text:
Q: Why is deque using so much more RAM than vector in C++? I have a problem I am working on where I need to use some sort of 2 dimensional array. The array is fixed width (four columns), but I need to create extra rows on the fly.
To do this, I have been using vectors of vectors, and I have been using some nested loops that contain this:
array.push_back(vector<float>(4));
array[n][0] = a;
array[n][1] = b;
array[n][2] = c;
array[n][3] = d;
n++

to add the rows and their contents. The trouble is that I appear to be running out of memory with the number of elements I was trying to create, so I reduced the number that I was using. But then I started reading about deque, and thought it would allow me to use more memory because it doesn't have to be contiguous. I changed all mentions of "vector" to "deque", in this loop, as well as all declarations. But then it appeared that I ran out of memory again, this time with even with the reduced number of rows.
I looked at how much memory my code is using, and when I am using deque, the memory rises steadily to above 2GB, and the program closes soon after, even when using the smaller number of rows. I'm not sure exactly where in this loop it is when it runs out of memory.
When I use vectors, the memory usage (for the same number of rows) is still under 1GB, even when the loop exits. It then goes on to a similar loop where more rows are added, still only reaching about 1.4GB.
So my question is. Is this normal for deque to use more than twice the memory of vector, or am I making an erroneous assumption in thinking I can just replace the word "vector" with "deque" in the declarations/initializations and the above code?
Thanks in advance.
I'm using:
MS Visual C++ 2010 (32-bit)
Windows 7 (64-bit)

A: The real answer here has little to do with the core data structure. The answer is that MSVC's implementation of std::deque is especially awful and degenerates to an array of pointers to individual elements, rather than the array of arrays it should be. Frankly, only twice the memory use of vector is surprising. If you had a better implementation of deque you'd get better results.

A: It all depends on the internal implementation of deque (I won't speak about vector since it is relatively straightforward).
Fact is, deque has completely different guarantees than vector (the most important one being that it supports O(1) insertion at both ends while vector only supports O(1) insertion at the back). This in turn means the internal structures managed by deque have to be more complex than vector.
To allow that, a typical deque implementation will split its memory in several non-contiguous blocks. But each individual memory block has a fixed overhead to allow the memory management to work (eg. whatever the size of the block, the system may need another 16 or 32 bytes or whatever in addition, just for bookkeeping). Since, contrary to a vector, a deque requires many small, independent blocks, the overhead stacks up which can explain the difference you see. Also note that those individual memory blocks need to be managed (maybe in separate structures?), which probably means some (or a lot of) additional overhead too.
As for a way to solve your problem, you could try what @BasileStarynkevitch suggested in the comments, this will indeed reduce your memory usage but it will get you only so far because at some point you'll still run out of memory. And what if you try to run your program on a machine that only has 256MB RAM? Any other solution which goal is to reduce your memory footprint while still trying to keep all your data in memory will suffer from the same problems.
A proper solution when handling large datasets like yours would be to adapt your algorithms and data structures in order to be able to handle small partitions at a time of your whole dataset, and load/save those partitions as needed in order to make room for the other partitions. Unfortunately since it probably means disk access, it also means a big drop in performance but hey, you can't eat the cake and have it too.

A: Theory

There two common ways to efficiently implement a deque:  either with a modified dynamic array or with a doubly linked list.
The modified dynamic array uses is basically a dynamic array that can grow from both ends, sometimes called array deques. These array deques have all the properties of a dynamic array, such as constant-time random access, good locality of reference, and inefficient insertion/removal in the middle, with the addition of amortized constant-time insertion/removal at both ends, instead of just one end.
There are several implementations of modified dynamic array:

*

*Allocating deque contents from the center of the underlying array,
and resizing the underlying array when either end is reached. This
approach may require more frequent resizings and waste more space,
particularly when elements are only inserted at one end.

*Storing deque contents in a circular buffer, and only resizing when
the buffer becomes full. This decreases the frequency of resizings.

*Storing contents in multiple smaller arrays, allocating additional
arrays at the beginning or end as needed. Indexing is implemented by
keeping a dynamic array containing pointers to each of the smaller
arrays.
Conclusion

Different libraries may implement deques in different ways, but generally as a modified dynamic array. Most likely your standard library uses the approach #1 to implement std::deque, and since you append elements only from one end, you ultimately waste a lot of space. For that reason, it makes an illusion that std::deque takes up more space than usual std::vector.
Furthermore, if std::deque would be implemented as doubly-linked list, that would result in a waste of space too since each element would need to accommodate 2 pointers in addition to your custom data.
Implementation with approach #3 (modified dynamic array approach too) would again result in a waste of space to accommodate additional metadata such as pointers to all those small arrays.
In any case, std::deque is less efficient in terms of storage than plain old std::vector. Without knowing what do you want to achieve I cannot confidently suggest which data structure do you need. However, it seems like you don't even know what deques are for, therefore, what you really want in your situation is std::vector. Deques, in general, have different application.

A: Deque can have additional memory overhead over vector because it's made of a few blocks instead of contiguous one.
From en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/container/deque:

As opposed to std::vector, the elements of a deque are not stored contiguously: typical implementations use a sequence of individually allocated fixed-size arrays.

A: The primary issue is running out of memory.
So, do you need all the data in memory at once?
You may never be able to accomplish this.
Partial Processing
You may want to consider processing the data into "chunks" or smaller sub-matrices.  For example, using the standard rectangular grid:

*

*Read data of first quadrant.

*Process data of first quandrant.

*Store results (in a file) of first quandrant.

*Repeat for remaining quandrants.

Searching
If you are searching for a particle or a set of datum, you can do that without reading in the entire data set into memory.

*

*Allocate a block (array) of memory.

*Read a portion of the data into this block of memory.

*Search the block of data.

*Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the data is found.

Streaming Data
If your application is receiving the raw data from an input source (other than a file), you will want to store the data for later processing.
This will require more than one buffer and is more efficient using at least two threads of execution.
The Reading Thread will be reading data into a buffer until the buffer is full.  When the buffer is full, it will read data into another empty one.
The Writing Thread will initially wait until either the first read buffer is full or the read operation is finished.  Next, the Writing Thread takes data out of the read buffer and writes to a file.  The Write Thread then starts writing from the next read buffer.
This technique is called Double Buffering or Multiple Buffering.
Sparse Data
If there is a lot of zero or unused data in the matrix, you should try using Sparse Matrices.  Essentially, this is a list of structures that hold the data's coordinates and the value.  This also works when most of the data is a common value other than zero.  This saves a lot of memory space; but costs a little bit more execution time.
Data Compression
You could also change your algorithms to use data compression.  The idea here is to store the data location, value and the number or contiguous equal values (a.k.a. runs).  So instead of storing 100 consecutive data points of the same value, you would store the starting position (of the run), the value, and 100 as the quantity.  This saves a lot of space, but requires more processing time when accessing the data.
Memory Mapped File
There are libraries that can treat a file as memory.  Essentially, they read in a "page" of the file into memory.  When the requests go out of the "page", they read in another page.  All this is performed "behind the scenes".  All you need to do is treat the file like memory.
Summary
Arrays and deques are not your primary issue, quantity of data is.  Your primary issue can be resolved by processing small pieces of data at a time, compressing the data storage, or treating the data in the file as memory.  If you are trying to process streaming data, don't.  Ideally, streaming data should be placed into a file and then processed later.
A historical purpose of a file is to contain data that doesn't fit into memory.


text:
Las rutas comerciales son los enlaces geográficos entre centros de producción de mercancías y los mercados de consumo

Las rutas internacionales, su exploración y explotación, son las verdaderas causas de los grandes descubrimientos y viajes de la historia, desde Zhang Qian, Erik el Rojo, Leif Eriksson, Zheng He y Marco Polo, pasando por viajeros como Vasco de Gama y Cristóbal Colón, entre otros. Han sido también grandes impulsos para la ciencia y la tecnología de la navegación y el transporte terrestre y aéreo. Gracias a las necesidades de nuevas rutas comerciales, se crearon objetos como las brújulas, los sextantes y los relojes, así como la cartografía.

Rutas históricas

Se refieren principalmente a las rutas históricas, entre las que sobresalen:
  Ruta de la seda que se originaba en China y partía hacia el mundo islámico y de ahí hacia Europa. El tránsito por lugares desérticos daba lugar a los típicos caminos para caravanas de camellos y caballos.

 Ruta de las especias: Esta ligaba, primero por tierra y luego por mar, y por los centros de producción de especias en China, India y Oceanía con Europa.

 Ruta de la Nueva España: Esta conectaba a los dominios españoles en América y Asia con Europa. En algún momento de la historia, los productos y mercancías se producían típicamente en Filipinas y luego se transportaban a Acapulco en México por barco, donde adicionados con productos locales, se trasladaban por tierra al puerto de Veracruz. Posteriormente se enviaban a La Habana o y de ahí a España.

