text:
\section{Introduction}

 Knowledge Representation based approaches to AI involve
encoding knowledge in a logical language and performing logical
inference to derive conclusions. Such systems have
certain highly desirable properties.
\begin{itemize}
\item They are {\bf teachable}. We can add both specific facts and general
axioms/heuristics concisely. E.g.,
we can simply tell such a system that every human has a biological mother, without
having to feed it a large number of examples, in the hope that a learning
system appropriately generalizes
\item There is a well defined notion of {\bf entailment}, that
allows us to draw conclusions from the general axioms we add to the system
\end{itemize}

 These systems, which are usually based on some form of first order
 logic, are very good for writing axioms to represent (and reason
 about) complex domains.
These axioms are typically hand written, because of which building a broad artificial
intelligence using this approach has proven to be rather daunting \cite{cyc}.
 Completely automating the construction of these systems using learning has also
 proven difficult. Complex first order statements are extremely hard to
 automatically learn.

The strengths of Knowledge Representation based system come from the origins of these systems, namely, in
mathematical logic. Unfortunately, these origins also bring some unwanted
baggage. Mathematical logic was developed for the purpose of stating mathematical
truths in a manner where the terms in these statements have
precise and unambiguous meaning.
Most axioms we
add to our knowledge based systems are transliterations of natural language
utterances. And as with all such utterances, despite our best attempts, terms
and axioms in knowledge based systems end up having many of the characteristics of
natural language. In particular, our experiences with systems such as Cyc \cite{cyc} and
Schema.org \cite{schema} have highlighted the fluid and ambiguous
nature of linguistic terms. Not just concepts like 'chair', but even terms like 'person'
afford a wide range of meanings, something difficult for logic based
systems to handle.

Recent work on distributed representations [\cite{socher}, \cite{manning},
\cite{bordes}, \cite{bordes2014semantic}, \cite{quoc}] has explored the use of embeddings as a representation
tool. These approaches typically 'learn an embedding', which maps terms and statements
in a knowledge base (such as Freebase \cite{freebase}) to points in an N-dimensional vector space.
Vectors between points can then be interpreted as relations between
the terms. A very attractive property of these distributed
representations is the fact that they are learnt from a set of
examples. Further, the continuous nature of the underlying vector space also
gives hope for coping with the fluidity encountered in the meaning of terms.

 But this benefit comes at the cost of not being able to do some of the
things that are relatively trivial for logic based systems.

\section{Goals \& Outline of Approach}
We would like to have systems that are largely learnt, which we can also teach.
In this work we take the first steps towards building a representation system
that combines the strengths of logical and distributed representations. The first step  is
to create a system that has a common representation for both
embeddings and logical sentences. The representation needs to be
common not just in syntax, but also in terms of semantics, i.e., in
what operations can be carried out on them.

Model theory \cite{enderton} is the mathematical foundation for logic. It
tells us what logical sentences may be construed to mean, which
operations make sense and what can be said to follow from a set of
statements in a knowledge base. We believe that an essential step in
bringing logic and distributed representations closer is to create a
model theory based on embeddings.

Rather than look at the geometric properties of learnt
embeddings as validation of the system having a semantic understanding, we take
the concept of an embedding as the starting point and try to build a model theory out of
it.

Our model theory is structurally similar to the standard
Tarskian semantics for first order logic. Tarskian semantics  is based on
the concept of an interpretation for a set of statements in a
language. An interpretation maps symbols in the language
into objects and relations (n-tuples of these objects).
In contrast, our interpretations map symbols in the
language to points and vectors in an
N-dimensional space.
Intuitively, a good/correct embedding maps to a single satisfying
interpretation. We define satisfaction and entailment as in Tarskian
semantics.

This small change (from objects to points) in Tarskian semantics is not enough to reflect
object similarity as captured by the geometry of embeddings. To
recapture this, we introduce a class of preferred models, where the
relative geometric location of objects reflects their similarity.
We argue that such models, where similar objects are spatially closer,
better capture the generalizations implicit in the data.
We present an approach to simple inference in these preferred
models.

Finally we revisit some old thorny
problems that come up in representing common sense knowledge and
discuss how a vector space approach might help.

This paper is an early exploration along this direction.
Much work needs to be done before we can actually build systems based
on the approaches described here.

\section{Model Theory}

\subsection{Recap of Tarskian Semantics}
For the sake of simplicity, without loss of generality, we restrict our attention to logical languages
with no function symbols, no free variables and with only binary predicates.

Tarskian semantics for first order logic is based on
the concept of an interpretation for a set of logical statements in a
language. The interpretation is defined using a model.
A model for a first order language assigns an interpretation to all
the non-logical constants in that language. More specifically,

\begin{enumerate}
\item A model  $M$ specifies a set of objects $D$ ($d_1$,
  $d_2$, ...), the domain of discourse.

\item To each term $t_i$ in the language, $M$ assigns an object in
  $M(t_i)$ in $D$

\item Each (binary) predicate symbol $P$ is assigned to a relation $M(P)$
  over $D^2$
\end{enumerate}

A sentence in the language evaluates to $True$ or $False$ given a
model  $M$ if
\begin{enumerate}
\item Atomic formulas: A formula $P(t_1, t_2)$ evaluates to $True$ iff
  $<d_{t1}, d_{t2}>  \in  M(P)$
\item Formulas with logical connectives, such as $\neg \phi$, $\phi
  \rightarrow \psi$ are evaluated according to propositional truth tables
\item $\exists x \phi(x)$ is $True$ if there exists some element of
  $D$, $d_i$ for which $\phi(d_i)$ is true.
\item  $\forall x \phi(x)$ is true if $\phi(d_i)$ is true for every
  element  $ d_i \in D$.
\end{enumerate}

If a sentence $\phi$ evaluates to $True$ under a given interpretation $M$, one
says that M satisfied $\phi$; this is denoted $M \models \phi$. A sentence is
satisfiable if there is some interpretation/model under which it is $True$. A
formula is logically valid (or simply valid) if it is $True$ in every
interpretation.

A formula $\psi$ is a logical consequence of a formula $\phi$ if every
interpretation that makes $\phi$ $True$ also makes $\psi$ $True$.
In this case one says that $\psi$ is logically implied by $\phi$.
It is this notion of logical implication that allows us to do
inference in knowledge based systems.

\subsection{Embeddings based Semantics}

We now describe how Tarskian semantics can be modified to be based on
a vector space model. We do this by using a different
kind of model, wherein the domain is a set of points in an
$N$ dimensional vector space of reals. More specifically,

\begin{enumerate}
\item A model  $M$ specifies an $N$ dimensional vector space.

\item To each term $t_i$ in the language, $M$ assigns a point
  $M(t_i)$ in this vector space

\item Each (binary) predicate symbol $P$ is assigned to a unit vector $M(P)$ in
  $K \le N$ dimensions of the vector space.\footnote{If $M(P)$ is $N$
    dimensions, then if $P(A, B)$ and $P(A, C)$, $B$ will have to be
    equal to $C$. Hence $M(P)$ is in a subspace.}

\end{enumerate}

$P(t_1, t_2)$  evaluates to $True$ iff the projection of the vector
from $M(t_1)$ to $M(t_2)$  onto the K dimensions of $M(P)$
has the same direction as $M(P)$.\\

The definitions for evaluating formulas with logical
constants, formulas with quantifiers, of satisfaction and logical
entailment  are the same as with Tarskian semantics.

