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An Answer For Lebanon
This proposal has been offered, but it is not a good idea, IMO.
Lebanon: A New Federal State?
Since the census of 1932 the political breakdown of Lebanese politics is thus:
President is a Maronite christian
Prime minister is Sunni
Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies is a Shi'a.
This is one of many problems in Lebanon. opponents say this formula is out-dated and should no longer apply. The cite the changing demographics of the country. There has been a move or at least the suggestion that Lebanon could benefitr from the Federal system. Not everyone agress. But many political analysts see federalism as a formula to effectively divide Lebanon into sectarian cantons, with ethnic divisions dislodging the unity of the country.
Nadim Shehadi, associate fellow for Chatham House's Middle East Programme, said: "The question of federalism was brought up [during the civil war], at a very different time when divisions of the country were of a more sectarian nature. I think it's come back because of the political deadlock, whereby the differences with Hezbollah are seen to be irreconcilable.
"But federalism wouldn't work as the assumption of federalism is sectarian division and right now the division within the country is political and cuts through all confessions."
Kamal Salibi, a Lebanese historian, says Lebanon is too small for federalism to be effective and advises the country to be patient. But many political analysts see federalism as a formula to effectively divide Lebanon into sectarian cantons, with ethnic divisions dislodging the unity of the country.
Kamal Salibi, a Lebanese historian, says Lebanon is too small for federalism to be effective and advises the country to be patient.
If federalism will not because of sectarian divide, then what makes the world think it will work in Iraq? It is failing and no one wants to admit it. People are dying to test an experiment that will not work. Why not try a different tact? surely, well paid analysts can find a better way or here is a novel idea, why not ask the Iraqi people? Silly I know bu they may have a good idea.
CHUQ
By loboteroin Politics 30 June 2007 436 WordsLeave a comment
There are all sorts of plans being prepared for implimentation in Iraq. Soon, very soon the top general in Iraq and the ambassador will be coming to the Congress with their report on how the "surge" is working and will possibly tell the Congress all about the 'benchmarks' and if they are being met or not. Well the first thing that comes to mind is NOT!
In the past the US has employed several plans of action that has been tried in the past and failed. One was the 'foreign' administrators to oversee the running of the government. It was a dismal failure, all the guys chose to run the government were 'outlaws' from the past. They are trying building a wall to separate the different factions from each other so they would learn to play nice. It did not work in China, it did not work in Northern Ireland, it does not work.
Today I read that the Pentagon is review the French tactics in Algeria against an insurgency. As in Iraq, a foreign, largely non-Arab military occupied an Arab country. The French forces also faced a protracted insurgency that used "extreme and systematic use of terrorism" and was aided by neighboring countries, says Harmon.
In response to those conditions, the French built a complex system of barriers that effectively shut Algeria's borders. In the Battle of Algiers, the French mapped out city residents and their social networks. This understanding of the society helped in the successful operation to win control of the capital and shut down bomb-making rings there. They also identified local leaders and then held them accountable if someone in their area attacked the French. Small groups of French soldiers were also stationed among the general population, getting to know the communities they were trying to control. This last tactic is now being employed in Baghdad.
Groups of Algerians who disagreed over whether to fight the French or to negotiate. "But in the end, we got united because we knew it was the only way to fight France."
Unlike the Iraqi insurgency, that unity helped Algerian insurgent leaders develop a strong campaign to undermine political support for the French occupation. They established formal diplomatic ties with other African countries and in Asia and pushed for the United Nations to help end the war and grant Algeria independence. There were also attacks in France proper by Algerian insurgents that killed some 5,000 people, Harmon notes, "to frighten France and make them stop the war."
After reading and thinking on the subject, I came up with this: France lost their colony! So once again the US is not studying history and in doing so has furthered the violence.
Why does the Bush Administration continue to pursue failed policies and tactics as a 'way forward'? Your tax dollar at work.
Immigration–Again!
Well in case you have been in the bathroom playing with yourself–the Pres. immigration bill has failed again! Bush has lost ALL support except for handful of loyals. His War is losing, his immigration has lost, etc, yada.
What is next? Maybe Bush should just go to Crawford and shovel sh*t. I mean he has got to be good at it because he spent so much shovlling it onto the American people.
PEOPLE! Time for a change! STOP! awaiting for these turds to change! It is up to you! Finally move from the herd and exercise your power. Change is needed and you can do it!
By loboteroin Immigration 29 June 2007 108 WordsLeave a comment
Your Congress
While most you were concerned about the state of Paris, your Congress passed a bill for them to get a pay raise. While most of the Us is lapping up all the bullshit from Paris, the Congress, especially the Dems, were breaking some of their election promises, those of cutting spending and such.
I hate to say, "I told you so"–that is lie! I love saying! Dems are NO DIFFERENT, than the ones they replaced. So STOP deluding yourselves that you have any change with your vote!
By loboteroin Politics 28 June 2007 88 WordsLeave a comment
Another Coup For The Media
OK the bitch is out of jail, are you happy now? The concern for a broad that could care less aboiut the rest of the states is just so damn moving, makes me proud! BTW, that is called sarcasm!
Newsworthy? At least for CNN. Anderson Cooper dedictated his 360 to Paris and my fav was Larry f*cking King–He bumped Michael Moore, so he could interview Paris…..thinking……I knew he was a hack, but I had, in the past given me the benefit of the doubt. No more! He is a HACK!
OK, for all you mentally challenged, gthe Paris story IS NOT NEWS! At best, it is GOSSIP!
The only newscaster that I will give props to is Mika Brzenzski. Zbig's daughter, she refused to do the story tuesday morning and put it through a shredder on camera. May we move beyond this spoiled little bitch and get back to the news that will effect our daily lives? I may only hope!
The New Domino Theory
If you are old, like me, you will remember the domino theory from SE Asia, where if one country went communist they all would fall to the commies. Did not work out so well, some fell most did not!
The new theory I say is one in the ranks of the pro-war people. Yesterday sen Lugar a long time repub supporter came out against the war. Voivich also came out. Sen warner said that after the 4 july break more would fall.
Bush will lose all support soon and then we will see the war being seriously considered and hopefully, Americans can stop dying and come home to their families.
Cheney and The Environment
Here some stuff to be proud of (sarcasm intended)
Characteristically, Cheney left no tracks.
The Klamath case is one of many in which the vice president took on a decisive role to undercut long-standing environmental regulations for the benefit of business.
By combining unwavering ideological positions — such as the priority of economic interests over protected fish — with a deep practical knowledge of the federal bureaucracy, Cheney has made an indelible mark on the administration's approach to everything from air and water quality to the preservation of national parks and forests.
It was Cheney's insistence on easing air pollution controls, not the personal reasons she cited at the time, that led Christine Todd Whitman to resign as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, she said in an interview that provides the most detailed account so far of her departure.
The vice president also pushed to make Nevada's Yucca Mountain the nation's repository for nuclear and radioactive waste, aides said, a victory for the nuclear power industry over those with long-standing safety concerns. And his office was a powerful force behind the White House's decision to rewrite a Clinton-era land-protection measure that put nearly a third of the national forests off limits to logging, mining and most development, former Cheney staff members said.
Shall we call him an assh*le?


Information cascades are phenomena in which individuals adopt a new action or idea due to influence by others. As such a process spreads through an underlying social network, it can result in widespread adoption overall. We consider information cascades in the context of recommendations, and in particular study the patterns of cascading recommendations that arise in large social networks. We investigate a large person-to-person recommendation network, consisting of four million people who made sixteen million recommendations on half a million products. Such a dataset allows us to pose a number of fundamental questions: What kinds of cascades arise frequently in real life? What features distinguish them? We enumerate and count cascade subgraphs on large directed graphs; as one component of this, we develop a novel efficient heuristic based on graph isomorphism testing that scales to large datasets. We discover novel patterns: the distribution of cascade sizes is approximately heavy-tailed; cascades tend to be shallow, but occasional large bursts of propagation can occur. The relative abundance of different cascade subgraphs suggests subtle properties of the underlying social network and recommendation process.
Work partially supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. IIS-0209107 IIS-0205224 INT-0318547 SENSOR-0329549 EF-0331657 IIS-0326322 CCF-0325453, IIS-0329064, CNS-0403340, CCR-0122581, a David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship, and also by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance (PITA). This publication only reflects the authors' views.