Véase también
 Galeón de Manila
 Comercio triangular
 Tornaviaje

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Some disillusionment-but also a little bit of hope, Biotech in Bavaria–Report 2018/19
By Dr. Mathias Schott and Sebastian Sommer
To start off with the good news, Bavaria has proven its position within the German Biotech scene last year. The Free State accounted for an astonishing 40 percent of the German deals, which ranged from EUR 25m to EUR 222m in the last three years. The by far biggest transaction, however, was the 2018 BioNTech deal with a volume of EUR 222m. With such a remarkable sum, the German BioNTech placed the 2nd biggest transaction within the European Life Science industry of the last three years. What is more, Bavaria still dominates with the "conventional VC rounds" with an invested volume of EUR 113m and AuM of EUR 4,550m, not taking into account the governmental KfW Förderbank – the biggest Life Science investor in Germany.
Nevertheless, a look at the German market is still associated with a drop of bitterness. While the number of VC deals in Europe increased, they have decreased in Germany. Practically, Germany only accounted for 7% of the European volume.
In a market that is dominated by the United Kingdom, France being a distant second, Germany only made it to the 3rd rank based on volume and 4th rank based on number of deals. One can look at it with cautious optimism: Less deals but higher volumes, underlining the principle "quality over quantity", which is not necessarily wrong, especially in a sector as sophisticated as biotechnology. Still, one might ask whether Germany is selling themselves short.
Many transactions take place in the United Kingdom, these are however also the most important. During the last 3 years, 60 percent of the top 10 deals originated on the island. As previously mentioned, BioNTech is the only German company that could break through the phalanx of British top deals. This underlines a significant point.
One might argue that the British dominance is no surprise, as over the past five years 85 percent of the UK's funding has been reinvested into its own country, which is why the largest deals come from the UK. But this idea lags: Germany in comparison invested only 70 percent in domestic companies during this period – the home bias is apparently not as distinctive as across the English Channel. In fact, for the first time, German investors invested more in foreign companies than in their own country in 2018. The question arises as to whether foreign biotech companies simply perform better or are smarter in attracting capital.
Putting it another way: German biotech companies are more dependent on foreign investors. Most of the funds come from Switzerland, followed by, not surprisingly, Great Britain. Another reason why no German investors are among the top 10 investors in Europe in the last three years, thus making German biotechs increasingly dependent on foreign investors, is probably the backlog demand Germany has for investor hubs: German cities were not among the locations of the largest investor hubs of the past five years. Again, the UK and France are much better represented.
Nevertheless, it is doubtful that Germany's lag in Life Sciences is due to the performance of the biotechs themselves for the following reasons: The importance of Germany's contribution to the international biotechnology sector is apparent when looking at the indications that receive funding. Excluding the BioNTech mega deal, the majority of the funds target oncology. Additionally, three investments were made into companies specialising in cardiovascular diseases, thus supporting research and development in the fight against the world's leading cause of death. The development stage of the companies is a major factor in Germany, where investments are preferred from phase II onwards (three transactions in phase II, one in phase III and one in market maturity).
However, Germany is not inactive in the fight against capital shortages. In 2018, five VC funds with a total volume of EUR 1,500m were set up in Germany, which include LSP and Forbion due to their large involvement in the German life science industry. With TVM Capital, to get back to the point made at the beginning of this article, one fund comes from Munich and another one, namely Occident Capital from Switzerland, successfully settled in Munich. This, last but not least, emphasises again the important role Bavaria plays in biotechnology on both the technical and financial side, not only for Germany but also for Europe.
Unsere letzten Beiträge
FCF Life Sciences Venture Capital Monitor – Europe 12/2020 veröffentlicht
Dr. Joachim Greuel wird neuestes Mitglied im Life Sciences Advisory Board der FCF Fox Corporate Finance GmbH
FCF Biotech Venture Capital Monitor – USA 12/2020 veröffentlicht
FCF Biotech Public Equity Monitor – November 2020 veröffentlicht
Dr. Axel Polack wird neuestes Mitglied im Life Sciences Advisory Board der FCF Fox Corporate Finance GmbH

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Merely Mary Ann is a lost 1920 silent film comedy-drama directed by Edward J. Le Saint and starring Shirley Mason. It was produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation.

Cast
Shirley Mason - Mary Ann
Casson Ferguson - Lancelot
Harry Spingler - Peter
Georgia Woodthorpe - Mrs. Leadbatter
Babe London - Rosie Leadbatter
Kewpie Morgan - Drunkard
Jean Hersholt - Stranger
Paul Weigel - Vicar

See also
1937 Fox vault fire
Merely Mary Ann(1916)
Merely Mary Ann(1931)

References

External links

Silent American comedy-drama films
1920 films
American silent feature films
American black-and-white films
Lost American films
Films directed by Edward LeSaint
American films based on plays
Fox Film films
1920 comedy-drama films
1920 lost films
Lost comedy-drama films
1920s American films
1920s English-language films


