Croatia is a beautiful country and a member of the European Union. Over two-thirds of the Croatians have access to the internet and the country has some of the most relaxed internet laws anywhere.
So why would you need a VPN in Croatia?
Well, many websites, especially streaming services block users with Croatian IP addresses. With a VPN, you can obtain a non-Croatian IP address allowing you to access any website in the world and at the same time secure your Internet connections.
Below we take a look at some of the top VPN options that allow you to bypass internet restrictions and stay safe online.
Why you may need a VPN in Croatia?
Privacy and anonymity: Your ISP may be logging your records and data. In Croatia, the government retains the power to spy on residents at any given time. Even if you are not engaging in any questionable behaviour. I'm sure many will agree that the idea of being watched isn't appealing.
Wi-Fi Security: Public Wi-Fi hotspots like those found in schools, airports and your favourite coffee shop can be quite convenient. They allow us to stay connected and work on the go. However, they can sometimes come at a heavy cost. Most of these networks are often unsecured and as a result, can expose you to hackers and other malicious individuals. Thankfully, you can avoid all of these risks with a VPN. These services obscure all your traffic, protecting your personal communications and sensitive data such as passwords and credit card information.
Torrenting: While torrenting in itself is not illegal, downloading copyrighted material is a crime. But given the nature of most torrent sites, it can be hard to distinguish between the files that are legal to download and those that aren't. It's, therefore, important to use a VPN whenever you are accessing sites like Piratebay. Without a VPN, anyone connected to the same torrent swarm will be able to see your IP address. And with the authorities and copyright trolls always on the lookout for copyright infringers, you can easily find yourself in legal jeopardy or faced with hefty fines.
Bypass geo-restriction: In addition to masking your identity, a VPN will allow you to unblock geo-restricted sites. The software allows you to spoof your location by assigning you an IP address from a different region making it appear as if you are accessing the internet from that particular location. This allows access to sites such as US Netflix and BBC iPlayer that are inaccessible form Croatia.
Avoid ISP throttling: Most ISPs apply selective bandwidth throttling on torrent traffic. Thankfully, with the right VPN, you can bypass ISP bandwidth throttling. Since a VPN encrypts your entire internet traffic, it becomes impossible for your ISP to identify torrent traffic from the rest of your internet traffic.
Is it legal to use a Virtual Private Network in Croatia?
It's currently completely legal to use a VPN on your home or work devices in Croatia.
Thus far there have been no reports of any government interference, meaning you can freely use them to surf the web, email, stream video and conduct business online.
How to choose the best VPN provider?
When choosing a VPN, it's vital you take the following into consideration.
Speed: While some VPNs are incredibly fast, some come with connection speeds so sluggish you are virtually unable to do anything. Browsing becomes painfully slow and streaming becomes almost impossible. Generally, a VPN will slow down your internet speed as a result of the encryption process and tunneling involved. This is why it's important to review the different speed rates and choose a service provider that can ensure only a subtle change in speed.
Server coverage: Opt for a VPN that has a good number of servers in different regions across the globe. Not only does this give you a good choice of fast servers, but it also makes it easier to unblock restricted content.
VPN protocols: VPNs employ a mixture of different protocols including L2TP, PPTP, IKEv2, and OpenVPN. Each has its advantages and disadvantages and you should opt for a protocol that matches both your speed and security needs. OpenVPN remains the single most recommended protocol and offers a good balance of speed and security.
Cross-platform support: Want to run the application on a range of different devices? If so, you should look for a VPN provider that supports all major platforms and has easy-to-use clients for Windows, MacOS, Android, and IOS.
Simultaneous connections: This refers to the number of connected devices using the same, single account. Choosing a VPN that supports a high number of simultaneous connections will allow you to safeguard multiple devices on a single subscription.
Customer support: Reliable customer support can prove invaluable should you run into some kind of connection problems. Check to see if the provider offers 24/7 support.
A great VPN option for Croatia. ExpressVPN has over 2000 servers located in an unprecedented 94 countries. Whether you want a server in Zagreb, London, New York or any other major city in the world, ExpressVPN offers it all. What's more, the VPN service also maintains a 'no logs' policy.
What we liked the most about ExpressVPN is its speed. The VPN is extremely fast and offers unlimited bandwidth and an unbeatable uptime reliability. With regards to security, ExpressVPN comes with strong AES-256 encryption as well as OpenVPN support.
Thanks to the VPN's automatic kill switch and DNS leak protection, you can rest assured that your privacy is protected at all times.
ExpressVPN's wide server coverage also makes it ideal for bypassing geo-blocks, and we found it quite effective when accessing US Netflix and UK's BBC iPlayer. Additional features that you might be interested in include port-forwarding and split-tunneling. The latter allows you to route some of your traffic through a VPN while giving the rest direct access the internet.
With a single ExpressVPN account you can cover up to 3 devices at the same time. There are apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS and routers as well as browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Safari. The provider has a dedicated customer service team and users can access support via live chat and email.
Pricing remains the only notable con. Its price of $12.95 on the month-to-month subscription is not the most affordable. Others plans include the 6-month plan at $9.99 per month and the annual plan at $8.32 per month.
Regardless of your pricing plan, you'll get a 30-day money-back guarantee allowing you to try the service risk-free.
Perfect Privacy has been around for quite some time now. The VPN provides leading online privacy solutions including dedicated bare-metal servers in 23 countries in the world. If you are a privacy-focused user, you will be thrilled to know the company does not store any logs.
The VPN offers both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and allows multi-hop VPN chains with cascading up to 4 servers. Additionally, users are given a wide choice of protocols including the safe and proven OpenVPN and IPsec standards. This, combined with advanced features such as DNS leak protection makes Perfect Privacy a great choice for Croatian users looking to maintain maximum anonymity when online.
With Perfect Privacy, you also get to enjoy features like NeuroRouting and TrackStop, which actively block tracking and phishing domains.
With the privacy and safety solutions on offer, it's no surprise that the VPN services ranks among the most expensive. The VPN costs $15.20 per month on a month to month basis. Additional plans include $14 per month 3-month plan. $12.80 per month 6-month plan, $11.70 per month 12-month plan and $10.50 per month 24-month plan.
While the prices are obviously a major obstacle, Perfect Privacy allows you an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. You can connect all your devices including those of your friends and family members at no extra cost.
NordVPN is one of the most popular VPN service providers in the world. The VPN gives users access to over 4500 servers spread across the Americas and Europe as well as other locations around the world. This makes the VPN ideal for unblocking sites and accessing geo-restricted content.
The provider maintains a strict zero logs policy and has dedicated servers and specialty servers such as Onion over IP and obfuscated servers for maximum privacy and security. The VPN allows P2P sharing and torrenting and thanks to their proprietary SmartPlay technology, you can enjoy lag-free streaming.
The VPN offers great connection speed and boasts a guaranteed 99% uptime. Users are provided with apps for Windows, Linux and MacOS as well as Android and IOS smartphones.
NordVPN is fairly priced with an affordable 3-year plan but the 1-month plan can be costly. Current plans include the $11.95 month-to-month subscription, $9.00 p/m 6-month plan 6.99 p/m annual plan, $3.9p/m 2-year plan and lastly, the incredibly priced $2.75p/m 3-year plan.
A single NordVPN subscription can secure up to 6 devices simultaneously and all plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
VPN.ac is a fast and secure VPN service based in Romania. Although it's not the most well-known VPN out there, it comes with impressive security features. The VPN has a good number of servers spread across 21 countries around the world.
VPN.ac users enjoy a strong AES-GCM 256-bit encryption and double-hop server configuration which enhances data privacy by routing traffic through two separate VPN servers. All servers offer obfuscation support and multiple speed optimization.
VPN.ac does not keep activity logs but the most privacy-oriented users may find it concerning that the company keeps connection logs. However, these are only kept for purposes of network optimization and the company erases them on a daily basis.
There are apps for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android and you can connect up to 6 devices at the same time. Lastly, the company provides direct access to technicians enabling them to easily obtain one-to-one security and privacy support.
You will be charged $9 for the monthly plan, $8 per month for the 3-month plan, $6 per month for the 6-month plan and $4.8 per month for the annual subscription.
A relatively new VPN service, Buffered stands out as one of the best VPNs in 2019. We were thoroughly impressed by the speed and reliability of this Gibraltar-based VPN service. The company maintains their own servers and uses strong OpenVPN standard with AES-256 encryption which is not only fast but also reliably secure.
The VPN has servers in 45 locations around the globe and the company is always upgrading and adding to their servers on a regular base. The only major downside is that the provider keeps some logs temporarily but again this only applies to connection logs and not activity logs.
A single Buffered account supports up to 5 devices simultaneously and apps are available for Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, IOS and routers. Currently, the VPN is priced at $7.62 per month for the annual plan, $9.99 for the bi-annual plan, and a monthly rate of $12.99.
All the VPNs in this guide have been carefully selected and are perfect for Croatia. However, we found ExpressVPN to be a level above the rest. The VPN has an amazing number of servers including 12 in Croatia alone.
With ExpressVPN you can browse the internet anonymously and ensure that your online security is well taken care of. The VPN offers fast speeds and has an unbeatable 99% uptime reliability.
It's only natural to be tempted to use a free VPN. Although some perform surprisingly well, we advise against it. Most free VPNs come with poor security features and their connection speeds can be painfully slow. And with premium services such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer increasingly working to prevent unauthorized access, most free VPNs are easily detected and blocked.
Additionally, free VPNs are known to log user activity and sell it to advertisers and other third parties in a bid to raise their revenue. It's also worth noting that some come bundled with malware. If you are looking to stay safe and secure when online, we recommend getting a reputable and privacy-focused VPN service.


