After drinking from a keg of beer stashed in the basement of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house at the University of Michigan last December, a group of pledges stripped to their boxer shorts and lined up, ready to endure their next torturous test of brotherhood. As two other fraternity members watched, a pledge educator.
Submit a completed application (Please type or write legibly). 7. Be available for an interview with our Scholarship Committee. The completed application, along with your official high school transcript, three letters of recommendation, and essay should be sealed in an envelope and mailed to: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.


Don't miss a host of free arts events this week, hosted by MGSO4's community partners.
Organisations of all kinds have pulled out the stops to offer an inspiring range of events, from a DJ workshop held by Surrey Choices and creative arts at care homes, to the Art of Sugarcraft and communal drumming at The Longmead Centre.
The events below are all being held between 20 – 26 June. For full details please see our programme listings or What's On page.


text:
Hominum Journal
10 Questions with Isabella Cho, the Founder/Editor-in-Chief of The Heritage Review
Isabella "Izzy" Cho is a student and writer from Wilmette, Illinois. She is the recipient of the 2020 Lin Arison Excellence in Writing Award, and her work has been recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, Princeton University, the Sejong Cultural Society, and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, among others. Izzy is particularly passionate about fostering a constructive, welcoming space for young writers and democratizing the rich diversity and socio-political urgency of the contemporary Asian American literary canon. Some of her favorite things include cafes, fancy soaps, and Korean dramas. She will attend Harvard University in the fall.
I had the pleasure of conducting this interview with Izzy, the founder and editor-in-chief of The Heritage Review. As described by its team: "The Heritage Review strives to foster introspection, community, and change-making through artistic excellence. We are particularly passionate about equipping young writers with the skills and guidance necessary to develop their craft, broaden their literary horizons, and actualize their creative potential."
In this interview, we discuss the emergence of The Heritage Review, the navigation of cultural identity in art, and what the Asian diaspora means for the future of creative work.
Jonathan Truong: Describe your journal in 10 words or less
Isabella "Izzy" Cho: Fostering introspection, community, and change-making through artistic excellence
JT: Can you discuss what motivated you to found The Heritage Review? What differentiates you from other literary magazines?
IC: Our desire to found Heritage emerged, quite simply, from an impulse to extend our passion and energy surrounding artistic expression to a broader community. Writing can be a necessarily solitary and introspective process; we thought that creating a platform that not only published but, perhaps more importantly, fostered virtual dialogue and companionship amongst young writers would be immensely worthwhile.
I think that rather than attempt to pinpoint what differentiates us from other literary magazines, we were more particular about guarding and fostering elements that we thought make not only a great journal but a great virtual nexus for dialogue, affirmation, and sharing. For instance, in a literary community growingly bent on exclusivity and elitism, a culture where lower acceptance rates are conflated to signify prestige and excellence, we wanted to emphasize our journal's commitment to the inclusive democratization of young people's work, rather than a commitment to or objective of hyper-selectivity. Lastly, we were intentional about emphasizing our journal's commitment to amplifying the voices of marginalized demographics; though we accept work from writers of all ages and backgrounds, we were particularly eager to share with the world those works that celebrate previously suppressed, dismissed, or delegitimized stories and truths.
JT: On your website, you state that The Heritage Review aims to share art that explores "themes of identity, belonging, personal agency, and the power of creative expression." Do you believe that these themes are inherent to all writing? Or, does it take a concerted effort to navigate identity and belonging in creative work?
IC: That's a great question. This may sound like the easy way out, but I really do think the answer to that question is both.
On one hand, art that deals intimately with political issues or cultural belonging at large often demands exacting emotional investment, introspection, and auto-interrogation. This sort of art may require one to reflect deeply on broader national, socio-political events or introspect on the body as a site of grief, absence, displacement, or longing, as a sort of archive that stores important information about critical ideas including agency, homeland, safety, violence, and revival.
On the other hand, at times it can be challenging - if not impossible - to divest the socio-political or cultural from the artistic, and vice versa. Sometimes, simply the act of creating art - as a marginalized individual, as a survivor, as a person whose experiences or entire existence has been suppressed, derided, questioned, or delegitimized - is a political gesture; it affirms that one is present in this world and demanding to be heard, demanding that one's truth be accommodated, no matter what others may say. In short, I think that the act of involving the themes of identity, belonging, heritage, and personal agency in artistic material falls on a spectrum ranging from the subliminal to the laboriously intentioned; with each piece of art we create, with each lived experience we internalize, our location on this spectrum dynamically and inevitably shifts.
JT: In regards to your Review subpage, you discuss your intent to democratize the contemporary Asian canon in the often unilateral world of literature. How do you believe Asian voices in literature today have been misrepresented, misunderstood, or altogether silenced?
IC: There's a harrowing yet deeply resonant quote that I stumbled upon in Wesley Yang's The Souls of Yellow Folk: Essays. Yang writes, "as the bearer of an Asian face in America, you paid some incremental penalty, never absolute, but always omnipresent, that meant that you were by default unlovable and unloved; that you were presumptively a nobody, a mute and servile figure, distinguishable above all by your total incapacity to threaten anyone." I think that the perverse dynamics elucidated in Yang's articulation continue to remain true for many Americans of the Asian diaspora today. American culture at large has long perpetuated images and narratives that falsely limn Asians as both physically and figuratively small, servile, odd, overly opportunistic, parasitic, and incapable of being "assimilated" into the institutionalized jungle of white patriarchal America. Another toxic message frequently conveyed is that Asians - and, by extension, literary and artistic material generated by Asians and Asian Americans - are apolitical, necessarily and irreversibly disengaged from issues involving the American racial binary.
There is a lot to unpack in this presumption, one that requires us to reflect deeply on certain Asian communities' history of racism and xenophobia against other minorities and marginalized groups. That being said, I think that breaking these patterns of misinformation, racism, and false judgement begins with celebrating and educating ourselves about the deeply and often inherently political art and literature created by Asians and Asian Americans.
JT: Tell us about your contests. What do you look for in The Poetry Identity Prize or The Heritage Review Prize for Fiction & Short Story that might differ from general Submissions?
IC: We keep an open mind when evaluating submissions for these awards and are most excited by writing that startles us by virtue of its novel, vividly evocative ideas, structure, organization, or images. As the name suggests, we are particularly drawn to pieces that engage questions of heritage in all its forms, whether that mean interrogating emotional, socio-political, geographical, or intellectual landscapes of belonging and orientation.
In other words, more than us pre-planning what we look for in submissions, the submissions themselves shape our listening and instruct us what to look for and where.
JT: Your journal takes a unique approach to the author's biography. Can you tell me what role the biography plays in our magazine? Do you read blindly?
IC: Yes; the identity of the author does not factor in any way into our evaluation of their pieces. The biographies exist for us to honor and share information about those who have been selected for publication, and to spread the word about their art.
JT: As a fellow unaffiliated and youth-driven publication, do you find it harder to earn the respect of older writers? Do you primarily publish student work?
IC: When we began the publication, we did make it our mission to deliberately extend ourselves to younger writers; we thought that they were most in need of a space for discourse, sharing, and affirmation, and that together we could build something special as they grew and continued their journeys. That being said, we do not restrict our submissions to writers of a certain age group, and welcome all writing.
I think that, contrary to what some may think, the writing community at large is supportive and willing to accommodate new voices. Many older writers look on with support and enthusiasm for new projects initiated by younger writers and scholars, and I think that dynamic is wonderful; it compels everyone to strive toward greater things, improve, and bloom together.
JT: How do you personally find the balance between being an editor and being a
successful young writer?
IC: I think that, rather than view the negotiation of these two roles as an exhausting labor, I view it as a privilege and an opportunity. Being both an editor and a writer is a necessarily synergistic and iterative process; one learns so much from experiencing the work of fellow writers, and those gleaned insights become instrumental to the way one approaches personal craft.
In my opinion, it's similar to the benefits of other instances of reciprocity; for example, the best teachers are often those who vividly remember the experience of being a student. When we see and internalize what occurs on one end, we can more empathically and critically approach our own roles on the other end.
JT: Who are you reading nowadays? What was the last piece you read that stuck with you?
IC: I love talking about reading and sharing recommendations! A novel I read recently that deeply challenged me both intellectually and emotionally was Little Gods by Meng Jin. It's her debut novel, and she experimentally and unflinchingly engages notions of anguish, displacement, intimacy, and temporal linearity. Since I mostly write in verse, it was so constructive for me to utilize Meng Jin's text not merely as a means of experiencing a compelling story but, perhaps more importantly, better understanding how the structural organization of a text can drastically alter its flow, thematic undercurrents, and core messages. As a female Asian American second-generation immigrant myself, tracing Liya's story felt oddly and expansively personal; there were glimpses of luminous prose that resonated so deeply with me that I felt compelled to grab my notebook and write them down as a way to internalize them more intimately.
Another book I read during quarantine that provided a lot of food for thought was bell hooks' All About Love: New Visions. In the book, hooks employs a sociological lens- in addition to her characteristically trenchant cultural critique - to interrogate the function, nature, and implications of love, both for intimate domestic spaces and communities at large. In it, she contends that love has the capacity to heal not merely people but nations. What's so compelling about her argument, however, is that it's not grounded in vague allusions to the mystical power of love; rather, she equips herself with the vocabulary to articulate what love should be, and through that cohering definition seeks to enact a more equitable and accessible vision of love.
I just purchased Toni Morrison's The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Speeches, Essays, and Meditations, as well as If Not, Winter, a book of poems by Sappho organized by Anne Carson. I look forward to reading the former for its deeply enduring resonance with any literary citizen, as well as its rich implications for today's Black Lives Matter movement; I'm eager to read the latter because, besides being an avid student of the Classics, I'm eager to see how Sappho utilizes the physicality of language as a vehicle for argument and introspection.
JT: Lastly, what advice do you give to emerging young writers—specifically to those who may be underrepresented in the publishing world?
IC: Ooh, there's so much I want to share, but at the same time I feel like I'm not really in a
position to provide advice, so take everything with a grain of salt:
First, trust in your work. So much of today's writing culture - particularly the teen writing culture - is externally oriented. We're taught to care a lot about publications, acceptances, and competitions, so much so that the reason why we gravitated to the written word in the first place - as a vehicle for introspection, self-discovery, emotional vulnerability, healing, and expressive liberation - can dissipate. More than any external organization or publication, you are the one who holds the dimensional capacity to evaluate your own work, who reserves the right to decide its worth and unique, inviolable merit. In times when external sources or groups seem to be turning away or not providing what you need, look internally.
Second, strive toward the weird, toward those images, thoughts, or ideas that seem too experimental, grotesque, esoteric, or strange to ever see the light of day. No matter how much we want to deny it, there are particular styles and conventions that are more widely celebrated and well-received than others; that being said, some of the most deeply resonant, memorable writing that I've encountered are those pieces that refuse to conform to these preconceived boundaries and assert their own rules. That critical resistance to and skepticism of convention can be highly attractive in a piece; it signifies that the writer, more than orient themselves around external ideals, is digging introspectively for direction.
Lastly, HAVE FUN. So often, we buy into the perversely romanticized notion that writing - and the creation of art in general - must be an act of excruciating and draining labor to be "significant," "worthwhile," or otherwise "noteworthy." Don't get me wrong; the creation of art is a necessarily exacting and enervating process. That being said, so often I feel that we - especially writers who may be particularly eager to get their writing published or recognized, and trust me, we've all been there - lose sight of the intrinsic joy and triumph that comes with the mere act of creating, with the endeavor of translating our innermost thoughts onto the page. That in itself is a victory, an accomplishment, an affirmation of our existence, and we should never lose sight of that. The act of writing is an act of celebration, of remembrance; grasping that intuitive yet elusive truth holds great power and will assist in the cultivation of a more sustainable and successful writing practice.
More information on The Heritage Review can be found at https://www.heritagereview.org.
Franz Kafka as Survivalist Prayer: Review of Babylon Laid Waste: Journey in the Twilight of the Gods
"Creation opens on a cliffhanger": Stephanie Chang's A Night Market in Technicolor
The Great American Novel in Transition and Translation