Each of our models is also a Tarskian model in a fashion that is
consistent with the Tarskian definition of satisfaction, entailment,
etc. Consequently, the soundness of classical inference rules (modus
ponens, resolution, etc.) carry over.

This kind of model corresponds closely to the kind of embeddings (TransE)
described in \cite{bordes2014semantic}. In that work, the authors present a
mechanism for computing mappings from terms to points in the
vector space that is maximally consistent with and predictive of a
database of atomic formulas such as those in
Freebase. \cite{wang2014knowledge} solve the problem of representing
one to many relations in their TransH model.
In \cite{quoc}
the authors use a similar approach to map words (Paris, France, Rome,
Italy, etc.) into a vector space so as to maximize skipgram recall. The
vectors between pairs such as (Paris, France) tend out to be parallel
to those between (Rome, Italy), i.e., are 'semantically' meaningful.

We have taken this as a starting point, but instead of treating such
embeddings, where terms/words map to points in an N-dimensional
vector space and relations map to vectors, as the target of a
learning function, we have used them as the starting point for a model
theory.

\section{Spatial aspects of models}

  We have simply mapped objects to points in a real space. By itself,
this does not solve any of the issues faced by purely symbol
representations.  The real benefits can come only when we exploit the
fact that this is in a 'space' and associate
meaning with the absolute/relative locations of objects beyond
associating relations with vectors.

\subsection{Aggregate/Approximate models}

Certain concepts (e.g., the number one) will have a fairly crisp
meaning, whereas certain other concepts (e.g., chair), can have a
rather broad/vague/approximate meaning. Systems based on
logic have found it very difficult to capture this. We introduce
Aggregate and Approximate models, two alternatives that both use continuous nature of
the embedding space offers the hope of being able to capture this.

\subsubsection{Approximate Models} The simplest way to incorporate
approximateness into our model is to allow some variation in the vector
corresponding to each relation, which in turn allows for some variation
in the location of of each object.

\subsubsection{Aggregate Models} Consider the set of points across different
models corresponding to a particular term. Consider a cluster
of these points (from a subset of the satisfying models)
which are sufficiently close to each other. This cluster or cloud
of points (each of which is in a different model), corresponds to $an$ aggregate
of possible interpretations of the term. We can extend this approach for
all the (atomic) terms in the language. We
pick a subset of models where every term forms such a cluster. The set of clusters
and the vectors between  them gives us the aggregate model. Note that
in vectors corresponding to relations will also allow amount of variation.
If a model satisfies the KB, any linear transform of the model will
also satisfy the KB. In order to keep these transforms from taking
over, no two models that form an aggregate should be linear transforms
of each other.

In both aggregate and approximate models, each object corresponds to a cloud in the
N-dimensional space and the relation between objects is captured by their approximate
relative positions. The size of the cloud corresponds to the
vagueness/approximateness (i.e., range of possible meanings) of the concept.

\subsection{Learning and object locations}

Learnt embeddings, such as those reported in \cite{wang2014knowledge} and
\cite{bordes2014semantic} have the property that similar objects
tend to be spatially closer to each other than to objects that are
disimilar. This is a result of the learning/optimization mechanisms by which embeddings
are created. Given a KB of ground atomic facts (triples), these
systems are trained  on a subset of these triples. The output of the
training is a set of locations for the objects.
The goal of the learning is to correctly predict the other triples in
the KB. In other words, even though the KB itself does not contain
general axioms, the learning discovers the implicit, general axioms
governing the facts of the domain. These general axioms are not
directly represented in the learnt embedding, but are reflected in the
placement of the objects in the vector space.

We now try to explain why embeddings where similar objects are closer
tend to capture generalizations in the domain and should hence be
preferred. Imagine that there are a set of axioms that capture the
generalities in the domain. They imply some subset of the
triples in the KB from the other triples. The goal of the learning
algorithm is to 'discover' the implications of these axioms.

We make our case on a class of axioms that is simple, but very important.
Consider axioms of the form \\

$(\forall \; x \; P(x, A) \implies Q(x, B))$ \\

where P, Q are predicates and A, B are constants. Though this axiom
template looks very simple, in systems like \cite{cyc}, a significant
fraction of axioms follow this pattern. Of note are inheritance rules, which have the form \\

$(\forall \; x \; isa(x, \langle Category \rangle) \implies Q(x, \langle Attribute \rangle)$ \\

In our model, P and Q map
to vectors  $P_v$ and $Q_v$ in some subspace of the
N-dimensional space. Given two objects $x_1$ and $x_2$ such that
$P(x_1, A)$ and $P(x_2, A)$, $x_1$ and $x_2$ will share the same
coordinates in the subspace of $P_v$ and differ in their coordinates
in the other dimensions. It is easy to see that the likelihood of
$Q(x_1, B)$ and $Q(x_2, B)$ also being true (in the learnt embedding)
is higher if $x_1$ and $x_2$ are close in these other dimensions as
well. In other words, if the learning system is given a some of triples
of the form $P(x_i, A)$ and some of the form $Q(x_i, B)$, where there
is an overlap in the $x_i$, by placing these $x_i$, which share the
similarity that $P(x_i, A)$ is true of them, close together, it
increases the likelihood of correctly predicting $Q(x_i, B)$.

Applying this observation to inheritance rules, since objects typically
inherit some properties by virtue of what kind of object they are,
it follows that objects of the same type are likely to be found close to each
other in the embedding space.

In other words, of the set all satisfying models, the subset of models
in which objects of the same type (or more generally, similar objects) are
placed together, better capture the generalities implicit in the data.

Coming back to our model theory, unfortunately, though we map
terms to points in our models,  there is
no similarity metric that is built into this mapping. Consequently,
even in satisfying models, points that are
extremely close  may denote extremely dissimilar terms.
Further, in order to determine if something is logically entailed by a knowledge base,
we have to consider the set of all models that satisfy the knowledge
base. Different satisfying models might have completely
different coordinates for the same term and different vectors for
the same predicate.

We now introduce a class of preferred models which
try to capture this intuition.

\subsection{Preferred Models}

 Typically, in machine learning based approaches, a number of
examples are used  to try construct a single model or a probability
distribution over models. There is a tradeoff between precision and
recall, where we tolerate some number of wrong predictions in order to
increase the number of correct predictions.

Logical approaches on the other hand, try to
get $all$ the correct predictions (i.e., completeness) while avoiding
$all$ wrong predictions (i.e., soundness). To do this they deal not
with a  single 'best' model, but with the set of all satisfying
models. The only statements that follow are those that are true in
$all$ these models.
For example, consider a knowledge base about American history.
It will likely contain a symbol like 'AbrahamLincoln', which the author of the KB
$intends$ to denote the 16th American President. The logical
machinery doesn't care if the satisfying models map it to the
President, flying cars, real numbers or just the symbol itself. It
will draw a conclusion $only$ if the conclusion follows under $all$
these interpretations that satisfy the KB.
This is at the heart of soundness in logical inference.

Research in non-monotonic reasoning has explored relaxing the
heavy constraint of only drawing conclusions true in
all satisfying models. For example, circumscription
[\cite{hintikka}, \cite{circumscription}]
allows conclusions that are true in only a
preferred subset of satisfying models, those that minimize
the extent of certain predicates (typically the 'ab' predicates).
Such systems sacrifice soundness for the sake of non-monotonicity.