text:
Q: How to put multiple table notes in one cell using threepartablex I'm unsucessfully trying to put table notes using threepartablex package, however the superscript numbers are placing wrong. How can I fix it?
\documentclass[a4paper]{article}
\usepackage{lineno,hyperref}
\hypersetup{
    colorlinks=true,
    linkcolor=blue,
    bookmarksnumbered,
    citecolor=blue,
    urlcolor=blue,
    bookmarksopen=true}
\usepackage[
top=2.5cm,
left=2.5cm,
bottom=2.5cm,
right=2.5cm
]{geometry}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{ltablex}
\usepackage{threeparttable}
\usepackage[referable]{threeparttablex}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\begin{document}
\begin{ThreePartTable}
\begin{TableNotes}
\item[1] \label{tn1} First table note
\item[2] \label{tn2} Second table note
\end{TableNotes}
\begin{tabularx}{10cm}{p{5cm}p{5cm}}
\toprule
Text\tnotex{tn1}&Text\tnotex{tn1}\\
Text\tnotex{tn1}\tnotex{tn2}&Text\tnotex{tn1,tn2}\\
\bottomrule
\insertTableNotes
\end{tabularx}
\end{ThreePartTable}
\end{document}

A: i guessing that you like obtain the following:

\documentclass[a4paper]{article}
\usepackage[margin=2.5cm]{geometry}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb}
\usepackage[referable]{threeparttablex}
\usepackage{booktabs, ltablex}
\keepXColumns
\usepackage{lineno,hyperref}
\hypersetup{
    colorlinks=true,
    linkcolor=blue,
    bookmarksnumbered,
    citecolor=blue,
    urlcolor=blue,
    bookmarksopen=true}

\begin{document}
    \begin{ThreePartTable}
\begin{TableNotes}[para,raggedright]
\item[1] \label{tn1} First table note
\item[2] \label{tn2} Second table note
\end{TableNotes}
\begin{tabularx}{10cm}{XX}
\toprule
Text\tnotex{tn1}                        &   Text\tnotex{tn1}\\
Text\tnotex{tn1} \tnote{,} \tnotex{tn2} &   Text\tnotex{tn2}\\
\bottomrule
\insertTableNotes
\end{tabularx}
    \end{ThreePartTable}
\end{document}

note:

*

*heperref package should be load (with rare exception) on the end of preamble

*tnotex{...} consider all in {...} as one label

*for two notes in one cell, used tnotex{...} had to be separated by empty space

*for comma between two notes maybe exist better solution as i use in above mwe

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Angular + ng-bootstrap - Modal : window does not open I'm new with Angular, and i have a problem while trying the simple example with ng-bootstrap modal.
I just tried to have a window open and instead it appears in my application.
I'd like to have a new window open as it is explained in the ng-bootstrap example.
I am using:
 - Angular 4.0.0
 - Bootstrap 4.0.0-alpha.6
 - @ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap 1.0.0-alpha.22
I have in my file.html :

<template #content let-c="close" let-d="dismiss">

Modal title

            <button type="button" class="close" aria-label="Close" (click)="d('Cross click')">
                ×
            </button>

One fine body…

            <button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary" (click)="c('Close click')">Close</button>

    </template>

    <button class="btn btn-lg btn-outline-primary" (click)="open(content)">Launch demo modal</button>

{{closeResult}}

and in my file.ts :

import { Component, Input, Output, EventEmitter, ViewContainerRef } from '@angular/core';
import { BrowserModule } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { NgbModal, NgbActiveModal, NgbModalOptions, NgbModalRef, ModalDismissReasons, NgbModalModule } from '@ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap';

@Component( {
    selector: 'app-stagiaires',
    templateUrl: './stagiaires.component.html',
    styleUrls: ['./stagiaires.component.css'],
} )

export class StagiairesComponent {

    closeResult: string;

    constructor(private modalService: NgbModal) { }

    open(content) {
        this.modalService.open(content).result.then((result) => {
            this.closeResult = `Closed with: ${result}`;
        }, (reason) => {
            this.closeResult = `Dismissed ${this.getDismissReason(reason)}`;
        });
    }

    private getDismissReason(reason: any): string {
        if (reason === ModalDismissReasons.ESC) {
            return 'by pressing ESC';
        }
        else if (reason === ModalDismissReasons.BACKDROP_CLICK) {
            return 'by clicking on a backdrop';
        }
        else {
            return `with: ${reason}`;
        }
    }
}

I don't have any error showing, it just open the modal in my app instead of a new window and i really don't understand why.
Edit:
Here is a screen of my problem :
Problem
I have the button "launch demo modal" and when i click on it the "modal title" "one fine body..." appear underneath the button instead of in a modal

A: As described in ng-bootstrap NgbModal "A service to open modal windows" and it has no properties to open modal window in new browser window.
I've created the same app as you:

*

*angular 4.1.0-beta.0

*bootstrap 4.0.0-alpha.6

*ng-bootstrap 1.0.0-alpha.22

And modal windows works as expected, here is content of my app
app.module.ts

import { BrowserModule } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { FormsModule } from '@angular/forms';
import { HttpModule } from '@angular/http';
import { NgbModule } from '@ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap';

import { AppComponent } from './app.component';

@NgModule({
  declarations: [
    AppComponent
  ],
  imports: [
    BrowserModule,
    FormsModule,
    HttpModule,
    NgbModule.forRoot()
  ],
  providers: [],
  bootstrap: [AppComponent]
})
export class AppModule { }

index.html (I use Bootstrap CDN)

<!doctype html>

  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>AngularModal</title>
  <base href="/">
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.0.0-alpha.6/css/bootstrap.min.css" integrity="sha384-rwoIResjU2yc3z8GV/NPeZWAv56rSmLldC3R/AZzGRnGxQQKnKkoFVhFQhNUwEyJ" crossorigin="anonymous">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="favicon.ico">

  <app-root>Loading...</app-root>

app.component.ts

import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import {NgbModal, ModalDismissReasons} from '@ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-root',
  templateUrl: './app.component.html',
  styleUrls: ['./app.component.css']
})

export class AppComponent {
  closeResult: string;

  constructor(private modalService: NgbModal) {}

  open(content) {
    this.modalService.open(content).result.then((result) => {
      this.closeResult = `Closed with: ${result}`;
    }, (reason) => {
      this.closeResult = `Dismissed ${this.getDismissReason(reason)}`;
    });
  }

  private getDismissReason(reason: any): string {
    if (reason === ModalDismissReasons.ESC) {
      return 'by pressing ESC';
    } else if (reason === ModalDismissReasons.BACKDROP_CLICK) {
      return 'by clicking on a backdrop';
    } else {
      return  `with: ${reason}`;
    }
  }
}

app.component.html

<template #content let-c="close" let-d="dismiss">

Modal title

    <button type="button" class="close" aria-label="Close" (click)="d('Cross click')">
      ×
    </button>

One fine body…

    <button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary" (click)="c('Close click')">Close</button>

</template>

<button class="btn btn-lg btn-outline-primary" (click)="open(content)">Launch demo modal</button>

{{closeResult}}

A: //1. The modal component has to be registered in entryComponents (angualr 8 and prev)

//1. The modal component has to be registered in entryComponents (angualr 8 and prev)

 entryComponents: [
    YourModalComponent
  ],
  providers: [
   ...]

//2. also the model directly inputted in the open:
  openConfirmUpdateModal() {
 this.modalService.open( YourModalComponent);
 }

A: I had problem when i was using the https://github.com/ankosoftware/ng2-bootstrap-modal#readme so i fixed the problem to angular 8
https://www.npmjs.com/package/ngm-bootstrap-modal


Both species live in North America. The coastal tailed frog lives along the Pacific Ocean coastline from northern California in the United States into British Columbia in Canada, but not on Canada's Vancouver Island. The Rocky Mountain tailed frog makes its home in Idaho, western Montana, southeastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, and the most southeastern portion of British Columbia.
People are often not aware of these quiet, little nighttime frogs, and believe they are very rare. However, they are actually quite plentiful in their habitat.
Neither species is considered to be at risk. Conservationists continue to keep watch over the frogs, however, because they must have clean and clear streams to survive. Human activity, such as logging or nearby housing development, can cause dirt and other things to wash into the frogs' streams, making the water too muddy or too polluted for the frogs to survive. Organizations in Canada, in particular, have begun protecting the habitat of this frog.


