text:
Are You Going with Me?
The Fields, the Sky
Phase Dance
Straight on Red
Farmer's Trust
Goin' Ahead / As Falls Wichita...
Song for Bilbao
Musicians: Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Steve Rodby, Dan Gottlieb, Nana Vasconcelos
"Recorded less than a year after the magnificent 'Offramp', 'Travels' is proof that the PMG were on a creative high. Music was pouring from Metheny and Mays. Extraordinarily for a live album, over half the tracks were entirely new and have not been heard, before or since, on any studio album. Pat said in an interview soon after this album's release that he preferred this version of 'Are You Going With Me?' to the 'Offramp' original. Both have their merits. Both are brilliant. here are two delightfully simple tunes on this album – 'Farmer's Trust' and 'Travels' – which are gorgeously executed duets by Metheny and Mays, with the rest of the band in the background. They are almost love poems, a high point in the musical understanding between Mays and Metheny. If this album has any lows, or rather, any not-quite-so-highs, it is that the two tracks from the 'Pat Metheny Group' album – 'Phase Dance' and 'San Lorenzo' – add little to the originals. But they are not lesser versions, and they go a long way towards justifying this album's claim to be a representative compilation of the PMG's early works. It's almost impossible for any artist to create two masterpieces in succession, but the PMG achieved this with 'Offramp' and 'Travels'." —Amazon.com


text:
Andrews Bows To Overwhelming Weight Of Evidence From Protesters And Cancels Lockdown
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews says he can no longer ignore the sheer volume and veracity of research that has been compiled by the state's conspiracy theorists, and has consequently decided to end all lockdown restrictions immediately.
Saying that Victoria would skip stages 3, 2 and 1 and open up entirely, Mr Andrews said he now accepted that the 'dandemic' had never actually existed.
"Watching the protests unfold yesterday, and witnessing the amount of thought-through evidence put forward was quite moving," Mr Andrews said. "The rigour of the thinking and the eloquence with which it was presented was just so convincing. These theories have been peer-reviewed many, many times at respected journals like 4-chan, so who am I to ignore them? I knew I had to reassess everything," he said.
A spokesperson for the government also noted the significance of the Shrine of Remembrance as a protest location. "There is a very important parallel between protesters defending their rights under article 19 of the UN charter to be a bunch of circle-jerking tin-foil hat wearing idiots, and the sacrifices made by soldiers in Australia's wars to protect our country's freedoms. It certainly caught our attention".
Carl Perera

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
package com.huskycode.acceptancetest.jpaquery;

import com.huskycode.integration.TestEntityManager;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.JPAQueryContext;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.command.CommandNodes;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.testmodel.pizza.Address;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.testmodel.pizza.Address_;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.testmodel.pizza.Customer;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.testmodel.pizza.Employee;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.testmodel.pizza.PizzaOrder;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.testmodel.pizza.PizzaOrdered;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.testmodel.pizza.Topping;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.testmodel.pizza.deps.PizzaDeps;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.types.tree.PersistedResult;
import com.huskycode.jpaquery.util.Maps;
import org.junit.After;
import org.junit.Before;
import org.junit.Test;

import javax.persistence.EntityManager;
import javax.persistence.EntityTransaction;
import java.lang.reflect.Field;
import java.util.List;

import static com.huskycode.jpaquery.command.CommandNodeFactory.n;
import static com.huskycode.jpaquery.command.CommandNodesFactory.ns;
import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.instanceOf;
import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.is;
import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.not;
import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.nullValue;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertThat;

/**
 * @author Varokas Panusuwan
 */
public class JPAQueryIT {
    private PizzaDeps pizzaDeps;
    private JPAQueryContext context;

    private EntityManager entityManager;
    private EntityTransaction tx;

    @Before
    public void setUp() throws Exception {
        entityManager = TestEntityManager.INSTANCE.getEntityManager();
        tx = entityManager.getTransaction();
        tx.begin();
    }

    @After
    public void tearDown() throws Exception {
        tx.rollback();
    }

    @Test
    public void testCreateClassWithNoDeps() {
    	pizzaDeps = new PizzaDeps();
    	context = JPAQueryContext.newInstance(entityManager, pizzaDeps.getDeps());

        PersistedResult result = context.create(Address.class);

        assertThat(result.getPersistedObjects().size(), is(1));
        Object persistedObj = result.getPersistedObjects().get(0);

        assertThat(persistedObj, is(instanceOf(Address.class)));
        assertThat(((Address)persistedObj).getAddressId(), is(not(nullValue())));
    }

	@Test
    public void testCreateClassWithDeps() {
    	pizzaDeps = new PizzaDeps();
    	context = JPAQueryContext.newInstance(entityManager, pizzaDeps.getDeps());

        PersistedResult result = context.create(PizzaOrder.class);

        Address address = result.getForClass(Address.class).get(0);
        Employee employee = result.getForClass(Employee.class).get(0);
        Customer customer = result.getForClass(Customer.class).get(0);
        PizzaOrder pizzaOrder = result.getForClass(PizzaOrder.class).get(0);

        assertThat(employee.getEmployeeAddressId(), is(address.getAddressId()));
        assertThat(customer.getCustomerAddressId(), is(address.getAddressId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.getCustomerId(), is(customer.getCustomerId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.getDeliveredByEmployeeId(), is(employee.getEmployeeId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.getTakenByEmployeeId(), is(employee.getEmployeeId()));
    }

	@Test
    public void testCreateFromDependencyDefinition() {
		pizzaDeps = new PizzaDeps();
		context = JPAQueryContext.newInstance(entityManager, pizzaDeps.getDeps());

		PersistedResult result = context.createFromDependencyDefinition();

		Address address = result.getForClass(Address.class).get(0);
        Employee employee = result.getForClass(Employee.class).get(0);
        Customer customer = result.getForClass(Customer.class).get(0);
        PizzaOrder pizzaOrder = result.getForClass(PizzaOrder.class).get(0);

        assertThat(employee.getEmployeeAddressId(), is(address.getAddressId()));
        assertThat(customer.getCustomerAddressId(), is(address.getAddressId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.getCustomerId(), is(customer.getCustomerId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.getDeliveredByEmployeeId(), is(employee.getEmployeeId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.getTakenByEmployeeId(), is(employee.getEmployeeId()));
	}

	@Test
    public void testCreateFromCommands() {
		pizzaDeps = new PizzaDeps();
		context = JPAQueryContext.newInstance(entityManager, pizzaDeps.getDeps());

		CommandNodes commands = ns(n(Address.class,
									n(PizzaOrder.class),
									n(PizzaOrder.class)));
		PersistedResult result = context.create(commands);

		Address address = result.getForClass(Address.class).get(0);
        Employee employee = result.getForClass(Employee.class).get(0);
        Customer customer = result.getForClass(Customer.class).get(0);
        List<PizzaOrder> pizzaOrder = result.getForClass(PizzaOrder.class);

        assertThat(employee.getEmployeeAddressId(), is(address.getAddressId()));
        assertThat(customer.getCustomerAddressId(), is(address.getAddressId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.get(0).getCustomerId(), is(customer.getCustomerId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.get(0).getDeliveredByEmployeeId(), is(employee.getEmployeeId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.get(0).getTakenByEmployeeId(), is(employee.getEmployeeId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.get(1).getCustomerId(), is(customer.getCustomerId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.get(1).getDeliveredByEmployeeId(), is(employee.getEmployeeId()));
        assertThat(pizzaOrder.get(1).getTakenByEmployeeId(), is(employee.getEmployeeId()));
	}

	@Test
    public void testCreateWithSpecifiedValue() {
		pizzaDeps = new PizzaDeps();
		context = JPAQueryContext.newInstance(entityManager, pizzaDeps.getDeps());

		String expectedCityName = "Seattle";

		CommandNodes commands = ns(n(Address.class)
									.withValues(Maps.of((Field)Address_.city.getJavaMember(), expectedCityName))
									.with(n(PizzaOrder.class)));
		PersistedResult result = context.create(commands);
		assertThat(result.getForClass(Address.class).get(0).getCity(), is(expectedCityName));
	}

	@Test
    public void testMultipleLinkBetweenTwoClasses() {
		pizzaDeps = new PizzaDeps();
		context = JPAQueryContext.newInstance(entityManager, pizzaDeps.getDeps());

		CommandNodes commands = ns(n(Topping.class));
		PersistedResult result = context.create(commands);

