar Flight of Passage ride where you get on a winged mountain banshee and fly across Pandora. It was breathtaking. My Universal friend scoffed, "Pfft, Universal is full of 3D rides!" And wow, it truly is. I had mixed feelings about them; they were fun, but they really rattle you around to simulate actually being tossed to and fro as part of the each ride's story. Plus, they can kinda scramble your brain after you do a few in row.
It's worth noting that for about half those rides, you need to stow any bags or backpacks, hats, etc, in a free storage locker beforehand. Your ticket will automatically open an available locker, but hold onto it, because that's how you get your stuff back after the ride. Even for rides with long lines, we never had to pay for storage or had to wait in line to stow or pickup our stuff (but you should empty out the locker after each ride to make sure you don't incur fees). The lockers are pretty small, so if you've bought a lot of merch and would rather not carry it around with you, there is complimentary parcel storage via almost any vendor, where you can pick your stuff up near the park exits before you leave (though keep in mind, we were told there is a 3-hour minimum, so shop early and then pick it up later).
My favorite 3D rides at USF and IOA were Skull Island—Reign of Kong (short and not too jolting; you're barely strapped in), Escape from Gringotts (3D + traditional coaster, and more intense than you might expect), and Transformers: The Ride 3-D (it actually had a story!). The Amazing Adventure of Spider-Man is another 3D ride that is very similar to Transformers, but we did it last so it didn't stand out as much compared to the others. The Fast & Furious 3D ride is fully ridiculous and has no real story, but our human hosts in the staging areas were hilarious.
On the non-3D front—and for a much more chill time—an animatronic ride like E.T. (nostalgic!), the High in The Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride (super relaxing), and the Hogwarts Express (sit down and enjoy a story) are all great. For thrill seekers, Revenge of the Mummy and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure both combine animatronics and traditional coasters (they don't go upside down, but they do go backwards for a short period of time), while The Incredible Hulk Coaster and Rip Ride Rockit are both big, looping rides that I was way too scared to go anywhere near (I barely made it through The Mummy and Hagrid's; Hagrid's was super smooth but SUPER fast), while Men in Black: Alien Attack (which allows you to shoot at aliens and incorporates animatronics), and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (which tilts you all around) really shook my brain up, though I enjoyed both!
4. The Good Times Did Roll During the Mardi Gras Parade
My Disney experience should have prepared me for both parades and ad hoc street performances, but given Universal's more coaster-driven experience I somehow wasn't expecting it (even though Paste covered it right before I left!). While we were there, though, we got to see an extensive Mardi Gras parade with fantastic costumes, floats, and music. The performers were fun and interacted with the crowd, and I left with about 100 strands of beads. We also learned that you can apply each day to ride on the floats and tossing out beads, so that's definitely something to consider if you want to actually participate in the show.
The only live show we caught as we wandered around was Beat Builders, in the New York section of USF, and they were great (and a little saucy—Disney would never!) Universal's whole vibe is generally much punchier than Disney, and for the most part there were more couples, teens, and older adults than I typically see at Disney. Also, while there were some live performances in the Wizarding World (including the Frog Choir), there weren't as many as I might expect given how otherwise immersive the experience is.
5. The Vegetarian Options Are Legit
One place Universal definitely trumps Disney is in the variety of its vegetarian and pescatarian options. I can in no way speak definitively to all of the restaurants in the park and at the City Walk (a massive outdoor mall area before you enter the parks) or the other hotels, but everywhere we ate I was able to find at least one tasty entree that wasn't just a salad, fruit plate, or plain noodles.
The most impressive option was breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron at the Wizarding World, which actually offered a scrumptious vegetarian quiche. Further, the hosts and servers at every establishment were very intentional about asking if certain toppings, condiments, and sides were in alignment with any food restrictions we might have. For those who require gluten free or vegan options, I would check online for the menus (or other guides that dive more specifically into that), because those are harder to come by. But in addition to options that weren't total junk food, the prices at some of the restaurants were also not outrageously expensive. Some were, of course, but catching a few meals inside the park or at City Walk (especially the themed restaurants) wasn't as frustrating in terms of lines and food options or as bank-breaking as I was expecting.
6. The Skinny on Bus Transpo and Early Hours
Here are some things I came to learn about Universal hotels (at least, the Surfside Inn at the Endless Summer Resort where we stayed): they do not have a complementary shuttle to take you to and from the airport. You can book one, but it's the same cost per person as a ride share. The ride share gave us flexibility for our flight coming in early (or late), and it's not a very long trip to the parks (maybe half an hour tops). Still, it was another cost on a trip where all of that adds up quickly.