It may indeed seem strange, when a self-confessed atheist painter suddenly works with religious material. Although, of course, we should note that it is by no means surprising, as secular-minded artists have always embarked on excursions into the realm of religious matter. We may, furthermore, even ask if religiosity hadn't hitherto been all too naturally associated with explicit declarations of faith or a belief in God, and if striving towards transcendence or looking for some sort of meaning in a supposed afterlife isn't really something inherently human. During an interview, Michel Houellebecq recently said to the German weekly newspaper ›DIE ZEIT‹ that »a society without religion isn't capable of surviging. Laicism, critical rationalism, and the Enlightenment, whose basic premise demands a departure from religious ideas, is without a future«.
Son of Greek political immigrants in the GDR, Aris Kalaizis was born in Leipzig in 1966. Like Neo Rauch, who is just eight years older, Aris Kalaizis studied under Arno Rink at the renowned Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst). Each of the three paints, just mentioned, belong to a movement dedicated to a new approach to figurative painting known as the ›New Leipzig School‹. They hold in common a meticulous display of technical brilliance and the reanimation of Renaissance-like linear perspective that had originally been rejected by the avant-garde working around 1900.
But the classical rivalry, the paragone, challenging the Old Masters is only one aspect of Kalaizis' artistry. His paintings rather gain their enormous energy from their political urgency and their ability to build a bridge to modernity, for instance, by including modern technologies and by their affinity to Conceptual Art as it will become evident when considering the process from which the paintings emerge.
The recently completed painting ›The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew or the double Martyrdom‹ (2014/2015) will be the focal point of our attention. With its dimensions stretching 98 x 112 inches, it is truly a monumental piece of art. In painting the new retired Pope Benedict XVI. in 2009, Aris Kalaizis had already touched upon sacred matter for his narrative composition ›make/believe‹ to which he added a critical spin. And now a ›Saint Bartholomew‹ followed his depiction of the pontiff, and it now merges iconic religious traditions of northern and southern Europe in an astonishing way.
The Christian martyr is the patron saint of Frankfurt am Main and its principal religious edifice, the Imperial Cathedral, is dedicated to Saint Bartholomew. Until August 2015, visitors to the Cathedral may take a look at that painting and discuss questions related to its unique composition. The religious topic is framed by an enormous landscape panorama, which has been divided into three equal zones that correlate in terms of form and content. The foreground is constituted by a green coastal strip, upon which the figurative scene takes place. It is followed by a body of water that is marked off by a thin red line along the horizon and centers around church ruins. But suspended above the entire composition, we see a gloomy cloudy sky. Relatively cold colors dominate the painting. They are merely counterbalanced by specs of red and the blazing batches belonging to a bonfire in which books are being burned.
At the center of the green plateau, we are shown the flaying of St. Bartholomew. During his missionary work in Armenia, legend has it that he was flayed by heathen henchmen and later was beheaded in India. But Aris Kalaizis consciously chose a composition that is reminiscent of St. Peter's crucifixion. The apostle and founder of the papal church did not deem himself equal to Christ and therefore demanded to be crucified upside down.
The painter has subsumed the saint and his three tormentors in an artful composition. The male figure in a sitting posture on the left hand side not only guides us and opens the pictorial space towards the right but also allows us to imagine a straight line that connects his feet with those of the man standing on the right side. We are looking at two figures that have been modelled off the same person who posed for the painting. If we now imagine a second axis that projects from the left figure's head to the arm of the figure to the right, we may clearly realize how the entire composition is geometrically framed by a conic form.
In addition to the axial points of reference in the painting, the blue books strewn across the foreground, resembling the gospel spread by Bartholomew, connect the figurative agents. Turning to comparing the left and right halves of the painting, we quickly realize a certain disproportionality. While the right side of the painting is partitioned off by the rope hanging down from the upper frame, it at the same time leaves open a space for reflection. The left hand side, on the other hand, offers multiple motifs – the fire, a volcano at the horizon, and a male figure standing in the shallow costal water and holding up a burning book. That figure may be of significant importance in interpreting the painting, as the sitting figure, who is holding a knife and – as we know – guides the beholder towards the scene on the right to him, is also pointing at the man in the water.
In iconographical terms, the painting marks a dramatic turning point with an open, undecided ending. The gloomy and agitated sky is reminiscent of apocalyptic scenes as they have dominated the silver screen in recent years. Some may immediately recall Lars von Trier's ›Melancholia‹ (2011). Saint Bartholomew, however, is in a long tradition that was founded by Michelangelo who has secured his self-portrait on the skin of the martyr within the ›Last Judgment‹ in the Sistine Chapel. But for Aris Kalaizis, interpretations of the subject by Jusepe de Ribera may be more important than this Roman model. Ribera emphasized the temporal and ultimately more brutal character of the martyrdom, by rejecting features in typical depictions of his time in which the martyrdom was rewarded by angels crowning the saint. The church ruins in the sea, of course, invoke the Romantic tradition of, for example, Caspar David Friedrich. Both painters seem to be united, despite the centuries separating them, in their pessimistic view of history in which churches no longer are magnificent structures but instead deserted places. There still may be paths leading up to them, but the flood has made them indecipherable. But critical reflection may still be able to access these ecclesiastical spaces.
It is conceivable that the unusual choice of a body of water hinges on a regional antecedent, namely the various villages that vanished during the days of excessive coal mining in the close vicinity of Leipzig. These mining pits have later been flooded and turned into lake landscapes that are supposed to attract tourists. Supporting this interpretation is the choice that Kalaizis made regarding the model for the church ruin, which corresponds to an actual church ruin in a village called Wachau near Leipzig.
Viewed in this way, the figure placed into the water holding up a burning book makes sense. Like the angel in ›make/believe‹ he is calling for a return to the powers unseen, for repentance. The warm red tones in his skin are in opposition to the pale skin and cold blue tones used in the other figures. He definitely does not belong to them or at least is unlike them. As indicated by the picture's title, there are other martyrdoms behind the obvious martyrdom that takes place in the foreground of the scene – there is a secondary, ›double‹ sense of martyrdom in the painting. »He who burns books will also burn human beings«, Heinrich Heine once wrote, but it was also the inquisition that once burnt books, in order to test their orthodoxy (which would supposedly protect the books from catching fire). Does this imply, contrary to the Roman Catholic view, Luther's ›sola scriptura‹? Obviously the possible ways of looking at this painting get a bit more complicated at this point.
These recent ›sacred‹ paintings by Aris Kalaizis came about long before the terror attacks in Paris once again stirred up a debate on the role and meaning of religion in modern societies. In my view, we are confronted with a general trend that is reflected in the rather traditional portraits of Pope Benedict XVI by Michael Triegel, the church window artwork by Gerhard Richter, Markus Lüpertz, Neo Rauch and others, but also in the freely invented portraits of saints by street art artists.
But unlike Michael Triegel who recently converted to Catholicism, the atheist Aris Kalaizis has maintained a critical stance towards religion that is similar to the attitude displayed by the protagonist in Michel Houellebecq's novel ›Submission‹ (2015) that was published after the painting had been completed. In Houellebecq's story, the protagonist enters a cloister and thereby consciously emulates Joris-Karl Huysmans, in order to reject that lifestyle and to live a profane alternative that is full of self-irony.
Aris Kalaizis, of course, is aware that his conceptual painting will not lead anybody back onto the path of faith, and his intention is by no means offering a return to the roots of occidental civilization. Christianity lay in ruins and has failed to draw meaningful conclusions from its inherent violence. This is what we are shown here. Neither the Protestant art of northern Europe (e.g. Caspar David Friedrich) nor the Catholic alternatives in southern Europe (e.g. Michelangelo, Ribera etc.) will lead us out of the current crisis that isn't just created by pressing economic questions, but is also a spiritual crisis.
It is therefore no surprise that there are less similarities between the work of Aris Kalaizis and his New Leipzig School competitor Michael Triegel and more similarities between Aris Kalaizis and Gregory Crewdson who currently is one of the most successful proponents of staged photography. There is a lot of overlap with regard to the mood and atmosphere, but also with regard to the process that brings about a picture. Both artists work in multiple steps and make use of the medium photography, in order to generate space for reflection. Aris Kalaizis initially choses specific locations – this may be an abandoned building in the vicinity of Leipzig or a fully constructed scene in his atelier. At this location, Aris Kalaizis then brings together the various models and objects that he plans to depict in the painting. Having devised an artful staging, in which lighting is as central an element as in the work of Crewdson, Aris Kalaizis then enters a process of complex and tedious photographic documentation. This gives photographic images that he may use when finalizing the composition in his atelier, before he begins painting the picture onto the canvas.
Kalaizis and Crewdson offer the spectator an augmented sense of reality that opens up space for phantasy and speculation – that is, it opens up a space that most artists seek to eliminate by offering more and more concise and unambiguous arrangements. With Aris Kalaizis' approach in view, the American art historian Carol Strickland invented the term ›Sottorealism‹. But the religious paintings by Aris Kalaizis go one step further. On the one hand, they accuse traditional religious establishments of having lost any sense of spirituality; on the other hand, they offer an iconic vocabulary of Christian imagery that seems to be increasingly vanishing from our collective memory. This then is tied to the demand that we are ought to finally put new life into these things, now. In order to open up this philosophical discourse, the painter cites two seemingly antagonist traditions, the northern European tradition of Romanticism and the southern European tradition of Baroque painting as exemplified by Ribera and El Greco. This is a wonderful offer, especially when considering the current struggle for European unity.
Prof. Dr. Michael Scholz-Hänsel was born in 1955 and is professor for art history at the University of Leipzig. His research is concentrated on Ibero-American art. In addition to monographs on El Greco and Jusepe de Ribera, he published »Inquisition und Kunst ›Convivencia‹ in Zeiten der Intoleranz« (2009) and was co-editor of »Armut in der Kunst der Moderne« (2011) as well as »El Greco und die Moderne« (2012).


COLONIAL HEIGHTS - Local veterans hosted a dinner as part of a send-off ceremony for Fort Lee soldiers heading to Afghanistan. Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Robert E. Lee Post #239 hosted a pre-deployment dinner on Oct. 23 at the post home. The VFW post also presented an adoption certificate to the 54th Quartermaster Company, Mortuary Affairs, which is the unit deploying overseas.
This is the second year that the VFW post has adopted the 54th Quartermaster Company. The 54th is one of two mortuary affairs units on Fort Lee that are constantly deploying in support of the Overseas Contingency Operations in Kuwait and Afghanistan.
"It was an honor and a privilege for the post to not only build this special relationship with the unit but also open up the post for the dinner," Randall Wachman, post commander, said.
The 54th's Detachment 2 deployed last Wednesday to overseas and 54th's Detachment 1, who are currently deployed, will returning home soon thereafter. The post will be hosting a return event for them.