We follow a similar path, introducing a class of preferred models that
sacrifice soundness for the sake of learning generalizations implicit
in the data. We made the case earlier that models where object similarity
is proportional to object distance better capture generalities in
the domain.

We use similarity to define a set of preferred models.
Assume that we have a similarity
function $S(t_1, t_2)$ which measures the similarity between two
terms and evaluates to a number between 0 and 1, with $S(t_1, t_2)$
being closer to 1 if $t_1$ and $t_2$ are more similar. We want models
where the distance between the points denoting $t_1$ and $t_2$ is
correlated (inversely) to $S(t_1, t_2)$. When this is the case for
every pair of points, we have model where the geometry has
significance. Let $D(t_i, t_j)$ be the distance
between the points that $t_i$ and $t_j$ map to. Then when \\

$SD(t_i, t_j) = (1 - S(t_i, t_j))/D(t_i,t_j) \approx 1$ \\

for every pair of terms, the proximity in the model correlates with
similarity between the objects denoted by the terms. There are
multiple ways of picking such models. For example, we can
minimize  \\

$(\Sigma_{i=0}^L \Sigma_{j=0}^L log(SD(t_i, t_j)))/ L^2$ \\

where L is the number of terms This measures the average disparity between the
similarity measure and the distance between (dis)similar objects.
The preferred models are those where this average is less than some
threshold. Alternately, we can pick all models where a measure such as
$log(SD(t_i, t_j))$ is less than some threshold for each
pair of terms.

\subsection{Inference and Learning}
As mentioned earlier, since every model in our framework is also
Tarskian model and our definition of satisfaction and entailment are
the same, every sound proof procedure for first order logic is also
sound in our system.

However, we would like inference mechanisms that are cognizant of
preferred and aggregate models, i.e., that exploit the geometric structure of our
models. Much work needs to be done before we have
general  purpose inference mechanisms such as resolution,
that exploit the geometric properties of preferred models.

One approach to approximate inference, that works for domains with a small
number of objects, is as follows. We build a representative ensemble
of preferred approximate models.
Queries are answered by checking the query against each of the
models in the ensemble. If the query formula is true (or is true for
the same variable bindings) in every model in the ensemble, it is true.
Since the model checking is only done over preferred models,
the result should be a combination of learning and logical inference.

\subsection{Model Generation}

Here, we present a  simple approach for
generating a set of preferred models that are consistent with a given KB.
 We map axioms (ground and quantified) in the KB to equations/constraints on
the coordinates of objects. Solutions to these constraints correspond to
our preferred models. This approach works only for KBs with small enumerable
domains.

\subsubsection{Ground Atomic Formulas}
Each triple $P_i(t_j, t_k)$ gives us the equation: \\

$|M(t_j, P_i) - M(t_k, P_i) - M(P_i)| < \delta$ \\

where $M(t_j, P_i)$ is the location in the $K$ dimensional subspace
corresponding to $P_i$ of the term
$t_j$ and $M(P_i)$ is the vector corresponding to $P_i$ and $\delta$
is some measure of the approximateness we want to allow in our relations.

\subsubsection{Quantified Axioms}
Next, we need a set of equations that capture the quantified
axioms. We 'unroll' the quantifiers by instantiatinting the quantified variables
with the terms in the KB and then map the instantiated ground axioms
to equations.

We illustrate our approach on a simple class of axioms.
Consider axioms of the form $(\forall \; x \; P(x,A) \implies Q(x, B))$.
We instantiate this axiom for each term $t_i$. Consider a ground
non-atomic formula such as \\

$P(t_i, A) \implies Q(t_i, B) \equiv \neg P(t_i, A) \vee Q(t_i, B)$ \\

We map $Q(t_i, B)$ to
$\sigma (M(t_i, Q_i) - M(B, Q_i) - M(Q))$ \\
 where $\sigma$ is a sigmoid function that is 1 if $|M(t_i, Q) - M(B, Q) -
M(Q))| < \delta$ and 0 otherwise. \\

$\neg P(t_i, A)$ maps to
$(\sigma^{-1} (M(t_i, P) - M(A, P) - M(Q)))$ \\

Disjunctions are modelled by addition. So, \\
$P(t_i, A) \implies Q(t_i, B)$ is mapped to \\

$\sigma^{-1} (M(t_i, P) - M(A, P) - M(P)) + \\
\; \; \;\sigma (M(t_i, Q) - M(B, Q) - M(Q)) = 1$ \\

More complex formulas can similarly be used to generate more
constraints on the locations of the objects.

Finally, we have a set of  constraints based on the similarity
function $S(t_j, t_k)$, which try to learn generalities implicit
in the data by placing similar objects close to each other.

A variety of existing techniques can be used to solve this system
of constraints.

\section{Further thoughts}

The vector space representation very loosely corresponds to a
'semantics'  or 'understanding' that the system has. In logical
systems, the semantics is only in the meta-theory of the
system (i.e., governs what the system should and should
not do), not in the system itself.

Having a set of structures, distinct from the logical
  statements, that correspond to the system's understanding gives us a
  mechanism for dealing with the variation and context sensitivity
  in the meaning of terms. The same term, in different statements
  could map to slightly different points in the vector space, thereby
  having slightly different meanings.

A vector space based model gives us a generative function for
objects. Consider a symbol in the language (e.g., 'Chair'). In
classical semantics, this symbol denotes a single object in a given
model. There $may$ be other objects in the model that are very
similar, but lacking a term that refers to them. The discreteness of
the Tarskian model puts beyond the reach of our language. Attempts
to incorporate context into logic (\cite{guha_contexts},
\cite{jmc_contexts} allow for different occurances of a term to
refer to distinct objects, but do so at the relatively heavy cost of
making them completely different. We are hopeful that the vector space model
might give us a tool that gives us a more nuanced control over the
denotation space. We feel that this is one of the biggest promises of
this approach.

\section{Conclusions}

 In this paper, we took some first steps towards building a
 representation system that combines the benefits of traditional logic
 based systems and systems based on distributed representations.
We sketched the outline of a Model Theory for  a logic, along the
lines of Tarskian semantics, but based on vector spaces. We introduced
a class of preferred models that capture the geometric intuitions
behind vector space models and outlined a model checking based
approach to answering simple queries.

\section{Acknowledgements}
 I would like to thank Vineet Gupta, Evgeniy Gabrilovich, Kevin
 Murphy, John Giannandrea
and Yoram Singer for feedback and discussions.