text:
Relearning an Ancient Craft: Paths to Indigenous Land Rights in Boriquén (Puerto Rico)
The third installment in a series of essays commissioned by PROTODISPATCH.
Jorge González & Angela Brown, October 15, 2022
A stilt house as a symbol of protection for the wetlands.
"Relearning an Ancient Craft" by Jorge González and Angela Brown, was commissioned by PROTODISPATCH, a new digital publication featuring personal perspectives by artists addressing transcontinental concerns, filtered by where they are in the world. It was originally published by the international nonprofit Protocinema and appears here as part of a collaboration between Protocinema and Artnet News.
In the wake of hurricane Fiona, PROTODISPATCH offers Jorge González and Angela Brown's photo essay and correspondence about their ongoing collaboration on a series of events and engagements in Santurce, Boriquén (Puerto Rico), organized via Jorge's on-going project Escuela de Oficios. They have embarked on a collective memory and healing project which engages local elders, crafts-people, and drum-making, as well as traditions of group celebration, chanting, and dancing.
Their exchange below, paired with the accompanying images and extensive captions, reveals a journey towards excavating the past through the joy of celebration and music, communal making, and building collective meaning. These are experiments in reinventing education and memory, a field in crisis in many geographies, but here focused on the potential for Boriquén (Puerto Rico), as claims to Indigenous land rights are under constant threat from local authorities.
The tracing of contemporary cultural practices back to ancient Indigenous knowledge is evidence of the connection between deep pasts and the present, supporting arguments for land back claims today. The significance and urgency of these claims is particularly powerful in light of increasingly extreme storms regularly battering the island due to climate crisis.
Importantly, the point of departure here is deeply interpersonal, intimate, and utilizes not only Indigenous, ancestral knowledges, but also oppressive, colonial structures, reimagining them for alternative, liberatory purposes.
Here I was being taught hand-carving of hammock weaving shuttles, with Don Eustaquio Alers, a master hammock-maker, from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
Don Eustaquio's ideals of autonomy and independence for Puerto Rico are expressed with fervor and hope for the future, while sharing his knowledge regarding his trade as weaver, one that compliments cultivation of the land. His loom is mobile. At the Alers family home, in Lomas Verdes, Aguadilla, two tall wooden rods are suspended with tied rope that is affixed to an iron gate, a window frame, and a nail on the wall. In Puerto Rico, hammock weavers tend to have a wooden loom structure in a space dedicated to their trade. Eustaquio shares that, living in New York City with his family prompted him to constantly set up and rollup the loom in their living room in their apartment.
This photo was taken around 2016, at a time when we were initiating our platform called "Escuela de Oficios," in different spaces around Puerto Rico. If we are to reflect upon hammock-making in the archipelago, the craft is cultivated in two towns, San Sebastián and Las Piedras, one in the west, the other in the southeast. Over the years, we have traced these routes, among others, with a focus on fibers and weaves, and the passing on and continuity of these knowledges.
Our friend Chiro built a stilt house as a symbol of protection for the wetlands, and as a way to show that someone lived there, mainly to prevent arson. These unfortunate incidents of attempted destruction happen often, as people struggle for the use of the coastal forests of Canóvanas, Piñones, and Loíza, rich ancestral lands for Indigenous and Black communities.
The most accessible entrance to these wetlands is through Pueblo Indio, a self-organized community that attained ownership of their parcels by claiming their rights to the land and communal recognition. José Manuel "Chiro" González was one of community leaders involved in the cause and continues to be a voice in his neighborhood.
We met Chiro through harvesting cattails, a central fiber to the Escuela de Oficio's weaving work. This plant has been very generous to us. Its generosity extends to our relationship with Pueblo Indio, which represents a path towards attaining a broader awareness of the diversity of the land and the waters. Prior to having Chiro's support, our cattail harvest happened in Santurce, close to our studio, a densely populated area, far from the cycles of life of wetlands.
When I met Angela Brown, we had plans to make a crab stew. A dear friend, Steve Maldonado Silvestrini, joined us on that day.
For several months, we had been talking about making a crab stew. Chiro traps crabs when they are in season. I believe this was the first time we gathered and spent a day at the stilt house. I would not have imagined how energizing this moment of pause was for us.
About 20 years ago, Chiro planted various palm trees of the Roystonea borinquena variety, commonly called palma real. We spent a moment meditating upon the lives of these palm trees prior to taking one down. We marked our intentions to continue learning from them. At that moment, we were committed to making a first drum as an instrument to heal and open paths. This action has transformed our relationship with what we take from nature, it is an element of offering that also took the life of a resource. Of one palm, we made three drums, and kept the remaining wood for later use, to continue making musical instruments.
Eight years ago, as part of Escuela de Oficios, I started working with fibers as a response to provide a direction towards engaging in the creation of a mutual learning space, in a regenerative manner. At an early stage, in those first meetings with knowledge-holders, the master weavers, I remember a basket-maker, Edwin Marcucci, talking to us about the permission he requested to harvest and work with a plant.
Throughout the years I've come to better understand this relationship with nature. It has taken a slow and continuous development for passing on the knowledge I've received to more deeply understand this relationship. As we continue to take natural resources, our commitment grows. With our families and teachers, we are learning to play and sing.
Significant labor is required to cut down and process a palm tree for making an Afro-Boricua drum. Alejandra Ferreras, pictured here, helped with the construction of our first drum, with the guidance of knowledge-holder Don Rafael Trinidad. Alejandra, a social psychologist, together with her partner, photographer Javier Piñero, immersed themselves in the process and relationships of Escuela de Oficios in order to reflect upon the continuity of ancestral knowledge in the context of colonial oppression.
This photo by Javier Piñero captures a moment after a harvest. Cattail flower stems, papayas, a broom made of "escobilla" plant, among other fruits and seeds, are presented to the Altar at my studio, which serves as Escuela de Oficios space.
Our harvests mainly center on cattail, a resource that has taught us about generosity. Any weaving technique can be applied with this grass. Our ancient houses were made out of cattail, with a base of palm leaves, specifically of palma real, or as our teacher Rafael Trinidad calls it, palma de yagua, referring to the leaves used for bohios, our ancestors' name for a humble rural house.
Since 2014, a regenerative approach to learning spaces was engaged within the initial development of Escuela de Oficios. Ideas around the conception of a communal house were actively engaged through learning and exchanging about natural fibers and weaving techniques.
In these years, we have taken and received great support from resources and knowledge-holders. We have organized and practiced, determined to be able to pass on what we have learned. In recent years, we have meditated around the complete collapse of our worlds and reflected upon the loss of significant supporters. Our Altar is a response to an interior of a communal house in its possibilities, to offer a payment to Life and Death that accompanies our growth.
"When a student is ready to receive, the same as the teacher is to give." These were the words of Rafael Trinidad as he shared his method for painting drum hide. Rafael Trinidad is a maker of percussion instruments and a master metalsmith. Don Rafa has dedicated his life to music with a sense of transmitting a natural sound, as he calls his interests in making percussion instruments.
The first time I met Rafa was at a local craft fair. He gave a talk about his evolution as a crafter, which embodies a strong sense of care for the resources that are employed in his works. In his open-air workshop, I appreciated how machines and tools were made to work with wood, fibers, and animal hides, which he prepares on site.
This was the first palm drum made with the guidance of Rafael Trinidad. He ceremoniously presented it, transmitting wisdom. From his words I share:
"This drum, right, has manifested itself, it has manifested itself with its presence doing the perfect thing. And I thank you, those who are linked to Rafael, for doing this work, so that the first piece, well, has achieved success. It means that success is already manifested in the future, right, and I thank you again, because it has freed me. And that sound was as I requested. As we ask. Make it sound how he likes it. And that tuntun is the beating of a heart. As I say the tuntun of a drum is the beat of a heart. And now I want you to think about your heart and think about the heart of God and think about the heart of all humanity, of all people. And beat that drum like it's a heart. Go ahead."
As Rafael Trinidad led the drum beats and rosary chanting, on May 15, 2022, intentions of light were also being placed upon weaving a sol lace, by teacher Jasmine Rivera. Sol lace has been a formative weaving technique for Escuela de Oficios. Thanks to the support of teachers like Jasmine Rivera, I'm now able to teach it. This year, I have been able to teach it together with Jasmine, thanks to a collective weave that is shared and walked between communities. As I continue to sustain a promise of May, I hope to cultivate being a constant learner and beginner. Photo by Raquel Pérez Puig.
Something like sharing muscle memory.
Dear Jorge,
We first met in 2021, in your studio in Santurce. I had been following your work because I felt—and still feel—that it honored a type of learning that is too often forgotten. A learning that happens in real time, in active physical collaboration. Something like sharing muscle memory.
That day in your studio, I asked for your thoughts on weaving traditions in Puerto Rico, and how the labor and care of the hand and the body get passed down from generation to generation. You showed me a hammock-in-progress, with maguey1 wrapped around two wooden posts. I was interested in what the industrially-made tool or textile leaves behind.
You handed me a small wooden shuttle, which you had carved by hand after an original by Don Eustaquio Aler.2 Its imperfections were evidence of your having carved it tentatively, curiously. It was made by a student, carefully imitating the work of a master. For me, it was a sculpture about openness and humility, while also being a tool that would allow you to weave and build your own muscle memories, to keep tradition alive.
We jumped onto the back of Chiro's 4-wheeler, and he brought us to an already-steaming pot of boiled crabs.
A few days later you invited me to Canóvanas to meet José Manuel "Chiro" González3, who had constructed an amazing stilt house in the middle of the marsh, and whose knowledge of the land seemed boundless. I expected to learn about the cattail grasses, which you had collected from the marshes to dry them for weaving mats and rugs. But instead, surrounded by the tall enea4 rustling in the breeze, we prepared a meal.
We jumped onto the back of Chiro's 4-wheeler, and he brought us to an already-steaming pot of boiled crabs. He showed us where to press our thumbs into each shell, so that the best meat would simply cleave away from the slimy gook around the head. We didn't need any tools other than our hands and a big metal bowl.
We cooked and ate our meal in the stilt house that Chiro had built using found wood and aluminum and we used a long stick to feed salchichas5 to Bartolo, Chiro's pet caiman. In honor of Luisa Capetillo's feminist organizing, we read out loud her words on the promotion of agricultural education6, and labor advocacy. I felt that she was having lunch with us, too.
And we spent time together on land that is thick with ancestral knowledge…
At the end of the day, as we drove through Pueblo Indio and past the old sugar mill, I thought about how learning from one another can happen so organically, and so profoundly, simply through the gesture of an invitation. Chiro invited you. You invited me. And we spent time together on land that is thick with ancestral knowledge, buzzing with the inventiveness that emerges somewhere between joy and pain, celebration and struggle.
Little did we know, this buzzing would become a drumbeat almost a year later. When I was invited to contribute an installation about the architect Henry Klumb's work in Puerto Rico for the exhibition "Sick Architecture" at CIVA, Brussels. I immediately thought of how your project Escuela de Oficios7 emerged out of your engagement with Casa Klumb, Klumb's former home and architectural manifesto, which recently burned down.
As soon as we started talking about this trajectory through the lens of healing, you remembered Klumb's plans for rural schools. Capetillo must have smiled in her grave when we realized that the rural school was not only intellectually, but materially tied to the collaboration that the land makes possible.
You remembered that, in his plans for the schools, Klumb had recommended the use of palmwood boards for the walls. He likely chose the wood because it was widely available in the 1940s and '50s, but madera de palma, you told me, was also sacred. It used to be a traditional wood used for rural homes. Since a palm tree provides its wood from its outer layer, it can easily be hollowed. So, you proposed to make bomba drums, whose sound consistently brings boricuas together in times of hardship. The drum could initiate a shared sense of healing in which the past and present overlapped in power and pain.
It all happened quickly after that. You found a palm to cut down with help from Chiro and Alejandra Ferreras. You cut it into sections and hollowed out the barrels. You brought them to Don Rafael Trinidad ("Rafa") in Manatí and carried them with you on your trip to the Dominican Republic, where they were played before they were even completed. You watched Omar, an Arab immigrant butcher friend, carefully skin a goat for the drums' leather in a respectful manner with prayer.
And along the way, you sent me photos and videos, observations and moments of surprise. We thought of the Mexica god Xipetotec, "the flayed one," who embodies a cycle of death and rebirth, keeping the sun in the sky, ensuring a fruitful harvest. Perhaps our drums are something like Xipetotec. Wearing sacrificed skins, they honor growth and death at the same time. And they make their way to your altar.
Sitting in New York—where Capetillo organized Puerto Rican and Cuban tobacco workers in the 1910s, where my abuela worked in a rubber boot factory, with the sounds of Ponce seeming so far away—I wonder what the drums will teach us next…
Un GRAN abrazo,
There is a possibility to heal and grow here.
Dear Angela,
Thank you, reflection on these past years is helpful. I appreciate you centering ideas of health and sickness in our work together. You allowed me to move forward with the rest of the events with the clear intention of providing care and healing for every participant and every material.
First, we revisited wild gardens and rural schools that once carried the spirit of our palm trees and made us rethink our learning spaces through drum-making. The resulting bateyes, or sugar mill, were ceremonious plazas of remembrance, celebration, and empowerment. What we want our learning spaces to be.
Escuela de Oficios, (a collective project or mutual-learning) is built on a base of generosity to create spaces of exchange. All the people who participate actively engage in the regeneration of public infrastructures. With this approach, I see how Casa Klumb has become one of our meeting places to gather to reflect upon the urgency that education faces in Puerto Rico.
Although we have not physically entered the gardens and forest that once surrounded Casa Klumb, we have delved into its wild gardens and its "sickened" spatial sequences many times. Our conversations consider what it means for a house to deteriorate and to bear traces of both colonial and ancestral histories. Together, we identified ideological resources that point to Casa Klumb's essential form: a house, but a house as a living organism open to collaboration with others.
Perhaps it is important here to mention the relationship between wellness of bodies and architecture/space as extensions of bodies. This says that within acknowledgement of its histories, we are aware of its decay and consummation there is also potential for perpetual regeneration. There is a possibility to heal and grow here.
The principle of our offerings also results from experiencing unimagined loss and mourning. While responding to loss, I decided to actively engage in a celebration called rosario cantao (singing rosaries) that has been of great significance to our friend and teacher Elsa Escabí8, who died in 2020. May her soul rest in peace. Among other things, Elsa compiled oral histories. Through her we learned how music is kept through lunar cycles, played and sung with intentions of fertility through a communal expression, the rosario cantao.
A year ago, in May, Escuela de Oficios initiated a celebration of offering and care for life and its transformations that has now become a promise. Elsa will always be in our hearts. On the occasion of our first chantings of the rosary we were interconnected with different locations through an effort led by curators Mari Spirito and Abhijan Toto, an invitation of growth and empowerment that I extended from my dear community of unlearners. Within this these changing and singin ceremonies, Don Rafael Trinidad, a master drum-maker and keeper of velatorios (vigils), who is also known as a promesero9 (keeper of promises) was leading us all in a rosario cantao.
This week you will presenting our Tambor de Palma to the public, showing an excerpt from our film about the drum during the "Sick Architecture" conference in Brussels. I believe I have not shared with you that in the first days of this year a drum was placed in my hands by a spiritualist neighbor, Cristina Savinón, caretaker of an Altar to San Miguel Arcangel, and she shared a story of how atabales10 may accompany the passing of someone very esteemed by a community. Cristina mentioned, if she were to die in the Dominican Republic, palos would be heard for days and nights.
Soon after I was to learn about the passing of the beloved plena musician Tito Matos and of how a plenero that holds together his community in all his efforts will be immortalized. Now I come to terms that days and nights of a bomba y plena11 vigil will be the start of a lifetime of remembrance by all who were impacted by him.
We have also learned to cultivate from the dead with the opportunity to return a beat full of humanity.
Last May, our Altar was sung to for the first time by Tito Matos, en paz descanse, together with Los Devotos, and esteemed artist and dancer Awilda Sterling. The group Los Devotos grew from community organization efforts through the Taller Comunidad La Goyco, which sought to revitalize rosarios cantaos in Santurce, after the devastating hurricanes of 2017. Awilda shared words of wisdom about a precise moment that happens when we are able to learn from our elders.
I'm very fortunate to have such a prosperous moment to organize a space that holds a sense of being for All. From these initial chantings, I learned, via Tito, how a profound and ongoing commitment to this expression is a powerful way to honor communal cohesion.
We have been blessed with a support structure–the land itself. And, specifically, an extremely generous palm tree that has allowed us to see our ancestral home through its fibers. And as you mention Xipetotec, we have also learned to cultivate from the dead with the opportunity to return a beat full of humanity.
I would like to echo what our teacher Rafael Trinidad shared with us when he presented to us our first tambor de palma: "The tuntún12 of a drum is the beat of a heart.
I want you to think about your heart, and think about the heart of the Creator, and think about the heart of all humanity, of all people. And beat that drum like it's a heart."
1. Maguey is an indigenous plant of the Caribbean region, well regarded for its fiber. Its botanical name is Furcraea tuberosa. In Puerto Rico, extraction and spinning of the fiber is still applied by few knowledge-holders to make hammocks. Maguey specimens vary in different localities throughout the hemisphere, all sharing characteristics of the agave family. Other local uses of the plant provide medicinal properties. For example, its roots can be brewed to cleanse blood stream, among other afflictions.
2. Don Eustaquio Alers is a master hammock weaver based in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. At a young age, he learned hammock making by himself by watching his father weaving. Don Eustaquio's ideals of autonomy and independence of Puerto Rico are expressed with fervor and hope for the future, while sharing his knowledge regarding his trade as weaver, one that compliments cultivation of the land. Eustaquio's contribution to Escuela de Oficios wasthe conception of Banquetas Cheveres, portable stools, that extend the principles of a hammock loom.These different gathering spaces were highly significant to the platform's development in its initial stage.
3. José Manuel "Chiro" González is a one of founding residents of Pueblo Indio, a self-organized community, in barrio La Central, Canóvanas. Pueblo Indio settles on the outskirts of wetland forests and old and sugarcane plantation. Since a child, Chiro has worked these lands. The construction of the stilt-house came to be as a strategy to let passerbys of a custodianship of the forest.
4. Enea, "cattail" in English, is a tall grass, which grows abundantly in marshland environments. This generous grass allows it to be plaited, knotted, and twisted. To properly attain the fiber one should harvest on a waning moon and separate the stem of leaves. A week later the fiber is ready to be wetted and manipulated. This plant is regarded as a family and significant collaborator to Escuela de Oficios.
5. Salchichas are little sausages, often bought in small cans and added to various dishes.
6. This out-loud reading of Puerto Rican anarco-feminist leader Luisa Capetillo, made at Chiro's stilt house, brings together the voices of Monica Rodríguez and Michy Marxuach, among other contributors, as part of La Germinal's "Emancipatory Essays," a public program transmitted through Montez Press Radio, as part of Alia Farid's exhibition "The Space Between Classrooms," at Swiss Institute, May 24th, 2021.
7. Started in 2014, Escuela de Oficios (Trade School), is a platform for learning from and with Puerto Rican artisans highly skilled in craft traditions and rural construction. González started the platform in response to historical erasure and deteriorating academic spaces, using skill-sharing and workshops to promote healing and ensure the continuity of techniques forgotten by the amnesia of colonization.
8. Elsa Escabí, esteemed knowledge holder, dedicated a great part of her life to observing with profoundness many cultural expressions of Puerto Rico. Together with her brother, Pedro Escabí, they compiled a method to register oral histories of the archipelago. As trained musicians, their work compiles valuable registers and interpretations of popular songs, musical instruments, and festivities, which traces indigenous continuity undermining the determined false extinction.
9. A promesero or promesera are keepers of promises, organizers of religious celebrations in local communities, often held at a promiser's home. A promise is kept through offering an altar, music, chantings, and food, as an act of gratitude for a granted spiritual petition. In the context of Puerto Rico, collective worship can bring together indigenous and African comunion and communication that often is expressed through Catholic beliefs.
10. Atabales or palos are tall drums traditional to Dominican celebrations played in religious and festive gatherings.
11. Bomba and plena are popular Puerto Rican music traditions, both with deep roots in African drumming and significance in religious ceremony and the coming-together of community. While bomba is a sort of call and response between drummers and a dancer, plena is often called "the sung newspaper" as its songs typically recount everyday stories and events.
12. Tuntún is an onomatopoeia, standing in for the sound of a drumbeat
What We Hold in Common: Making Meaning by Collecting Objects and Narratives of the Present, the Earth, and the Deep Past
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Under the Auspices of CANPA in collaboration with JAMPSYCH
About CRCP2018
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bio-puente
Antonio Puente, PhD was the 2017 president of APA.
Puente received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Florida and his master's degree and PhD from the University of Georgia. He has holds appointments as Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (since 1981), a visiting professor of psychology at the Universidad de Granada (Spain). Prior to these position he taught at St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada, WI (neuroanatomy).
Puente founded and edited two journals is the author of 8 books, 83 book chapters and 110 journal articles (in English, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic).
In addition to his position at UNCW, Puente maintains a private practice in clinical neuropsychology. He also is the founder and co-director of mental health services at the Cape Fear Clinic, a bilingual multi-disciplinary health center serving the indigent.
He has been a member of the APA since 1979 and fellow of nine divisions and also served as president of the North Carolina Psychological Association, North Carolina Psychological Foundation, Hispanic Neuropsychological Association, National Academy of Neuropsychology, and Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (Division 40 of APA).
For further information, see www.antonioepuente.com.
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SpaceX's chief is Elon Musk. His elaborate plan for a mega-rocket that would carry astronauts to Mars may have some down-to-Earth applications.
Musk held a a conference in Australia on Friday. He said if you build a ship capable of going to the moon and Mars, why not use it for high-speed transport here at home. He proposes using his still-in-the-design phase rocket for launching passengers from New York to Shanghai. He said the trip would take 39 minutes flat.
Traveling from Los Angeles to New York, or Los Angeles to Honolulu would take 25 minutes, while going from London to Dubai would take 29 minutes.
"Most of what people consider to be long-distance trips would be completed in less than half an hour," Musk said. He was greeted by applause and cheers at the International Astronautical Congress. It was held in Adelaide.
A seat should cost about the same as a full-fare economy plane ticket he later noted on Instagram.
Friday's address was a follow-up to one he gave to the group last September in Mexico. He unveiled his grand scheme for colonizing Mars. He described a slightly scaled-down 348-foot-tall (106-meter-tall) rocket and announced that the private space company aims to launch two cargo missions to Mars in 2022.
"That's not a typo," he said. "Although it is aspirational."
Two more cargo missions would follow in 2024. They would provide more construction materials, along with two crewed flights. The window for launching to Mars occurs every two years.
A one-way trips to Mars would take approximately six-months. The SpaceX ships would have 40 cabins and ideally, there would be two to three people per cabin. This would make for a grand total of about 100 passengers. Musk foresees this Mars city growing. He said over time it would "make it really a nice place to be."
Scott Hubbard is an adjunct professor at Stanford University and a former director of NASA's Ames Research Center. He calls it "a bold transportation architecture with aspirational dates." A demonstration of some sort in the 2020s will add to its credibility, he said. "Kudos to Elon and SpaceX for keeping the focus on humans to Mars!"
Former NASA chief technologist Bobby Braun, now dean of the college of engineering and applied science at the University of Colorado at Boulder, also sees Musk's plan as a step in the right direction, building on technologies SpaceX already has demonstrated, like reusable rockets.
"While the timeline and capabilities are certainly ambitious, I'm bullish on U.S industry's ability to carry out challenging and far-reaching goals," Braun wrote in an email. "It's great to see the private sector lead in this way, and I hope we see more of it."
NASA is charting its own path to what it calls the "Deep Space Gateway," beginning with expeditions in the vicinity of the moon in the 2020s and eventually culminating at Mars. The space agency has handed much of its Earth-orbiting work to private industry, including SpaceX, Orbital ATK and Boeing.
Earlier Friday in Adelaide, Lockheed Martin presented its vision for a "Mars Base Camp" in partnership with NASA. Astronauts could be on their way in about a decade, the company said. This first mission would orbit the red planet, rather than land.
Musk intends to finance his $10 billion Mars endeavor by using a rocket that's smaller than the one outlined last year. Fewer engines would be needed: 31 versus the originally envisioned 42. Its lift capability would be 150 tons, more than NASA's old moon rocket, the Saturn V.
He wants one type of booster and spaceship that can replace the company's current Falcon 9 rocket, the soon-to-fly Falcon Heavy rocket designed for heavier satellites, and the Dragon capsule presently used to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, and, as soon as next year, station astronauts.
That way SpaceX can put all its resources toward this new system, Musk said. Revenue from launching satellites, and sending supplies and crews to the space station, could pay for the new rocket, he said.
Musk said the same spaceship for moon and Mars trips - long and cylindrical with small shuttle-like wings - could fly to the space station. He said the mega-rocket could be used to establish a lunar settlement, with spaceships being refueled in Earth orbit versus creating a vital fuel depot at Mars.
Why would it be beneficial to be able to travel from New York to Shanghai so quickly?
The reason why it's beneficial is because you are able to travel place and less than an hour which is good because in case of an emergency you can get there quickly.
So how much gases are you going to release into the air, is this even safe like what? Also do you plan on making a track or were someone controlling the rocket?
It would be beneficial to travel from New York to Shanghai so quickly because then businessmen do not have to waste time on an airplane for 15 hours, with no cell service. This would take away from worktime. But, Elon Musk's SpaceX would make this trip only take 39 minutes on a rocket. This gives travelers more time with their families, and more time to work.
It would be very beneficial, because if you needed to get there super fast for something like a meeting with your boss you could get there very fast. I think it would kind of be like taking a bus but instead of a bus it is a supersonic jet.