Universal does, however, have constant free bus service to its 3 parks from the hotels, which was great. They run every 10 minutes, but we never waited more than 5 to leave the parks or the hotel, and also never had trouble finding a seat. Surfside Inn is not on the water taxi route, nor is it very feasible (or advisable, really) to walk, even though you can see the park from the hotel.
Early Hours were one of the more confusing aspects of our ticketing, because it wasn't clear which park was open or—more crucially—which rides were available without doing some digging. While Disney rotates Magic Hours every other day, Universal only had USF available for early entry in the entire month of February (!) And once we were in the park, only 3 rides were available: Minions, The Mummy, and Gringotts. 99% of the people there for early hours at USF went straight to Diagon Alley and the Gringotts ride, which meant the line was really long (and virtually everyone had an Express Pass, so confoundingly, they initially put everyone in the regular line and after about 20 mins decided to open up the Express Lane). The line for Gringotts was never that long throughout the rest of the day as it was during Early Hours, so frankly, the Early Hours system didn't seem very worth it to us (and we didn't use it again).
7. Express Passes Mean You Skip the Lines and Some of the Best Stuff
We were fortunate enough, as press, to be given unlimited Express Passes as part of our ticket package (being in media does occasionally pay!) Because we were attempting to pack as much in to a weekend trip as possible, we did use the Express Pass lanes on most rides (which means you are only in line, typically, 5-10 minutes). However, there are a few times when it's worth it to not use the Express lanes, because it cuts off a lot of the story / setup for the rides. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Escape from Gringotts are two where the line is nearly the best part (the Hagrid ride, as of posting, does not have an Express lane, though there is a Single Riders line that moves faster; typical wait times hover around 90-120 minutes). Revenge of the Mummy also has an atmospheric line worth seeing (and the lines aren't typically long). If you are nervous about thrill rides or are visiting the park with young kids, consider going through the Harry Potter lines and then opting out of the ride once you get to the final line.
Allison Keene is the TV Editor of Paste Magazine. For more television talk, pop culture chat and general japery, you can follow her @keeneTV
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text:
Q: What is the equivalent of Proguard for C/C++ code? This would probably be achieved in the linking stage of the GCC compiler?
But are there any specific references on this stage?
Also, is there a tool that can perform code size reduction by knowing which pieces of code isn't called?

A: You can compress the final size of your executable using tools like:

*

*UPX - Ultimate Packet for eXecutables  (Great tool for shrinking any object code file e.g. .exe, .dll, .elf)

Here are a few references regarding stripping code during the gcc/ld compilation or linking phases:

*

*How to remove unused C/C++ symbols with GCC and ld?

*Dead code detection in legacy C/C++ project
So I imagine this has to be done on a code level and can't be done on compiled code in the way that Java bytecode can be worked with...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Student-Loan Cancellation Shouldn't Happen, But It's Not The 'Working Classes' Bailing Out The Rich
– November 24, 2020 Reading Time: 4 minutes
There are rumblings that a Joe Biden administration, in an effort to throw a bone to a hard left that helped put it in the White House, will forgive federal student loan debt. This possibility has many on the right up in arms, though arguably for the wrong reasons.
To be clear, the debts shouldn't be canceled. Americans to varying degrees borrowed monies borrowed on the backs of American taxpayers, and they shouldn't be given a free pass on the backs of those same taxpayers. If they owe money they should pay it back. Plain and simple.
Not only is federal lending toward college education evidence of obnoxious mission creep, it occurs under the pretense that what's learned in college somehow prepares those who attain it for life and career beyond. Please. Such a view isn't serious. Precisely because the U.S. economy is the most dynamic one in the world, the nature of work and life is constantly changing. Translated, it's increasingly true that the jobs of tomorrow won't resemble the jobs of today. Dynamic economies are that way because they relentlessly destroy the work of the present in favor of new, much better forms of toil. College education is on its very best day about teaching certain aspects of yesterday's skills.
If kids really wanted to prepare themselves for the future, they would simply apprentice in their chosen field. Except that most don't and they don't because most businesses don't even require it. As opposed to employers caring about what's taught in school, college for them is a signaling device (you got into Harvard, you must be pretty smart) for high-potential employees in much the same way that it's a signaling device for those who attend it. Young people aspire to college not for the learning, but because acceptance at an elite institution signals something elite about them. College is also fun. Except that it's not the job of taxpayers to fund our bait money, or what's enjoyable. Get government out of it.