		PizzaOrdered resultPizzaOrdered = result.getForClass(PizzaOrdered.class).get(0);
		Topping resultTopping = result.getForClass(Topping.class).get(0);

		assertThat(resultTopping.getOrderId(), is(resultPizzaOrdered.getOrderId()));
		assertThat(resultTopping.getPizzaSequenceNumber(), is(resultPizzaOrdered.getPizzaSequenceNumber()));
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
SKO120 / History
Home > News > Justice Antonin Scalia: Applesauce, Jiggery-Pokery, and the Judicial Fraud of the Negative Commerce Clause
Justice Antonin Scalia: Applesauce, Jiggery-Pokery, and the Judicial Fraud of the Negative Commerce Clause
Published in State Tax Notes | February 16, 2016
by Eric Yauch & Amy Hamilton, Tax Analysts
The death of Justice Antonin Scalia deprives the U.S. Supreme Court of a strict constructionist and a gifted writer who could look at a state tax case concerning the dormant commerce clause and find judicial fraud, incoherence, and "ad hocery."
While Scalia's most memorable opprobriums are to be found in such epochal cases as those involving the Affordable Care Act (think "pure applesauce" and "interpretive jiggery-pokery"), he didn't hesitate to use stinging prose elsewhere.
"The clearest sign that the negative Commerce Clause is a judicial fraud is the utterly illogical holding that congressional consent enables States to enact laws that would otherwise constitute impermissible burdens upon interstate commerce," Scalia said in a dissent in Comptroller of the Treasury v. Wynne (Doc 2015-11807). "How could congressional consent lift a constitutional prohibition?"
University of Connecticut law professor Richard Pomp told Tax Analysts that Scalia's views on the dormant commerce clause reached their zenith, or nadir, depending on one's view, in Wynne.
Pomp said Scalia contrasted the clause with the "real Commerce Clause," described it as a "judicial fraud," as the "Synthetic Commerce Clause," as "judicial economic veto," and as "incoherence," and as lacking a "governing principle" and illustrating the Court's "ad hocery."
"Sadly, we will never learn why he was willing to strike a tax down under the dormant commerce clause if it could not be distinguished from a tax already held unconstitutional under that clause (in a presumably incorrect decision)," Pomp said. "Justice [Clarence] Thomas is now the sole justice who does not believe in the dormant commerce clause."
On the bench, Scalia famously peppered advocates with questions, livening a process described as sleepy before he joined the Court. But he may be best known for his judicial philosophy, originalism, which limits constitutional interpretation to what the Framers intended it to mean when the Constitution was adopted in 1787.
Often Scalia would claim that if not explicitly stated in the Constitution, a right didn't exist. While the philosophy was often in the limelight for its rejection of the right to privacy and the position that the EighthAmendment's bar on cruel and unusual punishment did not apply to torture, Scalia's approach also affected state taxation.
In U.S. v. Carlton (2014 STT 74-49), the Court in 1994 upheld Congress's retroactive legislation limiting an estate's deductibility of proceeds from the sale of certain stock on substantive due process grounds. The problem for Scalia, however, was that the Constitution never mentions a distinction between procedural and substantive due process.
"If I thought that 'substantive due process' were a constitutional right rather than an oxymoron, I would think it violated by bait-and-switch taxation," Scalia said in a concurring opinion.
Scalia said the Court's justification for upholding the retroactive law was based on a standard made up by the Court that guaranteed that all retroactive state tax laws would henceforth be valid.
"I would follow the text of the Constitution, which sets forth certain substantive rights that cannot be taken away,and adds, beyond that, a right to due process when life, liberty, or property is to be taken away," he added.
Scalia's writing also came up in the context of Michigan's retroactive repeal of the Multistate Tax Compact to avoid paying more than $ 1.1 billion in refunds to out-of-state businesses. Practitioners expressed concern that there's no limit to the constitutionality of a state's retroactive application of tax laws if protecting the state's budget from the revenue hit of paying out refunds always serves a legitimate public purpose.
Erica Horn of Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC said Scalia made that very point in his concurring opinion in Carlton when he wrote, "The reasoning the Court applies to uphold the statute in this case guarantees that all retroactive tax laws will henceforth be valid. To pass constitutional muster the retroactive aspects of the statute need only be 'rationally related to a legitimate legislative purpose.'"
Horn said that to her knowledge, the Court hasn't taken a retroactivity case since Carlton. "Therefore, Justice Scalia didn't get another chance to weigh in," she said.
"I'd say there is little doubt but that his prediction has come true — the vast majority of state courts that have considered retroactivity have found the alleged harm to the state treasury to be reason enough to deem the retroactive statutes constitutional," Horn said.
She added that she hasn't read the briefs filed by taxpayers in the state retroactive cases, but that "it certainly would have been apropos" if they had quoted Scalia.
And Scalia repeatedly rejected the dormant commerce clause, calling it "imaginary" during oral arguments last term in Wynne. The Court ultimately held that under the dormant commerce clause, Maryland had to provide a full credit for taxes paid to other states. (Prior coverage (Doc 2015-11808).)
"The fundamental problem with our negative Commerce Clause cases is that the Constitution does not contain a negative Commerce Clause," Scalia said in his Wynne dissent. "It contains only a Commerce Clause."
Later in the dissent, Scalia pointed out three glaring errors he saw in using the dormant commerce clause to strike down a state tax scheme: the lack of a governing principle in the field, the clause's instability, and the incompatibility of "synthetic commerce clause" cases with the judicial role.
Under the headline "You Know Scalia's Right," (Doc 2015-11979) Tax Analysts Deputy Publisher David Brunori dissected Scalia's dissent and called it "by far the most interesting and entertaining" part of the Wynne decision.
Brunori received a lot of feedback on that column. "The state liked it," he said. "Others, not so much."
"I think whatever your view on Scalia — and he was controversial — he certainly made everyone think about the dormant commerce clause," Brunori said. "I think he was right. The dormant commerce clause is a legal fiction. That alone is controversial because the Court has always gone beyond the text of the Constitution on important issues like the right to privacy."
In the days following Wynne, Joseph Henchman of the Tax Foundation floated the radical notion of Congress passing a law to clarify ambiguity in state tax.
In a blog post headlined "The Limits of State Tax Powers:AModest Reply to Justice Scalia," Henchman wrote that Congress could answer Scalia and Thomas by codifying the dormant clause doctrine, and he provided federal statutory language based on the Complete Auto decision.
Henchman said that on the dormant commerce clause, Scalia was one of two justices who believed the Constitution commanded Congress to deal with state tax issues, and not the Court.
"It was a typical Scalia argument — challenging 200 years of precedent and upsetting settled expectations because of a strict constructionist argument that had much truth to it," Henchman said. "It's not a doctrinaire conservative thing. Justice [Samuel] Alito, whom I think many people see as very similar to Justice Scalia, is a strong believer in enforcing constitutional limits on the scope of state tax power."
Scalia's wit, while often cutting, also had a puckish side.
Walter Hellerstein, who served on the University of Chicago Law School faculty with Scalia and argued before him on two occasions, said he has fond memories of the justice and his wit.
"When I was a young law professor at the University of Chicago, my wife and I were at a cocktail party with then-Professor Scalia, who was well on his way to having nine children, and when someone asked him, 'Do you have a child in 3rd grade?', my wife heard him reply, 'I must.'"
Hellerstein also recounted arguing Hunt-Wesson Inc. v. Franchise Tax Board before the Court when Chief Justice William Rehnquist interjected to correct his pronunciation of the Beatrice Company. Hellerstein told Tax Analysts that he immediately promised to use Rehnquist's pronunciation "for the balance of my argument."
Scalia chimed in, "Good move, counsel."
To view the original article, please visit this page.
www.skofirm.com
© 2020 Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC
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ISLAMABAD: In rural districts of the country, 48pc of surveyed fifth graders in public and private schools cannot read a sentence in English and 44pc cannot read a story in Urdu, Sindhi or Pashto.
This was revealed at the release of the Annual Status of Education Report (Aser) by a private NGO, Idara-i-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) launched on Tuesday.
The formal launch was conducted by Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood.
The 229-page report was prepared in collaboration with the Department for International Development, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund and other partners. According to ITA, it is based on a survey of 154 districts in 4,527 villages, 89,966 households and 260,069 children between the ages of three and 16.
According to Aser 2018, improvement was recorded in the education sector last year but a lot more still needs to be done. It said 47pc of surveyed fifth graders could not do two-digit division.
ITA Chief Operating Officer Baela Raza Jamil shared the findings of the reports with the audience. She said Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Gilgit Baltistan had made progress.
The report points out poor standards of education but when compared to the report for 2016-17, it also points to promising trends in terms of access and quality such as 83pc of children between the ages of six and 16 are enrolled in schools compared to 81pc in 2016.
It says 19pc of children were out of school in 2016 and that this number had decreased to 17pc in 2018.
The report says that 83pc of all children of school going age, six to 16 years, were enrolled in school of whom 77pc go to government schools and 23pc go to private schools- 20pc in formal education and 3pc in madressahs.
It says 37pc of children aged between three and five are enrolled in schools compared to 36pc in 2016.
The report says Azad Jammu and Kashmir is at the top with a 95pc enrolment rate for children between the ages of six and 16 followed by GB and Islamabad with an enrolment rate of 91pc each.
In Punjab, 89pc students are enrolled in schools, 86pc in Sindh, 87pc in KP, 28pc in Balochistan and 72pc in tribal areas.
The report says 32pc of government schools and 11pc of private schools do not have useable water facilities and that 42pc of government schools do not have toilet facilities.
It says 13pc of surveyed private schools also do not have toilet facilities.
It points out that 30pc of public schools and 20pc private schools do not have boundary walls.
Aser 2018 says 88pc of teachers were present in public schools on the day of the survey and the same percentage was present in private schools as well.
Only 28pc of government schools have computer labs and 22pc have smart boards.
Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood said the government has been taking various steps to bring visible improvement in the education sector, such as launching a uniform education system in the country.
The minister said a uniform curriculum and education system is imperative for providing equal opportunities to all students.
He said some elite schools are putting up a little resistance but the education ministry is optimistic it will manage to bring all stakeholders on board for launching a uniform education system.
He said a drive has been started in Islamabad for bringing out of school children into schools and that the initiative will soon be replicated in the provinces as well.
GB Education Minister Ibrahim Sanai, PML-N MNA Mehnaz Akber Aziz and others also spoke on the occasion.


text:
\section{INTRODUCTION}
\label{intr}
External perturbations of matter may result in x-ray radiation. It can occur at braking of moving electrons (Bremsstrahlung) \cite{BET,HAU,LANDAU,CHE} and also under electron transitions to lower
energy levels in atoms (characteristic radiation) \cite{BON,SHA,VAN}. Known x-ray emission phenomena \cite{MAT,DUN,HUA,PUTT,HOR} result from those basic ones.

