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Revision as of 21:04, 15 January 2008 by 61.150.66.18 (talk) (codomacro)
delergetla
HumanCaptain_Portrait.png
Human crew on the bridge of a Cruiser.
Homeworld: Sol III (Earth)
Coordinates: 175.2 : 145.0
Member of: Alliance of Free Stars,
Ur-Quan Hierarchy (fallow slave),
New Alliance of Free Stars
Ship: Cruiser
Humans — scientific name Homo sapiens sapiens, also Earthlings or Hunams (by the Spathi) — is the relatively young race (even "immature" according to some1) of hominid life-forms native to the third planet, Earth, of the Sol system.
2.1 Recent history
2.2 First Contact
2.3 After the War
3 Relations with other races
3.1 Arilou
3.2 Ilwrath
3.3 Syreen
3.4 VUX
3.5 Yehat
Humans are descended from primates: omnivorous, social creatures that had to cooperate and use clever strategies to scrounge food and defend themselves from larger predators. Physically, humans appear to follow a similar body plan to many (though not all) spacefaring species, the generally useful one of a bipedal configuration with mobile graspers (hands and arms) with a wide range of motion and a dedicated sensory appendage (a head). In fact, the description of this physiology, humanoid, is based on the word "human".
Politically, they are divided into multiple nations whose leaders are assembled into a council named the "United Nations", born in the middle of the 20th century. Despite this schismatic state of affairs, they have managed to develop a decent technological culture in a relatively short time with no assistance or uplifting from any other sentient race (though they have been the subject of Arilou Lalee'lay experiments).
In the last few centuries of pre-interstellar Human development (the 18th to 20th centuries), Human technological progress and industrial development exploded at a rate that intrigued even such mighty races as the Ur-Quan. As Earth developed increasingly powerful radio transmission capabilities in the 1930s, the spacefaring races of the nearby stars began to watch this new race and attempt to judge their potential. Though their technology and social organization resembled in many ways those of a typical early modern (post-atomic) civilization, their social infrastructure somehow allowed them to very quickly establish an industrial capacity that rivaled that of advanced races like the Chenjesu, and the speed with which this was followed by their discovery of space travel and exploration of their home satellite in the 1960s sparked intense discussions in their vicinity of space. The Chenjesu, their most powerful close neighbors, considered making contact with the Humans but still considered them too young and volatile for such contact to be conducted responsibly; the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za, meanwhile, made Earth a priority world to invade and conquer, despite their contemptuous opinion of Human innovation. Surprisingly, no other races, advanced or otherwise, made successful efforts to contact Earth in all of this time; during a phase of technological development when many other races would have made contact with other races and at least partially been uplifted, Earth happened to be in a region of space where no one was available to make the offer. Humans were forced to make the difficult transition to a high-technological society on their own, a fact that has earned them respect from species like the Yehat.
The recent history of Human society has also seen the slow combination of the various squabbling empires, tribes and kingdoms of humanity into large, self-organized nation-states that themselves combined into complex alliances; the final and greatest pair of opposing alliances formed after the so-called Second World War in the 1940s, the point at which alien surveillance of Earth began in earnest. The capitalist states led by the United States of America and the communist states led by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, unable to curb the warlike, competitive urge that had poisoned Human cooperation since the beginning of their history, engaged in the aforementioned Cold War brinkmanship tactics, maintaining a tense peace based only on the threat of universal destruction by both sides' arsenals of jealously hoarded nuclear missiles if hostilities ever broke out.
This Cold War lasted until, in the year 1991, the United States and its allies declared a victory that turned out to be short-lived. The communist nations' centrally planned economies proved less robust than the market-based capitalist economies. When the United States began their (never to be fully completed) "Star Wars" project, creating massive orbital laser arrays to intercept and harmlessly destroy any Soviet missile attack and giving the United States an unanswerable advantage in any future missile exchange, the Soviets attempted to expand their arsenals in response but lacked the funds, leading to the economic collapse of themselves and their allies. Their deadly nuclear arsenals, however, remained, and poverty-stricken Soviet officials proved willing to sell them off to the highest bidder. With nuclear missiles now owned piecemeal by numerous local dictators and warlords, the formerly stable set of alliances broke down; nations formerly dominated by the Soviet Union or too weak to be aligned in the Cold War now became dangerous nuclear threats, and without a common enemy the great capitalist nations turned against each other.
One of the major sources of continuing conflict was the industrialized nations' fight for control of "petroleum", a peculiar mix of organic hydrocarbon deposits left in the Earth by fossilized plants and animals rich in chemical energy which fueled human industry for an unusually long period in their history, before nuclear power became widespread. One of the human race's great misfortunes was that the Middle East, a region that had been the origin of many of Earth's oldest societies and religions and long a hotbed of its deepest, oldest cultural conflicts, also was one of the world's richest sources of petroleum.
The rich nations thus had many incentives, both cultural and economic, to support the local factions in the region and foment conflict. It was thus in the Middle East that the tenuous global peace finally shattered in the Small War of 2015, in which several local nations, secretly backed by the world's remaining great powers, initiated a strategic nuclear exchange of fewer than a dozen missiles. Even the use of such a small percentage of the available nuclear arsenals killed millions of Humans and decimated all civilization in the area, and it later became known that a retaliatory global strike had almost been launched by the combatant nations' larger sponsors and only averted at the last minute.
This shocking catastrophe, and the holocaust that almost accompanied it, finally provided the spur for Humans to overcome their deep-seated ideological disagreements, vesting supreme political power in an organization known as a United Nations that had originally been a mere arbitration council with nominal powers over Earth's many sovereign states. Though Earth's nations retained their cultural identity, the United Nations was allowed to attain military ascendancy with a worldwide peacekeeping army and police force. The immense stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction produced during the nations' Cold War madness were impounded by the United Nations and their production became one of Earth's greatest taboos. Even so, Humans' inborn paranoia kept them from destroying these weapons utterly, and their disassembled components were stored as reminders of the past in giant Peace Vaults. A ten-year concerted effort by the United Nations and the leaders of its member states finally led to the abolition of intraspecies war among Humans in the year 2025. The United Nations became a true, unified political entity, although it was still seen as a sort of meta-nation by many humans, and observed this tradition in several ways; for instance, it had no permanent capital, instead rotating its base of operations from national capital to national capital every ten years.
It was in this time that the Humans gave rise to the phenomenon of the Androsynth, a race of artificial clones of Humans, whose right to be recognized as fellow Humans had been withdrawn due to a wave of religious hysteria. Their enhanced strength and intelligence as well as their easily exploitable legal status made them highly useful tools for Humans in the coming century of high technological development.
It was in the 21st century that human sublight space travel became highly advanced, allowing Humans to explore, exploit and colonize most of their own inner star system, concentrated mostly in factory bases on their own satellite, Luna, and in the asteroid belt between the inner and outer systems. The United Nations formed its first major new military arm since the Peacekeeping Army, a space-based regulatory office known as Star Control, established with a permanent headquarters in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Humans began working on discovering the secret of Hyperspatial travel; unfortunately for them, the highest-level workers on Hyperdrive included many Androsynth, and in the Slave Revolt of 2085 all Androsynth, with the help of Human sympathizers, managed to successfully hijack all of Earth's orbital space stations. The Androsynth used their high intelligence and the many technological secrets they had hoarded from their masters to modify the space station's equipment into technology far beyond anything Humans had yet seen; defending themselves from Star Control forces with powerful MASER weapons, they soon created the first Hyperdrive systems known in Sol space and pushed up out of Human history for the rest of the century.
It was at the beginning of the 22nd century when Humans first made contact with a truly alien race.2 The Chenjesu, who had been aware of Humanity since the 1930s, now saw that the situation with the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za had grown desperate; Ur-Quan hostilities had broken out within range of Sol and, though great in technological sophistication, the Chenjesu and their Mmrnmhrm allies lacked the resources and labor to expand their fleets quickly enough to match the swelling Hierarchy of Battle Thralls, while their new Yehat and Shofixti allies were still too far away to assist in the main conflict. As a race with a large population, powerful industrial technology, and easy access to many natural resources, the Humans were the ally the Chenjesu desperately needed. Three years before, Humans had pushed out the farthest they ever had from their sun, building a major installation on the asteroid Ceres. Now, a messenger ship from the Chenjesu accosted the Humans at Ceres Base, begging for their help in what they termed the "Great Crucible of Sentience".
The Humans were immensely shell-shocked, having been in the unusual state of utter isolation from alien races for their whole history. They rallied admirably, though, and spent the next few years consulting with Chenjesu ambassadors about the full extent of the atrocities, consulting recordings of the Ur-Quan in action and sending delegations to travel through HyperSpace with the Chenjesu to visit worlds that had already been devastated by Ur-Quan attack. Finally, the Humans agreed among themselves to join the Chenjesu cause. On August 1, 2116, the highest official of the United Nations, High Provost Ivana Or-Kachov, along with Star Control's General Juan O'Reilly, signed a concord with the Alliance of Free Stars' civilian Secretary of Space Zeep-Zeep (of the Yehat) and Commander-in-Chief Bzrrak Ktazzz (of the Chenjesu) pledging Earth's full commitment to the war in return for Alliance protection.
The speed with which Humans were thrust into such a perilous situation without even a basic experience in dealing with other sentient races made Humans appear to be clumsy and provincial next to the more sophisticated races of the Alliance, leading to such diplomatic blunders as the disastrous Human/Syreen crew exchange, an accidental human attack on an Arilou fleet, and the Great Insult that poisoned relations with the VUX. Nonetheless the Human industrial base became crucial in the war effort; a massive, worldwide effort was made to reignite the engines of war formerly concentrated in the nation of the United States of America. In a nod both to expediency and tradition, the final assembly centers for the new starships of Earth were established in the city of Detroit, Michigan, long a bastion of Earth's original Industrial Revolution. Moreover, it was Human-developed skills in intelligence and profiling that led to the creation of Star Control's division of Synthetic Special Reconstruction and Intergalactic Intelligence, which pieced together diverse data to come up with the first detailed profiles on Hierarchy races available to the Alliance -- though these profiles are seen as flawed and biased today, they were nonetheless a triumph of Human ingenuity. Star Control itself in this era became one of the major operations centers of the Alliance, directing many fleets of many races.
Interestingly, it was Earth's entrance into the Alliance that coincided with the sudden appearance of a fleet of the Arilou Lalee'lay, a race no other race had ever encountered before, around Luna with desires to join the Alliance. Suspicions of some connection between the Arilou and Humans seem to have been borne out by recent events. Similarly, the discovery of the Syreen sent shockwaves through human society as the obvious connection between the two races was recognized.
Humans fought bravely in the war, producing a relatively crude but numerous and flexible fleet that fought on multiple fronts, while also providing many officers and crew for allied fleets. Those who had chosen to maintain the Peace Vaults in the first days of the Peacekeeping Army were vindicated; even the Chenjesu were shocked by the total destructive power represented by the sheer number of the old alliances' nuclear warheads and the United States' half-finished orbital laser defense systems. Primitive as they were, refitted for ship-to-ship combat they became the reliable and ubiquitous weapons system of the Earthling Cruiser.
Unfortunately, the Alliance proved unable to hold off the Hierarchy forces forever, and once the Sa-Matra came into play the Alliance was doomed. The Ur-Quan Kzer-Za, having very little respect for the complex bureaucratic jumble that characterized human government, insisted that the human terms of surrender be decided upon by a purely democratic vote, which led to humans becoming a slave-shielded fallow species in the year 2134.
By chance, however, it had been a Human expedition that went to the Precursor ruins on Vela 1 in that same year, just before the war ended; when the Humans were marooned there, the world was renamed Unzervalt ("Our World"). The story is well known of how the Humans activated the Precursor factory there and created a great Precursor ship, the equivalent of an all-purpose cruiser/service tug, which they managed to send away from the planet before they were discovered and shielded by the Ur-Quan. It was this Precursor ship, The Flagship, commanded by the famous young Captain, that returns to Earth in 2155 and joins with Commander Hayes of the Hierarchy Starbase maintained in Earth orbit, launching a series of guerrilla actions against the Hierarchy. The ragtag fleet known as the New Alliance of Free Stars is lead by these Humans for most of its career, and it is their actions that eventually lead to the downfall of both Ur-Quan subspecies in 2159, freeing the Kzer-Za slaves and preventing a wholesale Kohr-Ah genocide. For all their faults, the free races of the galaxy owe the Humans a great debt.
Relations with other races
Arilou
The most interesting connection Humans have with other races, however, is with the Arilou Lalee'lay; indeed, the name "Arilou Lalee'lay" is a name from an ancient human culture, the Celts. Though there was little opportunity to discuss this matter during the war, from the Arilou's first appearance Humans recognized the appearance of Arilou and Arilou Skiffs as being identical to those of the beings from the human 20th century known as "Roswell Grays" and their vessels, "flying saucers". Recent Human history was peppered with incidents of Humans claiming to have observed disc-shaped alien craft traveling through the atmosphere (such as in the famous incident over Roswell, New Mexico), even of memories of being captured, studied and modified by small, mysterious beings inside such craft, often resulting in repeated visits to check up on the progress of their "patients", sometimes resulting in mysterious and sudden pregnancies. Though often dismissed as cases of hysteria and rumor -- as was, indeed, often the case, the so-called "flying saucer craze" or "UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) craze" becoming one of the greatest human fads of the late twentieth century -- modern investigations found top-secret records from studies conducted by that time's national governments, such as the United States Army's Project Blue Book, of legitimate, unexplainable instances of encounters with aliens whose descriptions exactly matched the Arilou. On closer investigation, vaguer references from Humans' past about such creatures as elves, faerie, duendes, and so on seem to resonate with the modern stories of UFOs.
Widespread suspicion and hostility toward the Arilou continued throughout the course of the war, and during the Second War, when the Arilou reappeared as The Captain's personal benefactors, he was able to confront them about these rumors, which, surprisingly, they gladly confirmed, naming themselves as the elves and Roswell Grays of Human mythology, though maddeningly reluctant to give specific details.
It now seems undeniable that Humans' reputation for being an isolated race with no outside contact was exaggerated; indeed, that very situation may have been purposely engineered by the one race that had a close and continued yet clandestine and one-sided relationship with Humans for their whole history. The Arilou have implied they have been intimately involved with the development of the human species from the very beginning, perhaps being responsible for the evolution of the human species itself, or at least for the origins of Human civilization; we know that their only real purpose in joining the Alliance was to protect Humanity from possible total destruction, and after the slave-shielding of Earth they immediately withdrew. The Arilou hold a paternal attitude toward Humans which they insist is benevolent; they seem to have, in a series of carefully timed interventions, been steering the human race toward a specific destiny, as the Arilou's tools — or perhaps their heirs. For this purpose the main procedure seems to have been the careful crafting of the structure of Human instinct (instinct being a characteristic the Arilou claim to entirely lack) through both genetic and social engineering. The Arilou claim to have been primarily responsible for preventing Human interaction with extra-dimensional entities like the Orz, the perils of which very quickly consumed the Androsynth after their separation from the main Human species. Some even speculate a connection between the Arilou and The Captain's affinity for Precursor technology that made the Second War possible, given that the Arilou claimed to have visited Unzervalt close to the time of The Captain's birth.
Ilwrath
Some of Human personality traits may come from their status as "naked apes", having a highly flexible body capable of using many tools but itself greatly lacking in resilience or natural defenses, compared to races with protective exoskeletons or natural venom weapons. One consequence of this combination of their relatively high awareness of danger with relatively vulnerable bodies is that the Humans' potential for the experience of pain and fear is very high, making them a favorite victim of Ilwrath religious rituals.
Arilou engineering might lend an explanation to the odd relationship Humans have with the Syreen; the two species are physiologically almost identical, the only difference being a blue-colored element in Syreen skin pigmentation and various signs of their having been adapted to a higher-temperature climate; moreover, the two species are genetically almost identical, and have in fact proven to be cross-fertile and capable of sexual reproduction. For this to be a coincidence of convergent evolution is statistically impossible, and indicates the two races must have a common ancestor and must have been separated very recently in their evolutionary history. The obvious explanation is that the Arilou either took Syreen stock to Earth to begin breeding Humans or Human stock to Syra to begin breeding Syreen -- Arilou attitudes toward the two indicate the former is more probably true.
If this is so, there is a very good chance that the Syreen either function as a control group for the Arilou/Human experiment, or else are simply an abandoned original population. Indeed, the Arilou fleet, which had been accompanying the Syreen fleet at the end of the Second War, vanished to leave the Syreen defenseless once they heard the Humans had been safely slave-shielded, indicating their lack of interest in the Syreen.
This relationship appears even more likely when we examine the resemblance Syreen society bears to Human society. The Syreen's natural mode of existence, based on peaceful cooperation, balanced and harmonious relationships with natural forces, and strong appreciation of sensual and aesthetic pleasures closely resembles the paradise long dreamt of by Human mystics and philosophers and striven for by Human political reformers, but never achieved in Human history. Syreen historical development followed a path of combining hunter-gatherer tribes into agricultural collectives, until society was unified into a peaceful agrarian super-community. Humans, for some reason, never experienced this sociological transformation; the Agricultural Revolution, rather than putting military dominance and political power into the hands of a collective agrarian system, instead served to funnel resources to the hunting and raiding cultures, whose competitive, expansionist cultural system absorbed the agrarian societies and forced them into a resource-hoarding, conquest-seeking model of society, leading to the system of militaristic empires and nation-states that defined Earth history.
Furthermore, the Syreen, like the Humans, defined much of their society's roles based on a gender binary based on sex, but unlike in Humans, in Syreen society the feminine dominated the masculine. Human society almost became the inverse of the Syreen, with the masculine, for most of their history, seen as having natural priority over the feminine, so that Earth's leadership and military even now is male-dominated, just as the Syreen's was female-dominated.
Humans, in other words, lived as though they had the instincts and ecological niche of predators like the Yehat, even though their ecological niche as farmers and builders should have created a Syreen-like society. It seems plausible that this is the Arilou's doing, using the Humans' combined desire for prosperity in peacetime and victory in wartime in order to push the Humans to great technological sophistication far in advance of the unaltered Syreen.
The molding of Humans into a high-technology competitive society may also be responsible for another major difference between Humans and Syreen; though Humans have long been known to have detectable psychic potential, training in the use of psychic abilities has never existed beyond the most rudimentary degree in Human society, while in Syreen society it has been commonplace and formed part of the basis for the Syreen's complex rituals of social interaction, as well as being the technological foundation of the Syreen's defense systems.
VUX
Interestingly, the VUX race has had a highly negative history with Humans. The VUX race appears highly distasteful to Human eyes, and Humans had long regarded Captain Jeffry L. Rand's inadvertent insult of a VUX captain as one of their greatest diplomatic missteps. However, it later transpired that the VUX culture, placing far more emphasis on vanity and personal appearance than Humans did, was repelled by Human appearance to a far greater degree, and the VUX had only played up the incident of the Insult to justify their own irrational desire to destroy the Human species because of their visceral reaction to its appearance.
Yehat
The Humans share an unusually strong fraternal bond with the Yehat. The Yehat found a great deal more in common with the Humans than with other races, greatly respecting the fact that Humans, like the Yehat, had progressed to the age of space travel through a bloody history of intraspecies war and cultural conflict without the civilizing influence of "higher" races. Humans' similar long experience with warfare had led them to develop a concept of "honor", strong personal integrity among even enemies, similar to the code that formed the basis of Yehat law and morality. The Yehat thus saw the Humans as spiritual siblings, and in communication with Humans, they consciously chose to reference many of their cultural concepts with similar concepts from Human history, primarily the milieu of medieval Europe. Similarly, they drew many parallels between the hybrid culture that their Shofixti charges developed and that of feudal Japan. The Captain's own Human upbringing gave him enough sympathy for the Yehat, and enough Yehat sympathy for him, that he was able to successfully engineer the Yehat Revolution against their Ur-Quan-allied Veep-Neep rulers in the Second War.
1The Melnorme greeting (when hostile) "You have disappointed us, though to be truthful we had some hints that our relationship would be difficult at first due to your species' emotional immaturity," and the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za reply to a line of The Captain (after being compelled by the neo-Dnyarri to seek death at the hands of the Ur-Quan) "We have been lenient with your species, because you are so immature. Now this attitude has changed. You WILL be held responsible for your malfeasance!"
2Both Commander Hayes and the 3DO manual (pg. 2) give the year of first contact as 2112. The PC manual (pg. 10) states that Ceres Base was built in 2112 and the Chenjesu made first contact three years later.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/index.php?title=Human&oldid=20887"