Sportyaks (plastic skiffs) being backpacked down lava flow on Whitmore Trail to the Colorado River at bottom of the Grand Canyon. View is looking up river.
Title Sportyaks (plastic skiffs) being backpacked down lava flow on Whitmore Trail to the Colorado River at bottom of the Grand Canyon. View is looking up river.
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The demonstrators do not budge, the Executive plays the watch
After the strong mobilization which paralyzed France, Thursday, in protest against the reform of the pension system, it was the turn of a dozen youth organizations to parade, this Saturday, January 21, while the bill must be presented Monday in the Council of Ministers.
The youth appeal, which mobilized some 150,000 people, is supported by La France insoumise by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who distinguished himself during the demonstration.
Indeed, the leader of the Insoumis who hopes to "bounce back" on the success of the inter-union mobilization on Thursday, launched a sentence which quickly went around the web and the editorial staff. He claimed to "curse" Macron who would like to "turn everything into merchandise".
" Be cursed for wanting to turn our whole existence into a commodity (?) to dirty everything, to spoil everything, to reduce everything, to quantify everything", launched JL. Mélenchon from the roof of the protest organizers' truck.
And to add in front of a completely acquired crowd: "We are defending the right to live fully and humanely in free time, in self-chosen time. And what do they want to do? What they want to do all the time is to turn any living or inanimate thing into a commodity"insisted the former presidential candidate.
The opinion of Mélenchon on this reform is decided. He believes that raising the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 " won't make one person work". " I know it well. It will be more unemployed people, more sick people, and above all less life.he insisted.
And to add a layer: "They say we have to work more, for what? The key to the future is not to produce more, disposable. But produce better, and to do so you have to work less," further argued the Insoumis.
For his part, the spokesman of the New Anti-Capitalist Party, Olivier Besancenot, called on the demonstrators to be "activists of the general strike. We are going to block society, paralyze the economy, "he chanted.
"Something is happening, there is something resembling past mobilizations where we are winning," he said again.
The government plays for time
Without blinking or deviating from its schedule, the government presents its disputed pension reform Monday in the Council of Ministers, counting on the erosion of the mobilization, however strong at its start, and on the support of the right for a rapid adoption.
After a first day of strikes and demonstrations Thursday that he did not anticipate as massive, with between one and two million people in the street, the executive remains determined to go through with his project to postpone the age of retirement from age 62 to 64.
A measure contested by all the unions, most of the opposition and a large majority of French people in the polls.
"We ask people to work two more years, we did not expect to be greeted with flowers," admits a minister.
But "this reform is essential and we must do it," hammered government spokesman Olivier Véran on Friday, commissioned to "convince" of its merits by insisting on its "social" support.
4 figures to understand
The government project plans to push back the legal retirement age from 62 to 64, by 2030. This is the minimum age from which a person has the possibility of retiring. The legal retirement age will thus be raised by three months per year from 1 September 2023.
This is the contribution period necessary to be able to obtain a full pension. If the pension reform is adopted, it will be necessary to have contributed 43 annuities, or 172 quarters, from 2027 to benefit from a full pension, and no longer from 2037.
People who work until the age of 67 will always have the possibility of leaving with a full pension, even without having the required number of quarters.
If the government's reform provides for an increase in the legal age to 64, people who meet the current conditions of the long career scheme will continue to leave two years before the legal age, ie at 62. This concerns people who have worked 5 terms before the age of 20. Early departures at 60 and 58 will be possible for those who started working before the age of 18 and before the age of 16.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


the original Black as your soul pitch black bath bomb! This Gothic bath-bomb will not stain your skin or tub and smells amazing!! rose garden fragrance, This bath-bomb is mild and suitable for sensitive skin as we use fragrant oils..
please note we are currently back ordered & have a shipment coming soon if you order now the product will shipped to you when product arrives we will also inform you via email when the product has been shipped thank you.


This year the ECO group are taking responsibility for our School Prayer Garden.
The ECO group have planned out how they see the garden developing. We are following the ECO Code of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and plan to use only ECO-friendly things to create our special space.
Already this year we have recycled plastic bottles to create some beautiful poppies to help us remember those who have died during the month of November. We used conkers to make a giant set of Rosary Beads to mark the month of October and we have used leaves to create some crosses. Each pair of ECO reps from each class has also decorated a wooden cross to be displayed in our garden to show that we are all following our school mission of 'listen, learn and grow with Jesus'.
Our future plans are to write to local garden centres for any donations of plants, we would like to grow some herbs to be used in cooking and we intend to purchase some solar lights to show that we are thinking about saving energy.
All of this is done in the knowledge and understanding that God created our beautiful world and that it is our responsibility to look after our world for future generations. Here are some photos of the planning stages of our garden.
We are looking forward to creating the garden after the half term holiday!
We opened our garden on St Elizabeth's day.


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Shots Fired: Berks County, Pennsylvania 06/30/2011
March 26, 2014 • by Dean Scoville
The opening salvo came on June 27, 2011. That was when an altercation between Matthew Connor and his girlfriend at the Connor household in Berks County, Pa., transitioned from verbal to physical and Connor's father intervened. A struggle ensued between the two men, with Matthew succeeding in wresting away a firearm from where it'd been hidden on the elder Connor's person.
Matthew Connor used the weapon to threaten his father and other family members, punctuating his sentiments with gunshots at their feet before running into the home. When he re-emerged from the house, it was with a bulletproof vest and a shotgun in tow. Firing off additional rounds from the shotgun, Connor fled the property before burglarizing another residence down the street.
Back at his home, a relative calm settled over the scene. It would be another 48 hours before Matthew Connor would fire another round.
That shot would come less than a mile away.
And it would have much more fateful consequences.
It fell upon another Matthew to get the legal ball rolling: Matthew Brady of the Pennsylvania State Police Hamburg Barracks. The criminal affidavit against Matthew Connor included charges of burglary, terrorist threats, and recklessly endangering another person.
But filing charges against Connor was one thing; getting him in custody was another. So it was that a call was made to Sgt. Adam Kosheba of the agency's Fugitive Apprehension Unit, commencing hours of back-and-forth communication that generated dividends on multiple fronts. Two key findings—Connor was a previously convicted felon and believed to still be in the vicinity of the Albany Township of Berks County—found members of the Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. Marshal Service's Middle District Task Force convening in the PSP Hamburg Barracks. Their game plan: Check those properties Connor was known to have access to.
Just as the members of the task force were assembling in the barracks, a Hamburg corporal got their attention—Connor was on the telephone.
The fugitive had called the barracks, which inspired some initial optimism that establishing a dialogue with the man could lay the foundation for a non-confrontational conclusion to the investigation. In a bid to assuage Connor's concerns, the corporal suggested that he come in and speak to the criminal investigator about the incident.
Connor wasn't interested in coming in. He claimed to have friends in the Department of Justice as well as knowledge of the charges being filed against him. He also declined to give a phone number when asked.
"I know you're tracking my cell phone."
And with that, Connor hung up.
Back at square one, the interagency task force began work on an operational plan. That plan was to check four properties believed to be locations that Connor may have fled and/or returned to. As one group proceeded to the residence of Laura Bond, Connor's girlfriend, and cleared that location, another would stage in the area of Hawk Mountain Road to await the result of the first team's efforts. Once apprised of the first team's findings, the second team would then check three additional addresses along Pine Swamp Road: The Civil Air Patrol training camp, the Kody Moyer camp, and Connor's own residence. Troopers in two unconventional unmarked cars were also positioned at both intersections of Hawk Mountain Road and Pine Swamp Road to monitor persons traveling on or off the road.
If Connor was indeed in the area, he'd have a difficult time getting out. Still, he might try, and by means that might necessitate emergency medical assistance in its aftermath. And while there would be an EMS unit on standby at the staging area, the team had something else going for it, too. Sgt. Kosheba was an EMT.
Telephonic confirmation that the Bond residence had been cleared came before 7 p.m., and Kosheba joined the second team to begin phase two of the operation. A marked optimism that they had Connor bottled up accompanied the law enforcement officials when they arrived at the Moyer property. A woman spotted behind the structure caught the sight of a perimeter officer who detained her. Identifying herself as Connor's girlfriend, Laura Bond told the officer that Connor had recently fled into the woods at the rear of the property.
Armed with this information, Kosheba, Trooper William Spayd, and U.S. Marshal Brian Hicks moved to the rear of the property and met with Berks County Sheriff's Department Dep. Kyle Pagerly and his K-9, Jynx. It was decided that Pagerly would deploy Jynx to search for Connor with Hicks and Kosheba providing cover. The remainder of the team would remain to clear the residence and outbuildings.
Pagerly made the obligatory K-9 announcements and let the dog go. Jynx immediately bounded toward a stream running through the rear of the Moyer property. The four lawmen followed, with Pagerly and Hicks covering the ground in rapid time and Kosheba and Spayd scanning the wood line as they followed.
Making their way deeper into the woods, they happened upon a makeshift encampment with numerous items, including a Kevlar vest that had been stashed inside a backpack as well as a topographical map of the area. To deny Connor access to them, Kosheba seized the items then pressed on to rejoin the K-9 team.
At a second encampment Hicks located some shotgun shells among other items. All signs indicated that they were hot on Connor's trail even as the K-9 had apparently lost his scent. Hoping that the dog would have better luck further on, the men decided to cross the creek. Darkness was rapidly enveloping the area, and the officers agreed that if the dog was unable to reestablish a scent hit they'd establish a perimeter along Hawk Mountain Road and wait for a helicopter.
Upon their crossing, the trackers noticed that leaves blanketing the side of a steep hill had been disturbed. Regrouping with his K-9, Pagerly gave him the search command and released him again. Jynx appeared to immediately find an odor and began moving rapidly up hill and toward Hawk Mountain Road.
They ascended the grade with Pagerly and Jynx approximately 10 to 15 yards ahead of Kosheba.
Pagerly and Jynx disappeared over the ridge. A split-second later, Kosheba heard Pagerly yell.
"Drop the gun!"
Fast on the heels of Pagerly's commands came gunshots.
Over the Ridge
Kosheba scanned the ridge trying to get a bearing on the unseen shooter. Then the shooting stopped as suddenly as it had begun. His eyes fixated ahead of him, Kosheba listened as Hicks moved from behind him and across the hillside toward where Pagerly had last been seen.
"Officer down! Officer down!"
Hicks' words hit hard but Kosheba remained committed to zeroing in on the shooter. Hicks drew nearer to Pagerly. A man appeared in view in front of Kosheba at the 12 o'clock position, emerging from the immediate area where Pagerly had directed his commands.
Twenty-five yards away and profiled to him, the man would have been difficult for Kosheba to identify even absent the camouflage attire that enveloped him. It was the man's actions that effectively eliminated any trace ambiguity as to his culpability for the gunfire: Elevating himself from a prone position, he was now focusing toward Pagerly and Hicks and raising a rifle from a waist-level low-ready position in preparation to fire.
Kosheba raised his AR-15. Drawing a bead on center mass, he squeezed off several rounds.
As suddenly as the man had appeared, he dropped out of sight.
Kosheba began to advance slowly—and saw movement just above the ridgeline. Believing the man was attempting to retrieve a weapon, Kosheba let loose with a second burst of gunfire from his rifle as he continued to climb the ridge.
When Kosheba crested the ridge, he realized that the movement he'd seen just above his visual plane had been Jynx circling the downed subject.
"Show me your hands! Shown me your hands!"
The man remained motionless on his back.
Kosheba approached with caution, as did Spayd from a position above where the subject was lying. Drawing near the man, the sight of an AK-47 lying between the man's legs disheartened the sergeant. He'd had some idea as to who'd been shot but no idea as to the extent of that officer's injuries and the presence of the powerful rifle suggested serious implications.
As he drew nearer to the downed man, Kosheba saw that his aim had been true: A round had struck the man in the temple. The sergeant rolled the suspect over and had Spayd handcuff him, face down.
"The subject is down!"
On the heels of Kosheba's words came others. Hicks cried out that an officer had been shot and they needed paramedics. Kosheba rushed toward where Hicks cradled the injured K-9 deputy in his arms. As he did Jynx returned and began a protective hover around his handler.
"He's biting me!" Hicks yelled in his frustration.
You're not alone, thought Kosheba who, like Hicks, could feel the confused K-9's teeth sink into his legs and shoulders as he attempted to render first aid. A Berks County deputy sheriff finally grabbed the K-9's lead from Pagerly's waist and pulled the dog away.
Freed from the dog's attentions, Kosheba checked Pagerly for wounds. There appeared to be a gunshot wound to his temple area, so he removed Pagerly's ballistic helmet but couldn't find an exit wound or any other injuries despite the removal of the man's ballistic vest and gun belt.
The following minutes were populated with frustration as those on scene worked to give the fallen K-9 deputy as much assistance as possible despite constraints of logistics, communication, and time. It was an odyssey that found the men carrying Pagerly a half-mile to the nearest road. Just as Kosheba received permission to use a neighbor's pickup to transport the fallen officer, a Pennsylvania State Police car arrived. Kosheba remained with Pagerly in the backseat of the patrol car, maintaining his airway during the high-speed transport to rendezvous with EMS. Throughout he yelled at him, "It's not over! You're going to make it!"
But as the helicopter landed, Pagerly went into cardiac arrest. Kosheba and the medic started CPR and Pagerly was loaded on the chopper and taken to the trauma center.
Despite the heroic efforts of those at the scene and at the hospital, Dep. Pagerly, 28, was pronounced dead.
Matthew Connor, died where he stood, shot by a lawman whose presence he hadn't counted on.
The man who shot him is at peace with that fact. Kosheba also knows that appropriate contingencies had been developed and implemented.
Still, he is haunted by one thing: That the decision for him to provide first aid if needed had proven to be more prescient than providential. He even recriminates himself for an inability at the scene to detect a gunshot wound under Pagerly's armpit. A physician who'd treated Pagerly told Kosheba that even if the deputy had been in the emergency room at the time of the shooting his wounds were not survivable. Kosheba appreciates the counsel, but still finds himself wondering: What if…?
Others recognized the heroic efforts that Kosheba had displayed on multiple fronts, first in eliminating the threat and then in the attempted rescue of Pagerly.
Among the honors that Kosheba received in the aftermath of the incident were the Pennsylvania State Trooper Medal of Honor and IACP Trooper of the Year.
Kosheba found it difficult at first to deal with the recognition that others wanted to give him, particularly with the loss of Pagerly's life.
"I think anyone else would have done the same in that circumstance," he says with typical humility.
Perhaps most important to Kosheba has been the willingness of Pagerly's wife and daughter to allow him to be a part of their lives.
"I spoke with his wife at the funeral and told her I wanted to be a part of her and her daughter's lives. That has helped me tremendously because they have opened the door to me being a part of their lives. They didn't resent me for his being a part of this task force. I owe a lot to my wife who is a nurse and who has been very understanding in listening to me. She and my faith in God have helped tremendously."
Kosheba continues to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania as a lieutenant with the PSP.
Put yourself in the shoes of Sgt. Adam Kosheba of the Pennsylvania State Police. You are pursuing an armed fugitive with a joint federal, state, and local task force and working with a K-9 handler and his dog. Now consider the following questions:
Are you familiar with your agency's K-9s? Or they, with you? If faced with dealing with an incapacitated handler, do you have appropriate contingencies?
How vigilant are you in not bunching up with fellow officers during searches? Do you routinely fan out from one another, or make staggered progress?
At what point do you elect to call in outside resources in conducting searches for outstanding suspects? Do you tend to keep it an in-house operation? Or do you defer to a specialized unit?
Read more about Shots Fired K-9 Units Pennsylvania agencies Federal agencies