Acoustic action on matter can be strong. Shock waves in liquids result in cavitation \cite{COL,VOG,LAU,PEC,BEN}. Ultrasonically driven bubbles in liquids may emit bursts of light when they
collapse (sonoluminescence) \cite{PEC1,HIL,PUT1,PUT2,BRE}. Shock waves in a soft tissue can provide a strong mechanical action \cite{LOSKE}. In solids acoustic energy may be converted into visible
light \cite{OST} or infrared radiation \cite{AHN} (acoustoluminescence).

X-ray emission can occur under action on solids of extremely strong shock waves, with the pressure of $200GPa$ \cite{GIZ}. In this case external mechanical forces on solids are comparable with the
atomic ones. The intensity of those shock waves is four orders of magnitude larger than in the experiments reported here (weak shock waves). Furthermore, x-ray emission from radiative shock waves
in astrophysics can occur due to heating of a matter up to high temperature \cite{NYM}. In our experiments weak shock waves result in the negligible increase of temperature, $\sim 0.01K$.

In this article we study completely different phenomena compared to the ones mentioned above. Acoustic pulses, propagating through lead, resulted in x-ray emission. This phenomenon may seem to be
just one more on the list of various types of x-ray emission. This impression is not correct, since the x-ray emission revealed here cannot be explained by a combination of known effects.
In addition, it is also accompanied by a paradoxical matter collapse which has not been observed before. It turns out that a fundamentally new mechanism has to underlie those two phenomena. It is
likely that the concept of electron anomalous states \cite{IVLEV}, which encouraged the experiments and specified main features of them, is this mechanism. Here we only introduce the discovered
phenomena. A detailed study of them is out of the scope of this article.

We exposed a ``sandwich'' (see details in Sec.~\ref{exp}), containing a lead foil, to underwater shock waves. The passage of the acoustic pulse through a particular point in the lead occurs during
approximately $\Delta t\simeq 10^{-10}s$. A perturbation with this characteristic time cannot excite electrons up to the $keV$ energy scale, corresponding to the frequency $\omega\sim 10^{18}s^{-1}$.
The formal probability of one quantum excitation up to the $keV$ energy is of the type $\exp(-\omega\Delta t)$ \cite{IVLEV1,IVLEV2}. In a multiquanta absorption, $\omega\Delta t\sim 10^{8}$ quanta
should be involved resulting in the probability of the type above \cite{IVLEV1,IVLEV2}. Therefore, a characteristic x-ray emission in the $keV$ region is impossible. Also there are no conditions in
lead for Bremsstrahlung of that energy since conduction electrons adiabatically follow the acoustic wave acquiring its velocity $\sim 10^5cm/s$.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=7cm , bb=5 5 350 330]{hexfig1.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig1}Sketch of the experimental arrangement. The piezoelectric transducer, cross-sectioned in the figure, has a spherical shape. Pressure waves are emitted from the transducer at a
rate of $0.5Hz$ and focused on the center $F$ of the arrangement inside a water tank.}
\end{figure}

Slow varying acoustic perturbation, in principle, can produce a spatial charge separation resulting in an electric field locally increasing an electron energy with a possibility of a
subsequent quanta emission. For example, such mechanism resulted in acoustoluminescence in a semiconductor due to a lattice defect separation \cite{OST}. But in the bulk lead fast electron
processes (keeping a fixed Fermi level) with a characteristic time $10^{-15}s$ \cite{ABR} equalize any acoustically caused charge separation. The only possibility for a charge separation is a
lead - dielectric border in the sandwich used in our experiments. One can suppose a deformation of surfaces of those solids when they locally loose contact forming a cavity with opposite charges
on separated surfaces. This would remind the charge separation at peeling of an adhesive tape when the separated charges resulted in glow discharge and x-ray Bremsstrahlung \cite{PUTT}. But in our
experiment such discharge avalanche cannot be formed due to air which is unavoidable between the two surfaces. The hypothetical cavity would be filled out by air at atmospheric pressure. In
this case an accelerating electron would be braked by air molecules which is not sufficient for x-ray Bremsstrahlung.

One can conclude that a conversion of the acoustic energy into $keV$ x-rays by known mechanisms is impossible. However, we observed a strong x-ray emission when shock waves come from water and
reflect off a sample containing the lead foil ({\it sound into x-rays}). The energy of x-ray quanta is estimated to be in the $keV$ range. The source of the observed x-rays was not in the water
(including cavitation bubble dynamics), since it was screened by a relatively thick copper film. As argued in this paper, the source was the lead.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=5cm , bb=5 5 350 350]{hexfig2.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig2}Disassembled sample holder. The plastic envelope, the x-ray film with the light protecting paper, and the lead foil are shown separately (not as a sandwich). The
sandwich oppression occurs outside the $10\times 15mm^2$ window in the rigid plastic plate.}
\end{figure}

The other experimental observation is also unusual. Under shock wave exposure a small area of the lead foil (of $2mm$ size and of polygonal shape) ``disappears'' because the total lead volume was
reduced by that amount after exposure to acoustic waves ({\it matter collapse}). Moreover, the missing polygon of lead foil looked as a delicately removed part with no damage at the hole
surrounding as it should at a mechanical breaking. This points to a non-mechanical mechanism of hole formation. A resemblance between two phenomena is manifested in our experiments.

\section{MATERIALS AND METHODS}
\label{exp}
Shock waves, as an acoustic type of matter perturbation, are widely used in various fields \cite{LOSKE}. These waves consist of a narrow front and a relatively long release wave \cite{BEN}.
Usual applications of shock waves relate to their mechanical actions on matter \cite{BEI,PHI,ILO,KLA}. Shock waves in water can result in cavitation arising from nucleation sites and
microbubbles \cite{PHI,ILO,KLA}. During an individual bubble collapse, high-speed microjets of water may be generated \cite{LAU}. These microjets have sufficient energy to puncture thin plastic or
metal film after a multiple action.

The main element of the setup used was a Piezolith 2501-based shock wave source (Richard Wolf GmbH, Knittlingen, Germany). It consists of approximately 3000 small piezoelectric elements, arranged
on a bowl-shaped (radius $345mm$) aluminum backing (Fig.~\ref{fig1}) with an aperture of $474mm$. The electric circuit basically consists of capacitor charging unit and a discharge control system.
The piezoelectric elements are insulated from water by a flexible membrane. A high voltage discharge across the array of piezoelectric elements generates an abrupt expansion of all elements,
producing pressure waves that travel towards the center $F$ of the device. The superposition of propagating pressure waves, due to a hydrodynamic nonlinear distortion, produces a shock wave in the
vicinity of the focal region (see Fig.~\ref{fig1}). In this region, in the shape of a cigar measuring about $17\times 3mm$, aligned along the axis of symmetry, the positive pressure pulse has more
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=4.2cm , bb=5 5 300 350]{hexfig3.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig3}Image on the x-ray film after exposure to 1000 shock waves with a peak positive pressure amplitude of $26MPa$. (Shock wave) - (plastic envelope) - ($0.4mm$ thick copper foil)
- (x-ray film) - (lead foil) - (plastic envelope).}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=5cm , bb=5 5 350 350]{hexfig4.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig4}Image on the x-ray film after exposure to 250 shock waves with a peak positive pressure amplitude of $26MPa$. (Shock wave) - ($0.3mm$ thick plastic film) - (x-ray film) -
(lead foil).}
\end{figure}
an $50\%$ of the maximum peak positive amplitude.

All samples were exposed to pressure waves generated at a voltage between 2.5 and $5kV$ and a discharge rate of $0.5Hz$. At this voltage, the pressure waveform, measured at $F$ with a PVDF needle
hydrophone (Imotec GmbH, W\"{u}rselen, Germany), had a peak positive amplitude at the pressure interval $(15 - 33)MPa$. Pressure values are specified in Figs.~\ref{fig3} - \ref{fig11}. The
temperature inside the water tank was approximately $20^oC$. Special care was taken to avoid air gaps or bubbles at the water-sample interface or between layers inside the sample. The shock wave
velocity $v$ in water is connected to the pressure $p$ in the front by the relation \cite{COL,PEC}
\begin{equation}
\label{0}
p=275\bigg\{\left[1.526\left(\frac{v}{s_0}-1\right)\right]^{2.310}-1\bigg\}MPa,
\end{equation}
where $s_0=1.48\times 10^5cm/s$ is the sound velocity in water at $20^oC$.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=5cm , bb=5 5 350 350]{hexfig5.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig5}Image on the x-ray film after exposure to 250 shock waves with a peak positive pressure amplitude of $29MPa$. (Shock wave) - (plastic envelope) - (black paper) - (x-ray film)
- (black paper) - (lead foil) - (plastic envelope).}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=5cm , bb=5 5 350 350]{hexfig6.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig6} Image on the x-ray film after exposure to 250 shock waves with a peak positive pressure amplitude of $29.5MPa$. (Shock wave) - (plastic envelope) -(lead foil) - (black paper)
- (x-ray film) - (black paper) - (plastic envelope).}
\end{figure}

As a sample in Fig.~\ref{fig1} a ``sandwich'', based on Carestream Dental-Insight intraoral x-ray film ($22\times 35mm^2$) and manufactured by Carestream Health Inc. (Rochester NY, USA), was
used. Each individual film was packaged in a light-tight plastic (vinyl) envelope to protect the film from light. The front side is supposed to face the x-ray tube; the back side has an opening tab
to open the film during processing. A black paper wrapper ($0.10mm$ thick) protects the film base (sheet of cellulose acetate of $0.20mm$ thickness) from light and damage. The x-ray sensitive
emulsion faces towards the front side of the envelope. A lead foil ($0.06mm$ thick) is on the back side.