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Ukraine's Zelensky Thanks BlackRock for Reconstruction Investment, Proving War is Good Business - The Political Insider
Ukraine's Zelensky Thanks BlackRock for Reconstruction Investment, Proving War is Good Business
By Kathleen J. Anderson
War is a constant in our society and always has been since we've learned to branch off into distinct groups and then into our own countries. Another constant has been the inherent profitability of war, and our proxy war in Ukraine is a perfect modern-day example.
As we approach the year mark of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it's interesting to think back on all those military and defense experts that said Ukraine would fall in a matter of days. It begs the question; were they purposely misleading, or are our military 'experts' just that completely inept?
Here we are; President Volodymyr Zelensky is still perhaps the most beloved man on the planet. Yet, while many innocent men, women, and children are dying for a cause they believe in, others are poised to cash in on the reconstruction effort.
And to think, the war isn't even over.
Western nations are sending billions to Ukraine to supply them with weapons.
Who pays for that? You.
Who benefits from that? Weapon manufacturers.
Who's the largest shareholder in weapon manufacturers? Blackrock.
Who is going to "reconstruct" Ukraine after the war? Blackrock. pic.twitter.com/tUiXpusOMo
— Eva Vlaardingerbroek (@EvaVlaar) January 15, 2023
RELATED: Pentagon Admits It Can't Account for $2 Trillion – AGAIN
A Can't-Miss Opportunity
Before the end of 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink agreed to partner up for the future of Ukraine, which apparently is one in which they have defeated the Russian aggressor.
The agreement allows BlackRock to coordinate the investments coming into Ukraine concerning its rebuilding.
On President Zelensky's official website, it states of the memorandum of understanding between the two:
"…agreed to focus in the near term on coordinating the efforts of all potential investors and participants in the reconstruction of our country, channeling investment into the most relevant and impactful sectors of the Ukrainian economy."
That's quite a bit of power that BlackRock will have over this country that has been devastated by the seemingly nonstop barrage of Russian attacks. That will be a whole lot of money going in and, perhaps more importantly, out, of the war-torn country in an effort to rebuild it.
But in whose image will Ukraine be built? Funny, when this sort of activity happens in other continents like Africa, it is frowned upon; however, when it happens in Eastern Europe, it is celebrated; I wonder why that is…
The feeling is mutual. BlackRock plans to turn Ukraine into a "beacon of capitalism," and Goldman Sachs says that Ukraine's reconstruction will offer "good economic incentives for real return and real investment." https://t.co/lO8w8OOUlH pic.twitter.com/oxD0NSrxIF
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) January 24, 2023
Good For Business
Like a lot of global activity meant to appear philanthropic but is really self-serving under the surface, there was abundant chatter on the economic future benefits of Ukraine at none other than the World Economic Forum's annual Davos event.
Mr. Fink specifically mentioned that he believes BlackRock's investment in Ukraine's reconstruction will turn the country into a "beacon of capitalism."
RELATED: America Last Has Pushed the Doomsday Clock to 90 Seconds to Midnight
The CEO of Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, said at Davos that:
"There is no question that as you rebuild, there will be good economic incentives for real return and real investment."
Kudos to Mr. Solomon for thinking on the bright side of things. You can't blame Mr. Solomon and Mr. Fink; it's their job to look at the bottom line.
What chaps my rear end and many others out there is the disgust we receive from the Ukrainian flag pin wearers when we raise questions on the actual underlying reasons for investment and the detriment our involvement may cause to our people.
It doesn't take long to be labeled a Putin sympathizer or a Tucker Carlson fanatic if you dare to raise your eyebrow in concern.
Tucker Carlson Reacts To Zelensky Thanking Blackrock, J.P. Morgan And Goldman Sachs While They Profit Off Of The War In Ukraine
"Oh you can make a lot of money in Ukraine. It's the Ukrainian way! Which is of course corruption, one of the most corrupt countries in the world." pic.twitter.com/WbOPSGSwH2
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) January 25, 2023
A Clean Canvas
Recently President Zelensky spoke at the National Association of State Chambers. This event has representatives from all 50 state Chambers of Commerce who make various decisions on economic investments for their state.
Addressing a Chambers of Commerce meeting in Boca Raton today, Zelensky thanks BlackRock, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and others for their support of Ukraine. Adds that sending Ukraine heavier weapons, like Abrams tanks, represents a "big business" opportunity for US corporations pic.twitter.com/N1h8OVECLt
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) January 24, 2023
At this event, the Ukrainian President said:
"American business can become a locomotive of global economic growth."
Interesting, not sure the Chambers of Commerce across our country should be looking to send our businesses overseas given all the layoffs and Americans looking for employment opportunities here.
He went on to brag:
"We have already managed to attract attention and have cooperation with such giants of the international, financial and investment world as BlackRock, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and such American brands as Starlink or Westinghouse have already become part of our Ukrainian way."
I guess Elon Musk isn't such a bad guy after all. His following words really caught my attention:
"Everyone can become a big business by working with Ukraine, in all sectors, from weapons and defense to construction, from communication to agriculture, from transport to IT, from banks to medicine."
Why we could build ourselves quite the little puppet state, couldn't we? Interesting the order of sectors in that list.
RELATED: GOP Congressman Calls to Add Bust of Ukraine's Zelensky in the U.S. Capitol Building: MTG Says Absolutely Not!
It's Not About Freedom
I have a family member who spent much of his life working for small defense contractor firms. Twice he lost his job because a larger defense contractor absorbed the small ones he worked for like an amoeba.
I'm not the only American that knows someone negatively affected by this practice. I spent some time living in Oklahoma and enjoyed meeting several farmers and ranchers.
Increasingly they were having difficulty expanding their land due to either China gobbling it up, marijuana farms taking over, and over-regulation in general. And I know of at least five fellow mothers that have had difficulty finding medicine for their children because of supply chain issues directly correlated to the fact that a large chunk of our medicine comes from other countries.
Who honestly believes that we should be putting a priority on investment in a country that the majority of Americans couldn't identify on a map?
President Zelensky ended his appeal to the State Chambers of Commerce representatives with the obligatory:
"…I believe that freedom must always win."
None of this has to do with freedom; it has to do with American dollars, yours and mine, coming out of our pockets into the pockets of Big Business, Big Defense, Big Government, and any number of corrupt Ukrainian ministers. Kiev estimates it will cost $750 billion to reconstruct the country.
Washington D.C. firms estimate the amount is closer to $100 billion. But what's a few hundred billion between friends?
Especially when the Pentagon isn't well known for its accounting skills anyway.
Pres. Zelensky specifically name checked BlackRock while discussing post war rebuilding efforts in Ukraine. BR has a long association with PRC interests, & detractors accuse it of acting as an overt front for the CCP. This should raise massive red flags.https://t.co/drVg9lVOOC
— Patrick Fox (@RealCynicalFox) January 25, 2023
Report: Marjorie Taylor Greene Sees Herself as Trump's VP Pick in 2024
Kathleen J. Anderson
USAF Retired, Bronze Star recipient, outspoken veteran advocate. Hot mess mom to two monsters and wife to equal parts Saint and Artist husband. Writer, lifelong conservative, lover of all things American History, and not-so-secret Ancient Aliens fanatic. Homeschool maven, Masters in Political Management, constitutionalist, and chock full of opinions.
I'm sorry but screw Ukraine. It was a corrupt country before Zelensky who brought drama to the corruption as a trifling little two bit comic in his last gig and has pandering down to a science. He knows Hunter's and Biden's dirty little secrets…he feels empowered. It's not a war in a region strategically necessary to the US yet, we tempt nuclear Armageddon to protect a small corrupt country because the war mongers in Congress and Zelensky demands we do? Starting to see the real reason yet?
The left and their media lap dogs have been making Russia into a big bad ever since they dropped communism. Whenever Russia has made a move of any kind Democrats and RINOs made a big baby deal about it continuing to paint the Russians as the worst thing ever. All while ignoring real threats. No shock that after all this time making the Russians out to be bad guys that they can make even the most corrupt nation into a good guy when Russia invades them.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The obstacle that poses the biggest challenges, often comes from ourselves.
"Changing isn't a bad thing and it never was. But at the end of the day, you know, you're the same person. And, and where your heart is, that doesn't change."