\bibliographystyle{aaai}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
By Matt Ginella Photos by Greenbrier resort
The Greenbrier could find itself hosting a PGA Tour event as early as next year.
With the Buick Open's 51-year run coming to an end last Sunday, the focus has already shifted to the tournament's potential replacement on the PGA Tour schedule.
Reports have a new event at the Greenbrier resort getting the spot, but Jim Justice, 58, the coal tycoon who bought the storied West Virginia resort earlier this year for $30 million, has loftier aspirations: He wants in the playoffs. "Greenbrier has only one level," said Justice. "That level is the best. We want in the FedEx Cup series. We're putting this baby back on the map."
Justice said he expects a call this week from PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, whose office to this point has declined comment. "There has been speculation about us replacing the Buick, but to be honest I don't know what we're going to get," said Justice. "I want a multi-year event but we're ready to accept anything they put on the table."
Who made the first call -- the tour or the resort? In late May, after the sale of the Greenbrier went through, Justice said he received a call from Slugger White, a PGA Tour rules official, who is a friend and former teammate on Justice's high school golf team. "He said, 'What are you doing?' I told him I was glad he called," said Justice. "I asked him to put me in touch with the tour."
Officials have been to the Greenbrier twice since then. The first time they came out and toured the Greenbrier course, an original 1924 Seth Raynor design that was redone by Jack Nicklaus in 1977 before it hosted the '79 Ryder Cup. It also was the site of the '94 Solheim Cup. Justice says they liked what they saw, but they came back a second time with more officials.
"I told them I was willing to combine some holes from multiple courses if necessary." The Greenbrier has three 18-hole courses including the Old White, an original C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor design that was updated in '99 by Bob Cupp.
According to Justice, the tour was content with the Greenbrier course, but after lunch they asked to see Old White before they left. "They came screaming back and said it would be perfect."
Justice says notice from the tour could come any minute. In the meantime, he's breaking ground on a new underground casino on August 24th and it's scheduled to open on April 1st.
And after some time to reflect on his purchase, Justice says he has no regrets. "I'm delighted. To buy all this for $30 million, it has to be the deal of the century. Beyond that, it's a preservation of an icon. I grew up here and the Greenbrier is a treasure to West Virginians. This is the American way. This isn't a stimulus package, this is just a good thing. It's saving a community."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Provigil is known to be a eugeroics medication that was approved in 1998 for narcolepsy treatment. Later it began to be used for treating SWSD and OSA. All of these uses are approved by FDA. There is no FDA approval for using Generic Provigil in order to treat depression, even though the drug is often used for such purposes. It is also known to be a good antidepressant. The medicine can improve the levels of energy, eliminate fatigue and struggle with slow psychomotor activity. Really a big range of benefits, which are not all known to the general population.
It is not known how the medication works, though there are still many investigations around the drug. It is very interesting for many scientists who are eager to reveal additional benefits of Provigil. It is considered that the medicine can influence on dopamine reuptake inhibition (DRI). It can also enhance histamine in the hypothalamus and promote the stimulation of orexin receptors.
The medication is also able to increase glutaminergic circuits activity at the same time inhibiting GABAergic activity. It even can increase electronic coupling. In addition, Provigil can enhance serotonin and norepinephrine levels in particular brain centers. Its affects on neural alterations can lead to noticeable reduction of depression symptoms in some individuals.
The research of 2000 was analyzing 7 cases of people who faced with depression. 4 of them had a major depressive disorder (MDD) and 3 got a diagnosis of bipolar depression. In all the cases none of them had a good response onto traditional antidepressant treatment. Later they were given Generic Provigil as an adjunct for their major therapy. All of them got partial or even full remission in depressive symptoms in the period of 2 weeks.
Those side effects were considered to be minimal and didn't result in discontinuation of any of the people. It was noticed that Provigil can have more benefits compared to psycho stimulants as an adjunct, because of its lower abuse. They also suggest it to be very beneficial for those who suffer from residual tiredness and fatigue. Of course, the study was conducted with a small number of patients, and its results can't be regarded on the big amount of people. In any case it is good to buy Provigil and have it always at hand.
Generic Provigil is often used off-label against bipolar depression, seasonal affective disorder, atypical depression, major depressive disorder.


text:
'Casablanca', Bikini Pics & An Empty Chair For Mark Zuckerberg As Facebook Grilled By British Parliament
Politicians from nine countries have slammed Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to appear in front of a British parliamentary hearing to answer questions on fake news and misinformation – a session that included a surprising reference to Casablanca and a bizarre tale of how a bikini-searching photo app lead to Facebook's latest privacy woes.
Zuckerberg was empty chaired by Britain's Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport's Select Committee in a session in the Houses of Parliament, although 24 official representatives from nine countries, including the UK and Canada, grilled Richard Allan, Vice President of Policy Solutions at the social media giant for close to three hours.
"One question: where is Mark Zuckerberg?," noted the agency. Committee chief Damian Collins added, "We were rather hoping your boss would appear", while one MP accused the Silicon Valley company of being run by "frat boy billionaires from California".
Facebook-Driven Area 51 Storming May Be Countered With Force, Says US Air Force
It is the latest battle between Facebook and UK authorities after British politicians have repeatedly tried to get Zuckerberg to answer questions around data and privacy. It comes after Parliament seized a raft of internal Facebook documents from Six4Three, a company that operates a bikini app via the social media service.
Early on in proceedings with Allan, Ian C. Lucas, a Labour MP, compared Facebook's privacy controls to the famous scene in Casablanca, where Renault closes the café due to gambling before being handed his winnings from a croupier.
Allan admitted that the revelations that Facebook hired consulting firm Definers, who propelled George Soros-related conspiracies, had damaged the public trust in the social media platform. "[Mark] Zuckerberg said himself that was not what he expected of us; Elliot Schrage said he was publicly responsible, and [Mark] Zuckerberg has given us instructions to look at all relationships we have," he said, adding that Zuckerberg was leading reviews on Facebook's engineering product.
Allan, who also sits in the House of Lords, said that the company was now looking at rolling out transparency tools around political advertising globally. He also said that it had published "several reports" about attempts by Russian and Iranian operatives to spread false information on Facebook.
However, he accused Six4Three, the company that handed over a slew of documents about Facebook's privacy strategy, of being a "hostile litigant". This comes after it emerged that Facebook had discovered that Russians had been accessing information via third party developers.
"[Six4Three's] beef rests on us making the changes that you all want us to change. When we changed the API, they lost access to the friends data, and they launched a series of lawsuits," said Allan. "Their app was – I was not a user – it promised to help you find photos of your friends wearing bikinis."
The hearing included a group of politicians from around the world including Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Ireland, Latvia and Singapore, a rare move for the British parliament. Collins said it was the first time that such a group had come together since the 1930s.
"This shows just how seriously we take these issues, as do our colleagues from other parliaments," he added.
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Swami Shashwat Ji was born in 1985 in the Narmada region in Madhya Pradesh. His parents named him "Krishna". By the grace of God, he repeatedly chanted the name of Lord Rama from the tender age of five. He started meditating for several hours every morning and every evening at the age of seven or eight. At that time, he had three aims in life – to become a scientist, to serve his country or to search for the truth. From this young age itself, his interest grew in searching for new things and in serving others, but Swamiji also used to wonder if, after death, he would become a plant or a tree, an insect or a bug, a bird or an animal. When someone died in the village, Swamiji used to think, "This person has worked so hard, made a name for himself or herself, made money, and yet, he or she is dead. Will I also die like this one day? Will I also be cremated or buried?" It became very clear to him that no matter how much wealth, respect or status one has, death is inevitable, and it is impossible to avoid this cycle of life and death. So, he turned his mind away from everything else and completely surrendered to the love of the divine. He would spend most of his time remembering the Lord.
Listening to stories about saints like Dhruv and Prahlad increased his longing so much that he too decided to go deep into the forest to do japa and meditation. He had heard that God protects his devotees in all places and in all situations, and he was sure that the Lord would also protect him. At the age of fourteen, he left his home in the search for God.
Swamiji's guru, Baba Shri Gajanandji Maharaj, greatly contributed to his spiritual practice. Swamiji started wandering to the four corners of India in the company of saints and holy men. Sometimes, he used to stay in the same place for some time, in the service of holy men, for his spiritual practice, or simply because it was a place of pilgrimage. The longing to find God and unite with Him became so strong that he had only one thought, "When will I see Him?" He would constantly fight with his mind, and try and find a way to calm it. He would sit and cry alone, remembering the Lord. Then, he had the vision of a holy man, and the divine being said to him, "Do not fight with the mind, observe the mind as a seer, as a witness. Whatever is happening in the body and in the mind through the senses, experience that." From that time onwards, his mind started to become calmer, and his meditation became more natural.
In the year 2007, Swamiji began a pilgrimage around the Narmada river. One evening, in 2008, he was sitting quietly under a tree on the river-bank, doing nothing in particular, when suddenly a bright light spread in him and all around him. His senses and sensations stopped, and this intense energy in the form of light spread in all four directions. It was a death-like experience; the light and the sound were so intense that he thought that his body would let go. He felt truly blissful. He was immersed in inner stillness and peace, with a feeling of profound bliss that has never left him since that day.
After this realization of his true nature, his journey continued. He liked to be alone on the banks of the Ganga or in the jungle. Whatever he could find, like fruits, vegetables or leaves, he would eat as the Lord's prasad. He would spend his time between Haridwar and Rishikesh, along the river Ganga or in the thick jungle, in the foothills or in ashrams, alone, in meditation and contemplation. He would carry an earthen pot and a gunny sack, and devotees began to refer to him as "Handiwale Baba" (handi means "earthen pot"), or "Pedwale Baba" (ped signifies "tree"), or "Avadhuta Baba" or simply "Swamiji" or "Babaji".
Since 2012, he lives in a house in Rishikesh. Spiritual seekers from India and all around the world gather there everyday, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., for a silent meditation, followed by satsang and bhajans. Swamiji stresses on the importance of daily meditation (dhyana), Self-enquiry ("Who am I?", atma vichara), contemplation (chintan), discrimination (viveka), surrender (samarpan) and non-attachment (vairagya). People from different walks of life come to receive his darshan (blessing), or simply to be in his kind and joyous presence.
Swamiji says that love is everywhere, and in order to feel it, one must empty the mind of imagination and desire, because only the emptiness will allow the love to come in. He feels bliss, joy and love in him and all around him, and those who come to him with an open heart are filled with inner joy, celebration and love. He gives unconditional love to all for he sees Brahman, Pure Consciousness, and only Brahman, in all beings.