Each plastic envelope, fixed with the specially designed Lucite holder shown in Fig.~\ref{fig2}, was fastened horizontally and centered at the focus $F$. The x-ray sensitive emulsion was facing
towards the shock waves coming from the water. Waves propagated through the outer plastic cover, the front black paper, the x-ray film, the black paper, the lead foil, and the back plastic cover.
The water level was set $40mm$ above $F$. A small strip of water resistant duck tape was used to seal the opening tab of each x-ray film envelope.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=6cm , bb=5 5 400 400]{hexfig7.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig7}Lead foil after exposure to 130 shock waves with a peak positive pressure amplitude of $29.3MPa$. The foil was immersed in water at the focal plane with the water level $40mm$
above $F$. The shock wave velocity, calculated by Eq.~(\ref{0}), was $v\simeq 1.523\times 10^5cm/s$.}
\end{figure}

Shock waves, created near the focus $F$ were not the only mechanical effect on the sample. Another mechanical effect was due to cavitation in the focal region. This occurs because the water
contains nucleation sites and microbubbles \cite{PHI,ILO,KLA}. Cavitation produces secondary shock waves which also impact the sample. In addition, shock wave-induced microjets of water are
generated during individual or multiple bubble collapses \cite{LAU}. These microjets have sufficient energy to puncture thin plastic or metal film after a multiple action.

\section{SOUND INTO X-RAYS}
\label{xray}
Various types of sandwiches (samples in Fig.~\ref{fig1}) were exposed to shock waves in water. We have started the research obtaining the image shown in Fig.~\ref{fig3}, where the sandwich used
contained a $0.4mm$ thick cooper foil.

The exposed spot on the x-ray film in Fig.~\ref{fig3} could be interpreted as produced by x-rays emitted from the focal region in the water. The diameter of that region ($\sim 3mm$) coincides with
the spot size; however, in that case x-rays had to be of at least $\sim 50keV$ to overcome the attenuation in the copper foil. This finding also looks strange since the spot in Fig.~\ref{fig3} has
the obvious tendency for polygonal formation but the focal region does not have such shape. The definite exclusion of that scenario followed from the absence of an exposed spot (a clean x-ray film
after development) after removing the lead foil from the sandwich keeping the rest as it was.

The presence of the copper layer in the sandwich, described in Fig.~\ref{fig3}, was not crucial for the phenomenon. In the sandwich, described in Fig.~\ref{fig4}, the copper film was substituted by
a layer of plastic but the x-ray film was still exposed.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=6cm , bb=5 5 400 400]{hexfig8.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig8}Comparison to Fig.~\ref{fig7}. The lead foil was inside the plastic envelope and exposed to 250 shock waves with a peak positive pressure amplitude of $29MPa$. The shock wave
velocity, calculated by Eq.~(\ref{0}), was $v\simeq 1.523\times 10^5cm/s$. Figs.~\ref{fig8} - \ref{fig14} correspond to the sequence (shock wave) - (plastic envelope) - (lead foil) - (x-ray film)
- (plastic envelope).}
\end{figure}

Visible light did not contribute to film exposure. This was proved by using light protecting black papers in the sandwich described in Fig.~\ref{fig5}.

In the sandwich described in Fig.~\ref{fig6}, the light protected x-ray film was placed behind the lead foil. This arrangement opened the possibility to study a propagation of the emitted quanta in
space and to measure their spectrum.

So the source of x-rays, detected as shown in Figs.~\ref{fig3} - \ref{fig6}, was the shock wave-exposed lead foil. The underwater shock wave consists of a narrow wave front having a width
$\Delta x\sim 0.15\mu m$ and a release wave, $\sim 1cm$, following the front (see Ref.~\cite{LOSKE} and references therein). The shortest characteristic time $\Delta t$ of acoustic perturbations
in lead is determined by the duration of the shock wave front in water. $\Delta t$ is approximately the ratio of the width $\Delta x$ of the shock wave front and the velocity $v$ of the shock wave
\begin{equation}
\label{1}
\Delta t\simeq\frac{0.15\mu m}{1.52\times 10^{5}cm/s}\simeq 10^{-10}s.
\end{equation}

We did not measure the energy of emitted x-ray quanta precisely. However, we know that the x-ray emission reduces approximately twice after penetration through the black paper which is the usual
light protection of the x-ray films used. It was also demonstrated that the emitted x-rays hardly penetrate through the wet black paper. Therefore, one can roughly estimate the energy of emitted
x-ray quanta to be in $1keV$ region. This corresponds to the quanta frequency $\omega\sim 10^{18}s^{-1}$.

In Fig.~\ref{fig6} the total time of exposure to x-rays was $250\Delta t\sim 10^{-8}s$. This produces the same darkness of the spot as an x-ray ramp from a dental x-ray tube with a $0.1s$ duration.
So the estimated x-ray flux, during the acoustic pulse action, was approximately $10^7$ times higher than a flux from a dental x-ray tube.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=5cm , bb=5 5 350 350]{hexfig9.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig9}Hexagonal hole in the lead foil after exposure to 250 shock waves with a peak positive pressure amplitude of $26MPa$. The shock wave velocity, calculated by Eq.~(\ref{0}), was
$v\simeq 1.519\times 10^5cm/s$. The scale is in millimeters.}
\end{figure}

Which is the mechanism producing the observed x-ray emission from lead (sound into x-rays)? The perturbation with the characteristic time (\ref{1}) cannot excite electrons up to the $keV$ energy
scale, corresponding to the frequency $\omega\sim 10^{18}s^{-1}$. The formal probability of one quantum excitation up to the $keV$ energy is of the type $\exp(-\omega\Delta t)$ \cite{IVLEV1,IVLEV2}.
In the multiquanta absorption, $N\simeq \omega\Delta t\sim 10^{8}$ quanta should be absorbed to increase an electron energy up to the $keV$ scale \cite{IVLEV1,IVLEV2}. But in our experiment the
acoustic perturbation of the lead is not very strong (almost elastic regime) since it relates to a variation of approximately $20\%$ of the lead density at the position of the acoustic peak.

Therefore, the $N$-th order of a perturbation theory, a product of $N$ small values, corresponds to the probability mentioned above \cite{IVLEV1,IVLEV2}. Therefore a characteristic x-ray emission
in the $keV$ region is impossible. Also there are no conditions in lead for Bremsstrahlung of that energy since conduction electrons adiabatically follow the acoustic wave acquiring its velocity
$\sim 10^5cm/s$.

As discussed in Sec.~\ref{intr}, a possible macroscopic effect (a charge separation resulting in local electric fields) of the slow acoustic pulses cannot lead to x-rays. Therefore the observed
x-ray emission from shock wave exposed lead is paradoxical since it contradicts the known mechanisms.
\section{MATTER COLLAPSE}
\label{matt}
In our experiments we also studied another effect of shock waves, which reflect from a surface of the sandwich containing the lead foil of $0.06mm$ thickness. Each shock wave generates an acoustic
pulse propagating through the metal. At the energy used in our study, the lead foil could not be mechanically perforated by one shock wave. One shock wave only produced a residual plastic
deformation of the foil which got slightly bent in the direction (the $x$ axis) of acoustic propagation. Further repeated shock waves lead to an accumulation of those deformations. After a
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=5cm , bb=5 5 350 350]{hexfig10.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig10}Amplified heptagonal hole of Fig.~\ref{fig8}. The scale is in millimeters.}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[h!]
\includegraphics[width=5cm , bb=5 5 350 350]{hexfig11.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig11}Octagonal hole in the lead foil after exposure to 500 shock waves with a peak positive pressure amplitude of $22MPa$. The shock wave velocity, calculated by Eq.~(\ref{0}), was
$v\simeq 1.513\times 10^5cm/s$. The scale is in millimeters.}
\end{figure}
critical number (on the order of hundred) of shock waves the foil became perforated. This was accompanied by a strong deformation of the foil area surrounding the perforated region as in
Fig.~\ref{fig7}. In this case the foil was in contact with water.

In Figs.~\ref{fig8} - \ref{fig11} the lead foil was hermetically sealed inside the factory plastic envelope (Fig.~\ref{fig2}) and was not directly exposed to underwater shock waves. However, those
shocks, that weakly reflected off the water-plastic interface, also resulted in acoustic pulses in the metal.