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Sofer Stam (în ebraică: סופר סת"ם, prescurtarea cuvintelor
סופר ספרי תורה תפילין ומזוזות, Sofer Sifrei Tora, Tefilin uMezuzot) este numele actual al scribului ritual, expert în caligrafia ebraică întrebuințată în textele sanctificate, uzate în cultul iudaic. Forma la plural este "sofrim"  sau "sofrey Stam". Cuvintele "sofer", "sofrim" ca și cuvântul "sefer"  ספר(carte)  sunt construite dupa rădăcina sfr ספר sau verbul "safor" "a număra".

Sfera de activitate
În vechime el se numea "Sofer" pur și simplu, dar astăzi se adaugă acronimul ebraic "STaM", de la "Sifrei Torá, Tfilin, Mezuzot", pentru a sublinia că este vorba de cel care copiază literele din sulurile de Tora, și inscripțiile de pe fragmentele de pergament incluse în filacterii Tfilin și în ușorii numiți Mezuzá, și pentru a deosebi de cuvântul ebraic modern "sofer" care înseamnă "scriitor".
Scribul numit sofer Stam este dator de a urma niște reguli precise ale scrierii tradiționale atât în ce privește forma literelor cât și uneltele de scris folosite.

În afară de sulurile de Tora (pe care sunt scrise în ebraica biblică cele cinci cărți ale Torei sau Pentateuhului), în sarcina  soferului Stam, intra și copierea altor suluri care se citesc în sinagogă:Cântarea Cântărilor (Shir Hashirim) , Cartea Rut (Meghilat Rut), Cartea Esterei (Meghilat Ester), Ecleziastul și Plângerile lui Ieremia (Meghilat Eihá), de asemenea cărțile profeților folosite în citirea de către credincioși a așa numitei Haftará (pasaj din textele profeților evrei), pericopa talmudică "Pitum Haktoret" (Prepararea tămâii)  , de asemenea documentele de divorț Get, la plural Gittin.