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Outside chance
Durango Nature Studies celebrates 20 years
Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014 12:50 PM
Updated: Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014 2:59 PM
Gail Grossman, longtime volunteer naturalist with Durango Nature Studies, leads a group of fourth-graders on trails in the Haviland Lake area, north of Durango, in 2012.
SHAUN STANLEY/Durango Herald file photo
Durango Nature Studies last year put more than 4,000 Colorado and New Mexico elementary school students through its programs. Max Eisenfeld, 9, holds up a crawfish at a summer camp in 2010.
Durango Herald file photo
From left, former Durango Nature Studies co-founders Ann Rilling and Janet Kenna take a tour of the Nature Center near Bondad in February 2001 just after its purchase.
A bridge over the Florida River was one of the first improvements made in March 1999 to the Nature Center at the base of Bondad Hill.
Courtesy of Durango Nature Studies
"What's growing on that tree?" a young boy asked.
Karen Carver, the Durango Nature Studies instructor that day, hadn't even noticed the fuzzy material on the low branch. This was not part of the class curriculum. The fuzz was bear fur. Nearby, the youngsters found bear tracks.
Their attention was riveted. This was certainly better than being inside playing a video game. Right?
"You do have to take advantage of those teachable moments," Carver said last week.
Nature is unpredictable, and it's not always easy to survive out there. Despite many challenges, DNS has bucked the norm and clung to life longer than most nonprofits ever do. It's celebrating 20 years of existence – not bad for an organization that nearly became a bird shop.
In 1992, Janet Kenna and Ann Rilling were introduced at a social gathering through a mutual friend. They had recently moved to Durango, and they were both looking for a way to earn income.
Rilling wanted to open a shop that catered to people's love for wild birds. Kenna, who has a degree in environmental studies and a teaching certificate, suggested hatching a different plan. The story goes that Kenna, Rilling, Winston Dines and Caroline Johnson later brainstormed the concept around a dining room table, and Durango Nature Studies was born.
"I'm sure there was wine involved," Kenna said with a chuckle last week.
The idea was to connect children and adults with the place where we live. Despite Southwest Coloradans' relative closeness to nature, not everyone gets outside, and not everyone understands the relationships among plants, animals and the ecosystem.
"I've been kind of shocked at the number of kids around the area who don't really spend that much time outdoors and aren't that confident around nature," said Gail Grossman, a longtime DNS volunteer teacher who nurtured its growth. "It's so important for kids to love the outdoors and get down on the ground with bugs."
In 2014, the organization is on solid ground, a fixture in the community. Surrounding school districts in Southwest Colorado and Northwest New Mexico take full advantage of the nature center near Bondad.
With such longevity, it's maybe even taken for granted. Sally Shuffield, executive director since 2007, and her staff are in the process of writing grants and tweaking programs in preparation for 2015. It's a never-ending cycle that takes never-ending vigilance.
"So many kids have gone through the program, people just expect us to be here," said Shuffield, an Arkansas native who fell in love with Colorado on a school trip. "People just assume that it's part of living in Durango, Colorado. ... They don't really think about us not being there.
"To me, I see how tenuous it is."
Certainly, it was tenuous when it first took flight in 1994, but Rilling, who now lives in Cortez, said it quickly set sail.
"It was something the community wanted and used," said Rilling, who is now marketing and communications director for the Logan, Utah-based Association of Nature Center Administrators, a support organization for nature centers.
"Because everything was so welcomed, it seemed like things kept falling into place."
But there were struggles, a major one being where to take the kids. A supporter along County Road 234 north of Elmore's Corner had some land with a nice pond. The Elks picnic ground on Florida Road worked for a while. Rick and Karen Langhart's large backyard was good, too, as long as the horses stayed away.
The enthusiasm was there, volunteers were committed. Said Carver, a longtime volunteer DNS instructor:
"We needed a home."
Acreage was a bit cheaper in the '90s – "they were still making land back then," Kenna joked – and a 140-acre parcel along the Florida River at the base of Bondad Hill became available in 1998. The fund drives began. Grants and donations came in. "Ann was pretty convincing," Kenna said.
It took nearly two years and a landowner's conservation easement, which lowered the price on 35 of the acres, but finally Durango Nature Studies had its home.
Rilling stayed as executive director for seven years. Cheryl Wiescamp, Lisa Branner and Allison Pease followed. Shuffield took the position in 2007.
Rilling and Kenna are no longer directly involved. Kenna, interestingly, in 2004, bought For the Birds, that shop Rilling had suggested they start; she ran it for several years next to Rotary Park.
These days, more than 4,000 students from 30-plus schools annually go through DNS classes, Shuffield said. In all, about 8,000 people enjoy the nonprofit's programs each year.
Parents who rue the fact their kids spend more time looking at computers and TVs, and less time out in a field or on a trail than ever before, can take some solace in the existence of DNS.
"As the world shrinks and gets more rapid-paced," Carver said, "it's even more important to connect with basic, human origins and roots."
Fortunately for Southwest Coloradans the wild outdoors – and Durango Nature Studies – are not far away.
johnp@durangoherald.com. John Peel writes a weekly human-interest column.
Recent John Peel
After 17 years, John Peel says goodbye
Taking a look backward, or maybe it's forward ...
This year, Ed Zink lends a hand, from the background


William Hill is one of the world's leading betting companies, and specialises in offering legal off-track wagering. Founded in 1934, they have over 65 years' experience of offering betting services. Currently, they operate over 1,500 licensed betting offices in the UK, and have over 300,000 telephone clients worldwide, making them the world's largest telephone betting organisation. They operate the fastest growing Internet gambling site of any UK based betting company.
In short, William Hill is universally recognised as one of the world's leading bookmakers.
Being licensed in the UK under some of the strictest gambling legislation in existence anywhere in the world, means that you can bet in total confidence with them. Deposits can be made by Switch, Visa, Mastercard, Neteller payment casino, and FirePay. Winnings are paid back to your card up to the value of your deposit plus the rest by cheque, or you can have ALL of your winnings deposited back to your Switch card.
William Hill's unique software lets you see where your friends are playing – so you can join them for a game. You can take on other players from around the world and prove your skill also included is their Live instant chat facility allowing you to interact with other online players. Up to 10 players on every table and over 70 live tables from which to choose makes William Hill the best choice for online poker.
If you need an extra reason to visit the NEW William Hill Poker room, this is it. Because for every hour you're playing poker for real in the room, £5 will be credited to your account. Free £25 – New Users Get Paid To Play £5 Per Hour. You can spend a total of five hours of paid playing time and receive a maximum credit of £25!
Holy Wars is a website with one main purpose: we want to help you choose the best online casino to gamble. Therefore, we are testing as many casinos as possible to give you the most accurate description of each of them.
Find your favorite online casinos with our help!