I'm quite excited about the firing coming up in late October. I've had some extra time to get pieces together for it, and I feel like it's paying off. I think I'm on track to make enough work for my galleries, and have a holiday sale at my studio. I'll post dates and stuff like that once I have them, but in the mean time, here's more of a sneak peak at my drying shelves.
These are the ones that I finished most recently.
Also, in my studio, I have a big white board. I use it to make random notes to myself, sketch ideas, and just doodle stuff. I really like the idea I have on there now, but I'll have to wait and see as to how it comes together. I've been big on antlers recently, but I don't know how well they'll survive the firing. They might just droop. To avoid that, I'll have to make them very stocky. Also, do you you recognize the guy in pink?
reminder: art opening tomorrow in tacoma!
This is just to remind folks that the Washington Potter's Association art show at the Tacoma Art Stop will be having an opening tomorrow night. It's looking like it will be a fun show, with 20 some different clay artists. Two of my pieces were selected to be part of the show – Stilt Beast and Flora Beast #2 – Grazer. If you're in the area, I recommend stopping by!
The opening will be from 5 to 8pm on this Thursday, Sept 18th. The website appears to be down, but here's a link to their place on google maps. If you happen to be going through the area at another time, the show will be up until October 17th, Tuesday -Fridays 9:30am – 5:30pm, Saturdays 9:30am – 4:30pm.
I've been starting to prepare for a wood firing next month. It will be my only chance to fire pieces in time for the holiday season, so I've been working pretty hard to get ready for it. However, I'm quite happy with what I've been putting together. Here's a shot of the one pieces in progress. In this shot, I still need to finish the horns, teeth and all of that, but still, I really like its movement. I've since finished it up, including the fruit. I used a different clay for the fruit, one that will turn black or purple, or maybe just brown. I can't wait to see how it comes out.
Here's what the finished demonstration beast looked like. I ended up only having time to finish one of the beasts, and that was even after having taken several shortcuts.
After I got back home, I decided I really liked idea of the two horned beasts. The interaction of the two beasts was a really interesting problem. The horns made it difficult for them to fit together, but I really liked their potential. I decided to start another pair of them back in Seattle.
At this point, the legs are attached, and I've pretty much gotten their shapes down. I really like them!
They have a cute little tails. This really shows the lean of the one on the right.
Here, they're pretty much done at this point. I just need to finish up the horns and the teeth. The funny thing is that while I originally sketched them out with lots of teeth, I just didn't think the teeth worked right this time. In the end, I gave one tooth to each.
It's pretty funny to see how these guys developed from that first sketch. I'm very happy with them. I can't wait to see how they come out of our October firing.


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Beyonce at the 2nd Annual Wearable Art Gala.
Natalia Vodianova at the 71st Cannes Film Festival.
Mary J Blige at the 2018 SAG Awards in Los Angeles.
Cheryl Cole at the BRIT Awards.
Michelle Rodriguez at the 71st Cannes Film Festival.
Jasmine Tookes at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in Los Angeles.
Allison Williams at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in Los Angeles.
Mette Towley at the 71st Cannes Film Festival.
Daria Stroukos at the 71st Cannes Film Festival.
Danai Gurira at the European Premiere of 'Black Panther' in London.
Tina Knowles Lawson at the 2nd Annual Wearable Art Gala.


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New York Legacy
Explosion, cellphone detonator, arrests documented in Toronto 18 terror videos
Sunny Freeman, THE CANADIAN PRESS Posted on October 20, 2009
BRAMPTON, Ont. – A massive explosion meant to simulate the destructive power a homegrown terrorist group planned to unleash on Canadian targets was among the images released Tuesday as a judge made video evidence public in the prosecutions of the so-called Toronto 18.
The RCMP's demonstration of just what kind of damage a truck bomb made with ammonium nitrate would cause was among a dozen videos that were to be introduced as evidence at the trial of Zakaria Amara, who pleaded guilty this month to his leadership role in the plot.
Officers detonated a one-tonne ammonium nitrate bomb in a barren field populated with a handful of small structures. What appears to be a large, metal storage container is send tumbling across the field as a ball of fire erupts.
In a slow motion version, a shockwave can be seen travelling outward from the blast.
"The test blast videotapes provide visual evidence of the magnitude of an explosion that might have occurred," Justice Bruce Durno writes in his decision to release the evidence.
"None of the accused who are awaiting trial raised any objection to the release of the items," he added.
Another video shows Saad Gaya and Saad Khalid, who have also pleaded guilty, unloading bags labelled "ammonium nitrate" from a truck driven by an undercover police officer. It documents their dramatic arrest just moments later, with five heavily armed officers forcing them to the ground.
The dancing wires of a bomb detonator are also caught on a video made by Amara, a married father at the time of his arrest, to demonstrate how a cellphone detonator works. As the wires light up, an infant play saucer and a child's car seat can be seen in the background of the apartment.
Amara, 24, was among 18 people arrested in a plot to cause bloodshed and panic in Canada, including bombing RCMP headquarters and nuclear-power plants and attacking Parliament.
Court heard that Amara was an Islamic extremist who masterminded the plot to bomb downtown Toronto in an effort to terrorize Canadians and cripple the economy.
In other documents released Tuesday, a to-do-list seized by police set out items the group sought to carry out their plans, including brown work overalls, boxes and bags for the ammonium nitrate, two music CDs, a Koran, cigarettes and a lighter.
Another list spelled out what they would do if "everything goes through." Among those instructions was, "Only volunteer information that is asked," and, "Don't sound like a child. Be confident, Allah is on our side."
The arrests made international headlines when police swooped down on the group in the summer of 2006.
Four of group members, including Amara, have pleaded guilty and one was convicted after a trial.
Charges were stayed or dropped against seven people and six men still face trial.
None of the videos released Tuesday show those six men, whose names are protected under a publication ban.
Ali Dirie was sentenced to seven years after pleading guilty to taking part in the homegrown terrorist group. The 26-year-old's sentence amounts to two years after time served is factored.
In September, Gaya, 21, pleaded guilty to intending to cause an explosion for the benefit of a terrorist group and is to be sentenced next month.
Khalid, 23, pleaded guilty in May and was handed a 14-year prison sentence. He was given seven years credit for pre-trial custody and can apply for parole after less than 2 1/2 years.
Last year, a judge found Nishanthan Yogakrishnan, 21, guilty of participating in, and contributing to, a terrorist group.
Although 17 at the time of the offences, he was tried as a youth but received an adult sentence of 2 1/2 years before being released in May in light of his time served before trial.
EXCLUSIVE: SEPTA platforms could see major change
'Dungeon' suspect's art, letters for sale online
Claude Giroux slowly working back to full strength with Flyers
Boldface October 1: A.D. Amorosi rounds up the local gossip

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Hyundai envisions a future where robots whisk everyone around
Imagine a world… where people ride their own individual robo-pods without ever needing to set foot on the ground.
Hyundai presented such a world this week at the CES technology conference in Las Vegas. Of course in this future the cellphone screens are see-through.
The Korean carmaker announced its acquisition of the robotics company Boston Dynamics just before last year's CES, and is clearly all-in on robots. This presentation previewed the company's ideas for personal mobility, public transportation, and even public safety and health.
In under two minutes, Hyundai's video presents an integrated system of transit robots where you can step into your single-seat robot pod in your living room, proceed to slide down the side of a residential building, and then link your pod up to a "shuttle" of fellow pods on the city streets. We then see the concept as it applies to hospital transportation, including an ambulance pod that links up with a modular, futuristic hospital. (We at Mashable sincerely hope the woman shown at the start of the video is OK by the end!)
But is Hyundai really the company that's going to redefine mobility for the robot era? The Plug & Drive (PnD) modular robots were presented not as retail products, but as concepts that are part of Hyundai's "Expanding Human Reach" idea. But it's worth noting that Boston Dynamics' Spot is a very real robo-dog that has learned choreographed dance moves, and that's something you can actually buy.