În anumite comunități, ca de exemplu cea a rabinului Haim Kanievski din Bney Brak, Israel, sofrey Stam copiază și alte cărți ale Bibliei ebraice, ca de exemplu Psalmi sau Cartea lui Ezra.
Această tendință  a fost încurajată în secolul al XIX lea de către rabinul Shlomo Boyarski din Ierusalim.
Evreii din Slonim, din Lituania mare de odinioară, azi în Belarus, erau renumiți  prin miile lor de scribi rituali calificați.
Dacă nu se respectă regulile tradiționale ale legii iudaice Halahá, documentele scrise respective nu sunt valide din punctul de vedere al religiei.

Sofrim Stam scriu de obicei în același tip de scriere și contractele religioase de căsătorie "Ketuba" în limba arameică, precum și ediții artistice și ornamentale ale unor texte religioase, care nu necesită neapărat calificarea lor specială, și unde nu e nevoie de aplicarea regulilor tradiționale specifice menționate mai sus.

Tipul particular de caligrafie ebraică folosit de sofrim Stam se numește "ktav stam".
Literele ש ע ט נ ז ג ץ sunt încununate deasupra cu liniuțe subțiri ornamentale denumite "taghim" )(Taggim).
Legea majoră iudaică cu privire la "Sofrut", ocupația acestor caligrafi, se află în Talmud, în tratatul denumit Sofrim (Masehet Sofrim).

Potrivit ultimei din cele 613 porunci din cartea Deuteronomul 31, 19:

Maimonide a conchis că este un comandament pentru orice evreu să-și facă scris un sul de Tora.
Dacă o copiază el însuși e ca și cum ar fi primit-o el însuși pe Muntele Sinai, iar dacă nu știe să o copieze, i-o vor copia alții.
Ulterior au beneficiat credincioșii evrei de ediții tipărite  ale Torei numite Humash, și atunci unii învățați (Baruch Halevi Epstein - Torá tmimá) au fost de părere că mai însemnat e studiul Torei scrise și orale, decât cheltuiala personală pentru scrierea unui sul de Torá.

Calificarea și cerințele. Manuale
După iudaismul ortodox, un sofer Stam trebuie să respecte preceptele religioase în viața sa cotidiană, să fie un om bun și să cunoască bine legile ocupației sale.
Nu este necesar să posede o pregătire rabinică.
Ucenicia în meserie, numită Shimush, se face pe lângă un alt meșter în această artă.
Evreii ortodocși evrei așkenazi, între care cei hasidici din mișcarea Habad, cei sefarzi,etc au anumite forme grafice particulare ale literelor

Partea cea mai grea a profesiei nu este atât caligrafia însăși, cât ținerea minte a miilor de reguli obligatorii referitoare la copiatul sulurilor de Torá și al celorlalte cărți sacre scrise pe suluri de pergament, a filacteriilor și a ușorilor. Un sul de Torá conține 304,805 litere, iar
copierea lui durează în medie un an - un an și jumătate.

După ce s-au găsit numeroși scribi care nu știau cum trebuie sau de loc prescripțiile religioase cu privire la meseria lor, rabini strict ortodocși în frunte cu Moshe Sofer Schreiber, cunoscut ca Hatam Sofer, din Bratislava (pe atunci, știută și ca Pressburg sau Pozsony), au decis ca sofrey Stam să obțină autorizație de liberă practică de la tribunalele rabinice (Beit Din rabaní). Mai târziu, în 1935 s-a înființat la Varșovia o organizație numită Shomrey Stam (Păzitorii Stam), singura calificată de a autoriza scribii rituali evrei din Polonia și împrejurul ei.
Organizația nu a activat prea multă vreme din cauza catastrofei evreilor polonezi din anii 1939-1945.

Activitatea acestei organizații a fost reluată începând din 1975 în Israel și S.U.A. de către comitetul numit Vaad Mishmeret Stam care acționează la Ierusalim, Bnei Brak și Brooklyn, New York.

Manualele
Principalele texte din care se învață arta scribilor rituali evrei, includ:
manualul "Keset Ha-Sofer" ("Călimara scribului") de rabinul Shlomo Ganzfried ,"Mishnat Sofrim" ("Învățătura scribilor") de rabinul Israel Meir Hacohen, cunoscut ca Hafetz Haim, "Hasdey David",  "Mishna Brurá  volumul I(B) - legile Tfillin", "Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Tefillin uMezuzah v'Sefer Torah", "Hilchot Tzitzit", "Mishnat Hasofer",  "Likkut Sifrey", "Shulhan Aruch Harav".
etc.

Uneltele
Un sofer stam  se folosește de un toc din trestie sau pană de gâscă (uneori de curcan), numit kolmós sau kulmós (קולמוס) și de o cerneală specială, numită "dyo stam", preparată după o rețetă din vechime, conținând ulei, catran, ceară, și o cantitate mică de miere. Dacă inițial tocurile erau în majoritatea lor din trestie, ulterior s-a răspândit folosirea de pene, dar denumirea kolmos, din grecescul καλάμος (în latină calamus = toc) care înseamnă trestie, s-a păstrat.
Textele se copiază pe pergamente sau vellum special denumite în ebraică Klaf sau Gvil și preparate manual din fragmente pătrate de piele de "animal pur", după rigorile legii religioase iudaice: vită, oaie, capră sau căprioară.

Corectura
Munca scribilor "Sofrei Stam" este controlată de obicei manual către de doi corectori, de asemenea de profesie sofrei stam, precum și cu ajutorul computerului.

Femeile și meseria de sofer stam
După Tratatul talmudic Gittin 45 b, "cărțile Torei, tfilin și mezuzot care au fost scrise de un "mosser" (informator), un "eretic", un "adorator al stelelor", un rob, o femeie, un minor, un "Kutit" (samaratean) sau un evreu apostat, nu sunt valide pentru  cult".
Codul medieval "Arbaá Turim" )("Tur") nu include, totuși, femeile în lista celor care nu au voie să copieze cărți de Torá, ceea ce este privit de unii ca o dovadă ca femeile ar putea fi "sofrot Stam".
In prezent, practic toate autoritățile iudaice ortodoxe, inclusiv ortodoxe moderne contestă femeilor dreptul de a copia un sul de Torá. În schimb li se permite scrierea de contracte de căsătorie Ketuba, copierea sulurilor  Cărții Esterei, etc

Interdicția menționată cu privire la femei nu există însă în congregații  ale iudaismului reformat, conservativ și reconstrucționist. În anul 2003 o evreică din Canada, Aviel Barclay a devenit "soferet Stam" autorizată, iar în 2007
Jen Taylor Friedman din Marea Britanie care se consideră ortodoxă egalitaristă și e legată în general de comunități de rit conservativ și reconstrucționist, a devenit prima femeie "soferet Stam" care a copiat un sul întreg de Torá. În anul 2010 un sul de Torá a fost copiată în întregime de un grup de șase evreice din Brazilia, Canada, Israel și Statele Unite, în cadrul așa numitului Women's Torah Project .

Note

Legături externe
site despre sofrei Stam si scrierea Stam  (în engleză)
film scurt despre scrierea sulurilor de Torá (în engleză)
situl Comitetului Vaad Miashmeret Stam despre copierea textelor din mezuza (in engleză)
despre women's torah project, la o comunitate evreiască reconstrucționistă, Kadima, din Seattle (în engleză)
informație succintă despre meșteșugul de sofer stam  (în ebraică, pentru uz școlar)