Updated Feb.9 at 10:30 a.m.
The significant weather event has been declared over. Please continue to use caution when travelling as conditions may change quickly. Visit www.grey.ca/roads for the most up to date Grey County road conditions.
We have declared a significant weather event impacting all roads owned by Grey County in the Meaford, Thornbury and surrounding areas, due to forecasted and/or observed weather conditions.
This declaration of a significant weather event isn't notice of a reduced level of service or a road closure. It is to notify the public that due to the current or forecasted conditions, caution is to be observed when travelling on roads maintained by Grey County. It may take longer than usual to bring the roads back to optimal conditions.
Please use caution and allow yourself extra time to reach your destination. Visit www.grey.ca/roads for the most up to date Grey County road conditions.


text:
Q: Return a boolean from generic method for boolean return type I have a generic method SendHttpRequest<TRequest, TResponse> that takes in a request-type and a response-type as its generic parameter inputs. The response-type can be either a boolean or a class representing the response.
My task is to return true if HTTP request made inside the method is successful and TResponse is a bool. If instead TResponse is of different type, I need to unserialize the response content into TResponse object. Returning true generates compile-time error. Is there a way to have a single method that supports both boolean and non-boolean return types?
private async Task<TResponse> SendHttpRequest<TRequest, TResponse>(TRequest request)
{
    using (var client = new HttpClient())
    {
        client.BaseAddress = "http://example.com/";

        var response = await client.PostAsJsonAsync("api_path", request).ConfigureAwait(false);

        if (!response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
        {
            throw new MyException(response);
        }

        if (typeof (TResponse) == typeof (bool))
        {
            return true; // Generates compile-time error
        }
        else
        {
            var content = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
            return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<TResponse>(content);
        }
    }
}

A: I suppose you already understand that it's a bad design, but if you really want to make it exactly like this, you can do it:
private async Task<TResponse> SendHttpRequest<TRequest, TResponse>(TRequest request)
{
    using (var client = new HttpClient())
    {
        client.BaseAddress = "http://example.com/";

        var response = await client.PostAsJsonAsync("api_path", request).ConfigureAwait(false);

        if (!response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
        {
            throw new MyException(response);
        }

        if (typeof (TResponse) == typeof (bool))
        {
            return (TResponse)(object)true;
        }
        else
        {
            var content = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
            return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<TResponse>(content);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Alan J. Ross has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Abstract: A system and method is described for creating a predictable flow of funds from an otherwise unpredictable source. An investment and receiving vehicle is established where participants pool their ownership of insurance policies so as to share in the proceeds from those policies.
Abstract: An electronic game apparatus for playing a card game and particularly the card game cribbage includes a central unit and a plurality of player units separate from but attached to the central unit for communication therewith. The central unit can store indicia relating to the set of cards of the conventional nature and can transfer those cards to different display areas on the main board and on the playing units. Each player can operate transfer buttons on the player unit which act to transfer selected ones from the cards indicated on his player unit to the required location on the main board for the playing of the game cribbage. The main unit calculates the score and enters this on a conventional cribbage scoreboard.


It all started simply enough. Port of Tacoma officials were attending a conference in Baltimore to hear about best practices around environmental issues in the world of international trade and port operations.
Alexander Noah was there from his home country of Liberia, doing a two-week visit of Maryland to learn the ins and outs of international shipping terminal operations at the Port of Baltimore. Some chatting led to more chatting and then an invitation to visit the Port of Tacoma for further tricks of the trade to bring back to his homeport of Greenville, Liberia.
"This trip is an eye-opening moment for me," he said.
There are certainly differences between the high-volume American ports and the export-only Port of Greenville, which is located in southeast Liberia. Most notably among them involves pavement. Tacoma and Baltimore have paved roads. Greenville has only dirt streets, which Noah has an idea on how to change – toll roads, a system that is more common on the East Coast.
Another big difference is that Liberian ports largely operate as landlords to shipping companies that operate their own terminals. The terminal operators in Greenville almost exclusively ship non-containerized logs out of the region, with all the imported goods flowing into the West African nation's largest port in the capital city of Monrovia.
But there are similarities between the ports. Dredging of the waterways, for example, is always an issue so the ports can handle the ever-growing size of modern vessels. Greenville's waterway can get as shallow as 12 to 18 feet. Any waterway-deepening work to change that would take coordination, financing and planning, which are also suggestions Noah gained from his port tours that he will include in his report when he returns to Liberia this week.
Whether the visit leads to follow up discussions or a Sister City relationship is a matter to be determined in the future, but that really isn't the point for Port of Tacoma Commissioner Clare Petrich.
Sometimes those opportunities are brief and informal. Sometimes they grow and become partnerships, such is the case with commerce and friendships. The most obvious result of those times when handshakes and smiles turn into friendships and bonds was the 2015 visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping that sprung up from Tacoma's sister-city ties with Fuzhou, China. This led to his personal invitation to 100 Lincoln High School students to visit his country the following year. Xi had helped create the sister relationship with Tacoma when he was chairman of the Standing Committee of Fuzhou Municipal People's Congress two decades earlier.
But there have been other times sibling cities help each other. Tacoma's sister city of Brovary, Ukraine, for example, is buying a surplus ambulance from the Tacoma Fire Department that port officials are working to deliver there this winter.


text:
Overcoming the Herd's Instincts
Ian Cassel March 9, 2012 Blog, Market Analysis Leave a Comment
I found this article By Josh Levine very interesting as it relates to micro-small cap performance going against the grain of fund redemptions.
The Russell 2000 Index is up a healthy 30% since October. The small-cap benchmark remains within striking range of its April 2010 high even after its pullback during the past two weeks. Despite the upbeat trend, the action has done little to ignite the animal spirits of investors. In fact, a nearly year-long string of net redemptions for small cap funds continues to occur.
Retail investors have pulled more than $18 billion out of small-cap funds over 37 of the 40 weeks through February, even as the Russell 2000 has climbed significantly higher over the past 20 weeks. The charts below illustrate how the herd's instincts were proven wrong once again.
The sad reality is individual investors make this mistake repeatedly — selling when they should be buying (and buying when they should be selling).
"In other words, buying of small-cap stocks so far remains restrained," according to the Journal article. "If the Russell 2000 can push through to record highs, that alone might trigger a wave of new investor interest. Hedge funds, in particular, are likely to move into more volatile investments like small caps if there is a sense that the market is climbing without them."
Small-cap stocks often lead during the early stages of a rally, and the current price gains might be the start of a long bull cycle for emerging growth stocks. It's too early to tell for sure.
Whether the flow of individual investor money into small stocks picks up soon is also difficult to figure. Though confidence about the economy is building, investors remain fearful and show little inclination to jump back into the action with both feet. As history shows, however, investors will eventually find their way back into the markets at much higher valuations.
micro capmutual fundssmall capvalue investing


text:
cmt(Smits, Alexander) » Refine Search
Characterization of nanosecond, femtosecond and dual pulse laser energy deposition in air for flow control and diagnostic applications
by Limbach, Christopher M., Ph.D. Princeton University. 2015: 280 pages; 3737448.
Plant selenium accumulation and the rhizosphere effect
by Alford, Elan Reine, Ph.D. Colorado State University. 2011: 180 pages; 3489842.
The study of constitutive relationships of multi-phase flow for geological carbon sequestration
by Mori, Hiroko, M.S. Colorado School of Mines. 2013: 121 pages; 1535624.
"The Mirror of China": Language selection, images of China, and narrating Japan in the Kamakura period (1185-1333)
by Brightwell, Erin Leigh, Ph.D. Princeton University. 2014: 520 pages; 3626441.
Controlling and Manipulating Microscopic Particles in Solution by Using Various Electric Field Geometries
by Udad, Xavier S., Ph.D. The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. 2019: 217 pages; 27668726.
Stakeholder Perceptions: The Impact of a University-based Laboratory School on a Campus-based University Educator Preparation Program
by Seipel, Sandra Helene, Ed.D. University of Missouri - Columbia. 2018: 156 pages; 13877170.
'The Sky's the Limit': A Comparative Assessment of the Global Proliferation of Military Airpower in the Early and Late 20th Century
by Jungdahl, Adam, Ph.D. The George Washington University. 2015: 193 pages; 3680573.
Collective Heating Effects in Nanoparticle Solutions and Photothermal Studies of Gold Nanostructures Using a Novel Optical Thermal Sensor
by Carlson, Michael Thomas, Ph.D. Ohio University. 2012: 135 pages; 10630854.
The Effectiveness of Cares Dementia Training Modules on Delivery of Person Centered Care Inside a Memory Care Unit: Utilizing the Cares Observational Tool
by Cattoor, Erin, Ph.D. University of Missouri - Columbia. 2018: 65 pages; 13877136.
Analysis of Two-and Three-Body Systems from Lattice QCD Simulations
by Hu, Bin, Ph.D. The George Washington University. 2018: 276 pages; 10746163.
Development and validation of a treatment planning model for magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia cancer therapy
by Stigliano, Robert Vincent, M.S. Dartmouth College. 2014: 93 pages; 1566731.
Energy and security aspects of wireless networks: Performance and tradeoffs
by Abuzainab, Nof, Ph.D. University of Maryland, College Park. 2013: 207 pages; 3599933.
Phase behavior of charged hydrophobic colloids on flat and spherical surfaces
by Kelleher, Colm P., Ph.D. New York University. 2017: 194 pages; 10195879.
"We're totally getting married…: Verbal Irony Use in Computer-mediated Communication
by Graham, Brett, M.A. Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. 2016: 52 pages; 10128868.
The Topography of Money: The Architecture and Urbanism of Banks in Renaissance Italy
by Jacobi, Lauren Anne, Ph.D. New York University. 2012: 469 pages; 3524161.
Examining the co-curricular engagement of international students at a public four-year university
by Yebei, Philemon Kiprono, Ph.D. Indiana University. 2011: 207 pages; 3449581.
Mathematical Understanding of Microtubule Regulation in Eukaryotic Cell Migration
by Chen, Jianlei, Ph.D. The George Washington University. 2018: 157 pages; 10624306.
Numerical Simulations of Black Hole Accretion
by Ryan, Geoffrey, Ph.D. New York University. 2017: 182 pages; 10261761.
The Implications of Heavy and Non-use of Social Media: An Auto-Ethnographic Approach
by Whiteside, Adam, M.A. Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. 2017: 87 pages; 10274331.
Developing a Method for Locating Ionizable Hydrogen Atom Positions in Protein Crystal Structures
by Lazar, Louis, Ph.D. Brandeis University. 2012: 250 pages; 3539029.
Elementary steps and site requirements for nitrogen oxide adsorption and oxidation on metal and oxide surfaces
by Weiss, Brian M., Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley. 2010: 77 pages; 3444699.
Comparison of Retaining Replacement Heifers in a Straight-Bred Angus System Versus Purchasing Crossbred Replacement Heifers to Be Bred to a Terminal Sire
by Ruble, Grady D., M.S. South Dakota State University. 2018: 104 pages; 13419267.
Fire severity effects on nutrient dynamics and microbial activities in a Siberian larch forest
by Ludwig, Sarah, M.S. University of Alaska Fairbanks. 2016: 63 pages; 10146125.
Hitler Walks Into a Bar: The Nazi in American Humor
by Ezell, Jennifer, M.A. The George Washington University. 2012: 85 pages; 1511537.
They saw themselves as workers: Interracial unionism in the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union and the development of black labor organizations, 1933–1940
by Oestreich, Julia J., Ph.D. Temple University. 2011: 484 pages; 3477784.
The eXtended Finite Element Method for special problems with moving interfaces
by Smith, Bryan G., Ph.D. Northwestern University. 2008: 107 pages; 3331158.
Measuring predicates
by Wellwood, Alexis, Ph.D. University of Maryland, College Park. 2014: 299 pages; 3644213.
Portraiture in New Spain, 1600-1800: Painters, Patrons and Politics in Viceregal Mexico
by Brown, Michael A., Ph.D. New York University. 2011: 327 pages; 3445271.
Effects beyond the Born Approximation for the Elastic Scattering of Leptons by a Nucleon
by Koshchii, Oleksandr, Ph.D. The George Washington University. 2019: 204 pages; 10846809.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next >