Still, the left want student debts canceled. How odd. Wasn't the whole point of Biden's campaign that he was for the guy from Scranton? He claimed those from his former hometown are so humble that they're not even in the stock market. Ludicrous, but political rhetoric usually is. The main thing is that if they're not in the stock market, do they have gargantuan student debt?
Naturally some of Biden's opponents aren't much better. Republicans routinely – and very correctly – point out that tax hikes on the rich are a fool's errand. The top 1% already account for 40 percent of federal tax revenue, so the idea that they should be hit up for more of their earnings seems immoral, surely hysterical, but also unrealistic. It's unrealistic because to raise taxes isn't the same as raising revenues. The rich are mobile. Overtax them and they'll migrate away from the grasping hands of politicians.
Again, all of the above is what Republicans, conservatives and libertarians routinely – and correctly – point out. Except for when it's inconvenient to state the obvious about the economically unequal funding most everything including economic progress (companies and the jobs they create are consequence of unspent wealth —- yes, the wealth of the rich), along with governments that are reliant on the unequal to fund their own largess.
Which brings us to the silly side of the right's approach to student-debt cancellation. Cato Institute educational analyst Neal McCluskey complains that "Massive loan cancellation would primarily help well‐off people," plus it would mean that taxpayers would "bear even more of the cost of 'education' that for many students is also kind of 'luxury cruising.'" McCluskey's probably right about the beneficiaries of loan cancellation, but leaves out that federal waste is primarily funded by "well-off people" who enjoyed or will enjoy "luxury cruising." Really, where does he think politicians attain the means to fund ridiculous waste on learning that has nothing to do with future achievement? Rest assured that it's not from people in Scranton, Flint, and Milwaukee, or from factory workers romanticized by Biden, Donald Trump, and all-too-many policy types who've never been inside a factory.
The great Jonah Goldberg published a downcast piece in the New York Post that described debt cancellation as the "working class" subsidizing "the elite." Except that such an assertion isn't true. Indeed, it's not unreasonable to speculate that Goldberg himself has at some or many points in his writing career pointed out where federal revenues come from. It's a reminder that erasure of any federal debts of the well-to-do amounts to the well-to-do subsidizing the well-to-do.
Goldberg goes on to write that "If you only have $1.5 trillion to spend, what policy would help the most people struggling right now? I don't think canceling student loans would rank in the top 20." Goldberg is shooting fish, while also missing the point. The problem is the federal spending. To pretend that there's "better" when it comes to making politicians the allocators of wealth always and everywhere produced in the private sector is to misunderstand what powers economic growth.
Politicians cannot also be investors. Period. The investment that is the source of all economic progress has to be informed by failure, and with government waste there is no failure. There's just more waste.
Republicans are loathe to state the obvious about economic growth, but it's a consequence of unspent wealth. Always. What the rich don't consume rushes the future into the present. Basically the "well-off" power growth, but since they're taxed, they also enable obnoxious waste.
So while it would be wrong to forgive federal student debt, let's not add to what's incorrect with nonsensical allusions to "real America" paying for bailouts of Beverly Hills, Manhattan and Pacific Heights. The rich generally create all progress, certainly fund it, but the tradeoff is that they also fund the doings of politicians whose sole purpose is to redistribute the wealth created by the well off.
Reprinted from Forbes
John Tamny, research fellow of AIER, is editor of RealClearMarkets.
His book on current ideological trends is: They Are Both Wrong (AIER, 2019)
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Huntington's Clash of Civilizations
Category: Book Review Essay
The world politics embraces a new phase, and the variety of versions about the course of the phase has been suggested. The article "The Clash of Civilizations" written by the world-renowned American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington's and first published in the journal Foreign Affairs caused a lively debate in academic and political circles in many countries, splitting opinions into diametrically different ones. The main counterargument to Huntington's thesis was the assertion about the assembly of world civilization. His endeavors to go beyond the narrow meaning of pacifism met a barrage of criticism and rejection at first. He also claims that the conflict unfolds between nations and countries belonging to different civilizations. This paper aims to examine the main point of Huntington's "The Clash of Civilizations" and make their summations to find out whether his work reveals all the aspect of civilization alongside its specific features and relevance to current states of affair.