Iudaism

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The Best Of So You Think You Can Dance, Part One: Hip-Hop
With So You Think You Can Dance kicking off its fifth season this week, I felt it was an appropriate time to engage in everybody's favorite pastime: lists! Best-of lists are great! Because you can argue about what should have been on the list and why list item X should not have been on the list.
However, just an overall "best of" list seems like an exercise in futility, not least because comparing between genre is difficult if not outright impossible. So instead, I have elected to present these best-of lists (which have been determined through a rigorous scientific process, doubt me not) divided by genre: hip-hop, ballroom, contemporary, and everything else. Top twelve for each. Why twelve? Why not?
So, firstly, hip-hop. This was actually the easiest of the lists to manage, because outstanding hip-hop and urban dancing is still comparatively rare on So You Think You Can Dance. This is not to say that it is bad; it isn't, and most of it is reliably entertaining. However, truly standout performances in this genre are much less frequent than in the other major divisions of dance on this show.
An email buddy of mine who is a professional dancer has this theory:
When a ballroom choreographer shows up on the show, they can charge more for classes. When a contemporary choreographer shows up on the show, they can maybe get a few more butts in seats for their next production. But when an urban choreographer shows up on the show, they're doing it because they want to be the next Shane Sparks and get to that level where they're choreographing movies and videos and cheerleaders and making so much money they don't have to be on the show any more. Which is why you get less top choreographers in the genre.
I don't think this is entirely wrong, but it's not entirely right either (after all, the other choreographers want to be rich too). I personally think it has more to do with the fact that hip-hop dancers are more likely to be untrained, classically speaking, and tend to be eliminated earlier. There's just less of a window for them to really impact the show in the way that contemporary dancers do. (Ballroom dancers have the same problem but on a lesser scale.)
All right. Introduction over. To the list! (And I recommend watching the videos in high quality, if your computer can handle it. Rapid hip-hop movements do not translate well to low-quality Youtube viewing.)
12.) Comfort and Mark, U.S. season four (top 8).
Tabitha and Napoleon are really great hip-hop choreographers with a weakness, and their weakness is for melodrama. This is not to say that their dramatic routines aren't good – of course they can be – but I personally often prefer it when they stop trying to import moral lessons through hip-hop and instead just try to rip it as hard as humanly possible. This was a great example of the latter, and one that didn't get nearly its due from the judges.
11.) Gemma and Rhys, Australia season 1 (top 14).
It's no secret that a number of the male dancers in any season of SYTYCD are gay, but for irritatingly predictable reasons the show almost never acknowledges this. This, then, is why I love Rhys: in his intro video in the first week of competition, he never described himself as "gay" – but pointed out that he was a drag queen, that he liked wearing makeup, and that his father was "very supportive" of who he was. In other words, he all but shouted out "hey, Australia, I'm queer" and then promptly displayed on a weekly basis how his sexuality was utterly besides the point by dancing with his female partners in a more heterosexually masculine and romantic way than any of the straight boys also on the show. Consider this dancehall-ish routine, which Jason Coleman described as "blokish," which I feel is exactly correct. It's also pretty slammin'.
10.) Penny and Charlie, Australia season 2.
Penny and Charlie are probably Australia's answer to a Benji/Donyelle or Katee/Joshua pairing: a couple, paired from the start, with immense chemistry and exceptional talent. This "dancin' vampires" routine manages to be entirely engrossing without having any of the really crazy lifts or tricks a lot of hip-hop routines throw in. Maybe it's because of the contact lenses they're wearing to give them cat-eyes, I dunno.
9.) Lisa and Vincent, Canada season 1 (top 18).
Canadian voters didn't respond to this routine at all, giving Lisa and Vincent a bottom three berth (they of course weren't eliminated). Maybe it's because the routine is, honestly, freaky and weird. The theme of "Raggedy Ann and Andy secretly hate one another" isn't your standard two-dancers-do-some-beats thing, after all. But this routine is freaky and weird in a good way; it's original and funny and Lisa and Vincent hit it hard. Sometimes the voters are wrong!
8.) Lacey and Pasha, U.S. season 3 (top 6).
Dave Scott's guy-and-a-mannequin routine is a longtime favorite of mine, for a bunch of reasons. Pasha's solo portion of the dance is very good, way better than anyone could reasonably expect of a ballroom boy and good on its own merits as well. Lacey never drops the blank face (which is really hard to do when you're dancing that hard) and hits her steps a bit harder than Pasha to emphasize her not-actually-a-human-ness. And it's really funny and clever, and that is always to be celebrated.
7.) Lamb and Timomatic, Australia season 2 (top 20).
A stunning lyrical hip-hop routine that honestly makes a lot of lesser routines look comparatively mawkish. (Lamb didn't even make top 10 of her season, which should really emphasize how rich the talent was in Australia's most recent crop.) The simple concept of "best friends realize they're in love with each other" isn't layered on with a trowel, but I think it comes through – especially with that look on Timomatic's face right at the end. Gorgeous. (The routine, not Timomatic. Although I expect some people might wish to disagree with me on that point, as he is obviously quite handsome.)
6.) Kate and Rhys, Australia season 1 (top 10).
And here's a change of pace – a hip-hop routine with no overlying story beyond "let's do some awesome moves." Supple is one of those choreographers who can be maddeningly inconsistent, and his really clever concepts don't always translate through to his dance routines – but when Supple is on, he is on. The tutting in this routine is just fucking brilliant, and the way Kate and Rhys snap through their moves is fantastic.
The Canadian version of the show was lacking a full-time "awesome"-level hip-hop choreographer. Luther Brown had to split his time between choreo and judging, and while Brown is a very good choreographer, he specializes in lower-key hip-hop and less on the big, crowd-pleasing tricks. Along comes Sho-Tyme, who despite a silly nom de guerre quickly displayed brilliance and became a crowd favorite. This house routine is complex as all get out, and Vincent and Lisa nail it (again), hitting their unison just about perfectly in a routine even more frantic than most hip-hop routines on SYTYCD.
4.) Katee and Joshua, U.S. season 4 (top 20).
This routine basically made Napoleon and Tabitha's brand on SYTYCD, as well as letting Katee establish her place as the top female dancer of the season almost immediately (and, some have argued, the best dancer of the season period). It's just good, and I have little else to say about it so I'll just shut up now.
3.) Allison and Ivan, U.S. season 2 (top 8).
Joyful and romantic and restrained and really quite simple in concept, this Shane Sparks routine remains a personal favourite, not least because Ivan – whose hip-hop talents were mostly submerged during his tenure on the show in favour of a "growth as a dancer" meta-storyline – finally got to show everybody how good he really could be. Allison is Allison, one of the best female dancers to ever appear on the show. So there's all that going for it.
2.) Destini and Jamile, U.S. season 1 (top 8).
Until season 4, this was the gold standard for hip-hop on SYTYCD, because it is a totally sick balls-out routine with half a dozen "shit yes" moments. Earned one of the rare judge standing ovations. (Possibly because Jamile had, after four weeks of ballroom routines, finally the chance to perform in his specialty.)
1.) Comfort and Twitch, U.S. season 4 (top 10).
And bear homage to the new king. Dave Scott's "dancers in the year 3000" routine is great to begin with, but give it to Comfort and Twitch – probably the greatest female and male hip-hop dancers in the show's history – and you just knock it out of the park. Period.
Tomorrow: ballroom.
Karen said on May 18th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Epic! Thanks!
Laurie said on May 18th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Watching these makes me once again loathe the camera work on a lot of this. Allison and Ivan did not need that shaky seasick camera work to punch up the routine at all.
What ever happened to one long continuous shot? Or a few closeups when events warrant? I know the difficulties of shooting a 'live' show, but damn it.
Tarpo said on May 18th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
The Katee and Josh dance #4 was what locked me in as a fan of the show. Plus I still tear up watching it and think the the dance every time I hear the song somewhere. It was just terrific. I was never that impressed with Comfort. She just seemed like she was at a lower level and couldn't quite play up to the others every time she danced.
Quinctia said on May 19th, 2009 at 12:55 am
This just reminds me of how much I like some of the more specific niches like House and Dance Hall more than some of the more generic hip-hop. I think the Lisa/Vincent ragdoll routine suffered because of the music it was set to.
I liked the S1 Australia "Bollywood" Hip-Hop routine that Kate/Graeme did, too. So many of the routines that were deserving of the judges complaining that season, and I thought that one was pretty creative and catchy, and not horrible.
hatgirlstargazer said on May 21st, 2009 at 4:18 am
#12 I love how gender is totally irrelevant to this dance. You can mistake Tabitha for a small guy and it looses nothing at all.
#8 Both dancers do a really amazing job here. I'd forgotten how good this routine was.
#3 I just love Allison's expression through this.
Since it's the thing to do with lists, I'll note that you left out my favorite SYTYCD hip-hop routine – Chelsie and Mark, "Bleeding Love", US season 4.
I don't know why I've only commented on dances from the US version, possibly it's that I have more to say seeing a dance for the second time. Wish I could see the other versions of the show, it's nice to see these samples.
MGK said on May 21st, 2009 at 1:29 pm
See, that's one of my least favorites, because it's a key example of Tabitha and Napoleon trying to make a routine work with melodrama rather than good technique. Chelsie just isn't a very strong hip-hop dancer and the routine centres on her.
SmR said on May 23rd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Wow. Did the guy in the #1 video just do the worm *on his back*? I love watching hip-hop dancing in general, so- thanks for this!
say it with pie : MGK Counts Down the Best of SYTYCD said on May 24th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
[…] a great series of posts last week where he counted down the Top 12 SYTYCDances in four categories: Hip Hop, Ballroom, Contemporary, Everything Else. We're talking every series and every season. I […]
user42935 said on April 28th, 2010 at 1:13 am
I think you should put these on the list: Jeanine-Philip, "Mad" and Ashleigh-Jakob, "watcha say"
-nice list though :3


text:
An inside look at baseball's past, present, and future.
Home » Babe Ruth , Joe DiMaggio , Mickey Mantle , Monument Park , Moose Skowron , New York Yankees , Paul O'Neill , Tino Martinez » Yankees honor O'Neill in Monument Park, but is he the most deserving?
Yankees honor O'Neill in Monument Park, but is he the most deserving?
August 10, 2014 Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Monument Park, Moose Skowron, New York Yankees, Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez No comments
On Saturday August 9, 2014, the New York Yankees honored Paul O'Neill with his own spot in Monument Park, nestled among the legends of the franchise. While O'Neill was certainly a very good major league player (a five-time All-Star and 1994 batting champion), I question the motives behind the Yankees' decision to place him among the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth.
Nobody in baseball would ever place O'Neill in the above class (he earned only 2.2% of the vote in his one year on the Hall of Fame ballot), and as I said earlier this year when the Yankees inducted Tino Martinez into Monument Park, their motives for induction are based more on finances than what they did on the field.
Just as the Hall of Fame's empty 2013 ceremony displayed, there is little money in honoring the deceased. Knowing that fans would not pack the stadium to see a posthumous induction in 2014, the Yankees have decided to further expand the confines of Monument Park to include the "very good."
If both Martinez and O'Neill are honored for their tenure with the Yankees, then how long will it be before Bill "Moose" Skowron, owner of four World Series rings with the club, gets the call? Take a look below for a comparison of O'Neill and Skorown's stats.
Paul O'Neill
1993 30 NYY AL 141 547 498 71 155 34 1 20 75 2 4 44 69 .311 .367 .504 .871 136 251 13 2 0 3 5 *97/D
1994 ★ 31 NYY AL 103 443 368 68 132 25 1 21 83 5 4 72 56 .359 .460 .603 1.064 177 222 16 0 0 3 13 *97/D AS,MVP-5
1995 ★ 32 NYY AL 127 543 460 82 138 30 4 22 96 1 2 71 76 .300 .387 .526 .913 137 242 25 1 0 11 8 *97/D AS,MVP-15
1996 33 NYY AL 150 660 546 89 165 35 1 19 91 0 1 102 76 .302 .411 .474 .885 123 259 21 4 0 8 8 *9/D3
1997 ★ 34 NYY AL 149 637 553 89 179 42 0 21 117 10 7 75 92 .324 .399 .514 .912 137 284 16 0 0 9 8 *9/3D AS,MVP-12
1998 ★ 35 NYY AL 152 672 602 95 191 40 2 24 116 15 1 57 103 .317 .372 .510 .882 130 307 22 2 0 11 2 *9/D AS,MVP-12
1999 36 NYY AL 153 675 597 70 170 39 4 19 110 11 9 66 89 .285 .353 .459 .812 107 274 24 2 0 10 1 *9
2000 37 NYY AL 142 628 566 79 160 26 0 18 100 14 9 51 90 .283 .336 .424 .760 92 240 17 0 0 11 2 *9/D
2001 38 NYY AL 137 563 510 77 136 33 1 21 70 22 3 48 59 .267 .330 .459 .789 105 234 20 2 0 3 4 *9/D
NYY (9 yrs) 1254 5368 4700 720 1426 304 14 185 858 80 40 586 710 .303 .377 .492 .869 125 2313 174 13 0 69 51
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Bill Skowron
1954 23 NYY AL 87 237 215 37 73 12 9 7 41 2 1 19 18 .340 .392 .577 .969 167 124 8 1 0 2 3/54
1955 24 NYY AL 108 314 288 46 92 17 3 12 61 1 1 21 32 .319 .369 .524 .894 140 151 11 3 0 2 4 3/5
1956 25 NYY AL 134 523 464 78 143 21 6 23 90 4 4 50 60 .308 .382 .528 .910 142 245 16 6 2 1 3 *3/5
1957 ★ 26 NYY AL 122 501 457 54 139 15 5 17 88 3 2 31 60 .304 .347 .470 .818 123 215 17 3 3 7 6 *3 AS,MVP-22
1958 ★ 27 NYY AL 126 502 465 61 127 22 3 14 73 1 1 28 69 .273 .317 .424 .740 106 197 16 4 1 5 1 *3/5 AS
1959 ★ 28 NYY AL 74 309 282 39 84 13 5 15 59 1 0 20 47 .298 .349 .539 .888 145 152 10 3 2 2 0 3 AS
1960 ★ 29 NYY AL 146 584 538 63 166 34 3 26 91 2 3 38 95 .309 .353 .528 .881 141 284 17 2 0 6 2 *3 AS,MVP-9
1961 ★ 30 NYY AL 150 608 561 77 150 23 4 28 89 0 0 35 108 .267 .318 .472 .790 113 265 21 8 0 3 9 *3 AS
1962 31 NYY AL 140 524 478 63 129 16 6 23 80 0 1 36 99 .270 .325 .473 .798 114 226 13 5 1 4 4 *3
N. Diunte
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text:
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//
// File ContField1D.h
//
// For more information, please see: http://www.nektar.info
//
// The MIT License
//
// Copyright (c) 2006 Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University (USA),
// Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London (UK), and Scientific
// Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah (USA).
//
// License for the specific language governing rights and limitations under
// Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
// copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),
// to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation
// the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense,
// and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
// Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
//
// The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included
// in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
//
// THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS
// OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
// FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
// THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
// LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING
// FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER
// DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
//
// Description: Field definition in one-dimension
//
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