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What do you think of Black Flag's first new music in 28 years? (playing Union Transfer 6/17)
By Kyle Rossi
Having released their last record in 1985, Black Flag – whose Greg Ginn-led reunited lineup plays Union Transfer on June 20 – unveiled their first music in 28 years with two new songs this week. First came "Down in the Dirt," a single in exchange for an email address. Then there's the newest song, "The Chase," which features a super low-rent music video and lyrics that are massively vague. Given how young these guys were when they rose to fame, we have to wonder what the original Black Flag fans think of all this recent activity. Check out "The Chase" video below, and let us know your reaction in the comments. Black Flag plays Union Transfer on June 17.


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Q: How does the Shrine of the Gunbringer work? I came across the Shrine of the Gunbringer where it looks like I can sacrifice something or someone it the main chamber.... How does it work and how can I use it?  I saw a video of it here but when I tried jumping in it & having my friend hit the lever, it didn't do anything.  Is there any criteria that has to be met to use it?

Some of the comments on YouTube Suggest the following:

Step 1. Go to the shrine.
Step 2. Make SURE no person presses the button early or it will be wasted. This has happened multiple times for me. People run up and press the button. The light should be green on the button. If it is red, someone was an idiot.
Step 3. Have all of your sacrifices get in the hole.
Step 4. Sacrificed them and wait.

Can anyone confirm or deny these suggestions?
Sorta spoiler below:

 I just completed the Rescue Roland quest.

Tried the button and it did not work.

A: I've used the shrine with my brother in co-op and can confirm that it works with putting players in the pit.
Firstly, you only get one lever pull when the zone loads, so it's important not to pull it before your sacrifice is in. Once they are in, pull the lever, and the top shuts. Flames turn on inside the pit and the sacrifice (slowly) dies. Once they die, the shrine provides some loot.
We did this around level 15 on the first playthrough, and the loot wasn't very good. I would be interested to know if the loot gets better on playthrough 2 or by putting more players in the pit. I'm not sure if this works on NPCs, if you could even manage to get one in there!

A: if have the assasin you can run your holograph in that direction.  If timed right a baddie will run up into the hole as you press the lever
.

A: I think you also need to drop a weapons and items in there with the people. It will take them and gives you just a few better weapons back.


text:
\section{Introduction}

Extensive astrophysical observations point towards the existence of dark matter (DM), currently constituting $\sim85\%$ of matter in the Universe~(see~\cite{Bertone_2005,Gelmini:2015zpa} for a review).
Despite decades of searching for its possible non-gravitational interactions, the nature of the DM remains elusive.
One extensively explored paradigm is that of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), where the DM has a typical mass in the range of 1~GeV-100~TeV, and often appears in theories aiming to address the hierarchy problem.
A less studied scenario, which could also appear in variety of well-motivated models~(see \textit{e.g.}~\cite{Feng:2008ya,Boehm:2003hm,Lin:2011gj,Lin:2011gj,Hochberg:2014dra,Hochberg:2014kqa}), is sub-GeV (light) DM.
This later case is the focus of this article.

\begin{figure*}[t]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{figures/DM_flux.pdf}
    \hspace{3mm}
    \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{figures/EnergyLoss.pdf}
    \caption{\textbf{Left:} DM flux spectrum at surface of the Earth in terms of DM energy $T_{\chi}$, produced from atmospheric decays of mesons. \textbf{Right:} DM energy loss due to attenuation as it propagates through the Earth, as a function of the depth. The exact solution of Eq.~\eqref{eq:attenuation} (solid red curve) and the expected loss in approximate treatment of Ref.~\cite{Alvey:2019zaa} (dashed green curve), which does not incorporate the nuclear form factor, are displayed.}
    \label{fig:dmflux}
\end{figure*}

A cornerstone of DM searches are direct DM detection experiments, which looks for energy depositions on a target material associated with interactions within the experiment of traversing DM from the Milky Way halo.
Conventional ton-scale direct DM detection experiments with keV-level energy thresholds~(see \textit{e.g.}~\cite{XENON:2017vdw,LUX:2016ggv}) face significant challenges to search for light DM, since it is not expected to produce sufficient nuclear recoil when DM interacts with the target material.

Observational signatures of DM could be drastically distinct from nominal expectations if the DM speed distribution contains a significant relativistic component.
Such component can be naturally realized when DM is produced in cosmic-rays collisions with the atmosphere.
The ``atmospheric beamdump'' has been historically exploited as an essential instrument for exploring the properties of neutrinos, contributing to the discovery of neutrino oscillations~\cite{Super-Kamiokande:1998kpq}.
Recent studies have highlighted that the atmospheric beamdump is a unique tool to explore new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM), including long-lived particles~\cite{Arguelles:2019ziu}, heavy neutral leptons~\cite{Coloma:2019htx}, millicharge particles~\cite{Plestid:2020kdm,Harnik:2020ugb,ArguellesDelgado:2021lek}, particle DM~\cite{Alvey:2019zaa,Su:2020zny}, supersymmetric particles~\cite{Candia:2021bsl}, and magnetic monopoles~\cite{Iguro:2021xsu}.
This natural beam dump produces a steady flux that can be exploited by terrestrial experiments.
Other possible sources of a relativistic DM component include boosted DM~(see \textit{e.g.}~\cite{Agashe:2014yua}), DM accelerated in astrophysical sources~\cite{Hu:2016xas,Dunsky:2018mqs,Li:2020wyl}, the result of cosmic-ray DM scattering~\cite{Dent:2019krz,Cappiello:2018hsu,Bringmann:2018cvk,Ema:2018bih,Dent:2020syp,Ema:2020ulo} or evaporation of primordial black holes~\cite{Calabrese:2021src}.
These DM components are distinct from conventional halo DM analyses~(\textit{e.g.}~\cite{DelNobile:2013cva,Chen:2021qao}).