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In the debt system, it's the people that lose out
5 July 2019 by Eric Toussaint , Cristina Quintavalla , Vittorio Lovera , DIRE - news agency
Eric Toussaint, who presented the Italian version of his book The Debt System in Rome on 18 June 2019, holds that it is possible to "repudiate the dictatorship of the financial markets... Coercion by debt is an integral part of the global capitalist system. It is more than a simple opposition between the North and the South of the planet."
Every country has a capitalist class that sees its own interest in imposing the debt system. "That is why the opposition to it is inside the system, between the dominant classes and the people"
Every country has a capitalist class that sees its own interest Interest An amount paid in remuneration of an investment or received by a lender. Interest is calculated on the amount of the capital invested or borrowed, the duration of the operation and the rate that has been set. in imposing the debt system. "That is why the opposition to it is inside the system, between the dominant classes and the people", says the historian and political scientist, Eric Toussaint, who is the spokesperson for The Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt (CADTM), an association founded in Belgium in the early 1990s which now has more than thirty affiliates in as many countries. He spoke at the workshop The Debt System: a simple matter of lending money or a system of international oppression? that was held on the 18 June 2019 on the premises of the press agency DIRE. Eric Toussaint held a press conference to introduce the Italian edition of his latest book The Debt System – A History of Sovereign Debts and their Repudiation published by Bordeaux in Rome. "My study concentrates on examining the last two centuries of human history through the perspective of sovereign debt Sovereign debt Government debts or debts guaranteed by the government. . I wanted to show that the hierarchy of the World is intimately tied to the way countries become indebted and how indebtedness functions. I show how governments and the financial powers have wielded the weapon of odious debt in order to subjugate countries and peoples. They can only gain freedom through the periodic abolition of illegitimate debt."
The political scientist claims, "The dictatorship of debt is not inevitable. History shows that several countries have successfully abolished their debts towards their creditors".
During the press conference on Eric Toussaint's book, Father Alex Zanotelli, a Catholic missionary for Comboniani Cordis Iesu, made several declarations: "The World's financial system behaves like the Mafia; it is urgent to establish a moratorium. A debt becomes odious if it causes poverty. Indeed I see little difference between the Mafia and the ruling system. It is an absurd system that instead of being centred around the economy is centred around finance. This system has allowed 1% of the World's population to possess the same amount of wealth as the remaining 99%", went on the missionary. "10% of the population consume 90% of the goods produced. Those who possess everything must arm themselves to defend the continuity of the system. Last year $1800 billion was spent on armaments. That is close to $5 billion a day to enable those who control the World's resources to perpetuate the system. A debt becomes odious when it brings no advantages for the population and engages the complicity of the lenders."
According to Father Zanotelli, to get out of the debt trap it would be necessary to apply a moratorium on debt repayments, suspend austerity measures, prohibit transactions with tax havens, clamp down on tax evasion, introduce a tax on financial transactions and create a citizens' movement for the popular voice to be heard.
Cristina Quintavalla (CADTM-Italy) continued, "The European Union practises a debt policy that is stifling Africa. Refusing a society the means it needs puts it on the edge of a new crisis.
Debt is a self-serving mechanism that maintains the dictatorship of the financial markets and forces the States to serve the interests of private investors
Debt is a self-serving mechanism that maintains the dictatorship of the financial markets and forces the States to serve the interests of private investors. This situation is the direct result of pressures from the International Monetary Fund IMF
International Monetary Fund Along with the World Bank, the IMF was founded on the day the Bretton Woods Agreements were signed. Its first mission was to support the new system of standard exchange rates.
When the Bretton Wood fixed rates system came to an end in 1971, the main function of the IMF became that of being both policeman and fireman for global capital: it acts as policeman when it enforces its Structural Adjustment Policies and as fireman when it steps in to help out governments in risk of defaulting on debt repayments.
As for the World Bank, a weighted voting system operates: depending on the amount paid as contribution by each member state. 85% of the votes is required to modify the IMF Charter (which means that the USA with 17,68% % of the votes has a de facto veto on any change).
The institution is dominated by five countries: the United States (16,74%), Japan (6,23%), Germany (5,81%), France (4,29%) and the UK (4,29%).
The other 183 member countries are divided into groups led by one country. The most important one (6,57% of the votes) is led by Belgium. The least important group of countries (1,55% of the votes) is led by Gabon and brings together African countries.
http://imf.org (IMF), the World Bank World Bank
WB The World Bank was founded as part of the new international monetary system set up at Bretton Woods in 1944. Its capital is provided by member states' contributions and loans on the international money markets. It financed public and private projects in Third World and East European countries.
It consists of several closely associated institutions, among which :
1. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, 189 members in 2017), which provides loans in productive sectors such as farming or energy ;
2. The International Development Association (IDA, 159 members in 1997), which provides less advanced countries with long-term loans (35-40 years) at very low interest (1%) ;
3. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), which provides both loan and equity finance for business ventures in developing countries.
As Third World Debt gets worse, the World Bank (along with the IMF) tends to adopt a macro-economic perspective. For instance, it enforces adjustment policies that are intended to balance heavily indebted countries' payments. The World Bank advises those countries that have to undergo the IMF's therapy on such matters as how to reduce budget deficits, round up savings, enduce foreign investors to settle within their borders, or free prices and exchange rates.
(WB) and the European Central Bank Central Bank The establishment which in a given State is in charge of issuing bank notes and controlling the volume of currency and credit. In France, it is the Banque de France which assumes this role under the auspices of the European Central Bank (see ECB) while in the UK it is the Bank of England.
ECB : http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/Pages/home.aspx (ECB ECB
European Central Bank The European Central Bank is a European institution based in Frankfurt, founded in 1998, to which the countries of the Eurozone have transferred their monetary powers. Its official role is to ensure price stability by combating inflation within that Zone. Its three decision-making organs (the Executive Board, the Governing Council and the General Council) are composed of governors of the central banks of the member states and/or recognized specialists. According to its statutes, it is politically 'independent' but it is directly influenced by the world of finance.
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/html/index.en.html ) that imposes bail-out policies in accordance with its neoliberal ideology."
The expert says: "I have in mind the role of the ECB who 'help' populations and countries to repay debts they have inherited. This coercion has forced through the underselling of whole economic sectors to private operators, accompanied by denying the rights of populations and the ancestral rights of communities to dispose of their own resources."
Also, multilateral agreements between Europe and Africa "have devastating effects, such as abolishing import duties. There is yet another World-wide crisis looming. The debt of poor countries increased by 50% in 2016, affecting their GDP GDP
Gross Domestic Product Gross Domestic Product is an aggregate measure of total production within a given territory equal to the sum of the gross values added. The measure is notoriously incomplete; for example it does not take into account any activity that does not enter into a commercial exchange. The GDP takes into account both the production of goods and the production of services. Economic growth is defined as the variation of the GDP from one period to another. with interest rates Interest rates When A lends money to B, B repays the amount lent by A (the capital) as well as a supplementary sum known as interest, so that A has an interest in agreeing to this financial operation. The interest is determined by the interest rate, which may be high or low. To take a very simple example: if A borrows 100 million dollars for 10 years at a fixed interest rate of 5%, the first year he will repay a tenth of the capital initially borrowed (10 million dollars) plus 5% of the capital owed, i.e. 5 million dollars, that is a total of 15 million dollars. In the second year, he will again repay 10% of the capital borrowed, but the 5% now only applies to the remaining 90 million dollars still due, i.e. 4.5 million dollars, or a total of 14.5 million dollars. And so on, until the tenth year when he will repay the last 10 million dollars, plus 5% of that remaining 10 million dollars, i.e. 0.5 million dollars, giving a total of 10.5 million dollars. Over 10 years, the total amount repaid will come to 127.5 million dollars. The repayment of the capital is not usually made in equal instalments. In the initial years, the repayment concerns mainly the interest, and the proportion of capital repaid increases over the years. In this case, if repayments are stopped, the capital still due is higher…
The nominal interest rate is the rate at which the loan is contracted. The real interest rate is the nominal rate reduced by the rate of inflation. between 22 and 42%. All this produces more internal conflict, war, migration, high prices and environmental damage."
CADTM – Italy is also scrutinizing military spending: "We are witnessing forced militarisation under pressure from NATO NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO ensures US military protection for the Europeans in case of aggression, but above all it gives the USA supremacy over the Western Bloc. Western European countries agreed to place their armed forces within a defence system under US command, and thus recognize the preponderance of the USA. NATO was founded in 1949 in Washington, but became less prominent after the end of the Cold War. In 2002, it had 19 members: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK, the USA, to which were added Greece and Turkey in 1952, the Federal Republic of Germany in 1955 (replaced by Unified Germany in 1990), Spain in 1982, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic in 1999. and with the complicity of the European Union to impose wide-scale restructuring in countries considered to be strategic. It is no coincidence that about thirty communications corridors are being developed, one of which is high speed train links," concluded Quintavalla.
Father Janvier Yameogo from Burkina Faso declared: "Our President Sankara was assassinated because he refused to pay the debt. The Bible prohibits this kind of capitalism as usury."
Thomas Sankara "was assassinated by a front of foreign and domestic forces in and around his country who wished to prevent him from tracking down and strongly denouncing injustice and the odious character of poor countries' debts." Looking back on the months leading up to the assassination of the Burkina Faso President, the priest has no doubt where the responsibilities lie. A guest of the agency DIRE for this meeting about debt, Yameogo is employed at the Vatican State communications agency but on this occasion he is speaking on his own behalf and he informs us of Thomas Sankara's declarations at the meeting of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) – the predecessor of today's African Union—in Addis Ababa in July 1987, three months before he was assassinated. Sankara declared that the debt could not be paid because it was of colonial origin. He continued with a call for solidarity, "I suggest that we create the Addis Ababa club to refuse the debt all together, because if Burkina Faso alone refuses to pay, I will not be among you at your next meeting. Do not let them assassinate us." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8PCuwBnhtk) The other African leaders present chuckled politely but we know full well that, on 15 October 1987, Sankara was assassinated. Father Yameogo concluded, "Both the Bible and the Koran prohibit this kind of capitalism that, as Pope Francis also says, is usury."
In July 1987, three months before he was assassinated. Sankara declared that the debt could not be paid because it was of colonial origin
Éric Toussaint: "Salvini will make an agreement favourable to the banks. He could interrupt debt repayments to the ECB, but I don't believe he will. The ECB holds €360 billion of Italian bonds. If he was truly prepared to face off Brussels, as he says, he would proceed towards ceasing repayment of these bonds. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't believe that he will do that. If he did he would enter into conflict with Italian bankers and the financial institutions," said the economist and political scientist Eric Toussaint in reply to a question on the Italian situation.
"In Italy, the studies done by CADTM could be crucial in raising the population's awareness of the question of unjust debt. Yet I don't believe the present government will take steps to repudiate debt. Salvini will come to an agreement with the European Commission that favours the Italian banks. We must denounce the illegitimate part of the debt and call for a popular government that will enforce respect on questions of debt justice."
Vittorio Lovera (CADTM-Italy) launched an alert: "There is the risk of another financial bubble before 2021, which Italy would have to face after the most unfair fiscal reform."
"All the macroeconomic data available indicate the risk of a financial bubble next year that will be more serious than the one that burst in the 2007-2008 period, causing an uncontrollable explosion of inequality."
The CADTM has made a thorough study of the effects of tax reforms on Italian debt to explain why, instead of reducing inequality, they aggravate it
"In Italy, those who are calling themselves 'innovators', promising a reduction of taxes to relaunch consumption, are in fact driving the country in the opposite direction. The CADTM has made a thorough study of the effects of tax reforms on Italian debt to explain why, instead of reducing inequality, they aggravate it."
"Cumulated losses of tax revenues since 1974, caused by reducing taxes on upper bracket contributions, total €146 billion that the State recovers by issuing new bonds for the banks to purchase" says Lovera. "In this way debt and compound interest have increased by €295 billion, the equivalent of 13% of public debt that in April of this year rose to €2373 billion. It is not sure that there is a shortage of money; there can be as much as is required. In fact, Italy is a virtuous State. If the deposit banks were to assume their role as local financiers there would be far fewer problems."
On the debt question Toussaint said: "a new international crisis has started. It is not as spectacular as in 1982 but we shall shortly be seeing its consequences.
"The next International debt crisis has already started: this time it has less spectacular characteristics than in 1982. We shall see in the coming years, new developments that will require new understanding from the Citizens of Europe in order to react appropriately. Rather than once again blaming the citizens of the 'periphery', whether within or outside of the European Union, , it is essential to understand that the capitalist system itself, and the debt system that is an integral part of it, are the fundamental causes of indebtedness-related problems."
In his latest Book The Debt System – A History of Sovereign Debts and their Repudiation published by Haymarket Press, (2019), Eric Toussaint predicts the bursting of a new debt crisis having its epicentre in South America. In light of recent events the author considers that his predictions are confirmed. Argentina has entered into a terrible debt crisis and has had to borrow $57 billion from the IMF, the biggest loan the Fund has ever granted. Argentine currency has lost 50% of its value and interest rates are at around 45%. We see – as he predicted in 2017 – the beginning of a new international debt crisis. It is a little slower because the President of the US has held the US Federal Reserve FED
Federal Reserve Officially, Federal Reserve System, is the United States' central bank created in 1913 by the 'Federal Reserve Act', also called the 'Owen-Glass Act', after a series of banking crises, particularly the 'Bank Panic' of 1907.
FED – decentralized central bank : http://www.federalreserve.gov/ in check from programmed interest rate changes. "Generally," says Toussaint, "it is the decisions taken by the central powers and their central banks that are the cause of crisis in the peripheral countries. Last year it was Argentina, but look also to Africa. Mozambique offers a terrible and classic case of a population suffering from indebtedness. Many other African countries and people are directly threatened by this new crisis."
Translated by Mike Krolikowski and Vicki Briault
Eric Toussaint
is a historian and political scientist who completed his Ph.D. at the universities of Paris VIII and Liège, is the spokesperson of the CADTM International, and sits on the Scientific Council of ATTAC France.
He is the author of Bankocracy (2015); The Life and Crimes of an Exemplary Man (2014); Glance in the Rear View Mirror. Neoliberal Ideology From its Origins to the Present, Haymarket books, Chicago, 2012 (see here), etc.
See his bibliography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89ric_Toussaint
He co-authored World debt figures 2015 with Pierre Gottiniaux, Daniel Munevar and Antonio Sanabria (2015); and with Damien Millet Debt, the IMF, and the World Bank: Sixty Questions, Sixty Answers, Monthly Review Books, New York, 2010. He was the scientific coordinator of the Greek Truth Commission on Public Debt from April 2015 to November 2015.
Other articles in English by Eric Toussaint (505)
Brazil: from Lula to Bolsonaro
14 January, by Eric Toussaint
President Lula's "realpolitik" and the "alterglobalisation" movement
13 January, by Eric Toussaint , Frédéric Lévêque
"Any Third World government which takes the decision to carry on refunding the external debt is opting for the road to ruin"
13 January, by Eric Toussaint , Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
The Varoufakis-Tsipras line was doomed to fail from the word 'Go'
2 January, by Eric Toussaint
Argentina: facing another debt crisis
18 December 2019, by Eric Toussaint
A critical review of Costa-Gavras' Adults in the Room
26 November 2019, by Eric Toussaint
South Africa: actions against the abusive debts imposed on the popular classes
New Threats, New Resistances and New Alternatives
12 November 2019, by Eric Toussaint , Patrick Bond , Ishmael Lesufi , Lisa Thompson
Alert on the sophistication of illegitimate debt techniques via mobile telephony
8 November 2019, by Eric Toussaint
Local South African Economic Conditions
6 November 2019, by Eric Toussaint , Patrick Bond , Ishmael Lesufi , Lisa Thompson
Cristina Quintavalla
membre du CADTM Italie
Other articles in English by Cristina Quintavalla (1)
Can the Italian debt be repudiated?
24 June 2019, by Cristina Quintavalla , Antonio De Lellis
Vittorio Lovera
DIRE - news agency
The Debt System - book review
17 December 2019 - Phil Armstrong
Presidents Barber Conable and Lewis Preston (1986-1995)
10 August 2019 - Eric Toussaint
The World Bank and the IMF: the creditors' bailiffs
4 August 2019 - Eric Toussaint
The Mexican debt crisis and the World Bank
22 July 2019 - Eric Toussaint
Nicaragua 1979-2019
18 July 2019 - Eric Toussaint, Nathan Legrand
New debt crisis in the South
18 December 2019 - Milan Rivié
13 November 2019 - Eric Toussaint
Kenya: caught between debt and political indifference
1 May 2019 - Sushovan Dhar
Mozambique files case against Credit Suisse in the UK
1 March 2019 - Jubilee Debt Campaign
How Britain stole $45 trillion from India
31 December 2018 - Jason Hickel
Repression, eviction and dispossession in New Democracy's Greece
9 January - Theodoros Karyotis
2 January - Eric Toussaint
Regarding the "Hercules" plan, housing dispossession and squat evictions in Greece
20 December 2019 - Theodoros Karyotis
The fantasy world continues
29 November 2019 - Michael Roberts