text:
Lunch with TED Series - The Enchanting Music of Sign Language
Tuesday, May 23, 2017 noon to 1 p.m.
Facilitator: Victoria Weston
With a quick overview of the basics of sign language as a frame of reference for non-signers, followed by "The Enchanting Music of Sign Language" and discussion as an introspective look at our hearing world. "Artist and TED Fellow Christine Sun Kim was born deaf, and she was taught to believe that sound wasn't a part of her life, that it was a hearing person's thing. Through her art, she discovered similarities between American Sign Language and music, and she realized that sound doesn't have to be known solely through the ears — it can be felt, seen and experienced as an idea. In this endearing talk, she invites us to open our eyes and ears and participate in the rich treasure of visual language."
***Please feel free to bring your own lunch with you for this session.
Faculty, A&P and USPS: Register online at my.UCF.edu.
Students and OPS: Email your name, phone number and PID/employee I.D. number to diverse@ucf.edu.
For more information, visit https://diversity.ucf.edu/training/this-semester.
Unity Star lunch and learn
Like "Lunch with TED Series - The Enchanting Music of Sign Language" on Facebook Tweet "Lunch with TED Series - The Enchanting Music of Sign Language" on Twitter


text:
{{Filmfakta
| bild             =
| filmtitel        = Dr. Glas
| regi             = Mai Zetterling
| producent        = Joseph HardyBenni Korzen
| manus            = Mai ZetterlingDavid Hughes
| originalverk     =  Doktor Glas av Hjalmar Söderberg
| medverkande      = Per OscarssonLone HertzUlf Palme
| fotograf         = Rune Ericson
| musik            = Bertrand Bech
| klippning        = Wic' Kjellin
| produktionsbolag = Laterna Film
| distributör      =
| speltid          = 83 minuter
| land             = Danmark
| språk            = SvenskaDanska
| premiär          = 12 juni 1968
| budget           =
| intäkter         =
}}Dr. Glas är en dansk dramafilm från 1968 i regi av Mai Zetterling, med Per Oscarsson, Lone Hertz och Ulf Palme i huvudrollerna. Den handlar om en läkare som ställs inför etiska kval när en kvinna ber om hjälp med att få sin man, den motbjudande pastor Gregorius, att sluta ha sex med henne. Filmen bygger på romanen Doktor Glas'' av Hjalmar Söderberg. Filmen var en dansk produktion med både svenskar och danskar i rollerna.

Filmen var uttagen till tävlan vid Filmfestivalen i Cannes 1968 men festivalen ställdes in på grund av majrevolten. Mottagandet i Sverige var övervägande negativt, bland annat ogillade kritikerkåren filmens drömsekvenser. Skådespelarna fick dock beröm och i synnerhet Oscarsson.

Rollista
 Per Oscarsson som doktor Glas, läkare
 Lone Hertz som Helga Gregorius
 Ulf Palme som pastor Gregorius, Helgas make
 Bente Dessau som Eva Martens
 Nils Eklund som Markel, journalist
 Lars Lunøe som Klas Recke, Helgas älskare
 Bendt Rothe som Birck
 Helle Hertz som Anita
 Ingolf David som Glas' far
 Jonas Bergström som en universitetskamrat till Glas

Källor

Danska dramafilmer
Danskspråkiga filmer
Danska filmer 1968
Filmer i regi av Mai Zetterling
Hjalmar Söderberg-filmatiseringar
Svenskspråkiga filmer
Danska filmer baserade på romaner
Danska 1960-talsfilmer
Nyinspelningar av filmer

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


If your yard has been a swampy no man's land all year, there's a reason for it. 2018 was one of the wettest years ever across the state. In some cities, almost every month featured above normal precipitation. Let's take a look across the state to see how places fared in this extraordinarily soggy period.
Here were the final 2018 totals in major Ohio cities and how they rank since their records began.
Cincinnati: 55.90″ 3rd wettest since 1871.
Columbus: 55.18″ 1st wettest since 1878.
Cleveland: 51.47″ 4th wettest since 1871.
Youngstown: 50.97″ 2nd wettest since 1896.
Dayton: 48.99″ 10th wettest since 1893.
Akron: 48.46″ 5th wettest since 1896.
Toledo: 38.01″ 22nd wettest since 1871.
In big cities in Ohio, only Toledo managed to avoid having a top 10 wettest year. Columbus had its wettest on record, beating the previous record of 54.96″ set just a few years ago in 2011.
Locally in the Columbus metro, here were some other totals.
Cincinnati: 5.02″ on 8/16/2018, 2nd highest since 1871.
Youngstown: 3.50″ on 9/9/2018, 11th highest since 1896.
Dayton: 2.88″ on 4/3/2018, 24th highest since 1893.
Akron: 2.50″ on 9/9/2018, unranked.
Cleveland: 2.12″ on 11/1/2018, unranked.
Columbus: 2.06″ on 4/15/2018, unranked.
Toledo: 1.62″ on 3/1/2018, unranked.
Cincinnati had 2 days in the top 10, but most other cities had just constant rain rather than exceptionally high individual totals.
Youngstown: 191 1st most since 1896.
Akron: 180 1st most since 1896.
Cleveland: 177 8th most since 1871.
Columbus: 162 6th most since 1878.
Cincinnati: 151 7th most since 1871.
Dayton: 148 10th most since 1893.
Toledo: 142 16th most since 1871.
3 cities saw more than half their days with measurable precipitation. Columbus came in at just under 50%. This also had the unfortunate result of making most of the year feel unusually gloomy. Traditionally sunny months in the summer and fall were much cloudier than normal.
Columbus: 15 1st most since 1878.
Cleveland: 13 2nd most since 1871.
Cincinnati: 12 7th most since 1871.
Dayton: 11 6th most since 1893.
Akron: 10 5th most since 1896.
Toledo: 7 7th most since 1871.
Youngstown: 5 9th most since 1896.
Columbus had the most 1″ days of any year on record, and even beat every other major Ohio city.
No cities saw any of their months be even close to the wettest ever. There were not really any events with heavy flooding, either, except in February in Cincinnati, when the Ohio River reached the highest since the 1997 flood. There was also some scattered flooding from some tropical system remnants that passed through, particularly in September, but for the most part, it was just constantly wet from beginning to end in most places.
Cincinnati flooding in February, 2018.
One might ask if 2018 was merely a blip or part of a long-term trend in the state. Climate scientists have actually looked at this, and the state has indeed been getting both warmer and wetter over the last century or so, but the pace of both the warming and the increase in precipitation has been much faster since the 1970s. Many of the Ohio's wettest years on record have occurred since 1990.
A little more than 4 years ago, I posted numbers on how Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland were recovering in their urban cores. See that post here: http://allcolumbusdata.com/?p=289 and here: http://allcolumbusdata.com/?p=312 That post has proven to be one of the site's most popular. I figured it was time to take a look at their continuing changes.
You can see by the chart for the 1950 Boundary population, the urban core of each city, that all 3-Cs suffered population losses post-1950. However, the rate of losses gradually declined, and 2 of the cities, Columbus and Cincinnati, appear to be growing in this boundary since at least 2010. Cleveland continues to lose.
This is shown further by the chart below.
As far as the actual Downtowns of each, here are the population trends.
For the most part, population declines in the 3-Cs peaked around 1980, give or take a decade. Since then, all of them have seen increases, with Cleveland seeing the most rapid increase and Cincinnati the least. Columbus has seen steady, but increasingly rapid growth with each subsequent decade since 1980.
Here is the chart for Downtown growth by decade.


text:
Q: add text to horizontal barplot in R, y-axis at different scale? I'm trying to add some text to the right hand side of a horizontal barplot at the same heights as each bar, however, both text() and axis() don't seem to plot this at the heights corresponding to each bar.
Here's a similar barplot
x <- runif(10, 0,1)
y <- matrix(c(x, 1-x), nrow=2, ncol=10, byrow=TRUE)
barplot(y, horiz=TRUE, beside=FALSE, names.arg=seq(1,10,1), las=1, xlim=c(0, 1.2))

Neither of these two options align properly, how does the scaling work here?
axis(4, at=seq(1,10,1), labels=seq(1,10,1))
text(1.1, seq(1,10,1), labels=seq(1, 10, 1))