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The true cost of higher education
A new book looks at the real and lasting impact of student debt.
By: JD Solomon | Issue: December, 2015
Higher education is supposed to be a critical first step on the ladder that leads to economic mobility. But William Elliott and Melinda Lewis say that students often leave school with debilitating debt that delays or even prevents any upward climb on that ladder.
The Real College Debt Crisis: How Student Borrowing Threatens Financial Well-Being and Erodes the American Dream (Praeger, 2015) shows how current aid models contribute to inequality, and discusses a number of promising alternatives.
The authors, both associate professors in the School of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas, say the current conversation overlooks the impact of debt at a fundamental level.
"This is not about whether we're facing the next housing bubble or that sort of thing," says Elliott. "It's the idea that this student debt crisis is chipping away at our ability to start families, save for retirement. It's a different measure."
After the Higher Education Act was revised in the 1970s, the government shifted to giving money directly to students instead of institutions. Is that when financial aid and tuition began to get out of hand?
Elliott: The roots of it were in the HEA, but we really start seeing the change in the early 1980s. We started seeing that financial aid was being made up largely of student loan debt. It became a much bigger portion of the actual financial aid package.
Lewis: What we see in terms of tuition prices reflects the reduction in state—but also public—support for the concept of public higher education. It really parallels. At the federal level we saw a shift from sending aid to institutions to putting more of those dollars in the hands of students and families as the burden of paying for college shifted to the shoulders of those same students and their families.
At the state level, we saw that shift of fiscal responsibility evidenced in higher prices—not so much because it cost more to educate students but because the portion of an institution's budget made up of tuition has risen steadily and dramatically in what is supposed to be the affordable public higher education sector.
You wrote, "The financial aid system for low-income students is increasingly centered on helping those students incur debt, while the system for higher-income students encourages the accumulation of assets." What did you mean by that?
Lewis: Even in thinking about my own children and the way that higher education financing is playing out for them, we support accumulation of education assets through our tax code. What that looks like in my family's finances is that my husband and I get a significant state tax benefit for putting money into a 529 account for our kids.
Over the 18 years that we are financially preparing for each of them to go to college, there is sizeable public investment in the form of deferred tax liability on our part in our children's education financing.
Contrasted with a family that doesn't earn enough to have a tax liability, they are not able to get that same benefit for accumulating assets. Instead they confront the point of having to pay for college without any kind of a capital base.
What they are greeted with then is not a commensurate asset investment but a promissory note, which is how they are expected to pay for that same higher education.
So even though college is more accessible and, in some cases, more affordable, we're doing a disservice to the majority of students who are being saddled with debt?
Elliott: We're not only doing a disservice to them, we're doing a disservice to the country. We have this thing called The American Dream, based on the idea that effort and ability will determine outcomes. If that breaks down, it weakens our basic belief in America in a real way.
Lewis: We don't think that education itself is counterproductive. The evidence still suggests that young adults who go to college do better in most cases than if they didn't. But it is certainly the case that they don't do as well as they would if they didn't borrow.
For the first time, some people beginning to assume positions of power have been affected by student debt. Do you think that's who will drive change?
Lewis: Certainly it's changed the political conversation. If you look at presidential campaigns in this cycle compared to one or two cycles ago, the way that they talk about student debt is no longer kind of vague or diffuse or an impersonal issue. They are often talking, from both political parties, about their own experiences with student debt.
Debt has become a mainstream way that people finance their educations, which has placed it much more center-stage. It's still true, though, that disadvantaged groups in our society bear disproportionately the burdens educationally, socially and financially of student debt.
That's why we've tried to focus the conversation more on equity, so we don't lose sight of the fact that student debt is still a dis-equalizing force in what is supposed to be our great equalizer, higher education.
There have been a number of ideas to alleviate student debt, including Pay it Forward or income-based repayment. While these ideas sound plausible, you suggest that they actually exacerbate inequity.
Elliott: I really think about these as treating the symptoms. We say, "Let's do something to deal with the default rates." So we create income-based repayment plans which extend the period of time that one pays on their student loans. Now, that sounds like a solution to the problem, but all it's doing is tamping down the symptoms that we see.
When we start looking at things like asset accumulation, net worth and retirement savings, by creating income-based repayment plans and extending the period of time it takes to pay it off, we are actually exacerbating the problem: "I can't save now because I've got to pay off my student loans first."
You devote a portion of the book to Children's Savings Accounts. Explain how they differ from 529 programs.
Elliott: They can be part of a 529 program. The idea is that each child receives, say, $500 at birth and is enrolled in this CSA, and they can receive matching funds and incentives and things like that.
They are different from a regular 529, which is often limited to higher-income families because there are initial fees to pay and that doesn't maximize the money of low-income people. Low-income people can't put large amounts of money into a 529 so they don't reap the same amount of tax benefit that higher-income families can.
But if you are saving $1 in a CSA and you get another dollar added, which is called a match, then that helps even low-income people.
Even if you put in just $1, you get a return on $1 in a way that you couldn't in a regular 529 or a bank account or credit account.
We're heading into an election year and candidates have proposed solutions to the student debt problem, including free college and even a total bailout similar to the auto industry.
Elliott: Let me address those. With the two-year free college and free college more generally, we really believe that's an opportunity to create greater inequity in many cases. Even though it sounds like a great thing, in this case, free is not necessarily the best idea.
Our research shows that counselors are directing low-income students based upon financing toward two-year colleges. What we fear is that if you have a universal two-year program, it's going to disproportionately affect low-income people.
They are going to be pressured into going to these two-year colleges, which might be great for some kids but totally wrong for other kids. That can actually increase inequality. We can begin training kids for certain types of jobs through our two-year programs but not other managerial and higher level jobs, which could be really damaging in the long run.
You also mentioned a bailout. I think a bailout makes a lot of sense, but only if we're taking on a program like Children's Savings Accounts from early on so we're not doing bailouts time and time again.
If we just do a bailout and we keep the same student debt system in place, it only means 10 or 20 years from now we'll need another bailout. That's not good for anybody.
Lewis: There are a lot of conversations percolating about looking at post-college financial health indicators and thinking we should be getting more from our financial aid than just paying that tuition bill at the point of enrollment. Those conversations are translating to new ideas, different kinds of proposals that are about building an education trajectory for all children equitably.
I think that we could see continued development and new types of proposals from candidates and new administrations.
Tim Goral is senior editor of UB.
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Animals in research at MPIIB
Animals in research in numbers
Animals in research at the MPIIB in numbers
Overview on animals in research at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology
The number of animals used by MPIIB in animal studies are shown in the graph below. Mice were used significantly more frequently in animal experiments than zebrafish in recent years. The closure of the Molecular Biology and Immunology departments in 2019 and 2020 has significantly reduced the number of mice used in 2020. In contrast, the number of zebrafish has doubled from 2019 to 2020―in part due to the studies of the In Vivo Cell Biology of Infections group which uses a zebrafish model for tuberculosis research.
Together with the annual reporting of laboratory animal numbers, we submit information of burden and severity levels of animal experiments to the authorities (Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales Berlin). The classification of stress levels are defined in Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes.
The exact definitions at a glance are:
Non-recovery: procedures in which animals are killed for scientific purposes without pre-treatment, or experiments performed entirely under general anaesthesia from which the animal shall not recover consciousness, are classified as "non-recovery". The former accounts for by far the largest proportion of animals killed for experimental purposes and, although not considered an animal experiment under the Animal Welfare Act, is included in the annual laboratory animal report as a loading level of "non-recovery".
Mild: Procedures that cause short-term minor pain, suffering or harm to animals and procedures that do not significantly affect the welfare or general condition of animals are classified as "mild".
Moderate: procedures that cause short-term moderate pain, suffering, or harm to animals, or long-term minor pain, and procedures that cause moderate impairment to the welfare or general condition of animals are classified as "moderate".
Severe: Procedures that cause severe pain, suffering, or harm to animals, or prolonged moderate pain, suffering, or harm, and procedures that cause severe impairment of the welfare or general condition of the animals are classified as "severe".
In over half of all animal experiments at MPIIB in the two years 2019/2020, animals were subjected to only minor stress—classified as "mild". Another large proportion of reported animals were killed painlessly for scientific purposes, for example to collect cell or tissue samples. They are included in the statistics under "non-recovery". A very small number of animals were severely stressed in experiment. Here, the number of severely stressed animals in 2020 was halved compared to the previous year—from 1.1% to 0.5% of all experiments. In these experiments, the scientists are obliged to monitor the stress closely and to reduce it as far as possible by appropriate methods (e.g. special feed and painkillers).
Experimental animals
Initiative Transparente Tierversuche
The Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology signed the transparency agreement for transparent information and open communication about animal research in Germany.
Whitepaper on animal research
Declaration of principle on animal testing by the Max Planck Society