In 2016 the Met started the project to produce a scarf based on an undated Stölzl, probably from the late 1920s. The design in the Met collection, a gift by Jack Lenor Larsen. The scraf is called "Bauhaus Multi-Striped Scarf" and as of February 2018 it is available at the Met Shop.


As one of the largest and most progressive network operators in the world, AT&T arguably services as a model for other carriers in terms of service expansion strategy, which is achieves through a combination of organic growth as well as M&A.
AT&T's strategy is focused on more than just horizontal expansion of core services such as voice, broadband, and messaging. The company is also focused on network and services integration, business-to-business (B2B) strategies (such as their recent Enterprise API program), and vertical expansion via acquisition, alliances, and investments. The company is not as focused on value-added services (VAS) for their own customers.
This research addresses many of the recent expansion AT&T initiatives, evaluating the underlying drivers for acquisitions, alliances and investment. The report also analyzes the potential impact for both AT&T and the industry as a whole. The report includes conclusions and recommendation such as creation of a content-based and application-based business models for network operators.
This report is must reading for any mobile network operator strategy, business development and/or corporate development team. It is also a critical report for all vendors within the carrier ecosystem to determine the key growth and development areas for leading carriers.
In addition to covering the LEAP WIRELESS ACQUISITION, VPN CONTRACT WITH HUD, NETWORK EXPANSION CONTRACT WITH US POSTAL SERVICE, CLOUD SERVICE ALLIANCE WITH CSC, INVESTMENT FOR PROJECT VIP, WIRELESS VS. WIRELINE STRATEGY, SMARTPHONE PAYMENT PLAN, FTTP (FIBER TO THE PREMISES) OR FTTH (FIBER TO THE HOME), AT&T U-VERSE, ENTERPRISE SECURITY, AT&T LAUNCHES ENTERPRISE-FOCUSED API PROGRAM, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.


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Chevrolet Corvette Voted 2020 North American Car of the Year
The all-new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has been selected as the 2020 North American Car of the Year by a 50-member jury of independent journalists. The Stingray was selected not only for its revolutionary mid-engine design, but for its level of refinement and impressive performance.
The Corvette was previously honored with this award in 1998 for the introduction of the fifth generation and again in 2014 for the introduction of the seventh generation. Corvette executive chief engineer Tadge Juechter received the award this morning at a public ceremony held at the TCF Center in Detroit.
"It's humbling to be selected for this award by such an impressive jury of automotive journalists," said Juechter. "Our team poured our hearts and souls into this vehicle, and to see such an overwhelmingly positive reception makes it all worthwhile. We are sure our customers will love the new Corvette as much as these jurors and we can't wait to get them behind the wheel."
How to use the Automatic Stop Start feature in the All-New Silverado
The available Automatic Stop Start feature in the All-New Silverado is designed to increase efficiency to help you save money at the pump. This technology will turn off the engine when idling and restart it when you're ready to move — ensuring that your engine isn't running when you don't need it.
*Auto Stop/Start is only on 2.7L Turbo, 5.3L V8 with Dynamic Fuel Management, 6.2L V8 and 3.0L Durmax Diesel engines.
Personalize your trailering experience on the all-new 2019 Chevy Silverado
Towing can be challenging. The available in-vehicle trailering app in the All-New Silverado makes sure you do it right. Owners are able to set towing profiles for different loads, perform status checks, and receive helpful maintenance reminders. All trailering features are also available on the MyChevrolet app.
*In-vehicle trailering app comes standard on all LTZ and High Country trim levels.
*Device data connection required. Available on select Apple® and Android™ devices. Some features require active service plan and working electrical system. Service availability, features and functionality vary by vehicle. User terms and limitations apply.
All-New Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV Brings Style, Safety and Functionality Starting Under $20,000
When it arrives in showrooms in Spring 2020, the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer will provide a uniquely youthful, yet functional alternative to the fast-growing small SUV segment.
Like Chevrolet's latest line of SUVs, the Trailblazer features a bold front fascia and sports car-inspired rear design. The ACTIV trim package amplifies this sporty style with a two-tone roof, unique front and rear fascia and dual exhaust, along with sport terrain tires and suspension tuning enhancements.
"Slotting between the Trax and Equinox, the addition of the Trailblazer provides us with a great opportunity to expand the Chevy SUV family to new audiences," said Steve Majoros, director of Chevrolet passenger car and crossover marketing. "With the new ACTIV trim, plus the sporty RS trim, we can appeal to customers' varying active lifestyles."
Design Stands Out from Competition
The all-new Trailblazer has a character of its own, bringing a bold and expressive look to the segment, and a new level of personalization.
"The Trailblazer doesn't simply let customers express their personal style. It encourages it with uniquely styled trims that allow buyers to select a vehicle that reflects their lifestyle," said Stuart Norris, design director of global Chevrolet compact SUVs. "Its design is bold, confident and full of personality."
Courtesy Chevrolet wishes you a new year filled with prosperity, joy, and contentment.
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Chevrolet Suburban First Vehicle To Receive Award Of Excellence Star At Hollywood & Highland
The Chevrolet Suburban became the first vehicle ever awarded an Award of Excellence star at Hollywood & Highland. Presented by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and unveiled at a ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard, the award recognizes Suburban for its 67-year career in Hollywood film and television.
"For six decades the Chevrolet Suburban has been Hollywood's longest-working actor," said Rana Ghadban, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. "Appearing in classic feature films and on must-see television shows, the Suburban is a well-established industry mainstay. With the Chevrolet Tahoe also making an impact in movies and on television, it's impressive to have both vehicles now join an illustrious group of actors and characters that are forever known as Hollywood legends."
During its acting career the Suburban evolved to become the ultimate character actor, able to play the hero, the villain, or the family alike.
"There's really nothing else like the Chevrolet Suburban in this business, for two reasons," said Dennis McCarthy, Hollywood picture car coordinator. "First, it's one of the most versatile vehicles in the business, able to fit with any type of character. Second, it can help instantly give a scene added importance. When a convoy of black Suburbans appears on screen, you know that's not the time to leave your seat to buy popcorn."
The relationship between the Chevy Suburban and Hollywood began in 1952, when it first appeared on the silver screen. Since then, Suburban has starred in more than 1,750 films and television series. It has appeared in at least one television series every year since 1956, and at least one film every year since 1960. Suburban has also appeared in more than 30 award-nominated films.