A: By chacking the documentation of barplot, you can see that it has an invisible return value: the midpoints of the bars. You can use those to add additional information to the plot.
x <- runif(10, 0,1)
y <- matrix(c(x, 1-x), nrow=2, ncol=10, byrow=TRUE)
bp <- barplot(y, horiz=TRUE, beside=FALSE, names.arg=seq(1,10,1), las=1,
              xlim=c(0, 1.2))
text(x, bp, signif(x,2), pos=4)
bp


text:
You Are Here : Home / Council/ Civic matters / Australia Day Award Winners 2023
Northern Grampians Shire Council congratulates the 2023 recipients of Australia Day Awards announced at official ceremonies held in St Arnaud and Stawell Thursday 26 January 2023.
Council would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their contribution to the 2023 Australia Day Awards.
Margaret Batters for organising and Rotary Club for breakfast in St Arnaud
Friends of the Queen Mary Gardens for the Devonshire tea in the St Arnaud Town Hall
St Arnaud Rotary Club for cooking the BBQ
Ruth Lindsey for performing the National Anthem in St Arnaud
Sammi Weir for raising the Australian Flag in St Arnaud
Woolworths Stawell Supermarket Manager Glen Coone for the donation of BBQ supplies
Stawell Rotary Club for cooking the BBQ
Kerry Wilson for performing the National Anthem in Stawell
Kara Kara Ward - Citizen of the Year
Citizen of the Year Award - Kyle Torney
Mayor Kevin Erwin and Kyle's wife, Tess Torney accepting the award on his behalf.
A fifth generation St Arnaud resident, Kyle Torney's working life started as a farmer before moving to Melbourne for studies. Whilst is in Melbourne, his interest grew in mixed martial arts and, on return to St Arnaud, these skills were brought home. Arguably, Kara Kara Ward's Citizen of the Year is better known for putting St Arnaud on the map through storytelling, tales of St Arnaud's rich history and community spirit shared through incredible renaissance style painting.
Both keen and proactive, spending hundreds of hours of their own time, researching, studying, and obtaining work certificates - to bring art to life on the walls and silos of our town. Our recipient currently has artworks displayed in New York and has completed many other projects, including works such as the pop-up park wall in Halls Gap.
The ethos of our Citizen of the Year is summed up nicely in this quote from a podcast regarding the importance of the Silo Art Trail project plays in developing awareness, in which he can be heard to say "Without these types of things outside of the town, no one would ever know about them or hear their stories. That's what I like about it. There are big stories to be told in little towns".
Kara Kara Ward - Community Group of the Year
Cr Karen Hyslop with volunteers from the St Arnaud Community Kitchen.
St Arnaud Community Kitchen is a not-for-profit organisation who, with each weeks takings, no matter how meagre, purchase items for the following week.
Each visitor arrives to enter a warm and friendly environment, with the offer of scones, jam and cream, and a three course lunch. And, with its service popularity rising, the number of meals that they cook increases each week. There are benefits for all who attend; access to healthy meals, the opportunity to develop life skills such as growing fresh food; budgeting, meal planning, and cooking.
Attendees gain social skills as they share tables increasing interaction with other community members while enjoying a healthy and delicious meal. The number of meals, prepared and served with a smile, has recently reached over 100.
Kara Kara Ward - Young Citizen of the Year
Teacher Melissa Weir accepting the award on behalf of Rogan Hando from Cr Eddy Ostarcevic.
Rogan Hando is an active, well-known young person in our shire, involved in both school and sport, in the arts and creativity. Volunteering time with the St Arnaud Football Netball Club, filming, photography and preparing social media. Also, sharing his creativity to the benefit of the new Lord Nelson Park Sport Centre, presentation days, with secondary school, the local primary school and also the broader farming community.
He is the St Arnaud Secondary College 2023 School Captain and has also spent most years on the School Representative Council at St Arnaud Secondary College, with active involvement in presentations for school, fundraising events and sports days.
Kara Kara Ward - Senior of the Year
Cr Eddy Ostarcevic with recipient of the Kara Kara Ward - Senior of the Year Award, Joy Bryce.
Through passion and dedication, Joy Bryce has involved herself wholeheartedly in maintaining and developing the general aesthetic of St Arnaud and enhanced the standing of St Arnaud as the gateway to the Silo Art Trail, benefiting both townsfolk and tourists, alike.
Community spirit was the driving force for our Senior of the Year, as seen through their mantra, "you get out of a community what you put in".
Stawell Ward - Community Event of the Year
Cr Trevor Gready and Emma Kealy MP pictured with the organising committee from Concongella Primary School 150th Celebration.
Concongella Primary School 150th Celebrations was organised by a passionate committee, led by President Ian Davies, who worked tirelessly to pull together a broad program over a two-day event.
Facing many challenges including COVID and heavy rainfall that had caused flooding in the week prior, the group persevered and were able to pull off a successful event attended by more than 500 people including locals and more who travelled from across Victoria and even interstate to attend.
The event provided a unique opportunity to recognise the longevity of the special rural community gem at the centre of its celebrations.
The event brought together past pupils and staff alike to reminisce on their time, share stories, reconnect, and remember past family and friends.
Stawell Ward - Local Hero
Recipient of the Stawell Ward - Local Hero Award, John Pye pictured with Cr Lauren Dempsey.
John Pye was an active member of the Stawell Urban Rural Fire Brigade for 24 years, with notable contributions including having coordinated communications during the Grampians/Black Range fires of 2014.
John also gave 37 years of service to the Project Platypus Landcare Network, inclusive of the associated establishment of the Stawell Urban Landcare group, holding the position of Secretary and President and as a voluntary manager. He also spent eight years as a volunteer with the Stawell Inter Church Council's welfare committee.
Grampians Rail Trail from Pleasant Creek to Lake Lonsdale and the associated Friends of the Rail Trail Group, was established solely on the passion and persuasion of John.
A retired teacher, active environmentalist, and passionate local. The quote taken from the nomination form putting forth this year's Local Hero emphasises the reason for his selection, "His volunteering history is remarkable; his knowledge, his skills, his perseverance, his ability to work with people of all ages to educate and enthuse and support, and his willingness to contribute deserves to be recognised. He is an outstanding role model for the benefits of volunteering to the community."
Stawell Ward - Young Citizen of the Year
Cr Murray Emerson pictured with Tyler Wineberg, Stawell Ward - Young Citizen of the Year.
Tyler Wineberg has been a driving force behind the return of community theatre to Stawell.
Seeing a need for change, Tyler joined the Committee of Stawell Performing Arts Company Inc SPACI. Feeling strongly about the SPACI vision, Tyler researched and obtained the rights to a Broadway musical and sold the idea to the Committee.
As a first-time director, going through all the trials and tribulations of advertising for a cast, arranging auditions, recruiting the off-stage and production team, story development, costume and set design, venue hire, and rehearsals. Incredibly, a cast of 30, with ages ranging from 10 years old up to 80 years - many first-time performers with SPACI was pulled together by this young and talented achiever.
SPAMALOT was an incredible success thanks to our Young Citizen of the Year. Nearly 600 people attended the performances, some from as far away as South Australia. Reviews were excellent, with many of the attendees sharing how much they enjoyed the show.
Thanks to the production of SPAMALOT and Tyler's efforts, SPACI have doubled their membership and the group are now in a sound position.
Stawell Ward - Citizen of the Year
Recipient of the Stawell Ward - Citizen of the Year, Jess Maffescioni.
In her earlier years, Jess was awarded a Rotary Youth Leadership Award and has continued connections and friendships with RYLA to this day.
Jess gives her time freely to many community groups, including Committees of the Stawell Bowling Club, Stawell Amateur Athletic Club, Stawell Country Womens' Association and the Seed Graders Association. In addition to offering professional skills to these many clubs, Jess goes above and beyond to help these and other organisations succeed.
From taking part in a small but dynamic working group that manages to bake thousands of scones for fundraising, to organising fairs, through to last year's Christmas Tree festival and Mothers' Day Classic – she offers to lend her hands to everything that she can.
Some of the previous roles held by our Citizen of the Year are also worthy of note; member of the Board of Grampians Tourism, Board of Stawell Regional Health, Committee of Stawell Biz, and a founding member of Raising Dust. Our Citizen of the Year services the Stawell Club, Stawell Probus, Gold Reef Ladies Probus and Stawell Lions Club with annual audits, just as her beloved Grandfather used to do. She is an avid baker, holding the Stawell Show perpetual overall trophy for the past three years.
Fit and active, she takes part in many fun runs, marathons, the entire Amateur Athletic club annual syllabus, and runs with some of her dearest friends – just for fun. A well-known Senior Manager and Chartered Accountant with Findex here in Stawell, this year's Citizen of the Year comes from a family with a long history of connection to our community, and follows proudly in the footsteps of her Grandparents and Mother.