The coming conflict between civilizations is the final phase of the evolution of global conflicts in the world today. In over 150 years after the Peace of Westphalia, the current international system was created, and conflicts unfolded mainly between rulers namely, kings, emperors, absolute and constitutional monarchy seeking to expand their bureaucracies, increase the army to strengthen the economic power, and, most importantly, to join new land to their possessions. This process gave rise to a nation-state, and since the French Revolution, the main lines of the conflict were not so much between the rulers, but more between the nations. This is the preamble to Huntington's "The Clash of Civilizations" theory.
Samuel Phillips Huntington is American sociologist and political scientist, the author of the concept of ethnocultural division of civilizations that was announced in an article "The Clash Civilizations?" published in 1993 in the journal Foreign Affairs and then in 1996 in the book The Clash of Civilizations. He claims that the geographical proximity of civilizations often leads to confrontation and even conflict between them. These conflicts typically occur at the junction amorphous or delineated borders civilizations. Sometimes, these conflicts can be predicted based on the logic of development and interaction of civilizations. The scope of his main interests include issues of national security strategy, relations between civilians and the military, the problems of democratization and economic development of developing countries, cultural factors in world politics, and the problems of American national identity.
Specific Features of the Concept
The summation of Huntington's Clash of Civilizations theses is presented as following: civilization is a large conglomerate of countries that have any common defining features (culture, language, religion). As a rule, the main defining feature is a common religion. Usually, civilizations, unlike countries, exist for a long time. As a rule, they exist for more than a millennium. After the occurrence of the earliest civilizations (Ancient Egypt, Ancient Sumer, Babylonia, Ancient China, and Ancient India), for almost three millennia between them, there were no contacts, or those contacts were very rare and limited. Each civilization sees itself as the most important center of the world and represents the history of mankind according to this understanding. Western civilization emerged in the 5-9th centuries AD. It reached its zenith in the early 20th century. Western civilization has had a decisive influence on the rest of civilization. Religious fanaticism is often a reaction to the layman on modernization, westernization, or a combination of both. Some civilizations (Western, Hindu, Orthodox, Buddhist and Japanese) have their 'core', for instance, the main countries (core states), while other civilizations (Islamic, Latin American and African) do not have core states. Civilizations with core states are generally more stable.
In the process of global change, international organizations such as the United Nations that emerged after World War II will have to gradually change towards a more equitable consideration of the interests of all countries. For example, the UN Security Council should be submitted to each civilization. During the Cold War, the world was divided into 'first', 'second' and 'third' ones. But then, this division lost its meaning. Now, it is more appropriate to group countries based not on their political or economic system, not on terms of economic development, but based on the cultural and civilizational criteria.
It is necessary to find what people mean when they talk about civilization. Civilization is a kind of cultural identity. Villages, regions, ethnic groups, peoples, religious communities – all have their own distinct culture, reflecting the different levels of cultural heterogeneity. A village in southern Italy may be different culturally from the same village in northern Italy, but they are just Italian villages, they cannot be confused with the German ones. In turn, the European countries have common cultural traits that distinguish them from the Chinese or the Arab world.
Hence, for the Western world, the Arab region and China are not part of a broader cultural community. They are a civilization. One can define civilization as a cultural community of the highest rank as the broadest level of cultural identity people. The next step is to reveal what distinguishes the human race from other living species. Civilization is determined by the presence of an objective order of things in common, such as language, history, religion, customs, and institutions as well as the subjective self-identification of people. There are different levels of identity: a resident of Spain may well describe themselves as Spanish, a Catholic, a Christian, a European, a man of the Western world. Civilization is a broad level of generality with which it relates. The cultural identity of people can change, and as a result, the composition and the borders of a civilization may change as well.
Civilization can cover a large mass of people, for example, China is considered to be a civilization that passes itself off as a country. Nevertheless, a civilization can be small like a civilization of English-speaking inhabitants of the Caribbean islands. Civilization consists of several nation-states, like Latin American, or Arab civilizations, or only one like Japan. Western civilization exists in two main versions: European and North American and Islamic one subdivided into Arabic, Turkish, and Malay. Despite all this, civilization is certain integrity. The boundaries between them are rarely clear, but they are real. Civilizations are dynamic, they rise and decline, they break up and merge. Certainly, a civilization can disappear. In the West, it is assumed that nation-states are the main actors in the international arena. However, they have acted in this role merely for a few centuries. Most of human history is a history of civilizations. According to estimates of some scholars, the history of mankind knows 21 civilizations and only six of them exist in the world today.