Whereas the foil damages in Fig.~\ref{fig7} are due to mechanical actions of shock waves the damages in Figs.~\ref{fig8} - \ref{fig11} are substantially different. The scenario of pure mechanical
creation of those holes by acoustic pulses would look straightforward. In this case, after accumulation of small deformations, the foil in the center would become thinner and finally get perforated.
The lead matter, that initially filled out the hole, would be distributed around it. By the action of the contacting plastic film a rugosity of the foil would be created near the hole.

The absence of a rugosity around the holes in Figs.~\ref{fig8} - \ref{fig11} contradicts the scenario of pure mechanical breaking. The microscope magnifications of the hole, shown in
Figs.~\ref{fig12} and \ref{fig14}, are incompatible with a usual mechanical perforation. In Fig.~\ref{fig13} the cross-section of the foil at the hole shows that the foil was bent towards the
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=8.9cm , bb=10 10 500 355]{hexfig12.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig12}Microscope image of the lead foil surface, facing the incoming acoustic pulses, near the hole in Fig.~\ref{fig9}. The formation of micron size lead particles is visible. The
distance between two large bars is $0.1mm$.}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=8cm , bb=5 5 400 350]{hexfig13.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig13}Schematic cross-section of the lead foil based on the microscope images. The chosen border point corresponds to the middle of the left-lower side of the hexagon in
Fig.~\ref{fig12}. The foil was bent towards the incoming pulses.}
\end{figure}
direction of the incoming acoustic pulses. This also stands against a mechanical hole formation. Fig.~\ref{fig13} is schematically based on confocal  microscope analysis (not detailed here). According
to it, $25\%$ of the hole interior is collected on the hole border. This is also visible in Figs.~\ref{fig12} and \ref{fig14}. Therefore $75\%$ of the hole interior was somehow transferred away from
the hole.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=8.5cm , bb=5 5 400 300]{hexfig14.jpg}
\caption{\label{fig14}Microscope image of a part of the hole border. The total hole is shown in Figs.~\ref{fig9} and \ref{fig12}. The formation of micron-sized lead particles is visible.}
\end{figure}

All holes, in Figs.~ \ref{fig8} - \ref{fig11}, look as if the missing lead matter would have been delicately removed with no disturbance of the surroundings. Those holes have a polygonal shape. The
number of sides of the polygon increases from Fig.~\ref{fig9} (hexagon) to Fig.~\ref{fig11} (octagon) under the enhancement of the total acoustic flux to the foil. As follows from Figs.~\ref{fig12}
and \ref{fig14}, micron-sized lead particles are formed on the lead foil surface facing the acoustic pulses. The particles are better seen on the microscope magnification of the part of the hole
border shown in Fig.~\ref{fig14}. Those particles are absent on the back side (exit side of the acoustic pulses) of the lead foil.

There was another exciting phenomenon. The lead matter, looking as delicately removed from the holes, ``disappeared''. This corresponds to the aforementioned $75\%$ of the hole interior. It was not
found in the envelope as lost macroscopic fragments. The plastic surfaces, which were in contact with the lead, looked as before shock wave action, i.e., they were not damaged, appeared to be clean,
and without traces of lead. Fig.~\ref{fig10} corresponds to ``disappearance'' of $55mg$ of lead. Lead melting is impossible since a conversion of the entire acoustic energy into heat would increase
the temperature of the missing lead part by $0.01K$ only.

A conversion of the missing lead matter into the micron-sized particles, shown in Figs.~\ref{fig12} and \ref{fig14}, seems impossible since their total volume is approximately $1\%$ of the
``disappeared'' hole interior.

One can suppose that the missing $75\%$ of the hole interior was transferred by secondary acoustic pulses propagating along the lead foil away from the hole. In principle, such a pulse can be
generated by the incident acoustic pulse, propagating across the lead foil, which has the duration $10^{-10}s$ (\ref{1}). So the hypothetical secondary pulse would have the spatial extension
$10^{-10}s\times 10^{5}cm/s\sim 10^{-5}cm$ along the lead foil. It is easy to evaluate that each of 250 secondary pulses (referred to the hole in Fig.~\ref{fig9}) would carry away from the hole ten
times increased lead density localized within $10^{-5}cm$. Therefore, the hypothetical secondary pulse would be a strong shock wave propagating along the lead foil. But there is no source for such
grandiose effect since the incident pulse, propagating across the lead foil, is weaker than a shock wave (Sec.~\ref{mech}). So secondary pulses cannot be generated and therefore do not transfer lead
matter away from the hole.

The above phenomenon can be qualified as matter collapse, i.e., a non-conventional matter redistribution. Into what does the missing lead matter go over?

\section{THE MECHANISM}
\label{mech}
The velocity of the shock waves in water in the focal plane in Fig.~\ref{fig1} is approximately $v\simeq 1.5\times 10^5cm/s$. It slightly exceeds the speed of sound in water $s_0$. In the
macroscopic description there is a jump of velocity at the shock wave front. In reality this jump is smeared out over approximately $\Delta x\sim 0.15\mu m$. Therefore the characteristic time,
related to the shock wave front propagation, is given by Eq.~(\ref{1}).

The metal foil was placed at the focal region of the shock wave source with the size of a few millimeters. Within this area one can consider a plane shock wave which collides the foil normally (in
the $x$ direction). We are interested on short time processes occurring during the front wave time (\ref{1}). The density $\rho$ of the metal is larger than the density $\rho_0\simeq 1g/cm^3$ of
water. Therefore the shock front in water reflected almost elastically from the metal border. In this process the momentum $2(\rho_0\Delta x)v$ per unit area of the water-metal interface was
transferred to the metal. See also \cite{BEN, BEI}. This momentum, acquired by the metal, leads to the acoustic pulse $u(x-st)$ propagating from its surface. Here $s$ is the speed of sound in the
metal and $u(x)$ is the positive longitudinal displacement localized on $x\sim s\Delta t$. It results in the local variable density $(1-\partial u/\partial x)\rho$ in the metal, where $\rho$ is the
equilibrium density. The local velocity in the metal is $V=-s\,\partial u/\partial x$.

Below we estimate the balance of momentum transfer per unit area of the water-metal interface. It can be written as
\begin{equation}
\label{2}
\Big\langle\left(s\Delta t\right)\left(1-\frac{\partial u}{\partial x}\right)\rho V\Big\rangle =2\left(v\Delta t\right)\rho_0 v,
\end{equation}
where $s\Delta t$ and $v\Delta t$ are the lengths of the pulse (along the $x$ axis) in metal and water, respectively. Angular brackets mean an average on $x$. Since the average of
$\partial u/\partial x$ is zero, one should account the square of this term in the left-hand side of (\ref{2}). The maximal velocity $V$ in the pulse, propagating in the metal, is estimated as
\begin{equation}
\label{3}
V\simeq v\,\sqrt{\frac{2\rho_0}{\rho}}\,.
\end{equation}
For lead $\rho\simeq 11.3g/cm^3$, $s\simeq 1.26\times 10^5cm/s$, and therefore the maximal value of $V/s=-\partial u/\partial x$ can be estimated as 0.49. This estimate is approximate since we use
the limit of small $\partial u/\partial x$. However it shows that $\partial u/\partial x\sim 1$ and the pulse, propagating through the lead, is not a shock wave but rather a strong acoustic
perturbation.

The two paradoxical phenomena, the x-ray emission and matter collapse, are expected to be consequences of a certain mechanism which underlies both. To understand the basis of these intriguing
phenomena let us consider the concept of anomalous states developed in Ref.~\cite{IVLEV}.

In condensed matter, certain macroscopic perturbations can form anomalous electron wells due to a local reduction of zero point electromagnetic energy. These wells are narrow, on the order of the
Lamb radius $r_L\simeq 0.82\times 10^{-11}cm$ \cite{IVLEV}, and are localized around an atomic nucleus which is of $10^{-13}cm$ size. The well depth is $\sim \hbar c/r_L\simeq 2.4MeV$. The electron
spectrum in the well is continuous and non-decaying \cite{IVLEV}. The latter is true when the well with electrons is at rest. In a condensed matter, under thermal vibrations resulting in
Bremsstrahlung of the captured electrons, states in the anomalous well acquire a small but finite width. That well with captured electrons may be treated as an anomalous atom. The wells can be
created by some perturbation which rapidly varies in space, on the scale $10^{-11}cm$.

In condensed matter such perturbations may relate to acoustic pulses. In this process the short scale is the length of the standing de Broglie wave of reflected lattice atoms resulting in
a spatial variation of charge density. In the acoustic pulse, propagating through the metal, the lattice site acquires the velocity $V$ (\ref{3}). When the pulse continues its motion, the site
returns to its initial position with the velocity $-V$ due to a reflection from other sites. In this process the quantum interference of forth and back motions results in the modulation of the
charge density on the scale
\begin{equation}
\label{4}
\Delta R=\frac{\hbar}{2MV}\,,
\end{equation}
where $M$ is the mass of the lattice site. For lead $M\simeq 3.44\times 10^{-22}g$ and the above estimates give $\Delta R\simeq 2.99r_L$. Therefore the perturbation of lead by the acoustic pulses
is effective for creation of anomalous electron states.

The quantum coherence of the incident and reflected de Broglie waves can exist if it is not destroyed by thermal fluctuations. For this reason, the velocity of the macroscopic motion $V$ of
lattice sites should exceed their velocity $V_T=\sqrt{T/M}$ of thermal motion. For lead at room temperature ($20^o C$) the velocity $V$ is approximately $6.1V_T$.