text:
The Instant Pot: Is It Worth It? Here's What That Clean Lifers Say.
Only truly great things develop a cult-like following: Riverdale, Star Wars, Apple products and... the Instant Pot.
Yep, the Instant Pot has quickly become the internet's favorite cooking tool, and you know that saying, "Get so good they can't ignore you?" Well Instant Pot, after Black Friday, I officially can't ignore you any more. The hype is real.
Word on the street is that the Instant Pot single-handedly acts as a slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sterilizer, yogurt-maker and so much more.
But yet I'm still wondering, Is the Instant Pot really worth it?
So, I did what I always do when I have a kitchen, cooking or health-related question: I turned to the members of That Clean Life.
"Guys. Talk to me about the Instant Pot. Do you have one? What makes it so awesome? What do you make in it? And if you have a slow cooker, would you still get one? Tell me everything."
Turns out, I'm not the only one curious about the Instant Pot. About 10% of you who responded were either wondering the same thing as me, or had decided it wasn't worth it.
Then about 10% said they have an Instant Pot, and still don't fully understand the hype. They noted that it can be a bit complicated to use, and the slow cooker is a lot more straight forward.
"After 3 years I still don't know how I feel about my Instant Pot. If you hate reading instructions DO NOT get an Instant Pot. I've never made an Instant Pot meal that didn't involve a solid 10 minutes of googling." - Ashley
"I got mine last year for Christmas and I still have mixed emotions about it. I also have a Crock-Pot that I still use almost weekly, more than my Instant Pot. After a year, I still find it tricky figuring out the cooking times for different meats or veggies. I find myself googling a lot of recipes to figure out cooking times. With the slow cooker, there's no thinking involved and it (mostly) always turns out." - Michelle
As for the remaining 80%? Well, the very large majority of That Clean Lifers who do have an Instant Pot absolutely love it.
If you are considering buying an Instant Pot for yourself or as a gift, here's why That Clean Lifers say that this appliance is definitely worth it, what they use it for and how to get the most out of it.
It's one appliance that does the job of 10+ appliances.
"I love my Instant Pot. I got it this summer and use it for most meals. You can use it as a slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice maker and yogurt maker. I make chili, soups, stews, hard-boiled eggs, pulled chicken, etc. in it. Your Curried Chicken Crock Pot Stew is amazing in it, and when I freeze a batch, I can reheat it quickly using the Instant Pot too." - Jill
It saves time and cooks things fast.
"Using the Instant Pot, I can make any Crock-Pot recipe in a fraction of the time. I made the best ribs ever in 50 minutes in the Instant Pot with That Clean Life's BBQ Sauce. Best ribs I have ever had. You won't regret it! " -Rachel
It cleans up easily and cuts down on dirty dishes.
"Only one pot and it cleans really easily." - Michelle
"I like that, unlike a slow cooker, I can do the browning of the meat and onions in the same pot and don't lose any of the goodness from the bits in the pan." - Karine
It makes a great bone broth a lot faster
"I like how I can make a great bone broth in 2 hours on the pressure setting, instead of 12 to 24 hours." -Jenn
It cooks foods right from frozen
"I love that if I forget to take meat out to defrost I can still cook it in the same amount of time in the Instant Pot. I did a whole chicken from frozen and it didn't take much longer than doing a thawed chicken in the oven." -Karine
It cooks things perfectly every time without much effort.
"I find that it cooks the same dish exactly the same each time, so my meat is never dry and other meals are consistently fantastic. Worth the investment!" -Sharisse
It is great for non-meat eaters too.
"It has a rice cooker, a sauté setting and mine has a yogurt setting too. You can cook dried legumes in a fraction of the time with the pressure cooker setting for meatless dishes." -Jenn
"I'm a vegan and I used it! Lots of dishes can be made vegan - especially with dried pulses, rice and quinoa. " -Vanessa
Pro Instant Pot Tips:
Now, if you do decide to take the plunge and hop aboard the Instant Pot train, here are some tips from the IPOGs (Instant Pot Original Gangsters).
1. Buy an extra silicone ring to use for sweet Instant Pot creations. The Instant Pot can start to take on the flavor of meat and spices, which doesn't mix well when you switch to making something sweet like oats. (Holly Anne and Karine)
2. Soak your beans before cooking to decrease lectins. Especially if you have an irritable gut. (Lace)
3. Be aware that cooking times like the "3-minute oats", do not include the time it takes for the pressure to build up in the pot. Or the time after for the pressure to release before opening the pot up again. (Jessica)
4. When using it as a slow cooker, be aware that it only heats from the bottom, rather than all around. Get the temperature up first by sautéing or putting the pressure on for a bit before slow cooking, otherwise it can take forever for meals to cook on the slow cooker setting. (Lauren)
5. Buy the 7 in 1, 8 quart model. You can fit a lot more in it than the 6 quart. (Rachel)
6. If you have space, keep your slow cooker and use both it and the Instant Pot. Having both will cut way back on meal prep time. (Rachel)
7. Cook the perfect quinoa in 6 minutes. Simply put one cup of dry quinoa in on the sauté feature for 5 minutes to toast it, then add 1 cup of water and set to high for 1 minute. (Rachel)
With all of this being said, I still have yet to make a decision on whether or not the Instant Pot is for me. Space is limited in my cupboards, and I already have a slow cooker, which makes it tough to justify another similar appliance. But the thought of faster bone broth, 50 minute ribs and supercharging my Meal Prep Sundays is pretty tempting...
What do you think? Are you an Instant Pot fan? Are you thinking about buying one? What's holding you back? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!
18 Healthy Family-Friendly Meals & Snacks to Add to Your Meal Plan This Week
10 Surprising Ways to Use Your Slow Cooker
What to Eat Before Bed for Better Sleep
How To Use a Low Carb Paleo Diet to Help Your Clients Thrive
Answer These 5 Questions to Get Clear on Your Niche


text:
Q: How can I create multiple columns at once using R, preferably dplyr or data.table? I would like to create multiple new variables based on the values within existing columns of my data frame.
Here is a simplified version of my data:
df <- structure(list(City = structure(c(5L, 4L, 4L, 3L, 1L, 2L), .Label = c("Chico",
"Lawndale", "Los Angeles", "San Francisco", "San Jose"), class = "factor"),
    yq = c("20071", "20111", "20074", "20124", "20111", "20124"
    ), cyq_total = c(15582L, 33668L, 40848L, 89028L, 1069L, 178L
    )), row.names = c(NA, -6L), class = "data.frame")

           City    yq cyq_total
1      San Jose 20071     15582
2 San Francisco 20111     33668
3 San Francisco 20074     40848
4   Los Angeles 20124     89028
5         Chico 20111      1069
6      Lawndale 20124       178

The variable cyq_total represents the number of job vacancies in a city in a year-quarter (yq). I would like to create new variables called "Vac20071", "Vac20111", and so on where the value is cyq_total for a given city for a given year and quarter.
This is simplified for my example, but essentially I want the column Vac20071 to display how many vacancies each city had in the year-quarter 20071. Similarly for other year-quarters.
Desired output:
  City          yq    cyq_total Vac20071 Vac20111 Vac20074 Vac20124
  <fct>         <chr>     <int>    <dbl>    <dbl>    <dbl>    <dbl>
1 San Jose      20071     15582    15582        0        0        0
2 San Francisco 20111     33668        0    33668    40848        0
3 San Francisco 20074     40848        0    33668    40848        0
4 Los Angeles   20124     89028        0        0        0    89028
5 Chico         20111      1069        0     1069        0        0
6 Lawndale      20124       178        0        0        0      178

The code I have to do this works, but is not efficient. I'm looking for a better way to generate the same results other than copy/pasting the same code with slight changes:
df <- df %>% group_by(City) %>% mutate(Vac20071 = max(ifelse(yq == '20071', cyq_total, 0)))
df <- df %>% group_by(City) %>% mutate(Vac20111 = max(ifelse(yq == '20111', cyq_total, 0)))
df <- df %>% group_by(City) %>% mutate(Vac20074 = max(ifelse(yq == '20074', cyq_total, 0)))
df <- df %>% group_by(City) %>% mutate(Vac20124 = max(ifelse(yq == '20124', cyq_total, 0)))
df <- df %>% group_by(City) %>% mutate(Vac20111 = max(ifelse(yq == '20111', cyq_total, 0)))

A: You can get the data in wide format and then join.
library(dplyr)
library(tidyr)

df %>%
 pivot_wider(names_from = yq, values_from = cyq_total, names_prefix = 'Vac') %>%
 left_join(df, by = 'City')

# A tibble: 6 x 7
#  City          Vac20071 Vac20111 Vac20074 Vac20124 yq    cyq_total
#  <fct>            <int>    <int>    <int>    <int> <chr>     <int>
#1 San Jose         15582       NA       NA       NA 20071     15582
#2 San Francisco       NA    33668    40848       NA 20111     33668
#3 San Francisco       NA    33668    40848       NA 20074     40848
#4 Los Angeles         NA       NA       NA    89028 20124     89028
#5 Chico               NA     1069       NA       NA 20111      1069
#6 Lawndale            NA       NA       NA      178 20124       178

Equivalent approach in data.table suggested by @chinsoon12
library(data.table)

setDT(df)
dcast(df,City ~ paste0("Vac", yq), value.var="cyq_total", fill=0L)[df, on=.(City)]

A: An option using data.table with matrix numeric indexing:
cols <- paste0("Vac", unique(df$yq))
setDT(df)[, (cols) := 0L]
df[, (cols) := {
    m <- as.matrix(.SD)
    ix <- match(paste0("Vac", yq), cols)
    m[cbind(rep(1L:.N, each=length(ix)), rep(ix, .N))] <- cyq_total
    as.data.table(m)
}, City, .SDcols=cols]
df


And that's initially as one of two pre-order bonus characters where she joins Rey Mysterio as part of the game's pre-order campaign. In addition to her being playable, the trailer for her inclusion, which you can check out after the jump, also highlights her podcast appearance on Piper's Pit with the late, great Roddy Piper.
It's definitely cool that she's a character for the game, but a bit odd that it's only as a pre-order bonus. There's a good chance this sort of stuff will become available to everyone sometime after release, but with her star power, you'd think she should be available to everyone, right out of the gate.
Access to WWE 2K19 Collector's Edition digital content (details announced this winter).
Limited Edition WWE® SuperCard content.
The game launches on October 9 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Watch the Rowsey trailer embedded below.


text:
Hawaii Island, HI Highlighting Kurtistown
New and exciting events are happening every day.
Find engaging activities around you.
AARP has promoted the health and well-being of older Americans for more than 60 years. Because we want to help you remain safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have canceled all in-person activities until further notice. However, we want to stay connected and help you do the same. Check below for our online offerings.
AARP Events Around Kurtistown
Hide Nationwide Events
Sort by Date:
Displays the list by date and time, showing the next upcoming event first.
Sort by Distance:
Displays the list by events nearest to the center of Kurtistown.
AARP Events Only:
Displays upcomming AARP Events.
Guided Relaxation & Top Tips For Caregivers (Hawaii)
Thursday, Jan 20, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. Hawaii Time
Understanding Dementia & Steps for a Healthy Brain
Wednesday, Mar 2, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Hawaii Time
Investing for Retirement (Hawaii)
Saturday, Apr 2, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. Hawaii Time
View More Featured
Mystery Game: Who Kidnapped The Boss?
Wednesday, Jan 19, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. Hawaii Time
AARP Virtual Trivia - Live Trivia on February 3
Brazilian Chicken and Vegetables
Thursday, Feb 3, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. Hawaii Time
AARP Virtual Trivia - Pub Poll on February 10
Thursday, Feb 10, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Pilates Anytime: February 14, 2022
Monday, Feb 14, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Streaming via YouTube Live
Spice It Up: Holiday Appetizers
Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
AARP Smart Driver Courses Around Kurtistown
AARP Smart Driver Virtual Course - HI
Thursday, Feb 17, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. Hawaii Time
Thursday, Mar 24, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. Hawaii Time
Wednesday, Jan 19, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Thursday, Jan 20, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Is there an event that we should know about? Share it with us so your neighbors can learn about it too!
More from AARP in Kurtistown
Kurtistown Happenings | Upcoming AARP Events | About AARP
Latest AARP Happenings
AARP on Hawaii Island
AARP Foundation Tax Aide Begins in February by Appointment Only
In-person AARP Foundation Tax-Aide preparation will start on Oahu and Neighbor Islands in February.
New AARP Website helps Veterans, Military Wives find jobs
AARP launched the AARP Veterans and Military Spouses Job Center, a new digital platform bringing together valuable…
How and Where to Get COVID-19 Vaccines and Boosters in Hawai`i
A guide to where, when and how to get a COVID-19 vaccine or booster.
View All Happenings »
Choose a different location
Kurtistown Happenings
Search Local Events
Find events by entering the name or search terms below.
3 characters long and above is allowed.
Select a date to display events for that day.
Workshop: Road to Livability by AARP & Masonicare
Tuesday, Jan 18, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Exercise Class: Non-Impact Aerobics – NIA Moving to Heal
Tuesday, Jan 18, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time
Back to Basics: How to Boost Your Immune Response
Tuesday, Jan 18, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. US Mountain Time
View More Events »
An ally on the issues that matter most to you in Kurtistown