The Inevitability of a Clash of Civilizations
The clash of civilizations is inevitable as first of all, civilizations are very different. They have a different language, history, culture, tradition, and religion. Secondly, the world is getting closer. North African immigration in France aroused the hostility of the French, and, at the same time, strengthened goodwill to other immigrants such as good Catholics and Europeans from Poland. Americans are more sensitive to Japanese investment than much larger investments from Canada and European countries. The growth of civilizational identity is dictated by the split of Western countries. On the one hand, the West is at the height of his power, and on the other hand, and perhaps for that very reason, among non-Western civilizations, the return to their own roots occurs. Moreover, cultural characteristics and differences are less susceptible to change than economic and political, and therefore, they are more difficult to resolve or reduce to a compromise. In the former Soviet Union, communists could become Democrats; the rich could become poor and the poor – the rich, but with all desire, a Russian could not become an Estonian or Armenian. A person can be half-Spanish or half-English, but it is much more difficult to be a half-Catholic or semi-Muslim.
The main centers of bloody wars moved to the fault line between civilizations. Perhaps, the most important dividing line in Europe is the eastern boundary of Western Christianity. It runs along the current border between Russia and Finland, between the Baltic countries and Russia, Belarus and Ukraine dissect. According to Lewis (2002), "it turns west, separating Transylvania from the rest of Romania, and then, passing through Yugoslavia almost exactly coincides with the line now separating Croatia and Slovenia from the rest of Yugoslavia." The military confrontation between the West and the Islamic world has continued for the whole century, and there is no sign of it easing. On the contrary, it has escalated even more. In Italy, France, and Germany racist attitudes have become increasingly open, and since 1990, the political reaction and violence against Arab and Turkish immigrants have been constantly growing. The fight between Serbs and Albanians does not fade, and the relations between Bulgaria and the Turkish minority in Bulgaria are strained. Fighting between Muslims and Hindus, which is expressed today, is not only about the rivalry between Pakistan and India, but also about strengthening of religious strife within India and increasingly militant Hindu groups and a significant Muslim minority.
Most often, ethnic conflicts occur in Eurasia between the groups belonging to different civilizations, and in this case, they take the most extreme forms. Special filament reaches these conflicts on the borders of the Islamic peace, crescent stretching on the area between North Africa and Central Asia. However, the violence is present in the Muslims conflicts and the boundaries of the Islamic world everywhere are covered with blood. On a superficial level, Western culture indeed permeated the rest of the world. However, on a deeper level, Western concepts and ideas are fundamentally different from those inherent in other civilizations. In Confucian, Islamic, Hindu, Japanese, Buddhist, and Orthodox cultures, there is almost no response to Western ideas such as liberalism, constitutionalism, individualism, human rights, equality, freedom, the rule of law, democracy, free markets, and the separation of church.
The significance of attitudes in a hundred different societies can be shown on the example of values that are of paramount importance in the West but that are much less important in the rest of the world. Apparently, the core of world politics in the future will be as a conflict between the West and the rest of the world. Firstly, and this is the most extreme version, non-Western countries may follow e. g. North Korea or Burma, and take a course on insulation, namely protect their country from the western penetration and expansion, and, in fact, withdraw from participation in the international community where the West dominates. The second variant is to join the West and accept its values and institutions. In the language of international relations, this theory is called the 'jump on the running train', or to try to create a counterweight to the West, developing economic and military power and cooperating with other non-Western countries against the West.
Consolidation of Civilization: The Syndrome 'Fraternal Countries'
Groups or countries that belong to the same civilization, being involved in the war with the people of another civilization, naturally try to enlist the support of members of their civilization. The gradual occurrence of the syndrome of 'fraternal countries' shows all recent conflicts, namely in the Persian Gulf, the Caucasus, and Bosnia. However, none of these conflicts was a full-scale war between civilizations, but each included elements of internal civilization consolidation. This factor seems to become increasingly important. Its current role is a harbinger of things to come. For example, on the side of Saddam Hussein's, there officially stood only a few Muslim governments, but unofficially, he was supported by the rulers of many Arab countries.
There is an internally divided country, relatively homogeneous culturally, but in which there is no agreement on what civilization they belong to. The most striking example of the split within the country is Turkey. Turkish leaders end of the 20th century refers their country to the modern nation-states of the Western type. They made Turkey an ally of the West in NATO and in the Gulf War, and they constantly seek the adoption of the country in the European Community. At the same time, some elements of Turkish society support the revival of Islamic traditions and argue that Turkey is essentially a Middle Eastern Muslim state.