In this article, we comprehensively analyze light hadrophilic DM produced in the atmosphere by cosmic-ray collisions.
In particular, we focus on hadrophilic dark sectors, which have been discussed within variety of scenarios (see \textit{e.g.}~\cite{Batell:2017kty,Batell:2018fqo,Batell:2021snh,Elor:2021swj}).
We improve upon earlier work~\cite{Alvey:2019zaa} of hadrophilic DM producing in an atmospheric beamdump in many significant aspects which include: considering a more realistic model of the atmospheric flux, including of additional mesons whose deay produces DM, and perform a proper treatment of the attenuation of DM through the Earth.
We also present projections of this scenario for upcoming and proposed experiments.

\section{Hadrophilic Light Dark Matter}

Collisions of the almost isotropic cosmic-ray flux, primarily composed of protons, with the atmosphere results in copious production of Standard Model particles from GeV to well over TeV energies~\cite{Zyla:2020zbs}.
This is directly analogous to a fixed target beam dump experiment.
The atmospheric beam dump can produce particles associated with physics beyond the SM.

To explore sub-GeV DM, we consider a minimal realization within a framework of flavor-specific, hadrophilic, scalar mediator~\cite{Batell:2017kty,Batell:2018fqo}.
The effective Lagrangian includes
\begin{align} \label{eq:model}
    \mathcal{L} \supset &~ i \overline{\chi}(\slashed{D} - m_{\chi})\chi + \dfrac{1}{2}\partial_{\mu}S\partial^{\mu}S - \dfrac{1}{2}m_S^2 S^2 \notag\\
    & - \Big(g_{\chi} S \overline{\chi}_L \chi_R + g_u S \overline{u}_L u_R + h.c.\Big),
\end{align}
where $S$ is a singlet scalar mediator with mass $m_S$, $\chi$ is a singlet Dirac fermion DM with mass $m_{\chi}$ stabilized by a $Z_2$ symmetry, and $g_u$ and $g_{\chi}$ are effective couplings.
Here, the scalar mediates the interactions between the dark sector and the visible sector, in our work, the up quarks.

In the medium where the DM propagated and in the experiments instrumented volume, DM will scatter against a nucleus with differential cross-section given by
\begin{align}
\frac{d\sigma_{\chi N}}{dT_r} =&~ \frac{g_{\chi}^{2}(Z y_{spp}+(A-Z)y_{snn})^2}{8\pi}\frac{(T_r+2m_{N})}{(T_{\chi}^{2}+2m_{\chi}T_{\chi})} \notag\\
&~\times \dfrac{(2m_{\chi}^2+m_{N}T_r)}{
(2m_{N}T_r+m_{S}^2)^2}F_{H}^{2}(2m_{N}T_r),
\end{align}
where $A$, $T_r$, and $m_{N}$ are the nucleon number, recoil energy, and nucleus mass, respectively.
The term $F_{H}$ is the nuclear Helm form factor~\cite{Helm:1956} (see also \textit{e.g.}~\cite{Duda:2006uk})
\begin{equation} \label{eq:helmform}
    F_H(q^2) = \dfrac{3 j_1(q R_1)}{q R_1} e^{-\frac{1}{2}q^2 s^2}~,
\end{equation}
where $q = \sqrt{2 m_N T_r}$ is the momentum transfer, $j_1(x)$ is a spherical Bessel function of the first kind, $R_1 = \sqrt{R_A^2 - 5 s^2}$ with $R_A \simeq 1.2 A^{1/3}$~fm and $s \simeq 1$~fm.
The $g_{\chi}$ is the scalar-DM coupling, which we fix at 1.0, while the effective scalar-nucleon couplings, $y_{spp}$, $y_{npp}$ are given by~\cite{Batell:2018fqo}
\begin{eqnarray}
&y_{spp}=0.014\, g_{u}\dfrac{m_p}{m_u},  \\ \nonumber
&y_{snn}=0.012\, g_{u}\dfrac{m_n}{m_u},
\end{eqnarray}
with $m_p$, $m_n$, and $m_u$ the masses of the proton, neutron, and up-quark.

The nuclear interaction cross-section can be related to the conventional spin-independent cross-section, $\sigma^{\rm SI}$, by
\begin{equation} \label{eq:sixsec}
    \sigma_{\chi N} =  \sigma^{\rm SI} A^2 \Big(\dfrac{m_N}{m_p} \dfrac{(m_{\chi} + m_p)}{(m_{\chi} + m_N)}\Big)^2.
\end{equation}

\begin{figure*}[t]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{figures/Rate.pdf}
    \hspace{3mm}
    \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{figures/TotEvt.pdf}
\caption{
\textbf{Left:} Differential event spectra for different target materials as a function of nuclear recoil energy $E_r$, including xenon (Xe, purple), oxygen (O, orange) and hydrogen (H, blue). The total exposure is one ton-year. \textbf{Right:} Total integrated number of recoil events above given experimental energy threshold $E_r$, for xenon (purple), oxygen (orange) and hydrogen (blue). The considered model values are $g_u = 10^{-3}$ and $m_{\chi} = 0.067$~GeV.}
\label{fig:Recoils}
\end{figure*}

\section{Atmospheric dark matter production}

The scalar mediator $S$ can be abundantly produced in meson decays in cosmic-ray air showers.
The production is modeled by the cascade equation~({\it e.g.}~\cite{Gondolo:1995fq}), which, omitting the interaction terms, contains the following source term for DM production
\begin{align} \label{eq:sproduction}
{ d\Phi_S\over dE_{S}\,d\Omega\,dX} =~& \sum_{M} \int d E_M \Big(\dfrac{1}{ \rho(X)\lambda_M(E_M)} \notag\\
&~\times \dfrac{d \Phi_M}{dE_{M} \,d\Omega}(E_M,\cos\theta,X)\,    \\
&~\times\dfrac{d n }{d E_{S}}( E_{M}, E_S)\Big), \notag
\end{align}
where the sum $M$ runs over all possible mesons that can decay to $S$, $\rho$ is the density of the atmosphere, $X$ is the column depth ({\it i.e.}~the depth in g/cm$^2$ measured from the top of the atmosphere to production point), and $\lambda_{M} \equiv \gamma_{M}\beta_{M}c\tau_{M} $ is the laboratory decay length of the meson that includes the boost factor $\gamma_{M}\beta_{M}$ and its proper lifetime $\tau_{M}$.
Here, the differential production rate of mesons in the shower per unit of solid angle is given by $(d \Phi_{M}/dE_{M} \,d\Omega)$.

In Eq.~\eqref{eq:sproduction}, the number of scalar mediators with energies between $E_{S}$ and $E_{S}+dE_{S}$ produced in the decay of the meson $M$ is given by $(d n/d E_S)$.
The explicit expression for the last quantity depends on whether the scalar is produced in two-body or three-body decays.
We focus on the simplest case involving only two-body decays of mesons.
In this case, the energy distribution in the laboratory frame is given by
\begin{align}
\frac{dn}{d E_S}= \frac{ \mathrm{Br}(M \rightarrow S + P )}
{ p_M \sqrt{ \mathcal{K} \left(1,\frac{m_{S}^2}{m_{M}^{2}}, \frac{m_{p}^2}{m_{M}^2}\right) }
},
\label{eq:distribution}
\end{align}
where $\mathrm{Br}(M \rightarrow S + P)$ is the meson branching fraction to the scalar and an additional particle $P$, $\mathcal{K}$ is the Källen function~\cite{Kallen:1964lxa}, and $p_{M}$ is the meson momentum.

For scalar mediators sufficiently strongly coupled to the DM, they will promptly decay to a pair of $\chi\bar{\chi}$ in the particle shower.
The resulting DM production rate can be obtained using mediator production of Eq.~\eqref{eq:sproduction} via
\begin{equation}
 {d\Phi_{\chi}\over dE_{\chi}\,d\Omega\,dX}  = \int d E_{S}  { d\Phi_S\over dE_{S}\,d\Omega\,dX} \, {d n \over d E_{\chi}}( E_{S}, E_{\chi}).
\label{eq:DMproduction}
\end{equation}

Eq.~\eqref{eq:DMproduction} implies that the DM is produced at the same point (height) as the scalar mediator, while accounting for the energy distribution of the DM in the decay.
If the coupling between the scalar and the dark matter is not strong enough, the mediator could be made a long-lived particle and the production of DM would be suppressed.
Integrating Eq.~\eqref{eq:DMproduction} over the column depth yields the expected DM flux at the surface of the Earth per unit of solid angle and per energy bin.

In this work, we include for the first time the production of scalar mediator from the decays of $\eta$, $\eta^{\prime}$ as well as charged kaons in the atmosphere, via $\eta \rightarrow \pi^0 S$, $\eta^{\prime}\rightarrow \pi^0 S$ as well as $K^+ \rightarrow \pi^+ S$ channels\footnote{This is in contrast with previous work~\cite{Alvey:2019zaa}, which only considered $\eta$ decays. Different meson decay channels can themselves be used to investigate new physics~(e.g.~\cite{Escribano:2016ntp,Escribano:2020jvu}).}.
We review the branching ratios for these processes in Appendix~\ref{sec:scalarmed}.
We numerically solve for the production rate of the mesons in the atmospheric cascade using the \texttt{Matrix Cascade Equation} (\texttt{MCEq}) software package~\cite{Fedynitch:2015zma,Fedynitch:2012fs}, which includes several models for the cosmic-ray spectrum, hadronic interactions, and atmospheric density profiles.
For our base results we employed the \texttt{SYBILL-2.3} hadronic interaction model~\cite{Fedynitch:2018cbl}, the Hillas-Gaisser cosmic-ray model $H3a$~\cite{Gaisser:2011cc}, and the \texttt{NRLMSISE-00} atmospheric model~\cite{Picone:2002go} to obtain the production rate of mesons, which have been extracted following the procedure of Ref.~\cite{Arguelles:2019ziu,Coloma:2019htx}.