text:
IF(IS_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/.git)
    SET(HOOK_SRC "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/etc/git-hooks/pre-commit-clang-format-hook")
    SET(HOOK_DST "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/.git/hooks/pre-commit-clang-format")
    IF(NOT EXISTS ${HOOK_DST})
        MESSAGE(WARNING "Git hooks are not installed - consider installing them via ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/etc/git-hooks/install-hooks.sh")
    ELSE()
        EXECUTE_PROCESS(COMMAND "cmake" "-E" "compare_files" ${HOOK_SRC} ${HOOK_DST} RESULT_VARIABLE HOOKS_DIFFER)
        IF(${HOOKS_DIFFER})
            MESSAGE(WARNING "Git hooks are outdated - consider updating them via ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/etc/git-hooks/install-hooks.sh")
        ENDIF()
    ENDIF()
ENDIF()

# Get all project files - FIXME: this should also use the list of generated targets
IF(NOT CHECK_CXX_SOURCE_FILES)
    MESSAGE(FATAL_ERROR "Variable CHECK_CXX_SOURCE_FILES not defined - set it to the list of files to auto-format")
    RETURN()
ENDIF()

# Adding clang-format check and formatter if found
FIND_PROGRAM(CLANG_FORMAT NAMES "clang-format-4.0" "clang-format")
IF(CLANG_FORMAT)
    EXEC_PROGRAM(${CLANG_FORMAT} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} ARGS --version OUTPUT_VARIABLE CLANG_VERSION)
    STRING(REGEX REPLACE ".*([0-9]+)\\.[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+.*" "\\1" CLANG_MAJOR_VERSION ${CLANG_VERSION})

    # We currently require version 4 - which is not available on OSX...
    IF(${CLANG_MAJOR_VERSION} EQUAL "4" OR DEFINED ${APPLE})
        IF(DEFINED ${APPLE})
            MESSAGE(WARNING "Found ${CLANG_FORMAT} version ${CLANG_MAJOR_VERSION}, this might lead to incompatible formatting")
        ELSE()
            MESSAGE(STATUS "Found ${CLANG_FORMAT} version 4, adding formatting targets")
        ENDIF()

        ADD_CUSTOM_TARGET(
            format
            COMMAND
            ${CLANG_FORMAT}
            -i
            -style=file
            ${CHECK_CXX_SOURCE_FILES}
            COMMENT "Auto formatting of all source files"
        )

        ADD_CUSTOM_TARGET(
            check-format
            COMMAND
            ${CLANG_FORMAT}
            -style=file
            -output-replacements-xml
            ${CHECK_CXX_SOURCE_FILES}
            # print output
            | tee ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/check_format_file.txt | grep -c "replacement " |
            tr -d "[:cntrl:]" && echo " replacements necessary"
            # WARNING: fix to stop with error if there are problems
            COMMAND ! grep -c "replacement "
            ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/check_format_file.txt > /dev/null
            COMMENT "Checking format compliance"
        )
    ELSE()
        MESSAGE(STATUS "Could only find version ${CLANG_MAJOR_VERSION} of clang-format, but version 4 is required.")
    ENDIF()
ELSE()
    MESSAGE(STATUS "Could NOT find clang-format")
ENDIF()

# Adding clang-tidy target if executable is found
SET(CXX_STD 11)
IF(${CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD})
    SET(CXX_STD ${CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD})
ENDIF()

FIND_PROGRAM(CLANG_TIDY NAMES "clang-tidy-6.0" "clang-tidy-5.0" "clang-tidy-4.0" "clang-tidy")
# Enable clang tidy only if using a clang compiler
IF(CLANG_TIDY AND CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "Clang")
    # If debug build enabled do automatic clang tidy
    IF(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE MATCHES Debug)
        SET(CMAKE_CXX_CLANG_TIDY ${CLANG_TIDY} "-header-filter='${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}'")
    ENDIF()

    # Enable checking and formatting through run-clang-tidy if available
    # FIXME Make finding this program more portable
    GET_FILENAME_COMPONENT(CLANG_TIDY ${CLANG_TIDY} REALPATH)
    GET_FILENAME_COMPONENT(CLANG_DIR ${CLANG_TIDY} DIRECTORY)
    FIND_PROGRAM(RUN_CLANG_TIDY NAMES "run-clang-tidy.py" "run-clang-tidy-4.0.py" HINTS /usr/share/clang/ ${CLANG_DIR}/../share/clang/ /usr/bin/)
    IF(RUN_CLANG_TIDY)
        MESSAGE(STATUS "Found ${CLANG_TIDY}, adding linting targets")

        # Set export commands on
        SET (CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS ON)

        # Get amount of processors to speed up linting
        INCLUDE(ProcessorCount)
        ProcessorCount(NPROC)
        IF(NPROC EQUAL 0)
            SET(NPROC 1)
        ENDIF()

        ADD_CUSTOM_TARGET(
            lint COMMAND
            ${RUN_CLANG_TIDY} -fix -format -header-filter=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR} -j${NPROC}
            COMMENT "Auto fixing problems in all source files"
        )

        ADD_CUSTOM_TARGET(
            check-lint COMMAND
            ${RUN_CLANG_TIDY} -header-filter=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR} -j${NPROC}
            | tee ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/check_lint_file.txt
            # WARNING: fix to stop with error if there are problems
            COMMAND ! grep -c ": error: " ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/check_lint_file.txt > /dev/null
            COMMENT "Checking for problems in source files"
        )
    ELSE()
        MESSAGE(STATUS "Could NOT find run-clang-tidy script")
    ENDIF()
ELSE()
    IF(CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "Clang")
        MESSAGE(STATUS "Could NOT find clang-tidy")
    ELSE()
        MESSAGE(STATUS "Could NOT check for clang-tidy, wrong compiler: ${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID}")
    ENDIF()
ENDIF()

FIND_PROGRAM(CPPCHECK "cppcheck")
IF(CPPCHECK)
    # Set export commands on
    SET (CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS ON)

    ADD_CUSTOM_TARGET(
        cppcheck
        COMMAND ${CPPCHECK}
        --enable=all
        --project=${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/compile_commands.json
        --std=c++11
        --verbose
        --quiet
        --xml-version=2
        --language=c++
        --suppress=missingIncludeSystem
        --output-file=${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/cppcheck_results.xml
        ${CHECK_CXX_SOURCE_FILES}
        COMMENT "Generate cppcheck report for the project"
    )