You need to specify the tax amount on a transaction in AvaTax.
The line item amounts must be above zero, as you cannot apply a tax override to non-taxable line items. Also- you can not do a tax override on both the Document and Line Levels. It must be one or the other.
How can I recalculate tax on a transaction import?


As the month of November draws to a close, all of us here at GCS want to express our immense gratitude for all the time, donations, and attention toward both our annual Home Tour and our Breakfast Food Drive for Loaves & Fishes. Both of these events are of great importance to us, and we are so fortunate to have had such wonderful family and community support. This year's Home Tour was incredibly successful raising about $25K to be used toward curriculum materials, classroom enhancements, and staff training and development opportunities. We couldn't have done it without our incredible board, staff, and all of you! It was a true labor of love, and we are most grateful. If you were not able to attend, please take a program guide from the front hall and patronize the participants (our sponsors, advertisers, and artisans/vendors are on our website) whenever possible, as we couldn't have done it without them, too. For the Breakfast Food Drive, our classes managed to collect a combined total of 288 pounds of healthy breakfast foods that was delivered to the local food bank, Loaves and Fishes, earlier this month. We are reminded of how thankful we are for all that we have, and appreciate the opportunities to promote kindness and empathy in our classrooms.
With the change in weather, darkness is falling upon us earlier, and there doesn't seem to be enough time to get things done. In the hustle and bustle of preparing for holiday celebrations, we are reminded to focus on the giving to others, the special family traditions that you have created, and to take time to care for ourselves. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the craziness that December can bring and lose focus on the simpler things in life. Enjoy a special children's book together, bake a treasured family recipe, or enjoy a cup of hot chocolate… all of which will create lasting memories for years to come.
We continue to work on our NAEYC Reaccreditation, as we shared with you last month, and also on our Forward Motion Project (www.gcs.forwardmotion.org) Fundraising is still in process, as is our commitment to this exciting endeavor to expand our school. We do still have a few Peace Dove ornaments left from our Home Tour, with all of proceeds benefiting this project. Please stop by the front desk to take a peek. While there is not an immediate plan for a future relocation site during construction, we are exploring various options for the start of the summer, and will keep you informed through correspondence and future family forums. Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns in the meantime.
Please stop by the front desk to view a sample of our annual "Portrait of Me" calendar that will be for sale very soon. Each child contributed a self-portrait of themselves to this great keepsake, and they make great gifts to grandparents, as well! Calendars are just $6 each or 2 for $10. This is NOT a fundraiser. All proceeds are to cover the cost of printing for this project.
Congratulations to the Weider family of the birth of daughter, Allison (Trent is in the MWF AM Blue Room)!
Thank you to our parent volunteers who provided food and beverages for this month's Board of Trustees meeting: Michelle Currao, Donna Haggerty, Elizabeth Ly, and Tracy Noone.
We'd also like to thank the following families for various contributions made to the school this month: a leaf punch from Barbara Crampton, staff snacks from the DeLucia family, jars from Jess Marion, fresh eggs from the McAdams family, paper from the Morrison family, pens from Christopher Nuccio, books from the Ramsay-Gudelot family, Kleenex & Clorox wipes from Sarah Romano, sneakers from the Shah family, big books & puzzles from Mary Wills, and for staff snacks from the Wilson family.