One should note that in copper the above mentioned acoustic pulses will hardly create anomalous states. The copper density $\rho=8.96g/cm^3$ and the mass of the copper atom $M=1.055\times 10^{-22}g$
correspond to $\Delta R\simeq 8.4r_L$ which is a too long spatial perturbation compared to $r_L$. So, heavy metals are preferable for formation of anomalous states. Note that for copper at room
temperature ($20^o C$) the velocity $V$ is approximately $3.6V_T$.

According to the Thomas-Fermi approach \cite{LANDAU1}, in heavy atoms the energy to remove all electron from a neutral atom is $\Delta E\simeq 16Z^{7/3}eV$. For lead (atomic number $Z=82$)
$\Delta E\simeq 5.7ZkeV$. Since the Thomas-Fermi method is approximate, in reality one can estimate the ground state energy per electron in lead as minus a few $keV$.

After the fast (within the time $\hbar/1MeV\sim 10^{-21}s$) formation of the anomalous well the initial atomic state, in the $keV$ region, is ``unable'' to immediately vary and remains the same as
before. But now this state is non-stationary corresponding to an electron flow toward the anomalous well to form the anomalous atom. A typical time of this process is $\hbar/1keV$. Faster processes
are less effective due to strong spatial oscillations (compared to the initial wave function) of new states localized in the anomalous well. This is similar to smallness of a matrix element when
one wave function rapidly oscillates. So, according to quantum mechanical uncertainty, the formation of the anomalous well is accompanied by quanta emission in the $keV$ region. Further $MeV$ quanta
emission from the formed well is weak since the states in the well are almost non-decaying. An intensive high energy ($MeV$) emission can be induced by some external sources.

One can see that the deep (of the $MeV$ range) anomalous well, from where the $keV$ x-ray emission occurs, is formed by adiabatic acoustic perturbations with the typical time
$\Delta t\sim 10^{-10}s$. This resolves the paradoxical observation of x-ray emission under the slow varying driving force (Sec.~\ref{xray}).

There is another unusual aspect of anomalous atoms. The size of this atom ($\sim 10^{-11}cm$) is three orders of magnitude smaller than the conventional one. If in a part of a solid all atoms
undergo the transition to the anomalous state that macroscopic region reduces $10^9$ times in volume. This process can be qualified as matter collapse. The collapsed matter (with $10^9$ times
enhancement of density) looks as a dramatically different concept \cite{IVLEV}.

In our experiments the missing macroscopic part of lead, initially filling the areas of the polygonal holes in Figs.~\ref{fig8} - \ref{fig11}, did not disappear but could be converted into collapsed
matter of micron size. Such ``speck of dust'', invisible even with a magnifying lens, imitates matter ``disappearance''. Another possibility is that the observed micron-sized particles on the lead
surface are collapsed (or partly collapsed) matter. Further research is required to establish which scenario is realized. Anyway, it would be extremely unusual to mechanically collect after an
experiment that heavy matter artificially created. That heavy matter, up to $10^9$ times enhancement in density, is unknown to be found in nature.

The paradoxical x-ray emission and the lead matter ``disappearance'' cannot be explained by a combination of known effects. A different concept is required which underlies both intriguing
phenomena. The concept of anomalous states satisfies this condition. It explains the common mechanism of both phenomena and also why they are observed in lead but not in copper.

\section{DISCUSSION}
\label{disc}
The main purpose of this paper is to introduce the unexpected paradoxical phenomena providing convincing experimental arguments for their existence. Further quantitative studies, for example
spectrum measurements of the emitted x-rays, are to be done. The second purpose is to link those paradoxical phenomena to the mechanism likely responsible for them.

As known, usual applications of shock waves relate to their mechanical actions on matter. We report a completely different type of a shock wave action. Two intriguing phenomena were observed.

1. {\it Sound into x-rays}. A strong x-ray emission from the lead under the action of acoustic pulses which are extremely adiabatic, $10^8$ times slower, compared to fast processes of
x-ray generation was observed. The estimated x-ray flux, during acoustic pulse action, was approximately $10^7$ times higher than the flux from a dental x-ray tube. Our phenomenon strongly differs
from ones when x-ray emission occurs due to known mechanisms initiated by extremely strong shock waves (artificial explosions, processes in supernovae in astrophysics, etc.).

2. {\it Matter collapse}. ``Disappearance'' of a macroscopic part of lead matter exposed to acoustic pulses was noticed. The ``disappeared'' matter has the shape of a polygonal hole in the lead
foil with non-damaged surroundings of the hole. The polygonal shape of spots and holes confirms a resemblance between two phenomena. A direct mechanical effect of the acoustic pulses, as a cause of
that hole formation, is excluded. In that case, the acoustic pulses would strongly damage the hole surroundings as was observed in previous experiments.

The two above paradoxical phenomena were discovered in table-top experiments and remind, at first sight, routine acoustic studies. This impression is not correct. Both phenomena cannot be explained
by a combination of known effects. It turns out that a fundamentally new mechanism has to underlie them. The concept of electron anomalous states, which encouraged the experiments and specified
main features of them, likely is this mechanism.

It relates to the formation in condensed matter of anomalous electron wells, because of a local reduction of zero point electromagnetic energy. The wells are narrow, $10^{-11}cm$, and deep, on the
order of a few $MeV$. The well formation is due to short scale ($10^{-11}cm$) modulations of charge density caused by the interference of de Broglie waves of lattice sites. This interference occurs,
on that short scale, between the incident and reflected lattice site participating in shock wave motion with the velocity $V$. The thermal motion of lattice sites, with the velocity $V_T$, cannot
destroy that interference since in lead $V_T$ is substantially smaller than $V$.

Atomic electrons are collected inside the anomalous well forming an anomalous atom and resulting in two effects. First, they emit x-ray quanta by transitions to lower levels. Second, the anomalous
atom is three orders of magnitude smaller than a usual one. The lead matter, that initially filled the hole region, transformed into anomalous state reducing its macroscopic volume $10^9$ times. In
other words, the macroscopic volume is converted into a heavy particle of micron size. This ``speck of dust'', invisible even with a magnifying lens, imitates matter ``disappearance''. The origin
of micron size lead particles on the lead surface, facing acoustic pulses, may be of the above mentioned nature but this needs further studies.

The theory of anomalous states \cite{IVLEV} explains (i) the paradoxical x-ray emission caused by extremely adiabatic perturbations, (ii) paradoxical matter collapse, and (iii) the lack of effect in
copper in contrast to lead. A detailed study of the phenomena discussed is not the goal of this paper.

Furthermore, there is another aspect related to quanta emission from anomalous matter. All electrons of the single anomalous lead atom, in principle, can emit approximately $250MeV$ by transitions
to lower states \cite{IVLEV}. These processes do not occur automatically since anomalous states are weakly decaying. One can ask the question: what kind of external perturbation triggers off that
avalanche releasing $250MeV$ per atom? In this case $36mg$ of lead would release $4.18\times 10^9J$ originating from a reduction of zero point electromagnetic energy \cite{IVLEV}.\\
~

~
\section{CONCLUSIONS}
\label{conc}
Acoustic pulses, propagating through lead, unexpectedly resulted in strong x-ray emission (sound into x-rays). Those pulses are extremely adiabatic compared to atomic processes of x-ray generation
which have the formal probability $\exp(-10^8)$. Bremsstrahlung mechanisms are excluded.

The lead foil, exposed to acoustic pules, misses a part of its area in the shape of a polygonal hole of the size of $\sim 2mm$ (matter collapse). The missing polygon of the lead foil looks as a
delicately removed part with no damage at the hole surroundings as it should be after a strong mechanical breaking. That missing polygonal lead matter seems ``disappeared'' because no traces of it
were found.

The discovered phenomena of {\it sound into x-rays} and {\it matter collapse} require a fundamentally new mechanism to underlie them. The concept of electron anomalous states \cite{IVLEV} is likely
that mechanism.