The resulting DM flux at the surface of the Earth is shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:dmflux}.
We show each of the progenitor mesons $\eta$, $\eta^{\prime}$ and $K^+$, considering $g_u = 10^{-3}$, $g_{\chi} = 1$, $m_S = 0.2$~GeV, and $m_{\chi} = m_S/3$.
With a mass of $m_{\eta^{\prime}} = 957.8$~MeV, $\eta^{\prime}$ allows for additional kinematic regimes compared to $\eta$ and $K^+$, since these have smaller masses; namely $m_{\eta} = 547.9$~MeV and $m_{K^+} = 493.7$~MeV, respectively.

\begin{figure*}[t]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{figures/DM_limits.pdf}
    \hspace{3mm}
    \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{figures/DM_limits_zoom.pdf}
    \caption{\textbf{Left:} Limits from atmospheric DM flux from meson decays (red), for a hadrophilic scalar mediator of mass $m_S$ on up-quark coupling $g_u$, considering $g_{\chi} = 1$ and $m_S = 3 m_{\chi}$. \textbf{Right:} Same, with focus on parameter space for $m_s$ above 0.1 GeV.}
    \label{fig:limits}
\end{figure*}

\section{Dark Matter Flux Attenuation}

In analogy to SM particles such as muons, the flux of DM with sizable interaction strength is attenuated as it traverses the medium from the top of the atmosphere towards the experiment.
At large cross-sections the medium becomes ``optically thick,'' causing direct DM detection experiments to dramatically lose their sensitivity in this part of the DM parameter space~(e.g.~\cite{Mack:2007xj,Emken:2018run}).

The DM energy loss is described by
\begin{align} \label{eq:attenuation}
\frac{dT_{\chi}}{dz}=-\sum_{N} n_{N}\int_{0}^{T_{r}^{\rm max}}\, T_{r}\,\frac{d\sigma_{\chi N}}{dT_{r}}\,dT_{r},
\end{align}
where $T_r$ is the energy lost by a DM particle in a collision with nucleus $N$, and
\begin{align}
T_{r}^{\rm max}=\frac{T_{\chi}^{2}+2m_{\chi}T_{\chi}}{T_{\chi}+(m_{\chi}+m_{N})^{2}/2m_{N}}~.
\end{align}
To account for DM flux attenuation, we numerically solve Eq.~\eqref{eq:attenuation}.

Our analysis takes into account the relevant effects of the nuclear form factor of Eq.~\eqref{eq:helmform}, which in contrast have been neglected in previous work employing analytic approximation of Eq.~\eqref{eq:attenuation} to treat attenuation~\cite{Alvey:2019zaa}.
The effects of the nuclear form factor in attenuation can significantly impact which DM parameter space regimes are direct DM detection experiments are sensitive to, as has been recently highlighted in~Ref.~\cite{Xia:2021vbz}.

In Fig.~\ref{fig:dmflux} we display the DM flux attenuation using the exact numerical treatment of Eq.~\eqref{eq:attenuation} as well as analytic approximation given in Ref.~\cite{Alvey:2019zaa}.
We highlight that the approximate treatment did not include the effects arising from the nuclear form factor, which suppress large momentum transfer regimes resulting in an overestimation of the DM energy losses for underground experiments lying at a depth below $\sim 1$~km of rock overburden.
Having found $T_{\chi}(z)$ with the procedure outlined above, we can determine the resulting atmospheric DM flux as a function of depth $d \Phi_{\chi} / dT(z)$.

\section{Experimental Constraints}

The differential event rate for a detector with $N_t$ nucleons is given by
\begin{eqnarray}
\frac{dN}{dT_r}=N_{t}\int_{E_{\chi}^{\rm min}} dE_{\chi} \,\epsilon(T_r)\frac{d\sigma_{\chi N}}{dT_r}{ d\Phi_{\chi}\over dT_{\chi}},
\label{eq:event_rate}
\end{eqnarray}
where $\epsilon(T_r)$ is the detection efficiency taken from reference \cite{XENON:2018voc}.
In Fig.~\ref{fig:Recoils} we show the event spectra as a function of the nuclear recoil energy $T_r$ for different target materials, including xenon (Xe), oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H).
The bumps in the spectrum follow the shape of the nuclear Helm factor in the interaction cross-section.
We also display in Fig.~\ref{fig:Recoils} the total integrated number of nuclear recoil events above experimental threshold $T_r$, for different materials and considering characteristic model parameter values of $g_u = 10^{-3}$ and $m_{\chi} = 0.067$~GeV.
These results highlight the importance of low $\mathcal{O}(1)$keV experimental thresholds available for large DM experiments, in accord with the literature results for other physics analyses and complementarity studies~({\it e.g.}~\cite{Gelmini:2018ogy,Gelmini:2018gqa,Raj:2019wpy,Munoz:2021sad}).
We note that hadrophilic DM could also induce interactions in large neutrino experiments.
However, such interactions require significantly higher thresholds and the resulting event rates are expected to be suppressed even taking into account the larger available fiducial mass.

\begin{figure}[t]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{figures/DMXS_limits.pdf}
    \caption{Limits on the spin-independent DM nucleon cross-section $\sigma^{\rm SI}$ as a function of the DM mass $m_{\chi}$.}
    \label{fig:limitsxsec}
\end{figure}

To set limits on the model up-quark coupling $g_u$ from XENON1T, we integrate Eq.~\eqref{eq:event_rate} in the recoil energy window with a threshold of 5~keV and a maximum recoil value of 40.9~keV.
Following Ref.~\cite{XENON:2018voc}, we set a limit by requiring to observe more than 3.56 events for an exposure of 278.8 live-days.
The limit in the plane $g_{u}-m_{S}$ is shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:limits}.
For comparison, we also display constraints on the model from E787/E949 and MiniBooNE experiments following Ref.~\cite{Batell:2018fqo}.
We also display the sensitivity reach projections for the future upgrade of XENON1T, the xenon-based DARWIN experiment~\cite{DARWIN:2016hyl}, which is expected to have a size that is about 50 times larger with a fiducial mass of $\sim 50$ tons.

The effects of implementing an exact numerical treatment of attenuation that also includes the nuclear form factor are shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:limits} with the line ``absorption,'' above which DM flux would be attenuated if the approximate treatment has been used instead.
This further highlights the importance of attenuation for identifying and exploring the optimal DM parameter space with direct DM experiments.
Inclusion of additional mesons allows us to set new limits above few hundred MeV, as shown on Fig.~\ref{fig:limits}.
This is in contrast to earlier studies of Ref.~\cite{Alvey:2019zaa} that focused solely on $\eta$ and hence were not sensitive to this regime. Depending on the details of the full model as well as cosmological history, additional constraints could become relevant in the parameter space of interest, such as those from Big Bang nucleosynthesis and cosmic microwave background (see e.g. \cite{Batell:2018fqo,Sabti:2019mhn}). We stress, however, that our analysis results are independent of cosmology and the mechanism of DM production.

The limits found for the parameters on the model and up-quark coupling $g_u$ can be translated into a stringent constraint for the spin-independent DM cross-section using Eq.~\eqref{eq:sixsec}.
The results are shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:limitsxsec} for DM masses below the GeV scale.
This highlights the significance of atmospheric DM production for exploration of light sub-GeV DM.

\section{Conclusions}

Light sub-GeV DM is a promising target for exploration beyond the traditional WIMP paradigm. However, the associated DM parameter space is challenging to probe with conventional direct DM detection experiments due to their low nuclear recoils. We have comprehensively explored production of hadrophilic light DM from cosmic ray collisions with the atmosphere, whose relativistic flux leads to observable experimental signatures. The decays of mesons resulting from collisions copiously source an irreducible flux of light DM for all terrestrial experiments. In this sense, our work applies to any hadrophilic scalars which couple to a new light neutral state, irrespective of whether or not that state accounts for the DM density.

Additionally, for the first time we analyze DM production associated with $\eta$, $\eta^{\prime}$ as well as $K^+$ mesons. We implement an exact treatment of DM flux attenuation as it traverses the Earth towards an underground detector, finding that nuclear form factor effects can dramatically impact the viable DM parameter space. We set new limits on hadrophilic light DM from XENON1T experiment and establish sensitivity projections for future experiments, such as DARWIN which will cover new low mass DM and low mass mediator parameter space. Future extensions of this work may include extending the DM model to examine inelastic DM transitions, which will impact both the recoil spectra and the DM attenuation. Another future extension would be to examine DM flux contributions beyond meson decay, such as scalar bremsstrahlung~\cite{Batell:2018fqo} which may provide access to higher mass DM.