#ifndef NEKTAR_LIBS_MULTIREGIONS_CONTFIELD1D_H
#define NEKTAR_LIBS_MULTIREGIONS_CONTFIELD1D_H

#include <MultiRegions/MultiRegions.hpp>
#include <MultiRegions/DisContField1D.h>
#include <MultiRegions/GlobalMatrix.h>
#include <MultiRegions/GlobalLinSys.h>
#include <SpatialDomains/Conditions.h>
#include <MultiRegions/MultiRegionsDeclspec.h>
#include <MultiRegions/AssemblyMap/AssemblyMapCG.h>
#include <MultiRegions/AssemblyMap/AssemblyMapDG.h>

namespace Nektar
{
    namespace MultiRegions
    {
        /// Abstraction of a global continuous one-dimensional spectral/hp
        /// element expansion which approximates the solution of a set of
        /// partial differential equations.
        class ContField1D: public DisContField1D
        {
        public:
            /// Default constructor.
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT ContField1D();

            /// Set up global continuous field based on an input mesh and
            /// boundary conditions.
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT ContField1D(
                        const LibUtilities::SessionReaderSharedPtr &pSession,
                        const SpatialDomains::MeshGraphSharedPtr &graph1D,
                        const std::string &variable);

            /// Copy constructor.
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT ContField1D(const ContField1D &In);

            /// Copy constructor.
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT ContField1D( const LibUtilities::SessionReaderSharedPtr &pSession,
                                              const ExpList1D & In);
            /// Destructor
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT virtual ~ContField1D();

            /// Perform global forward transformation of a function \f$f(x)\f$,
            //  subject to the boundary conditions specified.
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT void FwdTrans(      const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,      NekDouble> &outarray,
                                CoeffState coeffstate = eLocal);

            /// This function performs the backward transformation of the
            /// spectral/hp element expansion.
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT void BwdTrans(      const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,       NekDouble> &outarray,
                                CoeffState coeffstate = eLocal);

            ///
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT void MultiplyByInvMassMatrix(
                                const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,       NekDouble> &outarray,
                                CoeffState coeffstate = eLocal);

            /// Return the boundary conditions expansion.
            // inline
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT const Array<OneD,const MultiRegions::ExpListSharedPtr>&
                                                     GetBndCondExpansions();

            // inline
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT const Array<OneD,const SpatialDomains
                                ::BoundaryConditionShPtr>& GetBndConditions();
            /// Scatters from the global coefficients
            /// \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g\f$ to the local coefficients
            /// \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_l\f$.
            // inline
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT void GlobalToLocal( const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,NekDouble> &outarray);

            /// Gathers the global coefficients \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g\f$
            /// from the local coefficients \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_l\f$.
            // inline
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT void LocalToGlobal();

            /// Assembles the global coefficients \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g\f$
            /// from the local coefficients \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_l\f$.
            // inline
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT void Assemble();

            /// Assembles the global coefficients \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g\f$
            /// from the local coefficients \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_l\f$.
            // inline
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT void Assemble(const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,NekDouble> &outarray);

            /// Returns the map from local to global level.
            // inline
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT const AssemblyMapCGSharedPtr& GetLocalToGlobalMap() const;

            /// Calculates the inner product of a function \f$f(x)\f$ with
            /// respect to all global expansion modes
            /// \f$\phi_n^e(x)\f$.
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT void IProductWRTBase(const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD, NekDouble> &outarray,
                                CoeffState coeffstate = eLocal);

            /// Calculates the result of the multiplication of a global matrix
            /// of type specified by \a mkey with a vector given by \a inarray.
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT void GeneralMatrixOp(const GlobalMatrixKey             &gkey,
                                const Array<OneD,const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,      NekDouble> &outarray,
                                CoeffState coeffstate = eLocal);

        protected:
            /// (A shared pointer to) the object which contains all the required
            /// information for the transformation from local to global degrees
            /// of freedom.
            AssemblyMapCGSharedPtr m_locToGloMap;

            /// A enum list declaring how to interpret coeffs,
            /// i.e. eLocal, eHybrid or eGlobal
            CoeffState m_coeffState;

            /// (A shared pointer to) a list which collects all the global
            /// matrices being assembled, such that they should be constructed
            /// only once.
            GlobalMatrixMapShPtr            m_globalMat;

            /// A manager which collects all the global
            /// linear systems being assembled, such that they should be
            /// constructed only once.
            LibUtilities::NekManager<GlobalLinSysKey, GlobalLinSys> m_globalLinSysManager;

        private:
            /// Returns the linear system specified by \a mkey.
            GlobalLinSysSharedPtr GetGlobalLinSys(const GlobalLinSysKey &mkey);

            GlobalLinSysSharedPtr GenGlobalLinSys(const GlobalLinSysKey &mkey);

            /// Solve the linear system specified by the key \a key.
            void GlobalSolve(   const GlobalLinSysKey &key,
                                const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &rhs,
                                      Array<OneD,       NekDouble> &inout,
                                const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &dirForcing
                                                        = NullNekDouble1DArray);

            /// Perform a forward transform
            virtual void v_FwdTrans(
                                const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,       NekDouble> &outarray,
                                CoeffState coeffstate);

            virtual void v_MultiplyByInvMassMatrix(
                                const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,       NekDouble> &outarray,
                                CoeffState coeffstate);

            /// Impose the Dirichlet Boundary Conditions on outarray
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT virtual void v_ImposeDirichletConditions(Array<OneD,NekDouble>& outarray);

            /// Scatters from the global coefficients
            /// \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g\f$ to the local coefficients
            /// \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_l\f$.
            // inline
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT virtual void v_GlobalToLocal(void);

            /// Gathers the global coefficients \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g\f$
            /// from the local coefficients \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_l\f$.
            // inline
            MULTI_REGIONS_EXPORT virtual void v_LocalToGlobal(void);

            virtual void v_HelmSolve(
                    const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                          Array<OneD,       NekDouble> &outarray,
                    const FlagList &flags,
                    const StdRegions::ConstFactorMap &factors,
                    const StdRegions::VarCoeffMap &varcoeff,
                    const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &dirForcing);

            virtual const Array<OneD,const SpatialDomains
                                ::BoundaryConditionShPtr>& v_GetBndConditions();

            virtual void v_BwdTrans(
                                const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,       NekDouble> &outarray,
                                CoeffState coeffstate);

            virtual void v_IProductWRTBase(
                                const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,       NekDouble> &outarray,
                                CoeffState coeffstate);

            /// Calculates the result of the multiplication of a global matrix
            /// of type specified by \a mkey with a vector given by \a inarray.
            virtual void v_GeneralMatrixOp(
                                const GlobalMatrixKey             &gkey,
                                const Array<OneD,const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,      NekDouble> &outarray,
                                CoeffState coeffstate);

        };
        typedef boost::shared_ptr<ContField1D>      ContField1DSharedPtr;

        // Inline implementations follow

        inline const Array<OneD,const MultiRegions::ExpListSharedPtr>&
                                ContField1D::GetBndCondExpansions()
        {
            return m_bndCondExpansions;
        }

        inline const Array<OneD,const SpatialDomains::BoundaryConditionShPtr>&
                                ContField1D::GetBndConditions()
        {
            return m_bndConditions;
        }

        /**
         * This operation is evaluated as:
         * \f{tabbing}
         * \hspace{1cm}  \= Do \= $e=$  $1, N_{\mathrm{el}}$ \\
         * \> \> Do \= $i=$  $0,N_m^e-1$ \\
         * \> \> \> $\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}^{e}[i] = \mbox{sign}[e][i] \cdot
         * \boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g[\mbox{map}[e][i]]$ \\
         * \> \> continue \\
         * \> continue
         * \f}
         * where \a map\f$[e][i]\f$ is the mapping array and \a
         * sign\f$[e][i]\f$ is an array of similar dimensions ensuring the
         * correct modal connectivity between the different elements (both
         * these arrays are contained in the data member #m_locToGloMap). This
         * operation is equivalent to the scatter operation
         * \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_l=\mathcal{A}\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g\f$, where
         * \f$\mathcal{A}\f$ is the
         * \f$N_{\mathrm{eof}}\times N_{\mathrm{dof}}\f$ permutation matrix.
         *
         * @param   inarray     An array of size \f$N_\mathrm{dof}\f$
         *                      containing the global degrees of freedom
         *                      \f$\boldsymbol{x}_g\f$.
         * @param   outarray    The resulting local degrees of freedom
         *                      \f$\boldsymbol{x}_l\f$ will be stored in this
         *                      array of size \f$N_\mathrm{eof}\f$.
         */
        inline void ContField1D::GlobalToLocal(
                                const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,NekDouble> &outarray)
        {
            m_locToGloMap->GlobalToLocal(inarray,outarray);
        }