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"Why bother, there's no real difference anyway"
Some folks don't really see the point of HD-TV, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray etc... Though that title isn't a direct quote, it's a fair composite of the sentiments of several commenters, every time I talk about High def media.
There seem to be two classes of consumers here; the ones who looked at HDTVs and weren't much impressed, and the second are those who just dismiss the whole thing because "DVD looks great anyway, why bother".
Now addressing the first consumer, there's typically two issues here:
They probably bought, or watched, a not very good HDTV
Said HDTV (even if it was a good one) was probably not hooked to an HD source, or if it was, it was hooked up incorrectly so that HD wasn't being delivered, or there were quality problems.
A lot of folks go in to Costco, grab a TV that looks OK on the floor at a price they can deal with, take it home, and just plug it in, in place of their old TV.
For 60 years, when you upgraded TVs that's generally all you needed to do; unfortunately, with new digital and HD technologies, the "system" no longer works that way. In order to get HD, you need to use HD hookups, HD cables, and HD ports, from an HD source.
Worse, when you get a great brand new high resolution HDTV, and send a standard def source to it, over old cables; frankly they are going to look like crap (more on the "why" behind that later).
If that is your sole experience with HDTV, then yes, you're going to be very unhappy. Your mom and dad probably did that, and that's why...
"Mom and dad" think their new TV is crap...
Ok, so let's presume you've got the "mom and dad took it home and just plugged it in" problem, how do you fix this?
Well, first, if you buy a better quality TV it will have video scaler hardware that makes SD look much less like crap; but generally speaking SD sources don't look as good on an HDTV as they do on an SDTV.
Technically speaking, it's not that the SD sources actually look worse, it's just that the TV looks so much better, that it reveals just how bad the SD signal was in the first place. It's kinda like someone took your beer goggles off.
By 2009 that will be a moot point, since everything will be in HD, or pseduo-HD (not really HD, but upconverted to look better) because of the mandated DTV cutover. For now though, you generally have to specifically order an HD source. Call your cable or sattelite company and get them to activate an HD service for you (and maybe send you an HD box).
Of course, even if you have an HD cable cable box, it's entirely likely that the TV is hooked up in a way that is functional, but not necessarily the best way to watch. For example, in the "mom and dad" situation; they probably just plugged in the Coax from their cable box, like they did on their old tube TV.
Remember how bad your VCR looked going over coax?
Untangling the rats nest...
There are quite a few different ways to hook a TV up to a video (and audio) source, and they are kind of complex and confusing. Let's go over them here, in increasing order of quality:
75 Ohm RG-59/RG-6 Coax cable: This is the cable that delivers the signal to your cable box; and for the last 25 years has generally been the way the cable box output to your TV.
Unfortunately, the standard analog signaling over coax is HORRIBLE in quality. It delivers all the video, and all the audio information for the signal over a single conductor and a single ground. It's noisy, and it has SEVERELY limited sound and video bandwidth available to it.
Technically speaking, the newer RG6 standard of coax is capable of supporting VERY high bandwidth with digital encoding and/or analog multiplexing (which is how your cable company transmits 400 channels over the stuff); but conventional analog video interconnection using coax is based on the older low bandwidth standards from the 60's.
Composite A/V: This is the other familiar cabling standard to most people; and almost all AV equipment supports it.
With composite video, the video signal is transmitted over a single conductor/shield pair of wires (usually color coded yellow) with RCA plugs. Separately, two channel stereo audio is transmitted over standard red and white color coded RCA audio cables.
Video signals by nature have two separate types of signals, color information (chrominance), and grayscale light level only information (luminance).
Technically speaking, there are actually three different chrominance signals, a luminance signal, and two synchronization signals; and this standard is called composite, because it takes all the color, brightness, and sync information, and squeezes them down (compositing) into a single conductor and shield pair.
Quality is generally slightly better than analog coax, because you are not trying to squeeze all the video and audio signals together into a small fraction of the bandwidth of a single wire; and don't need to modulate or multiplex for that.
S-Video: S-Video is somewhat less common than composite, but has been around for about 20 years; and is also available in most AV equipment. Basically, S-video takes the composite signal, and splits the color and brightness information into a pair of conductors (one live, one ground) each.
Although the source signal for S-video is the exact same as that for composite video; because theres two seperate pairs of conductors for the signal, you get more bandwidth, less modulation and filtering required etc... and therefore the quality is quite a bit better.
Oh and again; this standard uses separate audio cabling, so you don't have to worry about a quality compromise there... but of course it means more cables to connect.
Analog RGB Component: Component video is an interesting beast. Firstly, there are actually three separate common standards for component video; two analog, one digital; and they support different levels of quality. Oh and adding even more complexity, there are several cabling standards for the variants as well.
Analog component video takes the S-video concept of splitting chrominance and luminance one better, and splits chroma into multiple channels.
The RGB variant uses separate Red, Green, and Blue chroma channels. Each chroma channel includes a component of the grayscale image, and all the color information for that color.
RGB component video requires fourth and fifth "sync" channels to carry synchronization information, so that the three colors can be properly combined, and framed etc...
Some cabling standards for RGB mix the sync channels onto the green chroma channel; while others require a separate cable for sync (which mixes both horizontal and vertical sync), or even two discrete cables for H and V sync.
The familiar computer "VGA" cable is an RGB component standard. That of course means that the VGA cable can transport a pretty high quality TV signal.
Technically speaking, analog RGB component can carry resolutions up to 1920x1200 interlaced, which is higher resolution than 1080i; but there is actually less bandwidth available through the analog encoding than digital 1080i signals require.
A lot of HDTVs have VGA ports, and they support signals from computers, and possibly from AV components, but usually only up to 1024x768, or 1280x1024, at 16 bit or 24 bit color; and of course that's analog video.
Some early generation HDTVs, especially those that were advertised as "HD monitors" or "HD ready" have separate BNC RGB connectors for each channel (either three or four, with or without the sync mixed onto the green channel).
Analog YPbPr Component: The other major analog component signaling standard is YPbPr; which is carried over three pairs of wires, with RCA connectors at each end; and usually color coded in green, blue, and red.
The YPbPr standard carries the luminance and sync information on the Y channel, the data for blue is on the Pb channel, the data for red is on the Pr channel, and the data for green is derived by subtracting the red and blue data from the luminance data (because once you take red and blue out, the green is left over).
Other than the cabling difference, YPbPr component video is identical in capability to RGB component.
Most newer video devices, including A/V receivers, include at a minimum this standard of video; in preference to RGB because it is easier to implement; and because the digital component standard uses the same cabling.
Digital YCbCr Component: Digital component video takes the same cabling standard as YPbPr, and adds digital color space and gamma encoding.
Most often, if a device supports both analog and digital video standards, it will support them both over this sets of jacks and cables; switching modes as required.
Analog component is still interlaced; but digital is progressive, and supports resolutions (in some implementations) as high as 1920x1080; which is 1080p (though at that resolution, the standard is quite sensitive to cable length, and interference).
Most HD devices support digital component video at 720p or 1080i (which itself is actually not interlaced; they simply output alternating progressive signals to reduce the total amount of bandwidth required).
Unfortunately, component doesn't support any DRM or copy protection features; so the studios won't let you output the highest quality signals over it, even though the standard is technically capable of outputing at 1080p.
DVI: DVI is an odd duck as well; because it also supports both analog and digital signals over the same connector. DVI has gradually been replacing VGA in the computing world, and to facilitate this, the DVI port can map pins to a VGA port with an adapter, to transmit the analog RGB signal that would otherwise have gone over the VGA cable (and therefore is technically identical to VGA).
Of course the DVI standard is also a digital standard, and has 29+1 pins (24 standard pin, 5 analog chroma/sync pins, and a grounded shield) vs the 15+1 (15 pins and a shield) of the VGA standard (which is technically called Dsub-15) so a HELL of a lot more data can be sent over DVI.
DVI digital can be had in two varieties, single link or dual link, the primary difference being how many pins they are actively using. Single link supports resolutions of up to 1920x1200 progressive, and 32 bit color; which is higher than 1080p. Dual link supports up to 2560x1600 progressive at 32 bit color, which is also sometimes called "quad-hd".
DVI can also support HDCP copy protection, so the studios graciously allow us to send their best quality content over DVI cables. DVI is the "lowest" standard which allows this functionality.
Like all the other discrete cabling standards, DVI is a video only standard; audio is carried seperately.
HDMI: HDMI is a 19 pin, high density compact connector cabling standard, that is electrically an extension of the DVI standard. The primary difference is that it runs at a much higher clock rate, and thus a higher bandwidth; and because of that can support a good deal more data being shipped over the wire, including high definition audio.
DVI dual link digital cabling supports up to about 7.4 gigabits per second of video data. The latest HDMI 1.3b standard supports 10.2 gigabits of data. This allows a maximum resolution of 2560x1600, and up to 48 bit color (which is actually far more color than the human eye can see).
All new HD devices include HDMI, because it is the preferred format for AV manufacturers, as well as the studios. You want an HDMI 1.3 port, so you can support high definition audio as well as 1080p HD video, with the hated copy protection the studios enforce on us.
Basically, for at least the next 5 years or so, HDMI is, and will be the dominant media interconnect standard; so you're going to need components that support it, and the cables to go along. That's a good thing though, because it takes that entire spaghetti mess I've gone over above, and it sticks everything into one cable.
One cable for video and audio; one cable type, every kind of audio and video. It's simple, and it generally works (some early HDMI devices had compatibility issues).
OK, but it STILL looks like crap...
Alright, so let's assume we've got the TV hooked up to an HD source, using HDMI; or at worst digital component (let's ignore audio for now if you're not using HDMI).
Let's not forget the TV settings themselves. There are, quite frankly, a bewildering array of settings for modern TVs; some of which have quite dramatic effects on the viewing experience. Worse, many of them are obscure, and definitely non-intuitive.
Let's continue with the "mom and dad at Costco" example, and talk about TV quality.
Wal-Mart and Costco both carry the Vizio line of TVs as their bottom end HDTV products. In fact, as of this holiday season, Vizio is the best selling line of HDTVs in the U.S.
Now, not to say the Vizios aren't a great deal, they are, but they have a very broad product line; and "mom and dad" probably bought the cheapest one in whatever size range they wanted.
Let's say they bought a Vizio VW-42L; the lowest price model currently sold in the 42" size range in most stores (42" is the most popular size for LCDs right now).
First, it's a 720p set; which is fine for under 50" and more than six feet away; but the 720p sets don't get the best features. For example, this model has no video processor, only the most basic scaler, and a mediocre response time of 8ms (thats full on/ full off, not grey to grey; which means nothing to a non video guy, but it's about half the speed you want).
If "mom and dad" have an A/V receiver (stereo receiver with video inputs and outputs) with HDMI, and a video processor( and they don't watch a lot of sports) this isn't a problem; but given this is their first HDTV, I bet they don't have an AV receiver with HDMI, and I can't imagine my Dad going without golf and football (actually my dad specifically LOVES his HDTV. He's a gadget lover, though he can never figure the things out).
So, first step, borrow an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player from a friend… and borrow a friend who actually knows what they are doing with setting up a TV; and get a setup disc (they're about $25).
Now, make sure it's using the right cables, and looks good when properly set up with an HD source. Then make sure it looks at least acceptable with an SD source.
If not, then "mom and dad" went too cheap. Thankfully, they probably bought it at Costco, and they have the worlds best return policy. Spend a couple hundred more and get something that advertises one of the following keywords:
Faroudja
DCDi
HQV
Silicon Optics
Reon
Bravia (Sony has several revisions of Bravia, you want the XBR2)
Those are all the names of proper upscaling video processors, and/or their manufacturers. If the TV has even the most basic name brand video processing, you can be reasonably certain it will have acceptable image quality.
If they're stuck with the TV they've got; they probably need to upgrade their stereo anyway; and you can get an AV receiver from Onkyo that has Faroudja DCDi for $500, or HQV Reon processing for about a grand. At that point, if the TV can just act as a monitor for the video processor, you can get away with a cheaper TV.
Of course they'll be better off if they just buy a Sharp, Panasonic, Hitachi, Sony, Mitsubishi, or Pioneer in the first place; preferably a 1080p set. It'll be a few hundred more, but the quality difference will definitely be noticeable.
Okay so "mom and dad" are sorted, what about the guy who says "It's just a scam anyway. they'll just be changing things constantly, theres a format war, and I'm just going to wait until it settles down". Or there's the guy who says, "Ahhh, I've just got a small apartment, I'll never see a difference anyway".
Yes, you will see a difference...
The difference is startling on even a 24" TV (the smallest set you can get in 1080p). In fact, HD video at 1080p on a small screen has an almost 3D quality to it, because the individual pixels are so small and sharp, with such high contrast and vivid colors (and again, I'll go into more on why later in the post).
Now, if you have a good upconverting DVD player (one that takes a 480i signal and uses image processing to interpolate up to 720p or 1080i/p); you can get something that looks great out of a standard DVD. Though it's not too close to real HD quality, and it doesn't pop in near 3d like true HD does; it's certainly more than enough to satisfy most people.
Up until recently that's what I was recommending people do , until the format war was resolved. Well, It's over, BluRay won; and every HD-DVD player and Blu-Ray player are also upconverting DVD players; so buying one not only lets you watch next-gen content, it makes your older content look better too.
Oh and one thing you definitely will notice a difference with, is how bad non-upconverted standard definition movies look on HD-TVs.
You have to remember, they aren't even making non-HD TVs bigger than 24" anymore; and pretty much everyone in America will be replacing their TV in the next 5 years… most of us in the next year; as the hype over the digital transition goes mainstream.
Every broadcaster is already moved over to DTV in preparation for the cutoff, most of them are broadcasting at least half their shows in HD; and will be broadcasting even more in HD after Feb 2009.
Right now, a little less than 30% of American households have at least one HD TV, and it's expected another 30% will go HD by the end of 2009.
In February 2009 all broadcast TV goes digital, most of it in HD. Most of the cable companies are following suit by making HD a standard package feature. I figure almost everyone who has a DVD playertoday, will have a BluRay player by the end of 2010 or so; and as of the most recent Sony finagling, 80% of all new movies, and more than 90% of all back catalogue movies, will be coming out in Blu-Ray.
So this isn't VHS vs. Betamax anymore, it's like the difference between having a TV and not having one.
OK now I've talked about how much better HD is than SD... why is that? I mean it's all recorded the same way right?
Well, no, not really.
It's a matter of resolution (never mind the sound quality)...
Standard DVDs are mastered in 530p, which means 530 lines of horizontal resolution, progressively encoded. This gives you a 720x530 picture, with every line drawn in every frame.
Unfortunately, when output to a standard definition television, that is down converted to 480i; for a 640x480 image, where half the lines of a frame are drawn at one time, 30 times a second each (to produce a 60hz refresh rate and 30 frames per second; the television broadcast standard).
Standard definition broadcast television is even worse, with only 330 lines of horizontal resolution; and standard VHS worse still at 230 lines.
This is why DVD looks so much better than either VHS or TV; and why DVD has become most peoples standard for video quality.
So let's compare DVD's quality on an SDTV, to that of an HD-DVD (or BluRay, they're identical in image quality) on a 1080p HDTV.
The difference lies in the amount of information being displayed.
SD-DVD content on an SDTV is displayed at 480i. That's 640x480 interlaced; for 307,200 pixels, or rather half of that drawn half the time, for a total of 153,600 pixels being drawn at any given moment.
HD content is mastered in 1080p, which is 1080 lines of vertical resolution at 16:9 aspect ratio. This gives you a 1920x1080 picture drawn progressively. It can be displayed at several rates including 24fps, 30fps, 50fps, 60fps, 72fps, and 120fps; but it is mastered at either 30, or 24. For purposes of this comparison let's just match it to SD and make it 60.
The total number of pixels being displayed at any given moment for a 1080p signal, is 2,073,600; and it is displaying the full content at all times, rather than alternating every other row.
That's 13.5 times the information being displayed on the screen.
Actually, it's more than that; because HD color depth is higher.
A standard TV can only display about 16 bits of color simultaneously; though the total spectrum of available color to SDTV is approximately 24 bits worth (broadcast TV is maximum of between 18 and 20 bits, because it steals color data to boost brightness and contrast).
HD TVs can display at a minimum the full RGB colorspace; and can do so at 24, 32, 36, 40, or 48 bits of color simultaneously (depending on the type and model).
The color model involves three colors, red, green, and blue; and each color is represented by an equal number of digital bits. So 24 bit color represents 8 bits of Red, Green, and Blue information each (255 discrete shades of each color); and 48 bit color represents 16 bits of information for each color (65,535 discrete shades of each color) .
Color depths above 24 bit, are referred to as "deep color". There are today, movies and players with 36 bit color; and in theory, they could go to 48 bit (the maximum color depth of both film and professional digital video, and the equipment used to process it).
Now, it's important to note that 36 bits of color isn't 2 times the color of 16 bits; it's 65,535 times as much color. 16 bit color is about 65,000 colors, 20 bit color is about a million colors, 24 bit color is about 16.7 million colors, 32 bit color is about 4.3 billion colors, 36 bit is 68 billion colors, and 48 bit is 281 trillion colors.
That's approximately 94 trillion shades of each red, green, and blue.
If that sounds like a ridiculous number, it is and it isn't. Yes, it's a huge number of colors, but because the human eye is analog and doesn't break things up into discrete bits, it can distinguish about 32 bits of color (and some genetic anomalies can distinguish about 40 bits, because they have an extra set of cones - that's about 1.4 billion, and 366 billion shades of each primary color respectively).
By mastering at higher depths of color than we can see, it makes color anomalies like banding, and clear field moire or block patterns nearly impossible (large areas of very bright solid colors don't look distorted).
We've had the technology necessary to broadcast 480i at 30 frames per second, in 20 bit color since the mid 50s; it's only in the last five years or so that we could even contemplate broadcasting 1080p/30 in 32 bit color.
In fact, it's so much bandwidth, that even now most broadcasters are only using 1080i (that trick that halves the amount of data you're sending at once) in 24 bit.
What about the sound?
Of course up to now I've said "let's ignore the sound"; but it's one of the biggest components of the difference between HD and SD.
Again, let's ignore broadcast TV, because it's pretty uniformly awful in sound (though it's amazing what you can fool the mind into believing is there, with a good audio processor. THank you Dolby); and focus on DVD.
SD movies on DVD are mixed in redbook PCM 2 channel stereo (cd quality), Dolby ProLogic, Dolby Digital 5.1, or DTS 5.1.
Those formats encode the soundtrack at approximately the same quality as standard CDs; with a maximum bandwidth of about 320Kbps for Dolby digital 5.1 (though they CAN be mixed and mastered at up to 448kbps), or about 640Kbps for DTS (though most are mastered at FAR lower rates than that even, and the theoretical maximum is 1.5mbps).
Broadcast HD audio, for programming from the premium HD movie channels for example generally also uses the DD or DTS codecs, but it uses them at 640kbps and 768kbps; far higher than the 448Kpbs limit of a DVD.
Getting into BluRay and HD-DVD though is where you see the biggest differences.
HD audio is mastered in multiple formats on each disk (As many as five) to support the various standards available; and is mastered ata MUCH higher data rate.
Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master audio are sampled at 24 bits per sample at 96khz, per channel, for up to 8 discrete channels. The maximum banwidth is up around 24.5 megabits per second; though most soundtracks use lower quality settings (this is one area where BluRay outperforms HD-DVD, which is encoded at about a 20% lower bit rate).
Going from 320Kilobits per second, up to 18 megabits per second; or 640Kbps to 24.5Mbps is a HUGE difference; and that's not even taking into account the fact that the newer encoding technologies use compression that about twice as effective.
You're talking about almost 100 times as much raw sound data in a True HD or Master Audio soundtrack as in a full quality standard 5.1 DVD.
So... is all that really necessary...
Well, that's a tough question. It really depends on the individual consumer doesn't it.
Believe me, unless you're deaf and blind, you are going to see and hear a huge difference between a standard DVD with a Dolby Digital 5.1 sound track, and a 1080p high def video with a Master Audio sound track. The former looks and sounds pretty good, the latter... it's almost like being in the same room.
Of course, it comes at all comes at a price...
You're going to need about a $1500 TV, a $500 stereo receiver, a $400 HD video player, and about $1000 worth of speakers (minimum) to really make this work. Also, the movies are about $10 more expensive each as well(oh an an extra $100 for cables and the like); and all those are minimums. You can easily spend twice that, or even 20 times that (if you're building a dedicated theater room for example).
$3500 isn't chicken feed.
Heck, I've been assembling a home theater (or at least an HD home entertainment system. Some people balk at the use of the term "home theater" unless it's a dedicated theater room) for two years now piece by piece, and it's cost us about $5500 to get to that point (we have a bigger TV, better speakers, and a better receiver). Yes, we spread it out over two years, but still, it's a fair chunk of change.
Now personally, I think HD is great. I don't want to watch movies and TV that aren't in HD anymore, and given that $3500 (or $5500 in our case) should last for anywhere from 5 to 10 years, I think it's worth it. Heck, we pay more for cable than we did for the whole entertainment system.
Others might not see it as worth the money though; it's really up to the individual consumer.
So you can say that the difference doesn't matter to you, or that you don't think it's worth the money; but don't try and say there's no difference.
Of course the fact that it looks and sounds better doesn't resolve the problem that very little of it is worth watching. I'm not sure if "American Idol" being in High Definition makes it better, or worse.
Labels: Gadgets, Geek, Home theater
Frikken FInally
FIghting Men
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Two is One, One is None
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I Want My Money Back
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CCW Wrap-Up
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How to save $2000 a year by spending $400
It's Too Flippin' Early...
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Conserving valuable resources
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No good decisions today
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I don't hate Glocks