In several Nocte neighbourhoods, massive chains, with links the size of a horse, can be seen randomly piercing walls and spanning streets. These chains hold up parts of Nocte that jut out over the edge and have allowed people to build wider and higher than would otherwise be possible. Most of the chains originate from the Anchor, a great spire of rock jutting from the surface of Nocte. Although it is completely covered in structures, it is still a visible feature of the city as it is the highest point on the rock.
Almost all links from the Anchor are covered by buildings, but those that are exposed to the rain corrode. In the past, these links were painted to protect them from the elements, but the Guild of Engineers who originally constructed and maintained the links have become complacent. Although founded to construct and maintain the massive engineering works that make the city, the engineers grew wealthy and lazy.
The Guild of Engineers no longer contains engineers, only the rich decedents of the people who made the guild great. Many public works around the city are decaying, from the chains of the Anchor to the rock itself. For many years excavations into the rock have been banned by the guild, in fear of destroying the structural integrity of the rock, but again, the guild has become lax and people have once again, started burrowing into the rock to create more living space for its inhabitants.
Some random plot hooks involving the Anchor and its chains.
1. A mysterious young man in bizarre leather overalls asks the party to travel to far Haridam, where he has found a source of a magical salve that can turn rust back into iron.
2. In the quietest hour of the day, a gang of hooded kobolds is discovered hacking away at one of the links. If they are successful, entire blocks of the city could collapse.
3. Posters go up around the city declaring that a new chain will be constructed, fostering a new era of growth in the city. A vast sum of money is needed and donations are sought. Of course, the originator has other plans for the money.
4. A lone bureaucrat attempts to inspect the Anchor, the source of the chains, to determine what decay is occurring. Unfortunately a street gang has taken residence in the Anchor and are not responding well to people trying to barge in.
5. Ignation DeFleury, a member of the Delver's Guild, has a harebrained scheme to build new chains dangling from the underside of the rock. If they can be attached, massive amounts of housing could be constructed for a tidy profit. Potential locations on the underside must be scouted, never mind the flocks of giant bats and other nasties inhabiting the underside. If only Ignation hadn't broken his leg at the last 'giant balloon croquet tournament with refreshments', he would obviously do it himself.
6. A naked man is found, hanged by his own knee length hair fashioned into a noose, dangling from one of the links above a busy street. Painted on his body are the words 'The day will soon come when all of the sinners hang from the Anchor'. It is unclear why the sinners will dangle from the Anchor specifically, nor which religion's sinners will hang.