        /**
         * This operation is evaluated as:
         * \f{tabbing}
         * \hspace{1cm}  \= Do \= $e=$  $1, N_{\mathrm{el}}$ \\
         * \> \> Do \= $i=$  $0,N_m^e-1$ \\
         * \> \> \> $\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g[\mbox{map}[e][i]] =
         * \boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g[\mbox{map}[e][i]]+\mbox{sign}[e][i] \cdot
         * \boldsymbol{\hat{u}}^{e}[i]$\\
         * \> \> continue\\
         * \> continue
         * \f}
         * where \a map\f$[e][i]\f$ is the mapping array and \a
         * sign\f$[e][i]\f$ is an array of similar dimensions ensuring the
         * correct modal connectivity between the different elements (both
         * these arrays are contained in the data member #m_locToGloMap). This
         * operation is equivalent to the gather operation
         * \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g=\mathcal{A}^{T}\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_l\f$,
         * where \f$\mathcal{A}\f$ is the
         * \f$N_{\mathrm{eof}}\times N_{\mathrm{dof}}\f$ permutation matrix.
         *
         */
        inline void ContField1D::Assemble()
        {
            m_locToGloMap->Assemble(m_coeffs,m_coeffs);
        }

        /**
         * This operation is evaluated as:
         * \f{tabbing}
         * \hspace{1cm}  \= Do \= $e=$  $1, N_{\mathrm{el}}$ \\
         * \> \> Do \= $i=$  $0,N_m^e-1$ \\
         * \> \> \> $\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g[\mbox{map}[e][i]] =
         * \boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g[\mbox{map}[e][i]]+\mbox{sign}[e][i] \cdot
         * \boldsymbol{\hat{u}}^{e}[i]$\\
         * \> \> continue\\
         * \> continue
         * \f}
         * where \a map\f$[e][i]\f$ is the mapping array and \a
         * sign\f$[e][i]\f$ is an array of similar dimensions ensuring the
         * correct modal connectivity between the different elements (both
         * these arrays are contained in the data member #m_locToGloMap). This
         * operation is equivalent to the gather operation
         * \f$\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_g=\mathcal{A}^{T}\boldsymbol{\hat{u}}_l\f$,
         * where \f$\mathcal{A}\f$ is the
         * \f$N_{\mathrm{eof}}\times N_{\mathrm{dof}}\f$ permutation matrix.
         *
         * @param   inarray     An array of size \f$N_\mathrm{eof}\f$
         *                      containing the local degrees of freedom
         *                      \f$\boldsymbol{x}_l\f$.
         * @param   outarray    The resulting global degrees of freedom
         *                      \f$\boldsymbol{x}_g\f$ will be stored in this
         *                      array of size \f$N_\mathrm{dof}\f$.
         */
        inline void ContField1D::Assemble(
                                const Array<OneD, const NekDouble> &inarray,
                                      Array<OneD,NekDouble> &outarray)
        {
            m_locToGloMap->Assemble(inarray,outarray);
        }

        inline const AssemblyMapCGSharedPtr&
                                    ContField1D::GetLocalToGlobalMap() const
        {
            return  m_locToGloMap;
        }