\acknowledgments
The work was supported by CONACYT through grant 237439.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
World map view
Droughts and the Grain Export Ban in Russia
Type of conflict sub
Intensity 1
Time 2010 ‐ 2012
Countries Russia
Resources Agricultural / Pastoral Land
Conflict Summary This brief case illustrates the drivers behind Russia's grain export ban as an example for the policy dynamics of a major grain exporter and the...
This brief case illustrates the drivers behind Russia's grain export ban as an example for the policy dynamics of a major grain exporter and the consequences for importers.
Conceptual Model
Severe drought events have been increasing in frequency in Russia. In July 2010, Russia experienced an unprecedented heat wave that provoked the onset of a drought and caused fires. The extreme weather event decimated the summer harvest and affected 17% of Russia's total crop area.
Intermediary Mechanisms
Russia saw its grain output fall from 97m tonnes in 2009 to an estimated 60m tonnes in 2010, which resulted in a rise in grain prices. In response to the situation, the Russian government introduced a temporary ban on grain exports which contributed towards an increase in world grain prices.
Fragility and Conflict Risks
The grain export ban has arguably created a climate where price spikes and uncertainty are far more likely in the future. Consequently, Russia may lose its reputation of being a reliable partner, thus negatively affecting grain demand in the future.
SLIDESHOW EXPORT (PDF) ×
Climate ChangeEnvironmental ChangeIntermediary MechanismsFragility and Conflict RisksSocial and Economic DriversExtreme weather event is consistent with predictions regarding more frequent and/or intense extreme weather events.Extreme weather event leads to scarcity of essential natural resources.Reduced availability of/access to natural resources leads to volatile food prices.Food price volatility weakens the state.An increase in the frequency and/or intensity of extreme weather events, such as floods or droughts.More Frequent / Intense Extreme Weather EventsA specific extreme weather event such as a flood or a storm.Extreme Weather EventReduced availability of essential natural resources, such as land and water.Change in Access / Availability of Natural ResourcesStrong fluctuations in the prices of foodstuffs, such as cereals or livestock.Volatile Food PricesA reduced ability of the state to fulfil basic functions.Weakened State
Context Factors
In July 2010, Russia experienced a heat wave which witnessed summer temperatures peak at their highest level in 130 years. The ensuing drought and fires decimated the summer harvest, especially in Russia's south western regions which produce the majority of the nation's grain. As the third largest global exporter of wheat, Russia saw its grain output fall from 97m tonnes in 2009 to an estimated 60m tonnes in 2010 (Oxford Business Group, 2011).
Elena Skrynnik, the then minister for agriculture, suggested that 43 regions had been affected and 13.3 million acres of crops destroyed. This number equated to 17% of the total crop area, including roughly 25,000 farms (Welton, 2011). Although perceived at the time as a one-off, most notably by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and US Department of Commerce, these severe drought events have been increasing in frequency within the region and a subsequent drought was experienced again in the summer of 2012 (Hoerling, 2010).
The Russian export ban
In response to the drought and escalating rise in grain prices, the Russian government introduced a temporary grain export ban on wheat, barley, rye, maize, and wheat and rye flour in August of 2010. Originally, the ban was to last until the 31st December 2010; however this was extended to the 30th June 2011 when the magnitude of the harvest loss became apparent (OECD, 2011). Essentially, the ban nullified pre-existing contracts that exporters had with foreign clients, further exempting them from liability on those contracts. This then allowed sellers to resell their grain at prices that were, in the short-term, higher than those in the existing contracts (Welton, 2011).
Impacts on Egypt and Pakistan
The ban on grain export had various short and long-term consequences. Globally, the absence of Russian grain on the world market in 2010 and 2011 contributed towards a renewed increase in world grain prices (OECD, 2011). The ban had immediate implications on Russia's traditional wheat trading partners in North Africa, forcing them to source alternative supplies. A predominant loser was Egypt and the ban was in part responsible for inducing social unrest within the country. Egypt was hard hit by the wheat crisis, as the country is only 60% self-sufficient in this cereal grain, relying heavily on Russian supply for around 50% of its wheat imports. Prior to the crisis, Egypt was purchasing wheat at 183 USD per tonne from Russia. After the export ban, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) needed to pay around 280 USD per tonne to France and the U.S. on the global market. The former trade minister, Rachid Mohamed Rachid, estimated that the ban on Russian wheat imports cost Egypt an extra 696.8 million USD in 2010 (Oxford Business Group, 2011). Another country severely affected by the ban was Pakistan, Russia's fourth biggest global customer, but also one of its poorest. Pakistan witnessed a 16% increase in the price of wheat, just as the government was reducing food price protections. According to the World Bank, the knock-on effect from the ban was a 1.6% increase in poverty at the time (Welton, 2011).
Long-term impacts
In terms of longer-term impacts, the grain export ban has arguably created a climate where price spikes and uncertainty are far more likely in the future. Indeed, if grain importers sense small interruptions in supply to be met with protectionism by the exporters, they will most probably increase demand when facing supplier issues. In turn, this exacerbates the problem. Reputational costs are another longer-term impact to Russia as a reliable partner. Reputational costs may negatively affect grain demand in the future, thus hindering the ability of exporters to engage in forward pricing (Ibid, 2011).
Intensities & Influences
International / Geopolitical Intensity
Environmental Influences
Societal Influences
Agricultural / Pastoral Land
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Country Data in Comparison
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Resources and Materials opencollapse
References with URL
Arsenault, C., 2015. Global dependence on food imports leaves countries vulnerable – TRFN
Hoerling, M., 2010. 'Russian Heatwave 2010,' Earth Systems Research Laboratory, NOAA
OECD., 2011. Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation 2011: OECD Countries and Emerging Economies
Oxford Business Group., 2011. The Report: Egypt 2011.
Welton, G., 2011. The Impact of Russia's 2010 Grain Export Ban
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All countries will need to adapt to some of the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change that are already unavoidable. Food security, livelihoods, water resource availability and public health are some affected areas. People living in poverty are more vulnerable, having a lower capacity to adapt. Thus, it is essential to promote resilience building. The adaptation and resilience aspects need to be mainstreamed into planning by policy makers and the private sector as well as integrated into development strategies.
Biodiversity & Livelihoods
Nature protection is most sustainable if it essentially contributes to the long-term stability of human needs. Today many regions around the world are confronted with increasing destruction of the natural foundations of life. The consequences of wide-ranging resource destruction are no longer regionally limited, but rather represent a global threat. Those affected are mainly rural populations, who find the sources of their income and the foundations of their way of life swept away. The depletion and destruction of natural resources goes hand in hand with decreasing agricultural yields and increasing poverty, which in turn forces the affected populations to deplete the remaining resources.
On the one hand, conflicts are caused by structural factors, such as economic and social inequality or environmental destruction. On the other hand, conflicts are fuelled by a lack of democratic structures, deficient mechanisms of non-violent conflict settlement, inadequate rule of law, the destruction of social and cultural identity and the disregard of human rights. Against this backdrop, development policies have been dedicated to a broad concept of security, which comprises political, economic, ecological and social stability. As a consequence, development cooperation agencies and actors have developed a broad spectrum of approaches for conflict prevention and transformation as well as for sustainable use of natural resources.
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Civil society is the first victim of environmental pollution, under-development and conflicts. Economically disadvantaged and politically marginalized population groups are particularly affected by violent conflicts as well as increasing resource degradation. Simultaneously, civil society is a fundamental pillar for implementing sustainable development. It contributes in many ways to strengthening conflict prevention and plays a significant role in the peaceful and democratic development of states. It must be supported to strengthen civil rights, adherence to human rights in general and democratic participation.
Climate change resulting from the emission of greenhouse gases represents one of the vital challenges for international environmental policy. Flooding, droughts, shifting of climate zones and increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events will have serious economic and social consequences for entire regions. The climate problem is also directly linked to the question of future energy generation.
To address the challenges posed by climate change, a new profile of climate diplomacy is evolving. This utilises a full range of policies, including development cooperation, conflict prevention efforts, and humanitarian assistance, in addition to more traditional measures of climate change adaptation and mitigation. Moving from a risk analysis of climate-related threats to well-timed preventive action requires a greater commitment to integrating climate change concerns into development, foreign, and security policies. Examples include strengthening diplomatic networks, building new alliances with partners, and raising awareness – not only of potentially negative climate change impacts, but also of opportunities to embark on a sustainable transformation of our societies.
Climate action entails an array of economic, social, political and environmental co-benefits. It provides an opportunity for economic growth and new jobs. Many investments can take into account climate considerations without becoming more costly. Further important co-benefits include: improved energy security, less local air and water pollution, health benefits as well as ecosystem and biodiversity protection.
In order to overcome the structural causes of violent conflicts and thus bring about an improvement in the framework conditions for peaceful and fair development, it is essential to have long term and broadly planned peace development and peace advancement. Various governmental and non-governmental, national and international actors and groups are involved in these processes.
Climate change and development are inextricably linked. Climate change endangers the development agenda and has the potential to reverse development goals. Furthermore, successful mitigation of climate change heavily depends on development choices around the world. Therefore, development strategies need to be climate-compatible to provide long-term success, and there are viable policy options that support this compatibility. Many mitigation and adaptation activities can present development opportunities to developing countries and avoid the lock-in to environmentally damaging technologies.
The reasons for the development and escalation of conflicts and the incidence of risks are multifaceted and complex. Simultaneously, the assessment of the specific causes in the form of risk and conflict analyses can contribute to a better understanding of these processes and make it possible to provide warning of negative developments, or ideally help prevent them. In the context of natural resource use, risks and conflicts have gained increasing attention in the past years. The debate on possible future water wars is merely one example.
The well-being of individuals, communities and nations depends on the availability of energy resources. The gap between energy supply and demand appears to be growing, making the world vulnerable to serious economic shocks. At the same time, the burning of fossil fuels causing climate change is one of the vital challenges of international environmental policy. So far, only rudimentary approaches exist for shaping climate and energy security in a sustainable way. The components of a strategy that can contribute to reducing vulnerabilities related to climate change and energy policy include a greater role for renewable energies, the improvement of energy efficiency and a stronger decentralisation of energy supply.
The economic, social and environmental consequences of climate change aggravate the breakdown of eco-system-dependent livelihoods and are likely to become dominant drivers of long-term migration. Natural disasters already cause massive shorter-term displacement and the number of temporarily displaced people is likely to further increase with climate change. For vulnerable populations in vulnerable regions, such as the Sahel zone or the Ganges delta, migration often becomes the sole survival strategy. In order to address climate-related displacement and migration successfully, knowledge of effective adaptation and an improved understanding of how environmental change affects human mobility is essential.
Climate finance, from all sources, plays a key role in supporting and enabling adaptation and mitigation action as well as climate and energy innovation. The Paris Agreement ensured that the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility are at the core of climate finance architecture as entities entrusted with the operation of the Financial Mechanism of the UNFCCC. Increasing climate finance from all relevant public and private sources is crucial. Furthermore, much needs to be done to redirect finance flows to sustainable paths, e.g. reducing fossil fuel subsidies, introducing maritime and air transportation taxes. The conditions for green investment in developing countries should also be improved.
Forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Competition for forest resources triggers, exacerbates, or finances numerous crises and conflicts in tropical developing countries. Illegal logging and timber trade foster instability and sometimes violent conflict by strengthening illegal and armed groups, increasing corruption and exacerbating use and claim conflicts among local communities, the state and the business sector. Forests are a vital resource to poor people but they can also become areas of conflict. Sustainable management of forest resources is therefore key to preventing violent conflict over and within forests.
Gender plays an important role as a category of conflict for many reasons. The interlinkages between gender, environment and conflicts are complex and much research is still needed. Existing insights suggest that conflicts may worsen gender inequalities that existed before the outbreak of violence. The unequal distribution of land property rights in many parts of the world serves as an example. Moreover, women (and children) are among those most affected by both violent conflict and natural disasters. At the same time, women carry much of the burden of trying to implement rehabilitation measures after crisis events.
Increasing water scarcity, desertification and crop failures due to extreme weather events are becoming more and more of a threat to global food production. While the world's population continues to grow rapidly, food production is unable to keep pace. Due to the global food crisis in 2008, the number of hungry people reached the symbolic one billion threshold for the first time – corresponding to about 16 percent of world population. Food insecurity may be a consequence or cause of conflicts. Violent conflicts often lead to the destruction of agricultural infrastructure and means of production, as well as to the displacement of local communities.
In the past, the discovery and tapping of valuable or strategic resources like valuable minerals, oil and natural gas, particularly in developing and emerging countries, has often led to large scale environmental contamination and negative development. The "resource curse" of some countries shows that the wealth from resource yields is frequently unfairly distributed; instead of serving development it advanced the formation of corrupt elites and in some cases even led to conflicts and civil wars. Measures in various sectors and at all levels are important in order to use the potential of these natural resources in a manner that is sustainable and prevents conflicts.
The spread of violent conflict not only affects people but also companies located in such regions. Destruction of investments and infrastructure, collapse of markets and trade partnerships, flight and expulsion of employees are phenomena of conflicts and environment-induced crises that directly affect companies in unstable regions. Almost all branches of the economy thus have a clear interest in a stable and peaceful environment for their activities. Conversely, the business sector plays an important role in the interaction of economic growth, social development and a healthy environment, all of which can advance peace and sustainable development.
Environmental issues have a significant security dimension. Access to, and overuse of, natural resources often play a key role in civil wars or other forms of internal domestic conflict. This is compounded by climate change and environmental degradation. Climate change is now widely recognised as a non-traditional, risk-multiplying threat that will have increasing security impacts. Key risks with possible implications for human and national security include water scarcity, food crises, natural disasters, and displacement. More preventive diplomacy and advocacy is needed to address the strategic implications of climate and environmental change.
Sustainable Transformation allows societies to profit from a growing, environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive economy – especially in emerging and developing countries. This requires a higher up-front investment, but the benefits of a sustainable transformation in the medium and long term are significant. For instance, energy cost savings and reducing the impact of price volatility offer major incentives for deploying renewable energies and promoting energy efficiency. Such benefits exist in all key sectors of the economy.
Innovations and technologies are already readily available and affordable but their global diffusion and uptake remains a challenge. Innovation and technology are crucial to achieving ambitious climate change mitigation and adaptation targets. However, research and development often do not receive appropriate public support. Developing countries can leapfrog high-carbon industrialisation phases by adopting, deploying and improving existing innovations and technologies. For this, it is essential to minimise financial, administrative and political barriers.
The availability of freshwater resources in sufficient quantity and quality is essential for the preservation of human health and sound ecosystems. The use of water resources is also vital, however, for economic development: whether for agriculture, industrial production or for electricity generation. The world's freshwater resources are distributed very unevenly in terms of geography and seasons. In addition, water shortage is becoming more prevalent in several regions due to population growth, economic development, urbanisation and increasing environmental pollution. Thus, water resources can hold potential for conflicts between parties who have different interests and needs.
The environment in Asia is already under tremendous pressure as a result of the unsustainable use of land, forests, water and even air in many regions. Climate change will only exacerbate these challenges. Rising sea levels will likely endanger densely populated areas, changes in the monsoon patterns can strongly impact agriculture, melting glaciers will increase long-term water scarcity, and extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and cyclones can pose further hazards.
Natural disasters and water scarcity are key challenges for most of Central America and the Caribbean. These challenges will become even more pronounced as the climate changes. Weak resource and disaster risk management and land disputes pose additional security challenges for large parts of the region. Several countries of Central America and the Caribbean have limited adaptive capacities as they face political instability caused by high social inequality, crime, corruption, and intra-state conflicts.
As one of the most developed and most densely populated regions in the world, Europe makes heavy use of its resources, resulting in difficult trade-offs and negative consequences for the environment and ecosystems. Land is used for settlements, agriculture and dense infrastructure, creating problems of soil degradation. Water resources are stressed due to unsustainable agricultural practices. Despite nature protection policies, Europe continues to lose biodiversity at an alarming pace. Some of these trends are exacerbated by climate change, which is expected, for instance, to lead to shifts in water availability.
Resource scarcities, environmental pollution and climate change are not limited by national borders, but often have a transboundary or even global impact. These issues interact with political stability, governance structures and economic performance, and can trigger or worsen disputes and violent conflicts. Exacerbating some of these trends, climate change is likely to lead to the degradation of freshwater resources, declines in food production, increases in storm and flood disasters and environmentally induced migration. All these developments pose potential for conflict.
The geopolitical position of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), its fossil fuel resources, high population growth and the political changes spurred by the Arab Spring all make the region one of the most dynamic in the world. Nevertheless, it is also one of the most arid and environmentally stressed. Dwindling water resources, limited arable and grazing land, high pollution from household and industrial waste, remnants of conflicts and increasing desertification are key environmental challenges.
Climate change has various impacts on the three North American countries of Canada, Mexico and the US. Canada and the US have well-developed adaptive capacities and foster the strengthening of capacities in other regions as well. With high per capita emissions, these two countries also bear a greater responsibility for a changing climate. Mexico has a sound national strategy for climate change adaptation, yet fewer capacities than Canada and the US. The poorer and rural populations of Mexico are especially vulnerable to climate change, due to an increased sensitivity and a lower adaptive capacity.
In Oceania, population growth and economic development trends put a strain on oceanic and island ecosystems. Freshwater scarcity, overexploitation of fisheries, loss of land biodiversity, forests and trees, invasive species, soil degradation, increasing levels of settlement, poor management of solid and hazardous waste and disproportionate use of coastal areas are some of the problems. Climate change exacerbates most of these trends, while also raising questions about the future sovereignty of some island states.
South America has diverse and unique ecosystems and is very rich in biodiversity. Weak natural resource management, land disputes and extreme weather events bring about significant challenges for the region. While South America accounts for relatively few CO2 emissions, the changing climate will alter its ecosystems and greater climate variability will lead to more hurricanes, landslides, and droughts.
In many African states, environmental security issues rank high on the political agenda. Throughout the continent, countries suffer from water scarcity, food insecurity and energy poverty. These chronic and worsening resource scarcities have severe livelihood implications and are exacerbated by political conflicts over access to and control over these resources. Climate change may seriously threaten political and economic stability in Africa. It may also put a severe strain on the capacities of states and societies to co-ordinate activities, to communicate and to organize.