Taylor Swift is up for question due to her recent actions involving a blogger.
However, instead of taking Herning's advice, Taylor threatened her with a lawsuit. Taylor and her team believed Herning's post was defamatory and they demanded she retract it.
Now Taylor has brought more attention to herself, and of course Twitter is chiming in. Swipe through to read what people had to say.


text:
Beenie, Krystal call it quits
January 20, 2021 in Regional
BEENIE Man announced on social media yesterday that he and Krystal Tomlinson, his girlfriend of five years, have split. In an Instagram post, the Grammy-winning artiste noted that the break-up was amicable. "Krystal Tomlinson and Moses Davis…we are apart, we are not together anymore and it's not...
UK aims to give 1st COVID-19 shot to all adults by September
The UK Government plans to offer a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to every adult by September as the nation's health-care system battles the worst crisis in its 72-year history. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said yesterday that the Government will soon begin a trial of round-the-clock...
World Bank Approves US$30 Million Credit for Saint Lucia's COVID-19 Response, Recovery, and Resilience
Friday, January 15, 2021 — WASHINGTON — The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved the US$30 million Saint Lucia COVID-19 Response, Recovery, and Resilience Development Policy Credit. This quick-disbursing credit aims to help mitigate the negative economic impacts of COVID-19 on the most...
U.S. Puts Cuba Back On List Of State Sponsors of Terrorism
Updated at 4:25 p.m. ET The Trump administration is designating Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism in a move that will return the island nation to the pariah list from which it was removed five years ago. As he announced the designation Monday, Secretary of State...
19 firearms, ammo seized in MoBay
The St James police have recovered 19 illegal firearms and a large number of ammunition during an operation in Montego Bay yesterday. The arms cache includes 13 handguns and six rifles. It is not clear if anyone has been arrested in connection with the find. However, OBSERVER ONLINE...


text:
Cet article recense les subdivisions administratives de l'Érythrée.

Régions

Liste

L'Érythrée est divisée en six régions administratives.

Histoire
Pendant la période coloniale, la colonie italienne d'Érythrée est organisée en huit provinces dont le découpage est fortement basé sur les frontières historiques de la région. Ces provinces sont utilisées comme districts après l'annexion de l'Érythrée par l'Éthiopie, en 1962.

Lors de son indépendance en 1993, ce découpage est conservé, en partageant toutefois deux des provinces afin d'en former dix au total. En 1996, l'organisation du pays est modifiée : les six régions actuelles sont créées, regroupant 59 neus zobas qui regroupent elle-même 701 kebadis.

Gouvernement
Chaque région possède une assemblée régionale localement élue, tandis que l'administrateur local est nommé par le président d'Érythrée. Pendant les réunions du gouvernement, le président rencontre également les administrateurs régionaux.

Les assemblées régionales ont la charge du budget pour les programmes locaux (événements culturels, infrastructure, etc.)

Districts

Les régions de l'Érythrée sont subdivisées en districts. Ces districts portent très souvent le nom de leurs capitales.

Anseba :
Adi Tekelezan
Asmat
Elabered
Geleb
Hagaz
Halhal
Habero
Keren
Kerkebet
Sela

Maekel :
Berikh
District nord-est
District sud-est
District sud-ouest
Ghala Nefhi
Serejaka

Gash-Barka
Akurdet
Barentu
Dghe
Forto
Gogne
Haykota
Logo Anseba
Mensura
Mogolo
Molki
Omhajer
Shambuko
Tesseney
Gash supérieur

Semien-Keih-Bahri :
Afabet
Dahlak
Ghelalo
Foro
Ghinda
Karura
Massaoua
Nakfa
She'eb

Debub :
Adi Keyh
Adi Quala
Areza
Dbarwa
Dekemhare
Kudo Be'ur
Mai-Mne
Mendefera
Segeneiti
Senafe