    } //end of namespace
} //end of namespace

#endif // MULTIERGIONS_CONTSOLNFIELD1D_H

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


J Clin Anesth. 2018 Dec 29;55:83-91.
The effects of dexamethasone, light anesthesia, and tight glucose control on postoperative fatigue and quality of life after major noncardiac surgery: A randomized trial.
Abdelmalak BB, You J, Kurz A, Kot M, Bralliar T, Remzi FH, Sessler D.
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text:
Tea How
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How Tea is Made – From Start to Finish
Tea Facts, Tea Guides /
Ever wondered how that spoon full of tea arrived in your teapot? You might shovel the tea leaves into the teapot without a second thought for the multitude of processes that went into getting the tea to that perfect moment of taste. I decided to find out.
So how is tea made? It's a linear process beginning with growing and harvesting leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant. The extent of further processing depends on the type of tea required. Processing includes harvesting, withering, rolling, oxidizing, drying and grading. Let's take you through the process.
Ideal Growing Conditions
Where Is Tea Grown?
1. Seeding Process
2. Growing The Tea Plant
3. Harvesting / Picking
4. Withering
5. Oxidation / Fermentation
6. Rolling
7. Drying / Fixing
8. Grading
10. Packing / Despatching
11. Shipping & Transportation – (The Tea Commodity Chain)
To Your local Store.
Production: Specific To Each Tea Class
Camellia Sinensis is an evergreen plant and a member of the Theaceae family of shrubs. In the wild, it can grow up to 6 meters, 19.6' tall, but in a controlled environment, its cultivation is normally kept at around 1.2m, 4' in order to make cultivated leaves more accessible.
Leaves grow up to around 3.5" or 9cm long by 1.5" or 3cm wide in a spearhead shape with a centre crease and softening blackening towards to tips. They're bright green and have a shiny texture, with soft dowdy hair underneath.
The plant has a number of points during it's growing season at which it flowers, known as a 'flush', the flowers are slightly scented and holds a collection of yellow stamens which are pollinated by insects.
Tea isn't just grown in controlled conditions it grows in the wild too. nonetheless, tea ideally grows best in more equatorial regions, which enjoy a hot, or warm, humid climate with an approximate rainfall measuring 40 inches /100 centimetres a year.
Camellia Sinensis roots better in deep, acidic and airy soil where good drainage exists. In ideal conditions, you can expect to grow the plant right from sea level to over 2,000 metres.
It's hardy when mature but in the early stages it needs nursing well and kept in heavy shade or protection from frost – up until about 1' or, 30 cm tall.
Although Ideal, it doesn't only have to be grown in the tropical or sub tropical climates.
The tea plant is a tropical plant indigenous to India and China and resembles what most might regard as a privet hedge.
Originally, Tea plants were grown in China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and Taiwan. However, Tea is now manufactured in dozens of countries is possible providing suitable conditions are met.
In Northern India, the states of West Bengal and Assam in particular are littered with plantations which form a large part of the economy.
Now tea has become more popular, it's being grown in both the USA and Britain to for example to great success.
Tea Plants begin life as a large soft round seedling, about 1/2" – 3/4" in diameter. The seedling is placed in water for around 24-48 hours to kickstart the germination process.
The seeds are then left in full sunlight, again for around 24-48 hours, sometimes longer depending on weather or controlled conditions.
Once the shell begins to split, the seed is then planted around an inch below deep airy soil, with the 'Hilum' or the eye of the seed facing upward. They are then left, taking care not to leave them in harsh weather conditions as they're not yet hardy enough to withstand it.
Once they reach around a foot tall, they're then planted outside. Usually in a field where wide shaded trees are also present to provide shelter from continuous direct sunlight.
As the plant requires plenty of water and a well drained environment, in controlled environments the fields are often lined with irrigation systems.
Once the tree has reached a height of around 4 feet, it's kept at this optimum level from this point on, solely for ease of harvesting.
It can take around 4 years before a tree is hardy enough to begin cultivation, so this is a waiting and nurturing game.
Each time the plant creates new shoots and leaves they're harvested. This could be just 2-3 times a year. However, this can occur more often in places such as Sri-Lanka, Indonesia, Kenya or in the south of China and India where summer is all year round. Harvesting becomes less infrequent the further north you travel.
For example, North India has an 8 month harvesting season. In Northern China, harvesting can be around 4 times a year from around April to September.
During the harvesting season means tea can be harvested from each field every 5 to 8 days
Tea is a manual harvesting process, people harvest by hand or using specialist pruning shears with a collection basket attached. They have a basket on their back which the harvested leaves are added to.
The reason for a manual process is quality control. The experienced pickers know which buds are ripe for picking and are able to pick the best ones.
Pickers only collect leaves from the top of the tea plant – known as the 'Flush', these have one or two leaves, an unopened bud and part of the new step. Where a flush has 2 or 3 leaves, this is known as a golden flush.
In order to be this precise in selection, hand picking is far superior, so where possible, avoid teas that have been machine picked.
In the case of Oolong tea, hand picking is essential to avoid any bruising occurring to the leave before processing.
The leaves are weighed, added to bags and sent to the factory. As speed is now important to prevent deterioration of the stock, trucks are sent from the fields to the factories often up to 4 times a day.
Once at the factory, leaves are quickly weighed and inventoried, then spread out over large white cloths laid on the ground – like decorators sheets. is where manufacturing begins to separate out the different types of tea, Black, White, Oolong, Green (and Pu-erh).
Generally speaking, leaves are left to 'solar dry' in the sun to wither, which can remove up to 50% or even 60% of their moisture content. They are shuffled regularly to provide an even process and often conditioned air is circulated around them to speed up the process by drying up any surface water content and aid chemical break down of the juices.
This process alone can take 12 to 18 hours to complete – again depending on how thin you spread the leaves, and the type of tea required. Black tea, for example, is oxidized for longer and therefore the leaves are spread into thinner layers.
The main objective of withering is to soften the leaves, this removes any brittle tendencies from the stems which means they'll withstand the rolling process. Once the plant is softens enough that the stem can be bent in half – then it's ready for further oxidising and then rolling. At this stage, the essential enzymes and polyphenols are still present in the leaves.
For Black tea – which is the most processed. The tea is piled up in a container or on tiled or glass tables. It is then covered from direct sunlight and left to oxidize still further for about 2 to 3 hours.
As this continues, the leaves will turn from an oily green to a copper like colour and this is how the degree of fermentation is gauged. Also, the pile will become quite warm as it's heated by the sun, and from within as the enzymes work under the surface to enhance the flavour.
The alternative and more industrial method is to dry the tea with hot air, by roasting, or in the case of Japanese tea – steaming. the temperature in which the tea is heated to will enable the oxidisation process to be fixed so that no further oxidation occurs.
Leaves are then wrapped up into cloth bundles and rolled manually at first, then in a specialist rolling machine. This releases further moisture and prior to the oxidation and fermentation process.
The act of rolling breaks and ruptures the cell walls, bringing the essential juices to the surface of each leaf.
Rolling machines can come in various forms, depending on the amount of manufacturing that takes place. A typical machine will have a cylinder in which to place the tea, and a pressure plate that inserts into the top of the cylinder, applying downward pressure.
The whole cylinder containing the tea is then mechanically driven in a circular movement over a metal base with meters cone. This is designed to roll and curl the leaves. Think of it almost as a giant food mixer effect with a cone spiral up the center.
The rolling process takes around 30 to 60 minutes to complete.
Drying, or firing, is required in order to help 'Fix' the oxidation process, i.e. prevent further oxidation. Also, it's designed to extract any remaining moisture from the leaves.
The driers consist of perforated trays that are passed on a conveyer beneath hot machine driers for around 20 to 30 minutes. To begin with the teas have a 50% moisture content.
The starting temperature when tea is introduced is 120 degrees or 50 degrees Celcius, this increases to 200 degrees, which is about 93 degrees Celsius.
When completed the moisture content should have reduced from 50% down to 3%. The colour of the tea will have changed by this time, from a copper brown mix to a black mix.
The resulting tea is passed through grading machines to filter them into their respective grades using a series of grading and sifting machinery. Differing mesh sizes 'sort' the tea leaves into their respective sizes. This is all based on size. Below I've added a grading table for easy reference.
[Grading table]
Once the tea has been fully processed, it undergoes sporadic and systematic taste testing by the tea masters to ensure the quality of product is maintained, before being sealed in air tight containers…
Because of the dryness of the finished product. Teas can easily absorb moisture.
The packing process usually involves tightly packing the tea in plywood tea chests, which also contain several layers of aluminium craft paper sacks.
From there the tea is either transported to auction houses, or is packed in specific packaging for direct export shipment.
Upon leaving the plantations, Tea leaves are either sent directly to a processing centre or through bought leaf suppliers.
Akbar brothers and Hayleys are Sri Lanka's largest exporters of tea. Sri-Lankan Tea manufacturers and Tea suppliers control a majority share of the global tea market.
China have strict contamination checks on any tea exports. All tea is put into airtight containers and are checked for contaminants before being shipped.
These shipments are destined for predominant foreign markets like Russia, Morocco, Japan and the United Kingdom. Morocco is known to be the highest importer of Chinese Tea.
However, Tea is exported with minimal processing to their respective importing countries, where in turn the arriving tea is further blended by tea companies. Often in processing for 'Ready to use' tea for consumer use.
A shorter journey is required. Mostly Tea is shipped by truck and/or railroad within the borders of India. It is rarely shipped further from here. India primarily use their home grown tea for their own consumption.
When tea IS exported, the majority are sent via shipping containers. The containers must however be watertight and be placed below deck in order that the tea is unaffected by weather such as rain, or even any effects from seawater. Even the temperature has to be monitored so as not to get too hot or too cold.
The primary tea shipping ports in India are Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Kochi, New Mangalore, Kolkata-Haldia and Chennai.
Darjeeling tea from Northern India is sent via air freight for the most part. this speeds up the delivery process – rather than pass through all of India first.
Tea from India is mostly exported to the United Kingdom, Russia, UAE and Iran.
Once arriving, the teas are shipped within the importing country. It is then sent through distribution channels to arrive at your local store.
Now, Let's look at how each type of tea differs in the above production process.
Now, Let's look at how tea production differs for each of the variety of teas.
For the most part, tea has always been classified based on the degree of oxidation (or fermentation its been subjected to. You will see from the categories below that it's predominantly the process of withering and oxidation that can create such varieties.
In this next section, we also introduce an additional tea class not mentioned previously, mainly as its not as common, but is still grown in small quantities. It rests between Green and White tea and is called Yellow Tea. Made famous when the emperors of China commonly drank it – yellow being the imperial colour. these days, Yellow Tea is commonly given as an overseas gift.
The least amount of oxidation time is taken to produce green Tea. Hence the name, the whole processing is done within one or two days of harvesting.
The oxidation process is ceased when a short blast of heat is applied shortly after being picked. This is done using Steam – which is the preferred method in Japanese Processing. Or Heat, or 'dry roasting', which is predominantly the Chinese method.
The leaves are then either dried as they are, or rolled into small pellet shaped balls. As this process takes an amount of time, it's usually done with the higher grade Pecoe Tea. If the process is followed correctly, it should produce a crop which contains the right amount of chemical composition.
When steamed, the colour and brightness of tea is more apparent. When dry roasting is used, the crop tends to be darker, but richer in taste. There are further alterations in flavour that can occur when the tea is subjected to variations in rolling, steaming or fixation or simply by extending or shortening the times of all of processes.
Processed much the same way as Green Tea, However, the chlorophyll part of the leaves is the main target during processing. Rather than immediately drying the leaves after the fixation phase, the leaves are spread out in trays and covered where they are then heated gently in a humid environment. Oxidation is commenced in the Chlorophyll without affective enzymes or microbial elements.
The result is a green to yellow colour of tea that is smooth, with a natural fragrance and rich flavour.
Made with only new shoots, leaves and buds harvested from the plant. Again the oxidation process is limited with just a slight added amount of solar withering. They are then Dry roasted at 30 degrees, or steamed at 65 degrees for about 25 hours, this will cease the oxidation process.
The total withering time can be anything between 1 to 3 days depending on the temperatures at the time of year and the seasonal variances in harvest. The lack of fixation means the white (or silver) hairs on the underside of the leaves is retained, which is where White Tea earns it's name.
More rare than other types of tea (except Yellow) and producing a very mild taste and yet despite it's lack in processing white tea tends to be more expensive than other tea variations.
Produced in large quantities in Taiwan and the name given to a particularly semi-oxidised tea. Oolong falls between Green and Black tea inherently due to its oxidation process being between the two. As with white tea, the withering process can take 2 to 3 days. But then adds a short oxidation process of up to 7 hours.
Likewise darjeeling tea undergoes a similar process and becomes more akin to Green or Oolong tea. Teas that are semi oxidised are referred to in China as Blue teas, or blue-green teas.
It is commonly thought – particularly in Taiwan, that oxidisation over too short a time period can be too raw and upsetting for the average consumers stomach. However, the process is still carried out in order to produce a specific taste or texture. Minimal oxidation also allows the leaves to be rolled into balls easier- which is desirable across some markets.
Full oxidisation takes place with black tea, allowing it to wither completely to enable the breaking down of proteins, leading to a softening of the leaves and stems and a much reduced water content down to around 50% to 75%.
Unlike other teas, black tea then undergoes the process called 'Disruption' where the leaves cell structures are subjected to bruising, cutting and bending. This brings enzymes to the surface of the leaves that assist in activating oxidation.
Oxidation takes place for between 1 to 3 hours in high humidity of around 30 degrees Celsius. Complex and rich tannins are produced from a transformation in catechises within the leaves.
Black tea also undergoes a heavy rolling process to further breakdown leave structure, which then also provides a mix of whole and broken leaves and remaining particles.
The Orange Pekoe system is used to grade the teas before oxidisation, although this can differ slightly where CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) machinery is used.
To produce fine tea – fanning and dust that is used for teabags, a machine developed in 1930 by William McKercher was developed which crushes and cuts the leaves to an even size ready for tea bag use.
Post Fermented Tea
The final category is different again. Teas that undergo a further second oxidation after the 'Fixing' process are post fermented. Common teas of this type are Pu-erh, Liubao and Liu'an. In China these are referred to as 'Dark Teas' or 'Black Teas'. In English they're referred to as secondary, or post fermented teas.
You can see the full flow diagram of how this process works HERE
I hope this has helped you to understand the process of tea manufacturing from start to finish. Next time you're pouring a cup of Oolong, or Green, perhaps you wouldn't mind sparing a thought for the time, energy and hours – in fact, years, that it took for those leaves, to arrive in your cup.
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Creative Electric, Color Wire Pictures - The pink & black have to be the 240v hots (pink secondary, above). The white could be impartial, if the cooktop needs 120v for some thing. If it doesn't, maybe it doesn't need it and the inexperienced-floor is going to the ground or metallic container. The united kingdom currently (2004) modified its system to conform with that of the international electrotechnical commission (iec). Even though its floor wire shade (green with a yellow stripe) remained the equal, the colour for neutral wires, which previously became black, have to now be blue. Likewise, where an antique single-phase line was purple, now it should be brown. Further, the labeling and coloring of multi-section strains inside the united kingdom has additionally modified: l1, which formerly became red, is now brown, l2 (formerly yellow) is now black, and l3 (formerly blue) is now grey.
Seeking to cord the lighting in a lavatory ceiling mild and arrogance mild with double mild switch. Two wires going into the arrogance light b/w and b/w. Wires going into the light transfer b/w and b/w. In the arrogance light a white wire is tied to a black twine together the ones wires goes to a single white wire at the mild switch. The conceitedness light a black twine is going to the black wire on the mild transfer. In the conceitedness light a white cord goes to the mild transfer to the black and white cord tide collectively. How do i connect the wires efficiently to the double switch?. The shade-coding for multi-branches become discarded with the 1971 nec, even though the colours white, natural grey, inexperienced and inexperienced with yellow stripes had been all nevertheless reserved, and prohibited for ungrounded wires. The selection to discard the rigid color code requirements for circuit wires was because of the truth that "there are not enough colours to cowl the variations in structures and voltages.??.
Get a multimeter and set it to ac and connect one lead to the naked copper (ground) after which, with the strength on, one at a time, contact the other cause the white cord then the gray wire. This type of need to examine not anything (this is your impartial), and one must study 110v (that is your hot or stay twine). If this is not the case then name an electrician due to the fact you've got an improperly stressed circuit. Next flip off power to the circuit, and connect the green fan wire to the copper, next connect the white fan cord to the impartial, and ultimately the black to the off stay wire. End hanging your fan and switch on the electricity, all completed.


Temperature was taken at the Marina. Fishing has been robust this week. Bass are hitting on Senkos and still appear to be more active at the Narrows swallower grassy area of the lake. Catfish are hitting on various baits, but anchovies are the more popular this week. Swallow grassy areas appear to be the hot spot. Panfish, bluegill and red ear are doing well on jigs and night-crawlers. Not hearing much from the Crappie anglers this week.