New York is considered to be the city where all dreams become a reality, and people put up with a lot to be there. There's the congestion, the cockroaches and the high cost of living.
With around eight million residents and steel real estate prices precluding most from home ownership, there is also the frenzied and competitive apartment renting process. The following tips should help you get in.
If you don't consider yourself in being very familiar with the city, and you find the thought of both relocating and committing to an apartment is too daunting, then consider a transitional home.
You can be less discriminating when only committing for a month or two. Many sublets even come furnished.
We would all love to have a spacious and well-located Manhattan New York apartment all for our own, but for most, this is only just a dream. In fact, it is very common for single 30 and 40-year olds to still have roommates.
Even though you may be able to find a tiny studio or one-bedroom in your budget, you will be able to afford a much nicer and spacious place with friends. So the tip is to round up as many roommates as you can.
You need a target rent, by setting a budget, thereby you must compare your salary and monthly expenses. Remember that utilities, gas and cable are all at an additional charge.
Most landlords require a combined annual income of forty times the monthly rent, so if say, you and two roommates each earn $40,000, look for apartments under $3,000 monthly.
It is very rare to find a one-bedroom for less than $2,000 in coveted areas like the West Village or the Upper West Side. On the other hand, in northern Manhattan neighbourhoods such as Washington Height or Inwood, one-bedrooms may go as low as $1,300.
$1,300 for a one-bedroom is a bargain in New York City, so adjust your expectations accordingly.
5. Decide what to sacrifice.
If you don't have a trust fund, or a six-figure salary, you are most likely going to have to make many sacrifices. Deciding ahead of time what's essential and what you can live without will quicken your search.
Some factors to take into consideration are the neighbourhood, proximity to subway, commute time, doorman, elevator, laundry, square footage, eat-in kitchen, central air, and hardwood floors.
Treat neighbourhoods like you did colleges, meaning have reaches, good bets and safeties. Good bets might be Harlem, the Queens neighbourhoods of Astoria and Long Island City, or Greenpoint, Fort Greene and Williamsburg in Brooklyn.
Safety neighbourhoods might be Brooklyn's Red Hood and Bushwick. Visit unfamiliar neighbourhoods or the Mecca for NYC apartment listings.
Apartments are very often, rented the same day they are listed. Even though it is considered to be an excellent resource, beware of scams. One of the most famous involve an apartment listed far under market value. If the owner is overseas and asks you to send the money so as to give you the keys, don't!
Apartments which are rented directly from the owner are usually called "no fee," which means that anything you pay beyond a small application fee is refundable or applied to your rent.
"Fee" apartment transactions are normally handled by brokers, who you pay a portion of the annual rent. Before moving forward clarify whether the apartments which advertised as "no fee" really turn out to be "no fee" and not "fee".
In addition to Craigslist, make sure to check to see if your university has a housing bulletin board for alumni, and ask colleagues and friends about vacancies in their buildings.
Working with a broker does not cost you anything up front, and sometimes he/she has connections that can get you an apartment which is cheaper than your budget on your own, even after the broker's fee.
Gather and make copies of your two most recent W2s, your last three pay-checks, and employment letter from your employer which states your job title and salary, your driver's license and recommendation letter from your previous landlord.
If you don't have any of the stated above or a good credit score, you may need a guarantor which is someone (who is usually a parent) whose salary is at least 80 times the monthly rent and who can provide all the above documentation.
Make sure to see as many places as you can, and bring along all your paperwork and check-book so you can act as quickly as possible if you find something good, before it's taken by someone else. Be the first person to show up to open houses and try to arrange private viewing as soon as you can.
Let yourself be picky until two weeks before your desired move in date, but if you still haven't found by then, make a few more sacrifices.