Debub-Keih-Bahri :
Are'eta
Denkalya central
Denkalya méridional

Notes et références

Article connexe
 Liste des gouverneurs des régions de l'Érythrée

Liste en rapport avec l'Érythrée

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Report: Kavanaugh accused of sexual misconduct during high school
by Harvest Prude & Mickey McLean
UPDATE: The New Yorker reported Friday morning that the information relayed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to the FBI involved a complaint from an unidentified woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were both in high school in the early 1980s.
Manafort cuts plea deal
WASHINGTON—Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, has agreed to a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller in exchange for reduced charges. Manafort will plead guilty to two out of the initial seven charges against him. In documents filed Friday and signed by Mueller, prosecutors charged Manafort with one count of conspiracy against the United States and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Cuomo defeats Nixon in New York
New York incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo easily trounced his far-left challenger, actress and activist Cynthia Nixon, in the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary Thursday.
Committee delays Kavanaugh confirmation vote
WASHINGTON—The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, as expected, delayed its scheduled vote on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to next Thursday. Any committee member can request a one-week delay in voting on a nominee, and committee Democrats demanded more time and access to additional documents related to Kavanaugh's background. But while the delay was granted, Republicans rejected an effort by Democrats to subpoena documents from Kavanaugh's time as a staff secretary in the George W.
Rhode Island taps establishment picks
Harvest Prude | 9/13/18, 11:55 am
Rhode Island held its primary elections Wednesday, with voters largely sticking with incumbents on the Democratic side, including rejecting a progressive candidate in favor of the pro-business incumbent in the governor's race. Gov. Gina Raimondo fended off her more liberal challenger Matt Brown, the state's former secretary of state, and will face Tuesday's Republican winner, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, and independent candidate Joe Trillo in November. Raimondo and Fung previously battled for the governor's mansion in 2014.
November ballot set for New Hampshire races
New Hampshire primary voters emerged from the polls Tuesday having sided with establishment picks for the November ballot. After Democratic U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter chose not to run for reelection, Republicans see an opportunity to flip her House seat red.
Kavanaugh survives, likely advances
WASHINGTON—A week of posturing, protests, and partisanship came to a close Friday, with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh surviving and likely advancing on to take his seat on the high court. Friday's segment offered an anti-climactic end to the proceedings, with many members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Kavanaugh not in attendance to hear 26 witnesses testify on the judge's character, qualifications, and his perceived position on a host of controversial issues.
Day Three: More bickering and protests at Kavanaugh hearing
WASHINGTON—During Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's lengthy third day of his confirmation hearing, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee bickered about confidential documents and later sought to pick his brain on controversial political events.
Politics | Supreme Court nominee makes few promises in confirmation hearing
WASHINGTON—Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have pressed Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing to tip his hand on hot-button issues such as abortion, religious liberty, and presidential power, but Kavanaugh has mostly kept a strong poker face.
Kavanaugh claims 'no agenda' during marathon session
WASHINGTON—Senators grilled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh for nearly 12 hours on Day Two of his confirmation hearing Wednesday. All 21 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned President Donald Trump's pick to replace Anthony Kennedy on the high court, with many touching on hot-button topics like abortion, gun control, executive authority, and affirmative action.


text: Q: Change Java version in a terminal session (Mac OSX) How do I change the Java version in a terminal session? I don't want to change my system preferences, or my default JRE/JDK. Only for the current terminal session. My OS is Mac OSX, but for completion you might as well specify Windows and Linux.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The show involves artists drawn from public auditions, and is part of The Voice franchise. It is produced by ITV Studios as well as Dutch production company Talpa Productions, and formerly Wall to Wall during its time on the BBC. The show was originally presented by Holly Willoughby and Reggie Yates. However, from 2014 onwards Emma Willis has presented the show with Marvin Humes who then left after it's fifth series.


I am trying to replace the text, but it is replacing the exact case, but I need to replace all the matching strings without taking the case sensitive conditions.
Batch replace or overlay text with text or image to PDF pages.
for %F in (D:\temp\*.pdf) do pdftr.exe -skip "%F" "C:\test\%~nF.pdf"
How to replace text in PDF by overlay text?
This entry was posted in PDF Text Replacer and tagged pdf text replacer, replace text. Bookmark the permalink.


Greater California Dental Mktg is located at the address 10731 Treena st Ste 209 in San Diego, California 92131. They can be contacted via phone at (858) 635-9350 for pricing, hours and directions.
For maps and directions to Greater California Dental Mktg view the map to the right. For reviews of Greater California Dental Mktg see below.


Prem Amar 2 clearly talks about a romantic tragedy love story. Directed by Bidula Bhattacharjee starring Adrit Roy and Puja Cherry in the lead role. Prem Amar 2 is a love story of two young college students Apurbha and Joy. They first meet in the college and turn out to be neighbors. Below you can find Prem Amar 2 Full Movie Download.
Apparently, Joy's friend seems to like Apurbha because of which he creates misunderstanding between them. The Tragedy of this movie starts when Apurbha's family refuses the relationship. As Apurbha's parents are against their love, decides Apurbha's marriage with someone else. The movie is a journey of Joy saving her love from getting married to someone else.
According to the reports, Prem Amar 2 will be live on TV channels by Mid of 2019. Therefore, it does not make sense to Download Prem Amar 2 Full movie and support piracy.
It is always better to wait for the movie to get released on Legal Streaming Website. Before you search for Prem Amar 2 Full Movie Download check on mentioned streaming websites.
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Hence, it is our request not to download or watch Prem Amar 2 or any movie from these websites. By doing so, you can help the fight against piracy. This will save thousands of family working in the Bengali Film Industry in and around West Bengal.
Prem Amar 2 music is composed by Suvvy Gupta. There is a total of 4 Songs in this movie. Lyrics were written by Ritam Sen.