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Wednesday, 01 November 2017 - 6:58
8 killed in New York as a truck driven into a cycle path
At least eight people have been killed and 11 seriously hurt in New York after the driver of a truck mowed down people on a cycle path in Lower Manhattan.
A 29-year-old man who emerged from the white pick-up truck was shot by a police officer and arrested.
Officials later said it was a terror attack.
Media named him as Sayfullo Saipov, an immigrant who came to the US in 2010.
A note was found in the truck that referred to so-called Islamic State.
The suspect is from the central Asian nation of Uzbekistan and came to the United States in 2010.
The incident is being investigated as terrorism, officials said. Witnesses reported the suspect was yelling "Allahu Akbar," according to four law enforcement sources. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is taking over the lead of the investigation.
A Tampa, Florida, address is connected to the suspect. Investigators are also looking into a possible connection to New Jersey, the sources said.
President Donald Trump tweeted that the incident "looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person." In a later tweet, he wrote, "My thoughts, condolences and prayers to the victims and families of the New York City terrorist attack. God and your country are with you!"


Giving my season preview for the San Francisco 49ers 2018 NFL Season including my win-loss record prediction, bold predictions, statistical projections and analysis of the team's strengths, weaknesses, and key players Jimmy Garoppolo, Richard Sherman, and Reuben Foster. Are the 49ers ready to make the playoffs?
Greetings, Sports Fans! I'm Munya Jumbi, MJ for short, and I am the Founder and Owner of Sports Fan Entertainment. I have been a fan of the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Lakers all my life and hope to continue to provide premium, insightful, and entertaining sports content for years to come.