In the last decade, Mexico has been in a similar situation. In case of Turkey, they abandoned their historic opposition to Europe and attempted to join it, and Mexico, which previously identified itself through opposition to the United States, now tries to imitate the country and seeks to enter the North American free trade zone (NAFTA). Historically, internal split most deeply affected Turkey. For the United States, the immediate split inside the country is Mexico. On a global scale, the most significant split of the country is Russia. The question of whether Russia is part of the West, and it is headed by its special Orthodox-Slavic civilization throughout Russian history has been raised repeatedly. After the victory of the Communists, the problem became even more tangled. Armed with Western ideology, the communists adapted it to Russian conditions, and then, the name of this ideology challenged the West. The Communist rule was removed from the agenda of the historical dispute between Westerners and Slavonic. However, after the discrediting of communism, the Russian people once again faced this problem.
For the internally split country to regain its cultural identity, there should be observed three conditions. Firstly, it is necessary that the political and economic elite of the country as a whole supported and welcomed such a move. Secondly, its people must agree, albeit reluctantly, to the adoption of a new identity, and third, the dominant group of the civilization, which split the country, must be prepared to 'convert'. In the case of Mexico, all three conditions are met while in the case of Turkey, only the first two are present.
One should mention the Confucian-Islamic military bloc. Its goal is to contribute to its members in the acquisition of weapons and military technology needed to create a counterweight to the military power of the West. Whether it will be long-lasting, it is unknown. A new arms race has begun between Islamic-Confucian states and the West. At the previous stage of an arms race, each party shall develop and produce weapons in order to achieve balance or superiority over the other side. Now, one side develops and produces new types of weapons, and the other one tries to limit and prevent that arms build-up, at the same time reducing its own military capabilities.
In the course of the research of Huntington's thesis, the main point of the paper was to find the following. The contradictions between civilizations are real and important, and civilizational consciousness increases. The conflict between civilizations would replace ideological and other forms of conflict as the dominant global form of conflict; international institutions in the field of politics, economy, and security will be formed within civilizations rather than between them. Conflicts between groups belonging to different civilizations will be more frequent, protracted, and bloody than the conflict within one civilization; armed conflicts between groups belonging to different civilizations will be the most likely potential source of world wars. The main axes of international politics will be the relations between the West and the rest of the world; in the near future, the main source of conflict will be the relationship between the West and several Islamic-Confucian countries. The author believes that the West needs to focus on long-term international relations, and it is necessary to reckon with other civilizations, similar in its power, but different in their values and interests. From the West, it will be required to form a deeper understanding of the fundamental religious and philosophical foundations of these civilizations.
The thinkers of different epochs condemned the war, longed for eternal peace and endeavored to develop different aspects of world peace issue. Some of them paid attention mainly to its ethical side. They believed that aggressive war was a product of immorality, that peace could be achieved only as a result of moral re-education of people in the spirit of understanding, tolerance of different religions, elimination of vestiges of nationalism, and educating people in the spirit of the principle that all men are brothers. Others saw the main evil inflicted by the war, in economic ruin, in violation of the normal functioning of the entire economic structure. In this regard, they tried to persuade mankind, drawing a picture of shared prosperity in a society without war, where the priority would be given to the development of science, technology, art, literature, rather than improving the means of destruction. They believed that peace between nations could be set as a result of sound policies and enlightened ruler. Still, others have developed the legal aspects of the world, which they sought to achieve through the agreement between the governments, the creation of a regional or global federation of states.
The problem of the world, as well as the problem of war, attracted the attention of political and social movements as well as scientists from many countries. The undisputed success of all peace-loving forces and organizations, as well as achieving a number of schools and trends, research centers specializing in the study of the problems of the world. It has gained an extensive amount of knowledge about the world as the goal, as a factor of development and the survival of humanity, about the complex dialectic relationship of war and peace, and its features in the modern era, on possible ways and assumptions, move towards a world without weapons and war.
Equally obvious is another important conclusion from the above: analysis of the concepts of peace requires serious effort. It must be built deep enough on the consistent philosophy of the world, a major part of which should be the dialectics of war and peace in their historical development. Appeal to politics and ideology, as shown above, the relation between war and politics is inseparable, and it is not only permissible but necessary in this analysis.