    FIND_PROGRAM(CPPCHECK_HTML "cppcheck-htmlreport")
    IF(CPPCHECK_HTML)
        ADD_CUSTOM_TARGET(
            cppcheck-html
            COMMAND ${CPPCHECK_HTML}
            --title=${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME}
            --file=${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/cppcheck_results.xml
            --report-dir=${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/cppcheck_results
            --source-dir=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
            COMMENT "Convert cppcheck report to HTML output"
        )
        ADD_DEPENDENCIES(cppcheck-html cppcheck)
    ENDIF()
ENDIF()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I am thinking about buying a DP3 for landscape photography, but I am a little bit concerned about the color accuracy produced by the Foveon sensor. I use a Pentax 645D, so I have high expectations in this regard. How do autumn colors look with this camera?
I'd stick with the Pentax 645D!!!
That sounds like an interesting option. But I would like to reduce the weight even more, so the Merrill, combined with a Sony RX1R and/or a Ricoh GR is probably going to be my travel gear. The whole 645D setup with 3 lenses, big tripod and all accessories is really nice but weights more than 10kg.
Hmmm..., I think I have to reconsider my purchase. Getting two cameras and giving only one away. That sounds like a fair deal to me.
I have another question about the Merrills. If I buy a Merrill in Japan, can I switch the menu to English or is it Japanese only?
According to the official japanese website, the japanese version of the DP3 features the same languages as anywhere else.
Thank you very much. This is very helpful. I was not sure about it, because I couldn't find a Sony RX1R in Japan with an English menu.
Well, this forum has been bad for the pocketbook. I just placed my order for the DP3. I am anxiously anticipating that Foveon goodness.
I just received mine today. All I can say is "wow". Really impressive image quality. When viewed at 100% it looks incredible even compared with my 645D.
Yes, manually set. At any given aperture and distance-to-subject, a little practice makes it fairly easy & repeatable. Even easier for landscape distances and takes fewer frames at optimum aperture (for sharpness) for good front to back depth. I use a Hoodman loupe sometimes when I need to see my points more precisely. For this image, a couple of practice runs got me dialed in. I hate fly-by-wire manual focus in general, but the the sound produced by the Sigma's focusing actually helps me be more precise - go figure!
I think you'll easily get the feel for it. I'd reccomend testing at home for landscape distances at you preferred aperture. Being able to check stack quality immediately will go a long way toward getting a routine that will be dependable in the field.
Let me add that the Foveon sensor is very sensitive to under exposure. So when your rental arrives make your first tests be to dial in an appropriate ex-comp setting. E.g. w/ my DP2 I start at +.7, and w/ the DP3 it is +.3.
Under exposure will produce an inordinate increase in shadow noise, and when severe, ugly and uncorrectable banding. These cameras have stunning image quality, but within very limited parameters. I truly love mine and would probably give up my other gear before I did the Merrills. Addictive.
So I had a rented DP2M to use last weekend, and a Canon 6D. I like the 6D (and may still buy one at some point), but I ordered a DP2 immediately. The sharpness is hardly to be believed, and the tonal smoothness compared to my other digital gear reminds me of the difference between 35mm and 6X7 MF film.
Actually, working with the DP2 reminds me a bit of using MF and 4X5 film cameras in another way: You have to be extra attentive to exposure and composition. The Foveon highlight clipping can be very sharp, and the 6D seemed to have quite a bit more dynamic range than the Sigma. But, when you get exposure taken care of properly, the resulting file is a thing of beauty.
People complain about Foveon color balance, but I find it no more difficult to handle in raw conversion than any other sensor, other than the fact that SPP itself is so slow and cumbersome. As soon as Adobe begins supporting the Merrill raw files, that problem will go away.
So now I have to decide which DPX to get next. I really see a DP3M as inevitable, and probably a DP1M as well. Would most of you suggest the DP3M next, or the DP1M, for typical landscape use?
I would recommend you the DP3m, period. You will not regret it.
I agree, I love my DP3M so much I'm not using my DP2M that much any more. God I love this thing.
T minus 20 hours......until First Official Light for my just-arrived DP3M. Batteries are charged, Milich grip/L bracket attached, 52mm hood and polarizer located, can't wait! Happily, this weekend is likely the height of fall color.
Has anyone determined the entrance pupil / "No Parallax Point" (wrongly AKA "nodal point") for DP3M?
No, when I look in the lens I see what looks like a shutter. The diaphragm must be behind it somewhere and that is where I have heard is the best pivot point for panos. [My battery hasn't charged yet so I can't open the shutter and looked.] Much of my attention has been absorbed looking for the second battery or information on whether Alexcious intended to ship one in the first place. Has anyone else shopped using Alexcious and Amazon? And how many batteries did you get?
I bought mine at B and H, and it came in a Sigma original box with two batteries, each wrapped in a small polyethylene clear bag. The Sigma box had a camera compartment and an "everything else" compartment, containing battery charger, two batteries, two or three individually bagged camera to USBetc cables, a shoulder strap, and the paperwork consisting of manual, warranty card, and some other single sheet of paper. When you order from Sigma direct, you get the same as above. Sigma KNOWS that the battery life is p*ss-poor and wisely supplies two batteries.
The hyper-focal setting at f/11 of the DP1M and DP2M was computed for a very small circle of confusion (0.008mm, slightly more than the size of the diagonal of a pixel), in order to retain most of the sharpness of these cameras. On my camera an easy way to set these two cameras to this hyper-focal setting is to put the camera into manual focussing mode, and move the focus mark beneath the center of the left loop of the infinity sign.
The hyper-focal setting of the DP3M is even further towards infinity, but the movements of the front lens so close to infinity are very small, so the above entrance pupil figure works.
For near-field panoramas, larger offsets need to be used, as the front lens moves forward for smaller focus distances. (This is especially true for the DP3M!)"
P.S. For those who like making a preliminary composition through a viewfinder (and incidentally saving on battery charge) before the final adjustment on LCD, Voigtlander makes a 75mm (for full frame, = 50mm DP3M) viewfinder that fits in the shoe. I bought mine used off eBay, but the Voigtlander specialist shops and B and H have this new still - its manufacture has been discontinued. It comes in silver and black versions. It is a nice small bright viewfinder.
Yes, what you see looking into the lens is the leaf shutter. You can have a fake shutter sound or turn the sound off for truly silent operation.
Thanks, I will measure my brackets. With these specifications my first try at a cobbled togather pano rig may work.
Nice. I think that is a better example of bokeh than the following shots.


text:
Q: ASP.NET mvc 2 - binding a birth date with drop downs In ASP.NET MVC 2, how would you go about binding a view model property that is a DateTime where the application must have 3 drop down lists for choosing month, day, year?I've read Scott H.'s blog post about binding dates some time ago, and that seems entirely too convoluted for such a simple case. Surely there's a cleaner / better way to do it?
Whatever solution I use, I would like to retain built-in validation using the DataAnnotations stuff, and I'd also like to be able to specify a min / max date range using a validation attribute.
My first thought was a simple custom model binder like so:
protected override void BindProperty(ControllerContext controllerContext, ModelBindingContext bindingContext, PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor)
{
    var model = bindingContext.Model as RsvpViewModel;
    var form = controllerContext.HttpContext.Request.Form;

    if (model == null)
        throw new ArgumentException("bindingContext.Model");

    if (propertyDescriptor.Name.Equals("BirthDate"))
    {
        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(form["BirthYear"]) &&
            !string.IsNullOrEmpty(form["BirthMonth"]) &&
            !string.IsNullOrEmpty(form["BirthDay"]))
        {
            try
            {
                var yy = int.Parse(form["BirthYear"]);
                var mm = int.Parse(form["BirthMonth"]);
                var dd = int.Parse(form["BirthDay"]);
                model.BirthDate = new DateTime(yy, mm, dd);
                return;
            }
            catch (Exception)
            {
                model.BirthDate = DateTime.MinValue;
                return;
            }
        }
    }

    base.BindProperty(controllerContext, bindingContext, propertyDescriptor);
}

Then I tried creating a DateTimeAttribute to do the validation, but ran into some difficulty specifying a date range in the attribute declaration because attribute parameter types are limited, and DateTime is not one of the allowable types.
I ended up creating an IDateRangeProvider interface and an implementation specific to birth dates like so:
public interface IDateRangeProvider
{
    DateTime GetMin();
    DateTime GetMax();
}

public class BirthDateRangeProvider : IDateRangeProvider
{
    public DateTime GetMin()
    {
        return DateTime.Now.Date.AddYears(-100);
    }

    public DateTime GetMax()
    {
        return DateTime.Now.Date;
    }
}

This allowed me to use a DateTime property on my view model and retain all of the build in goodness...
[DisplayName("Date of Birth:")]
[Required(ErrorMessage = "Date of birth is required")]
[DateTime(ErrorMessage = "Date of birth is invalid", RangeProvider=typeof(BirthDateRangeProvider))]
public DateTime? BirthDate { get; set; }

But really, the whole solution smells of overengineering and overthinking it. Isn't there a better way?

A:
create seprate 3 Dropdownlist and add
required validation attribute for
them.
and use BdateList,BMonthList to
populate your DropdownList

[DisplayName("Date of Birth ")]
public DateTime? Birthdate { get; set; }

[Required(ErrorMessage = "Date is required")]
public int BirthDateDate { get; set; }
[Required(ErrorMessage = "Month is required")]
public int BirthDateMonth { get; set; }
[Required(ErrorMessage = "Year is required")]
public int BirthDateYear { get; set; }

public List<System.Web.Mvc.SelectList> BDateList
{
    get
    {
        // create List here

    }
}

and in post method you could assign
user selected values values to Model BirthDate

BirthDate.Date.AddDays(BirthDateDate -1).AddMonths(BirthDateMonth)

A: an idea for you
have class birthDate
public class birthDate{
public int day{get;set;}
public int month{get;set;}
public int year{get;set;}
}

now in your entity:
set your birthdate element to private
and add the birth date items into the class
after you just handle the item for each part together.
and process this to one date:)

A: you can have custom type for birthday which will have properties like
public class BirthDateModel
{
    [Required(), Range(1, 12)]
    public Int32 BirthMonth { get; set; }

    [Required, Range(1, 31)]
    [DayShouldBeValid("BirthYear", "BirthMonth")]
    public Int32 BirthDay { get; set; }

    [Required,Range(1990, 2012)]
    public virtual Int32 BirthYear { get; set; }

    public DateTimeOffset GetBirthDate()
    {
        DateTimeOffset birthDate;
        if (DateTimeOffset.TryParse(String.Format("{0}-{1}-{2}", BirthMonth, BirthDay, BirthYear), out birthDate))
            return birthDate;

        // what should be returned here?
        return DateTime.MinValue;
    }

}

Now create custom validator aka DayShouldBeValid to check for the month and year, the day is valid or not.
Not each part of a date have your own control.


The artist will present a talk on her practice. How does Msezane use her art to critique societies injustices? How is she pushing to expose the damages inflicted by South Africa's colonial past on contemporary society through spirituality? How can arts practice drive to reveal the often-ignored stories of women of colour?


Why a Beachmeter? The case of Koh Samet.
The idea of a Beachmeter was born after several experiences showing that two beaches on the same island can be worlds apart.
More than a decade ago, I visited Koh Samet for the first time. I went with a dozen of people on a weekend trip, and while I had a joyful time there, I did not find Koh Samet ranking anywhere near my top beach destinations in Thailand. Too many people, too noisy, not the best underwater visibility etc.
A couple of years later, I joined a couple of Bangkokian friends to Koh Samet. I didn't expect too much because of my previous experience, but my friends knew the owner of one of the resorts further down south on the island. Who would say no to cheap beaching with good friends? We arrived at the resort, and immediately I sensed that this was not the Koh Samet I thought I knew. What met us was a small isolated beach, only a few people, a little boat anchored 30 meters out – a perfect haven of all the things I was looking for.
Our days were spent the following way: We got up late in the morning, found our table and base for the day, and throughout the day we would order food and sample delicious Thai food in-between sun-bathing, swimming, and making silly jumps from the little boat. At some point, a Sang Som (Thai whisky/rum) would appear on the table, and we would enjoy the evening Thai-style with eating, drinking, games and laughter long into the night.
Don't judge a destination by a single beach!
Countless times, I experienced that the beach destination experience is highly dependent on tourist season, weather, expectations, personal preferences, and perhaps most importantly, the particular beach you are visiting. I experienced that even on the same little island, the beaches vary a great deal on characteristics such as accommodation options, visitor types, activities offered, suitability for swimming, surfing, snorkelling etc., entertainment and shopping options, price level, beach facilities and numerous other qualities.
Simply, this is why we need to build a Beachmeter.
Next postAre You into Beaches and Sports?