text:
How recent events will impact Mike Pence's political future
Kaitlin Lange
Vice President Mike Pence is at odds with President Donald Trump after a tumultuous week on Capitol Hill, but pundits say Indiana's former governor has made all the right political moves this week.
In a rare break with Trump after four years of almost unabridged loyalty, Pence declined to intervene in the Electoral College count as Trump had demanded. But late Tuesday, Pence also ruled out invoking the 25th Amendment, which would remove Trump from power.
Earlier that day, House Democrats introduced both an impeachment article against the President and a resolution on Monday calling on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which has never been used since it was ratified in 1967.
More:Lawmakers propose protections for businesses over coronavirus-related lawsuits
Pundits told IndyStar Pence is navigating the troubled political waters admirably. What happens in the days ahead is likely to have broad implications for both the political futures of both Trump and Pence, who both reportedly are eyeing runs for the White House in 2024.
"This week I think (Pence is) looking better than ever," said Mike Murphy, an Indiana political strategist and former Republican state lawmaker. "I think that he has caught a lot of flack from people in the last four years about being obsequious and kind of a puppy dog trailing behind the president. When the rubber met the road, or whatever you want to say, he stood up against the president."
The Electoral College vote
Pence had long been seen as loyal, arguably to a fault, to the president. As other aides have come and gone, many drawing Trump's ire along the way, Pence was a constant in the White House.
His loyalties were put to the test Wednesday. After Trump repeatedly asked him to reject certain Electoral College results, without offering proof of widespread fraud, Pence put a legal team together and consulted with experts on congressional rules.
The vice president concluded he had no authority to reject the certification of state votes, which could have disenfranchised millions of voters. He ultimately certified all of the results.
Andy Downs, a political scientist at Purdue University Fort Wayne, said Pence made the right move, which could help him in the future.
"It actually showed a certain amount of independence for the vice president," Downs said. "In other words, he didn't kowtow to what the president was requesting because he understood there was at best a really, really slim chance that what the president was requesting was actually legal, constitutional (constitutionally) doable, whatever you want to call it. So he in some respects managed to build some credibility with a broader section of the population."
The move came at a cost, though. As the riots were beginning, Trump condemned his No. 2 on Twitter, the first public break in their relationship since taking office in 2017.
"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution," Trump tweeted.
The rift between the two stretched nearly a week.
The two finally spoke Monday for the first time since the pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol last Wednesday, CNN reported. A senior administration official described it as a good conversation spent reflecting on the last four years and pledging to continue that work for the remainder of the term, CNN reported.
Shortly after, when the Capitol was breached by a pro-Trump mob, Trump reportedly did not check in on Pence and his family, who were in the building to support him, reportedly upsetting the vice president.
After the riot Trump's job approval rating plummeted, tying the lowest point of his presidency, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll.
Murphy thinks most Trump supporters, except for what he called some fanatics, will forgive Pence.
"The Trump world will understand and not only understand but appreciate what Mike Pence has done and how he's acting and how principled he has been," Murphy said, "and I think how courageous he's been. Because he was loyal as he could be, as any human could be, until Donald Trump self destructed and violated his own trust."
Pete Seat, a former spokesman for the Indiana Republican Party, said the way Pence handled the pro-Trump mob storming the Capitol was impressive. The Washington Post reported the vice president refused to be evacuated from the Capitol despite requests from his security team and that it was Pence, and not Trump, that helped initiate the mobilization of the D.C. National Guard.
"I think it is important, though, to take into consideration the fact that he was there, he himself was in danger," Seat said. "But he did what leaders do and he jumped into action. I think in that moment, when people reflect back on the day and his role, they will see someone who was prepared for that moment, prepared to step up to the challenge."
Pence's actions on Jan. 6 also earned praise from members of Congress. Rep. Larry Bucshon called Pence "and honorable man and outstanding public servant," and thanked him for his leadership on Twitter.
"Under trying circumstances," Bucshon wrote, "he faithfully carried out his constitutional duty to preside over the counting of Electoral College votes."
Potential for Trump's removal from office
In the days since the storming of the Capitol, Pence had to grapple with another significant decision.
The House was expected to vote Tuesday night on a Democratic-sponsored resolution asking him to invoke the 25th Amendment. In a letter late Tuesday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, The Associated Press reported, Pence said the mechanism should not be used "as a means of punishment or usurpation" and reserved for cases of medical or mental incapacitation.
Before the vice president's statement, Downs said he did not think it would be wise for Pence to try to invoke the 25th Amendment, especially if Pence is not certain he would have support from a majority of cabinet members, which is needed to do so.
"It'll just make him look weak," Downs said, "and lose him some credibility with parts of the Republican party who will say, 'Yeah, Trump had gone off the deep end. But he was only gonna be there for nine more days, there are enough safety precautions, or procedures in place.'"
The House is slated to begin debate on the impeachment resolution on Wednesday morning — unless Pence decides to invoke the 25th Amendment — which also could have implications on Pence's future. The Senate does not return until Jan. 19, meaning the impeachment proceedings could likely conclude after President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
The Senate could also vote to bar Trump from running for office again. If that happens, pundits note it could make it easier for Pence to run for office in 2024.
"It helps in the sense that he doesn't have to sit there, worried that Donald Trump is going to run again," Seat said. "Having that completely off the table helps, because then you can go run, and you don't have to be looking over your shoulder all the time, concerned that that he might mount that campaign. Because then what do you do? Do you run against the person who you served as vice president? Likely not."
Chad Kinsella, a Ball State political science professor, said Pence might have a case in 2024 among Republicans.
"On one hand, he was President Trump's Vice President, which gives him a lot of name identification nationally and the ability to say he was on that team, similar to what Joe Biden has done since being President Obama's vice president," Kinsella said. "He could also appeal to moderate Republicans and independents by making the claim he was the voice of reason in the Trump White House, especially post-election."
Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.


text:
Story of Albany
Immigrant health care — an issue a century ago too
By Michael Huber, timesunion.com on November 12, 2009 at 12:53 PM
Submitted by Rosemary Armao, a University at Albany professor and resident of Colonie. She writes a blog at http://blog.timesunion.com/armao/ While West Albany is officially in the town of Colonie, it's just across the I-90 highway from Albany.
Little girls in First Communion white march in the parade that opened the annual Feast in the Village of West Albany.
Passionate and partisan fighting has engulfed Congress today over the contentious issues connected to health care reform, including whether or not immigrants should be covered. My immigrant ancestors didn't wait for government help when they came from the mountains outside of Naples to West Albany at the turn of the century.
That village is quiet now, the dirt all paved over, just an aging lower-middle class neighborhood straddling the highways next to the Tobin First Prize Packing Plant crumbling into ruin on Exchange Street. The smell of hogs going to slaughter has faded, the uproar of train whistles, school bells, church bells and factory horns silenced. The railway shops, the stockyards, the hotel where men yelled over cards at night and the stores where kids got penny candy long gone.
Traces of the Italian ghetto that once intimidated 'Miticans, short-form Italian dialect for Americanos who were mostly Irish immigrants, in the surrounding areas are hard to find. The place is far more integrated and multi-cultural than those peasant settlers could have dreamed up even on homemade wine. The West Albany Elementary School now a Hebrew Academy? St. Francis de Sales Catholic church a worship center for Koreans!
An officer of the Italian Benevolent Society in West Albany.
But one West Albany institution remains from the old days – the Italian Benevolent Society which marked its 100th anniversary last month. From 1909 the club, which is what we knew it as growing up, or the "Sooge," short for Societa, as our parents called it, was the hub of community social life as surely as spiritual life was grounded in St. Francis and work life in the railyard and Tobin's.
You got married in St. Francis, had your reception in the IBS club across the street — at which tipsy aunts and uncles were certain to dance the tarantella – and after the honeymoon you put on a white coat and a hairnet and did your shifts at the packing plants. The kids sure to come soon after would cross the line into the territory of the 'Miticans to attend West Albany and you'd live in a little house with a big garden in the back on a curving dirt road in the village that shook with the reassuring regularity of the passing New York Central locomotives.
That was pretty much life for generations.
In some ways the IBS remains maddening unmodernized. Women still can't belong except as kitchen workers who put out the best pizza in the area on Friday nights or as members of an auxiliary belatedly formed 20 years ago. Men whose fathers were not Italian and who, therefore, do not have Italian last names can't belong at all. Anyone in search of a card game or a round of bocci can find it at the club still and when aged men who were once boys in the village die fellow members come to funerals en masse to salute them.
But the old barriers that kept the village and isolated – and united – don't exist anymore than do the stockyards and railroads. It's hard to even find photos of the bridge that ran over the shops and raillines, or the gardens or the trail of people who came out of Tobin's at shift change times. Photos were rare and special. You posed in family groupings in your best clothes for them and who would pay for a photographer to shoot such everyday stuff as that? It sounds quaint now when my mother describes how outsiders would be afraid to push through the thongs of dark-skinned, dirty men who gesticulated on the corners and outside the stoops of West Albany. She was an adult before she realized how frightening the men she knew as cousins and neighbors must have seemed to others. And the outsiders were not exactly wrong. Hotheaded card players brawled and growled insults with regularity the women joked about and there was scandal when a West Albanian shot the boarder he suspected of fooling around with his wife.
Fresh off the boats and still indentured for the long ride over from the mountains above Naples, Italian peasants flowed into West Albany at the turn of the last century. They worked for $1 a day in the shops and the slaughter house around heavy machines and equipment that could cost them a limb and their livelihood in a wink. Deaths, also common, left widows and children bereft. The immigrants had no insurance, no government aid, no employer benefits. Their dilemma foreshadowed today's worries about health care for the poor and uninsured.
So 20 men, among them my great-grandfather Anthony Scaringe, all illiterate and unable to understand English came up with this solution: they each put in $1 a month and they formed a society to watch out for the families of workers hurt, killed or in trouble. In days when a doctor came to your house for about $2 that kitty made a huge difference.
The good deeds of the IBS are part of countless family legends in this area. How the members didn't wait for someone to have to ask for help, they just offered. How they made sure families in a tight spot had food for their kids and how everyone got a proper Catholic burial.
In the early days before there was money for a hall, members met monthly in each other's houses, their wives responsible for the pasta and wine served that night. That was the start of the group's more social functions. Eventually the organization moved into the building at 50 Exchange Street where it is still housed which had a bar and a kitchen, because no Italian event would be complete without food and drink.
In mid July of 1924 the IBS staged its first celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, enlisting the church, the businessmen and all the great Italian cooks in the village to show devotion to the mother of God. They put together a band of members and their children, lit the streets with lights and sold Italian ice and cookies in street stands. A statue of Mary was paraded through the village and residents ran to pin dollar bills to her dress. In her house on Richmond Street, my great-grandmother Rosemary Scaringe used to feed the electricians who strung up the streetlights for the Feast, which is what we called this event second only in grandeur to Christmas. My great uncle Paul led the bank rehearsals in the kitchen of his house on Exchange Street.
Through the '60s my sisters and I would don our stiff white First Communion dresses and veils, clutch a gladiola that the IBS supplied by the truckload and lined up behind the band with our grandmother for a march through the village that ended with a procession around the pews of St. Francis. The organist always played Ave Maria and the priests set off clouds of incense waving a a silver burner on a chain. There were two nights of games and treats behind the IBS and every friend and cousin we knew was there. We stayed up late to watch fireworks and no event since has ever surpassed the Feast in my mind.
My mother says we never really saw The Feast at its height, which we cannot believe because how could it have been more huge? But World War II killed it, she says. During those years you could not fly the Italian flag. Italian heritage was not something you wanted to advertise.
The end of the war brought more change to the village and to the IBS. Young men fresh from the service swelled the membership ranks and created a generation gap. Antonio Piombino, the first and only president stepped aside in 1945 and it fell to the second president, my grandfather Vito Stellato, to keep the group together.
Grandpa could speak Italian and English and he was an astute businessman. He'd come to New York at 18 with no money but a lot of good lucks and many relatives. He ran an ice business for years, until somehow sensing that this new-fangled refrigeration was going to change things, he sold out at a big profit about 1928. As IBS president he pushed the formation of a Bowling League and inaugurated the first annual clambake – which was almost as grand as the Feast.
The older generation did not fade away unobtrusively. At one point long past his prime Paba was stirring up a trouble and being loud in the middle of a meeting chaired by Uncle Paul – his son – who tried diplomatically to get him to stop, addressing him mildly as "Brother Scaringe," in the club's fraternal style.
Brother, my ass!" Paba roared back. This is a story that has been passed down in the family, no less.
As the railway wound down and the vast shops were plowed under to make way for Watervliet Extension, as Tobin's phased out, as Melucci's Hotel and Pacella's store gave way to competitors, as the Italian section blended into the rest of the city, the IBS got rich and kept growing. My father joined, a succession of uncles and cousins too, though they all had insurance through jobs and Social Security too. Eight men in the club now have more than 60 years of membership.
It could be the pizza or bocci that keeps members so numerous and loyal – or it could just be the direct link to ancestors who didn't leave us photos or letters or inheritances — only a heritage of taking care of the family.
Michael Huber
UMass Mayne on The 1990-91 Albany Choppers, by Chuck Miller
Michael Novak on Kelton Court memories, By Dr. Peter A. Myers
Barb on The Arbor Hill Hatchet Lady, by Jamie McDonald
54North on Pine Hills in the '70s, by Mark C. Daniels
Allie from East Greenbush on Pine Hills in the '70s, by Mark C. Daniels