I have just been checking how long to defrost my turkey so I thought I would post the link here in case anyone else finds it useful.
Last year Tesco had a leaflet which gave you ?5 off fresh turkeys if you spent ?40. I wonder if they will do the same this year. Fresh turkeys were reduced to ?8 in my local store last Chrismas Eve. I just made up the ?40 spend with things ike tea and coffee and laundry tablets, so I got a turkey for ?3.
Timely advice, we are having lamb this year at OH's request.


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Q: How can I lock an InnoDB table to prevent updates while that table is being copied? I would like to temporarily lock a table to prevent other concurrent processes from making changes to it.  The reason for this is that this table is going to be copied to a temp table, altered, and then copied back (well original is actually dropped and new table is renamed).  Then after all this is complete, I want to unlock the table and hopefully have anything that was attempted during the lock resume.
I also need to be able to read from the table that has been locked to build the new table.
Here is what I tried, but it doesn't appear to work.
$mysqli = new mysqli(DB_HOST, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, DB_NAME, DB_PORT);

$mysqli->autocommit(false)

// create a table to hold parts to keep
$q1 = "CREATE TABLE new_table LIKE my_table;";
$res1 = $mysqli ->query($q1);

// Lock table to avoid concurrent update issues
$q2 = "LOCK TABLE my_table WRITE;";
$res2 = $mysqli ->query($q2);

// Insert data to keep into new table
$q3 = "INSERT INTO new_table SELECT * FROM my_table WHERE some_id IN (SELECT ID FROM table2)";
$res3 = $mysqli ->query($q3);

// drop original table
$q4 = "DROP TABLE my_table;";
$res4 = $mysqli ->query($q4);

// rename new table
$q5 = "RENAME TABLE new_table TO my_table;";
$res5 = $mysqli ->query($q5);

$mysqli ->commit(); // commit changes and re-enable autocommit

$q = "UNLOCK TABLES;";
$res = $mysqli ->query($q);

To test, using PHPmyadmin, I've issued the "SET AUTOCOMMIT=0; LOCK TABLE my_table WRITE;" query and then tried to delete something from my_table and I was able to do so.  I want to block this.  Also, after issuing the lock statement, the rest of the procedure fails and nothing is altered.

A: Sorry for the long answer, but this will need to be answered in multiple parts.
1. On locking InnoDB tables with LOCK TABLES in general
Using LOCK TABLES with InnoDB does in fact work, and can be demonstrated with two instances of the MySQL CLI connected to the same server (denoted by mysql-1 and mysql-2) in the below example. It should generally be avoided in any sort of production context because of the impact to clients, but sometimes it can be the only option.
Create a table and populate it with some data:
mysql-1> create table a (id int not null primary key) engine=innodb;
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.02 sec)

mysql-1> insert into a (id) values (1), (2), (3);
Query OK, 3 rows affected (0.00 sec)
Records: 3  Duplicates: 0  Warnings: 0

Lock the table:
mysql-1> lock tables a write;
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)

Try to insert from mysql-2, which will hang waiting on the lock:
mysql-2> insert into a (id) values (4);

Now unlock the table from mysql-1:
mysql-1> unlock tables;
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)

And finally mysql-2 unblocks and returns:
Query OK, 1 row affected (6.30 sec)

2. Using phpMyAdmin for testing
Your testing method using phpMyAdmin is invalid because phpMyAdmin does not maintain a persistent connection to the server between queries from its web interface. In order to use any sort of locking LOCK TABLES, START TRANSACTION, etc., you need to maintain a connection while the locks are held.
3. Locking all tables needed during work
The way that MySQL locks tables, once you have used LOCK TABLES to explicitly lock anything, you will not be able to access any other tables that were not locked explicitly during the LOCK ... UNLOCK session. In your above example, you need to use:
LOCK TABLES my_table WRITE, new_table WRITE, table2 READ;

(I am assuming table2 used in the subselect was not a typo.)
4. Atomic table swap using RENAME TABLE
Additionally, I should note that replacing the existing table using DROP TABLE followed by RENAME TABLE will cause a brief moment where the table does not exist, and this may confuse clients that expect it to exist. It is generally much better to do:
CREATE TABLE t_new (...);
<Populate t_new using some method>
RENAME TABLE t TO t_old, t_new TO t;
DROP TABLE t_old;

This will perform an atomic swap of the two tables.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Jami is the Gigolo King of Kalkatta. Smuggled into India from Bangladesh and given refuge by his uncle, a leader of the ruling Communist Party, he grows up in Zakaria Street—a Little Baghdad of the old—dreaming of becoming a pukka Kalkatta-wallah.
When friendship with a local gang disqualifies him from school, he ends up as assistant to a passport forger, and then a masseur. Soon enough, innocent massage leads to 'plus plus treatments', and Kalkatta opens its doors, drawing Jami into the world of the rich and famous, housewives, tourists and travelling executives, and occasionally to high-paying and dangerous 'parties '. Danger looms, too, from rivals and the police, and the ever-present risk of losing his cover.
Jami's shadowy double life takes a turn for the unexpected when he meets Pablo, a young boy who suffers from leukemia, and his single mother Mandira. Made to oscillate between his refugee family, the neighbourhood gang, his massage-parlour clients, even the cultured world of Bengali intellectuals inhabited by Mandira, he succeeds in becoming a true Kalkattawallah, but a stranger to himself. Until his love for Pablo threatens to destroy everything, and even drive away from his beloved city.
"Kalkatta is a riveting novel about the dispossessed whose lives are buffeted by the consequences of Partition. Kunal Basu's compelling portrait of life in a marginalized ghetto urges us to re-think our commonplace assumptions about illegal migrants, illicit occupations and our own moral self-righteousness. Through a gentle and moving story about the life of an individual who inhabits a world alien to most of us, Basu invites us to reflect on the many betrayals that we perpetrate on those who have not inherited our privileges. Kalkatta is timely, thought-provoking, insightful and extremely readable."
"Bawdy and brilliant, Kalkatta is a compelling story of outsiders looking in."
It is a picture of Kolkata at its most unsympathetic and unwelcoming - and from a viewpoint most should thank for being spared - but still necessary viewing. Don't shirk it!
What we hear is the voice of someone intent on cataloguing some of the more troubling facets of life in Kolkata.
About: Jami is the Gigolo King of Kalkatta. Smuggled into India from Bangladesh and given refuge by his uncle, a leader of the ruling Communist Party, he grows up in Zakaria Street — a Little Baghdad of the old - dreaming of becoming a pukka Kalkatta-wallah. When friendship with a local gang disqualifies him from school, he ends up as assistant to a passport forger, and then a masseur. Soon enough, innocent massage leads to 'plus plus treatments', and Kalkatta opens its doors, drawing Jami into the world of the rich and famous, housewives, tourists and travelling executives, and occasionally to high-paying and dangerous 'parties '. Danger looms, too, from rivals and the police, and the ever-present risk of losing his cover. Jami's shadowy double life takes a turn for the unexpected when he meets Pablo, a young boy who suffers from leukemia, and his single mother Mandira. Made to oscillate between his refugee family, the neighbourhood gang, his massage-parlour clients, even the cultured world of Bengali intellectuals inhabited by Mandira, he succeeds in becoming a true Kalkattawallah, but a stranger to himself. Until his love for Pablo threatens to destroy everything, and even drive away from his beloved city.