Common to all mankind, the comparison of the global problems of war and peace lends urgency cooperation pacifists, believers and atheists, the Social Democrats and conservatives, and other parties, movements, and currents. The pluralism of the philosophical interpretation of the world, ideological pluralism is inextricably linked with political pluralism. The various components of the peace movement are interconnected in a complex way, from ideological confrontation to fruitful dialogue and joint action. This movement played a global challenge – the need to find the optimal form of cooperation of various social and political forces to achieve a common goal for the human community. The world is a universal value, and it can be achieved only through the joint efforts of all nations.


This is an interactive event including hypnotism, comedy, and a fantastic host. Hypnotist and comedian David Hall will call up volunteers and each will perform whacky antics with the help of the audience. So come laugh your socks off with us at Baldwin Auditorium!
Excerpt This is an interactive event including hypnotism, comedy, and a fantastic host. Hypnotist and comedian David Hall will call up volunteers and each will perform whacky antics with the help of the audience.


Welcome to Kyrosmagica, Shadow – the black cat who features in my book – The Curse of Time: The Bloodstone. I'm so glad you agreed to this interview opportunity today to help me promote my book which I hope to release this summer. You are such a handsome fellow and quite the gent I hear. Today, we're going to discuss all manner of things and we will also have a #mentalhealthawarenessweek discussion about anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders.
Purrrrr.… Thanks for being so welcoming Marje not everyone is so kind to cats. Luckily, I have a lovely owner Amelina who cares for me. I discovered her one day when I was playing in her garden; I peered in the window and I knew she was a special person so I stayed. I'm persuasive that way, one purr, and a stroke of my sleek black fur and humans can't resist me!
When you say not everyone is so kind to cats does that mean you have had a rough life?
Oh, my goodness that sounds horrible!Perhaps we better change the subject. Could you tell me why you're called Shadow?
Yes, life can be full of perplexities and this story is a fine example of that. I prefer the simple things in life… exploring, enjoying the sunshine, lying on the grass, hanging out in my garden, chilling, eating, playing, cuddling, purring, and looking adorable!
What is it like living in the Scott's household?
Challengingggggg! They are such a strange family. The dad is half dead; the mum is stroppy and Amelina has this sister called Esme whose not a sister but behaves like one. Esme always seems to be up and down in her emotions. Her ying and yang are out of control. She is one confused girl and behaves like a prisoner to her own reflection. I listen to them nattering on… They all have a tragic story and mum, dad and Esme inadvertently tell me their individual stories. More about that in the book…. no spoilers! I know all of their secrets. I'm a snoop! Oh, and I nearly forgot to say Amelina has an aunt Karissa who owns a dog… UGH… a critter called Toby – most unfortunate. The bloody thing comes to stay, breaks things, eats all the time and causes havoc. The aunt drinks, tea, and alcohol too, and eats a lot, mainly chocolate unless she's dieting. She's always losing her glasses. Toby and her are quite a pairing!
My goodness sounds like you have to put up with a lot. Getting back to the stories – they sound shocking. Did one confession shock you more than the rest?
The dad's and Esme's are the worst. The dad because something has happened to him that is out of his control, (and seems to have impacted upon the whole family,) and I relate to that (after my weird overload of goodness episode,) and Esme because she self harms or did.
Self harm… that and other mental illnesses like anxiety, and depression, are a rising problem in our young people. What's your opinion about it?
Kids nowadays have a lot of problems and it's not their fault. I sympathise, I really do. The word pressure sums it up. Pressure to succeed, pressure to look good, (on Instagram, and other social media,) pressure to be thin, pressure to be popular, pressure to have the best-looking boyfriend/girlfriend, pressure to have money, pressure to get to the best Universities… the list just goes on and on.
There's bullying too, and it isn't just face to face like it used to be now its via social media too. It's like there's no escaping meanness, and rudeness. It's so immediate, one little tweet, or nasty message via an Instagram shot can go to masses of your 'friends' in a mere second. So it's not surprising that our young people often have mental health issues such as anxiety, eating disorders, depression and self-harm. In the worst case scenario some resort to suicide and that makes me so sad. No one should ever feel that way, there is always help out there. Talk to your mum, dad, a close friend you can trust, a sibling, a counsellor, an aunt, anyone who loves you. Just don't bottle it up that's the worst thing you can do.