text:
Froggattiella inusitata är en insektsart som först beskrevs av Green 1896.  Froggattiella inusitata ingår i släktet Froggattiella och familjen pansarsköldlöss. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

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Pansarsköldlöss
inusitata


D26 Drouwenerveld (Hunebed) on The Modern Antiquarian, the UK & Ireland's most popular megalithic community website. 12 images, 2 fieldnotes, 1 weblink, plus information on many more ancient sites nearby and across the UK & Ireland.
This Hunebed lies in a clearing in the northeast corner of a woodland southwest of Drouwen. East of the Hunebeds are large fields where rolled turf is cultivated. Unfortuantely during my visit a loud power generator was running, which upset the whole atmosphere.
The Hunebed itself is really nice, but I must agree with Les Hamilton it is quite tricky to get good pictures, if you don't have a stick or something else to raise the camera position (which I don't have with me). There are five capstone, four entrance stone (no capstones here) and still 13 of original 27 kerbstones (there are markers for the missing kerbstone e.g. in the northwest section).
It is possible to drive to the Hunebed with your car, the last 300m you have to walk. Refer to the yellow line in the satellite image in Les Hamilton's fieldnotes.
Hunebed D26 Drouwenerveld is one of the more interesting of the Dutch Hunebeds, but a photograph taken from above is needed to show it at its very best. This passage grave is well preserved, with twin rows of 6 sidestones and 5 of its capstones still in place: its entrance passage is marked by two pairs of sidestones but alas without capstones. The hunebed was originally surrounded by an oval of 27 kerbstones, and though only half remain today, the positions of the 'lost' (probably robbed) stones are indicated by concrete slabs.
Starting point for a visit is the village of Drouwen. You can get there by car or bike, or by taking the No 59 bus from Emmen or Borger. The hunebed lies across the main N34 highway to the west of the village. Reaching the hunebed (by walking or cycling, though you can drive a car much of the way too) is not straightforward, as this region abounds with large fields growing high quality turf. The fields are surrounded by high fences and 'keep out' notices and cannot be crossed. There is no chance of a short-cut, so you have to weave a long circuitous route between and around them.
Starting from the Markeweg bus stop in Drouwen, walk a few metres south to Steenhopenweg and turn right (west) into it. After about 350 metres, you will meet signs indicating hunebeds to the left and straight ahead. Almost immediately, a clearing on the left of the road reveals the twin hunebeds D19 Drouwen and D20 Drouwen (see map below). But to reach Drouwenerveld, continue straight ahead and through the underpass beneath the N34 for another 500 metres—then turn left (south) along Veldweg. Follow this dead straight road for just over a kilometre southwards, where it turns sharply right on to the tree-lined Lunsveenweg. Another 250 metres brings you to an area of woodland. Turn right here and follow the path north along the edge of the trees for 400 metres where you will find D26 Drouwenerveld sitting in a small clearing at the northeast corner of the woodland.
The Drouwenerveld hunebed was thoroughly excavated in the late 1960s, and revealed a wealth of artifacts (mainly pottery, axe-heads and beads) dating from the Funnel Beaker Era, 5000 years ago. These are on display in the Hunebed Centre at the nearby town of Borger.
Note: to return from visiting the Hunebed, it is advisable to retrace your inward route. There are a number of farm tracks leading off Veldweg that appear to offer short-cuts: they don't. All terminate short of the N34 and do not lead to either a bridge or an underpass to traverse this extremely busy arterial highway.
Reference: Dolmens in the Netherlands by Hans Meijer.