This numbered edition Throw Pillow, designed by Asbjorn Lonvig, Lille Fejringhus, comes with a numbered and signed certificate of authenticity. Made from 100% spun polyester, filled with a soft faux down insert, and closed with a concealed zipper. No matter which way you turn it, this double-sided pillow is the perfect accent to any living space.


text:
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Latest: Social Media Manager | Bournemouth | £11,760
Rock Star Awards 2019
Trying to be everything to everyone does not work anymore and sometimes the service and skill that we would normally deliver in our niche can be affected by the fact that we are trying to provide services that we do not have the expertise for.
Could having the right working culture influence the positive growth within businesses and encourage collaboration across the community? Surely that way everyone gets to play to their strengths, and everybody benefits? Most importantly the end users/customers/clients.
We had a chat with Marcus Wincott Marketing Manager at Media Lounge and Chapter Director of Startup Grind Bournemouth all about driving collaboration and where e-commerce fits into that concept.
We will delve into the ideas surrounding nurturing a company culture, owning your 'own space' in the market and how you then use the power of social media to back this all up.
The future is bright for collaboration and ecommerce, let's delve into it with Marcus.
Culture – Let The Team Do The Talking
We see this word A LOT. As Marcus quite rightly says "I think some people think if you get a ping pong table and some funky wall graphics that's all you need, that's your culture nailed, you've smashed it." Perceptions are short lived, your beer fridge isn't going to help you when your staff are all overworked and unhappy and as a result, the work your agency does is suffering. Culture by definition means "a way of life" not a few fun gimmicks that you can throw in to appear to have an understanding of what people / employees nowadays are looking to get from the work they do.
Your Instagram stories may tell the world one thing, but the hours your staff work can paint an entirely different picture. This can be downfall a for your workforce, leaving them feeling exhausted. Marcus stresses that there can be a change, we just need to move away from rigidness and outdated ideals. "There was this meritocracy [at a previous agency] applied to staying late, but at Media Lounge we actively encourage staff not to work late because ultimately you have to get the work life balance right and we're probably not managing our workload properly if we feel we have to work late. Also, you just shouldn't – it's not healthy."
This will look different in every company, but making a culture successful and a team work together is about playing to individual strengths "When meeting with my team about direction and strategy, I'll have my own ideas for content and advertising budget and stuff, but I won't have it formulated because everything has to be discussed with my team because they have to deliver it. I don't force ideas upon them, but instead let them steer the strategy, change the way they work and be flexible in order to achieve our goals."
How Do We Want To Work, Really Though?
More and more of us are now talking about a better work life balance and having a more Holistic approach to this. However is it really achievable to implement flexible working on a large scale and can every business achieve it?
Marcus sees some positives and negatives in this approach. "Some of the best work we do is when we are all in a room together talking about a project and chipping in which you can't do if you're all remote. But for some tech businesses, remote staff works better, some of which don't even have a HQ."
Or maybe it needs to be an overhaul about how we work and spend our hours working. "I get it, I think it could be more about bits of remote working, side hustles, and people generally working less hours in a normal job so they have time for all the rest."
"I think people still want a baseline salary but increasingly, they also want the flexibility to run a side hustle or a meet up group or something else that they're passionate about."
If we're going to take this collaborative approach to the next level, maybe this is where we turn to next, where our teams work less hours and pursue passions outside of their 9-5. Could this make for a happier more productive workforce despite less hours in the office? Marcus certainly feels the benefit of this mutual trust between him and his employer and is able to watch his side hustle grow. He is the Chapter Director of Startup Grind Bournemouth which is a series of events for local Entrepreneurs, "Our commitment to the global Startup Grind brand was that we would hold an event every month and since September 2018 we've done that. Our only goal is to educate inspire and connect entrepreneurs in our local area to make the startup journey, a less lonely and scary one."
Collaboration In Our Communities
As our community opens up more, and we nurture and support each other's ideas and smaller business plans, our guards lower and 'competition' suddenly becomes less of a threat.
After a few years in London, Marcus reflected on his return to Bournemouth and his surprise at the change. "The extremely active and open meet up an event scene here, just would never have happened 10 years ago. I think the collaborative nature of the digital community here has grown, and it's because everyone is less guarded now."
"When I came back from London there was still some of those big names knocking about like BBD, Adido, RedWeb but they were very different, they looked different. They have got their niche and the thing they do and nobody these days claims to do everything."
The term 'jack of all trades' comes to mind but people are not fooled by this anymore. There is a place for' say yes and learn how to do it when you get there' but as a strategy this has been proven to fail and these failures do not go unnoticed.
Marcus went on to say that often Media Lounge liaise with agencies that offer similar services, because they know what they're good at and when a project comes up, if they know they can't give their 100% they'll pass it on to the right person or business that can.
"Now times gone on, there is somewhat of a karmic feel to things where kindness and support come back around."
"The most important thing should be the outcome for the client. Holistically it creates a much better idea of trust."
Online Community And Buying From Those You Trust
When we're pitching to our clients, trust is a key factor in conversion. As we've seen the rise in Social Media, Instagram particularly, the term 'influencers' is now part of our everyday lingo.
A new feature is on the horizon which we believe could change the face of communities online, making them more authentic. It also opens up the spectrum for the side hustle that is micro influencing.
Individuals within these smaller online communities are now going to be able to purchase directly from their favoured micro influencers posts on Instagram "They are now taking it a step further, so you can now purchase in app. That's powerful. I think it will make the whole influencer trend more accountable and so-called influencers will have the opportunity to prove the 'influence' they have over their communities. Or not." It's no surprise that one person having millions of followers and getting paid to post a picture of themselves with a dietary supplement milkshake was going to be short lived. Just like that of a business with a transparent culture, we can see straight through it.
We are hoping this will lead to the rise of powerful and influential micro influencers who are passionate about what they do and have niche, but loyal following. This in turn can be an individual's side hustle and will help to grow collaboration within our online and offline communities.
A business is guided by its decisions and convictions. As it grows the values become a shining light.
Having values means an empowered workforce.
When it comes to instilling a belief in empowerment, this is echoed by packaging and design company Avec UK. A Dorset based business that has seen substantial growth since its origins in 2012 and led by owner Becks Beere and a team of nearly 40 people.
Rise MD, Angela Piromalli and Becks both discussed the importance of building and promoting a culture that is real and has the ability to attract new team members where everyone has a unified voice.
How Do You Build A Company Culture?
It is a well-used term when a company promotes the virtues of 'building a culture,' but how does a business leader instill this? Becks explained, "When it comes to recruitment, I want people to buy into the business. I genuinely research people and see if they are the right fit from the outset. I will never outsource the recruitment to someone else on the team. This is a company I have built with my own hands. It is my responsibility to nurture and grow this close-knit family.
"I have to sell the business to others, just as much as a candidate wants to work with Avec. I want people to buy into me and my company.
"Avec is about getting people on board this rocket ship that we are all building. I want people to be a part of it, not a cog in a faceless business."
Angela highlighted the importance of both candidate and employer having a mutual understanding. "Companies find strong talent by not sitting on their laurels. Both sides have to sell themselves. When candidates and clients are both on the same side of the road, not heading in opposite directions, it comes down to one simple trait, open communication."
The Charter That Everyone Dances To
The importance of communication is something that is part of Avec. They have a charter that each member of the company refers to and comes back to. Becks says, "Whilst we all know what the business feels like, can we put it into words?
"It is important to communicate what we will succeed in and what challenges lie ahead. The team all have an active role to play. As well as the grander vision, the smaller things matter too, such as no one is allowed to huff in the workplace and everyone puts their empty plates, bowls and cups in the dishwasher. It is something we expect from each other.
"Any company that is attracting new employees need to stand up and say, 'this is us, is this you?'"
The Avec charter is used as a tool for performance measurement. It is there to inform decisions and for the entirety of the team to recognise what they signed up to.
Trust In The Employer
According to the Association of Accounting Technician's (AAT), the average UK employee will spend 3,515 full days at work over the course of their lifetime. Angela stated, "People spend a huge proportion of their lives at work. Businesses having transparency means that everyone needs to know what they are signing up to. Having something such as the Avec charter means there is alignment between the business, its responsibility and its values."
Building a base for development, support and growth is a key part of a business that has longevity. People are now looking more than ever at businesses to lead and create a sense of place.
According to the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, this report looks at how much the public trust government, media and business. The latest 2019 report points to the vital role that companies play.
Within the study, people place more trust in their companies than in political leaders. There is a notable shift in trust to the relationships people have within their control, most notably UK employers.
When it comes to mutual trust, this is something that Avec has in abundance. Becks highlights, "Business owners need to put the emphasis on their team to discover and find their own answers. Perfection is not the only solution. I want people to succeed they need to be supported.
"We found out that people are not necessarily motivated by money. Every two years we profile the business and the team. From our own studies, we can see that people are motivated by security, a sense of validation and encouragement to be creative. It is the responsibility for a business owner to have a responsibility for others, this is how trust is earned. We also could see what demotivates the team. The majority do not like public recognition."
What about the future of an expanding company? Becks concludes, "I will give everything away for others to provide direction. However, I will not give away the customer relationship and the most precious resource, finding the right people. The company culture is one that has to be protected and championed.
If a company has values, they truly have to live them. This is something that Avec UK truly believe in.
It all comes down to the behaviour of how a company presents itself to the outside world and the obligation it has to those who work within the business.
Having values is more than a buzzword and something that you shout loudly on LinkedIn. It is the groundwork for a robust company culture that stands the test of time and to remain continually relevant to those that have a continual touch point with a company.
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