text:
Catholic Social Profiles
2016 Parish Social Profiles
2016 Diocesan Social Profiles
2016 Australian Social Profile
National Catholic Census Project
National Count of Attendance
Australian Catholic Bishops' Youth Survey 2017
Understanding Religious Vocation in Australia Today
Our Work Matters: Catholic Church employers and employees in Australia
Building Stronger Parishes Project
National Church Life Survey
What do Mass Attenders Believe?
What makes people feel they belong
See, I am Doing a New Thing!
Catholics who have Ceased Attending Mass
Mass Attenders and Their Usual Mass Time
Australian Catholic Mapping Online
Our Mission and Guiding Principles
Australian Catholic Council for Pastoral Research
Useful Websites for more Information
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) is the national body of the Bishops of Australia. On this site you will find information and links for individual bishops and dioceses, as well as for the Bishops Commissions and their secretariats and agencies that are charged with carrying forward various aspects of the Church's mission in Australia. You will also find links to other bodies within the Church, both in Australia and internationally.
ACBC – ACU Office of Pastoral Research
A project of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Australian Catholic University. Director: Rev. Dr Michael Mason C.Ss.R., Research Fellow, Institute for the Advancement of Research. Visit this site for updates on "Pilgrims' Progress 2008" Research Project on World Youth Day, Sydney 2008.
The Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university funded by the Australian Government and open to students and staff of all beliefs. ACU has six campuses in Australia and offer programs throughout Australia and overseas.
Christian Research Association
The Christian Research Association (CRA) was formed in 1985 to serve the churches of Australia. Its task is to provide up-to-date and reliable information about religious faith and church life in Australia. About 400 organisations, churches, schools and individuals are Associate Members of the CRA. Dr Philip Hughes is the senior research officer of the CRA.
NCLS Research is a world leader in research focused on connecting churches and their communities. Decades of rigorous and thoughtful research has been based on millions of participants. Co-operating denominations, including Catholics, Anglicans and Protestants, are a network for sharing practical resources to help churches.
National Pastoral Planning Network
The National Pastoral Planning Network now has its own website www.nppn.net.au
Parish Pastoral Councils in Australia
Are you a member of your Parish Pastoral Council? You probably have many questions, such as: Why do we have PPCs? What do they do? What is my role? How should the meetings be run? Now the Australian Catholic Bishops have provided answers to these questions and many more on their new website for Parish Pastoral Councils. It presents clear information and advice in a straightforward way about the roles, functions and responsibilities of Parish Pastoral Councils and their members, suggestions for setting up PPCs and for their operations, and an FAQ section for commonly asked questions. It also explains some of the theology behind the concept of PPCs and their relationship to the Parish Priest. A working group has been established by the ACBC to look at ways of supporting PPCs and their membership in their important roles. The working group will continue to develop and refine the website and will also be looking further at resource needs for the formation of PPC members.
Vatican:
Pontifical Council for Culture
The ACBC's Pastoral Projects Office is the first Australian entity to become a recognised member of the Pontifical Council for Culture (PCC). The history of the Pontificium Consilium de Cultura, the Pontifical Council for Culture, dates back to the Second Vatican Council. A whole section of that Council's Pastoral Constitution on the Church – Gaudium et Spes – emphasises the fundamental importance of culture. The PCC is that department (Dicastery) of the Roman Curia which assists the Pontiff in the exercise of his supreme pastoral office for the benefit and service of the universal Church and of particular Churches concerning the encounter between the saving message of the Gospel and cultures. In particular, it promotes dialogue with contemporary cultures. Furthermore, the Pontifical Council for Culture oversees and co-ordinates the activities of the Pontifical Academies, and co-operates on a regular basis with the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church.
Centre for Applied Research in the Apostolate
The Centre for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) aims to discover, promote, and apply modern techniques and scientific informational resources for practical use in a coordinated and effective approach to the Church's social and religious mission in the modern world, at home in the US and overseas. CARA's research team is made up of social scientists with advanced degrees and Research Associates are faculty of Georgetown University. CARA offers a range of services for: parishes, dioceses, Catholic schools and tertiary institutions, religious communities, Catholic charities and social service organizations, Catholic media plus other Catholic institutions and organizations.
Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development
The Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development (CPPCD) promotes and advocates consultative processes that foster effective planning for the pastoral life of the church. Through member involvement, education, personal development, and professional programming, the organization and its members work together to develop their full potential in their unique ministries.
Building Stronger Parishes Website
Common Questions About Catholics
The Catholic Community in Australia
Australia's Religious Communities
Award-winning American sociologist Dean Hoge
Dr Trudy Dantis
ACBC National Centre for Pastoral Research
Copyright 2015-2018 National Centre for Pastoral Research | Site Consultant Jeremy Hague Web Design