\section*{Acknowledgments}

We dedicate this work to Tom Gaisser, whose contributions in cosmic-ray physics made this work (and many others!) possible. We thank Yu-Dai Tsai for discussions.
C.A.A. is supported by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Harvard University, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
I.M.S. is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under the award number DE-SC0020250.
V.M. is supported by ANID-PCHA/DOCTORADO BECAS CHILE/2018-72180000.
V.T. is supported by the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), MEXT, Japan.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Home is where the heart (and equity) is: 61.4% of the average American family's net worth is in home equity.
A homeowner's net worth is over thirty times greater than that of a renter.
TGIF! The best day of the week to list your home is Friday.
Historically, the best month of the year to sell is April. Although we would dispute that –maybe it's the most common month, but often sellers fare better in the 'off months' of summer and winter.
Odds are you're going to need some help selling: Homeowners have a 120% better chance of selling their home when using REALTOR®.
In 2013, NAR reports that the median age of first-time buyers was 31. On average these buyers purchased a 1,670 square-foot home costing $170,000 (guess they don't live around here!).
The typical repeat buyer was 52 years old. On average these buyers purchased a 2,060-square foot home costing $240,000.
According to a NAR Community Preference Survey, 78% of respondents said that the neighborhood is more important to them than the size of the home.
NAR reports that 80% of home buyers believe their home is a good investment, 44 percent saying it's better than stocks.
Buyers searched a median of 12 weeks and visited 10 homes. If you live in Greater Boston, you know this is a much lower number on both fronts.
90% of home buyers who used the Internet to search for a home purchased through a real estate agent.
90% of buyers financed their purchase.
And finally, don't be so quick to change your brass to brushed nickel! Brass doorknobs disinfect themselves. It's called the oligodynamic effect: the ions in the metal have a toxic effect on spores, fungi, viruses, and other germs.


text:
1965-04-19 - I Love You Man: Home Decor Edition
Summary: Elmo and Vitale reveal that they've updated the garage with an actual bed.
Related: None
Vitale was probably more excited than he had any right to be about revealing JP's new bedroom to JP, honestly, JP should be the one just about vibrating out of his skin about it if anyone had the right to be, but there was something that was so thrilling to Vitale to give people a gift, anyone really and any gift. He could suprise Elmo with a screwdriver and have the same heart paliptations about it. He hands JP a scarf. "Okay, can we put this over your eyes so you can't see until we get there? It adds another level of surprise to it. I won't let you fall and I mean, even if you did, I'm right here to heal it." He says, bouncing on his heels a little. Clearly this is very thrilling to Vitale.
Elmo is laughing at Vitale. Hardened mobster, or adorable kid who loves to give his friends presents? Why not both? "V, that's a little much, don't ya think?" Rhetorical question; V clearly does not think anything about this is extra at all.
JP took the scarf and commented glibly, "Ya know if you throw me into a trunk nex' I'm still gon' drive. So ya know." Because he would get kidnapped and stuffed into a trunk… and take his abdustors on a joy ride. Crazy ass. Still he had no real idea other than they were in teh garage and therefore it was likely that they contributed something to the place even if he didn't know what. He thought about tagging a door or something to 'peek' as they passed, but in teh end he just let the surprise be fun and not be a spoil sport. A wry grin. And with that, because he was the clown and jackass he was he did a reverse strip-tease and went about adding his coat *back* on and then blindfolded himself humming the theme to the Gong Show. Because it's JP and of course he did.
"No, it's absolutely not too much. And I'm not going to throw you in a trunk, I'm taking you upstairs but thank you for telling me that, in the future when I get sick of your rules, I'll remember not to put you in the trunk of a car." Vitale teases and rolls his eyes at how ridiculous JP was being, it really just added to the goofiness of tying a blindfolding around him. He takes JP's arm then to guide him forward. "Alright, this wasn't all me, Elmo and I picked it out together." He beckons Elmo forward to take JP's other arm.
Elmo sighs, admitting, "Yeah, I helped. He made me," he adds, playfully abdictating responsibility. He tucks his hand around JP's other elbow, because like he's going to turn down a chance to do that.
JP held that lopsided grin with that bullshit bayou charm of his, "Naaaw you ain' gettin tired of the rules. You miss out on the fun an' y'all know it." He wasn't wrong. Still up they were going and he knew the stairs well enough to navigate. To prove he wasn't cheating he touched nothing so there. "Smells like sawdust." Smart ass. the loft was apt to smell like a construction zone well into forever at this rate.
"I don't know what kind of fun you think requires rules, JP." Vitale teases as he starts guiding JP up the stairs with Elmo. Vitale would have fussed him to death in Italian, no matter, if he had tried to cheat, so it's a good thing he didn't. "The whole place does, you trying to cheat with your nose, now?" He teases as they stop at the top of the stairs, where the bed lay. It was enormous thing, looking like it had been just cut from the trees, no rough edges, or canopy for JP to hit his head on. It was rustic, but Vitale hoped that it would feel a lot like the bayou to JP, that's what the pair of them had been going for. "Alright, you can take it off. And, don't listen to Elmo, he's the one who found this."
"Yeah, you shoulda seen the one he wanted to get you," Elmo says, grinning now. Just grinning. "Like somethin' the princess in a fairy tale sleeps on." Sure, they're all homos, but there's lines Elmo has drawn in the proverbial sand. "Um, I hope ya like it," he adds, a little anxiously.
JP stopped protesting to …vaguely where Vitale was standing. "My rules is always fun, V. Always." He paused and slid the blindfold off with a smug smirk. He stared at the singular piece of furniture that resembled a planed, felled tree than anyhting one would buy in some fancy store. Yeah… yeah it really did remind him of the fishin shack floating 'treehouse' he usually slept in back home. He walked up here prepared to have both guns a blazin firin off comments but his eyes were too big and somehow this cut off sound in his throat. His hand slowly covered his mouth with amurmur that wasn't English, before rubbing his jaw. "Awwwww this' damn groovy. Yous guys go alla way out t'buy me furniture? You serious?" He ran his hand alone the finished 'raw wood' and looked to Vitale with a wry grin, "Which one yo' brothers this one belong t'?"
"It didn't belong to any of them, JP, I bought this fair and square from the store, it's brand new, even the mattress, even the pillows, all of it is brand new and all of it is yours." Vitale says while he watches emotions choke JP and watches him run his fingers around the smooth wood. "Elmo's right, the one I wanted to get you was way too fancy, this one we both thought might remind you of home. I don't want you to sleep in your car anymore, I want this to be a home for you. A bed is a good step in that direction." He smiles, almost shyly. "Do you like it?"
"It kinda reminded me of that fishing shack," Elmo says, also shy, and a little red. "Remembered how much we slept out, in the swamp. You don't hafta stop sleeping in Jeanne, but…now you got a choice." His eyes are on JP, taking in that great reaction. Yeah, he has it bad.
JP tried to ablate that wave of feelings and being overwhelmend withthe slight offhanded comment. He wasn't a man where few things could get to him like this, but it was for certain the things that mattered and it floored him every time. WHen that kiddo gave Vitale her doll Madeline as a present to look after them all, when he got to meet his kid… when he had to say good bye. Now? Well now when his team found and patched some holes that needed repair.
JP's fingers floated over the craftsmanship. At the agreement of the fishing shack he paused and turned a wry grin up to Elmo knowing it'd make that red vermillion. "First thing I thought of." Deep breath. He looked around. Yeah, this was happening. He murmured, "I…guess… I moved t'New York." It's different if one had their OWN furniture. Them's roots! His roughened hand rubbed at the back of his neck and he came out with an earnest, "Merci. Beaucoup." His eye sfloated for a moment to the window, teh floor, and the frame again.
Vitale's not good with emotions either, mostly because he doesn't know when it's okay to hug anyone, he doesn't know when it's okay to hold someone's hand, when it's okay to bump up against them, when it's okay to iniate anything beyond a handshake. Vitale doesn't know how to say that he cares about someone out loud because it's not like he's ever heard it himself from anyone before JP and Severin came along. This, this is how he told JP that he was loved, loudly and deeply, with money spent but not just given to him, spent on things that JP needed, that would make his life easier.
He moves though, hesitantly, but he pulls JP into a hug. "Prego, mio amico." He tells him as he does so. "We take care of each other right? We're a family, JP. No one sleeps in a car."
Elmo does exactly what JP expects and turns bright red. He shrugs a little, like it's no big deal, but he's watching JP adoringly and it's really obvious. "Glad ya like it." And when V hugs JP, that makes him grin again.
JP slung an arm around Vic's shoulders and hugged him. JP was not shy about shit really. He just didn't appreciate being shot at. It was terribly inconvenient to bleed, not die, and be yelled at by everyone for the aggressions of others. That aside? Totally not shy about these things. "Yeah. We family. An' we do… look out for one another. But… what funny t'me?" He grinned as Elmo turned lobster red, "No one ask ol' Jean-Pierre, why he sleep in his car. F'one I can get away faist. I mean, ya got me beat on two. I didn't really have another place. The chair good. Small but good. But really?" He snickered shaking his head, "It has a radio." Really. That was the lynchpin? Or really wans it?!
"I can get you a damn radio, ol' Jean-Pierre. And hopefully since you're running a garage, maybe you're not going to have to get away quickly anymore." Vitale grumbles at him, squeezing JP tight against him for a moment longer. "I just, I care about you, man. I want you to sleep on a soft bed, I want this place to feel like home to you, you deserve all of that. You're a good man, JP."
"Ya nudnik, I knew that," Elmo says, complaining about JP accusing him of not knowing why he sleeps in Jeanne d'Arc. "…Well. Maybe not the part about the radio," he admits, sheepishly. He's hanging back while Vitale gets his hug on, pleased as punch.
JP hugged VItale a extra moment there. Vitale really wans't good with the idea of people dropping and going which for JP was his normal MO. Only now he had ot real direction to run in anymore and too much to stay put for. Everything was so weird. To Elmo he scoffed back knowing they really did know the real honest to God reason he slept in his car. All of them. "Jeanne d'Arc always had a radio, Elmo. This is not new news." Looking back to Vitale he nodded with slow confidence, "Well I got a lotta good people here. It helps."
.~{:--------------:}~.
_importedelmojpsocialvitale


I just stumbled upon one great article.
A nice article about what the arbitrary file download is and how dangerous it would be if exploited. Later the difference between arbitrary file download and LFI/ RFI has been discusses, which is a often confused topic.
What is Arbitrary File Download?
Often confused, LFI/RFI is different from the Arbitrary File Download vulnerability. However, both are used in combination if directory traversal is turned on in the server. LFI and RFI stands for Local File Inclusion and Remote File Inclusion vulnerability. Both are of similar nature, except the mode of exploitation. Both take advantage of unfiltered input file parameters used by web applications, predominantly PHP. LFI, while exploited uses any local file which is available at the same machine where the web application is hosted, RFI, on the other hand includes any remotely hosted malicious file using URLs.
We can see the major difference here. With LFI/ RFI, the resource is loaded and executed in the context of the current application. But in case of Arbitrary File Download, we are basically abusing the download functionality of a web application, which fails to restrict the user input to a specific directory. The user input goes beyond the directory and is able to download other critical files of the system.
Later a real life scenario has been discussed about how to exploit the vulnerability with pictorial representation.
Finally the countermeasures are described.
Also have a look at Web application Security Course offered by InfosecInstitute.