All youngsters should own cats, Meowwww, cats are good for you. We have superpowers. Truly, we lower your heart rate, boost your immunity, help you relax – we release a calming chemical called oxytocin into your body, and that helps induce love and trust and make you smile. We increase your sociability, yes having cats makes you more sociable, and stops you feeling lonely. Purrrrr. We have a stack load of medical health benefits too: we reduce the risk of heart disease, and heart attacks. We lower your triglycerides and cholesterol levels. Hey, we even reduce your chances of having a stroke. See we cats are superheros! Oh, and top of all that we reduce the carbon footprint, not like doggies like Toby who eat a ton. We eat small morsels, fish, and catch our own prey.
Shadow picks up his paw and licks it.
Is there anyone in Amelina's life who has an eating disorder?
Yes, there's this girl called Emily, who struggles with her desire to be thin, and to be loved. I don't have that problem – I know that Amelina loves me. Also, I take a lot of exercise to keep fit and trim. But, I have a huge heart so I cry real cat tears when I think about poor Emily and others like her.
Does Amelina have a lot of friends?
No, not loads, she's smart that way, she knows it's not the number of friends but the quality of friends. Though, not all of them are to my liking… Except me, of course… (I'm her best friend.) She has three close human friends: Jade, Joselyn, and Ilaria. Jade is Amelina's best human friend. She is arguably the prettiest but the most spoilt. She has this huge house, owns horses, and gets everything she wants. Joselyn is the worrier, (this girl needs a cat!) and Ilaria is the joker, but I sense the jokes hide something deeper. My favourite is Ilaria because I like a laugh. The four of them play in a band and write their own music. It's pretty cool.
What about guys, does she have a regular boyfriend?
There is nothing regular about Amelina! She stumbled upon this guy called Ryder down a scary river pathway. I tried to follow her, but she shooed me away. The guy's dangerous I don't know why I know but I do. He has too much ying in his soul. I don't trust him. He dresses all in black and has one green eye and one black. But sometimes that green eye looks red to me, like it is bleeding. Creepyyyyyyy. But, Amelina thinks he saved her, from what I can't imagine, some prank probably.
Is there anyone else you've met through Amelina that has left a lasting impression on you?
Oh, yes, Kyle. Love him, he is Ryder's best friend. He's so snuggly and nice, I love to sit on his lap and purrrrr. Ohhh….
If you could sum your owner Amelina in words what would you say?
She's poetic, artistic, musical, kind-hearted, magical and brave but makes mistakes. She is a flawed human, poor thing! Miaowwww.
Thank you so much Shadow for coming on to my blog today and telling us all about my forthcoming new book, The Curse of Time: The Bloodstone. I really appreciate it.
It is my pleasure my dear. Any time… Oh, before I go can I be cheeky and ask one question?
Yes of course you can Shadow.
It's about Lily who models for me, can you set me up with a date? She looks real cute!
Of course I can Shadow, will do! I chuckle… imagine a date between yourself, (Shadow,) a fictional cat and a non-fictional cat, (Lily,) it could only happen in a writer's life. Next time, (as long as Lily is willing,) we'll have the date on Kyrosmagica… and she can tell us all about herself!
Shadow purrs a rich note of contentment in reply.
All above photos of Lily (our black cat model,) courtesy of my lovely blogging friend Samantha Murdoch – photography credit her son Alex Marlowe.
Please visit Samantha's blog to see her lovely cats and stunning crystals: https://samanthamurdochblog.wordpress.com.
This entry was posted in Interview with My Characters, My writing and tagged #mentalhealthawarenessweek, Anxiety, Benefits of owning a Cat, cat, Dark, Depression, Eating Disorders, Interview with My Characters, Light, My writing, Self-harm, Shadows, Yin and Yang. Bookmark the permalink.
Mini Reviews, Bookish Photos and my TBR pile.
Well done, Marje! ❤ Shadow is an engaging creature!
Thanks Colleen. I'm planning to do an interview with Ryder soon…. I have a feeling interviewing Ryder will be challenging! Wait until you see his model!
What a FABULOUS interview! I can't wait for the book release, it sounds thrilling!
Um…not sure about the date…I thought you could ask her!
… hope Lily doesn't mind my daft sense of humour!
Oh.. I think this interview will be interesting… She looks quite a character!
I"ll have to email you – I took some pics earlier of her that you might be able to use…not quite up to Alex's standards….I tend to be better with things that don't move!!
Hi Marje! Shadow is a gorgeous and intriguing cat. Fascinating interview! Loved the pictures and slides. Well done!
Thanks so much Debby. I have plans to interview some of the other characters too!