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CARLI News August 25, 2021
Save the Date: CARLI Annual Meeting and Governing Directors Meeting
The 2021 CARLI Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 10, at 10 a.m., via Zoom. Staff at any CARLI member library is invited to attend.
The 2021 CARLI Annual Governing Directors Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 4, at 10 a.m., via Zoom.
Alma I-Share Reminder: How to transit material that expires on the hold shelf
Please check that your colleagues who work with your library's hold shelf are aware of the workflow discussed in this post.
This reminder was also sent via email to the I-Share Liaisions, Resource Sharing interest group, and Public Services interest group on 8/23/2021.
What is the task?: When an item expires on your library's hold shelf, or, the requesting patron states they no longer want an item they had requested before it expires, library staff must follow the transit workflow in Alma to return the item to its owning library.
Alma, Fulfillment & Alma Automated Fulfillment Network, I-Share, News, Resource Sharing
CARLI News July 28, 2021
Three Recipients Selected for 2021 CARLI Scholarship
CARLI is pleased to announce three recipients of the 2021 CARLI Scholarship: Jacqueline Mann, Loyola University Chicago; Abigail Mastin, University of St. Francis; and Kate Swope, Northern Illinois University. The CARLI Scholarship, awarded for the first time in 2020, provides financial assistance to current employees of CARLI Governing Member Libraries pursuing graduate studies leading to a Master's degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Each recipient will receive a $1,000 CARLI Scholarship for the 2021-2022 academic year.
CARLI Counts Cohort 3 Application Period Open through July 15
As a result of shutdowns related to COVID-19, The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has granted CARLI a one-year, no-cost extension to the CARLI Counts award. This extension means that CARLI can offer an additional cohort (the program was originally slated to include two cohorts). Cohort 3 will meet exclusively via Zoom, with team presentations at the 2022 CARLI Annual Meeting (tentatively planned as an in-person event).
CARLI News June 30, 2021
University of Illinois System/CARLI Awarded $1 Million Open Textbook Pilot Grant
The University of Illinois System/CARLI has been awarded a 3-year $1.08 million from the U.S. Department of Education's Open Textbooks Pilot Program – a competitive grant program based on US Senate Majority Whip and Illinois Senator Richard Durbin's Affordable College Textbook Act The grant will fund Illinois SCOERs (Support for Creation of Open Educational Resources), a program that will provide access to open textbooks and personalized learning tools for entry-level courses in high-demand health care and human development career paths.
University of Illinois System/CARLI Awarded $1 Million Open Textbook Pilot Grant!
The University of Illinois System/CARLI has been awarded a 3-year $1.08 million from the US Department of Education's Open Textbooks Pilot Program–a competitive grant program based on US Senate Majority Whip and Illinois Senator Richard Durbin's
Board, Open Educational Resources
2021 CARLI Board of Directors Election
The election and appointment process for new members of the CARLI Board of Directors is now complete.
Directors elected to 3-year terms are: Rebecca Donald (Trinity International University), Dallas Long (Illinois State University), and Shannon Pohrte (Elgin Community College).
Directors appointed to one-year terms are: Marianne Ryan (Loyola University), Sharon Silverman (City Colleges of Chicago), and John Pollitz (Southern Illinois University).
Directors appointed to one-year terms are: Marianne Ryan (Loyola University), Sharon Silverman (City Colleges of Chicago), and John Pollitz (Southern Illinois University.
All newly elected and appointed terms will begin July 1, 2021.
Congratulations to the CARLI I-Share Migration Team!
We are pleased to share with you that the CARLI I-Share Migration Team has been selected as the 2021 Distinguished Employee Leadership and Team Award (DELTA) recipient by the University of Illinois System. This annual award recognizes University of Illinois System office employees for their exceptional accomplishments, service and dedication. Please join us in congratulating them on this well-deserved award!


text:
Īrān kan syfta på:

 Iran – ett land i Asien

 Īrāncheh – ort, Chahar Mahal och Bakhtiari, Iran

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
var writeNewMessageAction = require('./../actions/writeNewMessage.action'),
    JsonRPCResponse = require('./../resources/types/jsonrpc').response,
    JsonRPCError = require('./../resources/types/jsonrpc').error,
    JsonRPCRequest = require('./../resources/types/jsonrpc').request,
    emitters = require('./../resources/emitters/');
// define global variables
var chatEmitter = emitters.chatEmitter;

module.exports = function sendMessageEvent(socket) {
    return function eventHandler(request, response) {
        console.log('\x1b[34m' + '{core}@{sendMessageEvent}[request]');
        // check params
        if (!(request.params
            && request.params['chatName']
            && request.params['userName']
            && request.params['msg'])) { response(new JsonRPCResponse({ error: new JsonRPCError(400, "Bad Request", { cause: 'missing chatName or message parameter' }) }, request.id)); }

        // check if sender is in the socket chatroom
        if (!socket.rooms[request.params['chatName']]) {
            console.log('\x1b[34m' + '{core}@{sendMessageEvent}[alert] request incoming from unsubscribed socket (unauthorized)');
            let err = new JsonRPCError(401, "Unauthorized");
            response(new JsonRPCResponse({ error: err }, request.id));
            return;
        }

        // broadcast message received to other sockets in the same room
        socket.broadcast.to(request.params['chatName']).emit('new_message', new JsonRPCRequest('SEND', { msg: request.params['msg'] }));

        // emit user_active event
        chatEmitter.emit('user_active', { chatName: request.params['chatName'], userName: request.params['userName'] })
        // write to chat message received
        writeNewMessageAction(request.params['chatName'], request.params['msg']).then(() => {
            response(new JsonRPCResponse({ result: {} }, request.id));
        }).catch((err) => {
            if (!(err instanceof JsonRPCError)) { err = new JsonRPCError(500, "Internal Server Error"); }
            response(new JsonRPCResponse({ error: err }, request.id));
        })
    };
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Flutter: I tried building a project just after adding flutter_local_notification to the dependencies and it failed ERROR:
FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.
* What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':app:processDebugResources'.

Android resource linking failed
    /home/saugo/.gradle/caches/transforms-1/files-1.1/design-27.1.0.aar/9fb468d34634c53fd038a8410ad263e8/res/values/values.xml:96:5-202: AAPT: error: resource android:attr/fontVariationSettings not found.
    /home/saugo/.gradle/caches/transforms-1/files-1.1/design-27.1.0.aar/9fb468d34634c53fd038a8410ad263e8/res/values/values.xml:96:5-202: AAPT: error: resource android:attr/ttcIndex not found.
    error: failed linking references.

A: Add this in your build.gradle file:
defaultConfig {
     compileSdkVersion 28
     }
 }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange